Ye Tianling stood in the courtyard and looked at the cold and clean Lotus Pond Palace. There used to be a pool of flourishing and precious lotus flowers in the garden, but now the branches and leaves have withered away, leaving only withered dry branches stretching far into the blue sky. colored sky.
The surroundings were quiet and desolate, as if there was no life at all.
I have never stepped into the Lotus Pond Palace for many years, but everything here is very familiar. I always pay attention to other people’s comments about the Lotus Pond Palace. After more than 20 years, I have already settled the appearance of this palace in my heart. .
He walked slowly inside. Concubine Lian didn't like crowds, and it was too quiet here. After a while, he met a maid serving Concubine Lian. The maid was surprised when she saw Ye Tianling. Forgot to say: "Fourth... Fourth Highness..."
No one thought that he would come here, even Ye Tianling himself didn't think of it. Seeing the maid was silent for a while, he asked lightly, "Where's your empress?"
The maid came back to her senses, her heart fluttered when Ye Tianling looked at her, she hurriedly leaned down and replied: "Your Majesty is in the bedroom, this servant will go and report."
"No need." Ye Tianling stopped her: "Go down."
"Yes..." The maid stepped back cautiously, Ye Tianling stood there for a while, and finally walked towards Concubine Lian's bedroom. Just like the court lady just now, Ying'er, the personal maid who accompanied Concubine Lian by the Taiye Pond, saw Ye Tianling just now, and her surprise was beyond words. But she reacted much faster, and immediately blessed: "I have seen the Fourth Highness..."
Ye Tianling raised her hand lightly to interrupt her, watching the faint figures in the bedroom, and the faint sound of piano and zither. Different from Qing Chen's clear and elegant qin sound, above the strings weeping softly, unspeakable, the person playing the qin seems to have infinite sorrow, and they all confide lightly on this lyre.
"... Mother Concubine... is it inside?" He listened intently for a while and asked.
Ying'er hurriedly replied: "Your Majesty is playing the piano, Fourth Highness, please." She has followed Concubine Lian for many years, and she knew what Concubine Lian was thinking, so she hurriedly opened the curtain to let Ye Tianling in, while she tactfully stayed behind.
In the depths of the dormitory, the Golden Beast Octagonal Stove failed to dispel the coldness of winter, let alone conceal the loneliness in the tangled strings.
Concubine Lian slowed down slightly when she heard the footsteps behind her, and said softly: "Ying'er, didn't I say don't bother me, let me be quiet for a while?"
There was no one answering from behind, and in the silence, Concubine Lian heard a cold voice slowly say: "My son, send my mother's greetings."
The sound of the strings suddenly became chaotic, and a note that was extremely disharmonious with An Ji rose up. Concubine Lian turned her head in shock, and saw Ye Tianling standing not far behind, within reach of her hand.
The lingering scent of agarwood drifts in and out, lingering between mother and child, as if separated by a layer of fog.
Concubine Lian stretched out her hand tremblingly, a burst of blood surged in her heart, she suddenly covered her lips with the silk scarf and coughed.
Ye Tianling frowned, seeing that Concubine Lian was having a hard time coughing, she wanted to go forward to help but seemed to be restrained by something and couldn't reach out, she just said: "It's cold in winter, but Concubine Mother has cough and asthma again?" Concubine Lian's body is weak, and she often suffers from illnesses in autumn and winter, Ye Tianling knew about it long ago.
Concubine Lian calmed down a little, turned around and looked out the window: "You don't pay attention to your affairs, what are you doing here?"
Ye Tianling said indifferently: "The court affairs are not complicated for Erchen."
Concubine Lian said: "There are so many problems in the household department. You can take over as soon as you return to the sky. How can it not be complicated?"
The corners of Ye Tianling's lips suddenly raised slightly, and the coldness on his face melted a bit: "Mother and concubine will never leave the harem, but I know that my minister has to deal with the troubles of the household department."
Concubine Lian froze slightly, how could she not know? The mother never cared about her son's actions, and sometimes Ying'er only told her what she heard from other court ladies, which was enough to comfort her for a long time. He finally grew up safely, as she hoped, to be excellent and outstanding, so what else do you expect? She hardened her heart: "I'm tired, you go back."
Ye Tianling withdrew his expression, stepped in front of Concubine Lian, and said in a low voice, "Concubine Mu, how long will you keep from hiding it from me?"
Concubine Lian said in surprise: "You... what did you say, what do you know?"
Ye Tianling said slowly: "My son is no longer ignorant of children in the past, so why bother to hide it? What should be known, I already know. Father, Emperor, and son all understand."
Concubine Lian looked at Ye Tianling's cold eyes, the unquestionable determination, restraint and hidden arrogance in it were like a lake that had been silent for thousands of years suddenly burst and submerged everything, she grabbed Ye Tianling : "I don't allow you to talk nonsense!"
Ye Tianling held Concubine Lian's hand with his backhand: "I'm not talking nonsense!" The mother and son faced each other for the first time in so many years, and Concubine Lian's hand trembled uncontrollably in Ye Tianling's hand.
Ye Tianling looked at the face of Concubine Lian, who was so beautiful but shrouded in melancholy all day long. Over the years, all kinds of resentment, hatred, pain, and injury could not be worth the blood thicker than water, and he solemnly knelt down in front of his mother: "My son is not filial! , let the concubine suffer."
A line burst into tears, Concubine Lian tremblingly said: "I... my child..."
Ye Tianling supported Concubine Lian: "From today on, my minister will no longer make my concubine mother sad."
Concubine Lian's gaze was gloomy, and she looked over Ye Tianling's shoulder at the Lianchi Palace, which was a little deeper. After Rouran died, I stayed by the late emperor's side for seven years. People in the clan said that the former emperor knew that Because of my appearance, they raised troops to destroy Rouran, and called me a woman with a bad face and bad luck. Until the late emperor passed away, I wanted to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddha in Qianmin Temple, but I was still alive. Unexpectedly, the emperor called me on the first day of his enthronement. When I went to the palace to serve the bed, I realized that I had you in my womb. The Emperor of Heaven built the Lotus Pond Palace and made me a concubine, but I was cast aside by everyone. Nurturing, if I hadn't worried about you, I would have long since lost my attachment to this world." Her voice, which was as far away as in the sky, came faintly, as if it would disperse when the wind blows, and it would be scattered everywhere, and you could vaguely hear the scattered and drifting voice. the sound of.
In the nine years of Tianxing Emperor Renzong, there was a large-scale crusade against the Rouran tribe in the north. The Rouran tribe was defeated and surrendered in Riguo City. Since then, they have been in a slump and were eventually exterminated by the Turks.
Concubine Lian was originally the daughter of Jie and Khan of the Rouran clan. She has been praised in Mobei for her beauty since she was a child, and even in the Central Plains, there are various sayings about her peerless grace. Concubine Lian was brought back to Kyoto after that battle, and Emperor Renzong loved her very much. There are many folklore, and it is said that Emperor Renzong attacked Rouran for Concubine Lian.
Thousands of soldiers become a confidante, bear the infamy of extermination, and are despised by the courtiers' harem because of serving the two emperors. So what if Concubine Lian has a beautiful appearance
Senhan Limang flashed across Ye Tianling's eyes, and said coldly: "Concubine Mother, don't worry, since they want to talk nonsense, I will give this world to Concubine Mother. I want no one of them to dare Say no to the concubine."
Concubine Lian panicked and shook her head hastily: "Don't say anything, don't do anything, Ling'er, you don't know..."
Ye Tianling said decisively: "Mother Concubine, I have made up my mind." Concubine Lian looked at Ye Tianling's tall and straight figure, she had to raise her head to look at him, the sharpness in Ye Tianling's eyes made her suddenly unable to say a word come out.
In front of me is no longer the infant who was waiting to be fed that day, but the general who galloped thousands of miles and swept across the frontier, the prince who is in charge of the court and calms the world, no one can stop his footsteps.
Concubine Lian looked at Ye Tianling quietly for a while, a slight smile suddenly appeared on the corner of her mouth, her eyes slowly drifted away again, as if she had left this world, but she was full of ridicule. Ye Tian Lingxuan frowned slightly, looking at Concubine Lian's appearance, a trace of worry floated in his heart, and said, "I may not be able to visit Concubine Mother all the time, but I will let Qing Chen have time to talk to you, Concubine Mother... It's too cold in the palace."
"Qing Chen?" Concubine Lian said softly, "Is that the girl from the Feng family just now?"
Ye Tianling nodded. Concubine Lian said: "How can you be so close to her?"
Ye Tianling said indifferently: "It is destined."
Concubine Lian smiled lightly again: "She is an exquisite woman, but it is a pity that she is from the Feng family."
Ye Tianling also smiled slightly: "She's just Qing Chen."