"When the east wind blows in the purple palace at night, the lotus and plum blossoms accompany the people home. The five o'clock bell rings and the music and singing fade away, the moon is bright for ten miles and the lights are sparse."
On the way back, Qin Zishu suddenly thought of this poem. Under the moonlight, the shadows of the two people were very long, and a lantern connected them together, which inexplicably made people feel a little bit of love.
"Brother, what is the answer to the penultimate riddle, 'Boundless falling leaves rustling'?"
"day."
Mu Lin thought about it and asked again: "Why?"
Qin Zishu thought his junior sister was a little stupid, but he was happy to answer her questions.
"The rulers of the Qi and Liang dynasties of the Northern and Southern Dynasties were both surnamed Xiao. The "Xiao Xiao Xia" here refers to the two dynasties with the surname Xiao. Secondly, below the two Xiaos is the Chen Dynasty. The traditional Chinese character for Chen, Chen, means "without boundaries" means removing the ear knife, and then "falling wood", so the only character left is "sun."
"I see." Mu Lin nodded, watching the six-sided palace lanterns lighting up the way, and said no more.
She was a little tired and wanted to go back and rest early.
Qin Zishu thought she was angry. He had never comforted anyone before. He pondered for a long time and said dryly, "This riddle is very difficult. Junior brother, don't worry about it."
"Um."
Mu Lin's eyelids were fighting, and her mind was confused. She didn't hear what he said clearly. She pulled her small hand out of his big palm, covered her mouth and yawned. The furry white fox collar half-covered her small face. Her beautiful peach blossom eyes were watery, delicate and blurred.
Qin Zishu's heart suddenly softened. He squatted in front of her and said softly, "Come up. Senior Brother will carry you back."
"Don't bother..."
"Come up." The tone did not allow for argument.
Mu Lin didn't want to argue with him. She would probably give in in the end anyway. She nodded in agreement and handed the lantern to Shan Zheng who had appeared out of nowhere. She then lay on Qin Zishu's back and hugged his neck.
The senior brother's back was very broad, and gradually gave off a sense of warmth, exuding a light and elegant fragrance of pine snow, which made people feel more and more at ease. Mu Lin half-opened his eyes at first, but his eyelids became heavier and heavier, and he fell asleep.
When he woke up, he was already lying on a high bed with soft pillows. Mu Lin turned over in a daze, and suddenly opened his eyes, not knowing what he was thinking about.
The corner of the quilt was pressed tightly, Mu Lin lifted one corner and saw the pure cotton white undershirt on her body.
Don't worry, she didn't sleep with her clothes on, someone changed her pajamas for her... Wait, who changed them for her
Mu Lin sat up slowly, looked over the table to the bed opposite, and heard Qin Zishu's faint breathing from afar.
When I thought about him changing clothes for me, I felt embarrassed, but my mood was a bit complicated. I wondered if he had discovered something.
Normally, she would bring her pajamas to the bathroom to change, and she thought she had never given away any clues. With her salty figure, her age, and even her lack of Adam's apple and chest binding, no one would suspect her easily... But if her clothes were changed, she might not be able to get away with it.
There is no point in thinking too much. Let’s try again tomorrow.
The charcoal fire in the room was burning brightly. Mu Lin felt his throat dry. He got up quietly, picked up the teapot and poured a glass of water.
The overnight herbal tea went down her throat, like the first melting of a glacier, rushing straight up from her stomach to her head, stimulating Mu Lin to wake up all of a sudden. She looked out the window, the shadows of the magnolia trees were swaying, and the sky was still dark.
I can sleep for more than an hour.
Mu Lin walked back very lightly, but suddenly, she stopped and her pupils shrank instantly. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach, as if she was pierced by thousands of arrows!
Before she could recover from the shock, a sharp pain suddenly came like a strong wind, sweeping from the stomach to the limbs. Mu Lin couldn't help but bend down and protect her abdomen with her hands. Before she could catch her breath, another wave of pain came, like a knife cutting, making her sweat profusely.
Mu Lin's vision was blurred due to the pain. He stood up slowly in between contractions and wanted to lie back on the bed, but another wave of cramps came over him. He held onto the edge of the bed tightly, and cold sweat soaked his shirt.
At this moment, a pair of warm hands lifted her up, held her horizontally in their arms, and gently placed her on the bed.
Mu Lin felt more comfortable lying down. He breathed slightly and endured the cramps in his abdomen.
Qin Zishu lit the candle and stared at Mu Lin's pale face, "Yizhen, where does it hurt?"
Mu Lin frowned and said breathlessly, "I have abdominal cramps. There is a small blue medicine bottle in my bag. Brother, please help me find it and take out two pills."
"good."
Qin Zishu went to search without saying anything. There were five or six small medicine bottles in the bundle, made of porcelain, jade, and colored glaze, in various colors such as white, light pink, and lake green. Sure enough, there was a blue porcelain bottle among them.
Qin Zishu opened the red envelope and smelled a lingering fragrance. He poured out two black soybean-sized pills, helped Mu Lin sit up, and swallowed them with his hand.
The little girl's lips brushed against his palm, soft as dew, causing his eyes to dim slightly.
Mu Lin didn't notice anything wrong at all. The pill in her throat felt a little choking, so she chewed it slowly and swallowed it, leaving her mouth full of bitterness.
Qin Zishu picked up the kettle and tested the temperature. It was already cold. He frowned and went out to ask Shan Zheng to boil some water.
The pain in Mu Lin's stomach slowly subsided. She leaned on the soft pillow exhausted, watching Qin Zishu busying around for her, and her heart felt slightly warm.
Qin Zishu had been paying close attention to her situation. Seeing her brows gradually relax, he asked with concern, "Are you feeling better?"
"Well, thanks to my senior brother, otherwise I wouldn't even be able to get the medicine."
Mu Lin's smile was warm and soft. Qin Zishu inexplicably thought of the furry white fox cub he met during the hunting, which made him feel endless pity.
Shan Zheng brought in hot water, and Huixiang followed him carrying a copper basin. As soon as the two put down their things, they were sent out by Qin Zishu.
Qin Zishu personally wrung out the handkerchief and wiped Mu Lin's forehead and cheeks. He frowned as he wiped and leaned over to put his forehead against hers.
"Yizhen, why is your face getting redder and redder? Do you have a fever... No."
"It's okay, just a little hot."
Could she say that she was a little shy because she was too close to the opposite sex? Mu Lin felt that there was something wrong with her heart, and it kept beating.
A young deer was bumping against her chest. This feeling of being out of control made her a little upset...
Mu Lin lay down with his back to Qin Zishu and closed his eyes.
After a while, she turned around again and said helplessly: "Brother, you don't have to watch me, go to sleep for a while."
Qin Zishu touched her head and said, "I'm worried."
"It's okay. I feel much better. Brother, you didn't sleep for long because I woke you up late at night. Tomorrow morning is Master Xin's class, so you have to go half an hour earlier. You can go back to bed and sleep for a while. He hates to see students listless. Last time, Ye Cheng yawned twice in his class and was punished to stand for the whole morning..."
Qin Zishu suddenly interrupted her, "You have a good relationship with Ye Cheng?"
Mu Lin reacted instantly and shook his head sincerely, "No, no! It happened a long time ago, don't you remember it, Senior Brother?"
Are you kidding me? The last time she was caught reselling senior brother's portraits with Ye Cheng, he watched her paint a hundred portraits! No matter how she acted like a spoiled child, her senior brother just watched her with a smile, and he only calmed down when she finished painting one by one and her hands were almost broken. Ye Cheng was considered by her senior brother to be a bad influence, so how could she dare to associate with him
"That's good. Young people are fickle-minded and prone to getting into trouble. Don't associate with them."
"puff!"
Mu Lin suddenly laughed, revealing a row of white glutinous rice teeth, and his eyes were filled with sparkling smiles, "Brother, why do you act so old-fashioned? In fact, you are only a few years older than us..."
Qin Zishu flicked her forehead and sighed, "You are too childish."
"You are just a child."
Mu Lin pouted, looking more childish, "I want to hear a story... Senior Brother, do you want to tell me a story? Do you want to hurt Yizhen? Do you want to coax Yizhen to sleep?"
Qin Zishu was held by her clothes and asked three questions in a row. He had the illusion that he was raising a daughter. What else could he do with the little girl he liked? He could only spoil her.
His mind was full of plots and schemes, and there weren't many stories suitable for him to tell Mu Lin...
"Brother, tell you the story of the water god striking Mount Buzhou in anger?"
"No, I've heard of it."
Isn't it that the water god Yu Bing and the fire god Rong Rong made a battle, but the water god was ambushed and defeated, and he angrily hit Mount Buzhou? She knew everything that happened afterwards. Mount Buzhou was flooded, and the flood was raging, causing disaster to the world. Rong Rong joined forces with the earth god Yuan Ke to resist the flood with Xirang, and imprisoned Yu Bing in Mount Buzhou for 300,000 years. In the war of gods, Yu Bing was released, Rong Rong's faction was defeated, and Yu Bing imprisoned Rong Rong in Mount Buzhou and tortured him for 300,000 years.
Buzhou Mountain was soaked in the blood of the two gods and filled with brutal and violent divine power. No living creatures could survive and there were only dead things on the whole mountain. She was tricked by the Fairy Queen and fell into Buzhou Mountain, and survived the catastrophe together with her master who was looking for her.
Thinking of this, she didn't want to recall what happened in Buzhou Mountain at all...
"Have you ever heard the story of Ehuang and Nvying?"
"I saw it when I was three years old, but I don't remember it clearly. Can you tell me about it again, Senior Brother?"
"Okay." Qin Zishu thought for a moment and said, "Ehuang and Nvying, also known as Huangying. The elder is Ehuang and the younger is Nvying. They are the two daughters of Emperor Yao in mythology and legend. They were both married to Emperor Shun. They had a common son, Shangjun."
Mu Lin was shocked. The versions she had heard were definitely not so detailed. At least there was no record of such a bizarre thing as two sisters having the same child, otherwise she would not have forgotten it.
"Shun's father was stubborn, his mother was stupid, and his brothers were bad. They tried to kill Shun many times, but he was finally saved with the help of Ehuang and Nvying..." When he said this, a sneer flashed across Qin Zishu's lips.
Mu Lin continued to listen to this family's bizarre story, but he didn't quite agree with it.
"Shun succeeded Yao, and Ehuang and Nvying were his concubines. Later, Shun went to the south for an inspection and died in Cangwu. The two concubines went to look for him and learned that Emperor Shun had died and was buried at the foot of Mount Jiuyi. They hugged a bamboo and cried bitterly, and their tears stained the green bamboo. They died when their tears ran out, so they called it "Xiaoxiang Bamboo" or "Xiangfei Bamboo". This is the story of Ehuang and Nvying."
"oh… "
Mu Lin found a more comfortable angle and closed his eyes.
Qin Zishu keenly noticed that she was not in a good mood, "You really don't like it?"
"Ehuang and Nvying were very infatuated, but I don't like the practices of that era. The sisters shared a husband and helped him escape danger many times as virtuous wives. They must have given their hearts to Emperor Shun. And Emperor Shun must have had more than just Ehuang and Nvying, right? Even if he only had these two wives, his heart would be split in two and incomplete. How can this be considered a truly beautiful love?"
As a man, Qin Zishu heard this for the first time and subconsciously retorted: "For those in power, having three wives and four concubines is the norm. Emperor Shun dotes on them very much. Isn't this enough?"