The inside and outside of the Huiran Pavilion are completely renovated, the high-rise windows are wide open, and the sunlight that has not been in the house for a long time and the fragrance of flowers in the garden outside the pavilion are generously poured in.

The attendants and palace maids who are responsible for taking care of this palace tower stand solemnly from the top of the stairs, all of them bowing their heads and breathing, but they can't help but have some hidden excitement in their hearts.

The Suzaku Palace is highly hierarchical, and staying in this Huiran Pavilion, which has neither an owner nor any purpose, is tantamount to being buried in the remnants of the green tiles for the rest of his life, and it is difficult to have a day when he will rise to prominence and get ahead.

Therefore, when His Majesty is here today, except for a few old palace maids who followed Queen Zhangguo in the past, everyone else has a secret hope in their hearts, and while seeing the face of the sky, there may be greater opportunities waiting for them......

However, the emperor climbed the stairs, his face sank like water, as if he was stunned, and he never glanced at anyone from beginning to end.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who was following behind, paused slightly, and ordered: "You don't have to stay here, go down." ”

In the end, only the old palace maid in charge bowed down and followed the royal car and stepped into the Huiran Pavilion.

Mu Chen stopped in front of the portrait in the main hall and raised his eyes to look at the woman in the painting.

Queen Zhangor in the painting, with beautiful facial features and dusty appearance, is wearing a long azure dress, her temperament is a little cold and arrogant, and there is a kind of flying between her eyebrows.

Yuxiu also walked over and stared at the portrait for a while, "Grandmother and mother, it's really similar." ”

Xi'er set up the ice crystal furnace that she had personally held all the way, lit the fire used in the sacrifice, glanced at the portrait, and retorted, "What is really like? In my opinion, there are only facial features. My aunt looks much gentle, and she always smiles......"

She took the kneeling mat from the palace maid's hand, glanced at her father, who was still looking at the portrait of God, and turned her head to ask Yuxiu: "Why don't you come to worship His Royal Highness the Crown Prince first?" ”

A few years ago, when Mu Chen had just announced to the world and announced that Yu Xiu would be the prince of Chaoyan, Xi'er couldn't accept it at all. The resentment and jealousy that she had accumulated for this cousin since she was a child increased to the extreme at that moment, and in a fit of anger, she returned to Fuyu Mountain and said that she would never return to Lingxiao City in this life!

The departure of Aunt Qingling, the claustrophobic nature of Queen Shiyin, and then the death of her mother An Huaiyu...... After a series of accidents, Xi'er has long lost her original dependence and sustenance on life in the Vermilion Bird Palace. As she grows older, she tries harder and harder to find her place in the world, but she always feels that no matter where she is, she seems to be just a superfluous and useless person.

Those who truly loved her and valued her left one by one. And the person who was closest to her, her father, seemed to love the other child more than ever.

Full of resentment and sadness, Xi'er retreated in the mountains, and was determined to cut off contact with her father.

Until Mu Chen personally went to Fuyu.

No one knows what His Majesty the Emperor said to his daughter. But on that day, Emperor Hexi returned to the Vermilion Bird Palace with the imperial car, her eyes were red, her expression was sad, and she no longer had the previous willfulness and impetuousness, as if she had suddenly changed a person.

Since then, she has gradually become tolerant and friendly to Yuxiu, and she is even more considerate and filial to Mu Chen, and even began to take on the responsibility of the main mother and personally take care of all the living matters of the Chengji Palace......

Yuxiu took two steps forward, but stopped again, and said to Xi'er, "It's better for Sister Wang to worship first." Today is your birthday, and you should be the first in everything. ”

Xi'er smiled, "You're more and more able to talk now." Turning to look at the portrait, "What is my birthday?" Today is the 500th anniversary of the Great War, and everything can only be done with our grandmother first. Back then, she fought for Chaoyan, turned the tide, and laid the foundation for today's peaceful reunification of the Eastern Continent, which is worthy of the admiration and admiration of all people in the Eastern Continent! Of course I'm going to worship her later, but you are her bloodline, she will definitely prefer to let you worship first, so don't bother! ”

Yu Xiu then no longer shirked, and knelt down to pay respects.

Mu Chen moved away, walked through the main hall, and slowly walked to the patio on the inner floor of the attic.

The patio is surrounded by attics on all sides, with delicately carved screens, fragrant vine flowers, and a glazed pond in the courtyard, in which koi fish float leisurely.

The steward palace maid glanced at the prince and emperor who were solemnly worshipping in the main hall, hesitated for a moment, and followed the patio.

Mu Chen stood silent for a long time, his chest suddenly rose again, and he couldn't help but cough a few times.

The sound of chanting prayers in the inner hall immediately stopped.

Mu Chen suppressed his cough and asked the palace maid, "Is this patio owned by Queen Zhanggu when she was alive?" ”

The palace maid replied, "Back to Your Majesty, when Queen Zhanggu lived in the palace, this patio had not yet been completed. "After a pause," the slave remembered that the queen had said that she liked this architectural pattern very much, and that sitting in such a courtyard at night and looking up at the stars was like being in a deep valley. Therefore, at the beginning of the emperor's decree to build Huiran Pavilion, Queen Zhanggu personally designed this patio. It's a pity ......"

Mu Chen was silent for a moment, as if sighing, "It's a pity." ”

The old palace maid saw that His Majesty was rarely interested in talking to her, so she became bold and continued to chat, "In addition to this patio in Huiran Pavilion, the queen also said that she likes the Cold Dew Garden in Fuyu Mountain very much. ”

"Fu Yu Mountain?" Mu Chen seemed suspicious, "Queen Zhanggu has been to the Hanlu Garden in Fuyu Mountain?" ”

"Back to Your Majesty,"

The palace maid counted the time, "It's about ...... Two years before the Great War, the slave and maid personally served the queen. At that time, because of the affairs in the south, the first emperor went to Fuyu Mountain to find Ling Huan Shangjun to discuss countermeasures, and the queen accompanied him. The slave remembered that at that time, the Hanlu Garden had just been built, and the fragrance of flowers in the garden could be smelled from miles away! ”

Mu Chen also recalled the past, "At that time...... I'm in retreat to practice the last ...... of the Fire Lotus Technique."

It is precisely for this reason that he and this stepmother have never had the opportunity to meet.

The palace maid thought for a while, "But the slave maid remembers very clearly, she heard the sound of His Majesty's flute that day. ”

"At that time, the queen had been pregnant with the Qingling Emperor for some time, but she never noticed the fetal movement. The queen didn't say anything on the surface, but we, the slaves and maids who served closely, could still see that she was very worried, and often ordered the imperial doctor to send all kinds of elixirs, but the child in her womb did not grow or move.

On that day, we arrived at the Hanlu Garden of Fuyu Mountain, the wind and the fragrance of flowers, the queen's rare mood was better, so that the people who served below were also happy. Later, when the queen was about to leave after admiring the flowers, she suddenly heard the sound of a flute from nowhere. People who have been on errands in the Suzaku Palace for some years quickly recognized the sound of the flute...... But the queen did not know it, and stood in place for a while, and asked us if we knew who was playing. The slave maid and several other female officials all said in unison: 'It must be the eldest prince!' ’

The queen was silent for a while, then raised her hand and stroked her lower abdomen, and said with a smile, 'My daughter, I like the sound of his flute.' It was only later that we learned that at that time, the emperor in the queen's womb had fetal movement for the first time.

The slave maid thought it strange at that time, how did the queen know that the child in her womb must be a girl? Thinking about it later, Zhang Gu is a descendant of the Emperor of Heaven, so he may have some unusual abilities......"

The old palace maid was still chattering about the past, but Mu Chen's gaze had already wandered.

He remembered that day, when he had cultivated the Fire Lotus Technique to the most critical step, he had been unable to break through after repeated attempts, and he walked out of the retreat room in a depressed mood, and played the purple jade flute in the maple forest by the Rouge Pool.

The weather that day, as the palace maid said, was warm and fragrant with flowers. The color of the sky is bright blue, and the sunlight hides behind the fiery red maple leaves, reflecting dappled light and shadow. In the forest, although there is a short distance from the Cold Dew Garden, you can also smell the rich fragrance of roses in the wind.

At that time, he was still a little young-minded, and he was concerned about refining the world's talents as soon as possible, galloping on the battlefield, taking over the duties and glory passed down by his father, defending the world, and establishing a powerful Eastern Continent Empire.

At that age, it is inevitable that I am a little impetuous, and I can't stand some setbacks.

Fortunately, the fragrance of flowers made him gradually calm down, and even felt faintly happy, and felt that he should face all kinds of difficulties and ups and downs with a smile when he was born in the world.

He was self-deprecating but determined, and for a moment he was full of fervent hope for the future.

As long as you don't give up, what can be considered a difficult thing in this world?

He is Chaoyan Muchen, destined to be like this Zhongtian sun in this life, controlling the light of heaven and earth and overlooking the floating world!

Xi'er hadn't heard her father's voice in the inner hall for a long time, and she became worried, so she finally couldn't help but leave Yuxiu and quietly walked to the small hall leading to the patio.

Through the openwork screen of Nanmu wrapped with incense vines, she looked at the white figure standing in the patio.

His back was turned away from him, no expression could be seen, and his body was still in the same shape as usual, retaining the habits left over from the battles of the front army, and his back was straight.

From her point of view, her father was still so handsome and upright, better than any child of the family she knew.

But she knows very well that her father's increasing silence in the past few years is not due to the power in his hands and his arrogance and determination, as others have speculated. It's because, even just a few short words, it is enough to exhaust his increasingly thin internal breath, so that he will suffer from the backlash of the Red Soul Bead again in an instant, and he will not want to die!

She knew very well that his remaining days were numbered.

Xi'er tried her best to contain her emotions, let out a sweet smile, and walked into the patio.

"Wow, it's so nice here! I didn't know there was such a chic place in the palace before......"

Mu Chen turned around when he heard the sound.

The girl in the red dress is light, her steps are light, there is a pure smile on her lips, but the look in her eyes is very wise.

The peach and plum are full of romance.

Those eight words gently crossed his heart, and a soft and mysterious feeling rippled out......

She walked up to him, smiled and took his arm, leaned against him, and looked with interest at the fish swimming in the glazed pool.

He was silent for a long time, looked away, the corners of his mouth slowly pulled out a shallow arc, and said in a low voice:

"Happy birthday."