The snow is falling endlessly. It only took one day to completely cover the ground, leaving only an endless amount of white.

There was silence between heaven and earth, and the faint sound of snow falling on the leaves could be heard. The temple in the distance rang the bell by accident, and the sound was like a dragon's roar, coming from the distant sky, and the entire capital network was impermeable.

In the winter of the twenty-first year of Jialong, the dragon drove the guest. The emperor collapsed. Yun Qiguo was silent, as if only death remained.

The palace was even more silent.

The wind blew the copper bells hanging under the eaves of the carved dragons and phoenixes, and also passed through the lonely corridors, shaking the four-cornered palace lamps made of white silk.

It's late at night.

In a courtyard in the corner of the palace, the ground was covered in a thick layer of snow, reflecting a faint glow from the moonlight.

And inside the house, a light is like a bean.

In front of the vanity mirror in front of the window, there was a woman wearing a plain white jacket skirt. Looking at it from afar, it is as bright as the sun rising to the morning glow; Forced to observe it, the scorching waves appeared. The fair face is like the petals of plum blossoms standing on the branches, fresh and beautiful. The eyes are bright, and the lips are lightly touched.

But the eyes that should have been bright under the lamp were dim, like stars shrouded in dark clouds. Looking at the dim light and propping her chin, her thoughts flew all at once.

Yesterday seemed like a dream, and now, the nightmare is waking up.

In her dream, although she is a princess of a country, she can't escape the fate of becoming a political victim. The first emperor died, and his half-brother succeeded him.

In order to consolidate the foundation of the imperial family, the young emperor issued an edict to let her marry far away from the neighboring Western Wu Kingdom. In her previous life, she thought that for the sake of the country that her father tried his best to protect, she should sacrifice her ego. But then she realized that she was not only wrong, but also too wrong.

A rotten piece of wood that has begun to rot from the inside, even if it is polished by a skilled craftsman, can no longer build the beams of the house. A country that has begun to rot from the inside, even with the help of other countries, cannot change the fact that it is in ruins. What's more, the so-called political marriage is just to take what each needs and not to mention helping each other.

And this dream is so real, the big dream woke up, and it was back ten years ago.

At that time, she was fourteen years old.

"Princess, why don't you go to bed yet?" Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Ming Cui, the little palace maid who took care of her.

Looking at the little girl who had been accompanying her in front of her, reflecting the swaying lights, her eyes were gradually blurred by tears.

Ming Cui saw the tears in her eyes and almost knocked over the teapot she was holding in her hand. "Princess, what's wrong? Is the candle flame too dim? The frightened little girl quickly put down the teapot and used scissors to brighten the jumping candle flame.

Looking at the busy figure of the little girl, she slowly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and the corners of her mouth opened an arc. "I'm fine, I'm just suffering from nightmares."

"Mama often said that there is no obstacle that people can't get over. The past is gone, and those important people will become stars in the sky to accompany you. The dead are gone, don't be sad anymore. ”

Cui Ming held her cold hand and said softly, "Mama Chang and I will always accompany the princess." ”

Zhaoyun clenched the little girl's hand, looked at her petite face under the candlelight, and secretly made up her mind that she would never repeat the mistakes of her dreams, never.

"Princess, my hand hurts." Cui Ming looked at her princess with puzzlement.

Zhaoyun immediately let go of the force in his hand and smiled apologetically. "It's all right, we're all going to be fine. It's not early, let's turn off the lights and rest."

In this life, she will definitely do her best to protect the few people in this world who are good to her.

In the dream, who tossed and turned several times? Who is it, how many ups and downs?

In the dark night, the thin snow turns into goose feather snow, which is sprinkled with gusts. The snow was heavy, as if it would cover up all the filth and filth of the world. Zhaoyun curled up in a ball under the thick brocade quilt, and even the warm soup woman didn't seem to be able to dispel the deep chill of winter.

The sky is getting brighter.

"Princess, wake up" Sleepy-eyed, she was dug out of the quilt by Mingcui and put on a hibiscus auspicious cloud light blue flower pleated skirt. The little girl thought that she was not wearing it thick enough, so she put on a light green fox fur cloak embroidered with plum.

"Mama Chang hasn't come back yet?" Zhaoyun asked, rubbing his worried eyes.

Mingcui replied while holding the flowing cloud bun for her: "Wasn't Mama Chang called by the Queen Mother to tidy up the Buddhist shrine?"

Zhaoyun stroked the white magnolia satin flowers on his sideburns, and then gently took out a wooden hairpin embossed with auspicious clouds from the red lacquered box and handed it to Ming Cui, motioning for her to help with the hairpin.

"Although now is the time to be rebuilt, the Queen Mother may not be so short of people, and she doesn't even have the manpower to tidy up the Buddhist shrine, she just wants to be a horse and show me."

"How can the Queen Mother bully people like this?" The little girl held her mouth and whispered.

Zhaoyun looked at himself in the bronze mirror and said, "Now that my father is deceased, the new emperor has ascended the throne." Time has passed, and I am no longer the princess Zhaoyun who holds the moon with all the stars. The Queen Mother took this opportunity to give me a horse, which was also expected by me. In the past, my father and the emperor favored me too much, and it is estimated that the queen mother has long regarded me as a thorn in the flesh, and wants to get rid of me as soon as possible, so that it will affect you. ”

"What is the princess talking about, as long as Mama Chang and I can always be by the princess's side, we are willing to suffer more."

Ming Cui pushed open the closed door and exclaimed, "Princess, come and see, the courtyard has been covered with a thick layer of snow. The top of the tree and the roof are all white, but it's beautiful! ”

Zhaoyun raised his eyes and saw that there was a white patch everywhere, and when the light shone, it was still a little dazzling. She looked at Ming Cui's red little face shrouded in the cold, the bright eyes that were smiling because she saw the snow, the cold hidden in her heart was unconsciously dispelled, and even a trace of warmth.

Not long after, Xiao Yuanzi, who was on duty on duty today, came over to spread the word that the Queen Mother was invited.

Zhaoyun and Mingcui glanced at each other, thinking that it would be faster than she thought. She gathered the hot soup woman in her hand, and went to Changde Palace with Mingcui with an umbrella.

Changde Palace was built by the previous Chongwen Emperor, so it is extremely elegant, but it does not lose the atmosphere.

The waiting grandmother at the door led her through the white round arch and through the winding verandah, and the entrance was covered with a thin snow.

The stones under the steps spread into a road, twisting and turning. On the side of the path paved with bluestone slabs, the dark fragrance floats, and it turns out that the early plum Linghan on both sides has opened.

They passed a few pavilions with high eaves and teeth, and then they arrived at the main hall, which sat north and faced south.

After saluting the Queen Mother, who was half-leaning on the big kang with scarlet sheep felt on the case, Zhaoyun saw that she was still sipping the tea, and did not pay any attention to her. So Zhaoyun stood aside and waited for her to speak.

The queen mother is the eldest daughter of the prime minister of the dynasty, although she already has two children, she is very well maintained.

I saw that she was wearing a golden cloud and a phoenix wearing a peony jacket skirt, with a little red gem on the upright neckline, a red brocade around her waist, and a golden thread embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns on the brocade. The sideburns hang low and are obliquely inserted into the peony and phoenix, and the tail of the hair is a Qibao coral skewer.

The white hairpins between the tips of the hair are so abrupt that they are incompatible with the wealth of this body.

After a while, the queen mother finally put the white porcelain teacup on the table, and after the cups and tables touched, there was a crisp sound, and she raised her head to reprimand the little maid standing on the left.

"Princess Zhaoyun has been here for a long time, why doesn't anyone serve tea?" He turned his head to Zhaoyun and said with a smile.

"The princess has been here for a long time, and the Tao is that I have not been careful with my courtesy."

Zhaoyun slandered that you obviously wanted to give me a horse, and you also blamed the maid's head, which was really funny.

There was still a slight arc on his mouth, and he replied: "Where, where, the queen mother is serious." ”

"Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, everything is waiting to be rebuilt. The emperor ordered that the food and clothing in the palace should not be too extravagant, and laid off staff on a large scale to reduce the pressure on the treasury deficit. You are the princess who was the most beloved by the emperor, and your food and clothing are excellent. But now, as a princess, you have to respond to the call of the current emperor and keep everything simple. I made a claim and laid off some people in your palace, Princess Zhaoyun won't blame me, right? ”

Zhaoyun listened quietly, only tugging at the corners of his mouth slightly, "The queen mother is serious, this is what I should do as a princess." ”

took two sips of tea from the maid, mellow and fragrant, and then said: "It's just someone else, but that Chang Mama is my upbringing Mama, and the day before yesterday I was passed by you to tidy up the Buddhist shrine, and I haven't come back yet." My Zhaoyun Palace is taken care of by my grandmother up and down, and she feels that my palace is in chaos when she is not there, so I hope she can return as soon as possible. ”

The Empress Dowager pondered for a moment, and then summoned the maid who was serving tea beside her: "Caiyun, you go to Changning Palace and let Chang Mama return to Zhaoyun Palace, after thinking about it for so long, the Buddha shrine should have been tidied up." ”

Zhaoyun saw that she had found herself under the steps, and she had achieved the purpose of this trip, so she raised the white jade tea cup on the table and took a sip, unconsciously praising it.

"Mother's alpine cloud tea produced in Nanyue, the shape is tight and thin, curly and beautiful, the color is green and fragrant, and the fruit lives up to its reputation."

"This is this year's tribute of tea, and most of it was sent by the Jingshifang, and it tastes really good. Or Zhaoyun, you know the goods, not as ignorant as some people. ”

The Queen Mother was secretly proud, and asked someone to wrap a little tea for her to take back and taste. After she thanked her, she went back to the palace the way she came.

Walking on the stone path, Ming Cui smiled at Zhaoyun, who was admiring the plums on both sides of the road, and said, "Princess, you seem to have become different from before. ”

Zhaoyun turned his gaze from the pale yellow bud to her and quipped, "What's the difference?" ”

The little girl couldn't answer now.

It's really different.

If she had been so pampered by the queen, she would have clashed with her, and the consequences would have been as those people intended.

And although she is now a princess, she died when her mother was born, and now even her father, who loves her the most, is gone, and the thousands of favors she once have long since died in name.

And now she is just a little orphan girl, she can only rely on people in this huge palace, and if she wants to protect herself and Mingcui, she needs to become stronger.

Everyone walked by, and the faint plum blossoms still lived alone in a corner, secretly fragrant.