In early November, Prince's other courtyard.

Two maids stepped into Changyi Garden with bamboo baskets, just in time to see a slim figure standing under the octagonal pavilion.

In the pavilion is a girl, dressed in plain mourning clothes, looking up at the green parrot hanging on the bird stand under the eaves.

Because the face was raised, the slender and fair neck was clearly exposed, the shoulders were sharply cut under the thin plain clothes, and the waist was slender.The whole body is plain, only the ring-shaped jade pendant hanging around her waist has a smear of green. With her slightly leaning body, it hangs down from her slender waist and hangs in the air, touching the hanging blue silk from time to time.

The afterglow of the setting sun poured down, outlining a circle of soft light around the girl.Although she is thin-boned and her clothes are simple, she can still see her good figure and graceful posture.

The maid clasped her hands together and gestured, and said in a low voice: "Misses from rich families are different. Look at that waist, so you can hold it."

The maid in Tsing Yi was shocked by her words, and replied softly: "Shen Yan, Miss Yu was brought back by Fuying's guards."

"I just said a few words in private." The maid's voice was lower, "If it didn't ruin her face, I thought she would be accepted by the prince..."

The second half of the sentence was hidden in the lips and teeth, and the two looked at each other, completely silent.

After going around for a while along the zigzag path, it happened to appear in front of the small pavilion. The girl in the pavilion was named Yu Qiu. Seeing the two of them hastily held up their skirts and stepped forward, she said politely: "The two sisters are well, but what's the matter?"

The maid saw that she had slender eyebrows in Chunshan, her bright eyes were rippling, and her peach cheeks were like snow, but her chin was slightly pointed and she looked too thin, and the long scar on her right cheek ruined her beauty.

But even so, she could still see her former stunning appearance through this broken face.

Feeling sorry in the bottom of her heart, the maid smiled and said, "The plum blossoms in this garden always bloom early, let us come and have a look, if we need to use them, we can pick some smoked clothes later."

Yu Qiu's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "The prince is back?"

"I'm back, I'm resting at the front."

Yu Qiu's face paled a little, and he forced himself to be calm, and asked again: "Did Fuying come back?"

The expressions of the two maids tightened, and they looked around vigilantly. Then they pressed Yu Qiu's arms from left to right, and reprimanded in a low voice: "You dare to inquire about the whereabouts of Fuying's guards. Are you going to die?"

Fuying is the secret guard of Prince Yunheng. He wears a mask all the year round. He is elusive and reticent on weekdays. When he occasionally appears in the mansion, he smells bloody all over his body.

The prince's whereabouts are not a secret, but the comings and goings of Fuying can't be questioned by anyone.

The bright eyes dimmed, and Yu Qiu whispered: "I see."

There is only one plain hairpin on her head, and the fine hair is half-tucked and half-loose. Because of this movement, she rolled from her shoulders to her chest. Her black hair and white clothes, and her long, curly eyelashes are trembling.

The maid in Tsing Yi seemed to be unable to bear it, so she took her by the arm and took her to the pavilion, and said in a good voice: "Although the prince is strict, he will not punish us without reason. You teach the parrot to speak well, the prince will definitely fulfill his promise and help your father reverse the caseYes, don't worry."

"Yes." Yu Qiu replied softly.

Yu Qiu was originally the only daughter of Yu Xingshu, Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. A few months ago, Yu Xingshu was arrested and imprisoned for collaborating with the enemy.

Yu Qiu couldn't believe this accusation. Her father had always been self-sacrificing and devoted to public affairs. She had no brothers. Except for servants, there were only two fathers and daughters in the family. The salary and rewards were enough for the two to live a prosperous life. What would they do?

But what she said didn't count.

Yu Qiu panicked and went around asking people to intercede. The hardships and humiliation involved are beyond words.

After sleeping and eating for two months, Yu Xingshu was released, but he was stripped of officials and ransacked his house, and sent to Lingnan.On the way, a sudden change happened, and before his father died tragically, Yu Qiu was kidnapped because of his beauty, and was stopped halfway.

It rained heavily that day, and half of the visitor's face was covered under the black iron mask, while blood and rainwater mixed with the other half of his face and flowed down, forming a water-red stream under his feet.

He kicked away the mutilated corpse, and picked Yu Qiu's messy wet hair with a long knife that had been washed by the rain.

Yu Qiu fell into the muddy water, his eyes were empty, and when he wanted to lean forward to let the blade pierce his throat, the man's voice had some unclear meaning, and he seemed to be talking to himself: "Yu Xingshu'sDaughter. Sure enough."

Then the cold light dimmed, and the long knife came out of the hand that Yu Qiu was about to hold.

The person who came was the crown prince's guard Fuying. He killed many people that day. When he picked up Yu Qiu, the heavy smell of blood filled his mouth and nose, and Yu Qiu's drenched yellow shirt was stained with carmine by the blood on his body..

Fuying rescued her, gave her a jade pendant, and said: "The prince needs someone to teach the parrot to talk. If you want to survive, go to the prince's other courtyard."

The family was in ruins for more than two months, servants fled and died, and even Yu Xingshu's best friends in the past could not avoid it. Yu Qiu didn't expect that someone would be willing to help her at this time.

Before he died, Yu Xingshu said: "An orphan girl who has no one to take care of, she looks so beautiful, she will probably be reduced to someone else's plaything... My son, when my father is gone, you should scratch your face. Dad probably knowsWho wrote it, I can't afford it..."

At that time, Yu Xingshu knew that he was bound to die, so he gave more advice and nagged: "Your mother has a delicate mind, and people say that Huiji will be hurt, so she died early. Over the years, my father has always been afraid of you and you.Just like my mother, it turned out that I was not smart enough to raise you. It can be seen that everything can't be too extreme. Hey, that's fine, with a good heart, no matter how big it is, don't worry about hatred and resentment, just forget it when you wake up......What Dad regrets the most in his life is that he insisted on your self-cultivation and self-cultivation. After so many years, he didn't have time to spend the money...I knew it would be better to have fun in time. You should eat and drink, and you don't have to use your brain. How nice..."

He paused for a moment, and there was a hint of bitterness in his voice, "In the future, you will be alone, and it will be very difficult. Father won't let you suffer. But as the saying goes, it is better to live than to die. You should live. One day, you really can't bear it anymore."If you die again, don't worry, Dad will wait for you below, as long as you want, so you won't be afraid... Why do you talk more and more, your mother knows that you should despise me... Forget it, Dad is gone."

Yu Qiu's last relative in this world is gone. The sky is high and the earth is wide, and she has nowhere to go.

But she still wanted to live, so she took Fuying's jade pendant to the prince's other courtyard, and before entering, she scratched her face with a hairpin, leaving an ugly scar on the delicate dimple of hibiscus.

Yu Qiu thought that teaching the parrot to talk was just an excuse. When the parrot really appeared in front of her eyes, her dull head couldn't turn around.

The season has turned from autumn to cold winter. In three months, Yu Qiu has been around this parrot, but it is stubborn and silent.If the maids hadn't said that the parrot could indeed talk, she would have suspected that the prince was simply playing tricks on her by asking her to teach the parrot to talk.

The early-blooming red plums and dead leaves in Changyi Garden set off each other. Yu Qiu sat in front of the parrot for a long time.walk in the house.

Yu Qiu had something on his mind, so he lowered his head and walked towards the window while holding the bird stand, and suddenly smelled a ray of fragrance at the tip of his nose.

She raised her head subconsciously, facing the tall figure standing in front of the window, her knees softened, and she almost knelt down.

Standing by the window with his hands behind his back was Prince Yunheng, and there was a person kneeling at his feet, who was the maid in Tsing Yi who had talked to Yu Qiu earlier.

The prince is handsome and elegant, and he pays special attention to appearance and etiquette. No matter what the occasion is, the top and bottom of his clothes are kept neat and wrinkle-free. The maids picked early-blooming plum blossoms just to smoke his clothes.

Because there is always a lot of fragrance on his body, he went out with the emperor a few years ago to inspect the road. There was a child who was ignorant and called him "Mr. Xiangxiang", but he responded with a smile.

Later, this title spread in the imperial city, and everyone knew that the prince was gentle and elegant, and he was as elegant as An Zhitinglan.

But this is all an illusion.

Probably out of pity for her, before Fuying let Yu Qiu enter the mansion, he had reminded her in a cold voice that the number of people he had beheaded with his sword was inexhaustible, including strong men, women and children, all of which were ordered by the crown prince.

Yu Qiu is not afraid of Fuying who is covered in blood, but he is afraid of this smiling and duplicity Mr. Xiangxiang.

What's more, she has a pack of poison hidden in her sleeve, which is just for him.

Yu Qiu hurriedly tightened his cuffs, put the parrot on the table, calmed down and said hello.

Yun Heng looked sideways, there seemed to be blue waves in his dark eyes, and he smiled slightly: "Why can't you even look down on your own things?"

Yu Qiu was so terrified by his laughter, and before he realized what he meant, he saw his fingertips move, and a touch of blue color was thrown towards him. Yu Qiu subconsciously caught it, and found that it was hanging on his waist earlier.The jade pendant was the one Fuying gave her.

How did it get into the hands of the prince?

Just as she was wondering, the maid in Tsing Yi kowtowed vigorously and begged for mercy: "Your Highness, please forgive me! This servant knows I was wrong, and this servant will never dare again! Please forgive me, Your Highness!"

"It's good to know what's wrong." Yun Heng said.

The maid was overjoyed, and was about to thank him when she saw him tap the table with her fingertips, suddenly a guard stepped forward, grabbed the maid in Tsing Yi and dragged her out.

"The servant said everything, Your Highness, please forgive me! Your Highness, please forgive me..."

The maid's frightened begging for mercy was still heard when she was dragged to the entrance of the hall, but it stopped suddenly when the corner of her clothes disappeared on the threshold.

Yu Qiu's heart was beating wildly, and he lowered his head, not daring to look around.

That's right, this Mr. Xiangxiang has a great reputation abroad, but he is actually a ruthless master.

As long as the people below make the slightest mistake, even if it is a drop of water spilled when pouring tea, or yawned while serving, they may lose their lives, not to mention that it is the maid in Tsing Yi who stole her jade pendant.First.

"Put things away."

Yu Qiu hurriedly put the jade pendant into his arms.

The hall fell silent, and the sound of the wind outside became very clear.

Yu Qiuli stood aside and didn't dare to move, while Yun Heng slowly added water to the parrot food box, and asked, "Why did I know that Gu asked you to teach the parrot to talk?"

It was obviously a very calm voice, but Yu Qiu felt guilty and shivered from fright.She was worried, fearing that she might say the wrong thing, so she pinched her palms and asked tentatively, "Because I have a nice voice?"

Yun Heng paused, turned around and looked at her.

Yu Qiu was startled by his thick black eyes, afraid that he might have noticed something hidden in his sleeve. After a moment of rigidity, Fang was shocked to realize that he had called himself "I" just now, and he didn't dare to vent his anger.

"You really know how to praise yourself." Yun Heng couldn't hear any joy or anger in his voice, and asked again, "Can you talk?"

The green-haired parrot flapped its wings vigorously just now, but now it leaned against the iron frame with its neck curled up like a quail. Yun Heng held a nut and brought it to its mouth, but it didn't dare to open its mouth to eat it.

Yu Qiu felt that she resembled it very much now, and also imagined that she could not speak like it, but it was a pity that she was not as good as a parrot, and she would be killed if she didn't answer.

Standing with her hands down, she flinched and said, "I-haven't learned yet."

"Did you really teach well?"

"Yes, yes." Yu Qiu couldn't speak clearly.

Yun Heng frowned slightly, glanced at her, then stretched out, and said with a smile: "I've never heard anyone say that you still stutter."

Yu Qiu's heart tightened, he knelt down, and stammered, "No..."

The two words almost made her bite her tongue, and she hurriedly explained: "It's not a stammer, the crown prince is majestic, and I, my servant, dare not talk nonsense..."

She spoke incoherently, after all who would teach a parrot to talk with a stammer?The hasty explanation was because he was afraid that the crown prince would punish Fuying, who saved her, how could she drag him down any longer.

I only hate myself for not being up to date, and my brain is not flexible, and my mouth is still not in control when I get nervous.

Yu Qiu didn't hear Yun Heng's voice, and Yu Qiu raised his heart in fright.

She was panicking when she heard Yun Heng laughing, Yu Qiu's hands and feet were trembling, and she raised her head bravely, seeing Yun Heng twisting her fingertips, she said slowly: "This parrot looks ordinary, but its only voice is outstanding.Songs and poems are not a problem. Now you can't make a sound, do you know why?"

Yu Qiu didn't understand why he asked himself such a question, but at least he didn't have murderous intentions, and shook his head nervously: "I don't know why this servant is stupid."

She was at the bottom, and Yun Heng could see the hideous scar on her side cheek as soon as he lowered his eyes. He paused, changed the subject casually, and asked, "Did your father ask you to scratch your face?"

Yu Qiu bit his lip and didn't answer, he didn't care, and said again: "Do you know why Master Yu asked you to do this?"

"It's because I'm afraid that this face of the servant girl will cause trouble..."

"Yes, and no." Yun Heng smiled lightly, the melodious laughter floated in the air with the fragrance of his body, like ripples spreading, he said, "You should know."

Yu Qiu bowed his head and remained silent.

Yun Heng brushed off his robe, and said slowly: "It's really stupid, no wonder Yun Po said that about you."

The Luming Banquet in Spring is called a banquet for new scholars, but it is actually convenient for choosing a son-in-law to find a good marriage.Misses from all families were invited to be on the list, among them, Yu Qiuyan was the most popular, but because of the third prince Yun Po's sentence "beauty is beauty, but it's a pity that she has no brains" became a joke.

The reputation of the girl's family who has not left the court is bad, so that the close friends in the former boudoir are gradually alienated, the front door is left in the cold, and the marriage has not been settled for a long time.

Yu Qiu felt humiliated that day, and had gone through all kinds of great changes in the past six months, and faced this kind of ridicule again, he was able to calm down.

She is indeed not smart enough, otherwise she would not know who is going to frame her father, who is going to frame her father, what the other party's intention is, let alone what choice to make next.

Afraid of saying the wrong thing again, she simply kept silent.

"What are you looking for for Fuying?"

This sentence frightened Yu Qiu half to death, she only asked the maid, but Yun Heng knew about it.

When her mind was confused and trembling, she didn't know how to deal with it, but Yun Heng smiled lightly and said, "Why does Gu see you shivering, is it cold?"

"No..." Yu Qiu swallowed, and said something silently in his heart before saying in a trembling voice, "It's not cold."

She couldn't control her lips, her upper and lower lips collided and wanted to say something messy, but she pinched her palms hard to hold back.

Yun Heng seemed to snort softly, and then said: "Go and make a pot of tea."

Yu Qiu felt like she had been pardoned, and hurried out of the hall door with a "hey".

The coolness hit his face, diluting the lingering fragrance of the prince's body on the tip of his nose, and Yu Qiu hurriedly covered his chest to take a breath.

What does the prince want to say to her?Didn't he come to see the parrot? Why did he ask such an irrelevant matter?

Yu Qiu thought silently in his heart, not daring to delay for too long, and calculated the time to make a new pot of tea and come back.

Rows of mullioned windows were open, and the half-set sun cast regular light and shadows on the ground through the mullions, which also stretched Yun Heng's shadow long.

Yu Qiu made enough mental preparations before stepping into the room, carefully avoiding his shadow, pouring tea at the table lightly.

The steaming tea flows into the white porcelain cup, and the tender green tea leaves are swirled back and forth by the tea.

Yu Qiu quietly glanced at Yun Heng, and saw that he was pinching the parrot's beak with his slender fingers, forcing the hooked beak to open wide to feed the nuts, without looking at him at all.

If you want to poison him, this is the best time.

"Pour yourself one too."

Yun Heng suddenly made a sound, and Yu Qiu trembled in fright, hurriedly stopped the tea that was about to overflow, said "yes", and brought another teacup over.

Her heart beat faster, and she turned slightly sideways by placing the teacup, and poured the sleeve Chinese medicine powder into it with trembling fingertips.

The medicinal powder melts when it meets water, and there is no difference between the two cups of tea.

After Yu Qiu collected the paper bags, she settled down and turned around to see that Yun Heng was staring at her.Her heart skipped a beat, she hastily put her trembling hands behind her back, and secretly grasped the sleeve bag where the paper bag was hidden.

Yun Heng looked indifferent, and let go of his palm. As soon as the green-haired parrot was free, he flapped his wings and wanted to escape, but he was imprisoned by the iron ring on his feet, so he had no choice but to land on the bird stand.

"What do you want to do with Fuying?"

Yu Qiu clutched his cuffs tightly, and said softly, "I want to thank him for helping me kill those thieves that day..."

"He wasn't the one who killed for you." Yun Heng said.

"Then I would like to thank him. If he hadn't saved me, I might have been exposed to the wilderness. I also thank the prince for taking me in. The prince is kind. This parrot can't even learn to speak, and the prince is willing to keep it..."

Yu Qiu's chattering voice became more and more vague in Yun Heng's slightly squinted eyes. After finally stopping, he pinched his wrist severely in regret.

Yun Heng sat down, tapped the table with his knuckles, and Yu Qiu hurriedly put the teacup by his hand.

Yun Heng glanced at her and picked up the teacup.The steaming heat rose slowly, and a layer of mist was separated in front of his handsome facial features, making him look more gentle.

The porcelain white edge was close to her lips, and Yu Qiu watched helplessly, not daring to breathe.

Dan Fei's lips parted slightly, and stopped suddenly when he was about to touch the tea, Yun Heng raised his eyebrows, "What are you doing looking at Gu?"

Yu Qiu lowered his head abruptly, not daring to look around anymore.

After a while, the teacup was put down, and the tea that was originally 70% full was less than half.

"Teach it to speak well, and think about your father in your spare time. After all, you are the daughter of the servant's family. It's too embarrassing for your father to have an empty head."

Yu Qiu pulled the corners of his mouth and nodded, watching the dark golden clothes swing, and walked out of the small hall at a leisurely pace.

The doors and windows were wide open, and the cold wind swept in, quickly blowing away the remaining fragrance in the house.

Yu Qiu looked up and saw that the setting sun had already set outside the window, and the surroundings were dark. In the distance, the attendants were climbing the ladder to hang lanterns, and the last leaf on the dead branch nearby was crumbling.

She sighed, picked up the untouched tea, looked at her broken face reflected on the water, took a deep breath, and brought the tea to her mouth.

She mustered up the courage to poison, but she couldn't bear to pass the poisoned cup of tea to Yun Heng.

"I'm going to die anyway, let's get rid of it now, so as not to be tortured..." she murmured.

She lied to Yunheng, and she wanted to find Fuying not only to thank her, but also because she felt guilty.

Thank him for saving me, I am ashamed of being used by others.

Three days ago, a carrier pigeon came to Yu Qiu with a secret letter. She recognized the carrier pigeon as Yu Yanzong's.

Yu and Yu's fathers were classmates in the past, and they had a friendship for more than 30 years, and they were as close as a family.Yu Qiu grew up with brothers and sisters Yu Yanzong and Yu Manxiu, and even after Madam Yu passed away, she called Madam Yu a godmother.

Back then when Yu Xingshu was imprisoned, Yu Qiu had nowhere to go, so he went to Yu's mansion to ask for help in the dark, but the door of Yu's house was closed, leaving Yu Qiu only a sentence through the thick and rich door: "Miss, please go back."

No matter how Yu Qiu begged, all he got was this sentence.

Yu Qiu only received help from Yu Yanzong once, when she was besieged by mobsters on the street, Yu Yanzong drove them away, took a deep look at her, and then left too.

Yu Yanzong came to her this time, saying that he knew who framed Yu Xingshu, and asked Yu Qiu out.

But he didn't tell Yu Qiu the murderer behind the scenes, he only said that because of his help that time, Yu's family was implicated, and he had found a backer, as long as Yu Qiu gave the prince the package of medicine powder, he could save Yu's family andPromised to avenge Yu Xingshu.

"I don't want to harm anyone, and I don't want to avenge my kindness..." Yu Qiu whispered, tears flowed from both eyes, one was blocked by the scar on his face, and the other rolled down the soft cheek into the teacup, reflecting her reflectionThe face is shattered.

But she had no choice. When they met that day, Yu Yanzong poisoned her.

"I know that you are timid and unwilling to harm others, but I can't help it. Your mother died early, and it was my mother who took you around in the past. I saved you when you almost fell off the cliff in Chunri, and now my family is in trouble because of you......" Yu Yanzong didn't dare to look into Yu Qiu's eyes, turned his face away and said, "This poison is more and more painful every time it occurs, and the medicine will not work for the fifth time...You, you can do it yourself!"

For the past three days, every night, Yu Qiu felt cramps in her abdomen, as if her internal organs were pierced by sharp eagle claws. Every time she had an attack, Yu Yanzong's words echoed in her mind, making her sweat coldly from the pain, couldn't even cry out in pain.

Day after day, it became unbearable.

While Yu Qiu was afraid of the prince, she was grateful in her heart. It was the prince who took her in, otherwise she couldn't imagine what kind of situation she would have fallen into.

She couldn't avenge her kindness, but it was true that Yu Yanzong had saved her life.

Both sides are kind, how to choose?

Yu Qiu felt that it was very difficult. It had been half a year since her family had undergone tremendous changes. She didn't even know who her enemy was, and now she was forced to make a choice.

But this is how it is in the world, there are people who have a delicate heart and can see through people at a glance, while there are people who can't see through the truth right in front of them, and can only feel the darkness with their eyes when encountering things.

"In vain, my father and I donate large sums of money to disaster-stricken areas every year. Good people are not rewarded, and wicked people are always free. If there is a next life, I will also..."

She wanted to say that she should be a villain too, but when she came to her lips, she changed it to something else.

"...Don't be favored by others again..."

Yu Qiu's voice was low and hoarse, and tears fell one after another like broken chain beads.

Sixteen years of life lay before her eyes like a scroll, but she dared not look at it.She remembered what Yu Xingshu said before he died, don't be afraid, Daddy is waiting for her.

"People grow to hate... People grow to hate..." Yu Qiu bit his lower lip, raised his head and drank the tea.