Perhaps because of the long journey, I fell asleep in the carriage again. When I woke up, I was lying on the familiar bed in the Chenxiang Pavilion.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Xiao Cui and Xiao Tao, whom I hadn't seen for a long time, rushing towards me excitedly: "My lady!"
Because I went to Miansong Mountain to "act" with Song Heng, I didn't want Xiao Cui and Xiao Tao to be involved in this matter so I didn't take them with me. I don't know if these two girls dislike me behind my back.
But at this moment, seeing their eyes full of joy and excitement, I felt a warm current in my heart.
"Xiao Cui and Xiao Tao, I'm back!" I also sat up happily and hugged them.
But the next second, Xiao Tao snorted: "My lady, you and His Majesty are living together, have you ever thought about the two of us staying here alone?"
It seems Xiaotao hasn't made much progress in using idioms...
For the first time, Xiao Cui did not say that Xiao Tao was disrespectful. Her silence was a tacit acknowledgement that she was on Xiao Tao's side this time.
I quickly put on a smile and said, "Oh my! You guys have been haunting me forever! I even brought you gifts! Come on, open the package!"
Those were the things I picked up on the street during the Fire Festival. Xiaotao liked bright things, so I bought her a red bead hairpin; Xiaocui was gentle, so I picked her a white jade bracelet.
After they opened the package, they were both stunned, and then said, "This, this, my lady, this is too expensive."
I waved my hand: "Give it to the person I think about day and night, take it quickly!"
They were still hesitant, so I pretended to be surprised and worried and said, "Oh my! You don't like it, do you? So you're making excuses to refuse? Do you think I have poor taste? That would make me so sad. I've been choosing for a long time, I..."
Before I could ramble on and pretend to cry, they both hurriedly thanked me: "Thank you, my lady!"
*
Soon after returning to the palace, it was the Mid-Autumn Festival. A grand banquet was held in the palace, and the Empress Dowager, the Emperor and a group of concubines spent the night together in the Showa Hall.
That same day, I suddenly received an imperial edict: "Consort Mu is a woman of great beauty and intelligence, endowed with grace and wisdom, capable of both commanding and gentleness, and deeply beloved by me. I hereby confer her the title of Imperial Consort."
I was shocked when I received the imperial edict. I thought that Song Heng's statement that day in the Cining Palace about making me a noble concubine was just a casual remark when he was pretending to "challenge" the empress dowager, but I didn't expect it to come true a few months later.
Because of this, I sat directly below Song Heng at the banquet.
The Queen Mother and Song Heng sat on the left and right sides of the main hall respectively. The Queen sat on the Queen Mother's side, and I sat on Song Heng's side.
When I got there, I guessed that Song Heng and the Queen Mother might be putting on a complete show, so naturally they promoted me to Imperial Concubine when we met at this gathering, to fuel the fire to the utmost and let everyone see it more clearly.
It was because of the Mid-Autumn Festival that Empress Hua was allowed by Song Heng to leave Fengming Palace and come to Zhaohe Palace.
She came very early, and when I entered the hall and our eyes met, my heart was truly touched.
I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t seen her for a long time, but she looks so different from what I remember her to be.
She was not thin, but fat, but in a tired kind of bloated way.
Although she was still wearing heavy makeup and gorgeous red clothes, her once arrogant eyes had become dull, and the corners of her mouth that were always upturned now looked flat and gloomy because of her fat cheeks.
She just sat there upright, and when she saw me, she opened her mouth, but didn't smile, nor did she say the harsh words I expected.
It's like a fat doll made by a tailor.
I don't know what I felt after our eyes met, but I just felt that the delicious food in front of me was all tasteless.
I really don't like her, and I know she doesn't like me either.
But if we strip away our identities and put aside past disputes, and just look at her, she is just an ordinary woman.
She should have had her innocent and cheerful years with her hair hanging down, and her tender youth with the reluctance to accept but unable to refuse, turning her head to smell the green plum blossoms. But at this moment, she seemed to have been stripped away completely, leaving only a shell and a skeleton, and was placed on the seat.
I didn’t want to think about it anymore. The sound of drums and harps, the melody of the zither and the sound of the harp, the clinking of glasses, the toasting of cups... the hustle and bustle of the banquet made me feel particularly noisy at this moment, and I even had difficulty eating.
Xiao Cui noticed that something was wrong with me and asked me in a low voice what was wrong. I simply covered my forehead and said I felt a little dizzy. I went to the front of the hall, bowed to Song Heng and the Queen Mother, and then left.
Anyway, I am now a "beloved concubine" who is "seductive and seductive to the master", so it seems normal for me to do things that are impolite and against the rules.
The night outside the hall was as cool as water, which made people more awake than inside the hall.
Xiao Cui held me and carefully asked me if I wanted to call the imperial physician. I shook my head and refused, looking up at the sky.
A round disk, still bright and clear.
Is it Chang'e crying while hugging the Jade Rabbit, or is it Wu Gang gritting his teeth and persevering while holding the axe?
I couldn't help but smile: "Xiao Cui, the moonlight is beautiful tonight, let's go to the Moon Viewing Tower."
"Ah? But..." Xiao Cui hesitated.
I knew I had already told you in front of the hall that I was dizzy and needed to go back to rest. If people knew that I didn't go back and went to Wangyue Tower instead, I would inevitably be gossiped about. I turned around and smiled, "Xiao Cui, it's not about the people who said I wasn't here. And tonight, I really want to go and take a look."
I don't know what I really want to see. Is it the sight of the countless fireflies flickering in the night sky? Or is it the desire to see the lone moon in the sky, so far away from my reach? Or is it just a desire to stand high up, temporarily, away from the hustle and bustle of this world?
Xiao Cui finally nodded in agreement, and we walked towards Wangyue Tower in the night.
Xiao Cui supported me as I climbed the stairs of Wangyue Tower one step at a time, and I felt the surroundings became even colder.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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