Ruan Huaishu was the direct granddaughter and the only granddaughter of Ruan Shoufu at that time. Ruan Shoufu's son and daughter-in-law died young, leaving only this child, so he was particularly favored.
She has been raised by Ruan Shoufu since she was a child. She has done everything by himself and taken good care of her. She has hired special teachers for piano, chess, calligraphy, painting, riding and archery. Many people say that Ruan Shoufu values this granddaughter too much, as if she were raising a grandson. Ruan Huaishu simply disguised herself as a man and went to various places. Ruan Shoufu didn't care. His Majesty turned a blind eye when he found out. As long as he didn't wear men's clothes at the banquet, he just let her go.
Who said that Ruan Shoufu was his former teacher, and he was the only child under his knees?
Thinking of this, Shen Lansui couldn't help but feel a little envious. Although there were many rules about cannibalism in this era, not everyone was equally stubborn. Ruan Shoufu and Ruan Huaishu once again refreshed her understanding of this era.
"Come, sit here."
Ruan Huaishu took the lead to sit down on the stone bench and patted the place next to him.
Shen Lansui didn't hesitate and took a seat.
There are many small pavilions built in the chrysanthemum garden, so that people who visit the garden and enjoy the flowers can rest when they are tired. No one comes here, it is very quiet, and Shen Lansui can't help but relax a little.
"Why are Miss Ruan here? Aren't you going to enjoy the flowers with them?"
"Calling Miss Ruan is too harsh. If you don't want to call me sister, you can just call me Zanghua."
Ruan Huaishu swung his folding fan lightly and leaned back on the railing. She really didn't have the airs of an aristocratic lady at all.
"Zanghua?" Shen Lansui was confused, "The small print?"
"Well, my cousin was named by my grandfather when I was fifteen years old."
Speaking of his grandfather, Ruan Huaishu had a hint of reverence in his eyes.
Shen Lan later realized that her voice had changed. It was softer than before and sounded more like a woman.
"Embracing books, hiding flowers... There are poems and books in the belly, which means hiding flowers, good names, and good words!" Shen Lansui read it again, and the more she read it, the more she liked it.
In ancient times, a man's cousin was given a cousin's name when he was fifteen years old, and a woman's fifteenth birthday was when she had a hairpin. After all, women rarely met people, and after a long time, few people would mention their cousin's name. Most people probably didn't care whether they took it or not.
Anyone who can name his daughter's cousin in a serious manner must really care about her and like her.
"Ruan Shoufu is really kind to you." Shen Lansui said enviously.
Seeing this, Ruan Huaishu stopped talking and did not ask further questions. He turned to chatting about something else, "I don't like the chatter and bustle the most, so I avoided it as soon as I came. Later, I felt that no one was too boring, so I went I was walking around the garden, but I didn't expect to see you and Mu Bingyan confronting each other, and I almost missed a good show."
Listening to her tone, Shen Lansui was puzzled, "Do you have a grudge against Mu Bingyan?"
"Not really, I just look down on her and the Mu family behind her."
Ruan Huaishu also spoke frankly when he said this.
Shen Lansui became even more curious, "Can I take the liberty to ask why?"
Ruan Huaishu raised an eyebrow, leaned closer and asked in a low voice: "Before that, I have to ask you, how is your relationship with Lu Xingyue? Doesn't he treat you well?"
"How do you know?" Shen Lansui blinked.
"Because Lu Xingyue is a nice person, you won't suffer any loss by marrying him."
She said so confidently that Shen Lansui was in a daze for a moment. Since she came here, the most common comments she heard about Lu Xingyue were: wife-killing, unlucky, and having a bad temper.
Ruan Huaishu was the first to say good things about others.
"Have you known Saburo before?"
"It's just an acquaintance. He used to study with my grandfather for a period of time. I met him at that time." Ruan Huaishu observed Shen Lansui out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that her eyes were full of curiosity, he continued.
Ruan Huaishu showed a somewhat nostalgic look on his face, "At that time, there were always a group of children sitting in my grandfather's house, and I was among them. They didn't know my identity, they just thought I was a child from a poor family, and they were neither cold nor warm to me, and they couldn't get along with me. Li, Lu Xingyue is different. Every time I ask him something, he always replies. Although he always has a straight face, he treats everyone equally and will not look down on anyone or look down on anyone because of his status."
Shen Lansui nodded in agreement, "Sanlang's temperament is indeed a bit cold, but he will not discriminate against others."
"No, I think he just looks down on everyone."
Ruan Huaishu snorted.
Shen Lansui: "..."
What nonsense are you talking about?
Seeing her slightly condensed expression, Ruan Huaishu smiled with his fan.
Shen Lansui was a little helpless: "What happened next? Since he was Ruan Shoufu's student, why did he end up in Jinyiwei?"
"I don't know about this. I was busy learning riding and shooting at that time, and I didn't come to their classes for a long time. I only know that Lu Xingyue disappeared for a while, and when he came back, he said goodbye to his grandfather."
"Then I saw him again, at the banquet of His Highness the Fifth Prince." Ruan Huaishu's face darkened as he said this, "If I said he shouldn't have gone, otherwise he wouldn't have been entangled with the Mu family."
Shen Lansui felt nervous. She had always been curious about Lu Xingyue and Madam Xian, but it was hard to ask. She didn't expect the answer to come to her door.
"What happened at the banquet?" She unconsciously clenched her hands when she asked.
Two people walked up to the verandah at the corner. When they heard the movement, they suddenly stepped back, the jade pendants around their waists rising and falling.
The guard Qiao He who took a step back asked doubtfully: "Your Highness?"
The fifth prince raised a finger and said, "Shh."
Qiao He shut his mouth and followed his line of sight.
Ruan Huaishu's back was turned to them. From this angle, they could only see Shen Lansui opposite them, but Shen Lansui could not see them.
Qiao He frowned in confusion. What do you mean, Your Highness, eavesdropping on the noble lady?
Ruan Huaishu and Shen Lansui had no idea. Ruan Huaishu sighed: "If nothing had happened, Mu would not have married Lu Xingyue."
"There are two ponds in the garden of His Highness the Fifth Prince. When everyone gathered in the big pond to look at the lotus flowers, Mu Xuejiao somehow went to the small pond. There was no one there. When she got closer to look at the fish, her foot slipped. I fell and almost drowned.”
Shen Lansui was stunned, "Was there no one else at the time? Her maid was not there either?"
"The maids at a big banquet would be arranged to wait elsewhere. She didn't fit in with the crowd. She went to the pool alone and screamed for a long time when she fell into the water. Lu Xingyue didn't know what his luck was. He was across the courtyard wall. On the other side of the road, I vaguely heard a sound and went over to take a look. At that time, Mu Xuejiao was already semi-conscious and barely breathing, so Lu Xingyue jumped down and fished her out."
Ruan Huaishu shook his head, "The clothes must have been soaked after falling into the water. Lu Xingyue put the person on the shore to call the servants. Unexpectedly, Mu Bingyan came to find him. When he saw this, he slapped Lu Xingyue without saying a word. What happened next? As you can guess, men and women are not allowed to kiss each other, nor can they meet in private, let alone cuddling. As Mu Bingyan testified, Mu Xuejiao was looking for life and death after she woke up, so Lu Xingyue had no choice but to agree to marry him home. "
Shen Lansui was stunned: "Ah?"
(End of chapter)
