bsp; Chapter 42: Mu Chunmian

Zhu Yi stood by the threshold, and saw Wei Changying and Duanmu Xinmiao turn out of the screen together, sit down in the hall, bow their heads slightly, and then ordered outward: "Young lady and eighth lady have arrived, let someone come in!" ”

After a while, Zhu Xian led the three of them cautiously across the threshold and entered.

Wei Changying and Duanmu Xinmiao, who were at the top, were shocked when they saw it—Duanmu Xinmiao was worried about the master, and he had already shouted: "Why did you bring a child here?!" ”

The two of them were on top of each other, and it was very clear when they looked down: although the person who followed closely behind Zhu Xian tried his best to make a respectful look, it was obviously the first time he had stepped into such a place as Mingpeitang, and he couldn't hold back his curiosity and secretly looked around—this was a woman in her twenties.

There are 3,000 people in Caojiabao, but it's just a matter of getting a woman to talk back and forth, the key is that this woman is also accompanied by a little girl who looks like four or five years old...... This...... Does this look like a reply to explain the reply?

Although Wei Changying didn't ask out loud, her face didn't look good......

Fortunately, Bo Shenlun, the lord of Xiliang, who also followed Zhu Xian in and helped Wei Changying identify the truth and falsehood of what the people of Caojiabao said on behalf of the yamen, explained in time: "Young lady, Eighth Miss, this wooden lady is the current owner of Caojiabao. This little girl is her only flesh and blood. In order to show sincerity, Caojiabao came to talk back with the lord of the castle and the lord of the young castle! ”

"The castle master of Caojiabao?!" Wei Changying and Duanmu Xinmiao exclaimed in unison, and their suspicious eyes fell on the woman in an instant-

No matter how you look at it, this woman is only in her twenties, and she can be regarded as delicate and beautiful when she looks at the outline. But if you look closely, you can see that she has rough skin and a few fine lines at the corners of her young eyes. Although it is said that the west is cool and bitterly cold, even if the women here are as well maintained as Mrs. Huo, they are not as good as the ladies of the imperial capital because of the water and soil. But this woman is also too old, and Caojiabao was built by homeless people, so no one can doubt that she is so old because of overwork.

His face is on the older side, and his dress is very simple. The woman wore a coarse cloth dress of indigo, with a neat bun on her head, and two silver hairpins of dull color inserted diagonally. Behind the ears, there is a pair of jade bead pendants, the jade color is very turbid, and it is still a stone at a rough look...... Even the rough maid who served in the courtyard of Wei Changying may not be able to look at it.

Looking at the little girl who followed her, she was also about the same as a light blue dress, with a red gold ring on her chest, and the color and workmanship looked good, and this one alone was worth more than her mother's whole body hairpin ring. Thinking that it was because of her favor, the woman in blue would rather wear the one herself than wronged her daughter.

However, this Yingluo circle looks good, and it doesn't look like an ordinary rich person can get it...... But don't Cao Jiabao privately avoid the eyes of the Shen family and do something without capital, and leave it for his children?

Wei Changying glanced at the little girl a few times, her eyebrows were very similar to her mother, because she was young, she had not yet been attacked by water, soil, wind and dust, and her little face was still white and cute. However, she was young and ignorant, and although her mother could not restrain her mind attracted by all kinds of treasures and ornaments around her, she would still know to make a respectful look, and she lowered her head and did not dare to look at it, but this little girl did not have so many scruples.

She opened a pair of big black and white eyes, bit one of her fingers, and looked up innocently and curiously at a string of coral beads on the side of Wei Changying's sideburns - as Wei Changying's identity, she didn't need to take Cao Jiabao very seriously, so she didn't dress up in particular. But no matter how special you dress, you are a lady, at least there must be a few hairpin rings.

This Luan bird beads sway, red gold silk hollow weaving into the shape of Luanniao, obsidian for the eye, kingfisher feathers for the feathers, is a string of bright coral beads like fire. The green and red glow of the green and green of the green and the green of the green are very eye-catching, and it is no wonder that they will attract the attention of children.

But......

With the gap between Cao Jiabao and Wei Changying, even if you have to bring a child to the hall to see you, you should always tell a few rules, right?

Wei Changying had a thought in her heart, and she didn't say anything more after exclaiming.

However, the woman in blue bowed very respectfully, and introduced herself: "The little woman Mu Chunmian, who is the lord of Caojiabao Fort, heard that the young lady and Miss Duanmu Ba have something to ask about the castle, so they came here." ”

Her attitude is respectful and not flattering, but there is something that is neither humble nor arrogant.

Duanmu Xinmiao was anxious to speak, but Wei Changying secretly stepped on her skirt - Wei Changying said lightly: "The castle master of Caojiabao, why is his surname Mu?" Or a woman? The next lord of the castle is also a woman, is the castle actually run by a woman? It's strange, I've never heard of that. ”

Shen Lun was about to answer, but Mu Chunmian glanced at him, and immediately picked up the tea bowl. This made Wei Changying frown slightly, and he was a little suspicious of Shen Lun.

"Back to the young lady's words." Although no one introduced the identities of the two to this Mu Chunmian, Wei Changying is a woman's attire, but Duanmu Xinmiao is not married, it is not difficult to tell, Mu Chunmian will not admit his mistake, she stopped Shen Lun, and said with a smile, "The little woman's husband's family is surnamed Cao." Because of the early death of her late husband, the little woman had to come out to support the family business. ”

Wei Changying naturally couldn't believe this, it was common sense that widows and widows were forced to support the door independently, but it also depended on what kind of family business it was. In the eyes of the Shen family, Caojiabao is not worth mentioning after pinching its vital point. But how to say that it is also a fort of 3,000 people! Even if most of them are women and children, there are always nearly a thousand men, how can a woman be the owner of the castle?

Wei Changying will not ignore what Shen Lun said just now, "This little girl is her only biological flesh and blood Cao Ya", so it is not very likely that Mu Chunmian will coerce his young son to control Cao Jiabao - Wei Changying's mind turned, and suddenly thought of the meaning in this sentence: Mu Chunmian only gave birth to Cao Ya and a daughter, but is her husband only Cao Ya and a daughter?

Could it be that Caojiabao was also fighting in the house, Mu Chunmian failed in the battle, and was set up as a vain castle owner, and was sent over with his daughter Cao Ya to perfunctory himself? Or is this Mu Chunmian's skill extraordinary, as a female streamer, after the death of her husband, as the daughter-in-law of the Cao family, she firmly controls Caojiabao, not to mention, and makes her still young daughter become the master of Shaobao?

She groaned here, but Duanmu Xinmiao couldn't help it, and asked in a loud voice: "No matter who you are here, in short, tell me the life and death of my uncle!" ”

Seeing that Duanmu Xinmiao had already gotten straight to the point, Wei Changying no longer pursued Mu Chunmian's status in Caojiabao, and said lightly: "Yes, who is the lord of your Caojiabao, we don't care very much, and now you are coming here for this Ji Gu's matter." Tell me the truth! ”

Mu Chunmian said shuang: "The people who went to Caojiabao before your family have already said this, although the little woman is young, when the person said by the two nobles entered Caojiabao, the little woman was not yet born, but in order to reply, I also asked the old man in the fort in detail before coming. ”

As soon as she said this, Wei Changying and Duanmu Xinmiao frowned in unison: There is no other reason, if Ji Gu is still alive, or if Ruomu Chunmian will admit that Ji Gu is still alive, there is no need to ask the old man, just say it directly. When she mentions the old man now, it is obvious that either Ji Gu is indeed dead, or she wants to continue to insist that Ji Gu is dead.

Sure enough, Mu Chunmian said: "Caojiabao took in the two people who said, and the Chenguang is not very long. So I don't know much about that senior. At the beginning, your family sent people to Caojiabao to confirm his life and death, and he also gathered the entire Caojiabao people and confirmed it against the portrait. Later, I went to open the coffin again, and took someone who knew the senior very well to see it, and then I confirmed that it was the senior. The little woman didn't understand why she had to give us an explanation now. ”

Wei Changying said lightly: "I heard that Caojiabao has an excellent terrain, and it is an extremely rare place where a husband and wife are not allowed to open it. Even if Ji Gu can't be hidden in the fort, isn't there still outside the fort? In the wilderness, what is the difficulty of hiding a person temporarily? After all, the people who were looking for it in the past can't have been living in Caojiabao all the time, right? As for the opening of the coffin, if there is no evidence, how can you be summoned? Why do you think we're idle? Although she has no evidence, but now that she is questioning Mu Chunmian, she can't fall into her own momentum - with her identity, she said that there is evidence, and there is no need to show it to Mu Chunmian.

Sure enough, Mu Chunmian hurriedly said: "The little woman doesn't dare." ”

"If you really don't dare, then let's be honest." Wei Changying said coldly.

Mu Chunmian narrowed his eyes and said, "The little woman has indeed only seen the graves of the two people she said, and there is no such person in the castle now!" ”

Wei Changying glanced at her lightly and said, "You asked me to come over with Sister Xin Miao just to listen to such nonsense?" These days, she has controlled Ming Peitang with both soft and hard, and her bearing is very different from before, at this moment, her face is slightly heavy, and she has a kind of majesty and deterrence, Mu Chunmian was stunned for a moment, and then said: "Although there is no such person as Ji Gu, but ...... The little woman heard from the old man that he had left something that he had entrusted to his nephew, who had been exiled in the imperial capital. The little woman heard...... It seems that Ji is going to be sick? ”

"Ah, that's for my teacher!" Duanmu Xinmiao blurted out, "What is it?" ”

"Although the little woman is in the middle of nowhere, she has also heard of the name of the first doctor in the country. Since leaving the fort this time, I have heard that Miss Duanmu, a high-footed little miracle doctor, is doing free clinics in Xiliang. Mu Chunmian looked at her, smiled slightly, and said, "It is said that Miss Duanmu is a disciple of Ji Shen Doctor, and it is okay to give these things to Miss Duanmu." It's just ......"

Duanmu Xinmiao said unhappily: "What? ”

"It's just that the two people who spoke had something to say back then." Mu Chunmian was obviously very struggling with whether to say this, and he hesitated for a long time before he made up his mind, raised his head and said, "That person said that those things can be handed over to Doctor Ji, or to other people in the Ji family, or a successor of the Ji family like Miss Duanmu...... But whoever takes it has to pay...... A little price! ”

It turned out to be asking for money?

Wei Changying and Duanmu Xinmiao were a little surprised, so Wei Changying asked, "How much?" She thought that since Mu Chunmian said that it was a little price, she didn't think about it much, so she simply wanted to be a good person, and asked for the amount of Duanmu Xinmiao, and thanked her for traveling thousands of miles to Xiliang to diagnose and treat Shen Zangfeng.

Mu Chunmian was also very refreshing: "Three thousand taels of gold, a lot!" ”

"What?!" Not only Wei Changying and Duanmu Xinmiao were stunned by the lion's big opening, but Shen Lun, who was sitting with him, almost turned over all the tea on his body - three thousand taels of gold! Is this treating gold as sediment?

Ji Gu was a fugitive when he fled back then, and even if he hid some good things in private, it was very limited. What could he leave behind worth three thousand taels of gold? If he really had something of such value, maybe he bribed the poor person, and he would have been able to let the whole family quietly "fake death" get out and go to the side!

…… Well, of course, it is also possible that Lu Fu will be killed for money.

Wei Changying, who had already reached her mouth, "Sister Xinmiao, just such an idea of money, sister-in-law will come out for you" immediately stuck...... Even Duanmu Xinmiao, who used to treat the best jadeite as a weed in order to make medicinal jewelry, felt that the price of three thousand taels of gold was a bit outrageous - even if he wanted to repay Caojiabao for saving his life, it would be very generous to give a thousand taels of silver according to today's market!

In particular, the meaning of Mu Chunmian ...... It's Ji Gu who is indeed dead! If Ji Gu is alive, he will ask Duanmu Xinmiao to give Caojiabao three thousand taels of gold as a reward, and Duanmu Xinmiao will definitely have nothing to say! Her money is not enough, and Wei Changying will not sit idly by. The problem is that if Ji Gu is no longer alive, he will ask for three thousand taels of gold for the life-saving grace that he failed to save to the end, coupled with the favor of preserving his relics over the years, which is too black-hearted!

Because Cao Jiabao, who no longer accepts outsiders, will make an exception to accept Ji Gu, in the end, he also likes his medical skills, not just to save people's lives. Even according to what Cao Jiabao said, Ji Gu died in the wolf's mouth not long after he was in Caojiabao. Ji Gu definitely can't rest in the middle, he must also be treating the people in the castle, this life-saving grace, he himself has more or less repaid it.

In this case, no matter how you think about it, Mu Chunmian is like telling a joke.

However, Duanmu Xinmiao was Ji Quai's disciple in the end, and she knew something about her own master, after she was surprised, she didn't immediately reprimand Mu Chunmian for her delusional thoughts, she pondered for a while, but asked: "Do you know, my uncle, what are the things that are left?" ”

Mu Chunmian was also dry, and said: "I heard that Miss Duanmu is a disciple of Ji Shenyi, and the little woman specially asked the old man for some things from the past and brought them over. So that Miss Duanmu can take a look...... Of course, what Little Women brought was only part of it. ”

At this time, even Wei Changying was also interested - could it be that before Ji Ying was asked, what kind of treasure did the Ji family really have worth 3,000 taels of gold and was light and easy to hide, but it was kept by Ji Gu and left to Caojiabao?

The eyes of everyone in the back hall were attracted to Mu Chunmian, but Mu Chunmian turned his head and said to Cao Ya: "Girl, take out the things and show them to the nobles!" ”

Cao Ya, who had been staring at Wei Changying's swaying steps and biting her fingers while staring, let go of her fingers, stretched into her arms and groped - this girl looks like she is only four or five years old, and she is still relatively thin. What can be hidden in her arms is obviously not too big.

The crowd was even more curious.

…… That thing seemed to be smaller than everyone thought, and Cao Ya touched it for a long time before finally pulling it out—a small oiled paper bag that was not much bigger than her palm. Judging from the oil paper, it is clear that there have been some years of ......

What could it be?