Lonely empty courtyard spring is late
The snow melts, the grass grows and the warbler flies. In a blink of an eye, it is the season for the recovery of all things. The capital of Wei Kingdom is located in the south.
Xiaodie is now seven months pregnant. Since Qi Yan was banned for a year by Nangong's decree, she lives a simple life, and even the routine of the imperial doctor's Ping An Meridian has been interrupted.
Ding You can't come to Qi Yan anymore, Qi Yan has no way to know Xiaodie's physical condition, she doesn't know if she missed the best chance to get an abortion, but Xiaodie's body is very obvious now, like a memory Zhong's mother looked like when she was pregnant with her last child, Qi Yan's back injury had already healed, she was imprisoned in a private house, and even the routine monthly greetings were saved...
Nangong Jingnu didn't come, not even Qiu Ju.
In the past, Qi Yan would receive small gifts from Nangong Jingnv from time to time, or some folk gadgets, or the four treasures of the study with relatively good taste, or a food box with delicacies. disappeared.
Qi Yan sat on the stone bench in the small courtyard in a trance. Although the spring sunshine looked bright, it was not very warm when it hit people, and it would be a little chilly when the wind blew.
She once wrote a letter to Nangong Jingnu on the fifteenth day of a certain month.
That was Qi Yan's routine greeting day. It was a letter of guilt, telling Nangong Jingnv the reason why she couldn't go there to greet her, and told her to take care of her body.
The letter was returned, and the seal was open.
Qi Yan turned the thin letter paper over and over to read it several times, but did not see any approval. She was a little lost holding the letter, Nangong Jingnu read her letter, and then nothing happened.
Qi Yan was silent, got up and found a box to put her letter inside, opened the wooden box beside the chair to put the box in, but suddenly stopped when she saw the contents inside, as if pulling a shadow puppet stick. The craftsman suddenly clicked on the acupoint, and the little man froze on the shadow puppet, motionless.
Qi Yan looked at what was inside, and was stabbed hard at an unknown place in her heart, but the pain of the wound filled her entire chest.
There are several books in the box, and in the corner is a wood carving and a lifelike puppy. The wood carving is not very fine, and you can even see the traces left by the carving knife, which are uneven.
This was Nangong Jingnv's birthday last year. Qi Yan had carefully prepared a birthday present a month in advance. She remembered that she seemed to have broken a few pieces of logs before she managed to get one that looked good...
Later, due to various reasons, Qi Yan changed her mind on the day of Nangong Jingnv's birthday. Due to the lack of time, she randomly grabbed the old ink on the case and gave it away, and Nangong Jingnv also accepted it.
With a "bang", the box in his hand fell off and fell into the wooden box. Qi Yan leaned down on the table with one hand, and took out the wooden dog sculpture in the corner.
The top of the wood carving is covered with a layer of ash. The puppy's nose was dipped with ink at the beginning. It may have been accidentally rubbed somewhere when it was placed in the box. There were some flowers. It turned into a little face, which looked a little funny, but it was a little more angry.
Qi Yan hooked the corner of his mouth, and instantly calmed down.
She sat up straight, staring at the wood carving in her hands in a daze, her fingers rubbing against the uneven surface, feeling the throbbing touch.
Qi Yan sat like this, with no expression on her face, but her fingers kept stroking the puppy rhythmically, again and again, her eyes were very calm, and there was a trace of sadness in the calm.
I don't know how long it took, Qi Yan suddenly got up and walked to the next shelf to rummage. After searching for a while, she found a small box in the corner. Qi Yan held the box and put it on the table to blow the dust off it. Open the box and inside is a set of carving tools.
She picked up the paper and carefully polished the rough traces on the surface of the dog's skin that resembled waves. After burying her head for nearly two hours in a row, the dog's wood carving was considered a complete product...
Qi Yan picked up the wood carving and looked at it carefully, and put the box together with the puppy wood carving into the box with a satisfied expression.
From that day on, Qi Yan seemed to fall in love with woodcarving.
She ordered Qian Yuan to buy a large batch of logs and move them to the study. Qi Yan, who used to be obsessed with scrolls, put down the book and fell in love with woodcarving.
She carved another little rabbit and gave it to Xiaodie. According to the customs of the Wei Kingdom, Xiaodie is a chicken, but the grassland does not talk about this, and Xiaodie prefers rabbits.
Qi Yan can carve everything, such as galloping horses, goats grazing, and birds that want to fly, but what she carves the most is puppies.
"Yuanjun~." Xiaodie's voice pulled Qi Yan's thoughts back, Qi Yan turned her head and her expression became bright and bright: "What's wrong?"
"What are you thinking?"
If the unjust child in Xiaodie's belly has any benefits, then since Xiaodie's fetal phase has stabilized, her sanity has gradually improved. I don't know if it is because of the fact that she is about to become a mother, Xiaodie has several consecutive times. Yue never got sick and cried, and even her mind that was stagnant because of being frightened gradually matured...
At least she listened to Qi Yan's words, and no longer called Qi Yan "brother" but Yuanjun.
Even if Xiaodie doesn't know the meaning of these two words...
Qi Yan grabbed Xiaodie's hand, the temperature of her fingertips was just right, and her palm was warm before she felt relieved: "Nothing, just thinking that the day is higher than the other day and the weather is sunny."
Xiaodie nodded and said naturally: "The chives are about to bloom, and the day of spring hunting should come..."
Qi Yan's expression changed slightly, and she sighed silently.
Fortunately, there are only two sisters in the small courtyard. Xiaodie sometimes always talks about the grassland. She still remembers herself, but seems to have forgotten her father, mother, and Bayin...
That's fine, Qi Yan thought.
Xiaodie keenly caught Qi Yan's abnormality, and said timidly, "Brother, Yuan-jun... Did I say something wrong?"
Qi Yan turned her head and looked at her ignorant sister, with mixed feelings.
Qi Yan: "Forgot our agreement? Don't mention the past again, I'll send you the little rabbit wood carving."
Xiaodie bit her lip: "Remember, I won't talk about it later."
…
Qi Yan: "Xiao Die's birthday is coming, what gift do you want?"
Hearing this, the haze on Xiaodie's face was swept away, and she said cheerfully, "I want to eat longevity noodles, and I want to go horseback riding."
Qi Yan nodded: "This year's foal hasn't arrived yet, and I'll definitely take you to ride in the fall."
…
Another half month passed, just after Xiaodie's birthday, Qi Yan's birthday arrived.
It is not the birthday of Qiyan Agula, the orphan of the grassland, but the birthday of this deity who disguised his identity, Qi Yan, a student from Jinzhou.
Qi Yan is currently a culprit. She wants to keep everything simple in her life, and she is not qualified to celebrate her birthday.
But two people came anyway, in the name of visiting old friends.
One is Princess Zhuohua Nangong Shu, who has changed into men's uniforms, and the other is Qi Yan's classmate and close friend Gong Yang Huai.
The two handed the invitations one after another, and it was Nangong Shunv who arrived first.
When she left the house, Nangong Mistress felt a sense of being separated from the world. She still remembered that she tried her best to live in Princess Zhen Zhen's mansion before she got married, just so that she could occasionally change into men's clothes and wander the streets and alleys to experience the life of the people. Breathe free air.
There have been no such days since we got married, and looking back now, it seems that the last time I left the house in disguise was many years ago.
In the study, Qi Yan was doing woodcarving, and a log had a rough outline, which seemed to be a puppy.
There was a knock on the door of the study, and the voice of the housekeeper Qian Yuan came: "Master, there is a young master surnamed Gong who has handed over the invitation."
Hearing this surname, Qi Yan's heart jumped, she put down the carving knife in her hand and got up and opened the door: "Show me."
Qian Yuan: "Yes."
Qi Yan felt that her heart was beating a little faster, and when she opened the red letter of worship, her heart filled with disappointment. It was not a familiar font. She glanced at the content and saw the inscription: Uncle Gong.
Qi Yan knew the identity of the person who came. She took the invitation back to the study and put it away, and shook the sawdust on the front of her clothes: "You go down first, and I will meet her myself."
Qian Yuan: "Yes."
Nangong Shunv was wearing a plain-colored long gown with a bamboo-blue smock over it, and held a folding fan in her hand.
Qi Yan strode forward and was about to salute, but Nangong Shun closed the folding fan with a snap, and used the fan to support her: "Today is only for personal friendship."
Qi Yan changed from bowing to clasping fists, and made a gesture of invitation: "Brother Gong, please."
Nangong Shunv nodded slightly and walked ahead.
Walking in the yard, he said, "Find a clean place to talk."
Qi Yan thought for a while and replied, "Then invite Brother Gong to the study."
Nangong Shunv: "Lead the way."
The two came to the study, and the semi-finished wood carvings on the table had not been collected, and there was a table of broken wood chips. Nangong Shu-nv frowned slightly when she saw it, and then she was relieved.
With the father's favor for the younger sister, Qi Yan's career should be hopeless after making such a big mistake.
Qi Yan pleaded guilty in a low voice, collected the sawdust on the bookcase, and put away the tools and wood carvings: "Let Your Highness laugh."
Nangong Shunv was noncommittal: "Bengong came to see you today."
Qi Yan: "Thank you, Second Highness, for this minister's guilt, Second Highness Lao is concerned."
Nangong Shunv sighed softly: "Is the injury on the back so neat?"
Qi Yan replied, "I was lying on the bed for a month, and I was in pain for a month, and I finally got better."
Nangong Shunv: "Tingzhang's injuries are mostly accumulated in the internal organs, so you should be more careful on weekdays, and don't leave any root causes."
Qi Yan: "Thank you, Second Highness, for your concern, the minister will save it."
Nangong Shunv was silent for a moment, and then asked, "Is today your birthday?"
Qi Yan: "It's rare that the Second Highness still remembers."
Nangong Shunv stared at Qi Yan for a while, and said faintly, "How can Ben Gong remember your birthday? It was just that I went to Xiaomei's house a few days ago and heard her mention it by accident."
Qi Yan's heart skipped a beat, the expression on her face remained the same, and she did not speak.
Nangong Shunv said again: "You have done this thing... in the final analysis, you have done too much. Ben Gong really can't figure it out, what kind of identity is the little sister, how could you do such a thing?"
Qi Yan pursed her lips: "It's the minister who was confused for a while... The days when he went out were too long and he was impulsive."
Nangong Shu Nu was stunned when she heard this, her expression changed a few times and she became silent.
The two of them sat facing each other like this, Qi Yan observed Nangong Shunv without a trace, and found that her eyes were scattered and her spirit was a little dazed.
Qi Yan became nervous, and countless conjectures flashed in her heart: Could it be that something happened to Nangong Jingnv
Nangong Shunv felt that her heart was sour. She thought she would not feel it, but she didn't expect that when she learned about it, she was more touched than when she learned that her real consort, Lu Zhongxing, raised a child. times.
Just a few days ago, Ji Ya said the same thing to Nangong Shunv.
Since she and Ji Ya had a spring breeze on New Year's Eve, Ji Ya has been looking for various excuses to pester her. Once, she didn't know what method she used to leave the palace and went directly to Princess Zhuohua's mansion...
But Nangong Shunv let Ji Ya say good things, but she was very determined. Ji Ya is the concubine of her father, and she has made a huge mistake and can't make mistakes again and again.
On that day, she sternly rebuked Ji Ya for the unreasonable idea of letting her die. The latter left in despair, but really didn't appear in front of her.
The clean day was finally looking forward to, but Nangong Shunv found that she did not seem to be so happy, and the disturbed heart lake was difficult to calm down.
Nangong Jingnu, who happened to move back to the palace, sent an invitation, and Nangong Shunv packed the whole line and lived in Weiming Palace.
One day, Nangong Jingnu went out of the palace in the early morning "as usual". Nangong Shunv was a little bored and decided to take a walk in the imperial garden, but she heard the extravagant voice between men and women behind a rockery.
Nangong Shunv frowned, thinking that maybe it was the palace maid and the guard Yehe who couldn't bear the loneliness. She didn't want to pay attention to these pickled things, but she was in a trance when she heard this woman's voice, which turned out to be somewhat familiar...
The man gasped for a while, and said in a low voice, "It's almost time for the morning... We will still be here in ten days."
Nangong Shunv was shocked, this voice is more familiar to me! Hearing that the people inside seemed to be coming out, Nangong Shu hurriedly hid behind a big rock, and the man's footsteps gradually faded away. Nangong Shunv secretly revealed one eye, only to see the background of the man disappearing into the corner of the corridor. Although she didn't see the front face, the servant on the man was the imperial attire exclusively for the prince, and she was familiar with the figure.
The thin sound from behind the rockery, accompanied by Nangong Shu Nu's heartbeat, tapped her eardrums one after another.
Nangong Shunv bit her lip, and she went around behind the rockery unexpectedly, her eyes facing each other...
Ji Ya's expression was calmer than Nangong Shun's imagination, no, it should be said that it was too calm. In comparison, she seemed more like the person who was caught raped.
Ji Ya glanced at Nangong Shunv, lowered her head and fastened her belt.
"why you."
Nangong Shunv's body swayed and she supported the rockery, with anger, astonishment, shock, and sadness flowing in her eyes...
Before she could say anything, Jiya squeezed out of the gap beside her: "If you don't want your father to be mad, I advise you to pretend that you didn't see anything."
Nangong Shunv reacted for a long time before returning to her senses, Ji Ya had walked a distance, she chased after her, Ji Ya turned her head and glanced at her, no emotion could be seen in her amber eyes, she said lightly: "It's not here. Where to talk, if you have to talk, come to my palace."
Nangong Shunv laughed angrily: "I've picked all the troubles here, so why not say a few words?"
It's a pity that her long-term cultivation prevented her from saying such foul language, so she could only endure her anger and follow Ji Ya to her bedroom.
After withdrawing from the palace and closing the door of the bedroom, Jiya said straight to the point: "It's just what you saw, I..."
Nangong Shunv: "Do you know what you are doing?! He is the prince, the father's flesh and blood, and you are the father's favorite concubine! You, you... How can you... "
Ji Ya calmly looked at Nangong Mistress, whose body was trembling unconsciously, and replied in a low voice, "Why not? Are you not his flesh and blood?"
She choked back all the words of Nangong Shunv in one sentence. She stared at Ji Ya in a daze, her eyes were full of injuries, her teeth were biting her lower lip and her eyes were still red.
There was finally a trace of panic in the amber eyes, but it was fleeting.
Nangong Shunv laughed several times: "You... how can you be compared?"
Ji Ya: "Why not?!" The tone was a little eager.
Nangong Shunv: "Okay, alright, alright, I don't see what happened to you. Don't worry, I will keep your mouth shut."
After saying these words, Nangong Shunv turned around and left.
Ji Ya grabbed her wrist from behind, pursed her lips, and said nothing.
Nangong Shunv didn't look back, so naturally she couldn't see the struggle and confusion in Jiya's eyes.
Nangong Shunv: "You let go."
Jiya: "I'm just... lonely for a while."
The hot red eyes finally couldn't bear the weight of the teardrop, and a full teardrop slid down the beautiful face.
Nangong Shunv laughed: "Yes, we are all lonely for a while. Let me go, please."
Ji Ya opened her mouth and released her hand at the same time.
Nangong Shunv left without turning her head, and slept with Nangong Jingnv in the same quilt at night. Nangong Shunv had no sleepiness at all. Qi Yan was mentioned in the chat, and Nangong Jingnv sighed and said Qi Yan's birthday.
Nangong Shunv didn't have to come, nor should she come.
Thinking that he had nowhere to go and was so distraught, he simply changed into men's clothes and came alone.
In her memory, Qi Yan was an excellent listener. Even if she couldn't talk to him, it would be good to avoid being alone.
"Second Highness?"
Seeing Nangong Shunv's face getting more and more ugly, Qi Yan couldn't help but whisper, could it be that something happened to Nangong Jingnv
Nangong Shunv came back to look at Qi Yan, but met a pair of amber eyes, a pair of eyes exactly the same as Ji Ya.
Qi Yan: "The second highness's face... It doesn't seem to be very good, but what happened recently?"
Nangong Shunv shook her head, tasting that Qi Yan might be referring to something else, and took the initiative to explain: "Nothing happened, little sister has been doing well recently, she moved back to the Weiming Palace at the request of her father, and the original palace has been completed. ."