Mountains and rivers fall into red

Chapter 19
one

The spring breeze contains the plum blossoms at night, and the light candles the world.After some excitement, the Lantern Festival is here.

Early in the morning, Shen Buyu rushed to the palace, saying that the emperor wanted to have fun with his officials.Before he left, he asked Uncle Fu to send a message, and he must wait for him in the evening if he wanted to.

Xiuxiu guessed that this matter had something to do with entering the palace, because she didn't pay New Year's greetings to Concubine Rong on the first day of the new year, and Shen Buyu once said that she would wait until Lantern Festival.She couldn't avoid it this time, so she was full of worries and seemed restless.

Yan Xi has already figured out the clue, and suggested that the young lady might as well go out for a walk to pass the time.Xiuxiu nodded in agreement, and the two dressed roughly, put on cloaks and caps, and left the prime minister's residence.

This day was sunny and warmer than usual, the sky was full of breeze, and the golden sun shone down, making Xixiu slightly dizzy.She couldn't help thinking that she hadn't been out since that incident.

The beginning of spring has passed, the greenery has not yet sprouted, and the trail is still cleared like in the past.Xiuxiu raised her head, glanced at the old pear tree not far away, and couldn't help but stop.

Once she saw under the old pear tree, several people and horses surrounded a double carriage with gold and copper eaves.Before she approached, the people in the carriage lifted the curtain and came out. They were dressed in eye-catching maroon, under the blue light and white halo, showing aloofness and arrogance, dazzling and frightening.He faced her, taunting her expressionlessly.

Although those words were unintentional, recalling them now still makes her shudder.

Now that the snow has disappeared, the carriages have disappeared, let alone people?
"Miss, get in the car." Yan Xi called her.

Xiuxiu closed her eyes, smiled faintly, and didn't think about it anymore.

Because it was the Lantern Festival and the weather was fine, the streets were very lively with people coming and going.On the banks of the river, on the willow trees, and on the lampstands, there are colorful paper lanterns hanging everywhere, in all kinds of styles.Although the texture is rough and simple, all of them are delicate and vivid.

Standing under the lamp stand, the master and servant lingered in admiration before each paper lamp.The peddler took the opportunity to interject, "How many would you two girls choose? There will be lanterns at night, and it's cheap now, so you won't be able to choose at night."

They picked out two carefully, paid the money, and they were about to leave when suddenly a horse galloped up, and the rider on the horse yelled loudly all the way: "Get out of the way of passers-by! Get out of the way of passers-by!" The stall owner hurriedly protected the stall, and Xiuxiu and the others ran to stand still under the shade of the trees beside the road.

The men and horses in front held their swords to clear the way, and they were dressed in dark red palace uniforms, with stern expressions on their faces, which made people dare not look up.One of the bronze-topped sedan chairs was coming in mighty, surrounded by people and horses.

Xiuxiu thought to himself: so grand, could it be which prince is it?

Sure enough, someone who was used to the scene whispered beside him: "So it's the First Prince's carriage."

Another person interjected: "The eldest prince was born to the empress. I heard that the emperor only favors the third son. It looks like this palace is very lively."

Xiuxiu watched the people pass by in front of her, and suddenly found a figure behind them, with a handsome face and a bright smile in the sun, which made her feel very familiar.She couldn't help but blurted out: "Brother Tianji!"

Immediately, the back seemed to be stunned for a moment, and he just turned his head slightly, but the hustle and bustle of people around him had already drowned out Xiuxiu's calling, and he couldn't find the source of the voice.When Xiuxiu raised his head to search further, the crowd had already flooded in, and Xiao Shao's men had already disappeared from sight.

Xiuxiu stood there in a daze for a moment.It's Skyrim, yes, why is he here?

"Miss, who are you calling?" Yan Xi came to her side and asked strangely.

"I saw Brother Tianji, Yanxi. He passed by here just now." Xiuxiu pulled Yanxi's sleeve and said pleasantly.

"Chu Tianji?"

In Yanxi's mind, the scene of the rainy day when he left Mengmata County, the rain-soaked boy chasing the carriage, shouting to rest and wait for him while running.

A third prince is enough to worry about, so why does Chu Tianji come out again?
How could Xiuxiu know what Yanxi was thinking, so he just nodded repeatedly.Tianji said that he would come to Jiangling to meet her in the spring time.The days pass by like a fleeting moment, and this day is here in the blink of an eye.She doesn't need to worry, does she?
Thinking about it this way can't help but make me feel happy, the long-standing haze has temporarily faded, and even walking is much more brisk.Seeing that it was rare for the young lady to come out so easily, Yan Xi felt happy for her from the bottom of her heart.The master and servant talked and laughed along the road, and when they returned to the prime minister's mansion, they almost missed lunch.

The sun was gradually moving to the west, Shen Buyu sent a message, and he went to the gate of the house to wait when he was breastfeeding.

Xiuxiu sat in front of the bronze mirror and dressed up, her long hair like a waterfall hanging down with a halo.Hands caressed the upper neck naturally, the jade pendant was warm and cool, as if very heavy.

father……

These days, even if she didn't call out this title, she silently said it countless times in her heart, and it continued unabated.Occasionally, she would think that this father has committed a lot of crimes, and if he harmed his mother, he also harmed himself.She tried to fill this thought in her mind, and finally let it accumulate into poison and settle in her blood, so she hated him like a mother.But whenever this kind of poisonous thought appears, it's like a pot of boiling water is poured directly into the heart, causing severe pain in the internal organs.

He really treats Xiuxiu well!

She was so painful that her brows were tangled, she let go of her hands, and there was unspeakable melancholy in her tone: "The last time I went to the banquet with the master, it was because of the third prince. What is the reason for going to the banquet this time?"

"It's still because of the third prince." Yan Xi said bluntly, "It's normal for princes and ministers to bring their family members to the Lantern Festival banquet. This time the master brought you again, it must be for the third prince. Although last time the young lady had a bit of trouble with the third prince. , but after all, you are the closest to him so far. Except for you, I haven't heard any romantic anecdotes about the third prince."

Xiuxiu smiled wryly and shook his head: "Master worked so hard, I want to let him down. With my background, here is no different from living under someone else's fence. How can I climb up to the emperor's relatives? I used to be curious and pure-hearted, but now I am full of my heart. The vicissitudes of life are like a dream, and today is not what it used to be."

"Miss, don't belittle yourself." Seeing that the lady was so depressed, Yan Xi kindly persuaded her.

Xiuxiu said stubbornly: "I was afraid that the master would be unhappy, so I let him go. This is the last time. If it happens again in the future, I will refuse no matter what."

She put on her wind cloak, looked at herself in the mirror, suddenly became worried again, and said: "This time I will enter the palace, and I will be jealous of others. You don't know Yanxi, I am very afraid of Da Furen's eyes on me. "

Yan Xi laughed and said: "Miss, why are you afraid of this and that? Regardless of what the eldest madam is, you just listen to the master and the second madam, and stay away from her."

Xixiu took a deep breath and walked out slowly, leaving so many inexplicable melancholy behind her.It didn't take long to arrive at the gate of the mansion, there were already two soft sedan chairs waiting there, Shen Buyu stood beside the sedan chair with his hands behind his back, with a smile on his face, he seemed to be in a good mood.

The eldest lady Li Pinghua stood outside the door with her maid, dressed in homely attire, with a calm expression, only when she met Xiuxiu, she raised her eyebrows casually, and there was a chill in her eyes.That kind of cold made Xiuxiu's heart skip a beat.She looked around and couldn't see Liu Rulan, so she asked suspiciously: "Don't the first lady and the second lady go together?"

"No. I'll bring you one." Shen Buyu relaxed, and was about to bend into the sedan chair.

"Why?" Xiuxiu couldn't help asking.

Shen Buyu looked a little displeased, and said in an unquestionable tone: "You are a smart child. I have my reasons for taking you there, and you just have to obey my arrangement." After finishing speaking, he got into the sedan chair and ordered Said, "It's not early, let's go."

The two sedan chairs slowly left the Prime Minister's Mansion, Xiuxiu looked through the sedan chair curtain, and the eldest lady was still standing motionless.She could imagine that the eldest lady was looking at her with resentful eyes, and she could still feel the chill from a long distance away.She shivered, and her shoulders tightened involuntarily.

Yan Xi guessed right.The banquet this time is still because of the third prince.

The sky is dim and the shadow of the caged moon is dim, and the palaces and palaces of red brocade and gold in the daytime are plunged into a dreamy realm at this time.The flowing light is like water, the breeze is accompanied by the fragrance of wine, and the sound of drums and music can be heard in the banquet hall.

Xiuxiu followed Shen Buyu and walked in slowly, but saw that the whole banquet hall was full of fragrance, and the decoration was extremely joyful. The beams and eaves were covered with exquisite and unique painted palace lanterns, and the nine-petal lotus lanterns bloomed along the wall pillars one after another. The whole hall is as bright as day.The banquets are lined up side by side, and the tops are filled with delicacies on jade plates and fragrant mash.All the ministers and their families had gathered together. When they heard that the prime minister had arrived, they stood up to congratulate him.With a smile on his face, Shen Buyu greeted them all the way, and took Xiuxiu to sit down at the banquet in front.

"Brother Buyu, you came just in time! The day before yesterday I saw a poem while playing, and I actually memorized it all. I just wanted to ask you to write it down. I will go back to Huanyi so that I can hang it on the wall."

Unrestrained laughter came oncoming, almost the whole hall could hear it.Zheng Wei, Marquis of Huanyi strode up to Shen Buyu's side, sat down, and patted Shen Buyu's shoulder with his big palm.Shen Buyu was in pain, frowned, and said sarcastically, "It's not going to be a good thing when you come here. The Spring Festival is almost over now, you can go back to your Huanyi, I'm happy too."

"That won't work. Let's make an appointment tomorrow, and I will prepare my pen and ink and wait."

Zheng Wei laughed loudly, glanced at Xiuxiu, and jokingly said: "It's the Lantern Festival banquet, but it's like saying hello, and they brought their daughters here. I heard that the third prince is not interested in your goddaughter. If you don't meet brother, you How embarrassing."

Shen Buyu glanced at the surroundings, lowered his face, and said angrily: "Which pot does not open and which pot is lifted. You and I are on the same path. At this juncture, don't make sarcastic remarks. In case those people hear it..."

"Don't mention it, don't mention it." Zheng Wei stopped suddenly, and sighed heavily, "When Hao'er returned to Huanyi, he was thinking about your precious goddaughter every day, and I scolded him for being worthless... Oh, he looks like he died My mother is an infatuated kind. If you don’t meet my brother, I can’t help but say today. This time I come to the capital, I will give Hao’er half a year to stay and chase after your precious daughter. If you still believe in the third prince, I will Let Hao'er give up on this idea. If you two love me, I will naturally not beat the mandarin duck. When the time comes, don't meet brother, don't get distracted, haha!"

"You, you, you are simply making trouble for no reason!" Shen Buyu was helpless and dumbfounded, pointing at Zheng Wei and cursing lightly.

Zheng Wei took advantage and smiled even more happily.

Xiuxiu listened quietly, but her heart was beating wildly.

"One day in the future, I want you to follow me to the ends of the earth, can you?"

I vaguely remembered Xiao Hao saying such a thing.At that time, it wasn't that she wasn't moved, but she never thought of it.Since that unforgettable hunt, she and Xiao Hao have only had two brief face-to-face encounters.In her eyes, Xiao Hao is considerate, calm, yet passionate, and his every word, deed, and smile always make her feel at peace.It's not that she doesn't know his goodness, it's just that her mind is on another person.Now, all Ruxian's thoughts have been cut off, and she dare not think about anything except sealing herself up.

She thought about it heavily, and in the end she burst into tears.Looking in a haze, at an unknown time on the opposite side, there is a slender hand waving towards her among the red flowers and willows.She took a closer look, and it turned out to be Zheng Yizhen.

In just a few short months, Zheng Yizhen has become even more charming.At this time, she was sitting upright, holding a coral red agate cup in her hand, wearing a garnet red dress that stretched the floor with exquisite embroidery, her expression was as bright as a spring flower.After meeting Xiuxiu face to face, she blinked her eyes and pursed her lips into a smile.

Xiuxiu watched, feeling hot and cold in his heart.She is afraid that she will not be as comfortable as Zheng Yizhen, Xiao Kui should be interested in such a beautiful woman.

Thoughts were still in a trance, the people who were laughing and talking had quieted down, it turned out that there was a slight commotion in the front hall.Not long after, the deacon's palace staff sang a long chorus: "The emperor is here! The empress is here!" The voice circled around the beam, and everyone knelt down and bowed to the ground, shouting long live and thousand live three times.

Surrounded by a large number of court ladies, the Emperor Liang and the Empress slowly arrived in the palace.Xiuxiu peeked at him, and saw that Emperor Liang was wearing a bright yellow brocade robe with dragon pattern, his face was pale and thin, although he had the demeanor of an emperor, he lost a bit of sharpness.Xiuxiu was a little disappointed, and turned to the woman beside Emperor Liang.I saw that he was wearing a golden cloud and dragon pattern, and his hair was filled with gold necklaces, and his whole body was shining, luxurious and incomparable.

This is the Empress Empress.

Xiuxiu thought to herself, and couldn't help but want to take a closer look at the empress's appearance.Looking at the past, she was so surprised that she almost cried out.

Wasn't it this woman who interrogated her that day?
Fear spread from the soles of her feet to her whole body again.Xiuxiu lowered her head in a panic, her temples throbbing.Since she was still young, she still vaguely understood why Shen Buyu didn't care about this matter anymore. It turned out that Lord Ji Mingyou had the empress backing him, so naturally he had no fear.There are factional disputes in the DPRK and China, and the undercurrent is raging. Just like the sound of the phoenix flute in front of me, it is difficult to distinguish between the real and the fake. How can she, a weak woman, know these things?

Forget it, let's wait till the end of the palace banquet, I hope the Empress will not see her.

Xiuxiu lowered her head and prayed secretly, not noticing that several princes of Emperor Liang were passing by her.Xiao Kui and Xiao Hao glanced at her almost at the same time.

The emperor and queen sat down in their seats. Emperor Liang raised his wine bottle, smiled at everyone, and said, "All your loved ones, all your family members, and monarchs and ministers don't need to be formal. Over the past year, all your loved ones have worked hard for the court and state affairs. Today is the reunion day of the Lantern Festival. You My monarchs and ministers will definitely drink heavily, and hope that this year will be good for harvesting, five grains will be grown, the country will be peaceful, and the people will be healthy!"

At that moment, everyone thanked in unison, and then got up and returned to their seats, and the dinner began.

Fire trees, silver flowers, thousands of lights, a school of singing.

The position of the princes is exactly opposite to Xiuxiu.When Xiuxiu raised his head, he met Xiao Kui's eyes.He seemed to be looking over inadvertently, his black pupils seemed to be shining with lightning.

She lowered her head anxiously, sitting on pins and needles.

Shen Bu met Xiuxiu who kept his head down and remained silent, a little dissatisfied, and secretly taught her: "The time in Jiangling is not too short, you should gain a lot of experience. Look at those civil and military ministers, they all urged their daughters to take the initiative to give money to the princes. Let’s toast! Even though I had a bad time with the Third Prince last time, he also admitted his fault, so don’t worry too much about it.”

Xiuxiu shook his head and said resolutely, "I won't go this time."

That tone clearly meant that Shen Buyu was persecuting her.

If at home, Shen Buyu was furious.But on such a big occasion, he had to maintain a good temper, and lowered his voice: "This time I just want to toast, and it's not your turn!"

Xiuxiu breathed a sigh of relief, then raised his head.In front of him was a large expanse of pink willows and green lights, and Xiao Kui could not be seen. It turned out that he had already been buried in the Kingdom of Fragrances.She only saw that the eldest prince Xiao Shao was also joining in the fun together, drinking and clinking cups.Xiao Hao, who was sitting next to him, looked gentle. At this moment, he just watched with a smile, neither humorous nor coquettish.His eyes shifted slowly, just in time to find that Xiuxiu was also looking at him, he seemed to be taken aback for a moment, then grinned, raised his glass and nodded slightly to her.

Xiuxiu took a sip of his wine and answered with a smile.

The lengthy banquet finally came to an end, Emperor Liang was full of joy, and took everyone to the pool to recite poems and enjoy the moon.

All the ministers were already in a good mood, they had forgotten the rules and lost their sense of proportion. For a while, the fruit and wine by the pool were mellow, and there were bursts of laughter.Surrounded by the female relatives, the queen came to the pavilion accompanied by the delicate singing of warblers and swallows. Suddenly, the brilliance and fragrance were inside, and the rings were tinkling.

Fearing that the queen would find out, Xiuxiu hurriedly withdrew.She looked around at the unfamiliar scenery, and didn't know which way to go. She thought that the empress would not stay for long, and it would be fine to wait for her to come out by herself.

Without thinking about it, she went straight to a small path.Under the bright moon, I saw Xiao Kui walking slowly towards this side.She was startled, gave a slight salute, and walked past him with her head down.Xiao Kui stopped in his tracks and shouted suddenly, "Where are you going?"

Xiuxiu naturally ignored him and continued walking forward.Xiao Kui had no choice but to turn around and chase after him, shouting, "Hey, Shen Xiuxiu, I'm calling you!"

Seeing that Xiuxiu had no intention of stopping, Xiao Kui stood with his arms akimbo, and asked a little anxiously, "You...do you really don't want to talk to me?"

As if the sound of running water wandered past Xiuxiu's ears, she closed her eyes and stood still.

"Third Highness, what dare I ignore?"

He walked up to her and looked at her fixedly, and the surrounding suddenly became strangely silent.Then Xiao Kui coughed lightly, pretending to be casual and said: "I went to my concubine's place early in the morning on the first day of the lunar new year, thinking you would come. But after waiting for a long time, I finally couldn't see you."

She only felt that the heart lake suddenly surged, swelled, and it was almost suffocating.But she immediately lowered her thick eyelashes, and asked in a deep voice, "Is there something wrong, Your Highness?"

"I heard from my mother that you got a serious illness later. I wondered if it had something to do with not taking good care of you in the palace? If that's the case, my sin would be serious."

In fact, he wanted to say that he already knew about her being kidnapped, and it was because of him.This matter is entrenched in his heart, and he always feels ashamed of her.But he was used to arrogance, and refused to say it clearly, only waiting for Xiuxiu to tell him directly.

Unexpectedly, Xiuxiu tugged at the corner of her mouth inadvertently, and said lightly: "Your Highness is worrying too much, this matter has nothing to do with Your Highness."

Xiao Kui opened his mouth wide, but couldn't catch it.But he was not reconciled, and continued: "Is your hand healed? Are there any scars left? Show me."

The moonlight was like water, his almost transparent shadow swayed on the blue brick pavement, and the sound seemed to come from an ethereal closing, like a dream or a dream.One of his hands raised her sleeve and gently held her hand.Her breathing became more and more rapid, and she pulled her hand away quickly.

"If Your Highness is fine, the girl will leave."

He was coldly received, one hand froze there, and his words became tougher: "Aren't you Shen Buyu's goddaughter? Are you so afraid of him? Maybe he is hiding in the dark, seeing me take the initiative to contact you, just proud smiling."

There was also a slight smile on her lips: "I'm just a poor girl with nowhere to rely on."

He replied simply: "I know."

Hugh felt bitter in his heart.Qiuyue once asked her, how much does she know about him?How much do you know about him? "

Indeed, she really didn't have to know him.

She lifted her skirt and walked forward quickly, but she didn't hear his footsteps chasing after her, presumably he had given up.Why didn't she want to give up?The two of them talked nonchalantly for more than half a sentence, they were close at hand, but they seemed to be separated by thousands of rivers and mountains.Tonight is considered an unexpected meeting, when the sun rises tomorrow, everything can be forgotten, and there will be no more worries in my heart.

In the Huashulin area, a brownish-colored figure walked staggeringly.When the night wind blew, the man couldn't help throwing himself beside the railing, vomiting loudly at a clump of begonias.

Xiuxiu couldn't help covering her nose, and thought about that figure again.She stood behind and watched until the man finished vomiting and was sitting on a rock panting for breath, then she called softly: "Elder Prince."

Hearing the sound, Xiao Shao raised her head, half-opened her drunken eyes, and recognized her after a while: "It's Miss Xiuxiu. Didn't you ask me to save you again?"

Seeing that he was quite drunk, Xiuxiu went nearby and brought him a bowl of hangover tea.Xiao Shao drank it, and spit it out again, saying: "Why is it not wine? Hugh, how about you and I having a drink together?"

(End of this chapter)