Chapter 204 The Lost Brother (Two Chapters in One)
Of course, Hero Yan would not know that this Young Master Zhen Gui, who made him feel familiar, was the long-dead Xiao Zhen.
As a bystander, Zhao Shiqing knew from a long time ago that Xiao Zhen admired Yan Xia. You know, Xiao Zhen was arrogant from the inside out, but he had never given Yan Xia a bad word.
If Zhao Shiqing had not known Yan Xia's character from Xiao Zhen, she would not have willingly called Yan Xia "brother-in-law".
At this moment, Zhao Shiqing looked at the two people who sympathized with each other, and the villain in his heart was laughing. If Yan Xia knew that this so-called Young Master Zhen was Xiao Zhen, I wonder what his expression would be.
Hero Yan, who is good at criminal justice, couldn't even tell that the man in front of him was wearing a fake face.
However, Zhao Shiqing still realized from Yan Xia's words that Yan Xia was hiding something from them.
For example, when talking about Lin Xian's case, he obviously did not tell the truth.
As for the reason, Zhao Shiqing also understood it. Everything had to be kept secret until the case was solved. If she hadn't been a witness, Yan Xia probably wouldn't even have told the truth about Lin Xian's amnesia.
At this time, Yan Wu's voice, like a broken gong, rang out from outside: "Dinner is ready, dinner is ready, big brother, big brother, dinner is ready!"
The sound was so unpleasant that Zhao Shiqing subconsciously wanted to cover her ears.
Xiao Su's voice was also very unpleasant for a while, but Yan Wu's voice was even better.
There were many people eating, so two tables were set up. Except for Yan Er and Yan San, the other members of the Yan family filled one table. Zhao Tingluo also squeezed in. After a while, a fight broke out at that table over the meat, and the weapons were chopsticks.
Yan Xia invited Master Zhen, Zhao Shiqing, and the Broken Stone brothers to sit at another table. After a few drinks, everyone started chatting. Zhao Shiqing, however, took a glass of boiled water and went to the children's table. He squeezed in between Zhao Tingluo and Yan Jiu and asked, "Little Luoluo, brother wants to ask you something."
Zhao Tingluo: "Brother, don't call me that outside. It's embarrassing. You can call me Sang Biao."
"Okay, Biao Biao."
Yan Jiu laughed so hard that he almost spit out the meat in his mouth. Zhao Tingluo made a gesture of wiping his neck at him, turned to face Zhao Shiqing, and put on an innocent smile again.
"Brother, what do you want from me?"
"Have you ever lost a younger brother?" Zhao Shiqing went straight to the point. If the person in front of her was an adult, she certainly wouldn't ask like this, but facing the clever guy Zhao Tingluo, it was better not to beat around the bush.
Sure enough, Zhao Tingluo did not feel disgusted. Obviously, for him, this was not a scar that could not be uncovered.
"Yes, my brother has been missing for several years. Brother, do you have any clues?"
Zhao Shiqing asked hurriedly, "Did your family offer a reward?"
Zhao Tingluo: "There's no public reward, but if you can find my brother, my family will definitely reward you handsomely."
Zhao Shiqing had no doubt that the huge reward Zhao Tingluo mentioned was an exaggeration, and that Prince Fu's Mansion had a lot of wealth.
Zhao Shiqing said, "You know, I've only been in the capital for a short time, so I don't know much. Could you tell me in detail how your brother got lost?"
Yan Jiu pointed to his nose and said, "I remember now. I was the one who told Brother Abao."
Zhao Tingluo put his arm around Yan Jiu's neck and said to Zhao Shiqing, "Well, it's a long story. My brother is my biological brother, we were born from the same mother.
When my mother was pregnant with my younger brother, Aunt Gu in the mansion was also pregnant. After my mother gave birth to my younger brother, Aunt Gu had a miscarriage. Later, when my younger brother was four months old, my uncle got married and my mother went back to her parents' home. My younger brother was still young and she was only away for half a day, so my mother did not take him with her and only took me with her.
But during this half day, Aunt Gu ran into my mother's yard and coaxed the wet nurse, saying that the old lady wanted to see my brother and she wanted to take my brother away. The wet nurse was worried and insisted on following her.
As a result, as soon as we left the yard, Aunt Gu pushed the wet nurse down, snatched my brother and ran away.
The wet nurse went back to the yard shouting and called for help. When the maids and servants chased after her, Aunt Gu had already run a long way away.
They chased all the way, and Aunt Gu ran to the lake with my brother in her arms and jumped in!
At that time, a skilled water woman jumped in to rescue her. Aunt Gu was already dead when she was pulled out, but my brother...
What Aunt Gu was holding tightly in her arms was not my brother at all, but a fake swaddling cloth!
That swaddling cloth wasn't the one my brother was using at all. It was just that the maids and servants were so busy chasing after the man that they didn't notice that Aunt Gu was holding the same swaddling cloth. It wasn't the same swaddling cloth at all!"
The Yan brothers obviously knew the inside story a long time ago, but this was the first time Zhao Shiqing heard the true situation of the matter.
She was stunned. "So Aunt Gu has an accomplice? While the wet nurse was going back to call for help, the accomplice swapped the swaddling clothes with Aunt Gu? Hey, logically, if the child was snatched away, shouldn't the wet nurse's first reaction be to chase after him immediately? Why did she return to call for help? I don't know the situation in your Prince Fu's Mansion, but I know that in other palaces, you can see servants every few steps. So the wet nurse only needs to shout and someone will come."
Zhao Tingluo snorted coldly: "Brother Abao, you have also seen it, right? Haha, at that time, no one in my family went to investigate this wet nurse. All attention was focused on Chunxiang, the maid of Aunt Gu. When Chunxiang was found in a corner of the mansion, my brother had disappeared. Chunxiang was not involved in this matter at all. She was deliberately sent away by Aunt Gu.
It was two or three days later that our family found the cause of the crime, the wet nurse.
It turned out that the wet nurse's younger brother owed gambling debts, and he was a compulsive gambler. Most of the wet nurse's money was given to her younger brother.
The wet nurses that the mansion found for their own children had their family background and character checked, but at that time they only checked the wet nurse's husband's family, but they didn't know that she also had a gambling brother. If they knew, they would definitely expel her from the mansion.
Aunt Gu used this incident to threaten the wet nurse, forcing her to cooperate, so she watched helplessly as Aunt Gu snatched my brother away."
Zhao Shiqing asked, "Then what? Since Aunt Gu was carrying a fake swaddling baby when she jumped into the lake, where's your brother? He should still be in the mansion. A four-month-old baby would cry if he's hungry, right? Didn't anyone hear the child cry?"
Zhao Tingluo shook his head slowly. "It's been over four years. My family has been searching for him, but to no avail. My brother just disappeared into thin air."
Zhao Shiqing asked again: "I'm asking something I shouldn't ask, please don't mind. Is Aunt Gu's child your mother..."
Zhao Tingluo didn't hide it either: "Yes, it was my mother who did it. Later, when my brother was missing, my father blamed my mother, saying that my mother had not done good deeds and that retribution was on my brother. My mother scratched my father's face and sold the other two concubines while he was away. When my father wanted to divorce his wife, my mother reported it to the Empress and kept me in the palace. She said she was worried that my father would take it out on me."
Zhao Shiqing sighed. The dispute between the wives and concubines in Prince Fu's Mansion brought disaster to the children. One was aborted before birth, and the other, who was once a precious young man, was now missing.
Aunt Gu is dead, so there is no evidence to prove this matter.
"Well, I have a friend who picked up a baby four years ago."
Zhao Tingluo stood up suddenly: "Brother, are you serious? Where is that child? Where did he pick him up?"
Zhao Shiqing said hurriedly, "Don't worry. The child isn't in the capital right now, but I can write a letter and someone will bring him over. He was picked up outside a brothel in Yanzhi Lane. The little clothes he was wearing were made of three-spool cloth, which is more expensive than silk."
Zhao Tingluo stared at Zhao Shiqing blankly, and suddenly began to take off his clothes.
"Hey, hey, hey, let's talk it out nicely. Don't take off your clothes just because you don't agree!"
Yan Jiu rushed over to hug him, but Zhao Tingluo pushed him away and continued to take off his clothes. He took off his outer coat and then the silk cotton jacket inside, revealing his snow-white inner clothes.
"Brother Abao, look, is this the three-shuttle cloth? My mother said that children's skin is tender, and three-shuttle cloth is the softest."
Before he finished speaking, a shadow fell from above, and then Zhao Tingluo's small body was wrapped in a thick cloak.
When he looked up, Master Zhen was looking down at him.
"You're ten years old, and you're still taking off your clothes all the time. Aren't you ashamed?"
Zhao Tingluo pursed his lips and suddenly burst into tears. Zhao Shiqing was stunned. From the first time they met, this child seemed like a sophisticated person. She didn't expect that he would cry.
She glared at Xiao Zhen, then pulled Zhao Tingluo over: "Good Biaobiao, stop crying and be good."
With a chuckle, someone couldn't help laughing first, and then everyone burst into laughter, not caring about Zhao Tingluo who was still crying.
Zhao Tingluo wiped away his tears: "You bad guys, I'm crying and you're still laughing. Humph, I won't cry anymore."
When leaving the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion, Zhao Tingluo did not return to the palace or the Prince of Fu's Mansion. He shamelessly followed Zhao Shiqing home. He wanted to find Niu Qiu and ask him about Xiaobao.
Zhao Shiqing dropped him off at the doorstep, asked Ling Bo to take him inside to look for loaches, and then went to Ruyi Fang with Xiao Zhen.
In the car, she told him about Lin Xian and expressed her suspicions: "Hero Yan must be hiding something. I'll ask him later. I don't know if Lin Xian's cousin has been found. And Yang Shengqiu, I don't know if he's checked."
When Xiao Zhen heard Zhao Shiqing mention Yang Shengqiu, he said, "Yang Shengqiu is now in the Ministry of Revenue. He left there before the New Year. The people in the Ministry of Revenue love to bully newcomers. He's new here, so he must be very busy lately. If Yan Xia wants to investigate him, he might have to leave the city."
"What? He went to the Ministry of Revenue?" Zhao Shiqing was surprised. It was not because she was surprised that Yang Shengqiu went to the Ministry of Revenue, but because she had heard about the Ministry of Revenue several times in the past two days.
Xiao Zhen nodded. "He won the top spot in the imperial examination and has also been in the Imperial Academy. And with Feng Yalan's incident, it's only natural that Feng Ke would have placed him in one of the six ministries. Why are you so surprised?"
Zhao Shiqing: "I'm not surprised he went to the Ministry of Revenue. As you said, he's the top scholar and a manipulator. Let alone the Ministry of Revenue, I wouldn't be surprised if you said he went to the palace to become a eunuch."
Xiao Zhen...Girl, you really care about Yang Shengqiu.
Zhao Shiqing continued, "It's Xiuxiu. You don't know, but the day before yesterday, Xiuxiu was almost abducted by human traffickers. She happened to be rescued by the officers of the Ministry of Revenue. These past two days, I've heard Xiuxiu say that she wanted to go to the Ministry of Revenue to thank them. Now that I hear you mention the Ministry of Revenue, I'm asking this question."
Xiao Zhen frowned. "Xiu Xiu was almost kidnapped by human traffickers? These people are so brave, right here in the capital, right under the Emperor's feet. What about those traffickers? Have they been handed over to the authorities?"
"They sent the traffickers to the government office in Beijing. Xiuxiu said that the bailiffs sent the traffickers to the government office in Beijing." Zhao Shiqing said.
Xiao Zhen nodded slightly: "I'll ask Fatty Si to check and see how the Beijing government handled it."
Zhao Shiqing thought about what Xiao Zhen was planning. She tried to hold back, but her curiosity got the better of her and she asked, "The Second Prince's death was beyond your expectation, wasn't it?"
"Yes, I didn't expect that man would send someone to kill his own son in a fit of rage, but when I think about it, it's indeed something he could do."
When Yan Xia mentioned this matter, Xiao Zhen explained on behalf of Emperor Yongjia and told the truth about Emperor Yongjia's "killing his own relatives for the sake of justice".
Zhao Shiqing laughed dryly twice: "Haha, that person never dreamed that someone knew him so well."
Xiao Zhen said in his heart, I have studied him for two lifetimes. If I still can't figure out his ways, then my rebirth would have been in vain.
However, this time, even Xiao Zhen did not expect that Emperor Yongjia would actually kill the second prince.
Understanding is one thing, not guessing is another.
Zhao Shiqing knew Xiao Zhen would be busy again. She counted: "The eldest is disabled, the second is dead, the fifth is half disabled, and now of the adults who can still jump around, only the third and fourth are still alive."
Xiao Zhen said in a cold voice, "One day, I will let him know what backlash is. The evil deeds he has done will eventually come back to haunt him."
Zhao Shiqing thought of his parents, grandmother, and adoptive father, and remained silent.
"If that day comes, remember to call me, I'm going to cut off his nose!"
Xiao Zhen... In this kind of situation, isn't it always necessary to cut off the head? What's the style of cutting off the nose?
Zhao Shiqing: This is my style, I am different like this!
"Okay, I'll leave the nose to you then. Even if he ends up in the imperial mausoleum, I'll open the coffin and let you cut off your nose."
"Then what? The coffin lid is already open. Do we need to close it again?" Zhao Shiqing was curious.
Xiao Zhen smiled: "Let Ayue decide whether to cover it or not."
Zhao Shiqing agreed. Besides her, Xiao Yue was also a victim. She was only responsible for the physical work such as cutting noses and crushing bones, and left it to Xiao Yueyue.
Thinking of this, Zhao Shiqing became happy again and started to complain to Xiao Zhen.
"The children of the Yan family are so interesting. I think the family tradition of the Duke of Wei is very good. It's not bad for my sister to marry into the family. Besides, there are no concubines in his family, so all the children are legitimate. Look at little Luoluo, how pitiful! If his father only had his mother, there wouldn't be so many problems, and his brother wouldn't be lost. By the way, in the life you dreamed of, did you find his brother?"
Xiao Zhen shook his head: "No, I haven't paid attention to this matter. This kind of backyard stuff happens in every family, it's not uncommon. However, Zhao Tingluo is an only child. He only has cousins, no biological brothers, so he must not have found them."
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