Chapter 41: Snowy Benzoin
Knowing that he was familiar with the inner workings of Princess Gao's mansion, Qian Deng sat down again and changed the subject, asking, "I heard Shang Luo say before that Shang Beijia was exiled to Jizhou because he offended Princess Gao. Now that the court has transferred you back to the capital, I guess the princess's anger has subsided."
Shang Nanliu smiled bitterly, "That's not the case. After the rebellion last year, Chang'an suffered heavy losses among its high-ranking officials. As a result, many talents who had been exiled to other provinces had the opportunity to return to the capital. I followed the normal procedures of the Ministry of Personnel, but Princess Gaoguo didn't interfere."
In other words, Princess Gao was already in a bad situation before her death and was no longer able to stop the dissidents.
In fact, Qiandeng and Cui Fufeng also discussed that if Princess Gao had not died, what measures would she take to ensure her own safe survival and her daughter's marriage when facing her future.
The answer is almost unsolvable. From the court to the emperor and empress, from power to her daughter, she has lost control of everything.
"Speaking of which, the death of the Grand Princess resolved many of the contradictions that faced her." Shang Nanliu sighed, "What was the point of clinging to power for decades? In the end, death became her final release."
Qian Deng's heart moved slightly, and a strange idea grew uncontrollably.
But in the end, she shook her head and denied her absurd idea.
With Princess Gao's departure, Princess Changyi's marriage will become more difficult. I believe that as long as she can still withstand the pressure, she will not make such a choice.
There was a faint rumble of thunder outside. The sky was gloomy in the afternoon and there seemed to be signs of rain.
Qiandeng said goodbye to Shang Nanliu, and he walked her to the door. As he watched her get into the car, he thought for a moment and hesitated, "I greeted Yan Penglai at the teahouse and smelled his fragrance... It was the snow-white benzoin that only the Princess Gao's mansion had."
Snowy Benzoin...
On the way back in the carriage, Qiandeng kept pondering and smelled his fingertips that had been stained with incense ash again.
The fragrance had long since dissipated and did not last long. Shang Nanliu could smell the scent of Yan Penglai, which meant that he had just been to the princess's mansion.
Could the ash Shang Nanliu saw on Yan Penglai's sleeves be the incense ashes that were scattered around the remains of Princess Gao?
The carriage returned to the palace. As soon as she got off, she asked the doorman, Uncle Da, "Is Yan Bucheng back?"
"I didn't see him. Maybe he came in through the back door?" Uncle Da shook his head, looked at the sky again, and said, "It looks like it's going to rain soon. Yan Bucheng hates mud and sewage the most. He may not come back and stay in the Taibu Mansion directly."
The Taibu Office was connected to the Sitian Terrace. Officials had to climb up to measure the sun's shadow and observe the stars at noon in the morning and evening, so there were residential buildings in the office for officials on duty to rest.
Qiandeng frowned and wanted to send someone to the Taibu Office to call Yan Penglai back, but he was worried about alerting the enemy. When he changed his clothes and came back, everything was resolved.
After thinking about it, she hurried into the house and walked towards the backyard.
Liuli trotted after her and asked, "County Lady, have you had dinner first? You've been busy all day, you need to rest, right?"
"Let's go to Zhaoyingxuan and rest."
A storm was brewing, dark clouds shrouding the dusk. Turning the winding path, a small pond in front of us was dotted with bamboo houses with corridors. This was Zhaoying Pavilion, where Yan Penglai lived.
Qiandeng was walking quickly when suddenly her cheeks felt slightly cold, and then she heard the sound of raindrops hitting leaves.
The first thunderstorm of the year has arrived before summer even begins.
The two of them quickened their pace and entered the small corridor of Zhaoyingxuan together. It was silent inside, and it was obvious that Yan Penglai had not returned yet.
Standing on the wooden corridor over the water, the two of them patted the water droplets on their heads and bodies, looking at the heavy rain in front of them.
The crackling sound never stopped, ripples formed in the water, and raindrops slanted into the wooden corridor, first leaving a few wet marks, and then the entire corridor was soaked by the raindrops.
Seeing that they were about to get wet in the corridor, Liuli pushed open the door of Zhaoyingxuan and retreated into the house with Qiandeng.
Zhaoyingxuan was transparent on all sides, and the water and wind swirled around them. They were half wet from the rain again. In the chilly spring weather, both of them felt the chill penetrate them and couldn't help sneezing a few times.
"Oh, I'm sorry for Mr. Yan, who has a mysophobia, but there are reasons for this. I think he should understand us." Liuli said, and walked to the small tea stove in the house, took water from the small porcelain jar next to it, lit the fire, and took the cardamom, ginger and cinnamon next to it, and boiled a pot of cold-relieving tea on the stove.
They dried their wet clothes by the fire, and the tea in the pot was already boiling. They poured two cups of tea and drank while warming their hands, finally warming up.
In this small pavilion in the wind and rain, a solitary lamp is lit, looking at the sudden rain hitting the clear pond outside, listening to the sound of rain blowing through the forest and hitting the leaves, the thousands of lights that have been busy and non-stop also have a sense of relaxation and fatigue.
At this moment, a figure appeared in the overwhelming rain, walked quickly along the wooden corridor, and appeared at the door of Zhaoyingxuan.
The rain in the dark night was like a bead curtain, highlighting his tall and graceful figure. The thin spring clothes were soaked and stuck to his body, making his whole figure look even thinner and more elegant, like an immortal.
Qiandeng suddenly remembered a sentence he had heard spread in the past - that was the sigh of the saint after seeing Yan Penglai during the grand sacrifice. He said, whose son is this, even the back of him makes him forget the world, he doesn't seem like an ordinary person?
These words recorded in the emperor's diary, passed down through the lips of people all over the world, appeared clearly before her eyes.
Yan Penglai looked up and saw Qiandeng, bathed in the light, holding a cup of hot tea. The light cast a faint glow over her figure and features, and as he gazed at her, he felt his heart tremble with the golden thread on her cheek. For a moment, he felt as if he were surrounded by the lingering sound of a fallen celestial being, and he felt a sense of inexplicable joy.
Qian Deng stood up and greeted him, "Lord Yan, we were caught in a sudden downpour just now and had nowhere to hide, so we came here for a while. I hope you can forgive me for borrowing your tea stove to drink some tea and warm myself up."
Yan Penglai leaned forward and bowed to her, saying softly, "Why do you say that, County Lady? I'm only taking you in out of your kindness. This backyard is all yours, you can come and go as you please."
Qiandeng returned the greeting and saw that the water droplets on his rain-soaked cheeks reflected the light like tear marks, giving this immortal man a hint of human sadness.
Amid the rushing sounds of wind and rain all around, Qiandeng suddenly remembered that it was a rainstorm that day that made this immortal man stay in her backyard.
Today was also a rainstorm, but this man with a mysophobia ran back to her backyard regardless of everything, braving the wind and rain.
The two of them sat opposite each other across the tea stove, drinking tea in silence.
Liuli looked at her fairy-like and beautiful county lady, and then at the unrivaled lord across from her, and secretly felt that the two of them together were as pleasing to the eye as a painting.
Unfortunately, she didn't know that the person in the painting had his own plans.
Qiandeng's gaze secretly fell on Yan Penglai's cuffs, checking for the ash traces that Shang Nanliu mentioned, and carefully distinguishing whether there was the scent of Xuemo Benzoin on his body.
But she was disappointed. Perhaps it was the dim light, the rain, or the white ash stains being too faint on his light-colored clothes, but she didn't detect either the traces or the fragrance.
Perhaps this gentleman, who was famous for his mysophobia, had already bathed and changed his clothes to eliminate all odor after returning from the crowded and noisy teahouse.
It cannot be ruled out that the scent Shang Nanliu smelled was actually Zheng Raoan's. After all, he was promoted by Princess Gao. If he went to the princess's mansion to pay tribute, he would also be contaminated by that fragrance.
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