"Hey, Uncle Qi, please don't leave, Uncle Cong..."
The oldest uncle in the clan, the fifth uncle, fled, and the remaining elders in the clan immediately guessed that the fifth uncle must have something in his hands. Judging from the situation, it was not a trivial matter. After weighing the situation, those who coughed and those who looked at the sky looked at the sky. After a while, they all found reasons to disperse.
Xie Zhiqiu didn't keep any of them, and his momentum was very weak.
Looking at Xie Lan'an's prepared look, Xie Zhiqiu suddenly realized that with this girl's character, she must have had some back-ups in postponing the banquet in the past few days.
That Fuling... what kind of mountain... what is the meaning of it, so that the fifth uncle's expression changes when he hears it?
Xie Laosan was wary. All the servants in front of him were obeying Xie Lanan's orders, and he had no clan leader to rely on... No, he had to find out what this kid was up to first, and he couldn't just be confused about what she was saying.
Xie Zhiqiu was able to bend and stretch, pretending to look at the sky, shaking his sleeves, and before leaving, he did not forget to warn Xie Lanan: "Don't leave the house, this matter is not over yet!"
"Uncle, please don't leave," Xie Lanan looked at the stern face with a sincere tone, "Stay for a cup of tea?"
Xie Yaochi didn't dare to laugh, but Xie Ce wanted to laugh but lowered his head to hold back.
After Xie Zhiqiu walked away, Xie Ce coughed slightly, straightened his face, and asked Wu Niang to go back to the room.
Xie Yaochi finally breathed a sigh of relief. Knowing that her eldest cousin had something to say to her sister alone, she still looked reluctant, sticking to Xie Lanan's side as if she couldn't get enough of her: "Sister..."
Xie Lan'an stood up and helped her trim her hair, and said with a smile: "Good girl, thank you for your generous support today. Go ahead and I will talk to you later. Don't be afraid of Third Uncle. If he gets angry with you, he will send Yunwen to find you." I."
Xie Yaochi nodded with bright eyes, and Niao Na went to slim down.
A sudden wind blew, and the leaves of the poplar trees on the branches in the quiet courtyard rustled. Xie Ce took a step toward the wind outlet with his hands behind his back, looked at Lan An, and suddenly said: "It seems a little shorter."
Xie Lanan was stunned and laughed: "In the past, there were wooden supports in the shoes."
With just these words, Xie Ce fell silent and couldn't keep his cold face, "Is it hard?"
Xie Lan'an's head moved slightly.
I thought he would first ask me about the inside story of my fifth uncle's hurried departure, or pursue her for disguising herself as a man.
After all, he is a gentlemanly cousin.
Xie Lanan shook his head indifferently. She was resurrected from the dead, and it was only others who had to do the hard work. She bowed her head and said, "It is a spiritual mistake to snatch my brother's eldest grandson out of the way. However, I have something to do and I cannot return the position of head of the family to my cousin for the time being. Please allow me to apologize to my uncle and brother later."
"Brother, will I argue with you?" Xie Ce laughed angrily, and then felt a little disappointed.
He always felt that after Lan An regained his identity, there was a slight sense of alienation in him.
She was once praised as the Yushu of the Xie family. She is such an easy-going and reserved person. She has inner opinions, but is approachable, neither aggressive nor harsh, just like a beautiful jade. Now in a woman's body, the harmony has been worn away, revealing the inner edges and corners.
Like thorns all over the body.
Xie Ce suppressed his complicated emotions and said sternly: "What I said in front of the clan elders just now was all true. In the past year since you took over the Xie family, you have handled the clan affairs in an orderly manner. I don't think I can do anything better than that." You're better."
He thought for a while, "But those clan elders are not easy to talk to. After you pass today's test, you will still have to endure hardships in the future. This is true within the family, and there will be no shortage of external discussions. Put the Xie Mansion above the fire, It's not a long-term solution. In the near future, you'd better stay at home quietly and don't do anything. I'll take care of the situation for you and wait until father comes back to discuss it."
"Brother said he believed in me just now."
"But you..."
"But I am a woman after all, right?" Xie Lanan looked at him with eyes that were so transparent that Xie Ce choked.
Of course Xie Lanan understood that his cousin had good intentions and he really wanted to keep her. But he was born to be a man of integrity, and it was inevitable that he would feel that it was only natural for men to solve problems when they happened.
A man can say with a high profile, "I will not compete with women," but a woman who wants to walk side by side with a man can only compete, not retreat.
As a result, they will be dubbed as ambitious or an alien in the boudoir.
An uncle just said that the Xie family treats male and female nephews equally. This may be tangible fairness, but isn't there a lot of invisible injustice hidden in the hearts of secular people who cannot withstand scrutiny?
"Brother," Xie Lanxin said calmly, "If you believe me, just wait."
Xie Ce felt that the unpredictability in Lan An had resurfaced. He didn't understand, so he pursed his lips and asked, "What are you waiting for?"
"Wait until someone asks me to come out."
·
"Let me out! Why should I be imprisoned?"
The Xiangyuan Waterside Pavilion is filled with the smell of loosened soil. All areas in the courtyard that are exposed to water have been filled in. The word "Waterside Pavilion" is no longer worthy of its name. Ruan Biluo glared at the guards in the courtyard and was intercepted for an unknown number of times.
"Unfaithful son..." The thin woman could not break out of the devastated courtyard, and finally realized that she was really under house arrest by the "son" she had raised.
For several days, the West Courtyard had no communication with the outside world. No matter how much Ruan Biluo yelled and cursed, Xie Lanan was nowhere to be seen. But every word Xie Lanan said that day was like the shadow of a poisonous snake lingering in her heart.
She murmured hoarsely: "Let him come to see me, I want to see him..."
But the guard didn't move. Minghua's eyes turned red and she wanted to persuade her to go back to the house and rest for a while.
"Am Ming," Ruan Biluo felt a hint of despair, "What on earth is he doing outside?"
·
After parting ways with Xie Ce, Xie Lanan ordered the steward to put away the account books carefully. When he returned to his courtyard, he saw Cen Shan leading his servants to line up in two rows in the corridor, waiting for her.
"Hey, you don't know me anymore. Do you want to accept a new master?"
After helping the person up, he realized that Shan Bo's eyes were red.
"When the master went there, Yin Yin took the old slave's hand and entrusted the unborn young master, no, the little lady, to the old slave. Over the years..." Cen Shan wiped his tears and said, "I blame the old slave for his old eyesight. , never took good care of the girl."
He had watched Xie Lanan grow up, how could he not know how hard she had worked hard over the years.
When I was young, I was reading for enlightenment. When I was about to fall asleep, my little master kept practicing calligraphy. When I was about to fall asleep, my little master would not sleep while holding the scroll. The rules set by the mistress were strict. In the summer, she had to wash her face with cold water to wake herself up. In the cold winter, she had to write ten large characters every day. The poor little mistress's hands were so cold that they were shaking, and she couldn't stop writing.
At that time, Cen Shan was in a lot of pain, thinking that he was a boy after all, and he would only be able to make contributions when he grew up by suffering a little in childhood.
But how could he have imagined that the head of the family was actually a girl? All the past events were coming to light, how could he not feel distressed?
Xie Lan'an gave some helpless words of comfort, walked up the steps into the house, and decided to find something for the housekeeper's uncle to do so that he would not have to think about all the other things. "Uncle Shan, please pay attention to what's going on in the capital for me these days, especially what the big families are doing, and tell them immediately." Repay me."
When Cen Shan heard the familiar command tone, he immediately cheered up and said yes.
Xie Lanan turned around the screen, put down his folding fan and reached for his belt, which was a habit of taking off his outer shirt.
When his fingers touched a soft embroidered tape, he remembered that he had changed his outfit.
She tilted her face and looked at the person in the bronze mirror for a moment, then lowered her hand and turned out of the screen, "Also, let's release the news that Xie Lan'an is recruiting staff, regardless of family background, only virtue, talent, and talent."
"This..." Cen Shan was really surprised, "I'm afraid no one will come when material disputes are brewing."
"Isn't luck and fortune all about the courage and ability to pick up leaks?" Xie Lanan's eyes were playful, as if he meant something, but he didn't explain too much. "Also, please prepare a generous gift and don't ask for gold or jade. I will visit...Teacher in a few days."
Only when he mentioned his mentor, Xie Lan'an, who was secretive about his thoughts, lost his momentum and became a little sad.
Her tutor was Xun Youjing, the Imperial Academy's Ji Jiujiu, who was known as the Wen Sect in the world.
After the incident in the previous life, more than 30 students under the Xun sect jointly requested Master Xun to remove Xie Lanan's disciples from the genealogy to show that they would not be complicit with him. The teacher couldn't bear this blow and became seriously ill and died overnight.
I have been wandering in the ghost world for a long time, my deep gratitude has been exhausted, my teacher and friend are dead and alive. I dare not forget when I am dead, and I dare not think about it when I am alive.
Xuan Bai and Yunshuang winked and winked. Xuan Bai was at a lively and active age. He couldn't hold back his words. Taking advantage of his master's trance, he jumped into the threshold and asked, "Master, can Yun Shuang and I be able to protect you closely in the future?"
"Hey——" Cen Shan couldn't help but sigh before he could stop him. He didn't even dare to enter the house while he was still taking off his shoes outside the corridor, so the boy jumped away.
Xie Lanan came back to his senses, turned a fan with his finger and hit Xuan Bai on the head. When he interrupted him, he thought of another thing: "Prepare one more Bai Ling."
Cen Shan nodded and wrote down everything in detail. Xuan Bai didn't remember to hit him, and said: "It's not common to send Master Nungling off... Master - ow!"
This time the blow on his head was merciless. The fan bone was made of jade, so it wouldn't hurt. Yunshuang hissed softly for his companion, but the corners of his mouth turned up quietly.
Fortunately, the master still treats them the same as before.
Xie Lanan pointed to the open mouth, and then told Cen Shan: "It's not for the teacher. This white silk is for the fifth uncle."
What is Fuling Tongshan?
Xie Lanan's lacquer-colored eyes were filled with coolness. Everyone said that Fuling tea in Nanchu was the most famous, but no one had ever heard that there was a copper mine there. However, she knew that her fifth uncle had been the Minister of the Ministry of Industry when he was young. At that time, the old head of the Yuan family was appointed as the governor of Fuling County, and copper and stone were found on a local mountain.
Yuan De was greedy and wanted to hide from the court and mine and smelt copper to mint coins privately. He soon thought of Xie Xinyi, who was building a palace for the late emperor in Beijing.
The two of them were friends from the boss, and Yuan Deyi promised that he didn't need to thank Xinyi for anything, as long as he helped find a cover for it, and they could share it equally after the copper coins were minted.
After Xie Wu received the secret letter, he recruited a group of local craftsmen to transport the stones under the pretext of the beautiful stones produced on Fuling Mountain. After more than half a year, the copper vein was finally dug through.
In order to prevent the news from leaking out, Yuan De had already arranged the fate of the stone diggers, but an "accidental" mine collapse easily cost more than a hundred lives.
After the batch of five-baht coins was minted, Yuan Deyi would not blatantly carry the boxes of coins to Xie Xinyi's house. He first used the private money to exchange for gold through the tea horse trade in the Northern Dynasties, and then in At Xie Xinyi’s birthday party, a tall Buddha statue was given as a congratulatory gift.
Buddha statues elsewhere are made of copper inside and gilded on the outside, but this Buddha statue is different. The surface is covered with a layer of copper, but underneath the copper skin is solid gold.
But to outsiders, the former governor just gave Xie Shangshu a bronze Buddha statue, and no one would suspect anything else.
This layout can be described as seamless, but the legal network is extensive and meticulous. A fire broke out in Xie Xinyi's house in the previous life. The fire spread to the warehouse and burned a corner of the bronze statue, revealing the golden color, which attracted the praise of the servants.
Although the fifth uncle quickly suppressed the wind, it still reached Xie Lanan's ears. With his record of invading fields, Xie Lanan was wary and sent Chu Qingyuan, who was still a confidant at the time, to investigate secretly. He followed the clues and finally found out this shocking secret.
Later, Xie Lanan thought that it was a big mistake for her to let Chu Qingyuan check the privacy of the Xie family.
At that time, after listening to Chu Qingyuan's report, she knew that casting money in private was a capital crime, not to mention that there were more than a hundred lives involved. She will not show favoritism, but she can be extremely cautious. She is worried that if she is not careful, she will bring disrepute to the entire Xie family in Chen County. Therefore, I did not dare to act rashly for a while and thought over and over about the best response.
Before she could come up with a perfect plan, Chu Qingyuan participated in the palace coup and revealed her identity.
Looking back later, Chu Qingyuan should have secretly used this matter to blackmail her fifth uncle, asking him to cooperate with him in Xie's mansion.
The Fifth Uncle also had an explanation for his extremely sharp suppression of her in his previous life. He was simply afraid that she would reveal his secrets, so he wanted to strike first.
Xie Lanan looked at the red-hot clouds in the western sky, with their shapes and shapes forming steeply. Unfortunately, some late festivals cannot be saved just because they want to.
·
None of the members of the non-primary branch of the Xie family lived in Wuyi Lane. Xie Xinyi drove back to his home in Confucius Lane. The more he recalled the "Fuling Copper Mountain" mentioned by Xie Lanan, the more frightened he became.
This old incident that happened nearly forty years ago was something that he and the ancestors of the Yuan family kept in their stomachs. Except for the two of them, all those who knew about it died in the mine collapse.
How did the news leak?
If she said that Xie Lanan was deceiving him, she had no basis for it, and she shouldn't have named Fuling accurately;
If she really knew something, she kept it secret, and the ancestor of the original family who had already stepped into the coffin with one foot was even less likely to dig his own grave for no reason.
The snow beard under Xie Xinyi's chin trembled, and his back was wet with cold sweat.
When I was young and full of energy, I never regretted anything I did. He has not touched a penny on the golden Buddha worth tens of millions of dollars, and it is still hidden in his private treasury. He plans to pass it on to his children and grandchildren.
But he knew better than anyone else that if such a private murder case came to light, even though the family enjoyed privileges, Empress Dowager Yu had been committed to suppressing the privileges of the family during her years in power. He and Yuan De would not be able to escape death.
But does Xie Lanan dare to gamble with the future of the entire Xie family?
I was sitting in a daze when I suddenly heard the steward say outside the door: "Old ancestor, the master of this family... No, it was the girl who sent someone to deliver something."
The fifth uncle's eyelids twitched, and he intuitively felt that Xie Lan'an's gift of something at this time was not a good thing.
He opened his mouth and called out, and the steward walked into the study holding a flat lacquered wooden box. When the lid was opened, there was a white Mingguang damask inside the box, and there was a letter on the damask.
Xie Xinyi looked confused.
He picked up the stack of paper that was not sealed in the envelope, shook it with his hands, and opened it, only to find that the paper was longer than he expected. It was a five-fold letter with names densely packed on it.
Xie Xinyi didn’t know any of them.
The old man was confused, and the next moment his whole scalp was numb. He threw away the paper in his hand and sat down next to the case, as if a ghost came to claim his life.
The number of these names is exactly the same as the number of people who died on Fuling Mountain that year!
"Ancestor, what's wrong with you?" The steward helped him in panic.
Xie Xinyi looked at the dazzling white silk again, and a white light flashed through his skull, and he realized what the white silk was used for.
"Is she crazy? How dare she..."
She is her grandfather's biological brother and a well-known elder of the Xie family. How dare she let him die!
She is not yet twenty years old, and she is not even a man. How dare she give him a piece of white silk in the way a monarch gives his ministers? !
What made Xie Xinyi's hair stand on end the most was that he couldn't even name the names written in black and white on the white paper, those humble people who were humble in life and unknown after death. Who could dig these names out of the ground one by one except the ghost book of the underworld? ?
The old man felt a cold wind in the room, and sat on the ground shivering.
The steward looked frightened and was about to call the doctor, but Xie Xinyi drove him away and ordered that no one should enter the room.
Xie Xinyi sat in the study all night.
At dawn the next day, when the first ray of morning light hit the window lattice, the fifth uncle of the Xie family, who had not dared to close his eyes all night, finally convinced himself over and over in his heart: maybe the names on that piece of paper were all those of Xie Lanan. She was just making it up to intimidate him, erase her own sins, and secure her position.
Yes, exactly. She's just a pretentious girl, she can't be so powerful!
How could he show cowardice for someone who had eaten too much salt and rice for decades? So he went to the original family to talk to the original head of the family and discuss countermeasures.
Xie Xinyi struggled to get up with his stick, and then went out. The steward hurriedly came to meet him: "Old ancestor, the master of the Yuan family led his Liulang to kneel outside the Xie Mansion in Wuyi Lane early in the morning!"
Xie Xinyi's mind buzzed.
Suddenly he remembered that the Hara Rokuro who was injured by Xie Hanling at the Spring Banquet was the grandson of Hara Deichi.
