"He said: Lord Zhou was born in an ordinary family. He entered the government at the age of 25 as the top scholar in the second list. He was cautious and sharp in his methods. But he was very gentle and always gave people a way out. Therefore, his career was smooth and glorious. He once competed with Li Ge Lao for a position in the cabinet. But at that time, because some of Li Ge Lao's ideas were more in line with the emperor's wishes, Li Ge Lao was promoted."

When Qi Wu said this, he thought of the light in Yang Xiangdong's eyes. This kind of person must be the one he admires.

"Lord Zhou was defeated and retired immediately. He retired in a dignified manner and arranged a good future for his son. Lord Li's wish was fulfilled and he did not suppress him excessively."

Wen Yu blinked, "But why don't I understand? Are you saying that the person behind this is Lord Zhou? But he lost and has retreated. Why should Yang Xiangdong trust him?"

"I asked the same question. Yang Xiangdong hesitated for a while before telling another story. When he was young, his family was ordinary, but he was very good at studying! He easily got the first place in the exam. At that time, there was a family in his hometown, which was also a wealthy family for hundreds of years. The surname was Yuan. The head of the Yuan family donated money to become an official.

There is an eldest son in the family who is very much loved. He always wants him to pass the imperial examination.

Seeing that Yang Xiangdong's family was average but he was a good student, she hoped that he could take her son with her. She treated him like a study companion, gave him money, bought him writing materials, clothes, paid for his tuition, and treated him very generously.

The son of the Yuan family has a good personality, but he is not very good at studying. Yang Xiangdong is going to take the imperial examination, and he is only a student.

Yang Xiangdong went to the province to take the imperial examination. When he returned home after passing the examination, he found that Yuan's family had been raided...

Wen Yu let out a cry...

"The Yuan family father and son were beheaded, and all their property was gone. Yang Xiangdong asked around and learned that they were colluding with bandits..."

"This technique is really skillful!" Wen Yu murmured.

Although Qi Wu just passed by, the destruction of a family that had lasted for hundreds of years must have been bloody and involved countless deaths... Wen Yu felt uncomfortable as her former prosperous days were gone.

"Later, Yang Xiangdong went to Beijing to take the imperial examination and was recruited by the Li family as a son-in-law. As Li Ge Lao and his father-in-law went out to socialize, his uncle pointed at a person and whispered to him about the dispute over joining the cabinet.

Then, he saw Mr. Zhou, and the ancient jade on his waist...

In his spare time from studying, the son of the Yuan family liked to show off to Yang Xiangdong, and he showed him all the precious items in the house, including an ancient jade.

The uncarved jade plaque has a white background with yellow patterns, and it has the natural pattern of a gorgeous magnolia flower... Yang Xiangdong likes it the most, and every time he sees it, he marvels at the miracle of creation.

And the thing that disappeared with the demise of the Yuan family was hanging around Mr. Zhou's waist...

He wanted to tell his eldest brother-in-law at the time, but was interrupted by someone who came. Afterwards, he never mentioned it again, but instead went to find out something when he had the chance.

Only then did he realize that Lord Zhou was also of humble origin and had no relatives to promote him. But his life was much better than that of his own Yue family... his sons and daughters were all married decently.

Moreover, the entry and exit were somewhat mysterious. He was afraid of something going wrong and did not dare to investigate further.

Later, when he had a problem with Wei Xiangyu and wanted to solve it, someone came to find him. After he sorted out the relationship, he thought that Mr. Zhou would be able to do everything he wanted! "Mr. Zhou..." Wen Yu's eyes turned around. "How old was he when the Bai family was in trouble?"

Qi Wu replied: "Early twenties, right?!"

"That shouldn't be him, how can he be so capable in his early twenties?" Wen Yu was surprised. "Yang Xiangdong said he has no relatives, so what about his father?"

"They said he died a long time ago!"

"Is the Zhou family related to our family?"

"No. From their family background to what they did, there is no connection at all. Go back and ask mother if she recognizes the woman in his family."

Wen Yu said regretfully, "It would be great if Master Qing wakes up. Ask her if she knows... Do you think he and the old lady will recognize each other?"

"How is this possible? The old lady is a girl from a mountain village. Her hometown is not even in the same place!"

"A village girl? She is a remarkable village girl. If she is really related to the Bai family, then Xijing, where the Bai family is located, is hundreds of miles away from her hometown, where the Marquis was injured!"

Wen Yu thought to herself, if Xiuyun was really her biological daughter, she could even marry the Patriarch of the Bai family! Is she simple?

"But. If the Bai family is his work, how could a man in his early twenties with no family background do that?"

Qi Wu also nodded. "No power and no family background. It's difficult!"

"Okay. Ah Yu..." Qi Wu felt depressed and buried his head in Wen Yu's neck, "I'm in a bad mood, please comfort me..."

Wen Yu understood, stroked his shoulder, and began to comfort him, "People are like this! Some are up and some are down, some are smooth and some are not... You see, I claim to be smart, but there are many people who are not as smart as me!"

"I don't want this kind of comfort... I want..." Qi Wu began to move his hands and feet, "This kind of..." His hot breath sprayed on Wen Yu's ears...

…

At the beginning of the new year, the emperor went to court.

Li Qun finally found out that the East Palace had replaced the set of things he had prepared. He was so angry that none of his plans came true? Someone from the Prince of Wu's Mansion came to ask him about it. What should he say? Should he say that he was incompetent and had not accomplished anything? After hesitating for a while, he could only tactfully tell the story of how he had provoked the internal strife in the East Palace, which led to the prince's serious illness.

That's right! The crown prince was seriously ill, and the emperor came in person. The crown princess didn't even arrange a banquet, and she didn't even meet her family... She must be under house arrest . It just happened.

But how the prince escaped danger was not something he could control.

So, there was a rumor outside that the Crown Princess had made a big mistake... After hearing this, the Xue family was extremely anxious and secretly came to the East Palace. Li Qihuan met them in the front study room. His attitude was the same as Chunbing's, which made the Xue family confused...

The prince had asked the emperor to resign, but it hadn't been done yet. But somehow, he suddenly felt relieved.

Now he doesn't care about any official matters, big or small.

After the New Year, Lan Zhou came back. The prince felt sorry for him when he saw him.

So, the three patients were quite busy together, chatting with Yibai, watching him work, and giving instructions. They also took care of the turtle with Lanzhou. Their faces were all tanned...

…

The more Qi Wu investigated Lord Zhou, the more uncertain he felt. He just felt something was wrong, but he didn't know what it was.

I didn't dare move rashly because I didn't know how to alarm him.

So he brought his wife to the villa again.

Wen Yu was worried about Ping Ting and came to inquire about her. Li Qihuan told Wen Yu, "She's fine. She's doing everything over there now."

Then, Wen Yu went to find Yi Bai to discuss the store's affairs. Qi Wu then asked Li Qihuan about Mr. Zhou.

Li Qihuan was not familiar with this person, so he asked the prince.

The prince was a little surprised, "Why are you asking about him?"

Qi Wu then told the prince what Yang Xiangdong had said and his own suspicions.

"The Bai family, the Yuan family, and another similar case I just found, the Yun family in the northwest, and the Song family that is about to get into trouble, all use the same method! If the Song family's frame-up is successful, it will be difficult for Song Shang to get rid of his collusion with the bandits, and even the source of the Song family's huge wealth will be difficult to explain... Investigators like people like this the most, who are rich from top to bottom!"

The prince held the book in his hand and pondered for a while. "If it is true as you said, it is not impossible that he did it. I know a thing or two about Zhou... He is meticulous in his work and knows when to advance and retreat.

He started his career in the Ministry of Personnel, working in every department from the bottom up. He climbed up the ladder to the position of Shangshu. Several big shots fell, but he was not involved.

Over the years, he has promoted many people and suppressed many people. He has many leverages in his hands. With a wide network of connections, it is easy to do things. He also has a weak spot in some people's hands. No one dares to refuse him what he wants to do..."

Li Qihuan thought for a long time, feeling depressed, "Why didn't I notice this person?"

Qi Wu said: "He has retired and usually keeps a low profile. I investigated him but didn't dare to get close to him. However, I still found out that he lives an extremely luxurious life. There is someone who is in charge of purchasing for him. I asked someone to find out and heard that he spends several thousand taels of silver a month just on burning incense... Oh, it's too extravagant. I don't know if it's true."

The prince laughed...

Li Qihuan's face flushed with anger... I don't know if he was shocked by Mr. Zhou's spending level...

When Qi Wu said this, he suddenly remembered: "Oh, I haven't told Ayu about this yet..." He stood up and ran away.