Chapter 29: Bumping into Each Other

  Because the guards of the Jin Wang Fu had surrounded the Jing She, it was naturally difficult for the attendants and servants of the Hou Fu to enter. Su Mu Hu Jiao was anxious outside, but upon hearing that they were people from the Jin Wang Fu, he could only wait there. It wasn't until the group of people had left that the two of them hastily instructed someone to wait outside the Jing She, then quickly ran inside.

  As soon as they entered the house, they saw that Chen Lan's complexion was still good, and they let out a sigh of relief. They hastily went forward to pay their respects. Before they could finish speaking, Chen Lan smiled and said, "Don't blame yourselves, since you are people from the Wang Manor, it is only natural that you would be stopped outside."

  "It's all because of that old monk, so many people came and he didn't even let the guest monk remind him in advance!" Seeing Chen Yan pointing out those small trinkets to Chen Lan one by one, Yun'er suddenly scolded with a frown, "It's really worth it for our Hou Mansion to send so much silver to this temple every year, but he can't even handle such a small matter!"

  Qing Fang saw Chen Lan and didn't say a word, but instead drank a sound on the side: "Yun'er, don't talk nonsense, if King Jin lets Master Zhiyong not to make a noise, how dare he remind us?"

  Chen Lan unfolded the fan, took a closer look and picked up the dagger again. She then poured all the gold and silver ingots from her purse onto the table. There were four plum blossom-shaped gold ingots and four peach blossom-shaped silver ingots. The embroidery on the purse was exquisite, with a small mark embroidered in the corner. Chen Lan vaguely remembered that there were similar marks on some items at home, which should have come from the imperial workshop. With a thoughtful expression, she furrowed her brow for a moment before it relaxed again.

  It's true that if the King of Jin had wanted to meet them earlier, he wouldn't have prepared such ordinary red envelopes and gold and silver ingots for Chinese New Year. It seems that no matter what others plan, it was just a temporary idea for this king. Since they just avoided it, this matter should be considered over, but they still need to guard against the future.

  It seems that the Crown Prince of Weiguo, Luo Xun, and Yang Jinzhou, the commander of the Imperial Guard, had some intention. Although Liu Shou was not a palace servant, he was known for his extortionate prices, with a single fan selling for hundreds or thousands of taels. This fan must have been very valuable. The dagger carried by Yang Jinzhou, the commander of the Imperial Guard, looked simple but was actually extremely sharp and must have been used for self-defense. According to Chen Yan, he had previously chatted with them for a while, composed poems together with other guests, and recited a couplet. Later, the King of Jin gave him the pouch, and the other two immediately presented these two items as gifts, seemingly without much consideration for their value or suitability.

  Once the worship was over, it attracted so many people to come, although at this time King Jin and his party had already left, but Chen Lan had completely lost the mood to visit the Protective Country Temple. Looking at the girls packing up their things, she pulled Chen Yan out of the house. Only to see that the Bodhi shrine, which was heavily guarded just now, was empty, with only the red plum still blooming fiery and beautiful.

  After gathering with the family guards, a group of over ten people walked out along the small path in the temple. Just after passing the Scripture Storage Pavilion, Chen Lan saw several people walking towards them. Apart from Zhiyong wearing his monk's robes and two young monks, there was also an unfamiliar young nobleman and a young servant boy. The nobleman was about seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a sable fur coat and a dark blue satin robe, but the way he walked with his hands clasped behind him and the lazy expression on his face gave off the air of a wealthy idle rich man.

  The two faced each other, and Zhiyong was taken aback for a moment before smiling and saying: "Third Miss, are you preparing to leave? It's rare that you've come, and I haven't had the chance to entertain you. I heard that Third Miss is still not feeling well, and I have some freshly picked pine nuts here that make the best tea." As he spoke, he instructed a small monk behind him, then seemed to suddenly remember someone beside him and smiled, saying: "Right, I forgot - just now Third Miss was resting in the house and hadn't met this person. This is the son of Duke Weiguo."

  Is this Wei Guo Gong's son Luo Xu?

  Chen Lan couldn't help but glance at Chen Yan beside her, seeing him nodding at her, she hastily tidied up her clothes and bowed.

  At this time, Luo Xuan also smiled and said: "I just sent away the princess, I came back again, I was thinking of going to find Third Miss and Chen Xiao, I didn't expect to meet you here so coincidentally."

  He said with a glance at Chen Yan, seeing that he was holding his own fan and had the sheep-horn dagger inserted in his waist. His face suddenly smiled even deeper: "To tell you the truth, I was dragged out by King Jin today to have some fun, and I didn't know who I would meet, so I didn't prepare any gifts. This fan... cough, it's really not good enough, I've loved painting since I was a child, this is my imitation of Liu's calligraphy, actually it's a fake. Keeping it for fun is okay, but as a gift, it's not respectful."

  He saw Chen Yan's eyes widening in surprise, and he chuckled and nodded at him, then smiled and said: "So, Fanzi Chen, you keep this as a toy, but don't tell anyone it's from Saint Hand Liu, or that deadbeat will come looking for me. As for the real gift, I'm really empty-handed now, except for some gold and jade, so I don't want to give you those common things either. Next time you come to my garden to play, I'll make it up to you. Oh, if Third Miss has time, she's welcome to come too - my mother is the most hospitable person, and she'll definitely be delighted to see you. When I get home, I'll have someone send an invitation over, just in time since my mother mentioned last time that she wanted to invite Xiaotang."

  At this moment, not to mention Chen Yan's stunned expression, several maids and family servants were also dumbfounded. After being dazed for a while, Chen Lan smiled and said: "If the young master hadn't reminded us, no one would have known that this fan was just an imitation. As for the young master's kind invitation, my sister and I appreciate it, but now there is something at home, so...

  "The Marquis's family has been around for a hundred years and has not gone through any storms, at most it was just a temporary thunderstorm. Third Miss and Chen Xiaodi don't have to think too much about it."

  Luoxu smiled slightly, as if he didn't take Chenlan's words to heart at all. He calmly made a gesture of courtesy and said something to Zhiyong, then took the little servant and walked away with him.

  Chen Lan had never been out of the house before, and she always felt a strange sense of vigilance towards strangers. So, she really didn't expect that this son of Duke Wei would be so unconventional. It wasn't until he disappeared from view with his servant that she came back to her senses. Just then, Zhiyong also appeared at the front with a young monk.

  "Third Miss, please forgive me. After Your Highness and the others left, I really didn't expect the young master to come back again and insist on taking me to the Jing She." Zhiyong had always been familiar with the intricacies of the aristocracy, so he naturally knew that there was some bad blood between the Yangning Marquis and the Weiguo Duke. At this time, he was afraid that if Chen Lanzhi and her brother went back home and said something, the Chen family would bring trouble to his own doorstep. Therefore, he hastily tried to clear himself of any blame: "The Weiguo Duke has always been stationed in the south, but the young master has remained in the capital, yet he doesn't take either literature or martial arts seriously, and his lazy and careless attitude is notorious throughout the capital."

  Chen Lan carefully pondered Luo Xu's words in her heart, and naturally smiled at Zhi Yong saying it was nothing, but she still couldn't put the matter down.

  All the way, Zhī Yǒng sent them off with great courtesy, and even made up for not coming to welcome them initially. When they reached the mountain gate, he took two paper bags from a young monk's hands and presented them with a smile.

  "This bag is pine nuts, whether it's for making tea or as a snack during the festival, it's not expensive. It's just something produced by our temple itself. This bag of wild tea was sent by one of my fellow monks who happened to be passing by, although it's loose and doesn't look like much, it has a unique fragrance. Third Miss can take it back to enjoy the freshness."

  Zhiyong said, and another little Sha monk came up with a tray, on which were seven or eight talismans of various shapes. Chen Lan hastily let Hongluo take them, after all, this was what she had specifically instructed her to do this time at the Zhu family - every year, the protective charms that were recited and consecrated by high monks in the Protective Country Temple were not few, but most of them flowed into the mansions of the powerful and wealthy, only a very small number were sought after by rich merchants and landlords.

  As soon as the curtains were lowered, Chen Lan took over the hand warmer handed to her by Qin Fang. Then, Chen Yan, who had been holding back his words, let out a long sigh and smiled, directly putting the fan into Chen Lan's hands: "I knew that the son of Duke Weiguo was notorious for being lazy, but if he didn't say so, I really wouldn't have known that this fan wasn't made by Saint Liu. Even the mark is imitated perfectly! Sister, you take care of this for me. Don't look at it as a fake, when there's an urgent need, I'll take it out and sell it as a genuine one to exchange for money."

  Although she had something on her mind, Chen Lan couldn't help but chuckle and handed the fan to Hong Luo beside her. She gently lifted the window curtain and took a glance outside. The street in front of Xuanwu Gate was bustling with carriages and horses passing by from time to time as it approached noon. People's faces were filled with all sorts of emotions - some looked worried, others joyful, some chatting and laughing, while others were cursing loudly. It was a stark contrast. Thinking about her own experiences that morning, she smiled wryly and was about to put down the curtain when her gaze inadvertently fell upon someone at the street corner.

  It was almost as if she had cast her eyes over there, and the man also happened to look over at that moment, then seemed to sweep past as if he didn't know or feel anything. Recognizing the man, her heart skipped a beat, and she hastily lowered the carriage curtains.

  Seven or eight neatly dressed servants and attendants surrounded two sedan chairs with the emblem of the Yangning Marquis's residence, accompanied by a rare sight on the streets of the capital - a pair of flying swallows. The pedestrians on the road hastily retreated as they passed through the intersection of Fuchengmen Street and Xuanwumen Street at the West Fourth Archway. It was only then that Yang Jinzhou, riding a horse with two attendants, turned out from Fuchengmen Street, looking thoughtfully at the departing procession, before turning back without hesitation to ask a question.

  "Has His Majesty left? Is it certain no one has entered the temple to report?"

  "Yes, it was just two quarters of an hour ago that he entered the Northern Town's Pacification Office. The King of Jin won't know until after he returns."

  "That's good."

  Yang Jin Zhou spat out three words with great reluctance, then turned his horse's head, raised his whip and lashed it heavily once, before galloping away like the wind.

  PS: Thank you to book friends 090317160057303, Yu Meng Ping Xing, Sa Sa, Bi Zhi, Lan Wa, Zi Xue Yuan, 346638795, imej, Cai Yun Man Tian, Hua Ling Luo, kathlee, Jun Xiao, Wu Nai Piao Huai, Gan Tang Hang Lu for their rewards. Also, special thanks to Wu Nai Piao Huai's three or four long reviews, as well as Hui Shou Mu Yun Yuan 2011's long review. Just like a classmate said, after not seeing each other, it's a coincidence to run into each other, and as for what happens after running into each other... ^_^