Chu Qiao was about to say she didn't want to see him, but Qiu Sui was startled and stammered, "Miss, Madam Tang is the Queen."
Fengyuan Palace is the Queen's residence. Chu Qiao has been sitting in the side hall for half an hour, but still has not been summoned by the Queen. She was very sleepy, so sleepy that she could not open her eyes. She tried every means to sit up straight, while secretly hating herself in her heart that this poison seemed to have no effect on her so far. It only made her more exhausted. She wanted to sleep all day long. She didn't know if Li Ce could cure her.
I don’t know how long I waited, but a eunuch suddenly came out and said that the queen was not feeling well today, so Chu Qiao should go back first.
Chu Qiao was furious, but she still tactfully bowed and walked out with heavy steps.
She knew that the queen must have been hiding in the inner room observing her. She was now in Bian Tang and had many health problems, so it would be inconvenient for her to have a conflict with her.
Chu Qiao yawned just after she walked out of the room. Unexpectedly, her eyes blurred and a figure suddenly stood up. Chu Qiao was startled, and when she looked carefully, she saw Li Ce, who looked sleepy.
Chu Qiao's sleepiness suddenly disappeared, and she asked in confusion, "You were squatting at the door just now?"
Li Ce yawned and said, "I heard that you were called by my mother to question me, so I came here to listen."
Chu Qiao was stunned, "Aren't you going to go in and listen?"
"It's hot inside," Li Ce made up a ridiculous excuse, then raised his eyebrows, "I was afraid that the two of you would start fighting in the middle of your conversation, so I'm here so I can go in and stop the fight in time."
Chu Qiao raised her eyebrows, "Is your mother so bad-tempered?"
"Old women tend to have some quirks," Li Ce said nonchalantly, "Besides, she has always disliked me, so she might use it against you."
Chu Qiao didn't argue with him and walked out, saying, "I'm so sleepy, I want to go back to sleep."
Li Ce echoed, "That's great. I'm sleepy too. Let's sleep together."
Chu Qiao turned around and raised her fist, "Come on if you're not afraid of death."
Li Ce laughed and said, "What I fear least in my life is threats from women."
At this time, a young guard suddenly ran up and shouted to Li Ce: "Prince, Lord He's daughter has entered the palace to visit the fourth princess."
Li Ce immediately perked up, said goodbye to Chu Qiao, and said, "Qiao Qiao, I have something important to do, so I won't accompany you for now."
Then, he left in a hurry, following the guard.
Something important to do? Chu Qiao burst out laughing, but it was also good this way. When she was with such a person, she didn't have to worry about developing any difficult feelings and worrying about the future.
After climbing up a small bridge, Chu Qiao fell asleep almost as soon as she sat down.
Late at night, Chu Qiao was suddenly awakened by a burst of crying. She groped her way out of bed, put on a white cotton robe, and softly called Qiu Sui's name.
Qiu Sui lived in the outer room and was obviously not asleep at this moment. She ran in and said, "Miss, you are awake. It's okay. It's Madam Hongluan who is outside. I have sent someone to chase her away."
Chu Qiao was a little surprised, "What happened?"
"When the girl came back in the afternoon, Madam Hongluan and her sister Madam Qiuhe met the girl's sedan chair on the road. Madam Qiuhe deliberately asked her servants to push the sedan chair and almost pushed it into the lake. The Iron Guard happened to see it and told His Highness, who then sent someone to lock Madam Qiuhe in the torture chamber. Madam Hongluan is now crying and begging you to show mercy, but you have no right to intervene in this matter, and it is not worth getting involved in this mess. I will drive her away now."
It seemed that these people regarded her as an imaginary enemy. It was just a drama of women competing for favor. Chu Qiao did not take it seriously, but was secretly frightened. The poison seemed to be getting deeper and deeper. She did not even notice that someone was pushing her sedan chair. She was too careless.
When I woke up the next morning, the pond had been built by the water, and several goldfish were swimming in this high pond built at a huge cost. Chu Qiao sat by the attic window and stretched out her hand to gently stir the water in the vat.
Suddenly, she heard maids whispering outside. Chu Qiao had excellent hearing and she could tell it was Qiu Sui and another maid named Zi Chan.
Qiu Sui said, "He really doesn't know the seriousness of the matter. There are so many ladies in this palace. Even if a person like him doesn't cause a big mess now, he will die sooner or later."
Zichan sighed, "She probably thought that His Highness was easy to fool! Now, Huaisong's dancers are either dead or injured. Now there is not a single one left."
"Didn't you hear what your aunt said? The prince and Daxia are marrying off to exclude Huai Song. These dancers in Huai Song won't last long. Now it's come true."
"Ah? Are we going to go to war with Huai Song?"
"I don't know, but wasn't there a war in Tiger Mountain a while ago? Although it was a small-scale conflict, I heard that many people died. Prince Luo just came back from the expedition and is about to return to the capital."
"His Highness is angry this time. I have never seen him so angry! Madam Hongluan will not be able to escape this time. Alas, everyone can see that His Highness cares about this girl, but she can't see it."
Did Bian Tang go to war with Huai Song a while ago? Chu Qiao frowned slightly. So that's why. No wonder Bian Tang chose to marry into Da Xia at this time. Li Ce looks amiable and playful, but he is the crown prince after all, so it is better not to take him too lightly. The moon was in the sky, and the pure white moonlight poured in like mercury, softly pouring in through the hollow windows and falling on the couch. Chu Qiao was wearing a pearl-colored soft inner dress, with her dark hair scattered on the couch. She frowned slightly and slowly opened her eyes. She saw the rippling water outside the window, reflecting the soft moonlight, making her look even more elegant and otherworldly.
If you sleep more during the day, you will feel less sleepy at night.
Chu Qiao sat up, without disturbing the maid outside, walked to the window, and gently opened a corner of the window. But I saw a crabapple tree in full bloom in front of the window, with its branches slanting out, as red as clouds, and swaying gently in the cold night breeze. With a light touch of her fingers, crimson petals fell and scattered between the wide sleeves of her robe.
On a clear pond not far away, there were palace ladies rowing a boat, and the sound of flutes was sombre that it seemed as if it were in a secluded valley or mountain. Chu Qiao stood by the window, feeling like a naughty child who had strayed into the fairyland, not knowing what day it was. She didn't want to alarm the maid outside, so she lifted her skirt, stepped lightly with her soft-soled embroidered shoes inlaid with pearls, stepped onto the high branches, climbed over lightly, and went down along the second floor along the newly built waterwheel. She turned her body and landed steadily on the ground.
The soil of the crabapple tree was newly added, obviously it had just been moved from somewhere else. Recalling what he had seen on the street before, Li Ce jokingly said that he wanted to move the tree into the palace. Unexpectedly, he actually did it.
For some reason, Chu Qiao's heart moved slightly. She turned her head away and stopped looking, as if she was afraid of disturbing some ripples in her heart.
It is now the end of summer, and the nights are no longer as hot as during the day, and are beginning to feel slightly cooler. Chu Qiao, holding up her skirt and wearing ill-fitting palace embroidered shoes, walked slowly on the ebony bridge surrounding the clear pool. The gentle breeze over the pond made her skirt rustle. The sky is empty, the stars are sparse, and under the cover of clouds and mist, a crescent moon is moving quietly through the palace. The light and shadow are hazy, and the ground is white, like a pool of clear water after breaking the ice.
Chu Qiao looked very peaceful. She hadn't felt so tranquil in a long, long time. The night breeze blew on her face, making her feel as if she were in a dream. As we were walking, a koi suddenly jumped up, disturbing the pool of water. The ripples were subtle, but made the water seem even more tranquil.
There was no one around, so Chu Qiao simply sat on the wooden bridge, holding the ebony railing, looking at the shallow ripples on the lake, and gently resting her head on the annual rings of the logs.
She forgot how long it had been since she had felt so quiet. This trip to Bian Tang seemed to have washed away all her anger and fatigue. The quiet landscape, the summer flowers in the garden, the graceful eaves and brackets all display the unique charm of the Jiangnan area. She could finally breathe a sigh of relief and tell herself that this was not Zhenhuang, not Daxia. She was far away from the killing and hunting. She was safe for the time being and could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
It's been eight years. Even if she didn't say it, even if she was very strong, she was still a little tired in the end.
I wonder if the wind in Yanbei is as warm as here?
Thinking of this, Chu Qiao suddenly laughed softly.
How could that be? There is snow all year round in the north of Yan and the wind is freezing cold. Only in the Huihui Mountain area are there valleys with green grass where horses can gallop. I heard from Yan Xun that there is a fairy from Yanbei on the mountains in western Fujian. She is the goddess who protects the people of Yanbei. She stood on the coldest mountain top all her life, gazing at the countless creatures in the lower world with broad and fearless eyes. She constantly competes with heaven for sunshine and warm days, and then bestows them on her people.
Yanbei, Yanbei, even the gods of Yanbei are motherly fighters. Every inch of Yanbei’s land is covered with the blood and tears of the people fighting against natural disasters, man-made calamities, wars and butchers’ knives. It is a nation reborn from the bones. The roots of every flower are filled with the blood of the soldiers defending their country. Every wisp of breeze carries the spirits who sacrificed their lives for freedom.
That is Yanbei, a land full of suffering but never bowing down.
She had never seen the plateau covered with tall grass with her own eyes. She had only heard others talk about it over and over again. In those dark, difficult, and worse-than-pigs-and-dogs days, talking about Yanbei and the snow-capped mountains and grasslands there was the greatest pleasure for her and Yan Xun. They huddled in dark corners, imagining herds of wild horses and rushing rivers, as if they saw great hope in the cold winter night. Those who have not experienced it cannot understand the feeling of dependence on each other.
In that suffocating, nauseating, maddening imperial city, they were two hairless little wolves, standing back to back, stretching out their inconspicuous claws. There is no wall or charcoal around them. They have nowhere to rely on and no way to keep warm. They can only rely on each other tightly, and find the courage to survive from each other's eyes and body temperature.
They are inseparable comrades-in-arms, close allies, and inseparable family members. This complex emotion has long broken through the simple love between men and women and has become part of the body.
Many times, Chu Qiao has no time to think about her daughter's affairs. In her short life, it seemed that she had been running, fighting, and planning all the time, so she buried a lot of things.
She is a rational person and always has been. She knows what she wants, what she should not get involved in, and what the future holds. So, she walks carefully according to all of this and will not make any mistakes. Maybe this kind of personality is very boring, dull and tedious, but she is just that kind of person.
Chu Qiao slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He was coming. She could already smell the wind in the distance. She knew that he was missing her.
"How long are you going to sit there alone?"
Chu Qiao was startled and turned around suddenly, only to see that Li Ce was wearing a pine green robe with a loose belt around his waist. His collar was slightly open, revealing most of his chest. His hair was tied lightly with silk at the back, with its hair fluttering on both sides. His eyes were like willow branches in March, slightly squinting in the moonlight, like a half-sleeping fox. He looked at Chu Qiao with a smile, then stretched out his slender hand and yawned softly.