Late at night.
The lights in the yard have been turned off, and only a bright lantern is lit at the door, like a firefly perched on a leaf, about to fly away the next moment.
Yingxiang came forward with a lantern and said, "Fourth Young Master."
Chu Zhao looked up at her, "It's not that you don't have to wait for me."
"The slave can't sleep," Ying Xiang said softly, "I hit the lantern and came out to see it."
Chu Zhao didn't speak, he entered the room, "Go out."
Yingxiang bowed, exited the room, and closed the door.
Chu Zhao sat at the table, pressing his forehead. Just now at Xu's house, Xu Jingfu's words came to his ears again.
"Zilan, I'm just such a daughter. You can't bully Pingting in the future. If Pingting goes home and complains to me, even if it's your teacher, I can't spare you."
Xu Pingting curled her lips, "How could Big Brother Zilan bully me? But Big Brother Zilan is so good-looking, and there are many women in Shuojing who like him. After I became Big Brother Zilan's wife, I wouldn't have eyes for that. The vixen jumped on Brother Zilan," she raised her eyebrows, her voice soaring, "I have to rip off their skins!"
"A girl's house, screaming and killing all day long, what does it look like." Xu Jingfu said so, but he didn't mean to stop Xu Pingting.
The seemingly tender pictures of the father and daughter filled his mind, making him unable to help bend down, and a nauseating feeling filled his stomach, and he retched a few times.
Before going to Xu's house today, Chu Zhao asked Ying Xiang to stay in the house. In fact, after returning to Shuojing, he kept Yingxiang in the Chu residence, and if there were no other circumstances, he should not go out. Now that Xu Pingting and his marriage are about to pass the bright road, Yingxiang will be even more dangerous.
When he was young, he worshipped Xu Jingfu as a teacher. Thanks to Xu Jingfu, Madam Chu no longer dared to act against him as blatantly as before. Xu Jingfu treated him well. For a child, he gave Chu Zhao enough face. Because of the title of Xu Jingfu's student, he taught him a lot of convenience in interacting with people. And Xu Pingting, as Xu Jingfu's daughter, was about the same age as him. At first, Chu Zhao didn't hate her so much.
When she was a teenager, Xu Pingting was already the apple of the Xu family's palm. If the wind was like the wind and the rain was like the rain, apart from being a little arrogant, she was actually quite good to Chu Zhao. She always followed Chu Zhao like a tail, each one "Brother Zilan". Sometimes she would tell Chu Zhao, "Pingting will marry brother Zilan in the future. Brother Zilan belongs to Pingting alone."
He only regarded it as a joke until Chu Zhao was fourteen years old.
Chu Linfeng was a well-known and beautiful man of Xiao Zhongwu's generation. Even if he didn't become Shi Jinbo, he could deceive many girls with his good skin. Chu Zhao's mother, Ye Runmei, also had a beautiful and beautiful appearance. Chu Zhao followed the strengths of their husband and wife. At the age of fourteen, in terms of appearance, he was as famous as the two brothers of the Xiao family. And his character is more gentle and considerate, and he is very good at taking care of people, so many girls secretly vote.
Among them was a young lady surnamed Qian, with a fiery and enthusiastic temperament, with a pair of phoenix eyes that were particularly charming. Unlike other shy girls in Shuojing, she expressed her affection to Chu Zhao directly after meeting several times. Of course Chu Zhao refused, but the girl didn't give up, she didn't bother, just sent things to Chu's house every three days. Occasionally I met her in Shuojing City, and my friends booed, but Miss Qian didn't refute, she just stared straight at her, often making him helpless.
Not long afterward, Miss Qian had an accident. It was said that he was killed by thieves when he was out for an outing with his friends. He died tragically, and his eyes were gouged out, which shocked the entire capital. Miss Qian's father was only a minor official from the seventh rank. After reporting to the official, the whereabouts of the murderer have never been found. Chu Zhao stayed for a long time when he heard the news. He couldn't believe that the girl who always winked at him so quietly died.
Later, half a year later, he went to Xu's house to find Xu Jingfu, and when he passed by the small hall, he heard Xu Pingting talking to the maid beside him.
"It's just a pariah, and she still wants to fight with Miss Ben! I don't even look at how much she weighs. I dig her eyes to see how she will seduce brother Zilan in the future? Brother Zilan, I won't be as merciful as before!"
The girl's laughter was soft and innocent, but it was full of viciousness that soaked her bone marrow. Just talking and laughing, she completely destroyed another girl as big as her.
Chu Zhao's heart was cold from beginning to end.
But now, he is going to be tied to this woman, and they will grow old together, and they will never leave. How ironic.
He slowly sat up straight. One night, when he was still in Liangzhou Wei, Lin Qingtan's grandson, the saint in white, Lin Shuanghe, once said a word to him.
"Fourth Young Master Chu, if you are good for Sister He, stay away from her as soon as possible. There is a tigress in your family, but Sister He, we don't want to be the second Miss Qian."
In his unpredictable eyes, there was a flat stone lying beside the pen holder. The stone was in the shape of a horse. It seemed that he could see through the stone and see under the night, the girl wiped the sweat from her forehead and took the knife seriously. He chopped it down and handed him the stone.
Whose voice is bright and soaring, as clean as a spring stream.
"Zhao, it means bright. Zilan means vanilla. The person who gave you this name must love you very much. I hope you have a noble character and a bright future. Only then will you choose such an elegant character for you."
He has been in the dark for many years.
But when the first ray of light appeared, knowing that it didn't belong to me, I wanted to hold it greedily in my palm.
…
He Yan deliberately woke up late the next morning.
After eating breakfast and saying hello to Ginkgo, He Yan walked out the door unhurriedly. It has been a few days since she last went to Xu's house. I want to come to the little servant named Fuwang, I am afraid that she is looking through the autumn waters for the past few days.
Her Majesty's silver reward, and the rest was put in her sleeves. When dealing with people, money is indispensable. Although he is now a petty official, money is not enough. After a few more calls, she would have nothing left. He Yan wondered if he should go to Lin Shuanghe to borrow some, and then go to Letongzhuang to double it? But the last time I won money at Letong Zhuang, I also offended the banker. If I go again this time, I am afraid that I will be turned away.
Thinking about the serious question of where the money came from, He Yan had already arrived at the teahouse where he met Fuwang earlier. She first smiled and gave the guy at the entrance of the teahouse a little bit of silver, and asked casually, "Has someone come to me these few days?"
The little servant quickly took back the broken silver and said with a smile: "Yes, yes! The little brother who came with the young master last time has come three times a day in the past few days. You are sitting, and it is estimated that it will not be long. He should be here again."
He Yan smiled and said, "Then I'll trouble my little brother to serve a pot of tea."
After saying that, he walked straight to the private room where we met last time and sat down.
After leaving Fuwang for so long, He Yan had already guessed that Fuwang would probably be unable to hold back, but he didn't expect him to be so uncontrollable, but this was a good thing for her, and Xu Zhiheng's means of buying people's hearts were too poor . Or, he only cares about bribing the people above, but he also wants to win over the people below.
Sure enough, He Yan sat down for less than a quarter of an hour when someone walked to the elegant room and knocked on the door, He Yan said, "Please come in." The door was pushed open, Fuwang closed the door, and strode in.
"Young Master!" The man was very excited when he saw He Yan, "I thought you weren't in Shuojing anymore, I'm really anxious these few days."
He Yan reached out to him: "Sit."
When Fuwang sat down, she said calmly, "I have something important to do these days, so I have time to come here today." She poured a cup of tea for Fuwang, and her tone was very gentle, "My little brother is so anxious. Looking for me, but have news?"
"The news... of course there is." Fuwang showed an embarrassed look.
He Yan understood and put a piece of silver in front of him.
"Young master is a great man, thank you son." Fu Wang smiled and put the silver in his arms before opening his mouth and said, "Young Master has been keeping an eye on the matter that Young Master wants to inquire about. It's just that when Concubine He had an accident, The group of servants in Concubine He's yard are all gone. Those who left the house and those who sold them sold, and in the end, no one was able to stay. The younger ones also came from the servants in other yards. Piece together some news." He lowered his voice and glanced around nervously, "Actually, those servants are all dead!"
As soon as he said this, he deliberately wanted to see He Yan's expression, but unfortunately the face of the person sitting across from him was hidden under the hood, so he couldn't see clearly. But seeing that he can still drink tea in a calm manner, he doesn't seem... not very surprised.
"Young master, what would happen if all the servants in a yard were executed?"
He Yan smiled slightly, "Murder and silence?"
I wanted to sell it, but I didn't expect it to be seen through at a glance. Fuwang was a little discouraged for a while, but he lost his appetite for the same just now. She committed an unforgivable sin, so the so-called family law is actually asking her to die. Those servants in her yard all know the truth, so they have no way to survive. "
When Fuwang heard about these things from the mouths of others, he felt chills down his spine when he thought about it. Even if the servants in the yard sold their deeds in the hands of the master, dozens of lives, even if they were told by Shuojingcheng, would be a big deal. Moreover, the Xu family's scholarly family was able to kill dozens of people without changing his face, which is terrifying. It also makes people curious, what crime did Concubine He commit
adultery? That would not kill all the servants in a yard. There are still guards in the yard. It's impossible that when Aunt He was having an affair with others, those guards were still outside watching? What is the sin of being able to let everyone in a yard know, and you must die to keep the secret
"Is that all there is?" He Yan asked.
Fuwang said, "That's all."
He Yan smiled: "Little brother, what you said seems to be a secret, but in fact, it doesn't help me. If you can only find these, there is no need to continue our deal. ." She stood up, "I've been bothering you these days, hard work."
After saying that, he was about to leave without any reluctance. Fuwang's heart tightened and he blurted out, "Young Master, stay!"
As soon as he said it, he regretted it, doing business and doing business, and sometimes doing more than just business, it depends on who is more calm. He was afraid of losing this cash cow, so he kept it, but he also exposed himself.
He Yan turned his head to look at him: "Could it be, little brother, is there any unfinished news?"
Knowing that he had been seen through by the person opposite, Fu Wang bit his head and said, "Young Master, sit down and talk about it."
He Yan smiled and sat down again.
"Actually, I heard that one of the servants who were executed at that time may not have died."
He Yan smiled and said, "Go on."
"That person is Aunt He's nanny, Aunt Qin. Before Aunt He's accident, her nanny said she would go home to visit her grandson, but she didn't go back to the house after a while. Aunt He sent someone to see it, but the nanny's family said she didn't go back. After that, the mansion also looked for her, but there was no news." Fu Wang said, "Xiao thinks that Qin mama may still be alive."
He Yan looked at him and said nothing.
Fuwang was a little uneasy, "Young Master?"
"Since you said, no one can find Qin mama now," He Yan said slowly, not in a hurry: "Then little brother may not be able to find it. A person who has no trace, even if he lives in the world, there is no news. , what's the value?"
Fu Wang was secretly startled, the man on the other side couldn't read minds. He did find out a little bit of Mother Qin's traces, which he spent a lot of money to reveal, but now this transaction, he wants to do it with the other side, and the person on the other side can leave at any time. If he can't show full sincerity, this person is afraid that he will not meet him in the future.
Thinking of this, Fuwang's heart swayed, "I heard from a small inquiry that this Qin mama was a widow for a long time. When she was a nurse for Aunt He, she had a good friend. No one else knew about this, only the government A girl who boils water knows that. The sweetheart lives outside the city now, and I want to give it a try, maybe Qin mama is still there."
It's not too bad, He Yan calmed down a little, and there was more praise in his tone, "My vision is really right, my little brother is really amazing, the news that no one else can find, is found by you." She said, "Then I'll be here waiting for the good news. If the little brother finds out the whereabouts of Qin mama, please don't panic, let me know in secret." She said, "After this, I can help the little brother get rid of his slave status. , Jieshi, as long as you take a lot of money and leave Shuojing, you will naturally sit back and relax in the future."
Fu Wang was heartbroken by this.
"I still have something to do, so I won't stay with little brother any longer," He Yan got up, "little brother just stay here, go back after drinking tea and snacks."
"Wait, son!"
Fuwang's voice came from behind, and as soon as He Yanfu turned around, he felt that someone was already in front of her, trying to lift her hood. However, the next moment, that hand was easily clamped by He Yan.
Fuwang: "It hurts..."
He Yan let go of his hand and continued to walk forward without turning his head. He only said, "Little brother wants to see my face, so don't be in a hurry. When the dust settles, I will take off my hat."
The door was closed, and the private room was empty, as if the spy just now was just a dream, only the two tea cups on the table reminded that someone had indeed come.
Fuwang sat down at the table and drank a sip of tea to suppress the fear in his heart. What is the identity of this mysterious person who knows the Xu family well
…
After leaving the tea room, He Yan's mood was much more relaxed, and under the hood, his smile gradually spread.
Unexpectedly, Fuwang's end went so smoothly. The people who witnessed the truth in the yard actually survived. Since Mother Qin could guess in advance that Xu Zhiheng would kill people, she must be a smart person. Smart people running for their lives may have some trump cards on them. Xu Zhiheng did a thousand calculations, but he probably didn't think that Qin mama would run away. After all, the children and grandchildren are all in the capital. If she runs away, the Xu family will not let her family go.
But Xu Zhiheng also missed a point. When people face death, no one will not be afraid. The desire to survive is greater than everything else. There will be people in the world who sacrifice themselves to save their families, and there will be selfish ghosts who will flee for their own lives when disaster strikes. Moreover, Mother Qin's running away made her family safer. If Xu Zhiheng took the lives of her children and grandchildren, she would not be able to keep Qin's mother alive and tell the world the truth for revenge. If he disappeared like this, Xu Zhiheng would instead throw a rat.
She had to find Mother Qin faster than Xu Zhiheng and He Rufei.
Things went well today, He Yan was happy, and returned to the mansion earlier. Just before walking to the yard, I heard a familiar voice, "Sister, where did the brother surnamed He go, you really don't know?"
Bai Guo stood up to reach his waist, raised his face and replied, "Second Young Master will not let the servants ask about Young Master He."
Lin Shuanghe put away his fan, "Your second young master is quite thoughtful."
He Yan called him "Brother Lin" from a distance, Lin Shuanghe turned around and saw it was her, his eyes lit up, and he walked over quickly, "I just came here and said why are you not here, you came back just in time, Brother He, I came here on purpose to find you."
He Yan has not seen him since he returned to Shuojing. Lin Shuanghe wore more flamboyant clothes than when he was in Liangzhou Wei before. It was probably kept in the military camp before, but now back in Shuojing, even the eyes of the cranes on the clothes are decorated with tiny gems, fragrant balls and jade belts, a lot of them, and two words are written all over the body: rich.
"Brother Lin, but what happened to the house?" He Yan was still thinking about the things he entrusted to this person. As soon as he said this, Lin Shuanghe choked for a while, obviously leaving this matter behind.
He sneered a few times, "What about the house... It's not easy to find recently. I want to find something good for Brother He, so of course I can't be sloppy. Well, I'm here for other things, let's go inside and talk about it."
He Yan was speechless.
He led Lin Shuanghe into the house, and when the door was closed, Lin Shuanghe walked around the house and sighed, "That's right, isn't this house next to Huaijin? I think it's better than Liangzhou Wei, Sister He, Is it okay for you to live here? If there is any inconvenience, just tell Huai Jin, don't wrong yourself. "
What he said, it seems that this is not the Xiao family, but the Lin family. He Yan poured him a cup of hot water, "Brother Lin, you didn't come to see me, did you come to see how I live?"
"Oh," Lin Shuanghe patted his head, "I almost forgot about the business." He took out a post from his sleeve and handed it to He Yan, "Gong Yan's post, for you. Huaijin left the city, I'm afraid that day If you can’t make it back, let someone tell me before you leave, remember to take care of you. After three days, I will come to pick you up at the gate of Xiao’s residence, and you will follow me into the palace when you enter the palace. If you are entering the palace for the first time, if there is no one to lead you, I am afraid not very convenient."
He Yan was stunned for a moment, "Has the governor left the city?"
"Yeah, he left the city today, and he left in a hurry, so he asked his people to bring me a letter. Originally, he planned to take you to the palace banquet, but this time he couldn't make it back, so he asked me to do it for me. ."
He Yan remembered that Xiao Jue had indeed told him that he was going to leave the city in the next few days, but he didn't expect it to be in such a hurry that he didn't even have time to say hello.
However... He really kept his promise and said he would take him to the palace banquet, and he did.
"What are you thinking, Sister He," Lin Shuanghe shook his hand in front of her, "I'm here today, and I brought some clothes with me. When you go to the palace, you have to dress brightly. You don't know what those people in the palace see. Dish dishes, you may have to walk around the palace often in the future. This is the first time you go, and you will leave a deep impression on people. These are all bought by me. They are all good materials and gorgeous. Very, if you choose a dress, it doesn't mean that you have humiliated Huai Jin's face."
He Yan: "...Thank you."
"Also, Sister He, I guess that Huai Jin will bring you into the palace this time, and your Majesty may give you a lot of rewards. After all, you have also done a lot of merit before. If you are admitted to the palace or something, you can Don't be too surprised, so what, I'll talk about it first, it's not necessarily."
He rambled about a bunch of things that need to be paid attention to at the palace banquet, and the servant came to urge him to rush to the next entertainment before getting up and saying goodbye. After Lin Shuanghe left, He Yan sat down in front of the mirror.
The clothes he had just brought were placed on the table. They were brand-new and flat, with delicate embroidery. He Yan looked at herself in the mirror. In her previous life, before she entered the palace, she had already regained her daughter's body. It was He Rufei who was in the palace, it was He Rufei who saw His Majesty, and it was He Rufei who had to be named "Feihong".
Now, she is finally going to re-enter the palace as He Yan. Thinking of coming to this palace banquet, Xu Zhiheng and He Rufei will both be there, maybe she will even see He Yuanliang and He Yuansheng. Those who had been entangled with her in her previous life finally reappeared in front of him now, and in this way.
The girl in the mirror has changed her face, and her facial features are not at all similar to the past. Only in those eyes, there was a raging flame, as if to burn out all evil deeds, as bright as ever.
He Yan lowered her head, not knowing what she was thinking, and after a while, she slowly raised the corner of her mouth and smiled.
Three days later, it was time for He Rufei, Xu Zhiheng, and those He family members to re-acquaint themselves with the name "He Yan". When I meet a deceased old friend again, I don't know that there is a ghost in my heart. When I hear this name again, will I feel guilty and can't sleep at night.
Perhaps, Xiao Jue's absence is a good thing.
She can be more reckless.