Between the vast sea of ​​clouds

She had a dream.

It was late autumn, and the cool breeze was blowing. In the evening, the sweet-scented osmanthus flowers fell on the palace road, covering a layer of golden yellow. She stretched out her hand to hold a heavy flower branch, and her fingers were also stained with the fragrance of osmanthus.Just divide the flowers and brush the leaves like this, it seems to have gone for a long time, but it seems that it has only passed for a moment.Her hair was covered with tiny sweet-scented osmanthus flowers, and she walked towards the depths of the flowers in a daze.Finally, under an osmanthus tree, she saw a person sitting, the setting sun fell at the person's feet, and the outline of her side face was clearly outlined by the afterglow, exactly the same as in her memory.

Seemingly aware of someone approaching, that person turned his head and smiled at her in the evening wind.

This smile is more moving than a tree full of flowers, so she fell drunk in this smile, her heart swayed, as if drinking osmanthus wine, she walked towards that person in a buoyant way.

Chu Jun woke up from his sleep, his head was a little heavy.Last night was the Mid-Autumn Festival, which was also her birthday. During the banquet, the minister toasted and had to drink a few more glasses.She remembered that it was the new tribute fruit wine from Chenzhou, it had great stamina, many people were drunk during the banquet, even she was not spared, after withdrawing the banquet and returning to the palace, she fell into a drowsy sleep.

The long bells echoed in the palace, and the morning sun poured down the full steps from the front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony like water. Shun Chujun dressed up under the service of the palace staff, and went to the Zichen Hall for the morning court.

Walking to the Changqing Palace, the air was filled with the faint fragrance of flowers, Chu Jun lost his mind for a moment, she got down from the shaft, stretched out her hands to pick up the hanging flower branches, her eyes fell on the long palace road, and saw that both sides of the palace road were full of flowers. Osmanthus fragrans, when the wind blows gently, they fall like golden rain, covering the entire palace road.

In a trance, she remembered everything she dreamed about last night.

In the fourth year of Guangxi, six years have passed since the imperial court implemented the new law in Chenzhou. Later, Enke was widely promoted, and the rule that for generations of civilians requiring the recommendation of family members or officials was abolished.In the name of the vastness of the six prefectures and the fact that the remote people did not know the majesty of the emperor, the emperor divided up the feudal titles, and distributed some of the vassal kings gathered in the two counties of Chenzhou to other prefectures; In order to serve, all the sons and daughters of the vassal kings who asked Chenghui Mansion to be appointed must go to Beijing to study.The power of the vassal king is not as good as before. Knowing that the emperor wants to take the daughter as a hostage, he has no choice but to follow the order, bid farewell to his beloved daughter with tears, and send him to Beijing.

On this day, Chu Jun went to court and asked the empress dowager about her homework in Chonghua Palace.The princess was only eight years old, wearing a king's suit decorated with vermilion birds, and a golden crown on her head. She sat on a chair, stretched her head with some difficulty, and sat upright as her master usually taught her.Chu Jun only saw this little person with a straight face, trying to imitate the appearance of adults, but his buttocks were wriggling. He felt a little amused, and quietly walked over and sat down beside her.The princess was caught off guard and was taken aback. She slid down from the chair and saluted Chu Jun: "My son, see the mother!"

The child's voice was very clear, but today the princess's pronunciation was a bit strange, Chu Jun asked her to get up, "Chu Ze, what's wrong with your mouth?"

The prince said: "My son lost three teeth, and his speech is not smooth. It will be fine when it grows out in the future." As she spoke, the prince put her on Chu Jun's lap, opened her mouth to her, and motioned her to look at herself. Chu Jun counted the missing teeth, and said with a sigh: "Three teeth have fallen out, no wonder you lost your voice when you spoke just now."

The princess didn't mean to be shy at all, she nodded generously and said: "It's common sense for hair and teeth to fall out, and there is nothing I can do about it."

Chu Jun patted her on the head, the princess climbed up to the chair and sat upright, Chu Jun looked at her dangling calves, suppressed a smile and asked: "What have you learned recently, tell me to listen to it."

The princess said: "I learned a new poem today, and my son really likes the line 'The land is far away from the ancient city, and the moon is bright and the cold wave is wide'."

Chu Jun found it very interesting, and then asked, "Why do you like this sentence?"

The princess replied solemnly: "Because when I read it, I seem to have really seen the scenery written in the poem. The world is vast, the moon is bright and the moon is cold, and the river is long and the tide ebbs and flows."

Chu Jun smiled and said nothing, Chu Ze was the late emperor's posthumous son, so he and she should be sisters.Although it was the aristocratic family who made a hindrance at the beginning, she also made the mistake of raising her younger sister as a daughter.Although Chu Ze is only eight years old, he has already shown his own character.The academician of the Hanlin Academy who lectured for her has said more than once that Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has long been wise and thoughtful, and when encountering the words of Chen Jiao in the book, she can always find its disadvantages and argue, very assertive.

Just like now, it was clearly Chu Jun who was testing her, but the princess opened her eyes and asked, "Which line in this poem does the empress like?"

Chu Jun said slowly: "If you don't finish reciting it, how will I know how many sentences there are?"

How could she not know this poem, saying this was just to tease the child, but the princess thought it was very reasonable, so she recited the poem aloud.The clear and bright child's voice echoed in the hall, and when the princess finished reciting, she saw her mother sitting there in a daze, as if she had fallen into deep thought.The princess was very sensible, she sat quietly and waited.

"Where to send lovesickness, the south wind blows five taels."

The immature voice of the child gradually faded away, and what appeared before Chu Jun's eyes was a scene from many years ago.It seems that she once asked someone this way, and that person said that she liked the last two lines of this poem.

She asked why, and the man said, there are no long-lasting things in the world, but only lovesickness is the most long-lasting love.I just don't know, would she still say that now?

After all, the princess is a child at heart. Seeing her silent for so long, she also felt a little scared. She forgot the teacher's instructions for a while, and stretched out her hand to tug at Chu Jun's robe.

Chu Jun came back to his senses, saw her looking at him timidly, touched her face, and said gently: "I just thought about it for a while. Chu Ze, your master taught you very well, and you are also very good at learning." good."

Children are the most sensitive, and the empress felt that her tone of voice was different from usual, and she was extraordinarily gentle, so she boldly climbed on the handrail and looked at her face.Seeing this, the Empress Dowager flipped the chair over with a bang, the chair was pressed on her back, her limbs kept pinching, and she lay on the ground like a turtle.Chu Jun didn't know whether to laugh or cry, he hurriedly pulled her up, and called the palace servants to come in to serve her.

The princess was a little dazed when she was taken down to change clothes. Just now, she saw an expression on her mother's face that she had never seen before, which made her very puzzled, so that the palace people thought she was frightened, and it was Doctor Zhao again. , I went to invite the master who taught the empress on weekdays again, and I was so busy.

She still remembered this incident many years later, not to say how embarrassing it was to fall from a chair, but since then, she has never seen her mother show that kind of expression, her eyes are gentle and sad, like a gentle and deep Undercurrents, no one knows what is hidden underneath.

In the tenth year of Guangxi, Xia.

Thunder and lightning, heavy rain.The wind carried the water vapor and drove straight in, blowing the light gauze in the hall up and down, and there was still a faint fragrance.That was a few days ago, in order to avoid the scorching heat and dispel the heat, the palace people lit cold sandalwood to calm their minds.The smell of this incense lingers in the palace for a long time, and it seems to have become a part of the palace.

There was no need to go to court that day, and there were not many papers. After the approval, Chu Jun went to Chonghua Palace to see the princess as usual, but stayed here for a few moments longer because of the increasing rain.The princess is 14 years old and entered the court early last year to listen to politics.In recent years, with the promotion of the new law, many long-standing malpractices have gradually revealed their disadvantages. From the law to the criminal law, they have to be revised and perfected. power.

The court meeting can often be dragged on from morning to noon. During this period, as long as the emperor does not speak, no one can leave.Fortunately, the princess is still very interested in government affairs, and it is also a pleasure to watch the ministers blushing arbitrarily.After a year, he became more stable, lost his childishness, and became a bit like an adult.

So when the princess came to her in a panic to plead guilty, Chu Jun was a little surprised and asked, "What happened?"

The princess hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice: "It has been raining continuously for days, and the servants from the son-in-law's palace came to report that the Xuanquan Palace has been in disrepair for a long time, and there are some leaks."

Chu Jun said: "This is a matter in your palace, you don't need to ask me, you can make up your own mind."

The princess nodded hesitantly, but she was obviously relieved, and continued: "I just heard from the palace people that the Xuanquan Palace was a bit unknown, so it was sealed. Is there something wrong with my son's move?"

It turned out to be this matter, Chu Jun said indifferently: "The place is just a little bit off, there are no details, I lived there for a few days before, and the scenery is pretty good."

The crown daughter's eyeballs were about to fall out, and she rushed to her side and asked, "Really, the empress still lived there?"

Chu Jun tapped her on the forehead with the booklet, and said, "What are you doing lying to you? Anyway, I'm free today, so I'll take you to have a look."

The princess happily followed her, Chu Jun ordered someone to open the Xuanquan Hall, and seeing that there were still wet marks on the repaired wall, he immediately understood what was going on.It must be that the princess was halfway through her cultivation, and she had to stop halfway when she heard about all kinds of ominous things in the palace. However, it has been raining heavily for the past few days, and water has leaked in again.

She didn't say anything, but the princess herself felt guilty and restrained herself a little.Chu Jun led her to the study room, the princess looked up and saw that it was true, she felt a little relieved at the moment.The two went up to the second floor, Chu Jun opened the door of the hall, and the wind rushed in, sweeping away the stale air accumulated in the hall, the princess approached, and found that there was a platform outside, not far from the railing A water dragon roared down, and looking into the distance, Chang'an City was hidden behind this hazy rain, appearing and disappearing from time to time.

"There is no unknown thing in this world. The reason why it is unknown is that the people who use it are not righteous, and they have come to a dead end." Chu Jun rolled up his sleeves and said, "Chu Ze, what do you think?"

It was at this time that the granddaughter's intelligence was revealed, and she replied: "I feel that the Queen Mother is not only talking about the Xuanquan Palace, but also about the way of employing people."

Chu Jun said: "Go ahead."

The princess said: "It is said that the courtiers have a distinction between clear and turbid, but how to distinguish between clear and turbid, I feel that they may not be able to explain clearly, it all depends on how the emperor controls it. That's right, there are a hundred kinds of people, all determined by the heart. Whatever you use, you can't just look at one side."

Chu Jun was very surprised, nodded and said: "Yes, it seems that the one-year listening to the government has not been in vain, after all, there is still some progress."

Seeing that she stopped talking, the princess just watched the wind and rain outside the palace.He saluted silently and went downstairs quietly.

Standing on the edge of the table, Chu Jun was aroused by the long-lasting scenery.She couldn't help but think of the question that had puzzled her for a long time and had no answer until now.For this problem, she has come to Xuanquan Palace no less than dozens of times, stood here and looked into the distance, and over time, even this scene was remembered in her heart.

At that time, Qingping was standing here, what was he thinking?

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but think of the past.For decades, she didn't let herself think about her, but she always inadvertently remembered the past.She seemed to understand why Qingping left, but it was too late to say anything at this time.Time has wiped away those suspicions and guards in memory, leaving only thoughts.But this longing can only be buried in the bottom of my heart.She had nothing to say, and nothing to say.

When she left Xuanquan Palace, the rain had passed, and Chu Jun didn't think about those things any more. She returned to Qinzheng Palace, had nothing to do, and picked up a few notebooks to read.

The sound of painting drums is faint and dawn, and time only makes people grow old.Day after day passes, flowers bloom and fall, and the cycle repeats itself.The country is prosperous and the people are safe, and there is gradually a prospect of peace and prosperity.

However, life is like a dream, for joy geometry.As the days passed, Chu Jun gradually became confused, and the hidden doubts in his heart became more and more intense.

What is this life for.

Guangxi 12 years, Yunzhou.

It was almost winter, and the schoolchildren came back from collecting firewood. According to their parents' instructions, they specially put a few bundles in front of the husband's house and leaned against the wall.However, all of a sudden, they became more playful, each to see whose bundle of firewood was strong and could be stacked high.Just when the game was on the rise, the door suddenly opened, and someone said: "Who am I, it turned out to be you guys. What are you doing, huh?"

Seeing that they were broken, the children could only line up obediently in front of the husband, looking down at the shoes, not daring to speak.

Qingping glanced at the tall woodpile and knew what was going on, although he had told the villagers earlier in the morning that the school was built with money from the imperial court and there was no need to pay any repairs.Even so, on weekdays, some villagers often send home-grown fruits and vegetables, and leave them at the door.Before winter, the children were also asked to bring some firewood, which was chopped and bundled, and piled up outside the wall.

After all, this is the kindness of the people in the village, and Qingping couldn't bear to refuse it too obviously.But she also has her own way, taking the paper and pens that have been prepared from the house, and distributing them to each person.

Qing Ping said: "It's all over, go home early, don't let your parents worry about you."

The children scattered and ran away quickly. Qingping could still hear laughter from outside through the door. She swept the yard and moved a table out. While it was still daylight, Sit in the yard and read a book.

Suddenly a gust of wind blew up, Qingping gathered her collar, feeling a bit chilly, she looked up at the sky, dense clouds were surging.Thinking about the month, I think it's going to start snowing.Thinking of this, she immediately moved the table in, and began to put all the things in the yard into the small room.This yard is really too big for one person to live in. The people who sold this yard at the beginning also said that it was prepared for their daughter to get married. Because of this reason, there are many acacia flowers painted on the corners of the beams, pillars and eaves of the house, which looks very lively.

Qingping has lived in this courtyard for less than a year. Before that, she had been living in Anping County, often commuting between Erlan grassland and the ancient city.Decades of time have passed away quietly between dry and prosperous, and the joys and sorrows in the world have been staged for several rounds.However, the landscape of the world has not changed at all, and has remained silent in the years.Compared with this world, human beings are really too small.

Four years ago, the imperial court set up free schools in various counties and counties. She went to apply for the job, but she was actually hired, and she has lived in free schools ever since.It's just that the place is really small, but it's okay to live in for a few years, and finally found a nice small courtyard in a nearby village, so I changed the place.

It was already dark after packing up, and because she had to go to free school tomorrow, she turned off the lights and went to bed early.Maybe it's because I took a second look at the screen with peach blossoms before going to bed. In my dream this night, there were also bright and bright flowers and trees covering the sky like clouds.There was a person standing vaguely on the branch of flowers, looking at her from a distance in the rain of fallen flowers, for some reason, she dared not move in her dream, lest that person would disappear with the falling peach blossoms.

The next day she woke up with a knock on the door, dazed for a while, then hurriedly put on her clothes and went out to open the door. As expected, the outside was already covered in silver and plain white.Qingping opened the door and saw that it was Wang Jiaoyu who was teaching in the free school together. Wang Jiaoyu saw her and said: "Qingping, I'm sorry, it's really a big deal to wake you up so early."

As she spoke, she took out a white cloth from her bosom, handed it to Qingping, choked up and said, "I don't have to go to school for ten days..."

Qingping took the white cloth in her hand, saw that the first and last two sections of the cloth were marked with a black dot, he suddenly reacted, and murmured: "You mean..." There was still a bit of luck in her heart, her heart was beating violently That's the only thought.But Wang Jiaoyu nodded, and said sadly: "Your Majesty... the funeral is over!"

Qingping didn't know how she finished speaking with Wang Jiaoyu, she wrapped the cloth strips around her hands and almost fell into the snow.Her eyes touched the plain white snow in the courtyard, but she felt that the color was particularly dazzling, and her heart constricted, and her heart ached.

Lying on the bed in such a drowsy state, she still felt a little unreal, and turned the cloth in her hand over and over again.But the cloth strip is a dead thing after all, and she can't speak. She thought she would cry bitterly, but she didn't have a single tear. .

She recalled the dream last night, she turned over and sat up on the bed, could it be that the man had fallen into a dream and came to say goodbye to her, why didn't she take a step forward to speak to her?She had never felt such regret in her heart, and she had to repeatedly criticize even the illusory dreams, and the panic in her heart sank like quicksand, getting deeper and deeper.It made it difficult for her to even breathe. It turns out that in this life, she really will never have the chance to see each other again.

No matter how many complaints she had in her heart, they have gradually faded away after a long time of training, and at this moment, she has only one wish in her heart, which is to be able to look at her again.

Even if it's just looking at each other across the coffin, watching her enter the mausoleum.

She closed her eyes with this thought in her mind, and she seemed to be asleep again until it was dark. She had a faint thought in her heart, if she could sleep like this all the time, and never wake up, it would be great.

Seemingly hearing knocking on the door again, Qingping got out of bed with his head supported, and went out in only his unlined clothes.It was snowing heavily outside the house, and she didn't feel too cold. When she opened her mouth, she realized that her voice was already hoarse, and she opened her mouth to ask, "Who is it?"

The snow stopped suddenly, and even the wind stopped. She almost thought she was dreaming.But seeing the moonlight lightly falling on the snow, the yard was reflected brightly, and the snow was like silver powder, refracting tiny fragments of light in the clear light.Standing in front of the door, she felt that she should be in a dream.She put her hand on the door latch, and asked again after a while: "Who is it?"

The knocking stopped abruptly.

"Is it you?" Qingping said softly, she put her hand on the door, but did not open the door.She was afraid that after opening the door, the souls of the dead who visited at night outside the door would dissipate in an instant.

But if we can meet each other in this dream, even through the door, it will have fulfilled the last wish of the rest of my life.

For fear of startling the visitors outside the door, she did not speak again.The moon gradually faded, and the yard returned to the darkness. She fumbled for the door panel in a panic, and felt that the person seemed to have disappeared, so she seemed to be speaking to herself, and she murmured: "Is it you?"

After a long silence, snow began to fall in the yard again, as if indicating that this dream had come to an end.

Qingping's hand caressing the door was already unconscious, and she turned around in the howling cold wind.At this moment, she heard another knock on the door, and a low voice said: "Qingping."

She heard her say:

"……it's me."

--Finish