The weather is cold, but the faint winter sunshine does not make people feel warm at all.
It took Yang Ning a while to come back to his senses. When he went to see Su Zixuan, the group of people had left completely. Only Xiaoyao was sitting on a stone on the ground, with her arms around her knees, her head lowered, and she was silent.
A gust of wind blew by, and although Yang Ning was wearing a thick brocade jacket, she actually felt a chill on her body.
Yang Ning really couldn't believe that two women with such huge contrasts could actually be sisters. It was even more impossible for him to think that Xiaoyao was plainly dressed and had a delicate figure. She looked like a girl from an ordinary family, so how could she be a martial artist? The daughter of the Marquis Su Zhen
Who is Wu Xianghou
One of the four great marquises in the empire, although he is ranked last, Yang Ning has seen with his own eyes the luxury and grandeur of the Marquis of Wuxiang. From the big scenes to the small details, he is extremely particular about it. It is an authentic aristocratic life.
How could such a simple and simple young lady like Xiao Yao exist in such a luxurious Hou Mansion
If Xiaoyao hadn't said it himself, even Yang Ning wouldn't have believed such a ridiculous fact.
"Xiao Yao, you...!" Yang Ning was silent for a while, and finally squatted down next to Xiao Yao and said softly: "So you are the daughter of the Marquis of Wuxiang."
Xiao Yao finally raised her head, her eyes were red, and she forced a smile and said: "Your Majesty, thank you for standing up for me just now. You are a good person, but... Xiao Yao doesn't deserve what you did." There were clearly tears in the corners of her eyes. , but pretended to smile freely and said: "It's okay, Your Majesty, you go back first, I... I went to read a book." Before Yang Ning could say anything, he had already picked up the book that had just fallen on the ground and gave Yang Ning a forced smile. , turned around and left.
Yang Ning raised her hand to stop, but she didn't know what to say at this time.
It wasn't until Xiaoyao disappeared that Yang Ning shook his head with a wry smile and followed the path in and left Qionglin Academy.
Since Xiaoyao is studying in this academy and she promised Zhuo Qingyang to come to the academy every month, she doesn't have to worry about not seeing her in the future.
After leaving the academy, he saw two accompanying guards guarding the horses. Duan Canghai was in the cabin chatting and laughing with Ren Bo. When he saw Yang Ning walking past the cabin, Duan Canghai hurriedly ran out. He said: "Master Hou, are you out?" Yang Ning spent most of the day inside, and it was almost noon, which made people a little anxious.
Yang Ning went over and got on the horse. Duan Canghai hurriedly motioned for the two guards to follow. Seeing that Yang Ning seemed to have something on his mind, Duan Canghai rushed forward and said, "Master Hou, did that bitch named Jiang make you angry?"
"Have you seen him?" Yang Ning asked.
Duan Canghai sneered and said: "I was waiting outside the academy. Not long after the Marquis entered, that boy came over in a big carriage. Hehe, it's really grand. The carriage is more luxurious than some princes and nobles."
Yang Ning showed no interest in Jiang Suiyun at this time and asked, "Second Uncle Duan, how much do you know about Wu Xianghou's family situation?"
"Wuxiang Marquis? Su Zhen?" Duan Canghai had a bad look when he heard the name and snorted coldly: "Back then, the old Marquis and the old Marquis of Wuxiang were Jinlan brothers. The relationship between the two families was very close. Even if they were When the Marquis passed away and the general was still alive, Su Zhen often came to our Jinyi Hou Mansion. How else could the two families become in-laws?" He touched his beard and then said: "I am very familiar with their family, Hou. What do you want to know?"
Yang Ning was riding on the horse, just letting the horse slow down at will, looking at Duan Canghai and asking: "How many wives does Su Zhen have?"
"Married three people in succession." Duan Canghai said without hesitation: "Su Zhen's wife was the daughter of the minister of the Ministry of Industry at that time, with a high background. However, after Su Zhen got married, he did not have children for two years. Hehe, then At that time, the old Marquis of Wuxiang was still alive. This old Marquis of Wuxiang was good at everything, but he was particularly concerned about carrying on the family line. The wife of the wife had not been born for a long time, so he made the decision himself and added a new concubine. "
Yang Ning was actually not interested in knowing Su Zhen's complete family history and asked directly: "Has he ever married a girl from Qinhuai River?"
Duan Canghai smiled and said: "When Su Zhen was young, he was also a well-known dandy in the capital. At that time, the old marquis of Wuxiang was often away from the capital, so Su Zhen was happy that no one would care about him. When the old marquis of Wuxiang was alive, there was no old marquis. I have the final say. Not to mention the girl from Qinhuai River, she would not even dare to marry another concubine." After a pause, he said: "I have heard people say that Su Zhen participated in the Queen of Flowers selection one year and won a prize. A girl, finally got a concubine. The girl was outstanding in talent, and Su Zhen was very obsessed with her. However, the old Marquis of Wuxiang was here, and he did not dare to marry back to the house, but I heard people say that in fact, at that time, Su Zhen Zhen has already obtained a sum of money to redeem the girl's body, but she is just keeping her outside."
"Did you get married later?"
Duan Canghai said: "Less than half a year after knowing that girl, Mrs. Su gave birth to a daughter. The old Marquis of Wuxiang was very disappointed. Within three or four months, the old Marquis of Wuxiang actually gave up and returned to the west. The old Marquis passed away. Within two months, Su Zhen brought the girl he had raised outside back to his house."
"Oh?" Yang Ning frowned and said, "The old Marquis of Wuxiang passed away just now, how dare he do that?"
"Actually, he didn't marry him back home." Duan Canghai said: "He just brought him back to the house without giving him a status. Later, many people found out that the girl outside was pregnant at that time and was about to give birth to a child. Su Zhen wanted a son who could inherit the title, and the wife of the wife couldn't give birth to a son, so she naturally looked to others, so she took the girl back to the house and took good care of her."
"Doesn't he have a son?"
Duan Canghai nodded and said: "The Marquis is talking about Su Zicheng, the eldest son of Wuxiang? In fact, the affairs of the Su family were all put together at that time. The wife of the wife gave birth to a daughter. The old Marquis of Wuxiang was not in good health at that time. Every three months He died in four months, but at that time, Su Zhen's second concubine also suddenly became pregnant. When Su Zhen brought the girl from outside into the house, two women were pregnant at the same time. I heard that the two gave birth to a child. There is only one day difference. The second concubine gave birth to a son, and the girl outside gave birth to a daughter the next day... Think about it for yourself, is this okay?"
Yang Ning frowned and said, "You mean, because the girl outside gave birth to a daughter, Su Zhen treated her lightly?"
"Many people know about this." Duan Canghai sneered: "Su Zhen is a heartless and ungrateful person. Back then, he supported that girl like a stick and treated her as a treasure. But after he got tired of it, he gave birth to a daughter, and Su Zhen The attitude changed drastically. Needless to say, the wife of the wife, the second concubine’s status in the Wuxiang Marquis’ Mansion became higher because she gave birth to a son. Su Zhen also loved her very much. What happened after that, I really I didn’t fully understand it, I just know that the girl was sent out of the mansion by Su Zhen and found a new place to settle down. The orphans and widowers were expelled from the Hou’s mansion.” He shook his head and sighed: “Back then, many people secretly Everyone here said that Su Zhen didn't handle this matter honestly, but it was his family matter after all, and no one would offend him because of a girl from Qinhuai River. In fact, as far as I know, even today, that girl is not even a child. She doesn’t have the title of concubine either, hey, it’s a bit pitiful to say the least.”
Yang Ning also felt chilled at this time.
Duan Canghai naturally didn't know that what he said was exactly what Yang Ning wanted to know. At this time, Yang Ning already knew most of Xiaoyao's life experience.
There is no doubt that Xiao Yao's mother is the concubine who was favored by Su Zhen. The concubine later gave birth to Xiao Yao for Su Zhen, but she was not loved by Su Zhen. Although Su Zhen was relocated outside, in the final analysis, It is equivalent to kicking their mother and daughter out. For a girl who once stayed in the Qinhuai River and was ransomed but has no name and status, it is not easy to raise a child.
At this time, he finally understood why Su Zixuan was arrogant and domineering in front of Xiaoyao and took it for granted. It was obviously that in Su Zixuan's eyes, Xiaoyao was just an illegitimate daughter. As the royal wife, Su Zixuan certainly had a natural talent. A sense of pride and condescension.
In this era, not to mention illegitimate daughters, even concubines cannot be treated as equals as legitimate daughters. Qining and Qi Yu are the best examples.
"Find the residence of the beautiful concubine back then. If you have any news, tell me immediately." Yang Ning dropped a word, patted the horse and galloped away.
Duan Canghai and others hurriedly followed.
As soon as he returned to Pipa Street, he was met by two flying horses. When they saw Yang Ning and the others, the two men immediately reined in their horses. Duan Canghai recognized them at a glance as the guards of the Jinyi Hou Mansion. He frowned and said, "What are you doing in such a hurry? "
One person immediately said: "Brother Duan, it's really a big emergency." He cupped his hands towards Yang Ning and said, "Master Hou, hurry back to the palace. Someone is coming from the palace, and they seem to want to summon you to the palace."
Yang Ning was startled, quite surprised.
In fact, after he inherited the title, he also thought that he might meet the emperor sooner or later, but since then, there has been no decree. Under the guidance of Gu Qinghan, Yang Ning had someone write a thank you note for him, but after the note was posted, , like a stone sinking into the sea, there has been no news for many days.
Yang Ning thought that the throne was initially decided, and that the new emperor would have a lot of things to do after he ascended the throne. He might not be able to think of himself in a short time, but he did not expect that the new emperor would suddenly call him.
Although he has been a man for two lifetimes and has seen a lot of the world, and now he has transformed into Qining and become the Marquis of Jinyi, living in the luxurious Marquis of Jinyi Mansion, he has never entered the palace, and he thought that he would actually have the opportunity to enter that palace. It was a solemn, sacred, yet mysterious place. Surprisingly, I felt a little excited in my heart.
When I returned to the Marquis Mansion, I met Eunuch Fan, the eunuch and eunuch who came to summon him. We were all acquaintances and there were not many polite words. According to Eunuch Fan, the emperor was waiting for the summons in the palace, so he asked Yang Ning to hurry up. Entering the palace, fortunately, while Eunuch Fan was waiting here for a while, Gu Qinghan had already made arrangements and had people ready to serve.
When the Marquis of Jinyi entered the palace, he naturally could not wear casual clothes, but had special clothes. On the day Yang Ning inherited the title, Gu Qinghan had already had his waiting clothes made according to Yang Ning's figure, just to prevent the palace from summoning him.
Yang Ning bathed and changed clothes as quickly as possible, and Gu Qinghan explained carefully, and then Yang Ning took advantage of the carriage and followed Eunuch Fan to the palace.