The spring moon rises from behind the flower forest by the water, which is covered with hazy purple smoke. The shadow is still and the moon mist is dancing. The imperial ditch is stained with the powder washed off by the palace maids at dusk, half green and half turbid, flowing silently in the shadows of the continuous and majestic palaces, merging into the dark stream in the flower forest, and dyeing the whole forest with fragrance.
The moon above the pool transformed into the face of a beauty in palace dress. Her beauty was even more stunning than the moon.
Along with the faint wind blowing through the forest, a sound was heard from somewhere in the darkness. At first, the sound was vague and unclear, like the celestial music floating in the palace and the sea tower, or like the sighs and exhortations from the lips. It followed the dark wind and wandered among the palaces, rising over the palace walls, passing through the imperial canal, floating towards the pool, and finally, finally floating into Xuyu's ears.
Don't come back.
Don't come back.
Don't come back.
…
Xuyu woke up to the sweet whispers and continued to lie quietly in the darkness until she was completely pulled out of the dream of the flower forest in the imperial garden and her ears were no longer lingering with the lingering voice of the beauty in her dream. Then she slowly opened her eyes, turned her head, and stared at the moonlight outside the window in a daze.
It has been two or three days since I arrived. I woke up in the middle of the night and thought I was still with my grandfather.
The county magistrate was really good to her, as if she was still young, asking about her well-being, fearing that she would suffer any injustice. The maid who could comb her hair was named Zhu'er. Although she was a little afraid of He, she was lively and talked a lot behind He's back. She became familiar with Xuyu the next day, saying that she had just arrived. From what she said, Pei Ji lived a simple life. In such a large county magistrate's mansion, there were less than ten servants inside and outside, and they were all necessary staff. Zhu'er was bought for her to serve because of her arrival.
In addition, it seems that there have always been only two owners of this mansion, the county magistrate and Pei Langjun. This time, also for Xuyu, he specially bought cosmetics, jewelry and other items used by young women from the Hu merchants passing by here.
In addition to these, Xuyu discovered that there was a place for painting in her residence. Not to mention silk, paper, and brushes of various sizes, pigments such as cinnabar, indigo, orpiment, and even seldom-used talc and pine soot were all available, and they were obviously prepared with great care.
Everything caught Xuyu off guard.
In the days since her arrival, she had tried several times to find an opportunity to express her thoughts, but she could never open her mouth.
She is not an ungrateful person.
Three years ago, she fell ill and fell into a coma after being caught in a cold rain. It took her many days to recover. After she recovered, some past events that had been lingering in her mind like a hazy fog for many years gradually became clearer. But she was still not completely sure. Later, she began to have such a dream. Tonight, she woke up again from this dream that had appeared many times. It was quiet all around, but her thoughts were becoming more and more complicated.
Suddenly, there was a faint movement in the direction of the front yard outside. It seemed that someone had returned home overnight, alarming everyone in the mansion.
She knew who it was.
During the day today, Zhu'er also mentioned that the young master here, a man named Pei Xiaoyuan, would be back soon.
…
At midnight, the city guards were startled by the sound of horse hooves coming from far outside the city. They rushed to the top of the city wall to watch. A large group of people and horses were coming towards the city gate. The sound of hooves was like a sudden thunderstorm on a summer night, and it rolled in in an instant. The sound of horses neighing, whips cracking, the sound of knights' swords and bows colliding, and the shouts of Hu children in between, all rushed towards the city gate like a turbulent tide.