A piece of Japanese incense

He did not eat the food in the lunch box and put it back at the gate of the yard.

Yutuan and Yuyi began to cry loudly. (Actually, it was just a dry howl.)

"Brother Guard! Please have mercy on us and inform them. Our girl just wants to see her husband. Please be kind and take the money and let our girl see her father~"

Yutuan shouted and threw out silver.

"Miss Yutuan! You...oh...don't! We are still on duty!"

"Brother Mudong, I know you are kindhearted. Even if you can't meet the prince consort, you can let them talk to each other through the wall. Our daughter has been separated from her father since she was young. Now she is alone and helpless in the palace. Her life is hanging by a thread. Let her have a few last words with her father~"

"It's not that I don't want to help, it's really..."

"Brother Guard, please be kind!"

……

After a lot of persuasion, the guard named Mu Dong finally agreed to pass on the message, but he could not guarantee whether he would come.

Although I, your dog father, love myself the most, I still have full confidence in him. I firmly believe that as long as I tell him about this, he will come to see me even for the sake of his face.

Sure enough, before the hour of Xu, Mu Dong sent a message saying that he was busy with the imperial examination and would come later.

Outside the window, smoke was swirling again.

"It's starting to burn again, girl. It's almost the second watch. It looks like the prince consort won't be able to come."

My heart skipped a beat, and a feeling of loss surged into my heart. I squatted on the edge of the couch, hugged my knees, and let out a long sigh.

"Miss Yutuan! Miss Yutuan!" Mu Dong's voice came from outside the courtyard wall. "Master Zhi is here! Is Miss Zhi asleep?"

I immediately perked up.

"No! I'll be right there!" Yu Tuan responded loudly.

"Girl! The prince consort is here!" Yuyi hurriedly put on my shoes.

I pretended not to be surprised at all and nodded. My heart was filled with joy. The feeling of happiness was like a fresh breeze, gently blowing through my heart, taking away the boredom and confusion just now.

He calmly put on his clothes, coughing, and came to the gate of the courtyard with the help of Yuyi Yutuan.

"He'er, how do you feel now? Why don't you eat? Have you taken medicine?"

"Ahem! Daddy! Is He'er going to die soon... Ahem!"

"Don't talk nonsense! How old are you? The imperial physician hasn't diagnosed the disease yet! Tomorrow, Daddy will call the court official and the court judge to come and treat you! Don't scare yourself!"

"Ahem! Daddy, please let me go home... I'm in this palace, ahem, sob..."

My face turned red, and I didn't shed any tears. However, I wiped my hands with snot, and my howling voice became hoarse.

"He'er! Don't cry! Your grandparents are old, and your mother is weak. When you go back, pass it on to them..."

"Wuwuwu... cough cough... I'll go back to my room. I'll stay in my room. Even if I die, I'll die in my own home! I don't care! Wuwuwu! Ugh~"

My throat was dry and I retched a bit. Yutuan almost laughed out loud. I glared at her and tried to regain my composure.

"He'er, daddy knows you've been wronged, but you're not the only one who's sick. If everyone has to go home like you, wouldn't that harm more innocent people..."

"He'er didn't touch anyone! He'er just hugged her when he knelt down to Sister Fang. He'er didn't pass it to her on purpose. Woohoo... Daddy, please, Your Majesty, let He'er go home! He'er promises not to touch anyone, not to see mom, grandma, or grandpa! Ahem!"

"Why are you kneeling to her?"

"Yue~" My throat was too dry, so I winked at Yu Tuan, who gave me an OK sign and shouted, "Girl~"

"The girl vomited again!" Yu Yi said loudly.

"He Er!"

"Sir! Please have mercy on our daughter. She has been living in fear every day since she entered the palace. She has been working day and night these past two days. Not only has she copied books for Miss Fang, but she has also copied books for her brother, Miss Ye. She can't finish copying! She is so tired that she can't even lift her hands!"

"Every day I have to worry about whether I have food to eat, and when I sleep I have to worry about whether someone will come in and steal my things."

"I was being attacked even though I was wearing clothes!"

Yutuan and Yuyi took turns telling their stories, and I repeatedly gave them thumbs up to show my appreciation.

"He'er!" Zhi Yian said after a long time.

I waited for him for a long time, but he didn't say anything.

"Daddy?" I tried calling him.

"He'er, Daddy never expected that you would be so frightened in the palace. Daddy was wrong."

My heart trembled, and after thinking for a moment, I said, "Ahem, it's my daughter who is useless and brings shame to father. Ahem, father, don't worry about He'er. Let the emperor deal with her as he wishes. He'er doesn't want father to be embarrassed."

I stood up and walked into the house.

"He Er!"

Zhi Yian called out a few times, but I didn't answer him. I went into the house and closed the door.

My feelings towards this father are complicated and hard to describe. In modern times, I didn't have a father. When I came here, he had already married someone else and had children early, and we didn't have much time to spend together.

Sometimes, I felt that he cared for me, but his love was always different from that of my mother. When I thought of my mother, my heart was filled with strength and warmth. However, I could never fully trust my father.

"Miss, you didn't ask clearly whether the Prince Consort will help us leave the palace or not?"

I shook my head, cleared my mind, picked up the teapot, gulped down the tea, and responded, "Who knows? We'll know tomorrow. Hey! It's almost time, why is there no movement?"

"Yeah! That's right! It should be soon."

Before entering the palace, I asked Yu Tuan to assign a task to Yu Zhu. Today is Yu Nian's birthday. Tonight, almost every household in Beijing will light a Kongming lantern for Yu Nian and book a firecracker shop to present him with a sky full of colorful fireworks.

More than a dozen fireworks pointed straight to the sky, and golden sand sprayed out and bloomed proudly in the air. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, all kinds of colors, colorful, decorate the night sky beautifully and gracefully. The colorful fireworks bloomed under the night sky, like a hundred flowers competing for beauty, bringing a breath of vitality to the night.

"Girl! Let's start!" Yu Tuan cheered happily, with colorful flames reflected in her eyes.

The fireworks lasted for the time of a stick of incense, and the fireworks show came to a perfect end against the backdrop of the night. The traces left by the fireworks were like gorgeous meteors, drawing moving trajectories in the night sky and eventually disappearing into the distance.

Then, one Kongming lantern after another rose in the night sky and flew into the distance, like a tiny stardust, slowly gliding in the vast night sky, gradually drifting into the distance, injecting infinite warmth and hope into this night full of thoughts.

Yutuan Yuyi is still immersed in this final glory.

I crossed my hands and clenched them tightly, closed my eyes, and prayed that Yu Nian would be happy and get what she wanted; I also prayed that I could leave the palace and everything would go well.

……