empress and princess

In the early winter of Jingyuan 29, the trees were withered, and the entire Taishang Palace could hardly see a trace of spring. Only the two proud plum trees outside the window of the sleeping hall bloomed in full bloom in the cold, amazed for half a lifetime.

Those two plums were actually planted by Qin Jiufeng himself 60 years ago, the first year after she entered the palace.

Since then, she has been watching it year after year, watching it grow vigorously, watching it bloom brightly, watching it wither silently, watching it meet the spring and reborn, and silently watching it ruthlessly witness I grow old every year.

Wei Si is old, really old, and she has come to the end of her life this year.

Although she didn't look old or sick from the description, but Wei Si was bedridden, lying in a daze, her breath getting weaker and weaker.

The imperial doctor concluded that the Empress Dowager Wei would not survive this winter.

Later, many famous doctors were invited, and the diagnosis was consistent with that of the imperial doctor, and he would not survive this winter.Every time the Empress Dowager Wei heard the words, she would always nod her head in a pleasant manner. Of course she knew best about her body and bones. Even she herself felt that Wei Si would not live until next spring.

So just after noon that day, Empress Dowager Wei woke up, feeling very energetic, and missed her daughter Jihuang very much, so she sent someone to invite her.Just as she was closing her eyes to rest, Ji Huang came quietly, knelt under the bed, and called her softly: "Mother."

Wei Si opened her eyes, looked at her daughter whose hair had started to turn gray, and held her hand with the same kindness and kindness.The mother and daughter looked at each other, speechless for a long time.In this huge Xianyang Palace, seeing the old people leave one by one, only they are left to depend on each other, and they have all turned from black hair to white hair.Seeing that her daughter looked like she had been abandoned with tears in her eyes, the depression lingered deeply in Wei Si's heart, and then she turned her head, looked out of the window, looked at the two plum trees, and slowly laughed.Wei Si said softly: "There is no wind or snow today, the weather looks good, please help me up, Ji Huang will go for a walk with mother." Her tone was steady and gentle.

It was rare for his mother to be so interested, so Qin Jihuang hurriedly agreed.

The mother and daughter were fully dressed and went out.

Stepping on the snow, the Empress Dowager Wei's body was clearly healthy, she walked without shaking at all, and did not take a deep breath.

On the other hand, her family, Ji Huang, had only been away for less than half an hour, and her wrinkled forehead was already sweating, and her breathing became a little disordered, but her footsteps never lagged behind, and she carefully supported the Queen Mother, walking step by step with She walked forward.

If Ji Huang still has martial arts protection, even if she is old, she should be the same as her, not afraid of the cold, and rarely suffers from illness in her life, but unfortunately she lost her inner breath in that palace, and every severe winter, Ji Huang was invaded by the wind and cold body, always feel uncomfortable and cough for a few days.

She thought, this is the price, right?Is it the price?

Thinking about it again felt melancholy, Wei Si patted the back of her daughter's hand, and said this sentence with some feeling: "Your Majesty is still young, you should take care of your health." It's only natural for a mother to care about her daughter, but even she felt a bit hypocritical when she said this .

Qin Jihuang smiled and nodded in agreement.

After walking around and finally returning, the two sat side by side under the century-old tree, talking while looking up at the falling petals.The Empress Dowager Wei knew that time was short, and while she still had breath, she was the one who explained the funeral most of the time, and Ji Huang listened very patiently.

The Empress Dowager Wei said: "Your little uncle hates me so much, so she deliberately died where I am sitting now. Her purpose is to make me feel guilty for the rest of my life, and let me live in guilt for the rest of my life. Although Aijia has guilt, I'm sorry. Too many people, I'm sorry for your father, I'm sorry for your little uncle's deep affection. Although my mother has regrets in her life, she never regrets. As the Empress Dowager of Qin, it is the responsibility of the Ai family to protect the country, and the Ai family never regrets. Ji Huang , don't blame Aijia."

Qin Jihuang didn't speak, but held her mother's hand tightly.

"It's been 30 years, and you still blame me? Blame your mother for pushing you out cruelly, and suffer the grievances of the world." Queen Mother Wei asked, raising her hand to touch her face, guilt finally appeared in her eyes.

Qin Jihuang shook her head, and shook her head again.All the resentment that shouldn't be there has long since dissipated.

Wei Si smiled, and changed her stroking to pinching her face: "At this time, are you still unwilling to talk to your mother? After all, you have grown up. After becoming emperor, you have your own thoughts, and you don't want to hide your thoughts in your heart." I'll tell my mother again. But even if you don't tell me, mother will know, and you have gone to see her every time His Majesty tours the south. Isn't it?"

Qin Jihuang lowered her head when she heard the words, as if at a loss, her posture was like a child who admitted her mistake: "Yes." After admitting it, there was no need to explain too much.

The person who has been trapped for 30 years has never trapped her heart.Sinister, Wei Si let out a long sigh, covered her face, leaned on Ji Huang's shoulder, and said slowly, "When your little uncle was young, he often said that doing whatever you want is one of the great pleasures in life. You have been with Little Huangshu for the longest time, have you thought about what she said like this?"

"Think about it." After a moment of silence, Qin Jihuang said, "It's useless, my status as a minister doesn't allow me to think too much." The sky was filled with cold and fine snow again, and she hurriedly wrapped her arms around her mother and embraced her, Covering his mother's chilly body, he rubbed her hands while breathing.

"You are the Emperor of Qin, not the emperor of your mother alone. Since you love her so much, why didn't you welcome her back to the palace?"

"My mother also said that my son is the emperor of the Great Qin Dynasty, and he must always take the overall situation into consideration and not act willfully. Empress Mother, I am your daughter, and I understand what should be done and what should not be done through your words and deeds."

"Do you really understand?"

"En!" She nodded heavily, "I understand."

After saying this, the mother and daughter looked at each other and smiled happily.Whether you understand it or not, or hide something, it doesn't matter.

How can Wei Si's daughter be mediocre and incompetent?The most important thing at the moment is to continue to entrust the funeral affairs, this is what the Queen Mother Wei should worry about.

As for the private meeting between the two of them every year, Wei Si didn't really want to take care of it, and it was useless.

Empress Dowager Wei said that she should be buried with the late king after she died.Ji Huang is already the emperor, and the emperor's parents should be together. She said that although she didn't love the former king in her heart, she was married to the former king, and she should be a member of the Qin family for life and death. She could not betray Da Qin, let alone her own daughter. Ji Huang.

Qin Jihuang wrenched her heart and replied, okay.

The Empress Dowager Wei said, Your Majesty is over 57, you are not young anymore, don't be too tired, the important affairs of the family and the country can be properly put aside, and more of them will be left to the mother-in-law to train the next generation of successors of Daqin, and Daqin is also the foundation of the country.

Qin Jihuang nodded, with tears in her eyes.She said, good.

Empress Dowager Wei said that Qin Jihuang did not dare to refute, no matter what her mother told her, she would obey.

In the end, Empress Dowager Wei said that the emperor is not allowed to cry, the emperor must be strong, birth, old age, sickness and death are normal, she can't see her daughter sad.

Qin Jihuang held back: good.She doesn't cry, just don't cry.

But breaking the bones and tendons, how can you not be sad.Her mother, Empress Dowager Wei, Wei Si...doesn't want her anymore.

Snowflakes are still flying, rolling the rain of plum blossoms all over the sky, the red and white are intertwined, the extremely beautiful plum blossoms, the eyes are a piece of delicate red, as if dyed on the eyes and fell on the heart.Wei Si closed her eyes, not sad, and at the end of her life, she muttered: "Jihuang, mother can't be with you forever, Tianhan, you remember to add more clothes, and eat more when you are hungry. Your Majesty must remember deeply that everything is about the people. , Don’t forget the root, it is the continuation of the Great Qin Dynasty for thousands of years. Mother, I can’t protect you anymore. Mother is gone. I want to follow your little emperor uncle, follow you Li Chengxiang, and follow your father. Mother is not by your side, so take care of yourself Take care of yourself. Ji Huang, mother loves you very much, loves you very much..."

In the winter of this year, Empress Dowager Wei passed away.A person who has lived nearly 80 years old has achieved what he wanted in his life, and he should have died long ago.

Death also ends with a smile.

******

"I heard that Emperor Qin left Pingyu Mountain not long ago when he was on a tour to the south. After crossing the Yellow River for a few hundred miles, he arrived at the old city of King Chu under our feet! In my opinion, my brothers and sisters Let's take a rest for a few days, and try your luck, seeing Qin Huang's majesty, that is really lucky!"

It was another spring, and the bustling Chujing Street was still bustling. A group of business travelers entered the city of Chujing and found a tea shed to rest their feet.After Niu drank three big bowls of herbal tea, he quenched his thirst and quenched his thirst. One of them excitedly talked about it, and the group started chatting like this.

The Great Qin Emperor is a magical figure, there are countless rumors about her, and the common people love to talk about it, but whenever the topic of the emperor comes up, there are always people with good intentions watching and chiming in.

Sure enough, the business traveler was discussing, and before they could say a few words, the small tea shed was quickly filled with people chattering, which made the business traveler think they were here to provoke trouble.

"If there is no Great Qin Emperor, how can I have the glory I have today. I may marry into a family where I will marry a husband and teach children. From then on, we will never be married. If I can see the Qin Emperor once in my life, I will die without regret!" Shang Jia The well-dressed woman clapped her hands and smiled.

"That's right, that's right, what I said coincided with me. Thanks to the blessing of the Emperor Qin, the next girl was able to enter the school and study the ancient scrolls. One day, I will shine in the door!" A woman dressed as a student beside her go along.

"Since the reform, women can firstly engage in business, and secondly, can practice literature and martial arts. At the top, they can become officials in the court, and at the bottom, they can protect the dawn of one party. This is the only one in the past and present! What a character the Emperor Qin is."

They sighed, and were glad that they lived in such an enlightened age.

"No matter how great your achievements are, it's a pity that a hero can't be a beauty. No matter how strong a woman is, she also has weaknesses. Let me tell you a secret secret, so don't spread nonsense everywhere." The man who spoke mysteriously caused everyone to silence , pricked up his ears to listen to the human voice: "Qin Huang doesn't love Wang Fu, but prefers beauties!"

"Call-"

Everyone roared with laughter.What kind of secret is this?The world knows it!

Outside the tea shed, the spring is bright and beautiful, a woman in white is standing quietly in front of the stall, just to buy some vegetables, and after four or five steps away, she listens to all the words.

The conversation over there was in full swing, and the owner of the street vendor stretched his neck and listened enthusiastically, so he left the vegetable buyer aside.The woman in white silently put down the silver, turned and left, the breeze blew up the corner of her veil, and a half-curved lip was faintly visible.

Not long after walking to a martial arts arena, Chu Huaimin slowed down and looked around. At this moment, he suddenly remembered many scenes.

There was the scene where the man flew onto the stage to fight the man, and of course there was the scene where a child about five or six years old suddenly jumped out of the bustling crowd and hugged her legs and refused to let her go.

"I know you, don't leave!" The child in Xuanyi said surprisingly at that time.The child raised his head so that she could see clearly, his face was white and clean, and those peach blossom-shaped eyes were both surprised and delighted.

"But I don't know you." The child was not accompanied by an adult, and his clothes didn't look like ordinary people. At that time, Chu Huaimin had no choice but to bend down, look at the child, and took out a bunch of candied haws from the flower basket and handed it to her: "You What about my lord?"

The child didn't pick it up, and blinked, looking at the candied haws and her, as if hesitating.

"Eat." Chu Huaimin stroked her hair, "I'll take you home after eating. Children are not allowed to run around, family members should be anxious."

"You are not a bad person, you are a very good person." For some reason, the child smiled, holding candied haws in one hand, while holding Chu Huaimin's hand with the other and refused to let go.He is not very big, but he is very eloquent when he speaks: "My family lives in the outskirts of the city, a little far away, but it doesn't matter. With you here, I am not afraid of anything. Just like my mother is by my side, I believe in you. By the way, If you send me home, my mother will definitely thank you very much, as a thank you, you can ask my mother for anything you want."

People are small and big, and being trusted by the little people, Chu Huaimin laughed when he heard it.The child's words didn't pay much attention.It's just a coincidence that she was temporarily living in the outskirts of the city, and they happened to drop by along the way.

"What's your name?" Chu Huaimin asked her on the way.

"Ji Shuang."

"Ji Shuang. The name is not bad, why don't you eat candied haws?"

"My mother likes to eat it, so I'll bring it home to her." Ji Shuang hid it in her arms very dearly, afraid of losing it.

"You are very filial."

"Mother is working hard alone, I have to be obedient." Ji Shuang blinked, pulled her sleeves, and said again amazingly: "There is nothing wrong, I have really seen you, I see you every day! "

"Where did you see it?"

"It's in my mother's dormitory. There is a painting hanging beside the bed, which looks exactly like you!"

In the seventh year of Jingyuan, exactly five years, Qin Huang made his first southern tour, and they met for the first time.

Not far from the martial arts arena, a red-robed woman stood in the crowd with her hands behind her back.Although the woman has white hair, her waist is very straight, but when she stands there, her powerful momentum makes the world pale.Seeing her extraordinary demeanor, the bystanders didn't dare to step forward to disturb her, they gave way one after another and hurried away.Soon, a woman in white wearing a veil appeared, and the man finally took a step, looked at her, and stretched out his hand.

The white-clothed woman also has white hair, but her graceful figure is extremely good, and her demeanor is more than noble, but she wears a veil to cover her face, so that people can't see her peerless elegance.

"You came?"

"Yeah, I'm here again. I'm here when I miss you." Qin Jihuang said with some confidence, "Hold hands and go home."

When I was old, seeing her once a year was finally no longer satisfied, and I was greedy to grow old together.That's why Qin Jihuang came to find Chu Huaimin to go home.

As the sun sets, a gorgeous sunset glow slowly blooms on the edge of the sky, and the two women leave hand in hand.

……

"Qiwu, my dear Qiwu, I won't be king anymore, can I have a chance with you?"

"Unless you admit defeat."

"Stingy! I have to admit defeat to have a chance?"

"Ah."

"I am the chief culprit, and you are the troublesome beauty. You are a perfect match, so you should be entangled for the rest of your life, until you die!"

"Ok?"

"Okay, okay, Qin Jihuang admits defeat, I admit defeat, I have completely lost to you."

"I'm used to wandering around, and I'm afraid you won't be used to living a rough life."

"It's okay, I can just have you." She said, with a smirk on her lips, and pinched the other person's waist like a trick, "Walking around, can you take me?"

Chu Huaimin chuckled lightly, interlocking his fingers with her: "Naturally I will take you."

From then on, in spring, summer, autumn and winter, birth, old age, sickness and death, she took her with her and never left her.

The author has something to say: the end of the curtain, the end of the play.