HCB Chapter 223 The Shen family has arrived.
Chapter 223 The Shen family has arrived.
Outside the Jinglu Teahouse, Yu Wan and Xi Zhu boarded a carriage.
As soon as they got on, the two quickly took off their outer robes and put on the clean outer robes that were always kept in the carriage.
Yu Wan carefully put the two pieces of clothing she had changed out of into one place.
Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Xizhu asked, "Miss, why did we pour all the tea onto our sleeves? If you suspect there's something wrong with the tea, you can simply not drink it."
Just now, they were in the teahouse, talking to the teahouse staff while drinking tea.
Previously, inside the teahouse, they appeared to be leisurely drinking tea while chatting with the teahouse staff.
In reality, Yu Wan subtly gave Xi Zhu a wink, and the two of them quietly spilled the tea onto their sleeves.
Because their clothes were dark in color today, it was difficult to notice anything unusual without careful observation.
Yu Wan explained softly, "If we go to the teahouse just to ask for information without touching the tea, won't that arouse suspicion?"
After her prompting, Xizhu suddenly realized, "Miss is worried about alerting the enemy!"
Yu Wan smiled and nodded: "There are two reasons for this."
"Firstly, keeping this tea allows people to carefully examine it and see if there is any problem;
Secondly, as tea drinkers, we merely asked a few questions about the owner, which wouldn't arouse suspicion. Even if the person behind the scenes noticed us, they would only think we were young and just curious.
Xizhu nodded, "I see. Miss is indeed cautious."
Yu Wan did not respond, but looked out of the carriage with a hint of worry.
They may not have aroused suspicion from the teahouse staff, but so far they've found nothing. I wonder if Yunshang has uncovered anything...
At this moment, Yun Shang, who was being thought of by Yu Wan, actually received some useful information.
He came to the Ministry of Personnel to pick up something. As he left, he passed through the corridor and heard two officials from the Ministry of Personnel talking in hushed tones.
Yun Shang recognized one of them; he was You Lingzhou, a student in this imperial examination. Like Yun Shang, You Lingzhou came from a poor family. Yun Shang had heard Prince Chen mention that You Lingzhou had secretly pledged allegiance to Prince Xiang, Li Ming.
You Lingzhou's voice was very low, and it even carried a hint of complaint.
"His Highness seems to have lost a very important item recently. He has been searching for it everywhere without success, and his temper has become unusually irritable. It is becoming increasingly difficult for us to do our work, and we are scolded for the slightest mistake."
Another official asked softly, "What kind of object is it that has caused His Highness to lose his composure like this?"
You Lingzhou shook his head: "I don't know the details either. I only know that the object is very important to His Highness, but I don't know exactly what it is."
"...When our masters are in a bad mood, we, as their subordinates, can only work with our bare hands. We should be more careful in our work these days, so as not to offend them."
You Lingzhou responded in a low voice.
The two talked as they walked away, unaware of Yun Shang behind them.
Yun Shang watched the two figures as they walked away, his dark eyes deep and unfathomable.
Could that jade pendant belong to the King of Xiang?
When Yun Shang returned home after his shift that day, he did not mention the matter to Yu Wan.
After all, it is not yet certain whether it is the Prince of Xiang or not. If Yu Wan cannot help but inquire, it may alert the other party.
King Xiang will not be as easily fooled as King Xuan.
However, Yu Wan told Yun Shang about what happened at Jinglu Teahouse that day.
She said, "The waiter at Jinglu Tea House is so tight-lipped, there must be something fishy going on. I'll give you the clothes that got tea stains, and you can help me find a reliable doctor in Shengjing to examine them and see if there's anything wrong."
The wine cup was naturally offered.
However, looking at the clothes, he didn't think that an ordinary doctor could find anything out from the tea.
He was about to speak when he heard Yu Wan sigh and say, "If Old Man Feng were here, he would definitely be able to detect any problems with this tea."
Yun Shang's eyebrows twitched slightly, her voice cold and clear, "I received a letter from Mother and the others today, saying that they are almost at the city gate."
Yu Wan's eyes lit up immediately, "We've arrived at the city gate so quickly?!"
Whatever you think comes true!
If the Shen family, Yunxi, and Old Man Feng are close to the city gate, they will probably arrive in Shengjing tomorrow or the day after!
Seeing her so happy, Yun Shang smiled and nodded, saying, "The weather is nice right now, and the road is easy to travel, so we weren't delayed at all."
Yu Wan paced excitedly around the room. "It's great that Old Man Feng is here. He's an expert in pharmacology and will definitely be able to see through the trickery in the tea at Jinglu Tea House. With his help, we can investigate this matter much more efficiently."
Yun Shang nodded in agreement, "Once they arrive, we'll settle them in first, and then have Old Man Feng begin the inspection. But before that, we need to proceed with caution and avoid alerting them."
“I understand.” Yu Wan stopped and sat back down in her chair. “I will continue to keep an eye on what’s happening at Jinglu Teahouse these next few days.”
Two days later, Shen, Yunxi, and Old Man Feng arrived safely in Shengjing.
Yu Wan received the news in advance and waited at the city gate early.
Yun Shang was on duty today and couldn't get away, so she was the only one who came to pick up Shen and the others.
A dusty carriage stopped in front of Yu Wan, and the next second, a pretty figure leaped down and threw herself into Yu Wan's arms.
"Sister-in-law, I miss you so much!"
Yu Wan was almost knocked over by Yun Xi, but she quickly regained her balance and hugged Yun Xi back with a smile.
With a smile on his face, he said, "I missed you too, Xiao Xi'er. Was your journey safe?"
Yunxi looked up, her eyes sparkling: "It went very smoothly, just a little boring on the way, but the thought of seeing my sister-in-law soon makes me incredibly happy."
This was her first time leaving Huicheng County, and Yunxi was excited the whole way.
With Old Man Feng accompanying her, there's no need to worry about her health.
At this moment, Madam Shen and Old Man Feng also slowly got off the carriage.
When Madam Shen saw Yu Wan, her eyes welled up with tears. With a slight sob, she smiled and said, "It seems that the feng shui of Shengjing is very nurturing. In just a few months, Yu Wan has become even more beautiful."
Yu Wan hurried forward, gently took Shen's hand, and said, "Mother-in-law is getting more and more beautiful."
Shen was amused by her words, and most of the sadness she had felt from not seeing her for many days dissipated. She smiled helplessly and said, "You silly child, how old am I? How can I get more and more beautiful?"
Yu Wan affectionately took Shen's arm and said, "In a daughter-in-law's heart, her mother-in-law will always be the most beautiful."
After saying that, she turned to look at Old Man Feng, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Old Man Feng, this long journey must have been tough on your old bones, right?"
Upon hearing this, Old Man Feng looked up and gave Yu Wan a flick on the forehead, "You little brat, how dare you talk to an old man like that?"
Yu Wan chuckled and didn't cry out in pain, "It seems you're in very good health."
Old Feng rolled his eyes and said with a straight face, "I'm tired and hungry. Stop with the pleasantries and get me something to eat."
Yu Wan smiled and said, "I had someone book a private room at Fei Bao Lou a long time ago."
Old Feng's eyes lit up. "You're a sensible girl. Come on, come on, this old man is going to have a good meal today."
He didn't want to waste a moment and immediately boarded the carriage again.
Looking back, seeing that Yu Wan, Shen Shi, and the others were still not moving, he impatiently urged, "Hurry up, the old lady can't go hungry."
Yu Wan, Shen Shi, and Yun Xi exchanged helpless smiles and boarded the carriage.