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*MTL*

The people of Yu love flowers, especially peach blossoms. Therefore, as soon as spring comes, the Chunming Embankment, where peach blossoms are like clouds, is crowded with tourists, sweating like rain. A few kites are floating in the distant sky, and ripples are spreading on the lake. There are literati drinking and brewing tea on the boats, looking leisurely.

  However, the topic they are talking about is not leisurely.

  "This court is really rotten!" A man in a green shirt drank a glass of wine.

  The man in a black robe next to him wanted to cover his mouth immediately: "Lingqiu, be careful! Do you know what you are talking about!" When

  Wen Lingqiu heard this, he jumped up like a cat with its fur blown up: "Of course I know, how could I not know, am I wrong! Luo Zixiu, there are only three of us on the boat, and you won't let me speak freely? Your courage is always the size of a mung bean!" Luo

  Zixiu glanced at the angry Wen Lingqiu, then tilted his head to look at the man in white who had been standing by the boat, and fell silent.

  Wen Lingqiu slammed the table and said, "General Yun fought hard at the border for many years, but in the end he lost the war because of insufficient supply of food and grass. The emperor did not punish those rats who secretly reduced the food and grass, but instead begged for peace! Tutor Lan risked his life to make a remonstrance, and almost lost his life, but what did he get in the end! What! The emperor claimed to be ill for three days, and finally nothing happened. I feel sorry for Tutor Lan, for General Yun, and for Miss Yun Yan! Brother Lan, tell me, why are we still serving this rotten court!"

  The wind blew up Lan Rongyu's wide sleeves, like a white crane flapping its wings. He turned his face, his usually handsome and gentle eyes were filled with deep fatigue: "The Emperor is young and playful, and Grand Tutor Jin controls the government. Grandfather tried his best, but he still couldn't change the order of the marriage. Unless the Yun family rebels, Miss Yun Yan must go to the Kingdom of Wen to marry."

  "What marriage? It's just a humiliation. Everyone knows that Tan Tai Zhen has been fighting with General Yun Kuo for three years, and he can't wait to bite off a piece of General Yun's flesh. How can he treat Miss Yun Yan well? Miss Yun Yan is only fourteen years old and has not yet reached the age of marriage. Once she marries--"

  Wen Lingqiu couldn't go on, and Luo Zixiu's eyes were slightly hot. He had seen Miss Yun Yan before. She was still childish, lively and bright, and very likable. How could he bear to send such a girl into the wolf's den?

  With a sigh, Luo Zixiu thought of another cousin of the Yun family, Yun Yi. Miss Yun Yi and Miss Yun Yan had very different personalities. Miss Yun Yi was delicate, gentle and quiet, and she was a perfect match for Brother Lan. Unfortunately, because of the interference of the third son of the previous emperor, Prince Kang, the marriage between the Lan and Yun families was tortuous, and no marriage contract had been made so far.

  Just as he was thinking, he suddenly heard Wen Lingqiu say in his ear: "Zixiu, Brother Lan, look at the shore, is it Miss Yun and her maid Cong Lu?"

  Lan Rongyu's eyebrows moved, and he looked at the shore. Beyond the green waves, under the trees and clouds, a girl in a cherry spring dress stood gracefully, like a lotus in the water. And beside her, the maid with green half-sleeves waved to the boat from afar.

  "It's them, come to the shore."

  Wen Lingqiu and Luo Zixiu heard the words, rowed the boat, and arrived at the shore two quarters of an hour later. Lan Rongyu got off the boat and walked towards the woman in cherry-colored spring clothes: "Xi'er, why are you here?"

  Yun Yi raised her head, revealing a face as white as snow and clouds, with eyebrows like distant mountains, green without any makeup. Her eyes were like apricots, with a little light. The only shortcoming was that her lips were pale, and she looked weak. She smiled at Lan Rongyu, and her cherry-pink clothes made her cheeks warm: "Brother Yu, I went to the Lan Mansion. They said that you and your friends came to Chunming Dike for boating, so I came here. Brother Yu, can I talk to you alone?" After that, a gust of wind came, and Yun Yi lowered her head and coughed twice.

  Lan Rongyu's heart softened, and she agreed immediately. Wen Lingqiu and Luo Zixiu looked at each other, and tactfully walked to the other side with Cong Lu. Seeing that there was no one else around, Lan Rongyu stepped forward, her eyes full of concern: "I heard that my sister was ill recently and is not fully recovered yet. She should not go out to get exposed to the wind. If it gets worse, she will suffer again."

  Yun Yi smiled slightly: "It's okay, she is almost well. My brother and I have lost a lot of weight recently. The Lan family still depends on my brother to support it. Take care of yourself, brother."

  Lan Rongyu looked at Yun Yi, and a gentle ripple appeared in her heart. Yun Yi is the daughter of Yun Hao, the second master of the Yun family. Her parents died when she was young. She was raised by her uncle, General Yun Kuo, for sixteen years. She has grown from a shy little girl to a gentle woman. Because the Lan and Yun families are good friends, they have known each other since childhood and often play together. They have an extraordinary friendship. If it weren't for King Kang's repeated obstruction, she should have been his wife long ago.

  "Xiong'er, after the matter of grandfather is over, I will ask father and mother to settle our marriage."

  "Brother." Yun Yi lowered her eyes, very tenderly: "I'm sorry, I have decided to marry King Kang, and will follow him to his fiefdom in Jinzhou in half a year--" Her

  beautiful peach blossom lips opened and closed, but she said something that shocked Lan Rongyu. Lan Rongyu's body trembled, and her heart seemed to be crushed: "Xiong'er, what are you talking about? I don't understand."

  Yun Yi still lowered her eyes and didn't look at him: "Brother, I'm here to say goodbye to you. I'm going to marry King Kang. We are not destined to be together, and from now on we will go our separate ways and wish each other well." As soon as

  the words fell, her shoulders were suddenly grabbed. Yun Yi raised her head abruptly, and met Lan Rongyu's angry eyes directly. The tears in her eyes could not be held back and slid down her snow-white cheeks.

  "You are crying, Xian'er. Who told you to say such heart-breaking words? It hurts my heart and your own heart!"

  "It was me." Yun Yi's tears fell: "My uncle was defeated in the war and will be punished. The Lan family has angered the Grand Tutor again. The situation is precarious. Both our families are on the verge of collapse. How can we offend King Kang again? Brother, you and I are not destined to be together in this life. I only hope that in the next life-"

  "I won't allow you to say such words." Lan Rongyu held Yun Yi in his arms, with their faces pressed together: "We have known each other for ten years and have long been connected. How can we be separated? Xian'er, wait for me for a while, I will definitely find a way."

  "There is no way, there is really no way." Yun Yi's tears wet Lan Rongyu's shoulders.

  Lan Rongyu's heart was broken into pieces. He once swore in his heart to protect Yun Yi for half a lifetime of stability and happiness, but now Yun Yi was crying in his arms. It was his incompetence that he could neither compete with King Kang nor share his worries with General Yun Kuo.

  "I'm sorry, Xian'er, I'm sorry."

  Yun Yi shook his head, struggled slightly, and left Lan Rongyu's arms. Lan Rongyu suddenly felt cold in his arms: "Xian'er?"

  Yun Yi wiped the tears from his face and took out half a lotus jade pendant from his sleeve pocket: "Brother Yu, I'll return the jade pendant to you. From now on, you and I have nothing to do with each other."

  Lan Rongyu was not willing to agree, and stubbornly refused to take the jade pendant: "This is a matter of our lives. If you cancel the contract alone, I will not agree. Xian'er, I will go back and ask my parents. You go back to the Yun Mansion and wait for my good news."

  Before Yun Yi could say anything else, Lan Rongyu had already left in a hurry, fearing that Yun Yi would return the jade pendant to him. Yun Yi chased him, but Lan Rongyu strode away in a few steps.

  "Brother Yu, Brother Yu!" Yun Yi's call was blown away by the wind and scattered in the ripples of the lake.

  Cong Lu and the two young masters walked out from among the flowers and trees. Wen Lingqiu asked in surprise, "Miss Yunyi, did you have a quarrel with Brother Lan?"

  Yunyi could not force a smile and bowed, "Excuse me, gentlemen. Cong Lu, let's go back."

  Cong Lu suppressed the sadness in her heart and went to help her own girl. She naturally knew why the girl came here, and guessed that with Master Lan's temper, he would not accept the jade pendant.

  The world is unfair, and it can only add to the sadness of the two people.

  The master and servant got on the carriage and returned to the general's mansion, without saying a word along the way. Back at Pengxueju, Yunyi placed half of the lotus jade pendant on the dressing table and stared at it in a daze. Cong

  Lu brought a bowl of warm water and reminded her, "Miss, it's time to take the medicine."

  Yun Yi withdrew her gaze from the lotus jade pendant and took out the purse she carried with her. Inside was a pearl-sized pale yellow pill. Yun Yi took one and held it in her mouth, then drank water and swallowed it.

  "Miss, the eldest son is back!" Cong Shuang came in from outside and hurriedly reported to Yun Yi.

  Yun Yi's eyes lit up, and she got up and went to Madam Yun's bedroom. The servants were waiting outside in an orderly manner, and the voices inside were also thin, without the laughter and joy of the father and brother's triumph in the past.

  Yun Yi couldn't help but recall that three years ago, the State of Yu defeated the general of the State of Wen and the uncle of the emperor, Tan Taiyu. Tan Taiyu retreated a hundred miles away and closed the city gates to recuperate. Yun Kuo and Yun Di, father and son, left the deputy general to guard the pass and received the order to return to Beijing. At that time, Madam Yun led her and Yun Yan to wait in the suburbs early. The people along the way were crowded, all of them were happy, waiting to see the style of the Yun family father and son.

  Unexpectedly, in just three years, the situation has changed dramatically.

  "Brother, is Tan Taizhen so powerful? If so, I will kill him!"

  Yun Yan's indignant voice came from the bedroom. Yun Yi calmed down and lifted the curtain to enter. The three people in the bedroom all looked at her.

  Madam Yun was wearing a homely bean green jacket with embroidered cloud patterns and a horse-faced skirt with a hundred blessings pattern. She only had two double phoenix ornaments on her head. Yun Yan was wearing a pomegranate red Hu clothing, with her black hair combed into a neat single bun tied with a silk ribbon of the same color. It was obvious that she had just returned from the horse farm. And the eldest brother Yun Di, who had just returned home, had completely lost the high spirits he had when he left home. His chin had green stubble and his back was hunched, as if a heavy rock was pressing on it and he couldn't stand up.

  "Xian girl, you're here." Madam Yun smiled slightly and waved to Yun Yi, motioning her to sit next to Yun Yan.

  Yun Yi bowed to Yun Di: "Brother, you have worked hard for three years."

  Yun Di smiled bitterly: "I am not suffering, it is Heng'er who is suffering. I am useless and cannot protect Heng'er."

  Madam Yun's eyes immediately turned red, and Yun Yan's cheeks were red with anger. She pulled out the soft whip wrapped around her waist and swung it out, cracking a low table: "Brother, mother, don't be sad, it's just Wen Kingdom, I will marry there! If I see that Tan Taizhen, even if I only have one breath left, I will find a way to kill him!"

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⏰ Last updated: Jul 02 ⏰

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