Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 262 The harem is haunted?

In May, the summer is approaching and the spring breeze is warm. The intermittent chirping of cicadas can be heard in the woods.

The bright sunshine shines on the Jinshui River, and the water splashes golden.

On the riverside pavilion, the bench railings have been doubled in width.

This was because Li Zhi often took a nap here, so Wang Fusheng ordered people to widen the railings of the bench into a couch shape so that Li Zhi could sleep more comfortably.

It was just past noon and there was silence all around. The intermittent chirping of cicadas and croaking of frogs sounded more like a lullaby.

Li Zhi lay on his side on the railing and slept very comfortably.

Wang Fusheng stood by, gently waving a whisk to drive away mosquitoes for him.

Suddenly, a small figure came running from a distance.

When the Qianniu guards around saw that figure, they did not go over to stop him.

Princess Gao An went straight to the waterside pavilion and saw Li Zhi taking a nap. She giggled, sat down beside him, took out a small round fan from her waist and fanned him.

After all, she was not good at serving people. The fan was too loud, and Li Zhi felt uncomfortable. He turned over and woke up.

The first thing I saw was a smiling little round face.

"An'er, how long have you been sitting here?" Li Zhi sat up straight and asked her.

Princess Gao An smiled sweetly and said, "I just arrived and Ye Ye woke up."

Li Zhi: “…”

My feelings were awakened by her.

He touched his still confused head, shook it, and asked Princess Gao An, "What's the matter with you coming to see me?"

Princess Gao An let out an "Ah!" and her face suddenly became very serious, with a hint of fear in her eyes.

"Yeah, the palace is haunted!" she said with a trembling face.

Li Zhi was stunned after hearing this.

The palace is haunted? This is the first time he has heard of it.

Wang Fusheng, standing by, smiled and said, "Your Highness, who told you that the palace is haunted?"

"I didn't hear it from others. My sister and I saw it with our own eyes!" Princess Gao An said anxiously, with a hint of fear in her eyes.

Li Zhi was startled by her and finally regained consciousness. He asked casually, "Where did you see the ghost?"

Princess Gao An said, "It's in our secret garden."

"Secret Garden?"

Princess Gao An took his hand and said, "Yeah, I'll take you there and you'll know."

Li Zhi had no choice but to be dragged away from the pavilion by her.

Heading west, we passed Longshou Canal and Qianbu Corridor and soon arrived at a remote group of rockery.

This place is sparsely populated and can be considered hidden.

But there were only rockery and stones everywhere, and no flowers at all, which did not seem to match the secret garden she had mentioned.

Princess Gao An took him to a large rockery.

There is a small hole on the front of the mountain wall, about the height of Li Zhi's shoulders. It is easy for children to pass through, but adults need to bend over.

Princess Gao An was about to pull Li Zhi in when Wang Fusheng hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, let me go first." He bent down and went in first, clearing the way in front.

Princess Gao An pulled Li Zhi to follow.

The cave inside the rockery was longer than I had imagined, winding and rocky. After walking more than twenty steps, I saw a light in front of me and finally got out.

The moment you come out of the cave, it feels like you have arrived in another world, surrounded by flowers, plants and trees, with lush branches and leaves.

Unlike the gardens built inside the palace, the flowers and plants here are not trimmed. They all grow naturally, showing the wildness of nature.

There is a small pond not far away with clear water, which is obviously a source of running water.

A few frogs were basking in the sun on the huge leaves.

Li Zhi looked around.

This place is surrounded by rocks and hills, like a secluded little world. No wonder Princess Gao An called it the Secret Garden.

Princess Gao'an was a child at heart. When she saw her father attracted by the scenery, she immediately smiled and pulled Li Zhi to the side of the pond.

There are many strange shapes made of mud, branches and leaves on the ground. If you look closely, they seem to be small houses, small rivers and small bridges.

Princess Gao'an excitedly introduced these buildings to Li Zhi. It turned out that this was the small palace built by her and Princess Yi Yang.

There are Li Zhi's Ganlu Palace, Concubine Zheng's Xunfeng Palace, and Xu Jin's Penglai Palace.

The layout of the three palaces is different from that of the imperial palace, and they are in the shape of a finished product.

The Ganlu Hall is in the middle, with the Xunfeng Hall and Penglai Hall on the left and right, but there is no sight of Wu Meiniang's Lizheng Hall.

Li Zhi coughed and said, "An'er, I've already looked around here. Can you tell me where the haunted place is?"

Princess Gao An exclaimed "Ah" and then remembered her original purpose. Her little head spun around and she pointed to a stone wall opposite the pond.

"Yeah, there's a ghost over there."

The stone wall was bumpy and seemed to be a rockery connected to a palace wall. I didn't know what was on the other side.

Although Wang Fusheng had never been to the secret garden, he was more familiar with the palace and had recognized the palace wall behind the stone wall.

The stone wall was located to the east of the small garden. Li Zhi walked around the pond and came to the stone wall. He asked, "Where is the ghost?"

Princess Gao An grabbed Li Zhi's clothes and hid behind him, only poking her little head out and poking the wall with her fingers. "The ghost girl won't come out now, but she will come out at night."

Li Zhi was stunned and asked, "Female ghost?"

Princess Gao An nodded and said, "It's a female ghost! Every night, she sings inside the stone wall. Her voice is so mournful and melodious, as if she is crying."

Li Zhi looked up at the top of the cliff and asked Wang Fusheng, "What's behind the cliff?"

Wang Fusheng said, "Your Majesty, it is the Shanchi Courtyard."

Shanchiyuan is the Shanshuichi Pavilion, and it is also the most remote place in Taiji Palace. It is located between Taiji Palace and East Palace, covers a very large area, and there are several thousand palace servants inside.

Shanchiyuan is like a smaller Yeting Palace, filled with palace maids who have just entered the palace.

In addition, palace maids and eunuchs who committed minor mistakes would be demoted here. If they made mistakes again, they would be sent directly to the Ye Ting Palace.

Liu Chong'e was originally demoted here.

Li Zhi had been to Shanchiyuan and knew that there was such a place in the palace.

"Don't be afraid. It should be the palace maids from the mountain and pond courtyard opposite playing the music and singing. It's not a female ghost," he comforted.

"But yes, her singing voice is very sad and scary, like the cry of a ghost, not a sound that a human can make." Princess Gao An still didn't believe it.

Li Zhi's heart moved and he asked, "Ghost crying?"

Princess Gao An muttered, "Yes, my sister said this is ghost music. If you are attracted by the music, you will be dragged away by the female ghost and never wake up again."

Li Zhi smiled and said, "Then Yeye will come with you tonight to see the female ghost, okay?"

Princess Gao An said hurriedly: "We need to bring a few powerful monks with us. If it really is a female ghost, there is no need to be afraid!"

Li Zhi smiled and said, "Don't be afraid, Ye Ye is the Son of Heaven, all female ghosts will be afraid of Ye Ye."

Princess Gao An didn't quite believe it, but she didn't want to embarrass her father, so she nodded.

After Li Zhi returned to Ganlu Palace, he handled government affairs for a while and then went to the Forbidden Garden to ride his horse for a while.

At night, he sent someone to call Princess Gao An to Ganlu Palace. After having dinner together, the father and daughter returned to the secret garden together.

The garden looks completely different at night.

The grass and trees were dark, and the branches were dense, swaying in the wind like ghosts. The pond in the distance turned black, like a swamp.

Li Zhi actually admired Princess Gao'an and Princess Yiyang. The two little girls actually dared to come to such a place at night.

Princess Gao An clasped Li Zhi's hand tightly with one hand, looked up at the moon, and said, "Yeah, yeah, if the moon rises a little higher, the female ghost will come out."

Li Zhi smiled and said, "Then let's wait a while."

After waiting for a while, as expected, a low sob sounded silently.

The voice was low and intermittent, and at first glance, it really sounded a bit like the humming of a female ghost.

Li Zhi looked in the direction of the sound and found that it came from behind the eastern mountain wall.

This voice is filled with endless sorrow and lingering sadness, like crying and complaining, which makes people feel sad, depressed and miserable unconsciously.

Li Zhi came behind the wall and listened attentively.

The low and mournful singing voice, coupled with the sad and sorrowful lyrics, makes people deeply feel the loneliness and desolation of the singer.

"... Suddenly I fell asleep and dreamed that your spirit was beside me. I woke up but saw nothing, my soul was lost..."

After hearing these two sentences, Li Zhi was shocked.

This seems to be the Changmen Fu. Could it be that the woman behind the wall is a concubine in the harem?
“…The night is long and drawn out like a year, and my heart is filled with sorrow and sadness that cannot be repeated.

The sky is calm and unsteady, waiting for the dawn, and the desolate sky is bright again.

I, a concubine, feel sorrowful secretly, and I dare not forget it despite the years.

The song gradually faded to this point and finally disappeared in the night wind.

Li Zhi waited for a while longer, but could not hear any sound. He wondered, "There should be no other concubines in the harem. Who is singing Changmen Fu?"

"Yeah, yeah! Did you hear it? Was it a female ghost?" Princess Gao An grabbed his arm and jumped around, bringing his thoughts back to reality.

Li Zhi glanced at her, touched her little face, and said, "An'er, you go back first. If it is really a female ghost, Yeye will definitely help you catch her."

Princess Gao An smiled and said, "Well, my secret garden will be handed over to Ye Ye!"

Li Zhi left the garden with her and then sent someone to send her back to Xunfeng Palace.

On the way back to Ganlu Palace, Li Zhi asked Wang Fusheng, "Are there any concubines in the Shanchi Courtyard?"

Wang Fusheng whispered, "Your Majesty, because of the commoner Wang, both Lady Zheng and Lady Yang have been placed in the Shanchi Courtyard."

Li Zhi was stunned for a moment, then he remembered the two people, and suddenly said: "Yes, they are the biological mothers of Yong'er and Xiao'er."

Wang Fusheng whispered, "Yes."

Li Zhi was silent for a moment, then said, "Go check if the woman singing in Shanchi Courtyard is one of them."

Wang Fusheng agreed and said, "Yes."

Outside the bedroom of Ganlu Palace, Zhang Duohai was waiting quietly, his face flushed, unable to hide his joy.

When he saw Li Zhi approaching from a distance, he quickly walked over to greet him. After exchanging greetings, he said happily, "Your Majesty, great news!"

Li Zhi asked, "What's the big news?"

Zhang Dahai's fat face was full of smiles, and he said, "Her Majesty the Queen is dreaming again!"

(End of this chapter)