Xia Houshu and Uncle Qiu pushed the wooden cart for a while, and they stopped only after they were sure they were far away from Shuyu Pavilion and no one was following them.
Xia Houshu handed the wooden cart back to Uncle Qiu, patted the dust on his hands, and said, "Uncle Qiu, you have worked hard today. Don't worry, I won't treat you badly if you do this for me." As she said this,
He took out a brocade bag from his waist and handed it to Uncle Qiu, "This is the tail gold."
After the promise was fulfilled, Uncle Qiu finally let go of his hanging heart. He lifted up his sleeves and wiped the fine sweat that had appeared on his forehead at some point. He took the brocade bag and weighed it, then opened it again and looked at it.
He changed his mind and said hurriedly: "Girl, you gave me too much. We agreed on five ingots of gold before. You had already given me two ingots of gold before coming here. Why did you give me five ingots of gold?"
Xia Houshu waved his hands indifferently and explained: "What you and I agreed upon before was indeed five ingots of gold, but for the sake of keeping your promise, the two extra ingots of gold can be regarded as my gratitude and gratitude to you.
Compensated."
After hearing this, Uncle Qiu shed tears of gratitude. He felt that his hard work was not in vain. He bowed and cried to the two concierges and lost a lot of money. It was all worth it.
Seeing that Uncle Qiu was so easily satisfied, Xia Houshu couldn't help but warn him: "After this incident, I'm afraid it won't be so easy for you to do business with Shuyu Pavilion in the future. I think this money is enough for you to buy a few more acres."
Or do some other business, why don't you just say that you were frightened by what happened today, or that the fruits and vegetables sent to Shuyu Pavilion in the future are of poor quality. Shuyu Pavilion pays attention to quality. Seeing that you are becoming more and more perfunctory, slowly
Just cut off this business."
Uncle Qiu nodded hurriedly and said: "The girl is right. This Shuyu Pavilion is indeed a place of right and wrong. There are many requirements for vegetables and fruits. The size, color and freshness are all rules. My old lady said before that there are still unmarried women in the family.
My daughter advised me not to do business with such unclear places, but I thought that the management here was generous and the settlement was unambiguous, so I never gave up. Now that something like this happened, it happened to stop me.
Thoughts."
Uncle Qiu spoke sincerely, and Xia Houshu felt a little sorry. After all, it was not easy for farmers to find a long-term buyer who was generous and never used credit.
However, any choice has its own gains and losses. Without the stable business with Shuyu Pavilion, it would be good for Uncle Qiu to use the remuneration to do something else. Even if he does nothing, it will be enough for their family to be comfortable.
It took a year or two to take it.
Thinking of this, the guilt in Xia Houshu's heart faded a lot.
After saying goodbye to Uncle Qiu, Xia Houshu walked aimlessly for a long time. Then she saw a small river, so she walked straight to the river and picked up the water to wash away the stains on her face. The water reflected her beautiful face, eyebrows and
Gradually it became clean and clear. She took out another silk handkerchief and wiped the water stains on her face and hands, then stood up and looked at the big tree not far behind her, and sighed helplessly: "You still want to follow?
When will I be there?”
Behind the big tree, an unkempt woman slowly walked out, it was Yinxiang.
"Didn't you say before that you wouldn't disturb me after you left Shuyu Pavilion? Why are you following me now?" Xia Houshu's face was full of vigilance, secretly wondering what her intentions were after she followed him without leaving.
Yinxiang stood on tiptoe about five meters away from Xiahou Shu and said cowardly: "Although the girl rescued me from Shuyu Pavilion, the people from the Prime Minister's Mansion are still looking for me. I...I have nowhere to go now."
"So?" Xia Houshu asked, "Are you just going to follow me all the time?"
She hated people who broke their promises very much.
Yinxiang was a little nervous, but she still said sincerely and humbly: "Since the girl is willing to rescue me, I know that the girl is not from the Prime Minister's Mansion. As for the girl's identity and what her plan is to trace the cause of Mrs. Yi's death, I
I don’t dare to speculate. It’s just that I have served Mrs. Yi after all. If the girl is willing to keep me, I will think of her with all my heart and tell her everything I know.”
Xia Houshu smiled nonchalantly and said, "You mean what you just told me is not the whole truth? Are there other things you are hiding from me?"
Yinxiang became even more nervous when she heard this, and quickly explained: "The girl misunderstood, everything I said to the girl just now is the truth, and I never dared to hide anything. It was just that I was too flustered just now, for fear of leaking something important.
If you don't mind, girl, you can take me with you, and I'll slowly recall it and tell it to you."
Recall slowly? Wouldn’t it take a long time?
She doesn't have the spare time.
Xia Houshu didn't like this deal, and he had a special status. Yinxiang was now being hunted by the Prime Minister's Mansion. If he kept her by his side, it would only bring trouble to him.
"I don't want to know anything else, you'd better go." Xia Houshu said.
Yinxiang suddenly turned pale, suddenly fell to her knees, and said sadly: "Girl, if you don't leave me, I will have no way to live!"
It’s the same thing again! It’s as if it’s a sin for her not to be kind.
Xia Houshu wanted to laugh a little. She hated it when others threatened her with life and death. Zhong Lufu was her cousin, so he couldn't impress her, let alone Yinxiang, who had nothing to do with her.
Xia Houshu said indifferently: "If you want to die, what do you have to do with me?"
Yinxiang was stunned for a moment, looking at Xia Houshu's cold face, completely despairing. She slowly stood up and walked to the river step by step.
Xia Houshu wanted to walk away, her eyes were dirty and her heart was not bothered, but when she saw the river water reaching Yinxiang's waist, she finally softened her heart. She said to her back: "I can help you again.
Once, but you must ensure that this is the last time, and you must not mention it to anyone again, and even if you see me again in the future, you must pretend not to know me."
Yinxiang paused for a long time before turning around and asking: "Is the girl serious?"
Xia Houshu shrugged and said nonchalantly: "If you don't believe it, just keep walking to the middle of the river."
Yinxiang didn't want to die and immediately climbed out of the river to the shore.
Before leaving the city, Yinxiang expressed her last loyalty to Xia Houshu.
According to Yinxiang's recollection, Yi Wu didn't publicize it when she originally asked for Mr. Cui Lang's portrait, so not many people knew about it. Even Shopkeeper Zhao of Shayuezhai didn't know her true identity. Moreover, she had already paid for it during her lifetime.
The deposit for the portrait will only be paid when the portrait is framed and picked up.
Cui Langgongzi's paintings have never lacked people's pursuit. As long as his name is used, the paintings are always several times more expensive than others, and the prices are unmarketable. However, Shaiyuezhai is also a place that respects rules and credibility.
They would never sell a portrait of Yi Wu casually. Fortunately, the news of Yi Wu's death did not come out, and the people who were showing off the moon were not aware of the specific situation, so Xia Houshu put on a veil and claimed to be Yi Wu's maid, and
Following Yinxiang's instructions, I answered a few questions, signed, and settled the bill as agreed upon, and then I easily got the portrait.
When he saw the portrait, Xia Houshu couldn't help but marvel at Mr. Cui Lang's excellent painting skills. He was so penetrating that he made the people come alive, as if he could step out of the painting and dance in the next second.
The beauty in the painting not only has an outstanding appearance, but also has a variety of charms that men cannot resist. The most fascinating thing is her weak and boneless figure, and the charming and pitiful look in her eyes. It is no wonder that she is so old.
Wang Chonghou, who could be her father, would fall under her pomegranate skirt.
With new clues, Xia Houshu quickly figured out the ins and outs of Yi Wu.
Yi Wu was originally a dancing girl in the palace of Prince Ling. She was so beautiful that she was incomparable. The winter before last year, Wang Chonghou went to the capital as an envoy, and Prince Yu Wensheng hosted a banquet in honor of him. At that time, the king called all the counselors and capable ministers in his palace.
We came out to accompany him and arranged a song and dance performance.
Yi Wu was the one who performed the dance that night.
Outside the palace was covered with snow, but inside the palace of Prince Ling, there was singing and dancing. Wang Chonghou, who had always had a good drinker, looked at the beauties dancing on the dance floor. He was so shocked that he got drunk after just a few glasses of wine. He was amazed by the figure of the dancing girl.
The appearance was full of praise.
When Yu Wensheng saw this, he quickly called Yi Wu, the lead dancer, to serve him personally as a favor.
That night, Yi Wu dressed up and entered Wang Chonghou's bedroom.
Less than three days after Wang Chonghou returned to Beijing, King Ling sent Yi Wu to his residence for him to appreciate alone.
Perhaps because the person standing behind Yi Wu was Prince Ling, Princess Mingjia, who had always been domineering, did not object and instead tolerated everything in their future interactions. As a result, the news that Yi Wu became Wang Chonghou's new favorite quickly spread throughout the capital.
The aristocratic family in the middle.
It's just that such news can only be known by elders and men who often go out. It is difficult to reach the ears of a famous girl like Xia Houshu who has not yet left the court.
Xia Houshu originally thought that Yi, who was outstanding in dance and was deeply favored by Wang Chonghou, would inevitably become arrogant and had deep grudges with other concubines in the mansion, so he did not rule out being killed by other concubines. But according to Yinxiang,
Yi Wu usually lives in Jian
She was not good at socializing with others. She only danced and had fun with Wang Chonghou. The women in the Prime Minister's Palace resented her because they were jealous of her beauty and favor. But in front of Princess Mingjia, their jealousy tactics were just paper tigers.
So, could Yi Wu's death be related to Princess Mingjia?
Princess Mingjia's reputation for being tough is nothing new in the elite circles in the capital. It would be reasonable to say that she did this. However, Yi Wu is a dancer trained with great effort by Prince Ling's Mansion. Yu Wensheng
First, he tried every means to get her to Wang Chonghou's bed, and then sent her all the way to the first palace in the capital. How could such a person be a weak woman who has no heart for the city?
It was well known that Yi Wu was favored, and if Princess Mingjia wanted to kill her, she would definitely not tolerate her for a year. Besides, after Yi Wu died, Princess Mingjia was the first person to be suspected.
As for the other concubines in the Prime Minister's Mansion, they lived under the pressure of Princess Mingjia all day long. They were afraid that Princess Mingjia would catch her if they made a mistake, and they did not have the ability to kill her.
Xia Houshu carefully reviewed the information he had collected from beginning to end, combined with Yi Wu's status and favor in the Prime Minister's Mansion, and then related the fierce quarrel with Wang Chonghou before her death, and finally focused on
On Wang Chonghou's body.
Looking at the entire Prime Minister's Mansion, the only person who has the ability to kill Yi Wu, besides Princess Mingjia, is Wang Chonghou.
Xia Houshu was about to boast that he was getting smarter and smarter, but he found another doubt - if Yi Wu was really killed by Wang Chonghou, why should Wang Chonghou be so sad?
There were no outsiders present at the time, so there was no need for Wang Chonghou to act for anyone.
The information is still too little.
After much thought, she decided to take another risk and go to the Prime Minister's Mansion.
