After the hour of duty, I came out of the Zhengwu Palace, and on the way back to the Academy, I saw a goose-yellow shadow beckoning to me from afar, "Sister! ”

When he got closer, he saw Ling'er holding a thin white silk silk in his hand, and when he opened it, he saw that it was a jade bean cake the size of a tofu block. Ling Er stuffed a ball of bean cake wrapped in fine silk into my hand, "Sister, this is the mung bean cake that the concubine gave me today, it's delicious." I've left a few for you, so you can take them back and try them. ”

I looked at her warm and simple smiling face, and I couldn't help but feel warm in my heart, "Silly girl, even think of me." ”

"You are my sister, I naturally want to be good to you." What Ling Er said was loud and natural, as if it were justified.

A sneering voice sounded unexpectedly, "I just saw you carrying protection in your arms, what kind of treasure should I be, it turned out to be just a few pastries." ”

The one who spoke was Yuwen Shenju, the commander of the Su Guard Army dressed in a dark robe, and I don't know when he came. Ling'er rolled her eyes back, "What about a few pastries, this is for my sister." How can someone like you understand! ”

Yuwen Shenju stared at Ling'er's pretty face, and said angrily: "Someone like me?!" Feng Ling'er, in your eyes, I can't get the slightest bit good, right? ”

Ling Er replied: "How can you ever be half good, besides, what is your personality and what does it have to do with me." ”

After that, Ling'er ignored him anymore, only took my hand directly, and smiled brightly in the cool wind of August: "Sister, let's go." ”

When he left, he looked back, and a few fallen leaves swirling in the autumn wind hit his body, and Yuwen Shenju's expression seemed to be a little lonely, perhaps rendered by the autumn wind and autumn leaves.

A thunderstorm in the middle of the night woke me up from my dream. The rainstorm, wind and thunder, the thunder rolling outside the window, and the thunderbolts of lightning came down, which shook my heart and trembled. The sound of thunder and electricity was mixed with the sound of the raging wind, the sound of rain falling and shaking trees, and the sound of rain hitting falling leaves. An autumn rainstorm suddenly fell, like a white blade straight into the earth, with the coldness of autumn. I wrapped a blanket tightly around the bed to ward off the cold mixed with the cold wind and moisture.

Until the early morning rain, a few of the fine trees in the Imperial Garden had been blown off by yesterday's strong winds, and several old palaces had been stripped of their scattered tiles. The damp and cold rain angel was particularly upset, Yu Wenyong threw the chess in his hand and said: "These ministers, as soon as they mention the release of slaves and maids, they jointly write a letter to oppose it, which is really hateful!" ”

I was shocked when I heard this, "Didn't Otsuka Zai already play to release the slaves, how could there be such a thing?" ”

Yuwen Yong snorted angrily: "What's the use of Otsuka Zai's play, the ministers below, once they touch half of their interests, they will rise up and resist it, in order to balance the interests of all parties, I'm afraid Otsuka Zai will have to compromise in the end." ”

Hearing about such a situation, I also had to be worried, but while worrying, I also thought of one thing: Yu Wenyong has not been to the court for a few days, how can he be so clear about the situation between the DPRK and China?

I was worried about whether the release of the slaves and maids could be carried out smoothly, and at the first moment, I wanted to find Mo Zi to discuss countermeasures quickly, so as soon as the rain stopped, I asked Yuwen Yong to leave the palace. Yuwen Yong was worried, and he didn't have time to think about other things, so he allowed me right away.

At this time, Mo Ziwei should be in Yijian Pavilion, but it rained again on the way to Yijian Pavilion, so I had to buy an oil-paper umbrella and rush to Yijian Pavilion.

When I arrived at the school hall of Yijian Pavilion, Mo Ziwu was not inside, and the children in the room were sad, so I asked Jing Hao, "Jing Hao, do you know where Brother Mo is?" ”

Jing Hao pointed to the back of the house, and I was surprised, what was he doing behind the house when it was raining so hard?

Holding an umbrella to the back of the house, Mo Ziwu sat next to the magnolia tree that was broken by the wind and even uprooted. In the vast rainy day, he was covered in green clothes and mud, lost his soul and was lonely, ignorant and unconscious let the wind and rain blow, wet his whole body, still indifferent, like a soulless puppet.

I hurriedly ran over to cover him from the cold rain and coldness, and shouted anxiously: "Mo Ziwu, what are you doing lying here, you will get drenched!" ”

He was in a trance, but he couldn't hear it, and I reached out to help him, "Get up quickly and go back to the house." ”

Mo Ziwu unexpectedly pushed my hand away and said, "You go, let me stay alone for a while." ”

"What are you doing here alone, are you crazy, get up."

But no matter how I tried to help him, Mo Ziwei was unmoved, didn't look at me again, didn't say a word, as if I didn't exist. The curator couldn't stand it anymore and pulled me away from Mo Ziwei.

Looking out the window at the pouring rain, thinking of the people outside the house, I couldn't calm down, "He won't be like this for no reason, something must have happened." Curator, can you tell me why he is like this? ”

The curator frowned and sighed in the rain: "Today is his parents' sacrifice day, and besides, the magnolia tree is broken." He was stimulated and for a moment caused old things...... Don't mention it. ”

I asked, "What is the story of that Mulan?" Curator, what else can't be said about it now? Say it, maybe I can help him. ”

The curator wanted to speak again and again, and finally said: "That magnolia was planted by him and his former intended person." ”

My heart thumped and my body froze.

The curator slowly uncovered an old story, "At that time, they were very good. Zi Wei is a person in the rivers and lakes, and he often takes some business in the rivers and lakes, and it takes a long time to come here once. He brought that girl here a few times, and they planted the magnolia together to raise money for the Yijian Pavilion. At that time, they were so happy, I always thought they would last a long time. Until three years ago, the girl was abducted and disappeared for several months, and her captors were people who had a grudge against Zi Wei. Zi Wei rescued her, but they could never return to their previous happiness. Then the girl left and never came here again. Zi Wei suffered a big blow for this, although he didn't say it, but I know that he was bitter in his heart! ”

I just felt my body stiffen and cold, and asked softly, "Do you know why they separated?" ”

The curator said with a look of regret: "That girl is a young lady from a rich and noble family, and she was kidnapped because of her worries and suffered a lot. Moyo was scared, fearful, so he left him. ”

No, he told me that the girl he loved left him because she was in love with someone else, not as the curator had guessed.

Mo Ziwei, why are you so stupid, is it worth it for a person who has already left you?

I couldn't bear it anymore, so I rushed out of the house with my umbrella and rushed outside to the wind and rain, fearless.

"Mo Ziwu, you're enough!" I yelled at him in the pouring rain, crouched down to look at him, and rebuked, "Is it interesting for you to torture yourself like this for a wrong past and the wrong person!" ”

"You're not the only one, you and me, and the children behind you." I pointed to the row of children standing under the eaves through the long rain curtain and looked at the row, "Even if you don't care about yourself, you don't care about us, can you bear to see us worry about you so much?" You speak! ”

Mo Zi's face was like death, and there was finally a crack on his face, but he still refused to look back at me. I grabbed his shoulder with one hand, and there was a hint of pleading in my excited voice, "Mo Ziwei, look at me, look at these children behind you." Even if it's for us, I beg you, please be sober, please be kind to yourself! ”

Mo Ziwei's motionless eyes finally blinked, and he looked up at me, but he still didn't say a word, and he was silent.

I was ruthless, simply threw away the oil-paper umbrella, and stared straight at him, "Do you like to stay here, I will give up my life to accompany the gentleman today, if you are not afraid that I will be drenched, you can stay!" ”

The rain of white flowers quickly poured me to the top, and the cold hit my eyebrows and eyes, stimulating my vision to blur, but I still held my face high, stubbornly stared directly at Mo Ziwei, and did not move away for a moment.

Mo Ziwei's eyes were moved, he bent down, picked up the oil-paper umbrella that I discarded on the ground, covered the pouring rain above my head, rolled up his soaked sleeves, little by little, wiped away the water droplets on my face, and said as if pitying: "Silly girl-"

——

came to Mo Ziwei's residence and changed into clean clothes. There was a brazier in the house, and I put my clothes on the fire and roasted them. Mo Ziwei sat on the threshold, holding the wine jar in his hand, drinking alone without saying a word.

The rain gradually thinned out, and there were scattered leaves on the ground that had been knocked off by the wind and rain, and the leaves washed by the rain and dirt lay limplessly. The distant mountains soaked by the rain, surrounded by mist, seem to be real and illusory, and a cold green. As cold as this, there is still my heart, and in addition, there is an indescribable sourness.

"You said there was someone else besides me who ate your cooking, was that her?" I broke the silence of a room.

Mo Ziwu's eyes froze for a moment, laughed, and said, "The food I cooked, she finished it with a smile, and didn't say a word of disgust." Later, I learned that she didn't say it, just because it was done by her beloved, even if it was hard to swallow, she was willing to eat it. ”

"That'...... Why, you, have come to this point? "I tried to keep my voice in the usual tone.

Mo Ziwei put down the wine jar and whispered, "It's my fault." ”

Xu was because he drank wine, he took off his guard and slowly told me about the past, "My parents are from Liang, and I grew up in Liang. Later, the Hou Jing Rebellion (2) occurred, and the family fled to the Western Wei Dynasty. Within a few years, my parents died of illness. I met my master, and he took me to the Eastern Wei Dynasty. After all these years of wandering, I have never really had a home of my own, and if someone asks me what country I am from, even I don't know which country I belong to. Liang became the State of Chen, the Western Wei Dynasty became the State of Zhou, and the Eastern Wei Dynasty became the State of Qi, where is my home? ”

Exegesis:

(1) The title comes from the "Xizhou Song" of the Northern and Southern Dynasties: "The sea dream is long, and I am also worried." ”

(2) Hou Jing's Rebellion: In 549 AD, the rebel general Hou Jing captured Jiankang, the capital of the Liang Dynasty, burned, killed, and plundered, and did all kinds of evil. After the Hou Jing Rebellion, the social economy of the Jiangnan region was devastated.