The night was dark.
The imperial mausoleum is not quiet, there are always mournful sounds in the sky.
The two children were so tired that when they returned to the house, they just wiped themselves down and fell asleep on the couch.
Yunchu knew that Chu Yi probably wouldn't come back overnight because there were too many things to deal with.
She took off the small white flowers on her head and was about to rest.
Suddenly, Qiu Tong's low and cold voice sounded outside: "Who is coming? Take off your cloak, otherwise there is no need to blame the sword for being invisible."
"Yes, it's me, don't kill me!"
A slightly familiar voice came from outside.
Yunchu felt that he had heard this voice before, but couldn't remember who it was.
Then, a figure suddenly flashed in her mind.
She stood up quickly, and Tingfeng hurried forward to open the door.
She saw a slender woman kneeling at the foot of the courtyard steps. She was wearing a black cloak and her hat had been taken off, revealing a thin face.
Yun Chu could no longer recognize him.
It had only been more than four months, and in more than a hundred days, Xie Ping had become completely different from before.
If Yun Chu hadn't lived with her for four years, he might not have recognized her at all.
"Mother, it's me, Ping'er." Xie Ping knelt on the ground and walked towards Yunchu on her knees. "I knew that after my mother came to the imperial mausoleum, I tried every means to see my mother..."
Yun Chu looked at her with a complicated face: "You shouldn't have come, and you shouldn't have called me mother."
"No, once I am a mother, I will always be a mother. I will always remember my mother's teachings." Xie Ping hugged Yun Chu's legs, "I can't stay in this ghost place for a whole day. Please take me, mother." Go, mother, please, help me, I will really die here..."
Yun Chu knelt down, looked at her and said: "When you were imprisoned because of King Anjing, your father and Brother An meant that you should go with King Anjing. Even if you leave the imperial mausoleum now, the Xie family There is no place for you, so where can you go?"
There was deep hatred in Xie Ping's eyes.
When she was locked in a dark dungeon, she saw her father and An Ge'er coming. She thought she saw hope, but unexpectedly, the two closest people told her to die.
Even her biological father and brother treated her like this, so why should she ask an unrelated aunt to save her?
"Mom, I'm so miserable, so miserable..."
Xie Ping burst into tears.
She didn't know who else she could beg for besides her mother.
She really didn't want to stay in this purgatory-like place.
She obviously only came to guard the mausoleum of Prince Anjing, but she was assigned a lot of rough work, which was nothing more than that, and she was also bullied by the eunuchs.
She had to find an old concubine for help. The old concubine was the keeper of the late emperor's tomb and the legitimate daughter of a second-class family in the capital. She protected her, but she paid a huge price...
"Ping'er, I once said that you should walk on your knees even if you choose the road you choose." Yun Chu's voice was soft, "You are the guardian of the tomb, you shouldn't come to me. If someone finds out, you will suffer even more, be good." ,Let's go back."
"Mother, I don't want..." Xie Ping's tears fell, "Mom, can you tell me what to do? What should I do..."
Yun Chu shook his head.
Her eyes signaled Tingfeng to bring out a plate of food from the house.
"Ping'er, I don't have the ability to help you. When you're full, go back to where you belong."
Xie Ping knew that her mother could not help her.
Her eyes were full of tears, she lowered her head and took small bites of the snack into her mouth.
She had not eaten this sweet snack for more than four months. When she held it on the tip of her tongue, the sweetness spread. At this moment, she felt as if she was still the eldest lady of the Xie family...
No matter how slowly you eat, there will be a moment when you finish eating.
She was pulled up by Qiu Tong in despair and sent to the residence of the tomb keeper.
She stood there blankly for who knows how long. An old nanny said coldly: "The concubine is looking for you everywhere, why don't you hurry over?"
Xie Ping's body couldn't help but shrink, and there was pain in her chest.
The methods the concubine used on her were not only physical torture, but also mental torture. Sooner or later, she would run out of oil and die.
She is only a fourteen-year-old girl. Does she deserve to live a life worse than death because she took the wrong path?
"I-I feel a little uncomfortable today."
Xie Ping lowered her head and refused.
The old nanny grabbed her hair: "If it weren't for the concubine's protection, you would have been ruined. How dare you refuse the concubine's order?"
"It's really not possible today..." Xie Ping struggled out quickly, turned around and ran into the night.
The old mama knew that the Queen Mother was being buried today and that the Emperor and the Queen were staying in the imperial mausoleum. She did not dare to make too much of a fuss. She cursed and said: "You bitch, just wait. When the Emperor leaves, let's see how I deal with you!"
Xie Ping ran to the back hill of the imperial mausoleum in one breath.
She looked at the dark night, confused and at a loss.
Where should she go? There seems to be no place for her in this world...
She walked forward aimlessly, thinking that if she could get out of the imperial mausoleum, she might have a chance to survive.
After walking for a long time, she suddenly saw a group of people appearing in front of her.
There were several eunuchs and guards, and at the front was a man in a yellow robe, a young man.
In this world, apart from the emperor, the only person who can wear yellow brocade clothes is the prince.
That man is indeed the prince.
The prince has never liked reading, but he was able to read it only because of the queen's supervision. He also doesn't like to learn martial arts, so he can only do it reluctantly by riding a horse.
His favorite is wood carving.
But the Queen would not allow him to be so ridiculous.
He could only carry the Queen and the Crown Princess on his back and secretly come to the mountain behind the emperor's mausoleum to look for wooden roots. He wanted to make a majestic root carving.
He searched around the mountain.
Xie Ping looked at the bright yellow color from a distance and couldn't help but think about it.
She turned around and left, no, she ran, holding up her skirt and running quickly. She was afraid that she would not have enough time and that the prince would leave the back mountain early.
The prince also wanted to leave this dark place as soon as possible, but he could not find any satisfactory wood carvings. He could only search carefully with a torch. He did not dare to make any big moves for fear of causing a mountain fire, so he walked very slowly...
Suddenly, a wild beast roared.
"Your Highness, let's go back..." the attendant said with trembling hands and feet, "There must be wolves on the mountain. It's too dangerous. Why don't I have my servant look for it for Your Highness early tomorrow morning?"
The prince snorted: "What you are looking for is just rotten wood, I can't trust you alone."
He continued to go deeper, and within a few steps, the roar sounded again, getting closer and closer.
Then, the sound of trees being broken was heard, and then, footsteps were heard, coming quickly towards their direction.
"Quick, protect His Highness!"
Several guards quickly stepped forward to block it.
They thought it was a wild wolf, but they never expected that under the firelight, a big insect pounced towards them.
The guard at the front didn't even have time to scream, before he was knocked down, his neck was bitten off by the tiger, and the smell of blood spread instantly.
The prince was completely frightened.
How could there be a tiger on this mountain... Didn't it mean that the only tiger was captured and imprisoned in the royal mausoleum to guard the mausoleum for the royal family for generations...
The prince's legs went weak and he wanted to run away, but he tripped on a branch and fell to the ground.
The tiger was eating people. When it heard the noise, it immediately turned around, opened its big mouth and came forward again.
The guard quickly raised the torch in an attempt to scare the tiger away, but the tiger was obviously not afraid.
"Hehe!"
The tiger's saliva dripped down, and he took down the second guard with one paw.
Those big scary eyes stared at the prince, and the fangs slowly came closer.
At this moment, a petite figure stood neatly in front of the prince.
