Not far from the Hou Mansion, there is an inn.
In a private room upstairs in the inn, Su Xian, Yang Zhilan, and Tang Shujing were sitting.
Oh, no.
Su Xian was sitting alone, Yang Zhilan stood beside him, and Tang Shujing stood there silently with her neck curled up and her head lowered, like a primary school student who had made a mistake and was waiting to be punished.
"You!"
Su Xian raised his hand, stretched out his index finger, and poked Tang Shujing's bright white forehead unceremoniously. Once was not enough, he poked again and again.
"Brother-in-law, stop it...it hurts!"
Tang Shujing still curled up her neck, slightly raised her head and glanced at Su Xian, her bright eyes seemed to be shining brightly. Although her lower body was as stable as a mountain, her upper body was trying to hide back.
He seemed to be trying to get rid of Su Xian's finger.
"You still know it hurts!"
Su Xian was not polite. He glared and instantly transformed into a parent. He kept poking his index finger like a chicken pecking at rice:
"What is your identity? The second young lady of the Tang family! You are also my sister-in-law, Su Xian, and an agent of the Prison Department! But look at what you have done."
"What a surprise to me. The 'number one goddess hunter in the world' actually committed a burglary... If this matter gets spread, your reputation will be ruined!"
"I don't know how sad my father-in-law and mother-in-law will be, but I know that if your sister finds out about this, she will definitely be sad for a long, long time!"
"With all the things you have done, are you worthy of your parents-in-law? Are you worthy of your sister? Are you worthy of me? Are you worthy of your reputation as 'the best goddess hunter in the world'?"
"..."
Tang Shujing hid at first.
But as Su Xian taught her, she gradually stopped hiding. She just closed her eyes tightly and tensed her body, enduring Su Xian's harsh pokes all her life.
After Su Xian finished venting, she slowly opened her eyes and asked softly:
"Brother-in-law, I know I was wrong, please don't tell my parents and sister, okay?"
Su Xian looked sideways at her, staring at her with a stern look on his face and saying nothing.
Tang Shujing slowly lowered her head, probably thinking that this request was too much.
After a long time, Su Xian just sighed and said:
"That's all. For the sake of my parents-in-law and your sister's sake, I can forget about it."
"But you are a person with lofty ideals, so you shouldn't make such a mistake."
Su Xian came closer and said with concern:
"I can help you cover it up. Apart from me and Zhilan, no other person will know what happened today. But you have to tell me honestly, what happened to you? Why did you steal things from the house?"
"Don't be afraid. If you encounter any difficulties, just tell me."
"..."
Tang Shujing was immediately happy and her eyes were red.
She felt Su Xian's care for her.
Yes, Su Xian did poke her forehead with his index finger and scolded her severely.
But what Su Xian said next made her feel very sad.
She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, breathed in her delicate and delicate nose, and then began to tell her motive for stealing...
Su Xian listened carefully and found out that Tang Shujing was still "helping others" and was still trying to play the role of "Timely Rain Tang Shujing" and never tired of it.
At the beginning, she was not well-known and not many people turned to her for help.
The rewards she received alone and the support Su Xian gave her could barely support her.
However, as the name of "Timely Rain Tang Shujing" gradually became more and more popular, more and more people came to seek refuge. Tang Shujing took the word "righteousness" at the forefront and refused all comers.
According to rough statistics, there are thousands of people who have been helped by her generous donation, as well as knights, swordsmen, etc. who have come to seek refuge in admiration!
These people in the world take their righteousness seriously and can truly "repay each other for the grace of survival."
More importantly, these people affectionately called her "Timely Rain" and followed her lead.
Tang Shujing couldn't bear such compliments. Her face was glowing all day long, as if she was sitting on the throne of "Martial Arts Leader", so she spent money even more lavishly...
The result can be imagined. How can her shy savings support it?
So...there was this scene.
Snapped!
After Su Xian heard this, he slapped himself on the forehead and said angrily:
"Emotions are the fault of my "Water Margin" story. I led a good 'capture of the best goddess in the world' astray. It turns out that I am the culprit!"
"Brother-in-law, you don't have to blame yourself. In fact, I had my brother-in-law's permission to steal those things to exchange for money," Tang Shujing said in a low voice.
"What? Did I agree?" Su Xian was speechless. As expected, no matter who he was, even the murderer, liked to make excuses for his mistakes.
Tang Shujing said hurriedly:
"Did my brother-in-law forget that the day I first moved into the Hou Mansion, I asked in the study if a thief stole these things and exchanged them for money, just to help those who were in urgent need of help, would it be considered theft? "
"But the brother-in-law said, no! The brother-in-law also said that if someone uses these personal belongings to help people who are in urgent need of help, it is equivalent to the brother-in-law doing a good deed, and the brother-in-law will not be held accountable..."
Su Xian was stunned for a moment after hearing this.
It seems that he did say such a thing.
But...in the end, Su Xian smiled bitterly and poked Tang Shujing's bright white forehead, and said with a smile:
"You are good at taking advantage of loopholes. So, those people you help are all in urgent need of help?"
"of course!"
Tang Shujing suddenly became energetic and recounted the people she had helped:
For example, a weak woman who sold her body on the street to bury her father would have been bullied by bullies long ago if she hadn't taken action, and the dead old man would not only be unable to be laid to rest, but would even be thrown into the wilderness.
For another example, a knight from Henan Province had no money and was hungry, so he had the idea of burglary. Finally, Tang Shujing showed up and not only gave the knight money and food, but also arranged for him to stay in an inn. , the knight was so grateful that he even joined Tang Shujing's "team" and has helped many people like him...
Tang Shujing kept talking for a full two-quarters of an hour with her small mouth clicking.
Su Xian listened carefully, was she really doing good things all the time?
But his expression still darkened and he hummed:
"Everyone's elbows are turned in, but it's better for you to steal your brother-in-law's treasures and exchange them for money, and then use the money to help others... As the saying goes, it's hard to guard against thieves day and night!"
"Brother-in-law."
Tang Shujing had an apologetic smile on her face and came closer and said:
"How about I give you the throne of 'Martial Arts Leader'? Anyway, the person helping them is actually my brother-in-law, so Liang and the others won't have any objections."
"Go, go, go, who cares? I am very busy, how can I have time to play house games with you?"
After Su Xian dismissed Tang Shujing, he stood up and paced back and forth in the box.
He clasped his hands behind his back, lost in thought.
Tang Shujing hurriedly cheered up.
Because she understood that Su Xian was already considering how to deal with this matter. Her "reputation", "career", and the throne of "Martial Arts Leader" were all in the hands of Su Xian alone.
"From now on, you are no longer allowed to steal things from the house in exchange for money!"
Su Xian suddenly stopped and turned back to stare at Tang Shujing, his tone unquestionable.
Tang Shujing felt a chill in her heart. Her brother-in-law was trying to cut off her path, but what could she do? He could only nod his head sadly.
As a result, she would definitely not be able to succeed as the "leader of the martial arts alliance", and the thousands of people who had finally gathered would have to be sent away.
She felt very uncomfortable and entangled in her heart. How should she tell the "helpers" about this matter? Did she say she had no money? It would be better to kill her with one sword, because it would be too embarrassing!
Tang Shujing couldn't help but feel downcast and felt so uncomfortable that she wanted to cry.
"But... there is nothing wrong with doing good deeds. Since you have this intention, my brother-in-law cannot force you." Su Xian added.
"Brother-in-law, you mean..."
Tang Shujing was immediately overjoyed.
But after just a few breaths, her fair face fell down again, and she muttered in a low voice: "How can I be a 'martial arts leader' if I don't have any money?"
Su Xian said with a smile on his face:
"Simple, I can lend it to you. You should know that I have a lot of money!"
"Really?"
Tang Shujing's bright eyes suddenly lit up, Guazi's face couldn't hide the joy, and she asked hurriedly: "Brother-in-law, how much silver can you lend me?"
Su Xian didn't answer, only stretched out a punch, and then slowly opened his palm, with five fingers representing the number "five".
"Five thousand taels?!" Tang Shujing was surprised.
"No, it's fifty thousand taels!" Su Xiandan said firmly.
"Fifty thousand...fifty thousand taels!" Tang Shujing was stunned on the spot, her bright eyes widened, and her small cherry mouth opened wide enough to stuff an egg.
The huge sum of fifty thousand taels far exceeded her expectations.
Su Xian was still relaxed and calm, and smiled when he saw this:
"What? Not enough?"
"Enough is enough."
Tang Shujing quickly came to her senses, waved her sleeves to wipe the irritation at the corner of her mouth, and then said suspiciously:
"Brother-in-law actually took out so much silver. I... I feel like I'm dreaming. Fifty thousand taels will be enough for a long time. I can help more people with this!"
Su Xian smiled and said:
"You are only allowed to help others. Is this brother-in-law a hard-hearted person?"
"If I haven't met him, that's fine. Now that I have met him and I have enough ability, why not help others? This is actually a kind of happiness."
"However, it's not easy to get my money. I have a few requirements for them. Please listen clearly."
Tang Shujing nodded like a chicken pecking at rice: "Brother-in-law, please tell me."
Su Xian said loudly:
"First, since you have received our funding, you can no longer bully the weak. If someone makes this mistake, they must be severely punished."
"Second, no matter what, you must not conflict with the imperial court. Your brother-in-law, I am the Grand Lieutenant of Daliang. If I sponsor a group of thieves, where will my face be?"
"Third, since ancient times, chivalrous people have used force to break the ban. This must be taken precautions against."
"Fourth, this matter should not be publicized. It is better to keep a low profile in everything. You can decide the specific level by yourself."
"..."
Tang Shujing naturally claimed that eating people is short of mouth and taking people is short of hands. This is probably the truth.
However, after nodding, she frowned slightly:
"But brother-in-law, fifty thousand taels of silver is not a small amount. I'm afraid my sister will stop her if she finds out!"
Su Xian raised his hand, poked her forehead hard with his index finger, and said with a smile:
"So you know that your sister is trying to stop me? You don't know that in the past few days, your sister has been telling me that there are missing vases and antiques in the house, and she is also clamoring to report to the official."
"ah!"
Tang Shujing shrank her neck, Guazi's face was full of worry.
Su Xian smiled again:
"But don't worry, I stopped you. Besides, your sister won't even know about the fifty thousand taels I gave you."
"Why?"
Tang Shujing was puzzled.
She has been living in the Hou Mansion for some time, and she has long known that Tang Shuwan is in charge of everything in the manor. Su Xian gave her 50,000 taels of silver, how could Tang Shuwan not know?
Su Xian smiled, but did not answer. He only waved to Yang Zhilan and said, "Bring me fifty thousand taels of silver."
Yang Zhilan went.
Soon he returned and said:
"The fifty thousand taels of silver will be delivered immediately."
"..."
It turned out that Su Xian had already made a lot of money just by tinkering with soap, sugar and other products and cooperating with Princess Lanling to open a workshop.
Before Tang Shuwan married into the Hou Mansion, he had made arrangements in advance, and less than half of the money earned from running the workshop did not enter the Hou Mansion's treasury.
Instead, he stored them in various places.
The main purpose of Su Xian's arrangement was to leave more escape routes.
If something goes wrong in the Hou Mansion, he can still take out the silver hidden elsewhere, so that he won't be completely exhausted...
Over time, the amount of silver stored outside the house has reached an exaggerated amount. Fifty thousand taels is just a drop of money, which should be given to Tang Shujing to play house games.
After waiting for less than a quarter of an hour, someone delivered a wooden box.
This box could be as big as a pillow and a little taller. Su Xian put it on the table casually.
Tang Shujing's eyes were shining, staring at the wooden box.
Su Xian opened the lid himself, and Tang Shujing looked around and saw that it was filled with bundles of large-denomination banknotes. They were neatly packed and brand new. It was like a full box.
"This is fifty thousand taels, here you go."
Su Xian smiled and pushed the wooden box in front of Tang Shujing.
Tang Shujing was overjoyed and hurriedly took out a large bundle of banknotes and looked around, her eyes sparkling... After reading all the banknotes, she closed the wooden box and couldn't help but say:
"Brother-in-law, I like you so much!"
"..."
When Su Xian heard this, he was startled, took out his ears, and said confusedly: "What did you just say?"
Tang Shujing immediately blushed, feeling happy, excited, and also deeply shy and embarrassed.
I can't stay in this place!
"Brother-in-law, please do your work first. I'm going right now." Tang Shujing picked up the wooden box full of banknotes, turned around and ran away, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
There was an eerie silence in the box.
Su Xian scratched his head, looked at Yang Zhilan and asked, "What did she just say?"
Yang Zhilan had no expression on her face and replied mechanically:
"She said she likes her brother-in-law so much!"
"Brother-in-law? Who is brother-in-law?" Su Xian was still in his dream.
"You are my brother-in-law!" Yang Zhilan replied ruthlessly.
"..."
After a while, Su Xian walked out of the restaurant.
Behind him was Yang Zhilan, walking slowly on the busy street.
He didn't take what happened just now to his heart. Tang Shujing probably blurted it out when she was excited. In this case, it was possible to fail to express what she meant.
Suddenly, Yang Zhilan, who was behind him, took a step forward and whispered in his ear: "Someone is following you!"
