Jiu Zhang Ji: The Daily Life of the Reborn Daughter

Chapter 69: Shang Zhen, the Chief Steward

Dingguogong Mansion

Only after sending Najib's people away did Qiao Lili have time to read the letter from Ajing that Concubine Yun gave her.

The content of Yu Jingyan's letters to his mother and Qiao Lili are not the same. The letters to Qiao Lili are usually about his feelings and vague thoughts. The letters to Concubine Yun are just brief work reports, including where he has been and what he has done in the past few days.

There was still some time before dinner, so Qiao Lili changed her clothes and went to the outer study. A map of Ganjiang was hung on the wall. She carefully marked the places Yu Jingyan had been to on the map.

Before the time of writing this letter, he was still on Gan Mountain, upstream of the Gan River, surveying the water flow conditions.

Before dinner, it was the time for the people who were sent out to report what they had seen and heard that day. She and Shang Zhen summarized the information, analyzed it one by one, and then deployed the tasks for the next day.

Today, Bai Junzhe went to report to the city defense army, and everything that happened with the Bai family was summarized in front of Qiao Lili.

"Master Shang, we analyzed before that the Bai family was going to take action against Old Butcher, because if things continued like this, Bai Rouer's innocence would definitely be in jeopardy. In fact, if Bai Junzhe hadn't returned home in time today, Bai Rouer would have been ruined." Qiao Lili tapped the table rhythmically with her fingers, her brows slightly frowned, with some doubts in her heart that were difficult to resolve.

"With the character of the Bai family, they will never sit and wait for death. The old butcher has already shown it so clearly, what is she waiting for?" Bai Rouer is already in danger. As long as Bai Junzhe is on duty, Bai Rouer will be a lamb to be slaughtered. Qiao Lili looked at Shang Zhen, hoping that he could have a logical analysis or answer.

Shang Zhen stared at a graph that Qiao Lili had written of all of Bai's actions. "To sum it up, the last person suspected of being poisoned was your mother. After your mother, none of her concubines had died of similar poisoning. Is it possible that she was afraid of being discovered and temporarily cut off contact with the person behind her? She has also run out of poison."

Qiao Lili's eyes lit up, and she seemed to have found some clues to the problem she had been unable to figure out: "Master Shang, do you think it is possible that the person she wants to contact cannot be contacted whenever she wants, but can only be contacted during a specific time period? For example, she can contact the person in a certain place twice or several times a year, but cannot contact the person outside of this time period."

Qiao Lili guessed that this should be the truth, because Bai doted on Bai Rouer too much. If there was any way, she would not let the situation develop like this.

"Young master, if Bai Junzhe wants to kill the old butcher, it shouldn't be too difficult. Is it possible that the Bai family will let Bai Junzhe kill the old butcher?" Feng Ye saw with his own eyes today that Bai Junzhe beat the old butcher away, and the old butcher had no power to fight back at all.

"The Bai family will not let Bai Junzhe do this at this moment. Bai Junzhe has been demoted to a gatekeeper. If he makes another mistake, he will probably have to go home to sell sweet potatoes. The Bai family is still dreaming of restoring the former glory of the Marquis' Mansion, although the Marquis' Mansion where she was at that time was already a rotten mud pond." Qiao Lili took out a new piece of paper and wrote and drew on it.

Then she stood up: "The Bai family will not agree to Bai Junzhe killing Lao Tu, but that doesn't mean Bai Junzhe won't do it on his own initiative. So, keep a close eye on the Bai family. If Bai Junzhe takes action, do Lao Tu a small favor. It's okay as long as he doesn't die." If he doesn't die, he will take revenge madly. It's not easy to find a villain like Lao Tu. He doesn't have to dirty his own hands, and he can still torture them. He will have to use him for a while at least.

"However, everyone should do what they are able to do. If you can't win, retreat. Try not to get yourself hurt. Everyone must protect themselves. Nothing is more important than life." After all, Bai Junzhe has been on the battlefield and killed people. Qiao Lili was afraid that the team she had just formed would suffer casualties. If this mission failed, there would always be next time. As long as there is life, there is hope.

At this time, Xiang Dazhuang, who had been silent, spoke up: "Young master, don't worry. When Bai Junzhe was at the border, we often trained together. He is just an embroidered pillow. He can beat up a gangster, but if he meets one of our brothers, he will be beaten black and blue until he cries for his parents."

They were all soldiers under the Duke of Dingguo. When they learned that the Bai family had committed marriage fraud and that Bai Junzhe had bullied the young master, they were so angry that they rubbed their hands. That day in front of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, they could not beat him up in a public manner, and their hands were itching to scratch the wall.

If we give them a chance, and they don't beat him to a pulp, he'll be lucky even if his parents don't recognize him.

"No matter what, save their lives. There are still many mysteries that have not been solved, and we can't let them die." Until the end of the previous life, they had been forcing her to hand over something, but they never said specifically what it was. I'm afraid that even they themselves didn't know what it was.

They still have to lure out the people behind to solve these mysteries. The most important thing is their mother, and see if they can find any clues on them, so they have to stay alive for a few more days.

"Have the graves of the concubines and illegitimate sons and daughters of the Bai family been found?" Qiao Lili asked. She would take action once they found them. Her mother had been dead for six years. The longer the time, the more variables there would be.

"Not yet," Bao Zhiqiang answered somewhat embarrassedly. He really didn't expect that finding a grave could be so difficult. "Those concubines and illegitimate sons and daughters were not buried in the Bai family's ancestral tomb. I even suspected that they were thrown into a mass grave after they died. Otherwise, how could there be no trace left?"

"Bai is so cruel and ruthless that he might do this." Look for it again. If you still can't find it, try another idea.

Just as he finished talking, the servant at the gate came to report that Yunwen and Yunwu wanted to see him. Qiao Lili asked everyone to disperse and go about their business, leaving only Shang Zhen behind.

After spending some time together, Qiao Lili felt that Shang Zhen was a man of strategy and trustworthy. She wanted him to take over all the things in her hands so that she could free herself from these trivial matters and concentrate on finding her mother, saving her father and brother, and avenging her past life.

Yunwen came to report on the situation in several shops and brought the account books from last month. Yunwu came to report on the progress at the orphanage.

Qiao Lili had already told Shang Zhen about her plan before, and Shang Zhen agreed. Today, she also instructed Yunwen and Yunwu. From now on, these matters can be handed over to Master Shang, and they can come to her if there are special circumstances.

"Greetings to Chief Steward Shang." Yunwen and Yunwu knelt on one knee to salute Shang Zhen.

Qiao Lili observed Yunwen and Yunwu and did not see any dissatisfaction on their faces. These two people were left to her by her mother. She was afraid that they would think of themselves as old people and would refuse to obey Shang Zhen's command. After all, Shang Zhen had just arrived at Duke Dingguo's Mansion not long ago.

It seems that my mother has a good eye for people. Yunwen and Yunwu are both people who stick to their duties.

Mother just made a mistake with Bai. It's not her fault. She was so deliberate and must have done a lot of disguises. Mother was so cold to her, but she just clung to her like taffy without asking for anything in return. She is also the lady of the Marquis's Mansion, so there is really nothing she can do.

It was time for dinner. After finishing their talk, Yunwen, Yunwu and Shang Zhen left one after another. Qiao Lili stood in front of the map of Ganjiang and looked at it for a while, wondering where her brother Ajing was, what he was doing, and whether he had eaten. As she thought about it, the dimples on her lips unconsciously showed a faint smile.

Suddenly, she felt a gaze falling on her. She turned around abruptly and saw Qiao Zhen's little head with a pigtail combed in from the door.

Because it was Qiao Zhen who came, Cai Qi and Cai Xing who were waiting outside did not inform her.

Qiao Zhen originally wanted to play a joke on her sister, but she was discovered as soon as she showed her head. She could only say hesitantly, "I'm here to meet you at my grandmother's house for dinner. Can you please leave now?"

Qiao Lili walked to the door and pulled him in. She saw that he had changed his clothes for meeting guests today and was only wearing his homely cotton shirt with a few grass leaves stuck on it. "Where have you been naughty again? Be careful."

Qiao Lili cleaned Qiao Zhen up before she took his hand to go to Zhenxia Courtyard. Otherwise, her hands would be too dirty to pull.

She had someone deliver a letter to Zhenxiayuan in advance, and when she and Qiao Zhen arrived, Zhenxiayuan was just serving food.