Hanzhen finally got rid of Ziye and Ruhua's guarding, sneaked out and ran towards Yulanyuan.
The door was half-closed, and no sound could be heard from inside. Hanzhen panted for a long time at the door, then happily jumped into the room and said with a smile: "Mom, I'm here to see my brother. I was right, wasn't I? Mom will definitely give Zhen'er a brother... Zhen'er" She closed her mouth halfway through her words.
Because the woman sitting on the couch raised her head to look at her, with tear marks crisscrossing her pale face. Hanzhen took a deep breath and walked slowly, asking carefully: "Mother, why are you crying... Mother, do you want a younger sister? In fact, a younger brother also..." As soon as her hand touched the edge of the bed, her body lightened and was tightly hugged by Zhaopei.
Hanzhen was frightened and stood there for a long time, not daring to say a word.
She felt the woman sobbing non-stop, her trembling body shaking her heart, shattering it into pieces. Such an intense sadness was transmitted directly to her heart.
"Mother..." Hanzhen was at a loss. For the first time, she realized that her mother was very strong. She was almost unable to breathe because of the strong force she was holding. But she still let Zhaopei hold her like this and patted Zhaopei's back to comfort her.
After a long time, Zhao Pei finally let her go and shed tears. His eyes fell on the small jade stone on her wrist, and he suddenly froze and hugged her tightly again. Han Zhen clearly saw the tears welling up on her face again... Was it because of... the chain on her hand
Hanzhen slowly raised her wrist and stared at it for a long time before she understood. Mother... is sad. Not because she doesn't like her brother, but because... Hanzhen silently took off the chain and put it in Zhaopei's arms.
And Zhao Pei just kept holding her like that, tightly and never letting go.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
On the day of Zhaoming's burial, the sky was gloomy and rainy. After hearing the news, Xiao Gang and others rushed back from all over the country, but what they saw was the shock of the court and the public. Men and women in the capital ran to the palace gates, crying all over the streets. Sorrow enveloped the sky over Daliang.
The crown prince was known for his benevolence and virtue, and his only remaining works are 20 volumes of his collected works. He also compiled ancient and modern classics and edicts in written Chinese, which include "Zhengxu" in 10 volumes, "Wenchang Yinghua" in 20 volumes, and "Wenxuan" in 30 volumes.
It has been more than ten days since Xiao Tong fell into the water, and Zhao Pei has stayed in the room without leaving. She just held the painting Xiao Lun gave her all day, carefully looking at the love in the eyes of the woman in the painting. She painted it over and over again, whispering to it, and gradually became crazy. Xiao Yi hadn't come either, and she knew that the whole city was in turmoil. It was said that she had to go to Xiao Tong's funeral today, but Zhao Pei didn't dare. She was afraid that she would lose control and that the heavy coffin would crush her to pieces.
In her ears, there was the endless sad music in the streets and alleys. In front of her eyes, she seemed to see thousands of men and women in plain clothes lying on the ground and wailing in sorrow, the white spirit flags fluttering in the wind and rain, and paper money falling like snowflakes, covering the entire Jiankang City.
She stayed alone, not knowing when the sun rose or set. She looked up woodenly and saw another dusk. The setting sun was like blood, shining obliquely into the room, making the ground desolate. Zhao Pei remembered what he once said, that even though the sunset was beautiful, it would eventually fade away.
She called someone, and soon Ziye came in. Zhao Pei saw the clothes in her hands and smiled for a moment, then ordered: "Ziye, help me find a sky lantern." Ziye raised his eyes with a complicated expression, nodded and left at her sad smile.
It was a plain white dress. Zhao Pei had never worn such plain clothes before. Her dresses were all bright red and passionate. She wanted to ignite the man's heart. But now there was no need for that. There was a white flower pinned to her temples, pale and delicate.
Late at night, Zhao Pei slowly walked out of Yulan Garden and into the yard.
The moonlight was clear and bright, and the green was endless. The white moonlight sprinkled in the yard, and it was as peaceful as a dream. If all this was a dream... how wonderful it would be. The misty water mist floated on the lotus pond, and she seemed to see the bright figure like jade again. Looking back, the moonlight of a lifetime has dimmed.
Zhao Pei shook her head in self-mockery and lit the sky lantern in her hand. Xiao Tong once said that he hoped someone would pay tribute to him in this way one day. As soon as the sky lantern lit up, it immediately wanted to leave her hand and fly up. Subconsciously, she grabbed it tightly the moment it left, not wanting to let it go.
The dancing flame lit up the confusion in her eyes. In a trance, she let go of her hand as if in compromise. The sky lantern rose straight up along the black night, and the orange halo was particularly eye-catching in the desolate ink color. Zhao Pei looked up, and was shaken by the light and shadow, and tears filled her eyes.
It slowly moved towards the east, getting farther and farther away and smaller, until it was finally hidden by the sudden thick fog.
Zhao Pei lowered her sour eyes. The cold wind mercilessly hit her thin body, chilling her body and mind. Zhao Pei tightened her arms, staggered, and turned around to leave.
Suddenly, her sight met a pair of eyes as dark as ink, hidden in the night, as if blending into the surroundings. Zhao Pei was stunned at first, and then continued to walk forward as if she didn't see it. When she passed by him, he suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Zhao Pei was startled, and when she looked up at him, she met his cold and indifferent eyes: "Seven Talismans?" She couldn't help but ask.
His other hand directly grasped Zhao Pei's waist and almost lifted her up and walked into the house. Zhao Pei didn't react in time, her feet couldn't even touch the ground, so she had to hold on to his shirt tightly and shouted: "Qi Fu. What are you doing?" As he spoke, he had already entered the house.
The door was slammed shut with a bang, and what awaited her was a barrage of kisses. Zhao Pei pushed him away hastily, but at this moment he held her tightly in his arms without a single gap. His kiss fell like a heavy rain, without mercy or warmth.
Zhao Pei felt a lump in her heart, and while pushing, she shouted, "Qi Fu, today is a national mourning day!"
In between kisses, he responded with a breath: "So what if it's a national mourning? There's no rule against this."
"I just gave birth and my body hasn't recovered yet!" Zhao Pei shouted again.
Xiao Yi then stopped moving, and Zhao Pei broke free from his embrace. He leaned weakly on the couch and gasped, almost being strangled to death... Zhao Pei turned around and glared at him: "You might as well go find Yuan Ming."
Xiao Yi stood behind her, silent for a long while. After a long while, he asked in a low voice, "Are you sad?" Zhao Pei looked back at his tall figure hidden in the dark, thinking that he was referring to her angry words just now. Just as she was about to answer that she was not sad, she heard him say, "About Xiao Tong's death."
Zhao Pei's body suddenly stiffened, and a strange pain passed through her heart. She raised her head and stared into his deep and silent eyes in the dark night: "Aren't you sad?"
"My sadness is different from yours, isn't it?" Xiao Yi's words were light, but each word was sonorous and powerful, with a sense of urgency. She couldn't see his expression clearly, nor did she dare to see it clearly.
Xiao Yi could not wait for her answer, and then continued: "When you watched him go away from you little by little, and you were powerless to do anything, did you suddenly feel dizzy and in agony?" He walked closer and closer to the light. The cold moonlight cast a chill on his resolute face: "Is it so painful that you can't breathe? Did you not go to the funeral because you were afraid of being exposed to that fact again and losing your composure? A person releases a sky lantern at night to..."
"Enough!" Zhao Pei shouted, stopping him from saying the rest of the words, "Don't say anymore." Zhao Pei's voice trembled a little.
"Why not?" Xiao Yi's lips curled up into a cold smile, and there was a hint of cruelty in the corners of his eyes. It seemed that the screen window no longer needed to be kept. "You love him, right? You fell in love with him from the first sight, right?"
Zhao Pei's whole body trembled, and a continuous chill rose from her feet. She looked at the thin ice in Xiao Yi's eyes and forgot to think for a moment. Such urging, such deep eyes, were like a sharp sword that mercilessly cut through her heart.
"Why don't you answer?" Xiao Yi smiled, but Zhao Pei looked so cold. She bit her lip and looked at him stubbornly, and said for a long time: "You clearly know, why do you force me to admit it?"
The smile on his lips froze, his eyes darkened, and his emotions surged. "That's different. I want to hear you say it yourself." He spoke each word with a fierce and repressed tone.
"Is there still any meaning?" Zhao Pei couldn't bear his pressure after all and looked away.
"Yes!" Xiao Yi's voice rose, five parts impatience, three parts anger and two parts forbearance.
Zhao Pei lowered her eyes, the moonlight flowing like water formed an insurmountable gap between them. "Yes, I love him." The voice was soft, but so firm and hard. She never raised her head, she knew what kind of heat was rolling in Xiao Yi's eyes at this moment. In fact, she was already burned by the fire.
"But he's dead." Xiao Yi suddenly laughed sarcastically, and each word was like a sharp knife piercing Zhao Pei's chest, "He left you alone. He doesn't want you anymore." The woman in front of him didn't react at all, and her black hair blocked her eyes. Although he couldn't see her expression, he could see that her hands hanging on both sides were clenched into fists, her nails were deeply engraved in her palms, and blood was flowing in a moment. (To be continued)