A farmer has a shrewish wife; he's busy making money every day.

Ye Qingxue looked at him and quickly made a shushing gesture.

Then he pointed towards Hu Fu.

Xu Guangming nodded to Ye Qingxue, indicating that he understood.

They opened the window a little wider to let Ye Qingxue in.

Ye Qingxue gathered her strength and climbed in through the window without making a sound.

Soon, Ye Qingxue entered Xu Guangming's bedroom and squatted by the window with him.

The room was brightly lit by candlelight, and I crouched in the corner so that my shadow wouldn't be reflected on the paper window.

After she came in, Xu Guangming didn't rush to ask any questions. Instead, he reached out his hand to her and stared intently at her.

Ye Qingxue knew that he was going to verify her identity.

Without hesitation, she took out the jade pendant from her waist and handed it to Xu Guangming.

Xu Guangming immediately took it and examined it closely in his hands, his movements somewhat hurried.

He looked very carefully, and as he read further, he seemed to have confirmed something, and looked at Ye Qingxue with some excitement in his eyes.

Hu Fu has excellent hearing, and Ye Qingxue cannot speak. She raises her hand and makes a gesture of holding a calligraphy brush to Xu Guangming.

Xu Guangming immediately understood, and went to the desk to get a stack of papers, two calligraphy brushes, and an inkstone.

He couldn't wait to write on the paper: "Young man, why do you have Zhao Yantang's jade pendant? Is he safe?"

Ye Qingxue took the paper and wrote: [Injured, but alright.]

Xu Guangming let out a breath, as if a heavy weight had been lifted from his heart.

Ye Qingxue didn't give the paper to Xu Guangming, but immediately wrote: "I need the birthday party guest list."

A hint of surprise flashed in Xu Guangming's eyes, but then his gaze became knowing.

If Zhao Yantang hadn't told her, Ye Qingxue wouldn't have known he had a list.

Only then did Xu Guangming completely lower his guard.

He gestured to Ye Qingxue to wait a moment, then got up and walked to his desk.

While Xu Guangming went to get the list, Ye Qingxue picked up her pen and wrote down what she had seen and heard that day, as well as her plans for the birthday banquet the day after tomorrow.

After all, this plan needs his cooperation to be implemented smoothly.

"Hey! Xu Guangming! What are you doing in there, fiddling around like that? Weren't you trying to sleep?"

Hu Fu's impatient roar came from outside, followed by footsteps. Hu Fu was about to come in from outside!

Ye Qingxue's eyes widened suddenly as she looked at Xu Guangming.

Xu Guangming lost his footing and almost fell.

Then she quickly calmed herself down, her voice trembling with tears: "Oh dear! I can't sleep! I'm thinking about my poor Zhao Dianshi! Boss, you've come at the right time. I still need to ask you what you've done to our Zhao Dianshi!"

The footsteps outside the door stopped.

Hu Fu hesitated outside the door for a moment, muttered something under his breath, and then left.

Xu Guangming called out twice more to make sure he was really gone before hurriedly handing the list to Ye Qingxue.

Ye Qingxue received the list, handed the paper with the plan written on it to Xu Guangming, clasped her hands in a fist salute to him, and then turned and left.

Xu Guangming was completely bewildered. He unfolded the paper and examined it closely.

The more he looked, the wider his eyes widened.

He looked at the paper over and over again, his lips trembling.

Finally, an excited smile appeared on his face.

He wiped his eyes, sniffled, then tucked the paper into his pocket, turned around, and blew out the candle.

Outside, Hu Fu rolled his eyes as he watched the light dimming inside and heard the faint sound of Xu Guangming sobbing. His lips twitched slightly.

"Damn, she's like a woman."

……

Ye Qingxue took the list back to the noodle stall. Zhao Yantang was still awake, waiting for her to return.

"Miss Ye, you're back. Did you get the list?"

Ye Qingxue nodded to him, then found some straw and a clean cloth, leaned against the wall, and laid out a makeshift bed for herself on the ground.

Sitting down, Ye Qingxue took out the list and began to look at it carefully.

He was dressed in bamboo-green brocade with dark floral patterns. He was a handsome man with delicate features and a mole on the tip of his nose. He was suspected to be the eldest son of the Fang family in Jiangnan Prefecture.

He was dressed in ginger-yellow embroidered brocade, with handsome features, and a jade pendant at his waist. He was suspected to be the eldest son of the Wen family, the richest family in Jiangnan Prefecture.

Dressed in a water-red brocade with cloud patterns, the man was wicked and arrogant, with a sharp jawline, and was suspected to be the heir of the Prince of Anyang in the capital.

……

Ye Qingxue flipped through the pages, secretly memorizing these characteristics.

When I first saw this list, I found it quite novel; I had never seen a guest list with such a unique recording method.

But then I thought about it again, and realized it was secretly recorded in front of the gate in Qingshui County, so I could accept it.

Zhao Yantang, who was lying on the other side, also leaned over and laughed, "This guy really knows all these people."

Ye Qingxue turned her head and asked, "Did Magistrate Xu not have any contact with these people before?"

Zhao Yantang nodded, "Yes, we haven't left Qingshui County for many years. This kid spends his days chatting with merchants and asking about the information of officials in various cities. I thought to myself, even at this time, he's still trying to curry favor with officials from all over the country. He's hopeless."

Thinking about it, he shook his head and sighed, "Now it seems that this guy was farsighted."

Ye Qingxue looked at the list several more times, then put it away. "Don't think about it anymore, get some rest. You have a play to perform the day after tomorrow."

"okay."

After speaking, Ye Qingxue extinguished the oil lamp, and the kitchen went dark, becoming quiet.

The next day, Aunt Lu and Madam Chen arrived at the noodle stall early in the morning and rushed to the kitchen to see Ye Qingxue.

Ye Qingxue and Zhao Yantang have already woken up.

"Young Master Ye... are you alright?"

Ye Qingxue stood up: "I'm fine, what could possibly be wrong with me? Let me introduce you, this is Lord Zhao, he was injured and is recuperating here."

Aunt Lu and Madam Chen exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with surprise, but they didn't ask any further questions. "Greetings, Lord Zhao. You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? We'll go make some right away."

Zhao Yantang didn't stand on ceremony and clasped his hands in thanks, saying, "Thank you."

The noodles were quickly cooked, and Zhao Yantang picked up a large mouthful of noodles and began to eat.

While eating, he gave a thumbs up: "Delicious! These noodles are so fresh! Once things are settled, I'll bring all my brothers from the county government to eat here!"

Ye Qingxue smiled, "Alright, since you've graced us with your presence, I'll give you a discount."

Zhao Yantang buried his head in his noodles again.

Ye Qingxue quickly finished her bowl of food. Before Chen Shi and Aunt Lu could say anything, she stood up and said, "Aunt Chen and Aunt Lu, I have some things to attend to, so I'll be leaving now. I'll trouble you to keep busy for the next two days."

Aunt Lu had a lot of questions, but she didn't ask them. After a few seconds, she finally sighed and said, "Okay, I don't know what you're up to, but... just be careful."

Chen's eyes were full of worry: "You must be careful. I was terrified yesterday."

"Yes, your parents kept asking us questions last night, but we didn't know anything."

Mentioning her parents, Ye Qingxue's eyes showed some guilt. Then she sighed and reached out to rub their arms: "Don't worry, I'll tell you in detail after everything is over."

"By the way, lock the kitchen today and don't let Shan Xuan in. He's a loudmouth and might let something slip when he sees someone."

Aunt Lu nodded, "Alright, go ahead without worry, we'll take good care of Lord Zhao."

"Okay." Ye Qingxue lifted the awning and went out before the guests arrived.

He turned and headed towards Shidinglou.

Today she wants to persuade Wen Yanyu to let her come into the Lu residence with her.