Entering the hall, Chen Qian was sitting in the imperial case and concentrating on the review and review, and he didn't notice that I was coming, so I stepped forward and reminded: "I don't know what happened when Your Majesty summoned Qingqiang over?" ”

Only then did Chen Qian raise his head and say, "Qing'er is here, make a cup of tea for me." ”

What's the matter, as soon as he came, he treated me as a maid, and although I was very unhappy, I still did it. It's not difficult to serve people, and I was already familiar with it when I was in Tsukasa. I picked up a few pieces of mint and dried roses from the wooden plate handed over by Jiang Yu and put them into the Ruyi lotus pattern tea cup, poured boiling water into the tea pot with grass pattern from the camellia roll grass pattern pot to brew, mixed it with sugar, and waited for the tea to cool down, and put it in front of the desk, "Your Majesty, the tea is ready." ”

Chen Qian seemed to enjoy watching me busy, with a bright smile in her eyes, as if the sun was breaking through the clouds. He picked up the teacup and sipped it comfortably. I didn't have the heart to waste time with him, so I asked again: "What is the matter with Your Majesty looking for Qingqiang, can you explain clearly?" ”

Chen Qian ignored my words and continued to instruct me, "I want to review the folds and give me the ink." ”

Could it be that he called me to bring him tea and water, serve him pen and ink, and be a maid? He's so bored! However, he is the emperor, and it will not do me any good to offend him, okay, I will bear with it.

I obediently went over to hold the inkstone and grind the ink, and while studying the ink, I tried to be as calm as possible: "Your Majesty, didn't you say that the well water does not interfere with the river water, why did you start to embarrass me again?" ”

"Did I embarrass you?" Chen Qian was happy to see me deflated, and smiled happily, "You are my person, and I am your husband." A woman makes tea and inks for her husband, and it is a matter of consideration to take care of her, how can it be considered difficult. ”

I'm sorry, I'm still husband, I get goosebumps when I hear it. I didn't want to hear him talk about this, so I changed the subject and said, "Your Majesty, why don't you see General Han accompanying you?" ”

"Do you dare to say that if it weren't for the trouble you caused, I would have raised my profile?" Chen Qian gave me a blank look.

Hearing him say this, I understood that although the rumors were temporarily suppressed, if Han Zigao remained by Chen Qian's side, he would inevitably be suspicious. The crowd is full of gold, and the bones are destroyed. People are terrible and have to be guarded against. This matter involves Chen Qian's reputation, and in order to avoid suspicion, he had to keep Han Zi high from his side and train new people to completely quell the rumors and eliminate hidden dangers.

Maybe Chen Qian was angry with me about this incident, so he came to find my stubble. In order to avoid violating his taboo by revisiting the old matter, I had to change the topic again, "Who is that guard outside the door, Qingqiang looks very faced, why have I never seen this person?" ”

"Xiao Liang was originally a member of the Praetorian Guard, and a few days ago, I almost fell off my horse while trying a horse at the horse farm, but fortunately Xiao Liang restrained the crazy horse in time, and I was able to survive. I saw that he was good at martial arts and quite talented, so I transferred him to the Imperial Palace. ”

I felt strange, "Your Majesty almost fell off the horse and was injured, such a big thing, why has Qingqiang never heard the palace people mention it?" ”

Chen Qian explained: "I asked them to strictly abide by this matter, the Queen Mother is sick, I don't want to use this matter to bother her heart and disturb the Queen Mother's Qing Xiu." ”

Yes, it seems that Chen Qian is quite concerned about his uncle.

Originally, I thought that Chen Qian asked me to serve in the imperial study because he was angry with me, but when I was studying the ink, I always felt that his smiling eyes lingered on me from time to time, and there was no sign of anger or anger, but he seemed to be very happy, which made me a little confused. Why did he do this?

If he wanted to torture me, it wasn't, he only let me make a cup of tea, grind the ink for a while, and didn't do anything to embarrass me, and let me go back after staying for less than an hour, which was really strange, and I was still puzzled when I left the temple gate.

Outside the temple, I saw King Ancheng. Chen Xuan is Chen Qian's favorite younger brother, who often enters the palace to accompany him, probably summoned by his imperial brother, but he is not in a hurry to enter, but whispers to a small chamberlain in a place where there is no one around, and he doesn't know what to say. By the time I walked over, they had separated as if nothing had happened.

Seeing me, Chen Ji was obviously surprised, "The imperial study is an important place in the harem, and the imperial brother never allows any concubine to come to the imperial study to serve, and today he took the initiative to summon you here?" ”

As soon as Chen Qian said this, I understood, I said that Chen Qian summoned me today, how could it be that he was just making tea and grinding ink, and there was nothing to do. The harem concubines were never allowed to enter the imperial study, but he set a precedent for me. If the women in the harem know about this, I'll be unlucky again, and they'll point all the fingers at me. Damn Chen Qian, is he trying to kill me!

Chen Ji looked at me and suddenly sneered, "He's really interested in you." ”

Let's say, with a wave of his sleeves, he entered the temple in a state of uncertainty.

I know the little waiter who talked to Chen Yu, and he often followed Jiang Yu to carry tea and water, and his name was Chu Ke. After Chen Ji left, I asked him: "What did you say to the prince just now, and the palace also wants to hear it." ”

"Back to Niangniang, the slave is a new tea servant by His Majesty's side, I don't understand Your Majesty's preferences, and I am afraid that I will not serve well, so I want to ask the prince about the situation and serve Your Majesty wholeheartedly." Chu Ke replied methodically.

I didn't ask much, I just turned my head to look at Chen Ji's figure slowly entering the hall, and a trace of doubt gradually appeared in my heart.

Between Chen Ji and Chen Qian, is it really as brotherly and brotherly as it seems on the surface, and they are harmonious. Or is there another mystery?

On the night of the palace banquet, I left the Yilan Hall early and went to the Chongyun Palace. The sky is late, a round of crescent moon flickering from the clouds across the high-rise palaces, mercury moonlight flowing like water, paving the ground to produce light, thousands of heavy palaces halo on a layer of pale green hazy frost, cold and quiet. Everywhere I passed, the clear and shallow moonlight under the leaves was sparsely sprinkled on the body with the overlapping silhouettes of the branches and leaves, the light and shadow crisscrossed and flickered, flickering and dark, as if struggling to sink into a treacherous and unpredictable life in light and darkness.

I met Han Xiuhua on the way, under the misty moonlight, Han Xiuhua was wearing a purple straight-necked cotton coat, with a long skirt embroidered and woven with a brocade pattern, smiling lightly like a chrysanthemum, becoming more and more gentle. Five months of body has made her look much plumper and her chin a little more rounded.

"Sister Han is also going to the banquet? My sister is pregnant with a dragon, it is not suitable to work and move around, and she should raise the fetus with peace of mind. I went over to greet with a little concern.

Han Xiuhua smiled slightly, "It doesn't matter, I just stayed in the palace and panicked, and came out for a walk, not to attend tonight's feast." As she spoke, she stroked her protruding belly with her hand and said with a kind of motherly tenderness, "It's too noisy there, it's not good to startle the child." ”

I laughed and said, "Sure enough, she is going to be a mother, and everything is considered for the child." ”

Han Xiuhua's face was as peaceful as the hazy moonlight, and said, "When my sister has a child, it will be like this." ”

As he was talking, he saw a row of figures coming this way from a distance, and when he got closer, he saw that it was a team of guards walking with a group of chamberlains carrying boxes, and the leader was Xiao Liang, who had been newly promoted by Chen Qian.

The leader of the chamberlain was Jiang Yu's apprentice Lian Sheng, who naturally recognized us harem ladies, so he saluted me and Han Xiuhua. One of the little chamberlains somehow was so panicked when he saw his masters that he accidentally dropped the box, and the roll almost hit my foot, but fortunately I dodged it in time. Lian Shenghuo reprimanded him, and then lifted the box.

"He is a newcomer who is ignorant, he shocked the two mothers, and I ask the mother to forgive me, see how I teach him a lesson when I go back!" Lian Sheng is so anxious to compensate us.

"He also made an unintentional mistake, and this palace doesn't blame him. Don't embarrass him too much, just don't take it as an example. "I wasn't angry, and when I saw the little waiter trembling and scared, I couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for him.

"Did you hear it, and I haven't thanked Niangniang!" Lian Sheng scolded the little waiter over.

The little waiter came over timidly, and although he was afraid, he sincerely thanked him: "Thank you for your kindness." ”

After laughing, Lian Sheng commanded the group of chamberlains to leave, and I stopped me loudly: "Wait." ”

"What's the matter?"

I asked, "What's in the box?" ”

"Yu Niangniang, these are some of the utensils for rehearsing dance music at the banquet, which are prepared for the people performing in the music workshop."

I reminded, "You'd better open the box and check it to see if anything breaks, but don't miss tonight's show." ”

As soon as I reminded him, Lian Sheng hurriedly ordered someone to open the box to check, but he was stopped by Xiao Liang, "Father-in-law Lian, I'm afraid it's too late, I can't delay it on the road, otherwise I will miss the performance of the music fang song and dance." I don't think the fall was too heavy, I've checked it all, those instruments are not so easy to break, they shouldn't be tight. ”

"Why don't you keep it, in case there is any damage and ruins the interest in singing and dancing, who of you can afford it."

"Sister." Han Xiuhua nervously pulled me aside and said softly, "Most of the guards here are young guards, there are differences between men and women, you and I know how to avoid suspicion, and stay with them for a long time, if they don't follow the rules, they will be honest, let's let them go quickly!" ”

Thinking about what Han Xiuhua said, it also makes sense, the emperor's family is the most taboo to be close to other men, and the defense of men and women is very strict, if you don't pay a little attention, it is very likely to fall into the hands of others, causing rumors, and it is not beneficial to yourself.

"That's it, since Commander Xiao said it's okay, then you can carry it away." To avoid suspicion, I'm not going to dwell on this.

Xiao Liang breathed a sigh of relief imperceptibly, and ordered the people around him, "Just hurry up and carry it in." ”

With that, the group hurried to the Chongyun Palace.

Before leaving, Xiao Liang's gaze gently glanced at me and Han Xiuhua, Han Xiuhua nodded slightly to him to signal them to leave, and then followed their backs, watching them go away.

I was a little puzzled: "Sister Han, do you know Commander Xiao?" ”

Han Xiuhua turned to me and said lightly: "I don't recognize it, I just feel familiar." ”

Is it? I deliberately asked, "Did you hear that Your Majesty almost fell off his horse and was injured a while ago and was saved by a guard?" ”

"I've never heard of it." Han Xiuhua asked me in surprise, "How did my sister hear about this?" ”

"Your Majesty told me, because you don't want the Queen Mother to worry, Your Majesty didn't let people spread the news." I replied lightly.

Hearing this, Han Xiuhua imperceptibly sandwiched a trace of bitterness between his words, "Your Majesty really only tells my sister what you say." ”

Exegesis:

(1) The title comes from Wu Jun's "Miscellaneous Poems in the Mountains" by Wu Jun of the Northern and Southern Dynasties: "I see smoke in the mountains, and I peep the sunset in the bamboo." ”