"This is outrageous!" Huo Qinghe exclaimed in anger, gritting her teeth as she spoke, trying her best to suppress her sobs so as not to upset her younger brother.
The two maids guarding outside, though far away, could not hear her clearly, but they still heard their mistress's voice.
"My lady? What's wrong? It's getting dark tonight. We'll come and accompany you to admire and pick flowers tomorrow. Admiring flowers at night might hurt your eyes. Or perhaps we could bring in some palace lanterns?"
Huo Qinghe's voice was not soft; she was both angry and furious, so she naturally couldn't suppress her tone.
Four months after entering the palace, Huo Yiyun was afraid that she would do something reckless while under house arrest, so she often had Cuiqiao secretly tell her that her younger brothers at home were doing well and how well they were doing at the Imperial Academy.
Is this what Huo Yiyun meant by "good"?
Huo Qinghe took a few breaths to calm down, but her eyes were already red as she spoke: "I know you're afraid that your elder sister will be threatened by your elder sister in the palace, but I feel the same way. I'm also afraid that you'll be bullied outside the palace, at the Imperial Academy. Your elder sister can't protect you now, Jinghe. Words of restraint are nothing, but seeing you injured, I..."
She entered the palace to gain wealth and protect her younger brother. Now, looking at the wound on her brother's arm, she felt as if her heart was being torn apart, if not fried in oil.
Huo Jinghe tugged at his sister's sleeve, as if he had returned to his childhood.
"Sister, I don't want to put you in a difficult position..."
He understood why his older sister had entered the palace. He was powerless and unwilling, but if the pain inflicted on his body could ensure his sister's safety in the palace, he would gladly accept it.
Huo Yiyun would use Huo Jinghe to threaten Huo Qinghe, and naturally, the stepmother in the family would also use Huo Qinghe to threaten Huo Jinghe.
This is using the sibling bond to control both of them.
Huo Qinghe took a deep breath, holding back the tears in her eyes: "You and I must both be well. I don't know anything about what happened at the Imperial Academy. You're not one to bury yourself in books. If Jingzhi bullies you, you should learn to tell on him, just like we did when we were little, okay?"
A gust of hot air brushed against her face, and Huo Jinghe nodded sullenly: "Sister, I know, I know everything."
How could he forget the days when he was protected by his sister and struggled to survive under the claws of his stepmother?
Huo Qinghe wanted to say something more.
Suddenly, a loud bang was heard overhead.
She instinctively shielded her younger brother behind her, and in doing so, she raised her sleeves, the wide sleeves completely covering Jinghe.
Huo Jinghe tugged at his sister's sleeve, peering through the unfamiliar fabric at his sister's hazy figure, within the square palace walls, watching his own sister.
"Sister, it's fireworks! I heard there are often fireworks in the palace during festivals. They're so beautiful!"
The fireworks overhead were beautifully colored, featuring auspicious dragons, golden lotuses, and many other shapes that Huo Qinghe couldn't recognize.
She tilted her head back before lowering her hand.
Her face was illuminated by the fireworks, hazy and dreamlike, somewhat like a little deity in a temple, with a rare gentleness.
The fireworks bursting in the sky were quite loud, making it as lively as Chinese New Year.
Huo Qinghe, worried, tugged at her younger brother's sleeve: "It's lively right now, you should go back quickly. I'm watching you, don't do this again, if something happens to you in the palace... Go now. It's hot today, you should also prepare winter clothes. The candle next to you is an embroidery I personally taught you. I left in a hurry today."
She raised her hand and touched her temples, where she found only some insignificant plain silver jewelry and silk flowers. She then rubbed her wrists, where she wore a pair of mutton fat jade bracelets of poor quality.
“Take it back and pawn it with Burning Candle. Go on. Your sister is watching over you.”
The siblings stood silently to each other, both with tears welling up in their eyes.
Entering the palace was no easy feat, and who knows when we'll see each other again?
"When the New Year comes, the Chief Minister will likely have to go to the palace again. Sister, you must take good care of yourself."
He took the pair of mutton-fat jade bracelets, which seemed to weigh as much as a thousand pieces of gold.
His voice was choked with emotion, and he carefully put the bracelet into his pocket and put it away.
This was a dead end, and Huo Qinghe guessed how Huo Jinghe had gotten here when she saw him.
"Don't fall. Your sister won't be there to catch you on the other side of the wall like she used to."
Huo Jinghe was finally amused by these words. He nimbly climbed the palace wall, like a monkey, and in the blink of an eye, he was on top of the wall.
Huo Qinghe waved to him, tears welling up in her eyes again: "The guards rotate every quarter of an hour. Everyone is watching the fireworks right now, go quickly."
Huo Jinghe nodded. He looked around for a while before finally climbing down the palace wall.
He landed without making a sound, and Huo Qinghe stood still.
A few breaths later, Huo Qinghe seemed to hear something, but it was drowned out by the sound of fireworks bursting overhead.
But she smiled.
Mid-Autumn Festival, a time for family reunions.
She turned around, raised her hand and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. She waited until her red eyes were less noticeable before walking out.
"My lady, are you alright?"
When the two maids approached, the palace lanterns shone brightly, dazzling Huo Qinghe's eyes. She covered her eyes with her handkerchief.
Green Cloud quickly moved the palace lantern further away: "What's wrong, Madam? In a little while, Green Locust and I will go and see what's wrong."
Huo Qinghe cleared her throat: "It's nothing, I was just blinded by the flowers. I heard fireworks in the sky, is this His Majesty and the Empress's doing? Let's go take a look. Don't send anyone to look for us."
Green Locust nodded: "Yes. I heard that the Emperor specifically ordered it. Considering the severe drought this year, it's time for some celebration. I heard that fireworks have been arranged in the suburbs of the capital, but naturally not as grand as those in the palace. This servant is helping you, Madam."
Huo Qinghe gave a soft "hmm," still thinking about her younger brother.
She didn't know her younger brother would be going to the palace with her today, so it seems her brother's trip to the palace was a well-planned one.
If she had known her younger brother would be going to the palace, she would naturally have carried silver notes with her.
She was somewhat distracted and almost tripped and fell while going up the steps.
Fortunately, the two maids were quick-witted and grabbed her.
"What's wrong with my wife? Why are you so distracted?" Green Cloud, who had been happy to watch the fireworks, now looked worried and her smile faded.
The three of them, master and servants, reached a corner after climbing the steps. Because they were afraid that the palace lanterns would dazzle Huo Qinghe's eyes, Green Cloud tilted the palace lanterns she was carrying to the side.
"oops."
With one hand supporting Huo Qinghe, Lvhuai saw a dark figure suddenly bump into them around the corner, and she quickly grabbed the person.
Otherwise, that dark shadow would have bumped into his wife.
"Who's running around like this without any direction? Which palace maid are you from? Why are you in such a hurry?" Green Cloud carried the palace lantern, her movements weren't that fast, but her mouth was always busy.
Huo Qinghe then came to her senses. She looked up and saw a maid dressed in ordinary palace maid clothes hurriedly apologizing.
"My lady, please forgive me. I didn't mean it."
Huo Qinghe sized her up and spoke softly, "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. It's one thing if you bump into me, but what if you bump into some other important person? Alright, be careful where you walk. Let's go see the fireworks."
Green Locust then released the palace maid: "It's fortunate that you met our lady today."
The palace maid hurriedly expressed her gratitude.
Huo Qinghe walked forward, then suddenly turned back: "That person looks familiar. Also, check yourselves; make sure she didn't stuff anything into your clothes when she bumped into you..."
As she spoke, she looked down and stretched out her sleeves, not watching where she was going, and bumped headfirst into a wall of flesh.
"hiss."
Two sounds were uttered simultaneously, as if by prior arrangement.
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