Shanghai Wan 'er arrived in Chang' an.
When Zhang Changzong picked up Shanghai Wan 'er and sent her to the island in the middle of the lake in Longqing Square, the news spread in Chang' an. As soon as the news spread, the officials in Chang 'an were greatly relieved. The arrival of Shanghai Wan' er meant that the emperor's cleansing of Chang 'an had come to an end. Next, the focus should be on a series of matters related to moving the capital.
Shanghai Wan 'er was a female official of the inner court. Because she was in charge of the Institute of History and the Hanlin Academy, she would have dealings with the officials and scholars in the capital. In Chang' an, she did not need to contact the local officials, and the local officials would not visit a female official of the palace. The internal and external systems were separate, and there was a clear distinction between them.
Moreover, in terms of rank, Shanghai Wan 'er was only a sixth-rank official. In Chang' an, even a county magistrate was a fifth-rank official. A group of officials were all of a higher rank than Shanghai Wan 'er. It was too embarrassing to fight to visit an official of a lower rank than oneself, especially a female official of the palace.
Wu Zetian had also considered this, so she sent Shanghai Wan 'er to Chang' an. She was a female official of the palace, and in Chang 'an, she was in charge of matters related to the palace. She would not have any dealings with other officials, so it was easy to hide the secret of her pregnancy.
Yang Fan had already made some arrangements on the island. The guards were sent to the periphery as much as possible to create a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere inside. As for the guards that Liu Qiantian sent, they were all driven away by Yang Fan's people. The reason was that the two imperial envoys, Zhang Changzong and Shanghai Wan 'er, were living on the island, and the island's defense was under Yang Fan's sole responsibility.
Liu Qiantian was eager to have less contact with them before the political situation became clear, so he immediately withdrew his people. In this way, the island in the middle of the lake became Yang Fan's world.
Wan'er moved into the villa of the Founding Marquis, while Zhang Changzong moved into the Liu villa with Yang Fan, occupying a courtyard of his own.
After Zhang Changzong settled down Shanghai Wan'er, he quickly left. Xue Huaiyi was so favored in the past, but once he did something that made the Empress unhappy, he would also end up in a puff of smoke. Zhang Changzong naturally took this as a warning.
Yang Fan knew that Wan'er had just arrived at the island in the middle of the lake, and the attendants were busy arranging their own accommodations. At this time, it was not quiet to come and go, so he waited patiently. With great difficulty, he waited until evening. He estimated that the other side had quietened down, and then he flew over the two feet high wall, and without anyone noticing, snuck into Shangguan Wan'er's residence.
The defense on the island was tight on the outside, but loose on the inside. After all, it was not a time of war. There were only two villas on the island, and the people who lived there were three ministers: one civil, one military, and one internal court. There was not a single person who should not be here, so there was no need for the layers of defense. The two villas did not even have halberd guards.
However, Yang Fan had already learned from Wan'er's letter that there were a few Plum Blossom Palace Guards accompanying them. These women were all highly skilled, so Yang Fan did not dare to be careless. After he snuck into Wan'er's residence, he was still very careful, as if he was walking on thin ice.
After Shanghai Wan'er saw Zhang Changzong off, she first ordered someone to boil water for a bath, washing away the dust from the journey. She changed into a loose and comfortable robe, and then lay down lazily on the couch. Her belly was becoming more and more cumbersome, and after sitting for a long time, she felt her back ache. It was more comfortable to lie on her side like this.
Shu Xiaomiao carried a bowl of fresh goat's milk and quietly called out, "Sister."
Wan'er had been in the carriage the entire way, and now lying down felt like she was standing on a boat. Hearing Shu Xiaomiao's voice, she tiredly opened her eyes and looked. Lazily, she said, "Leave it there for now."
Shu Xiaomiao made a sound of agreement and placed the goat's milk on the low table. Wan'er said, "You are tired, go rest." As she spoke, she turned over. She had a big belly, and it was not convenient to turn over. After turning over, Wan'er let out a long breath. She was very tired, but she could not sleep. She knew that Yang Fan would definitely come to see her.
Suddenly, someone behind her sat down on the side of the couch. A hand gently rested on her waist. Wan'er thought it was Shu Xiaomiao who had not left, and lazily said, "Why are you not going to rest?" But she immediately felt that something was wrong. She quickly turned her head and saw Yang Fan sitting on the side of the couch, looking at her with a deep gaze.
The two of them looked at each other for a long time. Yang Fan's eyes slowly became moist, and Wan'er's eyes were already misty. Two clear tears gradually condensed.
"Langjun …"
Wan'er called out, and threw herself into Yang Fan's arms, tears streaming down her face.
"Slow down, your body right now …"
Yang Fan was startled by her agility. He was afraid to touch her body, so he was a little flustered. It was not until Wan'er threw herself into his arms, and hot tears wet his shoulder that Yang Fan's frozen arms slowly came down, and he gently hugged her.
Wan'er lay in Yang Fan's arms. Yang Fan used his chin to gently rub the wet, soft hair on her head, which gave off the fragrance of honey locust. He softly said, "I'm sorry to trouble you."
After a long time, Yang Fan gently lifted Wan'er's body and gently wiped away the tears on her cheeks. Seeing the plum blossom shaped flower between her eyebrows, Yang Fan couldn't help but tease, "In the past, you didn't like to dress up. You always looked plain. Why are you paying attention to your appearance now that you are pregnant?"
When Yang Fan said this, his expression suddenly changed. The flower between Wan'er's eyebrows was bright red, and it added a bit of charm to Wan'er, who was always beautiful. At first glance, Yang Fan also had a feeling of amazement. But sitting so close, he naturally found something strange. He immediately reached out to touch it.
"Langjun …"
Wan'er quickly grabbed his hand, but Yang Fan's fingers had already touched the flower between her eyebrows. The feeling from his fingertips told him that it was not an illusion. Her eyebrows were injured, and that was why Wan'er had painstakingly painted the flower to cover up the wound. Yang Fan's expression immediately darkened. He asked, "How did you get injured between your eyebrows?"
The arrow wound on Yang Fan's chest was shocking. Although it had already healed, if someone saw the dark arrow scar the size of a copper coin and thought about where it was, they would be secretly afraid. Speaking of which, Wan'er's flesh wound was nothing, but all women cared about their appearance. Yang Fan especially cared about his woman. He knew that with Wan'er's environment, it was impossible for her to have any flesh wound, unless … something happened!
Wan'er knew she could not hide this from Yang Fan, and she did not want to hide it. After all, it was all in the past. Wan 'er nestled in Yang Fan's arms, and told him everything that had happened. Although this matter had long since passed, Yang Fan still felt shaken to the core when he heard it. If the Empress' killing intent had been slightly stronger at that time …
Yang Fan was secretly shocked and broke into a cold sweat. He couldn't help but hold Wan'er's hand tightly. He complained, "That was too risky. Wan'er, when you first found out you were pregnant, you should have aborted it."
"I didn't want to!"
Wan'er's voice was soft, but very firm. "You know, every time I see Xiao Man's children and hear them call for their parents, I feel sad. Even in my dreams, I want a child of my own. When I suddenly found out I was pregnant, I was not afraid. I was only full of joy. At that time, I decided that since God gave it to me, then I must give birth to it! "
"You shouldn't have hidden it from me."
"But if I told you, would you have any good ideas?"
"I …"
Wan'er said softly, "If I told you about this, you would not be able to do anything. I am someone from the palace. You cannot make me disappear for no reason. If you forcefully interfere, the result will be worse. Once you know, you will not be able to stay out of it. So, I did not tell you."
Yang Fan was full of regret and said, "It is my fault. That day in the Palace of Three Yang, I was too … I made you suffer so much."
Wan'er gently threw herself into his arms and smiled sweetly. "At the time, I was also afraid. But when I was really pregnant, I was only full of joy. I did not suffer. Giving birth is a mother's life and death trial. Which woman would not want to go through this trial? What's a little flesh wound like this? "
Yang Fan held her tightly. After a long time, he slowly said, "I am a bit regretful. If I did not want to do something at the beginning, but wholeheartedly planned to take you away, maybe I could have thought of a way. Then, you would not have to take such a great risk to give birth to our child."
Yang Fan's fingers once again touched the flower between Wan'er's eyebrows, which were as red as blood. He said in a low voice, "A painting that dyed the world with blood cannot rival the cinnabar between your eyebrows. Even if you control the world, it is just a flourish … "
Wan'er said softly, "You can give up power, glory, wealth, and glory, but can you give up your responsibility? Can you let your children live in seclusion with you in the mountains? Can you let them live in seclusion as mountain people? You have subordinates who follow you, friends who trust you, elders who value you … We are born human. Every one of us has something we must do! "
Yang Fan was speechless. He could only quietly hold her tight.
Wan'er smiled and said, "Besides, if you and I really left at that time, how could you recognize Xiao Man? Everything is arranged by God. Fortunately, it is over. Don't think too much. Let me lie down. It is a bit uncomfortable to sit like this. "
Hearing this, Yang Fan quickly let go of her and pulled over a pillow for her to lie down. Wan'er gently touched her belly and happily said, "In another three months, you can see our baby son."
Yang Fan deliberately let the atmosphere lighten up. He touched Wan'er's belly and smiled. "How can it be a son? What is wrong with a daughter? When she is born, she will be as gentle and beautiful as you. "
Wan'er glanced at him and said, "Hypocrite. Who doesn't want a son? I want to have a son. "
Yang Fan said, "It is good to have a daughter. I will prepare a dowry for her, and I will have fulfilled my responsibility as a father. If I have a son … as the father, I will have to work hard to earn the family business for him. "
Wan'er giggled and rolled her eyes at him. She said, "My son does not depend on you. Since I was put in an important position by the Saints, the property, shops, and thousands of hectares of farmland that my family did not use as officials have all been returned. Now, my mother is in charge of it. Won't these all belong to my son in the future?"
Yang Fan was surprised. "Thousands of hectares of farmland?"
One hectare was fifty hectares. One thousand hectares … that was no less than fifty thousand hectares!
Wan'er leisurely said, "To be precise, it is one thousand six hundred and eighty hectares. Our family has always been the biggest landlord in Qi Province."
As she said this, she sighed regretfully and said, "When we were in trouble, a lot of it was divided up by others. Those were the aristocratic families that had contributed to the country. We can't get it back. Otherwise, not counting the donated farmland, our family would have at least three thousand hectares of land."
Yang Fan had been hurriedly estimating how many hectares was one thousand eight hundred and sixty hectares. He had just estimated it to be around eighty thousand hectares, and then he heard three thousand hectares. He really was tongue-tied.
This Xian Zong Sect Leader had only been in power for a short period of time. In reality, he hadn't even calculated how much property he controlled. Hearing that it was in units of ten thousand hectares, he couldn't help but be shocked. In reality, in the early Tang Dynasty, just the rewards the court gave to meritorious officials were hundreds or thousands of hectares. For example, Pei Ji had once received thousands of hectares of land from Gaozong.
The Shangguan Family was a family of officials, and they were the powerful ministers of Gaozong Dynasty. It was not strange that they had such land. When the Shangguan Family was at its peak, if they added on the land of the farmers that had submitted to them, the Shangguan Family probably had tens of thousands of hectares of land. If it wasn't so, how could those prestigious families influence the local government and influence the court?
Hearing this, Yang Fan suddenly thought of a problem. If Wan'er really gave birth to a son, then all of Wan'er's dowry would be left for her son. Xiao Man's son and A Nu's son … could his shops compare to eighty thousand hectares of farmland? As a father, the pressure was as great as a mountain.
Wan'er didn't know that by casually showing off her property, she had put such great pressure on her man. She hugged Yang Fan's arm and said coquettishly, "As soon as Zhang Changzong left, I was waiting for you to come. Why did you only come now? Is Zhang Changzong bothering you?"
Yang Fan came back to his senses and replied, "He did not spend too much time at my place, but you have quite a number of people here. I saw in your letter that you even mentioned that there were internal guards accompanying you, so you were very careful. I had arrived a long time ago and had been hiding in the dark. I only dared to show myself after Xiao Miao left."
Wan'er smiled and sighed. "It's hard on my good husband. A great general has to be a little thief that climbs over walls and burglaries."
Yang Fan glared at her. Wan'er giggled and said, "Don't worry, the internal guards accompanying you are only Gao Ying and Lan Yiqing. You don't have to worry about those two. You just have to be careful not to encounter the other guards. As for the inner chambers, there are a total of eight palace maids, with Shu Xiao Miao as their leader. You don't have to avoid them. "
Yang Fan was surprised. "You mean …"
Wan'er gently raised her round and cute chin and smiled sweetly. "I've been waiting for an imperial edict since I was 14. It's been 20 years now. If I still can't make a few confidants, won't I let you look down on me?"
Yang Fan thought to himself, "This isn't just a matter of making a few confidants. Although the emperor relies on you and wants to protect you this time, the people he sent must be chosen by the emperor. In the end, the people he chose are almost all confidants that Wan'er can entrust her life to. Just how much power does she have in the palace? "
Yang Fan had always felt that among his women, there was no need to mention Princess Taiping. She was the woman who was the coolest to Empress Wu Zetian. She was talented and wise. As for Xiao Man, not only was she skilled in martial arts, she was also good at managing money. Ah Nu was a know-it-all. She was good at music, chess, calligraphy and painting, poetry, singing, dancing with knives and swords, cooking, and even the art of war. He really didn't know what she didn't know. Gu Zhuting was a Jianghu heroine. Once she entered Jianghu, she was a dragon among men.
Only Wan'er, although she had the reputation of being able to weigh the world, Yang Fan had never been interested in poetry. Although she helped the emperor deal with government affairs, that kind of great ability to rule the world was too far from the life of a mortal. Yang Fan had never felt anything.
In his impression, Wan'er had always been a graceful woman with a temperament like water and a personality like a chrysanthemum. But today, he realized that to be able to sit in such a high position for 20 years, how could she be easy to deal with? Among the few beauties around him, the only one with great ability was probably Wan'er. She controlled people well and handled matters well. How could she be the delicate and pitiful little girl in his heart?
Yang Fan was sincerely convinced and said, "In the past, I really looked down on you. From now on, I can only worship you."
Wan'er winked at him and said in a sweet voice, "I have always let you bully me without complaint or regret. How could I have the ability to make you worship me? There is a Taoist saying that all living things reinforce and subdue each other. One thing must subdue another. I am the woman that you have subdued … "
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