Chapter 6 Lan Xiurong
Although Qiandeng felt that the flower path was messy, he didn't want to dampen his interest, so he replied, "Although this flower path is a bit messy, it can be considered a natural and wild place."
Jin Tang's eyes lit up when he received her approval. He led everyone out of the flower path with great joy and clapped his hands again.
The servants of the Jin family had already set up the stove, taken out pollen and glutinous rice flour, and steamed the pine flower cake.
The servants in the house of the richest man in Chang'an usually served when he went out. They quickly spread out brocade in the mountains and fields, built a canopy, and covered it with gauze to block out the mud and dust and prevent idle people from spying on the county lady's whereabouts.
Under a cool breeze, half-obstructed by sunlight, the Jin family's servants filed in, bringing a variety of food, cakes, and fruits. The five-colored cakes were delicately crafted, comparable to Shi Jingning's. They also included peaches, apricots, cherries, and green plums, rare in Chang'an at the time. Doused with butter, yogurt, and honey, they were presented to everyone.
These early-ripening fruits are grown using hot springs near Mount Li, so they bloom and bear fruit earlier than in other places. These seemingly ordinary little things are truly precious.
Wei Fengyang praised: "As expected of the richest man in Chang'an, he has everything he needs and never asks for help from others!"
"No... Actually, there are some things I want to ask the county lady." Jin Tang looked at the guards from the mansion brought by Qian Deng, scratched his head and smiled, feeling a little hesitant.
Qian Deng said, "Jin Langjun, if you have anything to say, please feel free to speak up. There's no need to be so formal between you and me."
"Actually, it's not a big deal. It's my family's business..." Jin Tang asked the servants to take Wei Fengyang to the side to rest first, and then hesitantly spoke to Qian Deng, "My seventh aunt went to the temple to burn incense two days ago and was kidnapped by the remaining rebel soldiers in the suburbs. She should be nearby. Since the county lady brought the guards from the palace here, I wonder if they can also go to the mountains to search for her. Anyone willing to help will be rewarded handsomely by the Jin family."
Although the rebel army was defeated last year, there were still several groups of soldiers and bandits left in the deep forests and valleys outside Chang'an that were difficult to clear out, and Qian Deng had heard of them.
She was a little surprised: "Since something happened, why didn't you report it to the police as soon as possible to find him?"
Jin Tang hesitated to speak, and stammered, "Because...it's hard to talk about my Seventh Aunt's matter."
Seeing his expression, the three knew there must be something going on: "Tell us the details first, it might help us find the person."
Jin Tang tugged at the ribbon of his beaded gold crown and hesitated, "My seventh uncle and seventh aunt were engaged when they were young. My seventh aunt's surname was Lan, and she was originally a merchant. But later her family fell foul of a powerful tyrant, and they were forced to move away. Their fortunes fell into decline, and after the old man passed away, we couldn't afford to keep up the festival gifts, and we haven't heard from him for many years."
Everyone understood this principle. It wasn't easy for ordinary families to marry into the wealthiest family in Chang'an. During festivals, the Jin family sent gold ingots, and the other party had to return them with white jade discs. If they couldn't afford it, they would find an excuse to avoid it. They couldn't bankrupt themselves just to maintain this respectability.
"Ten years ago, my seventh uncle died in an accidental fall from a horse. He was only twenty-four or twenty-five and still unmarried. He was my grandfather's late-born son. The old man felt sorry for my seventh uncle, as he couldn't be buried in the ancestral tomb without descendants. So he wanted to arrange a ghost marriage for him and adopted a child. He remembered the girl from the Lan family who was betrothed to him since childhood, so he sent someone to inquire whether she had been promised to someone else."
As a result, when the Jin family went there, they found that the Lan family was in a very poor situation. Their unfilial descendants had managed the family poorly and even mortgaged their ancestral home. The family was blocked by creditors every day, and the family had no way to survive.
The girl who married Jintang's seventh uncle was called Lan Xiurong. Although she was a girl, she was very capable and independent-minded. She did not marry in her twenties. She ran the only two or three small shops left in the clan, which allowed her family to barely make ends meet by borrowing money from everywhere.
But as soon as the news of the Jin family reached her, her family members who had originally depended on her for their livelihood became jealous when they heard the amount of dowry the Jin family was willing to pay.
It's really unbearable to live with creditors coming to the door every other day. I'll get rid of this old girl first and make a fortune later.
The uncles and aunts of the Lan family knelt before Lan Xiurong and begged her, weeping bitterly along with her parents, begging her to save the whole family. Finally, the Jin family sent a betrothal gift of ten thousand taels to the Lan family. Lan Xiurong cut her hair and severed ties with the clan, then married into Chang'an with the spirit tablet, becoming the seventh aunt of the Jin family.
Qiandeng frowned slightly and said nothing.
Jin Tang looked at the county lady's expression and explained hurriedly, "But after my seventh aunt came into our family, we treated her well. The clan gave her half of the property owned by my seventh uncle, gave her a quiet house to live in, and even adopted a child from a distant relative to raise under her wing. She's been living quite well over the past ten years. Whenever she visited us during the holidays, I noticed she was in good spirits."
It was indeed a good placement, but... Qiandeng thought silently that this good life was gained at the cost of burying her whole life.
"Life had always been peaceful, but after the war, I heard she started leaving the city more frequently to burn incense at Xianyou Temple. A few days ago, after burning incense at the temple, she disappeared from the servants' sight. The people accompanying her searched the back mountain several times, but found no sign of her, so they hurried back to inform the elders.
"My family sent people nearby to inquire about her whereabouts, and it turns out a hunter actually saw her. He said they saw a lady in silk clothes and a man who looked like a bandit in the mountains. It seemed like the remnants of the rebel army had kidnapped a decent woman. But the woman and the rebel soldier were acting so intimately that the hunter felt strange. He secretly watched them a few more times from behind the bushes and memorized their appearance."
Qian Deng hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Have you been to your seventh aunt's house?"
Jin Tang sighed and said, "I went to check yesterday, and sure enough, all the valuables and gold and silver were gone. I guess she must have smuggled them away every time she went to burn incense."
This means that she had an affair with the rebel soldier and eloped with all her valuables.
If they reported the matter to the authorities, the Jin family's reputation would be damaged, and the yamen runners might not be able to deal with the rebels. But if they reported the matter to the army, if they were accused of colluding with the rebels, it would be a difficult situation and the entire family would be implicated.
So after much deliberation, they decided that it would be best if they could borrow a team of soldiers from the county lord, try to make the matter smaller, and bring the person back privately.
But after listening to Jin Tang's explanation, Qian Deng felt somewhat embarrassed. "Speaking of which, most of the palace guards were carefully selected by my father and grandfather, and they are equipped with bows and horses according to the law. It is indeed not difficult to deal with a small group of rebellious soldiers, but..."
"It's just that the county lady might have a hard time managing this unresolved account." Ling Tianshui interrupted her without any hesitation.
Qian Deng remained silent. After all, she didn't understand Lan Xiurong's situation. Her marriage into the Jin family was a pitiful one. If the Changhua Palace's troops were deployed and she was forced to give in, wouldn't that be unfair to her?
Cui Fufeng also said, "After Princess Gao's death, remnants of the court are still eyeing the Changhua Palace. Today, a major incident on the canal has reached the Crown Prince. The county lady secretly sending troops to help you deal with the rebellious army is a small matter, but if someone in the court makes random accusations, I'm afraid it will cause another disturbance."
"Ah? Then... forget it." Although Jin Tang didn't understand the affairs of the court, he quickly waved his hand when he heard that it might cause trouble for the county lady. "Then don't worry about it, county lady. My family will organize a few more people to go over and take a look. If it really doesn't work, my Seventh Aunt will just run away and forget about it."
"Why rush? The county lord is not able to send anyone, but I am." Ling Tianshui pointed to the Shen Ce Army's base not far away. "I have many idle brothers under my command. They have been fighting the remaining soldiers for the past few months. Knowing that there is an opportunity to make meritorious deeds, who wouldn't rush forward?"
Jin Tang was a little surprised: "Really? Then I'll have to trouble Ling Sijie!"
Qian Deng warned Ling Tianshui: "Tell your men to be more careful and find out the situation first."
Ling Tianshui nodded at her and stood up, Jin Tang quickly following suit. "Ling Sijie, I'm worried that the soldiers might be too reckless when suppressing the bandits and accidentally injure my Seventh Aunt. Why don't I go with you? We can find out the situation first before we take action."
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