Hearing this, Cao Youning's expression suddenly changed.
Although it would look weird to bring a table to the Grand Secretary's mansion no matter how it was packaged, it was a unique thing in the world after all. But the rubbing … as long as there was ink and paper, it could be made into hundreds or thousands of rubbing. If he really took this rubbing back, how could he explain it to his brother-in-law?
He looked at the little handmaiden who came in without being invited and said with a dark face, "Who are you?"
Dewdrop glanced at him and knew what he wanted to do. She smiled helplessly and said, "The table you want to buy, although it was written by that … Master Yan Se, is Ning Que's original work. This girl is Ning Que's personal handmaiden, and to be honest, I'm afraid that she can take half of Ning Que's house. If you really want to take something back, you'd better be polite. "
Cao Youning was shocked and quickly went along with the flow. He bowed to Sangsang politely and sincerely said what he came for, "Little girl, although the rubbing will be precious in the future, I want to buy something unique."
Sangsang thought that this was the first guest of her young master after he became famous, so she should have some preferential treatment. After thinking for a moment, she calmly said, "I'll give you a seal. If it's still not enough, my young master will ask Master Yan Se to sign this rubbing."
After saying this, she took a long time to take out a seal from her arms.
Cao Youning looked at the seal in her hand with his eyes shining and asked, "This is … Mr. Ning's private seal?"
Sangsang was not used to her young master being called Mr. Ning. She always felt that it was too similar to Mistress Jian. She frowned slightly.
After a moment of silence, Cao Youning put forward his own conditions, "Can you guarantee that you will only give me a seal?"
Sangsang nodded.
Cao Youning looked up at her eyes and said, "Please state your price."
Sangsang said, "Three hundred taels."
…
…
Cao Youning exchanged three banknotes for a piece of paper and a bright red seal. He left the small courtyard with some joy and disappointment. Dewdrop and Sangsang watched his back disappear at the door and then looked at each other.
Xiaocao giggled as she hugged Dewdrop's plump arm. She shook it as she said, "Sister Dewdrop, just smear some ink on it, wrap it in cotton, and you'll be able to exchange it for three hundred taels of silver. You'll be rich this time."
Dewdrop answered with a smile, "Only the first one with Ning Que's private seal is worth this price."
"But I can print them as I please ah." Xiaocao counted on her fingers and said, "This business is much more profitable than dancing and singing."
Dewdrop smiled and did not answer. She picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip. Then she continued to look at Sangsang.
During this period of time, Sangsang did not do anything but quietly looked at Dewdrop.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became a little strange.
Dewdrop put down the teacup slowly and looked up at Sangsang with a smile. "Seventy-three. You get seventy, and I get thirty."
Sangsang hurried to the House of Red Sleeves today because Ning Que specifically asked her to find the Chicken Soup Calligraphy. But she did not expect that she was too late. Not to mention that the original calligraphy had been taken away by Master Yan Se, even the handwriting left on the table had begun to be regarded by Dewdrop as a way to make money.
She had been quietly watching Dewdrop to see how she would deal with this matter. Sangsang felt very satisfied when she heard the words' you get seventy, and I get thirty, and I get thirty. 'She smiled and nodded to Dewdrop.
Dewdrop lifted her sleeves to cover her lips and smiled. She said softly, "With an old table, I can easily surpass Lu Xue. When you bring Ning Que here, I'll make him happy even if I'm punished by Mistress Jian."
Sangsang smiled and did not answer this topic. She walked to the table and looked over curiously.
When she entered the courtyard, she just glanced at it roughly. This was the first time for her to see the original text of the Chicken Soup Calligraphy. She saw that this sentence, which made her young master noticed by a Divine Talisman Master and had become famous in the capital city, was written as follows:
"Young Master Sangsang, I'm drunk today, so I won't come back to sleep. Remember to drink the chicken soup left in the pot."
Looking at the first two characters on the table, which was her own name, Sangsang was silent for a long time. Then she smiled, and her slightly dark cheeks were full of pride and happiness.
After Sangsang left the courtyard accompanied by Xiaocao, Dewdrop's personal maidservant came in. She rolled her eyes and said in a low voice, "Miss, although the note was indeed written by Ning Que, that table belongs to us. Moreover, Master Yan Se was interested in spending the night with you. It's reasonable to give him and his maidservant some dividends, but the ratio of seventy to thirty is really a little unfair. "
Dewdrop smiled and gently poked the eyebrows of the loyal maidservant. She said, "You always look at things in such a shallow way. Not to mention that the first two characters on the table are Sangsang's name, if I take the biggest share, how can I refuse any high-ranking official in the imperial court who wants to ask for it in the future? Now the biggest share belongs to Ning Que and his maidservant, and I'm just a temporary manager. If anyone dares to ask for this small table by force, they won't come for me. They have to go through Ning Que first. "
The maidservant was slightly startled, and then she understood the meaning of the young lady's words. She gently bit her lower lip and said, "But young lady … aren't you on good terms with Master Ning Que? They even call each other brother and sister in private. Isn't it a little … "
Looking at the maidservant who wanted to say something but stopped on second thought, Dewdrop giggled and said angrily, "Do you think I'm not kind? I really don't know whether you're my maidservant or Ning Que's maidservant. He hasn't come for several months, but you still miss him so much. You don't have to worry about these things. Ning Que has been appreciated by His Majesty and has become the successor of the Divine Talisman Master. Although he can't bully anyone in Chang 'an City, at least no one dares to bully him. "
…
…
On the table by the window of a private room on the second floor of the House of Red Sleeves, there were several refreshing snacks and two pots of fruit wine. A young lady sat by the window and looked at Sangsang who was sent out by Xiaocao. She said to the middle-aged guest beside her with a smile, "Do you see that little girl? That's young master Ning Que's maidservant. All the girls in our house think that she will definitely marry Ning Que in the future. If not for this identity, how could Mistress Jian's personal maidservant be so close to her? "
The middle-aged guest's eyebrows were slightly white, and his skin was like iron. He looked quite experienced. He looked out of the window following the girl's finger. After a moment of silence, he asked curiously, "This young man named Ning Que is really famous in Chang 'an. But I don't understand why you all call him young master Ning Que so smoothly. He wasn't as famous as he is today a few days ago. "
The girl covered her sleeves with a smile and explained softly, "Young master Ning Que is not an ordinary person … Although the girls in our house didn't know what's unusual about him before, he must have something special about him since he could make Dewdrop call him younger brother and make Lu Xue come specially to dance for him during her vacation."
The middle-aged guest slightly raised his eyebrows and asked in surprise, "Why?"
The girl thought for a while and found that all the girls in the house liked Ning Que. But it was very difficult to sum up what was worth liking about Ning Que. She just shook her head and said with a smile, "Mistress Jian has been treating him differently since he entered the house for the first time. Perhaps Dewdrop knows something about him? But just based on Mistress Jian's attitude, he deserves to be called young master. "
The middle-aged guest smiled and stopped talking about this. He drank some fruit wine with the girl and chatted for a while before leaving.
Out of the House of Red Sleeves, the middle-aged man got into a carriage and instructed the coachman to walk freely in Chang 'an. After a few turns, they finally stopped somewhere in the north of the city. He paid the fare and got off the carriage. Then he passed through two alleys and came to the back of a solemn building complex surrounded by green trees. He knocked on the back door and walked in.
In the study room at the back of the Chang 'an Local Government.
Shangguan Yangyu looked at the middle-aged man in front of him and asked expressionlessly, "It took three months to narrow down the suspects to seven people. Ning Que is the last one among the seven names. Why do you suspect him? Do you have any evidence? "
The middle-aged man's name was Tie Ying. He was the head of the Ministry of Justice in Chang 'an Local Government. He had worked in the Ministry of Justice for more than ten years and was very experienced in investigating cases. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "When Zhang Yiqi died, Ning Que was in the House of Red Sleeves."
Shangguan Yangyu's face suddenly turned cold and he scolded, "There were hundreds of people in the House of Red Sleeves at that time. Are they all suspects?"
Tie Ying bowed his head and cupped his fists. He said in a low voice, "But I feel that there is something wrong with this person."
Shangguan Yangyu frowned slightly and said unhappily, "How can you act based on your intuition when investigating a case?"
"Zhang Yiqi died outside the side door of the House of Red Sleeves. At that time, it was not treated as a homicide case, so there was no examination at the scene and no one in the building was detained for questioning. It is really difficult to find evidence."
Tie Ying continued quickly, "But if you believe in my intuition about the case, please let me continue to investigate. I have dealt with murder cases all my life. I can smell something wrong with this case just by my nose."
Shangguan Yangyu seemed to be very interested. He stroked his beard and asked, "What problem do you smell?"
"Ning Que was not rich before, or even a little short of money. How could such a lad enter the House of Red Sleeves? Why did Mistress Jian appreciate him? Why did the girls like him? What did he want to do in the House of Red Sleeves? I think the problem is that he should not have any relationship with the House of Red Sleeves, but he did. "
Tie Ying looked at the prefectural magistrate's disapproving look and became serious. He began to narrate another thing that he had investigated, "Not long after the censor Zhang Yiqi died, Huiyuantong Money House exchanged several notes for a huge amount of two thousand taels of silver."
"The person who exchanged the notes was Sangsang, Ning Que's little handmaiden. He was not famous at that time and sold his calligraphy very cheaply. How could he have so much money? Who gave him the money? What did those people want him to do by giving him so much money? "
Hearing this information, Shangguan Yangyu frowned tightly. After a long silence, he said, "Don't touch anything else. Check the notes first. If there is something wrong, then we can continue to investigate."
…
…
Twilight shone into the Chang 'an Local Government.
Standing under the green tree in the courtyard, Shangguan Yangyu, whose face should have been glowing in the sunset, looked livid, which was not in harmony with the surrounding environment. He looked at Tie Ying in front of him as if looking at the enemy who killed his father. His cold voice seeped through his teeth and seemed to be a little sharper, "The notes were deposited into Huiyuantong by the Fish-dragon Gang. That is to say, the two thousand taels of silver were given to Ning Que by Chao Xiaoshu. As for why, if you haven't forgotten the corpses lying on the street beside the Spring Breeze Pavilion that night, you may be able to guess a little."
"I will not forget that night." Shangguan Yangyu said coldly, "Because it was that night that countless big shots in the imperial court fell, and I could sit on the position of prefectural magistrate of Chang 'an City. As for Chao Xiaoshu's identity, I don't think I need to remind you. Ning Que took the two thousand taels of silver, which is equivalent to working for the palace. Do you still insist on investigating? "
Tie Ying forcibly suppressed the shock in his heart, cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency, there are many doubts in this matter. There was indeed a masked man beside Chao Xiaoshu at the Spring Breeze Pavilion that night, but I heard that he was a young master from the Yuelun Kingdom. As for the two thousand taels of silver notes, whether it was to pay for the Spring Breeze Pavilion or from another source, we should carefully investigate it."
Shangguan Yangyu roared angrily, "How do you want to investigate? Do you know who Ning Que is? Even if you didn't know before, after today, everyone in Chang 'an City will know that name! Evidence! If you have evidence, I will continue to investigate for the sake of His Majesty and the imperial court and the people, even if I have to sacrifice my official position. But if you want to investigate this person without any evidence and only rely on your damn intuition and rotten dog's sense of smell, then don't blame me for stripping you of your official uniform first! "
Tie Ying was hit by the reprimand and lowered his head, remaining silent.
Shangguan Yangyu slightly calmed down, looked at him and lightly asked, "Have you informed the Military Ministry of this matter?"
Tie Ying raised his head and nervously explained, "Since Your Excellency has ordered that this matter should be investigated secretly, of course I dare not leak it. I can guarantee that except for Your Excellency and me, there is absolutely no third person who knows that the Chang 'an Local Government has ever suspected Ning Que."
"That's good." Shangguan Yangyu lightly touched the sparse beard on his chin and said, "Erase Ning Que's name and investigate the other six people first."
Tie Ying accepted the order and left. Shangguan Yangyu returned to the backyard and began to sit in front of the oil lamp in a daze after dinner. Suddenly he frowned, stared at the oil lamp in front of the bookshelf, and unhappily asked, "Why have three more lamps been lit! Quickly extinguish them for me. "
The prefectural magistrate's wife was sitting at the other end of the study, biting a rope and putting on shoes. Suddenly hearing her master's reprimand, she confusedly raised her head and asked, "Master, now you are also a high-ranking official in the imperial court. Why are you still like this? Is there anything wrong with the official business today?"
Shangguan Yangyu was not good-looking, or even a little ugly. His temperament was extremely cunning, insidious and despicable. But he was quite good at family affairs. When he was young, he married a wife who was equally good-looking. After he became rich, he treated his wife with great love and never had the idea of taking a concubine. They got along well with each other and even did not hide many of his private affairs from his wife.
After telling his wife what he had heard during the day, Shangguan Yangyu frowned and said to himself, "When I was in charge of the Ministry of Justice in Chang 'an Local Government, the first thing I did was to poach Tie Ying from the Ministry of Justice. Because I knew that this person was experienced, and even as he said, he had a natural intuition about murder cases. If … Ning Que is really related to Zhang Yiqi's death, I really don't know how to deal with this matter."
Shangguan's wife slightly frowned, put down her sewing, poured a cup of hot tea for her master, and said softly, "Since you are in charge of the security of Chang 'an City and you are paid by the imperial court, you should investigate the case that should be investigated."
"But there is no evidence, and …"
Shangguan Yangyu looked at his wife and sighed sadly, "I really don't dare to investigate. His Majesty likes him, and I heard that he has entered the Second floor of the Academy and become the successor of the Divine Talisman Master. Without the imperial edict, how dare I investigate such a person? "
Shangguan's wife was startled and said confusedly, "If he is such a person, how could he be involved in a murder case?"
Hearing this, Shangguan Yangyu's ugly triangular eyes suddenly lit up. He patted the desk and said in a low voice, "Madam, you are right. How could such a person do such a thing?"
"Master, you can't listen to the nonsense of women like us when you are trying to solve a case."
Shangguan's wife was startled by his reaction and hurriedly dissuaded him, "What if it is really him?"
Shangguan Yangyu looked at the hot tea in front of him and said firmly, "There is no truth. It must not be. Even if it is … it is not."
…
…
Seaweed mixed with golden threads, Four Happiness Small Boxes, Xianru in Marinade, Flower Carved Drunken Prawns, Chicken in Clear Soup … Ning Que listened to the eunuch's report and looked at the exquisite dishes on the plates. He could not help but look up at the carved beams and pillars in the hall. His eyes were swayed by the bright palace lanterns on the bronze pillars in front of him. Only then did he realize where he was and what he was doing.
In the imperial study, His Majesty asked him for the calligraphy section, but was rejected by him by saying that he wanted to sell it for money. Ning Que thought that this would definitely make the emperor angry and he would be unlucky. However, he did not expect that although His Majesty was angry, he did not drive him out of the palace. Instead, he took him away from the imperial study, took a few turns in the garden, and came to a quiet hall, facing the sumptuous dishes.
What kind of treatment was it to stay in the palace to have dinner with the Tang Emperor? The gentle and quiet Empress even personally scooped a bowl of soup for him. What kind of treatment was this? Even Ning Que, who was used to life and death and would not blink even if Min Mountain collapsed in front of him, finally could not help but become excited and nervous.
The Empress picked up an iced bamboo shoot and put it into His Majesty's mouth. She smiled sweetly and said, "Since it is a meal, Ning Que will have to thank and feel ashamed if Old Mo says how many times he has seen 'The Flower Blooms on the Shore Shore'. Otherwise, how can he have time to eat?"
His Majesty was really in a good mood. He chewed the bamboo shoot with the tip of the Empress's tongue and said with a vague smile, "Then let's eat."
Ning Que held the gold-painted red lacquer bowl in his hand and began to eat. However, at this time, he had no time to taste the taste of the food. His mind kept thinking about everything he had seen. Today, he finally knew that the relationship between the Emperor and the Empress was as close as the rumors said. But who was the empty seat in front of him?
There was a light sound of rings and a faint fragrance. Li Yu, the Fourth Princess of the Tang Empire, who was dressed in an extremely luxurious dress, came in accompanied by palace maids and old maidservants. Ning Que was startled and his eyes subconsciously fell on her face. He noticed that her eyes and brows, which he usually thought were delicate and pretty, looked very beautiful today with the gorgeous palace makeup and gorgeous dress. He could not help but show an expression of surprise.
Li Yu, who saw him in the hall, was even more surprised. She could not help but cover her mouth with her hand and asked in surprise, "Why are you here?"
After returning from the Academy to the palace, she had slept for a whole day to replenish her energy. At this time, she was still a little tired and did not know about the rumors outside the palace. She also did not know that Ning Que had entered the palace.
His Majesty looked at the two and asked in confusion, "Little Yu 'er, you know him?"
Li Yu quickly calmed down and explained with a smile, "Father, Ning Que was the one who escorted me back from the grassland last year. We knew each other then. Last night, when I went to the Academy to watch the opening ceremony of the Second floor, I saw him."
The journey from the grassland had started from the Golden Tribe, passed through the City of Wei, and fought their way through the North Mountain Pass before finally arriving in Chang 'an. His Majesty was very clear about the difficulties his daughter had suffered. But he did not know that on this journey, there was a border town soldier named Ning Que who had saved his daughter's life until today.
Hearing Lee Yu use the shortest words to describe last year's journey, the way the Emperor looked at Ning Que was different from before. It was no longer pure admiration, but more sincere fondness.
Li Yu smiled and asked, "Father, why are you interested in seeing Ning Que today? I think it's not because of the opening of the Second floor. "
"I have mentioned to you that there is a piece of wonderful calligraphy in the Imperial Study." His Majesty looked at his daughter and said with a happy smile, "Did you know that Ning Que was the one who wrote 'The Flower Blooms on the Shore of Heaven'? Everyone in the imperial court admires your ability to read people. But since you know him, you did not know that he had such an ability. It seems that those words were not true. "
"I just did not want to have a talent, so I searched everywhere for talent for father and the imperial court. I do not have any real foresight."
Li Yu lifted her skirt and slowly sat down by the table with the help of the palace maid. She looked at Ning Que opposite her with a faint smile and said, "As for Ning Que's good handwriting, I know that he is good, but I did not know that he is so good. But speaking of which, this guy is best at hiding his strength and pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger. I do not know where he learned such boring tricks."
There was a deeper meaning in her words. Ning Que did not know how to answer, so he buried his head in his food and pretended not to hear. Since he had to pretend to be a pig, he had to be a competent pig. But listening to the Emperor and Empress's laughter and looking at Li Yu's teasing gaze, he felt that the imperial banquet did not have the solemnity of an imperial banquet. It was more like an ordinary family's dinner. More importantly, it was impossible to really have green onions and pancakes in this imperial banquet. But these seemingly exquisite dishes were not delicious even for a pig.
Ning Que used his chopsticks to play with the light and tasteless marinade. After suspecting that the imperial chef had a fake New Oriental certificate, he began to miss the leftovers in the Old Brush Pen Shop on Lin 47th Street, and even the pot of sour chicken soup.
…
(To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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