Some subtle changes about the princess also began in the second year of the solstice.

On the day of the beginning of summer, I went to the princess's room as usual in the morning, ready to wait for her to freshen up and follow the attendants, but Xiaojing'er came out and told me that the princess got up early in the morning, and went to the flower garden in the backyard of the pavilion after bathing her hair to practice Konghou.

I went to the backyard to look for her. Before entering, there was already a flowing sound of gonghou music coming with the wind, wafting towards you.

The voice was tactful and melodious, and it rhymed with affection, like telling the heart, listening to people's thoughts floating, and the heavens and the earth became clear and quiet, and even the birds on the branches of the trees seemed to have suddenly forgotten to sing.

Since the establishment of the Konghou, the princess and I no longer seem to have nothing to talk about, and she is accustomed to weaving a part of the secret into the Konghou song, so that every time I listen to her play, it seems that I am unconsciously trying to figure out her thoughts.

I slowed my pace and approached gently.

She was in front of the white jade railing in the peony garden. Wearing a wide-sleeved saro single robe, a pure red pomegranate skirt at the waist, the long hair after the bath was half wet, still uncurled, and scattered straight behind her, and the ends spread to the skirt of the pleated red Luo skirt, pure black and green silk curved out of a soft and graceful arc, she knelt behind the black lacquered and gold-carved gonghou, and lowered her eyebrows.

She focused on the performance of the piece, ignoring my approach, until the song was finished, and then slowly stood up and looked sideways at me.

"Waiji, you're here." She smiled at me, with a delicate figure and a graceful face.

I looked beyond her to the flowerbed behind her—the pure red and bright peonies of her pomegranate skirt were in full bloom.

She was eighteen years old. I used to think that her childhood was very long, although I also thought that she would have an adult one day, but I did not expect this day to come so quickly, I was not mentally prepared, and she had grown up suddenly.

She has practiced well enough to perform music as a precious gift to her parents on special occasions and public occasions. For example, in October of this year, on the queen's birthday, the only thing the queen smiled at the birthday gift presented to the princess was her gonghou song.

Wen Cheng's chase has gradually subsided, and Jinshang seems to have felt sorry for the queen again, and intends to make amends, and has been very good to her recently. On that day's birthday banquet, Jinshang specially invited many descendants to attend, including Cao Tong's father and son.

The birthday banquet is set up in the jade hall of the back garden, and the curtain is separated between the men of the Hou clan and the palace dependents. After a few wines, there is a chamberlain singing to welcome the princess, and the princess dresses up and enters the house, and plays a gonghou song behind the curtain.

She chose to play "Qingping Music". When she began to spin her ten fingers and broke out the first string of music, Cao Ping outside the curtain opened her eyes slightly, and raised her eyes to look at where the princess was.

I think the princess should know that Cao Ping was looking at her at the moment, and she didn't look away from him, she lowered her eyelashes, still flicking the strings in an orderly manner, and there was a faint smile on her lips, but she was reserved and cold.

In the past few years, the princess and Cao Ping have also had the opportunity to meet at several banquets and gardens, but the princess avoided them all and never saw him again. I didn't expect her to be so stubborn, Cao Ping didn't look at Lu Yingniang a few more times, and she has been strangers to him since then.

Now the princess's song "Qingping Le" is played softly and elegantly, which is a little more noble than Lu Yingniang's interpretation back then. At the end of the song, everyone was full of praise. The princess got up and thanked her, and after saying her greetings to the queen, she took her clothes and took me and her two maids out of the palace.

When I walked to the edge of Yaojin Pond, there was a sudden flute sound not far ahead, as if it was also "Qingping Le". The princess was stunned, and couldn't help but take a few steps in that direction, as if she was looking for something.

Over there, a corner of clothes is exposed behind the rockery stacked by the lake stones, which is an elegant blue color of the sky and water. As the princess approached, the man in the blue shirt also moved out, blowing the dragon flute in the surging breeze, with wide sleeves fluttering, and a pair of beautiful eyes looked at the princess with a smile, and the eyes and the melody in the flute swept through the corners of the princess's eyes and eyebrows.

I sighed in my heart. This man is even more fashionable now, and even more dangerous to the princess.

After playing a stack under the princess's distracted gaze, Cao Ping pressed the dragon flute, smiled and asked her: "After nearly five years, the princess has always been good?" ”

The princess bit her lip, did not answer, and turned to leave.

"Princess," Cao Ping called her, approached her slightly, bowed his head very gracefully, and said softly: "The minister has a problem that I can't understand, I hope the princess will give advice." ”

The princess hesitated, but finally responded: "What's the matter?" ”

"Why has the princess avoided her ministers since the Qianyuan Festival four years ago?" He still smiled gently, but the question was very direct.

The princess's eyes were covered with tears. She kept her back to him, so that he would not notice her emotion. After a moment of silence, she hurried away, leaving him with a silent answer.

The princess returned to the hall after changing her clothes, and glanced at the male seats, intentionally or unintentionally. I knew what she was looking for, but Cao Ping wasn't there.

I quietly quit. Soon after, he came back and whispered to her where Cao Ping went: "Cao Gongzi is still by the Yaojin Pond, sitting under the willow tree and looking into the distance...... It was raining, and he had no intention of running away. ”

The princess sat upright, as if she had not heard me. After a long time, she finally turned to me and whispered, "Let someone send him an umbrella." ”

This command showed that she did not regard him as a passerby after all, and I sensed that there was a possibility of continuation in the affair of the little children, if the looming affection could be ascribed to it. And a few days later, an unexpected event proved it.

On that day, the old musician who was supposed to come to teach the princess on time did not come, and it was Lu Yingniang, who she had always hated, who entered Yifeng Pavilion to ask to see the princess. Lu Yingniang told the princess that the old musician was sick today, so she was specially sent to ask the princess for leave, and if the princess needed to explain her doubts, she would ask Yingniang.

The princess had a cold face and said that there was no problem to ask for advice today, and let Yingniang go back. Ying Niang agreed and retreated to the door, but the princess called her back and said, "That's it, since you're here, you can play a song for me." ”

Ying Niang agreed, came back and sat down, and asked with a smile: "What does the princess want to hear?" ”

The princess said: "Qingping Le". ”

Ying Niang said with a smile: "At the queen's birthday banquet, the princess's song "Qingping Le" shocked the four seats, if the slave family plays this song again, wouldn't it be the class to get the axe and Dong Shi to follow the example?" ”

"Where," the princess said coldly, "At the Qianyuan Festival four years ago, Ying Niang, you and Cao Dagongzi's song "Qingping Le" was amazing. The beauty of your piano skills and posture have made everyone fall in love. If I play this song again now, I will be suspected of being a good man. ”

"Don't say that, princess, kill the slave." Ying Niang hurriedly bowed down to thank her, and then, she said a little truth that was unknown at the time: "I'm ashamed to say it." That time, the slave family was ordered to play "Qingping Le" with Cao Dagongzi, but it happened suddenly, and the slave family was not prepared in a hurry, and only discussed a few words with Cao Gongzi before the performance, and the details of the cooperation were also determined for him. During the ensemble, the slave family was very nervous, and made many mistakes, either forgetting to change the tune according to Cao Gongzi's arrangement, or forgetting to cooperate with the Gonghou dragon flute at the junction, so that he frequently looked at me, hinting at the reminder, the slave family was ashamed, and the more wrong it was......"

Before she could finish speaking, the princess opened her eyes wide, grabbed her arm with one hand, her voice trembled slightly, and asked, "Did you play it wrong, so he looked at you?" ”

Ying Niang bowed her head and smiled: "Yes." This song can be played down thanks to Cao Gongzi's cooperation to cover it up. ”

"It turns out that this is ......" The princess let go of Ying Niang, stared at her in a daze for a long time, and suddenly began to laugh, laughing so much that she buried her head in her arms and couldn't stand at the desk.

Ying Niang said suddenly: "The slave family is indiscriminate, and the princess is smiling." ”

"Oh, I'm not laughing at you......" The princess was still lying on the desk, but she looked sideways at her, her eyes were like stars, and her eyes were flashing with joy, "Thank you, Yingniang." The color of your rouge is beautiful, and the smell of blue musk on your clothes is very fragrant. ”