Chapter 6 6. Greengage aftertaste
In the early days of Youchu, Huang Zixia came to Wang's house as promised.
The bright moon rises in the east, and the shadows of flowers slant horizontally.Wang Yun was waiting for her in the Xieyue Yingfengxuan facing the water in the Wang Family Garden.
As the breeze came, she saw Wang Yun standing alone with his hands behind his back, the moonlight sifting through the branches and leaves, as if tracing thousands of branches and leaves with light ink on his white clothes.His expression was hidden behind the pale moon, looking at Huang Zixia who was walking slowly along the river bank, his eyes flickered slightly.
Huang Zixia suddenly gained courage in an instant, and she saw that the other party's inner anxiety and hesitation were not inferior to her own.
The opponent she faced was not as terrifying as she imagined.
So she quickened her pace, came to the three steps in front of him, and bowed her hands: "Prince Wang."
Wang Yun stared at her darkly and didn't speak for a long time.
She straightened up, and respectfully presented the fan in front of him: "Thank you for lending me the fan, Mr. Wang, and I will return it specially this time."
He finally smiled, raised his hand to take the fan and played with it casually, and asked, "Why didn't you continue to hide from me today?"
She whispered, "It's meaningless to try to cover up."
A faint smile appeared on the corners of Wang Yun's lips. He was a typical graceful child of an aristocratic family. Even though he was in a bad mood, his smile was only slightly ridiculed: "If everything goes well, we should be husband and wife by now-but now The first official meeting between you and me turned out like this."
Huang Zixia avoided answering, hearing the sarcasm and sarcasm buried deep in his gentle voice.She buried her head deeply and didn't dare to look at him, she just asked in a low voice: "I wonder when the prince knew my real identity?"
He stared at her and said slowly: "When we met for the first time, I thought you looked like someone in my memory, but I didn't dare to recognize you at the time, because your identity was the majestic eunuch of the Kui Palace. Later, you After testifying against the queen and solving Wang Ruo's case, I will know, and I think you must be the person I have been thinking about."
Huang Zixia bit her lower lip, and said in a low voice, "I am sorry for the past, Mr. Wang. Today, I am here to apologize to you. I hope you will forgive me for all the mistakes I have made in the past. Huang Zixia will try her best to make up for it in this life. Your son will no longer be ashamed of me."
Wang Yun didn't expect her to admit her mistake so calmly, so she couldn't help being startled, and her originally cold face couldn't help but soften a little.He looked at her drooping face for a long time, and finally heaved a sigh of relief, and said, "But why did you kill your relatives for that person?"
"I didn't," Huang Zixia suppressed the pain that seemed to be bursting from his chest, and said in a trembling voice, "I changed clothes and came all the way to the capital to use the power of the imperial court to capture the real culprit and clear my name. Full of grievances!"
Wang Yun was silent for a long time before saying: "Some things may be caused by God's will, please mourn."
She bit her lower lip and nodded silently, but she tried her best to suppress the tears.Seeing her pale face but stubbornly pursing her lips tightly, he couldn't help feeling a complicated feeling in his heart, and couldn't help but whisper to her: "Actually, I never believed that you would be the murderer. At first I thought, you I would go to my father's old friend, so I went to your father's acquaintance's house many times to test, but I didn't find any trace of you. It's just that I never thought that you would transform into an eunuch next to King Kui."
"It was also a coincidence. I had some problems on the road and met King Kui. He made an exchange with me. If I can help him solve one thing, he will also help me clear up my grievances and help me go to Sichuan. Overturn the case," Huang Zixia lowered her eyelashes, and said sadly, "It's just that I didn't expect that what he entrusted me to solve was his marriage, which involved the secret affairs of your family."
"It's helpless, no wonder you," Wang Yun said, sighed again, and said, "I was also very irritable during the bow in the morning, please don't mind."
He was so tolerant to her, but he apologized for his attitude first, which made Huang Zixia feel deeply guilty.
The two sat down in the hall, kneeling and sitting a few feet lower than each other.The wind is blowing from all directions, the water is moving and cool, and the waves outside and the lights in the room match each other, making it bright and blurred. Wang Yun did not continue the topic just now, but only served her some snacks, and said, "When you came to my house last time, I saw that you liked Cherry Biluo very much. Now that the cherries are gone, you can try this green plum Biluo." The green plum Biluo was placed in a white porcelain cup, and chopped rose preserves were piled on top, bright red and green.Sweet candied fruit mixed with tart greengage creates a perfect flavor, which is wonderful as an appetizer before a meal. Seeing that she liked this dessert, Wang Yun moved the plate in front of her, and said casually: "Many girls like green plums. But in fact, this kind of food is extremely sour, and it can only be served with a lot of honey. Only then can it be pickled so that it can be eaten." Huang Zixia heard that he meant something else, so she stopped and looked up at him. And his gaze was fixed on her, and his voice was calm: "If there is no honey, and you insist on picking this kind of thing to eat, wouldn't you be asking for trouble?" Huang Zixia lowered her eyes, bit her lower lip and remained silent for a while, then said, "Like a person who drinks water, he knows whether it is warm or cold. Those who don't know its taste may not be able to feel it personally." Wang Yun smiled slightly, and handed her another plate of golden silk. The moonlight outside the window shines on the water, sparkling and flickering around through the open doors and windows on all sides.Huang Zixia knelt down in front of him, looking at his smile that was close at hand, with complicated emotions surging in her chest, but she didn't know how to speak.She opened her lips several times, but the last words she wanted to say disappeared in her throat. She could only lower her head and pretend to eat seriously. And Wang Yun sat in front of her, quietly staring at her drooping face.She was still the girl he caught a glimpse of three years ago, but her tenderness and mellowness had faded away, and she began to show a stubborn and profound outline. Three years ago... She was fourteen, and he was only sixteen years old. He really wanted to see the fiancée who was so talented and beautiful in the legend, but out of shyness, he had to drag others to the palace with him. , before he dared to take a sneak peek. At that time in the spring afternoon, she was wearing a silver-red three-layer gauze dress, and on the white shawl, purple vine flowers of different shades were depicted. At the end of the winding corridor in the palace, behind a group of court ladies, she is more slender and lighter than anyone else, just like a branch of Lanxin's first hair.And he kept looking at her, not daring to blink, for fear of missing his precious opportunity. When she reached the end of the corridor, he finally saw her turn around.So he imagined the faces countless times, like fireworks suddenly blooming in the silent night, appearing in front of his eyes. On that spring day, the outline of her profile was like someone carved into his heart with the sharpest knife, which could never be erased. However, she, whom he had engraved in his heart for more than three years, gave him the deadliest humiliation and blow.During that time, he tossed and turned, had trouble sleeping and eating, and the profile deeply imprinted in his heart bled and scabbed, but it left an indelible mark until death.He kept thinking, what went wrong and why, the person he had been looking forward to for three years, that beautiful fiancée of Lan Xin, would give him such a big shame at the beginning, and put him in love for so long. Killed the expectations with one's own hands? He stared at Huang Zixia in front of him, thinking that his expectations for the past three years had come to nothing. He knew that she was the chief culprit who had shamed himself and his family, but he didn't know how to say the next sentence. And Huang Zixia felt his gaze, and she felt uncomfortable as if her chest was blocked, a feeling of suffocation made her heart sink all the time. She slowly put the porcelain plate in her hand back on the table, bit her lower lip, and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry... Actually, I, I have also thought about discussing this matter with you peacefully, trying not to disturb outsiders , we solve it ourselves..." "Solution...what do you mean?" Wang Yun stared at her and asked slowly. Huang Zixia pursed her lips tightly and looked up at him. After a long time, she finally squeezed out a few words: "I mean, break the engagement." Wang Yun's beautiful pair of phoenix eyes stared at her intently, as if trying to burn a hole in her body.Just when she thought that he would lose control of his anger and explode at her, he suddenly looked away, looking at the slanting moon outside the window, and said in a low and quiet voice, "I will not break off the engagement with you." Huang Zixia's hand on the table unconsciously clenched into a fist. He looked out of the window, and the gentle evening wind made the flowers and shadows fluctuate outside the window. He tried his best to control himself, and the gloomy gloom on his face gradually receded.She heard his voice, like a whisper, even with a trace of strange tenderness: "Huang Zixia, you are my wife who was hired by three matchmakers and six people, and the marriage letter is a certificate. No matter what crime you commit, no matter where you are Where, as long as I don't agree to divorce, you only belong to me in this life, not to anyone else." Such gentle words made Huang Zixia feel as if he had been hit hard in the chest.She looked up in astonishment, and in the turbulent waves and lights at this time, she saw his gentle and calm face, but felt that the whole world was fluctuating abnormally, causing a warm blood to rush through her heart, but left an inexplicable feeling. Tension and fear. She breathed hard, calmed herself down, and said in a low voice: "Thank you for your wrong love, Mr. Wang. But I don't know if I can stand in front of others in this life, so... I dare not delay Mr. Wang, nor I dare to tire you to wait for years. After all, you are the eldest grandson of the eldest family, and you have your own responsibilities. If the entire Langya Wang family is delayed because of me, Huang Zixia will definitely not feel at ease for the rest of his life." But he smiled slightly and comforted her and said, "You don't have to worry, the Wang family will always support you and try your best to clear up your grievances. I will also wait for you until the truth comes out." Huang Zixia shook her head, and said stubbornly: "But I can't help myself. Now that I am notorious, I have no longer dreamed of being as safe and happy as an ordinary woman. In this life... I am afraid that you and I are destined to miss each other. I also ask the prince to choose another spouse, Huang Zixia... can only feel ashamed of you." He looked at her with burning eyes, as if he wanted to see into her heart. And Huang Zixia looked at him, silently biting her lower lip. After a long time, she heard him speak softly, as if sighing: "Huang Zixia, you are making so many high-sounding excuses, do you think I can't see through your sincerity?" Her scalp tingled slightly, and under his penetrating eyes, she felt that she had nothing to hide.She didn't have the courage to look up at him, so she could only keep her head down in silence, only the wave light reflected from the window slipped over her eyelashes, turbulently. But he still spoke softly, and said slowly: "Actually, you still think about that Yu Xuan, don't you?" Huang Zixia still bowed her head silently. Everyone knew about her love affair. No matter how much she concealed it, it would be useless, so she could only choose to remain silent. "Sometimes, I myself feel very helpless, very...painful." He stared fixedly at her, with a dark flame burning in his eyes, "My fiancée likes another man, and the matter is so big that there is a lot of trouble. Everyone in the world knows—but that man is not me. Have you ever thought about how I feel?" Huang Zixia bowed her head deeply, and said in a trembling voice: "I'm sorry... until now, everything is my fault, please donate me, an ominous person, and choose another high-ranking lady. Huang Zixia... I will make up for the debt in the next life your everything." "Afterlife, why do I want an illusory afterlife?" His always gentle voice finally took on a cold meaning at this moment, "Huang Zixia, you don't need to say any more. No matter where you are, the ends of the earth, the sky and the earth, even Even if you die, you are still mine!" His voice was stern, and there was no room for maneuver. Huang Zixia knew in her heart that all her prayers would be in vain.However, she had no choice but to bend down and bow deeply to him, and said in a low voice: "Please forgive Huang Zixia's parents for their blood feud, and their great revenge has not been avenged, and they cannot take their children's private affairs to heart. I hope you will forgive me." She stood up and walked outside. But she heard the wind in her ears, and her hand was grabbed. It was Wang Yun. He caught up with her and grabbed her wrist. She was caught off guard and subconsciously turned to look at him, only to see his burning eyes staring at her. Her heart trembled, and she took a step back unconsciously, but her back touched the wall, making her unable to take another step back. "That person... As my fiancée, is that the only person you miss in your heart?" He pressed her shoulders, pushed her against the wall, and tried to lower his voice, but he still couldn't suppress his anger. The face that was always like a spring breeze also turned into a storm because of the resentment, and the gaze pierced deeply into her heart, as if being hit by a violent storm, making her weak and mournful in an instant. If Yuxuan hadn't been there, they would have been husband and wife this spring. If there hadn't been a tragedy that hurt her throughout her life, perhaps in this life, the person she joined hands with would be this man in front of her, handsome, gentle, from a family, and a perfect husband-in-law.Maybe she can also live in peace with him for the rest of her life, grow old together, and hold the same eyebrows. But now, she could only feel the fear passing over her chest, and she tried her best to turn her face away, not daring to face him.But he lowered his head, his scorching breath fainted in her ears, and she heard him call her in a low voice: "Huang Zixia..." That voice, mixed with his slight panting, was slightly hoarse, scattered around her cheeks, with a hint of shock to her. And he pushed her against the wall, lowered his head, and kissed her lips. The cold sweat all over her body broke out in an instant.Gritting her teeth, she raised her hands with all her strength, ready to push him away. The moment her fingertips touched the hem of his chest, someone outside knocked lightly on the open door twice and said in a low voice, "My lord, there is a letter from King Kui's residence, specifying that it should be addressed to Eunuch Yang Chonggu." Wang Yun seemed to wake up in an instant. He let go of Huang Zixia's shoulder, took two steps back, stared blankly for a while, and then looked outside the door. Unknowingly, the sky has completely darkened. Chang'an City is about to have a curfew, even the palace, except for important matters and emergencies, generally will not move around. As if waking up from a dream, Wang Yun let out a long breath, turned around and sat down in front of the short table, and said in a low voice, "Come in." Huang Zixia leaned against the door, feeling a trace of cold sweat dripping from her palms, fearing it would make her dizzy.She tried her best to control her hand, took the letter, opened it, and took out the Xuelang note inside. The paper is folded into Fang Sheng, very thick.She opened it and saw that it was a blank sheet of paper. Nothing. She glanced at it, then immediately folded the letterhead, put it back in the envelope as it was, then looked up at Wang Yun, and said, "My lord called me back to the mansion because of something urgent, I'm afraid I must go back, please forgive me." Wang Yun's hand was pressed on the table, trembling almost invisibly.He forced himself to restrain himself, and didn't look at her anymore. He only turned his face out of the window, looking at the breeze and moon outside, with a usual smile on his lips, and said clearly in a gentle and calm voice: "It's late at night. Lu Zhong, be careful all the way."
The summer sky is as clear as washing, and the stars are inlaid in the night sky, green and huge. Huang Zixia returned to King Kui's mansion under the light of the stars and the moon, and Li Shubai was indeed still reading in the study. Four phoenix wings and octagonal thin beams above his head, the palace lights were shining brightly, he had already changed into plain gauze single clothes, pure white softly flowed over his body, under the lights at this time, he looked exceptionally clean, like snow falling on a mountain. His quiet and clear posture, in such a quiet night, made Huang Zixia's heart flutter back to its original position in an instant. She walked through the curtain, walked gently in front of him, and knelt down. And without raising his head, he just asked, "Is Wang Yun suspicious of you?" She nodded and asked, "Your Highness already knows?" "I don't know," he closed the book in his hand, put it aside, and said, "But I heard from people in the mansion that Wang Yun invited you to meet, so I sent you a blank letter just in case." Huang Zixia nodded silently.If something happened to this blank letter, she could be rescued. If nothing happened, she could ignore it. Everything was up to her own choice. "Wang Yun...he already knows that I am Huang Zixia." "After all, she is my fiancée, and she is also a fiancée who has caused me great humiliation, so I must be more sensitive." Li Shubai said calmly, as if nothing had happened, "If he sees a eunuch who looks similar to Huang Zixia, but doesn't care at all, then That's the weird thing." "But there could be trouble later on." "There will be no more trouble, because I will help you solve it." Li Shubai said, although the cloud is calm, but what he said has unquestionable power. Huang Zixia nodded, because of his words, he suddenly felt that the panic and throbbing in his heart that originated from Wang Yun disappeared.The impending storm that she had foreseen disappeared in this moment. She bowed her head reassuringly and smiled slightly. The long night was silent, the two sat facing each other, Li Shubai who was in front of her raised his eyes and saw her drooping face, the palace lantern on the table cast a faint blush on her face.On her jade-white cheeks, there was a faint peach-like color, delicate and soft, as if in the dark night, an unknown spring day was quietly blooming beside him. He saw the light trembling slightly on her eyelashes like water waves, he immediately turned his eyes away, and turned his eyes to the desk before she looked at him.In the glass bottle there, the little red fish was sleeping peacefully without moving. As if in order to break this silence, Li Shubai turned to ask other things: "What I said before, can you give me an explanation?" Huang Zixia suddenly remembered what Li Shubai said to her in the shooting ring today.She helped the person who was removed from the guard of honor by Li Shubai, which was tantamount to secretly confronting him, and she simply ignored the master. She suddenly felt a hundred times greater pressure than facing Wang Yun, and even her breathing quickened slightly: "My lord is my master, and I will be loyal to you; Zhang Xingying is my friend, and I will be righteous to him. Although loyal It's a dilemma, but Zhang Xingying has kindness to me, and besides keeping righteousness, I also have to observe etiquette and repay the kindness...so I thought about it, and I can only help him first." "So, the relationship between you is relatively close, but in contrast, I am relatively distant, isn't it?" Li Shubai glanced at her and said, "Huang Zixia, you are really affectionate and righteous, and you are very close." Huang Zixia suddenly felt the cold sweat on her back, and she subconsciously argued: "My lord's kindness to me is as great as a mountain, and Huang Zixia probably can't afford it in this life...but Zhang Xingying is what I can afford." Li Shubai looked at her under the lamp, and saw that she kept bowing her head obediently, with a look of embarrassment and embarrassment. The light shone on her face, fluctuating faintly, like a veil of uneasiness. Then he smiled slightly and said, "Actually, I'm not interested in asking about Zhang Xingying. It's just that I don't like you acting privately." She quickly bowed her head to admit her mistake.He then changed the subject and asked, "Is there any progress in the matter of Jianfu Temple?" Huang Zixia hurriedly recounted what he had seen and heard in Jianfu Temple today, and then showed him a picture: "The iron wire is about two feet long, and it is not straight. The rusty end has a semicircular curvature. The straight end seems to be It has been tempered and has some slight glints." "I'll go to Dali Temple tomorrow to have a look," Li Shubai said, looking at her again, and said, "Also, today I promised Princess Tongchang that you would intervene in the investigation of the weirdness around her, but in fact, you don't have to be too worried. You are too nervous. Although she is a princess, you are in my family and are not assigned by her. Your intervention in this case is only helping Dali Temple and has nothing to do with her. Therefore, if she makes excessive demands, you should not Just give it to Cui Chunzhan." Huang Zixia silently mourned for Cui Chunzhan in his heart, and replied: "Yes." "And, the biggest question is—" Li Shubai said indifferently, "Is there any relationship between the two incidents, the death of the eunuch Wei Ximin in Jianfu Temple and the son-in-law?" "The inside story of what happened on the shooting field is so complicated, so..." At first, she really didn't want to get angry.Huang Zixia thought to himself, looked at Li Shubai helplessly, and asked with his eyes, didn't you not want to get involved in this matter at first? Li Shubai clearly saw her doubts, but he didn't speak. He just tapped his fingers on the table twice, as if he was thinking about something, but finally he raised his hand and opened the drawer, took out a piece of paper and handed it to her. Huang Zixia took it in doubt, and stared at the words on it. There are only a few words on the paper.Huang Zixia put down the paper, pursed her lips and looked at Li Shubai, but said nothing. Li Shubai said lightly: "There are rumors in the market about this matter." Huang Zixia, who was barely calm when he saw the relationship between Yuxuan and the Princess Mansion just now, finally changed his expression slightly. The market rumors about Princess Tongchang and Yuxuan... As for what kind of rumors it is, it is self-evident. "Didn't expect him to have something to do with the princess mansion." Li Shubai didn't look at her, took a sip of tea leisurely, and his eyes fell on the quiet little fish in the glazed cup. "I heard that although he is young However, his knowledge is very solid, and Yu Xianxian’s works often have his own unique insights. Moreover, he is very upright in his studies, and all the scholars, teaching assistants and Xuelu of the Imperial College are full of praise for him.” Huang Zixia stood under the lamp, silent for a long time, not speaking. "As for your..." He pondered for a while before saying, "Brother Yi, what are you going to do?" Huang Zixia said in a low voice: "Now he only thinks that I am the murderer of the whole family, and he hates me to the bone. I think... we can still avoid meeting now, let's avoid meeting." "There is one thing, I find it very strange." Li Shubai put down the teacup in his hand, his eyes slowly fell on her, thoughtfully, "He has been with you for many years, and he has been in love with each other. What kind of person are you?" , he should know best, why would he insist on identifying you as the murderer?" Huang Zixia looked at him silently, for a long, long time, before whispering: "His parents died, and he was adopted by my father. Last year, he was admitted to Shuzhong Juren, and the imperial court prepared a house and servants for him according to the law." On the first night he was persuaded by my parents to live there, it snowed all night. When I was going to visit him the next morning, I found a man covered in snow standing outside the wall of Shijun’s mansion. At first glance, it turns out...it is Yu Xuan whose face has turned pale from the cold." When she said this, her voice trembled slightly. It took a long time to suppress her breath, and said with difficulty: "He said that he was not used to the new residence, as if he had no home since then, so he was sleepless in the middle of the night. Maoxue walked outside my house and was too embarrassed to come in, so I could only stand outside the door for a while, as if it would be good to be an inch closer to us..." Li Shubai saw tears in her eyes, as if she was still the Huang Zixia who was living happily in Shijun's mansion, her eyes were blankly looking at a point in the sky, there was nothing there, but she seemed to be able to see her best years, that was Her past girlhood is gone forever, never to be recaptured. Yuxuan ran through her entire girlhood, and it was the most important and beautiful part of her memory at that time. He looked away, lowered his voice, and said in the calmest voice: "It sounds like he is very attached to you." "It's...he values our family more than anyone else in the world—so, it's even harder for him to forgive me for destroying what he values most." "Other than that?" Li Shubai asked again. She hesitated for a moment, then turned her gaze to him. With a calm expression, he crossed his fingers, put his chin on them, and stared at her darkly: "Besides this, there must be something else that makes him think you are the murderer." Huang Zixia bit her lower lip lightly. After a long time, she finally said in a trembling voice, "Letter...I wrote him a letter." "How did you write it?" It's been a long time, but Huang Zixia still clearly remembers the above content.She slowly read out the most important words on it—— Listening to her uttering the love letter she wrote to others word by word, Li Shubai's fingers holding the glazed cup unconsciously tightened.He forced himself to suppress the undercurrent that fluctuated in his heart, and asked slowly, "When did you write it?" "Just... four days before my family's murder." "Is it after your family's accident, Yuxuan showed the letter from the government?" "yes……" "If I saw this love letter at that time, I would also believe that you were the murderer, wouldn't I?" A sneer appeared on the corner of his lips, his eyes were sharper than a knife's edge, "The letter you wrote with your own hands is yours. The biggest crime." Huang Zixia gritted her teeth and did not speak. What she did with her own hands is powerless to recover. She doesn't want to explain, and she can't. The night is darker, and the trees are full of shadows.The moon has been covered by clouds, and apart from the lights that shone on them, there is only darkness as far as the eye can see. Li Shubai caressed the glazed cup, pondered for a long time, then looked at her and slowly opened his mouth, saying: "I don't care about the grievances between you and Yuxuan. You can do it yourself." She raised her head and looked at Li Shubai in front of her. He was shining calmly under the light, and his brilliance flowed, so he looked extraordinarily resolute and cold. She bowed silently, ready to leave. "By the way, I have something to tell you," Li Shubai said again, "Compared to Princess Tongchang and Yuxuan, there is one more person that you have to take care of—a letter was sent to you today in Tai Chi Palace, asking you to Go to see him immediately." Huang Zixia was stunned and asked, "Now?" "It's getting late today, let's go tomorrow," Li Shubai said, looking at the bright moon outside the window, "Since she has something to look for you, you probably won't be able to leave the capital in the near future, and what she is going to entrust to you must be with Concubine Guo Shu and Tong Chang. It is related to the princess, so I think it may be necessary for you to stay in the capital to deal with this case." "yes." He stared at her with a pair of calm and deep eyes, and said: "Concubine Guo Shu has been acting frequently recently, and Sima Zhao's heart is well known to everyone. The queen must have summoned you for this reason." Huang Zixia nodded silently, and heard him say again: "I hope you have self-knowledge. If you can't finish it, don't try to be brave. I will show up when the time comes." She still nodded, but said stubbornly: "I will do well." The corners of his lips raised slightly, revealing a mocking smile, and said, "You can't do what you can."
Early the next morning, Huang Zixia just got up and found that the people from Princess Tongchang's residence were already waiting at the door.The eunuch named Deng Chunmin had a bitter expression on his face, and begged: "Eunuch Yang, hurry up, the princess told me to take you there yesterday, you should save me!" Huang Zixia looked at the sky, and asked in surprise: "The princess asked about this so early?" "The princess hasn't got up yet, but what if she wakes up and asks about this? I have to take you in quickly, don't you think?" Under Deng Chunmin's pleading eyes, Huang Zixia had no choice but to wash up quickly, and then followed him to Princess Tongchang's mansion. Tongchang Princess Mansion is really a place where gold is the railing and jade is the wall. Although it is not as magnificent as the imperial palace, the gold decorations on the eaves, the golden bells among the flowers to avoid birds, and the delicate patterns woven with gold and silver threads on the bamboo curtains are all beautiful. Showing subtle luxury. Huang Zixia stood quietly in the front yard of Princess Tongchang's mansion, waiting for her announcement. The morning dew is still there, and the birds are chirping overhead.She was watching, when a pitiful and sleepy voice came from beside her: "Eunuch Yang, are you here too?" Huang Zixia turned her head and saw that it was Cui Chunzhan, the Shaoqing of Dali Temple.He took the four small officials of Dali Temple with his head downcast, and after greeting her, he sat down on the chair beside her with a sad face: "Eunuch Yang, have you eaten breakfast yet?" "Not yet." Huang Zixia said calmly, looking at the five fingerprints on his face. "Me too," he sensed her gaze, so he could only cover his cheek sadly, and said, "When I got up in the morning, there was too much movement, which disturbed my tigress, and in the end..." Huang Zixia thought of his title as the number one feared person in the court, and could only laugh without saying a word. Cui Chunzhan felt embarrassed, and said: "She also feels sorry for me getting up early to be busy with business, and wants to spend more time with me, but she can't express it, Eunuch Yang, do you think so?" "Exactly." Huang Zixia said seriously. Seeing her affirming his wife, Cui Chunzhan was happy. When he turned around and saw a maid coming in with a food box, he was even happier: "Great, we can have breakfast first." The maid pursed her lips and smiled, opened the food box and brought out the pasta and porridge inside.Cui Chunzhan invited everyone to sit down and eat together. Deng Chunmin hurried up and scooped up a small bowl of porridge for everyone.Cui Chunzhan looked at the handsome maid and asked, "Are you close to the princess?" "The servant girl, Chuizhu, followed the princess since she was a child, and later married out of the palace as a dowry." She smiled with crooked eyebrows and pink cheeks. Although her facial features are not the most beautiful, the gentle appearance is unforgettable, "Princess It is said that Cui Shaoqing and Eunuch Yang may not be familiar with the situation in the mansion, so if you need anything, you can ask me." "This is really great! I am worried about the thousands of households in the Princess Mansion, and I don't know what to do." Cui Chunzhan said, looking at Deng Chunmin again. Deng Chunmin hurriedly said: "Slave Deng Chunmin, like Chui Zhu and Wei Ximin, grew up with the princess in the palace and left the palace with the princess a year ago." "How many people are there in your house?" Cui Chunzhan asked. Deng Chunmin was in trouble immediately, but Chuizhu said like a few treasures: "Back to Cui Shaoqing, the Princess Mansion now has forty-two principal and deputy housekeepers and accountants, seventy-eight eunuchs, one hundred and twenty-eight maidservants, and kitchen workers Two hundred and forty-seven people." "How many people accompanied the princess out of the palace?" "At that time, there were seventy-eight eunuchs and thirty-six maidservants. Most of the rest were bought from the people when the emperor decreed to build the princess mansion. There were more than ten people who were horse breeders, warehouse managers and gardeners. Wait, I've been relying on you one after another for a year." Seeing that Chui Zhu spoke and acted clearly, Huang Zixia asked, "Did Wei Ximin have any enmity with anyone?" Chui Zhu thought for a while, and said: "Wei Ximin and I work together near the princess. He has been serving the princess with all his heart, trembling and loyal." However, Deng Chunmin was hesitant to speak beside him.Huang Zixia then asked him: "Eunuch Deng, you and Wei Ximin are both servants, do you find anything in your daily life?" Wei Ximin hurriedly said: "Actually, just the day before the accident, I found out that there seemed to be a dispute between him and... the calamus of the inner chef." "Oh?" Cui Chunzhan quickly put down his chopsticks and asked, "Why did he get into an argument with a cook?" Deng Chunmin was at a loss and said, "I...I don't know." "Calamus is not the cook, but the one who is in charge of the big and small kitchens in the mansion and the meals for the four seasons. The princess often praises her for her prudence in doing things." Seeing this, Chuizhu said on his behalf, "She is a servant of the concubine's family. She came here. She should be in her thirties this year, and she is not yet married. As for the content of the dispute, we don't know."
"A dispute? A dispute between me and Wei Ximin?" Calamus was planning the dishes for tomorrow's mansion, seeing them coming, he put the paper aside.In terms of appearance, she is quite average, but she has a serious face and two deep nasolabial folds at the corners of her mouth, which makes this woman in her thirties look devoid of charm.She thought about it carefully, nodded and said, "That's what happened." The governor behind quickly took out his pen and ink and began to record. Seeing this situation, Changpu's expression changed a little, and he asked, "What did you say? Do you think that Wei Ximin's death is related to me? He... Isn't he retribution for God's punishment?" Huang Zixia hurriedly comforted him and said, "Please don't worry, sister. It's just a routine matter. It's just to understand Wei Ximin's usual affairs. You can just answer it." Calamus still looked puzzled and nervous, hesitantly said: "I don't know... what is it?" "Can you tell us about your disputes in the past few days?" "Oh... that matter." Calamus raised her voice slightly, obviously still dissatisfied in her heart, she said, "I usually take care of the meals in the mansion, and Wei Ximin is the princess' servant, so I don't have much friendship , and never had a bad relationship. Who knew that he came to me that day and asked me for Linglingxiang. I said no, but he scolded me in front of the whole kitchen. You said, I have been in charge of the kitchen for more than 20 years since the son-in-law’s house As for people, what does he mean by embarrassing me like this from the beginning? But after all, he is a celebrity around the princess, so I could only let him scold at that time. But now... well, the dead are gone, forget it. " Huang Zixia asked again: "You are the person in charge of meals, why would he ask you for Linglingxiang?" "Speaking of this, I'm really unlucky. A few days ago I just... got a little Linglingxiang from somewhere. Dedicated to the princess for the sake of it. Who knows that the princess didn't like it, so it fell into Wei Ximin's hands. After he used it up, he felt that the servant must still be on hand, so he continued to beg for it with confidence. I really don't know how he can be so thick-skinned!" Huang Zixia continued to ask the bottom line: "Excuse me, sister, where did this Linglingxiang come from?" "It was... from someone I know." Calamus lowered his head, embarrassed, obviously resisting the topic, "Anyway, that person only gave me this little bit, nothing more. After that, Wei Ximin and I never saw each other again.了，第二天就听说他死了，据说是……被雷劈了，奴婢也很诧异，想不会是老天爷看不过他这么强横霸道吧？” 黄梓瑕点头，又问了最后一个问题：“那么，魏喜敏死的时候，你身在何处？” “那日是观世音得道日，府中要吃素食的。所以一上午我就在厨房中盯着那些人，免得有荤腥混进去了。万一被公主发现了，这可是大事，您说是不是？” 崔纯湛随口应道：“这倒是的。” 旁边已经有宦官过来通报了：“公主已经起身，各位可以前往觐见了。” 崔纯湛与黄梓瑕便先丢下了厨娘这边，向着公主住的地方行去。远远便见一群身着锦绣罗裙的侍女迤逦而下高台，每人手中都有一片金光。等到近了才发现，原来她们手中托着金盘，里面正是同昌公主吃完后撤下来的早膳。 黄梓瑕在心里想，如果周子秦在的话，他肯定会说，金盘多没用啊，银盘就实在多了，还可以验毒！ 崔纯湛也感叹道：“果然是'侍女金盆脍鲤鱼'——听说公主府中盘碗都是金银，看来是真的。” 垂珠抿嘴笑道：“公主幼时在宫中，曾被碎瓷片割破了手指。因此圣上下令，不许公主身边出现任何瓷器陶器，到如今也就沿袭下来了。” 崔纯湛和黄梓瑕未免无语。早听坊间传说，皇帝对同昌公主爱逾掌珠，没料到竟一至于此。
同昌公主身着艳红襦裙，一头秀发挽成松松一个云髻，一个人坐在阁内接见他们。 她端坐在榻上，发间只插着一支钗。但这支钗的华美精致，却令黄梓瑕这样从不在意首饰的人、连崔纯湛这样的男人，目光都落在上面，一时无法移开。 这是一支玉钗，通体由一整块玉石雕琢而成，雕工精细，清晰呈现出九只鸾凤翱翔的姿态。而最为难得的是，这块玉石，居然是一块稀世罕见的九色玉，也不知道是哪个巧手玉工妙手偶成，竟凭借着玉石自身的颜色，雕出了九只颜色各异的鸾凤，展翼飞翔，意蕴生动至极。 黄梓瑕心想，这应该就是传说中的九鸾钗了，整个天下仅此一支，号称内府镇库之宝。当今皇上没有交给王皇后，却赐给了自己的女儿，足见对同昌公主的珍爱。 阁中并不见驸马踪影。公主示意他们坐下，然后说：“驸马昨日受了伤，太医说要敷药。我觉得药味难闻，因此打发他到偏院睡去了。” 崔纯湛的手下意识地抚上了早上被老婆扇过的那半边脸颊，神情复杂。 公主与驸马，看来感情颇为冷淡。 黄梓瑕的脑中，一闪而过李舒白的话。 他说，同昌公主与禹宣，颇多市井流言…… 她强行制止自己再想下去，收敛心神，努力让自己的声音冷静如初：“不知公主对魏喜敏一事，有什么看法？可以为我们述说一二吗？” 公主悻然：“此事我当然存疑了！首先，魏喜敏是个从来不信鬼神的人，你说他怎么会在那天挤到荐福寺去参加法会？” 黄梓瑕微微诧异，问：“他不信鬼神？” “是呀。”公主侧脸想了想，问身边的一个侍女：“落佩，你说是不是？” 落佩赶紧说道：“正是呢！平日里魏喜敏不是有头痛顽疾吗，一痛就指天骂地的，还常说世间若有佛祖菩萨，那就先让自己那二两肉先长回来呀……哎哟，总之都是些肮脏话。这不昨晚还有人说呢，魏喜敏正是因平日犯了大不敬，所以才遭了报应呢！” “出事的前几天晚上，听说他与膳房的菖蒲闹得难看，你们知道的，菖蒲是驸马家那边的人，能由着他胡来吗？我正想训他，谁知垂珠问遍了府中所有人，都不见他的踪迹。没想到第二天就听说他在荐福寺死掉了！”同昌公主蹙眉道，“是以我觉得，此事必有蹊跷，至少，将他引到荐福寺去的人肯定大有嫌疑。” 崔纯湛说道：“公主言之有理，臣等定会查个水落石出，不负公主期望！” 他这一番场面话说得一点诚意都没有，同昌公主干脆不搭理他，直接将目光转向了黄梓瑕：“杨公公，你有何看法？” 黄梓瑕说道：“目前尚不得而知，可能崔少卿与奴婢还要在府中询问盘查一番。” 同昌公主挥挥手，说：“崔少卿先去吧，杨公公等一等。” 等崔纯湛五人走出门口后，同昌公主才缓缓站起身，走到黄梓瑕身边。 黄梓瑕站起，恭敬地向她低头行礼。 黄梓瑕身材修长，而同昌公主个子娇小，比她矮了约莫半个头。她抬眼打量黄梓瑕半晌，才笑道：“早就听说公公大名，能得夔王如此青眼之人，果然仪表非凡。” 黄梓瑕勉强笑了一笑：“公主谬赞。” “我说的话，会有谬吗？”她瞟了她一眼，笑意盈盈又走到窗前，懒懒地靠在那里，问，“你看到本宫戴的这支九鸾钗了吗？” 黄梓瑕点头，说：“精妙至极，巧夺天工。” “公公，你毕竟不知道女子心思。虽然我只要动一动手指，天下珍奇珠宝都会竞相呈现在我面前，但我最爱的，还是这一支九鸾钗，”她抬手轻抚着头上九鸾钗，轻轻地叹道，“女子的执念，总觉得自己最珍爱的东西，会与自己心意相连……” 黄梓瑕不知道她对自己说这些有什么深意，但她也并没有显露出什么不耐烦的神情，只静静地恭敬听着。 “前几日……在魏喜敏还没死的某一夜，我做了一个梦。”公主将双手撑在栏杆上，俯视着下面的花海。 时维七月，天气炎热。她的住处在高台之上。凉风徐来，下面遍植的粉色合欢花如水波般浮动，暗香冉冉。 一朵丝绒般的合欢花被风卷起，沾在她的鬓边，轻轻颤动，纤细柔软，她抬手取下，用手指轻捻，喃喃说道：“我梦见，一个穿着锦绣华服的女子，一头长发却毫无修饰，倾泻于地。她从黑暗中渐渐显形，一步步向我走来，我看见她的面容，光华如玉——她对我说：'我乃南齐淑妃潘玉儿，有一件心爱之物在你身边已久，请公主及早准备，赠还与我。'” 同昌公主说着，忽然转身，声音也微变了，问：“南齐潘淑妃，这都是几百年前的人了，她的意思，说我该还她了……是不是，是不是指我也该……” “公主无须担忧，”黄梓瑕见她神情犹有余悸，便安慰说，“不过是一个梦，虚无缥缈，如风易散。依奴婢看来，或许是公主近日心怀忧思，才抑郁成梦而已。” “是吗？”公主皱眉思索许久，抬手取下头上那支九鸾钗，递到她的面前，“杨公公，你看看。” 黄梓瑕接过九鸾钗，放在手中仔细看去。在繁复纠缠的九色鸾凤之后，是弯月形的钗尾，在那上面刻着小小的两个古篆：玉儿。 “这支钗，确实属于南齐潘淑妃潘玉儿，”她叹了一口气，说，“现下，你能明白我忧心如焚的原因了吧？身边的宦官出事，我的驸马出事，而我自己……也做了这样不祥的噩梦，你说，我怎么能不焦虑？” “请公主切勿多思多虑。奴婢一定尽心尽责，力求早日侦破此案，给公主一个交代。”黄梓瑕看她的模样，知道再怎么安慰也没用，便只说了这几句。 同昌公主这才稍微宽慰，说：“若你真能将伤害驸马、杀害魏喜敏的凶手擒拿归案，本宫一定重重有赏——或者，就算是天谴，你也要给我查清楚，本宫身边的人，为什么要遭受天谴？” 黄梓瑕看着她单薄锐利又倔强的五官，不由得在心里叹了口气，说：“这是奴婢分内事，公主无须担忧，奴婢一定竭尽全力追查此案。”
辞别了同昌公主，黄梓瑕一个人慢慢走下高高的台基。 高台风来，吹起她外面轻薄的绛纱衣。她将遮住自己眼睛的广袖握住，下了最后一级台阶，抬头一看，却发现从合欢花树的下面，缓缓行来一人。 夏日炎热，繁花盛开。 一树树合欢花开得如云如雾，无风自落。那些几近燃烧的花朵，在这样浓烈的夏日阳光里，毫不吝惜地且开且落。 弥漫的花朵，妖艳无格。花树低垂到殿檐下，半遮半掩着那个行来的身影。那是一个即使看不清身影，也能感觉到动人韵致的人。 而黄梓瑕，仅看到他的人影，就仿佛感觉到了自己手心沁出冰冷的汗。 她迅速转身，躲到了一棵高大的合欢树后，强抑自己身体的颤抖，凝望着他。 那个男子慢慢行近，他不言不语，却自有一种水墨般雅致深远的韵味。如同新月银辉，淡淡照亮别人，既不刺眼，也不黯淡，恰到好处的光彩。 他似乎感觉到树后有人，于是，在万千花树之间，他抬起头来，用一双几乎可以令世间万物沉醉的目光，远望着她所在的方向。 而她不由自主地将自己的背紧贴在树干上，仿佛生怕被他看见。她努力压抑自己的呼吸，仿佛怕自己一呵气，有些东西就忍不住要在她心中决堤。 Yu Xuan. 他怎么会在公主府中？ 而且，是在这样的清晨，公主与驸马分居的时刻。 脚步轻声响起，青草窸窸窣窣。 他走到她藏身的树后，声音温柔：“这位公公，你是否不舒服？需要帮忙吗？” 她这才发现，自己露在外面的衣服，因为自己极力的压抑而微微颤抖，就像是身体不舒服一般。 她赶紧扯过自己的衣服，背对着他，勉强摇了摇头。 他还是有点担心，关怀地问：“真的没关系吗？” 黄梓瑕一咬牙，快步向着前方走去。 她的身子一动，让他脸上的微笑顿时僵住了。他定定地看着她的背影，在她脚步惶急之时，失声喃喃：“阿瑕……” 这两个字，传入她的耳中，恍然如梦。 他的声音似隔了久远的时光而来，水波般在她耳边响起，久久不能平息。 她的脚步，不由自主地停了下来，呆呆地站立在那里。许久许久，她转过身，看向后面的禹宣。 而他定定地看着她，他的面上不仅有恨，还有一些更复杂的东西。他看着她，像是看着自己已经死去的梦想，看着自己曾经亲手呵护开出的花朵腐烂成泥。 她望着他，许久，轻轻地叫他：“禹宣。” 这空无一人的林中，合欢花下。夏日炎热的风拂过树梢，落花如雨，他们两人都是一身旖旎的粉色花朵，如丝如蕊，拂之不去。 黄梓瑕披着满身的花朵，静静望着他，仿佛望着自己永远失去的少女时光。 “公主命我……查探府上两桩疑案。” 他望着她，目光中满是似远还近的疏离，似有若无的哀切。他沉默许久，终于咬一咬牙，面上挂上一丝冷笑：“不错，杀了亲人之后，如今还能混老本行，赢得众人拥戴。” “我会回蜀中，就在……公主府案件结束之后，”她强行抑制住自己胸口涌上的苦涩绞痛，辩解道，“夔王已经答应帮我，不日我将启程回去，重新彻查我一家的案情！” 他愕然，直直地盯着她：“你……会回去？” “为什么不？我不但要洗雪我自己的冤仇，更要彻查我一家满门的血案！”她将手按在自己胸前，心跳得狂乱，她几乎无法压抑自己的激动，她用力呼吸着，良久，才能将那含着泪的一字一句从肺腑之中挤出来，“我一定会，亲手揪出那个凶手，为我爹娘、为我哥、为祖母和叔父报仇！” 站在她一丈之外的禹宣，定定地望着她，听着她的誓言，眼中翻涌起巨大的波澜。只是他终究无法在一瞬间接受她的辩解，他垂下眼，缓缓地往后退了一步，低声说：“你当初杀害亲人，证据确凿，我……不知该不该信你……” 心脏在这一刻仿佛停止了跳动。周围一切落花如雨，美好景象，尽成虚幻。 但黄梓瑕站在他的面前，在他这样决绝的话语之前，在全身冰冷的颤抖中，她却忽然笑了。合欢花且开且落，纷纷如雨，她站在落花中看着他，笑靥一如当年。 她笑着，说：“放心吧，禹宣，我会揪出幕后凶手给你看的。我面对的案子，从来没有破不了的，而这一件，我赌上自己的命！” 她眼中泛起泪光来，却仿佛毫无察觉，只狠狠转过身，向着前方，大步穿越合欢树而去。 她越走越快，到后来，几乎变成了疾步狂奔，头也不回地逃离了他。 直到奔出合欢树林，她茫然驻足仰望。透过头顶稀疏的树枝，她看见他正在慢慢地走上高台。 风动衣摆，飘然若仙。那种舒朗姿态，无法描摹、无法言说。 他心中，到底有没有为他们的重逢，涌起一丝波澜呢？ 她移开目光，仰头望天。碧蓝的天空高不可攀，明亮而刺眼，她原本灼热的眼中，泪水终于涌了出来。
The two sat down in the hall, kneeling and sitting a few feet lower than each other.The wind is blowing from all directions, the water is moving and cool, and the waves outside and the lights in the room match each other, making it bright and blurred. Wang Yun did not continue the topic just now, but only served her some snacks, and said, "When you came to my house last time, I saw that you liked Cherry Biluo very much. Now that the cherries are gone, you can try this green plum Biluo." The green plum Biluo was placed in a white porcelain cup, and chopped rose preserves were piled on top, bright red and green.Sweet candied fruit mixed with tart greengage creates a perfect flavor, which is wonderful as an appetizer before a meal. Seeing that she liked this dessert, Wang Yun moved the plate in front of her, and said casually: "Many girls like green plums. But in fact, this kind of food is extremely sour, and it can only be served with a lot of honey. Only then can it be pickled so that it can be eaten." Huang Zixia heard that he meant something else, so she stopped and looked up at him. And his gaze was fixed on her, and his voice was calm: "If there is no honey, and you insist on picking this kind of thing to eat, wouldn't you be asking for trouble?" Huang Zixia lowered her eyes, bit her lower lip and remained silent for a while, then said, "Like a person who drinks water, he knows whether it is warm or cold. Those who don't know its taste may not be able to feel it personally." Wang Yun smiled slightly, and handed her another plate of golden silk. The moonlight outside the window shines on the water, sparkling and flickering around through the open doors and windows on all sides.Huang Zixia knelt down in front of him, looking at his smile that was close at hand, with complicated emotions surging in her chest, but she didn't know how to speak.She opened her lips several times, but the last words she wanted to say disappeared in her throat. She could only lower her head and pretend to eat seriously. And Wang Yun sat in front of her, quietly staring at her drooping face.She was still the girl he caught a glimpse of three years ago, but her tenderness and mellowness had faded away, and she began to show a stubborn and profound outline. Three years ago... She was fourteen, and he was only sixteen years old. He really wanted to see the fiancée who was so talented and beautiful in the legend, but out of shyness, he had to drag others to the palace with him. , before he dared to take a sneak peek. At that time in the spring afternoon, she was wearing a silver-red three-layer gauze dress, and on the white shawl, purple vine flowers of different shades were depicted. At the end of the winding corridor in the palace, behind a group of court ladies, she is more slender and lighter than anyone else, just like a branch of Lanxin's first hair.And he kept looking at her, not daring to blink, for fear of missing his precious opportunity. When she reached the end of the corridor, he finally saw her turn around.So he imagined the faces countless times, like fireworks suddenly blooming in the silent night, appearing in front of his eyes. On that spring day, the outline of her profile was like someone carved into his heart with the sharpest knife, which could never be erased. However, she, whom he had engraved in his heart for more than three years, gave him the deadliest humiliation and blow.During that time, he tossed and turned, had trouble sleeping and eating, and the profile deeply imprinted in his heart bled and scabbed, but it left an indelible mark until death.He kept thinking, what went wrong and why, the person he had been looking forward to for three years, that beautiful fiancée of Lan Xin, would give him such a big shame at the beginning, and put him in love for so long. Killed the expectations with one's own hands? He stared at Huang Zixia in front of him, thinking that his expectations for the past three years had come to nothing. He knew that she was the chief culprit who had shamed himself and his family, but he didn't know how to say the next sentence. And Huang Zixia felt his gaze, and she felt uncomfortable as if her chest was blocked, a feeling of suffocation made her heart sink all the time. She slowly put the porcelain plate in her hand back on the table, bit her lower lip, and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry... Actually, I, I have also thought about discussing this matter with you peacefully, trying not to disturb outsiders , we solve it ourselves..." "Solution...what do you mean?" Wang Yun stared at her and asked slowly. Huang Zixia pursed her lips tightly and looked up at him. After a long time, she finally squeezed out a few words: "I mean, break the engagement." Wang Yun's beautiful pair of phoenix eyes stared at her intently, as if trying to burn a hole in her body.Just when she thought that he would lose control of his anger and explode at her, he suddenly looked away, looking at the slanting moon outside the window, and said in a low and quiet voice, "I will not break off the engagement with you." Huang Zixia's hand on the table unconsciously clenched into a fist. He looked out of the window, and the gentle evening wind made the flowers and shadows fluctuate outside the window. He tried his best to control himself, and the gloomy gloom on his face gradually receded.She heard his voice, like a whisper, even with a trace of strange tenderness: "Huang Zixia, you are my wife who was hired by three matchmakers and six people, and the marriage letter is a certificate. No matter what crime you commit, no matter where you are Where, as long as I don't agree to divorce, you only belong to me in this life, not to anyone else." Such gentle words made Huang Zixia feel as if he had been hit hard in the chest.She looked up in astonishment, and in the turbulent waves and lights at this time, she saw his gentle and calm face, but felt that the whole world was fluctuating abnormally, causing a warm blood to rush through her heart, but left an inexplicable feeling. Tension and fear. She breathed hard, calmed herself down, and said in a low voice: "Thank you for your wrong love, Mr. Wang. But I don't know if I can stand in front of others in this life, so... I dare not delay Mr. Wang, nor I dare to tire you to wait for years. After all, you are the eldest grandson of the eldest family, and you have your own responsibilities. If the entire Langya Wang family is delayed because of me, Huang Zixia will definitely not feel at ease for the rest of his life." But he smiled slightly and comforted her and said, "You don't have to worry, the Wang family will always support you and try your best to clear up your grievances. I will also wait for you until the truth comes out." Huang Zixia shook her head, and said stubbornly: "But I can't help myself. Now that I am notorious, I have no longer dreamed of being as safe and happy as an ordinary woman. In this life... I am afraid that you and I are destined to miss each other. I also ask the prince to choose another spouse, Huang Zixia... can only feel ashamed of you." He looked at her with burning eyes, as if he wanted to see into her heart. And Huang Zixia looked at him, silently biting her lower lip. After a long time, she heard him speak softly, as if sighing: "Huang Zixia, you are making so many high-sounding excuses, do you think I can't see through your sincerity?" Her scalp tingled slightly, and under his penetrating eyes, she felt that she had nothing to hide.She didn't have the courage to look up at him, so she could only keep her head down in silence, only the wave light reflected from the window slipped over her eyelashes, turbulently. But he still spoke softly, and said slowly: "Actually, you still think about that Yu Xuan, don't you?" Huang Zixia still bowed her head silently. Everyone knew about her love affair. No matter how much she concealed it, it would be useless, so she could only choose to remain silent. "Sometimes, I myself feel very helpless, very...painful." He stared fixedly at her, with a dark flame burning in his eyes, "My fiancée likes another man, and the matter is so big that there is a lot of trouble. Everyone in the world knows—but that man is not me. Have you ever thought about how I feel?" Huang Zixia bowed her head deeply, and said in a trembling voice: "I'm sorry... until now, everything is my fault, please donate me, an ominous person, and choose another high-ranking lady. Huang Zixia... I will make up for the debt in the next life your everything." "Afterlife, why do I want an illusory afterlife?" His always gentle voice finally took on a cold meaning at this moment, "Huang Zixia, you don't need to say any more. No matter where you are, the ends of the earth, the sky and the earth, even Even if you die, you are still mine!" His voice was stern, and there was no room for maneuver. Huang Zixia knew in her heart that all her prayers would be in vain.However, she had no choice but to bend down and bow deeply to him, and said in a low voice: "Please forgive Huang Zixia's parents for their blood feud, and their great revenge has not been avenged, and they cannot take their children's private affairs to heart. I hope you will forgive me." She stood up and walked outside. But she heard the wind in her ears, and her hand was grabbed. It was Wang Yun. He caught up with her and grabbed her wrist. She was caught off guard and subconsciously turned to look at him, only to see his burning eyes staring at her. Her heart trembled, and she took a step back unconsciously, but her back touched the wall, making her unable to take another step back. "That person... As my fiancée, is that the only person you miss in your heart?" He pressed her shoulders, pushed her against the wall, and tried to lower his voice, but he still couldn't suppress his anger. The face that was always like a spring breeze also turned into a storm because of the resentment, and the gaze pierced deeply into her heart, as if being hit by a violent storm, making her weak and mournful in an instant. If Yuxuan hadn't been there, they would have been husband and wife this spring. If there hadn't been a tragedy that hurt her throughout her life, perhaps in this life, the person she joined hands with would be this man in front of her, handsome, gentle, from a family, and a perfect husband-in-law.Maybe she can also live in peace with him for the rest of her life, grow old together, and hold the same eyebrows. But now, she could only feel the fear passing over her chest, and she tried her best to turn her face away, not daring to face him.But he lowered his head, his scorching breath fainted in her ears, and she heard him call her in a low voice: "Huang Zixia..." That voice, mixed with his slight panting, was slightly hoarse, scattered around her cheeks, with a hint of shock to her. And he pushed her against the wall, lowered his head, and kissed her lips. The cold sweat all over her body broke out in an instant.Gritting her teeth, she raised her hands with all her strength, ready to push him away. The moment her fingertips touched the hem of his chest, someone outside knocked lightly on the open door twice and said in a low voice, "My lord, there is a letter from King Kui's residence, specifying that it should be addressed to Eunuch Yang Chonggu." Wang Yun seemed to wake up in an instant. He let go of Huang Zixia's shoulder, took two steps back, stared blankly for a while, and then looked outside the door. Unknowingly, the sky has completely darkened. Chang'an City is about to have a curfew, even the palace, except for important matters and emergencies, generally will not move around. As if waking up from a dream, Wang Yun let out a long breath, turned around and sat down in front of the short table, and said in a low voice, "Come in." Huang Zixia leaned against the door, feeling a trace of cold sweat dripping from her palms, fearing it would make her dizzy.She tried her best to control her hand, took the letter, opened it, and took out the Xuelang note inside. The paper is folded into Fang Sheng, very thick.She opened it and saw that it was a blank sheet of paper. Nothing. She glanced at it, then immediately folded the letterhead, put it back in the envelope as it was, then looked up at Wang Yun, and said, "My lord called me back to the mansion because of something urgent, I'm afraid I must go back, please forgive me." Wang Yun's hand was pressed on the table, trembling almost invisibly.He forced himself to restrain himself, and didn't look at her anymore. He only turned his face out of the window, looking at the breeze and moon outside, with a usual smile on his lips, and said clearly in a gentle and calm voice: "It's late at night. Lu Zhong, be careful all the way."
The summer sky is as clear as washing, and the stars are inlaid in the night sky, green and huge. Huang Zixia returned to King Kui's mansion under the light of the stars and the moon, and Li Shubai was indeed still reading in the study. Four phoenix wings and octagonal thin beams above his head, the palace lights were shining brightly, he had already changed into plain gauze single clothes, pure white softly flowed over his body, under the lights at this time, he looked exceptionally clean, like snow falling on a mountain. His quiet and clear posture, in such a quiet night, made Huang Zixia's heart flutter back to its original position in an instant. She walked through the curtain, walked gently in front of him, and knelt down. And without raising his head, he just asked, "Is Wang Yun suspicious of you?" She nodded and asked, "Your Highness already knows?" "I don't know," he closed the book in his hand, put it aside, and said, "But I heard from people in the mansion that Wang Yun invited you to meet, so I sent you a blank letter just in case." Huang Zixia nodded silently.If something happened to this blank letter, she could be rescued. If nothing happened, she could ignore it. Everything was up to her own choice. "Wang Yun...he already knows that I am Huang Zixia." "After all, she is my fiancée, and she is also a fiancée who has caused me great humiliation, so I must be more sensitive." Li Shubai said calmly, as if nothing had happened, "If he sees a eunuch who looks similar to Huang Zixia, but doesn't care at all, then That's the weird thing." "But there could be trouble later on." "There will be no more trouble, because I will help you solve it." Li Shubai said, although the cloud is calm, but what he said has unquestionable power. Huang Zixia nodded, because of his words, he suddenly felt that the panic and throbbing in his heart that originated from Wang Yun disappeared.The impending storm that she had foreseen disappeared in this moment. She bowed her head reassuringly and smiled slightly. The long night was silent, the two sat facing each other, Li Shubai who was in front of her raised his eyes and saw her drooping face, the palace lantern on the table cast a faint blush on her face.On her jade-white cheeks, there was a faint peach-like color, delicate and soft, as if in the dark night, an unknown spring day was quietly blooming beside him. He saw the light trembling slightly on her eyelashes like water waves, he immediately turned his eyes away, and turned his eyes to the desk before she looked at him.In the glass bottle there, the little red fish was sleeping peacefully without moving. As if in order to break this silence, Li Shubai turned to ask other things: "What I said before, can you give me an explanation?" Huang Zixia suddenly remembered what Li Shubai said to her in the shooting ring today.She helped the person who was removed from the guard of honor by Li Shubai, which was tantamount to secretly confronting him, and she simply ignored the master. She suddenly felt a hundred times greater pressure than facing Wang Yun, and even her breathing quickened slightly: "My lord is my master, and I will be loyal to you; Zhang Xingying is my friend, and I will be righteous to him. Although loyal It's a dilemma, but Zhang Xingying has kindness to me, and besides keeping righteousness, I also have to observe etiquette and repay the kindness...so I thought about it, and I can only help him first." "So, the relationship between you is relatively close, but in contrast, I am relatively distant, isn't it?" Li Shubai glanced at her and said, "Huang Zixia, you are really affectionate and righteous, and you are very close." Huang Zixia suddenly felt the cold sweat on her back, and she subconsciously argued: "My lord's kindness to me is as great as a mountain, and Huang Zixia probably can't afford it in this life...but Zhang Xingying is what I can afford." Li Shubai looked at her under the lamp, and saw that she kept bowing her head obediently, with a look of embarrassment and embarrassment. The light shone on her face, fluctuating faintly, like a veil of uneasiness. Then he smiled slightly and said, "Actually, I'm not interested in asking about Zhang Xingying. It's just that I don't like you acting privately." She quickly bowed her head to admit her mistake.He then changed the subject and asked, "Is there any progress in the matter of Jianfu Temple?" Huang Zixia hurriedly recounted what he had seen and heard in Jianfu Temple today, and then showed him a picture: "The iron wire is about two feet long, and it is not straight. The rusty end has a semicircular curvature. The straight end seems to be It has been tempered and has some slight glints." "I'll go to Dali Temple tomorrow to have a look," Li Shubai said, looking at her again, and said, "Also, today I promised Princess Tongchang that you would intervene in the investigation of the weirdness around her, but in fact, you don't have to be too worried. You are too nervous. Although she is a princess, you are in my family and are not assigned by her. Your intervention in this case is only helping Dali Temple and has nothing to do with her. Therefore, if she makes excessive demands, you should not Just give it to Cui Chunzhan." Huang Zixia silently mourned for Cui Chunzhan in his heart, and replied: "Yes." "And, the biggest question is—" Li Shubai said indifferently, "Is there any relationship between the two incidents, the death of the eunuch Wei Ximin in Jianfu Temple and the son-in-law?" "The inside story of what happened on the shooting field is so complicated, so..." At first, she really didn't want to get angry.Huang Zixia thought to himself, looked at Li Shubai helplessly, and asked with his eyes, didn't you not want to get involved in this matter at first? Li Shubai clearly saw her doubts, but he didn't speak. He just tapped his fingers on the table twice, as if he was thinking about something, but finally he raised his hand and opened the drawer, took out a piece of paper and handed it to her. Huang Zixia took it in doubt, and stared at the words on it. There are only a few words on the paper.Huang Zixia put down the paper, pursed her lips and looked at Li Shubai, but said nothing. Li Shubai said lightly: "There are rumors in the market about this matter." Huang Zixia, who was barely calm when he saw the relationship between Yuxuan and the Princess Mansion just now, finally changed his expression slightly. The market rumors about Princess Tongchang and Yuxuan... As for what kind of rumors it is, it is self-evident. "Didn't expect him to have something to do with the princess mansion." Li Shubai didn't look at her, took a sip of tea leisurely, and his eyes fell on the quiet little fish in the glazed cup. "I heard that although he is young However, his knowledge is very solid, and Yu Xianxian’s works often have his own unique insights. Moreover, he is very upright in his studies, and all the scholars, teaching assistants and Xuelu of the Imperial College are full of praise for him.” Huang Zixia stood under the lamp, silent for a long time, not speaking. "As for your..." He pondered for a while before saying, "Brother Yi, what are you going to do?" Huang Zixia said in a low voice: "Now he only thinks that I am the murderer of the whole family, and he hates me to the bone. I think... we can still avoid meeting now, let's avoid meeting." "There is one thing, I find it very strange." Li Shubai put down the teacup in his hand, his eyes slowly fell on her, thoughtfully, "He has been with you for many years, and he has been in love with each other. What kind of person are you?" , he should know best, why would he insist on identifying you as the murderer?" Huang Zixia looked at him silently, for a long, long time, before whispering: "His parents died, and he was adopted by my father. Last year, he was admitted to Shuzhong Juren, and the imperial court prepared a house and servants for him according to the law." On the first night he was persuaded by my parents to live there, it snowed all night. When I was going to visit him the next morning, I found a man covered in snow standing outside the wall of Shijun’s mansion. At first glance, it turns out...it is Yu Xuan whose face has turned pale from the cold." When she said this, her voice trembled slightly. It took a long time to suppress her breath, and said with difficulty: "He said that he was not used to the new residence, as if he had no home since then, so he was sleepless in the middle of the night. Maoxue walked outside my house and was too embarrassed to come in, so I could only stand outside the door for a while, as if it would be good to be an inch closer to us..." Li Shubai saw tears in her eyes, as if she was still the Huang Zixia who was living happily in Shijun's mansion, her eyes were blankly looking at a point in the sky, there was nothing there, but she seemed to be able to see her best years, that was Her past girlhood is gone forever, never to be recaptured. Yuxuan ran through her entire girlhood, and it was the most important and beautiful part of her memory at that time. He looked away, lowered his voice, and said in the calmest voice: "It sounds like he is very attached to you." "It's...he values our family more than anyone else in the world—so, it's even harder for him to forgive me for destroying what he values most." "Other than that?" Li Shubai asked again. She hesitated for a moment, then turned her gaze to him. With a calm expression, he crossed his fingers, put his chin on them, and stared at her darkly: "Besides this, there must be something else that makes him think you are the murderer." Huang Zixia bit her lower lip lightly. After a long time, she finally said in a trembling voice, "Letter...I wrote him a letter." "How did you write it?" It's been a long time, but Huang Zixia still clearly remembers the above content.She slowly read out the most important words on it—— Listening to her uttering the love letter she wrote to others word by word, Li Shubai's fingers holding the glazed cup unconsciously tightened.He forced himself to suppress the undercurrent that fluctuated in his heart, and asked slowly, "When did you write it?" "Just... four days before my family's murder." "Is it after your family's accident, Yuxuan showed the letter from the government?" "yes……" "If I saw this love letter at that time, I would also believe that you were the murderer, wouldn't I?" A sneer appeared on the corner of his lips, his eyes were sharper than a knife's edge, "The letter you wrote with your own hands is yours. The biggest crime." Huang Zixia gritted her teeth and did not speak. What she did with her own hands is powerless to recover. She doesn't want to explain, and she can't. The night is darker, and the trees are full of shadows.The moon has been covered by clouds, and apart from the lights that shone on them, there is only darkness as far as the eye can see. Li Shubai caressed the glazed cup, pondered for a long time, then looked at her and slowly opened his mouth, saying: "I don't care about the grievances between you and Yuxuan. You can do it yourself." She raised her head and looked at Li Shubai in front of her. He was shining calmly under the light, and his brilliance flowed, so he looked extraordinarily resolute and cold. She bowed silently, ready to leave. "By the way, I have something to tell you," Li Shubai said again, "Compared to Princess Tongchang and Yuxuan, there is one more person that you have to take care of—a letter was sent to you today in Tai Chi Palace, asking you to Go to see him immediately." Huang Zixia was stunned and asked, "Now?" "It's getting late today, let's go tomorrow," Li Shubai said, looking at the bright moon outside the window, "Since she has something to look for you, you probably won't be able to leave the capital in the near future, and what she is going to entrust to you must be with Concubine Guo Shu and Tong Chang. It is related to the princess, so I think it may be necessary for you to stay in the capital to deal with this case." "yes." He stared at her with a pair of calm and deep eyes, and said: "Concubine Guo Shu has been acting frequently recently, and Sima Zhao's heart is well known to everyone. The queen must have summoned you for this reason." Huang Zixia nodded silently, and heard him say again: "I hope you have self-knowledge. If you can't finish it, don't try to be brave. I will show up when the time comes." She still nodded, but said stubbornly: "I will do well." The corners of his lips raised slightly, revealing a mocking smile, and said, "You can't do what you can."
Early the next morning, Huang Zixia just got up and found that the people from Princess Tongchang's residence were already waiting at the door.The eunuch named Deng Chunmin had a bitter expression on his face, and begged: "Eunuch Yang, hurry up, the princess told me to take you there yesterday, you should save me!" Huang Zixia looked at the sky, and asked in surprise: "The princess asked about this so early?" "The princess hasn't got up yet, but what if she wakes up and asks about this? I have to take you in quickly, don't you think?" Under Deng Chunmin's pleading eyes, Huang Zixia had no choice but to wash up quickly, and then followed him to Princess Tongchang's mansion. Tongchang Princess Mansion is really a place where gold is the railing and jade is the wall. Although it is not as magnificent as the imperial palace, the gold decorations on the eaves, the golden bells among the flowers to avoid birds, and the delicate patterns woven with gold and silver threads on the bamboo curtains are all beautiful. Showing subtle luxury. Huang Zixia stood quietly in the front yard of Princess Tongchang's mansion, waiting for her announcement. The morning dew is still there, and the birds are chirping overhead.She was watching, when a pitiful and sleepy voice came from beside her: "Eunuch Yang, are you here too?" Huang Zixia turned her head and saw that it was Cui Chunzhan, the Shaoqing of Dali Temple.He took the four small officials of Dali Temple with his head downcast, and after greeting her, he sat down on the chair beside her with a sad face: "Eunuch Yang, have you eaten breakfast yet?" "Not yet." Huang Zixia said calmly, looking at the five fingerprints on his face. "Me too," he sensed her gaze, so he could only cover his cheek sadly, and said, "When I got up in the morning, there was too much movement, which disturbed my tigress, and in the end..." Huang Zixia thought of his title as the number one feared person in the court, and could only laugh without saying a word. Cui Chunzhan felt embarrassed, and said: "She also feels sorry for me getting up early to be busy with business, and wants to spend more time with me, but she can't express it, Eunuch Yang, do you think so?" "Exactly." Huang Zixia said seriously. Seeing her affirming his wife, Cui Chunzhan was happy. When he turned around and saw a maid coming in with a food box, he was even happier: "Great, we can have breakfast first." The maid pursed her lips and smiled, opened the food box and brought out the pasta and porridge inside.Cui Chunzhan invited everyone to sit down and eat together. Deng Chunmin hurried up and scooped up a small bowl of porridge for everyone.Cui Chunzhan looked at the handsome maid and asked, "Are you close to the princess?" "The servant girl, Chuizhu, followed the princess since she was a child, and later married out of the palace as a dowry." She smiled with crooked eyebrows and pink cheeks. Although her facial features are not the most beautiful, the gentle appearance is unforgettable, "Princess It is said that Cui Shaoqing and Eunuch Yang may not be familiar with the situation in the mansion, so if you need anything, you can ask me." "This is really great! I am worried about the thousands of households in the Princess Mansion, and I don't know what to do." Cui Chunzhan said, looking at Deng Chunmin again. Deng Chunmin hurriedly said: "Slave Deng Chunmin, like Chui Zhu and Wei Ximin, grew up with the princess in the palace and left the palace with the princess a year ago." "How many people are there in your house?" Cui Chunzhan asked. Deng Chunmin was in trouble immediately, but Chuizhu said like a few treasures: "Back to Cui Shaoqing, the Princess Mansion now has forty-two principal and deputy housekeepers and accountants, seventy-eight eunuchs, one hundred and twenty-eight maidservants, and kitchen workers Two hundred and forty-seven people." "How many people accompanied the princess out of the palace?" "At that time, there were seventy-eight eunuchs and thirty-six maidservants. Most of the rest were bought from the people when the emperor decreed to build the princess mansion. There were more than ten people who were horse breeders, warehouse managers and gardeners. Wait, I've been relying on you one after another for a year." Seeing that Chui Zhu spoke and acted clearly, Huang Zixia asked, "Did Wei Ximin have any enmity with anyone?" Chui Zhu thought for a while, and said: "Wei Ximin and I work together near the princess. He has been serving the princess with all his heart, trembling and loyal." However, Deng Chunmin was hesitant to speak beside him.Huang Zixia then asked him: "Eunuch Deng, you and Wei Ximin are both servants, do you find anything in your daily life?" Wei Ximin hurriedly said: "Actually, just the day before the accident, I found out that there seemed to be a dispute between him and... the calamus of the inner chef." "Oh?" Cui Chunzhan quickly put down his chopsticks and asked, "Why did he get into an argument with a cook?" Deng Chunmin was at a loss and said, "I...I don't know." "Calamus is not the cook, but the one who is in charge of the big and small kitchens in the mansion and the meals for the four seasons. The princess often praises her for her prudence in doing things." Seeing this, Chuizhu said on his behalf, "She is a servant of the concubine's family. She came here. She should be in her thirties this year, and she is not yet married. As for the content of the dispute, we don't know."
"A dispute? A dispute between me and Wei Ximin?" Calamus was planning the dishes for tomorrow's mansion, seeing them coming, he put the paper aside.In terms of appearance, she is quite average, but she has a serious face and two deep nasolabial folds at the corners of her mouth, which makes this woman in her thirties look devoid of charm.She thought about it carefully, nodded and said, "That's what happened." The governor behind quickly took out his pen and ink and began to record. Seeing this situation, Changpu's expression changed a little, and he asked, "What did you say? Do you think that Wei Ximin's death is related to me? He... Isn't he retribution for God's punishment?" Huang Zixia hurriedly comforted him and said, "Please don't worry, sister. It's just a routine matter. It's just to understand Wei Ximin's usual affairs. You can just answer it." Calamus still looked puzzled and nervous, hesitantly said: "I don't know... what is it?" "Can you tell us about your disputes in the past few days?" "Oh... that matter." Calamus raised her voice slightly, obviously still dissatisfied in her heart, she said, "I usually take care of the meals in the mansion, and Wei Ximin is the princess' servant, so I don't have much friendship , and never had a bad relationship. Who knew that he came to me that day and asked me for Linglingxiang. I said no, but he scolded me in front of the whole kitchen. You said, I have been in charge of the kitchen for more than 20 years since the son-in-law’s house As for people, what does he mean by embarrassing me like this from the beginning? But after all, he is a celebrity around the princess, so I could only let him scold at that time. But now... well, the dead are gone, forget it. " Huang Zixia asked again: "You are the person in charge of meals, why would he ask you for Linglingxiang?" "Speaking of this, I'm really unlucky. A few days ago I just... got a little Linglingxiang from somewhere. Dedicated to the princess for the sake of it. Who knows that the princess didn't like it, so it fell into Wei Ximin's hands. After he used it up, he felt that the servant must still be on hand, so he continued to beg for it with confidence. I really don't know how he can be so thick-skinned!" Huang Zixia continued to ask the bottom line: "Excuse me, sister, where did this Linglingxiang come from?" "It was... from someone I know." Calamus lowered his head, embarrassed, obviously resisting the topic, "Anyway, that person only gave me this little bit, nothing more. After that, Wei Ximin and I never saw each other again.了，第二天就听说他死了，据说是……被雷劈了，奴婢也很诧异，想不会是老天爷看不过他这么强横霸道吧？” 黄梓瑕点头，又问了最后一个问题：“那么，魏喜敏死的时候，你身在何处？” “那日是观世音得道日，府中要吃素食的。所以一上午我就在厨房中盯着那些人，免得有荤腥混进去了。万一被公主发现了，这可是大事，您说是不是？” 崔纯湛随口应道：“这倒是的。” 旁边已经有宦官过来通报了：“公主已经起身，各位可以前往觐见了。” 崔纯湛与黄梓瑕便先丢下了厨娘这边，向着公主住的地方行去。远远便见一群身着锦绣罗裙的侍女迤逦而下高台，每人手中都有一片金光。等到近了才发现，原来她们手中托着金盘，里面正是同昌公主吃完后撤下来的早膳。 黄梓瑕在心里想，如果周子秦在的话，他肯定会说，金盘多没用啊，银盘就实在多了，还可以验毒！ 崔纯湛也感叹道：“果然是'侍女金盆脍鲤鱼'——听说公主府中盘碗都是金银，看来是真的。” 垂珠抿嘴笑道：“公主幼时在宫中，曾被碎瓷片割破了手指。因此圣上下令，不许公主身边出现任何瓷器陶器，到如今也就沿袭下来了。” 崔纯湛和黄梓瑕未免无语。早听坊间传说，皇帝对同昌公主爱逾掌珠，没料到竟一至于此。
同昌公主身着艳红襦裙，一头秀发挽成松松一个云髻，一个人坐在阁内接见他们。 她端坐在榻上，发间只插着一支钗。但这支钗的华美精致，却令黄梓瑕这样从不在意首饰的人、连崔纯湛这样的男人，目光都落在上面，一时无法移开。 这是一支玉钗，通体由一整块玉石雕琢而成，雕工精细，清晰呈现出九只鸾凤翱翔的姿态。而最为难得的是，这块玉石，居然是一块稀世罕见的九色玉，也不知道是哪个巧手玉工妙手偶成，竟凭借着玉石自身的颜色，雕出了九只颜色各异的鸾凤，展翼飞翔，意蕴生动至极。 黄梓瑕心想，这应该就是传说中的九鸾钗了，整个天下仅此一支，号称内府镇库之宝。当今皇上没有交给王皇后，却赐给了自己的女儿，足见对同昌公主的珍爱。 阁中并不见驸马踪影。公主示意他们坐下，然后说：“驸马昨日受了伤，太医说要敷药。我觉得药味难闻，因此打发他到偏院睡去了。” 崔纯湛的手下意识地抚上了早上被老婆扇过的那半边脸颊，神情复杂。 公主与驸马，看来感情颇为冷淡。 黄梓瑕的脑中，一闪而过李舒白的话。 他说，同昌公主与禹宣，颇多市井流言…… 她强行制止自己再想下去，收敛心神，努力让自己的声音冷静如初：“不知公主对魏喜敏一事，有什么看法？可以为我们述说一二吗？” 公主悻然：“此事我当然存疑了！首先，魏喜敏是个从来不信鬼神的人，你说他怎么会在那天挤到荐福寺去参加法会？” 黄梓瑕微微诧异，问：“他不信鬼神？” “是呀。”公主侧脸想了想，问身边的一个侍女：“落佩，你说是不是？” 落佩赶紧说道：“正是呢！平日里魏喜敏不是有头痛顽疾吗，一痛就指天骂地的，还常说世间若有佛祖菩萨，那就先让自己那二两肉先长回来呀……哎哟，总之都是些肮脏话。这不昨晚还有人说呢，魏喜敏正是因平日犯了大不敬，所以才遭了报应呢！” “出事的前几天晚上，听说他与膳房的菖蒲闹得难看，你们知道的，菖蒲是驸马家那边的人，能由着他胡来吗？我正想训他，谁知垂珠问遍了府中所有人，都不见他的踪迹。没想到第二天就听说他在荐福寺死掉了！”同昌公主蹙眉道，“是以我觉得，此事必有蹊跷，至少，将他引到荐福寺去的人肯定大有嫌疑。” 崔纯湛说道：“公主言之有理，臣等定会查个水落石出，不负公主期望！” 他这一番场面话说得一点诚意都没有，同昌公主干脆不搭理他，直接将目光转向了黄梓瑕：“杨公公，你有何看法？” 黄梓瑕说道：“目前尚不得而知，可能崔少卿与奴婢还要在府中询问盘查一番。” 同昌公主挥挥手，说：“崔少卿先去吧，杨公公等一等。” 等崔纯湛五人走出门口后，同昌公主才缓缓站起身，走到黄梓瑕身边。 黄梓瑕站起，恭敬地向她低头行礼。 黄梓瑕身材修长，而同昌公主个子娇小，比她矮了约莫半个头。她抬眼打量黄梓瑕半晌，才笑道：“早就听说公公大名，能得夔王如此青眼之人，果然仪表非凡。” 黄梓瑕勉强笑了一笑：“公主谬赞。” “我说的话，会有谬吗？”她瞟了她一眼，笑意盈盈又走到窗前，懒懒地靠在那里，问，“你看到本宫戴的这支九鸾钗了吗？” 黄梓瑕点头，说：“精妙至极，巧夺天工。” “公公，你毕竟不知道女子心思。虽然我只要动一动手指，天下珍奇珠宝都会竞相呈现在我面前，但我最爱的，还是这一支九鸾钗，”她抬手轻抚着头上九鸾钗，轻轻地叹道，“女子的执念，总觉得自己最珍爱的东西，会与自己心意相连……” 黄梓瑕不知道她对自己说这些有什么深意，但她也并没有显露出什么不耐烦的神情，只静静地恭敬听着。 “前几日……在魏喜敏还没死的某一夜，我做了一个梦。”公主将双手撑在栏杆上，俯视着下面的花海。 时维七月，天气炎热。她的住处在高台之上。凉风徐来，下面遍植的粉色合欢花如水波般浮动，暗香冉冉。 一朵丝绒般的合欢花被风卷起，沾在她的鬓边，轻轻颤动，纤细柔软，她抬手取下，用手指轻捻，喃喃说道：“我梦见，一个穿着锦绣华服的女子，一头长发却毫无修饰，倾泻于地。她从黑暗中渐渐显形，一步步向我走来，我看见她的面容，光华如玉——她对我说：'我乃南齐淑妃潘玉儿，有一件心爱之物在你身边已久，请公主及早准备，赠还与我。'” 同昌公主说着，忽然转身，声音也微变了，问：“南齐潘淑妃，这都是几百年前的人了，她的意思，说我该还她了……是不是，是不是指我也该……” “公主无须担忧，”黄梓瑕见她神情犹有余悸，便安慰说，“不过是一个梦，虚无缥缈，如风易散。依奴婢看来，或许是公主近日心怀忧思，才抑郁成梦而已。” “是吗？”公主皱眉思索许久，抬手取下头上那支九鸾钗，递到她的面前，“杨公公，你看看。” 黄梓瑕接过九鸾钗，放在手中仔细看去。在繁复纠缠的九色鸾凤之后，是弯月形的钗尾，在那上面刻着小小的两个古篆：玉儿。 “这支钗，确实属于南齐潘淑妃潘玉儿，”她叹了一口气，说，“现下，你能明白我忧心如焚的原因了吧？身边的宦官出事，我的驸马出事，而我自己……也做了这样不祥的噩梦，你说，我怎么能不焦虑？” “请公主切勿多思多虑。奴婢一定尽心尽责，力求早日侦破此案，给公主一个交代。”黄梓瑕看她的模样，知道再怎么安慰也没用，便只说了这几句。 同昌公主这才稍微宽慰，说：“若你真能将伤害驸马、杀害魏喜敏的凶手擒拿归案，本宫一定重重有赏——或者，就算是天谴，你也要给我查清楚，本宫身边的人，为什么要遭受天谴？” 黄梓瑕看着她单薄锐利又倔强的五官，不由得在心里叹了口气，说：“这是奴婢分内事，公主无须担忧，奴婢一定竭尽全力追查此案。”
辞别了同昌公主，黄梓瑕一个人慢慢走下高高的台基。 高台风来，吹起她外面轻薄的绛纱衣。她将遮住自己眼睛的广袖握住，下了最后一级台阶，抬头一看，却发现从合欢花树的下面，缓缓行来一人。 夏日炎热，繁花盛开。 一树树合欢花开得如云如雾，无风自落。那些几近燃烧的花朵，在这样浓烈的夏日阳光里，毫不吝惜地且开且落。 弥漫的花朵，妖艳无格。花树低垂到殿檐下，半遮半掩着那个行来的身影。那是一个即使看不清身影，也能感觉到动人韵致的人。 而黄梓瑕，仅看到他的人影，就仿佛感觉到了自己手心沁出冰冷的汗。 她迅速转身，躲到了一棵高大的合欢树后，强抑自己身体的颤抖，凝望着他。 那个男子慢慢行近，他不言不语，却自有一种水墨般雅致深远的韵味。如同新月银辉，淡淡照亮别人，既不刺眼，也不黯淡，恰到好处的光彩。 他似乎感觉到树后有人，于是，在万千花树之间，他抬起头来，用一双几乎可以令世间万物沉醉的目光，远望着她所在的方向。 而她不由自主地将自己的背紧贴在树干上，仿佛生怕被他看见。她努力压抑自己的呼吸，仿佛怕自己一呵气，有些东西就忍不住要在她心中决堤。 Yu Xuan. 他怎么会在公主府中？ 而且，是在这样的清晨，公主与驸马分居的时刻。 脚步轻声响起，青草窸窸窣窣。 他走到她藏身的树后，声音温柔：“这位公公，你是否不舒服？需要帮忙吗？” 她这才发现，自己露在外面的衣服，因为自己极力的压抑而微微颤抖，就像是身体不舒服一般。 她赶紧扯过自己的衣服，背对着他，勉强摇了摇头。 他还是有点担心，关怀地问：“真的没关系吗？” 黄梓瑕一咬牙，快步向着前方走去。 她的身子一动，让他脸上的微笑顿时僵住了。他定定地看着她的背影，在她脚步惶急之时，失声喃喃：“阿瑕……” 这两个字，传入她的耳中，恍然如梦。 他的声音似隔了久远的时光而来，水波般在她耳边响起，久久不能平息。 她的脚步，不由自主地停了下来，呆呆地站立在那里。许久许久，她转过身，看向后面的禹宣。 而他定定地看着她，他的面上不仅有恨，还有一些更复杂的东西。他看着她，像是看着自己已经死去的梦想，看着自己曾经亲手呵护开出的花朵腐烂成泥。 她望着他，许久，轻轻地叫他：“禹宣。” 这空无一人的林中，合欢花下。夏日炎热的风拂过树梢，落花如雨，他们两人都是一身旖旎的粉色花朵，如丝如蕊，拂之不去。 黄梓瑕披着满身的花朵，静静望着他，仿佛望着自己永远失去的少女时光。 “公主命我……查探府上两桩疑案。” 他望着她，目光中满是似远还近的疏离，似有若无的哀切。他沉默许久，终于咬一咬牙，面上挂上一丝冷笑：“不错，杀了亲人之后，如今还能混老本行，赢得众人拥戴。” “我会回蜀中，就在……公主府案件结束之后，”她强行抑制住自己胸口涌上的苦涩绞痛，辩解道，“夔王已经答应帮我，不日我将启程回去，重新彻查我一家的案情！” 他愕然，直直地盯着她：“你……会回去？” “为什么不？我不但要洗雪我自己的冤仇，更要彻查我一家满门的血案！”她将手按在自己胸前，心跳得狂乱，她几乎无法压抑自己的激动，她用力呼吸着，良久，才能将那含着泪的一字一句从肺腑之中挤出来，“我一定会，亲手揪出那个凶手，为我爹娘、为我哥、为祖母和叔父报仇！” 站在她一丈之外的禹宣，定定地望着她，听着她的誓言，眼中翻涌起巨大的波澜。只是他终究无法在一瞬间接受她的辩解，他垂下眼，缓缓地往后退了一步，低声说：“你当初杀害亲人，证据确凿，我……不知该不该信你……” 心脏在这一刻仿佛停止了跳动。周围一切落花如雨，美好景象，尽成虚幻。 但黄梓瑕站在他的面前，在他这样决绝的话语之前，在全身冰冷的颤抖中，她却忽然笑了。合欢花且开且落，纷纷如雨，她站在落花中看着他，笑靥一如当年。 她笑着，说：“放心吧，禹宣，我会揪出幕后凶手给你看的。我面对的案子，从来没有破不了的，而这一件，我赌上自己的命！” 她眼中泛起泪光来，却仿佛毫无察觉，只狠狠转过身，向着前方，大步穿越合欢树而去。 她越走越快，到后来，几乎变成了疾步狂奔，头也不回地逃离了他。 直到奔出合欢树林，她茫然驻足仰望。透过头顶稀疏的树枝，她看见他正在慢慢地走上高台。 风动衣摆，飘然若仙。那种舒朗姿态，无法描摹、无法言说。 他心中，到底有没有为他们的重逢，涌起一丝波澜呢？ 她移开目光，仰头望天。碧蓝的天空高不可攀，明亮而刺眼，她原本灼热的眼中，泪水终于涌了出来。