Chapter 1 Lan's Chaojun

He has returned.
He actually came back.
有声音在她耳边回荡，“女郎，昔日得罪过他的人，被他剜去膝盖骨，钉在寒冰上，尸体现今还挂在姑苏的城墙……”
Inside the grand hall.
The bell chimes of the Dachen echoed through the air, striking twelve times, each one pounding heavily on her heart.
Adi pushed the door open and said, "Miss, he has returned."
She couldn't hold onto the cup anymore, and it shattered like a pear flower. The crisp sound made her jump like a frightened bird.
She tried to pick up the broken porcelain on the ground, but her fingers trembled uncontrollably. A huge fear swept over her, and her fingers curled up and then let go.
He came back, what should she do? Is she having a muscle cramp or pulling out her bones?
She felt chilled all over and closed her eyes in despair.
…………
Someone entered with a sword, stepping on her heart step by step.
She knelt on the cold floor, his sword pointed straight at her.
Finally, he let go.
Inside the Hall of Golden Chimes, sandalwood smoke wafted through the air.
He sat perched on the dragon throne.
She was slowly stripped of her garments, the cold metal of his grasp rubbing against her skin inch by inch. She trembled with humiliation, but dared not move. Then someone lowered their head and captured her lips, leaving her quivering with shame and tears streaming down her face.
After a while, he hugged her tightly and asked, "My lady, am I worthy of you?"
She closed her eyes and he looked at her, using his sword hand to wipe away the tears on her cheek. "My lady, please don't cry."
He was delighted to be with her, while she felt humiliated in his presence.
Eventually, he held her tightly and headed towards the pagoda...
——Prologue
A carriage slowly arrived in front of the largest Yunxiang Academy in the Great Chen Kingdom.
A pure white jade hand lifted the curtain gracefully and came down smoothly. The person wearing it was dressed in a waist-length Ai green robe with lotus flowers embroidered on the skirt, with patches of fine silk and lotus leaves intertwining. The pale green sleeves fluttered like startled swans and danced like elegant dragons, creating a stunning sight from afar.
A pair of tender and affectionate eyes, with a smile that subtly moves the dimples, conveying emotions through the eyebrows and eyes. But when paired with a pair of jet-black thick eyebrows, it adds three points of virility to the originally delicate and beautiful features, making them even more exquisite and stunning. People can only exclaim that there are indeed beauties as if born in heaven.
这正是专以美人著称的大陈兰氏嫡长女——兰Chaojun。
“这是何人？”美人悠悠然止步，声音清冷。
有婢女道“女郎，这是个奴隶。”随后又贴耳低声言：“这个奴隶是孙家小公子带进来做侍读的，前几日冲撞了表小姐，表小姐罚他跪在这里。”
兰Chaojun饶有兴致的看过去，跪的人一身青色长衫，在雨后天青色中略显单薄。他跪在青石地板上，还未干的石板浸湿了他的膝盖，青色长衫上血迹斑斑，全是鞭痕，好生狼狈。
跪的人原本低垂的目光竟也遥遥看来，这一眼，四目相对，兰Chaojun只觉得此人墨眉如画，容貌昳丽。倒也理解了孙家小郎君为何费尽心机把一个奴隶弄进云潇书院。
She found it quite amusing and walked towards him, lifting her foot. Her fair hand stroked her chin as she said, "Truly a beautiful person, but unfortunately not my type. Otherwise, I would have rescued you."
"Cousin, elder sister-" a voice came from afar, before seeing the person, one could already hear the voice, it was the only daughter of the main branch of the Wang family in Gusu, Princess Hongan Weng.
A young girl warmly held Lan Chaojun's arm, different from her previous arrogance, she was full of playfulness, "Cousin, you arrived later than me today."
Lan Chaojun played with the red whip around the waist of the young girl, gesturing with some meaning, "See, it's him you're looking at. An An, you really don't know how to appreciate beauty. Look at her, such a beauty, and you've beaten her like this."
弘安翁主抬了抬下巴，“阿姐你还不知道我么，我最讨厌这种卑贱的奴隶。”说着她又抬脚踩在了那个奴隶的背脊上，用力碾了碾，彻底踩弯了美人的脊背。
“好了，进学堂吧。”
却不知那奴隶匍匐在地，嘴角无声轻嘲，被弘安翁主厌恶比被孙家郎君喜爱得好。
一双黑色布鞋映入眼帘，他猜测又是哪个世家贵人来踩他一脚，借此讨好弘安翁主表明立场。来人却缓缓蹲下，冷得有些发白的手递给他一张方巾。
He pretended to tremble and spoke in a subservient tone, "Thank you, Young Master." He dared not look up at him.
The Young Master chuckled lightly and stood up, full of disdain. He walked away step by step, Young Master? A husband? He was nothing but a dog of the Lan family, no different from this slave kneeling on the ground. He gazed into the distance quietly:
远处依旧有欢声笑语传来——
“阿姐，若不是阿翁非架着我来建安听学，我真不来，听那老夫子啰嗦，无趣极了。”
“学堂也有学堂的趣味，若是在家中——”兰Chaojun狡黠一笑，吊足了王安的胃口，才缓缓道“哪里看得到这么多美郎君啊。”
"Sister, the men here are extremely boring. If one wants a beauty, it must be Su Lou. Sister, will you go there tonight?"
"Of course."
A group of people walked into the school, not to mention how many husbands were attracted to them on the way.
兰Chaojun刚一落座，夫子便进了学堂。
“君子戒慎乎其所不睹，恐惧乎其所不闻。莫见乎隐，莫显乎微。故君子慎其独也。弘安翁主，此句何解？”
王安猛然起立，桌椅一声响动，显然是从睡梦中惊醒，Chaojun侧头向后看去，果然看到自家小表妹，一脸懵逼。
自家小表妹，自然是要维护的。何况她是夫子的得意门生，自然是不惧的，她站起，“夫子，此句我代表妹解，这句话是说呢，君子在没有人看见的地方也是谨慎的，在没有人听见的地方也是有所戒惧的。越是隐蔽的地方越是明显，越是细微的地方越是显著。所以，君子在一人独处的时候也是谨慎的。”
Only listened to Confucius saying, "Very good. Princess Hongan should learn from your cousin, be diligent and work hard. Today, I will punish you to copy this sentence one hundred times, remember to hand it in to me tomorrow. Lord Wangcheng entrusted me to teach Princess Hongan well, and the princess should also fulfill this expectation. Do not use servants to do your work and deceive me again."
夫子此言，成功引起底下一片哄堂大笑。众人心里暗示，憋住，憋住，想想翁主的软鞭，想想兰家女郎。
……
兰Chaojun回到家中，一顿梳洗打扮，正准备往素楼去，却被一人拦住。
"Miss, you cannot go. The family head said you cannot go to Su Lou anymore."
Lan Chaojun smiled lightly, then turned cold. She walked towards the person, and then kicked his knee directly, making him cry out in pain and kneel down. Her blue embroidered shoes stepped on his shoulder and she asked, "Don't you want to see your husband in Su Lou? Do you really want to see him at home, my younger brother?"
She looked on with satisfaction as the person kneeling on the ground trembled for a moment before bowing down and speaking softly, "My dear younger brother, although your birth mother was from the flower house and your grandfather gave you the slave name, you cannot willingly lower yourself and seduce your elder half-sister. After all, the blood of the Lan clan still runs through your veins, don't you think so, younger brother?”
她漫不经心的托了托下巴，他却跪在地上颤抖，几乎是咬牙切齿，嘴唇蠕动，半响才听到自己的声音说，“谢谢嫡姐教导。”
Subsequently, she patted his cheek contentedly, seeming to enjoy his anger and tremble.
To the public, she was like a flower in the clouds, but to him, she was a demon in prison as his own sister.
兰Chaojun满意的扬长而去，处理了这个挡住她去路的兰姓家奴。
且独自一人登上素楼，楼下一片欢声笑语，各色郎君娘子琴瑟和鸣。兰Chaojun倚楼相望，对楼处有几个世家子在饮酒作乐，她淡然一笑，与他们举杯示意，却引得几位郎君纷纷错开目光，只注饮酒。
Chaojun之貌，倾国倾城，酒后尤盛，似不再清冷，遥不可及。
话说，有多少人来这素楼，不为赏郎君娘子，只为看兰氏Chaojun。
Some people whispered, "It is said that the Lan family has always been known for their beauty, but in this generation, there is only one daughter, Lan Chaojun. However, she is enough to complement the beauty of the Lan family's women."
“There is a saying, something like ‘you are a beauty from a noble family… the Lan clan’s women are all beautiful, but they don’t follow the rules of a virtuous woman. They love to visit the vegetable market, admire young lords and sons. Sigh… it’s a pity…”
Immediately, there were diehard fans who angrily exclaimed, "How dare you! This move shows that the lady is different from the rest. There are many extraordinary beauties in the secular world, but the beauty of the lady should only exist in heaven and is rarely seen in this world. How can she be confined to the inner courtyard like an ordinary woman?"
"The young lady is the only legitimate daughter of the Lan family and the only female. Naturally, she was raised to be delicate and charming, unafraid of the world and able to follow her heart. This year she will come of age, and with her current disposition, she may be at risk of being married off for convenience..."
There was a drunken aristocrat who suddenly stood up, his young face turning red as he said, "If a lady offers herself in marriage, even if I lose my status as an aristocrat, I will still fight for her..." which caused everyone to burst into laughter.
世家子弟中，偶有清明者，轻声道，“这兰家女郎，志不在此啊，早早打出才女名号，学堂得夫子爱重，怕是想要效仿建安王家嫡女，入仕为官啊。如此，真是道阻且长……”
素楼间欢声笑语，琴瑟和鸣，兰Chaojun倚楼，眺望四野，月明星稀，竟生出一种寂寥之感。
她浅笑倚楼呷酒，酒不醉人自醉，微风吹起大袖，谁说女子不能洒脱？竟也升出先人的那种意境：浩浩乎如冯虚御风，而不知其所止；飘飘乎如遗世独立，羽化而登仙。
With pear blossoms left behind, I strike a cup and sing: "On the slope of that pond, there are reeds and lotuses. There is a beautiful person, how can I not be wounded? In waking and in sleep, tears flow like rain. On the slope of that pond, there are reeds and pontederia. There is a beautiful person, big and curly. In waking and in sleep, my heart is filled with emotions. On the slope of that pond, there are reeds and water lilies. There is a beautiful person, big and dignified. In waking and in sleep, I toss and turn in bed..."
彼泽之陂，有蒲与荷。