In the twenty-third year of Zhenguan, just after the Spring Festival, the eunuch came again, this time there was no will, only a few crooked words, "Come and talk to me." My heart fluttered, endured the sadness, and asked Liniang to arrange for the family to move back to Chang'an, I silently took some clothes and jewelry with me and left with the eunuch's car.

Zhongnan Mountain is full of murderous atmosphere, Cuiwei Palace stands on the mountain, the scenery is beautiful but more gloomy and cold. I could smell the strong smell of medicine as the eunuch walked into Li Shimin's bedroom, and Mei Niang looked at me a little haggard. History said that the only person who accompanied Li Shimin to the end was the crown prince Li Zhi, who was the martial artist who served the decoction?

When I read history when I was a child, I would wonder why an unfavored woman could always be by the emperor's side. Now I understand that Mei Niang is not favored, but she has the trust of Li Shimin, and from a certain point of view, trust by the emperor's side is sometimes more rare than favor. I smiled at her, and as the eunuch went in to see Li Shimin, he was a little weak and leaning on the couch and napping.

"Your Majesty!" The eunuch screamed quietly, Li Shimin raised his eyes, and finally saw me, for a while, smiled, I found that only the right corner of his mouth could move, and he had a stroke. Tears suddenly did not stop, welling up in his eyes. He waved his right hand and patted the couch.

"What are you crying about, come and sit down." It's not the hearty voice it used to be, it seems a little vague, yes, how can a hemiplegic patient speak clearly.

I sat down beside him, wiped away my tears, and looked at the Emperor so close for the first time, who was already an old man. The eunuchs and palace maids who were guarding the side all retreated silently, yes, I sat on the edge of the couch, and it was not appropriate for them to stand inside.

"I'm sick, and you're not afraid of me." He leaned against the big pillow and looked a little weak, and his voice was even more muffled.

"Yes, anyway, I'm not afraid of people saying that Your Majesty has an affair with a concubine." I half-jokingly looked at his hanging left hand, and I pulled it over and gently kneaded it for him.

"Someone said that?" He was stunned for a moment, and it seemed that he really didn't know.

"Someone has said this since the thirteenth year of Zhenguan, otherwise how would those noble ladies ask me to post it, and Concubine Wei and Concubine Yang would not often call their concubines into the palace."

"If I had known this, I might as well do it, so as to save myself a false name." He gave me a blank look, and I laughed. He looked at me and smiled for a long time and sighed, "I'm serious, the queen knows that I like you, but because of Shitong, I can't touch you, sometimes I think, if Shitong is not so obedient, maybe I will kill him in the morning, and there will be nothing to do when you go back to the palace." ”

Looking into his eyes, I knew he wasn't lying, and I didn't expect that I lost the opportunity to be a concubine. For a while, "What about later?" ”

"Later, Shi Tong died, and I went to see you, not as bright and beautiful as that year, but it was even more lovely, and I began to know why Shi Tong turned his back on his father for you. You already have Shi Tong in your heart, and besides, I can't rob the wife of a hero. ”

I laughed again, and sighed faintly for a while, "So you robbed Mei Niang, do you want psychological balance?" ”

He blushed and sighed for a while, "Mei Niang was robbed by the queen, but I acquiesced, like you said, I want to regain my balance." I have pampered Mei Niang, and there was a period when I was very spoiled. Otherwise, Mei Niang wouldn't dare to say in front of so many people that she was going to kill my lion skull, because it was her, and I didn't blame her, but I suddenly found out that she wasn't you, and that feeling was gone all of a sudden. ”

"Then I'll come, talk with you, help you watch the child, and be a confidant who keeps to yourself!" I sighed.

"Yes! The first time I liked you was because you were beautiful, I came back and told Guanyin that I had never seen such a beautiful woman, and Guanyin ignored me for two days. ”

"Guanyin?" I thought I didn't hear clearly.

"The queen's nickname, I haven't called it for many years, when I first got married, I called her Guanyin, and she called me my second brother." He said with infinite nostalgia, gave me a blank look and continued, "Guanyin is not jealous, she is a virtuous woman, the first and only time, it is for you to be angry because of a woman. Later, she said to me that she was not jealous because in my heart those women were just lonely people with me, and I only loved her in my heart, but this determination was extinguished because of you. ”

I now understand why the queen asked me to enter the palace that year, and why she pulled me to say those inexplicable words, saying when she wanted to see me, and for what, it turned out to be because of jealousy.

"I never think I'm beautiful, and besides, beauty is just a fleeting thing, why bother Niangniang?"

She said the same thing, and later she often talked to me about you, and Shi Tong often mentioned you in the recitals, and when we watched together, we couldn't help but talk about you. How does a beautiful, intelligent, and troublesome woman grow? She said that although she is the head of the harem, she may not be able to treat all the children as out, but you take good care of Liniang and Qiang'er; Shi Tong died in vain, you tried to let Shi Tong return to his roots, she said that she may not have your courage, and she is not as strong as you; I told her that you would bury Shi Tong on the mountain, live on a reed, and do not allow him to take a concubine in the ground by Shi Tong's grave, and she laughed so hard that she couldn't stand up straight. She was actually very sick at that time, and she took me by the hand and said, she wants to see you, she wants to know what a woman who makes her husband like so much looks like. ”

"I was old then."

"After you left that day, Guanyin was half-asleep in my arms and spoke, and it took a long time to say that if she died, you would be the only one who could accompany me to old age."

"It's you who accompany me to old age." I said softly. He looked me in the eye, and I smiled and sighed, but gently picked up his weak left hand and put it on my cheek, "Remember what I said?" Women don't care about decency, decency is not enough temptation; Men don't care about loyalty, loyalty is just that the stakes for betrayal are too low. In fact, all these years, I have always been grateful to you, grateful that you did not continue to seduce me. ”

He smiled, his eyes twinkled, and he was happy. Yes, we like each other, but we don't dare to take a step beyond Lei Chi, at this moment, everything becomes unimportant, he is just a dying old man, and I, half-old, I am afraid that they are not counted, we are just two old people who accompany each other.

He stretched out his right hand, I stretched out my right hand to shake him, and said softly, "I'm not afraid, I'll accompany you through the last moments." ”