As the days passed, and it was almost the end of the year, many candles and lanterns were added to the palace, and curtains and silks of various colors were hung. The palace servants who came and went became even busier, not to mention Ruan Yuyi, who was in charge of the Sixth Palace.
Although she was busy, she rarely saw the new emperor coming to look for her, so she felt quite at ease. However, Jiang Huaiyang deliberately ignored her. Seeing that the young lady didn't realize it at all, she became even more angry.
Wen Zhi stood on one side, constantly looking at him, and said carefully, "Your Majesty, are you going to Chang'an Palace today?"
The pen in his hand stagnated, and he said coldly, "I won't go." Then he buried his head in the book again.
He wanted to see when she would come looking for him.
However, those at Chang'an Palace didn't know this. The warm sun was noisy, and Ruan Yuyi was sitting in the courtyard, taking a shower.
Just then, a palace attendant brought a pair of jade pendants. She took a look and recognized that the palace attendant was from the new emperor's side, so she asked, "Your Majesty, has he been very busy lately?" It seemed that he had not been seen for a long time.
"Yes," the palace man lowered his head further, "His Majesty saw this smooth jade, and asked a slave to bring it to the empress." She swallowed, not daring to let the people in front of her notice that it was actually Wen Fei who was the new emperor.
Sent in the name of.
She took the jade jade, looked at it for a while, and then rewarded it as usual.
In fact, she didn't lack these. She put the pair of jade ornaments into the bag and tried it, and it was just right. "What do you think of sending these to the wood spirit?" she asked Mu Xiang casually.
When Fang asked, he remembered that the things given by the emperor should not be given to others at will, so he stopped talking.
When Mu Xiang heard this, her whole body froze, but she still smiled and said, "These jade pieces are not as round as the jade pieces, but the piece I got from you is more suitable."
She nodded slightly, and she was convinced. The reason why she made the knot was to lace up the jade, but she suddenly saw the jade and thought of something else.
She asked Mu Xiang to get the jade. When the jade was presented to her, the knot in her hand was ready.
She put the jade into the tube, and the round and carved jade stone held up the tube, as if it were holding the moon, and it was smooth and smooth. Not to mention the fragrance of wood, most of the wood spirits had to get married now that they had left the palace.
of.
It would be uninteresting to give away the dowry all at once. If she didn't give away some of it each time and ask her to save it, she would be able to save almost all of it when she gets her sweetheart.
Thinking about it, a smile appeared in her eyes, "Just send the Spring Festival couplets I wrote yesterday along with this jade to Mu Ling."
The tip of Mu Xiang's nose felt sore, and she took the jade with both hands and said, "Yes." The person the young lady was thinking of was no longer there, and Mu Ling didn't really take a look at the things she sent.
She was afraid that the young lady would continue to think like this.
It's easy to tell now, but later on, how can I hide it? The lies are getting bigger and bigger, and in the end I'm afraid the paper won't be able to contain the fire.
"Is she in good health recently?" Ruan Yuyi suddenly thought of something, her eyebrows curled up, "She has no relatives around her, so she won't miss us to the point of shedding tears?"
As she said this, the image of the wooden spirit with tears in its eyes and sniffing appeared in her mind. It looked so pitiful.
Mu Xiang felt as if a pair of hands were holding her heart and crushing it vigorously. Blood and water mixed with the pieces of meat came up, filling her throat, making her speechless.
She opened her mouth, and it took a long time to find her voice.
She told Ruan Yuyi in a trembling voice, "Mu Ling has already gone."
"Where to go?" The smile on her face froze, and she didn't wait for Mu Xiang's answer for a long time.
The delicately woven braid fell to the ground and was stained with dust. Her neck seemed to be frozen, and she could almost hear the twisting of her joints as she turned her head slightly.
Her heart felt tight, as if she couldn't breathe. She trembled her lips, took a breath, and said in an unexpectedly calm voice, "When did it happen?"
Mu Xiang answered truthfully, "It's mid-month."
But it's the end of the month. They've kept it secret from her for so long. Didn't the things she ate sent to her have never been delivered to her? She clenched her knuckles until they turned white.
"What happened to Mu Ling..." she heard herself say.
After getting the answer of "commit suicide", she couldn't stand it any longer. She leaned down on the cold stone table and buried her head in her arms. The overwhelming regret enveloped her, forcing her tears to flow continuously, wetting her small pieces. Sleeves.
She should have thought of this a long time ago. Even if someone takes care of her, it doesn't matter. People who want to die will never lack ways.
She regretted letting the wood spirit out of the palace.
The New Year is about to come, and the whole palace is decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. Except for a few of them, no one will notice that a little girl has stayed in the cold winter forever.
They haven't stayed together yet.
I didn’t have time to enjoy the snow this year.
All the promises and jokes made in the past don't count at this moment.
She burst into tears, her face was hot, her mind was dizzy, and everything in her ears had lost its sound. She felt that the news suddenly seemed unreal.
After an unknown amount of time, she was finally willing to raise her head.
She turned away and turned her back to Muxiang, first wiping away the tears on her face. Then Muxiang's voice gradually became clearer, "Miss——"
"Did the wood spirit take everything with him when he left?"
Mu Xiang replied, "I didn't take anything away, I gave it all back to her in the house."
She followed Mu Xiang to the lower room. In a small wooden box, she kept all the jewelry she had given Mu Ling, as well as some embroidered silk cloth. She recognized it as the three of them gathering together in their free time. Embroidered together.
There is another small letter inside.
She hesitated for a moment, then took it apart.
Letter to:
I am a young orphan, my mother has married another, and I live with my grandmother. Fortunately, I got to know you. When I first saw you, I felt that you were like the brilliance of the rising sun, so brilliant that I dare not look at you for a long time...
...I hope you will forgive me for my cowardice and that I cannot have you by your side.
After reading, Ruan Yuyi pursed her lips tightly, as if something salty had seeped into her lips. She took a deep breath, folded the letter according to its original folds, and put it into her sleeves.
She hugged the wooden box and walked slowly to the courtyard. There were several plum trees in the courtyard, blooming brightly. She chose one and squatted down, her gold-woven palace clothes dragging on the ground without noticing.
She casually took off a hairpin from her hair. The hairpin was carved with butterflies and embedded with beads, and was brilliant. She inserted it into the soil without mercy, and pushed the soil under the tree away little by little.
The new mud was darker in color, which always gave her the illusion of digging up dead bones under the tree.
"Miss—" Mu Xiang wanted to stop her, but was unable to stop her and went to find a flower shovel.
After an unknown amount of time, a shallow pit was dug under the tree. Ruan Yuyi carefully put the wooden box in and covered it with a layer of soil. The opening of the box faced the southwest. Mu Ling once told her that her hometown is here. there.
Now, Mu Ling can completely cut off her ties with this man-eating palace, and she can go home.
After doing all this, Ruan Yuyi felt a little more real in her heart.
She really would never see Mu Ling again.
She stood up, moved her numb legs, and planned to go back to the dormitory. However, she did not expect that after they left, another person dug up the place, put other things into the wooden box, and then restored everything to its original appearance.