In a small courtyard somewhere on the outskirts of Beijing.
Lu Xinghe listened to what Aji reported, worry flashed on his face.
"Was she hurt?"
Aji replied respectfully, "Madam was not harmed. After leaving the palace with Doctor Zhang, she temporarily stayed in an inn."
Lu Xinghe hummed and put down the book in his hand.
For more than two years, he studied in the capital and secretly cultivated his own power.
Nowadays, the capital is not only filled with spies collecting information, but has also slowly penetrated into some forces, such as major royal palaces and the imperial palace.
But no one knew that the person behind them was Lu Xinghe.
And as long as there is some disturbance in the capital, news will quickly gather around him.
Although the power is not mature yet, it is beginning to take shape.
Aji raised his eyes and looked in the direction of Lu Xinghe.
"Since Madam has come to the capital, I'm afraid she will come to see the master. Will the master see you then or not?"
Lu Xinghe's eyes flashed with hesitation, and he wanted to say goodbye, but as soon as the words came out, the desire in his heart defeated his reason.
"Ask someone to send a message to the inn where she is staying. Shen Shimo will meet her in Xijiang Yue, on the outskirts of Beijing."
Xijiangyue is a large restaurant in the suburbs of Beijing. Although the location is not as good as the restaurants in the city, the business is not bad.
The scenery inside Xijiang Yue is excellent, with flowers, plants, insects, fish, rockeries, flowing water, and food houses scattered among these scenery. It is extremely elegant and well hidden.
At the end of Shen Shi, it happened to be dinner time. There must be more than just them in the dining room, and they were all new faces. Meeting there would not attract much attention.
Haven’t seen each other for more than two years.
I wonder if the little girl has grown taller?
Thinking of Chu Yue, a hint of softness flashed in Lu Xinghe's originally cold eyes.
After receiving Lu Xinghe's instructions, Aji hugged his fists and went to make arrangements.
…
After eating the noodles, Chu Yue and Zhang Zheng went back to the inn.
As soon as the group arrived at the door, they saw a little boy in extremely ordinary clothes standing guard at the door and thrust a note into Chu Yue's hand.
After stuffing it, he ran away, very quickly.
It was so fast that Chu Yue almost didn't react.
She and Zhang Zheng looked at each other, but neither of them said anything. They grabbed the note and returned to the inn room.
After closing the door, Chu Yue unfolded the note.
"At the end of the Shen Dynasty, I took Dr. Zhang to Xijiang Yueyi, a suburb of Beijing."
It's my husband's handwriting!
Looking at the familiar font, Chu Yue's eyes suddenly turned red, feeling grievance and longing hidden in her heart.
They haven’t seen each other in more than two years and haven’t contacted him in nearly two years. As soon as he arrived in the capital this time, he actually asked someone to deliver a letter to him in advance.
I don’t know what happened to him now? Did you pass the provincial examination? And why should the meeting be arranged in the suburbs of Beijing?
There are all kinds of doubts in my heart, and I can only ask clearly when I go to Xijiangyue to meet people later.
Taking a deep breath, Chu Yue looked at Ningdong.
"Ningdong, go and tell the master, let's rest for an hour and then head to Xijiangyue on the outskirts of Beijing."
"yes."
Ning Dongfu went out.
Chu Yue sat down at the table and stared at the note in her hand. She recalled Lu Xinghe's appearance and voice in her mind. When she thought about meeting someone later, her heartbeat was a little fast and she was a little nervous.
I wonder if my husband has changed now?
Is getting along with him as easy as before?
As she looked and thought, the corners of her lips suddenly rose, and there was a hint of expectation in her heart.
Seeing that it was Shenshi, Chu Yue knocked on Zhang Zheng's door.
"Master, are you awake?"
In a short moment, the door was opened from the inside.
When he saw the excitement on the little girl's face, Zhang Zheng suddenly felt uncomfortable.
"Hmph! I didn't see you so happy when I saw you as my teacher."
"It's wrong, Master." Chu Yue hugged Zhang Zheng's arm and said, "I was very happy when I saw Master. It was just that I was in the imperial study room at the time, so it was too obvious that I couldn't show it."
Well, the master is jealous, so she can only coax him.
"real?"
"Realer than real gold."
Seeing Chu Yue's extremely affirmative answer, Zhang Zheng felt no trace of unhappiness in his heart, but he still turned his face to one side proudly.
"Hmph! You girl still has some conscience."
Chu Yue turned around and looked in the direction of her room door.
"Ningdong, have you got everything you need to bring?"
The next moment, Ningdong ran out of the house holding a gift box and turned around to close the door.
"Miss, I've already brought it."
The gift box contained the four treasures of the study given by Gu Jinghe when he was in the imperial study in the morning.
The pens, inks, paper and inkstones collected in the inner treasury are all of the best quality. She doesn't use them much anyway, so it's just a suitable gift to her husband.
When Chu Yue saw Ningdong leaving the house, she pulled Zhang Zheng and walked out.
"Master, let's go quickly."
Zhang Zheng looked at the little girl's eager look and raised his eyebrows slightly.
"It's only the beginning of the Shen Dynasty. Let's take a carriage to Xijiangyue on the outskirts of Beijing in two quarters of an hour at most. It's too early to go now."
"It's not early, what if my husband arrives early? We can see him earlier." Chu Yue said while pulling Zhang Zheng out.
Zhang Zheng's face was full of reluctance.
"You said you were going to meet when we met, why would you involve me? When the time comes, you two will be inseparable, and it will be awkward for me to be between you."
Chu Yue smiled sheepishly.
"When the time comes, can't Master just turn a blind eye?"
Zhang Zheng snorted, "Unless I am blind and deaf, there is no use turning a blind eye."
"Master's words are getting more and more outrageous." Chu Yue said and rolled her eyes at Zhang Zheng.
While the two were talking, they had already left the inn, and Kuroki had already parked the carriage at the door of the inn.
Because it was still early before the appointment, the carriage did not move very fast. It made a large circle around the capital. As it walked, Chu Yue looked at the shops and personnel distribution on both sides of the road, thinking about the location of the shop in the future.
Zhang Zheng sat on the carriage and closed his eyes to meditate. He didn't open his eyes until the carriage left the city and headed towards the suburbs.
"But it's almost there?"
Chu Yue nodded nervously.
"We have already left the city. Kuromu still has about a quarter of an hour to reach Xijiangyue."
Zhang Zheng nodded and closed his eyes again.
When the carriage arrived at the gate of Xijiangyue, it was already halfway through.
Chu Yue helped Zhang Zheng get out of the carriage, and as soon as she came to the door, she saw a familiar figure.
It was the twelve or thirteen-year-old boy who handed her the note at noon. The boy bowed to the two of them.
"Miss, old gentleman, please come with me."
Chu Yue nodded, and together with Zhang Zheng followed the little boy into Xijiangyue, bypassed the two-story restaurant in front, and stopped in front of an exquisite wooden house behind a small bamboo forest.
There is also a plaque hanging on the door beam of the wooden house with the word "Ya She" written on it.
The boy stopped at the door and made an inviting gesture towards the house.
"You two, please come inside."
