HLnovel Chapter 136 Beggar
Chapter 136 Beggar
Early the next morning, Lu Yangyang quietly left the Duke of Sheng's mansion. After finding out the location of the Marquis of Guangping's mansion, she found a place, disguised herself as a beggar, and squatted on Jixiang Street, the busiest street near the Marquis of Guangping's mansion.
Lu Yangyang took a broken bowl and squatted outside a teahouse on Jixiang Street.
As soon as he squatted down, the waiter came out with a dark face and shooed him away: "Where did this little beggar come from? Get out of here and stop blocking our business!"
Lu Yangyang hurriedly got up, nodding and backing away in fear, while quickly glancing around. When she saw a little beggar peeking in her direction from the breakfast stall diagonally opposite, Lu Yangyang quickly ran away and slipped over to the breakfast stall.
The little beggar who had been peeking out saw her and immediately widened his eyes. Lu Yangyang rushed over in a few steps and grabbed his collar.
The little beggar swung his fist towards her eyes, but Lu Yangyang's lips curled into a smile. She precisely caught his fist, twisted it gently, and the little beggar, in pain, instantly begged for mercy with tears welling up in his eyes: "Great hero, spare me! It hurts, it hurts..."
"What are you looking at?" Lu Yangyang dragged him into the alley next to the breakfast stall and threw him on the ground.
The little beggar crossed his arms and howled twice. Lu Yangyang simply walked over and stepped on his leg: "Will you talk or not? If you don't, I'll break your leg!"
"Brother, I was wrong, I really didn't mean it. I just saw you were a stranger. Which gang are you from? Putting everything else aside, there's no place in Beicheng that I, Xiao Liuzi, don't know. How come I've never seen you before?" Xiao Liuzi felt the weight pressing down on his legs, as if it were a thousand pounds. He knew he had met a tough opponent, so he quickly begged for mercy: "Brother, I swear, I really didn't have any bad intentions."
Lu Yangyang let go of him: "You said there's no place in this northern city that you don't know?"
"Well..." Xiao Liu was about to boast a bit, but when he saw Lu Yangyang's threatening gaze and the unshakeable strength in her legs, he instantly deflated and honestly replied, "Brother, ask away, just ask away. I'll tell you everything I know."
Lu Yangyang then let go of his foot. Seeing that Xiao Liuzi was about to get up, she tripped him, and Xiao Liuzi fell to the ground.
Now they're completely obedient.
He simply sat down on the ground and said, "Go ahead and tell me, I really won't run anymore."
Lu Yangyang snorted: "Do you know about the Marquis of Guangping's residence? What's their situation? Has anything happened to them recently? Don't tell me what everyone knows, I want to hear what everyone doesn't know."
Xiao Liu's eyes darted around, and he tentatively asked, "Brother, do you have some kind of grudge against their family?"
"Why are you talking so much nonsense? Are you going to tell me or not?" Lu Yangyang glared at him threateningly.
Xiao Liu shrank his neck: "Hey, I just wanted to give you some advice. The biggest news in the Guangping Marquis's mansion lately is that their eldest daughter is getting married, but, well, their old lady has gone mad."
"Crazy?" Lu Yangyang was surprised. She looked down at Xiao Liuzi, who felt a little uneasy under her gaze. Lu Yangyang took out a gold melon seed from her sleeve and tapped it.
Xiao Liu's eyes lit up immediately. He glanced furtively at the street not far away and lowered his voice: "Yes, they've gone mad. But their old lady, she didn't just go mad now, she's been mad for about half a year. It's not a serious illness, they say she has some kind of dementia."
Xiao Liu pointed to his head: "He's got a problem with his brain. He can't remember things, and he's become very impatient. He throws things and hits people all the time."
Lu Yangyang knew about this; she had heard her aunt mention it before. Back then, there were elderly people in the village who became forgetful and senile as they got older. Her aunt said it was Alzheimer's disease, ranging from mild to severe, until they completely lost their ability to take care of themselves.
"And then? What else?" Lu Yangyang handed the golden melon seeds to Xiao Liuzi. Xiao Liuzi reached out to take them, but Lu Yangyang didn't move. "This isn't unusual. It's normal for old people to get senile."
With the golden melon seeds right in front of him, Xiao Liuzi gritted his teeth, lowered his voice even further, and said mysteriously, "There's something else, just hearsay, so don't take it too seriously. It's said that their eldest daughter, who is about to get married, has a childhood sweetheart cousin. They're very close. The young lady even went out to meet her lover a few days ago at Huguo Temple. I heard it from a brother in the west of the city a couple of days ago. He saw it with his own eyes. The young lady's maid gave her a large sum of money."
Lu Yangyang also found out about this, and she handed the golden melon seeds to Xiao Liuzi with disappointment.
Xiao Liu excitedly took a bite of the golden melon seed, then leaned over with a grin, "Brother, which branch are you from? Let's get to know each other. There's a lot going on in the Guangping Marquis's mansion. What else do you want to hear? I also know that their Marquis is keeping a concubine outside, and she didn't even bring her son back after she gave birth to him."
"Also, they have a seventh daughter, who is said to be as beautiful as a fairy. Before the old lady became senile, she doted on her, which infuriated their mistress. She often targeted that girl, saying that she kept her locked up at home copying books every day."
Lu Yangyang didn't respond. None of what they said had anything to do with Xue Wanning. She came to inquire about Xue Wanning, not to find out how many concubines Xue Wanning's father had taken and how many children they had.
Lu Yangyang expressionlessly reached out and grabbed his wrist, gently twisting it to realign his bones.
Then he turned around and left the alley, squatting down next to the breakfast stall with his broken bowl.
Xiao Liuzi followed her out and moved closer to her: "Brother, tell me, which gang are you from? I know something else."
Xiao Liuzi leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I heard that the young lady is having an affair with the Third Prince. A couple of nights ago, someone saw her carriage go to the Third Prince's residence. It was that rainy day, and she stayed inside for a long time before coming out. Tsk tsk, her fiancé, what's his name again? He's so green with envy..."
Lu Yangyang turned her head and slapped him on the head, glaring at him fiercely: "If you can't speak properly, then shut up! Who are you calling a cuckold!"
But she couldn't help but wonder, had Xue Wanning gone to see the Third Prince again? It seemed she really had to get in touch with the Third Prince.
Xiao Liuzi was seeing stars from the slap she gave him, and said aggrievedly, "Didn't you ask me first? And also, this morning I saw their housekeeper secretly go out to fetch a doctor, saying that the old lady's illness is not good, and her madness has worsened."
Lu Yangyang was taken aback. "What do you mean by 'the madness has gotten worse'?"
"Well..." Xiao Liu scratched his head, unable to think of a suitable way to put it.
The elderly couple running the breakfast stall next door had finished serving their customers when the old lady noticed Lu Yangyang squatting by the roadside. She took two steamed buns and handed them to her.
Lu Yangyang stared blankly at the steamed bun handed to her, then quickly reached out to take it.
Just then, a voice came from the road.
"Yangyang? What are you doing here?"