Tranquility

The sun was shining outside the window, the sky was clear, and the chrysanthemums were blooming.

On the desk inside the window is an imperial blue and white porcelain basin with a shallow bottom and a wide mouth. Inside the basin lies a tortoise more than one foot wide. This tortoise looks quite big, but it is actually a common river tortoise with a round shell. , with a short tail, looks a bit naive.

A strange fragrance slowly floated out from an exquisite incense burner in the house and sank into the basin.The head of the big tortoise stretched out slowly unconsciously, smelling the fragrance and stretching out longer and longer.

Suddenly a folding fan lightly lifted its head, and caressed it as if teasing.

Xie Baiyun touched his chin with one hand, and supported the tortoise's chin with a folding fan with the other, and looked at it with a smile, very obscene.

Mo Yi watched from the side as his master's eyes became more and more lascivious, and looked sideways at the tortoise whose head was being held up, he shivered suddenly, and couldn't bear to look down.

"Ah!" Mo Yi looked up, and it turned out that it was the tortoise girl who was furious - she didn't want to tease the tortoise like this, and she bit the folding fan.

"Mo Yi! Let him let go!" Xie Baiyun shouted hastily.

After a stick of incense, Xie Baiyun opened the folding fan. The upper edge was already wet with saliva, and there were still thin marks on the wood. Xie Baiyun felt extremely distressed, "My Liu Yong, my soft fragrant wood!"

He carefully put away the folding fan and waved his hand, "Mo Yi, take it and prepare the car. Let's go to Cangping County."

"Master, we just came back from Cangping County." Mo Yi said carefully with his arms around the turtle.

"Then let's go again, tell me, will he be happy if I give this tortoise to Zi'an?" Xie Baiyun seemed to be asking Mo Yi, and also seemed to be talking to himself.

Mo Yi is now very sure that his master has definitely been blown out of his mind by the water. His wife just died and he is sad. If you send a turtle there, will he be happy?Could this turtle be the reincarnation of his wife?However, Mo Yi didn't dare to say this, he just had to keep silent as usual and listen to his master's intermittent chatter.

"From the first time I saw this turtle, a flash of inspiration suddenly flashed in my mind, and I knew immediately that I would never be able to live without him, so I jumped down and picked it up without hesitation."

Mo Yi's back was covered with chills, thinking about whether to call a doctor.

"Even if I'm in the capital, my heart follows him and I think about him all the time. If that's the case, why don't I follow my heart? Maybe he treats me better if he accepts the tortoise. As time goes by, he will always One day I will understand." Xie Baiyun muttered to himself.

Mo Yi breathed a sigh of relief, it seems that he doesn't want to ask a doctor anymore.

A few days later in the afternoon, Mr. Cheng's bedroom in Cangping County.

Mr. Cheng was wearing a loose white coat, sitting on a small couch, with a bright red swaddle in his arms, Tang Yu was biting his fingers, sleeping soundly.Tangning stood aside, watching eagerly.

"Sir, you are always bored at home. No one talks to you except Dr. Lu. Now that the school is closed, it is not good for your health. Master Shui has sent several letters inviting you to be a guest. Why don't you go to Wei If you live in the sea for a few days, you should relax your mind."

Mr. shook his head and said softly: "No, it is enough for me to have Xiao Yu'er to accompany me. You also know that now everyone in the county knows that he is an official slave. An adult will take care of it."

Tangning suddenly knelt down, "Sir, it's all my fault. I promised you to take good care of Yu'er, but let her go away with a grievance. I didn't even see Xiao Yu's side. It's my fault. I am powerless, I have not been able to avenge her."

The gentleman gently put Tang Yu back on the couch, and stretched out his hand to help Tang Ning, but Tang Ning was determined not to let it go. He sighed softly and said, "I didn't blame you, and neither did Yu'er. Before you came back that day, she The reason why I promise not to take revenge is not because she cares about your stepmother, but because she is afraid that you will get the reputation of killing your mother because of revenge, and she doesn't want you to live in self-blame and hatred, and I think so too."

Mr. got up, walked up to Tang Ning, knelt down, pressed his shoulders lightly, and put his head together, "I know you are worried that I won't be able to bear it, but you forgot, I have lived for most of my life, and I have experienced it again." There is nothing I can't bear about Yu'er's mother. The white-haired person gave away the black-haired person. When Yu'er was as old as Xiao Yu'er, I was ready. It's just that the incident happened suddenly, and I couldn't accept it for a while. Forget it, these days, I have thought a lot, wanting to avenge Yu'er, but also thinking, in this world, living is far more painful than dying, and I will never let that mother and daughter die happily."

"However, you have to distinguish what is the most important thing, not the enemy, but the relatives. Have you ever thought about what will happen to Xiao Yu'er in the future? Everyone knows that he is an official slave. When he remembers, he needs to Playmate is gone, who else wants to play with him? Even if you have a way to get rid of him, it will be a long time later, so what about the days before Xiao Yuer?"

After squatting for a long time, Mr. Cheng simply sat on the ground, put his arms around Tangning, and said softly, "Besides, what will you do in the future? You have already offended the chief minister of the cabinet. He just came to power, and the next Chunwei will definitely choose someone from his side to take the exam. , to win over new Jinshi. At that time, the capital will be like a dragon’s pool and a tiger’s lair to you. Are you going or not? How can you protect yourself under Gao Pu’s suppression?”

Tang Ning raised her head, looked at the husband who was close at hand, and looked at his worry-filled eyes. Her heart was full of emotions, such as gratitude, guilt, and admiration. The husband just lost his beloved daughter, and the pain in his heart still hasn't healed. , and began to worry about him, Tangning's throat rolled and her voice was hoarse.

"Mr. once said that in the entire imperial court, except for the imperial power, there is rarely a single dominant force. The clan, nobles, civil servants, and military officials all have their own circles. They rely on each other and restrict each other. Although Gao Pu is the chief assistant of the cabinet, The civil servant with the most power does not cover the sky with one hand. I heard from Brother Xie that I was able to get out of this matter because the eldest princess was behind my back. Although I don't know why the eldest princess protects me, but this is always It's good news."

Mr. Cheng nodded, and said again: "However, I also said that when others are always unreliable, you still have to rely on yourself in the end. You are not a clan, nor are you noble. As long as you still want to take the imperial examination, you are People in the circle of civil servants, and you are a powerless juren now, even if you want to associate with the clan, you must have corresponding strength.

In officialdom, civil servants operate their own power, usually starting from the relationship between teachers and students in the same year, and then marriage.Although you have a few close friends, these are far from enough to fight against Gao Pu. In fact, you don't need to fight against him. You just need to have enough strength to preserve yourself and let him have some strength when he suppresses you. scruples.Competition in the officialdom is never a one-time event, and the one who laughs last will be able to bear what others cannot bear.So, how are you going to protect yourself? "

Tang Ning lowered her eyebrows and pondered for a long time before she slowly said, "I remember that there was such a person in the previous dynasty. He had no father, no mother, no wife and no children. He was alone and had an arrogant personality. Because of his noble character, proficiency in all kinds of poems and songs, excellent calligraphy and painting, countless scholars are fascinated by him. An ordinary painting, as long as he praises it, it will be worth a hundred times; The future is smooth.”

Mr. Cheng stood up in relief and shook slightly. Tangning quickly stood up and helped him sit down, "It seems that you have found your direction. Although the time is tight, it is better to do it than to do it well. In the past three years, you must not only study poetry Books, but also to practice calligraphy and painting diligently, it is best to be in front of the spring, and the reputation can spread to the capital. As for the matter of Xiao Yu'er, it is really impossible, and I can only ask the eldest princess for help."

As soon as the words were finished, someone knocked on the door outside. Tangning opened the door, "What's the matter?"

"Go back to the master, Mr. Xie is here."

Tangning frowned. Didn't Xie Baiyun just leave for a few days, why did he come back again? Could something have happened in the capital.Thinking of this, he pondered and said, "Let him wait for me in the flower hall."

After a while, at the flower hall, Xie Baiyun strode in with a smile on his face. Then, Tangning frowned and walked in quickly.

"Zian, I have a good idea. I can definitely get Xiao Yu'er out of citizenship." Xie Baiyun saw Tangning, his eyes lit up, and he hurriedly said.

Tangning's heart skipped a beat, and she suppressed her excitement, "Oh? What's your idea?"

Xie Baiyun clapped his hands, and Mo Yi brought in a wooden box from outside.

Tangning opened it and saw that it was a tortoise. He was puzzled, "Brother Xie, what is the idea? It has something to do with this tortoise?"

Xie Baiyun took a sip of tea and wanted to make a fool of himself, but Tangning's expectant eyes sparkled his heart, and he said unconsciously, "I like to practice Taoism and live forever, you know that. Turtles mean prolonging life, which is the most auspicious thing. Definitely like it."

Tangning's eyes lit up, and before he could finish speaking, she continued, "That's right, why didn't I think that if I create a vision and offer this tortoise, maybe the emperor will give me a reward."

"No, that's not the case." Xie Baiyun smiled and shook his head.

"That is?"

Xie Baiyun was very proud of Tangning, "That's all, it's not shocking enough." As he spoke, he looked around and lowered his voice, "What we're offering is a white turtle."

When Tang Ning heard this, her heart suddenly became clear. She looked at Xie Baiyun with big eyes, full of undisguised admiration and gratitude, and a smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of her mouth.

Since Sister Cheng's accident, Tangning never showed a smile. Xie Baiyun felt that she was complete.

That night, a small box was quietly transported into Doctor Lu's pharmacy next door. Then, Tangning stayed in the pharmacy day and night, forgetting to eat and sleep, trying hundreds of pigments and Dr. Lu's experience. Using natural gum as a raw material, a white pigment that does not melt when exposed to water and can maintain air permeability is produced.

The next step is to dye the tortoise. In fact, the tortoise's skin looks very disgusting. In the past, Tangning would have been too disgusted to eat, but now, this tortoise is very cute in his eyes, even Xie Baiyun. The great hero occasionally molested the turtle, but he slapped it away.

In fact, Tangning's white tone was very pure, somewhat transparent, and would reflect colorful lights in the sun, which was far from the skin color of the albino turtle he had seen in his previous life.But Xie Baiyun didn't care, he only said that the more mysterious the better, if it was a real white tortoise, the emperor might not believe it, but if it was white with colorful light at the same time, he would definitely believe it.

It took Tang Ning more than ten days to paint the whole turtle. If the turtle girl shrank her head, it would look the same from a distance, especially in the sun, it was radiant and beautiful.But as soon as it stretches out its head, it will reveal its stuffing. The main reason is that the turtle girl is very homely, and she always likes to stay in her shell and stay still. Besides, it is early winter, and if it is not warm in the house, it will have hibernated long ago.

Tangning was so anxious that the corners of her mouth frothed. In the end, Mo Yi contributed a kind of incense. As long as this incense was lit, Gui Nuniang would stretch her head, feet and tail, just like stretching her waist. In order to make Gui Nuniang stretch for a long time Xie Baiyun reluctantly took out the ruined fan and annoyed Miss Turtle so hard that she would not let go. It was winter and made him sweat profusely.

Just like that, Xie Baiyun pulled the glans as long as possible. Tangning used a small brush to brush the glans inside and out, not sparing even the tiny cracks.

Although he has suffered a lot, Xie Baiyun doesn't think there is any harm in fighting with a turtle every day. On the contrary, he very much hopes that the turtle girl will bite the hook quickly, and then he can quietly appreciate Tangning's serious work Xie Baiyun fell in love with the peaceful and happy atmosphere even though his eyes were all on the damned turtle. He even hoped that Tangning would never paint the turtle.

Unfortunately, after using a large bucket of paint, Tangning finally finished the job. He circled around the turtle girl, turning it over and over again, looking and looking to make sure that nothing was missed, but he always felt a little awkward. I wonder if it was due to psychological reasons. No matter how he looked at this turtle, it looked like it was painted.

Tangning tried hard to recall the appearance of the albino tortoise he saw in his previous life, but in his previous life he had only seen pictures of albino tortoises, but he had seen real white snakes.Suddenly, he slapped his head and suddenly realized that neither the albino tortoise nor the albino snake is pure white. Their skin is a pinkish white color, and sometimes the veins inside can be seen clearly.

This not only tested Tang Ning's level of mixing paint, but also tested his painting skills. In a sense, this is also a kind of painting.And once it's painted on, it can't be wiped off. He has to guarantee a success. Tangning exhausted all her skills and imagination. She didn't even come out during the Chinese New Year. Little Tang Yu didn't recognize him anymore. Fortunately, before the snow melted, , he finally walked out of the pharmacy room.

When he showed this tortoise to Mr. Cheng, Dr. Lu, and Xie Baiyun, none of them could believe that it was the ordinary tortoise from a few months ago. Refreshing and radiant, it looks like a tortoise coming into the world.

In the 27th year of Jingle, the eighth day of April, the birthday of Buddha.

It was night, in the pool of a private house in Cangping County, Yizhou, suddenly the Buddha's light suddenly appeared, the courtyard was full of light, surrounded by auspicious clouds, and when it cleared, the turtle appeared.

When Emperor Jing heard this, his Sacred Heart was overjoyed, and he ordered people to invite the tortoise into the palace.

Tangning watched Mr. Cheng get into the carriage with worry in his eyes.

After the emperor's decree arrived, Mr. Cheng refused to let Tang Ning show up. He said that it was not appropriate for Tang Ning to come forward. He wanted to make a name like this. He said that he would not be an official anyway and insisted on going to Beijing.

Xie Baiyun patted Tangning's shoulder from behind and comforted him, "Don't worry, I've already taken care of it. Nothing will happen if I follow you." Seeing the convoy in front of him drifting away, he had no choice but to say, "Zian, I should too. Let's go, I will come back to find you if I have time, take care."

Tangning cupped her hands, "If that's the case, I'll leave it to Brother Xie. If this matter doesn't work out, don't force it. I just hope that sir can return safely."

Xie Baiyun nodded, suddenly gave Tangning a hug, then turned around and got on the horse, whipping away.

The author has something to say: Generally, turtles with round shells and short tails are female turtles.

What happened to that vision? In fact, that paragraph of language is just a historical record, exaggerated. Doctor Lu and the others can just make some light, fog, or whatever.

In fact, this tortoise was released by the female relatives of Xiangguo Temple that day. Xie Baiyun saw it and picked it up.Xie Baiyun looked at Gui with wretched eyes because at that time his mind was full of how Tangning threw herself into her arms.