Autumn was approaching. A gust of wind blew past, and yellow leaves rustled down.
There were several persimmon trees, jujube trees, and hawthorn trees in the Yang family's courtyard, and their fruits were all ripe.
Young Master Yang's favorite thing to do in his spare time was to climb up and down the trees and eat all kinds of fruits. When he was full, he would run to the Flower Hall, climb on the Arhat Couch, and squeeze to the side of his younger brother and sister who could not climb yet. He rubbed his stomach and groaned, "My stomach is full, and my teeth are sore. Mother, give me some maltose. I'll be fine after eating it."
Elder Sister Nianrong was becoming more and more beautiful, and she was becoming more and more like a young lady. Her favorite thing to do in her spare time was embroidery. The mandarin ducks she embroidered were particularly beautiful, as if they were real. Yang Daier liked it very much, so she asked her elder sister to embroider a mandarin ducks in the water for her. The second young master of the Yang family, Yang Ji, looked at his second sister's bellyband and liked it very much, so he asked his elder sister to embroider a mandarin ducks in the water for him.
Ever since Yang Fan retired at such a young age as the General-in-Chief Who Supports the Nation, the days of the Yang Family had been peaceful and prosperous. It seemed to be more like a family than before.
Xiao Man and her husband had just practiced martial arts in the back garden. Xiao Man's kung fu had inevitably been neglected since she started to serve her husband and children at home, especially when she was giving birth to a child. Her kung fu had been neglected even more, while Yang Fan's kung fu had become more and more refined. After a round of practice, Yang Fan's expression did not change, but Xiao Man was sweating profusely.
Xiao Man was wearing an arrow sleeve, and her face was flushed. Accompanied by Yang Fan, she walked to the front yard. The third sister had already left in advance and ordered someone to boil water for a bath.
After chatting with her husband for a while, Xiao Man suddenly mentioned the Tubo marriage. Weddings and funerals were things that people liked to talk about the most, not to mention that the Prince of Xiang's daughter was going to marry Tubo. Xiao Man often went to the east market to take care of her family's shop, so she was particularly well-informed.
"Langjun, I heard that after the Golden Immortal Princess became a nun, the Emperor appointed Shiniang, Li Chiying, from the Prince of Xiang's Mansion, to marry Tufan. In the end, Shiniang was also unwilling to marry, so she followed her sister's example and wrote a memorial to the Emperor, saying that she also wanted to become a nun and enter Taoism to pray for Emperor Gaozong and Empress Ze."
Yang Fan listened quietly, recalling the scene of Wu Zetian's marriage with Tubo, and sighed faintly in his heart. Xiao Man angrily said, "For a girl, marriage is the most important thing in her life. How can the emperor do this and force other people's daughter to marry to Tubo?"
Yang Fan sighed and said, "You, you have been in the Palace for so many years, don't you understand? Since it was a marriage, when was it up to women to choose? Who told her to be a daughter of the Imperial Family? Since she was born with a lofty status that others can never reach, with luxurious clothes and delicious food, and servants as many as clouds, then sometimes she naturally has to make sacrifices. "
Xiao Man rolled her eyes at him and said, "Rong 'er is fifteen this year. If someone asked you to marry your daughter to a kid ten years younger than her, with a runny nose, and this kid's family is far to the west of Yangguan, would you be willing?"
As soon as Yang Fan heard this, he flew into a rage and said, "I dare! Whoever dares to come to my door and propose this marriage, I will slap him. I, Yang Fan's daughter … "
Xiao Man interrupted, "What's wrong with your daughter? Isn't she born the daughter of a great general, with luxurious clothes and delicious food, pampered and spoiled? "
Yang Fan said, "Then … this … hehe."
Xiao Man said, "Isn't it the same for a daughter of the Imperial Family? She can't choose which family she is born in. Her father was an emperor or a prince. How could he have raised her as a maid since she was young? Does she have to make such a sacrifice when she grows up? "
Yang Fan glanced at her and said, "Why are you fighting for justice like this?"
Xiao Man said, "It's not just me. In Chang 'an, whether it's aunts, aunts, wives, or girls, who doesn't say that the Emperor is unreasonable? It's fine if he married his own flesh and blood, but in the end, he married his own daughter. How much has the Prince of Xiang done? This is how he treats people. If you ask me, it's the right thing to do for you to be unemployed at home. Otherwise, given how the Emperor treats his own brother so harshly, no one will have a good time at his side. "
Yang Fan listened to her angry words and found them particularly cute. He couldn't help but scratch her nose and pamper her as he did in the past. "Okay, okay, my Niuniu likes to fight for justice again. Hurry up and take a bath. This kind of matter, we can just talk about it. Even an upright official finds it difficult to settle a family matter, let alone a matter of the Imperial Family."
Although Xiao Man was already the mother of three children, she still liked to be pampered by Yang Fan like a child. She wrinkled her nose at Yang Fan and said in a spoiled manner, "You have a heart of stone, I'm not going to talk to you anymore." Saying this, she flew to her bedroom. Yang Fan smiled and looked back. His gaze swept over the top of the wall and suddenly saw a snow-white figure.
That was the Prince of Shouchun's mansion. At the beginning of the year, a small building had been built in the mansion. From the upper floor, one could see the situation in Yang Fan's courtyard. From here, one could naturally see the person standing on the upper floor. With just one look, Yang Fan recognized that the young girl dressed in snow-white clothes was Li Chiying.
Although compared to the girl in his impression, this girl was taller, her face thinner, and her facial features were more beautiful and charming, but there wasn't much change in her figure and charm. Yang Fan stopped because Li Chiying was standing upstairs, quietly staring at him. How could he pretend not to see her?
The two people looked at each other for a long time across the wall. Li Chiying suddenly turned around and left. Yang Fan still stood there, stunned for a long time, and then sighed softly. He was about to turn around and leave when he suddenly saw a rope protruding from the tree opposite him. The rope even trembled a little.
Something flashed in Yang Fan's mind. His face suddenly changed color and he said: "Not good!"
Without saying anything, Yang Fan suddenly became faster than a galloping horse, and with a few leaps he arrived at the wall. His body leaped up, the tip of his foot touched the wall, he spun his body and straightened his waist, turning around in midair. The saber he used to practice martial art with his wife just now was unsheathed with a 'clang' sound. When his body turned around, the edge of the saber just barely cut the rope tied to the tree trunk.
As the blade slashed across, Yang Fan suddenly had a strange feeling: "Why … … there are two ropes?"
"Ouch!"
As soon as the rope was cut, Li Chiying grabbed the two pieces of broken rope and sat down on the ground. Her eyes shone with tears of pain. She looked with grievance at this righteous hero who had pulled out the saber.
Yang Fan landed on the ground. With an embarrassed expression, he said: "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding!"
Li Chiying looked at him hatefully. Suddenly she giggled, her small mouth pouting, and held out her hand to him. Yang Fan quickly pulled Li Chiying up. Her small hand was soft and slender. It had the feeling of a young girl. Li Chiying stared at Yang Fan with her big black eyes and said: "Did you think I wanted to commit suicide?"
Yang Fan laughed dryly: "I originally thought … … it was mainly because the Seventh Princess all hung themselves … … Yang has a deep impression of it."
Li Chiying wanted to laugh again. She quickly pursed her lips. After a moment of silence, tears suddenly welled up in her eyes. She said sadly: "I … … want to become a nun … …"
Thinking of the old Li family's mess, Yang Fan could only sigh.
Li Chiying wiped her tears and said: "I won't commit suicide. Don't worry."
Li Chiying turned to leave. She suddenly stopped. After a moment of silence, she suddenly turned back. Her eyes were shining as she looked at Yang Fan: "On the day I enter Dao, will you come to attend the ceremony?"
Yang Fan gazed at her hopeful eyes and for some strange reason nodded his head. "Okay!"
Li Chiying smiled, a very sweet smile. As she smiled sweetly, two clear streams of tears flowed down her cheeks. "Say, how wonderful it would be if I wasn't born in the imperial family."
Before Yang Fan could speak, there was a flash of white, and this soft and fragrant girl threw herself into his arms. Yang Fan froze, his entire body frozen.
Soon after, he felt a pair of soft lips swiftly kiss his, and then the girl left his embrace. She turned and rushed away. Only when she reached the house did she suddenly stop. She turned back to glance at him, her eyes brimming with despair and sorrow, glistening with tears.
… …
The emperor wanted to marry the Prince of Xiang's eighth daughter to Tubo, but she resolutely became a nun.
The emperor also wanted to marry the Prince of Xiang's tenth daughter to Tubo, but she actually wanted to become a nun, and for the same reason that he could not refuse.
Li Xian angrily approved the memorial and once more arranged a grand ceremony. He ordered the Great Master of the Three Caves, the Minister of Honor, the Founding Duke of Hanoi Commandery, the Pillar of State, and the Master of Grand Purity Monastery, Shi Chongxuan, to bestow scriptures on Li Chiying and grant her the title of Princess Yuzhen. She was to become a nun with the Buddhist name Supreme Zhen.
When a princess became a nun, although there were no rules that stipulated who could and could not attend the ceremony, this was a private matter of the imperial family, so the officials of the court never participated. Last time when a Golden Immortal Princess became a nun, only a few people from the imperial family came to attend the ceremony. This time, however, there was one more person, Yang Fan.
The altar was made of clay and had three levels. It was twelve feet tall, surrounded by golden lotuses and engraved with violet gold. All around the altar were brocades, seventy-two bolts of blue, red, white, soap, and yellow silk, four hundred and eighty bolts of silk, two hundred and forty strings of coins, two hundred taels of gold, one hundred and twenty catties of incense, twenty-four thousand pieces of memorial paper, and all sorts of gold and jade incense burners. It could be said to be priceless.
As expected, the extravagance of a nun of the imperial family was extraordinary. If even a nun needed such extravagance, then perhaps it would be an extravagant hope for an ordinary person to become a nun.
Today, besides the Prince of Xiang, Princess Taiping, and the Prince of Xiang's eldest son, second son, and daughters, there was not a single member of the imperial family. Everyone knew that two women from the Prince of Xiang's estate had become nuns, which was a form of retaliation and contempt toward the emperor. Who would be willing to appear at this time? However, Yang Fan had come, wearing a violet ribbon and jade belt, dressed in full court robes.
Princess Taiping was rather surprised to see Yang Fan. After he met the surprised Prince of Xiang and retreated to her side, she asked in a low voice, "Why have you come?"
Yang Fan looked up at the platform and answered, "I was invited by Princess Yuzhen."
Taiping froze and couldn't help but glance at the praying Li Chiying on the platform. For a moment, she couldn't figure out the relationship between Yang Fan and her. If the two had an affair, Yang Fan wouldn't have told her so openly. But if they didn't, could Yang Fan and that girl Chiying have any sort of friendship?
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