"Xiu Niang, where have you been? We have been looking for you for a long time, and the eldest lady is so anxious."
As soon as Zhao Qingxiu returned to the Huaiye Lane mansion, Ye Weilai came up to her and grabbed her hand tightly, her eyes a little red.
The silver-haired girl looked over Zhao Qingxiu's shoulder and looked at Wang Caozhi, who had followed Zhao Qingxiu back.
His eyebrows were raised and his eyes were sharp, as if he was asking questions.
Wang Caozhi avoided looking and pretended not to know anything. He walked aside and called his servants to pack their luggage.
The trick of calling her sister does not work for all the women around her brother-in-law. Wang Cao's heart is like a mirror and he knows this very well.
This trick was most annoying to Rong Zhennv Shi, but it didn't work on Miss Ye, who was delicate and thoughtful.
[I ran out on my own, he was sent by Tanlang to take me home and has nothing to do with this matter]
Ye Weilai then looked away and grabbed Zhao Qingxiu's two small hands, with an expression on her face that was hesitant to speak.
Zhao Qingxiu wrote softly:
[I went to see Tanlang and settled a matter on my mind. I’m fine now, Wei Lai, don’t worry.]
Ye Weilai sighed.
In fact, she also guessed what the embroiderer sister was doing.
Sister Xiu Niang is usually very quiet, but who else in the world can make her work without worrying about her own safety, except Tan Lang?
"Madam is really worried about you, so she went out to find Mrs. Pei. Mrs. Pei has a lot of people there, and they are familiar with Xunyang City - they haven't come back yet, and they should still be in the city looking for you anxiously."
Zhao Qingxiu's face looked a little guilty.
Ye Weilai shook his head:
"It doesn't matter, just come back. I'll inform the maid and call the eldest lady and Mrs. Pei back."
Zhao Qingxiu nodded and prepared to write down the "evacuate" instructions left by Tan Lang, but when he raised his hand,
His fingertips touched a small sword on Ye Weilai's waist, and he paused.
Ye Weilai also noticed this and said with relief:
"It's okay, just in case. Yan Canjun has just arrived. He said there has been a change at Xunyang Ferry and there may be danger at Xiushuifang. Let us take the opportunity to pack up and evacuate quickly, and implement Tan Lang's previous backup plan.
Go find Mrs. Pei and leave the city as planned.
"Yan Canjun left some manpower to protect the house, and then left in a hurry, saying that it was his duty to mobilize the remaining manpower in the government office to maintain order in the city as much as possible. I heard that Xunyangdu was captured by a group of unknown water thieves.
There's a fire over there at the water mill, and people in the city are in panic now, so just now I found out that you ran out without permission, so I was very anxious."
Zhao Qingxiu wrote apologetically:
[I'm sorry, I caused the confusion]
Ye Weilai immediately shook his head:
"Don't say sorry, just come back. Let's go, let's pack our luggage and go to Yin Bing Zhai first."
Zhao Qingxiu nodded heavily.
The two girls went to Yinbingzhai together. As they approached, Zhao Qingxiu suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong with the embroiderer?"
Ye Weilai asked strangely.
He looked back at the blind and mute girl who was standing motionless.
The girl tilted her head slightly, and her eyes covered with ribbons seemed to be looking at a certain wall of Yinbingzhai.
"The wind at noon blew the ice-white jade hairpin on Longling's head as she stood still, making a crisp sound.
"jingle·-."
At the same time, whether it was an illusion or not, Ye Weilai vaguely heard the faint sound of a bell coming from nowhere.
Ye Weilai turned her head in confusion and looked in the direction Zhao Qingxiu was facing:
"What is the embroiderer thinking-"
Before she could finish speaking, Zhao Qingxiu had already grabbed her palm and wrote on it:
[I'm a little hungry, can Wei Lai go make something to eat? I'll go in and pack my things]
"That's okay, you go and rest, I'll come find you later."
Ye Weilai nodded, sent Zhao Qingxiu to the door, turned and left.
Zhao Qingxiu stood outside the courtyard door without moving, waiting for Ye Weilai to go away and no other maids passed by around, then she faced the courtyard door, straightened her clothes, and pushed the door open.
In the yard, everything was as before.
Only at the swing there was an extra white dress.
The woman in white is barefoot and sitting on the swing. The small bell tied with a red rope around her ankle is sometimes silent.
Sometimes "ding-dong"
Zhao Qingxiu walked to the swing.
Yu Nianyuan touched the ground with his toes and stopped instantly.
Zhao Qingxiu, who was dressed in white, turned still and turned her head, as if to raise her eyebrows, towards the study room.
"Don't worry, it's just me."
Yu Nianyuan was a little helpless:
"I just came here and you haven't replied for a long time. I'm a little worried about you. Don't think too much about it. I didn't enter the house.
I am mysophobic, and I have no interest in entering the love nest between you and your child husband."
Zhao Qingxiu turned around, and Yu Nianyuan reached out tacitly, flattened his palm and handed it to her to write.
[Where are the Fang sisters]
Yu Nianyuan said calmly:
"They didn't come. I sent them to do something over at Xingzifang."
She sighed again and said:
"Let's talk about business, don't mention these things."
Unexpectedly, Zhao Qingxiu nodded in approval and wrote:
[Yes, we have to talk about business]
Yu Nianyuan frowned slightly and couldn't help but look at the little face of the seventh junior sister in front of him.
I don't know if it was an illusion, but the second female queen of Yunmeng vaguely noticed that her seventh junior sister's demeanor and speech seemed to be a little different when they came back to meet each other this time.
I don't know how to describe it.
He seems to be somewhat calm and composed, without any evasion.
Yu Nianyuan didn't think much and asked directly:
"Xiao Qi, I want you to ask Ouyang Lianghan and confess to him, have you brought the words to him, are you still hiding them?"
Zhao Qingxiu suddenly lowered her head to write, interrupting Yu Nianyuan's words.
Yu Nianyuan felt strange and looked down at his palm.
The words written on the palm of her hand made her eyelids jump again and again, as she had always been calm:
[Well, I brought it here. Tanlang also asked me to bring a message to senior sisters, so that you can also choose.]
"Father, mother, sister, and Director Lu, why are you here? Where are you? Well, why are you looking at me?"
Li Dalang opened his eyes, touched his body, and found that he was sitting on the stone pier intact, except for the pain in his chin, as if a few beards had been plucked out by someone.
He saw ruins around him, which were familiar yet unfamiliar inner houses, now reduced to scorched earth.
Li Dalang's eyes were strange, but what made him even more strange was the staring eyes of the people around him.
Suddenly I felt a little stressed.
"Director Lu, why are you crying?"
After Li Dalang looked around, he noticed something unusual and asked with a guilty conscience.
Usually this young Taoist priest with a paralyzed face has always been "cold and ruthless", and his expression of emotion can make him cry, which is unprecedented.
Lu Ya didn't say a word, his eyes seemed lost.
Li Dalang lowered his head and thought for a while, then suddenly asked quietly:
"Did the Heavenly Master just leave? Father and mother, what's going on now?'
Everyone was silent.
He seemed to be still immersed in a certain atmosphere.
Xie Lingjiang spoke first:
"You used trance and asked the heavenly master to come to you, but you lost consciousness? According to senior brother, you should be able to wake up and even take back control of your body."
Li Dalang scratched his head and recalled:
"It was a little bit at first - when I was hiding under my skirt and was caught by the Wei family's dead soldiers, I recited the incantation and felt that a familiar yet unfamiliar old man appeared next to me. He seemed to be telling me, don't be too busy.
Following him awake suggested that it would be best for me to take a nap, which would reduce the wear and tear. My mind was heavy, so I agreed in a daze and fell asleep. I also had a long dream, which was not very real. When I woke up,
Forgot—.—”
Wei Mei immediately caught the keyword: "Under the skirt? A dead soldier of the Wei family?"
"Well, it's so dangerous."
Li Dalang nodded subconsciously, then his expression changed and he turned around and ran away.
Because the shrewish woman in front of me had already picked up a piece of wood and started to slap him with a black face.
"Young man, come here!"
Wei Mei, who was most worried about her son before, now transformed into a ruthless killer, chasing Li Dalang and beating her to the flesh with the stick, but the latter did not dare to fight back at all.
Li Xian also had a sullen face, his palms were trembling, and he was very angry. If Wei Mei hadn't taken action first, he would have gone up to pick it up.
Everyone watched this scene silently.
Xie Lingjiang hesitated, not because he wanted to persuade her, but because she wanted to remind Mother Webber not to keep pretending to beat her.
Give Uncle Li a few hard blows to let Uncle Li vent his anger, otherwise he won't be able to bear it anymore and will have to go to bed, which will take a while.
When the words came to his lips, Xie Lingjiang suddenly turned around and said with some surprise:
"Big Brother!"
I saw Ouyang Rong's figure appearing among the ruins.
Wearing a green shirt, holding the piano case in his arms, his face was calm and unscathed.
Everyone immediately turned their attention and stepped forward to greet him.
Wei Mei and Li Dalang also stopped immediately and hurried to greet Ouyang Rong.
Everyone put down what they were doing and focused all their attention on the young man in scholar's shirt.
Xie Lingjiang tacitly took the sword box from Ouyang Rong's arms, looked at his frail body up and down, and asked tremblingly:
"Senior brother, are you okay? That burst of invisible piano music just now..."
Ouyang Rong waved his hand and did not speak immediately.
He glanced at Li Dalang, then at the surrounding ruins and the corpses on the ground. After looking at each other and Li Guo'er, he asked directly:
"You tell me first what happened while I was away."
Li Xian, Wei Mei and others immediately told in brief what happened after Ouyang Rong left, including the accident that Lu Ya insisted on leaving behind and the rescue by Master Yuan.
Li Dalang also told what happened at Xunyangdu in detail.
No one dared to hide anything.
Ouyang Rong listened silently and did not speak immediately.
He seemed to be thinking about something.
Lu Ya had come to his senses. Facing Ouyang Rong, he couldn't hold his head up and whispered in shame:
"Young Master Ouyang, it is my fault that I am wrong. From now on, I will never question your strategy————"
Ouyang Rong waved his hands, his face remained calm, and asked some other details - about Lu Ya's matter, he ignored it as if nothing happened.
The young man with a paralyzed face was a little moved and couldn't help but look at Ouyang Rong who was calm and calm.
Li Dalang pointed to the circle of corpses on the ground and said:
"Tan Lang, those Hukou County water thieves were all disguised as dead soldiers of the Wei family. I hid in Anhui's carriage and heard them all. They were instructed by the Wei Palace to use the name of Tiannan Jianghu water thieves to attempt to
It would be despicable to slaughter us all."
Ouyang Rong glanced at him and gently nodded: "I understand, as long as you're fine."
Li Dalang, who had always felt guilty, couldn't help but look at Ouyang Rong's calm face when he heard this.
In fact, it was not just him who noticed it, but other people on the scene also vaguely noticed that Tan Lang seemed to have changed something after returning from Xunyang Grottoes this time.
It gives people an indescribable feeling.
It's like...the heart is like still water.
Li Guo'er observed the young man in Confucian shirt who returned with a sword for a while, and suddenly remembered a sentence often mentioned in Buddhist scriptures:
Break through false appearances.
"Tanlang."
Li Dalang broke the silence and asked uncontrollably:
"You don't blame me at all?"
Lu Ya also felt this and couldn't help but look at it.
In front of everyone, Ouyang Rong asked:
"What's your fault?"
Li Dalang replied melancholy:
"It's my fault that I couldn't hold it back and went to look for her without permission, putting myself in danger and almost causing trouble."
Ouyang Rong shook his head:
"Didn't you do a good job? You confided your heart to Wei Anhui and got a satisfactory answer. You also called out the Heavenly Master at the critical moment and solved the water thieves besieging the palace - why should I blame you?"
Li Dalang carefully searched for the subtle expressions on his friend's face, but found nothing, and he became more and more disappointed:
"But I ran out without authorization and disobeyed your instructions. I didn't stay in the ice cellar to drink ice. I also made my parents anxious and worried. I almost lost my life in Xunyangdu because I almost didn't use trance.
————It’s far better to stay in the ice cellar, it’s more stable and safe.”
Ouyang Rong stretched out his hand, grabbed Xie Lingjiang's somewhat cold jade hand, rubbed it, lowered his head, took a breath, and said calmly:
"Maybe, but after what happened to the embroidered lady, I am no longer qualified to blame you.
"To tell you the truth, if I were you, I would do the same thing, and I might not do it much better than you. "Da Lang, you have exceeded my expectations and that of the prince and princess. You are already a little different.'
Li Dalang felt a little comfortable, as if he didn't expect Ouyang Rong to be so understated.
But after waiting for a while, he still said "but"
"But next time, you can make some improvements. For example, before you act willfully, you should discuss it with the prince, the princess, and the little princess. If you insist on going to her, that's fine, but it won't be a problem if you tell your family.
"You don't have the confidence to persuade even the closest people in the world, so how can you go out and accomplish other things? Your family will not be at ease, and they will think that you are still a child, stubborn and willful.
"Family is not a wall that keeps you at home. Family is a door that can open and send you on a long journey."
Li Dalang's face turned red, and he was speechless. Finally, he looked like he was crying and laughing at the same time. He lowered his head and wiped away the tears with his sleeves.
The atmosphere is somewhat quiet.
Li Xian tilted his head, his face that was originally stern relaxed, and his old father's back was slightly stooped. Li Bao'er stood silently, looking sideways at Ouyang Rong who was speaking plainly, his pink lips pursed into a line.
Wei Mei looked around at the expressions of her husband and daughter, then quietly hid the black charcoal stick behind her back.
"Okay! Tanlang!"
The bearded young man wiped his face, smiled brightly, and nodded heavily.
Ouyang Rong patted him on the shoulder.
Then he turned around and said to Xie Lingjiang:
"There is no need to look for Xiu Niang. She went to the Twin Peaks to look for me. I have brought her back to the city. She went back to Huaiye Lane and packed her luggage with her aunt. She will go to Thirteen Niang's house later.
Bian, let’s go there too, gather together, and leave the city together.”
Xie Lingjiang breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."
Li Guo'er turned to say a few words to Lu Ya, who was wearing a colorful ribbon. Shun Bo and others temporarily retreated. The little girl with plum blossom makeup turned back and asked directly:
"Let's go out of the city together? Where to go? Without the emperor's order, we can't leave. Why not use the corpses of these water thieves to get some of them? In this way, even if we leave, we can feel confident and say it is to avoid danger."
Ouyang Rong glanced at her and said directly:
"Rong Zhen and the others already know that I am the sword bearer and have a mythical tripod sword."
The air suddenly became quiet.
Ouyang Rong looked around the field and recounted what happened at Xunyang Grottoes this morning.