Chapter Twelve: Flying Horse Dragon Pool

  The two parties to the transaction dispersed in a hurry, and Zhou Tianhao finally breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled out the arrow stuck on the saddle, untied the tree bark tied to his leg, took off his long gown, went to the river to wash his face, combed his hair, wore a hairpin, exercised his muscles, and felt comfortable. His heart had finally calmed down, but he didn't feel happy for long, and his heart was hanging again. Why? He thought of Ah Gui, how did his thing go? No, I have to hurry up and take a look. Thinking about these things, he couldn't sit still again, and it's better to respond quickly. He quickly mounted his horse and headed in the direction of the Temple of Heaven...

  Just after finishing a meal, the sound of horseshoes was heard from the front, and it sounded like a single rider. Tianhao got off his horse and hid in a small grove by the side of the road to observe. After a while, the horse arrived in front of him. Tianhao took a closer look and indeed it was Ahui. He called out softly, "Ahui, I'm over here." If it were daytime, he wouldn't have been heard, but now that night had fallen, even the slightest sound could travel far. Ahui heard the call and knew it was his young master, so he let out a loud whoa to stop the horse, got off, and asked, "How is it? Are you alright?"

  "Isn't this good enough?" Zhou Tianhao smiled, "Let's talk about what you've done first."

  "Alas, it's hard to put into words..." Ah Gui told Zhou Tianhao everything he had seen in detail.

  It turned out that after Ah Gui left Zhou Tianhao, he rushed to the Temple of Heaven and Earth on horseback, just in time to see Ge County Magistrate leading a group of yamen runners to search for him. He then used a flying knife to send out the paper slips he had prepared in advance. However, when Ge County Magistrate saw them, he was half-believing and half-doubting, fearing that he might have fallen into the enemy's trap of luring the tiger away from its lair. So he lay in ambush at the Temple of Heaven and Earth himself and sent Wang County Magistrate to investigate near Mingwu River.

  Tian Hao also sighed after hearing this, "Alas, this is something we didn't think of!"

  "No matter what they say, they didn't succeed in their transaction and their plot was foiled!" Aqui comforted Tianhao.

  "Yes. Alas, there are some things we can't help but feel helpless about!" Tian Hao's face was filled with a sense of powerlessness.

  "Master, we've already delayed our journey for quite some time. If we continue like this, we won't be able to get out of here. It's time for us to hurry up."

  "Alright, we should also get going with our own business. Mount up and let's go!"

  Two people ride horses, rushing overnight towards the city of Longtan where they will read books...

  At night, the Zhou Mansion was still brightly lit. The master of the Zhou Manor was still immersed in the sweetness of his new marriage, and for the past few nights, he had been spending them in the room of his new bride, Lin Jingya.

  The second lady led her niece Jiang Keyue to meet the first lady. The first lady saw that Jiang Keyue was intelligent and beautiful, knowledgeable and reasonable, and she liked her very much. She praised the second lady, saying: "This girl is really a beauty, and she has a unique style of speaking and doing things, with her own insights, and the boldness and bravery of a boy!" Keyue heard the praise and was a bit shy, humbly saying: "If Keyue does anything imperfect in the future, please forgive me, first lady! If there's anything to be done, just order Keyue to do it."

  "How can that be? You're also a close relative of the Zhou family, you can't be treated like a servant girl. In the future, if something happens in the mansion and your aunt can't handle it, just come find me, don't be shy." The madam said to Jiang Keyue.

  "Thank you, Madam!" Jiang Keyue clasped her hands together and placed them on her left waist, bending her knees and bowing deeply to pay respects to the madam.

  "This girl is indeed polite!" The madam praised with a smile.

  "Elder sister, Master has been spending every night at Old Fifth's residence lately. Our family's radiance is all in his Jingyuelou now. If this continues, Master will surely ruin his health. Master is also too fond of novelty and tired of the old!" The second mistress sighed as she changed the subject...

  "Second brother, look at what you're saying. Being fond of new things and tired of old ones is also a natural instinct for humans. What's most valuable is being fond of new things without getting tired of the old ones. In this aspect, Master has done quite well. Must he only spend the night in your house to be good for his health? It's better not to say such things in the future." The big madam's words carried a hint of reprimand.

  "Yes, Auntie. There are not many good people like Master. For a big household like this, Master has done quite well. You should be more calm and composed!" Jiang Keyue also consoled the second mistress.

  The second lady was speechless...

  In the room of the fifth lady, the maid Xiao Qing was combing and dressing her master Lin Jingya's hair. Xiao Qing smiled and joked with the second lady, "Miss is getting more and more beautiful, even I want to kiss you." As she said that, she deeply kissed Miss's face.

  The fifth lady was startled and joked: "You... this girl, is becoming more and more unreasonable, how can you still be so impudent? What instructions were given to you before entering the Zhou residence, it's only been a few days, have you forgotten already?"

  "My elder sister, I guarantee that I won't dare again." Xiao Qing hastily smiled and apologized, she took a glance at the outside of the door, "Isn't there anyone else?"

  "Be more careful in the future, don't you see where we are now?" scolded the fifth lady.

  Two people were talking when they heard a cough outside. Zhou Zhuang's master pushed the door open and came in. The fifth lady hurriedly stood up to greet him, "The old master has arrived."

  "I just went for a walk in the yard and came to see you on the way." Old Zhou looked around the room after entering.

  "Xiao Qing, hurry up and serve tea to Master!" Fifth Madam ordered.

  "Yes, miss." Xiao Qing replied, and then went to the back to pour tea for the host...

  Zhou Shiming sat on the chair and looked at Wu Furen who had not finished combing her hair yet, saying: "You continue to comb!"

  "That's it." The fifth lady said as she hastily tidied up her slightly disheveled hair and secured it with a hairpin.

  Xiao Qing brought in a teapot and poured a cup of tea for Master Zhou's wife, then hastily retreated from the room...

  The host of Zhouzhuang picked up his teacup and took a light sip, asking with concern: "What have you been doing today?"

  "What else can we do? Just stay at home." The fifth wife gazed affectionately at Old Master Zhou.

  "I feel a bit stuffy, let's go out for a walk. The scenery in the backyard isn't bad either! If you take a look at which places need to be repaired or renovated, I'll have someone make the changes according to your wishes. As long as it looks comfortable to you, that's all that matters." Old Master Zhou comforted his lovely wife.

  "It feels pretty good, just... " The fifth lady seemed to be lost in thought.

  "What's going on?" The old man asked immediately.

  "I've heard people say that the Garden of Redemption is very mysterious, and that mansion is a bit ominous and frightening." The fifth madam looked a little scared.

  "What's scary about that? That is our Zhou family ancestral hall, where the tablets of our ancestors are worshipped."

  "The house of the ancestral hall is so big, how can I see that the garden is very large?" The fifth lady still did not understand.

  "Of course, the ancestral temple itself doesn't take up much space, it's just four or five rooms. But there are other houses, temporarily idle and not yet put to use." Old Master Zhou replied.

  "Leaving so many houses idle is a bit too wasteful, isn't it?"

  "These houses can be used at any time, and it's not a waste. As for the matter of redeeming the garden, I'll tell you about it slowly later. I have some other things to deal with tonight, so I might be late, and won't come over. You go rest early!" After finishing speaking, Master Zhou stood up from his chair.

  "Master must pay attention to his body and not overwork!" The fifth wife asked with concern.

  Xiao Qing, who was hiding on one side, saw that Zhou Zhuang's master had left and quietly went upstairs...