swear not to be concubine

Chapter 74

Jian Yan looked over, and saw a girl standing a few steps away from her.

The girl was wearing a double-breasted cape with dark blue plum blossom patterns, a light green collar, and a lotus-colored pleated gauze skirt, elegant and gentle.There is a veiled hat on the head, and the thin white gauze in front of the brim of the hat hangs down to the shoulders, and there is a circle of slender green jadeite beads hanging down from the net curtain. Layers of white gauze.

Because the girl was blocked by a circle of white gauze, even though Jian Yan could vaguely see the girl's facial outline, she still couldn't see the girl's appearance clearly.

So she turned her gaze to the maid standing beside the girl.

Light blue top, white gauze skirt.With a long face and delicate features, he was standing half a step behind the girl respectfully with his hands down.

This maid Jian Yan still has some impressions.The last time I saw her in the Zhuxia Pavilion in Taoyuan, I knew her name was Wan Cui, and she was Zhou Yingying's close maid.

Could it be that the girl in the veiled hat in front of her is...

Jian Yan hurriedly got up and stood up, first bowed her knees and saluted, and called out: "Miss Zhou."

Zhou Yingying stretched out her hand to help her up, and then said with a smile: "I didn't expect to see Miss Jian here, isn't it just a coincidence?"

Because she asked Jian Yan why she came to the Jade Emperor Temple today, Jian Yan only replied that she came here to watch a play with her mother and aunt. Take a walk and wander around at will.Because the sun was too big, so I hid under the shade of this tree with the maid to enjoy the cool and so on.

Zhou Yingying laughed and said: "I was too bored and flustered, so I took my maid out for a stroll, and I didn't expect to meet Miss Jian here. Isn't this the old saying of fate?"

It turned out that she accompanied her uncle to the Jade Emperor Temple to take a dip.Now his uncle was talking about Buddhism with the abbot, after she listened to it for a while, she couldn't sit still, so she took the maid out for a stroll.

Jian Yan knew that Zhou Yingying's uncle was Zhou Yuanzheng, the chief minister of the court, and a cabinet scholar, so she smiled and asked, "So Master Zhou is here too?"

"Uncle will come to the Jade Emperor Temple every year during the Dragon Boat Festival." Zhou Yingying didn't want to talk about it, so she just brought a vague sentence and said, "I met you in Taoyuan last time." The painting that Miss Jian made, the few lines of writing, I admire in my heart, and I have been thinking about seeing Miss Jian again, and talking about calligraphy and painting. It's just that I always have time, so I finally met today. But we need to have a nice chat."

Jian Yan still has a good impression of Zhou Yingying this week.

Last time when we were in Zhuxia Pavilion, Li Nianlan and Guo Danqin taunted her with such sarcasm and even made her angry at one point, but this time Zhou Yingying who was on the sidelines from beginning to end did not participate in it.And this time Zhou Yingying looked at a very gentle and elegant girl, and it was easy to make people like her when she met her on the face.

So Jian Yan said with a smile: "It's just a vulgar act, but it makes Miss Zhou laugh."

"Miss Jian's words are not right," Zhou Yingying's tone sounded a bit serious, and she also had a little bit of resentment, "I have never looked down on the paintings and characters in the so-called boudoir that are in a subtle and elegant style. Son. Why should our women’s paintings be elegant and graceful? Can’t they be majestic and vigorous like men? The painting that Miss Jian painted that day, and the poem written by Chen Ziang, I think I feel that the artistic conception is very majestic and majestic, and I just admire Miss Jian's open-mindedness, which is definitely beyond the reach of ordinary boudoir girls."

Jian Yan hurriedly said: "Miss Zhou is ridiculous."

But because of these words, her affection for Zhou Yingying became stronger for a while.Yin said again: "If we have time in the future, the two of us can indeed get together and have a good chat about calligraphy and painting. It's just that I've been away for a long time now, and I'm afraid that my mother and aunt will miss it, but If you want to rush back, you have to see you another day."

Zhou Yingying also said: "Yes. I've been out for a long time, and it's time to go back to find my uncle. I'll post another post to invite you to come out. My uncle has some calligraphy and paintings of predecessors, which are really good. Jing There are also two good study rooms here, which sell the best paper, ink, brushes and inkstones, as well as excellent paintings and calligraphy from the past and present, we can go and have a look together if we are free."

Yin asked where Jian Yan's mother and aunt were now, and then laughed and said that her uncle was also in a meditation room nearby, and the two were on the same journey.

So the two walked together, talking about their own understanding of calligraphy and painting on the way.After doing this for a while, I heard Wan Cui beside Zhou Yingying whispering: "Miss, the master is in front."

Zhou Yingying looked up and then called out, "Uncle, I'm here."

Zhou Yuanzheng had already seen her, and was walking towards her without haste, with his hands behind his back.

Jian Yan knew that it was Zhou Yuanzheng who came, because she also looked up.

But seeing that Zhou Yuanzheng was in his early 50s, tall and thin, wearing a stone blue toga with dark patterns of bamboo leaves and plum blossoms, he looked very graceful and graceful.

After he approached, Zhou Yingying called again: "Uncle."

Zhou Yuanzheng gave a light hum, and then turned his eyes to Jian Yan.But it was fleeting, and he looked away again.

Zhou Yingying introduced Jian Yan with a smile on the side: "This is the girl Jian I mentioned to you last time."

Jian Yan already bowed her knees and said respectfully: "Little girl Jian Yan, I have met Master Zhou."

Jian Yan knew that the cabinet had the right to vote, and even refused to draft some imperial edicts issued by the emperor that they thought were unreasonable, and sealed them for execution.As the head of the cabinet, the Chief Assistant presides over the affairs of the cabinet, so it is conceivable that he has great power.And if he meets an emperor who doesn't care much, this first assistant can really cover the sky with one hand.

So Jian Yan saw Zhou Yuanzheng now, she didn't dare to be careless at all, she just kept being cautious.

Zhou Yuanzheng vaguely remembered that Zhou Yingying had mentioned a girl surnamed Jane to him, but in fact he didn't have any impression.Moreover, Jian Yan was wearing a veil again, her whole body was wrapped in a black veil, and she couldn't see her face at all.However, he could hear Jian Yan's voice was extremely soft and clear, as gentle and distant as the Kunqu opera, and the original indifferent expression on her face eased a bit.

"Since you are Yingying's friend, you don't have to be so polite in front of me." His voice sounded gentle and mellow, "Get up."

Jian Yan thanked her in a low voice, then straightened up.

There were several other people standing beside Zhou Yuanzheng.At first, he looked like a ten-year-old boy with delicate features, but his eyes were a little evasive when he looked at people, and he looked very cowardly.Next to him was a servant boy, a nanny in her forties, and a maidservant.

Jian Yan peeked at the young man wearing a white silk round-neck gown, the cuffs were embroidered with wishful cloud patterns with silver thread, and there were a few bamboo leaves embroidered with blue-green silk thread, which was elegant and noble.I also saw that he was wearing a plain crown of pearl hairpin tassels on his head. The pearls looked round and smooth, and each of them was extraordinary.Even the young servants, maids and mothers standing beside him were all well dressed, so Jian Yan couldn't help but wondered in her heart, which rich and powerful family is this young man?
At this moment, Zhou Yingying was also asking about Zhou Yuanzheng in a low voice.Zhou Yuanzheng immediately turned around and introduced the young man to her: "This is the son of Zheng Guogong."

It turned out to be Zheng Guogong's son.Today's Ping An dip in the Jade Emperor Temple was originally made by Mrs. Zheng Guogong for her daughter who died young. Looking at the son of Zheng Guogong in white plain clothes, I think he came to the Jade Emperor Temple specially for his one who had never met before. My sister came to pick up the incense.

The prince of the state is naturally noble, Jian Yan and Zhou Yingying hurriedly bowed their knees and saluted.

The son of Zheng Guogong was rather shy, blushing and shaking his hands, stammering: "Two, two girls, please, please."

The nun standing beside him stepped forward and saluted Zhou Yuanzheng, then straightened up and said neither humble nor overbearing: "Master Zhou, the son came to the Jade Emperor Temple today for his own sake." Sister-in-law is offering incense, and now the incense has finished, I have been delayed in this temple for some time, if I go back late, I am afraid that Madam will miss me, so I will take my leave first."

Zhou Yuanzheng also bowed slightly, and said in his mouth that he would send off the prince respectfully, but he couldn't see or hear any respectful meaning in his expression and tone.

The nanny didn't pay attention to him anymore, she just turned around and asked the son to go first, and herself, the maid, and the servant followed.

Jian Yan saw that the group of them had gone far away, thinking that it was time for her to leave now, she also said goodbye to Zhou Yuanzheng and Zhou Yingying respectfully.

Zhou Yuanzheng nodded to her with a gentle expression, while Zhou Yingying said that he would post a post to invite her to come out in a few days, and told her not to decline when the time came.

Jian Yan agreed one by one, and then brought Bai Wei back to Mrs. Jian.

After staying on the second floor, he quickly scanned the inside of the second floor, and saw that everyone who had gone out for a stroll had returned, but Xu Zhongxuan was nowhere to be seen.She felt a little relieved for a moment, but she also had a faint sense of loss.

Reaching out her hand, she took off the braid she had been wearing on her head and handed it to Bai Wei. She walked forward slowly, first saluted Su Huiniang, Mrs. Wu and others, and then saluted Mrs. Jian, speaking softly. Said: "Mom, I'm back."

Mrs. Jian saw that everyone who had gone out for a stroll came back, only Jian Yan and Xu Zhongxuan did not come back, she was still secretly happy, thinking that the two of them were together.But seeing that only Jian Yan came back, and there was no figure of Xu Zhongxuan behind her, she couldn't help but frowned, and asked in a bad tone: "Where did you go? Why did you come back so late?"

Jian Yan lowered her head and lowered her eyes, still speaking in a soft voice: "My daughter just saw that there are Bodhisattvas enshrined in all the temples here, and she wanted to pray for her mother and elder brother, so she kowtowed in front of all the Bodhisattvas one by one. , I silently prayed for my wish, so I came back a bit late, and please mother not to blame her daughter."

Once she said these words, how could Mrs. Jane blame her?If it is to blame, doesn't it seem that she is not reasonable enough?
Su Huiniang glanced at Jian Yan with a smile at this time, and then faced Mrs. Jian with a smile: "Mrs. Jian is so lucky to have such a filial daughter."

Wu and the others also agreed.After Mrs. Jian heard this, it was even harder to say anything about Jian Yan. Instead, she had to calm down, and said in a gentle voice that Jian Yan had a heart, and said that the weather was hot, and she asked her to eat a cold bowl quickly to relieve the heat. "

Jian Yan resigned obediently, and sat down at the table where she sat before.

Xu Miaoning and Xu Miaojin were already sitting at the table, seeing Jian Yan coming over, the two exchanged glances, Xu Miaoning spoke first, and asked Jian Yan in a low voice: "Cousin, just now you and elder brother quarreled What? Jin'er said that the face of the eldest brother changed in anger, and he hurried down the mountain and went back."

Jian Yan didn't answer, but just took the cold bowl on the table, lowered her head, scooped the melon, fruit and lotus root with a silver spoon, and ate it slowly mouthful.

The melon, fruit and lotus root are all chilled, with a layer of finely crushed ice sprinkled on top, after eating, the ice is all the way to the heart.

(End of this chapter)