Chapter 21
Feng Huanhuan nodded heavily. She could feel that Bai Tiao was sincerely blessing her. She also hoped that Sister Bai could find her beloved. Thinking of this, she had to worry about her unlucky brother. Considering the time, her brother should have delayed his trip to Beijing. But her father said at breakfast today that her brother was delayed in Fuzhou. She asked her father what happened, but he kept silent and only said that her brother would leave for Beijing soon. The more this happened, the more doubts she had in her heart.
However, since she had Han Fengci, she now had another hobby, which was squatting in the corner. So, that night, Feng Huanhuan silently thought of Han Fengci in her room. The moment she opened her eyes, Han Fengci was already sitting on the jade table, pouring tea slowly. When he saw her running over, he smiled and said, "Which corner do you want to go to, Huan'er?"
Feng Huanhuan sat opposite him with a smile on her face, holding her chin, still smiling and shaking her head, with a slightly coquettish look on her face: "I want to go to the palace."
"Oh?" Han Fengci raised his eyes, "Huan'er is getting bolder now."
"Oh, they can't find us anyway. I want to go to Imperial Concubine Cihe's place. Isn't there a poetry appreciation meeting in a few days? I always feel that she has bad intentions. My brother has delayed his trip, but Sister Bai can't wait. The Third Prince and Imperial Concubine Cihe are so anxious for Sister Bai to marry into the royal family. If my brother comes back, he will be heartbroken."
Feng Huanhuan had a brother on her left and a brother on her right. It had to be said that Han Fengci was a little suspicious. So, pretending to drink tea, he asked casually, "Huan'er cares so much about your brother?"
"Of course, my brother raised me since I was little. He sacrificed a lot of his own interests to take care of me." Recalling this, Feng Huanhuan hung her head, her half-loose black hair concealing a lonely look. She murmured softly: "When I was very young, my brother took me with him wherever he went. The children of the same age always said that we were motherless children and no one loved us. When I was a little older, they would laugh at my brother for carrying me around like a burden every day. For this reason, they even made up a rumor, which I still remember to this day."
The phoenix shell is broken, the celadon is shattered, and the half-grown calf is a burden.
She smiled bitterly, "Whenever we go out, they would come up from nowhere and keep repeating it in our ears. Later, when my brother was older, he had a lot of fights because of this, but he never complained to Dad. Dad just thought that my brother was playing around and beating people up, so he often punished him by making him kneel down."
"Later, when we all grew up, my brother said that if he was not around and I was bullied outside, I would not care about who was bullying me, I would just fight back. Afterwards, he would go and settle the score with the bully. And those officials' children who laughed at us really stopped talking slowly."
"Han Fengci, tell me, how can I not think about my brother?" Feng Huanhuan stared at him blankly without moving her eyes.
Maybe she had just finished bathing, with a light powder on her cheeks. Her black hair was smooth and fell down behind her, and the faint fragrance of jasmine hit her nose. He really couldn't stand such a look, so he put down the teacup in his hand, rubbed her head, and said softly: "Huan'er, I will not let anyone who bullies you go."
For Feng Huanhuan, these words were a promise engraved in her heart, and she never forgot them even after a long time.
The night was silent, and within the majestic city walls, the magnificent palaces were brightly lit. Walking in and looking inside, the railings on both sides stretched eastward, and the beams under the eaves were neatly spread forward, with no end in sight. Feng Huanhuan stopped and looked back. Under the golden tiles and green eaves, the occasional eunuchs and palace maids did not even raise their heads, but hurried on their way, looking very anxious. She frowned and pondered for a while, then looked at Han Fengci: "This palace is so extravagant, the two white marble pillars in front of you, it would take several adult men to surround them, right? There are also dragons and phoenixes carved on them."
Feng Huanhuan thought about it and wondered, who in this palace would dare to use dragons and phoenixes except the emperor and the queen? So, her eyes shone brightly: "Could it be the queen's bedroom?"
Instantly, she denied herself: "No, no, the queen has always been frugal, how could she live in such an extravagant palace."
At this time, the two looked at each other, seemingly thinking the same thing, and said in unison: "Imperial Concubine Cihe!"
"Yes, absolutely! Only Imperial Concubine Cihe is the most arrogant because of her favor. This style suits her." She glanced at the two white marble pillars again and smacked her lips: "It seems that the rumors are too obscure. Imperial Concubine Cihe's palace actually has dragon and phoenix pillars. It is simply a great insult to the Queen."
"For an emperor, the more blatant his favor is, the more dangerous it is." Han Fengci said.
"Are you saying that the emperor deliberately favors Ci and Guifei so much?" Feng Huanhuan asked.
Han Fengci nodded, and the two of them walked and talked: "Everyone knows that Yuan Shi used the whole family's strength to help the current emperor. Whoever sits on that high position, will he tell the world how he got his position?"
Feng Huanhuan shook her head: "Of course not, I would like to hide it, it's not something glorious." She suddenly realized and looked at him: "Yes, the emperor won't say it, it must be Yuan Shi who spread it! The emperor doesn't want to be accused of being ungrateful, so he has endured it until now!"
Han Fengci smiled lightly: "Huan'er is really smart."
"Of course, but... the emperor's favor towards Cihe over the years has been a bit excessive. There must be some truth in it, right?"
"Alas, the heart of an emperor is hard to guess. In that high position, emotions are the last. They can't save the poor people, nor can they increase tax revenue, cure the plague, or bring rain. In terms of people's livelihood, emotions are indeed worthless. The most difficult thing is the daughter-in-law of the emperor. No one is wrong, but everything is wrong."
Han Fengci lowered his eyes. In his sight, the little girl was too sentimental. He didn't like her worrying about other people's affairs. He thought, she has always been happy. So, he stopped, straightened her body, and looked at her: "Huan'er, I will protect you and bless you to be happy and smooth throughout your life."
The moon rose higher, emitting soft light, which reflected in Han Fengci's black pupils. She saw her reflection. It seemed that there was no better time to say that than now, she thought. She looked at him and asked softly, "Han Fengci, I want to marry you, okay?"
Those eyes were so sincere that people couldn't take their eyes off them. His heartstrings were like waves, making him greedy. This was the path he had been pursuing for thousands of years. In the past, he thought: If love has a path; if the heart has a door; even if he had to cut through thorns and thorns, even if he was covered with scars, he would go alone.
Now, as he looked at the expectant eyes and the hateful eyes, he actually felt timid. He knew that she was waiting for his answer, and he had answered her thousands of times in his heart, but the painful memories made it impossible for him to speak. Looking closely, his hands hanging by his side had already clenched into fists, trembling slightly, and he was trying his best to endure.
However, Feng Huanhuan was not in a hurry. She had known that Han Fengci would be so dull. She just wanted to see his reaction. She could feel that he had her in his heart. Seeing him in such a dilemma, she couldn't bear it. So, she smiled at him with a slight cool breeze on her face, "Remember, I have made an appointment with Han Fengci in advance. If any matchmaker comes to your house, tell him directly that you are Feng Huanhuan from the Shangshu Mansion."
She had just finished speaking and was looking at him when they suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps. The two looked in the direction of the sound and saw several eunuchs and palace maids in dark blue palace robes carrying trays covered with red cloth passing by them. The leading eunuch had shifty eyes and was staring around as he walked, fearing that he would be discovered. The two looked at each other and saw that the situation was strange, so they followed tacitly.
"Where could they go at this late hour, and with such caution?"
Feng Huanhuan saw that they had deviated from the original corridor, and in the fork, they passed through the curved arch wall and passed through a narrow palace road. The blue bricks under their feet were like ravines, and they made a crackling sound when they stepped on them. There was a dead silence all around. The night was already cold in the severe winter, but now it was freezing cold. Suddenly, the leading eunuch stopped walking. At this time, with the faint moonlight, she could see clearly that it was an abandoned palace in front of her. It was not an exaggeration to say that there were broken walls and ruins. She looked at Han Fengci and whispered, "Is this the cold palace?"
Han Fengci shook his head, his brows full of confusion, and replied, "The cold palace is not in the east, but in the west." Seeing Feng Huanhuan looking at him eagerly, he laughed muffledly, closed his eyes and released his spiritual consciousness. After a while, he opened his eyes, frowned slightly and said, "We are in the palace of the third prince."
Han Fengci looked a little strange, and Feng Huanhuan became even more curious, and asked, "Who is in there?"
"What are those eunuchs doing here?"
At this time, the leading eunuch had already taken out the key from his sleeve and opened the door. Feng Huanhuan was quick-witted and without waiting for Han Fengci to answer, she pulled his arm and ran in.
The courtyard was full of dead branches and leaves and blue bricks with uneven pits. Most of the side halls on the east side had collapsed, and there were piles of old and redundant things piled up under the snow. The plaque of the main hall was hanging diagonally on the broken roof, and it was shaky, as if it would fall to the ground with a gust of wind. If it weren't for the candlelight flickering in the window, it would be hard to imagine that there was still a person living here. Feng Huanhuan followed the eunuch and trotted in. The gap in the door was getting bigger and bigger. When Feng Huanhuan saw the person inside clearly, her eyes suddenly widened, her mouth opened in surprise, and she stood there in a daze. How could it be her?
She turned to look at Han Fengci, and asked him with her eyes, how could this happen? Han Fengci walked forward and tilted his head slightly to show that he didn't know either. So, the two of them stood in the corner and looked at the woman sitting on the stool at the same time - Xi Qing Nihua.
Who would have thought that such a dilapidated palace could be so gorgeous? Although it was not extravagant, it was exquisite in details. On a cold winter day, Xi Qing Nihua saw the third prince walk in through the door, and she pulled her nightgown off her shoulders, revealing her red gauze inner garment. Although she was not naked, she could still catch the attention of others at a glance. Feng Huanhuan looked at Han Fengci calmly, and their eyes suddenly met.
She puffed her cheeks, obviously unhappy, and said firmly: "You are not allowed to look."
"I didn't look." Han Fengci saw that the little girl was still glaring at him, and he felt helpless, "I really didn't look, I was always looking at you."
Feng Huanhuan pursed her lips slightly, unable to hide the smile on her face. She was obviously very happy in her heart, but she said stubbornly, "That's better. You are mine, and you are not allowed to look at me!"
After saying that, her gaze returned to Xi Qing Ni Hua. However, Han Feng Ci's mouth corners remained raised.
In the ruined pavilion, Xi Qing Ni Hua was all seductive, with fox eyes and a melon seed face. With a slight glance, she was extremely seductive. How could the third prince bear it? He dragged his slightly staggering legs and limped over quickly, wishing he could pounce in front of her in the next second. With only one breath left, he eagerly took Xi Qing Ni Hua in his arms, hugged her tightly, and sniffed everywhere.
He panted heavily and said in a hoarse voice: "Hua Li, I miss you so much."
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