Netizen uploaded episode 65

  Minglan, born into a family of officials who rose through the imperial examination system, thought that her noble status was a secure rice bowl. As long as she didn't get involved in high-level crimes like usurping power or forming cliques, she could live comfortably under her ancestors' shadow until death. Minglan had once discussed this with Changbai, but only received a disdainful glance from him.

  The Taizu founded the country and, as a reward for his able ministers, brave generals, and strategists, conferred titles on five kings of different surnames, nineteen national dukes, forty-two marquises, and one hundred fifteen counts. There were also countless hereditary generals. However, Taizu was a suspicious person and, within a generation, stripped and killed three kings of different surnames and half of the dukes, marquises, and counts. After that, Taizong succeeded to the throne and, as the previous emperor, launched military campaigns against the Tartars in the north and the barbarians in the south, expanding the territory by land and sea without limit. He then conferred more titles, but with a distinction between "flowing" and "hereditary", not all of which were hereditary.

  After Emperor Taizong pacified the four borders, his first strategist Zhang Gongyao was the first to speak out and say "to reward boundless achievements with unparalleled wealth and honor". The head of the military leaders, Duke of England and General of the Pacifying State, led the way in supporting this proposal. Emperor Taizong then took advantage of the situation to strip away half of the political power from these military nobles, and from then on, the power to discuss politics shifted towards the group of civil officials.

  However, the wealthy and noble have many descendants, and after three or four generations of a family with a title, they all have numerous offspring, which is difficult to manage. At this time, it depends on which family has more power in the military and palace, which family produces talented people, if a family's fortunes decline, if they are indulgent during the mourning period, if their clothing exceeds the regulations, if they encroach upon the people's wealth, all these are materials for the censor officials to impeach. Then it depends on the emperor's mood.

  Taizu had many sons, and when the previous emperor ascended to the throne, the King of Ruoyang, along with several other powerful and noble relatives, petitioned for "Nine Kings to Assist in Governance". Emperor Taizong, with his iron fist and bloody hands, personally led 3,000 iron cavalry in a nighttime assault on the Western Mountain Grand Camp, crushing the King of Ruoyang's own forces in one fell swoop. Later, he thoroughly investigated and eliminated over a dozen princes implicated in the affair, including the Cannon Gray Zhongqin Duke Estate, which was only tangentially related.

  The previous emperor's reign was not long, and after the death of Empress Jing'an, he soon followed. The current emperor is benevolent, and a few years after ascending to the throne, he reinstated several noble families who were not guilty of serious crimes. However, these families had already been severely damaged, like birds that have been frightened by an arrow, and they no longer dared to stir up trouble again.

  When Minglan first went to Zhongjunbo's mansion, she let out a soft "ah" at the sight of the large courtyard, which was about four or five times bigger than the one in Sheng Mansion, and came with two small gardens on either side. It wasn't until later that Langshi told Minglan that the original Zhongjunbo mansion had been confiscated and awarded to another noble family, and this current mansion was a new reward from the old emperor.

  Today, the Zhong family held a full moon banquet for their second grandson. There were thirty-six tables inside and out, and they got a lucky draw of sixty-six. The Sheng family, as the maternal grandparents' household, was naturally the guest of honor. Minglan and others got off the sedan chair and walked after passing through the second gate, circling around a luxurious and auspicious screen wall before entering the reception hall. A girl wearing a pink dress with gold thread embroidery and a smile came forward to greet them, saying: "You've finally arrived! I've been waiting since morning, but you're still late!"

  Mo Lan stepped forward first, with a smile all over her face: "I knew sister was waiting for us, or I would have flown here!" Ru Lan half smiled and said: "Sister Wen Ni is the host, of course she has to wait for the guests. Can't let the guests wait for the host?"

  Yuan Wenyi's goose egg face was white and beautiful, gentle and magnanimous. She didn't bother to care about Ruolan, but instead went to pull Minglan who was behind her, smiling: "Minglan sister is a rare guest, since you came to Beijing, your two sisters often come to play, only you, have come to my house twice!"

  Minglan rubbed her temples, still feeling dizzy, and honestly admitted: "Wenjian sister, I'm lazy, don't blame me. Although I didn't come in person, the four-season lotus fan pendant was brought back by Fifth Sister." As she spoke, she smiled slightly, and this smile stunned Yuan Wenjian.

  But after a few months of not seeing her, her skin was as white as it could be pinched out water, with a faint blush on her cheeks, and her lips were light pink, like the juice of a lotus flower printed on fragile snow-white rice paper, making people's hearts ache with pity. She was truly beautiful, with raven-black hair tied up in a loose, curved bun, secured only by a pair of long, double jade pins. A single water crystal flower, embroidered with golden thread and adorned with a pearl, was tucked behind her temple. At first glance, amidst the profusion of flowers and finery filling the room, it seemed as though she alone could be seen, radiant in her simplicity.

  "...Not long after that, your sister has become even more beautiful." Yuan Wenyin said sincerely, "You should also go out more often."

  Mo Lan's face sank slightly, then immediately returned to normal as she said: "My sister is the laziest, she only likes to follow our family's grandmother in chanting scriptures and worshiping Buddha, so don't bother advising her."

  Yuan Wenyi smiled lightly and turned to Minglan, "I heard from Second Aunt that you were not in good health when you were young. You should be better now; today is cold, otherwise we can go fishing."

  Minglan saw Yuan Wenyin being so polite, and she couldn't pretend to be shy anymore. She also went to hold her hand and said, "Thank you, Sister Wenyin, for remembering me. I've recovered early, it's just...I didn't sleep well this morning." She stuck out her tongue in embarrassment.

  Yuan Wenyi burst out laughing: "This is true, I was caught early this morning and was still yawning!"

  Like Orchid was being ignored for a long time, she couldn't bear it anymore and said: "Are you going in or not?!"

  Yuan Wenyi knew that Rulan was temperamental, so she just raised an eyebrow and led the three of them to the inner room, where there was already a burst of laughter.

  Hua Lan's face was filled with joy today, wearing a bright red embroidered cheongsam with golden threads and floral patterns, her hair adorned with a five-phoenix coronet. Beside her stood a plump wet nurse holding a large red silk wrapper, inside which lay a baby boy. The three Lans rushed over to take a look, and saw that the infant was fair-skinned and delicate, fast asleep with his eyes closed, his small mouth still bubbling with milk, utterly adorable.

  A group of noblewomen congratulated and celebrated, while several aunties with diamond rings reached out to touch the baby's face. Before long, the little boy started crying, and Hualan called for the wet nurse to take him away.

  The Wang family was overjoyed, with a happy flush on her face, she had already taken a seat at the top, and as soon as she saw Rulan, she beckoned her to come over, pulling her daughter into a group of noblewomen to chat. Meanwhile, the loyal and diligent Madame Yuan looked on with a bland expression, feeling uncomfortable as she watched her second daughter-in-law rise to prominence along with her natal family's growing wealth. Over the past year, Hualan had also become more cunning, using illness as an excuse to shirk responsibility and pushing household matters back onto others. She and her elder sister-in-law were unwilling to use their own dowries to supplement the family's finances.

  Moreover, recently my son has also become less obedient than before.

  "My father and I have handed over our salaries to my mother, and the family's fields and houses are all in her hands. In the past, when Hualan was in charge of the household, she would ask for money for household expenses, but my mother would refuse to give it to her, making excuses and being stubborn. What kind of home is this?! Yuan Wenshao is a military man, and he has always been filial, usually not getting angry, but Mrs. Yuan's extreme partiality has provoked him, and he muttered under his breath, 'If you want Hualan's dowry, just say so! If the family is struggling financially, I'll endure being looked down upon by outsiders and my in-laws' scorn, and I'll personally hand it over with both hands! There's no need to make excuses or pretend anymore, lest we hurt our bodies and relationships!'"

  Zhongqinbo scolded his old wife severely: "A big family like ours, what secrets can be kept? You think you've done something without leaving any traces, but outsiders are already laughing at us! Our family is not struggling to make ends meet, and there's no major expenditure. You're calculating the dowry of our daughter-in-law, but you don't care about my face! Before Wenshao's wife came, our eldest daughter-in-law could eat five meals a day. Now she's become so precious that she just lies around humming? She can't be controlled by you, you should control her! If you want Wenshao's wife to control her, then hand over the fields and shops too!"

  Mrs. Yuan was so angry that she almost died, but there was nothing she could do about it. Later, when Hua Lan became pregnant, Mrs. Yuan kept sending one beautiful woman after another to her son's house. Hua Lan endured it, only instructing her mother to make a good batch of mugwort soup and feed it to each of them, managing to hold on until the birth of her son. As soon as Mrs. Yuan saw that something was not right, she again wanted to find a concubine for Yuan Wenshao.

  Hua Lan cried in front of Old Master: "Although it's common for you to have three wives and four concubines, but mother should also be treated fairly. However, not a single person is assigned to serve her, yet seven or eight people are sent to my quarters, all claiming to serve the master. Isn't this because they think I'm not virtuous enough and can't serve my husband?! Now that everything is fine, you want to take in a concubine for Second Master again. If both of you really dislike me, then I'll leave!"

  Yuan Wenshao had just gotten a white and chubby son, and he was delighted to death. He said with a huff: "My elder brother only has one wife and one concubine, but I have a whole house full of little stars. Those who know say it's because my mother gave them to me, those who don't know, must be gossiping that I'm lustful and immoral!"

  The old man was startled, a big mess had just passed, he was thinking of finding a way for his own children, how could they make an enemy of the Sheng family, and hurriedly comforted his son and daughter-in-law a few words, turned around to scold his old wife, not allowing her to interfere with her daughter-in-law's affairs again.

  Thus, today Madame Yuan is so happy to get up, only skin laughing and perfunctorily, Wang Shi also doesn't care about her, just happily drinking tea and talking, everyone in the seat knows that now Zhongqin Bo Fu's second son Wenshao is doing well, Hualan has given birth to a son, and there are many social connections.

  Mrs. Yuan got angrier and only spoke to a middle-aged woman wearing a silver hairpin with double happiness next to her, who was wearing a long gown with silver thread embroidery and a apricot-colored slanting collar. A young girl stood beside them, looking gentle and elegant. Mo Lan saw this and asked Yuan Wenying in a low voice, "Who is that?" Wenying was talking to Minglan about the twelve ways of cooking carp soup, and Minglan had already tried eight of them. The two were speaking with great enthusiasm when they heard Mo Lan's question. Wenying looked up and replied, "This is my sister-in-law's mother and younger sister, surnamed Zhang."

  She pouted and turned back to talk to Minglan again.

  Mo Lan was uninterested in the topic of grass carp, and after listening for a while, she finally couldn't help but say: "You girls are always talking about food all day long, you're really a pair of foodies!"

  Wen Ying turned her head and smiled: "You were still pulling me last time and talked about rouge for half a day."

  "How is this the same?" Mo Lan frowned.

  "No, no," said Minglan, shaking her head. "As the saying goes, it's from the inside out, white with a hint of red. Medicine is not as good as nourishing food, eating fine and carefully is better than applying any powder or cream, and naturally your complexion and skin will improve."

  Mo Lan's heart skipped a beat as she looked at Ming Lan's skin, which was as smooth as condensed milk, and hesitated: "Really?"

  As soon as the words fell, a commotion was heard from the front, and two middle-aged and elderly noblewomen in magnificent attire entered the house. Mrs. Yuan welcomed them with a smile and personally served tea to invite them to sit down, showing great enthusiasm. Wen Niang immediately explained to Mo Lan Ming Lan that the one with a rich and affable smile was Madame Huang of Shoushan, also the elder sister of Old Master Zhongqin. Next to her was a woman with a calm expression and elegant attire, who was Madame Liang of Yongchang. She didn't speak much, letting Mrs. Yuan do all the talking.

  "Isn't that your aunt? Your aunt is going to be a mother-in-law, and Wenyan's sister is so lucky!" Mo Lan teased Wenyan, her eyes shining with envy.

  Wen Yu's face turned red with shame, and she didn't respond. Minglan quickly came to her rescue, changing the subject: "Does Old Lady Liang also have a relationship with your family?" Today's full moon banquet was not grandly decorated, only inviting a few close families. Although Minglan was ignorant, she knew that Yongchang Hou couldn't be compared to Zhongqin Bo and Shoushan Bo, although there were no high-ranking officials or nobles, the family had many descendants, extensive relatives, and a solid foundation.

  Wen Juan let out a breath and replied: "The third sister of your aunt's family was married into the Yongchang Marquis' household."

  On the other side, Mrs. Yuan had already led Zhang Xiumei in front of the two ladies and said with a smile: "This is my niece, Xiumei, pay your respects." Zhang Xiumei curtsied properly, smiled warmly, and Mrs. Yuan sat down beside her, praising Xiumei from her appearance to her poetry and needlework, until Yuan Wenyin furrowed his brow in displeasure.

  Minglan saw it and whispered with a smile: "Does your aunt's family have any other sons?"

  Wen Ying looked at her mother's improper behavior and felt embarrassed, angrily pulling on her handkerchief: "It wasn't my aunt, but the wife of Yongchang Hou, she has a young son who is now being taken care of by my second brother, and will soon be promoted to deputy commander of the Five Cities Garrison."

  Mo Lan's ears moved slightly, and she turned her head to probe: "That young master... what kind of person is he?"

  She recalled the information she had heard: "His name is Liang Huan, probably seventeen or eighteen years old, and he's the eldest son of Old Master Liang and Madame Liang." Then she glared at the mother-daughter duo from the Zhang family and muttered under her breath, "My mother doesn't know how many families she's approached, but Aunt Zhang always picks and chooses, wanting a high-ranking and wealthy family! However, Madame Liang once said that as long as their own son is well-behaved and has good morals, they wouldn't care about the family background or wealth of his future wife. After hearing this, Aunt Zhang has been urging my mother to curry favor with the wife of Duke Yongchang, which also reflects poorly on my aunt's reputation; humph, it's not that I have a bad heart, but after Uncle passed away, it's understandable that Cousin wants to find a good family for herself. However, she should also take a look at her own worth! She doesn't even bother to reflect on herself and see if she's worthy of such a family!"

  When Wen Yan said this, Minglan couldn't help but glance at Mo Lan, only to see her face suddenly flush with anger, and she forced a smile, saying: "Wow, Sister Wenyan hasn't even married in yet, and you're already worried about your mother-in-law?"

  At this time, Shoushan Bo's wife indeed needed to be pitied. She watched as her sister-in-law praised Zhang Xiumei's gentle and elegant demeanor for the third time, with hints of matchmaking in her words, and was already getting a bit restless. Looking at Yongchang Hou's wife's increasingly cold expression, Shoushan Bo's wife felt displeased and interrupted: "What about my eldest nephew's wife?"

  Mrs. Yuan was taken aback, and sighed lightly: "She's not feeling well, she's resting." Her eyes glanced at Hua Lan, and she added indifferently, "I'm just a hardworking person, no one helps me take care of the household."

  Hua Lan's expression stiffened, and Madame Shoushan immediately took over, saying: "Just the other day, I invited Dr. Hu to come and take my elder nephew's wife's pulse. I asked him, and it's nothing serious. Maybe she's just not feeling well in her heart? You shouldn't always be so considerate of the older one. When she frowns, you treat it like a big illness and wait on her hand and foot. You should also show some concern for the younger one! At New Year's last year, she was seven or eight months pregnant, and you still had her standing on ceremony with you. What kind of mother-in-law are you?! Just look at how pale her face is - it's clear she hasn't recovered yet!"

  Wang and Hualan were secretly delighted, while Madame Yuan looked embarrassed. This lady was good at lecturing others, and as the eldest sister, she couldn't retort back, so she could only endure listening silently.

  Actually, she only let Hualan come over and stand for half an hour that time, but her husband rushed over to scold himself, and many wives cried out in front of and behind. That night, Hualan said she had moved the fetal air and couldn't even get out of bed, and her son came crying again. After this matter was spread out, relatives who came and went around whispered that she was partial and cruel, only doting on her niece from her mother's family, not treating other people's daughters as human beings.

  Madam Yuan smiled slightly, curling up the corners of her mouth: "The eldest daughter-in-law is not as capable as Hua'er, so I was thinking of making her work a bit harder..."

  Before she could finish speaking, Lady Shoushan interrupted: "After you two are gone, this title and estate will be managed by your eldest nephew and his wife. If the second niece-in-law is capable, can't she help her sister-in-law manage the household? If the eldest niece-in-law is really not up to it, why don't I find a capable one for my nephew's room? In the future, there will also be someone to assist him, and we cannot let the Shoushan estate fall into the hands of those seven disasters and eight difficulties!"

  As soon as these words came out, Mrs. Yuan and Mrs. Zhang both turned pale, Wang's heart was warm and comfortable, Hualan desperately lowered her head, not wanting people to see the corners of her mouth rising; Shoushan Bo's wife spoke harshly, but her tone was full of concern for her natal family, and everyone around her knew the inside story of this family, so they didn't think it was strange.

  This lady was originally the eldest daughter of the family, and from a young age she was steady and capable. Her parents held her in high esteem, and her younger brother, Zhongqin Boye, also trusted her extremely. She had supported her weak and honest husband through thick and thin, helping him to advance in his career. At first, she could have chosen a better marriage for her son, but considering her brother's face, she still agreed to the marriage with Wen Nian. Madame Yuan saw that this elder sister was always one step higher than herself, yet she got along quite well with Hualan.

  Mrs. Shoushan Bo knew that she couldn't be too poor to pursue fiercely, and was also afraid that her sister-in-law would not be in tune with the Marquis Yongchang's wife again, so she glanced at Wang Shi and smiled: "Let's make fun of my aunt."

  Wang shook her head hastily, this joke she was willing to watch day and night, laughing and walking up to Madame Shoushanbo: "You're not thinking of your hometown in your heart; we're all family, what can't be said?"

  Mrs. Shoushan smiled and pointed at Yulan beside her: "The daughter of our family is getting better and better as she grows up, huh? And there's another one?"

  Mo Lan had been waiting on the other side for half a day, and as soon as she heard this sentence, she immediately came up with a smile, made a courtesy with a hint of shyness, and greeted her. Shoushan Bo's wife pointed to Mo Lan and said to Yongchang Hou's wife: "This child is quite good at poetry and prose, and is also clever."

  Madam Yongchang nodded and said: "She's a lovely child, Madam Shi is very fortunate." Then she didn't say anything else.

  Mo Lan immediately smiled and said: "Madam, you are overpraising me, Mo Lan dare not." She had a lot to say, but seeing the calm and collected Yongchang Hou's wife, she didn't know how to start.

  Hua Lan's eyes sparkled as she covered her mouth and smiled: "Auntie, today even my youngest sister has come."

  Mrs. Shoushan said with delight: "Let me take a look."

  Hua Lan hastily pulled Minglan and Wenjing out from behind, Wenjing had seen before, but when she saw Minglan, both Shoushan Bo's wife and Yongchang Hou's wife couldn't help but stare for a moment. After a while, Shoushan Bo's wife took Minglan's hand and smiled at Hua Lan: "No wonder you boasted about her one hundred and eight times, indeed a delicate girl." However, she also scolded: "Your family's old lady is too stingy, hiding and concealing like this, as if afraid someone would snatch her away!"

  Then she pulled Minglan to sit beside her, and carefully asked about her birthdate, what she did in her daily life, what she liked to eat and wear. Minglan answered each question with her head down, being very honest. Madame Shoushan saw that Minglan was elegant and bright, and her words showed a clever and lively personality, which suited her own temperament. She became even more fond of Minglan, and as a result, she ignored Zhang Shuimei and Molan who were standing beside her.

  Zhang Xiumei's eyes flashed with tears and she retreated a few steps behind Mrs. Yuan, whose face was looking unpleasant.

  Mo Lan felt resentful and suddenly thought of Lin Niang's words about the first time she met Wei Niang, it was true that her beauty was hard to hide, despite being weak and foolish, she had captivated Sheng Xuan's heart; Mo Lan secretly scolded these two noblewomen for not recognizing talent, only acknowledging appearance, not looking at inner qualities, and failing to recognize her own outstanding talents and cultivation.

  Shoushan Bo's wife pulled Minglan and boasted for half a day, then turned her head and stared at her relative, saying: "You're the one who should speak up, what's wrong with your mouth?"

  The lady of Yongchang Hou's cold expression finally revealed a hint of a smile, and she said slowly: "If I had such a beautiful daughter, I would definitely hide her away."

  "King's family smiled and said: 'This child has been raised in front of my old lady since childhood, the elderly are most fond of her, and can't leave for a moment; if there is any disrespect, please forgive me, two ladies.'"

  Madam Yongchang smiled faintly and said, "Your family's old lady is the most strict in her rules. How could the girls she teaches turn out to be inferior?"

  The Wang family glanced at Mo Lan, who was standing with her head down beside her, and spoke even more politely. With Hua Lan interjecting from time to time, the atmosphere was actually quite harmonious. However, Ming Lan's scalp felt numb, she only felt that several fierce gazes were piercing through her back, it was truly a disaster; so taking advantage of when the few madams were speaking, she made an excuse saying she had a small gift for Zhuang sister and asked Hua Lan to find a maid to take her there. Wen Nian also helped by adding a few words, only then could Ming Lan extricate herself.

  Through a small half-moon gate, I came to Zhuang's house and saw the little girl wearing a bright red velvet jacket with golden pomegranate flowers all over it, looking dull and listless. Her mother, dressed in a dark blue jacket with a subtle red lining, was trying to coax her but to no avail. Zhuang looked despondent until she saw Minglan arrive, then broke into a small smile and softly called out "Sixth Aunt". Minglan took a small package from the maid's hand and pulled out a new doll she had made for Zhuang.

  Plump and cute cotton doll, with colorful embroidery thread embroidered with lovely eyes, nose and mouth, wearing a small satin dress outside, with a curved eyebrow and a very likable appearance. Zhuang sister took her own little face like a red apple and rubbed it against the doll, holding it in her arms and couldn't bear to let go, laughing and smiling, jumping down from the kang bed with both feet, pulling Minglan and quarreling to go outside; The maid on the side quickly put a cloud-embroidered golden red velvet cape on Zhuang sister.

  Minglan knew that Zhuang Jie'er was upset, from being an only daughter to suddenly becoming a "younger sister", she couldn't help but feel a little down. So she also followed the little girl, holding her hand, big and small, smiling and walking slowly together.

  "Sixth Aunt, doesn't Mother like me anymore?" Zhuang Jie'er said with her head down, "Ever since I had a little brother, Mother hasn't been very good to me."

  Minglan patted the little head of her younger sister, trying to comfort her: "It's not like that, your brother has just arrived and everyone is still getting used to him; if you had a new doll, wouldn't you love it very much? After a while, it will be fine, our sister is both beautiful and clever, she is the apple of mother's eye, how could anyone not get along with her?"

  The little one is easy to coax, and once she's happy, she wants to pull Minglan to the garden to play. As they walk, she chatters on and tells silly jokes, but seeing Minglan's expression, she asks: "Sixth Aunt, why are you always frowning?"

  "Sixth Aunt is thinking about something."

  "What's up?"

  Minglan hesitated for a moment, then lowered her head and asked: "Zhuang sister, Sixth Aunt asked you, do you like to wear new clothes every day, have fun, eat delicious food, but your father and mother still have many younger brothers and sisters to care about? Or, there's nothing good to eat or wear or play with, but your father and mother only dote on you alone?"

  The little girl tilted her head, thought for a moment, and scrunched up her pale face into a small ball. After some painful deliberation, she asked sorrowfully: "Can't I have the good things and still be the only one Daddy and Mommy love?"

  Minglan lost her smile and said seriously: "Everyone wants it that way, but it's impossible, you can only choose one."

  Zhuang Jie hesitated for half a day, and then said: "It's still better if Father and Mother only pamper me."

  Minglan smiled and nodded, taking a deep breath: "Sixth Aunt thinks so too."

  She walked a few more steps, then suddenly stopped and looked up with big shining eyes, asking very seriously: "Sixth Aunt, what if there's no good stuff left, and I have to share Mom and Dad with many younger brothers and sisters?"

  Ming Lan took a step back, almost slipping and falling. She steadied herself before saying, "It shouldn't... be this bad." Thinking of He Hongwen's gentle and soothing words, she shook her head in her heart. There was no such thing as absolute reliability in the world; it all came down to the level of risk involved. At least the infidelity rate among otaku was lower than that of CEOs.

  The aunt and nephew frolicked for a while longer, and Minglan lifted her head to see that the sun was already high in the sky. She remembered Wenlian saying that the banquet would be held in the Pianhua Hall, thinking that it was time to drink now, she couldn't hide anymore, so she called the maid to take Zhuang sister back, and herself strolled slowly over.

  She had been to the Rongguo Mansion twice before, and although it was not very large, she had followed her mother around everywhere, so she knew the way. She strolled slowly past a row of peach trees that had just come into bloom along the edge of the garden, without worrying about getting lost. As she was leisurely enjoying the flowers and taking a walk, she suddenly saw a tall and slender man standing under a lush and charming peach tree in front of her, vaguely familiar.

  The man seemed to hear footsteps and turned his head around. Minglan barely caught a glimpse of him before her heart skipped a beat.

  Someone in the Jianghu is called "one mouth dizzy", last night was so excited that he forgot, drank two more mouths, blew cold wind back home, caught a bit of a chill, so didn't update last night, today will make up for the word count.

  Sorry, bowing.