Hearing this, Leng Yu hurriedly clasped his fists in return and said:
"I was negligent, Yu'er. For the past three years, I've been grateful for your care for my four subordinates in Ningguta. Now that you've returned to the capital, I should have personally paid my respects there. Instead, I've troubled you to come to Prince Yu's Mansion. I'm truly ashamed."
Liu Dechang was busy waving his hands and shaking his head with a smile.
"Your Highness, it's a bit strange of you to say that. Although I'm much older than you, I admire your bravery and fighting spirit despite your youth. When I learned about your accident at the border three years ago, I knew there must be something fishy going on. And now it's proven true. You haven't let me down!"
Having said that, he raised his hand, patted his shoulder, nodded to Luo Lan, and said with a carefree smile: "Then I will go back first. See you tomorrow at the annual banquet in the imperial palace."
Leng Yu hurriedly clasped his fists in return and said, "See you tomorrow."
Luo Lan also bowed and saluted. Liu Dechang looked at her deeply at this time, nodded slightly to her, and turned to leave.
Walking out of the gate of Prince Yu's Mansion, Liu Dechang suddenly closed his eyes and took a long breath towards the sky. His attendant Xiao Wu hurried over and asked:
"General, what's wrong with you? You looked unwell just now, and I was scared to death."
Liu Dechang then opened his eyes, waved his hands gently, shook his head and sighed:
"Princess Yu, her name is Shui Luolan. Her name surprised me."
Hearing this, Xiao Wu looked at him with wide eyes in confusion.
"General, why does this name shock you? Is there something wrong?"
Liu Dechang then waved his hand, swung his clothes, took two quick steps, and jumped on his horse. The soldiers behind him also mounted their horses. After a while, dust flew up, and these people went straight to the general's mansion and rode away.
After seeing Liu Dechang off, Leng Yu and Luo Lan sat in the main hall, drinking tea and chatting.
Luo Lan took a sip of tea, then put the cup down. With sparkling eyes, he asked in surprise:
"This General Liu looks to be around fifty. Doesn't he have any family? Why are there only servants left in his mansion?"
Leng Yu pursed his lips, sighed, looked towards the door, and murmured:
"I also heard about him from Nanny Sun. It is said that General Liu, despite his great military achievements, fell in love with an ordinary peasant girl. He married her and they were deeply emotional. Later, when General Liu went to war, his wife gave birth to a daughter. For unknown reasons, the daughter was suddenly lost when she was a few months old. His wife, missing her daughter too much, died soon after. When he returned, both his wife and daughter were gone. Seeing the empty general's mansion, he was heartbroken. From then on, he chose to stay in the border for many years. Although the emperor later appointed him a national protector, he never remarried."
Hearing this, Luo Lan suddenly admired General Liu very much, and at the same time asked with doubt in his heart:
"How could his daughter be lost for no reason?"
Leng Yu frowned deeply, took a sip of the tea in his hand, and said again:
"It is said that his wife took their daughter and several servants to the temple to burn incense and pray for him. However, after she recited the sutra, she and the servants holding her daughter were lost. When she found out, she searched everywhere like crazy, but found nothing. Shuntian Prefecture also sent people to search the capital city, but they still couldn't find him. Alas!"
Luo Lan's expression tightened, and he felt a little melancholy in his heart. He whispered:
"He's really pitiful. He's over 50 years old and doesn't even have any relatives around him."
"yes."
Leng Yu took a sip of tea, looked at her, and said softly:
"So, we should visit him more often when we have time, especially during the Chinese New Year. He must feel very lonely looking at the empty General's Mansion."
"Yes! It's really not easy for such an upright and respectable man like him to remain faithful to his wife like this."
Women probably all hope to meet a man like Liu Dechang, but don't want to become a woman like his wife who died early.
Luo Lan nodded secretly. There were really not many men like General Liu who had been waiting for their dead wives. She suddenly admired General Liu in her heart.
In the future, I really have to do as Leng Yu said and visit his house often. After all, such an elder deserves respect.
…
Prince Leng Zi'an of Zhennan arrived in the capital early the next morning. Leng Yu personally led people to the city gate to pick him up, while Luo Lan and a group of servants stood at the gate of Prince Yu's mansion to greet him.
When he stood at the gate of Prince Yu's Mansion on his tall horse and dismounted with an air of arrogance, Luo Lan hurried forward and Leng Yu introduced him to her:
"Lan'er, this is the Emperor's uncle, the Prince of Zhennan."
Luo Lan hurriedly bowed and saluted, "Hello, uncle."
The Prince of Zhennan raised his head proudly, without blinking, and said directly to Leng Yu:
"Yu'er, take the prince into the palace to rest. The prince must be tired from the long journey."
Leng Yu suddenly felt less favorable towards this imperial uncle. His contempt for Luo Lan made him dislike him from the bottom of his heart.
Just as he was walking towards the mansion, Liu Mei, who was standing in the crowd, suddenly opened her eyes wide in surprise when she saw him, but Leng Zian did not notice him. Instead, he went directly to the west wing of Prince Yu's mansion surrounded by everyone.
But he was standing at the door of the west wing, but he refused to move forward. Leng Yu frowned and asked,
"Uncle, why don't you leave? The maids have already cleaned up the place."
Leng Zian suddenly snorted, glanced at this place with disdain, and said coldly:
"As the saying goes, the east is big and the west is small. I am the Prince of Zhennan and your uncle, yet you let me live in the west wing?"
Hearing this, Leng Yu was puzzled. Was it so important to him where he lived? Besides, the courtyard of the west wing was much more spacious than that of the east wing. Why would he be so picky?
Seeing this, Luo Lan's eyes flashed with helplessness, but he still stepped forward to explain:
"Uncle, I didn't think this through. I thought the west wing was spacious and clean. If you want to live in the east wing, I'll have someone clean it up right away."
"snort!"
Leng Zian glared at her and shook his sleeves vigorously, looking at her coldly with his peripheral vision, and said again with contempt:
"Countryside women, you really don't know etiquette. When the elders come, you should naturally stay in the east wing to show respect. You don't understand this principle, and you still want to be a princess? The Leng family's vision is really getting worse and worse."
Hearing this, Luo Lan's humble look turned cold, and Leng Yu's face turned ashen. If he hadn't thought of Liu Dechang's words yesterday, he would have stepped forward to drive him away.
At this time, Luo Lan raised his handkerchief to cover the corner of his mouth and said nonchalantly:
"Uncle, please don't be angry. This is just my humble opinion. I thought that there are two dead trees in the east wing of Prince Yu's mansion. Now that it is the new year and the new atmosphere, I am afraid that you will feel uncomfortable seeing them. Therefore, I took the initiative to arrange for you to live in the west wing. If you feel that it is not suitable, please move. I will ask the servants in the east wing to move out."
The east wing is where the servants live? And there are two dead trees there?
Leng Zian's brows were twisted into an angry straight line at this moment, and he snorted coldly.
"You want me to live where the servants live? How inconsiderate! Humph!"
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