Ci Jinzhi

Chapter 265 Back to the bookstore

“What kind of person is Hua Daizhao?” Xin You asked.

Although Jinlinwei supervised all officials, it was not pervasive in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Especially the small official who was gifted by the imperial edict, no one paid attention to it at all. It was only after he started investigating the person named "Dongsheng" that he came into Jinlinwei's sight.

After just a few days of investigation, He Qingxiao didn't get much information: "Hua Daizhao's name is Hua Anfu. He is thirty-six years old this year. He once had a wife, a concubine, a son and a daughter. His wife died of illness ten years ago, and he has five concubines." He ran away with his daughter years ago, and now only one son is left to depend on each other."

“The concubine ran away with her daughter?”

He Qingxiao nodded: "Although Hua Anfu entered the Hanlin Academy to await the imperial edict, he had almost no chance to meet the emperor. He only relied on a meager salary to support his family and provide for his son to study. My concubine couldn't bear the long-term poverty, so she took her daughter away."

Xin You couldn't help but sigh: "Many officials seem to be very poor."

He Qingxiao paused and said: "There is a big difference. Those officials whose families have a lot of fertile land live a very comfortable life, while those from ordinary backgrounds who only rely on their salary to support their families are relatively poor, and some even rely on loans to make ends meet..."

 The difference between rich and poor officials mentioned by He Qingxiao made Xin You thoughtful.

 My mother has also mentioned this before, especially when she saw some farmers who had lost their fields due to accidents.

 “Does Hua Daizhao have any other relatives?”

"No more. Hua Daizhao was born into a wealthy family. He studied painting since he was a child and showed amazing talent. His family invited famous teachers to teach him. When he was a teenager, his family fell into decline and his relatives died of illness one after another..." He Qingxiao said what he knew, "He is not People from the capital, these are all based on inquiries, and whether there are any discrepancies remains to be verified."

“Who is the third person named Dongsheng?”

“It’s a doctor from the Ministry of Household Affairs named Zhao Qingyun. Do you remember Yaxin Bookstore?”

"Of course I remember." Xin You thought of something, "Could it be that Mr. Zhao is the father-in-law of the owner of Yaxin Bookstore?"

Yaxin Bookstore has always been in tit-for-tat with Qingsong Bookstore because of the personal grudges of its owner. After the bookstore was closed down, the Wu Dongjia disappeared.

Xin You remembered that He Qingxiao mentioned that Wu Dongjia was the son-in-law of a doctor from the Ministry of Household Affairs.

"Exactly. Xin Daizhao has a good memory." A smile appeared on He Qingxiao's lips.

 It will save a lot of effort to talk to smart people.

“In this way, the three people named ‘Dong Sheng’ all have some intersection with me, which is really a coincidence.” Xin You murmured.

 After hearing what He Qingxiao said about Doctor Zhao, Xin You decided to go to Qingsong Bookstore first.

 “Be careful.” He Qingxiao reminded.

 After the two separated, Xin You left Jimao Street and turned into an alley.

Over the past year, she has used her spare money to buy many private houses, mostly ordinary and inconspicuous ones, which made it easier to change her identity.

After regaining her identity as a daughter, Xin You went straight to Qingsong Bookstore, but did not enter through the main door of the bookstore. Instead, she entered the east courtyard and sent someone to call shopkeeper Hu and Liu Zhou.

“Master, you haven’t been here for a few days!” Liu Zhou was a little excited when he saw Xin You.

Xin You smiled and said: "Now that the bookstore is in good condition and business is booming, I don't need to guard it all day long. If anything happens, I will send someone to Shaoqing's Mansion to deliver a message to Xiaolian."

“There’s nothing going on at the bookstore, except that people always ask about the owner.”

 “Who asked me?”

Liu Zhou raised his fingers and said, "Some students from the Imperial College, Master Jijiu, and by the way, His Royal Highness King Xiu..."

After listening to Liu Zhou’s words, Xin You asked shopkeeper Hu: “Shopkeeper, has Sir He come to read your travel notes recently?”

She asked this, naturally, not to ask He Qingxiao, but to draw out He Yushi.

Shopkeeper Hu didn’t know Xinyou’s true thoughts, so he misunderstood.

The old shopkeeper sighed secretly and replied: "Master He hasn't been here recently."

This young man looks calm and reserved, but in fact that is not the case. His boss is no longer in the bookstore, so he will not come!

“It seems that our travel notes are going to gather dust.” Xin You sighed.

Liu Zhou answered with a smile: "That's not true. My boss, you don't know that although Mr. He has stopped reading travel notes recently, there is an adult who also likes to read travel notes." "Oh, who is it?" Xin You looked curious.

“It’s Mr. He Yushi He who helps Miss Zhu redress her grievances. He comes here on a donkey every time.”

“I didn’t expect He Yushi to also like to read travel notes.”

Shopkeeper Hu chuckled after hearing this.

Xin You looked over: "Shopkeeper, what's wrong?"

Shopkeeper Hu stroked his beard and said in a long voice: "Master He, I'm afraid the drunkard doesn't want to drink."

Judging from the rich experience he has accumulated over the past year, Mr. He is clearly here for Miss Zhu.

 Shopkeeper Hu is becoming more and more satisfied with Zhu Xiaoyue who comes to help him.

This girl is really capable.

Shopkeeper Hu was satisfied with Zhu Xiaoyue, but he was not very optimistic about Yushi He.

Yushi He is indeed a respected and good official, Lord Qingtian, but he is too old and not suitable for him.

Asked what Shopkeeper Hu meant by this, Xin You laughed and said, "How old does the shopkeeper think He Yushi is?"

 “About thirty years old.”

Seeing Xin You’s strange expression, Shopkeeper Hu asked, “Did you guess wrong?”

Xinyou curled her lips: "I heard that this Yushi He is only in his twenties."

“More than 20 years old?” Shopkeeper Hu and Liu Zhou were both shocked.

 The two looked at each other in disbelief.

 “What about Miss Zhu?”

Shopkeeper Hu didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Miss Zhu thought He Yushi was almost forty."

Xin You didn't know how to comment for a while, so she told the two of them: "Miss Zhu no longer has any relatives. Now that she works in the bookstore, we can count her as half relatives. Since He Yushi is probably here for Miss Zhu, shopkeepers, please pay more attention For a moment, a good official is not necessarily a woman’s husband…”

 In this case, if there is something unusual about He Yushi, Shopkeeper Hu and others may be able to discover it.

Of course, this is just a multi-pronged approach, and it is not all expected to find out through Shopkeeper Hu and others whether He Yushi is the Dongsheng who corresponded with Zhou Tong.

“Don’t worry, my boss, I’ll keep an eye out for you from now on.” Liu Zhou pointed to the direction of the library, “Master He is in the lobby of the library.”

"I gonna go see."

Xinyou raised his feet and walked forward.

There were several calligraphers in the lobby. Zhu Xiaoyue and Shitou were collecting money while greeting the guests. They were not in a hurry because of the departure of Shopkeeper Hu and Liu Zhou.

Xin You glanced at the two busy people and walked toward the bookshelf with light steps without making a sound.

 The rows of bookshelves are long and deep, and it is very hot in this June weather. Right where He Qingxiao usually stood, He Yushi was holding a book as thick as a brick, and the clothes on his back were wet with sweat.

Xin You thought of the neat and smooth small characters on the letter left by Zhou Tong.

 Perhaps you can take a look at He Yushi's handwriting first.

 She looked up and had an idea, then turned and walked towards the counter.

Just as a few book buyers finished their shopping and left, Zhu Xiaoyue looked happy when she saw Xin You: "My boss!"

 (End of this chapter)