Under the shade of trees, there was a quiet and elegant farmhouse. In the farmhouse, two pretty girls were busy preparing lunch like diligent little bees. They were the two personal maids of Xia Yingying. In fact, it was not accurate to call them that, because both of them had extraordinary backgrounds.
Their fathers were the leaders of the Yi tribe, but the tribe that their fathers ruled was a vassal of the Xia family. In other words, the head of the Xia family was a big chieftain, and their fathers were small chieftains. The relationship between the two chieftains was subordinate.
In their own tribe, they were also as noble as princesses. It was just that they were sent to the Xia family to be playmates of the little princess of the Xia family. This situation was somewhat similar to the wives and daughters of the counts and marquises in European countries who had to go to the palace to accompany the queen and princess.
They were sent to the Xia family by their father. In fact, they did not need to work as servants. Their main task was to be playmates of Xia Yingying, which could also deepen the relationship between the two tribes. It was killing two birds with one stone. However, in order to hide from Korgi Grong, the three of them hid here. Some things had to be done by themselves.
Fortunately, even though these Yi girls were of noble status, they were not so pampered that they could not do anything. They could still do housework. Of course, Miss Xia was an exception. She was the only girl in the Xia family in three generations. The whole family doted on her like stars surrounding the moon. She did not have a chance to do anything even if she wanted to.
Miss Xiao Lu was killing a chicken in the kitchen because Miss Xia said she wanted to try chicken stewed with mushrooms. The mushrooms were picked by Miss Xia herself from the mountain, but they had been secretly replaced by Xiao Lu. This was because the mushrooms that Miss Xia picked were colorful and unusually bright. If eaten, they could poison an elephant to death. Xiaowei was washing the mushrooms in the yard. The mushrooms that had just been soaked had to be washed several times before they could be washed clean.
None of them stayed by the Miss's side. Although the people of the southwest border were swift and fierce, the government's orders were difficult to enforce, and the public security situation was relatively poor, bullying and humiliating women rarely happened. Whether it was in the tribes or the villages, for this kind of thing, private punishment was more severe than official law. Therefore, the binding force of the common customs on people was stronger than the law.
Moreover, the most powerful tribe in the area was the Yi tribe. Even if there were people who dared to have improper thoughts about Miss Xia, as long as Miss Xia said her name, it would be enough to scare them out of their wits. Miss Xia of the Xia family in Red Maple Lake, the niece of the Song family, who ranked second among the four vajras of An, Song, Tian, and Yang, had not been born yet, unless it was a ghost.
The courtyard door was suddenly knocked open. Xia Yingying rushed in from the outside. Her face was pale and looked nervous, as if she had seen a ghost.
Xiaowei stood up in surprise and asked, "Yingying, what's wrong?"
Xia Yingying swung her windmill-like long legs and rushed to her side. She grabbed her dripping wet hand and jumped up and down, shouting, "Ghost! "Ghost!"
Before she could ask more, Xia Yingying had already let go of her hand and went to the kitchen door like a windmill. Xiao Lu was holding a chicken in his left hand and a knife in his right hand. He just poked his head out of the kitchen door and asked curiously, "Yingying, why are you …"
Xia Yingying pounced on her, grabbed her wrist, and shook it with all her might. "Ghost! I saw a ghost! "
"Flutter …"
Xiao Luo loosened his grip and the brocade pheasant seized the opportunity to escape. It staggered a few steps in the courtyard and its two wings regained their function. With all its might, it leaped over the low wall and escaped, leaving only two beautiful pheasant feathers floating in the air.
Xiao Lu's hand was shaken by her crazily, and the sharp kitchen knife also fell from her hand. "Clunk!" Xiao Lu was shocked and said angrily, "What the hell are you talking about! In broad daylight … "Before she could finish, Xia Yingying had already let go of her hand and darted into the room with a whoosh.
Xiao Lu and Xiaowei looked at each other blankly, and hurriedly chased after her. They saw Xia Yingying pull open a quilt, her head was under the quilt, and her butt was sticking out. Her muffled voice came from under the quilt, "I am very kind, I am a very good person, don't look for me, please, please, Amitabha, Immeasurable God …"
Xiao Lu pulled the quilt angrily, and Xia Yingying was scared and screamed again. When she saw that it was the two of them, the shock on her face faded a little. Xiao Lu and Xiaowei sat down by the kang and surrounded her in the middle. Xiao Lu said, "Yingying, what's wrong with you? How can there be a ghost in broad daylight?"
Xia Yingying said in horror, "There really is a ghost, really, I saw it with my own eyes."
Xia Yingying stammered and explained the situation she encountered. Xiao Lu and Xiaowei looked at each other and came to a conclusion at the same time, "Someone is playing tricks on Miss!" Xiao Lu tightened his belt and reached out to take the scimitar on the wall. He said angrily, "I'll go out and take a look!"
Xiaowei saw that Xia Yingying was scared out of her wits, so she quickly hugged her in her arms and stroked her hair. She comforted her in a gentle voice, "Don't be afraid, our Yingying is the bravest. A beautiful girl like our Yingying, even a ghost wouldn't have the heart to hurt you, right? Be good, touch your fur, you won't be scared … "
Xia Yingying curled up in Xiaowei's arms and trembled like a little girl who had not grown up. In this situation, it was hard for anyone to associate her with the 'Three Tigers of Shui Xi'. She looked like a cute cat, but she was indeed one of the Three Tigers — the Rouge Tiger that made Young Master Shui Xi's face turn pale.
…
Ye Xiaotian hurried back to his residence. Not long after, Hua Yunfei and Dong Tian also hurried back with Yaoyao. Hua Yunfei curiously asked him about what happened. Ye Xiaotian said with lingering fear, "Sigh! Don't mention it. Just now when I went to the forest to relieve myself, I saw a Yi girl selling pears by the side of a small bridge. I thought that Old Mao was having a fever and coughing, so I might as well buy some pears for him to moisten his throat. Who knew that while I was picking pears, a mad dog suddenly ran past me from behind. Fortunately, that dog was mad and only knew how to run straight. It was being chased by someone and didn't pay attention to me. Otherwise, if it had bitten me, the consequences would have been unimaginable. "
Yaoyao bit her little finger and said in puzzlement, "But the one chasing Brother Xiaotian was clearly a beautiful sister."
Ye Xiaotian said, "That girl was selling pears. When I saw that mad dog, I was shocked and subconsciously dodged forward, knocking her into the river. You don't know, that girl has six grandfathers, more than twenty uncles, and eighty or ninety cousins. Who could afford to offend such a family? If her family was unreasonable, it would be difficult for me to escape.
Of the thirty-six stratagems, running is the best, so I naturally slipped away. Be careful these few days. When you go out, if you see a very beautiful girl selling pears, stay away from her. We outsiders can't afford to offend this kind of family. "
Yaoyao nodded obediently, like a chick pecking rice. In the next few days, Ye Xiaotian really didn't go out anymore, but whenever he needed something, he would ask Hua Yunfei to buy it for him. At this time, the people sent to Tongren by the Punishment Department also returned, so they naturally didn't find anything.
When Xu Boyi heard the news, he went to discuss with Li Qiuchi. Ye Xiaotian had already arrived in Guiyang City, but how would they find him in such a large city? Since he was here to participate in the Imperial Examinations, he would definitely show up during the examination. It would be better to arrest him then.
With the plan set, Xu Boyi went back to study for the examinations. Li Qiuchi sent a message to Chieftain Yang Yinglong through the Bozhou Yang clan's people in Guiyang. He said that a person named Ye Xiaotian had been accused of murder and that in order to escape, he was trying to frame the Jing Zhou Yang clan. He asked Chieftain Yang to be careful.
Li Qiuchi did this because, first, he wanted to curry favor with Yang Yinglong. Second, he wanted to use Yang Yinglong's influence to put pressure on the government. As long as the Bozhou Yang clan was willing to stand up for them, the Punishment Department would definitely not look for trouble. They wouldn't even send someone to interrogate the Jing Zhou Yang clan. They would just pin the murder charge on Ye Xiaotian.
However, Yang Yinglong's interest was piqued when he heard the news. He knew that the Venerable could not manage the educational affairs while he was traveling. He wanted to set up a spy by Ye Xiaotian's side and use Yaoyao to influence Ye Xiaotian in the future. He did not expect that Ye Xiaotian would actually get involved in a lawsuit.
Yang Yinglong thought for a while and wrote a letter to the Jing Zhou Yang clan. At the same time, he personally went to Guiyang. He planned to wait and see. When Ye Xiaotian was in trouble, he would make a move to save him. In this way, wouldn't he be able to express goodwill to him?
However, he did not expect that the matter of the Punishment Department sending people to Tongren to arrest Ye Xiaotian had alarmed someone. This person was the Tongren magistrate, Zhang Duo. Zhang Ren and Ye Xiaotian were like tortoises looking at mung beans. He felt that this young man was very promising and would definitely be able to pass the imperial examinations and help him gain some face.
Well, Ye Xiaotian had not even passed the imperial examinations and had already become a murderer. The Sanli Village case was personally 'investigated' by him. Wasn't denying his results the same as cutting his face? Besides, Ye Xiaotian was an indispensable part of his' reputation project '.
Zhang Duo was very angry. He immediately wrote a letter, explaining the 'cause and effect' in detail. He sent someone to deliver it to the Tian family in Shuixi. Although the Tian family had lost their positions as the Si Zhou and Si Nan Emissaries, they still had great influence on the Tian family. The Tongren Zhang family still considered themselves as the Tian Clan's retainers. Naturally, this matter had to be handled by the Tian family.
The Tian family was now in charge of the younger generation, Tian Binfei and Tian Miaowen. One brother and sister was in charge of the external affairs, while the other was in charge of the internal affairs. They were known as the outstanding figures in the younger generation of the four big clans, second only to Yang Yinglong. Zhang Duo's letter was delivered to Tian Miaowen.
The Tian family had now lost their legitimate right to control the old lands. They were relying on the powerful influence of the Tian Clan, which had been running the two regions of Si Zhou and Si Nan for thousands of years, to exert influence on the old retainers. Naturally, they could not ignore Zhang Duo's request.
Tian Miaowen sent someone to inquire about this matter. Unexpectedly, she found out that Xu Boyi had played a role in this matter. She then sent someone to summon Xu Boyi to see her. At this time, Xu Boyi had already followed Tian Miaowen's instructions and resigned from his position as the grinder. He was preparing for the imperial examinations at home.
Hearing that Tian Daisuke was looking for him, Xu Boyi immediately dressed up carefully and went straight to the Tian mansion. Speaking of which, with the noble status of the Tian family's daughters, he did not dare to have any delusions. But when Zhan Ning 'er was obsessed with scholars and took the initiative to pursue him, it made him develop an ambition. It turns out that a noble princess's pursuit of love is also the same as an ordinary girl's!
And Tian Miaowen's experience of being betrothed three times made him feel that he had great hope. Miss Tian's three fiancés had all died mysteriously. Because of this, the dignitaries of Shuixi kept a respectful distance from her. But Xu Boyi was a Confucian disciple. He did not believe in those strange sayings. In his opinion, coincidences were coincidences because they were strange.
Xu Boyi arrived at Tian Daisuke's residence and gracefully bowed in greeting. Tian Miaowen sat behind the bead curtain and went straight to the point. "I heard that a pair of mother and daughter from the Xue family from Tongren Province have come to Guiyang to sue a person called Ye Xiaotian. Do you know about this matter?"
Xu Boyi was secretly shocked. "How did this matter alarm Tian Daisuke?"
But he did not know that this matter alarmed more than one Tian family.
