In the Yangxin Hall, Cen Li lowered his hand to report the current situation of Chang'an Palace.
At the top of the page, although Jiang Huaiyang held a pen in his hand, his attention was not on the memorial, but on listening to it.
As he was carrying the others down, the door of the palace was suddenly pushed open, and cold wind poured in, causing the coldness to gnaw at his muscles and bones.
Wen Zhi's face turned gloomy. After he stepped in, he came to the front and whispered, "Your Majesty, the maid whom the empress released from the palace -" He paused and then uttered three words:
"Killed himself."
Just a few words, but the atmosphere in the hall became cold. This matter should not be reported to the Holy Sage, but after all, it concerns that person, and she is a confidant maid no matter what.
Cen Li was horrified. He lowered his head and closed his eyes, pretending he didn't hear anything.
His expression did not change, and he whispered, "Keep it a secret for now, don't let her know." If the young lady found out, she wouldn't know how to feel sad.
"yes."
In the huge imperial city, snowflakes were flying, and this year's winter seemed to be unusually cold.
.
The palace messenger responsible for delivering the message went to Chang'an Palace as usual to report Mu Ling's current situation, saying only that everything was fine.
Although she has been busy with the palace banquet on the twelfth lunar month recently, Ruan Yuyi still thinks about the wood spirit who left the palace. After hearing the good news, she felt relieved.
"Does it mean that the cakes you sent have been used by her?" she said casually while tracing the patterns. Usually Mu Ling is the most coveted of her sister Mu Xiang's craftsmanship, and always relies on her to beg for food. This time she left the palace.
, I will also miss Mu Xiang’s craftsmanship when I think about it.
After not hearing the palace man's voice for a long time, she raised her eyes and looked up.
The palace man was agitated by this look. After reacting, he simply said, "It's used." This was because he was afraid that he would make a mistake if he said too much.
There was a smile on her lips, and she wanted to be rewarded with the scent of wood.
The palace man thanked him and left, but he was distracted when he came down from Taiji and almost fell. After he stood firm, he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Mu Xiang, who was sent out, saw that he looked wrong and asked, "What's going on? Our empress is terrible?"
"Oh," the palace servant said quickly, without even thinking about whether he had made any inappropriate remarks just now, "What did you say, my aunt? Everyone knows that Concubine Jin is treating her kindly."
Mu Xiang looked at him steadily, "Then why are you panicking?"
The palace man shook his head a few times and said, "Auntie, I'm afraid I may have seen it wrong. I almost fell down and that's why I panicked."
What he said was so inconsistent that he didn't know whether he was panicking or not. Muxiang heard some clues and asked, "Are you saying it or not?... Could it be that the wood spirit knocked over the food box?"
The more she talked, the more she thought it was possible. That little girl had always been reckless.
The palace man couldn't take it off, so he stamped his feet and simply said, "That girl is gone."
Mu Xiang's face stiffened, "What do you mean?"
"Just dead."
She opened her mouth, but in the end nothing came out. How could it be possible? Someone had sent a letter to her earlier, complaining about the girl who lived with her and looking like cocklebur, following her every day.
Hold her.
When I sent her out of the palace obviously, I saw her smiling and talking happily.
Perhaps the palace man felt that his tone was too harsh and sighed, "Oh, I have never seen a girl in the palace who has suffered so much. I express my condolences to you, but from the master's side, your majesty also ordered me to
It’s unknown.”
She nodded and muttered, "I understand, I understand—"
She couldn't hear clearly what the palace man said to her, and she didn't realize when he left.
She stood under the wind for a while, which made her hands and feet feel cold. Until the lady's voice called her from inside the room, she suddenly came back to her senses. She patted her cheek and smiled.
When her fingertips touched the door, she realized that her hands were trembling.
Inside the room, Ruan Yuyi was still describing the flowers on her hands. Seeing that Mu Xiang's face was pale, she thought she was cold. She took her hand and was actually shocked by the ice.
She pushed the sleeve stove on her lap to Mu Xiang and joked, "Are you playing in the snow? Your hands are so cold."
The warmth of the sleeve stove spread all over the limbs, and Mu Xiang smiled and replied, "But it's colder outside. I just went to play in the snow. I'm so grown up now."
"That's right," she rubbed her sore wrist and said casually, "Only a childish child like a wood spirit would talk about playing in the snow."
But this winter, the snow is falling so beautifully, and the wood spirit has no time to play in the snow.
The curvature of Mu Xiang's lips remained unchanged, and she turned her head to look out the window. The young lady was afraid of the cold, so the window was always closed, and she only opened it to let in some air when she stayed in the inner room.
At this moment, the snow falls on the window paper, making a rustling sound, like insects eating away at this endless winter.
.
In the afternoon, after taking a nap for about half an hour, Mu Xiang came in to call for someone. He saw Ruan Yuyi lying on her side on the couch, her eyebrows furrowed, and she looked like she was not sleeping peacefully.
Mu Xiang sighed quietly. Although the lady didn't show it on her face, she could feel that the lady was still reluctant to let Mu Xiang leave the palace. But now——
She gently pushed Ruan Yuyi's shoulder and said, "Miss, it's time to wake up." She got up later than usual in the morning, and if she continued to fall asleep now, she wouldn't be too sleepy.
She snorted, and her eyelashes trembled before she opened them. The tears that had been in her eyes during her sleep finally couldn't be held back and slipped down.
She wiped it off and stood up.
Seeing her sitting up, Mu Xiang helped her to uncomb her hair and said, "There is a new musician in the palace. He is a pianist. Do you want to meet me, Madam?"
She stroked the folds of her dress and said, "Musician?"
"I heard that he is your Majesty's new recruit, specially brought here to relieve your boredom," Mu Xiang said, "Now he is waiting outside."
"Then please." She stood up and walked to the side hall, and Mu Xiang opened the soft curtain for her.
In the side hall, stood a man with an excellent figure. He wore moon-white hair and a straight face. His eyebrows were picturesque and he looked like a boy or a girl. Hearing the movement, he turned around and saluted, "I've seen the empress."
Ruan Yuyi hesitated for a moment, "Xuanrao? Why are you here?"
Xuanrao lowered his eyes and smiled, and replied, "I thought that the empress must have known about it. I came here to be a musician. Fortunately, my master forced me to learn another piano skill, so I can have this opportunity today."
.”
I have this opportunity to go to the palace to see her.
"You're not going to sing in your play?" She asked someone to give him a seat.
He shook his head and said, "I won't sing anymore. Occasionally I will go back and take a look." Because of this, the master was so angry that he used the soft whip he used to urge them when practicing.
After all, the master felt sorry for him and scolded him for ruining his future, but he didn't do anything cruel. This allowed him to recover from his injuries in a few days before entering the palace.
She couldn't help but sigh in her heart, what a pity. She ordered someone to pour tea, and suddenly remembered the fruit wine sent from the imperial kitchen the day before yesterday, so she went to get it.
"How did you get into the palace?" Does His Majesty really trust him to relieve his boredom?
Xuanrao's expression remained unchanged, and he answered after asking, "Young man, I agreed to the conditions that will reassure Your Majesty."