Holding a lantern, guiding souls across, Lady Hou comes from the underworld.

After the carriage left Yuelai Villa, the group split into three groups and began to carry out their respective tasks.

At midday, Ren Fengjue led Xia Ximo to a teahouse.

There weren't many people in the hall; only a few elderly gentlemen were drinking tea and chatting, and the waiters were quite free.

Seeing guests at the door, the waiter immediately ran out and asked, "Would the young master and lady like to come in and have a seat?"

Ren Fengjue glanced inside and, seeing that the waiter was enthusiastic and perceptive, nodded: "You two."

After taking their seats in the hall, Ren Fengjue asked the waiter to brew a pot of famous tea from Kaiming County and serve two servings of the shop's signature tea snacks.

After paying for the tea and snacks, he handed over two more pieces of silver.

"If you're not too busy, I'd like to ask you something."

The waiter's eyes lit up when he saw that the male customer was so distinguished and generous.

"What questions would you like to ask, sir? I'll answer them to the best of my ability!"

Ren Fengjue watched as he put the silver into his pocket before saying, "I've just arrived here and heard about the Yuelai Manor. I'm very curious and wanted to find someone who knows about it to ask."

After a moment's thought, the waiter immediately said, "The owner of this villa is surnamed Shen, and they are definitely one of the most prominent families in our Kaiming County."

"Sir, you seem to be curious about Miss Shen's marriage, don't you?"

Ren Fengjue nodded: "I heard that the old master is going to hold a banquet at the manor for ten days, not accepting any gifts, and even arranging accommodations for guests from outside?"

"Exactly."

The waiter said, "Because Old Master Shen only has this one daughter, he naturally values ​​her highly. And, there's another reason..."

After all, since they've received the money, they have to reveal some things that can't be heard elsewhere.

He glanced around and then lowered his voice, saying, "A few days ago, some tea drinkers were saying that Miss Shen had contracted a strange illness that hadn't improved for a long time. So some people are saying that Old Master Shen loves his daughter dearly and wants to hold a grand wedding to bring her good luck."

"A strange disease?"

Xia Ximo, who had been quietly listening, suddenly spoke up and focused on the key point: "What kind of strange illness requires a wedding to bring good luck?"

The waiter hesitated for a moment, seemingly a little hesitant to speak.

Seeing this, Ren Fengjue immediately stuffed two more pieces of silver into his hand, saying, "Tell me everything you know."

Seeing this, the waiter dared not hide anything any longer. He leaned closer to the two of them and whispered, "I've only heard about it, so I can't guarantee it's true, but it's probably pretty close to the truth."

"The cause is somewhat related to Madam Shen, who passed away many years ago."

"Madam Shen has always been in poor health. Before she became pregnant with Miss Shen, she saw many famous doctors and took a lot of medicine. It took a lot of effort for her to conceive."

"But because of her poor health, she died shortly after giving birth to Miss Shen! You know, Mr. Shen was already nearly forty years old at that time."

"And this Miss Shen, being born prematurely, is somewhat deficient in some ways, with a weaker constitution and a constant stream of illnesses since childhood..."

"She had finally reached marriageable age, but then she contracted a strange illness. They say she doesn't recognize people and acts like a madwoman in the manor, even smashing Madam Shen's memorial tablet!"

At this point, the waiter paused again, glancing around cautiously, afraid that his words might be overheard by someone with ulterior motives.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he breathed a slight sigh of relief and continued, "But speaking of which, this old master is really pitiful. Everyone in Kaiming County knows how much he loved his wife. He finally had a daughter, but then his wife passed away. He regarded his daughter as his lifeblood, but who would have thought that his daughter would end up like this..."

"That's why the town is saying that this marriage is to bring good luck to Miss Shen."

Upon hearing this, Ren Fengjue exchanged a glance with Xia Ximo before continuing, "I'm quite curious about the son-in-law of Yuelai Manor. What is it about him that makes Old Master Shen trust him so much that he would marry his only beloved daughter to him?"

The waiter replied almost without hesitation: "Because this young master Qin is the son of Qin Qian, a teacher at Kaiming Academy."

He pointed to an arched bridge not far from the window and said, "Do you two see that bridge? The Kaiming Academy is just across the bridge."

"You two may not know this, but Mr. Qin is a renowned and respected gentleman in the county. He has run his school for so many years and has never accepted tuition fees from poor children. He is highly respected!"

"It is said that Mr. Shen admired his character and, upon learning of this, immediately donated books to Kaiming Academy and even paid for the renovation of the school."

"He respects Mr. Qin, so naturally he values ​​Young Master Qin very much. It was no surprise that he took him in as the son-in-law of Yuelai Manor."

After listening to his colleague's analysis, Ren Fengjue remained silent for a moment.

From this perspective, everything makes perfect sense.

Therefore, the biggest mystery in Yuelai Villa should lie with Miss Shen.

Does she really have some strange illness?

Xia Ximo suddenly asked, "Would the seriously ill Miss Shen be willing to marry him?"

Upon hearing this, the waiter was a little embarrassed. He smiled and said, "Marriages are all arranged by parents and matchmakers. As for Miss Shen's wishes, I don't know."

"However, this young master Qin Shu is handsome and talented, though his family is a bit poor. But the Shen family is wealthy, so they probably won't care about that..."

Upon hearing this, the old gentleman drinking tea nearby suddenly scoffed.

"The Shen family is well-off my foot! When that kid Shen Li came to Kaiming, he was so poor he couldn't even afford to eat."

Upon hearing this, Ren Fengjue couldn't help but glance at the old man.

He had a head of white hair and a face full of wrinkles, and looked to be older than the old boss, Mr. Shen, but his eyes were bright and his speech was clear.

As he spoke, he turned to the two elderly gentlemen beside him and said, "You both still remember what happened back then, right?"

The other two elderly men were clearly not as energetic as him. It was unclear whether they were hard of hearing and didn't hear him clearly, or whether they were pretending not to understand.

After exchanging a glance, they both shook their heads and remained silent.

The old gentleman was quite a character. Seeing that his companion ignored him and that he had made a fool of himself, he silently took a sip of tea, then tossed a few coins, leaned on his cane, and got up to walk outside.

Upon seeing this, Ren Fengjue involuntarily took Xia Ximo's hand and followed her out of the teahouse.

"Please wait a moment, sir."

At his call, the old man with the cane immediately stopped, turned around, and glared at the two of them.

Ren Fengjue immediately asked, "Just now at the teahouse, I heard you mention Old Master Shen of Yuelai Villa. Is Shen Li his name?"

The old man frowned. "Why are you asking that?"

"That's how it is..."

Ren Fengjue immediately explained, "Ever since I arrived in Kaiming County, I've heard people mention Master Shen. I have great admiration for such a person, so I wanted to learn more about him."

The old man, however, wore a disdainful expression: "That kid got to where he is today not because of his own efforts, what's there to admire?"

Upon hearing this, Ren Fengjue knew that he had found the right person.