Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Ji Yanlang breathed a sigh of relief and continued slowly...
Zhou Congshan's residence is located in the southwest corner of Xiangguo Temple. This area is specially designated as a temporary burial place for pilgrims whose family members have passed away but cannot return to their hometown for burial for various reasons. Therefore, the surrounding area is planted with pine and cypress trees, and it is very quiet.
The pines and cypresses are evergreen all year round, and they look even greener against the yellow leaves of late autumn. Fang Ying looked at the green all around and the clear sky above, and felt her heart particularly happy.
Ji Yanlang's mind was not on the scenery, "How do you know this person?"
The eldest daughter of Zhou Guojiu was once the future Crown Princess. Ji Yanlang actually felt that it was not appropriate to call her Miss Zhou before. Now that there were only him and Fang Ying, the master and servant, he simply referred to her as "this one".
Fang Ying knew he would ask this question and had a prepared answer: "It was my mother who first took me to visit her when she was ill. Madam Zhou had just passed away a few months before the Crown Prince also passed away. She was heartbroken and had considered becoming a nun, but the emperor wouldn't allow it. She had no way to relieve her grief, so she fell ill immediately."
These were all true events. Fang Ying recalled Zhou Congshan at that time, and her tone couldn't help but sigh. "You know that mother has always sympathized with children like us who lost their mothers at a young age. She personally and gently tried to persuade us. Thinking that we were somewhat in the same boat, she told Madam Zhou to let me visit her every now and then and talk to her. I'll be fine once I get over that hurdle."
"My mother took the initiative to talk to Mrs. Zhou?" Ji Yanlang always felt that this action was a bit presumptuous and unlike his mother's usual style.
"Well, didn't mother tell you that it was through the Zhou family that we found Master Lu?"
"I did. Was it to repay a favor? Did the Zhou family agree?"
"I agreed. The Zhou family was already somewhat helpless at the time. Her illness was caused by the loss of a loved one. Only with someone who could talk to her and slowly comfort her, could she recover."
Ji Yanlang glanced sideways at Fang Ying, who was wearing a veil. The light veil obscured her expression, so it was hard to discern her expression. "I heard that this woman was so arrogant that even the royal princess couldn't talk to her. I didn't expect she would get along so well with you."
She knew that acting out this secret love scene with him would be troublesome—how could he possibly believe it?! Others wouldn't know what their relationship was, so how could he? If Fang Ying were Ji Yanlang, there was no way she'd believe it either.
Since she didn't believe it, she would have doubts, and then consciously or unconsciously look for doubts. If she had known this, she would not have admitted to Yue Qing'e that she had so-called feelings for him.
Unfortunately, it is too late to say these things now. The source of this marriage is the deduction and divination of Master Lu Tian. The Ji family was able to find Master Lu Tian with the help of the Zhou family. She is now a close friend of Zhou Congshan. In the eyes of Ji Yanlang, who is always suspicious, this is a clear clue.
Fortunately, Fang Ying was prepared: "You don't know, the reason she doesn't want to interact with the princess is exactly why she's willing to listen to me. I'm one year older than her, and her mother died when she was seven, so she died the same year as my mother."
Ji Yanlang couldn't help but pause, not knowing what to say for a moment.
"Since then, she has been raised by Madam Zhou. Sometimes her aunt, Empress Zhaomu, would take her in to live with her. So in her heart, her grandmother and aunt have temporarily replaced her biological mother. Unfortunately, Empress Zhaomu..." Fang Ying sighed softly, "Those princesses are not Empress Zhaomu's children, so of course she doesn't want to associate with them."
Ji Yanlang didn't expect this to be the reason. Thinking that if it were him, he would probably do the same thing, he nodded.
After nodding, he felt that he had been too focused on asking questions, causing Fang Ying to recall the pain of losing her mother several times, which was a bit excessive. So he asked in a rare gentle tone, "I vaguely heard that your stepmother is actually your aunt. Is she treating you well?"
"Not bad." Fang Ying didn't expect him to ask this, but these two words were the only ones she could answer regarding her stepmother.
Yes, stepmother, even if it's my aunt, how good can she be? Ji Yanlang glanced around, wanting to change the subject, but there were really few people here. Apart from a road leading out, there were only tall pines and cypresses on both sides. It was impossible to find anything to talk about.
He couldn't find it, but Fang Ying had something she wanted to ask him: "Where did you meet His Royal Highness the Third Prince?"
"At Master Huitong's place. My mother said that Master Huitong had personally chanted sutras for me, praying for the Buddha's blessing, and told me to thank the master sincerely. I had just sat there for a while when His Highness the Third Prince arrived."
"Then why did you come to Sister Zhou together?"
"After I left the master's room, my mother sent someone to find me and told me to remember to pick you up. The Third Prince said he also happened to be going to burn incense for Madam Zhou, so he came along."
Speaking of this, Ji Yanlang remembered that Zhou Congshan had been lukewarm towards the Third Prince just now, and was even less friendly towards him. He asked Fang Ying, "Does this guy treat the princes the same way he treats the princesses?"
Fang Ying said, "Then we should be more polite to the princesses."
Ji Yanlang: “…”
"You can't blame her for this. Master Lu made that prophecy, and the Crown Prince passed away. She's always been more cautious with the princes. If you hadn't come with her today, she would most likely not have met the Third Prince."
"Do they really believe this?"
Fang Ying heard his disapproving tone and smiled, "I didn't believe it at first, but now that I see you've returned safely, I'm starting to believe it."
Ji Yanlang hated hearing people say he had returned safely. What did it have to do with Master Lu Tian? He immediately frowned and sneered, "My mother originally sought him out because he predicted the 'three queens from one family'. Now that the third queen hasn't come true, I'm back and he's using my own experience to back up the previous prophecy. It's no wonder that any sorcerer can now gain access to the inner circle and become a guest of honor for the rich and powerful."
Fang Ying felt that Master Lu Tianshi was different from other Jianghu sorcerers, and that it was because of her that Ji Yanlang praised and criticized her. So she spoke out righteously, "In the final analysis, people still want to believe in the so-called destiny."
Ji Yanlang stopped abruptly and turned to look at her: "So, you also think that my safe return is all due to the so-called destiny calculated by Master Lu Tian?"
"..." Oh, why are you still anxious? Fang Ying quickly shook her head, "I still believe that everything depends on human effort."
Ji Yanlang's face was full of disbelief.
"Really? If you do nothing just because you've discovered your destiny, it won't come true. So I think sometimes destiny is more like... a consolation. This is especially true for those who are powerless."
Not only did she speak sincerely, but her words also matched Ji Yanlang's understanding of her. He finally believed her, but after believing her, his previous doubts returned. "Since you don't believe this will help me, why did you agree to such an absurd thing?"
"Absurd? You said our marriage... is absurd?" Fang Ying tried her best to appear sad. "I never thought it was absurd, because it was the only thing I could do for you at the time."
She spoke the last three words very softly, as if she was a little choked up. Ji Yanlang was a little at a loss for a moment, not knowing whether it was because her words were too sincere or because he was afraid that she would really cry.
"..." He stood there for a moment, still not knowing what to say. He turned around awkwardly and continued walking out, mumbling, "Let's go back. Mom must be waiting anxiously."
Ji Yanlang tried hard not to look back, but his first two steps were too big and he couldn't see anyone out of the corner of his eye. He had to prick up his ears and listen to the footsteps to determine whether Fang Ying was catching up.
He took the third step, and everything behind him was quiet. He slowed his pace and took the fourth step slowly, but still no sound. Was she waiting for him to turn around and thank her and apologize before she would leave? He wouldn't... Before he could finish his thought, he finally heard the rustling of footsteps from behind.
Ji Yanlang breathed a sigh of relief and continued walking slowly. He waited until Fang Ying caught up and he could see her out of the corner of his eye before he resumed his normal pace.
Fang Ying saw everything, but just smiled in her heart and said nothing. She walked silently with him to the quiet room where Li was resting.
How discerning was Mrs. Li? Even though the two men were smiling when they entered, she could tell at a glance that something was amiss. She returned home, told Fang Ying to go back to her room and rest, and then she took her son back to ask what was going on.
"Nothing, we just don't see eye to eye." Ji Yanlang didn't dare to say anything "absurd" in front of his mother.
Li was so disappointed with him that she wanted to hit him but couldn't bring herself to do it. Finally, she patted him lightly on the shoulder and said, "Go to the Fang family in a few days. If you dare to make trouble again, I'll show you how to deal with you!"
When he went to Fang's house, Ji Yanlang really didn't make a fuss - not only that, he even brought several large carts of gifts, and marched through the streets and bridges in a grand manner, and circled along the south bank of the Bian River before turning into Persimmon Lane where Fang's house was.
"He did this on purpose for the old ministers in Shu to see." After the rulers and ministers of Shu moved into Tokyo, most of them were settled on the south bank of the Bian River.
Fang Ying lowered the carriage curtain and whispered to Lichun, her attendant, "Back then, several families, reluctant to part with their daughters but still eager to take advantage of them, offered daughters to Madam, whether they were cousins from afar or adopted daughters from who knows where. They only had one biological daughter, or one who had been widowed for three or four years after her husband's death, and yet they dared to recommend them to Madam."
"But how would my husband know that?" Lichun was puzzled.
"If he wants to know why it's me, just ask a few more people and he'll find out." This is why Fang Ying has never been afraid of him asking others.
It is true that she arranged this marriage, but the fact that it finally fell into her hands was actually thanks to some people who had the fickleness of the world ingrained in their bones.
With Ji Yanlang's clear-cut nature of love and hate, he will definitely hold a grudge against these people after he finds out. He will take advantage of returning to the Fang family today and putting on a grand display in front of them, making them envy him and regret their decision. It's quite satisfying to think about it.
Especially since the Fang family's courtyard is small and the alley outside the gate is narrow, the things in the back trucks have to be unloaded into the courtyard slowly, which is just enough for the neighbors to see.
Although Fang Ying had some complaints about her natal family, this move also made her look good, so she was happy to watch the fun.
If she hadn't seen her uncle and aunt as soon as she got off the car, her smile would have been more genuine.
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