Raiders of the Duke and Duchess

The rain has not stopped.

Less than twelve hours later, Mrs. Ji came to the tower again.

This is her second time here. When she came here yesterday, she told herself that she was worried about Xiao Ning rather than wanting to see the person inside. Even when Xiao Ning asked, she still insisted that time had passed and there was no need to meet him. . But when I come back today, it seems that I can no longer find a reason to create such an illusion. She stood outside the courtyard and took a deep breath before crossing the threshold.

It's like crossing a natural chasm.

There were guards guarding the bottom of the tower. When they saw the old lady coming in, they bowed their hands and saluted. After saying goodbye, they asked, "Do you want to go up to see her?"

After a slight pause in her steps, the old lady looked calm, raised her eyes and asked, "But... but you were ordered not to allow visits?" She seemed calm, but she asked cautiously, even with a hint of expectation. It's just that even she herself doesn't know what kind of answer she wants to hear more.

The guard did not hesitate and shook his head in denial, "No. The girl only said that if you ask to see that person, just let him go. If you are willing, I can accompany you in. If you want to meet alone, I will send you there." After you go up there, you will just stay outside the door to ensure your safety...but don't worry, the man is tied up by the girl and can't do anything."

The old lady sighed.

The heart that had been raised all the way finally slowly fell to the ground, and I exhaled a long breath - that's all, I originally thought that if the guards stopped me, I would not go up, so as not to embarrass them. But now it seems that Xiao Ning has already arranged everything well, and she has already guessed that she will inevitably come and go this time, but she has been worried, wandering, and struggling for a whole day.

Old friends and old stories, at her age, are always more regretful than relieved, always thinking about seeing each other less often, and always a bit unable to let go. That's all, let's meet up.

Small raindrops sparsely hit the bluestone floor in the courtyard and the oil-paper umbrella held up. The drops were scattered high and low. It's really...the perfect weather to meet old friends and reminisce about the past. Madam Ji nodded slightly, took two steps forward, lifted up her clothes, and said softly, "So... please take me up."

The guard bowed his head to accept the order and made a gesture of invitation. Another one took the oil-paper umbrella from Grandma Wang and placed it within the threshold. During the salute, he turned his head and looked straight at the door. The place where he stood was under the eaves, but only half of his head was covered. His face was wet with rain, and rainwater hung on his eyelashes. His face, which looked like a knife and an axe, became more solemn and solemn.

He was a young man, seemingly a few years older than Cen Yan. Grandma Wang couldn't help feeling a little distressed. She wanted to remind the other party to hold an umbrella. Just when she was about to open her mouth, she was pulled by Mrs. Ji. The old lady shook her head at her and said, "Achu has his own rules for his subordinates." . Don't break his rules." A weak businessman, but his subordinates are mostly experts on the wanted list of the imperial court. Money alone is not enough for these people. He has his own set of methods and rules to help his elders. It's not a big deal, but you can't break his rules and cause trouble for him because of your useless kindness.

Grandma Wang nodded and said yes, and followed a few steps closer.

The guard led the way silently, as if he had not heard the conversation between the two. Most of his hair was wet and stuck to his forehead. He did not even stroke it. He only stopped when he got all the way to the door, "The person is locked in there. Do you need your subordinates to accompany you?"

He is just an old man, and the witchcraft and Gu methods he is good at are of little use to him, not to mention that he is still locked up now, and it becomes more and more like a trapped animal unable to struggle. The old lady thought like this, shook her head, and said gently, "No need. It's just two old people talking about old things, there won't be any conflict. If you are worried, just wait here for me. Done." The guard nodded and said hello.

The old lady then told Nanny Wang, "You have always been unhappy with these elders. Now that I see you, I'm afraid you will be angry for a few days. You can wait here for me." After that, before Nanny Wang could agree, she had already He pushed the door open and stepped inside, then turned around and closed the door.

The wind started to rise and then stopped suddenly, and Grandma Wang was left here, frowning, reluctant, but helpless.

This is the first time Mrs. Ji has come to the inside of this tower. When she asked about it before, Xiao Ning told her that it was the Library Pavilion where a Tian Xin Qin was placed. Along the way, there were indeed many books and several empty bookshelves. Unexpectedly, the attic was almost empty.

In the empty room, the remaining candles flickered, and in the dim light of the fire, there was a chair in the middle of the room that was beaten to the ground by an iron pillar. The man was sitting on the chair with disheveled hair, his head lowered, and his face could not be seen. He only looked ragged and seemed to be suffering from pain. After being tortured, his limbs were still tied with iron chains. Xiao Ning's methods somewhat imitated A Chu's style, and the execution was already expected by the old lady. But after all, he was an old person from the past, and now he was in such a desolate state, she still couldn't help but sigh... The old lady took a step forward, but the other party seemed to As if he suddenly woke up, he maintained the same action, "Haha" and sneered, "Your girl is very polite, three meals a day, and extra meals at night?"

The old lady paused.

This voice... is strange. The voice was old and hoarse, as if there was a mouthful of phlegm stuck in it. It was strange, but it was obvious that it was a woman's voice.

There were no women in the Presbyterian Church at that time.

For hundreds of years, the Ji family has been dominated by women, and all the patriarchs have been women. However, the outside world is completely different. Men can gain fame and make contributions, and men can compete in the world or have three wives and four concubines. Having seen the outside world In this world, men are naturally unwilling to be inferior to women, but they dare not openly challenge the clan rules. So, through deliberate management by thoughtful people, I don’t know when, there were only men in the Presbyterian Church. At this point, the confrontation between the Presbyterian Church and the clan leaders has reached a fever pitch.

As her thoughts moved, the old lady had already begun to wonder if Xiao Ning had found the wrong person after all the hard work, or was this person pretending to be "him" to take the blame? It's not impossible to think about it. After all, Xiao Ning doesn't know the fifth elder either. But if this is the case, the other party is obviously on guard, and it will be difficult to catch him.

The old lady took a step forward slowly and tilted her head to look at the other person, but the other person lowered his head and could not see his face. After a long while, he broke the silence and asked, "You are not the fifth elder. Who are you...?"

But the other party was startled for a moment, and when he looked up, he moved violently, and the iron chain he was tied with clattered. Only then did the old lady notice that this man's limbs were not only tied up, but also a thicker iron chain was directly wrapped around him. her neck. And the face he looked over actually looked like an old friend.

The other party was also startled, "...Congyin?"