Guan Shan took advantage of Xu Zhuchen's chaos, secretly took a large chicken leg from the next table, slipped down the stairs of the back door on the second floor, and escaped silently.
She walked slowly and gnawed on chicken legs along the way. When she arrived at the inn and entered the courtyard through the back door, Xu Zhuchen was already sitting on the edge of the well waiting for her.
"Ah, Sister Zhuchen..." Guan Shan hid the chicken legs behind his back, but felt something was wrong, so he took out the chicken legs and handed them to Xu Zhuchen, "Sister Zhuchen, you eat."
Xu Zhuchen shook his head, stood up from the well, and walked to Guan Shan.
"Xiao Xiao." She looked into Guan Shan's eyes and said, "Or 'Xiao Shan'?"
She had a bit of a Meichuan accent, and the word "Xiao Shan" she said was very similar to "Xiao Shan", which made Guan Shan tremble all over. She took a few steps back, then thought that she could not escape Xu Zhuchen's grasp, so she stopped and asked, "Sister Zhuchen, how do you know?"
The way Xu Zhuchen looked at her reminded Guan Shan of her grandma - yes, grandma would also call her "Xiao Shan". She trembled all over and couldn't help but hug her arms.
"I don't like others to lie to me." Xu Zhuchen said word for word, "I can understand that you don't believe me, but I don't like others to lie to me, Xiao Shan."
This time Guan Shan heard clearly, she said "Xiao Shan".
Xiao, Xiao is the same pronunciation as "laughing", Xiao Lan's Xiao, you are the one who harmed me, and you are the one who saved me.
After Guan Shan reacted, he bit his lip and raised his head with tears in his eyes.
"Sister, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry... I just... I'm just too scared..."
Xu Zhuchen did not follow her this time. Instead, he stepped forward, ignoring her falling tears, and held her hand hard.
"Xiao Shan." Xu Zhuchen looked at her coldly and disappointedly.
"You can control time, even though you have no internal power and have never practiced martial arts. This ability is definitely not something that only ordinary people have, and you are not the daughter of an ordinary family. But I have never asked you, nor have I ever threatened you with this. .”
"The person traveling with you has a 'Shark Pearl' on him. It is the most precious kind of night-light pearl produced in Meichuan. It is a tribute. Xiao Shan, you have never realized it."
"...Xiao Shan, at this point, you still can't tell me who you are?"
Guan Shan burst into tears, and a burst of red marks appeared on her fair wrist. She wiped away the tears on her face, looked at Xu Zhuchen with a pair of big tearful eyes, and her voice trembled:
"Okay, Sister Zhuchen, let me tell you."
She took a deep breath and said:
"I am the adopted daughter of the Marquis of Moxi and the adopted sister of the Young Master of Moxi, Xiao Shan."
Anyway, this is Xiao Lan's identity. Guan Shan has no burden in using Xiao Lan, and he knows his family background well.
Xu Zhuchen looked at Guan Shan, as if he was remembering something, but what he said was: "How can you prove it?"
Guan Shan's red eyes looked at Xu Zhuchen, and he seemed to have made up his mind. He took off the hair tie from his messy hair, carefully opened it, and took out a pink-white, round bead.
The bead was only the size of a slightly larger pearl, and its whole body was glowing with gleaming light. Guan Shan said softly: "Sister Zhuchen is right. This kind of shark beads are the tribute from Meichuan River. There are only three or four in ten years. Except for the royal family, all the shark beads in the palace are given to local pearls that cannot be produced." , the Pearl of Desert West."
After she finished speaking, she closed her palms and motioned for Xu Zhuchen to take a look.
Xu Zhuchen came closer and squinted one eye to look. The bead was shining in Guan Shan's palm. The light was soft and warm, like the red clouds on the horizon.
She raised her head and saw that Guan Shan still looked aggrieved, so she shook her head and stretched out a hand to cover Guan Shan's head.
"Xiao Xiao, um, Xiao Shan, I understand."
She looked at Guan Shan and sighed: "It's just that I heard that Marquis Moxi is a good man who governs well. How could he forcefully marry you?"
Guan Shan looked at her faintly and said: "My adoptive father has passed away many years ago. The eldest brother who is the heir is the one who makes the decision in the family. The eldest brother wanted to marry the adopted sisters in the family. When I tried to persuade him to stop him, he became very angry. Marry me out randomly."
"After I escaped from Moxi, I was afraid that my elder brother would harm me, so I took away the hourglass left by my adoptive father, but I didn't know it was so magical. Later, he came out to catch me in person, and I used the hourglass to escape him unprepared, so that I could meet Zhu Chen Sister met."
After she finished speaking, her tears couldn't stop falling. Looking at Xu Zhuchen, his eyes looked pitiful.
She didn't even think about how Xiao Lan would be arranged by her.
Xu Zhuchen held her in his arms and rubbed her, and couldn't help but said, "In that case, it's a good thing to leave Moxi."
Guan Shan burst into tears and smiled: "Yes. I was previously afraid that Sister Zhuchen would know my identity and send me back. Now it seems that Sister Zhuchen is the one who understands me best."
Xu Zhuchen couldn't help laughing when he heard her sweet words. She said "silly boy" and then said: "The Marquis of Desert West prefers martial arts to martial arts, so you have never learned martial arts. It's just that you have an hourglass by your side, so why do you need martial arts?"
Guan Shan rubbed his eyes: "Although the hourglass is good, I have never seen my adoptive father use it. I think it must come at a price. Once you learn martial arts, I think it is your own thing. Besides, Sister Zhuchen's martial arts is like that Well, I admire you very much."
Xu Zhuchen laughed and joked with her for a while before taking her out.
The two walked to the restaurant where they were just now, explained the whole story, and then sat down again.
While the store was still cooking, Xu Zhuchen put down his sword and hesitated for a long time before saying, "Xiao Shan, I want to ask you a question."
Guan Shan had never seen such an expression on Xu Zhuchen's face all the way, and for a moment his heart went off alarm bells, fearing that his secret would be revealed and Xu Zhuchen would see through it. But he didn't dare to show the slightest hesitation on his face, and said hurriedly: "Sister Zhuchen, just ask, I will tell you everything."
Xu Zhuchen nodded, seeming a little nervous. She pondered for a long time before asking:
"In your family, is there a person named 'Xiao Mei'?"
Guan Shan was shocked - she had indeed heard of Xiao Mei's reputation.
It was the afternoon of the Double Ninth Festival, and grandma was afraid that she would lose her etiquette in front of the palace, so she made her show her face and returned to the East Palace. When she walked in, she didn't expect to meet Xiao Lan.
"Your Highness." Xiao Lan saluted in a neither humble nor overbearing manner, then turned to look at the clump of dogwood in front of the stone screen.
Guan Shan recited: "I know from afar that when my brothers climb to a high place, there is one less person planting dogwood trees. Is Xiao Qing homesick?"
Xiao Lan's attitude was like the cold stone on the screen: "It is Xiao Lan's honor to serve His Highness. Please don't undermine me."
Guan Shan frowned: "If I ask you, just tell the truth, why are you pretending to be polite to me?"
She doesn't often put on airs about her identity, she just says a few words and then her true colors are revealed. Xiao Lan looked at her, half-smiling but not smiling. He just cupped his fists and said, "Yes, Your Highness."
He walked to the dogwood bush and sighed:
"In my family, there is an eldest sister named Xiao Mei. We haven't heard from each other for many years, and we haven't heard from her for a long time."
After hearing this, Xu Zhuchen smiled helplessly and said, "That's right. I thought you two should be somewhat related, but I was too anxious."
After she finished speaking, she nodded to the waiter who served the food, picked up a spoon and filled Guan Shan with a bowl of mutton soup.
Guan Shan was from Yucheng and never liked mutton, so he took it with thanks, put it aside and asked, "Sister Zhuchen, do you know this eldest sister of my family?"
Xu Zhuchen thought for a while, took a sip of mutton soup, and said, "Yes."
Guan Shan raised her eyebrows: "That's really strange. The Marquis of Moxi, a member of my adoptive father's family, is reclusive and independent. Unless summoned by the imperial edict, he rarely leaves the border of Moxi." After she finished speaking, she He picked up a chopstick with a new lion head and sighed: "Actually, why don't we want to join the world and become an official? There are always things that don't go as planned in life."
After she finished speaking, a cruel joy rose in her heart.
Xiao Lan was six years older than her. When she was six years old, Xiao Lan Cheng'en entered the palace and served as the prince's companion.
Xiao Lan that day was still called Xiao Zhen. Xiao Zhen was wearing a long Moxi-style gray-yellow cotton and linen dress, standing in the cold night, with a thin face without emotion, and a pair of clear eyes shooting out cold light.
He didn't want to enter the palace. Guan Shan stood by the railing on the second floor and could see clearly.
But this person is so interesting. At the age of twelve, he can be so emotionless and intangible. It was clear that "I don't want to enter the palace" was written all over his eyes, but he hid it very well, covering up his involuntary embarrassment to the point where it was almost impossible to tell.
Guan Shan was so happy that she took her grandma's hand and asked innocently: "Grandma, is this child here to play with me?"
Grandma squeezed her soft little hand, and her laughter seemed to come from a far away place: "Xiaoshan, do you want him to stay?"
Guan Shan nodded vigorously: "I hope! I love grandma the most!"
She sat in front of the window in a daze. Xu Zhuchen squeezed her hand and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Guan Shan turned around quickly and said with a smile: "I thought about things at home. Sister, is the escort agency we are going to later a property of my family?"
Xu Zhuchen picked up a piece of fish back, swallowed it, and then said slowly: "It's the branch in Anbu, managed by my brother."
Guan Shan nodded, lowered his head and started eating.
When Xu Zhuchen was paying, Guan Shan had nothing to say and said, "Well, I suddenly remembered that I also have a younger brother, the kind that I don't see very often. What kind of person is Sister Zhuchen's younger brother?"
Xu Zhuchen looked at her, a little funny, but answered: "Zhu Jue and I don't meet very often. But Zhu Jue... is a very serious person, as serious as my good friend Shi Song."
After she finished speaking, she seemed a little sad. Without saying anything more, she picked up her sword and motioned for Guan Shan to follow.
Guan Shan guessed that "Shisong" had some disagreement with her, so she didn't dare to ask, so she just hurriedly followed.
The two hailed a donkey cart on the side of the road, and the driver sent them there silently. Before leaving, he took a deep look at Xu Zhuchen's white hair and red eyes.
Guan Shan was a little angry and wanted to argue, but Xu Zhuchen adapted to it and just held her hand and took her into the "Shan Yin Escort Agency".
The decor is open, the crowds are buzzing, and everything looks so fresh. Guan Shan held Xu Zhuchen's hand tightly and laughed involuntarily.
