Zhili then pricked up his ears and listened attentively.
Someone suddenly tapped him on the shoulder, Zheli was startled, and when he turned around, the girl appeared silently behind him.
"Eavesdropping." Xia Zhaoyi said softly.
"We are talking about the Minister of Rites." Zhili made a "hush" gesture.
Xia Zhaoyi raised his eyes and looked at the servants.
The maid who spoke kept her voice very low, but because they stood secluded, they could be heard clearly.
"...Don't you know? I heard that in the past ten years, the imperial court had a total of five ministers of the Ministry of Rites. The first one, Pang Yonggen, died of a strange disease. The second one, Qingshu, resigned within two years and was arrested on the way back.
He was beaten to death, and more than half of the family, old and young, were killed and injured. Half of his left hand was cut off. The third Lin Hongru was even worse. His family was exterminated directly in Jingzhao. It is still unknown who the murderer was. The fourth one was Na Yu.
Zhang Puxiang by the Jade Bridge. He is the only one who has returned home from old age and is still fine. The fifth one is Bao Chengle, who has just taken office."
"How do you know so clearly?"
"Yes, how did you know?"
"Listen to her accent," a woman said, "she escaped from Jingzhao, so she must know more than us."
"Senior sister," Zhili looked at Xia Zhaoyi and whispered, "is it true or false?"
Xia Zhaoyi nodded: "Really."
When Pang Yonggen died, she was not "dead" yet, and her father and brother Shang were still alive. After Pang Yonggen's death, Ren Qingshu became the Minister of Rites.
Xia Zhaoyi heard about the encounter between Ren Qingshu and Lin Hongru from the little beggar named Xuanyuan Tiezhu when he was in the capital.
Zhang Puxiang and Bao Chengle, now the Minister of Rites, have been paying attention to Li Qian these years, so they are no strangers to her either.
"Then the position of Minister of Rites is really a bit evil." Zhili said.
Xia Zhaoyi looked at his clothes: "Are you going out?"
"Well, I'm going to find Brother Shen."
"oh……"
"Where's Senior Sister, what are you going to do next?"
"Go to Huibei Cliff. There is an ancestral hall over there. I'll go take a look."
"Why are you going to the ancestral hall?"
Xia Zhaoyi smiled lightly: "Let's talk when we get back."
He nodded in disbelief.
Xia Zhaoyi turned around and walked towards the other side. After thinking for a while, she raised her heels and said, "Senior sister, how about I go with you."
"Aren't you going to see Shen Lie?" Xia Zhaoyi said as he walked.
"We see you all day long, and there is no shortage of this day."
Xia Zhaoyi paused and looked towards him.
Seeing that she was hesitant to speak, he was curious: "Senior sister, what do you want to say?"
"He, is he busy these days?"
"He's busy. After I left, he didn't even have time to entertain me."
"Doing business?"
"Well, he is now the branch master. Although he does not show his face and leaves everything to his subordinates, he still has a lot of people to deal with."
"oh……"
"Sister, why don't we go take a look when you come back later?"
Xia Zhaoyi shook his head and said calmly: "No, you go ahead, I'm busy too."
In her heart, Xia Zhaoyi breathed a sigh of relief.
Some distance is a good thing, but if you see it every day, you will be disturbed by it, and your heart will never be calm, it will just be ripples and fluctuations.
She thought she didn't need the relationship between a man and a woman, and it would take time to smooth it over.
When I walked out of the side door of the yard, my stomach growled.
Xia Zhaoyi raised his eyebrows: "You haven't had breakfast?"
Zhili showed a bit of embarrassment: "...next door to the Yanbo Building where Brother Shen lives, there is a hawker who comes here every day. His vegetable buns and soy milk are delicious."
Xia Zhaoyi laughed: "Then you go and eat."
"But I said I would accompany my senior sister to Hui Beiya."
"It's okay." Xia Zhaoyi said.
The two of them were talking and walking. As they were about to leave the alley, a voice sounded from the roadside: "Girl!"
Xia Zhaoyi and Zhili turned to look, Zhang Caiyun raised his hand, bowed in salute, and said: "Girl."
"Senior sister, are we looking for you?" Zhili whispered.
Xia Zhaoyi just saw someone standing here, but she didn't expect it to be the person who knocked on the door last night.
"What's the matter with you?" Xia Zhaoyi asked.
"Girl, Zhang dares to ask, are you... married?"
"Why do you ask this?" Zhili said immediately.
Zhang Caiyun's cheeks were slightly red, she licked her lips, lowered her eyes and said with a smile: "...Xiaosheng, when I saw the girl last night, I fell in love with her. After I went back, I tossed and turned and stayed up all night. When I closed my eyes, the girl's voice and appearance were all heard, so..."
Later, Su Yumei opened the door and came out. When she saw them, she was about to speak out, but when she heard Zhang Caiyun's words, Su Yumei stopped.
Zhili sneered twice: "You mean, you just met my master... my sister last night, and you want to marry my sister?"
"Girl," Zhang Caiyun looked at Xia Zhaoyi with hope in his eyes, "Is there a marriage?"
"Nothing." Xia Zhaoyi said.
Zhang Caiyun was overjoyed, but before he even raised his eyebrows, he heard her say again: "But just calm down and don't come to me again."
"Why?" Zhang Caiyun thought for a while and became a little angry, "Girl, do you think my clothes are too shabby?"
"Whatever you think is up to you." Xia Zhaoyi looked at Zhili, "Let's go."
"Wait a minute!" Zhang Caiyun caught up, "Girl, don't bully me into being poor. I am poor now, but I have high aspirations and a bright future!"
Xia Zhaoyi and Zhili didn't stop.
However, Zheli thought of a key point and whispered: "Senior sister, are you going to walk?"
"Um."
Riding a horse will be very flamboyant right now.
"How long will it take until then?"
"Go slowly, don't rush."
"Well, I'll be back very late."
"Well, if you don't come back, let's do it tomorrow."
"Are you going to stay out for the night?" Zhili looked at her clothes, "Then you should wear more clothes. Although it is not winter, it can be cold in the mountains and temples in spring."
"It's okay." Xia Zhaoyi smiled lightly.
Seeing that they ignored him, Zhang Caiyun became angry, quickly stepped forward to block them, and said sternly: "Miss Zhao!"
"Hey!" Zhili took a step forward, "If you dare to pester my sister again, I will hang you to the city gate tomorrow. Do you believe it or not?"
"In broad daylight, you spoke rudely and dared to threaten me. I am a scholar!" Zhang Caiyun glared at him.
"Scholars also know that it is in broad daylight, so you still harass others." Zhili said.
Zhang Caiyun looked at Xia Zhaoyi, raised his hands and bowed his hands, and said coldly: "Miss Zhao, you will regret it if you despise me today. I am an extraordinary student. If I want to climb high, it will be easy."
"Then I wish you a bright future." Xia Zhaoyi said.
"Miss Zhao's mouth is indeed good at talking," Zhang Caiyun's face softened slightly, "However, Zhang said this today. If the girl does not want to marry me, she will definitely regret it one day."
Zhili was amused: "How to regret?"
Zhang Caiyun looked arrogant: "I borrowed the girl's words, but as the girl said, Mr. Zhang does indeed have a bright future. The talent and learning in my heart are priceless treasures. I am a noble and pure person. It will only take a while for me to get ahead. You may not know it. , I, Zhang, can meet powerful ministers and high-ranking officials that the world cannot see, and big shots that cannot be reached in my life."
