Li Sangrou quietly fell into the black garden.

Sticking to a vigorous ancient ginkgo tree, Li Sangrou's eyes were slightly closed, holding her breath and meditating, feeling the movement around her.

After a moment, Li Sangrou slowly moved out, and moved forward silently in the darkness of flowers and trees.

This hidden mansion, since the emperor's accession to the throne, has been empty until now, and within the range that Li Sangrou can hear, she can't inquire about the layout of this hidden mansion.

But that's okay, just walk through it and you'll know.

The original owner of this mansion was about a rich low-level Beijing official, and the mansion was indeed not big, not to mention any specifications, but it was very exquisite.

As the emperor's palace, until it became a hidden residence, this mansion was neither rebuilt nor renovated.

Li Sangrou was engrossed in the vigilance of the surroundings, slowly moving forward in the dark, looking carefully one by one.

In the small gatehouse at the corner gate, someone was sleeping, breathing long, sounding like he was sleeping deeply.

In the corner of the courtyard, in the three small rooms behind the bamboo forest, there are also people sleeping, more than one.

Li Sangrou went from a corner of the garden to the gate of the diving mansion, and then entered the garden.

The place where the masters lived was dark, and the porters, the gardeners, and the servants were all sleeping.

As Pan Dingbang said, in this hidden mansion, there are only some old servants and gardeners, taking care of flowers and plants, cleaning and scrubbing.

Walking in this dive mansion, there is a trance feeling of time and space solidification and isolation from the world.

Li Sangrou continued to move forward.

In the corner of the garden, against the walls on both sides of the garden, there is a small low house with three horizontal and three vertical rooms, and the light overflows through the doors and windows.

Li Sangrou leaned against the rockery, listened attentively to the surrounding movements for a while, and slowly moved forward, approaching the small room where the light overflowed.

In the hut, an old woman in her fifties, thin and clean, with quiet eyebrows and eyes, sat on the kang by the window, took a piece of clothing from a stack of clothes on the left, unfolded it, stroked it again, folded it carefully, put it on the right, took another piece, unfolded it, stroked it, and folded it again.

Li Sangrou watched her unfold and caress and fold it again, looked at more than a dozen clothes, looked full of desolation, lowered her head, gently stepped back, and walked out of the hidden mansion.

This mansion is too small, with the ability of Queen Xianzhang, there is nothing in this mansion that can hide from her.

The second prince was definitely not born in this mansion.

……………………

In the afternoon of the next day, in the north of the imperial city, Li Sangrou, dressed as the lowest handyman of Zongzheng Temple, hung his head, carried a full thick coarse cloth bag, and went to the stone bridge, which led to the black stone building in the middle of Tianbo Lake.

The old handyman guarding the bridge only glanced at her.

Li Sangrou crossed the stone bridge, unhurriedly, and went straight into the small courtyard where the case files of Zongzheng Temple were stored.

The small courtyard is extremely quiet, and the large black stone building in the middle of Tianbo Lake is extremely quiet.

The case files of the various ministries of the imperial court are stored here, except for the huge household registration and tax lists of the household department.

Fireworks are forbidden here, and those who clean here come at dawn and leave before dark.

Li Sangrou took a turn in the small courtyard.

In addition to her, there were three other people in the small courtyard, one was sitting in the house, writing and drawing, two people were scrubbing everywhere, and three people, none of whom looked at her.

It's so clear and quiet here.

Li Sangrou retreated to the corner of the house, stood for a moment, pushed open the hidden door, found a place, and hid a bag full of food and water. Squatting on the ground, looking up at the rows of files.

Pan Dingbang said that after the prince came of age, he went out of the palace and divided the mansion, and the assigned mansion Zhuangtian, as well as the people who referred to the past servants, were recorded in detail and existed in Zongzheng Temple.

Back then, those who could know and handle the six little ladies and the birth of the second prince must have been the emperor's confidants.

The closeness of the confidants takes the test of time, and she first checked the manpower when the emperor left the palace and branch the palace.

It gets dark down.

The old handymen guarding the bridgehead greeted those acquaintances one by one, and stood at the bridgehead, blinking, with a hint of wonder.

The little handyman who delivered things, he didn't seem to see him come out.

No, it must have come out, and one afternoon, he took a nap, specifying that he was asleep and didn't see it.

This piece can't even raise a mouse! But you can't get into the thief.

The old handyman sighed and laughed thoughtfully, slowly locked the iron door across the bridge, and walked slowly home.

Li Sangrou stayed in this building in the middle of Tianbo Lake for half a month, ate all the food, took a few names on a thin piece of paper, and took advantage of the dark night to cross the bridge.

……………………

Coming out of the Chenhui Gate and passing by the Shunfeng Express Shop, Gu Xi jumped off the horse and went straight through the backyard, looking at Da Chang, who was composting next to the vegetable patch shirtless, and frowned and asked, "Did your boss come back with a letter?" ”

"It's the prince. No. Da Chang hurriedly put the shovel on the dung heap, bent down to pick up the gown, wiped his face first, and then shook it off and put it on.

"It's been a month." Gu Xi furrowed his eyebrows.

"Three days to go." Da Chang corrected the sentence in a muffled voice.

"You guys are in charge, and you used to be like this? Just go? Nowhere to be found? ”

"Hmm."

"A month away?"

"More than twenty days, less than a month. This is the first time this has been long, and no one has died before. Da Chang spoke, made tea, regardless of whether Gu Xi drank it or not, poured a cup and put it on the table.

"I'm worried about her." Gu Xi stood with his hands behind his back for a while, looking at Da Changdao.

"The boss said before leaving, don't worry about her, she's fine, just walk around casually and relax. The boss felt uncomfortable. Da Chang glanced at Gu Xi.

"If your boss has a letter to come, or comes back, no matter when, even if it is three watches in the middle of the night, let someone go and talk to me." Gu Xi stood for a while, gave a command, and lowered his head and walked out.

"I'll tell the boss as soon as she comes back." Da Chang answered, followed behind, and sent Gu Xi out of the shop.

……………………

Huangqiao Town, Liyang County, Weizhou Prefecture.

Li Sangrou was dressed as an ordinary and honest woman, asked a few people, and found a blue brick courtyard in the east of the town.

This is the last one she copied from the names she copied all the way.

The first few are nowhere to be found.

Either she can't even find anyone, or she finds her family and relatives, but the person she is looking for has not been heard from decades ago.

This is the last one.

Li Sangrou stood at the gate of the courtyard, took a breath slowly, and then spit it out, it was originally a matter of looking at the luck road, I hope there will be a few traces of good luck on this trip.

"Who are you looking for?" In the courtyard gate, a middle-aged woman came out, looked at Li Sangrou standing outside the courtyard gate of her house, and asked with a smile.

"Is Mama Zhen's house here?" Li Sangrou hurriedly bowed and asked with a smile.

"Huh! Who are you? The woman looked astonished.

"My surname is Wu, and my aunt was also on an errand in the palace at the beginning." Li Sangrou's heart jumped violently, and she replied with a smile.

"Please come in." The woman immediately enthusiastically let Li Sangrou inside.

"Is Mama Yu okay?" Li Sangrou walked into the courtyard gate and asked with a heart.

"Well, well! It's just that the ears are not very good, and it is a little confused, but it is okay, not too confused. "The woman seemed to be a cheerful and talkative person.

"This is the blessing of Mama Zhen's cultivation. Who are you? Li Sangrou was in a happy mood and smiled.

"I'm her daughter, my surname is Cao, I'm a lot bigger than you, just take a big one, you call me sister."

My mother gave birth to a girl of mine, and then entered the palace, at that time, we all thought she was dead, and later, I didn't expect to be alive. Aunt Cao smiled and pointed to a thin old lady sitting under the porch of the main house, "That's my mother." ”

The old lady sat in a chair with a purple and red scarlet on her head, and a thin quilt on her lap, basking in the sun, groping for something to put in her mouth.

"I asked you to talk to me, you said you were going out, why did you come back? Who's that? The old lady stretched out her head and looked hard.

"I'm here, I'm coming to see you! Her surname is Wu! Her aunt is also on an errand in the palace! Aunt Cao took a few steps to the old lady's side, leaned over to her ear, and shouted loudly.

"Yo!" The old lady exclaimed, and moved at Li Sangrou with both hands, "Come here and I'll take a look!" Are you Lao Wu's granddaughter? Alas, this kid is really a bit alike, is Lao Wu good? Did Lao Wu ask you to come? Does Lao Wu remember me? ”

The old lady asked a few words and wiped away her tears.

"It's my aunt!" Aunt Cao yelled in her mother's ear.

"Aunt and aunt! Come here, I'll see! The old lady only looked at Li Sangrou.

"My aunt didn't go back!" Li Sangrou, like Aunt Cao, leaned into the old lady's ear, "My aunt brought a message to the house, I talked about you, I came to you, I just want to ask you, do you know where your aunt is now?" ”

"Old Wu is a few years older than me, alas!" The old lady took Li Sangrou's hand and shed tears vigorously, "Lao Wu didn't go back?" Lao Wu ...... Alas! I knew it. ”

"You sit and talk, I'll cut a few catties of meat." Aunt Cao made tea and brought it over, confessed, and went out to cut meat.

Li Sangrou sat next to the old lady, was held by her hand, and listened to her chatter intently.

“…… At that time, it was miserable, if you said you died, you died, the people died, the men also died, and if you said you died, you died!

At that time, Lao Wu often said, we don't know how long we can live, and if we can live one day, let's live one day.

Later, the emperor ascended the throne, the fifth master set up the prince, the first four elder brothers, you don't know how good-looking the second master is, they all died, and the fifth master set up the prince.

…… I can't read, how to learn can't learn, just guard the door, guard the second door, guard the side door, and then go to guard the corner door, Lao Wu said to me: Lao Yu, let me tell you, you shouldn't see it, you must learn to pretend to be blind!

I pretend to be blind, I can't read! ”

Li Sangrou's heart skipped several beats, and she didn't ask directly, but only slowly talked to Mama Zhen.

“…… Aunt Shen, it's been eight months, and her belly is so big, she pushed it down alive! I was on duty that day, and the screams could be heard in the second gate, wow, as pitiful as you wanted.

…… When the fifth grandmother entered the door, Aunt Shen couldn't get out of bed and almost died, pitiful. ”

As Aunt Cao said, the old lady is indeed very healthy, and when she talks about the old things, she talks endlessly.

Li Sangrou poured half a cup of tea and handed it to her from time to time, listening attentively, listening to and remembering every useful sentence from her endless words and the confusion of time and space.

“…… The eldest young master is very good-looking, but the jade people are not as good-looking as him! There is also the second young master, who is said to be better looking than the eldest young master, and I haven't seen the second young master.

…… The second young master was born, and the fifth master's family was the prince, and the prince's family moved into the palace.

Lao Wu said to me, go home, don't enter the palace, go home, I will sue the old man.

The fifth grandmother is a good person, and rewarded me with two hundred taels of silver, two hundred taels! I've saved half my life, and I've saved less than a hundred taels!

The fifth grandmother is a good person.

…… The second young master was not born in the mansion, but in Zhuangzi, when the fifth grandmother entered the door, Aunt Shen was sick and couldn't get up, which was unlucky, so she moved to Zhuangzi.

…… gave birth to the second young master, and moved to the palace, they are all great fortune and noble people, the emperor, I heard that the fifth master is the emperor? Alas, generation after generation!

My daughter said, the fifth master is now the emperor, so the prince is dead?

Alas, speaking of which, if the prince is alive, he must have eighty or ninety, how can this person live eighty or ninety? But it's just damn it.

Alas, this man, stubble after stubble, is the same as the leek in the backyard, stubble after stubble......

…… That Zhuangzi is quite far away, out of Wansheng Gate, yes, you have to walk for several hours, you can't come back that day. Aunt Shen is also pitiful, now she is a mother? That's it, the fifth master is the emperor, isn't she a mother, how good!

……”

Li Sangrou stayed at Cao's house for two nights, and stayed in the same room with Mrs. Zhen for both nights, until she heard her talk about the past for the third or fourth time, and she couldn't ask anything anymore.

Early in the morning of the third day, Li Sangrou put a silver ticket of one hundred taels next to the pillow of Mrs. Zhen, came out to bid farewell to Aunt Cao, who got up early, and set off to rush back to Jianle City.

……………………

Behind the courtyard of the Shunfeng Express Shop, a large cauldron is supported by an iron shelf, and a large pot of mutton and cabbage is stewed in the pot.

The big head came in with a big basket of flax baked cakes, and the mutton and cabbage were also stewed.

The grasshopper withdrew the fire, the black horse handed the bowl, Dachang served the vegetables, several people, one person followed the coarse porcelain bowl that was only one circle larger than the human face, and then took a baked cake, squatted in a row along the river, snorted and drank soup and ate mutton and then took a bite of the baked cake.

"It's almost the Chung Yeung Festival." The dark horse snorted a few times, feeling tasteless.

"Hmm." Dachang pressed the pancakes into the mutton broth.

"It's been almost two months." The dark horse also soaked the baked cakes in the soup.

"Brother Chang, is the boss okay? It's been almost two months. "Xiao Luzi, who was squatting on the other side of Dachang, had no appetite either.

"What can the Boss do? How to speak? The dark horse glared at Xiao Luzi first.

Xiao Luzi hurriedly took a few sips.

"Say, what did the boss do?" After a while, the dark horse looked at Dachang and asked.

"I don't know, the boss didn't say it." I often eat with my head bored.

"It must be Brother Mao's business." Squatting next to the black horse, he muttered in a low voice.

"How do you speak? What's going on? Is this what can be said? Xiao Luzi leaned forward and glared.

"Xiao Luzi is right." Da Chang answered.

"Don't talk nonsense!" The grasshopper squatting on the other side of the strip poked the strip.

"Hurry up and eat, live a lot." Da Chang said in a muffled voice, and after eating a bowl, he filled another bowl.

The people stopped talking, and after eating, they went to work.

There were only black horses and Dachang left behind the courtyard, and the black horse came next to Dachang and said in a low voice: "The boss will be fine, right?" You say, what the hell did the boss do? It's been two months. ”

"A month and a half. How could something happen to the boss! Dachang looked at the clear moat water, stayed for a while, and looked at the dark horse, "The boss will be fine!" ”

"That's what I thought too." The black horse stood up and walked out with his head down.