The waterfront pagoda is still the same as every day in the past, with a touch of sandalwood in the quiet.

After I visited the Queen Mother and became familiar with the people here, I found out that she was also the person I saw talking to Mama Qian in the cold palace that time. However, she didn't know that I had seen her in such a scene, but I came to the Linshui Stupa a few times, and I had a very close relationship with the Queen Mother, and her attitude towards me was very amiable.

"Please, the Queen Mother, her old man talked to you a few times ago."

"Thank you, Mama."

I bowed my head to her and entered the stupa. The light was not too bright, but the candles burning in front of the shrine illuminated the people I longed to meet. The Queen Mother was sitting there chanting Buddha, and the flickering candle flame sprinkled a layer of orange light on her pale face, which made her calm and indifferent expression have a touch of warmth. I was about to go over to salute, but the Queen Mother didn't open her eyes, and only said lightly: "Come here, don't want that set of false courtesies." ”

"Empress Dowager Xie."

I still gave her a slight blessing, and then carefully sat down to her hand, and the Queen Mother finished reciting the scriptures, then slowly opened her eyes, glanced at me, and said, "Today's face is not very good." ”

"The concubine is fine, Empress Dowager Xie remembers."

The corners of her lips hooked, and she said lightly: "I heard that the emperor left from Fangcaotang this morning and did not go to the morning court." The queen called you to Jingren Palace for questioning, didn't she? ”

My face turned pale again.

"Wronged?"

I shook my head: "What the queen said is right, and the concubine received it." ”

"And what's wrong with you?"

"Concubine ......"

I opened my mouth involuntarily, but when I really opened my mouth, I didn't know how to say it - what kind of person Chang Qing is, I have never seen through it, but at least now, I don't feel any hostility from her, she is in charge of this harem from above, and her words and deeds are the demeanor of the mother's world, and I can't find the slightest fault.

What really unnerves me is Shen Rou.

Today, she didn't say a word, this is not like her style in the past, and since Xu Cairen left Fangcaotang, she seems to have forgotten about my personal savings, I haven't had any problems with my diet, and no one has ever come to trouble me.

But the more this happened, the more uneasy my heart became.

She and I already knew about the horseshoe cake before, and her methods could be seen, but I couldn't imagine why she suddenly seemed to no longer care about me and Xu Cairen's children.

Is she real, let go?

Or is this qiē calm just an illusion on a turbulent undercurrent?

The Queen Mother looked at me, was silent for a while, and suddenly said: "Yue Cairen, do you know why people who believe in Buddhism have to recite Amitabha? ”

I was stunned for a moment, wondering why she suddenly asked this.

Or said honestly: "Amitabha Buddha is one of the three holy Buddhas in the West, when he became a Buddha, he made forty-eight vows, one of which is 'Whoever hears my name, concentrates on reciting my pure land, and plants a qiē good root', so people recite his name, because the person who recites the Buddha has a light to shine on the body, and no evil ghost can harm him." ”

The Queen Mother smiled faintly: "In the end, it is a person who has read a book, and he can't pass the test." ”

At this point, I suddenly paused, and the deep voice seemed to sound in my ears again—"I will protect you, and the child." ”

The Queen Mother said slowly: "In life, it is inevitable that you will encounter evil ghosts and Yakshas, it doesn't matter if you meet them, what matters is whether you have your own Amitabha Buddha." ”

I said, "What does the Queen Mother mean is that the emperor is the concubine of Amitabha? ”

"Whoever can protect you is your Amitabha."

For some reason, when I heard this, my heart stabbed violently.

The emperor is the Amitabha Buddha of the women in the palace and the belief of all women.

However, there are so many women in the palace, only he is Amitabha, and he has too many believers.

I still remember that the first time he said he wanted to protect me was in the Taishi's Mansion, but that night, he was holding another woman in his arms who was more important than his life.

Thinking of this, I smiled bitterly.

The Queen Mother kept looking at me, and when I smiled bitterly, her eyes were a little trance-like, as if through my body, I saw a long distance, I don't know who was on someone's body, and then said slowly: "You always remind the mourning family of a person." ”

I was stunned: "What person?" ”

"A person who annoys the mourners." The Queen Mother's always cold face showed a rare sneer, and said: "She has received the most favors, but she always looks dissatisfied, which makes people hate it when they look at it." ”

I immediately realized that she was talking about Empress Zhaolie.

The Queen Mother has been cultivating in the pagoda for so many years, and I thought that she had long forgotten her earthly love and hatred, but in these days of getting along, I can always feel her dissatisfaction with Queen Zhaolie, and even hatred, from her faint words.

But I don't know what kind of past can make her so severed from the world, and she can't let go of that kind of hatred.

However, if it is said that Empress Zhaolie has been favored by the Emperor Taishang, but as she said, she is always not satisfied, I don't know what the reason will be, but for me-

I said softly: "If a person drinks water, he knows his own warmth and coldness." ”

"If a person drinks water, he knows whether he is warm or cold?" The Queen Mother muttered these eight words, and the person was also in a trance, and said: "Yes, some sufferings are unspeakable......

I sat there quietly, thinking for a long time, and the Queen Mother didn't say anything more, and kept reciting her Amitabha Buddha in front of the Buddha shrine, until it was almost time for lunch, and I got up to say goodbye.

When I walked out of the pagoda, I suddenly remembered something, turned around and said, "Queen Mother." ”

"Huh?"

"Emperor Taishang, is he your Amitabha?"

The figure sitting quietly with its back to me suddenly shuddered, and I didn't see her expression, but after a long silence, I heard her calm voice say, "He's my evil ghost Yaksha." ”

I froze.

The door of the pagoda slowly closed in front of me, and the last rays of sunlight shone on the queen mother's body, slowly disappearing......

Maybe it was my watch that night that made Pei Yuanhao unhappy, and he didn't come to me for the next few days.

They were also anxious about the water show, but they had no choice, so they could only hear from the outside every day that the emperor was in the imperial study every night to review and read the folds, but he rarely summoned the concubines to sleep, and this cold atmosphere was even colder in winter.

The eaves were already covered with ice edges, and the heavy snow had dyed the entire imperial city white.

It's the New Year.

Although the earth is snow-white, the imperial city is very lively, the fiery red lanterns have already been hung under the eaves, the red pillars are painted red and shiny, and even the palace ladies have made new clothes, all of them are full of joy.

The eunuchs in charge of internal affairs have already sent charcoal fires for winter to the palaces, and this year, because it is the first year of the new emperor's accession to the throne, the palaces have also sent a lot of flowers and fruits, and they have been piled up when they are sent. ”

The little eunuchs smiled and said, "It's a waste of money to enjoy wine and eat." ”

I smiled, but saw a rattan basket on the side, and asked, "What's that?" ”

"It's fireworks."

One of the little eunuchs said: "These are all specially purchased from all over the country by the maiden family of the concubine Niangniang, which is different from the usual purchase over there, let's secretly put a few, the tricks are beautiful, do you want to take a look?" ”

I laughed and said, "What kind of fireworks are you setting off in broad daylight?" ”

They also smiled and said yes, kowtowed to me, and they all ran away, but the water show and Xiaoyutu were fresh, begged me for a long time, I could only promise them to put a few to see, and the two of them happily took a few to the corner of the wall to ignite, and suddenly the colorful flowers bloomed in front of them, such as peonies blooming, and turned into falling snow, it was really beautiful.

I stood under the eaves and watched the fireworks, but somehow remembered a year ago.

At this time a year ago, we were still in Yangzhou, but half of the city was lonely, half of the city was noisy, and the man who was obviously infected with a vicious disease and was about to come to the end of his life brought the most beautiful scenery to Yangzhou, which was a dead city.

Huang Tianba...... Where is he now?

I don't know what I said to Pei Yuanhao that day, how much he listened, or did I just hurt the thorn he stuck in his heart?

I was thinking about it alone, and I heard Mama Wu pointing at Shui Xiu and the two of them scolding: "Two little hooves, what kind of fireworks are you putting in broad daylight, ouch, it smells so big, it's choking to death, don't hurry up and clean it up!" ”

Shui Xiu and they were scolded, sticking out their tongues, the two of them were still smiling, Wu Mama came over helplessly, and said: "Cairen, let's go back to the house, it's cold outside, and the smell of fireworks is too choking." ”

"Hmm."

I nodded, turned and went back to the house.

However, this smell of sulfur did not dissipate, but slowly spread in the imperial city, after all, it is the New Year, everyone likes to set off fireworks, often in the evening you can see the people of the palace lit in the courtyard, attracting a night of fire trees and silver flowers, Yu Gonggong also took people to say a few times, but in the end it is the New Year.

In a blink of an eye, it was Chinese New Year's Eve.

On this day, the palace specially invited the opera troupe from the south, and set up a stage in the warm incense pavilion at night, and the concubines of each palace had to go, although I usually saved the greeting ceremony, but I must go at this time, but these days my spirit is a little poor, and my body is not comfortable, and I have been sleeping until I get up after Shen Shi in the afternoon.

Shui Xiu and they served me to dress well, and deliberately swept the moth eyebrows and painted some makeup, but seeing that I still looked sluggish, Mama Wu was also a little worried: "What's wrong with the talent?" It's been saying it's uncomfortable for the past few days. ”

"I don't know." I frowned slightly and slowly sat down on the couch: "It's just that I'm not in good spirits." ”

"Do you want to find a doctor to take a look?"