After lighting all the courtyards, Seven Joy returned, walking through the long boulevard, facing the direction of the darkness, slowing down slightly.

The big copper lock still hung on the door, and the courtyard was as dark and quiet as ever.

He walked in, and solemnly walked to the lamppost on the left, near the room, the lamp that had been lit yesterday, as if it still had the residual warmth of the lamp.

He solemnly took away the lampshade, as if he was holding the jade seal in the Zichen Palace, filled it with lamp oil, lit the lamp, and slowly closed the lampshade like a jade seal covered by the holy decree of the five-colored silk.

After lighting one, he walked to the next lamppost, carefully wiped the lampshade with his sleeve, added oil, and lit the lamp.

Order another one.

He slowly lit all six pairs of lampposts, all twelve lamps.

Then the courtyard grew brighter, and through the small hole in the door and through the gap in the planks in the window, he could see the furnishings of the house. The large carved rosewood couch is hung with a broken gold curtain, which seems to be inlaid with pearls.

A purple brocade curtain hung beside the window, and in the corner of the window lay a sleek vase of gold-painted flowers, perhaps once a pair, but now there was only one left, and in it was a branch that had withered for an unknown amount of time.

Everything is like a dusty prosperity, like a beauty in the twilight. It seems that as long as the dust accumulated over the years is removed, the people in the house will be like buried jewels, and they will see the light of day again and regain their charming spirit.

However, the figure sitting in the room was thin and old, with a bright red robe draped over his shoulders, and his weak body seemed to be no longer than the weight of the robe. The long hair that was draped over his shoulders was already gray.

Suddenly, the man slowly stood up, and slowly, danced.

The red robe, the long gray hair, the thin wrists like pine branches, the bright red Kodan, and the withered face. Her dancing posture can be called very graceful, but the contrast between the body in the red robe is too great, and it looks like a gorgeous skeleton, and the picture is very strange in the dark and dusty room covered with spider silk.

Somehow, Qixi suddenly came up with a young and beautiful girl like a delicate flower, dancing in red. She spun, spin, spin, turned to him and smiled.

The smile, on a pale and haggard, fleshless face, was like a pale human skin covered with a skull, and grinning at him with bared teeth. The eyes sunken deeply, shooting a ghostly gaze.

He only felt creepy, and the strange image made him retreat again and again. He wanted to say something, but his throat was tight, and he couldn't speak.

He pinched the purse in his hand, the purse was smooth without any embroidery, the tentacles were smooth and soft, and the beads inside were round and full.

He approached the hole in the door and handed the purse over.

This time, the people in the house did not hurt him, and took it gently, and put the thing together in the light at the entrance of the cave to look at it carefully.

Qixi couldn't see her eyes anymore, only a pair of thin, shriveled hands, and her nails were stained red like blood droplets, which looked a little shocking.

The hands slowly opened the purse, poured out a handful of round glass beads, picked up one, and seemed to be looking at it carefully. She looked slowly, grain by grain, and examined each bead carefully. Finally, a long sigh seems to be heard.

Qixi waited for a long time, so long that the whole person was about to turn into a stone statue, and the people in the room suddenly stretched out a hand like a claw from the hole of the hole, as if to grab him.

Qixi was shocked and took a step back, but the hand suddenly changed its gesture and pointed to the fire fold in his hand.

Qixi's brain seemed to go blank, and for a moment he didn't think for a moment, and he handed her the fire fold in a daze.

As if he felt the people in the room laugh softly, and in the next moment, the curtains of the house woven with gold and beads and the curtains of the flowing clouds brocade were dyed with tongues of fire, and suddenly they were burning. The red-clad skeleton also danced in the fire, like a phoenix in nirvana, and like a resentful spirit in hell.

There was a scorching smell of fire in the room, but for some reason, it seemed as if the whole world was filled with a bone-chilling coldness.

Qixi felt a large area of sadness pouring out of his heart, he couldn't take it anymore, turned around quickly, didn't care about kicking over the lamp oil under his feet, opened the courtyard door and ran out.

It was as if he was fleeing, and he didn't even know why he was fleeing. His mind was blank, and he just wanted to suppress an emotion by the frantic movement of his body in the wind.

He ran from that yard to the back garden, ran past a pool of duckweed, ran past a large field of flowerless peonies, ran past crape myrtle, ran past hibiscus, and ran all the way back to the bedroom where he lived.

The world of the little mute was dark and silent, and he had long since fallen asleep. Qixi didn't take off his clothes, and jumped directly on the couch opposite, pulling up the quilt to cover his head.

The strange smile in his head still lingered, and the red dress swirled and spun in front of his eyes, and the gray hair flew up, almost wrapped around his neck, suffocating him, and lying on the couch was not spared.

He jumped up, ran out of the door, picked up a bucket under the eaves, scooped a bucket of cold water into the tank, lifted it above his head, and splashed it down.

In such late autumn weather, it is cold to the bone.

He shivered, crossed his arms around his shoulders, and slowly crouched down, burying his face in the crook of his arm.

I don't know how long he kept this position, but he suddenly heard a commotion, as if someone was shouting "gone fire". He looked up, and there was a faint glow of fire in the distance.

The direction of the fire was the same yard.

Qixi slowly raised his head, listened to the sound for a while, and saw that people began to run out of the chamber, so he picked up the barrel beside him and ran over.

By the time he got there, the flames had engulfed the entire courtyard, and the crackling of the purlins and the cracking of the utensils could be heard.

There were already many people gathered around the yard, holding basins and buckets, and constantly pouring water on the ground, walls, trees and flowers around the yard, trying to keep the fire from spreading.

Qixi poured a bucket of water into the fire with all his might, but to no avail, and the flames still whirred upward, as if he had poured oil instead of water.

There was no sound in the room. In the jumping firelight, he seemed to see that the thin figure was still dancing, her red clothes were swollen by the wind, and licked by the tongue of fire, and her eyes were so desperate.

He covered his mouth and nose with his soaked sleeves and rushed headlong into the fire.

"Come on, grab him for me! Tied up! ”

He clearly heard the voice behind him, it was Mrs. County. He was just about to rush into the fire when he was pulled out with great force. Old Xue Gonggong took a few eunuchs with him, and a few people couldn't help but tie him up with a rope.

"Grandpa Xue, I ......"

Before Qixi's words were finished, Xue Gonggong raised his hand and slapped five or six slaps on his head and face, which made Qixi's hair dizzy, and a ball of cloth was stuffed in his mouth, and he was pulled to the courtyard of the county lady, and thrown in an idle empty room in the side hall, and the door was locked.

Qixi curled up on the ground dizzily, his body was tied up by five flowers, and he couldn't get up. His clothes were gradually dried by the body temperature, but his body was still shivering.

By the time the voices had died down, it was already about the second half of the night. Hearing what Mrs. Jun was telling outside, she gradually approached, and there seemed to be a group of maids and servants behind her, who walked into the courtyard.

But the sound gradually drifted away, as if it had gone to the main hall, and after an unknown period of time, I heard the sound of talking close again, as if it had been outside the door. Then there was the sound of the door lock, the door opened, and Nian Yun walked in in a bean-green dress.

Pothos walked over, pulled the cloth out of his mouth, and helped him up. Qixi held his head unkempt, a few red and swollen finger marks on his face, and a large stain on his forehead, embarrassed.

Chonglou moved a rattan chair to sit down for Nianyun, Nianyun looked at him and said slowly, "Qixi." ”

Seven Hi looked up a little sluggishly.

"Untie it."

Yuzhu and Luluo came up together, untied the rope for him, and threw it aside. Qixi's hands and feet were tied numbly, and he fell to the ground with a pop.

There was no one to help him, and he lay on the ground for a long time before he slowly regained consciousness, got up, and stood there with his hands bowed. Nianyun looked at him for a long time and asked, "Did you just go to the yard over there to light the lamp, and accidentally went to the fire?" ”

"Yes, it was I who accidentally dropped the fire fold, I thought the fire fold had been extinguished, but I didn't expect the spark to go off the fire......"

Nian Yun was silent for a long time before he said: "Xue Qixi, the servant in the bedroom, is in charge of the lamps and candles, and accidentally lost the fire fold and caused a fire to go off and burn down a courtyard. ”

After a pause, he commanded: "Go and tell the king of the county that it was too late when the fire went out, and by the time you find it, the fire is out of control." Aunt Xu unfortunately died. ”

Qixi stood there silently, like a stone carving.

Old Xue Gonggong walked out from behind Nian Yun and kicked in Qixi's leg socket, kicking him to his knees with a "poof". He himself knelt down heavily and kowtowed: "Mrs. County forgives her sins, it is the old slave who is not strictly controlled, and the emperor has no way, the old slave deserves to die!" ”

Qixi's knee was struck by the blow. But he felt that there was another place in his body that hurt even more, and that was in his heart.

Master told him, don't ask what you shouldn't ask, don't do what you shouldn't do, right and wrong in the imperial city are very dangerous, don't get involved in these rights and wrongs.

But he finally got involved.

Qixi kowtowed heavily: "Qixi knows his mistake." ”

Old Xue Gonggong's face was blue, and he sighed deeply, "The old slave deserves to die, and the old slave can't control this rabbit cub!" ”

Nian Yun looked at him calmly, slowly took the water handed over by Fennel and took a sip, "Grandpa Xue, I can't blame you for this." You are also old, and you don't have to worry about everything about the East Palace, tomorrow I will ask Si to adjust the bedroom, and in the future, you don't have to take him with you anymore. ”

Old Xue Gonggong hurriedly kowtowed: "The old slave thanked Mrs. Jun." ”

Nian Yun stood up and said: "Qixi has a good attitude of admitting mistakes, Nian Zai is a first offender, I will go back to His Royal Highness the King of Mingjun and the Crown Prince and try to give a light punishment." Father-in-law Xue took him to the firewood room and closed the door to reflect for three days. ”

Nianyun walked out, and suddenly there was a dull and suppressed cry from Qixi behind him.