good season

"Go quickly and see if they've brought the person back!" Master Wei roared.

This time, Master Wei went there in person. The three addresses given by the other party for depositing money formed a triangle, and the place to hand over the money was right in the center of this triangle.

Master Wei had already sent people to survey the terrain; there was an ancient pagoda there that had been struck by lightning and was half gone.

There are many ghost stories about this ancient pagoda. Not long ago, the government wanted to demolish it, but two people went insane from fright that very day, and another person broke his leg from being so frightened.

Therefore, the government invited a Taoist priest to perform a ritual. Unfortunately, halfway through the ritual, the priest said that the patriarch had appeared and told him to return to the Taoist temple immediately and not to concern himself with worldly affairs for three years.

It is said that the Taoist priest was in such a hurry that he tripped and fell.

The government also indefinitely postponed its plan to demolish the ancient pagoda. From then on, the already deserted place became even more deserted, and even during the day, it was rarely visited by people.

The ancient pagoda was even more eerie at night. Master Wei, who had a deep reverence for gods and ghosts, got off his carriage before even reaching the pagoda. He then led a dozen or so attendants and, with his feet sinking into the deep water, walked for about half a cup of tea's time before finally arriving outside the pagoda.

The once towering ancient pagoda is now only half standing; looking inside from the entrance, it's pitch black.

As soon as he got close, countless crows flew out, startling Master Wei so much that he cried out and took a few steps back, almost falling to the ground.

His exclamation may have alerted the people inside the tower, for a woman's voice came from within: "Excuse me, are you from the Wei family?"

Master Wei breathed a sigh of relief; there were people there.

"Listen up, you people inside! Your family has come to pick you up. Come out now!"

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Wei Qian'er burst into tears of joy.

Her father has arrived! Her father has come to take her away!
She is her father's most beloved daughter, she was, she is, and she will always be!

She was no longer a lowly concubine; she was to become a county princess and marry into the Liang Prince's mansion. She was destined for a wonderful life!
Wei Qian'er lifted her skirt and ran quickly out of the ancient pagoda.

Under the blazing torchlight, Master Wei could see who it was.

Yes, this is Wei Qian'er.

Wei Qian'er was dressed neatly, with a pearl hairpin in her hair and pearls adorning her ears. Apart from her red and swollen eyes, there was nothing wrong with her.

Master Wei's eyes flashed with murderous intent. Since the fire started, he hadn't had a good night's sleep or a full meal. He had been worried sick and living in constant fear, but this wretched woman hadn't suffered at all.

Haha, if she weren't using Wei Ya'er's name, would she deserve 100,000 taels of silver? Would she deserve to be running around like this?

Master Wei waved his hand and said, "Take this slut down!"

Wei Qian'er was gagged and put in a sack. The others rushed into the ancient tower and found Lanlan, who was also gagged and tied up.

It was obvious that Lanlan was too talkative and loud, and the other party was worried that she would make things difficult, so they shut her up.

However, while Wei Qian'er was free, she did not untie her maid.

However, the Wei family couldn't find Granny Guan. They tried to go upstairs to look for her, but as soon as they stepped onto the stairs, they bumped into a dark figure and ran out in a panic.

"There's a ghost! There really is a ghost!"

Master Wei was also afraid of ghosts. He quickly had someone pull the rag out of Lanlan's mouth and asked, "Where is Granny Guan?"

Lanlan was completely confused: "I only saw Granny Guan once when I was in the manor, and I haven't seen her since."

Granny Guan requested an audience with Princess Changling, but Wei Qian'er dared not see her and sent Lanlan out to send her away.

Lanlan had only seen it once.

Master Wei was taken aback and asked, "She wasn't kidnapped with you?"

Lanlan shook her head: "No, that day the county princess and I were drugged with incense. When we woke up, we were locked in a room. In the past few days, the county princess and I have not seen anyone, let alone Granny Guan."

They were locked in that room. The door was locked from the outside. There were no windows in the room, but there was a small door that would be opened three times a day: once to collect the night soil, once to deliver breakfast, and once to deliver dinner.

Every time there was a knock on the door, Lanlan would open the small door, and a monkey would crawl in with a bamboo basket filled with their food.

The small door was only big enough for the monkey to pass through. Lanlan tried, but even though she wasn't very tall, she couldn't squeeze through.

The other party was very cautious. Not only did they have monkeys deliver the food, but they didn't even provide bowls and chopsticks. The food consisted of flatbread and pickled vegetables that could be eaten by hand, and the water was stored in a cowhide bag.

If they wanted to commit suicide, they only had three options.

One is hitting a wall;
Secondly, he choked to death while eating a flatbread;
Third, drowning by plunging one's head into the toilet.

Undoubtedly, none of these three methods of death were suitable for this master and servant, so they are still alive.

As for Granny Guan, they had completely forgotten about her if Master Wei hadn't mentioned her.

Upon learning that Granny Guan was not with them, Master Wei nearly fainted from anger.

Clearly, the other party deliberately refused to send Granny Guan back.

By leaving Granny Guan behind, the other party was essentially hanging a knife over Master Wei's head.

Anytime, anywhere, at any moment, if the other party's hand trembles even slightly, the knife will fall.

This is a dead end!

Breaking this deadlock is actually not difficult.

Once Wei Ya'er's death is announced, Granny Guan will become a useless pawn.

By now, even the last shred of hope that Master Wei had held onto had vanished.

The next day, big news spread throughout the capital.

The real culprit who murdered Wei Wubing was found; it turned out to be a maid in the mansion. Princess Changling first lost her younger brother, then suffered greatly in the Ministry of Justice, and soon after returning to her mansion, she encountered a fire. She could no longer hold on and fainted, never to wake up again.

Master Wei entrusted Wei Wubing's coffin to his clansmen for escort, as he was worried about his daughter returning to the capital. Unfortunately, Princess Changling died young, passing away amidst her father's grief.

From fainting to passing away in just one day, it can only be said that illness strikes like a landslide, and even a young person cannot escape it.

Fortunately, before her death, the Princess of Changling was finally exonerated, the real culprit was brought to justice, and she could rest in peace.

No one knows when Master Wei left the capital, and no one pays attention to his departure. The talk of the court and the public is all about the misfortune of the Wei family. As the conversation goes on, it becomes that the Wei family is cursed. Otherwise, how could both of his children have died in less than half a year?

Some people said it must be a problem with the Wei family's ancestral graves, and it would be best to invite a master to take a look to see if an enemy had buried something there. Others said it might not be the ancestral graves, but the ancestral home itself, perhaps because an enemy had pasted a talisman on the beams or placed a knife there.

More and more people are discussing this matter, and the focus of the discussion has shifted from the deaths of the Wei siblings to the feng shui of the Wei family.

The ancestral graves faction and the ancestral home faction argued endlessly. Some people observed the night sky and saw a black cloud hovering above the Wei family mansion in the capital, as if a heretical cultivator was performing a ritual.

Thus, in addition to the ancestral grave faction and the ancestral home faction, there was also the heretical cultivation faction.

The Wei family was the maternal family of Consort Li, and Emperor Yongjia and all his children had Wei family blood in their veins.

When these messages reached the palace, Emperor Yongjia was truly disgusted.

He flew into a rage, a nameless fire raging within him.

He couldn't do anything to Consort Li, but the three girls sent to the palace by the Wei family were unlucky. They were all in the prime of their lives, but they would never have the chance to see the Emperor again.

When Consort Li was neglected by her son, she could only complain to Old Madam Wei: "Look at your grand-nephews and granddaughters, they are all worthless. They have only been in the capital for half a year and they have already caused so much trouble. Now, the emperor is tired of the Wei family, and the Wei family will never have a peaceful life again."

Madam Wei snorted coldly: "I'm an old woman with one foot in the grave, and I never intended to live a peaceful life."

Princess Li wanted to say, "You don't care, but I have. Shouldn't you go home too?"

But she dared not say it, for she did not know when it began, but she had developed a fear of Madam Wei.

Consort Li had no choice but to feign illness again.

This time, however, neither Emperor Yongjia nor the Empress came to visit, and even Consort Qiao, who always tried to curry favor with her, did not appear.

Some are happy, some are sad.

Zhao Shiqing, who was also in the capital, was feeling quite pleased with herself; the 150,000 taels of silver had filled the last gap.

While the Fourth Prince was still making preparations, Xiao Zhen and Zhao Shiqing had already embarked on the official road to Tongzhou.

Zhen Wuduo wanted to go with her, but Zhao Shiqing wouldn't let him. Although the old man was still healthy, he was getting on in years, and she didn't want him to risk his life with her.

"Listen to me, just stay in the capital and wait for me. We'll come back after we've finished our business."

The old man ignored her and looked at Xiao Zhen instead.

Xiao Zhen stepped forward and bowed to the old man: "Grandpa, as a descendant of the Xiao family, I assure you that I will bring your eldest granddaughter back safely in three months."

Although the old man was extremely dissatisfied with Xiao Zhen, that was from the perspective of his grandson-in-law. However, from the perspective of the descendants of the Xiao family, Xiao Zhen still held a place in his heart.

Xiao Zhen rarely makes promises, therefore, his commitments are as heavy as Mount Tai.

The old man stopped talking and waved his hand: "Go and come back soon, go on, go on!"

Since the grandfather and granddaughter were reunited, this is the first time the old man has been separated from his eldest granddaughter. This separation will last for three months. Three months! It hasn't even started yet, but the old man already feels like every day is a year.

Zhao Shiqing was going to Tongzhou, and her small team naturally had to go with her.

On the day of departure, a group of young men and women, dressed in their finest clothes and full of youthful vigor, rode off on horseback.

Watching those departing figures, the old man's nose tingled with tears. He wiped his eyes, and Old Fan asked, "Grandpa, are you crying?"

"Nonsense, you've got sand in your eye."

Old Fan sighed, "Don't worry, sir. The second young lady is not only accompanied by her own guards, but also by the twenty people you gave her. Young Master Xiao is also with her. She will definitely be fine."

The old man said, "Of course I know nothing will happen. That's my granddaughter. She's very lucky. If anything happens to her, nothing will happen to her."

Even so, the old man was still worried.

Especially when they returned home, the once noisy courtyard suddenly became quiet, and even Xiao Ye stopped barking and lay listlessly on the steps.

Ah Huang stopped going out to listen to gossip and followed the old man wherever he went.

Little Demon and Big Fatty both left with them. Without Little Demon's death stare, Sanqianliang's life felt like something was missing.

Originally, Aunt Ji and Wan Ruyi liked to chat, gossiping about everyone, but now, the two of them were silent, sitting there quietly picking vegetables.

When Zhang Ye came home from school, he no longer teased the cats and chased the dogs, but obediently went back to his room to do his homework, as if he had suddenly grown up several years.

Zhao Tingluo would occasionally bring Xiaobao over. When Xiaobao missed the loach but couldn't see it, he would come here to sit for a while.

Later, the Yan family's children, along with the Broken Stone Brothers, came over, and the courtyard became lively again.

The old man set up a stage in the courtyard and hired a troupe to perform. The plays were all martial arts dramas, which the group of mischievous children found very entertaining. While the actors were fighting on stage, they were fighting offstage. When the old man was happy, he would throw silver coins at them. The children would then use the silver coins to treat the old man to a meal at a restaurant, which made the old man even happier. It was quite an interesting situation to have the younger generation treat him.

Today was another day I forgot about my eldest granddaughter.

That day, Zhao Shiqing and his party left the capital and traveled more than fifty li when a cavalry troop from Xiecili cut in and blocked their way.

Just as everyone was about to start cursing, they suddenly recognized that the handsome young man riding on the tall horse was none other than Shen Guanyue!
Upon seeing Shen Guanyue, Shen Wangxing burst into tears of joy.

"Little Yueyue, where have you been for the past six months? How did you disappear after arriving in the capital?"

Of course, saying he went missing is an exaggeration. Everyone guessed that his brother must have taken him away. As for where he was taken, no one dared to ask, not even Shen Wangxing, who was so close to Xiaoyueyue that they shared the same surname.

Although they didn't know Xiao Yueyue's true identity, they could guess from Zhao Shiqing's strange behavior of refusing to take him along on the journey twice that Xiao Yueyue was definitely not just Xiao Fuma's mistress.

But no one asked, even though this group of people were all very curious, no one inquired.

However, upon seeing Shen Guanyue today, everyone's joy was palpable. If they weren't on horseback, they might have rushed over and hugged Shen Guanyue one by one.

Shen Guanyue chuckled, about to crack a joke, when he suddenly met his older brother's cold gaze. He shrank back and said cautiously, "Brother, please let me go with you."

Xiao Zhen felt a pang of sorrow. It was the same in his past life. Every time he was in danger, Xiao Yue would rush over to stay by his side, always at the forefront until the very last moment.
"Brother, whether I am Xiao Yue or Shen Guanyue, no matter who I become, this is my responsibility. Please let me go, okay?"

Xiao Zhen pursed his lips. Having been reborn, he wanted to protect Xiao Yue as much as possible, but now, he suddenly wondered if he had made a mistake.

He not only wanted to protect Xiao Yue, but also wanted to reclaim everything for him. Therefore, he had been busy all these years, braving wind and rain. He forgot that Xiao Yue was not only intelligent but also courageous. Perhaps he didn't want to hide in the sidelines, living his life as Shen Guanyue.
"Alright, let's go!"

At Xiao Zhen's command, Shen Guanyue's pitiful expression vanished, and he excitedly waved to everyone: "I'm back! Did you miss me?"

The procession heading to Tongzhou had grown larger. On the official road, a group of young men galloped on horseback, chasing each other. Little Guai soared through the air. Only the little demon and Big Fatty, stuffed in bags, occasionally let out a few dissatisfied cries: "Dizzy! The cat's dizzy! The cat's dizzy with the horse!" (End of Chapter)