Ci Jinzhi

  Chapter 58 Shortcuts

  Xin You stared at Ji Cailan's leaving back for a long time before turning back to the bookstore.

   "My boss—"

  Xin You smiled at Liu Zhou: "Good job, I will reward you and Shitou this month."

   "Thank you, boss." The two guys thanked in unison.

  Xin You returned to the east courtyard, sat alone on the bed in the back room, took out the blood-stained "The Story of Peony" and stared at it.

  In spring, my mother rescued a girl.

  It was a girl who was traveling to Beijing with her family. She accidentally fell out of the carriage on the way and broke her leg.

  Niangqin happened to meet her and came to the rescue. When the girl left in the car, she saw a book on the ground and took it home.

   That book is "The Peony".

  Niangqin showed her "The Story of the Peony" and said with a smile that such a story is popular in Beijing today, and casually mentioned the matter of saving the girl.

  She flipped through it casually, and thought it was not as interesting as the story told by her mother, so she didn't pay attention.

  At that time, she and her mother thought that this was just a small ripple in a peaceful life, and it soon disappeared.

   Not long after, she came back from the outside and saw corpses all over the ground.

   There is her mother, Aunt Xia who cooks delicious food, Aunt Yan who cuts beautiful clothes for her every season, Aunt Lan who teaches her martial arts...

  She didn't know why this happened. The peaceful and quiet valley turned into a purgatory on earth, and the people she loved turned into cold corpses.

  When she was almost on the verge of collapse, she saw "The Story of Peony" which had fallen into her mother's hand.

  The "Peony Tale" that was supposed to be on the shelf appeared in Mother's hand. Whether she returned to her senses or comforted herself, she had a guess in her mind: Mother was reminding her that this sudden disaster had something to do with it.

  This guess may be just her self-righteousness, but she can only grasp at this life-saving straw, grasp even the slightest possibility of finding out the murderer of her mother.

  So she came to the capital.

   Is Ji Cailan’s cousin the girl rescued by her mother?

  The owner of The Peony, have you found it?

  A tear fell and hit the back of Xin You's hand.

   Tears were cold, but she finally came out of the **** day in the cold spring, feeling a little heat belonging to this season.

   Putting "A Tale of Peony" away again, Xin You called for Nanny Fang.

   "Nurse, I have something to trouble you."

   "What are your orders, Miss?" When Nanny Fang heard something to explain, her first reaction was joy.

  Different from the complex in the big mansion, there are only a few people in the east courtyard of the bookstore, and they all do menial work, so they don’t need to be disciplined at all. These days, she is as leisurely as a pensioner. It’s great to be able to help the girl do more things.

"There is a family named Ji in Mao'er Hutong in Jixiangfang. The girl in this family is about the same age as me, named Ji Cailan. Nanny, I want you to inquire about the situation of this family, especially Ji Cailan has a girl who came from other places. For my cousin from Beijing, it would be the best if I could find out which one it is."

  Nurse Fang listened carefully, and nodded: "Leave the girl to the old slave, and the old slave will definitely find out."

  Xin You took Nanny Fang's hand: "Nurse would rather slow down, don't draw attention, and put your own safety first."

   "Don't worry, girl." Mother Fang wanted to ask why she asked about someone surnamed Ji, but she swallowed the words.

   I have to admit that although her heart for the girl has not changed, the separation of several years has changed a lot. In her eyes, the girl is no longer that simple little girl, but she can't see through the depth.

  When the girl grows up, if she always treats the girl like a child, it will be too late for the master and servant to separate from each other.

   A few days later, Nanny Fang reported the information to Xin You.

"Ji's family is the third household in Mao'er Hutong. The man in charge of the family works as an official in Dongcheng Bingmasi. They have two sons and a daughter. Ji Cailan is the only daughter. She does have a cousin who came to Beijing with her mother just a few months ago. This cousin's surname is Zhou, and her girlfriend's name is Ningyue. Her father was originally a member of the Jinlin Guard General Banner stationed in other places. At the beginning of the year, he was promoted to a hundred households to stay in Beijing as errands. Later, he brought his wife and daughter to the capital..."

  Jin Linwei—

  Xin You's heart skipped a beat: "Can I find out which yamen of Jinlinwei Zhou Ningyue's father works in?"

  Jinlin Guard is divided into fourteen institutes and two divisions, of which the Zhenfu Division is divided into north and south, which is beyond the vision of a nanny Fang.

   "This old slave didn't find out about it. But that Miss Zhou, she found out after a little inquiring among the neighbors."

"How to say?"

   "It is said that Ms. Zhou injured her leg on the way to Beijing, and she was able to walk around after several months of care, because she has a bad temper. His house is a new resident, so if there is no movement, everyone will stare at it..."

  A newcomer will undoubtedly attract the attention of the neighbors.

   "Nurse has worked hard."

   "Miss, do you need to inquire about anything else? Do you want to find out where Miss Zhou's father works?"

   "No need, nurse, take a good rest."

  Zhou Ningyue's father is Jin Linwei, so she must be more cautious, and she will do the rest by herself.

  Xin You thanked Mother Fang and went to the front.

  After the word-of-mouth fermentation these days, there is an endless stream of people who come to buy "Painted Skin" every day, and only when the evening is approaching can they be a little quiet.

  Xin You saw He Qingxiao standing in front of the bookshelf reading a book.

  The light was a little dim, and he held up the book with a relaxed and focused posture.

  Xin You looked at him silently, thinking that this Mr. He didn't see a trace of Jin Linwei at all when he was reading in the bookstore, making people forget that he was still a Marquis.

  However, he is indeed a Jinlin Guard, and he is still in charge of Beizhen Fusi, who makes hundreds of officials fearful.

  If you want to know where Zhou Ningyue's father works, you must just ask Mr. He, and you will get an answer soon.

  Holding the scroll, He Qingxiao noticed the gaze falling on him.

  Miss Kou seemed to be looking at him.

  He tilted his head slightly, and glanced away from the corner of his eye to make sure it wasn't an illusion.

  After thinking for a while, He Qingxiao put the travel notes back to the original place, and walked towards Xinyou.

  The bookshelves are deep, and the sunset glow is streaming down. The moment a young man who looks like jade comes, the whole study hall seems to be brighter.

  Xin You pursed her lips slightly to keep her mind clear.

   Just because Mr. He has helped him a few times and he looks like a banished immortal, we can't ignore the fact that he is the governor of Jinlinwei. If you want to find out about Zhou Ningyue's father from Mr. He, you must not take the shortcut.

  In a flash of thought in Xin You's mind, He Qingxiao had already walked in front of her.

   "Miss Kou, is there something wrong? If you encounter trouble—"

   "No, there's no trouble." Xin You didn't wait for the other party's voice to settle, and opened her mouth.

  He Qingxiao was silent for a moment, then nodded with a smile: "That's good, I thought Miss Kou was in trouble. Then I will leave."

  Xin You raised her hand and tapped the corners of her eyes, and called out to He Qingxiao's back: "Mr. He, stop."

  (end of this chapter)