noffsinger Chapter 2267 Guilty Conscience
Chapter 2267 Guilty Conscience
Inside Miaoyinfang.
The fragrance of incense and tea mingled as Miaoqin sat by the window at her zither table, her fingertips casually plucking the strings, producing intermittent, clear sounds.
Several account books were spread out on the table, but she had no interest in looking at them.
"Manager Qi has been acting increasingly erratically lately," she muttered to herself, her brows furrowing slightly and her red lips forming a cold, hard line. "He killed Accountant Liu first, and then lied."
"It seems they have already developed disloyal intentions and cannot be allowed to live."
The sound of a waiter greeting customers came from outside the window. Miaoqin impatiently raised her hand to tuck a stray hair behind her ear.
She got up and walked to the back window, gently knocking on the window frame.
A moment later, the assassin came to the window.
"What are your orders, girl?"
"Go and keep a close eye on Manager Qi." Miaoqin's tone was cold and hard, filled with murderous intent. "If he does anything improper in the next two days, do not ask for permission, just kill him."
"I obey my orders."
"Remember, do it cleanly, don't leave any traces."
The assassin agreed again and turned to leave.
"Wait a minute." Miaoqin called out to him, and after a moment of contemplation, she said, "Keep an eye on the people around him as well, and deal with any unusual activity as well."
"Yes."
Miaoqin curled her lips into a cold smile, turned around and returned to the zither table, picking up the accounts again.
She was completely unaware that the maid who was secretly watching "Zhou Zhenghang" had not yet returned.
The assassin left the Miaoyinfang and blended into the crowd on the street.
The streets were bustling with pedestrians, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares and laughing filled the air.
He kept walking, intending to go directly to the vicinity of Manager Qi's residence to lie in ambush, but was attracted by a burst of intense discussion.
"Have you heard? Manager Zhou of Baixing Teahouse is in trouble!"
"Of course! Is there anyone in Youcheng who doesn't know? That imposter was exposed in public by Constable Cui!"
"That face, tsk tsk, it's really strange, it doesn't look like a normal person at all, it scared a lot of people into not daring to look at it!"
"The real Manager Zhou is long dead, his body is still in prison. The fake one dares to come out and impersonate him, he's really bold!"
The assassin abruptly stopped, a strange unease rising in his heart.
He hid under the eaves, listening intently, his heart sinking deeper with each listen.
Counterfeit goods exposed in public?
His heart pounded. The person impersonating Zhou Zhenghang was arranged by Miss Miaoqin. Logically speaking, it should have been flawless. How could it have been exposed?
After hesitating for a moment, the assassin couldn't help but step forward, grab a man who was talking animatedly, and asked in as calm a tone as possible, "Brother, what exactly is this Manager Zhou you were talking about?"
Seeing that he didn't know, the man quickly explained, "You haven't heard? This is quite a story! This morning, at the entrance of Baixing Teahouse, Constable Cui and his men tore off the mask of that fake Manager Zhou on the spot. His face was absolutely terrifying!"
"Fake? What about the real Manager Zhou?" the assassin pressed.
"He really died in prison a long time ago!" the man said in a low voice. "I heard he was assassinated, and then someone came out with his face to cause trouble, even trying to slander the Prince of Zhennan's mansion. Luckily, Constable Cui saw through it!"
The assassin felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his heart, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.
The imposter was exposed, and the corpse turned out to be Zhou Zhenghang's own...
There must be something wrong with the mask!
Although he didn't know where the problem lay, his years of experience as a killer told him that this was definitely not a simple matter.
If Miss Miaoqin knew about this, she would definitely be angry with me, since it was he who brought back the mask to ensure that nothing went wrong.
He dared not think any further, only feeling a chill creep up his spine.
Without having time to ask any more questions, he cupped his hands in greeting to the man, then hurriedly turned around and quickened his pace toward Manager Qi's residence.
In any case, we must first complete Miss Miaoqin's instructions, keep a close eye on Manager Qi, and do this matter well so as to please the young lady.
I need to go back and find the maid again, and ask her to help me think of a way to say a good word to the young lady.
Meanwhile, Manager Qi was in his study, restless and uneasy.
The tea on the table had gone cold, but he hadn't touched it. His eyes flickered with anxiety.
Ever since he personally killed Accountant Liu, although he did it discreetly, he has always felt uneasy.
Accountant Liu knows too much, especially about the arrangements for the fake Zhou Zhenghang and the accounts of their secret transfer of assets. Keeping them around is always a hidden danger.
But after killing the person, he couldn't help but feel a lingering fear, always feeling that something might have gone wrong.
"Logically speaking, with Accountant Liu dead, no one can implicate me anymore."
He muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously tracing the tabletop: "But what does it mean that Miss Miaoqin suddenly came today? Is she here to see if I'm dead or not?"
He got up and walked to the window, lifted a corner of the curtain, and looked warily at the street outside.
During this time, he had been secretly trying to find out what was going on with Zhou Zhenghang, wanting to go and see for himself, but he was afraid of attracting attention, so he could only suppress his thoughts.
After hesitating for a long time, Manager Qi finally decided to go out for a walk.
He changed into an inconspicuous blue cloth shirt, put on a straw hat, and quietly slipped out through the back door.
The streets were still bustling, but Manager Qi had no interest in them and headed straight for a small tavern he frequented on the street corner.
The tavern was bustling with people from all walks of life, making it a perfect place to gather information.
As soon as he entered the room, he heard several people at the next table talking about Zhou Zhenghang.
"...I was right next to him when the fake Zhou Zhenghang's mask was torn off. His face was as white as paper, and his features were pieced together in a mess. He was not even human!"
"It's said that Manager Zhou really died in prison. The authorities have already examined the body, and it was indeed Zhou Zhenghang!"
"This is too strange. How can there be two Zhou Zhenghangs? And one is real and the other is fake?"
Manager Qi stopped in his tracks, as if struck by lightning, and froze on the spot.
Was the person who died in prison the real Zhou Zhenghang? Or was there another imposter who was exposed in public?
how can that be!
A storm raged within him, and his mind was in complete chaos.
He clearly remembered that the real Zhou Zhenghang had been dealt with by Mr. Mo's men long before he came to Youcheng, so how could he suddenly appear in the prison?
And they even turned into corpses?
Who is in the prison?
Who is the fake Zhou Zhenghang who has been exposed?
Could it be Miss Miaoqin?
If his shared identity as "Zhou Zhenghang" had died long ago, then who would have poisoned him at the behest of Accountant Liu?
Could it be that... the order for Accountant Liu to poison "Zhou Zhenghang" was actually given directly by Miss Miaoqin?
Questions swirled in Manager Qi's mind, making him feel that the matter was increasingly strange and that his situation had become more dangerous than he had imagined.
Miaoqin is a cunning and ruthless woman. If things are exposed, she will definitely try to silence me again!
The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became, and Manager Qi could no longer stay there.