The booklet contained these lines:
On January 25th, I bought two pigs, thirty chickens, twenty catties of cabbage, and five catties of yellow croaker. The chickens are very fresh today.
On the third day of the second lunar month, I bought a pig, fifty catties of cabbage, ten catties of yellow croaker, and ten liang of peanuts. Three chickens died. I won't buy any more next time, but the pig is very fat.
...
She quickly flipped through a few pages and saw that every page was filled with detailed records of food by Zhao Qingshu. The pages were covered with dates and various other things, but without exception, they were all about food.
The more Song Xizhi looked, the more his brows furrowed.
Zhao Qingshu went to great lengths to create a hidden compartment and heavily guarded the outside, all just to hide a cookbook?
Things are definitely not that simple.
Song Xizhi was worried about He Jingyan's situation, and for a moment he didn't have time to think too much. He hurriedly flipped through the booklet in his hand and roughly recorded the contents of the first thirty pages.
After Song Xizhi had roughly noted down some of it, he hurriedly put the booklet back in its original place, just as it had been arranged earlier.
He then placed the strand of hair from his palm back into the same spot to secure it before closing the hidden compartment door.
Once Song Xizhi confirmed that everything was exactly the same as when he came in, he hurriedly slipped out and locked the door again.
After she stealthily took a few steps forward, she saw that He Jingyan was still beating people there, and now he was pinning that fat, big-eared playboy against the railing and beating him.
All the guards were there trying to stop him, but he was as strong as an ox and they couldn't stop him no matter what they did.
Song Xizhi finally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he hadn't spent too much time getting inside.
She rubbed her face vigorously, looking like a frightened bird again. With her hair disheveled, she rushed forward, knelt in front of He Jingyan, and grabbed the hem of his clothes.
Song Xizhi cried with tears streaming down her face, and even when she strained her voice, it was still delicate and sweet, completely unlike her usual tone.
"My lord, my lord, please stop hitting him... If you keep hitting him, someone will die..."
"If someone dies, then it will be my fault, sob sob sob..."
Upon hearing the woman's words, the man stopped punching. At this moment, the playboy was too beaten to speak and could no longer be arrogant.
Fights happen frequently here, but there's no need to hold anyone accountable.
Seeing that he had stopped, the guards were relieved and hurriedly instructed Song Xizhi to take the man, who was in a rage, back to his room to rest.
Song Xizhi nodded obediently, then tugged at the man's sleeve again: "My lord, please come with me."
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the two left openly and honestly, returning the way they came to the room where they had just stayed.
Once the people outside had disappeared, He Jingyan and Song Xizhi changed back into their original night clothes and went out the same way they had come.
After following the tunnel out of the artificial hill and leaving the Zhao residence, the two looked at the still-burning fire and finally smiled at each other.
Tonight went smoothly for Song Xizhi; they all got what they wanted.
But for Zhao Qingshu, it was a sleepless night.
The fire at Zhao's residence was not extinguished until late at night, and all of his most treasured paintings were destroyed.
When he finally had some free time, he sent people to thoroughly investigate the servants in charge of food, but they found nothing amiss.
After much back and forth through the night, when the Tibetan prince heard the final result, he sneered and stormed off in a huff.
Zhao Qingshu felt a throbbing pain in her head.
The following day, he received a secret letter from Zhao Qianlan, saying that she wanted to find an opportunity for the two of them to meet at their usual place.
Zhao Qingshu had an endless rage in his heart that he hadn't vented, so he readily agreed when he heard this.
Zhao Qianlan arrived at the Zhao residence opposite Xiangmanlou. This was actually a house that Zhao Qingshu had secretly bought. Zeng Yaxian and the others in the clan had no idea that this place existed.
The two couldn't wait to roll around together as soon as they met, but Zhao Qianlan sensed something was off about Zhao Qingshu's actions.
Zhao Qianlan was preoccupied with her own plans, so she gently comforted him with a few words, and Zhao Qingshu then told her about his recent worries.
"Originally, the matter of Song Xizhi offending the Tibetan prince had caused quite a stir in the city, so I wanted to take this opportunity to win over the Tibetan prince..."
When he mentioned his plan, his eyes darkened for a moment: "But who knew that the food we ate yesterday was suddenly poisoned, and even using silver needles couldn't detect it."
"Moreover, after the poisoning, someone set fire to the place. I have no way of finding out who made such a meticulous plan. The Tibetan prince was furious, and my plan could not be carried out."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qianlan gasped softly and leaned against Zhao Qingshu with concern: "Poisoning? Arson?"
"Cousin, are you alright? I was so worried about you!"
Hearing her words of concern, Zhao Qingshu felt a warmth in his heart and pulled her close, leaning against the bed: "I'm fine, it's just that Your Highness..."
"Under my management, he was once at the height of his power. His Majesty trusted him, favored Consort Liang, and with the support of the court officials, he was able to rival Prince Su, who held military power."
"And now, he has lost face in front of His Majesty, while Prince Xiu has taken the lead... It's all because of that scoundrel Song Xizhi!"
"How unlucky! Nothing good ever comes out of her sight! She should have died long ago!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qianlan remembered the purpose of her visit. She rolled her eyes, leaned against Zhao Qingshu, and patiently comforted him, "Cousin, don't be angry. It's just in time for the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet."
"As long as His Highness Prince Yu can present something that pleases the Empress Dowager at her birthday banquet and make her happy, then everything else is irrelevant."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingshu pondered for a moment, then looked down at her again: "You have an idea?"
Zhao Qianlan nodded, her voice soft and gentle as she spoke in a high-pitched voice: "I do have an idea."
"My son-in-law has already inquired about the Empress Dowager's preferences and will definitely present her with a birthday gift that she will love, stunning everyone present."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
