into the bosom

Chapter 407 Nightmare and Entering the Palace

The snow didn't fall that much that night, and it stopped shortly after nightfall, and there was only the slight sound of wind in my ears, which made the room more and more quiet, and I could hear my breath.

Banlan was lying in the ear room, but she didn't feel sleepy for a while, what happened today made her upset, she tossed and turned for a long time, and barely closed her eyes, but she still couldn't fall asleep.

At this moment, a sharp cry suddenly slid past the ear, piercing the quiet night.

Banlan suddenly sat up, was stunned for a moment, then put on her clothes, turned on the lamp and hurried to the main room separated by a wall, which was also the place where the scream came from just now.

"Princess?" Walking into the inner room, with the faint light of the candle in her hand, Banlan saw a person sitting on the couch, she put down the candle, raised the curtain, and saw Xu Jiao sitting between the quilts with her knees hugged , was sobbing in a low voice, when she heard Banlan's voice, she raised her eyes, her eyes were red and filled with tears.

Ban Lan hurriedly leaned forward and asked, "What's wrong with the princess? Did you have a nightmare?"

Xu Jiao let out a sob, and said with tears in his voice, "Second brother is probably really lonely, but he said so casually in front of his grave, and at night he came to visit me in my dream. But... But his appearance was too frightening, he vomited black blood while yelling at me, I saw that he opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something to me, but I saw his appearance was really frightening, I screamed out of fear He woke up with a sound, Banlan, you said...Second elder brother really has something to tell me, right?"

Xu Jiao reached out and grabbed Banlan's hand, looking at her with burning eyes.

When Banlan heard Xu Jiao's words, she was stunned. After being caught by Xu Jiao, she suddenly woke up, lowered her eyes, and said in a low tone, "Mr. Erlang treats the princess differently. Tell the Princess, it's possible."

"Then what exactly is he going to tell me? Also, didn't he say that he died of illness? What's the matter with vomiting blood and vomiting black blood? Could it be that the second brother's death really has some grievances?" Xu Jiao stared at Banlan with a pair of eyes.

Banlan's eyes were a little straight, but she stared at her heart tightly, she shook her head and said, "I don't know."

Xu Jiao finally let go of her, and murmured, "Then what should I do? Even if I really go to Jingfu, I'm afraid I won't be able to ask anything. The second brother is a scholar, so he shouldn't get into any trouble. It must be because I listened to your words during the day that I thought about them day by day, and dreamed about them at night, that must be the case.”

Banlan lowered her eyes and remained silent.

Xu Jiao comforted himself, and said with a sigh of relief, "Forget it, it should be like this, go and make me a bowl of calming tea, and I won't have nightmares again when I fall asleep."

"Yes." Ban Lan replied, turned around and left with a candle.

Xu Jiao looked at her back, but there was a gloomy glint in his eyes.

After a while, Ban Lan brought the calming tea, and Xu Jiao drank it and fell asleep soundly, without being disturbed by nightmares.On the contrary, Banlan didn't sleep well, and kept listening to the movement of the main room with her ears pricked in the ear room. Early the next morning, when Neg Xue came to talk to her, her eyes were black and the dark circles under her eyes almost fell to her chin. Go away I couldn't help but yawned.

In the early morning of the third day, Banlan came to the main courtyard early, and saw that Neg Xue, who was on duty last night, looked tired and haggard, covering her lips with her hands and yawning from time to time, she hurriedly asked with concern, "Sister Neg Xue, what's going on?" ? Did you not sleep last night? Didn’t the princess have another nightmare last night?”

"How do you know?" Negative Xue subconsciously asked in shock.

There was a glint in Banlan's eyes, "Is it really a nightmare again?"

Negative snow also reacted at this time, and sighed, "It seems that the princess had a nightmare when you were on duty the night before? It was a bit shocking to hear what the princess said. Why did you just go to the cemetery and know about Erlang? I had such a dream when I heard the news of Jun’s death? And I also dreamed about Erlang Jun’s miserable state...Could it be contaminated with something dirty, or Erlang Jun... No! I have to go and talk to Qin Niang, right? Go to the temple and ask a mage to take a look!"

Negative Snow said while she hurried away with a solemn expression.

Ban Lan turned her head to look at her back, her eyes were dim, and there was something silently surging in her eyes.

At such a time now, it is not easy to go out of the city. Qin Niang went out of the mansion, and she did not know where to buy a peace talisman, and pressed it under Xu Jiao's pillow. Before going to bed, she drank a thick bowl of calming tea. One night, Xu Jiao finally didn't have another nightmare, and at least got a good night's sleep.

Waking up early in the morning, Xu Jiao had just washed up and had breakfast, when Qin Niang hurried over, approached her, and whispered to her, "Princess, there are people coming from the palace, they are not like Anfu Palace and Cuiwei People who are used to the palace say that the princess is called into the palace, and the accompanying carriage is already waiting outside the gate of the palace."

Xu Jiao was not surprised at all, nodded and said "Understood", and then Yingying got up, "Please trouble Niang Qin to greet her first, I will come after I change my clothes."

After changing into the attire for entering the palace, I went to the living room and saw that the person who came was a small internal official. Qin Niang looked at her face, but Xu Jiao had seen it before. It was a young apprentice next to Gan's servant. He said with a smile, "It turns out that it's Kang Neiguan. It's really disrespectful." As he said, he bowed his head and gave a blessing.

The servant surnamed Kang didn't expect Princess Yingyue to know him, so he accepted this gift unexpectedly, and he was pleased with it, but he hurriedly said, "Don't dare, dare not, Princess Yingyue is too polite, and this servant dare not accept it. His Majesty heard that the Princess has returned to Feng'an, and said that the Empress Dowager and His Royal Highness always miss the Princess, so they specially sent the slaves to welcome the Princess into the palace."

"There is an official from Lao Kang." Xu Jiao said with a smile, and Qin Niang immediately stepped forward and handed a thick red seal to Kang's servant, "Yingyue has been away from Feng'an for a long time, and he has not been in the palace for a long time. Walking, I'm afraid I'm used to it in a loose manner, and if there are things that are not thoughtful, I have to ask Lai Kang to give more pointers."

Kang Neishi used the whisk in his hand to cover, squeezed Feng Hong in his hand, his face was already smiling, and he was even more eager to treat Xu Jiao, and greeted him outside the mansion talking and laughing, went up The waiting carriage.

The carriage swayed across the long street, Xu Jiao raised the curtain of the car to look out, and when he saw it, his eyebrows frowned.

It's already the twelfth lunar month, but there is no excitement about the New Year's Eve on this street, it is deserted, there are only a few passers-by, but they are all in a hurry with their hands buried in their sleeves.The small vendors who set up stalls in the past have almost disappeared. Occasionally, there are shops that are open, but they are empty and the business is bleak.

At this time last year, Xu Jiao had already left Feng'an, and she really couldn't notice these in her state of mind at that time, but she still remembered how lively the street was at this time the year before last.There is a lot of people, the fireworks in the market and the atmosphere of the New Year are intertwined, and the noise is extraordinary, but now...

After all, the shadow of war still hangs over the capital of Great Wei. I just wonder if the royal family of Great Wei is still thinking that the rebels are not to be feared, and it is still his Spring and Autumn Dream that the Yang family will not change?
"Alas!" Xu Jiao sighed, let go of his hands, and lowered the curtain, no longer looking at the street scene outside that made people feel more and more right and wrong.

With the sound of horseshoes kicking and trampling, they arrived at the gate of the palace in a short while. When Xu Jiao got off the carriage, she was stunned, because someone had already carried a small sedan chair with green curtains waiting at the gate of the palace. She bowed her knees one after another, "Wan An, Princess Yingyue Princess!"

"Aunt Rachel, why are you here?" Kang Nei said with a smile.

"Of course it's the Queen Mother and her elders who heard that Princess Yingyue has entered the palace, so she specially sent a servant girl to wait here to pick her up to Anfu Palace." This Rachel is the maid in charge of Anfu Palace. Neither humble nor overbearing smiled.

Kang Nei waiter glanced at Xu Jiao with a look of embarrassment on his face, "Aunt Ruiqiu, we also received His Majesty's order to take the princess into the palace. Before leaving, His Majesty did not order the princess to be sent to Anfu Palace first. It stands to reason, The princess should follow us back to Zichen Hall to meet His Majesty first."

"Officer Kang's words are wrong. Why did Your Majesty accept the princess into the palace? Isn't it because the princess has been away from Beijing, the queen mother often talks about it? The eldest princess is also thinking about it every day? Your majesty is filial, so I accepted it." The princess enters the palace. Your majesty took the princess into the palace specially to comfort the empress dowager. Now that the empress is ill and is anxious to see her granddaughter, will your majesty refuse to allow it? Kang Neiguan just go back and report to your majesty , to be honest, His Majesty will definitely not blame you."

Rachel blocked Kang Neishi's words with a smile, and before he could react, she turned her head and smiled at Xu Jiao, "Princess, the Empress Dowager and the eldest princess are waiting, please go ahead!"

Xu Jiao glanced at Kang Neiguan, thinking that he was still not as hot as Gan Neishi's Old Jiang, but it was just right.Looking away, Xu Jiao smiled at Raiqiu and said, "Thank you, Auntie!"

After finishing speaking, he helped the hand of Xuexue, bent down and got into the small sedan chair, and after sitting firmly, he vaguely heard what Aunt Raiqiu said to Waiter Kang Nei in a low voice outside, the sedan chair under him shook slightly, and was caught He wobbled and lifted it up.

After a while, after getting off the sedan chair, Xu Jiao opened the curtain of the sedan chair, looked up, and saw the gate of Anfu Palace.Helping the hand carrying the snow to get off the sedan chair, Xu Jiao barely restrained her eagerness, followed Rai Qiu into the gate of Anfu Palace, but couldn't help speeding up her pace.After a farewell, Xu Jiao also misses the eldest princess, wishing to see each other right away.

Rachel is transparent, she pursed her lips and smiled, and she no longer talked to Xu Jiao in the face of boredom, but quietly followed and quickened her pace.

Anfu Palace was a little more deserted than before Xu Jiao left, and in this season, it was lonely and cold everywhere.

Xu Jiao didn't care about these things at the moment, when she arrived at the entrance of the main hall, the two maidservants guarding the door saluted her, and said in a loud voice, "Princess Yingyue Princess is here", while raising the curtain.

Xu Jiao couldn't wait to step in, and a hot air with a strong smell of medicine rushed towards her face. Her footsteps were slightly slow, and she looked up and saw a woman standing in the hall.

Wearing a homely, half-worn dress, with gray temples, the corners of her mouth pursed, she stared at Xu Jiao with a serious expression, the closer she got, Xu Jiao could see the wrinkles at the corners of her face more clearly, her nose sore, her gaze It was blurred, and after a hoarse voice, he called out, "Mother..."

This woman is naturally the eldest princess of Yanping, but compared to a year ago, she seems to be more haggard and older. Xu Jiao looked at the eldest princess who looked like an old woman in front of him, and felt really sad in his heart. Calling Ai Ai Qiqi, while leaning over, stretched out his hand and hugged the eldest princess.

The Eldest Princess froze slightly, and snorted, "I can't stop you when you go out, and you don't say a word when you come back. I can't control you anyway. I really feel sorry for your mother. Ashamed, I dare not take it seriously."

"Mother, are you really annoyed with me?" Xu Jiao's eye circles became even redder, and she shook Princess Chang's arm and shook it back and forth, and said in a pitiful voice, "Mother, don't annoy me, let alone Take care of me, I think about my mother every day, and I can't think about it, if my mother annoys me, I... I will be very sad, very sad. "

A pair of eyes filled with tears stared at the eldest princess. Immediately, the eldest princess's heart softened into a puddle of water, but her face became even more serious. She raised her voice and said, "Don't stop? Come in. You don't even salute, I see that you are used to being loose outside, and you have forgotten all the rules. And..." His eyes rolled away, and she squinted at her dangling hand, "It's a success! What is the system? Still not letting go?"

"Don't let go! I miss my mother, so I just want to hold on to her like this!" Xu Jiao said, simply loosened the eldest princess's arm, and then opened his hands, and hugged the eldest princess tightly again.

The eldest princess glared at her, "Why did you go out for a trip, this idea got bigger and thicker?" She said disgusting words, but the eldest princess didn't move Xu Jiao and pulled Xu Jiao away.

"I want to say to the Ai family that Yingyue's temperament is the one that pleases people. This is what a young lady should be like. She should be soft when she should be soft, and sweet when she should be sweet. How can she be like you, who is hard and duplicity?" At this moment, behind her But a laughing voice sounded, it was the queen mother, and only the queen mother could criticize the eldest princess like this.It's just that the queen mother's voice was very weak, and she was panting heavily after speaking this passage.

The eldest princess patted Xu Jiao's hand, Xu Jiao understood, let go of her, and she walked towards the queen mother.

Xu Jiao turned her head, saluted the Queen Mother, raised her eyes, but felt a "thump" in her heart.

Although I had expected that the Queen Mother would not recover after a long illness, but I didn't expect that the Queen Mother is now skinny and her eyes are sunken. It was a very difficult walk for a short distance, and when he sat on the couch, his face was as golden as paper, not to mention his face was covered in cold sweat.

Xu Jiao suppressed her shock for the time being, stepped forward with a smile, lowered her voice, and pretended to be brisk, "Why did grandma come out? If you want to see Yingyue, ask someone to summon her. Yingyue will come into the hall to see her, and then Why bother your old man."

"Ai's family is bored lying on the bed every day, walking around occasionally, so as not to let this old bone really get rusty. Besides... If you don't walk around, I'm afraid there will be no chance." The Queen Mother said, looking towards Xu Jiao Xu Jiao understood, and immediately handed over his hand.

The Empress Dowager's hands were cold and thin, and the bones were still palpitating. The feeling of being held by her was really not good. Xu Jiao looked at the Empress Dowager's deeply sunken eyes, but her nose was sore.

(End of this chapter)