Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Slave's Family Has Another Clever Plan

  Yang Fan did not speak.

  Tian Ai Nu let out a soft sigh and said, "I really underestimated you two little thieves. One of you is willing to go to jail for the sake of a childhood friend, and the other is even willing to kill for her. Indeed, there are many righteous people in this city."

  Yang Fan could no longer hide it, and sighed softly: "Anu, go back to sleep, tomorrow morning, you'll be leaving, my affairs, don't worry about them."

  "I don't want to interfere, but I can't just watch my lifesaver walk into a dead end! Your thieving skills are even worse than a three-legged cat's, sneaking out at midnight to commit murder, do you think you'll really succeed? Is there no other way?"

  Yang Fan smiled and said: "Maybe there is, but I can't think of it!"

  He paused for a moment, then continued: "Unless absolutely necessary, I don't want to take lives. In fact, I had originally planned to use the pearls you gave me to exchange for Ning's freedom..."

  Tian Ai Nu slightly turned her body, looking at Yang Fan with some surprise. The value of those jewels, Yang Fan, a commoner, might not be able to accurately estimate their worth, but as a small thief, he could roughly guess their value. Such a fortune, he would easily give up for a woman who was neither a relative nor a lover?

  Tian Ai Nu slightly raised an eyebrow and said, "The jewelry I gave you may not be extremely valuable, but it's enough to help you escape poverty and enter a comfortable life. You can marry a wife who suits your heart's desire and live a rich and worry-free life from now on... Can you bear to give them away like this?"

  Yang Fan said calmly: "Ah Nu, perhaps the humble and busy common people, in the eyes of you heroes who can come and go freely, are like ants. But this does not mean that we do not value friendship or know righteousness! A pearl worth a thousand pieces of gold is not more precious to me than a smile from a loved one!"

  Tian Ai Nu's eyes shone even brighter as she asked back, "Then why did you change your mind again?"

  Yang Fan said, "Because there is a Mrs. Yao who is interfering in this matter. This person with the surname Liu, if he has ambition and ability, would not have ended up like this today. He can't even carry a load on his shoulders or lift anything with his hands. It's hard for him to make a living with this amount of money! How long will this money last him? To him, Mrs. Yao is a mountain of gold that he can use and take from at will."

  "This rascal may not have any backbone, but he's not stupid. If tempted with benefits, he might think it's a good deal and even less willing to let go. Moreover, with Mrs. Yao instigating from the middle, this method won't work!"

  "So you want to kill him?"

  "Kill him and there will be no one left, the marriage will naturally dissolve."

  Tian Ai Nu smiled slightly and said, "That's true, but can it really be as simple as you think? You also know the identity of Mrs. Yao, now that you two have proposed divorce twice, the one with the surname Liu refused to agree, so he died. What do you think Mrs. Yao will think? If she informs the authorities, who do you think they will investigate?"

  Yang Fan gritted his teeth and said: "Then... I'll kill her along with him!"

  Tian Ai Nu shook her head gently: "You two have been making a ruckus at the door, quarreling about divorce. Apart from those with the surname Liu, is there only one person who knows the truth, Mrs. Yao? If she were to run to Princess Taiping's residence and cry out her grievances, even if the officials don't care about the monk's face but do care about Buddha's face, they would still have to take drastic measures. You want to help that little Ning girl, but in the end, you might harm her instead."

  Yang Fan was stunned, he had never thought that doing so would have such a troublesome outcome.

  Tian Ai Nu gazed at him and said slowly, "When killing someone, you must take advantage of the moment when they are most relaxed. You must find their weakness to strike a fatal blow. The same applies to dealing with one person, you must also find their weak point. If you want to kill that surname Liu easily, but can't avoid the many troubles that follow."

  "This Mr. Liu is extremely greedy, if you want to change his mind, it's still necessary to start with the word 'wealth'. Your original plan to use those jewels wasn't wrong, but you used the wrong method, directly bribing him with benefits won't work."

  Yang Fan's eyes lit up and he asked hastily: "Could it be... that you have a clever plan?"

  Tian Ai Nu said: "First light the lamp, okay?"

  The lamp is lit, and the room is dimly yellow.

  Tian Ai Nu's half-face was reflected in the lamplight, crystal clear like egg whites, a few strands of hair gently falling on her cheek, and with her evening makeup slightly disheveled, she seemed to have added a few more touches of charm than usual.

  Her eyes shone like stars in the sky, but gazing at the stars wouldn't stir one's heart as much as looking into her eyes did; she was a little beauty who stirred hearts.

  The beauty of a woman is enhanced by threefold under the moonlight.

  Looking at a beauty under the lamp is like looking at a beauty under the moon, both have a similar charm. However, the moon is cold while the lamp is warm, so when seeing the same beauty, there's a completely different scenery. Under the moon, it's poetic and picturesque, making people appreciate and savor more deeply, whereas under the lamp, it easily gives rise to feelings of love and possession.

  Yang Fan's gaze at Tian Ai Nu was very eager, but had nothing to do with romance.

  Tian Ai Nu saw his eager appearance, and could only speak straightforwardly: "The current problem is that the scoundrel is greedy for wealth and profit, but compared to the inexhaustible Mrs. Yao, this sum of money may be enticing to him, but he may not necessarily be willing to offend Mrs. Yao for it. And due to Mrs. Yao's special status, using force is also highly inappropriate."

  Yang Fan eagerly asked: "Does Anu have a good plan?"

  Tian Ai Nu gave him a sideways glance and coaxed, "If there was a woman who was richer, more powerful, and even more beautiful than Mrs. Yao, and she took a liking to that scoundrel, even willing to marry him, do you think he would eagerly divorce your sister Ning and offend Mrs. Yao?"

  Yang Fan said in a disappointed tone: "You also say he's a scoundrel, where can I find such a blind and arrogant young lady who is willing to marry down to him?"

  Tian Ai Nu glared at him fiercely, resentfully saying: "You're really an idiot! Since you were willing to use the jewelry I gave you to exchange for Jiang Xuan Ning's freedom, couldn't you have used it to become a rich and wealthy magnate?"

  Yang Fan's eyes lit up and he said with a smile: "I understand what you mean, not bad! This idea seems to be feasible, let me think about it."

  Yang Fan bowed his head and thought for a moment, then said slowly: "It's easy to use this money to create a rich and wealthy young lady. However, it's difficult to find someone who can pretend to be that rich and wealthy young lady. Think about it, which ordinary girl would dare to show her face and accompany me to pretend to be a swindler? Moreover, those delicate girls from humble families, even if they are willing to help, will inevitably have some petty family air, how can they pretend to be a noble lady with dignity?

  That surname Liu, although a despicable and shameless rogue, is not an unrefined person. Such a woman would be easily seen through by him with just a little contact. If one were to hire a high-class courtesan... pretending to be a wealthy young lady might work, but their flirtatious behavior wouldn't resemble that of a noblewoman at all. Moreover, such people are unreliable and cannot be used...

  Yang Fan said this, looking at Tian Ai Nu opposite him, his eyes lit up and he said eagerly: "The method is a good one, but it needs the right person to implement it. Anu, please lend a hand."

  Tian Ai Nu was both angry and amused, scolding: "Originally I was helping you come up with a plan, how did the plan end up being used on me instead? I have to leave early tomorrow morning."

  Yang Fan rubbed his hands and said, "Before leaving, let's do this good deed. Ah Nu, you are also a daughter, you should understand that this matter concerns the lifelong happiness of a daughter, I believe you can't bear to see her jump into the fire pit either."

  Tian Ai Nu hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said: "Alright, I'll help you one more time. Once this matter is settled, the favor you owe me will be repaid!"

  Yang Fan stood up straight and bowed deeply: "Ah Nu's noble deed, I, Yang, thank you on behalf of my sister!"

  Tian Ai Nu coldly snorted: "Less nonsense, let's discuss how we should proceed!"

  One lamp, two people sitting opposite each other, whispering to each other. As the third watch approached, Tian Ai Nu covered her mouth and yawned: "Alright, tomorrow we'll start taking action. Tomorrow morning, you go comfort that Ma girl first, tell her to calm down, don't ruin our plan."

  Yang Fan said: "Good! Just..."

  Tian Ai Nu gave him a glance and asked: "What else are you worried about?"

  Yang Fan hesitated for a moment before anxiously saying: "I suddenly thought of a serious problem."

  "What's wrong?"

  "Are you seducing someone?"

  Tian Ai Nu's eyes widened, and Yang Fan hastily explained: "Don't get angry, it's a big deal, I have to be careful. I'm worried... can you let him take the bait?"

  Tian Ai Nu angrily said: "Why can't I?"

  "Look at that creditor's face..."

  "Tian Ai Nu said softly: 'Does he still need to be seduced?'"

  Yang Fan was taken aback, clapping his hands and laughing: "That's right, this gentleman only recognizes money, as long as gold and silver pave the way, even if it's a female demon, he will definitely agree... I was worried for nothing..."

  Tian Ai Nu's pair of eyes turned into a deadly sharp sword again, staring fiercely at Yang Fan. Yang Fan felt something was wrong and quickly lay down on the couch, saying: "Sleeping, sleeping, we still have to get up early tomorrow." As he spoke, he waved his sleeve and extinguished the lamp.

  Tian Ai Nu let out a cold snort, turned around and walked out, when she opened the back door, the clear moonlight shone on her face, and suddenly a smile bloomed on her face. Her smile was extremely subtle, starting with her red lips slightly pursed, the smile spread like ripples on a lake from the corners of her mouth, gradually filling her entire face, all the way to her eyebrows and eyes.

  In this quiet night, her smile was like a fleeting flower that bloomed elegantly at midnight.

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