Chapter 20 Chapter Twenty

In the days that followed, I just acted as if nothing had happened, recuperating from my illness with peace of mind.Xuan Qing was also raised in her own Green Field Hall, and when she was able to get up and walk around, she occasionally came to see me, and only talked about the Xiao Xian Hall, and chatted casually, never mentioning Xuan Ling's visit that day, so as not to Go to each other's embarrassment. Caiping and Cailan came three times a day to invite me to visit the Xiaoxian Pavilion, but I couldn't refuse. Finally, I chose a day with good weather and brought Huanbi to go there with Caiping and Cailan.

The Xiaoxian Hall is not far behind the Lvye Hall. It is a small and independent courtyard, very quiet and spacious.Strolling in, there are a few antiques randomly displayed in the hall, all of which are exquisite and simple, not overly ornate.Hanging on the wall is a picture of "Ladies with Hairpin Flowers" by Zhou Fang in the Tang Dynasty.The brushstrokes are light, delicate and charming, evenly forceful and peaceful, with a very quaint charm.On the ground floor is a table and chairs made of yellow pear openwork with cloud patterns and roses.In the left ear room, a row of bookshelves are full of neatly bound ancient books, with a faint fragrance of ink.

Cai Ping said with a smile: "Our lord said that Miss likes to read books, Tete ordered the best books in his study to be placed here for Miss, so as to relieve her boredom." I smiled lightly and said, "I'm really sorry to bother your princes to such trouble." Caiping smiled brightly, showing her white teeth, and said cleverly: "Your servant is very happy to see that our lord is taking so much trouble. I have never seen him like this after serving for more than ten years. Now if the young lady reads these books and thinks It's interesting and beautiful, I'm afraid the prince will be happier."

My fingertips lightly slid across the clean and yellow pages, and my heart was like the pages of the book, like the originally calm water surface, whose hand was so briskly and inadvertently slid across, sweeping infinite ripples, layer after layer. spread out. I closed the book, and said softly as if casually: "My lord is always so sincere in his dealings with others, if someone can discuss a sentence or a sentence with him in poetry, books and articles, he will regard you as a bosom friend and treat each other sincerely. " Caiping turned her head to one side, pursed her lips and said with a smile: "Isn't it? It's just that when you meet someone like Miss, and treat people with such a demeanor, you can unconsciously make people feel amiable and approachable, not to mention the prince. Cailan and I are the ones who are slaves like this, and we also feel that it is our blessing to be able to do our best for Miss."

I couldn't help smiling, pointing at her and Cailan and said: "No wonder your lord loves you and Cailan so much, and you are taken in as close servants, you are really smart and talkative. The lord has you both With people by your side, accompanying you every day, you must be able to relieve a lot of troubles and enjoy a leisurely life.” When Cai Lan behind her heard this, she hurriedly waved her hands and said: "Miss, this is a big misunderstanding. For one thing, we are only serving the prince, and we are no different from other maids. We can't say the word 'close'. The prince's personal affairs are all Ah Jin is serving us, and we can't do it. It's just that the prince praised us two, and he thought it wasn't too clumsy, so he specially promoted us to serve the lady. Second..." She pondered slightly, her face flushed like Feeling dizzy, he hesitated and couldn't continue.

In the end, Caiping was quick to talk, and said in a low voice: "Secondly, the servant girl and sister Cailan are not the prince's concubine, so..." I see!I knew it was not, it was just a joke.But hearing them deny it in front of me, I felt a slight sense of relief in my heart.She didn't notice at all how Huanbi behind her had a relaxed expression on her face. However, I was slumped, even if I knew that I was not his concubine, what would I be happy about? I was about to speak, but I saw Huanbiman, who had been silent behind me, stepped forward, took the apple with one hand and picked the blue with the other, and said affectionately: "Our lady was just joking. The lady looked at the two This girl looks beautiful, has a good temperament, is very gentle and gentle, she is really a top-notch talent, and I love her very much. Thinking about the appearance and temperament of the two girls, although they may not have the position of side concubine, they are concubines Auntie's good position is always certain, that's why I said this. Besides, it's not right now, who knows that there won't be such a good fortune in the future, and others are envious and won't come. Don't say it's Miss, it's me, in my heart Sooner or later, I will congratulate the two girls."

Since Xuanqing dispatched Caiping and Cailan to serve me, because of their outstanding looks and bright clothes, unlike ordinary maids, Huanbi always kept a respectful distance from them when getting along with them, and was not very affectionate.Now it's very rare for him to take the initiative to talk to the two of them, and to speak so affectionately and politely.I was also secretly surprised. Caiping and Cailan know that Huanbi is my personal maid, they grew up together since childhood, even Xuanqing treats Huanbi differently, naturally they are very polite.Seeing her being so affectionate now, it is natural to offer her a very appropriate gift.Caiping hurriedly smiled and said: "Miss Huanbi said so, but she really wants to kill me and sister Cailan."

Cailan straightened her face, and said: "We have an unwritten rule in Qingliangtai. Because those of us who work as slaves in Qingliangtai can't compare to the daughters of good people in Qinghe Palace. We are all family members. The Tao is withered, wandering outside on the verge of life and death, and only served in Qingliangtai after being rescued by the prince. In our eyes, the prince is our great benefactor, and we will definitely not have unreasonable thoughts. Now we are doing our best Serve the lord, and serve the lord and the concubine with all my heart and soul in the future." He looked at me and said, "The lord regards the lady as a confidant, and the lady must know that our lord will not have a concubine to serve the concubine. If there is, there will only be one The royal concubine, isn't she?"

I nodded: "My lord has indeed said so. Women in the world are like three thousand weak waters, and he only takes one ladle to drink." Huanbi's eyes twitched slightly, and soon he smiled as usual: "Then, being able to serve the prince for a lifetime is a blessing that no one else can cultivate." When Huanbi said this, Lan and Pingshu naturally spoke with interest, and the three of them gradually became familiar with each other.I saw them talking lively, and I couldn't bear to disturb them, so I just looked around the Xiaoxian Pavilion. In the inner room of the Xiaoxian Pavilion, there is a Hebo ancient cabinet, in which are three or five boxes of good seals, or chicken blood stones, or Qingtian stones, which are neatly placed in a row.Still on the shelf.There is a desk in front of the window, and Chengxintang paper is scattered randomly, just waiting for people to write, there are also red sandalwood merchant silk inlaid jade pen holders, a set of sapphire sunflower washers, sapphire pen mounts, and sapphire ink beds, all of which are Quaint and refined gadgets, elegant and pleasant.Under the long window facing south is Yang Fei's couch with a purple velvet embroidered cushion, and the corners are sealed with dark green and black silver velvet.There are two pots of narcissus on the table beside the couch, with a delicate fragrance of stamens.The rain on the window is covered with a sky-blue gauze, and a pot of spider orchids hangs under the window. Even in winter, it grows luxuriantly and gracefully, with green branches and leaves.On a local rosewood carved table, a celadon beauty cup is arranged on it, with a few sprigs of fragrant red plums inserted in it, like rouge.Another green field famille rose consecrated ammonite tea set.There is an embroidery frame next to the table, and the silk threads of thousands of colors are all arranged, and they are only bundled up and placed on the silk thread frame.

After bypassing a four-panel screen of nanmu and primrose-coloured silk, there is a bed inside, and the autumn water-colored curtain hangs obediently, revealing clusters of very shallow patterns of begonias sleeping in spring. .The brocade quilt of apricot red gold heart glitters satin, and the bottom is made of ermine mattress, which is very soft and warm.A smooth white powder wall was built on the bluestone slabs with the passionflower as the background. There are no calligraphy or painting on the wall, but two Suzhou exquisite embroidery hangs, one is a green wishful peony, and the other is a phoenix phoenix phoenix tree. head.

I closed my eyes and sniffed lightly, I could smell the sweet fragrance delicately, which penetrated into my heart, but I saw a silver smoked ball with golden hazel flower hanging on the hooks of the bed curtains, from which the fragrance came out, which was my favorite all the time Passion. He arranged it so carefully, everything was thoughtful, it was really the bedroom of a very beautiful daughter. I saw shadows outside the window, and I pushed it away out of curiosity, only to see that there was a garden outside the window, and the garden was not the usual red plums and white plums, but green plums with double green weeping branches with light green petals.This is the time when plum blossoms are in full bloom. The green plum blossoms in the garden are in full bloom, like green pearls adorning branches and emeralds shining. Even the sunlight shining on them has a light and transparent green jade brilliance, which is not like spring but better than spring. beauty.I was stunned for a moment, unable to look away. Huanbi didn't know when she came in, she walked up to me quietly, and said softly: "Look at this room, the prince must have spent a lot of effort. Not to mention anything else, but that "Picture of Lady with Hairpin Flowers" It’s something that connects cities.” I was silent, just looking at the green plums in the garden.If he really knew that Xuanling and I met in the Yimei Garden and avoided planting red and white plums for fear that I would be sad, then he would be really careful.Even if not, it would be extremely difficult to collect so many green plums. Huanbi's eyes were also attracted by the green plum blossoms, she was stunned for a moment, and suddenly she was overjoyed and said: "Miss, look, the plum blossoms are all green in color?" I didn't want to think about why she was so happy, I just gave a light "um" as a promise. Xuan Qing's words seemed to be still in his ears, "When Qing was in the palace, he sincerely invited his wife to come to the Qingliangtai for a small gathering, but the lady refused because the midsummer was over and the Qingliangtai was too cool. Coincidentally, it is also a good thing to get the lady to go to Qingliangtai. The Xiao Xian Pavilion has been preparing for it since the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, and now I finally have the opportunity to let the lady stay here." When he said these words, he couldn't hide it. joy and satisfaction. I also smiled: "My lord also said that Qingliangtai is warm in winter and cool in summer. If one day I feel that the weather is unbearable, I can come to get together. My lord's small red clay stove is willing to melt the cold and frost for me. Although lord I also hope that there will never be that day. And now the one who is willing to give charcoal in the snow and ice is also the king of Qinghe who promised so much money back then." He was also considerate, afraid that I would be uneasy, so he only let Caiping and Cailan accompany me to watch. I could smell light footsteps, but Caiping and Cailan came in.The two looked at each other with a smile, and said: "Are you satisfied with the layout of the Xiaoxian Hall, Miss? If you are satisfied, you can move in today." Caiping said again: "Xiaoxian Hall is the most exquisite house in Qingliang Terrace, and it's very close to the Lord's Green Field Hall." I hesitated a little in my heart, Huanbi suddenly took my sleeve, and begged in a low voice: "Miss, can we live here?" She said again: "The scenery here is good, suitable for Miss to recuperate. And..." Her Eyes are greedy on plum blossoms. I smiled and said, "You like plum blossoms, don't you?" Huanbi nodded.It seemed like she nodded, which strengthened my unsteady heart, and said: "I like this place very much, please ask Caiping and Cailan to help me pack up my clothes and move them here." Caiping and Cailan couldn't wait for the sound, and went out happily. By the end of the night, I had already lived in the Xiaoxian Pavilion.The living room is elegant, with soft bedding, airy and bright, and you can smell the green plums in the garden when you open the window. Living in this way for a few days, I just feel that his mind is deep and considerate, and everything he thinks of to do is inappropriate. When I got up in the morning, because of dizziness, I took two plasters and put them on my forehead.Huanbi loves the green plum so much that she folds a few branches to offer at the head of the bed every day, and when she is free, she falls in front of the flowers, looking at them endlessly. The clear aroma of plum blossoms makes me feel happy.I leaned on the quilt, looked at her with a smile and said, "It's rare to see you like flowers so much." Huanbi smiled lowly, "I am looking at the flowers, and I am also appreciating the prince's wishes." I lowered my head and stroked the corner of the quilt, "My lord has indeed spent a lot of thought on my illness and this Xiao Xian Pavilion." Huanbi looked at me and said in a low voice: "Miss, do you think the prince cares about you so much only this time? In fact, when he was in the palace..." She hesitated to speak. I interrupted her and said quietly: "I know." In the desolate days, it is he, and only he, who brings me comfort and enlightens me. The icing on the cake, the timely help, is all him. However, Huanbi shook her head, "I'm not talking about the things that the prince pleases the young lady." She turned her head slightly, "Do you remember the miscarriage that time, in Mrs. Xihua's Mixiu Palace?" Mrs. Xihua of Mixiu Palace!My heart suddenly ached, amid the ups and downs of the past, the endless scarlet flashed in front of my eyes, the bloody breath rushed to my nose, and my mind buzzed and became chaotic. How could I forget?That was my child, my first child. He lived in my womb for four months, and then he was stripped of my body in Mixiu Palace.So painful, so painful, his life disappeared bit by bit along with the blood in my body, I will never forget it.If it hadn't been for that miscarriage, I'm afraid I would still be the favorite concubine in the harem who is held in the palm of Xuan Ling's hands. The ups and downs of my life started from there. I unconsciously clenched my fists tightly.In that miscarriage, I always thought it was Concubine Hua, but I didn't want it to be An Lingrong... An Lingrong planted his murderous intention early when he offered me the "Soo Hen Gel".With so many murderous intentions and cunning, this child is destined to be lost to me, and it is also a pain in my life. Therefore, from now on in Tangli Palace, no one dares to easily mention this matter in front of me. And Huanbi mentioned it so abruptly, so unexpectedly mentioned my sore spot in front of me, she said solemnly: "Miss, do you still remember that time? Who rescued you from Mixiu Palace..." who is it?It's Xuan Qing. My heart skipped a beat. Before the answer was revealed, at the moment when I lost consciousness, I always thought it was Xuan Ling who came to save me, but I didn't think it was Xuan Qing. Back then, Concubine Hua Murong Shilan was the daughter of the King Runan's confidant. She had always relied on the King of Runan as her backer, above all the concubines in the palace, and even the Empress was ignored.As for Xuanqing, because of the discord between his biological mother and King Runan's biological mother, Xuanqing has always been hated by the King of Runan. However, in the old dynasty, Runan King Xuanji was a prestigious court official with real power in his hands, leading troops outside the pass, and was so powerful that even Xuanling, who was the emperor, had to be scruples.And Xuanqing is just an idle clan, with no power or power, so he can only focus on poetry, books, piano and chess all day long to avoid the edge. That day when he rashly broke into the Mixiu Palace where the favorite concubine lived to save me from danger, he not only greatly offended the arrogant Concubine Hua, but also had a direct conflict with the Runan King's party, which is very different from the past when he hid his strength and bide his time , Everything is careless style. Huanbi never talked about the events of that day in front of me, but now she is still eloquent: "Miss Xihua was forced to kneel in Mixiu Palace of Mrs. Xihua, even the concubine Jing who has the right to assist the sixth palace cannot save you. I knew it was a bad thing. That day Jinxi accompanied the young lady inside, so naturally she couldn't get away, and all the concubines were in Mrs. Xihua's palace. The emperor and queen went out to worship the heavens, and the queen mother was very sick. I can't take care of myself, how can I still take care of the young lady? There is really no way to go to heaven and no way to go down to the earth. The slave servant saw the young lady being tortured to such an extent by Mrs. Xihua from a distance, and was even more worried about the child in the young lady's womb. There is no place to think of a way to save Miss, I am so anxious that I even want to die. However, who in the palace would dare to offend Mrs. Xihua?" Huanbi paused and said: "At that time, I happened to meet When I got on Ah Jin who was passing by, I just remembered that the Sixth Prince lived in the Louyue Kaiyun Pavilion on the Taiye Pond in order to take care of the Empress Dowager conveniently." Louyue Kaiyun Hall is the place where Xuanqing lived before leaving the palace and opening the mansion.He was never married, and was brought up by the queen mother, so he still left such a pavilion on the Taiye Pond to live in, which is convenient for traveling between the palace and the palace, and it is convenient for him to gossip about poetry and books with Xuanling. Greet the Queen Mother and be filial.Moreover, the Louyue Kaiyun Pavilion is built in the center of Taiye Lake, so the concubines and women will not go so far even if they are rowing and playing, so they can avoid suspicion. "I have met Ah Jin before, and I know that he is the prince's confidant, and it is trustworthy to serve him closely. So I begged Ah Jin to take me to the Louyue Kaiyun Pavilion to find the sixth prince to find a way to save the lady." Huanbi was immersed in his thoughts, and said: "That was the first time I went to the Louyue Kaiyun Pavilion. There were countless light gold and pink acacia flowers blooming outside the pavilion. The wind blew like a rain of flowers. I want to save the lady, I must be greedy. The prince is standing under the rain of flowers, writing strokes. I don’t know what he is writing, but when he sees me, he knows that it must be an accident. What's the matter. Because the prince once told me after the lady was pregnant, if the lady has any difficulties in the palace, you can let me go to the Louyue Kaiyun Hall to look for him. If he is not there, Ah Jin will also send a message to him. But then One day, Ah Jin took me there personally, and I was in such a panic, the prince knew that something must have happened. So I cried, and I knelt down to beg him, begging the prince to go to Mixiu Palace to save the lady." She Dazed, he said: "When the prince heard this, his face turned pale, and he didn't say how to save him. He threw away the pen and paper and pulled me to Mixiu Palace. Ah Jin was so anxious that he was going crazy, he desperately grabbed the prince, begging The lord, don't offend Mrs. Xihua and King Runan rashly. But the lord is so strong, how can Ah Jin hold back. Not to mention Ah Jin, even the guards guarding Mixiu Palace were frightened and couldn't stop him So, we broke into Mixiu Palace in this way. The prince is a man, so he rushed in like this. The concubines were frightened, and they all hid in the inner hall in a panic. Even Mrs. Xihua's face was scared. To put it bluntly, I didn't care about avoiding suspicion, so I got very angry and argued with the prince. Alas, how could Mrs. Xihua think of anyone back then, but she didn't want to think about it. Can you still put her in your eyes?" In the painful memory of that day, I only saw Xuan Qing arguing with Murong Shilan face to face for me, that was the first time I saw him so angry and his expression changed drastically.And Xuanqing has always been gentle and calm. "At that time, the lady had a lot of blood, and the whole skirt was red, and she passed out. No matter how much Miss Shen's family called you, she would not wake up. I was so scared that I could only cry. The prince saw no one to help I was busy, and I didn’t care about the defenses of men and women, so I carried you back to Tangli Palace.” When Huanbi talked about the emotional part, she couldn’t help crying: “Then the concubine Jing came, and saw that your three souls disappeared for seven days. He looked so desperate that he almost fainted, and hurriedly called for the imperial physician. The lord ordered Ah Jin to hurry up and invite the emperor back, and he personally guarded outside Tangli Palace to prevent Mrs. Xihua from taking the opportunity to cause trouble until the emperor returns." What happened later, she didn't go on, and I knew it myself. After all, my child was not kept. However, my mind was shaking like a tide, and I couldn't say a word for a moment.It turned out that he had already treated me like this, protected me, and cared for me early in the morning.I always thought I knew it, but I knew so little, so scattered, it was just the tip of the iceberg. "Everyone says that because you are a noble concubine, the emperor's favorite concubine, and pregnant with an emperor's heir, the six kings are so desperate to save you, even offending Mrs. Xihua who is backed by King Runan. Huanbi looked at me, his eyes were as deep as two pools of still water, dark to the bottom, and said quietly: "I always thought that too. But if I hadn't seen the prince cry for you that day, I would hardly have been able to Believe it. That was the first time I saw a man cry. Men don’t flick their tears easily, but that day in Mixiu Palace, I saw the prince’s tears fall on your face with my own eyes, although I was the only one who saw it. But Miss , I understand everything... the prince is feeling sorry for you." "Your concubine!..." Before the final loss of consciousness, I only heard the person holding me call me that.There is so much affection, pain and forbearance hidden in this calling voice.I always thought it was Xuan Ling, my husband, who was heartbroken and anxious for me. The heat of that drop of tear seems to be a burnt imprint, as long as I think about it, it will burn faintly on my cheeks.The traces of tears have long since disappeared completely on the cheeks.Only I understand how the warm temperature fell on my heart, leaving a deep and clear imprint. These are the tears that Qing loves me, and it has also become my demon today, and entanglement occurs from time to time, how can I resist? I'm just trying my best to resist. I remained silent, just staring at the colorful brocade quilt in a daze. Such embroidered flowers, rejoicing in circles, are the style used by officials.I know Xuanqing is careful, and has asked someone to replace all the palace patterns, lest it will arouse my sadness for the old days.Although it is on the balcony of his other courtyard, away from the imperial confinement, has the aura of the palace really gone away? My favorite spice that rises like smoke from the censer is the precious agarwood incense that the royal family can afford. As for him, he was originally the one who was inextricably linked to the Palace Forbidden Garden. There is a momentary emptiness in the mind, and even oneself cannot grasp it.The wind slowly blows in from under the window, like a lady strolling in, caressing my cheek with a sense of coolness.In the moment when the wind blew the beautiful flower curtain, the scenery outside the window dazzled me a little.For a moment, my mind was agitated, and I suddenly felt that I loved him like this, but I must not let myself love him like this.In such a trance moment, all the sorrows and joys, bitterness, surprises, losses and the deep expectations of Girls’ Generation flooded into my heart. In the first years, when I was still looking forward to and yearning for love, how much I longed for someone who would not be happy or worried about my appearance, who would not care about my family's dignity, who had the same interests and love as me. Xiangyue, you can stay together from day to day and night for a long time until you grow old, holding on to a myth of "Long Lovesickness, Long Love", just like this "I wish to have one heart and never leave each other". And yet there was a man before me who fit all my first and last dreams of love.He understands me, loves me, understands me a little bit, and fits with my soul without caring about the changes in my appearance. But I retreated, scared. The hand of time made us miss it at the beginning.So far, can it be changed? I thought countless times, if I hadn't entered the palace and become Xuanling's favorite concubine in the past, maybe I would have had a one in ten thousand chance to meet, know each other, and fall in love with him.This one-in-10,000 chance is far greater than today. However, when I met him, I was already Xuanling's new favorite. I couldn't change anything, couldn't say, couldn't do anything. Facing his unintentional expression of affection, I could only pretend to be ignorant, turned a deaf ear, and tried my best to suppress my emotions. mood. And up to now, my identity with him is so clear.Even if I am an abandoned concubine, even if Xuan Ling and I are no longer husband and wife, I am still his former imperial concubine.What's more, he is still the proud son of heaven, Yutang Guangyao.But I am a down-and-out and haggard woman with a withered family background.Faced with his still the same and even intensified affection, how can I not make me feel ashamed and ashamed in front of him.