Five days later, they arrived in Xuzhou.
The mansion was newly built, located in the south of the city, with a great view of the mountains and rivers. As soon as the carriage stopped at the gate, Hanzhen jumped out of the car first, shouting and running inside: "Oh, we're moving to a new house. Mother, hurry up and follow us."
Zhao Pei shook her head helplessly, hugged Fang Deng and chased after him out of the car. Han Zhen had already disappeared, Zhao Pei stamped her feet and handed Fang Deng in her arms to Zi Ye beside her, saying, "That girl is being naughty again, I'm going to catch her back!"
As she said that, she lifted her skirt and walked into the mansion. Xiao Yi looked at her angry back with a faint smile on his lips. He glanced at Ruhua who was standing there in a daze: "Why don't you follow me quickly."
Zhao Pei followed Han Zhen's laughter and walked deeper into the house. She found that the house was very big. The front yard alone had four entrances and four exits. The corridors were winding and the eaves were high. The carved beams and painted buildings were ingenious, and the simplicity and luxury were everywhere. When she walked deeper into the house, she saw the yard was full of green branches, birds singing, green and red complementing each other, and the fragrance was attractive. She stopped unconsciously. For Zhao Pei, this was a completely unfamiliar environment. Such a fresh breath and clean memories made her love this place with all her heart.
"Mom!" Hanzhen poked her head out from the archway and looked at her with a smile. Before she could turn around, she hugged her from behind and laughed, "Mom, our new home is so beautiful. Zhen'er likes it so much."
Zhao Pei smiled and turned around to hold her in his arms, rubbing her head and said, "Little girl, don't run around. You are not familiar with this place. If you get lost, I won't look for you."
As soon as the words came out, someone suddenly interrupted and said, "Then why not let my subordinates take the young lady for a walk." Zhao Pei looked in the direction where the voice came from, and saw a man in a light moon-colored gown standing beside the archway where Hanzhen had originally stood. He had a smile as bright as the sun on his handsome face, and his eyes flashed with a joyful and restrained light.
Zhao Pei stared at his face with her mouth slightly open. Han Zhen saw Zhao Pei's surprised expression and called her in a strange voice, "Mom?"
Zhao Pei kept staring at the smiling man and said blankly: "He Hui..."
The smile on his lips deepened, and he took a few steps closer and bowed respectfully: "Princess, you still remember me."
"How could I not remember!" Zhao Pei put Han Zhen down with a smile and walked forward a few steps excitedly: "It's been a long time since we last met. Why are you here?"
"He is my follower now, and is responsible for all matters big and small in the mansion." Xiao Yi walked around the corridor and slowly came over.
He Hui met Xiao Yi and bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty."
Zhao Pei rarely met an old friend. She recalled that the last time they met was in the painted boat, when He Hui was still with the Fourth Prince. The Fourth Prince died of illness two years ago, and there has been no news of the peace conference since then. "He Hui has been staying in Xuzhou to help with things. It's good to be in Jiankang. I always forgot to tell you." Xiao Yi stopped beside Zhao Pei, "It's nice here. The princess seems to like it very much."
Zhao Pei nodded: "It's nice here, Zhen Er likes it too."
"Yes." Xiao Yi immediately turned to He Hui and said, "He Hui, take the princess and Zhen'er around to get familiar with them. It's a good opportunity to catch up after not seeing each other for a long time."
Zhao Pei's eyebrows curved, like a beautiful flower. Xiao Yi nodded slightly, turned around and left with Qiao Yu.
After they walked away, Hanzhen asked in a low voice: "Mom, do you know him?" As she spoke, her eyes turned to He Hui. Zhaopei nodded and smiled: "Yes, Mom and he are old acquaintances. Logically, you should call him Uncle He."
Hanzhen immediately called out crisply, "Uncle He."
"How dare I accept that title? Miss, just call me by my name." He Hui replied.
The three of them walked west along the small bridge. Zhao Pei half-chastised him and said, "Brother He, why are you so distant?" The word "Brother He" made He Hui stiffen, and his eyes flashed with an elusive light. He turned his head to look at the woman in white in front of him. As time passed, she had changed a lot.
There was no more childishness in her eyes. Her white teeth and eyes were like autumn water, and her smile and resentment added a bit of charm. Her eyes were still clear, but there were some other things added. For example, sadness, and some hidden deep inside that he dared not look closely.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Zhao Pei raised her eyebrows and looked at him in confusion. He Hui came back to his senses and smiled awkwardly: "Peipei seems to have changed a lot since she became a mother."
The woman couldn't help but chuckle when she heard this, and her voice gradually became lower: "People always change, don't they?"
He Hui saw that she lowered her eyebrows and seemed to have touched upon something, and said to himself: "Everything around me is changing. If I don't change anything, won't I be stupid?" He Hui was stunned and didn't know how to answer.
Fortunately, Hanzhen pulled Zhaopei's sleeve with some complaints: "Mom, I'm so tired. Where is our room? I want to rest."
Zhao Pei forced a smile and pinched her nose: "Little girl, there's nothing I can do to you."
The decorations in the room were almost the same as those in Jiankang, except that they were more elaborate and gorgeous. After Zhao Pei coaxed Han Zhen to sleep, she looked around and casually picked up a jade ring from the eight-treasure rack and put it in her palm. The jade was transparent and warm, and it was obviously a top-quality blue-white jade. Zhao Pei laughed dryly: "Look at this room of furnishings, it's worth a lot of money."
He Huili stood by and replied with a smile: "This is what the prince ordered."
Zhao Pei said "Oh" and picked up other treasures on the shelf to look at them. He Hui saw that she looked indifferent and didn't care. He hesitated for a while before saying, "Pepe, how have you been these years?"
"Yeah." She responded, and said nothing more. She just continued to play with the object in her hand as if nothing had happened, but he could see the sadness that was hard to shake off in her.
"Xiao Yi treats you very well." He Hui's eyes were as calm as water, but he didn't look happy. "Do you love him?" Without thinking, the question in his heart leaked out from his mouth, and the two of them trembled as soon as the words came out.
Zhao Pei smiled and raised the jade cup with phoenix and dragon patterns, and raised it above her head to look at it through the sunlight. Her slender and white fingers swayed with blurred emotions. The jade color was warm and transparent, not as good as the flawless face of the woman. Her thick eyelashes drooped down, casting a light shadow on her face and blocking the light in her eyes.
She smiled with an ambiguous expression and murmured slowly, "Love... I don't think I can experience it. As for Xiao Yi, I think... I will live with him forever." She raised her eyes to look at him, "It can only be like this, isn't it?"
He Hui's heart tightened, and he couldn't help but take a step forward: "Actually, you..." The rest of his words were interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. Then the bamboo curtain was lifted, and Xiao Yi had already walked into the room. There was no expression on his face, and there was a chill between his eyebrows. There was a faint layer of ice floating in his dark eyes. The whole person was indifferent. His eyes circled around them, and even Zhao Pei, who had been with him for many years, shuddered.
He Hui immediately lowered his head and stepped back. Zhao Pei smiled faintly and said to Xiao Yi: "What's the matter? The emperor is far away, so many rare antiques are displayed in such a grand manner."
Xiao Yi cast his gaze on her and said coldly: "If you don't like it, you can ask someone to move out."
"I like it very much." Zhao Pei said quickly, "It's so difficult to move around."
The corners of his lips slightly raised, and his eyes softened a little. Hanzhen seemed to be sleeping soundly on the soft couch, but her eyelashes were barely noticeable. Xiao Yi smiled and patted He Hui's shoulder: "Let's go, we're disturbing Zhen'er's sleep." (To be continued)