As more and more high-profile houses on both sides of the road became denser and denser, Gongsun Yan no longer needed to borrow the torch lit by Zhao Yun to see the street clearly.
A lantern hung in front of the mansion with blue bricks and tiles illuminated the ground several feet square in front of the door.
Finally, we reached a certain place and the car stopped for a moment.
Zhao Yun rode his horse close to the car window and whispered: "The Gongsun family has arrived."
Gongsun Yan responded softly, she believed Zhao Yun could hear it.
The car only stopped for a moment, then turned and continued driving forward.
The status of Gongsun Yan and Gongsun Cheng was not enough for the master to open the front door to welcome them.
A group of cars drove through the side door.
The lights were brightly lit outside, and there seemed to be many people coming to greet him.
To avoid being seen peeking behind the curtain, Gongsun Yan gently lowered the curtain and lay back on the soft couch in the car.
Alan, who had been quiet all this time, immediately stood up and put a thin quilt on her body.
Gongsun Yan was speechless and patted Alan's hand gently to express his gratitude. He lay down next to Gongsun Cheng and closed his eyes.
She thought she would arrive soon, but she didn't expect that after entering the side door, the car took a long time, so long that she went from closing her eyes and pretending to sleep to actually falling into a deep sleep.
She didn't even notice when she got out of the car and stopped.
"The master of the house has an order. It's already late at night. Please rest for the night, Mrs. Yan and the young master, and then go see the ceremony tomorrow."
A maid stood respectfully outside the car. She seemed to have expected that the girl in the car was already asleep, so she raised her voice slightly.
Gongsun Yan, who seemed to be sleeping but not sleeping, was startled by the sound and woke up.
Alan glanced at the direction of the sound with some displeasure.
He quickly found the flint and lit the lamp in the car.
After shouting, the lights came on in the car. The servant woman stopped making any sound and only stood respectfully beside the car.
Another middle-aged man with a round face, who seemed to be smiling at any time, came over, raised his hands to Zhao Yun and said, "Are you Captain Zhao? My surname is Lin, and I am the steward of the house. The head of the family has appointed me to be in charge of Yan temporarily.
If Captain Zhao has any instructions about the daily affairs of my wife and young master, I can speak directly to them."
Manager Lin was smiling and very polite. Zhao Yun was not one to put on airs. He got off his horse and gave him a hand: "Manager Lin, you are polite. I'm Zhao Yun. I don't know who is responsible for the defense in the courtyard. I can hand it over to someone."
Manager Lin seemed not surprised by Zhao Yun's request to take over the defense, and directly summoned a middle-aged warrior with a strong appearance.
All parties have speculated on the secret behind Aduna's previous trip south to intercept and kill him.
Gongsun Jing also got a glimpse of the cautious temperament of the captain named Zhao from Zuo Ping's letter, so he had already given instructions. If Gongsun Yan's guards asked to take over the defense, there was no need to stop him or feel resentful. If this would put them at ease, just let them go.
.
Therefore, the handover between the two parties was very smooth. The original guards of the Gongsun Mansion withdrew from each gate, and Baima Yicong, who followed, took over the defense of the courtyard gate and the dark corners of the turret.
In the car, Alan used the light to find shoes and put them on Gongsun Yan.
He was woken up just after he fell asleep. Gongsun Yan was a little dizzy, but he still cooperated and got up.
Alan lifted the door curtain of the parallel car, Gongsun Yan turned around and picked up the sleeping Gongsun Cheng, and walked out of the car.
As soon as I walked out, I was dazzled by the firelight.
Ah Qing also woke up from his dream, jumped out of the baggage cart in a hurry, stood next to the small stool, and stretched out his hand to support Gongsun Yan.
Under the firelight, it was especially clear that her hair was a little messy, and there was a clear trace of drool on her face. It was obvious that she had slept very soundly.
Gongsun Yan held her arm a little funny and walked out of the car. A group of Gongsun's servants and women lined up on both sides. The lanterns under the verandah illuminated the small courtyard brightly.
Gongsun Yan subconsciously looked in the direction of Zhao Yun, and saw him standing in the firelight in the distance, cupping his hands at her and nodding to reassure her.
While he was still in the courtyard, Gongsun Yan felt relieved. This was not Xiangguan. Gongsun Da's position was clear and he had no ill intentions. However, there were countless unknowns hidden in Gongsun's house.
Knowing that Zhao Yun is here, she doesn't have to worry about the placement and safety of her soldiers, she only needs to take care of herself.
She glanced around the courtyard steadily.
In the distance, there are dense walls and some buildings several stories high.
A pond was opened and trees were planted in the courtyard, and Gongsun Yan could still faintly smell the fragrance of unknown flowers.
The courtyard is not small in size, and it should be a good place to play in the garden during the day.
The servant girl who just reminded her came forward, raised her head slightly, and exposed her face to Gongsun Yan: "Ms. Yan."
After seeing the ceremony, the servant woman introduced herself. Her surname was Jiang, and she was also the housekeeper sent by the master of the house, Gongsun Jing.
Under the guidance of the housekeeper, Gongsun Yan carried Gongsun Cheng into the house, followed by Ah Qing and Alan.
As soon as you enter the house, a warm aroma hits your face. The corridor is covered with felt carpets, which look like spliced sheepskin. They are soft when you step on them, and the long hair almost reaches the top of your feet.
Ah Qing was startled by this extravagant behavior, and she looked at her shoes.
The Gebu shoes were almost buried in the fluffy wool, and I didn't know if they would leave any footprints.
Thinking of this, Ah Qing even became a little cautious when walking.
Alan was slightly better than her. Although he was also surprised by such luxury, he lowered his head in time and did not show his emotions.
She knew in her heart that showing off her shyness would bring disgrace to the lady. The lady came to Lingzhi alone and could not be looked down upon.
Compared with the simple Ah Qing and the thoughtful Alan, Gongsun Yan doesn't have so many ideas.
Gongsun Jingzhuren's carefully arranged house was destined to be let down.
There were a few candles lit in this dark room, and in the distance were heavy curtains hung heavily with many patterns embroidered on them.
Gongsun Yan had seen these patterns before, on the restored cultural relics unearthed in the museum. These patterns always connected her with tombs and death.
The long woolen rug you're walking on is not that unusual.
The servants of the Gongsun family must be well-trained and walk silently. The maids on the left and right lowered their heads and pulled up the curtains.
The irregular beads and jade embroidered under the curtain collided with each other and made a crisp sound.
As we move forward, the curtain rises and falls, and the smell of agarwood becomes stronger and stronger.
On the left and right are maids with ancient hair buns and dark crimson clothes, their heads lowered and their faces invisible.
Gongsun Yan inexplicably fell into an atmosphere called Chinese horror.
She hugged Gongsun Cheng, who was sleeping soundly on her shoulder, and the child's warm body slightly alleviated the chill rising in her body.
After walking through the corridor and entering the inner room, another servant brought soft-soled cloth sleeping shoes.
In order to take care of Gongsun Yan and Gongsun Cheng's filial piety, the walls of the house were only painted with white ash, and the floor was also covered with long sheepskin rugs. Several bronze warm stoves were placed at the four corners. Incense should have been burned in the stoves, and the smoke was flowing out.
Green smoke.
"Take away the spices." Gongsun Yan felt his chest tightening due to the slightly overly strong warm fragrance in the room, but what he said was: "I am still in the period of filial piety, so I can't be so extravagant and take down the curtains outside."
"Yes." The housekeeper who was following her had heard of this lady's pure filial piety before, but she couldn't help but look up at her fair profile.
Gongsun's family was full of beauties, and both men and women were born with good looks. She thought that Lady Xuan was already one of the top beauties in the world, but she didn't expect that Lady Yan was even better.
Having been homeless for a long time, he must have suffered a lot. It is rare to be so filial and simple.
"Mrs. Yan, do you want to take a bath and change clothes, or do you want to eat something first?"
The housekeeper is a very sensible person. It was only at this moment that she asked and stretched out her hand to take Gongsun Cheng: "Mrs. Yan, why don't you leave the young master to me for the time being?"
Gongsun Yan paused and handed the sleeping Gongsun Cheng to her: "Let's take a shower and change clothes first."
It had been three days since she set out from Xiangguan, and she still couldn't resist the temptation to take a bath, given the conditions.
In the arms of a stranger, Gongsun Cheng moved slightly, but he still fell asleep and did not wake up.
The lady in charge was also very skillful in holding the child, and she did not make him feel any discomfort.
I watched with my own eyes as several servant girls came over to change Gongsun Cheng's clothes, wiped his hands and face with hot handkerchiefs, and placed the sleeping child in a thick quilt.
Gongsun Cheng was lying on the quilt, his face flushed from sleep. Gongsun Yan couldn't help but touch his face gently.