Cai Ling happily returned to the Vertical Arch Hall, and suddenly felt a cool breeze pouring in from the back of her neck, and she couldn't help but shiver, tightened her neckline, and trotted in the direction of the hut.

"Auntie." Now even Yu'an calls her that.

"How did you end up here?" It is said that Yu'an is on duty tonight, not guarding in the Changle Palace, what are you doing when you come back?

As soon as the words fell, the two vermilion lacquer doors of the main hall were opened with a creak, and the emperor wearing moon-white clothes stood at the entrance of the hall with his hands in his hands.

She stood at the foot of the steps, looked up at him, and saw that there was not even a big coat outside the cardigan, so she hurriedly took three steps and ran to the eaves: "More deeply exposed, the door of the palace is wide open, and you are not afraid of a cool breeze?" ”

As he spoke, the person had already stepped into the high threshold and closed the heavy door at a very fast speed, "It's not too early, tomorrow will be very busy, Your Majesty is still ...... Rest early. ”

The last four words were already spoken very quietly, because the emperor stopped on the side of the palace door, he stretched out his long arms to support the temple door, and the palm of his hand was close to her face, and she leaned on the temple door and did not dare to act rashly.

"Where did you go?" He asked coldly, the slightest taste of alcohol was intoxicating.

"I got separated, so I went to the Yeting Palace to talk to Manyun for a while." She came up with a reason.

"How can you get separated?" He lowered his eyes and stared at her.

His gaze was really compelling, and Cai Ling stammered very nervously: "I accidentally broke my foot, so ...... So I squatted down and rubbed it, and then ...... Then he raised his head and saw that his majesty was nowhere to be seen. ”

"Didn't deceive me?" The emperor was skeptical.

"How dare you." She actually smiled uncontrollably, and then tried her best to hold back, and gently pushed the emperor away in order to cover up, but as soon as she put her hands on his solid chest, her face turned red, and she hurriedly lowered her head.

"What? Still having sore feet? He suddenly crouched down.

She hurriedly helped it up with both hands, "It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt at all." It's just that I stepped on the air, and at most I was startled at the time. “

The emperor frowned and looked at her, and said softly: "When walking back at night, remember to follow behind me and follow closely."

She felt so guilty in her heart, but she still didn't dare to tell the truth, and she buried her head in extreme frustration.

"Still angry?" He asked with a smirk.

Hey? Angry. Why is she angry? I couldn't help but look up at the emperor.

"If you don't send a cup of tea, how can the Empress Dowager's anger be dissipated."

This is what the emperor said.

Cai Ling smiled lightly: "Hmm." The slave understands. “

"Good!" The emperor nodded with satisfaction, opened the red door of the main hall again, strode to the corridor, and then looked straight ahead and said, "Seeing that you have returned safely, I can rest assured that I will go to the Changle Palace." Tomorrow is not early, you don't have to dress me. Take a break early. ”

Yu'an held the palace lamp in front to lead the way, and the man behind the lamp walked calmly. She stood alone on the high steps, watching the tall and thin back fade from view.

I thought I could not look at it, I didn't want to, I didn't feel jealous, but now I am especially lost, as if the puppet I lost when I was a child, I didn't think it was different, and suddenly one day I lost it, and I searched all over the house, but I couldn't find it again.

She sat in the dormitory dejectedly, the wind of early winter carried a cold chill, but she didn't realize it, only let the wind blow her hair and dance, and as far as the eye could see, the lights of the Changle Hall were the most brilliant.

Suddenly, she had patted her skirt and stood up, tomorrow was a new day, a day closer to leaving the palace.

The next day, the Empress Dowager's 70th birthday, hundreds of officials congratulated, and the whole world celebrated. Cai Ling didn't even have a chance to step into Ganquan Palace. The emperor asked Yunhe to serve in front of the palace, and it was said that the edict female officials did not have to bow down to serve the emperor's diet and daily life, but that was the emperor's order, and Yunhe only told Cai Ling to let her rest for a day.

Bored, the gongs and drums outside are noisy, although the vertical arch palace is full of lights, it seems to be isolated from the world, and there is no superfluous figure to see.

Cai Ling has always loved to be lively, and she couldn't stand this kind of lonely and deep court, so she took a big box of dim sum to find Aunt Wu in the Ting Palace.

Next to the big pool of the Huanyi Bureau, she found a big stone to sit down and watch the little palace maids wash their clothes, and before she knew it, it had been half a day.

"Aunt Jiang is sitting here leisurely, but she suffers from this group of palace people, and she can't even find a chance to be lazy. When my aunt comes back in the future, I won't have anything to do. How about this job of overseer for my aunt? Aunt Wu finished her work and laughed and teased.

"There is so much work every day, I am busy in the morning and rest early, and I can't sleep at night when I am busy. I'm giving them motivation to call it a day early, and it's too late for them to thank me. Cai Ling moved to the side, making room for Aunt Wu.

Suddenly, the sound of gongs and drums was loud, as if it was about to break through the sky of Chang'an City, Cai Ling lay back slightly, "The luncheon in Ganquan Palace has begun." How about we go in and eat too? I've brought you a new pastry from the Chef's Bureau. “

"Your Majesty has been very kind to you." Inside the house, Aunt Wu said sincerely, "Even female officials can't eat such delicate pastries casually. ”

Cai Ling smiled slightly, "Hmm." Yes, it's not bad. "My heart is sour, who can I talk to. If it is said to be excellent, I know that she loves to be lively but refuses to let her look at the Manchu Dynasty civil and military and her family, Tao Tao originally wanted to wait for her under the big elm tree, and brought her the newly made almond cake from the ink cake shop, Lao Cai's roast goose and the white jade pen of Moyuan Pavilion, but now I am afraid that I can't wait for the autumn water, but fortunately I asked Yu'an to pass the word. In fact, she was not grounded, and it was not difficult to go to Ganquan Palace, but how could she go, if she was seen, she would lose her identity. Even if she is only a fourth-grade female official, she is still respected in the Weiyang of this palace maid.

"Why did you suddenly leave the court last night? As far as I know about you, if it weren't for something, you wouldn't go out casually. "Cai Ling gets to the point, first ask tentatively.

"You know." Aunt Wu didn't hide it and smiled helplessly.

Cai Ling was suddenly a little embarrassed, and in order to hide her embarrassment, she quipped: "How could it be so coincidental that you really met me?" Auntie, you shouldn't be wandering around with lanterns, just to take a look at Your Highness. “

Aunt Wu's watery eyes seemed to have ice crystals flickering, and she smiled bitterly in an instant, "After all, it's not easy to see each other." “

Cai Ling's hand as soon as she picked up the cup froze in place, and after a while, she put the untouched cup back on the table, "Your Highness, can you understand my aunt's intentions?" ”

Aunt Wu smiled lightly and took a sip of tea, her face was as usual: "It doesn't matter if you don't understand. I heard that he has many concubines in Yunnan, and now he has brought back his most beloved concubine. If he is doing well, I will be at peace. Besides, even if the relationship was very strong in the past, after all, the identity is different, how can the respect of the king condescend to me, a little palace maid? Don't bring shame on yourself. ”

"How could my aunt think that!" Cai Ling's face is slightly angry, if there is no friendship, why does he wear the black jade that each of the two of them has on his waist all the year round, if he is ruthless, how can the originally frolicking person suddenly be sad?

"Some people walk and suddenly get separated, so don't look for it anymore, looking for it, it's just asking for trouble." Aunt Wu lowered her eyes and said, more like admonishing herself.

Cai Ling clenched her fists. If you love it, you have to love deeply, and the two people who don't know their hearts have wasted many years going around and around, and one day when they wake up, the old man is not there, which is a big regret in life. Thinking about the years when he pursued Shen Muchi, although he made jokes all over the city, he was frank, and now in retrospect, although he was embarrassed, he had no regrets. Naturally, the two of them don't have to be as reckless as she was back then, but it's not impossible to open their hearts and complain to each other, "At three o'clock tonight, on the Yanbo Pavilion, can my aunt come and get together?" ”

"You and I haven't gotten together enough today?" Aunt Wu glanced at her.

"Not enough!" Cai Ling hurriedly pulled her sleeve and said, "Auntie Nian is bored and needs someone to talk to me every day, so I must come." ”

Aunt Wu took a sip of tea, smiled lightly, and agreed.

Walking back to the vertical arch hall, she sharpened the ink and wrote, carefully folded the pale yellow rice paper, and hid it in her sleeve. It is written on the paper: three quarters of the hour, on the Yanbo Pavilion, not seen or dispersed.

Then walk quickly to the elm tree in Ganquan Palace, Tao Tao is really still waiting there, and he is very happy to see her dancing when she comes.

"If I didn't let Father-in-law Yu'an pass the word to you, I wouldn't have a chance to serve the emperor today." Cai Ling frowned.

"Ben Shao has heard about it. It's just that I'm bored in the afternoon, and I'll come back to Bawang for a while. I didn't expect you to really care about Ben Shao, and you came when you found an opportunity. Tao Tao smiled with crooked eyebrows, "Today's Ganquan Palace is very lively, and all kinds of performances are continuous, let Ben Shao tell you in detail, it must be more exciting than witnessing it with your own eyes." ”

"Tao Tao." Cai Ling hurriedly stopped his talking, "Can you help me meet His Royal Highness the King of Dian here?" ”

"His Royal Highness the King of Dian?" Tao Tao opened his mouth wide in shock, "Jiang Shao, you have fallen to this point now, why are you still a thief?" ”

"It's not about me." Cai Ling hurriedly said, "It's serious." ”

"If Your Majesty sees you meeting with the King of Dian privately, no matter how serious things are, they will become improper." Tao Tao warned, seeing Cai Ling's face full of melancholy, he said kindly, "It's better to pass on a letter than for the two of you to meet here privately." ”

"It's good!" Cai Ling handed the note in his sleeve to Tao Tao, "Remember that this is a serious matter, and it has nothing to do with me. Before leaving, he warned again, "Don't peek." Tao Tao waved his hand, meaning to let her put one hundred and twenty hearts.

Just after dusk, the night gradually rose, the sound of silk and bamboo in the Ganquan Palace was not broken, Cai Ling took a bag of melon seeds and hid behind the hill not far from the Yanbo Pavilion, secretly observing the movement by the lake. Although it is now a matter of right and wrong, Mingyue Lake has also changed its name to Chengying Lake in order to avoid the name of Concubine Lianghui, but the hill by the lake, which was once quiet and hidden, is still the same as before, and the function has not changed, and the movement in the pavilion can still be seen clearly.

After knocking half a bag of melon seeds, I saw a thin figure slowly walking into the pavilion, looking at the lake with a railing, even if it is just a back silhouette, you can see its kingly demeanor. Cai Ling looked up at the position of the moon and estimated that the hour was still early, and the king of Dian had arrived early. A heart that beats rapidly, on the one hand, is grateful, and on the other hand, it is extremely worried. Why hasn't Aunt Wu come yet? How long is she going to make Her Highness wait?

After she fed herself a melon seed shell, she saw a glass lamp slowly moving from far to near, and suddenly did not move in front of the pavilion, and the king of Dian looked back and looked at each other for a moment.

Aunt Wu still came after all.

When they approached each other, one tall and one short stood opposite each other in the Yanbo Pavilion, the crescent moon was like a hook, and the two thin figures were imprinted in the faint candle flame.

It's a pity that I can't hear what they said.

After a while, I looked up again, only to see the King of Dian stretched out an arm, slightly bent down to hug the thin Aunt Wu, the aunt's face leaned on the shoulder of the King of Dian and was facing the direction of the hill, although she couldn't see the expression clearly, but she saw her originally cramped hands, and slowly patted the back of the King of Dian twice.

After picking Ling and eating melon seeds, he looked at the melon seed shells all over the ground, felt a little guilty, and thought that tomorrow there would be someone from the palace to clean up, so he turned around and left. At this time, if you peep at this time, it will be really obscene.

On the way back, I deliberately bypassed the Yanbo Pavilion, but I still couldn't get around Chengying Lake, the lake was shining with silver waves, and occasionally jackdaws swept across the water, startling the swimming fish.

I couldn't walk at night, and in order to strengthen my courage, I began to sing the tune again: The wind rises in Chang'an, the moon is hazy, and Revlon is revealed several times......

She was especially happy tonight.

"Slut!" A spiked female voice pierces the quiet night sky.

In the candlelight, His Majesty stood tall under the Guizi tree, and the woman standing next to him glared angrily, it was the side concubine of the King of Dian.

"Take it down!" His Majesty coldly commanded.

"That's right! This person hooked up with His Royal Highness, shameless! Your Majesty, you must not be appeased. Cong Zhi looked aggrieved.

The cold eyes moved slightly, and Yude was already respectfully burying his head, and knew to Cong: "The side concubine Niangniang should go down with the sprinkle family." “

Cong Zhi was extremely shocked, but he didn't expect that the person His Majesty was angry at was himself, but he didn't dare to disobey the emperor's order, so he had to leave with Yude.

There was no one around, and the moonlight sprinkled a cold light.

Where the wind moved, the leaves of the cinnamon tree fell, on his shoulders, on his cloud boots, and he stood motionless, waiting for her explanation.

"Is the banquet over? There will be no need for slaves and maidservants to bathe and change your clothes tonight. She pretended not to know, "Then the slave and maid will go back to the palace first." ”

Turn around and walk backwards.

"Stop!" He shouted at him.

"Your Majesty still has something?" Already knowing that something big was not good, the hands clenched into small fists trembled slightly.

As soon as the words fell, he didn't have time to turn around, and he saw a slender figure approaching, it was the King of Dian, who hurriedly kicked a stone under his feet and reminded him not to approach.

"Xiao Ling?" Contrary to his wishes, he got closer and closer, so close that he saw the man behind her, and hurriedly saluted.

"Uncle Huang is also there?" His Majesty asked in a cold voice.

He thought for a moment, and was about to answer, but Cai Ling hurriedly kicked another stone to his feet, coveting the lord is a taboo for palace maids, Aunt Wu has always been strict in her style, and if this matter is spread out, it will be bad for her.

How could such a small action escape the emperor's eyes, his eyes as deep as a cold pool were full of frost, from expressionless to cold eyebrows.

"When the minister met an old acquaintance, he couldn't help but talk a little more." The king of Dian still answered truthfully.

Fortunately, His Majesty didn't ask deeply, but only coldly ordered: "The Empress Dowager is looking for Uncle Huang everywhere." If it's okay, go and say hello to her old man and get out of the palace early. “

"Obey." The King of Dian arched his hand, and when he left, he couldn't help but look at Cai Ling, and it was difficult to hide his loneliness and even grievances in his deep eyes. Aren't they all hugging each other? Why isn't it high-spirited and energetic, but it's this description?

Cai Ling's heart was up and down, and she couldn't wait to ask clearly, and the King of Dian had already left. The Emperor's cold voice rang in his ears, "Is there anything else you want to explain to me?" “

"There's nothing to explain." She muttered, thinking quickly in her head about what went wrong, he had a black jade on his waist for all these years, and she also had a black jade under her pillow that had accompanied countless long nights, didn't she like it?

"You know what happened today, I can kill you!" Let the calm as he is, there is only one her in this world.

"The slave knows." A sentence in my heart: If you want to kill, you must chop, listen to it!

I don't know if it's hot-headed or evil, I know that the emperor is going to be carefully served, and every word I say to him must be carefully considered, and I must not anger Long Yan.

But he couldn't be obedient anymore, counting it, this anger was waiting for her in the vertical arch hall last night, and then said a basket of good things, but in the blink of an eye, he left again and went to the Changle Hall to linger with others.

It's funny, she's jealous again! But this time it's really self-inflicted!

"Know?" He took a step closer, so close to each other, she was forced to take a step back, but he was pressing step by step, and when he was about to retreat into the lake, he stretched out his long arm and grabbed her by the waist.

"Your Majesty is self-respecting! The slave and maid did not covet the master's mind. The cold tone was not half a point worse than the emperor's.

"Hmph...... There is no coveting of the Lord's mind! If you don't have that mind, what do you do privately? Do you want to escape to Yunnan again? Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I will find you! He only mentioned it lightly, and she was a few steps away from the lake.

Her wrist was so painful that she didn't dare to say a word, and only let him drag her through the lush forest, and the vertical arch hall was still far away, and she was worried about walking at night, just when he came.

But the candlelight on the nine-song cloister shone on his angular face, his eyebrows and eyes were slender, and his eyes were full of anger, which she had never seen before!