Chapter Thirty-Six: One Sword to Resolve the Trouble

  Yang Fan was shocked and suddenly opened his eyes wide, saying: "Is this really true?"

  Ma Qiao nodded slightly and said, "Not bad! The seventh-grade official in front of the Prime Minister's gate, let alone being the wet nurse of Princess Taiping. Because of this relationship, few people dare to offend her, so Mo Fangzheng advised Su Fangzheng not to provoke trouble."

  Yang Fan furrowed his brow and said, "That Mrs. Yao... shouldn't be causing trouble in the middle of this, right? You think that if the one with the surname Liu were to back out of this engagement, wouldn't it be just perfect for him to focus on serving her instead?"

  Ma Qiao sneered, "Even if the one with the surname Liu becomes a relative, isn't he still being called over by Mrs. Yao whenever she pleases? Will Mrs. Yao tolerate his arrogance? Besides, she only regards the one with the surname Liu as a plaything, not someone to be married off to. That day, she was humiliated severely, this woman's heart is vicious and cruel, she can't wait to humiliate Xiao Ning even more."

  Yang Fan was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "In that case, it's my fault. If I hadn't offended them so much back then, perhaps Ning would not have encountered so many troubles after her divorce."

  Ma Qiao said, "Forget it, don't mention this. You also truly regarded Xiao Ning as your sister, that's why you're willing to stand up for her. Even if they weren't humiliated back then, with their despicable character, would they have let Xiao Ning off easily?"

  Ma Qiao fell silent for a moment, then said: "Su Fang Zheng is actually quite righteous. Although he knew that Mrs. Yao had such an identity, he still wanted to try and invited Mo Fang Zheng to come forward together to persuade Liu Junhuan. He even agreed on behalf of Xiao Ning, as long as he was willing to break off the engagement, he would give him some money. Originally, he thought that this person was too spineless, and if he gave him some wealth, maybe he would agree."

  It turned out that Mrs. Yao was in the Liu's house at that time, and she actually walked out of the inner room with a proud smile, saying that a vendor selling wonton soup would not put her in the way, Xiaoning marrying into the Liu family was already settled, and Su Fang should not waste his energy, go back and tell Xiaoning to prepare for marriage.

  Yang Fan listened, and a hint of severity flashed in his eyes. Although Ma Qiao's words were just a plain retelling, he could imagine how arrogant Mrs. Yao must have been at the time, and how much hatred she must have harbored towards Ning's sister.

  This woman is narrow-minded and vengeful, while Liu Junwan is despicable and shameless, with no backbone. If these two people get together, once the marriage really takes place and she becomes a member of the Liu family, it won't just be a matter of being unable to hold her head up as a person - it will be a fate worse than death.

  Yang Fan's hand pressed heavily on the couch and suddenly touched a corner of the package. His heart moved again: "The little money in Ning's family, they don't take it seriously. Can I use these precious jewels given by Anu to buy Ning's freedom?"

  Just a slight change of mind, Yang Fan dispelled this idea. Now that Mrs. Yao is intervening in this matter, even if Liu Junlun is willing, she won't be. They are just a couple of ordinary people, Ning sister is only a seller of rice cakes, suddenly taking out so many treasures, Mrs. Yao only needs to submit a name tag to the government office, saying they are suspected of theft, and this will become a big trouble.

  To say that Liu Junwen is a selfish and greedy person, but although his character is despicable, he's not an idiot. If someone is willing to pay such a large sum of money to buy Ning's freedom, it's hard to guarantee that he won't be tempted by the wealth and try to extort even more from Ning.

  Ma Qiao saw him bowing his head in thought, his face changing from cloudy to sunny, and knew he was thinking of a way for Jiang Xun Ning. He patted his shoulder heavily and said: "Xiao Fan, don't worry, I've already thought of a solution."

  Yang Fan suddenly raised his head and said with joy: "You have a way?"

  Ma Qiao nodded and said, "Hmmm! As soon as I left Su Fangzheng's house, I started thinking of a way. That guy surnamed Liu has no redeeming qualities at all, if she marries him, Xiaoning will be ruined for life. She grew up with me since childhood, no matter what, I couldn't just watch her jump into the fire pit...

  Yang Fan suddenly said: "So that's it, you want to elope with Ning sister? This is indeed a good way to pull the plug from the bottom of the pot!"

  "What?"

  Ma Qiao's chin almost dislocated, and he muttered: "This... is a good idea?"

  Yang Fan's eyebrows danced with excitement as she said, "Of course it's a good idea. I've long noticed that Ning sister has some special feelings for you, and I'm sure she likes you in her heart. Now that you have this idea, it's perfect! You two can elope and become a real couple, and that surname-Liu person won't be able to intervene."

  Ma Qiao's mouth twitched a few times, and he said: "Brother, although Xiaoning has not yet passed the door, the marriage certificate has already been signed, which means that she is now someone else's wife! Elopement? You're lucky to think of it, but that's against the law. Even if I ran away with her, even if we had seven or eight kids, she would still be someone else's wife unless they agreed to divorce her. Besides, she has a mother and I have a mother too. Where can we go with our families?"

  Yang Fan then realized he had been thinking wrongly and couldn't help but ask: "Then what's the good method you mentioned?"

  Ma Qiao said fiercely: "Only 'Yi Jue' can be done! I will visit tomorrow, recognize Xian Ning's mother as my godmother, and go to their house as Xian Ning's brother. I will break one of his legs, and he won't dare not to report to the authorities. As long as he reports voluntarily, then we'll ask Xian Ning to propose dissolving the engagement!"

  Yang Fan glared at him and said: "Is this the good idea you came up with? Do you know that beating someone to death will land you in prison?"

  Ma Qiao said, "I know that's why I came to find you. If we don't hit him hard enough, it won't work, and we have to break one of his legs to meet the conditions of 'Yi Jue'. In this case, I will naturally go to prison for two years. My Ma family has many brothers, so I'm not worried that no one will take care of my mother. However, my cousins don't live in our neighborhood, and my mother won't leave this house to live with my brothers from the same branch of the family. When I'm not around, please take care of her for me."

  Ma Qiao stood up and bowed solemnly to Yang Fan.

  Ma Qiao has many shortcomings, but he is extremely filial to his parents. To friends, he is generous and willing to sacrifice himself. He is just an ordinary city boy, but who says that being chivalrous and heroic requires extraordinary abilities? Having great abilities does not necessarily mean having a heroic heart.

  With a strong sense of justice, he dares to defy the villainous! Ma Qiao is illiterate and doesn't understand grand principles, but many who do understand grand principles would feel ashamed in comparison to his actions.

  Yang Fan retorted, "Nonsense! Even if you were to go to jail, would that necessarily lead to a divorce? If this matter only involved Ning's sister and Liu Junwen, it might be easier to resolve. But now that Mrs. Yao is involved, don't you think that as soon as she submits a petition to the authorities, the court's decision will not be what you want?"

  Ma Qiao was stunned for a moment, and then hastily said: "What to do? Can't just watch Xiao Ning jump into the fire pit? No matter what, I'll try!"

  Yang Fan asked: "Does Ning sister know the news now?"

  Ma Qiao shook his head and said, "Not yet. Su Fang is just back tonight, I've been guarding his house all along. After inquiring about the news, I rushed to your place immediately, and specially instructed him not to tell Xiao Ning for now."

  "Alright! You go back first, let me think carefully tonight, maybe I can come up with a better solution. If it really doesn't work out, we can try your way too."

  Ma Qiao sighed and said, "I'm Ma Qiao, a native of Luoyang City. When I encounter such rascals, I don't know what to do. You have one night to think of something good. Alas! I'll go back first, don't forget my entrustment. If... I get caught and thrown into the big prison, you must take care of my mother."

  Ma Qiao was repeatedly reminded by Yang Fan and then sent out.

  Tian Ai Nu stood in the room, looking at Yang Fan's return and asked: "He came to find you, what's the matter?"

  Yang Fan raised his head, and a hint of murderous intent had already completely hidden in the depths of his eyes.

  He smiled easily and said: "Nothing, just a little trivial matter. Tomorrow I'm off duty, early in the morning, I'll see you off!"

  The night was deep and dark, the sound of the watchman's rattle grew louder from afar, then faded away into the distance.

  Yang Fan opened his eyes, and the moonlight came in through the window. The shadows of the window frames were sparse and slanted, making it even more quiet.

  He began to prepare, opening the box and flipping out a sharp dagger from the bottom, lightly inserting it into his waistband. He didn't even wear his night clothes, as tonight was not about sneaking into the Ministry of War to review files or breaking into the Liu residence to kill Liu Junhuan like slaughtering a chicken. Just as Yang Fan was about to leave, he suddenly froze, his hand already gripping the knife handle tightly.

  The back door opened and a beam of light poured in, casting a human figure on the ground like a sparse shadow on a window, delicate and raised.

  Yang Fan let out a breath and loosened his grip on the knife. Tian Ai Nu slowly walked in.

  Tian Ai Nu stood with her back to the light, making it impossible to discern the expression on her face. The clear and cold moonlight shone from behind, illuminating her slender waist, which was as delicate as a willow branch, and her figure was extremely beautiful, with an indescribable elegance and refinement.

  "Are you going to play cards again?"

  "Ah! Right, right, playing cards."

  "Do you play cards with a knife?"

  “……”

  "Are you going to kill someone? Kill that one with the surname Liu?"

  P: Sincerely seeking recommendation votes, and don't forget to vote for today's Sanjiang votes, thank you!