Except for stealing

Chapter 10

——"Pei Yan?"

The two were taken aback at the same time, and looked towards the door, only to see a middle-aged man looking at them in surprise.

The man was about forty years old, dressed in purple, with mang stripes embroidered on the neckline, slightly fat, with a straight face and a mustache.

The one who dared to wear the mang pattern, and the one who was in the Wuling area, immediately remembered who this person was.

The two immediately saluted: "I have seen Prince Yin."

King Yin's gaze stayed on Shen Yiqing's face for a while, he punched his right palm with his left fist, and said, "Are you that little monkey from the Shen family? You've grown so big."

Shen Yiqing hurriedly said: "The prince has a good memory!"

King Yin looked the two of them up and down for a week, and praised: "When I left Chang'an, you were all babies, but now you have grown into dragons and phoenixes."

His Majesty ascended the throne 12 years ago. In order to stabilize his position, he sent almost all the royal family members out of Chang'an except for a brother who was still in his infancy. King Yin came to Wuling County. He was originally an idle prince. It is said that he arrived here Wuling County is also very happy.

Shen Yiqing only remembered that when he was a child, the prince had a good relationship with his father, and he often came to the house. Like his father, he was also an idle master.

Pei Yan laughed and said, "Your Majesty's demeanor is even better than before."

Pei Yan could talk, Lord Yin smiled and said: "Are you here to play?"

Shen Yiqing nodded, curled her lips and said, "It's finally hard for my mother to allow me to go out."

Pei Yan didn't speak, and Lord Yin didn't intend to ask any more, because Lord Pei didn't have a good relationship with him.

Lord Yin patted Shen Yiqing on the shoulder, and said with a smile: "Stay for a few more days, I will hold a banquet in a few days, and I must come over, or your father should reprimand me for not being an elder."

In fact, since Prince Yin came to Wuling County, Father has not seen him for a long time.

Lord Yin looked at him in the same way as when he was a child, and was even a little surprised, probably because he hadn't seen his old friend for a long time.

Shen Yiqing smiled and said, "Thank you, my lord."

Prince Yin patted him on the shoulder, looked him up and down for two weeks, sighed, and said, "It's so fast."

The servant behind him stepped forward and said something in his ear, Prince Yin nodded and said: "Nephew, I have something to do today, so I will go in first, and I will definitely come to the mansion some other day."

Shen Yiqing saluted Pei Yan.

After a while, the two turned around to look at Prince Yin's back, and saw that he was familiar with the way he went upstairs, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Shen Yiqing raised her eyebrows and said, "It suddenly occurred to me that probably no one knows Zhaixinglou better than the people from Zhaixinglou."

Pei Yan shook his head: "Then we must not do it. Everyone in Dali Temple is recorded in the register, and you can find out after a little checking."

Shen Yiqing glanced at him, rolled his eyes slightly, and said, "Stupid."

Pei Yan chuckled and chased after her.

The two came out of the Star Picking Building and walked slowly along the street to their residence.After they came to Wuling, they rented a courtyard, which made it easier to move around.

Wuling County is also very lively at night, and the hawking along the street is as loud as in the daytime.

Pei Yan stopped in front of a stall selling purses, tapped the folding fan on his palm, and said, "Yiqing, help me choose one."

Shen Yiqing was a little sleepy, yawned, and lazily leaned over to collect a variety of purses, pointed to a dark blue background embroidered with peach blossoms, and said, "This is beautiful."

Pei Yan nodded: "I also think this one looks the best."

The aunt who sold the purse took it down, handed it in front of the two of them, and said with a smile: "The peach blossoms are flowing away, there is no other world than the world. This embroidery is the spring of Wuling."

Shen Yiqing paid the silver, threw the purse to Pei Yan, and said, "For you."

Pei Yan pinched her purse and took out something from her bosom.

It was a piece of paper folded into a triangle, with cinnabar painted on it.

Shen Yiqing watched him put the thing into his purse, and handed it to himself.

He took it, opened the purse to look inside, and asked curiously, "What is this?"

"I can't take it out," Pei Yan held his hand, tightened the mouth of the bag, and said, "I went to the temple this morning to pray for the talisman. You haven't slept well in the past two days, so you have to take it with you."

Shen Yiqing was slightly taken aback, staring at Pei Yan with clear eyes.

Pei Yan leaned over in front of him, and teased unscrupulously: "Did you be fooled by me?"

Shen Yiqing slowly bent her eyes, put the purse in her arms and put it next to her body, and hummed softly, "You don't have to be shameless."

The moon is old, what about Jia Er and the others have already returned, Pei Yan took Shen Yiqing's hand hanging by his side, and the two walked towards the inn, Pei Yan looked at him sideways, his lips raised softly: "Yiqing That's right."

Jia Er and the others returned to their residence after a while, and as expected, nothing unusual was found.

They came to Wuling County to investigate whether there was anything wrong with the missing persons case. The Zhaixinglou case was considered a breakthrough, but if they couldn't find any flaws for a while, they could only monitor and investigate secretly.

Shen Yiqing stood in front of the shop and looked at it for a while, then stepped into this magnificent grain and rice shop. The handyman was carrying the new rice into the warehouse, and the shopkeeper stood behind the counter to record. How much rice?"

Shen Yiqing took the jade pendant from her waist around and handed it to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper was unknown, so he took it and looked at it, and then his face changed instantly. He came out from behind the counter, returned the jade pendant with both hands respectfully, and said, "I have seen the third son."

Shen Yiqing looked at the shopkeeper for a moment, and said: "I have read the roster, and you are the manager of your family in Wuling County."

Shen Yiqing's ancestral family's business scope is very wide. In the counties and counties in the south, wherever there is business, there are their shops.Wuling is prosperous, being able to be the manager here is enough to prove his ability and absolute loyalty to his family.

The shopkeeper replied: "Yes, I don't know what orders the third son has?"

Shen Yiqing glanced at Pei Yan who was waiting for him bored by the door, and said, "Go in and talk."

When Shen Yiqing came out, Pei Yan was shaking his fan. Today was a sunny day, no wind, and the sun was very poisonous. People on the street walked in a hurry. The sky was blue, and the snow-white catkins were floating up and down. Pei Yan stood at the door, carelessly I used my fan to drive away the disturbing catkins, but I still got some on my body.

Shen Yiqing walked behind him, raised her hand to grab the white hair on his hair, Pei Yan turned her head, pursed her lips and said, "Is it finished?"

Pei Yan is really good-looking, they played together since childhood, but he never noticed it before.

He didn't pay attention to his studies, but now he remembered that sentence - Accumulated stones are like jade, pine trees are like emerald greens, Lang Yan is unique, there is no other in the world.

Shen Yiqing curled his knuckles slightly, slowly withdrew his hand, narrowed his eyes and said: "He will keep a close eye on the Zhaixing Tower."

Pei Yan closed the folding fan and said, "Let's go, go to the magistrate's yamen to have a look."

Song Xiwen, the prefect, was once the number one scholar handpicked by the late emperor, and he was a very talented and learned man.

Pei Yan had read his dossier before he came here, and he has done nothing but make this magistrate even and stable during his more than ten years in office.

The number one scholar is generally handsome, and this prefect of Song Dynasty is no exception. He has thick eyebrows and big eyes, and is very heroic. Even in his old age, he can be called handsome.

Shen Yiqing sat at the side, carefully scrutinizing Master Song during the tea break, and found his reaction very interesting.

After learning their identities and purpose of coming, he was startled for a moment, then leaned back slightly, then curled up his knuckles and clenched his wide sleeves.

"Every year in Wuling County, large and small cases are reported to Dali Temple according to the facts. I don't know why Mr. Pei asked about the loss of the population alone?"

Pei Yan: "Sir Song, don't be nervous, just tell the truth."

As if aware of Shen Yiqing's gaze, Song Xiwen moved his hand away from his cuff, put it on his lap, and said, "This... cases of population loss are usually cases where people are alive and dead, and although they try their best to solve them, the result is also There is always something unsatisfactory, and the detailed judgment process is recorded in the file."

The smile on Pei Yan's lips didn't change at all: "I read the file, and there are some parts that Pei doesn't quite understand, and I hope Mr. Song can clarify."

Song Xiwen: "Master Pei, please tell me."

Shen Yiqing leaned halfway in the chair, looked at Pei Yan with his cheeks propped up, and saw him raise his eyes, with a meaningful smile on the corner of his lips: "In the past seven years, the number of missing people in Wuling County has changed little, at most fluctuating by one or two, Do you know what the numbers are in other counties?"

Song Xiwen wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "This...it's a coincidence."

Pei Yan didn't look away, and narrowed his eyes slightly, like a falcon staring at its prey, with sharp and oppressive eyes.

The living room fell silent for a moment, as if there was a clear sound of catkins falling to the ground.

Sweat dripped down his forehead, but Song Xiwen didn't raise his hand to wipe it, and sat in the main seat until the sweat dripped silently to his chin and fell down.

Without any warning, Pei Yan suddenly laughed, this smile seemed to break the ice, the cold and stern look just now seemed to be an illusion, Pei Yan put down the teacup, got up and said: "Don't take it to heart if you are joking with the adults, please trouble the adults to send I found out the relevant files for nearly seven years and sent them to my residence."

Shen Yi pursed his lips lightly, then shifted his gaze to Song Xiwen, seeing him standing up too.Although it was very slight, Shen Yiqing could tell that his movements were a little flustered, probably because he didn't know whether to be serious or to laugh with Pei Yan, and finally condensed into a nondescript expression, and said with a stiff face: "I'll ask someone to look for it .”

"That's it..." Pei Yan said: "Pei will leave first, and he will come to bother her often in the future. I hope Mr. Song will not be offended."

Song Xiwen stood up, his movements were a little hasty, he cupped his hands, and said, "Master Pei, go slowly."

After leaving the gate of the mansion, Shen Yiqing looked back at the plaque hanging high, and said with great interest: "Guess how much the whole body of Mr. Song is worth?"

Pei Yan looked at him with raised eyebrows: "How much?"

Shen Yiqing raised her index finger: "Don't talk about a thousand gold."

Pei Yan snorted, squinted his eyes and looked at the figure in the official robe, and said slightly sarcastically: "I don't think it's too stressful."

Pei Yan's appearance when handling the case was different from his usual appearance, with deep scheming without showing it.

When he spoke, it was true and false, false and true, making it difficult for people to see, and it made Mr. Song feel faint in his heart.

Shen Yiqing whispered: "You hit the grass, maybe you startled the snake?"

Pei Yan lazily shook his fan, blinked at him, and said: "Jia Er has followed him secretly, just looking at his reaction just now is not like an innocent master, I don't believe that he also happens to have Jin in his family." Mine, you can lay a thousand gold on your body."

Mr. Song was very neat in his work, and he asked someone to deliver the file before dark.

It was dark, and candlesticks were lit in the room. Shen Yiqing leaned on the table, rolled the bamboo slips around boringly, yawned, and said, "Pei Yan, when will you be able to finish reading it?"

Pei Yan watched very slowly, it had been nearly two hours, and he had only read half of it.

He had already seen these in Chang'an, but he still needed to read them carefully to see if there were any doubts.

Pei Yan raised his eyes to look at him, and coaxed: "You can read some for me."

Shen Yiqing pulled back the bamboo slips that had rolled out, with long eyelashes drooping, and said boredly: "I don't read them, I am the most impatient to read these things."

Pei Yan closed the dossier in his hand, curled his lips and said, "Good Yiqing, just read some for me, it's really too much."

Shen Yiqing looked sideways at the piles of bamboo slips on the table, and then at the tired Pei Yan. After a while, she looked away and spread out the bamboo slips that she had been tossing about for a long time.

He was lazy on the table and didn't intend to get up, so he just yawned and watched, and said, "I'll just watch one for you, after I'm done, I'm going out for a drink."

Pei Yan: "..."

Pei Yan smiled and shook his head, took a bamboo slip, and read it.

Shen Yiqing has been sleepy since she was a child and read books, as if under a curse.

He rested his chin on his arm, and after reading a few lines, his upper and lower eyelids glued together.

He forced himself to cheer up, opened his eyes wide and continued to look, but he closed them again after a while.

He looked so cute, Pei Yan didn't even bother to read the files, and looked at him with his head propped up.

The fragrance of jasmine outside the window blows into the silent room with the wind. The candle flame dances slightly and reflects on Shen Yiqing's face. The light and shadow sway on the thin eyelids. sober.

Then, look down.

To him, it was like being sentenced to death.

Pei Yan felt a little distressed, and said warmly: "Yiqing, don't look at it."

Shen Yiqing didn't say a word.

Pei Yan said: "Go to sleep."

Shen Yiqing frowned slightly.

Pei Yan was about to speak again, when Shen Yiqing suddenly said: "You are investigating those cases where no one is alive, no one is dead, and there are no suspects?"

Pei Yan: "Yes."

Shen Yiqing raised his head, handed him the file, and said, "There is a case involving a suspect."

Pei Yan: "..."

Pei Yan took the bamboo slips and read on.

Shen Yiqing stood up and walked behind him, lazily resting her chin on his shoulder, because of sleepiness, her voice was a little hoarse, and she spoke like a baby.

He pointed to one place and said: "Look, the official who reported last month, the family who lost the child insisted that the Ge family in the same village killed the child, and later verified that the family did not kill the murder and could not find the child. The case will be treated as missing."

Pei Yan looked over following his guidance, and said, "This should be the latest case."

Shen Yiqing nodded and said, "The closer you get, the more clues you have."

His breath hit Pei Yan's side face, it was slightly hot, so hot that Pei Yan's face was a little feverish.

He tilted his head slightly, just touching his lips.

Shen Yiqing didn't react, she blinked, and then slowly closed her eyes.

He opened his mouth and kissed Pei Yan together, eating each other's mouths, their soft lips pressed against each other, and occasionally separated slightly, the entangled tongue could be seen, and the sound of "bobo" kissing could be heard from time to time.

The room was quiet, the night wind dyed the hem of the clothes with the fragrance of flowers, Shen Yiqing's chest was throbbing, but he felt strangely at ease.

This stability was broken by Jia Er.

He rushed into the door in a hurry and shouted: "My lord!"

Seeing what the two were doing, he quickly turned around and hurried out: "I didn't see anything."

Pei Yan: "..."

Shen Yiqing: "..."

The two quickly separated, their ears were still red, and they wiped the saliva on their lips pretentiously. Shen Yiqing sat aside, pulled a file casually, and lowered his head to pretend to read it.Pei Yan curled it up to her lips and coughed lightly: "Come in."

Jia Er was very uncomfortable. He had already seen that the relationship between the two was a bit unusual, but he didn't expect it to be this kind of relationship, and he ran into it.

He patted his head in frustration, turned around, and walked into the house.

Pei Yan: "Did you find anything?"

Jia Er: "After my lord and Mr. Shen left, Song Xiwen went back to the mansion, and then went into the study, and never came out. He ate his meals in there."

Pei Yan frowned slightly, and said, "The study?"

After thinking for a while, Pei Yan said: "Wang Biao and the others are re-investigating the missing population case these few days, so you follow Song Xiwen secretly and look into the study when you have a chance."

Jia Er: "Yes."

Pei Yan: "Tomorrow, Yiqing and I will go to Fengcun. If there is something to do, we will fly the pigeon to pass the letter."

Jia Er backed out and closed the door behind him.

Pei Yan looked at Shen Yiqing who was sitting neatly, couldn't help laughing, and reminded: "It's the wrong way."

Shen Yiqing: "..."

Shen Yiqing's lips were still ruddy, she raised her eyes and glared at him, saying, "It's all your fault."

Pei Yan was kind, and coaxed: "Well, blame me, next time you get in the door."

Shen Yiqing: "..."

Shen Yiqing stood up, walked out, and said angrily, "There will be no next time."

Pei Yan: "Where are you going?"

Shen Yiqing said carelessly: "Where else can I go? Go and have fun."

The hand holding the letter slightly tightened, Pei Yan stood up and said, "I'll go with you."

Shen Yiqing stopped at the door, squinted at him, and said, "I'm going to feed the pigeons, not the brothel."

Pei Yan was startled, and saw Shen Yiqing push the door and go out.

He has good hearing, and he heard Shen Yiqing whispering the words: "Vinegar essence."

The door was closed, Pei Yan chuckled softly, it's the essence of vinegar, it's right.

The pigeons raised in Dali Temple are all carefully selected. They have short necks, tight, dense, and thin body feathers, are elastic, shiny, and supple, and have plump breasts and tails, which are good for flying and look good.

When Shen Yiqing was bored on the road, he would tease the horses and feed the pigeons. These pigeons were already familiar to him.

He was sitting on the corridor, looking up at the stars, with a handful of sesame seeds on his outstretched palm, a few pigeons were pecking leisurely, and a pigeon landed on his shoulder to comb its feathers, and occasionally rubbed his head against him. profile.

The stars are dim tonight, the sky is dark, and there is water vapor floating in the courtyard, like a sign of rain.

His stars are much brighter than the stars, he curled his lips and said in a low voice: "I told you, don't tell others."

The pigeon cooed twice, then combed its wings with its beak.

Shen Yiqing said: "Pei Yan..."

The pigeon tilted its head to look at him, but he stopped talking and stared at the stars in a daze.

Just when it was about to flap its wings and fly away, he pursed his lips and softly completed the sentence, just two short words.

"……very good."

Pei Yan, he is very good.

Shen Yiqing exhaled lightly, and sprinkled the sesame seeds in his hand on the bluestone slabs, and a group of pigeons landed on the ground, pecking at the sesame seeds little by little.

A dark shadow in the sky approached, and it flew into the courtyard after a while, and landed in Shen Yiqing's hands.

It was a beautiful white pigeon with a bamboo tube tied to its leg and only a circle was drawn on it.

Shen Yiqing jumped up, grabbed the paper and ran to Pei Yan's room.

Pei Yan raised his head from the stacked files, glanced at the door that was suddenly pushed open, raised his eyebrows and said, "Why are you running?"

Shen Yiqing came over, raised her lips and said, "My people have entered the Star Picking Tower."

Pei Yan poured him a cup of tea and asked, "Is it reliable?"

Shen Yiqing: "Well, the person who went in was the second son of shopkeeper Chen. He is also a well-known man in the world. I met him that day. He is a very capable young man."

The chief managers of each county are family members, and they have taken the surname of the master's family. Shen Yiqing's ancestor's surname is Chen.

Pei Yan approached the chair, pinched the center of his brows, and said, "I don't know if the Zhaixing Tower has anything to do with the case we want to investigate, but that appalling incident must be dealt with."

There was a rooster crowing outside the courtyard, it was already three o'clock.

Seeing his tired appearance, Shen Yiqing sat down beside him and said, "Go to sleep."

Pei Yan shook his head: "It's almost finished, you go to bed first, you have to get up early to go to Fengcun tomorrow."

Shen Yiqing didn't leave, lay down on the table, and said, "I'll wait until you finish reading it before going to sleep."

Pei Yan: "..."

He watched Shen Yiqing pull a dossier, unfold it, yawned, and helped him read it with boredom.

Pei Yan slightly raised his lips, and reopened a bamboo slip.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, he raised his head, and saw Shen Yiqing resting his chin on his arm, his long eyelashes drooping, breathing steadily, already asleep.