For some reason, Yan Xun was actually a little nervous. He sat down next to Nalan Hongye, but felt a little awkward and wanted to avoid her. He frowned and said, "Don't poke me."
Nalan Hongye raised her eyebrows, "A person who has been to the battlefield is afraid of this tiny embroidery needle?"
Yan Xun obviously didn't trust her craftsmanship, he frowned and said nothing. But soon, she was seen threading the needle very skillfully, with her slender fingers, the needle and thread seemed to come alive in her hands.
She was so thin that from Yan Xun's perspective, he could only see a beautiful white neck. The sunlight shone on her, bringing with it a calm and peaceful atmosphere. There was a light scent of medicine in the air. The sand in the hourglass slid down bit by bit. It was so quiet that one could almost hear the rustling sound of needle and thread passing through clothes.
Suddenly, Nalan Hongye's hands trembled and he started coughing softly.
At first, she tried her best to control herself, but gradually, she became less and less able to control herself, and her voice became louder and louder. Yan Xun frowned, stretched out his other hand, and gently patted her back, while patting, he shouted: "Bring some water, quickly."
Wen Yuan hurried over, Yan Xun took the tea and fed her a sip. Her breathing gradually became steady, but her cheeks flushed and her eyes became more tired.
"Are you okay? Do you want to call the doctor?"
Nalan Hongye shook her head weakly, "No, it's just an old problem. I just need to rest for a while."
"Don't mend this dress today. Wait until you feel better."
Nalan Hongye was really tired, so he nodded.
Yan Xun took off his coat, handed it to Wen Yuan, and instructed: "Wait until your queen is in good spirits to mend it, and don't give it to her in the next few days."
Wen Yuan nodded happily and thought: After five years, God has finally opened his eyes, and the Emperor also knows how to feel sorry for the Empress.
Yan Xun put on his fur coat and said to Nalan Hongye, "I'm leaving first. You should take a good rest."
Nalan Hongye nodded, and Yan Xun turned and walked out. The curtains of the hall were lifted layer by layer, and his figure was gradually hidden. For some reason, Nalan Hongye suddenly felt so flustered, as if her heart was full of weeds. She suddenly shouted loudly, "Your Majesty?"
Yan Xun was stunned and turned back from a distance.
The palace was deep and they were so far away from each other. They just looked at each other and time passed between them. One year, two years, three years, five years, and those that he didn't know about, ten years, eight years, and many, many years.
"Tonight, I have asked the kitchen to prepare a few more delicious dishes. Your Majesty, are you coming?"
Yan Xun stood in the center of the hall, at a distance, looking at the woman sitting on the bed.
That was his wife, whom he had never taken seriously, but who had really helped him a lot in a practical sense.
He stood there, just looking at her, trying hard to recall what she looked like before, but all he could think of was the pearls, jade, brocade and gold, and nothing else. But now, she is dressed in soft white clothes, with no hair ornaments on her head, no makeup on her face, pale lips, and extremely thin. She is like a candle in the wind, and no one knows how long she can burn.
Forget it... Yan Xun sighed silently in his heart.
Even though she had seized Xuan Mo's military power, even though she might have noticed the relationship between her and Xuan Mo, and secretly destroyed the last letter Xuan Mo wrote to her before his death...
That's all.
From a distance, Yan Xun nodded and said, "You should take a good rest first. I will come to see you in the evening."
The door was open and a fresh breeze blew in.
Nalan Hongye sat on the couch, silently looking at his receding back, her face gentle and her eyes as peaceful as the clouds in the sky.
"Your Highness..." Wen Yuan laughed happily, as if she didn't know what to say. She finally rushed out and shouted, "I'll go get ready."
Nalan Hongye took a deep breath and leaned back into the soft quilt. Suddenly I remembered that evening many years ago, when he rode a horse and caught up with her from afar, and finally stood at the bridge and shouted to her as she walked away, "I have buried some good wine under the pear tree, will you come again next year?"
Will you come again next year?
Will you come again next year?
Are you coming again?
For many years, whenever she closed her eyes, she could hear this voice. It seems like it was just yesterday, right next to my ear.
"Come! Wait for me!" She sat in the carriage, leaned out her head, and shouted loudly at him who had turned into a small black dot.
Come! Wait for me!
However, she was never able to go back.
Her father passed away, leaving her alone with her sick mother, foolish brother, and the ambitious royal relatives and powerful officials in the court to struggle. The whole country fell on her thin and tender shoulders.
And he, his family was broken up, he was displaced, and the once favored son of heaven suddenly became a prisoner.
After ten years of separation between life and death, they finally returned to the place where they met in the past. Unfortunately, the mountains and rivers were in ruins, and the people and things were no longer the same. Even though they were facing each other, they no longer recognized each other.
She slowly closed her eyes and slightly pulled the corners of her mouth, bringing out a faint smile.
Before it got dark, Wen Yuan was busy matching clothes for her and dressing her up. The servants in the kitchen knew that the emperor would come to dinner, so they also worked hard to prepare. Although she didn't want to do this, she didn't object because it was rare to see them so happy.
However, the sky was getting darker and darker, and it was already past dinner time, but he still hadn't come.
All the servants were secretly worried. Wen Yuan sent a capable servant out to inquire about the news, while she comforted Nalan Hongye over and over again.
Nalan Hongye gradually understood what was going on in her heart, but she didn't feel sad at all, she just felt a little empty. Yushu was right, the Southeast Hall was too big and always looked deserted.
After a while, the young eunuch beside Yan Xun came running to tell him that there was urgent military information coming from Beilin Pass in Northwest China, and that the emperor was in the military council meeting with several other officials tonight and would not be coming.
At that moment, Nalan Hongye could almost clearly hear the sighs coming from the entire hall. She calmly spoke to the eunuch who was delivering the message and gave him a reward. Said to Wen Yuan: "Okay, let's set the table."
Wen Yuan was stunned, "Ah?"
Nalan Hongye laughed and said, "Let's have dinner. The emperor is not coming. Does that mean I don't have to eat?"
Wen Yuan finally came to her senses and hurriedly served the meal to the distraught servants.
Nalan Hongye ate more than twenty dishes by herself. She seemed to have a particularly good appetite today and was in good spirits. She ate for a long time before asking the servants to serve soup.
For the next three days, Yan Xun was busy with military affairs. Princess Zhao Chun'er of Jing'an retreated to southern Xinjiang after her defeat in the war. Even though she was besieged by Zhuge Yue several times, she still managed to escape. Zhuge Yue, out of consideration for Zhao Che's feelings, saw that she no longer attacked Bian Tang, and did not kill them all. However, recently, news came from the northwest that Princess Jing'an's troops were frequently in contact with the Quanrong people outside the Great Wall, and there might be changes.
All of a sudden, all kinds of information were quickly transmitted to the capital, and the court of Dayan suddenly became nervous.
During these three days, Nalan Hongye's illness relapsed several times, and the Southeast Hall was filled with gloom and silence.
That night, Nalan Hongye, who had not slept in the hotel for three days, suddenly sat up and asked Wen Yuan to bring her the brocade box in the cabinet.
Wen Yuan originally wanted to persuade her not to worry too much, but seeing her determined expression, she didn't dare to say anything.
A sandalwood-colored brocade box that looked very old but not heavy. It felt light in the hand. No one knew what valuables were inside. It had three locks on it.
Wen Yuan used a handkerchief to brush off the dust on the surface of the box and couldn't help coughing. She saw that the dust had accumulated very thickly and she didn't know how long it had been there.
Nalan Hongye took the box, looked at it silently for a while, then picked up three keys from under the pillow and opened the box.
Wen Yuan stretched her neck and saw that the box contained a thick stack of letters. Many of the letters had turned yellow and looked very old. She couldn't help feeling a little disappointed and frowned in confusion.
"Wenyuan, go get a brazier."
"My lady, what do you want the brazier for?"
Nalan Hongye pointed at the letters and said, "Burn these."
"Ah? Burned?" Wen Yuan was stunned. Although she didn't know who wrote these letters, she knew they must be very important just by looking at where the queen put them. She asked hurriedly, "Why, Your Majesty? Why burn them?"
Nalan Hongye seemed to be thinking about something, and said softly, "If I don't burn it, will it make others sad and feel guilty?"
Wen Yuan obviously didn't understand, but she walked out obediently. After a while, she brought in a brazier with crackling charcoal fire and a warm atmosphere.
"Wenyuan, please go out first."
Wen Yuan nodded, "Yes, Madam, please call me if you need anything."
The palace door was closed and the hall became quiet again. Nalan Hongye picked up the thick stack of letters, and her pale fingers stroked the letters that she had read who knows how many times, and her eyes gradually softened.
Yes, my aunt is right, she is a coward.
The dignity of the eldest princess, the national system of the Song Dynasty, and the surname of Nalan are all fake and self-deception. She was just afraid, she just didn't have the courage, she just didn't dare to take that step.
He doesn't know everything, so when she sees him missing Xuan Mo and taking good care of Yu Shu and Yong Er, she will feel sweet, and will feel that he still values her as his sworn brother, and will know that she still has a place in his heart.
But once he knew everything and didn't fall in love with her, how could she feel?
She was afraid, she didn't have the courage. She was afraid that after she made everything clear to him, he would only be slightly shocked, but would not be able to respond to the feelings she expected. She was afraid that after putting everything on the line, she still wouldn't be able to compete with the person in his heart. She was afraid that after the truth was laid out, she would still be the one destined to fail, and she would not even have the right to continue fantasizing and dreaming. At least, now she could still deceive herself and say that she and that person were equally important.
You see, she is such a cowardly person. She knows she is deceiving herself, but she still insists stubbornly.
But what can we do? Her love is like a tree that bears no fruit. She is afraid of the moment when autumn comes, so she stubbornly stays in spring and summer. In this way, she does not have to face the tragic ending.
She picked up a yellowed piece of letter paper, stained with ink, and raised her hand high, her fingertips pale and slender. The letter paper had been stored for so long that it had become thin and brittle, making a crisp sound. Suddenly, Nalan Hongye gently loosened her hand, the letter slipped out, and the flames in the brazier suddenly rose up, engulfing the letter that she had cherished for many years, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into ashes.