Chapter 136 Chapter 136 He wanted to drag her back to his four...
July 19th was the day when Mao Linyan said, "The emperor's horoscope is still suitable for Ma Diao."
The Jiaqing Emperor was obsessed with playing cards, consulting the almanac to arrange games. He would play on days suitable for playing, even on days unsuitable. Even more so on days predicted by the Eight Characters. Not only was he required to play, but the palace was also expected to be filled with joy. No one in the palace was allowed to speak of war, danger, or disaster; only auspicious words were permitted.
Nan Qiongshuang leaned lazily on the Arhat bed under the window, listening to the maids and servants outside saying "thanks to you" and "the dragon's grace is so great", and the more she listened, the more she found it interesting.
Outside, Qinglian walked over slowly, "My Lady, here are the fishing rod and paper you requested."
She took it in her hand and glanced at it casually.
It was originally an ordinary fishing rod. She asked Qinglian to attach a small piece of white paper under the fishing line. The small piece of paper was hung under the fishing line and would move when it was lifted.
Yuanxiang entered the palace, carrying a stack of bright red tribute peaches, piled into a small tower. "Your Majesty, the Imperial Household Department doesn't have our ice. These tribute peaches will go bad if left out for too long. I've picked out some ripe ones. Your Majesty, please enjoy these first."
The hot wind in the hall made her feel drowsy. She half-closed her eyes and asked, "Are they from Jingren Palace again? They've taken our things away?"
"Yes. I asked Eunuch Li from the Imperial Household Department, and he said it was with the Emperor's order."
Emperor Jiaqing.
She couldn't help but laugh: "Okay."
Yuanxiang: "In addition to the tribute peaches, even the lychees that Her Majesty loves to eat have been taken away by Jingren Palace. I went to check this morning and saw that only a few small green ones were left for Her Majesty, and they were as hard as stones. If Her Majesty approves, I will just throw them away."
She leaned against the railing of the Luohan bed and yawned boredly. "No need. Go back this afternoon and get everything you need. Who knows, you might even be able to get some things back from Jingren Palace."
"Mother?"
She raised her hand and said, "Go down first."
Yuanxiang and Qinglian exchanged a glance. Qinglian nodded, and Yuanxiang continued, "Your Majesty, the Emperor said that since returning from Wuliang Mountain, you've been suffering from a lack of energy and blood, and a poor appetite. He has ordered Imperial Physician Zhao to come and take your pulse. Your Majesty, please wait in Handan Palace and don't wander around."
"I have no appetite. It's so hot, there's not even a piece of ice." She smiled and smoothed her long hair across her chest. "You're just being hypocritical. Okay, I got it."
"There's one more thing." Yuanxiang took out a neatly folded piece of paper from her sleeve and held it respectfully in her palm.
When she saw the perfect folding method, her heart skipped a beat.
Resignedly, he took it in his hand and rubbed it between his fingers.
"Go down."
Yuanxiang bowed her head respectfully and retreated.
She twisted the piece of paper in her hands for a long time in frustration, closed her eyes, and felt a cold and uneasy feeling in her heart.
Uneasy, irritable, and difficult to face.
After calming down for a long time, she finally made up her mind and unfolded the small piece of paper.
As soon as he saw it, he leaned his elbows on the fence and held his forehead weakly.
It was that person's handwriting. Today, it was not regular script, but cursive script, elegant and handsome.
But there are only two words.
"What do you mean?"
Her heart shuddered and she sighed.
*
At the time of Si, the sun was not yet too bright, hidden under the tall, clear yellow glazed tiles, illuminating everything with bright brightness.
The summer heat had not yet arrived. Nan Qiongshuang lifted her skirt and took the fishing rod prepared by Qinglian. She went into the flowers where Concubine Sheng had jumped around yesterday and chose a place illuminated by sunlight.
The person she was waiting for had not yet arrived.
She stood in the shade of a tree a few steps away, waiting quietly.
Finally, from the direction of the Purple Palace, there was a sound of footsteps, mixed with loud conversation.
In the middle, there was a sweet voice, a woman's voice, accompanying the giggles.
Nan Qiongshuang shrugged, threw the piece of paper under the fishing rod into the air, and holding the fishing rod in her hand, she waved it casually above the flowers where butterflies were dancing.
Emperor Jiaqing was in a particularly good mood today. July 19th was the auspicious day Gu Huaijin had chosen for him before returning to Wuliang Mountain. As soon as he opened his eyes this morning, he saw a large yellow butterfly resting on the window frame. He summoned Wang Rang to inquire about it, and Wang Rang declared it a sign of great fortune, a sign of "approaching blessings."
When he was dressed and about to head straight for Laughter Paradise, he saw that Mao Linyan had chosen a butterfly-patterned dress to match, along with her Shu brocade shoes embroidered with green butterflies. He felt even more ingenious, thinking that today was a very auspicious day, the best of all.
So he got up and went straight to Laughter Paradise.
Walking in the corridor, another butterfly followed him.
Mao Linyan giggled sweetly, "Ah, Your Majesty, another butterfly. Your Majesty is so blessed today. I have never seen anyone so attractive to butterflies. I think Your Majesty will have a great start today. This dress of mine is not in vain."
Emperor Jiaqing threw his head back and laughed heartily, "No, no. If I win today, it's all thanks to my beloved concubine's long dress with hundreds of butterflies on it."
He turned the winding corner of the corridor with his hands behind his back.
As soon as he turned around, his steps stopped.
Mao Linyan's heart full of auspicious words suddenly became stuck in her stomach.
There was a person among the flowers where she was chasing butterflies yesterday.
That person was wearing a long dress with gardenia yellow threads and gold cicada gauze, a gardenweed green satin shawl on her arm, and her hair was full of jewels and necklaces. She was alone among the flowers under the light.
Her body was covered with jingling ornaments, shining brightly and sparkling.
If we only talk about figure, it's nothing in her eyes.
only.
The woman clutched a long pole, waving it effortlessly among the flowers. Through some unknown magic trick, she beckoned dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of colorful butterflies from the imperial garden to swarm and dance around her. Their dazzling wings shimmered hazily in the sunlight, and she felt like a fairy, a playful fairy, descending from the mortal realm.
How could there be such witchcraft?
Mao Linyan was so angry that her eyes were about to burst.
The person in the flowers waved the wooden pole again, and colorful butterflies in the garden swirled around her, forming a fluttering rainbow. She played and admired them, stretching out one hand to catch them, and her long hair was blown by the breeze.
A butterfly landed lightly in her palm, causing her to smile for a moment with her eyes curved. Then, with a lift of her palm, she sent the butterfly into the colorful torrent. The wooden pole spun and waved among the flowers again, casting the fishing line high into the sky. The butterflies shimmered in the light, spiraling from her feet and fluttering around her body.
The flowers move, the butterflies move, and the necklaces of the people among the flowers move. The whole garden is full of colorful and magnificent splendor.
The people in the corridor stopped involuntarily.
Emperor Jiaqing was so engrossed in watching that he forgot to speak.
Nan Qiongshuang had put on enough of her act and was worried that if she stood in the sun for too long, her makeup would melt when she met the emperor, so she put away her fishing rod.
She just stood gracefully among the flowers, with her slender back as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.
She didn't even need to look to know how Emperor Jiaqing fell in love with her at first sight and was drooling over her.
Men, aren't they just after the appearance?
She wanted to see Mao Linyan's expression with her own eyes.
After all, it was all her idea and her thought.
The Imperial Garden was her choice. Butterflies were her pride. Waiting for success and being artificial were also her ideas.
She really wanted to see what expression this man, who had won a great victory yesterday, showing off his power and humiliating her the whole night, would have today.
She smiled deeply and slowly raised her eyes.
But across the carved corridor, he was facing a shadow under the shade of the tree.
His long clothes were as black as ink, his hair was as white as lacquer satin, he was tied with a silk ribbon, and his face was expressionless.
Gu Huaijin.
Her head buzzed, and a feeling of shame suddenly arose. Her face turned hot, her legs went weak, and she turned around embarrassedly.
... In front of her ex-husband, she was so proud of playing tricks and making gestures with the newcomer. How could there be such an embarrassing thing in the world?
Didn't he say he would be back in two days?
Suddenly, someone in the group of people in front of me laughed loudly.
Li Xuanbai was also there today—he had come to gamble on this auspicious day at the invitation of Emperor Jiaqing—and, stepping aside the reddened Mao Linyan, he clapped his hands and laughed heartily, leaning over to Emperor Jiaqing to greet him: "Goddess, truly a Goddess. Look, the Xie family of Qinghe has produced such a beautiful lady."
Nan Qiong Shuang only felt the sinister gaze of another person behind her, almost piercing through her.
The acquaintance was self-proclaimed with good intentions, but the more he praised her, the more she wished she could dig a hole and bury herself there.
Emperor Jiaqing stood with his hands behind his back, staring at her, and approached her step by step, as if in a dream.
She pretended to be shy, lowered her eyebrows and nodded.
Behind him, the man's gaze lingered for a long time, and the gloom was shocking.
She suddenly had an intuition.
He really wanted to drag her back to his Four Elephants Tower.
As soon as this thought came to her mind, her whole body went numb. She hurriedly took a step forward and bowed obediently, "Zhen Fei Xie, respectfully greets His Majesty."
Emperor Jiaqing reached out his hand to help her up. "My dear Deyin, I haven't seen you in a long time." He was halfway through his words when she straightened up and looked into his eyes. Their eyes met, and he suddenly stopped talking. His voice rolled in his throat for a long time before he continued with difficulty, "...I wonder how you have been these days."
"Your Majesty," she gritted her teeth, tears welling up in her eyes, concerned for the people behind her. After a long while, she finally managed to release a small tear. "How can Deyin be safe without seeing Your Majesty every day? Ever since I returned from Wuliang Mountain, I don't know what I did to anger Your Majesty, so I have no choice but to copy scriptures in the palace every day..."
The gaze behind him withdrew silently.
Her nerves suddenly relaxed, tears welled up in her eyes, but she breathed a sigh of relief and covered her lips with a handkerchief.
"I have nothing better to do, so I'm playing with butterflies in this imperial garden. I wonder if I disturbed the Emperor," she said, sinking softly to the ground. "If I have displeased His Majesty, I beg Your Majesty to forgive me."
Emperor Jiaqing was heartbroken and hurriedly bent down to embrace her. She was falling down with tears in her eyes, as if she had no bones. Out of the corner of her eye, she was startled to see a dark figure walking from the corridor not far away. It stopped not far behind Emperor Jiaqing without saying a word, and stared at her silently.
She immediately straightened her knees and stood upright.
"Hey, today is the emperor's auspicious day. No matter how overjoyed you are, you need to know when to stop." Li Xuanbai hugged his shoulders and said, "But where did you attract such a large group of butterflies?"
"I didn't attract them." She wiped her tears and said, "Deyin doesn't know why they came."
"Good, good." Emperor Jiaqing applauded and laughed. "Butterflies are a good omen. I've been seeing butterflies since this morning, and now I have a beloved concubine who knows how to attract butterflies. How can we not win today's game?"
He turned around and asked Gu Huaijin, "Mr. Gu, may I ask, what does the Divine Concubine attracting butterflies mean?"
Nan Qiongshuang stood nervously opposite Emperor Jiaqing, not daring to look up.
Gu Huaijin's face, tied with black silk, remained expressionless. No one knew who he was looking at, nor what his expression was.
Although there was a supreme ruler between them, it seemed as if there were only two of them standing opposite each other.
Gu Huaijin was silent for a long time with a gloomy expression.
After a long while, he chuckled and said:
"Butterfly, which sounds similar to "blessing," is a symbol of good fortune. "Your Highness" is the Emperor's beloved concubine. So, "Your Highness attracts butterflies" means "Your Highness attracts good fortune," which can be interpreted as..."
His lips moved, each word came out:
"A love match made in heaven."
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