At four o'clock, I woke up like frost, there was a soft rustle outside, and the window lattice was glowing white, it turned out to be snowing. Rushuang's feet were originally suffering from chilblains, which were painful and itchy, and she couldn't help rubbing them lightly under the quilt. Now Xiaohuan also woke up, and called out in a daze: "Miss." Put your feet on your chest, "I'll warm you up."
Her heart was sour. When she was a child, the nanny would often warm her feet like this. Now the nanny's bones have long since turned into the loess of Xilin Mountain, and only Xiaohuan is left to live with her. The snow outside the window is getting bigger and bigger, and the north wind whimpers and sneaks in through the cracked window paper. This is the first heavy snow this year. She thinks that the piles of solitary graves at the foot of Xilin Mountain are covered by this snow. , like a few white steamed buns, scattered in the wilderness.
Thinking of steamed buns, I couldn't help but feel more hungry. I only ate one cold rice dumpling all day yesterday, and saved a nest for Xiaohuan. She was still a child and couldn't go hungry. Thinking of steamed buns made my stomach feel uncomfortable as if it had been emptied.
I didn't expect that when I was hungry, a steamed bun could make me greedy like this.
The good old days were like a dream. When it snowed like this in the past, my mother would definitely order a few clever girls in the room to collect the snow from the plum blossoms to make tea. Among the women's relatives in the capital, who doesn't know the good tea in Mu Mansion? The tea is the best silver mountain snow bud, and it is sent to Xichangjing with the tribute fresh water tanker. It takes ten and a half months for the ordinary three-masted sailboat to eat enough wind on the thousands of miles of water. Gong Xian's tank boats have strict time limits all the way. They use sails when there is wind, and fiber when there is no wind. They have to travel 200 miles of water every day, and they will reach Xichangjing in only six or seven days. Therefore, the unparalleled silver mountain snow buds can still be as fresh as ever when they are sent to the capital. The pewter tea box is exquisite and shiny, with fine carvings on the top, and it is lit with emerald blue. Once the tea box is opened, the fresh tea fragrance is like mercury, pervasive, soaking into every pore of the person. In the tea room, the faint fragrance lingers for several days.
One part of the window paper was cracked, and the north wind blew the cotton paper on the window rustling. It was too cold to sleep, and the chilblains on her feet were itching again. Don't want to, it's better to think about how to get through tomorrow. It was written in the book that "days are like years", but in fact, each day is more difficult than each year, but in three or four months, she almost felt that there were thirty or forty years, and occasionally saw her face in the washbasin, almost even her own face. I don’t even recognize it—what’s even more bleak is my state of mind. I’m afraid that in three or four months, I will have a full head of hair.
Every time when she was suffering so much that she could hardly bear it any longer, she thought about dying, thinking that it would be better to die, but in a flash, she would remember her mother's last order: "Shuang'er, please take care of Yun'er..."
Yun'er is her youngest brother, she is only thirteen years old this year, and the imperial edict ordered that all males over fourteen years old be beheaded, and males under fourteen years old would be exiled for three thousand miles. My father went to war and grew up in the military camp. Although he was young, he had a resolute temperament. He was unwilling to live by life and decided to die with his father and brother. In the end, Mu Dajun slapped him: "Unfilial!"
Mu Yun had been slapped heavily by his father, and immediately understood that he was the only male in the family under the age of fourteen, and if he insisted on going to death, the Mu family would never be seen again. The old man's "unfilial piety" was like ice and snow pouring down his back. He widened his blood-red eyes, said nothing, knelt down and kowtowed three times to his father, stood up and said only three words:
"I obey."
General Mu Da, who once served as a general and minister and led hundreds of thousands of troops to conquer the gap in Dinglan Mountain, finally couldn't help crying when he saw his youngest son like this.
That was the first time she saw her father shed tears... and the last time, when her father cried, her mother naturally cried... She cried even more sadly... Afterwards, all the women in the family died, the official prostitutes, she and Xiaohuan was sold here as a slave...
There was a huge tear hanging on her cheek, it was icy cold... until it reached her heart... so cold... as if she would never be able to regain a trace of warmth... She curled up in a ball, and finally fell asleep in a daze up.
The next day the snow stopped and the sky cleared up. The pavilions, terraces and pavilions seem to be installed in crystal basins, exquisite and translucent. This is the first snow since the beginning of winter, but Rushuang has no interest in admiring the snow. After drinking a bowl of porridge, she has to work. Xiaohuan was wearing an old jacket, which made her look more shy and arched. It was so cold that my shoes were soaked in snow when I stepped on the snow, and my feet were already numb from the cold. Rushuang's hands clinging to the broom were also red, swollen and bruised from the cold, but she was sweeping woodenly, a thin layer of ice formed on the snow, Xiaohuan took a wooden shovel and shoveled in front of her, but she was still sweeping with great difficulty. But they could only bury their heads and work hard, because the cleaning had to be finished before Chen Shi, and if they couldn't finish the work, the twelve people in their group would suffer from hunger.
Because of vigorously sweeping the snow, the body gradually warmed up, but the hands and feet exposed outside were still numb to the point of being unconscious. Hurry up, seeing that the sweeping should be finished before Chen Shi, Rushuang was slightly relieved in her heart. She is the weakest in body, and she has never done rough work before, and she is always not agile enough to do things. Every time she gets everyone involved and is punished, she feels really sorry.
There was a faint sound of hooves in the distance, and the leader who led them to sweep the snow heard it, and hurriedly said hello. The dozen or so of them hurriedly packed up their brooms and wooden shovels, led by the steward, and respectfully knelt down along the base of the wall, bowing their heads deeply.
I don't know how long it took before I heard the crisp sound of horseshoes, from far to near, as if they were stepping on the heart. Rushuang buried her head low, only to feel a "huh", a gust of wind blew in front of her, the horse's hooves kicked up snow and water splashed, a few drops splashed on her forehead, she was already numb from the cold, let alone reach out wipe. She was about to lower her head even more, when she suddenly heard a long hiss of "Xu". Because the head was lowered, all four hooves could be seen turning around. The horse was restrained for some reason, and the buckskin boots on the purple gold stirrups could be seen clearly. The soft and dense wind hair trembles slightly in the wind, like the gentlest touch of a child.
The voice of the man on the horse was deep and low, because of the proximity, Rushuang felt a shock, as if it sounded from above her head, revealing a bit of laziness and impatience: "Who told you to sweep away the snow?"
Dai Guan was so frightened that he trembled all over, kowtowed repeatedly, and could only say: "Damn the slave! Damn the slave!"
The man on the horse raised his eyebrows slightly, and lightly beat his palms with a whip. There were chaotic footsteps not far away, and all the attendants of the brigade chased after him. The leading eunuch, Xia Jinhou, grabbed the reins and bowed panting: "Wang... lord... you can't... you can't... take the life of your servant again."
Prince Rui pointed with a horsewhip casually: "From now on, no snow in this garden is allowed to be swept." Xia Jinhou repeatedly answered "Yes", all the people did not dare to show their anger, and the guards of honor and guards of the internal officials and attendants all lowered their eyebrows and looked down. , Even the dozen or so rough laborers kneeling under the wall held their breath like puppets and remained motionless.
They were all respectful faces, Prince Rui suddenly felt uninterested, turned his face away, saw Xiaohuan who was kneeling closest to him, his heart suddenly moved, and asked: "Where is my bow?"
In the past, the emperor Taizu won the world with bows and arrows. Therefore, the ancestors of the heavens said that the children of the clan must carry bows with them to show that their descendants will not forget the hardships of founding the country. As the "palm bow", he is inseparable from the emperor even for a moment. Whenever there is a great dynasty, the imperial bow is placed at the gate of Chaoyi, so the great dynasty is also called "Zhi Gong".
When Prince Rui asked such a question, the bow-wielding officer hurriedly took a step forward, and untied the longbow wrapped in yellow silk from his back. Prince Rui casually picked up a white-feathered arrow from the quiver, pointed to Xiaohuan who was kneeling closest to him, and casually said: "You, get up." Xiaohuan was so startled that he even forgot the rules, Hastily raised his face, stared at the prince in brocade clothes and sable fur with staring eyes.
Prince Rui seemed to have a ray of smile: "Get up, get up."
Xiaohuan stood up timidly, Rushuang suddenly remembered the terrible rumors she had heard when she first entered the mansion, she felt like a thunderbolt from the blue sky, her scalp suddenly went numb, she opened her mouth wide, she couldn't even control her tongue, she tried her best Only with all the strength in his body did he shout: "Xiaohuan! Run!"
Xiaohuan trembled in fright, and suddenly understood, her face turned pale, and Rushuang's voice was so high-pitched and sharp, it hardly sounded like her own voice: "Run! Run!" , just looked at Rushuang in a daze, several internal officials came forward to push and scolded: "Bold! How dare you yell in front of the prince!"
Xiaohuan finally came to his senses, and ran towards the Moon Cave Gate. Prince Rui sat on the horse with a calm and serene expression. Rushuang struggled desperately, more internal officials rushed up, trying to restrain her. She watched helplessly that Xiaohuan, like a frightened little white rabbit, had already run to the door of the moon cave. As long as there were more than ten steps, Xiaohuan could pass through the courtyard gate. Turning the corner, as long as you turn the corner... Prince Rui slowly opened the bow to the full, and casually narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he knew that the prey was doomed. Rushuang opened her mouth wide, but couldn't make any sound, letting the tears run down her face. Like lightning, there was only a sound of "嗖", and the arrow was going like the wind. She watched the white-feathered arrow sank into Xiaohuan's vest, and "chucked" out through her chest.
The bright red blood splashed far away on the snow.
Xiaohuan staggered two steps, and finally fell forward.
The dripping blood on the remnant snow was like a stern weed, dripping with astonishing pain. Rushuang burst into tears, all the strength in her body seemed to be sucked out at that moment, the internal officials pressed her firmly on the ground, her face was pressed into the snow, hot tears melted into the cold snow, she Thinking of that hot morning, I held my mother's hand tightly, and refused to let go. The jailer beat her desperately with a leather whip. The hot whip hit her arm, causing her to jump in pain, and she refused to die. Let go, no matter how you refuse to let go. Only crying hysterically: "Mother! Mother!"
Fingers were broken one by one, and more people came up and dragged her away, pressed her on the flagstone floor covered with fishy and wet straw, and stuffed her mouth with straw... The straw in the prison has never been replaced. At night, many mice crawled around, and even climbed onto her feet. She woke up screaming, and her mother always hugged her... hugged her... tears blurred her vision, and the piercing pain burst from her chest. Burst... She had never been so desperate. They took everything from her, her father, her mother, her brother, her wet nurse... all the happiness she once had, the family who loved her and loved her, and now it's Xiaohuan again! Her little ring! The last relative she had by her side in this world was lost again just like that.
Tears rolled down, she thought she would never cry again, she thought that she had nothing to lose, God's will was like the cruelest joke, from the carefree life of rich clothes and jade food, it turned out to be There was nothing in the blue sky, she lost everything, so she thought she had nothing to lose. But Xiaohuan, they still took away her only Xiaohuan. The tears became cold, like the dirty snow on the side of her face, and her heart was only cold, her body was twitching violently, and the blood in her chest was twitching, like a raging wave hitting her mind one after another embankment.
She was like a wounded little beast, struggling with the last despair, even if she died, she would not die in such a humiliating way.
Prince Rui looked at the frail woman who was firmly held down by the eunuchs in the snow, and suddenly became interested: "Let her go."
The officer holding her body hurriedly let go, she immediately struggled to stand up, he bent down on the saddle, and held her chin with a rough riding whip, the moment he saw her face, he couldn't help but slightly Squinting his eyes, it seemed that the glare of snow reflected on the glazed tiles made him unable to open his eyes.
She has a pair of dazzling eyes, like two sharp knives with a cold light, with a lingering hatred, as if she wants to dig out two transparent holes in his body. Her head and face were covered in messy and dirty snow, her braids had been loosened, and a few strands of hair stuck to her cheeks in a mess. Because of the extreme hatred and anger, her face was flushed unhealthily. But the chin that was forced to lift has a soft and beautiful arc.
He lost consciousness almost for a moment.
Xia Jinhou who was beside Prince Rui seemed also taken aback.
Prince Rui finally pulled back his horsewhip, and his voice was already as calm as a fresh breeze: "Your surname is Mu?"
She bit her lip, the fishy-sweet breath lingered in her mouth, and the surging blood in her chest was even more uncontrollable. She remained silent, as if she had never heard of it. Prince Rui's eyes gradually became sharper, as if he was angry at her indifferent face. Xia Jinhou was very uneasy, he glanced at Dai Guan who was shrunk aside, and the tape guard replied tremblingly: "To my lord, her surname is indeed Mu."
Sure enough, Xia Jinhou's heart sank suddenly. Prince Rui didn't speak any more, but just looked away, looking at the snow falling on the pine needles in the distance. The prince's salary is the highest, and Xingzong loved the prince the most in the past. When the government was divided, he was rewarded with countless manors and fields. Prince Rui is good at calligraphy and painting, and is good at art and travel. The huge West Garden of the palace is carefully constructed everywhere, with every step and every scene, beautiful and magnificent. Looking around, in the snow, all the towers and pavilions are like crystal carvings, glowing with an unreal bright luster. Xia Jinhou turned countless thoughts in his mind for a moment, and because he knew it, he was even less sure. But this sentence had to be said by him, he bowed and said: "Please show me, my lord."
It seemed that it was a bad question, because Prince Rui glanced at him, Xia Jinhou didn't dare to speak any more, he braced himself and waited for Prince Rui's attack.
After a while, I heard Prince Rui say: "Give her a whole body."
Xia Jinhou heaved a sigh of relief, bowed and said: "Obey." He ordered the left and right, "Drag it to the West Court." The house was originally a warehouse for the garbage trucks. Prince Rui had always treated his servants harshly and brutally. This place was gradually used as the execution ground for the servants who committed serious crimes. As long as the servants in the mansion heard the word "Xichangzi", they would involuntarily shudder.
The servants on both sides came up and dragged Rushuang away, and she didn't struggle. It was not far from the back garden gate to the west corner gate. She was dragged staggeringly by the servants, and when she stepped out of the west corner gate, she could smell a burnt smell. Going out from the high gray walls and deep alleys is the quiet and empty West Field. The snow here has not been swept by anyone, and the black ash accumulated over the years is completely covered under the snow. Two servants dragged her across the arena until she reached the westernmost part of the arena, where the doors and windows of several lonely houses were open, and the black holes looked like monsters devouring people.
The housekeeper gave her a push on the back, and she stumbled into the house.
There is nothing to love in life, so why fear death
Death is such a warm word. Mother is waiting for her there, as well as her father, elder brother, wet nurse... so many family members... and Xiaohuan, Xiaohuan who grew up with her since she was a child... She has nothing to be afraid of, Now that is her most desired home. Just as a wanderer longs for home, and a baby longs for its mother, she now longs only for this death. It's just Yun'er...she was entrusted by her mother-in-law at the end of her life...Yun'er moved to the side to do hard labor, and was exiled for three thousand miles... She still had a thought, hoping that she would be lucky in this life and know his safety, but she never thought that there would be no chance now , but he is a dignified man from the Mu family, so he will not fall into the family reputation!
The servant tied the rope into a tight knot, helped her stand on the stool and tied the rope, and pulled the stool before she could stand still.
There was a sudden tightening around the neck, and the weight of her whole body was suddenly suffocating. She instinctively struggled a few times, trying to grab something in vain, and swung her hands and feet in the air. There was a slight sound of wind in my ears, and the sound of chaotic and hurried footsteps sounded far away. When I was very young, Xiaohuan and her were swinging under the peach blossom tree, swinging high, and looking up, I saw the scorching flower branches blooming above her head, like the most gorgeous sunset, countless petals fell one after another and landed on her. On her hair and clothes, it was like a rain of the most gorgeous and beautiful flowers. Xiaohuan giggled and pushed her hard to a higher and farther sky... The last sound was faintly heard, which was the sound of hurried footsteps coming from far and wide. Approaching, mixed with panting gasps, the eunuch's characteristic high-pitched voice: "Quick! Quick! Let her down, the lord has orders! Let her down..." The soft darkness surrounded, like a sweet and mellow dream, tenderly Surround her.
She never felt cold again.