Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Ye Fangxue has lived in the Songling Shen Mansion since she can remember. She only went to the Ye family's old home in Fenhu very few times, mostly because her mother, Ye Shen, wanted to go back to pay homage to her ancestors.

It is said that she was adopted into the Shen family because her mother Ye Shen had no milk when she gave birth and her aunt Zhang's child died. How could a smart girl like her not know that Mrs. Ye Shen was not her biological mother, but the humble Aunt Ju in Fenhu Old House was her biological mother.

When she was a child, she had hated Aunt Ju's natal family, the Zhu family. With Zhu Aju's appearance, it was easy for her to marry a rich peasant family in the countryside and be the head wife, but she was sent to be his concubine.

She was very precocious and already understood at the age of ten that they were all involuntarily.

In the conscience of heaven and earth, no one in the Shen family treated her cousin at all badly. A smart and beautiful young lady was a rare resource.

Although the Shen family was not very rich, it was still considered a Shili family, much better off than her own family. Her aunt and her lived in the Shen family all year round, and even her two married sisters would come to stay.

Both sisters were unsatisfactory in their marriages and were hastily matched by their father Ye Tianpo. Although the two brothers-in-law could not be said to be ignorant, they could only be said to have mediocre qualifications and were completely unworthy of the talents and looks of the two sisters.

My aunt often said: "Fangxue, you have to live up to your expectations." The female red needlework, poetry, calligraphy and etiquette are all unmatched by the little sisters in other houses, and even her craftsmanship is better than that of her cousins ​​who go to college outside. A little taller, so that he can be worthy of his aunt Zhang's cultivation.

The second-bedroom house of the Shen family is the fourth floor and four bottom of the Shen house to the east. Ye Fangxue has lived in the ear room of the east wing on the second floor since she was a child. With a window open, the dark and cramped small room has light. wind.

Ye Fangxue often looked out the window and stretched out her hand, almost reaching the plum blossoms next door.

The neighbor's house is Songling Wu House, a wealthy family. In the small courtyard under the plum tree, there live three people, a mother and her son. The mother is a woman with common clothes and fine hairpins. Later, she learns that her mother, Mrs. Cheng, is a female gentleman invited by the Wu family. The elder brother is in his teens and is a diligent scholar. The younger sister looks a year or two younger than Ye Fangxue and is very charming and naive.

One day, my younger sister Yun Niang went to the Chenghuang Temple Market and bought a sword. She played with the sword and barged in from outside the courtyard, shouting: "Mom, brother, I'm going to the True Immortal Temple in the west of the city to practice immortality and become a female Huangguan Taoist priest." "

Mrs. Cheng hugged Yun Niang gently: "Xiao Yun, of course you can practice if you want. Mom believes in Taoism, but she doesn't believe in Taoism."

Yun Niang said with satisfaction: "Then I will practice at home."

Ye Fangxue never thought that such a wish could be fulfilled. There was no sad eyes, no sad expression, and she said lightly and with a smile, of course.

Mrs. Zhang taught her to be chaste in everything, so she stayed in the house all day long, looking down at the small courtyard under the plum tree. Mrs. Cheng was still busy writing late at night, her brother was admitted as a scholar, and her sister practiced in the courtyard all day tactic.

Later, the mother and son moved out of Wu's house and built a house in a nearby alley. At the turn of winter and spring the year before last, a great epidemic took away Yun Niang's life.

On the night of the Lantern Festival, my sister-in-law and sister-in-law were walking on the third bridge and heard from the Wu girl that it was Cheng Yun's mother's seventh birthday. Ye Fangxue pretended to be unwell and wanted to go back first. She walked to the Cheng family house alone. That night, the plum blossoms were in full bloom and the bright moon was in the sky. Outside the wall, she could clearly see Mrs. Cheng worshiping, burning incense and praying under the moonlight.

Ye Fangxue heard Mrs. Cheng's voice choked with sobs, and felt sad for a moment. She said outside the wall: "Mother, please take care of yourself. Xiaoyun just turned into an elf. In a few years, she will cultivate into a human body and be mother and daughter with her again."

Sure enough, Mrs. Cheng was overjoyed and looked for Yun Niang in the courtyard, "My son has turned into a plum tree, a camellia, or something else?"

Ye Fangxue made some nonsense: "My mother can't see me, and I stayed with her when I was a child."

After saying these words, she left Cheng's house quietly for fear of being discovered.

The bright moon and plum blossoms were like a dream, which made a mark in her heart.

Later, I heard that Mrs. Cheng resigned and returned to Taiping Town.

At Miss Wang's place in Guitianju, Ye Fangxue got acquainted with Huayang, the female Taoist priest of Bixiao Palace in Taiping Town. When she inquired about it, it turned out that Bixiao Palace was not far from Dixi Pavilion of Mrs. Cheng's home. She and Taoist Sister Huayang She was very speculative. She had secretly worshiped Hua Yang as her master and secretly visited Bixiao Palace.

Last year, Ye Tianli resigned from office and returned to his hometown. As his family's financial situation became increasingly difficult, he began to choose a son-in-law for Ye Fangxue. Perhaps he wanted to make a fortune from the bride price, so he selected a son-in-law from the wealthy family of Yunjian Mohua Village. Uncle Jiang Yueting.

At this time, Ye Fangxue was determined to join Taoism. She asked Miss Wang to send a letter to Huayang, begging Master to come to Songling Shen Mansion before August 13th. The two of them agreed on the time and place, and Ye Fang Xue escaped from Shen's house, boarded Huayang's boat parked at the river port, put on her Taoist robe, took a small boat, and headed back to Bixiao Palace.

The next day, the lady went to Huayang to play chess, and there happened to be a thunderstorm. Ye Fangxue couldn't control her admiration, so she imitated Yun Niang's practice technique of "Wind, Rain, Thunder and Lightning". As expected, Mrs. Cheng regarded her as her adopted daughter that day.

After Ye Fangxue said these words, she was extremely ashamed and cried to Cheng Xiucai: "Brother, if I have the slightest evil intention, the sky will strike with thunder."

Everyone was filled with emotion, and Miss Wang and Fei Yuer had tears in their eyes.

Wang Heng and Xiaocai exchanged glances, and Wang Heng said: "Miss Ye San is so eloquent. Even I was moved by what she said. Are you really planning to become a Taoist when you run away from marriage? Do you have no choice but to tell your father Ye Tianli?" Even if you don't like Brother Yueting, your father Ye Tianliao won't force you to get on the sedan chair."

Ye Fangxue hesitated for a long time and then said: "You don't know my father. He was a very embarrassed man and wanted to receive a large sum of money as a gift. My aunt, Zhu, quarreled with him about my marriage and was killed by him. . He did this secretly, and no one knows about it except me. But if others have evidence, according to the Ming Dynasty, he will just fine him."

"Aunt Ju was really killed by your father?" Wang Heng recalled what the Zhu family said when they were making trouble around Shen's house.