First Concubine

 Chapter 83 The sound of wind and cranes (2)

From the concubine Feng Yanying, she was reminded of Xiao Qing. Now that she does not have the protection of her sister-in-law, she has to be more cautious in doing things. Xiao Qing is the roommate given to Yao Pei by Mrs. Yao. It is urgent to drive Xiao Qing away, but... it is not that easy.

At this time, Mother Lin walked in from outside. She saluted the two of them: "First lady, second young lady."

Mrs. Yao asked: "Has Yao Cheng eaten?"

Mother Lin shook her head with a look of embarrassment: "I won't eat or drink."

 Haven’t eaten yet! This is the fourth day!

Mrs. Yao stood up and went to the study angrily.

 In the study room, Yao Cheng was lying on the bed with a pale face. He was wondering, isn't today a day off? Why did they lock him up? He wanted to see Xiao Xi and know if she was doing well. Even if he could just take a look at her from a distance, he would feel relieved if he was sure that she was living a peaceful and comfortable life.

Haibo couldn't bear to say: "Young Master, please drink some porridge. What should I do if I'm starving?"

Yao Cheng waved his hand and said feebly: "No, I won't eat until you let me out! Besides, it's okay to be hungry for a day." But it's strange, he is really hungry.

one day? Haibo pressed his eyebrows, "Master, you have been hungry for three days."

Mrs. Yao stood at the door. The guard opened the door for her. She walked in and heard the conversation between Yao Cheng and Hai Bo. She felt angry and hurt! Her good-natured son actually turned into a half-madman... What happened on the 19th?

Mrs. Yao wiped her tears and walked slowly to Yao Cheng's bedside. After sitting down, she touched his pale and stubbled face and said softly: "Come, eat some porridge. Mother made it for you when you were a child." Love the taste.”

 What were your tastes as a child? He didn't remember, he only remembered Xiao Xi's favorite taste. He turned his face dullly and refused to eat!

Mrs. Yao can’t wait to slap her in the face! She held back her anger and said, "How can I be willing to eat?"

Yao Cheng's dim eyes regained their luster, he turned his head to look at Mrs. Yao, and smiled: "Let me out and I will eat."

　　It would be most embarrassing to let him out, and he might lose his life if he was locked in the study. After weighing it again and again, Mrs. Yao nodded helplessly.

Yao Cheng immediately sat up from the bed with excitement. Mrs. Yao looked at his bloodless face and body that was shaking every few steps, and felt extremely distressed. What had happened to her?

In Lingxiang Courtyard, Shui Linglong read the account books sent by Wang’s mother and talked about some shortcomings. Wang’s mother wrote them down one by one. At the end, she asked happily: “Eldest lady, second lady and third lady’s The wedding dates are set, one at the end of the year and the other in the spring. Do you think the two young ladies need to prepare their dowries? "

Liu Lu brought warm water to Shui Linglong to clean her hands. Shui Linglong wiped the handkerchief and said, "I have to ask my grandmother about this first. The second lady is the legitimate daughter. Although she is a concubine, the dowry cannot be less than mine." , As for the third lady, Governor Jiang’s betrothal gift is generous, so we can’t be careless with it, what do you think?”

 Mother Wang naturally nodded in agreement: "Miss, you are very considerate!"

Shui Linglong twitched her lips: "Have you sent the letter to Mr. Shui?"

Mama Wang replied respectfully: "I sent it, saying that the old lady is too worried and her body is not healthy. Please take care of yourself, the lady. The old lady will try her best to help her get out of the cold palace."

Shui Linglong smiled and said, "Mother Wang is indeed a wonderful person. This letter is really well written."

Mother Wang broke into a cold sweat. The eldest lady kept reminding her to write a letter, but she didn't tell her what to write. She had to figure out these few sentences for several nights. From the eldest lady's tone, she could do it right. not bad. She didn't dare to take credit, so she thanked him humbly and put the problem aside.

Today, Shui Linglong made an appointment with Zhuge Yu to discuss the plan for the south-to-west diversion project. Therefore, Queen Wang’s mother didn’t sit there for long before she issued an eviction order and took her maid to Zhenbei Palace. Of course, she also made an appointment with an important guest on the way.

In the private room of Baolinxuan, the maid presented the latest jewelry. A woman in blue and a woman in goose yellow were sitting on the floor. They didn't take off their veils until the maid went out.

Bingbing chuckled: "I'm so suffocated!" In the Prince's Mansion, she is a dignified and decent princess. She must comply with the rules of the palace when walking, standing and sitting. The Queen has sent a special nun to supervise her. I don’t even dare to hit the swing.

Shui Linglong guessed that life in the Prince's Palace would not be easy. Bingbing was the future mother of the country, and she was a model for women in the world in every word and deed. Naturally, she would have to work harder than ordinary people. Shui Linglong comforted her and said, "The Queen is willing to ask for advice." You, it means that she is really training you as the queen of a country. If she leaves you alone, she may already have another candidate in mind. "

When Bingbing thought that this was indeed the case, a smile appeared on her face again: "Actually, it's not bad. I can see His Highness the Crown Prince every day, so it's okay to tolerate my temper."

Shui Linglong smelled that Bingbing wanted to share the secret, so she followed her words and said, "Does His Highness the Crown Prince care for you?"

 Bingbing's face turned slightly red, she picked up the tea cup to cover the smile on her lips: "It's... okay, anyway, he is very kind to everyone, so we treat each other with respect."

Yunli is such a tolerant person, but it is definitely not love that treats each other as if they are guests, as Bingbing would say... Shui Linglong blinked and smiled slightly: "It has been a long time since you fell in love, and you have just begun."

A forced smile flashed in Bingbing's eyes, and she confessed her relationship with the prince in front of Shui Linglong. There was more or less a hint of showing off in her heart, and she wanted to tell Shui Linglong that the prince was her man. At the same time, , and said that the relationship was not good yet, and hoped that Shui Linglong could show mercy... She herself couldn't figure out why she had such complicated and strange thoughts in her heart!

 Is she jealous of a gentleman's belly with a villain's heart? Shui Linglong will never compete with her for the crown prince! If Shui Linglong is willing, the prince's people and the prince's heart will be hers!

Shui Linglong tucked her temple hair behind her ears. Thinking of the business, her smile slowly narrowed: "Xun Feng may have been kept in the dark for a while. When he reacts, he will most likely suspect you and me. I don't care. He is incompatible with each other, but you..."

Shui Linglong didn’t say any more about the rest.

Bingbing held Shui Linglong's hand, with a determined look on her young face: "I will never allow anyone to hurt the prince, even if I am shattered to pieces!"

The sky was gloomy, dark clouds rolled in from the east, and soon enveloped the sky above the capital. The air was as muggy as midsummer, and a thin layer of sticky sweat clung to the clothes, making it damp and uncomfortable.

Yao Cheng was driven out by the Tibetan Mastiff again. He groaned, "This way is blocked, there is another way!"

He walked around to a tuft of grass to the east of the palace, struggled a bit in his mind, and determined that the dignity of an official was more important than Xiao Xi. Then he gritted his teeth and planned to crawl through the dog hole.

However, when he pulled away the grass, he found that the dog hole was gone!

how so? Last month he accompanied Xiao Xi back to Zhenbei Palace. The dog hole was still there, but who filled it in?

He was confused and more disappointed. He didn't even have to dig into the dog hole. How was he going to see Xiao Xi?

Yao Cheng came to the front door dejectedly. Today, Mrs. Leng and Mrs. Yao had a big quarrel. When she returned home, she gave Leng Yixuan a death order and was not allowed to visit Zhuge Xi again. Leng Yixuan had no choice but to stay in the room. Here, so Yao Cheng didn't meet Leng Yixuan today.

Yao Chengcheng looked at the expressionless guard, countless thoughts flashed through his mind, and finally he decided to ask the guard again!

He walked up to the guard and smiled flatteringly: "Brother, don't get me wrong. I'm not going in. I want you to bring a message to your lady, saying that I have something to discuss with her and asking her to come out to see me." One trip.”

The guard looked at Yao Cheng as if he were looking at a monster. His eyes flickered and he said, "Wait, I'll report it."

Yao Cheng was ecstatic. Anyway, having hope is better than having no hope.

The guard signaled to the other guard. The other guard understood and smiled secretly, but said nothing.

Yao Chengcheng stood at the door and waited, half an hour, an hour, an hour and a half, two hours...

　　From the time the sun rises three times to the time the sun sets, from the time the dark clouds roll in until the heavy rain falls.

The rain in early May brought a chill to the heart. Yao Cheng folded his arms and shrank in the rain. The downpour mercilessly washed away his body, which was weakened by a three-day hunger strike. He wiped the rain off his face. , and soon there was a new round of rain, so he wiped it again, and it rained again... This happened again and again, and he was afraid of missing the moment when Xiao Xi went out.

He really, really missed Xiao Xi so much. He knew he was wrong. He shouldn't have gotten drunk and made trouble, and he shouldn't have let other women get pregnant with his child. But he really didn't understand why Xiao Xi, who was so good, turned into someone out of thin air. It’s Leng Wei! He swears he didn't mean it! The appearance he saw, the vague but three-dimensional facial features belonged to Xiao Xi!

The rain seemed to be getting lighter and weaker, and the sound became weaker and weaker. Suddenly, the surroundings were completely silent. He could only hear the sounds of breathing and heartbeat, which shocked his eardrums again and again. The raindrops slowly froze like slow motion. His eyes were silently staring at the open vermilion door, and he continued to stare at the door until he fell to the ground.

The guard looked at him coldly and was not moved at all.

 Another hour passed as he lay in the cold puddle.

When the carriage with exquisite water drove into the gate of Zhenbei Palace in the rain, Liu Lu suddenly opened the curtain and looked outside, and then she was shocked: "Miss! There is a person lying over there!"

　　It is none of her business if she lies down, and Shui Linglong doesn't intend to pay any attention to it.

Zhi Fan also opened the curtain and called out in a low voice: "It seems to be Mr. Yao!"

When Shui Linglong heard that it was Master Yao, she immediately stopped the carriage. The only Master Yao who could appear at the gate of the palace was Yao Cheng. Although she had never met Yao Cheng, Zhuge Yu learned from Zhuge Yu that Yao Cheng would come almost every day. The Prince of Zhenbei tried every means to meet Zhuge Xi, and even she couldn't help but sigh at such deep affection. I still remember the first time I met Yao Cheng. He had just finished arguing with Zhuge Xi and was in a bad mood, but he still politely gave her a jade pendant as a greeting gift and said she was not well prepared to make up for it next time. As a result, he gave her a small jade pendant that night. The exquisite Jade Guanyin was given to her, and Yao Chengdu treated everyone who had anything to do with Zhuge Xi with great care.

Shui Linglong lowered the curtain and Zhi Fan asked, "Miss, do we want to save Mr. Yao?"

Shui Linglong pondered for a moment and said softly: "Enter the house."

This is... no longer caring about Mr. Yao? Zhi Fan's eyes dimmed, and the eldest lady was indeed cold-hearted.

In Qingya Courtyard, Zhuge Xi was making tiger-head shoes for her child. She had not liked embroidery since she was a child, and she always felt that working with needles and threads was very annoying and troublesome. But since she became pregnant, she began to learn embroidery from Hua Rong, thinking that the first set of clothes and shoes her child wore were made by her own mother.

Shui Linglong opened the curtain and entered. She saw Zhuge Xi's face was rosy and her eyebrows were smiling. She thought she was in a good mood. She called out softly: "Sister."

Zhuge Xi smiled lightly, waved to Shui Linglong, and then showed off his embroidered tiger-head shoes as if offering a treasure: "Do they look good?"

 The stitching is rough, the color is uneven, and the pattern is out of shape... Shui Linglong blinked: "I think it looks good." Others may not!

Zhuge Xi snorted and threw it into the embroidery basket: "I'm not that kind of material! If you imitate others, you will only make people laugh."

Hua Rong served hot tea and cakes to Shui Linglong. Shui Linglong held the teacup and said, "It's all about your heart. If a child knows that the clothes and shoes he wore when he was a child were made by his mother, he will feel that his mother loves him very much."

 Zhuge Xi's eyes flashed with a bright light, but his expression remained calm: "Let me talk about it when I have time!"

 Looks like he is very busy, but he is not.

When she was in the Yao Mansion, she helped Mrs. Yao cook the food during the day, and spent time with Yao Cheng in the evening. Every day was busy and fulfilling. Now that she returned to the Mansion, she was free in an instant, and when she was free, she would think about Yao Cheng, and her heart would be filled with thought. pain.

Shui Linglong took a sip of tea and said intentionally or unintentionally: "Sister, Master Yao fainted at the gate of the palace. I thought it was necessary to tell you. After all, if someone from the Yao family died at the gate of the palace, it would probably become a big deal if word spread. It’s a murder.”

Zhuge Xi's face suddenly turned pale, and Shui Linglong said again: "I have an appointment with Zhuge Yu, so I won't accompany my eldest sister for now."

From Qingya Courtyard to Zhuge Yu's study, you have to pass through a back garden and a long ceiling corridor. Different from the open corridors of other mansions, one side of it is sealed with marble and has many lifelike murals carved on it. While admiring it, a beautiful woman wearing a green double-breasted dress and a plain white floor-length skirt walked towards her. She was Princess Leng Youru of Zhenbei.

Shui Linglong hurriedly knelt down and saluted: "My daughter Shui Linglong would like to send my regards to the princess. May the princess be blessed with peace and happiness."

Leng Youru stopped and cast her indifferent eyes on Shui Linglong's disdainful face. She said lightly, "She is Yu'er's fiancée. No need to be polite."

 Can’t hear any emotion!

Shui Linglong blinked and said softly: "Thank you, Princess." During the last blind date in the temple, the Princess asked a few indifferent questions and seemed to have settled on the marriage without even looking at her seriously. At that time, she I feel that Zhuge Yu's market situation has deteriorated to a certain extent. Now that I meet the princess again, I suddenly have the feeling that the princess does not eat the fireworks of the world and does not care about ordinary things.

Leng Youru glanced at the direction Shui Linglong came from, raised the corners of her lips, and said with a faint smile: "Xiao Xi is used to being busy in the Yao Mansion, and she will definitely be unhappy when she is suddenly free. Please spend more time with her when you have time. It would be best if I could live in the house.”

Wouldn’t that mean living together without marriage? Shui Linglong smiled softly and said: "My daughter likes Miss Zhuge very much. Thanks to Miss Zhuge, I often ask my daughter to visit the house. I will definitely come to accompany Miss Zhuge when she has time." But she didn't say anything about staying overnight!

Leng Youru looked at Shui Linglong, took a mutton-fat jade bracelet from her hand, took Shui Linglong's hand and put it on her: "What a well-behaved child..."

Before she finished speaking, her voice stopped abruptly. Shui Linglong raised her eyes and looked at Leng Youru, but Leng Youru withdrew her gaze in time and just smiled and said: "I usually go to the Buddhist hall to worship the Buddha after handling the general affairs, and I didn't entertain any guests. You, don’t take it personally.”

Shui Linglong said humbly: "My daughter dare not."

Leng Youru patted Shui Linglong's hand, said nothing, and passed by Shui Linglong.

Shui Linglong raised her wrist and looked at the two bracelets on it. One was just given by the princess, and the other was given by Zhuge Yu. If her guess was correct, the princess was surprised because she saw it.

Zhuge Yu changed into a set of dark brocade clothes with gold rims in the room. He never cared about his appearance and looked in the mirror several times today. He made sure that he was handsome and unparalleled before he happily walked out of the room.

As soon as he went out, he saw Leng Youru and Shui Linglong passing by each other. Before leaving, Leng Youru patted Shui Linglong's hand. The two seemed to have had a conversation!

A complicated look flashed in Zhuge Yu's eyes. He walked quickly to Shui Linglong, looked at Leng Youru's back, and said, "What did my mother and concubine say to you?"

Shui Linglong raised her eyebrows: "Oh, it's nothing special. She just wanted me to spend more time with your sister. She gave me a bracelet and asked me not to blame her for not having time to entertain me except for being busy with household chores and praying to Buddha."

Zhuge Yu frowned: "She has been like this since my second brother passed away. You really don't need to take it to heart." Referring to Leng Youru's distant and indifferent attitude!

Shui Linglong opened her eyes wide: "Second brother? Zhuge Yu, did you have a younger brother?" Why hasn't she heard of him?

"Yes, but he died young when he was still celebrating in Kashgar." Zhuge Yu seemed to be afraid that Shui Linglong would continue to ask, so he took her hand and said, "Aren't you going to tell me about the improvement plan for the south-to-west water flow? It just so happens that my father is out, I will take you to his study."

After Zhuge Xi heard the news that Yao Cheng had fainted at the door of the palace, Shui Linglong almost walked out of the palace with Hua Rong. When she saw Yao Cheng, who was covered with stubble and pale face, lying on the bed. When I stepped into the puddle, my heart suddenly clenched into a ball.

 She just realized that she had only so much potential!

I can’t see him getting along with other women, and I can’t see him having a bad life.

 Yao Cheng came to the house to look for her every day some time ago, but he suddenly stopped coming three days ago. She felt...actually a little disappointed.

Hua Rong asked worriedly: "Miss, what should I do? I heard from the guard that he has been lying down for more than an hour."

 More than an hour?

 (End of this chapter)