good season

Chapter 164 Meeting (Two chapters combined)

"Su's Tea Shop?"

Looking at the plaque on the small building and then at the surrounding environment, Yanxia remembered the origin of this Su's Tea Shop.

This is a haunted house where several people have died!

He was in the Ministry of Justice, so he knew about the case, but only that it had been solved long ago. He didn't know what happened afterward, nor did he know who his current employer was.

A waiter was soliciting customers in front of the tea shop. When he saw Yan Xia, he was taken aback. Although Su Ji Tea Shop's business was much better than before, it was still just an ordinary tea shop. Later, with the arrival of the shrewd and charming Sister Ping, the tea shop had more wealthy customers, but they were mainly women. Young men like Yan Xia, who clearly had an extraordinary background, were rare.

"Sir, please come in and have a seat. The weather is dry and it's easy to get a sore throat. We have some cooling herbal tea in our shop."

Yan Xia nodded slightly and handed the reins to the waiter. The waiter was stunned for a moment before he realized that it wasn't that he was slow-witted, but that Su Ji Tea House did not provide a service for customers to tether and water their horses.

He hurriedly took the reins, but couldn't be in two places at once, so he could only shout inside, "Distinguished guests have arrived! Come out and greet them quickly!"

"Coming, coming!" A thin, dark-skinned boy ran out. Seeing Yan Xia, the boy grinned, revealing a set of small white teeth. "Please come in, sir!"

Yan Xia was a master of criminal investigation. With just one glance, he could tell that the dark-skinned, thin boy in front of him was not a tea shop waiter at all!
The waiters in restaurants mainly wear shoes with multi-layered soles, designed so that they can "walk a hundred steps a day without feeling tired." However, the waiters in tea shops mostly wear thin-soled shoes. Since their feet rarely touch the ground while they are constantly greeting and seeing off customers, they wear lightweight, thin-soled shoes for comfort and ease.

But the dark-skinned, thin boy in front of me was wearing a brand new pair of soles.

Also, although the guy was smiling, his smile was ingratiating and humble, while the boy's smile was sunny, confident, and relaxed!

Yan Xia remained calm and allowed the dark-skinned, thin boy to lead him upstairs.

The little eagle flew in through the second-floor window.

The second floor is decorated like a private room in a restaurant, but it is actually just a teahouse. Even teahouses are different; these private rooms obviously have another purpose.

The thin, dark-skinned boy pushed open a door and said to Yan Xia, "Young Master Yan, please come in."

Sure enough, they even knew he was the Crown Prince of Yan.

Yan Xia did not hesitate and stepped inside.

The room was simply and elegantly furnished. A young man sat at the table, making tea, while the boy opposite him sat with his legs crossed, engrossed in reading a storybook.

At the window on one side, a young girl with her back to him was intently feeding a hawk, while the maid standing beside her was holding a cat in her arms.

And the eagle eating dried meat was the very one that had led him here!

The thin, dark-skinned boy who had led the way followed them into the house. He patted the boy reading the storybook on the shoulder and said, "Come on, let's go out and buy some snowflake cakes."

Upon hearing this, the storyteller jumped up and was about to run outside when the girl feeding the eagle and the girl petting the cat quickly called out to him, "Two bowls! We want some too!"

"Alright!" The thin, dark-skinned young man then looked at the man who was brewing tea. "Young Master Zhen, would you like some?"

Young Master Zhen shook his head: "You all eat."

The thin, dark-skinned boy looked at Yan Xia, who was still standing there, and asked, "Brother Yan, do you want it?"

He was so familiar with them that it was as if he were one of them.

Yan Xia was somewhat surprised, but replied with a smile, "I'll have a bowl too, without candied fruit."

As if reminded by him, the girl feeding the eagle said to the boy, "I want more raisins in my bowl."

The dark-skinned, thin boy grinned: "Raisins are expensive, you'll have to pay extra."

The man making the tea said, "Add whatever you want, it's on me."

As he spoke, he took out a piece of silver and tossed it over. The dark-skinned, thin boy caught it and grinned, "I'm rich! Thank you, Young Master Zhen!"

After saying that, the two boys ran off as fast as they could.

The scene before me was relaxed and comfortable. Although it was an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people, it felt very welcoming, as if we had known each other for a long time.

The young man who was brewing tea placed a cup of tea on the table and looked at Yan Xia: "Come, try the tea I brewed."

He then looked at the girl feeding the eagle: "Would you like one too?"

The girl shook her head: "I'm waiting to eat snowflake pancakes."

The girl turned to Yan Xia: "Brother Yan, you'd better not drink tea either. The combination of hot and cold is very likely to upset your stomach."

The girl's voice was like a nightingale's song, clear and melodious. For a moment, Yan Xia even doubted that he really had a little sister who had been lost for many years.

The Yan family is lacking in daughters; if they had a little sister, she would be pampered to the skies.

Yanxia sat down at the tea table, picked up the teacup and smelled it: "I'm a rough man and don't know much about tea, but this tea smells very fragrant."

The man brewing the tea smiled slightly: "Young Master Yan is too modest. My surname is Zhen, Zhen Gui."

Yan Xia clasped his hands in greeting: "So you are the renowned Young Master Zhen. I've heard so much about you!"

“My surname is Zhao, Zhao Shiqing.” Zhao Shiqing pointed to the eagle that was feasting, “This is my baby, his name is Xiaoguai.”

She then pointed to the girl holding the cat: "That's Lingbo, and the one in her arms is Xiaoyao."

This was the first time Yan Xia had ever seen someone introduce their eagle and cat together. He found everything in front of him both novel and interesting, and he didn't sense any malice. On the contrary, he felt very relaxed.

"Thank you for what happened last time."

Yan Xia didn't say what it was about, but he knew that the girl named Zhao Shiqing would definitely find out.

Sure enough, Zhao Shiqing smiled and said, "You're welcome, it's nothing."

Yan Xia's brows twitched slightly. Was this girl surnamed Zhao?

"Miss, is your surname Zhao? Which Zhao?" He pointed to the sky.

Zhao Shiqing nodded: "I am from the Liang Prince's Mansion, and Zhao Tingxuan is my second brother."

In a flash, Yanxia knew who she was.

She was the adopted daughter of the old King Liang, the little girl who, according to legend, followed her master to the mountains to cultivate from a young age, and it is said that she had long since become a nun.

But no matter how you look at it, Zhao Shiqing in front of you doesn't seem like a Taoist nun.

"Didn't you become a monk?" Yan Xia asked.

Strangely enough, he felt no distance from these people in front of him, as if they were old friends.

Zhao Shiqing sighed, "I only found out that I had become a nun long ago after I came to the capital." Her appearance did not resemble that of a nun, nor did she seem like a well-bred young lady raised in seclusion.

Upon seeing Zhao Shiqing, Yan Xia immediately thought of Zhao Yunnuan.

Today, his mother had just mentioned his older sister Zhao Yunnuan when he met his younger sister Zhao Shiqing; they are sisters.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. By the way, you didn't sneak out of your family, did you? Do your family know?" Yan Xia said.

It goes without saying that Zhao Shiqing's trip to the capital must be a secret, and the Liang Prince's Mansion might be looking for her.

Zhao Shiqing said, "Now I know."

Yan Xia thought to herself, "Just as I thought, she ran away secretly. Now that she's in the capital, she must have already met Zhao Tingxuan. Zhao Tingxuan wrote a letter to inform his family, and they found out."

However, Yan Xia still had some questions, such as why Zhao Shiqing was with Young Master Zhen.

Although he was engrossed in solving cases, he was aware that a new little money-making genius, Young Master Zhen, had appeared in the capital.

He couldn't help but know, this Young Master Zhen was very famous in their circle. Those noble sons were racking their brains to do business with him, and even the second brother Yan Yuan had come to ask him.

Yan Xia's gaze swept between the two men's faces. Zhao Shiqing guessed what he was thinking and pointed to Young Master Zhen: "He is my uncle! My maternal grandfather's surname is Zhen."

At that moment, Yan Xia understood everything.

This Mr. Zhen is said to be the godson of Zhen Wuduo, the man from Fujian who was known for having lots of money, boats, brothers, sons, and women. It's just unexpected that Zhao Shiqing's maternal grandfather is actually this Mr. Zhen Wuduo.

However, Yan Xia did not notice the fleeting disappointment in Young Master Zhen's eyes.

Well, he can't shake off the title of "uncle" now.

Young Master Zhen cleared his throat: "Does Young Master Yan have any other questions?"

Yan Xia thought for a moment and then asked, "Last time, this eagle brought me a clue. This time, the eagle led me here again. Is there another clue?"

Zhao Shiqing said seriously, "He has a name. His name is Xiao Guai, not that eagle."

Yan Xia hurriedly said, "I'm sorry, it was a slip of the tongue. Xiao Guai, I'll remember it. His name is Xiao Guai."

Upon hearing his name, Xiao Guai proudly raised his noble head and looked down at Yan Xia.

Yan Xia repeated the question she had just asked: "Last time, Xiao Guai brought me a clue. This time, Xiao Guai led me here, so is there another clue?"

Both Zhao Shiqing and Xiao Guai were very satisfied with Yan Xia's immediate transformation.

Zhao Shiqing said, "Yes, of course there are clues, but I don't know if these clues will be useful."

Yan Xia hurriedly said, "Please enlighten me, Miss Zhao."

Zhao Shiqing said, "I know what case you're investigating. It's the weapon case, isn't it? To be honest, I was there when this weapon was unearthed. You must have heard about the Dong brothers killing Scholar Dong and then using his supposed immortality to swindle people back in Tong'an, right?"

Yan Xia nodded: "I have indeed heard about it."

Zhao Shiqing continued, "The Dongxian Temple has been in Tong'an for a year, and the yamen has never investigated it. But that day, they suddenly became suspicious of them and immediately arrested people. Do you know why?"

Yan Xia shook his head.

Zhao Shiqing said, "I was there at the time and saw someone take a badge from the Ministry of Justice. The constable Li immediately changed his expression, bowing and scraping, and then arrested the entire Dong family. The next day, they dug up Dong Xiucai's body. However, when they dug up the body, they dug up a little more and found that box of weapons."

Although the body and the weapon were both buried under the same tree, their locations were different. The body had already been dug up, and given the usual practices of those officials—digging pits but not burying the body—they not only didn't fill the hole back in that day, but continued digging, which is how they unearthed the weapon. Brother Yan, I think you can follow this lead.”

Yan Xia suddenly realized: "You mean someone in the Tong'an County government deliberately led the way? No, they did more than just lead the way; they dug it up themselves."

Zhao Shiqing chuckled: "I didn't say that, you guessed it yourself."

Yan Xia clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yan Xia thanks the Second Miss for her inspiration."

Zhao Shiqing smiled and said, "Brother Yan, you're too kind."

She kept calling him "Brother Yan," which made Yan Xia a little embarrassed. However, he couldn't think of a more appropriate way to address her, so he continued to call her "Second Miss."

He stood up and said, "I still have cases to handle, so I'll take my leave now."

Zhao Shiqing quickly said, "Don't rush, eat some snowflake pastry before you go."

As soon as he finished speaking, the two boys who had gone out earlier returned, carrying a large tray with several bowls of snowflake cakes on it.

The dark-faced boy first handed a bowl topped with a whole layer of raisins to Zhao Shiqing, then placed a bowl without candied fruit in front of Yan Xia. The remaining three bowls were divided equally among the three of them, and he didn't forget to ask Young Master Zhen, "You really don't want to eat?"

Young Master Zhen shook his head: "You all eat, I don't eat this."

Although his injuries have healed, they have damaged his health, so he cannot eat anything cold or cooling for the time being.

Yanxia hadn't eaten snowflake pancakes for a long time. He had been busy all summer, braving wind and rain, and often didn't even have time to eat. He relied on dry rations to fill his stomach, and when he was hot and thirsty, he could only drink a few sips of cold water.

He took a couple of bites of the snowflake pancake, let out a contented sigh, stretched his legs, and exclaimed, "Ah, it's still better in the capital. I almost forgot that I'm still a prince."

Zhao Shiqing couldn't help but burst into laughter.

She remembered what Sister Ping had told her, and blurted out whatever came to mind: "By the way, is it true that Zhu Yu stripped naked in front of you?"

Upon hearing this, Young Master Zhen's lips twitched, and his fake face almost fell off.

Yan Xia never expected that this matter would actually spread from the Ministry of Justice, and even Zhao Shiqing had heard about it.

He said helplessly, "That damned eunuch is like a madman, no, he's already a madman. Not only did he take off his clothes, but he also talked nonsense. I had to have him tied up with his quilt. By the way, he also speaks in a strange tone, using a high-pitched voice that is in no way inferior to the old men in the palace."

Zhao Shiqing laughed so hard she slapped her thigh. Yan Xia didn't know why Zhao Shiqing was reacting so strongly.

Of course she was great. Zhu Yu was grateful to her. If it weren't for her, Zhu Yu would never have known what it was like to be a eunuch until his death.

Zhao Shiqing asked about Zhu Yu's death again. Yan Xia did not hide anything. Before his death, Zhu Yu was not only a commoner, but had also been expelled from the Zhu family. Therefore, he was just an ordinary prisoner. His affairs did not need to be hidden and were not a secret.

What he said was not much different from what Sister Ping had said. Zhao Shiqing asked, "Do you also think that he was killed by the Marquis of Baoqing's mansion?"

Yan Xia: "Otherwise what?"

Zhao Shiqing didn't hide anything: "He died of a heart ailment. My father also died of a heart ailment. Brother Yan, you're in the Ministry of Justice, so you must know more than I do. Don't you think there are a lot of important figures in our Great Yong Dynasty who died of heart ailments?"

Yan Xia nodded and said, "Yes."

Fortunately, Zhao Shiqing only touched on the topic briefly and did not continue.