All the ancestors in the capital begged me to be a substitute

Shen Lingxi's soft palm lightly covered Chu Yan's thin lips.

She lowered her head, and through the palm of her hand, whispered softly in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Shh, she's here, don't talk."

Chu Yan's phoenix eyes were as black as ink.

He looked at Shen Lingxi's black and white apricot eyes, which were full of unspeakable emotions.

All Shen Lingxi's attention was on Xie Zhanghua who floated towards them.

Seeing that Xie Zhanghua was about to float within ten feet of Chu Yan.

Shen Lingxi hurriedly said: "Don't come any closer, Your Highness has evil spirits on him, which will hurt you."

Xie Zhanghua didn't expect at all that they were still awake, turned sideways quickly, raised their sleeves to cover their faces lightly, and wanted to float away——
"Wait." Shen Lingxi called her softly, "If you just leave like this, the knot in your heart will never be untied. Do you really have the heart to do that?"

Shen Lingxi didn't say anything clearly, but Xie Zhanghua had already heard what she meant, and he paused slightly.

As for Chu Yan, as if he had sensed something, he lightly grasped Shen Lingxi's wrist with his big palm, and held the hand that was hidden between his lips in his palm.

He didn't look back, his phoenix eyes were fixed on Shen Lingxi's eyes deeply.

"Who is that?" He asked hoarsely.

Shen Lingxi was about to speak——
"Don't, don't say it." Xie Zhanghua turned to look at her, his beautiful eyes filled with tears, and begged: "Don't tell him, I... I don't want to make him sad anymore, don't tell him..."

Shen Lingxi swallowed the words that came to her lips because of this pleading.

Seeing that she did not speak again, Xie Zhanghua wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes with his fingertips, and thanked her.

"I know you have something to ask me, and I will come to you tomorrow."

After saying this, she fixed her eyes on Chu Yan's back for a moment, then turned and left.

Shen Lingxi saw her ghost disappear in the palace, and her mind was full of doubts.

Why did the first princess avoid seeing Chu Yan?
Did she know that Chu Yan had been suffering from nightmares all these years?

Could there be something hidden in this?
Seeing that Shen Lingxi did not answer for a long time, Chu Yan's phoenix eyes were as dark as dark, "She left?"

Shen Lingxi withdrew her gaze, met his eyes, bit her lips, and nodded.

She originally thought that Chu Yan would continue to ask who it was.

Hesitating about how to speak——
Unexpectedly, Chu Yan just closed his eyes expressionlessly, "Then let's rest earlier."

If he asked, Shen Lingxi would not feel anything wrong.

But he didn't continue to ask...

Shen Lingxi looked at his handsome face, the silent outline was outlined by the dim moonlight, her heart suddenly softened for some reason.

The dignified embroidered clothes commander will not miss any clues, how can he not guess who is coming tonight.

"you……"

Before she could say her words of relief, she was interrupted by his sleepy and hoarse voice, "If you can't sleep, then let's continue talking about how to deal with the emperor after getting married..."

"I'll sleep now." Shen Lingxi said hastily.

She quickly lay back down again.

However, at this moment, she discovered——
From the beginning, his hand was covered by Chu Yan's warm and dry palm, and he never let go.

The thin calluses on his palms were attached to the skin on the back of her hands, as if carrying a scorching temperature, making her palms sweat a little.

Shen Lingxi moved her fingertips slightly, trying to keep her face, and pulled out her little hand.

However, the other party seemed to have forgotten about it, showing no sign of letting go.

The sound of even and long breathing came from the ears.

Shen Lingxi looked at the moonlight coming through the window, and saw Chu Yan's brows were slightly frowned, as if shrouded in a touch of sadness.

She thought of the scene when he fell into a nightmare last night, and finally her heart softened, and she let him hold her hand and closed her eyes.

When the little girl beside her fell into a deep sleep, Chu Yan quietly opened her eyes, her phoenix pupils were clear in the dim moonlight.

He firmly held the little hand wrapped in his palm, opened his thin lips lightly, and murmured silently, "In this life, I only have you, don't leave me..."

*
Shen Lingxi had a dream.

I dreamed that I was sleeping in a coffin.

The coffin boards may have been exposed to the hot sun for too long, and the batting was not thick enough, making them hard and uncomfortable.

These shortcomings are still tolerable, but the most terrible thing is that the coffin is too narrow, and it feels crowded when the arms and legs move casually.

As a shopkeeper, she can pick out a lot of faults, how can she satisfy the buyer?
The only thing worthy of praise is probably the warmth.

However, the coffin is something buried in the soil after all, so what's the use of being warm?
Shen Lingxi frowned, and poked the coffin board in disgust, wondering which carpenter did the work...

"This won't work...it has to be redone..." she murmured vaguely, "it has to be done as I said..."

"Okay, tell me, how do you do it?"

A deep and hoarse voice came into Shen Lingxi's ears.

Shen Lingxi felt in a daze that the sound of the coffin boards was very pleasant.

Just as she was about to say a few words of praise, she suddenly realized——
Ok?
How can the coffin board speak?
Why is this voice so familiar?

Like Chu Yan's voice.

Chu Yan...

Chu Yan? ? ? ! ! !
Shen Lingxi gave a jolt, woke up instantly, and opened her eyes suddenly.

What caught the eye was the elegant collarbone lightly covered by the snow-colored skirt.

There is a clear and pleasant scent of soap in his nostrils.

She was nestled in a wide and warm embrace.

Green onion's fingertips still maintain the posture of poking at the opponent's heart...

Shen Lingxi's body froze, and her scalp tensed instantly.

Therefore, the "coffin" in the dream is Chu Yan's arms.

That hard coffin board is his chest? !

"Hug, sorry."

Shen Lingxi quickly withdrew her hand, wishing she could find a crack in the ground and disappear in place.

"I may be... dreaming, so I..."

While explaining, she bit the bullet and withdrew from Chu Yan's arms.

Out of the corner of his eye, he carefully looked at the situation on the bed.

Chu Yan was still lying on the outside of the bed, where she was when she fell asleep last night, and she never moved.

Shen Lingxi naturally knows that she likes to sleep with the quilt in her arms.

It looks like... he was put into someone's arms as if he was a quilt.

Sin, sin!
She was so embarrassed that her face was flushed, and she hurriedly apologized, "I was the one who offended Your Highness, please forgive me, Your Highness."

This look of being at a loss, with a hint of self-blame and annoyance, in Chu Yan's eyes, is like a greedy cat that has been caught.

so cute.

He suppressed the laughter that was about to escape, covered his lips and cleared his cough, "Everyone has different sleeping habits, sleeping on the same bed, it is inevitable that there will be times when the rules are exceeded, so don't worry about it."

The cold voice and calm tone have a kind of soothing power. It sounds like the scene just now, but it is just a trivial matter.

Invisibly, Shen Lingxi's embarrassment was resolved, and she was relieved.

"Your Highness is right." She quickly expressed her attitude, "In the future, I will prepare a few more quilts and lay them in the middle, so as not to disturb His Highness's sleeping."

The smile on Chu Yan's lips froze slightly.

He was noncommittal, pretending to sit up indifferently, straightened his untidy robes, and asked casually, "What did you dream about just now? What did you say 'no', you have to 'redo', what do you do?"

Shen Lingxi smiled sheepishly, "It's nothing, it's just a dream, it's just a dream... I don't remember."

With her courage, she dared not say that the emperor's grandson turned into a coffin in her dream...

That is definitely the crime of "great rebellion and immorality".

Chu Yan raised her phoenix eyes slightly, dreaming is a matter of privacy.

Although he was curious, since Shen Lingxi didn't want to talk, he naturally wouldn't continue to ask.

"Then... shall we still leave for Beijing today?" He turned his back to Shen Lingxi and asked.

For the first time, the usually cold and firm voice showed a hint of hesitation and hesitation.

Shen Lingxi remembered what the concubine said last night, with a solemn expression, looked at his broad back, and said softly: "Let me talk to her first, and then make plans."

*
After sunset, Shen Lingxi finally waited for the late princess Xie Zhanghua in her own bedroom.

Shen Lingxi asked someone to set up a tea table by the half-opened window, and simmered tea soup with a small stove.

On the tea table, there are all kinds of fruits, exquisite and delicious, all of which are delicate and delicious that are rare in the capital.

Xie Zhanghua sat down opposite Shen Lingxi.

Chu Yan's bedroom was not lit last night, Shen Lingxi couldn't see it clearly.

Sitting opposite each other now, she finally saw the face of the former crown princess clearly.

It has to be said that Chu Yan's handsome face should be completely inherited from his own mother.

Ye Xi is like Hua, and she is as warm as Ying.

She still had the age and appearance of 28 and nine years old when she died.Just sitting there already made the dimly lit bedroom a touch of bright color that people couldn't take their eyes off.

"Thank you last night for keeping the secret for me."

Xie Zhanghua smiled at Shen Lingxi, with tears in his eyes, "I heard that the Queen Mother is going to marry you and Liu Lang. You are a good match. I am very happy and relieved that Liu Lang will be with you in the future."

Shen Lingxi looked at her gratified face, but he couldn't bear to tell her the truth that they were "fake marriage".

"But the person he misses the most is you, Madam." Shen Lingxi said softly, "If you want to talk to him, I can convey it to you face to face. He will be very happy."

"No, he won't."

Xie Zhanghua's expression darkened, and tears welled up in his eyes, "Back then, I was so unbearable to die in front of him, and he hated me for leaving him. He said that he would never forgive me."

Shen Lingxi had heard that the former Crown Princess committed suicide back then.

If this is the case, it is understandable for a ten-year-old boy to blame his mother for taking his life so easily, abandoning himself, and uttering harsh words in a hurry.

Shen Lingxi said in a warm voice: "When Your Majesty passed away, His Highness was still young, so he couldn't count the things he said in a moment of anger. I don't think your Majesty was a person who committed suicide. Did you have any difficulties back then?"

Xie Zhanghua thought of the events of that year, unconsciously filled with resentment and anger in his soul and body, tears could not stop falling.

Seeing this, Shen Lingxi twitched her brows slightly.

She can often see resentment and anger in ghosts who died in vain.

But this resentment and anger appear on the dead soul who committed suicide, but it is rare.

"Your Majesty doesn't want to say it, so it doesn't matter if you don't."

Shen Lingxi reached out and enshrined all kinds of fruits on the table in front of Xie Zhanghua one by one.

"I didn't know that the Yongshou Mountain where the imperial mausoleum is located is actually connected with the Donghua Mountain where the Xie family lived in seclusion. I heard that Donghua Mansion is the place where the empress lived when she was young. Do you still remember what the Donghua mansion is like?" look?"

She smiled and said: "His Highness personally went to Donghua Mansion City to buy these fruits today. Your Majesty, try it quickly. Do you like it?"

Xie Zhanghua lowered his beautiful eyes slightly, and his eyes fell on those fruits.

With just one glance, he covered his lips and wept bitterly.

Those are the special products of Donghua Mansion, and they were her favorite snacks during her lifetime, and she hadn't seen them for ten years.

"He remembers everything..." Xie Zhanghua cried so hard that he choked up and said, "After so many years, he actually remembers everything."

Shen Lingxi's eyes were also wet, "Your Majesty should know that His Highness is a very smart and wise person. Although he didn't say anything, he must have already guessed that your soul is still in the world. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone to Donghua Mansion to buy these... ..."

"Mother, life is too short to waste time on meaningless escapes. Do you really have the heart to let him live his life with nightmares and knots? He is your son, the person who loves you the most in this world , What happened back then, no matter what happened, he has the right to know the truth."

Xie Zhanghua clenched his heart tightly and cried for a long time, his bright face was full of struggle.

Just when Shen Lingxi felt that she would continue to hide——
"You're right." Xie Zhanghua wiped away tears lightly, "I thought it would be best if this matter ended with my death. I didn't want him to know because I was worried that he would burn himself and follow in my footsteps... I shouldn't make decisions for him, and I shouldn't let him live in a nightmare."

After saying this, she raised her head and looked at Shen Lingxi, "I'll tell you everything I know..."

"I am the eldest daughter of the Xie family. My mother died early. When I was young, my father went to war with the late emperor all the year round. He rarely returned home, so he entrusted me to my third uncle and third aunt to raise me."

"Uncle and aunt are very kind to me. They have a younger sister named Zhang Ting. Zhang Ting is five years younger than me, lively and active, and has a very close relationship with me,"

"When the war subsided, my father took me to the capital. After I went to the capital, I rarely returned to the family. rejoicing."

"Your imperial grandmother likes me, and often takes me into the palace to accompany her. Because of this, I was able to reunite with His Royal Highness. When I was young, my father took me to the palace for a banquet, and I used to play with His Royal Highness , you can be regarded as childhood sweethearts. Later, your emperor grandmother saw that the two of us were in love with each other, and asked the late emperor to bestow a marriage for the two of us."

"I am very happy to be able to marry the person I like. After the wedding, our husband and wife loved each other, and the qin and harp played harmoniously. Soon after we got married, I became pregnant with Liulang. Liulang was smart and studious since he was a child, so he was favored by the late emperor, so he was canonized The grandson of the emperor."

Speaking of these past events, although there are only a few words, Xie Zhanghua's beautiful eyes are full of warm smiles.

It can be seen that those times are very good memories in her heart.

"I thought that life would be so beautiful and smooth, but I didn't expect that one day Zhang Ting suddenly wrote to me, saying that she had met a man..."