In the flower hall, He Qingxiao and Duan Shaoqing sat opposite each other, each holding a cup of tea.
Duan Shaoqing couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief as the servant said "cousin" arrived.
He didn't understand. Wouldn't He Qingxiao feel embarrassed if he drank tea without saying a word?
"Uncle, are you looking for me?" Xin You bowed slightly to He Qingxiao, "Master He."
"Qingqing, Master He has business with you."
He Qingxiao stood up: "Mr. Duan, would it be convenient for me to have a private chat with Miss Kou?"
He asked politely, but his tone did not allow for rejection.
Duan Shaoqing also stood up: "You guys talk."
He Qingxiao glanced at Xin You and said with a smile, "Miss Kou and I will just go and have a few words in the courtyard."
The courtyard is open, so you don't have to worry about anyone hiding in the dark when talking about something private.
The two went to the courtyard and stood on the porch.
Snowflakes were flying outside the corridor, and Xin You looked at He Qingxiao quietly.
He Qingxiao said directly: "You just summoned me today and ordered me to bring Mr. Songling into the palace."
"Just now?"
"Yes, just now."
Xin You's eyes moved.
It seems that after leaving the lotus garden, meeting her reminded that person of watching "Journey to the West".
"Miss Kou, do you know where Mr. Songling is?"
Ever since Emperor Xingyuan asked about Mr. Songling, Jinlinwei has been paying attention to the news about Mr. Songling intentionally or unintentionally. But the traces of Mr. Songling are still a mystery. If "Painted Skin" and "Journey to the West" had not come out, people would even doubt whether this person existed.
"The last time I saw Mr. Songling, he handed in all the follow-up manuscripts of "Journey to the West". From what he said, it seems that he will leave Beijing temporarily." Xin You said what he had thought about for a long time.
"Leaving Beijing?" He Qingxiao's expression was difficult to distinguish.
Xin You said calmly: "This is how Master He responded."
He Qingxiao's heart moved slightly and reminded him: "If I don't see Mr. Songling today, I will probably summon you to the palace."
Xin You raised her lips: "I know."
He Qingxiao's eyes darkened, and she became suspicious of Mr. Song Ling's identity.
After a moment of silence, he nodded: "Okay, I will report this to you today."
"Master He, go slowly." Xin You wanted to send He Qingxiao out, but he stopped him.
"It's still snowing, Miss Kou, there's no need to send her away."
He Qingxiao left in a hurry, and Duan Shaoqing approached Xin You to inquire about the news: "Qingqing, what did Master He ask you?"
Xin You looked cold: "Uncle, do you want to inquire about today's affairs?"
Duan Shaoqing's face darkened: "Don't talk nonsense, uncle cares about you."
Xin You raised her eyelids: "If uncle really wants to care about me, why not give me more money. After all, the family fortune my parents left behind is still 400,000 taels in the Shaoqing Mansion."
Duan Shaoqing shivered subconsciously.
Damn girl, she wants money again!
Seeing Xin You walking away with a cold face, Duan Shaoqing ignored his anger and breathed a sigh of relief.
Back at Wanqing Residence, Xin You sat in front of the dressing mirror.
The girl's eyebrows in the mirror are picturesque and seem to be wider than they were at the beginning of the year.
"Xiao Lian, help me comb my hair again."
Xiaolian picked up the comb and asked with a smile, "What kind of hair do you want to comb, girl?"
At the banquet today, Xin You wore a Suiyun bun.
"What kind of hair does Miss Kou usually like to wear?"
"We girls often wear double-ring buns." Xiao Lian said without thinking.
"Then give me a double-ring bun, too."
The girl's hair was thick and as smooth as satin. Xiao Lian flexibly moved her fingers to put her hair into a bun. She took two delicate beaded flowers and inserted them into her bun: "Okay."
Xin You stood up and smiled at her: "Thank you for your hard work."
Xiaolian was stunned.
"What's wrong?"
"My maid——" Xiao Lian subconsciously wanted to suppress the thought just now, but her trust in Xin You still made her say it, "It's just that... after a long time, my maid felt that the girl has nothing to do with my family.
Miss Qingqing doesn’t seem to be that similar anymore, but at that moment she felt very similar..."
"Really?" Xin You glanced at the mirror again.
"Girl, do you want to go out?"
Xiaolian was following him when he went to the flower hall just now, but he was standing far away, so he didn't know what He Qingxiao and Xinyou said.
Xinyou looked out the window: "Maybe."
In the study, Emperor Xingyuan walked around and around again and again until he heard the news from his chamberlain that Marquis Changle had arrived.
"Let him in!"
Soon there was movement at the door. Seeing clearly that He Qingxiao came alone, Emperor Xingyuan asked anxiously: "Where is Mr. Songling?"
"Wei Chen went to Qingsong Bookstore and asked, but they didn't know the whereabouts of Mr. Songling."
Emperor Xingyuan was quite dissatisfied with this result: "Then where did this sentence come from? Mr. Songling's manuscript couldn't just fly to Qingsong Bookstore out of thin air, right?"
He Qingxiao hesitated slightly and followed Xin You's words: "Every time Mr. Songling submits a manuscript, he only sees the owner of Qingsong Bookstore. Weichen went to ask Miss Kou, and she said that Mr. Songling covered his face when he saw her. I don’t know what he looks like…”
"Absurd! For a well-known book writer in the capital, no one knows his appearance and where he lives, not even the Jinlin Guards can find out!" Emperor Xingyuan was annoyed. His eyes glanced at the "Journey to the West" that he had almost scratched, and his anger rose. It's like being poured a basin of ice water to cool down.
Under the premise that Mr. Songling and Xinxin know each other, it is not difficult to understand that this person hides himself.
"When was the last time Miss Kou saw Mr. Song Ling? Did Mr. Song Ling say the time of the next meeting?" Emperor Xingyuan raised his hand, "That's it, you can bring Miss Kou into the palace now, and I will ask her personally. .”
"yes."
When He Qingxiao came to the door of Shaoqing's house again, Duan Shaoqing was not surprised, but also a little uneasy.
Is that girl going to get into trouble?
Xin You quickly got the news and came over.
"Please, Miss Kou, please come with me."
"Okay." Xin You walked to He Qingxiao.
Duan Shaoqing couldn't help but ask: "Where will Mr. He take Qingqing?"
He Qingxiao looked deeply at Duan Shaoqing and said with warning: "It's better that Mr. Duan doesn't know."
Duan Shaoqing felt a chill in his heart and smiled.
"By the way." He Qingxiao stopped, "Master Duan had better not talk about the matter of taking Miss Kou away today."
"Your Majesty knows." Duan Shaoqing's mouth trembled, thinking that he was not a fool. Is it a good thing to let people know that his niece was taken away by Jin Linwei for no reason?
The snow showed no intention of stopping, so Xin You got on the carriage, with He Qingxiao riding in front, and headed straight for the imperial city.
The red walls and gold tiles were covered with white snow falling. The young chamberlain had been waiting at the entrance of the palace for a long time. When he saw the two of them, he hurriedly greeted them and led the way to the study.
"Your Majesty, Miss Kou is here."
"The daughter of the common people has met His Majesty."
When going to the banquet, Xin You wore a bun with clouds, which was smart and elegant. Now she changed to a double-ringed bun, which made her look a little more childish.
Emperor Xingyuan's anxious mood was inexplicably stagnated when he saw this face that was so similar to his own, and a strange thought arose: giving pearl flowers seems more appropriate than giving gold hairpins——
After reacting, Emperor Xingyuan coughed: "Miss Kou, do you know where Mr. Songling is?"
Sun Yan, who was standing in the corner, looked at Emperor Xingyuan in shock.
Seeing the emperor's angry look earlier, he thought he would be harsh with Miss Kou, but he didn't expect to be so kind.
