When she saw the princess again, she had walked to the dangerous fence outside the tower, and stood in the hunting wind, looking down at the red dust below, and her clothes were flying and crumbling.

I immediately went over, grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her around.

Her blank eyes seemed to be looking at me, but they were blank and clear.

"Princess, it's time to go back." I whispered to her.

She nodded, and quietly let me help her downstairs.

On the way back to the palace, she was still very quiet, did not say a word, did not shed a single tear, and went straight to the room to sleep when she returned to the pavilion, as if she was just tired and needed a little rest.

Miao Shuyi saw that she was asleep, so she quietly asked me about the things in the tower, obviously she was in the know. I gave a rough picture of the conversation, and she sighed, "That's fine." Cao Ping must tell her in person to make her die, otherwise, maybe she will have to mess with her father again. ”

"Cao Gongzi went this time, was it arranged by the queen?" I asked Miao Shuyi.

She said: "It was decided by the queen and the official family. Previously, Cao Ping pleaded guilty to them, and when the official family saw that he had woken up, they agreed that he would see the princess again and make it clear to her. ”

Speaking of this, Miao Shuyi patted her heart again and said, "Thank God! The princess is sensible anyway, and she didn't cry or make trouble after listening to Cao Ping's words. Originally, I was afraid that she wouldn't be able to stand it for a while and something would happen...... This thing has passed like this, it is really the manifestation of the Buddha, Amitabha! ”

But I don't think so. I know the princess's feelings for Cao Ping, and I understand how deeply Cao Ping's words hurt her. And she was so calm that she didn't shed a single tear, which was so unusual that it worried me.

Therefore, I specially told Jiaqingzi and Xiaojing'er, who served in the princess's room at night, to pay more attention to the princess's behavior and not to relax.

They promised, but then, what I feared happened.

In the middle of the night, the two maids came knocking at my door and wept, saying, "We fell asleep without paying attention, and then, and then ......."

At that moment, as if their hearts were beating instantly, I asked them, "How is the princess?" ”

They said, "I don't know...... Not in the house, nor in the inner court...... Gone......"

I immediately opened the attic door and rushed into the endless night to find her.

The palace gate leading to the outer palace castle and several main halls was closed at night, so the search area was much narrower, and it was not long before I found her by the Yaojin Pond.

She sat on the shore of the pool, wet, with her knees crossed, her head buried in the crook of her arms, her long hair lying on the ground, shivering in the cool night breeze.

Someone briefly told me about the situation: she threw herself into the water, but fortunately she was seen by the night watchman and immediately rescued her. After that, the chamberlains and palace people who heard the movement kept coming, helping her and putting clothes on her, but she struggled fiercely, refused to allow anyone to approach, and sat like that, and even the robes given by the chamberlain were thrown away by her.

I walked over and reached out to help her, and she felt it, and without looking at it, she raised her hand and pointed it in my face.

I didn't dodge, I was slapped in the face. She looked up at me and froze.

"Waiji......" she whimpered, tears welling up under her eyelashes, like a child who had been wronged outside finally seeing his family.

I smiled at her, leaned over, and said kindly, "Princess, let's go back." ”

She bowed her head sadly and did not speak, but she did not express any objection.

I stretched out my arms to pick her up and walked towards Yifeng Pavilion. She snuggled up in my arms, buried her head in my chest, the cold dampness of her body spreading through my dry clothes to my skin, I remained silent, hugged her tightly, and now my mood was as heavy and damp as her long dripping hair.

Suddenly, two drops of hot liquid seeped into the placket of my chest, right where my heart was, and I shuddered, as if I had been burned.

In fact, what those two droplets of water carried was just a normal warmth.

When I learned of this, I arrived before dawn.

At that time, the princess had changed her clothes and was lying on the bed, no matter how Miao Shuyi asked and persuaded her tears to comfort her, she still didn't say a word, and when she heard her father coming, she didn't get up, but turned to the side and turned inward, closing her eyes and making a sound sleep.

"Hui Rou ......" called the princess softly today, but before the princess answered, he did not call again, sat down on the edge of her bed, and said to his silent daughter: "You must be complaining about me, why do you want to break up you and Cao Ping and let you marry Li Wei...... I remember many years ago, I told you that the more we like someone, the less we can tell that we like him. Turning your affection for him into a color is tantamount to putting him on the cusp of the storm, and it will eventually hurt him. Now for Cao Ping, why is this not the case? He is smart, talented, good at shooting, and understands the Khitan language, so he can be an excellent envoy of the Great Song Dynasty in the future and send an envoy to the Khitan when necessary. However, if you reveal your feelings for him and ask to cancel the marriage contract to marry him, he will immediately become the target of criticism from the ministers of Taiwan, and the ministers will say that he is a frivolous fanatic who ignores morality and the law of the country and the dignity of the monarchy, and demand that his father punish him severely, and his future will be ruined as well as your reputation...... Even if Daddy is desperate to keep him safe and marry you to him, will it be a good ending? Originally, as a descendant of the clan, he had limited space to display his talents, and he could not receive a civilian position to participate in political affairs, nor could he lead the army to take command of the army. Serving as an envoy is the most important thing that a Cao man can do, but if Cao Ping becomes a lieutenant of the horse, the emperor's son-in-law has a special status, and it is inconvenient to even do such a thing as an envoy. Moreover, the courtiers of the Manchu Dynasty will keep an eye on him, and if he talks more about the government and politics, and sees two more courtiers at home, he will be impeached by Taiwan. A good man will inevitably have great ambitions, and he will not stay in the boudoir for a long time, if Cao Ping marries you, the days will be long, but I am afraid that he will feel melancholy and regret that he will not be able to display his ambitions? Instead of resenting it in the future, why not give up now and leave a usable material for your father? ”

As soon as he said this, he couldn't help sighing: "The captain of the national dynasty is not for talented people. As a princess's husband, you don't need to have the talent of Jingtianweiguo, let alone the ambition to govern the country and level the world. As long as the Captain of the Horse can treat you wholeheartedly, and accompany you to live this life carefree, in peace and joy, it will be fine. Therefore, a kind, steady, and sincere colt will be more suitable for you than a talented man with great ambitions...... As for why Li Wei was chosen...... Daddy once told you that Daddy is unfilial, and before Empress Dowager Zhang Yi was alive, Daddy saw her many times, but never treated her as a mother, but sat firmly every time and received her great gifts...... At that time, I thought that she was just one of my father's many concubines...... She was so kind, she never reminded me or hinted at anything, she always kept her head down every time she saw me, and she didn't say anything more than the clichés she said when she saluted. It was only on the day she left the palace to guard the tomb of the first emperor, after saying goodbye, she raised her head and looked at me deeply, her expression was gentle, and there were no tears in her eyes, but at that moment, her sadness that had been locked for more than ten years was like a breeze, and with the light of her eyes, it suddenly blew into my heart...... I had such a strange feeling, but I let her go, and I later realized that I had made a big mistake...... Today's Li Wei has the same temperament as the Empress Dowager Zhang Yi, although his appearance is not similar, but his eyes are the same as the Empress Dowager, and he will show his kindness to people in silence...... He is a kind person and will definitely be good to you, Hui Rou, he will treat you wholeheartedly and do his best to take care of you so that you can have a peaceful and peaceful life. ”

He stopped and looked at the princess intently, but the princess still did not move, did not have the slightest intention of responding, and now lowered her eyes, and said gloomily: "You don't like him, do you think he is stupid?" But proper stupidity is not necessarily a bad thing for a person who is the emperor's son-in-law...... I told you back then, if you really like someone, don't even let him realize how much you like him. You ask why, I didn't tell you then, but now, I'll just say it together...... Children of the Heavenly Family are too close to authority, so if someone approaches you and pleases you, you should first think about whether they do it because they like you or because they like the authority behind you...... Those who have been with you for a long time are stupid, and if they don't have the ability to play with power, they won't affect the country, even if they occasionally use their little brains, you can see through it at a glance, let him make a small fuss, you just watch the show. But if you are close to a wise man with a delicate heart, you must always be in good spirits, and if you are not careful, God knows what he will do with your love...... Therefore, the more you like him, the less you can let him find out...... You're not very good at controlling your feelings, so you might as well find someone stupid in the first place......"

In the last few words, he said quite sentimentally, and the more he spoke, the lower his voice became, and he almost did not hear it, and his mind gradually became in a trance, and he did not wait for the princess to react, he slowly stood up, and staggered out.

I hurriedly stepped forward to help him and carried him all the way out of Yifeng Pavilion.

"Tomorrow, you send a car to Yaohua Palace to bring Yun Guoer and Citron back." When I got out of the attic, he commanded me.

I'm busy thanksgiving. He stared at me, smiling slightly.

His kind attitude suddenly gave me the courage to ask him to clear up my doubts: "The minister is also the person who closely serves the princess, and the princess has had it, and the minister is to blame." At the beginning, why didn't the official family transfer the minister away from the princess's side like punishing Yun Guoer and Citron? ”

"She'll be even more upset if you leave her." Imakami said so. Then, under my apprehensive gaze, he refused the support of the attendants on both sides, and did not want to step up, insisting on dragging his heavy steps, and slowly walked towards the Funing Palace.

After leaving today, Miao Shuyi stayed in the princess's room for a while. After tossing for most of the night, her eyes were red and swollen, very tired and haggard, and now seeing that the princess never moved, she also said that she was asleep, and after repeatedly telling the maid to protect the princess, she went back to the room to rest with the help of Han.

I didn't dare to leave, so I stayed outside the princess's bedroom with Jiaqingzi and Xiaojing'er. They have also been working for a long time, and they have been frightened for a long time, and now they are quiet, and after sitting for a while, Jiaqingzi lowered his eyelids, and the head of the chicken pecked the rice little by little, and Xiaojing'er couldn't help yawning, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he was already startled, and hurriedly confessed to me.

I told them to go to sleep first, saying that I would be alone. They hesitated, but at my insistence, they went to sleep in one of the cubicles.

At this time, it started to rain outside, and I stepped inside to check that the screen window was closed. I wondered if the princess Luo Ji was enough to keep out the cold, so I stepped forward to visit, but saw her shoulders trembling slightly, although she was still facing inward, so that no one could see her expression, but there was a suppressed sobbing sound, which should be secretly crying.

I bent down slightly, stretched out my right arm, and led my sleeve to her.

When I came back, I changed my clothes, and the sleeves of this robe were quite clean, and there was a layer of fragrance on it.

She felt it, opened her eyes and looked at them, and then closed them again.

"Princess, don't you need it?" I smirked, "I can't wipe my nose with a pillow quilt anymore - it's all wet." ”

For a brief moment, she probably wondered whether to continue to cry sadly or return the favor, and finally couldn't help it and gave me a crying "phew".

I handed over my sleeve again, and she stopped refusing, pulling over and blowing her nose. Then, she turned to look at me, "Why are you still here?" ”

I replied, "Guarding you." ”

"Who wants you to guard!" She frowned and said, "What's there to keep?" ”

I thought about it for a while and decided to tell her the truth: "I'm afraid that the princess will find a short-term see again." ”

"What does it have to do with you if I don't die?" She said angrily, "I won't do you any harm if I'm dead." You can continue to stay here to serve your sister, or you can transfer to other pavilions to serve other ladies, or you can apply to go to the secret pavilion to manage your favorite calligraphy and painting...... There are many good places to go, and it won't get in the way of your ascension. ”

"The princess is right," I replied, "but, if the princess is gone, where will the minister find a master who can write a lot of broken poems, and take pleasure in changing her works?" ”

The princess laughed, and finally chose to pat me to express her annoyance: "Bold, you dare to laugh at the princess!" ”

This familiar phrase immediately reminded us of the game scene when we were younger, and we looked at each other, and I saw that her gaze gradually softened, and I must have done too.

"I mean really." I sat down at the head of her bed, looked at her lying beside me, explored my shadow in her eyes, and said slowly: "It's a pleasure to change your poems...... Not only is it pleasant to change poems, teach you to read, answer your questions, and even ghostwrite essays for you...... Of course, in the past, I used to do too much, and sometimes I felt a little annoyed, but now that I think about it, even that unbearable feeling is happy...... I want to stay by your side all the time and do everything you want me to do for you. When it rains, hold an umbrella for you, and when the wind blows, add clothes for you; When you read, I order tea for you, you play the gonghou, and I play the flute for you; When you laugh, I will laugh behind you, and if you cry, I can always hand you a clean sleeve...... Each of these things is happy for me, so I'm afraid that one day I won't see you, because then you will take away all my happiness. ”

She listened to me in a daze, and in an instant tears were pouring down tears.

Her tears at this time made me feel at a loss, I wanted to wipe her tears for myself and was afraid that I would surprise her, so I stood up in panic and asked, "Princess, did the minister say the wrong thing?" ”

"Oh, no." She choked up and said, "I'm just a little cold......"

"Go and get the quilt." I said right away, turning around and leaving.

"Waiji!" The princess called me suddenly, and when I looked back at her, she sat up, stared at me with teary eyes, and stretched out a hand to me, "Brother, hug me......"

After a brief hesitation, I sat down next to her again. She leaned over, wrapped her arms around me, snuggled one face against my chest, listened to my heartbeat, and closed her eyes in peace.

I gradually hugged her tighter, feeling more stable and happy than ever, as if she had finally filled my broken life, half a lifetime of emptiness, and finally found meaning in this warmth of two people. The wind and rain outside the window were cloudy, but in this dim light and shadow, the eyes in my heart that had been confused for many years began to become transparent and pure.