However, despite the chaos in their hearts and their reluctance, looking at Sheng Suihe's slightly furrowed brows and solemn gaze, Yishan and Yiliu immediately lowered their heads and said in a deep voice, "I will obey the Lord's orders!"
Yi Liu hesitated for a moment, but finally said: "Master, since you care so much about Miss Sheng San's thoughts, then the so-called family you just asked the slaves to talk about... If Miss Sheng San really wants to be found by the slaves, but what to do?"
"You don't have to worry about this. The people in those places are ours." Sheng Suihe said in a cold tone, "I am worried that I can't interact with them quietly, but there is a ready opportunity here!"
This was the truth. The two families he asked Yishan and Yiliu to tell were the spies sent by the Gongsun family to Chang'an a few years ago. After all, as a fourth-generation pirate, he was still a pirate who aspired to be recruited by the imperial court. The emperor's master suddenly appeared on the island, and he was the former emperor's master who was defeated by his beloved concubine and almost died at sea... Even if Gongsun tried his best to suppress the news, I was really panicking.
So when the old sea lord Gongsun Tu was still there, he sent his confidants to bring money and goods, pretending to be merchants from other places, and officially settled in the capital, so as to be long-term eyes and ears.
At that time, Gongsun Tu did this mainly because he did not dare to do anything to Huan Guanlan, and he was also afraid that the two Empresses Shu in the palace would kill the Gongsun family along with Huan Guanlan on Tortoiseshell Island after they found out that Huan Guanlan was on Tortoiseshell Island.
Therefore, they were prepared for a rainy day and had people keep a lookout near Chang'an. Whenever any suspicions of this kind spread between the government and the public, the spies could fly pigeons to send letters and reports as soon as possible, so that the Gongsun family would have more time to deal with it.
Although these people were sent by Gongsun Tu, the old sea lord, and had no friendship with Sheng Sleeping Crane, it had been two years since Gongsun Tu died in the battle. As Gongsun Tu's adopted son, he was the most valued arm of the current sea lord and Gongsun Tu's only son Gongsun Su. , Sheng Sleeping Crane can naturally use them.
It's just that these people came here in hiding several years ago. Sheng Suihe's current identity is a scholar who came to Chang'an for the first time, and he has never had any friendship with them. He came and went rashly, worried that interested people would see his flaws, so he didn't contact him for a long time.
Sheng Suihe took advantage of the turmoil caused by the arrival of Yishan and Yiliu today and dispelled Sheng Weiqiao's suspicion.
Now that he said this, although Yishan and Yiliu felt that this statement would inevitably give people a feeling of being too coincidental, when they saw him waving his hands, they did not dare to say anything more. They bowed their knees and left, packing their luggage and preparing to wait. I will come over and start my official career as a study maid.
Sheng Suihe and Lu Jin didn't know each other's thoughts, but they accidentally collided and cooperated well, which made Sheng Weiqiao dispel his doubts a few days later: "It turns out that these two people were really sold to Nanfeng County from Chang'an by human traffickers. ? There are still people in the family, but the parents are gone and only the uncle and aunt are found?"
He sighed, "These traffickers really deserve to be killed!"
Sheng Xiang, who replied, echoed: "Isn't it true? It is said that the King of Gaomi once advocated vigorously punishing such traitors. It is a pity that the children of wealthy families, even if they are not watched by their elders, there are still a group of wet nurses, maids and servants to guard the courtyard. Companion, how can it be so easy to get lost by traffickers? That bastard is also sensible and does not dare to provoke the rich and powerful rashly, but he targets orphans, beggars, and ordinary people's children. "
"The princes in the imperial court do not feel the pain on their own skin. They treat the disease as ringworm and scabies, thinking that it will not harm the overall situation of the world. However, they do not know that the pain of parents losing their beloved children and the grief of children being separated from the arms of their parents is such heart-breaking pain! Because few of the ministers responded. , although there was a lot of rumblings for a while, in the end it was settled!"
"Well, if King Gaomi's original proposal had been taken seriously, the two girls Yishan and Yiliu would not have had such a miserable experience. Fortunately, they met you, young lady, and they are in good health!"
Sheng Weiqiao thought that Sheng Xiang was his grandfather's man, not Sheng Suihe's subordinate, and he had his personal maid Lu Jin to supervise him, so he would not lie to himself, so although he was a little regretful that he did not catch Sheng Suihe, he sighed for a while. Shan and Yiliu's fate, ordered Lujin and the others to treat the two girls kindly, and they would no longer pursue the matter.
This naturally made everyone from Sheng Sleeping Crane breath a sigh of relief!
Time flies very fast, and it’s New Year’s Eve in a blink of an eye.
During the day, Xu Zijing and his wife came here in person to invite them to Ningwei Hou Mansion to celebrate the New Year.
However, Sheng Weiqiao, Sheng Wewu and Gongsun Yingjiang all felt that going to the Hou Mansion was not as comfortable as staying in this house. What's more, Sheng Weiqiao would inevitably be embarrassed after meeting Xu Caikui. During the annual festival, there was no need to cause trouble for the Xu family, let alone for themselves. They were unhappy, so they all left the decision-making power to Sheng Suihe.
So Sheng Suihe declined with a familiarity, and Xu Zijing and his wife finally returned disappointed. They could only leave a large amount of food and supplies, and told them to remember to notify the Hou Mansion immediately if anything happened, and then they left with a sigh.
In the evening of that day, Sheng Weiqiao was secretly relieved because as Meng Guihuan said before, "My aunt may call you to attend the New Year's Eve banquet" and no middle official arrived at this moment.
Since the ancestral home of the Sheng family is far away in Nanfeng County, only a few juniors, mostly female relatives, will be in Chang'an. Therefore, in the supposed grand ancestor worship on New Year's Eve, Sheng Suihe took the lead and placed the Sheng family's ancestral tablets prepared a few days in advance at the top of the main hall. After setting up the banquet, they kowtowed a few times and forget it.
It was night, listening to the sound of firecrackers in Chang'an City. After having a sumptuous dinner, the four of them took the cattails and played in the small flower hall to avoid boredom.
This night, Sheng Weiqiao finally didn't have the other playmates who had been playing Guicai Tou all the way to get frightened and attack in groups like before in the side hall of Xinshou Palace.
On the other hand, Sheng Weiwu, probably because children have better luck during the Chinese New Year and festivals, she won a lot of coins in a row. So much so that the little girl showed signs of being out of energy just after nightfall, but later on she became more and more courageous. Until dawn, her eyes were bright and she was not sleepy. She only looked at the hill-like pile of copper plates in front of her with a smile on her face, her sleeves rolled up, and her eyes deep. I feel like I can play another hundred rounds!
Unfortunately, under the suppression of both brothers and sisters, on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, after eating a bowl of eggs stuffed with longan, they were ordered to go back to the room to rest immediately.
It is customary at this time to not go out on the first day of the Lunar New Year, to reunite with family members and enjoy family happiness; on the second day of the Lunar New Year, the married daughter returns to her parents' home; and on the third day of the Lunar New Year, the official New Year greetings begin.
After sending Sheng Weiwu and Gongsun Yingjiang to settle down, Sheng Suihe discussed with Sheng Weiqiao: "Let's get up early on the third day of the Lunar New Year and go to Ningweihou Mansion to pay New Year greetings. If we can leave in time, we will go to Tu Shishu's place in the afternoon. If Ningweihou Mansion is determined If you want to keep us here longer, we can go to the Tufu to congratulate you on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, what do you think?"
Sheng Weiqiao reminded him: "When I went to Uncle Tu Shi's place before, Uncle Tu Shi and Aunt Jiang had Fenglou's younger sister at their knees. It is said that the two brothers are outside the city and have been filial to their grandparents for generations! Now this year, I'm afraid Uncle Shi and Auntie also have to go back to serve their elders, right? We’re afraid we won’t find anyone when we go to the Tufu?”
"I will send someone to inquire later." Sheng Suihe heard the words and said deeply, "Because Uncle Tu Shi is a confidant of His Royal Highness Princess Wuyang, I think that during the Chinese New Year, Her Royal Highness Princess Wuyang has a lot of social activities, so there may be many people who rely on Uncle Shi. place, so Aunt Jiang and Fenglou Shimei can just settle down, and Shishu may not have time to leave Chang'an. Maybe Auntie took Shimei to serve his parents-in-law outside the city, but Shishu still stays in the house? "
After all, the reason why they went to Tufu to pay New Year greetings was mainly for Tu Ruchuan, so it didn't matter where the other people in Tufu were. The key was Tu Ruchuan's trace.
Half a day later, Sheng Xiang went out to inquire in person, and the result proved that Sheng Suihe's guess was correct. Tu Ruchuan left the city at noon yesterday, and took his wife and daughter back to the ancestral home outside the city to visit his parents and elders, and to participate in the New Year's Eve ancestor worship. But I will return to the city alone this evening, and tomorrow I will continue to work at the Princess Wuyang Mansion.
This is not because Princess Wuyang deliberately made things difficult for her, but because Princess Wuyang’s consort Li Junze, Marquis of Yangwu, passed away a few years ago. The princess has four daughters and one son. All four daughters have left the cabinet and followed their husbands. Even though they were not in Chang'an, Princess Wuyang and her youngest son, Marquis of Yichun, Li Shengxu, were the companions of Princess Wuyang.
The Marquis of Yichun, Li Shengxu, was well-known in Chang'an City for being a sick man. He took medicine before eating. In the past few years, Empress Dowager Meng took pity on Princess Wuyang and specially transferred him to the title of Yichun from her father, Marquis of Yangwu, Li Junze. , and promised him not to attack, in order to pray for blessings.
I don’t know how much thought Princess Wuyang spent on this person being able to survive to this day. So even though he was nineteen years old, he should have been old enough to support the family. Years ago, because of Princess Wuyang, he found a long-retired imperial physician from the previous dynasty. Legend has it that he finally found a way to cure Li Shengxu. However, after all, time is still short, not to mention whether he has fully recovered in such a short time. Even if he does recover, those who have watched him grow up will not worry about asking him to work immediately.
Therefore, in the huge Wuyang Princess Mansion, there is currently only one eldest princess who is busy with everything, and she does not even have a decent helper.
Under such circumstances, Tu Ruchuan, as the chief historian, could not take his family and children to celebrate the New Year outside the city. He had no choice but to go to work in advance despite his immediate boss being busy in Chang'an City.
"It's no wonder that uncle Shi could ask Her Royal Highness the eldest princess to come to the Queen Mother to smooth things over for us." Sheng Weiqiao listened and sighed, "We have been around the eldest princess's house all year round, and we don't have any free time. How can Her Royal Highness not be extra considerate? Uncle Shi is really working hard."
Sheng Suihe said with a smile: "Actually, even if Uncle Shi doesn't go to work in advance, the work under the big festival will not be able to stop. Even for us, Uncle Xu Shi and Uncle Tu Shi have finished walking around, and the other families that Dad mentioned before will definitely have to do it too. I used to say New Year greetings and give gifts. If you look at it this way, not to mention that there is no day off before the Lantern Festival, but I estimate that you will have to go out every day before the tenth day of the Lunar New Year. This is something that all the uncles and uncles in the family should not be too enthusiastic about. Under the premise, otherwise everyone will be like Aunt Xu Shishunan, who either comes to invite her in person or sends messages from time to time, which requires some socializing and some are busy!"
"I really want to go back to Nanfeng County!!!" Sheng Weiqiao wailed when he heard this and said feebly, "I have never had such trouble during the New Year before. I just got up early to kowtow to my grandparents and say hello, and took the New Year's money to eat and play. Ah, I will go to Feng’s and Xuan Yu’s houses to pay New Year’s greetings later. After kowtowing, I will take the New Year’s money to eat and have fun... If not, just tell the public that I am sick, can you take Ying Jiang out to socialize?”
Sheng Suihe hurriedly comforted him: "It's really a child's talk. Don't talk nonsense under the big festival! That's what I said. If you think that spring will be after the first lunar month, all the uncles and uncles will definitely not do it in order to let me concentrate on studying. It’s too disturbing for us at this time! In other words, every household has to go there to say hello to the New Year!”
He added, "Every household is very busy during the Chinese New Year. There are so many relatives and friends who have to go around and greet us. After all, we are just juniors. Even if the uncles and uncles are thinking of their father and have no intention of neglecting us, this will I must be too busy and too busy to spare any time to have a long talk with us."
With such easy talk, Sheng Weiqiao was persuaded to give up the idea of pretending to be sick.
But... Sheng Suihe was not sure this time.