"The mansion is considered haunted and ominous, but the one opposite is coveted. You know why? That year, General Xuanwei lived opposite the governor. When General Xuanwei's entire family was executed, the minister was quickly promoted in his career. He is now a scholar at the Imperial Library. It's easy to guess that many fourth- or fifth-grade officials are eager to feed some luck by staying in his former mansion, isn't it? ”

In a restaurant around the corner of the alley, Ning Que and Sang Sang occupied a small table on the corner, quietly enjoying ordinary dishes and gruel. In fact, they are listening carefully to the conversation between the people who live in the area. These neighbors have been living here for more than a decade, and some even span generations. Their favorite topics, however, were the treason committed by General Xuan Wei and the rapid promotion of the barrister. Although they discuss it every day, these topics are evergreen to them. For Ning Que and Sang Sang, such a chat suits them well.

"Speaking of scholar Zeng Jing, the old man is just a barrister, but his career has been suddenly promoted. In fact, there's an interesting story behind it. I wonder if any of you have heard of it.

"The question was so sensational that the imperial court issued a decree. Do you think it's possible that people here haven't heard of it?

A middle-aged man shook his head and said with a hint of sarcasm: "As a dignified barrister, he actually married a fierce wife. It is not uncommon for her to hurt her concubine's pregnancy because of jealousy. To make matters worse, she even tried to punish the poor baby after a difficult birth. If the court hadn't issued an order, who knows what would have happened to their mansion.

"You only know the edict of the imperial court, but do you know who issued it?" The person who spoke just now had a sneer on his face. He raised his hands, bowed in the direction of Chang'an North, and said, "I'll tell you." It's the Queen. When she heard about it, she was furious and wrote a letter to Zeng Jing herself, ordering him to teach his wife a stern lesson.

"Queen..."

The people drinking around the table looked at each other, then smiled understandingly. The whole country knew that the Tang Empire had a great empress, and she was favored and absolutely trusted by the emperor. She even has the power to review state documents and appoint officials. The queen used to be just an ordinary imperial concubine in the palace, or in folk parlance, she was just a concubine. She became first lady only after the death of the former.

Everyone can understand why the Empress, with her background, was so concerned about the internal affairs of the barrister, angry at his wife's mistreatment of his concubines and newborns.

Zeng Jing's wife comes from a large family in Qinghe Province, so he chooses to be tolerant for the most part. But despite his reputation as a coward, Zeng Jing can be ruthless if needed. After receiving the queen's letter, he gathered the whole family at night and whipped three butlers to death. These housekeepers were the ones who tried to murder the concubine's newborn. Later, he slapped his wife twice and sent her back to Qinghe Prefecture in a small sedan chair before decisively divorcing her!

The decisiveness of the old official at that time may have been inspired by the authority of the queen. But his determination and ruthlessness impressed the empress. Later, coupled with other factors, the old officer was quickly promoted and now works in the Imperial Library! There is a saying that blessings often mask misfortunes. Who would have thought that the cruelty of a murderous wife to a concubine and her children would eventually lead to a man's lifelong status and fame?

The crowd around the table sighed and sighed at these words. Ning Que and Sang Sang listened quietly to their words while fiddling with the pickles on the plate in the corner. Even the way they drank gruel sounded like a sigh. Master Zeng Jing did not leave much impression on him. On the contrary, it was his tough wife who made a great impression. As for the family brawl that stirred up the royal family, Ning Que had no intention of judging. It has nothing to do with him anyway. His concern was the place opposite the government......

"Compared with Master Zeng Jing, General Lin Guangyuan has no luck...... Uh, that's not right. I mean, since he dared to betray our country, he was more than a thousand. But... It's the people in his family who are pitiful.

The old man picked up his chopsticks and poked the salted egg with the tip. He licked it, then sipped on the cheap White Lotus as a way to flavor it. Sighing, he said, "You didn't see this with your own eyes. I was there when the massacre happened. Dying screams echoed through the air. The sound of the head falling was like a watermelon splashing to the ground, and blood ...... Oozing from under the gate. It was a terrible sight!

"I'm not trying to exonerate that traitor. However, when I think about some things in this world, I feel a little aggrieved and sad. At that time, the whole neighborhood knew that there were officials who had a good relationship with General Xuanwei, but after the accident, no one stood up to support him. To make matters worse, no one wants to bury him.

Putting down his glass, the old man subconsciously glanced at the tavern and the street outside. Then he lowered his voice and asked, "Have you heard of Lang Huangxing, the chief guard of the Beijing Gate?" General Xuanwei was the one who brought him from the frontier fortress to the capital. But he was the first to accuse the general of treason. If you're wondering where this man is these days... He threw himself on the prince's lap and lived a conceited life!

"It is said that Lieutenant Zhao Wu, who was involved in that incident, is also enjoying life now. I wonder if they will occasionally think of corpses when they are addicted to wine and women? If they think about it, how do they feel about it?

The old man continued to sip the wine, seasoned with salted egg yolks. However, no matter how slowly he eats, there will definitely be an end. The idlers in Chang'an completed their daily alcohol quota and ended their chat, as demanded by their fierce wife. They smiled and bowed goodbye to each other.

Ning Que and Sang Sang were still sitting at the small table in the corner. Their porridge was already cold, and the leaves of the pickled cabbage were dried by the wind, but they had no intention of leaving.

"Young Master, what do you have to do with the General's Mansion?" Sangsang stared at him and asked seriously.

Ning Que replied with a smile: "Of course there is a connection."

"I mean... What kind of connection, not no connection. Sangsang carefully corrected him.

After a moment of silence, the smile on Ning Que's face gradually faded. "But this connection cannot be revealed," he solemnly explained. You are now my maid-in-waiting. If everyone finds out, the court will behead both of us.

Looking into his eyes, Sangsang felt that he was joking. She shook her head and replied, "Young Master, you are talking nonsense.

"In our Tang Empire, the number of people who died because of nonsense was no less than those who were killed by barbarians." Ning Que laughed. "Sometimes we all know the truth, but we dare not speak it because the truth can lead to death. If we are forced to tell the truth, then we can only talk nonsense.

After saying this, he picked up his chopsticks again and rolled up his right sleeve. Then he glanced at five plates of pickles and two bowls of cold porridge, discussing what to do next.

Just then, a young man walked into the tavern. He was an ordinary-looking, skinny man. His most impressive feature is his dark complexion, which rivals the charred bottom of a broken pot. It was even darker than Sangsang's skin.

Maybe it's because Sangsang rarely sees people with darker skin than her. She couldn't help but be curious and continued to look at the man. She was about to look away when she realized it was rude to her, but she noticed that the man was walking towards them. It stiffened her. She reached for her back and held her black umbrella.

However, instead of looking for them, the man found a seat at the next table and ordered some food. Sangsang was somewhat relaxed. But what she didn't notice was that this dark and thin man was sitting not far away with his back against Ning Que.

Ning Que didn't recognize this person when he walked in. After all, when they first met in the woods of the Yan Kingdom's territory, they were still too young. Back then, this man called him Xiao Ning, and his name was Xiao Hei. Years have passed. Ning Que is now a teenager, and his peers have become out-and-out young people.

Ning Que pinched a piece of kimchi with chopsticks and put it in his mouth, chewing like a lady who was trying to hold back her laughter. After a few chews, he realized he was munching on pickled lettuce. He hated it, but it was Sangsan's favorite.