Mrs. Hu smiled and said, "The one who came to our house is Hong Wei, the second master of the Xijin Marquis's mansion. He is also the heir of the Xijin Marquis." She frowned again and smiled bitterly, "My master's relationship with the main branch was not very close before. When he was in the capital, those noblemen never came to our house. But after coming here, being so far away, I don't know why they became friendly with us. Two years ago, Hu Xin came to live with us for a while and harmed Yi'er like that. What kind of people are they? I am really afraid of them..."
Because of Hu Yi's relationship, Mrs. Hu didn't like anyone who came to Xijin Bo's Mansion.
Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "Just now I saw Brother Liu Yong rushing to the front hall. It seemed like something urgent happened."
Mrs. Hu said, "Liu Yong was given to my master by Prince Hong. Of course he's in a hurry to escape now that his old master has arrived. Humph, he's in Cao's camp, but his heart is with Han. My master really dislikes him, but he doesn't want to offend Prince Hong."
I see.
Xu Lan speculated that the people behind the Yiju Restaurant had established a relationship with the Xijin Marquis's Mansion first, and after Hong Zhen was transferred here, the Xijin Marquis's Mansion came to recruit Hong Zhen. After all, Hong Zhen was an official here, so it was much easier to get in touch with him, and military officers were more useful in some areas. I wonder if Hong Zhen has been recruited yet...
She had never listened to Hu's inner thoughts before, but this time she did. Hu's heart wasn't as calm and gentle as it appeared, and she complained about all the faults of Xijin Bo's mansion, including the direct branch's disdain for her husband and her, the harm it had done to Hu Yi, and now her coming to the house to annoy them.
It is not known whether Hong Zhen rebelled or not, but at this time, Hu was definitely unaware of the men's affairs, and was not dragged into it.
Regardless of whether Hong Zhen ultimately betrayed the country, having such a direct descendant was a tragedy; one day, their family would be confiscated and their entire clan would be exterminated. If he betrayed the country, he would die a step later, perishing along with the Xijin Marquis's mansion. If he refused to betray the country, the Xijin Marquis's mansion and the Yiju Restaurant would quietly dispose of him in advance, fearing he would leak the news.
Looking at the gentle Mrs. Hu, the soundly sleeping Hong Wen, and the clear laughter of Fang Jie'er outside the window, Xu Lanyin felt very uncomfortable.
The Hong family were her true friends in this otherworldly world, their friendship unconditional. Unlike the Min family, who took advantage and then deceived her, and unlike the Hu family, who needed her help, she dared not reveal a single detail. A single mistake could lead to her own death.
After playing until 3 p.m., Xu Lanyin and her brother said goodbye. As they passed the front yard, they heard a man's laughter coming from the hall. They also saw Liu Yong standing outside the door, serving, alone in the vast courtyard. His expression was unusually serious, as if he was ready to strike down anyone who came to eavesdrop.
Back at the shop, Xu Lanyin called Xu Dashi aside and whispered to him to pay close attention to the number of drinks at Yiju, especially to which officials frequented the place. She explained that Zhao Wu had told her that Shopkeeper Jin was acting suspiciously and appeared to be engaging in illegal transactions. This matter had to be kept strictly confidential, and only he and Li were allowed to know. If it leaked, their family would be doomed.
After all, it is impossible for Zhao Wu to keep an eye on Yi Ju Restaurant all the time, and Xu Dashi, as a neighbor, can monitor them at any time.
Xu Dashi nodded solemnly in agreement. He assumed that illegal trade referred to smuggling or something. He also thought that Yi Ju Restaurant was a restaurant, and the most likely smuggled substance was official salt.
He whispered, "I've always been puzzled. I see that Shopkeeper Jin is very good at socializing and has many friends, but I don't know why the restaurant's business is not so good. It seems that he is not interested in this."
Xu Lanyin was secretly satisfied. He was actually a smart man. Although he was rough, he was also very meticulous. He actually saw some clues.
It was too late to go home, so Xu Lanyin went to Yi Ju Restaurant to buy two pounds of braised meat for dinner, and unexpectedly met Liu Yong again.
Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "Brother Liu, come here for dinner?"
Liu Yong said with a smile, "A distinguished guest has arrived at the mansion, and my master asked me to reserve a table for dinner." Seeing Xu Lanyin buying braised meat, he must have asked the shopkeeper Jin to charge the bill to the Hong family. He smiled and said, "If I don't help Miss Xu pay for this, my master and grandmother will scold me if they know."
Xu Lanyin had no choice but to thank them and leave with the meat. She returned to the shop and cut off a small half for Xu Dashi and his wife, and another small half for Gu.
They hired an oxcart and returned to Xiaozao Village. Before leaving the city gate, they saw Zhao Wu again from a distance. He was patrolling the streets with several constables led by Constable He. He looked much happier at this time.
Seeing Zhao Wu so happy, Xu Lanyin also felt happy.
Several children also saw Zhao Wu and shouted at the top of their voices, "Brother Zhao" and "Uncle Zhao".
Xu Lanting lacked strength and Xu Man's voice was too soft, and they were both drowned out by Xu Yuan's loud voice.
Zhao Wu also saw them and limped over. He bought a few candy figurines on the street. The vendor didn't dare to take the money, so he gave him a few coins.
He gave the candy figurine to the children and told Xu Lanyin and Qin that he would not be going home tonight and would stay with Xu Lanzhou. They talked for a while before the oxcart left the city gate.
The oxcart driver also knew Zhao Wu and said with a smile, "Mr. Zhao from the police station is handsome and speaks with a southern accent. He sounds very polite. Whenever he goes out to patrol the streets, many young ladies come out to see him."
This made everyone laugh.
By the time they arrived at Xiaozao Village, the banquet had already ended, and the villagers, now well fed and drunk, were gathered in groups of three or five, discussing the golden phoenix that had flown out of the chicken coop. After a free meal, everyone was beaming with joy.
Some villagers looked down on Gu Po's smug demeanor. "Tsk tsk, wearing silk and a gold hairpin, she looked at the braised pork on the table with a pout, saying it was too fatty and she was afraid of getting 'sick'. Humph, she even had a fight with Old Lady Tang at the banquet just to get an extra piece of fat."
But more people said that their son had made it big, and they should be proud...
At night, there were thunder and lightning, and heavy rain fell.
The heavy rain continued for several days, but Zhao Wu did not return home. On the ninth day of May, the rain finally stopped.
Qin and Xu Lanyin were busy in the kitchen. Not only Xu Lanzhou would come back today, but Zhao Wu would definitely come back as well.
In the evening, Xu Lanting stood at the gate of the courtyard, waiting anxiously.
Huazi squatted beside his legs, and Mazi stood on Huazi's body, waiting with their master. They were used to Xu Lanzhou not coming home often, but they were not used to Zhao Wu not coming home for so long.
Xu Yuan was sent by Old Lady Xu and also joined the waiting group.
Suddenly, Huazi barked and Xu Lanting shouted happily, "Brother Zhao is back together."
Xu Yuan hurriedly ran home with his short legs, "I'm going to call Grandpa, Grandma, and my sister. I want to have dinner at your house."
Zhao Wu carried Xu Lanting, who was coming towards him, on his shoulders. Ma Zi pecked at his hair, and Hua Zi bit Xu Lanzhou's trouser legs. The yard immediately became noisy.
Zhao Wu's injuries had completely healed. Standing at the kitchen door, he said, "I've asked for a few days off to accompany you to the provincial capital. Uncle He agreed, and Zhang Gangdan, who's completely focused on bringing down Uncle Jiang and can't pay any attention to me, also agreed."
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