That night, Li Wei dreamed of Zhao Qian again.
But the scene in the dream was on a small island in a foreign country. The island was covered with coconut trees and seagulls were circling. The two walked hand in hand under the coconut grove, and the waves wet their shoes and socks.
I don’t know what Zhao Qian said to her, but Li Wei smiled so happily in her dream. Later, Zhao Qian hugged her under the coconut tree and kissed her lips.
When she finally woke up from this long dream, she found that Li Xing had slipped into her arms at some point, clinging to her like a kitten, with half of his shoulders outside. The morning light had whitened the windows, and the noise of birds came in.
Li Wei sat up gently and pulled the quilt up to cover Li Xing.
She got up gently, dressed, combed her hair, and tidied herself up. After more than ten years of accumulation, she has long been accustomed to doing these little things by herself. Even after becoming the Queen Mother again and having many people to serve around her, she is still used to doing it herself.
After cleaning up, Li Wei planned to go out and walk around.
The air in the mountains is particularly fresh in the early morning, and there is already a ray of sunshine in the east that shines restlessly from the layers of clouds. She walked under the ginkgo tree and looked up. The golden leaves of the tree were swaying gently in the morning breeze, like golden butterflies.
She walked out of the courtyard where she lived, planning to take this opportunity to walk around and exercise her muscles. After walking not far, he saw a snow-white horse tied to the hitching post. Li Wei went over to untie the reins without thinking, and then got on the horse.
Sixth Brother had taught her how to ride a horse before, so she still remembered the basic essentials.
Li Wei held the reins tightly, clamped the horse's belly with his legs, shouted, and the horse started running.
She loves the thrill of riding a horse and galloping freely.
This is Lishan Mountain, where there are the ruins of the beacon tower where the princes were once played by beacon fire, the world-famous hot springs, the beautiful legends left over from the Tang Dynasty, and the ethereal Laojun Palace.
Li Wei tightened his grip on the reins, and the horse beneath him slowed down. She passed through the dense woods. The weather gradually turned cooler, and the leaves turned red and yellow. This mountain forest has reached the most colorful time of the year.
Later, she dismounted and led the horse for a leisurely stroll in the forest. The forest is full of colors and the birds are chirping noisily.
How she wanted to leave everything behind and choose a place like this to spend the rest of her life in the mountains and fields, and to be buried in this kind of scenery when she died. The leaves falling on the loess are her quilt, and the chirping of birds is joyful singing.
She didn't think about the court or the harem, and she also wanted to leave behind her identity as the Queen Mother. She just wanted to be an ordinary woman at this moment. An ordinary woman, she has also been an ordinary woman. Li Wei thought of that home, the smiling faces of Li Minghua and his wife and the advice they had given in their ears, and Li Jianping's hard work. She also thought of Li Jianbo's simple two-story villa with a garden. She didn't know what happened to the flowers and plants she planted in the villa, and whether Li Jianbo and Bian Ling had a future. She even thought about the TV station, Hu Meijuan, Chen Yashi, Qi Jingyi and other good friends who had accompanied her and helped her. She also thought of Lin Haishu, who passed away early due to an accident. Those carefree school years, those simple little beauties.
Tired of running around for life and work, being an ordinary woman is no easier than the Queen Mother, but at this moment, she has the idea of returning there. Over the years, she has a new family there and new concerns. She wanted to go back and hug them and tell them how much she missed them.
It's a pity that she can't overcome this gap across time and space.
Li Wei stretched out her palm to the sky. The Seven Treasures Ring on her finger was still firmly on it. No matter how hard she tried, she could not pull it off. Looking through the fingers, the sun has broken through the clouds and revealed its smiling face.
Li Wei went out on horseback to relax, but everyone was panicked. They all said that the Queen Mother was missing, but no one had seen her. Everyone searched desperately everywhere. When Li Wei came back by herself, the person waiting in front of her almost cried when she saw her.
"Queen Mother, where have you been? Why can't I see you anywhere?"
Li Wei chuckled and said, "The air is fresh in the morning, so I went out for a walk. I'm really sorry for making you worry."
In the next few days, Li Wei would always get up early in the morning and go out for a walk on horseback, and he didn't like people following him.
On the fifth day after returning from Sanqing Temple, there was news from Lu Caiping. On September 17th, Li Wei formally summoned Lu Caiping in the side hall of Chongqing Palace.
Lu Caiping was about twenty-five years old, with her hair tied up in a high bun, wearing an indigo robe. She didn't wear any bright jewelry in her hair, only a sandalwood hairpin. She looks like a widow.
Lu Caiping bowed deeply. Li Wei hurriedly said: "Mrs. Lu, please get up."
Lu Caiping lived like a wild crane in these years, not messing with anyone, eating as much as she liked, sleeping as much as she liked, making a group of literati friends, and enjoying herself all day long. She never thought that the Queen Mother would summon her. She originally She didn't want to come, but her father came to her and preached to her so earnestly that he almost knelt down before she agreed to come in for a meeting. However, Lu Caiping was not sure what the Queen Mother was going to do when she saw that she was a boring country woman.
The first thing Li Wei said when he saw Lu Caiping was: "I have heard of Mrs. Lu's talent before, and now I can finally see her true appearance. I have always admired Mrs. Lu."
Lu Caiping was a little surprised and said calmly: "A commoner's wife is unbearable. The Queen Mother is ridiculously complimenting her."
Li smiled and said: "It's not a compliment, it's a serious admiration. Now that I am a widow in this deep palace, I feel lonely around me, so I want to find someone to talk to to relieve my boredom. I heard about Mrs. Lu, so I want to hear about Mrs. Lu. Tell me about the mountains and rivers you have traveled to and the customs and customs you have experienced. I wonder if Mrs. Lu would be willing to talk to me, a widow, as you have also traveled far away?"
Lu Caiping's expression became serious and she hurriedly said: "Thanks to the Queen Mother who values her and doesn't dislike her, a common woman is willing to relieve her boredom with the Queen Mother."
Li Wei nodded and said, "That's very good."
Lu Caiping saw her sister in Chongqing Palace, and she pulled Caizhi aside to ask.
"What does the Queen Mother mean by letting me enter the palace this time?"
Caizhi replied: "I don't dare to guess the Queen Mother's holy will, but my sister is able to catch the Queen Mother's eyes, which is also my sister's excellence. Just follow the Queen Mother's instructions."
Lu Caiping said: "But I really don't feel at ease."
From then on, Li Wei kept the Lu sisters in Chongqing Palace together. Outsiders looked very puzzled, wondering why the Queen Mother wanted a rebellious woman in front of her.
After a long time, Li Weifang knew that Lu Caiping had real talents and knowledge, and was not just a wasted name, so he respected her more and more.
(End of chapter)