When Xiao Feng returned to Xiao Mansion, everyone in the mansion was very surprised, but after the short-term happiness, they all lowered their heads. Especially the women, all of them were in tears and felt extremely wronged.
Wang Yingxiang returned home. The servant Zhang Liusan from Yangliu Lane died, and a servant from Xiao Mansion also died. The house seemed to have suddenly lost a lot of people and a lot of excitement.
Xiao Feng reached out and took Qiaoqiao, who was wiping tears with his head down, into his arms. His face was so calm that it was scary.
"Don't be afraid, I will definitely find those who dare to attack Xiao Mansion. Let Miss Liu come back to cook, let's hold a family banquet, and invite Wang Tuiguan's family too!"
Seeing how calm Xiao Feng was, everyone cheered up a little. The carriage driven by An Qingyue and Zhang Wuxin carried many gifts, which were bought from places Xiao Feng had passed along the way.
He had a lot of cars with him. After distributing the story books on the road, the empty cars were used to hold gifts and confuse the enemy. therefore
Not only every relative and friend has one, but all servants including Qi An and Lan Niang also have a share.
But there were two gifts that no one could receive, and they fell under the poison of the enemy. Before they even got married, the two gifts were placed in front of their graves as sacrifices.
Xiao Feng found a gift alone from the car and gave it to Qiaoqiao: "Take it to eat with your mother. These are Yuan water chestnuts and bad eggs that I bought when passing by Jiaxing. I couldn't hold the rice dumplings, so I didn't buy them."
Qiaoqiao was successfully attracted to her attention. She wiped her tears and raised her head: "Yuan water chestnut and bad egg? Is it delicious? I don't think I've ever eaten it before!"
Xiao Feng smiled: "I ate some, and I feel okay. You must have eaten it, but you were too young to remember it at that time. Your mother must have loved it."
Qiao Niang and Lan Niang went into the kitchen in advance to make preparations so that Liu Ruyun could start cooking when she got home. Qiaoqiao ran into the kitchen with a big package in her arms and showed off what Xiao Feng had given her alone.
Qiao Niang peeled off a water chestnut. Because it had been stored for a long time, the water chestnut was not as tender as when it was fresh, but the sweet smell lingered between her lips and teeth, instantly taking her back to the water town of Jiangnan.
Qiaoqiao raised her head and saw her mother's eye circles turning red, and then her face turned red as well. She couldn't help being surprised, was this water chestnut so delicious?
Qiao Niang wiped the corners of her eyes and said to Qiao Qiao with a smile: "Go get some cool well water and soak the water chestnuts. They will taste better. The bad eggs are also delicious, but northerners may not like them."
Qiaoqiao shook her head: "The master said he had eaten it and said it was okay!"
Qiao Niang thought about the way Xiao Feng frowned while eating the sweet and salty bad eggs, and couldn't help but smile.
"Go ahead and peel water chestnuts for you to eat tonight."
Everyone went to distribute the gifts. Xiao Feng walked into the central hall and sat on a chair, closing his eyes and thinking about the whole incident and how to deal with it in court tomorrow.
After an unknown amount of time, the thoughts in his mind gradually became clearer, and then he opened his eyes, and then he was startled.
Liu Xueer knelt in front of him, her head lowered, her face covered with tears. She didn't know how long she had been kneeling or crying.
Xiao Feng jumped up, picked up Liu Xueer and put her on the chair: "What are you doing?"
Liu Xueer raised her face, originally thinking that she could speak normally, but as soon as she opened her mouth, she started sobbing again and couldn't speak clearly.
"I...I'm not worthy to be...the wife of the Xiao Mansion. If something...happens...to my family, such a big...big thing happens, I...can't...do anything..."
Xiao Feng looked at Liu Xueer distressedly. This was a sixteen-year-old girl, and she was an official lady who had been raised in the house since she was a child. What could she do in this situation?
Not every woman is as awesome as Qi Jiguang's wife. Not only can she fight Qi Jiguang, but she can also fight Japanese pirates, but that's only when she is around thirty years old.
"Xue'er, you don't have to blame yourself so much. You didn't do anything wrong. They came after me. It was my poor planning and someone took advantage of them. It's my fault."
In fact, Liu Xueer was just sad at first and didn't have much grievance. Now when she heard Xiao Feng's words, she felt aggrieved immediately. She hugged Xiao Feng's waist and started to cry.
"I... also want to save Yingxiang... but my parents... won't let me go..."
Xiao Feng stroked her back and said softly: "I know, I know everything. Lu Yi is right. If the second master is sober, he will definitely be willing to give it a try. Don't worry, I'm here for you."
After finally comforting Liu Xueer, Xiao Feng persuaded her to wash her face to avoid having red and swollen eyes and being laughed at when going out to eat. In fact, Xiao Feng was overly worried. In the past two days, many people's eyes were red and swollen. Don't laugh at anyone.
Wang Tuiguan came alone. He said that Wang Yingxiang refused to come, so his wife naturally stayed at home with her. When he said this, Wang Tuiguan looked at Xiao Feng with a guilty conscience, worried that Xiao Feng would deliver the goods.
But Xiao Feng just nodded and suddenly asked something irrelevant: "How is Zhan Feiyun doing in prison? Are visits allowed? Have you ever visited him?"
Wang Tuiguan said quickly: "I have been there. Mr. Lu and Shen Baihu are very caring about him. Everything is fine with Zhan Feiyun. Our whole family has gone to see him."
Xiao Feng seemed to be very obsessed with this boring topic: "How many times have you gone to see it? Who suggested it each time?"
Wang Tuiguan was stunned for a moment, and then realized that Xiao Feng might want to see if his family was someone who would repay his kindness. As a person in power, he was very sensitive and concerned about this kind of thing.
So Wang Tuiguan told the truth: "I've been there four times. The first time was when Xiaguan took his whole family there, and the next three times it was my daughter who made a fuss about going. Alas, Xiaguan is ashamed and busy with work, so he can't repay his gratitude as much as his daughter. .”
Xiao Feng smiled and pulled him to the table. At this time, Zhang Tianci arrived in a hurry. He was exhausted from running around helping people these past few days.
But when he saw Xiao Feng, Zhang Tianci immediately beamed. He was very out of place among a group of people with red eyes from crying, and Zhang Yunqing gave him a fierce look.
"Brother, the rope I bought from the Luzon Merchant Ship last time seems to be genuine! That ship runner didn't dare to lie to us!
Good guy, one hundred taels of silver, if he dares to lie to me, I will hire pirates to kill him! "
Xiao Feng's eyes lit up: "How do you know it's not a fake? It shouldn't have grown roots so quickly."
Zhang Tianci took out two leaves from his arms as if they were offering treasures: "The leaves have grown, brother, they are exactly the same as the leaves you drew for me!"
Xiao Feng picked up the green leaf. It was obviously just broken off by Zhang Tianci. It was very tender and not yet dehydrated. The other leaf was older and slightly tinged with lavender.
Xiao Feng held these two leaves as if they were treasures, and smiled from the bottom of his heart for the first time since returning to Beijing.
"Yes, that's it. Tianci, you have helped me a lot! Whether it's changing rice into mulberry or negotiating with Miao border, this thing is my confidence!"
Zhang Tianci opened his mouth, looked at his daughter's eyes, adjusted his proud laughter to vibration mode, turned around and sat next to Lao Wang.
Yan Niang is also here. Her status has now been promoted to You Sile of the Jiaofang Division. She is an upright ninth-grade official. Although she is still in charge of Chunyan Tower, she is no longer the mother.
Naturally, the imperial newspaper would not publish such trivial matters as Yan Niang's promotion. After all, the ninth rank official was too young, so there was nothing that could be done if the imperial newspaper even published this.
So when Xiao Feng saw Yan Niang wearing You Si Le's official uniform, he was startled and looked sideways for a long time, making Yan Niang's face turn red.
"I... don't I feel awkward in what I'm wearing? I think it's quite awkward myself, but Eunuch Chun said that since I'm here for a banquet, I should dress more formally. I just took off my official uniform the day before yesterday, and I'm wearing it for the first time. Woolen cloth."
Xiao Feng smiled, Xiao Chunzi's small-mindedness was not in vain. It is of course no problem for him to cultivate his own power and promote people with good connections, but he just happened to promote Xiao Feng when he came back, and his intention to show goodwill couldn't be more obvious.
"If you become an official, Chunyanlou's mother can't become an official. Who will become an official?"
Yan Niang glanced at Zhang Tianci: "Shui'er has been fooled. Hua'er followed Mr. Hu out of the four red cards of the year, Yun'er was driven away by you, and Huo'er's fiery temper definitely can't be taken, so he can only It's Shui'er who took advantage of it."
Zhang Tianci's wife was following her daughter to the backyard. She paused and snorted when she heard these words. Zhang Tianci, like a frightened bird, picked up the pot and poured wine for Wang Tuiguan.
"Come on, Lao Wang, let's have a drink!"
Wang Tuiguan was speechless: "Old Zhang, the food and wine haven't been served yet, here's the teapot."
"Huh? Really, it's nothing, just tea instead of wine, tea instead of wine!"
Because it was still early, Liu Tong's family members hadn't come over yet. This was Liu Tong's opinion. He wanted to go later, just in time for dinner.
After all, she is the father-in-law and the mother-in-law. Although she is not old, she is too senior. If she goes early, others will feel uncomfortable and she will appear to have no status. It makes it seem like everyone in the Liu family is just a loser, and they will jump up and down when they hear the banquet. Came running.
The housekeeper deeply agreed and expressed admiration for the master's magnanimity: "Master, as you and your wife are now, it is really not suitable for you and your wife to go there early. How about I take the young master there first."
Liu Tong glared: "Idiot, what's the point of taking him there? Just keep an eye on the door. We'll go there again when Liu Ruyun comes back!"
If she doesn't come back, there will be no one to cook, and there will be no food. In the past, I just drank tea and cracked melon seeds. What's the point? "
Everyone was indeed drinking tea and eating melon seeds at this time. Of course, this kind of action was always accompanied by small talk, and the most talked about topic was Yan Shifan's broken leg.
Because everyone was in a bad mood, they talked most enthusiastically about this matter. It seemed that if we talked more about Yan's misfortune, Xiao's misfortune would become less unlucky.
Zhang Tianci cracked a handful of melon seeds and asked, "Old Wang, has Yan Mansion reported the case to Shuntian Mansion for such a big matter?"
Wang Tuiguan glanced at him: "Old Zhang, you don't understand this. With a status like Yan's, only small matters will be handled by Shuntian's house. Who will turn to Shuntian's house for big things?"
Let’s just talk about our Xiao Mansion. With such a big incident happening, does anyone think of going to Shuntian Mansion to report to the official? Everyone knows what Shuntian Mansion can do, not to mention that our Guo Fuyin is sick..."
Zhang Wuxin's focus was more professional: "I heard that Yan Shifan's legs were severed in two. Not everyone can do this.
First of all, the knife must be good, and secondly, the knife must be used quickly and with sufficient strength. Brother Yu and I can do this skill, but Qingmei may not be able to do it. "
An Qingyue was very unconvinced, but she had not yet swallowed the melon seeds in her mouth, so it was difficult to distinguish them. However, Yan Niang next to her answered the question for her.
"I heard that Yan Shifan's legs were all broken, just like cutting tofu with a knife. There was no hair at all. Zhang Shaoxia, is this more difficult?"
Zhang Wuxin was shocked: "This is more than difficult! You must know that swords are thick and uneven. When chopping, the force on the bones and flesh will naturally be uneven.
If it's like cutting through tofu with a knife, then it must be that the spirit of the sword precedes the sword! I can't achieve this level of cultivation, and I don't know if Brother Yu can do it! "
Xiao Feng, who had been drinking tea in silence, suddenly said: "Yan Niang, who did you listen to? How did that person know the condition of Yan Shifan's wounds?"
When Yan Niang saw Xiao Feng asking a question, although she didn't know why, she quickly put down the melon seeds in her hand and answered politely. 33
"He was an imperial doctor named Bao. He was famous for treating external injuries in the palace. Many palace maids and eunuchs received severe beatings and secretly paid for his treatment.
Dr. Jing brought Dr. Bao to Chunyan Tower to spend the night. Dr. Bao drank a few more drinks and boasted to the girls about his wonderful rejuvenation skills that saved Yan Shifan's life. He talked in detail about the wounds and medication. "
Xiao Feng pondered: "Doctor Bao said that Yan Shifan's legs are as straight as tofu cut with a knife?"
Yan Niang nodded strangely: "That's what the imperial doctor said."
Xiao Feng looked at Wang Tuiguan: "Yan Mansion, a maid and a guard died?"
Wang Tuiguan also nodded: "Although I haven't reported the case to Shuntian Mansion, there are many rumors on the street. Although the maid is not sure, it is true that Yan Zhan has never been seen again."
Xiao Feng stood up and smiled at Liu Xue'er, who was helping with the preparations: "It's still early, Zhang Wuxin and I went to see Zeng Zaoban and we'll be back soon when dinner is served."
Zeng Zaoban was recuperating at home. His feet were severely sprained. It was only in the past two days that he finally dared to walk. He was startled when he saw Xiao Feng suddenly come to the door with a box of gifts.
"Oh, sir, when did you come back? How dare you bother me to come to your door? I've had an injury on my leg these past two days, which has delayed a lot of things in the temple..."
Xiao Feng bowed his hands and asked with a smile: "If the little bow you made with black gold silk has been touched, can you tell?"
Zeng Zaoban was stunned for a moment. He didn't know why Xiao Feng asked this topic. He nodded affirmatively.
"My little bow is packed in a Luban box. Ordinary people can't open it at all. Even if a master can take it away and crack it, I still keep it.
I connected the box to the cabinet with a piece of hair. If you don’t know, the hair broke when I took the box out of the cabinet.
I was afraid that those kids were secretly messing around, so I did this on purpose. Once I found that my hair was broken, so I scolded them. These kids still don’t understand how I knew they had taken the box! "
Xiao Feng nodded and was about to leave when he suddenly saw a child's cloth coat on the kang. Zeng Zaoban also noticed Xiao Feng's gaze, smiled awkwardly, reached out to grab the gown, and stuffed it back into the bundle on the bed.
"As I get older, I feel nostalgic more and more. This belongs to my former apprentice. I had a dream two days ago, and for some reason I wanted to take it out and look at it. Alas, as people get older, they lose their potential."
Xiao Feng was silent for a long time, patted Zeng Zaoban's shoulder, turned and left. Zeng Zaoban suddenly felt that Mr. Xiao's footsteps were much heavier than usual.
Xiao Feng jumped on his horse and whipped him directly. Zhang Wuxin, who was waiting at the door, didn't know what was going on. He could only keep up with Xiao Feng's speed and waved his whip. The two horses rushed out of the city gate like a race and went straight to the World View.
When Xiao Feng returned to the door of Xiao Mansion, Xiao Mansion was already a bustling scene. People seemed to have diluted the sadness of the past two days and gained confidence and hope because of Xiao Feng's return.
Liu Tong also came over, sitting at the front seat with his wife, chatting and laughing, staring at the dishes being passed around, looking at the door from time to time, wondering why Xiao Feng hadn't come back yet, which made it impossible for everyone to start eating.
Liu Xueer also took off her identity as Mrs. Xiao and sat next to her mother, her head on her mother's shoulder. She didn't know what she was talking about and her face turned red.
As usual, Qiaoqiao and Liu Peng were not at the table. They were probably eating in the kitchen. In theory, everyone ate the leftovers of these two guys.
This is home. No matter how much pain or darkness there is outside, as long as you step into the door, everything will be blocked out and disappear.
But some people can never go home again. Xiao Feng suddenly felt so angry at himself that he wanted to find someone to beat him up severely.
Didn't you already guess that he was in Yan Shifan's house? Haven't you already guessed what Yan Shifan was asking him to do? What have you done?
Were you frightened by the failure of that house search? Or do you think that the fate of a lowly person is nothing compared to the big things you are doing?
You feel that you have become calmer and calmer, you feel that you have become smarter and wittier, but your enthusiasm for going to Yan's Mansion for a female corpse has gradually cooled down.
You deceive yourself that you are waiting for a better opportunity, you deceive yourself that you are planning and acting, but you have forgotten that the time to save others is completely different from the time to wait to be rescued.
One day in heaven and one year in hell. Every day the rescuer waits is like a whole year for the person waiting to be rescued in hell, especially for a person who does not know that anyone will come to rescue and has no hope at all.
He had endured it for so many years, why did he suddenly take action? Was he finally desperate and couldn't bear it any longer?
Someone behind him called "Master". Xiao Feng turned his head blankly and saw King Yu and King Jing, each with a guard and carrying a gift box. They were jockeying for position to salute him. They were quietly kicking each other under their feet, trying to stand still. Move closer.
Xiao Feng's eyes slid past King Yu and landed on King Jing's face. King Jing was overjoyed. Xiao Feng usually treated everyone equally, but today's eyes were obviously more focused on himself!
He excitedly took another step forward: "Master, you are back!"
Xiao Feng asked calmly: "What does Yan Shifan do with the bow Zeng made?"
King Jing's excitement immediately dissipated. He looked at Xiao Feng in panic, muttering something unknown, and quietly stepped back, but was blocked by King Yu who had just squeezed behind.
Xiao Feng shouted angrily: "Say!"
This sound was like a bolt from the blue. He had always treated King Yu and King Jing like big brothers, and he had never been so angry before. King Jing shrank his entire body and spoke involuntarily.
"I don't know. He only asked me to take it for him for a few days, as if he wanted to use it for something..."
With a "pop", King Jing was beaten around in a circle, his face suddenly swollen, and he stared at Xiao Feng dumbfounded, thinking that he was dreaming.
The bustling Xiao Mansion, the main street that seemed peaceful but was actually full of hidden objects, Prince Yu, the guards, everyone suddenly felt as if they were frozen in deathly silence.
Some people died, but not completely...
