Chen Palace

Chapter 3
Chen Lu neatly packed her clothes and parcels—it was only two sets of clothes, a few taels of meager money, Rong'er's eyes were flushed, and she choked up with sobs, "I don't know how long it will take to see you this time, I'll keep warm and warm myself carefully, Be careful not to offend the nobleman..."

Bai Ping was no longer harsh in the past, and sighed: "Alas... People like us are just things in the hands of the nobles. It's really boring to think about it."

Seeing the sad atmosphere, Cai Er smiled and said: "Actually, there is nothing wrong with the Imperial Garden. Once the emperor comes, if you fall in love with someone, then... Chen Lu, you have to work harder!"

Bai Ping sneered: "It's just stupid people like you who think like this... Last time when the Holy Majesty was admiring the snow, the purple mandarin ducks sweeping the Yuantian Pavilion deliberately wore blue-patterned gauze clothes—that girl was also really cold—the Holy Majesty said It's a fairy in the forest, and before I got lucky, the queen mother said she was a seductress, and beat her to death with forty sticks."

The three of them remained silent for a long time before Rong'er said: "This kind of thing is not unusual in the palace. It is bright and dark, and there are many things, but it attracts people to talk about it, and then it gradually fades away. After a while, who still remembers this unjust dead ghost? So," she looked at Chen Lu with an unprecedented seriousness on her face: "Chen Lu, even if you really meet the emperor, don't think about it!"

Seeing her worried expression, Chen Lu felt warm in her heart, and then she smiled shyly: "Where did my sister think, my ordinary appearance, how can I become a phoenix?"

In this way, the four of them said goodbye for a while, and the steward of the imperial garden had sent a young eunuch to lead them.Chen Lu stopped, looked deeply at the magnificent and elegant Yunqing Palace behind her, and Rong'er's eyes were filled with reluctance.

This is her first residence, her first companion after her rebirth.

She smiled slightly, the emptiness in her eyes was cold, warmed by the smile into a hot spring, and then turned into ice-cold.

****
There are many scenic spots in the palace, just the gardens, there are Juxiang, Xiaohan, Yaolin and other places, if you talk about the word "Royal Garden", it must be the place by Jinghu Lake.

This place is located in the east corner of the imperial city. It was originally the Ningbi Garden for the concubine of the previous dynasty. Legend has it that the ground is paved with broken jade, and the flowers are made of cold silk. , In the winter, the clouds become dense, like a fairyland.

This dynasty was founded by the first emperor, who dabbled in gardening a lot. Based on the original foundation of Ningbi Garden, he expanded it to become the scale it is today.

The naming here is also quite weird. It is said that the first emperor once wrote a big "Heaven" character with a pen, and then threw the pen, but he was so sad that he couldn't help himself.Everyone in the palace was stunned, and later, they had to collectively call it the Royal Garden.

The imperial garden is in the east corner of the palace city, and it is colorful and colorful, needless to say, especially the blue waves and clear ponds, the jagged rocks, and the waterside promenade with black tiles and white walls, all brought in from the south of the Yangtze River bit by bit. It is carefully arranged by skilled craftsmen, and it is very different from the northern scenery of the capital.

The palace people of the imperial garden are divided into two groups, one group is responsible for the construction, and the other group is responsible for the flowers and trees.When the little eunuch brought her there, the chief was resting. He was smoking a jade pipe inlaid with gold and sipping tea with his eyes closed.

After a while, he opened his eyes, glanced at the morning dew, and asked about the origin of the name.

He thought for a while, and said: "You are so thin and small, you can't do the construction class, go to the Huamu class."

The manager of the Huamu class is an aunt in her early forties, tall and thin, with a sallow and gloomy face. After asking about the background, she sneered and said: "My place has become a place of wild exile. What master doesn't want it? Those who don't do anything, throw them here!"

The little eunuch smiled apologetically and said, "My aunt is kind and kind, and only you can train this girl. If she is put in the construction class, I'm afraid her waist will be broken by a stone or a brick!"

Auntie ignored her, turned to Chenlu and asked, "Do you know how to take care of flowers and trees?"

"I know a thing or two. We used to take care of the garden in Yunqing Palace."

Then the aunt's face softened: "My surname is He, you can call me Aunt He. You are in my flower and tree class, you have to work diligently, as long as I see those hypocritical, treacherous and lazy deeds , must have been kicked out."

She asked Chen Lu to work with an old court lady, usually mainly weeding and watering, if she saw the precious flowers and trees withering, she had to tell her to make a decision.

Chen Lu was taught one by one and was about to go down when Aunt He beckoned her to come back and said, "There are twenty students in my class, all of them are fully occupied. How about a good place for you... In this way, there is a room at the far east. House, there are sundries piled up on weekdays, I will ask the little eunuch to clear it out, and you can live in it."

She looked at Chen Lu's slender figure, and hesitated: "You live alone, and it's such a desolate place... How about I ask someone to move here to accompany you?"

As soon as Chen Lu heard that she was alone, she thought of her ulterior secrets such as practicing exercises, and her heart eased. Hearing what she said, she hurriedly said, "Thank you aunt for your kindness. My home is remote and I'm used to living here since I was a child. As a newcomer, if you want to disturb others to move, you will always feel uneasy.”

Aunt He nodded: "She's a considerate girl... If that's the case, you can go."

*****
Chenlu sat cross-legged and meditated. After 36 weeks of practice, she opened her eyes.

This body is really poor, it is weak from birth, and it has been lost to take care of it——Chen Lu was originally from a small family, her parents passed away early, and relying on the clan's donations, it is already good to be able to earn enough food and clothing. ?
She sighed in great disappointment: the growth of internal strength was very slow, and it was not the same as the rapid progress in her previous life.Although the comprehension of the moves is clear and transparent, if there is no strong internal force, there is no way to display them.

She walked to the window, and the cool night breeze blew through the cracks in the window paper, clearing her mind.

This is her dormitory, and she has lived here ever since Aunt He sent her an errand.In the blink of an eye, more than ten days passed.

The past ten days can be said to be unusually peaceful.During the day, the errands are not heavy, just weeding and watering, etc. Those pruning flowers and cultivating flowers and plants are more than enough for a few old eunuchs.However, Aunt He said that although their skills are good, they are too old, seeing old age and frailty, but they haven't even passed on a single apprentice.

This is not a popular place. Usually, when facing the mud and rocks, when the master and his wife come to enjoy it, there are rules to avoid it. Therefore, it is pure delusion and fantasy for ordinary people to meet nobles.

Chen Lu was enjoying herself, and it saved her troubles not seeing these nobles, and this separate dormitory made her feel like a fish in water.

It's just that the bones of this body are really bad... She sighed silently, remembering that she was amazingly talented in her previous life, and had to meet a famous teacher, and then...

The weak candlelight fluttered under the breeze, reflecting the lonely girl in front of the window.

Her eyes were stunned, joyful, sad, bewildered, and also, the final decision.

She couldn't bear it anymore, stood up resolutely, and pushed open the door.

The night in early spring is still cold and lonely.The world seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep.

In the dark and blue sky, the stars are twinkling mischievously, swaying for thousands of years, and almost infinitely stern.

Hiding in the darkness, she walked towards the depths further east without making a sound.

This deep place meanders all the time. After walking from the back of my house for a while, the surrounding area becomes more and more desolate, the wormwood gradually disappears to the knees, and the road under the feet is faintly distinguishable under the moonlight.

A high wall blocked the way, and the iron gate in the center was mottled and rusted.

Chen Lu thought about it, but still didn't use the twig to unlock it, even though it was easy.

Her footwork is strange, just a little bit on the top of the wall, and then she reaches the other end.

the other end of the wall.

(End of this chapter)