In the Xianfu Palace, the eaves are high, the corridors are winding, and under the bright lights, each palace is guarded by forbidden troops wearing armor, and the security is extremely strict.
However, Ningshou Hall, the main hall of Xianfu Palace where the Queen Mother lives, seems a bit deserted compared with other places.
Perhaps because they were afraid of disturbing the Queen Mother's sleep, perhaps because she did not dare to overstep the Queen Mother's majesty, and perhaps because General Zhou was personally in charge, a group of forbidden troops only guarded the outside of the main hall and did not set foot within the scope of the palace.
Outside the entire Ningshou Palace, only Zhou Baiqing, the commander of the imperial army, was guarding the entrance of the palace. The flickering candlelight in the corridor elongated his figure, but invisibly exuded an awe-inspiring force.
There were only a few candlesticks lit in the huge palace. Under the dim candlelight, Pei Rong was standing respectfully in front of the hanging bed curtain, reporting to the Queen Mother what happened in the palace tonight.
Perhaps because she was woken up late at night, the Queen Mother was sitting on the bedside with her eyes closed, her face looking tired and a hint of impatience in her brows.
After Pei Rong finished speaking, the Queen Mother slowly opened her eyes, gently rubbed the side of her forehead, and said in a deep voice: "This girl's luck is really excellent. After something like this happened tonight, I can't find a chance to attack her again." .”
Pei Rong raised her head slightly, glanced secretly at the figure behind the curtain, and asked tentatively: "Master, what do you mean...?"
The Queen Mother stopped what she was doing, the tiredness in her eyes gradually dissipated, and there was a hint of chill in her low and hoarse voice: "Since she has been helped by fate, how can the Ai family go against fate?"
She narrowed her eyes slightly, and there was a flash of sharpness in her eyes, revealing a bit of gloom. She snorted coldly: "Just hold on, the Ai family doesn't believe that they can't deal with this girl. Even if she escapes today, it doesn't matter. The days are long anyway. Killing her is as easy as crushing an ant, the Ai family just don't want to make it too obvious and embarrass Zhou'er."
When Pei Rong heard this, she couldn't help but secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said yes.
The Queen Mother suppressed the trace of unwillingness in her eyes, calmed down, and said slightly puzzled: "The palace has always been heavily guarded, how could assassins suddenly enter?" Her eyes narrowed, and she asked instead, "General Zhou is now here. Where can I go to the emperor?"
Pei Rong shook his head and reported truthfully: "After the incident, General Zhou rushed to Xianfu Palace and searched all the places in the palace. Master, please rest assured, our palace is now like an iron wall." Normally, the thief would never dare to come in."
Unexpectedly, the Queen Mother's expression did not relax at all after hearing this. Instead, she became more solemn. She couldn't help but frowned and said: "Confused! If something like this happened, he should stay by the emperor's side. How can he stay here with the Ai family?"
Hearing the worry in her tone, Pei Rong quickly comforted her: "Master, don't worry. General Zhou asked this servant to tell the master that he has sent his confidants and elites to protect your majesty, so you don't have to worry."
"The emperor is protected by his personally selected bodyguards. The Ai family is not afraid. The Ai family is worried about him." The Queen Mother shook her head, with a hint of worry gradually showing in her eyes, and sighed quietly, "He has been very worried about Xianfu Palace in these years. Being so caring has caused many people to whisper behind their backs. Even if the Ai family can suppress these rumors today, there is no airtight wall in the world. The Ai family is afraid that one day, these rumors will reach the emperor. In the ears.”
Pei Rong pursed her lips and considered her words before speaking: "The reason why General Zhou is like this is that he must not worry about the safety of the master. Master, you also know the general's temper. Over the years, he has dealt with everything that involves the safety of Xianfu Palace. Never lie to others, unless you tell him personally, otherwise..."
Pei Rong hid the next words between her lips and teeth.
The Queen Mother's eyebrows moved, as if recalling some past events, her eyes became a little dazed, and she was silent for a long time. Finally, she sighed: "Oh, that's all. Where is he?"
"Stay guarding outside the dormitory." Peirong replied, and then added, "The general is afraid that the forbidden troops will disturb your rest, so he only asked them to guard outside and did not enter the inner hall."
Hearing Pei Rong's words, the Queen Mother's eyebrows couldn't help but relax a little. In a trance, as if she had traveled through the long river of time, there was actually a faint trace of the tenderness of a girl.
She just heard her complain slightly: "He is always so considerate, and he is not afraid of any troubles arising from this."
Pei Rong heard the feigned anger in the words, then pursed her lips and smiled, and explained: "Master, please be at ease. The general has said that those are his cronies, no one dares to gossip."
"Forget it, let him go." A helpless smile appeared on the Queen Mother's lips, and then her eyes glanced through the curtain at the silhouette of the flying snow outside the window, and said in deep thought, "It's just that the cold night is long, and his body is weak He's not as strong as he was when he was young. I'm afraid he'll be tired tonight. You can warm up a pot of hot wine and bring it to him later, so that he can warm himself up."
Pei Rong nodded in response, bowed to her and left the palace.
Silence suddenly returned to the palace, and the wax torch was still burning with life, flickering brightly and dimly, just like the short but long life of those locked within the palace wall. The deep palace is lonely and the nights are long. I can’t count how many nights and how many people have counted under these candlelights and looked forward to an unknown future. They either choose to fly moths into the flame with vigor, or choose to spend the rest of their lives in silence. .
The Queen Mother closed her eyes sadly, suppressing the desperation under the flashy smoke in her eyes. She opened the curtain, put on her coat and walked to a candlestick. She picked up the scissors and cut off the wick, as if she wanted to cut off the unbearable things. Looking back on the past.
Suddenly, the Queen Mother felt a flicker of candlelight in front of her eyes, and accompanied by a whistling sound of wind and snow, a cold air suddenly invaded the palace. A window behind her seemed to be opened and then closed in the blink of an eye.
The Queen Mother was stunned for a moment, her mind went blank, and she didn't realize what happened just now, or whether it was her imagination.
When she came to her senses, she suddenly discovered a small wet mark next to the candlestick, which was the trace left after the snow melted, which meant that what just happened was no illusion! It's just that the window opens and closes, but it's just a flash of light. How can it be done by ordinary people? Moreover, there were still heavy guards guarding the outside, so how could he break into her palace without alerting the guards?
Thinking of this, an unspeakable fear surged into her heart, causing her throat to tighten for no reason, and she seemed unable to make any sound. Cold sweat began to form on her vest. She tried her best to suppress the fear in her heart and put the hand in her hand. The scissors were tightly clenched.
Just when she was uneasy and panicked, a voice as cold as frost sounded from behind her, and there seemed to be a trace of a scattered smile in the throat.
"The Queen Mother, please come and be fine."
