Bongjun's Life and Death Tribulation

During dinner, Chu Xiran came to Yuqing Palace as scheduled. The eight-year-old prince had already been waiting at the gate of the palace. When he saw him coming, he jumped forward happily and hugged his legs.

"Father's Queen." He Lan Ruoxi's ability to pester people is exactly the same as He Lan Ruoming back then, except that this little guy is more coquettish, "If you don't come again, my son will starve to death."

"Sorry, I'm late." Chu Xiran took the prince's little hand and stepped into the hall. Under Xiao Shunzi's arrangement, the palace ladies and eunuchs of Yuqing Palace quickly filled the table with food.

"Qi'er lives alone in Yuqing Palace, will she be afraid?" Chu Xiran asked He Lan Ruoxi while preparing vegetables for him.

"No, Father said that he has lived alone since he was a child. Qi'er has to be as capable as Father, so don't be afraid!" He Lan Ruoxi rolled his eyes and asked, "Father lives alone in Kunming. Will Ning Gong be afraid? If you are afraid, I can come and accompany you."

Chu Xiran pinched his nose with a smile and said, "Okay, then Qi'er will come to Kunning Palace to accompany the queen tonight."

"Okay! Qi'er will protect the queen father for the emperor!" He Lanruoxi promised, patting her chest.

"You protect me?" Chu Xiran couldn't help but laugh, but she was happy for the prince's innocent words.

"Father, do you know when Father will come back? Qi'er misses him so much."

"Hurry up, your father will be back soon."

"real?"

"Tomorrow I will pick up your father!"

"My son is going too!" He Lanruoxi shouted excitedly.

"No, Qi'er is the prince, and I want to guard the palace for your father." Seeing him pouted, Chu Xiran scratched his nose with a smile and said, "This time it will take nearly a month to come and go. Qi'er should be good in the palace, and when your father comes back, the queen will ask you for leave and take you out of the palace for a stroll, okay?"

He Lanruoxi blinked her eyes when she heard that she could go out to play in the palace, and nodded obediently: "Qi'er will obediently wait for father and queen to come back!"

"Also, Qi'er will help us keep the matter of Queen Father looking for Emperor Father a secret, and no one can tell it. If the bad guys find out, your Emperor Father will be in danger."

"Okay! Qi'er don't tell anyone! Empress Father, you and Emperor Father must come back safely!"

He Lanruoxi stretched out her two small arms to hug Chu Xiran, and rubbed her small face against his shoulder in a coquettish manner, with a feeling of reluctance, Chu Xiran pampered his head before pushing him back to the stool sit up.

"Eat, the food is getting cold!"

"Father, eat more too!"

He Lan Ruoxi's sensibleness made Chu Xiran heave a sigh of relief, and at the same time felt a sense of sourness. This child who left his biological mother since childhood should have grown up under his own care, but in order to leave the harem, he was still a baby. He gave up all of them.

Looking at the little prince who was eating in a gentle manner and helping him with food from time to time, Chu Xiran's eyes gradually became misty.

Early the next morning, Chu Xiran rode He Lan Ruoming's favorite horse, Chitu, and led Xiao Shunzi and Xiao Linzi, escorted by fifteen Jinyiwei and two teams from the Three Thousand Battalion, towards the He ran in the direction of Miao Jiang.

After traveling non-stop all the way, it took less than ten days to finally arrive at Leishan County, which is located in the southwest of Miaojiang.

It was almost dusk when we entered the county seat, and the sky gradually darkened. The people from the Three Thousand Battalion camped outside the county and waited for orders. The people from Jin Yiwei followed Chu Xiran to find an inn to rest. The Shadow Guard in Leishan County appeared in front of Chu Xiran.

"Where is the person?" Chu Xiran asked the two shadow guards who were half kneeling on the ground wearing bronze masks.

"Baha Miao Village in the east of the county." The answer was Shadow Moon, the leader of the shadow guards on the left.

"Miao Village?" Chu Xiran was taken aback for a moment, and then asked again: "Why can't you even recognize the emperor?"

The two shadow guards looked at each other, and finally it was Yingyue who replied: "That person is indeed exactly the same as the emperor, even the voice is the same, it is logical that it is the emperor, but..."

"But what?"

"When we found the emperor, we heard that he had made a life-long contract with the daughter of the Baha Miao village master. But according to what my subordinates knew about the emperor, this was absolutely impossible, and the emperor seemed to have no intention of leaving, so the subordinates could not Decide whether you should appear before the Emperor."

"Order for life?" Chu Xiran widened her eyes in disbelief.

"Since Fei Ge sent the letter back to Beijing, the subordinates have been inquiring about the news for confirmation. In terms of time, the time when the emperor appeared in this village coincided with the day when he disappeared. Moreover, according to the people in the village, It was the village lord's daughter who rescued him, and the emperor's injuries gradually recovered after healed for several days."

"So, it shouldn't be wrong."

"Master, do you want to confirm?"

"Will it be inconvenient to be so late?" Chu Xiran was a little worried.

"Today is the big wedding day of the emperor and the village owner's daughter. I heard from the people in the village that according to the custom, there will be a running water wedding banquet all day long. Anyone from the village can go, so even if we show up at the banquet, It won't attract attention either."

Chu Xiran didn't hesitate any more, nodded and said, "Okay!"

A group of people rode horses and galloped along the rugged mountain road, and it didn't take long for the Baha Miao Village to gradually emerge in front of them.

This is a paradise surrounded by mountains and rivers. Looking from above under the moonlight, there is a clear river flowing through the foot of the village, straight into the small river in the mountain. The wooden structure of the stilted buildings in the village are row upon row along the hillside. Dazhaizi.

Chu Xiran ordered the horses to be tied up in the woods outside the village, leaving a small group of people on guard, and the rest of the people dispersed and walked to the gate of the village one after another.

From the brightly lit stockade came the melodious Lusheng music, as well as the boiling human voice, so lively.

Chu Xiran stopped, took a deep breath and searched for the source of the sound, and found this red and festive place in a short time.

The bonfire is burning in the center of the open space, and around the bonfire are men and women in Miao costumes dancing. A few suckling pigs are roasting beside the bonfire, and there are many banquets around the periphery. In the center of each table is a plate of colorful Sticky rice, with many local dishes, pickled food and wine on the side.

On top of the chief of the highest place sat a vigorous old man of the Miao nationality. Yingyue, who had been beside Chu Xiran, whispered, "This is the old village master. I heard that his surname is Xiang, which is a common surname in the village. The one next to him is a great wizard. Very high status."

Chu Xiran's gaze followed the chief to the lower left, where a couple of newlyweds were sitting beside the wooden table covered with red tie-dye cloth.

The man is dressed in a brand-new Miao costume and is smiling happily. The woman is dressed in brightly colored clothes, with a huge silver flower crown on the top of her head, a silver flower belt hanging from the lower edge, a row of small silver flower pendants hanging down, and a belt around her neck. There are layers of silver locks and three layers of silver collars, a red cloak on the back, many small silver bells hanging down, and a plum blossom needle silver earring on each ear.

"It's the emperor." Xiao Linzi's surprised voice came from behind.

Chu Xiran stared at He Lan Ruoming, who was dressed as a Miao groom, for a long time before saying, "It's him."

Xiao Linzi and Xiao Shunzi looked at Chu Xiran in front of him at the same time, and saw that he straightened his back, raised his head and looked forward tightly, and his palms on both sides of his body were gradually clenched into fists.

"He Lan Ruoming, what the hell are you doing!" With a resentful tone, it was only Chu Xiran telling herself.

"Master, what should we do now?" Xiao Shunzi leaned forward and asked, and the two shadow guards beside him looked at Chu Xiran as if asking for instructions, as if they could fly up and snatch him back as long as he gave an order.

"What else can I do?" Chu Xiran settled down and walked forward again: "I would like to know the reason why he didn't return to the palace even though he was fine!"

Chu Xiran walked forward step by step, and He Lan Ruoming's face became clearer. He didn't stop until he reached a distance where even the mole at the corner of his eye could be clearly seen, raised his chin, and looked straight up. party people.

He had tried thousands of possible reunions, and at that time he always asked himself, what would it be like if he could see him again?Do they look at each other and smile, or are they silent to each other?Or quietly stagger each other?

But he never thought that one day when he approached him, the person he loved and hated would just glance at him inadvertently, and then turn his eyes back to the woman beside him.

"You know each other?" The bride looked at Chu Xiran in surprise.

"Probably." He Lan Ruoming nodded, looked at the bride with tender eyes, and said with a smile, "I'll go say hello, you wait."

"Okay." The bride agreed submissively.

He Lan Ruoming stood up and walked down. Chu Xiran watched him coming towards her with a blank face, and could only freeze in place for a moment.

He became thinner and darker, and there were fine lines around his eyes, his eyes lost their expression and lost the spirit of the past, his hands were behind his back, and the bright groom's clothes wrapped his still strong and straight figure.

Chu Xiran suddenly thought of the absurd night before leaving, when she clasped her hands tightly on his back, feeling the tenderness of each other's skin, panting under him as if they were melted.

In the past few years, it's not that he hasn't dreamed about him, but every time he wakes up in the middle of the night and looks at the lonely bed, it seems that everything is just a dream.Now, the person in the dream appeared again and stopped in front of him.

Chu Xiran's face suddenly burned red hot.

"Why are you here?" He Lan Ruoming looked at him coldly, not having the joy of reunion at all.

Chu Xiran suppressed her nervousness and said calmly, "I'll take you back to the palace."

"Oh?" He Lan Ruoming glanced around and saw a few familiar figures, he nodded and said, "Come pick me up tomorrow evening, you can go back now, I still have wedding night in the bridal chamber. "

"What's going on here?" Chu Xiran had an intuition that something was wrong, but he couldn't tell what went wrong.

"I will explain when I return to the palace." He Lan Ruoming suddenly thought of something, and added: "Tomorrow, I will prepare a spacious soft sedan for two people, and I will take A Duo back to the palace."

"A Duo?" Chu Xiran shifted his eyes to the face of the bride who was still sitting on the stage, but saw that the other party was also looking at him with a smile.

"I have already decided to make her a noble concubine."

Putting aside a sentence, He Lan Ruoming turned around and returned to his original position, the coldness in his eyes was instantly replaced by tenderness, and in his eyes, only the future noble concubine││Xiang A Duo remained.

"Master, what's wrong with the emperor?" Xiao Shunzi was also confused.

"No, how is it possible..." Xiao Linzi followed closely, also feeling unbelievable, "According to the character of the emperor, he would not marry casually outside? Even if he wants to repay his life-saving grace, it is impossible to do so Acting rashly, this is not something the emperor would do."

"Xiao Shunzi, Xiao Linzi, ask Jin Yiwei to go back together, leaving the shadow guards to continue protecting the emperor, and all the people from the [-] battalion retreat to the forest outside the stockade to guard, just in case."

After giving the order, Chu Xiran glanced in He Lan Ruoming's direction again, and finally walked out of Baha Miao Village full of doubts.

Back at the inn, seeing the flickering candlelight on the table, Chu Xiran fell into deep thought.

Xiao Shunzi and Xiao Linzi stood by, seeing him not moving for a long time, he was very anxious, wanted to say something comforting but was afraid of offending him, the two rubbed their hands anxiously.

"Xiao Linzi, why do you think the emperor wants to bring this Miao village girl back to the palace?" Chu Xiran said suddenly.

"This...Master, if you are a slave, you know you shouldn't talk too much, but these years, the slave has noticed that since the empress left, the emperor has no intention of having a harem, and favoring concubines is just to shut up the mouths of the ministers in the court. , the emperor has always missed the empress, so the servant really doesn't understand why the emperor suddenly wants to make a girl from the Miao nationality a noble concubine."

"What I can't figure out is why he hasn't returned to the palace for so long? Since he recognized me at a glance, it means that he knows who he is, so why does he continue to stay in the Miao village? And marry a Miao girl? I really like it, according to the rules, I should bring it back to the palace and seal it!"

Chu Xiran frowned, and unintentionally tapped the table with the index finger of her right hand, making a slight sound.

"Master, what should we do?" Xiao Shunzi asked.

"What else can we do? We have to take it back first, maybe the emperor has his own reasons." Chu Xiran closed his eyes, sighed and said, "Forget it, at least we have found the emperor, it's better than finding out that we were mistaken !"

"That's right, I'll ask the emperor about the matter after I return to the palace." Xiao Linzi said.

"Xiao Linzi, from tomorrow onwards, you will continue to serve the emperor, and by the way, observe for me whether there is anything strange about the emperor."

Chu Xiran's doubts and Xiao Linzi were a little confused, so he nodded vigorously and said, "Master, don't worry, as long as you stay for three days, even if he looks [-]% like the emperor, the little one can tell the truth from the fake! "

"It should be true, but I'm afraid there may be other mistakes. In short, you should be careful."

"The slave obeys the order!"

Late at night, Chu Xiran was lying on the couch without any sleepiness, always holding the white marble dragon and phoenix heart pendant in her palm that never left her body.The previous picture turned in his mind again, thinking of He Lan Ruoming's indifferent eyes, his heart skipped a beat, and a trace of uneasiness flashed across his heart.

He almost stayed up all night, seeing the sky clear, Chu Xiran got up quietly, Xiao Shunzi helped him to wash up, and Xiao Linzi entered the room with breakfast.

"Master got up very early." Xiao Linzi waited with his hands down, watching Xiao Shunzi comb Chu Xiran's hair.

"Didn't you wake up earlier?" Chu Xiran glanced at Xiao Linzi through the bronze mirror, and asked, "Did you sleep all night?"

"How does the master know?"

"Look at your eyes are as dark as the bottom of a pot." Chu Xiran sighed, "Are you worried?"

"Isn't the master the same?" Xiao Linzi replied.

"I always feel uneasy." Chu Xiran thought for a while before saying, "I really want to go and see it sooner."

"According to the custom of the Miao nationality, the wedding banquet will be held until noon today, why not let the shadow guards sneak in and investigate?" Xiao Shunzi suggested.

"Alright." Chu Xiran nodded, "Xiao Linzi, you don't have to wait on me anymore, take care of the emperor, do what needs to be done, make up what needs to be done, don't be short of anything on the way. Xiao Shunzi, you can send A few trustworthy people, check Xiang A Duo's details."

"Yes."

In the evening, the sunset glow spread across the vast sky, and the warm crimson shrouded Chu Xiran's face, softening the handsome appearance of a man, giving it a different kind of gorgeous color.

He was wearing a simple and light white riding outfit, and was kneeling on the ground, but his resolute chin was raised very high, and his black eyes looked straight into He Lan Ruoming's eyes.

"Respectfully invite the emperor to return to the palace!"

As his voice fell to the ground, the Jinyiwei who knelt behind him and the soldiers dispatched by the [-] Battalion also shouted in unison: "Your Majesty, please return to the palace!"

This is a voice that shakes the world, with incomparable respect and nobility.

"Get up." He Lan Ruoming calmly looked down at the crowd kneeling in front of him, holding his newlywed wife Xiang A Duo in his arms.

"Xiao Linzi." He called out suddenly.

"The slave is here." Xiao Linzi came out in response, and walked up to He Lan Ruoming in a few steps.

"Is the carriage ready?"

"Back to the emperor, everything is ready. I specially chose a spacious and stable one. It has been furnished according to the emperor's habits, and several layers of cushions have been added."

"Very good." He Lan Ruoming nodded in satisfaction, looked at the person in his arms and said, "A Duo, follow me back to the palace."

"Congratulations to the emperor!"

There was also a group of people kneeling in front of the village gate, headed by Xiang A'Duo's father, the village owner of Baha Miao Village, and beside him was still the great wizard who covered his face.

After the people in the village greeted them three times, they knelt down to bid farewell to A Duo's father, and then reluctantly got into the carriage with He Lan Ruoming's support.

"rise!"

The voice of the leader of Jinyiwei sounded at the front of the team. Chu Xiran glanced at the velvet curtain that had been put down, then looked back at the gate of Baha Miao Village, and finally turned around and rode on Helan Ruoming's beloved horse Chitu, and followed behind. back.

After several days of rushing on the road, Chu Xiran's complexion became worse and worse, and she often tensed up, looking at the front coldly.

Xiao Shunzi and Xiao Linzi both felt pain in their eyes, but they were startled when they saw that the emperor didn't look at Chu Xiran in the slightest. What's going on?

That day and night, after the group settled down in the inn, they all rested early.

In the middle of the night, the noise in the next room made Chu Xiran sit up abruptly, and ambiguous moans came into his ears through the weak wooden wall panels, he closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down.

It's been like this for several nights, Chu Xiran said that he doesn't mind if it's a lie, but it's true when he's used to it, it's not as worrying as it was when he heard it the first night.

He got out of bed in the dark, sat down at the table and wanted to pour himself a cup of herbal tea, but with a careless sweep of his arm, he swept the simple porcelain cup to the ground, making an abrupt shattering sound.

"Master, what's the matter?" Xiao Shunzi who was sleeping outside woke up, lit the lamp and walked to him.

"Xiao Shunzi, where is my sword?"

"Master, why do you want a sword in the middle of the night?" Xiao Shunzi wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, took out a long sword wrapped in brocade from a wooden box, and handed it over respectfully, "Master, your sword."

Pulling off the brocade cloth, the white tassel tied under the hilt dangled twice.This is a sword fringe with an old color. If you look carefully, the tassel hanging below is still a little incomplete, but it is the one that He Lan Ruoming gave him back then.

Chu Xiran's eyes glued to the sword tassel for a long time before moving away, "I'm going to stay in the yard for a while, don't follow me."

"In the middle of the night..."

"Don't worry, there are still shadow guards?" Chu Xiran left Xiao Shunzi behind, opened the door and walked out.

"Master, clothes..." Seeing Chu Xiran go out in only his white inner coat, Xiao Shunzi just wanted to catch up, but he heard the creaking sound of the wooden bed next door, and the coat he was holding in his hand stopped. , he sat down slumped, and shook his head helplessly.

The moonlight was cold, making a small courtyard slightly white.

The inn under contract was less noisy than usual, and much quieter, not to mention rushing on the road for several days, except for the Jin Yiwei who was guarding on duty, everyone else fell asleep early, so this small courtyard was even quieter, except for the swaying shadows of trees, There was no one in sight.

Chu Xiran's long sword was out of its sheath, and it was dancing with silver light. He waved the silver sword in his hand rapidly as he moved forward and backward, whether it was soft or hard, or charming or fierce. The sword dance presented by the Turkic King Manduo.

Night Breeze brushed against his cheek as it turned, and the white spike of the sword seemed to become one with the sword body, wrapping around his body.

But in a quick turn, he suddenly stopped his movements, and memories flooded his mind like a flood, and he stopped everything in the picture of being hugged tightly by He Lan Ruoming. Did the first heartbeat come from that scene? moment to start?

Chu Xiran knelt on the ground with a sword in his backhand, his body was shaking faintly, his panting chest heaved and fell, beads of sweat gathered along his cheeks to the tip of his chin, and dripped to the ground.

"What are you doing?"

Chu Xiran was startled when he heard the voice, and saw a pair of black boot toes appear in front of his eyes. He raised his head and saw He Lan Ruoming approaching at some point, looking down at him.

"Why don't you get up?" He Lan Ruoming stretched out his hand to help him up, and then reached out his fingers to put a strand of hair sticking to his face behind his ear.

Chu Xiran looked at the person who was close at hand, and stretched out his hand without thinking too much. The moment his fingers touched the other person's skin, he couldn't help but wet his eyes, "You've lost weight."

He Lan Ruoming didn't speak, but when the fingertips of the other party passed by, the warmth was so familiar that he couldn't bear to turn his face away. He carefully looked at the person in front of him, the thin white underwear, the slender collarbone, the panting chest, and Those teary eyes, everything actually overlapped with the figure in his mind, his heart shivered, and the pain suddenly became unbearable.

Seeing that He Lan Ruoming suddenly covered his heart and turned pale, Chu Xiran hurried forward to support his body, but unexpectedly touched his arm, and was pushed away forcefully.

"Don't touch me!" He Lan Ruoming roared.

"You..." Chu Xiran was angry and anxious, staring aside and asked, "What's the matter with you?"

"Your majesty, are you feeling unwell again?" A female voice inserted between the two of them, and Xiang A Duo, who was wearing a coat, walked over accompanied by a maid, and then opened his hands to support He Lan Ruoming, "The emperor , shall we go back to the house?"

"it is good."

Xiang A Duo turned his head and took a deep look at Chu Xiran, smiled lightly and twitched the corner of his mouth, then turned his head again and helped He Lan Ruoming into the room.

Xiao Linzi followed behind He Lan Ruoming and Xiang A Duo, closed the door for them, and ran over anxiously, "Master, what's wrong?"

"I don't know, it was fine at first, but he suddenly said he was not feeling well." Chu Xiran frowned, suddenly his eyes flashed, and he asked in a low voice, "Is there something wrong recently?"

Xiao Linzi shook his head, and replied loudly: "It's late at night, the master should go back to the house to rest earlier, and the slave will send the master back." After finishing speaking, he raised the back of his hand and sent it to Chu Xiran.

Chu Xiran glanced at Xiao Linzi, calmly supported the back of his hand, and then said to Xiao Shunzi who came behind him, "Go back to the house."

When he arrived at the door of the house, Xiao Linzi did not stay, but quickly asked An to leave.

Seeing him leave, Xiao Shunzi closed the two simple wooden doors behind his back, and Chu Xiran immediately took out the note that Xiao Linzi had stuffed into his palm just now.

The emperor is strange, be careful.

Chu Xiran looked at the note again and again by the light of the candle, and then asked, "Xiao Shunzi, did you really find nothing in Leishan County back then?"

"Master, the Han people in the county don't know much about Baha Miao Village, and I heard that there are not many marriages between Han and Miao, so I really don't understand how the emperor married a Miao girl."

"Xiao Linzi will remind us in such a subtle way, which means there must be something wrong, but he can't figure it out or he can't distinguish it, so he is so careful. But according to what he saw just now, the emperor must not be a fake , I have been married to him for ten years, and I will not admit my mistake. What is the so-called strangeness?"

"Master, do you want to send someone back to check again?"

Chu Xiran looked at the note in his hand, and thought of He Lan Ruoming holding his chest in unbearable pain just now, and an ominous premonition came to his heart again, "I have to ask the shadow guard to investigate this matter."

"But the shadow guards have always only obeyed the emperor's orders?"

"Before he disappeared, he ordered the shadow guards to listen to me, so I have the right to control the shadow guards to do things. I believe the shadow guards have certain doubts about the current emperor."

"But, will this alarm the emperor?"

"He shouldn't notice that two or three are missing within a period of time, as long as Shadow Moon stays by his side."

"Okay, slave, let's do it now."

"I'll find Shadow Moon tomorrow night, don't worry about it tonight. Go to sleep, I'm tired too."

Tiancheng Meiji 17th year, late spring.

The present-day sage, who had visited the people unannounced for many days, returned to the palace accompanied by the queen, and at the same time brought back a woman from Miaojiang, who was canonized as a noble concubine. Because the original name of the noble concubine was Xiang A Duo, people in the Forbidden City called it Xiang Guifei.

On the day when Concubine Xiang was conferred, another imperial decree was sent to Kunning Palace, ordering the male empress Chu Xiran who lived in Kunning Palace to move back to Yonghe Palace, and changed Kunning Palace to be the residence of Concubine Xiang.

For a while, she crowned the imperial concubine and favored the harem, and no one could match her.