The night was getting colder and colder, Zhao Pei got into the warm quilt and hugged Zhen Er to sleep. Zhen Er rubbed against her arms, drooling. Zhao Pei ignored her, held her hand, put it to her lips, kissed it gently, and closed her eyes.
With a hand around her waist, she closed her eyes and said nothing. After a while, she heard him say with a hint of joking: "Pepe, I suddenly found that you have become a lot fatter."
Zhao Pei turned around and glared at him: "I know, I know! You don't need to remind me!" She was touched in the sore spot. When she looked at herself in the mirror during the day, she found that her face had become rounder. She took out clothes from six months ago and tried them on, but found that they didn't fit her anymore. She had no choice but to ask Shui Niang to buy new clothes. She was already upset, and now she felt ashamed and annoyed when she heard him say that.
The room was dark, and only Xiao Yi's eyes were shining with smiles. He saw that she was really angry, and his face flushed. Then he smiled and patted her shoulder: "This is good."
Zhao Pei snorted and lay down with her back to him again. She didn't intend to talk about this topic anymore. After a while of silence, she suddenly asked, "Qi Fu, are you... unhappy because it's a daughter?" He was slightly surprised, then touched her forehead and flicked it hard, "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm very happy, whether it's a daughter or a son. I'm very happy. If it's a daughter, I will let her enjoy unlimited love in this world. If it's a son, I will give him the supreme power."
Hearing the last sentence, Zhao Pei shuddered. Supreme power? What is supreme power? Xiao Yi felt her shivering slightly, thinking she was cold, and gently held her in his arms.
"Daughters are better." Zhao Pei muttered softly.
Xiao Yi smiled lightly, and didn't seem to take her words to heart: "I will give Zhen'er the best of everything. When she grows up..." Before he finished speaking, Zhao Pei rushed to say: "I just want Zhen'er to live according to her own temperament and live happily. If she wants to travel around the world or live in seclusion in the mountains, as long as she wants, we should not stop her, okay?"
Xiao Yi frowned, looking at her back in confusion. Her words were so earnest and sincere that he felt sad for no reason. Did she feel that she was bound in this life? Did she feel that she was not happy enough? Even if she had Zhen'er, couldn't she leave her heart here completely
Zhao Pei didn't hear his answer for a long time. Fearing that he was unwilling, she immediately said, "You owe me a bet! Don't break your promise!"
"Okay, as you say." He replied sullenly.
Zhao Pei started laughing, but Zhen Er in her arms started crying. Zhao Pei was startled and subconsciously touched her body, then she was surprised: It's not wet
Xiao Yi stood up and asked, "What's wrong?"
Zhao Pei stammered, "I don't know... Will he be hungry?"
He put on his clothes, got off the couch and went to light the lamp. He looked back and saw Zhao Pei holding her in his arms, patting her awkwardly. "Let Shui Niang take her to the wet nurse."
Zhao Pei had no choice but to nod and call Shui Niang. Shui Niang immediately took Zhen Er away, and the crying gradually faded away, slowly dissipating in the night. But Zhao Pei had not yet come to her senses, and was still feeling lost.
He climbed onto the couch, the cold frost covering his robes and crawling into the quilt. Xiao Yi tried to stay as far away from her as possible, and seeing her stunned look, he said to himself: "Why is Zhen'er crying so sadly? A child who doesn't know anything can cry so sadly. Does everyone who comes into this world carry sadness?"
"What nonsense are you talking about again?" Xiao Yi felt warmer and held her in his arms. After thinking for a while, he smiled and said, "Zhen'er is crying because she is lonely. She wants a brother or sister to accompany her."
Zhao Pei was startled, and immediately gave up the idea. Giving birth to a child would make her fatter, and if Zhen'er wasn't lonely, she probably wouldn't be able to walk. But she suddenly thought of something and lowered her eyes and remained silent.
When Xiao Yi thought she had fallen asleep again, he heard her ask him thoughtfully, "Qi Fu, I want to ask you something...if, not if...will you take a concubine?"
After he finished speaking, the hand around her waist stiffened slightly, and Xiao Yi behind her remained silent for a long time. Her heart sank, and she couldn't help but urge him, "Why don't you say anything?" She secretly hoped that he would say no. Although this was a little unrealistic, after all, few of his brothers didn't have many wives and concubines.
After a long silence, Zhao Pei had lost her patience and waited for his answer. Xiao Yi uttered a few words calmly: "Don't worry..."
The sound of the clappers shattered the hazy night, mixed with his words and covered with the previously unknown feelings. She didn't understand, and didn't want to explore it anymore. She just shook off his hand before falling into a dream, vaguely feeling that her future life would not be so lonely.
————————————————
Gu Shan.
Outside the window was a scene of a clear day after the snow. Qinglan added some charcoal to the brazier and raised her head slightly to look at the man in white sitting at the desk. He frowned, staring at the scroll in his hand, deep in thought.
He was dressed in a long Confucian robe and looked elegant and scholarly. He was also free and easy, but not Taoist. He was mumbling something in his mind, and his fingers tapped the table unconsciously, making a monotonous but rhythmic sound.
Qinglan knelt beside him, and could see his handsome and serious eyes as soon as she raised her head. There was a glimmer in her eyes, and she lowered her head to the needle and thread in her hand, thinking how nice it would be if time could stop at this moment.
Just as he was thinking this, there was a knock on the door. Qinglan sighed lightly, put down the things in his hands, and went to open the door.
As soon as the door opened, a gust of cold wind blew in. Qing Lan shrank and looked at the person who came. He had been walking in the cold wind for a long time, his face was slightly pale, and his hair was a lot messier. However, his fluttering clothes did not show any embarrassment. He stood at the door in a light green gown with a smile on his face, looking a bit unrestrained and a bit gentle. "Brother." Xiao Gang called softly, and stepped into the house, shaking off the coldness covering his body.
Xiao Tong raised his head, a smile immediately appeared on his face. He stood up and greeted him: "Why are you here at this time?"
Xiao Gang sat down beside the brazier and said helplessly, "If there was nothing wrong, I wouldn't have come here in such a strong wind. Brother, you know, it's the coldest right now."
Xiao Tong smiled faintly and glanced sideways at Qinglan who was standing aside, and said softly: "Qinglan, go prepare some hot tea and cakes, and cook the red beans into porridge." After thinking for a moment, he added, "Make it more soft." Qinglan nodded and retreated respectfully.
When Xiao Gang saw her go out, he smiled and said, "She won't be back for half an hour."
"Qinglan is very fast. These things can be done in about half an incense stick. But she is smart, so she should understand." Xiao Tong sat back at the table and suddenly became serious: "What happened?"
Xiao Gang took out some memorials from his sleeve and placed them in front of him: "The ministers in the court have something to say again. They say that the emperor and the prince are both uninterested in government affairs. Brother, what do you think?"
Xiao Tong didn't even look at the written document, and smiled: "Let them talk."
"But brother, do you really want to hide in Gushan and ignore the government?" Xiao Gang frowned when he saw that he didn't take it seriously. "You are the prince, not Mr. Tao."
"Third brother, you should understand me. What I want is just a free and unrestrained life, not the intrigues of the court. If you come here to persuade me to go down the mountain, I'm afraid you will return in vain." He said so with infinite determination in his words.
"But you are the prince. Big brother, you have shouldered the heavy responsibility for nearly thirty years, enduring and taking responsibility. Why did you suddenly become..." Xiao Gang recalled the past him, lonely and sad, but he always guarded the position of prince and the country. But now, it seems that he doesn't care... .
"I suddenly felt that there should be more important things in life. Suddenly, I realized something." He still smiled faintly, lowered his eyes and said slowly, "No matter what others say, I must fulfill my wish this time."
"Is it because of that red bean plant?" Xiao Gang stared at him solemnly. Although it was a question, his tone was a statement.
Xiao Tong did not look up, his eyes were scattered on the scrolls placed in front of him.
"Brother, you said you..." Xiao Gang took it as a tacit agreement, shook his head with a smile and sadness, and then sighed: "Forget it, forget it."
In early spring last year, he planted a red bean plant, but he didn't expect that it would grow into a tree of acacia in just one year. He used the red beans from the tree to make porridge and applied it on the wound in an attempt to heal it, but it left a scar that would last forever.
After a long silence, Xiao Gang said, "But big brother must come down the mountain in a few days."
"Huh?" He raised his head, his eyes asking him why.
"My eighth brother is getting married, and my seventh brother's child, our niece Hanzhen, is about to have a full-moon banquet." Xiao Gang said so, and seeing that he was holding back a bit, he nodded with a smile. (To be continued)