Hualiand Jinbao looked at each other, wondering why they couldn't understand what the girl was saying.
Geng Xingshuang did not explain to them, and went to the main room to greet Geng Wen and Ruan. Sure enough, even though Geng Wen and Geng Yan interrogated them all night last night, they still could not get any useful information from Ma San.
Geng Xingshuang asked: "On weekdays, Ma San drives the car to take the second uncle to the office. The second uncle left the city for the camp four days ago. At that time, he had already sent the eldest brother to Lizai Academy and returned. Why didn't he take the second uncle out of the city? "
Geng Wen said: "He said it was because your second uncle sympathized with him that he went far away. Because he had to live outside the city these days, the coachman could only use farmers or villages outside the city. The conditions were not good, so he was not allowed to follow. .”
Although Licai Academy is built on a mountain, it is not far from Ningdu City. It only takes a day for a carriage to go back and forth. If the horse driving the carriage is young and strong and can walk fast, it can take most of a day to go back and forth.
Mrs. Ruan sneered, and Geng Wen glanced at her daughter helplessly. Since she came back last night, her wife has noticed that his nose is not his nose or his eyes, and everything about him is displeasing to her eyes.
Geng Xingshuang herself was not in a good mood, and had the experience of getting more serious the more she persuaded her yesterday. Now she neither wanted nor dared to speak, so she said she was going to Mingshang Pavilion and ran away with the two maids.
In Mingshang Pavilion, when they saw their master coming, Banjuan and Dan's mother were just about to report some updates on the shop in the past few days when they heard Geng Xingshuang say: "Is Cao Tian here? Ask him to come over and answer."
It had been some time since Cao Tian came to Ningdu from Mishan Village. Geng Xingshuang gave him the instructions. During this period, he was free to move around. Geng Xingshuang did not look for him, and he did not take the initiative to look for Geng Xingshuang.
"Cao Tian has not been in the city these days. He only entered the city yesterday before the city gate was closed."
While Ban Juan was talking, Cao Tian hurried over.
Because Mingshang Pavilion has hired more people now, including embroiderers, tailors, and two eloquent female clerks, they rented a nearby yard as an embroidery workshop and accommodation.
To this end, Geng Xingshuang invested dozens of taels of silver and paid a year's rent.
Cao Tian and Jiang Ping stayed in the backyard at night to watch the door.
So Cao Tian came quite quickly.
"Girl, I have been following the second master during this period of my childhood. Except for the second master going out of the city to Yu Nanwei's camp outside the city four days ago, the rest of the time I went to and from the Yamen as usual. I had lunch at the Yamen and sometimes went back to the Yamen for dinner. Sometimes I eat with my colleagues in restaurants or restaurants outside."
As soon as Cao Tian came up, he told him what he had learned about Geng Cheng's whereabouts over the past few days.
"So that means you didn't find out anything?"
Before Geng Xingshuang spoke, Jinbao was already anxious.
Cao Tian said: "I have discovered something, but I'm not sure yet, so I haven't had time to report it to the girl."
"What's the matter? Tell me." Geng Xingshuang spoke concisely.
"These days, Yao Gang, who is with the second master, went out on horseback twice, and each time it took him almost a day to come back. Because he was riding a horse, the younger one couldn't keep up and had no way to follow, so he didn't follow.
But it happened that the last time he came back from outside, he probably missed the city gate time the night before and the city gate was closed. He entered the city early the next morning. He secretly went to Anque Street that day. , saw Yao Gang rushing over in a hurry, and specifically asked the guard outside to call out the second master. "
As Cao Tian said this, he took a careful look at Geng Xingshuang and found that her expression did not change. He was slightly relieved. He had not reported this matter before, but he felt that it was of no use.
Geng Xingshuang knew that Anque Street was the street where most of the government offices were located, but it was not the same as the Ningdu Prefecture Government Office, but it was not far away.
"Although there were other adults' carriages waiting outside at that time, the younger one didn't dare to get too close, so he didn't hear clearly what Yao Gang said. He only saw that the second master ordered after listening to Yao Gang's words. He nodded and seemed to be in a good mood.
Then the second master went in, and Yao Gang went directly to the uncle's carriage. "
"When did that happen?" Geng Xingshuang suddenly asked.
"Four days ago." Cao Tian replied immediately without thinking.
"The person who drove the carriage that day was Ma San?"
Jin Bao could find out this question, but before he had time, Geng Xingshuang took advantage of it and asked.
Cao Tian said: "I heard that Yao Gang called him Ma San, girl. Although Yao Gang only said hello to the coachman and didn't say anything else, there was someone next to him who was very familiar with Yao Gang. Finally, I also found out about that person. The owner's surname is Liu, and he works as an errand at the Taichang Temple Yamen next door. His official position is lower than that of the second master. He is a seventh-grade Dianbo master.
When the servants of the Liu family saw Yao Gang, they casually asked him where he had been in the past two days and why they hadn't seen him. The younger one heard Yao Gang reply that he had gone to Screaming Mountain. "
As for where Jingsing Mountain is, Cao Tian doesn't need to tell him, Geng Xingshuang also knows that it is the location of Lizai Academy.
Seeing Geng Xingshuang's expression solemn and silent, Cao Tian hurriedly explained: "Girl, it's not that I'm hiding something or not. I found out that Licai Academy is in Jingming Mountain and that the eldest young master is studying at Licai Academy. This father wants to Son, send a servant to look at it, the younger one doesn’t take it seriously.”
The reason why I specifically mentioned this matter today is because Geng Xingshuang asked him to come over and report the results of these inquiries. As to who the second master the girl had asked him to inquire about was in contact with, why he wanted to sell three maids of the uncle's house, and what he wanted to learn from it. He doesn't have a clue about what he got, so that's all he can say now.
Geng Xingshuang didn't blame Cao Tian, it was her own fault. Cao Tian was smart and knew how to adapt, but he had lived in Zhuangzi since he was a child, and he only knew about those things in Zhuangzi. Let him inquire about these things, and there was no way to do it. It was really difficult for him to have someone lead him and he had to figure it all out on his own.
It was also because she really had no one to use. The main reason was that she had never thought that she needed to inquire about these things before. She just wanted to open a clothing and embroidery shop to relieve the pressure at home, earn some bride price for her eldest brother, and earn some money for herself. dowry.
It's just that now her good second uncle and his wife don't know what they are thinking. If she still has a dark look, she is really being sold and counting the money.
"You should find a way to go to Yu Yapo's house in Liu'er Hutong and see if she has any new business recently. It would be best if you can find out what deal she had with the uncle's house."
Geng Xingshuang thought for a moment and gave Cao Tian a suggestion. Now she had no one available, so Cao Tian had to use it first. When the situation gets better in the future, it would depend on his own wishes.
She doesn't know how the two female guards Yang Qingmo has found for her are going to be, so it's better not to hold out hope. Those two female guards should be able to fight, but they might not be as good as Cao Tian and Jin Bao in terms of gathering information.
After reading the preparations for the opening of Mingshang Pavilion again, and listening to Banjuan and Dan's mother's report, Geng Xingshuang went to Yannian Hall again.
This time I was lucky enough to meet Xu Lianyang.
"If you had come a quarter of an hour earlier, we would have missed it again."
When Geng Xingshuang arrived, Xu Lianyang seemed to have just come back and was drinking water. When she saw Geng Xingshuang, she immediately smiled and said, Even so, she did not put down the cup and continued to drink water one after another.
