Traveling through time and space

"How can I trust you? If you're not an enemy, why hide it?"

"Princess Anle, this young master kindly wishes to help the old lady find the real murderer who killed her. This is because my father received a favor from the old marquis back then, and now I want to repay that favor."

"No, uncle, I consider you my friend, but you don't trust me in the same way."

"Princess, have you rested? Dongmei is here." Mother Yan knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in." Su Yuanyuan knew that he would disappear in time, and answered the voice outside the door.

"This servant greets the princess." The people outside pushed the door open and came in to greet them. Su Yuanyuan pointed to the stools beside them, indicating that they should sit down and talk. "Princess, what can I do for you?"

"Again, who are you guys? I heard some of you have been wandering around the mansion these days. What are you looking for?"

"Princess, I've heard about this too. Xingmei, Xiao Qinzi, Xiao Chizi, Yi Ping, Yi Dong, and Yi Fei are all looking for something. Rumei and I have come across them before, and we've heard about this as well."

"Whose business are you anyway? And who are these people looking for something? What are they looking for? What is there in our Su family that they are interested in? And since this princess was kidnapped, is this related to them?"

"Princess, I swear on the spirits of my parents in heaven that ever since I followed you, I have been yours."

"Okay, I hope you can put your words into practice. Dongmei, I'll give you three days to find out the details of all the people here. I want to know who has spies in our Marquis of Xiaoyong's mansion, and what they are looking for. I want to know what exactly happened. Remember not to alarm them, and remember not to let them leave the mansion casually."

"Princess, I will be more careful."

"Dongmei, don't let this princess down." Su Yuanyuan said again and let them go out.

"I know what they are looking for." After they left, the man on the beam jumped down.

"What are they looking for?" Su Yuanyuan asked curiously, "Is this thing in our Marquis of Bravery's Mansion? Then the matter is not that simple."

"Princess Anle, let's exchange. If you tell me everything you saw that day, I will tell you what they are looking for. And it's not just them, there are others looking for that thing as well."

"Sir, unless you kill all those people in this princess's yard, sooner or later I will know what they are looking for. Please go back," Su Yuanyuan turned off the light that had just been lit. "Also, sir, please don't come here again. Although Su Yuanyuan is still young, she is also a girl. If others find out, how can Yuanyuan live her life?" Then she went to bed, covered herself with the quilt, and fell asleep. When she woke up again, it was already noon.

"Princess, are you awake?"

"You're awake, come in." Su Yuanyuan stood up, thinking about what she was going to do today. After breakfast, she said, "Mother Yan, wait a moment. You will go out with me. Bring me some old clothes. Zhilin, find some of your old clothes to take with you. I will need them."

"Princess, I will follow you."

"No need, just let Mother Yan go with you. You guys stay in the mansion and keep an eye on those people. There is something very important. Try not to let anyone know that we have left the house. The longer we delay, the better."

"Okay, Princess, don't worry. We servants will provide good cover and try to delay the situation as much as possible so as not to be discovered."

"Okay, Mother Yan, you go out with the people who buy groceries. You can't use the car in the mansion, so go rent a horse carriage. We will meet at the first two intersections of the back door in half an hour." Su Yuanyuan instructed her plan.

"Okay, Princess, I'll do it right away."

"Princess, are you taking Mother Yan alone?" Zhilin asked.

"Well, with so many people, we'll be a conspicuous sight, which can easily arouse suspicion. There are some things I want to do quietly. Remember, if you can't come back at night, two people will be on guard at the door of the inner room. Remember? I'm not sure when I'll be back, but I will definitely be back within three days."

"Don't worry, Princess. I will take care of it." Zhilin promised. Su Yuanyuan didn't pack anything. She put on the old clothes that Zhilin brought and combed her hair into the same style as them. "Princess, I know that Zhiju and a few little maids will go out of the house to buy some things later. Princess, you can go out with them." After hearing Zhilin's words, Su Yuanyuan nodded with a headache. She heard chattering sounds in the yard. Zhilin entered the yard and nodded. When a few maids passed by the gate of the yard, Su Yuanyuan lowered her head and followed them quietly. When they met them, they walked together. The doorman asked what they were going to do. A maid said that she had asked for leave from the housekeeper Wu and wanted to go out to buy some women's household items. The doorman said nothing more. , and also ordered them to come back early. Su Yuanyuan saw a small alley, and while no one was paying attention to her, she turned into the alley, and hid by a wall for a while to see if anyone was following her. She was really worried too much. No one was there. Su Yuanyuan let go and mixed into the crowd. Who would recognize her? She arrived at the intersection where she had agreed to meet with Mother Yan. She was a little early and saw a jewelry shop next to it. Su Yuanyuan wanted to go in and take a look at the popular jewelry styles, but she saw a carriage coming over. Mother Yan was sticking her head out of the window and looking at her. Su Yuanyuan waved, and the carriage stopped. She got in and was told to go out of the South Gate. Su Yuanyuan remembered that she came back through the South Gate that day.

"Old man, where is this place about half an hour away from the South City Gate on this road?" Su Yuanyuan sat by the door of the carriage and chatted with the old man driving the carriage.

"Girl, that place, that place is the territory of Jingyin Temple. So you want to go there to burn incense. The Bodhisattva in Jingyin Temple is very powerful."

"Yes, old man, I've heard that Jingyin Temple is very popular, and we came here because of its reputation. Old man, is the Bodhisattva in Jingyin Temple really effective? I want to ask for a fortune stick so that I can find my parents."

"Miss, are you going there to ask for divination and find someone?"

"Yes, when my daughter was four years old, my parents moved to the capital, bringing only my two younger brothers. They said that they would return to the countryside to pick up my daughter after they settled down. This is my family's loyal servant, but ten years have passed, and my daughter's parents have not returned. In the first year, they would send silver to the countryside, but in the next nine years, they did not send a single copper coin. In these nine years, they have not returned to the countryside to see my daughter, nor have they sent a letter. So, my daughter wants to come to the capital to find them and ask them if they still remember the girl in the countryside," Su Yuanyuan said with tears in her eyes.

"You are also a poor child, and your loyal servant is indeed a loyal servant."

"Yes, Mother Zheng is very good to my daughter and raised her like her own child." Su Yuanyuan looked back at Mother Yan.

"Miss, they don't want you anymore, so I will stay with you for the rest of my life." Su Yuanyuan learned a lot of information along the way. There are two villages around Jingyin Temple, Minghe Village and Xinnan Village. It's just that because of the popularity of Jingyin Temple, it's also close to the capital, so many wealthy families in the capital have their own villas in the villages, which are convenient for their families to burn incense and worship Buddha. Therefore, there are many large and small villas of wealthy families around these two villages. Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival. Every year during the Lantern Festival, there is a Dharma Assembly to pray for good weather every year. The meeting lasts for three days and is very lively. There are all kinds of things to sell and buy. People from all over the country will come to join in the fun.

"I really didn't think that far ahead. Mother Zheng, why don't we just join in the fun and stay here for a night?" Seeing what Mother Yan wanted to say, "Mother Zheng, the inn in the city will only cost an extra night. Cui'er wants to see the excitement. We have been staying in the countryside for many years and have never seen such a lively scene. Cui'er wants to see it for herself."

"Okay, I'll follow your idea, young lady. Uncle, is there an inn nearby?" asked Mother Yan.

"This Jingyin Temple does have guest rooms, but I don't know if they're still available. Many families send their servants to reserve them in advance. How about this, I'll take you to have a look. If there aren't any rooms, you can come back tonight and go back tomorrow. It's not far anyway, half an hour will be enough." The driver said, "Look, Jingyin Temple is right up ahead."

"Old man, is this Jingyin Temple big? Can I walk around inside and take a look? What's the scenery like?"

Su Yuanyuan asked.

"Of course, there are quite a lot of flowers and plants here, you can take a good look around. Miss, if you want to go back, do you still need to rent a car? I can just take you back in the evening. My sister lives in Xinnan Village, you can go to her house and wait. At this time of year, many relatives come to these two villages to seek refuge..." The driver was an uncle who was good at speaking.

"Old Zheng, how about this? Can we also stay at your sister's house? We'll pay for it. You see, our young lady is still young, and I'm an old woman. I'm afraid it wouldn't be very convenient for us to stay at the temple. Miss, why don't we just stay at the villagers' house?"

"Mother Zheng, you're really thoughtful. Uncle, let us stay at your sister's house. Of course, we'll also hire your car. Just pick us up tomorrow night. We're not in a hurry, so we can take our time to have some fun and then go burn incense. What do you think?"

"Really, young lady, you hired a small car? It would cost one or two taels of silver for two days."

"It doesn't matter. Tomorrow there will be a lot of people, and we may not be able to find a carriage back in the city, so it's better to make an appointment with you. You can pick us up before dark tomorrow. But we have to make it clear that you can't not pick us up just because business is good."

"Don't worry, young lady. One should be honest. Sister Zheng, we are really destined to be together. Our surname is also Zheng. My younger brother is Zheng Jinghai and my younger sister is Zheng Hong. My younger sister is also a pitiful person. She became a widow at a young age. My brother-in-law died of illness three years ago, leaving behind two daughters. The older one is nine years old and the younger one is only seven years old. Young lady, should we go directly to Jingyin Temple or visit my sister's house first?" asked Zheng Bo, who was driving the coach.

"Mother Zheng, why don't we go to the Zheng family first? Cui'er has heard that it's best to burn incense in the morning, but it's almost noon now."

"The girl is right. It would be more effective if you burn incense in the morning. Maybe you can meet the person you are looking for."

"Thank you, Old Zheng, for your kind words. Miss, I am sorry for the mistakes. People in the old days used to say this. Miss, you are really thoughtful. There are too many people and cars here."

"Yes, this area will be bustling today. People from far away will come here. Every year, some people who live outside cannot find a place to live, so they set up tents for their families to rest. There are also snacks from all over the place. It's getting lively now." Zheng Bo introduced. As he spoke, the car turned a corner, and there were more people and cars in front of him. It turned out that he didn't see more because of limited vision just now. Now he can see a village in front of him. "Girl, the road ahead will be a bit bumpy. You'd better go back and sit down." Zheng Bo reminded her.

"Yes, miss," Su Yuanyuan sat back in the car safely. Not long after turning the corner, they entered a village, which was full of houses and yards.

"Uncle Zheng, we are almost there, right?" Su Yuanyuan asked curiously.

"We're almost there. My sister's house is in the middle of the village. Her husband's surname is Liu. We're here. Li'er, where's your mother?" Zheng Bo shouted loudly to the children playing nearby.

"Uncle, my mother is at home," the child just looked up and called back, then went back to play with the other children. "Uncle, is my grandmother here?"

"No, young lady, we're here." The carriage stopped at a small, slightly run-down courtyard, but clean and tidy from the outside. "Hong, come out quickly, there are guests at home." Zheng Bo pulled the reins and called out to the courtyard.

"Brother, you're here," a woman in her thirties came out of the house while speaking, "Brother, this is..." She quickly left her yard. It was called a yard in the sense that it was just a row of vegetable fields with a gate made of mud. It didn't look like the house was in a good condition.

"These two came to Jingyin Temple to burn incense,"

"Hello, young sister-in-law. We are here to burn incense, but we think it is more sincere to get up early. I heard from Uncle Zheng that there is a fair here these days, and we also want to join in the fun. But, it is inconvenient for the two of us, one old and one young, to stay overnight in Jingyin Temple, so we were wondering if we could come to your house to disturb you for a few days?" Mother Yan stepped forward and bowed politely.

"You are not the guest of honor. We are just a small family. As long as the guest does not mind, there is no reason to refuse. Please come in, please come in. Brother, I bought some meat this morning. You can bring some back to mother."

"No, cook for the kids. I didn't know you were coming today. I just got some cloth and wanted to make some clothes for Feng. I'll bring it to you tomorrow. Please treat them well. I'll come back tomorrow night to take them back to the city."

"Okay, brother, don't worry, I will take good care of you two." The woman replied.

Su Yuanyuan nodded at Mother Yan and said, "Old Zheng, this is the money for our trip." Mother Yan took out a tael of silver and placed it in Uncle Zheng's hand.

"Girl, it will be the same if I give it to you tomorrow. I am not afraid that you will run away."

"Uncle Zheng, please accept it. It's the same if I give it to you today. We are counting on you to pick us up tomorrow afternoon."

"I'll take it, Hong. Take good care of the guests. I'm leaving."

"This old lady..." Mother Yan's dress caused misunderstanding.

"Sister Liu, I am also a servant, so I dare not be called old lady. This dress is just for show. This is our young lady, Cui'er, but our young lady has fallen on hard times."

"Whatever it is, let's go inside and talk first. Feng'er has a guest at home. Come out and help your mother buy some things." Zheng Hong called out from the house, and a little girl came out. "This is my daughter Liu Feng."

"Sorry for disturbing you, sister, I'll help with the cooking."