It was late at night.
The lights in the courtyard had already been extinguished. Only the lantern at the door was lit, like a firefly perched on a leaf, about to fly away in the next moment.
Ying Xiang walked forward with the lantern and greeted, "Fourth Young Master."
Chu Zhao raised his head and glanced at her, "Didn't I tell you not to wait for me?"
"This servant couldn't sleep," Ying Xiang said softly, "I came out with the lantern to take a look and coincidentally bumped into you."
Chu Zhao did not speak and entered the room, "You can leave."
Ying Xiang bowed and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Chu Zhao sat in front of the table and pressed his forehead. Just now at the Xu Residence, Xu Jingfu's words floated in his ears.
"Zilan ah, I only have one daughter. In the future, you can't bully Pingting. If Pingting comes home and complains to me, even if I'm your teacher, I won't let you off."
Xu Pingting pouted, "Why would Brother Zilan bully me? But Brother Zilan is so handsome, there are many girls in Shuo Capital who like him. After I become Brother Zilan's wife, if there are any blind vixens who throw themselves at Brother Zilan, "she raised her eyebrows and said loudly," I will skin them alive! "
"What kind of girl is she? How can she be so violent all the time?" Xu Jingfu said this, but he had no intention of stopping Xu Pingting.
The seemingly warm image of this father and daughter filled his mind, and he couldn't help but bend over. His stomach churned with nausea, and he retched a few times.
Before he went to the Xu Residence today, Chu Zhao had asked Ying Xiang to stay in the room. In fact, after returning to Shuo Capital, he had asked Ying Xiang to stay in the Chu Residence and not go out unless there were other circumstances. Now that the marriage between him and Xu Pingting was almost out in the open, Ying Xiang would be in even more danger.
When he was young, he became the disciple of Xu Jingfu. Thanks to Xu Jingfu, Madam Chu did not dare to act against him as openly as before. Xu Jingfu also treated him well. For a child, he gave Chu Zhao enough face. Because he was Xu Jingfu's student, it was convenient for him to interact with others. As Xu Jingfu's daughter, Xu Pingting was about the same age as him. In the beginning, Chu Zhao didn't hate her as much.
When Xu Pingting was a teenager, she was already the apple of the Xu family's eye. She could get whatever she wanted. Other than being a little arrogant, she treated Chu Zhao very well. She always followed behind Chu Zhao like a tail, calling him "Brother Zilan". Sometimes, she would tell Chu Zhao, "Ping Ting will marry Brother Zilan in the future. Brother Zilan belongs to Ping Ting alone."
He took it as a joke until Chu Zhao was fourteen years old.
Chu Linfeng was famous for being a handsome man in Xiao Zhongwu's generation. Even if he didn't become Shi Jinbo, he could still win the hearts of many girls with his good looks. Chu Zhao's mother, Ye Runmei, was also beautiful. Chu Zhao modeled himself after the couple. When he was fourteen years old, he was as beautiful as the two brothers in the Xiao family. His personality was gentle and considerate, and he knew how to take care of people. Many girls secretly fell in love with him.
Among them, there was a young lady named Qian. She was fiery and passionate, and her eyes were very charming. She was different from the other shy girls in the Shuo capital. After meeting a few times, she directly expressed her feelings to Chu Zhao. Of course, Chu Zhao rejected her, but she didn't give up. She didn't pester him, but she sent things to the Chu family every few days. Occasionally, when they met in the Shuo capital, Miss Qian didn't refute. She just stared at him, making him feel helpless.
Not long after, something happened to Miss Qian. It was said that she was killed by thieves when she was out on a walk with her friends. Her death was very tragic. Her eyes were gouged out, shocking the entire capital. Miss Qian's father was only a minor seventh-rank official. After reporting it to the authorities, they couldn't find the murderer. When Chu Zhao heard the news, he was stunned for a long time. He couldn't believe that the girl who always winked at him had died so quietly.
Later, half a year after the incident, he went to the Xu family to find Xu Jingfu. When he passed by the small hall, he heard Xu Pingting talking to the servant next to her.
"She's just a lowly commoner. How dare she compete with me! She doesn't know how much she's worth. I'll gouge out her eyes. Let's see how she can seduce Brother Zilan in the future. If there's another woman who doesn't have eyes pestering Brother Zilan in the future, I won't be merciful like before! "
The girl's laughter was soft and innocent, but it was full of malice. Just like that, she completely destroyed another girl of her age.
Chu Zhao's heart was cold from head to toe.
But now, he was going to be tied to this woman and grow old together. How ironic was that?
He slowly sat up straight. One night, when he was still in the Liang Province Guards, Lin Qingtan's grandson, the white-robed divine hand Lin Shuanghe, had said something to him.
"Fourth Young Master Chu, if you care about Little Sister He, you should stay away from her. You have a tigress in your family, but our Little Sister He doesn't want to be the second Miss Qian. "
His eyes changed unpredictably. There was a flat Shi Tou lying next to the pen holder. The Shi Tou was in the shape of a horse. It seemed that he could see through the Shi Tou and see the night sky. The girl casually wiped the sweat on her forehead, took a knife and seriously chopped down. Then, she handed the Shi Tou to him.
Whose voice was it? It was bright and clear, as clean as a spring stream.
"Zhao, it means radiance. Zilan means vanilla. The person who gave you this name must have loved you very much. They hoped that you would have a noble character and a bright future. That's why they gave you such an elegant name. "
He had already stayed in the darkness for many years.
But when the first ray of light appeared, even though he knew that it didn't belong to him, he still wanted to greedily hold it in his hand.
He Yan deliberately woke up a little late the next morning.
After eating breakfast and greeting Bai Guo, He Yan leisurely left the room. It had already been a few days since she last went to the Xu Family. It seemed that the manservant called Fu Wang had been looking at her with longing these past few days.
As for the rest of His Majesty's reward money, she kept it all in her sleeve. When dealing with people, money was indispensable. Although she was now a small official, she didn't have much money. If she bribed people a few more times, she wouldn't have any extra money. He Yan wondered if he should go find Lin Shuanghe to borrow some money and then go to Le Tong Village to make a few rounds. But last time, he won money at Le Tong Village and offended the banker. If he went this time, he was afraid that he would be refused at the door.
While thinking about the serious problem of where to get the money, He Yan had already arrived at the teahouse where she met Fu Wang. She first smiled and gave the waiter at the entrance of the teahouse some broken silver. She casually asked, "Has anyone come to see me these past few days?"
The waiter quickly took the broken silver and smiled, "Yes, yes, yes! The little brother who came with Young Master last time has been coming three times a day these past few days. If you sit down, I reckon that he will come again soon. "
He Yan smiled, "Then I'll have to trouble little brother to bring a pot of tea."
After saying that, she walked to the elegant room where they met last time and sat down.
After giving Fu Wang the cold shoulder for so long, He Yan had already guessed that Fu Wang would most likely be unable to restrain himself, but she didn't expect that he would be so impatient. However, this was a good thing for her. Xu Zhiheng's method of buying people's hearts was too poor. Or perhaps, he only cared about buying the people above him and forgot to win over the people below him.
Sure enough, He Yan hadn't even sat for a quarter of an hour when someone came outside and knocked on the door. He Yan said, "Please come in." The door was pushed open. Fu Wang closed the door and walked in with large strides.
"Young Master!" Seeing He Yan, this person was very excited, "This little one thought that you weren't in Shuo Jing. These past few days have been really worrying me to death."
He Yan reached out to him, "Sit."
When Fu Wang sat down, she slowly opened her mouth, "These past few days, I have important matters to attend to. Only today did I have the time to come here." She poured a cup of tea for Fu Wang and said in a very gentle tone, "Little brother is so anxious to find me. Is there any news?"
"News … naturally there is." Fu Wang revealed a difficult expression.
He Yan understood tacitly and placed an ingot of silver in front of him.
"Young Master is a kind person. Thank you, Young Master." Fu Wang beamed with joy and put the ingot into his pocket before saying, "Young Master wanted to inquire about the matter, this little one has been paying attention in the fu. It's just that when Concubine Mother He was in trouble, the group of servants in Concubine Mother He's courtyard were all gone. Some left the fu, some were sold. In the end, no one was left. This little one also pieced together some information from the servants in the other courtyards. " He lowered his voice and looked around nervously, "Actually, those servants are all dead!"
When he said this, he deliberately wanted to look at He Yan's expression. Unfortunately, the face of the person sitting in front of him was covered by a veil and he couldn't see clearly. However, seeing that he could still calmly drink his tea, he didn't look … very surprised.
"Young Master, do you know what the situation would be if all the servants in a courtyard were executed?"
He Yan smiled slightly, "Silencing people?"
He originally wanted to keep him in suspense, but he didn't think that he would be seen through in one glance. Fu Wang was a bit discouraged and didn't have the same intention of keeping him in suspense like before. He answered honestly, "That is indeed the case. This little one heard that Concubine Mother He had committed an unforgivable crime. Therefore, the so-called punishment of the family law was actually to kill her. The servants in her courtyard all knew the truth, so they didn't have a way to live. "
When Fu Wang heard about this from other people, he felt a chill down his spine when he thought about it now. Even if the servants in the courtyard were sold into the hands of their masters, dozens of lives, even if it was reported to the Shuo capital, it was still a big matter. Moreover, the Xu family was a scholarly family, yet they could still kill dozens of people without batting an eyelid. It was unavoidably frightening. It also made people curious, what kind of crime did Concubine Mother He commit?
Adultery? That wouldn't be to the extent of killing all the servants in the courtyard. There were also guards in the courtyard. It couldn't be that when Concubine Mother He was having an affair with someone, those guards were still outside watching? To be able to let everyone in the courtyard know, and to have people die to keep the secret, what kind of crime was it?
"Is that all?" He Yan asked.
Fu Wang said: "That's all."
He Yan smiled: "Little brother, the things you said seem to be secrets, but in reality, they are of no help to my matter. If that's all you found, then there's no need for us to continue this transaction. "She stood up," These days, I've troubled you. It's been hard on you. "
After she finished speaking, she acted as if she was about to leave without any reluctance. Fu Wang's heart tightened, and he blurted out: "Gongzi, please wait!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it. Doing business, doing business, sometimes it wasn't just about doing business, it was about who was more patient. He was afraid that he would lose this money tree, so he spoke out to urge her to stay, but he also exposed himself.
He Yan turned her head to look at him: "Could it be that little brother still has some information that you haven't finished speaking?"
Knowing that he had been seen through by the person in front of him, Fu Wang braced himself and said: "Gongzi, please sit down and talk."
He Yan smiled and sat down again.
"Actually, this little one heard that among the servants who were executed at that time, there might be one person who is still alive."
He Yan smiled and said: "Continue."
"That person is concubine mother He's wet nurse, Qin momo. Before concubine mother He's accident, her wet nurse said that she was going home to see her grandson, but she didn't return to the fu after some time. Concubine mother He sent people to check, but that wet nurse's family said that she didn't return. After that, the fu also looked for her, but there was no news. "Fu Wang said:" This little one thinks that Qin momo might still be alive. "
He Yan looked at him without speaking.
Fu Wang was a bit uneasy, "Gongzi?"
"Since you said that no one can find Qin momo now," He Yan wasn't in a hurry, slowly saying: "Then little brother might not be able to find her either. A person who has disappeared without a trace, even if she's still alive in this world, without any news, what value does she have? "
Fu Wang was inwardly shocked. Could it be that the person in front of him had the ability to read minds? He did find out a bit of Qin momo's whereabouts, and he had spent a large amount of money to get this information. However, this transaction today was done by him wanting to use the other party, and the other party could leave at any time. If he couldn't show full sincerity, he was afraid that this person wouldn't meet him in the future.
Thinking of this, Fu Wang steeled his heart, "This little one heard that this Qin momo has been a widow for a long time. When she was the wet nurse for concubine mother He, she had a lover. Other people don't know about this, only a servant girl in the fu who boils water knows. That lover now lives outside the city. This little one wants to give it a try. Perhaps Qin momo is still alive. "
That's more like it. He Yan's heart calmed down a bit, and there was a bit of praise in his tone, "My eyes were right. Little brother is really amazing. Other people couldn't find out, but you found out." She said, "Then I'll wait here for good news. If little brother finds out Qin momo's whereabouts, you must not act rashly and alert the enemy. Just secretly tell me." She said: "After this matter, this one can help little brother get rid of his slave status. At that time, you just need to take a large amount of money and leave Shuo Jing. In the future, you will naturally be able to sit back and relax."
These words made Fu Wang's heart beat faster.
"I still have important matters to attend to, so I won't accompany little brother any longer," He Yan stood, "Little brother can stay here and drink tea and eat snacks before going back."
"Gongzi, wait!"
Fu Wang's voice came from behind him. He Yan just turned around when he felt that someone was already in front of him, trying to lift his curtain hat. But in the next moment, that hand was easily clamped down by He Yan.
Fu Wang: "Ouch, ouch, ouch … …"
He Yan released his hand and continued to walk forward without looking back. He only said, "Little brother, if you want to see my face, you don't have to be in a hurry. When the dust settles, I will take off my veiled hat."
The door was closed, and the elegant room was empty. It was as if the spy just now was just a dream. Only the two teacups on the table indicated that someone had been here.
Fu Wang sat down at the table and drank tea to suppress the fear in his heart. This mysterious person who knew the Xu family like the back of his hand, what was his identity?
After leaving the tea room, He Yan's mood was much more relaxed. Under the curtain hat, a smile gradually spread.
He didn't expect that Fu Wang's side would be so smooth. The people who had witnessed the truth in the courtyard had really survived. Since that Qin mama could predict that Xu Zhiheng would kill people to silence them, she must be a smart person. Smart people who ran for their lives might have some trump cards on them. Xu Zhiheng had calculated everything, but he probably didn't expect that Qin mama would run away. After all, her children and grandchildren were in Jing. If she ran away, the Xu family wouldn't let her family go.
But Xu Zhiheng also missed one point. When people faced death, no one wouldn't be afraid. The desire to survive was greater than anything else. In this world, there would be people who would sacrifice themselves to protect their family, and there would also be selfish people who would run for their lives in the face of disaster. And with Qin mama running away, her family would be safer. If Xu Zhiheng took the lives of her children and grandchildren, it was possible that Qin mama would tell the truth to the world in revenge. If she disappeared without a trace, Xu Zhiheng would be more cautious.
She had to find Qin mama faster than Xu Zhiheng and He Rufei.
Today's matter had gone smoothly. He Yan was happy and returned home a bit early. Before he reached the courtyard, he heard a familiar voice. "Younger Sister, where did that Older Brother He go? You really don't know?"
When Bai Guo stood up, she only reached his waist. She looked up and answered, "Second Young Master didn't let us ask about Young Master He."
Lin Shuanghe closed his fan. "Your Second Young Master is quite thoughtful."
He Yan called out to him from afar, "Brother Lin." Lin Shuanghe turned his head. When he saw her, his eyes immediately lit up. He quickly walked over. "I just got here and was wondering why you weren't here. You came back just in time. Brother He, I came especially to find you."
He Yan hadn't seen him since returning to Shuo Jing. Lin Shuanghe was dressed much more ostentatiously than when he was in the Liangzhou Guard. He was still wearing his clothes when he was in the military camp. Now that he was back in Shuo Jing, even the red-crowned crane eyes on his clothes were embellished with tiny gemstones. He wore fragrant balls and jade belts. Not a single one was missing.
"Brother Lin, have you found a residence?" He Yan was still thinking about the matter he had asked this person to do. Unexpectedly, as soon as he said this, Lin Shuanghe choked. It was clear that he had long forgotten about this matter.
He laughed awkwardly. "A residence … it hasn't been easy to find recently. I want to find a satisfactory one for Brother He. Naturally, I can't be careless. En, I'm here for other matters. Let's go inside and talk. "
He Yan was speechless.
He led Lin Shuanghe inside. After closing the door, Lin Shuanghe walked around the room and sighed. "Not bad. Isn't this residence right next to Huaijin? I think it's better than the Liangzhou Guard. Younger Sister He, are you living well here? If there's anything inconvenient, don't hesitate to tell Huaijin. Don't let yourself suffer. "
He spoke as if this wasn't the Xiao family, but the Lin family. He Yan poured him a cup of hot water. "Brother Lin, you didn't come to find me just to see how I'm living, right?"
"Oh." Lin Shuanghe slapped his head. "I almost forgot." He took out an invitation from his sleeve and handed it to He Yan. "An invitation to the palace banquet. Here. Huaijin has left the city. I'm afraid he won't be able to make it back on that day. Before he left, he had someone tell me to remember to take care of you. In three days, I'll come to the Xiao residence to pick you up. At that time, you'll come with me to the palace. This is your first time entering the palace. If no one leads you, I'm afraid it won't be very convenient. "
He Yan was startled. "The Governor has left the city?"
"Yes, he left the city today. He left in a hurry and had his people bring me a message. Originally, he planned to bring you with him to the palace banquet. However, he won't be able to make it back in time this time, so he asked me to do it for him. "
He Yan recalled that Xiao Jue had indeed told him that she would be leaving the city in a few days. However, he hadn't expected it to be so hurried that he didn't even have time to say goodbye.
However … he really kept his promise. He said he would bring him to the palace banquet, and he really did.
"What are you thinking about, Younger Sister He?" Lin Shuanghe waved his hand in front of her face. "When I came today, I even brought some clothes. When you go to the palace, you have to wear something more glamorous. You don't know how the people in the palace treat dishes according to the plate. You might have to walk around the palace often in the future. The first time you go, you have to leave a deep impression. I had the servants buy these. Each piece is made of good material and is very gorgeous. You can choose one to wear. It won't be a disgrace to Huaijin. "
He Yan: "… Thank you very much."
"Also, Younger Sister He, I reckon that since Huaijin brought you to the palace this time, His Majesty might reward you greatly. After all, you have done a lot of meritorious service in the past. Don't be too surprised if you become an official or something. That, I'll just say it first. It's not certain. "
He rambled on about a bunch of things to pay attention to at the palace banquet. When the servant came to urge him to hurry to the next social event, he stood up and bid farewell. After Lin Shuanghe left, He Yan sat down in front of the mirror.
The clothes he had the servants bring were on the table. They were new and tidy, and the embroidery was exquisite. He Yan looked at himself in the mirror. In her previous life, before she entered the palace, she had already returned to her female identity. Therefore, the person who entered the palace was He Rufei, the person who met His Majesty was He Rufei, and the person who received the title of "Feihong" was also He Rufei.
Now, she was finally going to enter the palace again as He Yan. Thinking about it, Xu Zhiheng and He Rufei would both be present at the palace banquet this time. Perhaps she would even see He Yuanliang and He Yuansheng. Those people who had been entangled with her in her previous life had finally reappeared in front of her, and in such a way.
The girl in the mirror had already changed her face. Her facial features were not the least bit similar to before. Only that pair of eyes were burning with a raging flame, as if they wanted to burn all evil to ashes. They were as bright as ever.
He Yan lowered her head, not knowing what to think. After a while, she slowly raised the corners of her mouth and smiled.
Three days later, He Rufei, Xu Zhiheng, and the He Family would get to know the name "He Yan" again. When they met an old friend who had passed away, they didn't know if they had a guilty conscience. When they heard this name again, would they be so scared that they wouldn't be able to sleep at night?
Perhaps, it was a good thing that Xiao Jue wasn't around.
She could be even more fearless.
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