Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 376 Who is behind the fake young master?

Fan Yin suddenly stood up from the ground, looking at Fan Lishen in disbelief.

The cat-eyed girl stood there, stubbornly straightening her back.

Her face had lost much of its innocence; her once tender face seemed to have suddenly become resolute.

Fan Yin then realized, as if overnight, the innocent young master he used to hold hands with and protect had been forced to grow up.

"Impossible!" Changrong's furious shout brought Fan Yin back to her senses. "Fan Yin, what do you mean by young master or no master? The Fan family is gone, and Duobao Pavilion originally belonged to you. Are you still going to grovel at his feet now?"

Fan Yin was like a puppet on a string. He echoed Chang Rong's words, "He's right, it's impossible! I've checked."

Jiang Yan looks like the Madam, and there's a jade pendant from the Fan family heirloom as proof. There's also the testimony of Aunt Li, who served the Madam closely. I'm not one to easily believe others, so I investigated immediately after I learned about it. The midwife who delivered the baby that year said in person that the Madam gave birth to a girl, and she even gave her a large sum of money to keep quiet.

I also found the doctor who took my wife's pulse when she was pregnant. He said that he had already found out back then that my wife was indeed carrying a girl...

Aunt Li said that she personally went to bring you back, and she even specially chose a baby with big eyes to avoid arousing suspicion.

Fan Yin's voice grew softer and softer as he began to realize the problem.

If Fan Lishen were a woman, then the midwife and the doctor were telling the truth, but he was misled by the words of Aunt Li and Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan was the girl who came to the door wearing the Fan family's jade pendant.

As he thought about it, he suddenly looked down at Fan Lishen's neck.

After the Shanming Changyang case, Prince Consort Fan left Chang'an with Fan Lishen, and they did not see each other for several years.

When he was young, at an age when it was hard to tell whether he was male or female, who would have suspected that the young master of the manor was actually a girl?
Now, her Adam's apple is barely visible on her fair and slender neck, her lips are smooth, and she has no extra hair on her body.

Fan Yin's face grew paler with each thought. His gaze fell on the back of Fan Lishen's hands, which were fair and smooth.

He thought Fan Lishen was probably right; she really was a young lady.

Fan Yin's lips had lost all color. He looked around at everyone in the prison. Chang Rong was dumbfounded, and even Chang Zuoping couldn't hide his astonishment. But only two people remained unchanged.

Zhou Zhao looked completely at ease, while Ah Huang, wearing a bamboo hat, couldn't see.

Fan Yin's heart sank lower and lower. Zhou Zhao knew that this matter was indeed true.

He raised his hand and slapped himself hard across the face. Fan Yin's voice was a little hoarse: "Why?"

Fan Lishen's eyes were red, and tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall.

“When my mother was pregnant with me, her pregnancy was not going well and she had a very difficult time. The doctor took her pulse and found that I was a girl and that the baby was not in the correct position, with her legs down and her head up. He said that if she were to give birth, it would be a difficult birth, and my mother might lose her life.”

Father loved only Mother in his life. He couldn't bear to see her suffer again, and he didn't want her to be in danger because of childbirth.

The Fan family has a thin bloodline. If Mother had given birth to a daughter, Grandmother would have certainly caused a lot of trouble. Although Mother could handle it, she would have suffered a lot of indignity and hardship.

At that time, Changyang was not yet a princess, and His Majesty was just a minor official. She was considered to have married into a higher social class.

During the previous dynasty, Fan Fuma was a tomb raider. When he went into the tomb, he would be gone for months at a time, leaving Changyang, who was married off far away, with no one to rely on.

How could he possibly feel at ease?
"My father thought that if I were a boy, there would be fewer worries. My mother originally refused, but my father persuaded her that the world was going to be in chaos and that it would be difficult for women to survive. He suggested that I should walk as a boy and be free and safe for more than ten years."

By the time I reach marriageable age, my grandparents may have already passed away, and the world will have changed drastically. At that time, whether I want to be a man or a woman will be up to me. My father and mother have told me these things in detail.

Aunt Li was my grandmother's person. When my mother gave birth, there were only the midwife, the doctor, and my father in the room.

His father didn't care about the so-called dirty delivery room, nor did he care that women could only give birth by female doctors or midwives. All he wanted was for his mother to be safe and sound, and for her to be happy and free.

Even when plotting rebellion, he only thought about two things:
First, to seek justice for his wife; second, to ensure his daughter's survival.

Fan Lishen thought for a long time, then slightly raised her head. She didn't dare touch her sore nose, and after a long while, she spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Do you think people like my parents would be willing to let their only daughter suffer outside?"

Fan Yin smiled sadly, "It was my stupidity that led me astray."

The wealth of Duobao Pavilion is beyond your imagination, young master. With the master in trouble, Duobao Pavilion is like a piece of fat meat, and everyone wants to take a bite.

Yin Wunong was utterly powerless to reverse the situation. I thought Jiang Yan was the true descendant of the Fan family. She had suffered greatly while wandering outside, and was a kept dancer. She only became a nameless and unrecognized concubine because she caught the eye of a nobleman.

Jiang Yan hates you for taking over her place and wants to seek justice from you.

She told me that if I could get rid of you, then the people behind her would protect Duobaoge and allow it to continue to be owned by the Fan family. Duobaoge is the lord's life's work and the only thing left in the Fan family. Even though I know it's probably like dealing with a tiger, now that things have come to this, if I want to preserve this foundation, I must find a powerful backer.

Moreover, if I succeed, Jiang Yan can change her surname to Fan and enter the family as the principal wife.

As Fan Yin spoke, she turned to look at Chang Rong beside her.

"Of course, I'm not a saint... I have my own selfish motives too..."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhao scoffed.

"Of course you have ulterior motives. You make it sound so high-sounding, but it's just a hypocrite finding a plausible excuse for himself."

Ultimately, Jiang Yan was a dancer who knew nothing about anything, and her greatest ambition was to become a proper wife.

It was you who became greedy and wanted to take control of the Treasure Pavilion in her name.

What kind of legacy, once pocketed, is it to preserve the emperor's life's work? To safeguard the last vestiges of his legacy?

Fan Yin did not refute.

Everyone has selfish desires; no matter what you say, he is still a traitor.

He lowered his head, not daring to look up at Fan Lishen.

Human nature is complex; it is not simply black and white, and most of the time people are indecisive.

Zhou Zhao never thought about fully understanding anyone's thoughts, because most people can't even understand themselves, let alone others.

"Who is behind Jiang Yan? You are not a brainless person. If the other side doesn't show off his abilities, how can you believe that he can become the new backer of Duobao Pavilion?"

In Chang'an, there are not many people who can do this.

"Jiang Yan's husband's surname is Chu, and he is the nephew of the wife of the Marquis of Huaiyang."

(End of this chapter)