In the room, Yang Fan tried to sit up and felt weak. He shook his head with a grimace and said, "Even a good man is afraid of sickness. Miss Gu, please help me up."
"Oh!"
Gu Zhuting hurriedly stood up and carefully helped Yang Fan up. She then put a thick pillow behind his back. Seeing where he was looking, she immediately understood and picked up a cup of water from the table. Watching Yang Fan drink, she felt sweet inside.
"Miss Gu …"
"En!"
Yang Fan was silent for a moment. He suddenly laughed and said, "Calling me that seems too distant. How about I call you Little Ting in the future?"
Gu Zhuting's face was red. She stared at her toes and said bashfully, "When I was young, Father and Mother called me that …"
Yang Fan scratched his head and said, "Is it not appropriate to call you that? Then … then how about I call you Zhu Ting? "
"No, no, no, Little Ting is very good. Just call me Little Ting."
Gu Zhuting had two biggest worries in front of Yang Fan. One was her lowly status. A woman who wandered the martial world would not be easily accepted by a proper family, much less when she was originally the lowliest of slaves. She couldn't even be considered a good citizen. The other was that she was older than Yang Fan.
Although the empress was in power in this era, those who could really sit and talk with men were only an extremely small number of women of high status and power. The entire world was still a strict system of male superiority and female inferiority.
These things were reflected in politics. For example, outside of the inner court, there were no female officials. It was reflected in the law. For example, a wife beating her husband for a year, and a husband beating his wife would be demoted to the second rank. It was clear at a glance who was high or low. It was reflected in daily life. There were even more rules of high and low.
For example, a wife could never walk in front of her husband, or even walk side by side with him. For example, when a man slept on the bed, a woman could never turn over his body. If she had to pass him, she could only crawl past his feet. For example, a man would rarely marry a woman taller than him, no matter how beautiful she was. Also, a woman could be older than a man. In this era, this was a huge taboo.
"Little Ting," this form of address made her feel that she was a little younger than Little Ting, and … it made her feel warm in her heart, as if she was being pampered. "Spoil …" Ever since she started practicing martial arts at the age of four, she had never had the chance to be spoiled.
Yang Fan said, "Alright, then I'll call you Little Ting! Xiao Ting, since you agree, then our matter is settled. But I think we shouldn't talk about marriage for the time being. We have to give our family some time to adapt. Besides … I haven't told Xiao Man and A 'Nu. Also, there are many things in the Imperial Court recently … "
When Yang Fan spoke until here, he suddenly recalled the secret news of the Imperial Court moving the capital and couldn't help but frown. He didn't think that such a huge matter would be facilitated by the Hidden Sect, but if this matter were to become true, objectively speaking, it would be a help to the Hidden Sect. This was an indisputable fact.
Gu Zhuting lowered her brows and focused her eyes. Whenever Yang Fan said something, she would respond accordingly. She was unbelievably gentle and submissive. She was a very traditional woman. Since the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Hu customs that had gradually invaded the Central Plains could be blown into the imperial palace, but it couldn't be blown into the aristocratic clans that were proud of their tradition.
The Cui Clan never wore Hu clothes, and the Cui Clan's women weren't allowed to show their faces in public without any rules. The Cui Clan's massive residence didn't even have a single piece of Hu furniture. Even if she was a heroine who could kill a man every ten steps, she still had to be absolutely obedient to her man. This philosophy was deeply engraved in her bones.
After obtaining Yang Fan's promise, Gu Zhuting treated herself as Yang Fan's woman. Even if she was exceedingly capable and he didn't have the strength to truss a chicken, Gu Zhuting wouldn't be able to resist Yang Fan at all. Etiquette was a formless but incomparably powerful force. Due to her special identity, this sense of hierarchy was especially intense for her.
When Yang Fan saw that she was so obedient, he felt a little uneasy. He held her hand gently and said, "Don't think too much. I will definitely fulfill the promise that I made. However, there are some things that have to be prepared. "
When Gu Zhuting's little hand was held by him, her body became soft and her heart melted. No matter what Yang Fan wanted her to do, she could only obey. How could she say no? In addition, it was the first time that Yang Fan treated her so gently. She was so nervous that she didn't dare to say anything and just nodded like a chicken pecking rice.
Yang Fan had probably seen too many arrogant and domineering women. Although Xiao Man and Ah Nu were not domineering, they were also very lively. He was not used to Gu Zhuting being bullied like a little wife. He couldn't help but say, "Little Ting, you don't have to be so afraid of me."
Gu Zhuting hurriedly defended herself, "No, I'm not afraid of Ah Lang."
Yang Fan said helplessly, "You don't have to listen to me. If you have any ideas, just tell me. I'll think about it."
Gu Zhuting hurriedly shook her head, "I don't have any ideas. I'll do whatever Ah Lang says."
"I mean …"
"Hmm?"
A pretty face and a pair of big watery eyes looked at him eagerly, as if she was waiting for a holy teaching. Yang Fan couldn't help but smile bitterly and put his hand on his forehead. Gu Zhuting timidly said, "Ah Lang, did I … did I say something wrong?"
Yang Fan smiled bitterly, "No, I like it very much. Haha …"
Before he could finish laughing, Third Sister appeared at the door and reported in a low voice, "Ah Lang, there's news from the door that Cui Lin and Shen Mu are here to see you. Ah Lang, do you think …"
"Oh?" Yang Fan thought for a moment and said, "Invite them in. Come here!"
Third Sister nodded and turned to leave.
Gu Zhuting uneasily said, "Ah Lang, should I … should I leave?"
Yang Fan looked at her cautious appearance and felt helpless. Although such a beautiful and lovely woman with unfathomable martial arts was so submissive to him, it was very satisfying for a man to have such a man's mentality. But the two of them would have to live together day and night, and it would be very hard for her to do so.
'Maybe it will be better if she gets used to this new relationship.' Thinking of this, Yang Fan shook his head and said, "No, you stay here and accompany me to see them!"
The family members of the green-clothed man with the little hat led Cui and Shen, two people to the front hall, and then let the senile Old Steward Niu lead them to the back of the house. At the back of the house, there was a moon-shaped door, and they were handed over to San Jieer to lead the way. Passing through a small path in the forest, a rockery, a pond, and a grapevine, they walked all the way to an elegant and refined abode.
From the location of the house, it should be the master bedroom of the house, the place where the man and woman lived. The anger in Cui Lin's heart gradually faded. Yang Fan must be really unwell to be able to lead the two of them to this place. Otherwise, he could just lie in the study and pretend to be sick. It was impossible for him to be able to let the guests enter this place by pretending.
Cui Lin secretly wondered, "Is Yang Fan really so sick that he even finds it difficult to get up to welcome the guests?"
At the entrance of the carved door, there stood a beautiful woman with a tall figure and elegant steps. She wore a short emerald skirt and a red square skirt. A light green ribbon was tied around her slender waist. The soft clothes clung to her plump and perky buttocks, and the hem of the skirt was a slanted arc with many pleats, making her look like a burning mermaid.
Seeing Cui Lin and Shen Mu walking side by side, the mermaid bowed slightly to greet them. She waved her beautiful tail lightly and said in a soft voice, "Young Master Shen, Young Master Cui, please!"
Such a gentle and beautiful voice fell into the ears of Shen Mu, who had always liked to appreciate beautiful women. He could not help but raise his eyebrows slightly. Looking at this woman, she was dainty and beautiful, with slender eyebrows and charming eyes. Her nose was as delicate and white as ivory, and her red lips were slightly pursed, slanting into a bright and charming smile, which made people's eyes light up.
This woman was Gu Zhuting. She was originally an extremely beautiful woman, and at this time, she had just received the promise of her beloved. She had a place to place her heart and someone to rely on for the rest of her life. When she was in high spirits, it was really a unique beauty. Even though Shen Mu and Cui Lin had seen many beauties, they could not help but take a few more glances at her.
Third Sister squatted outside the door and stood still. Gu Zhuting led the two of them into the room and they turned inside. Right now, Yang Fan could not be compared to the nobles, nor could he be compared to the aristocratic families. But after all, his status was very different from the past, and the Yang family also had a strict atmosphere.
The inside of the room was separated from the outside by twelve octagonal flower and bird screens. As soon as they turned inside, they saw a carved mahogany frame bed with orange curtains parted slightly. Next to the bed was a dressing table made of the same material, and on top of the dressing table was a heart-shaped copper mirror that could be flipped.
Other than this, there was nothing else. The slanting sunlight reflected on the table surface, giving it an amber glow. Jewelry, accessories, and rouge were all in the drawers below. With one glance, Shen Mu knew that this was a dressing box with added mechanisms. As long as one pressed a button, the drawers would automatically pop out. This was the most popular dressing table among the rich and powerful.
Next to the bed, there was a high table with a fine white porcelain vase on it. There were a few flower branches inside. Next to it, there was a tray with soup bowls and medicine jars.
Shen Mu and Cui Lin looked at the bed together. Yang Fan was leaning on a thick cushion, looking at them with a smile. Although his complexion was now much better, there was still a gap between him and a normal person. With one glance, Cui Lin and Shen Mu knew that he was not pretending to be sick. He was indeed sick, and very sick at that.
Yang Fan smiled and said, "Both of you, please take a seat. This Yang is sick and cannot come out to welcome you. Please forgive me!"
Cui Lin was surprised and said, "When I came to visit a few days ago, Brother Yang was still well. Why did you suddenly fall sick?"
Yang Fan shook his head and said with a bitter smile, "Birth, old age, sickness, and death have always been out of our control. As for why I fell sick, how can I explain it clearly?"
Hearing this, Gu Zhuting's pretty face turned red. Guiltily, she moved the cushion over for the two of them and let them sit. She then turned her body sideways and, at the same time not blocking Yang Fan's line of sight, used a pair of slender, jade-like hands to deftly tighten the slightly loosened curtains. Then she gracefully retreated to the head of the bed, like a submissive little wife, but she did not leave.
Shen Mu glanced at her in surprise and immediately revealed a hint of understanding. Only then did he look at Yang Fan and said with a smile, "It should have been three years since I parted with Erlang? I remember that at that time, Erlang was still the Yulin Guard's First Lang General. I did not expect that after three years, Erlang would actually have such an earth-shattering change.
When I was in Xinluo, I have also heard of Erlang's many great and spectacular achievements. With his own power, he defeated that group of cruel officials from the Censorate, pacified the Southern Frontier's six paths barbarians, launched a surprise attack on the Khitan elders, quelled the rebellion in Hebei, manipulated the selection of officials, intelligently escorted Luling back to the capital, and now he has stirred up a storm of blood in the Pass.
Hehe, thinking of how Erlang cleverly alienated the Tufan King and Prime Minister, intelligently repelling the Turkic army of a hundred thousand, and so on, it makes one clap one's hands in admiration. Now, Erlang is in court and is a fourth-rank Loyal Martial Great General. In the wilderness, he has also become the leader of my successor hall, Xian Zong. It is really worthy of celebration! "
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