After noon, Mrs. Gu sat cross-legged on the couch with a long face, and the maid next to her fanned her.
"Where did Qingyue go?" the old lady said angrily, "I should send some fruits and cakes at this hour. Where is she? Where are my snacks?"
When Shen Que was in charge of the house, he had already decided what to do at what time and what to eat at what time. Whether it was eating, drinking, sleeping, or ceremonial interactions with the outside world, nothing went wrong.
The whole family enjoyed it with peace of mind, but no one realized the hard work she put in from morning to night.
Song Qingyue has only been in charge of the family for two days now, and everything is in chaos before her eyes.
Haitang opened the curtain and came in, winking at the little girl who was fanning her. The little girl hurriedly went out. Haitang said: "The second lady has been going out these two days. I think there must be some kind of social interaction with people and courtesy. I just went there." Go to the kitchen, I only have some peaches today, bring them to the old lady, you can try them, these peaches are very juicy."
Mrs. Gu sighed, took the peach from Haitang, and said, "That's right, she has only taken over for two days, so she has to get used to it."
He thought for a while and said: "But how can we live like this? When she comes back, you ask her to come, I told her. I think back then, my mother-in-law didn't give me a day to adapt, so wouldn't I do the same thing? It’s going to be fine.”
Haitang said, "Who is the old lady? She is a serious official lady who comes from a wealthy family. Her experience is naturally different. I am afraid she has eaten more pork than others have seen running around."
A few words made Mrs. Gu smile, and Haitang quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Feeling relieved, she looked up at the dazzling sunshine outside and asked, "So Shen Que went out again today?"
Haitang said yes, "I went out early in the morning."
"Did the people who followed her find anything?"
Just as Haitang was about to speak, someone reported at the door that the people sent out had returned and had something to report to the old lady.
Mrs. Gu hurriedly asked someone to come in. The boy looked smart. When he entered, he knelt down, kowtowed, said a few auspicious words, and then replied:
"The eldest lady has been out for the past few days. The day before yesterday, the younger one followed me and saw the two of them going to Zuixian Tower. The other party is a man."
Gu's body trembled, and the peaches in her hands were no longer fragrant. She asked, "Can you see clearly, what does he look like, and which family does he belong to?"
The boy said: "I don't recognize the villain. They are all noble people. We have never seen him before. But that man is very tall, big and dark."
Gu's flat mouth said, "What do you mean by words? What do you mean by being very tall, big, and very dark."
Haitang glanced at Mrs. Gu and scolded the boy: "You idiot, what nonsense are you talking about? Tell me carefully, what kind of facial features and what kind of clothes are you wearing?"
The boy scratched his head and said, "The distance was too far, so I couldn't see his nose and eyes clearly. But he looks pretty good, and his clothes make him look like he belongs to a wealthy family."
Mrs. Gu took a breath of cold air and asked in a deep voice: "Then, do you think who is better than that man or our eldest husband?"
"Then it's naturally our eldest husband. Our eldest husband looks like a gentleman at first glance. That man..." The boy was thinking about how to make it up, "He's black, like briquettes."
Gu: ...Ah, are there such dark people?
In fact, there was. That day, Shen Que deliberately painted his face with a layer of black powder for fear of being seen. Plus, it was getting late, so it just looked dark.
Haitang asked again: "Then, who is that person? Does he have any special objects or marks on his body?"
The young man said with a bitter face: "My sister, how can you tell the status of a noble person? As for special objects..."
He thought for a while: "Carrying a food box in my hand doesn't count."
Haitang was so angry that she poked him with her finger: "You haven't seen that food box before, what kind of special object is that?"
But Mrs. Gu said that was wrong, "Isn't it strange that the man brought the food box to Shen Que? Shouldn't it be the woman who brings food to the man? It seems that among these two people, it was the other who took the initiative."
It makes some sense.
Mrs. Gu told the young man: "This time I will give you some credit. Remember it first, and I will reward you when you find out more about it. Continue to follow, quietly, and I will definitely find out who the other party is next time."
The boy originally thought he would get a silver reward this time, but he was overjoyed but didn't dare to show it too obviously, so he quit after accepting the offer.
Mrs. Gu changed her position, picked up the peach again and began to think about it: "He just said that the man was tall, big and dark. Do you think there is anyone like this who has been in our house?"
Haitang shook his head, "I'm afraid not. I probably met him outside."
Mrs. Gu nodded, her appearance wasn't too bad, but she didn't believe she couldn't follow her.
It was also a follow-up, but the Empress was not so lucky. The person she sent looked too familiar, and was caught by Wuyue before she even showed up. She didn't even see clearly whether he was a man or a woman, so he had to go back in despair. , The queen was so angry that her head hurt. After discussing it with Aunt Huang, the two of them confirmed once again that Li Luansong had someone in mind.
But why is it so sneaky, hidden, and so shameless?
That night, the Queen suffered from insomnia again.
*
Shen Que had been busy with the imperial examination for a long time. It was not until he received a secret letter from Li Luansong that he would meet again that he took his head out of the piles of files.
Suddenly, it seems that autumn has already begun.
This time the two of them changed places. It was a teahouse recommended by Shen Que, called Pinmingju.
Li Luansong asked: "Why did you choose this place?"
Shen Que said with a smile: "I have been too busy these days and I really didn't have time to make snacks for His Highness. I feel embarrassed. The tea here is good and the refreshments are more famous. Your Highness should try it."
Li Luansong said with shame: "Look, you are so busy, and you still think about bringing me food. This makes me very embarrassed."
"Your Highness, you don't have to be polite. Didn't you say in your letter that you want to be at a place near Zhuque Street and Xuanwu Street? You see, this is an excellent location."
Li Luansong nodded, "Indeed, let's watch a good show here today."
Shen Que took a rare day off to relax his mind and body, making tea while admiring the beautiful sunset.
In the autumn season, although there is still some heat during the day, it cools down in the evening. The breeze blows, and occasionally fallen leaves rustle down. When stepped on, they make a "knock, click, click" sound, and the yellow leaves break into pieces. One place, paved on the street.
The two sat opposite each other, and time seemed to stand still. This tranquility was treasured by each other.
Suddenly, someone seemed to come in from the next room, making friends and making friends.
Li Luansong called Wu Yue, gave some instructions, and then Wu Yue went out.
The teahouse is no different than a restaurant. There is only a thin wooden board between each room. If you listen carefully, you can hear each other clearly.
"Drink tea and watch a show." Li Luansong poured her a cup of tea and said in a low voice, "The one next door is selling topics."
Shen Que was shocked and stared in disbelief.
Li Luansong handed the tea cup to her: "They have been very rampant recently, and they don't shy away from it at all. They sell questions at the cash register in broad daylight. I asked Wuyue to find a scholar to buy it. Let's go back and see if it was you. question."
Shen Que nodded silently, holding the tea cup with his slender fingers. A piece of delicate green leaf was brewed by boiling water, and slowly stretched in the cup, like a small boat floating on the water, and the tea soup gradually turned green.
"Is everyone here?"
The people next door shouted proudly, "Queue up, come one by one, and have your money ready."
"Is your question true?"
"Of course it's true. It's absolutely true. This is the question given by Mr. Zhang, the minister in charge of the imperial examination."
The conversation next door reached his ears, and Shen Que's hands clenched into fists.
Li Luansong glanced at her and said with a smile: "Don't be nervous, it shouldn't be Zhang Chengru."
Shen Que smiled sheepishly and relaxed his posture.
"How could this imperial examination question be spread to outsiders? Even if Mr. Zhang is trying to make money, he doesn't even want his own official career?"
"You don't understand this. What is officialdom? There are many ways here."
The person who sold the question simply opened up and said: "To tell you the truth, the number of places today is limited. If you have any questions, please leave and leave slowly. But we guarantee that this question is true. As for why Mr. Zhang dares, I am not afraid to tell you." You guys, there is a big shot behind Mr. Zhang. Big shot, do you understand? Think about it for yourselves."
Shen Que was stunned, pointed at himself, and asked Li Luansong: "Is he talking about me?"
Li Luansong held back his laughter and nodded.
Shen Que: ...I'm so curious, I really want to see if it's true.
The questioning voice next door gradually faded, followed by the sound of footsteps and the voice of the person selling the question: "Okay, one hundred taels of silver, please take it."
Shen Que covered his mouth: "So expensive?"
Li Luansong curled his lips.
However, the man next door seemed to be stunned for a moment. He didn’t know what he had encountered, so he asked:
"Why are you here?"
Then I heard a very old voice: "Buy the question."
"Buying a question?" The man seemed to be questioning, "How expensive are you this year?"
"Eighty-three."
"Are you also taking the imperial examination?"
"What's wrong, looking down on the elderly?"
"You said you're already so old, so there's no need for that."
"It's not necessary. We scholars regard the imperial examination as the right path. It's more upright than those who buy official positions."
Question seller: ...Are you sure you are aboveboard?
As a result, the old man gave the money and took the test questions away.
Shen Que listened with great interest, raised his head and wanted to say: "Is there really someone who still takes part in the subject at such an old age?"
Li Luansong smiled and said: "It's probably a pig brain."
Just as he was talking, the back door of the room was pushed open, and Wuyue led an old man in shakily:
"Master, the matter is done, he is the one who went there." Wu Yue seemed very proud.
The old man's eyes were not very good, so he narrowed his eyes, saluted, and presented the test questions. Shen Que saw Li Luansong's face turning green.
Let the old man go out first, Li Luansong patted Wu Yue's forehead and said, "Where did you find such a person?"
"Didn't His Highness say that he is urgently looking for someone older? Isn't this... not old enough?"
Li Luansong: ...I can’t teach you.
He gouged out Wuyue's eyes and said, "Send the person away quickly, don't touch her."
Wuyue glanced at Shen Que and walked away aggrievedly.
Shen Que looked at the test questions carefully and exclaimed: "It's true."
The two looked at each other and then fell silent.
Li Luansong helped Shen Que recall all the details. The problem lay in the article she had lost.
"They must have stolen your question and rewritten it in imitation of your handwriting in an attempt to frame it." Li Luansong was sure.
"But where did they steal the questions from?" Shen Que found it unbelievable. "These things are locked in the secret pavilion and cannot be accessed by ordinary people."
"You also said that ordinary people can't get it, so are the second and fifth children ordinary people?" Li Luansong said: "Isn't it just a matter of going to the secret cabinet in the study? I can even steal your articles, so what's the difficulty? "
Shen Queran said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. We already thought of countermeasures last time and I know what to do."
Li Luansong said: "I'm not worried, I just have to find conclusive evidence. Before that, you may feel a little wronged."
He looked at him with unbearable eyes.
Shen Que said it didn't matter, "I can bear this grievance."
When the two of them walked out of the Tea House, it was already dark.
Under the moonlight, a small white flower fell on Shen Que's shoulder with the wind. Li Luansong naturally reached out to brush it away for her.
"You go first, I'll watch you go." Li Luansong stood there with smiles in his eyes.
Shen Que did not refuse, saluted him and got into the carriage.
Watching the carriage disappear into the night, Li Luansong had only one thing in his heart. He would definitely help her find the person behind the scenes and never let her suffer for too long.
Under the cover of night, the two groups of people following them were sneaky and seemed to be much more alert and hidden.
