Qiu Ye, who received Zhao Wei's message, quickly came over with the child in his arms.

Zhang's illness, as an old servant, is now also a nominal goddaughter, so naturally she has to take the child over to ask Zhang's for peace first.

She and Lu Yunpeng's son is also three or four years old this year, it is the time of innocence, he can walk, run, talk and laugh, obviously it is just a common greeting, and when he says it in a milky voice, he can make everyone laugh. Zhang looked at the cute child, his mood was better, if he wasn't afraid of being sick, he really wanted to hold it in his arms and rub it immediately.

Zhang also asked about Autumn Leaves, is the child enlightened? Akiba replied: "It's just that I taught some Tang poems, and I asked him to memorize a few sentences as a ballad, and I don't recognize a few words seriously." I wanted to enlighten him, but his father said that there was no need to be in a hurry first, but that he could learn it first. I felt sorry for the child, so I didn't want to let him, I would rather ask him to study for two years and 300,000 first, and then learn some boxing and kicking from his father when he is a few years older. It is enough to be able to strengthen the body and deal with a few Xiao Xiao. Now that the family is doing well, there is no need to let the children work so hard in the future, starting from the little soldiers. ”

Zhang hurriedly said: "What you said is right. Even if you have the heart to let your child enter the martial arts in the future, you can enlighten him first, study for a few years, and follow the path of martial arts. As soon as Wu Jinshi came out, he was a military attaché, both stable and decent. Start with a small soldier, how long will it take? It's dangerous and hard. Your family Yunpeng can have today's future because of good luck and met a good lord like King Guangping. If you change to another family's soldiers, where can you have such a way? Just practicing martial arts, not knowing a single big character, the future of the child will be delayed. You go back and tell Yun Peng, don't be confused. If you are not convinced by me, let him ask the prince to go. ”

Akiba responded with a smile. Zhang then said: "But between you husband and wife, don't speak too hard. You tell him well, but he won't listen, and you think of another way. I don't think he's stubborn, he's very sensible, and he won't disobey you. If you screw it with him, it will ruin the relationship between husband and wife. ”

Qiu Ye said softly: "Don't worry, old lady, I know in my heart, and I won't screw it with him." ”

Autumn leaves talked with Zhang for a long time, but it diverted Zhang's attention from his heart, and his mood became much better. The two of them were playing with the family while watching the girl play with the child. After lunch, Zhang's began to feel tired, and Qiu Ye personally served her to sleep, and handed the child to Xia Lu: "The eldest girl said that my sister is a careful and proper person, and I have to bother my sister to watch the child for me for a while." He used to sleep for an hour every afternoon, and he wouldn't make a fuss, and if he woke up to see me, my sister would just send someone to look for me. I accompanied him to talk to the eldest girl at Master Hou's. ”

Xia Lu hurriedly responded. She played with the child for a long time, and the two got acquainted, so it didn't take much effort to take him to the side room to sleep. Autumn leaves trail out of the house and into the study. Zhao Xiu and Zhao Wei have been waiting here for a long time.

Zhao Xiu first told her what happened yesterday, and specially pointed out that there was something unusual in the main house in the front yard of Houfu West Road, how the table of the Eight Immortals, how the floor, and the furniture were almost burned by the Niu family, and it was hidden by several family members in private.

Akiba was stunned: "It's so strange." Shouldn't that be? Although the county grandfather went suddenly, the imperial doctor said that he was dying, not infected with a vicious disease, nor did he die a death. Why did he secretly burn his relics? Besides, the county grandfather has a noble status, he is generous, and the things he uses are all good things. The furniture in his room is almost all yellow pear, and there are red sandalwood in the warm pavilion, and it is not easy to find the same outside. Many of the treasures on the shelves are precious antiques. Even the tents and curtains used in the house are all high-quality silk, cloud brocade, and silk, except for him and the old lady in the house, others can't enjoy such good things, and they will burn it? If only a few pieces of furniture were secretly saved, and the rest were all burned out, then this fire, to say the least, would burn four or five thousand taels of silver! ”

Zhao Xiu and Zhao Wei looked at each other. They hadn't thought about it in that way before. Back then, when they had an accident on the way south, the news came back to the capital, and the Niu family sent people to the small house on Gulou West Street in an attempt to transport the property that the Zhang family did not take back to the Hou Mansion. Compared with most of the family property occupied by Zhao Jiong and Niu's husband and wife, what is what the Zhang family owns? can make Niu's show such an ugly appearance, which shows how greedy she is for money. Such a greedy man wants to burn thousands of taels of silver in a fire?

Zhao Xiu thought for a while: "Even if something really happened in that house, there was no need to burn everything. I remember that when the Ministry of Internal Affairs gave back the things that had been stolen from the house, there was a list of the items that had been confiscated. Grandmother seems to have pointed to the list and said that there are some things on it that are from my grandfather's house, right? ”

Zhao Wei still remembers this incident: "It's true. It can be seen that Niu did not want to burn the entire house, but only a part of it. ”

In fact, according to the clues they have so far, what Niu ordered to be burned back then was mainly furniture, and it was the furniture in the main hall of the main house. However, these furniture are also made of precious materials, and the workmanship is good, and it is worth a lot of silver, so Niu's practice is still very strange. Could it be that the furniture is holding her back?

As for the abnormality of the floor, Qiu Ye didn't see it, but she knew something about the original floor: "The houses of the Hou Mansion are almost all paved with square bricks, only the courtyard of the old county prince, and the house is pasted with plaster. It was not an ordinary plaster, it was a recipe specially researched by the craftsmen under the style of Cheng. The ground leveled with this plaster is as smooth as a mirror. The old county prince likes to walk barefoot on it in the summer, saying that it is very cool, much cooler than square bricks, but it will not hurt the cold. Moreover, when the plaster is dry, it becomes very hard. Ordinary objects will not leave a trace if they are knocked on it. The old county man should be strong, and he has to practice martial arts every morning at home, and if it rains, he will take his weapons to the house and do maintenance with his own hands. The old county's knives and guns are very heavy, and when they bump and bump, if they are next to the ground, the floor paved with ordinary square bricks always has to make some potholes, and it is very inconvenient to repair them every time. But if the special plaster is used to paste it on the floor, unless the old county prince vigorously cuts it on the ground with a knife, there will be a few scratches on the floor at most. This kind of plaster is rare now, except for the Ministry of Internal Affairs that has sent people to learn it, only the people in Cheng's family understand it. Not all of the people in Beijing can use it. ”

Zhao Xiu's heart moved. If there is only a small problem with the floor of that room and needs to be plastered, it can be repaired by the craftsman of the Cheng family. So how much effort can be spent on a small piece of ground? But Niu's let people make up for it privately, the craftsmanship is still so rough, and the plaster used is obviously not comparable with the original. Could it be that the secret under the land cannot be known to outsiders like the Ministry of Internal Affairs or Style Cheng?

She said to Zhao Wei: "If that kind of plaster is so special and hard." So after the layer of plaster on the top is wiped off, maybe there will still be a little trace of the past. ”

Zhao Wei nodded, and said to Qiu Ye again: "Grandmother's strange appearance appeared after seeing that floor. After so many years, she didn't feel that there was anything wrong, and when she went to see the courtyard last year, she didn't say anything, but now she was suddenly full of trouble, and it could be seen that there must be something wrong with the things in the house, and it was related to a big matter. It's just that she refuses to speak directly to our brothers and sisters, and it must be a big deal to think about it. My grandmother had said that she had been to the house on the morning of her grandfather's death, and that the contents were nothing out of the ordinary. Then most of the time it happened after she left. My sister and I were so young that we couldn't remember a lot of things. I also want to ask Aunt Akiba to help, and think back, what happened back then? My grandmother saw something at the time, and she didn't suspect it, until now she suddenly realized that something was wrong. ”

Akiba didn't dare to be careless, and began to think about the old things of the year.

On the day of the death of the county grandfather, everything was normal in the morning. Because he was going to Cao's house for a banquet, the Zhang family began to prepare early. Zhao Wei and Zhao Xiu's mother Mi also accompanied him. Inside the big girl, Spring Grass and Autumn Leaves followed them out that day.

Zhang's friendship with Mrs. Cao Jiatai was planned to go ahead of schedule, so he went to the courtyard of the old county prince early in the morning to say goodbye to her husband. Autumn leaves followed her to the front yard of the West Road. As a girl, Akiba will notice some things that the Zhang family will not pay attention to, such as what was in the house at the time. She remembered that there was nothing unusual on the floor, no stains on the table, and not a single corner broken. The old county lord thought that the weather was hot, so he asked someone to cook a soup to cool off the heat, put it in a black porcelain bowl, and put it on the table. The old county prince took out the horse whip that he had used for many years and the knife that never left his body during the war, and asked the Zhang family to drink less, and the Cao family could eat more of the few dishes that were well cooked. Zhang was laughing with him, and suddenly someone came to report, saying that it was his long-term entourage who asked to see him. As soon as the county grandfather heard this, he ordered people to be sent in immediately. Seeing that he had something to do, Zhang retired first.

When Zhao Wei heard this, he asked, "Is that Chang Sui still in the mansion now?" ”

Akiba shook his head: "Two days after the county grandfather went, I heard that he accidentally fell into the water and died. He had no family in the house, so no one asked about him. Xiao Changfang asked someone to hastily handle the funeral for him, and when he went to the government to say hello, it was over. ”

Zhao Wei and Zhao Xiu glanced at each other, and they were even more puzzled in their hearts.

Autumn leaves didn't know what Chang Sui had come to say to the county grandfather, and it didn't take long for them to go out as guests. Zhao Zhuo followed his daily habits, reading and reviewing in the small study in his yard, and taught his son to memorize by the way. Autumn leaves followed the Zhang family and the Mi family to have a banquet at the Cao family, and suddenly someone from the Hou Mansion rushed over to report the news, saying that the Hou Ye (the old county prince was still the marquis at that time) suddenly fainted at home, and he couldn't look at it. The Zhang family and the Mi family were so frightened that they hurried back to the house, and Zhao Jiong and the Niu family were already preparing to bury the old county prince.

Qiu Ye said to Zhao Wei and Zhao Xiu: "This is not in accordance with the rules. With the status of the county grandfather, the first emperor will definitely send someone to mourn, maybe he will come in person, how can he not let the first emperor see it, and bury people? Besides, the old lady hasn't gone back to see him for the last time. The second master quarreled with the eldest lord at that time, as if he also mentioned that the eldest lord did not allow the second lord to look at the old county prince's face, but instead said a lot of accusatory words, as if it was ...... said that the old county prince died, and the second master didn't think about how to handle the funeral, but accused his brother with some unfounded reasons, did he plan to charge his brother Chang'an with a crime, so as to steal the position of the prince? The second old man was so angry that he scolded him until the old lady came back. ”

Zhao Xiu's eyes suddenly lit up: "Grandmother didn't see the last side of my grandfather?!" ”

Akiba shook his head: "Actually, I've seen it, so I just took a look." The old lady threw herself in front of the princess and cried, she had just uncovered the veil of the mask, and before she could look closely, the old man made a fuss. He said that the county grandfather had an accident in the main courtyard, and suddenly fainted and broke his forehead, but no one was in the courtyard. He blamed the old lady, saying that the old lady only cared about her own feasting and having fun, and did not fulfill her responsibilities as a wife. If she hadn't gone out, how could she have caused Grandpa Jun to kowtow and no one would care? The subordinate's failure to fulfill his responsibilities is also a dereliction of duty on the part of the old lady, who is the housewife. The old lady was very sad when she heard this, and immediately fainted. We all panicked, and hurriedly helped the old lady into the house to rest, and asked the doctor to get the medicine. When the old lady woke up, the eldest lady had already put the body of the county grandfather into the coffin and moved it to the mourning hall in the front yard. ”

Zhao Xiu frowned: "Didn't you mean...... Did my grandfather have a sudden emergency? How could it be that he died after kowtowing? ”

Qiu Ye hurriedly said: "It is indeed a sudden emergency, and the imperial doctor said so back then." However, when the county grandfather fainted, he hit the doorpost and knocked on his forehead. I followed the old lady and glanced at it hurriedly. At the corner of the old county man's forehead, there was indeed a bruise, but the color was very light, and it was not a big wound. ”

"Since it's not a big wound, why does Zhao Jiong use this scolding?" Zhao Xiu thought of the broken corner of the Eight Immortals table, and felt that it seemed to be a little wrong. Could it be that she is thinking too much?

Zhao Wei asked Qiu Ye: "This imperial doctor, is his surname Liu?" ”

Qiu Ye nodded: "It is indeed Imperial Doctor Liu." He often walked around the house in those years, and the old lady had a headache and brain fever, so she would call him, but there were more people looking for him in the small long room. The county grandfather has another familiar imperial doctor, and rarely calls him. ”

Zhao Xiu felt that something was wrong again: "Since he is not the imperial doctor who usually treats his grandfather, why did his grandfather have an accident and the house invited him instead?" ”

Akiba was stunned, and also felt that something was wrong: "About ...... Xiao Changfang is more familiar with him? ”

Zhao Xiu turned to Zhao Wei: "Brother can remember that when the Niu family first entered the Wang family, he often called a doctor surnamed Liu to go to the outpatient clinic, saying that he was used to seeing her for many years. However, Dr. Liu's medical skills are ordinary, and the prescriptions prescribed are not very symptomatic, mainly to prescribe some tonic medicine for Niu's. Later, Mrs. Wang invited a serious doctor to come, and she debunked Niu's pretending to be sick and Dr. Liu's straw bag true face, and Dr. Liu no longer came to the door from then on. Bai Ling had mentioned before that the Niu family didn't like to use Dr. Liu originally, but because he owed the other party favors, when Zhao Jue was not bad in the past, the family hired Dr. Liu to make offerings and give a sum of silver every month? Is this Dr. Liu related to that Dr. Liu? ”

Zhao Wei once checked these things: "It seems to be a brother." Doctor Liu has been dead for many years, and this Dr. Liu is his only brother-in-law, but his medical skills are far inferior to his brother. ”

Zhao Xiu sneered: "I'm very curious. What favor does the Niu family owe to the Liu family? Would you rather spend money for nothing to feed a quack? So did Imperial Physician Liu really not do anything about the cause of his grandfather's death? Zhao Jiong was messing around at the beginning, no matter how he looked at it, it seemed that he was preventing his grandmother and father from approaching his grandfather's corpse, could it be that there was a secret on his grandfather's body that could not be discovered? ”

Zhao Wei and Qiu Ye's faces changed.