good season

Zhao Shiqing nodded: "Yes, it's a hundred miles away, very far from your home. The school has holidays on the first and fifteenth of each month, but your home is too far away. When others have holidays, you are left alone in the school. You were only seven or eight years old then, all alone. It's pitiful to think about."

Lin Xian looked puzzled: "Am I an orphan? That's not right. You said my home is called Zhushan'ao, which should be in the countryside. How can a country kid like me go to school in the city? If I'm an orphan, then who supports my education?"

Zhao Shiqing shook her head: "Then I don't know. Why don't you think about it? Under what circumstances could a child who can't even afford to hire a carriage go to study in Baifeng City, which is a hundred miles away? By the way, that school doesn't just teach reading, it also teaches martial arts. One of the teachers knows martial arts."

Upon hearing the word "martial arts," something flashed through Lin Xian's mind, but he couldn't quite grasp it, and could only stare blankly at Zhao Shiqing.

Zhao Shiqing suddenly attacked, throwing a punch straight at Lin Xian's face. Lin Xian instinctively dodged. He had not yet fully recovered, but it was still clear that he did not know any martial arts.

Zhao Shiqing abruptly stopped her fist in front of his nose: "You don't know martial arts."

“But you said the school I attended taught martial arts, so why don’t I know it?” Lin Xian asked.

Zhao Shiqing: "Because you only studied there for a year or two, for a child of average talent, a year or two is not enough time to build a solid foundation in martial arts. Even if you learn some moves, they are just fancy moves. It is normal that you do not know martial arts. In addition, you focused on your studies and probably never practiced martial arts again. But the fact is that although you do not know martial arts, you are very healthy. You were stabbed and thrown into an ice cave, but you were able to swim ashore on your own. You have surpassed most people."

Lin Xian paused, "Swimming?"

Yes, that young master also told him that he swam up from the river.

He's such a good swimmer, he must have loved swimming since he was a child, but he still can't remember anything.

Zhao Shiqing was somewhat helpless. Suddenly, she thought of something and said, "Braised pork? Where is the best braised pork you've ever had?"

Almost blurting it out, without thinking, Lin Xian said, "Yang Shengqiu's family, his aunt makes braised pork."

Lin Xian's voice grew softer and softer as he stared at Zhao Shiqing in astonishment. Zhao Shiqing glared back at him, and the two stared at each other for a moment. Suddenly, Zhao Shiqing laughed and said, "So you're a glutton."

Lin Xian blushed slightly: "That's what my friends say about me too."

Zhao Shiqing asked, "You remember now?"

Lin Xian: "I need some peace and quiet, things are a bit chaotic."

His mind was in a whirl, as if a thousand thoughts were running through his head, or as if countless wild horses were trying to break free, making his head buzz and his temples throb.

Zhao Shiqing nodded, turned and walked out, then gently closed the door behind her.

Outside the door, Xu Bo was still asking Yan Xia a bunch of questions, but Yan Xia was already getting impatient: "Shut up."

Xu Bo shut up, but couldn't help himself for a moment: "Brother Yan, about that thing you arranged last time..."

Yanxia: "Keep quiet!"

When Zhao Shiqing came out, she saw Yan Xia's eyes wide open like copper bells, and Xu Bo with his lips tightly pursed, looking aggrieved.

Zhao Shiqing's lips twitched. She never expected that the son of the dignified Minister of Justice, Lord Xu, would be like this.

Coming to the capital has truly broadened my horizons.

Seeing Zhao Shiqing come out, Yan Xia's eyes softened: "How is it? Any progress?"

Zhao Shiqing nodded slightly: "That's about enough. Give him some time."

Xu Bo's eyes lit up immediately: "What do you mean by 'more or less'? Why do we need to give him some time? How much 'some time' are you talking about?"

Zhao Shiqing looked at him very seriously and said, "You're the second child, and you have an older brother?"

Xu Bo didn't understand why the servant would suddenly ask this, so he nodded and said, "Yes, everyone in the capital knows that I have an older brother, and my older brother is the second-place scholar in the imperial examination."

Zhao Shiqing really didn't know about this, but that didn't stop her from talking nonsense.

"Your older brother is not only better at studying than you, but he's also taller than you, right?"

“I suppose so.” Xu Bo’s reluctance was evident.

Zhao Shiqing said, "You are siblings from the same mother, and there shouldn't be any difference between you. But now the differences between you are getting bigger and bigger. Do you know why?"

Xu Bo hurriedly asked, "Why?"

Zhao Shiqing: "The answer is hidden in the Tao Te Ching. If you put together the first sentence of each chapter of the Tao Te Ching, you will know the answer."

Xu Bo lowered his head in thought, his lips moving but no sound came out; he was clearly reciting the Tao Te Ching silently.

Zhao Shiqing breathed a sigh of relief, finally able to have some peace and quiet, though it might only be for a short while.

Yan Xia rubbed his ears. He didn't ask about Lin Xian. Zhao Shiqing said to give Lin Xian time, so let's give him time. We've waited these past few days, so what's a little more time?

The three sat facing each other, with only Xu Bo sometimes appearing happy and sometimes melancholy, clearly having gained some insight from the Tao Te Ching.

Zhao Shiqing simply closed her eyes to rest, and after an unknown amount of time, she suddenly heard a shout in her ear. She was so frightened that she hurriedly covered her ears. If she hadn't been a step slower, her ears would have been damaged by the loud noise.

He opened his eyes and was met with Xu Bo's magnified face: "You tricked me? You dare to trick me?"

Zhao Shiqing gave him a thumbs up: "Smart! You figured it out so quickly?"

许博
He turned to look at Yan Xia: "Brother Yan, he tricked me, I was fooled by him, please teach him a lesson."

Yan Xia: "You want me to teach her a lesson? You're up to no good, aren't you? You don't want me to have an easy time. Just wait and see if I'll help you next time your dad beats you up!"

Xu Bo immediately deflated. Just as he was about to try to get something back for himself, he saw the kid who had tricked him slip past him like an eel, push open the door, and sneak into the house.

Inside the room, Lin Xian remained in the same posture as before, but the blankness on his face was gone, replaced by confusion.

Zhao Shiqing stood by his bedside and asked, "How much do you remember?"

Lin Xian smiled wryly: "I remember now, I've seen you before, at that terribly bad grilled fish stall."

Zhao Shiqing sat down beside him and asked, "It seems you really remember. So, who was the person who hurt you?"

Just when Zhao Shiqing thought she was about to hear that familiar name, Lin Xian shook his head and said, "I don't know who it is either."

Zhao Shiqing.
"Because it was already very dark, I had originally hired a sedan chair, but halfway there, one of the sedan chair carriers twisted his ankle. I'm not a heartless rich person, and seeing that he had twisted his ankle, I felt embarrassed to ask them to carry me anymore, so I paid the fare and let them go. But that day was the first day of the Lunar New Year, and there were very few pedestrians on the street. I walked all the way without seeing any sedan chairs. It got darker and darker, and eventually I couldn't see anyone at all, only the cheerful laughter coming from inside each household."

I was in a bad mood at the time. To be honest, this was the first time I had spent the Lunar New Year so far from home. Although I had my cousin, he couldn't replace my parents. I felt increasingly melancholy, my mind racing with thoughts. I didn't even realize when someone was following me.

By the time I realized what was happening, the man was already blocking my way. He was dressed in black and masked, and without saying a word, he stabbed me with a knife.

A wave of excruciating pain washed over me. My memories afterward are fragmented, but I recall him groping me, taking my purse, and then throwing me into the river. The water was icy cold, and I thought I was dead. But the next moment, I found I could still move my hands and feet. After that, I can't remember anything else; perhaps the pain and cold had clouded my mind.

Zhao Shiqing was stunned. A masked man?

Okay, she's worn a mask before, she's even disguised herself and worn a human skin mask.

Are masked men robbing, murdering, and stealing from the capital?
That makes sense, since there are always dark corners where the sun doesn't shine, no matter where you are.

However, this was not the answer she wanted.

"By the way, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, instead of spending it with your cousin in the rented house, where did you go?"

Lin Xian's expression softened visibly: "I went to pay New Year's visits. Although I'm new to the capital and only auditing classes, I've made a few friends, including my cousin. So this morning, after my cousin and I went to pay New Year's visits to the teacher, we parted ways. He went to his friend's house, and I went to find my friend."

Zhao Shiqing asked in a deep voice, "Does Yang Shengqiu belong among your friends?"

Lin Xian nodded repeatedly: "Of course, but Yang Shengqiu had a lot of social engagements, so I didn't see him until very late. He still remembered me, haha, we talked a lot about things from when we were little. He was so approachable, it was really nice!"

Zhao Shiqing asked, "Did you tell me about his family being wiped out?"

Lin Xian: "Of course I had to tell him about such a big thing, but he said he already knew and that he would go back to pay his respects if he had the chance in the future."

Zhao Shiqing sighed inwardly. It's hard to persuade a damned ghost with good intentions. She had earnestly advised him not to mention this matter to Yang Shengqiu last time, but he said it without any pressure, having long forgotten her advice.

If it weren't for those two little beggars, even if he had swum up the icy river, he would have frozen to death on that cold winter night.

"Do you remember the killer's height?"

Lin Xian thought for a moment, then held up his hand and said, "Taller than me."

Zhao Shiqing: "Anyone you pick out in the capital is taller than you."

Although Lin Xian had a handsome appearance, he was not tall. He might not have stood out in the Wu region, but in the capital, he was considered to be of average to short stature.

Yang Shengqiu, though not very tall, was not short either, being half a head taller than Lin Xian.

However, there are too many people taller than Lin Xian. There are two outside the door, Yan Xia and Xu Boquan, who are both taller than him.

Based on height alone, it is impossible to determine that the murderer is Yang Shengqiu.

"What kind of knife did he use to stab you?" Zhao Shiqing asked again.

"A dagger, it must be a dagger." Lin Xian was certain of that.

“You’ve been in close contact with him. Try to recall his characteristics, such as his scent,” Zhao Shiqing guided.

Lin Xian touched his head; it started to hurt. It was as if he had overlooked something, but he couldn't remember it.

Zhao Shiqing patted his shoulder and said, "That's enough for today. Get some rest. If you remember anything else, have Young Master Xu inform Master Yan."

After leaving the Xu residence, Zhao Shiqing said to Yan Xia, "Lin Xian met Yang Shengqiu, and then something happened on his way back. What a coincidence! Brother-in-law, what do you think?"

Yan Xia shook his head: "There is no evidence to prove that Yang Shengqiu was the one who hurt Lin Xian. All the evidence now points to murder and robbery, including Lin Xian's own confession. If there is still no breakthrough with Lin Xian, then we can only hope to find his cousin."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Walnut rushed over: "Young Master, the yamen has sent word that they have discovered the whereabouts of Wang Feihu's father and brothers."

Yan Xia said "okay", then turned to Zhao Shiqing and said, "I may have to leave the capital again. I have already spoken with Xu Bo, and you can come and visit Lin Xian often while he is staying here."

Zhao Shiqing nodded. When they returned to Tianjing Hutong, Zhen Wuduo immediately noticed that his beloved granddaughter looked dejected.

"It's because of that kid with amnesia, isn't it? Sigh, you can't rush these things. You have an uncle who got into a fight once, and his boat capsized. He was rescued from the sea. Ha, a kid who grew up by the sea, fell into the sea once and lost his memory. He's like a fool, doesn't recognize anyone, and just laughs like an idiot. Sigh."

Zhao Shiqing hurriedly asked, "And then what happened to this uncle?"

Zhen Wuduo: "Two or three years later, that kid was tricked and pushed off the boat, then fell into the sea. When he was rescued, guess what? He remembered everything. The first thing he did was to take revenge. He took a few boats and left, but ended up breaking a leg and becoming crippled. His wife kept nagging him, saying it would have been better if he hadn't remembered anything. If he hadn't remembered, he wouldn't have gone to take revenge. It would have been better if he had just been happy like an idiot every day."

Zhao Shiqing's eyes flickered with light and shadow. Lin Xian remembered, but his memory of being murdered that night was fragmented. This was probably because he was frightened at the time. All he could remember was that the murderer was taller than him and used a dagger.

Her uncle regained his memory after falling into the sea again. If Lin Xian were thrown back into the ice hole, would he be able to remember more?

Zhao Shiqing decided to tell Master Yan her thoughts the next day, but the next day she learned that Master Yan had left the city overnight to capture Wang Feihu's father and brothers.

That old beast who harmed his own granddaughter and killed his daughter-in-law will finally be brought to justice.

But Yan Xia wasn't there, and Zhao Shiqing didn't have that much influence to drag Lin Xian out of the Xu residence and throw him into an ice hole.

Zhao Shiqing felt helpless.

It was still the first month of the lunar calendar, and the streets were bustling with activity.

"The stilt walking troupe from Daguo Village has come to the capital. They'll be performing outside Kuixing Tower in the morning and at Bao'en Temple in the afternoon!"

Walking down the street, Zhao Shiqing heard this news and immediately became interested.

She loved watching stilt walking the most in Liangdi, and she could walk on stilts herself. She never thought that she could see stilt walking in the capital. She pulled Lingbo and ran back home: "Aunt Ruyi, Xiuxiu, Niqiu, Shen Wangxing, Xiaoyezi, come out. Let's go to Bao'en Temple to see stilt walking this afternoon."

Her shout instantly brought the previously empty courtyard to life, but Zhao Shiqing counted and found that Xiuxiu and Zhang Ye were the only ones missing.

"Where did Xiuxiu and Xiaoyezi go?" Zhao Shiqing asked.

Wan Ruyi said, "Xiuxiu's uncle asked someone to bring her something, and she went to get it. By the way, the old master doesn't allow us to go out alone, so Xiuxiu took Xiaoye with her."

Zhao Shiqing frowned slightly. (End of Chapter)