Yang Fan knew that the mayor of a village or town in this kind of place was usually the one with the most power and the wealthiest family in the area. Therefore, he had already guessed that this Li Zheng's house must be the largest. Therefore, his eyes only stared at him.
Unexpectedly, Liang Lizheng looked at them and said, "Do you want to stay in this village? There are so many of you. If you want to stay in this village, only Master Liang's house can afford such a big place. "
Yang Fan asked curiously, "Why isn't Liang Lizheng's house the largest in this village?"
Liang Lizheng said, "Eighty percent of the people in this village have the surname Liang. If you want to talk about the biggest family, it has to be Master Liang's house. Master Liang is an official in the capital, and he is the head of the Ministry of Justice. Because this is the ancestral home of Master Liang's family, they built a big house here. But no one usually lives here, so they let a few old people take care of it. "
Yang Fan thought for a while and vaguely remembered that there was a head of the Ministry of Justice with the surname Liang. When he was in the Ministry of Justice, he used to send gifts to his house during the New Year. Unexpectedly, he came to his hometown today. Yang Fan said, "If that's the case, can I trouble Liang Lizheng to mediate and let us stay here?"
With that, Yang Fan took a step forward and stuffed a pile of copper coins into Liang Lizheng's hand. Liang Lizheng took the money and a smile immediately appeared on his face. He replied straightforwardly, "Alright, come with me!"
Liang Lizheng turned around and led the way. He scolded the children who followed to watch the fun. The old house of the head of the Ministry of Justice was near the hillside at the end of the village. The manor covered a large part of the hillside. There were fruit trees on the hillside, and there was a house at the foot of the hill.
There were white walls, green tiles, and pavilions. Compared with most of the simple houses in this small mountain village, it had a dignified air of a big family. Such a large courtyard was only renovated because it was an ancestral residence. The Liang Family didn't stay here, so there was always a type of desolate feeling. One could see weeds growing on the walls, swaying in the wind.
There were no other residences around the Liang Family's house. The other residences were at least a few feet away from the Liang Family's high wall. The floor was tidy, and there was a screen wall and a hitching post in front of the main entrance of the house. Green bricks covered the ground, but there were large patches of moss on the green brick floor, the bottom of the screen wall, and the hitching post. The two strings of red lanterns hanging under the lintel of the door had lost half of their color and were somewhat white.
If they came here at night, they would feel like they had entered a haunted house. Yang Fan was very satisfied with this place. It was good to have a secluded place.
"Dong dong dong! Dong, dong, dong! "
Liang Lizheng grabbed the door knocker and knocked hard. The knocker was already rusty. It was probably because there was no door in the front yard. Liang Lizheng knocked hard for a long time before the person inside heard an old voice shouting, "Stop knocking, I heard you!"
After a while, with a creak, the corner door on the main door opened. An old face peeked out from inside. The face was gloomy, looking outside coldly.
Liang Lizheng did not dare to put on airs in front of this family, even if it was just an old steward of the Liang Family. Liang Lizheng nodded and bowed, "Steward Qiao, how are you?"
"What's the matter?" The wrinkles on Steward Qiao's face seemed to be carved by a knife. It did not change even a little because of Liang Lizheng's politeness. His voice was also very hoarse, revealing a sense of impatience.
"It's like this …" Liang Lizheng told him the purpose of Yang Fan's visit. He smiled and said, "Old steward, what do you think?"
Yang Fan took a step forward at the right time and cupped his hands. "Greetings, old steward. We are going to pass by the capital through Crouching Bull Mountain. It's getting late, so we would like to stay in your residence for the night. I hope old steward can accommodate us."
Liang Lizheng immediately whispered, "They are willing to pay. I thought that the house in this residence would be empty anyway, so I brought it here. Old steward, what do you think?"
The old steward's pair of muddy old eyes looked at Yang Fan from head to toe, then looked at the group of people behind. Li Guo'er had already jumped off the carriage. She was wearing a maidservant's outfit. She tilted her neck and looked curiously at the black plaque on the lintel. The old steward seemed to have seen that there were women accompanying them. He let out a soft hmph and said, "Wait here!"
The old steward slammed the corner door. After a while, the main door opened. It was probably because the main door had not been opened for a long time. When it opened, there was a creaking sound of friction. The old steward stood at the threshold with a sullen face. He shook his head and said, "Come in!" Then he put his hands behind his back and walked forward with his back bent.
As Yang Fan led the horse through the door, the old steward said coldly, "There are not many people in the house. Including the old man, there are only five of us. We didn't prepare so much food. There is a stove, so you can cook the food yourself."
Li Guo'er had just followed them in, but when she heard this, she said angrily, "Why is this person …"
Yang Fan grabbed her and shook his head gently. Then he said to the old man with a smile, "Yes! I am already very grateful to be able to stay in your residence for the night. I will give you my thanks once I have settled down! "
…
The Liang Residence really had a lot of houses. It was unknown if Steward Liang had the mentality of returning home in glory, or if his relatives and friends would come every year when he returned home to worship his ancestors. So the main house had built many houses. Not to mention that there were only about twenty people in Yang Fan's group, even if there were two or three times more people, it would still be more than enough.
Steward Liang arranged for them to stay in the east courtyard. He instructed them not to wander around the Liang Residence before he left with a sullen face. Not long after, the Liang Residence's manservant brought bedding for Yang Fan and the others. Although the bedding was not new, it was often hung out in the sun, so it did not feel moist.
Dinner naturally had to be prepared by themselves. Fortunately, nearly half of the group were women. Although they were all heroines who wielded knives and spears, at least eight out of ten of them knew how to do needlework and cook. This was because they were going to get married sooner or later, and these were the basic skills of being a wife. Even if they were the young madams of wealthy families, if they didn't know how to cook, they would still be criticized by their in-laws.
The group was tired from the long journey, and the lights in the Liang Residence were not very bright. After eating dinner, many of them chose to sleep early. The Prince of Luling, Li Xian, had not slept well on the journey. Usually, he would either sleep in the carriage or in the suburbs. Today, he finally had a good night's sleep and had fallen asleep early.
As the person in charge of the group, Yang Fan was in charge of everything, such as leading the way and arranging the troops. He had to spend more energy than the others, and his body was not made of iron, so how could he not feel tired? However, even though this was a remote mountain village and it should be extremely safe, he still arranged the defense first.
The Prince of Luling was the only focus of their protection. Usually, Yang Fan was responsible for the entire group, while Huang Xuchang and Xu Liang were responsible for the Prince of Luling's personal safety. They had never left his side, and it was the same now. The Prince of Luling and Li Guo 'er lived in the bedroom on the left and right respectively. The two of them slept in the central room in the middle and were on duty for half the night.
Yang Fan did not dare to go too far. His and Gao Ying's residences were in the front and back of the Prince of Luling's residence. Once everyone was asleep, there would be guards watching from the roof. After arranging everything, Yang Fan dragged his exhausted body back to his own bedroom. Without even lighting the lamp, he tossed his saber on the bedside and then himself onto the bed.
Yang Fan let out a long breath and lightly stretched his body, only to feel a slight ache in his bones. Closing his eyes, he lazily reached to his waist and fumbled for his belt. Just as he was about to take off his outer clothes, his lazy movements suddenly became as fast as a ghost's. With a single stretch, he grabbed the saber by his pillow and shot toward the window like an arrow.
It was close to the beginning of summer and the weather was not cold. Since Yang Fan wanted to monitor the situation in the Prince of Luling's residence, he had left the window open. At this moment, a person was quietly climbing in through the window. When Yang Fan looked over, the sharp look in his eyes instantly disappeared and his grip on the scabbard loosened.
A person was climbing in through the window. This person had a graceful figure and a slender waist. Even in the darkness of the night, one could see the soft and beautiful figure characteristic of a woman. Other than Li Guo'er, who else could it be? Like a cat that had stolen a fish, Li Guo'er quietly climbed in and closed the window.
Turning around, Yang Fan got down from the bed and lit the lantern. As soon as the lantern was lit, it quickly illuminated the small room. Li Guo'er's legs were slightly tilted to the side as she sat on the couch in a delicate posture, smiling at him.
Under the light, her jade-like skin faintly glowed red, like a blooming peach blossom. The dimples on her jade-like face were so pretty that they were almost transparent. People often said that a beauty under the light of a lantern would add some color to it. Looking at such a jade-like girl right now, she was truly radiating light, her complexion illuminating.
She had just taken a bath, so her lustrous black hair was tied into a loose knot. She wore a soft and close-fitting jade-green dress, and her waist was rather slender. All sorts of emotions and allure were hidden deep in her bones. Yang Fan couldn't help but inwardly sigh in admiration. This so-called natural beauty was truly different from the masses. Otherwise, how could a girl of such a young age have such a romantic charm when walking, sitting, or lying down?
Yang Fan's face darkened as he asked, "What are you doing here?"
Li Guo'er untied her hair, allowing it to cascade down like a waterfall. Her beautiful hair draped over her shoulders, and her complexion seemed to be illuminated by the light, instantly revealing a graceful charm that would brighten anyone's eyes. Only then did Li Guo'er give him an enchanting smile and pout coquettishly, "You're so fierce. What's wrong? You're going to deny it after eating me clean?"
With a straight face, Yang Fan said, "The one I ate was a village girl, not a princess of the court. Making the same mistake once is enough. I won't make it a second time. "
Li Guo'er's thin eyebrows gently raised, and she said seductively, "Brother Fan, once is enough to kill you!"
Yang Fan smiled, "Is that so? Then, princess … Oh! If we can safely return to the capital, we'll soon have to call you princess. I don't know if Your Highness, an unmarried girl, dares to publicize this matter? "
"I …"
Li Guo'er suddenly choked. Even if her father became the crown prince, as long as Wu Zetian didn't die, their family would still have to tuck their tails between their legs. Who would dare to be insolent? Even if Wu Zetian died and her father successfully ascended the throne as the Emperor, would the daughter of the Emperor dare to publicize such a scandal to the public? Did she not want the dignity of the royal family?
With this question, Yang Fan had grasped her Achilles heel. Li Guo'er puffed up her cheeks in anger, and her seductive and enchanting expression was immediately replaced by a kind of cute childishness. Outside the courtyard, Gu Zhuting tightly held onto her sword as she hurried from the direction of the kitchen to Yang Fan's residence …
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