Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Fang Ying is not worried about her father's involvement in the investigation...

Fang Ying went home and told Li about this.

"Concubine Zhang's actions are truly unwise. Her family members are constantly causing trouble, and even I've heard about it. She doesn't discipline them, and instead tries to find fault with them..." Li shook her head. "When eunuchs steal palace property, their master can't be blamed. But when her nephews abuse their power and abduct women, Concubine Zhang cannot escape the blame for her indulging them."

"Mother is right," Fang Ying agreed. "From this perspective, although Concubine Xu Hui doesn't have many relatives and support, she also saves herself a lot of trouble."

Li nodded. "Concubine Hui has only one cousin. I've heard he's just like Concubine Hui, a humble and well-behaved man. His nephews and nieces don't mess around."

Fang Ying heard the voice, which was different from what Li had mentioned before. It seemed as if she had recently inquired about Concubine Xu Hui's family. So she asked tentatively, "Has our family ever had any dealings with the Xu family?"

"No, we have no business dealings with them. Your father heard about it the last time he came back."

Over the past two years, Li had often discussed matters with Fang Ying casually. She had gotten used to it, and continued, "A few of the founding heroes, who are known for their concern, have been urging the emperor to appoint a crown prince before personally leading the expedition against Northern Zhao, and then retain him as regent. They've even urged your father to make the same suggestion."

Fang Ying suddenly remembered what Zhou Congshan had said during the family banquet, so she asked, "But what about Han Jixun, Li Hansheng, and the others?"

Mrs. Li was surprised: "Why? Miss Zhou also heard about it?"

Fang Ying smiled and said, "She only heard that these people had caused dissatisfaction among the emperor, and that Uncle Zhou had avoided seeing them. She didn't know why. It turned out to be related to the succession. No wonder."

"They're still looking for Uncle Zhou?" Li frowned. "They really don't know how to behave."

Fang Ying was curious: "Which prince do they advocate for?"

"I'm not advocating for any particular one, I'm just advising the emperor to appoint a successor as soon as possible."

"Then why did you mention Concubine Xu Hui's family..."

Li smiled and said, "Although they haven't expressed their opinions, they already have them in mind. They are only waiting for the emperor to give in before they will make them known. Some who want to win over your father have told him the strengths and weaknesses of each prince."

It turns out that the court is so scheming. Fang Ying found it very interesting.

"I'll ask your second uncle to keep an eye on this tomorrow. The government attaches great importance to the people's livelihood, and the King of Chu is extremely disgusted with playboys. I'm sure he won't let this case go easily."

Fang Ying was happy to see Zhang get into trouble, so she waited to watch the fun.

Unexpectedly, after his day off, on the 21st, Ji Yanshou returned from office and said that the King of Chu had ordered the case to be returned to Kaifeng Prefecture. "His Royal Highness the King of Chu said that although the suspect Zhang Xiong is the son of an official, he holds no official position. Therefore, the Kaifeng Prefecture should investigate the case and conduct an impartial trial."

After hearing this, Fang Ying couldn't help but ask, "Who's presiding over the trial? Prefect Xue?"

According to the old rules, the prefect of Kaifeng was the crown prince or a prince. However, since the death of the previous crown prince, the government did not appoint a successor, and the post of prefect remained vacant. Only recently, Xue Mingzhong, a Hanlin scholar and Zhongshu Sheren, was appointed as the acting prefect of Kaifeng.

"Yes." Ji Yanshou nodded. He guessed what his sister-in-law was concerned about, and then said, "I think my in-laws will inevitably be involved in this case."

Fang Ying was not worried about her father's involvement in the investigation and trial of the case - her father had always been quite capable in public affairs and did not need anyone to worry about him - what she was worried about was that the Zhang family would find her uncle, and then her uncle, who was stupid and evil, would come back to cheat the Fang family.

As long as this uncle was involved, Fang Ying could not feel at ease. She went back to her room and wanted to send someone to tell her father a message, but she felt that it was not easy to tell him, so she had to go back and tell him herself. So she waited until after dinner to tell Li.

"My uncle once boasted about his friendship with the young master of the Zhang family. Although I don't know whether it's true or not, I feel uneasy and want to go back and remind my father."

"Go ahead," Li agreed readily. "As a relative, I certainly wouldn't bend the law for your uncle's sake, but it's right to remind him. This case involves a dispute within the inner palace. If I explain this to him, he'll have something to think about."

"yes."

Fang Ying said goodbye here, but she didn't rush back the next day - her father would not be home until the afternoon, and now with the Zhang family case, he might be home even later. If she went back too early, she would have to deal with her stepmother. She was too lazy to say more to her stepmother, so she prepared to take a nap and then drive back.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Congshan sent someone over early in the morning, saying that the last deal of lending someone to her had been finalized, and asked Fang Ying to go to Zhou's house when she was free to meet that sister.

"This saves me from going out again." Fang Ying smiled and asked someone to go back and report that she would go later.

After the Zhou family left, she went to say hello to Li first, asked someone to prepare the car, went back to her room to change clothes, asked Lichun to pack a bag of copper coins, and then went out to Zhou's house first.

Zhou Congshan welcomed Fang Ying in and explained, "Last time, I didn't know her wishes, so I didn't tell you in detail. Now that she has agreed, I thought I should tell you about her first."

"Okay, even if you didn't tell me, I still want to ask you. What's this sister's name? What's her personality like? Does she prefer quietness, or does she have no problem with some noise? Does she need to live in a separate room? And what about her diet..."

Zhou Congshan held his friend's hand and said with a smile, "Don't be impatient, listen to me slowly. My sister's name is Chu Yin. My grandmother's family was originally from Chu. When Sister Chu Yin was sold to our house, she still had a Chu accent. My grandmother thought it sounded familiar, so she gave her this name. She was sold here alone. She said that her parents were gone, and she was sold by her uncles."

The two of them sat down hand in hand while talking. Zhou Congshan continued, "Sister Chu Yin actually has a very good temperament. She usually takes good care of the little girls and doesn't mind the noise of children. If she was a quiet person who couldn't stand noise, I wouldn't have proposed this."

"That really is the best of both worlds."

Zhou Congshan nodded. "Yes, she was bored staying in our house all day without any relatives. So when I asked her, Sister Chu Yin agreed without hesitation. As for where to live, I told her that your parents' house is crowded now and might not be as convenient as ours. She said it was fine, as long as there was room in your sister's room, she could live with her."

"This is too unfair to Sister Chu Yin. I'm going back soon and I'll watch them clean up a room for her..."

"Alright," Zhou Congshan interrupted her. "Last time, I said there were even clutter in your sister's room. If you could clean up a room, why would it be like this? It'll only take a few months. If you can clear out the clutter in your sister's room, it would be a good idea to let Sister Chu Yin live with her. It would also be a good opportunity for Sister Chu Yin to teach her some daily etiquette."

"I'm mainly worried that Sister won't get enough rest. Oh, and you haven't told me how old Sister Chu Yin is yet?"

Zhou Congshan was not very clear about this either, so he turned around to look at the maid, who replied, "Sister Chu Yin has passed the twenty-ninth day of the lunar year."

In other words, she is now 28 years old. Fortunately, she is not too old and has enough physical strength to keep up. Fang Ying nodded and said, "Please invite my sister to meet me."

Zhou Congshan laughed and said, "You're so impatient. I haven't finished yet. When Sister Chu Yin was sold to our family, she was only ten years old, not much older than your sister. My grandmother took pity on her and kept her by her side, letting the maids teach her. She was smart and studious. Besides being able to write and calculate and understand etiquette as I mentioned last time, she was also a good cook and had a unique skill in making tea."

"Then our Fang Quan is lucky," Fang Ying asked jokingly, "but I wonder how much tuition would be appropriate to hire such a knowledgeable teacher?"

"What do you mean by 'Suxiu'? It's a loan." Zhou Congshan also joked, "Just appreciate it."

"Of course I appreciate it, but even if it's a good thing, there's no point in making Sister Chu Yin work so hard. She's staying at your house, so I'll give her double her monthly allowance."

Zhou Congshan knew that Fang Ying was loved by Mrs. Ji in the Ji family. After Ji Liulang came back, although his good friend always found it troublesome, the two got along well. This was evident from the fact that Ji Liulang was able to take Fang Ying to Fengle Tower - a man would not do this if he didn't like her very much.

Valued by her mother-in-law and liked by her husband, Fang Ying would definitely not be short of money given the Ji family's status. Zhou Congshan did not refuse on Chu Yin's behalf. "Okay, I remember Sister Chu Yin gets one hundred yuan a month, right?" she asked the maid.

"yes."

"Okay, then I'll have someone send two hundred yuan to Sister Chu Yin every month. Has your family already distributed winter clothes?"

"Don't worry about that. She has everything she needs for clothing and other expenses. Shall I ask someone to invite her over?"

"good."

The maid who had been serving beside her went out to pass on the message, and soon a young woman dressed in green as a maid came in. She had a round face, plump cheeks and bright eyes. If Fang Ying didn't know her age, she would never have known that she was nearly thirty years old.

Chu Yin bowed to Zhou Congshan when she entered the room. Zhou Congshan introduced Fang Ying: "This is Madam Fang."

"Your servant Chu Yin..."

Fang Ying was quick-witted and quick-handed. Without waiting for her to bow, she quickly stepped forward to support her and said with a smile, "Sister Chu Yin, please stop being so polite. I'm here to invite the gentleman. How can I accept your courtesy?"

Chu Yin knelt down before answering, "I don't deserve the title of sir. I only learned a few words thanks to the kindness of the Madam. Even if I accepted your request, I was just to keep your Second Lady company. I absolutely don't deserve the title of sir."

Zhou Congshan smiled and said, "Okay, no need to be polite." He asked the maid to move a seat for Chu Yin, and everyone sat down to talk.

Fang Ying returned to her original seat and sat down, chatting with Chu Yin for a few words. She found that she was well-spoken and did not have the flattery or timidity that were common among slaves. Her actions and manners were also quite measured. If someone who didn't know her saw her, they would never tell that she was a maid, but would only think that she was the mistress of a family.

If there was such a person to teach Fang Fangquan for a few years, she would not be completely transformed, but at least she would not be like her mother, who remained a confused person all her life.

Fang Ying was very satisfied and asked when she would come to pick Chu Yin up to take her to Fang's house.

Zhou Congshan looked at Chu Yin, and Chu Yin said, "I'll pack up here and leave as soon as I say so."

"Okay, then I'll go back to my parents' house soon and let them prepare a few things first. How about picking up Sister Chu Yin the day after tomorrow?"

"Okay, it's settled." Zhou Congshan agreed.

Chu Yin smiled and said, "Our madam is eager to send this servant away as soon as possible, so that she won't keep nagging."

Zhou Congshan cried out for justice, but Fang Ying's heart moved. After Chu Yin left, she asked her friend, "Actually, you just wanted to get Sister Chu Yin out of the way, right?"

"Ah? What do you mean by send her away? Sister Chu Yin doesn't care about anything when she's here with me." Zhou Congshan looked innocent.

Fang Ying snorted, "She doesn't care about anything, but if she knew what you were going to do, wouldn't she stop you?"

"You are such a heartless person! I was so kind as to find you a helper, but now you are interrogating me?" Zhou Congshan joked.

Fang Ying took her hand and sighed, "I'm just worried about you... Did the coroner find out anything?"

"Not yet. How could it be that easy? Besides, there's this case of Zhang Xiong robbing a woman and injuring someone—are you going back to your parents' house later for this?"

"Well, although I know that my father should not be deceived by my uncle at this time, I will always feel uneasy if I don't go back and tell him in person."

"It's time to talk about this. This matter is of great importance," Zhou Congshan said, lowering his voice. "The Fourth Prince went to see the King of Chu, but I heard he was reprimanded by the King and left in disgrace."

Fang Ying laughed: "Dejected?"

Zhou Congshan nodded: "Yes, the King of Chu is the regent, and there are so many people coming and going around him, all watching him."

"Don't you think the Fourth Prince knows how to go when there are fewer people around?"

"He did choose one, but he has no say on when the King of Chu will meet him."

"So he shouldn't have gone. I always feel that from Concubine Zhang to the two princes she gave birth to, none of them seem very smart." Fang Ying shook her head.

She just said it casually, but Zhou Congshan seemed to be thinking about it and murmured, "Yeah..." Could it be that these idiots were the murderers of his cousin?

-----------------------

The author has something to say: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution between 2021-01-11 01:27:45 and 2021-01-13 00:40:04~

Thanks to the little angel who irrigated the nutrient solution: 5 bottles of Chuxia Xianju;

Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!