Chapter 603 Changed the human world (3)
But now, the maids were dismissed by Gu Xu and got married on their own.
Chen Anzhi was left with only Yuanyang.
Although Yuanyang was loyal to her, he rented a house for her considerately, tidied the room carefully, and took care of her three meals a day and daily life as he did in the past.
However, compared with the days when he was held in high esteem by many servants and stars in the palace, this change still gave Chen Anzhi a strong sense of disparity, as if he had fallen from the peak to the bottom of the valley, and he was inevitably a little disappointed. .
The family who lived in the same hospital as Chen Anzhi had six children, the oldest was fifteen years old and the youngest was less than one year old and was still sucking breast milk in his mother's arms.
Whenever night falls, Chen Anzhi is always awakened by the baby's cry, making it difficult for her to sleep peacefully.
This made her feel particularly irritable.
In the past, after Chen Anzhi gave birth to Xiao Wanjun and Xiao Shangzhen, she entrusted the children to the care of wet nurses. She rarely held the children with her own hands. Looking back now, she can no longer remember clearly what the two children looked like when they were young.
But now, she can see her neighbor holding a baby every day, walking leisurely in the yard, humming a little song softly, and coaxing the baby to sleep.
In the small courtyard, several clotheslines were stretched out in a messy manner, covered with children's diapers.
“It turns out that raising children is such a frustrating thing!”
One morning, when Yuanyang was combing her hair, Chen Anzhi heard the sound of children playing next door. I couldn't help but sigh sincerely.
But Yuanyang seems to be full of longing for this.
She responded: "But, my dear, children are also very cute! I think if I could have a child, accompany him to grow up, and watch him become sensible day by day, it would be extremely wonderful. Happy things.”
cute?
Chen Anzhi couldn't help but picture the neighbor's baby's little face full of tears, runny nose and milk stains. He just felt dirty and disgusting.
…………
Time passes day by day.
With Yuanyang by her side, tying her belt, wearing shoes, combing her hair, washing, washing, cooking, and keeping all the trivial matters in order, Chen Anzhi finally gradually adapted to the new life of Luojing people. Getting used to the noisy sounds of babies crying and children shouting.
Every two or three days in the morning, Chen Anzhi would quietly watch the Yuanyang hand-held vegetable baskets go to the vegetable market in Luojing in front of the window to buy fresh ingredients.
At noon, she watched the mandarin ducks return with their full loads, busy in the kitchen, and soon brought out a table of delicious dishes.
At this time, Yuanyang would kneel down respectfully, bring a basin of water steadily to Chen Anzhi, and wash her hands.
The location of the water basin is just right, neither high nor low, and the water temperature is just right, neither cold nor hot.
Chen Anzhi felt vaguely that even if he was no longer the queen, his life would not be impossible.
…………
Until one day.
When Yuanyang said goodbye to her with the vegetable basket, he never came back.
At noon that day, Chen Anzhi sat at the old table and waited quietly as usual.
At first, she thought Yuanyang was dawdling outside deliberately, and she couldn't help but feel a surge of anger in her heart. She secretly thought that when she came back, she would severely reprimand this lazy maid.
But in the afternoon, Chen Anzhi still could not see Yuanyang.
Her stomach was already growling with hunger, so she had no choice but to pick up two steamed buns to satisfy her hunger.
However, since Chen Anzhi couldn't make a fire, let alone steam the steamed buns, she could only eat the cold steamed buns, which tasted extremely rough and difficult to swallow.
At this time, she couldn't help but feel worried.
She wondered whether Yuanyang encountered some troublesome things outside, which delayed her return, or maybe the new emperor wanted to cause trouble for her, the former queen, so Yuanyang arrested her.
These thoughts swirled around in her head, making her increasingly uneasy.
She couldn't help but clasping her hands together and silently praying to "God".
Although in the New Dynasty of Great Xia, Taishang Haotian has been declared a false god, Emperor Ziwei has become the only god, and the two-faced "God" naturally ceases to exist.
But Chen Anzhi still habitually recited the name "God".
But "God" didn't seem to hear her voice.
When the sun sets and night falls, the stars gradually dot the sky, but the mandarin duck still has not returned.
Chen Anzhi felt hungry again.
Unfortunately this time, there is nothing as simple as steamed buns in the house.
The scene of Yuanyang making clear soup noodles at the stove yesterday came to her mind, and she made up her mind to try it herself.
In the past in Da Qi's harem, she was invincible, defeating Concubine Xu Hui and Concubine Zhang Xian, and finally ascended to the position of empress in the world. Compared with those step-by-step and dangerous palace struggles, how could it be difficult for her to cook a bowl of noodles with clear soup?
However, reality soon gave her a heavy blow.
Chen Anzhi stood in front of the simple stove and carefully boiled some water. But I always felt that there was not enough water, so I tried adding water to the pot.
Unexpectedly, the splash of boiling water instantly scalded the back of her delicate hand, causing her to gasp in pain.
She gritted her teeth, endured the pain, and continued to cook noodles.
However, as soon as the noodles were put into the pot, they quickly became soft and sticky due to the excessive fire.
She hurriedly tried to fish out the noodles, but unexpectedly the spatula slipped and the entire pot of noodle soup spilled on the ground.
Chen Anzhi stood there blankly, with a mess in front of him, and an indescribable despair welling up in his heart.
Her nose felt sore, and big tears rolled out of her eyes, dripping on her burned hands, the coldness and pain intertwined.
She bit her lower lip, her eyes flashing with angry fire.
She was furious at the ruthlessness and cruelty of the new emperor - he had taken away everything from her, forced her into such an embarrassing situation, and left her alone and helpless in this strange world.
However, after the angry scolding, she did not feel the slightest comfort in her heart.
On the contrary, a deeper feeling of loneliness and helplessness came to my heart.
She knelt down and held her cheeks in her hands, tears welling up in her eyes again.
While sobbing, she begged in a low voice: "Yuanyang, please come back quickly... I need you... I don't know how to live without you..."
Her voice became lower and lower, until it almost became a sob.
But Yuanyang still didn't come back.
…………
Today, Yuanyang met an old friend by chance at the vegetable market.
The old friend’s name is Ji Shaotao, and he was Yuanyang’s childhood neighbor and playmate. They can be described as childhood sweethearts and childhood sweethearts.
When they were young and ignorant, they were flower girls and witnessed their brother-in-law's wedding. After that, the two often hid behind the house and played the game of getting married.
According to the rules of the Daqi Dynasty, all women from good families who are of the right age, good looks, and suitable appearance must participate in the palace maiden draft. Before the draft, they were not allowed to marry without authorization. If someone hides a woman without authorization, he is committing the crime of disrespecting the king without a king.
The thirteen-year-old Yuanyang entered the palace and became the queen's personal maid.
Ji Shaotao chose to join the army a few years later.
He left the prosperous Luojing City and came to the desolate northwest border, where he fought against the northwest barbarians all year round.
They once thought that they would never meet again in this life.
Until this summer.
Gu Xu raised troops in Liangzhou, and the officials in the six northwest cities surrendered one after another, and all the border troops came under his command.
Ji Shaotao followed his commanders and comrades, from a Daqi soldier to a rebel and rebel, and then to a Daxia officer and soldier.
As a mortal with no cultivation, he was caught up in the torrent of the times. His identity changed again and again, and his state of mind also experienced ups and downs.
When the Xia army captured Luojing City, the world was unified and the size of the army was reduced. Except for the necessary standing army, the rest of the soldiers were sent home.
Ji Shaotao also chose to disarm and return to his fields with the rewards given by the Great Xia court.
He owned several acres of land and several cattle, and lived an ordinary and comfortable life in the capital. Occasionally, he would bring fresh fruits and vegetables from the vegetable garden to the capital market to sell them.
Sometimes neighbors will ask Ji Shaotao about his past military experience out of curiosity.
Ji Shaotao took this opportunity to brag, saying that he had witnessed his Majesty summoning thunder from heaven to destroy the Liangzhou City Tower in one fell swoop; he said that the Queen had once fought alongside them, dressed in red and holding a spear. Extremely brave; he even claimed that he had made great military exploits by annihilating hundreds of enemies in the Battle of Luojing...
Although these words contain a lot of exaggeration, they are enough to fool these neighbors who are not knowledgeable enough. Looking at their adoring eyes, Ji Shaotao couldn't help but feel a joyful feeling in his heart.
…………
With the fall of the Daqi Dynasty, Ji Shaotao also noticed the new emperor’s order to dismiss the palace people.
This gave him a glimmer of hope, thinking that now that he was unmarried and the mandarin duck was not married, he might be able to find the mandarin duck and renew their relationship.
So recently, he has been asking about Yuanyang everywhere.
I heard that every few days, a delicate girl dressed as a royal would appear in the market - she had an oval face, eyebrows with willow leaves, and a mole on the corner of her eye.
So, Ji Shaotao came to the vegetable market early, waiting for her arrival with anticipation.
In the bustling crowd, Ji Shaotao's sight passed through the layers of people and caught a familiar figure - it was a beautiful girl in a green dress. She was lowering her head and concentrating on choosing. with vegetables on the vegetable stall.
The morning sun seemed to suddenly become extra bright.
Everything can be seen very clearly and accurately.
The girl stood in the light, her green sleeves dancing in the wind. That radiant appearance reminded Ji Shaotao of the fairy above the nine heavens.
And now she has come to the mortal world——
No, she should have returned to the mortal world.
Ji Shaotao stood quietly in the shadows on the roadside, his eyes closely following Yuanyang's every move.
He watched her slender fingers shuttle among the shallots, carefully selecting them one by one and putting them into the vegetable basket. Although her fingertips had a lot of calluses from years of hard work, and although she spoke fiercely when bargaining with the vegetable vendors, and even used a few curse words from time to time, in Ji Shaotao's eyes, she had never been as beautiful as she is today. .
It wasn't until Yuanyang paid the money and was about to turn away with a full vegetable basket that Ji Shaotao woke up from a dream. He hurriedly took steps to catch up.
"Miao Suping!" He called her by her real name.
Yuanyang continued to move forward without looking back.
"Miao Suping, it's me! I'm Ji Shaotao!" He shouted again.
Yuanyang finally turned around and looked at him with wide eyes.
Since she entered the palace to serve the queen, she has lost her real name and has become the "mandarin duck" around the queen, accompanying the "orioles", "cuckoos" and "magpies".
Over time, she seemed to have forgotten her original name.
After many years, when Ji Shaotao called out "Miao Suping", she almost didn't realize that he was calling her.
After years of experience in the battlefield, Ji Shaotao's voice has become more mature and weathered, making Yuanyang unable to recognize it for a while.
During the first few years when he first entered the court, Yuanyang imagined the scene of meeting Ji Shaotao again in his mind countless times. She had imagined that Ji Shaotao would climb over the palace wall late at night and run away with her, away from the shackles of the palace; she had also imagined that Ji Shaotao would become a high official and ask the emperor to grant them a marriage...
However, when they finally met again, it was different from what they thought.
Mediocre.
No thrills, no attention.
Just like when he was a child, he hid from her parents, climbed into her house through the window, and said with a smile: "Suping, let's go play in the mud together!"
Her lips She was trembling slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but her throat seemed to be blocked by something, and she couldn't make a sound.
Inadvertently, her eyes became red, and two lines of tears quietly poured out, sliding down her cheeks and moistening the emerald green skirt.
I don’t know how much time passed, but Ji Shaotao finally took a step forward, stretched out his hands and hugged her tightly.
Her head rested gently on his shoulder, looking for the long-lost support.
"Su Ping, marry me!" He took a deep breath and plucked up the courage to say, "I now have a field and a few cows... I have made meritorious service in the war before, and your Majesty gave me My generous reward. We can live a good and stable life together..."
He thought that she would happily agree to his proposal with a shy smile and tears of happiness.
But her reaction at this moment was beyond his expectation.
Miao Suping, or Yuanyang, took a step back, gently pushed him away, lowered her eyes, her lips trembled, as if she had been struggling for a long time before speaking with difficulty:
" I'm sorry, Brother Shaotao, I...I can't promise you for the time being. The Queen is still waiting for me at home, and I have to go back and help her cook..."
For many years, Yuanyang has been serving the Queen in the palace. Any mistakes will be severely punished. The queen's long-term majesty and oppression had already left a deep mark of fear in her heart.
Even though the queen is no longer the queen, her awe and obedience to authority are still deeply rooted in her heart, making her dare not disobey in the slightest.
Just like a child who was accustomed to obeying strict parents when he was young, even when he grows up, his weak character is often difficult to change.
Ji Shaotao was stunned for a moment, and then a surge of anger suddenly surged into his heart.
He clenched his fists subconsciously, and his voice couldn't help but raise a few points: "The Queen? Where did the Queen come from? There is only one true Queen in this world, and she is currently reviewing the army at the Forbidden Army Camp. , you don’t need to prepare lunch for her at all!”
Miao Suping was frightened by Ji Shaotao’s strange and tough attitude and took a few steps back, with an unconcealable tremor in her voice: “Yes...it’s big. Queen Chen of Qi..."
"Daqi is gone!" Ji Shaotao interrupted her with the domineering momentum of killing enemies on the battlefield, "What the hell, Queen Chen, Queen Queen Li, now She is just a commoner, why do you care about her? You are a citizen of Daxia now, no one’s slave, you can do whatever you want, marry whoever you want, she can’t control you!”