Yang Fan had made up his mind to save Xue Huaiyi, that idiot. But once the Emperor took out his butcher knife, it would be too late for Yang Fan to save him. Yang Fan racked his brains on the way home. By the time he got home, he had finally thought of a good idea.
After making up his mind, Yang Fan was relieved. He went back to the mansion and turned to the backyard. Taomei was wearing a new dress and was walking in front of the corridor. As soon as she saw Yang Fan, she bowed and saluted: "Ah Lang!"
"Yes!"
Yang Fan nodded to her and walked towards the reception hall. Xiao Man heard Taomei's call and came out. As soon as she saw Yang Fan, she smiled sweetly and said in a low voice, "Langjun, quickly come in and see who's here."
"Who's here?"
Butchie didn't answer and just smiled. Yang Fan saw her mysterious look and didn't ask any more questions. He crossed the threshold and saw someone bending over to tease Yang Nianzu, who was lying on the Arhat bed.
This person was tall and had a jade-green headscarf on his head. He was dressed in a stone-green muslin robe with silk pants of the same color. A leather belt was tied around his waist, making him look very casual.
Yang Fan could not help but be happy: "Wan 'er!"
The person was very focused on playing with the child. It was not until Yang Fan cried out that he realized he had entered the room. He turned his head and was also very happy.
Xiao Man followed Yang Fan in and smiled: "You guys talk first. I'll take Nianzu to the back!" She went to the bed and picked up Yang Nianzu.
"Don't let the child freeze!"
Yang Fan said and took a soft cashmere blanket from the hanger and wrapped it around the child.
Wan 'er smiled as she watched Xiao Man carry the child out. Her eyes were still fixed on the child. Only when Xiao Man disappeared at the door did she reluctantly withdraw her gaze.
Yang Fan held her hand and sat down on the sandalwood couch inlaid with coral beads. He softly asked: "How did you have time to come out today? Did you ask for leave from the emperor? "
Wan 'er was wearing winter clothing, but it didn't hide her beautiful figure. She smiled and pulled at her clothes. "How can I ask for leave often? Taiping invited me today, so I left the palace."
Yang Fan took a plate of dried fruits from the small green jade table and placed it in front of her. "Why did Taiping invite you?" he asked in puzzlement. Since Taiping has invited you, why are you here? "
As he spoke, he subconsciously glanced at the door.
Wan 'er smiled and said, "No need to look. She didn't come. I was invited out of the Palace by her, but when I was about to reach the Princess Mansion, I found out who she had invited to the banquet. I didn't want to go, so I came here to take a look. I have to return to the Palace in a while. "
"Who did she invite? You don't want to go?"
Yang Fan sat down next to her and gently held her soft hand. Wan 'er's palm was soft and delicate. It was slightly cold and had a jade-like texture. It looked like she had just come in from outside.
Wan 'er pouted and said, "Hui Fan monk, Gao Jian, the three brothers Zhang Tongxiu, the four brothers Cui Shi, and a few scholars from the capital. They are all famous young masters."
Yang Fan smiled and said, "Isn't that just right? You are in charge of the library and the Hall of History. You are in charge of the court's culture, and you judge the poetry of the world. All the officials in the world are gathered under your tutelage. Isn't it right to associate with these people?"
Wan 'er said, "Taiping invited me to go because he wanted to get my approval. He wanted to recommend a few people to the court to be scholars. But … "
Wan 'er said this and hesitated. Her white cheeks slightly blushed. Her pink cheeks reflected the red, like a peach blossom. "But … there have been some rumors in the capital recently. They are not pleasant to listen to …"
Yang Fan asked curiously, "What rumors? Oh … You are saying that Hui Fan, Gao Jian, Cui Shi, and the others all have an unclear relationship with Taiping, and that they are a group of people living in the same bed? "
Wan 'er was surprised and said, "You know?"
Yang Fan smiled and said, "Of course I know!"
Wan 'er's almond-shaped eyes widened. She looked very cute and said, "You don't care?"
Yang Fan said disapprovingly, "When a beautiful woman comes into contact with a man a little more, gossip immediately becomes as natural as two trees getting close to each other. Immediately, a spider spins a web. There will always be people who like to judge others like this, and there will always be people who like to hear such things and spread such things. It was like this in the past, it is like this now, and it will be like this in the future. Haha, Taiping is used to doing things her own way. She never lives for other people's gossip. I'm a man, how could I not be as broad-minded as a woman? How could I be swayed by some gossips? "
Wan 'er thought about it and shook her head. She said, "Langjun is magnanimous. This is a woman's good fortune. But a woman's reputation is the most important, and she should also love herself. Even if it is just gossip, she should avoid it as much as possible. It is not a good thing for people to spread these rumors. "
Yang Fan said, "Unless you do nothing and are willing to stay in your boudoir, not going out, not taking a step. Now that the Emperor favors the two Zhangs, and with the two Zhangs' recommendations, many disciples from famous families can enter the court. In addition, the court officials have gone through several disturbances and lost more than half of their numbers. The new officials are mostly young. You are in charge of the central government. In the future, you will have to interact with these young officials. When that time comes, where will you hide? "
Yang Fan gently held her shoulders and softly said, "I know that for me and for the sake of gaining a foothold in this treacherous and treacherous court, you are also working hard to expand your network. If you are afraid of words, your hands and feet will definitely be tied. Moreover, you have already arrived at the Princess's Mansion, but you turned back halfway. Once she finds out the reason, she will definitely be unhappy. Don't mind these idle people. "
"But …" Wan 'er said.
"All right," Yang Fan said, "I have something I need Taiping's help with. Let's go together. Since you have already left, don't go back. Turn around and say that there is an urgent matter in the palace that needs to be handled. Come, let's go out first. When we get on the carriage, we can slowly talk about it. "
Wan 'er had no choice but to be pulled by Yang Fan and reluctantly walked out.
Yang Fan could see clearly that this kind of gossip was indeed something that people from ancient times to the present had never gotten tired of spreading. A beautiful woman, even if it was only because of her work, would inevitably be spread by those who judged her by their own standards. Let alone that era.
Whether it was the Emperor who dug his ashes, the Empress who cheated, the Crown Prince who raised a prostitute, or the Princess who raised a gigolo, the Tang Dynasty's officials and the common people had never denied it. If Wan 'er really had any gossip, it would be impossible that no one in the court would spread it. But because of Shangguan Wan' er's purity, in the last three hundred years of the Tang Dynasty, there was not even a word or two about her.
Even so, she could not escape the slander of later generations. In the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, when the Sha Tuo Dynasty was in chaos, Liu Qiang began to write the Book of Tang. From the historical materials of the Tang Dynasty, he found a sentence that said Shangguan Wan 'er "colluded with friends outside and easily played with power, which was feared by the court." As if he had found a treasure, he interpreted this "colluded" as having an illicit sexual relationship with someone. This time it was terrible. People who liked to chase after smelly things rushed to help him supplement it. In the end, an erotic story replaced the historical facts.
The Wu Zhou period was the most special period of the Tang Dynasty. Because this period was the period when the only empress in China's history reigned, women with special status like Shangguan Wan 'er and Princess Taiping could play an important role in politics that women of other dynasties could not.
If Wan 'er did not hold a position in front of the Emperor, then the Li Protectors would lose their important eyes and ears by the side of the Emperor. They would not know many major policies and decisions of the court, and it was difficult to say whether it would lead to irreparable mistakes because of a delay in information.
If Princess Taiping did not use her special status as the Princess of the Tang Dynasty and the daughter-in-law of the Wu family to recruit officials and protect the power of the Li Protectors, then on the day of Wu Zetian's death, the important positions in the court would probably all be occupied by the Wu family. The political power of the Li Protectors could only have the heart to kill the thief, but not the power to reverse the situation.
Yang Fan did not want Wan 'er to have her hands and feet tied because of this. It should be known that their power in the court was still very weak, and they planned to use the palace coup to restore Li Tang. Wan' er's role in this was more useful than a hundred thousand soldiers, so he must not let her carry the psychological burden. Because of this, Yang Fan tried hard to dispel Wan 'er's worries.
Wan 'er's worries were different from Zhang Shuo's. Zhang Shuo was a gifted scholar of his generation, and he cherished his reputation very much, so he alienated Taiping because of gossip. But Wan' er's worries were ninety percent because she did not want to make Yang Fan unhappy. Langjun could understand her difficulties, so the knot in Wan 'er's heart was naturally untied, and she no longer had so many worries.
The two of them talked as they walked, and when the knot in their hearts was untied, they could not help but speak words of love. Although the two of them had become husband and wife long ago, they had only been together for a short time. The few words of love from Yang Fan still made Wan 'er's heart sweeter than honey. In a daze, they only felt that time passed very quickly. It was a rare moment of warmth, but in the blink of an eye, they had arrived at Shangshan Square.
Further ahead was the Tianjin Bridge. Yang Fan and Wan 'er reluctantly said goodbye, and sat back on his own warhorse. He watched Wan' er's carriage pass the Tianjin Bridge, and disappeared at the bridgehead. Then he turned the horse and turned towards Shangshan Square.
Earlier, when Shanghai Wan 'er rushed to Princess Taiping's Mansion, Princess Taiping had indeed received the news. Wan' er was invited by her, and she had already sent people to wait in front of the mansion. Seeing Shanghai Wan 'er's carriage coming over from a distance, with an official banner on top, how could she not know that she had arrived. Without waiting for the carriage to come near, the people of the Princess Taiping's Mansion went in to report. As a result, by the time Princess Taiping arrived at the mansion, Shanghai Wan 'er had already turned the carriage around and left.
Princess Taiping's character was unbridled and brash, she did things her own way, loved and hated according to her heart, and was proactive. Whatever irrelevant people said, she would treat it as bullshit, and would not take it to heart at all. Therefore, she had no idea that the meticulous Shanghai Wan 'er would care so much about those rumors and slanders.
Shanghai Wan 'er's sudden return made Princess Taiping puzzled. She thought that there was some urgent news from the Palace, and the Shangguan Shangguan had been recalled. Therefore, she was not annoyed. Instead, she was somewhat perturbed, not knowing what major event had happened in the Palace.
Originally, the guests were sitting in the hall, waiting for Wan 'er to arrive before the banquet started. Wan' er left without any reason, and did not leave a word, so Princess Taiping ordered the banquet to start. The guests sat down, and the drinking started.
At this moment, Gao Jian had just made a drinking command, "Tired of drinking at night, don't go home until you are drunk." This was a quote from the Book of Songs. If other people wanted to drink, not only they had to follow the meaning, form, and rhyme of his command, but they also had to use a sentence from the Book of Songs.
This was a very common activity among scholars, and it was a test of knowledge. If there was a fake scholar who plagiarized poems and essays, he would immediately be exposed in this kind of situation. Even Yang Fan, who only had the foundation from his childhood, would not be able to handle this kind of scene of scholars drinking and drinking.
Gao Jian's first command made everyone stumped. Cui Shi thought hard for half a day, and suddenly he raised his chopsticks and touched the wine. He laughed and said, "Got it! The wind and rain are like a dark cloud, the rooster crows incessantly! "
Everyone clapped their hands and laughed, repeatedly praising the brilliant line. Princess Taiping smiled, and was about to let Gao Jian drink a cup of wine as punishment when a maid quietly came in and whispered in her ear, "Your Highness, Yang Fan asks to see you!"
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