Although An Youwei was promoted three ranks, he was still just a granary magistrate. How did he catch the eye of all you officials?
It was one thing for the Left Prime Minister's faction to offer congratulations, but why was the Right Prime Minister's faction even more enthusiastic than the Left Prime Minister's? In the blink of an eye, they had already become sworn brothers!
Ling Tian's lips twitched.
"Lord An, I've heard that a series of murders have occurred in Yi'an County, and all of them were solved by your daughter. Truly, like father, like son; a woman is just as capable as any man!" A right-wing official exclaimed with a beaming smile, showing no restraint in his praise.
An Youwei hurriedly cupped his hands and said, "You flatter me, sir. My daughter just happened to know the truth. Rumors are not to be believed."
"Lord An is so humble, that's true wisdom and a model for us all!" Another lord took it as a compliment and praised him enthusiastically.
When has An Youwei ever been praised for his great wisdom and insight? He blushed and stammered, "My lords, please don't praise me so much! I am ashamed, so ashamed..."
"Tonight is my son's birthday banquet. Why don't you come and offer your congratulations, sir? Your wife and daughter should also come along, shall we?" Another official warmly invited.
An Youwei said awkwardly, "I will go ahead myself, but... but my wife is unwell, and my daughter is still in Yi'an County and has not yet returned to the capital. Please forgive me, sir."
After the Palace Master, Yan Zhen stopped in his tracks, and Xiao Gongzi beside him hurriedly stopped as well.
Yan Zhen's eyes flickered. She was still in Yi'an County? Now that her parents had returned to the capital, what was she doing in Yi'an County?
Xiao Gongzi whispered, "My lord, it's the Minister's son's birthday tonight. Are you still going?"
Yan Zhen shook his folding fan and said calmly, "I'm too busy with state affairs to attend any banquets."
Xiao Gongzi hurriedly said, "This servant has spoken out of turn, this servant has spoken out of turn!"
Yan Zhen glanced at An Youwei in the crowd and raised an eyebrow slightly, saying, "Tell them that such enthusiasm is unnecessary and only makes them annoying. They should stop with that fawning attitude!"
Xiao Gongzi wiped away his cold sweat and looked at the officials in the hall with sympathy, thinking to himself, "This time, all the officials are trying to flatter me!"
"This servant obeys your command," Xiao Gongzi said respectfully.
Yan Zhen withdrew his gaze and slowly walked out of the main hall. An Youwei, who was in the crowd, glanced up in amazement, but felt that the man's back was increasingly familiar. However, he then thought that such a person would not care about drinking his jar of osmanthus wine. Thinking this, he realized that he had indeed been thinking too much!
Chapter Forty-Eight: Magnolia Flowers
An Xin picked up the repaired figurine and examined it closely. Although the repair was somewhat rough, the hideous scars on the wooden figurine's face had finally concealed its original horror, and the original appearance of the wooden figurine, or rather the man, could be clearly seen.
His eyebrows and eyes were exceptionally beautiful, with a delicate beauty that hinted at handsomeness. His lips were slightly full, suggesting he was a devoted and passionate man.
An Xin ran her fingertips along the robe on the wooden figure. The robe was made of a kind of silk. Based on her experience in her previous life, the major silk-producing areas in China were Huzhou, Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Sichuan. The silk from different regions was largely the same, so it was a real test of An Xin's knowledge to be able to tell at a glance what kind of silk it was. Moreover, she didn't know if there were any differences between this time and space and the history of her previous life.
Given that silk is sold all over the world, it would be difficult to determine the origin of this little wooden figure based on its fabric.
An Xin looked at the little wooden figure's palm again. There were thin calluses on it. The person who carved the little wooden figure was so meticulous that they even carved on this thin callus. It can be seen that this person had a very deep understanding of this little wooden figure.
The fabric was embroidered with large magnolia blossoms. Men wearing embroidered clothes already looked somewhat effeminate, let alone a handsome man. An Xin had a gut feeling that this man must have been very fond of magnolias to have them embroidered on his robe.
An Xin put down the small wooden figure, and Feng Yi frowned and said, "The wood is poplar, the material is Huzhou silk, and this person has thin calluses on his palms, so he should be skilled in handicrafts or martial arts."
An Xin's eyelashes trembled slightly as she said, "Furthermore, the calluses on the pads of the thumb, index finger, and middle finger are thicker than those on the ring finger and little finger, indicating that this person uses these three fingers extensively. Excluding martial arts, they should be skilled in carving. Their handsome appearance and love for magnolia flowers suggest that this person has refined tastes and an otherworldly temperament..."
Feng Yi looked at An Xin. This girl really surprised him. He thought he would never encounter such keen insight in his life.
An Xin paused for a moment and said, "Most importantly... of these little wooden figures, only this one has stains. The person who carved it probably noticed and tried many methods to clean it, but they couldn't get it clean. However, you can't see it unless you look closely." An Xin raised the corner of her lips. Unfortunately, she was always meticulous.
Feng Yi was taken aback, picked up the small wooden figure from An Xin's hand, and examined it, asking, "What kind of stain is this?"
"Copper oil!" he uttered, his gaze slowly sharpening. "Currently, there are probably only a handful of places in Dayi that produce copper oil, right?"
Feng Yi's body trembled suddenly, and he abruptly looked up and said, "Bao'an Town!"
**
Dewdrop sighed. When she woke up, she found herself in Uncle Thirteen's house. She had always been terrified of Zhou Thirteen; he had a strange and irritable temper and was always cursing! But how did she end up here after fainting last night? Could it be a female ghost?!
Thinking of this, the dewdrop suddenly shivered.
Last night's memory was too terrifying. The female ghost just floated motionless in front of me and my mistress. Then she fainted. When she woke up, my mistress was still there, but she screamed and fainted again. When she woke up, she was here.
Dewdrop cautiously glanced at Zhou Shisan's bed. The man lay motionless on the bed, as if he were dead... dead... could he really be dead?
Dewdrop's body trembled suddenly, and she cautiously moved closer to the bed.
Zhou Shisan's eyes were closed and he was motionless, but he still seemed to be breathing. Lu Zhu patted her chest and breathed a slight sigh of relief, then slowly turned around—a pale face came into view.
A ghostly figure, long hair obscuring her face, blood-red lips that looked as if they had devoured a living person, and a hooked claw resting on her neck...
**
An Xin quickly flipped through the deceased's biography, then her body suddenly trembled, her gaze fixed on the two words recorded on the record—Bao'an!
The reason she hadn't paid attention to those two words before was that among the lives of these deceased, only one person's biography mentioned the words "Bao'an," while the others were mentioned as being from two different places, Yinsang and Wuxu. She hadn't noticed this before, but now, after reviewing contemporary historical records, she discovered that Yinsang and Wuxu both belonged to Bao'an County!
In other words, all three deceased individuals had visited Bao'an County once ten years ago!
An Xin's body suddenly trembled. Could it be that Uncle Thirteen had also been to this place?! An Xin looked at a biographical record that read: "About ten years ago, Qinglin arrived in Bao'an. He found the scenery beautiful and sat down to drink. When tourists came up to him, he invited them to drink with him. They had a great time. Afterwards, the four of them went their separate ways."
Four people... four people...
An Xin's expression suddenly changed, and she grabbed Feng Yi and ran towards Zhou Shisan's house.
"Ah—" A scream suddenly rang out, and An Xin's expression changed instantly: "Dewdrop!"
Feng Yi's eyes narrowed, and he leaped onto Zhou Shisan's back wall. An Xin kicked open Zhou Shisan's courtyard gate and rushed inside.
"Miss! Miss, help me!" Dewdrop screamed. Just as An Xin was about to break down the door, it suddenly opened wide, and a white figure floated out. Dewdrop was grabbed by the neck, and sharp claws had already torn through Dewdrop's skin.