Chapter 4 Wrong Love

Zhuang Meiyan and Xiao Mo bypassed the moonlit corridor, passed through the backyard, and saw the faint light of "Linglongju" hidden among the trees from a distance, as well as the chrysanthemum looking anxiously at the door. Seeing her figure, Shu Remnant Jaw Chunju couldn't wait to greet her, and said in a low voice: "My good young lady, why have you been gone for so long?

Zhuang Meiyan's expression was grim, since she could remember, this was the first time that her father took the initiative to visit their mother and son, and she had mixed feelings in her heart.

"How long has my father been here?" Did you ask me where I was going?"

"In less than half an hour, the master has already asked, and the slave said that he was going to pay homage to the lady of the Marquis of Changxin's mansion, but fortunately, the master didn't ask anything more. ”

"I see. Zhuang Meiyan's brain quickly turned, "Let's go in and talk." ”

Zhuang Meiyan stepped into the room, and the hall lit two large candles, and his father did not sit upright on the Taishi chair. The room where my mother lived was lit up, and through the partition between the wooden boards, I could faintly see the figure of a person sitting on a couch, as if my mother and father were sitting opposite each other. Seeing such a scene, Zhuang Meiyan's heart couldn't help but feel a burst of warm feelings.

Liu'er, who was guarding the door, saw her coming and quickly opened the curtain.

"Sir, ma'am, young lady is back. ”

"Charm worshiped my father. ”

Zhuang Meiyan fell to the ground. She slowly raised her head, her mother sat on the couch, there was a roll of rice paper on the desk in front of her, and there was a pen, ink and paper inkstone, her father Zhuang Yanyuan stood beside her mother, holding a book in her hand, but it was the Book of Songs, it seemed that before she came in, her father was reading poems to her mother. Such a scene has appeared in her dreams more than once, her father and mother are facing each other, her father is reading at night, and her mother helps him to study ink and continue tea, shushing the cold and asking for warmth, the two of them are so compatible, they should be a pair of beautiful people with eyebrows on the case, even if they are old, they should be partners who are in love with each other.

In an instant, the corners of her eyes were moistened, and if there was anything in this world that could allow her to leave this beautiful moment, she was willing to exchange all the wealth she had for eternity.

At that moment, she made up her mind to help her mother keep her father's heart.

"Get up, there are no outsiders here, Yan'er doesn't have to be formal. Rong Xi, you haven't gone home yet?" Yan Yanyuan asked softly when he saw his daughter enter the house to salute him.

Now he is nearly fifty years old, because of good maintenance, he still looks like he is in his early forties, his face is clear, wearing a dark green silk satin casual clothes, he has always been serious, behaves in a regular manner, and does not smile, so it is inevitable that his children and subordinates are a little nervous when they see him. Zhuang Meiyan hadn't talked to her father for many years, and she felt a little rusty.

"Back to my father's words, my younger brother Rong Xi has returned to the country, saying that the autumn is approaching, and he must study hard. ”

"Hmm. Zhuang Yanyuan nodded and said, "Rong Xi knows how to study, and he is very happy for his father." Today, I heard from outsiders that Rong Xi's mentor turned out to be Prince Ruixiang, Yan'er, is there such a thing?"

Zhuang Meiyan's heart was bright, why did his father Zhuang Yanyuan wait in their house overnight, probably to verify the news. She inevitably felt a sense of loss in her heart, but a gentle smile appeared on her face, and she lowered her head and said: "Yes, I don't dare to hide my father, Rong Xi's mentor is none other than Prince Ruixiang." ”

Zhuang Meiyan told her father how she accidentally met Duanmu Hao, how she drank and entertained in the old mansion, and how Duanmu Hao proposed to be Teacher Rong Xi, of course, she had already prepared, and omitted a lot of unnecessary details when she said it, but Duanmu Hao said that she met their sister and brother by chance, because she liked Rong Xi's child, she would take the initiative to teach him to read, so she formed a friendship between teachers and students. After hearing this, my father nodded again and again, and sighed: "Unexpectedly, Rong Xi had this opportunity, and was appreciated by Prince Ruixiang, and told Rong Xi that he would work harder in the future, and only then would he be able to live up to the prince's painstaking teachings by earning fame in the future." ”

"Shuang'er, this son of yours has earned face for you, and when he gains fame in the future, I will find an official position for him, and his son will get ahead, you can be regarded as a mother who has fulfilled his wish, and he will have something to rely on in the second half of his life. Zhuang Yuan glanced at his wife, who was still obsessed, and said softly, with a soft expression in his eyes.

Zhuang Meiyan saw that her father was in a good mood, and took the opportunity to say: "It is right to be a son's filial mother, but as the old saying goes, when a woman marries and obeys her husband, a woman's biggest reliance in life is her husband." ”

Zhuang Yanyuan couldn't help but take a look at this daughter who was least favored by him, this daughter was ugly and unpopular since she was born, and he had almost no impression of this daughter. Listening to her speak generously and decently today, and she is very clever, I feel a little good in my heart.

"Well, what you said also makes some sense, my father has been busy with official business for the past few years, and he has really neglected the relationship between husband and wife. A few years ago, I heard that your second mother said that you were seriously ill, and the doctor asked you to recuperate, so I didn't go back to the capital with you. In the past few years, you have to recuperate and take care of your mother and younger brother, which is really difficult for you. ”

Zhuang Yuan's words made Zhuang Meiyan's eyes redden, and he secretly lowered his head.

Zhuang Zhuang Yuan comforted again: "In the future, if you have any food and clothing, I will tell you Erniang, your mother's illness is much better now, if you need any medicinal materials, just go and get it, don't regret the silver." ”

Zhuang Meiyan lowered her head and listened to the teachings, every time her father said a word, she replied "yes", and when her father finished speaking, she said: "Mother and daughter don't lack anything, and Erniang takes care of them very thoughtfully." My mother's illness is thanks to the help of a famous doctor in Qiyang Town, who helped my mother prescribe medicine for diagnosis and treatment, and after several years of conditioning, it has improved greatly, but my mother can't remember most of the things before. The doctor said that there was no longer a need for medication, and as long as the people she used to know were with her and talked about the past, she would slowly recover her memory. ”

Seeing that she was docile and considerate, her father was even more happy, and said again and again: "In the past, you were recuperating in the old house, and it was inconvenient for your father to take care of you, but now that I have returned to the capital, I will come back to talk to Shuang'er as long as I have leisure." Just now, I read a song "Guan Ju" to her, in the past, Shuang'er liked to watch me read the most, and now it is the same. Shuang'er hasn't changed at all, it's your husband who is old. ”

The father raised his hand and gently stroked his mother's hair, because of good maintenance, his mother's current age looks as if she is only in her early thirties, her hair is black and soft, and her face is delicate and beautiful. There was love in his father's eyes, in contrast, his father had been running around the court all these years, experiencing ups and downs, after all, he was a little old, with fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and gray hair on his temples.

"Guan Guan Ju Dove, in the river island, fair lady, gentleman. Mother muttered.

The father was overjoyed and said, "Shuang'er, this is the first poem I taught you, you still remember." ”

"Guan Guan Ju Dove, in the river island, fair lady, gentleman. His mother ignored him, just repeating the phrase back and forth.

"Yes, do you remember the rest of it?" encouraged my father.

Mother looked up at him, her expression was slightly puzzled, in the eyes of Zhuang Yuan, the person in front of her looked ignorant, but a little bit of the innocence of the first time they met in their youth, the tenderness in her heart was overflowing, it was difficult to control herself, and her voice was a little trembling.

Seeing the two of them talking about their previous memories, Zhuang Meiyan quietly glanced at Liu Er, and the two of them withdrew from the house.

The residence of Prince Ruixiang is located in the northeast corner of the capital, far away from the downtown of Kyoto, and on the same level as the Imperial Palace, which is very close. It is said that it was because the emperor loved the youngest son too much, Duanmu Hao was canonized as the prince as soon as he landed, according to the rules of the unequaled country, the prince must choose another palace to settle down, can not continue to live in the palace, probably because the old emperor is more than fifty years old, the imperial concubine can still give him a lin'er, he is too happy for the old man, so he can't wait to give him all the best things in the world. He didn't think that the rules of the ancestral system would make him, the youngest prince's son, have to live separately from his mother while he was still in infancy.

The concubine washed her face with tears every night, and her son cried in the palace every night, the emperor was the emperor in the end, and he came up with a strategy to build the palace in the closest place to the palace, and specially built a road to lead to the Ruixiang Palace, so that their mother and son could see each other every day. Such a big deal can only be made by the emperor's family, and the world sighed for a while.

Ruixiang palace is extremely luxurious, covering an area of almost half of the palace, if it is not for the official who does not hesitate to die, I am afraid that the old emperor may be able to build the Ruixiang palace as big as his own palace, and then the Ruixiang prince turned eighteen years old after the wedding, he took the initiative to his brother, the current emperor Duanmu Liang to ask for advice, divided his palace into more than half, only retained the first half, and rebuilt the wall. The emperor originally refused to allow it, but later Duanmu Hao insisted again and again before he reluctantly agreed.

From a distance, this building is a little strange, with a huge pavilion and a tall wall in the middle of the garden lake, which looks out of place. Just because the name of the prince of Ruixiang is too famous, even if he himself declares that he does not want those gardens, but who dares to start the construction of the land near his house? Therefore, these buildings have been preserved, but they have not been taken care of and inhabited for several years, and it is inevitable that there will be some depression.

The palace was built on the mountain, and the spring water from the mountain was poured into the large lake in the backyard, which was so large that it could be used for boating in the summer, but the lake had been divided by the prince of Ruixiang and was all outside the wall. In today's palace compound, many streams extend along the trend of the lake, winding and coiling, which is the famous "nine curves and eighteen rings".

The buildings in the house are mostly to judge the topography, build along the direction of the stream, there are majestic palaces, there are also small and exquisite pavilions, the water surface is connected by a long corridor, there are also arch bridge decorations, the water surface is slightly wider to make a small lake, planted with lotus flowers, now the midspring will be twilight, the lotus leaves are connected into a piece, and there are already buds curled up in the middle. When summer comes, the lotus flowers are in full bloom and the cool breeze is blowing, and it is very pleasant to sit in the corridor or between the terraces to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

This piece of "Nine Songs and Eighteen Rings" is the most essential part of the palace, and it is also the part where Duanmu Hao left his own residence, Zhuang Meiyan walked slowly along the water under the guidance of the four palace maids, and secretly admired the scenery here, saying that it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a fairyland on earth, I am afraid that even the palace is not as fresh and elegant as here, and it is extraordinary. In contrast, the corridor connection in the Zhuangfu garden is very simple, both in terms of momentum and refinement, it is incomparable.

Zhuang Meiyan followed the guidance of the two maids in front of her to a pavilion, where the line of sight is relatively open, and the surrounding water is rippling, like a small island in the lake. The pavilion is hexagonal, surrounded by only six pillars to support, because of the strong wind in spring, so covered with a pink veil to shield the wind and dust, the breeze blows, the veil is moving, but it is like a beautiful woman dancing with her sleeves raised. Zhuang Meiyan sat on the seat on the side of the pavilion, leaning on the railing and looking at the turquoise water, occasionally a fish jumped out of the water to play, bringing a string of water droplets to roll on the lotus leaves.

Zhuang Meiyan waited for a long time and didn't see Duanmu Hao come out, the maids stood upright on both sides of the steps, not squinting, Zhuang Meiyan knew that the palace was not as good as ordinary eunuchs, and the rules were very big, so it was inconvenient to ask the maids how long they would have to wait. Fortunately, her personality has always been quiet and does not like to move, so she sat quietly in the pavilion and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. The railing of the pavilion is set very low, as long as you bend down slightly, you can touch the water, Xu is the fish here are used to being fed, take the initiative to lean next to the railing, Zhuang Meiyan childlike heart up, then put his hand into the water and stirred gently, the fish were alarmed, wearing her fingers and scurrying, she couldn't help but smile.

She grabbed and grabbed with her empty hands, not to catch fish, but just liked the smooth feeling of the fish and her fingers brushing by, because of the fun, she simply put both hands into the cool lake water, the spring breeze and Xi, the sun is warm, the fingers soak in the water to feel comfortable and comfortable, but also the lake water is clear, ten fingers are as white as onions, a tail of small red goldfish swim quietly in the water, inadvertently bumped into her fingers, frightened to quickly dodge.

She smiled and looked up, her gaze suddenly colliding with a pair of gentle eyes, and she couldn't help but be stunned.

"Childe. Zhuang Meiyan took her hand back with some embarrassment, her ten fingers were **, and the sleeves on her wrists were also soaked in water. She raised her arms in embarrassment, then hung down behind her and hid.

Duanmu Hao couldn't help but smile, smiling like a spring breeze, and said: "Light and wet green sleeves frolicking fish, this is the serious spring fun." ”

Zhuang Mei's face turned slightly red, she peeked around, the maids had already left the pavilion for some reason, and she was just focusing on playing in the lake, but she didn't pay attention to when Duanmu Hao came in, presumably all the naïve attitude she had just now fell under his eyes, and she was even more embarrassed in her heart.

"When did Childe come over, he didn't even say hello. She couldn't help but complain.

Duanmu Hao only smiled tolerantly at her complaints, he beckoned gently, and two maids from outside the pavilion immediately came in holding a tray with towels inside. The two maids respectfully wiped the water stains on her hands, and when they were done, they half-knelt and asked her to come over and change her clothes.

Zhuang Meiyan was not used to being served like this, so he smiled: "It's not in the way, it's just that half of the sleeve is wet, and the description of the charm is embarrassed has long been seen and seen by the son, and he has laughed and laughed, and let it be." ”

The maid looked up at Duanmu Hao in embarrassment, and the latter bowed slightly, and they dared to bow down.

"Mei Yan seems to be uncertain today, but why?" Duanmu Hao saw through her heart at a glance.

Zhuang Meiyan slowly got up and looked into the distance in amazement, and said, "Meiyan is just fascinated by the scenery in Gongzi's mansion, not restless. Meiyan has not yet thanked his brother for his son's kindness. ”

"Mei Yan, do you and I still need the word thank you?" Duanmu Hao suddenly took her hand and said with a smile: "I made a picture for you, do you like it?"

Zhuang Meiyan was slightly stunned, and looked along his line of sight, only to see a spread of rice paper on the stone table in the pavilion, a few peonies bloomed delicately, and a butterfly stood on the edge of the flower and raised its wings, stretched out slightly, and seemed to be spreading its wings. The butterfly is the most expressively painted, and most of the whole body is red, and the color is bright. Zhuang Meiyan couldn't help but praise: "Childe is really a good Danqing, this butterfly has been painted by you, and it may fly away from the branch at any time." ”

Duanmu Hao looked at her gently and said, "This painting is specially painted for the charm." ”

Zhuang Meiyan was a little confused, Duanmu Hao stretched out his finger and gently landed on her right cheek, his fingertips were a little cold, Zhuang Meiyan originally wanted to avoid it, but when he saw his gentle smile, he forgot to dodge it and stood there in a daze. Duanmu Hao's fingers traced lightly along her birthmark.

"Look, doesn't your mole look like a butterfly?"

Zhuang Meiyan took a closer look at the butterfly shape on the painting, which was quite similar to her own red mole, and her heart seemed to be infused with a warm current, and the warmth was melting. The man in the world who didn't mind her red mole at all from the beginning, except for Xiaobai, was the only one who had this man. This man gave her the most real mirror, taught her to face herself bravely, face herself, and respect herself, while Xiaobai's red mole turned a blind eye, in his innocent heart, it doesn't matter whether the lady is beautiful or ugly, "The lady will always be my lady." ”

Thinking of Xiaobai, Zhuang Meiyan's heart seemed to be torn open, and it hurt in an instant.

Isn't it already in the past? Why...... It's like a scar in the bottom of my heart, but I can't heal it?

Duanmu Hao saw Zhuang Mei's face suddenly turn pale, and asked with concern, "Are you okay?"

Zhuang Meiyan barely stood still on the stone table, and waved her hand with difficulty.

"Uncle Huang, Uncle Huang!" a burst of eager shouts came from far and near.

A girl in a red palace dress broke in excitedly, with shaved shoulders and a narrow waist, and her face was beautiful. She ran out of breath, followed by a large group of maids who were even more tired and out of breath, seeing Duanmu Hao and Zhuang Meiyan standing at the stone table, the maids suddenly changed color, knelt together, and said in unison: "Lord forgive your sins!"

The girl stuck out her tongue mischievously, and she looked at Zhuang Meiyan with some curiosity. Zhuang Meiyan found that his posture with Duanmu Hao at this time was a little ambiguous, he put one hand around her waist and the other hand held her hand.

"What's going on?"

Duanmu Hao's voice was not loud, but the few maids kneeling on the ground were very panicked, and kowtowed: "Back to the prince, Princess Qing must break in to see you, the slave and maid can't stop it, please forgive the prince!"

Princess Qing coquettishly pursed the corners of her mouth and complained: "Uncle Huang, Qing'er knows that you deliberately avoided other people, and you said that you are not at home, in fact, hum! Isn't it just a horse? Uncle Huang, there are so many horses in your stable, you can't give someone another one!"

"It's really a sharp mouth, when did the imperial uncle avoid you? Which of you is provoking the king and the princess?" Duanmu Hao didn't seem to care about this, and said with a smile.

The maids looked at each other, and finally their eyes fell on a woman, who was even more frightened, knelt down a few steps, kowtowed, and said, "Yes...... It's a slave, a princess...... The princess repeatedly pressed the slave maid. Princess, save the slave and maid!"

Zhuang Meiyan glanced at the arrogant girl, she had always felt that the girl was a little familiar, and finally remembered that it was the young man she met outside the Zhuang Mansion that day, her groom was arrogant and rude, almost knocked her down, and walked away triumphantly, without the slightest sense of apology. It was only now that she suddenly realized, no wonder the second sister Zhuang Meiyi was intimate with the young man without any scruples, and the people were not surprised, it turned out that this young man was a fake Luan Zhenfeng at all, and it turned out to be the biological daughter of the current queen, Princess Qing. No wonder the coachman that day was so rampant, relying on the power of the princess.

Under the maid's pleading, Princess Qing looked disdainful and didn't even look at her.

"Princess, princess save me!" the maid was dragged up by two guards, she was terrified, desperately grabbed the corner of Princess Qing's clothes, and shouted in a hoarse voice, tears flowing, looking very pitiful.

Zhuang Meiyan felt a little unbearable, glanced at the struggling maid, she took the opportunity to push away Duanmu Hao's fingers, came to the princess, bent down slightly and saluted: "Princess, you misunderstood the prince, the prince just said that he wanted to pick the best sweat and blood horse, and was ready to surprise the princess, that maid is clumsy and stupid, I'm afraid she said the wrong thing." ”

"Hmph!" Princess Qing glanced at her domineeringly, when she saw the red mole on Zhuang Meiyan's face, she immediately remembered the events of that day, and couldn't help but be angry, and raised her hand to give Zhuang Meiyan a slap.

Zhuang Meiyan was not guarded at all when he hung his head, and the distance was close, so he took a solid beat. Duanmu Hao was shocked, and immediately stepped forward to pull up Zhuang Meiyan, carefully looked at the red finger marks on her face, and the swollen marks, and said distressedly: "Does it hurt?"

He turned around and frowned and said to Princess Qing: "Qing'er, don't make any more trouble, this is a friend of this king." You are fooling around enough, letting Wang Gui drive a carriage to run rampant in the downtown has already aroused a lot of public anger, as the princess of my peerless country, shouldn't you be considerate of the people?"

Princess Qing was not afraid of his preaching, but instead spread coquettishly, and said coquettishly: "Uncle Huang, little Uncle Huang, don't teach Qing'er a lesson with a straight face! You will become as old as your father when you frown like this, you are the most handsome and beautiful man in our unparalleled country." ”

Duanmu Hao was also helpless against this rude and willful little niece, and sighed slightly.

Princess Qing glared at Zhuang Meiyan again, and muttered: "What do you say about being sympathetic to the people, isn't it because Qing'er hit this ugly car last time! That's not Qing'er's fault alone, the road is narrow, and she refuses to give way, so she accidentally bumped into it, and she didn't suffer any losses." Also, Qing'er's 'red tears' happened at their doorstep, and what her sister said is not wrong at all, this woman is a bad star, Uncle Huang, you have to be careful!"

"That's enough, Qing'er!" Duanmu Hao scolded dissatisfiedly.

He looked at Zhuang Meiyan with some concern, the latter did not mean to be angry, his expression was calm, and he was slightly relieved.

"This king should really go into the palace to invite the royal brother, the princess often mixes with the people in white clothes, and has been repeatedly risked, should she withdraw her exit token to ensure safety. Duanmu Hao said solemnly.

Princess Qing was hit by a death hole, and she was so angry that she stomped her feet, but she didn't dare to argue after all. This exit token was still a great effort for her to beg this seventeen emperor uncle, and finally pestered him so that she couldn't help her ask her father for it - it was useless to even plead with her father before. Now for this ugly girl, the seventeenth imperial uncle, who has always loved her the most, actually threatened her. Princess Qing has always been pampered, and she can't stand this kind of scolding at all, the more she thinks about it, the more angry she becomes, and finally stomps her feet and turns away.

Duanmu Hao didn't pay attention to the unruly princess, but looked at the silent Zhuang Meiyan distressedly, she hung her head slightly, although her expression did not change, but the loss in her eyes made people feel even more pity.

"Why don't you go get medicine for Miss Zhuang. Duanmu Hao commanded.

The maid who was kneeling on the ground was relieved, and she got up in a panic to find medicine for bruises, and everyone was busy making a mess.

The two guards who had been guarding the maid next to him took the opportunity to reply: "Lord Wang, what should she do?"

Duanmu Hao didn't raise his head, and said: "If you are disloyal to your master, you will be beaten and driven out of the palace." ”

"Lord Wang, the slave and maid know that they are wrong! The slave and maid know that they are wrong!" the maid begged for mercy in a hoarse voice, "I beg the prince to spare the slave and the maid, don't drive the slave and maid out of the house, the slave and the maid are willing to be punished." ”

Zhuang Meiyan knew that Duanmu Hao's family was very strict, but when she heard the maid crying pitifully, she finally couldn't bear it, and said in a low voice: "Childe, she would rather be punished than go out of the house, after all, she is still a little loyal to you, so it will be fulfilled for her." ”

Duanmu Hao groaned slightly, nodded and said, "Since Meiyan intercedes for her, let's stay." ”

The maid was overjoyed and kowtowed.

"Thank you, Lord Wang! Thank you, Miss Zhuang!"

Zhuang Meiyan didn't stay in the palace for long, Duanmu Hao helped her with medicine on the right side of her face, and she immediately said goodbye and left the palace.

When passing by Antianmen Street, she saw the gate of the post house from a distance, and suddenly felt a little panicked. She touched a bunch of wound medicine beside her, which Duanmu Hao took home for her to apply. She remembered that Xiao Xuanchen was injured, so she shouted to the coachman, "Stop in front." ”

The carriage stopped not far from the gate of the post house, and Zhuang Meiyan slowly got out of the car.

Because the people in the post house had the benefit of Zhuang Meiyan last time, they immediately smiled when they saw her coming, and led her to the backyard without her command. Zhuang Meiyan didn't want to be too eye-catching, so he gave him a silver ingot, and the man immediately left happily and interestingly, and let Zhuang Meiyan walk to the backyard alone.

Today, there is no sound of frolicking in the backyard where Prince Xiao lives, only trees stand in the courtyard, and the leaves are whispering in the wind, quiet and peaceful. Zhuang Meiyan saw that there were no attendants in the courtyard to help her pass, so she walked indoors. On the low couch in the back room, Xiao Xuanchen took off a sleeve of his shirt, revealing his left shoulder, a young man was helping him with medicine, the silver dress of the man's tight sleeves was obviously not the dress of Wushuang Kingdom, it was probably the companion he brought from Wuyang Kingdom.

Zhuang Meiyan couldn't help blushing when she saw this scene, knowing that she was a little abrupt, she should have turned her face or exited the room to avoid suspicion, but her legs were fixed in place like nails, unable to move at all, and even a pair of eyes seemed to be enchanted, firmly staring at Xiao Xuanchen's left shoulder. His shoulders were broad, strong and strong, the muscles in his chest were well-proportioned, the wound was not large, the knife wound of an inch or so was diagonally under the collarbone, the young man had changed the dressing of his wound, the wound had begun to scab over, and it was fine.

In fact, these are not the final reasons why Zhuang Meiyan can't take her eyes off, what she saw at first glance was an irregular circular scar on Xiao Xuanchen's left shoulder, although it was not as clear as the red mark when it was first formed, but a slight tooth mark could still be seen.

An indescribable thing came to her heart, and the heat hazy her eyes, she leaned the table beside her to support her body. She couldn't tell what was feeling in her heart, whether it was hatred, anger, resentment, or something else.

Xiao Xuanchen was stunned at first when he saw her suddenly break in, and quickly reached out to put on the sleeves of his faded coat and block his shoulders. Even so, for a short moment, that's enough. Zhuang Meiyan believed that her eyes were not glazed, and she would not lie, she believed that what she saw was what she had always wanted to find.

Xiao Xuanchen acted as if nothing had happened, and still had a charming smile on the corner of his mouth as always, his eyes were under the cover of the butterfly mask, but they didn't have that kind of clarity, or they couldn't see that kind of clarity anymore. Zhuang Meiyan's eyes widened and she wanted to see her figure clearly from those eyes, but she couldn't tell whether the figure in it was herself or not.

Xiao Xuanchen slowly looked out the window, stretched his body lazily, and said with a smile: "The girl came unfortunate today, I made an appointment with Prime Minister Qin's family and several sons of Jing Shangshu Wu Shilang's family to have a drink, and everyone said that they wouldn't bring a good woman, otherwise they can take you with me." ”

The smile on the corner of his mouth is becoming more and more cynical, and his lazy posture is a standard prodigal son.

Zhuang Meiyan's heart suddenly stabbed, and the pain penetrated through the bottom of her heart, and she quickly walked to every end of her body with a kind of coldness.

She watched as the man smiled and passed by her, slowly walking outside.

"Xiaobai. She muttered, and the figure didn't stop as she had imagined, or even pause, and went straight through the curtain. The curtain of the door slowly hung down, blocking the long and heroic figure, and only then did she say the second half of her sentence to the empty doorway.

"I'm a lady!"

However, there is no one in the world who responds to this title. The big-eyed boy would never again stand across from her and look at her with innocent and harmless eyes, smirking back at her and smirking at her.

"Lady, I'm Xiaobai!"

Zhuang Meiyan suddenly felt powerless, and closed her eyes in a dejected manner, until today she didn't know that her heart had been firmly occupied by such an indescribable and inexplicable emotion, and she was still at a loss. In the world, the most difficult thing to see through is the human heart, and the most difficult thing to see through in everyone's heart is actually their own heart.

Her hand inadvertently slid over the teacup on the table.

"Smack!"

There was a crisp sound in the inner room, and Xiao Xuanchen, who had already walked to the garden, had a tense face, his brows furrowed slightly, his steps only slowed down for a moment, and then he stepped out of the gate of the courtyard without any pause.

On the street of Antienmen, there is still a lively crowd of people coming and going, people talking and laughing, greeting each other to acquaintances, or walking in a hurry, or taking a leisurely walk to enjoy the prosperity of the world, or friends in pairs and threes help each other to step into the wine shop, drinking and having fun.

People didn't notice a woman's distraction. Zhuang Meiyan walked along the street of An Tianmen in a daze, she didn't know where she was going, she didn't even know where she was going, at that moment she was swayed by emotions, not Zhuang Meiyan, who has always been wise and resolute, nor the "three girls" who were proud of the shopping mall.

She is just a frustrated woman who has lost her sense of direction on Antiemun Street.

Suddenly there was a chaotic sound of horses' hooves behind him, some people exclaimed, and some people shouted.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

"Help!

"Get out of the way—ahhhh

Zhuang Meiyan, who had been indifferent, finally sensed something unusual from the panicked expressions of the people around her, and she turned around unresponsively, leaving the frightened memories of that moment were the horse's hooves raised high, the horse's mournful roar, and the face with the butterfly mask. In fact, the only thing she remembers most clearly is the butterfly mask and the face, and everything else is blank.

The world is spinning!

"Be careful!" someone shouted in her ear as he grabbed her by the waist and dragged her aside.

Zhuang Meiyan looked at the scene in front of her in a daze, a fast horse fell in the middle of the road, foaming at the mouth, and his limbs were still twitching. Beside the horse was a man half-squatting, with a woman in red in his arms, who was obviously so frightened that she couldn't help but put her arms around his neck, snuggled tightly, and muttered incoherently: "Scared me to death!

The delicate little face has pear blossoms with rain, and everyone pities them.

Zhuang Meiyan's gaze stayed on the man's face, and the butterfly mask reflected a brilliant silver white in the sunlight, shaking people with a sense of dizziness that they couldn't open their eyes. The cold feeling that had been lost to all the limbs and bones was now reversed, and a brain was poured into the bottom of her heart, hitting hard, and the pain made her feel awake for a moment.

"Miss Zhuang, are you okay!" Zhuang Meiyan turned her face, it turned out that the person who saved her was Chu Yifan.

She didn't even seem to have the strength to say "thank you", so she could only lean on his shoulder weakly, and with his support, she could barely stand firm. Chu Yifan thought that she was frightened to do this, frowned slightly, turned her face to look at the woman in red and said in a deep voice: "In the downtown area, the horse hurts people and kills them, and the injured ones are three hundred rods and exiled for three thousand miles." ”

righteous words, the onlookers talked a lot, public opinion was obviously towards Chu Yifan, and people looked at the woman who caused the accident with some disdain. The woman in red was angry and annoyed, and said with a horizontal eyebrow: "What kind of horse? That horse suddenly went crazy for some reason, and the palace was also frightened, so what should I do? If it wasn't for this young man to rescue him just now, this palace would have died!"

This woman called "Bengong", and her attitude was strong, and the people were all silent, although they were dissatisfied, but they didn't dare to get along with the royal family. More sharp-eyed people have already recognized that this is the most favored princess Qing in the dynasty, and the eldest princess born to the queen doesn't even dare to talk about it.

Chu Yifan snorted coldly and said, "The prince is also guilty of the same crime as the common people, please apologize to this girl." ”

"Why? Who are you? Dare to question this palace!" "Princess Qing has been arrogant all her life, how can she ever be contradicted, and in front of many people, of course she can't swallow this breath, she struggles to stand up, and points at Chu Yifan angrily and shouts: "By the way, did you beat the horse in this palace to death with a punch just now? The horse in this palace was given by your father, and you killed the emperor's imperial horse without authorization, what crime should you be guilty of?"

It turned out that Princess Qing's horse was suddenly frightened, and ran wildly in the downtown out of control, seeing that it was about to rush to Zhuang Meiyan, passing by Chu Yifan saw that the situation was not good, he took a step forward and pulled Zhuang Meiyan, and knocked the startled horse to the ground with a punch, his arm strength was amazing, and everyone cheered in unison, but Zhuang Meiyan was in a trance but did not pay attention to these things.

All she knew was that when the startled horse came down the street, the man was protecting another woman.

In the face of the princess's aggressiveness, Zhuang Meiyan knew that she couldn't go head-to-head with her at this time, so she quietly pulled Chu Yifan's sleeve and said in a low voice: "I'm fine, thank you Brother Chu." Heroes don't suffer immediate losses!"

Chu Yifan frowned slightly, and finally held back his anger and ignored Princess Qing.

Princess Qing did not give up, clamoring for Chu Yifan to compensate for his horse, and arguing for an official for a while, Chu Yifan was not to be outdone, and the two had a quarrel.

Xiao Xuanchen, who had been watching the excitement for a long time, finally stretched his waist and said slowly: "You two go to the yamen to fight a lawsuit, and this prince is still in a hurry to drink?"

After saying that, she shook her hand and wanted to leave, but Princess Qing remembered the son who had saved her, and hurriedly grabbed his sleeve and said, "Hey, I haven't thanked you yet!"

Her voice was obviously much softer when she spoke to Xiao Xuanchen, her face was slightly red when she spoke, and her eyes were shy.

Xiao Xuanchen shrugged his shoulders and said lightly: "It's just a gesture, the main reason why the horses are frightened is that the princess's horse is not good enough, if it is our Wuyang Kingdom's sweat and blood, this situation will not occur." ”

Princess Qing's eyes lit up, the sweat horse is a specialty of Wuyang country, the variety is rare, although trade with Wuyang has been opened now, but the purebred sweat and blood BMW is still hard to find. Now in the entire Wushuang Kingdom, only the emperor and the prince of Ruixiang have only five horses in their stables. I grinded hard and soaked hard, how much work was arranged, and how much I sowed to get a horse from the prince of Ruixiang, who knew that on the first day of driving out, he died violently in front of the Zhuangfu for no reason.

She has the strongest nature, she must have what others have, and she also wants to have what others don't have, so when she heard Xiao Xuanchen say sweat and blood, she immediately opened her mouth to ask him.

"You said it lightly, if you can get a horse for this palace, this palace will have a heavy reward!"

"Haha, what will the little princess reward me?"

"What do you want?

"I can give you what I want?" Xiao Xuanchen looked her up and down with a man's eyes, with a strange expression, laughed, and walked straight forward.

In front of him was Zhuang Meiyan, and Chu Yifan supporting her. Xiao Xuanchen smiled wildly, and strode past Zhuang Meiyan, his eyes did not squint, and his posture was free and easy.

Zhuang Meiyan's eyes had been staring at him at first, and her eyes were faintly complaining, until the moment he passed by herself, she slowly breathed a sigh of relief, as if she had let go of some burden.

"Hey, what are you laughing at?" said Princess Qing, following him.

The two gradually drifted away, but Zhuang Meiyan never looked back, and her eyes gradually returned to their previous calmness.

Wanyan thanked Chu Yifan for his kindness in escorting him home, she found the carriage parked in front of the post house and sat in.

The crowd returned to its previous liveliness, people were still doing their own things, but Chu Yifan was still in place, frowning and looking at the horses lying on the ground, he quietly half-squatted down, pulled away the horse's head and twisted to the side, reached out and groped under the horse's neck for a while, and suddenly stopped, he slowly withdrew his arm, and pinched out a thin needle with weak cow hair between his thumb and index finger, and the needle was blue and glowing with cold light.

Chu Yifan's frowning brows slowly relaxed, and he couldn't help but look back at the direction where Xiao Xuanchen and Princess Qing had gone, and at this time, the two of them had already disappeared into the crowd.