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  Since getting married, Ming Xuan has been sleeping with Pei Jingxian every night. Although he later went to the Ministry of Households for work and occasionally had late-night social engagements, he would always send Long Geng back to deliver messages, no later than midnight, and return to Qingyi Institute. It's been over two months since they got married, and there has never been a precedent for him not returning home by midnight.

  She felt a little uneasy in her heart and called Dan Hong over, "Has Chang Geng come back to deliver the message?"

  Dan Hong shook her head, "Not at all, Madam. Why don't I go to the study and ask Chang Qing if Master left any instructions when he went to the yamen today?"

  Chang Qing is in charge of the outer study and is also Pei Jingchen's most trusted long-following attendant, aside from Chang Geng.

  Ming Xuan nodded, "Go."

  She slightly moved her eyes, and hurriedly called out to Dan Hong who was about to leave, "Go to the box and take two silver ingots. If even Chang Qing doesn't know where Master has gone, let him take the silver money and go out to ask around. The Ministry of Revenue's gate has people on night duty, if Master has any engagements, those door gods should be aware."

  Dan Hong hastily replied with a "yes", took the silver money and immediately went out the door.

  The noise in the main house had already woken up the strict nanny, who got dressed quickly and came in, asking anxiously, "Has Master not returned yet?"

  She saw Ming Xuan's expression was somewhat solemn, and couldn't help but comfort her by saying: "Master must have been temporarily pulled away to attend to some social engagement, and for the time being, he can't extricate himself, all officials with official duties are like this, Madam doesn't need to worry excessively, Master isn't a person without discretion, just wait a little while longer and he will definitely return."

  Ming Xuan's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and she gently shook her head. "He has always been cautious and prudent in his actions. If something urgent came up, he would definitely send someone back to report. It's not like him to be completely out of contact... I'm afraid he might have fallen into someone's trap..."

  Let's not mention Miss Yang Si for now, who is determined to squeeze into Jingyi Academy. If she only encountered the Peach Blossom Calamity, that would still be considered good fortune. What's scary is that there are people secretly plotting against his life. You see, Pei Jingchen has indeed hindered many people's progress and blocked the path of advancement for many others.

  She thought so, and began to feel restless, deep in the quiet night, her heart was like a drumstone.

  It was almost an hour later that Chang Qing finally came in to report, "Regarding what the Old Mistress said, I went to the Ministry of Revenue and asked the two duty officers on night watch. They both said that the Master had left early and that there were no banquets at the Ministry of Revenue tonight."

  He seemed to have been running all the way, still panting slightly between sentences. "I remember that there was a Mr. Jiao Ruan who lived in Liu Zi Alley in the west of the city and worked with Master. So I went to the west of the city and asked the servants at the Jiao residence, but they said that Mr. Jiao had not returned home either. It is said that he was invited by Ping Zhang Zheng Shi to drink wine at Wanhua Building."

  Ming Xuan was greatly shocked and asked in a loud voice, "What? Ping Zhang is handling government affairs?"

  Chang Qing continued, "He was a long-serving attendant of the Jiao Mansion, originally sent by Lady Jiao to deliver a message to Lord Jiao at the Ministry of Revenue. However, halfway there, he saw Lord Jiao and Minister Ping entering the Wanhualou together. Afraid of spoiling Minister Ping's pleasure, and since the message from the lady wasn't urgent, he turned back."

  Wanhualou is a famous brothel in Shengjing City, although it's a flower building, it's different from the ordinary brothels. It's famous for its wine, food and beautiful scenery. The main business is to hold banquets for officials, nobles, scholars and poets, while the courtesans are just decorations that add flavor to the banquet, most of them sell their art not their bodies.

  Of course, if there are adults at the banquet who take a liking to one of the flower girls, as long as they pay enough silver. They can also go to the backyard to get intimate with them for a while.

  Jiao Ruan, a low-ranking official of the ninth grade, was able to associate with Ping Zhang, a high-ranking official of the first grade, which was a great honor and an opportunity that came once in a lifetime. The long-following servant was clever and knew how rare such opportunities were for his master, so he didn't disturb them.

  Ming Xuan hastily asked, "Did Lang Sui ever see Master together with Lord Jiao?"

  As soon as she heard the four words "Ping Zhang's political affairs", a chill ran down her spine.

  She didn't know how Ming Xuan and Han Xi got along in the past, but since she came, every time she interacted with Han Xi, it was an experience that made her feel terrified and afraid. Whether it was the two encounters at Qingliang Temple or the narrow alley encounter after the horse startled on the street, they all made her deeply aware that Han Xi was a stubborn madman who acted according to his own will, never considering others' feelings, and would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

  Ming Xuan couldn't help but think that in the past, she and Yan Qingyan had a good relationship, but Han Xiuxiu used those underhanded tactics from the Ducha Yuan to force the Yan family to retreat in fear. He seemed to have an extraordinary obsession with her, and she shouldn't have thought that he had given up on her so easily.

  Her face suddenly changed, and Pei Jingchen's late return had already made her worried. Now that she heard the official position of Ping Zhang Zheng Shi, regardless of whether it was related to Han Xiu or not, it was enough to make her anxious.

  Chang Qing saw Madam's face becoming increasingly solemn, her eyebrows also involuntarily furrowed tightly. He raised his head and glanced at Ming Xuan, hesitating for a moment before saying, "That long-following servant said that at the time there were several high-ranking officials present, he didn't get a clear look at whether our family's master was there or not, so he doesn't dare confirm."

  He continued, "The Wanhualou is just west of the city, and I went there to ask about it. The owner of the Wanhualou said that Ping Zhang had indeed booked a banquet there, but for some reason, he didn't show up."

  Ming Xuan's footsteps were a bit unsteady, although it was still uncertain whether Pei Jingchen had been asked to leave with Jiao Ruan by Ping Zhang Zhengshi, but this possibility was very high. The long-following of the Jiao family clearly saw that Han Xiu and Jiao Ruan entered the Wanhualou, but the boss of the Wanhualou said there wasn't...

  Her eyes flickered slightly, and she steadied herself by grasping Dan Hong's arm. She then asked Chang Qing, "In Jing Yi Temple, how many young servants are there that Master can trust?"

  Chang Qing hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Besides me and Chang Geng, there are also Chang Hai and Chang Kong. The two of them have kung fu skills, left by Grandfather to protect Madame Zhou in the mansion."

  Ming Xuan nodded slightly, "Master is usually a cautious person. If something urgent comes up, he will definitely send someone back to deliver the message. He won't just not come home without any news all night. Since Master Jiao also happens to be out, I reckon they're probably together."

  Her eyes deepened, "If the steward of the Jiao family didn't mistake the person, then it must be the owner of the Wanhualou who lied. Longqing, he has already shown his face just now, and this errand can no longer be done. Go ask Longhai or Longkong to dress up a bit, take some silver from me, pretend to be customers, and sneak into the Wanhualou. It's very likely that Master is inside."

  Even if she was raised in a boudoir, Wan Hua Lou was the kind of place that just by hearing its name, she could guess one or two things about it. It was a place where silver coins could pry open anything, and as long as someone reliable mixed in, they would be able to gather some clues.

  Jiao's loyal follower, currently it seems there is no need to lie, but as for the owner of Wanhualou, that's a different story.

  Ming Xuan's expression changed slightly as she furrowed her brow and said, "Even if he's not here, his whereabouts are probably related to the Wan Hua Lou in eight or nine out of ten cases."

  She thought for a moment, "Personally go to the Ping Zhang government office, just say that you are a servant of the Jiao family. The old master has not returned home late at night, and someone saw him with Lord Ping Zhang together, so I want to ask if Lord Ping Zhang has returned to the mansion. Spend more silver, it is necessary to inquire about the details. If he is in the mansion, what time did he return, and are there any messages left behind? Go early and come back early."

  Chang Qing took the silver and left.

  As the hours grew later, the midnight drum had sounded long ago, and Ming Xuan's heart was increasingly panicked. She deeply realized at this moment that as an ancient woman, she was a very weak existence. Apart from being able to manage Jingyi Courtyard, this small piece of land, she basically knew nothing about what was happening outside. If she didn't have capable and reliable servants by her side, she wouldn't even be able to grasp the most basic right to know what was going on.

  Once something urgent happens, she has no way to cope with it, which makes her feel flustered.

  Yan's wife saw Ming Xuan restless, so she comforted her by saying, "When Master returns late, if you're afraid he might have encountered some danger, why not go ask Lord Pei for help? Regardless of what kind of person Lord Pei is, his power is boundless and all the officials in the imperial court must give him face. If he takes charge of searching for someone, it's better than your being so anxious."

  She shifted her body slightly, waiting for Ming Xuan's nod before she would go out.

  Ming Xuan shook her head, "Nanny, no!"

  She said with a serious expression, "Have you forgotten what our grandmother said in the Hou Mansion? Yang has repeatedly persecuted Big Brother, if not for Pei's tacit consent, how could she be so bold and lawless? In this mansion, except for ourselves, even the Young Master and Lord Pei cannot be trusted."

  An empty hole makes wind, but it's not necessarily without sound.

  She can't afford to take any risk at all.

  Pai Jingchen still hadn't returned by the third watch of the night.

  Chang Hai, who went to the Wanhualou Tower, did not bring back any news either. However, Chang Qing managed to extract some information from the mouth of a gatekeeper at the Han Manor: "The servants at the Han Manor said that Ping Zhang, the official in charge of government affairs, had not returned home yet, but he had sent someone to inform his wife that he had made an appointment with several friends to go to a villa in the southern suburbs to admire the moon and drink wine, and it was likely that he would not be able to return tonight."

  This statement is somewhat consistent with Jiao's long-following, the only thing that makes one dare not confirm is whether Pei Jingchen is also on Han Xiu's list of friends.

  But for Ming Xuan, the manor in the southern suburbs of Han Fu was her only clue at this moment.

  She called for Yan Qiniang and asked, "Qiniang, have you ever heard that the Han family has a villa in the southern suburbs?"

  "More than half of the officials and nobles in Shengjing have built their villas in Nangu, firstly because of its beautiful scenery, secondly because it is close to the inner city. Speaking of which, the villa of the Han family is not far from our Hou Mansion, and one of your dowry properties is nearby."

  Ming Xuan nodded, her eyes firm and determined. "Mother, find an excuse to order the second gate to prepare the carriage. I want to go to Nangu in person!"

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