Let's see if there's any from the 33rd year of Longxing...

Chapter 97 Let's see if there's any evidence of the thirty-third year of the Longxing era...

As the sun set, Jia Lian leaned against his maid and saw Liu Feng off at the door, saying, "I won't see you off any further. Come back in a couple of days, and your sister-in-law and I will drink with you then." He then let out a burp.

"Okay, come back in a couple of days."

Liu Feng smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, saying to the maid, "It's cold, quickly help your second master inside, lest he catch a cold."

The maidservant quickly called over an old woman, and the two of them together carried the drunken Jia Lian back home.

Liu Feng shook his head. Jia Lian was only greedy and lustful like his father; he didn't have any of those traits. He couldn't hold his liquor but was too proud to admit it, insisting on drinking even when he was already drunk.

The meal was excellent, with delicious food and good wine, and the hosts were very hospitable. The only downside was that the hostess, Wang Xifeng, wasn't there, so we couldn't have a drink together.

Wang Xifeng took Ping'er to the Wang family, guessing that the women of the Wang family were discussing how to settle this murder case.

A gust of cold wind blew by, and Liu Feng sneezed, shrinking his neck. The capital was indeed much colder than Yangzhou.

He stamped his foot, picked up the two girls, and went home to bathe and go to bed.

Plans can't keep up with changes; I was only halfway through my bath when Li Shoutian arrived.

It's getting dark; something must have happened.

Liu Feng pushed Qingwen away, saying irritably, "From now on, Xiangling will wash me. It's too much trouble for you to do it."

"I told him to let Xiangling serve the Second Master, but he insisted on dragging me in..."

97

Qingwen blushed to the roots of her neck, her limbs went weak, but she refused to back down. She climbed out of the bath tub, hastily changed into dry clothes, and while frantically helping Liu Feng get dressed, she grumbled about the old grievances from earlier.

Enraged by her words, Liu Feng pinned her to the edge of the tub and gave her a severe beating. Only after Qingwen pleaded for mercy in a soft voice did he grab a handkerchief, wrap it around his head, and strode away.

Once the person was out of sight, Qingwen blushed, rubbed her bottom, and muttered under her breath, "Bad Second Master."

In the living room, Liu Quan was chatting and laughing with Li Shoutian. Seeing Liu Feng enter, he quickly stood up: "Second Master."

Liu Feng nodded to Li Shoutian before asking, "What's the matter?"

"Reporting to Second Master, the wood and stone materials have all been ordered, through the Imperial Household Department." Liu Quan took out a list from his sleeve and handed it over. "The craftsmen are also the old folks who originally repaired the house."

Liu Feng waved his hand, refusing to take it: "You can make the decision for such a small matter."

Liu Quan smiled and put the list back into his sleeve, then said, "It's almost the end of the year, and it's time to collect rent from the imperial estates bestowed by the Emperor. Second Master, when do you think we should have them delivered them?"

Liu Feng thought for a moment and said, "Once it's ready, send it over."

"Yes." Liu Quan bowed to Li Shoutian again before stepping down.

Knowing that Liu Feng had just finished taking a bath, Li Shoutian poured a bowl of tea and handed it to him: "Sir, have some tea to soothe your throat."

Liu Feng was indeed a bit thirsty, so he took the drink and drank several mouthfuls before looking at Li Shoutian.

Li Shoutian took out two sheets of ink-written paper from his sleeve and gently placed them on the table: "Two things. We searched the Gao family's house, their villa, and that brothel. Aside from some gold and silver valuables, we didn't find any useful clues. However, we're certain that the Gao family recently made a fortune..."

Guessing what Liu Feng wanted to say, Li Shoutian didn't rush to speak. He waited until Liu Feng said "check the silver" before calmly replying, "The other party was obviously prepared. It's all loose silver, without a single stamp."

After a long pause, seeing that Liu Feng remained silent, Li Shoutian continued, "His family doesn't know much about Gao's recent whereabouts; we'll have to go to the Prince's residence..."

Liu Feng nodded: "I'll go there myself tomorrow."

Li Shoutian pushed the two sheets of paper forward: "There's one more thing. This is the information about the Prince of Beijing's mansion that the lord requested. As instructed by the lord, we didn't go through the Embroidered Uniform Guard's channels; we found it all by our own people."

Liu Feng picked it up and examined it carefully, when he heard Li Shoutian continue, "You don't know until you investigate, and what you find is shocking. The Prince of Beijing's mansion has been quite something these past few years. One after another, the old men in the mansion have passed away, and even the servants have all been sent to the estates outside."

Now, the entire household is filled with new faces.

After reading it, Liu Feng looked up and thought for a moment, then waved to Li Shoutian.

Li Shoutian immediately leaned his head closer.

Liu Feng lowered his voice: "Try to check those estates and see if there are any people who served Shui Rong or saw him around the time of the thirty-third year of Longxing..."

'

He paused for a moment, then added, "Those I've heard of are also acceptable."

Li Shoutian didn't understand, but he still nodded.

Liu Feng added, "Remember, you must choose someone who is discreet, quick-witted, and reliable to handle this."

"Yes." Li Shoutian.

Liu Feng glanced at the sky and said, "Go back and tell Zhang Laifu, Wang Daniu, and the others that we don't need to buy any New Year's goods. Besides the rent, the estate will also send New Year's goods. Chickens, ducks, geese, fish, pigs, sheep, pheasants, rabbits, even rice and charcoal. There aren't many people here, so we can't finish them all. We can share them and have a prosperous New Year together."

"Thank you, sir!" Li Shoutian quickly stood up and bowed.

Liu Feng raised his hand and said, "Work hard, and next year I'll buy each of you a few acres of land so you can experience what it's like to be a local tycoon."

Li Shoutian seized the opportunity: "Since you've gone all the way, could you give us a few more properties?"

"How about I find you another wife?" Liu Feng replied irritably.

"Really? Thank you so much!" Li Shoutian quickly bowed.

"Get lost! I'm not even close to getting anything done yet!" Liu Feng raised his foot to kick, but Li Shoutian didn't dodge, just chuckled, "There's something else..."

""

"explain."

"I discovered this by chance; the Minister of Revenue is secretly working on the Prince of Wu."

Burning the King of Wu's cold stove?

Liu Feng frowned. Could it be that the King of Wu had some extraordinary abilities?

Li Shoutian grinned mischievously and took a step back: "Sir, you just said it's not even close to being settled yet... Could it be Miss Lin?"

Liu Feng nodded subconsciously, then realized what he meant and exclaimed, "Damn, you've got some nerve!" He kicked out.

Li Shoutian had already dashed out in a flash.

Liu Feng laughed in exasperation and shouted towards the door, "Keep an eye on things and see what's going on!"

"Don't worry, sir—" Li Shoutian didn't even turn his head and ran faster than a rabbit.

Liu Feng smiled and shook his head, then carefully examined the two sheets of paper again. He looked up at the night sky outside the door. Who exactly was this "Shui Rong"?

"Clang!"

Liu Feng glanced at the clock in the corner and went to sleep. He had to go to the Jingwei Martial Arts Academy for his practice session tomorrow.

The wind was strong in Beijing after the onset of winter, howling all night long.

Xiangling combed Liu Feng's hair, tied it tightly with a hair ribbon, and then inserted a jade hairpin. She looked at Liu Feng in the mirror a few times, and suddenly frowned.

Liu Feng picked up his hat and put it on his head, laughing, "What's wrong? Are you stunned by my unparalleled good looks?"

Xiangling stared at him for a moment, "Second Master seems a little different from usual today."

Liu Feng was slightly taken aback: "What nonsense are you talking about?" He then picked up the fur coat that Qingwen had prepared and put it on. It was too cold, and he needed to wear this while riding a horse.

Xiangling helped him tie the belt, then suddenly remembered, "Second Master, why am I sleeping on the bed in the warm pavilion? I clearly remember sleeping with you."

Liu Feng coughed awkwardly: "You must be mistaken."

"That's impossible..." Xiangling tilted her head, somewhat confused.

Liu Feng quickly changed the subject: "Hey, you two stay home and behave yourselves, don't fight." With that, he grabbed his goose-feather knife and strode out.