Tailai
Fan Wenlan is dead.
Dead in her bed with a dagger stuck in her neck.
Lord Qi personally brought people to check it out, followed by Merlin, whom he had to use.
Merlin was not a coroner and did not know how to perform an autopsy. He only took a look at Fan Wenlan's body and found that she looked calm, as if she had fallen asleep.
After bowing to the corpse, he turned around to check the doors, windows and furnishings in the house.
The windows were locked from the inside, the room was tidy, and there were no signs of a fight.
When I came, I heard Nanny Fang say that no one answered the door when she knocked, and she couldn't push the door open. In her anxiety and worry, she asked someone to break down the door.
From this, it can be inferred that Fan Wenlan most likely committed suicide.
"That dagger didn't belong to my grandmother. I once sent people to dig out all the sharp weapons in her house and take them away to prevent her from hurting herself."
After initially concluding that Fan Wenlan died of suicide, Tan Linshuang questioned the murder weapon.
"Young master is right. Not only in the old lady's room, but even in the entire main courtyard, you can't find a dagger like this." Nanny Fang nodded in agreement.
Master Qi was momentarily perplexed and asked casually, "Could the dagger have been given to her by someone else?"
Everyone fell silent.
Merlin quietly looked at Tan Moxiang and recognized her as the woman who rescued him that night.
It turned out that she was Tan Sanniang, who was brought back to the mansion by the old lady from the Chastity Hall.
Tan Moxiang seemed to notice his gaze, glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, hesitated for a moment, and recognized him.
But she remained calm.
Merlin also looked away, turning to the others in the room.
Except for Zhao Mingyan, who had difficulty moving, all the family members of the Tan family had arrived. Meilin saw many unfamiliar faces, including Jiang Yu'e.
Judging from her age, she should be his aunt.
Jiang Yu'e stood at the end of the crowd, looking indifferent and as if it had nothing to do with her.
Merlin quickly looked away. He was just a clerk and had no responsibility for the case.
In the end, Fan Wenlan's case was concluded as suicide, and no one asked about the origin of the dagger anymore.
Tan Linshuang held a grand funeral for Fan Wenlan. Li Yuzhu and Meilin, as relatives, also attended. Meilin found that Tan Linshuang had calmed down a lot, a calmness that came from the relief of having avenged his great hatred.
In addition to him, Tan Moxiang and Jiang Yu'e were also in this state.
Not long after, he heard that Jiang Yu'e had returned to the Tan family's ancestral tomb to continue guarding the mausoleum, because her two children were buried there.
Tan Moxiang then left the Tan Mansion and returned to her husband's home.
It was then that he learned from Li Yuzhu that although Fan Wenlan deliberately chose a sickly man as a husband for Tan Moxiang, the couple had a harmonious relationship after marriage and her parents-in-law treated her well. However, Fan Wenlan could not bear to see her live a happy life, so he sent her to the Chastity Hall on the grounds of preserving her chastity.
But Fan Wenlan never expected that Tan Moxiang actually built a weaving room in Zhenjie Hall and started a Shu brocade business.
The narrow-minded Fan Wenlan used the same trick again and took her back to the Tan Mansion and placed her under house arrest.
But in the end, she still got her freedom, but Fan Wenlan himself lost everything, including his life.
As the saying goes, when the Hu fall, the monkeys scatter. After Fan Wenlan's death, the servants in the main courtyard scattered like birds and beasts. They were either assigned to other courtyards or left the Tan Mansion.
Nanny Yin also took Ah Zhu away and prepared to return to her hometown to live.
They were different from other servants, especially Nanny Yin, who had accumulated a lot of money in her early years. With the addition of a box of jewelry given by Tan Linshuang, she bought land and built a house after returning and became masters herself.
Some second- and third-rank servants in the main courtyard chose to join the wealthy mother and daughter based on the principle of serving the familiar rather than the stranger. Nanny Yin treated them well and gave them more monthly wages than when they were in the Tan Mansion, so everyone was happy.
Ah Zhu's syphilis was cured, but her spirits were much worse. In order to let her rest, Nanny Yin built a small building for her with an excellent view. When she had nothing to do, she would sit by the window and look at the pastoral scenery outside.
Nanny Yin has made plans to support her for the rest of her life. After all, she has been abused by Tan Mozhu and it will be difficult for her to find a good family again. Instead of marrying into a wronged family, it is better to follow the example of Qin Yurong. As long as she has money, she will not be afraid of a bad life.
Unexpectedly, one day a year later, a carpenter came into Azhu's sight and also into her heart.
He was Nie Sanlang, who had returned to his hometown to attend his cousin's wedding.
The two looked at each other from a distance, and their fate was forged.
Nie Sanlang, who missed the good marriage with Zhao Mingyan, did not seek marriage again, but concentrated on learning the craft. Although he was not born in a high family, he had high aspirations and would rather be single than marry someone bad.
However, due to the environment he grew up in, his vision was limited to either marrying the woman of his dreams or marrying into a good family.
When he met Zhao Mingyan, he chose the latter, but after missing her, he returned to the former.
Now that he met Ah Zhu, he married into the Yin family without hesitation.
It’s not that he doesn’t care about Ah Zhu’s experiences, but compared with the fine clothes and delicious food, those experiences are not worth mentioning.
After marrying Ah Zhu, he no longer had to work hard as a carpenter. He only had to coax his wife and be filial to his mother-in-law. It didn't matter if the child didn't have his surname. He had lost his parents since he was a child, and no one had ever told him that having no children was the most important thing. He just wanted to live a good life.
He has ambitions, but not much; he has selfishness, but not much.
Nanny Yin and her daughter left the Tan family, just like a frog out of a well, and started a new life.
But Nanny Fang, who was also one of Fan Wenlan's confidants, did not want to leave. She had no children and had never been married. Fan Wenlan was her only family, and the Tan Mansion was her home. She had nowhere else to go even with the money.
Tan Linshuang asked her to work with A Tao to take care of the affairs in the backyard.
Nanny Qiu did not leave either, but stayed in the South House, waiting for the arrival of the new master.
After everything was settled, news came from the government that Tan Mozhu died on the road. It was said that he died of illness and died on the day of Fan Wenlan's funeral.
"They, mother and son, have finally reunited in the underworld." Tan Linshuang said expressionlessly.
Zhao Mingyan took his hand and touched her bulging belly. "It's all in the past. Let's look forward. Our baby will be born soon."
Hearing this, Tan Linshuang smiled, gently stroked Zhao Mingyan's pregnant belly, and leaned her face against it.
Zhao Mingyan looked at him, her eyes flashing, "Next, I will be even more inconvenienced."
"Well, I have asked Xingzi and Meizi to come and help Xiaozhu take care of the inner courtyard." Tan Linshuang said.
Zhao Mingyan pursed her lips and said, "Just let them take care of you. There are other maids for matters concerning the inner courtyard."
Tan Linshuang frowned and looked up at her, "What do you mean, my lady?"
Zhao Mingyan lowered her head, not meeting his gaze. "I arranged for them to live in the small courtyard in the north, just so you could have another place to stay."
"They will soon reach adulthood and understand some of the sexual matters between men and women. They are no longer ignorant of the ways of the world and can become your sweethearts."
"You are my only confidant, Zhao Mingyan!" Tan Linshuang straightened up, reached out and pinched her chin, lifting her head. "Remember what I told you before, to see yourself clearly first, and then sort out your relationships with others?"
Zhao Mingyan was stunned, and then he heard him say: "I see myself very clearly. I don't need a concubine, and I will not find other women to warm your bed while you are pregnant with our child."
"I wish to find someone who loves me and we will be together till we grow old together. This is what my father once said to my mother, and he did it. They never separated until they died."
"Do you know when he said this to my mother?" He stared at Zhao Mingyan.
Zhao Mingyan shook her head.
Tan Linshuang released her chin and held her hands, "When my mother was pregnant with me."
"My father told me that as soon as my mother became pregnant with me, my grandmother planned to send her maidservant to his room. My father flatly refused. So my grandmother announced to the public that my mother was jealous and would not let my father take a concubine even though she was pregnant. My mother was so angry that she almost had a miscarriage."
"My father had a big fight with my grandmother over this, and then he promised my mother that he would not take a concubine or a mistress, and that he only wanted to spend his life with her."
"My parents' relationship had a great influence on me, but after they died, I forgot about love and only remembered hatred."
"No wonder you didn't want to consummate your marriage with me, because I was the wife your grandmother chose for you, and you hate me because of me." Zhao Mingyan said with a smile.
Tan Linshuang didn't deny it. She released her hands and held her feet. "But when I saw you without bound feet that night, my dislike for you... cough! Then I developed a slight liking for you."
"Why?" Zhao Mingyan asked curiously.
When the two of them were playing with the red silk curtain before, she had vaguely seen from some of Tan Linshuang's words that he disliked foot binding, but she didn't know the reason.
Tan Linshuang frowned and talked about a childhood memory.
"After my parents passed away, my grandmother took me to the main courtyard. At first, I slept in the same bed with her. But one night, when she was washing my feet, I saw her deformed feet. I fainted on the spot. When I woke up, I refused to sleep with her no matter what."
"She couldn't understand it and thought I hadn't recovered from my grief, so she asked A Tao, A Yun, and my master to take care of me day and night."
"I moved into another room, kept the door closed all day, and never left the house. People mistakenly thought I was recuperating, but in fact I was learning martial arts from my master."
"If you hadn't been scared by your grandmother's foot binding, you would have hardly had the opportunity to practice martial arts under Tan Mozhu's nose." Zhao Mingyan concluded with a smile.
"Hahaha..." Tan Linshuang laughed.
"When the cause is established, the fruit is also slowly growing." Zhao Mingyan added.
Tan Linshuang was stunned, thinking of her original intention of bringing Xingzi and Meizi back, and hesitated whether to confess to Zhao Mingyan.
"Why do you put this picture under your pillow?"
Just as he was about to tell the truth, he suddenly saw Zhao Mingyan handing him a portrait. It was the painting he had completed after the two of them played with the red silk curtain that day.
In an instant, he went from feeling guilty to being frank. "The one in the painting is you, my dear lady, who makes my heart beat fast. That's why I keep you under my head every night, letting this love blossom and bear fruit."
On the winter solstice, Zhao Mingyan gave birth to a daughter.
The Tan and Zhao families held a grand banquet at the same time, inviting neighbors and villagers from Yongnian Town and Zhaohua Town to attend.
From inside the mansion to outside the mansion, and then to along the streets, the tables were set up. After one batch of customers finished eating, another batch came. There were all kinds of dishes, from those flying in the sky to those running on the ground and those swimming in the water. It was even more lively than the Chinese New Year.
The lanterns are lit from day to night, shining brightly.
"It's a pity that the word 'bamboo' has been tarnished by that black-hearted bamboo."
Tan Linshuang closed the door, blocking out the laughter and joy outside, hugged her infant daughter, and named her with Zhao Mingyan.
"There is no bamboo, but there is a lamp!" said Zhao Mingyan.
"Tan Dengdeng?" Tan Linshuang raised her eyebrows.
"Wow..." The daughter in his arms suddenly cried, as if she was not satisfied with the name.
Zhao Mingyan laughed dumbly, "My daughter is unhappy."
Tan Linshuang quickly hugged her daughter and rocked her gently, "Don't call her Tan Dengdeng. You are our precious jewel, so let's call you... Tan Mingzhu."
"Mingzhu?" Zhao Mingyan thought for a moment and smiled. "What a nice name!"
Zhao Mingyan had a very good confinement period and when she came out, she had become a little plumper.
She was still the same as before she got married, not considering thinness as beauty. She despised all the concepts such as "thin as paper", "willow waist", "pale skin is the only beauty", "small feet don't feel pain, just want to marry well"... Not only did she despise them herself, she also patiently corrected the women around her, saying that being morbid is not beauty.
After leaving the confinement period, she continued to study lanterns and prepare for the Lantern Festival in the new year.
Without Fan Wenlan's pressure, Tan Linshuang completely gave up on taking the imperial examination. While helping Zhao Mingyan manage Mingyuezhai's business, he also planted a large number of bamboos, preparing to revive the Bamboo Forest Trading Company.
Since Zhao Mingyan was busy with the children and the lanterns during this period, the weaving room of Zhenjie Hall was handed over to Tan Moxiang.
After the Chastity Hall was repaired, the chaste women did not return home but continued to weave brocades at the Zhao family's villa, leaving only rows of chastity archways standing there, gradually cracking under the wind and sun...
The following year, when lanterns were presented to the palace, the lanterns from Mingyuezhai finally broke through the siege and shone brightly in the palace again.
Through a year of studying instruments, Zhao Mingyan twisted out a spiral copper wire, creating the illusion of the wire spinning, and then pasted on the lantern cover, thus creating a three-color rotating lantern.
Later, she applied this method to larger lanterns. First, she used painted paper to stick together a complete dragon skeleton, then embedded spiral copper wires of corresponding sizes inside, and finally built in candlelight to reflect the dragon's body with golden armor and red spine. Combined with the visual illusion, the dragon came to life. It was more realistic than the phoenix lantern she made last year and was praised as the "three-color crawling dragon."
After being admired for their scenery in the capital, Zhao Mingyan and Tan Linshuang went to pay homage to Zhao's father as soon as they returned to Zhaohua Town.
"Dad, I didn't let you down. Whatever a man can do, I can do too." Zhao Mingyan smiled with tears in her eyes.
The Lantern Festival is over, the excitement is gone, and life returns to normal.
After going through many hardships, Zhao Mingyan and Tan Linshuang did not blindly pursue having many children. Instead, in order to prevent the next generation from repeating the same mistakes, especially to prevent their daughters from being trapped by gender shackles, they not only expanded their business and reputation, but also sought to bargain in the current institutional loopholes.
Hundreds of years later, Xuzhou Prefecture became Zigong City. The Zigong people's preference for girls over boys became well-known far and wide, and Zigong lanterns became famous all over the world. The Zigong International Dinosaur Lantern Festival was even hailed as "the best lantern in the world."
In 1964, the Zigong Municipal People's Government held the first Zigong Spring Lantern Festival, with Zigong Lantern Park as the venue.
In 1964, the Zigong Municipal People's Government held the first Zigong Spring Lantern Festival, officially kicking off the development of the Zigong Lantern Festival brand.
In 1990, the Zigong Lantern Festival went abroad for the first time and lit up the lights at Yuhua Garden in Singapore.
In 2018, Zigong City became one of China's first thirteen national cultural export bases.
During the 2023 Spring Festival, the "Colorful Lanterns Illuminate the World, Civilization Spreads Across the World" international touring exhibition project will continue to be held in cities such as Montauban, France, Nashville, USA, Santiago, Chile, Porto, Portugal, Montreal, Canada and Tokyo, Japan.
On the evening of January 17, 2025, the 31st Zigong International Dinosaur Lantern Festival kicked off in Zigong City, Sichuan Province. With the theme of "Lanterns Celebrate China's Magnificent Scenery", it carefully created seven theme areas including "Welcome the Spring Festival", "Colorful China", "Joyful Celebration" and "The Brilliance of Civilizations".
The stars are shining, the lanterns are still lit. (End)
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