The night breeze is slightly cool, and through the winding corridor, candlelight is swaying, and the shadows of the trees are dancing and rustling.
The room was silent and the atmosphere was solemn. Shanshan seemed to be aware of it and put down his chopsticks in a daze. The servant who came to deliver the report saw that his master had not responded, so he stood outside the door and waited.
Shanshan looked around and asked in confusion: "What's wrong?"
Wen Yiqing's face tightened and he said to the servant: "Go back and tell Mr. He that there are guests at home today and you cannot entertain him. Please ask him to go back first. I will definitely come to apologize someday."
"yes."
"Wait a minute." Shen Yungui stopped the person, "There's nothing big going on today, why can't you invite Mr. He to come with us?"
Wen Yiqing scolded gently: "Don't cause trouble."
Shen Yungui turned his head away, his expression equally ugly.
During the stalemate, Bian Chen had already stood up.
Wen Yiqing saw his move and subconsciously stood up to stop him, "You don't have to..."
"It doesn't matter."
He held Wen Yiqing's shoulders, shook his head at her calmly, and then walked back.
He had been to Wen's house several times and knew the layout by heart. He couldn't leave through the front door, otherwise he would bump into someone he shouldn't have bumped into, and there would be no explanation for it. There was also a small door in the dining room leading to the backyard. But he had just taken two steps when a folding fan was placed across his chest, blocking his way.
"Where are Mr. Chen going?" Shen Yungui's smile did not reach his eyes, "As soon as Mr. He came, Mr. Chen ran away. Isn't it possible that you did something wrong and you didn't even dare to see Mr. He's face? "
Bian Chen glanced at him lightly, his expression unchanged, and he did not take his provocation into consideration, treating him as if he were a tool.
Shen Yungui was lost in thought for a moment and did not stop the man. He only saw him walking around a landscape screen and then disappeared. He looked away and saw Wen Yiqing looking behind the screen, his brows slightly furrowed and he hesitated to speak. Chen Yungui's heart skipped a beat and he squeezed the folding fan in his hand.
--Depend on!
Could that bastard be taking the opportunity to show pity?
Ever since he learned that Mr. Chen was Shanshan's biological father, he had people investigate all the families with the surname Chen in the capital. It's just that the capital city is not his territory. He is just a businessman with no power. When the people sent to investigate came back, most of them were already married, poor and poor, with little reputation. In the end, no suitable candidates were found.
He invited He Lanzhou to come, firstly to cause trouble, and secondly, to invite He Lanzhou to recognize people.
Shen Yungui sat back thoughtfully.
Mr. Chen didn't dare to see He Lanzhou, because he would definitely be recognized, so he felt guilty about being a thief?
Even if he has an identity, why can't he show it openly, or is his identity still different? Or a guilty person?
The servant went to report again and soon brought someone back.
He Lanzhou didn't come empty-handed. He followed the servant in, first handed the things he brought to Shanshan, and then looked around. Shen Yungui found him and told him that Mr. Chen was Shan Shan's biological father. The news made him dizzy. Before he could digest it, he heard that Mr. Chen would be a guest at Wen's house today, so he refused to talk to other friends. I have made an appointment and want to see Mr. Chen in his face in Lushan. It's just that now that I've looked at everyone in the room, I don't see the person I expected.
Shanshan held a bag full of homework and was stunned for a while, "What is this?"
He Lanzhou came back to his senses and said gently: "You haven't been to school these days, so I'm afraid you've fallen behind a lot in your studies. I asked Master Liu about your academic progress, and I took it upon myself to sort it out for you. As long as you spend more time in the next few days, With a little effort and completing these homeworks, you can make up for the lost study these days."
Shanshan: "..."
He Lanzhou added: "Of course, in addition to these homework, the courses in the school cannot be left behind."
The thin rice paper in her hand seemed to be as heavy as a thousand pieces. Her mother taught her to say thank you when receiving a gift, but Shanshan suppressed her blush and her eyes were wet, and she couldn't hold back the word "thank you".
Shan Shan: "...Woo!"
Shi Shi whispered, "I'll write it for you."
Shanshan asked sadly: "Mr. He, didn't you come to see my horse?"
"Horse?" He Lanzhou was stunned for a moment: "It was Mr. Shen who mentioned Mr. Chen to me. I have never seen Mr. Chen in person. I was curious, so I thought, just..."
He looked around again: "Where is Mr. Chen?"
Shen Yungui sneered: "As soon as I heard it was Master He coming, I ran away."
He Lanzhou was thoughtful.
The capital is big or not, but you won’t see it when you look down. He had previously guessed that Mr. Chen was Chen Xuan, the commander of the bodyguards. After several attempts, he did not know if Chen Xuan was pretending not to know or if he really didn't know. He kept pointing out different things. But if Mr. Chen is Shanshan’s biological father, then he cannot be Chen Xuan.
Who is it, secretive and deliberately avoiding him?
The servant presented two sets of bowls and chopsticks. Although one did not see the person as expected, the other made trouble as expected. Both of them came with empty stomachs. At this time, the host invited them, so they happily tasted the delicacies on the table. .
Not seeing each other for many days, and having just learned of an earth-shattering incident, He Lanzhou had a lot more questions to ask.
He wanted to ask, is Shanshan's biological father not from Yuncheng? Wasn't he already dead? Why did he suddenly become a person from the capital and come back to life? !
He also wanted to ask, did the two of them reconcile back then? Now is the old love rekindled? Or has the relationship been severed? Even if he reads books from saints and sages, he will never do anything that would ruin someone's marriage or violate human ethics.
But Shanshan was present, and it was hard for him to ask about the personal affairs of these children.
I had to start with the incident of a horse being frightened in a busy city, and then asked about the Duke of Gao's mansion. Most of the people at the table had heard about these ups and downs and were bored, except Shanshan who was stunned for a while.
"Did Gao Yuan do it?" She asked angrily: "Why did he want to harm Xiaoyun?"
He Lanzhou: "The Gao family sent him out of the capital overnight and dropped out of Qingsong Academy. He broke a leg and had no chance of an official career in the future. I just didn't expect the Gao family to give up on him directly."
Shanshan was even more angry: "My horse bled a lot, but he didn't even apologize!"
"..." Shitou whispered, "I taught him a lesson for you."
"Really?"
"Um."
Shanshan is relieved.
She couldn't understand any of the adults' discussions about the Gao family, let alone what it had to do with herself. Those strange things were far less important than the plate of elbows in front of her.
"It's not necessarily good." He Lanzhou pointed out.
As a close minister of the emperor, and also the number one scholar from a poor family raised by the emperor, he could naturally see the emperor's intention to attack the aristocratic family. It's just that the roots of aristocratic families are intertwined, like a century-old tree, it is difficult to uproot, and when it falls, it will naturally be earth-shattering.
But the other two people at the table were merchants from Yuncheng and had nothing to do with Gao Guogong in the capital.
"Speaking of which, there is a strange thing." He Lanzhou said: "A few days ago, I met Marquis Xuanping on the road. He suddenly asked me if there was a family named Wen in Yuncheng. Wen is not a minor surname in Yuncheng. But the most famous one is Miss Wen’s house.”
"Ask the Wen family?"
Shen Yungui subconsciously looked at the mother and daughter opposite, and Wen Yiqing also thought of the same place as him.
If there is any connection between the Xuanpinghou Mansion and the Wen family in Yuncheng, it is the Miss Qi family who is the wife of Xuanpinghou.
The Qi family wanted to cling to the in-laws of the Xuanping Marquis Mansion. For this reason, they refused to acknowledge their biological daughter and kept the news secret. Could it have been leaked?
The two looked at each other, and Wen Yiqing asked, "What did he ask?"
"It's even weirder." He Lanzhou wondered: "He only asked if I had any, and after asking, he told me not to say more, and then left. Miss Wen, when did you get in touch with the Xuanping Marquis Mansion?"
Wen Yiqing said coldly: "Maybe he heard it from the Gao family."
The incident of Madam Gao coming to apologize had just passed, and everyone in the capital was speculating that it was understandable that Marquis Xuanping would be curious. He Lanzhou nodded and didn't ask any more questions. Marquis Xuanping's surname was Jiang. He had a wife, concubines and children at home. There was no way he could be Mr. Chen.
Except for a few absent-minded people, the meal was enjoyed by both host and guest.
After dinner, He Lanzhou stayed for a while. Shanshan was afraid that he would catch him doing school homework, so as soon as he put down his chopsticks, he couldn't wait to sneak away with the stone. The three of them sat together in the main room, drinking tea until the moon rose.
He Lanzhou stood up first. He had heavy official duties on the second day, and his head was a mess, so he needed to calm down and sort it out.
Before leaving, he glanced at Shen Yungui. Chen Yun Guiwu dipped himself in tea and remained motionless.
Seeing that the hint failed, he left with all his thoughts.
After He Lanzhou left, Shen Yungui was the only one left in the hall.
The servants poured tea for the two of them, but Shen Yungui didn't move. He also kept a straight face and drank the second cup without saying a word.
Only then could he see clearly.
The man surnamed Chen was very scheming and didn't leave from the front door. He might be hiding in a corner of Wen's house right now. How could he leave that hungry wolf alone?
Wen Yiqing put down the tea cup and took the initiative to mention: "I think I made it clear to you last time. Did you forget that you brought Mr. He here again today?"
"I know." Shen Yungui was upset and angry: "You told me so clearly, how could I forget? He is just... just a kind father, and a father is a father, so it doesn't count. What. "
"..."
"Even if he is a kind father, it does not mean that he is a good family. You were young back then, so you might have been deceived by his sweet words. If he was sincere, he should have married you in a sedan chair back then. Rather than leaving you alone..." Shen Yungui paused and swallowed the next words back into his stomach. He said angrily: "You made such a big mistake on him before, why are you still... not careful now? There are so many men in the world, why did you hang him on a tree?"
Wen Yiqing said: "I know it in my heart."
"I haven't seen him come to you all these years ago. He only came to pester you when you went to the capital. How do you know whether he is sincere or not? I think he is not young. Maybe he has a group of concubines in his family... …”
Wen Yiqing was helpless: "He didn't."
Shen Yun returned to his heart and said, "Who are you speaking for after you have only known each other for a long time?"
"Even if not, you see, he doesn't even dare to see He Lanzhou. Lord He holds an important position in the court, and ordinary people would fawn over him when they see him. How can he avoid it like him? He is usually mysterious, and even his identity is unknown. Not saying it is necessarily a good thing."
"He has other reasons."
Shen Yungui was very dissatisfied: "How can you speak for that person?"
This means that one sentence or two does not make sense, and it is confusing.
Wen Yiqing has known him for more than 20 years. He knew that when he was young, he skipped school and hunted birds all day long, and he had become accustomed to it. At this time, she picked up the tea cup and took a sip, saying nicely: "I will consider it carefully."
Shen Yungui unfolded the folding fan in his hand, fanned the wind, and snorted coldly: "You didn't think carefully back then."
"..."
Wen Yiqing's apricot eyes were startled, and she made a rare lapse of speech.
There was a mistake in the first place. No matter how much she guaranteed it, she lost some certainty before she even said it.
"I've been thinking about it for a few days." He suddenly spoke, his expression rarely serious, and his peach blossom eyes were full of warmth: "Even if he is a kind father, it's only for you to nod. Although I don't have any fame, I have He is not an incompetent person, but he still has a competitive spirit."
The scalding heat of the hot tea spread through the cup wall to her fingertips. Wen Yiqing could hardly hold it. She put down the cup in embarrassment, "Why is it like this?"
Shen Yungui smiled sarcastically, drank all the tea, said goodbye to her and left.
Liu Wen Yiqing sat in his original position without saying a word, and finally sighed softly after a long while.
Behind the ivory screen, the emperor came out in silence.
"Did you hear everything?"
"Um."
Wen Yiqing said: "He has no ill intentions."
"It doesn't matter." Bian Chen said calmly: "Since he already knows my identity, he will naturally regard me as a thorn in his side, and it is understandable that he deliberately targets me. As time goes by, he will naturally retreat."
The first twenty years were all in vain, and so will the next two or three twenty years.
Just a childhood sweetheart.
"I was supposed to entertain you today..." Wen Yiqing chuckled: "Even Shanshan has forgotten you."
"Maybe she's tired of seeing me every day."
"That's not necessarily the case... As soon as you leave, she will wish me good things about you and ask me to transform you."
Bian Chen frowned slightly, his cold and solemn brows softened.
After spending a few days with his little daughter, he also understood the little girl's thoughts.
Transforming him is fake, but transforming into Sun Wukong is real.
Wen Yiqing sat where he was, watching people leave, and took another sip of tea.
Although she did not see anyone out personally, she also knew the emperor's whereabouts well.
It's a bit incredible when I think about it.
Every time the emperor used a paper bird to send messages, he avoided public attention every time. The house next door seemed to have become a secret place where no one could see him. She didn't want outsiders to know, so he took it seriously and didn't say a word.
Even in front of his own ministers, he took the initiative to avoid it, allowing others to slander and doubt him without making any excuses, as if he really couldn't see the light of day.
She rubbed the side of the cup, feeling a little funny again.
Do you really want to treat this ninth-five-year-old man as your "outer room" for the rest of your life?
