Chapter 1: The Sleeping Flower Pavilion

  In an instant, the courtyard was in chaos with chickens flying and dogs jumping. Chen Guan was in the accounting room when he was suddenly lifted by the crowd to outside of Young Master's courtyard.

  A strange wave echoed in the air, spreading out in circles. Wherever the ripples passed, everyone was foaming at the mouth and rolling their eyes back.

  "What's going on here!" Chen Guan covered his ears and shouted loudly.

  The little grass classmate who was playing with a daze was suddenly awakened by this roar, stopped his hand and looked at him in a daze: "What's wrong?"

  Isn't she playing quite well? The timbre of this "wonderful sound" is really good, sounds great.

  Chen Guan let out two rough breaths, pulled her up abruptly, and frowned at the zither: "Who told you to play here? What if you disturb Young Master..."

  Forget it, no need to mention anything else. The gate of the yard was already open before Chen Guan's family arrived. A young man with red lips and white teeth stood at the entrance, staring at them seriously. Before Chen Guan's words were finished, he turned his head and saw him.

  "Master... this, this girl is new and doesn't understand the rules, disturbing you."

  Chen Baiyue, the young master of the Chen family, was only seventeen years old and was both literary and martial. The little grass stretched its neck to look at him for a while, and he looked really good-looking, especially his sword-like eyebrows, which made people want to reach out and touch them to see if they would get hurt.

  "Whose qin is this?" Mr. Chen ignored the butler's words and walked straight to "Miao Yin", squatting down in front of it.

  The little grass blinked and said, "Mine."

  "Yours?"

  There seemed to be a hint of skepticism in his voice, but looking into his clear eyes, Xiaocao told herself that she must have misheard.

  "This is a maid in the mistress's courtyard." Chen, the housekeeper, smiled and said: "If young master likes to listen to her play the piano, I'll inform the mistress and have her sent to your courtyard."

  This is the upright and honest Sai Weng, those servants listening from afar all understood in their hearts. This young master has always disliked related households, and is a rebellious master, how could he possibly...

  "Good." Chen Baijue nodded.

  The surroundings were quiet, the grass blinked its eyes, and was it really moved by her piano sound? So easy to talk to?

  Chen Guan's family had a look of surprise and pleasure on their faces, and they repeatedly made eyes at Xiao Cao: "Don't you thank the young master?"

  "Thank you so much for your kindness, young master." Xiaocao got up and wanted to bow, but her knees were still pressing on the guqin. In a moment of carelessness, the guqin rolled onto the ground.

  Chen Baiwen slightly furrowed his brow, immediately stretched out his hand to grab "Miao Yin", and said with some concern: "Don't drop this treasure."

  Looks like someone who knows his stuff.

  The little servant girl giggled and followed Chen Baijue into the young master's courtyard, which was always tightly closed.

  The housekeeper hurriedly went into the lady's courtyard, and the onlookers also dispersed, mixed with some sarcastic remarks.

  How did this girl get so lucky?

  Chen Baiwei wore a cyan robe with a high collar, and he was very tall. As he walked, he looked like a jade tree swaying in the wind. Xiaocao stared at his waist for half a day, comparing it to Duan Shiyi's, and thought, "Hmm, this young man's waist is even slimmer than Duan Shiyi's."

  "Where did you get this qin from?" Chen Baiyue placed the qin on the stone table, plucking a note with his fingers, producing a clear and crisp sound without any impurities.

  "It was given by a friend." Little Grass stared at her own shoelaces and replied calmly.

  Mr. Chen's eyes deepened and he smiled lightly: "He is indeed generous."

  The little grass was a bit nervous, and the aura of the young man in front of him was too strong, fearing that if he wasn't careful, he would be seen through.

  But then he didn't ask anything else, and instead said: "From now on, just stay by my side and serve me, it's just that I'm missing someone by my side."

  It was Xiao Ze, the fiancé who had fallen from the snow. The little grass nodded repeatedly, thinking that he was indeed lucky to have directly jumped from a new maid to become the personal maid of the young master of the Chen family, successfully getting close to the center of the case's doubts.

  Chen Baiyue was a bit eccentric and didn't get along well with Chen Yuanwai or Madame Chen. However, all the matters within the mansion, from top to bottom, would be reported to him, and the servants didn't dare to be presumptuous.

  Followed him, at night, it was natural that she couldn't return to Liu Shang Men. Xiao Cao was also afraid of going back and being discovered by Duan Shi Yi that the zither was gone, and having her legs broken, so she immediately rolled up her bedding and moved into Chen Bai Yue's courtyard.

  This way, whatever happens in this house, she can go ask directly with a curious and innocent expression.

  "Who is locked in this woodshed?"

  There was always a crashing sound in the woodshed on the west side of the courtyard, and Xiao Cao pulled someone over to ask.

  "Inside is the former attendant of Young Master, named Qing Hui." Others told him: "Don't get close to that side, Young Master has given orders before, getting close will be dealt with by family law."

  The little maid nodded vaguely, glanced at the large padlock on the woodshed, and turned to continue pouring tea for the young master.

  If a person goes mad, one lock can lock him up. Why three? And these three keys must be with three different people.

  It seems like they're locking up a madman, but in fact it's something important that they're afraid to let out.

  "Good night." Chen Baijue had already changed into his pajamas, still holding "Miao Yin", and said with a very gentle expression: "Rest well tonight, don't run around."

  It was as if concerned, yet also a warning, the zither in his hand rang out once more, its tone pure and clear.

  That guilty feeling came again, Xia Cao smiled foolishly and nodded: "I know."

  Not running around wildly, serving young master every day and then sleeping, why didn't Duan Shi Yi peel off her skin?

  Night falls, the little grass lies in bed, holding its breath and concentrating, using the method of Duan Yu's eleventh chapter to quietly listen to the movements of the entire room, then expanding to the entire courtyard.

  The sound of wind, birds and insects chirping, the snoring from next door, and the constant crashing sounds from the woodshed.

  Someone is struggling, in anger, trying to break through something.

  She opened her eyes, made a fish-like movement, changed into a black nightgown, and walked out the door in a dreamy state.

  In this courtyard, apart from her personal maid, there was an old woman, two slaves and four rough maids. If Chen Baijue were to entrust the key to three people, which three would they be?

  To be on the safe side, Mengyou's little grass first went to blow some green, environmentally friendly and non-polluting smoke into each room, then quietly and carefully started searching from his wife's room.

  Everything went smoothly, according to normal thinking, the old lady had a knife on her body, hanging from her waistband, and Xiaocao easily got it. The second and third knives were likely to be on those two slaves who looked very strong.

  No matter how strong one is, they can still be knocked down by a fragrant powder. Little Grass entered their room and searched around in circles before finally finding the second key.

  However, these two slaves were in one room, and she even lifted up the carpet to look, but there was no third key.

  How strange! Where is the third key?

  The fragrance of osmanthus has a time limit, so she is not in a hurry. If she can't find it, she goes out to take a look at the moon and thinks about what Duan Xi is doing now.

  He had just settled into a contemplative pose with his chin in hand when suddenly a voice sounded from behind him, "Didn't I tell you not to run around randomly?"