Chapter 272 World Eleven (Thirteen)
The only son of the Tan family in Liangcheng was betrothed to the daughter of the Zheng family. On the day of the engagement, Tan Qianfan went in person. He rode a tall horse, looking remarkably elegant and unrestrained, followed by a group of servants. Two of them carried a box of betrothal gifts. The procession passed by the inn where Baoshan was staying. Looking down from the pavilion, the vast crowd resembled a serpent, its head visible but its tail invisible.
Baoshan was well again, so he opened the window most of the way.
Her snow-white hands gently stroked the window frame, and she tiptoed slightly to look at the street.
Baoshan couldn't clearly see what Tan Qianfan looked like atop his steed. But she didn't care, focused solely on watching the bustle of the procession. Baoshan's beautiful eyes lit up slightly, and her two soft arms gently rested on the window frame.
Baoshan held a pink satin handkerchief in her hand, which was loosely curled in her palm.
Her whole mind was absorbed in the vast crowd. A gentle breeze blew, and the handkerchief in Baoshan's hand was lifted up by the wind. In an instant, it was freed from Baoshan's delicate hands, like a fallen leaf, trembling and falling slowly downwards.
The pink satin handkerchief happened to fall on Tan Qianfan's face, blurring his vision. A delicate fragrance lingered around the tip of Tan Qianfan's nose, and he thought to himself, the owner of this handkerchief must be a beauty.
Therefore, although Tan Qianfan's face was covered by the handkerchief, he was not angry. He just held the handkerchief in his palm and looked up.
I saw a beauty leaning against the window, with watery eyes and cherry lips, her skin was white and translucent, and on her cheek.
A thin layer of red on her face due to panic made her face look even more beautiful.
Tan Qianfan's heart was moved. He always followed his heart and was about to dismount to meet the beauty in the pavilion. Suddenly, Baoshan called out "Master Taoist". Then, the beauty who was alone by the window suddenly stood side by side with the young Taoist priest.
Bao Shan frowned, subconsciously seeking You Dongjun's protection. She sidled up to hide behind You Dongjun and said timidly, "Master, I just did something wrong and accidentally dropped my handkerchief. It was... picked up by someone else."
Baoshan's cheeks were shy. How could a girl's personal belongings be picked up by others at will?
Moreover, Bao Shan thought of the look Tan Qianfan had given her just now, and felt a little displeased in her heart.
The way Tan Qianfan looked at the treasure fan just now was as if it were in his pocket.
Today was the day Tan Qianfan proposed to Miss Zheng, yet he was so frivolous and reckless, showing such a determined attitude towards another woman. This inevitably made Bao Shan want to stay away from him.
Bao Shan did not hide her feelings. In a voice as soft as a mosquito's, she softly recounted Tan Qianfan's disrespectful behavior: "I should have gone downstairs to get the handkerchief back. But that person's gaze frightened me. Taoist..."
Her voice was soft, deliberately pleading. Baoshan raised her head, her watery eyes filled with earnestness. Although she didn't say anything, You Dongjun understood.
You Dongjun looked outside and saw Tan Qianfan's burning gaze which had not yet been withdrawn.
You Dongjun said in a deep voice: "No need to go down, I will get it back for you."
The precious fan responds softly.
You Dongjun came to Tan Qianfan's horse and explained his purpose in just a few words.
But Tan Qianfan obviously had no intention of returning the handkerchief immediately.
Tan Qianfan held the pink satin handkerchief in his palm. With a smile on his lips, he carefully looked at You Dongjun for a long time, and suddenly said, "Little Taoist priest?"
You Dongjun's brows were slightly furrowed.
Tan Qianfan straightened his back and looked down at You Dongjun slightly. He naturally remembered You Dongjun.
After all, in Liangcheng, there was no one else who dared to look down on him except You Dongjun.
However, what made Tan Qianfan feel a little frustrated was that You Dongjun seemed to have forgotten him.
Tan Qianfan tucked the pink satin handkerchief into his sleeve, pulled the reins, and the horse instantly raised its front hooves.
If it were someone else, seeing a horse raising its hooves, they would definitely quickly dodge away for fear of being injured by the horse.
But You Dongjun looked as usual, and didn't even move an inch.
Seeing that You Dongjun was not frightened, Tan Qianfan's eyes flashed with surprise. He said loudly: "Of course the handkerchief must be returned. But it should be returned to its owner, not you, a little Taoist priest..."
You Dongjun said calmly, "For you, it doesn't make much difference whether you return it to her or to me."
Tan Qianfan shook his head gently: "The difference is huge. The owner of this handkerchief is obviously a gentle beauty.
When I returned the handkerchief, the beauty still thanked me softly.
But if I give you the handkerchief, I will only get a cold face and cold words from the little Taoist priest.
By then, it will be you, the little Taoist priest, who will hear all the soft words. "
Such extremely frivolous words made You Dongjun's brows furrow into deep grooves.
Tan Qianfan reminded him, "Please, little Taoist priest, make way. Today is my wedding day. Please don't waste this auspicious occasion. I will personally deliver this handkerchief."
You Dongjun thought in his heart about Tan Qianfan’s reckless words.
If Baoshan heard this, she would definitely feel helpless and uneasy.
You Dongjun turned sideways and stood aside.
Seeing this, Tan Qianfan smiled triumphantly, thinking that You Dongjun had no choice but to give in.
Just as Tan Qianfan was about to ride away, he saw the pink satin handkerchief, wrapped in a bright yellow talisman, fly out from Tan Qianfan's wide sleeves.
You Dongjun stretched out his hand, and the talisman immediately released the pink satin handkerchief and flew back to You Dongjun's waist.
The pink satin handkerchief lost control and fell from the air, landing right in You Dongjun's palm.
You Dongjun said in a deep voice, "The handkerchief has been returned. Mr. Tan, there is no need to worry about it anymore."
After saying that, You Dongjun turned and left.
When the people around saw You Dongjun display his skills and saw the Taoist robe he was wearing, they felt that this young Taoist priest had some skills, and hurriedly asked the innkeeper about You Dongjun's background.
The waiter only knew that You Dongjun was passing through here, staying in Liangcheng for a few days, and was about to leave.
In the past, the waiter saw that You Dongjun was quite young and had handsome features, and did not look like a Taoist who had practiced for a long time, so he thought that You Dongjun was not very proficient in Taoism.
Now it seems that You Dongjun does have some real skills.
Everyone's attention was attracted by You Dongjun's move of exorcising talismans and taking things.
Tan Qianfan, sitting on the horse, was feeling depressed. The joy on his face was completely gone. He pulled the reins and left the marrying team far behind.
You Dongjun didn't want to use the talisman. After all, in his opinion, Taoism should be used to exorcise demons and ghosts, not ordinary trivial matters.
Therefore, You Dongjun started by using kind words to ask Tan Qianfan to return the pink satin handkerchief, but Tan Qianfan obviously did not want to return it easily.
You Dongjun didn't want to get too entangled with this frivolous man, and subconsciously didn't want Baoshan to have any contact with Tan Qianfan.
After all, the precious fan is pure in nature and cannot be stained by dirt.
You Dongjun returned the pink satin handkerchief to Baoshan, who thanked him softly and then said cautiously, "I'm sorry to have caused you trouble. Did the young master of the Tan family give you any trouble?"
Seeing Bao Shan's worried look, You Dongjun recalled the scene where Tan Qianfan deliberately made things difficult for him, pulling the rope to embarrass him. You Dongjun shook his head slightly and said in a deep voice, "No."
Baoshan's brows then relaxed, and a gentle smile appeared at the corners of his lips.
Tan Qianfan's proposal of marriage was ultimately unsuccessful.
When the Zheng family heard that Tan Qianfan was still thinking about another woman on his way to deliver the betrothal gifts, they couldn't help but feel angry.
But thinking of the Tan family's status in Liangcheng, the Zheng family could only pretend to be ignorant.
Miss Zheng, without waiting for her parents' consolation, politely replied, "Mr. Tan is amorous, and everyone in Liangcheng knows this. But Mr. Tan can have many concubines, but only one wife. I understand the pros and cons of this."
The engagement will proceed as scheduled.
But just as Miss Zheng revealed her true face in front of Tan Qianfan, she saw a horse running into the hall like crazy and bumping into Miss Zheng.
Miss Zheng was seriously injured and unconscious, so the marriage naturally could not take place.
The mad horse was the one that Tan Qianfan was riding.
After injuring Miss Zheng, the horse's limbs became limp and it fell to the ground, unable to get up.
The horse belonged to the Tan family. Although it went crazy suddenly and unexpectedly, it was ultimately related to the Tan family.
Because of this incident, the Tan family made many concessions to the Zheng family before the matter was barely resolved.
This incident was originally an accident and would not cause much trouble in Liangcheng.
Afterwards, Tan Qianfan arranged another marriage, but the woman either met with an accident or suffered an acute illness and was in critical condition.
On the surface, these accidents had nothing to do with the Tan family, so there was naturally no question of the Tan family making concessions or offering compensation.
But before these ladies got engaged to Tan Qianfan, they were all in good health and had no illness or disaster.
But when the news of her engagement with Tan Qianfan came, she suddenly suffered a misfortune and was on the verge of death. How could people not be suspicious?
For a time, the reputation of Tan Qianfan as a "wife-killer" spread like wildfire throughout Liangcheng. While other families in Liangcheng wanted to cling to the powerful and influential Tan family, they knew the loss of their daughters and the subsequent failure to secure a marriage would be a loss worth the effort.
Therefore, Tan Qianfan, who was supposed to get married after the birthday party, was now treated like a monster and was deliberately avoided.
When the parents of the Tan family saw the good-looking and good-tempered girl, they just opened their mouths to call Tan Qianfan out, but before they expressed their feelings, they wanted to find out more about whether the other party was interested in getting married.
The lady of a certain family, who had been respectful at first, made up a lame excuse and hurried away with her daughter.
As the only son of the Tan family, Tan Qianfan grew up in luxury and was pampered and respected. He had never been treated coldly or even despised like this.
Tan Qianfan immediately turned away and walked into the familiar alley.
After the wooden door opened, Tan Qianfan dove into the warm embrace, muttering, "Huan Niang, they are all blind people! They actually said that I am unlucky in marriage, which is really nonsense! Huan Niang, do you believe those rumors?"
The woman whom Tan Qianfan called Huanniang had a pretty face and a graceful figure.
She gently stroked Tan Qianfan's hair, her eyes filled with unconcealed love. Huan Niang said softly, "Since it's just a rumor, I naturally don't believe it."
Hearing this, Tan Qianfan withdrew from Huan Niang's arms. He picked Huan Niang up and said, "Yes, it's a rumor."
Seeing Tan Qianfan leave angrily, Tan's mother couldn't help but feel worried.
She searched everywhere for Tan Qianfan at home, but couldn't find him for a long time.
Finally, the servant serving Tan Qianfan said, "The young master...went to the alley."
Mother Tan was silent for a moment. After a moment, she frowned and asked, "Have you drunk the contraceptive soup I sent you every time?"
The servant said hurriedly, "I watched it happen every time, and not a drop was left."
Tan's mother's expression finally turned better. Tan's mother was very strict about rules, so Tan Qianfan could act recklessly, dote on the maidservants beside him, and even keep a mistress in the alley.
As long as there is no illegitimate son or daughter before the main wife enters the house, Tan's mother will just ignore it.
But Huan Niang looked gentle and extremely obedient, as if she didn't want to pursue any other wealth and glory except Tan Qianfan.
But Tan's mother just couldn't like Huan Niang.
Every time Tan's mother saw Huan Niang, she felt annoyed. She would give her a few quick instructions and then get up and leave.
Tan's mother was worried about the issue of his wife being unlucky for a long time before she got some advice.
So many bizarre things happened together, it's hard to sum it up with the commonplace word "wife-killing". It seems someone deliberately plotted to tarnish Tan Qianfan's reputation and leave him without a wife.
However, those wealthy families all had personal protection, so even if they wanted to use some tricks, they couldn't carry them out. Therefore, this incident was not man-made, but rather seemed like an evil spirit.
When Tan's mother heard this, she was shocked and hurriedly asked how to get rid of the evil spirit.
The man just said that it would be enough to find a Taoist priest who knew the magic to get rid of the evil spirit.
Tan's mother was troubled. There was no trace of the Taoist priest in Liangcheng.
The servant following Tan Qianfan hurriedly said that there was a young Taoist priest in the Liangcheng Inn who had demonstrated his magic in the street and was definitely not a charlatan seeking fame.
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