Return of the Swallow

The Queen was usually gentle and gentle, and rarely spoke so harshly. Qin Yining looked at the queen's behavior and found it strange.

Why do you think the queen means that she wants Pang Xiao to help her go up the mountain?

Qin Yining smiled and said, "Madam, you are a precious person. This mountain road is dangerous. Since the guards can't touch you, the palace people have nothing to do. You have asked for the heavy rain in Huichuan County to stop and the weather to clear up before in the Buddhist hall. , I think as long as you are sincere, the gods and Buddhas don’t care where you are, this mountain road is steep and very dangerous, I think it’s better for you not to take risks.”

The queen suddenly looked at Qin Yining, feeling that her sweaty face was white and rosy, her complexion had improved, and her whole body was as fresh as a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl. The Queen was nearly 40 years old, and she was very old. Originally, when she saw Pang Xiao taking Qin Yining with her today, she could only stare at her and felt a little jealous. When she saw her like this, she felt even more congested and panicked.

"Of course what the princess said is reasonable, but I have come this far. People say that the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple is very effective. If I give up halfway, I wonder if there will be punishment? Who can say for sure about this kind of thing? If I If you retreat for a moment and the heavy rain comes again, who can take responsibility for this?"

When Qin Yining heard what the queen said, she knew that she had already made up her mind. If she tried to persuade her, her conflict would turn into hostility.

Thinking of this, Qin Yining stopped talking and handed over the decision-making power to Pang Xiao.

Pang Xiao frowned and said disapprovingly: "The Queen's sincerity in worshiping the Buddha is truly admirable, but taking too many risks may not be a good thing."

The queen had been getting angry after repeated persuasion, but she was still able to suppress it when faced with Pang Xiao, her uncle, "I have made up my mind."

"Okay." Pang Xiao sighed, "In that case, I will accompany you."

When the queen saw Pang Xiao nodding, she calmed down a little and felt more at ease.

Pang Xiao took Qin Yining's hand and walked towards the steps that were not steps. He stepped onto a stone with his long legs. He turned around and took Qin Yining's hand. He smiled softly and said, "Sister Yi, are you coming up?"

"Come up." Qin Yining was born tall and had many years of experience living in the mountains in the early years. Both physical strength and experience were far beyond those of ordinary women. Although she was tired at this time, she was not unable to even take a step. .

She took Pang Xiao's hand and used her strength to jump up the stone steps with a deft leap. Since the space on the stone steps was limited, she let go of her hand and climbed up the next step made of logs. She leaned over and held on with her hands. Then, climb onto another big rock.

Jingzhe and the other four followed Qin Yining closely, walking in front, behind, and left of her.

She climbed up so dexterously that the queen standing below looked up and felt a little confident in her heart, so she also raised her leg and stepped up. But just as she stepped on it, her other foot touched the ground, and she felt pain in her foot. , my legs were also sore, I had no strength, and almost fell backwards.

"Your Majesty!" The guards who followed were about to come forward to help her, but because of the Queen's words, they did not dare to touch her body.

Pang Xiao quickly grabbed the queen's sleeve and lifted her up.

The queen was in shock, turned pale and patted her chest, then raised her head and thanked the stalwart man next to her who was much taller than her: "Thank you very much."

Since Pang Xiao had agreed to help, he naturally would not show a bad look to the Queen, so he smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you're welcome."

He has a handsome appearance, sword-shaped eyebrows and phoenix eyes. When he smiles, the curvature of the corners of his eyes and eyebrows reveal a bit of softness.

This softness is particularly precious when it appears in a famous general with an iron-blooded fighting skills on the battlefield. The two of them are standing on the same stone steps, so close to each other that the queen can even smell the faint scent of honey locust on Pang Xiao's robes. An elegant and light jasmine fragrance.

She knew that it was the aroma of rouge cream and hair oil that Qin Yining often used, and it must have been contracted by Pang Xiao when he hugged Qin Yining.

The queen's cheeks felt hot and her heartbeat sped up inexplicably. She turned away and climbed to the next step.

Pang Xiao had no choice but to walk behind to protect the queen and Qin Yining.

Grandma Sun was scurrying around on the gentle slope. She was old and frail and could not climb to the top of the mountain. The guards tightly protected the queen and could not help her, so she had no choice but to salute Pang Xiao: "Your Majesty, please protect your empress." , I would like to thank you here."

Pang Xiao turned around and said condescendingly: "Don't worry, Grandma Sun. The guards brought by this king are walking behind. They will take you up the mountain later."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Your Majesty!" Grandma Sun was overjoyed and knelt down to salute Pang Xiao.

Pang Xiao nodded slightly and followed the queen's footsteps.

He was worried that Qin Yining was leading the way and wanted to stay close to her without leaving the queen behind, so he walked very close to the queen.

The queen could even feel the heat coming from the strong and tall man next to her.

"Sister Yi, be careful. The top piece of soil is a little loose. Don't step on it. Yes, step on the piece next to it."

Pang Xiao was worried that Qin Yining would not be able to step firmly, so he easily jumped in front of Qin Yining with a deep leap. He leaned down on the stable boulder, put his arms around Qin Yining and carried her up directly.

Qin Yining put her arms around Pang Xiao's neck and was gently put down by him. Behind her, the queen was looking at the two of them with a strange look in her eyes, which made her cheeks feel hot.

"I'm fine." She was out of breath, sweating a little, and continued climbing.

The queen had climbed up to where Qin Yining was standing just now, looked up at Pang Xiao, and stretched out her hand.

Pang Xiao stretched out his hand and pulled the person up with his arm strength. However, he respected the etiquette and did not touch the queen anywhere else. He could not directly pick her up as he was protecting Qin Yining, worrying about her bumping into her. The queen's leg scraped against the stone, causing burning pain.

The queen felt a little disappointed and sighed softly.

The group of people moved forward with such difficulty.

At this time, Bingtang and Jiyun also followed Huzi and Tang Xiu on the last dangerous road. Grandma Sun saw Huzi and Tang Xiu and asked them for help.

Huzi smiled and said: "Don't be anxious, mama. The guards arranged by the prince are escorting the elder from behind. They will be here later. The two of us have to protect the two sisters beside the princess. It is inconvenient to take you with us. You are just right. You can rest here for a while, and when the other guards arrive, they will take grandma up the mountain."

Grandma Sun had no choice but to nod and continue waiting.

At this time, Jingzhe had already reached the top of the mountain and climbed down again to meet Qin Yining. "Princess, we are very close to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple. Just go around this section and cross the wooden bridge in front."

Qin Yining nodded, crouching with her sore thighs on her hips and panting.

"My body is not as good as it used to be. I never imagined that I would be so exhausted before I even finished climbing a mountain. I used to run around on the top of the mountain all day, collecting herbs and hunting, and often encountered wild beasts. If my physical strength had been this bad, I would have been killed long ago. The wolf has eaten." Wiping his sweat, Qin Yining asked Jingzhe with a smile, "Why don't I follow you and get up early to practice? You can also teach me how to do it."

Jingzhe smiled and said, "If the princess wants to learn martial arts, doesn't she have the best master?"

Looking back and following Jing Zhe's gaze, she saw Pang Xiao expressionlessly pulling the blushing Queen up a step made of logs.

Pang Xiao had heard Qin Yining's words, let go of the queen's hand, and said to Qin Yining gently: "If you want to learn, I can teach you at any time."

Qin Yining nodded: "Of course that's good."

The queen was panting and grasped the palm of her hand, as if she was holding the warmth left when Pang Xiao pulled her just now. Looking up at Pang Xiao, who was talking gently to Qin Yining, the queen couldn't help but think about how Li Qitian treated her on weekdays.

How long has it been since she saw Li Qitian chatting with her gently?

Even going to bed on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month was a routine matter. They didn't even know how to make small talk, and she couldn't find a common topic to talk about with Li Qitian now.

This is their current life. Li Qitian is focused on court affairs, and has a little other thoughts, including being with those young and beautiful concubines. However, as a queen, she is just a piece of shit.

Unlike Pang Xiao and Qin Yining.

Their love was not an illusion, but a love that came from the heart, which made the queen feel envious and filled with bitterness, which gradually turned into more obvious jealousy.

"Empress?"

The sudden sound brought the queen back to her consciousness. She looked up blankly, only to find that Pang Xiao had jumped up to the next step and was looking down at her. The man she was jealous of had climbed to a higher place easily.

The queen bit her lower lip and stretched out her hand towards Pang Xiao.

The group of people worked hard and finally reached the top of the mountain. At their feet was a bridge made of logs. Not far away on the right was a large continuous dense forest and mountains. It was another half hour's walk on the left. It is a large lake, and the sound of splashing water from the waterfall can be heard in the distance.

"So there is a waterfall here?" Qin Yining said in surprise.

"Yes, I think the water source on the mountain comes from here." Jingzhe said with a smile.

Qin Yining opened his arms and took a deep breath, looking happily at the green mountains and the lake as clear as a piece of jasper under the blue sky.

A touch of sandalwood can be smelled in the fragrance of flowers and trees in the air. The Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple stands in this beautiful scenery. The tall two-story-high Bodhisattva statue stands compassionately in the courtyard of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple, standing with the tall Buddha. The towers stand next to each other, looking compassionately at the vast mountains and rivers.

"It's really a worthwhile trip."

"Yeah." Pang Xiao had already walked to Qin Yining's side and wiped her sweat with his sleeves, "Are you tired? How about I carry you over there. The log bridge in front is difficult to walk on."

The log bridge is made of three thick logs tied with thick hemp ropes. It is just casually placed in the middle of a crack. Although it is only a few steps away, there are no handrails on both sides. If you accidentally fall into the crack, you will be injured. But it fell directly into the running water at the foot of the mountain.

Qin Yining didn't show off and said with a smile: "Okay, my legs have been sore for a long time."

Pang Xiao chuckled, but instead of carrying the person on his back, he hugged the person sideways with both hands and even shook him: "Look at how thin you are."

He walked towards the wooden bridge step by step, and whispered into Qin Yining's ear: "Huzi and Tang Xiu will have fun later."

Thinking of what Huzi said when he teased Bingtang at the foot of the mountain, Qin Yining couldn't help but laugh and lightly punched Pangxiao on the shoulder, "Why are you so bad?"

Pang Xiao laughed.

The hearty and joyful laughter echoed in the mountains, attracting the faint look of the queen who was sitting on the ground and breathing heavily.

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