Zhangjia Jinzhi

Chapter 61
There was no rain in Shengjing City for half a month, and the begonias in the begonia courtyard were wilting their leaves and leaning to one side.The tassels of the lanterns hanging in the corridor faded and drooped listlessly.The vermilion paint on the pillars was mottled, and even the duckweed in the pool covered most of the water.

Li Taiwei saw that the second room was without the second aunt to take care of it, and lost the regularity of the past, she couldn't help thinking about Li Sheng's intention to ask her to learn from Mrs. Zhao to run the house.

After a little thought, his footsteps stopped at the door of Chuihua.

"The princess?"

Seeing that Li Taiwei did not follow, Baitao turned around and looked over.

Li Taiwei came back to her senses, smiled at Baitao, then lifted the corner of her skirt, and heard Dafu behind her say:

"Eh? Isn't that Mother Qin?"

Li Taiwei followed Dafu's eyes to look over, the man walked very fast, turned around the corridor and went to the Second Aunt's Huixiang Garden, Li Taiwei only had time to see a corner of green cloth.

"What? What's wrong?"

Li Taiwei asked casually.

Dafu looked at Baitao who was leaning over, didn't say much, just shook his head slightly.

Li Taiwei's eyes dimmed, but she didn't speak again, and followed Baitao to the green house of her eldest cousin Li Rui, where her sister-in-law Zhao was already waiting at the door.

Before Li Taiwei could salute, she was stopped by Mrs. Zhao raising her hand. She looked anxiously, looked around, took Li Taiwei's hand and invited him into the room.

"It's urgent today, and Princess Lao is here to make this trip."

Li Taiwei said that his family members are not welcome, followed behind Zhao, and quickened his pace.

Mrs. Zhao was brought up by her aunt since she was a child, and she behaved well. To make her so careless about etiquette, Li Taiwei was sure that her eldest cousin must have found out something important.

Sure enough, as soon as he arrived at Li Rui's study, Mrs. Zhao dismissed the serving maids and asked Bai Tao to stay outside.Li Taiwei winked at Dafu, Dafu nodded, and retreated together with Baitao.

Li Rui sat solemnly in front of the golden nanmu table carved with crane patterns, looked at the fine beads of sweat on the tip of Li Taiwei's nose, and said softly:
"Third Sister worked so hard to go here in person. My sister shouldn't be involved in this matter, but right now the Qiutang courtyard is in chaos, and the third aunt in the Spring Garden is getting heavier, and there is no need to be alarmed by the grandmother... I thought about it. , only the third sister can discuss with me."

Li Taiwei just took his seat, when he heard Li Rui's words, he raised his eyes and said:

"Brother, what did you find out? Is Dongji Incense Powder Shop really tricky?"

Mrs. Zhao brewed tea by herself and brought it up, put one cup on the tea table next to Li Taiwei's hand, and passed the other cup to Li Rui, and then quietly stood beside Li Rui, sorting out the paperwork beside him and stacking it on the aside.

Li Rui took the tea, sighed, and said:
"I rushed to the west of the city at noon, but I was still a step late! The Dong Ji incense powder shop was burnt down yesterday, and even the two clerks who lived in the shop did not survive."

Mrs. Li's eyes flashed:
"What about the shopkeeper? Have you found out which company this shop belongs to?"

Li Rui shook his head and said in a deep voice:

"The steward asked the shopkeepers around him. He only said that the shopkeeper's surname was Zhou. He seldom showed up on weekdays, and his accent didn't sound like a local. Since the shop burned down, this person has never appeared again. People around him say that Xu is Fearing that the owner would blame him, he packed up and ran away."

"But I ordered someone to do a private investigation. The shop is the private property of a merchant named Liu in Shengjing. This shop has been doing business in the capital since its ancestors. When it was said that the shop was leased to a shopkeeper named Zhou, they only heard that it was from Jingzhou. I came to the capital to sell goods for my master, and paid a year's rent without hesitation. I never thought that after half a year, this kind of thing would happen..."

Li Rui's eyes dimmed, he looked at Li Taiwei thoughtfully, his eyes were full of melancholy, and said:

"There is no clue about this matter at the moment, but it's not easy to talk about it with third uncle, even my father can't mention it for the time being."

"I thought about it, and it stands to reason that no matter how long the Xue family's hand is, it's not enough to reach the capital, let alone for the position of this aunt, it's not worth the crime of murder and arson, but I always feel...there is no such thing in the world. A coincidence..."

Mrs. Li listened carefully to Li Rui's words, her eyes showed a bit of hesitation, she pondered for a while, and said:
"Brother, can you order someone to go to the Bingmasi Yamen to check?"

"Jingzhou has a vast land, and if this person really has a problem, I'm afraid that what he said may not be true!"

"However... the shopkeeper this week is not from Shengjing, and there must be a fingerprint document left in the Bingmasi Yamen before entering Beijing. He must have also pressed his fingerprint when he signed the lease with the Liu family. Brother, why not bring the name and fingerprint on the lease to go In the Bingmasi Yamen, check the history of the shopkeeper this week."

"There is no proof of the death of the left and right now, but if we can find out the household registration document surnamed Zhou, we can find out which house he is working in. At that time, it will be handed over to the local government office for investigation. There is still a clear possibility of this matter."

When Li Rui heard this, he felt enlightened!

"Right! Why didn't I think of this level!"

Li Rui stood up abruptly, walked two steps and then turned back, surprised:
"How did the third sister know about Bing Ma Si?"

Li Taiwei served tea, and casually said:
"I also occasionally heard my father mention when he was discussing with the adults that my elder brother is working in the military department, and this matter is handled smoothly."

"However... if there is really a problem with this fragrance, it will definitely not be the work of the Xue family. Brother is right. The Xue family does not have the strength, let alone the courage, and will definitely not do it for the Zhongyonghoufu. An aunt committed such a heinous crime."

After saying that, Li Taiwei raised her eyes and looked at Li Rui and his wife with bright eyes.

"If this matter is really related to Mrs. Xue, I'm afraid there are other inside stories! Brother still needs to find out from the people around Mrs. Xue."

Li Rui and Zhao Shi looked at each other, Zhao Shi bit his lip, a little embarrassed, and said:
"This... is this appropriate? After all, she is the father-in-law's concubine..."

Li Taiwei blew on the tea foam, raised his eyebrows and said:

"Although the Xue family has accepted this relative, she has not yet saluted. She is not considered a serious concubine at the moment, so there is no need for sister-in-law to hold back."

"Besides... even if she is brought in, a concubine in the mansion is only a decent servant, can she surpass her sister-in-law and the second aunt? Right now, the second aunt is sick, and you are the wife of the main house for her. Adding people to the house and taking care of her daily life, does she dare to throw face at you?"

Li Taiwei thought of something, paused, and said:

"In just a few days, it's time for someone from the Xue family to come to settle this marriage. My sister-in-law might as well take the opportunity to talk to Xue's natal family to see if there are any acquaintances in the Xue family in the capital. It's inconvenient to come forward, but sister-in-law has to come forward."

Li Taiwei's words explained everything in details, Zhao's face turned red.She tightened the handkerchief in her hand, looked up at Li Rui, and then nodded solemnly.

Seeing that it was getting late, Li Taiwei was inconvenient to stay for a long time, so Mrs. Zhao personally sent Li Taiwei out.

Passing around a Taihu Lake stone in front of the Chuihua Gate, Li Taiwei paused, walked to Mrs. Zhao, lowered her voice and said:
"Since my sister-in-law married into my Li family, she is a member of my Li family. You can act as you like, and you don't have to be controlled by others!"

After saying that, he glanced sideways at Baitao who was following behind, and then took a deep look at Mrs. Zhao.

Zhao's face turned pale, and she hurriedly lowered her head.

　I have reached 500 collections today, so it is worth a little celebration.

　　Every little bit of progress makes me very happy, thank you for your support, really thank you, clap your hands~

　　
　
(End of this chapter)