Stranger and Chen in the Palace

?A burst of hurried footsteps passed the corridor outside Huayang Palace, and the little eunuch soon came to the palace, knelt down and said in panic: "I want to report to the empress, Concubine Yun, she is about to die, and sent servants to invite her to pass the palace." See you." The queen's hand holding the ivory comb stopped suddenly, and she said in silence for a while: "Understood, let's lead the way!"

The little eunuch secretly breathed a sigh of relief, it was already disrespectful to invite the queen to meet her in the concubine's womb, let alone a concubine living in a cold palace.Before he came, he was not sure that he could invite the queen, for fear that if the queen got angry, his future would be in jeopardy. Although he has no future at all, but Concubine Yun seemed to be sure that the queen would definitely go, so he had no choice but to give it a try. try.

The road from Huayang Palace to Yingyuan was very long, and it took less than half an hour to arrive. This was the first time that the Empress had looked at this place so carefully.Cherry Garden, as its name suggests, is a garden full of cherry trees. It was built by the emperor specially for Concubine Yun. This huge garden was once the most prosperous scene in the palace, and the people who lived here were even more brilliant. For a moment, she thought that she had been a queen for more than ten years, but her beauty was not as good as one or two percent of her back then.

"Your Majesty, we're here." The little eunuch cautiously reminded the distracted queen, the queen waved her hand lightly, and Feng Mo settled down: "You all wait outside." After speaking, he walked into Qingyu Hall alone, The tall palace gate behind him was slowly led by two maids.

The queen walked to the bed step by step, and the Concubine Yun lying on it was already dying. Although she was sick and haggard, she still couldn't hide her peerless youth.

Seemingly hearing someone coming, Concubine Yun slowly opened her eyes and stared straight at the queen in fine clothes. The queen was slightly uncomfortable being looked at by her, and took the lead to break the silence: "Do you hate me?"

"Hate!" Concubine Yun didn't hesitate, the short word seemed to use up all her strength.

The expected answer, the queen was calm and indifferent.After a while, Concubine Yun continued, "But I... hate him even more, and... myself."

The queen lowered her eyes and remained silent for a while: "You want to see me?"

"I'm about to die, that secret... will be buried in the ground with me, and the emperor and Chen'er will never know."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Bao Chen'er... a lifetime of peace!"

The queen sighed: "I will do my best."

After the person on the couch got the promise, the vitality on his face quickly faded. Thinking about holding his breath just now, the queen hesitated for a while and said: "Back then, I'm sorry!"

Just five simple words, but it is not easy for the queen to say it. Although she would still do that even if the time is reversed, if she can, she is willing to do something to prevent things from developing out of control.

Concubine Yun heard the words, raised her last breath, and looked directly into the queen's eyes, as if she was trying to find out whether the words were true or not.After a long time, a gleam of pity flashed across her eyes, she turned her eyes away from looking at the queen, her gaze was fixed on the top of the bed..."

The queen sighed inaudibly, turned and left, and the people behind her closed their eyes gently, and fell into a deep sleep forever——

After going out, the queen asked the little eunuch who had just led the way: "What's your name?"

The little eunuch quickly knelt down and replied respectfully: "Slave Shunde."

"From today on, you will follow the Third Highness."

"Slave complies with the order!" Shunde lowered his head.

The queen moved towards Feng Huo, and finally remembered something, turned around and said, "Take good care of him."

"Yes!"

The sky was getting darker, the queen felt extremely tired, and waved her hand weakly: "Go back to the palace—"

Two days later, the empress sent someone to bury Concubine Yun. The third prince, Ling Yichen, stood silently aside from the beginning to the end. The blazing flames were reflected on his somewhat pale face, flickering on and off, making it difficult to see his expression clearly.At the moment when Concubine Yun was completely engulfed by the sea of ​​flames, Ling Yichen suddenly rushed forward without warning, grabbing Concubine Yun's hand tightly.Everyone was astonished, and hurried forward to pull him away. Ling Yichen's hands were already burned by the fire, and the palms of his hands were scorched and blurred.

Shunde was anxious and distressed: "Your Highness, if you are like this, Concubine Yun will not feel at ease!" Two days ago, the queen told him to take good care of the third highness.

After listening to Shunde's words, Ling Yichen really didn't move, he just stood there, watching the fire burn his mother and concubine into ashes.After standing there for an unknown amount of time, everyone dispersed before Ling Yichen walked over slowly, knelt down, and hugged Concubine Yun's ashes tightly in his arms...

Shunde looked at his trembling back from a distance, feeling sad for a while, His Highness is still a child after all!

In April, Sakura Garden.

The cherry blossoms are in full bloom.

Ling Yichen stood alone in the garden, looking indifferently at the cherry blossoms all over the garden.In the past, whenever the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, his mother and concubine would always sit in the garden and watch the cherry blossoms. They often watched the cherry blossoms for a whole day, year after year, without changing.He didn't understand, although the cherry blossoms bloomed beautifully, wouldn't you get tired of looking at them all the time?

From the time he could remember, he and his concubine were the only ones in the garden. Except for the little eunuch Shunde who delivered the meals, he rarely had contact with outsiders.Ling Yichen knew that he was the emperor's son, but he didn't understand what that meant, even this was told to him by Shunde.He asked his concubine about the emperor, but the concubine beat him severely, and then asked him to always remember that he was only Luo Xianyun's son!

Although he wasn't afraid of being beaten, the strong hatred in Concubine Mu's eyes at that moment scared him. At that moment, he knew that Concubine Mu had many things to hide from him, but Ling Yichen didn't dare to inquire about it.I have to admit that the mother and concubine at that moment made him feel very distressed. Inexplicably, he also began to hate the person who made his mother and concubine suffer—the emperor!

On weekdays, the mother and concubine are always taciturn. Apart from teaching him to read and write, there is almost no communication between mother and child, not even ordinary greetings.

Therefore, he always intentionally failed to remember the contents of the book, so that the concubine mother would teach him several times.But to Ling Yichen's dismay, no matter whether he pretended to be stupid on purpose or occasionally showed his intelligence, the concubine mother never cared, as if he was not her son, but an irrelevant stranger.Ling Yichen was very disappointed, his mother and concubine never paid attention to him, her only child...

Concubine Mu's health has always been poor, especially after he was ten years old, the condition became more serious, but she didn't care at all. Several times, he saw Concubine Mu quietly pouring the medicine into the flower pot.She would never know that he had secretly asked Shunde to go to the imperial pharmacy to ask for those medicines with the few valuables he had on him.

Until the last six months, the concubine mother was seriously ill, her health was getting worse and worse, and she talked to him less and less, sometimes she didn't even say a word for two or three days.Ling Yichen started to get scared. For some reason, he had a vague feeling that his mother and concubine who had been with him for 13 years were about to leave him.Until that day, he saw a woman in a fine dress enter the bedroom of his mother and concubine. There were many court ladies and eunuchs guarding the door. It was the first time he saw so many people, and he quietly hid aside.Ling Yichen guessed that the concubine was waiting for someone. He thought that person was the emperor, but he didn't want it to be her.

After the woman left, he gently opened the door and went in to see Concubine Mu, only to find that she had already lost her breath.

Why, why in the end, the mother and concubine refused to leave a word to him, did she really not care about herself?Ling Yichen felt as if a piece of flesh had been ripped out of his heart. The mother and concubine on the bed were still pale, and the way she closed her eyes was no different from falling asleep, so that he suddenly felt that the mother and concubine were still there.Until the moment when the fire engulfed him, he had to admit that his mother and concubine had left him forever, and he would never see her again.From now on, only myself...

Ling Yichen lowered his head and glanced at the wound on his hand. After Shunde's treatment, the wound has begun to heal slowly.

Today is the No.20 three days since Concubine Mu left. The cherry blossoms are blooming so well that people's eyes are dazzled, but Concubine Mu can't see it anymore, or maybe she is watching quietly somewhere.

Suddenly, slight footsteps sounded behind him, Ling Yichen suddenly turned around, and called out in surprise: "Mother Concubine—"

Soon, a smile froze on his face.

A young man in white walked slowly towards him, and stood five steps ahead of him.

Ling Yichen was a little taken aback when he saw the young man's face clearly, his face was surprisingly handsome.A pair of bright eyes are slender and long, as bright as stars in the sky, there seems to be a faint light between the brows, the bridge of the nose is high, white as jade, two beautiful thin lips are slightly raised, and the smile is elegant.

The breeze blows, cherry blossom petals are flying all over the sky, the soft black hair flutters along with the white sleeves, and a few petals fall on the young man's shoulders...

"Who are you and why are you here?" Ling Yichen asked.

The visitor smiled slightly, and said gently: "I just entered the palace and got lost by accident, could you please tell me the way out of this garden?" His voice was nice, Ling Yichen looked at the person in front of him, hesitated a little, and then pointed to the west direction.After the boy in white thanked him with a bow, he went in the direction he pointed.Looking at the young man's leaving back, Ling Yichen suddenly felt a bit of reluctance, the smile just now made him feel-warm.

Who is this boy in white?

Two years later.

"Your Highness, your handwriting is so beautiful!" Shunde admired sincerely while studying the ink carefully.Before Ling Yichen could answer, he heard someone laughing, "Of course my son is the best."

The two followed the prestige and saw a middle-aged man wearing a jet-black dragon robe with gold lining standing at the door.Shunde gasped in surprise, and knelt down with a plop: "The servant knocks on His Majesty, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live, long live long live long live your majesty."

From the words of the visitor just now, Ling Yichen also guessed that this was the royal father he had never met before, and immediately got up and knelt down: "My son bows to the royal father." Although he has been living in the cold palace, Shunde still teaches all kinds of etiquette over him.

"Get up quickly, Chen'er, let the emperor take a good look at you." The emperor hurried over to help Ling Yichen, but Ling Yichen stood up before his hands could reach him.

The emperor withdrew his hand in embarrassment: "Chen'er has grown so big, why is it that the father only came to see you now?"

"I don't dare." Ling Yichen bowed his head in response.

There was a wry smile on the corner of the emperor's mouth: "Where's your mother and concubine?"

Two years ago, after Concubine Yun was cremated, her ashes and tablets have been stored in Qingyu Hall and have not been buried.Ling Yichen would often go there to see his concubine mother, just like before, quietly by her side.

After bringing the emperor to Qingyu Hall, Ling Yichen stood aside silently.When the emperor saw Concubine Yun's memorial tablet, he shook his body slightly, then stroked Concubine Yun's ashes and jade altar with both hands, and murmured: "Yun'er, I'm here..."

There was silence in the hall, the emperor stood in front of the memorial tablet, stroking the jade altar with his hand, and stopped talking.

After a long time, the emperor finally turned around, his eyes were moist, as if he had just cried, and his whole body instantly aged a lot, looking very haggard.

Ling Yichen was puzzled, he thought that the emperor didn't care about their mother and son, but at the moment, it didn't look like that, but why did he leave his mother and concubine and himself in the cherry garden for more than ten years, ignoring them? ?Even though he didn't understand in his heart, Ling Yichen didn't intend to ask. The lonely life of more than ten years had cultivated his indifference that didn't match his age. It didn't matter whether he cared or didn't care.Since he was a child, he knew that he was different from other children. No matter how hard he tried, his mother and concubine never cared about him, not even gave him a smile.He thought, maybe the concubine mother hated the emperor father, so she also hated him.No matter what, he still loves his mother and concubine, even though this woman is always stingy with her love for him.

"Chen'er, go back to the palace with your father!" The emperor's words interrupted his thoughts.

Ling Yichen knelt down and said, "I obey the order."

Many years later, he still remembered that on that day, his father and emperor slowly walked out of the cherry garden while holding the jade altar of ashes of his mother and concubine in one hand and holding his hand in the other.The familiar scenery in front of him faded one by one, and Ling Yichen's eyes gradually darkened. He knew that he would start a different life...