An Shuyi suppressed a laugh, "Your aunt is right. You're willing to wait, but we don't know if the girl is willing to wait. When we get back, I'll inquire and see if Magistrate Xiao is interested. If he takes a liking to you, then we can try to get to know the girl."
She had seen the girl a few times. She was very cute, with her eyes crinkling when she smiled. Like her father, she loved to eat, but she wasn't fat. She always smiled at people. She seemed like a nice girl, but it was still necessary to observe her more closely.
"Thank you, Auntie!" Wen Fan smiled like a fool when he heard that his aunt was willing to help.
He knew that without his aunt, even if he were a top scholar, he would never have been able to marry the daughter of Prefect Xiao. As long as his aunt was willing to help, he would have a 50% chance.
"No need to thank me. I can only ask for you. As for whether it will work out, I don't know." However, she guessed that as long as Xiao Wan'er was not married, the chances were still quite high.
After all, things are different now than before. Not to mention her and Huahua, the village has gained nineteen officials at once, and there are several more in the capital. Given the opportunity, their chances of climbing the ranks are very high.
Prefect Xiao had been stuck in his position for ten years without getting promoted. Logically, if he had connections, he could have been appointed to a post in the capital in just five years. But after ten years, there was still no progress.
If he doesn't find another opportunity, he'll be stuck as a prefect for life, and he could be demoted for making even the slightest mistake.
"Whether it works out or not, I still want to thank you, Auntie," Wen Fan said.
An Shuyi smiled and turned to look at the others, "What about you? Do you have any girls you like? Auntie can help you make a match."
Everyone else shook their heads. "Auntie, we don't have any girls we like. If we did, we would definitely ask you for help right away."
"Yes, Auntie, we still have a long way to go. This lady can take her time, no rush, no rush."
An Shuyi nodded, "Alright, as long as you're not in a hurry." If they weren't in a hurry, then she was even less in a hurry.
After dinner, they were told to go and rest. However, Xia Hua stopped them as they were leaving, saying that she would come to see them at 9 PM that night and that they should not go to sleep yet. Although no one knew what her aunt wanted to say so late, they all nodded in agreement.
Late at night, An Shuyi and Xia Hua left their room, climbed up the city wall, jumped down, and then climbed over into another courtyard. They went directly to the side courtyard on the right, where the lights were on and they could hear voices.
Xia Hua knocked on the door, and it was quickly opened. Seeing that there were no servants outside, Wen Liu asked, "Auntie, did you and my mother climb over the wall to get in?"
Seeing her aunt nod without hesitation, I felt a surge of admiration. She was already quite old, and although she looked young, she shouldn't act so recklessly.
“Auntie, you can use the main gate instead of climbing over the wall. The wall is so high, it would be dangerous to fall. If you don’t want the servants to know, you can bring a ladder. At least that way it’s safer.”
An Shuyi pushed him aside and went inside. "What do you know? This is to create a sense of mystery. If you just came in directly, we could have just called you in to talk. We don't need to do it this way."
They were about to do something big, so naturally they couldn't let anyone know. Moreover, their method of climbing over the wall was particularly mysterious, making everyone's blood boil.
Wen Liu was pushed away forcefully by his mother and could only stand aside. "But Mother, the mystery isn't that important. What if you fall? You're already forty-eight...!"
But before he could finish speaking, Huaixu covered his mouth. "Aunt, what Wenliu means is that although you are forty-eight years old now, no twenty-year-old girl can compare to you. But you still have to be careful, after all, the girls don't dare to climb over the wall, they are not as good as you."
After saying that, she pulled Wen Liu aside, but still didn't dare to put her hand down. This kid must be out of his mind today. Women hate it when they talk about age, and he still dared to say that.
His father said several times that his mother was old and shouldn't dress so pink. Every time he said that his mother hadn't slept in the house for more than a month and had been sleeping in his room, this went on for several years. As a result, every time he came home, he had nowhere to sleep and could only go to the study to sleep.
An Shuyi saw that Wen Liu's mouth was covered. Although she knew that what he was going to say next would be unpleasant, she let him go because he didn't say it. Otherwise, she would have given the kid a beating. Anyway, Hua Hua was the one who told the story, so she just found a seat and sat down.
Xia Hua came in without closing the door. After making sure An Ye hadn't followed, she began to speak, "I've come to see you tonight to discuss something. But once I've told you, if you're willing, then do it; if not, I won't force you."
"You all know Xiao Zili, right? He's the second prince of the current emperor!"
Wen Fan nodded, "I know. He is not only the Second Prince, but also Li Xiao, who stayed in our village for a period of time."
Xia Hua nodded, "It's good that you know. What I'm telling you is related to him. He will be the next emperor, and we are on his side."
"And I need you to observe those officials in your own places, to see which faction they belong to, and what they are plotting. Although your official positions are still low, I will help you."
"These are not difficult. As long as you have a brain and can talk, and can make people happy, the officials will tell you what you want to know. Now you have a few minutes to consider whether you want to do it or not."
Of course, she wanted to do more than just these things. These were the simplest and most important things. What she wanted to do was to find out who the Crown Prince's faction was, so that she could use a scheme to bring down those officials and replace them with her own people.
These nineteen men are not stupid. If given the opportunity, they would be willing to serve as prime ministers. If they enter the court and Xiao Zili ascends the throne, they will be elder statesmen. If Xiao Zili is a good emperor, they will be good ministers. But if Xiao Zili is not, they will be good ministers of Yan Zhen.
Wen Fan was the first to nod, "Of course I'll do it. As long as it's what you say, Auntie, I'll do anything, even kill those officials, let alone investigate them. I'll listen to you, Auntie."
Although he wasn't as bright as Wen Liu, he knew that even his father listened to his aunt, so he would be no exception. "Aunt, can you be sure that the Second Prince can become emperor? There is a Crown Prince now. Unless the Crown Prince is deposed, if he wants to become emperor, that would be treason."
Xia Hua didn't answer his question, but instead asked, "Then tell me, does Xiao Zili have a chance to become emperor?"
Huai Xu said, "I don't think that will work. He was originally an unfavored prince, and it was only in recent years, because he made a few merits, that he had the opportunity to attend court."
"Although his maternal grandfather was the Duke of Protectorate and his uncle was a general, they did not treat him very well. If they had, they would not have left him in the cold palace, where he could not even get enough to eat every day."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
