During the Ming Dynasty, when women were very particular about staying at home, Liu Ruyan could read and read a lot of books.
In terms of assessing the situation, he is as good as his husband Li An.
After hearing what Xiao Chen said and considering what happened to him today, after a moment of weighing, he decided to trust Xiao Chen to get through the difficult situation he was facing.
"If you have any questions, please ask me. I will never hide it." Kneeling on the ground, Liu Ruyan looked at Xiao Chen eagerly and hugged her son with one hand, as if she saw the last straw.
"Madam, get up first." Xiao Chen stepped forward and helped Liu Ruyan up. He pulled a chair and asked Liu Ruyan to sit down. He also sat down opposite.
"Madam, how long has it been since Wang Wencheng became the Minister of Education?" Xiao Chen asked.
Looking at Xiao Chen, Liu Ruyan pondered for a moment: "It's been several years, maybe five or six years."
"Has Wang Wencheng done anything unusual since he came to the house? For example, did he meet some strangers or not return home for many days?"
"Wang Wencheng is the housekeeper of the house. He often goes out to purchase daily necessities for the house. We have no way of knowing whether strangers have seen him or not. However, it seems that he has not returned for many days. Generally speaking, he has not
What an excessive move, otherwise, I wouldn’t have easily drank his poisoned tea.”
Speaking of this, Liu Ruyan's face was slightly embarrassed.
"Madam, can you guess why he deceived you, mother and son, out of the Chancellor's Mansion and abandoned them in the wilderness?"
Liu Ruyan shook his head: "I don't know. In all these years, Shangshufu has never treated him badly, but he actually treated our mother and son like this. I really can't understand where I offended him to make him treat us like this."
Poisonous hand."
Liu Ruyan's eyes turned red again when she thought of her own experience.
Staring into Liu Ruyan's eyes, Xiao Chen made sure that she was not lying, and then said again: "Then Li An, have you ever offended him?"
"Master? Probably not. The two of them have a master-servant relationship, and they don't usually have much interaction. When the master went to court, Wang Wencheng began to go out for shopping and kept the house in order. The master paid monthly
The salary is more than thirty taels of silver, and the expenses of the Shangshu Mansion depend on his salary. Without Wang Wencheng's careful management, I am afraid it would not be able to support it."
Liu Ruyan looked at Xiao Chen and said slowly.
"Li An, have you done anything secretive in your house? For example, have you met a stranger who is not a court official?" Xiao Chen changed the subject and circled back to Li An.
"I really don't know about this. He didn't mention it to me. I know all the guests who come to the house, and there are no strangers." Liu Ruyan said.
Xiao Chen chuckled and lightly tapped the armrest of the chair with his palm: "The reason why Wang Wencheng treats you mother and son like this is that he wants to use you to blackmail Li An. Li An is probably not very safe at the moment.
"
Hearing that Li An was in danger, Liu Ruyan's face changed greatly: "Sir, you must save me. This Wang Wencheng has been hiding in the house for many years, and he must be plotting something big. Your Excellency is the purple-clothed captain who was given by the emperor, please ask me to save him."
The matter will be investigated strictly.”
"Check, we must check. I still say the same thing, if Madam is hiding something, even if I want to help you, I will probably miss the opportunity."
Li An took the lead in holding him accountable in court, but Xiao Chen didn't believe it. It was his own idea.
Since he was ordered by others, there must be a process of meeting, discussing, and making arrangements. And Liu Ruyan said that Li An had not met any strangers. Either Li An even hid his wife, or Liu Ruyan was not quite sure yet.
trust yourself.
"I don't know if I have seen any strangers outside the Shangshu Mansion. I really haven't seen them at home. In other words, I didn't know when I saw them."
After staring at Liu Ruyan for a long time, Xiao Chen stood up slowly: "Since Wang Wencheng has thrown you into the wilderness, you can stay here for the time being, and I will arrange for personnel to protect your safety. The affairs of Shangshu Mansion will be left to you.
Let Dongchang do it."
"Sir, I'm worried about the master's safety. I want to go back." Liu Ruyan looked at Xiao Chen and said softly.
"In Wang Wencheng's heart, you are already dead at this moment. If you suddenly go back, won't Madam be afraid that Wang Wencheng will jump over the wall and attack Li An?" Xiao Chen stood upright, his thin body like a sharp sword, but there was a faint expression on his face.
smile.
"This, this...I will obey the adults' arrangements." Liu Ruyan held the child beside her in her arms and slowly lowered her head.
Xiao Chen looked at the secret sentries who were rescuing people: "You guys stay here to take care of my wife's safety. The inn will continue to be requisitioned. Once the matter is over, go back to Dongchang to pay the money and compensate for the loss of the inn."
"Yes." The whistleblower bowed and replied.
Outside the inn, Xiao Chen and Duan Tianming had already mounted their horses.
"What should we do if we come down? Arrest Wang Wencheng directly?" Duan Tianming reined in his horse and asked eagerly.
"Don't worry, our target is not Wang Wencheng, but the conspiracy behind him. You go back to Dongchang first, and then mobilize some people to ensure Liu Ruyan's safety. She is one of our powerful witnesses."
"What about you, where are you going?"
"I'm going to meet Li An." Xiao Chen looked in the direction of Shangshu Mansion and smiled lightly.
In the lobby of Shangshu Mansion, Li An sat on a chair in the middle hall with a haggard face. The glass of boiled water poured by Wang Wencheng himself was placed on the table, next to the large silver note of five thousand taels.
"My lord, Xiao Chen, the purple-clad captain, would like to see your lord." A servant guarding the door hurried to the door of the living room, hunched over and whispered.
Li An was feeling both painful and angry at the moment.
Feeling aggrieved by being threatened with the safety of his wife and children, Li An wanted to yell at the wall to vent his frustration.
"Xiao Chen? What is he here for? I am no longer targeting him, what else can he do? Is he going to kill me?" There was nowhere to vent the emotions in his heart, and Li An got angry at his servants.
"Master Li, you don't want to see me so much? The first time you protested against me, the second time you got angry with the servants. It seems that we didn't have any hatred before, right?" Xiao Chen walked in from outside the living room with his hands behind his back.
.
There was a smile on his face. But in Li An's eyes, this smile was like the death-killing scythe of the God of Death, making him shudder.
Li An stood up, hurriedly came over, and tried his best to put a smile on his face: "Master Ziyi was joking. Last time, I was rude and bumped into you. It's a blessing that you didn't kill me on the spot.
A great favor. Something happened in the Shangshu Mansion today, and I was in a bad mood, so I said a few words and hoped that you would not care about it."
"Oh? Sir, are you in a bad mood? How about I come as a host and go out for a drink together?"
Xiao Chen blinked, leaving Li An scratching his head.
