After combing her hair, he turned his head and said to her with a smile, "Are you feeling energetic?"
His eyes were deep and silent. The moonlight shone in through the gauze window and onto his face, casting a hazy glow. He was still as handsome as ever, with slender eyes, a high nose, jade-like cheeks, and a hint of the charm and bearing of a royal king. But the deathly aura between his brows gradually spread away, and his face became pale, like white jade covered with dust.
Chu Qiao forced a smile and nodded, "So handsome."
Li Ce frowned and asked, "Are you praising me?"
Seeing Chu Qiao nod, he smiled happily, just like before.
"Li Ce," Chu Qiao suppressed the sadness in her heart and asked softly, "Do you have any other wishes?"
"Wish?" Li Ce frowned, thinking for a long time before he chuckled and said, "No more."
His breathing suddenly became hasty. He stretched out his hand to her and said softly, "Qiao Qiao, let me hug you."
The wind outside the window suddenly grew stronger, blowing open the slightly open window. The moon cast a pale light over the empty hall, illuminating the snow-white surroundings. The wind blew in from the distant Taiqing Pond, bringing with it the scent of lotus. Chu Qiao's throat felt as if it had been bitten by someone, and it was terribly painful. She knelt on the ground, half lying in his arms, tears streaming down her face, soaking his clothes.
The breath above my head disappeared little by little, like the gentle breeze blowing away the graceful cherry blossoms, leaving no sound behind. The moonlight shone obliquely on them. It seemed as if they were young and frivolous many years ago. The evil man in red clothes and black hair descended from the sky and smiled behind her ear, "Aren't you going to stop?"
Time is like a big dream. When the prosperity is gone, what remains is just a deep paleness.
Chu Qiao's eyes were like burnt ashes, filled with deadly coldness. Her gaze was empty as she slowly stood up and looked back. However, he was still sitting there quietly, with his head tilted, as if he was in a good dream.
The fragments of memory were scattered and disintegrated. The man who was surrounded by flowers and gorgeousness took off his disguised skin layer by layer. The gorgeous green willows and luxurious splendor of the past eventually turned into the turbidity and loneliness of today, and finally reflected the afterglow of the sunset and melted into the funeral night.
The palace gate suddenly opened, and the cold moonlight shone on her unhindered. In the distance, there was a thick black area, and in front of the palace gate, the women from the harem and high-ranking officials were kneeling densely on the ground.
Sun Di looked at her with trembling questions in his eyes.
She looked at him in despair, her body numb, but finally, slowly, slowly, she nodded.
"The Emperor has passed away—"
At the same time, huge cries of grief resounded through the sky. The entire palace was filled with sad cries, and the long funeral bells pierced the night mist.
Chu Qiao raised her head, the strong wind blew up her thin clothes, and in the empty sky, she seemed to see a clear face, with a high nose, thin lips, and slightly raised eyes, like a cunning fox with a smile...
A palace servant ran along the long and dark alley of the palace and reported to Sun Di in a low voice. They were too far away, and their voices were blown into pieces by the wind, but she still heard some of their words.
"When the death knell sounded... she hit her head on the corner of the table... and her blood flowed all over the floor. She was no longer alive... After all, she was the Queen Mother..."
The moon was like frost, and the blood was almost frozen. A line of clear tears finally slid down silently again, soaking into this deep palace that was stained with the blood of countless people.
The streets of Tangjing are still beautiful. A cool breeze blows slowly from the lake, carrying the fresh fragrance of lotus flowers. The willows on both sides of the road sway in the wind, and their branches dance like the soft waists of dancers.
In the twilight of sunset, weary birds return to the forest, and the red river and red shadows look like a blood-stained vastness.
It was a national mourning period in Bian Tang. Everyone wore plain clothes and even the hanging lanterns were covered with white cloth. Walking on the street, one could smell the desolate coldness everywhere.
The sky gradually darkened, and a round moon rose from the treetops, hanging brightly in the distant sky.
Today is the White Moon Festival, and it has been a month since Li Ce passed away.
Zhuge Yue sent his men to take her away many times, but she stubbornly stayed. There was an idea that supported her and prevented her from leaving at will. I woke up in the middle of the night with cold sweat on my forehead. Li Ce was gone, taking with him all the songs and music in the Jinwu Palace. The huge palace fell into a long period of dead silence. Walking in the long Eternal Lane, she could even hear her own heartbeat, constantly reminding her that some people were gone, while others were still alive, and there were some things she had not done yet.
This was the road she and Li Ce had walked together. That night, she woke up from a coma and he held her hand like a big child, running madly in the palace, passing through the nine-story palace, through the gorgeous flower gardens, through the rockery and stone forest, and walked out of the palace gate. They rode together, he sat in front of her, laughing as he directed the way for her, and from time to time he would turn back to laugh at the guards who were like ants on the hot pan.
In the blink of an eye, everything has changed and no longer exists.
Today's streets are no longer as bustling as they once were. They are deserted and the few shops that remain are mostly deserted. During the national mourning, all festive activities were cancelled, and ordinary people stayed at home. Without customers, vendors did not come out to set up stalls. The once crowded streets were now empty, with withered yellow leaves flying everywhere, occasionally hitting her white clothes.
After walking for a long time, I came to the stall where I had noodles last time. I didn’t expect that they were still there, but there were no customers. The man of the house was sitting on a chair, drowsy. When he saw her come in, he was startled, jumped up immediately, looked at her carefully for a few times, then wiped the stool for her and politely arranged for her to sit down.
It was still the same lady boss. The years didn't seem to have left any trace on her face. She still had that fair and clean appearance. She walked up to Chu Qiao with an unfocused look in her eyes, but smiled and said, "Miss, you haven't been here for a long time."
Chu Qiao was slightly stunned and asked, "Do you still remember me?"
"He recognized it and came running to tell me."
The woman smiled innocently and pointed at her husband who was standing behind her. The man blushed and smiled shyly, revealing a row of white teeth.
"Where's the eldest master? I haven't seen him for a while."
The woman suddenly asked this, her eyes curved like two crescent moons. The wind blew over from the other end of the long street, lifting the flags of the stall. The man quickly stepped forward to block the wind and sand for his wife; his movements were so natural.
Chu Qiao was a little stunned, and then she heard the woman ask, "Girl? Girl?"
Chu Qiao came back to her senses, forced a smile and said, "He's gone on a long journey."
"Oh." The lady boss nodded, "When will you be back?"
Fallen leaves piled up, autumn wind swept the ground, Chu Qiao's heart grew colder and colder, her face grew paler, and there was a choking sensation in her throat. She thought for a moment and said softly, "He moved away and may never come back."
The proprietress couldn't see Chu Qiao's expression and wanted to continue asking, but was pulled back by her husband. The clever woman immediately understood and turned away. After a while, hot noodles were served, along with a plate of beef and half a plate of shrimp dumplings. Even from a distance, the sour smell of vinegar could be smelled.
Chu Qiao picked up the chopsticks, took out the handkerchief from her waist and wiped them gently twice, then began to eat bite by bite.
The noodles are piping hot, topped with sesame oil and chopped green onions, and are very fragrant. Chu Qiao ate very slowly. She hadn't had a good meal for a long time. Her stomach was filled with sourness and she felt like she was about to vomit.
“The shrimp dumplings will get cold soon.”
A very clear voice suddenly sounded nearby. Chu Qiao turned around and saw a little girl in her teens with familiar features. She looked up at the proprietress over there and immediately remembered the child. She tentatively called out, "Qian'er?"
The child frowned and asked seriously, "Do you know me?"
Chu Qiao smiled but didn't say anything. The child sat on a chair beside her and asked, "Have you ever eaten at my house before?"
"Yeah." Chu Qiao nodded.
A familiar piece of music sounded, Chu Qiao looked up, and saw that the shadow puppet troupe at the corner had started to sing.
"Do you like opera?"
The child asked.
Chu Qiao couldn't help but smile slightly, ruffled the child's hair, and said, "You still like to listen to opera so much."
"I'm here with my parents every day, but there's nothing much to do. I hear your accent sounds like you're from another place. Do you understand our local opera?"
Chu Qiao shook her head.
The child quickly said, "Then I'll tell you."
"I've heard you say that before."
"It's a new play!" the child said. "It was released last month before last!"
Chu Qiao was helpless: "Then tell me."
The troupe's popularity grew, and it seemed different from the past. There were more musicians and a bigger stage, but business plummeted. The surroundings were empty, with only two three or four-year-old kids doing somersaults in front of the stage. There was no audience, but the troupe still played their music professionally. At the same time, a lifelike shadow puppet appeared on the screen. It was so exquisite that even from such a distance, one could still see his clear eyebrows and eyes.
"He is the little prince."
The opening line is the same, but the prince has now changed his appearance, with exquisite carvings and wonderful music. No matter how you look at it, it doesn't look like a folk troupe.
At this time, another shadow puppet came on stage.
“这个是小姑娘。”孩子很认真地说道：“有一次，小王子出使别国，遇见了这个小姑娘。小姑娘会武功，狠狠揍了小王子一顿。小王子很生气，原本也想揍她一顿，可是后来发生了一件事，小王子就喜欢上她了。”
After not seeing him for a few years, the child's storytelling skills have obviously improved. She raised her head and asked Chu Qiao with a smile: "Do you want to know what happened?"
Chu Qiao's hand holding the chopsticks was ice-cold, and she nodded blankly.
The child said proudly: "Once they met a bad guy, and the little girl was very kind and saved the little prince several times. The little prince thought, this little girl is really righteous, I want to marry her and live a good life.
"Unfortunately, the little girl didn't like the little prince. She liked someone else. Later, she followed that person."
Another character appeared on the stage, completely different from the other two. He was crudely made, without even any clothes. He was just an outline, standing there naked, holding a small wooden stick in his hand, looking silly.
"But that man was not good. He was domineering, ugly, poor, and loved to bully others. Anyway, he was not a good person. Later, the girl came to her senses and left him."
At this time, another character appeared on the stage.
"The little girl has fallen in love with this guy again, but he is not a good guy either. He is proud, self-righteous, bullying, and very ugly. I'll tell you in secret, he may have a homosexual tendency. He has close contacts with a prince of their country. Anyway, he may be a lunatic."
The little girl let out a long sigh and said with emotion: "Finally, the little girl grew up and finally realized her mistake. So she resolutely abandoned this man and came back to find the little prince. The little prince had ascended the throne and became the great emperor. He was handsome, rich, graceful, kind, loyal and persistent. The big girl regretted it very much. She cried and shouted that she wanted to marry the great emperor. She blocked the great emperor's door every day and insisted on becoming his wife. Finally, the great emperor took pity on her and reluctantly agreed."