Lin Zhao went back to the Lin Mansion in a daze. When he arrived at the main courtyard, he hesitated to enter the house, but he didn't want to meet Mrs. Chu coming out of the house. Seeing that his expression was wrong, he hurriedly greeted him, "Zhaoer, what's wrong with you?"
Lin Zhao hesitated to speak, hesitated for a moment and couldn't help but said: "Mother, what kind of woman do you think Wu Zhaohou would marry as his wife?"
The Chu family didn't understand why Lin Zhao suddenly became concerned about Huo Weilou, and after a moment of pondering, he said, "Your Majesty wanted to propose a marriage for Lord Hou, and it seems that he has taken a fancy to the lady of General Zhen Guo's family. Why do you ask this?"
Lin Zhao's heart sank when he heard this, and his eyes flickered, "You said earlier that you wanted to meet your husband's family for your second younger sister? Is there anyone else?"
Hearing Lin Zhao ask about Bo Ruoyou, Chu's eyes lit up, "Zhaoer, why are you asking this again?" She rolled her eyes in surprise, "You don't mean to let Youyou marry into Wu Zhaohou's mansion, do you?" ?”
The bitterness in Lin Zhao's mouth was unspeakable, but the Chu family completely misunderstood, "How is this possible? Not to mention that the Bo family has lost power now, Youyou is working for the servant in the government office, and the servant is a lowly slave. This is absolutely impossible."
Chu said and sighed, "You think like this, do you feel ashamed of her? But you know the identity of Marquis Wu Zhaohou, and what you think is too unrealistic, and she works for him in the yamen for a day. It will be difficult to find a good family for a day, even for the face of the Lin family, probably you can only find an ordinary official."
Lin Zhao's face became more serious when he heard the words, Chu looked at him for a moment, and then asked, "Zhaoer, do you like Youyou?"
Lin Zhao's pupils trembled slightly, he hesitated for a moment but did not answer, Chu's eyes tightened, "Zhaoer, if you are willing, my father and I will not object—"
Lin Zhao turned his body sideways, and said in his mouth: "But mother just said that the second younger sister is a gangster..."
Chu raised her lips, "She can't do it for the rest of her life, what I just said just now, but ordinary people's balance when talking about marriage, you also know how the officials of the aristocratic family in the capital talk about marriage, it's just me and your father. Youyou is also a little guilty, but if you like Zhaoer, it is the most rare."
Liking is the rarest thing, Lin Zhao recalled the scene when Bo Ruoyou ran to Huo Weilou's carriage just now, and shook his head, "I didn't think so, not to mention that I was engaged to Yixian in the past, and now I'm the second younger sister. Nice to hear."
The Chu family was a little bit embarrassed. She and Lin Huai were young couples, and they were considered to be in love when they got married back then. Now that Lin Zhao is about to get married, she naturally hopes that Lin Zhao will choose someone she likes. Lin Zhao and Bo Yixian grew up together in the past, and they also very much approve of this marriage. She only thought that Lin Zhao loved Bo Yixian, but in the end she just obeyed her parents' orders.
The Chu family knows Lin Zhao very well. He is the best disciple of the Son of Heaven taught by the Imperial College. He respects his teachers, self-denial and observance of etiquette. The more happy she is, the more she wants to make Lin Zhao's marriage harmonious and beautiful without any regrets.
She saw that Lin Zhao didn't move unintentionally, "Zhaoer, have you thought about it?"
Lin Zhaolong clenched his fists in his sleeves, he didn't dare to look at Chu for a moment, many considerations were overturned in his heart, he didn't know how to answer, he just looked at Bo Ruoyou from a distance from the beginning to the end, and the scene he saw today , Bo Ruoyou is clearly willing.
But how could Bo Ruoyou be someone's concubine
"I... I've made up my mind..." Lin Zhao breathed out with difficulty, "If mother feels ashamed, she might as well discuss it with Uncle Cheng and choose a good marriage for the second sister." After finishing speaking, he said, "Hurry up, It would be best for my mother to mention this to Uncle Cheng next time when Uncle Cheng sees a doctor for his mother."
The Chu family was very puzzled. They didn't understand why Lin Zhao was so anxious to ask her to show Bo Ruoyou about the marriage, but Lin Zhao didn't say much, and soon said goodbye to the Chu family. Go inside and rest."
After he finished speaking, he left, but he felt sore in his heart. Over the years, he had followed everyone's expectations every step of the way. Without fighting or grabbing, he had his current career, but now it was his turn to make a decision for himself, and he couldn't muster any courage.
…
In the early morning of the next day, Bo Ruoyou arrived at the yamen early again, and as soon as she reached the gate of the inner treasury, she saw someone who came earlier than her.
It was Hu Changqing who stood in front of the cabinet with two civil servants.
She stepped into the door, Hu Changqing turned around and looked over, saw that she was coming, a look of unnaturalness flashed across his face, but he still came forward with a straight face, bowed his hands, "Miss Bo—"
Bo Ruoyou took half a step back, "What is Hu Zuo doing?"
Hu Changqing was embarrassed, "I was poisoned at home that day. It was the girl and the headhunter who went to rescue me. Later in the camp, it was the prescription of the girl's adoptive father that cured me and other patients. I... I used to I should apologize today for my disrespectful words to the girl."
Hu Changqing recovered from his illness now, and his mentality has also changed greatly. He changed from his previous sharp and petty appearance, and apologized to her in a serious manner. Bo Ruoyou was not a person who held grudges, and said: "It's nothing, I didn't take it to heart."
Hu Changqing breathed a sigh of relief, pointed to several gaps in the cabinet and said: "According to the order of the head catcher, we have re-read the files of the eighteenth year of Jianhe, but there is still nothing—"
Bo Ruoyou pondered for a while, "I still have to go forward. After all, it was more than ten years ago. It is very common to not remember the time. The fire hurting people's lives is not a trivial matter, and it cannot be easily lost."
Hu Changqing should be right, and while taking down the file on the cabinet, he said: "Three people died in this murder case, and every time the killing of birds was foreshadowed. I also heard from the head catcher that the birds in the garden are extremely rare Spiritual, so I wondered if the murderer knew how to tame birds?"
Bo Ruoyou nodded, "I thought so too, but there are only four master bird trainers in the garden. They have been arrested and questioned, and they have no grievances with the three of the deceased, and there are witnesses around them, so they are not the murderers."
"The three of the deceased and the other two were out of the Zhao family class together in the early years, and all murder cases are for love, wealth, or revenge. It's more like revenge."
After Bo Ruoyou finished speaking, he carried the file and went to the table, "It was for revenge, and the people who died were all members of the Zhao family class. If we can find the people who were still alive in the Zhao family class back then, maybe we can know who killed the murderer." reason."
She put the file on the table, "Perhaps, the murderer is someone who survived the Zhao family class back then."
Hu Changqing sat opposite her, and soon there was the rustling sound of flipping books in the room. Several people checked the files, and they saw that Wu Xiang came back from the outside sweating profusely after noon. , He went to the coffin shop in the city again.
"The coffin nails are all brand new, but the patterns are ordinary. After asking around, there are quite a few people who have bought coffin nails in the past two months. They are now investigating carefully, but it will take a little time."
Ordinary people, if there are old people in their homes, will probably prepare the coffin early, and buy a new coffin unless someone dies violently. In this way, there are not a few people who only buy coffin nails, and the investigation is still a needle in a haystack.
Bo Ruoyou's heart was heavy, and Wu Xiang saw that they were still reading the files, so she bluntly said that she didn't want to suffer, and ordered them to continue looking for the records from the past, while she took people to visit the city.
The sun was setting to the west, and even Hu Changqing and the others couldn't sit still, but Bo Ruoyou didn't move as if she had settled down. She has always had more extraordinary resilience than ordinary people in such boring things. Hu Changqing watched from the side, secretly admire.
Just when he really wanted to slip out the door with sore eyes and back pain, he suddenly saw Bo Ruoyou frowned.
She leaned down slightly and looked at the current page more carefully. After a few breaths, her deep and beautiful eyes suddenly lit up, "On the fifth day of March in the 17th year of Jianhe, there was a fire in the miscellaneous opera troupe of Liuer Lane in the south of the city." , a total of five people died, two old and three young, including the class leader surnamed Zhao, and three others were seriously injured. In the end, no arsonist was found in the case. It was inferred that the fire was caused by the overheating and spontaneous combustion of the phosphorite used in the trick, and it was settled later.”
Hu Changqing came forward in two steps, and several civil servants also looked excited, and surrounded Bo Ruoyou one after another. They checked more than a hundred files day and night, but they didn't expect that the master really said the wrong time, and the fire broke out. It actually happened in the seventeenth year of Jianhe.
Hu Changqing asked anxiously, "And then?"
"At that time, there were only eight people left in the zaju troupe. Five of them died in the fire, and their faces were hard to distinguish. After the autopsy, it was determined that two of them were not the troupe owner and his wife, and they were all over various years. The other three were all from the troupe. Apprentices, the three injured, two are apprentices, and one is the master juggler in the troupe."
"All the apprentices are orphans without father and mother. There is no record of their origins and origins. Only this juggler's master is surnamed Qian, and he is from the capital—"
Bo Ruoyou turned a page, her pupils tightened suddenly, "It's from Qianjia Town in the suburbs of Beijing."
After Bo Ruoyou finished speaking, he handed the volume to Hu Changqing, Hu Changqing went to read it carefully, but there was only the record of what Bo Ruoyou said, he frowned and said, "But it's been so many years, will he go back to his hometown? "
The case files did not record the whereabouts of the survivors. However, this master Qian was already in his thirties and was seriously injured. If he didn't go home, where else could he go
Bo Ruoyou said with bright eyes: "I will definitely go back to my hometown. Even if I am no longer in Qianjia Town, there must still be old clansmen there. Send someone to bring the head hunter back—"
…
Wu Xiang came back very quickly. Seeing that there were piles of files piled up on the table inside the house, and Bo Ruoyou had indeed found the records of the files back then, she immediately beamed with joy. Hearing the words Qian Jiazhen, she was even more excited. His expression was greatly shaken.
"I know here, I've been there before, it's half a day away from the capital, and many people in the town are working in the middle of the capital to earn a living, so I'm leaving now! I hope I can find out tonight! Many people from the village come to the city to earn a living, but Juggling is not common, as long as he is still alive, I will definitely find it."
Wu Xiang has never been afraid of hard work when doing business affairs, and Bo Ruoyou also hoped that his trip will go smoothly. When Wu Xiang led the troops out of the city at dusk, Bo Ruoyou returned home in a carriage.
As soon as the carriage entered the long street in front of Cheng Zhai, Zhou Liang called softly outside, "Miss, there are visitors to the house—"
Bo Ruoyou raised her eyebrows slightly, lifted the curtain and looked out towards the door, and saw two teams of Chinese servants surrounded by two carriages standing at the gate of Cheng's house. Because of such momentum, many houses around opened their doors and looked towards Cheng Zhai, Bo Ruoyou suddenly felt her heart skip a beat.
Zhou Liang couldn't recognize her, but she saw at a glance that these attendants were all wearing crow blue wide-sleeved robes with collars and right lapels. They each had their hair coiled up on top, looking at their noses, noses, noses, and hearts, standing respectfully at the door. Besides, unlike ordinary official servants, when the carriage gets closer, you can find that all of them have white faces and no beards. Bo Ruoyou is familiar with the faces of people, and immediately guesses where they are coming from.
Her heart suddenly rose to her throat.
The carriage finally stopped in front of Cheng Zhai's door, the door was ajar, there were low voices from inside, Bo Ruoyou pushed the door and entered, first saw Aunt Liang waiting at the door in fear, when she came back, she immediately went up to her.
"Miss, someone is coming from the palace."
Bo Ruoyou was not surprised, she forced herself to ask, "Who is it?"
Aunt Liang said in a low voice: "Master calls him Manager Fu."
Bo Ruoyou had the bottom line in her heart, and when she turned around the screen wall, in the dim twilight, she saw a white-haired old man in a scarlet round-neck robe, Cheng Yunzhi was talking with the old man, and when she heard footsteps, the old man and Cheng Yunzhi walked together. Turning around, he soon smiled and said in a shrill voice: "This is your daughter?"
"Exactly." Cheng Yunzhi faded his smile where the old man couldn't see, and looked at Bo Ruoyou with warning eyes, "Youyou, come quickly and see Director Fu."
Bo Ruoyou frowned, and quickly stepped forward to the God of Fortune, "Ministers pay homage to Chief Fu."
Fuquan looked at her with a smile, his eyes were more friendly than Cheng Yunzhi's, "Miss came back so late, but the yamen is very busy?"
Bo Ruoyou said without raising her head: "There is an unsolved murder case, so I went to help with some chores."
Only then did Fuquan say: "Get up, don't be too polite."
As soon as Bo Ruoyou stood up straight, she heard Fuquan's gentle voice: "Girl, go and change your clothes. Your Majesty wants to see you. Our family is going to take you into the palace to face the saint. You are coming back late, and it will be dark now." Yes, Your Majesty may have waited for a long time."
Cheng Yunzhi couldn't help exclaiming: "Boss Fu, how did this happen?"
Fuquan didn't even look at him, but still looked at Bo Ruoyou, the curve of his lips seemed to remain unchanged, "Your Majesty wants to see what the girl Marquis is asking to marry looks like."
Cheng Yunzhi was a little anxious, "But—"
"Father, it's okay." Bo Ruoyou comforted her, and then said to Fuquan: "Elder-in-law will change clothes later, the daughter-in-law."
Fuquan seemed very satisfied, and smiled to let her go.
Bo Ruoyou quickly walked back to her boudoir. She quickly found a more elegant dress. Although her fingertips were trembling slightly when changing, she did not slow down at all. Within a moment, she quickly returned to the atrium.
Fuquan looked her up and down, although he changed into new clothes, but his body was clean and no gorgeous accessories were seen, and his face was even more undressed, even so, his eyes were like the new moon, his color was like the dawn of spring, Fuquan smiled and nodded, "Please, girl." —”
Cheng Yunzhi's anxious face was covered with sweat, and Bo Ruoyou bid him farewell with consoling eyes, turned around and went out, Fu Quan followed, and pointed to a carriage behind, "Don't worry, girl, I will take her back later. "
Bo Ruoyou responded, and when she got into the carriage and put down the curtain, she felt her heart beating like a drum.
It was something she had never experienced before entering the palace, and the emperor was very suspicious of Huo Weilou. She didn't know what was waiting for her on this trip, but she knew very well that it might be just the first time to marry Huo Weilou. one off.
The night came quietly, a crescent moon climbed to the middle of the sky, the moonlight in the late autumn and early winter was cold and bitter, she sat upright in the carriage, for fear of impoliteness, she didn't even dare to lift the curtains, the sound of the wheels rolling was drowned out first Among the crowds in Yujie, but as she approached the palace gate, the hustle and bustle faded away, and the rumbling sound fell heavily on her heart.
When the carriage stopped at the gate of the palace, Bo Ruoyou felt chills on her back, and a thin layer of sweat broke out from her palms. When she got off the carriage, she raised her eyes and saw the majestic palace. She breathed three points lighter.
"You are not allowed to ride in chariots or horses when you enter the palace gate. The girl must enter the inner hall with our family."
Fuquan smiled kindly, but Bo Ruoyou didn't feel the slightest warmth, she complied calmly and followed Fuquan into the palace gate.
Passing through the dark city gate, the white stone floor tiles of the imperial city are cold and hard, the palace road is narrow and narrow, but the palace wall is so tall that it blocks most of her sight. .
The attendant clings to the palace lantern, her footsteps are thin and silent, she enters the two ceremonial gates, she just feels that the palace road will come to an end, and she meets countless palace people along the way, but she never hears any sound, this palace is magnificent and noble , but it was so quiet that it made people panic. Those faces with downcast eyebrows were so dull that there was no life, and inexplicable tension settled in her heart.
"Girl, it's almost here—"
Fuquan's voice suddenly sounded, even though Bo Ruoyou was calm, she also felt her heart skip a beat. She raised her eyes, only to see a dimly lit temple not far ahead like a monster crawling in the night.
The knuckles she held in front of her suddenly tightened, and her heartstrings became more tense than ever before. She knew that the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty was in this palace, and the emperor's mind was stronger than any murder case. Hard to guess.
Her back began to stiffen, and she held her breath unconsciously until some cold, dull pain appeared in her chest, then she clenched her teeth and straightened her spine, trying her best not to look so panic-stricken.
"Eunuch, wait a minute—"
In the silent night, a voice suddenly sounded.
Fuquan stopped suddenly, and Bo Ruoyou even realized the familiarity of the voice after a moment of stupefaction. Her pupils trembled, and she turned around suddenly, and saw a man and a horse coming quickly at a glance.
On the long and dark palace road, Bo Ruoyou immediately recognized the handsome figure of Huo Weilou, her pupils lit up suddenly, and saw Huo Weilou galloping up to them in full view, he got off his horse quickly, and looked at Fuquan with some dissatisfaction.
"Your Majesty is too disrespectful to do this. I have waited for many days without seeing the decree, yet he still wants to secretly bring people into the palace for questioning."
Fuquan was also stunned for a moment before he realized it. He smiled helplessly: "Master Hou rode horses in the palace without an order. If Your Majesty is unhappy, you will punish Lord Hou." Taking a deep look, "Your Majesty just decided to give a marriage, so he just wanted to meet Miss Bo. The Hou Ye came after him in such a hurry, because he was afraid that he would frighten the girl?"
When Huo Weilou stepped forward, the other attendants immediately stepped aside when they saw this. He looked at Bo Ruoyou deeply, and before he came to him, he had already calmed down Bo Ruoyou, "It was the first time she entered the palace. Such a battle, what should I do if I am really frightened?"
When his eyes fell on her, he didn't look away, walked straight in front of her, stood still, and held Bao Ruoyou's hand without hesitation, "It's true that you should come to see uncle first, but I should bring her here , she has a gentle temperament, but she can't stand being frightened."
Fuquan couldn't help but widen his eyes, as if he didn't recognize Huo Weilou, and seeing that Huo Weilou was so unavoidable, he held back what he wanted to say, and Huo Weilou looked at him at this moment, "Let's report first, I want to see uncle , still have to abide by the rules.”
Fuquan couldn't hold back, rolled his eyes, and walked quickly towards the front palace.
Huo Weilou pinched her wet palm, led her to follow, walked a few steps, and then turned sideways, "Although the palace is not as good as the outside, I'm here, so don't be afraid."
Bo Ruoyou's heartstrings, which had been tense for a long time, relaxed the moment she saw him, and at this moment, her cold hand warmed up inch by inch in his palm, and that cold and oppressive heart also poured into freshness. Looking at the palace road leading to the Royal Palace in front of her, she felt that no matter how far the road was, she would be able to walk with him without fear.
"How did Lord Hou know that I entered the palace?" She asked in a low voice.
Huo Weilou said in a low voice, "I found out not long after Fuquan left the palace. I thought he might have come to the Hou's mansion, but before I sent someone to investigate, I said he had gone to Changshoufang, and I guessed it was What's the matter. I chased after him on horseback, but I couldn't catch up, so I had to gallop into the palace."
The tension in Bo Ruoyou's body dissipated at this moment, and she sensed the anger in Huo Weilou's voice, so she tilted her head to look at him, "Will Lord Hou be punished by His Majesty?"
Huo Weilou looked at her sideways, "In the past no matter what, he would never punish, but if he wants to punish today, I will admit it."
Giving him a marriage is not a trivial matter, but Huo Weilou did not expect that Emperor Jianhe would have the heart to see Bo Ruoyou, and he would not treat her if he brought her into the palace so openly. City, but also to meet the emperor, he was worried no matter what.
Bo Ruoyou held him back, his knuckles were slightly loose, and soon intertwined with hers.
Bo Ruoyou glanced at the attendants not far behind, and asked softly, "What kind of person is Your Majesty?"
The Imperial Palace was close in front of him, but Huo Weilou didn't answer her immediately, he thought for a while before saying: "Your Majesty, it is Your Majesty."
Bo Ruoyou soon realized that, yes, the emperor is the emperor, he is the Ninth Five Supreme, the Lord of the world, there is no need to use any words to describe it, she should also understand the meaning of these two words.
Huo Weilou held her hand tighter, "You shouldn't have to go through this—"
How can an ordinary official clan marriage go through such a scene? Not to mention Bo Ruoyou, even those noble girls who had entered the palace before were suddenly brought into the palace alone as if they were escorted by a group of palace servants, they would feel anxious and fearful at this moment.
The Royal Palace is already very close, and the lights poured out from the window sills, reflecting Bo Ruoyou's clear and resolute black pupils, she shook her head slightly, "No, I know what it takes to marry Lord Hou, I am willing, and I am not afraid at all. .”
The brilliance in Huo Weilou's eyes flickered, he took her up the imperial steps, and walked to the front of the imperial hall. Soon, Fuquan came out from the hall, and the door of the hall opened from the inside, and Emperor Jianhe's usual gentle voice came from inside.