good season

Third Master Deng is the younger brother of Vice Minister Deng Qian, who is the powerful backer of Cui Rong, Shen Wangxing's beastly father.

Deng Qian is a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Rites, while the Fourth Prince is currently observing state affairs at the Ministry of Rites.

Zhao Shiqing asked, "Who did Cousin Fan spend more time with today?"

Zhao Tingxuan thought for a moment: "He greets everyone with a smile and is humble and polite. As for being close to anyone, he doesn't seem to be. By the way, when I went to the restroom, I saw Cousin Fan talking to someone under the banana tree."

"Who is it?" Zhao Shiqing asked.

Zhao Tingxuan looked puzzled: "That man seemed to claim his surname was Qian. He came with Third Master Deng. Third Master Deng brought seven or eight people with him, all of whom looked very ordinary. The heir of the Marquis of Dingxi even mocked him, saying that he had come and brought all his pet cats and dogs. Third Master Deng was indignant and even exchanged a few words with the heir of the Marquis of Dingxi."

Zhao Shiqing gave a few more instructions, repeatedly telling Zhao Tingxuan that he should stay home as much as possible during the ten days or so before leaving the capital, and if the Fan family came to visit again, he should find an excuse to send them away.

Zhao Tingxuan also felt a lingering fear in his heart. Only after becoming a hostage did he realize what it meant to keep a low profile.

The princes are currently fighting like cats and dogs. If word gets out that the Liang Prince's Mansion is supporting one of the princes, that would not be a good thing.

After parting ways with Zhao Tingxuan, Zhao Shiqing and the other two walked down the street. When they passed Zhuangyuanlou Restaurant, Zhao Shiqing said, "I want to eat the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish at Zhuangyuanlou Restaurant, but I'm full now. Let's invite Grandpa to Zhuangyuanlou Restaurant another day."

Just then, seeing many people running in one direction, Mudfish quickly grabbed one of them and asked what was going on. The man replied, "Looking at stilts!"

The three of them exchanged glances, and in each other's eyes they saw the words "want to see".

This time, the location is neither Kui Xing Tower nor Bao En Temple, but at the crossroads not far from here.

When the three arrived, the Five City Guards had already blocked off the roads in all four directions. The gongs and drums sounded, and the stilt walkers arrived.

The same immortals we saw the other day, yet everyone still watched with great interest.

Zhao Shiqing also enjoyed watching it, and this time the feeling was different from the last time. She discovered many things that she hadn't noticed before.

For example, the stilts used to be adorned with bells, and the stilts in Liangdi were just bare sticks. But the stilts here are painted with colorful patterns. Upon closer inspection, you'll find that these patterns all have meanings. For instance, the figures depicted on the stilts represent different deities.

Zhao Shiqing immediately perked up, first looking at the stilts, then at the person on them. Wait, Zhang Daoling is clearly an old man with a long beard, but the person on the stilts is a handsome man. This doesn't match.

Aside from Zhang Daoling being depicted as a handsome man, Lan Caihe was painted even more outrageously; she was more than just a handsome man, she was clearly a beautiful woman.

But when Zhao Shiqing looked up at the people on the stilts, she was stunned.

The Lan Caihe she saw that day, although he was carrying a flower basket and dressed as a child, was clearly a young man in his twenties. But today, although he was dressed the same way, Lan Caihe had become a woman.

Having studied disguise before, Zhao Shiqing, despite her limited knowledge, could still distinguish between men and women.

Walking on stilts is very hard work, and perhaps they were too tired and had to be replaced, but Zhao Shiqing didn't pay attention.

From the conversations of the people around her, Zhao Shiqing realized that this was the first time she had come to Shizijie. The people here hadn't expected the stilt walking team to come here, since there wasn't a venue like Bao'en Temple.

But everyone was happy, and even as the stilt walkers were about to leave, they were still loudly asking if they would come back tomorrow.

Zhao Shiqing and the other two squeezed out of the crowd and headed towards Tianjing Hutong.

After walking two streets, Mudfish, with his sharp eyes, said, "Look, that's the stilt walker's carriage, isn't it? So they have to take off their stilts before getting on the carriage."

Zhao Shiqing and Ling Bo both laughed. If they didn't remove the legs, were they supposed to get on the carriage on stilts?

Suddenly, Zhao Shiqing was startled again. She saw Lan Caihe, but this Lan Caihe was not the girl she had just seen, but the young man she had met at Bao'en Temple the day before yesterday.

Did the two Lan Caihe come together?
Zhao Shiqing felt a slight stirring in her heart, vaguely sensing that there was something going on.

But that had nothing to do with her. The three of them bought a big bag of snacks on the way back and chatted and laughed as they returned to Tianjing Hutong.

As evening fell, Aunt Ji arrived with a carrying pole. When Zhao Shiqing saw her, she asked with a smile, "Aunt Ji, your precious son only stayed at home for a few days, and you didn't cook him anything nice. Why did you come back? Did you miss me?"

Aunt Ji smiled and said, "My dear girl, I love you the most. I miss you terribly if I don't see you for a day."

Zhao Shiqing pointed to the kitchen: "Chef Wang is cooking, so you don't have a chance to use your skills, Auntie."

Aunt Ji didn't care. She wasn't there to work anyway; she just didn't want to see her bratty son.

For the first three days after her son came home for the Chinese New Year, he was her precious darling. On the fourth day, he was still her own flesh and blood, after all. On the fifth day, well, he was still barely human. On the sixth day, this kid was no human, just a blockhead. Now it's the tenth day, and she's already cursing the school for not reopening yet. She's about to be driven crazy by this.

In conclusion, her son was even less sensible than Gangtou; he just came back to annoy her.

The steamed buns that Chef Wang makes are not just xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), but the kind of buns from Beijing, and he even learned how to make them from Aunt Ji.

When the steamed buns came out of the steamer, Zhao Shiqing took one for herself and gave one to Aunt Ji and Gangtou. The two women and the dog sat on small stools in the kitchen, chatting and eating steamed buns.

Aunt Ji said, "Young lady, have you heard? Someone's been murdered."

Zhao Shiqing was startled and bit her tongue. Enduring the pain, she asked, "Where did the murder take place?"

Aunt Ji said mysteriously, "I heard it was an official who died in Zhuangyuanlou. My rascal told me this when he came back from outside today. He also said that a lot of soldiers came and surrounded Zhuangyuanlou. Oh dear, Zhuangyuanlou used to be such a good business. Who would dare to go there in the future?"

"Zhuangyuanlou?" Zhao Shiqing was taken aback. She had passed by Zhuangyuanlou that afternoon and was thinking of eating their squirrel-shaped mandarin fish.

"When did this happen?" Zhao Shiqing asked.

"It happened this afternoon," Aunt Ji said.

Afternoon? Zhao Shiqing was stunned for a moment. When they passed by the Zhuangyuan Tower, the Zhuangyuan Tower must not have been in trouble yet, otherwise everyone would have gone to the Zhuangyuan Tower to watch the excitement, and there wouldn't have been so many people watching the stilt walkers.

Aunt Ji shared some gossip, scolded her son a few times, and finally went home satisfied.

Zhao Shiqing found it increasingly suspicious, so she sent Xiao Guai out to check.

In the middle of the night, Lingbo heard the sound of wings tapping on the windowpane. She opened the window, and Xiaoguai flew in, bringing with it a chill.

Zhao Shiqing took a few pieces of chicken jerky, which Xiao Guai ate in no time. He then told Zhao Shiqing everything he had found out.

The dead person was a bearded man.

[The man was sitting alone in the house when someone brought in tea. The person stabbed the bearded man to death with a knife, and then the man left with the tea tray.] Of course, Xiao Guai didn't witness this himself; he heard it from someone. From whom? From birds, of course. Even though it's winter, there are still birds that aren't afraid of the cold.

Unfortunately, the birds couldn't understand human language and didn't know the name of the person who died.

Zhao Shiqing only knew that the assassin disguised himself as a waiter at Zhuangyuanlou Restaurant, went to a private room, and killed someone with a single fatal blow.

When Aunt Ji's son saw many soldiers surrounding the Zhuangyuan Tower, he guessed that the dead man was a high-ranking official. So who was this high-ranking official?

The answer to this question was quickly found. The next morning, when everyone went out for breakfast, they learned the name of that high-ranking official.

Second Grand Secretary Deng Qian!

Zhao Shiqing was stunned for a moment. She subconsciously looked at Shen Wangxing and saw that Shen Wangxing's eyes were wide with surprise.

Back then, Shen Wangxing's aunt was a beauty of the retired emperor, and now she lives in Zizhu Temple. Before entering the palace, Consort Cui had a lover, Dong Qinglin of the Hanlin Academy.

Dong Qinglin's first wife was Deng Qian's younger sister. Deng died early without leaving any children. Dong Qinglin later remarried. On the surface, Deng Qian had no contact with the Dong family, but this was not actually the case. Shen Wangxing's father, Cui Rong, was introduced to Deng Qian by Dong Qinglin.

Moreover, the former Crown Princess, now Princess Jing, is a member of the Dong family, and Deng Qian was also a former member of the Crown Prince's faction. However, he was very discreet and carried out many things in secret. Therefore, now that the Crown Prince has become Prince Jing, the officials under the Eastern Palace have all been implicated to some extent, while Deng Qian remains as stable as Mount Tai.

Zhao Shiqing never expected that Deng Qian would be assassinated before the end of the first month of the lunar calendar.

Deng Qian was a cunning and shrewd man, as can be seen from his dealings with Cui Rong. Cui Rong had done many things for Deng Qian, but after Cui Rong got into trouble, Deng Qian quickly and cleanly distanced himself from him. In the case of Cui Rong, Deng Qian escaped unscathed and was not implicated at all.

Noticing that Zhao Shiqing's gaze lingered on him for too long, Shen Wangxing quickly declared, "I didn't do it!"

Zhao Shiqing.
Shen Wangxing thought for a moment and continued, "The Cui family is now only left with the elderly, weak, women and children. They have no people and no money. Even if they want revenge, they can only take it out on me. Even if they had the guts, they wouldn't dare to come looking for this person."

Yes, the Cui family doesn't even have the guts to hate Deng Qian. They only vent their resentment on Cui Rong's wife and children. Shen Wangxing is Cui Rong's only legitimate son. If the Cui family really wanted revenge, they would only dare to target him, not Deng Qian.

Zhao Shiqing suddenly remembered Lan Caihe, whom she had seen that day.

Shizijie is very close to Zhuangyuanlou.

Moreover, a crossroads is clearly not a good place to walk on stilts.

She recalled what Zhao Tingxuan had said: that her cousin Fan and a man surnamed Qian were talking in the shadows, and that man had gone with Deng Qian's younger brother.

Zhao Shiqing could no longer sit still. After having breakfast, she went to look for Xiao Zhen, but she couldn't find him at either Su Ji or Ruyi Fang.

Fortunately, Sister Ping was in the shop. When Zhao Shiqing asked about Deng Qian's case, Sister Ping said, "I know about it, but the case was just a formality at the Ministry of Justice before being handed over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

A case that the Embroidered Uniform Guard is tasked with investigating must have been ordered by Emperor Yongjia himself.

Come to think of it, Deng Qian was the second-highest-ranking official, and he died so mysteriously, it would probably frighten even the emperor.

Meanwhile, the situation in the imperial court was also bleak.

Since the Crown Prince was deposed, the civil officials in the court have been reorganized, with the Third Prince's faction led by Feng Ke and the Qingliu faction led by Deng Qian.

Now that Deng Qian has suddenly died, the first person Deng Qian's students think of is Feng Ke.

The atmosphere in the imperial court was tense, and the Imperial Guards had yet to catch the murderer, but the words of the upright officials all pointed to Feng Ke.

Some people kowtowed to the ground, some covered their faces and wept bitterly, and some fainted from grief. In short, the court session did not end until noon. When Emperor Yongjia left the court, he had a dark face. As an emperor, what he least wanted to see was someone who could control everything. Deng Qian was someone who could fight Feng Ke to the death, but now that Deng Qian was dead, there was no one among the civil officials who could rival Feng Ke.

When Emperor Yongjia returned to the inner palace, he thought of visiting Consort Qiao. Consort Qiao was a kind and understanding woman, and he would think of her whenever he was troubled.

But before they even reached Consort Qiao's palace, a eunuch came running up: "Your Majesty, the Dowager Consort is unwell and has sent me to invite you."

Emperor Yongjia was even more agitated. Why didn't he call the imperial physician when he was feeling unwell? What was the point of sending him there?
He's not a royal physician.

But he still went to Cining Palace because he knew that if he didn't go, Consort Li would send someone over again.

This is how Consort Li dealt with the Emperor Emeritus in the past, completely destroying any remaining affection he had for her. Otherwise, how could her son have become Emperor while she remained a Consort?

When the retired emperor was still in the palace, he would frown whenever he heard the name Consort Li.

Emperor Yongjia is the same now; he gets annoyed whenever he hears about Consort Li!

Upon arriving at Cining Palace, they saw Consort Li leaning against a chaise longue covered with thick brocade cushions, looking delicate and unable to take care of herself.

“Mother, you are not feeling well. Why didn’t you call the imperial physician? Did the Imperial Hospital neglect you? I will punish them.”

Before she could finish speaking, Consort Li began to sob: "Your Majesty, I had a dream. I dreamt that Zhu Yu was kneeling before me, crying."

Zhu Yu, it's Zhu Yu again!
Emperor Yongjia was so annoyed!

When Zhu Yu was alive, whenever he caused trouble, Consort Li would use both soft and hard tactics to force him to clean up the mess. Now that Zhu Yu is dead, Consort Li is still dreaming! Why don't you die with him?!

"He is a sinner, yet he dares to disturb your peaceful sleep. I will order his grave to be dug up and his bones to be ground to dust!"

Consort Li was stunned. Why was the Emperor acting so unpredictably?

"I watched Zhu Yu grow up, and I just feel sorry for him."

"Mother, Zhu Yu is not your biological grandson, but you have many grandchildren. I will let them come into the palace to keep you company and enjoy family time. What do you think?"

Consort Li wanted to say something more, but Emperor Yongjia had already stood up and was about to leave, so Consort Li had no choice but to say, "My old sister is all alone on the estate now, which is very pitiful. I would like to invite her to stay in the palace for a few days."

Emperor Yongjia had long lost his patience. He was still thinking about Deng Qian's matter. Besides, although that old lady Wei was annoying, she was just an old woman who had suffered a stroke. Could she really cause any trouble?
"Very well, Mother can decide for herself."

After Emperor Yongjia left, a nanny approached Consort Li and whispered, "Your Highness, don't you think this is quite easy? The Emperor listens to you."

Consort Li glanced at her: "I never thought even you would betray me."

The old woman hurriedly said, "Your Highness, I am a servant of the Wei family. In my heart, Your Highness comes first, and then comes Old Madam Wei."

Consort Li turned her face away. This was a maid she had brought from her maiden home when she entered the palace; she had served her her entire life. She never expected her to now be threatening her on behalf of that old hag. She had ultimately misjudged her. (End of Chapter)