Ci Jinzhi

Chapter 249 Something strange

He Qingxiao was stunned.

 Aunt Gui, who is omnipotent in gourmet food, cannot make crispy duck.

It was rare for Aunt Gui to see He Qingxiao's dumbfounded expression.

 This child has never been greedy. Does it matter if she can’t make crispy duck?—

In the blink of an eye, Aunt Gui came up with a guess: Could it be that Miss Kou likes to eat crispy duck?

“My slave knows how to make duck in several ways. Crispy duck must not be difficult to cook. Don’t worry, Lord Marquis. Later, I will try some restaurants that make crispy duck well. They will definitely make it better than the ones outside.”

“Then I’ll bother Aunt Gui.” He Qingxiao breathed a sigh of relief.

　　It would be too embarrassing for him to reveal his lies the first time he lied to Miss Kou.

Back at the Yamen, He Qingxiao arranged for the men to redeem Zhou Ningyue and others to come in and report.

 “Sir, something happened.”

"What's happening?"

"Zhou Tong's sister, Ji Zhou, suddenly went crazy and choked to death without a mouthful of phlegm."

He Qingxiao looked calm: "Where are Zhou Ningyue and Ji Cailan?"

"She is fine, her humble position has been arranged." At this point, the subordinate hesitated slightly, "I have something to report to you, sir."

"explain."

“The official in charge of these official slaves said that there is another person who wants to buy Zhou Ningyue and Ji Cailan today.”

 “Who is it?” He Qingxiao frowned unconsciously.

These people who have not become official slaves are all registered in the book, and ordinary people are not allowed to redeem them. Even if they are bought by the officials' families, they will be recorded and their status will be tracked regularly. The thing to guard against is that relatives and friends who have friendship with the offending official buy the person, who is obviously a slave but enjoys the treatment of a noblewoman, thereby reducing the deterrent effect of the punishment.

“He is a chief official of the Ministry of Personnel, surnamed Tong…”

Detective work is Jin Linwei's special skill. After listening to the report from his subordinates, He Qingxiao learned about Chief Tong's name, his family situation, and his officialdom.

He Qingxiao felt something was wrong.

Most of the family members who were turned into official slaves committed serious crimes, and those who were willing to redeem their wives and daughters were often close friends. Most people are afraid of getting into trouble and want to stay away.

 Zhou Tong was away from home all year round and died soon after he was transferred back to the capital. How did he develop such a friendship with a head of the Ministry of Civil Affairs who was neither a relative nor an acquaintance?

 “In-depth investigation into the relationship between Principal Tong and Zhou Tong.”

He Qingxiao ordered to go down. After finishing his official duties and returning to the Changle Marquis Mansion that night, he ate Aunt Gui's test dish - crispy duck.

"This is bought from outside. This is what I tried to make. Please try it."

He Qingxiao took a bite of each. The duck bought outside was already delicious to him. The duck made by Aunt Gui had crispier skin and tender meat. It was so fragrant that he didn't want to stop using his chopsticks.

“Aunt Gui makes it even better.” He Qingxiao praised sincerely.

Immersed in the things she likes and is good at, Aunt Gui feels much better. She couldn't help but smile after hearing He Qingxiao's praise: "I need to study this sweet sauce again. The sweet sauces outside are only sour and sweet, and the taste is not rich enough."

“Then thank you for your hard work, Aunt Gui.”

The next day, Xinyou received the letter sent by He Qingxiao and took Xiaolian out.

The two of them arranged to meet at a teahouse not far from Fusi, Beizhen.

“Zhou Tong’s sister is dead?” Upon hearing the news of Ji Cailan’s mother’s death, Xin You’s first reaction was that something was fishy.

 In her impression, Ji’s mother was a very strong woman.

“Not a single sputum came up. I heard from the guard that she was going crazy with her daughter and niece before the accident.”

Xin You's heart moved and she asked, "Are you crazy about Miss Ji and Miss Zhou, or just Miss Zhou?"

 Could it be that Ji’s mother learned the truth about her brother’s death?

“I didn’t ask in such detail.” He Qingxiao mentioned Master Tong, “I wonder what relationship this person has with Zhou Tong, and whether he would go to redeem his wife and daughter.”

Xin You also felt strange.

Zhou Ningyue’s mother Miao Susu told her that Zhou Tong sold the information about his mother to Gu Changbo in exchange for a large sum of money. If this is true, then Zhou Tong and the Guchangbo Mansion are only interested in each other, and this Chief Tong should not be from the Guchangbo Mansion.

 In fact, the party with the second prince Prince Qing as the core has completely lost power after Prince Qing was demoted to a commoner. It has too much time to take care of itself and is unlikely to be able to take care of other things.

Xin You suddenly thought of the broken letter he got from the Zhou family's study.

The only valuable information on the letter was the signature. Judging from the name, the person who wrote the letter had an unusual relationship with Zhou Tong.

“Master He, I would like to ask you to check on someone.”

"who?"

 “Dongsheng, may be his big name or his nickname.”

He Qingxiao said truthfully: "With only such a name, it would be difficult to find it."

Xin You nodded: "I know."

 So for such a long time, she just put away the broken letter and kept the name "Dongsheng" in her heart.

 But after King Qing's party fell, a person who was likely to be closely related to Zhou Tong suddenly appeared, so she couldn't help but check it out just in case.

“Master He, please check with Chief Tong to see if there is anyone named Dongsheng who is close to him. If not—”

 He Qingxiao waited for Xin You to continue.

 “If not, forget it.”

He Qingxiao: "..." Is the requirement too low?

“Okay, I’ll ask my men to check when I get back. Does Miss Kou want to see Miss Zhou’s cousins?”

Perhaps it was because Miao Susu killed Zhou Tong with her own hands. Although the death of Queen Xin was closely related to the couple, it was difficult for Xin You to anger Zhou Ningyue, an orphan who lost her parents.

 She also promised Miao Susu to take care of Zhou Ningyue within her ability.

Xin You met Zhou Ningyue and Ji Cailan in an ordinary house.

“Sister Kou (sister)—” When they saw Xin You, Zhou Ningyue and Ji Cailan’s eyes burst out with surprise.

 The two cousins ​​looked much haggard. Zhou Ningyue was so thin that her cheeks were sunken and she was beyond frail. Ji Cailan's eyes were swollen to walnuts, and it was obvious that she had not yet recovered from the grief of her mother's sudden death.

“Sister Kou, I heard that you found someone to redeem us.” Ji Cailan held Xin You’s hand, tears streaming down her face.

My mother is dead, and my father and brother have been sentenced to prison terms. I don’t know when they will see each other again. If Miss Kou hadn't arranged for someone to come to rescue her, she might have found an opportunity to go with her mother.

Ji Cailan bent her knees and thanked Xinyou.

Xin You hurriedly helped her up: "Sister Ji, you don't have to be like this. We are friends. How can I just stand by and watch when you and Sister Zhou are in trouble?"

Hearing Xin You mention Zhou Ningyue, Ji Cailan glanced at her cousin subconsciously, and then quickly looked away.

Xinyou raised his eyebrows slightly.

Ji Cailan has always treated Zhou Ningyue as her own sister. At this time, it seems that there is a rift between the two.

Although Zhou Ningyue didn't say much, she had an inexplicable trust in Xin You. She asked cautiously: "Sister Kou, can we follow you in the future?"

"In fact, I am not qualified to redeem official slaves. I brought you out in the name of my uncle. You can live here for a period of time with peace of mind. When the storm is over, you can work in the bookstore or go to other places under my name. The shop can help."

These words completely relieved the two of them.

After talking for a while, Xin You looked at Zhou Ningyue.

“Sister Zhou, I want to tell you something.”

 (End of this chapter)