That night, the bright moon hung high, sprinkling silvery light.
Mrs. Mingyue rode a horse and returned home in agile shape. Sun Qiushui had already been waiting at the door. Seeing her return, she hurriedly came forward and asked curiously: "How is it? What's going on today?"
Mrs. Mingyue turned over and dismounted, patted her body, and said, "We found that shop today, but unfortunately, the bastard we were looking for was not here. The Prime Minister did not want to return without success, so he stayed in a nearby inn and planned to go tomorrow."
A touch of emotion flashed in Sun Qiushui's eyes and he said softly: "The Prime Minister is really a person of thought. I am just a commoner. What kind of virtue can I have to let the Prime Minister go for my own business."
Mrs. Mingyue nodded with a smile.
"Yes, among the people, the prime minister has a very good reputation. He cares about the people, is honest and honest, and everywhere he goes, he praises it. It is a blessing for the people to have such a prime minister."
As they said, the two of them walked into the house while chatting, and the moonlight stretched out their figures.
The next day, Xi Yu went out early and began to inquire about the situation of the restaurant owner Ma Pingchang.
He shuttled through the streets and alleys and finally walked into a bustling shop.
As the store came and went, Xi Yu walked straight to the owner, took out a few coins from his arms and put them on the counter, and said sincerely: "Owner, I want to ask you about someone, Ma Pingchang, the owner of the restaurant. If you know anything, you still hope to inform me. These currencies are just a little bit of your heart."
The owner looked at the coins and saw a light flashing in his eyes. He rubbed his hands and began to recall.
The owner looked around carefully, lowered his voice and said to Xi Yu: "Customer, I can tell you, but you must not tell it to the public. If this news is what I told you, I will be in trouble."
Xi Yu nodded quickly, "Of course, don't worry."
The owner cleared his throat and continued, "Actually, I don't know much about Ma Pingchang, I just heard some rumors occasionally. It is said that Ma Pingchang is a perfect pervert. In his restaurant, whenever a woman comes to work, he will shine and stare at others lustfully, which is scary. I only know these, and I really don't know anything else."
Xi Yu listened carefully, frowned slightly. When the owner finished speaking, he nodded to the owner, handed the prepared currency to the owner, and then turned around and left the store.
While walking, he thought about the owner's words, and felt that Ma Pingchang seemed to be even more complicated than he thought.
Next, Xi Yu continued to inquire about people related to Ma Pingchang around the city.
He asked along the streets and alleys one by one, but the situations he encountered were different.
Some people know nothing about Ma Pingchang and just shake their heads in a daze.
Some people heard Ma Pingchang's name and looked frightened on their faces. No matter how Xi Yu persuaded him, they didn't dare to say a word.
Only a few brave people were willing to speak out under the temptation of Xi Yu's sincere inquiries and some rewards.
However, what they said was roughly the same as what the shop owner said before, and they all pointed out that Ma Pingchang had misconduct, especially in treating women with bad behavior.
After a while, Xi Yu went around and walked into the shop selling liquor again.
The shop is still very lively, and the chats and laughters of the drinkers are intertwined.
The waiter from yesterday was still busy in the store. He skillfully shuttled between the various wine tables, and the tray in his hand was steady, giving the guests a cup of mellow wine.
When he looked at the door inadvertently, he saw Xi Yu's figure at a glance.
Xi Yu walked into the store with steady steps, glanced around the store, and landed on the table he had sat on yesterday.
Seeing this, the waiter quickly put down his work and went up to meet him. He had a professional smile on his face and bowed slightly and said, "Customer, you are here."
Xi Yu nodded at him, his eyes stopped on the waiter's face for a moment, and asked, "Is the shopkeeper here?"
The waiter straightened up, scratched his head, with a hint of confusion in his eyes, and said, "The shopkeeper hasn't come back yet, and I don't know where he is going. Sometimes this shopkeeper goes out to do business, and he doesn't tell us where he is going, and we don't ask more questions."
Xi Yu frowned, feeling helpless.
"Since that's the case, let's wait here."
The noisy surroundings seemed to have nothing to do with him. His mind was completely immersed in waiting for the shopkeeper to return, and he kept guessing in his mind that the shopkeeper might know.
After a while, two guests came in.
The two guests were dressed simply, but their faces were filled with excitement.
They sat down at a table near the corner, and the waiter quickly brought them wine.
One of them said with envy, "Have you heard that? The daughter of Lao Tian's mother, the village head, is so lucky that she was attracted by the Prime Minister! This is such a great thing."
When the other person heard this, he nodded quickly and said with a hint of surprise: "Yes, that's really the smoke from their ancestral graves! This girl will fly up to the branches and turn into a phoenix in the future. What kind of person is the Prime Minister? He is more than ten thousand people. If he can be taken by the Prime Minister, the family will have a comfortable life in the future."
As the two of them spoke, they picked up their glasses and took a sip of the wine. The envy in their eyes became stronger and stronger, as if they were already imagining the girl's glorious and prosperous life.
The moment he heard this, Xi Yu felt as if he was struck by lightning, and he was stunned and his body froze slightly.
He never expected that these two guests would talk about themselves, that is, someone pretended to be themselves.
He frowned, a hint of anger flashed in his eyes, and he thought to himself: "Who is so bold that he dares to use my identity?"
But soon, Xi Yu calmed down, and he knew very well that there must be something strange about it.
This seemingly unexpected situation may be an important clue.
I came here to wait for the shopkeeper, but I didn’t expect that there would be such unexpected gains.
He sat still, but his ears listened carefully to the conversation between the two, trying to get more information from it and see what the purpose of this person who pretended to be himself was.
However, the two seemed to have been chatting almost the same thing, and soon stopped talking about this topic, and instead talked about some trivial matters about the family and the fields.
Xi Yu sat aside, but his curiosity grew like wild grass. He couldn't help but want to figure out the ins and outs of the prime minister's identity being used.
So Xi Yu stood up and walked to the two people with a gentle smile on his face, saying, "Two friends, meeting is fate. I heard you have a fun chat. I wonder if I can have a drink with you?"
The two of them were generous people. When they saw Xi Yu coming to talk to each other, they looked at each other and smiled. One of them responded enthusiastically: "Haha, what's wrong? Come and drink together!"
The other person also nodded quickly and reached out to greet Xi Yu to sit down.
Seeing this, Xi Yu waved to the waiter and said loudly: "Waiter, bring me wine too!"
The waiter responded, and soon brought the wine and wine glass.
Xi Yu picked up the wine pot, filled it with the two of them first, then poured a glass for himself, raised the glass and said, "Come on, I wish you two friends!"
After saying that, I drank it all in one go.
The two of them raised their glasses, raised their heads and drank the wine in the glass, and the atmosphere suddenly became warm.
Xi Yu put down the wine glass, showed a curious look on his face, and began to ask about the topic they were talking about just now.
"Two, you just said that the Prime Minister has taken a fancy to someone else's daughter. What's going on?"
When the two heard this, one of them said enthusiastically: "Hey, this girl is from our village. That's really a blessing. We all envious!"
The other one was also nodding.
Xi Yu frowned deliberately and asked again: "Why are you sure that the man is the prime minister? You can't just talk nonsense."
The two looked at each other, and one of them replied: "We didn't know at first, but we only knew a few days ago. The man had a token on his body, which was a token unique to the prime minister. This was not fake, so we were sure that he was the prime minister."
When Xi Yu heard this, he thought to himself, his brows frowned even more. There must be some conspiracy here.
Xi Yu said seriously: "Think about it, this token can be faked, or maybe someone stole the Prime Minister's token?"
At this time, the two of them were stunned. They had never considered this issue before, and a look of suddenness appeared on their faces.
Immediately afterwards, one of them scratched his head and said hesitantly: "No way? Who would have such courage? This is the prime minister's token. If it is found to be faked or stolen, it will be a serious crime to kill the nine clans!"
Another person also nodded on the side.
Xi Yu smiled, with a hint of sincerity in his eyes, and looked at the two of them and asked, "Two, I'm very curious about this. I wonder if I can take me into your village to take a look? Maybe there are some misunderstandings here, and it would be a good thing if I could figure it out."
The two looked at each other, and one of them smiled heartily and said, "Of course it's OK. You can wait for us for a while. When we finish drinking this glass of wine, you just follow us." Xi Yu hurriedly thanked.
So, Xi Yu walked to the waiter and whispered: "I want to follow these two elder brothers for a while, and I will come back later."
The waiter smiled and replied: "Customer, please give me some advice."
After a while, the two of them got up after drinking.
Xi Yu followed them out of the tavern.
Along the way, Xi Yu chatted with the two of them in a mess, but was thinking about the token in his heart. He vaguely felt that the conspiracy behind this might be more complicated than he thought, and this village might hide the key clues to uncover the mystery.
After a while, the three of them finally arrived at an ordinary small village.
Here are green trees, verdant fields, and the pastoral scenery is in sight.
Xi Yu looked up and saw a clear stream flowing through the village, with women washing clothes by the stream, and a few children laughing and playing by the stream, which is a quiet and peaceful picture.
The two took Xi Yu to the village, introducing them as they walked.
One of them pointed to the front and said, "Look, there is a big locust tree at the entrance of the village. That locust tree is a bit old. There is a family next to the locust tree, which is the home of the girl who was attracted by the prime minister."
Xi Yu looked in the direction he pointed and saw an old locust tree with lush branches and leaves, with a small courtyard under the tree.
After Xi Yu thanked the two, he walked towards the girl's house.
Xi Yu slowly walked to the small courtyard of the farmhouse, and saw an ordinary farmhouse scene in front of him.
There is a circle of simple fences outside the yard, and the years have left mottled traces on the fence.
Inside the fence, a few chickens were walking leisurely, shaking their wings, and occasionally bowing their heads to peck at the grains on the ground.
A middle-aged woman was standing in the yard, holding a dustpan filled with chicken food in her hand and sprinkling it on the ground.
When she heard the movement, she raised her head and saw the stranger Xi Yu standing outside the yard.
She was slightly stunned, with a little doubt in her eyes.
The person in front of me, whether in dressing or temperament, was completely different from the people in the village.
She put down the dustpan, patted the grains on her hands, walked up, and asked through the fence, "Who are you? Who are you looking for?"
Xi Yu smiled and said gently, "Sister-in-law, I heard a happy event outside, saying that your girl and the Prime Minister were in love. This is such a great thing. I was very curious, so I took the liberty to come and wanted to take a look."
When the middle-aged woman heard this, her face suddenly shone with pride and her eyes were full of pride.
She straightened her waist, and her voice was filled with joy: "Yes, my daughter is indeed having fun with the Prime Minister. This is the blessing that our family has cultivated for several lifetimes! Come on, young man, don't stand outside, hurry up and sit in the house."
As she said that, she enthusiastically opened the fence door and called Xi Yu to walk into the house.
Xi Yu followed into the house. Although the furnishings in the house were simple and simple, they were clean and tidy.
After the woman enthusiastically asked Xi Yu to sit down, she also sat down on the stool beside her.
Xi Yu looked at the woman with curiosity in her eyes and asked, "Sister-in-law, where is your daughter? I really want to meet her, and I want to admire the Prime Minister's style."
The woman looked up and down at Xi Yu, a trace of scrutiny flashed in her eyes, and asked, "Who are you? Why are you suddenly so interested in my daughter and the Prime Minister?"
Xi Yu replied calmly: "Sister-in-law, I am a businessman, running around in business. This time I happened to pass by here. When I heard this good news, I couldn't help but want to come and have a look."
When the woman heard this, she smiled and said, "So that's it. My daughter and the Prime Minister went out to travel around the country and the river. When they left, they said they wanted to have fun, and they probably wouldn't come back until it was dark."
Xi Yu secretly complained in his heart, why is it so unfortunate?
He frowned slightly, thinking about countermeasures quickly in his heart.
However, he still kept a smile on his face and said to the middle-aged woman: "Sister-in-law, since that's the case, I won't bother you. I'll come over tonight, hoping to be lucky enough to meet the Prime Minister and your daughter."
Xi Yu stood up and prepared to leave.
And at this moment, Xi Yu suddenly heard footsteps from far to near.
He turned around and saw a young and beautiful girl leading a young man toward the house.
The girl had a beautiful face, a lively eyes, and a simple atmosphere.
The young man was tall and majestic, but there was a faint sense of panic in his eyes.
The woman quickly got up and introduced with a smile on her face, "This is my daughter."
As she said that, she pointed to the young man next to her again, "This is the Prime Minister."
The girl looked at Xi Yu curiously, her eyes full of confusion, and asked, "Mom, who is this?"
The mother smiled and replied, "This is a passerby. After hearing about you, she is curious, so come to our house to take a look."
The girl nodded slightly, and looked at Xi Yu with a little alert.
The young man didn't say anything, just stood quietly by, but his eyes wandered on Xi Yu from time to time.
The girl Tian Yanyan looked at Xi Yu with a proud look on her face, raised her chin and said, "This is the Prime Minister. Why don't you salute quickly? It's a great blessing to see the Prime Minister."
The young man waved his hand, showed a gentle smile on his face, and said, "No need to be polite. This prime minister and the people are happy, without these red tape. If the people have to salute me when they see me, I will be uncomfortable."
Xi Yu listened aside, his heart was filled with anger and secretly complained to himself.
Humph, I'm really good at acting! It's okay to pretend to be myself, but I'm still pretending to be here, and I really treat everyone as a fool?
But his face was not revealed, but he still looked respectful.
Xi Yu ignored the performance of the young man, but turned to the middle-aged woman and said, "Sister-in-law, since I met the Prime Minister and your daughter by such a coincidence, I won't leave now, so I can enjoy this joy."
The woman said with a smile on her face: "Of course, this is a coincidence. It seems that this is fate."
Then, the woman warmly greeted the three of them and hurried into the room, muttering that she wanted to make tea for them.
After entering the house, everyone sat down, Xi Yu looked at the young man and asked deliberately: "Sir, you have a lot of trouble, how could you come to this small village?"
The young man looked upright and said sincerely: "This Prime Minister was visiting privately this time to understand the sufferings of the people. He didn't want to meet Miss Tian Yanyan by chance after coming here. He felt that he was very close to her, so he became loving and decided to marry her. After this, I planned to bring her back to Youzhou."
Xi Yu sneered in his heart, but he remained silent on the surface and continued to test this fake.
Next, a light flashed in Xi Yu's eyes. He looked at the young man and said with a smile: "Sir, I heard that the Prime Minister has an exclusive token. I wonder if I can be lucky enough to see it?"
Chapter completed!