Chapter 533: Something Happened
Editor: Atlas Studios
The side door was the most eye-catching door Mu Yangling had reserved. Even before Li Jinghua took charge of the household, the maidservants guarding it were her people.
That was one of the worst positions. At that time, Qi Haoran was still in the residence, and Madam Wu and the others did not want to make their relationship too tense, so they didn’t harp on the matter.
Therefore, Fan Zijin was let in as soon as he knocked on the door. However, there were many doors and maidservants guarding the doors along the way. It was obviously impossible for Fan Zijin to enter the inner courtyard quietly.
Mu Yangling had already formulated various emergency response plans, so the maidservants did not panic at all. After letting him in, she quickly lit a lantern and hung it on a tree not far away.
In less than five minutes, Spring personally came out to pick him up.
The maidservant heaved a sigh of relief and led the sullen-faced Fan Zijin out. Yanmo followed closely behind.
When Spring arrived at Zhaohua Courtyard, Mu Yangling was already sitting in the small study and waiting.
After serving the two of them a cup of tea, Spring retreated respectfully and stood in front of the door with Yanmo, staring at each other.
Inside the room, after confirming that it was safe to speak, Fan Zijin said, “I’m afraid Lin’an City is going to be in chaos. Pack up and leave the capital overnight.”
Mu Yangling asked in surprise, “What do you mean?”
“The secret agent reported that a mysterious army is about to reach Lin’an City.” Fan Zijin’s expression turned even uglier. “We lost many people, but we still don’t know who it is. I sent someone to inform the local garrison, but the person disguised as a commoner didn’t come out after going in…”
“Do you suspect that someone in the bureaucracy is rebelling?”
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“I’m not sure if it’s an aristocratic family, a minister, the generals leading troops outside, or a prince.” Fan Zijin lowered his voice and said, “But since that person is coming to Lin’an City, Lin’an City is no longer safe. The safety of Little Treasure and Little Bear is of utmost importance. You should leave quickly.”
Mu Yangling frowned. “How do we explain it to the Imperial Court? Big Brother…”
Fan Zijin also lowered his voice and said, “Don’t worry. After you leave, I’ll inform the other families. You won’t be the only ones who will disappear. Even if the Emperor becomes suspicious, we’ll have a reason to brush him off. Besides, it’s almost time…”
“If we inform the Imperial Court…”
Fan Zijin frowned and waved his hand to interrupt her. “Then let our people be wiped out by the Imperial Court in one fell swoop? Don’t think that the Great Zhou is weak and the Emperor is muddle-headed. The secret guards and spies under the royal family are countless times stronger than us. As long as we reveal any clues, I’m afraid that the people we left in the capital will be uprooted. They might even follow the clues to us. I won’t take this risk.”
A strange smile appeared on Fan Zijin’s face. “Besides, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Big Brother. How can rebelling sound better than quelling the rebellion?”
Mu Yangling instantly understood. Fan Zijin’s actions were not only for self-protection, but also because he hoped that this mysterious army would destroy the Emperor of Great Zhou. Once the Emperor was gone, it would be even more logical for Qi Xiuyuan to step forward and fight for the throne.
Mu Yangling immediately stood up and said in a low voice, “Then I’ll go pack my things now.” After a pause, she said, “You should be careful, too. Find a reason to leave the city and hide.”
Fan Zijin did not think much of it, but he still agreed.
He was a man with a family and a career. How could he leave his family behind and escape alone?
Mu Yangling was about to walk out when she suddenly stopped and said, “Should we take your mother and wife with us?”
Fan Zijin said irritably, “It’s already very eye-catching for the four of you to leave. Wouldn’t it be obvious that Eldest Cousin wants to do something if you bring them along as well? Stop nagging and leave quickly. I have my own arrangements for my family.”
Mu Yangling thought about it and agreed. She turned around and asked Spring to quietly bring the bag they had prepared beforehand, then personally went to look for Li Jinghua.
After Mu Yangling left, Fan Zijin turned the teacup in his hand in silence. He could ignore his father and his step-brothers, but his mother and wife could not stay in the city anymore. However, it was a little difficult to find a reason to let them leave. Fan Zijin wondered if he should let his parents quarrel and let his mother bring his wife to stay with his uncle for a while.
Fan Zijin had gotten married before the new year, and there were even twists and turns in his marriage, making him look a little gloomy. It also made Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling feel even more guilty towards him.
Madam Xia had already arranged for his marriage when he returned. After all, since the two-months-younger Qi Haoran was already married, Fan Zijin couldn’t be too far behind.
However, Fan Zijin was only a xiucai and his father was only a third-grade official. If he had been staying in the capital, he might have been able to marry the daughter of a fourth-grade official. However, he had been at the border for five to six years.
Because they didn’t know his personality, the families who doted on their daughter didn’t agree to Madam Xia’s proposal.
Fan Zijin also took his marriage very seriously. When he saw this situation, he decisively said that he would only discuss marriage after he passed the Imperial Examination. After all, a fine man like him couldn’t just marry some random woman, right?
Madam Xia also felt aggrieved. But because she felt that her son was incredibly outstanding, she only secretly watched the young ladies of the various families while waiting for her son to do well in the Imperial Examinations.
As expected, after Fan Zijin became the top second scholar in the Fall Quarter Examinations, there were more families who were willing to marry their daughter into the Fan family. Madam Xia had also taken a fancy to two families and wanted to compare them, but Fan Zijin requested to wait until after the Spring Quarter Examinations.
Jurens were much more eligible than jinshis.
Besides, Fan Zijin had yet to turn 20.
Therefore, when Fan Zijin also entered the top two in the Spring Quarter Examinations, the threshold of the Fan family was almost broken. Because of this, Madam Xia’s standards became higher. In the end, she chose the eldest daughter of the Right Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Official Personnel Affairs to be Fan Zijin’s wife.
Women typically married up and men married down. In this case, this girl could be considered to have married down. After all, her maternal family was comparable to the Fan family. In terms of foundation, they were even superior to the Fan family. The reason why their family agreed to this marriage was because of Fan Zijin’s talent.
Therefore, when Fan Zijin missed the Hanlin Bachelor exam and said that he wasn’t planning to become an official, the girl’s family was furious.
If Fan Zijin would not become an official, what was the point of marrying their daughter to him?
The engagement was canceled just like that. In the end, the exhausted Madam Xia had to arrange another marriage for Fan Zijin, and the girl was the current Little Madam Xia.
Although their surnames were the same, she was completely unrelated to Madam Xia. Her father was a fourth-grade magistrate and was the same age as Fan Siwen. Straightforward and generous, he had originally wanted the two families to become in-laws. After Fan Zijin announced he wasn’t going to become an official and resulted in his engagement being annulled, the magistrate married his daughter to him.
Moreover, he was willing to rush the wedding date for Fan Zijin, marrying his daughter over after just five months of engagement. One could imagine how rushed it was.
The reason why Magistrate Xia agreed to this marriage was because he truly doted on Little Madam Xia. Little Madam Xia was his second daughter from the first wife and had been shy since she was young. She was even a little timid. Worried that she would be bullied by others should she become an official’s wife, he decided to marry her to Fan Zijin.
Regardless of his flaws, Fan Zijin was a capable man. If he was willing to treat his daughter sincerely, his daughter would be considered to have married well.
Fan Zijin successfully got married, but Qi Haoran and Mu Yangling could not get over the fact that he did not become a Hanlin Bachelor because he was implicated by Qi Haoran. Not only did Qi Haoran blame himself, but Mu Yangling also wrote a letter to scold Qi Haoran. On the other hand, when Fan Zijin found out, he reprimanded Mu Yangling instead for distracting Qi Haoran when he was still in a life and death situation.
If something happened to him, would her conscience be at ease?
After he scolded Mu Yangling, she did not retort, which was rare for her. She obediently lowered her head as she received the scolding.