Golden branches and jade leaves

Chapter 113

Chapter 3: Reunion after a long absence

On November [-]th, Ni Tingxuan, the eldest son of King Yan, returned to Beijing to have an audience with him.

On November 24th, Concubine Lotus Su Mi, who was originally on the run, also returned to the palace.

Everyone in the capital is fond of talking about the legend of this Concubine Lotus.

It is said that the palace where the Concubine Lian lived happened to be a remote place in the harem closest to the Lenggong. When the Liao army broke through the city, the servants around her served in front and got the news in time. This Concubine Lian is also a Courageous and decisive, he immediately ran to the low wall to the east of the Leng Palace, and with the help of a few loyal servants, he climbed over the low palace wall and escaped from the palace and the Liao people. claws.

This legend immediately became the most popular topic of conversation among the people in the capital after dinner.

There was a lot of discussion among the people, and some people praised Concubine Lian for her vigilance and quickness.Some people also praised her plain and simple life. If it wasn't for the fact that she was the emperor's favorite concubine but she was still not arrogant or impetuous, living in a remote and simple palace, how could she escape in time at a critical moment.Of course, there are also quite a few people who comment that the imperial concubine hastily left the palace, which is against etiquette. They firmly believe that a truly virtuous concubine should choose to die on a full festival, rather than escape from the palace, just like the empress... Discussions will soon be met with more powerful rebuttals. If Concubine Lian was unhappy at the time, what would His Royal Highness do?So the masters who shouted the etiquette of chastity were speechless.

At that time, the Liao army came so fast that most of the palace people didn't even have time to react, and they fell into the hands of the Liao people.There are very few people who can escape from the palace. The total number of maids, eunuchs, and rough envoys is less than a hundred, and Concubine Lian is the only concubine among these people.The rest of the concubines were either forced to commit suicide in the palace in order to preserve their chastity, or they bowed down to serve the enemy and became concubines of the Liao people.

The most commendable thing about Concubine Lian is not only her timely escape, but at the same time she secretly brought out the only royal lifeblood in Daqi Palace, the only prince who is currently the emperor, out of the palace, which made Daqi Precious royal blood was preserved.

After Concubine Lian escaped from the palace, she hid in the home of Liu Quan, the richest man in the capital, with her personal maid.

Liu Quan risked his life to hide Concubine Lian because of his daughter Concubine Liu's close relationship with Concubine Lian.

Finally, on the day when Da Qi was restored and Sheng Jia returned to Beijing, Liu Quan secretly reported the matter to the emperor. It is said that after Qi Long learned that his favorite concubine and the prince were safe, Longyan was delighted.Hastily ordered to prepare the car to rely on, and welcomed Concubine Lian back to the palace with the etiquette of a noble concubine.

Liu Quan spared no effort to flatter and flatter the Liao army when he entered Beijing. He was originally despised by scholars in the capital, but after he played a decisive role in the decisive battle to recover the capital, all his previous behaviors of surrendering to the enemy and treason turned into one. A kind of humiliation.And this great achievement this time is even more talked about by the people of Daqi.

And Liu Quan himself, because of this continuous credit, not only himself was granted the title of Changwen county uncle, but also entrusted to the household department to walk, and even his wife was promoted to the second rank of Changjun's imperial order, full of honor and favor.

When the rich and powerful families withered away due to the invasion of the Liao people, the Liu family rose rapidly and became one of the first-class rich and noble families in Daqi ever since.

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

On the Xiangluan phoenix chariot with the seven-treasure glazed beads hanging on it, the breeze blows from time to time to open up tiny gaps in the vermilion curtains, and the golden bells hanging from the bottom of the veil make melodious sounds. The weather seemed to be cheering up too.

The cold wind can't blow through the thick silk curtains on the car, but makes it slightly rippling, and the morning light sprinkled on it is like flowing water, shining brightly.The palace chariot is still as luxurious and bright as before, but the people who announce the decree, the driver, and the waiters are no longer familiar with it.

The palace gate is still as heavy and far-reaching as it was two years ago.It's just that there are still mottled marks on it, like arrow stabs and knife cuts, witnessing the unhealed wounds left by the war that just passed.

Several craftsmen are busy in front of the palace gate, repainting the palace gate and carving golden jade auspicious animal decorations.

Those scars are not only engraved on the palace gate, but also deeply engraved on the hearts of the palace people and the people in the capital. I don't know how long it will take before they will be diluted and healed by the passage of time and the busyness of daily life. .It was as if the craftsmen in front of me used tools to erase these scars one by one.

Su Mi recalled the scene she had just seen on the road.

Sitting in the car, she lifted a corner of the layers of palace satin, and through the bright light, she saw a group of people with strange faces around them. They all stood around and stood outside the official road, pointing and discussing to the car driver.

The capital of Daqi has always been a city full of prosperity and vitality. Although it suffered from various injuries during the two years when it fell into the flames of war, it was less than two months after it returned to its owner. It has begun to rejuvenate.

Although the pedestrians and shops on the street are far less crowded than before the city was broken, there are so many things to see.But everyone's face began to be full of hope and expectation, and there was vitality in their behavior.

No matter how the situation of the court and the world will change, as long as they have gained a peaceful life, as long as the flames of war are far away from their lives, they are already satisfied.

She believes that with the passage of time, for this vibrant city and this cold and indifferent palace, the wounds caused by the war will eventually heal one day.

The gate of the palace was opened, and a light car drove in.

Daqi's harem is still built with carved railings and jade, with red walls and vermilion eaves.

The car stopped at the Panlong Gate on the east side of the Qianqing Palace, and the brand-new eunuch Si Li stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and then lifted the car curtain made of glazed pearls.

Mi Qing stretched out her hand, Su Mi supported her wrist and got out of the car.

She raised her head and looked around.I remember looking up at Liu Quan's mansion at noon, it was still rare to see the clear blue sky, deep and empty.But after driving all the way, when they arrived in the palace, the weather turned gloomy again.

The carved white marble bricks under their feet have been cleaned to a crystal clear white, even during the New Year celebrations in the palace, they have never been so clean.How many times did the palace people go through washing and cleaning to wash away the traces of blood and fire for the past two years?

The heavy snow outside the palace had already dissipated amidst the vigorous activities of the people in the capital.But the snow in the palace still showed no sign of melting.Although the snow on the road has been swept away, layers of snow are still covered on the branches and eaves. Countless dragons, terraces and phoenix pavilions are all covered with a layer of whiteness, making this layer-by-layer connection The pavilions, terraces and pavilions are as noble and quiet as a fairyland in a fairyland.

Seeing Su Mi's eyes falling on the snow in the distance, the clever eunuch quickly said: "Now the palace is understaffed, so the snow from the past few days has not been cleaned up until now, and the slaves immediately urged them..."

"Don't worry," Su Mi looked at the sky and smiled faintly, "Looking at the weather, there will be another heavy snow soon, why do you need to clean it now? It just takes a lot of effort."

Really cleared the snow, what's underneath?Instead, it's better to leave it so clean, as if no blood has ever flowed here.

"Yes, it's your mother who is thoughtful and considerate of our current people..."

"I don't know who my father-in-law is..." Su Mi asked, interrupting his flattery.

"The younger one is the newly appointed Du Danshun. He has just received the attention of the emperor and was promoted to be the chief steward of the imperial court. Master, you can just call the slave Xiao Shunzi." Hearing Su Mi's question, the little eunuch replied wittily: "The slave used to be in charge. The servants in the Palace of Mental Cultivation have seen you several times. Later, those barbarians who killed thousands of knives entered the palace, and the slaves were sent to the miscellaneous room to transport coal and go to do coolies. Now I finally look forward to the emperor's return In the capital, because the emperor has no capable people to serve him, he sent some of us who had worked in Qianqing Palace before."

"Hmm," Su Mi nodded, she was indeed somewhat familiar, and she must have seen it a few times before when she served in Qianqing Palace.

"Where's the former manager?" Su Mi asked casually.

"You mean Director Gao. He used to enjoy himself with the Liao people. Unfortunately, the Liao people didn't know what happened later. They went crazy and gave away many palace people..." The little eunuch then cautiously lowered his voice. He raised his voice and said: "Speaking of which, it was when Concubine Ni Gui had an accident. At that time, the palace was really full of blood, and many maids in the inner eunuch..." Speaking of the situation at that time, the little eunuch still had lingering fears, The voice trembled a little bit.

Su Mi nodded, but didn't speak, she knew that it was the time when the Liao people fell out with Ni Yuan, in order to completely eliminate Ni Yuan's influence in the palace, there must be another bloody cleansing that spread to the whole city.

In this cleansing, how much did they rely on the secret information provided by Liu Quan and Mr. Ge?
With the help of the Liao people, Ni Yuan wiped out the aristocratic forces of the Daqi clan who were enemies with him, and cleared a smooth and clean path for his ambitions, and someone also used the help of the Liao people to get rid of his arrangements. The dark line in the capital caused his Kangzhuang Avenue to deviate.

She thought of the day when the city was broken, and of those shrill cries and begging.How many days like this have you experienced in the past two years?
After all this, the palace is still as gorgeous as ever.Perhaps, no matter what kind of pain it is, it has nothing to do with these riches, gold and silver treasures.Those who cried, those who hated, with the passage of time, there is no trace of them.

While speaking, Su Mi was led by the inner eunuch into the gate of Qianqing Palace.

I have walked through countless roads and corridors, and I can walk down every turning point with my eyes closed, but now I feel a strange feeling out of thin air, and Su Mi even doubts that if I walk alone at this time On this road, will she lose her way and fail to find the right way forward.

The beautiful jade inlaid on the tip of the embroidered shoes and the dark blue bricks under the feet collide with each other from time to time, making a light and crisp "jingling" sound, which seems extraordinarily remote in this quiet and dark corridor.

"Your Majesty, the emperor's conquest by the imperial chariot... really worked hard. Since returning to the palace, he has been in poor health. A few days ago, his health improved a little, but after hearing the news that you are safe and sound, Your Majesty, the day before yesterday , I was happy for a while, so I went outside to relax for a while, but I fell ill again when I came back unexpectedly..." Du Danshun beside him explained in a low voice all the way.

fall sick?Is it because of the toil of war?Or is it because of the loss and pain that cannot be suppressed in my heart?When a person full of confidence and pride is about to achieve what he thinks is the most lofty goal, he finds that under his feet is a crumbling empty frame that cannot stand the slightest touch.

Such two levels of loss and shock...

Approaching the palace gate, a strong medicinal fragrance came from the hall.Su Mi's footsteps paused, and the eunuch beside her sang loudly: "Concubine Lian is here!"

Accompanied by this familiar voice, Su Mi stepped across the golden threshold and walked into the Qianqing Palace, which she had not seen for a long time.

The interior of the sleeping hall is still as it was in memory. The finely laid out gold bricks in the hall are as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the floating phenomena in the hall. The crocodile curtains on both sides fall idly on the ground. in.On the tables on both sides, candles in carved and gilt candlesticks are still burning during the day.The golden feather curtain behind him was half rolled up, revealing the full-length mirror carved with bronze phoenix, but because the light in the hall was too dim, the figures inside could not be seen clearly.

When the servants saw Su Mi coming in, they quickly knelt down and saluted respectfully, their movements were light and silent, silent and submissive.Su Mi glanced at the faces below, most of them were newcomers, occasionally there were a few familiar ones.

Kneeling were not only the court ladies and eunuchs, but also several gray-bearded imperial physicians, and some of them were holding medicine boxes that were too late to put down.

"Stay flat." Su Mi said.

The palace servant Xie En got up as promised, and his actions were done carefully without making any sound.

When did the originally magnificent and high-spirited Qianqing Palace become so low-browed, quiet and introverted?

The hall, which should be shining brightly, also became dark and dull, as if it was gloomy weather outside.

Maybe it's because the windows on both sides are tightly closed?Su Mi looked to the two sides, where the windows were tightly sealed.

"Your Majesty, the emperor's condition is not easy to blow..." the little eunuch next to him said in a low voice.

Su Mi retracted her gaze and walked towards the inner hall.

"Is it Mi'er?" Qi Long's soft voice came from inside, "Come in quickly."

The voice was familiar yet unfamiliar, and there was something more that even Su Mi couldn't grasp.

She passed through layers of crocodile curtains and approached the dragon couch.

Qi Taki's face was revealed between the opening and closing of the golden-threaded red tent.It was a pale face, and Su Mi suspected for a moment that what she saw in front of her eyes was not the vigorous young emperor, but an old man who was dying.

This is the husband and emperor she hasn't seen for two years.

She collected herself and walked to the bed.

Qi Taki was lying on the bed wearing white silk clothes, his face was as pale as paper, almost the same color as the white silk on his body, and he couldn't tell the difference, his lips were dry and the corners of his lips were chapped, only his eyes were still a little bright, But with a kind of lonely desolation and deep fog.

It was still the handsome face that the beauties of the sixth palace admired, but the arrogance and determination in it were gone, only the paleness and confusion that could not be concealed remained, making him look more like an empty ghost.

For no reason, another face appeared in Su Mi's heart, it was Wei Qing'er's face, the same cold and lost, the same death like flying ashes, the same withered almost like despair.It's like a flower that has been made into a bookmark. Although the color is still gorgeous, it lacks the moist water and fresh soul.

She was startled, how similar the two faces were!

(To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please visit www.CMFU.COM, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)
(End of this chapter)