The prince in the cold palace

Several peach trees in the courtyard are dotted with sparse flowers. The pink petals reflect the sunlight glisteningly, looking really cute. Doubt and helplessness circulated, and the long gown was already dirty from the footsteps that were not in control.

Mu Ao shook his head and walked over immediately.

"Your Highness, that's not the way to perform the Prayer Dance." Mu Ao squatted down, grabbed the hem of Zhi Po's dust-stained gown, and tied it easily, revealing Zhi Po's body in underwear. A pair of calves, when they came into contact with the dry and cold air outside, Zhi Fei couldn't help shrinking his neck.

Then Mu Ao stood up and took steps in front of Zhifei, jumping, stepping, turning, and tapping, all of which were accurate and exquisite. After a dance, the Fengshui branches swayed, and the pink petals fluttered with the wind. Falling on Mu Ao's shoulders, the boy's more mature figure was taller and taller, which complemented the dance steps of the ancient dance for worshiping heaven so well.

Zhi Fei was still in a trance, Mu Ao had already stood in front of him, "Give me your hand, Your Highness, and I will dance with you."

With a gentle expression on his slightly dark face, Mu Ao stood in the sun, a layer of calluses that could not fade away from the palm of his hand that held the sword all year round, but it was not annoying, the hand was still warm and strong.

There are still ten days, and there are still ten days before the crown prince officially sacrifices to heaven and succeeds.

The prince worshiped the heavens and announced to his ancestors that he had to dance the dance of praying for dusk that has been passed down from ancient times. The dance steps are complicated and complicated.

He has lived in his forties in two lifetimes and has never danced. No matter how much he racks his brains, the coordination ability of his body cannot be improved easily.

It's obviously just a cover, and it takes so much effort to hold a festival that wastes money and people.

Zhi Fei sighed, and Mu Ao led him to walk slowly.

The hem of the clothes was rolled up, and there was no burden on the feet, and it seemed much easier to walk.

Mu Ao pointed out every step that needs to be paid attention to. These steps also have formulas similar to martial arts secrets. While thinking about it, his body gradually followed, and he smiled unconsciously, and the feeling of boredom in his heart was swept away. go.

"Mu Ao, how do you know how to dance this dance?"

A trace of displeasure flashed across Mu Ao's face, and his eyes darkened a little, "I saw it in Yuehua Palace before..."

When the word "Yuehua Palace" was mentioned, Mu Ao seemed to be reluctant to quickly pass by, his hands and feet were not idle, and he continued to guide Zhifei's dance steps.

Zhiqin had learned this dance before, probably when he was still very young, he had already been taught this dance as the crown prince. At that time, the emperor's love for the second prince was obvious to everyone in the palace. Even now, the two The relationship between people is also complicated and confusing.

Of course, it may also be the emperor's whim. Who in this palace is not his plaything, his pawn?

"Mu Ao, Brother Erhuang treats you badly?" Zhi Fei slightly raised his eyes, and the other side's handsome profile came into his eyes, and Mu Ao, who turned his head somewhat uncomfortably, was shocked when he heard this, and then nodded without emotion , "Which of the princes in the palace has not been domineering and domineering since childhood, riding on the heads of the servants?"

"Except for His Highness, of course." Mu Ao added.

"Even the gentle and courteous Third Emperor Brother is like this?"

"...I don't know."

The day before yesterday, Mu Ao was proclaimed the guard of the East Palace by the emperor. He is already an official, but he doesn't know how much his monthly salary is. The new uniform is a thin copper soft armor, which looks very heroic when worn on his body.

Thinking of the history books he had read before, Zhi Fei sighed, "The palace that eats people..."

"Didn't Your Highness already know about this?" Mu Ao asked with suspicion in his eyes. His absent-mindedness for the past few days made his sense of alienation from the inside out more intense and clear. Sometimes Mu Ao stood In front of the dazed Zhi Fei, Zhi Fei had to identify him for a while before he recognized him. Is this His Royal Highness who has been with him for ten years? Mu Ao really wanted to grab the man's skirt and ask him.

Hearing Zhibao's question with an obvious answer, the blue veins on Mu Ao's forehead twitched, he frowned and stared at Zhifei's face, "Since His Majesty appointed His Highness to be the crown prince, His Highness has been unhappy, I know you don't want to As a prince, I don't want to be involved in the power struggle in the court, but born in a heavenly family, how can there be no reason for not being stained with dust? You are a prince..."

Seeing Zhifei's face looking fragile and hesitant under the sun, Mu Ao couldn't bear it, and said again: "Your Highness, have you ever thought about it: if you can't resist, it's better to obey."

"Obedience?..." Zhi Fei looked at him in confusion.

Mu Ao smiled wryly. It would be great if that seductive expression wasn't shown for him at this time. His fingers lightly stroked Zhifei's slightly frowning brows, but the owner of the face under his fingertips was not Noticing this ambiguous movement, the desire for answers in his eyes has overshadowed any of his thoughts, like a diligent student asking a complicated question.

Mu Ao's soft tone, as if afraid of disturbing the other party, gradually melted into the wind, mixed with the fresh fragrance of peach blossoms.

"To live itself is to hope."

The spring of that year seemed to have such a gorgeous fragrance.

Sitting in the courtyard, the mother carefully stitching the insoles looked at the children running and playing in the yard with a smile. The three lively and lovely boys are now at the age of private schooling. The youngest son is very active and often chases after him. The ones playing with knives and swords beside my father, and those who hurt their arms and legs would run to him and cry tearfully, so pitiful, he was a little troublemaker who loved to cause trouble and love to cry.

Mrs. Yang stretched out her hand to beckon to her youngest son who was climbing up the old locust tree. The woman who was nearly forty years old still had the same appearance. Although she had a few wrinkles, she could still see her former beauty.

The little boy ran up to her grinning, and his mother hugged him into her lap, wiped his sweaty forehead and neck with a handkerchief, then took off his shoes, and gestured with her hands on the soles of his feet After a while, the child giggled and twisted his body, "Mother! Mother! It's so itchy... Hahaha..."

"Don't make trouble, mother will measure the length of your feet and make you insoles!" Seeing the boy crying and laughing amusedly, the woman relaxed her hands and put her arms around her son to continue putting in the insoles.

Family happiness is nothing more than that, with a capable husband and a group of lively and lovely children, Mrs. Yang can't ask for anything more.

It's a pity that the sky didn't fulfill people's wishes, and disasters came like a flood, which was out of control.

The Yang family was raided in one day, the whole family was displaced, the husband was exiled to the army, and the sons were also scattered. The two older sons were recruited into the army and served as the lowest infantry soldiers. The youngest son, who can't eat too much, was sent to the palace.

Thinking of her son's lovely face that day, Mrs. Yang's heart was pierced like a knife. All her family property was confiscated and confiscated. She and her family members also became officials auctioned by the government.

Not long after, Mrs. Yang, with tears in her eyes, died of a long illness in missing her husband and son.

That embezzlement case involving a lot of people also came to an end amidst the raging rumors.

When he heard the news of his mother's death, Mu Ao was no longer the young son of the Yang family.

The brutal training day and night made him start from being shocked and unacceptable, to now his heart is ashamed. He lingered on his last breath and tried his best to grab the few dry food. He didn't even look at the children not far away who were cowering in the shadows and staring at his hands.

The training in the palace is to train people to be creatures without emotions.

His tears had been shed. Although life would be better than death, but after death, there would be nothing left.

Mu Ao still knew this truth.

To live is to hope.

On the day the house was ransacked, the mother cried out her name, and the mother and son who were forced to separate were hoarse, and the last words of the mother were still in my ears: "Live well!"

Those four words are very precious to Mu Ao who is young and does not understand the world.

It happened that the second prince was entering the Taixue, so he had to choose companions and personal bodyguards, train their internal servants to raise their duck voices and emphasized several times in front of them that if they wanted to walk out of Jiaofeng Palace as a man alive, they had to become the prince's bodyguards. way out.

Mu Ao's luck was very good, he was spotted by the duty at a glance, the face of a natural monster smiled in front of him, and then took him back to Yuehua Palace.

It’s just that Mu Ao couldn’t tolerate the prince’s indulgent temper and dark personality. Sometimes he called him “Brother Yang” sweetly, and sometimes greeted him with a whip when he was upset. What kind of move to vent your anger on the slaves.

As for these, the emperor, as his father, turned a blind eye and never asked as long as the situation was not serious.

Finally one day, Mu Ao couldn't bear it anymore and stood up to resist.

Grasping the second prince's waving hand, Mu Ao looked at him coldly, cursed a few words, and vented the anger accumulated in his chest.

Of course, the happy price was that he dragged his bruised body and was thrown back to Jiaofeng Hall, the place where the sun never shines.

After meeting the Seventh Prince, he had a new name and a new life. Zhi Fei never pursued his past, and had no interest in his past. child.

It was when His Majesty the Seventh Prince was six years old, and it was His Majesty's 25th birthday. The eunuch who summoned them intentionally made things difficult for them, and made them arrive an hour earlier.The palace people were so busy that no one paid any attention to the little prince who was left alone. They walked around aimlessly, and then strayed into the important place where the emperor was discussing military affairs, and heard something they shouldn't have heard.

Mu Ao recalled the stubborn expression at that time, the tightly knit eyebrows, biting his lower lip, as if he was thinking about something, and quickly pulled Wen Han and him away before the shadow guard found them, and returned to the banquet The hall gave him some strange orders again.

Bamboo, iron wire, rice paper, spirits, cotton cloth twisted into a wick... tie a lamp and put it on the table of the emperor in Guangya Hall.

His Highness’s thoughts are sometimes different from ordinary people’s, but Mu Ao still did it. Taking advantage of the fact that the palace people were too busy for the banquet and the guards were lax, he climbed over the palace wall with agility and lightness, and replaced the emperor’s table in the dark. Gorgeous lights.

Mu Ao still had some confidence in his skills.

The 13-year-old Mu Ao is not like Wen Han who grew up in an official family and was at least protected by his mother. Although he is unruly, he is used to the darkness in the palace.

It was not a coincidence that His Royal Highness the Seventh Prince strayed into an important military area.If found by the emperor, he will die.

Mu Ao squinted his eyes and looked at the lamp carefully. In the darkness, the white paper lampshade of the lamp was also dyed black. He was curious why Zhi Fei did this.

So after the lamp was placed, he put the remaining materials in his arms and returned to Jiangxiao Hall.

After the banquet, the three of them walked back to the Leng Palace from the Jiangxiao Palace. When Mu Ao heard Zhi Fei say "Father, you probably really want to kill me" in a nonchalant tone, Mu Ao's heart was shattered. Hit hard.

He had never seen anyone who cared so little about life and death, and felt that what he was talking about was not his own. Although Zhi Fei had done some things to ensure the safety of the few people, but at His Highness's age, Mu Ao was really confused.

He couldn't help thinking of more.

From his serious reading and reviewing his homework, from time to time, he came up with some small ideas to deal with the palace people who targeted them, to overhearing the secrets in the military, what Zhifei did was not so much self-protection, but protecting them.

When using the same method to make that strange lamp and light it, Mu Ao's eyes followed the slowly rising lamp. Unlike Wen Han's eyes full of shock, Mu Ao's eyes gathered incomprehensible anger.