Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

The person who came was a fat man in his thirties, who was still in mid-autumn age. The other person was fat and frail, and was still waving a fan in his hand, but this person was the poet Wen Chongguang.

Wen Chongguang taught at Ziyang Academy. He did not recognize Wang Erji, but the Wang brothers recognized him.

Zhang Xiru smiled and said: "Old Wen, what kind of problem has Xiao Cuibao given you again?"

Wen Chongguang glanced around and saw that there were two young people sitting there. He only said that they were Zhang Xiru's juniors, but he didn't take it seriously. He said sarcastically: "Brother Xiru knows me best, so he must be accommodating to me for two hundred taels."

Zhang Xiru pulled Wen Chongguang over and looked him up and down from head to toe. Wen Chongguang blushed and said, "Brother Xiru, don't look at me like that."

Zhang Xiru said: "Let me see how much money you, a fool and a talented man, have spent on Xiao Cuibao? With all this money, why don't you honor your mother?"

Wen Chongguang moved a Taishi chair, moved his buttocks and sat down, saying: "My mother is much richer than me, and my good wife, they are worthy of being aunts and nephews. The women of the Shen family run the house in the same way. , the fists are clenched tightly, but if they are willing to leak a little bit of it from their fingers to me, I won’t be so shameless as to talk to you."

Zhang Xiru snorted and turned away to ignore him. Wen Chongguang stood up and bowed to him: "Brother Xiru, saving one life is better than building a seven-level pagoda. I don't know where Xiao Cuibao is suffering now." .”

Zhang Xiru said in surprise: "What's going on?"

Wen Chongguang raised his eyes and saw that the two young men were still there, and he hesitated. Zhang Xiru said that they were both descendants of family friends, so there was nothing to avoid, but it didn't matter.

Wen Chongguang was free and easy by nature and no longer secretive, so he spoke in detail.

It turned out that he came to Yunjian with Zhang Xiru and Chen Dazun last month, and after the merger was settled, he returned to his home in Suzhou. The young servant Lu'er reported back that he had a good girl from the Yang family courtyard, and Xiao Cuibao, the steward of the Qing Dynasty, sent a girl to look for her. Give him a couple of moments.

Wen Chongguang's buttocks were still not hot from sitting at home, so he hurriedly took a sedan chair to Yang's courtyard in Jiangyuan. After going to the Madam Yang Ganniang, she told him that at the beginning of the month, a luxurious young man who spread money casually came to him. He took a fancy to Xiao Cuibao and offered eight hundred taels. The money redeemed her body, and now she is living happily somewhere.

This was nothing less than a bolt from the blue.

The sour poems written by Wen Chongguang were very popular in the halls of Suzhou. Originally, Yang Ganniang promised him [-] taels of silver to take the little Cuibao away. However, Wen Chongguang's family was considered rich, but the rules were very strict, and all the property was controlled by him. What is in the hands of a widowed mother cannot be in his hands.

If money was needed to study and improve, Mother Wen was absolutely willing to redeem her husband as a concubine for six hundred taels of silver.

Wen's mother only had to say: The ancestral precepts of our Wen family are that there is no reason for a trickster to enter the family. I have indulged my son. How can I see the old man after he dies? Wen Chongguang is at his wits' end.

He teased Yang Ganniang to find out who the luxurious young master was who redeemed Xiao Cuibao, but Yang Ganniang just kept silent and didn't know.

It was Xiao Luer who reminded Xiao Cuibao that Xiao Cuibao had a handkerchief-handling sister named Luan Xi, and she might know something.

Luan Xi refused to say anything at first, but Wen Chongguang begged again and again. After several days of hard work, he agreed to write Luan Xi a poem praising her, and Luan Xi finally spoke.

The young man who redeemed Xiao Cuibao was surnamed Xue. He was very young, and for some reason he took a quick glance at Xiao Cuibao. He played a tea party in the Yang Family Courtyard, then called Xiao Cuibao for another game, and then went back to the Wang family to live in the countryside. After playing the piano once, he redeemed Xiao Cuibao's body in five ways.

Even Xiao Cuibao didn't know where Mr. Xue was from. Judging from his accent, he must be from Jiangnan. Speaking of which, Luan Xi felt a bit arrogant for some reason. Why didn't the young and wealthy Mr. Xue fall in love with him? Otherwise, she will be the one enjoying the happiness.

Wen Chongguang asked Luan Xi, did Xiao Cuibao say where he wanted to settle? Such a young master might not be married yet, so he might not bring him back to his ancestral home. Luan Xi racked his brains and recalled that Xiao Cuibao said that he seemed to be going to Mohua Village in Yunjian County.

"Mohua Village?" Wang Heng and Xiaocai exclaimed in low voices.

Wen Chongguang said in surprise: "Who are these two?"

Zhang Xiru said: "These two Wang brothers are my descendants."

Wen Chongguang cupped his hands and said, "Both Wang Shixiong, are you very familiar with Mohua Village?"

Xiaocai said: "We were guests at Mohua Manor a few days ago and we just came out from there."

Wen Chongguang asked: "Have you two seen Mr. Xue in Mohua Village?"

Wang Heng waved his hand and said: "We are just visiting Mohua Manor for a few days to have a wedding banquet for Jiang Ye's marriage. How can we recognize other people? However, from what I can see, there seems to be no big family named Xue in Mohua Manor. "

Wen Chongguang said angrily: "It's not easy to search after all. I have to go to Mohua Village immediately and ask her personally. If she is willing to follow Xue, I will go home immediately. No. Keep this thought in mind, if not, I will definitely try my best to raise money to redeem her."

After hearing this, Xiaocai felt that Fatty Wen was very kind, so he wanted to help him and said: "If Mr. Wen goes to Mohua Village, he can go to the mansion next to Jiang Xianggong's Temple to find Jiang Yueting. My brother Yueting is an old resident of the village. , If Mr. Xue really comes to Mohua Manor with Xiao Cuibao, Brother Yueting will most likely find out."

Fortunately, Wen Chongguang sang a promise to Xiaocai. Suddenly he remembered something and said: "Jiang Yueting in the clouds, you generals are talking about eating the wedding wine of Jiang Ye's marriage. You are talking about Jiang Yueting. His in-law's family is Wujiang." The Ye family has chosen a girl from the Ye Tianli family?"

Xiaocai nodded repeatedly and said, "Mr. Wen is right. Unfortunately, Miss Ye San died of illness on August [-]th, two days before the wedding. It's very sad."

Wen Chongguang was shocked, jumped up and said, "How is this possible? How did Miss Ye San die?"

The young man didn't expect Wen Chongguang's reaction to be so big. He was surprised and said: "On the night of August [-]th, Miss Ye San contracted the epidemic and died. My seventh brother and I accompanied Brother Yueting to the Ye Mansion in Fenhu to express our condolences. The master of the Ye family said it himself. of."

Wen Chongguang's expression changed, and he paced back and forth, turning around and around.

Xiaocai asked: "Mr. Wen knows something, why don't you come out and let's take a closer look."

Zhang Xiru got angry when he heard it and said: "Old Wen, if you have something to say, just tell the truth. Don't hesitate and make people feel itchy."

Everyone in the room was staring at Wen Chongguang, and he could only say:
  "Ye Tianli's wife Shen is my mother's clan niece and my wife's clan sister. On August [-], I accompanied my mother and my wife back to my parents' home. The Shen family lives in Songling, Wujiang County. In the past two years, The situation is not very good, the clan members all live in the same taimen and usually cook separately."

"Because it's still more than half an hour from Songling to Suzhou City, I urged them to say goodbye to their uncle and aunt as soon as possible. I didn't want to stay very late that day. There was news in the inner hall that they would have to stay for breakfast and dinner before letting us go. Wait. Our carriage could barely get out of the city gate, but the city gate was closed."

"I asked my mother who was so happy to meet her today and stayed so late. She said that her cousin Azheng and his family returned to their hometown from the border. Many female relatives from the clan came, including Sanniang, Wu Niang, and Liu Niang. Even Mrs. Ye Shen is here. The little girl Fangxue from the sixth maiden's family has been promised to the Jiang family in Yunjian and will get married soon. The child Fangxue is getting better and better now, and she is as coaxing as if she has honey in her mouth. I coaxed her into giving her two toys to add to her makeup."