Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 207 New Home
In Prince Yuzhang's Palace, all the lanterns were changed to white, and all ten doors were open. Between each door, there were fully armed guards standing solemnly.

The ghostwriter held the imperial sword and patrolled outside the defense line with a vigilant look on his face.

The atmosphere in the palace was solemn and stagnant.

Xiao Yan, wearing a gray monk's robe and a cassock, walked into the hall with a sad expression.

In the hall, inside a small coffin, lay a lifeless baby, who was none other than his eldest grandson, Aga.

Touching Aga's cold little face, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel sad and tears streamed down his face.

Everyone in the palace burst into tears, and the princess even fainted from crying. Xiao Zong also burst into tears and was heartbroken.

It took a while for Xiao Yan to stop feeling sad, and he said to Xiao Zong in a cold voice:

"Remember this. If you have any problem in the future, tell your father directly. Don't try to cover it up. That will only make things more complicated! We are biological father and son. No matter what mistakes you make, what can your father do to you?"

Xiao Yan's words seemed to be blaming the second brother for not reporting Ajia's illness in time last night; and also seemed to be talking about him secretly sending people to kill Dong Dangmen. Of course, it was more like both...

"Yes, I'll remember it!" Xiao Zong kowtowed continuously, crying with snot and tears.

Xiao Yan glanced at Xiao Zong coldly, sighed and said, "Okay, stop crying. Accompany me to chant sutras and confess to Ajia."

"Yes, father." Xiao Zong quickly got up, knelt behind Xiao Yan, and chanted scriptures for the salvation of souls with him.

~~
People do not share the same joys and sorrows. The father and son of the royal family in the palace cried like dogs, while Ren Yuan and others standing guard outside only felt tortured. Chen Baxian muttered countless times: "Why haven't you left work yet?"

They had made an appointment to have dinner at Yang Zhong's house tonight.

It was not until the afternoon that the emperor finished chanting and came out of Yuzhang Palace. He waited until the emperor's procession returned to the palace before Diwuwei shouted, "Call it a day."

"You don't have to go back to the camp, just go directly with Yang Zhong." Deputy Captain Zu waved his hand generously.

"Deputy captain, let's join in." Everyone invited sincerely.

"I won't go." Zuan shook his head and said, "Someone from the team has to stay behind. We can't just rely on the old drunkard, right?"

He glanced at everyone and said, "Besides, do you really want me to go?"

"No." Ren Yuan and the other two couldn't help but tell the truth: "We wouldn't dare to say anything if you went."

"My wife is looking forward to your visit." However, Yang Zhong disagreed with everyone else.

"It has to be bitter peach." Zuan asked happily, "Why?"

"You'd like to know how much private money I have hidden and how many times I have been to that kind of place..." Yang Zhong said with a wry smile.

"Get out of here!" Zuan cursed and drove them away.

~~
Ren Yuan and the other two bought a lot of food on the way, and then they carried their bags and arrived at Ping'anli where Yang Zhong lived before the gate closed.

Ping'anli is located in the northwest of the capital. The conditions there are better than Nantangli where Mr. Chen was arrested that day. At least the streets are clean, there are tiled houses on both sides of the road, and it is not far from Qilin City.

"Second brother, your location is good." Chen Baxian couldn't help but praise: "The rent here is not cheap, right?"

"It's not cheap." Yang Zhong sighed, "Twenty strings of cash a year."

"That's okay." Chen Baxian said.

"I paid with copper coins." Yang Zhong said faintly, "Not iron coins." "Fuck, you are too extravagant, aren't you?" Chen Baxian said in amazement, "This rent can buy a house in our hometown."

"You think I'm wrong, it's all because of my wasteful spending habits." Yang Zhong said with a bitter face, slapping his hands hard, "Your sister-in-law has complained to me about this a lot."

"I shouldn't blame you. You deserve to be beaten." Chen Baxian laughed. Although their relationship deepened, he still liked to see Yang Zhong suffer a setback.

As they were talking, Yang Zhong and the other two arrived at the door of the house.

Before everyone entered, they were stunned by the huge gate of the mansion that was three rooms wide.

"Wow, what a huge house this is." Chen Baxian said, "How many rooms are there?"

"There are four courtyards in front and back, and two east and west courtyards, with more than thirty rooms." Yang Zhong said.

"Your wife really loves you." Even A-Yao commented: "She only scolds you after all this."

"Can you and your second sister-in-law live here?" Ren Yuan asked in surprise.

"Oh, don't mention it. At that time, I was thinking of renting a big house and letting the captured fellow villagers live together so that they can take care of each other." Yang Zhong smiled bitterly, "In the end, except for me who stayed in the Gou Chen Division, the rest of us were assigned to Jiangbei to serve as soldiers..."

"Is that so?" The three of them suddenly realized and thought that it was not a serious illness.

"Tao'er, we're back!" Yang Zhong pushed the door open and shouted towards the backyard, "Come out to greet us."

Then he smiled awkwardly and said, "I can't help it. The house is too big. If I don't shout, I won't be able to hear you."

"Coming!" A cheerful female voice responded, and Lu Kutao, wearing an apron, rushed out from the back house.

She was tall, with bright features and a heroic air all over her body. She looked like a cheerful and straightforward woman.

"You three must be Brother Chen, Brother Ren, and Sister Ayao, right?" Lu Kutao greeted the three of them enthusiastically and said, "I've heard Azhong mention you all day long, and today I finally get to meet you in person."

"I hear my second brother talk about how wonderful his wife is all day long." Chen Baxian laughed and said, "Today, when I met my brother's wife, I realized that he is still too conservative."

"I'm sorry to have caused trouble to my sister-in-law." Ren Yuan and A Yao were not as shameless as A Ba. They greeted Lu Kutao politely.

"Haha, Brother Chen is just talking nonsense. It's good that he doesn't make up stories about me." Lu Kutao was as cheerful and generous as a typical Shandong woman. She took A Yao's hand and called the three people, saying, "Come in quickly. Just treat it as your own home."

When everyone entered the inner house, they saw an unexpected person there.

"Sister Su, why are you here?" Ren Yuan looked at Su Xiaoxiao in surprise, whose smile was as beautiful as a lotus on the water.

"What, do you know each other?" Lu Kutao was also surprised.

"Yes, we went to Beijing together." Su Xiaoxiao replied with a smile, "But I couldn't enter the Gou Chensi, so I found a house in the city first and waited for them to come out and reunite."

"You're not going to look for a house here, are you?" Chen Baxian asked.

"Yes, I rented the East Courtyard and have cleaned it up in the past few days. I'm just waiting for you to move in." Su Xiaoxiao nodded with a smile and said, "Today my sister-in-law said that there will be many guests at home, so I volunteered to help in the kitchen."

"Haha, you really know how to find a place. I was just wondering how my second brother and his wife could live in such a big house." Chen Baxian said happily, "In the end, you rented it. Now everyone is happy."

"That's great." Lu Kutao also nodded with a smile, but glanced at Yang Zhong coldly.

"How could it be such a coincidence?" Yang Zhong wiped his sweat and smiled.

(End of this chapter)