Chapter 218 Xiuxiu's Thoughts (Two Chapters in One)
The Feng family was holding a funeral. Yang Shengqiu had originally planned to go to the Feng family to pay his respects after completing his task, but when it was almost time to leave the yamen, the Minister called him over and handed him a pile of documents. These were the documents that had accumulated while he was away. There was nothing he could do. Although the yamen was not closed for seventeen days in the first month of the lunar year, everyone's minds were no longer here. They were all slacking off when they were in the yamen and finding all kinds of excuses to leave early.
Seeing Yang Shengqiu's unconcealed resistance, the Minister sneered inwardly: "If I can't order those veterans around, how can I order a newcomer like you around? What? You have connections? Who here doesn't have connections?"
They all have backgrounds, so what they are comparing is their qualifications.
Looking around the Ministry of Revenue, the one with the least experience is Yang Shengqiu. If he doesn't take the job, who will? The top scholar? The Minister was the top scholar twenty years ago. There is no shortage of top scholars here.
Yang Shengqiu had no choice but to take over the pile of documents. By the time he had finally finished processing most of them, everyone else had already left.
Yang Shengqiu sighed, locked the unprocessed documents in the cabinet, and walked out of the Ministry of Revenue alone.
Two murders occurred in succession, killing a deputy prime minister and the son of a chief prime minister, but the people did not seem to be affected. Under the cover of night, the capital of Dayong was still full of flowers and prosperity.
Occasionally, a carriage of a noble would pass by, and the sweet voices of women accompanied by the scent of rouge would echo in the night.
On the spacious street where four carriages can run side by side, two carriages refused to give way to each other. The playboys in the carriages had a long-standing grudge against each other. One of the carriages simply blocked the road, blocking the way of the passing carriages. The followers of the two families rushed up with sticks at their eyebrows and started fighting on the road.
Yang Shengqiu's sedan chair was first forced to the side of the road, and then had to turn around and take a small road, making a big detour to arrive at Feng's Mansion. Fortunately, the silk gift had been prepared in advance, otherwise it would have been time-consuming to buy it now.
After arriving at Feng's house, Yang Shengqiu went to burn incense in front of the coffin of Master Feng. It was already night, and there was only a boy of twelve or thirteen years old and his seven or eight-year-old brother guarding the coffin. Master Feng's eldest son was nowhere to be seen. Yang Shengqiu comforted the two children and wanted to go see Feng Ke, but was told that Prime Minister Feng had already gone to bed.
The old man dies when the young man dies. Although Feng Ke is still standing, he is not in good spirits and has been going to bed early these days.
Yang Shengqiu had no choice but to leave Feng Mansion early. Standing in front of the door of Feng Mansion, he looked around and saw only a few white lanterns, which looked dim and bleak.
An indescribable sorrow and resentment surged in his heart. Thinking of the days he had to endure in Changshou Palace, the endless paperwork in the yamen and the colleagues who drank tea and chatted with him, Yang Shengqiu thought of Princess Huiming for the first time.
That girl with a charming smile and rosy cheeks always looked at him with admiration...
Yang Shengqiu shook his head. A princess with an awkward identity was not worth his memories.
Almost instantly, another girl's face replaced Princess Huiming's. She was pretty and sweet, with her eyes and eyebrows curved when she smiled.
Little girl.
No, he had already investigated the house in Tianjing Hutong, where Old Master Zhen and his granddaughter lived. People nearby knew that the family was well-off, but only moderately well-off. Little Girl Zhen often went shopping for groceries with the maid, and Old Master Zhen went to a small stall to eat breakfast every day. He didn't even have a personal attendant with him, only two dogs.
However, he knew that this was just an appearance.
Several young masters of the Weiguo Mansion had been to Tianjing Hutong, and even Zhao Tingluo had appeared near Tianjing Hutong. These people would not go to any place, especially Zhao Tingluo, who grew up in the palace.
In addition, he also suspected that Xiao Nannan had a relationship with the Prince of Liang's Mansion, because Xiuxiu used a travel pass from Liang, and Xiao Nannan's Beijing dialect also had a Liang accent.
There are many people from Liang in the capital, but not all of them can get into the Duke of Wei's Mansion.
But if it is someone from Prince Liang’s Mansion, then it is different, because Prince Liang’s Mansion and Duke Wei’s Mansion are in-laws!
Yang Shengqiu took a deep breath. He had traded Princess Huiming for the chance to become Feng Ke's son-in-law, but unfortunately things did not go as he wished and the marriage was ruined. In the end, he only got the position of the Ministry of Households.
This position can indeed produce political achievements, but perhaps his fate is not in harmony with the Ministry of Revenue. Since he arrived at the Ministry, there are only five words to describe his life - "hard work without any thanks."
Yang Shengqiu laughed at himself.
Ever since he sacrificed Princess Huiming, he seemed to be doing well on the surface, but in fact he was caught in a vicious circle.
And he kept spinning like a top, but he couldn't run away.
He is in urgent need of a new springboard. He needs to break out of this vicious circle as soon as possible. Only in this way can he embark on his own road to success.
And little Nannan is the only stepping stone he can see now.
The Prince of Liang's Mansion secretly sent people to lurk in the capital and secretly make friends with royal family members and nobles. This news would be a bolt from the blue to both the emperor and the third prince.
But he couldn't act rashly. Xiao Nannan had read the letter and knew his life experience even better. Even if the Jinyiwei arrested all the people in Tianjing Hutong one day, he would be the first to take Xiao Nannan away.
The little girl must not fall into the hands of the emperor, otherwise it will be disadvantageous to him.
Yang Shengqiu finally showed his first smile of the day. The girl named Xiuxiu was as innocent as a blank sheet of paper, with all her joy, anger, sorrow and happiness shown on her face.
But he didn't want to see Xiuxiu. Every time he saw Xiuxiu's eyes, he would think of Princess Huiming.
Because they both looked at him with admiration, the difference was that Princess Huiming's admiration was shy, while Xiuxiu's was full of curiosity.
But they are the same people. Even though their identities are thousands of miles apart, they are the same at heart, pure and stupid.
Yang Shengqiu got on the sedan chair, which slowly moved out of the dim light and shadows and into the endless night...
Xia Dachuan did not return to Tianjing Hutong until very late. As soon as he came back, he couldn't wait to find Xiuxiu and tell her that Yang Shengqiu was back.
"Yang Zhuangyuan is truly dedicated to his work. The Ministry of Revenue had already closed down, and everyone else had left. He was the last one to leave. After leaving the Ministry, he went to the Feng Mansion, bringing silk gifts, presumably to offer condolences. However, he didn't stay long at the Feng Mansion before leaving. He didn't leave immediately, but stood outside the Feng Mansion for a long time, as if something was on his mind."
Xia Dachuan said a lot, but Xiuxiu only remembered a few words: Yang Shengqiu is back!
Her face flushed with excitement. The second young lady had given her a lot of cramming these days, teaching her how to face Yang Shengqiu. She had practiced in front of the mirror several times, and now it could finally come in handy.
She would soon be able to personally verify whether Yang Shengqiu was really as the Second Miss said, with bad intentions...
Xia Dachuan saw Xiuxiu's face blushing. The girl's cheeks were as red as fruits hanging on a branch.
Miss Xiuxiu must be fond of Yang Zhuangyuan.
It must be true, otherwise why would she let him wait at the door of the household registration office? Miss Xiuxiu was shy and didn't feel comfortable going herself, so she let him go.
Come to think of it, Yang Zhuangyuan is knowledgeable, handsome and elegant, which girl would not like him?
Thinking of the handsome Yang Zhuangyuan, Xia Dachuan subconsciously wiped his face. After running around all day, his face was very dirty. In fact, even if it wasn't dirty, his face would still be black.
After seeing Xiuxiu, Xia Dachuan went to the kitchen to find something to eat, but unfortunately he only found a cold steamed bun, two pieces of frozen pork belly, and a few cabbages.
He sighed and was about to stop there when a slender figure suddenly flashed in from the doorway.
As a guard, Xia Dachuan noticed the man as soon as he came in. He turned around and saw the man who walked in.
"Miss Xiuxiu, why are you here?"
Xiuxiu looked at the cold steamed bun in his hand and felt a little embarrassed: "I'm sorry, because you helped me, you didn't even have food to eat."
Xia Dachuan shook the steamed bun in his hand: "There is food, and this steamed bun is made of white flour."
When he was in the Royal Guard, he didn't have white flour for every meal. The most common thing he ate was whole grain steamed buns. Occasionally, he had white flour steamed buns, but he could only eat two at most. Later, when he became a guard for the second young lady, he could eat white flour and refined rice to his heart's content, as much as he wanted. Such days were what he had only dreamed of when he was a child.
Xiuxiu looked around and said to Xia Dachuan, "It's so cold, how can we just eat cold steamed buns? Guard Xia, please wait a moment. I can cook quickly. It will be ready in a moment."
Miss Xiuxiu, are you going to cook for him yourself?
Xia Dachuan hurriedly said, "Miss Xiuxiu, that's not possible. I'm full after eating a steamed bun."
Xiuxiu smiled and said, "Are you worried that I can't cook? Let me tell you, my family runs an inn, and I used to help out in the kitchen often. Oh, and I even worked as a helper in a food store."
After saying that, Xiuxiu started to get busy. Xia Dachuan was at a loss. Although Xiuxiu called the Second Miss "Second Miss" just like them, Xia Dachuan knew that Xiuxiu was different from them and Lingbo. She was not a slave. The Second Miss treated her like a little sister to play with.
Such a person actually wants to cook for him. How can he, a rough man, be qualified to do so?
Xia Dachuan turned around several times and finally found his voice: "I, I, I will light the fire."
......
The next day, Xiuxiu went out again as usual.
She was actually a little scared. She was originally a very brave girl, otherwise she would not have run such a long way with only a cat. But the last kidnapping incident, although Zhao Shiqing told her that the incident was most likely arranged by Yang Shengqiu, still left a psychological trauma on her. When she walked on the street, she would subconsciously look around.
She thought about asking Wan Ruyi or Zhang Ye to go out with her, but before leaving, she decided to go out alone.
She was worried that Yang Shengqiu would not come to find her if he saw that there were other people around her.
When Xiuxiu walked onto the street, she looked around secretly. People around her were in a hurry and no one paid attention to her. She breathed a sigh of relief.
It was not until she walked away that Xia Dachuan slipped out from behind a big tree. It was a close call, as he was almost discovered by Miss Xiuxiu.
Miss Xiuxiu must have encountered a kidnapper before, so she must still be feeling scared. Although they were far away, he could still feel the fear in Miss Xiuxiu's heart just now.
But Miss Xiuxiu still went out alone. The road she took led to the Ministry of Revenue. Did Miss Xiuxiu want to meet Yang Zhuangyuan?
It's still time to go to the yamen now, so Miss Xiuxiu won't be able to see Yang Zhuangyuan.
Could it be that Miss Xiuxiu wanted to wait for Yang Zhuangyuan outside the yamen like he did?
Miss Xiuxiu is really infatuated.
There are many bad guys in the capital, including kidnappers and killers. Two important figures were killed a few days ago. The capital is too unsafe. Now there are still a few hours before the court is closed. What should Miss Xiuxiu do if she encounters bad guys again?
So he decided to follow him and wait until Yang Zhuangyuan left the yamen before leaving.
Xiuxiu knew, of course, that it was time to go to the government office. She actually didn't know where to go. She first went to the shop where she met Yang Shengqiu last time, bought a few things at random, then walked from the beginning of the street to the end, and then from the end of the street to the beginning.
I ate a bowl of wontons at a small stall at noon, and two old men were chatting next to me.
One asked, "Your neighbor tore down your wall. Weren't you going to take it to the government? Did you do that?"
Another person answered, "Not yet. During the first month of the lunar year, the officials in the yamen report for duty every day and leave early, leaving the yamen without attending to their official business. I'm thinking of waiting until the end of the first month before going to the yamen to file my petition."
The speaker may not mean it, but the listener may take it seriously. Xiuxiu's eyes lit up, and the government office closed early in the first month of the year.
That’s not right. Yesterday, Xia Daiwei said that Yang Shengqiu was the last one to leave the yamen. Alas, this guy is quite dedicated. Why doesn’t he slack off?
Xiuxiu was a little depressed. How about pretending to be Yang Shengqiu's neighbor and going to the Ministry of Household Affairs to report that there was a fire in Yang Shengqiu's house and asking him to go back quickly?
But a fire is a big deal. What if Yang Shengqiu doesn’t believe it?
If it's not a fire, then let's say there's a thief?
Xiuxiu hesitated for a long time between escaping the fire and letting the thieves in, and finally decided to escape the fire.
When she went out today, she deliberately brought a human skin mask. This human skin mask was made by her uncle and was as exquisite as the one Xiao Zhen wore.
She went to the old clothing shop and bought a set of half-new coarse cloth clothes. When she came out of the back door of the old clothing shop, she had become an ordinary-looking teenager.
With sparse eyebrows, small eyes, and a flat nose, it's the kind of face you forget once you see it.
Xia Dachuan waited outside the old clothing shop for a long time, but Xiuxiu didn't come out. He saw an old lady walking out of the shop with her grandson. Xia Dachuan walked over and asked, "Auntie, have you seen a young girl in the shop, about fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing a blue cotton cloak?"
The old lady glared at him, but she didn't stop walking. Xia Dachuan quickly took out a handful of copper coins and was about to count them out when the old lady grabbed them all and said, "There are no young girls or young wives in here. Apart from me, your aunt, there is no other woman!"
Xia Dachuan didn't believe it and ran into the shop. Just as the aunt said, there was not a single woman in the shop!
It was a very cold day, but Xia Dachuan was sweating all over his forehead.
Miss Xiuxiu was lost again and again, and then she was kidnapped by a kidnapper.
Miss Xiuxiu is so smart, she must not have been abducted. She must be a member of the flower-photography gang. Yes, she must be!
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