No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 860: Lady [asking for a monthly ticket! ]

The dark blue night fell, covering the orange sunset sky.

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. The endless lake was like a mirror, reflecting the moon and making the night on the lake brighter than on land.

Under the night light, the vast lake sparkles.

Lu Jinghong and Madam Li followed the middle-aged Yue woman on a raft, and they didn't know how long they had been wandering around.

When we arrived at an island deep in the sky, it was almost midnight and the moon was at its highest point in the sky.

Lu Jinghong and the other person looked around curiously.

The island is small, but it is verdant and exquisite, with a high mountain cliff.

The valley below is full of plum trees. The further you go up the cliff, the fewer plum trees there are and the more peach blossoms there are.

When Lu Jinghong climbed the cliff, he vaguely saw some "thin strip"-like black shadows densely packed on the other side of the cliff.

He and his mother followed the good-tempered middle-aged Vietnamese woman all the way to the cliff.

In front of me, under a jade plate, there was a small courtyard.

It faces the lake, with ivy covering the pink walls of the courtyard, which sits alone on the cliff.

The middle-aged Yue woman brought Lu Jinghong and Madam Li to the front of the yard, then turned and went down the mountain without saying a word.

Lu Jinghong and Madam Li looked at each other and waited for a moment, hesitating whether to walk into the yard.

A cold voice suddenly came from the courtyard:

"May I have your name."

It was the tall lady with waist-length blonde hair whom I met during the day.

Lu Jinghong and Mrs. Li immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

The former regained his spirits, and respectfully held his sword and clasped his fists:
"My Lady, I am Lu Jinghong..."

The candle in the snow said in a cold tone:
"I didn't ask you."

Lu Jinghong: ...

The charming lady standing next to him glanced at the dark courtyard wall in front of her, and saluted leisurely across it:

"My name is Li Wan."

The yard was quiet for a while.

Lu Jinghong and Li Wan vaguely heard some clear bell sounds.

After a while, the cold voice of the eldest lady continued to be heard from the courtyard:

"What is your relationship with the Longxi Li family?"

"To reply to my Lady, it is my clan, but I was married into the Imperial Tutor's room of the Fanyang Lu family when I was just 15 years old, and I am now a member of the Fanyang Lu family."

"Who asked you to come?"

Li Wan said timidly:

"My Lady, coming south to the ancestral tombs of Zhuo Island in Yunmengze to pay respect to our ancestors is what the male descendants of the imperial tutor branch of the Fanyang Lu family should do before their coming-of-age ceremony. Jinghong and I are also following the ancient teachings."

The candle in the snow spoke louder:

"Who gave you that jade bracelet?"

Li Wan bowed her head:

"Jinghong's aunt is also my sister-in-law."

The candle in the snow seemed to murmur:
"Her brother's wife and children..."

She suddenly said, "Give me the bracelet."

Upon hearing this, Li Wan took out the jade bracelet from her bosom and prepared to enter.

A black shadow suddenly flew down from a tree at the back, passed over the heads of Li Wan and Lu Jinghong, took away the jade bracelet, and flew into the yard.

It vaguely resembles a three-legged flying bird.

Li Wan and Lu Jinghong widened their eyes, somewhat confused and uncertain.

Having just passed by the tree and stood in front of it for a long time, they did not notice that there was anything on the tree.

After the bird brought the bracelet in, the yard was quiet for a while, and the candle in the snow seemed to be looking at the jade bracelet carefully.

Li Wan and the other two did not dare to rush them, and they held their breath and waited.

Xue Zhongzhu finally spoke again:
"Why did she give you this? Did she say anything when she gave it to you?"

Li Wan sighed:

"The eldest lady really knows him. To be honest, this bracelet is a family heirloom. My mother-in-law gave it to my aunt at first, and she has been wearing it ever since. Later, when I got married, it should have been given to me, but my aunt had been away for many years and never brought it back until a few years ago..."

After a pause, she skipped the topic and continued:
"Before I went south this time, my aunt picked it and gave it to me as a gift..."

The courtyard was silent, everyone was listening attentively to what the plump woman was saying, but Lu Jinghong at the side could not help but said:

"My aunt gave it to me? Mother, you and my aunt have a bad relationship, and you even had a fight. Even my father couldn't stop you..."

"Shut up."

Li Wan turned around instantly and glared at her upright son:
"That was a few years ago. After your father passed away, I began to understand my aunt's good intentions. What do you know, little kid? Don't gossip about adults."

After saying that, she turned her head and looked at the pink wall covered with ivy in front of her, sighed softly, and explained:
"This ancestral jade bracelet was not actually given to me by my aunt. She just asked me to keep it first. Jinghong has been close to his aunt since he was a child. Knowing that Jinghong would go south to worship his ancestors, my aunt gave me this jade bracelet and also said that if I encounter trouble when going south, I can bring this bracelet and come to Yunmeng..."

Li Wan gradually stopped talking.

But Xue Zhongzhu said coldly:
"Why did you come to Yunmeng? What did she say specifically? Tell me."

Li Wan lowered her eyebrows and looked pleasing:

"I'm a quiet girl, but what I meant is that I'm asking for the ladies' help and support..."

Lu Jinghong looked at his mother beside him with surprise.

"My aunt knows that I'm going south? She, she also knows the female ruler of Yunmeng Jianze?"

Judging from his expression, he had not known about it before and this was the first time he heard about it.

Lu Jinghong's tone suddenly became excited:
"Wait, could it be that my aunt's swordsmanship is..."

Xue Zhongzhu suddenly spoke, interrupting Lu Jinghong:

"Li Wan, did she tell you about Jianze?"

Li Wan lowered her eyebrows and said:
"My sister-in-law hardly mentioned it, but when I was at home, I heard some things from my elders, but I don't know whether it is true or not." "What did you hear?"

The woman from the north whispered:

"It is said that my aunt was ranked third in the palace of the female monarch of your clan..."

Lu Jinghong's face suddenly turned red, and he swallowed his saliva frequently, extremely excited.

"Third, third female monarch? Mother, my aunt is actually the third female monarch of this generation of female monarchs!"

Li Wan ignored her son who was slow to react and said sincerely:

"Don't worry, my lady. You don't know my little aunt's personality. She is very disciplined and strict with herself. After returning, she never revealed the secrets of your clan and kept it a secret. I only did this for the sake of our relatives..."

She was speaking cautiously halfway when a strange female voice suddenly came from the yard.

It’s not the eldest lady, there is a second person in the courtyard!
"What you said is correct. Third Junior Sister is indeed the most disciplined and reasonable. She is also very stubborn. When Master was alive, he gave the Thatched Cottage to her. She advocated for punishment within the sect. If the eldest Junior Sister made a mistake, she would be punished with a few strokes of the board.

"In fact, it's not just her. Whether it's the Fourth House of the Northern Ancestor or your Imperial Master House, the scholars and extraordinary women cultivated by the Fanyang Lu Clan are all famous for being stubborn. Three hundred years ago, the scholar surnamed Lu who disobeyed the ancestral teachings and moved his family south to seek help from our clan was like this, and three hundred years later, the third sister who made an exception and was admitted to the Female Monarch Hall of our clan is also like this."

"The Fanyang Lu family, whose three rituals are passed down from generation to generation and who are good calligraphers, are very good. But today, there is an exception. This makes the senior sister and I a little disappointed because she lied."

The eloquent Li Wan suddenly fell silent.

Lu Jinghong, who had turned his head away in embarrassment at the compliment, was stunned for a moment.

I only heard the voice of the strange woman in the courtyard, gentle and slow, but very confident:
"Third Junior Sister would never rely on such a relationship or go through such a backdoor, saying that she brought a token of trust and asked our sect to take care of the people. This is ridiculous and will ruin Third Junior Sister's reputation. Back then, Third Junior Sister would rather remain silent and fight to the death than ask us for help with family affairs.

"Now you brought her jade bracelet and said she wanted our clan to help take care of our nephews and nephews. Li Wan, you are not honest. But considering that your maiden name is Li, the Longxi Li family, they are very flexible and good at standing in line and socializing."

There was silence inside and outside the courtyard.

Only the sound of bells that Li Wan and Lu Jinghong had vaguely heard not long ago rang out again in the courtyard, as if accompanying the footsteps of the owner of the gentle female voice.

Lu Jinghong turned around and looked at his mother who had been accompanying him, his eyes filled with indignation:
"Mother, did my aunt tell me this? I'm also wondering why she didn't tell me. She and you don't talk much, so why did you spread her words? This is not something my Lu family did. Tell the truth to the eldest daughter."

Li Wan looked a little embarrassed. She looked at her anxious son, then at the silent ivy wall.

She lowered her head, somewhat ashamedly saying:

"My Lady, I admit that I was slightly misleading. My aunt never mentioned bringing the jade bracelet to you. I brought this bracelet secretly. My aunt left it at home. It was indeed passed down from my mother-in-law. This is true. It's just that my aunt didn't tell me to help you."

Xue Zhongzhu's voice sounded again, becoming even colder:
"Does she know that you took your son south to worship the ancestors?"

Li Wan answered truthfully:
"My aunt probably doesn't know that when we were preparing to go south to worship our ancestors, she hadn't returned home for a long time and there was no news from her."

"Where did she go?"

"I don't know. Both Jinghong and I have rarely seen her."

The candle in the snow asked again:
"Have you solved all the messy problems of your Fanyang Lu family and the other five surnames and seven families?"

Li Wan bowed her head:

"Thanks to my sister-in-law's help, and the concerted efforts of the Cui and Wang families, and some small concessions, we were able to temporarily break the conspiracy of the saint in Luoyang. The marriage ban of the five surnames was stuck in Fengtai and was temporarily shelved.
"All the Hanlin Academy and the Ministry of Rites, all the descendants of the Five Surnames and Seven Famous Families, especially those Hanlins from our Fanyang Lu family who learned the integrity of Liang Han and 'did not change a single word', and all the officials who were related to our Five Surnames, all withdrew from the compilation of the 'Clan Records'...

"In the newly revised Clan Records, the Wei surname was placed in the position of the original 'Cui Lu', making it the first of the first clans among the Jia surnames, ranking first in the world."

Xue Zhongzhu sneered and interrupted:

"You finally compromised and bowed your heads. Wei Zhao almost banned all of you from marrying, breaking your backbone that has stood up for hundreds of years."

Li Wan smiled awkwardly and sighed softly:

"That can't be said. There are some compromises involved, but it's not a loss either. We still pushed back the hand that the sage extended. You have to know that from the very beginning, the sage and the two kings of the Wei family who were fanning the flames behind the scenes were aiming to dismember the Five Clans. The newly revised "Clan Records" of this dynasty was just an introduction and an excuse to show off their power.

“The Saint had actually wanted to do this a long time ago, but he was interrupted by major events such as the Yingzhou Rebellion and the Southwest Kuangfu Army Rebellion, so he kept it secret.

"And this time we were able to resolve the issue safely and stay quiet for a few years. The east wind we relied on was actually similar... The Saint, King Wei and King Liang originally wanted to take advantage of the completion of the Great Zhou Songde Tianshu to blackmail us. We, the Five Surnames and Seven Families, had no choice but to go and observe the Tianshu ceremony. Under layers of oppression, the old patriarch of the Cui family was even prepared to sacrifice a special Cui family lady to marry someone from another family to make a public statement..."

At this point, Li Wan heaved a sigh of relief and smiled:

“Fortunately, the eldest princess and the goddesses of your clan had great magical powers and peerless swordsmanship. They destroyed the Donglin Giant Buddha in Xunyang, Jiangzhou, and incredibly caused the four statues of gods and the Songde Tianshu to collapse together, making the huge amount of effort spent by the Wei family and the palace Sitianjian go to waste.

"Now the Saint's mind is not on us, the Five Surnames and Seven Nobles, and the rampant Wei Kings have also calmed down and dare not provoke us again.

"My Lady, I was wrong to use some rhetoric and try to be clever before. I really wanted to send Jinghong to Jianze.

"This time, I am traveling south with Jinghong to worship our ancestors. I admire you and your noble family so much, and I am filled with gratitude...

"Jinghong has loved swords since he was young, just like his aunt. In the past, his grandfather and father locked him up in the attic to study, but he often practiced swordsmanship by breaking branches. His aunt taught him a few moves, and he practiced them diligently. Although I, like his father, opposed it at first, I watched silently.

"It is said that where there is a will there is a way. Jinghong is still determined. Who says that men from the Fanyang Lu family must study? Isn't her aunt also a role model? She can save the family from danger even without studying.

"If we can send Jinghong to your clan, he doesn't need to be as gifted as his aunt, but only needs to learn a few moves. It will be a great honor. If his father knew about it, he would definitely be pleased. Well, the aunt would be pleased too."

After Li Wan finished speaking, she knelt down to express her gratitude with true feelings.

The yard became quiet for a moment.

Lu Jinghong, who was obsessed with mysophobia, didn't care about the dust on the ground. He knelt on one knee with a plop, supporting his sword with his hand:
"Your Excellency, the Great Lady, I hope you can give me another chance. Your clan is a holy land of swordsmanship, and countless swordsmen in the world dream of coming here. I... I have heard that..."

He was a little excited, and his words were a little tongue-tied:
“I have heard about your sect’s three rules of not accepting people, and your sect has always accepted girls but not boys. Only top swordsmen can stay and practice in seclusion if they come to the lake to ask for swordsmanship… I have always thought that I would never be destined to be with your sect in this life, but I didn’t know that my little aunt actually has such a connection with your sect… It’s just like a dream.

"Also, Your Excellency, the Grand Lady, although I was born in a clan, I have hated those high-ranking officials since I was young. I have stayed in Zhuo County, Fanyang for many years and avoided the fame and fortune in Luoyang. I also don't want to associate with those dandy boys who like to divide circles based on family background... In short, I am just like my aunt, obsessed with swordsmanship!"

There was some silence in the courtyard, and the eldest lady seemed to be making final considerations.

Outside, Lu Jinghong spoke more and more fluently:

"Your Excellency, the eldest lady, you may not know that when I was in my hometown, the thing that made me happiest was the news from the Tiannan River and Lake.

"At that time, I heard that the giant Buddha in Xingzifang, Jiangzhou, was destroyed by you, who are so brave, and that extremely wise Hermit King!
"You, my lady, are such a proud person, so arrogant and unruly, yet you are willing to cooperate with the hidden Lord, who is hiding in the dark. You first show weakness to the enemy, lure the tiger away from the mountain, and personally condescend to cover for Lord Hidden Lord, so that he can destroy the Buddha with one sword and leave gracefully. This tacit cooperation is simply amazing...

"When I heard that, my heart was overwhelmed, and my admiration for you and Lord Yin was like a surging river."

Lu Jinghong kept talking, completely unaware that the atmosphere in the courtyard ahead was gradually becoming silent.

He looked like a little fanboy, his eyes full of longing, and waved his hand and said:

"Big Lady, let's not talk about anything else. Just ask, which sect in the world has such a friendship of sharing life and death? I believe that in Jianze, the relationship between the Hidden Lord and the other Lady Lords is also very harmonious. With such a united will and the Hidden Lord's Dingjian in charge, it is no wonder that the Xunyang Giant Buddha was destroyed so easily this time, and even the unfortunate Tianshu was destroyed with it, it was really easy..."

But the next second, a cold voice like snow candle suddenly came from the courtyard:

"you shut up!"

Under the moon, there was a strong sword energy like snow-white moonlight filling the yard.

The air suddenly became silent.

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(PS: I can’t update on time at 2 o’clock tonight QAQ. The main reason is that without the constraint of the o’clock deadline, Xiaorong will write very slowly, choosing words and sentences carefully. For example, this chapter has been written since yesterday morning and is only finished now...or)

(End of this chapter)