good season

Chapter 161 He Was Still a Young Man After All (Two Chapters Combined)

I thought the story of Dongxian Temple had ended there.

Where did the weapons in Dongxian Temple come from?
Zhao Shiqing didn't have time to watch Zhao Xingzhou make a fool of himself. Mudfish led the way, with the other three following closely behind, and in the blink of an eye, they disappeared into the crowd.

The weapon was indeed unearthed in Dongxian Temple, and it was also under that banyan tree, less than a foot away from where Dong Xiucai's body was buried.

It was a large box containing not only more than twenty weapons, but also a suit of armor.

Zhao Shiqing was surprised to see the weapons taken out of the box, because they were not the swords and knives commonly used by martial artists, but rather spears and broadswords, along with the armor. These were military weapons and should not be found here.

Constable Li and his yamen runners were all dumbfounded. Tong'an was only a hundred miles from the capital and was administratively under the jurisdiction of the capital's government. It had always been very safe. Although Constable Li was a constable, the criminals he usually handled were just hooligans and thieves. The murder of Scholar Dong was the biggest case in Tong'an in the last three years. The last major case was an arson and murder case between relatives.

Zhao Shiqing guessed correctly. Yesterday, Zhao Xingzhou showed Constable Li a sign from the Ministry of Justice, which greatly frightened Constable Li. He immediately brought the Dong family back to the yamen, and after an interrogation, they actually discovered a murder case.

From yesterday until now, Officer Li feels like his hands and feet don't belong to him, but to the Ministry of Justice. Last night, he had a dream in which he solved a case and was promoted by the Ministry of Justice, going to the capital to become Yan Daxia's subordinate.

This dream had kept Constable Li on edge all morning, and before he could calm down, he unearthed weapons at the Dong family's house.

Officer Li craned his neck to peer into the crowd. Where was that official from the Ministry of Justice from yesterday? Come quickly and tell him what to do about this.
Unfortunately, Zhao Xingzhou was a few feet away from the crowd at that moment. Because he was harassing the young girl, the old woman who came with the girl scratched several bloody marks on his face.

Zhao Shiqing, who was in the crowd, saw that Constable Li was standing there dumbfounded like a goose. She put her hands to her mouth like a megaphone and shouted, "Don't just stand there like an idiot! Protect the evidence and go back to continue the interrogation! If you uncover a major case, report it to the capital immediately!"

Officer Li finally realized who was speaking, so he clasped his hands in thanks to the crowd.

This is a major case! It's even bigger than murder. Whether he can work as an assistant for Master Yan depends on this case!
The officials left in a grand procession, pulling a large box of weapons, but the onlookers did not disperse. Everyone was talking about it. Zhao Shiqing listened to a few words here and asked a few questions there. The other three did the same. The four of them were full of gossip. When they thought of Zhao Xingzhou, they found that the old swindler had disappeared without a trace.

The four of them found a dumpling restaurant and ordered four pounds of dumplings. Don't ask why they ordered so many; the answer is that they were hungry, and dumplings weren't filling enough.

Before the dumplings were served, the four of them began exchanging information.

Loach: "The courtyard next to the Dong family's house has been empty for many years, and it has been empty for seven or eight years. Before the Dong family's house became the Dong Xian Temple, it was a normal house. There used to be a narrow path between the walls of the two houses, and that banyan tree was planted there."

The Dong family clearly wanted to take advantage of the situation. Seeing that no one lived in that courtyard, they quietly pushed down the wall and enclosed the alley where the banyan tree was in their own yard. Since no one lived next door, no one would bother them.

Later, the Dong family's house became the Dongxian Temple, and the house next door remained uninhabited.

Zhao Shiqing understood. It turned out that the place where the banyan tree was located did not originally belong to the Dong family. If this box of weapons was buried before the Dong family expanded their courtyard, then the Dong family was the ones who were taken advantage of.

Who told them to take advantage? They deserve it!
However, Dong Lao Er and Dong Lao San conspired to murder their elder brother, and the Dong family helped them cover it up. In addition, they used the Dongxian Temple to swindle money. With multiple crimes, even without this box of weapons, the entire Dong family would have either died or been exiled. They would never have returned in their lifetime.

Lingbo said, "Yes, I also heard the old neighbors talking about this. They said that the family that originally lived next door was surnamed Ding, and like Dong Xiucai, they were also scholars. However, Ding Xiucai passed the imperial examination and got a position as a county magistrate in a county government in another place, so he moved away with his family."

Shen Wangxing nodded: "I heard that the Ding family's house was entrusted to a brokerage firm for sale back then. I don't know if it was sold or not, but so many years have passed. If it had really been sold, someone would have come to take possession of the house. If no one has come to take possession of the house, then it was not sold."

Zhao Shiqing frowned: "I did hear a story that Ding Xiucai passed the imperial examination and became a Juren. After his family moved away, many people thought that the house had good feng shui because a Juren had come from it, and they wanted to buy the house. But for some reason, the house was still empty in the end."

After exchanging information, all four of them fell silent.

The Ding family's house produced a scholar who passed the imperial examination, so they have no trouble selling it. But why has it not been sold after so many years?

No, it's possible it was sold, but no one lives there.

When the four pounds of dumplings were served, the four of them immediately forgot about the incident and buried themselves in their food, wolfing it down. They had walked a lot and seen a lot of excitement that day, and they were very hungry, really very hungry.

The four pounds of dumplings were gone in the blink of an eye. Four pairs of chopsticks landed on the last dumpling, and then the other three pairs silently retreated. Zhao Shiqing stuffed the dumpling into her mouth and saw three pairs of aggrieved eyes.

I'm not full!
Zhao Shiqing waved her hand and ordered another pound. Each person drank a bowl of dumpling soup, and this time all four of them were finally full.

At the next table sat a couple. The wife said in a low voice, "Four people eating five pounds of dumplings, they can really eat a lot."

The husband chimed in, "That's how it is when a half-grown boy eats his father out of house and home."

The wife clicked her tongue: "Luckily, we have two girls in our family, so they don't eat much."

Zhao Shiqing has good hearing and heard everything. The Yin family has been hurt again. The Yin family is also a girl.

Although they encountered such a thing, since it didn't concern them, none of the four took it to heart and just listened to it as a story.

When they returned home, good news awaited them.

The messenger sent by Liang Di arrived. Wan Ruyi's household registration was completed, and Wan Ruyi's travel permit was also sent with the letter.

However, unlike Shen Wangxing, Wan Ruyi's household registration is not in Baihe Village, but in Fanghe Village.

Before she acquired Fanghe Mountain, Zhao Shiqing had always wanted to rename it, but once Fanghe Mountain became hers, she felt that the name didn't need to be changed.

One is a white crane, and the other is a released crane; they both belong to her, so there's no need to change them!

With the travel permit, Wan Ruyi finally had an identity of her own.

Holding the travel permit, Wan Ruyi asked Zhao Shiqing curiously, "Now can I go out? Can I go anywhere?"

Zhao Shiqing couldn't bear to tell Wan Ruyi that even with the travel permit, she still needed to be careful.

She said with a smile, "When we get back to the capital, I'll have Xiuxiu give you some pointers. You can put on makeup every time you go out, and it'll be different every time. That'll definitely be fun."

Wan Ruyi was happy; although she was middle-aged, she was as innocent as a child.

Why did that old man say I was a member of the Qi family?

Zhao Shiqing: "His eyesight is failing, he mistook me for someone else."

Wan Ruyi was a little sad: "The old man is so pitiful. He has bad eyesight but still has to come out, and there is no one to take care of him."

Zhao Shiqing was taken aback. Wan Ruyi actually felt sorry for Zhao Xingzhou?

Two complete strangers who had only met once!
Is this simply the natural bond between father and daughter?
Zhao Shiqing casually picked up a rope and said to Wan Ruyi, "Forget about him, come on, I'll teach you cat's cradle." The next day, as soon as the city gates opened, the group left Tong'an, leaving cleanly, and even took Ah Huang with them.

When Zhao Xingzhou sent someone over again, all they found was an empty house.

"Is there no one here?" Zhao Xingzhou suddenly felt empty, as if he had lost something.

"Let's go, there's nothing fun here anymore, let's go back!"

Just as Zhao Shiqing guessed, he did indeed sneak out. This wasn't the first time he had run away; he was experienced. Besides, ten years had passed, and his wolf son had firmly secured his position on the throne. He also believed that Zhao Shiqing was single-minded and genuinely cultivating immortality while waiting to die. Therefore, he had become much more lax in his attitude towards Zhao Shiqing in the past two years.

Zhao Shiqing and Wan Ruyi returned to the capital smoothly. Upon arriving in the capital, they heard news that Zhu Yu had died in prison, and Old Madam Wei had fallen ill from grief and gone to the estate to recuperate.

Zhao Shiqing frowned. It was normal for Zhu Yu to die, and it was also normal for Old Madam Wei to fall ill, but it was not normal for Old Madam Wei to go to the estate to recuperate.

She tucked the little demon into her bag and headed to the Ruyi Pavilion.

Xiao Zhen is not here!

Zhao Shiqing had no choice but to go to Su Ji Tea House again to inquire about the news from Sister A Ping.

After not seeing her for over a month, Sister Ping was very happy to see her. When Zhao Shiqing asked about Zhu Yu and Old Madam Wei, she told her everything she knew.

"Zhu Yu was most likely killed by the Marquis of Baoqing's mansion."

Sister Aping never fails to make shocking statements.

The Marquis of Baoqing's family removed Zhu Yu's name from the family genealogy. The family had already stopped caring about him, but that day they suddenly sent someone to deliver food to him. Zhu Yu did not feel any discomfort after eating that day, but he died that night.

After the coroner's examination, the cause of death was determined to be heart disease.

The Ministry of Justice summoned Lord Zhu for questioning, but Lord Zhu vehemently denied it, swearing to heaven that the Marquis's residence would not send food to Zhu Yu. He had already been removed from the family register, so who would care about him?
The jailer went to the Marquis's residence that day to check each person, but couldn't find the person who delivered the meal that day.

Even if Zhu Yu didn't die at this point, he would still be guilty of a capital offense. Therefore, after weighing the pros and cons, Minister Xu of the Ministry of Justice closed all the murder cases involving Zhu Yu. The criminal was dead, and the case was closed.

As for Zhu Yu's death, it was no longer pursued, and it was assumed that he had truly died of a heart ailment.

Hearing this, Zhao Shiqing sneered: "Heart disease, huh? So many people die from heart disease."

My father died of a heart ailment, as did the late Crown Prince Xiaokang. Anyone the emperor found an eyesore all died of a heart ailment!
Zhu Yu has too many entanglements; allowing him to live even one more day would be fraught with danger, so let him die sooner rather than later.

Zhao Shiqing then asked, "Why would someone as strong-willed as Madam Wei go to the estate? Since she is ill, wouldn't it be better for her to be treated by imperial physicians in the capital?"

Sister Ping whispered, "Zhu Yu just died, and one of Lord Zhu's concubines also died. Oh, right, it was a double tragedy. The concubine was pregnant and was said to have only recently been brought into the mansion. She was currently in the emperor's favor."

Lord Zhu was furious and flew into a rage. Half of Old Madam Wei's illness was caused by Lord Zhu's anger, so in a fit of rage, she went to the estate.

Even so, Zhao Shiqing still didn't believe that Old Madam Wei was just arguing with her son, so she decided to send Xiao Guai to investigate.

She then asked about the Ministry of Justice, and Sister Ping said, "Early this morning, Master Yan left the city for Tong'an. A major case occurred in Tong'an, and since the local authorities couldn't handle it, they reported it to the Ministry of Justice. We don't know what kind of case it is."

Zhao Shiqing raised her eyebrows. Officer Li had indeed reported it. It seemed that the capital government had pushed the case out. Indeed, weapons might lead to charges of treason. This hot potato could only be passed on to Master Yan.

Zhao Shiqing had a rather good impression of Master Yan.

Zhao Shiqing then asked about the latest happenings in the capital. Sister Ping was incredibly knowledgeable; she knew a lot not only about the Ministry of Justice but also about the affairs of various prefectures in the capital.

Zhao Shiqing had heard a lot of gossip from her and was about to head home when she saw a carriage arrive outside. Dazhuang had come.

Dazhuang came to pick her up. When Xiao Zhen returned to Ruyi Pavilion and heard that she had been there, she guessed that she was at Su Ji's, so she asked Dazhuang to pick her up.

Zhao Shiqing was very happy. She followed Dazhuang to Ruyi Pavilion and saw Xiao Zhen showing his true face.

"Hey, you're not wearing that fake face today?" Zhao Shiqing asked curiously.

Xiao Zhen smiled and said, "That face is too ugly. I don't want to make you feel ugly."

Actually, that face wasn't ugly, it was just plain-looking, the kind of face that you wouldn't notice if you fell into a crowd.

Zhao Shiqing laughed: "You didn't change your face to your real one just to welcome me, did you?"

She was just joking along with Xiao Zhen's words, but to her surprise, Xiao Zhen nodded and said very seriously, "Yes, it's to welcome you."

Zhao Shiqing pursed her lips, feeling a little happy inside, but she didn't want Xiao Zhen to see it. However, she couldn't help it and smiled with her eyes crinkling: "You're a really nice person. I'll treat you to dinner later."

"Okay, when? Where? Can I use a fake face when we go to eat?" Xiao Zhen asked.

Zhao Shiqing. This person is really quite impolite.

"Let's go to Dashikan instead. I still want to see the puppet show." Zhao Shiqing was quite disappointed that she didn't get to see the puppet show on that trip to Dashikan, but she added, "Don't let Grandpa know."

Grandpa thought Da Shi Jian was not a good place. If he knew that Xiao Zhen had taken her there, he would scold Xiao Zhen again.

"Okay, let me know when you're free."

The room fell silent again, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Just as Zhao Shiqing was about to break the silence, she saw Xiao Zhen looking at her with a gentle gaze, as if he were a completely different person.

Zhao Shiqing's heart trembled. She lowered her head, blinked blankly, and couldn't help but steal a glance at Xiao Zhen's profile. It had been a long time since she had seen Xiao Zhen's real face. She didn't know when, but he was no longer the half-human, half-ghost he once was. Now, he had shed some of his sharpness and aloofness and was clearly a handsome young man.

So Uncle Zhen is still so young!

Zhao Shiqing sighed inwardly and subconsciously covered her mouth.

(End of this chapter)