Southerners

"It really is Mr. Song." Seeing Song Zhi's face, the housekeeper smiled slightly.

"Steward." Song Zhichong cupped his hands, "Who are you here for...?"

"My master ordered me to come here, and I need to discuss some business matters with Mr. Zhang." The housekeeper said, "Why did Mr. Song come here?"

"I'll take a look at the teacher." Song Zhi looked a little embarrassed, and asked after a pause, "Steward, Xiaosheng has something to ask, I don't know..."

"Mr. Song, do you want to ask Mr. Zhang about it?"

"Yes, I wonder if the steward can reveal a thing or two?"

The housekeeper smiled: "Sir, it's hard for me. Don't say I don't know, even if I know, you can't talk about such court secrets."

Seeing that Song Zhi was worried, the housekeeper added: "But Mr. Song, don't worry too much. If Mr. Zhang walks upright and sits upright, nothing will happen. That's all. Please relax, sir."

Song Zhi couldn't tell if the housekeeper's words were words of consolation, or if the above really revealed such a meaning, so she had to thank the housekeeper, left Zhang's mansion, and turned around to go to the Jiaofang Division, but before taking two steps, Song Zhi thought again, Since Heli Huosun is investigating corrupt officials, is he interested in investigating the Jiaofang Secretary?After much deliberation, Song Zhi still gave up the idea of ​​begging for peace and paying homage to Huo Sun.

I don't know if it's because someone warned me that Jiaofang Secretary has been acting very low-key recently.Song Zhi kept watch for many days, but he didn't see anything suspicious. He didn't expect that he would find something abnormal today.

Song Zhi only set up a stall nearby to sell calligraphy and paintings, but her eyes glanced at the gate of the Jiaofang Division from time to time.

The Jiaofang Division, also known as the Tidian Jiaofang Division, is affiliated to the Xuanhui Academy. There are three subordinates, namely Xinghe Department, Xianghe Department and Guangle Library. Bai Man'er was originally under the jurisdiction of the Xianghe Department, so Song Zhi focused on Harmony Department.

At this time, I saw a carriage covered by a green cloth curtain, speeding all the way, rushing towards the Xianghe Department, and stopped at its door.

Because of the angle, Song Zhi couldn't see very clearly, she could only roughly see someone getting off the carriage and entering the Harmony Office.Not long after, a few people came out of the Xianghe Department while talking, and there was a female voice that was quite familiar to them. Before Song Zhi could figure out who it was, the carriage turned around and planned to leave.

It was hot in mid-summer, and the people in the carriage couldn't stand the heat. They opened a corner of the curtain to let in air, revealing a beautiful side face of a woman with heavy drama makeup on it.

Song Zhi was startled, was it an actor who was forcibly taken away by some official?

"Stop!" Song Zhi couldn't help shouting.

The driver of the horse raised his head and glanced at Song Zhi's side, but didn't intend to stop, but heard a female voice in the carriage: "Who is making noise?"

The coachman said: "A scholar who sells calligraphy and painting."

"Scholar?" The voice continued, "Are all the scholars so impolite these days?"

"Stop." Another familiar male voice said inside, "Why do I feel that the scholar's voice is quite familiar?"

The coachman grabbed the reins as he said.

A slender hand lifted the green cloth curtain, and then a young man came out. He raised his head, revealing narrow eyebrows and eyes, but it was Lian Shen whom he hadn't seen for a long time.

"Who was speaking just now?" Lian Shen asked the coachman.

The coachman pointed at Song Zhi: "That's the man."

"Song Zilan?" Lian Shen raised his eyebrows.

Song Zilan froze in place, she didn't expect the car to stop Lian Shen so coincidentally, it's really a narrow road for enemies.

"You don't even salute when you see me?" Lian Shen looked down at Song Zhi and said calmly.

Song Zhicai didn't follow him, and said with a sneer, "I was born with a golden spoon in my mouth, idle around all day long, and oppressed the women of the people, so I don't deserve my salute."

"I admit it," Lian Shen said with a playful smile on the corner of his lips, "but how do you start with oppressing women? My son is a person with good taste, and a careless and careless woman doesn't suit my taste."

"You!" Song Zhi was anxious, "You are extremely shameless! Then tell me, who is that person in your carriage?"

Lian Shen glanced at Song Zhi: "I disturbed my interest, I shouldn't let it go easily, but I remember that you are from Hazier, Hazier seems to spoil you very much, I see it for his sake , I don’t care about you, get out.”

"Wait," another voice suddenly came from the carriage, "is it Song Zilan?"

Then a head popped out from behind Lian Shen, and the crisp sound of pearls and jade hitting was very pleasant, like a girl's crisp voice: "Why are you here, Song Zilan?"

The other person in the carriage was actually Chuo Man.

Song Zhi was slightly stunned, the person in the carriage was Chuo Man, no... that person clearly had makeup on his face just now, and there was another person.

"Miss Chuoman, why are you in the carriage?"

Chuo Man smiled and said: "I think Jiaofangsi's operas are good recently, so I often come here to ask people to sing operas for me. Today I am here to pick up an actor back home."

Chuoman is young and has a high status, and she gets along with these actors purely based on her heart. When she is happy, she can hold hands affectionately and call her sisters, but when she is unhappy, the other party is a lowly actor.In the past few days, I got along well with an actor from Xianghe Department, but today I suddenly wanted to hear her play, so I drove over to pick her up.

"So that's how it is." Song Zhi was so embarrassed that she wanted to find a crack in the ground, thinking that another dog official came here to force the actor away.

Chuo Man waved to Song Zhi: "Come here, talk to me."

Song Zhi was very close to Meng Huan, seeing Song Zhi made Chuoman think of Meng Huan, so she was in a good mood.

"This..." Song Zhi looked back at her stall in embarrassment, "The villain still has calligraphy and paintings not for sale."

Chuoman frowned: "What kind of calligraphy and paintings are you selling here, you should go to Zhonglou Market to sell them."

Chuo Man asked unintentionally, but the listener was interested. Lian Shen immediately glanced at Song Zhi, thinking about Song Zhi's reason for coming, Song Zhi lowered her head: "Little man, villain..."

"That's all," said Chuo Man, "I want all your calligraphy and paintings. How much money?"

"20 taels." Song Zhi said.

Chuo Man took two ingots of silver from her purse and tossed it: "Here, go on."

"Hey, miss!"

"Don't talk nonsense, get in the car!"

Not long after walking along the road in front of the gate from Jiaofangsi, there is Changqinglou, which is the largest restaurant in this area.

Chuo Man ordered the coachman to stop in front of the Changqing Building, and then took a few people into the building. The private room is the best, spacious and quiet. Ordinary people can't get in. Looking down from the window, you can see the busy traffic, Row upon row of scenes in the streets and alleys of the metropolis.

Chuoman ordered all the signature dishes in the restaurant, such as lotus duck, sheep's head in virtual sauce, crispy crystal carp, golden belly soup, as well as the cool and refreshing pan-fried Xijing pear, ice and snow cold yuanzi, etc. in summer.

"You don't have to be cautious in front of me, you can do whatever you want." Chuo Man said to Song Zhi and the actor.

It stands to reason that the two of them are low class people and cannot eat at the same table as Lian Shen and Chuo Man.

The actor's name was Liu Yanhan, but he probably wasn't his real name, upon hearing this, he bowed gracefully and said softly: "Miss loves you, Yanhan would be more respectful than obedient."

After speaking, he was really unrestrained, and sat down generously.If an actor is like this, Song Zhi naturally couldn't refuse, so she had to sit down.

At this moment, Liu Yanhan said softly: "Sir is Song Zilan?"

Song Zhi nodded: "Miss, have you ever heard Xiaosheng's name?"

Liu Yanhan smiled slightly: "I've heard, do you know Bai Haitang, sir?"

Bai Haitang is Bai Man'er's stage name for acting.

"You know Man'er?" Song Zhi asked in surprise.

Liu Yanhan nodded slightly, and a little sadness appeared between her brows unexpectedly: "Haitang and I were the closest sisters, but I didn't expect..."

"Didn't expect anything?" Chuo Man interrupted suddenly.

Liu Yanhan raised her eyes and glanced at Chuo Man, hesitated, and finally replied: "I didn't expect Haitang to offend the court officials... I was injured, and I'm afraid I won't be able to sing in the future."

"Offended the court official?" Chuo Man frowned, "Which official? Dare to hit the girl in my picture?"

Chuoman fell in love with Bai Man'er?Song Zhi's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't know that these two had met face to face.

When asked here, Liu Yanhan quietly glanced at Song Zhi, a little uncertain whether she should say it or not, but thinking, this might be a chance for Man'er to redress her grievances. Man'er went through all kinds of experience in the Jiaofang Division, and described it in detail, including the name of the governor of the Jiaofang Division who was frivolous and Bai Man'er was not successful, and who was the servant of the household department, and he did not hide anything.

Hearing this, Chuo Man raised her brows and cursed repeatedly: "Damn it! It's really hateful! These idiots, what are they pretending to be in their heads? They wantonly bully others because of their own power, hmph! It's really hateful. !"

"Yanhan, I asked you earlier, why didn't you say anything?"

Liu Yanhan lowered her eyes when she heard the words, as if she was about to shed tears, and said in a low voice: "Yanhan didn't dare to disturb the young lady's interest with such trivial things, but today I met Haitang's brother, and I couldn't help it for a while, this time Just said it."

Originally, Chuoman didn't like women who were too weak, but he just followed Liu Yanhan's tricks, and immediately took her hand, took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears carefully: "Yanhan, don't be sad, this matter Now that Miss Jiaoben knows about it, she will never let it go."

As Chuo Man said, she tilted her head and glanced at Song Zhi: "Are you Bai Haitang's brother?"

"No, it's just a neighbor." Song Zhi said.

Chuoman nodded: "Let me just say, you two don't look alike at all."

"You already knew about Haitang, didn't you?"

Song Zhi nodded.

Chuo Man was immediately dissatisfied: "Since you already knew..." Chuo Man suddenly realized, "So that's why you came here today?"

"Then why are you stopping my carriage?"

When mentioning this matter, Song Zhi couldn't help being a little embarrassed, and said bravely, "The villain didn't know that Miss Liu was in the carriage, but he saw Miss Liu through the curtain, and thought she was the same as Man'er..."

Chuo Man chuckled, looked at Lian Shen and said, "So I thought you were that dandy."

Lian Shen's face suddenly turned black.

Chuo Man patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, "It's a pity that the beauty is not yours."

Lian Shen's face darkened even more, and he didn't dare to show his face at Chuo Man, so he had to give Song Zhi a hard look.

Chuo Man turned to Liu Yanhan again and said, "This matter is on my shoulders. None of the governors of the Jiaofang Division, including Yu Shilang, can escape."

Liu Yanhan agreed softly: "Thank you miss."

Song Zhi came to investigate for days to no avail, but she didn't expect to meet Chuo Man today, who directly solved the big trouble he was almost helpless.Song Zhi couldn't help but feel a little complicated, no matter what to solve, it still depends on the power and status.

"Thank you, Miss." Song Zhi said.

Song Zhixin sighed slightly, raised her eyes, and met Liu Yanhan's gaze. Liu Yanhan was looking at him with a faint smile on her lips. It seems that Liu Yanhan is not as simple as it seems on the surface.