Chapter 56: Deceptive Marriage

  A kiss.

  A very light kiss.

  It's just a butterfly landing on the flower stamen for an instant, or the wind's wings passing through the lightest leaf tips, or the dragonfly in the morning, sweeping across the lake surface under the dawn glow.

  The fragrance is just a moment away, yet it's as distant as the horizon.

  Yu Tai Shi Lan, just before opening his eyes, felt the fragrance of Zhu Chu's zhilan qinggui suddenly extremely close, then on his lips there seemed to be a soft touch, extremely short like lightning, extremely gentle like flying down.

  Then, opening his eyes, the world was as before, hazy and faintly bright.

  Rong Chu was already standing three feet away, with a faintly strange smile on his face. It seemed like he was satisfied yet not satisfied, like a sneaky cat that hadn't had time to snatch all the fish.

  He pressed his fingers on his lips, and his slanted eyes glanced at Tai Shi Lan's lips, smiling and asking: "How does it feel?"

  Lewd.

  Tai Shi Lan thought.

  She calmly glanced at Chu Yi with a hint of disdain and turned around to cover the Jing Tai blue quilt.

  "It's almost like with Xiao Ji." she said.

  "Who is Xiao Ji?" Rong Chu furrowed his brow, thinking that Tai Shi Lan would frantically wipe her mouth or something, but instead she came up with this sentence. Based on his understanding of Tai Shi Lan, he believed this wasn't a lie. This woman simply didn't bother to deceive people.

  The problem is quite serious.

  "It's none of your business."

  "Is it a man?"

  "Uh-huh."

  "Your... relatives and friends?"

  "Uh-huh."

  "Where is it now?"

  "Dispersed."

  "Are you looking for him?"

  "Uh-huh."

  "Plan to spend a lifetime together?"

  "Uh-huh."

  Rong Chu decided to find out who Yao Ji was and kill him.

  "What is so good about this person that makes you miss him/her so much?"

  "If you see it, you will surely feel inferior." Tai Shi Lan thought of the little chicken and burst out laughing with a big mouth that reached his ears.

  Rong Chu decided that he would find this guy named Yao Ji, and instead of killing him right away, he would strip him naked and hang him in the bustling streets of Li Jing for three days.

  He saw Tai Shi Lan's pale face and knew she was exhausted from her ordeal, so he signaled the maid to clear the table and prepare a bath for her.

  When he went out, he looked at the empty plate of scrambled eggs with scallions on the table, and then looked at Tai Shi Lan.

  Tai Shi Lan sat beside Jing Tai Lan, quietly watching that child, with a gentle curve on her side.

  Jiang Chu left, cleaned up the table and took a bath. Tai Shi Lan sat down on the bed, quietly listening to the sound of the watch outside, while practicing her ability called "Destruction".

  A blade of grass was placed in front of her, Tai Shi Lan's palm gently pressed down on it, closed her eyes, and focused her mind.

  A moment later, she moved her palm away, and on the bed, a green grass stem was broken into three pieces.

  Tai Shi Lan's hand covered it again, and this time, about half a minute later, he removed his hand, and the grass stem returned to its original intact state.

  Tai Shi Lan gently exhaled a long breath.

  She was utilizing her unique physical constitution to learn "Destruction", and she gradually discovered that a certain internal organ in her body had an exceptionally vigorous energy, which gave rise to the extraordinary ability of regeneration. Therefore, as long as she reversed the flow of energy, it would be easier for her than others to "destroy or decompose". And she was ambitious, not only wanting to destroy, but also wanting to freely switch between destruction, regeneration, and destruction.

  Of course, it's still far from now, spending so much time to separate a straw, and then restore it's not that smooth, need more time than usual to recover, but in any case, success starts with the first step.

  After practicing this grass stem, Tai Shi Lan didn't practice again. Cultivating this ability requires a strong and full spirit, and she had a head injury with bleeding today, so it's not suitable for more practice.

  At this time.

  At the third watch of the night, the sound of drums and bells fills the darkness.

  It was very quiet outside, and it was time for the guards in the entire courtyard to change shifts.

  Tai Shi Lan quietly got up and changed into a pair of soft boots.

  She left when the moonlight was moving behind the clouds, and the light was dim. Zhao Thirteen was dozing off on the roof with his knife in his arms. Tai Shi Lan stopped for a moment, wondering why these ancient guards lived so without self-awareness.

  The guards seem to be slacking off tonight, usually just poking their heads out and you can see the soles of their boots flashing by, but today she slipped all the way to the front gate without anyone intercepting her.

  Tai Shi Lan also opened the door and went out in a big way, she had always been doing things without being sneaky.

  She stepped out of Erwu Camp, bathed in the soft glow of the moon. Erwu Camp was located in a remote mountain valley, and there were few people who didn't know to rob her, just one Huaxun Huan had a notorious reputation that spread far and wide, and naturally, there were no guards around.

  Tai Shi Lan led a horse out of the stable, and casually picked up a wolf-toothed club from the nearby martial arts training equipment rack. He walked along the mountain path for a while, then mounted the horse when he reached a relatively flat road.

  She had never ridden a horse before. Years of being cooped up in the lab made it impossible for her to practice, even if she simulated riding a thousand times on the computer. Her posture was pretty good when she got on the horse, but as soon as she sat down, the horse's body jerked and she almost fell off.

  Suddenly awakened, the horse driven by a stranger was naturally not very cooperative, wanting to neigh loudly. Tai Shi Lan was quick and agile, putting on the bridle, grasping the reins with one hand and wielding the wolf-toothed club with the other, aiming at the horse's head.

  "Shut up! Be honest! Don't make me deal with you like Wu Zetian tamed a horse!"

  Fierce and icy voice, gleaming wolf-toothed club.

  Many animals are highly intuitive, especially those that often accompany humans. The horse seemed to sense the threat as well. A loud whinny was muffled by its mouthpiece, and a hoof that was about to lift off the ground came crashing down, sending dust flying in all directions.

  It's all right now.

  Taishi Lan trained the horse at lightning speed, casually put away the wolf-toothed club, and stroked the horse's ears. The horse lowered its head in resignation, allowing her to trample it.

  "Go, go to Dongchang City."

  The sound of hooves echoes, wildflowers fragrance.

  There are horses for riding, and it's very convenient. After half a time, Dongchang City is in sight.

  Outside Dongchang City, there are continuous hills where the fields of villagers outside the city are planted. Piece by piece of forest, scattered on the ground, collided with Taishi's eyelashes.

  Tai Shi Lan stopped her horse and narrowed her eyes.

  She remembered that there was a fragrant schizonepeta tree in Dongchang City. That day when she took the horse-drawn carriage out of the city to Erwu Camp, it seemed like she had seen one.

  After searching for a long time, they finally saw a fragrant schisandra tree at the entrance of a small village five miles outside the city, thanks to Taishi Lan's keen sense of smell.

  When he saw the tree as tall as several people, Taishi Lan suddenly remembered something important.

  She can't climb trees.

  However, she also can't ride a horse, and didn't she ride all the way from Er Wu Ying?

  Tai Shi Lan was someone who never took anything seriously, thinking and doing things on a whim. He would spit two mouthfuls of saliva onto his palm, rub his hands together, and start climbing trees.

  Rustle rustle rustle, upper half, whoosh, slipped three feet.

  It doesn't matter, a snail can still climb to the top even if it moves up an inch and falls back half an inch.

  Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, up three feet, zip, slide two feet.

  Up three feet, slipped two feet...

  Two steps forward, one step back...

  Under the night sky, Tai Shi Lan was seen hugging a tree, going up and down, making all sorts of trouble...

  Half a time later, Taishi Lan stared at the tree, panting heavily with hatred.

  I knew I should have brought a knife, dig a hole and jump in.

  Or... she grasped the wolf-toothed club and compared it with the trunk of the tree - could it be chopped off?

  The wolf-toothed club played its special role in chopping trees again after intimidating the horse...

  Before he could even swing his first bat, Tai Shi Lan suddenly heard a faint laugh coming from above his head.

  She changed the direction of the wolf-toothed club in her hand at the first time, covered her head and looked up.

  The tree is full of purple red tender buds, and the moonlight falls through the gaps like floating silk. In the crisscrossing bright light, that person's face bent down, with a smile as illusory as this fleeting moonlight.

  Tai Shi Lan turned her head and left.

  Her waist suddenly tightened, and she involuntarily flew up. The next moment, she was already sitting on the treetop. A strong and strange fragrance of perilla rushed over, and she didn't know whether it was because of the smell or that this three-zhang-high tree was too high from the ground, making her feel a bit dizzy.

  The fragrance of Chu's zhilantongqiu is still clear in this strong and special fragrance.

  He lifted Tai Shi Lan up and smiled: "I've been waiting for you until I'm about to die."

  Tai Shi Lan pursed his lips tightly, his eyes exuding a murderous aura - hadn't this guy laughed in a long time?

  "Why didn't you ask me how I knew you'd come out to pick Chinese chives?" Rong Chu leaned in, smiling, and casually wrapped his arm around her waist. "You, actually have a soft heart."

  Tai Shi Lan raised his wolf-toothed club and just as it was about to fall, Rong Chu swiftly handed over a delicate basket.

  "Here, I've brought you a basket of fresh chives."

  "Bang." The wicker basket made of rattan encountered an iron club wrapped in wood, the latter breaking into two segments and falling onto the treetop.

  Absolute strength, gentle display.

  Tai Shi Lan didn't speak, but the dagger hidden in his sleeve moved slightly, its silver-white tip already aimed at Rong Chu's waist.

  Give him a jab and then push him down.

  No, first stab him like this, then strip him naked and hang him from a tree with a belt.

  Just as they were about to finalize their plan, Chuyu suddenly said, "Look."

  Tai Shi Lan raised her head.

  The sun rises.

  Sparkling for thousands of miles.

  It was as if in the twinkling of an eye, the dark sky had turned a pale white, like the heavens were suddenly torn apart, and the Milky Way rolled up. Or perhaps it was the gods' sleeves sweeping across, sprinkling frost and snow, dyeing the vast expanse of blue with deep and shallow shades of white.

  That white first still, then dynamic, in the cloud end boiling, layer by layer turned out beautiful colors, white, light red, crimson, pink, red, deep red, purple, deep gold... Or red born purple, purple with gold, gorgeous refraction, seven-color rainbow skirt.

  The sky was suddenly overturned, the paint bucket was poured out, and the Weaving Girl pulled out a tangled ball of colored threads. Large pieces of color splashed out, filling people's eyes with a dazzling array of hues. Unable to find the center, all that could be seen was a riot of colors, then suddenly, a burst of golden light appeared before one's eyes.

  Pure gold, indescribable, this is the most noble color in the world, otherwise it would not be enough to decorate the dragon's body and dominate the world. That lump of gold stands out among thousands of colors, everything beautiful becomes its vassal.

  Suddenly, a tremor occurred, and the golden crow leapt out. In an instant, the colorful clouds retreated, and the floating clouds were silent. Billions of fragmented golden light beams, like ten thousand arrows, whizzed by from the edge of the cloud, piercing through the momentarily clear and transparent blue sky, and arrived.

  Everyone's eyebrows shine brightly, as if they were real gods.

  Tai Shi Lan looked up, motionless, holding her breath. For many years, she had never seen the sunrise so close and so vividly above the lush green trees, the vast plains, the gray city walls, and the boundless mountains and rivers thousands of miles away.

  People say that seeing the sunrise at sea is magnificent; seeing it from a mountain peak is resplendent. At this moment, on the vast and flat plain, with the wind passing beneath my feet, in the midst of an unobstructed and endless expanse, I see the sunrise, and it's boundless and majestic beauty.

  She narrowed her eyes, and didn't feel the sunlight was dazzling. Perhaps in this life, wanting to move forward, one must face the intense light head-on.

  Tall trees are lush and green, sunlight arrives first, men and women with their heads up basking in the sun like golden carvings.

  Rong Chu slightly tilted her head, seeing Tai Shi's perfectly angled profile, with skin that was naturally radiant and elastic, washed by the first rays of sunlight, its dynamic beauty seemed to be silently calling out.

  He suddenly felt his heart was empty and clean, only wanting to keep this moment of sunrise, and the person beside him. With her, in the long and endless years, from a high place, in the wind, overlooking thousands of miles, laughing and pointing at the world.

  The fragrance of the coriander is peculiar and rich, enveloping those within it in a subtle daze, unsure whether they are being stirred by the scent or the sunlight, their heartstrings trembling slightly, unable to help but recall the brief stolen kiss from last night.

  He slightly shifted his body and thought of using the old trick again.

  A wicker basket was handed over, "Get to work!"

  ……

  Rong Chu silently picked the fragrant buds, thinking that what men and women wanted to do had never been the same thing...

  These two people, one was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and the other had never enjoyed life's pleasures. He had only seen chopped fresh chives, let alone whole ones, so he didn't know how to pick them. Tai Shi Lan was better off, thinking that since they were called "sprouts", they must be tender shoots. Rong Chu, however, was distracted and simply plucked a handful of branches, saying "done" after just a moment. Smiling, she lay down on the branch, with a sprout in her mouth, saying "come rest".

  Tai Shi Lan Ke didn't have the skill to sleep on this tree, and carefully lowered his head to sift through the usable tender buds.

  "Really," Rong Chu said, "I never thought you'd be so patient with kids."

  "My name is Tai Shi Lan."

  "I'll call you Jing Tai Blue," said Rong Chuyi leisurely. "That's our local custom here."

  "Alright." Tai Shi Lan nodded, "Good morning, sir."

  Chongqing: “……”

  A moment later he decided that after going back he must discipline Jing Tai Lan and change his habit of suddenly shouting at people.

  It's misleading!

  "Since you like kids," Rong Chu quickly pulled back the topic in a very adult manner, "I'll give you one, how about that?"

  Tai Shi Lan didn't care about this hooligan topic and said lightly: "I don't like children."

  He looked at her with curiosity and inquiry.

  "I didn't have a childhood." Tai Shi Lan squinted her eyes against the sunlight, though it stung, she refused to give up, "I want to make up for one with Jing Tai Lan."

  Chu's silence was a sight to behold, her expression still as calm and collected as ever. Was it because she had long since become numb to the pain, or was it simply that she didn't care?

  "Where are you from?" He finally asked the question he had been wanting to ask.

  Tai Shi Lan's strangeness is like an extraterrestrial visitor.

  Tai Shi Lan was silent, perhaps heterochromia on this continent is not considered a heterodoxy, but an ability that transcends time and space, perhaps is.

  She wants to protect herself and those she cares about, doesn't want to leave any handles.

  Not getting an answer, Rong Chu didn't get angry either, but instead said leisurely: "Where you come from is not important, what's more important is where you will stay, for example... now." He suddenly smiled, "Let's go down."

  He reached out to put his arm around Tai Shi Lan's waist, smiling complacently.

  "Don't want to die, hold me."

  Tai Shi suddenly lifted his foot and kicked at the branches under him.

  "Crack." With a single sound, the originally slender branch snapped, and Chong Yu fell down with a thud. In the instant he dropped, Tai Shi Lan rushed over and grabbed his hair.

  Grabbed his hair...

  "Don't touch my hair!" The Duke exploded in an instant, shouting and flipping over in mid-air. With a flick of his arm, he sent Ta Shi Lan flying sideways, and Ta Shi Lan kicked off the Duke's leg, flying three feet before landing on the ground.

  Two people fell to the ground at both ends of the tree, staring at each other like fighting cocks. Before Rong Chu could speak, "crack" twice, the trampled branches fell heavily to the ground, and the splashed dust covered Rong Chu's body...

  Tai Shi Lan took advantage of this time to climb onto his horse and look at the sky.

  It's just in time to serve a plate of scrambled eggs with chives before waking up from a nap.

  She cracked the whip and was about to urge her horse forward when a group of people suddenly surged out from in front, men and women, young and old, armed with pitchforks, flails, and rolling pins, shouting as they poured out of the village gate and charged straight at them. First to appear was a small child, its voice shrill: "It's them! It's them! They're the ones who destroyed our tree!"

  A large crowd of people blocked the way for the two, all ordinary civilians, who had just gotten out of bed with sleepy eyes, Ta Shi Lan did not dare to urge his horse on again, and looked down at them.

  "Look at them!" the child shrieked, "I came out to pee and saw they've picked a lot of our coriander!"

  "It's too immoral!" The old man trembled and said, "This year the weather is hot and late, with little rain, and the yield of fragrant thyme is reduced. It's valuable but hard to sell, one bunch of fragrant thyme can be sold for a dime! Now everyone in the village relies on this fragrant thyme tree to make ends meet, you two... you two..." The old man's whole body shook violently, his fingers trembling so much that his eyes blurred.

  Tai Shi Lan took a look at the small basket of fragrant chives she was carrying, she didn't care about her desires or daily trivialities, and really didn't know that these sprouts were so valuable.

  She rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a small piece of silver, tossing it over.

  The old man picked it up, took a bite, and put it in his pocket. Tai Shi Lan was about to leave when the old man struck his cane on the ground, "Is this enough? You've destroyed all our trees! You've smashed all the villagers' eating utensils! How do you want us to live from now on?"

  Tai Shi Lan looked at the tree and said, "Hmm, it's indeed ruined. But this is just one tree, can the whole village really rely on it to make a living?"

  "Reimbursement! Reimbursement! Reimbursement!" The crutches thumped loudly on the mountain, and the slogans were shouted out with great enthusiasm.

  "How can I compensate!"

  "Three thousand taels!"

  "It's not that many."

  "Then leave behind the most precious thing on your body as a pledge!"

  "There's nothing valuable." Tai Shi Lan said, "Let me pass, I'll pay you back later."

  "Pah!" The old man snorted, "You ran away and will come back? Who would believe you!" He casually threw his crutch and agilely lay down in front of the horse's legs, "You go, go. Either trample over this old body or leave some money behind!"

  Whoa! A group of kids quickly lay down in a circle, shouting in unison, "Either give us money or step on us!"

  Tai Shi's eyes were dim and his face was pale, the Duke of Guo held his chest with both hands, smiling and watching with a detached air.

  He finally realized today that Tai Shi Lan's unreasonable behavior is actually dependent on the person, the more noble and wealthy someone is, the less face she gives them, while ordinary people can get a fair treatment from her.

  No matter how difficult things were, she didn't care; at this moment, it was these stubborn commoners who had her stumped.

  Tai Shi Lan dismounted and walked towards him, Rong Chu smiled, "I have no money."

  "Don't borrow money."

  "There's nothing valuable either."

  "Not necessary."

  "I won't help you pay off your debts with my body."

  "You're worthless."

  "Hmm?" Rong Chu's smile began to take on a slightly menacing tone.

  "You just asked me where I came from," said Tai Shi Lan, "I'll show you something first."

  Rong Chu lowered his head and looked at her with a calm smile, "Okay."

  Tai Shi's sleeve flipped, and a sharp point emerged from the human world. The silver-white light attracted Rong Chu's line of sight. Originally, Rong Chu's posture was slightly guarded, but in an instant, his expression changed, "Huh, this is..."

  He couldn't help but lean forward, and Tai Shi immediately elbowed him, the spearhead piercing into Rong Chu's palm.

  She had long since tied the human needle to her arm, making it more convenient to use.

  Chu's face changed color, and a hint of uncertainty gradually appeared in his eyes. Tai Shi Lan loudly said to the villagers: "I'll hand this person over to you."

  "What's he good for?"

  Tai Shi Lan La tied his waist with a "jade belt, worth a thousand taels."

  The villagers scrambled up with greedy eyes exposed.

  Tai Shi Lan wore a fragrant sachet, "The sachet was inlaid with red and blue gems, worth a thousand taels."

  "Not enough!" The old man panted heavily.

  "It can still be sold." Tai Shi said nonchalantly, "This face, this figure, is worth a fortune."

  The villagers' eyes lit up.

  "Really?" someone whispered to the person next to them, "I heard that a nobleman recently arrived in Dongchang City, called something like Guo Gong, who is handsome and charming, likes beautiful and delicate things. The master of Dongchang Fu is currently looking for rare treasures to try to curry favor with him. Do you think this nobleman would like such a thing? If we send it over, can we make some money?"

  "Alright! Alright!" The two old women's eyes sparkled as they nodded repeatedly, "Take it, take it, let's keep it in the village for now and test its quality."

  "Don't be in a hurry." The old man paused, his suspicious eyes fixed on Tai Shi Lan, "This person must be ill? He was fine just now, how could he become stupid after you said a few words? Are you trying to leave us with trouble?"

  "Hmm, isn't there something wrong with your body? Inspect it on the spot! Inspect!" The old ladies shouted the loudest, their eyes gleaming.

  Tai Shi stretched out his hand and began to unbutton Rong Chu's clothes.

  Her dagger was still lodged in Rong Chu's palm, and she wasn't afraid of him waking up.

  Button by button opened, a line of skin shining like pearls, the villagers stared with wide eyes and rapid breathing.

  Tai Shi furrowed his brow, suddenly feeling that it was enough.

  With her understanding of Rong Chu, he will wake up soon. After waking up, these villagers won't be able to move a single hair on him. She just needs to grasp this gap and run away.

  She withdrew her hand.

  At that moment, she suddenly saw Rong Chu winking at her.

  In an instant, Tai Shi Lan was like a northern camphor tree crashing down on his head. He immediately retreated backward, but unfortunately, it was too late.

  With a swift reversal of her palm, the silver-white spearhead pierced into her own palm.

  Rong Chu's open palm was solid as jade, without a single wound.

  "Three strikes and you're out." He whispered softly in Tai Shi Lan's ear, "Do you think I'll fall for it a third time?"

  Tai Shi Lan's eyes stared straight ahead, unmoving.

  "Hey! What's going on here?" The old man looked displeased, and strode over with a fierce expression. "In any case, leave the money behind..."

  Rong Chu casually waved his sleeve and sent him out of a thousand miles.

  "How dare you hit our village chief, today I'll stew you alive!" Several strong men rushed up wielding hoes.

  The next moment, they were all hanging on the tree, with their pants falling down and fluttering in the wind.

  The rolling on the ground and the wailing in the trees stunned the rest of the villagers, greedy and lustful eyes vanished instantly, turning into scrutiny and shrinking.

  "I'm not her." Rong Chu smiled, without even looking at the villagers, and said lazily, "I won't pay compensation, I won't leave anyone behind. Besides, I'm tired, prepare a clean room for me."

  The old man quickly got up from the ground and respectfully invited his grandfather to go in and rest.

  "Don't rest." Rong Chu stood on the threshold, smiling with an expression of obvious distaste. "Please ask a few elderly and virtuous seniors from the village to come over, I need their help with something."

  "The old man is here, what instructions does the young master have?" The old man with a cane stepped forward and smiled obsequiously.

  Rong Chu glanced at the old man with a "high moral character" and asked, "Is there a marriage certificate in your village?"

  "Yes, yes." The old man nodded repeatedly. "The marriage certificates in our village are all complete, and the private seals of the Li Jia Bao Zheng have been stamped in advance. Young master, you can use them immediately if you want to."

  "Oh?" Rong Chu seemed to smile and yet not smile, casting him a glance. "Your village must be quite poor with many rascals? The women of your village are all from the Wu Yue region, aren't they?"

  "How did you know, young master?" The old man's eyes widened in astonishment.

  Chu smiled but didn't speak——The skin of the Wu Yue women was darker and more reddish than that of local women, what's more, he knew that in some poorer villages of Southern Qi, there existed a phenomenon of human trafficking, Wu Yue, Western Fan, and even the Eastern Island nation of Ri Sang, which bordered the southern sea of Southern Qi, had some poor women who crossed mountains and seas to come to the relatively wealthy Southern Qi and intermarry with locals.

  The authorities turned a blind eye to this matter, and it was considered natural for people to want to get married. You can prevent theft and fraud, but you cannot stop those rascals from getting wives, or else it would affect the social order.

  In the Southern Qi, marriage certificates had to be obtained from the government office, but in order to facilitate matters, local villages and towns also prepared their own marriage certificates, which had the same effect as those issued by the government. When Rong Chu saw that even this small village was so well-prepared with marriage certificates, it was clear that most of the women were not from proper backgrounds.

  Before that, he didn't bother with such trivial matters, but last night's assassination of Jing Tai Blue hinted that the power of Wu Yue in the inland areas of Southern Qi might have already exceeded his imagination, and it was time to take action.

  The national policy, in an instant, took shape in his heart. He had already thought about how to write the memorial, how to submit it, and what approach would be most gentle and effective. However, he remained calm on the surface, smiled and said: "In that case, please bring two complete copies of the marriage certificate and have both elderly men come over."

  He casually tossed over a golden bean.

  Money talks, and this time things and people were ready faster. Rong Chu led Ta Shi Lan's hand into the house, picked up the marriage certificate, took a look, and smiled: "This one needs to be changed, changed to concubinage."

  Taking a concubine does not require any documents, but at this moment, as long as Rong Chu speaks up, who dares to disobey? It's just a matter of changing "Today, relying on the matchmakers XX and XX, matching XX as the legitimate wife" to "as a concubine".

  Two elderly men in the village who were "high in years and virtue" reminded Rong Chu, "When listing the betrothal gifts, the names, titles, and birthdays of the young master's ancestors, parents, and himself, as well as his birth order, land, and property..."

  "Oh." Rong Chu said casually, "I'm afraid I won't be able to write it down. Forget it."

  Everyone in the house is blowing air - what a boast!

  "Congratulations, young master! You've married a wife and concubine at the same time. Your home is filled with harmony!" The old village chief bowed and congratulated him repeatedly, but as soon as he turned around, he curled his lip - marrying a wife and concubine at the same time means trouble in the house...

  "Come, sign." Rong Chu pulled Tai Shi Lan over, the tip of the pen pressed against her palm, and both a marriage certificate and a concubine contract were spread out in front of her.

  Everyone in the house was stunned, what does it mean? Being both a wife and a concubine at the same time?

  "Hmm, write a few more sentences..." Rong Chu suddenly leaned in close to Tai Shi Lan's ear, lowered her voice and whispered a few words. Tai Shi Lan listened woodenly, then slowly picked up his pen and wrote according to what she had said.

  The village elder and the two witnesses curiously leaned over to take a look, and easily recognized the ugly characters that were written in a large and messy font. After reading the content of those few sentences, their eyes widened instantly, and they let out a hissing sound from between their teeth. They then turned their heads to look at Rong Chu, who was laughing happily, and all of them shrunk their necks and quietly retreated backwards.

  Dai Taishi Lan finished writing, Rong Chu nodded in satisfaction, and Long Fei Feng Wu signed his name with a flourish. The two accidental "matchmakers" trembled as they signed their names at the end. The simple "wedding certificate" was complete.

  Wipe the ink dry, put it in his sleeve and said: "Take good care of my wife, I'll be back soon." He also smiled and said: "She's afraid of shame, don't mention this to her again. If you anger her, you'll have to return the gold to me later."

  Everyone nodded in agreement.

  Zong Chu walked away, but after about a minute, Ta Shi Lan, who was sitting in the chair, gradually regained his clarity of mind.

  At first glance, she saw a house full of men and women staring at her with wide eyes, all fixed on her, which made her jump in surprise.

  "What's going on?"

  Everyone stepped back in unison and chorused, "Nothing! Nothing!"

  Tai Shi Lan stood up and looked around in all directions, feeling a bit bewildered as to how she had suddenly ended up inside the house. What exactly had just happened?

  The "forgetfulness" of the human pincushion leads to temporary amnesia, and the lost memories often disappear due to their brevity, which can be automatically filled in by a person's consciousness. Careless people may find it difficult to detect the disconnection, but Taishi Lan is different - she is too familiar with the human pincushion.

  She sat down and slowly rewound time, thinking about what she was doing in her last memory... unbuttoning with Ye Rongchu?

  Then what?

  Then sat in the house.

  Seeing a house full of people with eerie expressions, Ta Shi Lan's intuition made her hair stand on end.

  "What just happened?"

  "No! No!" shaking head very neatly.

  Tai Shi Lan looked around, there were tables and chairs, a pile of old men, on the table there were pens and ink, paper, she suddenly pulled out a piece of paper, held it up to the sunlight, only then did she remember that this was not modern times, soft brushes could not leave marks on the remaining paper.

  Look around, everyone's mouth is shut like a clamshell, and you can't get anything out of them even if you ask.

  Tai Shi Lan got up and left, the old village chief hurriedly chased after her, leading her horse, "Congratulations, young lady, you won't be waiting for your husband here..."

  "What's with him?"

  "Ah..." The old man's eyes rolled around, "The young master of a rich family, haha, isn't he supposed to wait for him here? He said he'd be back soon."

  Tai Shi Lan stared at him with one eye - as if seeing a ghost.

  She leapt onto her horse, said nothing more, raised her whip and set off at a gallop, leaving the old man engulfed in dust.

  The old man stared blankly at the quickly disappearing back of Tai Shi, suddenly slapping his thigh and exclaiming, "Ah, I forgot to ask them for a matchmaker's gift!"

  ……

  Tai Shi Lan returned to the 25th camp, but didn't see Rong Chu. She handed the coriander to the kitchen staff and instructed them to make a dish of steamed tofu with coriander.

  Jingtai Blue woke up half a time later, slowly sat up, rubbed his eyes with a sense of loss, and sighed.

  No dreams of fragrant coriander... what a tragedy...

  He wrinkled up his little nose at once.

  Smelling a familiar scent that is haunting and lingering in dreams.

  Jing Tai's blue eyes suddenly opened, and he saw a steaming plate of fragrant bean curd with green onions in front of him, tempting his senses.

  Xiao Chui Zui cheered and rushed over, grabbed a spoon and started eating.

  Tai Shi Lan glanced at him with a hint of a smile, took the hot towel from the maid beside her, and covered her face to wipe away the dark circles under her eyes caused by the exhaustion of running around all night.

  The towel was just lifted off, a spoonful of steaming hot fragrant tofu was clumsily stuffed into her mouth.

  "Lan lan......lan lan......eat......eat......" The 45-degree angel of the Jing Tai Blue looked up at her, shouting in a milky voice, with gratitude filling his eyes.

  The little boy was clever and knew that coriander wouldn't appear in his dreams, so he must have gotten up in the middle of the night to find some.

  Tai Shi Lan covered her mouth, she didn't like this thing very much, thought the smell was strange. Last night when picking fragrant clover on the tree, she was actually dizzy from the smoke, but the child was innocent and couldn't be let down.

  The delicate and smooth flavor of coriander tofu, savored on the tip of the tongue, is sweet but not quite sweet, or perhaps it's just the sweetness of one's heart.

  Jingtai blue ate a few mouthfuls, and then fell into her arms. Taishi Lan hugged him tightly and whispered: "Remember, there are people who will snatch away the things you love, but there are also people who will give them to you, as long as you're worth it."

  "Uh-huh." The little guy was especially well-behaved today, frequently nodding his head and gently tapping Tai Shi Lan's forehead with his hand, puckering up to blow, "Not painful... not painful..."

  "Of course it doesn't hurt." Tai Shi Lan hugged him, "But I'm tired, can you learn to dress yourself this morning?"

  Ancient clothes are complicated. At present, Jingtai Lan has only learned how to eat and wash his underpants by himself. Wearing clothes is a high-tech task that is still in the learning stage.

  "Good."

  Half an hour later, Su Ya and Xiao Daqiang, Shi Xiaocui and others came to knock on Tai Shilan's door. Seeing the scar on Tai Shilan's forehead, they were all startled, but after knowing the reason, they laughed and said that Tai Shilan deserved it.

  Tai Shi Lan didn't speak, her gaze at them was calm and warm.

  "Everyone has packed their luggage," said Shi Xiaocui, "just waiting for you, I'll help you carry the Jingdezhen porcelain out."

  Tai Shi Lan blocked him.

  "He is wearing clothes."

  "So small, let him wear it himself?"

  "Hehehe." The Jingtai blue porcelain, wearing a doll mask, puffed out its belly and swayed back and forth as it came out, "Lanlan, I'm dressed."

  The students all covered their foreheads, "Good grief..."

  The robe is draped diagonally across the body, the belt is tied around the forehead, the pants are not tied with a belt, loose and sagging to the feet, the small boots don't know how to pull up, barefoot stepping on the heel.

  It's a miracle that he can walk out of the house with this getup, but looking at the maid behind him who is desperately trying to stifle her laughter, everyone else also came to their senses.

  "Tai Shi Lan..." Xiao Daqiang couldn't help but shake his head, "It's good not to spoil the child, but don't be too impatient either. I come from a farming family and didn't start dressing myself until I was three or four years old."

  Tai Shi Lan did not answer.

  They don't understand.

  She doesn't have time.

  She didn't have time to accompany Jing Tai Blue as he grew up slowly, no time in the long years of growth to teach him step by step how to be a person, how to stand on his own, how to look at the cold and warmth of human relationships, how to keep a quiet and fearless heart in the harsh and severe world.

  She could only be a duck filling herself with the most hated things, trying her best to let Jingtai Lan get educated and grow up as soon as possible.

  She was three years old, wandering with her mother before the age of three, and there was no warmth in the life of hunger and fullness. At the age of three, she left her mother and was held by strangers into the research institute. People who do scientific research don't understand education. At that time, her three sworn brothers had not yet entered the research institute. She grew up alone in the cold walls, fighting with others to protect the chicks and the guard dog, arguing and beating with other experimenters, either hurting herself all over or hurting others all over.

  Time passed and he became the current ruthless and fearless Taishi Ran.

  But she doesn't like it.

  Jingtai Lan chose her, and she had to take responsibility for him. At the age of three, there was no mother's shoulder to warm her, now she wants to use her own shoulder to warm the winter hidden deep in that child's eyes.

  It's making up for him, and also making up for herself, making up for the years of torrential flow, the three-year-old girl who bled on the streets that year, confused and didn't know how to cry.

  ……

  "She's dressed well." She seemed not to have heard the gasps around her and loudly encouraged Jingtai Blue, "Come here to me."

  Jingtai blue hehe smiled, holding a drum, stumbling towards her, everyone couldn't bear to watch and covered their faces.

  "Bang."

  Expected response.

  Jing Tai blue fell to the ground, dazed for a moment, but didn't cry. The maid behind him immediately wanted to help him up, but was stopped by Taishi Lan's severe gaze.

  "I'm dizzy, can't hold you up, get up yourself."

  Jingtai Blue obediently tried to get up, but his clothes were too weird, his pants were tangled around his feet, and he struggled several times but couldn't get up. He looked around in a fluster, his dark eyes gradually welling up with tears.

  Everyone gasped, the cute eyes that were seeking help were knocked down, and the eyes looking at Tai Shi Lan were filled with accusation. Su Ya, who liked him the most, took the first step forward, and Tai Shi Lan calmly stretched out his foot.

  "Slap."

  Su Ya was tripped in front of Jing Tai Lan.

  The moment of crying was suddenly laughed away, with tears sparkling on her little face and three big teeth exposed.

  "Suya." Ta Shilian said without any embarrassment, "Set an example."

  Su Yu immediately jumped up, receiving Ta Shi Lan's gaze, and suddenly seemed to understand, pretending to be very difficult, slowly crawling up, moving slowly and clearly, first retracting his legs, elbow propping against the ground.

  Jingtai Blue stared at her without blinking, mimicking her movements, pulling up her legs, tugging on her pants, propping up her elbows, and standing up.

  Everyone burst out laughing and praised: "Well done!"

  It was bustling, half-rising blue and white porcelain suddenly lifted its head, and from the gap between people's legs, it found an extra figure, a pale yellow skirt with silver embroidery. His eyes flashed with a hint of disgust, his already risen body suddenly fell to the ground.

  Everyone was stunned, and just as they thought the kid was about to get up, he fell down again?

  Jingtai blue fell down and still didn't give up, mouth twitched, started crying.

  He didn't cry when he fell down just now, but now he's lying on the ground and wailing. It doesn't seem right. Ta Shi Lan looked at the kid and thought, huh, he's crying loudly without any tears, he's faking it.

  Jingtai Lan didn't like to cry, and wasn't like ordinary children who would wail at the drop of a hat when they couldn't get something or got slightly hurt. In all these days, Taishi Lan had only seen him cry twice, and both times there was a deep reason for it.

  Tai Shi Lan turned around and met Jing Tai's blue eyes in an instant, understanding everything at once.

  "Wah." Jing Tai Lan cried out loud and with tears streaming down her face, she opened her arms wide to the crowd as she wept.

  Su Ya was about to go hug him, but he pushed her away. He stood stubbornly in a certain direction, his arms spread wide.

  Everyone turned around, and their faces changed color.

  At some point, Qiao Yurun was already standing behind the crowd, tall and upright. Although she was under a tree shade, there were still two maids holding umbrellas beside her, this time changing to light blue paper umbrellas with elegant gentian swaying in the wind.

  "I've come to see you all off," she said with a smile. "To send you on your way."

  Everyone's face changed - she saw him off? Wasn't that going to stir up more trouble again?

  "Wah……" A cry came, and the crowd dispersed with a rustling sound. Jing Tai Lan stretched out his arms indomitably, facing Qiao Yu Rong's direction.

  "Is this Taishi girl's child?" Qiao Yurun exclaimed in surprise, "How lovely."

  Jingtai Blue saw her and burst into tears of joy, mumbling: "Beautiful auntie... hug... want a hug..."

  Qiao Yurun was slightly surprised, seeing the complex gaze of the crowd, and a hint of pride emerged. She had always been someone who valued perfection and hoped to be perfect in others' eyes. At this moment, she wouldn't let go of this opportunity. Her smile on her face became even more gentle and elegant as she slowly squatted down, saying: "Come, Auntie will hug you."

  Everyone turned their faces away - pretending! Pretending to the point of soullessness! The little kid is still lying on the ground, can't you take a few steps forward and pick him up? Will moving a few "lotus steps" kill you?

  Jingtai blue climbed up cleverly and went by, Su Ya had a few points of resentment, Hua Xunhuan raised an eyebrow to intercept, was pulled back by Shi Xiaocui, Xiao Daqiang supported his chin, with great interest watching.

  Jing Tai blue grid grid smiled and rushed into Qiao Yu Rong's arms, Ta Shi Lan's face was expressionless. Everyone present had a resentful look, only she was calm as ever.

  "Ah, so good..." Qiao Yurun hugged the Jing Tai Lan tightly, and suddenly a familiar feeling surged up in her heart. She couldn't help but laugh at her own absurdity - how could this be?

  She lowered her head and took a look at the Jingtai blue, and suddenly had an idea in her mind.

  This is Tai Shi Lan's child...

  A flash of murderous intent, but under the watchful eyes of everyone, it's not easy to do anything. She was still hesitating when she suddenly felt a warmth in her abdomen and smelled a strong odor.

  "Ah!" The blank mind reacted instantly to what had happened, Qiao Yurun suddenly jumped up, swung her arm and threw the blue glazed vase in her arms out.

  A figure flashed by, and with a swift movement of her arms, Hua Xun welcomed Jing Tai Lan into a stable embrace. Tai Shi Lan had already been standing beside Qiao Yu Rong's side, but even he couldn't run as fast as she did.

  "Wicked woman!" Huaxian Huan cursed loudly, "You can bear to harm such a young child!"

  Qiao Yurun's face turned pale, and she realized what she had done. She felt a twinge of regret, not for attacking Jing Tai Lan, but because her actions might affect her image in front of everyone. Then, looking at her stained skirt, anger suddenly rose up, and she said calmly: "He is guilty, he ruined my skirt."

  "A two-year-old child, do you want him to hold his pee?" Hua Xunhuan sneered, "What? The noble Commander-in-Chief is angry? Enraged? Peeved? Next, are you going to summon your subordinates, prepare your weapons, surround Jing Tai Lan first, then disarm and punish him, and proclaim to the world his unforgivable crimes?"

  Qiao Yurun gave her a cold stare, then looked at the blue and white porcelain with disgust, without saying a word, turned around and left.

  A noble lady like her wouldn't be allowed to move the blue porcelain, now covered in urine stench. Would she stay here and argue with these lowly commoners?

  She walked quickly, didn't care about the umbrella anymore, elegance was also ignored, the wet hem of her skirt clung to her leggings...

  The crowd fell silent, staring at her back as they watched the master and servant disappear into the distance, before suddenly bursting out laughing.

  "Good riddance!" Hua Xun shouted, throwing the blue porcelain upwards. "Now this woman can't follow us anymore!"

  "Jingtai blue is the best in the world!" Xiong Xiao Jia laughed, "Last time, one pee, forced the poor students to rebel; this time, one pee, forced the Western Bureau commander to flee in disarray. Next time, perhaps Wu Yue, Xi Fan, and Ri Sang will all kowtow in the wind!"

  Everyone rushed to toss the Jing Tai Lan back and forth, the round meatballs jumped in mid-air, Jing Tai Lan excitedly shrieked with joy, unaware of the danger, infinitely happy.

  "Alright." Tai Shi Lan looked at him, almost done, and if he threw it again, the kid's eyes would be in a spiral shape. She spoke out to stop him, Jing Tai Lan pounced into her arms, rubbed against her a few times, and suddenly whispered: "She used to... like me very much... always said I was good..."

  "People who say they like you may not necessarily be sincere; those who seem strict with you may not necessarily dislike you." Taishi Lan said, "Jingtai Blue, you will understand sooner or later."

  Jingtai Blue seemed to understand and yet not understand, thought for a moment, then nodded.

  With Qiao Yurun blocked, taking advantage of her being busy changing clothes and not having time to cause trouble, the crowd hastily boarded the car. The 25th camp took 30 students on this external training exercise, mainly consisting of poor door children, with 10 noble children, Hua Xunhuan accompanied and protected as an assistant teacher.

  Tai Shi Lan didn't see Rong Chu until he got on the bus, but Zhao Thirteen was already sitting on top of her car shed, looking like he really wanted to protect her all the way.

  Tai Shi Lan sometimes really couldn't figure out what these high-ranking officials were thinking, such a big thing, said to cover up and it was covered up, she didn't bother to think more, just about to get on the bus, suddenly saw someone carrying a package, sneaking closer.

  It was Shen Meihua, who had not been seen for a while.

  Shen Mei's expression was no longer as bright and cheerful as it had been in the past few days, with a hint of gloom and fear. She smiled and greeted the students who were still standing around, but the wealthy students ignored her or turned their heads away, while Su Ya walked away quickly before Shen Mei even approached.

  Shi Xiaocui hummed a sound beside Tai Shi Lan's body, "Serves you right!"

  "What?" asked Tai Shi Lan.

  "People from humble origins are inferior, always changing old for new." Shi Xiaocui said with disdain, "Isn't it just that you went to study conducting? You think you've changed your fate and become a noble person. Have you forgotten how you used to resent those aristocratic young masters? Every day, you're eager to curry favor with them, with that despicable attitude... Ugh! What's the use of currying favor? They still look down on you. Born as a humble chicken, don't think that adding a few feathers can make you a phoenix!"

  "The people in the Command Department are her classmates." Ta Shi Lan said calmly.

  "Are you still speaking for her?" Shi Xiaocui's eyes widened in surprise. "Do you know why we dislike her so much? She's always flattering and fawning, the kind of person who's never lacking in our school. We can just ignore her, but she even speaks ill of you, saying you don't look like a woman at all, maybe you're a transvestite. She says that Jing Tai Lan doesn't suit you, maybe it was swindled from you. She says that you and Li Assistant Professor and Chu Assistant Professor are unclear, who knows if you also had dealings with her before...". She spat out a mouthful of saliva, "She thinks others are as cheap as herself!"

  Shen Mei Hua was just walking over, forcing a smile on her face to try to get close, but when she heard this sentence, she shivered and slowly took a step back, slipping away.

  Tai Shi Lan looked at her, and the young master's carriage wanted to get on. The people inside didn't know what they said, she withdrew her hand, and slowly thought about approaching the humble door son's car, but the curtains that were originally rolled up on those cars all fell down when she approached.

  Shen Mei stood stiffly in place, at a loss for a while, and finally got on the last cart that was specially loaded with packages and dry rations.

  Tai Shi Lan stared for a while, didn't say anything, and then went into the train carriage.

  She was taken aback for a moment.