Xiao Yi thought that Nangong Yue wanted to remind himself that An's family had ulterior motives in approaching them, so he said, "Smelly girl, do you know that there are four great families in Southern Xinjiang?"
"Fang, Xue, Shen, An." Nangong Yue said without thinking.
There are four great families in southern Xinjiang, Fang Xueshen'an. Among them, the Fang family has the deepest background and the longest history.
After all, Nangong Yue had just arrived in Southern Xinjiang and didn't know much about the An family, but Xiao Yi was different. He was almost twelve years old when he left Southern Xinjiang. Although he didn't know everything about Southern Xinjiang, he knew a lot .
He took Nangong Yue's hand, sat down on the beauty couch together, and continued: "Speaking of which, the An family has a history of nearly 150 years, but more than 50 years ago, An's family had an unfilial son. In decline, hundreds of banks under the name of the An family have changed hands in ten years. When the people in southern Xinjiang thought that the An family was about to fall, the young and fashionable old man of the An family became cruel and simply sold the remaining properties of the family to buy a boat to go to sea. It took two years to come back, bringing two large ships full of foreign goods, and An's family earned its first pot of gold. After that, An's family set up a fleet to go to sea year after year, but in just five years, their net worth doubled several times, even surpassing the previous one. During the heyday of the An family, the An family rose again... "
As he spoke, Xiao Yi tilted his head slightly thoughtfully. Before, he didn't care about the four great families in southern Xinjiang. Now that he was talking about it in detail, he found that the An family's turnaround was really sudden. It took more than ten years to lose, but once again Rise but only five years...
Could it be that someone secretly supported An's family
Xiao Yi thought about it, and told Nangong Yue the doubts in his heart.
Nangong Yue was slightly surprised and couldn't help but ponder.
She would ask about An's family because of an old incident in her previous life—
In the previous life, the An family was all dead, and the person who ordered them to be killed was Xiao Yi!
It was heard that the An family colluded with Baiyue, taking advantage of Xiao Yi's Northern Expedition, when they first reached the south of the Yangtze River, the Baiyue army invaded the southern border. At that time, Xiao Yi was under the enemy's back. Once he returned to the southern border, the Northern Expedition would come to naught, and if he gave up the southern border, it would be tantamount to cutting off his own way.
Therefore, in order to deal with the war between the two sides, Guan Yubai devoted himself to thinking and planning. Finally, Baiyue was defeated, southern border was stabilized, and Jiangnan also fell into Xiao Yi's hands. However, Guan Yubai, who had been holding on all this time, suddenly collapsed like the oil was exhausted, and passed away within a few days.
Xiao Yi was distraught, and An's family was bleeding!
The An family was Xiao Yi's mother's uncle's family, but there was no one left alive in the An family. This incident seemed to prove Xiao Yi's cruelty, and even she had heard a thing or two about it at the time.
Now that I think about it, the An family colluded with Baiyue at such a juncture, and it shouldn't be possible to reach a consensus with Baiyue in a short period of time. When Xiao Yi talked about An's family history, Nangong Yue couldn't help but have an idea...
"Ayi, could it be Baiyue who supported An's family behind the scenes?"
Xiao Yi was slightly taken aback, and after a while, he nodded slowly and said, "I'll have someone check it out."
As he spoke, he gently rubbed Nangong Yue's temples, and said softly, "Grandfather said, you have to take a good rest, don't overthink it, I've already returned, just leave these things to me." Then, he told Nangong Yue what Nanny Lu had caught.
Nangong Yue was as good as he was, and leaned on him relaxedly, and she didn't ask any more questions.
Satisfied, Xiao Yi said cheerfully: "Take a break earlier today, and I will take you to Qing'ai Lake tomorrow morning, you will definitely like it."
Nangong Yue didn't hide the joy on her face, and responded with a smile.
So, early the next morning, a green-covered carriage set off from Fangfu and went straight out of the city, aiming at Qing'ai Lake in the southwest of the city.
Because Xiao Yi was brazen and Nangong Yue were crowded together in the carriage, Baihui and Huamei didn't join in the fun in the carriage, and Baihui, who was dressed in blue riding attire, simply rode the horse with Zhuzi, while Huamei sat in the coachman's seat. next to.
Huamei was also very excited, like a bird released from a cage, looking around at the surrounding scenery, asking about Qing'ai Lake with Fangfu's coachman from time to time.
The carriage ran all the way, laughing and laughing, until suddenly a familiar eagle's cry came from behind.
Huamei's entire face froze, and she almost suspected that she was hallucinating.
It can't be Xiao Hui, right? !
She said to herself in her heart, Xiao Hui obviously took Han Yu out to play early in the morning, she saw them flying out of the city with her own eyes, why did she chase them again? !
As if to crush her self-deception, the hawk's cry from behind became clearer and clearer, and then another slightly immature cry could be clearly heard mixed with it.
It's really Xiao Hui and Han Yu!
Huamei's forehead was almost in a cold sweat. They went to Qing'ai Lake to watch birds. If they had Xiao Hui, what kind of birds would they watch? !
While thinking, a gray shadow appeared above her head, and the gray shadow hovered above her, with her wings spread out.
Nangong Yue and Xiao Yi in the carriage naturally also heard the voice. Nangong Yue was leaning against Xiao Yi's arms, but she sat up straight all of a sudden, opened the curtains to look out, and called out: "Xiao Hui!"
As if responding to her, Xiao Hui let out a long howl, then flew to the side of the carriage, spread its wings and glided past, its golden eagle eyes gave Nangong Yue a "complaining" look, followed by Han Yu, who kept moving It was exactly the same as Xiao Hui, and it also called out in a similar manner.
Nangong Yue felt a little guilty for no reason, feeling that Xiao Hui seemed to be blaming her for running out to play by herself.
Xiao Yi rubbed his chin, moved his face to the window, and said with a smile, "Xiao Hui can't smell the bird food, right?"
When Xiao Yi said this, Nangong Yue was stunned for a moment, and so was the thrush outside. They really brought a lot of food when they came out this time, not only dry food and snacks for people, but also several kinds of bird food for feeding birds.
When the master and servant thought about it, it seemed that when they were preparing bird food, Xiaohui once stared at them from the branch outside the window for a long time.
Could it be that Xiao Hui felt that these bird food was prepared for him and Han Yu
Nangong Yue supported her forehead, and suddenly felt like she didn't know what to say.
There is a saying: It is easy to ask God to send God away. Now that Xiao Hui has followed, it may be impossible to drive it away, Xiao Hui is used to domineering, and he is an eagle, so there is no reason for it.
Seeing Nangong Yue's troubled little face, Xiao Yi burst out laughing, blinked, and said viciously: "Ah Yue, isn't it fun to bring Xiao Hui?"
Nangong Yue twitched her brows speechlessly, looking into Xiao Yi's smiling eyes, she knew that this guy must be looking for a good show. Xiao Hui, it was all taught by him!
After this small episode, the carriage continued to gallop, and headed towards Qing'ai Lake amidst the sound of horseshoes and hawks singing.
After driving for seven or eight miles, I felt that the surrounding environment gradually changed, with green trees, white clouds, and the same color of the sky and sky, which made people feel brighter when they saw it.
In the area around Qingai Lake, of course, there is more than just Qingai Lake. There is a large wetland within a radius of dozens of miles. In addition to the largest Qingai Lake, there are several small lakes such as Yuhu Lake and Bibo Lake...
One mile away from Qingai Lake, they got out of the carriage and leisurely walked up a gentle slope while admiring the scenery. Surrounded by a large grassland, green and lush, blown by the spring breeze, from time to time rustling sound.
When we reached the top of the slope, the front suddenly opened up, a large green lake appeared in front of us, and the continuous distant mountains were hazy in the haze, and the mountains and rivers set off each other. Everything in front of us was picturesque, like a dream. . Nearby, the lake is as clear and transparent as emeralds, and there are patches of sparse duckweed floating on the shallows. Dozens of black-necked cranes stroll leisurely on the shallows, looking for food, playing and playing...
Unknowingly, they stopped and looked at the scene in front of them without blinking...
"Ayi, this place is so beautiful!"
Nangong Yue couldn't help blurting out that she was about to say that we will come together again next year, but she was interrupted by a burst of excited eagle cries before she could finish her sentence, and Xiaohui swooped down towards the black-necked cranes on the shoal In the past, its barking was much higher than usual, and it was obvious that it was very excited.
It is conceivable that what followed was a flurry of nonsense...
When those black-necked cranes saw the birds of prey coming, they flapped their wings and flew away from the shallows like a mouse seeing a cat. They scattered and fled in all directions, flying black and white feathers down in mid-air.
This scene was already familiar to everyone present. Usually, Xiao Hui teases the pigeons in this way. For a while, Thrush didn't know whether to sympathize with these black-necked cranes for their unlucky encounter with Xiao Hui, or to be thankful that they met Xiao Hui. , at least not really as prey.
However, even Han Yu was taught badly by Xiao Hui.
Seeing Han Yu excitedly chasing those cranes, Nangong Yue inexplicably felt ashamed of Guan Yubai, that her own eagle had brought his children to ruin...
Xiao Yi suddenly pulled her into his arms, bowed his head and winked at her, and said with a smile: "Ah Yue, isn't this very lively?"
After a pause, he plausibly reasoned: "Xiao Hui helps them grow, and the jungle eats the strong in the wild. Ah Yue, haven't you noticed that our pigeons have been flying faster since we got Xiao Hui?"
Nangong Yue was startled, then burst out laughing.
It seems to be true!
Ah Yi still has so many fallacies!
She glanced at him with both joy and anger, Xiao Yi looked at Nangong Yue confidently, with a gentle smile flashing in her eyes.
The maids also laughed, and the clear and hearty laughter echoed in the air, and it didn't disperse for a long time...
The originally planned Bird Watching turned into an "Eagle Playing Hundred Birds" due to the strong participation of Xiao Hui and Han Yu. Nangong Yue had to temporarily change the plan. They originally planned to go to Yuhu Lake ahead, but now But I think it's better to let the birds on the other side of Yuhu Lake go.
"Ayi, shall we sit here for a while?"
Nangong Yue suggested, and Xiao Yi agreed without saying a word, then turned his brows slightly and looked back.
"Ayi..."
Nangong Yue followed his gaze, and soon, she vaguely heard the sound of horseshoes, as if someone was riding a horse towards this side.
As the sound of horseshoes approached, a cyan figure riding a brown horse appeared in front of him. This figure looked familiar, Nangong Yue blurted out: "Feng Xing?!"
The visitor came leisurely on a horse with a piece of foxtail in his mouth, so it was Feng Xing who came!
The corner of Huamei's mouth twitched, she was sure why Fengxing came here, Xiao Hui abducted Han Yu from Marquis An Yi, and did not attract Xiaosi, but Fengxing did.
Feng Xing obviously also saw them, and waved to them enthusiastically as a greeting.
He slowed down the horse with a "sigh" and stopped two or three feet away from them. The brown horse kicked its hooves and snorted a little bit.
"Xiao Shizi, you are wrong." Feng Xing said with a smile while getting off his horse, "We don't care about the eagles outside, but since Xiao Hui and Han Yu are raised by humans, we must pay attention to human behavior. Without my son’s consent, your Xiao Hui abducted my son’s Han Yu, isn’t that a matchless affair?” He deliberately sighed and said, “Fortunately, the ‘big mistake’ hasn’t been made yet, so I’m going to send Han Yu away. Take Yu back home, and this matter will be revealed!"
Xiao Yi spread his hands with a smile and said, "Please go ahead." He had an expression of "If Han Yu is willing to go back with you, I will never stop him".
Feng Xing raised his brows slightly, this Xiao Shizi always likes to talk about fallacies and sophistry, why is he so easy to talk about today? ! Could it be that there is fraud in it? !
Thinking about it, Feng Xing took out a small bamboo whistle from his bosom, and blew the bamboo whistle.
Not far away, Han Yu was flying at low altitude over the lake, chasing a black-necked crane, when he heard the clear and bright bamboo whistle, he flew over suddenly, and circled around Feng Xing's head twice, obviously he recognized him .
"Xiao Shizi, then Han Yu and I will bid farewell." Feng Xing casually cupped his fists at Xiao Yi, then got on his horse neatly.
"Han Yu, let's go!"
Fengxing clamped his horse's belly and galloped forward, but he only ran five or six zhang away, so he was embarrassed.
Han Yu didn't show any face at all, and while yelling, he circled twice in mid-air, attracting Xiao Hui over, the two eagles yelled a few more times in unison, and then dived towards the lake again, chasing the crane went.
There was a moment of silence around, Feng Xing had no choice but to rein in the horse rope.
"puff-"
Xiao Yi laughed unceremoniously, shrugged and said, "Feng Xing, don't you say that I was a hindrance? I didn't do anything."
Seeing Xiao Yi gloating, Feng Xing didn't understand that all of this might have been expected by Prince Xiao, no wonder the other party was so forthright just now, saying "please do it" over and over again.
The corners of Fengxing's eyes twitched, which was embarrassing. He originally thought that this errand could not be easier, but he patted his chest in front of Young Master and Xiaosi and promised to bring Han Yu back, what should he do now? You can't tie Han Yu back, can you? Even if he wanted to, Xiao Si would have to beat him up with a knife! But if he just went back alone in such a disheartened manner, he would definitely suffer from Xiao Si's eyes!
Thinking about it, Fengxing laughed, isn't it simple? He pulled the horse rope and simply rode back.
Anyway, what he said was that he would definitely take Han Yu back, and it was just a matter of time, and when Han Yu got tired of playing, he would naturally go home with him.
"Xiao Shizi, do you have anything to eat here?" Feng Xing said with a salivating face.
Nangong Yue laughed, and simply ordered the servant girl to spread a few large oilcloths on the spot, and took out the dry food, snacks, and prepared bird food.
Next, they ate and ate, those who fed the birds fed the birds, and those who played with the birds played with the birds... until Shenshi in the afternoon, and then returned to Fangfu in Heyu City by the same route.
At this time, it was almost unitary time, and the western sky was full of brilliant red clouds.
Xiao Yi and Nangong Yue were not in a hurry to return to Qiwu Garden, but went to the main courtyard to greet Mrs. Fang first.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, a little maid stepped forward to greet them. After saluting respectfully, she led the two of them into the house and let them go, while saying: "Master, Concubine, the uncle and young master of the An family are here Talk to the old man in the room." Of course the servant girl was talking about An Ziang and his son.
Xiao Yi nodded in response.
The servant girl led them all the way to Dongci's room. When relatives meet, it is natural to greet each other.
After the five of them sat down, An Ziang said affectionately to Xiao Yi: "My son, I was praising you to my uncle just now! Leading my soldiers in southern Xinjiang to defeat Baiyue and Nanliang, and boost our morale in southern Xinjiang. Who will dare to commit crimes in the future!"
Xiao Yi politely clasped his fists and said, "Thank you cousin for your compliment."
An Ziang gave An Minzhong a wink, and An Minzhong immediately took out a palm-sized wooden box and handed it to An Ziang.
An Ziang said again: "My son, my cousin has no strength to restrain a chicken, and cannot go to the battlefield to kill the enemy for Southern Xinjiang, but as a citizen of Southern Xinjiang, my cousin should also do his part for Southern Xinjiang. Here is my cousin. A little sympathy for the military supplies in southern Xinjiang... "
Everyone present knew what was in this box.
"The nephew, on behalf of the Southern Border Army, has thanked my uncle for his kindness." Xiao Yi accepted it bluntly.
The southern Xinjiang has been fighting for years, whether it is the army, the reconstruction of several cities that once fell to the enemy, or the resettlement of those displaced by the war, money is needed, a lot of money!
Seeing that Xiao Yi readily accepted it, An Ziang finally breathed a sigh of relief: As long as this nephew is willing to accept this box of bank notes, it means that the An, Fang, and Xiao families still have a chance to mend their relationship!
An Ziang picked up the teacup on the side, took a sip of the hot tea, and felt a little regretful: his family had neglected the Fang family's in-laws all these years because of his uncle's stroke, and now his cousin, the son of Zhennan Prince, has a stable position in southern Xinjiang , At the height of the sun, I can only try my best to please and mend it, and I have to think of ways to get closer to each other.
He thought quickly in his mind, and after putting down the teacup, he said with a smile: "Ayi, time flies, I think I went to the palace to attend your full moon banquet on purpose, when you were wrapped in a big red baby, and you The mother concubine's wet nurse, Nanny Lu, is in her arms, a small one...it has grown so big in the blink of an eye. Your concubine mother is alive in the sky, and she must be gratified to see you now."
"Nurse Lu?" Xiao Yi raised his eyebrows, seeming to be puzzled.
Seeing that Xiao Yi was interested in Nanny Lu, An Ziang said: "A Yi, you probably don't have any impression of Nanny Lu, right? Nanny Lu is your concubine's wet nurse. Speaking of which, it was sent by our An family .”
Xiao Yi was just making a casual trial, and wanted to see if this cousin knew something about Nanny Lu, but he didn't expect that the information given by the other party was completely beyond his expectations.
A gleam flashed in Xiao Yi's eyes, and just as he was about to ask again, he heard Mrs. Fang stroking his beard and sighing to An Ziang, "When you said it, Ziang, I remembered it too. Nurses, but who knew that the two nurses suddenly developed red rashes all over their bodies, and deliberately kept them from reporting. Fortunately, they were discovered by a maid in the same room. But at that time, time was tight, and the due date was only a few days away. It’s not so fast to pick out a nanny who knows the basics again. Fortunately, the eldest brother and sister-in-law also prepared a nanny, and sent it over quickly.”
An Ziang smiled even more affectionately, and said, "Uncle, my parents are just in case. I didn't expect it to come in handy."
Xiao Yi was still smiling casually, but his mood was a little unbalanced.
If he hadn't become suspicious of An's family yesterday, he might not have taken it to heart, but now he has to wonder if this is really just a coincidence
Nanny Lu poisoned her mother and concubine to death, so what role did the An family play in it
A dark haze appeared in Xiao Yi's eyes, layer upon layer.
Ah Yue guessed yesterday that Baiyue was behind the support of Anjia's rise. If this is the case, there are actually other reasons behind the murder of the mother and concubine.
Xiao Yi slowly let go of his clenched fist in his sleeve, he had already ordered someone to bring Nanny Lu directly to Heyu City, he would arrive in a few days, and it would be clear when the time came!
Xiao Yi's lips curled into a smile as if nothing had happened.
After Mrs. Fang and An Ziang talked for a while, An Ziang got up and said goodbye tactfully.
Nangong Yue pursed her lips and smiled. This person looked like a slippery person who had been in the business for many years. On the one hand, he was close to his grandfather and A Yi, and on the other hand, he skillfully grasped the scale of enthusiasm, without being too obsessive.
"Ayi," Nangong Yue showed a decent smile, and suggested, "Second brother is about to get married, why don't we invite cousin, cousin and sister-in-law to the palace to watch the ceremony, what do you think?"
Xiao Yi obediently agreed, An Ziang was overjoyed when he heard this, and hurriedly said: "A Yi, your cousin and I will definitely go."
This trip was really worth it.
Once the An family appeared at the wedding of the Second Young Master Xiao, people outside would naturally know that the Shizi still recognized the relatives of the An family!
Afterwards, An Ziang left with joy.
Without hesitation, Xiao Yi opened the small box An Ziang gave him just now in front of Mrs. Fang, and saw ten silver bills, each five thousand taels.
Xiao Yi handed over the small box to Mrs. Fang, and said with a smile: "Grandfather, this is the payment for this batch of iron arrows, you have to collect it....Look, grandson said it, grandson is not short of money!" "He winked and made old Mrs. Fang happy.
Old Master Fang was amused again, and then asked about their trip to Qing'ai Lake today.
Xiao Yi said everything in detail, adding fuel and jealousy moderately. When it came to Xiao Hui and Han Yu playing with the birds, the old man couldn't help laughing again...
Time flies by with laughter. Xiao Yi and Nangong Yue spend their days leisurely in Heyu City. Every day they either go shopping, or go for a walk in the suburbs, or take Xiao Hui and Han Yu to hunt. The two eagles are having fun. I just feel sorry for Feng Xing, coaxing and lying, but Han Yu is having a good time here, and she just refuses to leave with him. He didn't dare to go back and face Xiao Si's stinky face, so he could only continue to stay in Fang's mansion with a stern face.
Four days later, in the early morning, Baihui suddenly came in a hurry, interrupting Xiao Yi and Nangong Yue who were having breakfast.
"My lord, my concubine," Baihui reported after saluting, "Butler Zhu just sent someone to say that Nanny Lu bit her tongue and killed herself in the middle of the night when no one was looking. Can't talk..."
Baihui bit the bullet and finished speaking in one go, the temperature in the room dropped suddenly following her words.
Yesterday, Xiao Yi got Zhu Xing's Flying Pigeon letter, saying that he was already on his way to escort Madam Lu to Heyu City. Calculating the time, it should be here tomorrow morning at the latest. I didn't expect such a thing to happen before the person arrived.
Nangong Yue grabbed Xiao Yi's left hand under the table and asked, "Baihui, do you know if the severed tongue bitten off by Madam Lu is still there? Where are they now?"
Baihui hurriedly replied: "Concubine Shizi, you have arrived in Huijiang Town. The broken tongue is still there."
Nangong Yue curled her lips and smiled: "That's good." She shook Xiao Yi's hand, looked at him confidently, and said, "It's just a broken tongue, I can naturally fix it."
Although the speech after picking up the tongue will definitely not be as good as before, but so what? They just need Nanny Lu to be able to speak!