Zi Ling and Yu Nu were rescued by Zhan Zhan.

After Zhan Zhan got the report that Zi Ling had left Yongle Palace, he hurriedly followed, and as soon as he entered the Cold Moon Palace, he heard Zi Ling's cry for help. When he arrived at the lotus pond, Zi Ling was already under the water.

He jumped into the water, rescued her, and sent her back to Yongle Palace.

While she was unconscious in her dormitory, Zhan Zhan had been waiting anxiously in the dark.

During this period, he watched the Queen Mother come and go, and Concubine De has been accompanying Ziling, but the emperor has never come - it is said that he is playing chess with Bai Rushuang in Sitong Courtyard.

It doesn't matter if he doesn't come, Zhan Zhan thought hatefully in his heart, since this affectionate emperor can't give Zi Ling happiness, then he can convince himself to continue to protect Zi Ling wholeheartedly, and there is no need to blame himself for "coveting the emperor's concubine".

There was a dim light in the window, and on a spring night, the wind was cool and dewy, and Zhanzhan's hands and feet were gradually frozen, and he couldn't help but shiver slightly.

The door opened, and some palace maids poured water and delivered medicine, happily telling each other that the concubine had woken up.

Zhan Zhan's heart finally let go, he breathed a sigh of relief, and then quietly left.

The next day, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Imperial Forest Army each sent two people to investigate the fact that Ziling was pushed into the lotus pond last night.

However, except for the little eunuch who "came and went in a hurry", there were no more clues.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs said that there were more than 3,000 eunuchs in this huge palace, and it was like looking for a needle in the sea to find that eunuch. Moreover, it is not excluded that there is a suspicion that the palace maid is pretending to be a eunuch, so the matter is even more difficult to trace.

In the end, the Queen Mother spoke, and Yongle Palace strengthened its defense. And so the matter was over.

From beginning to end, the emperor did not have instructions such as "strengthening the investigation and finding out the culprits", as if he did not know about this matter and everything had nothing to do with him.

Perhaps, he really didn't know! She, the ugly concubine who has fallen out of favor, has nothing to do with him whether she lives or dies? He already has a new favorite and is about to have a baby. How could he possibly remember her?

Although, for fear that the expansion of the situation would cause a bloodshed and killing in the palace, Zi Ling didn't care much about whether she could find the real culprit, but Meng Hongyu's ruthless act of ignoring it made her heart ache.

But what can she do but heartache?

.

In the Yongle Palace, the candlelight is dim.

Zi Ling took the medicine and went to bed early, she slept groggyly, and there were fragmentary dreams in her sleep: a car crashed into her...... I heard my mother's heart-rending cry...... Meng Hongyu's perfect side face...... She struggled in the water...... The boundless darkness terrified her...... A pair of hands gently caressed her face, so warm......

Meng Hongyu sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her sleeping face with a frown. He reached out and stroked her bloodless pale face, wiping the cold sweat from her sideburns. His movements were so light, so gentle, as if he were touching a treasure. The tenderness and sweetness in her eyes melt when every woman sees it.

After not seeing her for so long, she has lost a lot of weight, and her face has become haggard. Did she have any unhappy dreams? Otherwise, how could you frown and be covered with cold sweat?

After so many days of not seeing him, does she miss him? Perhaps, she never thought about him, otherwise, why didn't she take the initiative to come to the imperial study and ask to see him? Or, like other concubines, find all sorts of excuses and ask him to come and see them.

That night, he was in the imperial study to review the recitals.

After hearing the news that she had fallen into the water, he couldn't suppress the worry in his heart, and he raised his legs and was about to run towards Yongle Palace. Suddenly, he thought of Su Zirong and Liu Wanruo. After a moment's hesitation, he stopped and returned to the table.

Those women just use him as a step, wanting to climb to the pinnacle of power step by step, the mother of the world. He is afraid of repeating the mistakes of the past! I am afraid that I will mistake my heart again and pay my love wrongly.

He told himself that the emperor was destined to be alone, and no one deserved his trust except himself, not even the woman who slept beside him every night! He told himself that he was the emperor and that he could not care about anything but his country and his people!

Tonight, he finally couldn't hold back his thoughts about her, and unconsciously came to Yongle Palace.

He took her hand and gently rubbed her tightly knit brow.

A pair of hands gently caressed my face...... Warm and reassuring...... She frowned, and fell asleep peacefully in that great warmth.

It wasn't until she raised her eyebrows and slept peacefully that Meng Hongyu got up.

When I walked to her desk, I saw a beautiful Xiaokai, neatly writing a poem:

"Even if he is ruthlessly abandoned, no one will share this hatred. Standing at dusk, empty heart. Dream back, plum blossoms half cage light moon. ”

A little bit of her heart, did he understand it?

.

That night, after Concubine De learned the news that Zi Ling fell into the water, she didn't care about the grounding order, and ran to Yongle Palace without saying a word, and guarded Zi Ling all night, Zi Ling was very grateful.

In the past few days, Ziling's health has improved, so he took Yu'er to Lengyue Palace to see Concubine De.

Entering the Cold Moon Palace, Zi Ling heard a melodious piano sound, which was still the extremely lonely song "Mountains and Flowing Water".

In front of the Xihua Hall, Ziling instructed Xiaoru to take Yu'er to Ningxue Hall first, and he stood outside the Xihua Hall and listened to the sound of the piano.

Suddenly the idea of visiting Su Zirong came up, and Ziling knocked lightly on the courtyard door of Xihua Hall.

An aunt in her thirties came to open the door, and after seeing Ziling, she hurriedly greeted her: "Concubine Wan'an, I don't know what Niangniang is doing when she arrives?" ”

"I want to see Concubine Rong, can I ask my aunt to report on my behalf?"

The aunt went for a while and came back, so she took Ziling into the Xihua Hall.

There are a few peach blossoms planted on the west side of the courtyard, and the flowers are full of trees, scorching their bloom. There was a table under the peach blossom tree, and there was a piano on the table, Su Zirong saw Ziling come in, and got up from the side of the piano to say hello.

Zi Ling sat down at the table, and the palace maids hurriedly added a cup of tea.

With a light breath, Zi Ling sniffed it, it was her favorite Buddha's hand: "This Buddha's hand tea is not as famous as Tieguanyin and Longjing tea, and there are few people who drink it, but I didn't expect Concubine Rong to like to drink it too." ”

Su Zirong said: "I like its light fruity aroma, drinking it to nourish the stomach." ”

Zi Ling sat down and looked around the beautiful small courtyard seriously: "Concubine Rong's Xihua Hall is really quiet, although it is the Cold Moon Palace, it is not a good thing to be able to stay away from the hustle and bustle. ”

Su Zirong said: "Even if it is the Cold Moon Palace, it is in the palace after all. In this place where all the organs are calculated, how can there be a paradise that is truly far away from right and wrong? Didn't the events of the other day also happen in the Cold Moon Palace? ”

After speaking, she glanced at Zi Ling meaningfully. Zi Ling understood that she was referring to her being pushed into the lotus pond, she took a sip of tea, smiled helplessly, and didn't say anything.

"Can you find out who did this? Or, do you know what to expect? Su Zirong continued to ask her.

"What if you find out? It will only make the emperor more upset. Zi Ling knew that Meng Hongyu had always hated the open and secret battles between concubines the most.

In this emperor's concept, his women should live in harmony, like sisters, and work together to serve him! But how is this possible?

Su Zirong seemed to start muttering to herself again, just like Ziling had done when she first saw her.

She wandered out of the world and was in a trance: "In this deep palace, it is impossible to prevent it...... It's hard to ......"