With these thoughts, Qiu Tu closed the small booklet in his hands and gently tapped it while silently analyzing:
If all the charges recorded in this booklet were true, then even if the Qin family was not implicated, Qin Zhengguang would definitely be finished.
At that time, with one of the Qin family's two major pillars in politics chopped off by himself, would they let him off?
As for the impractical idea of using this evidence to drag down the Qin family, Qiu Tu hadn't even considered it.
After all, this was information collected by the Qin Family's Fourth House. How could they possibly set themselves on fire and bring down their own family?
If Qiu Tu wasn't mistaken, there were both truths and falsehoods among the charges in this booklet, and even for the genuine parts, Master Qin Si must have made preparations for severance early on, so as not to let the fire spread to the Qin family.
So, were they using him as their weapon for internal conflicts among the brothers?
But by bringing down Qin Zhengguang, did Master Qin Si really stand to gain any benefits?
Could this be a trap?
Qiu Tu patted the booklet in his hand as he quietly pondered.
And as he was deep in thought, suddenly a sneaky figure caught his peripheral vision outside the window.
He was startled for a moment, and without giving further thought to the analysis, he immediately gathered his thoughts and called out sharply, "Who's out there!" before striding out.
Qiu Tu moved quickly, so as soon as he had stepped outside, he caught Cui Lan, who was attempting to flee.
Caught by Qiu Tu, Cui Lan didn't dare to run away any longer. She turned around with an embarrassed face and bowed slightly, "Agent Qiu."
Seeing Miss Shuman's black, chubby maid again, Qiu Tu's brows furrowed deeply: Why was it her again?
Qiu Tu asked expressionlessly, "Why aren't you taking care of Miss Shuman and instead hanging around my doorstep?"
Cui Lan, with her head lowered and feeling guilty, said, "Just passing by."
Qiu Tu's face grew colder, "Passing by? Miss Shuman lives in the main house, at least a minute's walk from here. Don't you think your reason is a bit far-fetched?"
Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Cui Lan defended herself, "It's my first time at the Qin family's, I don't know the way and just happened to wander here after getting lost."
Qiu Tu looked at her impervious attitude and felt a surge of irritation.
He simply made it clear, "How long have you been here? What did you hear and see?"
Possibly encouraged by the topic, Cui Lan slightly raised her head to confidently meet Qiu Tu's gaze, a schadenfreude smile on her lips, "For over ten minutes. As for what I heard and saw... I wouldn't dare to say."
"Anyway, I saw Master Qin Si and you having a pleasant conversation, so I waited outside, not daring to disturb."
Qiu Tu's penetrating gaze became especially profound, filled with an intensity that couldn't dissipate...
Over ten minutes, and she claims she was just passing by?
He looked at Cui Lan intently, about to say something.
But Cui Lan took the initiative to speak first, "Agent Qiu, don't always focus on me. Although I am also part of the entourage, I'm not with the Security Team."
"I'm a servant of the Bureau Chief, directly taking orders from him. If the Bureau Chief assigns me some other tasks, I definitely have to do them..."
"If you have been loyal to the Bureau Chief, what is there to fear?"
Having said this, she looked up with a somewhat defiant gaze at Qiu Tu.
Qiu Tu looked at her, just looked at her.
After a moment, he took a deep breath and laughed, "Ha ha," saying, "Understood, Cui Lan. After all, you are a close confidante of the Bureau Chief, with special assignments, I get it."
Finishing his address, he extended his hand to see her off, "Then I won't disturb you any longer. As you were."
Seeing Qiu Tu conceding, Cui Lan raised her head proudly, then with a perfunctory bow towards Qiu Tu, she turned and left arrogantly.
Just as she was stepping out, suddenly, she felt a large hand violently cover her mouth, and then she was brutally pressed against a chest devoid of warmth.
The next second, she felt a sharp pain in her back as a cold, sharp object was fiercely stabbed into her lower back.
As she felt the bone-piercing agony, Cui Lan had only one thought: had Qiu Tu gone mad? How dare he!
She was Yan Chen's maid, after all, and she even had orders from Yan Chen to surveil him!
Was he not afraid of Yan Chen's wrath?
She tried hard to turn her head to see Qiu Tu's expression, but the hand over her mouth held her face down firmly, preventing her from moving.
She struggled to break free from this control. But apart from intensifying the pain as she writhed, it was of no use.
At this time, perhaps sensing her resistance, Qiu Tu's low, hoarse voice timely reached her ear, "Take a deep breath, it's okay, it will be over soon."
Accompanying that whisper were the slow but firm twists of the dagger and even more severe pain....
Feeling the weakness in her body and the ebbing of life, tears flowed uncontrollably from the corners of Cui Lan's eyes. She shook her head desperately, crying silently, but none of it could stop her life from inching closer to its countdown....
As consciousness flickered, she seemed to see herself from yesterday noon, vividly recounting to Yan Chen how Qiu Tu and Qin Shuman were exchanging glances...
She seemed to see herself last night, leading the way for Qiu Tu with a look of schadenfreude....
She seemed to see herself this morning, hiding by the door eavesdropping on Qiu Tu and Qin Shuman's secret whispers...
She also seemed to see Yan Chen calling her into the dark study, rewarding her with a Silver Yuan for surveilling Qiu Tu, and the ecstatic expression she had....
If she had known it would end like this, she would never have gotten involved in the affairs of such important people....
Gradually, Cui Lan's consciousness grew blurrier until it faded away completely.....
....
Feeling Cui Lan no longer struggle, Qiu Tu emotionlessly let go of his hand.
He coldly looked at Cui Lan's corpse, then skillfully dragged her into the house, returned to the courtyard, and lit a cigarette. While silently smoking, he calmly cleaned the bloodstains from the ground.
After finishing all this, Qiu Tu changed his clothes, then dialed a communication number.
Soon, Eagle and Ah-Kun arrived late at night. Upon seeing Cui Lan's corpse, they didn't say anything, just took out a sack to bag the body, cleaned up the traces once more, nodded at Qiu Tu, and left with the body on their shoulders.
Watching the backs of the two men disappearing into the distance, the darkness in Qiu Tu's eyes deepened.
After a moment, he softly said, "The first one...."
...
Late at night, the door of a side room in the Qin Family's secondary residence was suddenly rapped on "tap tap tap."
Shortly after, a middle-aged woman's questioning voice came from inside, "Who is it?"
The caller said softly, "Madam, it's Ah-Fu. I have urgent matters to report to the Patriarch."
After a while, the sound of rustling clothes came from within the room.
Shortly, the Patriarch of the Qin Family, Qin Heng, wrapped in a robe, walked out from the inside.
He bore a resemblance to Qin Si by about fifty to sixty percent, but his body was very thin and frail, with a sickly pale complexion.
Stepping out of the room, the chilly breeze blew causing him to cover his mouth and cough twice before he looked towards Ah-Fu and asked coldly, "What happened?"
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