Heartburn

"Han'er, are you bored?" When I tried my best to control my gaze and cast my gaze on the exquisite patterns painted on the top of the hall and ignore the bright colors hidden under the pool, the light waves and currents that pushed aside the water surface accompanied me. The gentle female voice pierced into my ears and taught me that my scalp was numb, but I had to turn my eyes and watched Kwong Xiqing's smooth arms protruding from underwater slowly.

I stared at the drop of water dripping into the fluctuating surface of the pool, vaguely saw a scene of vivid fragrance, I stiffened my neck stiffly, but my back had reached the hard wall of the pool... , The softness on her cheeks moved away as soon as she touched her, she slightly raised the corners of her mouth, and her voice was moistened by the water vapor, making a trace of stickyness: "My face is so red, don't soak it, get up."

"...Hmm." I felt as if my heart was about to jump out of my chest, and the heat of my cheeks could be known even if I didn't touch it with my hands-countless guesses passed through my mind at this moment, but I couldn't understand her. If it were not for the same **** and similar blood between this body and Kuang Xiqing, I might be more likely to accept the explanation that I was being molested.

She did not continue to approach, nor did she choose to carry on this deliberate ambiguity. Instead, she turned and wade on the shore, drew a bath towel and wiped her body, glanced at me intentionally or unintentionally, her heel At one turn, I took a loose bedding gown and put it on my body. I didn't raise my voice to attract attendants as I thought--it made my stiff back relax a bit, and leaned limply against the wall of the pool.

The next moment, I followed her and walked ashore, wiping my body with a bath towel; Kuang Xihan’s back waist hair made this job difficult, and I started to feel a little bit accustomed to shoulder-length hair. In a hurry.

I only heard a sigh with a smile, and my hair was picked up by warm fingers, and then I met her bottomless eyes... I stopped in embarrassment, letting those hands control countless people. Life and death fate, but the white and elegant hands dexterously fiddled with my hair, squeezing them into a bunch and wringing them gently with a bath towel-her own hair is still dripping with water, and the water is infiltrating the thin plain color The bed robe is like a blooming white lotus one after another, each petal outlines the slender curve wrapped in the bottom of the robe.

"Emperor Sister..." I hesitated somehow to speak, but she smiled openly, took another gown and shook it aside, putting it on my body.

"Come on, don't catch a cold." Seeing that I was awkwardly strapping on, she took me by the hand and took me to the door on the other side instead of where we came in-it turned out that this There is a path from the bathing hall to her sleeping hall, in order to ensure that she will not be cold after the bath.

As soon as the door opened, the attendants guarding outside the hall immediately gathered around, carefully wiping her damp hair, while she still walked non-stop into the hall-holding my hand but naturally let go Up.

Ignoring the inexplicable dazedness, I handed the bath towel in my hand to the attendants beside me, let them take over the wiping work, and followed suit every step of the way.

When our hair was almost dry, Kuang Xiqing sent out all the attendants in the temple. Only two children who were in charge of the night watch and the lamp were waiting outside the curtain of the nave. The thin sound and shadow were stretched by the dim candlelight. , Vacantly cast on the cold floor tiles, barely adding a bit of popularity to this empty hall.

——Yes, in my opinion, the palace where the emperor sleeps is not even as luxurious as the place where she works in the daytime. Although the objects and utensils are all available, it looks too simple under the background.

In other words, it seems that this place is just a place to sleep, not a reassuring harbor. I think Shiyudian, which handles political affairs, is more favored by her than this dormitory.

The floor of the inner sanctuary near the bed is covered with a thick layer of fur. The earth dragon heats the whole room warmly, even if it is just wearing a single robe, it won’t feel cold; my eyes traverse the whole empty hall. Finally, I had to face the wide and only golden tent on the innermost side, and Kuang Xiqing, who sat on the edge of the bed and looked at me with a smile.

"Come here." She patted the soft bed and motioned me to sleep inside.

Holding a sigh that suddenly came to my heart, I walked obediently and got into the quilt that had been warmed, not looking at the back of the person who was laying down the bednet, and closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep—because I was studying Since I never asked to sleep with my mother again, let alone the experience of sharing a bed with other people; I can’t imagine another unfamiliar breath on the side of the couch, maybe tonight will be a sleepless night for me .

The light was blocked by layers of curtains, and the narrow and confined space was dimmed, and this made the sudden emptiness a little bit more charming than embarrassment—I felt that the bed beside me was heavily sunken. Going down, I felt a scent of a mixture of elegant agarwood and sweet floral scent bullying in... In the next second, with a gentle force, I was drawn into a warm embrace, and this breath suddenly surrounded me and almost took it. Take my breath away.

——I didn’t know that the term hug and sleep also applies to the emperor and King Ling of the Great Wu Kingdom, or any pair of ordinary half-sisters?

...It's too intimate.

Just when my whole body became stiff uncontrollably, soft strokes came from my back, and Kuang Xiqing's smiling voice sounded above her head, as if she had the mysterious power of hypnosis: "Hasn't Han'er been begging me to hug you to sleep? Today, for the sake of recovering from your serious illness, I will do as you wish... Let’s not take it as an example, huh?"

"...Thank you Sister Emperor." I slowly relaxed my muscles along the strength, and quietly leaned my neck back, avoiding the inconspicuous chest that clings to the side of my face, and thanked me dumbly.

Suppressing the depression in my heart, I close my eyes and try to let go.

Before I knew it, I felt a little sleepy.

Dimly, I felt that I was being held tighter by the other party again, and I didn't have the strength to resist, so I just let her go.

This sleep was quite heavy, and I thought of it thanks to the deep incense in her tent and this weak and lethargic body. I woke up in the morning light the next day, and Kwong Xiqing had disappeared from the bed, and the handsome young man lined up by the bed completely awakened me from the awkwardness-the haggard-faced waiter headed by, was not me. Is the servant Xiao Cicada brought from the palace?

The worried expression on his face made me smile: I guess he must have thought that I was almost killed by Kuang Xiqing.

"What time is it?" I took the tea cup that he handed and rinsed my mouth. I stood up, and the attendants who came up surrounded me swiftly dressed me neatly.

"His Royal Highness, it's already past time." He took the headband from the tray and gathered my hair together.

——It turned out that it was past ten o'clock. No wonder I felt uncomfortable in my belly. I missed breakfast and I was so hungry and painful.

"It's getting late, let's go back to the house now." It was just in time for the morning meal-I glanced at Bing Yi, who was silent in the outermost corner, thinking that Yan Ke, who was waiting at the palace, might be anxious. What it's like.

The attendants of Chaolu Hall didn’t stop me, or Kuang Xihan’s power kept them silent, and they never dared to speak up. In short, after I lifted my foot and left the inner hall, they just bowed neatly and saluted—but I As if I could feel their happiness and relaxation for my leaving as soon as possible.

I have long understood the unpopularity of this body, but after a short time with Kuang Xiqing last night, her uncompromisingly gentle treatment made me almost forget this - and therefore, I felt it again in these attendants. Fear and rejection made me unable to accept it for a while.

Enduring the discomfort in the abdomen, hurriedly walked towards the palace gate, and saw the very recognizable dark purple guard uniform of the Lingwang Mansion and the cold and tall woman in the lead; she kept pacing back and forth with her hands on her back. , Seemed very anxious, and the guards she brought with them clenched the hilt of the knife, ready to go, looking like a mountain rain is coming, I think, if it weren't for the guards at the gate of the palace, the guards were heavily guarded and crowded. I'm afraid they could not help rushing into the palace long ago.

"Aunt Ke." There was still some distance away, and I yelled softly.

The woman who was pacing anxiously turned back abruptly, rushed forward to support my shoulders in twos or twos, and looked at me from head to toe with a serious face, for fear that I had been hurt the slightest, that kind of undisguised concern I couldn't help but convinced myself to keep calm and let her check.

"His Royal Highness, is everything okay?" After a while, she also realized that it was not suitable for any conversation at the gate of the palace, so she took me into the carriage of the palace; put down the curtain, the wheel bumped up, she just Can't wait to ask.

Giving her a soothing smile, I nodded: "It's business as usual, don't worry."

She sighed in a deep sigh, looked sternly at the shrinking cicada, and then tentatively asked the details of my stay-but did not ask any questions about the original situation. This is not the first time Kwong Xihan stayed in the palace, and she The reason for this tightness is probably also because of Kuang Xihan's previous serious illness that almost died.

——Oh, I almost forgot. In theory, my appearance means that the word "almost" loses its meaning.

The real Kuang Xihan has long since ceased to exist; my simple heart is nothing more than a lonely wild ghost occupying a magpie's nest.

I never thought I could replace it; I didn't want to... replace it.

No words all the way.

When I returned to the palace, I had lunch and had a bottom in my abdomen. I finally felt less uncomfortable. I rubbed my flat stomach and stared at the hot but terrifying bowl of black and bitter Chinese medicine.

——Why don't you drink it colder?

I comforted myself so much, but I also realized that it was just a futile delay.

"His Royal Highness, please drink the medicine. If it is cold, the potency of the medicine will be weak." Sure enough, when I showed some resistance, Xiao Cicada knelt down and walked in front of me and raised the medicine bowl in front of my eyes. I didn't want to drink and knelt to death in front of me.

Can't resist the condemnation of my conscience, knowing that this kid was deliberately taking care of my weakness, after all he couldn't get used to a young man kneeling in front of me, I was cruel, picked up the medicine bowl, took a deep breath, and drank it all— -The bitter and bitter taste swept through my mouth, numbing all the sensations of my tongue in an instant. I vowed that the unspeakable taste did not want to try it a second time.

"This, this medicine, is not the taste of the previous few days." I didn't care about the image, grabbed the tea cup on the table and rinsed my mouth, squinting at the little cicada who was comfortingly retracting the medicine bowl, a little angry.

"His Royal Highness, this is a new tonic prescribed by the doctor." He simply replied, and after a salute, he went out with the tray.

I slapped my mouth and felt the bitterness of the medicine faded slightly. The tip of my tongue was filled with the sweetness of pear fruit tea, and the lingering sweet and bitter taste was no better than the simple bitterness.

She put down the tea cup she took a sip, and squinted at the sun-the sun was just right, and it was a good weather to sit in the garden.

I shook my head and decided to let this pale to sick body be bathed in sunlight, so that I could get rid of my illness.

Cicada and Bingyi followed me faithfully, and the servants along the way retreated and saluted respectfully. I tried to carry the pride Kuang Xihan should have, and slowly skipped these people, and walked into the garden based on my memory—— The only thing that makes me feel at ease is that no one will stand up and question my plan to wander around.

Regardless of whether this is based on the deterrence brought by Kuang Xihan's original body or Yan Ke's private instruction, at least I feel that there is a moment of freedom from imprisonment and limited freedom.

...No matter what kind of loneliness and ridiculousness accompanies this hard-won sense of freedom.