Chapter 118 Chapter 40

In autumn, when the night became cold, Li Ce's figure gradually disappeared among the fiery red pomegranate trees, and only a faint fragrance of Du Ruo remained on the slender bluestone path, lingering in the breath, like the fresh air of a cold moon. Hui.The lotus flowers in the Qingchi in front of Mi He's residence are all gone, and it's a black mess, and the weeds are reborn. With the autumn wind, the courtyard looks even more desolate. Chu Qiao was dressed in light silk, and walked slowly towards the bedroom. The wind blew away her long hair, like a fluttering butterfly, fluttering its wings in the air, dancing messily.

Miheju occupies a very large area, with more than 30 buildings in a row, with undulating heights, shoulder to shoulder with Linz, and the scenery is excellent. You can imagine what it was like at the peak of the day.Chu Qiao walked quietly on the secluded path, and from time to time, a branch of a flower-stained tree hung down, gently touching her brow.The embroidered shoes were extremely thin, and it was a little cool to step on the bluestone slab. A gust of wind blew in, and a faint smell of wine inhaled softly. A man in Tsing Yi stood indifferently, raised his head slightly, and looked directly at his boudoir.

"Who's there?" The woman's crisp voice broke the silence of the cold night and startled a line of egrets above the clear pond. The man turned his head in surprise, Chu Qiao looked at him, and was stunned for a moment, unexpectedly unable to speak. This person is so similar to Li Ce in appearance, at first glance in such a night, it is almost a person. But in the next second, Chu Qiao dismissed this ridiculous idea, just because their auras were so different that it was hard to compare. The man held the phoenix tree in his hand, and stood quietly amidst the fragrance of moonlight and flowers in the autumn night. There was a faint moonlight covering his beautiful appearance, which was so cold, with a faint, vague melancholy.Like the snow and frost on the eaves at the end of autumn, he looked at her quietly, and then slowly frowned.

"Who are you?" The light and shadow were sparse, and the clear pool in the distance glowed faintly. The man's voice was extremely cold, like water breaking through ice, flowing quietly without any emotion. With just one glance, Chu Qiao knew that this person was an extraordinary person, she stepped forward politely, and said softly, "I am a person who lives here, may I ask who is your Excellency?" The man seemed to be taken aback, his eyes were blank for a moment, he sighed, and then said as if talking to himself: "Oh, it turns out that there are already people living here."

The moonlight shone on the man's skirt, emitting a clear and white luster. Chu Qiao knew that she should have said something at this time, and then turned and left to avoid causing trouble, but some words were stuck in her throat. She couldn't bear to interrupt the man's thoughts by making a sound.I can only be silent, let the cold autumn wind shuttle through the leaves, leaving only the sound of sorghum, like rippling water waves. The man walked slowly from the parasol tree, stepping on the stone steps one step at a time. The breeze on the stage blew up the autumn leaves of the parasol tree on the ground, and the faint dust floated up, making Chu Qiao half-close her eyes. He stretched out his white hand to cover his forehead.

"It's backed by Taiqing Lake, and the wind is always strong. Remember to wear a hood when you come out." Chu Qiao was taken aback for a moment, and looked at each other for an instant, but only saw the depth and silence in the man's eyes like the deep sea. "Thank you, I've been out for a long time, I'm afraid the maid is already looking for it, so I'm leaving first. The night is cold and windy, sir, please go back early." Chu Qiao knew that there was no need to ask the other party's identity, and even if she asked, he might not be able to tell, so she politely said goodbye and wanted to leave.

Unexpectedly, the man didn't seem to hear half of it, he was still stuck in place, looking at her quietly, his voice was like a misty mist: "The prince loves you very much, right?" Chu Qiao knew that he must have mistook herself for Li Ce's favorite concubine just like others, so she did not refute immediately, she bowed quietly, and said, "Farewell." "But you haven't answered my question yet." Chu Qiao frowned slightly, and when she turned around, she saw that he didn't intend to challenge her lightly, but was very persistently waiting for her to reply.

"Do you know that if I am really His Royal Highness's favorite concubine, what you are doing now is very inappropriate." The man was slightly taken aback, and then said: "I haven't been back to the palace for a long time, I didn't know there were people living here, sorry." Chu Qiao said calmly, "Those who don't know don't blame it, but now that you know it, shouldn't you avoid it?" The man laughed dumbfoundedly, nodded and said, "Sure enough, they are somewhat similar." Chu Qiao frowned, and said: "Sir, you came here late at night, your words are vague, and you still don't want to reveal your identity. If I hadn't seen you with a dignified posture and a good demeanor, I would have tied you up as a disciple in all likelihood. Are you still lingering here at this time, aren't you afraid of making trouble for yourself?"

The man was stunned for a while, and then said, "I'm sorry, it's too forgetful to miss my old friend." "It's okay to get carried away for a while, as long as you remember to restrain yourself in time, this is the palace after all, Bian Tang attaches great importance to etiquette, there is no harm in being careful." The man nodded with a light smile, then slightly cupped his hands and walked towards Mi Heju.After taking two steps, she suddenly turned around again, pointed to the high eaves, and said, "There is a string of wind chimes over there, covered by dust. If you have time, you might as well ask the palace servants to clean them. Crisp and very pleasing to the ear.”

"Thank you sir for reminding me." The man smiled lightly, his eyes were very gentle, he nodded and said, "I am King Luo." The moon moved westward for a few more minutes, and the green shirt lightly brushed over the dusty jade steps like floating clouds. Chu Qiao watched him gradually move away, but her heart became colder inch by inch. King Luo? King Luo... When she returned to the palace, Qiu Sui was waiting for her with her eyelids closed, obviously this girl knew when Li Ce came. "Girl, you are back!" Seeing Chu Qiao, the little girl was overjoyed, she jumped up and said: "My servant has prepared lotus seed soup, girl, drink a bowl before going to sleep."

Holding the warm white jade soup bowl in her hand, Chu Qiao suddenly lost interest in tasting delicious food.She raised her head and asked, "Qiu Sui, do you know King Luo?" Qiusui was taken aback, frowned slightly, and said, "Miss, why do you ask this?" "It's nothing, just asking casually, don't say anything inconvenient." "Hey, it's not inconvenient, but..." There was no one in the palace, but the little maid still glanced around, and then leaned into Chu Qiao's ear and said, "This is a scandal in the palace, and everyone generally doesn't like it." Dare to discuss it." Chu Qiao raised her eyebrows: "A scandal?" "That's right, Lord Luo's father, King Lushan, is the emperor's uncle. When the emperor ascended the throne, King Lushan fell ill and died for unknown reasons. It is said that when the emperor was young, he was even more mischievous than the present prince. Dissuaded by the civil and military forces of the full court, he forced his aunt to marry his aunt in spite of the world. Two years later, the princess gave birth to a son for the emperor, who is the current prince. On that day, eight veteran ministers of the imperial court died in admonishment and crashed to death on the Fengming Terrace, but the emperor did not change his mind. For more than 20 years, he had only favored the queen, and the position in the middle palace was as solid as gold, and no one could Shake." "That is to say?" "That is to say, King Luo is not only the prince's uncle, but also the prince's half-brother. The king of Lushan died early. When the queen married, Luo Wang had just turned 100 days, and he followed the queen into the palace. , before the age of twenty, he grew up with the crown prince in the palace." "Oh my god," Chu Qiao lowered her head and sighed softly, thinking of that plainly dressed lady, she couldn't help but sigh. "Did the prince and King Luo grow up together in this palace?" "Nope," Qiu Sui bit her lower lip slightly, and said, "The Prince and King Luo lived with the Empress in Qianhua Palace, and this Mihe Residence is Princess Fu's bedroom." Chu Qiao raised her eyebrows lightly: "Princess Fu?" "Well, Princess Fu is not a real princess, she is the granddaughter of Old General Murong, the Lord of the Town. The Murong family is a large military family in our country. Old General Murong served the country all his life, and his four sons all died for the country on the battlefield. Old General Murong was also bloody on the battlefield during the last Northern Expedition. At that time, the traitors were causing trouble, and Daxia’s army broke through Baizhi Pass. At that time, Meng Tian, ​​who was the leader of Daxia’s army, ordered to kill 30,000 of our soldiers, in order to protect the whole city. It is already sixty years old Mrs. Murong and her four daughters-in-law led the family army of the Murong clan to fight against the enemy, delaying time, and finally waited for the reinforcements from the border town, but the Murong clan was wiped out in this battle. The young masters of the eleven families fled, and by the time they saw the gate of the imperial capital, Princess Fu, who was only four years old, was left alone. The emperor praised the loyalty and bravery of the Murong clan, and made the old general Murong the Duke of Zhen. Mrs. Murong is the first-class Mrs. Hua Rong, and her sons were all enshrined as marquises, and Princess Fu was also enshrined as Princess Zhangyi, raised in the palace, and enjoyed the same offerings as Crown Prince Luo Wang and others." This passage was short, but Chu Qiao was secretly startled when she heard it. This Murong clan can also be said to be the contemporary Yang family of the Song Dynasty.She was fascinated by it, and asked, "Then what happened next?" "Later..." Qiusui bit her lower lip, meditated for a while, and then whispered: "Later, Princess Fu died." Chu Qiao was startled: "Dead?" "Princess Fu and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince are in the same age, and they have played together since they were young. The Emperor and the Empress intend to bestow honor on the Murong clan, regardless of her family's decline, so when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Princess Fu were seventeen years old, they personally married them. , Feng Princess Fu is the Crown Princess, and the family enshrines the imperial ancestral temple." Chu Qiao listened quietly, but she didn't take it seriously.The Murong family is loyal and brave. Although the entire family has declined, it has irreplaceable influence and appeal in the army. Princess Fu's marriage to the royal family can be regarded as a consolidation of the royal family. "But later, on the day of the wedding, Princess Fu hanged herself." "What?" Chu Qiao's expression changed immediately, she frowned and asked, "Suicide?" "That's right," Qiusui said in a low voice with a pale face, "It is written in the royal decree that Princess Fu died of illness, but Qiusui grew up in the palace and witnessed everything with her own eyes. When the prince welcomed the bride His carriage had already arrived at Mi Heju. His Highness the Crown Prince was wearing a red brocade robe, holding a rose ball in his hand, happily followed the ceremony officer into the bedroom, but he didn't see Princess Fu. Everyone panicked and went around In the end, His Royal Highness was the first to find Princess Fu, and everyone ran to the apse, and saw Princess Fu in a wedding dress, with a three-foot white silk hanging from her head, hanging on the sycamore tree outside the window." The night wind blows, carrying a light moonlight, icy cold. "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince yelled loudly at that time and passed out. I followed my mother back then, and I was the little girl in the wedding party. My mother and other court girls rushed to put Princess Fu down. I stepped back in fear. He stumbled on a stone and fell to the ground. He cried and cried, but at a glance he saw under the pomegranate tree at the foot of the stone steps, Luo Wang was wearing a blue robe and his face was as white as a ghost, standing quietly behind the crowd. Looking at the sycamore tree with red eyes, he didn't say a word, and clenched his fists tightly, as if he was about to squeeze out water." Qiusui's eyes were red, and she sniffled lightly: "Later, all the aunts and aunts of the wedding party were secretly executed. I was spared because I was not yet nine years old. After my mother died, I I have been serving in the palace all the time, but since then I have not seen King Luo. He only returns to the palace once a year on the Queen’s birthday, and rarely goes out. I heard that he was sent to Meishan, saying It’s guarding the spirit on behalf of the Son of Heaven, and in a blink of an eye, it’s been more than six years.” Chu Qiao nodded slowly, only feeling depressed for a while.Is it another secret history of the palace? She has seen it too much. "Actually, His Royal Highness was not like this before. It was only after the death of Princess Fu that she gradually became depressed. The girl has never seen Princess Fu. She is really a fairy. Not only is she noble, but she is also very kind to people. Back then, none of the little female officials in the palace did not receive her favor. I just never thought that such a gentle person would have the courage to walk such a path in the end." Chu Qiao lightly shook her head: "How can such a loyal and famous family be as gentle as water, I am afraid that the blood flowing in the bones is boiling hot, she is a person who would rather be broken than broken, but unfortunately, she did not have the ability to protect herself back then , and did not entrust it to a person capable of protecting her." Qiusui seemed to understand, Chu Qiao patted her on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Qiu Sui, do you like the imperial palace?" The little maid was confused for a moment, she murmured: "I don't know either, my mother was a female official in the palace, and was pointed out by the Queen Mother to the father of Guanzheng in the Museum of Literature and History, and later gave birth to me. I was born here, never I have never been out before, and I am used to seeing concubines and wives in various palaces vying for favor and cheating. The two masters I have seen in my life are the girl and the wife. The slaves can’t say whether they like it or not, but whether they like it or not, life is not always Do you have to live like this?" Chu Qiao was taken aback for a moment, then smiled lightly and said, "You're right, whether you accept it or not, you have to live like this. Since I haven't seen it before, I can only choose to be content with the status quo." She lowered her head, flicked the little girl's head, and said, "Qiu Sui, the outside is different from here, you can talk loudly, you can walk with big strides, you can go wherever you want, as long as you work, you can get paid , you can live the life you want, outside, even the wind is free.” The little maid was a little confused, she murmured and asked: "Then, if I don't want to get up in the morning and want to sleep in, is it okay?" Chu Qiao laughed: "Of course, but you will be deducted wages." "Wow!" Qiusui suddenly became excited, grabbed Chu Qiao's hand, and asked, "Miss, is Yanbei like this? Is it?" Chu Qiao looked at her with distant eyes, far away from that of a seventeen-year-old girl, as if she could see far away through the autumn ears, saw the green evening grass in Yanbei, saw the white sheep, and looked at her. To the holy snow mountain... "I don't know if it's like that now, because I haven't been there, but I promise you that one day, everything will become true, so you have to live well." Chu Qiao stood up, looked at the sycamore tree with dense branches and leaves in front of the window, and thought of the lonely man in the blue shirt. "Thousands of miles of tung flowers, even the Korean language is endless. In the next life, don't be born in the emperor's house." Early the next morning, the sound of the wheels of the escorting carriage shattered the good dreams of the morning. Chu Qiao didn't disturb anyone, packed up her simple luggage, and boarded the carriage. Tie You smiled at Chu Qiao and said, "Girl, it's getting cold, there is dry food in the carriage, you haven't eaten yet." Chu Qiao nodded: "Thank you very much." Tie You obviously knew her real identity, smiled honestly, and said: "The few battles that Miss Chu fought in Daxia have become a model for the martial arts class. My son likes you very much and talks about you all day long." Chu Qiao looked at the man, was slightly taken aback, and asked, "Your son? How old are you this year?" Tie You smiled and said, "I am twenty-five years old, my son is eleven, I got married at fourteen, and just got another daughter." Chu Qiao whispered secretly, fourteen years old... What Li Luo said was right, the wind here is indeed very strong, Chu Qiao wore a hood, opened the curtain of the carriage, and felt the wind howling, like a windmill.The early morning sun, with its golden warmth, sprinkled on the entire Jinwu Palace, and the towers, waterside pavilions, and majestic palace in the distance gradually moved away like a prosperous dream.Floating clouds, shallow and shallow, the garden is full of peach colors, crimson willows and green, embracing a pool of clear clear water, the misty mist reveals the auspiciousness of the royal family, the marble square is quiet, only this carriage, slowly in the morning light Move forward slowly, revealing mottled shadows. Chu Qiao raised her head and looked up at the floating clouds in the sky. Thinking of Li Ce's eyes and eyebrows leaning under the crabapple tree, her eyes gradually blurred. "Happily walking in the daytime, facing the east and returning to the west at dusk, I hope you can really do this." The carriage gradually moved away, and finally disappeared among the palaces.Li Ce, who couldn't get up early, was standing on a rockery in Lanque Palace at the moment. The rockery was extremely high, and green bamboos were planted all over it. When the breeze blew, the trees moved. There was a bamboo pavilion on the mountain, which was ingeniously built It's very delicate.Li Ce was dressed in a turquoise robe, with a golden crown on his head, holding a purple flute, and held it by his mouth. He wanted to play it a few times, but he couldn't make it. The clouds in the sky were faint, covering the thousands of buildings below, and a row of axles in the distance, pulling up faint smoke and dust. "Your Highness," A man in a blue shirt walked up the rockery quickly, with a rare dignified expression, and said in a deep voice: "There is something in the front hall early, you should go and have a look." Li Ce turned his head, his face was no longer as calm and gentle as before, he frowned slightly, and said in a deep voice, "What's the matter?" Sun Di also looked serious, frowning tightly, and said in a deep voice: "Big Xia's princess and relatives have an accident."