70 Chapter 70
◎Meeting an old friend again◎
After the You hour, Xie Mingzhuo returned to the palace.
As soon as I stepped into the Palace of Heavenly Purity, I was met by four pairs of eyes. Three pairs were filled with gossip, and only one pair said "I can't lead you with these stupid teammates."
She shook her head helplessly in her heart, washed her hands carefully, and sat down at the dining table.
“Ask whatever you want to ask, and tell me everything you know.”
In one word, the curtain of "family trial" was opened.
"How old are you? Where are you from? How many people are there in your family?"
"Twenty, originally from Shandong, he's the only one in his family."
“…”
Who could have imagined that the first question would lead to complete silence? Being three years older was still acceptable, and being from Shandong wasn't a problem, but being the only child in the family still shocked them.
Xie Mingzhuo was surprised: "Why don't you ask?"
"Shao Shao, can you tell us how you got to know him?" Meng Qi asked cautiously.
"I mentioned to you before that there's a pretty good squad leader in Anlu, and that's him."
Although she recounted her experience of going out in detail, she tried to be objective when telling the story and kept addressing him as "Lin Bantou". The four people didn't take it seriously at all.
They were not the kind of people who cared about family background. Besides, they themselves were just ordinary people in modern times and had no prejudice against Lin Fan, who came from a class leader background.
Moreover, according to Shaoshao's description, this squad leader is indeed capable and has decent character.
Xie Changfeng: "He still doesn't know your identity?"
"Um."
"Are you planning to keep it a secret from him?"
"Let it be," Xie Mingzhuo said. "Besides, the Lin family still has a case pending, and he probably doesn't have a good impression of the royal family."
The four of them knew something was going on and asked hurriedly, "What case?"
Xie Mingzhuo told them about the Lin family case, but the information she found was too superficial, and her guess was just a guess, without any real evidence.
"Then I will issue an order to overturn the verdict?" Xie Changfeng's heart of justice burned when he learned that the Lin family had suffered such a tragic fate.
"Ten years have passed since the case, and a lot of evidence has probably been destroyed. It's not easy to successfully overturn the verdict. The only way to successfully overturn the verdict is to investigate the secrets behind the Lin family case."
Xie Mingshuo also put aside his dissatisfaction and actively participated in the discussion: "Little sister, you are right. Based on my years of experience, the Lin family case is definitely not that simple. If Guizhou were not so far away and the language barrier was not there, I would immediately set off to conduct an in-depth investigation."
"If Lin Fan is Lin Xizhou, then what about Lin Xizhou's body?" Xie Mingxuan asked.
Xie Mingzhuo had already learned the truth about this issue from Lin Fan.
"When the Lin family case occurred, Lin Fan and Song Qianqi were hunting in the mountains. Song Qianmu was the first to learn the news and personally went to the mountains to inform them, helping him escape from Guizhou. The body was that of an orphan in the village who had died of a cold. He was found two days after his death. Song Qianmu felt sorry for him and had planned to help him with his funeral."
It was indeed unfair to the child to be stabbed after death, but there was no other way at the time and he had to resort to this last resort.
The Yang family of Bozhou had never met Lin Xizhou and didn't know what he looked like, so they were fooled. Even if they found out something was wrong later, they wouldn't have made a big fuss to look for him.
Meng Qi sighed: "How did a ten-year-old child escape from Guizhou to Anlu? I wonder how much hardship he endured."
Poor thing, he didn’t even get to see his loved ones for the last time.
Xie Changfeng: "Shao Shao, what are you going to do?"
"Let's see tomorrow."
The next day, Xie Mingzhuo finished the court meeting and went to Wenhua Hall to attend classes as usual.
The end of August is already late autumn, and the weather is getting colder day by day. If you are not careful, you will catch a cold as soon as you wake up.
Changwei is old, and perhaps he caught a cold. He often coughs while teaching, and his complexion is not as energetic as before.
He taught more and more attentively, not limiting himself to the basic Four Books and Five Classics. He talked about everything, including historical kings and ministers, the profound meaning behind various national policies, the necessity and risks of reform events, and what he saw and heard when he traveled around the country in his youth.
Xie Mingzhuo listened very attentively. She had a good memory, but she still took notes on paper.
After the lecture, she respectfully saw her teacher out.
Before leaving the hall, Chang Wei tied his cloak, held up the small round pot, and said with a smile: "Princess, please stay."
The navy blue cloak looked very familiar. It was a gift from Xie Mingzhuo when he first came here. It didn't fit him well, but Changwei still used it to keep warm.
"Teacher, take care of yourself."
Chang Wei looked at her with a kind look in his eyes: "Thank you for your concern, Princess. I will take note of it."
Meng’s House in Huanghuafang.
Before Jiang Qing could knock on the gate, it was opened from the inside. She met a pair of eyes that contained a hint of surprise, but then the surprise disappeared.
"Miss Meng... busy with official duties?"
Jiang Qing nodded. Isn’t it busy?
He has to attend court in the morning and review memorials in the afternoon. He is busier than the emperor.
"Second Lady asked me to take you to the government office to transfer your property."
The princess will not come in person to buy the house, so the owner of the house is now Jiang Qing.
Although Lin Fan felt strange, he thought that Miss Meng must have some inconvenience, so he did not ask any more questions.
The two of them spoke in silence along the way until they went to the government office to sign the deed, and the house was officially under Lin Fan's name.
"I have to go to the East City Market to buy some things for the Second Lady. Do you want to come with me? And help me pick some out as well." Jiang Qing said after leaving the yamen.
Lin Fan couldn't possibly refuse anything related to Miss Meng.
In the past few days, the Jinyiwei had figured out Song Qianqi's movements. When he first arrived in the capital, he was curious about everything, running from East City to West City, and from South City to North City.
After running around, I decided to settle down in a teahouse in Dongcheng.
The storytelling in this teahouse is lively and interesting, and is well-known throughout the capital. It is crowded with customers every day, and if you arrive late, you won't be able to squeeze in.
Song Qianqi lines up on time every day and always gets the front row.
Today is no exception.
The teahouse opened at the end of the Si hour, but he got up at the Mao hour to reserve a seat. His attendants also brought a small stool for the young master to sit down and rest.
Jiang Qing led Lin Fan all the way to the teahouse.
"Second Lady should have told you yesterday that we must go deeper into Guizhou. You are familiar with the local customs and topography, and you understand the dialect. You are the most suitable person to go."
Lin Fan nodded and said seriously, "Are you taking me to see Song Qianqi?"
As a foreigner, he would definitely attract attention if he went to Guizhou rashly, but if he could sneak into the returning team through Song Qianqi's relationship, the risk would be much smaller.
This plan requires Song Qianqi's "cooperation".
Song Qianqi sat at the door of the teahouse, with a plate of roast duck in his left hand and a bunch of grapes in his right hand, looking very relaxed.
No wonder everyone wants to come to Beijing. Beijing is so interesting, with countless delicious food and fun things to do. If his eldest brother hadn't disagreed, he really wanted to settle down in Beijing.
The roast duck is freshly baked, roasted to a crispy and fragrant state, and dipped in the store’s special sauce, it is so delicious that you can’t wait to swallow your tongue.
Few people are so casual in public. Although the onlookers are used to it, they still think it is disrespectful.
Song Qianqi didn't care what others thought. After the birthday celebration, he would return to Guizhou. Who would still remember him?
He picked up the last piece of duck leg and was about to bring it to his mouth when his peripheral vision suddenly stopped.
That's not—
Song Qianqi decisively dropped the roast duck and quickly chased after her. He was about to call out "A Zhou" but remembered that they were in public and A Zhou's identity was inconvenient, so he quickly changed his words and said, "Girl!"
He jumped in front of Jiang Qing, smiling happily: "Last time, your young lady helped me out, and I haven't had time to repay you yet."
Although Feng Caiyu was the one who was executed last time, when Song Qianqi walked to the carriage to thank Xie Mingzhuo, he also saw Jiang Qing and remembered her face.
Isn't this a ready-made excuse?
Jiang Qing said calmly, "It's just a small favor, Mr. Song, don't take it to heart."
"This is no easy task. If it weren't for the young lady's help, wouldn't Li Si's grandson have succeeded?"
He deliberately destroyed the image of the Central Plains people and provoked confrontation between the chieftains and the court. If it were not for the fact that trouble was not allowed in Huitong Hall, he would have beaten the guy so badly that he would not recognize his parents.
After a few days of fermentation, the dirty deeds done by Li Si had spread throughout the streets and alleys, and the people in the capital all knew that Prince Li Si of Goryeo was a despicable villain who destroyed peace.
These days, he could only hide in Huitong Hall and didn't dare to go out for a stroll.
This matter is not big or small. Even if Li Si succeeds in his plan, it will not have serious consequences.
But Feng Caiyu's witty stroke of genius that day has always been talked about by the people of the capital.
Look at my Daqi girl, she is smart and generous!
Lin Fan had heard about it when he was staying at the inn, and he cheered for the girl who rescued him in his heart, but he didn't expect that the person who rescued him was the Miss Meng he had been thinking about.
For a moment, I felt proud and my eyes were filled with smiles.
Song Qianqi had been observing with his peripheral vision and was puzzled when he saw this. The last time they met in the alley, A Zhou's attitude was quite cold, and there was no surprise of "meeting an old friend in a foreign land".
He could understand Azhou's indifference. He must have had a hard time in the past ten years. Due to the risk of his identity being exposed, he could not get too close to the Guizhou chieftain who had just arrived in Beijing, so he had to pretend not to care.
Now the joy is written all over her face, it must be because she has an excuse to "get to know" him.
Song Qianqi's thoughts went around in circles, and he finally came to the conclusion that "Azhou is also thinking about his old friend."
Since that's the case, he can't let Azhou down.
"If Young Master Song is truly grateful, please continue to serve the court." Jiang Qing nodded slightly and said reservedly, "We have other matters to attend to, so we'll go first."
"etc!"
Song Qianqi quickly stopped her and said abruptly, "Miss, this man and I hit it off right away. I'd like to treat him to a drink. Is that convenient?"
Jiang Qing: “…”
Lin Fan: “…”
Can you act any more fake?
"Sorry, we have to go do something for the girl and have no time to drink." Jiang Qing declined the invitation.
Song Qianqi laughed exaggeratedly and said, "So you are also that girl's man. May I ask your name and where you live?"
The girl’s people…
Lin Fan tasted a hint of sweetness and replied politely, "My name is Meng Fan, and I live in Huanghuafang."
Meng Fan? Even his given name and surname were changed.
Song Qianqi felt sorry for his childhood playmate, but it was better to change his name so that he could be close to him. The surname Lin would easily remind people of the Lin family of the past.
Also coming with him this time were the Tian family of Sizhou, the Yang family of Bozhou, and the Luo family of Shuixi.
To be on the safe side, it’s better to change your last name.
"Brother Meng, I'm Song Qianqi."
Lin Fan bowed, "Brother Song."
"I wonder what the young lady and Brother Meng are going to do. Can I accompany them?" Song Qianqi didn't want to miss this opportunity.
A Zhou only mentioned Huanghuafang, but Huanghuafang is so big, who knows where he lives.
Jiang Qing: "Just buying some things, so boring."
"Haha, I'm not bored."
“Not as interesting as storytelling.”
Song Qianqi said hurriedly, "You can listen to storytelling anytime, but it's better to make friends sooner rather than later. Please help me, young lady."
"Okay."
At 3 p.m., Jiang Qing returned to the palace and went to the Qianqing Palace to report today's progress to Xie Mingzhuo.
Xie Mingzhuo lowered his head to listen to the first recital, then raised his head and asked, "What time is it?"
"Your Highness, it's two quarters past three in the afternoon."
"Let's go to the martial arts arena and practice some exercises."
Jiang Qing followed her and whispered, "Your Highness, before I left, Master Lin asked me when you would take a rest."
"The day after tomorrow." Xie Mingzhuo felt that no matter how busy he was with official duties, he couldn't just abandon the person.
Jiang Qing was curious: "Why not tomorrow?"
"He has his own things to do tomorrow," Xie Mingzhuo thought for a moment. "After noon tomorrow, send a batch of autumn crabs over and tell him about the lunch the day after tomorrow. I want to taste the autumn crabs."
Jiang Qing thought of the delicious autumn crab and happily agreed.
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