Chapter Four(1/2)
Lan Ruo couldn't remember how many times she woke up from her sleep and fell asleep again. In her dream, she seemed to be back home, in her mother's arms, very warm and familiar. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't.
I can't come out. I want to laugh, but everything is so blurry and untouchable.
Familiar face, familiar smile, familiar eyes.
Everything proves that he is still in this era and has not returned to the modern age due to injury or death.
"Si'er, you finally woke up, thank God."
"Nanny." Looking at the wet nurse's red and swollen eyes, Lan Ji called out in a low voice.
"Mom, miss, she's awake." The choking voice contained uncontrollable joy.
Lan Ruo looked sideways and saw a butterfly lying on the small bed not far from her, struggling to crawl over. After a few moments, it groaned and lay down, frowning, looking extremely painful.
"Butterfly, don't get up, your wound will open." The wet nurse hurriedly ran over and held down the struggling butterfly. The red color seeping through the bandage on the butterfly's body showed the seriousness of the owner's injury.
"Butterfly." Lan Ruo took off the quilt, dragged her heavy legs, and ran over like crazy to hug Butterfly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I will never do it again, never again."
"Miss……"
Lan Ruo held the butterfly in her arms and her tears flowed like water from a floodgate. She murmured to Qian that she would never do it again, but she did not dare to express her thoughts that she could return to modern times after she died. It was just to herself.
The butterfly was beaten and regretted endlessly.
On the swing in the courtyard, Lan Ruo stared blankly at the birds flying in the sky, not knowing what she was thinking. She had been lying on the bed for nearly two months, and the scabs on her injuries had fallen off, leaving only a faint red color.
of marks.
Butterfly limped out of the house. She had been beaten twenty times on her buttocks, which meant she was on the verge of death. The wounds had not yet recovered, and she had to take medicine every day.
Qingcheng, who was seriously ill, never said that he wanted to go out, and never even glanced at the courtyard door, but Butterfly would still sit quietly with Qingcheng who was in a daze for a while every day.
In this way, autumn turned to spring, and Lan Ruoxiang stayed peacefully in this small courtyard of only a dozen square meters for more than a year. It felt like he had returned to his childhood, pestering the nanny and the butterfly to tell him stories every day, about the Kingdom of Heaven and Morning.
The local customs, anecdotes and anecdotes. She seemed to be really frightened by that severe beating and never left Lanzhu again. It also seemed that she had forgotten everything and her past as Lan Ruo, and truly became a person named Lan Ruo.
Yan Qingcheng's woman. When word spread that the general was going to hold a poetry gathering for Tianchen's talented daughter Yan Yunchu, Qingcheng made an unreasonable request to Butterfly - asking Butterfly to help him dress up as a man and go out to attend.
Butterfly tried every means to obstruct her, but to no avail. In the end, she had to compromise and told Qingcheng resolutely: "Go with your mother on your back, and only once!"
In the different world of this dynasty, whether it is the morning in which we live, the northern dusk in neighboring countries, or the faraway Xixia across the desert. Before the daughters of officials leave the court, playing chess, calligraphy and painting are compulsory courses for them.
.The daughter of the current general's family is no exception, but Qingcheng is left unattended and left to fend for itself. No one must have any expectations for her.
It is said that among the three daughters of the general, Yun Chu is especially the best. She is good at all kinds of music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and has made rapid progress in recent times. Even the husband who taught her exclaimed: "This girl is a phoenix among girls.
It cannot be possessed by a dragon among men." The general and the eldest lady, who is the sister of the current queen, were so happy that they couldn't close their mouths, as if their daughter had become a princess.
I don’t know who is making such a big noise outside. Everyone in Tianchen Kingdom knows that the mighty general has a beautiful and talented daughter and is about to hold a grand party for her to select a son-in-law.
The grand meeting was scheduled to be held in a separate courtyard of the General three days later, and this day came quickly with Lan Ruo's waiting and Butterfly's anxiety.
Qingcheng put on the men's clothes prepared by Butterfly. His hair was simply pulled into a bun and tied with a ribbon. His eyebrows were also thickened by Butterfly.
When everything was ready, Qingcheng turned around in front of the mirror: Well, I am very satisfied!
The person in the mirror is dressed in fiery red, with wide sleeves and narrow waist, indifferent eyes, and a jade-like complexion. He looks like a handsome young man!
Qingcheng pulled Butterfly who looked at him in a daze: "Let's go!"
"Oh!" Butterfly, who was already dressed as Xiao Si, blushed and responded in a low voice: "Yes, Miss."
"Son."
"Yes, sir."
There was an unknown flower fragrance floating in the air, and Qingcheng took a deep breath with his nose: he had not been out of Lanzhu for too long, and he was almost rotten.
Since most of the people in the mansion were sent to other courtyards, they easily slipped out of the general's mansion, and under the leadership of Butterfly, they quickly found the location of the grand meeting.
Along the way, Butterfly kept telling Qingcheng: "Miss, let's take a look and then go back. If mother or madam finds out, we will be dead."
Qingcheng didn't answer her, he just pushed her through the crowd in front and squeezed towards the entrance. He took out the invitation he got from Butterfly with the poem yesterday and handed it to the officers and soldiers guarding the door, and left in the envious eyes of everyone.
Go in.
Under the leadership of Xiao Si who was waiting at the door, we walked along the quiet path, turning left and right. When we heard the sound of arrival, our eyes suddenly opened up. In the huge garden, groups of students gathered together, discussing and joking in low voices.
There are tables and chairs set up in the octagonal parking lot in front, which must be where the organizers and judges are. The four treasures of the study, melons and fruit snacks are placed on the tables lined up on the left and right sides in front of the parking lot.
Qingcheng took Butterfly to find a secluded place and sat down, watching these people with cold eyes and listening to their conversations. There were not many talented people among them, but Qingcheng was sure that none of them could catch the eye of Yun Chu and the general.
Seeing that no protagonist was present, Qingcheng stopped waiting and watched. Instead, he grabbed the snacks on the table and ate them, not forgetting to pass some to the butterflies behind him. After the beating incident, maybe it was through his wife and sisters.
Please note that my food is not as good as it used to be. Instead of one dish and one meal, it has become scraps. If the nanny and Butterfly hadn't brought back some food from time to time, Qingcheng would have been blown away by the wind!
"Miss." Butterfly gently pulled Lan Ruo's sleeve and shook it.
"Sir." Qingcheng responded casually without forgetting to stuff food into his mouth.
"What's the matter?" Qingcheng saw the butterfly waving her sleeves didn't stop, so he turned around and asked.
"Uh." Butterfly cooed shyly.
I saw that the group of young men who were talking and laughing just now stopped talking and laughing at some point, and they all looked at me in surprise, with sneers on their faces, and the contempt in their eyes was clear at a glance.
Qingcheng glanced at them and said vaguely: "Ignore them." After saying that, he stuffed a piece of sweet-scented osmanthus cake into his mouth.
"I don't know how a drunkard can get in." A young man in white waved a paper fan not far away from them and said with a smile.
Qingcheng tilted his head, glanced at him, and smiled sweetly: "Wouldn't it be clear later if it's all about wine and rice? Why draw conclusions so early?"
The young man in white was stunned after hearing this, and then laughed and said: "As the saying goes, there is a room of gold in a book, and there are thousands of catties of grain in the book. I wonder why the young master is so hungry?"
"Oh! It turns out that the young master eats books three times a day instead of eating! I will try it that day too. Thank you for reminding me. I can save a lot of money that way! Maybe you don't need to read the books and just eat them directly. Qingcheng chuckled and looked at him in surprise.
"You..." Bai Ting was momentarily distracted, and then became angry and ashamed.
What he had not finished was interrupted by the informant: "General Yan, Lord Bai, Lu Shangshu... Young Master Qingyang Qingze, Miss Yunchu Xinrui are here..."
The young man in white no longer paid attention to me but followed the group of young men as they approached Zhanzhong with joy on their faces, vying to catch a glimpse of Miss Yan's beauty.
Qingcheng threw the snack in her hand and pulled the butterfly into the crowd and moved forward. She didn't want to be recognized by Yun Chu and the others before the poetry meeting started and lead to unreasonable explanations.
I saw my general's father pressing his hand to everyone in a very stylish manner, and the whole place suddenly became quiet.
"Today, our Yan family is holding a grand gathering here. Firstly, it is to seek talents for the country, and secondly, it is suspected of selecting a husband for our little daughter Yun Chu. Today, the little daughter is setting the question, and the one who can win her will be recommended. Among them, the one who wants to It will be up to the daughter to make her own choice." As soon as the father finished speaking, he stroked his beard with a smile and stepped back.
"Old fox, choosing a son-in-law is a lie, but offering advice is the real thing. What he said is so ambiguous, it all depends on whether Yunchu is willing to choose or not." Qingcheng cursed secretly.
Yunchu stood up in pink clothes and glanced at the crowd shyly.
The whole place fell into silence, and then there was a gasp: "It's so beautiful!"
Seeing the remarkable effect, Yun Chujiao smiled, rolled her eyes, and said softly: "Unfortunately, my girl Hongye has a riddle today. I don't know the answer. Please help me guess."
As soon as Yun Chu finished speaking, he saw a woman in red walking forward to wish everyone a blessing, and then said in a pretentious manner: "Today, I have the honor to ask all the gentlemen for advice on this riddle. The rule is that the person who guesses the answer should not say it directly. Instead of giving the answer to the riddle, express it in another way. Can you?"
Some of the gentlemen below wanted to talk to Yunchu earlier, but a few of them impatiently shouted: "Let's start quickly!"
Hongye smiled and said, "Listen carefully, my mystery is: I was born in the mountains and have the same color. When I come to the world, some are green and some are red."
"Haha, that's right. The riddle is not difficult, but the difficulty is that you can't tell the answer directly and express it in another way." Qingcheng secretly admired that the girls around him can do this. It seems that Yun Chu really can't be underestimated. role.
Some people are bowing their heads and meditating, some are writing on rice paper, and some are confident and confident.
Butterfly had been bowing her head and not daring to raise her head. Now she tugged on Lan Ruo's sleeves and asked with some worry: "Sir, have you guessed the answer to the riddle?"
"Yeah." Qingcheng smiled and responded softly.
"Can anyone guess it?" Hongye asked softly.
"Grown in the mountains, sold at the foot of the mountain, blooming as soon as they reach the water." I saw a young man in green shaking his head and thinking.
"Master Lu's description is apt!" Hongye nodded with a smile, and Mr. Lu quickly thanked him. Hongye then turned to the field: "Is there anyone else who can guess?"
"I." The young man in white shirt closed the paper fan before, stood up and looked up and said: "I was born in the mountains with leaves and died in the lake where the water is dyed red. People like to entertain me first, and I am not at the banquet." "
"Young Master Bai You is indeed worthy of his reputation. This little girl is so admired." Hong Ye looked at Bai You, who was standing in the opposite direction, with bright eyes. Unexpectedly, the man looked in the direction of Yunchu, smiled softly, and sat down by himself.
"Master Ling is really smart!" The general's father also praised the man sitting next to him with a white face and a yellow beard. He was so happy that his eyes stopped laughing and he said falsely: "Where! Where."
He must be that young man's father.
"Bai You, the name is as good as the answer to the riddle." Qingcheng muttered in his heart. He couldn't help but glance at the white-shirted young man, and then read out the answer to the riddle that he had already thought of: "Born in the mountains, died in a pot, buried In the jar, live in the cup.”
"This young master is very vivid and creative. May I ask who your name is?" Yun Chu saw Lan Ruo and was a little confused. Who is the person who came here? What's the details? They all know it very well!
Qingcheng smiled mysteriously: "You will know when the time comes, so stay tuned!"
Someone next to me was not happy: "Hey, we even got along with Miss Yan!"
Qingcheng pretended not to hear and ignored it.
Then there were several different expressions, and some directly said the answer to the riddle - tea.
Just when Qingcheng was looking around, wondering who the jade was about to be lured out, Yun Chu stood up and looked at Qingcheng thoughtfully.
Qingcheng felt nervous: She must have recognized me, right! I don't want to cause too much trouble before the protagonist shows up, and then be asked out of the venue, which will be a complete failure.
Just when she was uneasy, Yunchu announced the beginning of the poetry meeting.
The first question was unexpected to Qingcheng, but it was also what she expected. Fill in the poems written by Yunchu, but the rules were written down directly.
To be continued...