The man pointed to the groove on the wooden block and said, "Look here, it's been polished smooth and the color is darker than other places. It's obviously not a dent caused by damage. There should also be a raised piece that fits perfectly."
After he finished speaking, he started searching, but these pieces of wood could not be found anywhere, and it was basically impossible to find a piece that fit perfectly.
"You won't find it. The mansion is too big, and the wood is too fragmented. Don't bother."
The man sighed, picked up another piece, and said, "Then take a look at this one. It has bumps and grooves. The long groove here was probably for making a drawer, but it was cut off."
Su Wenyuan stared intently at the wood in his hand, completely unaware that someone was standing behind her.
"Were these things deliberately damaged like this?" Su Wenyuan asked.
The man nodded and said, "It must have been intentional. What a pity, the craftsmanship is so exquisite. I really want to meet the person who made this."
"Who is the princess talking to?" Sheng Jingyu gritted her teeth, staring straight ahead, silently telling herself not to get angry.
Before Su Wenyuan could answer, the man asked in alarm, "Are you the princess?"
Seeing his flustered expression, Su Wenyuan couldn't help but laugh and said, "You're new to the capital and don't know anyone, yet you dare to talk nonsense? Aren't you afraid of losing your life because of it?"
"I... I just got too excited looking at these pieces of wood." The man said weakly, pointing to the pile of things.
Su Wenyuan said, "I can have as much of this as you want, but I have a few questions for you. Where are you from, and what are you doing in the capital?"
Sheng Jingyu had a gloomy face, feeling that he had been ignored.
Su Wenyuan not only didn't answer his question, but also ignored him, staring only at the man of unknown origin in front of her.
The man's name was Nian Huaizhong. His family owned several shops, all of which were for handicrafts.
My mother was a skilled embroiderer and a well-known embroiderer in the area. My father was a blacksmith, and my uncles and aunts were carpenters.
Anyway, my family has been doing this kind of work for generations, and we have a lot of skills passed down.
He enjoyed studying these things when he was a child, especially ingenious mechanisms and weapons.
He can also make things like bows and crossbows.
My main purpose in coming to Beijing this time is to find a master to learn from.
Before they could find the expert, they saw the things that Su Wenyuan had thrown out.
After listening, Su Wenyuan nodded and said, "Is that so? Do you have a place to stay? How about I arrange a place for you?"
Nian Huai swallowed nervously and said, "Will I die if I refuse?"
"Not necessarily," Su Wenyuan teased him with a smile.
The fact that he could find problems from such a pile of junk shows just how capable he is.
Su Wenyuan was just worrying about what to do with this pile of stuff when he arrived.
Let him investigate; he'll surely get some useful clues.
With a bitter face, Nian Huai said, "I don't know you. I didn't mean to come here to talk to you."
Su Wenyuan said, "I know, I want you to help me study these pieces of wood and see if I can... reassemble them, or make them exactly as they were. I'm curious about what they looked like before they were damaged."
Nian Huai hesitated, unwilling to agree, yet reluctant to part with the pile of broken wood, and somewhat afraid of Su Wenyuan's identity.
Ultimately, they agreed.
After all, Su Wenyuan had already set her sights on him, leaving him no choice but to accept.
Su Wenyuan had the items sent to Prince Chen's residence, along with Nian Huaizhong.
"From now on, you will live in the Prince Chen's residence, and someone will arrange everything for you." Su Wenyuan smiled and handed the person over to Ye Shan.
After Nian Huai left, Sheng Jingyu said with dissatisfaction, "You don't even know his background, and you're just sending him to the Prince Chen's residence like this? Aren't you afraid something will happen!"
"I'm not afraid." Su Wenyuan scoffed. "How could it be such a coincidence?"
She didn't believe most of what Nian Huaizhong said, but the part about the wood was definitely true.
This person appeared at a convenient time, but also provided her with some useful information.
We'll find out their true purpose in time.
"Have Ye Shan send someone to keep an eye on things, and if he goes out, arrange for someone to follow him. That way, it won't be considered sending him to Prince Chen's residence, but rather keeping him locked up there!" Su Wenyuan grinned.
Sheng Jingyu nodded and said, "If there's any unusual movement, kill him."
"Don't be so rude," Su Wenyuan advised.
In one afternoon, the Marquis of Anle's residence hired more than a dozen carts, filled them with waste, and then delivered them to the Prince Chen's residence.
Previously, when the Su family was cleaning up, they gave all their belongings to the poor people in the vicinity, but this time they didn't give anything away.
Su Wenyuan was busy until evening, but she didn't get much work done. She just kept walking around, as if she was looking for something.
She had walked all over the mansion and had a general idea of its situation.
Sheng Jingyu stayed with her like that, without complaining or saying much, being very obedient.
Only after the two had boarded the carriage did Su Wenyuan ask, "Why did you come here? Wasn't it better to stay at home?"
"I'm keeping an eye on them so they won't slack off," Sheng Jingyu explained confidently.
Su Wenyuan laughed and said, "They are much more reliable than you. They should be given more rewards. Do they lack money?"
Su Wenyuan rarely questioned the guards in the manor, but she used them frequently.
There are quite a lot of people, and no matter how many arrangements Su Wenyuan has, she can manage to keep up.
"We don't lack, but we don't think we have too much."
"Then I'll give you a bigger reward."
That evening, Sheng Jingyu gave Ye Shan another instruction, demanding that he thoroughly investigate Nian Huaizhong.
That year, I didn't sleep a wink all night, just stayed by those pieces of wood, picking and choosing, and occasionally I would laugh out loud with excitement.
The maidservant sent to serve him thought he had some kind of illness and was so frightened that she didn't sleep all night.
Su Wenyuan instructed that whatever requests he made should be met as much as possible, and that they should be observed for a period of time before making any further decisions.
But that night he only asked for paper and pen, and nothing else.
The next morning at breakfast, Meng Qi said mysteriously, "I went to see him last night. This man, Nian Huaizhong, seems a bit off. Should we ask Hua Ling to take a look at him?"
Su Wenyuan waved her hand and said, "No need, everyone has their preferences, or maybe he just likes... wood, let him be."
After breakfast, the maid brought Su Wenyuan a piece of paper with a list of what he wanted.
They were all materials and tools, so Su Wenyuan just glanced at them and told them to get ready.
At the same time, Ye Shan told her that not only was Wu's mother willing to come, but the other two were also willing.
After thinking for a moment, Su Wenyuan said, "Tell Nian Huaizhong that he has too much stuff and his place is not big enough to hold it all. Move to the east side. I remember there is an open space and several empty courtyards in the east."
Ye Shan nodded and said, "Yes, the place is remote and no one lives there. It's been empty all this time."
"Let's arrange them all together, it'll save us trouble."
For several days in a row, Su Wenyuan went out early and returned late, and there was only one place she went to: the Marquis of Anle's residence.
When Sheng Jingyu is busy, he doesn't have time to spend with her, but whenever he has free time, he will definitely spend time with her.
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