Chapter 28
The window was half open, and the sun hanging in the sky was just a cold white shadow, casting a few faint golden rays.
Half of Xie Zheng's face was reflected in the sunlight, and the other half was hidden in the shadows. His eyes were calm and peaceful.
Fan Changyu wanted to deny it, but she couldn't open her mouth when she met his gaze. She hugged her knees and sat on a low stool beside her. Her voice was a little muffled: "You have indeed been involved in my family's troubles twice. You don't owe me anything anymore. If you draw a clear line between you and my family, you may be safer."
Xie Zheng asked her, "Do you believe what that ignorant old woman said?"
Fan Changyu pursed his lips and said nothing.
Of course she didn't believe it, but her parents had passed away, Fan Da had been killed, Chang Ning and Yan Zheng had almost been killed, and if the soldiers had not arrived in time last night, it was hard to say whether Aunt Zhao and Carpenter Zhao would have been implicated.
Maybe... it's just as Song's mother and Mrs. Kang said, she really is destined to be unlucky, and no one who gets close to her will have a good ending.
Seeing that she was silent and didn't understand something, Xie Zheng frowned and asked, "You think you can draw a line between you and me for my own good, but what about your sister? Do you also want to draw a line between you and her?"
Fan Changyu tightened his clasped hands before his knees, his heart in a state of confusion.
Yes, in order not to get involved with the old couple of the Zhao family and Yanzheng, she can stay away from them as much as possible, but what about Changning?
Changning was only five years old and he was his only relative in the world.
While she was silent, Xie Zheng slowly said, "What is more terrifying than the theories of ghosts, gods and destiny in this world is the human heart."
Fan Changyu raised his almond-shaped eyes, seeming a little confused.
Xie Zheng's delicate lips twitched slightly, and his voice was filled with mockery: "There are not so many strange and supernatural things in the world. The talk of national destiny is just to fool the world, not to mention the talk of fate."
Fan Changyu was still confused: "What do you mean?"
Xie Zheng raised his eyes and said, "Some people like to use ghost stories to cover up their evil deeds. Just like you just scared the old woman, saying that she fell because of an evil spirit. The old woman didn't know the truth and was terrified so she half believed it. But you and I know that she fell because she was hit by pine nut candy."
Fan Changyu lowered his eyes and said after a while: "Of course I know that the Song family brought up the fate theory just to cancel the engagement, but it is also true that misfortunes happen frequently in the family, which makes me feel uneasy."
Xie Zheng said: "Your parents made enemies in their early years, not the gods. Why are you so upset?"
Fan Changyu stared at him blankly, thinking that this man had a very vicious tongue, but the anger in his heart was indeed not so blocked anymore.
She sighed and said, "I understand what you said. I just felt bad for a while after hearing those words. It will be fine after a while."
Xie Zheng said without mercy: "You can teach anyone who makes you feel bad, and you don't need to tell me that. If you become estranged from your father-in-law and his family, then we'll see whether they are sad or happy."
Fan Changyu lowered his head and said in a muffled voice, "I'm sorry, I was impulsive before."
Xie Zheng's eyelashes formed a beautiful arc at the end of his eyes, and his expression became brighter. He said, "You are not the kind of person who will just accept things as they come. You were splashed with water this morning, but instead of scolding him on the spot, you came back to sulk. What a loser."
Fan Changyu was silent for a while, then he said, "I've heard a saying called 'the law does not punish everyone', which means that if many people break the law, the government will not punish all of them together. Now, everyone in the town is afraid of my fate of being unlucky, and the people who talk about me behind my back are also the people in the whole town. If I can teach one person a lesson, how can I teach everyone else?"
Xie Zheng was slightly startled. There was a secret corner of his heart that had some dusty memories opened up because of her words.
His parents died when he was young, and he lived in the Wei Mansion. Naturally, his life today has not been smooth sailing.
He still remembers the feeling of having his ribs broken by the man's son and his men, and having his face pressed into the bloody mud by the golden boots.
He fought in the battlefield, experienced life and death, and gained military merit with scars all over his back. However, because his uncle was Wei Yan, he was secretly cursed for bringing disgrace to the Xie family, and he even became someone's lackey.
He raised his eyes and uttered a few words: "Have you ever heard of the phrase 'killing the chicken to scare the monkey'?"
"Human nature is evil. You are weak and can be bullied. No matter how kind you are, few people will help you. If you become successful, even if you really do something evil, there will be a lot of people rushing to curry favor with you. Isn't your ex-fiancé like that?"
After hearing this, Fan Changyu fell silent again. He hugged his knees with his hands and stared at the burning charcoal in the iron basin without saying a word.
Xie Zheng tapped the armrest of the bamboo chair with his knuckles, half-closed his eyes, and said something that he didn't even realize was harsh: "You haven't let go of your ex-fiancé yet, and you feel uncomfortable talking about him again?"
Fan Changyu raised his head and stared at him, feeling puzzled. Then he remembered that he had lied before, saying that he had not let go of Song Yan in order to prevent him from misunderstanding that he had any improper thoughts about him.
Lying really does come at a price.
She opened her mouth, but finally sighed and said, "I do feel a little uncomfortable. He is a man who has passed the imperial examination. He is the only outstanding person in Qingping County this year. The county magistrate praises him, and it is no wonder that others are trying to curry favor with him. He is indeed very successful. What can I compare with him?"
Xie Zheng sneered, "It's just one man. How many men are there in Dayin, with one capital and seventeen prefectures, every year? What does your ex-fiancé count for?"
Fan Changyu couldn't help but look at him and said, "You can say these things in front of me, but don't say them in front of outsiders, or you will be laughed at."
Xie Zheng frowned: "What's the joke?"
Fan Changyu felt that this person really had no self-awareness, and said helplessly: "You don't even have the title of a scholar, and you say that others have passed the exam and are just a show of honor..."
She paused and then said, "I know you said that to make me happy."
Fan Changyu felt that it was a bit pretentious to say this, and scratched his hair and said, "Actually, I just said it casually, and I didn't really feel that bad in my heart. I have to live my life by myself. It's his business if he got promoted and became successful. What does it have to do with me? Those who are trying to curry favor with me, saying a few words about me won't help them get any benefits from the Song family. They are just gossiping."
Xie Zheng looked strange and said, "Why should I try to trick you? Raising a man is really nothing."
Fan Changyu choked up and said, "Do you think you are a high-ranking official?"
Xie Zheng shut up and said nothing.
Fan Changyu was amused. Thinking of his ability to read and write, he began to make plans for him: "I think you are quite smart and your handwriting is beautiful. You have been injured repeatedly. The doctor also said that if you don't take good care of yourself, you will probably have a chronic disease in the future. Escorting is so dangerous. Why don't you study and take the imperial examination? You may pass the exam and become an official in the future!"
Xie Zheng: "...I don't want to be in the officialdom."
Fan Changyu sighed: "That's a pity."
She half-jokingly said, "If you ever get a chance to become an official, and your position is higher than that of Mr. Song, I'm counting on you to help me make things difficult for Mr. Song!"
Xie Zheng raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Okay."
After such a joke, the previous unhappiness disappeared completely.
Fan Changyu remembered that he had also cooked chicken soup, and said, "I still have chicken soup in my clay pot. It should be ready by now. I'll serve it up for you."
When she stood up, she saw that the candy bag beside his bed had fallen down. She said with a pained look, "Let me find you some pebbles. Don't use candy to hit people in the future. It's expensive. It's really a waste of money!"
After she went downstairs, Xie Zheng stared at the paper packages of candy with a frown.
He didn't like sweets, and his personal soldiers had always taken care of his food, clothing, housing and transportation. He really didn't know how expensive this thing was.
She had always been short of money, and this candy was so expensive, but she still bought it for him. Was it just because she misunderstood that he was afraid of the bitterness of the medicine that day?
Xie Zheng closed his eyes with mixed feelings.
-
Two days later, Zheng Wenchang brought his officers and soldiers to the small town of Lin'an again.
After receiving the news, Fan Changyu went to the door to greet them.
Zheng Wenchang, sitting high on his horse, said, "The causes of several murders in the town have been investigated. They were definitely committed by bandits."
Fan Changyu was shocked when she heard this answer. She said, "But my house was broken into twice by bad guys..."
Zheng Wenchang interrupted her and said, "Your family was attacked twice because of a convoy your father escorted. It is said that he escorted a treasure map of the previous royal family. More than ten years ago, the entire escort company was killed by the people who stole the treasure map. Your father escaped death and returned to his hometown, where he lived a peaceful life for so many years. Recently, there was a war in Chongzhou, and the matter of the treasure map was brought up again. Some bandits found your father's whereabouts, so they came to your house several times to look for the treasure map."
This reason can indeed explain all the strange things that happened in Lin'an Town these days. Fan Changyu asked: "My parents also died at the hands of those bandits?"
Zheng Wenchang frowned, avoided Fan Changyu's gaze and said, "Of course."
After learning the real cause of his parents' death, Fan Changyu still felt heavy in his heart. He thought that his father had taught him martial arts but forbad him to fight in public because he was afraid of attracting these criminals.
She said, "I've never heard my parents mention anything about a treasure map. Is there some misunderstanding?"
Zheng Wenchang said: "The news that the treasure map is in your father's hands is naturally false. A few days ago, the Chongzhou anti-bandit group released the news that they had obtained the treasure map. The bandits will not come to the town again. You can rest assured."
As he spoke, he made another gesture with his hands, and a soldier below brought out a tray with silver. He looked at Fan Changyu with a look of strangeness that was not easily noticed: "Lord He, the governor of Jizhou, sympathizes with the people and has specially ordered me to send fifty taels of compensation."
Fan Changyu thanked him sincerely.
Neighbors also praised him: "Mr. He is truly the justice of Jizhou Prefecture. The government has allocated compensation to those who were killed by the bandits and whose families have lost their lives!"
Someone asked, "Why did I hear that other families only received 25 taels, but only the Fan family received 50 taels?"
Someone immediately said, "Only one person died in those families, but Fan Er and his wife were murdered, so they got more money."
…
The case has been closed and the seal on the Fan family’s door has been removed.
Fan Changyu cleaned the house inside and out, especially the yard and several rooms where the blood was seen. In addition to flushing them several times with water, he also sprinkled them with water boiled with pomelo leaves, saying that it could ward off evil spirits and avoid harm.
After everything at home was tidied up, Fan Changyu brought Changning and Xie Zheng back from their neighbor's house.
She lit a stick of incense and placed it in front of her parents' tablets, with a slight look of sadness in her eyes: "Dad, Mom, you can rest in peace now."
Only Xie Zheng kept frowning.
He already knew that those people were the Wei family's assassins, so they certainly couldn't be the bandits that Zheng Wenchang mentioned. What they were looking for was definitely not some damn treasure map.
However, in order to close the case, the government even made up a convincing lie and gave money to the families involved. It really took some thought.
Xie Zheng was puzzled.
If He Jingyuan also wanted to get the letter for Wei Yan, he should have sent soldiers to seal off the Fan family's house and search it carefully.
But now he has returned the house to Fan Changyu and gone to great lengths to settle several murders, as if he doesn't want to disrupt her family's original life and wants her to continue staying in this town.
What does He Jingyuan want to do?
Or did he do this because the letter that the Wei family's assassins were looking for was no longer in the Fan family?
Xie Zheng looked at the two tablets on the altar. He Jingyuan should know the true identities of the couple. Maybe he also knows the secret of the letter?
The author has something to say:
Mini-theater:
Changyu (gestures): When you become a high-ranking official in the future, help me beat up that guy named Song!
Xie Zheng: Actually, I want to beat him up right now.
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