Forced to marry, I picked up a young powerful official

Although he failed to successfully invite Mrs. Zhang, after today's conversation, the friendship between the two of them has been further improved. It's a pity that even if he can get close to the Zhang family, it will be of no avail now.

If the case of the murder of the state's superior can be solved successfully, Tongzhi Zhang will certainly be promoted to the capital. Once they leave, this line of relationship will be severed. If Tongzhi Zhang fails to find the murderer and the court holds him accountable, I'm afraid that by then it will be just as Mrs. Zhang said, Tongzhi Zhang will not even be able to keep his official hat. What's the point of making friends with the Zhang family?

But it doesn’t matter. More friends mean more paths, and being kind to others always does more good than harm.

Just like today, Shen Nankui only gave up a piece of jewelry, but learned the inside story of Zhou Zun's murder, and also gained the favor of Mrs. Zhang, which can be considered a great gain.

"Madam, what do you think of this hairpin?"

Hehua pointed at the things on the tray in the hands of the Treasure Pavilion clerk and asked.

I came to the Treasure Pavilion today to choose a birthday gift for Tao Ru. Now that the gift has not been chosen yet, I naturally cannot leave empty-handed. Shen Nankui stood up and walked towards her.

Seeing her coming, the waiter said with great insight, "Madam, this gold-threaded and jeweled hairpin was made by the same craftsman as the one that was just bought. It is exquisite in style and meticulous in workmanship, and is in no way inferior to the one just bought. Do you like it?"

Shen Nankui picked it up and looked at it. He saw that the style of the jewelry was indeed quite good, so he asked, "How much?"

The waiter smiled and pointed to the price, "One hundred and thirty taels of silver!"

"That's it, wrap it up."

Hehua paid the money, waited for the clerk to pack the jewelry in a brocade box, and then left the Treasure Pavilion with Shen Nankui.

"Madam, are you tired? The dog days in the south of the Yangtze River are the hottest, and it's almost noon now. Why don't we go to the teahouse in front to rest, have something to eat, and avoid the sun before going back?"

She held the box in one hand and held an umbrella for Shen Nankui with the other.

Shen Nankui took the umbrella from her hand, smiled and nodded, "Okay, there's nothing to do when we go back anyway. Before I arrived in Jiangnan, I heard that the storytelling in the teahouses in Yongzhou is unique. I've been in Yongzhou for so long, but I've never seen it. Today is a good opportunity to open my eyes."

"Okay, let's go!" Hehua was also full of joy.

There were few people on the street at noon, and the two were walking slowly. Suddenly, a black shadow jumped out from the front and rushed straight towards Hehua. Hehua was knocked to the ground, and even Shen Nankui staggered two steps due to the force.

Hehua was horrified upon seeing this and hurriedly got up from the ground to support Shen Nankui. After both of them stood firmly, she realized that her arms were empty, so where was the brocade box?

The dark shadow had already run a few steps away, leaving only its back.

"He stole our jewelry!"

Hehua shouted anxiously, "Catch the thief! Catch the thief! Someone is robbing things in the street!"

But the sun was shining brightly at this moment, and people on the road were either in a hurry or had gone into the shops on both sides of the street to escape the heat. Looking around, there was no one who could help them.

Hehua wanted to catch up, but didn't dare to leave Shen Nankui behind, and was sweating profusely on the spot.

Shen Nankui patted her arm and consoled her: "Forget it, we can't catch up with that thief."

Hehua was almost crying, "But we just bought that hairpin and spent 130 taels of silver on it. Could it be lost just like that?"

Shen Nankui sighed, "It's my fault. I sent Zhong Shanzhi to work in the shop. If he had followed me when I went out today, I would have been able to chase him and take the things back."

Hehua thought for a moment and said, "Madam, why don't you go sit in the teahouse first, and I'll go chase that thief!"

Shen Nankui shook his head and said, "Hehua, there is no need to put yourself in danger. The thief is a man, and I am afraid you will suffer."

"No, Madam, don't worry. I know my limits. Even if I can't get my things back after catching up with him, I will remember his appearance. Then I can have Brother Zheng Yue arrest him and send him to the authorities. That way, I can get rid of this trouble!"

Seeing that she was determined to do it, Shen Nankui did not stop her and only said, "Then be careful. You can bribe her. If someone is willing to help, then go forward. No matter how expensive the jewelry is, it is just a dead object. It is not as important as your safety."

As the two were talking, a voice came from the front.

"Is this what was stolen from you?"

Shen Nankui looked up and saw a middle-aged man with a full beard walking towards them. The man was holding the brocade box in one hand and holding the thief who had just snatched the brocade box by the scruff of the neck with the other hand, dragging him over.

He Hua's face lit up with joy. "It's exactly what my wife had. Thank you so much for helping us get it back!"

"a piece of cake."

The bearded man handed her the brocade box and kicked the thief on the ground. "And this guy, I'll leave it to you to deal with as well."

After saying that, he turned and was about to leave.

Shen Nankui hurriedly called him, "Wait a minute, dear man."

The bearded man turned around and looked at her in confusion.

Shen Nankui looked at him and her heart skipped a beat. For some reason, she felt that this face looked familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before. But she thought about it for a long time, and even searched through her memories of her past life, but could not find any impression of this person.

Is it just an illusion?

This is possible.

However, although this man had a thick beard, his face did not look ferocious. He also helped them catch the thief and retrieved the lost property, so he should not be a bad person.

Seeing that she was staring at him and not speaking for a long time, the bearded man couldn't help but avoid her eyes.

"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

Shen Nankui came back to his senses and quickly gave He Hua a look. The latter understood and took out a piece of silver from his purse and handed it to the bearded man.

"Thank you for helping my wife retrieve her lost property, my dear. Please accept this as a small token of my appreciation."

The bearded man waved his hand, "It's just a small favor, no need to do this."

After saying that, he turned around and left.

Shen Nankui said hurriedly: "Good man, this money is not just to thank you, I also want to ask you for a favor."

"Oh, what can I do for you?" asked the bearded man.

Shen Nankui pointed at the bruised thief on the ground and said, "This man dared to rob property in broad daylight. He must be a habitual offender. Most of the guests in the Treasure Pavilion are women. Not everyone goes out with servants. I don't know how many women have been robbed by him. Such criminals should be punished by law. I'm afraid we two women are powerless to subdue him. Since you have caught him, I wonder if you can escort him to the government, which can be regarded as eliminating harm for the people."

The bearded man heard this and thought it made sense, but if he wanted to go to the government...

He showed a bit of embarrassment on his face, but his expression was hidden under his beard, and he didn't show anything unusual.

He looked up at the two women in front of him again.

One of them was pregnant and the other was not very strong. If they really let go and left this thief behind, he might take the opportunity to take revenge and harm them.