Chapter 169 Staff

Song Mo is not at home.

Wuyi told Gu Yu: "Mrs. Mei has passed away!"

Gu Yu was shocked: "How could Mrs. Mei die? I didn't hear any news before." In his impression, Mrs. Mei was always energetic and healthy, how could she die just like that? ! He also remembered that when he followed Song Mo to Jiang's house, Mrs. Mei made mung bean cakes to entertain them. He and Xie Xiu played around, and Mrs. Mei just sat under the veranda and looked at them with a smile, her eyes full of love. He seemed to have returned to the time when his mother was alive, and was a carefree child... That kind of warmth and steadiness is something he will never forget in his life.

His tears burst out suddenly.

"How could this happen? How could this happen?" Gu Yu choked up, tears blurring his vision, "Why didn't Brother Tianci tell me? Otherwise, I would have rushed back..." With regrets in his heart, he asked Wuyi again, "When did Madam Mei die? How many days has Brother Tianci been gone?"

His emotions infected Wuyi.

Wuyi's eyes were instantly filled with tears, and she sobbed, "Since Third Master Jiang left, Madam Mei has been feeling a little uncomfortable. She was afraid that our Crown Prince and Second Master would worry, so she endured it and didn't show any clues. Shi An was in the outer courtyard and didn't notice anything. If our Crown Prince hadn't been worried about Madam Mei a few days ago and sent Mr. Yan to visit her with some medicinal herbs and supplements, I'm afraid she wouldn't have known that Madam Mei had been bedridden for quite some time... Madam Mei only had time to tell Mr. Yan to take good care of the Crown Prince before she passed away..."

Gu Yu was heartbroken.

There was a sound of hurried footsteps outside.

"Brother, haven't you returned from Haozhou yet?"

The childish voice was filled with deep worry.

It turned out to be Song Han.

Gu Yu was stunned and asked, "Why didn't Tian En go to Haozhou?"

Wuyi lowered his head and murmured, "The Duke said that the journey is long and the Second Master still has a lot of work to do, so the Crown Prince can go to pay homage on behalf of the Duke of Ying's Mansion."

Gu Yu was furious and said, "Mrs. Mei is the grandmother of Tianci and Tianen! Is it possible that the bloodline is cut off now that my aunt is gone?"

It is so cruel of the British Duke to do this!

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Han walked in with a pout.

"Brother Gu," he saw that Gu Yu's eyes were red, and asked, "Are you here to see my brother too?"

His ink-stained eyes were filled with fear like a deer.

Gu Yu's heart softened, and he couldn't bear to blame Song Han. He nodded and said, "I just came back from Jiangnan... I didn't expect that Mrs. Mei passed away."

Song Han's tears fell like raindrops: "I don't know when my elder brother will come back? I didn't even get to see my grandmother for the last time... I miss my mother..."

Gu Yu's eyes were moist, and he comforted Song Han awkwardly: "It's okay, it's okay, Brother Tianci will be back soon, and Madam Mei knows that you have a lot of homework, so she won't blame you..."

Song Han burst into tears.

A guard walked in respectfully, and said to Song Han in a half-pleading, half-helpless voice: "Second Master, the Duke is looking for you everywhere, you should quickly follow me back to the Upper House! Otherwise, if the Duke blames you, I will have a hard time explaining myself..."

Song Han wiped his tears.

Gu Yu jumped up and slapped the guard, yelling, "Damn it, do you have the right to speak here?"

The guard's name was Li Dasheng. He was assigned to Song Han by Song Yichun not only because he was loyal to Song Yichun, but also because he was highly skilled and flexible. Although he did not expect Gu Yu to suddenly attack, Gu Yu had only practiced martial arts with a boxer for a few years, so his skills were slightly more flexible than others. Compared with a guard like him who had practiced martial arts since childhood, he was still far behind. With Li Dasheng's skills, it would be easy for him to avoid Gu Yu, but Gu Yu's move was specially practiced and never missed, so Li Dasheng was hit hard.

He looked at Gu Yu in surprise.

Gu Yu had already stepped back a few steps and waved his hand. The two followers who followed him rushed to Li Dasheng like lightning and punched him. The house was filled with a sound like tearing cloth.

Li Dasheng's face changed drastically, and he remembered the rumor that Gu Yu was always guarded by two top masters given by the Empress...

As he retreated in a hurry, he called Song Han "Second Master" as if for help, but he did not dare to fight back with all his strength - the Duke of England had once instructed him not to easily have friction with the people of Yizhitang.

Gu Yu didn't even look at Song Han, but stared at his two followers with a stern expression.

The two followers understood and punched Li Dasheng mercilessly...

Song Han's eyes were gloomy and he seemed to want to say something but stopped.

Li Dasheng's skills were not as good as Gu Yu's two guards, and he was also cautious and lost the initiative. After just a few rounds, he was knocked to the ground by Gu Yu's followers.

Gu Yuyou was still not satisfied and shouted loudly: "Who do you think you are? How dare you point your finger at my nose and talk to me! Beat you up! If you die, it's my fault!"

The two continued to beat up Li Dasheng, who was already bruised and battered, but their punches and kicks were obviously not as powerful as before.

A noisy sound of footsteps was heard before the person arrived: "Master Gu, please show mercy, please show mercy! It was Li Dasheng who was ignorant and bumped into you. Please, for the sake of our prince, don't bother with him..."

As the conversation progressed, Song Yichun's aide Tao Qizhong hurried in.

"Mr. Gu!" He smiled and saluted Gu Yu.

Gu Yu showed an expression that said "Forget it, I won't bother with you" and nodded slightly to the two followers. The two followers quickly withdrew their hands and returned behind Gu Yu.

"Take him back!" Gu Yu said condescendingly, "If you don't know the rules again, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"Thank you, thank you!" Tao Qizhong quickly bowed and signaled the people around him to help Li Dasheng, took Song Han's hand, and greeted Gu Yu.

Song Han tried to break free from Tao Qizhong's hand, but Tao Qizhong held it even tighter.

He obediently stopped struggling.

Tao Qizhong took Song Han and Li Dasheng away from Yizhitang.

Gu Yu's eyes were fixed on Song Han and Tao Qi's clasped hands, his face gloomy.

※※※※※

Song Mo soon learned about what happened in Yizhi Hall.

He lifted the window curtain of the carriage and looked out the window for a long time in silence.

Yan Chaoqing's eyes flickered slightly.

They were passing through Zhending County.

Will the prince go to see the fourth lady of the Dou family?

Song Mo stared at the city wall in the distance quietly until it disappeared from his sight. Then he lowered the curtain, turned around and sat down, and said to Yan Chaoqing calmly, "I'm afraid I'll have to trouble Mr. Yan to pay more attention to this matter in the future."

Because of Mrs. Mei's sudden death, they were unable to find out about the past of Song Mo's parents.

The Jiang family now has old and young people, and there is no one to make decisions. Fortunately, there is Shi An, who has enough experience in the underworld and can at least guarantee the safety of the women and children in the Jiang family.

Yan Chaoqing replied "yes" respectfully and comforted Song Mo: "Don't worry, my Lord. There is no impenetrable wall in this world. As long as we pay attention, we will be able to find out some news sooner or later."

"I hope so!" Song Mo sighed slightly.

Now all clues are broken!

He thought of Dou Zhao.

If it were Dou Zhao, what would she do?

When they first met at Tianzhuang, Chen Qushui had only discovered her identity, so she was able to deduce that something had happened to her uncle and that she was ordered to escort the child to Tan's manor. She quickly came up with a solution and forced herself to give in. Mr. Yan and Xu Qing had only asked her for help out of help, and even when Mr. Yan and Xu Qing didn't know why they were being hunted, she quickly realized that something had happened to her and arranged for the guards around her to go to Kyoto overnight... She has always been good at discovering anomalies from the details, and then unraveling the mystery.

If I could get her help...

As soon as the thought came to his mind, Song Mo immediately shook his head.

He couldn't drag Dou Zhao into this anymore.

If her father finds out, he will definitely use whatever means to punish her.

I wonder what she is doing now?

Song Mo thought of her nimble skills when she climbed the tree; he thought of her leisurely figure squatting in the chrysanthemum garden under the sunshine at noon in autumn; he thought of her calmness and indifference when she pointed at the okra soup.

He couldn't help but smile knowingly and asked Yan Chaoqing, "How's the situation with Gu Yu going?"

Yan Chaoqing grinned and said, "I never thought that when Master Gu is arrogant, he is more arrogant than anyone else, but when he is serious, he is more serious than anyone else... Several doctors in the Ministry of Works were flattered by him and lost their way. They said that Luo Wei, the head of the Ministry of Works, requested the emperor to dredge the old road in the east of Kaifeng City, and the emperor has approved it. They asked Master Gu to ask the Minister of Works, Mu Chuan, the Grand Academician of Zhongji Palace, to help him. If there is anything in the Ministry of Works in the future, they can also ask Master Gu."

"This is the Wang family's business." Song Mo also laughed after hearing this. "He's snatching food from the tiger's mouth, so be careful."

"So if Master Gu is serious, he is also a capable person." Yan Chaoqing said with a smile, "Master Gu has been very close to Wang Qinghuai, the son of the Marquis of Yan'an, these days. He plans to work with Wang Qinghuai to dredge the Kaifeng River."

Song Mo raised his eyebrows and sighed, "Gu Yu, you've really grown up." His tone was filled with relief and a hint of emotion, like a parent who had lost his hands to a babbling child.

Yan Chaoqing laughed out loud.

Song Mo also laughed for a while, then his expression gradually became serious, and he pondered: "For five consecutive years, the Yellow River has burst its banks in Kaifeng. The Ministry of Works has wanted to rebuild the old city of Kaifeng several times, but the emperor kept it to himself. The treasury has not been full in recent years. Why would the emperor dredge the Kaifeng section of the Yellow River in addition to dredging the canal? This matter is most likely related to the dispute between several cabinet ministers... Liang Jifang's ability is limited, and it is not enough to scare the other cabinet ministers. It is still unclear who will influence the cabinet's intentions in the end, so we should pay more attention."

Yan Chaoqing nodded solemnly and said, "My Lord, I would like to recommend someone to you."

In the past, Song Mo was just the prince of the Duke of Ying's mansion, and the Duke of Ying made the decisions on major matters, so he only had to assist Song Mo from the side. Now that Song Mo and the Duke of Ying have fallen out, things have suddenly become complicated, and he feels a little overwhelmed as he is alone.

Song Mo also wanted to train his own staff, but he had not found any good candidates. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "Mr. Yan, please speak."

"This man's surname is Liao, his given name is Qing, and his courtesy name is Bifeng. He was born in the year of Guimao, and is from the same hometown as me..."

As Yan Chaoqing spoke, Song Mo was a little distracted.

Chen Qushui is indeed a talented person, but unfortunately, Dou Zhao cannot do without him.

The thought flashed through his mind, and he quickly collected himself and listened carefully to Yan Chaoqing's introduction of Liao Bifeng's situation.

At this time, Chen Qushui was talking to Dou Zhao about the Song family: "... Most of the people who knew me have been purged by Song Yichun. I think no one will recognize me after I dress up."

"No!" Dou Zhao rejected Chen Qushui's proposal without thinking: "Before Song Mo has an absolute advantage, you must not show up in Kyoto. I'll let Cui Shisan take care of this matter. He has Tian Fugui to help him now, so he has a lot of free time."

"Miss," Chen Qushui said solemnly, his expression straightened, "To break off the engagement with the Wei family, the Crown Prince's wife of the Duke of Jing's mansion is the key. Do you think that Cui Shisan, at his age, can understand the Crown Prince's wife's mind?"