Chapter 225 Five Stone Powder (Two Chapters Combined into One)
"Stop talking nonsense. There's a pen, ink, paper, and inkstone over there. Go write down all the details about these five people, including their backgrounds, hobbies, three generations of relatives, and where their Five Stone Powder came from. Write it all down clearly."
Zhao Yunnuan was intimidating without even getting angry, and Zhao Tingrui was stunned when he heard it.
He is a prodigal son. Does this kind of thing have anything to do with him?
"Sister, I...I don't know anything about other people's affairs."
Zhao Yunnuan: "Write down what you know first. As for what you don't know, I'll give you three days to investigate thoroughly. Don't try to think of anything crooked. If you dare to give me excuses, I'll have Third Uncle cut off your period."
What does the prodigal son fear most?
Of course, he was most afraid that his family would run out of money.
Zhao Yunnuan deliberately poked at Zhao Langzi's soft spots, leaving him helpless and unable to defend himself. He could only rack his brains and write down everything he knew.
Under Zhao Yunnuan's pressure, the situation of those people was clearly investigated in less than three days.
Zhao Yunnuan's gaze fell on one of the names called Gao Guodong.
This person had a younger sister named Gao Cuixian, who was known as a talented woman in Liangdu.
Gao Guodong became famous at a young age. His poems were published when he was twelve or thirteen years old. At that time, everyone said that the Gao family had produced a genius.
But Gao Guodong is now 25 years old, but he is still a student, and he has not even passed the examination to become a scholar.
So there was a rumor that Gao Guodong's poems were actually written by Gao Cuixian.
Gao Guodong won fame and attention from the Gao family thanks to the poems written by his sister. The Gao family cultivated him with all their efforts, waiting for him to win the first prize and bring prosperity to the whole family.
As he failed the exam again and again, the rumors outside became more and more true, and Gao Guodong's reputation was ruined. However, Gao Cuixian was just the opposite of him. She not only gained the reputation of a talented woman, but also got a good marriage.
The Gao family is just a third-rate small family. Even if a girl from the Gao family can marry into a wealthy family, she can only be a second-rate daughter-in-law.
However, Gao Cuixian relied on her title of talented woman to marry into the famous Xue family in Wu and became the eldest daughter-in-law.
In the first imperial examination after the establishment of the Dayong Dynasty, the top scorer came from the Xue family. The Xue family has produced more than a dozen Jinshi and more than twenty Juren, including one top scorer and one second scorer. Currently, there are four descendants of the Xue family serving in the court.
Gao Cuixian's wedding was a grand one, making the ladies in Liang extremely envious.
Unfortunately, the good times did not last long. Less than half a year after Gao Cuixian got married, her husband passed away.
Logically speaking, a family with strict rules like the Xue family would never allow a new widow to return home.
However, Gao Cuixian was sent back to Liang by the Xue family before her mourning period was over.
Although the Gao family kept their mouth shut, rumors about Gao Cuixian never stopped.
It is said that Xue Dalang was already seriously ill, and Gao Cuixian went to bring him good luck, but Xue Dalang still died. The Xue family believed that Gao Cuixian was unlucky due to her illness, so they sent her back to her parents' home.
There is also a story that Gao Cuixian could not stand the loneliness, and wrote spring poems during the mourning period, which were discovered by her in-laws.
In short, Gao Cuixian was very famous before she got married, and she became even more famous after her return.
The Gao family was very disappointed with Gao Cuixian, and because of Gao Cuixian, the marriages of all the Gao family's daughters were affected.
The elders of the clan were furious and sent Gao Cuixian to the Taoist temple.
Gao Cuixian's life in the Taoist temple was miserable. When she was about to give up, she asked her brother Gao Guodong to deliver a letter to Zhao Tingxuan.
The letter contained a poem, which expressed her loneliness and helplessness in not having anyone to confide in.
But Gao Cuixian was unlucky. Before the letter was delivered to Prince Liang's Mansion, the news of the old Prince Liang's death spread.
When Gao Guodong came to pay his respects, he handed the letter to Zhao Tingxuan. In the past, Zhao Tingxuan would have sent some money and gifts, but under the circumstances at that time, he had no time to show sympathy to Gao Cuixian. Besides, he and Gao Cuixian had only met once or twice at poetry gatherings. At that time, he was only a boy of thirteen or fourteen, and Gao Cuixian was older than him, so the two had no intersection.
Zhao Yunnuan knew that Gao Cuixian had written a letter to Zhao Tingxuan.
However, Zhao Tingxuan threw the letter aside at that time, and Zhao Yunnuan did not take it to heart.
However, the information Zhao Tingrui found now gave a very detailed account of the current situation of the brother and sister.
Just a year ago, that is, after Zhao Tingxuan came to Beijing, Gao Cuixian became famous again. Gao Guodong compiled and printed her poems in the Taoist temple, and they were sold out as soon as they were on the market. Those young men who once admired Gao Cuixian flocked to the temple, vying to rescue the beauty from the cage.
The Gao family felt that this was not a good idea and that scandal would sooner or later arise, so they married Gao Cuixian to an old scholar in his fifties as a concubine.
Although the old scholar failed in the examinations many times, he came from a wealthy family. He admired the style of the Wei and Jin dynasties, lived a bohemian life, and also liked to take Wu Shi San.
Not long after, brother and sister Gao Guodong and Gao Cuixian also developed bad habits, but they did not take it seriously, believing that this was the style of celebrities.
Since Gao Cuixian was already married, the Gao family had abandoned her. The old scholar, perhaps because he had some special hobby, not only did the Gao brothers and sisters hold poetry and tea parties in his farm, but he also allowed Gao Cuixian to interact with other men.
The Gao brothers and sisters often held poetry gatherings and invited Zhao Tingrui, but Zhao Tingrui didn't dare to go... Although he called himself a playboy, he actually knew that he was born into the royal family and there were many occasions that he could not attend.
However, after the news that Zhao Tingxuan was going back to Liangdi spread, Gao Guodong repeatedly asked Zhao Tingrui for information and asked when Zhao Tingxuan would come back.
Zhao Yunnuan looked at the information of several other people, and finally his eyes fell on the names of the Gao brothers and sisters.
She called two secret guards and said, "Keep an eye on the Gao brothers and sisters."
Time passed quickly, and a few days went by in the blink of an eye. During these days, Zhao Tingxuan was not idle for a single day.
Upon learning that he was back, his former close friends vied with each other to welcome him back, but as he was still in mourning, those young masters did not dare to be extravagant and did not make a big fuss or have any singing or dancing to entertain him.
On the sixth day, Master Chen invited guests to dinner, and the Gao brothers and sisters finally appeared among the guests.
While Gao Guodong was hosting a banquet, Master Chen knew that Gao Cuixian had a bad reputation and was worried that he would be blamed by Prince Liang's Mansion, so he did not send Gao Cuixian an invitation.
But no one expected that Gao Guodong actually brought Gao Cuixian with him. Not only that, Gao Cuixian was also drunk and hung on Zhao Tingxuan like a dodder.
Master Chen was horrified and quickly asked the maids to pull Gao Cuixian away. Zhao Tingxuan didn't care. He suddenly remembered the letter and the poem, and felt sad. He immediately asked the palace's carriage to send the Gao brothers and sisters back.
The next day, Gao Guodong came to express his gratitude and brought Gao Cuixian's handwritten poetry collection, which contained Gao Cuixian's unpublished new poems and a small portrait she painted herself.
Zhao Tingxuan was somewhat moved and gave Gao Guodong a jade ornament on the desk as a reward, and promised to attend the poetry meeting in five days.
That night, Zhao Yunnuan learned about this.
She sat under the lamp for a while, and after a while, she said to the two secret guards, "Go, do it cleanly."
Two days later, news of the Gao siblings' death came. After the autopsy, the coroner concluded that the two had died from taking an overdose of Wu Shi San.
The government office found a large amount of Wu Shi San in that farm, and also discovered the place where Wu Shi San was refined. The old scholar made a fortune by using Wu Shi San, and all the men who had been to the farm and had contact with Gao Cuixian were taking Wu Shi San without exception.
When Zhao Tingxuan heard the news of the Gao brothers and sisters' death, he couldn't believe it. How could it be possible? He had seen them a few days ago and was planning to go to their farm to attend a poetry meeting.
After learning that the brother and sister died from taking Wu Shi San, Zhao Tingxuan was stunned. The younger sister had told him not to take Wu Shi San.
News came from the government office that everyone who had close contact with the brother and sister was taking Wu Shi San.
Zhao Tingxuan thought of something and broke out in a cold sweat.
Wu Shi San can actually kill people!
When his younger sister reminded him, he just agreed casually and didn't take it to heart, but now, he felt a little scared.
After dealing with the Gao brothers and sisters, Zhao Yunnuan sighed. This was the last time she would help him, and he would have to rely on himself from now on.
The people that Zhao Yunnuan wanted to take away had already been divided into several groups and went to the capital one after another.
Therefore, Zhao Shiqing and Liang Di’s contact is now more frequent and more convenient.
She had also heard about the news of the Liangdi seizure of the Five Stones Powder, but there was no trace of the Liang Palace in the news. However, Zhao Shiqing had a hunch that this matter was either related to her second brother, her sister, or both of them.
Time passed like water, and in the blink of an eye it was April. Princess Jiayi, who had not been seen for a long time, finally went out with her husband and daughter.
At the time of last year's Spring Banquet, Princess Jiayi had not yet gotten over the grief of losing her son, so the Spring Banquet was held at Princess Jianing's residence.
This year, Princess Jiayi is radiant and shows off her baby daughter to everyone she meets. Anyone can see that Princess Jiayi has come out of her shell.
The Queen was very happy and gave this year's Spring Banquet to Princess Jiayi.
Although they are both princesses, Princess Jiayi is a legitimate princess and her status is higher than that of Princess Jianing.
The Spring Banquet is still hosted by her, as it should be.
But everyone couldn't help feeling a little sad. The second prince's funeral was held in early February, and now that the 49th day had just passed, the royal family couldn't wait to hold a spring banquet.
It is true that there is no family affection in the royal family.
At last year's Spring Banquet, Zhao Shiqing had just arrived in the capital. This year, Madam Yu sent Yan Shiyi over early and asked her if she wanted to attend the Spring Banquet.
Of course Zhao Shiqing wanted to go, she loved to join in the fun.
She had just agreed to Madam Yu when Xiao Zhen arrived.
"Do you want to go to this year's Spring Banquet?"
Zhao Shiqing asked hurriedly, "Last year, when Princess Jianing hosted the ceremony, it was at her own residence. This year, Princess Jiayi is hosting it. Is it at your house?"
Xiao Zhen shook his head: "It's in Yunzhong Garden. This is my mother's property. The Spring Festival Banquet was also held here before."
Zhao Shiqing asked again: "Is your sister cute?"
Xiao Zhen smiled bitterly: "I have only seen her three times. The first time, she grabbed my hair, the second time, she almost tore off my mask, and the third time, she peed on me."
Zhao Shiqing laughed out loud. Xiao Zhen was seventeen years older than his sister. If he had gotten married earlier, his daughter would be about this age now.
Zhao Shiqing told Madam Yu what she had promised: "I'm sorry, I promised Madam Yu first. Next time, I'll go with you next time."
Xiao Zhen's eyes lit up. The little girl was talking about next time. The next Spring Banquet would be next year, which was a whole year away.
"Wei Yaer will be there too, right?" This was the main reason why Zhao Shiqing wanted to attend the Spring Banquet.
Xiao Zhen said, "It's not just Wei Ya'er, there are also the three girls in the Wei family. Among these three girls, at least one will have to come to the capital. It's enough for Wei Ya'er to marry into Liangdi. He can't marry all the girls of the Wei family to the eight royal palaces. What will happen then? Whether he likes it or not, one of them must enter the palace."
At this point, Xiao Zhen's heart moved, and he said, "Wei Ya'er's twin brother, named Wei Wubing, has recently been searching all over the capital for a young girl disguised as a man. It is said that he ran into the girl in front of the Imperial College and was stunned by her beauty."
Zhao Shiqing was stunned. In front of the Imperial College?
A woman dressed as a man?
By the way, Wei Wubing, that’s the name.
"Is it that famous guy? Is he looking for me?" Zhao Shiqing pointed at his nose.
Xiao Zhen asked: "The person he is looking for, is it really you?"
Zhao Shiqing looked helpless. "How unlucky I was to have caught the eye of that lunatic. You don't know. If I hadn't happened to meet my brother-in-law, his horse hoof would have stepped on me. I would have been very famous and sick."
She told him about the day she went to look for Zhao Tingluo, but was unexpectedly recognized as a woman by Wei Wubing. Xiao Zhen's eyes flashed with a fierce look, and he said, "Concubine Li likes him very much and is trying to persuade that person to give him an official position."
The corner of Zhao Shiqing's mouth twitched: "That man is crazy, how can he be an official?"
Xiao Zhen said, "Let's see, that person will not give Concubine Li face in such a small matter."
Zhao Shiqing asked again: "Where is Madam Wei? She's still living in the Cining Palace."
Xiao Zhen nodded: "Yes, she will probably live in the Cining Palace until she dies."
Seeing Zhao Shiqing silent and pensive, Xiao Zhen thought she was worried about Wei Wubing and said hurriedly, "That Wei Wubing is nothing to be afraid of. The capital is so big, where can he find you? Besides, if he does find you, don't be afraid. I will find a way."
Zhao Shiqing laughed and said, "I'm not scared. I don't take fame and fortune seriously. I don't take it seriously at all. I was just wondering, do you have these things in your dreams too?"
Xiao Zhen shook his head: "No, many things have changed now. In the dream, Madam Wei did not live in the Cining Palace."
Zhao Shiqing smiled smugly, "Isn't it all because of me? I didn't expect that old woman would be so easily frightened. I just scared her a little bit and she went straight to the palace."
Xiao Zhen: A room full of snakes, is that just a small scare? Scared enough to go see grandma, okay?
Xiao Zhen continued, "In the dream, it was this year when the Fifth Prince went to provide disaster relief, just two months later."
Zhao Shiqing looked solemn. She had heard from Xiao Zhen that many people died in that flood. However, what was more terrifying than the flood was the human suffering. Because of the Fifth Prince's incompetence, many innocent people died and many officials were implicated.
"The Fifth Prince has been confined to his house. Who will be allowed to go this year?"
Xiao Zhen's voice was cold: "No matter who goes, I will go."
Zhao Shiqing raised her head abruptly: "Are you going?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com