Song of Time – Dusk Awakening Verse - Chapter 133
It was Ye Lan, who was quiet, flying snow one after another concealed all the exposed traces inside and outside the imperial city, except for the footprints that had just been stepped out in the harem of the East Palace of the Prince.
The three silent figures followed closely behind them and walked towards the well pavilion deep in the apse.
The royal guard Mo in night clothes walked in the forefront to lead the way. He wrapped the mask again, and his footsteps against the wind and snow were fast and slow, and he seemed unaccustomed to walking in the forefront.
Relying on the horrifying news that “The Jade King is suspected to be crazy”, he told the prince to go to the palace to meet the princess. The night was dark, and this rumor should not be publicized. He came from the palace by means of water escape, so he naturally thought of using the same method to return.
In response to his suggestion, the prince was silent for a few seconds, only to feel that it would be a loss of royal dignity to use such a sneaky water escape technique…
Mo did not notice the displeasure in his heart, and asked him again when he was silent. The night was dark and the situation was urgent. Shun Ben didn’t want to spend more time on the road, and finally let go of his entanglement and nodded in agreement. The three of them left the hall and went straight to the well in the backyard leading to the palace.
The water monk Ling walked behind him, wearing a light white velvet over his bright red dress. At this time, when the cold wind blows, his wine spirit has faded, but he still looks confused, as if he is a little confused.
Ten years ago, after having a fight with the Jade King who should be called “uncle”, Ling left the capital to go alone and never came back. These years of being alone, there are certainly hardships, but the unfettered vast world makes her gradually forget this place that should be called “home”. She thought she didn’t need to remember anymore in her heart, but when she heard the news that the Jade King was “suspected to be mad”, the spider webs that seemed to be inescapable in the past fluttered from the bottom of her heart, tangling her firmly.
Has the secluded and deep palace changed now? She hasn’t even sent a letter in these years. Does anyone remember herself? She was about to face her relatives she hadn’t seen in ten years. She had many worries in her heart, and remembered that when she met Mo just now, the other party didn’t seem to have much eagerness to reunite. She couldn’t help feeling a little bit of timidity, and she was almost slippery. He fell and was supported by the quick-responsive prince behind him.
Ling smiled apologetically to Shun. Although the prince was a little confused about her strangeness, he had no time to take care of it at the moment. He was still speculating about the authenticity of the rumors, if it was a false news, otherwise… He thought of the possible turbulence, and his heart was secretly worried. He looked up and glanced forward, the one covered with snow The small wooden pavilion is near.
The guard in black took the lead to walk to the octagonal deep well in the pavilion, and immediately explored his hand into the well for secret luck. A burst of blue and black light shone, and the cold and icy clear water surged up, and soon he was with the mouth of the well. It’s even. Maintaining the spell, he turned his head and glanced back without saying a word. He only used his eyes to signal the two companions to follow him quickly.
The prince frowned again, still a little unhappy that the well in the backyard of the East Palace could connect to the Jade Prince’s Mansion. He paused and wondered whether to seal the loophole afterwards, and ignored him for a while.
Ling was thinking about what to say after seeing the princess, and realized that Mo was already casting a spell in a daze. He frowned and said, “What are you in a hurry? The prince doesn’t know how to escape from water. You can do it alone. Is it? We have to gather our strengths together to save trouble.” Her realm of divine power is now higher than Mo, and the black guard naturally obeyed and stopped.
The female monk did what she said, grabbing the prince’s right wrist with her backhand, and regardless of whether he had any doubts, she ran straight forward. The self-talking actions of these two people left Shun speechless, so he could only sigh in secret. Why did he run into two guys with little brains today?
Ling pulled the prince two or three steps forward, and reached the mouth of the well with his left hand. The bright blue light merged into the black water of ink. The divine power group formed by the two monks trembled a few times, and instantly expanded, enclosing all three of them, and turned into a blur of blue light, and disappeared into the well water.
A few minutes later, beside the remote and dry well in the apse of the Jade King’s Mansion in the giant forest, a faint blue light also flashed, and the three figures stood outside the well in an instant.
Shun had never been to the back hall of the Jade King’s Mansion, and he raised his eyes and scanned the surrounding area while standing outside the well. The front and back are all dark dense forests covered by giant trees, leaving only the unmarked snow around the dry well. In the quiet night, occasionally snow fell from the tall tree canopy overhead, adding new traces of white flowers.
Ling saw this familiar forest of giant trees, and the memory fragments of playing in the forest with Xiao Yuming when she was young instantly reverberated, making her involuntarily step forward a few steps, standing on this big tree that has remained unchanged after ten years of wind and frost. Issued startled.
Mo took the prince a few steps forward, and stopped again when she found that she hadn’t followed. He didn’t understand the melancholy that the other party was turning over, so he urged softly, lest he let the princess wait for a long time.
Ling was disturbed by his annoying voice, and he slipped out of the door of the memory. He couldn’t help but give him a white look. He walked carefully with Qiu Yi around, and walked outside behind the ignorant guy.
The huge black tree stood tall and could not see the pavilions. Shun thought it would take some time to walk, but he had just walked into the woods for more than ten steps, and his eyes suddenly lit up, and several white tiled houses with blue water lanterns appeared not far away—it seems this ancient well There should be a magic circle similar to an illusion set up around it to cover up its location.
“The front is the place where the Royal Concubine is submerged.” Mo Chao compared his hands with the white house, and was about to lead the two forward. The door of the house suddenly opened to both sides. One was wearing a light jute robe and a white velvet shawl. The gentle-looking female nun walked out slowly, standing by the door and looking straight at the people in front of the forest covered by illusion.
Before the prince could move, Ling couldn’t bear the excitement of reunion, and he whispered “Auntie”, and wanted to rush forward, but was afraid that the other party would blame himself for being unfeeling and reluctant to recognize each other. He bit his lip and never dared to take a step. .
“A Ling, you can count as coming back…” Princess Nuohuai did not have the worries she imagined. Looking at the beautiful figure standing in the snow, the temperament that has been cultivated for many years can’t help but feel excited. A little blue light floated in the pupil.
She was supposed to have a thousand things to say, but she could see that the niece who was afraid to step forward like a little girl who seemed to have gotten into trouble could not utter a word of blame, and could only sigh and wave her hand. A huge water-stripe barrier covers the front of the white house like a circle, blocking out the sound of wind and snow.
The water-patterned protective wall on the top of his head was like a silent understanding, which made Ling’s thoughts that had been hanging for a long time finally settled down. Suddenly she felt a bit sore, and hurried forward a few steps, holding the princess’s arm affectionately as if she was a child, and with a smile on her face, she kept asking and asking, and she seemed to confide in the intimacy that she hadn’t said in the past ten years. That little daughter’s posture made Shun, who had been accustomed to her aggressive performance, feel a little unreal sense of absurdity.
Seeing that she was so well-behaved, the princess couldn’t help but think of the girl who patted her **** and wanted to be a general in the past, she was totally different. She looked closely at the girl’s eyebrows and her eyes. Although she was pretty as yesterday, she also added a lot of maturity. She felt that she must have suffered a lot over the years, she couldn’t help feeling pity, and her words were more gentle and kind.
The two hadn’t met for a long time, and they couldn’t finish talking. Until the prince couldn’t help but cough, the princess realized that he had neglected the guest, and turned around to apologize: I’m really ashamed to come here…”
“The princess doesn’t need to be polite.” Shun didn’t want to say more polite words, waved his hand and went straight to the subject. “What is the situation in the palace right now, you might as well speak straight.”
“This is a long story… Let me talk in detail.”
She walked sideways into the bright room to compare, and with a soft eyebrow with a nodded head, she walked through the door. Shun followed in without hesitation, leaving the guard in black alone, raising his hand to cover the door, quietly guarding himself at the door.
This white tile main building has three floors up and down, square and square. There are no pillars in the hall, and the ground is covered with fine green rattan straw mats. Under the light of more than ten bright yellow magic lights on the walls, it is almost as shiny as jade. The furnishings in the hall are very simple. Except for a round low table in the center and several soft cushions scattered around, there is no other furniture.
Several people took their seats. Although the prince had nothing to do with the Jade King, he still had respect for the princess, who was deeply involved in cultivating. The darker the night, the more it would be difficult to stay for too long, so he asked the reason: “I heard what Mo said, Someone in the palace secretly spread rumors… I wonder what is going on with Uncle Ling now?”
Nuohuai nodded but didn’t make a sound. First, he took out the shiny purple wood beads from his sleeve and sat in silence for a moment with his eyes closed. Then he seemed to clear his thoughts and said with a light sigh, “Since I came out here. I’m upset all day, and I can’t sit still. I’m not sure what the prince is at this moment. To be honest, I’m not sure. Hey, I have to talk about it since the beginning of the month…
“That day, I was doing morning class with Ming’er, and the prince didn’t know where he was coming back from, and excitedly said that he would take Ming’er to retreat together for practice. It’s rare for him and his son to work together like this, how can I not? It should be reasonable, but I did not expect that they have not come out of this retreat…
“The prince was very solemn in this retreat, and he also specially set a magic seal outside the secret room to avoid being disturbed by others. Although I was worried, I had nothing to do. I could only wait patiently. But unexpectedly the night before, Mo suddenly came to follow I talked about this rumor…”
When she said this, she suddenly had a meal, and her soft, moon-like face couldn’t help but bring a bit of dark cloud: “I also blame me for never paying attention to things on weekdays. Many people in the house have changed without knowing… I naturally feel strange when he says it. The next day, I wanted to go to the side hall where the prince retreats, but found that there were all newly hired soldiers outside the building, and I didn’t even know any of them.”
The princess thought of the gloomy guards who wear iron masks all day long, and couldn’t help but frown slightly. Without further talking, Shun immediately asked, “Where did these guards come from?”
“No one ever mentioned to me…These people are wearing masks all day long. They have never done anything except shift changing of guards. It’s really weird. I also heard A Bing say…” Wang Hao suddenly remembered Shun Bing. I didn’t know this person, and added, “A Bing is my distant relative. Now he is the only cook in the palace, so he has to go outside the palace to buy some take-out meals. He hurriedly ran and said the day before Many lunch boxes were found in the woods outside the temple. A small number was sent to the group of guards in recent days, not even a bite.”
“That’s amazing, don’t those people eat? Is it possible to learn how to practice the asceticism of the elder Mu, and want to be immortal?” Ling has been sitting upright as a good girl, and can hear Here finally couldn’t help but laughed, and the princess scowled when he heard the words: “Don’t talk nonsense, how can you laugh about that old man!”
Monk Shui was trained to lower his head and spit out his tongue in secret, not daring to talk nonsense.
Shun felt that there was no need to worry about such a trivial matter. He directly suggested: “It’s just some recruited soldiers. If the princess feels wrong, why not expel them all?”
Nuohuai slowly shook her head: “The prince doesn’t know anything. They have a letter of appointment from the prince’s letter, and they have not committed any mistakes. I can’t order to drive away at will.” She sighed again, paused for a moment and continued, “What’s more, A few days ago, those rumors spread in the mansion, and people are panicking, how can we add trouble…”
“How did this rumor come about?”
When the question came to the point, the princess wanted to say something and stopped, turning her rosary in her hand sharply, and sighed after a long time: “It’s true that there are terrible crying and laughter every night in the temple. Some Jia Ding who had been to investigate said that it sounded like the voice of a prince. I didn’t think it was true at first, so let Mo Qu reprimand them at random…
“Unexpectedly, a red light suddenly appeared in the side hall a few nights ago. Mo thought he was out of the water, and rushed to the rescue with the original guards. Before entering the door, he listened to the lord’s laughter and the sudden lightning. It broke out, hurting several people. After a while, the red light disappeared immediately after the laughter, but no traces of the fire were found in the hall. This incident was seen by people who went to the fire that night, and the rumors slowly spread. Got up.”
After hearing this, Shun frowned and asked again: “Did the princess also arrive at the scene?”
“I was meditating in the house at that time, and I didn’t pay attention. I only heard the ink to report back. But the next day, I checked the divine power seal set by the prince outside the secret room. There was indeed a sign of opening… With real evidence, the rumors became more and more fierce. I was worried and puzzled about this. I really didn’t know what to do, so I took the liberty to ask the prince to come late at night to help me find an idea.”
From this point of view, it is really possible that the Jade King is in a situation, but why is he going crazy? Shun pondered for a long while and was puzzled. He glanced at Ling who was also worried, and then asked, “Apart from the guard and the food delivery person in the Piandian, are there anyone going there?”
“Except for Mo’s daily patrol, no one will go.”
“So… I’ll ask the chef A Bing first, and then I’ll care about it.” Although the prince feels that it is a bit of an overstepping power to let himself investigate this matter, since the princess is really helpless, he should check it carefully. Say it again. He was about to get up, raised his eyes and saw that the princess seemed to have something to say, so he sat down again.
“It’s really troublesome for the prince.” Nuohuai slowly retracted the rosary in his hand, with a sad expression on his face, “Ordinarily, with the prince’s ability, I shouldn’t be so worried, but this time, Ming’er was also unable to retreat in the temple… …Hey, this matter is considered to be a family scandal. Before finding out, please keep the prince a secret.”
“This is natural.”
Seeing his promise, the princess finally relieved her heart and called to the guard Mo, who was guarding the door, and asked him to take the two to ask Ah Bing for questioning.
The two said goodbye to the princess, and followed the black guard to the house Ding Suwu to the west. Nuohuai stood by the door and watched their shadows go away, still undiminished. He was about to cover the door and suddenly had another meal. He turned to the corner of the eaves and whispered, “Why are you here? Sit down?”
“Don’t bother the princess to rest…” A rough and hoarse man’s voice came from the other side of the eaves, “I guess His Royal Highness will probably be here, and I was about to come to greet him. I never thought it was a step too late.”
“They went to Ah Bing with Mo. It’s okay for you to keep up.” The princess seemed to have a close relationship with the incoming person, and she casually mentioned a sentence, and then sighed, “I still feel uneasy. Shall I check for the prince?”
“His Royal Highness is worrying too much. Although the prince is young, he has been in charge of the government for many years, and he has been able to deal with rumors in small areas.”
“What you said…” The princess nodded thoughtfully. Now she is the only one who can be the master in the mansion. Fortunately, there is also the old friend of the prince. Otherwise, it is really troublesome to let her be a secluded person to take care of these mundane affairs… She can’t help but sigh when she thinks of this. Gu Zi closed the door and returned to the house.
It was quiet all around, only the snow falling in the wind. The man at the corner of the eaves stood silent for a while before slowly moving out, standing under the aqua-blue wind lamp, and letting the light shine on his black cloak like night.
He was covered with a thick hood, and his face hidden in the darkness turned straight toward the direction where the prince had left, but he didn’t take another step, I don’t know what he was thinking. After a long time, he put out his hand silently, flicking a few times in the snow as if fiddled with leaves. That palm was as dry as wood, and it looked like frosty cold iron, and the snowflakes fell on the palm of the palm, and it didn’t melt for a long time.