"Elder-in-law" migraine

Chapter 14

Early the next morning, Duan Yixian and Ren Zhi bid farewell to Jizhi, Jizhi didn't say much, and prepared water and snacks for them to take with them on the road.

Duan Yixian took the dim sum and was not polite, just looked at Ji Zhi with a smile, "We will definitely meet again in the future."

Ji Zhi didn't seem surprised, he bent his lips and smiled, "Then I look forward to that day."

Because there is no rush on the way back, Ren Zhi wanted to take this opportunity to visit the village where Concubine De lived. Duan Yixian finally couldn't help but ask, "Why do you insist on investigating Concubine De?"

Ren Zhi glanced back and found that the guards were following behind him far away, unable to hear the words of the two of them clearly, so he replied, "Have you ever thought that Concubine De actually doesn't want to be this concubine at all, what she's doing now It’s all about playing tricks after being forced to do nothing.”

Duan Yixian raised his eyebrows, "What did you find?"

Ren Zhi shook his head, "Not yet, I just have some intuition. When I followed His Majesty to the Defei Palace, I always felt that she was submissive and gentle to His Majesty, but lacked a trace of love. The quarrel in the garden complained that Fang Yong sent her to the palace and ruined her happiness, so I couldn't help but boldly wonder if Concubine De had a good friend in the original village, and Fang Yong sent her away for his own future. Entering the palace and breaking up, whether that man is still in the village, or if there are other clues, I think, I will only find out if I go and see."

Duan Yixian was silent for a while, then nodded, "If we can find out that there is something wrong with Concubine De, the emperor will be furious, and he will even be suspicious of the seventh brother and Fang Yong, it is a good way to bring down the seventh brother. As for the crown prince, as long as he can find a way to pass the murder of the fourth brother to the queen and Gong Xibang, without their support, there will be no threat to the crown prince."

Ren Zhi raised his eyes to look at him, "Will there be any threat from the sixth prince? What if we get rid of the prince and the seventh prince, and the sixth prince is still the son after all, will it become a wedding dress for others?"

"My sixth brother and I grew up together. It seems that he does not have this ambition, but... he was born in the emperor's family. There are a few who are not interested in the throne. I will be wary of him." Duan Yixian lowered his eyes and said in a low voice .

Ren Zhi sensed what was on his mind, if he wanted to get the throne, he would be doomed to embark on a path of turning against his brothers, having no friends, being superior, but extremely lonely.But this is his choice, let him think, he can bear it.

According to the investigation by the hidden guards of the Floating Life Sect that day, Concubine De should be from a small village in Longzhou.At that time, Emperor Jingyan led his army southward and passed there.But according to the report from the dark guard, only a few families remained in that village due to years of war.The dark guards went to inquire, but failed to bring back any useful information.

Longzhou happened to be on the only way from Langzhou to the imperial city, so just go back the same way and stop by Longzhou for a while, and it would not arouse suspicion.

They traveled quickly for two days and arrived in Longzhou. They booked a few rooms in the best inn in the city for three days in a row. They wanted to take a rest and take a look at the local customs.At dawn, Duan Yixian and Ren Zhi led the horses, quietly left the inn, and rushed to the small village, Xuguan Village.

Xuguan Village is tens of miles away from Longzhou City. The two of them bathed in the morning light and watched the sky get brighter and brighter, and finally arrived at Xuguan Village in the early morning.

From a distance, it doesn't look like a village at all, there are a few families scattered in a large piece of wasteland, because it's early in the morning, and the smoke rises, so it's still quite comfortable.

The two got off their horses and walked towards the nearest house. When they got to the door, Ren Zhi suddenly stopped, scratched his and Duan Yixian's hair, and made a messy appearance, then knocked on the door. "Is anyone here?"

The door was opened, and through the fence, Ren Zhi saw an old man sloppily walking over, opened the door made of several pieces of wood, and looked at the two of them in surprise, "Who are you?"

Ren Zhi nodded, and said politely, "Old man, my young master and I are doing business in other places. A few days ago, there was news from my family that my young master had to go back for an urgent matter. We hurried for a day. Who knew I lost my pannier, now I am hungry and thirsty, I want to come to you to beg for water and rice, is that okay?"

The old man looked Ren Zhi up and down, and then looked at Duan Yixian, seeing that one of them was thin and the other was gentle, he took a step back and opened the door, "Come in and have a rest, the old lady just steamed the cornbread Hurry up, eat some hot soup to fill your belly."

Ren Zhi hurriedly thanked him, pulled Duan Yixian and followed the old man into the door.

Ren Zhi's gaze swept across the yard. There was a pile of thick logs in the corner that hadn't been cut, and there was a big hole in the fence that no one had patched. It seemed that the family was exhausted and there were only two old people left.He sighed lowly in his heart, but there was no expression on his face.

After entering the room, an old lady was holding bowls and chopsticks and was about to put them on the table. When she saw her old man bring in two strange men, she raised her eyebrows and asked, "Are these two...?"

The old man waved his hand, "Those passing by, lost their money, come here to ask for some food and drink."

The old woman nodded, "Then I'll get the bowls and chopsticks." After speaking, she turned around and went to the kitchen to bring two more sets of bowls and chopsticks.

The meals on the table are very simple, hot corn cakes, a big bowl of hot soup with unknown ingredients, and a few dishes of homemade pickles. Ren Zhi took a look at Duan Yixian, and the other party nodded calmly. Nodding, he picked up the chopsticks, pretended to be extremely hungry, picked up a whole cornbread and stuffed it into his mouth, ate most of it in one go, took the small bowl of hot soup handed over by the old woman, and drank it. After taking a big sip, he seemed to slow down slightly, and said with a smile, "I've been driving all day, and I finally have something warm to eat, and I feel much more comfortable."

The old man smiled and nodded, "Eat more if you like it. It seems that the two of you should come from a wealthy family, and there is nothing delicious in this house. Let's fill up your stomach for now."

Ren Zhi wiped his mouth and asked casually, "Old man, have you always lived in this village?"

While eating, the old man replied, "Isn't that right, I've lived here for most of my life."

Duan Yixian ate half of the pastry in a slow manner, and continued, "I don't think this village is too far from Longzhou City, why are there not many families left?"

The old man shook his head, "Before years of wars, many people left, the land was barren, and only our few families were left. But don't look at our village as desolate, His Majesty has visited our village back then."

Ren Zhi raised his eyebrows, with a look of disbelief, "Your Majesty is the king of a country, and he is busy with state affairs all day long, why did he come here?"

The old man put down his chopsticks and said seriously, "Your Majesty is working all day now. When he was not the emperor, he led the army to fight, passed by us, and stationed here. At that time, there were still many young men in the village who went to join the army. .Even there was a scholar in our village who seemed gentle, but because he came up with an idea for His Majesty, he won a big victory and became a high-ranking official."

Ren Zhi paused, looked back at Duan Yixian, and asked, "What's your lord's last name? It's true that your ancestors have accumulated virtue and have the opportunity to become a high official in Beijing."

The old man looked at the old woman and asked, "What's the last name of the scholar you always chatted with his wife?"

The old woman blinked, "You mean Mr. Fang?"

"That's right, that's him. When His Majesty came down, he left with His Majesty, leaving his newly married daughter-in-law alone in the village, and didn't come back until later, saying that he became a high-ranking official and took his wife to Beijing to enjoy the blessings." .” The old man narrowed his eyes and recalled carefully.

"Daughter-in-law?" Duan Yixian raised his eyebrows, "Are you sure you remember correctly, is it a daughter-in-law or someone else?"

The old man waved his hand and said with some dissatisfaction, "Don't look at me being old, how can I remember this kind of thing wrongly, what else can it be if it's not a daughter-in-law?"

Ren Zhi gently tugged on Duan Yixian's sleeve, and said with a smile, "My young master is just curious, and now there are still men who get promoted and get rich, and don't forget to get a wife, it's really rare."

The old man nodded, "That's true. But Mr. Fang's wife is indeed young and beautiful. Even in the capital, you may not be able to see a better-looking one. How could Mr. Fang be willing to leave her alone in our small village inside?"

"Then Mr. Fang didn't come back to this village to see you good folks after he became a high-ranking official?"

"There's nothing to be reluctant to even pick up my daughter-in-law. In the first two years, Mr. Fang came back. Later, his house caught fire for some reason, and the house burned down. He never came back." The old man continued to recall.

Ren Zhi put down his chopsticks, and looked intently listening to the old man's story, "Then Mr. Fang came back alone without his wife?"

The old woman rushed to speak, "At that time, I heard that the Fang family's wife was pregnant and was raising a baby at home, so she didn't come back. If Mr. Fang came to the capital, he still felt sorry for his wife."

Ren Zhi nodded, and casually asked other stories about this village. The old man hadn't met outsiders for a long time, and it was rare that someone didn't mind his nagging, and was willing to listen to these old stories with lost teeth, so he naturally focused on telling them.

Duan Yixian lowered his head and continued to eat, but all kinds of thoughts were churning in his heart. Sure enough, as Ren expected, they came here and gained a lot.

After eating a meal for almost an hour, the two of them were full, thanked the old man and said goodbye. When they got up, Ren Zhi quietly stuffed a piece of gold under the quilt piled on the kang. Duan Yixian glanced at him and bent slightly. lip.