Chapter 69: Identity Revealed
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Compared with the heavy atmosphere here, the owner of Baoxianglou was smiling.
Early this morning he received a message from Lord Yan asking him to book a private room.
He left the quietest room upstairs and walked out.
By evening, Xu Tongren arrived earlier than Yan Quan, and the boss respectfully led him up.
After getting off the carriage, Yan Quan walked towards the private room with trepidation. When he saw the people inside, he suppressed his doubts and stepped forward to pay his respects.
He didn't know why Jiedushi Xu wanted to see him. If it was official business, he should have looked for Zhao Yan. Sending the visiting card directly to his house without going through Zhao Yan meant it was a private matter.
But he didn't have any personal affairs with Governor Xu. It was rare that he came to ask for an explanation. Was he the one who tipped off the Jiang Huaxiang case last time?
Xu Tongren treated him politely and courteously, and asked someone to bring a few pots of good tea. The two sat and chatted for a while.
Yan Quan thought he was not here to be held accountable.
At this time, Xu Tongren casually said, "I heard that a few years ago, your son was seriously ill, and it was Miss Yu from the Lantern Master Hall who used the ingenious Lu Ban lock to get the people from the Pharmacist Valley to treat him?"
Yan Quan answered respectfully, "Yes, my wife was crying herself unconscious at the time, and it was Miss Yu's kindness that led her to help. Miss Yu was a disciple of Li Xuguang, who was also quite famous in the local area. Later, Miss Yu's craftsmanship became exquisite, and she gradually became famous. Because of her help, my wife wanted to adopt her as her sister, but she refused..."
He didn't know what Jiedushi Xu meant, so he told him everything he knew.
After listening to this, Xu Tongren put down his teacup, looked at him and asked, "Did you know that Miss Yu was married before? I heard that her previous husband's family was a high-ranking official."
Yan Quan continued, "It's like this. A few years ago, Miss Yu married and moved to the capital. Later, for unknown reasons, she divorced her husband's family and returned here, where she devoted herself to learning martial arts."
At this point, Governor Xu immediately asked, "Master Yan, do you know which family she was married to before?"
Yan Quan thought for a moment, "This... I don't know. I only heard from my wife that he is a high-ranking official in the capital. His surname is Zhao and his family has a long history of scholars. It is said that he was the third place in the imperial examination selected by His Majesty in his early years..."
After saying this, he couldn't help but feel sad again. Why did Governor Xu inquire about Miss Yu's previous husband's family? Was there some case involving her previous husband's family, so Governor Xu came to remind them, but nothing big happened recently?
Xu Tongren ignored Yan Quan's random thoughts and immediately said, "Master Yan, you have been working with Master Zhao for so long, it's rare that Master Zhao has never mentioned his family affairs to you."
Seeing Jiedushi Xu's eyes brighten, Yan Quan didn't think he was setting a trap for him, so he said bluntly, "Well... I mentioned it a few times, saying they were divorced, and now they have no wives, concubines, or children... At that time, I also found it strange. With a family like Lord Zhao's, it's not right that he's so inconsiderate..."
Xu Tongren smiled, his thoughts finally confirmed. He said, "Master Yan, I heard that the woman Master Zhao married before wasn't some noble lady, but someone from a small town. She had a token of trust from the Zhao family, so the Zhao family kept their promise and married her off..."
"As far as I know, there is only one aristocratic family in the capital, surnamed Zhao. And our Lord Zhao is the third place winner in the imperial examination, chosen by His Majesty in the third year of Yan Zheng's reign..."
so……
An idea suddenly came to Yan Quan's mind, and their eyes met.
Lord Zhao married a girl from a small town.
Miss Yu married a noble man from a wealthy family.
They all divorced...
So Miss Yu married Mr. Zhao, and they divorced...
Yan Quan suppressed his excitement and asked doubtfully, "...But, Lord Zhao really can't tell normally."
The two of them were so polite and courteous that one could even say they were a little strangers.
He remembered that when Lord Zhao first arrived, Miss Yu was in the hall helping him point out the mechanism of the lantern. If he guessed correctly, this was their first meeting after their divorce. To be able to act so naturally and strangely on their first meeting, one had to admit, Lord Zhao was quite thoughtful...
Xu Tongren smiled and took a sip of tea. "I heard that a few days ago, a man named Chen Juezi wanted to kidnap and slander Miss Yu?"
Yan Quan didn't know why he brought up this matter, so he replied, "Yes, it was Lord Zhao himself in his official uniform who handled the case on the spot. It is said that he was immediately detained, and the other troublemakers were also beaten with fifty sticks..."
"Before this, I met with Lord Zhao. I mentioned that my adopted son was the head of the gambling den, and that Chen Juezi owed him a lot of money and couldn't repay it, so he wanted to use a woman to pay off the debt. That woman was Miss Yu. When Lord Zhao heard this, he was furious and said he would punish her severely."
"Now I heard that it was Lord Zhao who arrested him personally, and he specifically asked my adopted son to explain the whole story in front of everyone. Considering what happened before, it's not surprising..."
At this point, what else did Yan Quan not understand? Miss Yu was Lord Zhao's ex-wife. If an ordinary citizen committed a crime, it would be impossible for the governor to arrest him personally. So Lord Zhao did this to make amends to his ex-wife...
Xu Tongren had finished his speech for the day and stood up to leave. He concluded by saying, "Since Miss Yu is someone favored by Lord Zhao, Lord Yan will have to take care of her. I'm in Fuzhou, so I'm worried about this. Lord Yan will have to take care of this matter. An Li said that he is sharing the worries. I think that Miss Yu is fine, so Lord Zhao can handle his work with peace of mind..."
After listening to this, Yan Quan nodded repeatedly, "Yes, I understand. Thank you, Lord Xu, for reminding me."
After Xu Tongren left, Yan Quan also walked out of Baoxiang Tower. He was stunned for a while, then got on a carriage and went home.
Jiedushi Xu came to see him not for accountability but for some personal matters concerning Lord Zhao. At this, Yan Quan finally breathed a sigh of relief and touched the official seal on his body with lingering fear.
But the governor came to him just for such a small matter, or even just to remind him to take good care of Miss Yu. He didn't believe what Lord Xu said that he was the most convenient person to take care of her.
The only possibility is that he has already established a good relationship with Lord Zhao, but due to face, he cannot interfere in Lord Zhao's private affairs, so he found me, his lackey, and took a share of the pie...
A piece of the pie? Yeah, why hadn't I thought of that? Zhao Yan was the son of the Left Prime Minister. He had previously doubted whether Zhao Yan was capable of getting promoted. Now it seemed he was foolish. Even Governor Xu had come to curry his favor. What else could Zhao Yan not do? When his term was up, Zhao Yan would return to the capital and mention Xu Tongren to his father, colleagues, and friends. Would Xu Tongren still be worried about having nothing to do or not being able to be transferred to the capital?
How could he have been so confused at such a crucial moment? The last time the Jiang family case happened, it was Xu Jiedushi who showed his sincerity. What about him? He had been so confused back then that he had even gone to tip off the enemy. Fortunately, he had stopped at the brink and stood on Lord Zhao's side. Thinking of this, Yan Quan wanted to pry open his head to see what he had been thinking before...
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