Chapter 142: Little Brother (Two Chapters in One)
Zhao Shiqing: "Oh, this is a long story. Grandpa, please have someone prepare some wine and food, so we can eat and talk together... and my uncle."
After that, she said to Ling Bo, "We don't have any children's clothes at home. Go to the nearby clothing store and buy him two sets. I'm afraid he will have to stay at our house for a while."
The child was still wearing a costume, but there wasn't much paint on his face, just a red dot between his eyebrows.
Ling Bo picked up the child, took a look at him, and exclaimed, obviously recognizing him.
But Ling Bo has never been a talkative person, especially in front of an outsider like Xiao Zhen. If Zhao Shiqing didn't let her speak, she wouldn't say a word.
Although she had been living with Zhao Shiqing in Baihe Mountain, she had also been trained by the maids in the palace and was a qualified maid in the palace.
But there was another person present who did not have this awareness, or he was so surprised that he was incoherent.
"Isn't he a kid from Zhaoting Town?"
Ling Bo had some difficulty in picking up the seven or eight-year-old child. Jiang Han wanted to come over to help, but he saw the child's face.
He had seen the child and had been alone with the child.
He pointed at the child and looked at Zhao Shiqing, a look of surprise on his face: "Second Miss, I have seen this child. His mother is a wanted criminal!"
Zhao Shiqing tilted his head and asked with interest, "Have you been to Zhaoting Town?"
Jiang Han felt sad when he thought of the days when he had been chasing the second young lady in the dark.
"I went to Zhaoting Town and the restaurant owned by this child's family. I noticed something strange about the father and son. I suspected they had seen the Second Young Lady, so I went to arrest the child at night. The child mistakenly thought I was there to arrest his mother. I then realized they were being sneaky not because of the Second Young Lady, but because the couple were a pair of notorious bandits. The wife was wanted, and the man and the child were tearing down posters everywhere. I felt this matter had nothing to do with you, so I released the child. By the way, the child wanted a poster with a portrait on it, and I gave it back to him."
He finished speaking in one breath, and then he felt scared. The second young lady seemed to attach great importance to this child. Could it be that the couple were her friends?
When he returned to Baihe Mountain and finally saw the second young lady, he was so happy that he forgot about this matter. After all, this matter had nothing to do with them.
But now, will the second young lady think that he is hiding something?
"Second Miss, I only wanted to find you quickly, so I didn't interfere. If I had known they were your friends, I would have brought this family of three back to Baihe Mountain and handed them over to you."
Zhao Shiqing waved her hand. "They're not my friends. I'm looking for the child's mother. I posted the notices they tore down. No wonder they couldn't find the person. They were torn down right after they were posted."
Jiang Han wanted to slap himself. There were twenty of them at the time, and this family of three only had two adults. If they kidnapped this family and brought them back to Baihe Mountain, the second lady would be so happy that she might give them a great merit.
The Second Young Lady will receive two rewards for her contribution. One will be given to the Second Young Lady, and the other will be given by the First Princess when she returns to Prince Liang’s Mansion.
Zhao Shiqing didn’t care what Jiang Han was thinking. No one would go hungry wherever Zhen Wuduo was.
After a while, several cold dishes were served. Eat them first, and the hot dishes will be served later.
Zhen Wuduo didn't even glance at Xiao Zhen. He used his serving chopsticks to pick up some of Zhao Shiqing's favorite braised fish jelly, five-spice smoked fish, and crystal pork elbow and placed them all on the plate in front of Zhao Shiqing. He smiled with his eyes narrowed, "My dear granddaughter, have a few bites to fill your stomach first."
Xiao Zhen frowned: "Are you the chef you invited from Qi?"
Zhen Wuduo snorted: "I know this is not to your taste, but my eldest granddaughter likes it."
Zhao Shiqing quickly put a large piece of pork elbow into her mouth, stuffing it full, and nodded vigorously: "Well, I like it!"
Zhen Wuduo glanced at Xiao Zhen with his small eyes and said, "Stop trying to make a presence felt in front of my granddaughter."
Zhao Shiqing finished all the food on the plate and drank a cup of tea. When he had enough strength, he told Xiao Zhen everything he had seen and heard at the big stone threshold today.
Of course, she skipped the so-called pink scene. After all, she didn't watch it closely.
But even so, Xiao Zhen still got a few glares from Zhen Wu. "You dare to take my granddaughter to such a dangerous place? You're asking for a beating. But since my granddaughter is so happy, I'll let you go for now."
Xiao Zhen was glad that he was wearing a fake face.
Zhen Wuduo still remembers clearly what happened in Huizhou City that day.
They targeted the killers from Shilipu because they suspected that those killers were the same group that killed Shi's family. After interrogating Wuliu, they found that the killers from Shilipu belonged to Shanmen, and the people who killed Shi's family were probably also from Shanmen, but not these people from Shilipu, but killers of a higher level.
Even Xiuxiu's uncle, who intended to kill the eldest princess and her husband, was a member of the mountain gate.
Unfortunately, they did not find the key figure Cui Niang until they left Wu.
Although Zhen Wuduo is old, his ears and eyes are not deaf or blurry, and his mind is more alert than most young people.
He asked Zhao Shiqing, "Granddaughter, now that you've brought the child back, what are you going to do next?"
Zhao Shiqing thought for a moment and said, "First of all, that child is very clever. He's been helping Chef Zhang with his business since he was little, and he's much more mature than other children his age. His involvement in the opera troupe was most likely his parents' idea. They sensed danger, and since there was a troupe performing next door, they swapped his identity with another young actor.
Secondly, Sister Xiuxiu once told her that Chef Zhang holds the key to the mountain gate. Although I only met Chef Zhang once, he is a ruthless and fierce man who will never be bullied. So I suspect he has hidden the so-called key. It is a double-edged sword that can save or kill. I just don't know if he will leave it to his son.
Zhen Wuduo nodded: "My eldest granddaughter is so smart!"
Then, he glared at Xiao Zhen and said, "If I were a few decades younger, I would seize that damn mountain gate, let their carefully trained assassins work for me, and then turn the knife around and kill the real culprit behind this!"
Zhao Shiqing suddenly became energetic, patting his chest with his eyes shining: "Grandpa, I'm going to seize the mountain gate, rush into the palace, and cover..."
She couldn't say anything else because Ling Bo had come back at some point and, at Zhen Wuduo's suggestion, she covered Zhao Shiqing's mouth.
Zhao Shiqing pulled Ling Bo's hand away and said to Zhen Wuduo, "Grandpa, I was just talking."
At this time, Xiao Zhen, who had been silent for a long time, stood up and said, "I have something else to do. I'll come back another day."
Zhen Wuduo: "This is not just your problem. My daughter and son-in-law are both dead. You don't have to pay back the money you took from Wanjinhao, and you don't have to save money for me in the future."
Xiao Zhen paused for a long moment, then bowed respectfully, "Thank you, foster father."
Zhen Wuduo waved his hand and said, "What an old man like me lacks the most is a son. Don't call yourself my son in front of me anymore. It makes me annoyed. Get out!"
Xiao Zhen was startled, and inexplicably happy...
After Xiao Zhen left, Zhao Shiqing lowered his voice and asked, "Grandpa, are you going to support Uncle Xiao's rebellion?"
Zhen Wuduo narrowed his eyes: "Don't talk nonsense, little kid. This is not a rebellion at all. I, an old man, just spent some money to hire someone to avenge me. We are old and young, and we have nothing but money. It's so hard!"
Zhao Shiqing savored it for a long time, but didn't realize how hard it was for the grandfather and grandson.
Two hours later, the child woke up.
When he opened his eyes, he saw a completely unfamiliar face.
That's Xiu Xiu!
He had actually been with Xiuxiu for a long time, but Xiuxiu was a changeable person at that time, so now Xiuxiu knew him, but he didn't know Xiuxiu.
He remembered what happened before he fell into a coma. A cat pounced on him and bit him, then ran away. He was full of resentment and wanted to catch the cat. The cat ran very fast, and he fell into a coma before he could catch it.
Thinking of the cat, he saw a cat.
Not the one that bit him, but...
"Big Fatty? Are you Big Fatty?"
As soon as he said that, Xiao Haige regretted his words. It couldn't be him. These fat orange cats all looked alike. This place was so far from Zhaoting Town, how could Da Pang be here? Besides, Da Pang had been missing for a long time. He had disappeared before Ugly Girl left.
But the next moment, the cat jumped to his side, first rubbed his head with it, and then simply lay down and rolled around.
The kid was stunned. It was really big and fat.
He knew that Chou Gu saved her food rations to feed Dapang, so he often stole some fish and offal from the kitchen and secretly gave them to Dapang when Chef Zhang was not around.
Dapang's fat body is also due to his contribution.
"Are you really Dapang?" The little brother was surprised and happy. He thought he would never see Dapang again, but he didn't expect to see Dapang who was still as fat as before in the distant capital.
Dapang made a gurgling sound, telling the little brother in his own way that he was Dapang.
Xiuxiu smiled and said, "He is Fatty and I am Ugly."
Seeing the kid's mouth drop open in shock, Xiuxiu explained, "I'm alone and a girl, so for safety, I made myself look ugly. If you don't believe me, ask Dapang."
In order to prove that what Xiuxiu said was true, Dapang threw himself into Xiuxiu's arms and gently bit her fingers.
The little brother remembered that he had seen Dapang bite Xiuxiu's fingers before, and after biting them twice, he would stick out his tongue to lick them.
"You are such an ugly girl, you are not ugly at all."
Children are children. They were full of resentment a few hours ago, but now they are happy again when they see familiar people and cats.
However, when Xiuxiu asked about Chef Zhang and Cui Niang, he lowered his head and big tears fell.
Xiuxiu didn't ask any more questions and went to the kitchen to bring him a bowl of porridge.
This is a bowl of preserved egg and lean meat porridge, which is his favorite. Chef Zhang loves his son very much and will cook preserved egg and lean meat porridge for him when he is in a good mood.
Children are easily satisfied. After eating a big bowl of porridge, he started talking more.
But all his words revolved around Dapang, and he didn't mention Chef Zhang and Cui Niang at all.
Since he didn't say anything, Zhao Shiqing stopped Xiuxiu from asking any more questions. It was a sudden change, so she had to give him time.
Over the next two days, people in the capital occasionally mentioned the deaths of Hou Qi and Hou Ba, saying only that they had provoked bandits and were killed in the street.
Hou Qi and Hou Ba were just the lowest class in the eyes of the world. Although they were famous, they were far inferior to the famous actors in the opera troupe and the prostitutes in the brothels. There were even many people like Zhao Shiqing who had never seen a military enlistment play.
Therefore, the news of Hou Qi and Hou Ba's deaths was only spread in a small circle for a few days, and no one mentioned it again. As for the two "bandits" who killed Hou Qi and Hou Ba, they were invisible people from beginning to end, and no one paid attention to them or mentioned them.
Zhao Shiqing couldn't help but sigh, the Jinyiwei were really powerful. There was such a big commotion, so many witnesses, but in the end there was not even a ripple.
The little brother still said nothing. He just ate and slept every day, and played with the cat after waking up.
The little brother has his own name, he is Zhang Ye.
It was the first time that Zhao Shiqing saw a name with the word "ye". She asked her grandfather Zhen, the master of all trades, for advice. Zhen Wuduo said that the child was most likely born in the wild.
But he was right. Zhang Ye was indeed born in the wild. Of course, Zhao Shiqing didn't know it yet, but that's a story for later.
But at this time, Yang Shengqiu was no longer so free.
He didn't open the letter Zhao Shiqing gave him until he got home.
Although he had not returned to Zhuxitang over the years, he had some guesses about his grandfather's whereabouts. Combined with what Zhao Shiqing had said to him, he was now certain that his grandfather was a victim of the fight for the throne, and the Shi family was also a victim.
Yang Shengqiu shuddered at the thought of the final winner of the battle for the throne.
I wonder if that person still remembers a royal physician named Yang Wei.
For someone like him, killing someone is as easy as crushing an ant, and he would probably have forgotten it long ago.
Yang Shengqiu also hoped that he would not remember it.
He also saw the map on the back of the letter.
Unlike Zhao Shiqing, he knew what was going on at a glance.
His grandfather had drawn such a map for him and explained it to him.
So, he will watch!
Although this letter was the last thing his grandfather left him, after reading it, Yang Shengqiu still planned to burn it.
He held the letter to the candlelight and suddenly thought of something. He took out the letter, opened the empty envelope, and examined it carefully in the candlelight.
His adoptive father was extremely talented. He was not only good at poetry and songs, but also proficient in calligraphy and painting repair.
He also learned this art from his adoptive father since he was a child.
This letter had been opened before, and then repaired using the method of repairing calligraphy and painting. To an outsider, it seemed flawless, but it could not escape the eyes of an expert.
Zhao Shiqing has read this letter!
No, even if Zhao Shiqing had not read this letter, she was still an insider about what happened that year.
If you count carefully, he and Zhao Shiqing are both witnesses to the murder of the emperor's brother!
When Yang Shengqiu thought of the word "witness", he suddenly felt a chill rising from the soles of his feet.
Regardless of whether the emperor still remembers Yang Wei or not, as long as he knows that there are witnesses to what happened that year, he will kill them.
Zhao Shiqing was just a little girl, and one could guess something from her clothes that her grandfather's family was wealthy, but powerless. He was just an ordinary wealthy family, most likely a merchant.
With her background, she wouldn't even be able to participate in the imperial selection. She would never be involved with the court in her life, so she was actually safe.
And he, Yang Shengqiu, the new top scholar, who often goes in and out of the palace, is the most dangerous.
When his grandfather was an imperial physician, he offended many people in the capital, so when he returned to the capital this time, he only said that he was an orphan and never mentioned that he had a grandfather who was an imperial physician.
He has been so careful, why did Zhao Shiqing jump out and disrupt his already planned life?
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