The Gilded Cage

On a spring night, the stars are shining and the vegetation is lush.

Chu Ning was startled, then closed his eyes and raised his head, and took the initiative to kiss him.

Across a window, his body is leaning in, her elbow is resting on the window sill, the silver starlight is draped on his back, the golden candlelight climbs up her dress, the silver and gold are gradually approaching, slowly blending Together, they converge into a dazzling light.

Her elbows were sore, and her waist was leaning back, shaky, so he simply embraced her, gently brought her out from the other side of the window.

The dress swept across the book table, swept the erected pen tube to the ground, and made a short, crisp sound.

He ignored it, just walked to the end along the corridor outside the house with her, and sat down on one side.

She sat quietly beside him, the night breeze was blowing, and she was flying in the air with her green lotus-colored robe. I was about to smooth the corners of my clothes, but my wrist suddenly felt cold. I looked down and saw that a string of crystal clear red jade bracelets had been worn on my wrist for some time.

"This is for you." Xiao Kezhi held her hand and placed it in his palm for a closer look.

The green lotus-colored sleeves slipped down, revealing white skin, slender wrists and slender fingers, set against each other with the round and translucent red jade, like snow and red.

"Sure enough, it matches you very well." He put down his hands very satisfied and smoothed the robe, but still showed a ruddy color. "You don't need the clothes and jewelry I prepared for you. This bracelet should always be worn. "

In the view, Chu Ning has a yellow crown in his daily robe, and the other bright dresses and jewelry have not moved.

He was sorry and lost in his heart. When he saw a piece of fine red jade tributed from the south that day, he immediately thought of her, and ordered people to make this bracelet.

She should keep the red jade on her wrist, right?

Chu Ning smiled, subconsciously not wanting to disappoint him, then nodded and said: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for bothering, Aning will wear it."

He held her, held her cheek, and asked, "How do you thank me?"

He heard these words familiarly, Chu Ning's cheeks were inexplicably hot, she couldn't help but avert her eyes slightly, and rushed to the direction of the room to signal: "Why don't you give the bowl of cherry pastry as a thank you."

"Shredded cheese should belong to me." He was obviously dissatisfied, and turned her cheek around, lowered his head and kissed her a little bit in her ear, "My heart is only worth this bowl of crispy cheese. ?"

The fine touch spread from her ears, causing her to shiver, her cheeks getting hotter, and the hands on his shoulders quietly tightened, grabbing the originally flat clothes wrinkled.

"That bowl of butter is also Aning's heart..."

Her voice was thin and soft, with an unobvious tenderness, which made him feel a touch of sweetness.

"Then I'm going to eat Aning's mind." He stopped, stood up and embraced her weakened and returned to the house.

On the dining table, the palm-sized celadon bowl contained snow-white butter, dripping syrup and a few bright red cherries on top, which made people appetite.

He sat on the couch, holding a bowl and spoon in his hand, and scooping a piece of butter and a cherry, but instead of delivering it into his mouth, he handed it to her.

She raised her eyes to look at him, then looked down at the butter on the spoon, opened her mouth slightly, and put the butter and cherries in her mouth.

The creamy biscuits with strands of sweetness melted in the mouth, and the cold cherries slipped from the lips and teeth, and the slightly sour juice flowed out, mixed with the sweetness, and the taste was endless.

She just wanted to spit out the spoon, but he smeared the remaining butter on her lips as if deliberately.

The whiteness covered Yanhong, and his eyes were deep.

"How good is it?" he asked in a dumb voice.

Under his gaze, Chu Ning blushed and nodded. He wanted to lick the cream on his lips, but he suddenly got close and kissed him.

"I also taste it."

The bitten cherry pulp is fused with the melted soft butter, sweet and lingering.

The green lotus-colored Taoist robe was removed, and he fell on the side of the couch with his black robe.

The remaining cherries and butter in the bowl were scooped by him and placed in other places, and then he swallowed them a little bit, savoring them carefully.

"It's the intention of Aning, I can't live up to it."

...

East Palace, Guangtian Hall.

Xiao Yucai and Zhao Lun quietly sent a general who had contacted him in Chang'an from Bozhou to discuss the next matter.

According to his previous assumption, the Bozhou army should take advantage of the more than one month before marriage to practice well and prepare enough food and grass.

When the marriage with Zhao Yu'e was completed, he immediately sought the opportunity to leave Chang'an. At that time, even if Qianniuwei and Shenwu Army were in the Gyeonggi area, he could not be caught for a while, and it happened to give the Bozhou Army a chance to raise troops.

He wanted to emulate Xiao Kezhi's original method of leading troops into Chang'an, letting thousands of people dress up in batches and lie in ambush in various places around Gyeonggi, so that when the main force attacked the city, they could get twice the result with half the effort.

However, he was not good at arranging troops. Although he had this idea, it was far from being implemented. Therefore, it took more than two hours to complete the discussion.

After Xu Rong arranged the general to dress up as an ordinary guard and left from the main entrance of the East Palace, he finally couldn't help but soften on the couch, coughing feebly while clutching his chest.

"His Royal Highness!" Xu Rong hurriedly turned around and motioned to the maid to bring the nourishing decoction he had taken all the year round. He watched him drank it in one gulp, and then bit the ginseng tablets in his mouth. , Your Highness should also cherish himself."

Recently, as the wedding date has been set, Xiao Yu's daily administration of politics has become longer and longer. Not only did he have to deal with the many affairs that the East Palace was already in charge of, but he also had to keep thinking about all the next arrangements. Hearing from the servant of the East Palace, it was the second and third watch again, and the candlelight in the sleeping hall was still on.

Others didn't understand, but he could roughly guess that the prince was like that, firstly because he was really busy, and secondly, because the Chu family was not around.

He grew up watching the prince. When he was young, he was a gentle and polite gentleman. Because of the ruthlessness and weakness of the first emperor and the coldness and oppression of the queen mother, he gradually developed a gloomy and suspicious temperament.

Chu is one of the few people who can make the prince feel close. It is because his attendant thinks that her birth and downfall are not worthy of the prince's status, but he has to admit that in the past two years, she has taken care of and served the prince so that she has nurtured her somewhat frail body a lot. .

The maid and servant beside him were afraid to approach him because of his uncertain temperament, for fear that he would be punished if he was not careful. Moreover, the prince would never take their words to heart, and naturally they would not give more comfort.

Only Chu, whether he persuades the prince to take medicine or go to bed earlier, the prince will listen more or less.

Now that she is gone, the whole East Palace is empty and lifeless as if there is something missing.

He thought that if the prince persecuted himself so much, he probably wanted to escape the guilt and anger in his heart.

"I'm okay, don't worry about the attendant." Xiao Yuping sat up straight on the couch a moment later, bowed his head and waved at him, continuing to talk about the deployment. "The 100,000 people stationed in Ganzhou also have to guard against it. Let them get news back then."

Xu Rong looked at him for a moment, and saw that although his face was pale, but his mind was very clear, he nodded: "Yes, although the two armies can match each other, they really have to guard against it in order to be foolproof. Your Highness has a countermeasure. ?"

Xiao Yu didn't speak, but rethinked the territory of the Great Cool in his mind, especially in the area of ​​Ganzhou. After a while, he slowly said: "The Ganzhou Army was originally set up to resist the Beirong."

"Yes." Xu Rong nodded in response, "The north is barren and desolate. The people of Bei Rong ate their hair and drank blood. In order to seize food and treasure, they repeatedly went south and invaded the border of our great coolness and caused the people to suffer unspeakably. The imperial court was always worried. Troops——Your Highness, do you want to..."

Speaking of the end, he slowly recovered his senses, and suddenly he had guesses, and couldn't help but stare wide and ask.

Xiao Yu frowned, nodded lightly, and said: "The only people from Beirong who can hold the Garrison in Ganzhou."

"Yes, but that is the northwestern frontier. The Beirong people are fierce and barbaric. Once they break through the defense line-the consequences are worrisome!" Rao Xu Rong believed that he had always been a man who used all means to achieve his goals, and this time he couldn't help but care about what the prince said. shock.

In the past few years, the Ganzhou army has grown, and this has firmly suppressed the Beirong people and calmed the northwest border. If there is a loosening, I am afraid that it will cause great chaos.

Xiao Yu was silent for a moment, and silently closed his eyes.

He naturally knows the consequences of doing this, but a great opportunity, once missed, there will be no more, he just wants to make sure that nothing goes wrong.

"Xu Qing, I--I won't let such consequences happen." He clenched his fists and whispered, "As long as I am fast enough to win the throne before the accident, everything can be resolved..."

"Hey..." Xu Rong frowned, struggling repeatedly, and finally agreed through gritted teeth, "Never mind, take a gamble."

If they are truly defeated, they will be a dead end. At that time, what will the lives of other people have to do with them?

...

In the Guizhen view, the sound of insects near and the sound of silk and bamboo in the distance gradually calmed down.

Chu Ning was wearing a thin gauze, lying lazily on Xiao Kezhi's chest, and the original vague mind gradually returned.

She knew that the music from time to time in the Temple of Ganlu was his deliberate act to make himself look like pleasure and absurd. From Shangyuan to April, it was intermittent and never stopped.

She seemed to be more and more aware of this kind of well-intentioned work, and even moved by it.

It was late at night, she pushed him, and whispered: "Your Majesty will not go back?"

Although he often came to watch, but because he had to go to court early the next morning, he couldn't stay overnight to attract people's attention, so he had to rush back to the Ganlu Temple at night.

"Now I'm leaving." He said dumbly, but didn't let her get up. Instead, he turned around and covered her lips, and kissed unwillingly. "I'm still a little unwilling."

Chu Ning looked at him confusedly with wet eyes.

"My agate is worth a thousand gold, but you just want to send me with a bowl of prepared cheese."

When the voice fell, she remembered the situation where the talented Bai Xueying Hongmei had been swallowed little by little by him, her cheeks flushed.

"Does that cheese taste not good?" she asked in a low voice, looking away.

"Okay, great, I don't think it's enough." He stroked her cheek, and gently fiddled with her soft earlobes, "I always want something else."

"What else does your majesty want?" Chu Ning became more confused, suddenly remembering the few personal items he had previously taken from him, and couldn't help but groaned, "Your Majesty has a lot of my things."

He laughed, but his eyes quietly moved to the red tassel rope she used to tie her hair.

However, it was just a look, he had to wait until the day when she truly entered the Taiji Palace, and then personally untie the strand of tasseled rope for her.

"There is always something I want." He slowly sat up straight, "However, I owe it today, and I will get it later."

After that, he turned around to get out of bed.

However, Chu Ning understood his intentions, his heart moved slightly, and couldn't help but stretch out his hand to hold his arm and whispered to him.

"His Majesty--"

He stopped and turned to look at her again: "What's the matter?"

"Your Majesty asked Aning to tell everything she thought..." Her cheeks grew redder, as if hesitating to say something to him.

Somehow, his heart suddenly lifted up, nodded, and listened to her next words with bated breath.

"I want your majesty to know what I want--" She took his hand to her left heart, making him feel the beating heart underneath.

"I seem to be more and more reluctant to give up your Majesty..."

Feeling the soft, smooth and brisk beating in his palm, clusters of fireworks suddenly rose up in his dark eyes.

"Aning..." He leaned down again, pestering her and kissing, "If you can't let it go, don't let it go."