Xiao Man sent off the last doctor and was about to return to the rear residence when Ren Wei suddenly rushed over and said without rhyme or reason: "Eldest Madame, Ah Lang suddenly left the residence!"
Xiao Man was startled and asked: "Does Ah Lang need someone's permission to leave the residence?"
Ren Wei said with a head full of sweat: "No, Ah Lang suddenly took a horse and left the residence in a hurry. When we heard the news and rushed over, we did not know where Ah Lang went. Ah Lang did not ask for any guards to accompany him. "
Today, Yang Fan's identity was noble on the surface but even more so in the dark. He had retinues everywhere he went and could be said to be heavily guarded. But today, Yang Fan left alone and did not ask for any guards to accompany him. This kind of thing had never happened before.
Xiao Man slightly frowned, puzzled by Yang Fan's strange behavior. But since Yang Fan left on his own initiative and did not ask anyone to follow him, he must have his reasons. In such a big city like Luoyang, where could they find him now?
Xiao Man thought for a moment and said: "Langjun must have his reasons for doing this. You don't need to worry, go back and wait."
Ren Wei saw Eldest Madame say so and could only cup his hands: "Yes!"
The southeast corner of Luoyang was originally a sparsely populated area, but because of the flood, it became even more desolate.
Some scholars who studied in the capital and foreigners who came to Luoyang to work liked to live here. The environment here was quiet and elegant, and the rent was much cheaper than in the center of the city. But after the flood, prices in Luoyang remained high. These people who could leave had all left, so the south of the city became even more deserted.
In the empty square, Yang Fan galloped along a deserted alley. The mud on the ground had not been cleaned. The surface of the mud was dry, but when he stepped on it, it was still mud. The legs and buttocks of the snow-white horse were full of mud. Yang Fan urged the horse to hurry, but the horse was stuck in the mud, so how could it go fast?
A door appeared in front of him. The flagpole, the door, and the stone beasts on the steps all had traces of being submerged. Yang Fan jumped down from his horse and strode up the steps. He grabbed the brass ring on the door and started banging on it.
"Knock, knock, knock …" Yang Fan grabbed the knocker and knocked for an unknown amount of time. Suddenly, he let go of the knocker and took a few steps back, intending to jump over the wall and enter. The mansion's door creaked open.
Standing at the door was the boat lady. She wore a plain green coat and trousers, with a white ribbon tied around her waist. She looked neat and tidy. When she saw that the person who came was Yang Fan, she revealed a look of surprise, but her expression was not too obvious. Yang Fan silently looked at her, momentarily speechless.
Yang Fan had never thought that he would hear news of Miss Ning Ke from Doctor Jiang. He did not know that Miss Ning Ke had come to Luoyang, did not know that Miss Ning Ke had lived in Luoyang for so long, did not know that Ning Ke lived in the same city as him, silently guarding him, and did not know that Ning Ke … had passed away!
In his heart, Ning Ke was like the bright moon in the sky. It seemed very far away, but also seemed very close. He could feel the gentle moonlight at any time, but only occasionally when he thought of it would he raise his head to look at it.
He liked Miss Ning Ke, but had never thought of pursuing her. It was not only because of the difference in status between them at that time, but more importantly, Miss Ning Ke's flawless purity, a purity that was enough to make any man in the world feel ashamed of their inferiority.
It was not until he suddenly heard that she had passed away that the indistinct thread of love in his heart suddenly tightened, causing his heart to ache. Without thinking, he rushed out on the horse, but when he arrived at the mansion mentioned by Doctor Jiang, there was only confusion left in his heart.
He did not know how to move; he did not know how to speak; even tears were faintly aching, and he wanted to cry but had no tears.
"General Yang?"
"Is she … still here?"
The boat lady nodded, her eyes red.
Yang Fan said in a trembling voice, "I want to see her, can I?"
The boat lady nodded wordlessly, gently opened the door, and stepped aside.
Yang Fan did not pay attention to the horse at the bottom of the steps, walked in silently, and closed the door again.
It could be seen that this used to be a very elegant and exquisite manor, but now it was full of traces of flooding. The boat lady had to clean such a large courtyard alone, and so far she had only cleared some passable paths. The boat lady silently walked in front, the white silk ribbon fluttering around her waist.
In the backyard, the pond had been filled with silt, and now it looked like a wilderness. The backyard was very large, and there was a slope beside the pond, on which there were stones, trees, and a pentagonal pavilion. Because this place had not been eroded by the flood, this high slope was the only place in the entire manor that still maintained a beautiful landscape.
The boat lady led Yang Fan up the high slope step by step, and a strong fragrance of flowers hit his face, lingering for a long time.
Although it was not stunning, there was a fragrance that could suppress the autumn.
There was an osmanthus tree in front of him, with four leaves, white petals, several yellow pistils, and a green stem, which happily gathered together to form a soft, ethereal, and fragrant little osmanthus flowers.
"The peach and plum flowers in the east of Luoyang fly back and forth, who do they fall on? … This year the color of the fallen flowers changes, next year the flowers bloom again, who is there? The ancients did not return to the east of Luoyang, today people still treat the falling flowers with wind. Every year the flowers look the same, every year the people are different … "
Somehow, this poem suddenly came to Yang Fan's mind, and he couldn't help but feel sad.
The boat lady led him to the osmanthus tree. In the strong fragrance of flowers, there was a stone tablet, a mound, and some grass on the mound. The girl had been gone for more than three months. This was the place where Ning Ke was buried. After Ning Ke's death, this mansion was used as a tomb by the Dugu family.
When Yang Fan saw the four words "Dugu Ning Ke" on the stone tablet, he was completely stunned. He stared at the stone tablet in a daze, and didn't even know when the boat lady had quietly left. What flashed in front of his eyes were the bits and pieces of his life since he met Miss Ning Ke. Drop by drop, they fell in his heart, mellow like wine; drop by drop, they fell in his heart, like knives and swords …
He didn't know when the boat lady quietly appeared under the osmanthus tree, holding an ancient zither in her hand, and there was a letter on the zither. Seeing Yang Fan staring at the tombstone in the same daze as when she left, the boat lady felt sad, and tears began to well up in her eyes.
"General Yang, this is what Miss Ning Ke left for you."
Yang Fan didn't hear her voice at first, until he heard "Ning Ke". He turned his head subconsciously. "The zither … and letter that Miss Ning Ke left for me?"
Yang Fan took the zither book in surprise. The zither was "Green Damask". Ning Ke once asked Grand Duke Li for this zither. Grand Duke Li promised to give it to her as a birthday gift after she played with it for a year. Now, this zither was in his hands.
Under the osmanthus tree, Yang Fan sat cross-legged on the ground, with the zither on his knees, and her letter in his hand.
"I don't know when Erlang will know of my death, and whether he will come to see me at that time. If you do not come, or will never know, then let this letter be addressed to me. If you come to see me, even though we are separated by life and death, can you see my happy smile?
Erlang, when you read this letter, I don't know if you will still be a handsome and high-spirited young man, or a middle-aged man who is slightly weary, or a white-haired old man with many children and grandchildren. I don't know if you still remember the sickly little girl in Chang 'an. She was crazy about you.
I like Erlang, no matter if you are the heroic Erlang, the fanciful Erlang, the free and easy Erlang, the cunning Erlang, or the smiling Erlang. Sometimes you are as innocent as a child, and sometimes you can see through people's hearts. Sometimes you are overbearing, and sometimes you are so steady. It always makes my heart melt when I think of you …
It's raining today, but it's just a light drizzle, a moist drizzle, just like the day I met Erlang. It also rained that morning, and it was such a light and soft rain that the grass in the yard stretched its stems and leaves. Maybe it was on that day that Erlang took root in my heart.
I am not very sure, and I don't know what I want, and I don't know what I can pursue with my weak body. I have been weak since I was young, and to be able to meet Erlang was the luckiest thing in my life. To be able to like Erlang is the deepest mark that I have left in this world.
I might as well follow my heart and follow fate. As long as I think of Erlang in my heart, and secretly like you, I will be satisfied. Really, this servant should be content with what I have. I am destined to be like a cicada since birth, to live in endless darkness day after day, year after year.
But the cicada will step into the light one day. Although it is only a summer, it can enjoy the light and rain, and sing to its heart's content until death. I always thought that even if it is this short period of light, I will never be able to obtain it. But the heavens finally took pity on me and let me meet you.
Although the time is short, it is a wait that I have exchanged my whole life for! Do you know, even if you only gaze for a moment for me, I am extremely happy. I never knew that it is so sweet and peaceful to have someone in my heart.
My head hurts, and it becomes more and more painful. That kind of feeling is unbearable. In the past, I often wished that I could just die and not have to suffer such pain. But now I can't bear it, and I am more and more unwilling. But I can't leave when I want to, and I have to leave when I don't want to. Suffering from illness, suffering from death, suffering from separation from love, suffering from not being able to ask for anything. Erlang, do you know how painful it is for me?
Li Taigong has sent 'Green Damask' here. I really want to play a song for you, just like in Chang 'an. I want to play it for you and see you smile. But I have no strength left. I don't even have the strength to play the zither. Am I very useless? Leave this zither for Erlang. You are not good at playing, but I like listening to it the most … "
Yang Fan slowly rolled up the letter in his hand. He only felt that his chest was heavy. He wanted to cry, but he couldn't. He was so suffocated that he couldn't even breathe. He didn't know that the girl as pure as the first snow had such deep feelings for him. He didn't know that the shallow mark in his heart that had been tainted by the world of mortals was as deep as the abyss in that pure and flawless girl's heart.
Ning Ke was weak and didn't go out much in Chang 'an. Why did she come to Luoyang? Yang Fan knew the answer as soon as he heard it. But he didn't expect that he and Ning Ke hadn't seen each other until he died. Once they parted in Chang 'an, they parted forever. He didn't even have time to regret.
After a long time, the sound of zither rang out under the osmanthus tree. The sound was a little obscure and the technique was not very skilled. But the player was very serious.
"Phoenix, phoenix, I return to my hometown. I wander the four seas in search of a phoenix. I haven't met her yet. How can I understand the present and ascend to this hall?
There is a beautiful lady in the boudoir. The people near me are poisonous. Why are we fated to be mandarin ducks? Hu and I soar together!
Phoenix, phoenix, I perch in my nest. I entrust my tail to be my concubine forever. Friendship is smooth and harmonious. Who knows me in the middle of the night?
I lift my wings and fly high. My thoughts make me sad … "
The setting sun was like blood. The dusky crows circled the tree.
The song started with the sound of the zither. The sound of the zither was flat, but the singing was sad. It was enough to make people cry.
The word "sad" was not finished yet. The sound of the zither suddenly turned into gold. With a clang, the famous zither "Green Damask" turned into powder under Yang Fan's palm.
There was a stove of incense in front of the grave. The smoke was curling up. It seemed to be transformed by the girl. It gently lingered around the player and couldn't bear to leave for a long time …
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