Mountains and rivers are waiting for you to return

Chapter 17 Gu Jinheng's Answer
This was the first sentence Gu Jinheng said to her after he was able to speak. His voice was low, rich, and slightly hoarse, and very pleasant to the ears.

Pei Nai thought about it, maybe he was asking her what she thought of home? So she answered, "In my opinion, home is a place of belonging, a place where one can take shelter from the wind and rain, let go of all defenses, and feel at ease and warm."

Gu Jinheng's eyes became colder, but his tone remained normal: "I don't have a home."

Pei Nai frowned slightly and asked doubtfully, "No? How could it be?"

Gu Jinheng silently turned his gaze away from her, took a book from the bookshelf, and did not answer.

"Isn't the huge Duke Duanding Mansion your home?" Pei Nai insisted asking.

Duke Duan Ding's personal guard really admired her for daring to ask so many questions to Duke Duan Ding. He also gained some knowledge today. Fortunately, Duke Duan Ding was in a good mood today and did not bother with her. It was also her luck.

Gu Jinheng stopped looking at her, took the book, turned around and left as the palace servants shouted tremblingly, "Go slowly, Lord Duan Ding," leaving Pei Nai standing there in a daze.

His words were like Tathagata picking up a flower or Kasyapa smiling, making it hard to understand what he said.

After Gu Jinheng went downstairs, Yi Xi walked over quickly. She had been feeling anxious for the whole day and gave Pei Nai a hug: "You scared me to death. You rushed in directly and I didn't know what to do. Are you hurt?"

Pei Nai thought about Gu Jinheng's mysterious answer and shook his head.

"Did you speak to him?"

Pei Nai curled his lips and told Yi Xi the truth.

After hearing this, Yixi patted her chest in fear and sighed, "Mingzhi, you are so lucky."

They then returned to the East Auxiliary Building. Jiang Qingyue and the others saw with their own eyes how Pei Nai talked to Gu Jinheng and how he got away safely. They were a little surprised.

However, even though they were astonished at her courage and determination, they felt uncomfortable and did not want to ask about the details of Pei Nai's conversation. They pretended to find a few books to read without raising their heads.

Pei Nai and the other two did not want to stay with them any longer, so they asked the palace servants to put the books back to their place and left first.

It was still early for the banquet, so the two of them walked around the huge imperial garden and then went to Huifang Palace. The palace was very lively, with ladies and their families sitting together and chatting while enjoying snacks. No one paid any attention to the two little girls.

The sun set in the west and the sky gradually darkened. Led by Concubine Yan, everyone walked towards the Fujiang Palace.

After entering, the palace maid led each person to a different seat and then left.

It was almost dark and the palace banquet was about to begin.

They were sitting at a round table, which was almost full of people at this moment. Unlike their family members, each of the famous kings, princes, generals and ministers in Tianyao had a long table placed under the emperor's high dragon throne. The table was long and square, and there was a seat for the principal wife on the side of each person.

Pei Nai looked from afar towards the position closest to the dragon throne, and sure enough, Gu Jinheng had already arrived.

I have the impression that this is his habit, he is never late, but...
Pei Nai recalled those fragmented memories. Could the person she had been waiting for in the desert be Gu Jinheng? She guessed this, but she couldn't be sure.

The emperor has not arrived yet. The surroundings are noisy. Surrounded by pearls and jade, the princes and ministers are all accompanied by beautiful women. However, the seat next to Gu Jinheng is empty. It is the only quiet place there.

Suddenly, a pair of hands appeared in front of Pei Nai, blocking her view and waving a few times.

"What are you looking at? So focused?"

Pei Nai retracted her gaze and looked at the owner of the hand. She could not have imagined that this person was the Prince of Qilu, Da Xian, whom she met by chance in the grove outside the north city gate a few days ago.

He changed into a brand new set of brocade clothes, but it was still crimson in color and looked fiery and passionate.

Daxian blinked at Pei Nai a few times, his face full of smiles that could not be concealed. His facial features were deep and he had natural advantages. He curled his lips and looked charming and charming. Pei Nai was startled. Why was he here too?
Then Pei Nai suddenly remembered that Da Xian came to Tianyao to pay homage on behalf of the Qilu Kingdom and had been staying in the palace for the past few days. However, she was so obsessed with meeting Gu Jinheng and Xiao Mingyi that she forgot about his existence.

Suddenly, a eunuch's shrill voice came from outside the palace: "Your Majesty has arrived."

Pei Nai thought that Xiao Mingyi came at the perfect time, so he quickly pushed Da Xian away and whispered, "Go back to your seat, the dinner is about to begin."

Daxian curled his lips and walked away with a hint of regret.

Before Xiao Mingyi entered the door, everyone stood up and knelt, shouting loudly: "Long live His Majesty."

The young emperor walked in from the main entrance of the palace with his attendant palace maids, looking very grand. He brushed his sleeves and sat on the dragon throne, raised his hand and said, "My dear ministers, please stand up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After everyone sat down, the emperor began to send a message for the coming year, which was nothing more than some words of prayer for good weather and peace and prosperity for the country. Pei Nai could not listen to it and only looked at the man on the dragon throne.
With sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, he is as handsome as the wind. Her Ayi has grown up to this age in the blink of an eye.

He did a great job wearing the dragon robe, and his every move exuded a majesty that could not be ignored.

She once made a promise with Xiao Mingyi that she would come back, and nothing would change in a hundred years. This was the tenth year, and she had never thought that she would really come back. She really wanted to walk up to him and tell him, "Aunt is back." Nothing had changed in a hundred years.

But she could not recognize Xiao Mingyi for the time being. Before she found out the truth of ten years ago, before she investigated the reason for her rebirth, she could not recognize them.

From childhood to adulthood, she watched the people she loved die one by one. Someone once said that her fate was too hard and that she had evil spirits, which brought bad luck to her parents and elders, as if a curse was fulfilled on her. If this was true, she didn't want Gu Jinheng and Xiao Mingyi to be hurt.

When her old friend was in front of her, she couldn't recognize him. There were too many things between the three of them. She felt like crying. What she missed was not just ten years, but a lifetime.

The life of "Pei Nai".

After a while, the banquet started. The female official from the Imperial Kitchen directed the palace maids to present the dishes to each table one by one, including the eight delicacies and the most delicious delicacies on jade plates.

The dancers in the Music Hall danced lightly in the open space in the center.

The long sleeves trailed on the ground, the wind blew the snow, and the six horses grazing together as the world's top musician sounded distant and wonderful.

Sitting in the sixth seat on the left under the dragon throne was a young man who was serving food to the beautiful lady beside him. He picked out food from the plate and put it into the lady's bowl. From time to time, he turned his head sideways to look at the lady, his eyes full of affection, which was very disgusting.

Pei Nai poked Yi Xi and asked quietly, "Who is the man in the sixth seat on the east side?"

Yixi had just taken a bite of the Buddha's Hand Golden Roll when she heard Pei Nai's words and looked back.

Because they were behind him, Yixi took a long time to recognize him. Following the principle of not talking when sleeping or eating, she chewed and swallowed the food in her mouth before saying, "That's the one I mentioned today, the head of the Hanlin Academy - Ji Tianming. Beside him is his wife Xi. The two of them are deeply in love and extremely affectionate."

"I can see that they are very much in love." Pei Nai nodded in agreement.

The reason she asked this question was because Gu Jinheng looked at the two of them for a moment just now.

At that time, Ji Tianming was picking vegetables for his wife. The hall was so lively. Perhaps only Pei Nai, who stared at Gu Jinheng from time to time, could notice that his gaze had lingered there.

She saw Gu Jinheng lower his head again and focus his eyes on the food in front of him. She wondered what he was thinking.

After a while, he did not pick up the chopsticks, nor did he avoid the wine. He just picked up the teacup, took a few sips, and put it down again.

"Hey, why do you always look in that direction?" Yixi suddenly said.

(End of this chapter)