Mo Dongyang

After a night of ups and downs, I was exhausted physically and mentally. When I returned to the bedroom, I couldn't wait to lie on the bed unconscious after a simple wash. I didn't even know when Li Shu went to bed.

Early the next morning, I got up lightly as usual, dressed carefully and left the bedroom carefully to start my day's work.At this time, the cooking smoke from the kitchen in the Zhilan Hall had already risen, and Ah Xing, who was preparing the ingredients, greeted me cheerfully when I just entered the door, but because of the incident last night, I still have lingering fears, and now I am so embarrassed that I don’t know what to do In response to her enthusiasm, I could only forcefully smile at A Xing. Fortunately, A Xing, who is always carefree on weekdays, didn't notice my abnormality at this time.

When I returned to the bedroom with breakfast, Li Shu had already got up, and sat quietly on the dressing table with her jaw dragging, dazed for some reason.

"Lishu, it's time to eat." I shouted.

Li Shu on the dinner table seemed not in a good mood, and I didn’t know what she was thinking. She stared blankly at the old tree with all its branches and leaves outside the window. Some haggard.Li Shu didn't sleep well last night?

"Lishu, what's wrong?"

I waved my hand out in front of her eyes, trying to wake her up.

"No...it's okay."

Li Shu came back to his senses, lowered his head and scooped up a spoonful of soup, but he still couldn't swallow it.

"Isn't today's breakfast to your liking, or should I ask the dining room to make another one?" I asked worriedly.

"No, I have no appetite." She shook her head.

"Is it because I didn't sleep well last night, then I'll go find some soothing tea, and I'll be fine after drinking Lishu."

I said hurriedly got up and wanted to go out.

"Qi Xin!"

Li Shu hurriedly called me to stop.

I looked back at Li Shu with some doubts. Li Shu has become a little weird since yesterday's palace feast, but I don't know what happened that night. At this time, Li Shu's eyes are full of uneasiness and worry , but in her eyes, what I see is my own shadow, is Lishu worried about me?

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Qi Xin, do you hope to get a place in the palace?"

Li Shu looked anxious for some reason.

"How could Lishu think of such a question?"

I don't know why Li Shu suddenly asked such a topic.

"Just hypothetically, if Qi Xin becomes the emperor's woman one day, would you be happy? Who wouldn't want to win a place in the palace?" Li Shu asked a bit tortuously.

"I don't want to, not to mention that the emperor is now in his sixtieth year, and I don't want to share a husband with so many concubines, let alone serve a husband with Li Shu. Besides, entering the harem is equivalent to competing for favor every day. Seize the power, guarding against open and dark arrows from various palaces with fear, rather than doing this, it would be easier to be a little maid beside Li Shu."

Although these words are outrageous, it is precisely because the person in front of me is Li Shu and not someone else that I dare to say them without fear.

"If one day, Qi Xin is canonized by the emperor, will our relationship be the same as before?" Li Shu asked again.

"How can there be such an assumption? I don't like the emperor, and I don't care about fame. I just want to stay by Li Shu's side in peace. What are you worried about, Li Shu?"

I couldn't help but smile, laughing at Lishu's wild idea, and her unnecessary worry, how could I be favored by the emperor, it's so ridiculous.

"Haven't you imagined it since you entered the palace? This is the dream of every court lady. One day, God will bestow favors on you, and you will get riches and honors from then on." Li Shu asked me playfully.

"I never thought that the emperor could be my grandfather. Thinking about it, I always feel a little awkward." I tactfully retorted her.

"Qi Xin, you are really a weird person, come back to eat with me, don't go out."

Lishu smiled and waved to me.

Finally, I know why Li Shu asked such an inexplicable question today, because just a few hours later in the afternoon, Zhang Wenying, the most favored eunuch by the emperor's side, visited the humble Zhilan Hall, and Li Shu and I were drinking tea and playing chess in the hall at that time, until I was startled by the noise outside the hall, I jumped up from the table in a hurry, for fear that people would see my laxity and transgression of duty just now.

Since I took office in Zhilan Hall two years ago, I have never seen so many people gather in this deserted and unpopular Zhilan Hall. The rewards were lined up in a neat row, and the old eunuch with red lips read out the orange imperial decree in a high-pitched voice.During the lengthy imperial decree, I heard the news that surprised me, the Holy Majesty specified that nobleman Yan from the Zhilan Hall should be in bed tonight.

After the decree was announced, Li Shu asked me to go back to the bedroom to get the pair of jade bracelets in the dressing box, and put them into the hands of the eunuch who made the decree.

"Eunuch Lao is here." Li Shu said.

The old man squinted his eyes and weighed the jade in his hand, raised the corner of his mouth and put it into his sleeve robe and said arrogantly.

"Your Majesty Yan, you are welcome, the Holy Majesty has specially ordered it, so the old servant has taken the pains to walk there. If you want to thank you, you will have to serve the Holy Majesty tonight. There is no lady in the palace who can be like Yan Guiren. You are so blessed to be able to win the favor of the Holy Majesty for the first time in more than ten years, nobleman Yan must cherish it."

After finishing speaking, the old man led the crowd to leave the Zhilan Palace in a mighty manner.

Afterwards, I asked Li Shu why she gave the bracelet to the arrogant old eunuch. The bracelet was so expensive, but Li Shu's mother gave it to Li Shu before she entered the palace.And Lishu just told me that these are the rules.She answered so indifferently, but these are Lishu's personal belongings. How can you give away the things left by the closest relatives so easily to others.I wanted to ask more questions later, but Li Shu seemed to lose interest, as if she lost all her energy in an instant, she leaned on the coffee table with a haggard face and closed her eyes to rest, not knowing what she was thinking.

I really don't understand why Li Shu is so depressed. Wouldn't it be great to regain the emperor's favor, but I can't ask any more questions, so I can only close the door gently and leave quietly, Li Shu must need to be alone now Jing, although I don't know what she is worrying about, but I know that it has something to do with the night when Lishu disappeared on October 29th.

Soon, the servants sent by the Internal Service Bureau came to Zhilan Hall one after another to help cleanse, nurse, and dress up, but I could only stand outside the bedroom door, watching the busy eunuchs and maids coming in and out.The dry steps were wet from the splashes of carrying the barrels, and there were some hastily scattered bath petals on the steps, and it was my job to clean them up.

As dusk fell, the bedroom of Zhilan Palace was already lit. I stood outside the palace gate, watching the figures swaying back and forth on the window paper. Shrill voices continued to come from inside the palace, and the bedroom was still busy.The grooming, which lasted for several hours, finally came to an end. Not long after, the door of the palace was opened with a creak, and I saw the eunuchs hurried away carrying a brocade quilt in the shape of a human.

Li Shu left, she didn't choose me as the maidservant at night, but chose A Xing in the dining room.

It's late at night, but I don't want to go back to the house yet. I sit on the stone steps outside the bedroom and look at the two brightly lit paper lanterns hanging outside the gate of Zhilan Palace. At this time, the Zhilan Palace has long since lost the hustle and bustle of the day. It seems that the palace servants of the Internal Service Bureau have never been here at all, and Li Shu has never left. The Zhilan Hall is still as quiet and peaceful as usual, but I know that I am the only one left in the cold hall.

Everyone is gone, they will still come back tomorrow, but when tomorrow comes, will they still be the ones who come back?

Outside the hall, from time to time, several groups of guards from the imperial palace on patrol could be seen passing the main entrance of Zhilan Hall. The sound of heavy footsteps mixed with the sound of the collision of swords and armor became clearer and gradually blurred, back and forth.

I was bored looking at the bright moon in the sky, thinking that after a while, I would go back when the full moon rose above the eaves.I am also like a frog in a well, the starry night I look up to is only a small part of the high-walled palace that is confined in this four directions, the outside world is out of reach for me, now I think back to the night before January, I may The next wish to leave the palace is really ridiculous. The palace, an exquisite cage piled up with power, has tortured most people beyond recognition during the indefinite imprisonment.

Aunt Yang, Li Shu, and me, which one is not a lifelong prisoner imprisoned in this prison city? Think about Aunt Yang, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by the imperial power, but even after she died of old age, she still couldn't get rid of the imperial confinement. Imprisonment.What is the difference between us now and those prisoners in the sky prison? Maybe those prisoners can see the sky after their expiration, but we will never have such an opportunity.

Could it be that my choice was wrong, the me four years ago should not have run away from marriage, should not have gone north, should not have entered the palace, but in this way, I would never be able to know Li Shu.Lishu gave me too many things, perhaps because my parents died early so I didn't have much attachment to family, I was always just me, but since I met Lishu, from strangers, mutual understanding, to becoming each other's love Confidant, in these processes let me understand how rare it is to have someone to rely on, which I have never experienced before entering the palace.

So I cherish the days with Lishu very much, I care about Lishu, Lishu wants to leave the palace, I want to help her realize it, I want to leave the palace with her, but these are just illusory fantasies, for I can't do anything, and I will never be able to achieve it. With Lishu, I would rather give up my freedom, but I don't want to watch Lishu be depressed for life because of being imprisoned in the deep palace. What should I do?

Time passed quickly in my wild thoughts, and I inadvertently found that the bright moon had already hung high on the branches, it was getting late, and I should go back.I sniffed and was about to get up, when I suddenly found a person leaning against the stone lamp not far away, panic and uneasiness rushed into my heart, I almost screamed, I gasped, and asked tremblingly.

"Who?"

"It's me. I've been here for a long time, but you didn't realize it. You're really as dull as last time."

The blurry figure kept approaching me, and he laughed heartily while talking.

The figure in the distance gradually became clear, and I finally saw what the man in front of me looked like. He seemed to be a general, with armor covering his body, and a long sword on his waist. He took off his helmet and held it on his waist. A delicate jade hairpin was inserted into the hair bun. She was very young, with sword-like brows and star-eyed eyes, with an extraordinary bearing, and her face seemed to be slightly bronzed and black due to the battle.The closer he got, the more threatening the cold breath of iron on his body, I couldn't help but take a few steps back.

"Slaves don't recognize the general." I whispered.

"Don't recognize me?"

The general in front of me laughed heartily again, then took out a handkerchief from nowhere and handed it to me, saying:

"Then you recognize this?"

I took the handkerchief in his hand and took a closer look, and found that it was a handkerchief I lost not long ago. I asked in fear.

"Slave... why is the slave's handkerchief in the hands of the general?"

"I really don't remember?"

The general looked incredible.

"Forget it, it's okay if I don't remember, curfew is coming soon, clean up, go and close the palace gate, it's not good to get a cold after staying here for a long time, go back"

The general smiled and turned to leave.

I looked at the tall general in front of me in bewilderment as the background gradually faded away, and suddenly he turned around and shouted at me in the distance.

"Zhilan Palace, Qi Xin, I remember you."

The clear laughter became more and more indistinct until it could not be heard.

I was even more puzzled, who is the general, how could he know my name?

All night, I wondered who that general was, and where did I lose that handkerchief?I was just tossing and turning on the bed, and I didn't have any clues until I fell asleep, but for some reason, at the moment before going to sleep, the image of Lishu still appeared in my mind.

What the hell am I thinking, what the hell am I caring about, what the hell am I worrying about?Is it the general, or Lishu?I can't tell the difference.

The author has something to say: Chapter 12 is so clear, even if it is written implicitly, it can be locked. I am speechless. Everyone will just read Chapter [-]. The author will think of a way...