"Who has the keys to the storeroom now?"
The butler replied respectfully, "This old servant has one set, and the mistress has another. As far as this old servant knows, the one in the mistress's possession is now in Miss Jushuang's hands."
"Help me find out who has entered the storeroom recently, which storerooms they entered, and what items they took," Xiao Tian said, standing with his hands behind his back, his eyes full of complexity.
Yi Qing had been really careless this time.
Just as they were packing to set off, she proposed to copy books. And the matter of handwriting was something Xiao Tian had always deliberately avoided. So even though she tried to act nonchalantly, it still raised his suspicion.
She had started to doubt his identity. Xiao Tian knew this day would come sooner or later, but when it finally arrived, he felt uneasy.
"Yes, this old servant will go right away," the butler said.
Soon, the butler found out that Sang Sang had been to the storeroom and taken out his calligraphy from years ago.
Sure enough, Yi Qing was trying to get his handwriting sample.
Xiao Tian said, "Go down. Don't mention this to anyone."
"Yes."
Actually, he had already left a flaw regarding his handwriting.
When he first came to Yi Qing's house, he quickly learned that she was illiterate.
How could an illiterate person recognize handwriting? So Xiao Tian had taught Baozi to write without any concerns.
Moreover, he had destroyed all the drafts, so there was no problem.
However, things were different now that they were in the general's mansion.
Xiao Tian had already asked the butler to collect all his calligraphy and paintings to avoid arousing Baozi's suspicion. He no longer taught Baozi to write, and when corresponding with the emperor privately, he always used his left hand, being extremely careful.
Unexpectedly, Sang Sang, who was as meticulous as a hair-splitting expert, still noticed something amiss.
The person sent by Deng Xiao was really a nuisance.
Xiao Tian silently marked a cross against Deng Xiao in his heart.
In this situation, Xiao Tian was not panicked.
For him, now that he knew what Yi Qing was up to, it was not difficult to conceal his handwriting.
That night, he was copying books at the desk. After Yi Qing washed Baozi's hair, she stood by the kang, lowering her head to wring out his hair gently. At the same time, she patiently explained to him why she was leaving home.
Baozi said, "Since you're going with Uncle Xiao, I'm relieved. Mother, you can go. I also want to stay in the academy for a while, just like my classmates."
Yi Qing suddenly looked up at Xiao Tian and asked, "Can Xiao Jinghong return to the academy after he's released?"
"His conduct is so poor that he's already been expelled from Yunyang Academy."
"That's good."
As long as Xiao Jinghong wasn't in the academy, no one would bully Baozi.
"Sang Sang is still in the mansion. If you need anything, ask someone to send a message to her. Your grandmother and aunt are in the academy. You can also turn to them."
"Mother, if the Yianbo Mansion causes trouble while you're away, can Sang Sang stop them?" Baozi asked worriedly.
Yi Qing put down the towel, picked up a comb to comb his hair, and said with a smile, "It's rare for you to think so carefully. After mother and Uncle Xiao leave, the general's mansion will turn away all visitors. No one will be allowed in. There are so many guards in the mansion. They're not just for show."
"What if they bring more people and force their way in?"
"Your imperial uncle will take care of it."
If she went to work for the emperor, but the emperor didn't care about the trouble in her backyard, she'd see how she'd settle the score with that dog emperor when she came back.
"Uncle Xiao," Baozi called out crisply.
Xiao Tian, who was concentrating on "forging" his handwriting, was startled by the call. His hand trembled, the pen paused, and a blot of ink appeared on the paper.
Yi Qing observed him calmly.
Xiao Tian took out the paper and threw it away. Then he looked at Baozi with a smile and asked, "What's up?"
"Uncle Xiao, you have to take good care of my mother," Baozi said like a little adult. "It'd be even better if you could bring back a little brother for me when you come back."
Yi Qing said, "There's already a younger sister in the mansion, isn't there?"
After Shuang'er came, she had introduced her to Baozi as Qin Shuang'er.
Sang Sang's maiden surname was Qin. Yi Qing had discussed with her and let her daughter take her surname. So Ke Shuang'er became Qin Shuang'er.
Baozi hesitated to speak.
Xiao Tian saw through his thoughts and said with a smile, "Is it because Sister Shuang'er ignores you?"
Baozi nodded, looking very distressed. "I try to play with her, but she always hides from me."
Yi Qing said with a smile, "Girls are always shy. Moreover, she's just new here. She'll get along well with you after she gets familiar with you. Sister Shuang'er has suffered a lot in the past, so you have to treat her well and help her forget the past as soon as possible. And you're a man. You're supposed to take care of women. Do you understand?"
Baozi nodded half - understandingly. Looking at Xiao Tian who was holding a pen, he said, "Then I'll copy books for Sister Shuang'er too."
Yi Qing burst out laughing. She suddenly thought that maybe her son's emotional intelligence had been lowered by Xiao Tian.
"Mother will leave tomorrow. Will you sleep with mother tonight?"
"I'll sleep on the couch. Mother and Uncle Xiao can sleep on the bed."
Even though Yi Qing was thick - skinned, she blushed at these words.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Tian agreed right away. "Okay."
Before the departure, he hadn't intended to tease Yi Qing. Moreover, he had a lot to tell Baozi. It was just right for the three of them to have a chat at night.
Before going to bed, Xiao Tian took Baozi to the bathroom to take a bath. Yi Qing walked to the desk and looked at the medical book that Xiao Tian had copied for her.
Not to mention whether the handwriting was the same, the font was completely different.
When Xiao Tian wrote that calligraphy, he used cursive script, but when copying the book for her, he used regular script, writing each stroke neatly without showing any of his own characteristics.
If Xiao Tian wasn't deliberately hiding his handwriting, Yi Qing would...
Xiao Tian came out with Baozi. Seeing her sitting at the desk looking at the copied medical book, his heart pounded, but he said nonchalantly, "I write slowly. I haven't copied many pages for you yet."
"That's enough," Yi Qing said calmly. "Anyway, after we set off, I might be too tired to read on the way."
Keep pretending. I don't believe you can pretend forever!
She wasn't absolutely sure that Xiao Tian was Xiao Jinghan, but she was absolutely sure that Xiao Tian was hiding something from her.
There was at least a 90% chance that he was Xiao Jinghan.
The anger that Xiao Tian was worried about did exist in Yi Qing, but it wasn't to the extent of making her hair stand on end.
If he was really Xiao Jinghan, it meant that he and the dog emperor were plotting something. Initially, they didn't intend to deceive her. After all, she was the unexpected variable.
She also had the advantage of being self - aware. She wasn't a love - struck fool and didn't think that just because Xiao Tian liked her, he should tell her everything, including his "work secrets".
She liked Xiao Tian for the silent kindness he showed to her and her son, regardless of his identity.
Moreover, no matter who he was, his face was real, and their compatibility in bed was also real. Yi Qing had no complaints about him.
Of course, she was still angry. Especially when she recalled the beginning, when she had pretended to be in love with Xiao Jinghan, this guy must have been secretly laughing at her. He was really able to keep his cool and not expose her.