Volume 1: Swan Goose Chapter 38: A Garden Full of Roses and a Courtyard of Incense (3)
There are willow trees and luxuriant grass beside Zhuguang Lake. Several fishing boats are parked on the shore, the lights on the bows are like beans, and the full moon in the water is as clear as a bright pearl.
There were two figures, one tall and one short, side by side on the shore. Looking at the sparkling waves on the lake, my heart was so calm that there was no wrinkle, and I felt very comfortable.
Lu Ning stared into the distance and sighed sincerely: "When I lived in southern Xinjiang, I often heard people mention the prosperity of Shengjing. But only when I got here did I realize how poor my imagination was!"
Immediately, she stretched out her hands and took a deep breath: "And what I didn't expect is that behind such prosperity and beauty, there is also danger and decay that I didn't expect. Shengjing! It is still a place that people love and hate.
!”
"Shengjing City is such a place - some people desperately want to squeeze in, and some people desperately want to escape..." Yu Fengjin stared into the distance, her clear eyes suddenly becoming cloudy.
"Under the luxuriant flowers, fallen flowers turn into graves." Lu Ning's fair face suddenly revealed a trace of inexplicable sadness: "The reputation of the capital is often accompanied by dirty news, which always arouses people's curiosity, making people unable to help but think about it.
Find out."
"Dirty news?" Yu Fengjin came back to her senses and a smile appeared on her face.
Seeing that he was aroused by her, Lu Ning smiled and continued: "When I have nothing to do in southern Xinjiang, I often go to the teahouse with my brother to listen to books. Occasionally, some storytellers will mention the dirty news about Shengjing. I have always been very curious in my heart.
But I don’t know whether this dirty news is true or false.”
Yu Fengjin raised her eyebrows and said with a smile, "You might as well talk and listen."
Lu Ning thought about it carefully before saying slowly: "I have heard a bizarre story: I heard that Emperor Yu married Liu Nanyan, the most beautiful woman in Northern Chongqing, when he came to the throne. However, it is said that this beauty had an engagement.
In order to appease her fiancé, Emperor Yu promised him fame and fortune..."
At this point, she paused and observed Yu Fengjin carefully, but saw that his eyes narrowed slightly and his expression was a little strange. But he did not stop him, so Lu Ning continued to speak on his own:
"After Liu Nanyan entered the palace, she was named Concubine Ying. She was honored by being loved by thousands of people. But the story often took twists and turns. Just when she was the most favored, she was suddenly thrown into the cold palace. Emperor Yu not only gave her death
He killed all the palace people who had served her, and erased everything about her from the annals of history, as if this person had never existed. Some people said that Liu Nanyan finally died of illness in the cold palace, while others said that she was killed by Emperor Yu himself.
Others say...she disfigured her appearance, switched identities with an old nun, and fled the palace with a baby girl..."
After saying that, she looked at Yu Fengjin again. His eyes were now a little cold and his face became paler.
"Master Lu, Shengjing is not as good as outside. The emperor's eyes are everywhere here. If you mention such dirty news casually, you will be killed." It took a long time before he uttered these words from his thin lips.
Lu Ning frowned and smiled awkwardly: "I'm sorry, I made a mistake."
Having said that, she felt a little disappointed in her heart: ever since she heard Gu Zhili's "story", even though she warned herself desperately that she could never believe such nonsense, she still couldn't help but want to explore deeper. She thought that since
By forming an alliance with King Yi Yu Fengjin, she could learn something from his mouth. Unexpectedly, Yu Fengjin was so secretive. It seemed that she had to find another way.
"I...have seen her." Yu Fengjin's deep, magnetic voice pierced the stagnant air by the lake.
"What?" Lu Ning didn't react for a moment: "She? Who is she?"
Yu Fengjin looked at the moonlight reflection on the lake, looking a little cold and sad from the side: "When I was a child, I lived in Ziwei City, and I was lucky enough to meet that empress."
"What kind of person is she?" Lu Ning's tone was a little urgent.
Yu Fengjin turned his head to look at her face, and smiled faintly: "She has a very quiet temperament. She always walks alone on weekdays, and is not even willing to show up to greet the Queen Mother. I have occasionally seen her in the Imperial Garden.
She is sitting by the lake feeding the fish. However, she seems to be a cool and gentle person, and she will bring me cakes every time she sees me."
"Is there more?" Lu Ning couldn't wait to ask, with some pictures already in his mind.
"She is very beautiful." Yu Fengjin's voice gradually became gentle: "She is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. But she doesn't seem to care about her appearance. She always wears plain clothes and swears simply,
She is a bit unique in that harem full of flowers. Moreover, she is obsessed with Buddhism. Every time I see her, she holds a Buddhist scripture in her hand and reads it like a charm..."
"Buddhist scriptures..." Lu Ning murmured to himself, and involuntarily touched the Buddhist bead on his neck with his right hand. He was surprised in his heart: Could it be that it was just because Concubine Ying believed in Buddhism that she put a Buddhist bead on her neck?
On the body? Or does the prayer bead itself have another meaning?
"In short, she is an unforgettable woman, a fairy living in the palace. She chooses to turn a blind eye to the emperor's favor, the jealousy of the concubines, the loneliness in the palace, and the betrayal of her relatives. It seems that in this world
, nothing can make her cry, and nothing can make her laugh..." Yu Fengjin touched the ring on her thumb and let out a soft sigh of admiration.
Lu Ning straightened her hair that was messed up by the wind and sighed: "It turns out that those storytellers' stories are true, but what happened next? Did she really die in the cold palace?"
Yu Fengjin's eyes suddenly flashed, and she pondered for a while before saying: "She did fall out of favor overnight. But the specific reason was never disclosed by Emperor Yu. After she was thrown into the cold palace, I never saw her again.
After all, everyone would avoid a place like the Leng Palace, so who would go to see her! However, the news of her death came only a year after entering the Leng Palace. Emperor Yu did not show any sadness at all, but instead
She patiently ordered someone to bury her hastily. A generation of beauties passed away, leaving only a few legends about her in the world..."
"Then...has she ever given birth to a child?" Lu Ning couldn't help but ask.
Yu Fengjin paused and then said: "Emperor Yu only has one son, and his mother is not Concubine Ying. If Concubine Ying really gave birth to a baby as rumored, but the child did not appear in the palace, then
It can only mean that this child may be the reason that killed her!"
Lu Ning bit her lower lip unconsciously and clenched her fists secretly. At this time, her mood was very complicated: she could not believe Gu Zhili's words, but she had to believe what King Yi said - she and Concubine Ying were blood relatives.
The story of Concubine Ying was so poignant that she knew she should cry bitterly for the mother she had never met, but her whole body was numb, without pain or sadness. Her heart was in a mess, and she wanted to cry again and again.
I don't come out, I want to lose my temper but I don't have any temper at all.
"It's a coincidence." Yu Fengjin stared at Lu Ning's face closely and suddenly said meaningfully: "The first time I met the leader of the Lu Gang, I felt that you were somewhat similar to Concubine Ying. At that time,
I really thought that Leader Lu and Concubine Ying were related by blood."
Lu Ning was suddenly startled, and then said with a fake smile: "Really...is it? There are many people who look similar in the world. How can I have the honor to be married to Concubine Ying."
Yu Fengjin saw her panic expression, but he did not rush to expose it, but said with deep meaning: "However, Leader Lu, it's better to be careful. If the emperor looks at your face, I'm afraid it will
Disaster is coming!"
Lu Ning shuddered slightly and asked in a low voice: "Have many people in the entire Shengjing city seen Concubine Ying?"
"Not much." Yu Fengjin changed the subject and added: "How can the emperor's concubine be easily seen by others, so as long as the emperor does not see it, the Lu gang leader is safe for the time being. However, there is a sentence that I don't know whether to say or not.
"
Lu Ning smiled faintly, cupped his hands and said: "Since we are partners on the same boat in the future, there is nothing we can't say. Your Highness, there is no harm in saying it!"
Yu Fengjin took a deep look at her and said in a deep voice: "After all, it is a secret in the palace. Leader Lu's curiosity about this story must be limited. He must not mention it to others at will, even people in the caravan. This is not allowed.
If this matter is taken advantage of by someone with intentions, the caravan will be in catastrophe, do you understand?"
Lu Ning bit her lip and nodded meekly: "Thank you, Your Highness, for reminding me. I'll note it down."
A gust of night wind blew by, and the moon on the lake shattered into a plate of pearls and jade. After the wind passed, the pearls and jade came together again and condensed into a cold moon, but one corner was missing from the moon.
There were gradually fewer pedestrians on the road. The two of them turned back on the moonlit road, but their steps back were much slower than when they came. They didn't know whether they were reluctant to part with the beautiful moonlight or the quiet years.
The cold wind was stronger than before. Yu Fengjin's cloak was very big, and it just wrapped the slender Lu Ning in it. She didn't feel cold at all, but there were a few faint coughs from Yu Fengjin.
Lu Ning deliberately wiped the cry from his face, and while untying his cloak, he said: "I'm very hot now after walking all the way. Your Highness, you'd better put on your cloak to avoid catching a cold!"
Unexpectedly, Yu Fengjin held down her arm and said in a deep voice: "Dress well and be obedient!"
These words seemed to have a kind of magic power, so that Lu Ning, who had always been forthright, did not dare to resist anymore and tied up his cloak again.
What happened to her? Lu Ning was also a little surprised. She always felt that under Yu Fengjin's gentleness, there was an indescribable tyranny and strength, which would often make her unaware of his severity.
The moon stretched the shadows of the two people. Perhaps because she didn't want Lu Ning to hear her cough, Yu Fengjin quickened her pace and walked in front.
Lu Ning was wrapped in a warm cloak, stepping on his shadow on the white road, and followed him obediently. The two of them didn't say a few words on the way back. Only a few intermittent coughs, followed by the wind
When it reached Lu Ning's ears, there seemed to be a complex emotion spreading quietly in her heart...
I don’t know how long they walked, but the street started to become noisy again. It turned out that they were back at the Xiaoxiang Villa, and the two of them stopped at the entrance of Zhuang Tower, one behind the other.
"Thank you for your invitation today, Your Highness. Shengjing's night scene is indeed worthy of its reputation!" Lu Ning untied his cloak and handed it to him, saying goodbye with a smile.
Yu Fengjin took the cloak and smiled slightly: "Since the Lu Gang leader said that we are people in the same boat, we must come and go often in the future. The Lu Gang Leader is welcome to taste the wine in the annex at any time!"
Lu Ning winked at him and said with a smile: "With His Highness saying this, I won't be polite!" This chapter has been completed!