Chapter 4 Chapter 3 Reunion, Destiny

The sun rises and the moon sets, and the cycle repeats itself.The sundial on the platform of the Hall of Supreme Harmony remained motionless, only the shadow kept moving with time.The little maid who entered the palace at the beginning of the year was completely washed away by time.The short and childish yellow-haired girl is already as slim as a hibiscus emerging from water. After working as a handyman in the Huanyi Bureau for seven years, Chen Xiang and his wife were finally transferred back to Qianxi No. 4 Office.During the long days, Liuli's company was Chen Xiang's only support.No matter where he is, as long as she is by his side, Chen Xiang feels much more secure in his heart.The two rely on each other, support each other, and live humblely in the deep harem carefully.

The narrow sky above his head has also become Chen Xiang's favorite place to gaze... "Chen Xiang, Chen Xiang..." Liuli's voice rang in Chen Xiang's ear, pulling back her wandering sanity.Withdrawing his gaze from the blue sky, Chen Xiang turned his head to look. "Liuli, what's wrong with you? Why are you covering your face with a fan?" "Keep your voice down." Liu Li looked around and saw that no one was paying attention, so she secretly removed the fan, revealing her heavily made-up face. "Does it look good?" Chen Xiang was startled, and hurriedly pulled Liuli to the corner and frowned, "Why are you dressed like this again, be careful to let aunt see."

"Afraid of what?" Liuli chuckled lightly. "I heard from Chunshou that she hid in the room by herself and made things worse than me..." "Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and wash your face." Thinking of her aunt's heavy make-up, Chen Xiang couldn't help laughing.Holding Liuli's shoulders and pushing her into the room, he took out a wind chime and tied it gently to the cherry blossom tree in the courtyard. Liuli came out after washing her face, stood under the cherry blossom tree and raised her head, counting the wind chimes one by one: "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, time flies, we have been in the palace for seven years ..."

Chen Xiang smiled lightly, looking at the wind chimes full of longing: "The maid will leave the palace at the age of twenty-five, counting the days, we will be able to leave here in five years." "Five years?" Liuli said, and sat down angrily. "To put it bluntly, do you know how long five years is? Nearly two thousand days and nights, I'm going crazy thinking about it, not to mention I don't know if I will make another mistake in the middle, if I make a mistake, like the above It’s a small matter to be sent to the Huanyi Bureau like this time, what if you are locked up and killed? Even if you haven’t committed any mistakes, twenty-five years old is too old, how can there be a man willing to want it?”

Chen Xiang's eyes darkened, and he fell silent. At this moment, Chunshou walked over proudly with a bunch of purses, shouting repeatedly: "There is news, there is news, come quickly if you want news." Without any hesitation, the maids dropped their work and rushed forward, surrounded him, shouting in unison: "Give it to me, give it to me—" "Aren't you going to grab a purse? Let me tell you, instead of waiting foolishly, it's better to give yourself a chance." Liuli tilted her head and looked at Chen Xiang.Seeing her shaking her head, she stopped trying to persuade her, jumped up and rushed towards Chunshou quickly: "Give me one, I want it too!"

Seeing the court ladies approaching menacingly, Chunshou jumped to the side steps, held up the purse high, and clearly marked the price: "Wait a minute, listen to me first, there are three kinds of purses here, the red one is the whereabouts of the brothers The price is three taels; the purple one is the whereabouts of the prince, and the price is ten taels; the yellow one is more powerful, it is the emperor's driving, and the price is thirty taels. See what you want..." "I want the emperor's. The emperor has met me before and even praised me!" Before the words finished, there was already a commotion below.A tall and strong court lady grabbed a piece of silver without hesitation and said loudly.

A pretty maid next to her stretched out her hand to the purple purse: "The emperor is old, I still want a prince, tell me, will I become the future queen?" Ignoring these desperate maids, Chen Xiang sighed softly, got up and walked into the house. Chunshou's gaze fell on Chen Xiang all the time, seeing that she was about to leave, he hurriedly squeezed out of the crowd and walked to her side and asked, "Chen Xiang, don't you want one?" "Did you forget that court lady who turned into an icicle?" Chen Xiang glanced at Chun Shou lightly, then shook his head and refused. "I don't want to be like that."

"That's right, but luck can't be said for sure. If you buy my purse, at least there is still hope. If you don't buy it, you don't even have hope. Here's the last one. Do you really want it?" Chunshou continued persuade. Chen Xiang smiled lightly, pointed at the butterfly on the cherry blossoms: "I don't want it, if I have to choose, I hope to live a carefree life like it." Chunshou bowed his head in frustration, and the maids who didn't get the purse immediately surrounded him. "Give it to me, give it to me, you look so ugly, the prince won't like it even if he sees it."

"Don't like me, do you like you, a short winter melon? Let go, don't grab me!" The maids huddled together, Chen Xiang looked at them, then at the butterfly, a trace of melancholy flashed in his eyes, and then he laughed at himself... At night, Chen Xiang and Liuli lie side by side, Liuli laughs constantly looking at the red purse in her hand.Chen Xiang couldn't sleep because of her noise, turned over and said helplessly: "I've been watching it all day, haven't I seen enough?" "Chen Xiang, tell me, what will happen if brothers see me?" Liu Li asked softly with a blush on her face.

Looking at Liuli's nympho, Chen Xiang couldn't help but want to tease her: "Will you hug you? Then kiss you?" "Oh, I'm so ashamed..." Liuli blushed even more after hearing this, she pulled the quilt over her face and said coquettishly. Chen Xiang smiled and shook her head, turned around to fall asleep.Liuli stretched out her finger and poked her, then lowered her voice and asked, "Hey, to be honest, have you ever been hugged or kissed by a man?" Unexpectedly, Liuli would ask such a question, Chen Xiang immediately remembered the figure that he had never forgotten in the past seven years.What she said to Chunshou today was actually only half-truth and half-false.There was another reason, which she never mentioned to anyone.

Her heart, as early as that night seven years ago, was completely tied to that seemingly indifferent but actually gentle boy, and she couldn't let anyone go.It's just that she knew her status was humble, and she never expected to climb up to such a noble and outstanding man, and she didn't want to lose her life for nothing like that beauty dancing in the snow.She only hoped that she would stay safe until she left the palace, that she would keep the events of that night in her heart forever, and that she would be satisfied with recalling them slowly later. "Hey, I'm asking you something, why are you in a daze? Tell me quickly, have you ever been hugged or kissed by a man?" Seeing Chen Xiang ignoring her, Liu Li just thought she was shy, and immediately refused to let her go. Ask her to make it clear. Chen Xiang was stung by something in his heart, and immediately became ashamed and annoyed, he gave her a cover-up look, and replied guiltily without looking away: "It's not necessary to ask, of course not." "Me neither." Liuli had no doubts, and suddenly hugged Chen Xiang tightly. "Tell me, how do you feel?" "I don't feel anything." Chen Xiang replied sullenly. "Then what about this?" Liu Li got up and kissed Chen Xiang's face. "Do you feel it?" "Ouch." Chen Xiang whispered. "Really? What does it feel like?" Liuli immediately became excited. "The rouge on your mouth is all over my face." Chen Xiang said, and couldn't help but chuckle. "I hate it." Only then did Liuli realize that she had been played by Chen Xiang, she lay down angrily and said to herself, "Women must be different from men, but I don't know why." Hearing Liuli's words, Chen Xiang's face turned red again.She was indeed right in saying this, the feeling of being held in Yinxiang's arms...is really different. "Why are you blushing?" Liuli's eyes were very sharp, and she could see Chen Xiang's strangeness at a glance under the dim light.Surprised, he stretched out his hand and touched it: "Oh, it's so hot. Hee hee, are you in love with spring?" "Fuck you, you're just moved by Chun's heart, I'm... ashamed for you." Chen Xiang pushed Liu Li's hand away in embarrassment, and casually picked up a topic to divert her attention: "Why don't you find Chunshou another day try?" Liuli was really fooled, covered her lips with a smile, stuck to Chen Xiang's side and whispered: "Don't look at Chunshou's handsome appearance, he is not a man. Let me tell you, I peeked at him while he was taking a bath, he is just like us, he under……" Chen Xiang blushed even more when he heard it, pushed Liuli away and said angrily: "You really want men crazy, talking nonsense." Liuli didn't take it seriously, made a grimace and snorted: "Don't you want to?" "I..." Chen Xiang was about to speak when his aunt's cold voice came from outside the window: "I don't sleep in the middle of the night, is my skin itchy?" Chen Xiang and Liu Li looked at each other, stuck out their tongues, quickly got into their respective quilts and lay down. The night was getting darker, Chen Xiang opened his eyes in a daze, looked around, and found himself standing in the courtyard of the Forbidden City.The guard's shouts were getting closer and closer, and the flames were all around her.She ran around in fear, but found that no matter what, she couldn't find the courtyard door to get out.Seeing the guard's long knife slashing at her with a silver light, she had no choice but to close her eyes in panic. Suddenly, she lightened her body and was hugged tightly in a firm embrace. She raised her head in a daze, Yinxiang's dark eyes were filled with gentle warmth.Smile at her.He lifted her up into the air.Just as she was about to cross the vermilion long and tall palace walls of the Forbidden City, a huge golden cage suddenly fell from the sky, locking her and the boy inside, and falling into the bottomless darkness. "Ah—" Chen Xiang shuddered, turning over and sitting up.Looking at the familiar Tongbufang, the chaotic heartbeat calmed down a little. It turned out...it was another dream. Exhaling a breath and lying down slowly, Chen Xiang habitually reached out and took out an earring from under the pillow, put it in the palm of his hand and stroked it softly. Since that night of searching for plums, he appeared in her dreams from time to time, either making her heart flutter or making her tremble with fear. Passing by outside the Palace of Yanxi Palace a few times occasionally, the weeds in the courtyard grow more lush.Hanmei in the imperial garden is still delicate and beautiful, but the handsome and gentle boy from back then is gone. It's been seven years, he must have forgotten about that reckless little maid, or... never remembered. Thinking of this, Chen Xiang was inexplicably depressed, and then chuckled lightly at himself, what does it matter if he remembers or not?Originally, people from two worlds had nothing to do with each other after meeting for a short time.She never thought about climbing a sparrow to become a phoenix. As long as she can survive until the age of twenty-five, she will be content to leave this resplendent cage. The cherry blossoms withered and the water lilies were in bud. In just a few days, it was the end of spring and the summer solstice. In the Ruyi Pavilion, the maids and eunuchs are arranging calligraphy and paintings.Compared with the trembling when serving the master, today's work is obviously much easier. Taking advantage of the absence of the eunuch in charge, several people are cleaning up while laughing and playing around. Ignoring the court ladies and eunuchs who were making a fuss, Chen Xiang carefully wiped the scroll on the table with a soft cloth, a piece of drawing paper fluttered to the ground as the breeze blew. Chen Xiang leaned over to pick up the drawing paper, her eyes fell on it casually.Glancing over it lightly, his eyes immediately widened in surprise. This is a hunting picture. In the painting, a man in military uniform is shooting a black panther with his bow and arrow. He has a tall and straight figure, handsome features, and a resolute and indifferent gaze, which is so familiar. This, this is... "Chen Xiang, what are you holding?" Noticing Chen Xiang's unusual appearance, Liuli curiously ran over to look at the painting in her hand. "Oh, what a beautiful painting." Chunshou smiled when he saw this, and went up to explain: "This is Yinxiang, the thirteenth elder brother. He has been favored by the emperor since he was a child. A few days ago, Brother Thirteen went hunting in Nanyuan with the emperor, and suddenly met a leopard. He was not in a hurry, nor panicked, and shot the leopard to death with one arrow. The emperor was very happy when he saw this, so he asked the painter to paint this picture painting……" "I didn't expect Brother Thirteen to be so handsome. If only he could take a fancy to me." After hearing Chunshou's introduction, Liuli stared firmly at the man in the painting, her eyes full of longing. "Stop daydreaming," Chunshou stretched out his hand and shook Liuli's eyes, "Drool is dripping out." "Ah?" Liuli wiped her mouth subconsciously, only to realize that she was being tricked by Chunshou, "Dead Chunshou, see if I don't beat you to death!" Chunshou turned around and ran away with a smile, Liuli accidentally tripped over the leg of the table and staggered towards Chenxiang.Chen Xiang was unprepared, loosened his hand, and the drawing paper fell out of the window, being swept away by the wind and blown farther and farther. Chen Xiang hurriedly chased it out, ran all the way from the Ruyi Pavilion to the corridor, and finally grabbed the painting in his hand.After carefully checking that there was no damage, he breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and was about to leave, but stopped in shock. At the end of the corridor, two brocade-clothed men came slowly.One of them, Chen Xiang, was seen in the Palace of the Concubine Virtue, and it was the fourth elder brother Yinzhen.But it was not him who made Chen Xiang lose his mind, but the figure walking beside Yinzhen. Still the same handsome face, still the same indifferent eyebrows and alienated expression.Compared with seven years ago, he has become more dignified and elegant.Walking side by side with Yinzhen, he is not inferior at all. Heart flustered suddenly, Chen Xiang didn't know how to deal with it.I had no choice but to hold the painting and stand there blankly, watching them get closer and closer. "The prince has been making mistakes recently. Even the ministers are against the elders. You also know that they are ambitious. If the position of the prince changes, it may shake the foundation of the country." Yinzhen frowned slightly, Appeared worried. "Fourth brother, don't worry too much. With my younger brother, it's a big deal. Even if he fights to the death, he must not let the eighth and ninth brothers succeed." Yinxiang said coldly, his tone calm and firm.The arrogance emanating from the inside out makes people involuntarily want to be convinced and follow. Hearing Yinxiang's answer, Yinzhen nodded, his dignified expression eased a lot: "With you here, I can relax..." The two walked and talked, and when they turned a corner, Yinzhen suddenly saw Chen Xiang who was standing still. Her hair was like ink, her eyes were as bright as water, and under her small bridge of nose, her moist lips trembled slightly due to tension.At this time, it was almost dusk, and the sky was full of clouds like fire, wrapping her slender tenderly, bright but delicate, like a lotus in clear water, falling in Yinzhen's eyes, his pupils suddenly narrowed. For the first time in his life, he had the urge to protect a woman.However, in just a moment, he suppressed this outrageous thought.The black eyes regained their usual calm, and asked coldly: "Who asked you to eavesdrop here?" Awakened by Yinzhen's icy tone, Chen Xiang finally came to his senses and wanted to escape.Unexpectedly, his legs trembled uncontrollably, his feet slipped and he almost fell. Yinxiang reacted quickly, stepped forward and pulled Chen Xiang back.Noticing the trembling of her body, she couldn't help but say one more sentence: "Be careful." Chen Xiang's face was pale, she tightly grasped the drawing paper in her hand, her long eyelashes drooped to cover her terrified eyes, she lowered her head and did not move and did not speak. Yin Zhen's expression became more serious, he walked up to Chen Xiang, stared at her and asked, "Tell me, what did you hear?" Still silent, Chen Xiang lowered his head even lower, cold sweat leaked from the tip of his nose, and his body trembled even more. Looking at Chen Xiang shivering like a grass in the wind, Yinxiang frowned slightly, and turned to intercede with Yinzhen: "Fourth brother, this court lady seems to be frightened by you, let's go." It's never his style to meddle in other people's affairs, but for some reason, he can't see her trembling with fear.There was a throbbing in the depths of his heart, and it disappeared without a trace before he had time to notice it. Yin Zhen didn't speak, and after looking Chen Xiang up and down again, he turned and left with Yin Xiang. Chen Xiang stood stiffly on the spot, watching the two go farther and farther until they completely disappeared at the end of the corridor, finally couldn't hold on, and knelt softly on the ground, gasping for breath. It's... so scary. Unexpectedly, the fourth elder brother, who usually looks elegant and kind, has such a terrifying side.The icy breath emanating from the inside out is enough to freeze people's hearts.If Brother Thirteen hadn't rescued her from the siege, she really didn't know what would have happened. Thinking of Yinxiang, Chen Xiang remembered the painting in his hand.When I looked down, I saw that it had been crumpled into a ball. "Oops!" The blood that had just recovered on his face faded again, Chen Xiang held up the drawing paper distressedly, and ran towards Ruyifang. On the platform in the distance, Yinzhen looked at Chen Xiang's back expressionlessly, his eyes were deep, and he didn't know what he was thinking... As the sun sets, the Ruyi Pavilion is illuminated golden. There was no one in the hall, Chen Xiang spread the crumpled painting on the table, sprayed a mouthful of water, picked up the iron and ironed it lightly.After it was completely flat, it was carefully hung up, and then it sat quietly on the ground, staring at the person in the painting in a daze. The more she looked, the more engrossed she became, and suddenly she realized that she was standing in the waist-deep grass.The familiar palace walls and corridors disappeared, replaced by a group of black panthers with green eyes.Chen Xiang screamed and wanted to run away, but her footsteps were as heavy as lead.Behind him, the black panther bared its bloody mouth, and rushed forward with bared teeth and claws, pushing her to the ground. At a critical moment, a feathered arrow flew in and shot the rushing black panther to death.Chen Xiang struggled to prop up her body and looked towards the direction where Yujian was flying, only to see Yinxiang galloping towards him, with the long sword in his hand reflecting the moonlight, and a trail of blood was raised. Chen Xiang forgot her fear and looked at him in shock. Yinxiang, who was covered in blood, stretched out his hand to her while fighting. Chen Xiang gave him his hand without hesitation, and Yin Xiang pulled her onto the horse to protect her in his arms with a little effort.The two of them galloped away together, and everywhere they went, flowers bloomed everywhere... The palace door was gently pushed open, Liuli looked left and right, and tiptoed in.Seeing Chen Xiang sitting on the ground in a daze and giggling, she quickly ran over and pushed her body, "Chen Xiang." "Liu Li?" Chen Xiang was thinking wildly, almost scared out of his wits by Liu Li's push.After recovering, he hurriedly looked away from the painting, stared at Liuli and asked in bewilderment. "Why are you here? Aren't you going to be on duty at Fengxian Temple today?" "That's why I came to look for you." Liuli walked to Chen Xiang and squatted down, whispering in a low voice: "Chunshou told me that Brother Nine will pass by the Royal Garden tonight, I don't want to miss this good opportunity, so... I want you to go watch the night for me." Unexpectedly, Liuli would make such a request, Chen Xiang covered her lips and whispered: "This...how can this be done? Everyone in the palace performs their duties, and if they are found out, they will be beheaded." "No, we both have similar voices. As long as you lower your voice and talk less, you should be able to fool us. And no one goes to Fengxian Hall at night, so there will be absolutely no problems. Even if we are discovered, there are This..." Liuli was clearly prepared, and took out a handkerchief from her arms and handed it to Chen Xiang: "If you put a mask on your face, you can say that the wind and cold can't blow, I don't believe that someone will take the risk of being infected to pursue this matter." thing." Seeing Liuli's swearing expression, Chen Xiang still hesitated. "This……" "Okay, okay, a sister, you don't want to see me go out of the palace at the age of twenty-five, no man wants to grow old alone?" Liuli knows Chen Xiang's character very well.Immediately, he used his trump card and looked at her eagerly. Chen Xiang lowered her head, and finally nodded lightly after a long time. Liuli was overjoyed, jumped up and hugged Chen Xiang and spun around a few times: "That's great, don't worry, when I get to the top, I will definitely not forget you." After speaking, he stuffed the handkerchief into Chen Xiang's hand, and left quickly. Chen Xiang took a look with the handkerchief, looked down at the portrait on the table and said to himself: "Liu Li is my only good sister in the palace, I should help her, right?" The setting sun struggled in the sky for a while, the last ray of afterglow faded, and the darkness spread, covering the entire palace. The two shadows hid among the bushes, and stood up stealthily after the patrolling guards passed by. "The imperial garden is ahead. I reckon the game of chess between the emperor and Brother Jiu is almost over. He doesn't seem to have any entourage, so it will be up to you in a while." Chunshou urged in a low voice. Liuli nodded without speaking, and quickly walked into the imperial garden with a bucket of water. The moon climbed from the treetops to the middle of the sky, and Liuli hid behind the rockery and remained motionless.After an unknown amount of time, footsteps finally sounded. Seeing a shadow on the ground getting closer, Liuli took a deep breath and poured a bucket of water on Yinzhen. When the incident happened suddenly, Yinzhen turned pale with shock.After hastily retreating two steps, it turned out that it was not an assassin, but a little court lady. Liuli pretended to be unintentional, and hurriedly stepped forward and knelt down. "Slaves deserve to die, slaves deserve to die!" Yinzhen was furious, pointed at Liuli and opened his mouth to reprimand: "You..." "Jiu elder brother, calm down, take off your wet clothes first, and let the servants dry to avoid catching cold..." Liuli didn't give Yinzhen a chance to speak, she got up and went to undress him, but Yinzhen pushed him away. "Do you think you can get away with this?" Yinzhen was furious, pointing at Liuli and scolding loudly. Liuli fell to the ground, her apricot eyes filled with tears instantly, she looked at Yinzhen grievously and said: "I don't dare, I just think that a basin of water by accident is at most a meal, but nine Elder brother caught a cold, it is a death penalty, this servant is still so young, and this servant does not want to die, please Jiu elder brother give me a way to survive." While speaking, she propped herself up, crawled to Yinzhen's feet, looked up at him pitifully. Yinzhen didn't speak, but looked down at Liuli. Liuli was overjoyed when she saw this, tentatively stood up again and approached Yinzhen, carefully took off his coat. "Jiu elder brother, please wait a moment, this servant will dry your clothes for you." As Liuli spoke, she held Yinzhen's clothes in her hands, and danced lightly while waving them.The moonlight is like yarn, and the beauty is delicate and charming.Seeing Liuli's lithe figure, Yinzhen's tense face gradually eased, smiled lightly, and praised with great interest: "There are quite a lot of tricks." Hearing Yinzhen's praise, Liuli pursed her lips and smiled and explained: "This is a method handed down in my slave's hometown. Wet clothes dry slowly on the clothes pole, but they move faster." After Liuli finished speaking, her dance steps became lighter.After turning around a few times, she knelt down in front of Yinzhen, raised her clothes with both hands and said with a smile, "Master Jiu, look, isn't this already done?" Yinzhen didn't speak, his eyes fell on Liuli's chest.Her clothes had been undone during the dance just now, and her breasts were shiny and moist, looming. Liuli was surprised on purpose, quickly wrapped her clothes tightly, blushed and said in a low voice: "Your servant is disrespectful, please go to the House of Internal Affairs to ask for a board." After speaking, he stood up and turned his head to leave. This play of playing hard to get really worked, Liu Li had just taken two steps when Yinzhen had already firmly circled her waist from behind.His lips were close to her ear, his voice was low and ambiguous. "Isn't it cheap for you just to hit the board a few times? Tell me, what's your name?" It was the first time that she was so close to a man, even though Liuli had already calculated everything, she still couldn't help being a little flustered when the situation came to an end. "Liu... Liuli." "Liu-li?" Repeated in a long voice, Yinzhen smiled charmingly, and pulled her to the depths of the imperial garden.After finding a hidden corner, he kissed Liuli's cherry lips. "Brother Jiu, don't be like this——" Liuli turned her head away, struggling to retreat, but he stretched out his arms and hugged her tightly. "You don't want me like this, what do you think of me?" "Slave..." Liuli hesitated to speak. "I know what you are afraid of? Afraid that I will get it and you are irresponsible, afraid that there is something in your stomach that you can't hold?" Yinzhen laughed and interrupted Liuli. "Actually, don't be afraid. It's a gamble between a man and a woman. Betting on whether the man in front of you is worth your whole life, betting on whether God will give you this luck, what do you think?" Liuli was startled, bit her lip and slowly stretched out her hand to climb Yinzhen's shoulder.Yinzhen smiled triumphantly, kissed her lips fiercely, and pulled her into the flowers... At the same time, at the entrance of Fengxian Hall. Chen Xiang sat on the steps holding a lantern, feeling a little downcast. Sure enough, Brother Thirteen could no longer recognize her.Although she had been mentally prepared for a long time, she still couldn't help being a little sad when she saw Yinxiang's appearance like a stranger.Seven years have passed, and he has indeed forgotten her... "Chen Xiang, stop thinking about it, you and Elder Brother Thirteen have nothing to do with each other, the meeting seven years ago was just a coincidence. So many years have passed, why should he remember you?" Talking to himself and blaming himself, Chen Xiang finally figured it out.He raised his head and looked in the direction of the imperial garden.I also really miss Liuli in my heart, wondering how she is doing now. "Alas, I hope everything goes well." Youyou sighed, Chen Xiang covered her lips and yawned.The chaos of the day and the exhaustion of staying up all night made her drowsy. Chen Xiang was fighting hard against the sleepy bug, when suddenly a little fluorescent light flickered in the night.A butterfly flew closer and closer, and finally landed on her shoulder. "Huh? Such a beautiful butterfly, how can it shine?" Chen Xiang's eyes lit up, and she wanted to reach out to catch it curiously.The butterfly dodged sensitively, and flew up lightly with its wings vibrating. "See where you are going." Seeing that there was no one around, Chen Xiang became playful.Just after running two steps, he remembered something again, took out a handkerchief from his bosom and covered his face, and then quickly chased after him. The Forbidden City shrouded in darkness looks increasingly empty and lonely.The butterflies fluttered lightly, leading the aloes to walk around the courtyard, and finally stopped on a blooming peony. Chen Xiang tiptoed to the front, and when she was about to catch it, she suddenly became agitated, and was startled by the surrounding scenery. After many years, this place is still desolate and deserted.There was no light in the dark palace, standing lifelessly in front of Chen Xiang.The luxuriant branches and leaves blocked the light of the moon, and large shadows covered the entire Yanxi Palace.Occasionally, a few insects chirped, and then they were swallowed by bottomless silence.The Palace of Yanxi Palace shrouded in darkness is like a dormant monster, with icy eyes locking on its prey, waiting for the opportunity to swallow it in one gulp. The body couldn't help but began to tremble slightly, fear was like a big hand holding Chen Xiang's heart tightly.He wanted to turn around and run away, but he didn't have the courage to meet the inexplicable horror with his back, so he had to hold his breath and step back slowly step by step. Seeing that he was about to leave the courtyard of Yanxi Palace, a hand suddenly stretched out from the darkness and put it on Chen Xiang's shoulder.Chen Xiang, who was already terrified, was unprepared, screamed in fright and knelt down on the ground. "Who are you?" An indifferent and deep voice sounded behind him, Chen Xiang turned her head tremblingly, looking at Yin Xiang's handsome and slightly melancholy face, her frantic heartbeat became even more chaotic. "See, see Elder Brother Thirteen." I was thinking about him just now, but I actually saw him.Chen Xiang was in a daze for a moment, not sure if this was reality or she had another bizarre dream. Holding a cage made of gold silk, Yin Xiang frowned at Chen Xiang and asked, "You are so strange, why are you covering your face?" "The maidservants are guarding the night in Fengxian Hall... caught the wind and cold... afraid of infecting others..." Chen Xiang lowered her head to avoid Yin Xiang's scrutiny, and said in a hoarse voice on purpose. "So that's the case." Yinxiang nodded without going into details.A few fluorescent butterflies flew by, immediately attracting his attention. "Quick, help me catch them!" Unexpectedly, the indifferent and arrogant Thirteenth Elder Brother would be interested in Butterfly, Chen Xiang was stunned for a moment, then realized, stood up and chased Butterfly. This time Chen Xiang was lucky, and quickly caught one.Seeing its frail body struggling with the fingertips, Chen Xiang's heart suddenly moved, and he slowly let go of his hand. The butterfly was free, and immediately flew away with fluttering wings. "Why did you let it go?" Yinxiang walked over carrying the cage, in which two or three butterflies had already been imprisoned.Seeing Chen Xiang's actions, his expression immediately darkened. Hearing the displeasure in Yin Xiang's tone, Chen Xiang hesitated for a moment, and explained in a low voice: "This servant thinks... the butterflies look good only if they fly in the yard, if they are forced to be locked in this golden cage, I'm afraid they won't be used died in a day." "Pretending to be smart." Hearing what Chen Xiang said, Yinxiang snorted coldly, looked at her and asked in a deep voice: "Do you know why I want to catch these butterflies?" Chen Xiang shook his head. "This is the place where my Concubine Min Min lived. I was very young when she was alive, and I can't remember what she looked like, but I remember that every time she passed by this yard, there was always a flash of light all over the sky. Fluorescent butterflies followed her, as if a fairy descended from the sky..." Yinxiang said, his eyes fell casually on the dark night sky, lost in memories. Chen Xiang was fascinated by it, fantasizing about the beautiful scene in her mind, and she was also a little crazy. "Er Niang said that even if one day she is gone, she will turn into butterflies all over the sky and accompany me." Having said this, Yinxiang's voice became deeper and more lonely. "Ever since my mother passed away, I longed to see butterflies flying in swarms. Let me convince myself that my mother was always there, but never... I don't believe that my mother would lie to me. I think it's these butterflies Abandoned her...today is her birthday, I think she will definitely come back and have a look, she will be sad if she doesn't see these butterflies..." Mother... Listening to Yin Xiang's words, Chen Xiang thought of Hui Xin.Compared with him, she is much happier after all.Her mother-in-law was praying for her outside the palace, hoping that she would return safely.But he could only face the empty Yanxi Palace and feel the warmth in his memories. "I'm really crazy to say this to you." Yin Xiang woke up from the memory, and then realized that he would be uncharacteristically, and said so much to a little maid whom he had never met before.Laughing at himself, he turned and walked towards a resting butterfly, but was stopped by Chen Xiang with open arms. "Brother Thirteen, butterflies fly fast. Even if we catch them together, we may not be able to catch them all. Even if we catch them, they will die overnight. When Concubine Min comes back next year, there will be no more butterflies to catch." Chen Xiang said quickly Now, I already have an idea in my heart. "Brother Thirteen, please wait a moment, I will be back as soon as I go, and immediately—" After finishing speaking, without waiting for Yinxiang to agree, he ran away quickly. The night was getting darker, and a lone moon lay on the edge of the clouds, peeking at the earth secretly. In the deserted and deserted courtyard of Yanxi Palace, Yinxiang stood alone in the shadows, his eyes fell on the direction Chen Xiang left, and he laughed at himself suddenly. The majestic thirteenth elder brother would be at the mercy of a little court lady.If this matter gets out, it will be laughed at by others, right? Putting the golden cage aside, Yin Xiang casually found a stone bench and sat down, closing his eyes, the dark and cold Yanxi Palace gradually became sunny... "Er Niang, butterflies!" four-year-old Yinxiang held Concubine Min's hand, and cried out in surprise as he watched the swarms of butterflies hovering and dancing around her. "Does it look good?" Seeing Yinxiang's excited little face, Concubine Min smiled softly. "It looks good." Yinxiang replied without hesitation. Concubine Min smiled even more gently, knelt down and held Yinxiang's shoulder. "Good boy, please remember, if one day Er Niang is gone, don't be too sad, when you see the butterflies flying by, you will understand that Er Niang didn't leave you, just changed the way to protect you, understand?" Yinxiang nodded with a half understanding. Seeing his puzzled look, Concubine Min smiled lightly again, but this time, her brows were stained with a touch of sadness. "Everyone here says that I was transformed from a butterfly. If that's true, it would be better. You can leave here, leave this cage..." After muttering to herself, Concubine Min waved her hand lightly, the butterflies dispersed one after another, and a group of eunuchs suddenly appeared, tearing and dragging her into the hall.Locked in a huge golden cage.Concubine Min struggled and stretched out her hand to Yinxiang: "Son, Er Niang is not sick, Er Niang is not sick..." "Emiang!" Yinxiang stretched out his hand to grab Concubine Min, but suddenly there was an exclamation in his ear: "Brother Thirteen, what's wrong with you?" Yin Xiang suddenly opened his eyes, and the bright sunlight and the huge golden cage disappeared instantly.In the still pitch-black courtyard, several fluorescent butterflies were flying around.The little palace maid who was wearing a handkerchief did not know when she would come back.And his outstretched hand was tightly grasping her wrist. "It's okay." Slowly loosening Chen Xiang's hand, Yin Xiang changed the subject. "What did you do?" "Young maidservant went to find this." Chen Xiang lifted up a small pot, poured out the liquid inside under Yinxiang's suspicious gaze, and wrote a big "Shou" on the ground. Following Chen Xiang's actions, an incredible scene appeared.A few butterflies that were shuttling among the flowers flapped their wings and flew over without hesitation.Afterwards, more and more people gathered, and the entire "shou" character was fully arranged. Yinxiang stood beside him in a daze, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses. "You... how did you do it?" Chen Xiang made a fool of himself, and didn't answer immediately, but walked up to Yin Xiang with the jar, and said with a light smile: "Bold servant girl, please open your mouth, Brother Thirteen." Infected by Chen Xiang's laughter, Yinxiang opened his mouth obediently, watching Chen Xiang's liquid dipped across his tongue.The sweet taste filled his mouth, and Yinxiang suddenly realized. "So it's honey?" “嗯。”沉香笑着点头，“十三阿哥，蝴蝶们都来了，娘娘见了一定很高兴，等天一亮，它们自己会飞走，下回再这么做，它们还会飞过来，这样多好？” 漆黑的眸子被漫天飞舞的荧光蝴蝶点亮了神采，胤祥忽然忘情地伸手将她圈入怀中紧紧抱住呢喃道：“太好了，太好了，我额娘一定会特别高兴的。” 沉香一惊，抬头望向胤祥。他温柔的目光中闪烁着笑意，将那本就出色的容貌衬托得越发俊美。沉香只觉脸颊滚烫，飞快地低下了头。 “十三阿哥……” 觉察到沉香的挣扎，胤祥这才发现自己的失态，脸一红，急忙放开了她。蜂蜜香甜的气味在空气中飘散，胤祥眸光凝在沉香身上，定定地看着她。 被胤祥看得局促不已，沉香长睫垂下闪躲着他的目光，转头看向那黑漆漆的宫殿上。 “你在看什么？”胤祥顺着沉香的视线看了过去，却什么都没有发现。 “十三阿哥，我告诉你，这个地方很奇怪，我记得这里面有个大笼子。”沉香低声说道。 胤祥瞳孔蓦地缩紧，冷声驳斥道：“什么笼子，你别瞎讲。” “真的，奴婢小时候看到过，我还在这里丢了额娘送给我的珠子耳坠。”沉香说完，指向记忆中跪着的地方。“应该就掉在这个附近，可惜找不到了。” “原来……是你。”听沉香提到珠子耳坠，胤祥微微眯起了眼睛。 想不到七年前那个遍寻不获的小宫女，今夜再一次突然出现在了自己面前，当初既然答应了胤禛此事就此作罢，他便信守诺言再也不去想她。时隔多年，她的模样在他的脑海里渐渐模糊，可是他却从来不曾真正地将她遗忘。每年的隆冬时节，采一枝梅花放在屋中已经成了习惯。原以为即使相遇也已经不再相识，谁知道她竟然会在这样的夜晚选择这样的方式重新出现在他的生命里。This is by chance?或是……命中注定？ 额娘，是您指引她来的吗？ 没有发觉胤祥的异样，沉香俯身拎起地上的金丝笼子，将里面的蝴蝶放了出来。视线从它们翩然的身影划过，她的目光有些迷离：“不知道是谁那么可怜，会被关在里面。那时候，我忽然有了一个奇怪的念头，想要把那个笼子拆了，把里面的人救出来。这个想法……是不是很幼稚很好笑？” 沉香自言自语地说着，忽然觉察到两道炙热的视线正牢牢地锁定她的脸。顺着视线传来的方向望了回去，立刻沉溺在胤祥如寒潭般深不见底的黑眸中。 “你叫什么名字？”心中某处被尘封的弦被悠然拨动，熟悉的悸动再次传来。与七年前相比，这次要清晰得多，也真实得多。顾不得会吓到沉香，胤祥跨前一步，伸手去揭她蒙着的帕子。“让我看看你的样子。” 七年前懵懂无知不识情滋味，让他与她失之交臂。七年后缘分再起，这一次他绝对不会犯下同样的错误。 被胤祥突然的举动吓到，沉香慌乱地后退，堪堪避开了他伸出的手。 “奴婢还有事，奴婢先告辞了……” 不给胤祥再次询问的机会，沉香匆匆行了个礼，飞也似的逃走。一不小心，蒙面的帕子落在了地上，被随后追上来的胤祥拾起。 “看来是我太心急，吓到她了。”望着沉香仓皇的背影，胤祥无奈地自语。低头看着掌心的手帕，轻轻弯起了唇角。 “这一次，我一定会找到你……”