Qi Ning's face darkened and he said, "Were you picked up last night?"
Seeing Qi Ning's stern expression, Wang Xiang knew he had made a mistake and laughed dryly: "Master Hou, little...!" Before he could finish speaking, Qi Ning had already asked in a cold voice: "Didn't you just say that your girl doesn't see guests? Was he picked up again and sent back in the middle of the night?"
Wang Xiang sighed and said with a wry smile: "Master Hou, actually... Actually, I don't know the specific situation, I...!" He lowered his head, but did not dare to say more.
"Whatever you know, just tell it." Qining said lightly: "You can't hide it in front of me."
Wang Xiang hesitated for a moment, and finally said: "Master Hou, I really don't know who picked up the girl. Before he went to Qi State as an envoy, Master Hou came here once, and after a few days, someone came on the boat. We came to see the girl. We, the servants, didn’t hear what we said to the girl. All we know is that the girl immediately cleaned up and the man went ashore. There was a carriage waiting on the shore. The girl didn’t tell us where to go. , just said he would come back later, and then got on the carriage."
"What does the carriage look like?" Qining asked, "Is there no sign?"
The dignitaries in the capital naturally have carriages in their mansions. Most of the mansions will have some marks on their carriages. Even the Jinyi Qi family has markings.
Wang Xiang shook his head and said: "I took a special look at it. The carriage looks very ordinary. It doesn't look like a carriage belonging to a wealthy family. The driver is also wearing coarse clothes. It doesn't look like a slave in a nobleman's mansion. Someone comes and takes the girl away." , at the third watch of the day, after the Qinhuai River had calmed down, the carriage took the girl to the shore again."
"So, you really don't know who picked up Miss Zhuo?"
Wang Xiang said, "I really don't know. The next day, I had the guts to ask the girl. Girl... The girl scolded me for being nosy, and said I shouldn't ask more questions, so... so I shouldn't ask any more questions from now on." Just ask one more question."
Qi Ning came to Qinhuaihe today, and he was really prepared to discuss with Zhuo Xian'er to redeem her before he got married to Ximen Zhanying and give her a free body. After all, if he really got married to Ximen Zhanying, he would It is always not good to redeem the life of a singer on the Qinhuai River and spread the word. It may even attract the blame of Ximen Zhanying.
At this time, I felt unhappy when I learned that Zhuo Xianer was picked up at night.
Although Zhuo Xianer has a deep affection for him, due to the circumstances, Qining sometimes can't tell whether Zhuo Xianer really has feelings for him, or whether it's just because of her status that she will also do the same to other people. I just heard that Zhuo Xianer has feelings for him. Xian'er didn't see other guests, but only performed in separate cabins. Qining was still a little happy, but now he knew that there was someone else outside Zhuo Xian'er, and he felt a little unhappy.
Wang Xiang saw Qining's brows furrowed and knew that the young Marquis was unhappy, so he asked cautiously: "Master Marquis, do you want... do you want me to wake up the girl and say... just say that the Marquis is here...?"
Qi Ning shook his head and said: "Since she rested not long ago, let her rest well." After hesitating, he still asked: "Does the carriage come to pick her up often?"
Wang Xiang lowered his head and said: "It's not often, it's just... I just send people here every once in a while. I... I don't know when I'll be back. So far, I've... gone out four or five times."
"Quite often." Qi Ning's voice was calm, but his mood was obviously not very good. He sneered in his heart, thinking that it was Zhuo Xian'er who had climbed up another high branch. If that was really the case, there was no need for him to get entangled here. He shook the horse's reins. , turned around and was about to leave, Wang Xiang said anxiously: "Master Marquis, then... what should I tell the girl?"
"There's nothing to say." Qi Ning smiled and said, "Just say that I happened to be passing by here and asked casually." He shook the horse's reins, and without further words, he urged the horse away.
Oddly enough, although Qining didn't get along with Zhuo Xian'er much and didn't meet him a few times, today he heard that Zhuo Xian'er was meeting someone else at night. Apart from being unhappy, he felt a little sullen in his heart and wanted to find out who it was. Picked up Zhuo Xianer in the middle of the night.
He knew in his heart that this was the man's jealousy. If he was jealous, it meant that he really cared about Zhuo Xian'er.
Back in front of the Jinyihou Mansion, the guard in front of the door had already stepped forward to hold the horse's reins. Qi Ning was about to dismount when he saw a shadow coming quickly from the other side of the wall and threw something towards Qi Ning. Ning Tan grabbed it with his hand, and the guards of the Hou Mansion immediately wanted to draw their swords, but the man had already left in a hurry.
The guard was about to chase after him, but Qin Ning raised his hand to stop him. At this time, he could see clearly that what he was holding was a small bamboo tube. Without saying a word, he got off his horse, held the bamboo tube and went straight into the house. He returned When I got to my room, I took a closer look, pierced the cover at the bottom of the bamboo tube, and dropped a small note from inside.
Qining opened the rolled up note, but there was a line of small characters written on it: "Changqing Inn, Temple Lane, Xicheng".
This was of course an address. Apart from this line of small words, there was not even a note left. Qining frowned slightly and turned over the note, only to see a rat scrawled on it.
When Qi Ning saw this, he immediately understood and a smile appeared on the corner of his lips.
When night falls, the Qinhuai River begins to sing and dance, but the Temple Lane in the west city of Jianye Jing seems very quiet.
Jianye Capital is the imperial capital of the Chu State. People leave and come in every day. Most streets in the capital are full of people coming and going, but if there are too many people and many eyes, there are few places more complicated than Temple Lane.
There are all kinds of cloth tents, restaurants, tailor shops, tents, and secret doors here. This is the place where three religions and nine streams gather. If you walk around Zhuque Street in the capital, wearing strange clothes, you will definitely attract a lot of attention, but in this Temple Lane , even if you walk by naked, no one may take a look.
The putrid smell emanating from the butcher's body is mixed with the scent of cheap gouache wafting out of the secret door, and then mixed with the stench permeating the ditch. Many people come here for the first time, and one who can't hold on will even vomit. People often When you see someone lying on the roadside, vomiting as if your intestines are about to burst out, you will know that it is a newcomer who has just arrived, and you will immediately be greeted by a burst of laughter from all around.
If you only see the majestic imperial city and those wide long streets, it is difficult to imagine that such a disgusting place exists in this capital.
Although Temple Alley is just an alley in name, this alley is actually very long. It passes through the entire alley for two or three miles. After nightfall, walking through this alley, the noisy and lively sounds during the day calm down. There are many people on both sides. The shops were dimly lit, and walking in the alley not only had to endure the pungent stench, but also the glares from both sides.
Many shops have closed, but some shops that do business at night still have half-open doors. From behind the doors, there will be venomous snake-like eyes staring at pedestrians walking on the street.
Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes, and where there are rivers and lakes, there are rules.
The people in Temple Lane are complex, and all three religions and nine streams are involved, so everyone will be extremely careful about people who approach them, and they will also be more wary of new faces from outside.
The moon is sparse and the night is quiet. The moonlight shines on the ditch of Temple Lane. The most primitive human voices can be heard faintly from behind some closed doors. Some hidden doors are very powerful and loud, and can be heard from afar. out, but people nearby are used to it.
Changqing Inn is just out of Temple Lane. It has a very simple facade, with a worn-out wooden board hanging in front of the door, and the fonts are also very sloppy, but at least it can make people know that this is a place to stay.
The accommodation here is naturally very cheap, but there are actually not many guests. In fact, those who dare to stay in this mixed place are very brave. There are not many truly brave people in this world.
Although the inn is very cheap, the nearby secret doors will pop up like bamboo shoots after rain. The money spent is not much more than staying in an inn, but you can sleep with a girl all night, so People who really want to stay would rather find a secret door to sneak in than stay in an inn.
So even if it's the middle of the night, you can still find a room if you stay at this inn.
In the quiet alley, a figure was walking forward on the bumpy road step by step. He was covered with a thin black cloak, even his head was covered. He walked very slowly, with a pair of cold eyes. But his eyes are always paying attention to his surroundings.
When he walked to the door of Changqing Inn, the man stopped for a moment, looked around, and then entered the inn. The waiter who had been waiting for the guest bowed hurriedly and said with a smile: "Master is back?"
The man ignored him, walked to the stairs, and walked lightly up to the second floor.
On the second floor, there is a long corridor in front of it, with guest rooms on both sides, door to door, and a lantern hung at both ends of the corridor. Although the corridor is dim, it is not difficult to see clearly.
The man walked straight forward, but his eyes flickered left and right, observing the situation on both sides of the aisle. After walking a short distance, the man suddenly stopped, a cold light suddenly appeared in his eyes, and from the corner of his eye, he saw something On the door to the left, there is a sign hanging, with a symbol drawn on it that looks like an earthworm.
There were lights on in the house, and there was obviously someone there.
The man only paused, but did not stop. He still walked forward, and after five or six steps, he stopped in front of a room door, opened the door gently, and turned back towards the room with a wooden sign. He glanced at the door, a sneer flashed across his lips, then entered the room and closed the door immediately.
After he entered the house, there were no lights on, and there was no sound.