The next day, when Xie Sui'an and Nan Yi came to find Qiao Yinzhi, they were told that Qiao had hurried back to her parents' home last night.
How could it be such a coincidence!
Neither Nan Yi nor Xie Xiaoliu believed it. After asking around again, they found out that Xie Queshan had come to see Qiao before she left.
Hearing this, Nan Yi's heart suddenly went cold.
She realized that when he brought clothes into her room last night, he must have looked at the Hundred-person Buddhist Sutra on her table and confirmed that Qiao Yinzhi was Xizuo. Before she and Xie Sui'an came into contact with Qiao Yinzhi, he let him go.
Nan Yi was very annoyed.
Every move he made would not be for no reason, pitiful for her, she was still happy for such a random gift from him all night long.
She was about to explode.
Nan Yi couldn't listen to what Xie Sui'an was saying anymore, so she returned to the room, changed out of her new clothes, and threw them into the deepest part of the cabinet.
Apart from such weak and useless protests, she could not rush to Xie Queshan and get angry at him.
After all, these things have nothing to do with her. As long as she stays obediently and lets Xie Queshan manipulate her like a puppet, at a certain time, he will let her go.
On this matter, she was still willing to believe him.
Let’s have a good New Year first. After all, the family is missing an informant, so there is no need to worry anymore, and the hard work has not been in vain.
Not only Xie Sui'an and Nan Yi, but everyone in Wangxuewu felt that this year had been extremely refreshing.
As soon as Mrs. Gantang came back, she drove away the annoying Qi people from the house. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and felt a lot more at ease.
On New Year's Eve, everyone just had a hasty New Year's Eve dinner. Mrs. Gantang suggested that on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the Xie family would host a New Year's Eve banquet and let everyone join in the fun.
There seems to be plenty of time, but there are really a lot of things to prepare for a banquet. There is a special "Xi Si Ba Bureau" in the market to buy banquets for the noble families of the government. As long as you pay, they will arrange the banquets properly. However, it is wartime now, and many things are unavailable. Coincidentally, It is also difficult for a woman to make a meal without rice.
In addition, Mrs. Gantang is by no means a wasteful person. The main idea in preparing for the banquet this time was to save money. By the way, Lu Jinxiu cut most of the huge expenses when managing the backyard to increase revenue and reduce expenditure.
Nan Yi followed Mrs. Gantang, thinking that she would just be a submissive mascot, but she didn't expect that Mrs. Gantang really raised her as a mistress and took the trouble to teach her all kinds of trivial matters.
Mrs. Gantang is a kind but powerful woman. The difference between her and Lu Jinxiu is that Lu Jinxiu's criterion for doing things is "profit", while her criterion is "goodness".
Nan Yi likes Mrs. Gan Tang from the bottom of his heart.
Mrs. Gantang was busy enough with the coordination matters in the mansion, so the responsibility of purchasing out of the mansion was left to Nan Yi.
Nan Yi murmured in her heart when she saw the purchase order.
The quantity of rice, flour, oil and sugar, these daily necessities, is obviously far more than what is needed for a banquet. Mrs. Gantang said that this was for future consideration. It was always right to store more things in troubled times. But prices during the New Year are higher than usual, so why doesn’t she wait until after the Lantern Festival to stock up?
Although he was doubtful, Nan Yi did not dare to neglect this errand. He took his female envoy around the city to find shops to buy things, and he had to shop around to avoid being cheated.
During the neighborhood market, Nan Yi heard about the "Gui Lai Tang" business for the first time.
They are said to be trading houses, but they do not have a storefront. They are more like a mobile black market dark network, controlling the flow of goods and coins in the market.
It is said that as long as you are willing to spend money with Gui Lai Tang, there is nothing they cannot buy, including intelligence and human lives.
Nan Yi didn't want to have anything to do with the black market, but there were some things that she could only buy through them.
Such as salt, such as sugar. It may seem like an ordinary item, but it is an important wartime material. If you buy a large amount, you need to report it to the government.
Nan Yi guessed that no matter what Mrs. Gantang wanted these things for, she must be doing it quickly; she borrowed the money from the Xie family's banquet to buy it because she didn't want to make it public. So Nan Yi gritted his teeth and entered the main room behind the salt shop on the recommendation of the shopkeeper.
The dark cabin was filled with a drowsy incense. There was a cashier sitting inside, and beside him stood two sturdy men wearing swords.
Nan Yi pressed his fingerprint on the contract, paid the money with one hand, and delivered the goods with the other. Without too many words, there is no room for bargaining. Without even half a stick of incense, the deal is done.
There seems to be something like a black market, but it doesn't seem that scary.
After going in and out like this, a thin layer of cold sweat started to form on Nan Yi's back. She hurried back to Xuewu with the things she had purchased.
And her every move has been sent to the luxurious and luxurious accommodation in Huachao Pavilion.
*
The new characters who appeared around Xie Liu became the objects of Zhang Yuehui's suspicion. The young lady of the Xie family, and Mrs. Gan Tang.
He listened to the reports from his subordinate Luo Ci, his eyes scanning the paper he handed over back and forth.
It recorded the things Nan Yi bought separately from the shops in the city today. Each house had a small amount, but together, it was enough for the Xie family to hold ten banquets.
Luo Ci added: "Boss, our people met her face to face. After close contact, they determined that she has no martial arts skills."
Zhang Yuehui threw the paper into the charcoal basin and watched the flames lick the paper until it was burned to ashes.
He thought thoughtfully: "Whether this little widow of the Xie family was used as a spearman by Mrs. Gantang, or whether she was hiding it...I can't tell."
After rubbing his chin and thinking for a long time, Zhang Yue heard noisy footsteps approaching outside. He stood up and shook his robe.
"Keep staring."
"Yes, boss."
As soon as he finished responding, the person quietly walked away from the window. The next second, the door was pushed open.
Zhang Yue bowed her hands in a smooth gesture, her face calm.
"Master Wanyan, oh, this is—"
Wanyan Jun led Xie Queshan inside and said with a smile: "Of course he is our ace military advisor in Daqi, Mr. Queshan." He turned to Xie Queshan and introduced: "This is the boss of the Return Hall, Zhang Yuehui."
The two looked at each other and smelled a hint of danger in each other's eyes.
One is careless, the other is calm, and there is something unfathomable under his skin.
"Mr. Zhang, I have heard of his name for a long time. I am honored to meet you."
On the surface, they seemed to be at peace with each other, but they regretted seeing each other so late.
Wanyan Jun glanced at the two people's reactions and remained calm. This high-ranking official from Qi is not very old, but he is now very popular in the royal court, and has a close relationship with the prime minister and the prince. As long as he makes great achievements in Lidu Mansion this time, he will be promoted to a higher rank when he returns.
Therefore, he worked hard and had to do something famous in Lidu Mansion. He was personally responsible for building the keel boat, and the arrest of King Ling'an was mainly responsible for Xie Queshan and Hu Shazai.
Usha has a cruel temper and is obviously not that enthusiastic about shipbuilding. If it weren't for the orders from above, he would have wished to massacre Lidu Mansion.
Reckless people are not enough to collude. Wanyan Jun had to draw Xie Queshan into his camp. Naturally, he had to share his resources generously, so he introduced him to Zhang Yuehui. If he wants to succeed, he cannot do without these two people.
The three of them were about to take their seats when they saw that there was a seat on the table.
"Mr. Zhang, do you have any guests?" Wanyan Jun asked.
At this moment, there was another knock on the door. The waiter opened the door and led Usha inside.
Usha strode in with a happy face, and when he saw Wanyan Jun and Xie Queshan in the room, his expression suddenly froze.
Damn it, he thought Zhang Yuehui only invited him!
