Qixi took two steps back and stood down, buried his head lower, and bowed down: "Sister Yaliang, Qixi knows that he is wrong." ”

Such a person, no matter how you look at it, doesn't look like an inner prison, but like a down-and-out scholar.

Fennel looked up at him, laughed with a "flutter", couldn't help but play with it, turned around and walked to him with a smile, made a very innocent look, looked up at the sky, and stretched out his hand to pull his shirt and smiled: "The wind is so strong, there is something that has not been blown away by the wind." Could it be that there is someone in this dress? ”

Chonglou was coming out of the house, and he bumped into Fennel and teased him, and he didn't let go of this opportunity to hurt him: "Sister, is it dazzling, it turns out that Xiao Xue's father-in-law is hiding in his clothes, the slave maid heard someone shouting to light the lamp just now, but I haven't seen anyone come in for a long time, and I think it's a shame!" If Xiao Xue's father-in-law is a little thinner, he really can't find it. ”

Nian Yun heard the maids making fun of Qixi in the house, and he also came out and said with a smile: "Qixi, I heard that there are immortals overseas who can do invisibility. If you're a little thinner, you can get through the crack in the door, is this the legendary stealth technique? ”

Qixi was embarrassed, his face was already red, but he couldn't help laughing. He paused, bowed down and said: "Back to Niangniang, Qixi didn't dare to be invisible, just thinking that Niangniang would fly kites to play in the spring of next year, so Qixi prepared in advance." ”

Nian Yun saw that his expression was no longer as gloomy as before, and said with a smile: "I heard that flying kites is all bad luck, and the name I gave you is so festive, I didn't know that you were a big bad luck." But it doesn't matter, the East Palace is blessed with high stars, and he is not afraid of bad luck. You see, how good your errand is, to bring light to every courtyard - light the lamp. ”

Qixi and the little mute put down the bamboo poles they were carrying on their shoulders, and the red lanterns lined up on the ground. The little mute walked up to the lamppost and took the lampshade away with one hand, and Qixi scooped a spoonful of lamp oil and watched beside him.

When it's time to add oil to the lamp, pour a little into it. After adding oil, the little mute lit it with a fire fold, and then covered it with a lampshade.

There were originally six pairs of lampposts in the courtyard of Yiqiu Palace, but in order to save lamp oil, Nianyun only ordered a pair at the door, so that Li Chun didn't have to touch the dark when he came. But the six pairs of red lanterns symbolizing grace, Nian Yun originally wanted to remove them, but the prince said that he should keep them and watch the festivities.

After lighting the pair of lampposts at the door, the little mute squatted down and lit the red lanterns on the ground, and Qixi hung them one by one with bamboo poles. So the whole courtyard was reflected in a red light, which could be seen from afar.

There are only two adult male hosts in the East Palace, so this requires a maximum of twelve pairs of red lanterns to be hung high every day. Qixi's bamboo pole is placed in the courtyard of Yiqiu Palace, and it will be used tomorrow when the lantern is taken.

Still carrying the lamp oil, he withdrew from Nianyun's courtyard with the little mute. There were no more lanterns on his shoulders, and 7-Up's thin shoulders looked extraordinarily sparse.

Not far in front of me there was a small courtyard, the gate of which was tightly closed and locked. At first, Qixi thought it was empty, but one day, he found that there was a knock on the wall inside, and he didn't know who was locked inside.

He asked the people in Si's bedroom, but they didn't say much, but told him that there was no need to light a lamp there.

Qixi didn't understand, he went to ask Lao Xue's father-in-law, but Lao Xue's father-in-law just shook his head, saying that as a slave, don't ask about things that shouldn't be known, knowing too much is not good for him, maybe he will be involved in it one day.

So he asked Fennel, and Fennel said that she was just a woman, and that she was locked up for fear of being sick and that she would hurt others.

He asked again, and Fennel said, Ask her what she does, there are so many women up and down the East Palace, there is such a half-sick, crazy and dumb, what's so strange?

No one wants to tell him, and Qixi gradually feels that it is a secret of the East Palace.

Later, the little mute in the same room secretly gestured and told him that there was a woman from the king of the county, sick, dumb, and crazy.

As for how crazy it is, the little mute can't understand.

No one cared if a demented mute woman walked around in the dark, or what she would do during the long nights, for there was no difference between day and night, and there was no need to waste lamp oil.

Xue Qixi lit all the lamps, and finally sent the little mute back to sleep, and then walked to the small courtyard alone with the fire fold.

The vermilion lacquer on the door is still as bright as new. The hideous copper lock was not very old and mottled, and it had only been hanging for a long time, a few months at most. The door was not locked, probably because the person who delivered the food was lazy, and it was simply hung from the outside, and it couldn't be opened from the inside anyway.

7-Up easily removed the copper lock and opened the latch. The courtyard was dark, quiet, overgrown with wild grass, and when you walked in, you could feel cobwebs slimy over your face. There were also six pairs of lampposts, and Qixi wiped a handful of them on the lampshade with his hands, and his hands were full of dust.

He slowly lifted his feet and approached the dark room.

There was no movement in the room, so quiet that he wondered if there was anyone in the room.

He walked to the door, hesitated, and reached out to knock. Through the dim moonlight, I suddenly found that the door was nailed. The nails on it were mottled with rust, but they weren't very old, and they seemed to be the same as the copper locks outside the door.

He took a few steps back, only to find that the windows had also been nailed by wooden planks.

No wonder the lock in the yard was so careless, it turned out that she was sure that she couldn't get out. There was a hole in the door about three feet above the ground that was six or seven inches square.

Seven Hi leaned down and put her face to the hole.

Two faint beams of light, he was startled, almost screamed, and jumped backwards.

After fixing my mind, I saw clearly, it was a pair of eyes.

Those eyes, in the faint candlelight, shimmered as green as a beast, and looked at him directly, and he could see that he had a thick layer of goosebumps all over his body.

When he saw those eyes clearly, they were a pair of women's eyes, and he could vaguely see the outline of Danfeng's eyes, which had also been beautiful and charming. The woman's face was pale and haggard, without a trace of blood, and even her lips seemed to be white.

Suddenly sorrow came to him.

The people in the room suddenly became frantic, slamming the door panel hard, and a hoarse "ah, ah" sound came out of their throats.

Good people, I don't know what kind of mistakes they made, they are locked up here, no one is a ghost, almost like a walking corpse. He felt sad, and tears seemed to be about to fall.

The Seven Joys made a mistake and put his hand through the hole, as if trying to appease her.

The people in the room seemed to use all their strength and bit him hard.

Qixi gasped in pain, tears almost fell, but he gritted his teeth and held back without screaming, nor pumping his hands. The people in the room slowly loosened, their wizened hands caressing his slender fingers, and finally letting go of him.

Qixi twitched his hand, and in the faint moonlight, he saw a row of deep tooth marks on the back of his hand, and blood was dripping down and sticking to the wide ochre-colored robe and sleeves.

In addition to the blood, there was a full semicircle of water droplets on the back of the hand, which shimmered in the candlelight, and seemed to be the tears of the people in the room.

Qixi didn't seem to feel the pain on the back of his hand, and stood in a daze for a long time, but the people in the room didn't make any sound anymore.

He took a few steps back slowly, and came across a lamppost. So he picked up the dusty lampshade and wiped the dust with his hand, but he felt that it was not clean, so he simply wiped it again with his sleeve.

When the lampshade was clear, he poured some oil into the dry lamp bowl, and estimated that it was enough to burn until dawn. After pouring the lamp oil, I felt the fire fold and lit it again, and there was a little light in the dark courtyard.

He didn't dare to order more, lest he would be scolded by Si Meng if he knew about it.

A lone lamp, a faint light, could not illuminate the people in the house, nor could it illuminate the barren grass in the yard. But the orange firelight looked warm.

He put away the fire fold and the lamp oil, and continued to retreat, step by step, to the door. Turning around, he silently opened the door and closed it, and there seemed to be another heavy sigh behind him.

Qixi paused and walked out.

In the Yiqiu Palace, Nian Yun slowly looked at the account book presented by the Sixth Division.

After flipping through for a while, he suddenly thought of something and asked, "That Xue Qixi, are you still honest?" ”

Lu Pothos pondered for a moment, and said, "According to the people in Si's bedroom, Xiao Xue seems to be very curious. ”

"Oh?" Nian Yun raised his head: "What did he inquire about?" ”

Luthos said in a low voice: "I heard that last night, he went into the courtyard over there and lit a lamp. ”

Since Hui Niang drank dumb medicine and was permanently grounded, there was a lot of commotion, so everyone began to rumor that she had gone crazy, and she also understood that she no longer had any hope of regaining favor.

The meeting by the pond was the last time Nianyun saw Hui Niang, and Nianyun never stepped into her yard since then.

Nianyun didn't want to see her. She knew that there must be a lot of resentment in front of her, and she wanted to kill her gaze immediately, and she didn't want to see it, because it would be a nightmare for the rest of her life.

It was a coincidence that Xue Qixi came to the East Palace at this time, and she only looked at him pitifully at that time, and she had not interrogated him very carefully.

Hui Niang is about to be worse than dead at this time, if you still want to turn out some demon moths, I'm afraid it's a little too self-conscious.

Now that this beam has been settled, you might as well give it a happy one, and give Xue Qixi a chance by the way.

That night, the king of the county ordered him to rest in the Chongwen Palace, so Qixi and the little mute only lit a pair of lamps in the courtyard, but Nianyun stepped out of the main hall and stopped him.

"Seven Joys."

Seven Hi stopped and turned around.

"Have you seen her?"

Nian Yun pointed in the direction of the courtyard.

Qixi hesitated for a moment and nodded, "Hmm." ”

Nian Yun's gaze fell on him, a little cold, but also a little sharp, like a small blade scraping on the skin, scraping a thin layer of white sweat on his back.

But her tone was still gentle: "Are you curious about her?" ”

Qixi nodded subconsciously, but reacted quickly, and quickly shook his head, and suddenly he didn't know whether to nod or shake his head for a while.

Nian Yun exhaled lightly: "She was originally an excellent sister, but it's a pity that she didn't have the heart to be born and did things that shouldn't be done, and now she admits her mistake and is punished, but unfortunately she is sick and there is no turning back." ”

Qixi looked at her in a daze, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Nianyun took out a plain purse and handed it to Qixi, "You help me, bring something to her, in the past, I owed her." ”

Qixi silently took it, held it in his arms, and prepared to bow down.

Nian Yun stopped him: "Wait." ”

Qixi stopped, but Nianyun didn't speak, and was silent for a moment, then Fennel walked over and whispered a few words in his ear.

Qixi's eyes slowly widened, and he looked at Fennel in disbelief, and then at Nianyun.

Nianyun nodded: "Go!" ”