Chapter 39 Teahouse 4 Just wait three days to go to the Worry-Free Teahouse to watch the show...
These days, Xie Wuhen has been working day and night to investigate the tea artist.
He goes out before dawn and returns home after dark.
Su He lived in the same room with him, but sometimes they didn't see each other for several days in a row.
In this way, she had some free time. When she had nothing to do, she would read storybooks or go to her spare room to make poisons.
Ah Si also gathered bits and pieces of information about Liu Dazhong and reported it to Su He. "Madam, I've found out that Liu Dazhong is a widower who lives in Tongxin Lane, north of Jinling Street. He has no children, but he does have a daughter. It's said that this daughter was spoiled and arrogant since childhood. Five years ago, she fell in love with a married man named Song Sheng. To get Song Sheng to marry his daughter, Liu Dazhong forced Song Sheng's first wife to death. Anyway, the neighbors in Tongxin Lane are too angry to speak out against their family."
Su He asked: "What is his current official position?"
Ah Si replied, "I heard he was a judge at the Kyoto government office."
Su He was puzzled: "After all these years, he hasn't been promoted?"
"I've heard that Liu Dazhong has many murders on his hands, but because he's related to the Zhou family, no one dares to touch him. Also, because he's illiterate and rude, he's never been promoted. He's almost at the level of 'Judge'."
Su He thought for a moment and ordered in a deep voice: "Okay, you continue to stare at him."
Ah Si answered “yes” and left.
As Ah Si left, Chunlan walked in. "Miss, the owner of Wuyou Teahouse just sent someone to deliver a letter."
Su He was stunned and took the letter.
There were only eight short words in the letter: Long time no see, I am waiting for you with warm tea.
The last attribute is named Zeng Yidao.
She felt that she and Zeng Yidao were not familiar enough to be "warm tea waiting for each other".
But since he invited her, she was willing to go.
After all, Zeng Yidao is not the kind of person who would stir up trouble out of nothing, so there must be something important that he asked her out for.
After lunch, Su He took a carriage to Wuyou Teahouse.
When we arrived at the tea room on the third floor, Zeng Yidao was indeed warming the tea.
Seeing her enter the room, he smiled slightly, stood up and saluted. His demeanor was as gentle as jade and polite. Even though he was no longer young, he still had the dignity and unparalleled elegance of a modest young man.
Su He also bowed in return and then sat down in the seat opposite him. "Sir, I specially invited you. I wonder if you have any advice for me?"
Zeng Yidao poured her some tea and said, "Try to taste the tea first."
Su He took two sips and said, "Good tea."
Zeng Yidao smiled modestly and then took out the chessboard, "Madam, you still owe me a game of chess."
Su He also smiled meaningfully: "Sir, your goal should be more than just a game of chess, right?"
Zeng Yidao replied: "Every game is a world, every step is a life. Every game is a plan, every step is a purpose."
Su He seemed to understand but nodded respectfully: "I will obey your orders, sir."
The chessboard was set up and the two began to play.
Although Su He was not very good at chess, he did know a thing or two.
When she was a child, her mother drew a chessboard and used pebbles as chess pieces, and taught her how to play chess step by step.
She asked, "We are slaves, why do we need to learn chess?"
In her impression, only young ladies or high-ranking officials need to learn these elegant skills.
My mother replied, "Even if you are born as a chess piece, you must have the ability to play chess."
She then asked, "Who taught mother the skill of playing chess?"
Mother smiled gently: "He is a noble young man."
"Is he the young man who told my mother that there is a bone-sculptor in the world?"
"Yes, that young master."
Later she became Li Shuli's maid.
Li Shuli is the eldest daughter of the Li family. She has a nanny at home who teaches her music, chess, calligraphy and painting on a regular basis.
She also learned a lot from the side, and sometimes even gave Li Shuli advice when she was playing chess.
Su He played with black pieces and took the first step.
Zeng Yidao was stunned, "So the Madam also likes Heizi?"
She immediately understood: "So it coincides with what you like, sir?"
The two smiled at each other, and then began to advance step by step.
After playing a few rounds, Zeng Yidao paused, looked at the chess pieces on the board, and sighed, "Madam is also good at the small-eye opening."
Su He replied calmly: "It's just my usual habit."
"My old friend also has this habit."
Su He looked up at him, speechless for a long time.
She suddenly realized that the old friend Zeng Yidao was referring to might be her mother?
Could the young man my mother was talking about be Zeng Yidao?
Zeng Yidao reminded: "It's time for the lady to make her move."
Su He suddenly came back to his senses and after making his move, he asked tentatively, "Is there an old friend of yours who is very good at chess?"
Zeng Yidao shook his head, but his eyes became particularly gentle: "Not really, she always makes a mess after the start, and it's impossible to teach her."
Su He breathed a sigh of relief.
It seems that the "old friend" is not my mother!
My mother is not only good at chess, but also very smart. She is not the kind of person who cannot be taught.
She casually asked, "Where is your old friend now?"
Zeng Yidao paused when he heard this, and his hand holding the chess piece hung in the air for a long time before he placed the piece into the game.
His voice was hoarse: "He passed away."
Su He also paused: "It is my fault for being so presumptuous."
Zeng Yi replied, "No problem."
Both of them fell silent, concentrating on the chess game in front of them.
In the fierce fight, Su He gradually lost the upper hand and was on the verge of defeat.
Zeng Yidao changed his strategy and removed a decisive move, allowing Su He to come back to life.
He still smiled gently: "This round is a draw."
Su He said apologetically, "My skills are not as good as yours, thank you for letting me."
Zeng Yidao said as he put away his chess pieces, "You're so skilled at such a young age, it's already quite impressive." Then he changed the subject, "But you also need to identify your mistakes that led to your last move."
Su He's expression slightly restrained: "Sir, is there something else you mean?"
Zeng Yidao filled her tea cup again and said, "Yesterday, your brother had a long conversation with a woman on the second floor of the teahouse."
"Brother?"
"Li Jianye, son of Li Taian."
Su He suddenly remembered that he had such a nominal brother.
She replied, "My brother's detailed conversation with the woman seems to have little to do with me."
Zeng Yidao smiled and said calmly, "That woman is Zhang Qian'er, the niece of the third branch of the Xie family."
Su He fell silent.
She could guess without much thought that nothing good would happen if these two people got together.
But he said: "Sir is really amazing. He knows the front gate and back house of the capital city clearly."
Zeng Yidao said calmly, "People come and go in teahouses every day. After a while, you'll be able to figure out some tricks."
Su He also looked indifferent: "It seems that Master has also seen through my tricks."
Zeng Yidao drank tea from the cup, smiling but saying nothing.
After a moment, he added, "Li Jianye has reserved two adjacent private rooms in the teahouse for three days, namely the 'Bishuixuan' and 'Xiangchage' on the second floor."
Su He was slightly stunned, thinking carefully: "Why book two rooms?"
"Perhaps one for him and one for everyone else?"
"Peek?"
Zeng Yidao answered the question irrelevantly: "I hope Madam will be careful in everything so as to prevent any accidents."
Su He stood up and thanked him solemnly: "Whether it is in the chess game or outside the chess game, sir, you have always been able to bring me back to life."
"Madam, you are safe. I am happy."
"Why are you helping me, sir?"
Zeng Yidao paused and said, "I said it was because of that 'old friend'."
"There must be a deeper reason, right?"
He smiled and said, "Just go with the flow."
Seeing that he was unwilling to elaborate, Su He stopped pressing him, bowed, thanked him, and left.
On the way back home, she kept thinking about what kind of "sparks" would collide between Li Jianye and Zhang Qianer. Are they sure that it will be directed at her?
Who else could they hate besides her?
But it’s only three days away, and we’ll know the results soon.
The carriage sped all the way and arrived smoothly at the gate of Xie's mansion.
Su He had just gotten off the carriage when she met Zhang Qian'er and her maid coming back from outside.
The mansions of the Xie family are adjacent to each other, and their gates are naturally adjacent as well.
Zhang Qian'er was stunned when she saw Su He, then she raised her chin and stepped forward, not even bothering to perform formalities or pretend to be polite. "My eldest aunt is ill in bed right now, and it's fine that the young lady isn't by her bedside, but you're still in the mood to go out for a stroll?"
Su He smiled slightly: "Miss Qian'er, how did you know that I went out just to hang out?"
Zhang Qian'er's eyes lit up, and she looked like a smug person: "Those who know would say that the young lady went out for a stroll, while those who don't would think that the young lady went out to meet a wild man."
Su He also took a step forward and approached her: "Miss Qian'er, an unmarried woman, actually keeps saying the word 'wild man'. Those who know would say that Miss Qian'er is outspoken, while those who don't would think that Miss Qian'er has poor personal ethics."
Zhang Qian'er gnashed her teeth and said, "Who is guilty of moral flaws? Sooner or later, the truth will be revealed. By then, everyone will point fingers at her and spit on her. I'm afraid the young lady won't even have a place to cry."
Su He instantly understood the deep meaning in her words.
Could it be that the incident three days later would ruin her personal morality?
Su He's expression remained unchanged. "As the old saying goes, those who do too much evil will eventually perish. I hope Miss Qian'er will be kind-hearted and careful with her words and actions, and not make any mistakes that will cause eternal regret."
Zhang Qian'er's voice trembled with anger: "I'm not as eloquent as you, so I can't argue with you, but remember, your end will come soon."
After she finished speaking, she glared at Su He fiercely and turned to enter the third room's mansion.
Su He looked calm as she walked into the main house.
Zhang Xiuhua was worried: "Miss, do you think that after Li Jianye and Zhang Qian'er got involved, they will make a big fuss about your identity?"
Su He replied in a deep voice: "Let them do whatever they want, we will fight back if they come."
After she finished speaking, she wrote another letter and asked Ah Si to take it to Zeng Yidao at Wuyou Teahouse.
Li Jianye was also writing a letter at this time.
The first letter was written to Su He, in the name of Li Taian, asking her to meet in the private room of the "Xiangcha Pavilion" of Wuyou Tea House at 1:00 p.m. three days later, saying that there was something important to discuss and hoped that she would come on time.
Li Jianye imitated Li Taian's handwriting for a long time before he succeeded in doing so. In the end, he even stole Li Taian's seal and stamped it on the letter.
Li Taian is the head of the Li family and the father of that little girl, so she dared not not come.
Afterwards, Li Jianye also wrote a letter to Zhang Qianer, the general content of which was that everything was ready and they just had to go to Wuyou Teahouse to watch the show in three days.
He sealed the letter and told Niu Er to go out and deliver it.
As soon as Niu Er left, He Manyun entered Moxiangyuan.
She was carrying a medicine bag in her hand and started chattering as soon as she entered the room: "Ye'er, I asked someone to get me some folk remedies. I heard they are very effective in relieving coughs. Ask the servants to boil them later and take them for a few days. Maybe you will recover soon."
Li Jianye started coughing again after hearing this, and his face was full of impatience: "Mother has come up with so many folk remedies, but have they had any effect at all?"
"Because it doesn't work, we have to keep looking. What if we find something that works?"
Li Jianye was a little hysterical: "Mother, please wake up. It's useless. I am a useless person. Just accept your fate."
He Manyun shouted, "I refuse to accept my fate."
This loud shout startled Li Jianye.
The air was silent for a moment.
He Manyun softened her tone and continued, "Even though we have a bastard son, Li Mingze, he's still young. Your father, at his age, may not be able to see him grow up. As long as you can stabilize your condition and then marry and have children, your child will still be the eldest grandson of the Li family, and you can still be the head of the family."
Li Jianye started coughing again, his face flushed and he couldn't stop.
After coughing, he sneered: "Let me ask you, which family would be willing to marry their daughter to a tuberculosis patient?"
"Don't worry about that. I already contacted Wang Po across the street yesterday. Even if I can't marry a noble lady from the city, there's no shortage of unmarried girls in the brothels."
Li Jianye choked and was speechless for a moment.
Back then, he was considered the legitimate son of the high and mighty Li family. When it came to marrying a wife, there were countless women lining up for him to choose from. But now, he was sick and his mother had fallen out of favor, so he had no choice but to marry a wife from a brothel.
The culprit behind all this is Li Shuli.
That fake Li Shuli!
His voice was hoarse: "Don't worry, mother. I will soon bring disgrace upon Li Shuli."
He Manyun was confused: "Why did you provoke her again?"
He replied, "I have a feeling of suffocation in my heart. If I can't let it out, I will feel uncomfortable."
He Manyun was panicking: "But what if... we lose again?"
He clenched his fist secretly: "This time, I will not lose."
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