After Na Luo calmed down, she suddenly recalled that when her father was alive, he once took her to the street to watch a circus from the Parthian Empire. She remembered that there was a very obedient and smart monkey at that time, and it performed many wonderful programs. At that time, her father had chatted with the circus man for a while, and it seemed that he mentioned what the monkey was most afraid of... That's right! He did mention it! She was delighted in her heart and asked quickly, "Sister Mo Li, may I ask if there is any black sesame in the palace?"
Mo Li nodded, "A batch of black sesame was just sent from Dayuan not long ago." Due to the unique geographical conditions of Dayuan, the sesame produced locally is the best in the Western Regions.
"That's good." Na Luo smiled, turned his head and whispered a few words in her ear. After listening, Mo Li looked at the two princes, as if carefully asking for their consent. An Gui raised the corner of his lips indifferently, "Whatever she wants, you can get it. I want to see what tricks this girl can play."
Mo Li responded and went to prepare. Soon, she brought a bowl of black sesame seeds and a cage in her hand. In the cage was a spirited wild pheasant. Seeing that Mo Li had taken these strange things, An Gui still had that half-smiled expression, as if waiting for her next absurd move. The third prince looked at Na Luo with an inexplicable expression, not knowing what she wanted.
Na Luo thanked Mo Li, took the bowl, grabbed a handful of sesame seeds and threw them at the monkey! While the monkey was confused, she threw another handful of sesame seeds! A strange thing happened. The monkey was actually frightened by the sesame seeds and stretched out its claws in panic to scratch it. When the third handful of sesame seeds fell on it, the monkey finally screamed and jumped down from the tree!
At the moment the monkey fell to the ground, Na Luo quickly took the wild pheasant out of the cage, then took the knife handed over by Mo Li, and chopped off the head of the wild pheasant with a swish! A stream of blood suddenly spurted out from the broken neck of the wild pheasant, and some of it splashed on the monkey's body, and the wild pheasant's head just rolled in front of the monkey!
Na Luo's technique was swift and decisive, without any unnecessary movements.
The monkey was stunned in place, his eyes were dull, and his whole body was shaking like a sieve, obviously frightened. Na Luo bent down, stretched out his hand and lifted it up effortlessly, and patted its head. The monkey trembled even more, changing his usual arrogant attitude and completely letting her do whatever she wanted.
She turned her head and smiled at the two princes, "See? I did it!"
The light brown hair that fell down because of the force made her face more beautiful, and the glass-colored eyes flashed a light golden light in the sun, which was dazzlingly beautiful. And that smile was like the new leaves sprouting in spring, full of the rare vigor of a girl, which instantly made the haze in the world disappear without a trace, and the world suddenly became bright.
It turned out that she had grown up quietly without realizing it...
An Gui narrowed her eyes slightly, and her face showed an unpredictable expression.
"Third Prince, do you still want to sew my mouth with needle and thread?" She raised her little face slightly, and a trace of childish pride flashed in her eyes. It was the first time she showed such an expression in front of them. The usually arrogant and domineering Wei Tu looked at her blankly, and was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to respond.
"Why did you think of using sesame?" After a moment of silence, An Gui spoke first.
Na Luo pursed her lips and replied calmly, "Replying to the second prince, because black sesame and lice are very similar, the monkey is very afraid of lice. So many black sesame seeds fell on its body, it thought it was lice and ran down the tree in a panic. But compared to this, the monkey is most afraid of fresh blood. So I asked Mo Li to pick a wild pheasant and deliberately bleed it in front of the monkey. The strong and strong smell of blood will scare the monkey and make it obedient. Look, isn't Abao much more obedient now?" As she said, she handed the monkey to Mo Li. Sure enough, the monkey was still obedient and motionless, like a child who had been beaten.
"How do you know this at such a young age?" An Gui seemed a little curious.
Na Luo lowered her eyes and whispered, "My deceased father said so."
An Gui showed a look of understanding. He naturally knew who the father she was talking about was.
At this time, Wusma ran over hurriedly from not far away. She didn't pay attention to the situation around her. She rushed forward and grabbed Na Luo and said, "Quick! Na Luo, go back! All the clothes you washed were deliberately soiled! Go and wash them again! Otherwise, you will be punished again if the maid Mi Ma blames you!"
Na Luo was so angry that he stamped his feet. He didn't care about that. He saluted the two princes and ran back with Usma.
Mo Li looked at the two princes in a bit of a daze while holding A Bao. He wanted to leave but didn't dare to move. An Gui turned his head and glanced at the third prince, and asked lightly, "Are you going to forgive her this time?"
An Gui asked twice in a row, and the third prince suddenly came back to his senses and snorted heavily, "I, Wei Tu, am also a person who does what he says. This time... just forgive this dead kid, she's lucky!"
"There are naturally people from the princess who deal with this girl. Her life is not easy." An Gui looked at his brother with a slightly doting look. He was the only person in the world that he pitied and cared about. He didn't care about the lives of others except his younger brother.
"I think the more the kid is disciplined, the more spirited he becomes. Just like the red willows in the desert, they can thrive no matter how bad the environment is..." The third prince's metaphor seemed a little... different.
Hearing him use the word shameless, An Gui couldn't help laughing and patted him on the shoulder and said, "Okay, don't bother with those irrelevant people anymore. The princess is still waiting for us to pay respects."
The third prince nodded, walked forward a few steps and muttered, "But it's also thanks to this kid to come up with this weird method. You see, Abao seems to be much more obedient now."
An Gui smiled and looked at Wei Tu's figure thoughtfully. A dark shadow quickly swept across his eyes.
When Na Luo rushed back and saw the tragic scene, he was so angry that he had a headache. The clothes she washed and hung up in the morning were all thrown in a mess, falling to the ground like flowers scattered by fairies. What's even more disgusting is that there are countless black footprints on it, which are particularly shocking on the light-colored fabric. This is simply someone deliberately looking for trouble. Needless to say, it must be the instigation of the female official of the virgin month. This woman is not the first time to do such a despicable thing.
Usma hurriedly helped her pick up the clothes and said angrily, "Na Luo, I think you should tell the princess. The princess is so good to you, she will definitely make the decision for you. These people are really getting more and more excessive!"
Na Luo shook her head, "No, no. Have you forgotten that the last time you told the princess that I hadn't eaten enough for several days, didn't the princess severely punish the maid on duty?"
"Isn't it? They bullied you like this, so they should suffer a little." Usma couldn't help but stand up and speak for her.
"Anyway... don't bother me anymore. They are slaves and servants, and they are ordered around. Besides, don't you think that every time the princess punishes them, they bully me more?" Na Luo said, taking the clothes one by one into the big basin, preparing to wash them again.
"Na Luo, you... sometimes you really don't act like a child." Usma sighed, said nothing more, lowered his head and silently helped her pack the clothes.
"I know your good intentions, Usma. I am very grateful to you, but some things may not be as simple as you and I imagine." Naro's face showed a maturity that was inconsistent with her age, and the faint smile on the corner of her mouth seemed a little helpless, "A child can't survive here."
"What's the matter? Shouldn't these clothes have been washed long ago! This is not a place for you to be lazy!" When the two were talking, the female official Mima suddenly appeared in front of them stealthily. Naro looked up and saw that it was Princess Dina standing behind Mima. She quickly pulled Usma up to salute.
Facing the accusation of the female official Mima, Usma wanted to explain, but was stopped by Naro.
"Mrs. Mima, I have washed these clothes and hung them outside. It's just that when I came here, I saw this situation and I don't understand. Maybe it was blown down by the wind." Naro didn't explain clearly, just didn't want to take all the responsibility on herself.
At this time, several other maids also came to pay their respects. One of the short maids couldn't wait to speak: "Princess, Lady Mima, I can testify that I saw her deliberately dirty her clothes just now. She must have been lazy and forgot to work, so she made up some lies to avoid punishment. Naro is simply lazy, and this is not the first time..." "Muta, don't talk nonsense! It's not like that at all!" Usma interrupted her angrily, "Naro has washed the clothes. I don't know who threw them on the ground, causing her to wash them again now! I think you are making trouble!" Princess Dina looked at Naro, and a gleam of light seemed to flash in her eyes, "How can you make a fuss here in broad daylight? Since the clothes are dirty, why don't you wash them again? Naro, don't you think so?" Naro nodded quickly, knowing that the princess was obviously defending herself. "Princess, aren't you partial to her? I remember the last time Maral accidentally dropped the princess's clothes on the ground and stained them, you punished her to kneel for a day and a night and hit her right hand. Why did you let Naro off so easily this time? I really feel like there is something stuck in my throat and I can't hit it out." Muta's tone of rebuttal was very unusual, completely different from her usual timid character. Naro couldn't help but feel very surprised. Who here doesn't know the consequences of offending the princess? How can she be so bold? Is she risking her life? But... is it necessary to take such a risk?
As expected, Princess Dana frowned, and her eyes instantly turned cold, "Mima, when did this princess have such an ignorant person here?"
Maid Mima immediately understood, and ordered with a stern face, "Come here, take this bitch away immediately! Slap her in the face until she is sensible, and then starve her for four or five days! See if she still has the courage!" After saying these words, she turned to look at the princess's face, wanting to know if she had guessed the master's true thoughts.
The princess's face was indifferent, and she said calmly, "There is no need to talk to such a person."
Maid Mima quickly realized that she had just said it lightly, and hurriedly echoed, "Yes, yes. Princess, I understand what you mean, and I will do it now."
Seeing Muta being dragged away rudely by the servants, the other palace maids were silent, but their resentment towards Na Luo increased a little bit.
Na Luo stammered, "Princess, you should punish me. This matter..."
"It's none of your business. She brought this upon herself." The princess interrupted her at the right time, "Besides, how can the lives of these palace maids compare to yours? If you make a mistake, how can I explain to the eldest prince?"
"Princess..." Na Luo felt more and more embarrassed and uneasy. These words seemed to deepen the misunderstanding of others.
"Today's matter ends here. The two princes will come to pay their respects later. Mima, help me go back." Princess Dana said this and turned away. Na Luo looked up and looked around, and saw that all the palace maids looked at her with disgust, as if they would bring bad luck if they approached her.
When Princess Dana walked away, the palace maids gradually dispersed and went about their duties. One of the palace maids was probably so angry that she kicked the wooden barrel over when she passed by Na Luo, whether intentionally or unintentionally. The kick was quite powerful, and water splashed everywhere, and many of the clothes in the bucket fell to the ground.
Usma was so angry that she wanted to argue with her, but she snorted coldly and ran away quickly.
Na Luo squatted down and picked up the clothes without saying anything. The long brown hair tied together had fallen apart at some point, and it just covered half of her cheek, making it impossible to see her expression at the moment.
When Na Luo washed all the clothes and hung them out, it was already dark. She rubbed her sore wrist and was about to go back to rest, but she saw Mi Ma, a female official, helping Mu Ta to walk forward. Mu Ta's face was pale and his mouth was full of blood. It was obvious that he had been tortured by inhuman torture.
Na Luo's heart tightened, and he subconsciously took a step and secretly followed.
After the maid Mima helped Muta into the house and laid her down, she said something incomprehensible, "Muta, I know, this time it's hard for you."
Muta whimpered softly, blood kept coming out of her mouth, as if she wanted to express something but couldn't speak.
"I understand what you mean. Don't worry, I will definitely send someone to treat your mother outside the palace." Maid Mima paused, took out a towel to help her wipe the blood, "You did a good job today. In this way, everyone will hate that girl even more, and her life here will be even worse."
Na Luo was shocked when he heard it outside the window. That girl? Did the girl in Mima's mouth refer to...
At this time, several returning palace maids rushed in from the other side of the door. They were all shocked when they saw Muta's appearance. Two timid ones were so scared that they started crying.
"Miss Mima, what's going on?" The face of the leading maid Chu Yue was not very good.
Mima sighed softly, "You have seen it too. She contradicted the princess before, so...she...cannot speak now. Or should I say, she will never be able to speak again in her life.
Chu Yue's expression became even uglier. She stepped forward and pinched Muta's chin to force her to open her mouth. She was so frightened that her voice was out of tune. "Oh my God! Her tongue... was cut!"
When Na Luo heard this, he felt a chill suddenly rising from his back. Although he had seen the cruelty of the princess, these words still sounded so frightening.
The room suddenly became dead silent. The maids bowed their heads and had their own thoughts, as if they were sad because of the death of the rabbit and the grief of the fox. Suddenly, a sob broke the strange silence... It turned out to be the maid who kicked over the wooden barrel. She suppressed her voice and cried for a few times, and suddenly dragged out her voice indignantly, "It's all because of that girl! It's all her fault! Do you remember? Last time, it was also because of her that we were severely punished! I think if this continues, we will all die!"
Her words seemed to resonate with everyone, and the contradiction was immediately transferred to Na Luo. When everyone felt sad and angry for Muta, they also developed more hatred towards Na Luo.
"Yes, the princess favors Na Luo so much, won't our lives be more difficult in the future?"
"We are all slaves, why are our lives so cheap?"
"I think she is deliberately taking revenge on us..."
"She is a little girl but she has so many thoughts... What will happen if she continues like this..."
Maid Mi Ma sighed, "Alas, in fact, the princess also knows that you are wronged, but... after all, she was once the eldest prince's person, and the princess does not want to be involved in these right and wrongs, just want to live in peace. And this time you did it too obviously, the princess can't ignore it..."
Chu Yue immediately heard her implication, her heart moved slightly, and blurted out, "Does the princess mean that if we don't do it obviously... then..."
Mi Ma smiled without comment, "I didn't say that."
Chu Yue curved her lips, exchanged a tacit smile with Mi Ma, and said to the other palace maids in a deep voice, "You all heard it too? Then you know what to do in the future."
Na Luo listened to these conversations expressionlessly, and suddenly recalled what Guli had said in her mind, "Do you think you are lucky that the princess did not punish you? If she punishes you today, it will be lucky for you." In a trance, she felt that she was suddenly enlightened, and all her puzzles and doubts suddenly became clear in an instant. Why is the princess always so kind to her? Why does she always favor her regardless of the occasion? All of this finally has an answer at this moment - what a powerful trick of killing someone with a borrowed knife.
Powerful - so that the eldest prince can't catch any handle.
Sure enough, the princess still hates her all the time.
Na Luo leaned against the window somewhat weakly, holding the malachite on her chest tightly. At this time, the stars in the sky have gradually risen, but she is surrounded by thick darkness. There is a layer of chill in the dry air, which makes people feel particularly cold.
Cold from the inside out.
Perhaps because of the cold, her mind was unusually clear. Clearer than ever.
She knew very clearly...
The road ahead would be more bumpy and more difficult to walk.
But no matter how difficult it was, she would continue to move forward.
Never retreat.
Never.
At the same time, in a high-end apartment two thousand years later, a young man was putting down the parchment scroll in his hand and wiping a drop of black blood from his fingertips with a disinfected handkerchief. He frowned slightly and looked at the last word that appeared on the parchment, complaining to himself, "This vicious woman!"
At this moment, the phone in the apartment rang. He pressed the call button casually, and his friend's excited voice came from the microphone, "Ling Yu, happy hour is at the same place and time tonight, come quickly, I have arranged a group of great models, top-quality goods, all with devilish figures, coquettish and sexy, all the types you like!"
Ling Yu's voice was a little tired, "Oh, I won't go. I'm a little tired today, I want to rest early."
The other party's volume suddenly increased by several decibels, "No way, Master Ling! You used to like to join in the fun the most! I said, did you encounter evil in Lop Nur? Since you came back, you seem to have become a different person. Do you want to be a otaku at home every day?"
"I just feel tired. Have fun, I'll hang up if you have nothing else." Before the other party could speak again, he had hung up the phone quickly.
He carefully examined the parchment book again, trying to find more information from it. But except for the words that appeared before, the rest of the place was still blank. Except for the poisonous blood released every three days, there was nothing to make the remaining words appear.
Na Luo... He whispered the name. For some reason, this name always sounded familiar. To be honest, when he first read this parchment book, he didn't feel anything special. But as the story unfolded, he was gradually attracted by the content as if he was possessed, and his heart seemed to fluctuate with the fate of this girl.
Could it be that this girl named Na Luo was the Smiling Princess found in the tomb at that time?
But the Smiling Princess should have been very young when she died. Could it be that this girl was also a beauty with a short life?
Countless mysteries and doubts were entangled in Ling Yu's heart. He couldn't wait to know the ending, and he wanted to know what would happen when he finished reading the whole story...
Closing his eyes, he seemed to be able to hear the wind passing through Loulan, the singing of fishermen on the sparkling Peacock River, and the music of the flute, which penetrated the ancient echoes and lingered in the desert...
Two thousand years of distance, in a blink of an eye.