Pihanjin

Chapter 16

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The sword had been taken from her hand, but she still stood there, her body stiff, not even a hair trembling.

Xie Changgeng couldn't help but look at her again.

The light of the candle could not cover her pale face.

Even the color of her lips was extremely pale.

Just now, when he pushed the door open, he saw her standing there with her back to the door and she had drawn her sword. He thought she was playing, so he walked over and took the sword.

Looking at her now, the situation doesn't seem to be what I thought just now.

He couldn't help but suspect that the woman was still resenting the failed divorce attempt. Besides, the people of the Mu family should also know that Empress Liu had always harbored ill feelings towards them. This time she was forced to enter the capital and live in the same house with him. He was afraid that she was extremely unwilling and even resentful, so she brought the sword into the room.

He was also unhappy in his heart, but he did not show it on his face. He just said, "It was not my idea for you to come to the capital. I just came back and found out that you were summoned here by the Queen Mother."

He paused and glanced at the sword he had just hung up.

"Let's take a break!"

"After the court meeting tomorrow, I will take you to the palace!"

He said coldly, then turned around, took off his half-wet coat, walked to the door, and shook off the snow on it.

Mu Fulan barely stopped her still slightly trembling hands, slowly took heavy steps, and finally sat back on the edge of the bed.

Mother Mu had heard the noise a long time ago and knew that Xie Changgeng had returned, so she hurried out from the nearby side room where she was resting, and brought in water with the two maids who were in charge of daily life, then closed the door and left.

After Xie Changgeng finished bathing, he came out wearing a neat white middle-length robe.

Mu Fulan had already gotten into bed, covered herself with the quilt, and lay down face down.

He looked indifferent, blew out the light, walked straight to the bed, and lay down. There was more than an arm's length between their bodies. Then he pulled the quilt over them and closed his eyes.

Mu Fulan stayed awake all night, waiting until dawn with her eyes open amid the endless darkness and the even breathing of the man beside her.

He got up early, washed, changed into court clothes and left. At about 9 o'clock, the steward came to invite Mu Fulan, saying that the carriage was waiting outside the gate and asked her to go out and go to the palace.

Mu Fulan had finished dressing up and changed her clothes.

Xie Changgeng's full-time official title was the ambassador of Hexi garrison and military governor, stationed in Liangzhou and concurrently the governor of Liangzhou. In terms of rank, he was a second-rank official.

In her previous life, Mu Fulan in Xie County was also granted an imperial decree and received the official robes of an imperial lady from the imperial court.

Of course, she didn't have any now, so she put on a set of moon-colored satin dress that she had prepared in advance, which was much more formal than her normal clothes. The pattern was a hundred flowers and butterflies embroidered with gold and silver threads all over the gauze, and the hem of the dress was also decorated with gold and silver thread ribbons. It was exquisite and rich, but also a bit old-fashioned.

She took one last look at herself in her glasses, stepped out, came to the door, and got into the carriage that was waiting there.

The carriage took her to the outside of the palace. Cao Jin, who had come to Xie's house to deliver a message yesterday, was waiting there. When he saw Mu Fulan coming, he led her in and said with a smile as he walked, "The Queen Mother is in Wangxian Palace. Xie Jiedushi is waiting for the princess outside."

Wangxian Hall was where Empress Liu lived after court.

Mu Fulan nodded with a smile to the eunuch Cao, followed him in, walked through the halls, and came to the outside of the Wangxian Hall, where she saw Xie Changgeng standing there.

"Thank you, Governor. The princess is here."

Eunuch Cao left Mu Fulan and walked quickly forward to stand in front of Xie Changgeng.

Xie Changgeng nodded and looked at Mu Fulan.

A ray of sunlight was shining down from the top of the glazed palace, shining on her body. From head to toe, she was covered in gold and silver threads, looking rich and noble, just as her status would be.

Xie Changgeng glanced at him without any expression, then retracted his gaze and said, "Come with me."

Mu Fulan withdrew her gaze from him and the eunuch Cao, lowered her eyes and followed in, and when she stepped into the hall, she saw the chief eunuch Yang Guangshu coming out from afar.

"See the Queen Mother, I advise you to be more honest."

Suddenly there was a whisper in my ear.

Mu Fulan raised her eyes and glanced at him quickly.

Xie Changgeng looked straight ahead with an expressionless face as he walked towards Yang Guangshu who was walking towards him.

Eunuch Yang came up quickly, his eyes lingered on Mu Fulan, and he exchanged greetings with her, then said with a smile: "The Queen Mother is nostalgic, and later she knew that you two were destined to be husband and wife, so she had long wanted to summon the princess to the palace to chat. This time she learned that the princess was not feeling well, and she was worried, so she specially sent someone to bring the imperial physician to see her. Fortunately, there was nothing wrong, which was the best. Knowing that Jiedushi Xie was busy and had no time to talk to you, she simply took the princess over. You two were newlyweds, so I guess you two can't bear to part. Besides, Jiedushi Xie left home on the wedding night because he was suppressing the rebellion. The Queen Mother has always felt bad about it, and this time, it can be regarded as a favor to both of them."

Mu Fulan acted shy and said nothing.

Xie Changgeng smiled and said, "Eunuch Yang is right. I am extremely grateful for the Queen Mother's care."

While they were talking, they walked to the inner hall.

Mu Fulan lowered her head and followed Xie Changgeng to Empress Liu, and they both bowed.

Xie Changgeng expressed his gratitude to Empress Liu. Empress Liu looked at the two and smiled, "Xie Qing, you don't have to be so polite here. I am very pleased that you and your wife can be together. Fulan lived in the palace for more than half a year when she was young, and I liked her very much back then. I know you have something else to do, so you go first, don't worry, just leave her to me. After I have talked with her, I will send your beautiful bride back for you."

There was a hint of teasing in her words, like an elder. After she finished speaking, two pairs of eyes fell on Xie Changgeng's face.

Xie Changgeng did not react much. He just smiled as if to please the occasion, bowed respectfully, then stood up and walked out.

The only people left in the palace were Empress Liu, Mu Fulan, and Eunuch Yang.

Mu Fulan immediately sensed the change in Empress Liu's attitude.

She still had a smile on her face as she talked to him. She did not have the dignity or intimidation that a queen mother should have, and her expression was gentle. But Mu Fulan could see clearly that after Xie Changgeng left, her eyes had never left him.

She knew that Empress Liu was observing her. Her sharp eyes would never miss any of her small glances or movements.

Even without Xie Changgeng's words just now, Mu Fulan knew that this was definitely not the moment for her to show her cleverness.

But she couldn't act too stupid, as that would only make the other party suspicious.

She understands that too much is as bad as too little.

She responded to Empress Liu's questions one by one, neither looking smart nor too stupid.

He is just an average person who was brought up by his family, has little experience in the world and blends in with the crowd.

Queen Liu talked to her for a while and suddenly asked her if she missed her aunt.

Mu Fulan nodded. Empress Liu granted her grace and asked Eunuch Yang to take her to pay homage to Empress Mu's tablet first.

As the empress of the previous emperor, her spirit tablet was naturally placed in the Imperial Ancestral Temple after her death. A few years later, a fire destroyed the side hall where the spirit tablet of the empress was placed. After that, the inner court planned to rebuild it, but due to various delays, the construction work was never completed. After a long time, no one cared about it anymore.

Today, her tablet is still placed in the rear hall, which is a side hall for concubines who have achieved posthumous honors that exceed their status in life.

Mu Fulan was led by Eunuch Yang into the gloomy back hall, where she knelt before her aunt's spirit tablet, burning incense and praying.

She returned to Empress Liu with some redness in the corners of her eyes.

Empress Liu and she recalled some of the past events of Empress Yuan. With a look of regret on her face, she sighed, "Back then, when your aunt was the mother of the country, I was just a concubine. Thinking of her virtues, I still remember them vividly. It's a pity that beauty was envied by heaven and she died so early. Your aunt and I are like sisters. In the future, if you have anything you want or need, just tell me."

Mu Fulan's eyes turned red and her face showed excitement. With a "thump", she bent her knees and knelt in front of her.

"Empress Dowager," Fulan said boldly. My aunt's spirit tablet was supposed to be in the front hall, but I heard that when the Mingtang was rebuilt, the work collapsed again and again. The ritual officer said that the person who accompanied the worship had an unlucky fate and it was delayed."

"They must have made a mistake. How could my aunt have such an unlucky fate? The Queen Mother is kind. If you are kind enough to think of a way to help move my aunt back to the front hall, Fulan will be grateful."

After she finished speaking, tears began to fall.

Queen Liu agreed immediately and said that she would find a way. She asked her to get up and comforted her. Only then did Mu Fulan stop crying and start laughing.

On this day, Mu Fulan was kept by Empress Liu until the evening, and she was allowed to have a meal together before being sent out of the palace.

The days are short in winter, and when Mu Fulan returned home, it was already dark.

Xie Changgeng hadn't come back yet. She entered the room and looked up to see that the sword that was hanging there yesterday was gone.

It should have been taken away by Xie Changgeng.

She stared at the empty wall and stood there for a moment. During the day in the palace, she had faced Empress Liu's numerous temptations and pretended to be stupid. All the emotions suppressed in her heart suddenly surged up at this moment, like a tide, drowning her completely.

Having not slept the whole night, and having spent the whole day in a long state of caution and hypocrisy, she felt extremely tired, so she took a hot bath, came out, and went to bed early.

But as soon as she closed her eyes, she thought of her Xier again.

From the day she opened her eyes again, there was hardly a night when she didn't fall asleep with a deep longing for Xier.

Every time she met Xier in her dreams, when she woke up, she only felt more grief and resentment towards Xie Changgeng.

Even though she died early in her previous life in a miserable way, during the long ten years when she lived in the Eternal Lamp, she hated herself more than she resented her husband's heartlessness.

He is that kind of person.

In his previous life, on their first night together, the tenderness and love he had shown to her might have been real.

He probably never really forgot the kindness that the old King of Changsha had shown him.

When he witnessed her final death, he might have felt guilty at that moment.

But that's all.

When those become obstacles on his way to the top, all the warmth will be completely torn away.

When she was thirteen years old, the young man in blue who walked along the mountain path beside the old cypress trees on Junshan Mountain was just a back figure.

The ambitious bandit who came to ask for marriage for profit and was vying for supremacy in the world was the real Xie Changgeng.

If she had to hate someone, she should hate her own stupidity and weakness, which nourished the selfishness and ruthlessness in her bones and blood, and they finally turned into sharp blades and ruined her life.

Until the last moment.

When she witnessed Xier committing suicide in front of her own longevity tablet, at that moment, she deeply felt the desperate grief and unsolvable resentment.

It was also from that moment that she truly began to hate Xie Changgeng, the man who had been the lover of her dreams when she was a girl.

Xier just disappeared like that, carrying with him resentment towards his biological father.

Even if she was reborn and could start over again, and the current Xie Changgeng's hands were not stained with Xier's blood, she would never forgive him.

Because of Xi'er, she would never forgive him in her entire life. Never in this life after life, in endless reincarnations!

Mu Fulan remembered clearly that Xier’s last words were that he would come to accompany her.

She has been reborn. But what about her Xier? Where is he now

The familiar feeling of pain as if a piece of flesh had been dug out of her heart after she woke up from her dream came to her again.

She frowned, closed her eyes, and curled up in pain in her dream, hugging her arms and curling herself up tightly like a newborn baby.

“Wake up!”

A vague voice floated to my distant ears.

She felt a hand patting her face, just like the memory of Xier waking up as a child and touching her face with his little hand.

"Xi'er!"

She screamed, suddenly opened her eyes, and met a pair of dark eyes looking down at her.

She was covered in cold sweat, her long hair stuck tightly to her face and neck, and her mind was blank for a moment.

For a moment, she didn't know where she was or who she was facing. She just opened her eyes wide, with the pain from the dream still in her eyes. In the dim light of the candlelight quietly penetrating into the curtains, she stared blankly at the man who was leaning over the bed and looking at her.

"What did you dream about?"

"Who is Xi'er?"

Xie Changgeng looked at her for a moment, his eyes swept across her body which was still tightly curled up in his arms, and asked in a flat tone.