Inside Qi Shun Zhai.
After Peony left, one of the people in the shop slowly raised his head.
This person was dressed in a pink dress, like a maid, but his face was dark and expressionless; it was none other than Ah Si.
Watching Peony's hurried departure, Ah Si tugged at the hem of her ill-fitting skirt, strode to the counter, and under the guise of tasting the osmanthus cake, whispered to the shopkeeper.
Tell her that things are done.
Before leaving the general's mansion, Jiang Wan told him that any messages could be passed on through Qi Shunzhai.
As Ah Si ate his osmanthus cake, he looked around the shop and muttered to himself.
Qi Shunzhai, one of the top pastry shops in Beijing, is located on the busiest North Street, attracting a constant stream of customers.
To acquire such a shop, one would need at least a thousand taels of silver.
Jiang Wan, a woman confined to her home, was willing to spend a large sum of money to buy Qi Shunzhai, just to pass on a message.
Ah Si pursed his lips.
He was right; this woman was indeed ambitious and no good person.
The shopkeeper nodded, turned slightly, and handed the note to Ah Si: "My master's instructions."
Ah Si casually stuffed it into his sleeve, turned to leave, but was stopped by the shopkeeper.
"Young lady," the shopkeeper said with a smile, pointing to the empty plate on the table, "you haven't paid for the osmanthus cake yet."
Ah Si's lips twitched, and he threw down a few coins with a dark face.
"So stingy."
"...Just as detestable as your master."
As we left Qi Shunzhai, Meixiang, who had just finished buying dried fruit and other items, came over.
"Sister Xiuyu, let's go back to the manor together."
Meixiang was very enthusiastic and tried to take Ah Si's arm with a smile, but he shook her off with a sour face.
"What 'sister'? Do you think we're that close?"
Ah Si used the action to unfold the note in his hand, and after reading the words on it, he quickly put it away again.
He ignored Meixiang's aggrieved expression and said impatiently, "Let's go, hurry back to the manor, lest we miss our mission."
Meixiang bit her lip.
Xiuyu, like herself, was a maid assigned by Jiang Wan to serve in the Ji family.
She was a loner, always going her own way, and was very strong, but had an even bigger temper.
Meixiang always felt that something was strange about her.
In the blink of an eye, Xiuyu had already walked far away. Without thinking too much, she quickly followed after her.
In the General's Mansion, in the Xingzhi Courtyard.
Jiang Wan opened the envelope in her hand, read the words on it, and her eyes revealed joy.
As Biluo fiddled with the tangerines on the stove, she asked with a smile, "Madam, you seem so happy. Is there some good news?"
Jiang Wan said, "Zhuque is indeed exceptionally talented. He has made progress in studying the secret arts of Miao territory in just a few days."
"Very good."
Biluo Road.
"It just so happens that Qi Shunzhai also sent news today that A Si successfully showed up in front of Shaoyao."
Jiang Wan nodded, picked up an orange from the stove, and slowly peeled off the orange-yellow skin.
When she discovered that the red bean soup was poisoned, she suspected that someone from the general's mansion was responsible.
So she pretended not to notice anything, lowering the other party's guard, and then pretended to have lost her bracelet, asking Ah Si to identify the maids in the mansion.
After Ah Si pointed out the peony, Jiang Wan's guess was confirmed.
Peony was a third-class maid in the purchasing department, inconspicuous in the vast general's mansion, and had no interaction with any of the other courtyards.
It's difficult to find out who's behind her just by investigating past clues.
However, there were only a few people in the general's mansion who had the motive to harm others.
Gu Yurong and her son are now focused on currying favor with Consort Yun to survive, and are too busy to even look after themselves.
Song Ziyu's understanding of the inner quarters came entirely from Steward Zhao. Even Steward Zhao was unaware of Shaoyao's background, indicating that this matter had nothing to do with him.
Jiang Wan didn't know when Shaoyao was bribed; perhaps it was a long time ago.
The opponent has planted such a pawn, lying in wait for a crucial moment to deliver a fatal blow.
This shows how cunning and calculating the person behind it is.
“Peony hides herself so well; she doesn’t usually contact her master easily.”
Jiang Wan said softly.
"But having discovered such important information, she might not be able to keep her composure. She will definitely try to report it to Shen Ci and tell him to keep a close eye on her tonight."
That night, Shen Ci sent a message.
Peony secretly met with a gardener in the backyard, who happened to be from the same hometown as Granny Wu, who served the matriarch of the old lady.
“Madam, it seems this gardener is also from Luhetang!” Biluo said.
Jiang Wan's eyes flickered.
It seems that by this time, the matriarch already knew what she had done.
"Should we have Ah Si and the others withdraw?" Biluo asked, "so that Luhetang doesn't have any leverage against us."
"handle?"
Jiang Wan said calmly.
"I'm worried about my uncle's safety, so I've placed guards in the Ji residence to protect him. What if people find out?"
"Besides, I'd love for her to have something on me."
Biluo asked, puzzled, "What do you mean, Madam?"
Jiang Wan's gaze sharpened.
Her uncle's illness was inextricably linked to the old lady, a fact she had long known. However, Emperor Jingyuan chose to turn a blind eye and refused to investigate.
At Pei Tang's birthday banquet, she used Xu Shu to deepen Emperor Jingyuan's suspicions about the matriarch.
Ji Rong's riot that night crossed the emperor's bottom line.
Emperor Jingyuan may well have known that Ji Rong's affair involved secret arts.
For the sake of the greater good, he could tolerate this person's secret infighting within the family, but he could not tolerate the other party taking action against the royal family.
Jiang Wan pulled out the emperor's beard with her tiger's mouth, successfully provoking the emperor's anger.
After one night, Emperor Jingyuan ordered Ji Rong to be sent back to his residence, and sent Physician Jin, who was skilled in supernatural arts, to accompany him.
Emperor Jingyuan's move was a bait to find the person who secretly contacted Ji Rong and convict him.
Unfortunately, the matriarch was cautious by nature.
After Ji Rong returned to the manor, she cut off all contact, and no matter how capable Physician Jin was, he could not find any clues.
Jiang Wan picked up the silver scissors and slowly fiddled with the candle wick.
"How should we deal with an opponent who is adept at concealing their intentions and lying in wait?"
Biluo looked at her with a puzzled expression.
The flickering candlelight made her eyes shine with a dim, shimmering light.
She suddenly chuckled softly, and with a single snip, she cut the candlestick, which was flickering with flame.
"Of course, it's a ploy to lure the snake out of its hole and invite the enemy into the trap."
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