The next morning, Shen Ruoliao finished practicing outside the city and returned to the Hongjia Hotel, only to find that Qiu'er was gone. Lu Jiang told him that Ma Sanbao had brought a carriage from the palace, saying that the prince had a decree to invite Yuan Tingyu's granddaughter to the palace for an audience, and took Qiu'er away, and he would probably come back after dinner.

Shen Ruoyu was puzzled, and didn't understand what King Yan was doing when he called Qiu'er into the palace. It won't be a concubine for the prince, right? But Zhu Gaochi has already married Zhang Qi's daughter as a concubine, and he has sons. Could it be to choose a concubine for Zhu Gaoxu? The second prince is still in Yingtianjing; However, with the ability of the prince and himself, sooner or later he will be able to escape back; He has also reached the age, and it is not impossible for the prince and the princess to choose a concubine for him.

Thinking of this, Shen Ruoyu panicked a little. With Zhu Gaoxu's domineering and ferociousness, and he has no culture, Qiu'er will definitely not be able to stand him, and she doesn't know how thick the sky is, so she won't be beaten if she can't say it-

He spent the whole day restless. Very late, Nangong Qiu took the carriage of the palace back to the Hongjia Hotel. Ma San escorted her to the door and ordered his men to carry things in.

Several internal officials carried in a large box, two small boxes, and a large pile of rice, flour, oil, salt, and tea. Shen Ruoyu and Lu Jiang were extremely surprised, and Ma Sanbao explained that this was specially rewarded by the prince and Niangniang to the Nangong girl.

Ma Sanbao ordered his subordinates to help Lu Jiang arrange his things properly. Shen Ruoyu quietly called Ma Sanbao aside and asked in a low voice:

"Brother Sanbao, the prince and the mother called Qiu'er into the palace today, what is the matter?"

Ma Sanbao looked at him and smiled meaningfully: "The prince admires Yuan Gaoren, so naturally he wants to meet his granddaughter, what's the matter?" ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "The prince and the mother - there is no - didn't say anything else? ”

Ma Sanbao couldn't help laughing: "Brother Ruoxiao, you seem to be very nervous?" What's wrong? ”

Shen Ruoyu blushed, shook his head and said: "I'm fine, it's just that Qiu'er has never seen the world, I'm afraid that she will talk about it in the palace and make the prince and Niangniang unhappy." ”

Ma Sanbao smiled: "Don't worry, the prince and Niangniang like the Nangong girl, especially the Niangniang, I can't wait for her to live in the palace, and I can't bear her to go." ”

Shen Ruoyu was sweating profusely: "Brother Sanbao, you help me tell the prince, tomorrow morning, if the prince is free, I have something to see the prince." ”

Ma Sanbao said: "Coincidentally, the prince said today that tomorrow he plans to meet the new officials sent by the imperial court, and arrange it in the afternoon, let me tell you to go to him at noon tomorrow to have lunch together, and accompany him in the afternoon." ”

Shen Ruoyu promised again and again: "Okay, okay, I will be there before noon tomorrow." Please rest assured. ”

Ma Sanbao left the Hongjia Hotel with a smile, got into the car, and shouted to his subordinates; The carriage sped away down the street.

Shen Ruoyu came back with a disgraced face, and as soon as he entered the door, he went straight to Nangong Qiu. Qiu'er was sitting in Lu Jiang's room, fiddling with the rewards she had just taken back from the palace, and when she saw him, she shouted excitedly:

"Ruoxiao, come and see, what did the mother give me."

Shen Ruoyu muttered: "Silk silk, jade pearl, what else can there be." ”

Nangong Qiu was slightly stunned: "You haven't seen it yet, how do you know?" ”

Shen Ruoyu said: "The reward of the emperor's relatives can be guessed. ”

Nangong Qiu smiled disdainfully: "You are so vulgar; My mother gave me three books. ”

"Books?" Shen Ruoyu was stunned: "What book?" ”

"Look."

Shen Ruoyu walked over and saw her open a small box and took out three neatly placed books inside, which were "Women's Training", "Women's Commandments" and "The Biography of Daughters". His heart sank.

"Mother actually gave you this kind of book?" He frowned, uncontrollably exclaimed.

"What's wrong? What's wrong with this book? Nangong Qiu looked at him in surprise.

Shen Ruoyu looked up at Lu Jiang; Lu Jiang was also looking at him blankly.

Shen Ruoyu sighed and said, "What else did Niangniang reward you?" ”

Nangong Qiu pointed to another small box: "This, this is full of particularly good-looking jewelry, hairpins, bracelets, and so on." It's pretty. And the big box," she said, pointing to the big box in the corner, "it's full of clothes." The mother said that it was especially suitable for me. ”

Shen Ruoyu walked out without saying a word. Nangong Qiu called him:

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Shen Ruoyu was upset; Isn't it obvious that King Yan and the princess have already fallen in love with Qiu'er, both clothes and jewelry, and those three important books - "Women's Training", "Women's Commandments" and "The Biography of the Daughters" - the meaning is obviously very clear, that is, Qiu'er wants to learn to abide by women's morals, because the prince and Niangniang want to marry her into the palace and make Zhu Gaoxu a concubine.

Thinking of Zhu Gaoxu's always smug and condescending face, Shen Ruoyu felt ten thousand uncomfortable in his heart, and now this discomfort has escalated into anger and depression. He said:

"Qiu'er, Mr. Fang borrowed your book, have you finished reading it?"

Nangong Qiu said: "Not yet; - What's wrong? ”

"You should read Mr. Fang's books first," he said, "and keep these three books for later, and it's not a big deal if you don't read them." ”

He was about to leave. Nangong Qiu hurriedly shouted:

"Hey, Ruoxiao, when you go to practice tomorrow morning, you must take me there. You won't take me this morning, didn't you say yes a long time ago? ”

She was a little aggrieved; Shen Ruoyu was stunned in her heart and turned around.

"If you don't get up, I'm not going to spank you, right?"

Nangong Qiu blushed: "Tomorrow morning, if you spank my ass, you will definitely beat me up." I'm going with you. ”

Shen Ruoliao was in a better mood. He laughed and said:

"Okay, then let's say it; I'll pull you out of the covers tomorrow morning, and you won't cry. ”

"A word is a certainty," Nangong Qiu smiled.

Early the next morning, Shen Ruoyu got up, cleaned himself up, and ran to Lu Jiang's house; Nangong Qiu really hasn't woken up yet.

He couldn't really spank her; Shen Ruoyu saw her pink little feet stretched out outside the quilt, and she had an idea, stretching out the autumn wind to tickle her.

The foot shrank back. Shen Ruoyu smiled helplessly, this girl even slept like her grandfather. He called Lu Jiang and dragged Nangong Qiu out of the bed with great difficulty, watched her get dressed sleepily, got out of bed with mud and water, washed her face, and sat down at the table with him for breakfast.

After eating, he ordered her to add several layers of clothes and wrap her like a fat little rice dumpling. Then he took her out, got on his horse, and galloped out of the city.

As soon as Nangong Qiu got on the horse, he immediately became active, chattering and singing all the way. Shen Ruoyu listened to her singing, looked at the red sun rising in the east, and the cold wind of Beiping winter blowing in her face, and only felt relaxed and happy.

When he arrived in the grove, he began to practice. Nangong Qiu was not as honest as Nightshade, running around in the huge woods and by the river, playing happily alone, and laughing happily from time to time. Shen Ruoyu was quickly distracted by her. He tried to calm down and concentrate, but he couldn't hold on for long, and he was attracted by Nangong Qiu's movements. He had no choice but to pull out the autumn wind and practice his sword directly.

This trick finally worked; He was engrossed in the autumn wind and practiced his sword as he pleased, without the slightest disturbance.

By the time he stopped, he was already sweating profusely. put away the autumn wind, and he began to look for Nangong Qiu; He was so focused just now that he completely ignored her existence, and he didn't know where she had gone, but he couldn't see her at the moment.

He panicked a little and shouted, "Qiu'er! ”

Still not answered.

Shen Ruoyu got up in a hurry, walked to the river, and looked along the river to both sides, but still couldn't see anyone. He hurriedly walked a few steps, but was suddenly startled: Nangong Qiu was lying on his back on the ground in the forest in the distance, not moving.

He was frightened and ran away.

"Qiu'er? ――What's wrong? ”

Nangong Qiu heard him running over, turned his face sideways, glanced at him, turned his head again, and still lay motionless, looking at the sky above with wide eyes.

"I feel how you feel," she muttered, "I want to fly." ”

Shen Ruoyu looked at her with some surprise. "What?"

Nangong Qiu said: "You lie down, right here." Just like the day you first came back, when you first came to this grove, you lay like that. ”

Shen Ruoyu lay down among the thick fallen leaves beside her, spread her arms, and quietly looked at the winter gray sky above.

Nangong Qiu said softly: "This is not like the autumn sky, which is so high and blue. The sky here is gray, and there are always puffy clouds, either thick, or thin, or very clear, or just like this, just gray, faint, hazy, and you can see the sun very clearly, but you know that there are clouds. It's like a cold veil. But I want to fly up, ride this cold wind, and soar upward, break through this veil, and go out into the boundless, transparent and clear sky outside. It won't be so cold there, it's going to be warm there. ”

After listening to her, Shen Ruoyu looked at the sky and pondered for a moment, and said:

"I want to fly too, but -- in the winter, I still like to stand up."

He jumped to his feet and took a few steps in place. Nangong Qiu sat up and looked at him in surprise.

"Why?"

"Because—" he thought for a moment, looking around, "because it's winter." If it's an autumn sky, I like to lie down and look up, and I feel that my heart is as vast and quiet as the sky. But now, I prefer to stand, to face the north wind, to let it blow as hard as it can, to make it as cold as it can; I felt myself standing tall under its strong power, and I felt my power fighting against it, and the stronger it was, the stronger I was. It will never down, it will not freeze me. And I will be stronger than it in the end, because I will eventually stand proudly in the spring breeze, but it can only walk away. ”

Nangong Qiu looked at him with wide eyes.

"The sword in your hand is obviously the autumn wind, not the north wind."

Shen Ruoyu smiled: "The same; The autumn wind is naturally followed by the north wind. But - they are also different. ”

He looked down at Autumn Wind and stroked his heavy body.

"The autumn wind makes people despair - it always is, and it is beautiful, it has the most vivid and bright colors on the earth, red, yellow, warm as spring, as warm as summer, but it is autumn, and everything comes to an end, and those colors as bright as fire are but the last bloom at the end of life, and they will be completely extinguished. So, autumn is the most beautiful of the four seasons, and I love it the most - but it's also the most desperate. In contrast, the seemingly cold and unforgiving north wind of winter really makes people feel hope, because the most tenacious life is being nurtured in this harshest environment. ”

Nangong Qiu looked at him gloomily. She was seldom melancholy, but such melancholy was not unusual to her at the moment—the melancholy of this simple, poetic fantasy, for the poetic depiction of the suffering land, not for the suffering of the land itself.

"I love poplars," she murmured, her eyes wandering through the surrounding woods, admiration and admiration on her face. "Listening to what you say, for some reason, I just feel that they are more resilient, more magnificent, and more heroic."

Shen Ruoyu looked at the tall and majestic poplars around him.

"Heroes - I think they're more like gentlemen. Pine, bamboo, plum, orchid, in fact, poplar trees should also become a symbol of a gentleman. ”

"Like you."

Shen Ruoyu shook his head and smiled: "You brag about my cowhide again." I'm not a gentleman, I'm nothing. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been seen as worthless in Xiangyang City, and I would have been chased and killed by others on the edge of the Han River. ”

"They are all a bunch of villains, narrow-minded, vulgar and shallow. My grandfather and Wang Zhenren and I all looked down on them. ”

Shen Ruoyu said softly: "You are all my benefactors, you are truly gentlemen and heroes." I will never forget it for the rest of my life. Qiu'er, tell me, how do you want me to compensate you and repay you? ”

Nangong Qiu looked at him with a smile: "You don't owe me anything, what compensation do you say?" ”

Shen Ruoyu was a little embarrassed. He hesitated for a long time, did not dare to speak, sighed, was very disappointed in himself, and said in frustration:

"Let's go home. I have to rush to the palace. ”

He walked to the second-rate son and was about to get on the horse. Nangong Qiu suddenly asked behind his back:

"Ruo Shao, if I say I want you to marry me, will you agree?"

Shen Ruoyu was taken aback and turned around.

"Qiu'er?!"

"I promised you no more stupid things about loving you. But along the way, my mind has not changed at all, only clearer than before. You also said that I would meet someone I liked more, and you said that I would find the person I would be waiting for all my life - but that person was you. It was God who sent you to me, everything is destined by God, I can't doubt it, I can't wait any longer, because you are obviously in front of me, and I can't miss you. ”

Shen Ruoyu only felt that the blood in his whole body had coagulated, and his mind was blank. He stammered and asked:

"Qiu'er, you...... It's really ...... Got it in mind? ”

Nangong Qiu nodded seriously.

"I figured it out; This is my life's business, and yours' life's business, I won't be sloppy, I'm serious. My dead mom and uncle are watching me from the sky. Ruo Xiao, I want to marry you, I will love and marry no one except you in my life. Even if you become a nun - my heart is yours. ”

Shen Ruo stood stunned for a long time. He was completely overwhelmed. Ever since Nangong Qiu confessed his heart to him, there has not been a moment without her in his mind; Everywhere is her playful figure, her laughter, the beauty of her sitting on the piano, and her graceful singing. From time to time he felt bored, because she had completely disturbed the silence in his heart, and overwhelmed him. The trauma left by Yang Suqing, under the scar, is still bloody and vivid; And it was this pain that made him feel happy and cheerful to have her by his side; It was the heart that once made him feel hope and longing alive. But is he worth it? He has just come to the world, and he has been completely ruined, and he has never had a simple life experience, let alone a clean past. He was not sure that he was worthy of her, and he was not sure of her heart. At this moment, Nangong Qiu's words are like the clear water and sky in the Joyful Valley, simple, clear, and understandable. Yuan Heng said, conform to the will of heaven, conform to the will of heaven......

He let go of his hand, let Qiufeng fall to the ground silently, opened his arms, and circled Nangong Qiu into his arms. A shiver ran through his whole body and mind; He suddenly found that he had been looking forward to this hug for too long - when he was still in Wudang Mountain, he had been longing in his heart to be able to hug this innocent, smart and lovely little girl tightly into his arms, and use his life's steadfastness and even life to care for her flawless heart, defend her innocent happiness, and repay her carefree life. He involuntarily lowered his head and kissed her lightly on her pink forehead, and then, unable to resist his impulse, kissed her eyes deeply.

Nangong Qiu raised her head and looked at him in surprise - she didn't understand personnel anymore, and at this moment, instinct also made her understand the infinite meaning behind this deep kiss in an instant.

"Ruo Liao?! - You...... Will you marry me? ”

Shen Ruoyu hugged her tightly, and she hadn't woken up from her dizziness yet. He muttered:

"I'm going to marry you, Qiu'er, I've wanted to marry you for a long time, I've been thinking about it for a long, long time......"

"So—do you love me?"

Shen Ruoyu didn't dare to speak. Yang Suqing's hateful and resentful eyes, as if they were right in front, stared at him deadly.

"Say, do you love me?" She whispered.

Shen Ruo looked at her wordlessly.

"I ......"

Nangong Qiu carefully looked at his six gods and masterless eyes.

"I know, you love me—if you don't even dare to say that you love me? What are you worried about? ”

It's not that I dare not say that I love you, I dare not believe in myself - I dare not deceive you, I dare not hurt you, I dare not find out that one day I have betrayed you, just like now, I have finally betrayed Qing'er completely. Because of this, I have never dared to love you......

Nangong Qiu saw his pain and comforted him:

"Are you still thinking about your sister? Ruoxiao, it's okay, I know in my heart how difficult it is for you. You don't have to say anything, I don't want you to be embarrassed. ”

Shen Ruoyu was stunned for a moment, as if she hadn't heard her question.

Then, he suddenly came to his senses, realized something, and felt a thrill. He hugged Nangong Qiu tightly and kissed her again, but this time, it was extremely resolute and open. He said:

"Qiu'er, I love you; I have married you, and nothing can stop me, and no one can stop me. My past and that of my sister will not be an obstacle between us, I assure you. I won't swear uselessly, I'll discuss with my mother and Mr. Yuan when I go back, and I'll marry you right away. ”

Nangong Qiu said: "The Wai Guild agreed." However, even if he doesn't agree, don't worry about him. Since there is nothing and no one can stop you, there is also nothing and no one can stop me, whether it is my grandfather or the people of the world. ”

What if it's the king of Yan? ――This thought flashed in front of Shen Ruoyu's eyes.

He shook his head. He won't give in, he won't let Qiu'er out; Let the prince watch it.

Thinking of King Yan, he was suddenly taken aback, and then realized that he had forgotten the agreement with the prince and had missed the time. He hurriedly picked up Qiu Feng, got on the horse with Nangong Qiu in his arms, and sent Qiu Er to the door of the house, and before he had time to say a word to Lu Jiang, he hurriedly rode his horse and galloped to the palace.