Chapter 5 fifth water moon

"How much is this apricot flower?" The boundless darkness, because of this sentence, burst into light and light.The light was a glimmering point at first, and then burst into flames, unfolding a halo, and gradually diffused. "Ten pennies." Vaguely, a childish female voice answered.It was as if the drama had been written thousands of years ago, following the routine that she was familiar with but unfamiliar. As a result, a flower appeared in the halo, with dark brown branches, gray-red calyx, and white petals, all of which grew together densely, some were budding, and some were in full bloom.Because of the water, it looks more vivid.

She saw a hand reach out and take the flower away. Slender hands like jade, wide and fluttering white sleeves. The man's face was invisible in the darkness. She suddenly felt restless and wanted to pull his sleeves, but the figure was clearly close at hand, but in the next moment, it had already floated ten feet away. The distance of ten feet is faint, as if it has been a lifetime. do not go.do not go!Don't go... She saw her hands stretched like ramen noodles, spanning the distance that seemed like a floating life, and holding him tightly. Some kind of longing overflowed her chest, and tears followed. In the light and shadow, the white dress was peerless and independent, comparable to a banished immortal, but she held on tightly, desperately, not daring to let go.

"I hope..." she heard the innocent female voice say, with an instantly aged voice, "I hope that I will be sixty years old in no time. quietly waiting for death." "No, you should wait until you are sixteen." The man in white turned his head in front of him. He couldn't see his face clearly, but he could clearly feel the tenderness in his eyes. "I will marry you when I am sixteen." Her palpitations trembled a few times, full of surprises, she began to smile, grin, smile happily, and then ran towards him: "This is what you said, what you said must be counted! Don't deny it!"

The aperture became larger, and the thick black mist slowly dissipated, revealing the complete appearance of the man. She grabbed his hand, turned him around, and said, "Then I will wait for you to be sixteen years old, sixteen years old When you..." The sound stopped abruptly. The light reflected on the man's face, his eyebrows and eyes were curved, and he smiled affectionately, but it was not him. The man spoke with a provocative voice: "It's not wrong, I married you at the age of sixteen, and I didn't break my promise." She backed away in fright, but was pulled back by him, head to head, nose to nose, so close that she could sense the distance of each other's breathing.

"Not only that," the man said, took out a golden crown from behind, and put it on her head without any explanation, "I will also make you queen. Xihe, you will be the queen of Bi Kingdom." The golden crown sank like a mountain, and it was pressed down heavily.She let out a shrill cry, and suddenly woke up—— The night is as cool as water, the palace lanterns are dim, and the air has the aroma of ice musk ambergris, rotten and sweet. Xihe hugged the soft silk quilt, her pupils were dilated, and she didn't know where she was for a while.When she finally remembered that this was Baohua Palace, and she was lying on her ivory bed, she screamed again, jumped out of bed, and rushed out like crazy.

The palace servants were awakened by the sound, and hurriedly lit the lamps and put on their clothes to surround her. Seeing her rushing out of the inner room with disheveled hair, they couldn't help exclaiming: "Madam, where are you going, Madam? Madam, what happened? Where are you going..." Xihe opened the door as if he hadn't heard anything, and ran into the yard, running from east to west, and then back to east like a child, as if looking for something. Seeing that her clothes were thin and her feet were bare, the palace man was afraid of being cold, so he quickly took out his coat and put it on her, and said while tying the belt: "Ma'am, what are you looking for?"

Xihe stared blankly at the empty courtyard, and said blankly, "Apricot, apricot tree..." "Apricot tree?" One of the palace servants frowned and said in amazement, "The second day after Madam lived in Baohua Palace, she ordered people to cut down all the apricot trees in the palace. Madam, did you forget?" "Chop, chop, chop it all?" "Yes." After the bewildered palace maid finished speaking, they saw their master slowly squatting down, looking in a certain direction with unfocused eyes, and then—— Howl. A few hours later, the morning light shone through the green window, and when the early riser Jiang Chenyu was combing her hair, Huai Jin received a message from outside and said, "Miss, I have a letter from you."

On the light purple envelope, it was written in clear and handsome fonts: It's son! Jiang Chenyu was overjoyed, and quickly accepted the opening letter. The content of the letter was very short, only one line: The son asked her to see flowers? Immediately, I didn't bother to comb my hair, I read the letter again and again, and began to choose clothes.Goose yellow, too outlandish; green lotus, too old-fashioned; vermilion, too coquettish; water green, doesn't match her skin tone... I have eliminated the whole box of spring shirts, but I still can't find what suits me clothing.

The two girls beside me were already impatient with watching, and pouted: "Miss, why are we looking good at the clothes, but you are not satisfied in your eyes? Just take that colorful Qiluo shirt, just finished it At that time, you still praised your beauty, why did you dislike it when you didn't wear it?" "Speak up!" Jiang Chenyu ignored them, and read it again from the beginning, remembering that the young master had sent posts with light purple several times, he must have a preference for this color, so he chose a light purple tulle shirt with large sleeves and two breasts to go with it. There was no need for any accessories in the white tube top dress, only seven freshly picked pear blossoms still dripping with dew were placed on top of the bun.

Finally, under the astonishing eyes of all the servant girls, they got on the carriage and rushed to the Red Garden. The Red Garden is located in the south of the Imperial Capital, covering an area of ​​about 100 mu. It is known for its beautiful scenery and is known as a paradise on earth.It was originally the property of the Wang family. With the decline of the Wang family, the garden went around several times and was bought by a businessman surnamed Hu.The man hadn't come to the imperial capital for many years, so he simply opened the garden gate for people to enjoy. Jiang Chenyu used to only hear his name, but never entered. Now he went all the way in in a carriage, but he saw verdant trees, flowers and plants, uneven pavilions and pavilions, as if all the spring scenery was concentrated here.Next to the island in the middle of the lake, there are Parrot Tomb, Lancui Mountain, and Chengguang Forest.Going south after passing the center of the lake is the most famous Sanchun Forest.

The so-called three springs are apricot, pear and peach. Therefore, in the forest, these three kinds of trees are cross-planted in a well-proportioned manner. Under the first pear tree she saw, the son's carriage was parked, and the son was standing beside the carriage, the white color on the carriage and his white clothes reflected each other, as vivid as life. Jiang Chenyu slowly clenched her hands tucked into her sleeves, trying not to let herself show too much excitement, and then opened the car door. Sure enough, Ji Ying came to help. The fingertips were warm and the fingers were slender. The hand was spread flat in front of her, with an excellent posture and elegance.Although she repeatedly told herself to be calm, she still couldn't help blushing, gently took that hand, and got out of the car with her skirt lifted. The spring breeze is rippling, the pear trees are blooming, the talent is beautiful, the whiteness is like snow, and the spirit is noble. At this moment, even no one is drunk, let alone by the side of the sweetheart. Jiang Chenyu bit her lip and said: "Chen Yu is late, so you have to wait for a long time." "No." Ji Ying smiled, "It was Ying who was abrupt about something, and sent a message in a hurry, hoping that the lady's business was not disturbed." Jiang Chenyu quickly shook his head: "No, I have nothing to do." So the two walked side by side and walked towards the forest together. Under the shade of flowers, there are occasional scholars sitting around the banquet, washing their makeup with wine, which is very lively.Jiang Chenyu looked at it from a distance, and said with a smile: "I read the poem 'Drinking under the pear tree together, pear blossoms are all over your head. The fragrance comes from Yushu, white discussion spreads Jinou' in the book. I can't imagine what kind of scene it is, but now I really saw it, and I suddenly felt that I had learned a lot.” "Pear blossoms have the power to dominate the world and overwhelm the flowers in the world. It is inevitable for the world to love them." "It's a pity that the apricot blossoms haven't bloomed for a long time. It's a pity that we can't see both flowers blooming together." Ji Ying looked at the still sluggish apricot trees in the Taoli competition, and sighed softly: "Yes, this year's apricot blossoms are late." Seeing him lonely, Jiang Chenyu comforted him: "It's not necessarily the case, you see, there are already flower buds on this branch, maybe it will bloom tomorrow." Ji Ying smiled, said nothing, and continued on her way. It seems, it seems a bit embarrassing... Why do you feel at a loss and have nothing to say when you actually meet on a date you are looking forward to so much?Must she go on and on in circles over the flowers?Jiang Chenyu decided to change the subject: "My lord, there is something Chen Yu has heard about for a long time, and he has always been curious about it." "Third Miss, please." "I heard that you are most afraid of playing chess?" Ji Ying smiled: "When I was young, I was very naughty, but I met my sister, who was more tricky and eccentric than me, so I was often teased by her. At that time, I liked a kind of pastry called Qingtuanzi the most. Put a plate next to it, and watch while eating. One day, as usual, I took one of them and bit into it, but two front teeth collapsed on the spot. It turned out that the stuffing in the dumpling was not red bean paste, but chess pieces..." Jiang Chenyu let out an "ah". "Since then, every time I see a chess piece, I think of my two crooked deciduous teeth. The pain is unbearable. So, I never touch chess again." Jiang Chenyu never thought that there would be such a reason. After thinking about it, he couldn't help laughing: "It turns out that the young master is also a willful person, so what's wrong with the chess piece? The one who should complain is the person who put the chess piece in the pastry. " "My sister is fierce, how dare I blame her." Ji Ying said, her expression was in a daze for a moment, and she seemed to hear another voice giggling vaguely: "Playing chess is such a labor-intensive thing, it doesn't matter if you don't play it. From now on, you You can eat the green dumplings I made, and I guarantee that there will be no chess pieces..." The voice was ethereal, far away in the ear.Another voice came over clearly: "Young Master? Young Master!" When Ji Ying came back to her senses, she felt a coolness on her face, and when she looked up, it turned out that it was raining.The two hurried to the nearest pavilion. Looking at the sudden rain outside, he said with some emotion: "There are unpredictable things in the sky, and the ancients can't be deceived." Jiang Chenyu straightened her hair and smiled sweetly: "Spring rain is as expensive as oil." "You like rain?" "Yeah." She looked at the pear blossoms bathed in the mist-like rain curtain, and smiled, "How can these flowers bloom without rain? And pear blossoms with rain have always been the ultimate beauty in the world." Ji Ying's eyes fell silent for a moment, and the faint voice from before rang softly in his ears again: "Rain? I hate rain the most! Because when it rains, mother can't go out to sell noodles; when it rains, father will drink He was so drunk that he had to pick him up every time; and when it rained, the ground was slippery and hard to walk on, full of mud... I, I don't like rainy days the most!" At that time, the voice was infinitely clear and crisp, unlike later, it was tainted with a lot of laziness and hoarseness. Looking at the forest in front of me again, the pear blossoms are in their heyday, blooming extraordinarily brilliantly, but the apricot blossoms are still in buds, gloomy. Sure enough, they are not two similar things... Jiang Chenyu saw that the hair on his forehead was wet by the rain and was dripping water drop by drop, so she took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it over with a blushing face. Ji Ying thanked her, took the handkerchief and was about to wipe it off, but couldn't help but be taken aback: "This..." "This is Young Master's handkerchief, Young Master, do you still remember?" When Xihe was poisoned that day, outside Baohua Palace, he used this handkerchief to wipe the blood off her face.Although he threw it away at the time, but later he left because of Pan Fang's surprise, so she told Zhu Long that she needed to get something, took the opportunity to go back and pick it up, washed it, folded it, and took it with her.Now, it really comes in handy. How could Ji Ying not know all this hard work, holding that handkerchief, she couldn't help but also fell silent. For a while, neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere was a little awkward, and amidst the embarrassment, there was some subtle charm. Slanting wind and drizzle, pear blossoms everywhere.The eaves of the five-corner pavilion are like beads. Taking the forest as the scenery, he and she in the pavilion are not the most beautiful scenery? ——And this landscape fell into the eyes of another person and turned into loneliness. "Ma'am, it's raining, we didn't bring an umbrella, why don't we go back to the car?" "That's right, ma'am, it's getting late. We've been out for a long time, and it's time to go back to the palace. Besides, the apricot blossoms haven't bloomed yet, why don't you come and see them when they bloom..." Yin Yin's voice of persuasion fell behind his ears, and the person being persuaded withdrew his gaze from the two people in the pavilion, and then turned around slowly. Under the dark purple cloak was Zhang Subai's face, without blood or expression. However, it is shockingly beautiful. The beauty who looked down upon the four kingdoms, lowered her eyelashes, and suddenly smiled, and the rain dripped down the edge of her cloak, tick-tock.She started to walk, as if the carriage beside her did not exist, the two palace servants looked at each other in dismay, and had no choice but to keep up. Out of the Red Garden, all the way to the west, the buildings on both sides also changed from prosperous to simple, the road became narrower and narrower, uneven, and finally, it was covered by sand, stone and weeds. At the moment, because of the rain, it is full of mud. The carriage followed here and couldn't go any further, the palace servant couldn't help calling out: "Madam..." "I want to be alone, you wait here." After saying this, she tightened her cloak and walked into the alley. Huansha Lane in the southwest corner of the imperial capital is a well-known slum. Here, old men, women, and children live in scanty clothes, and because there are no strong men, they are more barren than elsewhere. The houses are crowded together like pigeon coops, and the dirty ground is full of debris. , the air is filled with a rotten smell mixed with various smells. She walked through the rows of houses, and finally stopped in front of the last house at the end of the lane.This house looks more crude than the one next to it, even the walls are crooked, it looks like it won't last long before it collapses.On the wooden door full of wormholes, a knot is tied with a straw rope to act as a door lock.She pulled lightly, and the long-dried grass rope broke by itself. Pushing open the door, there was a very dark room inside, the walls were vaguely covered with moss and mold, she walked over to try to open the window, but the whole window fell down with a snap and fell to the ground, shaking up countless dust . Yes, this is Huansha Lane, and she, another Xi Shi who grew up here, became a phoenix after flying out of this slum. There is almost no place to stand in the small shabby room: on the left is a large wooden table with a rolling pin on it. My mother used to knead dough here, starting at three o'clock every day, day after day, year after year; There are many wine jars piled up at the foot of the wall on the right, where my father often sits on the floor drinking and singing songs she can't understand. She hates her father very much at that time, but when he doesn't drink, he is very gentle Helping her mother draw her eyebrows and braid her hair, she would forget his hatefulness at that time and feel that she loved him very much; there was still a bed and a cabinet, which contained all their belongings. She walked over to open the cabinet that was missing a leg. There were a few clothes in it. The clothes were made of coarse cloth with a very rough texture. Then, she touched a mirror, which was covered with green copper. She He lifted it up to take a picture, and the people inside were so strange. Is this person... really her? This person, why is her face so pale, where is her always rosy and healthy complexion? When this person smiled, his eyes became very cold, and the corners of his lips were full of sarcasm, making him look so mean.But she remembered that she used to have a pretty, bright and generous smile. This person looked very young at first glance, but he was only seventeen years old, with a handsome appearance, but when he looked closely, his brows and eyes were so haggard and tired, full of vicissitudes. This person... who is this person? She threw away the mirror in a hurry, not daring to look at it again, staggered back, and then bumped into the corner of the bed, the whole person fell backward with a bang, and lay down. The sky was full of dust.She started to cough, and at that moment, she heard a sigh, very light and soft, falling in her heart, but it became very heavy again. She jumped up immediately, looked towards the source of the sound, and saw him standing outside the window just like that. To be precise, it was him standing outside a square hole that no longer had windows. It was still raining, and that person got an umbrella from nowhere. At this moment, he was standing outside the house holding an umbrella, watching her quietly. So the world of mortals suddenly reversed, and time went back in an instant, as if she had returned to the appearance when she first met him four years ago.At that time, he was also like this, wearing a spotless white dress, holding a paper umbrella with a bamboo handle, and bathed in the spring rain. She still remembered that a branch of red apricot was painted on that umbrella, which was as red as the flowers she was holding in her arms at that time. "How much is this apricot flower?" "Ten coins." The scenes in the dream overlapped with the memories, so it turned out that it had been so long, and she hadn't forgotten a single bit of it. "Why did you come here?" She said like a dream. And the man stood outside the house, and replied: "I saw a person who looks like you, follow me, it really is you." With misty eyes open, she said each word stiffly: "The apricot blossoms haven't bloomed yet." A look of pain flashed across the man's face, and he sighed softly: "Yes, the apricot blossoms haven't bloomed yet..." As a result, the robes of the two people trembled for a while, not knowing whether it was the body or the heart that trembled.She suddenly grabbed the window sill, stretched out a hand towards him and said, "Come in!" The man stared at her, shaking his head. "Then I'll go out!" She said as she rolled up her skirt and was about to jump out of the window. However, the man still shook his head. "why?" The man smiled at her, but there was something bitter in his smile: "Don't you know why? Xihe, don't you really know why?" As if she had been given a blow, she suddenly remembered that her original name was Xihe.And who is Xihe?The favorite concubine of Bi Kingdom today, the future queen.However, at this moment, when she looked at the man outside the window, she felt as if she was being pulled by a blunt knife, because she couldn't cut it cleanly, but she was tortured even more. "Do you want to marry Jiang Chenyu?" He lowered his head, his voice seemed to come from far away, and he couldn't hear it clearly: "Ji and Jiang's marriage is good for both clans. And...Xihe, the apricot blossoms will not bloom, and will never bloom again It's..." "You lied to me!" She was furious suddenly, her facial features began to distort, "You lied to me, you lied to me, you lied to me! You said that when I was sixteen, I would marry me, but instead I entered the palace and became the emperor Your concubine! You said that when the apricot blossoms bloomed, you would take me to enjoy the flowers, but the person who admired the flowers was replaced by someone else! And now, you still want to marry someone else..." The voice seemed to be sinking at the bottom of the water, and it changed shape when it surfaced. She covered her face and cried until she couldn't make a sound.Huge waves of grievances swept over, the air was instantly taken away, and I couldn't breathe... Xihe let out a scream and sat up again in shock, suddenly realizing that it was Nan Keyimeng again. The house was still the same crumbling house. She sat on the dusty wooden bed, looked at the beam above her head, and suddenly remembered that her mother was hanged to death on this beam. That day, when she came back from selling flowers, as soon as she opened the door, she saw two embroidered shoes dangling, and on the shoes were embroidered with her mother's favorite cabbages.The shadow on the ground also swings back and forth, dragging for a long time... The rain outside was getting heavier and heavier, blowing in through the window opening, wet the ground, and the air was filled with a dense and dull water vapor. It was already dark. There seemed to be a pair of arms stretched out from the beam, and they greeted her very gently, "Come on, nannie, come to my mother, come... come..." That voice is so sweet, like the most affectionate call among birds and flowers.There was a blur in her eyes, and her body stretched out her hand as if she had her own consciousness, and untied the belt. By the way, hang the belt on the beam, and then tie a knot. That's it, very good. Knot tight, then, stick your head in... The arms are still in front of her to welcome her, reminding her of when she was a toddler when she was a child, her mother called her in front of her step by step, encouraging her to move forward.As long as you do what your mother says, you will be happy, you will be happy, and you will not be so desperate anymore. Wait for me, mother, wait for me... The sound of the door opening with a "bang" caused another burst of dust to fly in the room. The arm suddenly disappeared, and the illusion in front of him disappeared instantly. Xi He found himself lying on the bed with both hands stretched in the air, trying to grab something, but his hands were still empty. There was nothing ahead to be grasped, much less hope. "I told you to be alone, and don't disturb her without my permission." With a sullen face, she turned her head to the door, trying to see which daring court lady dared to disturb her dream. Outside the door, the white clothes are like frost. Xihe blinked, and then blinked again, thinking: So I'm still dreaming.So, go to sleep. She turned her head back and closed her eyes, but the next moment, she was startled again, looked at the person outside the door in shock, and said in a trembling voice: "It's...you..." The man was standing three feet away from the door without an umbrella, so the rain covered him all over his body, his robe and hair were wet, but he didn't look embarrassed at all, he still looked like this Young Master Pianpianjia in the turbid world. He slowly lifted the hem of his white robe, knelt down on the ground, and said: "It's getting late, Yinggong invites Madam back to the palace." Baby, Ji Ying. It turned out to be him.It turned out that this time, it was no longer a dream. Xihe looked at him, then looked at the beams on the house, remembered the indescribable illusion of death just now, and began to sneer in his heart: Mom, was it you just now?You want to take me away, right?Because the world is too bitter, you want to take me away too, right?But—I'm not you. In the face of suffering, you can only cry and endure. If you can't bear it, you run away, and you choose the most irresponsible suicide. I don't want to be worthless like you.I don't want to die so cowardly and without dignity. I will not die. Even if I came back from selling flowers at the age of fourteen and saw my mother’s dead body hanging from the beam; Marrying someone else as a wife... I will not seek death. Not only that, but I still want to live, and I will try my best to live recklessly. Life is short, so it should be as fresh and beautiful as flowers. The apricot blossoms did not bloom when I was sixteen, and this year’s apricot blossoms will not bloom either. However, as long as I live long enough, sooner or later, I will be able to wait for it to bloom. Xihe got up and got out of bed, patted the dust off her body, straightened her messy hair, then wrapped her cloak tightly and went out.When she passed by Ji Ying, she smiled slightly and said, "Qi Aohou is really loyal to the emperor. He sacrificed his sister and his lover. Why don't you be more straightforward and offer your fiancée." Without waiting for any reaction from him, she quickly walked out of the alley, looking at the faint light from the low house beside the road, her smile faded little by little, but her eyes deepened little by little. At the entrance of the alley, the carriage in the palace was still waiting, and the two palace servants were holding umbrellas beside the carriage. Seeing her, they all heaved a sigh of relief. Xihe got into the car, turned around and asked, "Is it Qi Aohou that you informed?" The palace man replied anxiously: "Because Madam has not come out after going in for so long, we were afraid that something might happen, and happened to see Lord Marquis' carriage passing by, so we entrusted him to go in and invite Madam..." The lower the voice, the more frightened it became. concentrated. "Well done." The curtain was drawn down, covering Xihe's smile and the sharpness in her eyes. For four years in Weitubi, at the age of Xinmao, on the day of Yihai on the day of Wuxushuo in April, the emperor Ruo said: "Yuxi!"The third daughter of Jiang Zhong, the right minister of Zhier, Qingchenghua, a female teacher with a crown of ceremony, is a good teacher, and she practices virtue.Since she is honored by her in-laws and auspicious by her relatives, she is ordered to be a concubine Shu and enter the palace at the right time.Its rate follows Yi's line, Maozhao makes virtue, and it is only listed in the classics. A thunderbolt from the blue sky! All the members of the Jiang family kneeling in the lobby were shocked by this sudden imperial decree.Jiang Zhong, who was the leader, raised his head, looked at Luo Heng who came to announce the decree, and said, "Grandpa Luo, this is..." Luo Heng smiled and said: "Congratulations to Prime Minister Right, Congratulations to Prime Minister Right, the Jiang family has a second imperial concubine, what a great honor." "However, the little girl Chen Yu has made a marriage contract with Qi Aohou..." Luo Heng interrupted him: "Master You really knows how to joke. I heard that Lord Hou Geng met a fire when he entered the mansion. How can such a marriage count?" Now, everyone was shocked again—the emperor actually knew about it!Obviously the whole house is tight-lipped, how did the emperor know? Jiang Zhong's face turned ashen immediately, and he couldn't say a word anymore. Luo Heng handed the imperial decree to him, continued to smile and said: "It is a great blessing that the emperor takes a fancy to the third lady, and the right minister must not disappoint the emperor's painstaking efforts. If this blessing is regarded as bad luck, it is not good Don’t you, Right Prime Minister?” Although he smiled kindly, his words were full of warning, Jiang Zhong dared to say too much, he quickly thanked him tremblingly, and accepted the imperial decree. "That's right!" Luo Heng walked in front of Jiang Chenyu again, and saluted, "The old slave also congratulated the new master." Jiang Chenyu remained motionless like a puppet. Mrs. Jiang at the side hurriedly pulled her daughter-in-law up to help her up, and thanked her: "Where is it, I will enter the palace tomorrow, and my father-in-law will take care of it. Please accept this kindness with a smile." Saying this, she stuffed a red envelope past. "Alright, then the old slave will return to the palace first." Luo Heng accepted the gift, and led a group of people away with a smile.Jiang's father and son smiled all the way to the gate, and when they came back, their faces became more serious and uglier than the other. Mrs. Jiang couldn't hold back at first, and cried with a "wow": "My lord, what's going on? Why did the emperor want to sink a fish into the palace? How did he know that Geng Tie was on fire?" Jiang Zhong said irritably, "How would I know?" "You go to the court every day, didn't the emperor reveal any clues in advance?" "If there is a clue, am I at a loss like I am now?" Mrs. Jiang couldn't help cursing: "It's a pity that you are still a high-ranking minister, the right minister of the court, and you don't even know that your daughter is going to enter the palace; and you are the same, as an elder brother, you don't care about your sister's affairs at all..." Jiang Xiaocheng couldn't help being aggrieved and said: "Mother, I'm just a captain of the Habayashi Army. How can I know something that even my father doesn't know? What's more, choosing a concubine is a matter of the harem!" Seeing them arguing endlessly, Jiang Xiaocheng's wife, Mrs. Li, hurriedly persuaded them: "Stop talking, don't you see that my sister is like this?" When everyone thought of Chen Yu, their faces were filled with pain, and they turned their heads to look, only to see that she was still standing in the hall, her eyes glazed over, motionless. Mrs. Jiang stepped forward to hold her hand and cried, "My poor child...how can I do this?" "What else can I do? The imperial decree has been issued and cannot be changed. This palace is in samadhi... Ouch!" Before Jiang Xiaocheng finished speaking, he was pinched severely by Mrs. Li. Although he was telling the truth, everyone knows that Chen Yu is infatuated with Ji Ying, and only hopes to marry him as his wife. Seeing that something good is about to happen, the emperor suddenly interferes, and her wish is ruined. Lost in spirit, I feel even more distressed. Mrs. Li sighed: "Sister-in-law, this is the end...you, accept your fate..." The sentence of resignation stimulated Jiang Chenyu, she bit her lip, and her whole body began to tremble violently. "So what if you don't admit it? The emperor's order cannot be disobeyed, and if he disobeys the order, he will be killed. What's more, the emperor even knew about the burning of Geng Tie. It is obvious that he has made sufficient preparations..." Jiang Zhong said, shaking his head Said, "That day when you were introduced to the palace to teach the piano, I felt that something was wrong. Now that I think about it, the emperor probably had this idea at that time, but we were all kept in the dark and didn't see it... ..." Jiang Xiaocheng interrupted and said: "I'm not boasting, but my sister's good looks go out, a man would like it... Ouch!" Before he finished speaking, he was pinched again. Mrs. Jiang wiped her tears and said: "Chen Yu, mother knows that you are sad, so don't be bored in your heart, just say something..." Jiang Chenyu raised her head suddenly, her eyes were so bright that it seemed like a flame was burning in her pupils. Everyone was startled. She stood up staggeringly, and staggered out of the hall door, Mrs. Jiang came back to her senses, hurriedly stepped forward to hold her back and asked, "Chen Yu, where are you going?" She broke free from her mother's hand, and glanced at a little maid outside the door: "Hold your hand, go prepare the car." The maidservant named Hold Yu froze, and looked up at Mrs. Jiang in embarrassment. Mrs. Jiang said anxiously, "It's raining outside, where are you going?" Jiang Chenyu accentuated her voice: "Huaijin, go prepare the car!" Another maid hurried away and reported that the car was ready after a while.Jiang Chenyu broke free from his mother's hand, with a calmness almost deathly on his snow-white face, he said lightly: "I will be back." She stepped out of the nave, the wind outside was blowing, lifted her long hair and sleeves, and flew straight back.During the cold spring, it is the most gloomy and cold.She wrapped her skirt tightly and walked down the steps step by step.The carriage was already waiting at the bottom of the steps, and the maid named Huai Jin got into the carriage with her, put away her umbrella and said, "Miss San, where are we going?" Jiang Chenyu closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling non-stop, and when she opened her eyes again, her eyes were dim: "Go to Chaoxi Lane." There are people all over the lane in the morning and evening. The carriage stopped far away, Jiang Chenyu opened the window by a line, and looked at the rich door at the end of the long street through the continuous rain curtain for a long time. This is her first time here. I have passed by the alley many times and thought about going in to take a look, but I always give up for one reason or another.At that time, I always thought that it doesn't matter, the future is long, and now I know that the fate is over. Or—never had a chance? Jiang Chenyu looked at the plaque on the vermilion lacquer gate, the word "Qi'ao" was as deep as a brand mark. Just the day before yesterday, she was enjoying the flowers with the young master. The young master's smile and gentleness were still clearly imprinted in her mind and never faded away. At that time, she thought it was the ultimate happiness, but it turned out that things are really reversed when extremes arise. Excitement is bound to decline, a dream will eventually wake up, after waking up, besieged on all sides. The third daughter of Jiang Zhong, Qingchenghua, a female teacher with a crown of ceremonies, is as good as a guarantee of training, and practices virtue.Since she is honored by her in-laws, and she is blessed by the tortoise, she is ordered to be a concubine Shu, and to enter the palace at the right time... The eunuch's unique high-pitched voice dragged the tone very long, and those words of praise sounded like irony. Your majesty... Why is that man who has met a few times but doesn't have a deep impression on him so cruel? With a simple word, he destroyed the fate she had worked so hard to hope for for a long time! No, no, not reconciled! I'm really not reconciled! He was unwilling to miss out on a good relationship like this, unwilling to be separated from the prince like this, and even more unwilling to enter the palace like this and become one of those concubines who were jealous and intriguing. Her fate should not be like this! Deep in the palace, it is not enough to bury her sister alone, should she be added? Jiang Chenyu's hand tightly grasped the wall door, nails embedded in the wood, and snapped after a soft sound. And at that moment, Huai Jin said: "Ah, Miss San, look!" In fact, there is no need to remind her, she has already seen the young master's carriage. On the other side of the long street, the carriage painted with Bai Ze turned out from the corner and stopped in front of the mansion without haste. The guards greeted him respectfully, and the figure that had been drawn thousands of times in his mind appeared in sight , the white robe and jade belt, the national scholar Wushuang, just like that burned her eyes. son... son... Did he know that the emperor wanted her to enter the palace?Does he know how much she is unwilling to enter the palace and marry as the emperor's wife?Did he know that she admired him and longed for him for many years?Does he know how flustered, helpless and miserable she is at this moment? With this in mind, impulsive wings grew out of her desire, causing her to push open the car door and jump down. Huai Jin turned pale with fright, and shouted urgently: "Miss San! Don't..." I can't go, if I go, it is tantamount to ruining the future of Mingjie and Jiang's family! However, Jiang Chenyu ignored her call, stepped on the stagnant water all over the ground, and rushed all the way to the front of the house like that. The guards all turned their heads, stunned for a moment, and then dispersed to reveal Xue Cai inside. Xue Cai had a strange expression on his face, just like the expression he had when he saw her before he left that day. But he stepped aside in the end, and behind him was Ji Ying. Ji Ying looked at her, her face was first stunned, and then traces of pity appeared on her face. But before he opened his mouth to speak, Jiang Chenyu rushed over and hugged him. The umbrella in Ji Ying's hand fell to the ground with a snap. The rain fell, covering the two of them in misty water vapor, Jiang Chenyu pressed her face into his arms, vaguely thinking, if life ends in the next moment, maybe, because of such a hug Because of this, she will not feel regretful... However, for the rest of her life, how would she spend the rest of her life without this hug? Jiang Chenyu raised her head, her face was wet, whether it was rain or tears, she stared at the face of the man she loved the most in her life, her lips trembled, but she couldn't say a word. The wind and rain are misty, and the world is full of sorrow. The sand in the hourglass trickled down. A few cups of tea were warmed by the stove, Jiang Chenyu took a sip of the teacup, the steam rose up, blurring her eyes.She changed into dry clothes, dried her hair, and looked much calmer, no longer the downcast in the rain before. Ji Ying walked in, looked at her and said, "Do you feel better?" She put down the teacup and nodded. "That's good." Ji Ying sat down beside her, but remained silent for a long time, staring at the hourglass on the table with tangled eyes. Jiang Chenyu took a deep breath, stretched his eyebrows and smiled: "I lost my composure just now, which made the young master difficult." Ji Ying lowered her eyes and said in a low voice: "I already know about the emperor's decree..." 不等他说完，姜沉鱼一下子站了起来，笑道：“这样最好啊，其实呢，我是来跟公子讨一样东西的，就当做是公子送给我大婚的贺礼好不好？” 姬婴脸上讶然之色一闪而过，再看向她时，眼底多了很多悲色，似怜惜，似不忍，又似矛盾，最后凝结为一句话：“什么东西？” “耳洞。”姜沉鱼一本正经地说道，“一只就可以了。” 纵是姬婴再见多识广，此时也被弄糊涂了：“耳洞？” 姜沉鱼挽起左耳旁的鬓发，露出小巧光洁的耳朵：“沉鱼幼时最是怕疼，所以死活不肯穿耳，母亲无奈，只得放而任之。现在，请公子为我穿一耳，就当是，沉鱼向公子讨的贺礼。” 天底下贺礼无数，但以耳洞为礼，却是闻所未闻。 鬓发如墨，肌肤似玉，耳轮与耳垂相连，耳珠秀雅，三分柔弱，四分多情，再增以五分的固执，汇集成十二分的一个她。姜沉鱼就那么拢着发，将左耳凑于姬婴面前，睫毛低垂，在脸上投递下一片阴影，遮住表情。 姬婴沉默许久，终于一叹：“来人，取针来。” 屏风后转出一人，却是薛采，双手将针盒奉上。姬婴取出其中一枚，点着桌上的灯，将针在火中淬过，又默默地注视了姜沉鱼一会儿，道：“三小姐，背一首你比较喜爱的诗吧。” 姜沉鱼想了想，开始低吟：“不得长相守，青春夭蕣华。旧游今永已，泉路却为家……”窗外雨疏风骤，芭蕉泣泪，纱窗朦胧，而她的声音，却是字字如珠、清冷绵长。 在吟声里，银针如白驹过隙般从她的左耳飞穿而过，落回姬婴手上，不沾丝毫血迹。 “……早知离别切人心，悔作从来恩爱深。黄泉冥寞虽长逝，白日屏帷还重寻。”姜沉鱼念完这四十八字后，放下手，鬓边的发披散下来，遮住了耳朵。 她退后一步，拜了一拜：“谢谢公子。” 姬婴的目光依旧落在手里的银针之上，针尖在烛光下闪烁，点缀了他的眼睛。他抬起头看着她，似有千言万语，但终归没有说出来。 而姜沉鱼又后退了一步，道：“谢谢……侯爷。” 是侯爷，不再是公子，一进宫墙深似海，从此萧郎是路人。 她再退第三步，开始微笑，比风还轻：“沉鱼告辞了……珍重。” 然后她就转过身，一步步地走出房间，薛采站在屋檐下，递给她一把伞，她双手接过，微笑着道了谢，然后撑着伞再一步步地走出侯爷府。 府外，车马在等候。一脸焦虑的怀瑾看到她，松了一大口气，连忙打开车门扶她上车。 车夫挥动马鞭，轱辘向前滚动，碾碎一地尘泥。 姜沉鱼抱着那把伞，像抱着至爱之物，眼眸沉沉，再无情绪。所有的力气好像都在刚才念诗时用尽了，现在残留下来的只是一个空空的躯壳，再不会欢愉，也再不会疼痛。 怀瑾红着眼圈道：“小姐，侯爷答应想办法让皇上改变主意么？” 姜沉鱼摇了摇头。 “那你跟他都说了些什么？小姐，你真的要认命进宫吗？你不是一直讨厌皇宫吗？而且，明明你喜欢的人是侯爷啊……” 姜沉鱼再次摇头。 怀瑾急了：“小姐，你倒是说句话啊，别老是摇头啊，究竟怎么样了？你这个样子我看了好害怕，想哭就哭吧，哭出来会好受些……” “哭？”姜沉鱼眉睫深深，“不，我不哭。” “三小姐……” “我不会再哭了……”她抓紧了车帘，抬起头，望着姬婴消失的方向，缓缓道，“因为，直到今天，我才看清楚了一件事情。” "whats the matter?" “我入宫，不是因为皇上想要，而是……”车外风雨如晦，夜幕逐渐降临，侯爷府的灯笼映在坑坑洼洼湿漉漉的地上，点点晕黄，一闪一闪的，像是要把一生的记忆都闪烁出来。她看着那些灯光，笑得寂寥，“而是公子，不想娶而已。” 笑容里，一滴眼泪溢了出来，顺着脸颊无声滑落。 不得长相守，不得长相守啊…… 图璧四年四月十一，姜沉鱼进宫，受封淑妃，位列九嫔之首。