Suzhou.

In the small building, the middle-aged woman lying on the sickbed had taken medicine and muttered in a low voice: "Why do you have to come back? When I heard that you are back, those creditors will come to collect debts from us again."

"I will find a way." Dong Xiaowan responded softly, put the medicine bowl on the wooden plate held by the maid, and comforted him: "Mom, rest with peace of mind, don't worry about anything."

Back in his room, Dong Xiaowan sat in front of the fire and sang gently, frowned and pondering something.

She is naturally indifferent and does not like fat and sweet foods. She cooks rice with a small pot of tea every day and then serves a dish of water or two.

But after returning to Suzhou in the past two days, the silver he brought back was paid back to the creditor in an instant. Now the side dishes are also exempted, and there are not much tea left.

The maid brought the dishes back, opened the tea pot and looked at it, and couldn't help but mutter again: "With the girl's current fame, she sang a song casually. I don't know how much money she can collect, why bother living like this?"

"I don't want to sing."

"Then you might as well find someone to marry, and you..."

"I don't like it."

The maid was so angry that she knew that her girl was so lonely and widowed, and she wouldn't have a good time, otherwise why would she have broken up and ran back to Suzhou from Nanjing?

She hesitated for a moment and whispered: "Girl, there is a mother Tian in Suzhou who heard that you are back and asked if you would like to go to her place. She doesn't need you to perform. I know that you don't like those vulgar guests. I just let you accompany some old and white scholars to visit the mountains and rivers and comment on the scenery. How about it?"

"A white-haired gentleman?" Dong Xiaowan pondered slightly, looking at Liao Liao Yu Yu on the stove and thinking.

"If you don't even want to do this, just take me and my wife to starve to death." The maid was not afraid of her, and said angrily: "It just happened to be the first leader to starve to death, and you will have the noble name you want."

Dong Xiaowan said disapprovingly: "What kind of noble name do I want? Go and reply to Mom Tian..."

Before she finished speaking, she suddenly heard someone outside slamming the door. The maid went to see it and came back and said, "Mom Tian sent someone to say that an old man wanted to see a girl, saying that he was definitely not a lustful person, but a respected old official and gentry. He was the second-rank official in the officialdom and only wanted to find someone to discuss articles and songs."

"Is it very old?"

"Well, it's very old. If the girl wants to go to see her, she will be in the teahouse in front of her to taste the fragrant tea together. In short, it's an Yake, and she is willing to pay a lot of money."

Dong Xiaowan nodded and said, "Since that's the case, it's better to meet."

After cleaning up, Dong Xiaowan changed into men's clothes to show that she would not be able to perform songs and just talk. She took a sedan chair to the teahouse and looked at it with a slit.

This teahouse is elegant, and a white-haired old man sitting there on the Xuan Pavilion, his spirit looks a bit extraordinary from a distance.

A few servants stood in front of the teahouse and were waiting. When they saw Dong Xiaowan's sedan chair, they were about to come up to greet him.

Suddenly, with a "whoosh" arrow, an old servant fell down on the side of the railing of the tea stall.

"Do it!"

Then someone shouted loudly and shouts of killing burst out everywhere.

"Ma Shisheng! Take your life! Kill..."

The mutation suddenly broke out, and people on the street panicked and ran, and Dong Xiaowan's sedan chair was hit by the side, and the maid was so scared that she cried.

"Girl...you're okay...ah! blood..."

Dong Xiaowan's face turned pale and finally stabilized her body. She lifted the curtain to look at it, and saw that the teahouse was in chaos.

When I looked up again, I saw someone in the teahouse cut off the old official’s head with a knife!

Then the man carrying a bloody head jumped down from the teahouse, and more than a dozen strong men rushed out from all over.

"The Jinyiwei is responsible for the task! Don't be afraid of others!"

"The former governor of the river, Ma Shisheng, was greedy and abused the law, colluded with rebellion, and was not allowed to be punished. Now he has already helped the head!"

...

"Catch them! Don't let these people run away!" An official from afar rushed over and shouted at the dozen men.

The two sides fought on the long street for only a moment. The Jinyiwei men killed more than ten people, and they also left seven or eight bodies, fleeing further and further away.

The shocking change came and went quickly, and a retired high-ranking official instantly became a headless corpse...

...

When Dong Xiaowan returned home, she still covered her collar and felt frightened.

The maid was already scared and tears were filled with tears.

"Girl, are you okay? Who are those people... who are killing people in the street... they are so scary..."

Dong Xiaowan sighed and whispered to herself: "Intra-fighting will continue, and the harder the country's affairs will be. Jiangnan is afraid that there will be turmoil."

She was all famous scholars and had heard of many things. The last time Li Xiangjun even invited her to the north, saying that she wanted to meet the Duke of Guo who was shocking the world, laughing and advising her not to use troops to Jiangnan.

In Dong Xiaowan's opinion, Li Xiangjun is whimsical. What's the use of such a country and country? It's just used as a tool for entertainment...

I looked at these things in my heart, and someone knocked on the door outside the door. I thought it was an official, but the maid went to see it but replied: "Girl, it was Li who sent someone to visit, brought a doctor, and I had a message to you. Let's see you."

Dong Xiaowan nodded and went out to meet her.

The one who came was a servant from the Hou family. Although he was full of dust, he spoke elegantly and had a bigger temperament than ordinary county officials.

"I just came here and met several officials who wanted to interrogate everyone Dong. It turned out that a murder occurred in the city, and the villain sent you a pass."

Dong Xiaowan bowed and thanked him, saying, "The current situation is turbulent, I wonder if Xiang Jun is still safe now?"

"Don't worry, everyone, Li and my son are all fine. They returned to Shangqiu to get married after finishing this time. Li will not return to Nanjing anymore. The only thing she cares about is you, so she asks my son to visit a famous doctor to come to Lingtang for treatment. Please accept the five hundred taels of silver."

Dong Xiaowan thanked again and said, "Xiangjun is also intent. The young master of Hou is troublesome, but he dare not collect the money."

"Just think of it as given by everyone, and give up everything you have with your friends, please do not refuse."

The servant of the Hou family said as he put down the silver and took out another letter.

"This is a letter from everyone Li, but some things are inconvenient to say. The young man even brought a message... He has seen the prince in the north, and he is so handsome that he can't describe it in one word. He seems to have heard of your name and is a little 'attention' to you. If you want to be the prince's honor, you can walk north and take a look. If you don't intend, it's better to avoid it."

Dong Xiaowan smiled politely and said, "I am just a slut in the countryside. How can I let those people pay attention to it? There is nowhere to avoid it. Please take this money back."

"Dong everyone misunderstood. Whether to go or not, this money is just a helping hand between sisters."

He understood Dong Xiaowan's meaning, which was that she was unwilling to go to Xuzhou, and she did not force her. She still kept the money politely and turned around and left...

~~

After the incident in Suzhou was over, the servants of the Hou family rushed to Nanjing without stopping, and went straight to Shen Cifu's house in Dutang Lane.

The one who came out to receive him in the house was the assistant below the second servant called "Mr. You".

The servants of the Hou family handed over several letters, but Mr. You didn't let him go immediately. After reading the letter, he picked up a pen and replied, and then he twisted his long beard and asked about various details.

"You left Xuzhou on the 11th, why did you arrive today?"

"The villain went to Suzhou first."

"What to do?"

This is not a secret matter, the servant of the Hou family said it all...

Mr. You asked again: "Since Wang Xiao is interested in Dong Xiaowan, you just ask like a flash of water?"

"Return to Mr. You, Wang Xiao was just a little careful."

Mr. You sneered and said, "What a big man like, isn't just a look in his eyes. Someone is sending it to him. Why? Can't he even ask him to speak up?"

"My son specifically told me not to force it. The original words were 'Wang smiled and valued love rather than color, and only sincere communication could be moved. If you force Dong Xiaowan to flatter her, she would not be able to show her talent, but instead she would be able to make a mistake'."

After the servant of the Hou family said, he said, "The young master said that he should try his best to persuade Wang Xiao to do his best to do a big deal. As for these little details, it is just icing on the cake. It is good to succeed, and it is okay if it fails."

After hearing this, Mr. You disdained and waved him away, pondering alone.

At the end, Mr. You said to himself with a sneer, "Haha, Hou Chaozong. He wants to do things but can't let go of the posture of a famous guest... How can things be so easy to do?"

This was just a trivial matter of picking up the gaps. He casually ordered people to go to Suzhou for another trip, and returned to the main topic, and continued to consider the interrupted ideas just now.

"It seems that Zheng Yuanhua, are you really old..."

~~

Xuzhou.

Wang Xi, who had just entered the city, was asked only a few questions, and his face collapsed.

He looked at Wang Xiao secretly, then lowered his head, and honestly explained: "I am indeed a real disease, but I was frightened by this trip to the north. I want to take a few days off and figure out some things."

"You have had a lot of enlightenment when you say so?"

"Hey...you can also say that, deal with your mood first, and then deal with things."

Wang Xiao said, "At the moment when only the Jiannu was blocked, some officials began to become lazy and thought that being an official in Shandong was more miserable than Jiangnan. You are a member of the Wang family, so make me look good, don't be careless all day long, and do the best, and ruin the atmosphere!"

Wang Xi was shocked and swore: "Yes, I will work hard in the future! I will never be lazy anymore!"

Wang Xiao snorted coldly before letting him go.

"You bring people to copy the mansion of Guan Ming and his generals. Keep an eye on me. If anyone dares to steal benefits or bully his family, I will only ask."

Wang Ying thought for a while and asked, "There must be a standard, right? Otherwise, I can't do it."

"Ten taels of silver, if you steal more than this amount, you will be severely punished."

"Why don't you have fifteen taels? I have experience in raiding the house. It's hard to say anything if someone touches it. If I have to punish too many people, it's hard to do..."

"When I'm a vegetable market?"
To be continued...