Chapter 1: The Girl Who Doesn't Cry

In the sixth year of the Great Zhou Dynasty, at the beginning of July, the wind and the sun were beautiful, and the sky was clear.

Xuanzhou Mansion, known as the small Jiangnan, has been in a chaotic situation for several days, and under the isolation of the yacha, the road leading from Bishui Street to the Lotus Workshop is particularly peaceful.

Dozens of luxury carriages of various formations slowly advanced on the isolated road one after another, attracting a large group of people to watch the excitement.

The officials had to scold the civilians who crowded over, but despite this, countless ordinary people came to watch.

The locals of Xuanzhou Mansion know that the people who live in the lotus workshop are nobles, not ordinary rich and powerful people who can live, it can be said that this lotus workshop is the palace-like place on the boundary of Xuanzhou.

"Which grown-up has a big birthday today? It's a big momentum. ”

Seeing such a big battle, among the onlookers, some curious outsiders whispered.

An insider on the side explained: "You are a foreigner who doesn't know, where is there an adult today's birthday, it is our Cheng Lao here who returns to his hometown, and everyone picks up the wind and washes the dust for the old man."

Saying that, he arched his hand in the direction of the lotus workshop, "The old man is highly respected and is a rare good official." These people are all here to visit the boss," and pointed to the various carriages in front of him: "Ah, this is the carriage of the Zhang family of the Jiangmen family, and the carriage of the Gu family is the Jiedu envoy, that is...... The carriage of the Xiao family? ”

As the man spoke, he turned his head to the other side and asked, "Do you think that's the Xiao family's carriage?" Didn't you say that Mrs. Xiao has never been closed? ”

The outsiders couldn't help but be curious when they heard this, and asked, "This Xiao family is the Xiao family who had the skills of the dragon back then?" I only know that the Xiao family has no one in the ancestral home. ”

The man in front explained: "It's not his family, speaking of which is also a meritorious family that is deeply favored by the emperor, and I don't know what leftism has been committed, since fifteen or sixteen years ago, I have let Mrs. Xiao live here alone......" The more he spoke, the quieter his voice became, and the people next to him really couldn't listen to it, so he interrupted him, "Don't say it, be careful that trouble comes from the mouth, where can we little people like them figure it out!"

This was right, and a group of locals scattered in the blink of an eye, leaving the outsider, who shrunk his head and brains, also found a space to slip away.

In the eastern part of the city, which is diametrically opposed to this lively atmosphere, in the small courtyard of the Xia family's second entrance, there is a lot of silence, and Qi Qiran's sad crying has not dispersed for a long time.

The deceased Xia Zhiyuan was not a local, he came from other places more than 20 years ago, and for more than 20 years, he had been using his own money to give alms to the township, and there were many people who knew him in this area, but the number of guests who came to mourn at his funeral was much smaller than expected.

The reason is very simple: Xia Zhiyuan is a murderer -- two days ago, Xia Zhiyuan poisoned Li Bao, an evil young man in Xuanzhou Mansion with a pot of dog meat, in the Xiangtai Restaurant where he worked, and then the government took Xia Zhiyuan into prison, and finally caused Xia Zhiyuan to enter vertically and exit horizontally.

Speaking of which, it is also a case full of suspicions, but because Li Bao's father is a special feudal officer of the imperial court, while operating official salt, he calls the smuggler a brother and brother, and he doesn't know what means he used, but in one night, the prefect closed the case in the name of suicide in fear of crime.

At this time, the Xia family, with white banners and white filial piety clothes, enveloped the entire courtyard in a sad atmosphere.

In front of the coffin, a plain white woman was talking to the girl next to her in a low voice.

"Sister Zhen, it's the last time you see your father, can't you cry?"

But the girl named Sister Zhen was stunned, she didn't speak or cry, and it was better to sit on her knees than to sit.

Seeing this, the woman couldn't help but be furious, clenched her fist and smashed it on the girl's shoulder, while saying bitterly: "You heartless, your father is dead, you still refuse to shed a tear for him, he really raised you for nothing!" ”

What she didn't know was that at this time, this girl was experiencing the battle between heaven and man, and the memories of the two people in her mind were intertwined, so that she didn't know what night it was, so she was so stupid.

The girl's body was almost crooked by the woman's shaking, and the woman cried while beating, a goose egg face was sallow and sallow, because she had been crying for a long time, showing her exhaustion.

The woman is Xia Zhiyuan's stepwife, but the girl is not her girl, but the daughter of Xia Zhiyuan's original wife - these two people are the relationship between stepmother and stepdaughter. Eleven years ago, Xia Zhiyuan's original wife died in childbirth, leaving behind a poor female baby, in order to have someone to take care of his daughter, Xia Zhiyuan soon married a woman who had just finished keeping his parents' filial piety, this woman was Jiang Yunxian.

Jiang Yunxian had children after marriage, and it was a boy, but he didn't raise it, despite this, the Jiang family is still the same as the girl left by his predecessor, Xia Zhiyuan once described Jiang Yunxian like this: Only Chaoyun can know me (1), it can be seen that Xia Zhiyuan is very satisfied with this stepwife.

"Sister, don't scold the child, it's not your own after all." A man and a woman came in outside the door, and it was Jiang Yunxian's sister Jiang Rong who spoke.

At that time, Jiang Yunxian's father was a side branch of the Jiang family, and he had no contact with the family, but Jiang's father was brilliant since he was a child, and became the youngest Xie Yuangong at the age of fifteen, and he became a jinshi at the age of twenty-four, so he was valued by the clan, and returned to the clan as a teacher after marriage.

It's just that after Mr. Jiang's eldest daughter was born, his personality changed once. It turned out that Mr. Jiang was bent on thinking that the first child was a boy, but he was extremely disappointed when his hopes were too high, and Mr. Jiang never waited to see his eldest daughter.

However, when Jiang Yunxian was born, Mr. Jiang changed his personality again. not only taught his young daughter personally, but even took his youngest daughter with him every time he was in class, and he could read and write.

With such eccentricity, Jiang Yunxian was naturally not treated well by her sister and was bullied everywhere. When Mr. Jiang saw it, he thought of a way, that is, to let the host of the clan recruit a son-in-law for the eldest daughter - he would recruit a son-in-law for his daughter, but he felt sorry for his daughter and went to her mother-in-law's house to suffer. Because he was a son-in-law, his family paid a lot of money as a dowry, but as a result, a cadre of the clan was dissatisfied, and in a school trouble, he accidentally beat Mr. Jiang to death. Jiang Yunxian was fifteen years old at the time.

Three years later, Jiang's mother also chased after her, and Jiang Yunxian, who had reached the marriageable age, continued to keep filial piety, and when the period expired, Jiang Yunxian became an old girl that no one wanted, and her sister happened to learn that the great benevolent Xia Zhiyuan had killed his wife, so she persuaded Jiang Yunxian to be a steproom.

Although Jiang Yunxian knew that her sister was for the family property and Xia Zhiyuan's dowry, she still went to meet Xia Zhiyuan, but she didn't want to meet for the first time, Jiang Yunxian was attracted by the unearthly temperament of the man in front of her, and her married life was very happy.

Jiang Yunxian even felt that Xia Zhiyuan knew herself better than her father.

It's just that Xia Zhiyuan's ending is also miserable. In the past few days, Jiang Yunxian has been wondering, is all this disaster because of himself?

Maybe, maybe, this is fate?

"Yes, you are still so young, it is easy to find another one to live with, why waste all your energy on this girl." The man who followed in took incense to worship Xia Zhiyuan, and said.

Jiang Yunxian didn't speak since they came in, and finally couldn't help it at this time, pointing to the coffin and saying, "He's still lying here, you just say this kind of thing, and you're not afraid of thunder and thunder!"

"How do you speak, he is your brother-in-law, and it is also for your good!" Jiang Rong couldn't look at it, and while speaking, she grabbed the shoulders of the girl kneeling on the ground and lifted her up, "This girl is already a fool, what's the use of you still protecting her?" My brother-in-law won't come back to life! ”

Hearing this, the girl who had been stunned for a long time finally reacted, looked at the woman who spoke, and the resentment in her eyes couldn't help but let her go, Jiang Rong took two steps back in fear, "Look, what kind of eyes are these, no matter how you say it, I am also your elder!" ”

How can this look so permeated panic.

It seems that the rumor is true, this girl can't accept the fact that her parents are dead, and she is crazy. She said in her heart.

But I didn't notice that the girl under her hand suddenly ripped off the filial piety hat on her head, bent her waist, and crashed into herself like a cow cub.

"In front of me, dare to let her remarry, if there is a kind, you can try!" The girl got up from the ground and said.

The girl has her hair scattered, her big eyes are red, her face is pale, and her snow-white filial clothes are like a female ghost.

"Oops, rebellion!" Jiang Rong howled when she got up, and she didn't care about the crooked bun on the side, and pulled the girl in the past, "Okay, you dead girl, you dare to hit me, it's really tired!" ”

Her man came over very quickly and grabbed the girl's hair, and said with a hideous face: "If she has a long and short, I will make you pay for your life!" ”

"Stop, you guys are so daring!" Jiang Yunxian raised his eyebrows and shouted: "When the first husband was there, you often came to the house to get your belongings, and at that time, you flattered one by one, and now there are no people, so you come to my house to bully our two orphans and widows, what a pig and a dog!" ”

As she spoke, she pulled out the incense from the incense burner and pointed to her sister and brother-in-law, "Let her go!" Otherwise, the incense in my hand won't grow long, and it won't be good if it burns my sister's face! ”

Jiang Rong shrank in fright, then glanced at her husband, and a contemptuous smile appeared on her shaved face: "My brother-in-law was always dependent on us when he was here, now, what can you do to me?" Besides, when he was alive, he had food, clothing, and housing in the Jiang family, and now that he is dead, the things here will naturally be confiscated from the clan, and it is you who will leave, right! ”

The moment the words fell, the girl who was subdued by their husband and wife suddenly opened her mouth and bit the man's arm, and at the same time as the man waved her away, she kicked the man three inches below the umbilicus, and the man let out a howl like killing a pig.

Seeing this, Jiang Rong jumped up and grabbed the girl's face, but the girl grabbed the crooked bun and pulled it down, her knees were raised, and the woman screamed, and her nose bleededs.

"I'm going to kill you!" The man lying on the ground, his whole face distorted from pain.

When the girl heard the sound, she glared at her, and at this moment, the half-kneeling woman took the opportunity to counterattack, and opened the bow with two paws left and right, and slapped the girl in the face several times, and the girl immediately counterattacked, and in an instant, scratching, scratching, buckle, pulling, twisting, pinching, and taking turns in battle.

Women fight, it's really going to the extreme.

Soon, Jiang Rong was pulled up, revealing a girl half-lying on the ground, also with a bloody face, which was very terrifying.

The girl lay on the ground, smiling, showing her bloody teeth: "This is my house, no one can drive us away." ”

"Let's go." Jiang Yunxian touched a long stick out of nowhere, and chased away the guest with a cold face.

The old servant of the Xia family, who had eyes next to him, immediately stepped forward to support Wu Jiang and his wife, and persuaded: "You are really, if there is anything you can't say well, what do you care about with a child, let's go quickly." ”

The others who came to pay their respects also walked away with excuses.

Note: The phrase 'only Chaoyun can know me' in the text comes from the love allusion between Su Shi and his third wife Wang Chaoyun, and it is also a sentence in the couplet of Wang Chaoyun's tomb. If you are interested in children's shoes, you can find out.