A mother-in-law in her fifties was lingering at the door of Xie's house. She looked behind her several times hesitantly. Finally, she made up her mind and knocked on the door of Xie's house. After a while, the door opened, and the mother-in-law burst into tears.

, "This little brother, I am Ji Lan's mother. Her father is seriously ill, and she bothered to ask Ji Lan to go home with me to see her father..."

There were two people standing under a big tree not far away.

"Brother Qin, is this not illegal?"

Qin Zhen snorted, "Deceit and kidnapping."

Chang'an was displeased, "Then what can you think of?"

Qin Zhen stopped talking. The two of them didn't wait long before they saw Ji Lan hurriedly walking out of Xie's house, and the two of them followed.

This was what Chang An thought of. He spent some money and persuaded Ji Lan's parents to perform a play. He took Ji Lan to the teahouse agreed with Huai Xiu in advance, but Huai Xiu was nowhere to be seen. He waited for a long time.

Huai Xiucai came panting, Chang'an was displeased, "Where have you been?"

Huaixiu chuckled and said, "I have some personal matters to do."

Back to business.

When Huaixiu saw Ji Lan again, he still looked panicked and frightened, "Sir, sir... I wonder why you asked a common girl to come?"

Huaixiu helped Ji Lan up with a smile and ordered cakes for her. Chang An muttered, "I wonder if the Yamen will reimburse her."

"There's no rush." ​​Huaixiu said, "I have you here so early in the morning. I'm afraid I haven't eaten yet. You should eat something first."

Ji Lan was stunned when she saw that it was a plate of sweet-scented osmanthus cake.

Huaixiu observed her expression and sighed, "The sweet-scented osmanthus cake at Tianxiang Tea House is said to be the young lady's favorite."

Ji Lan turned away and wiped her tears.

"Although the young lady is the only daughter in the family, she doesn't seem to be well-received because her mother, Mrs. Zhao, is Jixuan. She also has a brother named Wu Xing, and she has never looked down upon her mother and daughter.

"Mrs. Zhao has a weak temperament, so I'm afraid that the young lady will be wronged a lot. Fortunately, your young lady is a kind person. No matter how her father and brother treat each other, she never complains at all."

Ji Lan nodded gently.

Huaixiu said slowly, "Two years ago, your father got seriously ill. Your young lady must have used her own money to treat him."

Ji Lan nodded again.

"Last winter, there was heavy snow in the capital, and many people froze to death. It was your young lady who brought out bedding and charcoal to support your family."

Ji Lan shed tears.

"Besides, this sweet-scented osmanthus cake is not so much what the young lady likes to eat, but it is what Miss Ji Lan likes to eat, right?"

Ji Lan couldn't stop crying, "Sir, stop talking..."

"You must be very sad now that the young lady has passed away. Don't you want to do something for her?"

Ji Lan's whole body was shaking.

Huaixiu still asked softly, "If you know anything, tell me. Regardless of whether I can help your young lady, I will live up to your master and servant. You say so."

After Ji Lan heard this, she suddenly knelt down and kowtowed, "Sir, I really don't know... I was indeed very ill that day, and I don't know anything..."

Chang'an originally thought that Ji Lan was going to speak, but he didn't expect that she would still say such a thing. He was a little disappointed and a little angry. Huaixiu sighed slightly and helped her up again, "Get up quickly. If you don't want to say it, don't say it."

Ji Lan held Huaixiu's hand tightly, "I don't know why the Buddhist hall caught fire, and I don't know if it has anything to do with my uncle. I don't dare to make wild guesses. Mrs. Zhao asked me to testify against my uncle, but I really don't know, but I know

The young lady's life in the Xie family is not satisfactory."

Huaixiu asked quickly, "Why is it so unsatisfactory?"

Ji Landao said, "On the night of the wedding, my uncle beat the young lady."

What?

The three of them felt incredible when they heard this.

Ji Lan sobbed, "I thought it was my uncle who drank too much and tried to persuade the young lady. But after that, my uncle often beat the young lady. The most serious one was that the young lady couldn't even get out of bed."

"Why is this happening?" Chang'an asked angrily.

Ji Lan shook her head, "I don't know, when the young lady and my uncle met, my uncle was obviously such a polite person, but why did he suddenly change? The young lady likes my uncle, and I tolerate it again and again, but my uncle is always so...

The weather is uncertain. One moment, he may be fine and talk to the young lady gently, but the next moment, his temper will break out, and the young lady will be scarred and shed countless tears."

"Where are Xie Rong's parents? Don't they care?"

Ji Landao said, "Because my uncle likes to be quiet and wants to study, the courtyard where he and his wife live is in the innermost room of the house. Moreover, my uncle doesn't like people to wait on him. There are few people waiting on him in the yard. He can't enter the courtyard without being summoned."

, there is a cubicle in my uncle's room. Every time my uncle hits the young lady, he always does it in the cubicle, so no one knows. The young lady

They told Mrs. Wang, the mistress of the Xie family, but Mrs. Wang asked the young lady to endure it, saying that the couple did not have any petty quarrels. She also said that if the quarrel broke out, the only ones who would lose face would be the Wu family and the eldest son of the Wu family.

She is Mr. Xie's subordinate, and she hopes to be promoted, so the young lady does not dare to go back to her parents' home to complain, so she can only endure it silently."

After Chang'an heard this, he was so angry that he walked around the house, shouting, "Beasts."

Ji Lan sniffed, "However, there are times when my uncle is kind to the young lady. He will kneel in front of the young lady and ask for forgiveness. After each beating, he will buy many gifts for the young lady. I feel that my uncle is good to the young lady.

It’s not that there is no affection.”

"Is this called affection?" Changan rolled up his sleeves, looking like he was about to fight.

Huaixiu frowned when he heard this, "So, how is the relationship between the young lady and other people in the house?"

Ji Landao said, "Mrs. Wang is strict in running the family. No one is afraid of Mrs. Wang except Aunt Bai. Even the young lady is afraid. The young lady is a pure and filial person and must obey Mrs. Wang's words. When it comes to Aunt Bai, she will occasionally

Come visit the young lady, say a few words, and then you will never be close to anyone again."

"So, does Aunt Bai know about the beating of the young lady?"

"Except for mentioning it once to Mrs. Wang, how dare I mention it again, let alone an aunt, even Mrs. Zhao dare not mention it. The young lady is timid. If my uncle finds out, then it will be fine."

Huaixiu asked, "Before the accident, did your young lady do anything unusual?"

Ji Landao said, "Although the young lady is kind to my slaves, the young lady likes to keep any words or grievances in her heart. However, you can ask Miss Liang, she is the young lady's close friend."

"Which Miss Liang?"

"The daughter of Master Liang, editor of the Hanlin Academy."

Huaixiu was surprised, Liang Min's daughter? What a coincidence.

"By the way, there is one thing, I don't know if it is unusual or not." Ji Lan added, "One month ago, it was Mr. Wu's birthday. Mr. Xie, my uncle, and the young lady all went to the Wu family.

The slave and the young lady overheard what the eldest son of the Wu family and Mr. Xie were saying. The young lady turned pale at that time, and immediately pulled the slave and left quickly, and later warned the slave not to tell anyone about what happened that day."

Huaixiu immediately asked, "What did they say?"

Ji Landao said, "My slave didn't hear very clearly. It seemed like I was talking about leather tents and receiving goods. I only remember these."

Huaixiu looked at Qin Zhen, who also felt that the situation was serious, and the atmosphere in the room became solemn for a while.

"Is there really something wrong?" Ji Lan was also a little panicked.

Huaixiu quickly comforted him, "It's nothing. They should be talking about official business. You don't need to take it to heart. By the way, have they noticed you?"

Ji Lan shook her head, "No."

Huaixiu smiled and said, "Good girl, just stop here today. You can go back to Xie's house later and pretend that nothing happened."

Ji Lan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "My slave, Xiaode." He then asked, "The death of the young lady..."

Huaixiu said, "Don't worry, everything will be investigated clearly."

Ji Lan thought for a while and then spoke boldly, "Actually, I feel that although my uncle is not good to the young lady, he will not kill the young lady. I can't say, I just have this feeling."

"Yeah, I got it."

After seeing Ji Lan off, the three of them returned to the teahouse to analyze the case.

New clues emerged in the case, Chang An asked, "Is Wu Ruier's death related to the secret talks between Mr. Wu and Mr. Xie?"

Huai Xiu said, "If it is related, why is Ji Lan fine?"

Chang'an asked, "Do we still need to investigate? I mean what Mr. Wu talked about with Mr. Xie?"

Huaixiu looked at Qin Zhen, as if asking for his opinion.
Chapter completed!