Chapter 580 Song Xue Zhai

Although the people in the audience couldn't see clearly what Yan Jing wrote, her posture had already intimidated many people.

"Hey, whose little girl is this? I seem to have never seen her before. She must be from another place..."

"Tsk tsk, look at this little girl, her face is so tender that you can tell it hasn't been blown by sand... Of course she's not from our place."

"She feels like a lady from a wealthy family!"

Yan Jing finished writing quickly. She put down her pen and blew on the ink. Then she bowed slightly to Wu Zhiyuan and jumped off the bench.

Wu Zhiyuan carefully picked up the poem written by Yan Jing and read it out:

"The breeze blows gently, the moon fills the corridor, and the scent of ink lingers in the Songxue Studio.

The wind blows through the bamboo forest and the elegant rhythm is heard; the snow falls and the courtyard is filled with clear light. "

Someone uttered an exclamation.

Wu Zhiyuan read it twice, and at first he exclaimed "tsk tsk", marveling at the girl's attainments, but also feeling a little regretful.

This poem mostly piles up images. Although it mentions "clear breeze", its main theme is unclear, and it does not praise the integrity and nobleness of Tutor Xu.

However, it is extremely impressive for a seven or eight-year-old child to be able to write to this level.

Wu Zhiyuan couldn't help but look down at Yan Jing and asked her who her teacher was, as this level didn't seem like something that could be taught in a charity school or private school.

Yan Jing gave him a strange look and said, "Of course he learned from a master. You wouldn't know him even if I told you."

Wu Zhiyuan did not take it as an offense and turned back to continue reading her poem.

Somehow, he always felt that something was familiar.

Wu Zhiyuan's gaze finally fixed on the three words "Songxuezhai" and he muttered them aloud.

"How is Songxuezhai? Have you been there?" Yan Jing asked with his head tilted.

Wu Zhiyuan hissed softly and asked in some doubt: "What do you mean by that? Have you been there?"

"If I hadn't been there, how could I have written it—" Yan Jing was interrupted by Zhu Lan's voice before he could finish his words.

Zhu Lan walked onto the stage and said to Wu Zhiyuan with some apology:

"Master Xu, this girl is ignorant and likes to show off. She is causing trouble for you all.

Jing'er, stop messing around and come back with me."

Yan Jing pursed her lips and followed Zhu Lan off the stage reluctantly.

Wu Zhiyuan looked down at the poem in his hand, then looked at the backs of Zhu Lan and the other man, feeling a little surprised.

He quickly came to his senses, called someone over to give him a few words of advice, and the man nodded and left quickly.

Zhu Lan took Yan Jing with him and hurriedly left the gathering.

As soon as they walked out of the crowd, someone blocked their way. Zhu Lan's eyes immediately showed vigilance and she took a step back.

The four maids were about to step forward with sullen faces, but they immediately noticed that Zhu Lan's left index finger, which was behind his back, shook, telling them to step back.

"Young ladies, please stay." The man bowed and said in a very respectful manner, "My master would like to ask you two young ladies to stay for a moment. When the gathering is over, please come to my house to chat."

"Your young master?" Zhu Lan narrowed his eyes and asked the question even though he knew the answer.

The visitor smiled and said, "It is Wu Zhiyuan who was on the stage just now, Master Wu."

After saying that, he added, as if afraid that Zhu Lan didn't know, "He is also the nephew of the current Grand Tutor, Master Xu."

"Oh——" Zhu Lan pretended to realize something, then lowered his head to ask Yan Jing for his opinion.

Yan Jing frowned and thought seriously for a long time before nodding.

The man breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Zhu Lan and the other two did not refuse.

Zhu Lan said: "We have been standing for a whole morning and we are a little tired. We are preparing to go back to the inn to rest. But I don't know how long this gathering will take to end. If it takes a long time--"

"You two girls are tired, why don't you go to Wu's house and sit for a while. My master will come as soon as the gathering is over."

Zhu Lan hesitated for a while and agreed reluctantly.

…

Zhu Lan and Yan Jing were led by the servants of the Wu Mansion to the gate of the Xu Mansion. The four maids hid their whereabouts and did not show up.

Zhu Lan stood outside the door and looked around. The Xu family's facade was extremely plain, no different from that of ordinary people, and there were very few servants.

Tutor Xu was indeed very cautious. Not only did he do everything perfectly in the capital, he also did everything perfectly in his hometown in Qingzhou.

If he had not been exposed by the Yulin Brewed Snow Pear last time, he would not have changed his original plan and temporarily decided to take a detour to Qingzhou.

In short, there must be something fishy going on with the Xu family. Since no evidence has been found in the capital, the problem must be in Qingzhou.

"Mr. Xu usually lives here?" Zhu Lan looked around and asked casually.

The servant nodded and offered to let Zhu Lan and Yan Jing walk around and take a look if they felt bored.

"Walking around... isn't that a bit abrupt?" Zhu Lan joked, but his eyes were observing the other person's expression.

But the man said it was okay, as villagers often came to visit and the Xu family didn't have anything valuable, so there was no need to hide it.

"It's rare, rare."

Zhu Lan praised him a few words and naturally would not miss this opportunity, so he took Yan Jing to stroll around Xu's mansion.

The Xu Mansion was not big, just an ordinary two-courtyard house with a small pond at the back.

There are several pieces of porcelain in Wu Zhiyuan's study. They are old and look like antiques, but when you touch them, you will know they are fakes. They are so fake that they cannot be more fake.

After observing for a while, Zhu Lan really didn't find any valuable items.

She recalled the exchange of glances between Mr. Liu and Wu Zhiyuan at the gathering today, and asked again "inadvertently":

"By the way, today we heard from the gathering that Mr. Liu's donation amount is exactly double that of last year.

I wonder how much Mr. Liu donated?"

She wanted to test the other party's attitude when hearing this question, but the other party blurted out:

"Four thousand taels last year, a full eight thousand taels this year!"

Zhu Lan was a little surprised and asked him how he knew it so clearly.

The other party said that this was not a secret and the county made it public every year.

"I heard that the charity schools in this area are managed by the Xu family on behalf of the government. Then the donated silver should be sent directly to Mr. Xu?"

The other party was stunned, obviously stumped by the question.

Zhu Lan immediately changed the subject: "You are a local of Maoxian, right? Are there any interesting places to visit or special foods in Maoxian?"

Speaking of these topics, the man suddenly became excited and started to introduce the customs and culture of Mao County to Zhu Lan and the others.

Zhu Lan pretended to listen carefully, but his mind was already elsewhere.

Grand Tutor Xu Ming is an old fox, and this Mr. Xu doesn't look like a stupid man either.

The servants of the Xu Mansion should not be able to access the real secrets of the Xu family. If you want to catch the Xu family's handle, you must have a face-to-face confrontation with Wu Zhiyuan.

Of course, there is also the wealthy businessman Mr. Liu.

The Xu Mansion was not big, so Zhu Lan and Yan Jing just walked around and then went back to the entrance.

At this time, Wu Zhiyuan happened to come in. He glanced at the four "guards" behind Zhu Lan, then bowed to the two of them and said with a smile:

"You two girls have been waiting for a long time. Come on, let's go in and talk!"

Wu Zhiyuan personally welcomed Zhu Lan and Yan Jing into the main hall and had someone seat them and serve them tea.

He pretended to talk about some irrelevant topics, then changed the subject and looked at Yan Jing and said:

"Oh, by the way, in the poem written by this little girl just now, there are three words 'Songxuezhai'. Could it be the Songxuezhai in the capital?"

Yan Jing blinked, "You've been there before, too, why are you asking me?"

Zhu Lan frowned and glanced at her as if to warn her, but Yan Jing seemed oblivious.

Seeing this, Wu Zhiyuan decided to start with Yan Jing and asked further:

“The Songxuezhai is a famous building in the capital, and it is also the private residence of Mr. Li Zhengqing, the Minister of Rites. It is said that outsiders are never allowed to enter.

Mr. Li was an outstanding writer, and when he was young he was known as the "Master of Songxue Zhai".

Judging from the poems written by the young lady, she seems to be quite familiar with Songxuezhai, but I don’t know what her relationship with Lord Li is…”

By the end of the question, Wu Zhiyuan's tone had turned into a cautious test.

"He is my—"

"Cough cough!!!" Zhu Lan coughed violently and glared back at Yan Jing's last word.

But it was too late. Wu Zhiyuan only felt his scalp explode and his whole body was in a mess.

He saw clearly the shape of Yan Jing's lips just now.

The last word that was not spoken was clearly...

But isn’t Minister Li still unmarried? How could he have such a grown-up daughter?

Could it be, could it be...! ???

Thunderclaps exploded one after another in Wu Zhiyuan's mind, and he turned his head stiffly to look at Zhu Lan.

A young girl and a little girl, both came from the capital, and were able to enter and leave Songxuezhai, which means they had lived in Minister Li's mansion!

Could it be that Minister Li felt that he could no longer hide them, so he sent them out of the capital? ?

As for why the two of them appeared in Mao County, could it be because of his relationship with Minister Li...

This is the entrustment of the Minister, we are all family!

Wu Zhiyuan was shocked and some words were about to come out of his mouth.

But in a moment, he held back.

No, the inferences I just made were mostly based on my own imagination.

Wu Zhiyuan swallowed nervously.

Look again, and look again.

Once your identity is confirmed, it’s not too late to be honest with each other.