Not long later, Madam Leng arrived with Xie Xun.
Xie Xun had caught a cold a few days ago and had only recovered from it. Ever since she was pushed into the water by the Lin Family's servant maid, her health wasn't very good and she caught cold easily. Even after raising her body for these few days, she still hadn't been able to recuperate. Xie Zhen's heart ached for her. Originally, she did not want her to come, but she said that she missed the sis and wanted to follow her.
Since Madam Leng couldn't do anything about her, she gave her two additional clothes and brought her to the Grand Secretariat's mansion as a guest.
Once she arrived at backyard, she immediately pounced towards Xie Zhen happily, complaining: "What is sis doing in the palace all day, why aren't you coming to see me?"
Xie Zhen caught her and laughed as she scratched her nose, "Didn't I go to see you the day before yesterday? You forgot in the blink of an eye? "
She thought about it for a moment, and it seemed to be true.
Madam Leng went to the side to talk with Liu Shi, leaving the scene to the girls. Yan Yao'an and Gu Ruyi were the closest to each other, and often visited the Grand Secretariat's mansion as their guests. This was why they knew that the backyard had a piece of Jade Orchid, and would blossom into a pink flower every spring. The Gu family's flowers were different from the others', they had been blooming for a long time, and were not defeated yet.
It was related to how Gu Ruyi was raised.
Yan Yao'an then suggested that they take a look. Coincidentally, there were stone tables and stools under the trees, they could sit under the trees and drink tea and pass the time. When Xie Zhen heard that Gu Ruyi's big brother knew painting, she could not help but be curious to see what kind of talent he had.
Arriving at the Yulan Academy, Gu Ruyi asked the servant maids beside her to go and bring the Gu Clan's Eldest Young Master Gu Ce's painting over.
Very quickly, servant maids returned with two paintings.
Gu Ruyi unfurled in front of them. One picture depicted a water lotus in a pond during summer, and the other depicted the silhouette of Gu Ruyi sitting under a tree. The water lily was vivid and lifelike, lazily lying on the surface of the water. The petals were beautiful, and one could even see the droplets of water on it clearly. Gu Ruyi who was in the other painting turned her body, and coincidentally blocked the birthmark on the other face. The beauty had a smile, and looked gentle and beautiful, as though the person in the painting was right in front of her, and could easily be touched with a single touch.
No wonder Yan Yao'an kept praising Gu Ce's painting skills.
Xie Zhen praised, "It's indeed beautiful …."
In his own home, with only the few of them in the Yulan Academy, Gu Ruyi took off the veil covering his face, revealing a dark red birthmark beneath his eyes, showing his true appearance. At first, she was a little embarrassed, but when she saw that Xie Zhen and Xie Xun's attitude was frank and did not look at her weirdly, she finally felt at ease and gradually relaxed.
Gu Ruyi personally made tea for them, and slowly pushed away the foam on the tea broth, then placed a cup in front of each of them, "This is the Jade Gear Spring that was delivered only this year, try it." After she finished speaking, she saw that Xie Xun was still staring at the two paintings, and couldn't help but laugh, "If Seventh Miss likes it, then coincidentally, my brother is home today, I'll have him draw one for you, right?"
Xie Xun revealed a happy expression, then shyly shook his head, "I think it's better not to trouble myself … I'll just watch. "
Gu Ruyi said it was not troublesome, and unknowingly opened up a conversation, "My brother had just taken the High Scholar's Examination this year, and our family was celebrating for him. My father let him rest for a while, and now that he's free at home, he has nothing to do. If you like it, you can let him draw a picture to pass the time. "
Xie Xun was a little tempted.
Madam Leng had her room redecorated a few days ago. The room was still missing a mural that was hung on the wall, if she could let Gu Ruyi's brother draw it, it would be perfect.
Xie Xun subconsciously looked towards Xie Zhen.
With regards to these things, since she could make the decision herself, Xie Zhen didn't care about her opinion anymore, "You decide it yourself."
She gently nodded her head, "Then I'll have to trouble Sister Gu."
Gu Ruyi then asked her what kind of picture she wanted to draw, and she said that she wanted a Bamboo Cloud Evergreen Painting. Gu Ruyi took it down and asked servant maids to tell his brother about it.
In the end, Xie Zhen thought it through thoroughly, "After Mr. Gu is done painting, ask the servant maids in your mansion to tell me, I'll have Big Brother come and take it, and also give Mr. Gu a word of thanks."
Gu Ruyi nodded, and she did not say a word, but when the Princess He Yi heard Xie Rong's name, she could not help but think about it, and blushed.
After working in the Yulan branch for a while, when it was almost time for lunch, the girls got up and prepared to head to the front hall.
Passing by a rock garden, they heard people talking.
Two or three girls were talking.
With the fake mountains and trees blocking their way, it was as if they didn't notice the few people who were walking over from behind, and were talking among themselves.
"I heard that the border trials are very chaotic right now …"
"Yeah, dozens more died!"
Another girl dressed in a goose yellow spring shirt spoke in a mysterious tone and whispered to the other two, "Didn't the sixth prince and the Third Master of the Xie Clan and Young Master Xie also go … After hearing that the Third Master Xie had contracted an illness, I wondered if he would be able to return. My father said that His Majesty sent him to the border trials. I don't know if it's because he values him, or if …"
Before she could finish his words, she made an expression as though her neck was crooked.
A few people were amused by her expression and couldn't help but laugh. As they were laughing, they saw Xie Zhen standing not far away with a cold face. Their faces instantly turned deathly pale and they were unable to say a single word.
Those who were still in high spirits a moment ago were now like chicks that had their throats pinched, unable to even make a sound.
Xie Zhen came in front of them and asked expressionlessly: "Whose girls are you?"
The few of them looked at each other, their faces sullen, "The Prince's wife's Empress … "Please let us go, just pretend you didn't hear anything …"
Xie Zhen's lips curved into a cold smile, "You guys said that my father contracted an illness, how could I pretend not to hear about it? Who taught you this? " "If you do not speak honestly, I will pass on your words to the Saints. How dare you try to guess the Holy Will. Do you want to die?"
To speculate on the Holy Will and discuss the Imperial Family, this was a grave crime that involved plundering the family!
The three of them immediately trembled and knelt in front of Xie Zhen with a thump, kowtowing to him. They regretted their mistake and begged Xie Zhen to forgive them.
One of them was afraid that she would talk to the Emperor Yuan Hui, so she immediately told her the truth. She had heard of the news from the Lin Clan's young mistress that the Third Master was ill… Her Highness the Princess is generous, please let us go this time."
Xie Zhen frowned, "How did they know about my father?"
The three of them shook their heads, saying that they didn't know.
Xie Zhen was only scaring them, she would not really send them to the Emperor Yuan Hui, and coldly told them to leave, "Next time if I hear you guys talking about trouble, it won't be that simple!"
The three of them thanked him and retreated.
Princess He Yi, Gu Ruyi and Xie Xun who were hiding behind a rock walked out. Princess He Yi stared at the direction where the three left in dissatisfaction, "Why did you let them go so easily? If it were me, I would definitely pull their tongues out! "
Xie Zhen frowned, with a stern face: "Princess, do you know the situation of my father in the border trial? Did he really get sick? Did anyone beside His Majesty talk about that? "
Yan Yao'an shook her head, but just when Xie Zhen was relieved, she said: "How can I know everything about my father, even if he is truly ill, he wouldn't tell me. How about this, I'll help you ask around once we get back to the palace. If there's any news, I'll send someone to the prince's mansion to inform you. "
She nodded gravely.
Then, she recalled the rumors that the three of them had told her about the Lin Clan's young mistress.
Yan Yao'an was also puzzled. Logically speaking, Lin Rui had always been at home and should not have known about the situation in the imperial court. Then, how did the two of them know about it?
Xie Zhen told her about Xie Xun falling into the water at the general's estate. We suspect that it was the servant maids beside Lin Huapin. "
She did not mention anything about Xie Xun going to the Lin Palace to identify someone, she only said that when Xie Xun fell into the water, she recognized that it was Lin Huapin's servant maids. Hearing that, Yan Yao'an shook his sleeves angrily, "This Lin Family members really don't have any good stuff!"
Xie Zhen nodded in agreement.
Yan Yao'an advised them while walking. When they were almost to the Flower Hall, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she whispered a few words into Xie Zhen's ear.
Listening to her finish speaking, Xie Zhen laughed along, his eyes revealing his craftiness, "Princess, are you not afraid of the Lin Family holding back?"
Yan Yao'an curled his lips in disagreement, and said in an unreasonable tone, "Her family is about to fall, do I have to be afraid of her father?"
Besides, she was a princess!
Hearing that, Xie Zhen made sense.
They ate in the parlour.
Madam Leng, Lady Liu and a few elders were having their meal in the east, while they, the ladies, were having their meal in the west. At the table, Xie Zhen and Xie Xun were seated facing each other, preparing Lin Huapin and Lin Jinpin the sisters. After the meal, Xie Zhen did not eat much, and even Xie Xun had eaten less than usual.
After that, when Xie Zhen asked her why, she humphed and said, "I don't have an appetite … …"
After the meal, Lady Liu invited them to the backyard Pavilion to take a seat. They also made some scented tea and moistened their throats after the meal.
The afternoon sun was much hotter than it had been in the morning. The heat from the sun shining on top of their heads was excruciating. It was still early in the summer, but the weather had already begun to heat up.
Xie Zhen and Xie Xun chatted as they stood by the lake.
There weren't many people by the lake now, and most of the girls had to stop to catch their cool. Only a few came out to walk around.
Before long, they saw Yan Yao'an and Lin Huapin walk out of the pavilion together, and stopped not far away from them by the river. Lin Huapin was a little flattered. They all knew that the Princess He Yi was not easy to get close to and only spoke to people they liked, and they normally did not care about them. Why did they suddenly become close to her?
Lin Huaping suddenly had a glimmer of hope. If she could get on good terms with the princess and ask her to speak up for him, wouldn't that mean there would be hope for her family?
Because she was too joyous, Lin Huapin didn't even have time to think about why the Princess He Yi would suddenly change her attitude towards her. As she walked, she came to the lakeside.
Yan Yao'an looked at the center of the lake and asked with interest, "When I was walking in the courtyard just now, I heard someone say that the Third Master Xie has gotten sick at the border. Do you know about this?"
Lin Huapin's expression did not change, and laughed: "Such a thing actually happened? To return to the princess, I do not know. "
"Is that so?" Yan Yao'an tilted his head and looked at her, the corner of his lips held a hint of a smile, "If this is true, you should be very happy, right?"
Lin Huapin held his breath, his face still maintaining a gentle smile, "The princess is joking, Master Xie and sixth prince are going to the border trials for the citizens of Wu Jiang, to help them share their worries, if something were to happen to them, we would not have enough time to worry, how can we gloat?"
It was very clear.
Yan Yao'an was almost fooled by her, she thought that this Lin Rui was really capable, her two daughters, one was a famous talented girl in capital, the other could trick others just by opening her mouth. Her lips curved up in a mocking smile, "Miss Lin, you have a good belly …"
Lin Huapin laughed without saying a word.
"If your father were to be exposed for being corrupt and taking bribes, I wonder if you would still be so calm?" Yan Yao'an asked with a smile.
Just as she said, she saw Lin Huapin's face change.
finish talking, Yan Yao'an asked again: "Do you think your father will be able to escape this calamity?"
Lin Huapin's voice trembled, "Princess, what do you mean by that …"
"I can help you say a few words in front of father." She raised her eyebrows. "But you have to promise me one thing."
Lin Huapin asked anxiously: "What's the matter?"
She pointed at the lakeside, "I can see that the lotus leaf looks pretty good. How about you pick it for me?"
Lin Huapin followed her gaze and looked over. He saw that there was not even a place for him to borrow energy from, which was near the center of the lake. The center of the lake was about ten feet deep, and she didn't know how to swim, so swimming over was almost impossible!
Lin Huapin revealed a difficult expression, "If Princess really likes it, I will ask the biddy who knows water to pinch it for you …"
She smiled and shook her head, "Miss Lin, if you don't go personally, how can you prove your sincerity?"
There was no room for negotiation.
Lin Huapin choked. If she really went over, let alone taking back the lotus root, she might even lose her life! " Why did the princess insist on that one? "
Yan Yao'an blinked, looking innocent. "I think it looks good, when I go back tonight and make the palace maidservant boil the lotus seed silver ear soup, it will definitely taste good."
After talking for a long time, Lin Huapin did not make the slightest movement. She placed her hands on her waist and stared angrily: "Are you going or not? This is the only chance we have, don't regret it. "
Lin Huapin clenched his teeth, "Princess, do you mean what you say?"
She snorted, "When have I ever lied to anyone?"
Because with her words, Lin Huapin was willing to give it her all. As long as she could save her father from a calamity, what would it matter if she let her pluck a lotus root? Moreover, there were so many people by the lakeside, even Lin Jinpin was there. If she fell into the water, wouldn't there be someone to save her? Thinking like this, she jumped into the lake without hesitation. Her entire body submerged into the water, and after a short while, she swam upwards two times, wanting to tell Yan Yao'an that she had swam through the water. However, she had overestimated herself. Not to mention plucking the lotus seed, she didn't even have the ability to go ashore to save her life.
Lin Huapin shouted for help in the water, "Help… "Save me …"
When the people of pavilion saw the commotion, they all sat up, looking anxious.
Yan Yao'an stood on the shore and anxiously turned around, constantly complaining, "You said that you don't know water, why are you jumping into the lake? Even if I say that I want to eat the lotus seed, you can't throw away your life! "
After talking for a long time, she finally remembered to ask the palace maidservant nanny beside him to pull her up.
It was a pity that she was quite a distance away from the shore. Even if she were to stretch her arms, she wouldn't be able to reach it.
Lin Huapin drank a bellyful of water. Seeing that she was about to die, his eyes started to sink into the water, frightening the ladies to the point that they were about to lose their money. Lin Jinpin's face was pale white, she kept calling out to her sister on the shore, "Who knows water? Hurry and save my sister, the screen doesn't know how to use water! "
Yan Yao'an finally remembered that she had a mama who knew how to swim. That mama jumped into the water and fished Lin Huapin out of the water.
Lin Huapin was already unconscious, but when biddy pressed on her stomach, she spat a mouthful of water.
Lin Jinpin threw himself onto her and cried as his eyes turned red. "How did she fall into the water?"
One of the girls who saw it stammered, "Miss Lin jumped in by herself …"
Lin Jinpin did not believe that if she was fine, who would unintentionally jump into the water? Someone must have hurt her! She subconsciously thought about the Xie Clan's two sisters, but turned to look at Xie Zhen and Xie Xun. These two were standing at the periphery with open and honest expressions. Furthermore, Lin Jinpin had just seen it earlier. The two of them were far away from Lin Huapin, so it was impossible for them to harm her …
At that time, the person closest to the painting's screen was a princess. Could it be a princess?
She looked at Yan Yao'an suspiciously. Yan Yao'an also had a troubled face, revealing a worried look, "It's all my fault. When I said that I wanted to eat the lotus roots, Miss Lin said that she wanted to pick it for me. If I know that she doesn't know how to drink water, I can't let her go! Fortunately, no one died, otherwise how would I feel in my heart? "
Lin Jinpin was extremely suspicious of this explanation.
But almost everyone who saw it said that Lin Huapin jumped in by herself, and no one pushed her. Even if Lin Jinpin didn't believe it, she couldn't say anything.
After asking the doctor to look over the Lin Family members, Xie Zhen and the rest sat in the octagonal pavilion.
Thinking back to the scene just now, Xie Zhen still thought that it was extremely funny, "After Lin Jinpin goes back and asks Lin Huapin, she will probably hate the princess."
Yan Yao'an did not mind, "There are too many people who hate me, and I still care about the two of them?"
He had a completely overbearing personality.
"Then how do you plan to end this? Do you really want to speak up for the Provincial governor Lin in front of His Majesty?" If that was really the case, then Lin Huapin would not lose out if she fell into the water today.
Who would have thought that Yan Yao'an would actually retort boldly, "It's not like she got me a lotus seed, why should I speak up for Lin Rui?"
Xie Zhen and Xie Xun were dumbstruck.
"We'll talk about it later." She took a sip of tea and continued in a calm and composed voice: "Even if I were to speak up for Lin Rui in front of father, I never promised her that it would be good words … I have long disliked Lin Rui, he is like a hoodlum, once he sees others speak human words, and when he sees others speak ghost words, even if I did not add insult to injury, it would not be bad. "
Xie Zhen could be considered to have experienced what it meant to turn hostile, and was simply filled with respect and admiration for Yan Yao'an.
No matter what was said, in the end, she was the one who had helped Xie Xun and caused him to feel grateful in his heart. I never thought that Lin Huapin would actually jump down. "
At that time, Xie Zhen and Xie Xun was standing on the other side. They thought that Lin Huapin would turn around and leave, but they didn't think that she would jump into the water without hesitation.
Yan Yao'an hit the nail on the head: "She's dumb."
After speaking, she let out a sigh which was quite a pity, "But she really did get lucky. When Ah Xun fell into the water, it was late autumn and the lake water was ice-cold. Now that it's late spring, at most she'll be taught a lesson. "
Just this one lesson was enough for Lin Huapin to remember for his entire life.
In the future, she probably wouldn't even dare to approach the water's edge. She probably didn't want to eat lotus seeds anymore.
When Lin Huapin and Lin Jinpin returned home, Lin Huapin repeated the agreement he had with Princess He Yi. He remembered the fear when he fell into the water and he was still trembling a little, "sis … Go and ask the princess for me. Do you think she will still make a decision if she agrees to my request? "
After hearing what she had to say, Lin Jinpin did not hold much hope.
However, she still found an opportunity to ask the Princess He Yi.
She did not expect the Princess He Yi to say: "I've already said something in front of the father, as for whether he listens or not, I don't care."
Lin Jinpin brought this along with her. Due to the shock from falling into the water, Lin Huapin laid on the bed for three whole days. "She lied to me …"
At first it was anger, but then it settled down to think, why would the princess want to deal with them?
Who was the closest Princess He Yi to?
The two sisters looked at each other and saw the anger in each other's eyes, "It must have been Xie Zhen and Xie Xun. It must have been their idea.
She clenched her fists, her eyes red with anger.
As the summer heat was approaching, Xie Zhen finally received a letter from Yan Yu.
The letter quickly wrote about his situation at Wu Jiang, and it was mostly unrelated and urgent matters. It told her about his daily routine, and then it also mentioned that Xie Liqing and Xie Rong were fine, so she didn't need to worry about him. After Xie Zhen finished reading, she did not expect there to be a second page. He read it carefully, and actually asked her how she had been, what she did every day, and where she had been.
After Xie Zhen saw this, she pursed her lips and smiled.
She went to the study room and had Shang Yu prepare ink and paper, preparing to write his reply. After thinking about what to say, and just as she was about to write, Shuang Yan suddenly entered the room in a flurry of emotions. He did not bother to greet her and said: "Miss, cousin Guniang is in a bad situation!"
Xie Zhen didn't even look up, "Which cousin Guniang?"
It was only then that Shuang Yan spoke wrongly and changed his tone, "It's Ouyang Yi who is in trouble."
After Ouyang Yi moved to the side courtyard, she was actually quite honest at the start. After the 49th day, she began dishonest, and did not get along with the neighborhood. There would be quarrelling every two or three days. After pausing for a few days, her two boxes of dowry were lost. She suspected that it was the neighbor's Liu family. She started a fight with the Liu family's daughter-in-law on the spot, and heard that they were both injured.
(Note: The 49th day is one of the customs in old days. It refers to every seven days after the death of a person as a memorial service will be held until the 49th days after the death of the person.)
No matter what, the Liu family refused to admit that they stole something from her. She was certain that it was from the Liu family.
After Xie Zhen heard this, she felt a headache, "Didn't I say last time that her matter had nothing to do with us? I don't care what you tell me
Shuang Yan knew her dislike, and only now did she know that she shouldn't meddle in other people's business.