Li Ji smiled wistfully and said loudly:
"That's right. The situation is really pressing. I want you to accomplish something big."
He stroked her hair lovingly.
"I know what you mean by great things. Because I can see from your eyes that it is a kind of scorching fire."
"You are very smart, and at least braver than your sister. I admire you very much."
After he left, Xu Di walked to the window of the dark room and looked longingly at the sunset outside.
The tall square brick tower of the Liu Mansion's Women's Music School left a dark, sword-shaped silhouette in the setting sun.
Xu Di heard her sister and the children playing and singing while lighting a night fire, as well as the laughter and noise of children playing outside the high wall.
For a moment, she wished she could be outside, free and play barefoot with those carefree children.
Playing a joyful game, wearing ragged clothes, breathing heavily, with a red face radiating heat.
No past, no future, and no need to attend adults' mansion dinners.
On the other side of the long Qinshui River, there is a place with green hills, blooming flowers in the plains and rushing rivers.
There stands a huge black stone tower towering above the Taihang Mountains.
There are armored warriors with flags fluttering, rushing to the battlefield.
There is a charming style like white clouds and changing weather.
But Xu Di was still young at that time, no, she was not even born yet, so she couldn’t remember it.
That precious land located on the bank of Qinshui River and at the foot of Taihang Mountain, which my sister swore was hers, she had never seen it.
When they were forced to flee Changping to avoid the advancing barbarian army, the elder sister was still a six-year-old girl, and Xu Di was just a fetus in her mother's womb.
However, after hearing so many stories from her sister, Xu Di sometimes still imagines the past in her mind :
The queen mother and her companions followed the shadow of the boat's black sail and ran down the Qinshui River at night under the bright moon in the sky.
Her elder brother Xu Jia fought a desperate duel with savages on the bloody banks of the Qinshui River and died for the woman he loved.
A group of rebel bandits looted Changping County overnight.
A masked thief picked up a golden sword and slit his father's throat.
Nine months after her mother fled, she was born on the deserted Coconut Island.
It was a summer storm that seemed to tear the Coconut Island castle into pieces.
It is said that the storm was so terrible that the fleet anchored at Qinshui Wharf was completely destroyed, and huge rocks collapsed from the mountains and fell into the turbulent river.
Her mother died in childbirth.
Just before the "Wild Man Army" led their troops to attack, they continued to flee.
Late one night, a group of bandits broke into the nursery, took them away along with their wet nurse, and sailed off to a distant island under the cover of darkness.
She only vaguely remembered that the owner of the island was called Martin, who was originally a burly man with a strong spirit. Even though he later became half blind, he could still roar and give orders from his sickbed.
The servants were very afraid of him, but he was always kind and gentle to Xu Di.
His hands were as soft as leather and he would often stroke her hair and play with her, which would make her giggle.
However, he never left his bed and was haunted by the smell of illness day and night, a damp, hot, sickly sweet smell.
At that time they lived in a white house with a red painted door on the bay.
Xu Di has her own room, and there is a coconut tree outside the window.
After Martin's death, the servants stole what little money they had, and soon they were driven out of the large whitewashed house.
When the red painted door closed forever for them, Xu Di could no longer hold back her tears and let them flow down her cheeks.
From then on, they began their years of aimless wandering.
The two sisters made a living by singing until their fate was completely changed in the Wangshan Restaurant on Zhuque Street in Xingyang County.
Xu Di believes in luck.
A person truly becomes an independent individual when he takes his first breath of air.
Therefore, the "qi" that people often talk about has always been an important meaning in numerology.
From the perspective of astrology or numerology, a person has a natal chart when he is born.
That is the constellation chart when a person is born.
From the perspective of astrology, the universe is a large energy field, and the stars are the specific sources of this energy.
The arrangement of the constellations when a person is born is her energy field for her entire life.
This is your destiny, and your destiny will never change.
However, a person's destiny can be changed.
Because the stars in the sky are constantly moving according to their own rules, life's circumstances are also changing at any time under the influence of the movement of the stars. This is the result of a person's fortune.
Lord Li Ji also told them that a person's fortune can change at any time.
"My dear sister, one day we will recover our homeland and return to our homeland."
Her sister Xu Yuan often made such promises to her, and sometimes her hands would tremble uncontrollably as she said them.
She shouted angrily: "Think about all the jewels, silks, and rare antiques that were taken from us. We will take them all back."
The reason Xu Yuan lives is for that day.
All Xu Di wanted was to be able to return to the house with the red-painted gate, to have the coconut tree outside her window, and her lost happy childhood.
“Boom boom!”
“Boom boom!”
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
Xu Di, who was sitting by the window, came to her senses. Li Ji's servants walked into the house, bowed, and then began to prepare to bathe her.
They were all servants, servants in the Liu Mansion who were selected and familiar to Li Ji.
They filled the tub with hot water from the kitchen and sprinkled in perfumed essences and rose petals.
The maid wrapped Xu Di's hair with a coarse cloth, helped her into the bathtub.
The bath water was extremely hot, but Xu Di didn't say a word.
She likes this steam mode because she can sweat a lot and it makes her feel clean.
The old servant combed her hair carefully, washing her black and shiny hair in fragrant warm water and rinsing it dry.
The young maid scrubbed her back and washed her feet, telling her how lucky she was.
The young maid's eyes were filled with envy.
Comparing yourself with others will only make you angry.
Why am I not as lucky as you? It's fate.
She told Xu Di how handsome, tall and brave the current emperor was, and how he was never afraid on the battlefield.
It is said that he is not only the best rider of all time, but also a devilish marksman.
It is said that he is suave and handsome.
After bathing, the maid helped her up and dried her body with a towel.
The maid pulled her wet hair up into a high bun.
The old woman applied on her the flower and herbal essence commonly used by the Turks.
She was very careful, as if she was wiping a priceless piece of porcelain.
She carefully applied it lightly on Xu Di's wrists, behind her ears, nipples, lips, lower abdomen, and lower body.
Gradually, waves of cool, sweet fragrance drifted through the room.
The maid then put on her silk underwear.
She covered herself with a light yellow silk robe, which made her bright yellow eyes look even more charming.
Born to be a genius, current events shape people!
Xu Di thought, Lord Li, you really have good intentions for the future...