She has a slender waist and delicate bones, and is able to seduce the ascetic horse.

Chapter 156 Search
Shen Jiaojiao stood up and took the lead to walk towards the bookshelves covering the entire wall.

Mr. Meng took the time to glance at her, then continued to sit at his desk and let her wander around.

She paused and stopped in front of the bookshelf.

Touch here, look over there.

She would touch any place that looked like a mechanism, but unfortunately she couldn't find any abnormalities.

Pull out a book at random and flip through two pages.

The paper is yellowed, there is no alteration on the pages, there are no creases in the corners, and the workmanship is neat.

Apparently the books were well protected.

The adoptive father has always been a person who cherishes books. He shouldn't hide evidence of crime in a book, right?
Thinking like this, she put the book back and took out another ancient book.

Just as he was about to turn the page, Master Meng stopped him.

"I'm on a treasure hunt."

"Jiaojiao, what are you looking for?" Master Meng's voice came again.

She put the book back, walked quickly to the antique shelf, and carefully looked at the expensive decorations placed on it.

She even put her head over and looked through the mouth of the bottle.

"Do you still remember this treasure hiding game?"

Under Master Meng's sigh, she started rummaging openly.

Empty.

"Jiaojiao, please be gentle, be careful that the book is out of line."

Shen Jiaojiao twitched the corner of her mouth and glanced at the cover.

Master Meng made a 'gently' gesture towards her, for fear that the precious book would be destroyed.

She was a little discouraged after searching through everything on the ancient bookshelf, but couldn't find any useful clues.

Even the old books were kept safe by her adoptive father. She knew that the so-called evidence of guilt could not be contained in the books.

His eyes turned and quickly focused on the ancient shelves used as partitions.

Especially the large vases placed on the sides.

What book is so expensive?
Oh, this is the only copy for all historians...

"This book costs two thousand taels of silver."

She nodded to her adoptive father and then carefully opened the pages of the book.

"Why don't you remember? You didn't find the seal for a long time, and you just missed catching me and giving me a beating. Fortunately, my sworn brother found it."

Hearing this, Shen Jiaojiao's back stiffened, she didn't dare to look back at her adoptive father's face, and quickly made an excuse.

Seeing that she had listened to her words, Mr. Meng smiled with satisfaction and lowered his head to deal with the affairs.

"Alas! You have grown up in the blink of an eye!"

With 'treasure hunting' as an excuse, the search went extremely smoothly.

The tea table and couch were also briefly searched.

I even knocked under the bed, on the floor and on the walls to make sure there was no space that could be opened.

Only the desk used by my adoptive father for his office was left.

She raised her eyes and looked at the desk, thought for a moment, walked over quickly, and stood behind the desk to watch Mr. Meng work.

"Haven't you had enough?" Mr. Meng asked without looking back.

Seeing him talking to him, Shen Jiaojiao simply walked up and stood on the side of the desk, thinking about the things on the table while answering.

"I haven't been to your study for a long time. I always feel like I've changed."

As he spoke, his eyes fell on a seal, and he reached out to pick it up and play with it.

"Is my adoptive father still using this seal?"

Mr. Meng looked sideways and saw her playing with the seal, with a smile in his eyes.

"Then I must use it. You two carved this for me, and I wouldn't exchange it for a thousand dollars."

Shen Jiaojiao pursed her lips and smiled.

How else could we say that Meng Mansion is the richest man in Lin'an?
A thousand taels of gold was nothing in the eyes of the adoptive father.

"Besides, all the merchants below recognize this seal." Mr. Meng pointed to the pile of letter paper on the table, "I have to sign and seal it."

She was startled, "Isn't it my sworn brother's responsibility?" Mr. Meng nodded, "A'hun is indeed good. She took over the family business at a young age, but... our family opened a Nanzhu Trading Company in Qiongzhou that caters to the royal family. Hui was never involved.”

Shen Jiaojiao quickly remembered this trading company - it would send new year's gifts to her house twice every year.

Most of them are dazzling southern pearls.

"Can't the sworn brother take care of this business?"

"Ah Hui is still young, so it's not that easy to establish a relationship."

"But I heard that this shop is not profitable, why not close it?"

As she said that, she put down the seal and touched other things on the table, hoping that the rain and dew would all be on them.

"How can it be so easy?" Mr. Meng sighed, "With this trading house, the Meng family is like an imperial merchant. Without it, they are just ordinary people, and even officials as big as sesame can step on them."

She nodded as if she understood something, and then asked, "Is my adoptive father only responsible for the Huangshang line now?"

Mr. Meng said 'hmm', looked at her with a smile, and allowed her to mess up the objects on the table.

She picked up the paperweight and pen washer to look at it, and even turned two pages of the book on the table.

Seeing her adoptive father staring at her, she didn't feel the slightest bit embarrassed. She put down the book and continued to ask.

"By the way, I heard my sworn brother talk about the water transportation route earlier. Is it difficult to develop it?"

"Why do you ask this?" Master Meng asked.

"I went to Mengxianju today and heard that Mengxian wine is out again..."

"Don't worry about this kind of thing, your sworn brother will take care of it."

She pursed her lips and asked straight to the point: "Brother-in-law plans to cooperate with the Jiang family?"

Mr. Meng had known that she was smart, so when he heard her asking this question, he was not surprised at all. Instead, he nodded and admitted.

"Prefect Wei... refused to make it convenient. We didn't tell you, and it's not to guard against you."

"Ah Hui is worried that this matter will affect your relationship with the Wei family's Ah Lan. She said that it's rare for you to have a close friend, so she won't tell you."

Shen Jiaojiao's pupils trembled, she was very surprised.

She didn't expect that Magistrate Wei would fall out with the Meng family, and she didn't expect that her sworn brother would actually think about her.

It turns out that he did so many things silently.

"Then... is the sworn brother going to marry Second Miss Jiang?" Shen Jiaojiao asked.

The fastest way to gain Governor Jiang's trust is to tie the Meng and Jiang families together with a rope.

Both daughters of the Meng family are married, and only the adopted brother is left...

"Why do you say that?" Master Meng asked with a smile.

"My adopted brother treats Mrs. Jiang and the young ladies of the Jiang family very well, and he is very kind and pleasant." She analyzed it logically, "Except when facing your own family, have you ever seen your adopted brother smile on his face?"

"Ha! You girl!"

Master Meng shook his head and laughed. He couldn't tell the eldest son's intention for a while, but he felt that his adopted daughter was right.

"I don't know what your adopted brother thinks. He is getting older and it's time to marry a wife and start a family."

There was a thump in her heart, and she could hardly hold the book in her hand.

"I also hope that my adopted brother will get married soon."

After speaking, she pursed her lips uncomfortably.

Mr. Meng was about to praise her for being sensible when a deep voice came from outside.

"In that case, let's go to the Jiang family to propose marriage."

Shen Jiaojiao's mouth opened slightly, and she was stunned for a few seconds before she reacted and looked back at the door.

Meng Hui strode in, without even looking at her, and walked straight to Master Meng.

She hurriedly lowered her head, not daring to say a word.

When did the adopted brother come?
How long have you been here?

Did you listen to all her analysis of the Jiang family?
Meng Hui stood still and looked sideways at her, "I didn't know you knew me so well."

After saying that, he stretched out his long hand, picked up the seal on the table, and stamped it on a piece of letter paper.

Shen Jiaojiao was so frightened by these words that her scalp went numb, and she didn't even dare to look up at anyone.

(End of this chapter)