The clouds in the sky were golden. The city of Bianliang in July gradually calmed down from the summer heat wave. When the first leaf of the parasol tree fell, autumn came.
Rows upon rows of houses spread out in all directions with the Imperial Street as the central axis. Pedestrians and merchants came and went, walking through the streets and alleys. The merchants' shouts were often mixed with the neighing of horses and mules. The rolling wheels startled the laughter of children playing at the end of the street. Swallows nesting under the eaves flew over the trees on the street and the courtyards of the nearby families. Boats of all sizes rowed through the rivers in the city. On the banks were the pedestrians' paths or the courtyard walls of the nearby families.
In the afternoon, the gaps between the parasol trees cast a golden silhouette in the courtyard, swaying slightly in the wind. In the study with the window open, Ning Yi was writing and drawing at the table. From afar, he heard the sounds of the guards training at home.
At this time, even near the rich and populous Bianliang, it was not peaceful. The number of starving people outside the city began to increase, and the Feng Prefecture increased the number of checkpoints on the roads to check people entering the city. But at least, at this time, the courtyard in the city still seemed quiet and peaceful. Just after a moment, he heard sneaky footsteps in the corner of the wall. Ning Yi frowned. Soon, at the door next to him, two heads suddenly appeared. Although they looked like they wanted to scare him, only one of their faces was fierce.
"Ha ~!"
Yuan Jin 'er, who suddenly jumped out, raised her hands in the shape of chicken claws above her head, squinted and stared, and her face was distorted. Ning Yi raised his brush in the air and looked at her blankly. After a moment, he said in a calm tone, "Ah … so scary …" Jin 'er lost interest and curled her lips.
The other person who followed her was dressed in men's clothes, wearing a scholar's hat on her head, and her smile was bright and clear. It was Yun Zhu.
Her smile, compared with the time at the end of the year, was very different.
When she first came out, she even made an expression similar to a "grimace" on her face, and then she couldn't help but laugh.
"Liheng didn't go out today."
"I just came back from the Prime Minister's residence this morning. I don't have much to do in the afternoon, so I'm practicing calligraphy. Have you just arrived?"
"I saw Tan'Er outside just now, so I came over. Tan'Er saw that I was dressed as a man, so she asked me to accompany her out later. She wants to go to the workshop to see the new gown. "
"Oh, your relationship is better than mine …"
Ning Yi smiled, but Jin 'er snorted softly, "I'm not going. I'm going to find Xiaochan." Perhaps because of some prejudice in the past, the relationship between Jin'er and Su Tan'er was not good. On the contrary, she had always maintained a good relationship with Xiaochan.
Half a year had passed since the end of the year. In the past six months, many things had actually changed. Among them, the changes related to Yunzhu and the relationship between the two families were probably the most relaxing for Ning Yi.
Since last year, Ning Yi had been somewhat restrained in dealing with the relationship between the people around him. Although he was an extremely overbearing person outside, and he had made up his mind not to let go of Tan'er, Yunzhu, and the others, but the determination was one thing, and how to deal with it was another thing. He had more or less guilt in his heart, and it finally broke out at the end of the year. Speaking of Yunzhu's heart trouble and leaving, it could be said to be her own barrier, but it was actually related to Ning Yi's subconscious guilt.
Ning Yi and Tan'er reached a consensus in Kiyuan, and Yunzhu led Jin'er back to their original hometown. Along the way, she might have thought about the relationship between them, and after returning, she put down the barrier in her heart. This process could be said to be simple, but it could also be said to be complicated. In short, it was not a momentary cleverness, or an epiphany after seeing a symbol, it could only be said to be the wisdom given by life.
Yunzhu was originally smart. Before she was ten years old, she was a daughter of an official family, and received a good education. But later, her life was rough, and she lived in seclusion after redeeming her freedom, so psychologically speaking, she was still a little depressed and autistic. After she fell in love with Ning Yi, her heart was tied to him, and it was also because of the concern and sensitivity in it that she gradually became depressed after a little disappointment.
These things might be difficult for ordinary women to solve. Of course, it was not easy for her, but during the journey after leaving Ning Yi, she, who was clear-minded, was finally able to see the crux of the problem between herself and Ning Yi, so she no longer felt sorry for herself. When she returned to Bianliang and faced Ning Yi, she gave him a clear and pure smile that was similar to the first time they met, but a little different.
"I am back, husband."
On that day, when Ning Yi once again stepped foot onto the second floor of the small courtyard, what welcomed him was a woman kneeling on the bed and bowing to him. Her smile contained yearning, warmth, apology, and a little mischievousness, causing Ning Yi to be at a loss for words for a time.
Of course, a person's habits over ten years could not be completely changed by a moment of comprehension. Yunzhu was still that Yunzhu. She liked peace, living alone, reading, and playing the zither. But in this, she did not reject small interactions. She went to visit Tan'Er, and then Tan'Er also came to visit her.
In reality, the two more or less admired each other. Even if Yunzhu was the third or fourth person, after saving Ning Xi in that thunderstorm, Tan'Er had the intention to accept her. But after coming to the capital, Ning Yi didn't know how to adjust and deal with things, so the two of them didn't know how to interact with each other. When Yunzhu returned to the capital in May, this interaction became more natural.
If the previous Yun Zhu was gentle and gentle with a hint of softness, then the current Yun Zhu was probably more like a clear and gentle person with a hint of softness. She was the daughter of an official, if nothing happened and she grew up peacefully, maybe a small part of her qualities would be like this.
Although he prided himself as a powerful man, but on Tan'Er and Yunzhu's side, Ning Yi didn't play any role. Sometimes, when he thought about it, he became the knot in the other party's heart. As such, he felt depressed.
Now, Tan'Er and Yunzhu would occasionally meet. Tan'Er knew Yunzhu's personality and wouldn't ask her to go to any troublesome events. They would occasionally gossip or talk about Takeshi's business. They would bring her to the Su family's clothing workshop and occasionally let Yunzhu paint flowers to decorate their clothes. Yunzhu would occasionally talk to Tan'Er about the popular poems and stories of the scholars in Bianliang. She had good attainments in poetry — actually, she was better than Ning Yi. She also had experience in the brothel. She could casually talk about it and sometimes she would add some dirty tricks to make Tan'Er listen with interest. Actually, in this aspect, Tan'Er admired her.
They seemed to get along with each other naturally, but in fact, they were careful to maintain this small circle that might be called a family in this era. One day in the middle of June, when Tan'Er went to look for Yunzhu, she said casually, "Find a time, Miss Nie should marry into the Ning family … Well, I'm not joking." Yunzhu nodded after blushing slightly. Later, Tan'Er went to say the same thing to Jin'Er, which made Jin'Er blush. She hesitated and didn't know what to say. She was more or less prepared in her heart, but she didn't expect that it would be Su Tan'Er who came to say this to her.
In short, in this family, everything was settled in this way. It was just that in June, Ning Yi was busy with work, and it seemed that there wasn't a very reasonable time, so the marriage had to be postponed for the time being. In fact, they were more or less waiting for Ning Yi to take the initiative to express his attitude.
After knowing this, Ning Yi was distressed about whether he should let Yunzhu and Jin'Er live in his family after getting married. First, it was difficult to live together. As a modern person, he thought that if they were all squeezed together, it might not be as harmonious as it was now. Second, the "Ning family" in the capital was developing fast. The house with four courtyards that they bought last year should be changed or expanded. He thought it was more ideal to do this when the time came.
As for Tan'Er or Yunzhu, they also understood that one day, Ning Yi, Tan'Er, Yunzhu, Jin'Er, and Xiaochan would all get together at the same table for dinner. But at the moment, it seemed a little strange.
Because of this, Yunzhu would occasionally come over for a walk, Tan'Er would occasionally visit, and Ning Yi would run around, which seemed to be the most ideal way to get along.
As for the current development of the "Ning family" in the capital, it was a bigger problem …
*****
In the side yard of the Ning Mansion, after Yunzhu got on the carriage in a scholar's dress, she turned back with a smile, stretched out her hands, and pulled Tan'Er into the carriage. Yunzhu was dressed in men's clothes, while Tan'Er was dressed in women's clothes as usual. But even so, both of them were in their early twenties. Although Yunzhu was dressed in men's clothes, she looked intellectual and clear, while Tan'Er exuded a quiet and steady confidence. It seemed that a powerful mistress had chosen a new bookish husband. After getting on the carriage, Ning Yi walked to the side of the carriage and talked to them.
"Let's go to the workshops in the city. Don't go to the ones outside the city. Although it's strictly controlled recently, it's not peaceful outside."
"Okay." Tan'Er turned back and put her hand on Ning Yi's hand, which was on the window edge of the carriage. She rested her chin on the back of his hand, "Do you want to bring something back … Uh, will Liheng go to the Prime Minister's Mansion later?"
"I don't know. Let's see if there's any news from the north."
Yunzhu also leaned against the window. "Okay, if General Guo wins, Liheng will tell us earlier."
Recently, Ning Yi had more or less participated in the planning of disaster relief within the Wu dynasty. But the most tense situation was the confrontation between Xiao Gan from the north and Guo Yaoshi. Tan'Er, Yunzhu, and the others were just listening, but this was related to the fate of the Wu dynasty, so they were still concerned. Ning Yi nodded with a smile.
After the carriage left the gate, the faint laughter of Xiaochan and Jin'Er teasing Ning Xi came from behind. The parasol leaves fell on the ground in a golden color. Ning Yi thought of something and smiled as he went to the next courtyard.
At the same time, at the east gate of Bianliang, a group of four masters and servants passed the inspection and stepped into the capital. Among the four of them, the leader was a young man in his twenties or thirties. He had a beard on his chin and a calm expression. He was followed by an even younger servant. As for the other two, one of them looked to be an advisor in his thirties while the other was tall and well-built. He carried a weapon and seemed to be someone from the Greenwood Forest who was in charge of security. The guard at the gate looked at the document with the name "Li Pin" and let them pass. Then he said to the guard beside him in a low voice, "It's a county magistrate. It seems he's been promoted …"
The ones entering Bianliang at this time were Li Pin, Li Dexin. He had been the magistrate of Nanhe County since the beginning of the ninth year of Jinghan. It had been less than three years. Being summoned to the capital due to his achievements, he was going to be promoted as an exception. However, at this time, he looked back at the scene outside the gates of Bianliang and the soldiers at the gates. He sighed, but there wasn't much joy on his face.
Ever since the disaster in the north and south began to wreak havoc, the capital region that Feng Feng Prefecture was in charge of had tightened control. At this time, there weren't many refugees outside the city gates. However, people who had been an official and studied to his level had long learned the ability to find clues from the clues. Seeing a falling leaf, one would know the world was in autumn. Nanhe County was rich and Li Pin's management in the past two years was also very good. Therefore, when the disaster spread, the place he was in charge of did not have too serious a situation. Li Pin was also prepared to deal with it. However, now that he was summoned to the capital for a promotion, the situation he saw along the way made him more and more worried.
After a short rest at the small square at the city gates, Li Pin's attendant, Gu Yu, asked, "Master, where are we going now?" Li Pin frowned at the bustling crowd nearby. Then he pointed to a large carriage that was leaving the city not far away, "Let's go there."
Gu Yu looked over and saw that the carriage was going out of the city gates. The walls of the carriage were covered with thick cloth but it looked quite neat. One of the walls of the carriage had the words' Takeshi 'written on it. Gu Yu laughed, "Got it. Master is going to visit Young Master Ning. This lowly one will go and ask."
Among the four of them, only Gu Yu had followed Li Pin since Jiangning. He was quite clear about many things that Li Pin had done in Jiangning, his friendship with Ning Yi and so on. He even knew that his Master's filling of the vacancy was more or less dependent on the other party.
After Li Pin became an official, she had less contact with Ning Yi as she traveled far and wide. Gu Yu would occasionally hear Li Pin talk about Ning Yi. He had more or less studied with Li Pin and knew that in his Master's heart, the two of them had a 'friendship of gentlemen'. However, there was another piece of news about the Young Master Ning that he had heard from a certain channel in recent months.
That was the rumour of 'Takeshi' in the capital. Nanhe was rich and there were many travelers. The news of 'Takeshi's' poem on the first floor had spread to Nanhe in the past few months. In the last two months, there were also 'Takeshi's' big carriages that went to the county town to sell goods. This more or less created some topics of discussion and Li Pin then inquired about Ning Yi's matters.
This time in the capital, according to Gu Yu's idea, his Master had two places to go. One was to the Right Minister's residence and the other was to visit Young Master Ning whose business in the capital was already very big. Hearing Li Pin's nod, he immediately went to inquire about the route of the oil-walled carriages in the big cities. Then he rode on the only horse that carried goods. Li Pin and the other two got on the oil-walled carriage and went all the way to the address of Takeshi's Swift House.
The oil-walled carriage stopped at the station called Three Official Lane. When Li Pin and the others alighted, Gu Yu also dismounted. Looking at the building not far away, he slightly opened his mouth.
"Wow, it's so lively … Master, Young Master Ning really has a way of doing business …"
Li Pin nodded her head with an 'En'.
In Gu Yu's voice, there was a lot of joy and amazement. He did not notice that in his Master's gaze, there was no joy, but in the slight surprise, there was a complicated worry …
"Let's go." After a moment, he said, "Let's first go ask … where he lives."
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