Chapter 162 Reasons for Following My Foster Father

“Guests from Yifeng Royal Manor?”

Zhao Qi’an was quite surprised.

He had always wanted to get the guest list of Yifenghuangzhuang.

However, the Gao family was careful enough. When the Xiaowei attacked Yifeng Imperial Manor, the people who stayed in Yifeng Imperial Manor saw that the situation was hopeless, so they set fire to the manor.

As for paper documents such as accounts and lists, nothing was left behind as they were burned completely.

He had also thought about starting with the women rescued from Yifeng Imperial Manor. After all, the “distinguished guests” of Yifeng Imperial Manor were received by these women.

But these women were all from Yongzhou, and some of them even spoke northwestern dialects and could not even speak Beijing dialect, let alone know any high-ranking officials in the capital.

What’s more, when going to Yifeng Huangzhuang, they are also very careful in this regard. Every time they prepare masks and cloaks for the guests, it is convenient to conceal their identities.

Even if all the civil and military officials in the court were brought in for a confrontation, and the women who were rescued were asked to recognize the man by his accent, who could do anything as long as the other party refused to admit his identity?

For this reason, Zhao Qian’an temporarily gave up this idea and prepared to start from other aspects, such as the “buyers” in the dental clinic.

So when Zhao Guanxiang suddenly handed him this “guest list”, it was really beyond Zhao Qi’an’s expectations.

Zhao Qi’an asked: “Where did you get this list?”

Zhao Guanxiang replied, “Father, do you still remember the girl who was imprisoned with the former imperial concubine? She is now taken in by the Zhang family, and she gave me this list.”

“Qin Hongzhao?”

“Godfather knows her family background?!”

Zhao Qi’an said the three words “Qin Hongzhao” without thinking, which really surprised Zhao Guanxiang.

Even Zhang Juzheng and his wife only knew that the girl’s name was “Hong Zhao”. She only confessed to herself in private that she was Qin Tianguan’s youngest daughter.

Zhao Guanxiang wanted to keep the secret in front of Zhao Qi’an, but he didn’t expect that Zhao Qi’an already knew Qin Hongzhao’s background.

However, Zhao Guanxiang was puzzled: “Since my foster father knew her identity, why didn’t he keep a close watch on her? He actually let the Zhang family’s sister-in-law take her away.”

Zhao Qi’an shook his head and said, “I didn’t know at first. Gou Xiangxi let her out to see if she would come into contact with her family. But I didn’t expect that she didn’t come into contact with the Qin family, but was taken in by your subordinate instead.”

Zhao Guanxiang guessed, “He doesn’t want to go home… maybe every family has its own problems.”

“Maybe.” Zhao Qi’an did not comment and continued to ask, “Or how did Qin Hongzhao know the guest list?”

Zhao Guanxiang sighed, “In the past, the Yifeng Royal Manor was managed by a steward named Lin. The accounts and guest lists of the Royal Manor were all in his hands, and he would often summon Qin Hongzhao to the public house and punish him for fun.”

“Once, the second master of the Gao family came to inspect Yifeng Royal Manor. In a hurry, he left Qin Hongzhao in the public house and went out to greet him. He didn’t expect that Qin Hongzhao was smart since childhood and could understand the account books. He had a photographic memory. After reading it several times, he remembered it deeply.”

Zhao Qi’an asked in confusion: “Why does she remember these things?”

Zhao Guanxiang smiled bitterly and said, “She had seen the Qin family’s carriage come to Yifenghuangzhuang before, and wanted to see if she had seen it wrong.”

Zhao Qi’an looked at the papers that Zhao Guanxiang wrote to him. The first one was about the Imperial College student, Qin Tianyong from the Qin family.

If I remember correctly, this person is the third son of Qin Desheng, the official of the Ministry of Personnel, and also the elder brother of Qin Hongzhao, who has the same mother.

Qin Tianyong has been to Yifenghuangzhuang quite a few times, and it doesn’t look like he went there to look for his sister…

Qin Hongzhao was in such a hellish place, watching her relatives come and go right before her eyes. The shock she felt must have been great.

No wonder she was unwilling to return to the Qin family.

Zhao Qi’an was silent for a while, then asked, “What about Manager Lin?”

Zhao Guanxiang replied: “He is dead. She killed him with her own hands.”

Zhao Qi’an nodded: “It can be considered as karma.” He folded the paper and put it into his sleeve.

The information brought by Zhao Guanxiang is very useful.

However, it still takes some thought to make use of it.

Zhao Qi’an said to Zhao Guanxiang, “General Qi has taken over the Gao family’s affairs. Now you owe 300,000 merits, and I plan to send you to Jingzhou. The Red Lotus Saint Gong Xinying has some useful information, which is enough for you to open up the situation in Jingzhou, make a splash, and earn merits. What do you think?”

Zhao Guanxiang didn’t argue this time. He had intended to go to Jingzhou to earn merit. He cupped his hands and said, “I’ll follow my foster father’s arrangements, but it’s better to wait a few days, at least until the Gao family’s affairs are settled.”

Zhao Qi’an agreed: “It’s okay to go a few days later, you can go back and make preparations first.”

“Yes.”

Zhao Guanxiang bowed and was about to leave.

But when he walked to the study, he hesitated for a moment, turned around, and said to Zhao Qi’an: “There is one thing I would like to ask for your forgiveness, my godfather.”

Zhao Qi’an asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Could you please… not push Qin Hongzhao to the front?”

Zhao Guanxiang knew Qin Hongzhao’s identity, and he also knew that if Qin Hongzhao was pushed out, not to mention other things, just letting her sue the Gao family would be enough to nail the Gao family to death.

But he didn’t know that for Zhao Qi’an, Qin Hongzhao’s use was not just to deal with the Gao family.

If Zhao Qi’an’s guess is correct, even if the Qin family has nothing to do with the third prince on the surface, they may have already sided with the third prince.

If Qin Hongzhao was released, the Third Prince’s plan to recruit the Qin family’s civil servants would be in vain.

Something like kidnapping a child would probably lead to wild criticism from court officials.

In this case, Zhao Guanxiang asked Zhao Qi’an not to use this card…

Zhao Qi’an had a blank expression on his face and asked, “Why?”

Zhao Guanxiang shook his head and smiled bitterly: “It’s just that it’s really… a little pitiful.”

This reason seems a little weak.

But Zhao Qi’an hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, “I understand.”

Zhao Guanxiang was a little surprised. He actually knew that his request was a bit unreasonable.

There are so many pitiful people in this world, but Zhao Qi’an is not a kind-hearted person. If necessary, he will push Qin Hongzhao out without hesitation.

The reason why my adoptive father agreed was only because I had made the initial move.

He couldn’t help but smile and bowed to Zhao Qi’an again: “Thank you, foster father.”

In fact, sometimes, the godfather is not so heartless.

Perhaps it is because of this that I follow my adoptive father so wholeheartedly.

Zhao Qi’an ignored him and waved his hand, saying, “Go ahead. When you get to Jingzhou, do more meritorious deeds and cause less trouble.”

“Godfather, these two are contradictory.”

“……go out!”

It’s Yang again, the whole family is infected, I will try my best to…

Isn’t the epidemic over? It’s so unlucky

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(End of this chapter)