During the Chinese Valentine's Day, Chang'an City was abuzz with lights at night. People were coming and going on the streets, and pairs of lovers boldly took to the streets, walking side by side. On this blessed night, they were no longer bound by etiquette and customs.
On this day, the government relaxed the ban early, allowing Chang'an City, which had been deserted for so long, to finally dress up again, no longer just the same plain and quiet.
"Chang'an is finally getting lively." Yan Mo stood on the top of the mountain and looked at the brightly lit Chang'an City below.
"But it doesn't belong to us warriors who only know how to fight." Lieutenant General Chu Tianhe said with a smile.
Yan Mo glanced at him silently and said, "You have been staying in this imperial mausoleum for a long time, and you probably want to lie down in it."
"Don't tell me, after staying here for so long, I really want to lie down in it and see which one is more comfortable, the emperor's coffin or our coffin." Chu Tianhe laughed.
"Daydream." Yan Mo ignored him and turned to look at the looming sparks outside Chang'an City. "It seems that a lot of people have left Chang'an City."
"I heard that many big families in Chang'an have secretly sent many people out of the city these days." Chu Tianhe also put away his playful smile and said in a deep voice, "Maybe it's going to rain, a heavy rain that will wash away the entire Chang'an. .”
"The fish are jumping out of the water, and the storm is coming. The big families in Chang'an have been able to exist for so long because they are all human beings. When there is danger, they run faster than anyone else." Yan Mo said slowly.
"But not all of them are those who have quit the game." Chu Tianhe frowned and said, "There are also many who went to Yumen Pass."
"It's better to be brave enough to chase down the poor bandits, not to be known as the academic overlord. Our second prince is quite a ruthless person." Yan Mo said with a smile on his lips.
There was singing and dancing inside Chang'an City, but outside Chang'an City it was still vast and dark.
Qinxin Palace is different from the bustle outside the city. Li Qinxi sits in the courtyard and wanders in the moonlight of Yingting, embracing the quiet fragrance of magnolia.
"Your Majesty, today is Chinese Valentine's Day, and I specially made some sweet fruits." Zhang Wenling came to Li Qinxi with a plate of sweet fruits in one hand and a lantern in the other.
"You are very skillful with your hands. You can cook something for me in different ways every three days." Li Qinxi picked up a ball of Qiaoguo and ate it. "You were probably not a cook before you entered the palace, were you?"
"Back to your Majesty, before I entered the palace, I worked as a busboy in a restaurant. Later, I made a mistake and pissed off the owner of the restaurant, so I was kicked out. The cooks took pity on me and taught me some skills. I relied on these skills to enter the palace. This is how I am blessed to serve the empress today." Zhang Wenling's eyes dimmed a bit and he said slowly
"You have a unique skill when it comes to talking," Li Qinxi said with a smile.
"Your Majesty, thank you very much."
"Go pick up a chair and sit here with me to admire the moon." Li Qinxi looked up at the moon in the sky and said.
"Thank you for your grace."
After a while, Zhang Wenling came to sit behind Li Qinxi with a chair in one hand and a blanket in the other.
"Come, sit next to me, so I can talk to you." Li Qinxi said softly, "I read in the book that the immortals said that the heart dancing in the dark night is the moon."
Zhang Wenling was stunned for a moment, then silently sat down side by side with her.
The moonlight still spreads its gentleness evenly.
On the streets of the West Market, the whole street was crowded with people. Various vendors set up stalls on the streets. There was everything to eat, drink, and play. The sounds of hoots, shouts, children's cries, lovers' vows, and customers' bargaining are all intertwined to form a street in Chang'an.
"I want to eat that!" Jiang Zhiyuan pointed to a stall selling cookies on the street, and then looked up at Zhou Ruoxiao who was standing aside.
Zhou Ruoxiao looked at her funny, "Third Princess, you are really good at eating. From the time you left home until now, you have eaten two plates of fried sugar cakes, a bowl of Qibao soup and four Qiaoguo."
"I don't care, I want to eat! Will you buy it for me?" Jiang Zhiyuan pouted and looked at Zhou Ruoxiao with fierce eyes.
"Aren't you going to be full after eating like this?" Zhou Ruoxiao said, looking at Jiang Zhiyuan's belly.
"I'm not full! I'm only sixty percent full. If you don't believe me, just touch it and see!" Jiang Zhiyuan came up to him with her belly bulging out and wanted him to touch it.
Zhou Ruoxiao gave her a strange look, while Jiang Zhiyuan was curious as to why he didn't touch her yet.
In the end, Zhou Ruoxiao reached out his hand, gently stroked her belly, and said, "Well... you can only eat one at most."
"Okay, buy it quickly!" Jiang Zhiyuan happily dragged Zhou Ruoxiao to the stall. The stall owners were a kind middle-aged couple.
"Uncle, bring me a cookie." Zhou Ruoxiao said with a smile.
The uncle smiled and put a cookie in oil paper and handed it over and said, "It's a little hot, take it!"
The aunt joked at the side, "What a handsome young man. He looks like a rich man at first glance. This girl will be blessed in the future."
"Really?" Jiang Zhiyuan looked at Zhou Ruoxiao with a smile on her face and said.
Zhou Ruoxiao pinched the cookie in her hand, looked at her and smiled but said nothing, pulling Jiang Zhiyuan to continue walking on the street.
The lanterns under the eaves of shops on both sides of the street painted a light blush on the men and women passing by. Sometimes you can still see lovers having sex with each other in a deep alley.
After walking for a long time, the two came to Baiyun Temple. Baiyun Temple belongs to Qingcheng Mountain, and Qingcheng Mountain is a great sect that specializes in killing demons. In the original war between the human race and the demon race, the first master of Qingcheng Mountain led the entire martial arts community to the forefront. In the end, he teamed up with the first human emperor Meng Huang and died together with the extremely powerful demon emperor. At this point, Qingcheng Mountain was granted the title of state religion by the second emperor Jiang Huang.
There are very few visitors to the Taoist temple. There is an old pine tree planted at the door, and a big red lantern hangs on the pine tree, which barely brings the Taoist temple into this Chinese Valentine's Day.
"Now that the world is at peace, the demon has almost been eliminated. Life in Qingcheng Mountain is difficult." Zhou Ruoxiao said with emotion.
"Hmm... um," Jiang Zhiyuan nodded vaguely while eating a cookie.
Zhou Ruoxiao glanced at Jiang Zhiyuan helplessly.
"Hiccup..." Jiang Zhiyuan hiccupped and glanced at the half of the cookie in his hand.
"Third Princess, you said it yourself before, you can still eat it." Zhou Ruoxiao stared at her funny and said.
"That...that's what I said before, it doesn't count." Jiang Zhiyuan touched his round belly, looked at half of the cookie in his hand, turned to hand it to Zhou Ruoxiao, and said, "I am now When you’re full, I’ll give you the rest.”
Under the moonlight, Jiang Zhiyuan raised his head and looked at Zhou Ruoxiao, with a hint of dodge in his eyes, but stubbornly refused to dodge.
Zhou Ruoxiao just looked into her eyes quietly, then looked at the cookie in her hand after a moment, and finally turned his head and looked away.
Jiang Zhiyuan slowly lowered his head and put down the hand he had been extending. A dark cloud covered the moon and dimmed her eyes.
Suddenly, a slender hand gently took the piece of chocolate cake from her hand. She looked up and saw Zhou Ruoxiao slowly eating the piece of cake.
The dark clouds finally left and the moon still hung high.
After eating the cookie, Zhou Ruoxiao took out his handkerchief and wiped his mouth slowly.
Under the moonlight, Jiang Zhiyuan looked at Zhou Ruoxiao's lips, which were thin and slightly red in color.
"There's still oil on your mouth that you haven't wiped clean!"
Before Zhou Ruoxiao could react, Jiang Zhiyuan came to him, stood up on tiptoes, gently put her hands on his shoulders, slowly closed her eyes, and kissed him.
The moonlight is like water, and the lanterns in Chang'an City are like flying flowers. The water sometimes dries up, and the flowers sometimes wither.
"Sister Guard, do you think there is anything in this world that will never change?" Jiang Xianfeng put his chin in his hands, lying on the window sill and looking at the night sky and said, "Stars will flash, houses will collapse, and people will die..."
Luo Qing frowned and thought for a long time before slowly saying, "Immortal."
"Immortal?" Jiang Xianfeng turned around and looked at Luo Qing curiously. Luo Qing was his personal guard, more than ten years older than him, and had been with him since he was a child. In his opinion, this eldest sister knew everything and knew nothing. Can't.
"Is it the kind that can fly? It seems that it can also change into various things, such as gold and silver." Jiang Xianfeng thought about the little man he secretly bought from the eunuchs in the palace. The content in the book, he said.
"I don't know either, but it's definitely more than you think."
Luo Qing moved to the window sill with his hands behind his back, looked up at the night sky and murmured, "How can mortal eyes see the changes of immortals?"
Huo Mansion.
The attic was quiet, with only a dim oil lamp on the table lighting up. Huo Xuemin silently looked at the bowl of cold soup on the table.
It was sent by her father to let her make her own decision. Today's Chang'an is still calm on the surface, but this is also a precursor to the coming storm. Several big families in the city have come to Huo Long before, wanting to leave the city together and leave Chang'an together. But Huo Long declined them all.
It's time to make a decision, Huo Xuemin thought silently in her heart. The Huo family has always been mercenary. Now that the eldest prince has lost power, there is no need for the Huo family to continue to suffer. Huo Long's management of the court before was considered to be benevolent and righteous. If we don't withdraw early now, once the second prince ascends the throne and the liquidation is liquidated, the Huo family will be the first to bear the brunt.
Huo Xuemin put her hand on her slightly swollen abdomen. She knew that no matter what decision she made, her father would support her. Even the entire Huo family business was ruined.
"If you were here, how would you make a decision?" Huo Xuemin picked up the bowl with slightly trembling hands and looked down at her slightly swollen belly, "I hope you won't blame me."
The Grand Prince's Mansion.
Jiang Fengqing slowly sat up from the bed. Listening to the excitement on the street, he just smiled to himself, then sighed again.
The excitement belongs to others and has nothing to do with him.
He got out of bed and took out a dusty box from under the bed.
Not caring about the pungent smell of flying dust, he slowly opened the box and found a guqin lying quietly inside.
He sat cross-legged on the ground and put the piano on his lap. His hand gently brushed the seven strings, and the clear sound came out. He quickly withdrew his hand, not daring to touch it again.
The two guards outside the door were sitting on the floor, drinking each other glass after glass of wine. Both of them were very drunk, and they didn't care about the passing sound of the piano.
For a long time, Jiang Fengqing closed her eyes, her thin and haggard face was full of exhaustion, and the knot on her brow could only be cut off with a sword. He put his hand over the strings and started playing with some trembling. Gradually, his hands no longer trembled, and his calloused fingers stretched or bent flexibly, up or down, like two butterflies flying through flowers. Just no sound.
His hands moved faster and faster, and the frown on his brow seemed to disappear a little. He seemed to recall some happy memories, and the corners of his mouth raised as if he wanted to smile, but the smile turned out ugly.
"Tick tock..."
Something fell on the piano, but he didn't seem to notice it. He raised his head, still playing his memories, still being exiled in his own world, still crying.
Wang Daofan stood on the roof of Fenglai Tower, his eyes closed as if he was listening to something. After a long while, he touched his palms and said, "Good piano, good piano!"
Yun Xiang and Yun Yao were standing behind him, looking down at the excitement on the streets of West Market.
"Yun Yao!" Wang Daofan shouted softly, "Go get a guqin."
"Yes." Yunyao agreed with some surprise, turned around and went downstairs, picked up the guqin, knelt down respectfully and brought it to Wang Daofan.
I saw Wang Daofan placing one hand on top of the guqin, but there was no movement for a long time.
"Alas." Wang Daofan sighed, "This piano has no sound, and this meaning is difficult to calm down."
Yun Xiang and Yun Yao were both confused, and saw Wang Daofan raising his head to look at the moon in the sky, but he said nothing.
If I had known that the autumn wind would draw a fan sadly, it would be like seeing each other on a magpie bridge.
