After laughing, he took her to the place where they guessed lantern riddles. They had a fun time guessing several lantern riddles, and finally picked a carp lantern to take away.
Walking out of the crowd, Ji Yun smiled and joked: "Not ready this year? You lost after only six rounds."
She has no talent in guessing lantern riddles, but she insists on winning the lanterns by herself. Every time on the eve of the Lantern Festival or the Mid-Autumn Festival, she memorizes the lantern riddles crazily, and she can always win the lanterns she likes.
Jiao Jiao was so depressed that she had been busy with things these past few days. How could she be in the mood to memorize any lantern riddles? She could only guess six by relying on her inventory from previous years.
"I've got my favorite lantern. I'm satisfied. Let's go!" As she said that, she looked up and looked around. Guessing lantern riddles was Pei Zheng's forte. He would definitely come. He had to leave quickly before he ran into him!
Ji Yun smiled and let her pull him forward: "What if the lantern you like next time is the leader's lucky draw?"
"We'll talk about it then."
Walking to the riverside, he saw many people putting up lanterns to make wishes. Ji Yun casually took the lantern handed by a vendor, tilted his head and said, "Make a wish."
"It's okay to put out the lantern, just make a wish."
"Huh?" Ji Yun was confused.
"The gods are too busy to care about the wishes of mortals," she pointed to the crowd around her, "Furthermore, there are so many people making wishes. Even if they occasionally have time to take care of one or two, it is impossible for everyone's wishes to come true. , Therefore, making a wish is useless.”
Ji Yun was silent and said softly: "Just make your promise. If the gods don't make it come true, I will do it."
"real?"
Ji Yun smiled slightly: "A promise worth a thousand gold."
Jiao Jiao thought about it for a while and realized that he really kept his promises. From childhood to adulthood, he would do everything he promised her.
Moreover, he is so persistent that he even wants to do what he promised in his previous life.
Thinking of this, she felt sour in her heart. She considered her words and said carefully, "I hope we can see each other again year after year."
Ji Yun was stunned, and his eyes became dim. His long eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyes, making it impossible to see his emotions.
Jiao Jiao was very worried when he saw it. Is it too straightforward?
She regretted that she should not have used "Spring Banquet", which is a prayer for husband and wife to stay together, especially the previous sentence, like Liang Shangyan, nakedly in pairs.
In her anxiety, those deep black eyes were filled with mist and became blurred. After a long time, a voice that was almost whispering came into her ears with a mute and ethereal voice.
"This is also my wish."
Jiao Jiao jumped up for joy, her heart beating like thunder, but for a moment, she felt lost again. What he understood was that the regular meeting between relatives was not what she wanted.
——
After breakfast the next day, the Queen Mother called Jiaojiao: "Today, Mrs. Pingchang is bringing her two daughters into the palace to pay her respects. You and I can meet her."
Jiao Jiao was stunned for a moment, "Why should I see them?"
The Queen Mother smiled and said: "The eldest daughter of her family is excellent in manners, chess, calligraphy and painting, as well as appearance, virtues and merits. The Ai family is thinking of hiring your royal brother. Please take them to the Imperial Garden for a walk and take a look. Nothing wrong with it.”
Jiao Jiao was shocked, and her expression almost stopped: "I'm going to marry the emperor's wife."
As soon as she mentioned this matter, the Queen Mother couldn't help but frown: "I should have married a long time ago. My son is already enlightened when he goes to Beijing to be at your imperial brother's age. It's just him who has pushed back and delayed it until now..."
Jiao Jiao said oh and lowered his head. Yes, he would get married sooner or later, and she could only appear as a younger sister.
She had seen the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Pingchang. She had always stood out among the noble ladies. She had a calm temperament and was talented. She was very suitable to be a queen.
The bead curtain at the door made a sound. Are you here so early?
She raised her head, but it was Princess Zheng who came to greet her with her second sister Yongning. After Ji Yun succeeded to the throne, he had given titles to his two sisters, one Yongning and the other Zhaoyue.
Needless to say, Yongning was just different from the eldest princess Yongle, and the ministers didn't think much about it. After all, there was a difference between closeness and distance, and the sister who had been loved since childhood was different from the sister who only had face-saving feelings.
There were only some complaints about the title using the same character Zhao as the emperor, and the Chinese character Yue, which is taboo in mainland China. However, Ji Yun insisted, and the family had hidden suspicions, so the matter was over.
Please say goodbye. Concubine Zheng and her daughter have not left. Concubine Zheng and Empress Dowager Luo started chatting with each other. The two who had been fighting for most of their lives became somewhat of best friends after the death of Emperor Xuande.
Yongning leaned close to Jiao Jiao's ear and said, "You know, Lin Ruyue will be our emperor's wife."
Jiao Jiao said with a wooden face: "I just found out that you are very familiar with her?"
Yong Ning curled his lips: "She is a model for our boudoir in Beijing. Every word and every action is as if she was plucked out of a book. She is as boring as she can be. Only the mothers and concubines like her. I don't think the second emperor brother will like her."
Jiao Jiao felt astringent in his heart, but he liked Pei Zheng, the kind who would live and die.
At noon, Lin Ruyue and the others came. They hadn't seen each other for several years. She looked more and more outgoing, with slender shoulders and slim waist. She walked gracefully, and there was a sense of alienation and dignity from her neck to her eyebrows.
Jiao Jiao's mood was complicated. He was jealous that she could stand by his side openly, but he was also pitiful that she could not get her husband's love.
After several questions, Empress Dowager Luo sent several juniors to visit the imperial garden. Before leaving, she secretly winked at Jiao Jiao.
As soon as the four of them arrived at the Royal Garden, they bumped into Ji Yun passing by, followed by Aunt Minzhi who was still in Changxin Palace.
What else did Jiao Jiao not understand? This was also the arrangement of Empress Dowager Luo. Her heart felt like a ball of cotton wool was blocked, and she was so stuffy that she couldn't breathe.
Sister Lin Ruyue knelt down and saluted.
Ji Yun raised his hand to signal the two of them to stand up, and said with a smile: "I heard that Miss Lin and the Second Emperor's sister are close friends. She is getting married soon, so it's time for the Second Miss to come to the palace to accompany her."
As soon as these words came out, except for Jiao Jiao, the three people had different expressions.
Miss Lin Er, who was silently serving as the backdrop, was suddenly called upon. She raised her head in surprise, but soon realized something was wrong. She quickly lowered her head and replied calmly: "Yes."
Yongning was confused. When did she and Lin Ruxing become close friends?
Lin Ruyue's face turned red instantly. She was a smart person, and she quickly understood what Ji Yun meant. He wanted to turn today's default meeting into Princess Yongning inviting friends to the palace for a party.
Jiao Jiao glanced at Lin Ruxing, who had no sense of existence at all, and asked Yong Ning strangely: "When did you and her become close friends? Where is Miss Yang Liu?"
Yongning glanced at Ji Yun's expression, smiled dryly and said vaguely: "It's just the two years since you left."
Jiao Jiao was still confused and looked at Miss Lin Er again. She didn't think her temper was the same as that of her second sister.
Ji Yun didn't say anything more, turned around and left. After taking a few steps, he turned back and said, "Jiaojiao, if you feel sleepy, go back and rest."
Jiao Jiao rubbed his face. He had been restless these past few days and was indeed quite haggard. His words made it easier for Empress Dowager Luo to deal with her, so he said a few polite words and stood up to leave.
Thinking that she would inevitably be questioned by Concubine Luo when she returned, she simply went to the nearby Yi Ran Pavilion to relax, and ordered Huang Tao to go to the imperial dining room to get refreshments.
The August sun was so fierce that it made the flowers and grass wilted. She lay on the railing, drowsy.
He vaguely heard a series of footsteps and raised his eyes to see the Lin sisters sitting and resting next to the rockery. Yongning had gone somewhere, but no one from the palace was left behind for the two sisters.
She was secretly sighing at the narrow road between enemies, when she suddenly heard Miss Lin Er, who had been silent, ask: "Sister, why does Your Majesty call the two princesses different, one is the Second Princess, and the other is Jiaojiao. Doesn't he like the Third Princess?"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Lin Ruyue glanced around nervously and reprimanded in a low voice, "Royal secrets, are we allowed to guess..."
What else did she teach her later? Jiao Jiao didn't want to listen anymore. Her mind exploded with a bang. Yes, why is it different?
She had never thought about this problem before. It had been like this since she was a child, and she didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
But a few days ago, after understanding what she was thinking, she found that she could no longer say "Second Brother".
Thinking about it carefully, it seems that he has never called her sister.
Perhaps, that person who is out of reach does not refer to gender, but to identity. That person is actually her!
Her eyes suddenly tightened, her hands tightly grasping the railing, her heart beating like thunder, one beat louder than the other...
