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Miao Hong laughed that the letter was vague, probably knowing that Mrs. Zhang was worried, so she briefly talked about the current situation and more dangers, but she didn't mention a single word.In the letter, she repeatedly told Mrs. Zhang not to panic, not to reveal the fact that she had met with her, otherwise her life would be threatened.

These words were very serious, saying that if something happened to Mrs. Zhang, she would not be able to forgive herself for the rest of her life;

"Ah Xiao knows, with my temper, if I know something is wrong with her, I can't let her go. It's useless for her to scare me to death, so she threatens her own safety..." Zhang sighed coldly, "I dare not take her Life was a joke, so I put away the letter, cleaned up my traces, and said nothing to anyone."

"Who knows that more than ten years have passed, and Ah Xiao hasn't come back yet."

"I was in a daze of disappointment, feeling that she was lying to me, and hoped that she was not lying to me. Maybe one day, when I go out to offer incense in the car, I can see her wearing a men's long gown, folding flowers and smiling mischievously at me. ..."

This incident was very painful for Zhang. Her best friend left her, her life and death were uncertain, and she had no news at all.If she didn't listen to Miao Hong's smile and immediately asked for help when she saw the letter, would the result be much better?Could it be that the matter is not as serious as what Miao Hong said with a smile, as long as someone helps her, she can get through it?

They don't have to be separated for so long, and Lu Li doesn't have to live so hard...

"I didn't even mention Lan Xin's letter asking me about Ah Xiao. If you hadn't found me today, if it hadn't been a long time, I'm afraid I'd still hesitate."

Mrs. Zhang's eyes were slightly closed, and after a moment of silence, she turned her head to look at Lu Li, and looked him up and down: "Ah Xiao is so cruel to let you live in such a remote place and find someone you don't know. Come and take you, sisters like me and Lan Xin are not worth entrusting to her!"

Although she spoke harshly, the expressions on her brows and eyes were full of unwillingness and resentment. She probably wanted to do something for Miao Hongxiao, but she couldn't do anything.

Lu Li smiled slightly, "Isn't this junior also doing well now? Mother should be afraid of hurting you."

"Everyone, sisters, what is there to get involved in?" Mrs. Zhang was still very concerned, "Furthermore, there is still the Qu family in Shangjing. Could it be that we can't even protect an immature child?"

"Aunt Zhang..." Lu Li's voice was soft, as if she was being coquettish, "Don't be angry, I have walked in front of you safely, and now I am really not afraid of anything."

Mrs. Zhang looked at Lu Li, then at Zhao Zhu, King Ping, He Lianyu, Prince of Motuo, and young master of the Shen family who were behind him. His brows softened slightly, and he hummed lightly.

"Then this letter... can I read it?" Lu Li's eyes drooped slightly, "My mother didn't leave me a single word."

Mrs. Zhang trembled all of a sudden, covered her eyes with her handkerchief, and seemed to be choking, "I lost this letter..." Her voice was trembling, full of apology.

"Lost it?" Lu Li was very shocked, his bad luck was gone.

Mrs. Zhang was immersed in grief and couldn't speak for a moment. The close mother who had been standing beside her handed her a cup of tea, "Ma'am?"

She waved her hand no, and at the same time motioned for the mother to speak.

Then the mother took a step forward and blessed Lu Li and the others, "This old slave is surnamed Du. He is the wife's companion. He has always been by Madam's side and has never left. Serving by my side. Madam and Madam Miao have a deep relationship, Madam Miao disappeared, Madam took the letter with her, half thinking about it, half worrying that this letter will become Madam Miao's last relic."

"Because the letter signature is not big, it is easy to carry. My wife takes it with me everywhere. When I went to Tangnanzhuang outside Beijing for summer vacation in 14, I never put it down. Who knows that Tangnanzhuang was met by bandits that year... Madam lost a few boxes. , that letter is also in these boxes."

The words "Tang Nanzhuang" seemed to bring back some bad memories, Mrs. Zhang couldn't bear it anymore, stood up abruptly, said embarrassingly annoyed, and hurried to the side hall separated by a screen.

The hall suddenly became quiet, Lu Li's brows and eyes were slightly locked, and he was a little puzzled. Mrs. Zhang... shouldn't be such an impulsive person.Although the meeting just now didn't take long, he could tell that Mrs. Zhang was a calm, bright-eyed, intelligent and generous Mrs. Hou.

"Ma'am is not like this usually, it's just like this today because of the violent ups and downs of your mood, please don't mind." Mother Du was deeply blessed, she didn't dare to neglect the guests, and carefully apologized for the host, no matter how worried she was, she only dared to look behind the screen Look, I don't dare to let go of the guests and chase after them.

The atmosphere in the main hall was quite gloomy, but Shen Wansha seemed to have remembered something, and asked Mama Du, "Tang Nanzhuang 14 years ago... was it about the looting by bandits?"

Mother Du bowed her head deeply, "Exactly."

"Then it's no wonder..." Shen Wansha glanced across the screen and sighed heavily.

It seems that there is something wrong here... Lu Li asked Shen Wansha, "What happened in Tangnan Village 14 years ago?"

"I only heard from the elders in my family that it was a miserable time, but I don't know the details." Shen Wansha looked at Zhao Zhu, "Does the lord know?"

Zhao Zhu held Lu Li's hand under the table, "It's not a bandit, nor a rogue bandit, but the frontier is in danger. The Liao people took advantage of the vacancy and divided into a thousand-man army. They will follow Datong, and they will definitely kill them. Tang Nanzhuang is to the north of Shangjing, next to Zhending Mansion."

"Liao people?" Lu Li's eyes widened, so it's a war?

Zhao Zhu nodded, "The people from the Liao Dynasty were all cavalry. They raided and looted in the dark. We suffered a lot in the future and before we reacted. At that time, the Marquis of Wu'an and his wife's family were escaping the summer heat in Tangnanzhuang. It's dangerous."

So it's not intentional to lose things, and it's normal to be afraid when you mention it...

Lu Li glanced at the screen and sighed deeply, it was really bad luck.

Ms. Du was probably worried that Lu Li would not believe it, so she gritted her teeth and added to the situation at that time, "At that time, the other courtyard was in chaos. Although the other courtyard belonged to Lord Hou, Lord Hou rarely went there once a year. The control force is not that strong, and when something dangerous happens, the servants of the other courtyard leave the master and run away, besides the dozens of guards taken away from Shangjing, Hou Ye and his wife are just loyal servants."

"At that time, I was worried about my life. How could I care about other things? The other party's encirclement was shrinking a little bit. No matter how madam thought about it, it was not easy for others to risk their lives to help her find the clothes box. Everyone around her In the end, there was no more food to eat, and we couldn’t wait to die, so Madam gathered the guards and handed them over to Lord Hou, who asked him to take his son to tear open a hole and rush out to find reinforcements, while she acted as a bait, distract the enemy..."

"Although the reinforcements arrived in time and the family was fine, Madam suffered a lot in the past few days. After the reinforcements arrived, she frantically searched for clothes and boxes, but she couldn't find them. Madam was seriously ill because of this. field, lamenting and sighing..."

Mama Du made it very clear.The letter was really lost, and Zhang felt very guilty about it. Tang Nanzhuang's memory was almost the darkest thing in life for Zhang. She tried so hard and lost a lot of things, but she really didn't blame her.

Please Lu Li must believe that her mistress is really a good person, and she has no intention of hiding it on purpose.

Lu Li actually didn't mind at all.He will request to read the letter because he wants to see if he can find any clues from it, but it doesn't matter if he loses it. Anyway, he has been looking for clues related to Miao Hongxiao for so long, and it is normal to not find something particularly important and crucial. He has long been used to it. up.

Mother Du said so, it should be that Mrs. Zhang valued him very much, and those who valued him were a little careful.

Lu Li stood up, "Madam has helped a lot, how could I care about such a small matter? Mom should go to see Madam and ask her not to be sad. This junior didn't know it before, and he didn't intend to make Madam feel uncomfortable."

Mother Du was feeling grateful for Lu Li's generosity, and was about to turn to see Mrs. Zhang when the screen was pushed away and Mrs. Zhang came out.

Mrs. Zhang has probably washed her face, her temples are a little wet, and her eyes are still a little red, but her clothes look clean and clean.She came over and gave Ping Wang a deep blessing, "I am rude."

King Ping waved her to get up, "I was the one who brought up Madam's sad past."

Xu Shi vented his emotions and was relieved, Zhang smiled slightly, his eyebrows stretched, and he returned to the dignified and elegant Mrs. Hou, and said to Lu Li: "You are here today, nothing else is important, see Meet your brother."

The younger brother she mentioned should be Zhang's son Cui Zhi.Zhang and Cui Luo have been married for many years, and they only have one son, who should be 15 years old by now.

"Okay." Lu Li replied with a smile.

Cui Zhi is a decent young man, although he is brought by his widowed mother, he does not show inferiority complex in his eyes, he is very generous and decent in dealing with him, and he is very serious when he salutes to Lu Li, "I heard that my brother's ability is amazing, and my brother yearns for it." .”

Shen Wansha came up with an idea, "Then next time when Xiao Lizi's autopsy is performed, you should come and see it too!"

Cui Zhi's eyes widened and he was very excited, "Is it okay?"

Lu Li rubbed Shen Wansha's head helplessly, "Autopsy is not fun, the smell is bad, and the corpse is also very ugly..."

"Is that so..." Cui Zhi's eyes immediately dimmed, full of disappointment.

Lu Li couldn't bear it, "In this way, if the corpse is not so scary and your mother allows it, I will let you see it."

Cui Zhi immediately looked at Mrs. Zhang, "Mother—"

Zhang Shi is happy to let his son make friends, besides, how can a boy be pampered like a girl, he should practice his courage.She first responded with a smile, and then reminded with a stern face, "If you behave too embarrassingly, you won't be allowed next time."

"My son will never embarrass my mother!"

……

After the sad things were mentioned, it was time for chatting and getting to know each other.

As Mrs. Hou, Zhang's news is not considered closed, since she knew who Lu Li was, she also knew that Zhao Zhu had a close relationship with him.Mrs. Zhang really wanted to care about Lu Li more, but she hadn't tried her best to take care of Lu Li in the past, so it was not appropriate to intervene in this matter, so while talking, she secretly observed Zhao Zhu, seeing that he was really kind to Lu Li, and he still acted on occasion.

She knew that Shen Wansha was a young master with a pure personality, but He Lianyu was not familiar with him again. Mrs. Zhang silently observed and evaluated...

Even though it was late, she still wanted to do her best to look after her son for Miao Hong.

……

The warm wind blows the willows outside, the sound of cicadas chirping, there are several icebergs in the hall, and the white smoke is curling up. The host is elegant and generous, and the guests are lively and polite. The atmosphere is neither hot nor hot, which is very suitable.

Lu Li's gaze was slightly lowered, and he slid across the screen unexpectedly, and saw the desk in the side hall.The bookcase is next to the window, the window is now open, the warm wind blows through, and the pages on the table are slowly opened... revealing a piece of paper written in green ink: Looking back at the west wind, where the bells are scattered, a fringe of lanterns is like a dream.

It seems to be a mourning poem, with nostalgic and helpless artistic conception. Judging from the lingering brushwork, it should be written by a woman.

The biggest master of Marquis of Wu'an Mansion is Mrs. Zhang. The main hall often comes to entertain guests. The side hall should be the place where Mrs. Zhang waits for guests or takes a rest. These words should be written by Mrs. Zhang.

Probably mourning the deceased husband.

Lu Li sighed in his heart, Mrs. Zhang...is a deeply affectionate person.

……

After finishing the speech, Lu Li offered to leave, and Mrs. Zhang wanted to keep them in the Hou's mansion for dinner.It would be fine if he was alone, but Zhao Zhu and He Lianyu... Lu Li was a little hesitant.Mrs. Zhang didn't want him to be in trouble, so she didn't try to persuade him, but agreed with him that in the next few days, no matter what day, she must come again, and she will wait for him in the mansion with food and entertainment.

Cui Zhi was also full of regret, so Lu Li invited Cui Zhi to live and play at his place: "You can come over anytime, if I am fine, I will definitely be at home."

Cui Zhi looked at Mrs. Zhang, seeing Mrs. Zhang nodding, the joy on his face could not be suppressed.

When a group of people walked into the courtyard, all the passing servants leaned against the wall and stood with their hands down, their manners were very good.

Lu Li glanced casually... and then paused.

Seeing him stop, not only Zhao Zhu, Shen Wanshahe and Lian Yu, but Zhang Shi Cui Zhi also felt a little puzzled.

"Aunt Zhang," Lu Li frowned slightly, with a serious face, "Has anyone disappeared from the family recently?"

disappear?Missing for no reason?

Zhang raised her eyebrows slightly, as if she didn't understand why Lu Li asked such a question, but after thinking about it, she still answered seriously: "I haven't heard of it."

"Then are there any servants who have been sent out to do errands and haven't come back yet?"

"That's a lot," Hou's family has a big business, and the head of the Zhang family has little time to spare, so the servants are naturally even busier, and there are countless stewards who are busy outside every day.Mrs. Zhang looked at Lu Li's expression, "Do you want to find someone?"

Lu Li nodded slightly.

"In this case, I need to ask the big housekeeper to come over and ask. I don't know how the people below will arrange it." Mrs. Zhang waved her hand, and the big maid beside her immediately turned around to invite the big housekeeper.

Shen Wansha tugged on Lu Li's sleeve quietly, "Little Li, what's wrong?"

Lu Li pointed to the elder who stood at the front among the people next to the wall... the embroidery pattern on his clothes, and said in a low voice, "That looks familiar."

Shen Wansha didn't understand, familiar?

When Cui Zhi heard Lu Li's words, he asked, "That's a sign from our house, but what's the problem?"

"It's okay to say now." Lu Li shook his head, turned his head and smiled apologetically at Zhao Zhuhe Lianyu, they might have to stay in the Hou's residence for a while longer.

Zhao Zhu patted Lu Li's head, and seemed to understand.

Shen Wansha jumped anxiously, "What's going on?"

Lu Li then explained to him, "The deceased you met at the entrance of the alley the day before yesterday also had the same family emblem embroidered on his coat."

That is Jiazheng. He didn't understand why the deceased was embroidered on the inner coat but not on the outside, but he had always observed the deceased carefully and made sure that he was not mistaken.If nothing else happened, the deceased should be from the Hou family.

Shen Wansha let out a long sigh, "So that's how it is." After sighing, he scratched his ears and thought about it, "Why can't I remember it!"

He Lianyu held the young master's hand to prevent him from hurting himself, "In terms of observing the dead, no one is more careful than Lu Li." So it has nothing to do with losing to him, it's not that the young master is too weak, but Lu Li is too strong.

Shen Wansha smacked his lips, accepting this reason.

On a hot day, waiting in the court is not a problem, so Mrs. Zhang invited Lu Li and the others back to the main hall to sit for a while.

……

The butler, surnamed Liu, came very quickly.As expected of an old butler, he knows all the people below, who should be where and what to do, there is nothing he doesn't know.

Lu Li described the appearance and figure of the deceased that day, how old he was, and what kind of clothes he was wearing. The old butler thought for a while and gave an answer, "There is a steward of the outer court named Gao Cheng, who is very similar to what you described. "

"Where is he now?"

"The debt should be collected in Xingzhou."

Lu Li asked the old housekeeper to elaborate.The old housekeeper said that Gao Cheng was dispatched to work in Xingzhou half a month ago. After making proper preparations, he set off three days ago. According to the speed of the carriage, he should be in Xingzhou now.

If you want to travel far, you will not be in the Marquis' Mansion, nor will you be in Shangjing, so you only wear the inner coat with the family sign embroidered on it, and the outer clothes are changed into decent clothes for going out...

Lu Li nodded, understood.

Mrs. Zhang looked at Lu Li's expression, lowered her brows, and clenched the hand holding the handkerchief, "Is there something wrong?"

Lu Li's eyes drooped slightly, thinking about how to say it...

Mrs. Zhang looked solemn, and her voice was strong, "Just say what you have to do, even though I am a widow, I can hold on."

Lu Li admired smart and strong women the most, and he didn't hesitate any longer when he heard the words, and said directly, "A corpse was found at the entrance of Chaoyang Street the day before yesterday, very much like Gao Cheng, a servant of your family."

"What? Gao Cheng died?" The old housekeeper was very surprised, "Didn't you go to Xingzhou?"

Mrs. Zhang was very calm, and only paused for a moment before asking Lu Li, "Where is that corpse now?"

"It should be in the government morgue."

Mrs. Zhang immediately ordered, "Uncle Liu, send someone with quick legs and feet to the morgue of the government office to identify him and see if he is Gao Cheng. If so, please send officials to the government to investigate, remind the people in the government to cooperate, and send another person there Xingzhou, if not, report it to me immediately."

"Yes!" The old butler left in a hurry and arranged to go.

The main hall fell silent again.

Cui Zhi didn't understand, "Mother, you're just a servant, why do you want to make such a fuss?" The government officials are not easy to dismiss, if there is a lawsuit, they have to deal with it.

Mrs. Zhang was frowning and thinking, as if she didn't hear him.

Mother Du then explained: "The death of a servant in the family is nothing, and the lives of servants are worthless. But if people in our house die in vain outside, if the head of the family doesn't care, it will chill the hearts of the people below. If others don't see If our family does it deliberately, we can't retreat, we need to get back our face."

Cui Zhi looked at Zhang Shi with a complex expression, and lowered his eyes slightly.

That's right... His mother is a widow, so she is easy to be looked down upon by others, so she should be tougher.

He hated himself for growing slowly.

Mrs. Zhang wanted to try her best to solve the case, so Lu Li couldn't just stare, "If Aunt Zhang doesn't mind, let me help."

"So, it's too much work for you..." Mrs. Zhang looked at Lu Li with complicated eyes, "It's the first time you came to the house, and this kind of thing happened at home. As an elder, I haven't taken care of you for a day, so I'm tired of you to help I."

Lu Li waved his hand, "It's okay."

Shen Wansha also spoke for his little friend, "Don't worry, ma'am, I won't tire little Lizi. Little Lizi is smart and can solve the case quickly!"

Although the person sent by the Hou Mansion to identify the corpse has not returned yet, Lu Li already felt that the deceased was probably Gao Cheng.So he started to ask questions, the first one was Gao Cheng's background, personality, and whether he had grudges with others.

Mama Du blessed her body and took two steps forward to answer.

If you ask her if someone is missing in the house, she is not sure, she needs to ask the following, but if you point out the person who is sure, it is still a prestigious manager, she will not be unaware.

"Gao Cheng was a servant sent by the Cui family when Lord Hou moved into the Hou Mansion..."

Cui Luo was poor since he was a child, and he had no family background. The late emperor granted him a noble title, and he didn't even have anyone who could be of use to him. When he answered his servants, they were all taken care of by the Cui family in Shangjing. Gao Cheng was chosen by the Cui family. .

This person is very loyal, very good at handling affairs, and very responsible, but there is nothing wrong with the tasks entrusted to him. If it weren't for the good wine on weekdays, he would not be just a steward now... evaluations are very uniform.

With Cui Luoxian gone, the Zhang family lived as a widow. In order to avoid bad reputation, the Zhang family governed the mansion very strictly with strict rules.Mama Du has never heard of Gao Cheng having any grudges with anyone, so he should have no enemies in the house. If so, the news will definitely not be concealed. It will be reported in the morning papers.

"Loyalty, know how to handle things, and be responsible. Whenever there is a job, it must be completed with high quality..." Lu Li read a few key words, "This Gao Cheng is very smart."

Mother Du said, "No matter who can manage things in our Hou's mansion, they are not stupid."

"Smart people are good at hiding their thoughts, so he really wants to hide something..." Lu Li looked at Mrs. Zhang.

Mrs. Zhang closed her eyes, "Knowing people, knowing the face, but not the heart... That's why I want to know as much as possible."

There are too few clues, and there is nothing to be analyzed for the time being. Lu Li thought for a while, "Can I see Gao Cheng's room?"

He made this request just in passing, with the attitude of giving it a try, but unexpectedly... Gao Cheng's room gave him many surprises.