Yang Shu entered the palace gate and had a smooth journey.
He first went to see the emperor, got permission, and then went to Qianqiu Palace.
Cui Shun was waiting in the corridor with the young eunuch. When he saw him, he hurriedly stepped forward to greet him: "The third young master is here. I have asked you several times."
Yang Shu smiled lightly and said: "There is something going on in the department, so I have asked the queen to wait for a long time."
After entering the palace gate, Cui Shun took him to Lingding Pavilion.
Lingding Pavilion is a two-story small pavilion in the corner of Qianqiu Palace.
The floor is not paved with gold bricks, but wooden boards.
There are no partitions in the pavilion, so you can have an unobstructed view.
In addition to the cabinet in the corner, there is only one long table and a few incense tables with flowers and plants.
There are drawing papers, paints, pen holders and other drawing tools on the long desk.
Concubine Pei was sitting behind the long desk, immersed in painting.
"Empress." Cui Shun called in a low voice.
Concubine Pei paused, put down her brush, and raised her head.
As a beloved concubine, her dress can be said to be very simple. She is dressed in homely clothes without any accessories, except for the pearl and phoenix hairpin on her head, which shows her noble status.
But this simple dress did not dim her appearance at all.
She has long eyebrows with a slight upward slope, a pair of phoenix eyes embedded underneath, a straight bridge of nose, and plump red lips.
This is an overwhelmingly beautiful face, and if it were heavily made up, it would certainly be eye-catching. Such simplicity makes her look as soft as spring water.
Seeing Yang Shu, her face instantly lit up, making it impossible to doubt her joy: "Shu'er!"
Yang Shu came in and saluted respectfully: "Aunt."
Concubine Pei happily asked him to sit down next to her, and said repeatedly: "Is it fun to go out this time? Look at you, you are a lot worse, and you have suffered a lot, right? I wanted you to stay in the capital, but you want to go out. Listen.
He said that there were a lot of dangers in your errand, and you were injured. Please show your aunt where you were injured."
Yang Shu held her hand and said calmly: "They are all minor injuries. They have been healed on the road. Auntie, don't worry."
"Is everything really well? I'll ask Ah Xuan later, but I can't lie."
"It's really good."
Concubine Pei then laughed: "Is it fun outside? It's your first time to leave the capital for such a long time. What kind of world do you see?"
"I have a lot of errands to do, so I don't have much fun." Yang Shu replied solemnly, "But I saw a lot of scenery elsewhere, and it felt pretty good."
"Really? You stayed in Dongning for the longest time and didn't go out to play?"
Yang Shu's eyes fell on her half-painted painting.
The painting shows a corner of the palace wall, where a pear tree stands quietly. The pear blossoms are falling, as if a lonely snow has fallen.
He remembered the poem.
Spring is late in the lonely empty garden, and the pear blossoms are all over the ground but the door is closed.
Although the situation of the palace people described in the poem is completely different from that of Concubine Pei, there is an inexplicable similarity when you think about it carefully.
His heart softened.
"There is a Baoling Temple in Dongning, which is said to be an ancient temple from the previous dynasty. It is located in Xiufeng Mountain, which is beautiful and elegant, and there is a Feixian Stone on the mountain..."
Concubine Pei listened with a smile at first, then thought of something, and called the palace maid: "Move this painting to the side first and bring new paper."
The palace maid agreed and quickly replaced the paper with a new one.
Concubine Pei took up the pen and said, "Continue talking and I'll see if I can draw it."
Yang Shuyou sighed inwardly, waved the palace maid to leave, took over the task of coloring, and said: "When I went there, it was April, and the grass on the mountain was not so lush. It should be this green..."
When the emperor arrived, they were both talking and listening, and had already finished most of the painting.
"I knew you were here." The emperor smiled and said to Yang Shu, "Your aunt starts painting and forgets to eat and sleep. You don't want to persuade her."
Yang Shu stood up and saluted: "Your Majesty."
"No need." Before he bowed down, the emperor supported him and said to Concubine Pei, "It's almost dark. If you don't eat, Shu'er will also eat. He is young and energetic.
Where can I go hungry?"
Concubine Pei patted her forehead: "Look, I forgot about this. Is your majesty ready?"
"I know that you must not have eaten, so I will naturally accompany you to eat together." The emperor said, "Since you are all here, there is no need to go back to the main hall. Let's eat upstairs, where we can enjoy the view."
Concubine Pei smiled and said, "Your Majesty is thoughtful."
The second floor of Lingding Pavilion is much warmer and softer. It is completely in the style of a women's boudoir, but with a higher platform for viewing the scenery.
There was no Lingding Pavilion in Qianqiu Palace. It was a studio specially built by the emperor for Concubine Pei.
Painting downstairs and watching the scenery upstairs.
Standing here, you can overlook the imperial city.
Under the afterglow of the setting sun, both the inside and outside of the palace gate were painted warm orange.
When Wan Dabao passed the meal, the emperor waved his hand: "You don't have to wait, just wait below!"
"Yes." The eunuchs and maids retreated completely.
The emperor personally picked up the food and said, "My dear concubine, this is the cherry meat you like to eat." He then picked it up for Yang Shu, "Shu'er likes to eat deer tendons."
Yang Shu put down his bowl and chopsticks and wanted to thank him again, but he stopped him: "Eat well and don't bow to me. You should eat more as a young man, not to mention you are still practicing martial arts."
He lowered his head and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Fortunately, the emperor didn't serve him any more food. Yang Shu lowered his head and ate in silence. From time to time, he heard the sound of the emperor and Concubine Pei chatting and laughing with each other, but he turned a deaf ear.
After eating and resting for a while, he left.
Concubine Pei was reluctant to leave: "Are you going back now? You don't come here often, and my aunt wants to keep you for a while."
Yang Shu said: "It's dark, foreign ministers shouldn't stay in the palace."
Concubine Pei couldn't help it, so she asked the palace servants to bring things. Seasonal cherries, bayberries that had just been brought as tribute, food and fun things, were all sent to Bolinghou Mansion.
The emperor just looked on with a smile.
Yang Shu thanked him and followed Cui Shun out of Qianqiu Palace.
After walking a hundred feet or so, he looked back at the palace gate, a sarcastic smile flashed across his lips.
How can such an embarrassing existence show kindness and joy in front of him?
He shouldn't be alive, just like his name.
Special, death.
…
In the Qianqiu Palace, the emperor slowly drank digestion tea.
"Can't bear to leave him?" he asked softly.
Concubine Pei slowly sorted out the scroll: "The older he gets, the less he likes to come."
The emperor said: "Now that he is older, he is a foreign minister. It is against the rules to enter the palace."
Concubine Pei looked up at him: "You don't like him coming?"
The emperor sighed: "How could I like him? As soon as he comes, all your thoughts will be on him. But no matter how much you don't like him, for your sake, you will treat him well."
The emperor is talking about me.
Concubine Pei smiled lightly: "Your Majesty has always been a good person."
The emperor put down the tea cup and held her hand: "Is he just a good person?"
Concubine Pei looked into his eyes: "I think there are some things I don't need to say."
The emperor smiled, took her into his arms, and whispered softly: "I know what you are worried about, don't think too much, I can still live for a long time. If such a day comes, I will make arrangements for you.