Chapter 5: Gathering Information in the Market
In front of the mansion.
Song Qianzhao stood with his hands behind his back, gently waving a folding fan, his eyes fixed on the gilded plaque.
The two words "Song Mansion" are written with powerful strokes.
This is where her confidence comes from.
She subconsciously straightened her back to make herself look more like a descendant of an official family.
She had to clean up the mess Song Fu had made. Although she couldn't use the power of the Song family, she could still use the Song family's reputation.
In his eyes, what Song Fu caused was just a small matter.
But Song Qianzhao understood that this matter was of no trivial importance.
The water was too muddy and Song Fu couldn't tell how deep it was.
When he was in the countryside of Ruzhou, he was just a poor scholar. Although his ancestor was a distinguished person like Song Jian, he had no connection with Song Jian. It was impossible for Song Jian to help him often. At most, Song Jian would bring some things to the clan during the New Year and hand them over to the elders for distribution, and Song Fu would take some of the profits.
After all, Song Fu was a poor man, a poor man who was so poor that he had to pawn his belongings in order to go out to study.
Ever since he was adopted by Song Jian, the poor man who suddenly became rich was bound to pick up some of the habits of the nouveau riche.
Unfortunately, his vision, courage and wisdom did not keep up.
In the past, when he and Song Fu traveled around to study, his knowledge was barely sufficient.
But once he stepped into the vortex of power struggle in the capital, his shallow knowledge and strategy were no longer enough, and he could only become a pawn in other people's chess game.
It's like a sheep that originally got along well with the flock, but once it mistakenly walked into a wolf's den, it would be wiped out in the blink of an eye.
But Song Qianzhao is different. Her vision, courage and wisdom are broader than Song Fu's.
So the things that she could see clearly at a glance were always confusing to Song Fu.
Song Fu treated this as an ordinary family matter.
But Song Qianzhao clearly understood that this was a huge matter.
Who is Song Jian?
He served in two dynasties and served as prime minister three times.
How could anyone who dares to spend time planning and scheming against Song Jian be an ordinary person?
What Song Qianzhao has to do now is to find out the person behind this and his purpose.
Song Qianzhao understood why He Jingyi had such a subtle smile on his face when she asked to see Song Fu.
Because what Song Fu said was only superficial, he didn't understand the deeper meaning.
Until now, Song Fu still doesn't know that he is being plotted against, nor does he know the purpose of that person plotting against him.
She didn't even know whether she should feel sad or happy to have such a father?
With such a shallow and ignorant father, she no longer needs to hide her identity as a time traveler in front of Song Fu. She only needs to use a little trick to make Song Fu have no doubts about her.
But with such a shallow and ignorant father, she could not expect to be a wealthy and idle person in the capital. She could not rely on her father to provide her with shelter from the sun and wind, but she had to rely on her to provide her father with shelter from the sun and wind.
"well……"
She sighed softly, twirling a folding fan in her hand, and walked out of Ma Xing Street.
Xun Jiu asked doubtfully, "Master, the sun is about to set. Where are we going?"
"Let's go to the winery, teahouse, and shoe shop and see how lively the capital is." She replied casually.
Xunjiu nodded.
The Song Mansion attendant who came out with them looked at Song Qianzhao in surprise.
He was not an ordinary follower. His father was one of the first servants to follow Song Jian, and he himself had served Song Jian for many years.
Xunjiu didn't understand the purpose of going to the winery and other places, but he understood.
The bustling parts of the city have always been the places with the best news.
The capital city is huge and hides many secrets.
The capital city is also very small, and many secrets cannot be hidden.
The small talk in teahouses and taverns always reveals fresh secrets.
Ma Xing Street is relatively quiet, with only a few shops.
If Song Qianzhao wanted to find a lively place, he had to bypass the White Horse Temple and Shanling Palace and go to Yin'an Street.
Yin'an Street is busier than Maxing Street.
When Song Qianzhao entered Yin'an Street, he saw a restaurant and a shoe shop.
The shop was mostly populated by coolies, drinking herbal tea from earthenware bowls and chatting. In contrast, the restaurant's clientele was more affluent.
Most of them are servants in the mansions of wealthy families. When their masters are in a good mood, they will reward them with some money. They will gather in groups of three or four, buy some wine and snacks, and sit together to chat for a long time.
Song Qianzhao's outfit doesn't look like someone who would go to a shoe store.
So she found a seat in the restaurant.
The waiter came forward to greet him attentively. Song Qianzhao ordered a pot of liquor and a dish of boiled beans. He sat in the restaurant and ate and drank without saying a word.
He sat there for half an hour.
Half an hour later, she told her attendant to settle the bill, and then she took Xunjiu and her attendant to the next restaurant.
As they walked, Xunjiu scratched his head and asked in confusion, "Why don't we fill our stomachs at the same store instead of running around?"
Song Qianzhao smiled and said, "This time we're here to try something new. If it tastes good, we'll naturally become repeat customers. If it doesn't, we won't come back again. Since we're going to be staying in the capital for a long time, eating is the most important thing. We can't afford to compromise."
Xunjiu scratched his head and said, "But the one we tried just now was also quite tasty!"
"Maybe the next owner will be more to my liking."
The two chatted casually and arrived at the next house in a blink of an eye.
In this way, the three of them shuttled back and forth between the restaurants, tea houses, and shoe shops on Yin'an Street until dusk when they finally reached the end of Yin'an Street.
Xunjiu had a feast today and was very satisfied. When he arrived at the street corner, his belly was full.
Song Qianzhao didn't move her chopsticks much because her mind was not on eating.
After an afternoon of inquiries, Song Qianzhao got a lot of useful information.
The news that Song Fu had pawned the imperial gift had already spread widely.
Moreover, it also verified his speculation that Song Fu was indeed framed by someone, and the one who framed him was the Wang brothers.
How could a mere sixth-rank imperial censor dare to plot against a first-rank minister without knowing how to live or die? This is unknown to the public.
Song Qianzhao felt that he had to ask someone to find out the Wang brothers' intention to plot against Song Jian.
In addition to blaming Song Fu for ruining Song Jian's reputation, the people all thought that he would also suffer.
The reason they were so sure was that the rhinoceros belt pawned by Song Fu was an extraordinary item.
Hearing that it was a unique black sky rhinoceros that was presented as tribute from a foreign country in the early years, Emperor Taizong asked the craftsmen to make two rhinoceros belts, one for his own use and the other to be given to Song Jian.
Taizong had passed away a long time ago, and his rhinoceros belt was buried with him in the Xuan Palace of the Diling Mausoleum.
The rhinoceros belt in Song Jian's hand is a unique piece in the world.
Not only is it priceless, it is also recorded in the imperial archives.
The fact that even the imperial court coveted it showed how rare it was.
Everyone believed that Song Jian would be in trouble, but he did not because of the emperor who was bedridden due to illness.
It is said that this emperor who was obsessed with cultivating immortals had dreamed four days ago that a goddess came down to earth, bestowed upon him the fate of immortality, and invited him to ascend to the immortal world together.
After waking from the dream, he issued an imperial decree: At the beginning of every ten days, everyone must fast and bathe for ten days. If he was not available, the prince would do it on his behalf. When the ten-day period was up, he would wait for the goddess' blessing.
It was precisely because of these ten days of fasting and bathing that Song Jian was able to avoid disaster.
This is also the reason why He Jingyi reminded her that she still had three and a half days.
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