Chapter 52: Retribution 3 How much does the lady know about Zeng Yidao...
Seeing this, An Zi chased after Xie Wuhen and tried to stop him: "Master Xie, there is no need to rush for a moment. Please allow me to go up and report first."
Wu Sheng gave a wink to the officers, and the two officers understood and stepped forward to grab An Zi.
An Zi beat his chest and stamped his feet, "My master is a recluse, detached from the world, how could he tolerate being disturbed by people like you!"
Xie Wuhen ignored him and went straight up the stairs.
A flash of lightning flashed across the sky, casting a blue shadow on the wooden stairs.
Then there was a loud "bang" of thunder, which seemed to blow the whole world apart.
Xie Wuhen's expression remained unchanged as he walked from the first floor to the second floor and then to the third floor.
There is an open terrace on the third floor. Due to the heavy rain, the terrace has become a puddle.
Next to the terrace is a huge tea room with the door ajar. There are many potted flowers and plants on the outdoor corridor.
It looks like a quiet and elegant residence!
Xie Wuhen stepped forward and pushed open the half-closed wooden door.
The gaping doorway was like a mouth slowly opening, and the scene of the teahouse gradually came into view.
Another flash of lightning flashed across the sky, and the blue light illuminated the steaming teapot and the two people playing chess next to the teapot.
For a moment, Xie Wuhen felt like he was dreaming, and the scene before him seemed both real and illusory.
He recognized the silhouette of the woman in front of the tea table at a glance, especially the hairpin on her head, which was made of gold and decorated with jade. He remembered that his wife often wore such a hairpin on her head.
A dull thunder rolled by, as if waking up the two people playing chess in front of the tea table.
They all turned their heads and looked at him solemnly.
The moment the three gazes met, the world suddenly became quiet, the thunder stopped, the lightning disappeared, and it seemed that even the rain outside the house became silent.
The three gazes showed surprise, surprise, caution and suspicion.
Wu Sheng outside the door was also confused in an instant.
He could never have imagined that the distinguished guest with "no simple background" in Zeng Yidao Tea House was actually the young lady!
If he had known this, he should have let the shopkeeper know in advance.
The room was silent for a moment.
Then Su He stood up to greet him, "My husband, why are you here too? Are you here to pick me up?"
After all, it was raining heavily, so it was understandable that he came to pick her up. But how did he know she was here?
There was still a faint moisture on Xie Wuhen's body, and his eyes were dark and deep, like the surface of a lake in the darkness, with some unpredictable power flowing in the calm.
He looked at her meaningfully and said, "I came here specially to see Mr. Zeng and take my wife back home." After saying that, he looked at her solemnly again, then passed by her and came to the tea table, sat in the position where Su He had sat before, picked up the teacup that Su He had drunk from and took a sip of tea.
He had a stern and handsome face, and his every move revealed his arrogance and intimidation.
Zeng Yidao stood up and saluted, "I didn't know that you, the Shaoqing, would come so suddenly. Please forgive me for my neglect."
Xie Wuhen chuckled and looked at him inquiringly.
The man was over fifty years old, with elegant manners and fair skin. Even his clasped hands showed the anemic white color that comes from not seeing the sun for years. He looked like a reclusive guy who could keep a secret.
He said, "Mr. Zeng felt it was unexpected because the shop assistant failed to inform him in time. If he had informed him earlier, he wouldn't have felt it was so sudden."
Zeng Yidao continued to apologize: "I blame myself for my poor teaching. I hope Your Excellency will forgive me."
"Mr. Zeng, you are too kind." Xie Wuhen lowered his eyes and glanced at the chessboard on the table. "How about I play this game with Mr. Zeng?"
He also said: "Although it is a dead end, it also has an opportunity to live again."
Zeng Yidao smiled slightly and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Shaoqing."
Su He stepped forward and poured him a cup of tea. "My dear husband, you may not know that Mr. Zeng is not only an expert in chess, but also a master of tea making. My dear husband, please try the tea that Mr. Zeng brewed with snow water."
Xie Wuhen raised his eyes to look at her, and said something with a hint of meaning: "Madam, you know Mr. Zeng's situation very well?"
Su He replied, "I often come here to drink tea, and after a while, we naturally became familiar with each other."
"I see." He still had something else in his words.
The two then began to play chess.
In the endgame, Su He was already at a disadvantage, but Xie Wuhen turned the situation around with just a few moves.
He was extremely fast and thoughtful, pressing Zeng Yidao's chess pieces step by step until he finally surrounded them all.
He breathed a sigh of relief: "Mr. Zeng lost."
Zeng Yidao's expression remained unchanged, still maintaining a dignified and polite demeanor, unperturbed by praise or criticism. "As expected, the latecomer prevails. Zeng's skills are inferior to mine, so I admit defeat."
Xie Wuhen smiled, playing with the chess pieces in his hand, and instructed Su He: "Madam, please go to the carriage downstairs and wait. I have a few words to talk to Mr. Zeng alone."
Su He was silent for a moment.
She suddenly remembered that Xie Wuhen had recently been investigating the tea artist, so she asked tentatively, "Mr. Zeng...didn't you violate the laws of Liang?"
She seemed to be asking Zeng Yidao, and also seemed to be asking Xie Wuhen.
Xie Wuhen's eyes were slightly cold, but a smile still hung on his lips: "My lady, don't worry too much."
Su He then responded "yes", bowed, and walked out of the tea room slowly.
The rain outside had subsided, and the puddles on the terrace reflected the gloomy sky.
She crossed the porch, walked down the stairs, and stepped into the carriage. She whispered to Chunlan, "Remember to ask Mr. Wu about the meeting between the uncle and Mr. Zeng."
Chunlan whispered "yes".
In the tea room.
Xie Wuhen drank the tea that Su He had poured in a few sips, savored it carefully, and said in a loud voice, "Mr. Zeng's tea art is indeed the pinnacle."
Zeng Yidao said calmly, "Your Excellency, I am truly humbled by your compliments. I feel truly ashamed to accept them."
"Mr. Zeng, there is no need to be so modest. Otherwise, why would even my wife often come here to drink tea with you, Mr. Zeng!" As he said this, he picked up the teapot and poured himself another cup of tea.
Zeng Yi replied, "Mrs. Shaoqing and I met over tea, and we became friends because of it. Although I am a commoner, I am much older than you and have always treated you like a younger brother or nephew. Although we occasionally play chess and drink tea together, we always get along well and follow proper etiquette. I hope you, Master Shaoqing, will not blame me."
Everything he said was meant to prove the innocence of him and the Shaoqing's wife.
Xie Wuhen seemed nonchalant: "I don't mean to blame Mr. Zeng for this."
Then he asked, "Mr. Zeng, you don't think that I came here today just to cause trouble, do you?"
Zeng Yidao smiled faintly: "I dare not speculate on the purpose of Shaoqing's visit."
Xie Wuhen put down the chess piece he was playing with, his face becoming more solemn. He asked directly, "I wonder which school of tea ceremony Mr. Zeng learned from?"
Zeng Yidao secretly clenched his fists, but his face remained calm and composed. "To be honest, I come from a humble background, my life as lowly as an ant. How could I possibly have the energy to learn tea from a high-ranking family? My tea art is just a bunch of unconventional techniques, a patchwork of learning here and there, and it can't be considered part of any particular school or sect."
Xie Wuhen asked again: "Even if you are a bit of a jerk here and there, there must be a master to guide you, right?"
Zeng Yidao replied, "I've had dozens if not a hundred masters. They were all ordinary people, not worthy of being worthy of a noble position."
Xie Wuhen's tone was meaningful: "It seems that Mr. Zeng is a self-taught master!"
Zeng Yidao bowed his head and said modestly, "Your Excellency, you are too kind. I am just a businessman who makes a living from the tea ceremony. How can I be considered a master?"
Xie Wuhen took another sip of tea and asked casually, "I wonder if Mr. Zeng knows the tea art master Zeng Wusheng?"
Zeng Yidao paused after hearing this: "Zeng Wusheng? Isn't this the founder of Western tea art?"
"It seems that Mr. Zeng knows this person?"
"Master Shaoqing has overestimated me. If I had the good fortune to meet a master of the Western School, I wouldn't be reduced to selling tea on the streets for a living."
"You two have the same surname and clan."
"This is Zeng's good fortune."
Xie Wuhen stared at him for a moment, then stood up and said, "I apologize for disturbing you today, Mr. Zeng. If I need any more trouble from you in the future, I hope you will cooperate."
Zeng Yidao also stood up and bowed, answering the question irrelevantly: "I am a commoner with nothing to offer, but I have some experience in making tea. If Your Excellency would like to have some tea, I am always at your service."
Xie Wuhen said "thank you" and walked out of the tea room with his long legs.
Zeng Yidao watched his back until he disappeared at the stairs on the side of the porch...
As they went downstairs, Wu Sheng asked, "Boss, do you think Zeng Yidao is suspicious?"
Xie Wuhen replied: "This person is not simple, and is also extremely cunning. Keep an eye on him for the time being."
Wu Sheng kindly reminded: "How about asking the young lady after returning home?"
He glanced at him coldly: “If you don’t speak, no one will think you have no tongue.”
Wu Sheng choked and immediately fell silent.
In the carriage, Su He was chatting with Chun Lan when she suddenly saw Xie Wuhen enter the carriage.
Chunlan bowed to him, turned around and exited the carriage, and squeezed into a seat in the front room with Wu Sheng.
There were only the couple left in the car.
Su He took a towel and wiped the moisture off his body. "You are still working on this rainy day. Thank you for your hard work, my husband."
He snatched the handkerchief from her hand, wiped it hastily twice, and threw it on the table, saying, "My wife also came out to drink tea on a rainy day. So, it must be hard work for you."
He didn't even look at her when he spoke, and there seemed to be a hint of displeasure in his expression.
Su He was confused for a moment. Did he have to control her if she went out for tea?
She carefully folded the towel and placed it in a bamboo basket beside her. She explained evasively, "Today, I wanted to go out to visit a rouge shop, but it started raining. When I passed by the Worry-Free Tea House, I went in to take shelter."
Xie Wuhen finally raised his eyes to look at her, then smiled, "Now that the rain has subsided, let's go back home together."
His smile was a little forced, but his tone was gentle and his eyes were gentle.
Su He's chest relaxed a little, and he responded obediently, "Okay."
With a whip sound, the carriage drove through the rain curtain and headed towards Xie Mansion.
In just a quarter of an hour, the group arrived safely.
It was already dark, the wind was howling, and the rain was about to come again.
As soon as Xie Wuhen entered the house, he dismissed the servants and closed the door.
He pulled Su He to sit at the table and said, "I have something I want to ask my wife."
Su He was confused: "Husband, please feel free to ask if you have any questions."
He pursed his lips slightly, and said in a serious tone: "Madam, how much do you know about Zeng Yidao?"
Su He observed his expression and vaguely sensed his suppressed emotions: "What do you mean by this, my husband?"
He replied: "This person is related to the case I am investigating."
Su He was stunned: "Could it be... a murder case?"
She remembered that when they were playing chess today, Zeng Yidao said that his hands were also stained with human blood.
Xie Wuhen replied: "Madam, just tell me what you know."
He looked so serious, as if he was interrogating a prisoner.
Su He was inexplicably annoyed: "My husband is the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple. If he wants to know a person's background, shouldn't it be easy for him to find out? Why does he have to interrogate this poor concubine?"
He secretly clenched his fist and asked, "Why, is it that my lady is reluctant to tell you?"
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