Chapter 32: Aftershock

  The loud and clear calls for way gradually subsided, the bridge planks thudded, the neat and uniform footsteps quickly came to a stop, and the sound of horseshoes was crisp.

  "I returned to the imperial capital without even having a chance to pay my respects to our benevolent teacher, and unexpectedly on the first day I put on the uniform of the city guard, I was able to personally welcome you. From now on, I won't complain about this bitter duty." His voice was as clear as daylight.

  Lan Sheng immediately straightened up from his usual slouch. Was this wolf a general or a student of Nan Yue Wei? Later, she realized she had overreacted. Apart from being the Grand Master, Nan Yue Wei was also a Doctor of the Imperial Academy, and more than half of the noble children in the capital had attended his lectures. Those who tried to curry favor with him and those who didn't all addressed him as "Honorable Teacher" or "Sir".

  "A great vessel is formed through meticulous refinement. Ren Tianyou is a great honor, a future talent who will assist the country. The capable are often worn out from labor." Nan Yueya smiled in response, her tone revealing a very comforting and warm sentiment.

  Lan Sheng couldn't help but laugh and said to You Hua, "It turns out that my father wasn't being unfair to me, he was actually tempering me."

  With a snort, after four months, this tone of self-mockery and joking was finally audible, but I felt that it shouldn't be "polluted" by Lang Sheng. Clearing my throat, I put on a serious expression. "That Rong Gongzi seems to be the son of some Wang Ye who invited us to Dao Guan An that night, and he actually calls Master an old friend. Perhaps Madam knows about it, so when I explained everything clearly to her, she wasn't flustered. I was right, Madam is a good mother." The pent-up frustration in my heart had finally found an outlet.

  An innocent child, she would have been eager to count the silver coins if her mother had sold her. Lan Sheng said, "Human skin in front of humans, wolf skin in front of wolves, if he really treated me as his master's daughter——" Where did all that nonsense come from? There were no flowers, and she didn't want to recall unpleasant memories either.

  "Thank you, Master, for your teachings," a voice echoed once more. "Allow me to escort you to the city gate."

  The carriage moved again, slowly advancing forward. Lan Sheng looked through the large dark shadow on the curtain and roughly estimated that they had just passed the city gate. She didn't know what attitude her family would take towards her and her mother who had been exiled for many years, so she wasn't too concerned about the "old acquaintances" outside. Moreover, after all, Nan Yue's face was at stake, and with a few words of courtesy, they wouldn't dare to provoke her again.

  But people with thick skin can get by anywhere.

  "Respected teacher, the horse carriage behind seems a bit familiar. You must have heard that some days ago, while hunting with my cousins in Xishan, I happened to meet your eldest daughter." Due to the sensational Third Prince's Horse Carriage Incident, it was confirmed that Nan Yue Lan Sheng was indeed not an impersonator of someone else's daughter.

  "It's precisely this child's carriage. She was frail since childhood and had to be raised outside, now that her body has improved, she's been brought back. Your priority is your health for now, you two can formally meet another day." said Nan Yueya.

  "Yes." Hyun-ah replied in a low voice.

  As a royal noble, Xuan Ran showed perfect respect for the etiquette of honoring teachers. Lan Sheng thought so, but saw a silhouette suddenly appear on the screen.

  "That day, I didn't know it was really Miss Nan Yue. Forgive me for the many offenses, don't affect our brotherly and sisterly relationship in the future." The teasing voice seeped in through the silk window, soundless and formless, but filled with laughter.

  "I don't know what Your Highness is talking about." She took the fan and fanned herself, sending her reply out while maintaining a ladylike elegance. Lan Sheng was quite pleased with herself, "That night I was at Liang Leng An, all I heard was the howling of wolves and tigers, that's all."

  The wheels creaked by, the curtains suddenly brightened, and after a while, a loud and boisterous laughter was heard, at least half of it echoed in mid-air.

  "From now on, I'll keep a distance from this person, no good can come of it." Xie Tou sighed and shook his head, making Hua replace Yan with embarrassment.

  Her lips curved downward, pursed into a line, and she raised both hands to show her support for this wise decision. If possible, it would be best if the flower's hope came true, because so far, she had wanted to run away from home but hadn't succeeded, she had wanted to fix Xiao Bao Wang but hadn't succeeded, and she had wanted to leave Dao Guan but was caught red-handed, seemingly all half-hearted, and should be disheartened.

  But everything has its own timing, if the timing is not right or has passed, you can only let it go. Don't worry too much, by the time you almost forget about it, it might come back to you again. Lan Sheng was about to graduate from college when she took a two-semester leave of absence to earn tuition and living expenses, at the age of 25. Starting from the age of 14, she had been working while falsifying her age, experiencing eleven years of ups and downs, making her more mature than her peers in terms of psychological age, and long ago becoming independent in both spirit and material possessions. Such life experiences have made her calm and composed.

  About half an hour later, Wu Guo said that they had arrived at the National Master's mansion. Hua lifted the door curtain, and Lan Sheng saw the outside scene.

  The wall is earth-red, the gate is dark brown, and the roof is in the style of a temple. The windows on the wall are arranged in rows, and there should be a corridor inside. The high wall is covered with tiles, making it impossible to see inside. Above the gate, a signboard bears three characters - Nan Yue Fu. The signboard also features intricate carvings, similar to those found on the carriage of Nan Yue's chariot, with layers of depth and texture. There is no base under the gate, allowing horses and carriages to pass through freely.

  Coming out of Yao Town, walking along the river and official road, although Lan saw many ancient buildings with clever structures along the way, perhaps because she was in a hurry to get somewhere rather than sightseeing, she didn't see any particularly luxurious or impressive mansions. When she arrived at Da Rong Imperial City, the golden-edged city wall was dazzling, but when she looked closely while crossing the suspension bridge earlier, it wasn't that impressive after all. The walls were made of rammed earth, without brick patterns, and there was a gate tower on top of the gate, but no corner towers at the two corners - from a defensive perspective, this is a major flaw. However, when she arrived at her own front door, looking at the wall, door, and roof, it was quite exquisite. This type of door and wall structure has been used since the Han Dynasty to the Tang and Song Dynasties, and in Da Rong, it seems that it's also favored by noble families.

  Entering the front yard, I saw that there was indeed a corridor under the outer wall, and the corridor formed a circular corridor that connected to the center of the courtyard. On the high platform, white stone steps led up to a large house with a suspended mountain-style roof, its facade without walls, with a row of square pillars supporting a bracketed beam structure overhanging eaves, and on either side of each pillar was a wooden lattice door at an angle. To the left and right of the main hall were pavilions, which were connected by long corridors that extended deep into the residence.

  "The horse carriage cannot go in anymore." The notice was fruitless.

  Lan got off the carriage and saw a group of people hurrying over to the corridor. The leader, who was paying respects to Nan Yue, was an old man, about fifty or sixty years old, with a grey beard and dark eyes, looking like a sly and cunning accountant.

  Wu Mei smiled faintly, "Director Xiao, more than ten years have passed, I've grown old, but you look exactly the same, truly getting better with age."

  Xiao Gu was the Grand Governor of Nan Yue Fu and also Kai Shu's elder brother, who had gone to Yao Town to deliver a message. Naturally, he was the first to receive news of Wu Mei's return, so his expression didn't change at all. He lowered his head, arched his back and bowed, "The old servant has seen Madame Mei."

  "Lang Sheng, come and recognize the person. In those years, Xiao Zongguan treated you very considerately. You said you wanted to buy a face, he personally ran five streets for it. See if you still remember." Wu Mei couldn't forget her daughter at this time.

  Xiao Gu did not raise his head, but said, "That's what an old servant should do."

  Lan was sauntering along, taking two steps forward and one step to the side. She was a problem child in her mother's eyes, and not causing trouble would only arouse suspicion.