Chapter 8 Everyone is here
The official who came from the palace to present ceremonies was an old eunuch. He was out of breath and spoke only clichés, which made everyone feel drowsy.
Before the training was finished, there was a creaking of doors and windows, and a heavy storm. The rain, which had finally stopped for half a day, began to pour down again.
Amidst the raging wind and rain, Qian Deng sent the old palace messenger away. Seeing the others approaching the door, he asked, "How are you gentlemen going back?"
Yan Penglai held an oil-paper umbrella in his hand, his face showing difficulty, and his originally clear brows were now filled with worry and hesitation.
Ji Linyou looked at the slender ribs of the umbrella and asked him, "Brother Yan, I'm afraid this umbrella can't bear it, right?"
In particular, they had to cross half of Chang'an in the midst of strong winds and heavy rain.
"It's not a big deal if my umbrella is broken, but there are many ditches and ravines in Lanlingfang where I live. Just the other day, someone stepped into a ditch in broad daylight and nearly died. Now I'm trudging through it at night. Isn't it... going to get covered in mud?"
Eight rivers surround Chang'an, which originally had an excellent terrain, but now the dam has collapsed, and a crisis has occurred.
Qian Deng looked at Yan Penglai's ethereal figure due to his thinness, and became worried for a moment - if this immortal-like and brilliant man fell into a puddle in the middle of the night and got disfigured or broke his hands and feet, wouldn't all the girls in Chang'an be heartbroken?
Meng Lanxi put on the oil-silk clothes she had brought with her, said goodbye to Qiandeng, and walked home along the street in the night rain.
Yan Penglai was still hesitating, holding his umbrella, when the doorman next to him suddenly called out, "Oh no! Mr. Meng has fallen!"
Everyone walked quickly to the gate and looked outside. In the heavy night rain, Meng Lanxi was standing up with the help of the wall. His straw hat fell to the ground, his oil-woven silk clothes were torn, and he was soaked from head to toe. He looked in a miserable state.
Ji Linyou helped him back and sat down in the gatehouse to check his injuries. Fortunately, he only twisted his ankle and had some scrapes on his hands, nothing serious.
Shi Jingning was not much different in build from him, so he went back and got him a set of clean clothes to change into.
"It's raining and it looks like Mr. Meng can't go back tonight. Why don't you stay here first?" Aunt Xuanji advised him.
Meng Lanxi, her wet black hair loose, looked up at Qiandeng. Her eyes, as if shrouded in the mist of Jiangnan rain, shone brightly under the light: "This... is just a minor injury. Is it not good to bother the county lady?"
Anyway, there were already enough people in the backyard, so Qian Deng didn't care if there was one more or one less, so he said, "That's fine, Mr. Meng, you can find a place in the backyard that suits you to stay."
Ji Linyou found a medicinal wine for bruises and handed it to Meng Lanxi, saying with a smile, "Brother Meng, there's a place next to the chrysanthemum garden where I live. There are several camellia trees and a clear spring flowing through it. It's called Yilan Pavilion. I think it would be great if Brother Meng could draw water from it to make tea!"
Meng Lanxi nodded and saluted Qiandeng with a smile: "Thank you very much, County Master."
Yan Penglai also put away his umbrella and said logically, "Please allow me to choose a quiet place where I can recite scriptures and read books."
Shangluo immediately said, "I know, I know. There's Zhaoying Pavilion by the pond in the northeast corner. The bluestone there is covered with moss. It's right next to the temple next door, and you can hear the evening drum and morning bell clearly. You can even see the reflection of the pagoda in the water while sitting under the porch. It must be like being in a fairyland!"
Yan Penglai was quite excited when he heard it and agreed immediately.
So, no matter what the reason or the method, in September of the early years of Xingyuan, eight candidates for fiancé gathered in the backyard of Bai Qiandeng, the lord of Lingling County, and spent the first night in the storm together.
But at that time, no one knew that this was the beginning of all the blood and rain.
Naturally, the candidates for Lingling County Lady's fiancé gathered in the backyard of the palace, sparking rumors in the streets.
From the East Market to the West Market, from the main streets to the end of the alleys, everyone talked about the romantic affair of eight men gathered in the backyard of the Lingling County Lady.
Some people couldn't stand it anymore: "Tsk tsk tsk, gathering beauties in the palace and gathering men in the backyard, the world is really going downhill..."
Someone winked and said, "A few days ago, you were still lamenting the difficulties faced by the county lord. In my opinion, in this situation, the Lingling County Lord is quite straightforward and open-minded!"
"She's truly a daughter of a military family. Her behavior rivals even that of several princesses from established mansions!" The idle audience chattered. "Also, everyone says that Princess Lingling is unlucky in marriage and has no relatives. Now she's definitely unlucky, and she's already missing two of her ten potential husbands. Who do you think will finally win her heart?"
"Hey, he even got a beautiful woman. Which is more important, life or being the county lady? If I were a candidate, I would have run away long ago!"
"Why are you running? Look at that richest man, Young Master Jin Tang. He entered the palace with such fanfare. His dowry alone... no, his luggage weighed a hundred and twenty loads! I've already taken him into custody!"
"I'm betting on Yan Penglai—you all know it. If I don't bet on this most beautiful man in Chang'an, my wife won't let me eat!"
Amidst the laughter, a few voices rose higher than the others: "Yu Guangling!"
"Yes, it must be him. I've staked everything I own. If it's not Yu Guangling, I'll jump into the Wei River!"
Seeing how confident they were, the people around them hurriedly asked, "What's Yu Guangling's ability? Why are so many people betting on him at Shengfa Casino recently?"
"Hush—I heard that the Lady of Qi passed away, and one of the candidates died and the other moved away. The previous statement made by the Si Tiantai that the six relatives had no affinity with the husband has been confirmed, and it couldn't be more accurate. And the Si Tiantai only recommended one person, that person—"
Everyone blurted out: "Yu Guangling was selected based on his fate!"
"That's right, the Imperial Astronomical Office asserted that the one who can suppress the County Lady's fate of being a husband-killer must be Yu Guangling!" The gamblers said confidently, "I heard that this news has already spread privately. Seven people in the County Lady's backyard are now heartbroken!"
"How can this be tolerated? Let's not talk about others, how could that young master of Jintang easily swallow this anger?"
"The storm is coming, and the love field is a battlefield. I think that if the Princess of Lingling County has vowed to observe mourning and postpone her wedding for another three years, countless things will happen!"
People with a curious mind were discussing it on the streets, and the popularity suddenly reached a new high.
Inside the Imperial College, heavy rains continued, and the river water flooded back after the dam broke, causing the Imperial College to be flooded, making it impossible to teach in the school.
The students had nothing to do and were most interested in talking about the feud between Yu Guangling and Jin Tang. Jin Tang was so angry that he went crazy in public. After being driven out by the teacher, he ran to the restaurant across the street to get drunk and became a laughing stock.
The teachers were worried that the young people's hearts would be scattered and they would never be able to regain them. A group of people discussed and decided to find something else for the students to do. If classics, history, archery and charioteering were not enough, they could at least learn about rituals and music, right?
So, the chief priest personally went to the Taichang Temple to find someone skilled in music to give lectures at the Imperial College. Unexpectedly, the world-renowned Taiyue Cheng Xue Xiyang readily agreed and visited the students the next day with his qin to give a lecture on classical music.
Hearing that the Grand Master of Music was coming in person to give a lecture on music theory, everyone naturally flocked to attend. Only Yu Guangling, upon hearing the news, hesitated, considering whether to find an excuse not to attend.
"Why not go? Is it just because he is a candidate for the county lady's husband just like you?" Jian Anting pulled him up and walked towards the music hall without saying anything.
Yu Guangling refused and said hesitantly: "But, if I go there, I will definitely meet Jintang..."
Jian Anting frowned: "Are you going to hide from Jin Tang like this from now on?"
Yu Guangling was somewhat bewildered. "I don't know... My parents are in dire straits. If it weren't for the Jin family's support, I'd probably be running errands and selling pulp on the streets, working from dawn to dusk just to make a living. Jin Tang... what he said was all true. The Jin family has indeed been incredibly kind to me..."
"The Jin family is only doing you a favor. They gave you a few hundred taels. When you become the husband of the county lady and serve as an official in the court, it will be easy to repay them with thousands or even tens of thousands of taels." Seeing that he was feeling guilty and short of breath, Jian Anting patted his back with a look of regret. "Guangling, among all the people, you are the final winner. As the husband of the county lady, you should look down on the other candidates. How can you be so timid?"
The County Lady's Husband...
Yu Guangling's ears were slightly red.
On his arm, he still felt the touch of supporting the county lady.
She placed her hand on him through her sleeve and walked towards the steps of the palace on the shaky blue bricks.
That moment seemed very long, so long that the touch of her warm palm was still on his forearm. Every time he thought of it, his mind was shaken and he couldn't suppress the throbbing in his heart.
That moment was too short, so short that he wished he could exchange all the time before and after for it so that he could support the county lady and walk a little further, and keep walking.
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