Chapter 1183 Is she okay?

Great Zhou, Yijing

In the eastern part of Yijing, where every inch of land is valuable, there is a main road called Houde Road. It was built two years ago by Liu Ning, the then governor of Yijing, for the purpose of urban planning and to ease the traffic problems in Yijing. The name of Houde Road is taken from the Book of Changes: "The earth is in a low position, and a gentleman should carry all things with great virtue!"

At that time, Ye Mingsheng chose this name because this road was a main road in the plan. Ye Mingsheng thought that he would definitely walk this road often in the future, so he wanted to use this name to remind himself to restrain his desires, try his best to be a gentleman, and benefit the people of the world...

After more than half a year of construction, Houde Street was completed and became a famous commercial street in Yijing due to its prime location. There are hundreds of shops and restaurants along the entire street. It is bustling with people coming and going and traffic every day!

According to statistics from the Yijing government office, the merchants along Houde Road alone contribute at least more than 30,000 taels of silver in taxes to the Yijing government office every year!
Among the hundreds of shops on Houde Road, the majority are engaged in the trading of gold and jewelry. After all, as the current political and economic center of the Great Zhou, Yijing has a large number of noble ladies. These noble ladies gather together, and they either compete with each other to see whose husband has a higher position or makes more money, or to see who has more and better-looking gold, silver and jewelry.

This also creates consumer demand. With demand and purchasing power, the existence of dozens of gold shops and jewelry stores on Houde Road is understandable.

Among the time-honored gold, silver and jewellery shops such as Qianfan, Xilaifu and Debao, a store called Fushenglou is particularly eye-catching. Although the store area of ​​Fushenglou is not the largest, its location is almost the best on Houde Road!

The owner of this Fushenglou is named Feng Yuning, who is said to be a businessman from Yunbing. He made a lot of money in Yunbing so he came to Beijing to expand his business.

However, some people say that although this Feng is called the boss, he is actually just a shopkeeper. After all, the saying "scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans" is not for nothing...

Even if you are extremely wealthy, you cannot control the Great Zhou, especially under the feet of an emperor like Yi Jing. Even if you are lucky enough to occupy a precious land, you will have to give it up in the end. The fact that Fusheng Building has been peaceful and no one dares to provoke it is enough to explain the problem!

At this time, in the basement of the warehouse in the backyard of Fusheng Building, a token fell on the table. Seeing this, Ye Chao, a captain of the Coordination Office who was standing respectfully, was stunned.

At this time, Qiqige, who was standing opposite him, looked at Ye Chao coldly and said:
"Captain Ye, can you explain why your token appeared on Liu Bao?"

"Liu Bao? Who is he?" Ye Chao asked in confusion:
Qiqige took a deep look at Ye Chao, who was full of doubt, and then said in a deep voice:
"At this time, you still want to play dumb? Or are you really not going to cry until you see the coffin?"

"I am being so polite to you now because you have been loyal to the Madam in the past. Why do you insist on being severely tortured before you confess, Ye Chao?"

Hearing Qiqige's horrible words, Ye Chao suddenly panicked. His legs went weak and he knelt at Qiqige's feet, crying:

"Auntie, I really don't know who this Liu Bao is. I have never heard of this name!"

Seeing that Ye Chao seemed to want to argue, Qiqige's face immediately turned cold, and she knocked Ye Chao to the ground with a palm, then took out a silver needle from her bosom and pierced one of Ye Chao's acupuncture points. Ye Chao's face immediately changed and he let out a painful wail, and while wailing he begged Qiqige for mercy:

“Aunt, please let me go... I really don’t know who Liu Bao is... I really don’t know...”

Facing Ye Chao's pleas for mercy, Qiqige was heartless and turned a deaf ear to him. She still thrust the silver needle in her hand deeper into the body. This caused Ye Chao to suffer even greater pain. After a few seconds, Ye Chao could no longer bear it and fainted!
Seeing Ye Chao lying unconscious on the ground, Qiqige's eyes flashed with a hint of doubt. She was familiar with Ye Chao. He was a spineless villain who was afraid of death and loved life. It was precisely because of this that she took advantage of him and placed him in the General Coordination Office to work secretly for the eldest lady. This kid was never a tough guy who could withstand punishment!

Could it be that I was really wrong?

After hesitating for a while, Qiqige took out the silver needle from Ye Chao's body, and then slapped him again to wake him up. Ye Chao, who had woken up, looked at Qiqige in front of him and was so scared that he trembled and cried:

"Auntie, I beg you, I really didn't know. If I lied to you, I, Ye Chao, would have no descendants. Please don't mess with me!"

Seeing Ye Chao's wimpy look, Qiqige glanced at him with some disdain and asked in a deep voice:
"Since you don't know Liu Bao, then tell me how did you lose your badge?"

Ye Chao seemed a little hesitant when he heard this question, but under Qiqige's icy gaze, he still hesitated and whispered:

"I won more than ten taels of silver from gambling a few days ago, and I went to Cuixiang Tower to drink in great joy. I drank a little too much and found that my token was gone when I woke up. I searched for several days but still couldn't find it..."

After hearing this, Qiqige was a little angry, but more of it was helpless. After all, gambling and drinking were things that a bastard like Ye Chao would do. Thinking of this, Qiqige wanted to slap him to death!
You know, two days ago Liu Bao died outside the west city gate with Ye Chao's token on him, which caused quite a stir!
Fortunately, An Miaoyi thought that family disgrace should not be made public, so although she ordered her subordinates to arrest Liu Bao, she did not inform them of the reason for arresting Liu Bao!

And this matter was finally suppressed by An Miaoyi. After all, Ye Chao was the beloved son of Ye Dasheng, the patriarch of the Ye clan, and Ye Dasheng was An Miaoyi's most staunch supporter in the Ye clan!
So even though she was angry, considering Ye Dasheng's face and his consistent support for her, An Miaoyi could only find a way to suppress the matter.

Looking at Qiqige's livid face, Ye Chao cautiously probed:
"Auntie, what happened? I lost my token, isn't it? Madam, don't you know?"

Under Ye Chao's inquiring gaze, Qiqige continued to speak coldly:

"Ye Chao, you are done this time!"

After hearing this, Ye Chao panicked and asked:

“Auntie, what on earth happened? I just lost my token… and my father is Ye Dasheng…”

Before he could finish his words, Qiqige slapped him in the face and scolded him coldly:
"If your father wasn't Ye Dasheng, you bastard would be in the jail of the Central Coordination Office right now!"

Ye Chao didn't dare to say anything more after hearing this. After Qiqige calmed down, he ordered:
"Take the token and go back and wait!"

Feeling the coldness in Qiqige's words, Ye Chao knelt down again and begged:

"Auntie, please help me and say a few good words to the Madam!"

"I'm innocent! I really don't know anything!"

Seeing that Ye Chao was really panicking, Qiqige ordered in a deep voice:

"If they told you to go back and wait for the notice, then wait for the notice fee. As long as you are innocent, the higher-ups won't let anyone put the blame on you!"

Ye Chao felt relieved after hearing this. He immediately stood up and bowed deeply to Qiqige, saying:
"I, Ye Chao, am leaving my life in your hands!"

"Get out!" Amid Qiqige's curse, Ye Chao immediately crawled out of the secret room, and after he left, a handsome middle-aged scholar walked into the secret room.

Seeing the person coming, Qiqige asked in a deep voice:
"Feng Yuning, what do you think about this matter?"

Feng Yuning, the owner of Fushenglou, smiled and said:
"I agree with your opinion, madam. Although Mr. Ye Chao likes to have fun, he has no relationship with Liu Bao, and it is obvious that the other party came prepared. So it is possible that someone around the madam may have leaked the secret..."

Qiqige frowned slightly when he heard this, and Feng Yuning continued:

"Madam, I have some clues about the matter you asked me to investigate last time. This Madam Zhao may have some problems!"

"Are you talking about Zhao Erxiu?"

"Yes!"

"Where's the evidence?"

"Two months ago, she gave her sister Zhao Sanxiu two ten-liang silver notes! In addition, this Zhao Ma is a Buddhist. When she went out to purchase two months ago, she complained to her sister Zhao Sanxiu that she was punished by the Madam and felt that the Madam handled it unfairly!"

Facing Qiqige's surprised look, Feng Yuning nodded slightly to indicate that Qiqige was right.

Seeing this, Qiqige's expression also became gloomy. After a moment, she asked Feng Yuning in a deep voice:
"How did you know about this?"

Feng Yuning said calmly:
"Of course I have my own way. Madam, when you return home, you just need to arrest Aunt Zhao and interrogate her to find out!"

The answer given by Feng Yuning did not satisfy Qiqige, so Qiqige continued to stare at Feng Yuning.

After a few seconds of stalemate, Feng Yuning could only choose to compromise and explain:
"I thought Zhao Erxiu was the most suspicious, so I arrested her sister and her family for questioning!"

Qiqige heard this and asked in a deep voice:
"Who do you think instructed Madam Zhao to do this?"

Feng Yuning did not give an answer immediately after hearing this, but after thinking for a while, he said in a deep voice:
“From what we have seen so far, the person who can do such a thing is quite powerful, so the first suspect must be Madam Murong. She has the ability and means to do such a thing…”

"But my intuition tells me that she didn't do this. After all, the Murong family just suffered such a big blow and should have rested and recuperated. Moreover, she is pregnant now, and giving birth to the child safely should be her top priority!"

After saying this, Feng Yuning changed the subject and said:

"That Mrs. Bai doesn't care who is behind this incident. All she wants to do is to muddy the waters and help her family get away with it!"

"So as long as the Madam is willing to let the Bai family off, Madam Bai will immediately stop her actions. So this matter depends on how the Madam handles it!"

Qiqige did not speak after hearing this but fell into deep thought. After hesitating for a moment, she seemed to realize something and asked Feng Yuning:
"You don't seem to want the Madam to continue investigating?"

Faced with this question, Feng Yuning did not speak, but her silence clearly represented her attitude.

Seeing this, Qiqige asked again:

"Why? Who do you think is behind this?"

Facing Qiqige's series of questions, Feng Yuning sighed and said helplessly:
"How many people in this world can place an undercover agent next to the Madam?"

“That lady obviously doesn’t have such an idea. Murong Qingwu is unlikely to be the one. Although Madam Pei is low-key, she is very self-aware and has never gotten involved in such matters. Qiqige, think carefully about who else is capable of doing such a thing…”

As soon as these words were spoken, Qiqige immediately thought about it, and a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes. How come all the suspects seemed to have been ruled out by Feng Yuning?

Just when Qiqige was puzzled, Feng Yuning could only speak more bluntly.

"You missed the most important person!"

Hearing Feng Yuning say this, Qi Qige, who was originally confused, was immediately stunned, as if she realized something. Then she took a deep breath and looked at Feng Yuning.

Facing Qiqige's gaze, Feng Yuning nodded slightly and said:
"That's what I think! I also think that only this person has the ability to place people around the eldest lady!"

Qiqige took another deep breath and nodded and said:
"I understand. I will tell the Madam about your idea!"

After saying this, Qiqige left immediately. Just as Qiqige was about to leave the secret room, Feng Yuning suddenly spoke:
"Is she okay?"

As soon as these words came out, Qiqige stopped immediately, then turned around and looked at Feng Yuning and warned:
“This has nothing to do with you!”

Feng Yuning smiled slightly and said:

"Don't be nervous, I'm just asking. After all, we might have been friends before... We knew each other for a while!
Under Qiqige's murderous gaze, Feng Yuning could only change his words immediately, but even so, Qiqige immediately grabbed his neck and threatened:

"Mr. Feng, don't be so self-indulgent here. If you dare to have any unreasonable thoughts, I, Qiqige, will be the first to kill you, and none of the hundreds of people in your Feng family will survive. Do you understand?"

Facing Qiqige's undisguised threat, Feng Yuning was not afraid at all, but still nodded and said:
"Don't worry! I have a family now, I won't be confused about this kind of thing!"

(End of this chapter)