flstandardbreds Chapter 171 3 Good News
Chapter 171 3 Good News
"What good news?" A-Luo, the most impatient of them all, asked first.
"The first piece of good news is that we don't have to pay rent anymore." Yu Ningyao smiled slightly.
"What?" The children, including Lu Lingguang, were all surprised.
"Is the landlord some kind of saint who waived our rent?" Tie Tou couldn't help but ask.
"The landlady is my mother." Yu Ningyao stopped teasing them and told them the whole story.
Several children: ...
What a coincidence.
"Miss, what is the second piece of good news?" Little Crescent couldn't help but ask.
"The second piece of good news is that you did an excellent job with the task I gave you yesterday. From now on, you are mine! I will take good care of you." Yu Ningyao reached out and patted her head.
Upon hearing her affirmation, the children couldn't help but cheer.
Even the most composed Ironhead jumped up.
"The third piece of good news..."
Yu Ningyao deliberately dragged out the tone.
“Starting tomorrow, you can begin learning martial arts from Lu Lingguang. You will practice martial arts in the morning, and in the afternoon I will invite a tutor to come and teach you to read and write.”
"Thank you so much, Miss." The group was very excited.
They never imagined they would live such a life.
You can study, and you can also learn martial arts.
"Alright, you guys need to work hard and not let me down. I have high hopes for you guys~" Yu Ningyao's eyes crinkled, and she looked to be in a great mood.
"Don't worry, Miss, we will definitely live up to your expectations!" Tie Tou declared, clenching his fist.
When the younger children heard their older brother say this, they all nodded in agreement and repeated what he said.
“I believe you can definitely do it.” Yu Ningyao nodded again.
Soon, the courtyard was filled with laughter and cheerful voices.
……
The Duke of Xingguo's mansion was unaware that the account books had been stolen.
He Yunjin was the first to notice something was wrong.
Officials in Xiangguo were not punished for patronizing prostitutes, so he would visit the Drunken Flower Pavilion every few days.
He had taken advantage of the time when Zuihualou was repairing the lotus pond in the back garden to hide the account books underground.
Every time the bitter lotus was pulled up, he would send his trusted men to check if the items were still there.
To avoid arousing suspicion, he did not assign anyone to keep an eye on the lotus pond.
Today I've come to Zuihualou.
As usual, he went for a stroll in the back garden by himself.
His expression changed instantly when his gaze fell on the pool.
Why are so many lotus leaves missing?
The maidservant Yu Su quickly replied, "Yesterday, a petty thief came to the brothel and stole some of the guests' silver. He was thrown into the water as a punishment. However, his attendant gave Madam a gold ingot, so Madam didn't pursue the matter further."
He Yunjin's heart began to pound faster.
A bad feeling crept into my heart.
He didn't press further, and after taking several sips of wine, he shook off Yu Su.
"Master wishes to admire the lotus blossoms."
He staggered to the edge of the flower bed, then pretended to be drunk and fell into the bed.
"Ah—!" Yu Su cried out in surprise and hurriedly called for help to rescue He Yun Jin.
This sir cannot die in their Drunken Flower Pavilion.
That would be big trouble.
He Yunjin sank to the bottom of the water, relying on her senses to quickly locate the place where she had buried something.
He reached out and touched it, finding signs of being pried open.
He was terrified.
He quickly opened the tiled door and found the hidden box to be empty.
"Sir, are you alright?"
One after another, thugs jumped down to try and save him.
He Yunjin stepped the brick back into place.
"Get lost, I'm perfectly sober."
He returned to the shore on his own.
Seeing his pale face, no one dared to approach him, and Yu Su was even more frightened and turned pale.
But she kept her responsibilities firmly in mind.
Tonight, Lord He is her patron, and she must keep him company.
So she forced a smile and walked over.
"Your clothes are all wet, let me help you change."
"Hmm." He Yunjin beckoned over, calling his trusted aide over, and said in a low voice, "Go and ask the Duke if the things are still there."
"Bring Lao Wang along as well."
The trusted confidant responded and left.
He Yunjin followed Yu Su to the room to take a hot shower and change into dry clothes.
He then solemnly ordered her to bring over the madam, Liu Yanzhi.
He was a second-rank official in the court, so Liu Yanzhi naturally dared not offend him.
"Who threw the child into the lotus pond last night?" He Yunjin didn't beat around the bush and asked directly.
"That man claimed to be surnamed Zhao, but I don't know which family he belonged to," Liu Yanzhi replied, her heart pounding with fear.
"You don't know? There are actually wealthy men in the entire capital that you, Liu San Niang, don't recognize?" He Yun Jin's words were laced with sarcasm.
"You flatter me, sir. How could I possibly know so many people?" Liu Yanzhi said with a forced smile.
“I don’t think that young master Zhao is from the capital. I’ve never seen him before.”
Upon hearing this, He Yunjin realized that those people must have come for the account books in the pool.
Yesterday's performance was definitely intentional.
He Yunjin grew angrier the more he thought about it, and he slammed his hand on the table:
"Think carefully about what that person looks like, his entourage, and the child's appearance. Make sure you understand everything. That person is a wanted criminal. If he escapes, I will hold you responsible!"
"Yes, yes, yes," Liu Yanzhi said three times in a row, her heart pounding with anxiety.
She couldn't tell at all that the playboy from last night looked like a wanted criminal.
What kind of imperial criminal would dare to be so audacious as to carry gold with him?
It must be that young master who offended this official.
She dared not reveal her true thoughts, but simply stood obediently to the side, waiting for He Yunjin's instructions.
Not long after, his confidant brought in Old Wang, who was in charge of creating portraits of wanted criminals for the government.
Following closely behind was Huo Pinglan, the Duke of Xingguo, with a gloomy expression.
Upon seeing Huo Pinglan, He Yunjin immediately sensed something was wrong.
He looked at Liu Yanzhi with a stern face: "Find all the girls who saw those men that day, find an empty room, and describe what they look like."
"Yes, sir," Liu Yanzhi replied.
The confidant instructed Lao Wang to follow.
In an instant, only Huo Pinglan and He Yunjin remained in the room.
"The things are lost." Huo Pinglan gritted her teeth in anger.
"My things are gone too." He Yunjin's expression was equally grim.
"Who, who could have done this?" Huo Pinglan was completely baffled.
He Yunjin first explained her own situation.
"We'll probably only know who those people are after Lao Wang draws their portraits. Have you noticed anything unusual on your end?"
“Nothing’s wrong,” Huo Pinglan blurted out.
"Have any outsiders visited the manor recently?" He Yunjin asked again.
Huo Pinglan slapped her thigh suddenly: "You know what, it's true. Yu Kangjing's wife and daughter came to the Duke's mansion yesterday."