Chapter 180 Follow the Pearl
On the first day of December, after Li Huazhang finished inspecting the government office, he returned to have breakfast with Ming Huachang as usual. As soon as the two of them sat down, suddenly, the urgent voice of the government servant came from outside: "Governor, someone has reported a case!"
Li Huazhang and Ming Huashang looked at each other, and both of them restrained their expressions and became serious. It has been half a year since they came to Shangzhou. What they do most every day is to deal with the family's disputes and store troops and collect food. They have not encountered any major incidents. Today is the first time someone has reported a case.
Li Huazhang did not dare to be careless. He put down his chopsticks and asked the yamen runner to come to the main hall to ask: "Who reported the case?"
The bailiff took a deep breath and said, "It's the Feng family in the east of the city."
Ming Huashang signaled the maid to bring the food box. While she was covering the hot soup cake, she listened to what was said outside.
She knew that the Feng family was a well-known noble family in Shangzhou. Their ancestors all lived in Shangzhou, and they were involved in running schools and doing business. Over the years, they had formed a large network of relationships through marriage and supporting fellow students, which was much deeper than the foundation of the governor. Some time ago, when Li Huazhang wanted to build a road, he had to go to the Feng family to ask old lady Feng to come forward as a lobbyist. The Feng family was so powerful, who would dare to offend them?
Ming Huachang had just finished thinking when she heard Li Huazhang asked, "Why did the Feng family report the case?"
"Old Mistress Feng said that when he opened his eyes today, he saw a letter nailed to the head of the bed. Miao Shoukongkong, who had been missing for more than 20 years, wrote in the letter that he heard that the Feng family had a treasure and asked them to prepare it in advance. He would come to get it at midnight three days later. Old Mistress Feng was angry that this guy was too arrogant, so she came to ask King Yong to administer justice."
Li Huazhang asked: "Who is Miaoshoukongkong?"
"Twenty years ago, a wandering knight became famous for his ability to steal. He called himself a thief saint and said that there was nothing he could not steal. Twenty years ago, he was surrounded by the government and several big families and disappeared for many years. We all thought he was dead, but he is still alive."
Li Huazhang knew the wealthy families in Chang'an and Luoyang very well, but he knew nothing about the wandering knights, especially since this was a man from twenty years ago who had returned to the underworld. Li Huazhang did not dare to be careless and immediately asked his men to prepare horses and head to Feng Mansion.
Ming Huashang was really curious about why a thief would send a visiting invitation before stealing something, so she changed her clothes and followed Li Huazhang to Feng's house.
The gate of the Feng family was full of patrolmen. The butler paced back and forth on the steps, looking very anxious. When he saw Li Huazhang coming, he hurried down and shouted from a distance: "Your Highness Prince Yong, you are finally here. Our master has been waiting for a long time, please come in!"
After saying this, the butler wanted to go inside, but found that Li Huazhang did not follow. He turned around unexpectedly and saw Li Huazhang dismounting, stopping in front of the carriage, and helping the people inside get off. The butler woke up from his dream when he saw the woman, and hurriedly came to greet her: "Princess Yong, you are here too! It's my fault that my eyes are blurry and I didn't see you, please forgive me!"
Li Huazhang held Ming Huashang's hand as they got out of the car. After she stood still, he said calmly, "We are here for official business today. No need to be polite."
The housekeeper knew that Prince Yong didn't like pomp and circumstance, so he smiled and said yes, and led the couple into the mansion. In the Feng Mansion, Old Lady Feng was already waiting in the lobby. When he saw Li Huazhang and Ming Huashang coming in, he leaned on his cane, and each step made a heavy knocking sound, and led his two sons to greet them: "I am here to see Prince Yong and Princess Yong."
Old Lady Feng was about to bow. Everyone in Shangzhou knew that Old Lady Feng had a bad leg. How could Li Huazhang dare to let such a respected village elder bow to him? He stopped Old Lady Feng and said, "I am here today for official business. There is no need for you to be polite. I wonder where the letter is now?"
After Li Huazhang stopped him, Old Lady Feng stood up slowly with the help of her cane and said calmly, "I am an incompetent man, but I feel ashamed to trouble Prince Yong with my own household affairs. I have prepared a welcoming banquet for you, Prince and Princess. Why don't you take a seat and have a cup of hot tea first?"
"No need." Li Huazhang said, "If what is said in the letter is true, thieves will come to the Feng family to steal treasures in three days. As the governor of Shangzhou, protecting the property of the people under my rule is the most important thing. Let's read the letter first."
Li Huazhang insisted, and Old Lady Feng stopped insisting. She sat back on her seat with her heavy cane and said, "Prince Yong really loves his people like his own children. He is honest and upright. Erlang, go get the things."
A young man behind Old Lady Feng responded and turned to walk to the back. Ming Huashang followed Li Huazhang to sit down and quickly scanned the people in the hall.
Needless to say, although Old Lady Feng has a bad leg, he has a powerful aura. He sits in the main seat with a pinewood cane, and looks like he has the final say. The man that Old Lady Feng just told about looks young, with bright eyes, a heroic look, and a handsome appearance. In comparison, the other man behind Old Lady Feng is very dull. He has a big belly and is not as good-looking as the other man. His timid temperament makes his already mediocre appearance even more discounted.
The Feng family is a large family in Shangzhou, with branches in all walks of life, but the bloodline of this generation is not rich. Old Master Feng has only two sons, the eldest son Feng Kun, who is over thirty years old, and the second son Feng Xun, who has just turned twenty-five. Ming Huashang knew what was going on. It seemed that the man who took the order and left was Feng Xun, the second son of the Feng family, and the one who stayed with Old Master Feng with an indignant look on his face was the eldest son Feng Kun.
Ming Huachang had long heard that Old Master Feng relied more on his second son and that he would bypass his eldest son and hand over matters to his second son. Seeing this today, she realized that the Feng family's reputation of the young being strong and the old being weak was indeed true.
After a while, Feng Jue came back with a tray in his hand. He stopped in front of Old Lady Feng, and when Old Lady Feng gestured, he held the tray in front of Li Huazhang with both hands and said, "Your Highness Prince Yong, please."
Li Huazhang opened the envelope, scanned it quickly, and then handed the letter to Ming Huashang. Ming Huashang took it and saw the following words written in regular script:
"The Feng family personally opened
I heard that the Feng family has a lost treasure that is priceless. I am delighted to see the treasure. You should wipe the dust off the treasure carefully in the next few days. I will come to take it at midnight three days later.
——The wonderful hands are left empty. "
After reading the contents of the letter, Ming Huashang carefully studied the handwriting and the letter paper, and asked, "Where did you find this letter? Has anyone been able to identify the words on it?"
Old Mistress Feng knew that Princess Yong was the younger sister of Prince Yong when he was fostered in a minister's home. He loved this princess very much and did not even shy away from doing official business with her. Therefore, Old Mistress Feng did not show any strangeness to Ming Huashang and replied, "Reporting to Princess, I asked someone to examine it as soon as I woke up, but the paper is the most common paper, and no one has ever seen the handwriting on it."
Ming Huashang said slowly, "Can I see the place where Mr. Feng first found this letter?"
The attendants on both sides showed hesitation, but Old Master Feng was very calm and said, "Of course, I am in your humble abode. I am grateful to Prince Yong and Princess Yong for not thinking you. Prince and Princess, please come this way."
Old Lady Feng was walking slowly in the corridor of the Feng family, leaning on a cane, leading the way for Li Huazhang and Ming Huashang. Feng Luanhe supported Old Lady Feng's other arm, and the housekeeper, servants and others gathered behind him. Old Lady Feng's eldest son Feng Kun was squeezed outside and could not even say a word.
As they walked, Old Lady Feng introduced the Feng family's courtyard to the two of them. Several generations of the Feng family had lived here. The garden had been expanded and renovated many times, and the small bridges and flowing water changed the scenery. It was much more spacious than the garden of the governor's mansion. Li Huazhang was still aloof and spoke very little along the way. On the contrary, Ming Huashang smiled and responded from time to time. While the group was talking, they arrived at the main house.
The news that Prince Yong and Princess Yong were coming to the main house had already spread. As they approached, a maid in a silver-red double-breasted jacket and a royal blue dress came out from behind the curtain. Seeing the visitors, she saluted gracefully and said, "Hello, old lady. Long live Prince Yong and Princess Yong."
Ming Huachang's eyes lit up. This woman was beautifully dressed, well-spoken, and beautiful. Although she was dressed like a servant, her demeanor was no less than that of a rich lady. Seeing this, Old Lady Feng smiled and said, "This is Baozhu, my maidservant. She has never seen the world. I am sorry to have embarrassed Prince Yong and Princess Yong."
Li Huazhang just nodded indifferently, sticking to his talkativeness. Ming Huashang smiled and said, "No, Madam Baozhu is so kind, and she is not stingy with the maids from the noble families in the two capitals. Mr. Feng really manages the family well."
Old Lady Feng said something but her face showed satisfaction. Baozhu was neither proud nor timid after receiving the compliment. She thanked him graciously and opened the curtain to invite everyone in.
After entering the house, Baozhu once again instructed the maid to watch the seats and serve tea, and she arranged for everyone to be well-prepared. The people of the Feng family looked normal, and they were obviously used to this kind of thing. Ming Huashang silently scanned everyone the crowd and said slowly, "Mr. Feng, I wonder where you found the threatening letter?"
"Here." Before Old Lady Feng could move, Baozhu had already hung up the pearl curtains, then stepped forward to support Old Lady Feng and walked back step by step. As Old Lady Feng moved, he used his cane to instruct Li Huazhang and Ming Huashang: "I drank a calming tea last night and slept very deeply. This morning I woke up a quarter of an hour later than usual. As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw an arrow stuck in the bed frame opposite me, and a letter nailed underneath. It was the letter that the prince and princess just saw."
Li Huazhang went forward to check the traces, nodded slightly after a moment, and said calmly: "It is indeed an arrow. Was the bed curtain lowered last night?"
Baozhu stood at the back and replied, "Replying to Prince Yong, after I helped the old lady to sleep, I put away the candles and hooks. Before I left, I checked carefully and found that the doors, windows and curtains were all closed, with no gaps at all."
Li Huazhang put his finger through the curtain, flipped it for a while, then walked to the window and asked, "Did you touch the window?"
Baozhu shook her head: "No. This morning I heard the old lady calling and rushed in. The door and window were closed at that time, and I didn't notice anything else in the room. Later, the old lady felt that the room was stuffy, so I opened the window."
Li Huazhang just hummed and didn't say anything, but Ming Huashang had known him for so long that she could hear the meaning behind his shallow "hmm".
He meant that there was no hole in the curtain and the window was not damaged, which meant that the other party was standing in the room and shot an arrow at the head of Old Lady Feng's bed.
At such a close distance, it was possible to shoot old lady Feng to death, but the other party just left a letter. What this thief did was really unusual.
Ming Huashang thought of it and asked, "Master Feng, may I ask what is the lost treasure mentioned in this thief's letter?"
Old Lady Feng sighed, leaning on her cane and saying, "I admire the virtue of King Yong, so I won't fool you with those empty words, and I'll just say it straight. When I was traveling in my early years, I accidentally found a pearl. The seller said it was the Suihou Pearl. Later, the Chu State attacked Sui, and the Suihou Pearl fell into the hands of the Chu State. The Chu State was destroyed by the Qin State, and the Suihou Pearl and the Chu Princess were presented to the King of Qin. After the Qin State was destroyed, the Suihou Pearl disappeared. I thought this thing was just a legend, but I didn't expect to see the real thing. I couldn't bear to see such a treasure being lost, so I bought it at a high price and hid it at home. I have never mentioned this thing to anyone, even my two sons didn't know about it, but I don't know how outsiders heard about it and used it to coerce and lure them."
Ming Huashang was quite surprised when she heard the word "Suizhu". "But is it Suihouzhu, which is also known as Suizhu and Heshibi?"
Old Lady Feng nodded: "That's right."
Ming Huashang exclaimed in amazement. Seeing this, Old Lady Feng said to Baozhu, "Baozhu, take out the Suizhu and ask Princess Yong to take a look."
Ming Huashang hurriedly said no, but Baozhu had already responded and left. Not long after, Baozhu came back holding a sandalwood box, knelt down and held it in front of Ming Huashang: "Princess Yong, please."
As she said that, she opened the wooden box, and Ming Huashang saw the pearl inside before she could refuse.
The pearl was an inch in diameter, pure white, and radiated the brilliance of the bright moon in the sandalwood. No wonder the ancient books said, "The night light of the hanging river, the string with the pearl is used as a candle." Ming Huashang was amazed, but she was careful not to pick it up to look at it, no matter how much she liked it, so as not to blame her for any problems in the future. She signaled Baozhu to put away the wooden box, and praised sincerely, "It is really beautiful, no wonder the ancients called it the bright moon pearl."
When Old Master Feng saw that Ming Huashang liked it, he immediately said, "It is a blessing for the Feng family that Princess Yong likes it. If Princess Yong doesn't mind, I would like to present this pearl to Princess Yong."
Ming Huashang's words were unintentional. Women always like jewelry. This night-shining pearl was indeed beautiful, so she praised it generously. Who could have thought that Old Lady Feng would give it to her? Ming Huashang was shocked and quickly declined: "This is the favorite of the Feng family. How can I take it away? I am only a casual person and don't know much about jewelry. Old Lady Feng, please don't do that. Don't disgrace the treasure."
Ming Huashang really didn't want it. No matter how beautiful the jewelry is, it is just an external thing. People give them value, and they are priceless treasures. If there is no one, they are just a pile of stones. Ming Huashang has always been casual about gold, silver and jewelry. It's good to have it, but I won't force it if I don't have it. Suizhu is so famous that even a thief who has been missing for many years can't forget it. Ming Huashang dare not take it.
However, when Old Lady Feng saw it, he thought she was being polite and insisted on giving it to her. Ming Huashang refused and tugged at Li Huazhang's sleeve from behind. Li Huazhang sensed her request for help and said at the right time: "Old Lady Feng, my wife and I came here to catch thieves, not for external things. My wife likes to be natural, so there is nothing else to worry about. I hope Old Lady Feng will keep the pearl and don't embarrass us. If you insist on sending it off, we can only say goodbye."
Li Huazhang's tone was light but firm, and he dropped the ball to the ground with a loud noise when he said goodbye, without any intention of negotiation. Seeing that Ming Huachang really didn't want to accept it, Old Lady Feng said with regret: "Princess, I am so rude. Since I received the letter from the traitor, I have been in a state of panic and even lost my mind. I hope Prince Yong and Princess will not blame me for offending you."
Ming Huashang smiled and said it was fine. Old Lady Feng said a few polite words, "To be honest with you, my Lord and Princess, I have strengthened the defense since I received the letter. I have transferred all the servants in the mansion to the main courtyard to make sure that the thief will not return. But the thief was able to sneak into my bedroom quietly last night. I am not sure if he has any magical powers. The Suizhu is very valuable. Most of my wealth is tied up in it. I dare not put it at risk. I hope that Prince Yong and Princess will lend a hand to help me catch the thief and protect my family property."
As he spoke, Old Master Feng bowed tremblingly. Li Huazhang hurriedly supported her and said solemnly, "Don't worry, Old Master Feng. We are here today to get rid of the thief and restore peace to Shangzhou. I wonder what arrangements Old Master Feng has for Suizhu?"
Seeing that Li Huazhang was willing to intervene in the matter, Old Lady Feng thanked him loudly again and said, "Thank you Prince Yong and Princess Yong for your help. I am very grateful. I have roughly thought of a few countermeasures. There is a Zhaixing Tower in the palace. It has three floors and only one entrance. The third floor is completely exposed. Even a bird flying over can be clearly seen. I want to use the Zhaixing Tower to protect the treasure. I will hide the Suizhu on the third floor and order people to guard the exit. Even if a fly comes, it will be unable to fly away. This is just my humble opinion. I hope Prince Yong will give me some advice."
Li Huazhang pondered: "It sounds feasible, but the beads are so small that they can be hidden on the body. If a thief sneaks into the shift change team, the more patrolmen there are, the easier it is for him to take advantage of the opportunity."
"I know, so I have a clever plan." Old Lady Feng signaled Baozhu to take something. Baozhu called in a few servants, and three or four people worked together to bring out a black iron box. Baozhu put the sandalwood box into the iron box in front of everyone, and then locked the iron box. Old Lady Feng said, "This is a mechanical box I specially customized for hiding treasures. It can only be opened by turning the ten gears below in the correct order, otherwise the mechanical box will shoot out poison needles. This box is made of fine iron and is very heavy. It takes three adult men to carry it. If this box is moved to the third floor of Zhaixing Tower, and a net is set up at the exit, not to mention thieves, even if the gods in the sky come down to earth, they will be helpless."
After listening to this, Li Huazhang said, "Since Master Feng has made the decision, I have no objection. However, Master Feng, can you confirm that Sui Houzhu is safe?"
Old Lady Feng became nervous after hearing this: "What does Prince Yong mean by this?"
Li Huazhang said truthfully: "Last night, the thief sneaked into the bedroom and shot an arrow to leave a letter, but he did not do anything to Master Feng. I originally thought that he was trying to curry favor with the crowd, but now I think about it, it is possible that he did not know where the Suizhu was hidden, so he deliberately left a letter to trick Master Feng into taking out the things."
When Old Lady Feng heard this, she suddenly became nervous: "I didn't think so far ahead. As soon as I saw the letter, I immediately sent someone to get the Suizhu. Could it be that I fell into the trap of the thief?"
Li Huazhang said, "It is useless to dwell on what has already happened. Master Feng, after you took the pearl, did anyone handle it?"
Old Lady Feng said solemnly, "Only me and my confidants. Don't worry, Prince Yong. I checked it a long time ago. Suizhu is real and has not been replaced by anyone."
"That's good." Li Huazhang said, "The Suizhu has been sealed in a box. If a thief wants to steal the treasure, he can either trick someone who knows the password or take the box away directly. If you are careful to guard against these two points, you can prevent thieves. If you don't have enough manpower in your mansion, I can transfer people from the governor's mansion. If you need anything, please let me know."
Old Lady Feng was overjoyed when he heard this, and trembled as he thanked her: "Thank you, Prince Yong. I am very grateful."
Ming Huashang watched all this with cold eyes, and then her eyes turned to the Feng family members beside her. The second son Feng Lu was relatively calm, but the eldest son Feng Kun's eyes were glued to the mechanism, as if he wanted to penetrate the iron sheet and take out the treasure.
Ming Huashang sighed in her heart. It seemed that it was hard to say whether Feng Erlang knew the password, but Feng Dalang certainly didn't know it. Feng Kun, as the eldest son, was not as good as the maidservant beside the old lady.
Looking at Baozhu's familiar and casual look, it was obvious that she had known about Suizhu's existence for a long time, and that he was the other person who knew the password of the agency besides Old Lady Feng.
Li Huazhang and Old Lady Feng discussed the patrol arrangements for the officers and soldiers, and before they knew it, it was lunchtime. Old Lady Feng invited Li Huazhang and Ming Huashang to stay for lunch, as it would take time to transfer people from the government office. Seeing that Old Lady Feng was determined, Li Huazhang did not refuse.
The Feng family had already prepared a banquet, and the female members of the Feng family were waiting in the banquet hall. When Ming Huashang approached, they hurried out to greet her: "Greetings to Princess Yong. I have heard that Princess Yong is young and beautiful, and today I have the opportunity to see her in person. It is true that seeing is believing."
Ming Huashang smiled and greeted them. She remembered that Old Lady Feng's wife had passed away and he had not remarried. His daughters were all married and were not at home now. The two women in the lead did not look like concubines or maids. They were Old Lady Feng's daughters-in-law, the wives of Feng Kun and Feng Xun, the first and second wives of Feng.
After the greetings, the guests sat down. The ladies and the gentlemen were seated separately. Li Huazhang didn't know about this, but the ladies' table was set up in a pavilion, surrounded by small bridges and flowing water, with drooping grass and trees, and a thin layer of residual snow covering the branches, like a fairyland. There were braziers at the four corners of the pavilion, making the pavilion warm as spring.
Dishes were served one by one. Ming Huashang didn't know where their kitchen was located, but in the December weather, they passed through a garden and were still steaming hot when they were served. Ming Huashang couldn't help but sigh at the Feng family's enjoyment. The second wife of Feng carefully observed Ming Huashang's face and said, "We are a small family and can't afford the pomp and circumstance of the aristocratic families. I heard that the princess came from the Duke of Chang'an's mansion. She probably wouldn't look down on our shabby banquet."
"No." Ming Huashang said, "I admire the fact that Feng Mansion can manage so many people and still be well organized. Madam, you are good at managing the household. I would like to ask you for advice someday."
Madam Feng Er smiled when she heard this, and slowly fanned herself with a round fan, declining, "You are too kind, my concubine is from the countryside, how can I compare with your noble family? In terms of managing the imperial gifts, I dare not compare with the nobles in Chang'an, but I have only done some hard work."
Ming Huashang smiled and responded, but noticed from the corner of her eye that Mrs. Feng rolled her eyes. Ming Huashang secretly kept these lawsuits in mind. From what the Second Mistress said, the power to manage the inner court of the Feng Mansion was also in the hands of the Second House. It seemed that not only was Feng Erlang favored by the old lady, but even among the female family members, the Second Mistress was in charge.
Old Lady Feng is really biased.
This was someone else's family affair. Ming Huashang was here to catch thieves. She ignored everything else. Ming Huashang sat at the same table with someone she didn't know. She had no appetite at all. She took a few bites and put down her chopsticks. Seeing this, Mrs. Feng asked the maid to bring her some tea for rinsing her mouth and asked, "Princess, is the food not to your liking?"
"No." Ming Huashang said with a guilty conscience, "I have a small appetite and can't eat much."
Mrs. Feng understood and said, "I am sorry for being so rude. The princess is a daughter of a rich family, but she came to the Feng family to help because of the thief. I am really grateful. I really hope that my husband and father-in-law can catch the thief as soon as possible, so that there won't be so many people coming and going and making trouble for everyone."
Ming Huashang saw this and said, "Don't worry, my lady. Prince Yong will send troops from the government office soon. With so many people guarding the Feng Mansion, that thief won't be able to do anything."
"That's good." Mrs. Feng II scolded, "I don't know where this thief came from. He is so arrogant that he dares to target the Feng family and even threatens to steal treasures in three days. If we catch this thief, we will tear him into pieces."
Mrs. Feng curled her lips and sneered, "I'm afraid it's still unknown whether it's a blessing or a curse. I heard that the bead is cursed and whoever touches it will die. I don't know why father-in-law treats it as a treasure and hides it from us. In my opinion, it's a good thing that it was stolen by thieves so that it won't stay in the Feng family and cause harm to the mansion whole."
Madam Feng II glanced at Madam Feng I and pursed her lips, obviously unhappy. Ming Huashang pretended not to notice the dirty tricks between the sisters-in-law and asked curiously, "There is a curse on the Suihou Pearl? How do you say that?"
Mrs. Feng was the eldest daughter-in-law but she had no control over the money, and she had long been dissatisfied. After the thief's challenge today, she found out that her father-in-law had hidden a priceless jewel and did not tell the eldest wife.
The old hatred and new hatred were added together. Madam Feng became more and more angry. She said in a burst of words: "That's right. This pearl is called Suihou Pearl. It was originally in the hands of Suihou. Then the Sui Kingdom was destroyed. Later, it came to the palace of Chu Kingdom. The King of Chu gave it to the most favored princess. But not long after, Chu Kingdom was also destroyed. The princess died miser tough. Even a man asably as Qin Shihuang could not escape the destruction of his country. The king and the princess could not control it, let alone the common people? The previous owner of Suihou Pearl was originally a merchant. Not long after he got it, his family was destroyed. Now it has come to our family. How can it be a good omen?"
"Sister-in-law, what nonsense are you saying in front of the princess?" Madam Feng II frowned and scolded, "If you don't know, you might think you are cursing someone to death."
Baozhu, the head maid, was in charge of serving the dishes. Seeing that the first and second wives were indeed quarreling, she hurriedly said, "Madam, you have misinterpreted what you said. The Suihou Pearl is the most auspicious object. It is a token of gratitude from the spirit snake."
"Oh?" Ming Huashang became even more curious and turned to Baozhu, "What do you mean?"
Baozhu is someone close to Old Lady Feng and manages his finances. She can accurately tell where many things are that Old Lady Feng can't even remember, so in the mansion gives her some face, and Baozhu can also interrupt in front of her master. She continued, "Legend has it that one year, Suihou, the monarch of Sui State, went out hunting and saw a wounded snake on the roadside. Suihou felt pity for the snake and ordered his men to bandage it and release it into the bushes. Not long after, he dreamed of a snake carrying a night-shining pearl and coming to the palace. It said it was the son of the Dragon King and came to thank Suihou for saving its life and to repay him. After waking up, Suihou found a night-shining pearl on the candlestick. It was the Suihou Pearl, and because it was carried by a snake, it was also called the Spirit Snake Pearl. Pearls as big as pigeon eggs are rare. If it wasn't from the Dragon Palace, how could there be such a big pearl?"
Ming Huashang smiled and clapped her hands, saying, "That makes sense. I didn't expect Baozhu to be so knowledgeable that he even knows these allusions."
Baozhu smiled and said, "I just followed the old lady and heard and saw a lot. I don't dare to take the praise of the princess."
Mrs. Feng Er secretly glanced at Mrs. Feng and also echoed the words of good luck. Mrs. Feng was not angry and murmured in a low voice: "Snake is the most unpredictable and ungrateful thing, and the things it spits out are very evil. None of the owners of Suihou beads have a good end. Believe it or not, they can't spread it anyway. In my hands."
Ming Huashang heard the first wife's grumbling, but she pretended not to notice. She was forced to get involved in the internal strife between the two branches of the Feng family, and it was exhausting to listen to the two sisters-in-law talking about other people's affairs. Fortunately, Li Huazhang came to pick her up soon. Ming Huashang breathed a sigh of relief, said goodbye to the first and second wives, and followed the maid to find Li Huazhang.
Li Huazhang saw her and apologized, "Sorry to have kept you waiting. Let's go back home now."
Ming Huashang shook her head: "It doesn't matter. I wanted to follow the Feng family anyway. So, has the defense at Old Lady Feng's place been arranged?"
"Almost there." Li Huazhang pointed to a three-story attic in front of him and said, "That's the Zhaixing Tower. The iron box has been moved to the third floor. I checked it myself. There is only one exit in the Zhaixing Tower. There is no other way. The exit is patrolled twelve hours a day. Unless there is an insider in their family, it is impossible for the thieves to sneak in, and they can't take anything away if they in."
Ming Huashang nodded and asked curiously, "So why did the so-called thief send the invitation in advance? Now that everyone is watching, how can he steal the treasure?"
Li Huazhang said calmly, "Twenty years have passed. It's hard to say whether he is still alive. Who knows whether it is true or not? Maybe someone wants to use his name to cause trouble. Just wait and see in three days."
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