Chapter 156 Confirmation of the Candidate: First Snow in Bianjing
On a low slope.

Rulan's heel suddenly stumbled, causing her whole body to lose balance and she began to fall backwards.

At that moment, fear and helplessness instantly surged into her heart.

She could only look up at the sky, with a look of confusion in her eyes.

Fortunately, Yang Wenyuan pulled him back to life.

While Yang Wenyuan was pulling Rulan towards him, he had to use his arms to stop Rulan's body from approaching him quickly, otherwise their chests would collide with each other.

Considering the relationship between the two brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, it is not that...

No, no.

That will never work!

Therefore, Yang Wenyuan stretched out his left hand and placed it on Rulan's shoulder blade. He first gently pressed it, then pushed it back slightly. When he got close, he completely released his strength and successfully controlled Rulan's body in front of him.

Then he immediately withdrew his hands and stood still.

"Ah~!"

Although she was rescued by Yang Wenyuan, Rulan's screams of fear continued for a long time. She still looked frightened and seemed not to have recovered from the situation.

At this time, Changbai came forward, stretched out his hands and gently held Rulan's shoulders. After carefully inspecting her from front to back, he asked anxiously:
"Fifth sister, how are you? Are you not hurt?"

Only then did Rulan realize that she had been rescued.

But whether it was because she was thick-skinned or just honest by nature, after hearing Changbai's question, Rulan jumped a few times on the spot, then clapped her hands with a relaxed look on her face:

"Don't worry, second brother. My sister is not hurt at all."

"Look if you don't believe me."

After saying that, he turned around a few times.

However, the originally crystal clear earlobes on both sides were now stained with red at some point.

In the winter sun, it actually exudes a bit of the luster of red agate.

Changbai looked helpless: "If you are not hurt, why did you keep shouting so loudly? I thought you sprained your ankle!"

Seeing that Rulan was fine, Changbai immediately thanked Yang Wenyuan:

"Thank you so much, brother-in-law. Otherwise, if my fifth sister really fell down, I, as her brother, would regret it."

Speaking of which, Changbai originally had a decent personality.

But after seeing how Rulan "showed off" in front of the children, he finally mustered a little childish heart and wanted to tease his own sister. However, he didn't expect this mistake to happen, and there was still some fear on his face.

Yang Wenyuan waved his hand sideways and replied:

"What's there to thank me for? Rulan is also my fifth sister."

After that, Yang Wenyuan asked Rulan:
"Right, fifth sister?"

Rulan didn't dare to look at Yang Wenyuan's expression this time. She just nodded dully, with a slightly embarrassed look on her face.

Then, he didn't know what he thought of, he just bowed to Yang Wenyuan and Changbai, and hurried away.

Looking at the route back, it seems to be back to Yang’s camp. I’m afraid he is going to share the “danger” he just experienced with his friends.

Seeing this, Changbai couldn't help but laugh.

But he didn't laugh for long, and then his face turned bitter.

If the fifth sister tells this to others after she leaves, I'm afraid it will get to our mother's ears, right?
In fact, Wang Ruofu was not really afraid of the growth of cypress trees, but she was afraid that the news would spread to her sister Hualan.

So a married daughter should not be messed with.

Since Hualan got married, although she has been better to Changbai than before, her requirements have also become much stricter, and she seems to be more controlling than Wang Ruofu.

Rulan left, and Changbai was also spoiled by the shock just now, so he wanted to go home before he even started.

Yang Wenyuan naturally refused.

If you back down at the critical moment, how am I, your brother-in-law, going to collect the reward tonight?

So the two of them spent the rest of the afternoon playing Chui Wan.

It gets dark quickly in winter, especially in Bianjing.

About a quarter before three.

Madam Wu sent her personal maid to visit each tent one by one to inform them that the polo club would be disbanded. She herself arrived at the tent entrance in advance, waiting to say hello to the madams as they left.

There are also rules for parking carriages.

The higher the status and the more powerful the family, the more spacious the space for parking the carriage and the closer it is to the exit.

This arrangement can not only satisfy the vanity of the ladies, but also make it convenient for Madam Wu to welcome and see off guests.

After a while, the crowds from all over the polo field dispersed and gathered in their tents in an orderly manner.

The Yang family camp was also bustling with activity.

All personnel are present.

Wang Ruofu was chatting with Wang Ruoyu, recalling the conversations they had today in Madam Wu's tent. They looked very happy, while Wang Ruoyu seemed to be in a dull mood and obviously had no interest. I wonder if he had some unfulfilled wishes.

On the girls' side, Minglan, Rulan and Yang Rujin were also discussing the fun events of the day with great joy. Only Molan and the two girls from the Kang family were silent, with a hint of disgust on their faces, which formed a sharp contrast.

Changbai was standing on tiptoe, paying close attention to the expressions of his sister Hualan and mother Wang Ruofu.

Seeing that the two had no intention of settling the score with him, he felt a little relieved.

Chang Feng saw that his brother Chang Bai, who was always steady, had a shifty look on his face and looked around. He couldn't help but feel strange in his heart, but he didn't think too much about it. He was still immersed in the good news that Liang Han invited him to go to Guangyuntai in a few days.

Master Zhuang gave students more days off in the winter, with the original intention of letting them stay at home and take good care of themselves, and not go out and catch a cold. In the end, the gain did not outweigh the loss, and it happened to be what Chang Feng wanted.

Chang Feng has always been willing to make friends with the children of the powerful.

Not to mention going to a place like Guangyuntai.

Not only can you communicate with the sons of nobles like Liang Han, but you can also communicate with the leaders of the guild. Why not do it?
This is a great good!

Changbai was a cunning man. Yang Wenyuan seemed calm on the surface, but he was a little nervous in his heart.

After all, Rulan is not someone else, but his lovely sister-in-law.

If Hualan knew that she had touched Rulan's soft hand, although she was sensible, she would say it was okay and not to care.

But women are just creatures.

He always says one thing and does another.

If this kind of contrast happened at night, Yang Wenyuan would naturally be overjoyed.

But now, Yang Wenyuan doesn’t want to miss the “snack” tonight!
So it is naturally best to keep your mouth shut!

Seeing that everything was stable, Yang Wenyuan felt relieved and immediately started shouting for everyone to go back home.

However, when Yang Wenyuan and his group rushed to the carriage, there was a pair of eyes staring at them——

The gaze from Princess Pingning!
As soon as she arrived in the morning, Princess Pingning discovered some clues from Qi Heng's expression and movements.

Although Qi Heng restrained himself a little later, Princess Pingning, who had been raised in the palace since childhood, had seen everything and had a keen eye acquired through years of ups and downs. She only needed to observe her son for a moment to reveal his hidden thoughts.

At the very beginning, Princess Pingning had some guesses about the candidates.

She believed in her son's vision and temperament, and he would definitely not like the two girls from the Kang family whom she met for the first time.

And among the three girls of the Sheng family.

The fourth girl's pretentiousness had always been disliked by people like them, so she would definitely not be in the eyes of her beloved son. The only ones left were the fifth girl, Rulan, and the sixth girl, Minglan.

Rulan has the same temperament as her mother, Madam Shengda. You can tell at a glance that she is very straightforward, but also a little naive due to her beautiful appearance.

Although I don't believe that such a girl can catch my son's eye, but what if?
And Minglan is a major suspect!

Not only is she pretty and charming, she also looks innocent, romantic, and intelligent.

Princess Pingning also knew that with a personality like her son Qi Heng's, he didn't like dignified ladies, but instead valued women's cheerfulness and optimism.

And Minglan just happens to meet all the requirements!
Therefore, Princess Pingning spent the whole day looking for Minglan under the pretext of watching polo.

As for polo itself—

Which is more important, polo or the future of my Qi family?

After some observation.

As expected, Princess Pingning discovered that although Qi Heng was also playing polo on the field, he was obviously absent-minded. He repeatedly looked towards the place where the pot was being thrown.

That place was where Minglan, Yang Rujin and others had fun.

It would be good if it was Yang Ruijin. Although the Yang family had no achievements in the civil service, their family background matched his own, and they were also from a faction close to the government, so it could be considered a good marriage.

But it was Minglan!

Not only is the Sheng family of low status, but even Minglan is a concubine's daughter!

How can this be worthy of the title of the eldest lady of the Duke's Mansion?

If it weren't for the fact that the next spring examination was just around the corner, with only a few months to go, Princess Pingning would have thought of withdrawing directly from the Sheng family academy!
But now it is obviously too late to find a great scholar comparable to Zhuang Xuejiu for Qi Heng, and Princess Pingning can only agree with a pinch of her nose.

Fortunately, it will be freezing cold soon, so classes at Sheng's school cannot be held frequently.

When spring comes and the imperial examination is just around the corner, Qi Heng may not have the mood to talk about love.

Qi Heng: Thank you mother for your understanding!
Seeing Minglan getting on the Sheng family carriage with a smile on her face, Princess Pingning looked at her deeply.

When Qi Heng saw his mother looking towards the Sheng family with a slightly gloomy expression on her face, his heart skipped a beat.

When he thought about the fact that he seemed to have looked at Minglan several times today, he felt a little worried.

Immediately pretending to be casual, he asked:
"Mother, what are you looking at over there? Do you have something to do with Madam Shengda?"

Qi Heng was extremely nervous at this moment. He felt like he was in a premature love relationship at school and was caught by conservative parents.

Based on his understanding of his mother, Princess Pingning, if his feelings for Minglan were discovered, they would probably be separated immediately.

It has been like this since I was a child. Once I show the slightest affection for a maid in the mansion, that maid will be transferred away the next day and will never appear in my sight again.

This also led to him thinking that although he was a young master, he was treated like a vicious person by the young maids in the family and was avoided as much as possible.

They are afraid that if they are noticed by others, they will be exiled or even sold off.

After hearing Qi Heng's question, Princess Pingning withdrew her gaze and smiled at him gently:
"Nothing, it's just that I see that it's going to snow in a few days. Speaking of which, since I sent you to the Sheng family to study, I have never been to the Sheng family again. While the weather is still good, I am thinking about whether I should visit them in a few days. What do you think?"

Although Princess Pingning discovered Qi Heng's "heart", Minglan was not her maid after all, and her son Qi Heng was still in the sprint stage of studying hard, so she naturally could not take drastic actions to disturb his mood.

Compared to Minglan who suddenly appeared, Princess Pingning still believed more that Qi Heng would listen to her and be responsible to the family.

"Mom, it's going to snow soon and the weather is bad. If I catch a cold because of this, I'll have to stay at home for the whole winter!"

Qi Heng just realized that Princess Pingning had set her sights on the Sheng family. Naturally, he did not dare to let his mother go to the Sheng family again. His little heart could not bear such stimulation, so he continued to persuade her:
"Mother, why don't you wait until next year? That's when the spring is warm and the flowers are blooming, which is a good time to go out and visit friends."

In response to Qi Heng's advice, Princess Pingning looked at him indifferently. When Qi Heng's expression became a little unnatural, she nodded without comment.

"Then let's take a look."

This is the silent warning that Princess Pingning is good at using.

From childhood to adulthood, this trick has always been easy to use against Qi Heng.

But she never thought that this action was even more cruel than the corporal punishment that she was reluctant to use.

Compared with physical pain, mental pain is more unforgettable and has a far-reaching impact.

Princess Pingning wanted to train a "leader of revival" for the Duke of Qi's Mansion, but what she implemented was an oppressive education.

She never thought about it.

How can a decisive and resourceful successor be cultivated under a powerful regime that has the final say?

Either you bow your head in cowardice and incompetence, or you hold on against the powerful.

Or maybe it's a combination of both: cowardly in heart and unbridled in behavior.

……

After the polo game.

Everything returned to its normal pace of life.

In other words, circadian rhythm life was the mainstream in ancient society.

Mrs. Wu’s polo club was just that short-lived moment.

This is why Mrs. Wu’s Polo Club is so famous in Bian Jing.

It was not only a place for men and women to meet each other, but also a gathering of officials and their wives in Bianliang that was comparable to a festival.

Life goes on as normal.

However, what followed was that cold winds became more frequent.

late October.

One night.

A cold whistling sound came from somewhere.

Early the next morning, Yang Wenyuan pushed the door open and walked out.

As a warm white mist was exhaled, what came into view was a gorgeous dress covered in silver.

Suddenly, like a night of spring breeze, thousands of trees and pear blossoms bloomed.

Snowing.

"Snowing?"

At the entrance of Zize Residence, Yang Wenyuan was standing in front of the door. Suddenly, a radiant, fair and pretty face appeared from behind him. Her skin was as delicate as a baby's, and at this moment, there was a hint of tiredness on her face.

Hua Lan exhaled lightly, and also exhaled a breath of fresh white mist into the world.

Then, as if lifted up by the cool air outside, she tightened the quilt she was still wearing. When she looked down, she saw that she had not even put on her shoes and got out of bed barefoot.

However, as if she felt the familiar heat coming from Yang Wenyuan, Hua Lan unconsciously pressed her cheek against him, then supported herself with the big red quilt with both hands and wrapped Yang Wenyuan in it. She leaned on Yang Wenyuan's shoulder with her hair loose, like a half-asleep kitten, staring blankly at the snow in front of her.

The lazy voice sounded again:
"Snowing?"

"Ah."

Yang Wenyuan was also enjoying the warmth from behind and responded softly.

But when he stretched his strong arm back out of habit, he felt only a thin layer of pajamas.

Yang Wenyuan frowned secretly.

　I feel like setting a writing goal with others does allow me to write more than I would on my own.

　　More updates tomorrow!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)