Chapter 257 - Xiuning Workshop, Suspicious Shopkeeper (1/2)

Chapter 257 Xiuning Workshop, Suspicious Shopkeeper

Before Mo Xuetong answered, Bai Yihao turned around to look out of the windows. His gaze seemed to travel through the crowd and landed somewhere further way. “People say that King Jin manor’s lady used to love plum, so they planted the large plum forest outside the capital. King Jin planted them for his lovely wife, but many premium plum flowers are missing from the forest now.”

“In the inner residence of King Jin lies the most beautiful red plum forest. The lady loves to visit there the most. When it’s winter, the red plums will blossom against the white snow. When the wind blows, the snowflakes swirling in the sky are dreamlike. So, the small red plum forest and the lady’s yard are collectively called the Dream Yard.”

Bai Yihao said slowly and his handsome profile looked jade-like white and flawless in the sunlight. However, it seemed to carry something else.

Today, Bai Yihao was very different.

Mo Xuetong raised her lips in a light smile and gently said, “The red plum forest must be pretty to match its t.i.tle, the Dream Yard. If I can see such a plum forest in my life, it’ll be a life worth living for.”

In King Jin’s old manor, only the small plum forest could be seen from the outside. After so many years, the rest of the house was still sealed in the old manor. She remembered that day, Feng Yuran took her into King Jin’s manor out of the blue. She saw a large number of buildings and couldn’t see the end of it. It could be seen that King Jin used to be bustling.

Thinking of King Jin manor’s old glory and seeing the ruins left today, Mo Xuetong had to exclaimed that, in the palace, as long as you were involved the fight of the throne, even your royal decedents would be sentenced to death, and it would even drag more people into the fight. If not for supremacy back then, King Jin who loved his wife and his lady might have become the perfect couple in people’s eyes.

“You will.” Bai Yihao turned around and stared at her. Suddenly, he rose up and smilingly said, “Three days later, there will be a Qin gathering. Scholars will meet and if you’re available, do meet us there.”

“Sure.” Mo Xuetong stood up and agreed straightforwardly.

This time, Bai Yihao didn’t say anything else and turned around to leave. His snow-white clothes fluttered and soon, it faded out of Mo Xuetong’s view.

Mo Xuetong sat back down and Mo Lan, who had been staying behind the curtains, pa.s.sed a cup of water to her.

Mo Xuetong flicked her finger gently on the table and looked out of the windows thoughtfully. When Mo Lan was done with the errands, she suddenly smiled and said, “Mo Lan, send for Mr. Xing.”

“Yes, miss.” Mo Lan turned around to leave and soon brought back Mr. Xing.

“Please sit.” Mo Xueotng pointed to the seat opposite and mildly smiled.

“Since you’re here, there will be no place for me. I might as well stand.” Mr. Xing wouldn’t sit and stubbornly stood by the side after curtsying to Mo Xuetong.

Seeing him insist, Mo Xuetong didn’t urge him further. She slightly raised her lips and asked, “Do you know He Xia? She used to serve my mother.”

Mr. Xing thought for a moment and asked in reply, “Is she the one who’s tall and slim?”

“Yes. After her ladys.h.i.+p pa.s.sed away, Sister He Xia went missing. Since you know He Xia and many other people out there, can you ask around about her whereabouts for us? She used to run the account book for her ladys.h.i.+p. If you can find her, she will help our miss figure out something about her ladys.h.i.+p.”

Receiving Mo Xuetong’s signal, Mo Lan smilingly said to Mr. Xing.

“If you can find Sister He Xia, our miss will thank you generously.”

“Miss is too polite. If you want to find He Xia, you can just tell me. There’s no need to thank me. I used to serve her ladys.h.i.+p, and now I must serve you as well.” Mr. Xing said in fright and showed his respect. He looked like a regular person who just received an important mission from his master. However, Mo Xuetong could tell that something was hiding in Mr. Xing’s eyes.

“You’re too modest. From your accent, you must be native in the capital. Your parents have been living here all the time, right?” Mo Xuetong chuckled and gently changed the topic.

“Yes, I’m from the capital. I used to work at Fu General Manor, then I went to Mo Manor with her ladys.h.i.+p and ran the shop for her.” Mr. Xing smiled again and answered skillfully.

Mo Xuetong mildly smiled and asked, “You’ve stayed long in Fu General Manor and must know my mother’s other shops. Father wants me to handle my mother’s dowry but I didn’t know how many shops like this my mother used to have. Can you tell me that?”

Last time, her father said that, after the New Year, her mother’s shops and lands, and the profit her mother made after marriage, along with the profitless jewelry and accessories would all be hers.

“Her ladys.h.i.+p has 20 shops in total and they are about the same size as mine. They sell all kinds of stuff and most of them are situated in the capital. When her ladys.h.i.+p left the capital back then, she asked the second uncle to run the shops for her. When Old Sir returned to the capital, the second uncle gave all of them back to Old Sir.”

“The second uncle has taken care of my mother’s account book for a while? Why didn’t he handle your shop?” Mo Xuetong was startled and asked with a frown.

Mr. Xing seemed to fail to understand as well. A trace of blankness flashed in his eyes and he murmured, “Maybe her ladys.h.i.+p didn’t completely trust him so she saved herself one.”

“My mother didn’t completely trust the second uncle?” Mo Xuetong’s gaze swept the overcautious shopkeeper and a light smile appeared by her lips. Her mother sent her four first servants and came all the way from Cloud City to the capital to see a man in the name of managing the accounts.

How daring that was! However, when the shopkeeper mentioned it, he said her mother was just cautious. A trace of grimness flashed through her bright, watery eyes. She might fail to figure out something, but she was sure Mr. Xing wasn’t innocent.

He Xia was just a maidservant and she hadn’t visited the capital often, yet she still found that was a man. Mr. Xing had been sophisticated and couldn’t have known nothing. He thought he made a perfect reply before her, however, the holes in his story were very obvious. From He Xia’s account, Mo Xuetong also knew that someone had been watching Xiuning Workshop back then.

If Mr. Xing was a normal person, how couldn’t he reveal the least doubt to his young master?