A small sedan chair like this was not a sedan chair for a daughter of a decent family. It was more like a tool used by dancers, singers, or prostitutes. Le – Wen –
Seeing the sedan chair stop in front of her, Rong Xia calmly patted her horse, preparing to go around the sedan chair and leave.
"Yunniang greets Cheng Anbo." A woman wearing a snow-white dress walked out. Her figure was plump, like a ripe peach, exuding a woman's charm that attracted men. Compared to her figure, her appearance was slightly inferior. But although she was covered in dust, in front of Rong Xia, she restrained herself very well.
Rong Xia looked at the unfamiliar woman in front of her and did not speak.
Du Jiu still had an impression of this woman, but the last time he saw Yun Niang, she was still wearing an ordinary woman's outfit, and her hair was simply wrapped in a cloth. He didn't expect that after a few months, she seemed to have changed into a different person, from a simple camellia to a coquettish snake beauty.
"Miss," Du Jiu opened his mouth, "What is the matter?"
"On my way back from burning incense, I happened to meet Cheng Anbo, so I wanted to greet Duke." Yunniang slowly bowed to Rong Xia, "Duke, thank you for helping Yunniang last time."
After she came to the capital, she waited for Xie Qilin for more than a month. She also visited the Xie family, but the Xie family's gatekeeper did not let her in. He even ridiculed her, saying that she was a lowly prostitute and had delusions of marrying into the Xie family. It was ridiculous.
Yes, she was ridiculous, she had delusions, but weren't these delusions given to her by the Xie family's second young master?
Yes, she was a prostitute and was not worthy of the Xie family, but it was the Xie family's second young master who wanted to elope with her. She did not beg Xie Qilin to take her away. Who was more shameful? Who was more ridiculous?
Therefore, she was unwilling to give up. She wanted to find Xie Qilin and make things clear. However, she was a prostitute who had no one to rely on. Furthermore, she had left the capital for several years. She had no one to turn to for help. Where could she find Xie Qilin?
In her moment of despair, it was Cheng Anbo's guards who brought her to see Xie Erlang.
She remembered when they were deeply in love, he drew her eyebrows and she called him Erlang. He said she was Qing Lian, the most beautiful and noble. However, this man, who used to be full of sweet words, was now allowing her to be insulted by the Xie family's servants. It was as if all the affection in the past was just a fleeting cloud.
When she saw him, he was reciting poems with several scholars. Even though he was wearing a silver mask, it did not detract from his elegance.
He didn't seem to have expected her to appear. After being stunned for a long time, he walked in front of her and looked at her with a strange expression.
It was as if he was annoyed, as if he was guilty, but more than that, he was embarrassed.
"Yunniang," he said. "How did you come to the capital?"
That's right, a woman without a travel permit, a woman with limited money, how did she come to the capital?
Yunniang sneered at Xie Qilin: "Erlang, I am a woman. What do you think I can do?" After saying this, she saw the expression on Xie Qilin's face become even uglier. Afterwards, he seemed to be worried that other scholars would see her, so he took her to a secluded place.
"Yunniang, I'm sorry." Xie Qilin gave her a pouch. There was a lot of silver inside and a few banknotes. It was enough for her to live comfortably for many years. It was even enough for her to buy a small courtyard in the capital.
"It's better to be the second young master of the Xie family," Yunniang smiled as she took the pouch, "Just this pouch is worth a few dozen taels of silver. It's not like the past, when you raised a useless woman like me and went around begging people to sell paintings. "
"Yunniang …"
"Xie second young master, there's no need to say more. Even though Yunniang is a lowly person, she knows how to write the four words of propriety, justice, integrity, and shame." Yunniang curtsied to Xie Qilin, "Thank you for giving me a happy dream. Now that I've woken up, Yunniang should go back."
"Where are you going?" Xie Qilin opened his mouth, "You're a weak woman with no one to rely on in the capital. I'll have someone arrange a place for you to live …"
"Is Xie young master going to raise me as a mistress?" Yunniang sneered, "You eloped with Yunniang. You've already wronged a woman. Are you going to wronged your future wife? Even if Xie young master is willing, Yunniang won't be willing. Yunniang has done this once. She doesn't want to do it a second time. "
Xie Qilin looked dazedly at Yunniang. He didn't seem to think that she would say this. A moment later, he said, "The past has nothing to do with you. It's all my fault. You don't have to be angry with me. I just want to find a place for you to settle down. I have no intention of raising you as a mistress. You have no relatives in the capital. How can I let you be alone? "
"Even if young master doesn't have such intentions, there are too many people. Who can guarantee that your future wife won't misunderstand?" Yunniang laughed softly. It wasn't clear whether she was laughing at Xie Qilin or at herself, "I've lived alone in Xue Zhou for almost two years. Haven't I been fine? In addition, a woman's heart is very soft. Young master, please take care of your future wife. "
"Then where are you going?"
"Wherever I came from, I'm going back," Yunniang squeezed the pouch in her hand, "This servant should be someone who can be used as a pillow, someone who can be tasted by anyone. It was young master who gave this servant a happy dream. Now that I've woken up, it's time to be myself."
"Young master, this servant will take her leave. I wish you good health for the rest of your life and a prosperous future. "
"Yunniang!" Xie Qilin grabbed Yunniang's hand.
Yunniang turned to look at him, "Young master can't bear to part with Yunniang. Is it because you want to take Yunniang into the fu as a concubine?"
Xie Qilin's hand loosened like it was on fire. He looked guiltily at Yunniang, "I'm very sorry, Yunniang."
"Young master Xie doesn't need to say more," Yunniang lowered her eyelids and looked at her wrinkled clothes. She hadn't been willing to wear this set of clothes and had specially changed into it today. The hem of the skirt was embroidered with his favorite lotus flower. But he wouldn't notice that now, "If young master really feels guilty towards Yunniang, please answer Yunniang's question."
"Ask away."
"When you eloped with Yunniang, was it really because you liked Yunniang?"
Xie Qilin was silent and didn't speak.
Yunniang's face was pale as she smiled, "This servant understands."
Seeing Du Jiu again, the memories hidden deep in her mind surfaced. She smiled as if nothing had happened and turned to look at the plaque on the Ban Family's door, "This servant didn't mean anything else. It's just that I was fated to meet Bo Ye today and wanted to thank Bo Ye."
"Also …" Yunniang smiled flirtatiously, "Princess Fule is a good woman. Bo Ye, please treat her well."
When she thanked Rong Xia, she didn't make a formal bow. After saying this, she made a formal bow.
No one knew that, for her, the only thing she was thankful for was that she met a good woman. If Ban Han had been more cruel and unreasonable, she would have been beheaded. How could she still be alive today?
She had thought more than once that perhaps Princess Fule had already guessed that she and Xie Qilin wouldn't last long. So not only did she not hate her, she even gave her a sum of money.
It was all because of this money that she was able to come to the capital and see the man who made her life so exciting.
Creak.
The Ban Family's door opened and Ban Heng walked out. When he saw so many people standing in front of his house, he looked at Rong Xia in confusion.
How dare she run to the Ban Family's door and flirt with a woman? Was she trying to cause trouble?
"Why are you blocking the door? Are you going to leave or not?" Ban Han, who was walking behind, saw Ban Heng standing at the door in a daze. She reached out and poked him, then stuck her head out to look outside.
"Sister!"
Ban Heng didn't have time to stop her. He could only helplessly touch his face and follow his sister out.
Ban Han was also stunned when she saw so many people standing in front of her house. But the first person she saw was not Rong Xia, but Yunniang.
"It's you?" Ban Han looked at Yunniang in surprise. Although two years had passed and Yunniang's makeup was brighter than before, Ban Han recognized her at first glance.
"Princess," Yunniang respectfully bowed to Ban Han, "I met Cheng Anbo on the road. Because Cheng Anbo had helped me before, I came down from the sedan chair to thank him." This was to explain to Ban Han why she was standing in front of the Ban Family's door with Rong Xia.
Ban Han finally noticed Rong Xia. She looked at the sky. It was already late: "It's already evening. Have you eaten?"
For the Ban Family, whether or not one had eaten was a very important question.
Rong Xia dismounted from her horse and walked in front of Ban Han: "I'm not hungry. I just heard that someone came to make trouble for you, so I came to take a look."
Trouble?
Ban Han was stunned for a moment. Then she realized who Rong Xia was talking about. She coughed dryly: "I didn't see him. He was taken away by the Yan Family."
Rong Xia smiled: "I know."
However, his gentle smile didn't attract Ban Han's attention at this moment. Ban Han's attention had already drifted to Yunniang. She walked to Yunniang's side and looked at the sedan chair behind her. She didn't ask where she lived now. She only said: "You … when did you return to the capital?"
"Last year," Yunniang didn't mention that time when she almost hit Cheng Anbo with the window pole. She only said: "How is everything, Princess?"
"Everything is fine," Ban Han thought of the things that happened after Xie Qilin and Yunniang eloped. She sighed, "You shouldn't have come back."
"Yunniang grew up in the capital. Although other places are good, it's not my hometown. There's no meaning in living alone," Yunniang lowered her head and smiled, "Seeing that Princess is fine, Yunniang is relieved."
Ban Han knew what she was talking about. She sneered: "The past is like the wind. No need to mention it. Let him be."
"Yes," Yunniang also smiled, "This servant was not sensible in the past. I caused Princess to suffer so much. I'm afraid I can't repay Princess in this life."
"What does that have to do with you," Ban Han shook her head, "Those who betrayed me have never felt guilty. Why should you feel guilty?"
Yunniang raised her head. She saw Rong Xia standing not far from them. She was worried that if she mentioned Xie Qilin again, Cheng Anbo would misunderstand Princess. She didn't mention the past again. She felt guilty towards Ban Han. She also heard the rumors outside. She was worried that Cheng Anbo didn't treat Ban Han well and that Ban Han would be wronged.
Women were afraid of marrying the wrong man. Princess Fule's personality was so different from Cheng Anbo's. She was really worried that Cheng Anbo would mind Princess' past.
She felt that she was a prostitute. If she stood with Ban Han for too long, it would cause others to gossip about Ban Han. She said: "Princess, it's getting late. This servant will leave now."
"It's getting late," Ban Han saw that Yunniang's sedan chair wasn't tight enough. She called two guards over, "They're all good men from the Ban Family. There aren't many black people on the road. Let them accompany you back."
Yunniang hurriedly shook her head and said: "How can this be?"
"No need to decline. If you go back like this, I'll be worried." Ban Han waved his hand, "Then it's settled."
Even though Ban Han used a tone that didn't require any discussion, Yunniang's heart warmed. She bowed towards Ban Han and sat in the small sedan chair.
The sedan bearers originally looked down on a prostitute like Yunniang. But when they saw that she was acquainted with a noble person like Princess, and that the noble had personally sent guards to escort her, they couldn't help but feel a bit of respect. In the eyes of ordinary people, guards for noble people were also very important. They didn't dare to offend them.
After Yunniang left, Ban Han turned his head to look at Rong Xia: "Why aren't you going back? Do you want to stay at my door and become a messenger?"
"Not just a messenger, even if I become a coachman for Huahua," Rong Xia looked at the small sedan chair in the distance. He didn't know why, but he felt that this woman called Yunniang wasn't just passing by. She was here to find Huahua?
But why was it that after seeing Huahua, she didn't say anything?
Was it because he was here?
"Fine, fine. If other people know that I let a gentleman like you be a coachman, then I'll be condemned by everyone," Ban Han stroked the neck of Rong Xia's horse, "Hurry back. Tomorrow is the Second Prince's wedding. You have to go to the palace early in the morning. Sleep early tonight."
"Okay." Rong Xia smiled. He didn't mention Yan Zhen to Ban Han, and Ban Han didn't explain anything to him. The two looked at each other and smiled. Rong Xia mounted the horse.
"This is a good horse," Ban Han patted the horse's neck, "Does it have a name?"
"Not yet." Rong Xia's horse was a date red horse. There was a strand of white hair on its forehead. Its hair was shiny, its eyes were bright, and its hooves were strong. It was a rare good horse.
The horse rubbed against Ban Han, as if it was very close to him.
Rong Xia saw that this horse with a bad temper was so close to Ban Han, so he said: "Why don't you give it a name?"
"Its hair is so red …"
Du Jiu immediately pricked up his ears. This horse was a rare imperial treasure. Its name couldn't be too casual.
"Let's call it Bai Yutao."
Why did Mao Hong have to call it Bai Yutao? Shouldn't it be Red Yutao or Date Yutao?
No, why would such a majestic horse have such a tacky name?!
"Why did you think of this name?" Rong Xia didn't expect that his beloved horse would be given such a casual name. He saw the horse foolishly rubbing against Ban Han's hand. As an owner, Rong Xia felt that she could still fight for the horse with a serious and responsible attitude.
"Its whole body is red, but the white hair on its forehead is the brightest." Ban Han gently touched the horse's neck, "It's suitable to call it Bai Yutao."
Rong Xia opened his mouth, but finally nodded and said: "You're right. This name is really suitable."
Du Jiu: "As long as you … are happy."
"Huahua likes horses very much?" Rong Xia saw that all her attention was on his horse. He leaned over on the horse and looked at Ban Han, "I have a horse of this breed in my manor. I'll have someone send it to you tomorrow."
"No," Ban Han shook his head, "That must be Bai Yutao's companion. It's better to leave it in your manor to accompany Bai Yutao. I have my own mount. I like horses since I was young. When I see a beautiful horse, I can't help but want to touch it. "
When she was very young, her grandfather would take her to sit on the back of a horse to play. He would tell her stories about the battlefield and the stories between the generals and their horses. As a result, she formed a concept from a young age, that was, a horse was her companion. Even if it was old, she had to take good care of it. She would not throw it away, let alone replace it.
Rong Xia remembered that Ban Han often rode a white horse, "Is it that white horse?"
"Yes," Ban Han nodded, "It's called Black Jade. It was given by His Majesty."
"Black Jade?" Rong Xia couldn't help but laugh. A white horse was named Black Jade?
"Yes, its eyes are very beautiful, just like Black Jade," Ban Han was very proud when talking about his beloved horse, "If there's a chance in the future, I'll take it to compete with you in riding."
"Okay," Rong Xia agreed.
Du Jiu thought expressionlessly, "My horse is called Black Jade, and other people's horse is called Bai Yutao. Isn't it better to not add the word 'cake'?"
"Okay," Ban Han took his hand away from the horse, "you can go back."
Rong Xia looked at Ban Han. Her eyes were very beautiful, like a lake. They were so clear that he almost couldn't move his eyes away. But in this pair of clear eyes, there was no reluctance, no nostalgia, and not much friendship.
She didn't like him, or … she wasn't moved by him.
She looked at him as if she was looking at a favorite ornament, a beautiful peacock. There was amazement and appreciation, but the only thing missing was the affection between a man and a woman.
"Goodbye." Rong Xia smiled.
"Okay," Ban Han smiled, and waved at Rong Xia, "take care."
The sound of horse hooves could be heard. After Rong Xia's figure disappeared, Ban Han turned to Ban Heng and said, "Let's go back."
"Sister, we're not going to the villa?" Ban Heng originally wanted to go bury some more money, but he didn't expect to meet Rong Xia when he went out. After a while, the time was delayed until now.
"No," Ban Han looked up at the sky, "it's getting dark. Next time."
"Okay." Ban Heng was a bit disappointed. After burying money twice, he suddenly felt that the feeling of burying money was quite good. He fell in love with this kind of game.
The area where the nobles lived was quite a distance away from the building where the Yunniang lived. The sedan-bearers moved quickly. Before they reached the building, the sky was already dark.
The closer they got to the red light district, the more complicated the identities of the people passing by. Sometimes, they would meet some unreasonable drunkards, so they had to be careful. Just as they entered the alley, a young man dressed like a scholar with messy clothes walked out.
He walked unsteadily, and his mouth was muttering, as if he was complaining about the unfairness of the officialdom, or cursing his friends and relatives. Then he hit his head on the sedan-bearer, fell to the ground, and rolled twice. He was about to open his mouth to curse when a man walked in front of him, and pulled out a large knife that emitted a cold light. He was so scared that he didn't make a sound.
In the Great Ye Dynasty, those who could carry weapons on the streets were people with special identities, such as soldiers, bailiffs, and high ranking nobles. If a normal person dared to carry a knife on the streets, they would be taken to the yamen within twenty steps.
He thought that the person sitting in the sedan was a courtesan that the nobles liked, so they sent a guard to bring her back. So after the group left, he dared to curse in a low voice.
"Just a prostitute, what's so great about her. When I … become the top scholar, I can even marry a princess. Books have their own, their own beauty, women are not good things … "He burped and got up from the ground. Without even patting the dust off his body, he stumbled away.
Walking to a deserted alley, he saw two black-clothed people stabbing a knife into a fat man's stomach. He was so scared that he almost spat out the contents of his stomach. But perhaps it was because he had been scared by the knife, he managed to hold it in. It was not until a long time after the black-clothed people left that he dared to use the wall to move step by step towards the man lying on the ground.
He didn't know what he stepped on, but he fell forward, right in front of the fat man. His hand on the ground was sticky and greasy. He used the weak light of the moon and stars to see that his hand seemed to be stained with something. He lowered his head to smell it, and couldn't help but vomit.
"Murder … murder!"
"Murder!"
This pitiful scholar's voice was the loudest in his life, startling the lights of hundreds of houses, and also attracted the people of the yamen.
The identity of the deceased was quickly determined, a minor fifth rank official of the Ministry of Works. In the capital filled with nobles, this person's status was not high. But this person's surname was Zhao, and he was from a branch of the Zhao Family. His ancestors were nobles for several generations.
The head of the Zhao Family was Zhao Li. His eldest son, Zhao Jun, was the current Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War, and his second son, Zhao Zhong, was the Zhizhou of Xue Province. The Zhao Family was very low-key, and usually did not stand out in the capital. The only thing they used as a topic of conversation was their third son who died young.
Because the third son of the Zhao Family had an arranged marriage with the Princess Fule, the child died young, and the marriage was automatically annulled. Later, the Xie Family broke off the marriage with the Ban Han, so the third son of the Zhao Family died young, and became the ironclad proof that the Ban Han had jinxed her husband. Even though the Zhao Family repeatedly explained that their child's health was not good, and that it had nothing to do with the Ban Han, people who loved to gossip did not care about the opinions of the people involved. They even thought that the Zhao Family was trying to curry favor with the Ban Family, and continued to speculate happily.
When there was something to talk about, who would care about the opinions of the people involved? Who would know if the people involved were lying?
The deceased was Group Leader Zhao Li's younger cousin, Zhao Jia. Zhao Jia was a person who did not know how to do anything serious. He was an expert in eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling. He was the type of person that the Dandy Sect, represented by Ban Huai, did not like to play with. But these two types of dandy did not like each other, so they rarely interacted with each other.
Zhao Jia had two knife wounds on his body, from the front of his abdomen to the back. It could be seen that the murderer was very strong, and it was possible that there were two people.
Who would put in so much effort to kill a useless playboy? It must be known that tomorrow was the Second Prince's wedding. In order to ensure that there were no accidents, the capital had sent many people to closely monitor the city.
Under these circumstances, there was still someone who succeeded in the assassination, and they could not even find half of the murderer's shadow. The water here was very deep.
In order to not let the wedding be unlucky, this assassination was temporarily suppressed. The next morning, the capital was red. The dowry that the Xie family had prepared was carried out one after another. Although it was not the real "ten li of red dowry," it was enough for the people of the capital to see a lot of excitement.
Ban Han was sleeping when she heard the music outside. She pulled the blanket over her head and covered her head, wanting to continue sleeping. But when the music ended, there was the sound of firecrackers. She angrily sat up, "Why is it so noisy outside?!"
"Junzhu, you forgot. Today is the wedding day of the Second Prince and the young miss of the Xie family," Ru Yi knew that Junzhu was angry when she woke up and quickly comforted her in a small voice, "There are many people outside who want to see the excitement. I'm afraid it will be lively for a while."
"If you didn't mention it, I would have forgotten," Ban Han rubbed her temples and laid down on the bed, lazy like a soft noodle, "I really don't want to get out of bed."
"It's fine if you don't want to get out of bed. This servant will help you wash your face and rinse your mouth first," Ru Yi smiled gently, "I'll have someone bring breakfast into the room for you to eat?"
"En." Ban Han weakly lay on the blanket, not even wanting to raise her head.
"The groom has come to pick up the bride!"
"Where's the groom?!"
When the procession to pick up the bride arrived at the gate of the Xie family, everyone discovered that the person who had come to welcome Xie Wanyu into the palace was not the Second Prince, but an official from the Ministry of Rites. The Xie Family's smile was slightly stiff, but it was not easy to show it on their faces.
According to the rules, when a prince married a princess, he did not have to come personally. Instead, he had the Bride Escort greet him. But if they both lived in the capital, they usually did not care about this. Even when the Crown Prince married the Crown Princess, the Crown Prince personally came to greet her.
What was the Second Prince's intention to not give the Xie family face?
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