"Ning Yan?" Xu Pingzhi was stunned.
Li Ru's tears were still hanging on her face, and her joyful expression froze.
"Two days ago, Xu Qi 'an shouted in prison that he wanted to see the governor, saying that he had important clues to report, and then the governor solved the case. According to the law of Daibun, you can atone for your crimes with meritorious service, and you will be fine, "the official said.
"Is, is that so …" Xu Pingzhi stammered. When Xu Qi 'an was still a kitten, he took him home and raised him. How could he not know what kind of person his nephew was?
Xu Pingzhi suspected that the official was lying, but he had no evidence.
"It's that bastard nephew …" Li Ru's beautiful face turned pale.
"Didn't my son pull strings and save the whole family? How could it be my unlucky nephew? Isn't he in prison?"
With a lot of confusion, Xu Pingzhi led his wife and daughter out of the back door of the government office, and saw Xu Qi 'an, who was combing his hair and waiting anxiously at the door.
The moment he saw his nephew, the doubts buried in his heart were not important. The Warrior man's heart was filled with warmth, and his eyes were red. He strode forward and wanted to give his nephew a hug, but he felt that it was pretentious, and he couldn't let go of his pride, so he patted him on the shoulder. "Ning Yan, good job."
The pat almost killed Xu Qi 'an on the spot.
"Second Uncle, you are at the peak of Qi Cultivation. We are one level lower than you." Xu Qi 'an said these words naturally. He was not unfamiliar with them at all.
He was surprised by this harmony, and at the same time, he glanced over the shoulder of the second uncle Xu, and looked at the three women behind him.
"Hey, aunt, you also look so embarrassed today …" This thought came uncontrollably.
The mood of gloating didn't last long, and he was attracted by his sister's appearance.
The girl was wearing a loose prison uniform, with messy hair hanging on her classic and delicate oval face, and a high nose. At first glance, she had a three-dimensional sense of a mixed-race beauty.
At this age, she was the most beautiful and pure, with a charm that made people unable to look away.
"Damn, I have such a beautiful and refined sister." Xu Qi'an was shocked.
In the original owner's memory, his sister's appearance was very vague. He probably didn't pay much attention to her. Also, because of his aunt, he felt like he hated the house and its crow.
He wasn't very friendly to his cousins.
Sensing her brother's burning gaze, Xu Lingyue timidly called out, "Big Brother," and shyly lowered her head.
"Big Brother!" Suddenly, he heard a cry.
Xu Lingyin was only five years old. She ran over and braked in front of Xu Qi'an. She raised her head and looked at him.
Xu Qi'an waved his hand. "I don't have any candy for you. I just got out of prison myself."
It's worth mentioning that the original owner didn't like his cousins, but he treated his youngest sister quite well. That's because his youngest sister's looks weren't inherited from her mother.
"What is a prison cell?"
"It's where you've been sleeping for the past few days."
"What about the other brother? Did he bring candy?"
"He didn't come."
"Oh." The little one looked disappointed. The other brother she mentioned was Xu Xinnian, but she still didn't know the difference between a cousin and a real brother.
This youngest sister wasn't very smart. She was a stupid child. She must have inherited this from her mother … That's what the original owner thought.
Finally, he looked at his aunt, Li Ru. This woman, who had always been arrogant in front of Xu Qi 'an, probably never thought that one day she would have to thank her unlucky nephew in a humble manner.
The beautiful woman turned her head stiffly and reluctantly said, "Thank, thank you, Ning Yan …"
At the right time, a vague memory emerged in Xu Qi'an's mind.
When he was chased to the neighboring courtyard by his aunt, Xu Qi'an was furious. He pointed to the sky and swore, "I, Xu Qi'an, will be successful in the future. Don't regret it!"
Now that he thought about it, he felt embarrassed. This wasn't his aunt's version of "Don't bully a poor young man!"
Xu Qi'an now looked at the relationship between the original owner and his aunt from the perspective of a third party. In fact, he couldn't blame this beautiful woman.
Xu Qi'an practiced martial arts and ate more than 100 taels of silver every year. This was equivalent to 20 to 30 years of savings for an ordinary family. And it had to be a well-off family.
Naturally, it wasn't strange that his aunt was resentful. So, Xu Qi'an sincerely said, "Aunt, don't be in a hurry to thank me. Wait until we go home and eat, then say it again."
Li Ru immediately opened her big eyes and glared at her unlucky nephew.
Xu Pingzhi's scalp went numb. He said in a deep voice, "Go home first!"
…
Xu Xinnian carried the wine pot and staggered back to the Xu mansion. The house he had lived in for 19 years was now sealed and empty. It was very desolate.
Xu Xinnian kicked open the door and crossed the threshold. He staggered a few steps inside, then turned back and closed the door.
Hanging oneself from a beam was not something to be proud of. It was also not something a scholar like him should have. So, he couldn't attract the attention of the authorities.
Shame.
He walked from the outer court to the inner court, as if he had walked through a long life.
He learned to read at the age of three, memorized poems at the age of five, and was familiar with the classics of the saints at the age of ten. At the age of 14, he entered the Yunlu Academy to study. At the age of 18, he passed the imperial examination.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was gifted.
His intelligence and his wide knowledge had shaped his proud character.
In front of his family, he had always been proud, successful, and glorious. He was the future pillar of the Xu family.
As a man, he would rather die a heroic death than live a humiliating life.
Thinking of this, Xu Xinnian drank the wine pot in his hand and smashed it on the ground.
While drunk, he rushed into the room, ground the ink, picked up the brush, and wrote the best farewell poem of his life.
Xu Xinnian laughed and rushed out of the door with the rice paper. He took out the hemp rope he had prepared and hung it on the ginkgo tree in the inner court.
He was surprised that he was not afraid at all in the face of death. He only felt carefree like never before.
Suddenly, he understood those unrestrained scholars. Only when they had no fear could they look down on the world.
If they were not afraid of death, what else was there to be afraid of in the world?
…
The capital was prosperous and was known as the kindest city in the world.
Xu Qi'an walked slowly through the bustling ancient city. Carriages flowed like water and horses like dragons. There were shops on both sides, and banners and cloth fluttered in the wind.
He couldn't help but think of a poem: Smoke and willows painted bridges, wind and green curtains, a hundred thousand families.
In fact, the capital was more prosperous than Qiantang in the poem. "Daibun: A Geographical Record" recorded, "In the early years of Yuanjing, the capital had a population of 1.96 million."
It was the 36th year of Yuanjing.
The capital's population should have exceeded two million.
The Xu family's courtyard had three entrances and three exits. There were seven to eight maids and servants. Now, the maids and servants had been sent away. The gate was locked and the building was empty.
Auntie looked at the plaque on the gate and had mixed feelings. "I wonder how Nian 'er is. He must be very worried about us. Before he went to prison, he said that he would save us."
As she spoke, she walked in.
The houses in the capital were expensive. This courtyard with three entrances would cost at least five thousand taels of silver. A down payment of thirty percent would be one thousand five hundred taels of silver … Bah, why do I still have to think about houses in the other world?
Xu Qi'an grinned.
Xu Pingzhi comforted him. "Nian 'er is well-read and reliable. He must still be running around for us. When he comes back, we'll give him a surprise. "
"Oh no …" Xu Qi'an's expression changed. He knew that Xu Xinnian was going to commit suicide.
In the eyes of Second Uncle and Aunt, Xu Erlang had a firm mind, was serious in speech and manner, steady and reliable, and was an indomitable scholar.
"Hahahaha, I, Xu Xinnian, am a free and unfettered man in life, and an unruly ghost in death.
"Xu Xinnian, talented, but the Heavenly Dao is unfair.
"If the Heavens hadn't given birth to me, Xu Xinnian, the ages of Daibun would be like a long night …"
Under the ginkgo tree, the scholar standing on the chair suddenly took off his crown and threw it away. He shook his head forcefully, and his hair was disheveled.
He was wild, he was wild, he put his head in the noose, and he saw the stiff, glassy eyes of his family.
"I, Xu Xinnian, have been unrestrained and loved freedom … Xu Xinnian, talented, but the Heavenly Dao is unfair … If the Heavens hadn't given birth to me, Xu Xinnian, the ages of Daibun would be like a long night …" Xu Xinnian looked at his family members who had unexpectedly returned and felt that he had died too late.
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