But the person seemed oblivious, continuing to walk.

Shen Qiyin turned her head and saw only his anxious back.

He wore cloud-climbing boots and a brocade robe made of kesi (silk tapestry). Given his ability to freely enter and leave the Qiying Pavilion, he was likely not only an important official in the court but also held a noble title.

Sure enough, she faintly heard Feng Liu's voice: "My lord?! What brings you here?"

He gazed thoughtfully into the depths of his eyes.

So it's the Marquis, no wonder...

There were three marquises in the Great Zhou Dynasty: Marquis of Qingyang Yan Zhao, Marquis of Jianning Song Ru, and Marquis of Wu'an Wei Xi.

I wonder who bumped into her just now?

Pressing her aching shoulder, Shen Qiyin stopped thinking about it and got into the carriage that Xiong Lu had arranged for her, heading back to Guangrentang.

Honeysuckle seemed to have been waiting for her for a while.

Seeing her return, he quickly pulled her to a corner and whispered to her, "Miss, the person I sent has returned with a message saying that Aunt Zheng's carriage did indeed go to her parents' home, but her maid Cui'er got off the carriage halfway."

"Aunt Zheng didn't wait for her and left directly."

Chen Xiyin: "Where did Cui'er get off the carriage?"

"According to that little beggar, it's at Dongyue Tower, the best restaurant in the capital."

"Restaurant..."

After a moment's thought, Shen Qiyin had an idea and said, "Let's go."

Ren Dong looked bewildered: "Where to? The Zheng family?"

"Dongyue Tower!"

The restaurant wasn't far from Guangrentang; it was just on the next street. Shen Qiyin led Rendong through the alley to take a shortcut, which made their journey even faster.

When they arrived at the entrance of Dongyue Tower, Shen Qiyin was about to go in when a dirty child suddenly appeared out of nowhere and blocked their way.

It's a little boy.

He looked no more than seven or eight years old, with a sallow complexion and thin body, dressed in tattered clothes, like a little beggar.

Unexpectedly, when Ren Dong saw him, she exclaimed in surprise, "It's you!"

The little beggar looked at Ren Dong, then at Shen Qiyin, and finally fixed his gaze on the latter, saying, "That woman went in and hasn't come out yet."

Honeysuckle couldn't help but ask, "How did you know?"

He replied, "After I informed you, I asked the waiter when I came back, and he said she was still there. So I've been waiting here ever since, but I haven't seen her come out."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qiyin raised her eyebrows.

She asked him with great interest, "Why are you guarding her?"

“I think this might be useful to you.” His dark eyes held a composure and shrewdness beyond his years: “I bet you will come looking for her.”

"Oh? What if we don't come?"

"If they don't want to come, they don't want to come. I'm just begging for food anyway, so it doesn't matter where I beg."

Shen Qiyin chuckled softly, a fleeting look of admiration in her eyes.

That's quite a thorough plan.

The little beggar then said, "I know the waiter here, so you can ask me anything you want to know."

"for example?"

"For example, I know which private room she was in and who she met."

Shen Qiyin smiled and said, "Name your conditions." If he had no demands, he would have said so as soon as they met; there was no need to beat around the bush.

"I want ten taels of silver!"

Shen Xiyin lifted her foot and left.

Ten taels of silver! Why wouldn't he risk her life?

The little beggar probably didn't expect that his words would scare the person away. He stood there stunned for a moment before remembering to chase after him.

When he spoke again, the price plummeted: "One tael! How about one tael?"

Shen Xiyin remained unmoved.

The little beggar gritted his teeth and held up a number: "Five coins! That's the lowest I can offer."

Chen Xiyin: "Five coins".

"What?!"

"Fine, then forget it," she said, and turned to leave again.

The little beggar was getting impatient: "Wait a minute! It's not like there's no room for negotiation, why do you keep taking it away to scare people?"

He tugged at his tattered clothes and spoke softly, his voice sounding pitiful: "...I need that silver to take back to treat my mother's illness. Please, young lady, have mercy..."

"I will repay your great kindness today, Miss, by serving you like a slave in the future." As he spoke, he suddenly knelt down and kowtowed twice to her: "Please have pity on me, Miss."

Shen Qiyin replied, "If I pity you, who will pity me?"

In this world, how many people are not riddled with wounds? If you want to survive, you can only mend your own ways; hoping for help from others is destined to lead to disappointment.

She looked down at the little beggar and said to him with unusual seriousness, "You want to make a deal with me? Fine, but if you're expecting me to have a change of heart, I advise you to wake up soon."

"Last chance, five coins, want it?"

"want!"

Perhaps realizing that Shen Qiyin was not a kind-hearted young lady, the little beggar readily agreed this time, as if afraid she would change her mind.

Honeysuckle took out a few copper coins and gave them to him.

The little beggar took the money, counted it carefully, and only after confirming that there were five did he say, "The person you are looking for is in the second room on the left on the second floor. Before you came, a young master went in to find her."

Honeysuckle pressed, "Who is it?"

He didn't answer, but simply weighed the few copper coins in his hand, the meaning of which was self-evident.

If you want to know, you'll have to pay extra.

Ren Dong looked at Shen Qiyin, waiting for her to make a decision.

The latter replied, "I know who it is."

The little beggar's face immediately showed disappointment.

But then Shen Qiyin said, "I can still give you money, but you have to do something else for me."

Upon hearing this, his eyes lit up again.

After giving him detailed instructions, Shen Qiyin led Rendong into Dongyue Tower, went straight to the second floor, and headed towards the private room the little beggar had mentioned.

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