"Master Fang, are you testing me?" Fang Ziqin raised her eyebrows, the corners of her lips slightly raised, but there was no smile in her eyes.
Fang Zilan felt a chill go down her spine, and she sighed softly and said, "The Queen is unwilling to tell me clearly, so why not let me guess?"
Fang Ziqin didn't speak, so she continued, "When the Queen asked me about Pei Xiaoze, she called me by his first name without adding the word "person", which shows that the Queen did not care about his official position. However, what the Queen said was different. They are all analyzing his way of becoming an official..."
She paused for a moment as she spoke, and then said while thinking: "I think the Queen came from a famous family, and she knows better than anyone else how important family background is to people in the officialdom, so she used her official position to make insinuations, but she just wanted to ask me Is Pei Xiaoze just gaining power in the Pei family? I wonder if my guess is right?"
"Yes, that's not right." Fang Ziqin's expression became a little more serious, "Pei Xiaoze is not powerful in the Pei family, and no one in the capital knows about it. If not, Lord Fang, why do people from the Pei family perform in New Year's social dramas for several years in a row? , is it all him?"
"Since the Queen knows..." Fang Zilan paused, her eyes became sharper, "Why bother with me?"
She saluted respectfully and said: "My little girl A-Lan and my little sister A-Wan have met General Mo and his wife. I wonder why the two elders invited my sisters to come here to ask questions?"
Mrs. Hu's face relaxed a little, and she asked tentatively: "You said your name is A Lan?"
Fang Zilan felt helpless. Mo Han called her Sister Lan, but his mother only noticed her name now.
But her face remained calm, she nodded slightly and said, "The little girl's name only has the character LAN."
"But it's the orchid of orchid grass?" Mrs. Hu asked, and she said quietly: "No, it's the orchid of Yanlan Yunxiu."
"Yanlan Yunxiu's Lan..." Mrs. Hu repeated her words blankly, and Mo Bin coughed slightly and got straight to the point, "I heard from Han'er that you recognized him with the jade pendant as a token. Where is the jade pendant now?" Where?"
"It's in my hands." Fang Zilan took out the jade pendant, held it with both hands and placed it on the table next to Mo Bin's seat, "Please take a look at it, General Mo and Madam."
Mo Bin and Mrs. Hu couldn't take their eyes away from the appearance of the jade pendant. Their expressions changed imperceptibly as they looked at the jade pendant, and there was a trace of uncontrollable excitement hidden in their eyes.
He and Mrs. Hu carefully turned the jade pendant over and over and looked at it carefully. After a long time, they put the jade pendant back on the table again, with a gentle and respectful attitude, as if they were treating a peerless treasure.
"Master Fang, why do you think Pei Xiaoze ended up in this situation?" Fang Ziqin asked bluntly, and Fang Zilan considered each word: "Are you being ostracized?"
"Not entirely." Fang Ziqin shook his head slowly, "Master Fang has worked with him, so he should know something about him. His ability is good, but his personality is a little worse."
Hearing this, Fang Zilan frowned slightly, "His personality is a bit gentle, but it's not bad."
"Qianchong Zimu's meek temperament is nothing more than his meek temperament." Fang Ziqin's eyes seemed to flash with disdain, "It's the submissive character who just muddle along and get along is the worst."
Fang Zilan asked in confusion: "What does the Queen mean by this?"
Fang Ziqin snorted coldly and suddenly changed her voice, "Master Fang, does he know why he hasn't gotten married yet?"
"I don't know." Fang Zilan shook her head honestly, "If the Queen hadn't informed me, I wouldn't have even known that he was not married yet."
"You?" A trace of surprise flashed across Fang Ziqin's face, and then he disciplined: "Next time, remember to be more cautious. Everyone around you has checked it out. It's not too late to interact with each other until you know the truth."
"Oh." Fang Zilan responded blankly, and listened to Fang Ziqin continue, "Years ago, he fell in love with the same girl as a young man from another Gongqing's family, the Su family. But they The two of them had a relationship, so he reluctantly gave up his love for the beauty of adulthood. Later, he fell in love with a maid of his own family, but the Pei family would never allow a maid to be his wife, so the maid is still hiding in his room without a name or status. In this way, even if the Pei family is powerful, not many famous families in the capital are willing to marry their girls to him."
Seeing that Fang Zilan had no reaction, Fang Ziqin suddenly asked: "If you were him, how would you treat him?"
"Me?" Fang Zilan said thoughtfully: "If you really like that maid, then leave the Pei family to find a way to survive. If you want to be more than ten thousand people, then give up that maid and marry her. But no matter which way, It’s not something that can be done easily.”
Fang Ziqin said with conviction: "If you are a man, I believe that no matter which one you choose, you will be able to do it. But Pei Xiaoze can't do any one of them, so he can only get by today. "
Fang Zilan pursed her lips and couldn't help but ask: "The Queen has said so much to me, what do you want to say?"
"Just now Zitong and I were in the imperial garden, and we happened to bump into Pei Xiaoze who was entering the palace to meet His Majesty." Fang Ziqin sighed, "I saw Zitong acting like a little girl, so I was afraid that she was attracted to him."
Fang Zilan's heart skipped a beat and she murmured: "With Miss Fang's temperament, she is used to being arbitrary and arbitrary. I'm afraid..."
"Who says it's not the case?" Fang Ziqin took a deep look at Fang Zilan, "Back then, my father obstructed the marriage between Zitong and Liren in every possible way, but he never thought that she would go behind his father's back and invite the elders of the Fang family to testify, saying right and wrong. People don’t marry. She even broke into the family ancestral hall secretly in an attempt to steal the family tree..."
She suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Fang Zilan looked confused and couldn't help but ask: "Master Fang Liren and Miss Fang Er are both members of the Fang clan, and their names should be on the family tree. Why did Miss Fang break into the ancestral hall privately? Stealing genealogy?"
Hearing her question, Fang Ziqin calmed down and seemed relieved, "According to the laws of the capital, intermarriage is not allowed within three generations of the same clan."
"Ms. Fang Er, do you want to cross out her name from the family tree?" Fang Zilan frowned. She did not expect that Fang Zitong would be so bold as to do this for the sake of her sweetheart.
Fang Ziqin did not comment, but said in a low voice: "Later, the matter became more and more serious. It was difficult to control the situation, so my father had no choice but to agree."
As she spoke, the expression on her face gradually dimmed, "Now, even though Pei Xiaoze is not a good man, if Zi Tong really falls in love with him, no one can stop her."
Fang Zilan stretched out her hand to try to comfort her, but she lowered her hand halfway and whispered: "Queen, please be at ease. Lord Fang has always loved Miss Fang and will never let her be wronged."
"Wronged?" Fang Ziqin glanced sideways at her, and her tone was more plain and sarcastic, "Don't you know Mr. Fang best? The grievances in the eyes of others may not be felt by the person involved. I always think that weak determination can outweigh the gossip, It’s never just anyone.”
