Peach Blossom Land On Longyin Island Chapter 66
byLu Banqian
At the Queen Mother’s request, they moved back to the East Palace that day. The gambling game initiated by An Xiaoyu against the Queen Mother ended with the Queen Mother’s surrender.Different from when he moved out, when he returned, An Xiaoyu brought Kong Yuan, the steward of Prince Su’s Mansion, and several capable servants recommended by Steward Kong.
There was another huge group of people in front of the East Palace Gate, led by Liu Ci, waiting respectfully at the door.
“Steward Kong will be responsible for the affairs of the inner house from now on.” An Xiaoyu lifted the curtain and said lightly, and ordered the carriage to drive straight through the gate.
The East Palace is not just a residence, it is more like a miniature imperial court, a place where the prince can learn to govern.There is Zhan Shifu in the East Palace. In fact, Zhan Shifu is the highest official in charge of the government affairs of the East Palace.The eunuchs headed by Liu Ci were mainly responsible for the affairs of the inner house. An Xiaoyu made Kong Yuan take charge of the affairs of the inner house, which was no different from dismissing Liu Ci.
The curtain fell, and An Ran heard An Linmian’s voice coming from the next carriage: “Huh! Did you hear that! Liu~gong~gong~” The words “Eunuch Liu” were stretched out to an extremely long length, which was extremely yin and yang. An Ran held her forehead in silence, glanced at An Xiaoyu, who had the same unkind expression, and advised: “Uncle Liu is just helping my grandmother pass a message. There is nothing wrong. There is no need to vent your anger on him.”
And An Xiaoyu’s answer was short and powerful: “No.”
An Ran: “…”
Only then did An Ran realize that An Xiaoyu was also quite “narrow-minded”.The name Lu Qian was completely opposite to him.
“Lu Qian~Lu Qian~Qian Qian~Qian~ Who gave you such a name?” In the past few days, An Ran always used Lu Qian’s name to tease An Xiaoyu, “Qian, Qian Qian, modest, you are not touched at all.”
Although full of ridicule, An Xiaoyu still answered An Ran’s question seriously: “The word ‘Qian’ that the emperor’s grandfather named me comes from a sentence in the Qian hexagram in the “Book of Changes”: Qian, honor and glory, humble and insurmountable, the end of a gentleman.”
An Ran frowned after hearing this: “What do you mean?”
An Xiaoyu explained patiently: “Momility refers to the virtues of humility, modesty and meekness. Zunerguang means that when you are in a noble and prominent position, humility can make your virtues brighter, more glorious and more respected by others. Humbleness and insurmountability means that when you are in a noble and prominent position, humility can make your virtue brighter and more radiant, and you can be more respected.When you are in a humble and lowly situation, humility can make your personality insurmountable and inviolable, and maintain your dignity and integrity.This is the ultimate destination and happy ending of a gentleman’s cultivation.My grandfather wanted me to become a humble gentleman, so he gave me the word “qian”.
After hearing the explanation, An Ran nodded as if he had some understanding. After thinking for a long time, he said seriously: “You only did the second half of the sentence, so I should call you… Lu Banqian!”
Lu Qian: “……”
After that, the word “An Xiaoyu” became “Lu Banqian” in An Ran’s mouth.
“Lu Banqian~Lu Banqian~” Every time Lu Qian showed “dissatisfaction”, An Ran would yell, especially when Lu Qian looked coldly at Liu Ci.
So, within five days, An Xiaoyu surrendered.Liu Ci resumed his duties as housekeeper and jointly managed the affairs of the East Palace with Kong Yuan.
On the day of his reinstatement, Liu Ci took advantage of Lu Qian’s absence to see An Ran. He bowed seriously and said, “Thank you, Princess, for interceding for this old slave.” At that time, An Ran was watching a play. When he heard this, he waved his hand indifferently: “I’m not going to worship, so don’t scream.”
Liu Ci was startled, then smiled and said: “After the young master asked the old slave to convey those words, the Queen Mother secretly asked the Ministry of Rites and Zhan Shi’s Mansion to prepare the wedding between His Highness and the young master. It was prepared according to the specifications of marrying the crown princess.”
An Ran’s eyes suddenly turned to Liu Ci and asked in surprise: “Grandma Huang was not angry after hearing this?”
Liu Ci smiled and said: “In the Kingdom of Jin, there are many ministers who love the country and the people, and there are many people who are respectful, courteous and caring to Your Highness for the sake of the prosperity of the Kingdom of Jin. However, the only person who will put His Highness first, before the country, the people and the patriarchal system, is the Young Master. After hearing this, the Queen Mother was deeply pleased and immediately agreed to the marriage between His Highness and the Young Master.”
An Ran was speechless: “Then they have been at odds for so long?”
Liu Ci smiled and said: “It’s for outsiders to see. If he didn’t show to the civil and military officials of the court that His Highness would rather not be a prince but to marry the son, how could Mr. Xu Ge and others let go so easily.”
Exactly what An Xiaoyu said, An Ran nodded and turned to watch the show.On the stage, a performance of “The Legend of Pipa” was taking place at its most exciting point. The actor was singing “I originally set my heart toward the bright moon, but the bright moon shines on the ditch.” His voice was melodious and sad, full of helplessness.
An Ran watched attentively for a while, then continued: “Will the Queen Mother let Lu Qian marry a concubine?”
Liu Ci did not answer but asked: “Will Your Highness be willing to marry a concubine?”
An Ran’s eyes were still looking at the stage, but he suddenly curled his lips: “He dares. If I die, he will have to remain a widow for me.”
Liu Ci slightly arched his hands and said, “Old slave, please leave first.”
An Ran’s eyes were still on the stage, but she heard Liu Ci’s voice coming from behind: “Your Highness.”An Ran then turned to look behind him and saw Lu Qian looking at him with a pursed smile.
He smiled like he was worthless.This thought suddenly came to An Ran’s mind, and she couldn’t help but find it funny. She moved her butt to the side to make way for An Xiaoyu.
An Xiaoyu sat down on the soft couch, looking at An Ran with tender eyes, and said tenderly: “Even if the bright moon shines on the ditch, I will compare my heart to the bright moon.”
Before An Ran had time to react, An Linmian on the side imitated An Xiaoyu’s tone of voice, looked at An Mai lovingly, held An Mai’s hand on his chest, and whispered tenderly: “Ma Mai~ Even if the bright moon shines on the ditch, my heart is like the bright moon~”
“Pfft–” An Tu, who was sitting on the other side of An Mai, covered his mouth and suppressed laughter.
An Ran: “…” How annoying, a bunch of light bulbs.
“When are you going to find Anshun?” An Ran decisively issued an eviction order.
The three of them pretended not to understand. An Linmian said with a smile, “Wait until you get married. I can’t let you live without your mother’s family.”
“I came here to tell you something,” An Xiaoyu showed no embarrassment at the imitation just now. He calmly took out a letter from his sleeve and asked his servants to deliver it to An Linmian and the others. He said, “You don’t have to look for it. Anshun is coming soon.”
“Anshun is here?” An Ran said in surprise.
“Not yet,” An Xiaoyu said, “but he should arrive before the wedding.”
At this time, An Linmian and the others had already opened the letter.The three of them took one look and laughed non-stop.An Ran asked curiously: “What did you write?”
“You can see for yourself, hahahahaha–” With a smile, An Linmian pinched the top of the letter and pushed it to An Ran’s eyes. The letter unfolded vertically in front of An Ran.
An Ran opened his eyes wide instantly and saw a big turtle drawn with black ink on it!Next to the turtle there are three bold characters “Heartless Man”!
The writer’s anger is palpable.
“Shunzi is definitely going to beat up An Xiaoyu, the heartless man.” An Linmian gloated.
An Xiaoyu shrugged innocently.
Anmai smiled broadly: “Then we’ll just wait for him to fall into the trap.”
“Then let’s close the door and beat the dog.” An Linmian said with a smile, while clenching his fists loudly.Even Antu, who had always been innocent, his eyes were shining at this moment and he was smiling evilly.
An Ran silently sweated for An Shun and looked at each other with An Xiaoyu. The two of them were obviously thinking about the same thing.
Anshun, run away, the further away the better.
“After Anshun left last year, I lived in Beijing for half a year. I beat up all the officials who chose my concubine for me.” An Xiaoyu suddenly said lightly, and when a few people were shocked, he added: “I went to beat him up in the middle of the night. I didn’t know until he was caught in the end.”
An Ran: “…So it turns out that the Royal Grandmother said she was steady.” An Ran felt inexplicably moved.The person who originally wanted to kill him in exchange for peace and security unknowingly regarded him as a friend and protected him quietly.
An Ran thought of the mysterious Si Tianjian Jianzheng again. If this person really knew the secrets as rumored, he might be able to get some answers from him.
“That Si Tianjian,” An Ran said, “have you sent someone to look for him?”
As soon as the words came out, An Linmian and An Mai understood what he meant instantly. The same light suddenly appeared in their eyes. An Mai blurted out: “He may know the whereabouts of Lele.”
An Ran was about to shake his head and say “just a guess”, but before he could say anything, he saw An Tu looking at An Mai with wide eyes from the corner of his eye, and suddenly bit his mouth.
Antu still didn’t know that he was not Anle. Except for An Xiaoyu, his father, his mother, Grandpa Anmu, Anshun, An Linmian, and Anmai, everyone in the village still regarded him as “Anle”, and “Anran” was just a pseudonym he used when walking outside.
An Mai and An Linmian didn’t want An Tu to know the truth and had been hiding it from him.
Anmai saw the change in Anran’s face and suddenly realized that he had lost his voice. He slowly turned his head to look at Antu.
Antu’s appearance is round and chubby with some baby fat that has not faded away. He always gives people the impression of being innocent and innocent. Ever since he met Antu, Anran has never seen Antu show such an expression. He was more shocked than angry.
“You are indeed hiding something from me!” An Tu stood up and shouted angrily at An Linmian and An Mai.
The actors on the stage sang mesmerically, and the sound of strings and strings of silk and bamboo played in my ears, which was full of charm.The stands were silent.An Linmian’s face was stiff and he moved his lips, but he made no sound as if he didn’t know how to explain.
“You all go down.” An Xiaoyu broke the silence and dismissed the servants in the stands.
“Who is the person Brother Anshun came out to find!” There was another angry question. After the roar, Antu’s eyes suddenly turned red, and water vapor rose in Antu’s eyes. When he spoke the next sentence, he was full of grievances: “You don’t treat me as a friend at all.” After saying this, he turned and walked away quickly.
An Linmian and An Mai immediately got up and chased after him.An Ran forgot about An Xiaoyu and glanced at him. An Xiaoyu shook his hand forcefully and comforted him: “He has the right to know the truth.”
An Ran lowered his eyes and remained silent.
An Xiaoyu added, “Let them decide.”
An Xiaoyu was referring to An Linmian and An Mai. An Ran hesitated for a moment and nodded.
The sleeves were fluttering on the stage, and the show was still going on.An Ran no longer wanted to watch the show, but she didn’t stop. She looked at the stage silently, waiting for the three of them to come back.
The sound of the gong gradually died down, the play was over, and the story ended happily with a happy ending of one husband and two couples.The water was changed on three sides of the stage, and students, dan, jing, and chou all appeared on the stage, bowing to the two people in the stands across the water.
An Xiaoyu waved his hand and the actor stepped back.
The stage was empty, and there was only silence in the theater.After a long time, footsteps gradually approached, and An Tu, An Mai, and An Linmian returned.
An Tu’s eyes and nose were red, and he had obviously just cried. An Ran looked at him nervously but calmly.
“Jian Zheng,” An Tu stood in front of the two of them, his voice still hoarse, “Can you let Lele come back?”
An Ran didn’t know how to answer this question and could only look at An Tu in silence.
“Of course it can.” An Tu answered himself without waiting for an answer.
An Ran remained silent.
“I will send more people to look for him.” After a while, An Xiaoyu spoke.
“Thank you.” An Tu sniffed and looked at An Ran: “Brother An Ran, can you really not find your way home?”
An Ran moved her mouth numbly, looked at An Tu and said, “My hometown is not in this world.”
An Ran clearly told An Linmian, An Mai, and An Tu about his origin without any concealment.After the three of them listened, they returned to Wutong Garden in silence.
If they had previously mistakenly believed that Enron was from a part of the world they didn’t know, and that was their hope of finding happiness, then after learning of Enron’s true origin, despair swept them into the deep dark sea like a raging wave.
An Ran didn’t see the three of them at dinner, and they didn’t show up until they went to bed after dark.The sandalwood incense used to soothe An Xiaoyu’s nerves was lit in the bedroom. The dense aroma penetrated her nose, but it was unable to dispel the uneasiness in An Ran’s heart.
On the bed, An Xiaoyu held An Ran in his arms and whispered, “They are not blaming you.”
An Ran put his forehead against An Xiaoyu’s chest, and through the thin pajamas, the sound of An Xiaoyu’s heartbeat came into his mind slowly and steadily. After a long time, An Ran whispered: “If Si Tianjian has the ability to correct chaos…”
The pounding heartbeat nearly drowned out his voice.An Ran closed her eyes and placed her forehead against her heart, waiting for her heartbeat to return to a gentle frequency.
For a long time, a long time later, the heartbeat was still beating violently, like a convict on the execution ground waiting for the executioner to swing the machete.
An Ran’s eyelashes trembled. Through her pajamas, the skin on An Xiaoyu’s heart felt the moisture on her eyelashes. Her heartbeat suddenly became extremely disordered after a momentary pause. An Xiaoyu couldn’t help but tremble and grabbed An Ran’s hand, almost pleading: “No, An Ran, no.”
An Ran closed her eyes deeply and suppressed the tears as they fell. She looked up at An Xiaoyu and tried her best to force out an awkward smile: “You must remain a widow for me for three years.”
Under the dim candlelight, An Xiaoyu’s face was as pale as paper, with only a pair of eyes as red as blood.An Ran suddenly remembered An Xiaojin’s mother. At the moment she fell into the trap, the she-wolf’s desperate eyes were the same as An Xiaoyu’s.An Ran frowned uncontrollably, and tears suddenly fell out.
“As long as three years,” An Ran lowered her head, not daring to look into An Xiaoyu’s eyes, and her voice was as low as possible, “three years at most. Only three years.”
“No, An Ran, no.” An Xiaoyu’s voice seemed to be forced out of the vocal tract, tight, hoarse, and trembling, “You can’t do this to me, An Ran.”
An Xiaoyu tremblingly raised An Ran’s chin, forcing An Ran to look at him. Their red eyes met, and An Xiaoyu could only murmur and plead: “No, An Ran, no…”
An Ran closed her eyes, but the pleading sounds passed through her ears one after another, blended into the blood, and flowed back to the atrium, corroding the heart bit by bit like sulfuric acid.
“Lu Qian.” An Ran opened her eyes again, stared at the beautiful thin lips that opened and closed through the hazy water vapor, kissed her like a dragonfly, and said warmly:
“I’m sorry.”