"Brother!"

Xiang Yi walked over quickly and looked up at the man in front of him who was taller and taller than before. A deep smile overflowed from his peach blossom eyes embedded under the tall bridge of his nose.

Gu Yansheng also lowered his head and looked at her.

After not seeing each other for many years, her appearance has become more and more outstanding, but her expression is no longer like the quiet magnolia in the courtyard, but now she looks more calm and dignified, like a white plum in the snow.

Gu Yansheng looked at her steadily and couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Yizhen is more outstanding than before."

Xiang Yi quickly shook his head and lowered his eyes.

"Not one thousandth as good as big brother."

Gu Yansheng laughed softly, with a soft light in his peach blossom eyes.

"Why should you and I be polite to each other?"

Xiang Yi also pursed his lips and smiled.

Only then did she remember that Gu Yansheng was extremely secretive and even used the alias Sheng Gu.

She couldn't help but glance at Gu Yansheng again and saw that he was in low spirits and his lips were white.

"... They said he was injured in a tiger attack. Is the elder brother really injured? Is it serious?"

Gu Yansheng coughed lightly and covered his chest.

"It is true that he was injured, but it was not because of the tiger attack. It was just an excuse..."

He said that there were no tigers in the mountains here. The so-called tiger roars for two days were all created by Qiu Ying's ventriloquism.

"I just wanted to get into Tan's house without being discovered that I was seriously injured."

Xiang Yi caught the last two words at once.

"Severely injured?"

She opened her eyes wide, and Gu Yansheng quickly waved to her when he saw her.

"Don't be afraid, I haven't hurt my life. I'm taking care of myself now. I just want to use your place to take shelter for a while."

Although he said this, Xiang Yi couldn't help but think that the pen and ink shop he was in contact with had been closed for many days. It was also sealed by the government.

Just when he was about to ask a question, he spoke first.

"I heard that the uncle of the Tan family has returned from the capital. I wonder if it's convenient for you?"

Xiang Yi was a little distracted after hearing this.

After that man came home, she was indeed not as convenient as before, and after the accounting incident, he seemed to feel sorry for her, and the two of them spent more time together...

She said it was nothing serious, " The uncle of the Tan family will not interfere with the transfer. The eldest brother can live peacefully in Zhuangzi for a while, and then move to a nearby place temporarily. Ayu Ningning also lives nearby, and they can also provide protection... "

After Gu Yansheng heard this, he knew that she had always been a thorough manager, so he didn't ask any more questions.

But he couldn't help but notice the title she used when referring to Tan Ting.

Uncle Tan...

Gu Yansheng looked at her again, heard her speak, and asked about his injury.

"...Who seriously injured eldest brother?"

Gu Yansheng smiled lightly during this question. He did not answer Xiang Yi's question immediately. He took a deep breath and talked about the current situation.

"I am now with the Crown Prince of the East Palace..."

The Taoist priest of the East Palace whom the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty were gradually becoming wary of was Gu Yansheng.

They didn't know who he was, only the prince knew, and the prince obviously trusted him more than many courtiers. After he mentioned that there were discrepancies in the Jiangxi Wuming imperial examination fraud case, the prince went to investigate the case.

It's a pity that I just went there like this and couldn't find out the reason at all. He repeatedly assured the prince that there was still something going on in this case, and then he finally persuaded the prince.

This time the prince sent his subordinates to the East Palace. He was afraid of returning without success, so he also invited them to go.

Soon after they arrived in Jiangxi, they discovered something fishy. However, as soon as this fishy thing came out, some people immediately became precarious.

Gu Yansheng was afraid that the evidence would be chased and destroyed, so he pretended that he had the evidence and traveled thousands of miles to lure the enemy.

Naturally, there were numerous pursuers on the road, but luckily they all escaped. Now that he had arrived at Qinghan, he was seriously injured and unable to continue the journey, so he simply waited here while people from the East Palace came to meet him.

He spoke normally, telling the whole story in just a few words, but Xiang Yi could feel sweat dripping from his palms.

When the eldest brother left the Xiang family that year, he had nothing. The only precious jade pendant he left to their siblings. Over the years, he actually came to the prince's side and gained the prince's trust. Although he did not have an imperial examination background, But he has already started to interfere in the affairs of the court.

Xiang Yi is incredible.

Under her gaze, Gu Yansheng's expression became softer and softer.

Xiang Yi thought carefully about what he just said.

Jiangxi Wuming? I haven't heard of any big family living there.

She lowered her eyes and thought, and Gu Yansheng saw what she was thinking.

"There is no big clan in Wuming, but there are many side branches of various clans. Just to mention the famous clans, they include the Huaining Li family, the Huaichuan Li family, the Denghe Huang family, and the Fengling family. One of Chen's."

He chuckled, with a cold smile in his eyes.

"Who do you think it is?"

Xiang Yi calmed down.

That means it's not just people from a certain clan. As for who it is... the aristocratic families are intertwined, and there are many people who take action secretly.

She couldn't help but think of her father's case. Almost overnight, all the unfavorable evidence turned up and fell on her father...

She lowered her eyes. Gu Yansheng also understood what she meant. His voice deepened.

"Don't worry Yizhen. Sooner or later, I will uncover the cases between my adoptive father and my uncle. But right now, we need to use this old case of Jiangxi imperial examination fraud to muddy the water and win over the prince completely."

He said to the prince . This is a benevolent king. He is not as blind as he is today.

"As long as the prince is willing to stand by our side, the aristocratic clan can no longer block the sky with one hand, and those of us from the common clan will have a future."

The cold wind outside the window made the windows rattle, and his eyes suddenly turned sharp.

"When the time comes, I will let them pay for their blood debt!"

As soon as the words fell, the noise inside and outside the room disappeared, and Xiang Yi couldn't help but straighten his back.

There was a flash of water in front of her eyes.

The image of my father before he left appeared in the water.

At that time, my father was pulled out of prison. He was injured all over, and he was slapped with heavy shackles on his shoulders and neck. A big seal sealed the shackles. He was labeled as a corrupt official and was exiled.

Those who wanted to be punished in the court wanted to sentence him to death and make the Xiang family slaves forever, but many people who wanted to speak for his father wrote letters one after another. In the end, the palace issued an imperial edict, and only the father was sentenced to thousands of miles of exile, while the rest of the Xiang family was not implicated.

But before leaving, her father still looked at them sadly and called her to his side.

He wanted to pat her shoulders with his hands as usual, but the heavy shackles cuffed him, and he couldn't understand, so he could only look at her lovingly.

"Yizhen, my son, dad can't protect you this time. Remember to protect yourself and your brothers and sisters. Dad has never done anything to lose his innocence. One day, the Xiang family's stigma will be wiped away. !”

After saying this, he was dragged into the prison car.

Xiang Yi, Xiang Yu, Xiang Ning and the others were chasing the prison car and wanted to follow them all the way, but they were stopped by Shengsheng.

They could only watch their father leave like that. A few days later, the news came that their father died suddenly on the road...

The cold wind penetrated into the cracks of the human bones from all directions.

Xiang Yi was silent, but tears fell down.

For countless days and nights, she thought hard about when the day her father said would come, so that her siblings would no longer be looked down upon and criticized.

She didn't know that until today...

a veil was handed over to her.

Only then did Xiang Yi calm down.

She shook her head, took out her handkerchief and wiped her eyes.

The atmosphere in the room became slightly stagnant again.

Gu Yansheng's hand that handed over the handkerchief paused for a moment, his eyes falling on her face for a few seconds before he took the handkerchief back.

When he left, she was still a young girl. Now, she is married to Tan Ting, the eldest son of the Tan family.

He really didn't expect that he had been away for so long, and Tan Ting, the eldest son of the Qingkan Tan family, actually fulfilled his engagement with her...

Gu Yansheng was silent.

When he was in Beijing before, he also asked someone about Tan Ting.

He was awarded Jinshi at a young age and was the youngest Jinshi in this dynasty. He was steady and insightful, and had the demeanor of the head of the Tan family who was a cabinet minister when the Tan family was at its peak.

Many people believe that the rise of the Tan family in Qingkan will happen again in the hands of Tan Ting.

But now, the rise of the Qingkan Tan clan is the rise of the aristocratic family, and what these people want to do is the rise of the common people.

There is no room for two tigers in one mountain. At that time, the common people in the aristocratic families were fighting. Gu Yansheng didn't care what Tan Ting wanted to do, but he wanted to know what Xiang Yi would be like when he married into the Tan family and caused a storm between the two families.

Gu Yansheng thought secretly and couldn't help but see the person in front of him again.

He suddenly thought of the first time he saw her. The little girl was wearing a tooth-colored dress embroidered with dark flowers, standing quietly under a blooming magnolia tree in the courtyard. She was cleaner than the white magnolia trees all over the tree. Xi...

If she can leave the Tan family later, then...

Gu Yansheng's eyes were fixed on Xiang Yi's eyes.

"Yizhen, the eldest son of the Tan family, how are you treating me?"

Xiang Yi was still thinking about exonerating the Xiang family in the future, when she was suddenly asked, and she was stunned for a moment.

Just as she was about to respond, Qiu Ying's voice came in from outside, saying that Tan Rong was here.

Tan Rong no longer knew Gu Yansheng's true identity, so the two of them stopped talking in unison.

In the yard, Tan Rong blinked when she saw the eldest sister-in-law and Mr. Sheng walking out of the hall one after another.

Did your sister-in-law say a few serious words to Mr. Sheng?

She looked at Xiang Yi, who came over.

"I asked Mr. Sheng about his plan. Mr. Sheng's injury is not serious, so let's let him live in Zhuangzi for a while."

Tan Rong couldn't help but get excited after hearing this.

She looked up at Mr. Sheng and saw that he nodded with her.

Tan Rong felt more and more happy, but just when she was about to say that she would stay for a few more days, she heard her sister-in-law speak.

"There has been some chaos outside recently, and mother is thinking of you. Come back home with me today."

As soon as she finished speaking, Tan Rong frowned.

But if she insisted on staying, it would be a bit deliberate, and her mother would blame her if she knew it.

She secretly glanced at Mr. Sheng, and could only secretly think about coming back again when she had the chance, so she agreed to leave with Xiang Yi.

Xiang Yi didn't notice her abnormality, nodded lightly with Gu Yansheng, and left with Tan Rong.

She was also thinking about when she would find an opportunity to come back. After all, her adopted brother was seriously injured. It was freezing cold today, so she couldn't be careless.

Furthermore, he was being hunted here, and his temporary stay here must be strictly concealed so that no one could know his true identity.

And if the Tan family doesn't want to take him in anymore, she'd better prepare a hiding place for him and let him wait until the East Palace responds.

This is the only thing she can do for him and for people like them from the common people at this moment.

Xiang Yi calmed down and thought about it secretly, and returned to his house with Tan Rong.

Qingkan County Government.

Zhou Ren, the county magistrate, received the eldest son of the Tan family well.

He really didn't expect that the eldest son would come here in person, not for any other reasons, but to seriously talk about the farming affairs of various clans.

Although the imperial court did not advocate such behavior, no matter the family, the royal family, or even the palace, the lower prefectures and counties did not take it seriously.

I didn't expect that Master Tan would feel sad for the common people in the Qingkan area when he came here, and there shouldn't be any more arbitrary low-price farming.

Zhou Zhixian really didn't understand the meaning of the eldest son. Those who didn't know better thought he was a Jinshi official from the common people.

But Zhou Zhixian didn't understand that it didn't mean that he wouldn't comply with it. He immediately agreed, saying that he would bring out the imperial decree from the previous year and prohibit low-priced real estate transactions.

Tan Ting nodded when he saw this.

Seeing that it was getting late, he was about to leave, but he didn't want to see the government servant running over in a hurry.

Zhou Zhixian scolded the yamen servant first, "What are you doing in such a hurry?"

The yamen servant hurriedly bowed and apologized, helplessly saying.

"It's not just that you are a villain. It's because the government office hastened to pass on the arrest warrant. I asked you to copy it immediately and post it everywhere."

The officer said and took out the arrest warrant.

Tan Ting raised his eyes and saw the man painted on the arrest warrant.