Go to Qingyang County
Inside Qingzhu Garden, Xu Lanxin slept until the sun was high in the sky before Xiao Xi dragged her out of bed.
Life in ancient times was so leisurely that one could easily be bored out of one's mind; one had to find something to do.
Lanxin sat in front of the dressing table and caught a glimpse of Li Mama in the mirror. Her eyes were lowered and her face was somewhat worried.
Xu Lanxin turned around and walked up to her, asking softly:
"Granny, what's wrong? What happened?"
There was a hint of loneliness in her eyes, and her eyes were slightly red. She glanced at Lanxin for a moment, and then suddenly knelt down.
“Miss, this old servant wants to return to Qingyang County. Now that you are doing well, I have no regrets. I beg you to grant my request.”
Lanxin quickly stepped forward to help her up, but the old woman seemed stubborn, as if she wouldn't get up unless Lanxin agreed.
No matter how much she pressed her for details, she remained silent.
"Granny, please get up first. I promise you!"
After wiping the corner of her eye, Granny Li stood up and thanked Xu Lanxin.
"Miss, this old servant will go pack my luggage now, and we'll leave tomorrow."
Xu Lanxin took her hand and said, "Why are you leaving in such a hurry, Granny? You can wait a couple of days. I'll have Xiaoxi pack your things. It's not too late to leave in a couple of days."
Granny Li's eyes flickered with a hint of anxiety, as if she were struggling to make a decision. In the end, she didn't dare to look at her directly, but simply lowered her head and nodded.
"Okay, whatever you say, miss."
Xu Lanxin watched as Granny Li withdrew, and as she gazed at her departing figure, she fell into deep thought.
Granny Li must have something she hasn't told us yet. Let's keep her here for now. If we can help her, we definitely will, since she has come from afar.
Just for her needs.
Xu Lanxin waited listlessly until evening, but Cen Yan did not appear.
Xiao Xi walked in from outside, looking at Lan Xin for a moment, then back outside, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.
"What's wrong? Who made my little Xi so absent-minded?"
Lan Xin walked up to her and teased her:
Do you need my help?
Xiao Xi looked at her, and stamped her foot in embarrassment: "Girl, what nonsense are you talking about? It's that Bai Ling'er who dressed up like a flower girl and ran to the young master's study."
"Young lady, you knew she had ill intentions, so why did you bring her back?"
"Oh, little green tea bitch made her move so quickly. I thought it would take some time."
Xu Lanxin gently lifted Xiao Xi's chin and teased her:
"Don't be upset, let's go see what's going on. Bringing her back is all about having some fun, otherwise life would be so boring."
Just as she arrived at the study door, a woman in a thin veil flew out and landed at her feet.
Tsk tsk, it looks painful.
Qingyun clapped his hands, stood at the door, and bowed when he saw Xu Lanxin.
His gaze was somewhat unnatural.
“Send her to the Red Chamber, and go down to receive your punishment.”
Cen Yan's icy, chilling voice came from inside the room.
Bai Ling'er lay on the ground, her clothes disheveled, her eyes glazed over, and her cheeks flushed.
Did he take medication? He brought this on himself.
"Miss Bai Ling, was seduction fun? Want to do it again?"
Xu Lanxin squatted down and looked at her, only to see her biting her lower lip with her pearly teeth, her eyes sparkling with a hint of barely perceptible killing intent deep within.
"Miss, you'd better tone down your temper."
Lan Xin stood up, passed by Qing Yun, and then looked down at Bai Ling'er on the ground.
"Qingyun, take her downstairs and find a doctor. Bring her back when she's better. It's good to have some fun with her."
When Cen Yan saw her enter, the icy expression on his face vanished completely, replaced by a smile.
"come over."
His right hand reached out towards her.
The color of his casual home clothes today suits him well; it's bamboo green, adding a touch of softness, unlike the usual harsh weather.
As soon as Lan Xin walked in, he grabbed her with his strong arm and pulled her onto his lap.
“Zijin, Granny Li insists on returning to Qingyang County. I want to go back with her, but I noticed that she doesn’t look quite right. I’m afraid something might have happened to her.”
Lan Xin was still not used to it, and her eyes looked at his collar.
"No,"
Cen Yan lifted her chin, making her look deeply into his dark eyes.
"Not to mention the long journey, the fact that we are all women and there are many dangers along the way, I am worried about you."
Lanxin pulled his hand down, wrapped her arms around his neck, and said:
"Then give me some men to protect me. Look at you, Qingyun and Qingyu, you must have connections."
"Who told you that?"
Cen Yan said coldly, the temperature dropped slightly, his eyes darkened, and there was a hint of danger in them.
"Isn't that how it is in storybooks? Names that start with a single character always have a football team in them. The secret guards are all called things like 'Secret One' and 'Secret Two'."
Cen Yan chuckled softly, his fair and slender hand about to touch her forehead, but she dodged it.
Brother, is this your usual trick? You're the one who should suffer the consequences.
Cen Yan bent his fingers and gently tapped her forehead.
I'll assign you two more tomorrow.
"Then I want two tall, handsome guys with abs."
Overjoyed, she lost her composure and blurted out her thoughts.
But seeing Cen Yan's dangerous gaze, he realized he had said the wrong thing and tried to escape, but it was too late. He was held down and punished.
The next day, Cen Yan did indeed find two men, but that was all.
Those aren't abs anymore, they're bulky physiques, thankfully with a thick beard.
Well, it's quite an achievement for him to find two people like that.
"Qingkui and Qingwu greet Madam."
Lan Xin smiled outwardly, but inwardly she was complaining.
It's just giving it to two handsome guys, how stingy.
"Alright, you may go and prepare. We will depart tomorrow."
After they left, Xu Lanxin instructed Xiaoxi and Qingyu to pack the things they would need for the trip, keeping everything simple and traveling light.
As Lanxin was sitting and removing her hairpins, she heard a noise and looked in the mirror. Cen Yan was walking towards her as he entered the room.
His body was enveloped in heat, and his hot breath sprayed against her ear.
"Are you satisfied with those two men today, Madam?"
How dare you ask? He doesn't meet the standards of a handsome guy at all.
Lan Xin rolled her eyes inwardly, complaining, completely unaware that the man's gaze had begun to turn dangerous.
Lanxin gasped in surprise when he picked her up and placed her on his lap, leaning her back against the dressing table.
So shy.
"The wife is someone who is dissatisfied with the arrangements made for her husband."
He lifted her chin slightly, and she looked directly at him, the danger lurking in her dark eyes about to erupt.
"Satisfied, very satisfied."
Xu Lanxin was so frightened that she nodded repeatedly and said obsequiously:
"Your Excellency has a discerning eye; the person you chose is one in a million. I admire you greatly."
Seeing that she wasn't frightened, Cen Yan gave up trying to tease her.
When do we depart?
"I'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."
Lanxin hugged his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.
"I don't know how many days I'll be gone. It'll be a long time before I see Zijin. Will you miss me?"
"Um"
"Then you must uphold male virtues and wait for me to come back."
"I want to put you in my pocket and take you with me."
Cen Yan kept her company as she rambled on and on until late at night.
When Cen Yan woke up on the day of Li Ri, the beauty beside him was no longer there. A painting was left on the table, and an ink stick for drawing eyebrows was placed to the side.
The painting clearly depicts the two of them, embracing and gazing at each other, lifelike as if they were real people.
Cen Yan's heart was instantly filled, dispelling some of Xu Lan's melancholy.
Granny Li lifted the carriage curtain and was immediately stunned. After regaining her senses, she asked, "Miss, what's wrong?"
"Granny, come in quickly! We need to get going!"
Lanxin waved to her and pulled her inside to sit down.
"Granny, I'll take you home!"
"No, no, young lady, this is unacceptable!"
She waved her hands repeatedly, panicked and her face filled with worry.
Lan Xin held her hand tightly and looked at her with a reassuring gaze: "There's no need for you to say more, Granny. Since you are unwilling to tell the truth, I will personally escort you back. If I see that you are doing well, then I can rest assured."
After hearing this, Granny Li was speechless for a moment. Then she lowered her head, lowered her eyes, frowned, and gradually increased the pressure on her hands.
Xu Lanxin didn't urge her any further, but just kept looking at her, waiting for her to speak.
After waiting for a long time, Granny Li looked up again, her expression no longer troubled, but filled with hope, and tightly grasped her hand.
“Young lady, you are a woman of good judgment. I won’t hide it from you anymore. It’s An’er. I was worried about him, but he insisted that I come to see if you were doing well so that he could feel at ease.”
But he, before the old servant left, was already in a very difficult situation.
Lan Xin's hand hurt a little from being gripped, but she didn't intend to interrupt her.
"I don't know which corner of the world this Zhang woman came out of, with a son the same size as An'er, to claim kinship, insisting that she was the old master's concubine and also the old master's child."
At her uncle's funeral, she made a scene demanding to be recognized as part of the Lin family line and even wanted her son to inherit the Lin family business.
"Does she have any evidence to prove that she was her maternal grandfather's concubine?"
“She has a concubine-taking document personally signed by the old master.”
"Handwriting can also be faked."
Granny Li released her grip, wiped her eyes, and continued, "But young lady, the clan elders have all verified that it is the old master's handwriting."
Xu Lanxin patted the back of her hand to comfort her.
"Don't worry, Granny. I'll go back with you. Cousin An will definitely be alright. Besides, we have Lord Cen behind us. We can't just take advantage of his power."
Lanxin winked playfully.
"Pfft!" Granny Li was amused.
"How can a girl call herself a dog?"
Xiao Xi interrupted, feigning anger.
"Then let's just borrow the tiger's power."
The stuffiness in the carriage was instantly dispelled, and everyone relaxed considerably.
We didn't do any sightseeing along the way, and went straight to Qingyang County.
Following Li Mama's directions, they soon arrived at the Lin residence.
The group alighted from the carriage and found the black lacquered wooden door wide open, with no doormen at the entrance.
Xu Lanxin and Granny Li looked at each other, her eyes also revealing a look of confusion.
"Miss, please wait here for a moment. This old servant will go and take a look and come back soon."
Before Granny Li had taken more than a few steps, several people came out of the open gate. Among them was a fair-skinned, scholarly-looking young man being escorted out, while the people escorting him were dressed in the uniforms of government officials.
Xu Lanxin had a bad feeling.
"An, An-ge'er!" Granny Li called out as she rushed forward.
Just what I feared most has come to pass; is her mold-attracting constitution also contagious?
Granny Li wouldn't let go, and Cousin An couldn't persuade her otherwise, so the officer pushed her away.
Xu Lanxin quickly stepped forward, caught her, and questioned her:
"How can government officials bully ordinary people at will?"
"Where did you come from? You're obstructing our investigation. Arrest them all."
Xu Lanxin remained unmoved and continued to ask, "What crime has this person committed?"
"kill."
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