Chapter 27 Undercurrent
After checking the wooden sign, Lao Zhao ran out of the courtyard and shouted from afar: "Ji Leng!"
Ji Leng, who was sleeping under the tree, jumped up with a start and ran over quickly: "Master, I've been waiting for you for a whole day. You finally came out. Without you, they wouldn't let me in."
"Oh, don't mention it, it's a lot of bad luck. I have a task for you."
"Sir, you say"
"You will go to Tianxianglou to find Sister Yun later. Ah, Aunt Yun, just tell her that I asked you to go. She will tell you what to do."
Ji Leng was a little dumbfounded: "Go again?"
Lao Zhao took out two silver notes of 100 taels from his pocket and said, "Pack up. I will probably go to Xijing early tomorrow morning. Please help me pick someone up."
Old Zhao muttered to himself for a long time. In addition to his own plan, he did not hide Liu Rulan's identity, because he trusted Ji Leng, and only Ji Leng could be trusted.
He needs someone he can trust to do this.
Ji Leng was sweating profusely as he listened to this. He nodded and shook his head from time to time. He had never been to Xijing, and he had hardly left Dongdu. He had no idea what was going on with such a big thing.
"Ji Leng, let me ask you, can you do it?"
Ji Leng raised his head and looked into Zhao Yushu's eyes, and finally nodded fiercely: "Don't worry, sir, I will definitely bring Ru and the young lady to Dongdu safely even if it means my life is ruined."
Zhao Yushu smiled, "It's not that serious. We'll just have to go through the official route, hire the right people, and take care of everything. I believe Yun Gu has made all the arrangements. Just listen to her instructions. Take these two banknotes and use them with confidence. Send the rest to me later."
"Well, I'll go right away, wait for my good news, sir."
After seeing Ji Leng off, Zhao Yushu let out a sigh of relief and was about to return to the academy when he turned around and saw a strange young man squatting in the corner of the academy entrance.
This man was dressed in a white robe and had a handsome face. However, he did not hold a folding fan or a sword in his hand. Instead, he held a pipe and squinted his eyes, puffing out smoke. What was even more exaggerated was that he did not wear a hairpin on his head, but instead had a bright red flower on it. He looked indescribably coquettish and annoying.
The flirtatious man seemed to notice that Lao Zhao was looking at him, so he picked up the cigarette and raised it: "Want a puff?"
Lao Zhao hesitated for a moment. Although he was not addicted to smoking, he occasionally smoked in his previous life. After traveling through time, he had no chance to touch cigarettes.
Seeing the flirtatious man enjoying himself so much, I can't help myself
So Lao Zhao walked over and squatted with the flirtatious man, just like two homeless people.
The flirtatious man wiped the cigarette holder with his sleeve and handed it to Lao Zhao. Lao Zhao did not despise it. He took it and took a deep puff, squinting his eyes and blowing out smoke rings.
The flirtatious man's eyes lit up: "This is fun, teach me"
"OK"
The two of them took a puff each, and soon the whole pipe was clean. Lao Zhao was still not satisfied: "One more pipe!"
The flirtatious man shook his head: "No, the rule set by the master is one pot a day."
"Oh, I'll come back tomorrow."
The flirtatious man was stunned and laughed: "You are shameless indeed. How about my cigarette?"
“It’s almost the same as what I smoked before.”
"Blow it and try it."
"No more. I'll make you one when I remember how to make it."
A drum sound came, the academy was about to close.
Zhao Yushu stood up and rubbed his legs which were a little sore from squatting: "I have to go now. Brother, when you are free, I will invite you to have dinner at Tianxianglou."
The flirtatious man grinned and said, "Okay, I've wanted to go for a long time, but I never dared. Now that I have you as an excuse, it's okay."
Zhao Yushu thought this person's words were a little strange, so he bowed and walked back to the academy.
The moon was at its zenith, and the gate of the academy slowly opened. Wen Jijiu walked out, looked at the flirtatious man squatting in the corner, and snorted coldly.
The flirtatious man patted his legs and stood up: "The son-in-law meets his father-in-law"
Wen Jijiu glanced at him: "How is he?"
"interesting"
"Let the second and fourth try him. Is that what you mean?"
"exactly"
"I just asked him to try that path. Does your master know that you picked a new apprentice for him?"
"I don't know, but Master will definitely be happy with it."
"Oh? Tell me and listen."
"When the fourth brother tested him, his footwork was strange, and his subconscious finger movements were also strange, which reminded me of someone."
"Who?"
"Dongdu Cloud-Seeking Hand, Jade Rat"
Wen Jijiu was silent for a moment: "I remember he died"
"According to the news from Prince Fu's Mansion, he is dead and there is no possibility of him being alive."
"What about Zhao Yushu?"
"It's not a jade rat, that's why it's interesting"
Wen Jijiu waved his hand and said, "Let's go."
The flirtatious man, or the eldest brother, took off the flower on his head and threw it away, and the petals flew all over the sky.
When the petals fell, a dark carriage appeared out of nowhere, but there was no horse.
Wen Jijiu boarded the carriage, and the eldest brother sat on the imperial throne. He tapped the carriage lightly with his pipe, and the carriage disintegrated into thin air and disappeared into a pile of petals.
On the south bank of Luoshui, across from the imperial city, is where officials and wealthy businessmen gather. Both hygiene and public security are the best in the eastern capital. When the curfew was lifted for the whole city, this place seemed extremely deserted because no tourists were allowed to approach.
In one of the mansions, the servants were driven back to their rooms early, and even the doorman was ordered not to go out. The whole mansion was as quiet as a ghost cave.
There was only a two-story building with lights faintly visible.
Two rows of armchairs were placed opposite each other. Almost every seat was occupied, except for the one at the top which was still empty.
A fat man in gorgeous brocade clothes was pacing back and forth, looking extremely anxious.
If Zhao Yushu were here, he would definitely be surprised to find that among these people, there are actually several old acquaintances of his.
The chief monk among the three guests of the palace, Zhang Hong, the cheap uncle, and Yun Gu, the owner of Tianxianglou
A gust of wind blew by, and everyone except the fat man looked out the window at the same time, only to see petals falling into the yard, and a horseless black carriage quietly emerged.
The next moment, before Zhou Ren had time to turn around, footsteps were heard on the stairs. Wen Jijiu and the eldest brother walked up the stairs slowly.
Almost everyone's pupils shrank slightly, and some even had veins exposed. They looked at Wen Jijiu with a bit of vigilance and fear. The young man behind him
"Old Shen, sorry for the wait." Wen Jijiu smiled and walked forward, bowed, and naturally sat in the empty seat at the top. The eldest brother then took a step back and stood behind Wen Jijiu.
The fat man called Lao Shen hurriedly saluted and said, "If the situation is not really urgent, how dare I trouble the chief priest to come?" After saying this, he looked at the eldest brother standing behind the chief priest and asked the only qualified old servant to move another chair.
Wen Jijiu raised his hand: "The younger generation should stand"
Old Shen hesitated for a moment, thinking that you, the younger generation, are of low seniority, but in terms of cultivation, if he doesn’t sit, who here is qualified to sit?
"Let's talk business, Old Shen," Wen Jijiu said lightly, changing the subject.
Old Shen responded and walked to the middle: "I won't say thank you, you are all my friends, Shen Dabao, and you are all well-known figures in our Dongdu. You all know that when I was young, I only cared about making money and expanding Huibao Merchants. I used many insidious means. Maybe God couldn't stand it, so six children died in succession. Since then, I have been doing good deeds and accumulated virtue, and only then did Qixing, the only seedling, come into being."
It turns out that this fat guy is the boss of Huibao Merchants, who is as rich as a country.
Boss Shen sighed, "Qixing has grown up, so I secretly sent him to Xijing to study with the Xijing chief shopkeeper for two years. A few days ago, he returned after completing his studies. The last time a servant reported, he was only ten miles away from the west gate and was resting in a teahouse."
"But who would have thought that within these ten miles, Qixing could be kidnapped. I have tried every possible means but have not been able to find Qixing's whereabouts. I have no choice but to ask for your help."
Zhao Yushu may never have thought that the young man who invited him to drink three bowls of tea when he just escaped from death was the only son of the richest man in the world.