webnovelfull Chapter 120 The concubine who died young in the novel "The Emperor Takes His Minister's Wi
Chapter 120 The concubine who died young in the novel "The Emperor Takes His Minister's Wi
Xiao Lanyi's secluded courtyard is not located in the capital, but in a small town surrounded by mountains, more than ten miles away from the capital.
The town is named Taoliu Town, just like the Peach Blossom Spring described by Tao Yuanming, with its fertile fields, beautiful ponds, mulberry trees, and bamboo groves.
However, Taoliu Town is not as isolated from the world as Peach Blossom Spring. It is just more secluded and still has contact with the outside world.
As Xiao Lanyi led Le Yan down from the mountain courtyard and entered Peach Willow Town, she didn't forget to put a veil on her face, covering half of her face while ensuring she could see the scene before her.
A pair of bright almond-shaped eyes peeked out, curiously looking around.
Having been in the ancient world for so long, this was the first time Le Yan had seen what the outside world looked like.
It's not much different from what you see in period dramas. Perhaps it's because this world is essentially derived from a novel, so it's probably not very likely that you'll see real scenes of ancient life.
Le Yan muttered to herself, but her interest remained undiminished.
She dragged Xiao Lanyi around, showing her this and that, and gradually the things in her hands increased.
Since she doesn't have to pay for it herself, she can buy whatever she likes—food, books, household items...
Xiao Lanyi faithfully followed her side, repeating two actions: giving money and receiving things.
He truly earned his own living. Even though his subordinates were right behind him, he preferred to have his hands and arms full of things rather than ask them for help.
When his attendants tried to lighten his load, he firmly refused, saying, "This was bought by your mistress, what are you doing taking this?"
That disdainful look seemed to say, "Are you trying to steal my thunder?"
For a moment, the attendant was speechless.
As a loyal guard, he shouldn't have spoken ill of his master, but now, he really wanted to ask if his master had lost his mind.
Why does it seem like the master is not so smart and acts particularly outrageously when it comes to matters concerning the mistress?
Faced with this, the group of accompanying subordinates exchanged bewildered glances, then looked intently at their master, who was following closely behind his mistress, and fell into deep thought.
I feel like the master is perfectly content now that he has his mistress!
Xiao Lanyi didn't care what his subordinates behind him were thinking. He happily followed behind Le Yan, occasionally accepting her food, feeling extremely pleased with himself.
"Qingqing, are you tired? Shall we go to a teahouse and sit down for a while, and listen to some storytelling?"
Fearing that Le Yan would get tired from walking too long, Xiao Lanyi quickly grabbed her arm as she looked at the teahouse ahead.
After he said that, Le Yan was indeed a little tired. She turned her wrist and looked curiously at the teahouse over there. She blinked and then read out the name of the teahouse: "Pinmingguan?"
It sounds like it should be located in a large town like Beijing, rather than in Taoliu Town, which has a small population and is surrounded by mountains.
Le Yan tilted her head slightly, thought about it carefully, and realized that this tea house had never appeared in the book, which calmed her down a bit.
At least that way, she doesn't have to worry about anything going wrong.
"Lanyi, let's go."
Relieved, Le Yan grabbed Xiao Lanyi's sleeve and headed straight for the teahouse. Because she was carrying a lot of things, Xiao Lanyi followed her in a slightly disheveled manner, which made her subordinates behind her sigh even more.
Their master now has absolutely no trace of his former noble and aristocratic bearing.
Tea House
Xiao Lanyi was rich, so as soon as she entered, she asked for a private room on the second floor and also ordered a ventriloquism and storytelling performance.
Le Yan sat with him in the private room, listening to the ventriloquism while looking through the various things she had bought along the way, all through the bamboo curtain that served as a door.
Looking at the small pendant in her hand, she shook it slightly. Listening to the not-so-loud but heavy bell sound, she felt her mind was somewhat shaken.
Xiao Lanyi frowned and immediately snatched the pendant from her hand. With a little force, the bell on the pendant shattered into pieces.
Le Yan stared blankly at his actions, somewhat bewildered. After a long while, she finally asked, "Lan Yi, is there anything strange about this pendant?"
She's not stupid. Judging from how stunned she was just now, if the pendant wasn't faulty, she'd be wasting her brain.
However, we'll have to ask Xiao Lanyi to find out the specifics of this strange situation.
Xiao Lanyi breathed a sigh of relief after destroying the pendant. Seeing that Le Yan did not blame him for suddenly snatching the pendant from her hand, he couldn't help but smile slightly.
He then explained, "There is a Gu worm inside the bell on this pendant. As the bell swings, the sound it makes will subtly control a person's mind. At first, it may not seem like much, but if you hear the bell sound frequently, you will eventually become a walking corpse and be controlled by others."
As he spoke, he showed Leyan a small insect he had killed in his hand.
Le Yan's eyes widened immediately, and she took a step back in fear.
"Throw it away right now, go wash your hands! I don't want to see bugs!"
Insects are disgusting enough, but these are the legendary Gu worms, making them even more disgusting.
She only knew that this was a world from an ancient romance novel, but she never expected that even things like Gu worms existed.
The more Le Yan thought about it, the more terrifying the outside world seemed, since so many things were beyond her comprehension.
If there are even Gu worms that can control people's minds, then there must be plenty of those other random Gu worms she's only seen in novels.
Le Yan swallowed nervously; she was a little scared.
Seriously, what if one day she gets a Gu worm in her body?
Le Yan was lost in thought, oblivious to her panicked expression. He was busy washing his hands.
He not only used water, but also soap pods, striving to keep his hands clean and refreshed.
Don't think he didn't see it; just now, when his girlfriend looked at his hand, her eyes were full of disgust.
If he doesn't wash himself clean enough, he might never be able to hold her hand again.
Xiao Lanyi couldn't help but feel annoyed. If only he had sent his guards to destroy the bell and the Gu worms instead of getting his hands dirty.
After scrubbing her hands repeatedly and changing the water three or four times, Xiao Lanyi finally stopped, her fair and jade-like hands turning somewhat red.
Xiao Lanyi placed her slender hands in front of Le Yan, her face full of anticipation: "Qingqing, look, I've washed them clean. You can't dislike me."
Le Yan looked down and examined it carefully. She subconsciously reached out and poked the red palm, and heard a soft "hiss".
Looking up, she met Xiao Lanyi's eyes, which were moist.
He gently bit his lower lip, his voice incredibly soft: "Qingqing, you're hurting me."