It was already early afternoon when Mingyun came out of her mother's place, and on the way back, someone came to report that Concubine Xue Po had asked to see her. Mingyun had expected that the Xianyu girl would come to see her, and she only said half of what she said that night.

As soon as Mingyun stepped into the courtyard, she saw that Xian Yu Nu was already waiting for her in the courtyard. When she saw Xian Yu Nu that night, Xian Yu Nu was still wearing a Hu suit, but today she went to the countryside and changed into Jin Nu's song skirt. It was a brand new set of fine clothes, tender and tender green, which looked particularly dazzling in the cold winter of everything.

"Concubine Xue Po visited her grandson and daughter, and suddenly came to visit, don't be surprised." Xianyu Nu stepped forward and saluted.

Mingyun helped her and said with a smile: "Don't be polite." On such a cold day, hurry up and follow me into the house, and it will be warm inside. ”

After entering the house, the little maids successively served a few plates of fruit snacks and two hot lotus seed sweet soups, and then Ah Wei sent them out. In this way, only Mingyun, Xian Yu Nu, Ah Wei and the nurse Bai Xin were left in the house.

"I don't know how long you've been waiting outside, it's so cold, let's drink some sweet soup to warm up first." Mingyun stirred the soup cup with a spoon as she spoke, she saw that Xian Yunu's expression seemed to be slightly uneasy, smiled, and said, "There are no outsiders in the house now, so don't be too restrained." I haven't mentioned that night to outsiders, so you don't have to worry. ”

"I lost my temper that day, and said a lot of words that exceeded my duty, but I didn't come today for that, but to thank the noble lady." Xian Yu Nu looked at Mingyun's eyes and said gratefully. After that, she suddenly bowed to Mingyun, and the startled Mingyun immediately went to help her up, but Xianyu insisted on refusing to get up.

"I worship not for myself, but for the four Xianyu compatriots who died that night, whose bodies would have been fed to the dogs if it had not been for the noble daughters, but by your grace they not only kept their whole bodies, but were also buried properly. I am really grateful to the noble lady, now I am lowly and have nothing to repay you, but in the future, if the noble lady is useful, I will not shirk it, and I will do my best to help you to repay your kindness today. ”

Mingyun helped Xian Yu Nu up and said, "Xue Huan is serious. ”

Xian Yu Nu held Ming Yun's arm, looked at her fixedly, and said: "We Xianyu people make promises, so we never promise easily, but since we promise, we will definitely promise." ”

Mingyun was shocked by the burning and sincere gaze of Xian Yu Nu, and couldn't say a polite word, only feeling that if she said those false words again, she would pollute these eyes. She pulled Xianyu Nu to sit down again, and asked Ah Wei to bring the Nanyue Golden Knife.

Mingyun pushed the knife in front of Xian Yu Nu and said: "This knife, whether it is the handle or the blade, the workmanship is very exquisite, and it must have been given to a very important person at the beginning." I have won this sword from someone else, and since it is yours, I will give it to its owner today. ”

Xian Yu Nu took a deep look at the golden knife, but did not accept it, but pushed it back to Mingyun and said: "It was indeed mine, and I also got it from other places at a high price back then, it is said to be a famous knife, from Beiyan." Now that this knife is in your hand, you are the owner of it. This knife has a sharp blade and a small and delicate style, and can be hidden in boots or sleeves on weekdays, so it may come in handy when it is critical. ”

After Xian Yu Nu left, Ming Yun looked at the golden knife left on the desk and sighed: "I was also a noble daughter of a family, hey, I don't know how many times this knife has seen joys and sorrows, ups and downs, honors and disgraces." Now that it's in my hands, I wonder what it will happen to me? ”

The nurse Bai Xin listened to Mingyun's words and glanced at her disapprovingly: "Master, when you say this, this knife seems to be ominous." ”

Mingyun also glanced back at Aunt Xin disapprovingly: "The knife is a good knife, but don't misinterpret my words." Of all the things in the world, only the human heart is the most unpredictable. Most of the things are man-made, but they are all pushed to things that can't speak. If the object can speak, the first sentence must be a cry of injustice. ”

The winter time always flies quickly, and five or six days have passed unconsciously in the Daqingshan Annex. Except for the fact that she is often woken up by nightmares at night, the rest of her life can be described as calm and boring, but from time to time Fan Ming will come over to play with her and relieve her boredom.

A few days later, because the Fan family had a big feast, Fan Miaoshu took Mingyun down the mountain and returned to the Miao Garden in Fan's mansion. From the moment she was about to go down the mountain, Mingyun noticed that her mother seemed to be in a good mood, and not only was she willing to see her, but also often rewarded her with a few smiles. Because her mother was in a good mood, Mingyun was bold and made a request while being coquettish, but she didn't report any hope, but she didn't expect her mother to agree.

When Mingyun stood stiffly in her mother's bedroom at night, she still felt that all this seemed unreal, probably a dream, she pinched herself hard, it hurt very much!

It's true, it's not a dream!

Such a rare opportunity, Mingyun is naturally very positive. She was cleaned up by the servants early and ran to the bed, but she was not sleepy, flipped a few times, and ran barefoot to her mother in her bedclothes. After her mother's bath, she wore a water-red gauze bedgown, her half-wet hair around her neck and scattered on her chest, and she was served in front of the dressing table and smeared perfume on her body.

The wind was blowing outside, and the whistling north wind rustled the plum trees outside the window, and the shadows of the swaying trees were reflected on the window paper.

Fan Miaoshu's house is incense all year round, usually ordered in the morning and burned just before going to bed. The next day, I will repeat it. Today is different from usual, before going to bed, Luo Ying, her mother's attendant, added a handful of incense to the lotus bronze incense burner. The fragrance was faint, an aroma that had never been smelled before. Luo Ying gently stirred the aroma with her sleeve, so that its taste could spread faster.

Mingyun felt that this incense was faint, but it was very fragrant and smelly, and couldn't help asking, "What is the name of this incense?" I've never smelled it. ”

"This incense is called Night Orchid, the main flavor is Night Hibiscus Flower and Nine Orchid, and there are many precious spices in it, this box of incense is very rare." Luo Ying replied with a smile.

"What kind of flowers are these? I've never heard of it. Mingyun sniffed it carefully, and the smell was really very special.

"These flowers are what we don't have in the Jin Kingdom." Luo Ying replied, "They were born in ———."

Fan Miaoshu was holding a glass box with a pale peach blossom-colored cream, and when she heard this, she put the box down a little harder, turned her head sideways and took a deep look at Luo Ying. Luo Ying panicked for a moment, and immediately fell silent, showing apprehension.

"Where are these flowers?" Seeing that Luo Ying didn't speak, Mingyun asked strangely.

Fan Miaoshu frowned, "Yun'er, you have too many questions, it's not too early, go to bed quickly." ”

Mingyun immediately subconsciously pursed her lips, then pulled her mother's sleeve, spoke in a low voice, and said in a coquettish tone, "I'm just curious to ask, mother, don't be angry." ”

Fan Miaoshu pulled back the sleeve that Mingyun was holding, looked at her daughter and said in a deep voice, "It's not a good thing to be curious, children don't have too many questions, it's not good to know too much." ”

Mingyun's hand was empty, and she slowly withdrew her hand, her movements were a little stiff, and she nodded, "Got it." ”

"Go to sleep." Fan Miaoshu waved her hand at Mingyun.

The lingering aroma brings a room of fragrance, so that this whistling night has a touch of leisure, Mingyun can't fall asleep tossing and turning on the bed, the night is already very deep, but the mother has not gone to bed for a long time, and the flickering candle flame has not been extinguished.

Vaguely, she heard the voice of the bamboo slip and the voice of her mother and Luo Ying, but she couldn't hear a word of what was said. Later, she fell asleep in a daze, but she didn't sleep deeply, maybe there was no sense of reality in her heart, and she always had to wake up every once in a while to see that she was really lying next to her mother, and then closed her eyes again.

It was late at night, and Mingyun fell asleep with a smile on the corner of his mouth.

Fan Miaoshu was lying next to her, leaning sideways and looking at her daughter's sleeping face, her left palm supporting her temple, her fingers inserted between her slippery long hair, and her index and middle fingers habitually tapped. There was silence all around, and she could hear the sound of her daughter's breathing in her sleep, and she could see her daughter's chest slumping together with her breathing.

The corner of the curtain was gently lifted a little crack, and Luo Ying, the housekeeper beside Fan Miaoshu, knelt outside the tent, suppressed her voice, and called "Madam" in a very light and very light voice.

Fan Miaoshu glanced at it, and Luo Ying immediately replied in a careful and soft voice, "It was Huanyu who handed over the letter from Quwo." ”

Fan Miaoshu's fingertips paused, her eyes lowered and she didn't know what she was thinking, Luo Ying knelt outside the tent, didn't dare to speak, and even tried her best to breathe slowly.

In the middle of the night, the gold account was opened, and Luo Ying, who was lying on the ground, knelt on the ground and moved over, holding a pair of ginger brocade soft shoes worn indoors, with a thick layer of beige lamb's wool inside, which was as soft and comfortable as in the clouds.

Behind the screen in the inner room is a spacious inner study. The bronze lamp in the shape of the crane's wings was lit, and the whole room was reflected in a dim light, and the fire in the lotus incense burner had long been extinguished, but at this time the faint fragrance of the lotus flower could still be smelled.

Dressed in a ginger robe and dragging a long swinging tail, Fan Miaoshu was full of concerns, circling around the room, holding a roll of letter silk in her right hand, and tapping the palm of her left hand with one end of the letter silk as she walked. It seems a little hard to decide. She turned around like this for half an hour, but her brow was still tight, and at last, she walked to the crane bronze lamp, threw the scroll of silk into the pile of flames in the crane's belly, and ---, the flame got nourishment. All of a sudden, the "whew" burst into flames, crackled, and splashed out and extinguished with the exploded sparks.

Luo Ying knelt beside the bronze lamp, folded her hands in front of her legs, she pursed her lips, turned her face sideways and looked at Madame secretly. Madame stood in front of the lamp, her ordinary eyes were now terrifyingly bright in the light of the fire. Those eyes were so beautiful, like a half full moon, against the light, and I saw Madame's long and curly eyelashes, but the shadow of the eyelashes hit her face, but it was gratuitous, which made Luo Ying's heart cold, and she didn't dare to look up again.

Outside, the wind was blowing. Above the night sky, the white moon is still hanging high, but the cold wind blows, the dark clouds surge, and the moonlight is no longer bright.