Qu laughed again, though not soundly.

Concubine Ning held her neck and knocked Qu's head with a comb, "Don't move, it's crooked for a while." ”

"I didn't go out today, I'm afraid of something."

"Let those servants laugh at my craft?" Concubine Ning raised her eyebrows slightly, "Don't even think about it." ”

Qu Shi didn't speak, just looked at Concubine Ning's hand in the mirror from time to time.

Concubine Ning's hands are not like other ladies in this harem, her palms are very thick, and when you touch them, you will never think that this is a pair of women's hands.

This is a pair of hands holding the reins, mowing grass and feeding horses, and holding a bow and arrows.

They clumsily held Qu's long hair, braided them into uneven three-strand braids, the kind of coarse twists most common among country women, and then twisted them into a ball and coiled around the back of their heads.

Qu Shi quietly looked at Concubine Ning's face from the corner of the bronze mirror.

She was nine years older than herself, and time had left more marks on her face than herself.

But Concubine Ning never seemed to care about this.

"Your beauty tip has grown again." Qu said softly.

"It's not like Tuo made trouble for me recently." Concubine Ning sighed, but her face was full of gentle smiles, "I can't sleep well, so I don't care about cutting my hair." ”

"Don't twist the beauty tip again this time." Qu Shi said in a low voice, "You are like this, how good-looking." ”?“ I don't," Concubine Ning pouted, "A woman has a beautiful tip, and she will be a woman in the next life." ”

Concubine Ning casually untied a ribbon from her wrist and wrapped it around Qu's new bun a few times, tying it into a somewhat lame knot, which also covered some of the rough braids.

"The women of my generation have done enough, and in the next life, they will either stop being a man or be a man." Concubine Ning clapped her hands and signaled that it was done, "Okay, you can take a look." ”

Qu Shi looked at himself in the mirror.

This is the hair she used to comb most often when she was a girl, because it was convenient and crisp.

At that time, she often felt that this inky green hair was a burden, and at that time she could not grasp the hair with one hand, but now the thumb and index finger can hold all the hair strands in a small circle.

"I'm not young anymore." Qu gently stroked his face, his voice slightly lower.

"How about not being young, who hasn't been young?" Concubine Ning disagreed, "Those warblers and Yanyan in the palace, have they ever been old?" Besides, sooner or later, I'm going to get old, who can escape. ”

"Oh." Qu Shi replied in a daze, and only reacted after a while.

This kind of thing, only Sister Yang can say it in the palace, and only when it comes out of her mouth does it not look small-bellied.

Concubine Ning put down the comb, supported Qu's shoulders with both hands, turned back to the palace maid who was still packing up the jewelry, and said, "You go out too." ”

The palace maid kowtowed as if she had met the amnesty, carefully put Mu Xi back on the table, and then faced the concubine and Ning Concubine, and left the room backwards.

Only Qu and Xue Yang were left in the room.

"Say it."

“…… What the? ”

"Why don't you see me?" Concubine Ning's voice was a little incomprehensible and slightly annoyed, "What do you want to do?" ”

Qu did not answer.

Concubine Ning said to herself, "Actually, I came to you today for two things-"

"I really don't want to go," lowered his eyes, "don't force me." ”

"No hurry, this is the second thing I want to say, I'll ask the first thing first." Concubine Ning interrupted without saying anything, "What do you want to do with Ah Tuo?" ”

The room was quieter.

Concubine Ning leaned on the edge of the table with her arms in her arms, looked at Qu Shi with her head bowed condescendingly, and forced her to give a clear answer with silence.

"Yes...... Let him just follow his sister all the time. Qu asked in a low voice.

Concubine Ning took a deep breath and said as if sighing, "I don't say anything to you for your own good, and the people around you should be tired of saying these things...... I'm here today to talk to you about myself. ”

Qu Shi blinked, and then raised his head.

"I'm not going to have any more children." Concubine Ning's voice was cold and cold, and her gaze wandered in this room a little casually, "I'll help you raise the child, and when the child grows up, I will kiss me, and I will naturally be more expensive than my mother in the future, so I will repay it one by one." This is your wishful thinking, right? ”

Concubine Ning looked at Qu Shi silently—she pursed her lips, not admitting it, but she didn't deny it either.

"Doesn't my sister want a child?"

"If you want to ask me if I have any selfish intentions, of course I do, I just want to raise a child." Concubine Ning didn't think much about it, and quickly replied, "But I take care of Ah Tuo simply because you are still sick." Because Tuo, this child, is different from others. ”

“…… What's different about Ato? ”

"He is your child, the child of the Qu family," Concubine Ning looked at Qu, "Now that Ah Tuo is young, I can raise him as much as I want, and what about when I am older?" ”

Qu Shi did not answer, but slowly lowered his head.

There is no such precedent in the palace, because the concubine was convicted or died of sudden illness, and the children under her knees were handed over to the care of the concubine who knew each other.

When the child is young, everything is fine, but when he is older, things are not so simple;

If the child is strictly disciplined, then someone will inevitably jump out and accuse "it is not distressing if it is not biological in the end";

If you don't care, it means that "it's not your own son who is abandoned and raised"......

No matter what the situation, you don't have to worry about it, and it is even easy to bring trouble to yourself.

If it weren't for the concubines with a solid foundation, ordinary people would really not dare to accept this kind of pick.

Concubine Ning's face was slightly mocking, "I don't care what others say about me, but what would Ah Tuo think about those rumors." At that time, the estrangement between mother and son, could I eliminate it? And ......"

She looked at Qu Shi with burning eyes.

"At that time, could you really give up that heart and not look at him?"

Qu's eyes showed a bit of decadence.

“…… I don't know. She muttered back.

"Count yourself on being honest." Concubine Ning finally smiled, "Don't expect me to do this kind of thankless work." I'd rather have a long pain than a short pain, and let you take Ato's back now. I'm so clean. ”

Qu Shi withdrew her gaze a little helplessly, and she sat there with a frown on her brow in trepidation, and only sighed slightly after a long time.

Concubine Ning reached out and gently touched Qu's head, the gesture was like she was stroking a war horse.

Qu slowly leaned over to Ning Concubine's side, Ning Concubine sighed softly, reached out and gently patted Qu's back.

"I know, we don't have a choice." Concubine Ning said in a low voice.

Qu's voice became lower and lower, "When will this kind of day be a head......

Concubine Ning smiled, "I knew that I would be trapped here for the rest of my life, so it was better to follow our father and brother to the battlefield in the first place." ”

Qu couldn't say a word, just nodded frequently.

"People have to bear burdens on their shoulders when they live, and no one can run away or break it, and they have to die to share this burden with others. What's so difficult about dying, it's gone when you kick people with two feet, our suffering, people who haven't experienced it don't understand. Concubine Ning said slowly.