It took Zhou Shaojin two or three days to recover.
She brought homemade Buddhist incense to see Mrs. Mian.
Mrs. Miao saw that the incense was made densely and tightly, with a rich fragrance that made people feel light-headed and refreshed. She asked in surprise, "What kind of incense is this? It smells so good! Did you really make it yourself?"
"This is called osmanthus incense." Zhou Shaojin smiled, "It has camphor in it. I made it a few days ago according to an ancient book. I didn't expect it to work, so I wanted to offer it as a birthday gift to my grandmother. I don't know if it will work, so I'll give it to my aunt first to have a look."
"Very good, very good." Mrs. Miao hesitated, "Since it has camphor, it should be able to repel mosquitoes, right?"
"It can repel mosquitoes." Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but feel ashamed. She originally asked Shi Xiang and others to help make incense for the purpose of repelling mosquitoes. Later, when she was going to interrogate the old beggar, she used this as an excuse to turn the incense into Buddhist incense. "So this kind of incense is best used in summer. If it's winter, we have to make sandalwood or lily incense."
"I didn't expect that you could tinker with these things without going out all day." Mrs. Miao laughed, as if she approved of her continuing to tinker with these elegant little gadgets at home without leaving the house.
Zhou Shaojin took the opportunity to take out a small plain pinewood box and said, "Here are some loose incense sticks. It's best to light them in an incense burner. They're for you. If you think they're useful, I'll start making more incense for winter in a few days."
"Okay, okay, okay." Mrs. Miao took it with a smile.
Zhou Shaojin chatted with Mrs. Miao for a while before getting up to say goodbye.
But when she returned to Wanxiangju, Shi Xiang quietly told her: "Manager Ma wants to see you!"
Usually, if there was any matter, Ma Fushan's family would go to the mansion and report to Zhou Chujin.
Ma Fushan asks to see...
Zhou Shaojin's heart tightened, and he hurriedly asked, "Where is Manager Ma? I'll go see him right away."
Ma Fushan is in his prime and this is the Cheng Mansion, so it would be inappropriate to meet him in the inner courtyard.
Shi Xiang said: "Drinking tea in the gatehouse."
Zhou Shaojin nodded and asked Shi Xiang to lead him to the flower hall next to the second gate. He changed his clothes and went to the flower hall accompanied by Chunwan.
Ma Fushan saluted Zhou Shaojin, his expression showing a bit of anxiety, and whispered: "Second Miss, the old beggar is gone!"
Zhou Shaojin was surprised.
Ma Fushan said with embarrassment: "I think that old beggar is not a good person. You rewarded him 30 taels of silver in one go. I was afraid that he would be greedy and blackmail you again, so I took the initiative to reward him 10 taels of silver first, and told him that if what he said was true, I would reward him 20 taels of silver. I also thought that since he caused trouble when he was a groom, it would be better to investigate the incident carefully. Even if I don't attract that family, I can use this incident to threaten him not to cause trouble to the second young lady. It was all agreed at first, but when I went to the inn to find the old beggar early this morning, he was not there. Moreover, he left in a hurry, and he didn't even take the clothes and towels he bought a few days ago. He also owed the inn three days of room rent. The innkeeper said that he didn't look like someone who could afford to stay in the hotel, and was afraid that he would eat for free, so he sent his waiters to keep an eye on him. Just like that, I don't know when he slipped away... Second young lady, you see this matter... Could it be that someone knew about the old beggar's return to Jinling and scared him away... or killed him to silence him!"
"Killing to silence the witness?" Zhou Shaojin said in shock, "That shouldn't be the case, right?"
Just because of her mother's matter and the old grudge of the Cheng family, he killed people to silence them? Wasn't he afraid of being discovered by the government
But Zhou Shaojin had a vague feeling in his heart that maybe some people could really do it.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have “endured humiliation” for so many years. In his previous life, he didn’t figure out what was going on until she died!
She asked Ma Fushan: "Do you know what the old beggar did?"
Ma Fushan smiled bitterly: "When he was working as a groom for someone, he almost kidnapped the young master. That's why the family hated him so much and went thousands of miles to find him and hand him over to the authorities."
Zhou Shaojin was stunned and said, "If this person was really murdered to silence him, it wouldn't be unfair."
Ma Fushan said: "These are just my guesses. The old beggar is very cunning. He might have seen that the situation was not right and slipped away. But I will also have people pay attention to the notices from the government."
If an unidentified body is found or a murder occurs, the government will post a notice on the "Eight-Character Wall".
This is all we can do for now.
Zhou Shaojin gave him some detailed instructions before letting Shi Xiang send Ma Fushan out.
While she was copying scriptures in Hanbi Mountain House in the afternoon, she kept thinking about this matter.
If Cheng Lu is really so cruel, it would be a good idea to find some evidence against him and hand him over to the authorities so that the matter is over once and for all.
Mrs. Guo saw that she copied less Buddhist scriptures than usual, so she asked her, "Are you thinking about your grandmother's birthday? It's been hot these few days, why don't you take a few days off and come back when the weather is cooler."
Zhou Shaojin was worried that he didn't have the time to investigate Cheng Lu's affairs, so he smiled and thanked him without refusing.
Old Madam Guo liked her cheerfulness, so she rewarded her with two melons and asked Xiao Tan to take her back to Wanxiangju.
Zhou Shaojin discussed with his sister about investigating Cheng Lu.
Zhou Chujin was terrified when he heard that Cheng Lu might have a murder case, and hurriedly said, "You can investigate, but let Ma Fushan do it, and you must not interfere."
Zhou Shaojin knew his own situation and had not originally planned to check it himself, but when he saw his sister agreed, he was naturally overjoyed and made promises repeatedly.
Zhou Chujin was still worried. Coincidentally, Cheng Ji also complained that the weather was too hot, so classes at Jing'an Zhai were suspended. Zhou Shaojin stayed in Wanxiangju all day. Zhou Chujin reported to Madam Mian and asked her to help her prepare for old lady Guan's birthday.
Mrs. Miao thought that after Zhou Chujin got married, she might have to teach Zhou Shaojin how to manage the household. At this time, with Zhou Chujin's help to lead the family, when she took over, it would be a good thing to get twice the result with half the effort. Not only did she agree, she also sent a trusted mother to assist the two sisters.
Zhou Shaojin is not unintelligent, but she used to be afraid to make decisions, timid and indecisive, which made people anxious. But now, she has experienced some things and knows that some things may seem extremely difficult, but they are easy to do. In addition, she also set a fire... In the end, she got through it safely. She spoke with confidence, and she seemed to be very methodical when she ordered the maids to do what they put in the account. When Mrs. Mian asked about it, she didn't think she did anything wrong.
She is becoming more and more resourceful in doing things.
Thinking that Mrs. Guan's birthday was in the hot summer, Zhou Shaojin gave Mrs. Miao an idea: "… The main meal at noon will be held in Jiashu Hall, and the family's loyal servants will come to celebrate grandmother's birthday. Naturally, the more solemn the better. For the family dinner in the evening, it is better to arrange the banquet in Hanqiu Pavilion. First, it is for the filial piety of my uncle and aunt. Second, I want to weave a fence with bamboo, and then climb some vines and morning glories on it to make a flower screen, and then hang lanterns around it to add some fun. After dinner, we can sit by the screen to drink tea, chat, and enjoy the moon. If it rains, we can move the screen to the hall to add some fun. What do you think, aunt?"
Mrs. Miao thought that every year they would just set up a few tables in the hall and put some fruits and flowers on them. Although she didn't know whether Zhou Shaojin's idea was as good as she said, it was still a thoughtful idea for them as children. She couldn't help but say "OK" repeatedly and said, "I'll leave this matter to you. Just tell me what you want."
Zhou Shaojin was well versed in flowers and trees. In her previous life, when she was at the farm in Daxing, she had planted a tree in the house, trimmed it into the shape of a towering tree, and guided some vines to create a fake scene. It was a piece of cake for her.
She agreed with a smile and took her maid to pick vines in the garden.
What I encountered head on was the gentle breeze and the bright moon.
They were still wearing green Taoist robes, one holding a pottery jar in one hand, and the other holding a Ruyao flower sachet with a white lotus in it. As they walked, they whispered, "Aren't all eunuchs white-faced and beardless, looking like women? Why is this eunuch Wan so tall and majestic, like a great general..." As they were talking, someone's eyes caught sight of Zhou Shaojin and the others, and the two of them fell silent, looking over with a little panic. After seeing clearly that the person in front was Zhou Shaojin, they exchanged glances, tightly pursed their lips into a slit, then held their heads high, looked straight ahead, and walked past Zhou Shaojin as if they didn't know him.
He is obviously a child, but he pretends to be an adult.
Zhou Shaojin almost couldn't help laughing out loud.
Wan Tong... Could it be the Wan Tong who was mentioned that day as coming to guard Jinling
Judging from Qingfeng and Langyue’s tone, Wan Tong came to visit Uncle Chi
No matter what, he is an important official in the court. How come there is no news in the inner court
Zhou Shaojin was lost in thought when Qingfeng and Langyue turned a corner in the corridor ahead and disappeared into the garden.
One maid thought Zhou Shaojin didn't know Qingfeng and Langyue, so she said with a smile, "Everyone in the Fourth Master Chi's room loves to wear Taoist robes. These two little boys are probably the servants in the Fourth Master's room."
Zhou Shaojin smiled and nodded.
A maid whispered, "I heard that Master Chi Si can tell fortunes, and he's very accurate. Is that true?"
"That's not fortune-telling, that's called the I Ching." A maid whispered, "I heard from the people of the second house that their ancestor was also able to do it. That year, there was a severe drought in the capital, and the emperor even asked their ancestor to tell fortunes."
"That would be like being a living god!"
The maids talked in low voices.
However, Zhou Shaojin was secretly complaining in his heart: If he really knew how to calculate, why didn't he predict that the Cheng family would be confiscated and exterminated
She quickly found the wisteria she needed and carefully transplanted it into pots. She then instructed Shi Xiang and Chun Wan to take care of it day and night in two shifts. After a few days, the leaves of the wisteria gradually became lively. Zhou Shaojin finally breathed a sigh of relief and opened the storehouse with the nanny who was in charge of Madam Mian, took out some lanterns suitable for the occasion, and selected a few tall flower trees to prepare to hang lanterns.
At this moment, Cheng Lu suddenly asked to see Zhou Shaojin.
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Sisters, today's extra update.
Updated around midnight.
I have to update twice a day these days and there is too much to do, so I can only decide like this for the time being. I will find a way to adjust it after I finish my work at the unit in a few days.
(*^__^*)
※(To be continued)