Perspective
?
Why does it feel like she's included Miss Tao and Mr. Qin together?
......I must have been worrying too much.
Jiang Nian responded softly without saying anything more, and returned with Ai to the first-class room that Xiao Yingzhu had booked last night.
The luggage in the room was still arranged the same as yesterday. Jiang Nian opened the door and invited Ai to go into the room with her to eat some fruits and snacks.
Ai insisted on standing outside and shook his head lightly: "Miss Jiang, I was entrusted with an order to escort you here today. Now that you are safely in the room, I should go back."
"That night..."
The prefect had arranged a banquet with Xiao Yingzhu and others yesterday, but was declined by the city residents due to the urgent situation. However, the prefect was worried that he had not been polite enough, so he once again suggested that if they had any needs, he would do his best to meet them.
Now that the Wu Mi people in Cang County are rampant, it is also due to the incompetence of the prefect. Seeing him take the initiative to propose this, Meng Zheng's eyebrows curved, and he thought of a wonderful idea, and immediately agreed to it.
Xiao Yingzhu, Meng Zheng and Yu He still had something to talk about. Qin Lan vaguely knew what they were going to mention, so he interrupted the topic without any hesitation.
At this point, Jiang Niancai came back alone.
Ai was silent for a moment, then hesitated and replied, "I should send the young lady there again."
—
I had opened the carved windows to ventilate the room when I left this morning, and there was still a chill in the room from last night's heavy rain. The air was cool and dry, and outside the long corridor, only the sound of birdsong could be heard, and the lake was covered with cloud shadows.
The notes of her conversations over the past two days were neatly recorded in the book. The dinner at the State Guest House had not yet been prepared. In her spare time, she took out the book from her bag and sat in the afterglow of the sunset to read it.
During the days of traveling from Pingzhou to Cangjun, they didn't talk much, but the information they got each time was concise and covered a lot of external background about the Huan Dynasty.
By linking these clues of events together, we can clear up many of the vague edges and even piece together the origins of this conspiracy.
Jiang Nian lowered his head and looked at the book, reading it line by line, thinking as he read. A clear picture of the background of this dynasty gradually formed in his mind.
—
Huan Dynasty has been a country of vast territory and abundant resources since ancient times.
After experiencing the vicissitudes of life, burning the ground to illuminate the earth and gathering with friends to play were once the portrayal of the peaceful years.
However, things happen unexpectedly, and good times are hard to come by.
The neighboring countries Xuanmo and Donglan have been eyeing Huan for a long time, trying to divide up Huan's land for their own benefit.
So they formed an alliance, launched a surprise attack, and tried to win a quick victory, capture the capital, and divide its resources.
Dark clouds covered the city, the people were displaced, the former prosperity was gone in a flash, and the fertile land was saturated with blood.
The country is in crisis and the situation is critical.
The Duke of Xian took the initiative to ask Emperor Changde for help, pointing out that the two countries were only at peace because of interests and were not truly reliable allies. If one of them was defeated, the other side would retreat on its own initiative for fear of damage to its own interests.
Emperor Changde and Duke Xian had been classmates since childhood, sharing a close bond and similar views. He immediately agreed to Duke Xian's proposal and dispatched his generals to assist in resisting foreign aggression. Consequently, they successfully repelled the armies of Xuanmo and Donglan, pacifying the border threat.
After Xuan Mo's defeat, factional strife within the imperial court intensified, ultimately leading to the decline of national power. Small states that had previously been dependent on Xuan Mo declared independence, and wars between them became frequent.
The war was far away from Huan State, so Huan State was able to enjoy temporary peace.
However, the period of peace did not last long.
A few years after the Huan Dynasty was pacified, the world's climate changed and natural disasters occurred frequently.
The financial resources needed for relief were tight, so after the Huan Dynasty's drought control results improved, Donglan came out of dormancy and sent an envoy to the Huan Dynasty to explain his purpose and ask for an anthelmintic remedy to alleviate the drought, but was rejected by Emperor Changde.
At that time, they made peace with the Wu Mi people as an alliance, so they took advantage of the fact that the insect repellent was not given to them and the following incident occurred.
—
Jiang Nian's thoughts were interrupted by a few soft knocks on the door.
My eyes refocused on the paper. Only a trace of the setting sun remained outside the window, and the room was dim.
The door opened slowly and the person who came in did not seem anxious, perhaps because of his mild temper and little intention to urge him.
The floor was covered with a thick carpet. Jiang Nian didn't want to keep the other party waiting any longer, so she walked quickly and almost silently, unlocked the door, opened a crack, and looked out.
Not Xiao Yingzhu.
"Are you disappointed that you didn't see Xiao Ke?"
Xizhen keenly caught the fleeting hint of loss in her expression, slightly curved his eyes, and took a few steps back to maintain a polite distance.
"The prefect has held the banquet at Zhuyu Pavilion in Cang County. Qin Lan's subordinates have matters to attend to, so I am here to take over her duties."
No wonder Ai didn’t come.
Xizhen saw what she was thinking and answered her directly.
Jiang Nian's line was interrupted, and he swallowed the words back. He could only nod in understanding, turned around and locked the door. When his peripheral vision caught sight of the book in the bag, he was slightly stunned. Xi Zhen beside him smiled and said, "If you are hesitant about whether to bring it, I suggest you take it with you."
He said meaningfully, "Perhaps something interesting will happen tonight."
Jiang Nian lowered his head and closed his bag. When he looked up again, Xizhen's expression had already returned to normal.
She didn't notice the other person's slightly strange expression, and nodded calmly. Suddenly, she felt like a child who needed someone to take care of her, and someone had to look after her wherever she went.
Her expression was complicated for a moment, then she suppressed her emotions and followed Xizhen to their destination.
—
Zhuyu Pavilion is not an ordinary banquet venue.
The owner of the pavilion is connected with the local brothel in Cang County. If the visitor is famous, he can even specifically invite the courtesan who is rarely seen in normal times.
There are two important differences between inviting a singing girl in a pavilion and meeting her in a brothel.
First, the guest's identity will be kept secret, and no one except the boss will know. Second, all questions will be answered.
Therefore, those who can get the boss to invite the courtesan to the pavilion are generally not villains, and their identities are kept secret. Moreover, the boss is tight-lipped and does not reveal anything to either side, so he is more popular with customers and his business is extremely prosperous.
However, most of the guests were not prominent, so it was rare to invite an oiran.
But today is different.
Two people who were extremely famous in the imperial court, and the other one was a son of the royal family, gathered here. Even the owner of Zhuyu Pavilion had not expected that such an important person would come to the store. Even though he responded to the prefect's reply, he immediately went to the brothel to invite the courtesan he had requested.
When Jiang Nian followed Xi Zhen to Zhuyu Pavilion, the courtesan behind the screen had already plucked the strings with her bare hands. After adjusting the tone, she began to play arpeggios.
It’s spring.
It is used to describe the spring when the cold winter is gone and the clouds are about to clear, and the earth is revived and prosperous.
The usher hid behind the door and disappeared.
Everyone in the box sat according to their status. Jiang Nian glanced at a few empty seats for a moment and then sat down. This position was in the middle of the field. Looking at the screen where the courtesan was, his figure was just within his field of vision.
If he turned his head at this moment, maybe they would still make eye contact.
“…”
Just as Jiang Nian was thinking this, the person opposite her seemed to understand her thoughts and turned his eyes to look at her.
Seeing him now reminds me of the inexplicable words and actions of the two of them last night. I always feel that my thoughts have been caught in the act. Jiang Nian suddenly felt his face getting hot, and he pretended to be calm and looked at the screen.
The ancient music behind the screen is still being played slowly and leisurely. The performer's mind is calm, and the music is elegant and smooth. Listening carefully, one can feel a different mood from this bright and light music style.
Like a dormant and slowly moving sharp assassin in the dark night.
Suspecting that he was distracted by Xiao Yingzhu, Jiang Nian listened carefully again, but there was nothing.
The courtesan continued to play the music cheerfully and happily, without any gloomy or cold mood in her heart.
Did I hear it wrong?
Jiang Nian was a little confused. She had not been exposed to much music in modern times and did not know much about the guqin. Perhaps she had heard it wrong.
The expressions of the other people around the table were the same, and the confusion that was rising in her was temporarily suppressed.
After the song was finished, Qin Lan was the first to applaud. His voice was unlike the others, and he had never heard of them in the court, so he concealed the identity of the audience.
His applause was purposeful, as if he was afraid the courtesan wouldn't be able to hear him. He clapped loudly a few times, then said with a smile, "The courtesan of Cang County is truly renowned. I've traveled so far to this place, and I was regretting that I wasn't lucky enough to hear her singing. Who would have thought I'd be able to hear such wonderful music today? I'll never regret it!"
The courtesan's figure moved slightly for a moment. Though he couldn't see her face through the screen, he could sense her smile. After a moment, she asked, "Sir, you're joking. I've only earned a little fame. It's my honor to be appreciated by you."
"This is the piece I must play today. Now that you've listened to it, is there anything else you'd like to hear? I'd like to entertain you."
Qin Lan exchanged a calm glance with Xiao Yingzhu, then gestured to Meng Zheng, "Of course. I wonder if the courtesan will meet Xiaoxiang Shuiyun? I'm homesick and would like to hear a song reminiscing about the past in this foreign land."
The courtesan responded softly, not noticing anything unusual: "Then I will present my humble service."
The string sounds are ethereal, the vibrato is pleasant to the ears, and each sound seems to stir the heart. The courtesan plays the strings with her bare hands, and the sound is steady and peaceful. I don't know if it is because of Qin Lan's words of reminiscing about the past, but the slow music really has a bit of the meaning of reminiscing about the past.
But the memories she brought up were not the same as what Qin Lan said.
It seems to be mixed with some of the performer's own emotions.
Music doesn't lie.
It is frank, open, inclusive of everyone, comforting everyone, and betraying everyone.
In music, everything is like the reflection in clear water, clear and transparent.
Jiang Nian felt a little numb from sitting there. He moved slightly and heard a very light knocking sound on the table next to his ear.
The sound seemed to follow the rhythm of the music, perfectly in tune with it.
It's a stream pillow.
Jiang Nian's breath was caught in his throat, and he suddenly remembered what Yu He had said before, and talked about some things with Xi Zhen.
During the time Qin Lan and Xiao Yingzhu traveled from Pingzhou to Cang County, they never mentioned the most popular courtesan in Cang County, not even the brothel.
When they talked, no one mentioned the courtesan at all.
Now, at this banquet, they deliberately invited the most popular courtesan from Cang County. It must not be just to listen to her son.
Not to mention Xiao Yingzhu, Jiang Nian has gotten to know the personalities of the others these days. Although their emotions are different, one thing is certain.
They all look like they are easy to talk to, but they are not easy to please. They are extremely indifferent and will not abandon their current tasks to bother an Oiran to listen to them at such a tense moment.
The only conversation she did not participate in from beginning to end was the one in the afternoon when the national conditions of Huan State were analyzed.
So this courtesan is the new character mentioned during their conversation this afternoon?
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