Chapter 002: Picking Flowers and Smiling, Leisure Days Amidst Right and Wrong (2).

The crystal curtain, mica fan, glass window, tortoiseshell bed, all are luxurious and magnificent furnishings of the royal family, imbued with the fragrance of heartache. They seem to be isolated from the hustle and bustle of the surroundings, ethereal and not of this world.

Smiling face!

The heart-shaped seal incense, blended with sandalwood and musk, slowly curls up, emitting a warm and tranquil fragrance.

The hibiscus hurriedly dropped the chess piece and ran over, supporting him and calling out, "Father Emperor!"

Xu Zhiyan drank tea, looked up and glanced at the chessboard that had been played more than half, and smiled, "I said I would take a short rest, but unexpectedly I have slept for so long. Your mother's medicine is indeed effective."

The eunuch outside called in a low voice, "He flew away, he flew away!"

The palace maid has brought a silver basin filled with water to assist Xu Zhiyan in washing his face. Then, Mugun brought a cage and let him see the crickets inside.

Li Su immediately called someone to find a longer bamboo pole. Meanwhile, Mu Jin glanced at Xu Zhiyan's slightly furrowed brows as he slept. She picked up a bamboo stick from the table, walked to the open window, carefully examined it for a moment, and then lightly flicked it when no one was paying attention.

On the plane tree outside the palace, cicadas were chirping loudly. Li Sui hurriedly moved and signaled to the eunuch guarding outside.

Among the dense branches and leaves, it went unnoticed that a thin bamboo skewer had been added to the branch where the cicada had perched.

This situation is not unfamiliar to the palace ladies, and it has even become evidence of the foolishness of the Crown Princess when she was still the Prince's consort. Only Empress Dowager Mu Rong Xue frowned slightly when she saw it once.

Due to the friendship of the previous generation, although Prince Xu Siyan is not indifferent to Mu Jin, Xu Zhiyan treats her exceptionally warmly. In the past three years, the prince has been busy with state affairs, while Mu Jin serves in the palace every day. The two of them get along even more intimately than an ordinary father and daughter.

Xu Zhiyan's expression was firm, and he quickly calmed down. "I'm fine...Mugun, when did you arrive?"

Legend has it that Emperor Jiawen was once harmed by a treacherous person when he was young, causing him to be blind for more than ten years. Despite this, he loved to sit quietly and play chess alone in silence.

Life is like a game, and the world is like a chessboard. One wrong move and you lose everything. Even if you win the world, after the beautiful dream, you will be left with loneliness and sorrow, and only a little happiness remains?

Mu Jin took the teacup from the palace maid's hand and presented it to Xu Zhiyan, replying, "I just came over and saw that Father Emperor was sleeping soundly, so I didn't dare to disturb him."

This cage is made of freshly woven bamboo, with a few tender green bamboo leaves extending outside. Xu Zhiyan shook his head and said, "You really have a childlike nature, still playing with this!"

Xu Zhiyan suddenly woke up, sat up, his face pale, forehead covered in sweat, breathing irregularly.

Mukin sat by the window, picking up chess pieces from the white jade chess pot, holding black pieces in one hand and white pieces in the other, calmly playing against himself.

Summer Huan Yan, the mother of Mu Jin, was originally childhood sweethearts with Xu Zhi Yan and grew up together as close friends. However, they were destined to be apart and she became the wife of the ruler of the Shu Kingdom, Xiao Xun. She was skilled in medical arts and upon hearing that Xu Zhi Yan had been bedridden in recent years, despite being thousands of miles away, she would still write letters to inquire about his condition and prescribe medicine for the imperial hospital to consider using.

The hall became quiet again.

A few eunuchs quickly held bamboo poles and shook them among the branches and leaves of the parasol tree, trying to scare away the cicada. However, the tree was too tall and the branches too dense, and the cicada was far out of reach of the bamboo poles. It did not escape but continued to make noise incessantly.

The sound of cicadas suddenly stopped.