Chapter 85 Screen Bird
After Yun Chen came back from sending Mr. Huo off, he found that Qiyunju was empty. After asking Ye Yan, he learned that Huo Gannian and Song Lan had gone to the waterside pavilion to enjoy the snow.
Ye Yan did not arrange for Yun Chen to go as a guard, but Yun Chen went there by himself anyway.
Across the distant corridor and plank road, Yun Chen saw Huo Gannian and Song Lan sitting under the pavilion, drinking tea, admiring the snow, and talking about things.
Song Lan occasionally smiled and covered her mouth with a handkerchief, her movements were noble and elegant.
Most of the time, Huo Gannian just drank tea and looked into the distance. When he heard Song Lan talking, he sometimes nodded and sometimes frowned.
Occasionally, Huo Gannian would look at Songlan.
Although it was just a look of respect, Yun Chen felt so sour in his heart.
She wondered if she should have nodded bravely on that day at the Chuixing Lake.
She thought, the young master probably liked me a little bit, he always touched my head and called me "Chen'er".
Apart from my mother, no one has called me like this in eight years...
But were they just for me? Was it just a master's love for his personal guards? Was it the same as for Ye Yan and the others?
After thinking about it over and over again, Yun Chen felt like her head was about to explode. She rarely had to think about such complicated things.
She also suddenly realized that she was not a straightforward and carefree person.
Now, whenever she comes across anything related to Huo Gannian, she can't help but become petty, with a mixture of spicy, fresh, and fragrant feelings in her heart, especially the sour taste.
Is this what it means to like someone?
"Yun Chen, Yun Chen, how did you become like this..." She muttered to herself, making Buyan beside her confused.
"Yun Chen, Yun Chen, please speak more clearly."
Buyan imitated her tone and muttered, then followed Yun Chen's gaze and saw Huo Gannian and Song Lan leaving the pavilion one after another.
Song Lan lifted her skirt lightly and walked in front gracefully. The palace maids in light gauze skirts behind her were like green leaves, making Song Lan look even more dignified and beautiful.
Bu Yan suddenly remembered what Ye Yan had said before, that Yun Chen might have fallen in love with a girl from a certain family. It suddenly dawned on him, and he said to himself, "So that's it."
Contrary to his usual behavior, he did not say much. Instead, two days later, when Huo Gan ordered him to go to the Princess's Mansion to deliver a confidential letter, he secretly handed the letter to Yun Chen and whispered:
"Achen, I shouldn't hand over the job to you. It's a taboo for us as guards, but I trust you to do the job, so you go quietly. Seize the opportunity and toast me more at the wedding in the future!"
Yun Chen was puzzled, but seeing that Buyan was mysterious and pressing, she had no choice but to go to the princess's mansion with the letter.
The Huo Mansion and the Princess Mansion had close correspondence, and Yun Chen came often. The guards at the gate also recognized this handsome little guard who loved to blush.
Upon seeing Yun Chen, a guard said with a smile:
"Young man Yun, are you delivering a letter or a message? Which female official are you looking for?"
Yun Chen greeted him and said, "Brother, I am delivering a letter. It has no message, but it must be delivered to Lady Songlan in person."
"Oh, we usually take it to the Shangyi Bureau for the ladies-in-waiting, but today you have to go there in person to give it to Master Songlan?"
Yun Chen smiled and said, "I don't know either. I just follow orders and do my job."
The guard took Yun Chen's token as usual, searched him and asked him to remove his sword before letting him go.
Before leaving, the guard approached Yun Chen and laughed quietly:
"Boy Yun, I heard you're going to marry Lady Songlan? You have to treat me to the wedding!"
"Ah?!" Yun Chen was surprised and denied it repeatedly, but the guard just patted Yun Chen on the shoulder and laughed with the other two guards.
Yun Chen didn't know where this rumor came from, so he quickly left the place and walked inside with the letter in his pocket.
After informing the authorities of their situation at the entrance of the Shangyi Bureau, they waited for about an hour before a female official came to lead Yun Chen in.
The princess's residence was no more comfortable than the Huo's residence, and Yun Chen's legs felt a little sore from standing.
After the female official entered the front hall of the Shangyi Bureau, they waited for more than an hour before Song Lan came in slowly, surrounded by several female officials.
"Greetings, sir." Yun Chen saluted.
Song Lan neither spoke nor looked up at Yun Chen. She just walked slowly to the high seat and sat down, taking a leisurely sip of tea before saying:
"Guardian Yun is so polite. What kind of letter is this that Guard Yun would bother giving it to me personally?"
Yun Chen presented the letter, and the female official beside him took it and handed it to Song Lan with both hands.
Isand stretched out her slender fingers, her pink nails gleaming with luster. She gently opened the letter, glanced at it, and a hint of sneer appeared at the corner of her mouth, but it quickly faded.
"It's an important letter, but not one that Guard Yun would insist on seeing me in person. Guard Yun, is there something you want to talk to me about? Feel free to ask."
Yun Chen only remembered that Buyan repeatedly told her to hand the letter to Song Lan personally, but he did not tell her the reason.
Unable to answer, Yun Chen had no choice but to bow again and answer truthfully:
"Your Excellency, I'm not entirely sure. The letter has been delivered. If you have no further instructions, I'll take my leave."
"Heh." Song Lan laughed, his voice full of sarcasm.
Without Song Lan's words "Go away", according to the rules, Yun Chen could not leave on his own, otherwise it would be disrespectful.
Yun Chen maintained his greeting posture, and Song Lan began to drink tea slowly. After finishing a cup, he said to Yun Chen:
"Since you're here, how could you not treat Guard Yun to a cup of tea? Come, please take a seat."
Yun Chen had no choice but to obey. Just as she was about to sit down, she saw a female official bring a small wooden stool and place it in front of her.
It is normal for guards to sit on small stools in their own houses, but when they are outside, they are guests and should be treated with courtesy.
Faced with this obvious contempt, Yun Chen didn't think much about it and sat down naturally.
The female official immediately brought a cup of tea on a tray. As soon as Yun Chen picked it up, she felt that the cup was very hot. She lost her balance for a moment and the tea spilled out. The tea foam was scattered on her clothes, making her look a little embarrassed.
Yun Chen endured the heat while serving tea with one hand, while the other hand was so burned that he could only touch his ear. He moved his two hands back and forth, looking a little funny.
Two female officials nearby couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Song Lan didn't laugh at Yun Chen, but her brows showed a hint of arrogance as she said:
"Guardian Yun, try it. What kind of tea is this?"
Yun Chen took a sip, but couldn't taste anything except that his tongue was numb from the heat.
"Please forgive me, sir. I cannot taste it."
Song Lan said: "The rime and dew are the new leaves picked by the frost on the banks of Pinghu Lake in Nanling."
"Thank you for the tea, sir. It sounds very expensive." Yun Chen replied seriously.
Song Lan asked again, "Does Guard Yun know about Pinghu Lake in Nanling? It's a place with a wondrous spectacle of wind, frost, rain, and snow all in one day, which is why they have such a delicious tea called Rime Condensation Dew."
"Your Excellency, I don't know."
"Do you know why Ping Lake got its name?"
"I don't know."
"It gets its name from the screen bird. The screen bird is gorgeous and has an ethereal song. If it finds a mate, it will peck it to death, using its feathers to build a nest and its bones and flesh to eat."
Yun Chen suddenly felt that the tea in his hand had a fishy smell and could not drink it.
Seeing this, Song Lan asked with a smile, "How come Guard Yun, who is so used to seeing killing, actually has moments of fear?"
"Your Excellency, it's not that I'm afraid, I just think this bird screen is disgusting." Yun Chen said whatever he thought, but Song Lan heard it in a different way.
Song Lan's expression changed slightly, he sneered and said, "Show me off."
After Yun Chen walked away, seeing Song Lan's angry face, the female official Zhuang Ji stepped forward and advised:
"Sir, please don't get angry with a little guard who is not worthy of being on the stage. And judging by his behavior, he probably didn't understand what you meant. It doesn't seem like he was deliberately contradicting you."
Song Lan snorted, "I'm only willing to meet you out of a little favor for Huo Gan. But if an unknown guard wants to get close to me, he's courting death."
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