I looked at the little figure outside the door with some astonishment.

Her pink and tender face looks like a snowball, her chin is fleshy, her eyes are round and big, like two black pearls inlaid on the snow, she looks so smart, her mouth is red, because she is touched

She opened her mouth slightly in shock, revealing her neat teeth like millet. She was wearing a crimson satin jacket with Baifu characters on her body. She looked snow jade and cute, just like the golden boy in front of the Bodhisattva.

This turned out to be a child of only three or four years old, looking at me blankly.

I also looked at him. The two of them stared at each other as if they were stupid for a long time. I don’t know why, but as soon as I saw him, I felt a warm feeling of love in my heart. But when I thought of my scary appearance, I was afraid that

The child was also frightened and hurriedly raised his hands to cover his face with his sleeves.

To my surprise, the child was not frightened by me and cried. Instead, he took a step forward, looked inside through the wooden fence, and said curiously: "Huh? Who are you?"

He is not afraid of me...

Thinking of this, I gently put down my sleeves, and saw him looking at me with wide-open dark eyes: "Why are you here? Why are the doors and windows here nailed?"

Looking at his innocent look, I was a little stunned for a while. After a while, I got up and walked slowly to the door. I stopped a little distance away from the door so as not to really scare him, and said softly: "

Are you not afraid of me?"

He looked at me again and shook his head: "Grandma, why are you locked up here?"

Grandma...

I was stunned for a moment, recalling my haggard appearance in the mirror, and smiled bitterly. When he saw that I didn't answer him, he asked again: "Did you do something wrong, so you were locked up?"
p>

"..."

The child rolled his eyes again: "I know, you were locked up because you offended the imperial concubine!"

Offended the imperial concubine? Shen Rou?

I frowned slightly, thinking of the conversation I overheard between the two nuns during this period, and the incident with the girl yesterday. It seemed that Shen Rou had caused great unrest in the harem, and Queen Chang Qing had no control over her at all.

This makes this imperial concubine a bit domineering now. Even a child like this knows how powerful she is.

Seeing that I didn't say anything, he thought I acquiesced, and sighed: "Hey, people around the Queen Mother often say that many of the maids punished by the imperial concubine are innocent."

"..."

"You are so pathetic."

I... am so pitiful?

Looking at the clear eyes of this little child, the clear eyes are full of sympathy and pity. I don’t know why, I just feel ridiculous, I am ridiculous. I have never encountered anything like this in my life, and even I think

I survived the most difficult days, but I was sympathized with by such a young child.

I am really pitiful.

The child looked down at the ground. It was the food that the nuns and the others had knocked over when they beat me yesterday. He said, "Is this what you eat? These are all knocked over. You have nothing to eat. Isn't it terrible?"

Are you hungry?"

"..." I looked at him without saying anything.

"Just wait, I'll get you something to eat, okay? The golden silk cakes made in the imperial kitchen are delicious."

As he was talking, he heard someone shouting in the distance. As soon as he heard it, his snow-white face immediately froze, and he said to himself: "Oh no, they are here. If they are - by my father

The emperor knows..."

I raised my eyes and glanced at him.

He was like a frightened rabbit, his ears were folded, and he ran down the steps helplessly. When he ran to the door of the courtyard, he turned back to me and said: "Grandma, just wait, I will bring you food tomorrow."

Come." After saying that, he gently closed the courtyard door and ran away.

I was still sitting on my knees at the door, looking at the closed courtyard door, and there was a ripple in my heart that was originally as calm as dead water.

Is this child——Pei Yuanhao’s child?

Judging from his age, he should be about four years old. In other words, the child was born before I left the palace and went south. At that time, there was only one person who gave birth to Pei Yuanhao's child...

That night, I had a dream.

It has been a long time since I had a dream. I always hope to see my child in my dreams. Even if it is just an illusory shadow, I can find some comfort. But in all these years, she has never entered my dreams.

I don’t know if it’s because she’s been away too far, for too long, and can’t even come back in her dreams, or because...

But tonight, I had a dream about that weak and gentle woman.

Her every frown and smile were faint, and she was like the most inconspicuous little wild flower in this beautiful harem. But who would have thought that her departure would be so tragic, with such a deep love

The smell of blood seems to be something I can smell even in my dreams.

Just when I was frowning and struggling in my dream, suddenly, a tender voice came -

"Grandma, grandma, are you here?"

"..."

I opened my eyes and looked at the yellow curtains above my head. I was still a little stunned when the familiar child's voice came from the door again: "Grandma, are you there? I'm bringing you food."

I hurriedly rolled over from the bed, only to realize that it was getting late. The sun shone through the fence, and a short shadow of a child was reflected on the ground. I walked to the door, and sure enough I saw the child standing at the door, holding a ball in his hand.

Half a piece of pastry, with some dust still on it. When he saw me, he grinned and said, "Grandma, you are here!"

I was still a little stunned: "You——"

"I'll bring you something to eat." He smiled, but when he looked back and saw the cakes in his hand, he felt a little frustrated: "But, I just went around behind the rockery to prevent the palace maid from following me, and I fell. Jin

The silk cake fell to the ground, but this is the only thing that is still clean. You can eat it and don’t go hungry."

After saying that, he stood on tiptoe and handed the cake to me.

I stared blankly at the piece of pastry that was still stained with some mud, and then at the dust on his fair face. After a while, I stretched out my trembling hand to take the piece of pastry and put it into my mouth.

.

"How is it? Is it delicious?"

"..."

The feeling of biting sand in my mouth was not very good. My eyes were slightly moist, and I nodded lightly: "Yeah, it's delicious."

"Haha." He grinned, showing a few white jade-like teeth, and narrowed his eyes into slits.

Looking at his smile, I just felt that my heart was about to soften. The powdered sugar on the golden silk cake that I tasted on the tip of my tongue was always sweet to my heart, but there was a faint sourness in my heart. I thought of myself again.

My daughter, if she grew up beside me, would she care about me like this?

Seeing him covered in dust, I said softly: "You just fell, does it hurt?"

"Well, it hurts."

He pouted, covered his knees and nodded. I gently reached over and lifted up his pants. Sure enough, I saw a small bruise on his knees, so I gently rubbed it for him and said, "It's okay. I

I’ll rub it for you and it won’t hurt anymore.”

Maybe it was because my fingers were very gentle and made him feel comfortable. The child smiled and said, "Oh, it really doesn't hurt anymore."

I also raised my head and looked at him with a smile.

He looked at me as if I was stunned, and after a while he said stupidly: "Grandma, you - your eyes are so beautiful when you smile."

"..."

His words were a bit ridiculous. I smiled lightly and said: "How could it be? I am old and ugly, how can I be good-looking? There are many good-looking people in this palace, the noble concubine... Li Fei... your queen mother is also a great lady.

What a beauty."

The child pouted and thought for a while, then shook his head and said: "Although the imperial concubine and the concubine Li are very beautiful, I don't like them at all. The ladies in the palace don't like me, and I don't like them either. My queen mother

…My mother is a great beauty, but she rarely smiles. From the time I can remember, my mother has never smiled.”

"..." I was silent for a moment and said, "Did the Emperor treat her badly?"

"Father to mother... Anyway, my father rarely comes to Jingren Palace to visit my mother. My mother just paints portraits in the studio every day and ignores me." As he said this, he lowered his head aggrievedly and looked at the childish face.

With a disappointed look on his little face, I reached out and gently stroked his hair.

But - he said that the emperor rarely went to Jingren Palace to visit the queen?

It seems that Chang Qing's death is still a big blow to the Chang family. Without this strong pillar in the court, Chang Qing's position in the harem is not so stable. It is no wonder that in the past two years, I have only heard about the concubine and Li.

The concubine's momentum is getting stronger, but there is almost no news about her.

And the child in front of me...

I lowered my head and looked at his clear eyes. Like his mother, he spoke with a hint of cowardice. I guess he had a biological mother with no status and an adoptive queen who was slowly losing her favor. It seemed that Pei Yuan

Hao didn't have much expectations for him. After all, the background of the prince's selection was very important, and since he loved Nangong Lizhu so much, he naturally hoped to appoint the child of the woman he loved as the prince.

From that day on, this child came to see me often, and I also knew his name - Nian Shen.

I don’t know why, but he and I are particularly close to each other. Ever since he met me, he has often come to visit me and take care of me when no one is around. Maybe it’s because of his nature. This child is as kind and weak as his mother.

He has an extraordinarily warm heart, so early that morning, I saw him at the door, holding a piece of shortbread on the handkerchief in his hand.

I walked to the door with a smile: "Thank you, Your Highness, for bringing me food again."

"Eat quickly, this Baihua Cake is delicious."

I took the piece of Baihua cake, looked at his expectant look, took a bite, and said with a smile: "It's so delicious."

He chuckled.

I looked at him with some emotion, suddenly remembered something, and said: "Your Highness, didn't you say that day that the emperor was going to Jingren Palace to visit your queen mother today, and you wouldn't come? Why did you come suddenly again? Wan

What should I do if an emperor cannot see you and scolds you in anger?"

Nian Shen shook his head: "Father will not come today."

"Oh? Why?"
Chapter completed!