The more that old fox Murong gains, the harder life will be for the common people. Thinking of the royal family's expectations, Qiu Zeyu couldn't stay in bed. He got up and knocked on Lan Yamei's door.

When Lan Yamei opened the door, there was a letter stuck to the door with a dart. She opened the letter and it read, "I have important business to attend to at home. My return date is uncertain. I wish you a safe journey."

Sleepy Lan Yamei gave a wry smile. This person was actually quite adorable; he could have left quietly, but he still left her a letter, which made her feel inexplicably at ease. She smiled gently and went back to her room to continue resting.

The next day, before dawn, the distant wailing shattered the tranquility of the morning. It was clearly coming from the pawnshop.

"What a nuisance! What's going on so early in the morning?" Aunt Guan asked, still half asleep. Lan Yamei rushed over to join in the fun, saying, "You can sleep a little longer. I already told Er Gou that they'd bring some fresh vegetables from the village. I'm going to see what's happening outside."

"Okay, be careful." Aunt Guan didn't continue sleeping. She was already awake and started preparing breakfast early. Thinking that Er Gou's family was picking and harvesting vegetables, they probably wouldn't have time to cook breakfast, so she cooked it all together so that everyone could eat together and it would be lively.

Although Er Gou's family was ordinary, they were simple and kind, much better than the people they had met before. Aunt Guan liked them very much and cooked another plate of eggs for Er Gou's child, who was thin and weak.

The pawnshop entrance was already crowded with onlookers. Lan Yamei squeezed in. The gate was open, but there were government officials guarding the entrance. Everyone was gathered at the entrance, whispering among themselves.

"He was perfectly fine yesterday, how could he suddenly die?"

"I don't know. They said they recently bought a concubine, and they stayed together last night. This morning they found out she had been murdered."

"Could it have been done by the concubine?"

"Who knows! Anyway, the first wife just had the servants drag that concubine away to be sold."

...

Selling concubines! I'd only ever read about this in books before, and now it actually happened. Human life is so cheap! I secretly rejoiced that I was in charge, thinking that next time I had to find out if Qiu Zeyu was married or not. No matter how handsome or cool he was, I would never become his concubine.

Regarding this young woman, he wanted to help, but he was powerless and lived in an era where the government tacitly approved. He lacked the qualifications to speak out and could only turn a blind eye. He asked the plump woman next to him, "Who died?"

The woman curled her lip in disdain and said, "Your news is really slow. You've been searching for ages and you still don't know who died?"

"I was busy yesterday and got up late, hehe..." Lan Yamei explained shyly.

"The pawnshop manager, Ouyang, is dead! I heard he was stabbed to death last night!" The woman shook her head and said regretfully, "He was such a good man, how could someone kill him?"

"What's so good about it? I bet they must have offended some deity, otherwise why would they kill someone for no reason?" another young man said.

"It's hard to say. Isn't it suspected that the concubine did it?" someone else raised an objection.

“Hey, now the first wife is in charge. She used to steal the spotlight from the first wife, but now that the manager is dead, do you think the concubines will have a good life? I think it’s hard to say who killed him,” another person said.

...

Just as Lan Yamei was completely confused, she suddenly saw Master Ouyang walking out of the pawnshop with several government officials. Lan Yamei exclaimed in surprise, "Master Ouyang, is that you?"

Grandpa Ouyang was taken aback at first, then said to the group, "You go first, I'll be right back." He then walked over and asked Lan Yamei to speak to him, "Lan Yamei, you should have heard that the shopkeeper has died. I probably won't be able to go to the shop to help these next few days. The person who died was my brother."

Grandpa Ouyang didn't shed a single tear, but the sadness in his eyes was undeniable; after all, they were brothers.

Looking at the large, walled mansion and the wide shops on the front street behind her, Lan Yamei realized that this was a wealthy household in Longyang Town. She never imagined that it would be related to Uncle Ouyang, who made a living in the ghost market. Overwhelmed by the information, Lan Yamei felt a bit dizzy and comforted him, "Don't worry, don't worry. We need you here. You go about your business, I can handle things at the shop."

Squeezing through the crowd, I returned to the shop. Aunt Guan was singing a little tune, happily preparing congee and side dishes. After all, this was the first proper breakfast at the new shop. I wouldn't have to travel back and forth anymore. Good days were in sight.

Lan Yamei, however, seemed preoccupied. Having lived outside the city, her life revolved around the local market and home, so she knew little about Longyang Town. She thought that Aunt Guan, having lived there for decades, should know something. But the greedy Aunt Guan hadn't been particularly warm towards Uncle Ouyang. Didn't Aunt Guan know? After a moment's hesitation, she asked, "Aunt Guan, is Uncle Ouyang's family very wealthy?"

"Why are you suddenly asking this? You probably don't have much money," Aunt Guan said, stirring the bubbling porridge. "By the way, what exactly happened outside?"

“Uncle Ouyang’s brother was killed last night; he was the manager of the Fusion Pawnshop.” Lan Yamei observed the subtle changes in Aunt Guan’s expression.

"What? Ouyang has an older brother?" Aunt Guan was shocked. She had never heard him mention having any other family members and assumed he was a lonely person like herself.

“Grandpa Ouyang said it himself, so it seems we don’t know him very well.” Lan Yamei said whatever came to mind.

Aunt Guan remained silent for a long time, as if lost in deep thought. After a long while, she finally said, "Could his name be Ouyang Xun? If his name really is Ouyang Xun..." Aunt Guan suddenly covered her face and burst into tears.

Startled and completely bewildered, Lan Ya Mei hurriedly asked, "Aunt Guan, don't cry, what happened?"

After crying for a long time, Aunt Guan gradually calmed down from the shock and grief and told a story from many years ago.

At that time, Aunt Guan was only fifteen years old. She was a beautiful young lady from a prominent family who was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Many people came to her house to propose marriage, including Ouyang Xun.

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