Chapter 35

After Zhao Yelan returned to the mansion, he has been very quiet. Even if he saw the servants make mistakes, he didn’t bother to reprimand them.

“Is there something on your mind?” Yan Mingting finished his dinner, the more he looked at him, the more he felt something was wrong, so he followed him back to his room worriedly.

Zhao Yelan glanced at him and then again, then shook his head.

“It’s all right, you’ve already sighed three times.” Yan Mingting sat down beside him, “What happened? Are you worried that Li Jinyu won’t come? Or are you tired today?”

Zhao Yelan put one hand on the table, propped his head up, raised his eyes to look at him, and kept sizing him up. Such scrutiny eyes made Yan Mingting even more flustered.

“What happened?” Yan Mingting asked a little closer.

The emotions in Zhao Yelan’s eyes were obscure, and he asked slowly: “Yan Mingting, are you…”

“What is it?”

“…It’s nothing.” Zhao Yelan turned his head away and rubbed his temples, “I’m just a little tired.”

“Then go to bed earlier, I’ll ask someone to turn on the hot water.”

“But Li Jinyu later…”

“What are you afraid of? We won’t see him today. Will he run away?” Yan Mingting said softly, “You are really tired and confused. Take a good rest tonight.”

Zhao Yelan was urged by him to wash up and go to bed, but he didn’t feel sleepy while lying on the bed.

In the darkness, he quietly turned over, looked at the figure on the ground, and tightened his eyebrows.

At night, Zhao Yelan heard Gao Tan’s knock on the door, opened his eyes, and was about to get up, but heard Yan Mingting open the door first, and whispered to Gao Tan: “What’s the matter?”

“The right minister is here, and I want to see you.”

“Just say he’s asleep and keep your voice down.”

“yes.”

After closing the door, Yan Mingting tiptoed back to the ground again.

After a long time, Zhao Yelan slowly closed his eyes, and suddenly thought of Yan Mingting wiping his face with a handkerchief in his mind… burst out laughing.

“What happened?” Yan Mingting woke up startled by the sound.

“It’s nothing, go to sleep.” Zhao Yelan smiled.

Early the next morning, Li Jinyu came to the General’s Mansion again. A few days ago, he just went out to do some errands, and when he came back, he saw Li Yucheng arguing to hang himself. A large debt.

He was so angry that he almost fainted. He pointed at Li Yucheng and couldn’t say a word for a long time.

Li Yucheng knew he was ashamed, so he cried out in tears, and wanted to die.

Li Jinyu took him into the ancestral hall to reflect, and seeing that he was still making trouble, he finally couldn’t help it, and slapped him backhand: “You rebellious son!”

Li Yucheng was stunned by his beating. He had never been beaten since he was a child. Every time his father yelled at him to teach him a lesson, he would just bring him to the ancestral hall and kneel for a few days. He never did anything. Now he didn’t cry or make trouble, knowing that his father was really angry this time, he just dared to cry silently.

“You are the only child in the Li family now. If you don’t live well, how can you be worthy of the mother who gave birth to you, and how can you be worthy of your sister. She died for our Li family!”

Li Yucheng’s body froze, and he even forgot to cry. With tears still hanging on his face, he asked in surprise, “Father, what do you mean? Wasn’t my sister killed by Yan Mingting?!”

Li Jinyu sat down slumped, his face full of vicissitudes, and he covered half of his face with trembling hands.

“Father, speak clearly! How did my sister die?!” Li Yucheng shouted.

In the end, even though Li Yucheng yelled and broke his throat, he didn’t get an answer. He just knelt in the ancestral hall all night. On the second day, he was **** again and taken to the General’s Mansion, where he saw his father bend down and smile at Zhao Yelan.

“Lord Zhao, the dog is naughty, please don’t be as knowledgeable as him. If this matter continues to quarrel, I’m afraid it will spread to the emperor’s ears, which is not good for your lord.”

“What’s wrong with me?” Zhao Yelan played with the jade pendant in a nonchalant manner, “It was Li Yucheng who came to the mansion to disturb me so much that I had to accept the appointment, and he bribed the dealer, but I still lost to me. Now you guys want to deny it, and I want to report it to the emperor myself.”

Li Jinyu said: “Since he has bribed the dealer, why did he turn his back on him in the end? Mr. Zhao, you should know this matter better than me, right? If the emperor knows the master behind this gambling house…”

Yan Mingting, who was sitting on the other side, glanced at Zhao Yelan unexpectedly when he heard the words, and was suddenly blessed. No wonder Zhao Yelan lost face when he went back to the gambling house. The emotional gambling house belongs to him!

Moreover, the old man seemed to be pretending to be deaf and dumb on weekdays, and he had quite a lot of information.

He looked sideways at Zhao Yelan to see how he would respond.

Zhao Yelan got up and walked to Li Jinyu’s side, looked at him sideways, and said slowly: “The emperor can’t find out what you can find out? Why do you think the emperor only dismissed me, but didn’t move my bet?” What about Fang?”

Li Jinyu was slightly startled, shook his head and sighed: “Since this is the case, can you give us a little time to raise money, after all, this is not a small sum.”

“As I said, it’s only a day. It doesn’t matter if you can’t take it out, then leave his hands and feet.” Zhao Yelan took out a short knife, and slowly slashed the sharp blade against Li Yucheng’s cheek, ” Li Yucheng, if I lost, what would you do?”

Li Yucheng stared at the knife with sweat profusely, clenching his mouth tightly and not daring to let go.

The blade drew a little blood on Li Yucheng’s neck. Seeing Zhao Yelan’s increasingly indifferent appearance, Li Jinyu hurriedly said, “Master Zhao, what are you going to do to let us go?”

Zhao Yelan snorted softly, touched the blade with his fingertips, and said leisurely: “I am a person who likes money. How can I give up this ten thousand taels of gold?”

“I can’t afford so much gold, but if your lord wants my official position, you can take it at any time. I will go to retire and return to my hometown, and I will recommend you to the Holy One.” Li Jinyu said.

Zhao Yelan got up, walked in front of him, and smiled slightly: “If I wanted your official position, I wouldn’t have waited until now. Well, I can let your son go, and you just need to kneel down for me now.”

“Father, don’t!” Li Yucheng shouted loudly, “Just give it to him, I don’t want my hands and feet!”

However, the more he said such words, the more shaken Li Jinyu became. After a long time, he opened his robe, his knees were already bent, but he was dragged up by someone.

“Enough.” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan asked: “Why, you also want to fight against me?”

“This is too much.” Yan Mingting looked at him disapprovingly, then ordered someone to untie Li Yucheng, helped Li Jinyu to the study, and said respectfully, “Lord Li, I’m sorry.”

Li Jinyu sat down on the chair tremblingly: “Thank you, General.”

“I’m a junior, so you don’t want to be a general. According to your seniority, I have to call you uncle.”

“General Yan, you are being polite. You are just as loyal and courageous as your father. It is a pity that Yanran is not so blessed.” Li Jinyu sighed.

“Father…” Li Yucheng also ran in, stood behind him, and looked at Yan Mingting.

“I’m really sorry about Ling’ai, but I want to ask you about one thing. Why did Ling’ai die?”

Li Jinyu was stunned for a moment and kept silent, but Li Yucheng looked at him hesitantly, and then stared at Li Jinyu, as if he also wanted to know the truth.

Seeing this, Yan Mingting said again: “To be honest, Zhao Yelan had read the Notes on the late Emperor’s daily life before, and it was recorded that Ling Ai had attended the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet before she died of illness, so I have some doubts…you I also know that because of these things, I also recited a lot of rumors, so I want to check it out.”

“Father, is this really the case?” Li Yucheng said immediately, “Hasn’t my sister been ill for a long time? Why did she still go to the Queen Mother’s birthday banquet? Tell me how my sister died!”

“Shut up.” Li Jinyu snapped.

After a while, Yan Mingting’s voice suddenly turned cold: “Master Li, I thought you were a person who would consider your children, but I didn’t expect you to be so partial. Your son is stubborn and causes trouble everywhere, and you are willing to kneel down for him Begging for mercy, but just refuse to give your daughter the truth?”

“Stop it, stop it…” Li Jinyu said in pain while covering his face with tears rolling down his face.

Outside the door, Zhao Yelan heard sobbing, turned and went back to the room.

The Li family’s father and son stayed in the General’s Mansion for a long time, and they left around sunset. Yan Mingting personally escorted them back to the mansion.

Li Jinyu wanted to keep someone for dinner, but he declined politely: “No, I have something to do when I go back, so I will leave.”

Li Jinyu called out again: “Wait, what happened to Cheng, Mr. Zhao…”

“I’ll go and talk to him, don’t worry.”

After returning to the General’s Mansion, the servants told him that Zhao Yelan had finished his meal and went to the study.

After he finished his meal in a hurry, he strode back to the house and saw Zhao Yelan teaching Xiao Gao how to read. Hearing footsteps, Zhao Yelan looked up at him, snorted coldly, pointed to the words on the paper and said, “You idiot.”

Gao Tan raised his head blankly: “?”

“Stupid.”

“Don’t scold, don’t scold, it will be even more stupid.” Gao Tan ran out with his head in his arms, “I don’t want to practice calligraphy anymore…”

Yan Mingting looked at the back of him fleeing in embarrassment, and said with a smile: “He can’t understand you pointing at Sang Huai.”

“It’s good if some people understand it.” Zhao Yelan cleaned up the table and walked to the bedroom without looking back.

“It can’t be my fault. We agreed before, but we just used Li Yucheng’s gambling debts to let Li Jinyu help us investigate clues.” Yan Mingting chased after him and walked with him, “There is no such thing as asking him to kneel down. .”

“Why, do you feel sorry for your ex-father-in-law?” Zhao Yelan sneered.

“Then how can it be the former father-in-law? He is not married, so he is not counted. He is just respected as an elder. Besides, my father had a good relationship with him before, otherwise it would be impossible for him to agree to marry him.”

“Yes yes yes.” Zhao Yelan stepped into the house, quickly took off his coat, threw it aside, was caught by Yan Mingting, and put it aside properly.

“I just don’t like the look of you who want to achieve your goals but can’t be ruthless. If you put it nicely, it’s kind-hearted, but if you put it badly, it’s stupid.” Zhao Yelan sat by the bed and took off his boots. In the darkness, he raised his head subconsciously, almost hitting Yan Mingting’s nose, leaning back, his eyes flickering, “What are you doing?”

Yan Mingting bent down, supported the edge of the bed with both hands, wrapped him between his arms, and by the faint candlelight, looked at his face inch by inch, and said: “I don’t like your appearance either.”

Zhao Yelan twitched his brows, narrowed his eyes slightly, and his eyes were filled with emotion: “What’s wrong with me?”

“Why do you deliberately play bad?”

“What’s the meaning?”

“If you want him to kneel down, it’s just because you know that I won’t be able to see it anymore and you help me. You sing bad face and I sing red face, so that Li Jinyu will be grateful to me and let go of his guard. Coupled with the identity of my father and me, he is willing. Just stay with me. But why do you insist on doing this? Obviously there are many ways…”

“This is the most effective.” Zhao Yelan said.

“It’s a pity…” Yan Mingting smiled suddenly, “I have already explained to him that you didn’t mean to make things difficult for him, but just to help me, and he understands.”

“You! You are really an idiot!” Zhao Yelan’s face turned serious, “Let people know that you are with me, who will do things for you wholeheartedly?”

“Why not? Look at He Cuizhang and Zhong Yuehong, which one of them is at your disposal invisibly? Besides, you just want to bear the infamy yourself and help me. You are with me, it is me It’s an honor.”

“I didn’t.” Zhao Yelan turned his head angrily.

“Dream Pavilion.”

Zhao Yelan was startled, and slowly looked at him.

“Have you always acted like this?” Yan Mingting asked softly, “How much infamy did you bear for Zhao Xuan?”

Zhao Yelan’s throat tightened, and after a long while, his Adam’s apple rolled, and he said vaguely, “It’s none of your business…”

“Can I give you a hug?” Yan Mingting asked suddenly.

“What did you say?” Zhao Yelan was stunned, but before he could react, the other party pulled him into his arms.

He was not used to the unexpected warmth, his heart was in a mess, and he was about to push away subconsciously, but Yan Mingting’s voice rang in his ears.

“I don’t like you like this. Don’t gamble with your reputation in the future. It’s not good. You are not the only one, you have me. Let’s discuss things together, okay?”

Zhao Yelan’s body was very stiff, as if he didn’t know where to put his hands and feet.

“Are you okay?” Yan Mingting asked again.

Zhao Yelan moved his fingers slightly, closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing after a while, and then he heard his own dry voice: “Okay.”