Chapter 286: Handsome men are not good people!!
That night, when Xiao Yan returned home, the night watch drum outside had already struck three times. His feet were a little muddy, and his brows were cold and murderous.
"How's things going in Rongjiang?"
"The three groups we sent earlier have all arrived. They've dispersed to various locations to investigate those who were still alive. Jinyun also set off southward in the afternoon."
Cang Lang said, "Don't worry, Governor. It's been so many years since this happened. The Lu family wouldn't have guessed there was any evidence left, nor would they have been on guard. I just don't know if anyone who knew about it back then is still alive after all these years."
Xiao Yan's expression was cold. "The disaster didn't just affect Rongjiang. Twenty years ago, the Lu family wasn't even the most prominent of the aristocratic families. They were able to massacre Rongjiang simply because it was remote and there was an epidemic. Crown Prince Li ordered a lockdown in advance. But the disaster affected over a hundred counties in thirteen states. They couldn't have massacred them all."
At that time, Lu Chongyuan was not able to cover up everything, and Emperor An was still a low-ranking prince, so it was difficult for him to be thorough, and he had to collude with the bandits and leave evidence.
Afterwards, the Lu family and Emperor An could not have killed all those who knew about the incident, otherwise it might alarm the outside world. In order to appease them and leave a way out for themselves, the most likely possibility was that they promised benefits to recruit those people who had committed the disaster with them.
"The past few days, Qian Baokun and I have been reviewing the official deployments and disaster reports from that year. Shezhou, Langzhou, and Raozhou were the three places that suffered the most severe damage that year. They are also the places where Emperor An gained the most fame by suppressing the rebellion after the riot. Especially in Shezhou, more than half of the officials there were promoted and transferred after the flood."
"It's only been twenty years. It's impossible to erase all traces. Unless everyone in the Southland is extinct, I doubt I'll find a few people who know the truth even if I dig three feet underground."
Canglang tightened his grip upon hearing this, and his eyes darkened as he recalled what was written in the blood letter: "Superintendent is right. If Jinyun goes there in person, he will definitely be able to bring it back."
Xiao Yan looked up in the direction of the Imperial Palace and decided to bear with them for a while longer until he could bring the person back...
There was murderous intent in his eyes, but it disappeared in an instant.
Canglang followed Xiao Yan to the backyard and saw that the Heli Hall was pitch black. He said, "The Governor has been out of town today and hasn't had time to eat. I'll have someone prepare some..."
“No need.”
Xiao Yan didn't have much of an appetite at first, but suddenly he remembered what Tang Ning had said during the day. He knew that the girl should have rested by now, but he had an inexplicable intuition that she might still be waiting for him.
"Go to Tang Mansion."
…
The Governor's Mansion and the Tang Mansion opened a small door in the backyard. Not many people knew about this. The servants in the two mansions kept their mouths shut and no one dared to say anything to outsiders.
When Xiao Yan led Canglang through the dark courtyard all the way to Jiuxiao Courtyard, he looked up at the plaque above his head and suddenly chuckled for no reason. It was the little girl who asked him to write this plaque. He didn't know why when he wrote it, but later he found out that it was hung in front of her courtyard.
Heli Hall.
Jiuxiaoyuan.
The cry of cranes reaches the sky, and its voice is heard in the wilds; fish hide in the deep or on the islets.
"Lord Xiao."
Xiao Yan walked into the courtyard, and the maid guarding outside hurriedly saluted.
Xiao Yan stopped her from talking: "Where is the girl?"
"Inside."
Xiao Yan walked towards the room. The maid's face showed a strange expression, but when she remembered that the governor's identity was different from that of ordinary men and women, she relaxed.
When Xiao Yan came closer, he saw through the window that Tang Ning was telling stories about strange mountains and wild things to Xue Ru and Hua Wu who were huddled beside her.
The little girl huddled by the window, the light and shadow in the room fell on her face, and her cheeks were glowing softly.
Xue Ru next to him and Hua Wu in front of him were both supporting their chins and listening attentively.
"The rabbit was originally a wild spirit, but it didn't harm living creatures. It usually fed on mountain dew and grass. It would often transform into a human form and go down the mountain to fight against the strong and help the weak, protecting the local people. However, a scholar discovered its true form."
"The scholar had heard a wandering Taoist priest jokingly say that eating the flesh of a monster could open one's mind and grant immortality. Knowing that little rabbits are kind-hearted, he pretended to be robbed and injured by bandits. This allowed him to approach the naive rabbit monster and seduce her with his affection."
"The little rabbit loves beautiful things. The scholar is handsome and sweet-talking. The little rabbit soon falls deeply in love with him..."
"What happened next?" Xue Ru had a bad feeling.
Tang Ning smiled slightly. "Later, the scholar gained the rabbit's trust and knew her weakness. On the day they got married, the rabbit became his meal."
“…”
Xue Ru frowned and her face turned pale, while Hua Wu had tears in her eyes.
Xiao Yan, who was standing outside, had never expected that his little girl would tell such a horror story. Before he could recover from his shock, he heard Tang Ning change the subject: "It's just that the little rabbit had done good deeds for many years and had merits, so God gave her a chance to start over."
Hua Wu, who had just been crying, immediately looked up, and Xue Ru also looked at Tang Ning with big eyes.
"The little rabbit is alive again?"
"Yes, she's alive again. She returned to the day she first met the scholar. The scholar still pretended to be robbed and injured, and fell on the side of the road. When the little rabbit passed by, he looked weak and begged for help. He even put on his best appearance to provoke the little rabbit..."
"Where is the little rabbit?" Hua Wu asked anxiously.
Xue Ru also said: "Sister, little rabbit won't be soft-hearted again, right?"
Tang Ning smiled and said, "Of course not. The little rabbit beat the scholar to death with a stick." Seeing the two little girls stunned for a moment, she smiled and said, "Do you know what the moral of this story is?"
Hua Wu blurted out: "You can't judge a man by his face!"
Xue Ru: “???”
Tang Ning: “???”
Canglang outside: “???”
Hua Wu saw that both of them were looking at her, and she blinked in confusion. "Did this servant say something wrong? If that scholar was ugly, Little Rabbit would look down on him, and since he looked down on him, he wouldn't have any bad intentions. And because he's handsome, Little Rabbit would be blinded by his sweet words. If he were ugly, his lies would have been exposed long ago."
Tang Ning was silent for a moment and wanted to refute, but when the words came to his lips, he felt that what Hua Wu said seemed to be correct.
Although beauty and ugliness are not determined by people, she never thinks that appearance can be used to judge a person's goodness or badness, but when a handsome man says sweet words to an ugly man, everyone will be more likely to believe the former.
Xue Ru initially thought that Hua Wu was wrong, but after thinking about it with her head tilted, she felt that it made sense. The little rabbit had saved countless people, so why did it only bring the scholar back? Wasn't it because he was infatuated with the scholar's beauty?
Hua Wu said seriously, "So, the girl's story is telling us that you shouldn't pick up men on the street, especially pretty ones. Even better, if they're good-looking and try too hard to be nice to you, they're definitely not good guys!!!"
Tang Ning was stunned for a moment, thinking that this was weird.
Canglang outside the door subconsciously looked at the peerless and considerate governor beside him and burst out laughing.
Xiao Yan: “…”
Thank you, I understand.
The sudden laughter outside startled the three people in the room. Tang Ning subconsciously turned around and saw Xiao Yan's exceptionally handsome face in the light and shadow. His features were deep, his brows were sparkling, and his slender figure blended in the moonlight. At a glance, even the bright moonlight was robbed of seven points of its coldness by him.
Tang Ning suddenly turned around and looked at Hua Wu, and the next moment he also burst into laughter, leaning over the table with his shoulders shaking with laughter.
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