good season

Zhao Shiqing's adorable demeanor couldn't stop Master Murong from taking on disciples. She was awkward all day, but then acted as if nothing had happened and disguised herself to go to her master's new house for a free meal.

That day, after she returned from a free meal, she got off the mule cart and saw two unfamiliar faces looking around at the entrance of the alley.

Today, Zhao Shiqing is wearing a royal blue round-necked scholar's robe.

Since some people wanted to find a handsome scholar, she would give them one.

Therefore, when Xiuxiu sewed new clothes for Zhang Ye to wear to school a few days ago, Zhao Shiqing asked her to sew one for herself as well.

Coincidentally, she was wearing this very scholar's robe today.

She thought the two men would definitely be staring at her, but they were disappointed.

The two men's gazes swept over her without even lingering.

Zhao Shiqing was unwilling to accept this; she couldn't let the robe be sewn for nothing.

She deliberately walked up to the two men and asked in a rough voice, "Gentlemen, are you looking for someone? I live here, and I know everyone in this area."

The two men then looked at her again. One of the fat men asked, "Young master, do you have any elder relatives or brothers who are studying? They are around twenty years old and half a head taller than you."

Zhao Shiqing understood. So you all thought I wasn't old or tall enough.

He wasted her feelings.

"My uncle is a scholar. Are you here to see my uncle?"

"Your uncle? May I ask how old your uncle is?" the skinny man hesitated.

Zhao Shiqing: "Twenty? My uncle is twenty years old."

The two were so delighted that they overlooked the inappropriate word "age".

"Does your uncle usually live here?"

Zhao Shiqing shook her head: "He doesn't live here, he only comes over occasionally. Come to think of it, it's been many days since he last came. I've finished all the candy he bought for me last time, and I don't even know where he bought it."

The two were both surprised and delighted. Manager Li said that it was hard to find out, which must be because the people who came before hadn't tried hard enough. Otherwise, how could they explain that they had found out as soon as they arrived?

"May I ask your uncle's name?" the fat man asked.

Zhao Shiqing: "You don't know him? Why don't you even know his name?"

The skinny man quickly explained, "Young master, speaking of which, your uncle is our benefactor. Last time, around here, we accidentally lost our purse, and it was your uncle who helped us find it. We were so anxious that we forgot to ask our benefactor's name. When we got home, our elders scolded us, so we came here to inquire."
Please also inform us of your uncle's name and address, young master, so that my brother and I can pay our respects in person.

Zhao Shiqing believed it to be true, staring with her clear yet foolish eyes: "So that's how it is, so that's how it is. You two are grateful and virtuous."

The two replied in unison, "Of course, of course, please tell me."

"How much silver was in that money bag you lost?" Zhao Shiqing suddenly asked.

The two men paused for a moment, and the thin man quickly said, "Two hundred taels, yes, two hundred taels."

Zhao Shiqing was startled and subconsciously looked around, lowering her voice: "Two hundred taels? That much?"

Fatty: "Yes, that's why we've come to express our gratitude. May I ask..."

Zhao Shiqing: "So how much silver are you going to give to thank my uncle?"

The two were stunned. "No, what do you want to do?"

The skinny man said sheepishly, "We need to prepare a ten-color gift set, may I ask..."

Zhao Shiqing: "Oh my, the Ten-Color Gift, may I ask if there is ginseng in this Ten-Color Gift?"

The two men were puzzled as to why she would ask such a question, as they had never seen anyone inquire beforehand about what gift to give.

The two paused for a moment, then nodded in unison: "Yes."

"Do you have any old hens?" Zhao Shiqing asked again.

The two nodded again: "Yes."

"Do you have Yujing wine?" Zhao Shiqing asked again.

This time, before the words were even finished, the two had already nodded.

Yes, we have it if you ask. Please tell us the address.

Zhao Shiqing was satisfied, but then added, "Do you have Wang Ji's roast chicken?"

"Yes!" the two said in unison.

Zhao Shiqing was overjoyed: "Come on, I'll go with you to buy the gifts, and then I'll take you to see my uncle!"

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing smugness in each other's eyes.

Children are children, even if they study, they are still children.

They found out where I lived without lifting a finger!
To show her sincerity, Zhao Shiqing even let them ride in her mule cart.

After leaving Tianjing Hutong, Zhao Shiqing led them to the vegetable market. She was very familiar with the place and often came here to buy vegetables with Aunt Ji.

They arrived just in time; Aunt Liu's chicken coop only had one hen left.

After buying an old hen, he went to the nearby Sishitang restaurant and spent fifty taels of silver to buy a thirty-year-old ginseng root.

Seeing the two men's distressed expressions, Zhao Shiqing felt embarrassed: "I didn't expect ginseng to be so expensive. Luckily you had two hundred taels of silver, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to afford it."

Two people
Next, the mule cart went to Yujing Winery. Last year, Yujing Winery's Yuhuchun was designated as tribute wine, and its sister wine, Yujing Wine, also rose in price, now so expensive that ordinary people can't afford it.

"How much is this jar?" Zhao Shiqing asked.

The shopkeeper glanced at her and held up one finger: "Ten taels for one jar."

It's actually just a small jar; Master Murong could drink a whole jar by himself.

Zhao Shiqing waved her hand and said, "Ten jars, please!"

The two men reluctantly took out silver notes, and Zhao Shiqing quickly said, "Oh dear, I didn't expect this wine to be so expensive. Luckily, you have two hundred taels of silver."

Next, they went to Wang Ji's to buy roast chicken. The two finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although Wang Ji's roast chicken was not cheap, it was much cheaper than ginseng and Yujing wine.

Feeling guilty about buying so many expensive gifts before, Zhao Shiqing then took the two of them to buy inexpensive items.

Finally, the ten-colored gifts were all prepared.

Looking at the overflowing mule cart and their empty money bags, the two suddenly felt that today's events seemed a bit of a rip-off.

Whose ten-colored wedding dresses are on a mule cart?

Who buys ten jars of Yujing wine at once?
Who gives gifts like that? They're treating them like suckers.
"Young master, the gifts are all prepared. Now can you tell us your uncle's name and where he lives?"

Zhao Shiqing: "Of course, I'll take you to see him right now."

The road outside became more and more familiar until they saw the candy shop. "Stop the car! Stop!" the two shouted.

The mule cart slowly came to a stop, and the taciturn driver got off first, pulling the two men off the cart one in each hand.

Zhao Shiqing grinned at them and said, "I'll accept your gifts on behalf of my uncle. You've repaid your kindness. Are you happy? I'm quite happy!"

She was quite happy; she had everything: her grandfather's favorite Wangji roast chicken, her master's beloved Yujing wine, and the ginseng chicken soup she had been craving.

Watching the mule cart gradually disappear into the distance, the two men stomped their feet in anger.

They were tricked by a mere boy and lost two hundred taels of silver for nothing.

The two hundred taels were the operating funds that Manager Li gave them, but they spent them all, leaving not a single copper coin.

The two men reluctantly went to see Manager Li. Manager Li frowned upon hearing this, knowing without a doubt that they had been discovered.

Moreover, the scholar they were looking for was definitely not an ordinary person.

It's unbelievable that a teenager from an ordinary family would have the cunning and audacity to not only swindle money but also treat them like fools.

In the past few days, Manager Li has begun to feel dissatisfied with Princess Huixin, especially after she brought Luo Liqiong back. Judging from Princess Huixin's attitude towards Luo Liqiong, Manager Li has a vague idea of ​​what she is going to do.

Manager Li regretted it; he shouldn't have brought that poor woman back.

But it was too late for regrets; he didn't even know where Princess Huixin had hidden the woman.

If they were outside, they might be able to find them, but if they were taken to Princess Jiarou's residence, where would they be able to look? Without Princess Huixin's permission, they couldn't even enter the main gate of the princess's residence.

Manager Li is currently waiting for Master Meng's reply, hoping that Master Meng will order them to stop working for these two princesses.

Normally, if the fat and thin men had suffered such a great loss, Manager Li would not have let it go. But now, he didn't want to investigate further.

Firstly, this was done on behalf of Princess Huixin; secondly, the other party was prepared and was not a kind person.

Manager Li is backed by the Meng family, and he doesn't want to provoke anyone he shouldn't for Princess Huixin's sake, thereby implicating the Meng family.

Therefore, he only gave a token reprimand, and then the matter was dropped.

Zhao Shiqing returned to Tianjing Hutong with a whole cart full of gifts. The driver, Lao Fan, helped her unload the items one by one. When he got to the last item, even the usually stern Lao Fan couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a smile.

Because it was a huge jar of stinky tofu!

"Uncle Fan, take this roast chicken and enjoy it with your drinks!"

Turning around, Old Fan met Zhao Shiqing's smiling face. The old man was truly blessed to have such a good granddaughter as the Second Miss. Even he benefited from it. If he had known this would happen, he would have married the young widow who always smiled at him when he was recuperating in that small fishing village. Unfortunately, all he could think about at that time was fighting and killing. When he returned to the small fishing village, the young widow had already married someone else and left.

If he had gotten married then, even if he didn't have a granddaughter, he would certainly have had a son and a daughter.

Old Fan sat on the roof, taking a bite of roast chicken and a sip of wine, reminiscing about his love that ended before it even began.

Zhao Shiqing and Zhen Wuduo sat together, the grandmother and grandson each holding a large chicken leg, their mouths greasy from eating.

“Granddaughter, I’ve had someone keep an eye on that shopkeeper surnamed Li these past few days. He’s returned from out of town, bringing back a pale and thin woman.”

Zhao Shiqing was taken aback: "A woman? And she's pale and thin?"

She suddenly thought of someone, waving the half-eaten chicken leg in her hand: "Lin Sen's first wife?"

Zhen Wu nodded: "We're thinking the same thing. I guessed it was her too. This Manager Li is quite capable; he actually managed to find Lin Sen's first wife."

Zhao Shiqing took a bite of the chicken leg and chewed it slowly in her mouth.

She wondered, since Manager Li works for Princess Huixin, why is Princess Huixin looking for Lin Sen's first wife?
Although Lin Sen is not a good person, at least on the surface, Princess Huixin is the one who benefits from the situation.

If that's the case, why is she still looking for that poor first wife?
To assert sovereignty and let the original wife know how capable Lin Sen, this scumbag, is, that he can even deceive a princess.
Zhao Shiqing shook her chicken leg. "No way. It might be possible if it were any other princess, but Princess Huixin is different. She can help Manager Li find his original wife. How could she not find out who Lin Sen is?"

What is there for Princess Huixin to be proud of about such a despicable man?

Zhao Shiqing asked, "Grandpa, you had someone keep an eye on Manager Li. You must have found out a lot of things along the way, such as what kind of family the Lin family is, and how Lin Sen's first wife, who I heard was his cousin, went from being a cousin to his first wife, and then to a concubine."

Grandpa, don't tell me you don't know. I know you must have found out. If you don't tell me, next time I get something good from outside, I won't think of you.

Honestly, she always thinks of this old man when she's trying to scam people. If he doesn't tell her the truth, she won't even give him a chicken bone next time.

She holds grudges; if she doesn't get revenge, she'll go crazy, and when she does, it's terrifying.

Just as she was about to slam the chicken bone in her hand onto the table, the old man relented: "That Lin family is no good; the whole family is filthy and corrupt."

The old man doesn't act unless he's absolutely sure of anything, but once he does, there's nothing he can't accomplish.

Manager Li never dreamed that from the moment he left the capital, his every move was under someone else's control, and he was completely unaware of it.

The things Manager Li had found out were now being told verbatim by the old man.

Hearing this, Zhao Shiqing thought of using chicken bones to kill that family of wolves from Zhongshan.

"How hateful, how utterly hateful! If it were me, I would set fire to that family and burn them all to death. If they can't let me have a good life, then nobody will have a good life either."

The old man nodded in satisfaction; this was indeed his eldest granddaughter.

The old man tore off a large chicken leg from another roast chicken and handed it to Zhao Shiqing.

“My dear granddaughter, they’re just a bunch of beasts. They’re not worthy of your anger. Here, have another chicken leg. If you’re still angry after this one, then we’ll have another one.”

Zhao Shiqing was amused by the old man's words. Although she was furious, she had no relation to that Luo man. If it weren't for Princess Huixin's designs on her, she wouldn't have bothered with such matters.

That's right, Xiao Zhen is hers. If you don't believe me, she can stamp it. Once it's stamped, it's hers.

She calmed down and thought for a moment: "Grandpa, what do you think Princess Huixin's intentions were in bringing Luo Shi here?"

The old man retorted, "What do you think?"

Zhao Shiqing thought for a moment: "She wants to take advantage of the Luo family?"

The old man nodded: "You've made progress, continue."

Encouraged by the old fox, the little fox perked up and took a big bite of the chicken leg. At that moment, the little demon appeared out of nowhere, jumped onto the table, and prepared to snatch the meat from her mouth.

Zhao Shiqing swallowed the meat in a few bites, which made Xiao Yao roll her eyes at her and turn away. She was angry and couldn't be coaxed.

Looking at the tip of the little demon's tail, Zhao Shiqing said quietly, "She has someone she cares about, so she can't help but compare Lin Sen with the person in her heart. Lin Sen is already trash, and after comparison, he's not even trash anymore, he's turned into pig manure."

She didn't want pig manure, but she dared not defy the imperial decree, so she sought out the Luo family. She intended to use the Luo family to expose Lin Sen's true colors.

Once Lin Sen becomes a recognized hypocrite, the woman in the palace will cancel the marriage, even if it's just for the sake of saving face, and then she will have achieved her goal.

But Luo was just an ordinary woman; what could she possibly do to bring down Lin Sen?

As she spoke, she also thought, these words, seemingly addressed to the old man, were actually spoken more to herself.

Before the old man could speak, she already had her answer.

"The Drum of Petition! She ordered Luo to beat the Drum of Petition!" (End of Chapter)