The welcoming banquet was lively and festive. In addition to Yuan Ming, Wang Xuan, and Xia Qinglin, Fang Ju and Fang Zhi also joined in the fun. In the midst of the harmony, there was an unspoken alienation. Zhao Pei was immersed in sorrow and had not yet come to the fore. She was depressed and had no interest.
Watching those people comparing their jewelry and clothes, discussing which rouge was the best and which silk and satin clothes were the most fashionable, Zhao Pei looked at the table full of delicacies with cold eyes, and couldn't help but think of the simple and cold meals in the palace, and the thousands of miles of lonely smoke and countless corpses in the desolate land.
The banquet ended late at night, and Zhao Pei was preparing to go back to her room in a gloomy mood. When she passed by the small courtyard in front of Yu Lan Xuan, she suddenly heard the melodious sound of a flute. She paused, sent the maid who followed her into the courtyard alone, and saw Ji Jijiang in the pavilion by the water. He sat cross-legged on the jade railing, leaning against the red-painted pillar, looking at the bright moon in the sky, immersed in his own world as if no one was around.
Zhao Pei stopped beside him and coughed a few times before he came back to his senses. He smiled awkwardly, "Princess, I've offended you again."
Zhao Pei noticed the wine pot and two wine glasses on the table. She lifted her skirt and sat down next to Ji Jijiang. She said teasingly, "I think you did it on purpose." She glanced at the wine glasses and asked, "Are you asking me to drink with you?"
Ji Jijiang clapped his hands and laughed: "The princess is so smart."
"When there's no one around, you can just call me Zhao Pei." Zhao Pei smiled and handed him a glass of wine. "Are you satisfied with the place He Hui arranged for you?"
Ji Jijiang nodded: "I am very satisfied, but I am afraid I will not have that blessing anymore." After that, he raised his head and drank the wine in the glass, looking at her steadily: "Zhao Pei, I want to leave tomorrow. Tonight... is to say goodbye to you."
Zhao Pei frowned when she heard this, and her tone rose a little: "Why?"
He raised his eyebrows: "Well... I just feel that I can't indulge myself to stay by your side for too long. I'm afraid..." Taking advantage of being slightly drunk, he leaned forward slightly and moved closer to Zhao Pei, breathing ambiguously: "I'm afraid that I will not be able to control myself and fall deeply in love with you."
Zhao Pei laughed and pushed him away in feigned anger: "How dare you make fun of me, little brat! I think you are tired of living. Seriously, why? Do you want to travel around and gain some experience?"
Ji Jijiang nodded without comment, folded his arms and pondered: "I have been in the palace since I was a child, and I know almost nothing about the outside world. I always look at the high red walls and yearn for the outside world. This time I finally escaped from that cage, and I don’t want to be locked in another cage. I want to go out and take a look." He said it sincerely.
Zhao Pei understood his thoughts, silently filled the glass with wine, and murmured: "A good man's ambition is to rule the world. I understand your ambition, Ji Jiang, but... the world is so big, it's not good for you to enter the world alone. I think... it's best for you to stay in the mansion for a while, so that you can have a place to stay and accumulate some experience."
Ji Jijiang drank a few glasses of wine, and his eyes sparkled. He stared at Zhao Pei and asked, "Why don't you just tell me that you want me to stay? If you tell me, I'll stay."
Zhao Pei blinked her eyes in an ambiguous way and stared at him for a long time. But as always, she was defeated by those charming peach blossom eyes. She sighed deeply: "Yes, I hope you stay. I hope you can help me for a while. So... stay."
Ji Jijiang's eyes narrowed into a line and his lips raised in an obvious arc: "Okay." The answer was so quick that Zhao Pei couldn't help but suspect that all of this was thought out by Ji Jijiang and he was waiting for her to get in.
But… Zhao Pei was still very happy because of his answer. She smiled and said, "Ji Jiang, I want to hear you play a song. Play "The Song of the Yue People". But don't make it too sad."
Ji Jiang smiled and put the jade flute to his lips. The melodious sound of the flute diluted the darkness of the night, wandering around the pillars, and also tightened the heart of He Hui who was standing outside the yard. He stood silently in the shadows, feeling inexplicably melancholy.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
A few months later, the news of victory came from the front. Hou Jing was killed while fleeing at sea. After his body was sent back to Jiankang, the soldiers cut off his flesh and ate it, and burned his bones to get the ashes, and drank them with wine to relieve their hatred. The deposed emperor Xiao Dong and his brothers were assassinated on the pleasure boat, and their bodies were thrown into the river. The world naturally fell into Xiao Yi's hands.
Now that Xiao Yi had returned triumphantly, everyone in the palace was beaming with joy. Wang Xuan and Xia Qinglin had already driven Yuan Ming out of the palace early to the best cosmetics and clothing stores in the city.
Yu Lan Xuan was also quite lively. Five people gathered under the half-yellow flower stand. They pointed at the chessboard and talked about it. The one holding the black pieces was Ji Jiang, and the one holding the white pieces was He Hui. What is a chess match? The game became more and more difficult halfway through.
Zhao Pei watched with a frown on her face, while Han Zhen didn't have the patience to think about it and Ru Hua muttered something to the side. He Hui made a move and laughed heartily: "It's rare that we can play for so long. In the past, when I played chess with the princess, the winner was decided in just half an hour."
Zhao Pei was embarrassed, and seeing Ji Jiang's playful smile, she defended herself, "It's been an hour, okay, He Hui, you haven't remembered much yet, it's not good."
Hanzhen laughed and said, "I can testify! Mom did play chess with Uncle He for more than an hour, but she kept cheating and regretting her moves." She giggled as she spoke.
Everyone started laughing. Zhao Pei looked even more embarrassed and said in feigned anger, "Watching chess in silence, watching chess in silence, you still have the interest to play chess like this?" Han Zhen ignored her and laughed even more happily on purpose, not knowing why it was so funny.
Hanzhen's maid Miyun came back trotting, holding her skirt in her hand, and said with a smile, "Princess! Miss! The prince is back!" When Zhaopei heard this, she immediately stood up and ignored everyone else. She gathered her hair and quickly walked out of Yulanxuan towards the hall.
Hanzhen stared at her fiery back and murmured in a daze: "I haven't seen her like this in twenty years..." (To be continued)