I don’t know how long I slept, but I dreamed again after not having dreamed for a long time.
Because I saw Song Heng, who must be in Zhuang Ning Palace tonight, appeared in front of me.
It's just a dream anyway, chances are rare and once missed, they will never come back.
I simply held his hand tightly and poured out all the words that I, as a concubine, dared not and could not say.
"I'm just jealous. I just don't want you to be with other women..." I mumbled incoherently.
He didn't say anything, and I couldn't see his expression clearly. Even if it was a dream, I was worried that this would make him unhappy or difficult, so I lowered my voice unconsciously.
"Okay, I was just angry, don't..."
"It won't happen again. There won't be a next time."
"Um?"
There was no reply for a long time, and suddenly I heard him ask me: "Now, do you know who I am?"
I was a little confused. Isn't he Song Heng?
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but laugh: "Of course I know! You are my favorite person!"
He was silent for a moment, and then lowered his voice: "Who is your favorite person?"
"Who is it?" I thought he was so strange: "It's you, haha, what are you asking?"
"I……"
I suddenly felt a little pain on the back of my head, and subconsciously gritted my teeth and made a "hiss" sound.
He asked nervously, "What's wrong?"
I was also a little tired: "Nothing, I'm going to sleep, you should go and rest first."
I want to sleep and recover my memory.
The Song Heng in the dream and the Song Heng in reality are indeed somewhat different, a bit strange.
After a long time, the room became quiet again, with only the moonlight flowing quietly in front of the window like water, as if no one had ever been there.
*
"My lady, will His Majesty...really come back?" Xiao Ning asked in a low voice while standing beside Concubine De.
Concubine De's black hair cascaded down her sides, as if she had just woken up. She was wearing a thin lake blue dress, but in her hands she held a jet-black windbreaker with gold trim, and she was standing at the bottom of the steps of Zhuang Ning Palace.
Although it was April, the sky was clear during the day, so the temperature was naturally lower at night. The evening breeze was a little chilly, and from time to time it blew up Concubine De's clothes, which were as thin as paper.
In the evening, the empress dowager took a few sips of tea and was supported by the old nanny back to the Cining Palace. Song Heng followed and was about to leave.
But after the Empress Dowager got into the sedan chair and left, Concubine Liu De sighed softly, "It is my honor to have the Empress Dowager come to Zhuangning Palace with His Majesty in front of so many sisters."
Naturally, these words were heard by Song Heng who was standing beside them, and Concubine De wanted Song Heng to hear them.
On the surface, this sentence was the most common expression of humility and gratitude of a concubine, but what Concubine De wanted Song Heng to pay attention to was: in front of so many sisters.
The Empress Dowager deliberately created opportunities for Song Heng and Defei in the Cining Palace. Anyone with a little bit of insight, whether concubines or maids, could see it.
If Song Heng was like the Queen Mother, and just admired April Snow and left, then tomorrow's Defei, no matter how high her position was or how good her reputation was, would inevitably become the topic of conversation in the palace.
Even with the Empress Dowager's personal intervention, His Majesty was unwilling to stay overnight in Zhuangning Palace.
How can this be?
In the past two years, Defei and Song Heng have always been treating each other with respect. Compared with the Queen's flamboyant and dazzling, Shufei's blatant, or the countless tricks of Concubine Mu in the past... Defei has always been like an outsider with her attitude of "recuperating".
Song Heng was kind-hearted and always respected her. In fact, at that time, this delicate and balanced relationship might be better than that of other concubines who were vying for prominence.
Defei knew that Song Heng respected her. Firstly, it was because his father, Tutor Liu, was Song Heng's mentor, and secondly, it was because of her non-competitive and non-noisy personality.
In fact, in the beginning, she might have been the queen.
At that time, she was an excellent player in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and was well-known in Beijing at a young age; her father was the Prince's tutor who was well-educated, humble and elegant.
She had heard from people in the mansion that the emperor and the empress were very fond of her at that time.
She smiled when she heard that. Even her father, who was closest to her, only knew that her daughter was ambitious, but he didn't know that her daughter was not only ambitious, but also strong-willed.
Beneath this seemingly indifferent, skilled and graceful face, there is a heart that seeks to be above everyone else and looks down on all living beings.
Since I will eventually be covered in gold, silver, and jewels, why not wear the golden phoenix crown of Nirvana? Since I will eventually marry, why not choose the peerless and supreme future emperor?
Her father brought her to the palace to meet the emperor. She seemed to have just asked the maid to dress her up casually before going out. Little did she know that those clothes and jewelry were secretly picked out by her a few days ago, and she deliberately picked them out and praised them in front of the maid.
She lowered her head and spoke to the emperor and the empress in a submissive manner, but she didn't realize that those sentences that sounded tinged with a girl's shyness were the result of her repeatedly revising and practicing each word.
She eventually entered the palace with Song Heng and became his concubine, but not the queen.
Because that day, she couldn't help coughing in front of the emperor and the empress, and she couldn't stop coughing no matter how hard she bit her tongue.
…
At that time, her father asked her if she was still willing to enter the palace. When she knew that she would not be the queen, her heart was indeed torn, but her face remained calm, and she obviously did not care.
"My daughter is willing." She is humble, respectful, dignified and virtuous.
Soon after entering the palace, she saw a thing or two: the moon waxes and wanes. The powerful Prime Minister Hua and his daughter, Empress Hua, who seemed to have the power to control everything, were like the red firecrackers at New Year's Day. They were earth-shattering when lit, but would soon be blown into red scraps and swept away.
She just has to wait and everything will be as she wishes.
Until another person appeared halfway. It should not be said that he appeared halfway, but that I actually discovered him halfway.
Lady Mu, Concubine Mu, Zhaoyi Mu—Mu Chenshuang.
…
"Young Master?" Xiao Ning, who was standing beside her, looked at Concubine Liu De, who was rarely in a trance, and called out carefully again.
"Yes," Concubine Liu De responded quietly, "I will."
After two years of treating each other with respect, she didn't dare to say that Song Heng really had any romantic feelings for her, but precisely because of this "treating each other with respect", Song Heng might give in to her a little, which he would not give to other concubines.
Evidence of this is that Song Heng listened to what Concubine Liu De said after the Empress Dowager left in her sedan chair, and finally returned to Zhuangning Palace with Concubine Liu De without any fuss.
Concubine Liu De was very tactful and asked Xiao Ning to clean up the side hall. Of course, this was just a pretense, as the side hall was naturally cleaned up every day.
All she wanted to show was her indifference and her knowledge of propriety. If possible, she wanted to make Song Heng feel a little guilty, although she was not sure whether Song Heng would feel that way.
As usual, she slept in the side hall while His Majesty rested in the main hall.
But when it was pitch black at night, Song Heng still quietly left Zhuang Ning Palace.
Concubine Liu De was awakened gently by Xiao Ning. She had anticipated this possibility and was naturally prepared.
Based on her two years of understanding of Song Heng, Song Heng will still give her face. He should come back, otherwise he would not go back to Zhuang Ning Palace with her, nor would he leave quietly at night.
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