The early morning sunshine shone on Xiao Yi's face, like a new life. She ate very well last night, slept deeply, and felt happy without caring about life and death.

Su Qin had been practicing music hard in the past few days, for fear of making a fool of herself in front of the new king of the Song Dynasty. Yesterday, she thought she was going to be thrown into the sky prison and executed as an assassin's accomplice. She was so nervous that she didn't sleep all night, endured the headache, and put a bunch of

The question was thrown to the energetic assassin in front of him: "Liu Yao, you are actually the princess of Qi? How dare you openly assassinate the King of Song? We were not thrown into the sky prison? Where are we...?"

Xiao Yi said helplessly: "I'm sorry, I hid it from you."

Seeing that Xiao Yi refused to explain, Song Yun was a little angry: "Miss Liu, what should we call you now? Your Highness the Princess?"

However, Yan Xiao kept looking at Xiao Yi up and down with her big eyes open, as if she were seeing someone whose name she had admired for a long time but had never met before.

Xiao Yi glanced at Yan Xiao and explained: "I have only been Xiao Yi for nine years, but Liu Yao for ten years. Qi State has been destroyed, and I am no longer a princess."

At this time, Yan Xiao suddenly pulled up Xiao Yi's sleeve and said with admiration: "You are Princess Yi of Qi State! I didn't expect that we could eat and live with the princess of Qi State for so many days, and you are also the famous Princess Yi.

Princess!"

Xiao Yi is famous among people in various countries, firstly because she was good at playing the piano at the age of five and reciting poems at the age of seven, and secondly because she happened to not be in the Jade Capital of Qi when the Song Dynasty captured it, so she became the only one who blatantly

The Qi royal family escaped that disaster. Over the past few years, literati and poets have placed their thoughts on the Qi Kingdom in the past on this Qi Princess who lives among the people but has disappeared. And her name is "Xiao Yi", which means "Yi".

, carries remembrance, so the world calls her "Princess Yi".

There is a folk poem: "Xiao Xiao and rain passed across the sky, and the sad king committed suicide in the peach blossom stream. From then on, the white jade wept with blood and the children of the old country remembered each other." The title is "Xiao Yi", but I don't know who wrote it.

There is another poem: "The golden sword and the iron horse go south, hoping to win the world's Kyushu chess. They have trampled across the two countries of Qi and Wei, and there is no jade left to mourn the princess." Untitled, and I don't know who it was written by.

Xiao Yi smiled bitterly: "I'm afraid that after today, I will become even more famous."

Su Qin and Song Yun felt tired and bored, and sat aside without commenting. Yan Xiao joked to them, "Why are you so sad? I think that King Song is a good man. He can even let go of his assassins, and he won't involve us."

"

Song Yun said: "The King of Song did not kill Liu Yao yesterday because she was Princess Yi of Qi. In front of envoys from various countries, he must have wanted to show his image as a benevolent king. We are common people of Chen, and the King of Song was sent by Chen.

Assassination, maybe he sent troops to Chen State in anger, and we happened to be the hostages of Chen State in the palace of Song State."

Yan Xiao shook his head and said: "If he sends troops to attack the Chen State, wouldn't he destroy his image as a 'benevolent monarch'? Besides, how can we, a few insignificant civilian women, be qualified to be the hostages of the Chen State?"

Song Yun said: "This is different. He can let the princess of Qi go, because Qi has been destroyed anyway, and there is nothing to attack. He will not let go of our Chen country easily, because the assassination just gave him the opportunity to attack Chen.

.Chen State is the only country among the Five Kingdoms that can compete with Song State. If Chen State is defeated, Song State will be able to dominate the world."

Su Qin said: "Princess Yi, our Chen State has been on good terms with your Qi State since ancient times. Why did you pretend to be a Chen State to assassinate you? If Song and Chen were at war, wouldn't you want to use Chen State's hand to avenge your Qi State and Song State?

hatred?"

Xiao Yi lowered her head. She did owe them, and would even take the lives of three innocent people. She also had the intention of provoking a war between Chen and Song, and used the hands of Chen to avenge her motherland.

Yan Xiao stood in front of Xiao Yi and said: "Have you forgotten that the four of us swore sworn vows in Fanjing? At that time, we said that we share life and death, honor and disgrace, and that we should take care of each other and trust each other in the Song Dynasty..."

Su Qin said: "The one we are sworn to is Liu Yao, the dancer from Fanjing, not Xiao Yi, the princess of Qi!"

Yan Xiao said: "Is there any difference? If the Qi Kingdom is gone, why talk about a princess? Whether her surname is Liu or Xiao, they are both our good sisters! To be honest, if the Chen Kingdom is gone, do you dare to assassinate it? You have

That ability? I, Yan Xiao, have never admired anyone in my life, but today I truly admire her! I feel that marrying such a woman is the most meaningful decision I have made in this life!"

Su Qin and Song Yun were speechless by Yan Xiao's impassioned tone.

Xiao Yi said: "Actually, you don't have to worry. The King of Song told me yesterday that he would let us leave Song safely."

Su Qin asked in surprise: "Why?"

Xiao Yi relayed what the King of Song said to her yesterday to her sworn sisters. Yan Xiao clapped her hands and praised: "The new King of Song is really interesting! Much better than the rumored old King of Song! Maybe Chen and Song will never fight at all!"

Su Qin sighed, and seemed not satisfied with being able to leave the Song Kingdom safely. Yan Xiao asked her: "It's good to be able to leave safely. Why are you sighing?"

Su Qin said: "It sounds like the King of Song is a sensible king."

Yan Xiao joked: "Do you have a crush on him? Are you reluctant to leave?"

Su Qin blushed and whispered: "I am the person Chen Guo dedicated to him."

Yan Xiao burst out laughing, pointed at Su Qin and said: "I never thought that Su Qin, our high-minded Maungcheng, would be able to fall in love with a man one day! Princess Yi, help her tell the King of Song quickly and see if we can get her

Enter the harem and become a Sumei!"

Xiao Yi showed a rare smile, nodded and said: "Okay."

Song Yun also clapped her hands and laughed. The four sisters laughed together, as if they had returned to the days when they rehearsed singing and dancing together in Chen Guo.

Song Yun asked Xiao Yi: "Did you live in this White Jade Palace when you were a child?"

Xiao Yi said: "Yes. My mother and I live in Changxi Palace, and my father lives in Yong'an Palace. This is the Qihe Palace, the legendary Leng Palace. I have never been here, and I don't know that it was here when my father was on the throne.

It’s so dilapidated and it only became like this later.”

Yan Xiao asked: "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Xiao Yi said: "I have a biological brother who is one year older than me and two half-brothers. When the Qi Kingdom was destroyed, my father was thirty years old. Because my father was still young, my brother and brothers were also young, so we did not establish a

Crown Prince, but I think that if the Qi State is not destroyed and my brothers are still alive, I will probably make my brother Xiao Xun the Crown Prince, because he is the eldest son."

Su Qin asked: "Are they still alive?"

Xiao Yi shook his head and said: "I have never had any news about them. Maybe it is good that there is no news."

The four of them were silent. The reason why they became sworn sworn brothers was because they were both orphans. Yan Xiao grew up with her grandmother. In order to bury her grandmother, she sold herself to a dance hall in Jiu County. If she hadn't practiced dancing hard, the master would have looked at her appearance.

She was in excellent shape, and she might have been sold to a noble man as a concubine just like other dancers in the dance hall. Song Yun was originally an orphan adopted by the troupe. Later, the troupe broke up, and she went to the song and dance studio to make a living.

Because of her good voice, she was kept in a singing and dancing studio to make money, and she did not sell herself as a performer. Su Qin was born in a wealthy family in Chen State, and was raised as a daughter of a wealthy family when she was a child. She dabbled in all kinds of music, chess, calligraphy and painting, but because of the decline of her family, she was moved around

The three girls all know the pain of losing a loved one, so they sympathize more and more with Princess Yi. She fell from the palace into the folk, and has experienced as much glory and wealth as she has experienced among the people.

Yan Xiao said: "Now that you have come, let's live in peace. The four of us sisters can live well in the singing and dancing studio of Chen State, and we can also live well in the cold palace of Song State. Let's go find something to eat!"

As soon as the four sisters arrived at the entrance of the Qihe Palace, an older palace maid pulled a small car to greet them and said, "Thank you. The four girls rested one night in this simple Qihe Palace. The slave girl is called Ting."

Fang is a palace servant of Yong'an Palace. The king said that he would like to force the girls to rest here for a few days and not to walk around in the palace and attract attention. When the time is right, he will send someone to send the girls away from the Song Dynasty." She said.

Pointing to the cart covered with coarse cloth, he said: "These are some food, clothes and the qin that Miss Su Qin left in the Ningguo Hall. If the girls still need anything, please feel free to tell me. There is no one in the Qihe Palace, so I will give it to you every day."

Come here twice a day to bring you some food."

Yan Xiao said: "Miss Lao Tingfang is here. Go back and tell your King Song that we think he is a good person and thank him... for not killing him!"

Tingfang bowed and said goodbye. The four sisters pushed a cart of food and clothing and settled down in the Qihe Palace.

The days were ordinary. Except for Tingfang from Yong'an Hall who came to the Prayer Palace every morning and evening to bring some food, no one else came to the Prayer Palace. Tingfang didn't talk much either. He only said a few words back and forth: "If you eat well."

If the girls don't like it, I can ask the dining room to change the taste. If the girls don't like to eat or want to eat something, just tell me and I can ask the dining room to make it. Qihe Palace is remote, but very safe.

, girls can live with peace of mind."

Five or six days later, Tingfang came again. Yan Xiao was having a boring time these days, so he just teased Tingfang: "Sister Tingfang, can I ask you a question?"

Seeing the little girl's half-smiling expression, Tingfang felt that it must not be a serious question. She looked at Yan Xiao noncommittally. Yan Xiao asked, "How many women are there in the harem of King Song?"

Tingfang said: "There are two beauties in the palace and many maids."

Yan Xiao asked: "I haven't heard that the Song Dynasty had a queen. Is it true that there is no queen in your palace?"

Tingfang said: "The king has not yet established a queen."

Yan Xiao continued to ask curiously: "I heard that there were hundreds of beauties in the harem of King Chu, and he also had two queens. The princes of King Chu were all lining up to grab the land. The land of Chu State could not be sealed. How did you, the king, get it?

Are there two beauties?"

Tingfang continued to look at Yan Xiao noncommittally. Yan Xiao laughed twice and continued to ask: "How many children does your king have?"

Su Qin glared at Yan Xiao and said, "I will leave the Song Dynasty in a few days. What is the use of asking so many people about the affairs in the harem?"

Yan Xiao was even more amused when she saw that Su Qin finally answered. "Didn't I ask for you? We don't have to keep those we don't want to keep, but we don't have to expel those who want to keep, right? Didn't King Song also say

'Xina'?"

Su Qin blushed and snorted: "Don't talk nonsense. Let Sister Tingfang do her work."

Tingfang handed over an exquisite large wooden box and said: "The king is afraid that you will be bored living in this remote place, so he specially asked me to send some music scores, paper and pens and Go chess. The king also said that the girls might not be able to leave the Song Dynasty.

I can’t go back to Chen State. He hopes that you will think carefully about where you want to go within the Nine Provinces in the past few days, and the king will send someone to take you there safely."

Yan Xiao took the wooden box generously and said with a smile: "Your Majesty is so considerate! Tell him that three of the four of us are not assassins. They are the women chosen by Chen Guo. If he likes any one, let him know who he is.

Staying will also be beneficial to Song and Chen's friendship."

Su Qin smiled and walked away. Xiao Yi looked at the exquisite wooden box and remained silent.

Eight or nine days later, Su Qin had mastered the piano music sent by Tingfang, and her fingertips were lightly plucking the strings. She thought happily that the King of Song had noticed the piano I had left behind and specially sent it to her.

Music score, he said to me... Just as I was thinking about it, Yan Xiao came over and said, "Our country of Chen has always produced beauties, and you, Su Qin, are the only beauties in the country of Chen. No wonder the King of Song gave you another piano.

Another score! I see, we are going to think carefully about which country we want to wander in, and you are going to do some research on which of the White Jade Palaces is the best!"

Su Qin rolled his eyes at her and continued to play the piano. Yan Xiao went to play Xiao Yi, who was listening to the piano, and said, "Liu Yao, tell Su Qin, which palace is better among the White Jade Palaces?"

Song Yun also listened with interest and said: "I have grown up, and this is the first time I have entered the palace. I heard that the White Jade Palace in Qi State is the most beautiful among the nine states. It's a pity that after entering, I can't move around at will, except for Ning State."

I have never been to either the White Jade Palace or the Qihe Palace. Liu Yao, tell us what the White Jade Palace is like."

In the past few days, everyone has returned to the way they used to get along with each other. No one calls her "Princess Yi" anymore, and it is more intimate to call her Liu Yao.

Xiao Yi calmly talked about the White Jade Palace in her memory. In the past few days, she had been very calm, as if she was waiting for something.
To be continued...