Dinner was not delivered, and there were two people sitting in the pavilion, Xie Ning and the emperor.

Frogs can be heard near the water. On summer evenings, people are a little out of breath when the weather is stuffy, and the sound of frogs is loud and sound.

The mood is different, and the feeling of listening to this frog chirping is completely different. When I first entered the palace, I lived in the Yeting Palace, and there was a pond nearby, and you could hear the frogs chirping at dusk. At that time, she was sad and uneasy, she didn't even have a person to talk to, everything outside her body was unfamiliar, and the more she listened to the frog's song, the more panicked she became.

I was especially afraid of the dark at that time. During the day, it was fine, people came and went in the yard, and someone was talking. But at night, she was too afraid to blow out the lights, and always felt that it was a completely strange and dangerous world outside.

"What are you thinking?"

Shainin instinctively avoided the topic of frog chirping, and only said, "It's going to rain." ”

As if to set off these words, the muffled thunder rolled over the lake, and the heavy rain that had been brewing all afternoon finally fell.

From the first sound of thunder, the croaking of frogs was as if it had been promised, and it was all still for a while.

The emperor took her by his side and asked softly, "What incense do you smoke on you?" ”

Xie Ning shook his head: "No, the concubine doesn't like incense." ”

Especially on such a hot summer, she was impatient to smell all kinds of different aromas. No matter what kind of incense it is, it is always made after various processes, steaming, frying, broiling, cannoning, and baking. Fortunately in other seasons, people are already irritable in summer, and no matter what incense, they can smell a murderous smell of fireworks.

She said: "The smell of lake water and rain makes people feel cool and quiet when they smell it. ”

There is also the fragrance of lotus leaves and lotus flowers, and the smell of the wood that has been precipitated by the centuries in the pavilion.

The rain began to fall heavily, thunder rumbled, and electric light churned among the clouds. The emperor was very leisurely and interesting, and stood by the window with her to watch. The color of the electric light is different, blue and white, purple and blue, and the electric light is like a crack in the sky.

"As long as it rains for a full hour, the lake will rise and overflow the Jiuqu Bridge." The emperor pointed to the long bridge that crossed the lake, smiled and said, "When I was still young, I was greedy for fun, and I was afraid that I would miss the time to study, so I wanted to cross this bridge and take a shortcut. Only here did I see the water overflowing the bridge, almost a foot above the deck. ”

Shainin could imagine that.

The curved bridge deck is low, and the lake outside looks like it is about to rise.

"Then what did the emperor do at that time?"

The emperor smiled: "It's too late to make a detour, and you will definitely be caught by the Taifu." I took off my shoes and socks, rolled up my pants, and ran over the bridge. ”

Xie Ning almost didn't laugh out loud, and quickly lowered his head, but he still couldn't help it.

Think about what the emperor was like at that time, barefoot and rolled up his trouser legs, running on the bridge like a monkey.

"Don't worry, just laugh if you want, I want to laugh now when I think about it." He said: "After crossing the bridge, I wiped my feet indiscriminately, put on my shoes and socks and walked quickly, and I really caught up with the door where the Taifu entered with his front and back feet." ”

Xie Ning didn't know how to evaluate the emperor's past, so he could only say vaguely: "Dinner is here." ”

The dinner was tightly guarded, and there was no rain at all, but most of the eunuchs who delivered the meal were wet.

She asked for winter melon soup by name in a copper soup pot, and the clear soup, uncovered the lid, and the tangy fragrance of winter melon spread in the pavilion.

The eunuch who served the meal served the soup for the emperor first, and then it was her turn.

The soup is delicious, the winter melon is sweet, the shellfish is extremely fresh, and the salty and fragrant ham is really a soup that the gods don't want to make.

The braised bamboo shoots are also refreshing to eat, crispy, and a little creaky when you bite into it, and every bite is doubly rewarding.

The dishes in front of the emperor are richer, but people often think that the rice in other people's bowls is more fragrant, this stewed bamboo shoots in oil Xie Ning didn't eat a few bites, and the plate was not big, but it all went into the emperor's stomach. The same is true for winter melon soup, Xie Ning scooped a few spoonfuls of soup and ate it with rice, the emperor has never seen this way of eating. It's not that there are no rules, but whether he gives food to his courtiers or eats with the women of the harem, no one has ever treated food as food, and if he eats seriously, he eats solidly, it is all for show, and it is empty.

He also learned from her, scooped the soup into the rice and mixed it, and the bowl of rice was all eaten in a few bites.

"The concubine used to eat like this when she was at home." After eating, Shainin explained a little embarrassedly: "It's delicious." ”

"It's very fragrant." The emperor asked her: "Don't you eat like this after entering the palace?" ”

"I've eaten like this a few times, but the palace maids around me can't see it, and they always persuade them to stop it, saying that eating like this is too fatty, and when I turn around and eat fat, I have a small belly, and I shouldn't look good in clothes."

The emperor was really speechless.

Xie Cairen frankly called him, and he felt that no matter what he said, it was not appropriate.

In front of him, others always perform desperately, striving for perfection in every move, word and deed, and making people impeccable.

Does Xie Cairen not understand, or does he not know?

The emperor knows it.

She knew, and she would, but she wouldn't do that. Like marionettes, like everyone else.

She made him feel novel, because she was so open.

Even the tastes of the two people are very close, and the dishes she ordered have fulfilled him several times. As the emperor, of course, he can't show his greedy appetite, and the people around him don't dare to make decisions without permission. I dined with her several times, but I ate it all to my heart.

The rain outside was even tighter, and Xie Ning looked at the boundless rain curtain, his stomach was full, but his thoughts flew away.

I don't know how to go back later? Anxi Pavilion is obviously not a place where you can spend the night, but with such heavy rain, it is useless to hold an umbrella.

Let's hope the rain stops sooner.

After dinner, the rain did not stop, and the emperor did not seem to be in a hurry to leave, and asked her with a smile if she wanted to listen to the song to relieve her boredom.

"A few days ago, the Teaching Workshop Division rehearsed a new song, and the pipa and flute are good."

Xie Ning asked with some confusion: "Can I listen to music on a rainy day?" The concubine heard that on a rainy day, whether it was the strings or the pipes, they were damp and astringent, and they would go out of tune. ”

"Don't worry about that."

Xie Ning is also very obedient, since the emperor said that there is no need to worry about it, then she really doesn't have to worry about it.

The musician came in the rain, and the musician holding the pipa was dressed in a red soft silk dress, and his eyes were full of sorrow on a rainy night. The flute player, a tall, thin man, followed her.

Xie Ning sat next to the emperor and listened to the musicians tune the strings a few times, and the sound was like dew dripping from the flowers and leaves in the morning, and the timbre was clean and transparent.