Chaos on the temples: You can't escape if you provoke treacherous ministers

Chapter 323 Lan Niang's Family

"The vine fragrance will make the heart beat faster and the blood circulate faster, which can help force out the congestion in the body, and at the same time, it will also make people feel hallucinated." Red Candle explained.

"It also has the effect of aphrodisiac." The beggar added with a smile, "This is a good thing."

Liu Yunxiang hurriedly asked Hong Zhu: "Where did your vine fragrance come from?"

"The master left it in the pharmacy, I don't know where he got it." Hong Zhu shrugged.

Liu Yunxiang sighed, it was obviously impossible to ask Chongming out of it.But this clue is not broken, and there is the scholar.

Back in the South Red Building, Liu Yunxiang asked Zijin to go to the market tomorrow to spy on Lanniang, and then follow her home, so that he could find the scholar.

Red Candle said that this vine incense is addictive, so the scholar may still buy this kind of incense, so that she can follow the vine and find the vine herb planted by An Hong.

This is Jin An, and she has almost no bargaining chips with him, so she can sit down and compete with An Hong after finding this fragrant field.

In the evening of the next day, Zijin came back and said that she knew where Lan Niang's family lived, but the scholar didn't seem to be at home.

Liu Yunxiang nodded, "Have dinner first, and then I'll go and have a look with you."

After dinner, Liu Yunxiang followed Zijin out, turned east and west along a small alley, and finally came to a rather dilapidated house.

"Girl, over there."

Zijin led her around to the west wall. The courtyard wall was not high, and the two of them could reach the top of the wall by stepping on the adobe bricks.Looking into the yard from here, you can see three dilapidated earthen houses inside. There is a low table in the yard, and a dim oil lamp is burning on the table. The blind old woman is sitting by the table.

At this time, Lan Niang came out of the east kitchen with bowls and chopsticks, "Mother, you can eat first, so that you can go back to the room early to rest."

Lan Niang's voice was soft and soft. When she came over, she saw the broom fell on the ground, she hurriedly bent down to help it up, and put it in the corner, probably because she was afraid of tripping her blind mother-in-law.

"I'm not hungry!" The old woman said in a bad tone, "You're not hungry either, the person in charge hasn't returned yet, so no one can move their chopsticks!"

Lan Niang came over and put the bowls and chopsticks on the table, and explained softly: "Mother, what I mean is that you eat first, and I'll just wait for my husband to come back."

"Am I that quick talker?"

Lan Niang sighed helplessly, "You misunderstood me again."

"Are you wronged?" The old woman snorted, "Don't forget, you are the child bride-in-law of my Chen family. During the famine that year, if my family hadn't adopted you, you would have starved to death."

"I remember the kindness of the Chen family." Lan Niang poured a bowl of water, put it in front of the old woman, and carefully put her hand on the side of the bowl, "I will definitely serve you and my husband well, don't worry."

"Hmph, it's not an exaggeration to ask you to be a slave or a handmaid."

"Yes, I am willing."

Zijin curled his lips and said in a low voice: "The mother and son, one of them eats soft food, and the other relies on the old to sell the old, neither is a good thing."

"Who? Who's outside the west wall of my house?" The blind old woman yelled while straining her ears.

Liu Yunxiang and Zijin quickly lowered their bodies, and when they heard footsteps coming, they hurriedly hid in the dark.But at this time, the courtyard door was pushed open with a bang, and someone walked in quickly.

"Husband, why are you back so late?" Lan Niang turned and walked towards Chen Hou, "Hey, what's wrong with your face? Did someone hit you?"

Chen Hou's face was ashen, and seeing Lan Niang's concern, he became even more angry.

"It's not because of you!"

"I?"

"In Nanmozhai, if you are willing to cooperate with me, they will obediently hand over ten taels of silver to me for fear of affecting the business. In this way, if I have money, can I still be beaten?" Chen Hou said angrily.

"Hou'er, who beat you? Is it serious?" The old woman got up anxiously, followed the voice of Chen Hou, and walked towards Chen Hou, holding her hands in front of her.

Seeing this, Lan Niang hurried forward to help the old woman, "Mother, please slow down."

"I can't fall to my death, but my son has something wrong, I can't survive!" the old woman said anxiously.

Chen Hou looked impatient, but he also walked over to support the old woman.

"I am fine."

The old woman quickly reached out to touch her son's face, "Where is the injury?"

"Hey, it hurts!"

The old woman touched the wound, and Chen Hou shrank back in pain.Probably because he was afraid that his mother would touch him again, Chen Hou let her go and took two steps back.

The old woman was a little anxious because she couldn't touch her son.

"Hou'er, is the injury serious?"

Seeing Chen Hou's unreasonable look, Lan Niang replied for him: "It's not serious, it's just scratched the skin."

"Since the skin is scratched, it must be bleeding, and the bleeding is not serious, why are you so hard-hearted!" The old woman pinched Lan Niang with her backhand as she spoke.

Lan Niang frowned in pain, but she just endured it and didn't avoid it.

"Husband, what's going on, who hit you?"

Chen Hou snorted, "Isn't it because of the ten taels of silver?"

"Why?"

Chen Hou snorted coldly, "There is an application fee for the imperial examination, ten taels of silver. If I don't want to apply, they will naturally beat me."

"Hey, it's a big deal to delay the imperial examination!" The blind woman became anxious, and grabbed Lan Niang instead, "Hurry up and give Hou'er money so that he can sign up quickly."

Lan Niang pursed her lips, "Husband, you said last time that you reported your name to the department, and you have already received ten taels of silver."

"When will I..."

"The eighteenth of last month."

When Liu Yunxiang heard this, he couldn't help but roll his eyes. When will the imperial examination fee be charged? It's an obvious lie.

Chen Hou coughed dryly, "That means you have to hand in one more time before you can enter the exam."

"How can there be such a thing, why don't I ask tomorrow?" Lan Niang frowned.

"Where are you going to ask? What are you going to ask? People want money, but I don't have it, so I can't take the exam. If I can't take the exam, I can't honor my ancestors, and I can't let my mother live a good life. It's all delayed by you!"

"Hou'er doesn't know more than you, why don't you give him the money!" The blind woman urged Lan Niang.

Lan Niang was helpless: "How can I have ten taels of silver..."

"You go out to sell vegetables and rice cakes every day. Why don't you have any? Did you spend them secretly?"

"Mother, how much money can I earn by selling vegetables and rice cakes. Last time, I saved the twelve taels for a year. This time, I have another twelve taels. How can I have any more?"

"If you don't, hurry up and find a way!" The blind woman pushed Lan Niang.

Lan Niang looked embarrassed, she had no way to get money.

"So when you were in Nanmozhai, you should cooperate with me and say that the inkstone is worth ten taels of silver, and it's all up to you!" Chen Hou said gritted his teeth angrily.

"But that's a scam."

"As long as you have money, you don't care about that much!"

The blind woman frowned when she heard this, "Hou'er, you can't say that. We don't have any money. We can borrow it and pay it back when we have money, but we can't cheat people. This scholar..."

"Okay, stop preaching, and give me ten taels of silver if you are capable." Chen Hou said irritably.

"Hou'er..." The blind woman was astonished, she didn't expect her son to talk to her like this.

Chen Hou frowned: "I have studied hard for ten years. I am sorry for the ancestors of the Chen family and you. In the end, I couldn't enter the examination room or embark on an official career. I can't blame me, I can only blame you for being useless!"

After speaking, he rushed into the house angrily.

The blind woman burst into tears, "It's useless to blame me!"

"Mother, my husband shouldn't talk to you like this, I..."

"What are you, hurry up and find a way to find money!"

Hearing this, Zijin said angrily: "As expected of mother and son, each is more shameless than the other!"

(End of this chapter)