Chapter 102 Are your injuries all healed?
For several days in a row, there was always a half-finished chess game on the carved stone table next to the lotus pond in Liuyunxuan.
When Xiao Nanyan plays the black pieces, he will deliberately let Xiyan play the third piece. When he sees her frowning and biting her lips, an imperceptible soft color will appear at the corners of her eyes.
The twin lotus flowers by the pond were in full bloom, and he would personally pick the most blossoming branch and put it in her hair.
When his fingertips brushed behind her ears, the touch was always lighter than the lotus breeze.
Staring at the unparalleled beauty in front of him, Xiao Nanyue suddenly became interested and ordered someone to bring the zither stand and place it by the pool.
Xiyan looked up and saw Xiao Nanyue sitting alone on the stone railing of the waterside pavilion. His eyebrows and eyes, dyed with pine soot ink, seemed to have been crushed in the twilight. When his fingertips plucked the strings of the zither, notes like fallen petals drifted over along with the fragrance of lotus.
Xiyan had known Xiao Nanyan for eight years, but she never knew that he was so proficient in music and could play it so melodiously.
She usually liked playing the piano and had played it by the window at night when no one was around, but she had never heard the song that Xiao Nanyue played before.
The sound of this music is sometimes like a clear spring flowing over rocks, sometimes like pine waves floating over the mountains, and occasionally there is a half beat left blank, like night dew condensed on the tip of a lotus.
Xiyan listened with fascination, looking at his drooping black hair, which was gently swayed by the evening breeze, and the dark silver python pattern on the hem of his clothes, which shimmered in the sunlight.
It turned out that this cold-blooded prince who made the court officials tremble could actually produce such a moving melody from his fingertips.
"This song...was it composed by the prince himself?"
When the music of the piano died down, Xiyan asked softly.
Xiao Nanyan raised his eyes, and his eyes reflected the ripples of light like broken silver in the pool:
"Well, does it sound good?"
Xiyan nodded slightly: "It sounds good!"
Xiao Nanyan's fingers stroked the strings, as if touching something fragile:
"The sound of the clear music lingers on fingers, like frost on morning snow; the flowing notes of the jade pegs resemble dew on a white dress. A beautiful woman stands beneath the jade branches, the pear petals on her temples trembling gently, still wet with morning dew. Broken jade strikes the icy silk, its clear shadow reflecting the moonlight."
Xiyan's heart trembled slightly.
That day, at the Chunxi Cottage in the imperial palace, she stood under the pear tree, her white clothes as white as snow, and he brushed away the fallen pear blossoms from her hair.
Was this song he composed for her?
Then, the piano music flowed again, this time with a more lingering tone.
Xiyan stared at his charming face that was like green bamboo reflecting the snow, and suddenly she was in a trance for a moment.
These past few days, Xiao Nanyan and I have been spending time together like an ordinary couple, admiring the flowers and the moon, watching the lotus flowers and playing the zither, and sleeping in each other's arms at night. There's no need to scheme or hide any blades. Even the nightmare of blood and knife light hasn't appeared in the past few days...
…
That night, before Xiao Nanyue returned to the bedroom, Chaolu, the maidservant of the Concubine Dowager, came hurriedly.
"Xiyan, the Concubine Dowager is calling you to the ancestral hall. Please follow me!"
Xiyan was slightly stunned, but still agreed, tidied her clothes, and went to the ancestral hall with Chaolu.
Today, the Concubine Dowager Su Xianrou did not recite scriptures. She changed into a dark purple skirt with gold weaving and sat beside the table. It seemed that she was waiting for Xiyan.
Chaolu brought Xiyan here, left the ancestral hall, and closed the door gently.
"Your servant Xiyan, pays homage to Her Majesty the Dowager."
Xiyan was about to salute, but Su Xianrou waved her hand:
"No need to be polite. Are your injuries all healed?"
Xi Yan lowered her eyes and said softly:
"I'm fine now. Thank you for your concern, Toffee."
Su Xianrou stroked the Buddhist beads with her fingertips, but her eyes carefully looked at Xi Yan. After a long time, she sighed softly:
"He is born with a good appearance, no wonder Yan'er..."
Xiyan's body trembled slightly, and her head drooped even lower.
"I didn't expect the consequences of the Fanyin Temple incident to be so serious. If I had known it would cost you your life, I would never have acted this way. Do you blame me?"
Xiyan saw that she actually took the initiative to mention Fanyin Temple, and wondered why she was looking for her today.
In fact, even if the concubine conspired with others to kill her, she was Xiao Nanyue's mother and she was a maid in their house, so what could she do?
She shook her head slightly:
"I dare not!"
Su Xianrou sighed again and said softly:
"In fact, Yan'er has already guessed who this person is who is secretly meeting with me. It's just that he doesn't want to reveal it."
She looked up at the spirit tablet of her late husband Xiao Beicheng, and her voice trembled slightly:
"I don't know how much you know about the feud between the Xiao and Helian families. Since Bei Cheng's death, Yan'er has been keeping a low profile, determined to avenge his father. However, as his mother, I don't want him to be involved in political disputes, and I don't want the Su, Xiao, and Helian families to become enemies."
Su Xianrou twisted the Buddhist beads in her hand faster:
"Yan'er and the Helian family have been fighting openly and covertly for years. If this continues, both will suffer losses sooner or later. I am Yan'er's mother, and I don't want him to follow in Bei Cheng's footsteps. Therefore, it is best to make peace with the Helian family and let go of the hatred. So..."
Her eyes were fixed on Xi Yan, and her words were powerful:
"I have made the decision and have petitioned the Emperor to form a marriage alliance with the Helian clan and marry the eldest princess, Helian Shu, as the regent consort!"
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