She thought her plan was flawless and foolproof, but was caught red - handed by Yi Qing. It was truly ironic.
"How did you figure it out?" Ping Xinian asked hoarsely, suppressing the pain. Her voice was so raspy that it was like metal scraping against stone, sending shivers down one's spine.
"Because you hate me too much." Yi Qing looked at Ping Xinian. "When you first saw me, didn't you wish you could kill me right away?"
"Yes." That was exactly what Ping Xinian had thought at that time.
"So you gave me a feeling of a fateful reunion. Later, you behaved differently around me. A woman knows better how to make another woman fall for someone. " Yi Qing said calmly. "So your way of revenge this time was to snatch me away from Xiao Jinghan and make me betray him. In your eyes, I'm a strong - willed woman who would get angry with Xiao Jinghan for the people or things I defend."
"Isn't that so?" Ping Xinian sneered.
"Yes, but I would never get angry with Xiao Jinghan for defending a man." Yi Qing finally resolved her last doubt. She had only had this thought before.
"You determined there was something wrong with me just based on your intuition?"
"Of course not entirely on intuition. Later, when I felt your pulse, your pulse indicated that you were ill, and it was a very unusual illness. When we went to the Mu family's pharmacy, we found that the snow lotuses and dragon tendon herbs transported by the Ping family to the capital were all problematic. And all the snow lotuses and dragon tendon herbs in other pharmacies had been bought. I suspected that someone needed a large amount of these two herbs."
"But that doesn't mean you should have suspected me."
"I didn't suspect you at that time. But when we went to admire chrysanthemums on Dongjie Mountain, you staged a scene of encountering hooligans just to get in touch with me. From that distance, I smelled the scent of snow lotuses and dragon tendon herbs on you. The scents of these two herbs are very faint unless they are used in large quantities."
"Then why didn't you expose me at that time?"
"I didn't have enough evidence. You were brought back by my grandfather. Without sufficient evidence, it would only drive us apart." Yi Qing was just speculating at that time and really had no evidence. "So I sent someone to investigate Jin Xiao and found that Jin Xiao was your half - brother. Then I was sure that you were Ping Xinian."
"Why?" Ping Xinian had done her best to avoid suspicion.
"Because the risk of face - changing is very high. It's best to change faces with someone with blood relations. You contacted Ghost Hand and Lin Mo. Ghost Hand helped you change your face, and Lin Mo solved the problem of your recovery after the face - change. And your body shape... In fact, you deliberately let Lord Ghost know that you had changed your face because you wanted him to know that it would take at least three months to recover after face - changing. You wanted this time difference so that we would never suspect Jin Xiao who arrived in the capital earlier."
Ping Xinian let out a sinister laugh: "Yi Qing, you're really smart. It's a pity."
"What's a pity?"
"It's a pity that you really fell for someone. You don't love Xiao Jinghan as much as you thought." When Ping Xinian saw Xiao Jinghan at the door, a look of triumph flashed in her eyes.
"You're wrong." Yi Qing didn't notice Xiao Jinghan's arrival. "It's normal for people to like beautiful things. But once you're married, it's a responsibility. Moreover, I never think there's any man in the world better than my general."
Ping Xinian was so choked by this show of affection that she even forgot the pain: "There are so many men in the world. How can you not fall for others?"
"Well, there are so many men in the world. Why do you have to fixate on a married man?" Yi Qing sneered. "It's just that your unrequited love has turned into an obsession. How much do you really like him? Enough to try to kill him and ruin him again and again?"
Yi Qing had seen Ping Xinian twice in the prison and didn't want to see her again. Who would have thought that Ping Xinian would be so persistent and appear in such a way? This time, she would watch Ping Xinian die.
"So what?" Ping Xinian gritted her teeth.
"Then you've lost." Yi Qing didn't think there was any "so what".
Ping Xinian was blocked by Yi Qing again: "If you kill me, the whole capital will be buried with me."
"It's as if the capital would be peaceful if I don't kill you." Yi Qing wasn't that naive. "You knew that Lin Mo was refining the human - gu. The medicine you used is the same as that for refining the human - gu. That's why your skin is cold and you're afraid of light."
Yi Qing never knew what the extra gland in the bat's body was for until Wu Min explained it to her when she woke up.
"You even know this?" Ping Xinian couldn't believe it.
"I thought at that time that since you had such a close connection with Xiang Beizheng, you might know the evil witch Lin Mo who cooperated with him. If you did, then many things could be explained. You had many informants in the capital to help him avoid being caught by the government."
This was Ping Xinian's third failure. She always thought she was a favored child of heaven. Even if she didn't enter the royal family, she would become someone the royal family dared not provoke. But why did the appearance of Yi Qing make her lose everything?
"Ping Xinian, are you very unwilling?" Yi Qing looked at Ping Xinian's painful expression.
"You're not much better."
"Actually, I'm doing great." Yi Qing shrugged.
At this time, Xiao Jinghan walked behind Yi Qing. Yi Qing turned around and was startled.
"When did you come?" Yi Qing looked at Xiao Jinghan with a smile on his lips and thought it was a bit strange.
"When you said that there's no one better than me in your eyes." As Xiao Jinghan spoke, the light in his eyes became brighter, as if he was about to jump for joy.
"Cough... cough..." Yi Qing tried to cover it up. "It's not a good habit to eavesdrop."
"You didn't say I couldn't listen. So I can't be considered eavesdropping." Xiao Jinghan whispered in Yi Qing's ear.
Seeing their intimacy, Ping Xinian seemed to be stimulated. She suddenly pounced on the iron cage: "Xiao Jinghan, why? Why do you treat me like this?"
Although Xiao Jinghan knew that Ping Xinian couldn't hurt Yi Qing, he still subconsciously protected her: "What do you mean by 'why'? You've never had any relationship with me from the very beginning, so there's no 'why'."
This was something Ping Xinian had known for a long time, but she just couldn't accept it: "What does she have that's better than me?"
Xiao Jinghan didn't even bother to look at Ping Xinian: "How does the madam plan to deal with her?"
"I won't be at ease until I see her beheaded this time." Yi Qing was afraid of Ping Xinian's tenacity.
Xiao Jinghan nodded: "I'll go and chop off her head for the madam."
"Find a guard to do it. Don't dirty your sword." Yi Qing was a bit disgusted.
"Ahhh—" Ping Xinian was completely ignored by them and let out a hysterical scream.
She had fought so hard for something, but in the end, she didn't even get an explanation. Even though she knew it had always been just her own one - sided obsession, she still couldn't let it go.
Amid her screams, countless bats, regardless of it being daytime, flew out from various hidden corners and headed towards the Duke of Di's Mansion, causing panic among the common people in the capital. They all hid under the eaves and watched.