Plum Blossoms

Hua Manlou felt that Wang Zhaojun seemed to have something on his mind during this time, he didn't talk much, and he ate little, as if he had changed back to when they first met.

Even the sound of the piano is gloomy and low.

He thought for a long time, but couldn't figure it out.

At noon that day, Wang Zhaojun went out with Mrs. Li after dinner.They were going to offer incense in a temple on the outskirts of the city. Originally, only Aunt Li was going, but she saw that Wang Zhaojun was fine, so she took her to go to relax together.

At the end of March, the weather is getting warmer, and the flower pots full of flowers have been placed on the balcony.The flowers in early spring flutter in the wind, so bright.While tidying up, Huamanlou was thinking about Wang Zhaojun's abnormality.

When she comes back, should I try to ask her?

he thought hesitantly.

It was dusk at this time, and the setting sun was very warm, shining warmly on people's bodies, and the breeze was gentle.

There was a sound of hurried footsteps on the stairs.

A seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl hurried upstairs with a panicked expression and shortness of breath.

Hua Manlou turned around and faced her.He didn't recognize the girl, but his attitude was still very gentle: "Could something happen to the girl?"

The little girl panted: "Someone is chasing me from behind, can I hide from you for a while?"

Hua Manlou hardly hesitated: "Yes!"

Just like when she met Wang Zhaojun back then, Hua Manlou chose to help her without any doubt at all.

When Wang Zhaojun came back, it was already dark, and candlelight was already lit in Baihualou.They should have arrived earlier, but they came back late because something happened on the road that delayed their work.

Before she even entered the door, she had already heard from a familiar street vendor that a big man with a knife chased a little girl into Baihualou.

She hurried in and went upstairs.

There were candles on the table, Hua Manlou tilted his head and looked at her with a smile: "You are back."

He was sitting on one side, and beside him was a girl with big eyes, who was looking at her curiously.On the table in front of them was a knife with a sharp-looking blade.

Wang Zhaojun walked over: "Are you hungry? Mrs. Li is already cooking."

Hua Manlou nodded and said, "This is Miss Shangguan Feiyan."

After the meal, Shangguan Feiyan was arranged to go to the room to rest, only Wang Zhaojun and Hua Manlou were left.

Hua Manlou said: "I will leave tomorrow with Miss Shangguan."

Wang Zhaojun asked, "Where are you going?"

Hua ManLou wondered: "It's about the private affairs of Miss Shangguan's family, so it's inconvenient for me to say too much."

Wang Zhaojun bowed his head and remained silent.

Hua Manlou noticed her silence, and sighed in his heart: "This matter is of great importance, the less people know about it, the better."

Wang Zhaojun said suddenly: "I want to go with you." Her voice was not loud, but she was firm.

Huamanlou was dumbfounded for a moment.

Wang Zhaojun said again: "I must go, even if you don't agree, I will find a way to find it myself."

What else can Huamanlou say?

So the next day, there were three people sitting in the carriage that came to pick them up.

Along the way, after getting permission from Shangguan Feiyan, Huamanlou slowly told Wang Zhaojun about her family affairs.

It turned out that there used to be an ancient dynasty called the Jinpeng Dynasty. Although it had fallen, the royal family still survived, and it was the Shangguan family.That was 50 years ago. The prosperity of the dynasty attracted the covetousness of neighboring countries, who sent powerful and barbaric cavalry to invade.The king sticks to it and lives and dies with the country. He only divides the wealth of the treasury into four and hands it over to four confidants, ordering them to bring their young princes to China to preserve their strength and seek prosperity in the future.

But three of them broke their promises, changed their names and disappeared after entering the Central Plains.Now, that young prince, now King Jinpeng, wants someone to ask them for justice.

"So they found you?" Wang Zhaojun stared at Shangguan Feiyan coldly and asked Hua Manlou.

Hua Manlou shook his head: "That's not the case. The person King Jinpeng wants to ask for help is Lu Xiaofeng."

"Lu Xiaofeng?" Wang Zhaojun didn't understand, "Then it's enough for them to go to Lu Xiaofeng directly. Why are they looking for you?"

Hua Manlou laughed: "Probably, it's to add a layer of security."

Wang Zhaojun immediately understood: "So, you were invited as a hostage?"

Hua Manlou said: "Well, but, I am a willing hostage."

Where is there such a person, when others tell him clearly about the future, and tell him without any concealment, if they want to use him to blackmail their friends, he still jumps into the pit of fire on his own initiative.

"Even without me as a hostage, Lu Xiaofeng will still go." Hua Manlou said, "Since I know he is going to get into big trouble, how can I stand by and watch?"

Shangguan Feiyan seldom spoke since getting on the carriage, so she couldn't help but ask now: "How do you know that Lu Xiaofeng will agree to our request?"

Hua Manlou smiled and said, "Because he is Lu Xiaofeng."

He said that although Lu Xiaofeng looked like a stone in a latrine, smelly and hard, in fact his heart was as soft as tofu.

The members of the Shangguan family lived in the outskirts of the city, surrounded by large fields, and there was only this house, which was neatly built and majestic.Shangguan Feiyan led them through a gloomy and dark corridor, pushed open the wide door at the end, and saw King Jinpeng.

He was already very old, and he looked shriveled and thin, but his eyes were piercing, and his demeanor was quite majestic.

He didn't talk too much with Hua Manlou, and after a few pleasantries, he ordered Shangguan Feiyan to take them down to rest.Shangguan Feiyan took them to a courtyard full of flowers, and when he opened the door to invite Huamanlou to enter, he timidly asked Wang Zhaojun, "Miss Wang, can I have a few words with Mr. Hua alone?"

Her dark eyes flickered at Wang Zhaojun, begging and pitiful.

Wang Zhaojun did not enter the house, but waited in the yard.

I don't know what they said, about a quarter of an hour later, Shangguan Feiyan came out of the room with red eyes, reluctantly said hello and ran away.

Wang Zhaojun entered the room.The room was very simple, with only a bed, a table and chairs, and Hua Manlou was standing in front of the window.

There was a wet mark on his shoulder.

Hua Manlou didn't move, with a sad face on her face: "I didn't blame her, but she said she was sorry for me and involved me in such a troublesome matter. Shangguan Feiyan, her life experience is really pitiful, which is deplorable."

Wang Zhaojun held the door, didn't say anything, just asked him: "The flowers in this yard are blooming very well, don't you want to go and have a look?"

Huamanlou loves flowers very much, and being in the middle of flowers always makes him feel lighter.

Wang Zhaojun saw him caressing the flowers and said, "I haven't seen Lu Xiaofeng."

Hua Manlou hummed: "Maybe they haven't found it yet."

Wang Zhaojun said: "Perhaps, they don't want us to see him yet."

No matter what the reason is, all they can do now is to wait quietly.People from the Shangguan family will always do something, no matter what their plans are next.

The former Jinpeng dynasty is now really in decline, because even their princess has to come to deliver meals to the guests in person.Of course, this may be to show the importance they attach to Huamanlou.

This princess called herself Shangguan Danfeng, she was Shangguan Feiyan's cousin, she looked not much older than Shangguan Feiyan.She was wearing a black silk gown, the color itself was very old-fashioned, but it set off her fair face and clear eyes, making her a refined beauty.She looks somewhat similar to Shangguan Feiyan, but her demeanor is more dignified.

Beside her was an eleven or twelve-year-old girl named Shangguan Xue'er, who was Shangguan Feiyan's biological sister.

Shangguan Danfeng said that they were guests from afar, and their Shangguan family would definitely entertain them well.Then he told about the hard work of the Jinpeng Dynasty, and they had no choice but to make such a bad move.The way the gentle and noble beauty frowned and almost shed tears is unbearable to pity, and even Wang Zhaojun, who has always been cold-tempered, wanted to comfort him a little bit.

Hua Manlou persuaded: "Princess, don't worry. When Brother Lu comes, I will have my own explanation."

In the next two days, no one from Shangguan's family appeared again.Every day, an old woman in simple clothes brings meals and then comes to clean up.If it wasn't for her presence, Wang Zhaojun almost thought that there were only the two guests left in Shangguan's house.

Hua ManLou was not in a hurry.He even found tools to trim the extra branches and leaves of the flowers in the garden so that they could grow better.

As for Wang Zhaojun, she sprinkled grains in a corner of the yard to attract those little birds to eat.These birds are petite, but they are very clever, and they can be disturbed by a slight disturbance, and they fly away with fluttering wings, and come back after a while, continuing to peck at the food on the ground.On the side, she releases the second skill [Confinement Frost] from time to time, using these keen birds to exercise her reaction speed and anticipation ability.

At this time, she was always glad that Huamanlou couldn't see it, so he wouldn't be surprised why his flute could instantly become a magic staff.

Earlier, when she was walking alone in the rivers and lakes, she accidentally changed in front of several villagers, which made them panic and their faces changed drastically.From then on, Wang Zhaojun knew how to hide this matter.

It's just that if something unexpected happens, she can't leave temporarily and change the flute into a staff form and then come back; but if she keeps holding it in the staff form all the time, it is very cumbersome, and it is far less convenient to carry around than a flute.

What a headache.

Shangguan Danfeng who hadn't seen him for several days suddenly appeared with a smile on his face.She said to Huamanlou and Wang Zhaojun: "Master Hua, Miss Wang, and Mr. Lu have come to the humble house, please come with me."

Wang Zhaojun is fine, Huamanlou couldn't help showing a happy smile.

Lu Xiaofeng was sitting in the main hall where they met King Jinpeng earlier.Seeing them, his eyes lit up, he got up, walked up to Huamanlou, and stretched out his hand.Hua Manlou seemed to be able to sense it, and stretched out her hand.

He folded his hands together and shook them hard.

Lu Xiaofeng smiled at Wang Zhaojun, "I should have known that you were here too."

Shangguan Danfeng stood beside him, and explained: "I was negligent for a while, and didn't tell Mr. Lu that Miss Wang was with me. I'm really sorry."

Lu Xiaofeng waved his hands, King Jinpeng laughed loudly, and said loudly: "It's a happy event to reunite old friends. Danfeng, hurry up and prepare the banquet, and ask for the best Persian wine!"

Shangguan Danfeng replied, "It's ready."

After she finished speaking, she looked at Lu Xiaofeng with a smile on her lips, her face was delicate and beautiful, and there seemed to be a thousand kinds of tenderness in her eyes.

The author has something to say: In the original book, it is said that Shangguan Feiyan told Huamanlou about the matter long ago, and that Huamanlou never saw Shangguan Feiyan again after she came to Shangguan’s house, so it is set that Shangguan Feiyan is in Baihualou He told Huamanlou about Jinpeng Dynasty.