Xuyu traveled a long way to Zhaode Mausoleum in the early morning to see her former companion. She was deeply saddened. Fortunately, Pei Xiaoyuan accompanied her patiently for a whole day, and she felt a little comforted. Now she was tired, but she couldn't fall asleep when she lay down. When she closed her eyes, her mind would sometimes reflect the carefree childhood, sometimes the phantom of her mother in her dream, and sometimes the old face of her father, who was so haggard and pitiful, but made her hate him when she thought of him.
All kinds of thoughts intertwined and appeared in her mind one after another, and her heart was in a tangle. She lay in bed tossing and turning, and heard the sound of the night watchman in the neighborhood passing by the nearby streets and alleys. She realized that it was almost three o'clock in the morning. Outside the window, the moon was in the middle of the sky.
Pei Xiaoyuan lived next door to her, so if he came back, there would be some noise.
It's already so late tonight, and he is still busy
Thinking that he had stayed awake all night and had taken the trouble to accompany her during the day, he must be more tired than her. Xuyu couldn't sleep even more. She listened to the noise outside for a while, and suddenly remembered that she hadn't seen Qingtou since she came back tonight, which was really abnormal.
Could it be that he came back too late after going out and was locked outside the neighborhood
Xuyu was about to go out to check on Qingtou when she heard someone knocking on the courtyard door.
Is it Pei Xiaoyuan who came back, looking for her
Xuyu put on her clothes hastily, held a candle in her hand, walked through the courtyard, opened the door, and when she saw who was coming, she was startled.
It was not Pei Xiaoyuan. It was Yang Zaien, a eunuch in Ziyun Palace. He bowed to her and said in a very respectful tone: "I am guilty of disturbing the young master's sleep in the middle of the night. I am just following orders and want to invite the young master to go to a place."
He was a palace eunuch, and since he said "by orders", he was naturally following the emperor's orders.
"Are you going into the palace? What's the matter?" she asked.
"Young master, just follow me and you'll know. The carriage is waiting outside." Yang Zaien must have sensed some of her reluctance, and his tone was respectful but also a bit fearful.
Xuyu had no choice but to pack up and get on a carriage parked outside the gate of Pei's house.
After starting, it soon arrived in front of the town gate, which was already open and waiting. Then, the carriage went out of the town and onto the street, escorted by two teams of cavalry guards, and drove north on the empty road under the moonlight.
Xuyu thought she was going to be taken to the palace, but after walking for a while and arriving at the north of the city, she found that the car turned and headed west.
She opened the window and looked out for a moment. Suddenly, she seemed to realize something and her heartbeat quickened.
It was just as she thought. The wheels rumbled, taking her through the gate with the old pomegranate tree, and after walking for a while, they slowly stopped in front of the gate of Zanxing Temple.
Yang Zaien quickly got off his horse and stood in front of the car door to greet Xuyu. After she got off the car, he bowed and led her to the main door, saying softly, "Please come in, young master."
The door of the Zanxing Temple was pushed open by two palace guards. Xuyu walked in silently, and the door closed silently behind her.
Tonight, the Nuguan Temple should be cleared out.
She entered through the front door. Apart from the sound of her and the palace eunuch's footsteps, there was no one in sight. She walked through the front hall, turned into the back hall, walked through a long corridor, and finally arrived in front of the wall door.