东宫 Eastern Palace: Chapter 23

     Fortunately the fall was not that painful, after getting up, suddenly a person can be seen standing not too far away.

      

        Gu Jian!

        He was holding onto a box that was filled with food, standing quietly there staring at me.

        I could only force the corners of my mouth to move, facing towards him and smiling.

        Afterwards I quickly turned around and ran.

        Without waiting for me to run three steps further, Gu Jian had already grab hold of me, one hand grabbing onto my wrist, the other hand holding onto the box of food.

        I said: "Just let me go, what's the point of locking me here? I will not leave with you anyways." Gu Jian suddenly laughed coldly, said: "I can let you go, however you have to follow me to this place, as long as you go there with me and don't change your decision, then I will let you go." The moment I heard that I felt that it was strange, so I cautiously asked him: "What place?" "You will find out when you go there." I looked at him strangely, he said: "If you are scared, then forget about what I had just said, anyways I won't let you go, if you don't want to go then don't go." What's there to be afraid of? I said in a loud voice: "You'll keep your promise?" Gu Jian suddenly laughed, "As long as you keep your promise, then I will definitely keep my promise." I said: "What are we waiting for? Let's quickly go." Gu Jian stopped and said: "You don't regret?" "What's there to regret about?" I suddenly thought of something, said: "You aren't allow to regret either." Gu Jian smiled, said: "I definitely won't regret." He placed down the box of food, opened the lid, inside the box was really a roasted mandarin duck. He said: "You eat first, and then we'll go." At first I didn't have any appetite, however seeing him like this, if I don't finish the food he will definitely not let me go, so I grabbed the chopsticks and then started to eat the roasted mandarin duck. Honestly my throat and my mouth were in pain, even my tongue was numb, chewing the roasted mandarin duck in my mouth did not have any taste at all. However I quickly finished eating, placing down the chopsticks, said: "Let's go." However Gu Jian looked at me, asked: "Was it delicious?" I carelessly nodded, he did not say anything, only raising his head to look at the round moon in the sky, then he pulled up the fur coat, covering half of my face, said: "Let's go." Gu Jian's martial arts skills was quite fast, I could see that the tree leaves in front of me quickly pass through, then we flew from the rooftop to the bottom of the tall walls. Looking at these walls, I suddenly felt that it was quite familiar.

        Gu Jian pulled me to the top of the wall. After landing on top of the wall I couldn't help but to look around, immediately I felt foolish.
　　
        The walls consists of large pieces of glazed roof tiles with interlocking wooden brackets, which was quite magnificent, in the middle the outlines of the palace halls can be seen making this place quite familiar, because every time when I am at the top of the walls these were the things I would immediately see. I was speechless, Eastern Palace!
　　
        This place was the Eastern Palace! The place that I had just left was within the palace walls of the Eastern Palace.
　　
        Gu Jian seeing me dumbstruck, faintly said: "That's right, we were in the storage room of Eastern Palace." I bit my tongue and not saying anything, I regret a lot, I should have shouted out from the window, so that the entire Yu Lin army would come, then I would be safe. No matter how good Gu Jian's skills were, he cannot snatch me away again when facing against the Yu Lin army which consists of thousands of people........I really regret a lot.

        However regretting now was no use. Gu Jian pulled me to jump off the tall walls, then going on top of someone's rooftop, twisting and turning, landing and passing through someone's garden, opening a small door, the bustling world suddenly appeared in front of me.

        Every time at this night everywhere would be filled with lanterns, people and laughter. It seemed like everyone had came to the street, as if all the lanterns were hung on the streets of the Capital City. The moon in the ink coloured sky was like a mirror that's bright and white, but also like a glutinous rice ball, honey filling would pour out once bitten. The moonlight reflected the thin layer of frost on the rooftops, looking more and more clear, but not too cold. The night wind had burnt firework smell, women with fragrant smell, smell of food, all mixed together would be the special smell of the Lantern festival......The front of the stores on both sides of the street and the trees hung numerous kinds of lanterns. Gu Jian and I walked into the street that was like a tide of people, as though all four directions were surrounded by people and lanterns. The lanterns come in different colour: yellow, pink, blue, purple, red, and green.....Staring at these colourful lanterns would make a person feel dizzy. If this happened before, I don't know how happy I would be with this type of excitement. However today I could only lower my head, walk silently and let Gu Jian pull my hand. At the front of the street, a huge crowd was forming watching the dragon lantern. It was so crowded that Gu Jian couldn't help but to stop. From time to time, the dragon's mouth would spew out silver fireworks, and everyone would be amazed. Suddenly the dragon's head faced towards us, 'bang' spraying out large fireworks, everyone was so surprised that they stepped back. The fireworks was sprayed in front of me, I was so scared that I closed my eyes. When I was squeezed by the crowd, I almost fell back, fortunately Gu Jian reached out his hand and supported me from behind. When I opened my eyes, I realized that he used his sleeve to cover my face and that I was in his embrace.

        I did not make any noises, only using my strength to break free from his hands, fortunately he did not force me again, only grabbing my arm and continued to walk forward.
　　
        After passing through the south street, suddenly a whistling sound can be heard, making a 'bang' sound in midair, everyone raised their heads, seeing half of the sky covered with gold and silver lines, creating a large flower in the sky, overshadowing the round moon. Apparently fireworks were released at the top of the seven star tiered tower.

         The top of the tower was filled with splashes of gold and silver, various fireworks with different patterns like the peony springs, the people on the streets raising their heads high. Gu Jian also raised his head to look at the fireworks, the chilly wind blowing his head scarf, behind us was like a lantern city. Every time when fireworks rose to the sky, his face would become bright, every time when the fireworks dimmed down, his face would be hidden in the shadows. I could see him through the brightness and darkness.

        I was thinking, if I run away at this moment, Gu Jian won't be able to catch up to me, the street was filled with people, if I escape to the crowd, he will definitely not be able to find me.
　　
        However he was grabbing onto my arm, grabbing very tightly, I won't be able to break free from his hands.
　　
        Both sides of the street were lined up with vendors selling various kinds of things such as snow willow flower, bright and shimmery new year banner, one glance would make people feel dizzy, making people not fond of it. I lowered my eyelids as I didn't want to look at those things. However there was this one vendor seller blocking our way, looking at Gu Jian with joy: "Gong Zi, buy your wife a pair of hairpin! Your wife is beautiful, however if she wears the hairpin, she'll be even more beautiful! Ten copper coins for one pair of hairpin, cheap and pretty! Gong Zi, buy a pair of hairpin!" Gu Jian waved his hand, I thought he wanted to push away the seller, never have I thought that he would pick a pair hairpin and give the seller ten copper coins.

        He said: "Lower your head." I said: "I don't like these things." However he pretended as if he didn't hear what I had just said, reaching out his hands to place a hairpin into my hair, placing one after another.

        Because we were standing very close, I could feel his breath on my face, soft, warm, and also itchy. His body had a faint smell, not the ambergris fragrance that I used to smell, but an indescribable faint smell like the cantaloupes from Western Liang, fresh with a chilly feeling. Afterwards Gu Jian pulled my hand, looking at my right and left side very seriously, as though he was scared that the hairpins would become crooked. I've never seen him look at me this attentively, so I felt that my ears were burning hot, very uncomfortable, so I urged him: "Let's go." I didn't know where he would bring me, he seemed as though he didn't know either, we were walking and stopping at the bustling street, because the street was too crowded, the stream of people were like a tide rushing forward, wanted to move but can't move.

        Continuously turning until we had reached the last street, Zhuque main street appearing in front of my eyes. Looking as far as I can see, the street that is outside the Cheng Tian gate is often cleared when the Emperor tours the street, right now it is crowded with people, at a distant place a bright building can be seen.

        I could guess where he was bringing me, suddenly I felt scared. "What's wrong? You don't dare to go?" Gu Jian faintly smiled, turned around to look at me, I felt that his smile had a hidden meaning. His smile was not like that when I first saw him. At that time he was wearing a white gown, standing on top of the roof, looking at A'Du and I rushing through the streets.

        Why did it turn out like this?

        I said: "What do you really want to do?" "Nothing is sadder than a sorrow heart." His tone of voice was flat as if he was saying something that wasn't important. "I have given up all hope, so I want you to feel the same way and just give up." I wasn't carefully listening to what he was saying, but staring at the tall city gate tower, wandering in my thoughts. This is the Cheng Tian gate, there were countless red lanterns lit up upstairs mixed with all kinds of lanterns creating a layer of bright light, downstairs was also surrounded by countless lights making the whole city gate tower bright like the heavenly bejeweled jade palace. The closer you are, the clearer you see. The pearl coloured curtain hanging from upstairs was blown by the wind, drifting lightly, finally I could see the ceremonial weaponry and the people standing behind the curtain. The palace maids with their hair worn in a bun and moving, the lighting showing their figures behind the curtains, I suddenly recall seeing a shadow play on the streets before. At the high and tall Cheng Tian gate, everything happening upstairs was like a shadow play, every movement felt that it was out of reach.
                       

        The faint sound floated downstairs and can be heard from a distance. The people downstairs suddenly started to make loud noises because the curtains upstairs suddenly opened up, the palace maids threw things down, people fighting over them. I knew these were gold money, these money are specifically used by the officials to give to the commoners. The sound of the money scattered on the floor seemed like a beautiful rainfall.....seemed like everyone knelt down to grab the money on the floor, only I was standing there staring blankly at the top of the Cheng Tian gate.

<Chapter 22                                                                                                                Chapter 24>