Zhao Xin was frightened and stood there helpless. Her eyes gradually became hazy with mist, and her eyes were blank and vaguely frightened. She looked at her brother kneeling on the bed for a moment. , the long black crotch slid down the side of his shoulders, and when he lowered his head, it blocked the side of his face, making it difficult to see the expression on his face.
Zhao Xin lifted her heavy legs, walked forward slowly, and whispered, "Brother..."
Zhao Shi didn't seem to hear her. Quietly, he bent down, stretched out his pale hand, and slowly gathered the dust scattered on his body back into his palm bit by bit.
Zhao Xin held her breath and concentrated. The silence in the study made her feel scared. She didn't dare to speak at all.
The sandalwood box niche is very strong, and some of the ashes inside have been damaged. The window panes were propped up, and the autumn wind rushed into the house.
The dust on the bed was blown away with a gentle blow.
Zhao Shi didn't seem to notice this at all, and he didn't know if he was using too much force. His palms were shaking uncontrollably, his knuckles were turning a lifeless white color, his face was rough, and his fingertips were worn. A layer of skin was peeled off, and bright red blood slowly poured down along the veins, revealing shocking blood marks on the body.
Zhao Xin was really scared. She was arrogant and arrogant, but very timid. She had never seen the upright and cold eldest brother behave like this before. She opened her mouth and said, feeling like she was going to cry, "Brother, you My hand was bleeding a lot.",
Only then did she realize that she might have gotten into a big trouble. In the past, no matter when she lost her temper and smashed something valuable, her brother would never blame her, let alone kneel on her in embarrassment like now. I want to get back to myself a little bit.
Zhao Xin knelt down with her knees bent, her eyes red, she stretched out her hand, "Let me help you."
"No need." He said the word coldly, his voice low and dry.
Zhao Xin's heart tightened, and she didn't dare to mess up for a while, fearing that the more kind-hearted she was, the more she would do bad things. She stood up with aggrieved feelings, her throat was dry and painful. She walked to the window and put down the bracket on the wooden window, closing the window to keep out the autumn wind.
Zhao Shi remained silent and buried himself in taking the ashes on his body back into the box bit by bit. He lowered his cold eyes and stared blankly at the box in front of him.
His hands were too dirty to be seen, the palms were gray and stained with dirty blood.
Zhao Shi stood up slowly. When he was kneeling on his knees, the impact was so strong that she felt pain just by looking at him. Zhao Xin reached out to help him, but was forced back by his cold gaze. Sansan retracted his hands.
Zhao Xin still didn't know why her brother regarded this box so seriously. She also didn't expect that it was Zhao Xin's ashes. She asked, "What is in this box?"
Zhao Shi raised his face expressionlessly, and his pupils looked faint under the dim light. He said, "It's nothing, it's not important."
unimportant? Zhao Xin didn't believe it. Her brother had lost his composure just now. How could it be unimportant
Zhao Shi's thumb clenched the box niche, his thin wrist, and the raised veins under his snow-white skin. He seemed to have exhausted his last strength to put the box back into place, and turned around to look at Zhao Xin. Question: "Have you had enough trouble? Have you relieved yourself?"
Zhao Xin didn't dare to make any more trouble, but she didn't want to give in. She lowered her eyelids and clutched her fingers, "Mom has seen the pearls."
Zhao Shi took out a handkerchief from his sleeve. The handkerchief was embroidered with a begonia pattern. He casually soaked the handkerchief in the water. After wetting it, he slowly squeezed out the water, and then wiped his fingers covered with blood. Wipe it clean.
Zhao Xin raised her eyes to look at him and said, "If she knew that Zhu was dead and you still treated her like this, she would be very angry."
Her mother was the gentlest person she had ever seen in the world. From when they were young to now, she had almost never been angry with them. Zhao Xin heard her father say that it is a terrible thing for your mother to be angry. She will never treat you well or take you seriously again.
Zhao Shi twitched his lips, "You have only been with Xi Zhu for a few days, and yet you are so good to her."
"This matter is your fault."
Before Zhao Shi, there was no oil and salt. No matter who tried to persuade him or what he said, it would have no effect. Zhu wants to escape him by death? wishful thinking. Even after she died, he would not let her live in peace, but would trap her in the underworld. Wait until he dies too, and then have him buried with her.
Everyone said she was dead.
Zhao Shi refused to admit it.
He raised his eyes and looked at Zhao Xin. He seemed to compromise and said, "It's up to you."
Whether it is finding a Feng Shui treasurer to build a monument for her, or asking someone to enshrine a memorial tablet for her, everything that belongs to her will be returned to him, and no one can take it away.
Zhao Xin was afraid that her brother would regret it, so she couldn't wait to get it done the next day. An empty tomb is better than none.
She had been having this matter for so long that she became haggard and thin. She couldn't get any energy for half a month. She was listless and depressed. She was finally persuaded by her cousin to go out for a walk, and she also met someone. the person I like.
Ru knelt down and saluted, "Your Highness is well."
RuEver since her engagement was annulled, she rarely shows up. She is sick at home and sees no one. A few months passed, and she finally came out to meet people after she regained her composure.
Zhao Xin nodded, as a greeting, then turned around and walked away with the people.
Ru pinched the arm of the maid next to her hard, and the resentment in her eyes could not be hidden. The bitch Zhu had ruined her marriage with his life. Even if the person was dead, she was still extremely resentful.
Ru heard that Zhao Xin kindly built a tomb for Zhu and asked a Feng Shui master to do it for her. She smiled slightly and said to the maid next to her: "Tell Lin Yuan to find some desperadoes later." She paused. After a pause, her red lips slightly opened, "When the night was dark and the wind was high, I dug her grave."
The maid's heart skipped a beat, "Girl, wouldn't it be too..." to do such a thing? It would be detrimental to one's moral character.
Zhu fiddled with the cardamom on her nails casually, "We're not going to dig it up, so what are you afraid of?"
The maid still felt that if she did such a thing, it would be fine. If it weren't for a blood feud, there would be no need to dig someone's grave. She laughed and boldly continued to persuade, "I heard that the fifth lady's tomb belongs to the public." It took a long time to cause trouble, and if she finds out... the consequences will be disastrous."
"So I said to find a few desperadoes." A sneer appeared on Ru's lips. The prince was also nosy, and the prince refused to treat her well even after Zhu died. She deserved it, why? Do you need the public to meddle in other people's business
Ru summoned her mother's confidants and quickly found a few people who wanted money rather than their lives. When no one was paying attention, they dug up the empty grave and smashed the tombstone into half.
When Zhao Xin found out about this, she was almost mad to death. His Highness thundered and let the people of Dali Temple throw the non-criminal people in front of her within three days.
The young minister of Dali Temple felt that His Highness, who had always been unruly and unruly, was making too much fuss. A small matter like digging a grave requires them to come to Dali Temple to investigate? Isn't this killing people
She didn't know how the incident reached Song Luan's ears. Only then did she know that Zhu Zhu was dead, and that her son, who had been obedient and obedient since he was a child, was so arrogant that he didn't even take care of his funeral arrangements.
Song Luan called his son over that day and scolded him.
Zhao Shi didn't refute a word, and sat quietly on the other side, receiving the scolding. In the end, he was worried that his mother would be thirsty, so he poured her a glass of water, "Don't make your body so angry."
His current calm attitude is nothing more than adding fuel to the fire.
Song Luan grimaced and raised his hand to knock over the tea cup on the table. He was so heartbroken by him. She had raised her son very well. He was obedient and sensible, and knew what to do and what to do. Things shouldn't be done. It turned out that he was hiding it well.
"Forget it, I can't control you at all." Song Luan said, "Just don't regret it in the future."
Regret is the most useless thing in the world.
When Zhao Shi came out of the palace with a sullen face, he learned that his mother was because Zhu's tombstone was smashed in the suburbs of the city. The idiots in Dali Temple couldn't withstand the aggressiveness of the father-in-law, and they stabbed him as soon as things happened. In front of my mother.
After Wei Liu explained the details of the future to Zhao Shi, he ended up adding a superfluous question: "That tomb..."
Zhao Shi interrupted, "Don't worry about it."
He laughed angrily, how could He Zhu's luck be so bad? Only a few days later, the grave was being dug. If she had known that her grave would be dug up after her death, she would definitely jump out of the coffin and fight with those people.
Wei Liu suppressed his surprise and struggled to speak out each word, asking: "No... won't it be repaired?"
Zhao Shi turned to the side of Bingxue's cold face and looked at him indifferently with cold eyes. The corner of his mouth curved into a smile, "This is not the home I found for her. Why should I help her repair it?"
Wei Liu was frightened and frightened when he heard what he said. He didn't know what Miss Zhu had done to deserve such hatred. His Highness the Crown Prince was still gnashing his teeth in hatred even after being killed miserably.
Zhao Shi couldn't tell whether he loved or hated Xi Zhu, maybe both, he couldn't tell. He paranoidly imagined that she knew what he had done, blamed him and hated him for remembering him, and wanted to come find him even if he became a ghost.
Zhao Shi relied on such indescribable emotions to last until the winter.
The day of the first snowfall coincided with the twelfth full moon. Zhao Shi was wearing this moon-colored cardigan, with crane cloud patterns embroidered on the cuffs, a jade ring on his waist, and a long black crotch rolled up. His figure was thin and frail, and his expression was ugly. The man stood in the corridor, his cold eyes looking at the snow that was falling more and more. He stretched out his fingers to catch a few thin snowflakes. The snowflakes that fell on his palm were fleeting and felt slightly cold against his skin. , there was no emotion on his face, and his slender white fingers curled together silently.
It snowed all night, and the next day the snowdrifts were as high as shins.
The servant got up early to clear the snow in the yard, and found that several branches of the flower tree in the backyard had been crushed. A second look revealed that the trunk underneath was completely rotten and looked like an empty shell.
This tree cannot be saved, it is already dead.
It's not a big deal if a tree dies. Manager Lin didn't even think about it and told His Royal Highness the matter.
It was a freezing winter day, there was no charcoal burning in the study, and the room was freezing. However, Zhao Shi has a hot constitution. Unless it is really cold, he is generally not very good at burning charcoal in the house. Otherwise, your body will be sweating soon.
Zhao Shi coughed against his lips before he came back to his senses and asked, "What did you say?"
Manager Lin thought about his words and said, "The flower tree in the backyard is dead. When will it be moved? Will we plant another flower tree in spring?"
Most people's backyards usually plant some asparagus bamboo, or cypress trees with better meanings. Planting flower trees is very rare.
Zhao Shi coughed even more violently, and the faint light reflected his snow-white jade cheeks. He wiped the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief and said, "Just leave it alone."
Manager Lin looked at him blankly after hearing this.
Zhao Shidan said: "Let him go even if he dies."
He still remembered that Zhu had asked someone to move the tree to the backyard. She liked spring and all kinds of flowers. The nature was a bit romantic. The flower tree was brought over by a southern businessman. She liked it very much when she saw it, but she had no money to buy it. Finally, with a red face and a pitiful look, she came to him and asked him to borrow some money.
She said she borrowed it, but in fact she never paid it back.
When Zhao Shi closes his eyes now, he can still recall her gesture of tugging at his sleeves, blushing and whispering softly, begging for him. It was sweet and greasy, and he knew the taste after eating the marrow.
Manager Lin didn't dare to figure out the prince's thoughts. Once he got it, he would know what to do.
"Your Highness, it's really cold today. Would you like someone to light some charcoal fire?"
Every winter, the house uses a lot of Ruitan. This year, there is an exception, but it has not been used much.
"No, let's go out."
Zhao Shi is not afraid of the cold. Even in the dead of winter, his whole body is still warm. The only one who was afraid of the cold was the person he carefully cared for.
Zhao Shi swallowed the blood in his throat, lowered his pale and weak face, clenched the brush in his hand with his fingers, and continued writing. But halfway through, he stopped writing and couldn't go on.
Her voice always rings in my ears, complaining, unhappy, and happy. But soon these specious sounds stopped abruptly, and the silence in the study became a bit scary.
He casually took an ancient book from the bookshelf. Since he couldn't concentrate on writing, he had no choice but to read.
But what he was holding in his hand were those books. He forced Zhu to read those books, and when he opened the first page, he could see her precise handwriting.
Zhao Shi tightened his eyes and forced himself to read it as if nothing had happened. However, before he could finish reading a page, he couldn't hold it in any longer. He called the attendant outside the door in with a cold face and said in a hoarse voice, "Take all these books." Move away.”
There are some things that he cannot see, and it is difficult not to think of her. That face that he once couldn't let go of, torments him all the time, reminding him over and over again that things are different.
At this time, Zhao Shi's hatred for her reached its deepest level, and he hated her to death.
He held the table with both hands, and his clenched heart was throbbing. He slowly bent over and gasped for air. After gradually calming down, his face became a little prettier than the paper.
At night, Zhao Shi drank the soothing soup before falling asleep.
He hadn't dreamed for a long time, but he had a sweet dream that night.
In the dream, it was a lush spring, and Zhu still lived in the villa in Lixiang, Beijing. She was wearing a maple-colored gauze dress with long sleeves, and a string of small light blue silver bells hanging from her waist. She stood in the bright sunshine and smiled at him, her moist cheeks were powdered by the sun. She hooked his fingers, her charming body was close to him, and a faint fragrance filled him. At the tip of his nose, he heard her say: "You are back, are you tired?"
Zhao Shi felt that this was a dream, not a dream.
With a shy face, Zhu lifted his fingers, held his toes, and boldly kissed the corners of his lips, "I miss you so much."
Zhao Shi couldn't control his body. Even after hearing such coquettish words, the expression on his face did not change at all. He just took advantage of the situation and held her hand, and then lifted her into the air.
There was a strong fragrance in the room, and a pair of slender snow-white calves popped out from the quilt, with the toes stretched out and curled up.
The man took the girl's legs and wrapped them around his waist. He looked down at her flushed face. The girl's dark eyes were filled with moisture. Her eyelashes were wet from sweat or tears. The eyelashes filled with water droplets were trembling, weak and fragile. Endearing.
The man's other hand clasped the back of her head forcefully, inserted his slender fingers into the soft black silk, gently caressed her, then he lowered his head and bit the corner of her mouth.
After the storm ended, the girl lay on top of him, holding her eyelids open, and whispered to him: "Your Highness, I want a child to keep me company."
Zhao Shi wanted to hug her tightly and say something to her, but the more anxious he was, the faster he would wake up.
It's already dawn outside, and beams of white light shine into the house.
Zhao Shi was stunned for a long time. He got up and put on his clothes. He was about to wash up when he raised his hand to touch his cheek and touched some traces of moisture. As if nothing had happened, he wiped his face with a towel and opened the door. The wind and snow had not stopped last night.
He remembered that Zhu also liked snowy days very much. Like a child who had not grown up, he never got tired of seeing the snow. Every time he ran out to build a snowman, he took a pair of scissors with him. Pruning plum blossom branches in the back garden.
Forget it, I'm weak and don't know how to protect myself, so I wear less clothes and have fun. After training her, she didn’t remember it for long.
Zhao Shi thought that he had a headache, and rubbed his eyebrows with his fingertips to feel better.
…
Zhu was about to give birth, but she did not dare to ask Wen Po to deliver the baby in Yangzhou city for fear of being recognized by people who had seen the portrait.
In the winter in the south, the weather is wet and cold, and the coldness pierces the bone marrow like a cone. Fortunately, Chu's bedroom was very warm, and she didn't feel cold because she burned charcoal for heating.
Hong Ling went to find a stable woman outside Yangzhou City, but after searching for several days, there was no suitable one. Giving birth to a child is like going through hell for a woman, so she must be cautious in everything. It's rare to find a good stable woman, because she doesn't want to come here in the middle of winter because of the long distance.
Hong Ling angrily told Zhu Zhu about this, "What should I do?"
"If you can't find him, you can look for him in Yangzhou City."
"With your disheveled hair covering half of your face, you probably won't be able to recognize me."
"I think so too."
The little girl has been looking forward to the birth of her child since that day.
Wei Chi was transferred from Changzhou to Yangzhou at the end of last year and bought a house not far from her. Wei Chiyu was very busy with official duties, so he only had time to see her very rarely.
But if she sees anything interesting, she will send someone to bring it to her. Almost all the exquisitely crafted tiger-head shoes in the wardrobe were given by him.
Hong Ling had already recognized Wei Chiyu as the godfather of her child, and asked Zhu what her future plans were, saw her shaking her head blankly and saying she didn't know.
"Mr. Wei personally made lanterns for you on the Lantern Festival." Hongling said sourly. She had only dreamed of such a good man! That lantern was more beautiful than the ones sold in the shop. She went back to her old job, like a beggar, and asked Mr. Wei for a lantern, but was ruthlessly rejected by him.
"If you like it, I'll give it to you."
"I won't compete with you. My future husband-in-law will definitely do it for me too."
Zhu pursed her lips to hold back a smile.
Hongling poked her gently, "Do you like him now, or are you saying that you can't forget the man from before?"
Women are not only stupider than men when it comes to love, they are also more affectionate than men. It is true that deep-rooted love cannot be forgotten, and the concept of keeping one's body as pure as jade is even more ingrained.
Zhu glanced at her with a pair of beautiful eyes, and she said, "I can't forget it."
She admitted that sometimes she would think of Zhao Shi and be reluctant to let him go, but when she was forced to repeatedly remember the scene of him trying to kill her, the memories that popped up from the corners disappeared.
Only by repeatedly punishing one's heart can the scars be removed.
Hong Ling said: "I saw a young and pretty girl pestering Mr. Wei before. You have to hurry up."
Zhu sighed and looked down at the green jade bracelet on her wrist, "Do girls like him?"
"Abandoned."
"All right."
Zhu Zhu felt a little uncomfortable in her heart. She couldn't describe the feeling, so she simply didn't think about it.
A few days before giving birth, Wei Chiyu found a trustworthy woman from Changzhou and asked her to live in her yard in advance.
The child was born on the last day of the first lunar month.
Zhu was eating noodles at the time. The more she ate, the more her stomach hurt. Hong Ling looked at the wet skirt underneath her and screamed.
Zhu was calmer than her. She put down her chopsticks and stood up holding on to the edge of the table. "I think I'm going to give birth."
Hongling jumped up and ran, rushed out and knocked on Po Wen's door, "Help! Zhu is about to give birth."
In the evening, water began to boil in the kitchen.
Wen Po helped Xi Zhu onto the bed. By then she was in terrible pain, and large sections of cold sweat fell into her collar. The thin spring shirt was soaked with cold sweat in a short time.
Po Wen held her hand tightly and said, "Please bear with me, girl."
Zhu didn't have the strength to say , and the waves of pain that hit her made her want to die.
It hurts so much.
The intense pain reminded her of the bowl of poison/wine she drank in her previous life.
The severe pain of intestinal dissection was like a scorching knife quenching the heart.
After waiting for an hour, the production was not going smoothly. Po Wen looked at the woman whose breath was gradually weakening on the bed, and immediately asked Hongling to call a doctor.
"Go quickly, I'm afraid the girl will have difficulty giving birth."
Hongling's face turned pale when she heard the word "dystocia", and she rushed out as if her feet were on wheels. She also knew that she had to go to a big drugstore to find a famous doctor. She rushed to the drugstore in a hurry and caught a doctor who asked her to go home with him.
The doctor was grabbed by her clothes, "Girl, what are you doing!"
Hongling stamped her feet, "My sister is in danger of having a baby! Come home with me and save her life."
The doctor wanted to pull her hand away, but this little girl was as strong as an ox, so he didn't push her away. "I want to treat someone else, so you can go to another pharmacy to find a doctor."
The doctor packed his medicine box and was going to treat the distinguished guests from the capital.
I heard that the distinguished guest from the capital came to the temple outside Yangzhou Mountain to burn incense and light a lantern for his deceased child. Perhaps he was too tired and fainted on the way back.
Hongling definitely didn't want to reason with him at this time, so she grabbed him by the collar and took him back to his home.
Zhao Shi learned from his entourage that the doctor had been kidnapped. He bent down and coughed a few times, but didn't pay much attention to it. Zhao Xin was frightened and stood there helpless. Misty mist gradually appeared in his eyes. With a dazed expression and a bit of fear, she watched her brother kneeling on her knees for a moment, and her long legs fell down on her shoulders. Zhao Xin was frightened and stood there helpless. , hazy water mist gradually appeared in her eyes, her expression was dazed and vaguely fearful, she looked at her brother kneeling on the bed for a while, his long black hair was on the side of her shoulders. Just slide down and invite people over."