good season

Chapter 142 Kid Brother (Two chapters combined)

Zhao Shiqing: "Sigh, this is a long story. Grandpa, please have someone prepare some food and wine. My brother, my uncle, and I can eat and talk at the same time."

After saying that, she said to Lingbo, "We don't have any children's clothes at home. Go to the nearby clothing store and buy him a couple of outfits. He'll probably be staying with us for a while."

The child was still wearing a theatrical costume, but his face didn't have much makeup, only a red dot on his forehead.

Lingbo picked up the child, glanced at him, and exclaimed "Eh!", clearly recognizing him.

However, Lingbo was never a talkative person, especially in front of Xiao Zhen, an outsider. If Zhao Shiqing didn't let her speak, she wouldn't say a word.

Although she had always lived with Zhao Shiqing on Baihe Mountain, she had been trained by the nannies of the Prince's Mansion and was a qualified maid of the Prince's Mansion.

However, there was one person present who lacked this awareness, or perhaps he was too surprised to speak coherently.

"Isn't he... isn't he the kid from Zhaoting Town?"

Lingbo struggled to pick up the seven or eight-year-old child. Jiang Han wanted to help, but then he saw the child's face.

He had seen the child and had even spent time alone with him.

He pointed at the child, looked at Zhao Shiqing, and said with a look of astonishment, "Second Miss, I have seen this child before. His mother is a wanted criminal!"

Zhao Shiqing tilted her head and asked with great interest, "Have you been to Zhaoting Town?"

Thinking back to those days when he was completely clueless and had been chasing after the second young lady, Jiang Han felt a pang of sorrow.

"I've been to Zhaoting Town and also visited the restaurant run by this child's family. I found the father and son acting strangely. I suspected they had seen the Second Miss, so I went to arrest the child that night. The child mistakenly thought I was there to arrest his mother. That's when I learned that their suspicious behavior wasn't because of the Second Miss, but because the couple were notorious bandits. The wife was wanted, and the man was taking the child around tearing down notices. I felt this had nothing to do with you, so I released the child. Oh, and the child wanted a notice with a picture on it, so I gave it back to him."

He finished speaking in one breath, and then he felt scared. The second young lady seemed to care a lot about the child. Could the couple be her friends?

When he returned to Baihe Mountain and finally saw the Second Miss, he was so happy that he forgot about the incident, since it had nothing to do with them.

But now, will the second young lady think that he is hiding something?
"Second Miss, I only wanted to find you as soon as possible, so I didn't meddle in other people's business. If I had known they were your friends, I would have brought the family of three back to Baihe Mountain and handed them over to you."

Zhao Shiqing waved her hand: "They are not my friends. This child's mother is wanted by me. The notices they tore down were all posted by my people. No wonder I couldn't find them. They were torn down as soon as they were posted."

Jiang Han wanted to slap himself. There were twenty of them at the time, but this family of three only had two adults. If they had tied up the family and taken them back to Baihe Mountain, the second young lady might have been pleased and given them a great reward.

The Second Miss's reward is twofold: one for the Second Miss herself, and another for the First Princess when they return to the Liang Prince's Mansion.

Zhao Shiqing didn't care what Jiang Han was thinking; wherever Zhen Wu was, no one would go hungry.

A few moments later, several cold dishes were served. We ate them first, and the hot dishes would be served shortly.

Zhen Wuduo didn't even glance at Xiao Zhen. He used serving chopsticks to put Zhao Shiqing's favorite braised fish jelly, five-spice smoked fish, and crystal pork knuckle on the plate in front of her, and smiled with his eyes narrowed: "My dear granddaughter, have a few bites to fill your stomach first."

Xiao Zhen frowned: "Did you hire this chef from Qi?"

Zhen Wuduo snorted: "I know this isn't to your taste, but my eldest granddaughter likes it."

Zhao Shiqing quickly stuffed a large piece of pork knuckle into her mouth, her lips bulging, and nodded vigorously: "Mmm, I like it!"

Zhen Wuduo glanced at Xiao Zhen with his small eyes, thinking, "Don't try to get attention in front of my granddaughter."

Zhao Shiqing finished all the food on the plate and drank a cup of tea. With renewed energy, she recounted everything she and Xiao Zhen had seen and heard at the stone threshold that day.

Of course, she skipped over the so-called pink scene; after all, she hadn't looked at it closely.

Even so, Xiao Zhen still received several glares from Zhen Wu. "You dare to take my granddaughter to such a dangerous place? You're asking for a beating. I'll let you off for now because my granddaughter is so happy."

Xiao Zhen was glad that she was wearing a fake face.

Zhen Wuduo still vividly remembers what happened in Huizhou City that day.

They targeted the assassins in Shili Pu because they suspected that the assassins were the same group that killed Shi's family years ago. After interrogating Wu Liu, they discovered that the assassins in Shili Pu belonged to the Shanmen sect, and the people who killed Shi's family were likely also from the Shanmen sect, but not from Shili Pu. They were assassins of a higher rank.

Even Xiuxiu's uncle, who intended to kill the princess and her husband, was a member of the sect.

Unfortunately, they did not find the key figure, Cui Niang, even after leaving the Wu region.

Although Zhen Wuduo is old, he is still sharp of hearing and sight, and his mind is more astute than most young people.

He asked Zhao Shiqing, "Granddaughter, now that you've brought that child back, what's your next step?"

Zhao Shiqing thought for a moment and said, "First of all, that child is very clever. He has been helping Chef Zhang with his business since he was a child, and he is much more mature than other children his age. The reason he is in the opera troupe is most likely his parents' idea. They sensed danger, and since there was an opera troupe performing next door, they switched his identity with another young actor."

Secondly, Sister Xiuxiu once told her that Chef Zhang held leverage over the sect. Although I only met Chef Zhang once, he was ruthless and vicious, not someone to be trifled with. So I suspect he's hidden that so-called leverage. It's a double-edged sword; it can save your life or kill you. I just don't know if he'll leave it to his son.

Zhen Wu nodded: "My eldest granddaughter is so smart!"

Then, he glared at Xiao Zhen and said, "If I were decades younger, I would have seized that damn mountain gate, made their carefully trained assassins work for me, and then turned the blade on the real culprit!"

Zhao Shiqing immediately perked up, patting her chest and her eyes shining: "Grandpa, I'll go and seize the mountain gate, storm the palace, and..."

She couldn't say anything more because Lingbo had returned at some point and, at Zhen Wuduo's prompting, covered Zhao Shiqing's mouth.

Zhao Shiqing pulled Lingbo's hand away and said to Zhen Wuduo, "Grandpa, I was just saying."

At this moment, Xiao Zhen, who hadn't spoken for a while, stood up and said, "I have something to do, I'll come another day."

Zhen Wuduo: "This is not just your problem anymore. My daughter and son-in-law are both dead. You don't need to pay back the money you took from Wan Jin Hao. You don't need to save money for me anymore."

Xiao Zhen stopped in his tracks. After a long while, he bowed respectfully and said, "Your son thanks your godfather."

Zhen Wuduo waved his hand: "What I lack least is sons. Don't call yourself a son in front of me anymore. It's annoying to hear. Get lost!"

Xiao Zhen was taken aback, then felt a surge of inexplicable joy.
After Xiao Zhen left, Zhao Shiqing lowered her voice and asked, "Grandpa, are you supporting Uncle Xiao's rebellion?"

Zhen Wuduo squinted his small eyes: "Don't talk nonsense, you little kid. This is not a rebellion. I, an old man, am just spending some money to hire people to avenge me. We are old and young, and we have nothing but money. Sigh, how bitter!"

Zhao Shiqing pondered for a while but didn't realize how much hardship the grandfather and grandson had endured.

Two hours later, the child woke up.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a completely unfamiliar face.

That's Xiuxiu!

He had actually spent a long time with Xiuxiu, but Xiuxiu was disguised at that time, so now Xiuxiu knows him, but he doesn't know Xiuxiu.

He remembered what happened before he lost consciousness: a cat pounced on him and bit him, then ran away. He was filled with resentment and tried to catch the cat, but it was too fast, and he lost consciousness before he could catch it. Thinking of that cat, he saw another cat.

Not the one that bit him, but...
"Big Fatty? You're Big Fatty?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the boy regretted it. It couldn't be. All these fat orange cats look pretty much the same. This place is so far from Zhaoting Town, how could Big Fat be here? Besides, Big Fat has been missing for a long time. It had already disappeared before Ugly Girl left.

But the next moment, the cat jumped to his side, first rubbing its big head against him, and then simply lay down and rolled around.

The boy was stunned; this was really big and fat.

He knew that Ugly Girl was saving her food rations to feed Big Fatty, so he would often steal fish scraps and offal from the kitchen and secretly give them to Big Fatty to eat when Chef Zhang wasn't around.

His fat body was partly due to the fact that Da Pang was so overweight.

"Are you really Big Fatty?" The kid was both surprised and delighted. He thought he would never see Big Fatty again, but he never expected to see Big Fatty, who was still so fat, in the faraway capital.

Big Fatty made a gurgling sound, telling the little boy in his own way that he was Big Fatty.

Xiuxiu said with a smile, "He is Big Fatty, and I am Ugly Girl."

Seeing the boy's wide-open mouth in surprise, Xiuxiu explained, "I'm all alone, and I'm a girl, so for safety, I made myself look ugly. You can ask Da Pang if you don't believe me."

To prove that Xiuxiu was telling the truth, Da Pang threw himself into Xiuxiu's arms and gently bit her finger.

The kid remembered that he had seen Big Fatty bite Xiu Xiu's fingers before, biting them twice and then sticking out his tongue to lick them.

"You're really ugly, you're not ugly at all."

Kids will be kids. Just a few hours ago they were full of resentment, but now they're happy again when they see familiar people and cats.

However, when Xiuxiu asked about Chef Zhang and Cui Niang, he lowered his head and large tears fell down.

Xiuxiu didn't ask any more questions and went to the kitchen to bring him a bowl of porridge.

This is a bowl of congee with preserved egg and lean pork, which is his favorite. Chef Zhang loves his son very much and will cook congee with preserved egg and lean pork for him when he is in a good mood.

Children are easily satisfied; after finishing a big bowl of porridge, he became more talkative.

However, he only talked about the fat man, without mentioning Chef Zhang or Cui Niang at all.

Since he wouldn't say, Zhao Shiqing stopped Xiuxiu from asking any more questions. After such a sudden change, she needed to give him time.

Over the next two days, people in the capital occasionally mentioned the deaths of Hou Qi and Hou Ba, saying only that they had offended a notorious bandit and were killed in the street.

In the eyes of the world, Hou Qi and Hou Ba were just low-class people. Moreover, although they were famous, they were far inferior to the famous actors in the opera troupe and the courtesans in the brothel. In fact, many people like Zhao Shiqing had never even seen the play "Joining the Army".

Therefore, the deaths of Hou Qi and Hou Ba only circulated within a small circle for a few days before no one mentioned them anymore. As for the two notorious bandits who killed Hou Qi and Hou Ba, they were invisible from beginning to end, and no one paid attention to them or mentioned them.

Zhao Shiqing couldn't help but sigh, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was truly amazing. Such a big commotion, so many witnesses, yet in the end, not even a ripple was made.

The kid still didn't say anything, just ate and slept every day, and played with the cat after waking up.

The kid has his own name, Zhang Ye.

This was the first time Zhao Shiqing had ever seen a name using the word "wild." She consulted her knowledgeable grandfather, Zhen Wuduo, who said the child was probably born in the wild.

But he was right; Zhang Ye was indeed born in the wild. Of course, Zhao Shiqing doesn't know that yet, but that's a story for another time.

Yang Shengqiu, however, was not so leisurely at this time.

He only opened the letter Zhao Shiqing gave him when he got home.

Over the years, although he had not returned to Zhuxitang, he had some guesses about his grandfather's whereabouts. Coupled with what Zhao Shiqing had told him, he was now certain that his grandfather was a victim of the succession struggle, as was the Shi family.

Thinking of the ultimate victor in that struggle for the throne, Yang Shengqiu felt a chill run down his spine.

I wonder if that person still remembers a royal physician named Yang Wei.

For someone like him, killing a person is as easy as crushing an ant; he probably doesn't even remember it anymore.

Yang Shengqiu also hoped that he wouldn't remember it.

He also saw the map on the back of the letter.

Unlike Zhao Shiqing, he knew what was going on at a glance.

His grandfather had drawn such a map for him and explained it to him before.

So, he will watch!
Although this letter was the last thing his grandfather left him, Yang Shengqiu still decided to burn it after reading it.

He held the letter up to the candlelight, then suddenly remembered something. He took out the letter, opened the empty envelope, and examined it carefully by the candlelight.

His adoptive father was a man of great talent, not only skilled in poetry and prose, but also an expert in the restoration of calligraphy and paintings.

He had learned this skill from his adoptive father since childhood.

This letter had been opened before, and then repaired using the methods of calligraphy and painting restoration. To the untrained eye, it was flawless, but it could not escape the eyes of an expert.

Zhao Shiqing has read this letter!

No, even if Zhao Shiqing hadn't read the letter, she was still an insider about what happened back then.

If you look closely, both he and Zhao Shiqing are witnesses to the current emperor's plot to murder his elder brother!

The thought of "witness testimony" sent a chill down Yang Shengqiu's spine.

Whether the emperor still remembers Yang Wei or not, as long as he knows that there are witnesses to what happened back then, he will silence them.

Zhao Shiqing was just a young girl. You could tell a thing or two from her clothes. Her maternal grandfather's family was wealthy, but they had no power or influence. They were just ordinary rich people, most likely merchants.

With her background, she wouldn't even be considered for a spot in the imperial selection. In her entire life, she would never have any involvement with the imperial court, so she was actually safe.

But he, Yang Shengqiu, the newly appointed top scholar, frequently entered and exited the palace; he was the most dangerous one.

When his grandfather was a royal physician, he offended many people in the capital. So when he returned to the capital this time, he only said that he was an orphan and never mentioned that he had a grandfather who had been a royal physician.

He's already been so careful, why does Zhao Shiqing still have to jump out and disrupt the life he's already planned?
I've been having inexplicable stomach upsets lately. A couple of days ago, I had tenderness in my lower right abdomen, so I went to the hospital and had a bunch of tests done—gynecology, surgery, everything. My uterus was fine, kidney stones were ruled out, my intestines were fine, and it wasn't appendicitis. After two days of tests, the doctor just told me to drink more water and didn't prescribe any medication. Then tonight, I ate a bowl of tomato and egg noodles, and my stomach started hurting after the last bite. I spent over an hour in the bathroom. I made those noodles myself, so there's absolutely no hygiene issue. I looked it up online, and it seems like these are early symptoms of colon cancer. I'm debating whether to go to the hospital tomorrow for a gastroscopy and colonoscopy; I've heard that's very painful.