The days gradually became colder.
There were only a few leaves left, and only a few were still shivering in the cold wind, but they were also shaky. The people in the palace seemed to be most afraid of such bleak and cold weather, as if such weather would stir up resentment in the palace. They turned on the floor heating and lit the stove early.
A maid in plain clothes came out of the side room, holding a lacquered fruit plate in her hand. She walked through the waterside pavilion with fine steps towards the pavilion on the side. After passing through the moon gate and around the jagged rockery, she could faintly hear the woman's laughter coming from behind the curtain.
There were three women sitting in the pavilion surrounded by pink curtains.
Sitting in the middle was a woman in her forties, with her hair in a dignified and steady bun and dressed in an expensive fur coat. At the moment, she was leaning on the beauty chair, listening to what the young woman on her left was saying with a smile.
The woman who was speaking was about 20 years old. Although she was wearing a formal palace dress, her eyes and features were full of unconventional cheerfulness and open-mindedness. She was not beautiful but very pleasing to the eye.
"It is said that Ruan Ji later went after the Xianbei woman and stole her donkey. When they asked him why, he replied, 'We cannot lose our human race!'" He laughed first after he finished speaking. The woman was stunned for a moment, her face turned embarrassed, and then she also laughed with her hands covering her mouth: "Chun'er, you are really... If Shizun heard you chattering like this on weekdays, I don't know if he would be able to bear it."
The woman called Chun'er was none other than the Third Prince's Consort Xie Xiuchun. Her cheeks blushed slightly as she continued, "Madam Ruan, Xiuchun is here to entertain you. He... I don't care if he can handle it or not. If he can't handle it, he can go find his confidante."
Lady Ruan laughed: "Silly girl, how can you talk like that? I'm not boring, just tell whoever you think is boring, Pepe?"
Her eyes fell on Zhao Pei, who had been quiet from the beginning. Zhao Pei didn't notice and continued to look at the winter lake as usual.
Xie Xiuchun coughed lightly: "Seventh sister."
Zhao Pei still hadn't come back to her senses. Xie Xiuchun looked at Ruan Niangniang helplessly, and suddenly shouted: "Sister Zhao Pei! Look, isn't that my seventh brother?"
After hearing her yell, Zhao Peijing regained her composure and looked at Xie Xiuchun's amused eyes with some embarrassment. "Seventh sister, you are always so absent-minded. It seems that you are thinking about your seventh brother."
Madam Ruan laughed and said, "This is normal. Peipei and Qifu have just been married for a short time. They haven't seen each other for such a long time. As a wife, she must miss him very much."
Zhao Pei forced a smile and was about to speak when Xie Xiuchun said, "Father is the same. The couple has only been married for three days, but you asked me to go to Jingzhou for more than a month. It's hard for the bride and groom in these two places... Pei Pei, don't be sad."
Zhao Pei had a little cold sweat on her head, and she couldn't explain anything, so she just smiled helplessly. In the eyes of the two men, she felt a kind of longing and melancholy that was insignificant to outsiders. It had been nearly two months since the wedding night, and Zhao Pei had not seen Xiao Yi.
His behavior made Zhao Pei realize that the motivation for this marriage was not pure, although she never thought that he would like her. But it was good to be like this now, at least not being able to see him would reduce a lot of trouble.
Empress Ruan pushed the food box on the table towards Zhao Pei and said, "Come, have some cakes. How can I explain to Qi Fu that you frown and look thin all day long?" Listening to Empress Ruan's joking words, Zhao Pei looked at the various cakes in the food box, some exquisite, crystal clear, some fragrant, and some in wonderful shapes. She reached out and picked up a piece and put it in her mouth.
Xie Xiuchun also came over and praised, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is really thoughtful. He always leaves a portion of everything delicious and useful for the Queen. Xiuchun can only think that he is biased."
Seeing her unhappy expression, Ruan Niangniang smiled and said, "When you go back to the mansion later, you will definitely see what Shizun brought back to you. Deshi is a child who cares about his brothers and sisters the most. What else do you have to worry about? Look at your petty appearance..."
When Zhao Pei heard the word "Prince", she forgot to swallow and the cake got stuck in her throat. She quickly turned sideways and coughed hard, listening to Empress Ruan's lamentation: "This girl is absent-minded. It's really worrying. Forget it, Chun'er, you can send Pei Pei back and take good care of her."
Zhao Pei knew that an important task today was finally completed amidst the helplessness of others.
》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》
Xiuchun and Zhaopei said goodbye to Ruan Niangniang and walked through the waterside path to the outer palace. Xiuchun was still chattering about "Yuefu". Zhaopei didn't dislike listening to these things. She was always very interested in them. She admired Xiuchun for being a person who read widely and liked to spread her knowledge. She thought that if she participated in the Qingtanhui, she would definitely win the first prize. But now she really didn't have the patience to listen, Xiao Yi was about to come back.
Xiuchun was totally unaware of it, and when she got excited, she didn't care about her status, waving her jade-like arms and gesticulating with great enthusiasm. But she suddenly stopped talking and pulled Zhaopei to change her route.
"Hmm?" Zhao Pei was slightly surprised. She glanced sideways and understood. There were several figures in the garden. Wasn't it the second prince Xiao Zong? Although she didn't know why, Xiao Zong had always been distant from his other brothers. Xiu Chun couldn't stand his pretentious and casual appearance, so she naturally avoided him.
As she pulled Zhao Pei toward another road, she muttered, "Go, go, out of sight, out of mind."
Zhao Pei smiled and said, "Why does the third sister-in-law dislike the second brother so much?"
Xiuchun spat, "He is a lunatic, idling around like a lunatic all day long. He must have taken too much Wushisan!"
Zhao Pei suddenly recalled the first time she entered the palace to pay respect to Empress Ruan and met Xiao Zong. He was as handsome as his brothers, but he always had a disdainful and sarcastic smile on his face, and he was frivolous and rude, which made people feel disgusted. After hearing Xiuchun's words, she felt that they were very appropriate and couldn't help laughing. Thinking of such a lively person in the third brother's family, life is really worry-free.
The two chatted and laughed as they reached the edge of the pond, where their view suddenly widened. Xiuchun was the first to walk onto the Nine-Curve Flying Bridge, looking back at Zhaopei and waving, saying, "Come on, come on. I remember there's a good spot over there."
Zhao Pei had already stepped halfway up the steps, but she froze. Xiuchun saw her dazed look and followed her line of sight, and saw two figures at the other end of the bridge.
The smiling man in the sandalwood gown and jade crown was Xiao Tong. He was still as gentle and elegant as a spring breeze, and his every move was elegant and noble. Zhao Pei hadn't seen him for a long time. When she saw him suddenly, her heart was surging. She didn't know where to put her hands and feet.
A 23- or 24-year-old woman in gorgeous clothes was leaning against him. She was very charming and beautiful. She didn't care if there were people around. She took Xiao Tong's arm and pointed and laughed. She was very intimate. Xiao Tong didn't avoid it. Instead, he put his hand lightly on her white jade shoulder and talked about something.
They are close indeed. Zhao Pei watched silently, and suddenly a strange sadness sprouted in her heart. She turned her head away and only looked at the uneven withered branches in the cold wind, pointing straight to the sky. It seemed to be questioning or urging.
"Brother!" Xiuchun stretched out her arms and waved them, calling out loudly.
They looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Xiuchun, who smiled at each other and walked towards them from a distance. Xiuchun pulled Zhaopei, who was hiding behind her, towards them.
She felt a little embarrassed, and didn't want to see that person, nor did she want to meet him. She cursed Xiuchun for being nosy, but she couldn't let her drag her. She felt a little unsteady and almost tripped over the stairs.
"Brother! Sister!" Xiuchun called out again, "What a coincidence." As they spoke, both of them stopped in front of each other. Zhaopei raised her eyes and met his clear eyes. Suddenly she remembered that moonlit night, the moonlight was like water and the water was like the sky. He stubbornly refused to look at her, and stood straight looking into the distance. Resolute and consistent indifference.
Zhao Pei felt the dull pain of a knife for a moment and wanted to turn around and leave, but he still called out politely, "Brother." This time, the word "brother" had a completely different meaning from before.
Xiao Tong smiled faintly and replied, "Seventh sister." The two words he uttered carried a hint of alienation. It turned out that this was the barrier between the two of them. Her nose felt slightly sour, and she looked away.
The woman next to him was looking at her and smiled meaningfully: "What a coincidence. Third sister, this must be the seventh sister. She is so cute and lovely."
Xiuchun looked at Zhaopei and said in a somewhat annoyed tone, "Seventh sister, you haven't met the eldest princess yet?"
Zhao Pei suddenly realized that this person was Princess Yongxing, Xiao Yuyao, Xiao Tong's sister. Her heartstrings relaxed for some reason, and she knelt down to salute: "Zhao Pei greets the eldest princess."
Xiao Yuyao gently held her hand and said with a smile, "We are all family, why are you so close to big brother and so distant with me? Call me big sister."
Zhao Pei responded and called her "big sister". Xiao Yuyao clapped her hands happily.
Xiao Tong asked Xiu Chun: "Where did this come from?"
Xiuchun blinked her eyes and said, "Of course it came from Lady Ruan. Big brother, your snacks are really delicious. You should at least give another portion to my third sister."
Xiao Tong listened and smiled warmly: "As long as Third Sister likes it, I'm glad that I, as the eldest brother, will naturally satisfy Third Sister's craving." While speaking, he looked at Zhao Pei and said, "Seventh Sister, do you want to take one?"
Zhao Pei shook her head and said softly, "Thank you for your kindness, brother. It's not necessary. I've already eaten at Empress Ruan's place."
Xiao Yuyao joked, "Oh, Seventh sister is still calling her 'Empress Ruan, Empress Ruan'. She should call her mother." After a while, she said, "Seventh sister is still a little distant. Seventh brother is coming back soon. When you have time, go to the palace with him more often."
Zhao Pei nodded in agreement, and under his gentle gaze she no longer had the energy to say anything else.
Sometimes, there is only a wall between you and me; sometimes, there is only a door between you and me; sometimes, there is only a bunch of flowers or a willow tree between you and me. But we cannot get close to each other in a meaningful way.
You will always be just a mirage in my mind. (To be continued)