*

"Mother...... Please don't go ......"

The moonlight was as thick as it is today, and the candlelight was as yellow as it was in front of me.

A feeling as if the whole world had been stripped of more than half of it in blood, was invading the young mind of a little boy of four or five years old. His small hands clung to the clothes of a woman in front of him, his round little face was flushed, his big dark eyes were filled with tears of pleading, and his long eyelashes were also stained with tears. But he didn't care to free a hand to wipe the tears from his face, as if he was afraid that if he relaxed a little, the woman would disappear from front of him. The beautiful but stern and indifferent face of the young woman in front of him was washed away by tears in his sight, and it became clear and blurred, blurred and clear.

"Yun'er," the woman's eyes were very resolute, without a trace of unbearability, "This place is not suitable for the mother, and the mother can't stay for a moment." If it weren't for you, my mother wouldn't have stepped into this door. You are wiser than other children and should be able to understand. Mother is going to do her own thing. ”

"No...... Mother...... Yun'er don't leave her mother's ...... for a moment" As long as the little boy imagined that he didn't have his mother by his side, he felt a burst of unbearable sadness in his heart, and his tears were even more uncontrollable, "Mother doesn't like this, why do you want to bring Yun'er here?" …… If my mother really wants to leave, then take Yun'er with her......"

The little boy's unintentional question sounded like a pun to the woman, like a thorn that stabbed her coldly.

She seemed to say to herself: "Maybe I really shouldn't have brought you into this world, but my mother has never regretted it." Soon the resoluteness that reappeared on her face was stabbed in the little boy's heart, "Mother can't take you away." You stay here, and your dad will take care of you. ”

"Mother, please don't leave Yun'er here alone......" The little boy was still sobbing and crying in despair, his voice was slurred, "Daddy...... Hoping. Yun'er hasn't seen her father for many days. My brothers and sisters don't like Yun'er, and they always say that Yun'er is a wild species born of foxes......"

A trace of disgust flashed through the woman's cold eyes, and there was not even the last bit of tenderness in her voice, "Something that hasn't grown." Mother said, those are not your brothers and sisters! Mother's spell is enough to shut up those deaf-eared bugs! ”

"The book "Liuren Xuanyao" placed at the head of your bed is what your mother's teacher has learned, so it should be a parting gift from your mother." The woman pulled her garment from the boy's hand. "You and my mother and son are all here!"

When the little boy cried and chased out the door, the woman's figure had disappeared into the vast moonlight......

Before Zuo Ying could finish speaking, Li Yunshen's thoughts were pulled back to reality from memories that were so far away that he almost thought he couldn't remember.

"Your parents brought you into this world on the grounds of love; but they left you one after another on the grounds of love. Selfishly abandoning you to grow alone in a situation where you have no one to rely on and are looked down upon. For love, you are more confused and rejected, rather than yearning and longing, and it is impossible to pursue it with a dead heart. ”

"Your Majesty......" I don't know if it was Zuo Ying's actions or her words that made Li Yunshen's eyes light up slightly, as if he was a little surprised and lost.

Zuo Ying said calmly: "Little San'er." In the name of your meritorious service in saving the driver, I will no longer pursue the crimes committed by Empress Li, and change her title to Concubine Renxiao, and allow her to leave the palace after the completion of the mourning period and enjoy the court forever, you should already know about this matter. From now on, Brother Ling Li Zhuguo will definitely have a lot of gratitude for you, and with your handling skills, the power of the entire Li clan will gradually be completely controlled by you. ”

"I don't like to force others to tell secrets that I don't want to share with others," Zuo Ying's tone became earnest, "but this time. I want you to tell the truth again and again because you're different. I have staked almost everything on you, and only reciprocal knowledge can make our relationship go even further. So, little san'er, why? Can you tell me why you're doing this? Because, if you can't put that reason into account, then I can only think that your ultimate goal is contrary to my interests. It may even threaten my life. I never want things to be like that. ”

Li Yunshen looked at Zuo Ying looking up at him, on his white face like mutton fat jade, a pair of big watery eyes revealed seriousness and concentration that did not match the slightly childish face, and there was even a trace of expectation that he had never found in these eyes; The little watery pink lips were slightly open. It seems that she is still unfinished, and it is more like expecting the other party to interrupt her persuasion with a sincere answer.

He knew better than anyone what kind of soul this weak and childish little empress actually had. She's shrewd, she's smart, she's unfathomable, she's sharp-eyed, she's even a little cold and bloodthirsty...... But at this moment, she showed no false expectations for him. It was as if the empress, who had always been stubborn in her heart, had now taken off her military uniform, laid down all her defenses, stood in front of him, exhausted all the humility that she could pay as a king, and begged him to take off her mask as well, looking forward to being able to be honest with each other from now on.

This situation and this scene made him feel a strange feeling in his heart inexplicably. No matter how ornate his rhetoric and lotus flowers are in his mouth, he can't immediately find a word to describe it. All he knew was that he suddenly couldn't bear to say "no" to her, and he couldn't even bear to hide and deceive her as he could have done so easily.

But his secret can't be shared with others, especially Zuo Ying. Like some ghosts described in ancient books, once they are accurately named, they can only hide and abscond; Once his secret is revealed, everything he has done for a long time will be wasted. His current situation is like Jing Ke, who has been summoned and walks up to the hall with a scroll in his hand, can only wait for the moment when Tu Qian sees the dagger, and must not let the dagger slide down in the middle.

The opportunity that Zuo Ying gave him was also fleeting. Whether it was through her judgment or through the look in his eyes, she already knew that he couldn't be open and honest at this moment.

She smiled lightly, as if she was a little self-deprecating, and said as she turned around and walked away, "Little San'er, I still have something to do, so I won't spend the night with you tonight." The tone was as calm as the night like water outside, there was no resentment or disappointment, but her weak and slender back was clearly a little more lonely and lonely in Li Yunshen's eyes.

Li Yunshen took two steps forward, shook his stump, knelt down behind Zuo Ying and said, "Your Majesty, the minister still has a word." ”

"Say it." Zuo Ying didn't look back, and seemed a little tired.

Li Yunshen knelt on the ground and bowed slightly: "The minister knows that whether Your Majesty decides to marry the Ashina clan or personally go to Chengze to leave the palace to welcome the prince of Ashina, it is a holy move out of consideration for the overall situation. Recently, the minister divined a hexagram for His Majesty, and the hexagram is like a kan, and there is a sign of dragon swimming in Qianze and swords and soldiers seeing blood. The minister is deeply afraid that there may be an accident during the trip to Chengze Palace, so please be careful with Your Majesty. ”

Zuo Ying was stunned when she heard this.

Li Yunshen continued: "Once Your Majesty leaves the palace, there may be changes in the court, and the ministers can only stay in the palace and try their best to plan for Your Majesty, so as to avoid Your Majesty's worries. Your Majesty traveled far away, and the ministers could not accompany him, so they could only turn into an east wind and a timely rain to protect His Majesty's safety. Please Your Majesty return safely. ”

"A timely rain"? This seemingly referential "metaphor" reminds Zuo Ying of the rainstorm that extinguished the fire in Yuanqiu.

She nodded and said, "With you, I can rest assured." After speaking, accompanied by the scarlet feather who consciously greeted him, he stepped out of the door of the room.

Li Yunshen watched Zuo Ying's back gradually disappearing, I don't know if he was a little sleepy or a little distracted, until the palace people sent Zuo Ying off, and a waiter quickly stepped forward to help him up, he stood up, tidied up his clothes, and paced to the study.

*

In the early morning of this day, when the warm sunlight shone through every flower and tree and every palace in Hualin Garden, Zuo Ying had already jogged around the Mirror Lake for two laps. It was equivalent to a distance of five or six kilometers, although Zuo Ying ran for a while and walked briskly because of his lack of physical strength, but it was almost a critical limit for this weak body.

Zuo Ying stopped under the repeated persuasion of Scarlet Feather and Yu Chinan, and the dripping sweat had already soaked through her clothes and wet her hair.

She bent down to support her knees, panting while looking up at the rising sun in the sky, and couldn't help but sigh in her heart, changing herself sometimes has the same difficulty as changing the outside world.

The palace people hurriedly sent towels and warm water. Scarlet Feather took the towel and carefully wiped the sweat from Zuo Ying's face, but when her eyes moved to her body that was clinging to her sweat-stained silk clothes, her heart suddenly became hot, and she couldn't help showing an embarrassed look on her face, and she didn't know how to start.

"Yu'er, the eyebrows you helped me draw today are particularly beautiful. The shape is like a crescent moon, the color is like a distant mountain, the eyebrow peak is appropriate, and the shade is appropriate, I like it very much. Zuo Ying smiled: "It's a pity that it's sweated now." After practicing the bow and arrow, and after bathing and changing, you can redraw for me. ”

When Scarlet Feather heard Zuo Ying say this, she knew that she must have been mistaking his own craftsmanship because she only lingered on her face, misunderstanding him.

"Your Majesty Xie praised, being able to paint thrush for His Majesty is the honor of Scarlet Feather, Scarlet Feather only hopes to be able to paint for His Majesty for a lifetime. No matter how many times you draw it, every time it is worth cherishing Scarlet Feather. Scarlet Feather bowed and said, "It's just that Your Majesty's hand was injured in yesterday's practice, and Scarlet Feather asks Your Majesty to listen to the advice of the imperial doctor and stop forcing yourself today." ”

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*(To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation and monthly passes, and your support is my biggest motivation. )