Xu Si knocked on Ruyi's door.

Ruyi locked himself in the house alone. The idlers and others were all kicked out by her, and the people who should have come to answer the door at this moment were all shut out of the door, and carefully explained to Xu Si, "Her Royal Highness the princess, she ......"

Xu Sidao, "I know, you go down first--all go down." ”

After everyone left, she said to the inside, "Ruyi, it's me, your aunt." ”

Ruyi was silent, and Xu Si waited patiently. She knew that Ruyi would not turn her away.

Sure enough, after a while, the door slowly and reluctantly opened.

Because in the cold winter, the windows on all sides were tightly sealed, and when the doors were closed, the room became dark and gloomy.

Ruyi opened the door, hurriedly saluted, and quickly turned his back and said, "I'll pour tea for A-Niang." ”

Although he only glanced at it, Xu Si still saw it-Ruyi had cried.

…… That's why I have to close the curtains too.

Xu thought, she may have raised this child too stubbornly. A little girl at this age was wronged, and she shouldn't have closed the doors and windows and cried alone.

But since Ruyi didn't want people to know, she didn't force it, and closed the door with her backhand after entering the house.

Ruyi brought the tea, she took the tea cup and put it on the side, took Ruyi's hand, and said, "Come and sit with A-Niang." ”

Ruyi obediently sat down with her.

Xu Si asked, "Did you quarrel with your sister...... but his eyes swept to Ruyi's face, and the words in his mouth couldn't help but break. Her eyes were already dark, and she raised her hand to lift Ruyi's jaw and gently caress the corners of Ruyi's lips.

The corners of Ruyi's lips were swept by the glass, because the skin was broken inside, and it was slightly swollen at the moment, and it seemed to be slightly blue.

Xu Si touched it very lightly, but Ruyi felt as if he had been pricked by a needle. I couldn't help but shrink back.

Xu Si's voice was a little hoarse, "...... How? ”

Ruyi don't start - she didn't want to see Xu Si sad, and she didn't plan to tell Xu Si about it. However, the "wild seed" that Liuli scolded her before always hovered in her mind, and she thought of Xu Si repeatedly teaching her not to conflict with Liuli and even Erlang, and suddenly resented in her heart.

She finally said, "The third sister beat it." ”

Xu Si froze.

Ruyi added, "If my cousin hadn't stopped me, maybe I would have been slapped again." ”

When she said this, she felt a faint joy in her heart - she finally told Ah Niang her grievances. She wondered if her aunt would say something similar to "You have to know how to hide and relieve, at least don't provoke them to your face" in the face of such a situation.

She looked directly at Xu Si, waiting for her response.

- She also has her weaknesses, she knows that she expects her aunt to support her in her heart, and even expects her aunt to say to her, "If she dares to beat you, you will fight back, don't be afraid of her." She wanted to know, at least in her mother's heart, she was more valuable than Liuli - she was not a "wild seed" who was inferior to others.

But no.

Xu Si just froze there, tears welling up in his eyes instantly. The bright light of the tears swirled in her eyes, and immediately fell.

The faint joy in Ruyi's heart immediately dissipated. She realized almost immediately that she had hurt her mother.

She felt remorseful and hurriedly raised her hand to help Xu Si wipe away her tears. But her mood became heavier and heavier, and she just couldn't say words of comfort - her aunt was not a weak person who cried when something happened, even in the face of the Son of Heaven, she was just as cold as she was when she was really annoyed. Her silence and tears at the moment actually only said one thing.

Maybe what Liuli said is right, Ruyi thinks, she is indeed inferior to others. So when she learned that she was being beaten up, the first thing she felt was the sadness of not protecting her, rather than the righteous anger.

Ruyi only felt like a numb heart.

Xu Si had already realized that he had lost his temper.

She hurriedly wiped away her tears and said with a smile, "A-Niang is fine, I was blinded." He gently held Ruyi's face and asked slowly, "Does it hurt?" ”

Ruyi nodded, then shook his head again and said, "...... It doesn't hurt. ”

Xu Si carefully checked it for her, although it was indeed fine, her heart was also very sour. Then he said softly, "Let the Imperial Doctor take a look in a while." ”

Ruyi nodded.

Xu Si paused for a long time before he could finally reluctantly say, "Your third sister is not sensible......"

Ruyi only listened to this beginning and understood that what her aunt wanted to say to her was "She was wrong." You are sensible, don't worry about her". But how harsh that sounded that day. She couldn't help but want to ask Xu Si why she was sensible but had to be beaten, and the ignorant one who beat her would not be taken care of.

But on this day, she had already stabbed her mother once. She knew how embarrassed and uncomfortable she would have to be if she spoke.

She only swallowed her grievances, hung her head silently, and listened to Xu Si's difficult and unwilled speech.

But who should she tell her uncomfortable?

Xu Si waited for her to answer, she was silent for a long time, and finally asked softly, "Ah Niang, if I beat the third sister today, will Ah Niang also say this to the third sister?" ”

Xu Si hesitated for a moment and said, "...... She's a sister and you're a sister. Occasional quarrels between sisters ......"

Ruyi couldn't help but ask, "What if I'm a sister?" ”

Xu Si couldn't answer for a long time, and the tears in Ruyi's eyes welled up again. She couldn't stay in the house any longer, so she finally got up and said in a low and hurried voice, "A-Niang, I'll go out for a walk." ”

didn't wait for Xu Si to answer, and left quickly and as if fleeing.

Xu Si hurriedly ordered people to follow her, but Ruyi was dexterous and good at dodging since childhood, but in a moment, he threw everyone away and disappeared into the Ciqiu Palace.

But she had nowhere else to go.

She just aimlessly avoided the pursuit of the people in the palace.

It was only when she could no longer hear the cries of those who came looking for her that she finally stopped.

When the cold wind blew, she came back to her senses from her chaotic thoughts and looked around blankly. I saw that the courtyard walls here were high, and all of them were blue and black bricks. The house is sturdy, but it looks old and damp. Sandwiched in the middle of a long alley twists and turns, because of the perennial lack of sunlight, the corners are still piled up with ice and snow, and the snow is no longer ice and jade, but covered with a layer of blackened dust.

She didn't know that there was such a place in the palace. However, after reading a lot of books, I quickly thought that this might be a place similar to the Yongxiang and Yeting in the Han Palace for craftsmen and weavers to work.

Although she was vaguely aware of where this was, she didn't think much more, just stood there in a daze. I don't know where to go.

She was still at the age of carefree reading and playing, and she never thought about the way forward, nor did she think that she would or would leave Xu Si's side one day.

She didn't know what it meant to her that she was a "wild seed." But she did have a vague realization that this was not her home anymore.

But where, exactly?

She only felt that the world was so big that there was nowhere to stay. There are so many roads ahead, but there is no way to go.

Zhuang Qiniang came out of the weaving room, and saw a young man in front of her. He is not tall in stature, but he is very handsome and well-proportioned - when wearing a fat cotton coat in winter, everyone inevitably looks a little stupid, and it is rare to have such a pretty figure. Although the dark cyan clothes on his body couldn't see the fabric clearly, the cyan was very elegant and uniform, and it was not worn by the people below.

Zhuang Qiniang thought, could it be that the little boy who entered the palace in the first month and got lost and walked to the weaving room?

If her children were around, they would be about that age now. Therefore, she naturally has a pity for children of this age.

However, in the first month of the New Year, the rude palace ladies in the weaving room were all on vacation, and she couldn't find anyone else to ask for a while. After looking left and right for a long time, finally the heart of relatives prevailed, pulled up his shirt, stepped forward in a cower, and asked, "But, but lost?" ”

Her eyes were white, and she had been struggling to see lately. However, when I got closer, I could finally get a rough idea of this--I saw that this young man was only in his early tens, his skin was extremely white, but he had a pair of dark and stubborn eyes. That posture was extremely beautiful, as if separated by the glow of the fairy mist, and it vaguely reminded her of Xu Silai. Although she is dressed in men's clothes, she is clearly a beautiful girl who is noble and elegant.

A girl of this age in the palace is a nobleman......

Zhuang Qiniang couldn't help but be a little stunned, and suddenly remembered that on the day of the New Year's Day, the palace sent a men's dress to let her change the size, and she was very urgent...... It seems to be exactly such a style color.

Her heart was already pounding, and she hurriedly pulled up the sleeve of the girl's coat and opened it for a mark—her memory was declining, and her eyes were not very good lately. Therefore, when there is a lot of work at hand, in order to avoid confusion and forgetting, she always embroiders a small mark on the finished work. It won't get in the way of others, but she can touch it as soon as she touches it.

The girl immediately pulled back her sleeves vigilantly, but Zhuang Qi Niang had indeed touched it. This dress was exactly what Mama Liu told her to change that day - and Mama Liu was Ruyi's nurse, and after Ruyi grew up, Xu Si still served her by Ruyi's side. The work ordered by Mama Liu was all done for Ruyi.

Zhuang Qiniang was ecstatic and almost cried, but fortunately, her eyes were dry and she couldn't shed tears. She smiled when she was busy, and she was afraid of scaring Ruyi, so she explained again, "Don't be afraid, girl, I'm from the Palace." I'm here looking for something, and I don't live here on weekdays. No, but I'm a subordinate below, and I guess you haven't seen me before......" She couldn't help but become anxious, not knowing how to win Ruyi's trust, "I changed this dress on your body, and I have done many things for you...... I also braided bamboo balls for you. When you were little, I hugged you—"