wait a minute

Chapter 377 The lights are dim
Phew~~boom——

Gorgeous fireworks bloom in the night sky, illuminating the bustling streets from time to time.

Pedestrians crowded the street, Zhe Yunli was dressed as a scholarly lady, and she and her maid Ping'er stood at the sugar stall by the side of the street, talking to the sugar vendor:

"It's just a big bird, looks like an eagle, but fat into a ball..."

"so?"

"No, it's an owl, not a golden eagle, and its head is round..."

"Then it's not a gourd?"

"No neck..."

"Oh……"

……

On the river bank not far away, Luo Ning turned her eyes and looked at Xiao Yunli gesticulating the appearance of birds.

Xue Baijin was dressed in a robe and dressed up as a handsome man who went shopping with his wife and daughter. Although his chest muscles were relatively developed, he was tall, and standing in front of the two women who looked like mother and daughter, he did not appear obtrusive.

Back at the inn in the afternoon, Xue Baijin originally wanted to rest and practice, but Luo Ning naturally planned to accompany Bai Jin for a while, and went out to visit Sanniang with an excuse.

But as soon as the two washed away the dust, Xiao Yunli ran over, bringing two bowls of steaming rice noodles.

Although Xue Baijin was surprised that Yunli made the rice like this and dared to serve it to his master and wife, but for the sake of his disciple's filial piety, he still bit the bullet and ordered it, but unexpectedly found that the taste was not bad.

After the family finished their meal, thinking that they hadn't been with Yunli for a long time, they went out together to relax in Jiangzhou City.

At this time, Xue Baijin was standing by the river, his eyes reflected the gorgeous fireworks in the sky, and said casually:
"Northern Liang people are good at obscene skills. It is said that fireworks can blow up the words "Longevity without borders". Zhang Hufa has been to Yanjing in previous years and told me about it when he came back."

Luo Ning turned her head and glanced at the fireworks in the sky:
"You can't be idle anymore, want to go to Yanjing?"

Xue Baijin did not deny this: "Practicing martial arts is like sailing against the current. If you don't advance, you will retreat. I stay in Jiangzhou and have nothing to do all day. It's better to go on the road early and go to the rivers and lakes outside."

"In Chinese New Year, you have to stay at home with nothing to do. Yun Li is so old, you don't want to accompany her much. After Yun Li gets married, and you haven't seen each other for a few years, you can still run to your apprentice son-in-law's house all day long? Xi The purpose of martial arts is to strengthen the body, protect the family and the country, and to practice martial arts for the sake of practicing martial arts, even if you don't care about your family, what else are you planning to do?"

Xue Baijin nodded slightly after savoring the words:

"That's right. Although your martial arts skills are mediocre, you do know a lot of principles."

"..."

Luo Ning took a light breath, and wanted to refute a few words, but Bai Jin told the truth, and she couldn't find the right words, so she turned her head and hummed lightly.

The two chatted like this, Xiao Yunli's candy figurine was not ready yet, Xue Baijin's ears moved slightly, and then he looked at the brightly lit street, and heard a soft conversation:
"Jiangzhou is different. When I was in Liangzhou, there were not many people on the streets during the New Year's Eve..."

"Dongfeng puts thousands of flowers and trees at night, blows even more, and stars are like rain... Everyone who wrote this poem back then should have seen the current scene, but the royal capital of the Northwest Royal Court is not as beautiful as Jiangzhou. It's also quite sturdy, are you sure that the literati there can write such a famous book through the ages?"

"Uh... the literati in the Northwest Royal Court, it's not that they don't go out, maybe they wrote it when they were studying abroad..."

"yes……"

……

Luo Ning didn't notice anything at first, but when she noticed that Bai Jin was looking back at the street, her face was still cold, so she followed her gaze and found two figures walking out of a small street in the distance.

The man among them was dressed in a black prince's robe, with two weapons hanging from his waist, and with a smile on his stern face, he was talking to his female companion.

The woman walking beside her is a bright girl in a bright red one-piece dress. She has a very slender figure, with undulating curves, and beautiful eyes that are as bright as stars. The big sister whose lover came out to go shopping.

Luo Ning had never seen an empress before, and when she found that there was a seductive woman beside Ye Jingtang, she naturally showed some suspicion in her heart. Just as she was about to say a few words, Bai Jin grabbed her wrist and walked to the other side of the long street :
"Let's go and have a look over there."

?

Luo Ning was puzzled, and wanted to pull out her wrist, lest the thief misunderstand that she was really grinding the mirror with Bai Jin in private, and when she found that Bai Jin didn't let go, she frowned and said:
"What are you doing? On the street..."

"That's the empress, don't ask too much."

"?!"

Luo Ning was startled when she heard this, she looked back, didn't ask any more questions, and quickly left the place of right and wrong.

And Ye Jingtang went shopping with Yuhu, walked out of the small street, and found Bingtuotuo and his daughter-in-law on the opposite side of the street, their expressions obviously froze—this was not because they were afraid of being discovered by Ning'er, but because they were afraid that the enemy's road would be narrow, Hu Niuniu He fought again with the person on the opposite side.

Ye Jingtang heaved a sigh of relief when he found that Bing Tuotuo knew how to measure and retreated on his own, and quickly raised his hand to signal Yuhu to go back:

"It's getting late, I'll take you back."

The empress naturally also found the female traitor who dared to tear her clothes, but it was not easy for her to catch up with those on the street to settle the score. Seeing that the other party retreated, she turned and walked back. After thinking for a while, she said:

"The beauty next to her in green is Miss Ning'er, right? She is the most beautiful woman in the world, the Goddess of Toad Palace? No wonder she looks so beautiful..."

Ye Jingtang even knew about the two-headed dragon by Yu Hu, so there was no need to hide it, and said with a smile:
"Yes, she is kind-hearted and has been persuading Xue Baijin to be recruited..."

The empress raised her hand slightly, signaling Ye Jingtang not to say such good things:
"As long as you have a normal mind, you know that rebellion is a dead end, and being recruited is the best way out. Xue Baijin is purely self-esteem and unwilling to be inferior to others. You can persuade him if you can. If you are really stubborn, just tell me, I promise. Pack her up to be obedient, and give you and Miss Ning'er a milk baby when the time comes, with her size, she will definitely not be hungry..."

Milkman...

Ye Jingtang didn't know how to answer these words, looked back to make sure Bing Tuotuo didn't hear it, and then walked away quickly...
-
In the evening, I went out from the Yuanqing Escort, and after walking a few streets in the city, it was getting late.

After Ye Jingtang sent Yu Hu back to the guest courtyard of the Duke's Mansion, he bid farewell and left, and turned to the East Lake, where he saw a few figures in the waterside pavilion by the lake.

Seeing this, Ye Jingtang lightly walked over the jagged and scattered buildings, came to the lake, and took a small look.

The silver moonlight sprinkled on the sparkling lake, and the lanterns emitted a dim yellow light, illuminating the corners of the veranda.

The empress dowager, dressed in a gorgeous dress, was sitting on the terrace of the waterside pavilion, with a qin in front of her, and she was absent-mindedly hooking the strings.

Boom boom boom~...

There is also a beautifully crafted trolley on the terrace. The birds hiding in Yunli in the afternoon are jumping around on the trolley, and Hongyu is stepping on the dragon's tail to accumulate energy behind it. One person and one bird are having a great time playing .

Seeing this scene, Ye Jingtang smiled and came outside the water pavilion:
"Empress Dowager?"

thump~
There was a piano sound on the terrace.

Some empress dowagers who were distracted heard the sound, and their eyes showed three points of brilliance. When they turned their heads and wanted to get up, they found the red jade pestle behind them, and quickly sat down again, putting on a dignified and noble appearance:

"Come in."

As a close-knit girl, Hongyu has a clear heart, so she doesn't know what to do now, and said: "I'll take it out for a walk." Then she leaned over to catch the bird that hadn't played enough, and walked out Water Pavilion bowed to Ye Jing Tang:
"Young Master Ye."

"Excuse me, thank you for your hard work."

Ye Jingtang raised his hand and rubbed Niao Niao who wanted to go back to play with the car. After Hongyu ran to the garden by the lake, he stepped into the water pavilion. He wanted to go to the terrace, but he looked at the painting table halfway.

The paper on the painting table is the landscape of the East Lake. Meticulous brushwork is definitely not as good as the stupid man with both civil and military skills, but it is much better than him. At least you can see what is being painted.

Ye Jingtang stopped in front of the picture table, lowered his head to observe carefully, and praised in a manner:

"The Empress Dowager's painting skills have improved a lot. This landscape painting is really artistic..."

This remark is to praise the hand warmer and make her happy.

But it's a pity that when he entered the door, he slapped the horse's ass on the horse's leg.

The empress dowager was waiting on the balcony with a dignified appearance, she wanted to say hello, but when she heard this, her eyes changed.

Has your painting skills improved a lot?
This means that half-baked Zi Yuhu is much better than Ben Gong's painting?
The empress dowager got up slowly, came to the side of Ye Jingtang, and looked at the picture scroll:
"Do you think the painting is better than the one I gave you last time?"

Ye Jingtang was about to nod, but immediately felt that something was wrong—compared with the picture of chickens bought by hawkers, the basic skills of this painting seemed to have improved too much.

The Empress Dowager has been traveling with him these past few months, how can she have time to learn to draw...

Realizing the problem, Ye Jingtang reacted extremely quickly, and said thoughtfully:

"In terms of fine brushwork, this painting is indeed stronger, but it looks mediocre and lacks spirituality. The painting that was sent to me last time, although the strokes are casual, but I can feel the aura, which is good or bad, and I, a layman, can't comment... ..."

The Empress Dowager really didn't expect that Ye Jingtang could turn the situation around. She didn't know whether what Ye Jingtang said was true or not, so she took it all seriously and snorted softly:
"Your eyesight is pretty good, but you can't say this nonsense. If you let the person who made this painting hear it, you will inevitably suffer a lot."

Ye Jingtang didn't need to ask, he already knew who wrote the painting, so he couldn't make random comments, instead he supported the Empress Dowager's arm and wanted to sit down on the tea bed.

But what is surprising is that the empress dowager, who wanted to be considerate, didn't seem to be very close today. She twisted her shoulders slightly to break free, walked gracefully to the tea table and sat down, her posture was very formal:
"Yejingtang, sit down."

Ye Jingtang didn't feel right, sat down beside the tea table, raised his hand and poured tea:

"what happened?"

The empress dowager was beaten by the empress today, and she always felt that the empress saw something, but she couldn't figure it out, and she was always restless.After a little deliberation, she asked:
"Today, the Holy Majesty was painting here, and said that after I came back from outside the customs, my whole person changed. Do you have this feeling?"

Ye Jingtang stopped pouring water, blinked his eyes, and said with a smile:

"Go out and relax, it's normal for people to become more cheerful and lively, don't think about it, just leave everything to me."

The empress dowager really doesn't want to worry about it, but as the empress dowager secretly raised a lover, how can she not be a little bit uneasy about such a big matter, after thinking about it a little, I can only hope that God will be more merciful and don't take away the only little thing she has in this life. All thoughts were stripped away.

Thinking of God, the Empress Dowager recalled something, took the tea cup that arrived from Ye Jingtang, and said softly:

"When I was young, I went to Yuxu Mountain to live for a while. At that time, I made a wish with the Taoist ancestor. I hope that the future husband will be both civil and military, handsome, high-ranking and powerful, and love me very much... Don't laugh! "

Ye Jingtang raised the corner of his mouth just now, but quickly lowered it again, pretending to be listening carefully.

"Who would have thought that not long after I made my wish, I would be sent to the palace, and I would become a widow before I even arrived in the capital, and the wish I made was not in the same way. At that time, I thought that God deliberately tormented people. Complaining in my heart, I only found out now... I found out that God may have other intentions. If I don't enter the palace to be a widow, I will get married on the fifteenth or sixteenth day of the palace. ..."

When the empress dowager said this, she turned to look at Ye Jingtang:

"Since I made a wish back then, and God arranged for it, it stands to reason that I have to fulfill my wish. Yuxu Mountain is located at the junction of Yanzhou and Jiangzhou, and it is not too far from here. There was still some time a year ago. If you don't If you think it's troublesome, why don't you accompany Ben Gong? Of course, if you don't have time, it's fine, Ben Gong will let Shui'er accompany you there."

Hearing this, Ye Jingtang chuckled lightly:

"The purpose of this trip to Jiangzhou is to accompany my mother back home to relax. There is no such thing as time. When are you planning to go?"

Seeing that Ye Jingtang didn't hesitate at all, the Empress Dowager saw a bit of joy in her eyes, got up with a teacup, sat in front of Ye Jingtang, and naturally leaned into her arms:
"This palace has nothing to do all day long. You can go there at any time. It mainly depends on your arrangement. Well, living in the Duke's mansion and being watched by the Holy One all day is the same as being in the palace. Um... see if you can Keep a low profile, let's sneak past, go and come back quickly."

Ye Jingtang also understood the meaning when he heard this, thought for a while and said:

"Then I'll ride a fast horse and take my mother there alone?"

"..."

The Empress Dowager meant this, but Ye Jingtang was so bold, and if the two of them went out alone, she was afraid that if they left Jiangzhou City with their front feet, their back feet would be red, so after some consideration, she said:
"Talk to Shui'er to let her follow. We can't even recognize the way when we pass by. What can we do?"

Ye Jingtang also thought about it: "Then I will make arrangements now?"

"Now?"

The empress dowager blinked her big eyes, but there was some hesitation:

"The stool isn't even hot, so let's take a rest before leaving."

Ye Jingtang naturally did not refuse this proposal, leaned back on the tea bed, relaxed his body and let out a sigh of relief.

The empress dowager sat in front of her, originally wanting to maintain the demeanor of the mother of a country, but after holding on for a while, she put down her teacup, moved her buttocks back, and leaned against Ye Jingtang, wrapping her body with a painted shawl:
"Actually, in private, it's fine for you and me to match each other. The empress is old-fashioned. I'm not yet old enough. It's weird to be called mother queen by her. I never let the two sisters call me that..."

The empress dowager was not yet sixteen when she went to Yunzhou, so she must be young now. In order to control the title of empress dowager, she deliberately dressed very maturely.

Looking at it by candlelight at this time, the Empress Dowager is wearing a dark red winter dress, with a colorful phoenix shawl on her shoulders, her jet-black hair is tied into a lady's style of falling horse bun, she is wearing gold hairpins and pearls, and she is accompanied by the small circle of Guotai Minan. The face looks dignified and noble, but leaning against the lover, the brows still show a bit of the youthfulness of a girl.

Ye Jingtang turned his head to look carefully, and said with a smile:

"Okay, then don't say I'm not old or young."

"..."

The empress dowager's eyes moved slightly, and just as she was about to say something, she found Ye Jingtang beside her, and slowly approached her...

?

The empress dowager's heart tightened, she pressed Ye Jingtang's lips with her fingers, frowned and said:
"I asked you to call you casually and didn't let you do it casually. You... Forget it, you should go back early. If it is too late, people will find out, and it will not sound good to spread the word."

Seeing that the hand warmer was no longer warm, Ye Jingtang was not happy, lowered his head and held his red lips, put his hands in his arms to warm himself.

"Woo~"

The empress dowager twisted a few times, but it didn't work, so she gave up struggling, and waited until Ye Jingtang stopped talking, then got up with a flushed face, and pushed Ye Jingtang out of the door.

"Go back quickly, it's really..."

"go to bed early."

squeak-

The door closed, and then there was no movement.

Ye Jingtang shook his head and smiled, and did not stay long, leaving the Duke's Mansion alone.

When going out in the afternoon, Shui'er was bumped into by Yuhu, so she definitely didn't dare to follow behind to observe the follow-up.

Ye Jingtang was afraid that Shui'er would be overwhelmed, so he went to the courtyard where Shui'er stayed to see the situation as soon as he returned to Yuanqing Escort.

The night was dark, and the lights in the mansion were quietly turned off, but Shui'er obviously couldn't sleep.

As soon as Ye Jingtang jumped down from the fence and fell into the courtyard, he saw the door open, and Shui'er, dressed in a snow-white dress, came out of the room, holding the Hehuan sword in his hand, and a small package on his shoulder, and the person who was about to travel far away. It looks like a heroine in the rivers and lakes.

"Shui'er, what is this?"

After Master Xuanji went out, he first took a look at Ye Jingtang, and found that his limbs were healthy and able to walk, so he knew that the matter was not serious, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and asked:
"Did Yuhu say something?"

Seeing Shui'er, who has always been free and easy, Ye Jingtang was so frightened that he was about to go on a long journey to avoid the limelight. He felt a little funny, and came to him and said:
"Since I entered Beijing, I have made great achievements many times, but I did not ask for fame or fortune, nor did I ask for any rewards. What happened today can be regarded as equalizing merits and demerits."

"The merits and demerits equal..."

Although Master Xuanji expected that Yuhu would not pursue it too much, he was a little surprised that he didn't even mention expelling her from his apprenticeship.

But it's all right now, and that's the best news.

The stone in Master Xuanji's heart fell, and his gaseous state returned to his usual appearance. He turned and went into the room to close the Yejing Hall:
"If you hadn't acted recklessly today, how could I have fallen into such a situation? From now on, you are not allowed to step into this courtyard without the teacher's permission. If you do it again..."

Ye Jingtang raised his hand to hold the door, and said helplessly:
"I didn't come here to rub the bed, just to discuss something. The Empress Dowager wants to go back to Yuxu Mountain to have a look. I'm going to send the Empress Dowager there. Do you want to go with me?"

Xuanji, as a master, was caught face to face by his apprentice. Recently, he didn't know how to get along with Yuhu, and was trying to find an excuse to go outside to avoid the limelight.

Hearing this, Master Xuanji naturally didn't hesitate at all, and prepared to go out with the package on his back:

"Speaking of which, it's been a long time since I went back to the mountain. While the night is cool, let's go now. I'll pick up the Queen Mother, and you go prepare the carriages and horses."

Cool at night?

Ye Jingtang raised his eyes to look at the night sky in the cold winter and the twelfth lunar month, thinking that it might be too cool, so he blocked the water again:

"I'm not an old scalper. I only come back in the afternoon. I have to rest for a night. You should rest well and go together after I make arrangements."

Master Xuanji felt that there was no difference between Ye Jingtang and Bull Spirit, and wanted to say that it was enough to rest on the road, but thinking that Sanniang was still waiting in the house, it was not too urgent to rush, so she closed the door:
"Then prepare quickly, don't bother me tonight, and talk about it on the way."

"Know it."

Ye Jingtang chatted a few more words before turning around and coming to the back house.

As the head of Honghualou, Sanniang lives in the main courtyard of the mansion, and the courtyard is still lit at this time.

Ye Jingtang came to the outside of the main courtyard, and before entering the round gate, he heard whispers coming from inside:

"Miss Fan has a good figure, she must look good in this dress, what's there to be shy about wearing it under the clothes? Ning'er wears better than this in private...cough..."

"No, no, I can't wear this..."

Ye Jingtang heard this conversation, and knew that Sanniang had just accompanied Miss Fan to buy clothes, and bought a lot of new things.

Although Ye Jingtang was quite curious, Sanniang obviously didn't need to peek, so she coughed lightly outside the wall:
"cough……"

The yard suddenly became quiet, with the sound of hurriedly packing up things.

rustling...

Ye Jingtang walked into the courtyard, and saw Fan Qinghe with a red face, holding a small box, and ran out of the house. After finding him, he hid his hands behind his waist, pretending to be calm and said:

"Are you coming back? Go to bed early, I'll go back to my room first."

After speaking, he flew up, flew directly over the courtyard wall, and disappeared without a trace.

Ye Jingtang didn't even say hello, his eyes were very helpless, and he said "rest early" through the fence before entering the main room.

The main room is much more spacious than the guest courtyard. There are bead curtains separating the inner and outer rooms. On the tea bed in the outer room, there are five or six small boxes with the name of Caiyun Pavilion.

Sanniang was wearing a home skirt and was folding colorful clothes when she saw Ye Jingtang coming in, she even used her shoulder to slightly block her sight, and asked curiously:
"Didn't you go to the Duke's mansion with Shui'er? Why did Shui'er come back early and still hide in the house? I bought two clothes for her and wanted her to try them on."

Ye Jingtang closed the door and sat down next to Sanniang, and helped rub her shoulders:

"Accidentally bumped into by Yuhu, it's fine."

"..."

Pei Xiangjun was taken aback for a moment, then turned his head, the fire of gossip obviously flashed in his eyes.

But these things might not be appropriate to get to the bottom of it, so she nodded thoughtfully after thinking about it:
"No wonder she didn't dare to be presumptuous tonight... You were injured in Xiaoshan County, and just now Miss Fan said that she would change your medicine. How is your chest?"

Seeing this, Ye Jingtang unbuttoned the skirt of the black robe, revealing the bandaged chest:
"It's just a skin trauma. I don't feel it anymore. It shouldn't take a few days to recover."

Pei Xiangjun helped take off his robe, then untied the bandage and looked at the scabbed wound, took the wound medicine from the medicine box, helped Ye Jingtang lie down on the bedside, and helped to apply the medicine:
"Well, when you came here at the beginning of the year, I originally wanted to cultivate it slowly. After two or three years, when your wings hardened, I let you go out. The results are good. From the beginning of the year to the end of the year, I was either busy, or On the way..."

Ye Jingtang leaned against the head of the bed, looked at the soft cheeks whispering softly, raised his hand to help stroke the hair beside his ear:
"It's too much work for those who are capable. There are only so many things in the world. I have reached the top three in the eight ranks, and there is not much to do. I will try to finish my work next year, and then I will stay in the capital and become a rich man. "

Pei Xiangjun saw that Jingtang touched her face twice, he supported her by the nape of his neck and hugged her, but he didn't twitch, he raised his hand and unbuttoned the skirt, revealing the tulle and semi-transparent peony gown.

rustling~
Against the backdrop of the lights, the white ball that could not be held with one hand was looming under the tulle, fully presented in Ye Jingtang's eyes.

Pei Xiangjun took off his embroidered shoes, got up and sat on Ye Jingtang's lap, continued to help with the medicine, and said seriously:

"No wonder I always hear the wife of the capital say, 'I regret calling my husband to find a marquis'. Power, money, fame and fortune are enough. If you keep chasing after them, it is a waste of a good time. This life is still long, if you put everything in next year After finishing it, what will you do next? We still have to take it easy in the future and focus on living..."

Feeling the softness of the camel toe on his leg, Ye Jingtang put his hand on his chest to carry the weight, and squeezed it full:
"Know it."

Pei Xiangjun's face flushed, and he shrank back a little:

"Don't move around, finish the medicine first."

Ye Jingtang just twirled a couple of times, and when he saw this, he put his hands back and lay down, continuing to chat about business:

"Uncle Chen and Uncle Song are recruiting people at the hall. How is the matter? When are you going to open the hall outside the customs?"

"You don't have to worry about these things, the building has its own plans. You can take a good rest now, and walk around if you have nothing to do..."

"By the way, I have to go to Yuxu Mountain tomorrow to accompany the Empress Dowager to burn incense sticks. I have to go back in the spring, and I won't have time then."

"Yuxu Mountain is the ancestral home of Taoism, so it's a good thing to go for a stroll. Shui'er will follow, right? I guess she's too embarrassed to stay in Jiangzhou City recently."

"Yeah, do you want to come together?"

"I don't know the empress dowager well, so what are you going to do next? It's good to hang out in the city with Miss Ning'er Fan. You remember to go early and return early. Ning'er will go out again in the spring of spring. Leaving her less and more will definitely make me feel uncomfortable, I'd better spend more time with her when I have time..."

While chatting, Pei Xiangjun finished applying the wound medicine, and then kissed Ye Jingtang's lips, and slowly lowered his body to hold the watermelon in both hands, buried the villain in the tulle gown, and dealt with other swellings.

"..."

Ye Jingtang leaned against the head of the bed, and wanted to say something, but his thoughts drifted a little, and after thinking about it, he raised his hand and put down the curtain...

---

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(End of this chapter)