Chapter 294 Trouble
Thinking of this, Gu Xu pondered for a moment and asked Manager Yang beside him: "Did Mr. Shen meet anyone before he left today?"
Manager Yang replied: "Shen Hua, the heir to the Jinling Shen family, came here today. The two brothers had a brief conversation. But I don't know exactly what they talked about."
Gu Xu nodded, turned and walked towards the house.
In the courtyard behind the small building, there is a small lounge.
Although Shen Qiu is a guest of Gu Xu's house, and Gu Xu also left a room for him in the mansion, its symbolic significance is far greater than its actual significance.
Anyway, sleeping is not strictly necessary for practitioners - like Gu Xu himself, he often practices all night long, and the bed at home has almost become a pure decoration.
During the recent period, due to the initial opening of the elixir workshop and the numerous affairs, Shen Qiu basically regarded this room as his temporary residence.
In Gu Xu's impression, Shen Qiu is a very organized person.
His clothes are always clean and tidy, and everything he says is very logical; no matter how busy things are, he can always make a reasonable plan and handle them well. Be methodical.
However, the scene in the lounge at this time surprised Gu Xu.
I saw a lot of torn waste paper on the ground. A writing brush fell to the ground, leaving obvious ink marks on the ground; several wooden chairs were also kicked down, and there were still objects beside the chairs. There were several silk pillows with a few dirty footprints on the surface.
What a mess.
However, the fragile items in the house, such as porcelain tea sets and vases, were still safe.
In addition, Gu Xu also saw a few knitted clothes and gloves on the table.
Their workmanship is very rough, and the patterns on them are also a bit childish and ridiculous. They are all simple flowers, grass and animals, but Shen Qiu placed them in the most conspicuous and accessible position.
"Earlier today, someone got angry in this room." Shangguan Jin appeared beside Gu Xu at some point and whispered to him.
Shangguan Jin has the magical power of "heaven calculation", and everything in the house can be presented in her field of vision in the form of data. With the help of this data, she can roughly guess what happened in the house.
Gu Xu nodded.
He thought about Shen Qiu leaving a list today and leaving in a hurry, and he felt more and more that he might have encountered something really difficult.
At the same time, Gu Xu also remembered that on the day he and Shen Qiu met in Longmen Academy, Shen Qiu's words clearly revealed his dislike for the Shen family members - it could be seen that the relationship between him and the clan members The relationship between them is not harmonious, and they want to break away from the family and prove their talents on a broader stage in Luojing.
"Could it be that the Jinling Shen family made some arrogant demands to force Shen Qiu to return to the family?" Gu Xu silently guessed in his heart.
Then he asked Shangguan Jin beside him: "Fellow Taoist Shangguan, how much do you know about the internal situation of the Shen family in Jinling?"
Although Gu Xu is well-read and knowledgeable, , but his knowledge is mainly concentrated in fields related to spiritual practice.
As for the private affairs within the family, they are generally not recorded in books, and Gu Xu has no time to pry into the gossip. As a personal follower of the head of the Exorcism Department, Shangguan Jin has been dealing with various big figures for a long time, and also has many intelligence channels within the Exorcism Department. He must know more information in this regard.
Shangguan Jin immediately guessed what he wanted to ask.
"Shen Qiu is the concubine of Shen Qianren, the head of the Shen family. His mother is an ordinary maid of the Shen family." She thought for a while and replied, "It is said that there is a deep relationship between Mrs. Shen and the mother and son. She was the one who drove Shen Qiu's mother out of the house because of the conflict. If the head of the family hadn't persuaded her so hard, she would have even thought about putting the mother and son to death - of course, these are just rumors, and you may think it sounds a bit strange. Exaggeration. But Shen Qiu's situation in the clan must be very bad."
"How does Mrs. Shen have such a high voice in the clan?" Gu Xu asked.
In his understanding, prominent figures like the head of a wealthy family basically have wives and concubines. Both the head of the Chen family in Xiangyang and Lu Huan, who died on charges of treason, had more than ten concubines.
As for the Zhao family in Youzhou, after the death of his wife, Mrs. Qu, Zhao Changying, the Duke of Yan State, had neither a second marriage nor a concubine, and only had an only daughter, Zhao Yan, in his family. There is no shortage of beautiful singers and dancers.
"The situation of the Shen family is different from that of the other two families," Shangguan Jin explained. "The Zhao family in Youzhou has a saint who sits in charge and holds military power; the Chen family in Xiangyang has many disciples and followers in the court, and there are also some among the younger generation. Outstanding geniuses.
“However, the Shen family of Jinling made their fortune by running workshops and trading - although this can make them rich in the world, wealth does not have a strong foundation as a foundation, and it does not have a high level. The guardians of practitioners are ultimately just duckweeds without roots.
“In the past few decades, there have been no particularly powerful monks in the Shen family, and the younger generation is basically mediocre in talent, which can be said to be a weak successor.
“If this situation continues If this continues, the Shen family will gradually lose its status as a powerful family and die slowly in the torrent of history.
"In order to save this situation, they chose to marry the He family of Lin'an, which is famous in the Jiangnan area. The He family is a new aristocrat that has risen in recent years. Although they lack a foundation and have no immortals in their ancestors like the Shen family, But today there are many talents, and there is also a huge industry in the Jiangnan region
"Mrs. Shen's original name is 'He Ru'. She is the direct daughter of the He family in Lin'an. She is not weaker than Shen Qianren, the head of the Shen family, in terms of cultivation. Shen Qianren even needs to rely on her sometimes. Shen Qianren does not dare not listen carefully to her opinions. "
"That's it." Gu Xu nodded.
In a wealthy family, although there are many rules, deep routines, and all kinds of intrigues, the ultimate competition is still about hard power.
For example, if Mrs. Shen’s natal family is powerful, she can have a quarrel with her husband over the issue of having an heir with a maid; but if she is a wife of a lowly background, she can only turn a blind eye to her husband’s behavior. Close one eye and show a virtuous and gentle look.
"Being born in such an environment, the things that can make Shen Qiu lose his temper must be related to his mother." Gu Xu guessed.
Although Shen Qiu claimed that he returned to Jinling City to deal with his own private matters, he did not seek help from Gu Xu or anyone in "Shuchangfang", and he was determined not to reveal any more information.
However, in Gu Xu's view, Shen Qiu left behind his powerful family, gave himself high recognition, resolutely defected to his command, and in just a few days, " Shouchangfang" has become such a prosperous business.
Gu Xu is very grateful for this trust and this help.
He sincerely hoped that Shen Qiu could return smoothly, and that Shen Qiu and his mother would be safe and sound.
He was silent for a moment, then took out a copper coin from his pocket, recited the names of "Tai Shang Haotian" and "Emperor Zi Wei", and asked in his heart: "Shen Qiu and his mother Is everything okay? ”
The copper coin was gently thrown up by him, and then landed on the table with a clang.
Back side up.
The answer is no.
Gu Xu frowned. Then he tossed the copper coin again to divine: "Are Shen Qiu and his mother still alive?"
This time the copper coin came up heads up.
Gu Xu breathed a sigh of relief.
But his eyes were still solemn and his mood was not completely relaxed.
Then he thought silently in his heart: "With Shen Qiu's own strength, can he solve this trouble in the family?"
The copper coins spun around on the table a few times, and then The back is facing up and it falls down with a "clang".
Seeing such a scene, he turned to look at Shangguan Jin beside him and said to her: "Do you have channels to collect more intelligence information about the Jinling Shen family? What Shen Qiu encountered this time may be more than we imagined. It’s even more troublesome. I think I have to help him as much as possible.”
Shangguan Jin saw his solemn look and heard his serious tone, and knew that his attitude was sincere this time.
In the first month of this year, when Xiaohan was still recovering from his injuries in the Exorcist Department, she learned from Shi Xiaohan that Gu Xu was a person who valued his companions very much.
At that time, Shi Xiaohan commented: "I used to think that Gu Xu was stingy and uninterested. He only knew how to practice all day long and only ate vegetables and tofu from the Yamen kitchen. He never He knows how to rest, and he doesn’t think of ways to get himself something delicious. Even if I want to pay him to have a nice meal at Piaoxianglou, he often finds various excuses to refuse.
"In addition, When he was on a mission to kill ghosts, he was often too cautious - every time he opened a door, he would feel like there was a ghost hiding behind the door, which made me think he was a coward.
"But, although he seems timid, he will never leave his companions and run away alone.
"The two of us often team up to do tasks together in Yishui County. Sometimes the ghost is more powerful. Strong, I said to him, "You run first, and I, the heroine, will take the back seat." After all, as a monk in the second realm, I have the obligation to protect the weak in the first realm.
“But in this case, he would say to me, ‘My Lady, do you look down on my strength?’ Then he would stand in front of me and take out a card from his pocket to read. The very complicated talisman paper was thrown towards the ghost - Sister Shangguan, although I don't understand talismans, I can feel that the talisman in his hand is more powerful than the talisman drawn by others."
< br>Shangguan Jin listened silently, nodded, and responded with a few polite words, such as "Sister Xiaohan, your sword skills are so powerful, you can kill the 'Painted Skin' ghost in one move", such as "Piao Xiang" The food in the building sounds really good, I really want to try it." For example, "Gu Xu has only learned the art of talisman and seal script for less than a year. His talent is really outrageous"...
Time Xiaohan especially likes to hear these words.
And when Shangguan Jin praised Gu Xu, she would be happier than praising herself.
"Is this the youthful emotion of a pregnant girl?" Shangguan Jin thought silently in his mind.
Such emotions have always been strange, childish and ridiculous to Shangguan Jin - she feels that in life she should devote herself wholeheartedly to her career, and that feelings will only hinder her from climbing higher. pace.
However, as a person who loves all beautiful things, she had to admit that Shi Xiaohan's silly smile and blush were very cute.
In addition, Chu Fengge also mentioned something about Gu Xu in front of her——
When he went to solve the case of the Lu family's murderous house, neither the numerous meritorious service nor the precious magic weapon could successfully persuade Gu Xu to carry out this task; however, as soon as Chu Fengge mentioned the trouble with Yishui County Governor Chen Jisheng Curse, Gu Xu didn't hesitate for a second and set off without any hesitation.
It seems that as long as it concerns the safety of his companions, Gu Xu will never care too much about "interests" and "rewards".
Thinking of this, Shangguan Jin took a serious look at the young man beside him and replied: "Then we have to go back to the Yamen again to check the recent situation in Jinling. If it doesn't work, I'm afraid we have to ask Ask Luo Sishou.”
Gu Xu nodded: “Then let’s set off as soon as possible.”
…………
at the same time.
Shen Qiu used the "Breaking Sky Bead" to directly tear apart the space, arrived at Jinling City in the blink of an eye, and entered the Shen family's mansion.
Then he went to his father, Shen Qianren, the head of the Shen family, and asked about his mother's condition.
Shen Qiu felt very anxious, like an ant on a hot pot.
But in front of his father, he tried his best to stay calm, his tone was polite, cold, and unfamiliar, not like a father and son, but more like a pair of unrelated strangers.
But this time, when he saw Shen Qiu's figure, his father Shen Qianren did not show his previous disgust. Instead, he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "You are finally back."
Shen Qianren looked like He is older than before, his brows are filled with sadness, and the grooves on his forehead have become deeper.
After a pause, Shen Qianren picked up a piece of paper from the table, handed it to Shen Qiu's hand, and said to him: "Actually, Shen Qiu, you have to know that you and your mother are As a member of this family, we can't really do anything to your mother. We just want you to go home. "Your mother is staying with the prefect of Jinling and everything is fine." You just need to take this note and give it to the prefect of Jinling, and he will release your mother.
"I just hope that from today on, you can stay in the family safely, fulfill the obligations of a family member, and not do things that disgrace the family's reputation, okay?"
Shen Qiu frowned.
He wanted to refute Shen Qianren’s words.
Because he knew that what Shen Qianren said about "insulting the family's reputation" was that he went to be a retainer in the mansion of a sixth-grade official.
However, because he was worried about his mother's safety, he suppressed his anger and took the note.
The note was indeed written by Shen Qianren himself, and it was stamped with his personal seal.
The note explained that the crime of theft committed by the maid Ningxiu was a false accusation, and in fact there was no such thing.
Seeing this content, Shen Qiu felt mixed emotions in his heart.
Sure enough, the life and death of ordinary people, guilt and innocence, all depend on the thoughts of big men.
PS: Happy New Year to everyone!
(End of this chapter)