In a clothing store in the north of the city, behind the counter, behind a green curtain, there is a small reception room. Xue Rui is sitting on a chair under the window, listening to the shopkeeper's report: "Master, there is an outsider with the surname Xu staying at the Baiquan Inn in Autumn Osmanthus Lane. He just checked in the day before yesterday with a few companions. Strangely, they are not staying in the same place. I sent someone to follow him for a day and yesterday afternoon, I saw him entering a Chamber of Commerce in the south of the city. "
"Which Chamber of Commerce?"
"It is the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce."
Xue Rui is puzzled. He knows about this Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce. That day in Yiyang, when he was disguised as Cao Zixin, there was a manager with the surname Pei who was interested in Yu Shu's fortune telling ability. Under his persuasion, Yu Shu entered the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce as an apprentice. Now, they are looking for trouble with her. Even when she is in the capital, they still do not let her go. How big of a grudge is there?
Seeing Xue Rui's expression, the shopkeeper thought that he does not know about the Tehen's reputation. He said: "Master, you have been away from the capital for two years. You probably do not know about this. This Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce is a business that has just moved to An Ling City in recent years. Their business is booming and they have a good reputation. They also have some background."
Xue Rui asked: "Is that so? Who is the person in charge here? Do I know him?"
"Master, this is the owner of the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce. You may not know him but you should have heard of him.
"Oh? Who is he? "
"Do you still remember that in the previous Da Yan Examination, there was a fortune-teller who wore mourning clothes when the results were released?"
Xue Rui thought for a while and remembered this news when he was young. He hesitantly said a name that is difficult to pronounce: "Gu Gai?"
The innkeeper was a little surprised that he could still remember him after such a long time. "It's that Gu Suanzi, do you still remember him?"
Xue Rui not only remembered that when Gu Gai was dressed in mourning clothes, he was also present. When he passed by, he saw with his own eyes the man in his forties crying loudly in front of the Celestial Commissioner's door, without any joy of winning the championship. Later on, he heard from others that his parents had passed away a long time ago, but it was unknown who he was mourning for and who he was crying for on that joyous day. "Is this Gu Diviner currently residing in the capital?" Xue Rui asked.
"I don't know about that. Allow me to send someone to ask around."
Xue Rui nodded his head and stood up. When he reached the door, he turned back and added: "Along the way, I want to find out if anything special has happened in the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce in the past six months."
"Yes, I will check it out as soon as possible."
Xue Rui left the clothing shop, but did not return home. Instead, he took a sedan chair to Heng Wu Building. He wanted to find someone who knows about the background of the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce.
Although he said to do it as soon as possible, when Xue Rui received the news, another three days passed. During this time, he sent someone to keep an eye on Sun Ji Tavern, but he did not go to Huixing Street to warn Yu Shu. Firstly, he did not know which household she lived in. Secondly, the capital was his territory. He was not afraid that something would happen to Yu Shu under his watch.
However, after reading the news he just received, he still decided to look for her.
Every month in a large chamber of commerce, big and small things happened. But there was one incident that caught Xue Rui's attention. A few months ago, a caravan traveling from Yiyang City to Anling was robbed by water bandits. Dozens of people died tragically and their corpses were thrown into the river. Only a few people escaped.
This robbery case was very serious. It alarmed the government along the river. But the water bandits' whereabouts were erratic and they hid in the river valleys. The government was unable to catch the criminals. It was said that because of this, the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce issued a reward of eight thousand taels of silver. They claimed that if anyone could catch the group of criminals, the reward would be doubled. This caused many people in Jianghu to become restless.
This incident, whether it was the time or the location, coincided with the day Yu Shu entered the capital. He could not help but suspect that this incident had something to do with her.
If this was really the case, then it was not a small matter that could be easily solved. Although the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce was only in the middle of the capital, there was indeed someone behind it.
Yu Shu did not show her face at Autumn Osmanthus Square. Xue Rui did not know which street she lived in, so he was not in a hurry. In the middle of the afternoon, he finished his work for the day and went to Baichuan Academy.
If he knew where the little monk was, he would not be afraid of not knowing where the temple was.
Xue Rui arrived at just the right time. Not long after, he saw that the students had finished their classes. A group of half-grown children came out of the library, talking and laughing. Several groups of people passed by, and his sharp eyes saw a boy among them.
It had been almost half a year since Xue Rui last saw Yu Xiaoxiu. Fortunately, this child's appearance had not changed, so he recognized him at a glance.
But Yu Xiaoxiu was listening to the people around him and did not notice Xue Rui on the opposite side of the street. It was only when he heard someone call his name that he raised his head to look.
"Xiaoxiu."
Yu Xiaoxiu saw the young man who called his name not far away and recognized him. He was dumbfounded and his mouth was wide open. He never thought that after such a long time, he would almost forget that there was such a person and see this face in the capital.
"Cao, Brother Cao?"
Xue Rui smiled and looked at the surprised face of the child on the opposite side of the street. He thought: She really did not mention him to this child.
Yu Shu stayed at home for a few days. Because she had something to do, she did not feel that it was a long time. She used the method of finding lost objects, but she did not make much progress. But this did not prevent her from enthusiastically researching. She often buried herself in front of the table for half a day. Even hatching eggs was not as diligent as her.
Jing Chen was a little better than her. Although he also held those Daoist books all day and never left his hands, when it was time to eat, he would go to the big room to call her. The two of them ate, washed the dishes, and then went back to their respective rooms to continue their work.
Hearing a knock on the door in the courtyard, Jing Chen put the book down and went outside to open the door. As soon as he pulled the door bolt, Yu Xiaoxiu squeezed in and closed the door.
"Where is my brother?"
Jing Chen pointed to the big room and watched Yu Xiaoxiu run in hurriedly and then close the door. Jing Chen was surprised by his unusual behavior, but he did not think much about it. He turned back to the room and continued to read.
On the other side, Yu Shu was holding a charcoal pencil and drawing a parabola on the paper. Yu Xiaoxiu ran into the room.
"Sister!"
"You are back." Yu Shu said without looking up.
"Sister, I saw Brother Cao."
"Oh." Yu Shu drew two more strokes and suddenly turned her head, "What did you say?"
Yu Xiaoxiu then told Yu Shu about Xue Rui going to the book garden to find him. In the end, he complained, "Sister, why didn't you tell me that Brother Cao is also in the capital? I was not prepared at all when I saw him today. I was so shocked."
Yu Shu looked embarrassed. It was not that she deliberately hid it from Yu Xiaoxiu. It was just that she did not want to have anything to do with Xue Rui in the beginning, so she did not tell him. Later, when the two of them got closer, she did not know how to tell him.
"I was going to tell you in two days." Yu Shu tried to fool him and asked strangely, "What did he say to you when he went to find you?"
"Oh, yes!" Yu Xiaoxiu patted his head and reached out to pull her, "You should go quickly. Brother Cao is waiting for you outside the alley. He said he has something to tell you."
"Ah? You brought him here? "Yu Shu stood up in surprise.
Yu Xiaoxiu pursed his lips and said, "You're still talking about it? You don't know how much effort it took for me to convince him to wait outside and not bring him into the house. Otherwise, if he saw Big Brother Jing, I'd like to see how you're going to explain yourself."
Yu Xiaoxiu did not mean anything else. He was just reasonable. He felt that it was not good to let Cao Zixin know that his sister, an unmarried woman, lived in the same courtyard with a man.
In this regard, Yu Shu had other ideas. Xue Rui was a very smart person. If he saw Jing Chen, he would definitely have suspicions. It was not good to let too many people know about Jing Chen's matter. It was better not to complicate matters.
"Well done." Yu Shu patted his shoulder, "Then I will go out for a while. I will tell you when I come back."
"Well, go quickly. Otherwise, he will come looking for you later."
Yu Xiaoxiu urged her. Yu Shu held the charcoal pen for a long time. She did not wash her black hands and ran out. When she went out of the door and looked into the alley, she saw Xue Rui's conspicuous figure dressed in brocade clothes.
Xue Rui also saw her, so he waved his hand at her. Yu Shu quickly walked over and chatted with him, "Why did you come looking for me?"
Xue Rui had not seen her for several days. When he saw her, he first looked at her and then pointed behind him, "I have something to ask you. It is not convenient to say it here. My carriage is parked on the street in front."
Yu Shu thought that he wanted to ask her about helping him with some business at the restaurant. She followed him. Who would have thought that when she got on the carriage, the first thing he said was, "I have not asked you in detail. How did you come from Yiyang to Anling?"
Yu Shu blinked her eyes, "Didn't I tell you? I hired a few escorts to send us to the capital."
Xue Rui stared at her face for a while. He suddenly said, "How did you offend the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce?"
Yu Shu's heart skipped a beat. She frowned and said, "What do you mean?"
Xue Rui knew that if he did not explain it clearly, this girl will not tell him the truth. He bluntly said, "Do you know that the Thai Heng Chamber of Commerce is looking for your whereabouts?"
Only then did Yu Shu's expression change. Xue Rui kept looking at her, and when he caught the panic in her expression, he frowned. Ever since he got to know her, he had always seen her laughing and joking around, but he had never seen her being afraid of anything. What exactly was it that made her lose her composure?
When Yu Shu heard Xue Rui's words, she knew that the worst thing happened. Qiu Biao recognized her in front of the restaurant.
"What's the matter? You can discuss it with me. I can help you think of a solution."
Xue Rui's tone was steady and carried a comforting tone. Yu Shu's mind calmed down when she heard this, and she pondered for a moment before deciding to be frank with Xue Rui. Now wasn't the time for her to put on a brave front by herself. Since Bi Qing and Qiu Biao had noticed her, they would surely not let her off. Instead of placing her hopes on them being unable to find her, it was better to make the first move and think of a way to deal with that group of people so as to put an end to all future troubles.
In this way, it is best to have a helper like Xue Rui.
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