"Ning Ning, it's daddy, come to daddy..."

Before Lin Xu finished speaking, Shen Yan interrupted him coldly.

"Lin Xu, what are you going to do with us? Let me go, let Ning Ning go!"

But Lin Xu just shook his head at her.

After she escaped from the hot spring villa, he almost searched all over the capital for so many days, but he couldn't find her.

Until everything was in chaos, and someone discovered her traces in the chaos.

Lin Xu didn't expect that after she escaped, she would find her daughter and live with her.

He looked at the mother and daughter with extremely gentle eyes.

"Yanyan, you know, I can't let you go again. Why don't you tell me who put you there? The secret guards have told me that the people protecting you are also secret guards. , although there are not many people, but the skills are very tight..."

Shen Yan said "bah", "I won't tell you! Don't think about harming anyone again!"

Shen Yan became angry, but Lin Xu was not angry at all. Instead, he chuckled and sighed.

"Yan Yan, don't be like this, be careful not to scare Ning Ning."

He said, walked to Xiang Ning again, and looked carefully at the child he had been looking for for more than ten years.

"Ning Ning, Daddy is not who your mother said. Daddy has been looking for you for a long time...have you suffered hardship while living outside? Tell Daddy, who raised you? Daddy will not harm others. Daddy wants to thank them for raising my daughter well..."

The more he said this, the more the little girl felt a chill of fear rising in her heart.

Why is she Lin Xu's daughter?

She doesn't want to stay here, she wants to go home, back to the Xiang family, back to her sister and Ayu!

Where are her sister and Ayu?

But she knew she couldn't tell, lest she cause trouble for the Xiang family and the Tan family.

She shook her head silently, "I won't tell you."

Her daughter's tone was extremely cold. When Lin Xu heard her first words to him, he felt an unspeakable feeling in his heart.

Back then, his father did not allow him, as the legitimate son of an aristocratic family, to marry a commoner girl like Shen Yan.

He had no choice. If he left the Lin family, he would be nothing. He could only follow his father's wishes and marry Tan Chaoli, the eldest daughter of the Tan family.

Tan Chaoli had such a strong temper that she might be suitable to be an excellent clan wife, but he never liked her.

He also thought that if Tan Chaoli could never give birth to a child, and Shen Yan could bear children for him over time, would his father allow him to take Shen Yan back and at least be an equal wife.

But his Yanyan has never been willing to bend and bend. Even on the day he gave birth to his daughter, he tried every means to send the child away. And she was injured during childbirth and could no longer have children.

Lin Xu knew that what he wanted would not come true, but he still refused to let her go. The more she wanted to leave, the more he trapped her by his side.

More than ten years have passed, and Lin Xu really didn't expect that she could still escape and find her daughter living incognito.

There must be someone extraordinary helping their mother and daughter.

If he couldn't get rid of it, he might come back again and make him restless.

But even if he asked again, the mother and daughter would not tell him that he still wanted to be a good father in front of his daughter.

He smiled kindly.

"It doesn't matter if you don't want to say it."

Within half a month, he would be able to find out. Then you will know who is secretly helping them!

...

Shen Yan was very excited. Lin Xu didn't want to quarrel with her, and was afraid of scaring his daughter who had finally found her, so he returned to the Lin Mansion that night.

Mrs. Lin, Mrs. Tan Chaoli, is doing homework with her son.

The son is smart and can read well at a young age. With the reputation of the prosperous Lin family, as the direct grandson of Lin Ge, his fortune in the future will only be higher than that of his father Lin Xu, who has slightly mediocre qualifications.

Tan Chaoli has been married for many years and has only one son. Fortunately, Lin Xu has no concubines and the house is clean. Although she often feels that she and her husband are not like-minded and cannot talk about everything, they still work together and live in harmony. .

It's just that my husband has been having a bad temper recently for some reason. A few days ago, for no reason, he became irritated because his son asked him too many academic questions, and he scolded his son for being stupid.

A child has only been studying for a few years. Isn’t it normal for him to not understand something academically?

Tan Chaoli couldn't help but quarreled with him at that time, and he didn't come home for several days. Especially in recent days, after the prince's accident, his father-in-law Lin Ge Lao stayed in the palace most of the time, and Lin Xu was too busy to return home.

Tan Chaoli no longer wanted to be angry with her husband, and was ready to talk to him about something.

When she heard that he had returned home, Tan Chaoli left her son to do his homework and went to meet Lin Xu.

As soon as she saw him, she could tell that he was in a good mood. After saying a few more words, Tan Chaoli couldn't help but ask.

"Is there something happy about this, sir?"

Lin Xu was stunned for a moment and then laughed in a disguised manner.

"I just heard that the emperor's condition has improved, so I am happy."

Tan Chaoli was surprised, "Really?"

Lin Xu said yes, shaking his head secretly.

How could the emperor's condition improve? The prince is missing and the emperor is about to die. Afterwards, his father has chosen someone to help the young prince ascend to the throne...

But he will not tell Tan Chaoli these things.

But Tan Chaoli thought of her nephew Tan Ting.

Her nephew is the closest to the prince. Now that the prince seems to have lost power, he has done many things for the prince. What will he do if other princes ascend the throne in the future?

Tan Chaoli had heard about it, and her second cousin Tan Chaoxuan came to the house with people, asking for the eldest son.

After losing power in the court and losing his position as the eldest son, Tan Ting's road ahead will be very difficult.

Thanks to Xiang Yi's general knowledge, and beyond her expectation, she actually volunteered to protect her nephew's eldest son's position at the critical moment, and it was not in vain that her nephew had a deep friendship for her...

Thinking of this, Tan Chaoli couldn't help but He called Lin Xu softly and said for his nephew.

"Sir, it seems that Yuan Zhi is coming back. He is young and sometimes can't handle things clearly. Could you please give Yuan Zhi some advice?"

Lin Xu snorted inwardly when he heard this.

Tan Yuanzhi is amazing.

His father, Mr. Lin Ge, ordered to exterminate the rebels. Tan Yuanzhi didn't know how to reconcile it, so he actually made a temporary truce between the two sides...

Lin Xu glanced at Tan Chaoli calmly, knowing that she was thinking about her nephew, and would rather put down her pride and talk to him.

It's a pity that he won't tell her that Tan Ting is useless. From now on, her natal Tan family will only become a stepping stone for the stable interests of the four major families.

I just don’t know, was Tan Chaoli still as arrogant at that time as she is now?

By then, he won't have to hide away for more than ten years. Even if he tells her that he has raised a woman and children outside, what will Tan Chaoli do?

However, at the moment, it was impossible for Lin Xu to say anything, and he just smiled gently as usual.

"Don't worry, madam, I will be honest."

Tan Ting can either lead his entire clan to kneel at Lin's feet, or the entire clan is destroyed. It's his choice...

In a hidden forest on the outskirts of Beijing, Tan Ting met Gu Yansheng who came to greet him.

When the two met, they both looked at each other up and down.

Tan Ting was working outside and running horses for days. He looked leaner than before.

Gu Yansheng was injured, and a bloody cut on his cheek had not healed.

It's just that both of them are in good spirits.

Gu Yansheng said first, "I heard that Yizhen left the Tan family?"

As soon as he said this, Tan Ting glanced at him and snorted, "Before Tan left, I asked the Taoist priest to take care of him. Is this how you take care of me?"

Gu Yansheng said without thinking.

"There's nothing wrong with Yizhen leaving the Tan family."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tan Ting glared.

Gu Yansheng smiled in a low voice, "That's not what I meant."

When Tan Ting heard that he didn't call himself "pindao", he called him "me" instead.

Does this Taoist priest have any other meanings?

Tan Ting snorted angrily.

But this is not a place for the two to bicker.

Gu Yansheng called for the men and stayed outside with Tan Ting's people. The two walked around in the dense forest a few times. They went underground from an earth temple and walked for a long way before going up and entering a courtyard.

The courtyard is heavily guarded, and the guards are no ordinary people, they are all masters.

And here is where the prince temporarily settled.

On the way here, Gu Yansheng had already told Tan Ting about the situation.

When the prince left the palace to pray for blessings, he really did not expect that people from the four major families headed by Mr. Lin Ge would dare to take action in the suburbs of Beijing.

Fortunately, before that, Tan Tingcha sent a letter to the East Palace, saying that someone was deliberately destroying the dam in an attempt to cause the flood to continue. When the prince came out of the palace, he strengthened his defense, but he was still stabbed and injured.

The injuries were not serious, but since those people dared to assassinate the prince, if the prince showed up at that time, he would definitely be hit by their backhand.

The emperor was in a coma, and the palace didn't know who was controlling him. If he returned to the palace like this, it would be like being in an urn.

The prince simply stayed in the royal courtyard to recover from his injuries, and sent a message to his uncle Dingguo Gong, who was guarding the border, to lead his troops back to Beijing on the pretext of finding the whereabouts of the prince.

Although Mr. Lin Ge repeatedly obstructed him, he could control the capital, the aristocratic families, and even most of the civil servants in the court, but he could not control the noble military officers.

The Yang family of Zhongqing's Mansion had a close relationship with the Dingguo Duke's Mansion, and they also secretly mobilized the defense of the capital.

As long as Duke Dingguo's troops arrive, they can immediately counterattack the capital and capture Lin Gelao and others.

Tan Ting had received a secret order from the prince before that, asking him to do everything possible to suppress the battle between the rebel army and the court soldiers appointed by Mr. Lin Ge, so as not to arouse public outrage. In compliance with the wishes of the four major families, the court and The common people are against each other.

He knew at that time that the prince was only in trouble for a moment and had prepared a backup plan.

Now it seems that the conspiracy of the four major families headed by Mr. Lin Ge has no chance of succeeding at all.

He followed Gu Yansheng into the other courtyard. The prince was only slightly injured. When he saw Tan Ting coming, he personally stepped forward and helped Tan Ting get up.

"Thanks to Tan Qing for reminding Yu Gu, otherwise he would have died."

Tan Ting did not dare to take credit, and asked about the prince's injury. He was completely relieved when he saw that the prince was fine.

The prince immediately summoned the ministers around him to discuss the matter.

The crimes of the four major families have been confirmed, but it is unclear when they came up with such a plan.

They want to suppress the common people, gather the power of their own families, secretly control the government, and even have the faint intention of evading the royal family. Anyone who wants to speak for the poor family of the common people will be regarded as an obstacle by them, whether it is Xiang Zhiyuan or Tan Chaokuan. , I’m afraid they are a thorn in the side of these people.

Everyone felt a little sad when they talked about the ambitions of the four major families.

But at this moment, the prince thought of something and asked Gu Yansheng.

"Is Gu Daban awake?"

Tan Ting was stunned when he heard this.

The only person who can be called a companion by the prince is Gu Xianying, the eunuch who took care of His Royal Highness in the East Palace when the prince was young.

It seems that during the time when he was not in Beijing, Gu Yansheng rescued his uncle Gu Xianying!

Sure enough, Gu Yansheng responded, "Uncle showed signs of waking up this morning, but I don't know how he is now?"

Unexpectedly, before he finished speaking, a eunuch came to deliver a message. Gu Xianying woke up and heard that His Highness the Crown Prince was here. Please see His Highness the Crown Prince. .

The prince immediately said, "Please come quickly!"

...

Everyone heard that the eunuch Gu Xianying was outstanding in appearance and his demeanor was not inferior to that of a scholar. Even from his nephew Gu Yansheng, you can see something of it.

But now the person who came forward was hunched over, his feet were trembling, and he looked like a withered man.

The prince couldn't help but groan after seeing it.

"Cheng Luo tortured his senior companion to this point, he really deserves to be killed!"

Gu Yansheng, who was standing by, also had red eyes. On the other hand, Gu Xianying was quite peaceful.

He knelt down and asked the prince not to get angry and get sick.

The prince hurriedly helped him up and asked him.

"My eldest companion should know about Cheng Luo's affairs, Lin Ge Lao's affairs, and the affairs of the four major families."

No one knows these things better than Gu Xianying. He even knows how the four major families have murdered everyone over the years. Clear as day.

Gu Xianying nodded slowly and slowly talked about what happened back then in a hoarse voice.

At that time, Mr. Lin Ge had just entered the cabinet.

But the first thing he did when he entered the cabinet was to secretly transfer many officials from poor families.

After that, he gradually controlled the staff, controlled the cabinet, and promoted officials from aristocratic families to important positions, while constantly suppressing those officials who had talents, opinions and were willing to make decisions for the poor families.

Xiang Zhiyuan is one of them.

With Xiang Zhiyuan's talent, he should have been in a high position, but he has been stuck in a position like the prefect of Weiping Prefecture. He was finally promoted to a capital official position, but within a year, he was found to be in the wrong position and demoted outside the capital.

However, it was precisely in this year that the eunuch Gu Xianying and Xiang Zhiyuan met because of their fellow villagers. Although they had different identities, they both came from poor backgrounds. After discussing the affairs of the court in detail, they discovered the Yilin Pavilion. There is something wrong with the old leader's family.

Immediately afterwards, Xiang Zhiyuan was demoted, which almost proved that something was wrong.

They gradually joined forces with other officials from poor families to pay attention, only to find that people from the four major families were getting higher and higher and their actions were getting bigger and bigger. They were so big that even the Qingkantan family, Haidong Qi family and other aristocratic families could not stand it. situation.

Gu Xianying couldn't help feeling sad when she thought about how the four major families' hands had grown deeper and deeper over the years and how many officials from poor families had been murdered.

He took a deep breath and told the conspiracy of the four major families of Lin, Chencheng and Li over the years.

"The four major families have always set their sights on the top. A few decades ago, when the Tan family was the head of the family, the four major families showed their disdain for the common people. However, the Tan family would not go with them, and even secretly pressured them not to cause chaos. Later, they joined forces to gradually overwhelm the Tan family, and then the four major families headed by Lin Chencheng and Li were formed.

"Their purpose is very clear, they look down on the poor. They want to squeeze out the value of these common people, but with the imperial examinations, officials, and the court supporting the common people, the aristocratic family can't do anything to the common people, so they want to stir up conflicts among the common people bit by bit. , and in the government, officials from aristocratic families controlled the government and gradually transferred conflicts to the common people and the court.

"As long as there is a conflict between the imperial court and the common people, and the common people are infuriated and rebel, then they can use the name of the imperial court to send troops to suppress it! How can the common people defeat the imperial court with the power of a country? Then Lin Ge Lao and others will propose the abolition of the imperial examination. The common people were severely punished, and the common people, who had no foundation and no hope, became completely slaves of the aristocratic family.

"For thousands of years, this land will distinguish high and low by surname. From the moment a person is born, he will be distinguished. It determines his identity for the rest of his life. As for the four major families that control everything, even the royal family no longer takes them seriously. They control the government and ignore the royal family. They are the real royal family! "

After the words fell, Gu Xianying was so exhausted that she coughed and couldn't speak because she said something that happened more than ten years or even decades in one breath.

Everyone present, including His Royal Highness, had a completely cold expression.

Who? It is conceivable that the ambition of the four major families is not to make money for one generation at all, but to make profits for themselves for thousands of years.

However, such a plan is based on completely absorbing the common people from generation to generation and using their flesh and blood. The prince clenched the power, wealth and status of the family,

and the young king looked into the distance,

"I will never allow them to harm the loyal and enslaved people like this! "

When the words fell, a huge wave arose in the hearts of everyone.

The four major families were uprooted and returned to the Qingming Dynasty!

It was getting late.

It was not convenient for Tan Ting to stay here longer. After the prince had summoned everyone to discuss the matter, he was sent out by the imperial guards.

As he walked back, he couldn't help but think of something.

The prince was now fully aware of the conspiracy of the four major families, and had secretly mobilized troops to fight back

. Even if the four major families of Lin, Chencheng and Li could fight for a while,

they would eventually be defeated by the imperial court .

Naturally, the Tan family was a hero, and she had been married to the Lin family for many years . What should I do with my aunt and Tan Ting's young cousin?

Tan Ting suddenly had a headache. Unfortunately, at this moment, a guard came quickly to report an important matter.

Incompetent, Mrs. Shen and Miss Ning were taken away by Lin Xu’s people!

Tan Ting was surprised and quickly asked about the situation at that time. He was silent for a while and then asked again.

"Does Lin Xu know that it is someone from the Tan family who is secretly protecting their mother and daughter? "

The guard shook his head, "My subordinates are very well-defended, but Mrs. Lin doesn't know that. " "

Tan Ting listened and thought about it silently for a while.

He thought about it for a while, and after returning to Tan's house, he asked someone to deliver a message to his aunt in an unknown identity.

Tan Chaoli got this message from someone unknown. When she heard the news, she was having lunch with Lin Xu and her son.

When she saw the news, her face suddenly turned pale and she almost dropped her chopsticks.

Lin Xu was thinking about something, and he looked happy and didn't pay attention to her. She was the only one who was young. The son took a look and said,

"What's wrong with mother?" "

Tan Chaoli shook her head quickly, put away the look of surprise on her face, and said it was okay, and let her children eat well.

She secretly looked at her husband, who had been a close friend of him for many years.

But after her husband had eaten, she said that he had something to do and had to go out. During the trip, Tan Chaoli also changed into inconspicuous clothes and followed Lin Xu silently.