The flowers have not bloomed, the people have not arrived, and the surrounding area is pitch black, and it is all lonely.

Meng Xilan returned to Cining Palace and found that several candles in the dormitory had been extinguished, and only one was left alone.

Zhu Lu hurriedly nodded over, but Meng Xilan stopped her voice: "Forget it, no need." ”

In another hour, it will be dawn.

Meng Xilan took off her cloak, returned to the edge of the bed and sat down, thinking to herself, what does that plum blossom mean? Also, why didn't Zhou Youchen show up for a long time?

Doesn't he want to see her?

Thinking about it, she couldn't help but sigh faintly, and said to herself: "Meng Xilan, Meng Xilan, what are you thinking?" Not even if it's close, not even if it's far away. ”

Finally, Zhou Youchen knew that she was evasive, but her heart felt empty.

As soon as her sigh fell, something suddenly moved behind her, Meng Xilan was slightly startled, and was about to turn her head, but saw an arm come over and circle her shoulder.

At this hour, in this place, who else could there be but him?

Meng Xilan's shoulders stiffened for a moment, and then slowly loosened again.

Both of them fell silent for a moment.

"Chen'er?" Meng Xilan was silent for a while before calling him in a low voice.

Zhou Youchen agreed, hugged her with both hands, and said quietly: "I wanted to come to see you as soon as possible, but there are too many eyes around me......"

"If it's inconvenient, why are you still here?"

Zhou Youchen hugged her a little apologetically and said, "Because I want to see you." ”

These days, he thinks of her going crazy, but on the surface, he can't show the slightest.

Meng Xilan smiled lightly when she heard this, "Why do you bother so much?" You could have come softly and walked gently, but this palace gate can block others, but it can't stop you. ”

This Cining Palace, he is more familiar than her, every wall, every door, he knows it in his heart.

"yes, but I want to have something for you, so you have to get out of here for a while." Zhou Youchen deliberately dragged out his tone.

Meng Xilan was slightly surprised, and was about to ask a question, but she heard Zhou Youchen attached to her ear and said softly: "Go and put out the candle on the table." With that, he was still behind her, and he reached out and pushed her.

Meng Xilan didn't understand it halfway, so she just did as he said and blew out the candle.

Seeing that Zhou Youchen also rolled over from the bed, he took advantage of the dim light outside the window to walk to a corner of the room, where a sealed jar was placed.

He tore open the seal of the jar, then took two steps back and waited.

Meng Xilan was puzzled, and just as she was wondering, there was a sudden movement in the altar.

A faint point of light flew out of the jar slowly.

Meng Xilan stared at it carefully, only to feel that it was a small flying insect. One, two, three...... Gradually, there were more and more of them, flying around the house like a small star falling from the sky.

Flying insects can't get out of the window, so they can only wander around the house.

Meng Xilan was dazzled for a while, not knowing what it was.

The shimmer of light swirled, reflecting Zhou Youchen's face, his eyebrows and eyes were deeper, and the smile on the corner of his mouth was a little deeper.

"Where did this come from?"

"A few days ago, there was a servant in the palace who said that there was a haunted fire, and I didn't believe it, so I went to see it myself. As a result, this thing was discovered...... By the way, the master said that this is called "night light", also called "flowing fireflies". ”

Speaking of this, he suddenly smiled: "It's obviously such a beautiful thing, but it is said to be a ghost fire." I know you're going to love it, so I'll grab some for you myself. ”

Meng Xilan's eyes were full of light, dotted with stars, and in front of her was a faint stream of fireflies, which were clearly shining.

She was silent for a long time before she said, "It's good-looking." ”

Zhou Youchen smiled again when he heard this, smiling like a satisfied child. "If you like it, it's fine."

The two of them watched the fireflies in this room, looking and looking, relatively speechless.

When the sky was bright, Meng Xilan gently brushed Zhou Youchen's hand away and said lightly: "Chen'er, it's time to let them go." After flying for so long, the stream of fireflies is also tired. ”

Zhou Youchen raised his eyebrows slightly: "Wouldn't it be a pity to let it go?" ”

Hearing this, Meng Xilan walked to the window, gently pushed the window open, and released all the fireflies in the room.

Zhou Youchen also walked over, looking at the light of the flowing fireflies, the older he got, the fainter he became, and he only said: "That's fine, I'll catch some new ones for you when I go back." ”

Meng Xilan's eyebrows moved slightly, and her eyes flickered slightly: "Chen'er, what if the things you force to come are beautiful?" ”

Zhou Youchen's eyes were slightly condensed, and he reached out to hold her shoulder and said, "Don't talk to me around the bend." ”

"Chen'er, after today, I don't want to stay in the palace." Meng Xilan said her heart lightly.

When Zhou Youchen heard this, he was a little anxious, pulled his shoulder, looked at her face to face, and frowned: "What are you talking about?" ”

Meng Xilan looked at him calmly: "After you succeed to the throne, there will be no place for me in this palace." I am the concubine of the first emperor, although I have not served, but I can not remarry for the rest of my life. For me, I only have two paths to take, the first is to leave the palace and become a monk, lead the practice, and always accompany the ancient Buddha of the green lantern all my life. The second way is for me to guard the imperial mausoleum, to be the companion of the dead for the rest of my life, and to live my life lifelessly. Chen'er, if you were me, how would you choose? ”

"Nonsense!" Zhou Youchen held her shoulders and pressed hard: "With me here, no one dares to embarrass you." ”

"You are the future monarch, and I am only a survivor. You can only reward me with the position of "concubine", and don't do anything for me other than that. I don't want to, and I don't need to. ”

Meng Xilan's tone was calm, her expression was gentle, and she looked a little too calm.

"Meng Xilan!" Zhou Youchen shouted her name, not caring if the palace maids outside would hear it.

"Shhhh......h

"Chen'er, to this point, you and I, we have already done what we should do. The larks in the cage, the fireflies in the house, they are the most pitiful. ”

Zhou Youchen brushed away her hand and said in a deep voice: "What about me?" You're going to leave me alone, you're going to leave me alone? ”

Meng Xilan lowered her eyes for a moment before she said, "Chen'er, I don't want to stay in the palace all the time, I'm uneasy." ”

Once for her, every second of life in this palace was torment. Now, the big thing is over, and returning here is still a torment for her.

Zhou Youchen could see the helplessness in her eyes, with some indescribable tiredness.

Zhou Youchen opened his mouth and was speechless.

The bright morning light shone on his face, allowing Meng Xilan to look more closely, he had really grown up and become an adult.

Between his eyebrows and eyes, there is no longer only stubborn childishness, but also many things that she can't understand or guess.

Zhou Youchen stopped talking, only held Meng Xilan in his arms, clamped her and said, "I won't let you go." You're going to stay with me for the rest of your life......"

Meng Xilan smiled bitterly weakly.

How long a lifetime will be and how many things will happen, no one can predict.

Meng Xilan gently patted him on the shoulder: "The time has come, we should go and see off the emperor." ”

The most important thing at the moment is not her going or staying.

The kingdom is but a day without a king.

After sending off Emperor Huiqing of Zhou Shixian, the Northern Yan Kingdom is about to usher in its new master.

Meng Xilan personally changed Zhou Youchen's clothes, and outside the bright yellow dragon robe, she also had to put on a white filial piety.

Zhou Youchen's eyes were always staring at her face, as if to tell her with his eyes that he would not let her leave.

Meng Xilan raised her head and smiled slightly, and her tone was slightly emotional: "Behave well, from now on, you will be truly free." ”

When Emperor Huiqing's coffin leaves the palace, the new emperor's enthronement ceremony will begin immediately.

Noon Gate, Taihe Palace.

Zhou Youchen led his ministers to send his father away, and then climbed to the place where tens of thousands of people watched step by step.

The thirty-fourth year of Huiqing, the first day of the sixth month.

Zhou Youchen, the king of Beiyan and the county, officially ascended the throne in Taihe Palace, and changed the name of the country to the first year of Zhen'an.

Meng Xilan followed the crowd to bow down, and the moment her forehead touched the bluestone slab, her tears almost burst out of her eyes.

In her previous life, she died tragically in prison on the day Zhou Shili succeeded to the throne, but today, she is still alive, and her family is alive and well.

So, this time she won the gamble, the gamble of everything that put her life on the line, and she finally won.

The enthronement ceremony will last for a long time, and Meng Xilan's body will be difficult to bear. So, she left early, however, she still has things she wants to do, people she wants to meet.

"Master, where are you going?" Gao Fuli couldn't help but be curious when he saw that his master did not return to Cining Palace, but went in the opposite direction.

It's the ninth master today...... No, on the emperor's big day, the master should always guard the emperor.

"Zhaohua Palace." Meng Xilan lightly spit out three words.

Gao Fuli was slightly stunned, and said busily: "Do you want to see Concubine Ning?" No, no, this is absolutely unacceptable! ”

Now it's different from the past, now Murong happened to see his master, and under the anger, he didn't know what terrible things he would do.

"Don't be afraid, you can just protect me." Meng Xilan said lightly.

There are some things that she must say to Murong Qiao in person.

In Zhaohua Palace, there are very few palace maids and eunuchs, and they are all slow to do things.

Murong Qiao was locked in a tightly sealed room, and someone brought her food and water on time every day, as well as the decoction prescribed by the Tai Hospital.

Meng Xilan walked to the door, and a limping eunuch came over to greet him: "Greetings to the master." ”

Meng Xilan was slightly surprised: "What's wrong with your leg?" ”

The eunuchs in the palace, regardless of their background, must have complete limbs and easy to move, so that they can serve their masters.

"When the slave was on an errand the year before last, he accidentally broke his leg. As a result, the treatment was not timely, so the root of the disease fell. ”

Meng Xilan sighed lightly and said, "You are also a poor person." In the past few days, how has Concubine Ning been doing? ”

"Hui Niangniang...... Slave, slave has never seen Concubine Ning, she has been locked in the house all the time, she has not spoken......"

To be honest, if it weren't for the dishes that were delivered every day that ended up empty, he couldn't help but wonder if there was no one in there at all.