Zhao Pei fell asleep again in a daze. In her dream, she held onto the corner of Xiao Yi's clothes tightly and refused to let go, fearing that the illusion would be broken if she let go.
There were noisy voices around her. She could vaguely hear someone talking in low voices, which made Zhao Pei unable to sleep. During these days in the palace, she had developed a habit that she could not sleep peacefully as long as there was any movement, sound or vibration.
When I opened my eyes, I saw Hanzhen.
Zhao Pei stared at her for a long time, and Han Zhen also stared at her with red eyes. Zhao Pei thought it was an illusion, and blinked her eyes, but she heard Han Zhen shouting: "Mom!"
Zhao Pei suddenly woke up, stared at Han Zhen, and said blankly: "Huh? Where is this? Are we home?"
Hanzhen burst out laughing, and tears came out of her eyes. "Mom, this is a military camp. Look at this military tent. Do we have this thing at home?" Zhaopei looked around and murmured, "Yes..."
Hanzhen held Zhaopei's arm and muttered, "Look how thin you have become during this trip. I was really scared to death. Mother, I thought at the beginning that if you don't come out, I will sneak into the palace to find you."
Zhao Pei came back to her senses and suddenly realized that something was wrong. She looked at him angrily and said, "Why are you here, you damn girl?"
"I..., I'm just worried about my mother?" Han Zhen stammered, lowering her head guiltily. Zhao Pei looked at her daughter. At this point, she only had her and Xiao Yi. Unable to bear being angry with her anymore, she sighed and held her in her arms, patting her back: "Silly child..."
Hanzhen leaned in her arms, trying her best to control her changing voice and asked calmly: "Mom... are you okay?"
"Do you know? My third brother... and your Aunt Ziye have left us... I watched them leave, but I was powerless..." Just like many years ago, that was the first time she realized how insignificant people are in the face of life and death, and now... she has seen it clearly. So she felt cold and hurt.
Hanzhen suddenly remembered something when she heard this. Tears poured down her cheeks. She bit her lips tightly to suppress her sobs, and trembled as she murmured slowly, "I know... Mom, let's not talk about this anymore, okay? Our lives are still going on."
Zhao Pei let go of Han Zhen, accidentally glimpsed the tears on her face that she hadn't had time to wipe away, and smiled bitterly: "Okay, as long as I still have Zhen Er and your father, I'll be at ease."
Hanzhen was stunned. She said... "with your father". Oh my god, she heard it right. How did Zhaopei come to her senses all of a sudden? Could it be that after all this trouble, she finally realized her own heart? Hanzhen should have been happy, but her heart was filled with Xiao Lun and the so-called future. She would rather Zhaopei never come to her senses and always look forward. At least this way... she would no longer be hurt.
Just as he was hesitating, someone outside the tent called softly, "Princess, can I come in?"
Zhao Pei recognized Ji Jiang's voice and hurriedly said, "Come in."
Ji Jijiang walked in through the curtains and saw Zhao Pei sitting on the couch. He naturally went up to her and asked, "Princess, are you feeling better?"
Zhao Pei nodded with a smile: "Yeah, I feel much better after a good sleep." Han Zhen frowned and looked up and down at the strange handsome man in front of him. He was in his early thirties, with sparkling eyes and a satisfied, calm and blue smile on his lips. Han Zhen was stunned for a moment as if he saw Xiao Lun, and his heart suddenly ached.
"Who are you?" Han Zhen frowned and was on guard. She could feel the man's mood, just like Xiao Lun's concealed concern and admiration.
Ji Jijiang then noticed Hanzhen sitting on the edge of the couch. He was stunned for a moment and then smiled and said, "Miss, right? I'm Ji Jijiang. I'm sorry for being rude and offensive just now."
"Ji, Ji Jijiang... You said you are Ji Jijiang?" Han Zhen stood up in shock and panic and looked him up and down, muttering to herself: "Oh my God... This is going to be lively." Facing her sudden and inexplicable shouting, Ji Jijiang smiled and asked politely: "That's me, Miss, do you have any questions?"
"No, it's okay..." Hanzhen shook her head, her face clearly showing a lot of worries. Zhaopei noticed and asked hurriedly: "Zhen'er, do you know Ji Jiang?"
"No, I don't know..." Han Zhen shook her head again, looked at Ji Jiang and then Zhao Pei, and said sullenly: "Mom, you guys chat first. I'll go out and prepare some food for you." As she said that, she walked out of the tent, looking back every few steps.
"This kid..." Zhao Pei shook her head and laughed helplessly, but Ji Jijiang did not laugh with her. He was silent for a while, then said thoughtfully: "Hou Jing deposed Xiao Dong and became the emperor. Now it is a fierce battle..."
The smile on Zhao Pei's face gradually froze. The lights in the tent flickered, casting her shadow on the curtains. It started to rain outside the tent, and the cold air added a bit of solemnity and sadness. (To be continued)