In fact, Lou Shuwan had already seen Ning Yi when he came in from the outside.
Fang La's uprising was based on the slogan "all men and women are equal." Although a slogan was just a slogan and no one would extend it to equality between men and women, his younger sister Fang Baihua was one of the most important generals in the revolutionary army. There were also many female soldiers and generals under her command. Because of this, it was not strange for the Yongle Dynasty to appoint some capable and powerful female officials when it was first established.
Of course, more than half of the women who could serve in Fang La's system had been in this position since the beginning. Some helped their husbands manage things in the village, some followed Fang Baihua all the way here, and some were taken in by the Manichaeism. After all, women's status was not high. Although they were in charge, their official positions were not very clear. They were either under Fang Baihua's command or as female officials in the imperial palace.
Women who came to attend the banquet could not be arranged to sit with men. They were arranged to sit in a separate hall at the side. It was still early. It was said that the Empress who would come out to receive the guests had not come out yet. Lou Shuwan was chatting with a woman she knew earlier. She inadvertently saw a figure passing by outside the window.
At first, she thought she was seeing things.
In the past two months, from the earthquake to the shortage of soldiers, and when the revolutionary army entered the city, the Lou family had also suffered a moderate impact. From the initial panic, they adjusted their mood to face reality. During that time, not many people had the mood to care about what happened to the people around them. When everything was basically settled, they looked back and found that many of the people they knew had left or disappeared. Occasionally, they met on the street and found that the other party did not leave.
Actually, Ning Yi and Su Tan 'er could not be considered as people around Lou Shuwan. The relationship between the two parties had always been a little ambiguous. Back in Hangzhou, Lou Shuwan and Su Tan' er could get along well. Rather than saying it was a friendship, it was because both of them had a husband who married into their family. At that time, it could not be considered cold, but if one were to say that they were truly sincere, both sides would not believe it. Later, with the dispute on West Lake, everything became complicated. If things continued, it was hard to say what would happen. However, the ensuing war diluted everything. She was frightened first, and then she managed things for her family. Now she had the identity of a female official, and the environment around her had changed. Occasionally, when she thought about it, it felt like a lifetime had passed.
All the people and things that happened two months ago had become distant. If she thought of the couple, Ning Yi and Su Tan'er, they had probably left Hangzhou. Since he had never investigated this matter, there was naturally no need to investigate it. The figure she saw at this time was naturally a mistake. She continued to chat in the room, but in the end, she still came out to take a breath of fresh air. After walking around, she saw the man who was talking to Long Boyuan.
Even she herself wasn't quite sure of her own emotions, so she smiled and greeted him.
After walking closer, she stroked her hair and asked rather naturally, "You didn't manage to leave either. Where's Sister Tan'er?"
Ning Yi looked at her for a few seconds, then cupped his hands and smiled. "Tan'er went back. I didn't manage to leave … Miss Lou, you look good. We meet again."
"Uh … we meet again."
*****
"… Things have really been a mess these few months … I went to Taiping Alley earlier to ask about you and Sister Tan'er, but … over there, ah …"
The night breeze after the rain was pleasant. Bright red lanterns were lit one after another, and the courtyards were noisy. Occasionally, rough and impudent voices could be heard, and gruff greetings could be heard. The servant girls in charge of receiving guests hurriedly walked by in twos and threes. Lou Shuwan and Ning Yi walked under the eaves. Time and environment could often change and create many things. At least in the current atmosphere, the two of them did indeed have a reason to talk. Lou Shuwan naturally talked about her previous visit to Taiping Alley. Of course, Ning Yi wouldn't show any repulsion.
"Taiping Alley … how is it now?"
"There seems to be some problems. It's been blown up beyond recognition. I'm not too sure either …"
"Tsk, a failed investment."
"What?"
"Nothing. Is the Lou Family … alright?"
Lou Shuwan had only gone to Taiping Alley on the way that day. She looked at the house that Ning Yi and Su Tan'er had stayed in. It had already been reduced to rubble. Lou Shuwan didn't ask the people around her for more information. She wasn't interested and didn't need to. She could more or less confirm that they had left. As for Ning Yi, he had originally chosen Taiping Alley as his residence because he thought that if the Wu dynasty moved their capital to the south, there would be a lot of room for the value of the area around Taiping Alley to rise. Who knew that after a thousand years of experience and knowledge, he would fail when he was full of confidence. At this time, he couldn't help but sigh. It was just a joke. When Ning Yi mentioned the Lou Family, Lou Shuwan smiled noncommittally.
"Father is still in good health … When Hangzhou was breached, there was chaos. They said … Fang Qifo, the Buddha Marshal, had Wang Yin come to our house and threatened father to stay and use the Lou Family's business to share some of the burden for the Yongle Dynasty. At that time, it wasn't easy to leave, so father could only agree. Now, he hasn't suffered too much of an impact. Everything is fine, just that he's a little busy. "
As she said this, she glanced at Ning Yi. One of the reasons that made Lou Jinlin decide to stay — even if it wasn't the main reason — was that the Lou Family felt opposed to Qian Xiwen at the Beginning of Autumn Poetry Meet. This was also one of the reasons why Fang Qifo sought out the Lou Family. At that time, it seemed that Ning Yi was also a major participant in the opposition between Qian Xiwen and the Lou Family.
When she was sure that Ning Yi didn't have any unusual emotions, she said, "I've always wanted to find a chance to apologize to you about what happened to Second Brother on the day of the Beginning of Autumn Poetry Meet. Second Brother isn't a bad person … but so many things happened later, so it was delayed. Now …"
Ning Yi laughed. "In the current situation, what else is there to say about the small things from back then?"
"That's true." Lou Shuwan smiled and nodded. Then, she asked about what happened after the city was breached and where Ning Yi was now. She also learned that Ning Yi hadn't been able to escape. After being captured, he was now doing some copying work in the Tyrant's Blade Camp.
This kind of thing wasn't surprising. She knew that Ning Yi was talented and learned. It wasn't difficult for him to have something to do. However, at this time, the power class in Hangzhou was also divided into three classes. Officials who had followed Fang La's rebellion and had seniority and knew many people were naturally in the first class. Officials like the Lou Family who surrendered when the city was breached were in the second class. But after the city was breached and they were captured, they usually didn't have a high status even if they were talented.
She had said most of what she needed to say. She also asked a few indirect questions about why Ning Yi stayed and Su Tan 'er left. Ning Yi only said it was a long story, so she didn't ask anymore. Lou Shuwan didn't think it was possible that Su Tan 'er left him and ran away alone. But these days, she had seen too many twisted things happen in front of her. In the chaos of war, nothing was impossible. But no matter what, it was not good to ask again.
After saying goodbye to each other, Lou Shuwan returned to the side hall. After opening the window, it was still connected to the main hall. She talked with a woman she knew and looked out the window. Not long after, she saw Ning Yi sitting in the other corner. The scholar was chatting and laughing with the people around him. The atmosphere was harmonious. It didn't seem aloof and unsociable, nor was it deliberately ostentatious. The scene just melted into a sea of red festive lights.
Looking around, there were all kinds of men and women, but they didn't fit in with the previous life in her heart. The women didn't have the elegance of a lady from a wealthy family, nor did they have the freshness of a pretty daughter from a humble family. The woman beside her was straightforward and tall, but when she spoke, she just had the style of a village girl.
The men in sight were also filled with a bloody and unscrupulous aura. They had tasted blood from their blades, rebelled, and killed people. Some of them were burly and looked like laborers moving things on the docks, but these people were more flamboyant. Some of them looked like the brave and ruthless Jianghu people and gang leaders she had seen before. But they did have a calmness and fierceness to them. Gang leaders only collected protection fees and caused trouble, but these men were people who killed people as their profession.
If it was in the past, she would occasionally admire and yearn for this kind of people. But life was life, and that kind of adjustment was different from life. When she saw her brother Lou Shuwang walking through the crowd with Minister Zuo's son, Lou Jingzhi, she suddenly realized that the dull feeling that she hadn't thought about for more than a month was suddenly washed away by Ning Yi's sudden appearance.
It was as if she had woken up. She had stopped thinking about her previous life because she knew it was useless. But now, even if she knew it was useless, she still thought about it.
She wasn't the kind of little woman who would be upset over such things. At this moment, she was thinking in her heart.
Her relationship with Ning Yi and his wife wasn't very good. They met on their way to the south and came to Hangzhou together. At that time, some things seemed warm, but she didn't open her heart to them, and they probably didn't treat her as a close friend. The relationship between women was sometimes simple, and sometimes complicated. But one thing was undeniable. At first, the reason they got along was because they had similar experiences. But later, she was more curious and focused on Ning Yi than she was on Su Tan 'er.
Originally, they should have exchanged their experiences of having a useless husband, but in the end, they subconsciously thought that he was more fortunate than they were. Her curiosity towards Ning Yi didn't last long. It stopped after the surprise on the day of the Beginning of Autumn Poetry Meet. She did not think that Ning Yi was a celestial being. She did not regard him as a perfect existence. However, whether it was the way he talked or the way he acted, he gave her the feeling that he was as natural as he was at the banquet. She could not help but think that if she had such an opportunity to have such a husband who would marry into her family, she might feel satisfied and be able to live a natural life like an ordinary married couple. That would not be the best, but perhaps … the most appropriate.
She looked out of the window and sat down on the chair. After thinking this through, the rest was very simple.
Su Tan 'er left — no matter how she left — and he couldn't escape. His life was ruined. No matter what, the chaos of war had changed many people and things. Now, the world was chaotic, and she really wanted such a man.
She wanted him to be her man.
Lou Shuwan thought this through. Then, she took a sip of tea and continued to chat with the woman beside her.
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