The First Empress - Chapter 159

Chapter 159 Ballad Of Returning Home
Later, Lan Zhenglin trembled. On the one hand, he was restrained by Seventh Prince and didn’t dare to act rashly. On the other hand, Linglong was even more courteous and fawning over Linglong. Unfortunately, Linglong didn’t like to see him.

Now that the northern geese had begun to fly south, it was winter. In the Thousand Seeks Green Ridge, there was a fragrant and gorgeous branch. Only a hundred acres of plum bloomed in the snow in the upper forest garden, making it look as if all of them were sad and respectful.

With nothing to do, Linglong went to the Upper Forest Garden to look at the plum blossoms and stood under a few old plums. At this time, Huiqi happened to pass by and walked over. Linglong did not notice Huiqi. Huiqi patted Linglong on the shoulder and dodged anxiously. Linglong turned around and saw no one. She said angrily, “Qin’er, come out.”

Huiqi lowered his head and gently patted Linglong’s shoulder.

“Qin’er, stop playing. Watch out for you if the Snowy Road slides.” Linglong’s reproach contained a kind of indulgence, but when she turned around and saw that it was the Emperor, she hurriedly saluted, and that Shu Li’s face was slightly stunned.

“This concubine does not know that it is the Emperor. This concubine has lost her dignity. Please apologize to the Emperor.” When Linglong suddenly saw Huiqi, she was slightly stunned. Huiqi did not take it seriously. He held Linglong’s hand and said, “The plum blossom fragrance came from the bitter cold. The ancients did not deceive me. As expected, it is now.”

Linglong smiled lightly and knew that Huiqi had something to say. She asked, “Your Majesty, but the victims have already left the Imperial Capital. Seeing that the Emperor is in good spirits, my servants and concubines secretly pondered for a moment. Do you have anything on your mind?”

After Shouyang Zhuang finished her makeup, her exquisite ice-like jade appearance became even more naive. In the moonlit and white weather, she felt even more obedient and adorable. Huiqi held Linglong’s hand and said, “These things are all thanks to you. I will remember them here.” As he spoke, he lightly tapped on the lower left side of his chest cavity.

Linglong understood and hurriedly shook her head, “It’s just a matter for me. Your Majesty, don’t let me be overjoyed.” Linglong slightly blessed her. Hui Qi frowned and said, “I’m telling the truth. If it weren’t for you, the victims would probably still be spending the New Year in the Imperial Capital. In fact, the treasury would have been empty long ago. If the victims didn’t stay here for the New Year, I wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.”

Linglong smiled sweetly and said, “Your Majesty is the True Dragon Son of Heaven. Naturally, you have everything planned out. Your concubines are just waiting here. Your Majesty must have your strategy. Why can’t you do anything about it?”

Huiqi was slightly stunned. He nodded and said, “That’s right. As the True Dragon Son of Heaven, I will naturally not be discouraged. However, it would probably be very bad for me to stay around for a long time.”

The two of them talked about many things, but Linglong suddenly felt cold. She said, “This concubine feels cold, so I’ll go back first. Plum blossoms need to be admired at night to have a clear charm. Why don’t Emperor Ye Jian come over and take a look? That kind of thin and slanted water, the exquisite fragrance of the floating moon and evening is incomparable.” When Huiqi heard this, he nodded and said, “I will also come at night. If you want to get dressed, go to the Shanggong Bureau to find Han Xiuyi without a cloak.” Linglong nodded her head and said, “After all, things are different now. Everything is simple and not too extravagant. This is also the Emperor’s warning. Your servants and concubines should set an example.”

“I’ve bitterly humiliated you.” Huiqi exerted a slight force on his hand.

Linglong frowned and said, “It’s not bitter. It’s just a bit to benefit the world. Your Majesty, don’t speak like you’ve wronged your concubines.”

Huiqi smiled and said, “If Dali’s harem concubines are like you, I will probably rest easy. It’s just that everyone is jealous and plotting against each other. Sometimes they kill each other, sometimes the golden branch wants to be evil, there’s nothing we can do about it.” Linglong was in suspense and smiled faintly. “The Emperor has the Empress to assist the harem. It must be a soldier who came to block the water and cover the earth. A mere concubine is naturally not a problem.”

“That’s right,” Hui Qi said as he walked towards Merlin. “If this is also good fortune, Your Majesty …” Hui Qi paused for a moment before continuing to laugh. He clearly had something to say, but it was as if he couldn’t say it openly.

Linglong’s heart was beating fiercely. Could it be that the Empress was really two-faced and comprehensive? It was a pity that the Emperor had seen her evil intentions now?

Linglong didn’t dare to imagine, so she could only stand outside the Upper Forest Garden and wait for Qin’er.

Huiqi looked at the sky and said, “It’s time for me to go back. You should go back earlier.”

Originally, the imperial concubines would have shoulders when they were searching for plums in snow-covered weather, but Linglong was different from others. She did not intend to use shoulders and luanjia to wander about. She could be considered as walking wherever she went. Huiqi’s words just now were still in her ears, and Linglong was a little confused, so much so that a patch of snow broke the tree branch before she regained her senses.

“Master, please make it easy for this servant to find.” As she spoke, Qin’er handed over her cloak and stove.

Linglong smiled, a little embarrassed. “The Emperor came over just now. I talked to the Emperor, but before I could finish speaking, I traveled ten thousand miles, making it impossible for you to find me.” Qin’er smiled and said, “Your Highness, do you still want to go in and take a look?”

Linglong grasped the stove and felt warm at this time. She said, “It’s freezing cold and snowy. I don’t want to see it anymore.” As a result, the two of them walked out of the Upper Forest Garden. Today was a lively day, and Lan Sou Yu had just walked out. Lan Sou Yu did not dare to treat Ling Long harshly because of Prime Minister Lan’s instructions.

On the contrary, she greeted Lan Sou Yu from afar. Ling Long knew that Lan Sou Yu was a dangerous wall. A gentleman was not good for Ling Long, so she only smiled.

It’s not evening yet, The He Palace was already in full swing, Even the Queen and Concubine De, who lived in seclusion, arrived. They looked at Hongmei Baimei in the forest garden and chatted with each other. Linglong smiled bitterly in her heart. These people clearly hated each other. It was true that “soldiers, tricks” were all polite and humble on the surface. She didn’t know if they were tired or not.

Qin’er and Linglong watched from afar. Linglong stretched out her hand and gently pulled Qin’er, “Go back, don’t look anymore.” Qin’er looked on with a smile and said, “Concubine, look, they seem to be in good shape.”

“It’s just one set after another on the surface. Have you forgotten about Concubine Heshu and Li Chongyuan?” Linglong smiled mockingly and reminded Qin’er coolly. Qin’er hurriedly turned around and carried an umbrella for Linglong. The two of them walked towards Qixia Palace.

Because the snow on this side hadn’t been cleaned yet, she almost fell. Qin’er hurriedly stroked Linglong. Linglong also tried her best to stand firmly, but every time, she was on the verge of collapse, almost falling to the ground.

Qin’er came over and said, “Why don’t we go through Eternal Alley? Eternal Alley used salt to melt the snow early in the morning, but it’s still safe to go a bit further.” It had been a long time since Linglong had gone to Eternal Alley. She rarely went to Eternal Alley in a year. At this time, Royal servant, who had come from Qixia Palace, had stopped Linglong.

“Little Zhuozi, you are diligent. Did you come to see Master?” Qin’er put away her umbrella with a red face.

Xiao Zhuozi waved his horseshoe sleeves from afar. “We’re using salt to melt the snow in front of us. Niang Niang, Aunt Sheng asked this servant to bring Niang Niang back to the palace from Eternal Alley. That side has already been cleaned up in the morning, so it’s easier to walk.”

Linglong looked at the road ahead. Although it wasn’t very long, she still followed Xiao Zhuozi and Qin’er to Eternal Alley for safety.

The palace here was empty. It was as if someone had been swallowed up by the darkness. There was an inexplicable strangeness. The person became inexplicably small. Suddenly, a few miserable screams came from afar. A woman said, “The Emperor loved this palace the most at that time. This palace was the pet of Jiao Fang at that time. What do you know?” Another woman’s voice was even more sinister, accusing the previous woman.

Linglong stood at the corner of Wu Palace and looked at the corner of Xieshan Palace. It was covered with snow one layer at a time. It was like a dense and heavy worry that made people unable to breathe.

The straight lines and curves of the roof were ingeniously combined to form a slightly tilted eave. Linglong suddenly stopped walking while standing here. Qin’er was so scared that she was frightened, “Your Highness, hurry up and leave. This place is relatively close to the Cold Palace. I heard that there are always dirty things in the Cold Palace.”

Little Zhuozi was also a little trembling. He heard a few palace maids singing and saying in a very strange voice. He hurriedly came over to persuade Linglong, “Master, let’s go. This place is not peaceful.”

Linglong pursed her thin lips and said with a faint crimson color, “Is it that all the imperial concubines of the previous dynasty who did not go to the imperial mausoleum to die were inside? Also, all the imperial concubines who made mistakes and were banished were also inside?”

Qin’er nodded and said, “Master, hurry up and leave. This place is so scary.”

Linglong’s deep eyes revealed a faint smile. “Everyone is human, what’s there to be afraid of?” However, her feet slowly moved. From here, she could still see the scene in the cold palace. Linglong glanced at it and walked away.

With great difficulty, the three of them finally arrived in Yunluan Palace. Li Sheng was afraid that Linglong would catch the cold and quickly cook the hot ginger soup for Linglong. Linglong couldn’t be disobedient and quickly drank it.

Because after the impact just now, he was still unable to recover from his shock and was still frowning and deep in thought. Those women must have been first-rate in the flowers at that time, but fate had changed a person’s life. When there was no love and no pet, everything was gone. It was truly sad.

The corner of Li Sheng’s mouth curved into a beautiful arc. “Perhaps it’s a little uncomfortable for Your Highness to return from Eternal Alley. However, Your Highness, servant also wants to remind Your Highness that the last step in this harem of bad sex is there.”

Linglong calmly held Li Sheng’s hand and said, “Thank you very much. I know what you mean. I will definitely not disappoint you.”

Originally, Linglong didn’t want to go to the forest garden today, but she had an agreement with Huiqi that she could only go to the forest garden at night. Fortunately, there was a moon tonight, and it was as light as water.

Linglong’s thick eyelashes flashed, “I think there are a lot of concubines in the plum blossom tonight. Let’s go as well.”

Xiao Zhuozi knelt in front of Linglong and said, “Master, you may have to go through Eternal Alley tonight, because the snow in front of you hasn’t been cleaned yet.” After saying that, he added, “In the afternoon, there was another heavy snow. The new ones and the old ones became thicker and thicker. Only the eunuchs in Eternal Alley kept on shopping every day. The snow there could not fall.”

Linglong also knew the function of Everlane. Everything that came from the people in the palace was bought from Everlane. Naturally, there was no snow in this state.

Linglong had already retreated, but she had clearly made an agreement with Hui Qi today. It was not good for her to say that she would not go sooner or later. She could only nod and say, “Then we should go to Eternal Alley.”