Beijing, Lin Mansion.

Master Lin Xu met Tan Ting in the study room in the outer courtyard.

Tan Ting first asked about his uncle's health. Seeing that he was much better, he said, "I heard that my uncle caught the cold after being caught in the rain. How could he be so careless?" Lin

Xu frowned and smiled. He said, "I was careless."

He didn't want to say anything more on this topic. Instead, he glanced at Tan Ting and asked him something.

"How did Yuan Zhi help the Taoist priest when Chen Fu captured someone in Qingkan before?" When

Chen Fu captured Gu Yansheng in Qingkan, this uncle personally wrote a letter to Tan Ting, asking him to help.

In the end, Tan Ting helped Gu Yansheng and stopped Chen Fuyou. It was impossible to hide this matter from the Lin family of the first family. When Tan Ting came to the capital, he naturally had to explain it to his uncle.

But that incident implicated Mr. Chen as having something dirty about his father's death.

Although Tan Ting knew that his uncle had been very helpful to him, he still hesitated and did not mention it until the truth about his father's death was revealed.

He just said that Chen Fu had the order of Jinyiwei to arrest the person, and that it was the order from the palace, but the fact was not the case, but that Chen Fu had falsely conveyed the imperial edict.

"What a sin it is to falsely convey the imperial edict. My uncle also knows that Yuan Zhi has shown mercy before he brought this crime to the palace. How could he still help him and offend the Eastern Palace?"

He said, and added, "Besides, now that the Jiangxi fraud case is being re-tried, it can be seen that there is indeed something fishy, ​​but it can't be said that the Taoist brought trouble to the court."

Tan Ting didn't want to say anything good about Taoist Gu, but he always wanted to explain it to Uncle Lin and take a look at this Taoist. Lin's attitude.

At that moment, Tan Ting glanced at Lin Xu without leaving any trace.

Lin Xu just nodded and smiled.

"I see. I knew that Chen's people were going to capture the Taoist priests from the East Palace. I didn't expect that they would dare to falsely pass on the imperial edict when they arrived in Qingkan. However, Yuan Zhi did a good job. After all, there is no evidence, and Fengling cannot really be captured. Chen told the palace that after all, they are all aristocratic families who have a lot of connections with each other."

Tan Ting's heart turned a little at these words.

Was Uncle Lin writing the letter just because he didn't want the Taoist priests to harm the East Palace?

Tan Ting was speechless, and Lin Xu said something about Chen.

"Maybe Chen was too involved in this fraud case, so he hurriedly resorted to any means. After the retrial, the palace will have its own punishment. On the contrary, that person..."

He turned to look at Tan Ting, " Now that Yuan Zhi has come into contact with that Taoist, do you know who he is?"

He said, adding something as if he was thinking about it.

"I always feel that this person may be some old person."

The old person...

the nephew of the former eunuch Gu Xianying, how can he not be considered an old person?

But this is Gu Yansheng's matter. Since he is not trying to confuse Chao Gang with falsehoods, Tan Ting will naturally not tell his true identity.

And if Gu Yansheng's true identity is revealed, his wife at home will be implicated.

Tan Ting didn't say anything.

He just said a fact, "It can only be seen that Dong Palace attaches great importance to it."

What should be reserved should be retained, but naturally it should be pointed out.

Lin Xu understood the meaning of Tan Ting's words and nodded in agreement. He did not mention the matter again and asked where Tan Ting would start from becoming an official.

Tan Ting had already thought about this matter, and the Tan clan and Li Chengyun also discussed the matter with him for a long time.

After all, he is still young and will probably have to work his way up steadily from a low-level official position. But no matter how he goes, his official career will always be smooth. This is the advantage of the aristocratic family.

Lin Xu listened and said a few other things.

When Tan Ting came to the Lin Mansion, he had to pay a visit to Mr. Lin, the current chief assistant, Mr. Lin Ge.

But what a coincidence is that Mr. Lin Ge went to the palace to meet the saint today and was not at home.

Tan Ting talked to Mr. Lin for a while, and it was already getting late. He saw that Mr. Lin had just recovered from illness and was tired now, so he left.

After leaving the study room, Tan Ting asked Zhengji.

"Where is Madam? Is there anything you can do?"

Zhengji didn't even say anything, but said, "Madam was waiting for the uncle in the flower hall earlier."

Tan Ting was slightly surprised. He didn't talk to Uncle Lin for a long time. .

"Madam, you're at my aunt's place. Is there really nothing going on?"

Zhengji Liandao said indeed, but with a strange expression on his face.

"My aunt seems to have... not seen her."

Tan Ting paused.

...

Xiang Yi sat at Mrs. Lin's place for half an hour, but did not see the shadow of Mrs. Lin.

But she couldn't say much, so she could only sit and drink tea quietly.

Someone glanced at her gently from the back door and went to the adjacent wing connected to the back.

There was a richly dressed lady sitting on an armchair at the top. She had just finished giving instructions to the people below and picked up the tea cup and took a sip.

Aunt Zhou stepped forward and said, "I just went to see Mrs. Xiang. She is quite calm."

After saying this, Mrs. Lin also put down the tea cup.

"If she couldn't keep calm, she wouldn't have been the wife of the Tan clan in Qingkan for three years."

Grandma Zhou said yes and asked, "Is the madam really missing?"

Mrs. Lin's answer There are only two words, very simple.

"No."

When Xiang Xiang came to the door with the marriage certificate before, she felt that the marriage was inappropriate and wanted Tan Ting to send her away with money.

But Tan Ting cared about his late father's last wish and was reluctant to violate it, so he agreed to the marriage.

But she had always felt that this marriage was unrealistic, and when she later heard Qin Jiao say that this woman was actually stealing money for a small amount of money, she was even more disgusted.

She didn't know exactly why Tan Ting brought her to Beijing, but now that she was here, it would be convenient for them to divorce or even divorce their wives.

After all, she was leaving the Tan family. It didn't matter whether Mrs. Lin saw her or not. What was important was that she had to let Xiang Yi understand that the Tan family didn't want to see her, and don't think about keeping this wife of the clan for a long time. Sit down.

Mrs. Lin said "No," and glanced in the direction of the hall.

"I won't set any rules for her, but I won't see her today. As long as she understands the principle of getting together and leaving easily, and don't get involved, it will be easier for everyone in the future."

After Mrs. Lin finished speaking, she took care of a few more matters within the family . Seeing that the wind outside was blowing fiercely, he sent someone to the study to bring some hot tea to Mr. Lin and Tan Ting, and then asked Mr. Lin to stew medicinal food to ward off the cold on the stove.

After everything was done, and seeing that it was getting late, she asked Aunt Zhou to walk into the hall for her.

Xiang Yi was left hanging for most of an hour, and then he got up when he saw Nanny Zhou coming.

Aunt Zhou was just passing on a message, so she said immediately.

"Madam, please go back. Madam has a lot of trivial matters today. It is inconvenient to see Madam."

Xiang Yi had already had a premonition when Mrs. Lin didn't come for a long time. When she heard what Aunt Zhou said again, she understood.

This lady is very cheerful and her meaning is very clear. It depends on whether Xiang Yi understands the meaning of such behavior.

How could Xiang Yi not understand?

He half-closed his eyes, smiled faintly, said a few polite words, and left Mrs. Lin's hall.

When Grandma Zhou saw her leaving so neatly, she was startled for a moment, then turned around and went back to tell Mrs. Lin.

"...Looking like he was somewhat restrained, after listening to the old slave's words, he only said a few polite words and left without asking any more questions."

Mrs. Lin also paused slightly at these words, and then nodded.

"He seems to be a smart man. This is easier to handle."

...

After leaving Lin Xu's study, Tan Ting hurried to the flower hall when he heard that Mrs. Lin did not see Xiang Yi.

From a distance, I saw her sitting quietly in the flower hall drinking tea. Her expression was no different from usual. She just lowered her head and held the tea cup, not knowing what she was thinking.

Tan Tingji stepped into the flower hall, and when he was in front of her, she came back to her senses.

She was about to get up when she saw him coming, but he quickly pressed her down and sat next to her, frowning and asking.

"Auntie hasn't seen Yizhen?"

Xiang Yi heard him ask and saw his brows furrowed into knots, so he smoothed things over for Mrs. Lin.

"...I just have something to do at the moment and I can't get away, but I sent Aunt Zhou here."

But Yizhen sat in the hall for more than half an hour, what could happen to her aunt, even a cup of tea? Don’t have time to go see Yizhen?

Tan Ting pursed his lips and was speechless for a moment.

His aunt was probably like him before, and like most people, when she didn't know Yizhen well, she labeled her as the daughter of a corrupt official from a commoner ethnic group because of her "reputable" father-in-law Xiang Zhiyuan. .

But only after getting along with each other will people realize that it is just a hurtful prejudice.

But the more biased it is, the harder it is to remove.

Tan Ting looked at his wife carefully. The more he looked at her calm and calm expression, the more uncomfortable he felt.

It was necessary for him to come to the Lin family again another day...

At this time, a thunder sounded in the distance.

Xiang Yi glanced outside and stood up.

"It's going to rain, uncle, are you going home?"

Heavy clouds gathered outside. Tan Tingyi stood up and reached out to hold Xiang Yi's hand.

His palms felt inexplicably warm, and Xiang Yi raised his head and looked at him.

He also looked down at her and held her hand tighter.

"Let's go home."

He held her hand tightly in his palm, without avoiding the eyes of others, and left the Lin Mansion with Xiang Yi.

The two left Lin Mansion.

Didn't notice anyone saw them outside.

Qin Jiao returned to the Lin Mansion's staff house. When he saw the two of them, he also heard the news -

Mrs. Lin did not see Xiang this time.

He couldn't help but think of his letter about Xiang's corruption and bribery.

At that time, he never expected that Mr. Xiang would be so clean.

But the letter has been sent to the capital, and the eldest lady has obviously seen it. Can he still say that it was a misunderstanding?

If he really said that, the possibility of getting Mrs. Lin to find an official position for him would be gone.

Qin Jiao looked at Tan Ting and Xiang Yi who were leaving, and then looked at the direction of Mrs. Lin's yard. He originally wanted to talk to Mrs. Lin about seeking an official position, but he really didn't know how to speak and left dejectedly.

.....

On the way back, it started pouring rain.

The raindrops in the capital were heavier than those in Qingdao. They hit the car with a bang and chaos. The raindrops rolled down the road outside the car window and mixed with the smell of soil. They poured in through the car window and suppressed the temperature inside the car.

Tan Ting wrapped his wife in a cloak.

Xiang Yi glanced at him lightly and said, "Master, please put on some clothes."

Her voice was warm and calm. Tan Ting felt sad thinking about the coldness she encountered in the Lin Mansion today, and then she thought about the time she spent with her yesterday. Angry, the two of them didn't talk well for a day, and they felt that it was really their fault.

It is precisely because of her status that she is always in the cold, so she always needs to distance herself from others to protect herself. How can I ask too much of her?

He felt a dull pain in his heart and felt that he should apologize to her.

But Xiang Yi couldn't help but think of Mrs. Lin's meaning.

With Mrs. Lin's power and superior status in the capital, wouldn't it be too easy to mess with her?

Mrs. Lin is acting like this today because she wants her to retreat from the difficulties and get together with Tan Ting.

Of course Xiang Yi didn't want to end up becoming enemies with the Tan family after he left. When he looked at the Tan family next to him, he also thought of the unpleasant things the two had caused yesterday.

It was his good intentions after all. Even if she didn't want to rely on him, she should have made it clear to him.

The carriage turned a corner, and the cool wind mixed with rain outside the carriage stopped blowing in for a while.

The two of them looked at each other at the same time.

"Yizhen..."

"Uncle..."

The moment they spoke in unison, both of them were startled.

The sound of rain outside became much quieter, and the sound of two people intertwining seemed to echo inside the car.

Xiang Yi paused for a moment and blinked. Tan Ting couldn't help but pause slightly, and felt soft in his wife's gentle look.

"Yizhen, let's talk first."

Since he said this, Xiang Yi nodded and spoke first.

"What happened to Brother Yu yesterday was actually my fault."

She thought about what happened before and after Xiang Yu took the Boyun Academy exam. Although she felt that she might not be able to explain it clearly, she still felt that it was really necessary, so she tried to explain it.

"... Brother Yu wanted to try his skills, and the teachers from Qingzhou Academy encouraged him. I also feel that after all, we are from the common people, so we are not different from the other common people. He understood the principles of the family path, so he was allowed to take the exam by himself."

She said and looked at Tan Ting.

"Xiang Yixin accepted the kindness of the uncle. Please don't be unhappy because of it."

She actually explained and apologized first?

Tan Ting's throat was so stiff that he could hardly speak.

He turned around and stretched out his arms, suddenly holding her whole body in his arms.

Xiang Yi opened his eyes wide in surprise.

This look made Tan Ting's heart beat a little bit with pain.

"How can Yizhen apologize to me? I should have thought of it. Yu Ge'er is not like Jian Ge'er being useless. He is ambitious and unwilling to take other paths. This is his temperament. He is willing to do everything himself Go take the exam, Yizhen, how can you force him?"

He said suddenly, and Xiang Yi blinked for a while without saying anything.

Whether the rain outside the car window is getting heavier or lighter, only the wheel knows, but the people in the car can't hear the sound next to it at this time.

They had been quietly cold to each other for a whole day. They didn't know how much longer they would stay cold, but they didn't expect that they would suddenly talk about it at this moment.

Neither of them were eloquent, and they were suddenly talking to each other a lot, and they had no idea what they were going to say next.

There was silence in the carriage, but Tan Ting spoke again, with a slightly muffled voice.

"Yizhen should not rely on herself for everything in the future. She should also rely on her husband."

The words fell to the ground.

Xiang Yi's eyes gently fell on this husband.

She was startled for a moment, then nodded very softly while he was waiting for her answer.

With just such a gentle nod, the corners of Tan Ting's eyes couldn't help but curl up.

Xiang Yi also slightly curved the corners of his mouth.

Although I don’t know how many days are left, it is better to spend the day happily than to be depressed with each other.

...

The two reconciled, and the spring flowers in the yard were in full bloom.

Yang Zhen and Tan Jianren haven't returned yet, but they sent people from Zhongqing's Mansion to send many flowers to the Tan family's old house in the capital.

She also left a message for Xiang Yi.

"I have cut all the flowers in my sister-in-law's yard. I will compensate her for this. When I come back, I will bring back a cart

full of flowers!" Xiang Yi was so funny that he looked at the yard filled with flowers that he couldn't even remove. , it took a long time for people to sort out the flowers before they were properly placed in the old house.

In the sunny weather after the spring rain, the entire Tan family's old house shines.

However, Tan Ting is still thinking about the fact that his aunt has not seen his wife, and is planning to go to Lin Mansion again tomorrow.

But before he could go there, Mrs. Lin sent Nanny Zhou to come and give them flower notes.

Tan Ting deliberately asked Grandma Zhou who the flower note was inviting.

Grandma Zhou thought that the uncle held Xiang's hand and left that day, and understood what he meant. She smiled and answered clearly. Of course, the spring banquet of Lin Mansion invited not only the uncle, but also Mrs. Xiang.

If her aunt hadn't seen Xiang Yi yet and hadn't invited her to the spring banquet, then Tan Ting would have gone to the Lin Mansion to talk to her aunt Haosheng today, but Xiang Yi was invited to the Lin family's spring banquet.

Tan Ting nodded.

However, Xiang Yi saw the note inviting him to the Lin Mansion's spring banquet and didn't say anything for a long time.

She didn't think that Mrs. Lin would suddenly change her opinion, and the spring banquet hosted by Mrs. Lin of the Lin Mansion should not only serve as a small gathering, but perhaps also have other functions...

So Lin It seemed even more inappropriate for the eldest lady to invite her over.

But Mrs. Lin did invite her, so what does that mean?

Xiang Yi couldn't figure it out for a while, but since Mrs. Lin invited her to the spring banquet, she had no reason to refuse, and the spring banquet was still half a month away.

Xiang Yi didn't pay much attention to this matter. Instead, Xiang Yu and Xiang Ning came over.

The two of them were completely at odds with each other. Just like before in Qingkan, they refused to come to Tan's house and invited Xiang Yi to talk to a nearby teahouse.

Tan Ting was not at home, so Xiang Yi figured that he would be back soon, so he left him a letter and made it clear that he was going to a nearby teahouse to meet his siblings.

She changed her clothes and went out, and soon found the teahouse where Xiang Yu had passed the message. When she entered the teahouse, she saw her younger brother and sister whom she hadn't seen for many days.

Both of them seemed to have grown taller, especially Xiang Yu, who had grown up like a mountain over the years. Standing in the sunlight under the window, his whole body was filled with light.

Xiang Ning seemed to be much healthier, perhaps because it was getting warmer in spring. She wore a peach and turquoise pleated skirt, which made her face look much rosier.

The siblings were naturally overjoyed to see each other again in a foreign land.

Xiang Yi first asked about Xiang Yu's admission to Boyun Academy. Hearing that he had indeed passed the exam and that the school building was allotted to Xiang Yu, he felt happy, but then he thought of Xiang Ning.

"Since Brother Yu is going to live in the academy, let Ningning and I live in the Tan family."

As soon as these words came out, the younger brothers and sisters were surprised.

In the past, they never relied on the Tan family in Qingkan.

"Sister, have you reconciled with Uncle Tan?"

Xiang Ning looked at Xiang Yi and asked guessingly.

Xiang Yi thought it was better to reconcile, so he nodded.

Xiang Yu didn't want to but snorted coldly.

"He reconciled with the eldest sister today, who knows what will happen tomorrow? With the quarrel between the common people now, maybe tomorrow he will be involved in the Tan family and treat the eldest sister coldly. The eldest sister must not be soft-hearted and believe him! "

No one knows the current relationship between Xiang Yi and Tan Ting better than the people in the relationship.

She neither agreed nor denied Xiang Yu's words, but said, "I just think that you are now older and it is not easy to be together anymore. Brother Kuang Yu wants to go to an academy to study."

Boyun Academy is no better than Qingzhou. You can go to and from school at will in the academy.

These words reminded Xiang Ning, and she nodded seriously, "That's true..." Before she could finish

her words, she was interrupted by Xiang Yu.

"This is not a big deal. I have asked my former husband to tell the people at the academy about it. There is no need to separate."

Xiang Ning didn't say anything after he finished speaking. Xiang Yidi glanced at his younger brother.

But Xiang Yu obviously didn't want to say more about this matter and changed the topic.

...

The Tan family in Beijing.

Tan Ting returned home early again, but when he returned home today, there was no one at home.

His wife was neither carving seals in front of the case, nor watering the flowers in the courtyard, nor working in the flower hall. After asking, he found out that his wife had gone out and left him a letter.

Xiang Yi's letter this time was clearly written. He even made it clear which teahouse Xiang Yu had booked to talk to.

After Tan Ting finished reading, he called Zhengji directly, turned around and walked out the door.

"Go find Madam."

...

teahouse.

As soon as the three siblings said a few more words, Xiang Yu suddenly looked at the person in front of the door and stood up.

Xiang Yi and Xiang Ning also turned to look over.

When the three siblings saw the visitor, they couldn't help showing surprise on their faces.

The man, dressed in a bright red robe and a suave appearance, stepped forward to the astonishment of the three of them.

He chuckled lightly, looked at the three siblings, and finally his eyes fell on Xiang Yi.

"What? You don't even know how to call me big brother?"