Chapter 223 Thousands of Flowers Blooming at Night
Shashasha~~
Fine raindrops sprinkled on the main street in the center of the city. The shimmering light from the pavilions on both sides of the street was rendered by the rain and fog, making the entire street become dreamlike. You can even see the reflections of pedestrians and street scenes on the ground.
Ye Jingtang held an oil-paper umbrella over Sanniang's head, admiring the rainy scene that was completely different from the capital city. The tense heartstrings that had been running in Wushan for several days slowly turned into comfort at this moment.
King Wu's rebellion caused a lot of trouble. The people in the city were afraid that King Wu would seal the city and be trapped, so many people fled the city. However, since the arrival of the imperial army, the situation has stabilized and many people have returned to the city. At present,
Shops are opening one after another. Although it is not as busy as usual, the empty alleys of the rainy streets still have a certain charm.
I came out today for a private visit incognito, or for shopping in casual clothes.
Dongfang Liren put on a prince's robe. Except for his overdeveloped chest muscles, he was very handsome in other aspects. He held a folding fan and looked like a jade tree standing in the wind.
The Queen Mother naturally dressed up as a mother-in-law, with a maid behind her. Her clothes were very lady-like, but with her big eyes and a pretty face, she looked more like Dongfang Liren's sister.
Xuanji is the most special person. She is dressed as a scholarly lady who has not left the court and is the lover of her apprentice. She is wearing a fairy skirt made of white gauze and holding a flower umbrella. She is very suitable for walking beside Dongfang Liren. Anyone who sees it will be surprised.
I have to say that the man is talented and the woman is beautiful.
Ye Jingtang was also wearing a prince's robe, and his appearance was too eye-catching. When he came closer, he was either mistaken for Xuanji's real lover, or he was mistaken for the little wolfdog raised by the Queen Mother, which was a bit inappropriate. For this reason, he kept a distance and took San
My mother followed behind.
A few people came out to play with the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother had been in the palace for too long. She would stare at everything she encountered for a while. Her mood did not get better, but became more and more sentimental. It should be because she recalled that she was a princess in Jiangzhou.
The carefree days of being a young lady.
Pei Xiangjun dressed up as a daughter-in-law and leaned beside Ye Jingtang. When he saw Master Xuanji and the Queen enlightening the Queen Mother, he sighed a little in his heart and whispered:
"The Queen Mother is also pitiful. Before she came to the capital, the late emperor passed away. The palace servants during the late emperor's period were allowed to leave the palace after they ascended the throne. Those with children went to the fiefdom to enjoy the blessings. Those without the fiefdom returned home and remarried. Only the queen mother
I can’t leave, the Holy Emperor has no concubines in the harem, and I live alone in the harem. Thinking about my life makes me depressed..."
Ye Jingtang has been to the harem many times and knows the sufferings of the Queen Mother. Although she seems to be quirky and fun-loving and quite vindictive, the Queen Mother can see outsiders a few times a year and encounter several big and small things. If it were him who would be treated like this
If you stay in confinement with nothing to do all day long, you may have climbed over the wall and fled away.
Ye Jingtang held an oil-paper umbrella and walked out with Sanniang. Seeing that Benben was just talking about some historical allusions and didn't know how to please the girl, he thought about it and started looking around...
——
"This bridge is three hundred years old. When Taizu conquered Jianyang, he felt inspired here and wrote a poem..."
On the covered bridge spanning both sides of the long street, Dongfang Liren gently waved his folding fan and recounted various deeds during the founding of the People's Republic of China. Seeing that there were no passers-by around, Xuanji Master took off the wine gourd from his waist and leaned against the carved stone lion.
Drinking wine on the fence.
The Queen Mother stood under the umbrella, admiring the beautiful night view of the city. She seemed to be listening carefully to Dongfang Liren's story, but she was not very interested in it.
After all, the Empress Dowager was born in a general family. Although she was not good at martial arts, it did not prevent her from being a general in literary talent. It was a bit painful to hear these teachers talk about historical allusions.
However, no matter how boring she was, it was more interesting to see the sights and attractions in a different place than to stay alone in the palace. The Queen Mother had no intention of returning home, but just looked around, looking for objects that aroused her interest.
After watching for a while, the Queen Mother suddenly saw Ye Jingtang walking from the street with two boxes in her peripheral vision, her expression still mysterious, and she couldn't help but wonder:
"Night Terror Hall, what did you do?"
"Go and buy something."
Ye Jingtang carried the box to the covered bridge and opened it - inside were lanterns, some with Mid-Autumn Festival blessings on them.
The Queen Mother was stunned, covering her chest and looking at her:
"The Mid-Autumn Festival is still a month away, where did you find it?"
"For the wedding and wedding shop on the street, all these things were prepared in advance. I just started making them, and that's all. I bought them all."
"oh……"
When Xuanji saw the Queen Mother and the little girl, she seemed to be looking closely at them. The round buttocks were quite sultry. She relapsed into her old habit, so she came over and squeezed them quietly.
The Queen Mother quickly stood up straight, pinched Xuanji's waist, and then continued to watch Ye Jingtang play with it.
Ye Jingtang took out the small lantern from inside, put the candle on the hanging pole, and handed it to the bright-eyed Queen Mother:
"Give."
"..."
The Queen Mother blinked her eyes, took the small lantern with a smile, and held it in her hand. Hongyu took the fire stick to help light it.
Seeing that the Queen Mother became energetic, Dongfang Liren didn't know whether to praise Ye Jingtang for being able to coax girls, or saying that Ye Jingtang dared to coax even the Queen Mother. Seeing that Ye Jingtang had made another lantern and handed it to her, she stood
Stand a little straighter and show your outfit:
"This is something for girls to play with. What do you mean when I hold it?"
Seeing this, Ye Jingtang handed the lantern to Miss Xuanji who was watching the show next to her.
Master Xuanji took the lamp and showed off a trick. She flipped her hand lightly, swept it over the candle, and lit it. Everyone around looked surprised.
"Fairy Lu, how did you do this?"
"This is Taoist magic. If you want to learn it, you must first become a disciple."
"Master, you didn't teach me this skill!"
"Go back and teach you secretly, so that no one will learn from you secretly."
Xuanji, the real person, held the lantern and moved slightly on lotus steps on the covered bridge. Wearing a light gauze fairy skirt, her appearance and temperament were stunning.
The Queen Mother also followed the circle, but she didn't have such extraordinary and holy Qinggong, so her spinning was a bit rough, but it had a lot of human fireworks, which gave it a different charm.
Ye Jingtang couldn't help but stare at the two women he shouldn't be looking at. He shook his head and chuckled. After getting two more lanterns, he opened another box.
The boxes were full of hard goods, including firecrackers about the size of buckets, fireworks filled with stars, etc.
I have seen a lot of Dongfang Liren fireworks, but due to safety concerns, I have never been allowed to light them in person. Seeing this, I became more energetic. I squatted down, took out the largest one, and wanted to light it up.
"Hey..."
Ye Jingtang quickly held down Big Benben and gestured to the veranda above:
"This is a wooden bridge. You have to burn the bridge here. Go under."
As he spoke, he picked up a few large fireworks and came to the relatively empty river embankment on the street.
Dongfang Liren followed him to the river, held an umbrella for Ye Jingtang, and asked:
"Is this loud?"
"I don't know. You'll know when you light it up."
After Ye Jingtang set up the fireworks, he handed the firecracker to Benben:
"uh-huh."
"..."
Dongfang Liren held a firecracker in her hand and wanted to light it, but when she saw the big firecracker thicker than her waist, she finally felt a little scared. After glancing at the man who was waiting, she cautiously moved the fuse closer and then closed it.
Seeing this scene, several people shook their heads secretly, but no one dared to laugh at Dongfang's cowardice.
The Queen Mother, relying on her domineering physique that she could not be beaten to death as long as she was not beaten to death on the spot, was not timid. She covered her ears and waited for a long time. When she saw that Li Ren was of no use, she trotted forward with her skirt in hand:
"It's just a firework. What's there to be afraid of? I'm here."
When Dongfang Liren saw this, he didn't show any courage and stepped back, hiding behind the Night Terror Hall and covering his ears.
Realizing that Ye Jingtang's eyes were strange, he glanced back at her. Dongfang Liren's expression turned cold again. He stood up straight and grabbed the umbrella, looking as steady as a rock:
"You go and stand behind me, what are you doing here?"
"Your Highness is not afraid?"
"What am I afraid of? It's just a firework. With Master here, can anything happen?"
The Night Terror Hall saw Xuanji standing behind the Queen Mother watching a play, and even deliberately shouted "Bah!" to scare the Queen Mother. Without saying anything, she came to the street and stood under the eaves with Sanniang.
Hongyu stood behind the Queen Mother holding an umbrella, feeling a little worried and muttering in a low voice:
"Be careful, my dear, if you light it, step away immediately. This looks scary."
"I know, please don't disturb me."
The Queen Mother held the lantern in one hand and carefully squatted down, placing the fire stick on the fuse.
呲呲
The moment the flames touched the cannon, sparks shot out from the cannon.
The Queen Mother was so shocked that her shoulders trembled slightly, and she dropped the book of fire on the ground. She quickly stood up with her skirt in hand, hugged Master Xuanji's arm, and looked at her intently.
呲呲呲……
call out--
Phew~!
Under the rain curtain, a streak of fire shot into the sky, flew dozens of feet into the sky, and then exploded, sending out fireworks all over the sky.
"Wow--"
"Look, look, look..."
Along with the movement, the noises of women, children, old and young suddenly sounded along both sides of the river.
The Queen Mother's eyes were also bright, and she and Hong Yu looked up together and let out a soft cry of surprise.
call out--
Bang bang~!
The light of fireworks illuminated the street alternately.
Ye Jingtang stood under the eaves and looked out. He saw several women looking up at the sky. His heart moved slightly and he turned to his side.
Pei Xiangjun grew up in the capital, and he saw a lot of such human fireworks. He was not as excited as the Queen Mother, but just enjoyed the beautiful scenery with a gentle and elegant expression.
When he found Ye Jingtang looking over, Pei Xiangjun blinked his eyes, a little confused:
"Um?"
Ye Jingtang smiled, raised his hand and hugged Sanniang quietly, lowering his head slightly to his cheek.
?!
Pei Xiangjun's expression froze, and he was shocked to see that Tang was so bold that he was planning to kiss her on the street. There were people beside him. He must have been a little confused, but before he could recover, warmth came out of his red lips.
"Woo~..."
Pei Xiangjun's heart was in his throat, his hands were curled up on his chest, he carefully paid attention to the women watching the fireworks from the corner of his eye, and slowly opened his red lips...
——
Phew~
Bang bang——
Fires shot up into the sky, and soon countless pedestrians came to the riverside to watch the excitement. After experiencing a storm, Jianyang City returned to its usual vitality.
Ye Jingtang bought a lot of fireworks and lined them up by the river. The Queen Mother lit them one by one. Dongfang Liren was brave enough to go up and light two more. It took a full two-quarters of an hour to light them all.
Seeing that there were too many people watching by the river, Dongfang Liren took the Queen Mother back to the palace.
The Queen Mother was having so much fun that she didn't even care about being knocked unconscious last time. Her attitude toward Ye Jingtang became much better, and she even praised Ye Jingtang a few times along the way.
By the time we returned to Prince Wu's Mansion, it was already dark.
Dongfang Liren was tired from running around for a day, so he didn't let Ye Jingtang work overtime. Ye Jingtang finally got off work and returned to the courtyard where he stayed with Sanniang.
It was late at night, and everyone living in the guest house of the palace had already rested. When Night Terror Hall entered the courtyard veranda, he looked up and saw a lonely bird standing under the eaves, looking towards the center of the city and watching the fireworks set off by other people.
After discovering that the night terror hall had returned, Niaoniao might have been unhappy at being left at home, so she tilted her head and ignored him.
Ye Jingtang shook his head and sighed, took Sanniang to the outside of the wing and asked:
"It's getting late, and you're still injured. It would be better to rest early..."
Pei Xiangjun had just been kicked on the street, and he still hadn't recovered yet. Seeing Ye Jingtang asking about this, he hesitated for a moment and then generously pulled Ye Jingtang towards Hu Meizi's room:
"You must be thinking about Shuang Jiao Xian Tao. If I take a rest, you won't have to worry about it for half the night..."
While talking, Pei Xiangjun gently opened the door and looked into the inner room.
There was no movement in the bedroom. Luo Ning was lying between the curtains, with her back to the door. Only the back of her head could be seen, and she seemed to be asleep.
Pei Xiangjun didn't believe that Hu Meizi could fall asleep alone in the empty boudoir, so he quietly walked up to him and lifted up the thin quilt slightly.
Under the thin quilt, you can see the exquisite and graceful white figure. The upper body is in a hollow coat, and the lower part is in bow-knot pants, which can't even be covered by the moon.
Pa~
Pei Xiangjun saw this coquettish dress with "the ambition of a wolf clearly revealed", he snorted softly and patted:
"What are you pretending to be? Why don't you get up and wait for the surprise."
"you……"
Luo Ning was indeed pretending to be asleep. After being slapped awake, she turned around and looked unhappy:
"Why did you come here if you didn't take good care of yourself?"
"Sleep, what else can I do?"
Pei Xiangjun took off his shoes and got into bed, imitating Luo Ning's behavior last time;
"Jingtang, come."
Luo Ning was definitely not cooperating. She twisted her waist and lightly hit Pei Xiangjun with her elbow:
"Is there something wrong with you? Just take care of him when you are free...take your hands away!"
"Don't move!"
…
With a smile in his eyes, Ye Jingtang sat in front of him and played with his fingers a few times:
"Okay, go to bed early..."
"Little thief!"
Luo Ning shivered, and when she saw Ye Jingtang being so presumptuous, she wanted to get out of bed in anger.
Pei Xiangjun was almost used to Luo Ning's small appearance. He pressed her down and ordered:
"Jingtang, touch her, she will become obedient after a while."
"You dare, little thief! Believe it or not, I will go back to Nanxiao Mountain tomorrow..."
Ye Jingtang was not that rude, he just leaned forward and kissed her twice on the cold cheek.
Luo Ning tilted her head to hide a few times, but couldn't escape. Finally, she resigned herself to her fate and closed her eyes to endure the humiliation...
——
The time came to early morning before I knew it, and the sound of roosters was heard in the distance:
"Kekeke~~"
It was dawn, and in an elegant courtyard behind the palace, the lights in all the rooms were turned off. Only two dim yellow lanterns under the eaves of the main room gave off a soft halo.
The bedroom was very quiet, only three weak breathing sounds could be heard.
Hongyu slept in the main room. On the table not far away, there were lanterns, smiling masks, rouge and gouache and other messy items. They were all bought on the street and were regarded as souvenirs from a trip to Wuzhou.
In the bedroom, two sets of gorgeous dresses were hung on the screen.
The Queen Mother was sleeping on the inside wearing a light bellyband, with a slight smile on her mature cheeks. She was probably dreaming of one day flying out of the palace to be free.
Xuanji, the real person, was lying on his side. Although he was usually cynical, when he returned from his dream at midnight, there was still a hint of sadness on his cheeks that could not be seen by outsiders.
Xuanji, the real person, would stay in Beijing for a period of time every autumn. It was explained to the outside world that he was visiting the Queen Mother, but in fact, he served as a guard to prevent the empress from encountering any unexpected events.
Back then, in order to force the palace to seize power, the empress embarked on a path of no return. Although she succeeded, the price of her defiance remained with her.
Spring brings birth and autumn kills. Autumn is the season when all things wither. Every year after autumn, the empress' body becomes inexplicably weak. The reason has not yet been found.
All Xuanji can do is to search for the Singing Dragon Picture all over the world on weekdays. After autumn, he returns to Beijing to protect his apprentice. He has been searching for it for ten years, day after day, year after year.
But the Minglong Diagram relies on luck rather than strength. After so many years, she has only found possible clues. She has no idea how long Yuhu can last.
If something happened to Yuhu, Li Ren would not be able to control the civil and military kings of the Manchu Dynasty and outside the country. And she said that Potian was just a warrior. It was easy to defend one person, but it was difficult to defend a country. He could not control the general situation at all.
Only she knows about these imminent matters. She is powerless but has nowhere to complain, and she cannot hand over this responsibility to outsiders. What will happen in the future...
Master Xuanji was leaning on the pillow, feeling secretly worried when she suddenly heard a sound coming from outside:
Dong Dong~
"Your Highness? Your Highness?"
Soon, Li Ren's slightly sleepy voice came from the main room:
"Is something wrong?"
"Just now, a chief officer of the Hei Ya came over to report that he heard some news in the Jianghu and that Qiu Tianhe was going to Junshan Terrace to compete..."
"Oh...huh?!"
Li Ren obviously realized what would happen if Qiu Tianhe, who was half the master of Ye Jing Hall, came to stir up trouble when his son was dead. There was a sound of getting up and putting on shoes in the room.
Master Xuanji had already woken up, got up, put on her clothes, and came outside the room.
Dongfang Liren quickly put on his clothes and walked out of the room. When he saw Master Xuanji, he said:
"Master, can Qiu Tianhe defeat Xuanyuan Chao?"
Master Xuanji was wearing a belt and thought about it for a moment:
"At the same level, the Tianhe Sword can't beat the Dragon Slaying Order and the Eight-Step Crazy Sword. In the past, Qiu Tianhe could only take three swords, but now that his strength has improved, it should be no problem to take five swords."
"What happens after five cuts?"
"If you admit defeat quickly, you still have a chance to step down. If Xuanyuan Chao didn't practice martial ethics when he was suffering from the loss of his son, he probably wouldn't be able to escape from the Qianzhang Arena."
"That means death is inevitable."
Dongfang Liren felt that Qiu Tianhe was simply unlucky. Just after he was released from the black prison dungeon, he turned around and hit the gun. It would be better to lock Qiu Tianhe in the capital and deliver meals.
Dongfang Liren knew that Ye Jingtang valued friendship. If the unknowing Qiu Tianhe was killed by the angry Xuanyuan Dynasty because of killing Xuanyuan Hongzhi, Ye Jingtang would definitely feel guilty and quickly walked towards the courtyard.
outside.
Ye Jingtang, like the six accompanying courtiers, lived in the guest courtyard outside the palace.
Because he had a female family member with him, Dongfang Liren made very thoughtful arrangements. It was a private house with no one living around. No one heard what he did at night.
Dongfang Liren jumped up to the house with a tip of his toes, and passed through the huge palace along a straight line. In several guest courtyards, he could see old ministers doing morning exercises, and the courtyard of the Night Jing Hall was lit with lights, and he seemed to be getting up.
.
Dongfang Liren came to the courtyard wall and was about to call out when he heard movement from the main room.
Then the door opened, and Ye Jingtang, who was wearing a robe, walked out of the room:
"Your Highness, why are you here so early? Is something wrong?"
Dongfang Liren landed under the eaves. He instinctively wanted to say the news that had just come, but subconsciously glanced inside the room. Unfortunately, it was an outside room and he couldn't see how many girls were in the bedroom...
Yesterday, Ye Jingtang tasted the big peach presented by Ning'er and Sanniang. She slept a little. She just woke up and didn't even clean up the messy battlefield. She didn't have the nerve to let Da Benben see it. He immediately raised his hand to protect her and walked out.
:
"Ning'er hasn't woken up yet, let's go to the verandah to talk."
"snort……"
Dongfang Liren suppressed his distracting thoughts and walked into the verandah together:
"I just received news that Qiu Tianhe is going to Junshantai to fight for the title of swordsman. Qiu Tianhe was suddenly released. Junshantai must know that you have contributed, and you have old friends in the past. You just killed Xuanyuan Hongzhi, and Qiu Tianhe is now looking for his father to challenge him.
…”
?
Ye Jingtang paused and turned his head:
"Already gone?"
"It doesn't sound like it yet, but the wind has picked up, just in the past two days."
"These two days..."
Ye Jingtang raised his hand and rubbed his forehead. He felt that something was wrong. He thought about it and said:
"I'll leave immediately to see if I can catch Qiu Tianhe..."
"You have just committed a murder. Are you going to Junshantai at this time and throwing yourself into a trap? Why don't I send a message to Junshantai..."
"The sword has no eyes. Qiu Tianhe took the initiative to come to the door to fight, which is equivalent to signing a life and death certificate. Xuanyuan Chao held back because of his martial ethics. If he really killed him, if he accidentally missed it later, the government would have no reason to impose heavy penalties.
"The government was unable to contact Qiu Tianhe for a short period of time. When he stepped into Junshan Terrace, he had no choice but to shoot the arrow and could not escape. I had my own sense of discretion, so I grabbed Qiu Tianhe and came back immediately."
Dongfang Liren was still worried after all, so he thought for a while and said:
"Ask Master to follow you. With Master behind you, at least Xuanyuan Chao cannot kill you. It should be safer."
Ye Jingtang considers himself to be very powerful, but he is still a bit weak when facing the swordsman who has been famous for decades. He did not refuse. After saying this, he went back to the house to pack his clothes...
————
Thanks to Mr. [Little Flying Carpet] for the huge reward!