Chapter 107: Extra 3

Chundao 23 years, winter.

Tan Nengwu is the head of the Tan family. He has a younger brother named Nengwen. Initially, their names were different. The eldest one was Nengwen and the second one Nengwu. As a result, the eldest one had strange bones and passionate love for martial arts. Therefore, he forced his younger brother to change his name to Nengwu.

Tan Nengwu is not interested in an official career and economy and has never married. However, he has been absorbed in martial arts since he was a child. When he grows up, he wanders all over the world. If he meets an excellent place to practice martial arts, he will stay for a while.

In recent years, he came to Liaodong. In the north, it’s bitter and cold, and there are few people. Ordinary people say that it’s too cold and quiet. So it’s suitable for cultivation that people who practice martial arts are less noisy. Tan Nengwu found a hot spring under a cliff. He meditated in the hot spring several times and felt very good in the trial.

Late that night, he had just finished meditating and was about to rest when he heard a thump outside. Surprised, he went out of the cave with a torch and saw a child lying at the entrance.

By the light of the fire, he can see that the child is covered with blood and seriously injured. Tan Nengwu explored the nose of the child. He left only a faint breath. He was afraid that he could not live.

The boy is too poor. Tan Nengwu takes him into the cave and hopes to cure him. He carefully bandaged the wound for the child.

The injured child didn’t wake up, and when it was almost dawn, he started to have a fever.

Tan Nengwu couldn’t bear to see a good child die like this. So he left immediately and took the child to the bottom of the cliff. He found where people lived, grabbed some healing herbs, and fried them for the child to drink.

He kept his eyes open. At first glance, the child’s knife injury was done by the expert. The child was probably stared at by the terrible enemy. Tan Nengwu kept a low profile and tried to cover up the children’s tracks to avoid unnecessary troubles.

After three days, the child’s fever subsided, and his breathing stabilized. Finally, he found life. A few days later, he finally woke up.

Tan Nengwu moved a small bench to sit beside the child and asked about his life experience.

The child opened his mouth but could not make a sound.

It turned out to be mute. Tan Nengwu felt more pitiful and asked, “can you write? ”

The child nodded.

“I asked you to write. ”

The boy picked up the pen carefully.

“What’s your name? ”

The child held the pen and thought for a while. Then, at last, he looked up at Tan Nengwu in confusion and shook his head. He didn’t know what his name was.

“Can’t say? “Tan Nengwu asked. Understandably, people with enemies are afraid of their own names. He comforted him, “don’t worry, I’m a good man, I saved you. ”

The child wrote: Thank you. I don’t know my name.

“Nonsense, no one knows his name unless you lost your memory. “When Tan Nengwu said that, he stopped suddenly. He looked at the child and asked,” do you remember your past? Who is he, where he came from, who chased him to death, and why he fell down the cliff? ”

The child was seriously thinking about it. After thinking for a long time, he couldn’t understand. In a hurry, his eyes turned over, and he fainted.

By the time the little boy woke up again, they had been in the carriage going to the south.

Tan Nengwu thought that the child probably hit his head when he fell down the cliff, so he lost his memory. But, on the other hand, maybe he was dumb at the same time because he saw the child was brilliant and had no problem with his ears.

They walked more than a thousand miles to Jinan mansion, Tan Nengwu’s hometown. Tan’s family is also famous in the local area. Now, Tan Nengwen inherits the family business and manages the shops in his family.

There are only two brothers in the old Tan family, Tan Nengwu and Tan Nengwen. Other relatives are too far away from each other and are not close. Tan Nengwu, the eldest son of the Tan family, never married and had a son. Tan Nengwen, the second son of the tan family, married his wife, but his wife died early. So there was only one young daughter left at his knee, called Tan Lingyin, who was less than ten years old this year. He later gets two concubines, but neither gave birth to a child.

Tan Nengwen thinks it’s probably predestined. He’s afraid that this branch of Tan’s family is going to die out.

Without a son, Tan Nengwen had to raise his daughter as a son, which was better than nothing. Therefore, since she was a child, she has taught her music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and some classics, history, and accounting skills to support the Tan family in the future.

Of course, his daughter doesn’t have a handle, after all.

Now that his brother has come with a boy.

Tan Nengwen likes the boy very much. Although he is mute, he is smart and sensible. He sifted through the child and found that he was very talented. So now he recognizes this child as his son.

Tan Nengwen can also comfort himself with such a filial son that he has both a son and a daughter.

Tan Lingyin was raised as a boy. She was generous and straightforward. She was familiar with his brother in just one day. She saw her brother’s eyes were clear and bright, and his eyes were like stars on a day. So she gave him a name: Tan Qingchen.

The whole family boasted that Tan Lingyin had a taste, and Tan Qingchen also accepted the new name with a smile.

Tan Nengwen is curious about Qingchen’s life experience. He asks Tan Nengwu. However, Tan Nengwu can’t tell about it. He only says that Qingchen was chased and killed by his enemies. He picked up Qingchen when he had a breath left. Tan Nengwen was worried about getting into trouble for a while, but he was reluctant to send such a good child away. After a few days like this, when no one came to him, he steadfastly supported his son.

Maybe Tan Qingchen is blessed. The second-year after he came to Tan’s house, Tan Nengwen’s Concubine was pregnant and gave birth to a fat boy in October. Tan Nengwen couldn’t close his mouth with a smile. After his son’s one-year banquet, he supports his Concubine right.

Now, Tan’s family is blessed with happiness.

Because of the support, the Concubine gradually became more active. In her opinion, apart from some of the assets of the old Tan family, which are left to tan Lingyin for dowry, the rest should naturally be inherited by her precious son. But in addition to these two children, there is also a man named Tan Qingchen.

This Tan Qingchen was not born by the master himself, but he also took the surname of Tan. Although he was not his son, the master used to treat him the same as his own. Even Tan Lingyin is very close to Tan Qingchen. So it’s hard to say that Tan Qingchen’s existence is not a threat to her son’s family property. But, of course, Tan Qingchen can’t compete with his wife and son again. It’s natural for the younger son to take the lead when the family is divided. But if the master has compassion, give more to Tan Qingchen, which is also a great loss to their mother and son.

With this idea, Tan Qingchen gradually became a thorn in her eyes and flesh. In the beginning, she just said hurtful words to him, but continuously it’s not enough. It’s a pity that her mind is poisonous enough, but her brain can’t keep up with her.

Tan Qingchen, who is pure in nature, has lived so many days under the fence, and he is more mature than his peers. But, of course, he will not allow the other to hurt himself.

Tan Lingyin often appears for Tan Qingchen. She has long drawn Tan Qingchen under her wings. If anyone dares to bully Tan Qingchen, it’s like someone throws dirt on her face. She’s not easy to provoke. She’s bound to fight back.

So the Concubine hated Tan Lingyin even more, and from time to time, she smeared the sisters and brothers to the master. The scary thing about the pillow talk is that it is like dripping through stones day after day. So Tan Nengwen was gradually covered by the Concubine and was alienated from Tan Lingyin and Tan Qingchen.

Tan Lingyin grew to sixteen, and it was time to talk about marriage. Because of her beautiful appearance, there is an endless stream of people asking for her. Children’s marriage events are about their parents’ orders and matchmakers. At last, at the suggestion of the Concubine, her father selected a son of an official.

The so-called cooperation between government and business is good. This official family is a Wang family. The man’s father came to be the magistrate of the local government. The Tan family married their daughter to his son, which is considered to be high-level. Tan Lingyin didn’t care about this. She asked Tan Qingchen to carefully inquire about the man’s character and learned that he was not a good man. He was ignorant and unskilled, went to the brothel to drink flower wine, and once committed murder in the street. How can she marry such a person? She has been quarreling with her father again and again. That Concubine was full of excitement.

There is no way for Tan Nengwen. It’s good for the Tan family’s business to marry her daughter to the magistrate’s son. Moreover, he has already received the dowry from the prefecture magistrate’s family, and he dare not return.

Seeing that it’s useless to cry, Tan Lingyin escapes from marriage.

She had been raised as a boy since she was a child, and the boudoirs of the merchant family were not as taboo as the noble family. Therefore, although she was in a girl’s house, she was more knowledgeable than ordinary men. Tan Lingyin also brought a lot of money out of her own and lived a very wholesome life.

Not long after Tan Lingyin left, Tan Qingchen found her. He told her that he should have come to see her long ago and help her escape the marriage, but he was late. Besides, he let Tan Lingyin not worry, all the problems have been solved, and no one will catch her back to get married.

It turns out that since the discovery of Tan Lingyin’s escape from marriage, Tan Qingchen persuaded Tan Nengwen, focusing on how the official family would get angry and punish the sins of the Tan family after they knew the truth. Tan Nengwen also panicked, fearing that his family would suffer. So he had to lie, saying that his daughter had unfortunately died and returned the dowry.

Such a result is just what the Concubine wants. Now that he has lied about the sudden death, Tan Lingyin can’t come back. Even if she comes back, he can’t marry as the daughter of Tan Nengwen. The dowry she can get is limited.

Having settled the matter at home, Tan Qingchen immediately set out to look for her sister.

Tan Lingyin has seen some world outside, and he doesn’t want to go home. So Tan Qingchen follows her all the way south, walking and stopping, enjoying the scenery. When they arrived in Tongling County, they spent almost as much money as they did. They set up a bookstore in the city and started a business.

At this time, the emperor’s wedding spread all over the country because the new Empress was extraordinary and had a legendary experience, which was very popular among ordinary people.

Tan Qingchen was sitting in the bookstore, listening to several guys talking about it. How about today’s Empress, Ji Zhao, who was initially loyal minister Ji Qingyun’s daughter.

When Tan Qingchen heard these two names, he felt as if someone had pulled him. His eyes were so hot that he burst into tears.

Tan Lingyin asked him what was wrong with him and whether he was ill.

Tan Qingchen was stunned. He can’t say what’s going on. But, in a word, he seems to have something important in mind.

Time flows like water. Two years later, Tang Tianyuan, the first cabinet assistant to Tang Ruoling’s son, was ordered to go to Tongling County to investigate the stealing of gold.

The wheel of fate turns again.

“Your Majesty, please calm down. It is over.”

Thank you for reading