Li Huang

I lifted my face and looked at Shen Xiyao's still cold and relieved expression, and said softly: "After Linglong fell asleep, the concubine planned to go to sleep too, but she couldn't sleep, so I had to get up. The wind was blowing outside, the minister. The concubine wanted to go for a walk. The concubine thought that the emperor should be with Concubine Liu tonight, so she took a longer walk."

I smiled and looked at him, his eyebrows loosened, and he raised me with one hand: "Why can't I fall asleep?" My tone was already mild as usual.

I quickly wondered what kind of answer would make him happy so that he would no longer pursue it, nor was he too concerned.

I pretended to be ashamed: "The emperor was here every night before. I went to Concubine Liu tonight. The concubines are not used to..."

The voice has been weakened, and his face has a blush because of his words.

He finally laughed completely, no doubt and irritation in his eyes, he pulled me to sit on his lap.

I glanced at the attendant who was still kneeling underneath, "The emperor..." I called out a long voice, blinked at him, and looked at the crowd of people kneeling below.

He smiled: "You all go down. But there is no next time."

I looked at the figure who had withdrawn, and turned to look at him: "The emperor, where is Hui Ju, the concubine's personal maid?"

His head was buried in my neck, and I was itchy and uncomfortable by him, but still accepted with a smile.

He looked up: "Sent to Xinzheku."

I was shocked and couldn't help but push him away: "The emperor, Hui Ju did not make a mistake, and he asked the emperor to put her back."

The Xinzheku is a place where people can eat. Anyone who enters will lose their skin. I am worried and anxious in my heart, and my eyes are fixed on Shen Xiyao.

He was helpless by my eyes, and shouted to the outside: "Zhang Dehai, go to Xinzheku and bring the maid of Empress back."

The outsider answered and disappeared. He took my hand and walked to the bed. The candle went out.

When I woke up in the middle of the night, Shen Xiyao fell asleep beside me. I tiptoed up and took out the jade pendant from the sleeves of the clothes on the floor, and carefully put it into the inner pocket of the snowcoat in the closet.

Back to the bed, looking at his sleeping face, but thinking of Xihe in his heart. What he was doing at this moment, did he fall asleep deeply like the person before me.

There was a faint sound of flute in my ear, I rubbed my eyes, I was confused, was it an illusion?

But listen carefully, there really is, it's him, it's the song "Flowing Water Floating Lantern".

He didn't want to go back to the bed beside Shen Xiyao, put on a dress and leaned under the lamp, reading a book. It was slightly cold, and her long hair fell like a waterfall, like a fine black silk, gently sliding on her chest. I slowly flipped through the book on my hand, and his figure was in my mind.

Someone shook me gently and opened his eyes, not knowing when he actually fell asleep on the table.

Looking up, it was Shen Xiyao. He looked at me puzzledly, his eyes still distressed.

I smiled and said without waiting for him to ask: "The concubine woke up in the middle of the night and sat here looking at the moon, and fell asleep without knowing it."

He raised his eyebrows: "The moon? Is the moon so beautiful?"

I smiled: "Su Yun has fallen into the sky, and the waning moon blooms in the middle of the clam. Doesn't the emperor think it looks good?"

He smiled indulgingly: "Go back to bed and sleep, be careful of the cold, I've been here long ago."

I nodded and lay on the bed under his gaze. He carefully covered me with a quilt, watching me close his eyes before going out.

I heard that the door was closed, waited a while, opened my eyes, turned over and got out of the bed and carefully put the jade pendant in the wooden box, before I took a long breath.

Summoning the maid outside to come in, but it was a face I didn't know.

"You are?" I pointed to a few palace ladies standing outside. Although they were not familiar with them, they seemed to have seen them somewhere.

When thinking hard, a figure walked in, it was Zhilan.

Seeing me looking at her puzzled and confused, Zhilan smiled slightly: "Manny, from today onwards, the slave and maid will be your personal maid."

I bit my lower lip, knowing that this was what Shen Xiyao meant, and only asked casually: "Where are the people in Kunning Palace before?" I looked up at Zhilan, but his eyes were sharper.

"Hui Niangniang, those attendants are still there." Zhilan answered peacefully.

I took a breath and turned around: "My palace is still a little tired, you pass the word on, so that the concubine of the sixth house will not be used today."

After that, he pulled down the thick brocade curtain at hand, isolating the strange faces outside, with a heavy heart.

I went back to bed and lay down, but I couldn’t close my eyes. I was still a little tired, but I don’t know why I had a bad feeling that I couldn’t tell. My heart was flustered, as if something bad would happen when I closed my eyes. general.

Zhilan walked in, carrying a wooden lacquered vermilion plate with the same wooden lacquered vermilion bowl on it. I looked at her, and she walked to me expressionlessly: "Manny, this is what the emperor ordered you to use."

I leaned forward and saw that there was black juice in the bowl, but it didn't taste. I looked at Zhilan curiously and a little scared. She was still expressionless, just looking at me.

I picked up the bowl in hesitation and drank it. It was a bit bitter, but there was also a hint of sweetness. Soon after drinking, I felt my head heavy, my eyes closed, and I gradually fell asleep.

Someone was looking at me, his consciousness became clear, he opened his eyes, Shen Xiyao sat beside me, I smiled at him, and he also laughed, but the smile was somewhat reluctant.

I saw a trace of fear in his slightly sad face.

"What's wrong, the emperor?" My voice trembled a little, with a bad feeling in my heart.

"Your father did not come this morning."

My heart tightened and my breathing became short: "Do you know why?"

"Your eldest brother said he is suffering from the cold, don't be afraid, I have sent an imperial doctor there."

I nodded and looked to one side. My father is old and his body is getting worse by the heavy political affairs. Now I have not been able to come to the court. It can be seen that it is not a simple wind chill.

My gaze swept across Shen Xiyao's face unconsciously. Suddenly, I thought I was wrong. There was a very shallow smile on his face and a hint of joy.

I was afraid of his look like that, as if something terrible would be waiting for me in front of me, I couldn't help but grasp the quilt.

"The emperor, the concubine thinks..." I hesitated. He looked at me with sympathy in his eyes. I was a little strange.

He smiled: "I know you want to go back and have a look, but let's wait until the royal doctor returns to report."

I heard him say this, so I nodded.

I didn't have any mood all day, Linglong kept letting the nurse take her, and there were a large number of attendants around her, all of them very delicate, so I didn't worry.

Hui Ju had already returned, so I thought of a way to transfer her to Dongnuan Pavilion as a errand, so that I finally had a familiar person waiting by my side.

At dinner, the imperial doctor finally came to inform that his father was fine, but he needed to recuperate.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and Shen Xiyao instructed the imperial physician to keep him and a few others in the Ling Mansion until his father recovered.

I relaxed, and at night I coaxed Linglong to fall asleep and accompanied Shen Xiyao to appraise the memorial. He looked so serious under the candlelight. I watched him read book by book and wrote instructions with a vermilion pen.

I know he worked hard, I knew he was a good emperor, and I also knew he treated me very well, but I didn't know why I couldn't feel the same for him as I did for Xihe.

He sighed softly, his eyes turned to the book in his hand again, and he looked up again, but he looked at a memorial in a daze, with a faint smile on his face.

I looked at the writing on the memorial by candlelight. It was very familiar, but I couldn't see it clearly.

A few days later, shortly after the early morning, an incident spread in the harem. His father had previously reported to the old man and wanted to resign as prime minister. The reason was old age and sickness, but the emperor never agreed. He wrote another letter yesterday. The emperor was very embarrassed, but he seemed to have to be accurate.

I finally remembered that the handwriting that night belonged to my father, but I don't understand, isn't my father's illness not serious? Could it be that the imperial doctor hindered me hard to say. I was very worried and deeply saddened. As a daughter, I couldn't take care of my father. It was really unfilial.

Thinking of seeing Shen Xiyao, he asked him to grant my request to visit Ling Mansion, but he didn't come to my Kunning Palace until noon.

Shen Xiyao finally came during dinner, his face was tired, I brought him tea, he took it but didn't drink it. He looked at me closely and said, "Tomorrow you will go back to Ling Mansion and advise your father not to resign. I will wait for him to get better."

I was surprised. In his heart, didn't he always want his father to resign from office? Why now...

I will not attribute this to my favor, he is not that kind of person, then, is it because his father's students are all over the court and the field? But his father has always been loyal to the emperor, and his disciples are the same. I don't understand, but the heart of going home is so eager that I haven't considered this issue carefully.

After waiting for him to sleep, I packed up some things. Tomorrow is not a province of relatives, so there will be no such big pomp and rules. I fell asleep when everything stopped. The faint anxiety in my heart has not disappeared.