Zhu Yi stood at the threshold and saw Wei Changying and Duanmu Xinmiao turning out of the screen hand in hand and sitting down in the hall. He nodded slightly and then said outside: "Young Madam and the Eighth Miss have arrived. Please come in!"
After a while, Zhu Xian led the three of them to carefully cross the threshold and come in.
Guard Chief Ying and Duanmu Xinmiao, who were at the top, were shocked when they took a quick look - Duanmu Xinmiao was worried about his master and had already shouted: "Why did you bring a child here?!"
The two of them were high up, and it was very clear when looking down: Although the person following Zhu Xian tried his best to be respectful, it was obviously the first time he had stepped into a place like Mingpeitang, and he couldn't hold back his curiosity. My heart secretly looked around - this was a woman in her twenties.
There are three thousand people in Caojiabao, but it's okay to have a woman to answer the question. The key is that this woman is accompanied by a little girl of four or five years old... This... This looks like she is coming to explain the answer. What!
Although Wei Changying didn't question him out loud, his face didn't look good...
Fortunately, Bo Shenlun, the Lord of Xiliang, who also followed Zhu Xian in and represented the yamen to help the Chief of Guard Ying identify the truth and falsehood of what the Caojiabao people said, spoke up in time to explain: "Young Madam, the Eighth Miss, this Madam Mu is the Caojiabao The current Lord of the Castle, this little girl is his only flesh and blood. To show his sincerity, the Lord of the Castle and the Young Lord of the Castle came together to answer the question!"
"The Lord of the Cao Family Fort?!" Wei Changying and Duanmu Xinmiao exclaimed in unison. Their suspicious eyes fell on the woman in an instant -
No matter how you look at it, this woman is only in her twenties. Judging from her profile, she has pretty features and is quite pretty. But upon closer inspection, you can see that her skin is rough and there are a few fine lines at the corners of her young eyes. Although Xiliang is bitterly cold, even if the women here have the conditions to take care of themselves as carefully as Mrs. Huo, they are far inferior to the ladies of the imperial capital because of the water and soil. But this woman looked a little too old. In addition, Caojiabao was built by refugees, so people couldn't help but suspect that she was so old because of overwork.
His face is older and his clothes are too plain and tight. The woman was wearing an indigo coarse cloth dress, with a neat bun on her head, and two dim silver hairpins stuck sideways. Behind the ears is a pair of jade bead pendants. The color of the jade is so turbid that they look like stones at first glance... Even the rough maid serving in the yard of Wei Changying may not be able to recognize them.
Looking at the little girl following her, she was also wearing a similar light blue dress, with a red gold necklace hanging on her chest. The quality and workmanship looked good, and this one piece alone was worth more than all the hairpin rings on her mother's body. Presumably it was because of her favor that the woman in blue would rather wear something a little worse than wrong her daughter.
But this necklace looks good, and it doesn't look like something that ordinary rich people can get... But what if Caojiabao did some unprofitable business in private, avoiding the eyes of the Shen family, and left it to his children
Wei Changying took a few glances at the little girl. She looked very much like her mother between her eyebrows. Because she was young and had not been affected by water, earth, wind and dust, her little face was still fair and cute. But after all, she was young and ignorant. Although her mother could not restrain herself from being attracted by the various treasures and ornaments around her, she still knew how to act respectfully, lowered her head and did not dare to look around. This little girl did not This is a lot of worries.
She opened a pair of big black and white eyes, biting one of her fingers, and looked up innocently and curiously at the strand of coral beads on the temples of Wei Changying. She looked down on her, so she didn't dress up in any special way. But no matter how you dress up, ladies should at least have a few hairpin rings.
This is a luan bird holding a bead in its hand and swaying. The hollow red gold thread is woven in the shape of a luan bird. Obsidian is the eye. The feathers of the kingfisher are feathers. What it holds is a string of coral beads that are as bright as fire. The red and green emerald feathers and red coral are eye-catching, and it is no wonder that they will attract the attention of children.
but…
Considering the gap between Caojiabao and Wei Changying, even if he must bring a child to the court to see him, he should still be reminded of the rules, right
Wei Changying had thoughts swirling in his mind, and after exclaiming, he fell silent.
The woman in blue, on the other hand, bowed respectfully and introduced herself: "The young lady Mu Chunmian is the master of the Cao Family Fort. I heard that the young lady and Miss Duanmuba have something to ask about the castle. Came before."
Her attitude was respectful but not flattering, rather neither humble nor overbearing.
Duanmu Xinmiao was anxious to speak, but Wei Changying secretly stepped on his skirt. Wei Changying said lightly: "Why is the lord of Caojia Fort named Mu? Or is he a woman? The next lord of the fort is also a woman. , Is your castle actually run by a woman? It’s really strange, I’ve never heard of this.”
Shen Lun was about to answer, but Mu Chunmian glanced at him and immediately picked up the tea bowl. This made Wei Changying frown slightly, and he was a little suspicious of Shen Lun.
"Back to the young lady." Although no one introduced their identities to Mu Chunmian, Wei Changying was dressed as a woman and Duanmu Xinmiao was not married yet, so it was not difficult to tell them apart. Mu Chunmian would not admit her mistake. After stopping Shen Lun, he smiled and said, "The little woman's husband's family name is Cao. Because her husband died young, the little woman had to come out to support the family business."
Wei Changying naturally couldn't believe this. It was common sense for a widowed woman to be forced to support the family independently, but it also depended on what kind of family business it was. In the eyes of the Shen family, Caojia Fort is not worth mentioning once its vitals are pinched. But after all, it is a fort with three thousand people! Even if most of them were women and children, there were still nearly a thousand men. How could a woman be the master of the castle
Wei Changying would not ignore what Shen Lun said just now, "This little girl is his only biological flesh and blood, Cao Ya." Then it is unlikely that Mu Chunmian would take the young son to control the Cao Family Fort - Wei Changying's thoughts changed. , suddenly thought that there was another meaning in this sentence: Mu Chunmian only gave birth to a daughter, Cao Ya, but did her husband only have a daughter, Cao Ya
Could it be that the Cao Family Fort was also fighting within itself, and Mu Chunmian failed in the fight, and was tricked into being the lord of the fort in name only, and was sent here with his daughter Cao Ya to perfunctory him? Or is Mu Chunmian's skills unusual? As a female prostitute, after the death of her husband, as the daughter-in-law of the Cao family, she firmly controlled the Cao family fort and allowed her still young daughter to become the young fort master
She was pondering here, but Duanmu Xinmiao couldn't help it, and asked in a loud voice: "No matter who you are here, please tell me clearly about the life and death of my great-uncle!"
Seeing that Duanmu Xinmiao had come to the point, Wei Changying no longer pursued Mu Chunmian's status in Caojia Fort, and said calmly: "Yes, we don't care much about who the owner of your Caojia Fort is. Come here now." , Just tell the truth about this Ji Gu thing!"
Mu Chunmian said cheerfully: "The people from your family who went to Caojiabao have already said this. Although the little woman is young, she was not yet born when the people the two nobles mentioned entered Caojiabao. However, in order to reply , I also asked the old man in the fort in detail before coming here."
When she said this, Wei Changying and Duanmu Xinmiao frowned in unison: There is no other reason. If Ji Gu is still alive, or in other words, if Ruomu Chunmian will admit that Ji Gu is still alive, there is no need to ask the old man, just Just say it directly. Now that she mentioned the old man, it was obvious that either Ji Gu was indeed dead, or she was going to continue to insist that Ji Gu was dead.
Sure enough, Mu Chunmian said: "It has not been long since Caojiabao took in the two mentioned people. So I don't know that senior very well. At the beginning, your family sent people to Caojiabao to confirm his life and death. The entire Caojiapu people gathered and looked at the portrait to confirm. Later, they opened the coffin and took people who knew the senior well to see it, and then they confirmed that it was the young woman. I don’t understand, why do you want me to give you an explanation now?”
Wei Changying said lightly: "I heard that the terrain of Caojia Fort is excellent, and it is an extremely rare place where one man can guard the gate and cannot be opened by ten thousand men. Even if Ji Gu cannot be hidden inside the fort, isn't there still one outside? In the wilderness, What's the problem in hiding someone for a while? After all, it's impossible for the person you were looking for to live in Caojiapu all the time, right? As for the coffin you mentioned, why would you have called us here if you didn't have evidence? Are you very free?" Although she had no evidence, since she was questioning Mu Chunmian now, she couldn't lose her momentum - given her status, she said she had the evidence, and there was no need to show it to Mu Chunmian.
Sure enough, Mu Chunmian said hurriedly: "The little woman doesn't dare."
"If you really don't dare, then tell the truth." Wei Changying said coldly.
Mu Chunmian narrowed his eyes and said: "The little lady has indeed only seen the graves of the two people mentioned, and there is absolutely no such person as Ji Gu in the castle!"
Wei Changying glanced at her lightly and said, "You asked me to come here with sister Xinmiao just to listen to such nonsense?" These days, she has been controlling Ming Peitang with both soft and hard tactics, and her demeanor is very different from before. , At this moment, the powdery face was slightly dark, and there was a sense of majesty and awe. Mu Chunmian was startled for a moment, and then said: "Although Ji Gu is no longer there, but... the little woman heard from the old man that he left some things behind and entrusted someone to deliver them to him. To his nephew who is living in the imperial capital. The little woman heard that...it seems to be called Ji Qubing? "
"Ah, that's for my mentor!" Duanmu Xinmiao blurted out, "What is it?"
"Although the little lady is in a remote place, she has heard of the name of the most famous doctor in the country. Since leaving the castle this time, she has heard that Miss Duanmu, her disciple, is doing a free clinic in Xiliang." Mu Chunmian looked at her. , smiled slightly, and said, "It is said that Miss Duanmu is a disciple of Divine Doctor Ji, so it is okay to give these things to Miss Duanmu. But..."
Duanmu Xinmiao said displeased: "What?"
"It's just that the two people who spoke about it had something to say back then." Mu Chunmian was obviously struggling with whether to say these words. After hesitating for a long time, he made up his mind and raised his head and said, "That person said, Those things can be given to Doctor Ji, to other members of the Ji family, or to descendants of the Ji family like Miss Duanmu... But no matter who comes to take them, they have to pay... a price!"
It turned out to be money
Wei Changying and Duanmu Xinmiao were both a little surprised. Wei Changying asked: "How much?" She thought that since Mu Chunmian said it was a small price, it was not a lot, so she should just be a good person and ask Duanmu Xin for the amount. Now that Miao is out, she can be thanked for traveling thousands of miles to Xiliang to treat Shen Zangfeng.
Mu Chunmian was also very happy: "Three thousand taels of gold, every penny is a lot!"
"What?!" Not only Wei Changying and Duanmu Xinmiao were stunned by the lion's big opening, but Shen Lun, who was sitting next to him, almost spilled the tea on his body - three thousand taels of gold! Is this treating gold as mud
Ji Gu was a fugitive when he escaped, so even if he hid some good things in private, it was very limited. What could he leave behind that was worth three thousand taels of gold? If he really had something of such value, he might have bribed the police and the whole family would have been able to escape from "suspended death" quietly and go somewhere free!
... Well, of course, it is also possible that someone might be murdered for exposing their wealth.
Wei Changying was already on the verge of saying "Sister Xinmiao, this is the money, my sister-in-law can pay for it for you" and was immediately stuck... Even Duanmu Xinmiao, who had treated the best jadeite like a weed in order to make medicinal jewelry, felt that The price of three thousand taels of gold is a bit outrageous - even if I have to repay Caojiabao for saving his life, giving him a thousand taels of silver would be a very generous repayment given the current market price!
Qi Mu Chunmian meant... that Ji Gu was indeed dead! If Ji Gu were alive and asked Duanmu Xinmiao to give Caojiabao three thousand taels of gold as a reward, Duanmu Xinmiao would definitely have no problem! She doesn't have enough money, and Wei Changying won't just sit back and watch. The problem is that if Ji Gu is no longer alive, it would be too sinister to ask for 3,000 taels of gold based on the life-saving grace that failed to save him and the favor of preserving his relics over the years!
Because Caojiabao, which no longer accepts outsiders, made an exception to accept Ji Gu. After all, it was because of his medical skills and not just to save people's lives. Even according to what Caojiabao said, Ji Gu died not long after he was in Caojiabao. Ji Gu must not be able to take a rest in the meantime, he must also be treating people in the fort, and he himself has more or less repaid the life-saving grace.
In this situation, no matter how you think about it, Mu Chunmian seems to be telling a joke.
However, Duanmu Xinmiao was Ji Qubing's disciple, and she knew something about her disciple. After she was surprised, she did not immediately scold Mu Chunmian for his wishful thinking. She pondered for a moment, but asked: "Do you know, I What is left behind by this uncle?”
Mu Chunmian was straightforward and said: "I heard that Miss Duanmu is a disciple of Divine Doctor Ji, so the little lady asked the old man for some old things to bring over. So that Miss Duanmu could see them... Of course, the little lady brought them , just part of it.”
Now even Wei Changying became interested - could it be that before Ji Ying was questioned, the Ji family's treasure, which was worth three thousand taels of gold and was light and easy to hide, was actually kept by Ji Gu and left to the Cao family? Fort
The eyes of everyone in the back hall were drawn to Mu Chunmian, but Mu Chunmian turned her head and said to Cao Ya: "Girl, take out the things quickly and show them to the nobles!"
Cao Ya, who had been staring at Wei Changying's swaying steps and biting his fingers while staring, let out an ooh, put down his fingers, reached into his arms and started groping - this girl looked to be only four or five years old, and she was relatively young. The thin kind. Something that could be hidden in her arms would obviously not be too big.
Everyone became more curious.
... That thing seemed to be smaller than everyone thought. Cao Ya fumbled around for a long time before finally taking it out - a small oil paper bag not much bigger than her palm. Judging from the oil paper, it seems that it has aged quite a bit over the years...
What could be here? (To be continued)