For five consecutive days, the craze of Yang Fan's elopement with his wife had yet to die down. Yang Fan had originally done it on purpose, intending to make use of everyone's misunderstanding to cover up the fact that Tin Aino had left. However, after being comforted by so many people, it was as if such a thing had really happened, causing him to feel uneasy in his heart.
These few days, he had already heard too many comforting and consoling words. He was in so much pain that he had never known that being comforted by others could be so painful. When this pain fell into the eyes of those who were observant, it naturally had a completely different interpretation. Thus, those who were persuading him put in even more effort.
At this moment, the person who was persuading him was Miss Xiaodong.
People would always sympathize with those who were more unfortunate than them, and it was easier for them to forgive those who had offended them. When Miss Xiaodong heard the news that Yang Fan's wife had eloped with someone else, her full of resentment melted like snow. When she saw Yang Fan at the door, she immediately stopped and pulled Yang Fan back. Like an older sister, she earnestly consoled him.
"Erlang, I've said so much, have you listened to me? As a man, how can you be defeated by this kind of thing? If she doesn't want you, that's because she doesn't have good taste. Cheer up, don't be so listless, or else I'll look down on you … "
"Yes, yes, yes, I understand. Miss Xiaodong, are you going to deliver clothes to someone? Hurry up and get busy, I … will definitely pull myself together. "
Yang Fan tried hard to straighten his chest and burst into a sunny smile. He only hoped that this overly compassionate young lady would quickly let him go.
"Xiaodong, haven't you delivered the clothes to the guest yet? Who are you chatting with at the door? "
Following the voice, Auntie Hua walked out of the courtyard in a very unhappy manner. She focused her eyes and saw that the person standing in front of her was actually Yang Fan. Auntie Hua's unhappy expression was immediately swept away, and she immediately became amiable.
"Xiaodong, hurry up and deliver the clothes to the guest. Don't let the guest wait too long. Mother wants to talk to Erlang."
"Oh!"
Xiaodong agreed and finally ended her mental work.
Xiaodong carried the clothes and left as if there was no one else around. Auntie Hua kindly said to Yang Fan, "Erlang, Auntie has also heard about your family's matters. Please don't take it to heart. A real man will never have to worry about not having a wife! A handsome young man like you, are you afraid that you won't be able to find a wife? "
Yang Fan screamed in his heart, "It's over! It's starting again … "
He hurriedly straightened his back and pretended to be excited. "Aunty Hua, don't worry. These past few days, the neighbors have been trying to persuade me. I've thought it through. It's hard to find a two-legged toad, but there are plenty of two-legged girls. I won't take this matter to heart."
"That's right!"
Auntie Hua clapped her hands and beamed with joy, "Auntie will tell you the truth. When I first heard that a merchant's daughter eloped to your house, Auntie disapproved from the bottom of her heart. These merchants are different from us workers. Merchants value profits more than benevolence and righteousness! Think about it, do you think a child who grew up in such a family would have a good character? "
"Erlang, this merchant's daughter really can't be a good wife. You don't even have a status. If she leaves, then so be it. There's nothing to be ashamed of. Why do you have to be so dejected? If you really marry this merchant's daughter, who knows what kind of embarrassing things will happen in the future. "
Auntie Hua looked around and pulled Yang Fan towards the eaves of the door. She lowered her voice and said, "Have you heard of Yang Mingsheng, the Director of the Ministry of Justice?"
Yang Fan didn't know why she suddenly mentioned Yang Langzhong. But Auntie Hua's fierce reputation made him afraid. He quickly nodded and said obediently, "Yes, I have heard of him."
Auntie Hua said mysteriously, "Auntie will tell you that Yang Langzhong's wife, Lady Qi, is a merchant's daughter. When she was young, she had an ambiguous relationship with her cousin. Yang Langzhong's daughter is most likely not Yang Langzhong's biological daughter. That child's eyebrows and eyes, no matter how you look at it, are very similar to her uncle's. "
Yang Fan didn't have the patience to listen to this kind of gossip. But Auntie Hua was in high spirits and it wasn't good to leave immediately. He could only agree vaguely. Auntie Hua said excitedly, "Just say it. He found a merchant's daughter to be his wife. When he couldn't keep an eye on her, she had an affair with her husband and ruined his family's reputation. If he wasn't careful, he would even be raising a child for her.
Speaking of which, Doctor Yang didn't have a choice back then. Although he was a scholar, his family was very poor. His studies and examinations were all supported by his wife's family. Later on, when he entered the official career, it was his wife's family who used money to smooth things over and help him get a good job in the Ministry of Justice.
I remember at that time he … Oh! Yes, Zhanggu. At that time, he was a Zhanggu official in the Ministry of Justice. His mouth was tied because he ate from others, so his wife could do whatever she wanted. If you married a merchant's daughter and had a rich father-in-law, would you be able to raise your head in front of your wife? In the end, you would still have to obediently be manipulated by others.
Take Yang Langzhong for example. When he was a Zhanggu official in the Ministry of Justice, he was already an official. But he served his wife at home more diligently than he did in the yamen. His daughter's background was unclear, but he pretended to be deaf and mute and endured it. His wife, on the other hand, was very arrogant.
I remember that when Lady Qi was about to give birth, Yang Zhanggu happened to leave Dongdu for Shaozhou on official business. He was thousands of miles away, and he was gone for two or three months. He didn't come back until the child was almost one month old. However, Lady Qi didn't let it go. She insisted that her husband heard some gossip and found an excuse to leave the capital. In a rage, she took the child and went back to her mother's home.
She did something wrong to her husband, but she still dared to be so arrogant. What right did she have? Wasn't it the power of her mother's family? Poor Yang Zhanggu went to his father-in-law's house, knelt and kowtowed to his father-in-law, and begged for forgiveness. Only then did he invite his wife back.
But in less than two years, Yang Zhanggu was promoted. Since then, his career has been smooth, and he has been promoted step by step. Now he is a Minister of the Ministry of Justice. It's different from before. With Yang Langzhong's high position and power, Lady Qi and the eldest daughter of the Yang family have had a hard time these past few years. "
Originally, Yang Fan was very impatient to listen to her talk about other people's family affairs. But he had been in Luoyang for so long, and had always been investigating "Shaozhou". He was very sensitive to this name. Suddenly hearing the two words "Shaozhou" from Aunty Hua's mouth, his heart suddenly thumped, and he hurriedly asked, "Aunty, is what you said true?"
Aunty Hua said, "How is it not true? At that time, Aunty was a needle-maker in the Yang family. Others may not know about the Yang family's affairs, but those who worked in the Yang family's inner courtyard, who didn't know? At that time, Lady Qi was so powerful and domineering, and how Yang Zhanggu swallowed his anger, Aunty saw it with her own eyes. "
Yang Fan hurriedly said, "No, no, no. Your nephew is asking about Yang Langzhong's official business in Shaozhou. Is this true? At that time, Yang Langzhong was just a small Zhanggu. If the imperial court had any official business that required them to send people thousands of miles to Shaozhou, they couldn't possibly send a ninth-ranked official, could they? "
Aunty Hua said, "Hai! Aunty is a woman, how could she know about official business? Aunty doesn't know who should be sent and who should not be sent. But, Yang Zhanggu left Dongdu for two to three months, this is absolutely true. At that time, I was a needle-maker in the Yang family, so I heard it clearly. When Lady Qi was venting her anger on Yang Zhanggu, the First Aunt was right beside her. She heard Yang Zhanggu explaining to her that he was ordered by his superior to go to Shaozhou for a very important mission, which was why he came back late. He swallowed his anger and explained it to her several times. How could Aunty have heard it wrong? "
"Oh … Aunty, what year was it?"
"That year … Oh, I can't remember it clearly. The imperial court's era name is always changing. Aunty doesn't even know what year it is this year. Hai! Anyway, it was two months before the birth of the Yang family's daughter. That's why I say, you really can't marry a merchant's daughter, especially since you're not an official and have no money. If others bully you, you won't be able to live happily with a beautiful wife … "
"Yes, yes, yes, yes. Aunty Hua's words have enlightened me. I'll keep it in my heart."
Yang Fan nodded his head in agreement, secretly making a mental note of this matter. Finally, Aunty Hua, who was a chatterbox, stopped talking and went home with satisfaction. Yang Fan also left in a hurry.
He had already learned some information about Yang Langzhong from Aunty Hua. If he abruptly asked Aunty Hua about Yang Langzhong's appearance, or the age of the Yang family's eldest daughter, if something happened to Yang Langzhong in the future, he couldn't guarantee that Aunty Hua wouldn't think of him. So he had to find another way.
Yang Fan wandered around the square. He took the initiative to chat with those people who had nothing better to do at the alley entrance. Under his indirect questioning, he quickly found out the information he wanted to know.
The Yang family's daughter was seven years old this year. Seven years ago was the second year of Yong Chun. The end of that year was changed to the first year of Hongdao. The month of the girl's birth was the beginning of summer seven years ago. According to Aunty Hua, Yang Langzhong went to Shaozhou two months before the child was born. He came back one month after the child was born. These three months coincided with the time of the murder.
Was this Yang Langzhong the person he was looking for?
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