Yin Siwang Mansion, four watches.

There was silence in the Ziying Pavilion, and outside Xie Tong's door, there was a slight crisp sound of "click", which was particularly harsh in the air.

Immediately, the dark door slowly opened from the outside to the inside.

A cold night breeze blew in through the door.

A black shadow flashed in the air, like a ghost.

"Who?"

The man on the couch was awakened with a shudder.

Almost at the same time, she felt a chill on her neck, and the cold light of the dagger flashed!

"Don't move!"

"You...... What are you doing? ”

The person on the couch was so frightened that his breath stopped, and he could only hear his own "thump" heartbeat.

The man in black didn't speak, and after a squirming sound, he took out a small bag from his arms, threw it on the couch with a "bang", and whispered in her ear:

"Take the money and leave tonight!"

As soon as the words fell, the door squeaked.

After a long time, Xie Tong gradually recovered from Fang Cai's fear.

Suppressing the strong fear in her heart, she trembled and groped her way out of bed by the clear light of the moon outside the small window.

Walk to the candle table and "poof" to blow a fire fold.

The candlelight rose, and in an instant, the room became bright.

She was still frightened, touched her chest with the palm of her hand, untied the small bag left by the man in black, and looked at it by the candlelight, the golden light was shining, this turned out to be a bag of gold!

These quantities are enough for ordinary families to live for decades.

The eyes that are intertwined with gloom and fear reveal doubts, hope and joy, like the northern geese in the cold winter, seeing the hope of warm spring.

The words of the man in black echoed in his ears again.

"Let's go!"

"Right...... Walk ......"

"Tong'er, your brother's future depends on you."

"You have to give birth to a good son and give birth to a child as soon as possible......"

……

But my mother's words were still in my ears.

Looking at the open door, her pupils suddenly constricted, and after a while, another thought appeared in her mind.

She touched her cheeks, straightened her clothes, sat quietly in front of the silver mirror, opened the rouge gouache, and carefully wiped it.

The candlelight beats, and the light shines outside the window.

As the movements of the hands deepened, those beautiful faces gradually emerged.

"I'm still the eldest lady of Xie Mansion!"

"Mother is still waiting for me to go back."

She muttered to herself.

Out of the garden, the door of the outer courtyard was wide open, and the housekeepers who were guarding the door on weekdays were all lying to the ground crookedly as if they were drunk.

Xie Tong stuck out his head and looked at it cautiously.

There was no one around.

Sneaking along the corner of the wall, tonight's palace seems to be extraordinarily silent, and the family members who used to stand guard seem to have disappeared out of thin air, only the faint sound of the wind comes from the ears.

"Strange ......"

She couldn't help but mumble quietly.

didn't have time to think about it, Xie Tong came all the way to Ziyang Pavilion.

On the corridor outside the pavilion, the lights were bright, and the dark chaos was condensed all around, and there were no servants in front of the door, only the two servants who had been in the night had fallen asleep soundly.

Determined, she tiptoed over and gently pushed the door.

The door was opened!

The visitor was overjoyed, and then sneaked into the room.

Through the faint moonlight, through the green gauze tent, she seemed to see the figure of Gongzi Yin Jing......

Xie Tong's heart suddenly, mixed with nervous joy, pressed down the "plop" beating heart, lightened his steps, and moved closer to the couch, nervous and excited, and the corners of his mouth were still shy.

She reached for her belt.

"Childe ......"

The person on the couch was silent, as if he was immersed in sleep.

The faint moonlight shone down from the window, and she was like a newly bloomed flower, fresh and beautiful.

She put her hand on his shoulder, and her voice was extremely soft:

"Childe ......"

When it touched his body, he felt a slight stiffness.

Seeing that no one had moved, she simply strengthened her courage, picked up the quilt, and quietly got in.

……

Deep in the Yin Palace.

The smoke and light in the Jingyu Hall are still shining, and the wind is all over the wall.

I haven't seen it for many years, and the flower-like palace people in the past are all old, and the silver candles and spring light and small fans are all scenes of the past.

Like Si'an Hall, this was originally a Buddhist hall in the palace.

Under the shrine, there is a lotus futon.

Concubine Jing knelt on it and knocked on the wooden fish reverently, and a loud "tuk-tuk" sound came from inside the hall.

"Mother, it's the third watch."

She stopped the mallet and slowly opened her eyes.

Jialan went over and carefully helped her up.

"What day is it? Hongu always remembers...... Merdi's birthday is coming? ”

A smile immediately appeared in the maid's eyes.

"Niangniang, it's only the fourth day of the fourth month of April, and the prince's birthday will be two months!"

"Oh......"

Concubine Jing hesitated for a while, muttering:

"That's going to be fast, you have to get ready."

In front of the Buddha shrine, in addition to a melon and fruit cake, there is also a strand of children's broken hair, wrapped in warm yellow silk, and placed in a gilded brocade box.

This was cut out by Concubine Jing herself when King Nan'an left the palace.

As early as the time of the first emperor, he made a decree:

All the palace people in the hall will serve all their lives, and if it is not for the will, they will not increase one person, not reduce one person, and they will not be able to come out until death.

Even when the king of Nan'an left Yin, she wanted to go to the city gate to send a send, and even three petitions, but did not get the permission of the first emperor, only embroidered the daylily pattern sachet with her own hands, and asked the eunuchs in the palace to bring it to express her longing.

She prayed in the palace day and night.

A person who is powerless can only use this way to express a mother's love.

"The Buddha will bless my Mo'er, everything is fine."

At this moment, there was silence inside and outside the Jingyu Hall.

The maidservants guarding the corridor outside the palace have already rested.

Because of the perennial disrepair, the vermilion paint on the pillars of the outer hall began to fade and peel off, and there were faint cracks on the blue bricks of the inner hall.

From the moist corners, a few crimson perilla buds smuggled out, their delicate leaves swaying in the wind.

"Spring is here again."

Concubine Jing lowered her head, as if thinking about something.

Garan brought in a basin of hot water, and after serving her to wash, he lit jasmine incense on the golden beast smoker, warmed a pot of flowers quenched with a small red clay stove, dragged it with a celadon disc, poured some hot water in the plate, and put it on the kang table.

"Niangniang, the early spring is cold, you use some first to warm up your body."

In an instant, she regained her former composure.

"Okay."

Looking at the maidservant, her eyes were full of tenderness.

"You also sit down and have two drinks together."

Listening to the master's instructions, Jialan was not restrained, and while speaking, she had already taken off her shoes and went to the couch.

Day 2.

Concubine Jing wore a hibiscus-colored brocade chrysanthemum pattern top, a palace satin plain snow silk skirt, covered with a blue satin pinched placket, a single screw bun combed on her head, and a gilt silver peacock bead flower was obliquely inserted.

Her face is beautiful and calm, and her tone of speech is full of ease.

Although he has been imprisoned in this temple for more than 20 years, he still does not lose his will, his face is soft, and his actions are elegant.

A woman in a pink palace dress pushed the door open.

She was about thirty-four or five years old, and she was serving her lunch on a tray and arranging it on a round table, her cuffs stubbling and her bright colors long gone.

Four kinds of fresh and tender vegetarian dishes, plus a small bowl of tofu soup and half a bowl of white rice, are Concubine Jing's lunch meal.

"Mother, please eat."

"Well, you go down."

After the maidservant girl left, Ziyu cautiously looked around, looking a little nervous, and then closed the door of the hall and hurriedly entered the inner hall.

She winked at Garan, approached Concubine Jing, and took out a small plate of white paper from her cuff.

"Niangniang, the prince has news!"

"What?"

"Quick! Show it to me! ”

The person on the couch changed his composure, his face was extremely moved, and Huo Ran stood up.

The concubine worshipped:

Although the son is thousands of miles away, everything is fine, I hope that the mother and concubine will not worry, and must take care of their health.

The mother's intentions, the sons have already known, and the gift list has arrived in Ba County, which is very good.

……

A thousand words, the more she looked at it, the more happy she became, she read it four or five times, it was not enough, and she put the letter paper to her chest, hugged it tightly, and her eyes overflowed with hot tears.

"Mo'er...... The children of this palace, it's really hard for you! ”

Seeing this, Ziyu comforted on the side:

"Niangniang is relieved, you will be able to meet the prince in a few days."

The concubine was uncontrollable, her face turned a thousand times, and tears rippled.

"Twenty years...... Hongu waited for him for twenty years...... Seven thousand three hundred and eight days and nights, I scratched my heart with a hundred claws, I was worried that he was young and did not know how to control himself, and I was afraid that he would go to that poor land of mountains and bad waters, and he would not adapt to the water and soil, and I was even more afraid that he would not be able to take good care of his master...... When he left, he was still so young......"

She stretched out her hand to geek, her eyes hazy with tears and her eyes sad.

The sorrow of this can be seen.

Ziyu also hid her face with grief, and choked up:

"Niangniang must calm down, this matter is not trivial, wait until the day the prince returns to the palace, Niangniang will be able to fulfill her wish, just wait patiently."

She wept silently and nodded.

"What are you doing!"

Hearing Jialan's reprimand, Concubine Jing suddenly came back to her senses as if she had been electrocuted, and stopped her tears in an instant.

She quickly took out the letter paper and burned it on the stove.

After a while, Jialan pushed the door and entered.

The maid of the first palace carried the vermilion lacquer plate for the tea and dodged behind her.

Perhaps because she was a thief, she didn't stand still, smashed the object in her hand with a "bang", knelt on the ground, trembling like chaff, and screamed straight out of her mouth.

"The concubine forgives the sins...... The concubine forgives her sins......"

The man on the couch swept his eyes down coldly.

Jialan stepped forward and explained:

"The slave maid was just waiting outside the palace, thinking that the mother talked about the pendant yesterday, so she thought about playing an auspicious Yingluo, but she didn't expect to just go out of the palace gate, and she saw this palace maid sneakily outside, and her behavior was very suspicious."

She glared at the person on the ground, her voice suddenly solemn, and she said sharply:

"Say, Who sent you?"

"No...... There is no mother, the slave is only responsible for sending tea to the palace, because she saw that the door of the palace was closed, she was afraid of startling the mother for good afternoon, so she slowed down. ”

"You fart!"

Jialan was originally straightforward, but when she saw that she was stubborn at the moment, she blurted out and cursed directly.

"...... What the slave said is true! ”

"Still lying!"

"Slaves don't dare to ......"

Concubine Jing had already understood the general situation, and said lightly:

"Jialan, who is it?"

"Back to Niangniang's words, this palace maid's name is Ripples, she is twenty-two years old, she has been in the palace for nine years, she has been serving in Yumen Xuan for three years, and then she was transferred to our palace, counting this year, a total of six years."

Jialan spoke crisply, and her words and deeds were very neat.

The superior raised his eyebrows.

"The person who asked the Queen Mother to reward you back then, is you?"

The servant girl heard the word "hidden queen" and buried her head lower.

"Hui Niangniang, it's ......"

"But the slave maid has nothing to do with Chenyang Palace!"

Concubine Jing took a sip of Baihua Quench, the aroma of her mouth and nose hit people, and she stared at the person at her feet lightly.

"Look up."

The palace maid trembled, looked flustered and nervous, her hands unconsciously shrunk, and she twisted the straps in front of her waist.

Hearing her master's words, she slowly raised her head.

I saw a goose egg face, two willow eyebrows, carefully depicted with Shi Dai, the eyebrows of the facial features were clear and beautiful, and the posture was quite light, and at first glance there was the style of a small jasper.

At that moment, she guessed seven or eight points.

"Youmei, in fact, there are three Xi."

The people of the earth did not understand, and their faces were confused.

"Twenty-two...... It's not small. ”

"You have to say it now, and this palace will exempt you from the death penalty."

"...... Mother......

When the palace maid heard the word "capital crime", she kowtowed a few more times, and her forehead was covered with blood, but she never let go.

"The slave maid has served the mother in Jingyutang for many years, and she is loyal, and there is absolutely no bad intention."

"Who are you getting?"

Jialan sneered, and revealed in a split voice:

"I started paying attention to you half a month ago, and now I've been arrested, and I still want to deny it?"

"Slave maid...... The slave is indeed loyal to the mother! ”

Seeing her stubborn resistance, Concubine Jing was already impatient, but when she changed her mind, she had a plan in mind.

"That's it! I don't blame you, what are you doing? It's a sin to get bloody......"

She clasped her hands together and chanted Amitabha.

"Ziyu, you take her to freshen up, find the golden medicine of the palace and wrap it up for her, such a handsome appearance, wouldn't it be a pity if she left a scar?"

Hearing the "scar", the maid stiffened and hurriedly thanked her.

"Niangniang's great kindness, slaves and maids are unforgettable!"

waited for people to go away, and Jialan spoke up.

"Mother, you ...... Why let her go? ”

There was a slight resentment in her tone.

"If the traitor goes to report the news, everything will be in vain, and you will be in danger......

"If she doesn't admit it, what can I do to her?"

Garan's eyes were blazing, and he gritted his thin white teeth with a fierce tone.

"Beaten, iron-scorched, burned, smothered...... I don't believe it, this's mouth is so hard? ”

Concubine Jing glanced at her and smiled.

"In this way, isn't it a surprise to the snake?"

In those fierce eyes, there was a sudden flash.

"What does Niangniang mean ...... Shall we do it? ”

The white fingertips grasped the rim of the cup and drank it down.

"The praying mantis catches the cicada, and the yellow finch is behind, why don't we make this yellow finch?"

When I looked at Jialan again, there was a lot of complexity in my eyes.

"Keep an eye on her, don't be afraid that you won't catch anyone."

"But Niangniang, in case she tells the story of today......"

"Just let her speak!"

A pair of deep eyes with a bright light flashing in their eyes.

"To prove the innocence of this palace, this is an excellent witness!"

Hearing this, Jialan's solemn expression finally relaxed.

"The slave and maid understand."

Suddenly, the room was calm again.

"Today's flowers are good, the entrance is fragrant and sweet, the mouth is fragrant, and the aftertaste is endless for a long time."

"Niangniang is delicious, this is brewed in the spring of the previous year, buried in our yard, the flowers bloomed the best that year, the bees flew and butterflies danced, it was very lively, the slave maid was happy, so she picked it back and made wine, but it was a pity that it was ......"

Fang Cai's smiling appearance suddenly dimmed.

"What a pity?"

"It's a pity...... There are only twenty-six kinds of flowers in our garden. ”

Garan's expression was gloomy, and his tone was full of hope and persistence.

"If you can get out that day, the slave and maid will definitely collect all these flowers and brew a veritable pot of flowers!"

"Yes."

The sunlight shines in through the window lattice, gilding the hall with a layer of rippling golden light, eliminating the emptiness and coldness of the Qing Palace.

Concubine Jing picked up the foundation white porcelain wine jug and poured the wine for herself, cup after glass, seemingly a thousand glasses without getting drunk.

The flush on his face couldn't tell whether it was light or drunkenness.

"Mother, settle down."

Jade came in to report.

"Can you hide the wound on your forehead?"

"With the ointment given by the mother, it is estimated that it will be fine tomorrow."

The corners of the mouth were rippling with a gentle smile.

"Look at it tightly these two days, let's have a decisive victory and cast a net to catch big fish. I'd like to see whose fish this is......"

"The master is a good plan!"

Master and slave, respect and humility......

Freedom and survival, happiness and tranquility...... Under a common obsession, they are tied together.

"Actually...... What's wrong with this girl? ”

The concubine only felt that there was a sudden situation in front of her.

"It's a pity that you're in the way of the main palace!"

Ziyu listened to it on the side, but her heart was very flat.

"People go to high places, and water flows low places. Man's desires are endless, those who are imprisoned want to be free, slaves and maids want to be masters, and masters want higher positions...... There is no piece of comfort, as long as you have a little qualification, you will always want to be higher, so that you can eliminate dissidents, it is difficult for strong people, and live in the shadow of harm all day long, what can you get? ”

"But this world has always been like this."

She couldn't help but turn her head and saw Jialan's eyes sonorous and her expression was excited.

"The fault lies with people, not with things."

"Sister Jialan...... That's right. ”

When Ziyu said this, her tone was slightly hesitant.

Looking at the personalities of these two people, they both live very transparently, and Concubine Jing appreciates it very much.

"I didn't expect you to have such an insight."

She quipped, a smile on her face.

"It's just that this mouth is getting more and more fierce, and in a few years, I'm afraid this palace won't be able to say anything about you."

Realizing the gaffe, the two looked at each other and stuck out their tongues in disdain.

Thinking of the maidservant girl who had been placed, the concubine fell into deep thought.

After a long time, she asked slowly.

"You ...... Regret it? ”

Both of them were stunned.

"What do you mean?"

"After so many years, I have been buried with this palace...... This small square sky, one level is a lifetime. ”

"The slave has never regretted it!"

Jialan blurted out without hesitation, and when she looked at Ziyu, the corners of her eyes were a little moist.

Concubine Jing quietly took their hands.

"Don't worry, one day, this palace will let you out!"

"Mother's ......"

"There are many people in the palace, just look at this simple Buddhist hall, twenty years old, but there are still people who are not at ease, let's be careful, just in case...... Woe comes from the mouth. ”

"The mother taught me, and the slaves and maids remembered."

"Come, go order some side dishes, you two sit down too, let's have a few drinks together!"

She was genuinely happy to read the letter.

In the exhibition of her face, the concubine, who is usually dignified and dignified, actually showed a heroic spirit.

Half-drunk and dazed, she seemed to be back in the past.

Under the smoke willow spring, a familiar man approached her.

"Bold! I'm only the princess of the beam! ”

He looked at her with a smirk, his eyes full of starlight.

"Well, I'm the prince."

The corners of the drunken mouth slowly showed a smile.

Jialan found a thin jacket and covered it for the master.

"Mother, sleep well, be careful of catching a cold."

The smile on the corner of his mouth deepened, immersed in a sweet dream, and he didn't want to wake up for a long time.