Linshui Pagoda is still the same as every day in the past, quiet with a touch of sandalwood.

The person who came out to greet me was Aunt Gui, who had been serving the Queen Mother. After I paid a visit to the Queen Mother and became familiar with the people here, I discovered that she was also the person I saw talking to Aunt Qian in the cold palace. .However, she didn’t know that I had seen her in such a scene, but I came to Linshui Pagoda several times, and we had a very good conversation with the Queen Mother, and her attitude towards me was also very amiable.

"You are so talented, the Queen Mother even talked about you a few times not long ago."

"Thank you, mama."

I nodded to her and entered the pagoda. The light inside was not too bright, but the candle burning in front of the Buddhist niche illuminated the person I longed to see. The Queen Mother was sitting there chanting Buddha, and the flickering candle The fire shed a layer of orange-red light on her pale face, adding a touch of warmth to her calm and indifferent expression. I was about to go over and salute, but the Queen Mother did not open her eyes and just said lightly: "Come here. , don’t use that set of false etiquette.”

"Thank you, Queen Mother."

I gave her a slight greeting and carefully sat down on her lap. After the Queen Mother finished reciting the sutra, she slowly opened her eyes, glanced at me, and said, "My face is not very good today."

"I'm fine, my concubine. Thank you, Queen Mother, for remembering me."

The corner of her lips curled up, and she said calmly: "I heard that the emperor left Fangcaotang this morning and did not attend the morning court. The queen called you to Jingren Palace for questioning, right?"

My face turned pale again.

"Are you wronged?"

I shook my head: "What the queen said is right, and I accept it."

"Then what's wrong with you?"

"Concubine..."

I couldn't help but speak, but when I really spoke, I didn't know how to continue - I've never seen through what kind of person Chang Qing is, but at least now, I can't feel any hostility from her. She is aloof. She is in charge of this harem, and her words and deeds are all in the style of a mother who respects the world, and there is no fault at all.

What really makes me uneasy is Shen Rou.

Today, she didn't say a word. This was not like her past style. Moreover, since Xu Cairen left Fangcaotang, she seemed to have forgotten my existence. There was no problem with my diet or any other problems. Anyone ever come to trouble me.

But the more this happens, the more uneasy I feel.

She and I were already well aware of the matter about the horseshoe cake, and her methods were evident, but I couldn't imagine why she suddenly no longer seemed to care about my and Xu Cairen's child.

Is she really letting go?

Or is all this calm just an illusion on the turbulent undercurrent?

The Queen Mother looked at me, was silent for a while, and then suddenly said: "Yuecai, do you know why people who believe in Buddhism have to recite Amitabha?"

I was stunned for a moment, wondering why she suddenly asked this.

He still said honestly: "Amitabha is one of the three holy Buddhas in the West. When he became a Buddha, he made forty-eight great vows, one of which was: 'Everyone who hears my name should concentrate on my pure land and plant all the roots of merit and good deeds.

', Therefore, people recite his name, because those who recite the Buddha's name have light shining on them, and all evil spirits cannot harm them."

The Queen Mother smiled faintly: "After all, you are a person who has read books, so I can't fail you."

At this point, I suddenly paused, and the deep voice seemed to ring in my ears again - "I will protect you and the child."

The Queen Mother slowly said: "In life, you will inevitably encounter the evil ghost Yaksha. It doesn't matter if you encounter it. What matters is whether you have your own Amitabha."

I said: "What the Queen Mother means is that the Emperor is the concubine's Amitabha?"

"Whoever can protect you is your Amitabha."

I don’t know why, but when I heard this sentence, I felt a sharp pain in my heart.

The emperor is the Amitabha Buddha of the women in the palace and the belief of all women.

However, among so many women in the palace, he is the only one who is Amitabha, and he has too many followers.

I still remember that the first time he said he wanted to protect me was at the Taishi Mansion, but that night, he was holding another woman in his arms who was more important than his life.

Thinking of this, I smiled bitterly.

The Queen Mother kept looking at me. When I smiled bitterly, her eyes were a little dazed, as if she could see a place far away through my body, and she didn't know who was there, and then she said slowly: "You

It will always remind Aijia of someone."

I was stunned: "Who?"

"A person who is very annoying to the Ai family." A rare sneer appeared on the Queen Mother's usually cold face, and she said: "She has received the most favors, but she always looks dissatisfied, which makes people look at her.

, just hate it.”

I immediately realized that she was talking about Queen Zhaolie.

The Queen Mother has been practicing in the pagoda for so many years, and I thought she had long forgotten the love and hate in the world. But during the days we spent together, I could always feel her dissatisfaction with Queen Zhaolie from some of her faint words, and even

Yes - hate.

But I don’t know what kind of past can make her so cut off from the world, and she still can’t let go of that kind of hatred.

However, if Empress Zhaolie has been favored by the Supreme Emperor, she is always dissatisfied as she said. I don’t know what the reason is, but for me——

I said softly: "Just like a person drinking water, he knows whether it is cold or warm."

"Just like when a person drinks water, he knows whether it's warm or cold?" The Queen Mother murmured and repeated these eight words, and she felt a little dazed and said, "Yes, some sufferings are indescribable..."

I sat there quietly and thought for a long time, but the Queen Mother said nothing more and kept reciting her Amitabha to the Buddhist niche. It was not until lunch was about to begin that I stood up and said goodbye.

When I walked out of the pagoda, I suddenly remembered something and turned around and said: "The Queen Mother."

"Huh?"

"The Supreme Emperor, is he your Amitabha?"

The figure sitting quietly with her back to me suddenly trembled. I didn't see her expression, but after a long silence, I heard her calm voice say: "He is my evil ghost Yaksha."

I was stunned for a moment.

The door of the pagoda was slowly closed in front of me, and the last ray of sunlight shone on the Queen Mother, slowly disappearing...

Maybe it was my performance that night that made Pei Yuanhao unhappy. He didn't come to see me for a while.

Shui Xiu and the others were also anxious, but had no choice but to hear from outside every day that the emperor was reviewing memorials in the imperial study every night, but rarely summoned his concubines to sleep with him. This cold atmosphere became even colder in winter.

The eaves were already covered with ice, and the heavy snow in the sky dyed the entire imperial city white.

It’s time to celebrate the New Year.

Although the earth is snow-white, the imperial city is very lively. The red lanterns have been hung under the eaves, the red pillars have been painted red and shiny, and even the maids have newly made clothes, and their faces are all full of excitement.

A happy look.

The eunuchs in charge of internal affairs have already sent charcoal fires for winter to each palace. Since this year is the first year of the new emperor's accession to the throne, each palace has also sent many flowers and fruits. When they were delivered, they were piled up. I stood there.

Looking at the beaming faces of the little eunuchs under the eaves, he also smiled lightly, turned to Shuixiu and told Shuixiu: "Give me a reward."

The little eunuchs said with a smile: "We spent a lot of money to enjoy the wine and eat."

I smiled, but saw a rattan basket on the side, and asked, "What is that?"

"It's fireworks."

One of the young eunuchs said: "These are specially purchased by the imperial concubine's mother-in-law's family from various places. They are different from the ones purchased from other places. We secretly put a few in. The designs are very beautiful. Do you want to take a look?"

”

I laughed and said: "What kind of fireworks are there in broad daylight?"

They also smiled and said yes, kowtowed to me, and then ran away. Shuixiu and Xiaoyu had a fresh picture, and they begged me for a long time. I could only promise them to let them see a few, and the two of them happily took a few.

I went to the corner to light it, and suddenly colorful flowers bloomed in front of my eyes, like peonies blooming, and then turning into falling snow. It was really beautiful.

I stood under the eaves and watched the fireworks, but somehow I remembered a year ago.

At this time a year ago, we were still in Yangzhou, but half of the city was lonely and half of it was noisy. That man, who was obviously suffering from a serious disease and was about to reach the end of his life, brought the most beautiful scenery to Yangzhou, which was like a dead city.

Huang Tianba...where is he now?

I don’t know how much he listened to what I said to Pei Yuanhao that day, or maybe I just scratched the thorn in his heart?

I was lost in thought when I heard Grandma Wu pointing at Shuixiu and the two of them and scolding them: "Two little hooves, what kind of fireworks are you setting off in broad daylight? Oh, the smell is so strong, it's choking. Why don't you clean it up quickly?"

Got it!"

Shuixiu and the others stuck out their tongues after being scolded, but they were still smiling. Aunt Wu came over helplessly and said, "Talent, it's better to go back to the house. It's cold outside, and the smell of fireworks is too choking."<

/p>

"Yeah."

I nodded and turned back to the house.

However, the smell of sulfur did not dissipate. Instead, it slowly spread throughout the imperial city. After all, it was the Chinese New Year, and everyone liked to set off fireworks. In the evening, people from various palaces could often be seen setting off fireworks in the courtyard.

, caused a night of fireworks, Eunuch Yu also led people to say it several times, but after all it was the Chinese New Year.

In a blink of an eye, it’s New Year’s Eve.

On this day, the palace specially invited a theater troupe from the south to set up a stage in Nuanxiang Pavilion in the evening. All the concubines of the palace were going. Although I usually skip greetings, I still have to go at this time, but these days

My energy was a little weak and my body felt uncomfortable, so I slept until after midnight.

Shuixiu and the others helped me get dressed, and even put on some make-up on my eyebrows. However, seeing that I still looked depressed, Grandma Wu was also a little worried: "What's wrong with Talent? He's been saying no these days."

Comfortable."

"I don't know either." I frowned slightly and slowly sat on the couch: "I'm just not in good spirits."
Chapter completed!