The cockcrow sounded.

In Mingquan Garden, the candles had been extinguished, and white wax covered the candlesticks like tears.

The charcoal basin in the room was radiating residual warmth. Xiaoman, who was wearing a double bun, huddled on the small bench, her head burning all night, and her saliva dripped on her knees.

She suddenly woke up when she heard the crowing of roosters. She first looked at the bed and saw that the traces and dark clouds were gone. She stood up in a panic and said, "Master? Master, where are you?"

Xiaoman lay on the ground and looked under the bed. In her memory, the young master would hide under the bed when he had nightmares, but this time there was nothing under the bed.

At this time, Chen Ji's voice came: "I'm in the yard."

Xiaoman pushed open the door anxiously and saw dark clouds lying on the gray tile eaves of the courtyard wall. He was resting his mind with his two paws in his hands and Chen Ji was gathering the dust on the ground into a pile with a bamboo broom.

She looked at the broom in Chen Ji's hand and was shocked: "When did the young master get up? Why are you sweeping the floor by yourself? Give me the broom!"

Chen Ji said casually: "I have nothing to do. Let me clean it."

Xiaoman felt sad and said: "Whose noble son sweeps the floor by himself? Everyone is rich and rich. How many times have I told you that you have to show off your son's airs so that they will not despise you!"

Chen Ji smiled and said, "I'm just a concubine, not a noble son."

Xiao Man said angrily: "Who says it doesn't count? If I say you count, you count. With the Chen family's long history of ministers and the lintel of Zhongmingdingshi, any concubine can outdo other people's eldest son. In the future, you

When marrying a wife, don't lower your status and marry a concubine, you must find a legitimate daughter from a scholarly family."

The concept of family status has been deeply rooted in everyone's bones. Although Chen Ji doesn't agree with it, there is no need to argue with her.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Xiaoman snatched away the broom and leaned against the wall: "I'll boil water for you to wash up first. After you wash up, you have to go and say hello."

Chen Ji shook his head: "No, I won't go to say hello in the future."

Xiaoman became suspicious: "Why are you so stubborn all of a sudden? The sun is rising in the west?"

Chen Ji explained: "I just went to pay my respects to Madam, and she took the initiative to ask me to do so. I don't have to go to pay her respects in the future."

Xiaoman became even more suspicious: "How can she be so kind?"

Chen Ji smiled and said, "Maybe it's because reciting the Buddha's name brings out some compassion."

Xiao Man murmured in a low voice: "She has been reciting the Buddha's name for so many years, but she has never seen any compassion in her recitation. Why did she recite it today?"

Chen Ji corrected: "She didn't recite the compassionate heart herself, it was me who recited her compassionate heart. If the heart is sincere, it will be spiritual."

Xiaoman seemed to understand: "Ah?"

Chen Ji waved his hand: "Go and boil water."

Xiaoman said in a long voice: "Oh..."

She went to the penthouse to open the stove, picked up the coal with iron tongs and threw it in: "By the way, sir, didn't you have a nightmare last night?"

Chen Ji's eyes moved: "I had a dream, but it was different from before."

Xiaoman poked his head out of the ear room: "Didn't you dream about that weird battlefield again?"

Chen Ji's pupils shrank.

The ‘traces’ of this world are actually having the same dream as myself?

Chen Ji was silent for a long time, then further said to Xiao Man: "Actually, thinking about it now, that dream was not scary at all."

Xiao Man curled his lips and retracted his head into the ear room: "You said it yourself that the dream was scary. There were monsters, birds and beasts everywhere, and there were many soldiers killing each other, bleeding and drifting."

Traces confirmed that it was the same dream.

What is the connection between myself and the ‘traces’ of this world, and why do I have the same dream?

Could it be that...this is the key to how Master and Li Qingniao were able to smuggle themselves down from the forty-ninth heaven?

Chen Ji couldn't help but carefully recall what Li Qingniao said, "The people from Luzhou in Beiju are responsible for smuggling you" and "The forty-nine heavens can't keep you, so go where you should go."

He suddenly realized that there were two key messages in these words:

The first key information is that the person responsible for smuggling him is one of the people from Luzhou, Beiju, one of the 49th Heaven... Could it be that Master Yao Qimen is also a person from the 49th Heaven?

Chen Ji recalled that he once asked his master if he wanted to ascend to the forty-nine heavens and become an immortal. His master's answer was... If you don't live a hundred thousand years, how can you become an immortal?

The second key message is that the four words "I can't keep you" are worthy of careful consideration. Who wants to keep him? Why should he be kept in the forty-ninth heaven?

Thinking about this, Chen Ji always felt that there was a greater crisis hanging over him in the sky.

At this time, Xiao Man walked out of the ear room and wiped her hands on the clothes behind her. Seeing that Chen Ji was distracted, she waved her hand in front of his face: "Master, what dream did you have last night?"

Chen Ji lied: "Last night was a sweet dream. I dreamed that I made a lot of money, bought tens of thousands of acres of paddy fields, and bought a silk and satin shop, an inn, and a restaurant..."

Xiaoman murmured: "You still make money, you are lucky not to be defrauded. Previously you really owned a restaurant and had hundreds of acres of fertile land. Wasn't it coaxed away by your wife? My aunt's 'Drum Belly Tower' is located in the capital.

The Dengshikou outside Donghuamen, which is worth a lot of money, is famous."

Chen Ji was startled, is there such a thing?

He couldn't directly ask what other properties there were other than the drum-belly building, so he could only pretend to be indifferent and said: "Money is an external thing. If you don't bring it with you when you are alive, you won't take it with you after death. I have forgotten what my aunt left behind.

You don’t have to worry about it all the time, just give it to the madam."

Xiao Man clenched his fists in anger: "You have forgotten, but I will never forget. Aunt Li once said that my aunt left you the Drum Belly Tower outside Donghua Gate, Yujing Garden in the Bada Hutong, Chenji Grain and Oil Shop, and the Bell and Drum Tower.

The silk and satin shop outside, and the 320 acres of fertile farmland in Changping! Each of these is property that no one else can save in a lifetime, and my aunt must have spent a lot of effort to buy them in the first place!"

Chen Ji's heart suddenly tightened, so much property had been taken away by Liang?

He was silent for a moment and said: "Xiao Man, take out the three volumes of Diamond Sutra in the room."

Xiaoman exclaimed: "Master, what are you doing with the scriptures?"

Chen Ji said seriously: "Go and say hello."

Xiaoman: "?"

She couldn't laugh or cry: "You finally didn't need to say hello, so you better not go. Those industries are like meat buns beating dogs, they will never come back. But..."

"But what?"

Xiao Man said seriously: "Sir, you go and take the imperial examination. When you become a high official, my wife will definitely not dare to dominate these properties anymore, and everything will be returned to you."

Chen Ji thought thoughtfully. Although he had no material desires, he was still burning money like water. Sooner or later, he would get all these properties back.

No, even if he doesn’t spend a penny, he doesn’t want to see others taking advantage of his things...

But it is not an easy task to get it back. We can only go to the capital and make long-term plans.

Chen Ji thought about it and suddenly said with emotion: "It's been so long, I almost forgot what my aunt looks like."

When Xiao Man heard this, his mood also became low: "It has indeed been a long time... But how can the young master forget my aunt? She is the most beautiful and gentle woman in the world. My aunt is beautiful when she smiles, and she is also beautiful when she is not smiling.

Every time I see her, I wonder, how could such a woman marry the master? I'm afraid all the literati in the capital once thought so."

Chen Ji remained silent without interrupting.

Xiao Man continued to say softly: "My aunt has taught me a lot of things, but I am too stupid to learn them. She is not bothered and can teach me over and over again. Young Master, I envy you very much. If I had someone like this

Just call him mother. My aunt actually asked me to call him mother, but I don't dare."

Chen Ji thought of his own mother who was like this. When she was a child, she could never learn Pinyin by herself, as if she didn't understand, so her mother took the trouble to teach her Pinyin over and over again.

His voice softened unconsciously: "Why don't you dare to call her mother?"

Xiaoman smiled: "Maybe I feel unworthy. How could I have such a good mother? But when I wanted to call her again, she was gone."

Chen Ji didn't know whether Xiao Man was telling the truth or whether he was just lying like a golden pig, a bright rabbit, or a cloudy sheep. He could only listen to half of it first.

But this world seems to have a special kind of magic. When you mention that you haven't seen your mother for a long time, the world will become gentler.

My mother, who I see often, cannot.

Xiao Man asked: "By the way, Master, aren't you curious, who has been trying to buy your whereabouts? I don't know who it is. What if they want to harm you? You can't indulge them like before.

."

Chen Ji remained silent and curious, of course he was curious.

Some people spend ten taels of silver a month to buy their whereabouts, which is quite generous.

Who will be the buyer? Liang or Wang Gui?

It can't be Mrs. Liang. As the mistress of Chen Mansion, Mrs. Liang wants to know what she is doing. She only needs to call the maids to ask questions. Who dares not to tell? And she has been manipulated by others in the past. Why does the other party need to buy it?

Your whereabouts?

It's not that Wang Gui is stingy and can't bear to part with this money.

Who could it be?

This feeling of someone watching around him was too bad. He had to fish him out today.

Chen Ji thought for a moment and told Xiaoman: "I'm going to Dongshi. You pack up and follow me."

Xiaoman's eyes widened: "Really? You didn't want to take me with you before."

Chen Ji was shocked, 'I' never took Xiaoman with me when I went out before?

Yes, according to Wu Hongbiao, he began to receive secret training a few years ago. On those days when he didn't take Xiaoman out with him, he must have secretly gone to see Wu Hongbiao.

Thinking of this, Chen Ji nodded and said, "I'll take you with me this time and let's go."

"Sir, wait for me a moment," Xiao Man trotted back to the house and took out a piece of paper and a Shidai pen for eyebrow thrush: "Sir, can you write down your trip to Dongshi for Sister Liqiu?"

Chen Ji nodded: "You can remember it."

Xiao Man bit the end of Shi Dai's pen, lowered his head and thought for a while, then asked: "Sir, can you remember that you don't have to go to pay your respects to Madam?"

"Can you remember... what are you doing in such detail?"

Xiaoman said matter-of-factly: "The employer will continue to give us money only when he is satisfied. Ten taels of silver per month... eight taels of silver per month!"

Chen Ji couldn't help laughing: "Then remember it carefully."

"Oh, don't worry, young master, I will ask you before I write it down." Xiaoman stood aside, lowered his head in front of Chen Ji, and wrote down seriously on the paper one stroke at a time: "Jianing thirty
Chapter completed!