Chapter 104 Chapter 104 Old things come out alone...

Lin Qiuran looked at Xiao Xun, the sunlight shining on his face. He had been taking medicine and eating well these days, and his complexion had improved. Now he was concentrating and listening to her seriously.

She said, "It's not just this, there's another thing... When I knew you were gone, and I was pregnant with Tangyuan, I didn't want to live in the village anymore. I wanted Tangyuan to live in a nice house as soon as she was born, so I planned to buy a house in the county town. But my family didn't have any extra money. I was weeding in the vegetable patch and found a wooden box. Inside was a gold bracelet and a pair of gold earrings. I pawned it to buy the house. I didn't expect the jewelry box to be so valuable. In total, I pawned it for thirty-seven taels of silver, just enough to buy my first house in the county town."

Xiao Xun nodded, "What's the connection?"

"Today I looked again at the jewelry Madam Qin gave me. The patterns on the box are somewhat similar to the ones I dug up the other day. I wonder if that's why she treated me so well." Lin Qiuran saw Xiao Xun's face darken and added, "Of course, these are just my wild thoughts and speculations."

Lin Qiuran didn't say anything else. After all, this was Xiao Xun's own business. She said it because she didn't want Xiao Xun to regret and feel sad when he found out in the future. Madam Qin and the old marquis looked old and might not be able to wait for a few more years, so she chose to say it and give him the choice.

Lin Qiuran believed that Xiao Xun was not a reckless person. He had studied and been to the battlefield. The battlefield was so dangerous. If something serious happened, he should know how to deal with it.

But Lin Qiuran couldn't make decisions for him, even though they were husband and wife.

Xiao Xun was stunned for a moment and asked, "I heard you say that Tang Yuan once saved the old Marquis of Anyang Mansion, and that the old Marquis later asked you to organize a banquet to thank you?"

Lin Qiuran nodded. "Yes, it was a coincidence. It was snowing the day I met the old marquis. Tangyuan was running around in front and the old marquis almost fell. I didn't see clearly, so when I rushed over, the old marquis said that Tangyuan helped him up, and then he kept chasing me to thank me. At that time, I didn't know his identity, and I had just arrived in the capital. I was afraid of meeting a messy person, so I quickly took Tangyuan away.

I thought I'd never see him again, but later I brought Tangyuan to eat hot pot meat again, and I ran into the old marquis again in the shop. That day he introduced himself, and I learned that he was from the Anyang Marquis's Mansion.

Lin Qiuran recalled what happened back then. "The old marquis insisted on thanking me, and I couldn't refuse. I was thinking about the restaurant business at the time, so I sent a letter to the Anyang Marquis' Mansion, asking me to cook there and ask the mansion to repay the favor."

Lin Qiuran dared not owe favors to the noble families.

Xiao Xun frowned and asked, "Are you saying that Tangyuan helped the man up?"

How old is Tangyuan? He is still a child.

Lin Qiuran nodded. "That's right, that's what I find strange. Tangyuan is four years old this year, but not even three if you count his age. Where does he get so much strength? I've seen the old marquis before, and he looks very blessed."

Xiao Xun rubbed his fingers and said, "I don't remember anything about the past, but my mother said that when she found me, I was three or four years old, about the same age as Tang Yuan is now."

After picking up a child of this age near the village, Sun and Xiao Dashi went around asking around, but couldn't find anyone who had lost the child. Coincidentally, they had been married for many years without having children, so they adopted Xiao Xun.

Xiao Xun didn't have high expectations. First, he didn't know why he came to Xiaojia Village. Second, his parents were still alive. Xiao Dashi of the Sun family had raised him, so he naturally couldn't just climb up to the Marquis' Mansion and claim to be his relative when he saw him.

Moreover, his family was harmonious, and sometimes he even forgot about it and could not think about it for months or years.

Now, Lin Qiuran's words, like a flame, ignited Xiao Xun's vague memories.

Xiao Xun lowered his head, "The capital is very far away from Yu An. I don't know whether I should be happy or confused."

Lin Qiuran said, "Don't think too much about it. Maybe I'm mistaken. I don't think the Marquis' Mansion has any ill intentions for now."

Xiao Xun said, "Well, I don't know anything about the Anyang Marquis' Mansion. I can ask around in the next few days. Maybe I can find out something."

Lin Qiuran looked at Xiao Xun and nodded. She wanted to remind Xiao Xun to be careful, but before she could open her mouth, Xiao Xun held her hand.

Xiao Xun said, "Don't worry. I know my parents are old and Tangyuan is young. No matter what happens, they will always think of their family first."

Lin Qiuran had suffered a lot in the past few years, and Xiao Xun was worried. Of course, it wasn't just worries. No matter what the outcome was, he had nothing to fear. His family was there, and he could accept any outcome.

Lin Qiuran breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, don't worry. No matter what happened in the past, we've gotten through it. I'll be with you in the future too."

Xiao Xun smiled at Lin Qiuran, "Yes, but you still need to pay more attention to the Anyang Marquis Mansion."

Lin Qiuran was in charge of all the social interactions in the mansion. Sun Shi didn't understand these things. She was also old. Even though she moved to the capital, she was still afraid of these things as a village girl.

Xiao Xun didn't want Sun to worry about it, and he hadn't decided whether to tell her about it or not. "Mom..."

Lin Qiuran said, "Why don't we wait until we have confirmed news? Otherwise, Mom will get anxious when she finds out, and anxiety will only cause more trouble."

Xiao Xun nodded, "Okay, thank you for your help."

After Xiao Xun finished speaking, he looked at Lin Qiuran again and held Lin Qiuran's hand tightly. This was related to his own life experience. Even though his temper had been tempered in the past two years, he still felt a little confused.

Seeing him lost in thought, Lin Qiuran consoled him, "There's no rush for this. Don't stay stuck in the room. Go out for a walk more often to avoid affecting your mood. Otherwise, I'll go out with you for a walk now. There's a maid in the room."

Xiao Xun shook his head and said, "You just went out and you're tired after half a day. Let me wait until Tangyuan wakes up before I talk to you."

He was now a father, and whenever he saw Tang Yuan, his heart would soften. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he would never let Tang Yuan leave him and Lin Qiuran.

Perhaps his biological parents were the same, and they had no choice but to do so.

Lin Qiuran stopped trying to persuade him, letting Tangyuan accompany Xiao Xun. Perhaps that would make him feel better. Xiao Xun had returned from the northwest, so he must have trustworthy people around him. Furthermore, the mansion had hired some servants, but these were outsiders. Even though they had indentures, Lin Qiuran was worried he wouldn't trust them, so he had them do odd jobs for the next few days.

Lin Xia and Lin Ming have to be the ones to inquire about things.

Xiao Xun is 23 years old this year. Lin Qiuran doesn’t know if anyone still remembers what happened 20 years ago.

Furthermore, they couldn't openly inquire about it. If something were to be uncovered, who knew whether it would be good or bad. Xiao Xun had just returned to the capital, having made remarkable contributions in the northwest. He had been granted a title and a stream of rewards had been sent to the palace. If anything really happened, he might be exploited by someone with ulterior motives and quickly eliminated.

This was also the reason why Lin Qiuran didn't want to say it at the beginning. Now that her life was stable, the best outcome she could think of was that Xiao Xun was the lost child of Anyang Marquis Mansion. But for him, this was just icing on the cake, and he could earn the title himself.

If I had to force myself to think about the past twenty years growing up in Xiaojia Village, although it was carefree, life was also difficult. Everything I have now is hard-earned, and I can't sacrifice it all just to find my relatives.

It’s not that Lin Qiuran doesn’t want to face it with him, but since she has Tangyuan, she naturally hopes that Tangyuan will have a smooth future, at least not follow the same path as Xiao Xun.

Old Madam Qin hadn't even noticed how little she had asked, yet Lin Qiuran was already so suspicious. Of course, she felt suspicion was a good thing. If they couldn't find the person, couldn't the two families just be on good terms and know the truth?

After the banquet, she said to Lu Zheng, "Yes, yes, there are no brothers in my family, only him. If he has the token I left behind, it must be him.

"God has eyes, to receive such news at this time. The damn Zhao family has harmed the Shen family, and now they have lost the battle. It was Xiao Xun who made great contributions and turned the tide. It is really God's eyes that eliminate the treacherous villain!"

This is the same way he used to harm the Shen family, except that the Shen family was framed and Zhao Tingyue was just not as skilled as others!

It feels so good.

After Madam Qin finished speaking, she sat down and took a few breaths. Lu Zheng sighed and handed her a cup of tea. "Drink up quickly. Take it easy. Don't get so excited. If it were me, we'd still have to avoid suspicion in the future. Don't overthink it."

At this moment, Xiao Xun has so many eyes watching him, and he can't afford to be caught making any mistakes. The emperor has conferred a title on him, but hasn't given him an official position, probably because he's waiting and watching. I know you're anxious, but this matter can't be rushed."

Lu Zheng now regretted it and told Madam Qin about it. It was strange that she had no control over who she invited. How could Madam Xiao Xun not be suspicious?

He spoke earnestly, "This child is very hardworking. He somehow managed to surpass Zhao Tingyue, which can be considered as revenge for his parents. Now he has a happy family and his own parents. We hope that he will be well. You said that we two old bones would die with peace of mind if we could see that he is well. We have done what we should do, and we should rest in peace."

Qin looked a little dejected, but she finally nodded. "Then, does Lord Zhao and Lord Jiang need to use Qin Zhi's help in impeaching Zhao Tingyue?"

Lu Zheng said: "Of course."

We can't let Zhao Jingzong get away with it.

While Xiao Xun was bringing the glutinous rice balls, he asked his trusted subordinates to inquire about the past events of the Anyang Marquis' Mansion. After a day, they actually found out some things.

The current Marquis of Anyang is named Lü Qinzhi. He once had a younger sister, Lü Minzhi, who married into the general's mansion over twenty years ago. The couple lived in harmony, and later General Shen was stationed in the northwest, while Lü Minzhi took care of household affairs in the capital.

In the 26th year of the Zhen dynasty, foreign invaders invaded. General Shen led his army to fight, but was defeated repeatedly, resulting in tens of thousands of casualties among the Dai Viet. It was his deputy, Zhao Tingyue, who turned the tide and won the battle.

General Shen was executed along with his entire family for delaying military operations, and his youngest son was exiled. The distance between the capital and Lingnan was so great that the child died on the way. Xiao Xun had heard about this incident since he joined the military camp.

Zhao Tingyue was old, and Xiao Xun almost lost his life because of the secret rivalry between him and his deputy general.

Now Zhao Tingyue is the second-rank Jinwu General and is granted the title of Duke of Zhao. In the past twenty years, Zhao Tingyue has come a long way from deputy general to general and then to Duke of Zhao. This time, Xiao Xun has made countless contributions, but when he returned to the court, the people still cheered and celebrated, and regarded him as a hero and god.

Even some of the credit has been snatched away by him. If Xiao Xun had not made many contributions in the past two years and had not been watched by the emperor, I am afraid that all the credit would have gone to Zhao Tingyue.

These things do match up, but if you don't ask, no one would know that these things are related to Xiao Xun.

On the day Lin Qiuran gave birth, Xiao Xun told him that Zhao Tingyue held military power and the emperor was afraid that he would suffer for a long time.

She looked at the moonlight outside. They were moving tomorrow. Xiao Xun was still in the study. Lin Qiuran brought tea to the study and asked Tangyuan to watch over Xiao Xun until he drank the medicine. He ignored everything else and took Tangyuan back to the main house.

She couldn't help with the affairs of the court, so she just didn't want to cause trouble for Xiao Xun.

The house is almost packed up and needs to be moved tomorrow morning. The wind is howling outside, and it's still Laba, and it feels like it's going to snow again.

There is so much snow in the capital.

Tang Yuan hadn't slept yet. He'd eaten too much the night before, so Lin Qiuran cooked Laba porridge. The various beans were soft and fluffy, with just the right amount of sweetness, complemented by a few stir-fried side dishes. There were also some leafy greens, which had been sent by farmers. They said they had a greenhouse there and would be able to send vegetables there more often.

Eating some bright green vegetables in winter is very novel and refreshing.

However, Xiao Xun had something on his mind and didn't eat too much.

Lin Qiuran sighed in her heart. She glanced at the sky outside and saw that it was getting late. She coaxed Tangyuan to go to bed first, then asked the maid to watch over her while she went to the study.

In the study, Xiao Xun was writing the charges against Zhao Tingyue. Having the charges, he also had to find evidence, which was no easy task.

If it were the old him, he would probably be overwhelmed by these things, but now he is very calm.

Zhao Tingyue is now impeached by Lord Jiang and Lord Zhao Jinshan. All he can do is collect evidence and submit it to the Dali Temple.

Xiao Xun was once a soldier under Zhao Tingyue, and now his official position is lower than his.

Zhao Tingyue has been conferred the title of first-class duke, but he was an old minister during the reign of the previous emperor. The new emperor had just ascended the throne for a few years. When Zhao Jinshan was investigating the case, many court officials had recommended Zhao Tingyue. After returning to Beijing, some people even said that Zhao Tingyue had worked hard for so many years and had made great contributions, and he could not be shaken at all.

Xiao Xun had been writing these in the study since dinner, but he hadn't written much until Lin Qiuran came in.

Although he could read and write, he spent most of his time fighting. His handwriting was not good and he wrote slowly.

Lin Qiuran came in carrying something. "I cooked shredded chicken noodles. You didn't eat much for dinner. Eat some more before you write. Even if you can't eat, eat something. We have to move tomorrow. You should be full of energy and in high spirits right now. It's not good for you to faint from hunger while walking on the road. I'm worried, but I can't let others see it."

Old Madam Qin taught us to be reserved and keep three points secret when speaking and doing things, and this also applies to this matter.

Xiao Xun nodded, put down his pen, took the bowl, and was about to finish it in big mouthfuls, but then he remembered what Lin Qiuran said and ate the shredded chicken noodles slowly.

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The author has something to say: Thank you for your support~[Panda Head][Cat Head]