Qiu Yilan looked calm: "How can this be done? Let's not mention that I have to pay filial piety to my mother and concubine now. How can I go out to visit, or in the first month of the year - isn't this adding trouble to your house? Besides, my grandfather is still ill in bed How can I just celebrate the festival by myself when I'm on the couch, regardless of my grandfather's need to wait on the couch? "
"The queen said that the princess is filial and sensible." Ni Jin answered with a smile. The implication of course is that Gu Yan and Mrs. Gu are so confused that they even neglect to take care of their elders during the mourning period and seriously ill elders. They want to take someone over to visit them during the Chinese New Year
While they were talking, the group had already left the palace gate, and Nijin personally helped Qiu Yilan get out of the sedan with Su He.
Gu Yan was ridiculed one after another. His expression under the curtain and hat was like frost, but he still had no intention of leaving. He stood not far away with his hands behind his hands, looking at Qiu Yilan with a heavy gaze through the veil.
But neither Qiu Yilan nor Ni Jin took him seriously - Ni Jin knew that Qiu Yilan was brought into the palace by the Queen Mother, and she only brought Su He with her as a maid, and was afraid that it would be difficult for her to go back, so she wanted to give it to her now Get a carriage and give it away. However, Qiu Yilan's sharp eyes had already seen Ruan Qingyan wearing a large cloak on the carriage shaft in the distance, ordering the driver to come this way, so he naturally refused.
"Sister, please go back. The snow is so heavy. Please accompany me on this long walk." Qiu Yilan smiled and quietly stuffed another purse that Ruan Qingyan had prepared for her into Nijin's sleeve.
"This is what a maid should do." Ni Jin pinched it secretly and found that it seemed like nothing was packed. She knew it must be a bank note, and it was an amount that could not be packed in cash. She was satisfied in her heart and smiled on her face. Gengsheng said, "The princess is so kind."
They exchanged a few words, and Ruan Qingyan came closer. Ni Jin felt that there shouldn't be any problems after just a few steps and with the surrounding guards watching. She was worthy of respect in front of the Queen. Neither Qiu Yilan nor Ruan Qingyan deserved her hospitality at the moment - being polite was enough. So Qiu Yilan asked her to go back again, so she turned around and entered the palace gate.
As soon as Ni Jin's figure disappeared from the palace gate, Ruan Qingyan arrived. He jumped off the carriage and first looked at Qiu Yilan, who was neatly dressed and looked calm. He thought that everything should go well. He breathed a sigh of relief and handed over a delicate gift with a smile. Small hand-warming copper stove: "Come out? Get in the carriage quickly, it's windy here."
If it wasn't enough, he quickly took off his cloak and put it on her.
Qiu Yilan was about to speak when Gu Yan suddenly said, "Is this Mr. Ruan?"
"Student Ruan Qingyan, may I ask what your surname is?" Ruan Qingyan saw Gu Yan when he came, but because he saw Qiu Yilan only chatting with the palace maid who sent her out for a while, he ignored Gu Yan and said The two of them didn't know each other, so of course they had to worry about their cousin not freezing first, so how could they find the time to take the initiative to talk
Now that Gu Yan has taken the initiative to speak, looking at his clothes and the attendants behind him, they know that he has an extraordinary origin, so Ruan Qingyan will naturally not be rude.
Gu Yan looked at him and smiled meaningfully: "Master Ruan is really a talented person!"
Qiu Yilan's expression changed upon hearing this!
Gu Yan was not done yet, so he introduced himself, "I am Gu Yan, my father, King Guangyang."
As the direct nephew of the Queen Mother, Gu Yan's reputation can be said to be well-known among the nobles in Beijing. Of course, Ruan Qingyan, who had already had grand plans and even hired famous prostitutes to help get acquainted with powerful people, knew this.
In particular, according to Ruan Qingyan's previous analysis with Qiu Yilan, he thought that his cousin had joined the Queen Mother this time when he entered the palace. Although he was surprised why his cousin ignored Gu Yan, he still did not dare to neglect and offered his hand as a courtesy: "It turns out that it is the King of Guangyang. It’s really disrespectful to see the prince in person!”
Before he finished speaking, his sleeve was pulled by Qiu Yilan: "Cousin, my grandfather must be waiting for us to come back at home! Shall we leave quickly?"
Ruan Qingyan was startled - but considering his city, such a reminder was enough. He immediately gave up the plan of chatting with Gu Yan for a few more words, and bowed politely and distantly: "My grandfather is thinking about me, so I don't dare to delay. I hope your son will forgive me!"
"It doesn't matter." Gu Yan was also very polite. Under the veil, he smiled strangely, "You go ahead... I would like to say hello to Old General Ruan on behalf of the Crown Prince. Speaking of which, at Old General Ruan's age, there can still be someone as elegant and handsome as Young Master Ruan. It's really a blessing to be a descendant of Yushu. But I don't know why Mr. Ruan's eyebrows are so dark... It's so distressing!"
The more he praised Ruan Qingyan's appearance, the uglier Qiu Yilan's face became. Now hearing him say the word "distressed" was simply creepy! He almost dragged Ruan Qingyan onto the carriage!
"What's wrong?" The carriage just left the palace gate. He raised the curtain to see if there was no one around the carriage. Ruan Qingyan asked anxiously, "That Gu Yan, isn't he the Queen Mother's great-nephew?"
Qiu Yilan sighed: "The Queen Mother asked Deng Yi to lead people last night, and she almost killed Su He and me!" While speaking, Su He had already pulled off the silk handkerchief around his neck, revealing shocking bruises!
Ruan Qingyan's pupils suddenly shrank and he grabbed Qiu Yilan's wrist!
Qiu Yilan was startled by his sudden movement and looked at him in shock, only to see that he had a solemn look on his face. He put two fingers on his pulse gate for a moment, then sighed softly and said, "Are you okay?"
"It's okay." Qiu Yilan knew that most scholars knew some medical skills, so she wasn't surprised that he took her pulse and judged that she was fine, and said, "So I had no choice but to go to the Queen."
Ruan Qingyan relaxed with a clear look on his face and nodded: "It's actually a good choice to choose Queen Jiang, better than Queen Mother Gu."
Qiu Yilan sighed: "But cousin, you might be tricked by me!"
"You mean Gu Yan?" Ruan Qingyan muttered, "Isn't the Queen here? How can it be so easy for him to do what he wants to do openly? Besides, my brother also has some ability to protect himself."
Looking at Ruan Qingyan who was calm and composed, Qiu Yilan was silent for a moment and finally said what he said: "Gu Yan... what a man! Those words he just said..."
Gu Yan is a man of both genders, and he and his cousin love each other as if they were husband and wife. It is not a secret in Beijing—otherwise, even Zhou’s mother would not know about it.
Ruan Qingyan has a handsome appearance, elegant temperament with a hint of melancholy, and he is the heir of a down-and-out general's palace. This configuration should be put aside in his previous life. There should not be too many people shouting that he and Gu Yan must be together.
Although there are not so many crazy people in this world, with Gu Yan's power, he doesn't really have to do anything to Ruan Qingyan. Just privately hinting that there is an ambiguity between the two is enough to destroy Ruan Qingyan!
Especially since the Ruan family is in such a state of decline now, if you think about it in the worst possible way, some people may still suspect that Ruan Qingyan wants to rely on his beauty to sway Gu Yan!
Even if Ruan Qingyan is a talented scholar, with such a reputation, no matter how well he writes during the scientific examination, if he leaves a bad impression on the examiner, is there any hope of winning the exam? Taking a step back, even if he wins the ranking, what will happen next? Such a stain is a big stumbling block in your career!
Gu Yan's move was truly vicious!
Qiu Yilan's heart is heavy. Ruan Qingyan's cousin is not only the relative she can rely on the most at the moment. Over the past few days, he has given her meticulous care and help. Even if she still has some doubts, she has finally built up her relationship.
Now, because of himself, my cousin, who has a bright future, is facing the threat of ruin. Just thinking about it makes me want to kill the guy surnamed Gu directly at the gate of the palace!
Ruan Qingyan, on the other hand, calmly comforted her: "The pure will become pure, and the turbid will become turbid. Since Gu Yan's good masculine style is not an unknown secret, if he puts down his arrogance and talks nonsense, what can he really do to me?" At most, it’s just some bad news in the market. After all, I don’t live in the market!”
"But the scientific examination..." Qiu Yilan was interrupted by him: "Master Xue has always been known for his fairness and strictness! Otherwise, how could he have remained neutral in the struggle for power for so many years? How could he be easily deceived? Wait for the scientific examination After that, as his disciple, even if he wants to slander me, he has to think twice!"
This is true. As an important minister in the court, Xue Chang, the second empress who was in the same court, naturally hoped to win over him. And he can remain neutral for many years. In addition to his sufficient status and skills, his own character will definitely not have any major flaws. Otherwise, they would have been caught long ago and had to go into the water - in a situation of even competition, the neutral party has always been the most difficult to do, and it is impossible to survive without real ability.
In this case, of course, his disciple, Gu Yan, must not offend Xue Chang, otherwise it will hurt Xue Chang's face, and if he is forced to go to Empress Jiang - Empress Dowager Gu absolutely does not want or allow this to happen. Yes.
Of course, this beautiful idea must have a premise, that is, Ruan Qingyan can withstand all the overt and covert attacks of Gu Yan between now and spring, and be named on the gold list, and preferably be appreciated by Xue Chang.
The problem is that no matter how fair, strict and upright Xue Chang is, the only thing he can take care of is the examination room. With the power of the Guangyang Palace, Ruan Qingyan's power is simply unbearable compared to them. No matter how tightly Xue Chang manages the examination room, it will all be in vain if Ruan Qingyan cannot enter the examination room.
There are still more than two months until spring...
Qiu Yilan suggested: "Cousin, don't stay in the general's mansion now. Go somewhere else to study quietly?" He couldn't afford to offend him, so he could only hide.
But Ruan Qingyan shook his head: "How could I be left without someone to take care of my grandfather?" In private, he didn't have to take over the care of General Ruan. No one outside knew about it anyway, but he had to stay in the general's mansion!
Because General Ruan now only has an heir and grandson named Ruan Qingyan. He wants to ignore his grandfather for the sake of scientific examination. Once this kind of unfilial piety is exposed, even if he wins the Jinshi, he will definitely be cut off - even if he becomes an official, it will be useless!
"I'll take care of it!" Qiu Yilan said, "I caused some trouble for the Xihe Palace, and I can't go back rashly now..."
Before she could finish her words, the carriage stopped, and a cold voice sounded outside the carriage: "Fifth Princess, I have been waiting for you, something happened in the palace, please go back quickly!"
Qiu Yilan and Ruan Qingyan frowned at the same time. Although the voice was unfamiliar to them, they knew from the tone that it was a servant of the Xihe Palace. It really means that Cao Cao is about to arrive. This also indicates that Qiu Yilan thinks that the Xihe Palace has no time to take over now. Going back by yourself is wishful thinking.
She signaled Dong Ran to lift the curtain slightly, and saw a steward in his thirties, holding a horse, standing beside the carriage with a gloomy face, and said in a lukewarm voice: "The prince and the princess are waiting for you. Please do me a favor and go back with me - this is the New Year. Although General Ruan is lonely, your surname is Qiu, so you have to take care of the Qiu family first, right?"