When Ran Ran stepped into the palace, the fire was almost extinguished. There were palace people in pitch black and ragged clothes everywhere, and there were still flames in the corners that wanted to jump again.
A burning smell filled the palace. In the fire, the fine brocades, glorious porcelain, spices, paper, spices and even people had turned into a wisp of smoke and left the world damaged. Ran Ran still remembered the unpleasant smell, like cocklebur clinging to her body in the grass, which she couldn't get rid of no matter how hard she fiddled with it.
She was carried outside by Aunt Huang, who wiped the ashes from her feet with her hands. She looked down and saw a few tears falling on the bluestone tiles in front of Aunt Huang.
It seemed to be early summer. The early summer of that year was hot and depressing.
The palace was burned down, and no one knew all the secrets hidden inside. Together with the fire that had already disappeared, it dissipated invisible.
Uncle Huang stood outside the burned palace, as if he had lost all his strength.
There seemed to be thousands of sparks rolling in his throat. Finally, the emperor's uncle couldn't bear the burning anymore and he cried bitterly. The emperor's aunt and everyone in the Jimo family fell to their knees and cried bitterly like his majesty.
The imperial uncle cried for an hour, and the palace attendants around him hurriedly supported him, saying, "Your Majesty, my condolences."
Uncle Huang stood firm and slowly raised his head. The once-familiar palace in front of me now only has black bones left, and the gold paint patterns on the red beams have also been wiped black by the fire, leaving only a mess.
No one knows about the fire in the Southern Wei Palace because only one palace was burned.
The strong and tall pillars were almost charred, as if they would turn into powder at the slightest touch. Ran Ran saw with her own eyes that just after everyone left, the palace collapsed and nothing existed anymore.
Ran Ran thought of the royal grandmother's arms and the wrinkles at the corners of her grandmother's eyes when she smiled.
She always felt that the imperial grandmother wanted to get rid of a force in the palace, but this force was very strong and held the imperial grandmother tightly and refused to let go.
Even though everyone said it was an accident, Ran Ran didn't think so. She had an intuition that the imperial grandmother had finally gotten rid of that evil power.
No one found the body of the imperial grandmother, only a fragment of the royal robe was left, covered by the gray and black dust in the palace.
It is said that Ran Ran cried for the first time, and then the imperial grandmother held her in her arms.
She tilted her little head and lay quietly in the arms of the imperial grandmother. The young Ran Ran didn't know who was holding her, but she felt that the person's arms were just right and very comfortable.
When she was very young, Ran Ran could see that in the palaces, the eyes of the imperial grandmother were a little confusing. She looked at the luxurious palace, but there was endless sadness in her eyes.
Uncle Huang's character was as violent as fire, and everyone was afraid of his anger. When the emperor was angry, he would bleed for thousands of miles, and only the emperor's grandmother could restrain his anger.
Ran Ran heard from Aunt Huang that Uncle Huang's temper was very similar to that of the late Emperor.
That is grandfather.
The imperial grandmother is as gentle as water, and she can always calm the anger of the Jimo family men.
Ran Ran could not forget the warm embrace of her royal grandmother. Her smile was as soft as the candlelight at night, making people want to get close to her.
After growing up a little, Ran Ran learned to read people's faces, and she gradually tasted a bit of sadness.
The imperial grandmother was always smiling, a kind smile, but deep in her eyes, Ran Ran couldn't understand what kind of helplessness it felt.
"Miss Yang?"
"Miss Yang?"
Someone called her softly in her ear. Ran Ran closed her eyes tightly, and the voice was more distant than a dream.
After half a day, she slowly opened her eyes and saw Ji Liyou standing in front of her.
"It is you?"
Ji Liyou noticed that the tears in the corners of her eyes were still wet, "Miss Yang had a bad dream?"
Ran Ran nodded, "Yes, it's a very bad dream."
Ji Liyou comforted her, "It doesn't matter. Dreams are just dreams. I always have nightmares. Once the nightmares are over, there will be nothing left."
Living in the deep palace, Ran Ran always felt that there was a cold wind blowing from time to time. She put on a thick robe, but it didn't help. Later, she left the palace and lived outside the palace, and then she gradually felt that the sunlight was warm, just like The smile of the person in front of me was also warm.
"Your name is Liang?" Ran Ran asked him.
He said, "Just call me Liyou. How old are you?"
"sixteen."
"Then you have to call me brother Liyou. I'm a few years older than you."
"Why did you come back from Bolu?" she said bluntly.
Ji Li worriedly thought that maybe this question was not what she wanted to ask, but someone wanted to ask her through her mouth, "I'm just a little homesick."
Ran Ran nodded, "Do you miss your grandmother?"
Ji Liyou wanted to say that was not the case, but he still nodded.
"Your title is Princess Tangshuo, why are you not in the palace?" He also said bluntly.
Ran Ran said, "Living in the palace, there is no place to hide any thoughts in the heart, which makes people fear without reason."
Ran Ran told Ji Liyou that the palace in the afternoon was as quiet as a tomb. Uncle Huang liked to play chess with others, so the only sound of chess pieces knocking down in Hongyi Palace was that Uncle Huang was playing chess with Ran Ran's father. Every time Ran Ran's father would sweat a lot on his forehead, so Ran Ran didn't like letting his father play chess.
She is a very honest girl, and Ji Liyou doesn't dislike her.
There were only two people in the yard, Ran Ran and Ji Liyou. Since there was no one else, Ran Ran spoke boldly.
"You said you also have nightmares, so can you tell me what nightmares you have?"
Ji Li felt worried, "If you ask me, I have to ask you too. This is only fair."
There is nothing better than two children who have nightmares talking to each other about their concerns.
Ran Ran nodded, without the airs of a princess.
"I dreamed that a person exchanged death for freedom." Ran Ran said.
In exchange, Ji Liyou also told her, "I have two nightmares. I dreamed that I killed a woman with my own hands and imprisoned another woman in a high star tower."
She said, "Oh, then in your dream, you are not a good person."
"In your dream, were you a good person?" Ji Liyou asked.
Ran Ran didn't know, so she could only shake her head.
After a long while, Ran Ran said, "Did you know that a noble woman from the Jimo royal family once set herself on fire?"
Ji Liyou looked around, then sighed, "If what you say is true, it would be incredible."
Ran Ran seemed to be asleep and continued, "I dreamed that she burned down her palace with her own hands. When she stretched out her hand to the candlestick, she didn't tremble at all."
"Then what?" Ji Li was puzzled.
"I saw that the boundless light of the flame finally brought her freedom and relief. She smiled in the fire. That was the only time I saw her real smile, like a child's playfulness."
Ji Liyou really didn't know which lady of the Jimo family she was talking about, and he had never heard of such a tragedy that a member of the royal family burned himself.
Ran Ran asked him, "Do you know that the fragrance of ink is different from usual when it is released in flames?"
Ji Liyou shook his head, "I have never observed the smell when burning drawings and paintings."
Ranran smiled proudly, but her smile was a bit scary and ferocious, "I've smelled it before, it's like the smell of clothes being torn off a corpse."
Ji Liyou's expression changed. He noticed something unusual about this girl.
"It's your turn." Ran Ran said.
"I heard a knocking sound on the window in my sleep, so I followed the sound and opened the door. I saw nothing except the silence in the courtyard and the pale moonlight. Just when I thought there was nothing, I Suddenly, I noticed a woman holding her knees and sobbing on the star tower in the distance."
Ran Ran asked Ji Liyou, "Are you a heartless person?"
Ji Liyou shook his head, "I can't remember this woman. Maybe I failed her."
"Why is she on the Star Tower?"
Ji Liyou said, "I don't know. That woman told me that I sent her to the Star Tower and imprisoned her in the palace."
Ji Liyou's face slowly brightened in Ran Ran's eyes. Ran Ran thought he looked familiar and asked, "Have I seen you somewhere?"
Ji Liyou asked, "Really? No one has ever said that I look familiar."
Ran Ran suddenly told him to wait a moment and not to leave here.
Ji Liyou asked, "What's wrong?"
Not long after Ran Ran left.
Suddenly a burst of cold light pierced towards him, and white haloes flashed continuously. Ji Liyou hurriedly avoided it.
At the same time, he took out the sword from his waist.
Ji Li asked worriedly, "What are you doing, brother?"
Ji Shanjing didn't give him a chance to say more, and he drew his sword towards Ji Liyou again.
The two of them intertwined like white butterflies. The sound of the sword blades clashing was sweet and cold.
Ji Shanjing had not fought with anyone for many years, but this time, his swordsmanship clearly had murderous intent.
Ji Liyou, however, was different from his previous dodges. His eyes were fixed on the head of the Ji family.
The snow-white blade tips of the two fell like wind and rain.
But neither of them could win in a very short period of time.
Ji Shanjing didn't understand how he couldn't defeat this wild boy within three moves since he had practiced swordsmanship with the masters in his family since he was a child.
Ji Liyou lamented that he had not drawn his sword for a long time and his sword skills were very unfamiliar.
After a while, Ji Liyou realized that maybe Ji Shanjing drew his sword against him because of Princess Tangshuo.
Ji Liyou asked while accepting the call, "She and I just spoke a few words."
"Why did you come back?"
The swords kept moving, and the two of them were also talking. This kind of conversation was quite tiring.
Ji Li said worriedly, "I said it, do you believe it?"
"Did grandma ask you to come back?"
"If she hadn't asked me to come back, would I dare to come back?"
Ji Shanjing suddenly said rudely, "You are an exiled child, you should not come back!"
Ji Liyou frowned after hearing this, "Are you so fed up with me?"
"Tired? Haha - I wish you could die!" He stabbed Ji Li in the heart.
Ji Liyou blocked it with his sword and pushed his sword away. Ji Shanjing's sword fell to the ground. He pointed at Ji Shanjing's throat and said, "You lose."
Ji Shanjing sneered, "I dare to kill you, do you dare to kill me?"
Ji Liyou clicked his tongue twice, "You are already the head of the family, and you can't express your emotions and anger, but you can't do this?"
Ji Shanjing reached out and grasped the edge of his sword, "Tell me, if I said you hurt me, would grandma help you or me."
Ji Liyou was startled by his sudden move. Before he could take back his sword, he was hit by a stone behind him.
Ji Liyou looked back and saw that it was Ran Ran.
"Don't hurt brother Shanjing."
Ji Liyou sheathed his sword and thought to himself, I didn't want to hurt him, he wanted to kill me first.
"Everyone in this house is yours, so naturally they will help you. Even if you sue to grandma, as long as you say I was the one who made the first move, I will naturally be punished." Ji Liyou said.
Ran Ran heard the words and blushed.
But he didn't stop, blocking Ji Shanjing's face, extending his hand and saying, "Brother Liyou, please don't hurt brother Shanjing."
She was like a brother. No matter what he said, Ji Liyou couldn't say bad words, "I have already put away my sword, so naturally I won't draw it again."
Just as he was about to leave, he was stopped by Ji Shanjing.
"Why, you still want to fight?" Ji Liyou asked.
Ji Shanjing said, "On the waist."
He lowered his head and saw that he had been too nervous just now, and his reaction was slow when he took the sword, and he got a cut on his waist.
"You lost." Ji Shanjing said.
Ji Liyou nodded, "Yes, you are right, everything you said is right."
Ran Ran was worried that the competition was caused by her, and blamed herself. She was about to ask him if he wanted to invite a doctor, but Ji Shanjing was behind him, so she had no choice but to stop saying caring words.
He turned around and gave the portrait to him, "This is what I wanted to give you just now."
Ji Liyou caught the portrait thrown by Ran Ran, "What is it?"
"If you open it and take a look, you will know who the person I'm talking about who looks very similar to you is." Ran Ran said.
After Ji Liyou heard this, he slowly opened the scroll.
An impressive archery picture.
The man who shoots archery is almost the same as Ji Liyou in both body shape and appearance.
His hand seemed to be burned, and the scroll fell from his hand and fell to the ground.
More memories flooded into his mind.
He almost had his heart broken by an invisible hand.
"Ji Feiyu, a disciple of the Sixth Academy, achieved the third level of purity and shot the white arrow!"
"Ask the winner to pour wine for the loser."
A woman quickly ran up to him and said, "Chief, Chief, you just swooped, did you know, you actually shot a white arrow, and the arrow went straight through the target three inches!"
She was panting, her face was pink, and she was sweating profusely.
She ran too fast, so he had no choice but to stretch out his hand to pick her up. Suddenly he noticed the softness in front of her and hurriedly let go.
"The chief is so awesome!" She kept praising him.
…
Ji Liyou covered his heart, feeling as if his heart was about to burst.
Seeing that his expression suddenly turned bad, Ran Ran regretted showing him the portrait.
But Ji Shanjing wanted to add fuel to the fire. He said, "To make up for the fact that I hurt you just now, seeing that you are interested in this portrait, I want to tell you that the person in this portrait is our grandfather."
Ji Li was so distressed that he was numb with pain, but he knew very well that it was not the person in the portrait that made people extremely painful, but the person who painted the painting.
"Who...who painted this painting..."
Ji Shanjing said, "Of course it's my grandmother. When she was still Princess Jianqu, she attended the Sixth Academy to observe the archery ceremony and painted such a picture when she came back."
Ji Liyou struggled to stand up from the ground and said, "Lying! It's not her."
Ji Shanjing was furious, "Who is she if she's not my grandmother?"
Ran Ran felt guilty. She had brought this painting out of the palace. Although Palace Master Jianqu also spent some time in the palace, this painting was not necessarily painted by her.
But since Shanjing had lied to him, he had his own plans, so Ran Ran had no choice but to keep her mouth shut.
Ji Liyou left alone, his vision was dim. He held on to the tree trunk on one side, still feeling pain in his heart. He seemed to be so sad that he couldn't breathe when he thought of that woman.
(End of chapter)