Spring Courtyard Forbidden Pet

"So how did you deal with them yesterday?"

On the second day, Li Xuan took Ye Zhen's hand and asked her curiously on the way up the mountain.

Ye Zhen didn't sleep well that night, and dozed off on his shoulder. "Jing Lan held the book you gave him and pestered them to talk about it, so I got away."

Li Xuan laughed and gently touched her cheek, "Thank you for your hard work. Xuanfeng and Buer have high status in the sect. The sect master is in seclusion, and there is no one to supervise them. They are usually bored and like to tease the disciples."

"With these two people on the mountain, it's not boring at all."

Ye Zhen was no longer sleepy. "Who will Jing Lan worship when he arrives at the Qing Sect?"

"Can I pay my respects to the Second Master?"

Ye Jinglan admired Li Xuan'an the most, and it would be great if he could become his disciple. Moreover, he was physically disabled, and coming here for treatment would inevitably trouble others. If Li Xuan'an was his master, others would treat him better for Li Xuan'an's sake.

"I'm not saying that other Dao Masters are bad. It's just that Jing Lan is most familiar with the Second Master. He has a lonely personality and is not likable. What if he makes other Dao Masters unhappy?"

Ye Zhen's voice was not loud, but the words "worry about her brother" were written all over her face.

Li Xuan'an gently rubbed circles on the back of her hand with his fingertips, "I don't accept disciples. Only the Quanzhen Sect's masters accept disciples. Besides, I go in and out of the court..."

He didn't say what came next, but Ye Zhen could understand. He was worried that he would be implicated one day, and not only would he not be able to benefit his children, but he would also most likely bring disaster to them.

Ye Zhen thought of the tone he used when talking about the Crown Prince and the Queen, and her heart tightened for no reason.

Li Xuan turned to ask her, "What do you want Jinglan to learn? He has a very good understanding of Taoism. Maybe in two years he can represent the Qing Sect and discuss with other schools."

"Ye Yunsheng and your mother are proficient in medicine. Jing Lan can also follow Taoist Master Bu Er."

"Master Fuji is a humorous person. Following him, life will be more relaxed."

Ye Zhen was silent for a moment. In her mind, she hoped that Jing Lan would study medicine, so that her mother's lineage would not be without successors. Besides, he would be able to take care of himself, which would make her feel more at ease.

But Ye Jinglan obviously prefers to go to the Tao.

"Let him decide for himself."

Li Xuan'an's eyes flashed with surprise when he heard this, "You two have such a good relationship."

Ye Zhen felt a bit of envy in his sigh, but then she thought that he also had a brother, Li Chengge. Unfortunately, when it came to the quality of their relationship, it was probably not even worth the word "emotion".

Li Chengge watched them go up the mountain. Li Xuan said something to him, but he shook his head and didn't follow. Before leaving, he deliberately looked in the direction of Ye Zhen, but he didn't get her gaze. When he left, his back looked indescribably lonely.

But Ye Zhen actually felt it in that look. It reminded her of the time before she was strangled to death in her previous life. Li Chengge looked at her with regret in his eyes and said that he would pamper her well in hell.

The fact is that she was reborn, and hell is enough for Li Chengge.

*

The Qing Sect was even more magnificent than Ye Zhen had imagined. From a distance, it looked like a fairy palace in the clouds. From time to time, white cranes came in and out with long hisses. There were also Taoists flying swords through the clouds and mountain tops, playing and frolicking with the white cranes.

Ye Zhen, Liu Xia and the others were seeing it for the first time and were so surprised that they couldn't close their mouths, as if they were in the sky above the clouds.

Ye Jinglan's astonishment was all written in his eyes, and he could even point out the buildings in the sect and talk about them one by one, which made Xuanfeng and Buer like him even more. Since last night, these two people have liked him very much, and they also protected him on the way up the mountain, one on the left and one on the right, which made Li Xuan'an seem less attractive.

Of course Bu Er wanted to accept Ye Jinglan as his disciple, while Xuan Feng was intent on finding out about Li Xuan and Ye Zhen, but Ye Jinglan's mouth was tighter than anything else. Today, he suddenly felt that it would be a good idea for this kid to come to the Discipline Hall and it would be nice to have him manage the files.

But in fact, Xuanfeng misunderstood Ye Jinglan. He was not keeping a tight lipped, he just really didn't know.

As soon as Li Xuan'an entered the sect, many disciples in the courtyard put down their work and shouted in unison, "Welcome to the Imperial Master."

The sound from the front yard spread to the back yard and then to the side halls, and then the sound of welcoming continued to be heard from afar. It took a full quarter of an hour for it to stop. Not to mention Liuxia and Rongfei, even Ye Zhen subconsciously took a half step back, not daring to stand shoulder to shoulder with Li Xuan.

After Li Xuanan found out, he grabbed her wrist with his backhand and said in a voice that couldn't be any softer, "Come with me."

Wherever he passed, there were Taoist children kneeling on the ground to worship him. Some of the Taoist priests with high status who were standing on the steps waving their whisks and bowing had to lower their eyes and heads when they saw him.

Li Xuan first returned to his Shanyuan Hall. As expected, there were Taoist children from various halls waiting outside with thick books in their arms for him to review.

He asked Yun Zhui to arrange accommodation for Ye Zhen and Ye Jinglan, while he himself worked non-stop to deal with important matters of the sect, and asked someone to deliver the things he brought back to the place where the sect master was in seclusion.

Ye Zhen simply had some snacks and then stayed in the house to look at books and ancient paintings. Since it was a Taoist holy place, it was not appropriate to go out casually.

Ye Zhen tried very hard to read it, but eventually fell asleep without realizing it.

When I woke up, it was dark.

The Taoist boy brought dinner, but Ye Zhen didn't have much of an appetite. It wasn't that she disliked the vegetables and tofu, but the taste... It felt like it was just boiled in water.

"Second Master, are you still busy?" Ye Zhen pushed aside the dishes and asked Liuxia.

Liuxia nodded, "There are so many paths in and out, I don't know when it will be finished."

"I asked the young Taoist priest who brought us food, and he said that the sect master had been in seclusion a year ago, and no one knew when he would come out. Although each sect has its own elders in charge, all important matters must be reviewed by the Second Master."

"Second Master has been away for the past few months, and each family has just finished summarizing their work from the first half of the year, so the number of cases has increased."

Ye Zhen felt distressed as she thought that Li Xuan's waist injury had not yet fully healed. "Since there are so many things to do, there is no need to rush to deal with them all in one day."

"I thought so too, but the little Taoist said that what was sent now is urgent and can only be processed after the approval of the Second Master." Liuxia thought to herself, with such a large sect, there are many factions and naturally many things to do. The Second Master might be busier than the emperor in the palace.

Ye Zhen looked through the window and saw so many Taoists coming and going in the yard, "Do you know if Second Master has had his meal?"

Liuxia knew that she felt sorry for Li Xuan, so she said with a smile, "Second Miss, the Second Master is the treasure of the sect, how can we let him work on an empty stomach?"

Ye Zhen thought so too, and couldn't help but laugh at herself, and asked, "Where's Jing Lan?"

"The young master has difficulty walking, so the second master asked the Taoist priest in charge of registration to take people to the young master's room. Don't worry."

Hearing Liuxia's words, Ye Zhen felt relieved and apologetic. He was so busy and yet he had not neglected these things.

When there were fewer people in the courtyard, Ye Zhen pushed the window open a little, sat by the window and drank tea, watching Li Xuan sitting at the desk and carefully reading a thick book, frowning and making a few strokes from time to time, and sometimes writing something seriously.

The flickering candlelight made him look even thinner, and his long eyelashes fluttered. From Ye Zhen's perspective, it seemed like he was about to touch the pen several times.

If he had not practiced Taoism and had pursued a career in politics, he would most likely have been a good official who cared about the people's livelihood.

Ye Zhen suddenly thought of what he said, what if one day she found out that he wasn't that good... She didn't think much about it at the time, but now her eyelids twitched for no reason. Why would he ask that for no reason?

Rumor has it that the Imperial Master is arrogant and aloof, and refused to give any talismans to the Queen even after she asked for them several times. Could it be that Li Xuan'an has a grudge against the Queen?

In the previous life, Ye Zhen helped Li Xuan to marry the prince, and finally the whole Marquisate was honored. If there was a grudge between the Marquisate and the Queen and the prince, it would not have been successful in the previous life.

That means either Taoist Chen Buchu or Li Xuan himself has a grudge against them.

It’s not a life-and-death feud, but an emotional dispute?

The dust is not from the Taoist priest and the prince?

impossible.

The Taoist priest Chen Buchu and the Queen? For whom? For Marquis Dingyuan?

Marquis Dingyuan gave up his title for the sake of Taoist Priest Chen Que and traveled abroad for many years. The two of them were in love with each other.

So that's impossible.

Li Xuan and the prince?

Even if two people who have never had any contact with each other really have a grudge against each other, what is the reason?

Otherwise, Li Xuan and the Queen?

Ye Zhen shook her head. Li Xuan and Meng Qianru were about the same.

She thought so much but not only did she have no clue, she also had a slight headache. Suddenly the window opened and Li Xuan'an's gentle voice came over, "How could you be so distracted when you peeked at me?"

"Is it true that I can no longer attract the Second Young Lady's full attention?"