As night falls, thousands of houses are lit up. Located on the edge of the Li River, one of the houses with three entrances is brightly lit, but there are no people inside.
"Changkong, are you sure you want to live here?" Qi Qian looked at the man who almost blended into the night and asked, "Although the environment here is quiet, it is a bit small after all."
Yu Changkong did not look back and said: "It's just a temporary residence. I don't like too many people around me to follow and serve. A small courtyard is enough."
"But……"
"Besides, I'm a blind and useless person, and it doesn't matter where I live?" Yu Changkong's voice was light and cold.
Qi Qian choked and said, "If you don't ask the master, I will definitely cure your eye disease."
Yu Changkong didn't answer, as if he didn't expect much.
"Anyway, I'm too lazy to live in the other courtyard prepared by the Yu family, so I'll stay here with you. I'll go to Qingping Temple with you tomorrow," Qi Qian said.
Yu Changkong finally turned his head, his eyelids twitched slightly, and he lowered his eyelids, "Are you sure you are here to do something?"
It means, why do you have to accompany him to the Taoist temple to seek medical treatment when you are so free?
Qi Qian's face heated up and he said: "It's just a trivial matter, not worth mentioning."
Yu Changkong stopped talking.
At that time, Qi Qian was called away by Ying Bei.
Sifang took out a cloak, put it on Yu Changkong, and said, "Sir, the wind is blowing, why not go inside?"
Yu Changkong asked: "Will the sound of bamboo outside last all night?"
Sifang followed his line of sight, and there was a faint sound of silk and bamboo, and he said: "There are two boats in front of us. It must be quite late. Is it too noisy, Master? Should I ask Uncle Qian to find another house?"
"No, it's okay if we don't leave. Otherwise, this long night will be long and I don't know how to get through it."
"Master..." Sifang felt a little sad.
Yu Changkong turned around and entered the house, saying, "Besides, I think it won't be long before I come here."
Sifang's heart pounded and he followed.
…
Qi Qian was listening to Huolang reporting back the intelligence obtained from the investigation.
"...It was a coincidence that just when we entered the city, the Qin family had a conflict with the Zhao family."
"Zhao family?" Qi Qian paused as he served the tea.
"That's Zhao Ping, a fellow acquaintance of Licheng City. He is the cousin of the third grandma of the Meng family. The Zhao family is considered a member of the Meng family. When it comes to today's matter, it is the Zhao family who is unreasonable first." Fire Wolf said with a hint of something in his tone. Very disdainful.
"How to say?"
"When we entered the city today, Mrs. Qin, who is also Qin Bohong's legitimate wife, heard that she and Mrs. Qin were going to Wuxiang Temple to worship Buddha and were returning to the city. They also queued up to enter the city as normal, and the Zhao family's carriage bumped into it. The Zhao family's carriage The people inside are not the Zhao family, but Zhao Tongzhi’s sister-in-law, Mrs. Zheng, who is here to visit Mrs. Zhao.”
"That little Zheng is arrogant and domineering. He also learned about the identities of Mrs. Qin and others from the Zhao family's servants. Even though Mrs. Qin gave in, she still refused to give in and insisted on kowtowing and admitting her mistake."
When Qi Qian heard this, a look of disgust appeared on his face, and he said: "A dog relies on human power. Zhao Tongzhi is just the cousin of Grandma Meng. He is related to the Meng family, and even his in-laws and family members have become arrogant. Meng It’s true that one person can ascend to heaven like a chicken or a dog.”
"Yes, everyone in the world has a red top and a white one. However, a sister-in-law of Zhao Tongzhi can bully people like this. If there are other officials and bigger party members, they don't know how majestic they are." Fire Wolf also sighed.
Zhao Tongzhi was an official of no more than five ranks, and his sister-in-law could rely on him to bully her. But what about other officials with higher positions?
Qi Qian clicked on the pattern on the tea cup, thinking that this was probably just the tip of the iceberg. Concubine Meng was favored, and even the Meng family became prosperous. I'm afraid the same goes for his group.
Qi Qian felt disgusted in his heart and took a sip of tea. Although he looked down on the Meng clan who used women to invite favors, he did not dare to say that the saint was fatuous.
"Where is the Qin family?"
"The Qin family has been keeping a low profile since they returned to Li City. Today was the first time they went out of the city to offer incense and worship Buddha. Unexpectedly, they ran into the Zhao family's faction, which did not get along with the Qin family. The Qin family offended the Zhao family, and another incident occurred. The old and weak women and children in the house may not be able to gain a foothold in Li City in the future." Fire Wolf replied: "In addition, the Qin family seems to want to visit Mrs. Ding, which happens to be the time when we met the Ding family at the inn before the Autumn Festival. .”
Qi Qian immediately understood that the Ding family had deliberately avoided it, otherwise the old lady Ding would have gone to the state capital to celebrate the Autumn Festival, fearing that she would be resented by the Meng family for associating with the Qin family.
When the wall falls down and people push it down, the world becomes cold and cold.
"The Qin family's property was confiscated, and now this old house is full of female relatives, old and weak. What do they do for a living?" Qi Qian asked again.
Huo Lang said: "Although the Qin family's house raids came suddenly, not everyone can avoid it. When leaving the capital, there will always be people who help a little privately, but their lives are more miserable. Fire Eagle and the others found out that the Qin family I bought some fertile land in the next county and put it in the name of the manager of the old house. In addition, the eldest aunt of the Qin family who was abandoned by the Song family also found a job in the restaurant. Most of the female relatives in the family made acupuncture needlework in exchange for money. "
Qi Qian said: "Except for the exiled men, who else is there in the Qin family now?"
"The eldest son, Qin Bohong, has two sons and one daughter. The eldest son just turned twelve and was also exiled. But this eldest daughter..." Fire Wolf paused as he spoke.
Qi Qian looked over: "What's wrong?"
Something flashed through Huolang's mind so fast that he couldn't catch it, so he shook his head and said, "This eldest daughter is a little strange. I heard that she was fostered in the old house because of poor health since she was a child. Before the Qin family came back, She lived with the servants in the old house, living in seclusion, never being brought back to Beijing, and rarely seen in public."
"Alone?" Qi Qian also felt a little weird.
Fire Wolf nodded: "Fire Eagle didn't find out anything. I just know that the Qin family has a daughter who is fostered in the old house. Her health and horoscope are not very good."
Qi Qian sneered: "Then the Qin family is too cruel. They left a little girl to live in the old house and talked about taking care of her body. Are they pushing her to die?"
"After all, it's a matter of internal affairs. Huo Ying didn't delve into it. In fact, it's not unusual. It's not like other aristocratic families don't have similar things. This girl from the Qin family seems to be a concubine. If she doesn't have a physical problem, that's She may have some flaws in her appearance, but it's a good thing she was brought here at a young age. If she were a half-grown girl, she would be even more criticized and rumored." Fire Wolf sighed with regret.
The handsome Master Buqiu touched his handsome face and took a sip. His lame eyes were a disease that needed to be cured.
Qi Qian was silent for a moment and understood what he meant. It was simply that if a half-grown girl was sent away, something bad would happen to her and her reputation would be damaged.
The worldly view is scary, and aristocratic families with strict rules pay more attention to a woman's reputation.
Qi Qian had a flash of inspiration in his mind and asked, "What is Qin Bohong's eldest daughter's maiden name?"
(End of chapter)
