Chapter 7: Yanzhi is the daughter of the former prefect Lin Bowen...
This woman is Lin Xiangli, the daughter of the former prefect Lin Bowen.
She has a gentle face and her demeanor reveals the demeanor of a lady from a noble family.
When you approach her, you can smell a faint scent of camellia mixed with herbs.
Camellia scent?
Tang Suzi's heart trembled.
This... isn't this the fragrance that I suddenly smelled in Tanshan Temple that day?
Could this be related to Ling An’s escape?
Tang Suzi looked at Lin Xiangli with a complicated expression, his heart already filled with turmoil.
She didn't notice that when Fang Buyu, who was standing next to her, smelled the fragrance, a trace of elusive emotion also flashed across the depths of his eyes, and then it became calm again.
"Ms. Lin,"
Fang Buyu nodded slightly in return.
"I've taken the liberty of visiting you today because I have a few questions about your father's case that I need to clarify with you."
His tone was polite yet direct, revealing a businesslike attitude.
Tang Suzi also followed the guards' instructions and stepped behind Fang Buyu after he sat down.
Lin Xiangli's eyes were filled with heartache and grievance for her father's situation. She looked at Fang Buyu eagerly, her voice choked with sobs.
"Pavilion Master Fang, I know you must be here regarding the broken bridge. My father, while guilty, certainly does not deserve such a severe punishment..."
After she finished speaking, tears fell like pearls from a broken string. Her fragility and helplessness touched the hearts of almost everyone present.
However, Tang Suzi noticed that Ling An remained unusually calm and indifferent to Lin Xiangli's tears, which made her feel subtly puzzled:
Wasn't he behaving intimately with Miss Lin this morning and seemed to have a good relationship with her?
"Ms. Lin, please allow me to clarify that I am not here to discuss the broken bridge case again."
Fang Buyu's calm voice interrupted Lin Xiangli's thoughts.
"But there is something else I need to ask you."
"If it's not the Broken Bridge Case? Then what is it?"
Lin Xiangli gradually stopped crying, and a look of doubt flashed in her eyes.
"Have you ever heard of Ningxiangju?"
Fang Buyu slowly uttered the name, Ningxiangju, as the largest brothel in Weizhou City, its reputation is naturally quite big.
"Ningxiangju... naturally knows."
This name stirred up ripples in Lin Xiangli's heart. She naturally knew its reputation, but she was increasingly confused by the other party's intention to ignore her.
She raised her eyes and looked at Fang Buyu with a questioning look.
"Then, do you know anything about your father's relationship with Ningxiangju? Especially with the courtesan there..."
There was a hint of caution in Fang Buyu's words, trying to guide Lin Xiangli to recall or know the clues.
"How dare you slander my father like this!"
Lin Xiangli's emotions were ignited again. She stood up suddenly and pointed at Fang Buyu with trembling fingers, her eyes full of anger and confusion.
"He would never set foot in a place like that! You, get out! You are not welcome here!"
After realizing that she had lost her composure, Lin Xiangli slowly sat down again, hugged herself with her arms, and tears welled up in her eyes again. She sobbed softly, as if she wanted to turn all the grievances and confusions into tears and pour them out.
Seeing this, Fang Buyu knew that today's situation was not conducive to further investigation, so he slowly stood up and said goodbye.
"Ms. Lin, I apologize for any inappropriateness in my words. Let's leave it at that for today. We can discuss this in detail another day if we have the opportunity."
As he turned to leave, his eyes subtly passed over the man accompanying Lin Xiangli.
Tang Suzi was standing aside, his eyes unconsciously falling on Ling An, who was bending over and whispering to comfort the depressed Miss Lin.
She had many questions in her mind that she wanted to ask him, but she also knew that it was not appropriate to say more in this situation.
So she silently followed Fang Buyu's steps and walked out of the lobby.
On the way to the gate of the mansion, Fang Buyu asked softly,
"Is that the person you're looking for?"
Tang Suzi understood, lowered his eyes slightly, and nodded slightly.
"Yes."
Then, a silence enveloped him like a veil, and Fang Buyu recalled the scene he had just seen before leaving.
"However, I see that he seems to have a new partner."
Hearing this, Tang Suzi turned his head to look at Fang Buyu's silhouette staring ahead, and asked in confusion,
"Um?"
"You misunderstood,"
Tang Suzi quickly clarified,
"The relationship between Ling An and I is not what you think. I just... shoulder the responsibility of persuading him to go back."
Fang Buyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but then felt a bit of self-loathing.
He was like an ant trapped in a spider web. Although he told himself again and again that Tang Suzi was not Tiao Tiao, he could not let go of the involuntary concern for her. The more he struggled, the deeper he got into it.
Recalling the scene of Tang Suzi staring at Ling An in the lobby amidst the elegant fragrance of camellia, it quietly turned into the figure of Tiaotiao looking at other men in his mind, and a pang of sadness rose in his heart.
Oh, and the scent of camellia...
A familiar memory flashed back.
He remembered that Tiao Tiao always carried a sachet with her during her lifetime. It was a scent carefully blended by her grandmother using rare herbs and camellia flowers. It had a unique and refreshing fragrance.
But why does Lin Xiangli also have a fragrance so similar to Tiaotiao's? ...
Unconsciously, they had reached the gate of the mansion. Tang Suzi stopped and said goodbye to Fang Buyu.
"Pavilion Master Fang, I need to continue guarding Ling An here. You guys can go back first."
Fang Buyu also stopped when he heard this.
"You want to wait here? What will you do if he doesn't show up?"
Tang Suzi was a little hesitant when she heard this. She knew the difficulty and unknowns of this move, but she had no choice.
"I... although I'm not sure, I'm afraid we'll lose track of him if we leave this place."
Fang Buyu did not see the situation and suggested,
"We've been keeping an eye on Lin Xiangli's whereabouts. Since Young Master Ling is here, he can't escape our radar. This is Lord Guo Yan. He's in charge of surveillance here. If you need to know about Young Master Ling's situation, please have Xiaoying contact him."
Guo Yan stepped forward at the right time and bowed to Tang Suzi.
"Miss Tang, please rest assured. I will arrange for personnel to be present here, and any news regarding Master Ling will be communicated to you immediately."
Upon hearing this, Tang Suzi felt relieved and his gratitude was beyond words.
She bowed in return.
"Thank you very much for your help, Pavilion Master Fang and Mr. Guo."
Due to his busy schedule, Fang Buyu sent Tang Suzi to the street corner she was familiar with and then left in a hurry.
Tang Suzi walked alone through the still bustling but increasingly sparsely populated market streets, heading towards Fang Mansion.
It was almost noon, the sun was scorching, and most of the pedestrians and merchants on the street were preparing to close their stalls and take a break, a prelude to the quiet of midday.
Just then, an unusual noise in front attracted Tang Suzi's attention.
She involuntarily moved closer to the crowd, and saw an old farmer in tattered clothes and a patched cotton hat kneeling on the ground. His hands were red, swollen and broken, and he was holding a bunch of trampled vegetable leaves and sobbing softly.
Next to the old farmer, a trailer overturned on the ground, with vegetable baskets scattered all over the ground, some intact, while others had been trampled to pieces.
Not far away, two strong men and a woman wearing jewels and looking arrogant stood beside them, their shoes still stained with the remnants of vegetable leaves.
"Keep your daughter under control and don't let her seduce my master again! If I see her again next time, I won't just suffer such a small amount of pain!"
After the woman finished speaking viciously, she kicked a vegetable basket at her feet away, and then walked away surrounded by two strong men.
As the woman left, the crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only the lonely and helpless figure of the old farmer.
With trembling hands, he tried to sort the scattered vegetable leaves into baskets.
When Tang Suzi witnessed this scene, he felt an indescribable sadness and indignation in his heart.
She walked quickly forward, gently picked up the basket that had been kicked away, and said to the old farmer in a gentle voice,
"Old man, let me help you."
The old farmer looked up, surprise and gratitude flashed in his eyes, and he quickly declined.
"Girl, you can't do this. It will dirty your hands."
Tang Suzi insisted,
"It's okay, old man."
As she spoke, she began to pick up the vegetable leaves on the ground one by one and sorted them into different baskets.
Her movements were quick and efficient, and she had arranged all the dishes in no time.
Then she helped the old farmer lift the trailer and moved the baskets of vegetables onto the trailer one by one.
The old farmer looked at all this and his eyes became wet. He thanked him repeatedly.
"Girl, you are such a kind person! Thank you, thank you!"
Tang Suzi smiled and shook his head.
Looking at the old farmer's back as he dragged the small trailer forward with difficulty, Tang Suzi felt an indescribable sadness in her heart. She stood there, hesitating for a moment, but in the end, she couldn't bear it.
So she quickly walked to the nearby pharmacy and quickly picked out a few pieces of medicine for bruises and injuries.
When leaving the pharmacy, Tang Suzi subconsciously stopped, glanced at the corner of the street, and finally decided to enter the knife and scissors shop next door.
She knew in her heart that although she intended to send the old farmer home, as a woman, it was always necessary to remain vigilant in this complex world.
So she picked out a small and sharp knife and quietly put it into her bag.
Then she quickened her pace and caught up with the old farmer's trailer.
While the old farmer was not paying attention, she gently placed the medicine bag behind the vegetable basket, took the trailer handle on her own initiative, and walked side by side with the old farmer.
"Old man, let me take you home."
The old farmer was surprised for a moment and quickly declined:
"Girl, how can this be? I can do it myself."
"It's okay, old man. I don't have anything else urgent to do, so I'll help you push it."
Tang Suzi replied with a smile.
The old farmer's eyes were moist, and he choked up and thanked me again.
"Thank you, girl..."
While pushing the cart, the old farmer gradually opened up and began to talk about his daughter.
"My daughter is about your age. She...is not what those people say..."
His voice was filled with deep helplessness and sadness.
He paused for a moment, as if lost in deep memories.
"Her mother passed away shortly after giving birth to her. Since she was little, she has been following me in growing and selling vegetables. While other children were still playing carefree, she had already learned how to help me share the burden of life..."
The old farmer's words were full of love and regret. He continued,
"She's been particularly interested in rouge and powder since she was little, and loved to dress up. Back then, all the girls and women around her liked her makeup, and whenever there was a happy event in their family, they would ask her to help. But who could have imagined that this skill would later become her undoing..."
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