Chapter 271

A few thin branches knocked down by the wind lay on the path by the lake. Zhen Zhen lowered her head slightly and walked forward in silence, turning a blind eye to the branches on the road. Seeing that she was about to step on them, Wu'er hurriedly stepped forward to support her arm and urged: "Madam, be careful." The Madam rarely drank tea at night. At the banquet tonight, she almost didn't eat anything and drank tea frequently. Now she was in a state of distraction again. Wu'er couldn't help but ask: "Why is the Madam worried?"

Zhen Zhen's steps became slower and slower. Staring at the lotus leaves swaying in the center of the lake, she suddenly whispered: "What do you think of Qingfeng?"

"Her?" So the Madam was restless all night because of Qingfeng. Wu'er deliberated for a while before whispering: "She is a bit different." She had never seen any woman whose face was ruined like that, yet she was still so calm. I heard that her face was ruined by herself. How ruthless must one be to hurt oneself like that? Just imagining taking a knife to her own face made her hands shake. As soon as Wu'er finished speaking, Zhen Zhen's steps paused, and her body was clearly stiff. Wu'er realized she had said the wrong thing and hurriedly comforted: "But the Madam doesn't need to worry too much. Even if Prime Minister Lou really takes her sister Qing Ling as a concubine, with Prime Minister Lou as her backer, she is still an outsider woman after all, so she won't shake the Madam's position?"

Wu'er's panicked explanation, instead of relieving Zhen Zhen's heart, brought a miserable smile to her face. Zhen Zhen sighed low and replied: "What the Emperor likes most is precisely this difference." The quiet voice was almost blown away by the night wind. Wu'er's face turned pale. She cursed herself for being confused. How could she forget her master's temperament? The Madam cared most about the Emperor. All the maneuvering on weekdays was just to please the Emperor. When did the master ever really care about status and power? Wu'er urged: "Madam, the so-called difference is just a temporary novelty. After watching it for a long time, it's just like that. Your position in the Emperor's heart cannot be replaced by anyone!"

Cannot be replaced? Zhen Zhen raised the corner of her mouth, and the smile was full of bitterness. Wasn't she the one who replaced Consort Shu and became the most favored woman in this palace? Which woman in the palace could not be replaced? Gently brushing the hair blown by the night wind to behind her ear, Zhen Zhen murmured: "Looking at the sky, it's going to change. Let's go back."

Wu'er looked up at the sky. The pitch-black night sky was like a thick black ink, unable to see the wind and clouds, only hearing a few muffled thunders. In early summer, wasn't a night rain a very common thing? Wu'er didn't understand why the master was so melancholy. It was just rain, wasn't it?

The kapok tree in the courtyard of Xixia Palace had already shed its flowers, and the snow-white cotton flocs drifted with the messy night wind. At first glance, it looked like fine snow flying, which could be considered a unique scenery in the palace. Unfortunately, Fuling had no heart to appreciate it. The Empress Dowager kept Qingfeng to talk, and she was driven out of the hall early. Princess Zhaoyun was the apple of the Western Empress Dowager's eye! For the sake of the Princess, it was hard to guarantee that the Western Empress Dowager wouldn't use some means. Qingfeng had just entered the palace, how could she cope? The more Fuling thought, the more anxious she became, looking at the hall from time to time. She thought that the Western Empress Dowager would definitely not give up so easily this time, but she didn't expect that after only a cup of tea, Qingfeng came out.

Although Fuling had no way of knowing what the Western Empress Dowager said to the master, seeing her face full of depression and her eyes burning with fire, it must not have been anything good. Fuling didn't dare to ask more and followed her closely out of Xixia Palace.

The two had not walked far from Xixia Palace when it started to rain in the sky. At first, the rain wasn't heavy, but Qingfeng's body had just recovered, so if she got soaked like this back to Qingfeng Palace, she would probably fall ill again.

"Master, you go back to Xixia Palace to hide from the rain first, this servant will go back to get an umbrella." Fuling pulled Qingfeng to go back, but Qingfeng refused to look back. Squinting to look, she found a small pavilion not far away and replied: "There is a small pavilion ahead. Let's hide there for a while and walk when the rain stops." If she had to go back to Xixia Palace, she would rather get soaked in the rain.

On such a hot day, where could that small pavilion used for decoration and landscaping hide from any rain? Unfortunately, Qingfeng didn't wait for Fuling to persuade her again, lifted her skirt, and ran toward the small pavilion. Fuling could only follow her and hide in the small pavilion.

In the small pavilion, the two stood quietly, neither of them speaking. Their ears were full of the pattering sound of rain hitting the stone bricks. From time to time, a dazzling white lightning flashed across the sky, and there were bursts of muffled thunder. The night wind and rain slanted in. The pavilion was only so big, and there was nowhere to hide. Both of their skirts were soaked. Fuling looked cautiously at Qingfeng beside her. She stood with her back to her, her thin back straight, and her whole body was full of an aura that kept people thousands of miles away. The cold rain hit, and she didn't move at all.

The rain was fine and dense, not getting heavier, but it didn't seem to stop at all. This rain wouldn't stop for a while, would it?

"This servant? I'd better go back and get an umbrella."

"Fuling?" Qingfeng came back to her senses. Fuling had already trotted toward Qingfeng Palace. It was too late to call her back, and Qingfeng was too lazy to care about her.

The Eastern Empress Dowager was Lou Xiyan's aunt. Why was she so sudden today? What did she want to do by taking her sister away? Was Big Sister still in the palace at this moment? Or had she left safely? She didn't see Princess Zhaoyun tonight. What kind of woman was she? If in the end, she really had to serve one husband with two women, would Big Sister be bullied? A bunch of questions were blocked in her heart, but she could only guess blindly here, and there was no other way. Qingfeng's heart became more and more restless. Not wanting to wait in this small pavilion, she lifted her skirt and rushed out into the rain.

After leaving the small pavilion, Qingfeng realized that the rain was far heavier than she thought. The wet skirt clung to her calves, and she couldn't take a step at all. The rain extinguished the palace lanterns on both sides of the road, and the palace path, which was not bright to begin with, was even darker at this time. Her eyes were full of rain, and Qingfeng couldn't see the road ahead. She wanted to speed up her steps to return to Qingfeng Palace early, but she accidentally stepped on her wet skirt. With a low cry, Qingfeng fell forward. Just as her knees were about to hit the hard blue brick road, her arm suddenly hurt, and a fierce force lifted her up in time, saving her from falling and getting covered in injuries. Qingfeng was still in shock when a cold and slightly helpless whisper rang in her ear: "Do you never look at the road when you walk?"

Qingfeng was stunned and suddenly raised her head, meeting those indifferent eyes again. "It's you?"

Ming Ze!

Just like the first time she met him, he was beside her, still standing in the night, and she could never see the expression on his face clearly. Only this time, he was holding a large ink-colored umbrella in his hand, and those eyes that were always calm finally looked directly at her. He had a pair of special eyes, long and slightly raised, as if he were squinting at any time. His eyes were cold, no wonder he looked indifferent no matter how you looked at him. Very different from his cold temperament, his hands were warm and powerful, and the temperature of his palms came through her soaked thin shirt, appearing somewhat scorching in this cool rainy night. Qingfeng's heartbeat was also swaying like the wind and rain outside the umbrella.

The woman before him had her high bun collapsed by the wind and rain, and a few strands of hair were still stuck to her forehead. She was clutching her trailing long skirt, the hem of which was wrinkled and clinging to her calves, and her embroidered shoes were so wet they could be squeezed out of water. Ming Ze felt it was a bit ridiculous. Why was it that every time he saw her, she could always make herself look so miserable? Actually, he had long seen her standing in the pavilion hiding from the rain. He didn't want to walk over, but he didn't expect her to suddenly rush out of the pavilion and run stumbling. Seeing her stand firm, Ming Ze withdrew his hand and asked in a deep voice: "In such heavy rain, why aren't you staying in the pavilion? Where are you going?"

The low voice with a faint reproach rang in her ears again. Qingfeng finally came back to her senses. Not knowing what she thought of, her eyes suddenly lit up, and she urged: "You are a palace guard, right?"

Ming Ze was silent for a while before nodding and replying: "Yes."

"Did you just come in from the palace gate?"

"Which gate are you asking about?" The Imperial Palace had two main gates and four side gates.

Which gate? Qingfeng was confused. She didn't know which gate her sister would enter or exit from. Try her luck. Anyway, she had no one else to ask now. Qingfeng urged: "Forget about which gate. Did you see the girl invited by the Empress Dowager to the banquet leave the palace? She is a bit older than me, has scars on her face, and is about the same height as me?"

"You are asking about? Your sister Qing Ling."

"Right! That's her!" Qingfeng was still gesturing her sister's figure and appearance, but Ming Ze's words made her overjoyed. He must have seen her sister. Even if her sister hadn't left the palace, it would be good to know where she was.

"Her?" The sound of the rain was too loud, and Qingfeng couldn't hear his words clearly. Eager to know the news about Big Sister, Qingfeng stepped forward and leaned forward.

He had never seriously looked at her appearance. The deepest impression he had of her was the hideous scars that ordinary people couldn't bear, and a pair of bright, stubborn eyes. Looking closely, he finally understood why the "Qing Family Three Beauties" could be famous throughout the Six Kingdoms. The rain washed away the rouge on her face and wet her elegant clothes. Plain-faced and simply dressed, she was still so sharp. Ming Ze didn't know before that beauty could be described as sharp, and she was such a woman. As long as you had seriously looked at her once, it was impossible to forget.

Ming Ze's face was strange, and he didn't speak for a long time. Qingfeng was anxious: "What's wrong with her? Speak!" Could it be that her sister was in any danger? Qingfeng tugged at Ming Ze's sleeve, afraid that he would change his mind and refuse to tell her the news about Qing Ling.

She was really an impatient person. Ming Ze laughed lightly: "She was already picked up by Prime Minister Lou before the heavy rain."

"Really?" That's great. This person spoke with such a long pause! It made her worry to death just now. Ming Ze still had a faint smile on the corner of his mouth, and his cold eyes contained teasing. Qingfeng was annoyed and snorted: "Is it fun to play with me?"

His narrowed eyes raised slightly, Ming Ze shook his head and sighed low: "So you are such an unappreciative person." "Me?" Qingfeng was speechless. Ming Ze had helped her many times when she was at her most miserable and difficult, and today he told her about her sister's situation. Even if he was really teasing her, she shouldn't have spoken like that. It was indeed her being unappreciative. Standing up straight, Qingfeng bowed slightly and said seriously: "Thank you."

(End of chapter)