Xiao Jue finished playing the piano, accepted everyone's praise, and returned to her seat. After this, He Yan no longer had the interest to feast her eyes. Who knows if other people will come and want to see her other talents? What if they want her to write calligraphy or compose poetry? She couldn't just say "I have an appointment with my husband" to evade the question.

He sat there trembling with fear until the end of the meal, but luckily nothing went wrong. After the meal and the wine were full, everyone left. He Yan followed Xiao Jue out, and it was only at this time that he could talk to Cui Yuezhi alone.

Cui Yuezhi's oldest concubine walked beside He Yan, slightly behind Cui Yuezhi and Xiao Jue. This concubine was older than He Yan, looked gentle and honest, and her surname was Wei. Aunt Wei said, "The young master is really good to the young lady."

He Yan was stunned for a moment, and was about to say "Why do you say that?", but then she changed her mind and said with a smile: "Yes, my husband loves me very much, and he usually obeys me in everything and supports me in everything. I also think that I am really blessed in my previous life, and I was able to find such a perfect husband in this life."

Aunt Wei laughed and said, "It is said that women from Jiyang are straightforward. I think the young lady is the one who has something to say."

He Yan secretly laughed in his heart, giving Xiao Jue a title of "spoiling his wife excessively", so that during these days in Jiyang, wouldn't he be able to do whatever he wants with this "title". Xiao Jue probably didn't expect that he would dig a hole for himself!

While they were talking, the two of them had already entered the main hall of the mansion. I don't know which concubine Cui Yuezhi had already prepared hot tea and was waiting for them to enter.

Cui Yuezhi sat down on the chair and waved his hand: "All of you go down."

Several concubines and servants went downstairs.

He smiled again and said, "Qingqing, Yuyan, sit down."

Although Cui Yuezhi was a middle-ranking cavalryman, he was not arrogant and looked no different from a soldier in the army. He looked honest and kind, but he had a pair of bright and sharp eyes, just like a long sword that looked blunt and heavy, but when it was unsheathed, it was terrifying.

Xiao Jue and He Yan sat down on the chairs beside him.

"I was going to come back to pick you up yesterday, but the princess invited me to a banquet, so I couldn't come back for a while. We are finally able to meet today." He looked at Xiao Jue carefully for a while, and sighed: "Just now at the banquet, I just thought you were good-looking. Now that I look carefully, you do look a bit like my deceased elder brother."

He Yan: “…”

"He looks a bit like me." Cui Yuezhi said, "You are worthy of being a member of the Cui family."

He Yan: “…”

Xiao Jue nodded.

"When you were just born, I held you in my arms. You were only as big as two of my fists? Or maybe only one." Cui Yuezhi said, "My elder brother was reluctant to let me touch you. Later, you were taken away..." His eyes dimmed, "My elder brother and his wife were thinking about you before they died. If they could see you being born so well today, they would be very happy."

Xiao Jue was silent.

Cui Yuezhi laughed himself, "Look at me, why are you talking about these unhappy things for no reason? It's a waste of time! Yuqing, Yuyan, you came at the right time. In a few days, it will be the Spring Equinox, the Water God Festival in Jiyang. We must join in the fun. I guarantee you won't want to leave after you come."

He Yan was surprised: "Spring Equinox?"

"What's wrong?" Cui Yuezhi said, "But something is wrong."

"No, no." He Yan laughed, "It's just that my birthday is also the spring equinox... a few days later, what a coincidence."

"Really?" Cui Yuezhi was also surprised for a moment, then burst into laughter, "It seems that Yuyan and our Jiyang are quite predestined! Her birthday happens to coincide with the Water God Festival, Qingqing, you must celebrate Yuyan's birthday well then."

Xiao Jue glanced at her and said, "Okay."

They talked for a while, and Cui Yuezhi stood up and said, "Xunqing, Yuyan, come with me to the ancestral hall to burn incense for my elder brother and his wife. You haven't seen each other for many years. If they are still alive, they will be very pleased to know that Xunqing has now started a family and a career."

He Yan and Xiao Jue followed him to the ancestral hall. After Cui Yuezhi finished burning incense, it was already late, so Cui Yuezhi asked the servants to take them back to the house to rest early. They would go out and play in Jiyang City tomorrow.

When the two returned to the house, He Yan could not wait to sit down on the couch first, saying, "I am so tired! I have been sitting upright for a whole day. Pretending to be a woman is really not a job for humans. Even training in the martial arts arena is much easier than this."

"Pretending to be a woman?" Xiao Jue chuckled, "It seems that you really don't consider yourself a woman."

He Yan was also helpless, thinking that the couple Xiao Jue found were also talented. If she were to play the role of "the daughter of a military commander" or "the girl who helps the boatman at the dock to move stones and carry firewood", she would be able to do it perfectly.

Xiao Jue took off her outer garment and placed it on the wooden table beside the couch. He Yan sat up and said, "Thank you so much today. If you hadn't helped me, something terrible would have happened."

"Don't I dote on my wife excessively, obey you in everything, and think of you in everything?" The second son of Xiao said with a sarcastic tone, "It's my duty."

He Yan: "Did you hear that?"

Although it was all fake, it was still embarrassing to be heard by Xiao Jue. She smiled and said, "I am doing this to make our relationship more loving and real. Don't be angry, Master."

As they were talking, someone knocked on the door. He Yan said, "Come in."

Cui Jiao and Hong Qiao each came in carrying a food basket, took out the dishes inside and placed them on the table. He Yan was stunned and asked, "I didn't ask anyone to cook anything."

"I called." Xiao Jue said, "Leave it here and get out."

Cuijiao and Hongqiao followed instructions and left the inner room.

He Yan was surprised: "Are you not full? You were at the banquet just now."

Xiao Jue sneered: "I don't know who is so restless because of Ling Xiu that he is like a frightened bird and doesn't even want to eat." He asked: "What's the outcome?"

He Yan nodded: "You found it."

Xiao Jue: "Everyone has discovered it."

"Is it that obvious?" He Yan was very skeptical, but when he saw the food on the table, he immediately became happy again and said, "So these are specially given to me? Thank you, Master! Master, you have such a kind heart. There is no one better than you in the world."

"Don't say it," Xiao Jue frowned slightly, "It makes people feel sick."

He Yan was already used to the way he spoke, so he pulled him to sit down at the table, "Just treat it as a midnight snack, you can eat with us."

“No.”

"Eat, eat," He Yan pulled his sleeve to stop him from leaving, and gave him a pair of chopsticks, "Look, there are two pairs of chopsticks here, originally prepared for two people, I can't finish it by myself. Help me, Master."

Xiao Jue seemed to have heard some joke and said calmly, "Miss He may have underestimated her appetite."

"Although I have a good appetite, I'm not a glutton." He Yan said, "Besides, have you ever heard of the saying 'beauty is a feast for the eyes'? I can normally eat three bowls of rice, but after seeing Young Master's appearance and demeanor, I can eat five bowls."

Xiao Jue choked for a moment, "Are you a pig?"

"Don't say such harsh words." He Yan said, pushing a plate of winter bamboo shoots with shrimp roe and three-loofah rolls in front of him, "Don't you like eating this? Eat it."

Xiao Jue was startled for a moment, then looked up at her: "How do you know?"

He Yan stuffed a piece of steamed thousand-layer cake into her mouth: "I saw you pick up two pieces with your chopsticks when I was having breakfast, and again at the lunch banquet. You won't touch anything you don't like, so I guess you must like it. But you're so strange, why do you like to eat vegetarian food, are all rich people so particular?" No wonder your waist is so thin, she thought.

Xiao Jue did not answer her, but just lowered his head and ate slowly.

He Yan didn't care about him. When she was young, she wanted to be a man. Because she was afraid of being exposed, she liked to think about details when she had nothing to do. After all, details determine success or failure. She had watched all the men in the He family carefully. At one time, some people thought he had mental problems. Later, when she was in the army, she got better. After all, she had been a man for many years and had already had experience.

If she really wanted to observe a person, she would definitely observe him very carefully. Moreover, since Xiao Jue was with her day and night, it was too easy for her to know what he liked to eat and what he disliked to eat.

"Is your birthday really after the Spring Equinox?" He Yan was eating happily when he suddenly heard Xiao Jue ask this.

She paused for a moment, but didn't show it on her face. She said nonchalantly, "How is that possible? I just said it casually. What if Lord Cui wants to give me a birthday present? Wouldn't it be a good opportunity to make a fortune?"

Xiao Jue snorted: "Liar."

"How can I be considered a liar?" He Yan pushed on and retorted boldly, "I think it was you who acted flawlessly at the banquet today and fooled everyone. What 'I have an appointment with my wife'... Hahaha, Young Master, to be honest, I never thought I would hear such words from you."

Xiao Jue watched He Yan tease him leisurely, and when she had laughed enough, he asked, "Is it funny?"

“It’s very funny.”

He nodded: "Then you will handle it yourself in the future, Mrs. Qiao."

He Yan couldn't laugh anymore.

She said, "Master, I just said it casually, please don't take it to heart."

Xiao Jue ignored her and drank the soup slowly.

"Stingy." She said, "It's really stingy, which is amazing."

Xiao Jue remained unmoved.

He Yan's eyes rolled and she softened her voice: "My husband, I was wrong. Please forgive my rudeness. I will never do it again. My husband, my husband?"

Xiao Jue couldn't stand it any longer: "...Shut up!"

He said, "Speak to me nicely."

He Yan understood that the cold and ruthless Governor Xiao was a person who would only respond to soft words and not to hard ones. She burst into laughter.

The laughter reached the next room, and Fei Nu and Chi Wu, who were playing mahjong with Lin Shuang He, raised their heads at the same time.

Chi Wu sighed, "To put on such a show, the governor is really working too hard. So is He Yan, who almost thinks of herself as a woman. If they are like this, what reason do we have not to work hard?"

Fei Nu was speechless. Hearing this, Lin Shuanghe couldn't help laughing and said, "Yeah... indeed, I've been working very hard."

…

At night, one person still sleeps on the bed and the other sleeps on the side couch.

The next morning, He Yan woke up a little late. When he woke up, he saw Xiao Jue standing at the door talking to Fei Nu Chi Wu.

After He Yan washed up, Cui Jiao and Hong Qiao brought breakfast from the kitchen. He Yan said to Xiao Jue, "Master, it's time to eat."

"Eat by yourself." Xiao Jue said, "I have something to do today and I'm not at home. You and Lin Shuanghe stay at home and don't run around."

"Are you going out? What are you going to do?" He Yan asked, "Can you take me with you?"

Xiao Jue was speechless for a moment, then said, "It's inconvenient."

He Yan hesitated for a moment, walked over, and asked in a low voice: "Are you going to look for Chai Anxi's whereabouts?"

After hearing this, Chi Wu was stunned. He didn't expect Xiao Jue to tell He Yan about this.

"Good. Bringing you along would arouse suspicion."

He Yan nodded: "Okay, then you go."

It was rare for her to be so straightforward and not cling to him like a tail, which surprised Xiao Jue for a moment. He looked at her thoughtfully.

He Yan turned around and walked into the house: "Go quickly if you want to. If I change my mind, you won't be able to get rid of me."

Xiao Jue said nothing and left with Chi Wu and Fei Nu.

After they left, He Yan finished breakfast alone. Cui Yuezhi was not at home, as he had gone to train his troops early in the morning. He Yan went to the next room to look for Lin Shuanghe, but found nothing. The maid who served Lin Shuanghe smiled and said, "Butler Lin went out early in the morning and said he wanted to buy some things and would be back later."

He Yan thought about it for a moment and understood. Lin Shuanghe was not a real housekeeper. He had been following Xiao Jue around for the past few days, so he must have been bored. Xiao Jue was out today, so she had some free time. Naturally, she was free and went out to have fun all day. But this person was so unkind that he didn't even invite her when he went out. Maybe he was afraid that she would come back and complain to Xiao Jue?

However, Lin Shuanghe's move hit He Yan's heart exactly.

She has been in Jiyang City for a few days, but because she is now "Wen Yuyan" and stays with Xiao Jue all the time, she has no spare time to inquire about Liu Buwang's whereabouts. Today, Xiao Jue and Lin Shuanghe are not here, so she can act alone.

When Liu Buwang said goodbye to her, he once said that if they had the chance to pass by Jiyang in the future, there was a teahouse at the foot of the mountain outside Jiyang City. If they wanted to look for him, they could go to the teahouse and ask, and maybe they would have a chance to meet again.

He Yan put on his outer clothes and packed his things. Seeing this, Cui Jiao asked, "Madam, are you going out?"

"The young master and the housekeeper are not here today, and I am alone in the house without knowing anyone. It's boring. Let's go out and take a look. The weather has been very good these days, so why not go for an outing in the mountains outside Jiyang City?"

The two girls looked at each other in bewilderment. What on earth was going on?

"It's settled." He Yan said, and after thinking for a moment, he put the nine-section whip that could be stretched into several pieces in his arms, turned around and walked out the door: "Let's go."

…

Without Xiao Jue, He Yan was free and unrestrained.

She was a guest of the Cui family, so naturally no one in the Cui family dared to stop her. Zhong Fu was worried about her going out alone, so he wanted her to bring two guards from the Cui Mansion, but He Yan sternly refused.

"I'm just going to take a walk around here. I won't go far. Besides, it's broad daylight and in public. No one should be so bold as to come. Butler Zhong can rest assured. I'll go find my husband in a while. The two guards beside my husband are highly skilled in martial arts and are more than enough for us."

Zhong Fu then reluctantly agreed.

After leaving Cui's house, He Yan asked Cui Jiao to hire a carriage not far from the mansion and asked the driver to go out of the city.

Hong Qiao asked cautiously, "Madam, are we really going to leave the city?"

"Either leave the city or go to the Qiyun Mountain outside the city to take a look," He Yan said, "I passed by Qiyun Mountain when I came here, and saw the beautiful scenery on the mountain, which made me yearn for it. Today happens to be free, so it's better to go now than to wait for a day."

What she said sounded like the truth, and the two little girls did not suspect anything.

When they arrived at the city gate, He Yan showed the token Cui Yuezhi gave her to the gate guard. When the gate guard saw that she was from Cui's house, he easily let He Yan pass and let her leave the city.

Qiyun Mountain is just outside the city gate, and the road is not difficult to walk. When they reached the foot of the mountain, He Yan gestured, "I'm a little thirsty. Why don't we look for a teahouse nearby and sit down to rest for a while before going out again."

Cui Jiao and Hong Qiao naturally would not say anything bad, so Hong Qiao got off the carriage and said, "Madam, please take a rest in the carriage first. I will go down and take a look."

Not long after, Hong Qiao came back and said with a smile, "There happens to be a teahouse nearby, not far away. Madam, I will help you down and we can walk over directly."

He Yan readily agreed.

Not long after they walked, they saw a thatched teahouse under a locust tree at the foot of the mountain. There were groups of drinkers sitting there drinking tea and chatting.

He Yan went forward and asked for a few cups of tea and some snacks, so that Cui Jiao, Hong Qiao and the driver could moisten their throats.

"Madam, I am not thirsty."

"I'm not thirsty either."

"How can you not be thirsty after such a long journey?" He Yan said, "Drink, I'll go ask the shopkeeper if there's anything fun nearby."

Without waiting for the two to answer, He Yan walked straight forward.

The owners of the teahouse were a middle-aged couple, with green cloth wrapped around their heads and dark skin, which was probably a little red due to the heat. When the lady saw He Yan, she asked, "Miss, are the tea and snacks not to your taste?"

He Yan smiled and said, "No, I came to ask you about someone."

"Ask about someone?" The shopkeeper put the handkerchief on his shoulder. "Who do you want to inquire about, young lady?"

"His name is Liu Buwang," He Yan gestured, "He is a head taller than me, very good-looking, about forty years old, carrying a zither and a sword, and likes to wear white clothes, like a swordsman." He paused, and added: "Not necessarily in white clothes, anyway, he is a very elegant man."

After all, she and Liu Buwang haven't seen each other for many years. Maybe Liu Buwang doesn't like to wear white clothes now.

The old lady thought for a moment, smiled, and said, "Miss, the person you are talking about is Yunlin, right?"

"Mr. Yunlin?"

"Yes, we don't know his name either, but every year a few days after the Water God Festival, he would show up at our teahouse and ask us for a cup of tea. As for Yunlin Jushi, we heard others call him that, so we followed suit. We don't know his last name either, but according to what you said, he was wearing white clothes, looked elegant, looked good, and was carrying a zither, so he must be this person."

He Yan was delighted and asked, "Do you know where he is now?"

"Miss, you are really putting us in a difficult position." The shopkeeper said, "In this place, we don't ask people where they came from. Of course, we don't know where he is now, but don't be discouraged. He comes here every year after the Water God Festival. I think he should be in Jiyang City now, so he can catch the Water God Festival during the Spring Equinox."

He Yan was embarrassed. Jiyang City was not small. If she borrowed Cui Yuezhi's troops, it might not be difficult to find Liu Buwang. Unfortunately, this matter could not be known to others, so naturally she could only go looking for him alone.

Not so easy.

Seeing that she looked strange, the old lady asked, "Girl, who is he to you? Why are you looking for him?"

"It's... an old friend I haven't seen for a long time." He Yan smiled bitterly, and after a moment, he continued, "If after the Water God Festival this year, that Yunlin layman comes here to drink tea again, please ask the shopkeeper to help pass on a message to him for me, saying that Ah He is now in Jiyang, and ask him not to leave yet, but to stay here and wait for us to meet."

"Okay." The shopkeeper said with a smile, "I'll take it with me!"

Only then did He Yan feel relieved.

She returned to her seat in the teahouse and sat down. Cui Jiao and Hong Qiao asked, "Madam, the tea is getting cold."

"It won't taste good when it's cold, so I won't drink it." He Yan said. To be honest, with the lesson from her previous life, she really didn't dare to drink tea outside casually.

The two maids looked at each other for a while, and Hong Qiao asked, "Madam, have you decided where to go?"

"I just asked the shopkeeper, and he said there are wolves on the mountain these days, so it's best not to go up the mountain." He Yan lied without changing his expression, "I thought about it, and I feel that it's too dangerous for a few weak women like us. So we won't go up the mountain for an outing today, let's go straight back home."

Driver: “…”

He hesitated to speak, and finally said nothing. How could this be possible? She came out for a stroll, did nothing, and then went back. This was just a joke. The lady of Huzhou was someone you couldn't mess with. She was obviously arrogant because she was spoiled!

That’s too much!

…

On the other side, Xiao Jue and the other two found the location of Cuiwei Pavilion.

Lei Hou said that the person who contacted him by letter was in Cuiwei Pavilion in Jiyang. Xiao Jue suspected that this person was Chai Anxi, but now, the shop in front of him has become a piece of black charred wood. If you smell it carefully, you can still smell the burning smell.

"This Cuiwei Pavilion was originally a jewelry store," the spy who answered the call said with a bow, "half a month ago, a fire broke out one night and burned Cuiwei Pavilion to the ground. The clerks and the storekeeper, as well as the new accountant, Mr. Chai, were all killed."

The person is gone and the clues are gone.

"Have you seen any corpse?" Xiao Jue asked.

"It was all burnt to ashes. There were no corpses. The neighbors all said it was a terrible thing. Cuiwei Pavilion has always been here. The government said it would be renovated in a while, but the surrounding shops closed because they thought it was unlucky."

Chiwu threw the silver ingot to the spy, who put it in his arms, bowed to them, and disappeared into the crowd.

Xiao Jue looked at his back and said after a while, "He ran away."

The fire did not start earlier or later, but happened to break out half a month ago. Apparently, the fact that Lei Hou was captured was exposed, and the golden cicada had just escaped from its shell.

"Do you want to continue investigating, Master?" Fei Nu asked, "Now the clues are cut off..."

"No need to check." Xiao Jue turned around.

They were both stunned.

"Since I know I've been exposed, the other party is hiding his identity and must be hiding in the dark, waiting for an opportunity to strike. The enemy is in the dark, and so am I, so there's nothing I need to do."

"Just wait," he said.

－－－－－－－A side note－－－－－－－

Chiwu: Don’t ask, if you ask, it’s a cross-dressing guy (.