The night when Xia Chu left Chang'an City, Mr. Hou fell ill.
It is said that a note about his critical illness was sent to the palace that night, saying that there was no one left in the Hou Mansion to die, and he had to worry about the emperor's affairs after his death.
In General Zhao's house, Zhao Xingwen was tied firmly to the bed, with a piece of cloth stuffed in his mouth.
Xu Wanjun, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, did not see Xu Wenlan after returning from the palace. He was afraid that he would cause some trouble, so he went to Mingxiang Garden in person and escorted him back to the mansion.
Although he was not tied up, he was locked in the room and tightly shut.
Today, Huo Wenshu in the Admiral's Mansion was also the one who suffered a huge psychological impact because of Su Qianle's incident.
She was not at the Dali Temple today. Zhao Xingwen had to accompany her relatives in the morning. He was afraid that a young lady who never left the house would not be able to stand the crowded scene, so he comforted her and waited for the case to be concluded before picking her up. Went to dinner with her.
Huo Wenshu originally thought that today was just a formality, so she didn't join in the fun. When she found out about it, it was because it was known all over the city and the servants in the mansion spread it by word of mouth, so she asked her personal maid Yuan Yao went to inquire about it carefully.
When Yuan Yao came back and carefully recounted the whole story of today, when Huo Wenshu heard that Su Qianle went to court to testify against Xia Chu, her face was full of disbelief. She stood up from the chair in shock and grabbed Yuan Yao's hand. Repeatedly confirming: "Is it really the Su Qianle from the Hou Mansion?"
Just as Yuan Yao was about to reply, Huo Wenshu asked again: "Is this Qian Le who used to come to our house?"
Yuan Yao nodded and saw Huo Wenshu shook her head in panic: "No way, how could it be Qian Le? It can't be Qian Le, and it's even more impossible for her to identify..."
Yuan Yao sighed: "Miss, this is true. No wonder she didn't come to our house very often. Even if you went to the Hou Mansion to look for her, you would most likely miss her in the house. It turned out to be early." I’m ready to break up.”
When Huo Wenshu went to the Hou Mansion to look for Su Qianle recently, she was often told by Shuanglu, the maid next to her, that Su Qianle had either gone to dance practice, embroidery, or shopping, and was not in the mansion anyway.
After Huo Wenshu mentioned this to Yuan Yao, she remembered that when Xia Chu came to Huo Mansion a few days ago, she also mentioned that he invited Su Qianle to come with him, but she refused, so she asked Zhao Xingwen to come to Huo Mansion with him.
It turns out that Su Qianle had already had this idea so long ago
Fortunately, she always thought that the two of them were close friends and regarded her as the only Jinlan sister in the capital.
"Hey, miss, miss, where are you going?" Yuan Yao saw her getting up and walking towards the door, and quickly chased after her and stopped in front of her.
"How can I feel at ease if I don't go to her and ask her face to face?" Huo Wenshu waved her away.
Yuan Yao then stopped her and said, "Miss, where are you going to find her to find out?"
Huo Wenshu's face was startled. Yes, Su Qianle naturally couldn't go back to the Hou Mansion now. Where could she go to ask Su Qianle.
"Then I'll go find Xingwen." Huo Wenshu waved her away again.
"Miss, please don't cause trouble for General Zhao right now. What's more, you can't get in either..." Yuan Yao held her hand from behind, but her voice became quieter and softer.
Huo Wenshu turned her head and asked her with a frown, "Tell me carefully."
Yuan Yao looked a little hesitant: "After the case was settled, the young Marquis was taken to the sky prison. Naturally, General Zhao became the target of public criticism. He was chased and intercepted by his family members and fled. The door of General Zhao's house was already occupied by those family members. They surrounded him, and he was afraid he wouldn't be able to go back."
Huo Wenshu did not expect that the situation would develop so seriously. She thought about it and said, "Then I will go to Mingxiang Garden to find Mr. Bingwen."
"Miss, Mr. Bingwen and the others must be in a mess right now. You can't help much if you go. It's better to wait for the admiral to come back and ask him..." Yuan Yao tried his best to keep her in the mansion. .
Although Huo Wenshu was anxious, what Yuan Yao said was indeed true. She went alone to eliminate the anxiety and could not help much. She might as well wait for Huo Tianxiu to come back and ask her uncle for help.
However, Huo Wenshu looked forward to waiting for Huo Tianxiu to come back, and was locked into the room by him.
She slapped the door and begged, Yuan Yao sighed outside and persuaded: "Miss, please stop shouting, the Admiral has left the house again..."
Huo Wenshu sat down against the door dejectedly. The Huo Mansion fell silent for an instant, with only heavy snow falling outside the house, but there was no sound as it fell to the ground.
It was only almost midnight in Chang'an, but it was already covered in silver and extremely beautiful.
Except for the road from Dali Temple to the city gate, which has been trampled by countless people, the other streets are like silver, bright and brilliant...
A long icicle hangs from the plaque of Mingxiang Garden to the eaves. When Xu Wenlan was escorted out of the gate by Xu Wanjun, he left one on his neck and threatened Xu Wanjun: "I will never go back until I die. Just stay here and think about it, I will stay here and wait..."
The veins on Xu Wanjun's forehead twitched, and he gave his attendant Geng Zheng a look. The ice pick in Xu Wenlan's hand fell down, and he was immediately knocked on his hands and slipped into the carriage.
In the backyard, Shi Zhongfei was still staying in Bingwen's room, but the two of them looked at each other speechlessly, both looking extremely ugly.
The cup of tea on the table has been replaced by Jiewu countless times.
"You said wait, when? What are we waiting for?" After a long time, Shi Zhongfei finally couldn't help it.
But Bingwen sat there like a sculpture, saying nothing.
It wasn't until after midnight that Jiewu received the news that Kong Changhui had returned to the mansion, and Bingwen suddenly stood up, with light finally shining in his eyes.
As soon as Jiewu finished speaking, Bingwen stood up and pushed out the door. Shi Zhongfei quickly grabbed two large cloaks and chased after him. However, due to his strength of feet, those who were chasing after him couldn't keep up, so he had to grab one. He handed the cloak to Jie Wu and signaled him to catch up quickly and put it on Bingwen.
Fortunately, Mingxiang Garden was not far from the Confucius Mansion. When Jiewu stepped forward and put a large cloak on Bingwen, he walked not long after and turned a corner and arrived at the door of the Confucius Mansion.
Bingwen just knocked on the door, and Dai Shou, the young boy inside, opened the door and bowed respectfully to him: "My lord has already guessed that the young master will definitely come, so I asked Dai Shou to wait here."
Bingwen nodded, motioning for him to lead the way without saying anything, and followed Dai Shou hurriedly towards the room.
Shi Zhongfei ran all the way and finally caught up with him, and followed Bingwen into Kong Changhui's house.
In the room, Kong Changhui was sitting at the table. Three cups of tea had been poured on the table. The weather was steaming in the cold winter weather. Kong Changhui looked up at Bingwen and bowed to him: "Sit down and talk."
(End of chapter)