My enemies became my companions

Chapter 157 Her Childhood
The next morning, light snow fell.

Outside the broad and majestic gate of Prince Xiang's Palace, although the interior has been ransacked, there are still several runners from the government office guarding it. This is because this huge palace will be used by the royal family for other purposes in the future. Whether it is for building temples, pavilions, or poetry academies, this palace is the first choice.

And today, three uninvited guests came outside the mansion.

When the police saw the leading man showing the sign, they did not dare to stop them any further. Instead, they politely opened the door and let the three people in.

"Ha Qiu."

As she stepped over the threshold, Yin Tingxue sneezed, shivered from the cold, and shrank her neck.

Chen Yi glanced at her sideways. Her delicate body was wrapped in thick clothes, but she still shivered in the cold wind. She had a cold and a fever, but she refused to rest for a while and recuperate before coming to Prince Xiang's Mansion.

She really wanted to come back.

Anyway, it's not a serious illness. Chen Yi took her hand and said with a smile:
"Take me for a walk."

Yin Tingxue laughed and led the way along the stone-paved road. After the palace was thoroughly ransacked, only an empty shell remained of its former splendor. Even an empty shell represented wealth that many people could not imagine in their lifetime. She pointed to the nanmu hall not far away, which was a place for servants to rest. Chen Yi was shocked when he saw it, as the material used was obviously golden nanmu, which would not rot for a hundred years.

After passing through the Nanmu Hall, you can see where the servants of the palace live. It is a three-story building like a theater. The doorposts are painted red, and the couplets on it are torn but have not fallen off. Not far away is the fire room, which has five large rooms with neatly arranged chimneys. Yin Tingxue said that this is the outside kitchen. Unless there is a banquet, it usually only cooks for the servants and maids.

Chen Yi seemed not to hear anything. A snowflake floated over. He concentrated and grabbed it. With his strong internal strength, the snowflake was caught and did not melt.

He smeared the snow on Yin Tingxue's face.

Yin Tingxue paused, rubbed the water stains on her cheek, and then glanced at him shyly.
"I'm talking..."

"You do your thing, and I'll do mine."

Chen Yi said shamelessly.

Yin Tingxue blushed with embarrassment, and Master Zhou was still watching her.

Chen Yi didn't care about it. He heard the rare scolding, so he lowered half of his body from behind Yin Tingxue and gently pressed on the girl's back.
"That's so warm, keep talking."

Yin Tingxue's back was pressed down, and she felt the sharp gaze like a sword at her side, and she felt a little scared.

Zhou Yitang looked at him, then at Yin Tingxue, looked at this playful scene, lowered his eyes, and remained silent.

He touched the girl's head and said with a smile:
"She is a maid now, and has no right to be jealous of you."

The one-armed woman sneered when she heard this:
"You are really taking advantage of me."

"Just kick me, I'm just a playboy. Don't be jealous if you can."

What a loud tone.

The one-armed woman looked gloomy.

This traitor is now hugging Yin Tingxue and it is difficult to teach him a lesson.

The atmosphere suddenly dropped. Yin Tingxue was afraid that the two would quarrel, so she patted Chen Yi's hand:
"I have to take you inside to have a look. There is a lot worth talking about inside."

Chen Yi let her go immediately, and she led Chen Yi all the way, stepping onto a secluded path with flowers, trees, bamboos and rocks along the side.

The only drawback is that those valuable tree species were either uprooted or cut down, leaving behind hideous large pits and broken trees, which are the traces of the house raids.

Yin Tingxue saw it, but just lowered her eyes a little sadly and didn't say anything.

Passing a few bamboos, I saw a very wide goldfish pond. There was no goldfish in it either. The water was calm and the snow was falling quietly, disappearing into the pond without a sound.

Walking across the pond bank, Yin Tingxue pointed out the courtyard to Chen Yi. Under the shade of bamboo trees, a door with hanging flowers could be seen. She said shyly that it was her boudoir in her childhood. Chen Yi was naturally very interested in her boudoir. Before Yin Tingxue could speak, he strode over and did not stop no matter how shy she was. Chen Yi pushed the door open.

It was empty inside, only the floor tiles were still cold.

It was obvious that all their possessions had been confiscated during the house search.

Yin Tingxue walked in and was stunned for a moment. Although it was unexpected, it was also reasonable. She perked up and pointed to a corner to Chen Yi and said:

"There used to be a dressing table there, and I would look at myself in the mirror there. Sometimes I would look at myself for a long time, and even when Hong Ling urged me to do so, I would not move. It would only work if my mother came to find me."

Chen Yi came back to his senses and smiled, "Have you known that you are good-looking since you were a child?"

Yin Tingxue touched her face and said with courage: "Otherwise I wouldn't have been taken away by you and made a concubine..."

She didn't dare look at him when she spoke.

"Whether you look good or not, I'll take you away." Chen Yi said, and felt a chill on the back of his neck again.

Yin Tingxue smiled gloatingly, then walked out in small steps, pointing at the stone table and chairs that could not be taken away and said:
"There, sometimes I didn't want to go back to my room, so I took a nap there. Hong Ling and the other maids kept me company. No one made a sound, and finally the girls all gathered on the table and fell asleep with their heads buried."

Listening to her words, Chen Yi seemed to be able to imagine how cute Yin Tingxue would be when she buried her head with a group of girls.

But things have changed and people have changed. Everything is gone.

Yin Tingxue looked back at the empty boudoir. The spring breeze was blowing, and the girls were gathered together as innocent children. The scene of flowers and chirping flashed before her eyes, and her eyes became moist.

Turns out that was so long ago.

Now, she is married to the man she fears the most, wearing his hairpin in her hair, and the girl's boudoir is gradually losing its color.

"Husband, can I...return to my parents' home again in the future?"

She rubbed her sore eyes.

"Yes, I come back every year." Chen Yi replied softly.

Yin Tingxue smiled, then thought of something and said:

"I'll find that little clay pot doll for you to see. Hong Ling's craftsmanship is so poor, the doll is so furry."

She walked briskly to the back of the boudoir and began to search among the bamboo and wood.

Chen Yi waited patiently, but saw her figure pause, her arms trembling slightly, and her feet seemed to be petrified.

It was a pile of broken pottery.

"Gone…"

She turned around and tried to smile, but tears still fell from her eyes:

"The little doll was confiscated..."

She unconsciously pieced together the pieces of pottery in her hands, as if trying to piece together her shattered childhood.

A cold wind blew through the empty boudoir, and her past seemed to be swept away.

(End of this chapter)