Xia Houshu returned to Qingfeng Pavilion angrily. On the way, he saw several housekeepers and a group of maids and servants carrying brooms and basins, going to Xiafei Court in a hurry.
Seeing this battle, it seemed that something had happened to Xiafei Court. Xia Houshu was worried that it was Xia Houling, so he followed them all the way to take a look, but saw that they had met with the steward of Xiafei Court, Aunt Feng, and said they were following the rules.
Cleaned up and then went in.
Xiahou Shu felt bored and continued walking to his residence.
As soon as he entered the yard, he saw that Yun Xi was also directing several maids in the yard to do general cleaning. At the same time, he took out all the bedding in the house and hung them in the sun. A dozen people were busy inside and outside the house.
, did not take into account that the real owner had returned, nor did he notice the surprise on her face.
Xia Houshu raised his head and looked at the clear blue sky. The sun was shining brightly and there were no clouds in the sky. It was indeed a good weather. But the rainy season had just ended. Didn't the whole house just undergo a general cleaning? It had only been less than a month, so why bother?
frequently?
She was confused, so she called Yun Xi over to ask.
When Yunxi heard Xia Houshu calling her, she quickly explained a few words to her servants, then ran over quickly and replied with a smile: "Girl, you went out early today and haven't had time to have breakfast. You should be hungry."
Are you ready? I saw that the Qingfeng Pavilion was now smoky, so I asked the small kitchen to warm breakfast on the stove. There are your favorite japonica rice porridge, fresh bamboo shoots and chicken soup, scallion pancakes, golden pastry, red date cake, sour
Beans. Do you want to eat some now? I'll arrange for them to be used in the yard."
Xia Houshu shook his head. She was in a bad mood with Xia Houyi. How could she still be in the mood to eat? Then she pointed to the little maid who was busy nearby and asked her: "What day is it today? How come everyone seems to have made an appointment?"
Are you cleaning the house?"
"It's not a special day." Yun Xi waved his hand and said, turning to the little maid next to him to notify the kitchen to bring breakfast. Then he continued to explain to Xia Houshu: "Just now the princess sent Sister Qingfang to various places.
The yard was circulated, asking everyone to clean the yard thoroughly. Although our yard is cleaned every day, we are still busy in accordance with the wishes of the princess. "
"Didn't it just be swept a few days ago? It hasn't rained recently, so it won't get damp and moldy, right?" Xia Houshu was very puzzled.
"It's not that I'm afraid of getting wet." Yun Xi smiled, "I heard that the young master of Taichang Temple Qing Huo's family was accidentally bitten by a poisonous insect when he was playing in the mansion a few days ago. He has been in coma and fever for several days. Even the palace officials
I have called the imperial doctor several times, but there is still no improvement. The princess thought that there were many mosquitoes in the summer and was worried that similar things would happen in the house, so she asked us to clean it again. "
"That's it." Xia Houshu nodded. Suddenly, she remembered that she had been bitten by a mosquito when she was lurking in the Prime Minister's Mansion last night. She quickly opened her sleeves and took a look, and found the marks on her hands left by mosquito bites.
The redness and swelling also subsided, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's really time to clean it thoroughly, then you can continue cleaning." Xia Houshu did not continue walking into the house, turned around and sat down on the stone bench under the wisteria flower stand, thinking carefully about Yi Wu.
Yun Xi quickly brought people to prepare the dishes, and Xia Houshu took a few bites of the food before he lost interest and asked people to leave.
Xia Houshu has always regarded herself as smart, smart, and good at martial arts, so she firmly believed that even without Xia Houyi's advice and help, she could still find out what happened to Yi Wu.
I heard that there is an antique shop called Canglanzhai in the south of the city. Its owner is well-informed, and one of the clues she knows so far is the mutton-fat jade tablet. Maybe she can get some clues from Canglanzhai.
After making up his mind, Xia Houshu drew the rough appearance of the white jade plaque from his memory, then found a mutton-fat jade from the warehouse, ordered Yunxi to disguise himself, and found a small jade shop in the city.
The shop made a copy of it.
A few days later, Yunxi went to get the jade tablet back.
Xia Houshu looked at the mutton-fat jade plaque again and again, compared it with the white jade plaque in his memory, then changed into plain clothes and walked out from the main entrance of the Duke of Yue's Mansion.
It happened to be the 15th day of the lunar month. My father had gone to the military camp early in the morning to train. As usual, he would not be able to come back until after sunset. My mother had to eat fast every 15th day of the lunar month and then go to the Buddhist hall to meditate.
lunch.
The weather, location, and people make it the perfect time for her to go out.
Canglanzhai is located in a deep and quiet alley in the south of the city. It has a small shop and is hidden among a lot of old houses. It is inconspicuous and even a little deserted. Even the book on the door has the words "Canglanzhai"
The paint on the plaque with the characters has also peeled off due to exposure to wind and sun all year round, giving off a sense of simplicity and disrepair. There are not many people who come to Canglan Zhai, but most of them have some insight and knowledge.
This is why Canglanzhai has a certain reputation in the city.
Xia Houshu entered Canglan Zhai with a piece of jade, but found that it was surprisingly quiet inside. No one even came up to say hello, and it didn't look like they were open for business at all.
She scanned briefly and found that there were only three or four antique shelves in the small shop. There were not many top-quality antiques as far as the eye could see, but each item seemed to have its own history and story.
. After walking a few steps further inside, she discovered that a thin old man with gray hair was sitting behind the antique rosewood screen.
The sunlight shines in through the carved windows, and is particularly gentle after being filtered by the window paper. At this moment, the old man is drinking tea leisurely, looking at the yellowing book in his hand from time to time, not knowing whether he is doing business or not.
While passing time, I couldn't even tell whether he was the owner of Canglan Zhai or a guest.
Such a knowledgeable and uncontroversial person probably has a weird temperament. For example, he is unwilling to talk to people he doesn't like, and he doesn't like others to suddenly disturb his rhythm of life. Seeing the old man holding the scroll and looking fascinated, Xia Houshu
Not daring to interrupt suddenly, I casually picked up a book with obvious signs of repair from the book shelf, flipped through it, and waited patiently.
The old man lived a leisurely life and read slowly. He was reading and thinking, probably reading four or five pages. When he lowered his head to drink tea, he realized that the tea in the cup was empty, so he picked up the teapot that was warm on the small stove and added a cup. He looked up.
At that time, I happened to see Xia Houshu standing at the door. He was stunned for a moment, then put down the tea set, stood up slowly, and asked: "What do you mean when you come to the shop, girl?"
Most of the people who came in and out of Canglan Zhai were elderly literati and elegant people, but there were very few young and inexperienced women like Xia Houshu.
Hearing the sound, Xia Houshu quickly moved his eyes from the book to the old man, bowed slightly and said respectfully: "I have heard that the master of Canglan Zhai has extensive knowledge and strong memory, and has a unique eye. My daughter has an object. I want to ask the owner of Canglan Zhai for advice. I don't know.
Can I introduce you to me?"
The old man was very satisfied when he saw that she was a little girl and she was well-mannered. He smiled heartily and said, "I am just an old man. Girl, please come in and talk."
The owner of Canglanzhai has an unknown name, and people respectfully call him "Chang Weng". Chang Weng is indeed as gentle, elegant, indifferent and quiet as the rumors say, and he has quite the style of an old man and a villager.
Xia Houshu didn't expect to catch Chang Weng's eye, and he felt happy. He quickly closed the ancient book in his hand and put it back to its original place, and then sat down opposite him at the old man's invitation.
Chang Weng personally poured tea for Xia Houshu and then asked her in detail about her purpose of coming.
Xia Houshu didn't show off, so he took out the imitation white jade sign to Chang Weng, and made up a reason, saying that he had picked it up a few days ago, but didn't know its origin, and wanted to ask him if he knew anything about it, and would like to ask him if he knew anything about it in the future.
So that the jade tablet can be returned to its owner.
Chang Weng looked at the jade plaque carefully for a long time and frowned more and more. He didn't know whether it was because the imitation was not realistic enough or because the origin of the jade plaque was unusual.
After a while, he raised his head and asked, "Did you really pick up this jade plaque?"
Xia Houshu was afraid that he would see the flaw, so he had to smile, avoid the important thing and say lightly: "I think this jade plaque is exquisite and clear, and the color is like agar. It doesn't look like an ordinary thing. I think the person who lost the jade plaque must be troubled and anxious. If Chang Weng is
If you know his origin, please tell me so that this jade plaque can be returned to its original owner as soon as possible."
Chang Weng stroked his beard and handed the mutton-fat jade plaque back to Xia Houshu. He said slowly: "It is indeed an unusual thing, but yours is a fake."
"Fake?" Even though he knew it was fake, Xia Houshu still looked surprised, even a little disappointed, "No wonder no one is looking for it, it turns out to be like this."
Chang Weng stroked his beard and said with a smile as if to comfort her: "Although it is a fake, this piece of jade is indeed a good piece of jade."
"Sir, what do you mean by this?" Xia Houshu raised his head and looked at Chang Weng, continuing to act stupid.
In order to make the imitation of the jade plaque more realistic, she had indeed chosen a good jade, but unexpectedly, the well-informed Chang Weng noticed it.
"In terms of the quality of this piece of jade, it can be considered top-grade among mutton-fat jade, but it is not worth mentioning compared to the patterns engraved on the jade." Chang Wen slowly explained.
There is indeed a mystery!
Xia Houshu was secretly happy in his heart, and continued to study hard and asked: "It's just a peony flower. It looks like a toy from my daughter's house. What special meaning can it have?"
Chang Weng seemed to have seen through Xia Houshu's thoughts, so he said: "If we want to find out its origin, I'm afraid it has something to do with Prince Ling's Mansion."
"Prince Ling's Mansion?" Xia Houshu expressed surprise at this result, but it seemed to be expected.
The ten vassal kings with different surnames conferred by Emperor Taizong at that time, except for the Changsun family of Xiangwang, the Yuwen family of Lingwang, and the Zhong family of Gongwang, were hereditary, and the other seven vassal kings were involved in various battles and internal strife.
It has been exhausted and has long lost its former glory and scenery. Among the three remaining vassal kings with different surnames, the most prestigious is Ling Wang Yuwensheng.
Give him three points of respect.
In the early years, in order to win over Prince Ling, the court even married a princess to him. However, Princess Zhaoyun was unlucky. She was married to Prince Ling for more than ten years and only gave birth to a daughter, who unfortunately died in the end.
Princess Zhaoyun, who was physically and mentally frustrated, saw Yuwensheng's other concubines giving birth to children one after another. She felt deeply that she was unworthy of the ancestor of the Yuwen family, so she requested an order from the court to voluntarily give up the position of Princess Ling, and then became a monk.
.
In a time of peace and prosperity, and no national mourning, a princess of a royal country is ordained and becomes a monk. This is an unprecedented event in Nanqi. Not only will it bring trouble to the royal family, but it will also make the Lingwang Palace look bad, and it may even offend Longyan and get him implicated. But no
Knowing what happened next, the late emperor actually agreed to Princess Zhaoyun's request to become a monk, but retained her titles of Princess and Princess Ling. He even ordered a nunnery to be built for her on the outskirts of Lingdu in order to allow her to concentrate on her practice.
It's called Shuiyue An.
After Princess Zhaoyun became a monk, Prince Ling suddenly changed his temperament. In the past, he was brave, good at fighting, and full of energy. He was addicted to wine and sex all day long. He stayed in the fiefdom for many years and almost ignored the government affairs.
Everyone said that King Ling had a deep love for Princess Yun, but he could not leave the people of his fiefdom, and he was depressed, so he behaved so wildly. However, according to the information that Xia Houyi found, it was known that King Ling not only had no intention of retiring,
In recent years, it has also taken frequent actions, not only recruiting strange people from the world for entertainment, but also openly recruiting government soldiers, and its intentions are well known to everyone.
Prime Minister Wang is a Beijing official and the head of the civil service. He is deeply favored by the emperor. He should protect himself wisely and keep a distance from the various vassal kings. How could he be related to Prince Ling?
Maybe this is why today's emperor is concerned about the death of a concubine in the prime minister's palace.
I think the intention of Prince Lailing was already very obvious, otherwise it would not have attracted Ouchi's attention. This was a big clue, and Xia Houshu thought about exchanging information with Xia Houyi later.
Chang Weng didn't seem to notice that Xia Houshu was distracted, and said: "It is certainly worthy of praise that the girl did not pick up the gold, but I advise the girl not to get too involved with this jade token, so as not to get into trouble."
Although Chang Weng's tone was normal, he carried good-natured advice and warning.
Of course Xia Houshu understood the stakes, but her current status was just that of an ordinary female who had picked up a jade token with special meaning, and it was not convenient for her to get to the bottom of it. She thought that since she could find out the origin of this jade token, it would be a good thing.
Good thing, the next investigation will have a direction. This chapter has been completed!