Gu Yan naturally knew what he was talking about. When she thought of that person, she couldn't help but reveal a little girl's demeanor. Her face flushed red, but she still raised her head and was about to reply to him when she suddenly heard someone speak behind her.
"How can that be? Magnificent like peaches and plums. Today, I finally understand the meaning of this poem. "
The two turned their heads to look. It turned out to be their second brother, Gu Qian.
Gu Yan smiled. Her eyes were full of fearlessness and unruliness. She said, "Peaches and plums are short-lived things. They can't withstand the wind. If you want to be a kapok, you can grow independently and never rely on others. "
Gu Qian chuckled and teased, "Kapok is a partridge singing. Kapok is holding the man's clothes. I wonder whose clothes my family's Ting 'er wants to hold. What do you think, Muran?"
He tilted his head and asked. He moved his body slightly to let the person standing behind him pass. Behind her, Mu Ran's white robes were spotless and his wide sleeves fluttered slightly in the wind. The indifferent and cold expression between his brows melted like ice and snow the instant he looked at Gu Ling, transforming into a spring breeze.
He smiled lightly and answered Gu Qian, "You'll have to ask the Ting 'er." But his eyes were gentle as he looked at Gu Yan.
Gu Yan was stunned. She didn't expect him to be here. Her ears suddenly heated up. Her face turned even redder. Her unruliness was swept away. She was embarrassed like a little girl.
She stomped her feet angrily and pointed at Gu Qian, "Second brother, you only know how to tease me."
Gu Qian smiled. Before he could reply, Gu Gao interrupted with a smile and said to Gu Yan, "Second brother is telling the truth. What are you angry about?" “
Gu Ling's eyes were filled with annoyance as she glared at Gu Gao. Who would have thought that Gu Gao was not the slightest bit afraid as he took advantage of the situation and said, "You are already of marriageable age and Mu Ran is also here today. Why don't we let Father make the decision to fulfill both of your wishes?"
Gu Yan was both embarrassed and annoyed. She simply went forward to grab Gu Gao's fan. Gu Gao usually treasured his fan the most. When he saw that she was going to grab it, he hurriedly dodged. The two of them were in a mess.
Gu Qian and Mu Ran only stood far away and watched the two of them. The attendants and servants behind them watched them play around and giggled, but they didn't have the slightest intention of mediating.
"Why are you all here?" A man's voice suddenly came from behind. The two of them turned around and saw their eldest brother, Gu Yang, walking over quickly. When he saw Gu Gao and Gu Yan, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Why are you two fighting so early in the morning again?"
When Gu Yan saw that his eldest brother had arrived, he stopped pestering Gu Gao and walked to Gu Yang's side to hold his arm. He complained pitifully, "Eldest Brother, Third Brother is bullying me."
Gu Yang shook his head helplessly. "Father and Mother are waiting for you. How could you play around and forget the time?"
Gu Yan then remembered that she had to go pay respects to her parents. She stuck out her tongue and looked embarrassed.
Gu Gao laughed loudly and said, "Go pay your respects quickly. Who knows, I might be able to call Muran younger sister in a while." He then waved his fan and walked away.
Gu Yan's face was red. She couldn't help but look at Muran. The latter smiled and walked forward. He helped her tidy up her loose hair from playing with Gu Gao. He said, "Go pay your respects to the Prime Minister." His movements were natural and there was no trace of bashfulness. However, it made Gu Yan's face even hotter.
She nodded. She didn't dare to look at his face again. She turned and followed Gu Gao to the main room.
When the corridor came to an end, she couldn't help but turn back. She saw that the man was still standing quietly in the corridor, looking at her with a smile.
The wind swayed the petals and they fell into the pond outside the corridor. The ripples made her heart ripple.
At that time, she was filled with joy. She thought that she would never be able to walk away from his gentle gaze.
But what happened a month ago, when she thought about it now, it seemed like a long time ago.
Now, she was silently playing the role of a chess piece in an intricate chess game.
"Pingyang, could it be that you also like this poor horse trapped in the garden and don't like a good horse that can travel a thousand miles?"
Her mind suddenly remembered the words that Yi Ling had said to her that day in Shang Lin Yuan. His gaze was like a knife. At that time, she didn't understand the meaning behind his words.
Now she finally understood his breadth of mind and his bearing.
Since she was already in the game of chess and couldn't escape or hide, then she wouldn't be controlled by others. If she wanted to be the master of this game of chess!
① The Book of Songs. Wei Feng. Shuo Ren.
② Peng Xianmen's "Guangzhou Zhuzhi Ci."
— — —
Gu Yan's illness lasted for more than half a year. During this time, there was an endless stream of people from the Prime Minister's manor who came to congratulate her. The auspicious and beautiful words annoyed her, so she used her illness as an excuse to move to a villa in the southern suburbs of Jiangdu. She only left behind a few personal maids and a nanny sent by the palace to teach her wedding etiquette. It was a quiet and leisurely life.
Summer was long. The lotus flowers in the villa's lake bloomed one after another. The green leaves reached the sky and brought a cool breeze. The air was faintly filled with the fragrance of lotus flowers.
The lotus leaves swayed in the middle of the lake, causing the flowers to tremble. They were like beauties in the wind, very shy.
In the lake, there was a small boat going back to where the lotus leaves were greener. Standing at the bow of the boat was A Nuo. Gu Yan sat at the bow of the boat. She took off her shoes and socks and put her feet in the water to enjoy the coolness.
The boat was filled with newly harvested lotus flowers and lotus seed pods. The two of them shuttled back and forth in the lotus pond like carefree fairies. Gu Yan sat at the bow of the boat, her feet stirring up the water. Her hands were busy directing A Nuo, "Over there, over there. Open a bigger one over there."
A Nuo rowed while worriedly nagging Gu Yan, "Princess, the lake water is cold. Be careful not to catch a cold."
Gu Yan didn't mind. She picked up a lotus leaf and held it above her head. She smiled and said, "It's fine, it's fine. I'm fine. Just focus on driving the boat."
A Nuo couldn't do anything about it. He could only shake his head and row in the direction she pointed. They came to a large lotus leaf. Gu Yan leaned slightly to pick the lotus seed pods. A Nuo put down the oars and nervously went to her side to protect her. Gu Yan reached out but grabbed nothing. She suddenly cried out in alarm, "Aiya!"
A Nuo anxiously supported her and asked, "What's wrong? What's wrong?"
Gu Yan raised her tightly clenched right hand and said, "I'm scratched."
When A Nuo heard this, he hurriedly held her hand and wanted to check the injury. He asked, "Where is it? Is it serious?"
Who knew that Gu Yan would smile slyly and suddenly let go of her hand. She sprinkled the water that she had been holding onto onto A Nuo's face.
The sudden cold made A Nuo jump in fright. He screamed in alarm.
Gu Yan laughed out loud and watched as he awkwardly wiped his face with a handkerchief.
A Nuo wasn't willing to be taken advantage of. He also bowed and grabbed a handful of water, pretending to splash it on Gu Yan. Gu Yan hurriedly retracted her feet from the water to avoid it. The two of them played around.
While they were playing around, they faintly heard shouts from the shore. "Princess Pingyang." The two of them listened attentively for a moment. Sure enough, the shouts were for Gu Yan.
Gu Yan waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about her. It must be Mama who wants to teach etiquette again."
A Nuo thought for a moment and said, "It can't be. Etiquette lessons are usually in the morning. Perhaps something else happened at this time. Princess, you should go back and take a look."
Gu Yan could only nod. A Nuo held the oars and rowed back.
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