Ruan Fujing had no intention of visiting the garden, and the two of them wandered on the cobblestone road. He quietly looked at Xie Lanan's face several times, intending to comfort him, but fearing that it would be self-defeating.
Xie Lanan suddenly turned his face and asked him: "Uncle, won't you cry?"
Ruan Fujing was speechless. How did his cousin know that his father had such a temperament that was inconsistent with his appearance?
When I was at home, my grandmother was ill, and my father wished he could take care of his illness, so he couldn't help but lie in front of her bed and howl.
"...Probably not." Ruan Fujing said something against his will to save face for his father, and Ruan Fujing smiled to himself again, "Actually, it's hard to say."
Homely talk resolved the unfamiliarity, and Ruan Fujing told his cousin interesting stories about the sisters in Wu Jun's family. Xie Lanan listened and asked with a smile: "Why do you only talk about others and not about your cousin himself?"
Ruan Fujing said calmly: "I have no future. I haven't established a career yet. I haven't added any light to the lintel. There's nothing to say."
Xie Lanan shook his head, "I see that my cousin is majestic and a hero. He should be good at using weapons, but he only hides his sharp edge."
Ruan Fujing's heart moved slightly, and he was once again surprised by her keen observation and intuition. The current trend despises warriors, and his mother didn't like him wielding a sword or a stick, so he hid in his yard and practiced secretly. His favorite weapon was indeed the horse spear.
He couldn't help but blurt out: "My cousin must go home. Grandma will be extremely happy to see you. You don't know what a kind and kind elder she is."
Actually I know.
Xie Lanan's eyelashes grew in an instant. When her grandmother died at the age of ninety-eight, her soul floated to the Ruan family and spent a night with Ruan Fujing in the mourning hall for the elderly man.
The desolation all over her body penetrated to her bones, eclipsing even the beautiful spring scenery. Ruan Fujing's heart suddenly felt like a heavy snowfall.
He didn't know the reason, but he wanted to say something to break the silence. He lowered his voice: "...I said I wanted to live in the main courtyard just now. It was just a joke. My cousin's reputation is important, so I can just stay in the guest room."
Xie Lanan turned his fan and smiled casually: "My cousin thinks too much. Fame is the least worth mentioning to me."
·
Xie Yixia had just left the main courtyard. Xie Zhiqiu, who heard that he had returned to the capital, came to find him anxiously.
The third child had blisters on his lips, his face was gray, and he looked a bit older than his elder brother. He saw the father and son in front of him happily, as if nothing had happened. They did not care to exchange greetings, and complained with a sad expression: "Second brother, Xie Lan'an pretended to be the heir of the tomb and forced the elder of the clan to death. This is too much! You must straighten the family tradition. You can't Let her destroy the Xie family."
Xie Yixia flicked her tail, looked at the third child, and hesitated to speak.
He asked the second son to avoid it, and then said seriously: "Third son, why don't you move out of the ancestral home and build a new mansion outside."
There was thunder on the ground, and Xie Zhiqiu was shocked: "Second brother! What did Yu brother do wrong? Do you want to separate from me? Is this what that little girl means? She made a huge mistake, but you don't care about it, but you want to How can you be so biased when you cut off your hands and feet?"
Xie Lan'an didn't say anything about driving people away, but she had confessed to Xie Yixia in the study that her third uncle was raising an adulterer outside and she had hidden him.
But when Xie Yixia met those dark and cold eyes, she could clearly see what she had left unfinished.
——If the third child continues to refuse to give up, it will not only be the marriage between Xie Yan and the Zhou family that will be broken off; it will not only be Xie Xinyi's branch that will be deleted from the family tree.
For some reason, Hanling was particularly hostile to Sanfang.
She could do such a thing.
Xie Yixia even felt that if he hadn't accidentally wanted to read Han Ling's poems at the Spring Banquet and take a boat back to Beijing in advance, this might have happened.
"Third child," Xie Yixia smiled helplessly, "You may not believe me, but I am here to protect you."
The entire Xie family in Chen County should understand one thing again. Xie Hanling is no longer the same Xie Hanling as before.
The second thing is that it makes no sense for Xie Jingzhou, who has a hundred thousand soldiers and horses under his command, to be partial to someone.
·
When it was time to hold the lantern, Xie Lanan arranged a sumptuous reception banquet for his uncle and uncle.
Ruan Houxiong stayed in the west courtyard all afternoon. He did not talk to the confused sister. He mostly asked Minghua how Lan An had grown up in these years.
There were many details related to her daughter's family that Minghua couldn't talk about. There was only one thing that she had kept in her heart for these years, and she felt particularly sour every time she thought about it.
That was when the little girl was six years old. She was troubled by the weirdness when going to the toilet, so she ran to ask the madam. For the first time, she learned from the madam the truth that she was not a boy, but a girl, with a confused face.
Like a piled up snowman, it melted in front of Minghua's eyes.
Ruan Houxiong's eyes were all red when he came out.
He was led to the dining room by his servants, where he saw bright lights and food and wine. Afraid of arousing the sadness of his niece, Ruan Houxiong pretended that nothing had happened and did not mention the matter of releasing Ruan Biluo from the ban.
Xie Lanan glanced at his uncle's eyes, exchanged glances with Ruan Fujing, and felt reassured. She wanted to maintain her uncle's majesty in front of others, so she just pretended not to see him, went to hold her clothes and invited him to sit down.
"I heard from my cousin that my uncle likes to eat fish. It just so happens that the chef has fresh carp today. I'll try it and see how it is different from the Wujun flavor."
There was also Xie Yixia, who smiled calmly and had a lot of talk for the guests. They drank and drank together all night, and it was considered a great time for the guests and the host.
After the feast, Xie Lanan settled the Ruan family and his son in the mansion next door to his.
The next day, Queen Mother Yu's decree came to summon Xie Lan'an into the palace.
When the decree arrived, Xie Yixia was playing chess with herself in the study. After hearing the news, she casually dropped a piece and said to herself with a smile: "She predicted another round."
He was not at all worried that his niece would not be able to cope with the affairs in the palace. On the contrary, Xie Ce was worried, "Otherwise, it is better to let your sister-in-law go with you. She was the eldest princess's companion before she came out of the cabinet, so she has some kind of care."
Ruan Houxiong was also worried and asked Ruan Fujing to drive her to the palace in person. Xie Lan'an smiled and appeased everyone, holding the folding fan in his hand with the same charm: "It's nothing serious. Make tea and wait for me. I'll be back when I'm gone."
Her tone was as relaxed as if she were going out to enjoy the scenery, but when she was about to go out, Wu Niang still pulled her sleeve timidly.
The little girl hesitated to speak.
"Don't worry," Xie Lanan touched her head, "I won't sell you out."
Xie Yaochi shook his head vigorously. In the past, the Empress Dowager repeatedly wanted to give her and the Empress Dowager's nephew Yu Songgu some mandarin duck charts, but her elder sister always stood in the way. Xie Yaochi was afraid that the Empress Dowager would embarrass her elder sister.
"Wu Niang is about to drop the golden bean." Xie Lan'an scratched her face with her finger to shame her, "Yunwen, hurry up and get a cup for your little lady to catch."
Xie Yaochi turned away in shame and annoyance, and her sister turned bad.
There are new willows on both sides of the imperial ditch, and carriages travel on the imperial road on the central axis of the capital, passing through the majestic Phoenix Tower.
In the carriage, Xie Lanan's long legs were crossed, and he leaned casually on his pocket, flipping through the pages in his hand.
That was the number of grain reserves in the Beijing warehouse that she had asked Chang Shi to inquire privately.
When the carriage arrived at the closed gate, there was suddenly a sound of rumbling, and another painted carriage with jade decorations hurried up from behind. There were eight riders in front and behind the carriage, and the dust was stirred up, making a great noise.
Xie Lanan raised his long eyelashes slightly and flicked his fingers on the paper, breaking away from his concentrated thinking.
The window curtain of the carriage, which was so gorgeous that it seemed to be overstepping its bounds, was gently opened by two fingers painted with cinnamon, revealing a charming and gorgeous face.
Yu Luoshen's eyes glanced over the Xie Mansion's car emblem, and he said delicately: "Whose car is this? The driver doesn't have a good eye, dares to block my way?"
Xuan Bai glanced at the guard of honor opposite, tightened his palms slightly, and turned his head to ask for instructions from the car: "Master?"
Xie Lanan didn't bother to open the car window and said, "Make way for Miss Yu Er."
Who in the city of Jinling didn't know that the niece of Empress Dowager Yu, the only daughter cherished by Duke Yu Fengxiao of Jingguo, had a distinguished status and was named the county princess as soon as she was born. The Tang Muyi given by the royal family was comparable to the standards of a princess.
Her honor is second to none, and what is more famous is Yu Luo Shen's arrogant temperament.
When Yu Luo Shen was in his hairpin years, he was the husband of the He family. When he was at her husband's house, he stomped on his hands just because a dancer was praised for having "very delicate hands"; the musicians played the flute in wrong tunes and often killed people. Later, he was jealous that his husband's concubine was pregnant, so he cut out the baby and returned the good concubine's belly full of hay to her husband. He Langjun was frightened to death, and he died of depression soon after.
She relied on the power of her surname Yu, and the He family was willing to fight and suffer, swallowing the pain in her belly. She saw the God of Yu Luo living in her late husband's house, collecting actors and actresses, and taking pleasure in watching them compete for favor.
Seeing that Xie Lan'an was trying to avoid him, Yu Luo Shen smiled happily, thinking that she was indeed different from what she used to be, and entered the palace gate of the inner city arrogantly.
Xie Lan'an's carriage resumed driving for a while, and when it reached the end of the carriage door, she got out of the car. A sarcastic voice sounded from behind her: "Once upon a time, Mr. Xie, it was so glorious to get out of the way of people traveling, but now he has become a fallen phoenix."
Xie Lanan turned around and saw Xi Fu standing under the palace wall.
The jade-colored robe on the cold man's body complemented Taicheng's Dai Yuan perfectly, but his cold eyes looking at her were not so friendly.
Xie Lanan turned a blind eye and passed by him.
"Xie Hanling!" Xi Fu stopped her and said with a stern face, "Don't think I'm waiting for you, I'm here to find my brother."
His younger brother Xi Xin served as a regular attendant at the young emperor's side. Xi Fu himself also had the honorary position of a doctor in the secret palace and could enter and leave the palace freely.
Xie Lanan had a different expression on his face and said lazily, "Do it yourself."
"Stop! Do you have something to say to me?" Xi Fu held his palm.
After the spring banquet, he felt humiliated and wished he could send a letter of renunciation to the Xie Mansion to sever ties with this ruthless and unjust person. He, Xi Yunji, was so arrogant that he regarded Xie Lanan as his only rival in his life, which was a greater recognition than treating her as a friend. But one day she suddenly told the world that the person he valued so much and wanted to catch up to was actually a woman.
Xi Yunji can lose to anyone, but he cannot lose to a woman!
But he didn't know what he was expecting. He suppressed his humiliated mood and waited for her to give him an explanation.
Even if it is inconvenient for people to come, it is always a proper gift to repair a book, right?
But no, nothing. If he hadn't stopped her just now, she would have become a stranger to him.
Xi Fu couldn't calm down. Xie Lan'an couldn't help but recall some things about him when he looked at the proud man with brows.
Xi Fu, a lucky person, lives up to his name. When he was born, colorful clouds filled the sky and white cranes entered his house. He was a well-deserved proud son of heaven. In the last life, Chu Qingyuan thought that he was someone who might lend a helping hand to her. At the beginning of the plan, she wrote a letter suggesting that the young emperor send Xi Fu out of Beijing to inspect the salt affairs, and successfully dismissed him.
But in fact, as soon as he heard that something happened to her, Xi Fu decisively cut off his relationship with her to save the Xi family.
After her death, this man braved the rain and went to the cliff to find her body, but to no avail. He also tried his best to erect a tomb and write a memorial for her.
He is ruthless and passionate, and he seems to be contradictory, but in fact he is shrewd. That's why Xie Lan'an commented that this gentleman is the best at choosing.
Her opinion of Xi Fu is actually not bad, and there is nothing wrong with taking the overall situation into consideration and preserving the family. On the contrary, there are not many people in this world who are willing to build an empty tomb for her and sprinkle some writing on her.
It's just that in this life, she regards the bad habits of the clan as her enemy, and is destined to affect the interests of the old gentry, and one of the first to bear the brunt will be Xi Fu.
The two people who were destined to go back and forth between bridges and bridges, settled their grudges and became strangers to each other from now on.
So Xie Lan'an only looked at him lightly: "The Queen Mother has given orders, so I don't dare to delay. I'll see you later."
"Oh, what else do you dare not do? Xie Hanling..." Xi Fu couldn't catch her passing figure and said anxiously: "Are you going to surrender to the Queen Mother? As noble as you are, you also want to throw yourself into this mysterious place." Are you caught in the whirlpool, or have you always been hiding this ambition?"
Xie Lanan glanced back at him without stopping, with the ends of his eyes as sharp as pine needles, and a faint hint of ink.
Xie Hanling has a lifelong ambition, who should he confess his love to?
·
Jinling Taicheng is a palace city built in imitation of the Luoyang Palace style after moving south to establish the capital. It has nine levels of the Forbidden City and a restored Daohui Pavilion. The old style can be seen everywhere.
When Xie Lanan came to Changxin Palace for the first time, Eunuch Chonghai, who was beside the Queen Mother, personally led the way.
The Queen Mother's palace is deep and vast, as quiet as water, and the people's cloud-headed shoes make no sound when they step on the solid oak floor. Occasionally, there were three or two oriole calls coming from outside the hall, but they were quickly blocked by heavy hanging curtains.
The curtains and curtains surrounding the pillars are all plain silk without patterns, and there is not a single vessel inlaid with gold or jade to be found in the entire palace.
Empress Dowager Yu herself was also dressed simply, wearing a homely crimson embroidered ruffle with a thin armband, and only silver ornaments in the hairpin.
However, this most noble woman in Daxuan is well-maintained and has a graceful face. The two thin upward wrinkles at the end of her eyes add to her majesty.
When Xie Lan'an entered the palace, she greeted her with courtesy, lifted her robe and bowed down neatly, and presented a letter to the Queen Mother with her hand.
"My daughter Lan'an has met the Queen Mother."
Aunt Qinwei was curious and looked at this dashing and heroic girl several times, then took the copybook and presented it to the Queen Mother.
Empress Dowager Yu was good at calligraphy. After reading it, she smiled and said: "The "Yue Yi Tie" written by Suo Zhengxi is very wonderful. But in the past, I only heard that Xie Yushu was good at calligraphy and regular script, Zhongzheng Pinghe, and the Ai family saw this cursive calligraphy. , but it is as scattered as the drifting wind, and the sharp edge is fully exposed."
