Chapter 177
"Bright and clear——"
Shi'an hurriedly pushed away the people in front of him, and walked to Gu Changyuan in a rather embarrassed manner, reaching out to take Jiaojiao. Gu Changyuan, who had not yet come to his senses, avoided his hand and subconsciously hugged Jiaojiao in his arms.
Although his eyesight was poor, Shi'an could still see his movements from such a close distance. He frowned and was about to say something when he saw Jiaojiao, who was being held by Gu Changyuan, with tears in her eyes. She fluttered her arms and tried to move towards Shi'an's arms: "Brother Shi'an, hold Jiaojiao."
Gu Changyuan came back to his senses, looked at Shi'an who was holding out his hand and Jiaojiao who was looking at him eagerly in his arms, pulled his mouth awkwardly, and quickly stuffed Jiaojiao into Shi'an's arms.
Shi'an took Jiaojiao and looked her up and down anxiously: "How is she? Is she hurt? Does she hurt anywhere?"
Jiaojiao pointed to the place where her ribs were pinched by Gu Changyuan and said, "It's not hurt, it just hurts a little here."
It was Gu Changyuan's first time holding a child, and he didn't control the strength of his hands well. He had also practiced martial arts since childhood, and the child was squeezed so hard that tears came out.
Shi'an lifted up Jiaojiao's clothes and took a closer look. He found that there was nothing serious except a little redness, and his heart finally settled down.
His fingertips trembled as he held Jiaojiao in his arms. Fortunately, Jiaojiao was fine!
Shi'an rested his chin on Jiaojiao's furry head and took a deep breath. His rapidly beating heart hit his ribs and it hurt. The fear in his heart made it difficult for him to breathe.
Fortunately, Jiaojiao was fine!
Shi'an could only see some blurry shadows. When there were more people around, all he could see was a sea of dark figures. So when the Black Panther rushed out of control and the people around him couldn't help but scream, he, who was following behind Jiaojiao, had no idea what was happening. He was only vaguely aware that something dangerous had happened.
But when he quickened his pace to pick up Jiaojiao in front of him, someone tripped him and he flew out and fell to the ground, then hit the wall heavily. It took him a long time to recover from the fall.
"Don't be afraid." Seeing that he was a little scared, Jiaojiao stretched out her arms and hugged Shi'an with great effort, patting Shi'an's back with her small hands: "Don't be afraid, Shi'an, Jiaojiao is here!"
Zhao Chenzhou, who walked out of the wing quickly, couldn't help but "tsk" when he saw this, and sneered: "What a promising future."
After mocking Shi'an, he glanced at the black panther in front of Gu Changyuan with an ugly expression. He was not a fool. This was obviously a conspiracy against Gu Changyuan, or it was not just aimed at Gu Changyuan. It was estimated that they would also be dragged into this group of people.
Gu Changyuan came to Jianghuayuan because of a bet with him. If something happened to him in Jianghuayuan, there was no guarantee that the Zhongyuan Marquis's Mansion would not vent their anger on them. You know, the Zhongyuan Marquis's Mansion did not have many descendants, but they only had this one legitimate son.
Even though he thought so, he couldn't help but gloat over his misfortune and whispered to Gu Changyuan, "You're so lucky! It really lives up to the saying that misfortune will last for a thousand years!"
Gu Changyuan, still frightened, ignored Zhao Chenzhou. He looked at the black panther in front of him and tried to move to the left. Sure enough, he saw that the black panther, which was trying hard to suppress its instinct, turned its head along with him, and even seemed to be ready to rush up again.
Gu Changyuan immediately stopped walking, his heart tightening. He was sure that there was something on his body that attracted the black panther, otherwise the black panther would not move when Zhao Chenzhou and the others walked around, but only when he moved would the black panther follow him.
The people present also noticed this. They didn't dare to speak loudly for fear of alarming the Black Panther, and at the same time they swallowed their saliva. They were afraid that there would be trouble in the capital again.
When Xie Shuyu came up, he saw this chaotic yet quiet scene. His gaze stayed on the black panther for a moment, and then fell on Xie Jinyu, who was holding Gu Changyuan's legs and crying. He frowned in disgust, and then his eyes fell on a child who was sticking his head out of the arms of a ten-year-old boy.
Bright!
He's here like this?
Xie Shuyu was extremely surprised. When he met the bright, dark eyes, the coldness between his brows dissipated a little.
"Uncle Huaizhi!" Jiaojiao, who also saw Xie Shuyu, waved her little paws happily.
After Xie Shuyu glanced at the black panther, he put his index finger in front of his mouth, signaling Jiaojiao not to speak.
Jiaojiao immediately covered her mouth with her hands. Xie Shuyu raised the corners of his mouth slightly and silently said "be good" with his mouth. Jiaojiao, who understood, couldn't help but curl her eyes.
Xie Jinyu, who was crying while holding Gu Changyuan's legs, saw his elder brother, but before he could feel happy, he saw him flirting with the little boy from the country. He immediately frowned and snorted unhappily.
Xie Shuyu saw it but ignored the idiot.
Just as Gu Changyuan was throwing his things downstairs one by one, Yin Zheng walked up from downstairs.
After realizing that Jiaojiao was almost in danger, his face turned dark and ugly. The oppressive aura around him made the black panther lying on the ground restless, and turned its head to bare its teeth at him.
Yin Zheng's heavy gaze fell on it, and the black panther was immediately frightened and its fur stood on end. Even its back was bent, and it made threatening growling sounds from its mouth.
The nerves of the people around were instantly tense, and they secretly cursed this country bumpkin for coming to cause trouble at this time. He was so proud of winning a fight in the ring. Did he really think that this Black Panther was as easy to beat as that man?
This is a ferocious beast. Although it is captive, it has not lost its bloodiness. It is fat and strong, with shiny and smooth fur. This person has aroused its ferocity. Doesn't he want to kill them?
They lowered their voices and kept scolding Yin Zheng, asking him to retreat quickly and not try to provoke the beast again. Seeing that Yin Zheng ignored them, they couldn't help but curse Yin Zheng maliciously, asking if he wanted to kill them.
Xie Shuyu glanced at them and walked straight forward to stand beside Yin Zheng, showing with his actions that he was on Yin Zheng's side.
If there is anyone who can subdue the black panther now, Xie Shuyu can't think of anyone except Yin Zheng.
Seeing this, the people around stopped talking. They didn't believe Yin Zheng, but they believed Xie Shuyu. After all, his younger brother Xie Jinyu was still there.
Yin Zheng turned his head to glance at Xie Shuyu and then looked away. His eyes fell on the black panther, trying to figure out whether he could subdue it at the moment of its riot.
Yin Zheng had encountered ferocious beasts in the mountains before, but at that time he just wanted to kill them. But now... he looked into Jiaojiao's round eyes. Children are not suitable for bloody scenes, so what he is thinking about now is how to subdue this black panther.
Yin Zheng stared at the black panther, took a half step back and bent slightly, his Adam's apple moved slightly, and beautiful muscle lines appeared on his waist and back.
Seeing Yin Zheng's actions, everyone who realized what he was going to do swallowed their saliva at the same time. The atmosphere on the scene suddenly became tense, and everyone's eyes were fixed on Yin Zheng. At this moment, a sound of breaking air was heard, and Yin Zheng instantly turned around to look in the direction where the sound came from.
A man in black clothes with gold patterns and a fierce aura held a bow and arrow in his hand and shot three arrows at the black panther in succession. The iron arrows flew across the sky like bamboos breaking through. The arrows hit the black panther's flank, forelimbs, and left eye respectively.
Blood dripped from the place where the black panther was shot. Before everyone had time to admire the sharpness of the man's archery skills, they heard a beast roar. The beast that had been suppressing its nature was stimulated by the pain and went crazy.
It did not pounce on Yin Zheng who was in front of it and made it feel dangerous, but turned around and pounced on Gu Changyuan who was taking off the purse from his waist and throwing it downstairs behind him.
Screams, shouts, and roars of beasts filled the air in an instant!
The moment the black panther suddenly jumped up, Gu Changyuan rolled on the ground and ran several meters away, but leopards are known for their speed, and Gu Changyuan could not escape its hunting range at all.
When the black panther pressed him to the ground and bit his shoulder, a groan of pain escaped from Gu Changyuan's mouth. The fear of death made his pupils constrict.
At this moment, Yin Zheng rushed forward, stretched out his hand and grabbed the black panther's fangs at an extremely fast speed, then the veins between his arms bulged, and he horrifiedly pried open the black panther's mouth with his bare hands.
He kicked Gu Changyuan away from under the black panther, grabbed the black panther's huge head and smashed it hard against the wall.
The loud noise shook the wall cloth of Jianghuayuan, and fine dust fell from above.
After repeating this several times, the Black Panther was knocked unconscious by Yin Zheng, and the people around him looked at Yin Zheng with horror.
Yin Zheng wiped the blood splattered on his face expressionlessly, lifted up his clothes and carefully wiped the blood off his hands, then turned around and took Jiaojiao from Shi'an's arms.
Even before the arrow was shot, Shi'an, sensing the growing tension, pressed Jiaojiao's head into his arms. This caused Jiaojiao to not see anything, and she suddenly fell into a familiar embrace. Jiaojiao tilted her head to her father, then pointed at her ribs and complained aggrievedly, "It hurts a little bit."
Yin Zheng lifted up his clothes and took a look. He found that it was a little red. He frowned and carefully reached out to touch it. He patted Jiaojiao's back soothingly and said, "Go back and apply some medicine. It will stop hurting."
Seeing his cautious and distressed look, the shocked eyes of the people around him turned into something hard to describe. The redness was so severe that it was embarrassing to say that it was an injury. What was the need to feel distressed? No matter what, it would return to its original state in less than a quarter of an hour!
Jiaojiao leaned in her father's arms and nodded vigorously: "Okay."
Xie Shuyu came over: "It's okay here, let's go first."
What happens next is too complicated, Yin Zheng and Jiaojiao should not get involved.
"Uncle Huaizhi, hug me!" Jiaojiao, who hadn't seen Xie Shuyu for a long time, reached out for a hug.
Xie Shuyu reached out and hugged him: "Do you still remember me?"
"Remember, Jiaojiao misses uncle."
Xie Shuyu raised the corner of his mouth slightly and reached out to poke his chubby face.
Yin Zheng went to Zhao Chenzhou to get the agreed three hundred taels of silver. Before leaving, Jiaojiao pointed at the snacks on the low table and said, "Brother said Jiaojiao can take some home."
Yin Zheng looked at Zhao Chenzhou, who nodded with a numb face. Seeing this, he went to find someone to get the packaged oil paper.
Holding the packed snacks, Jiaojiao waved her little paws at Zhao Chenzhou as she was carried away: "Goodbye, brother."
Zhao Chenzhou stood upstairs, staring at him numbly without saying a word. Li Yang, standing beside him, said, "I didn't expect they even knew the eldest son of the Xie family."
Yes, he is the eldest son of the Xie family who is both civil and military!
Now, at such a young age, he has been appointed as the Minister of Dali Temple.
The Xie family has produced many talented people and is noble and elegant. Xie Shuyu is the most dazzling member of this generation of the Xie family. He was already famous all over the world when he was still young.
It makes people of his age pale in comparison!
But this person has a cold and aloof temperament, as if he was watered from a cold pond, making people afraid to approach him.
They didn't expect that they could actually see such a person holding a child. It's really...
“Big Brother——”
Xie Jinyu, who was still upstairs, yelled at the top of his lungs, "Your brother is here! You've got the wrong person!"
Xie Shuyu didn't even stop, pretending not to hear, and left with Jiaojiao in his arms.
Zhao Chenzhou, who was upstairs, looked at Xie Jinyu, who was crying with tears streaming down her face and whose legs were so weak that she couldn't move. He then looked at Xie Shuyu, who showed no sign of looking back, and couldn't help but twitched the corners of his mouth.
Not long after Xie Shuyu, Yin Zheng and others left, people from the Military Affairs Department arrived and blocked the entire Jianghua Courtyard.
Yin Zheng and his companions met Madam Qin and her companions at the gate of Liu's residence. Jiaojiao, who was holding onto her father's trouser legs and carrying a newly bought small backpack, ran over to Qin Mianmian as soon as she saw her. "Mianmian~"
Qin Mianmian caught Jiaojiao who was running towards her, smiling so much that dimples appeared on her face: "Jiaojiao, did you miss me?"
"I miss you!" Jiaojiao said as she put down the small backpack and took out a packet of snacks wrapped in oil paper: "Give it to Mianmian."
Qin Mianmian took the snack, pulled Jiaojiao and ran to a lady dressed in luxurious clothes and said, "Jiaojiao, this is my mother."
He then pointed to the tall, slender middle-aged man next to Madam Qin and said, "This is my father."
Mrs. Qin and Mr. Qin came this time to thank Yin Zheng and others for saving Qin Mianmian, but it was not appropriate to talk about this in the street, so a group of people entered the house.
Xie Shuyu was very surprised that Mianmian in Jiaojiao's letter was the legitimate son of the Qin family. He had already known from Jiaojiao's letter that they had rescued a child named Mianmian from a kidnapper, but he had never connected the child with the legitimate son who had lost in the Qin Mansion.
Qin Yan'an and his wife had long wanted to thank Yin Zheng and Jiaojiao, but when the empress dowager in the palace learned that Mianmian had returned, she summoned their family to the palace that same day. The mother and daughter hugged each other and cried bitterly, then stayed in the palace for another three days before returning home. This time, they hurriedly prepared a thank-you gift and went to the Li Mansion.
Qin Yan'an and his wife prepared generous gifts of thanks, and considering that Yin Zheng and his family had no place to stay when they first arrived in the capital, they also added a few houses there.
Yin Zheng glanced at the thick stack of house deeds, land deeds, shop deeds, two boxes of gold, silver and jewelry, and two boxes of books as thank-you gifts on the table. He really couldn't associate it with the word "small gift".
He saved Qin Mianmian because of Jiaojiao. Otherwise, like the other children who were abducted, he would not pay too much attention to them, nor would he take them home to raise them.
It was because he had no intention of saving Qin Mianmian at the beginning that Yin Zheng did not intend to acknowledge the title of savior.
Although Mrs. Qin was a little surprised by Yin Zheng's refusal, she was not surprised for too long. There are always some people in this world who do not value gold and silver, even if they are in poverty themselves.
"Since you said you saved Mianmian because of Jiaojiao, then this thank-you gift should be received by Jiaojiao, right?"
Jiaojiao doesn't know how to count money, so if someone gives him money, he might really accept it.
Seeing Yin Zheng's hesitation, Xie Shuyu beside him lowered his voice and said, "Take it. It will make them feel better if you take it. If you don't, people will suspect that you are using the favor to gain greater benefits."
This is a common problem among dignitaries and nobles. Although they have no ill will towards Yin Zheng, if Yin Zheng really does not accept their thank-you gifts, they can't help but have wild thoughts.
Yin Zheng lowered his eyes and thought for a while before accepting the thank-you gift. However, he did not accept all of it. He only accepted the house and a small amount of gold and silver.
Qin Yan'an and his wife exchanged glances after seeing this and didn't try to persuade her any further. Before leaving, Mrs. Qin placed a pure gold safety lock around Jiaojiao's neck and said with a smile, "I specially had two locks made for me, one for Mianmian and one for Jiaojiao."
Jiaojiao glanced at the safety lock on her chest and said, "Thank you, Auntie."
Mrs. Qin was a little surprised when a child called her "Auntie" for the first time. "You're welcome."
She couldn't help but stroke Jiaojiao's fuzzy head. "Mianmian rarely has such a good playmate. Don't underestimate her age; she's actually quite proud. She'd rather stay home all day studying chess than go out and play with the kids she despises. I'm so happy to see Jiaojiao and Mianmian get along so well."
"Hello, Mianmian." Jiaojiao, who didn't quite understand, defended her little friend.
Hearing this, Mrs. Qin couldn't help but smile with her hands covering her lips. This child is so adorable, I don't know how they raised him.
After Madam Qin and the others left, only Yin Zheng and Xie Shuyu were left.
As early as yesterday, Yin Zheng took the admission letter from Songyang Academy to take the entrance examination. The results will be out in a few days.
Originally, Yin Zheng was a little worried about what would happen to Jiaojiao if he went to Songyang Academy, and then Xie Shuyu appeared in front of him.
Xie Shuyu was very experienced in taking care of Jiaojiao, so he agreed as soon as Yin Zheng opened his mouth.
The incident at Jianghuayuan came to a conclusion in the evening. The black panther had been drugged, and Gu Changyuan's hairpin was stained with powder that attracted wild beasts. That was why the mad black panther rushed straight towards Gu Changyuan.
Fortunately, Yin Zheng later knocked the black panther unconscious. Although the wound on Gu Changyuan's shoulder looked horrifying, it did not damage his bones and muscles, and he would be able to heal after some time.
The person who shot the arrow was Wei Botao from the Wei family. His purpose of shooting the arrow was to save people, but he didn't expect that it would drive the beast crazy instead.
As for the mastermind behind this incident, he was not found, but the man who raised the leopard was imprisoned in Dali Temple, and the black panther that injured people was dealt with.
The Marquis of Zhongyuan later approached Yin Zheng and prepared a lot of gifts to thank him for saving the young Master Gu.
Because of the relationship between the Qin Mansion, the Zhongyuan Marquis Mansion and the Xie Family, those who originally coveted Youyou gave up the idea.
It's obvious that no one would offend three families at the same time for such a deer. I don't know how this person who came from the countryside got so lucky that he actually had connections with the Zhongyuan Marquis Mansion, the Qin Mansion and the Xie Family.
Now that he had the house, Yin Zheng planned to move out. It was not a good idea to live in the Liu Mansion like this forever.
Liu Jingcheng was surprised to learn that Yin Zheng knew Xie Shuyu, the legitimate son of the Xie family, Qin Yan'an, the Minister of History, and had saved the young Master Gu. When he learned that Yin Zheng was going to move out, he hurried over to help and took the servants of the Liu Mansion to help clean the house inside and out.
Coincidentally, the house was not far from the Liu Mansion. It was just across the street from the Suiyu Bridge. It was fully furnished and ready for people to live in.
Liu Xingzhi heard noises coming from the courtyard in front and knew that Yin Zheng and the others were moving out. He looked out the window and saw Jingcheng there, so it seemed like he didn't need to take care of anything. Thinking about this, his gaze fell back on the book.
The midday sunlight came into the room through the window. The room was silent except for the occasional sound of turning pages and the scent of ink. A servant came to report that there was a child at the door who wanted to see him.
Liu Xingzhi paused as he turned the page. The image of the child who had been tugging at his trouser leg and walking slowly that day came to his mind. He looked up at the servant and asked, "Child?"
"It's the kid from Hefengyuan."
The servant thought that the eldest young master would not pay any attention to him. If the child had not looked up at him with a look that he could not refuse, he would not have mustered up the courage to disturb the young master for such a small matter.
But I didn't expect to hear only a rustling sound, and when I looked up again, I saw that the young master had stood up and walked towards the door.
The servant had surprise in his eyes and hurriedly followed.
When Liu Xingzhi arrived at the main hall, he saw a child in a green and white brocade robe with cloud patterns standing obediently there, holding something in his arms. Seeing him coming, he ran up to him, looked up at him, his watery eyes curved, and he said softly, "Uncle."
"Yeah." Liu Xingzhi squatted down in the servant's surprised eyes: "What's the matter?"
"Uncle, look." Jiaojiao showed him what was in her arms.
Liu Xingzhi's eyes fell on the thing in his arms, which was a Cuju.
Jiaojiao placed the Cuju ball in her arms at Liu Xingzhi's feet: "Uncle, kick it."
Although he didn't understand why, Liu Xingzhi still moved his feet and kicked the Cuju out. Jiaojiao quickly ran forward to catch up with the Cuju, brought it back and placed it at Liu Xingzhi's feet again. She pulled Liu Xingzhi's fingers that were resting on his knees, raised her fair and tender face and said excitedly, "It's fun, let uncle play with it."
During the few days at the Liu Mansion, Liu Xingzhi would always "accidentally" run into Jiaojiao, and then bring Jiaojiao some delicious food. He didn't understand why he behaved so abnormally, but he just inexplicably wanted to see this child.
Jiaojiao, who had been fed delicious food by her uncle for several days, was about to move away, so she planned to give a gift to this uncle who was as quiet as her father. The Cuju ball was a new toy he had just gotten in the past two days. It was very fun, and Jiaojiao liked it very much. She played with her father and Shi'an in the yard for two days in a row.
After considering for a long time, Jiaojiao finally made up his mind to give the Cuju ball to Uncle Xingzhi, because in his young mind, giving gifts is the best thing, and the Cuju ball at the moment is what he thinks is the best thing.
However, Liu Xingzhi did not like Cuju, or rather, he had never played something that required multiple people to play together.
He stared into the bright eyes. The sunlight from the sky shone down and shattered into the pair of dark and clean eyes in front of him, making the eyes seem to be filled with fragmented light, and as if they hid an entire galaxy. They were dazzlingly beautiful, and clean enough to make people feel at ease.
He moved his feet lightly and kicked the Cuju at his feet away. Jiaojiao chased after it with thumps and thumps. This time he did not hug it, but gathered up all his strength and kicked the Cuju towards him.
Facing the astonished eyes of the servants, they showed almost no emotion, as if the eldest master as quick as a stone was playing Cuju with a three-year-old child. This weird scene made them think that they were dreaming, so they pinched their thighs hard, and then gritted their teeth as they realized that this was reality.
When Jiaojiao waved her little hand to him, then turned around and called Daddy, and ran towards the man outside the yard.
Liu Xingzhi, who was standing behind him and looking at him with a Cuju in his hand, had to admit in his heart that he liked this child whom he had not been with for long.
This little kid named Jiaojiao is soft and small, and is more sympathetic than many of the nephews and nieces in the family, especially to him.
In the past few days, he has re-understood the word "soft-hearted". In the past, he could not understand the word soft-hearted and did not understand why people's hearts would be soft. It was simply a fairy tale. But it was not until this moment that he understood that people's hearts really can be soft.
At that moment, a strange emotion arose in his heart, which was beating thumpingly in his chest. At that moment, he knew that it was soft-heartedness.
On the day that Dad went to Songyang College, Jiaojiao got up early and went to see Dad off with Brother Shian.
Yin Zheng, who was sent to school by Jiaojiao, inexplicably felt that his identity seemed to be reversed with Jiaojiao's.
Ever since Yin Zheng went to study at Songyang College, he entered the college at Chen time every morning and came out at You time in the evening. During this period of time, Xie Shuyu would come out of court early and take Jiaojiao out to show off.
Yes, show off!
Before this, people in the capital would not have associated these two words with Xie Shuyu. However, after Xie Shuyu held Jiaojiao in his arms and walked around in front of them for a month, occasionally asking Jiaojiao to recite the Thousand Character Classic to them, or showing them Jiaojiao's handwriting and saying something that was both explicit and implicitly praising, and his writing was so weak and powerless, no matter how dumb they were, they could tell that he was showing off.
Qi Yanxiu, the son of Marquis Wu'an, was amazed and even suspected that his friend was possessed by evil spirits. He almost went to Zhenguo Temple to ask monks to chant scriptures to exorcise the evil spirits for him. It was not until he remembered that Xie Shuyu asked him to copy a parenting manual last year that he gave up the idea.
In a blink of an eye, a month passed. One day, when Xie Shuyu was leaving court, he was stopped by a eunuch and led to the side hall of the government hall, where a man in gorgeous clothes was waiting.
"Your Majesty!"
When Xie Shuyu saw the man, he quickly bowed, wondering why His Majesty had summoned him.
Emperor Yongzheng half-closed his eyes, as if lost in thought. He only came back to his senses after hearing the voice. He looked at Xie Shuyu with a smile in his eyes, "Thank you, there's no need to be so polite. I'm wearing ordinary clothes, so you don't have to treat me like a king."
Xie Shuyu still maintained a respectful attitude.
Half an hour later, Emperor Yongzheng Huo Youqi and Xie Shuyu left the palace and headed towards Suiyu Street.
Two-in-one
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