Yi Haoran had something on his mind, so he refused to drink more. He poured a small cup, ate a few hastily, then declined and said "I'm full" and said he was going to "digest", and walked quietly to the garden.
Wen Yun's unintentional question just now made him even more vigilant. Although it was quiet here, there were still many people in the courtyard. Not to mention that he and Cai Lan were talking about beheading, they were just chatting with each other.
It is also greatly inappropriate in terms of his identity.
So before he went to the garden, he observed the yard for a long time to make sure that no one was paying attention to him, and then quietly went to the garden.
The garden is very small, only one acre of land. There is a pool in the middle, with a prayer building in the middle, and the pool is full of lotus flowers. Next to the pool is a very small water pavilion. Yi Haoran was afraid that he would be seen sitting in the water pavilion, so he sat under the big tree in the corner.
Down.
The sun was covered with thick shade under the trees, and the midday light fell on the ground, which was really dazzling. He squinted his eyes and looked at the lotus flowers in the pond, and heard the continuous chirping of cicadas in his ears, and his mood suddenly became empty.
The banquet provided to Cai Lan in the temple was naturally more sumptuous, but neither Cai Lan nor Qiu Chan had the heart to eat or drink. After eating hastily, the little Taoist priest brought tea. It is said that the tea from Qixingyan collected by the abbot was named after it.
Precious. Cai Lan drank a few sips randomly but couldn't taste any difference.
She felt a little sleepy after the meal, and originally wanted to take a nap, but Qiu Chan said that it was not advisable to fall asleep immediately after the meal, and that it was better to go for a walk to digest food before going to bed.
"It's so hot today. I'm too lazy to move around under the sun," Cai Lan said.
"Girl, you don't know something. Behind this yard is a garden. Although it is small, it is very exquisite. There are many trees in it, and it is windy, so it is cooler than inside the house."
Cai Lan couldn't resist her, so she had to rely on her.
The two of them walked along the flower path. Cai Lan was originally in a daze, but when they arrived in the garden, she felt refreshed with the cool breeze and the fragrance of flowers.
"The gardens here are more exquisite than those in the Third General Mansion..." Cai Lan said, "The gardens in the Third General Mansion are all abandoned..."
"Since the girl likes it, why not ask Mr. Xie to renovate it so that it can have a place to visit on weekdays?" Qiu Chan wanted her to see Yi Haoran, so he deliberately led her to talk.
Cai Lan smiled bitterly and said: "Even if I am a character on the card, I am worthy of making such a request! My heart has died long ago, and now I am just a skin alive." After saying that, he sighed.
"What are you talking about, girl? I think this Mr. Jie treats you well. He must be affectionate."
"He is just greedy for physical pleasure." Although Cai Lan is a housebound woman, she has a natural perception of men's emotions. "One day, he will abandon me - but that's okay, that way
Instead, I felt relieved..."
"What the girl is talking about, I don't think it is like this..." Qiu Chan knew that she would meet Master Hao not far ahead, so she said: "I have a stomachache. The girl is resting in the garden for a while. I will come back as soon as I go."
Cai Lan saw that there was no one here, and he probably wouldn't meet any strangers, so he said, "Go back as soon as possible."
Qiu Chan left, and Cai Lan was bored and walked along the flower path. Suddenly she stopped and let out a small cry in surprise.
Under the big tree at the corner in front, a man in his early fifties with gray hair was sitting on a stone bench. Judging from his appearance, he looked neither rich nor poor, like a scholar from a well-off family. He was closing his eyes to meditate.
Hearing her cry, Yi Haoran opened his eyes - it was indeed Cai Lan. Although he had not seen her a few times, he still vaguely remembered her appearance.
He stood up immediately and bowed to salute: "Miss Cai, how are you always?"
Cai Lan's first reaction was to immediately withdraw, but the other party saluted, and her tutor had no right to avoid him directly - she had no choice but to give him a blessing and leave.
"Miss Cai, don't leave." Yi Haoran said quickly, "The student has an old friend's object here, and I want to ask the girl to read it." After saying that, he unfolded the thing in his hand, and it turned out to be a fan.
Cai Lan didn't want to look at any "old friend's belongings" at all, but as soon as the fan unfolded, her panicked eyes suddenly froze - this fan looked so familiar!
The content on the fan is unremarkable, just rocks, orchids and a clump of bamboo. But the details of this scene are too familiar to her - she and her fiancé Xing Chenghuan painted the fan together.
She was surprised: "You, who are you?!"
“The student is an old friend of Mr.
"I don't want to hear it," Cai Lan panicked and turned around to leave.
Yi Haoran had seen many scenes and immediately sneered: "Miss Cai, this is the most popular temple in Wuzhou. There are many pilgrims outside. If there is a fuss, this fan will definitely fall into the hands of the Australians. By then,
, but I can’t explain anything clearly…”
Sure enough, Cai Lan immediately stopped, turned around and said tremblingly: "You... what do you want..."
"The student has said that he has a few words to say to the girl." Yi Haoran said, "Don't worry, girl, Mr. Xing and I are also old friends and will never do anything to harm his family."
This sentence was like a knowing blow, hitting the depths of Cai Lan's heart. She couldn't help but tremble all over, and whispered: "You, who are you? What do you want from me?"
"I said: I'm just an old friend of Mr. Xing." Yi Haoran said leisurely.
Cai Lan didn't want to talk to this old man who suddenly appeared. However, no matter what he did at this moment, it would cause a commotion and cause a huge misunderstanding. In desperation, he had no choice but to nod: "Sir, please tell me something."
"Girl, please sit here." Seeing her surrender, Yi Haoran's expression turned gentle.
Cai Lan had no choice but to sit down on a rock on the opposite side of the stone bench and said, "Sir and I have never met each other. I wonder if you have anything to say to me?"
Yi Haoran put away the fan and said, "Young lady must know this fan."
"This is my fiancé Xing Chenghuan's fan." Cai Lan asked in surprise, "Where did you come from, sir?"
It is not uncommon for fans to be used as calligraphy and painting entertainment, gifts, and exchanges between literati. But this fan is different. It was made by Xing Chenghuan and himself: she painted orchids, and Xing Chenghuan painted rocks and bamboos. Speaking of which, this is
It is a boudoir's treasure, and my fiancé will never give this fan to anyone else.
"To be honest: the student's surname is Hao and his given name is Ran. He used to work in the Xiong Governor's Office. He was a good friend of Mr. Xing. When he committed suicide, he gave me this fan as a token, saying that if I could escape with my life,
If I have a chance to meet you in the future, I will return this fan jade to you as a memory. He said that he was unwilling to marry you at that time, but in fact he already had the idea of dying for the city and did not want to delay you...
…”
After that, he handed the fan to Cai Lan.
The first half of this statement was a complete fabrication. The fan was indeed Xing Chenghuan's, but it was lost and picked up by him at the banquet. In a few days, Wuzhou was in trouble, and Yi Haoran naturally forgot to return it. During the war, he
Treating it as my own fan and stuffing it into my sleeve, I survived. The second half of the sentence is true.
Cai Lan was already in tears when she took the fan. She folded the folding fan tightly with both hands to suppress her sobs. She came to offer incense today and her mood was already much better. However, the appearance of this fan disturbed her mood again.
To be fair, her feelings for Xing Chenghuan are not very deep. Although they have been engaged since childhood, they have not met a few times. That is to say, in the few months since she defected to Guangdong and came to the fall of Wuzhou, they have been getting along day and night, and they have some feelings for each other.
She was very nice, but he was unwilling to consummate the marriage with her. She was very disappointed for a time, thinking that he disliked her - she never imagined that her fiancé actually cared about her so much!
Thinking about the failure of his assassination, he was supposed to be like the martyr woman in the book, unyielding and scolding the thief to death, but instead he succumbed to Xie Kun's false love and gave her body to him in a confused way...Cai Lan suddenly felt ashamed.
, everything inside was burned, and I wished that a thunderbolt would fall from the sky and chop me to death alive!
Seeing that she was about to cry, Yi Haoran was afraid that if she raised her voice and attracted others, he quickly said: "Girl, please be silent!"
Cai Lan silently stopped her tears and nodded, saying in a low voice: "Thank you sir. I'm just a servant who bent down to serve as a thief... My body has long been unclean. I can't live up to the kindness Master Xing has shown me, and I have failed my husband's kindness...
..." She then handed the fan back and said, "Please sir, please take the fan back for your thoughts. This maid is not worthy of holding this fan."
"The girl's words were wrong." Yi Haoran had long thought that if he blamed her for her lack of integrity, the result would be to make her feel ashamed and commit suicide. This was meaningless to him; if he had already lost his conscience, he might not be able to return the favor.
Will raise myself up.
Only by calming her heart with "forgiveness" and inspiring her with righteousness can she be allowed to risk rebellion in order to "atone" for her sins.
"It is understandable that Miss Cai accidentally fell into the mud. Since ancient times, the only way to die in hardship is for heroes. When the road is at the end of the road, they will inevitably become short of breath and love. The thieves are invading Guangdong and Guangxi, and all the prefectures and counties are descending upon hearing the wind.
Officials, big and small, who have not read the books of saints and are deeply favored by the emperor, are able to walk away and surrender in times of crisis. Even if they do not fight to the death, they rarely die. This is true for men who have read books and understand things, let alone girls.
A weak woman's ears! To blame each other with great integrity would be to break the principle of loyalty and forgiveness."
Since Cai Lan "lost her integrity", although others have said a lot of comforting words, none of them were as clear and clear as Yi Haoran. Although she knew that he said these words to excuse herself, she was unaware of the generous and benevolent heart of the other party.
Make her feel warm in her heart.
"Master, don't excuse me. Starving to death is a small matter, but losing integrity is a big deal. I am just an ignorant little girl who has lost her integrity. How can I dare to compare with you masters?"
"Haha, this is wrong! There are many heroes and lofty ideals in Guangdong and Guangxi, but who dares to plot to assassinate Zhenkun on the steps of the Dragon Mother Temple like a girl?!" Yi Haoran looked upright and spoke even more sonorously and forcefully.