two cold

Cui Chengqin likes red.

More broadly speaking, Cui Chengqin likes any bright and bright colors. She likes to touch the silks and satins of apricot, purple and pink with her fingers one by one. belt, so Cui Chengqin has a reason to like red the most.

The insiders all said that Cui Chengqin was not like the children of previous generations of the Cui family. The previous generations of children in the family just listened to what the older generation of court ladies said.

"Where did you hear that, Mingyi?"

"Some of them were told by Ai Zhong."

"Ai Zhong? You said you don't like to talk about Ai Zhong?"

Cui Chengqin and Mingyi squatted in the corner like ordinary girls, chatting about recent issues.Only by taking advantage of the afternoon nap in the Supreme Palace, Cui Chengqin could find a gap in the intensive practice all day, and listen to Ming Yi's mysterious rumors about their Cui family.

"But why did Ai Zhong tell you this? Did she mention... other things about our Cui family?"

"Have you forgotten that Ai Zhong's Lady Shang is Zheng Shanggong? Apart from country tales, Lady Zheng Shanggong also talks about court secrets!"

Cui Chengqin and Ming Yi chatted one after another, but Han Aizhong's stubborn face appeared in his mind.I remember that once Ming Yi slipped her mouth, knowing that Ai Zhong was a pariah who used to work in a brothel, her inexplicable fear of Ai Zhong increased. Ming Yi once asked her that the older she got, the more she rejected Ai Zhong , she hesitated and couldn't answer why, so she had to blame Ai Zhong's background.

It wasn't until the shadow of the sun leaned slightly from the treetops that Cui Chengqin stood up in a panic and hurried back before the Supreme Palace woke up.When she ran across the garden in a hurry, she stopped in front of the last poplar tree. With a face full of horror and panic, she met the visitor coldly.

The poplar trees rustled, and the fallen leaves in autumn were like knives cutting the shadow of the person in front of me into strands and strands. Memories were flying in the air, and those who could not be grasped were all broken into one place, until the highest point in the distance. When Shang Gong's sharp shout came, Cui Chengqin fled in a hurry like abandoning armor and dragging soldiers.

But when she ran for dozens of steps and looked back, she saw the hairband that Ai Zhongwan was wearing on the black silk, shining bright red in the falling gold dust. It was made of the Ming Dynasty silk she tied. His red headband is not as good as Ai Zhong's.

Before Cui Chengqin had time to think about it, she heard the scolding from the most noble palace, and hurried into the imperial kitchen.

Cui Chengqin felt that she always saw a lot of contradictions in her world, like the day when she was shocked to see that a serious person would have a delicate side, like she had to frame her best friend despite having such a good friendship with Ming Yi.When the Supreme Palace revealed that she poisoned Concubine Rencui’s meal, Ming Yi reported it to the Palace of Training and Education, and Cui Chengqin was almost paralyzed in the place, but the sharp eyes of the Supreme Palace kept forcing her to make a decision ──"Xun Yushanggong has already asked, she is the only one who saw this matter, I want you to get rid of Xu Mingyi!"

"But Mingyi is..."

"Don't you understand! There is no friendship in the court, and all the obstacles are enemies! If Xu Mingyi had regarded you as a friend, he would not have informed Shang Yu of this matter. You──come with me now!"

──So Xu Mingyi quietly left the world, like a red flower silently falling from the branch and flowing away with the water.

But she was promoted to Shang Palace shortly after Ming Yi left.Turning from a bun to a bun, looking at the two red hair ties on the table, the faded ones were finally put into the bottom of the box, Cui Chengqin looked at the bronze mirror, and tied the black hair with the red hair brought back from the Ming Dynasty.

You said, Ai Zhong helped you that day?

Mingyi... what are you guys doing?

"What are you doing?!"

When Han Aizhong's angry tone came from the other side of the palace, Cui Chengqin's heart twitched, and then he turned to face him with a smile on his face. "Ai Zhong, what's the matter?"

"Don't call me by my name." Ai Zhong's eyes, which were always cold, now turned into burning flames, burning towards her unreservedly—"Ming Yi's matter, don't think that nobody knows it, Ming Yi... I I will take good care of you for Mingyi!"

"...I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Cui Chengqin," Ai Zhong slowed down her tone, biting out each word from between her lips and teeth, as if she was trying to cut something. "This is the last time I call your name, Cui Chengqin──Cui Shanggong."

It wasn't until Han Aizhong turned around that she covered her mouth to prevent those doubts or grievances from venting. The tears went against her will, and she was clamoring wildly on her face like a protest.She didn't understand what kind of feeling it was, because she lost Mingyi, so she couldn't lose Han Aizhong, who barely supported her as a friend?Just why is it more painful than the time of losing Mingyi?

Cui Chengqin only watched Han Aizhong's back disappear into the darkness, as if that was his own world, too cold and silent.

So Cui Chengqin, who had no other distractions, began to follow the most noble palace day and night, accepting the constraints brought by the family wholeheartedly, and devoted herself to cultivating the successors of the family.

It's just Jinying's friendly attitude towards Han Aizhong and Jang Jin who is with Aizhong, which makes her restless every time. Looking at the cold Jinying's eyes looking at each other, she repeatedly pulls Jinying back to her side and warns her.

"Han Shanggong, don't think that I don't know what's going on in your heart, no matter what, I won't let you hurt the seedlings of the Cui family──"

"Jinying, you must think I'm ruthless. But she and I are also friends who grew up together."

She is often startled by Jinying's eyes looking at Jang Jin, which is like a too clear and translucent mirror, always reflecting the part of her heart that she does not want to face the most, so she can only hold on to the visible things Things—power, reputation, status, use these to fill up an empty place in my heart.

As the former Supreme Court told her, there is no friendship in the court, and she admonished Jinying in the same way, even forcing Jinying to make a choice between personal friendship and the interests of the whole family.Although she didn't quite understand why Jinying would rather give up her self-esteem in the end and lay out a brimstone trick for her, but she gave Jinying a positive smile, even if behind the smile she would sigh sadly.

Han Aizhong was finally convicted of treason and exiled to Jeju Island. She didn't know what feelings she had for this friend who had lost her friendship for a long time.In the chaos, she walked to the death row.

"is you……"

"no."

"It's you. Me, Mingyi, and Jang Geum were all framed by you, it's you!" Ai Zhong in the dungeon was weak and feeble, but her words were still powerful. "Tell me, Mingyi was also killed by you, right?"

"No, you all asked for this. Mingyi, you and Jang Geum all have many chances to survive. It's not that I didn't give you the chance, it's that you gave up the chance yourself. Don't admit defeat and don't want to bow your head You have committed the crime of not being willing to submit to power..." She turned her head away from Ai Zhong's gaze. "Please go quietly. I don't want to, never do such a thing again, you have to help me."

"What is Mingyi in your heart?"

The sudden question made her stunned, she didn't understand why Ai Zhong used such a tone of question, but when she turned her head, she only vaguely saw a trace of sadness flashing in those pupils.

When she was young, she was lying on Ming Yi's lap, talking about all kinds of things after the poplar tree incident. Ming Yi's fingers brushing her hair paused suddenly, and asked her: "You said, Ai Zhong helped you that day?"

Before she could say anything, she heard the voice of Ai Zhong. "Mingyi... what are you doing?"

Ai Zhong's eyes were the same as that day.She looked at Ai Zhong, and said the deepest answer in her heart──"If Mingyi is pain in your heart, then it is fear to me."

Until she saw off Ai Zhong for the last time in the Hanyang market, and returned to the poplar tree in the palace, she raised her eyes and muttered to herself:

"My heart hurts, right?"

Shouldn't there be only fear, why would the heart hurt?

Cui Chengqin was still pursuing fame and fortune all her life until she left the palace and fled to Dongren Mountain.

What she thought was how to make a comeback, so that the Cui family could not be defeated by her.It was only when the branch hooked the hairband and the end of the branch beside the cliff was blown by the wind that Cui Chengqin stopped and looked at the red hairband.

Memories rushed in in her mind, but they were like flowers in a mirror that couldn't be grasped everywhere, so she stretched her arms and tried her best to grab them. Just when she thought she was going to catch the memories, her feet slipped, and she grabbed the branches with both hands indiscriminately. Man hangs on the edge of the cliff—

"Chengqin, jump down quickly! We will catch you."

"Chengqin, hurry up!"

That year when they were under the poplar tree in the palace, she grabbed the branch and cried loudly to pick up the hair tie.Looking at Ming Yi and Ai Zhong below, she only tremblingly said: "I'm really scared, I dare not dance..."

"Jump down, we'll catch you!" Ai Zhong, who was always serious, forced a smile on his face in order to persuade her.

She looked at Ai Zhong's smile, listened to Ming Yi's reassurance, let go of her hand, and jumped down decisively.

Sure enough, it didn't hurt at all.

──She let go of her hand, and the red hair ribbon floated from her palm to the sky.

After Ming Yi, Ai Zhong and her ran away from under the poplar tree that day, they heard the most noble palace looking for the culprit who messed up the practice field. Gong hurriedly called her voice.

While getting up, Ai Zhong pressed her shoulder. "The empress of the most noble palace will scold people, your hair hasn't been tied yet."

Ai Zhong gently combed her hair with ten fingers, and then wrapped the hair band around her hair. Finally, she said in a low voice, she turned her head to look at Ai Zhong's bright eyes.

"I helped you tie your hair." Ai Zhong suddenly said this.

She looked at it inexplicably, and smiled. "From now on, someone will comb my hair every day."

She saw that Ai Zhong turned her head slightly, and the same red hair band as hers was tied between her dark black hair, which made people want to reach out and touch it.

Cui Chengqin looked at the smear of red floating farther and farther away in the azure blue, and the memories that had been forgotten all the time jumped into his mind vividly.

──Hair tie is also a constraint.

──Restrict what?

──Constraint... You and I will be good friends for a lifetime.

She was clearly in the shadow of the lake that was as bright as a mirror, and saw Han Aizhong behind her looking away with some worry, and she smiled happily when she saw herself in the shadow of the lake.

Of course, a lifetime of...

The author has something to say: Constraint can be used as an agreement, which means agreement in Korean.