There is a god in the sky

Chapter 256 Beauty Bones 16

Every time Shen Lan returned, Xuan'er would prepare hot water immediately.

The little girl studied at the Xiao residence for a while, and her manners and etiquette improved significantly compared to before.

Shen Lan won't live in the Xiao family forever. If Xuan'er wants to live in the Xiao family long-term, she'll have to adapt to the environment.

In fact, the mistresses of wealthy families are not necessarily worse off than ordinary people.

High-ranking families live a life of luxury and have broad knowledge. As long as they don't encounter a harsh master, their lives are easy.

"My sister has worked so hard, traveling around for days and not even being able to eat properly. She's lost weight since then."

Shen Lan herself didn't feel like she had lost weight, but recently she had encountered too many cases with too many victims, and when she was busy with autopsies, she really didn't have time to eat, and couldn't eat anything.

"It's okay, I'll gain the weight back once the case is over."

She flicked a few drops of water at Xuan'er and asked her, "What is the reaction in the manor to Madam Xiao's pregnancy?"

"It's wonderful that the lady is pregnant! I see everyone is very happy."

I heard from Granny Fu that when the family had a new baby, the master gave the servants three months' wages as a reward.

Shen Lan shook her head inwardly; the little girl wasn't thinking long enough.

Having one more master in the mansion means having several more important positions.

If it is a boy, his personal servants, companions from childhood, and guards all need to be carefully selected.

If it's a girl, her personal maids and head maids will usually stay with her for life. They have high monthly salaries and great power, so many people will definitely be eyeing them.

"You should first learn the rules, and continue learning to read. In a family like the Xiao family, the inner quarters are a world of their own, so there will always be opportunities to improve yourself."

If you consider the Xiao family as a company, there are quite a few good positions available.

She was dozing off in the bathtub.

I didn't get up until I smelled the aroma of food.

"Who sent it?" she asked as she dressed.

Xuan'er set out the food and came over to dry her hair. "Xiao Ling from the kitchen brought this over. She's responsible for delivering all the food to our yard."

She said that Lord Xiao had instructed that no matter when you returned to the manor, you must prepare a meal and send it to me as soon as possible.

So the stove in the kitchen was kept on the stove the whole time; the food must have just come out of the pot.

Whether food is carefully prepared or leftovers can be known the moment it enters the mouth. Although Shen Lan mentioned that she could eat whatever she wanted, Xiao Ji clearly did not think so.

Xuan'er secretly told her, "I heard from Xiaoling that you often come back with Lord Xiao, and you eat the same food every day."

Shen Lan thought to herself: It's just food cooked in the same pot, what's so special about that?

But she didn't know that in wealthy families, it was rare for masters and servants to eat the same dishes.

No matter which restaurant it is, the food is divided into different grades.

Xiao Ji was also eating.

He scribbled and drew on paper while eating.

"Why are you so late coming back?" Mr. Xiao asked as he walked in and sat down.

"Yes, I've been handling over a dozen cases with Lord Chen. There are too many suspects in custody lately, so we need to get results quickly."

"I heard that the prison in the Jingzhao Prefecture is full. Last time it was the Imperial City Guard that sealed off the city to arrest people, and this time it's the Jingzhao Prefecture. There are people in the court who have a lot of opinions about you."

"What does it have to do with me?" Xiao Ji asked, looking up.

Father Xiao laughed and scolded, "How can it not concern you? Last time it was because you were assassinated, and this time you took the initiative to petition the Emperor to agree to crack down on human traffickers. Isn't it all your fault?"

Seeing that Xiao Ji wanted to refute, he waved his hand and said, "Of course, this is not a bad thing. There are always some people in the court who hold positions without doing anything and only like to talk."

"His Majesty still appreciates you, but when investigating cases, you're bound to encounter some formidable obstacles. You'll have to weigh the pros and cons yourself."

Xiao Ji tentatively asked, "Father, if the murderer is a vicious and ruthless person, but he holds a high position, and even with the combined strength of our entire clan, we might not be able to shake him, should I continue the investigation?"

"Then you'll have to think about me and your mother, your unborn siblings, and everyone else you care about."

Of course, sometimes we don't necessarily have to be the ones to shake it. There's still the sky above the mountain; can it really be bigger than the sky?

"What if Heaven also wants to help him?"

"Then give up as soon as possible; justice will prevail."

Xiao Ji laughed, "Father, that's not how you taught me when I was a child."

"Cough...that was when you were a child. You need to establish the right mindset."

As for now, how can everything in life go as planned? One should know when to bow one's head and be humble; a wise person knows when to yield.

Nothing is a big deal unless it concerns the rise and fall of a dynasty or its very survival.

Xiao's father was considered a man of integrity in the court, but even a man of integrity needs to be flexible and adaptable.

"By the way, seeing how busy you are, do you have enough people around you?"

Xiao Ji hurriedly said, "It's not enough. Sui Feng and Sui Ying are being bossed around like crazy. Even if they had three heads and six arms, they couldn't handle it."

"I plan to pick a few clever juniors from the clan for you to work with. Bring them over tomorrow and you can choose one yourself."

"People from the clan?"

The Xiao family is a century-old scholarly family with many collateral descendants. These collateral descendants are not very close to the main family, and not all of them have a bright future.

For these people, being able to serve as an assistant to Xiao Ji was a great honor.

"We feel more at ease using it with our own family. Besides them, you should take Uncle Liao with you when you go out in the future."

Liao Wude was a martial arts master supported by the Xiao family, and he used to follow Xiao's father.

However, it seems that Xiao Ji needs a skilled protector more now.

"Then I won't stand on ceremony with my father. I'll have Uncle Liao come back after the case is over."

Xiao Ji put down his chopsticks and handed the piece of sheepskin to his father. "Father, can you read the writing on this?"

"what is this?"

"We brought back anything we found at the crime scene that we thought would be useful."

"It doesn't look like the script of the Central Plains; it looks more like Sanskrit."

“Sanskrit?” At first, Xiao Ji only thought that these characters did not look like Chinese characters, but now that he was reminded, the more he looked at them, the more they looked like Sanskrit.

"The handwriting is too blurry; it needs to be restored first, otherwise your father won't be able to help you."

Xiao Ji nodded, "Okay, I'll find someone to repair it first."

"Several editors in the Hanlin Academy are skilled in restoring ancient calligraphy and paintings. If you need help, I can introduce you to them."

Compared to the amateur calligraphy and painting restorers who collaborated with bookstores, the officials of the Hanlin Academy were clearly more experienced.

only……

Xiao Ji hesitated, "This is evidence; it's not appropriate to disclose it for the time being."

The court officials' stance is unclear; if that person were to leak this information, his life would be in grave danger.

"Don't worry, do you remember your Uncle Yuan? He's obsessed with calligraphy and painting, never gets involved in factional struggles, and is a trustworthy person."

"Alright, there's no time like the present, let's go find him tonight!"

Xiao Ji packed his things and took his father out the door.

Mr. Xiao's face darkened. "What's the rush? It's the middle of the night, disturbing people's sleep... Never mind, it's safer to go at night."