Shen Baozhu held up the cloth in her hand and nodded. "Yes. Mother said it's hot, and Second Aunt has no clothes to change into when taking a bath in jail. So I asked Aunt Yun to pick out some clothes for Second Aunt. When the clothes are ready, I'll go with you to send them to her."
"Really? But my mother probably can't take a bath in jail. It's better to send her some food. I heard there are lots of rats and insects in jail. I'll go buy some insect - repellent herbs." Shen Minghua wished he could teleport and instantly buy the herbs to send to Second Madam Shen.
Shen Haiyan reached out and grabbed Shen Minghua, covering his mouth. "Keep your voice down. Don't disturb Mingli while he's looking at something. There's no need to buy the insect - repellent herbs. I spent some silver to get a separate cell for Second Aunt and slipped some money to the jailer. Second Aunt has enough to eat and drink. Just bring some clothes."
Shen Baozhu also grabbed Shen Minghua, but she was tugging at his corner of the clothes. "I also paid. I used Father's money. So, in the end, I didn't spend any of my own. Am I smart, Baozhu?"
Shen Minghua was filled with gratitude. Afraid of disturbing Yan Mingli, he nodded with tears in his eyes, indicating that he also thought Shen Baozhu was smart.
After confirming that gray was Second Madam Shen's favorite color, Shen Baozhu left in a hurry with the cloth in her hand. Qiuqiu and the Fourth Prince also ran after her.
Seeing that Shen Minghua could keep his voice down, Shen Haiyan let go of his hand and instead put his arm around him. "Relax. The most important thing now is to find the evidence of Shen Qingshan's embezzlement and make great achievements."
Shen Minghua had already given up defending the Shen family. Or rather, he knew very well that Shen Qingshan had really embezzled.
But he was curious about what Shen Baozhu had said. "Did Third Uncle leave money for Baozhu before the divorce? I heard it costs a lot to get things done. When I see my mother and get the token, I'll take out the money and pay you back."
Shen Minghua's maternal grandfather would deposit money in the bank from time to time. Second Madam Shen just needed to take the token to the bank to get the money. But the token was with Second Madam Shen, not in Shen Minghua's hands.
Mentioning this, Shen Haiyan couldn't help but smile. "Do you remember that Bai Xinrou, the one who pretended to be the young lady of the Xie family? She was put in jail for murdering someone for money. Shen Yunfeng spent money to get things done for her."
After waiting for a while, Shen Minghua asked curiously, "And then?"
"That's it. Big Brother took 50,000 taels of silver and distributed it to us. The money Baozhu mentioned just now is what she got." The more Shen Haiyan explained, the more he wanted to laugh.
Shen Minghua was stunned, and his voice uncontrollably grew louder. "How much? 50,000 taels!"
"Where did Third Uncle get so much money! That's 50,000 taels!"
The smile on Shen Haiyan's face froze. He guessed, "Maybe he saved it?"
"Saved it? This is 50,000 taels, not 500 taels, let alone 50 taels. How could he save that much!" Due to Second Madam Shen's situation, although Shen Minghua didn't do business, he was quite sensitive to money.
Compared with Shen Haiyan, who was on bad terms with Shen Yunfeng and had been away from home for a long time, Shen Minghua knew Shen Yunfeng better. He almost gritted his teeth and calculated with Shen Haiyan. "Although Third Uncle could sell calligraphy and paintings, he sold very few. He spent a lot on daily expenses and often bought writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones for Heqing."
Although writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones were not a big expense for Shen Yunfeng, over the years, the amount was quite astonishing. And Shen Yunfeng was a carefree person who didn't earn any money. Sometimes, he even needed others to support him.
The more Shen Minghua thought about it, the more something seemed off. "My mother was in charge of the family's expenses. I never heard that Third Uncle took money from home. Did Grandfather and Grandmother secretly support him? Or was it from the Princess Jingning? Could it be the embezzled money?"
Shen Haiyan and Shen Minghua looked at each other, then pulled Shen Minghua out. The ledger of the Princess Mansion was in Qingdai's charge. They just needed to find Qingdai and ask.
The two were in a hurry and subconsciously forgot about Yan Mingli sitting in front of the table.
When Yan Mingli looked up, he found that he was the only one left in the room. He wondered, "Where did everyone go? Forget it. I'll take these four things to the old man first. He has a good eye. Maybe he can tell something."
...
At this time, the Prince Rui was in Aunt Yun's courtyard, watching the three children play. Seeing the Fourth Prince gradually becoming more lively and cheerful, he sighed with Li Xingzhi beside him. "Baozhu has a special charm. The Fourth Prince has become more cheerful since he's been with her."
Li Xingzhi nodded in agreement. At the same time, his eyes fell on Qiuqiu. "Do you think Qiuqiu would like to be my disciple?"
"Baozhu definitely won't agree... Who? You mean Qiuqiu?" The Prince Rui almost choked on his saliva. He didn't understand why Li Xingzhi had set his sights on Qiuqiu again. "Didn't you say you wanted to take Baozhu as your last disciple? Do you just open and close your door for no reason? One is not enough, and you want two."
If it were someone else who said this, Li Xingzhi would just ignore them. He did what he wanted and didn't need to explain to others.
But the Prince Rui was his old friend for many years, so Li Xingzhi gave him this face. "Don't you think both children are very spiritual, but in different ways?"
"Baozhu has a photographic memory, is quick to learn, and has high comprehension. Qiuqiu has wild and interesting ideas. I want to take them both as my disciples."
Hearing that Li Xingzhi wanted to take them both, the Prince Rui couldn't help but tease, "You old guy, you're dreaming."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the Prince Rui regretted it because Li Xingzhi beside him had already rolled up his sleeves and was ready to have a good talk with him. The Prince Rui was so scared that he ran away.
Li Xingzhi chased after him. "Who are you calling an old guy? Explain yourself!"
The Prince Rui ran in front, and Li Xingzhi chased after him. Shen Baozhu pulled Qiuqiu and the Fourth Prince to watch them.
It wasn't until Yan Mingli came looking for them. Seeing the Prince Rui and Li Xingzhi running around the courtyard, he said with satisfaction, "The old man just sleeps and eats all day. It's good that he finally walked a few steps today."
Dragon King: [As expected of a fool. He thinks Old Man Gu is exercising while being chased by Li Xingzhi.]
The Dragon King flicked his tail and had a bad idea. [Little cutie, tell Yan Mingli not to disturb Old Man Gu's exercise.]
Lin Yu: [The Prince Rui is about to collapse from exhaustion. Let Mingli save him earlier.]
Yan Mingli looked at the four things in his arms and called the Prince Rui over. "Old man, I have something to ask you. Stop running!"
"Take a look at these four things. Are they valuable?"
The Prince Rui immediately found an excuse and negotiated with Li Xingzhi. "Let's talk about our business later. Let's deal with Mingli's matter first."
Li Xingzhi gasped for breath and looked at the Prince Rui. "You've been lucky these few times. Don't let me catch you next time."
The Prince Rui didn't take Li Xingzhi's words to heart. He ran to Yan Mingli and looked at the four things.
At a glance, the Prince Rui noticed the somewhat shabby ancient book. He picked it up, frowned, and then looked at Li Xingzhi. "Xingzhi, come and take a look at this ancient book!"
Li Xingzhi was leaning against the wall, gasping for breath. He ignored the Prince Rui's words as if they were the north - west wind.
The Prince Rui took the ancient book and forced it in front of Li Xingzhi. "Take a look quickly. Isn't it familiar? Is it the one you lost?"