After being teased by Xun Er, Xue Lian immediately became bashful. Rolling up the corner of her clothes, she stamped her feet and said, "No, Xun Er jiejie always teases me when we see each other!"
Xun Er laughed, revealing her white teeth. She rocked back and forth as she said, "Haha, it's so fun to see you being shy! You are my future sister-in-law. You call me jiejie now, but when you marry into my family, I will have to call you little sister-in-law. En! I haven't seen you for a year and you've grown even prettier. When I go back, I will tell my little brother. He will definitely like it. "
Xue Lian was still young and her face was as red as a flower. She did not want to continue this topic and hurriedly said, "Xun Er jiejie, when did you come? Why didn't you come to my house?"
At this time, the old man had already caught up. He also recognized Xun Er and respectfully bowed, saying, "This old servant greets Xun Er."
Xun Er nodded at the old man, then said to Xuelian, "I came here this time to play with you. Coincidentally, some imperial envoy came to the imperial court. As soon as my father arrived, he was captured by Governor Luo to accompany him in drinking. Originally, father wanted me to accompany him, but I felt bored and stayed in Governor Luo's residence for a while before sneaking out. I was just about to go to your house. "
Hearing this, Yang Fan walked over to them. It was not easy for Yang Fan to find out Huang Jingrong's whereabouts. Since Xue Lian's family was here, perhaps he could use them to find out some of Imperial Censor Huang's whereabouts. When he heard this Xun Er say that her father went to drink with the imperial envoy, he made up his mind.
"Miss Xue Lian!"
Yang Fan called out. Xun Er and Xue Lian turned around at the same time and saw a young man standing there with a pleasantly surprised expression.
Xue Lian looked at Yang Fan and hesitantly said, "You are …"
Yang Fan laughed and said, "Miss Xue Lian doesn't recognize me? Do you still remember the worker who was thrown into your pond back in Luoyang? And the big brother you hid in the street lamp … "
"Ah! Ah! Ah … "
Xuelian pointed at Yang Fan, her mouth opened wider and wider. After a long while, she suddenly cried out in surprise, "I remember! Ha! So it's you. Why are you here? "
Xuelian jumped up and down twice. Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, she hurriedly handed all the things in her skirt to the old woman. She reached out and pulled Yang Fan to the side of the road. Seeing that he was still holding onto a horse, she whispered, "You still have a horse to ride? From the looks of it, you're not a criminal who was exiled here, are you? "
Yang Fan was startled and said in surprise, "Of course not. Why was I exiled here?"
Xue Lian looked left and right and her voice grew softer. "Then … you committed a crime in Luoyang and fled here?"
When Yang Fan heard this, he suddenly realized that in this era, there were very few people who would travel far from home. Coupled with the inconvenience of transportation, it was even rarer for people to travel thousands of miles to a foreign land. Moreover, Luoyang was the capital, and he was from Luoyang. There was no reason for him to leave the capital and wander in a foreign land.
When Xuelian's family left the capital, he had yet to make a name for himself. In Xuelian's memory, he was still a small worker in the Xiu Wen workshop. How could he have the ability to travel thousands of miles to appear here? Since he wasn't exiled here as a criminal, he could only have committed a crime and escaped the capital.
Yang Fan's mind flashed as he replied, "Yes, Miss Xuelian is still as smart as ever. I … indeed escaped here. You know Miss Pasta, right? What? You don't know? Miss Pasta is the girl who sells Pasta soup in the second alley of our Xiu Wen workshop's Cross Street.
One day, she was selling noodles in an alley and was seen by a rich family's son. The rich family's son coveted her beauty and tried to touch her. You know that I like to fight for justice the most. I beat the bad guy down with a few punches and kicks. In the end, I accidentally knocked over the pot of soup and scalded the boy until a layer of skin was peeled off. This time, I got into big trouble and had no choice but to escape from the capital … "
Yang Fan didn't even blink as he made up a bunch of lies. Hearing this, Xuelian felt both admiration and sympathy for him. She simply regarded him as a great hero.
When Xun Er saw her future sister-in-law talking so intimately with that handsome Han man and looking at him with adoration in her eyes, alarm bells immediately went off in her heart. She couldn't help but ask the old man, "Does this man know your Miss?"
The old man was a servant that Xuelian's family had hired after they moved here. He looked at Yang Fan and shook his head in confusion, "This old servant doesn't know this person."
When Xun Er heard this, she immediately swung her long legs and walked over. She placed herself in between Yang Fan and Xuelian. Puffing out her chest, she raised her chin and fiercely said to Yang Fan, "Hey! What do you do? "
Yang Fan and Xuelian were whispering to each other, so they weren't far from each other. When Xun Er inserted herself in between them, her twin peaks, which were too tall and straight for her age, almost brushed against Yang Fan's body. Yang Fan promptly took a step back and said, "Oh! This one is an old friend of Miss Xuelian's from the capital. I am very happy to meet you here. May I know who this young lady is? "
Xuelian pulled on Xun Er's sleeve and made her bend down. She whispered in Xun Er's ear for a while before Xun Er suddenly understood. Xuelian smiled sweetly at Yang Fan and said, "Brother Yang, I am still young and can't make decisions at home. I can't promise to take you in. However, since you don't have a place to go, you might as well come with me. My family has an empty house to rent out. "
Yang Fan promptly expressed his thanks. Miss Xun Er glared at him as if to show off. She pulled on Xuelian's arm and whispered, "Silly girl, why do you take in just anyone? I think he has a glib tongue and doesn't seem like a good person."
Yang Fan pretended not to hear. He listened to Xuelian explain in a small voice, "Sister Xun Er, you misunderstand. He is a good person. This time, he was arrested by the authorities because he did a good deed." She then turned her head and asked, "Brother Yang, has the Xiu wen workshop been well these past few years?"
Yang Fan led his horse to catch up. "I told her some of the trifling matters that have happened in the Xiu wen workshop these past few years. The Zhang family lost a sow, the Li family adopted a grandson, and Xiao Qianyue, who lives under the elm tree on the west side of Cross East Main Street, found his wife with a black face, big mouth, protruding teeth, and fierce eyes. She is even pregnant with a baby …"
Miss Xuelian might not know all of these people, but she still listened with great interest. Through Yang Fan's narration, she recalled every little detail of the Xiu wen workshop. Yang Fan casually picked up some anecdotes from the streets and told them to her. He then asked her about what happened after she moved out of the Xiu wen workshop. Miss Xuelian softly sighed, her face revealing a sadness that didn't match her age.
When Yang Mingsheng was the Minister of Justice, he was Zhou Xing's most capable subordinate. Under Zhou Xing's instructions, he created a large number of unjust prisons, causing the destruction of countless families. Later on, he died, but Zhou Xing was still alive. No one dared to do anything to the Yang family. However, once Zhou Xing died, the counterattack against the Yang family began.
Fortunately, Yang Mingsheng died early. Zhou Xing was convicted of treason and fell from power. If Yang Mingsheng had not died, he would have been beheaded. The male members of the family would have been executed and the women would have been sent to be government slaves. Now that Yang Mingsheng's crimes were cleared, the authorities did not pursue the matter of the Yang family's orphans and widows.
Many of Zhou Xing's capable officials were removed from their positions. Their family members either became government slaves or were sent to Jiaozhi. Because Yang Mingsheng died early, the Yang family was forgotten by these people who were trying to clean up Zhou Xing's remaining forces. However, although these people had forgotten, the people who had been persecuted by Yang Mingsheng had not.
Some of the people who had been persecuted by Yang Mingsheng were more soft-hearted, thinking that Yang Mingsheng had already received his just desserts. Since the Yang family was only left with an orphan and widows, it was fine that the crime did not extend to the family. However, there were others who did not think so. Their families had been destroyed by Yang Mingsheng, and the blood feud between their parents, wife, and children ran deep. How could they let the matter rest so easily? Even though Yang Mingsheng was dead, his wife and children were still alive.
Some of them came to the Yang family to cause trouble and vent their anger, while others used their remaining connections and connections in the bureaucracy to try to drag the Yang family into Zhou Xing's rebellion. The Yang family had sent gifts to the Imperial Censorate several times, and had almost emptied their family's wealth. But they still couldn't avoid being threatened, and could only flee back to their hometown. Yang Mingsheng was from Shu, and his hometown was in the Feng Province of the Jiannan Province.
Most of the Yang family's assets had been destroyed in the fire. Coupled with the gifts they had sent out, they did not have much money left. Xuelian's maternal grandfather was a wealthy merchant, and it was easy for him to provide for his daughter and granddaughter. However, since they had to return to their hometown with their husband, it was impossible for him to provide them with any financial support.
Xuelian's mother's dowry had also been destroyed in the fire, and when she first arrived in Jiannan, her life was extremely difficult. It was fortunate that her cousin was an infatuated man, and he actually followed her all the way to the Feng Province. The Yang Clan was already in ruins, and no one cared about the lives of Xuelian and her daughter. Even if she wanted to marry someone, they wouldn't interfere. Thus, the two of them became husband and wife, and they started a business in the Feng Province. After a few years, they managed to accumulate some savings.
In truth, Xuelian's stepfather was indeed her biological father. After Xuelian's mother told her the truth, there wasn't much estrangement between father and daughter. After all, back then, Yang Mingsheng had already suspected that his daughter wasn't his biological father, and he didn't treat her well at all. As a result, the two of them didn't have a deep father-daughter relationship.
Some of the goods of the Yang Clan were bought from the White Barbarian Tribe that Xun Er belonged to. As time went by, Xuelian's father tried to curry favor with the tribe's chief, Kon Qi. Later, Xuelian's father even intended to marry his daughter to Kon Qi's youngest son, Kon Jin Jia.
Kon Qi had seen Xuelian and liked this little girl very much, so he readily agreed. Thus, the two families became in-laws. Xun Er was the youngest daughter of the chief of this tribe, and he had always doted on her. When she heard that her little brother had a wife, she clamored to follow her father when he came to the Feng Province for the second time. She hit it off with Xuelian at first sight, and they became good friends.
Yang Fan didn't expect that Xuelian's family would also undergo earth-shaking changes in the past few years, and he couldn't help but sigh. When Xuelian left Luoyang, she was still young and inexperienced. After arriving here, she was influenced by the local customs and became frank and daring. Unlike the women in Luoyang, she didn't cover up her family's scandals, so she was very frank about her experiences in the past few years.
When Yang Fan heard that Xuelian wasn't Yang Mingsheng's biological daughter, he felt a little less guilty. He also heard that if Yang Mingsheng hadn't been killed, the fate of Xuelian and her daughter would have been ten times more miserable than today, so he felt more at ease.
As the two talked, Xun Er kept a vigilant eye on Yang Fan.
When they arrived at the Yang Family, Xuelian said, "Brother Yang, the government here doesn't care at all. Even if someone knows that you're a fugitive, they won't care. There are many fugitives here, so you can rest assured and stay here. I'll arrange a place for you to stay …"
Before Xuelian could finish, Xun Er took her hand and said to the old woman, "Arrange a place for this person to stay. Remember to ask him for rent first, so that he won't leave without saying goodbye."
After saying that, Xun Er pulled Xuelian away, and her voice was low enough for Yang Fan to hear, "Xuelian, you have to be careful with this kind of person. Some scumbags like to trick their acquaintances. Don't blame me for not warning you …"
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