Chapter 28 Chapter Twenty-Eight
The emperor entered the Palace of Compassion and Ning, and saluted with a smile: "Emperor Niang is having breakfast, and it happens that my son has just come down to court, and he hasn't had breakfast yet, so let's accompany Empress Empress."
The Empress Dowager waved her hands and said with a friendly smile: "I'm afraid the food in the Palace of Compassion and Peace is not to your liking, the emperor. Fu Jia hasn't taken off the crown and hat for the emperor. How can he have a good meal with such a heavy meal."
Fu Jia tidied up the emperor's clothes, filled another bowl of porridge and handed it to the emperor.The emperor had a greedy look on his face, as if he was still the youngest child in the past. He picked up pickles with chopsticks, and said happily: "My son remembers that when he was young, he had a bad appetite and liked the porridge and side dishes from Huang Erniang's place the most. It nourishes the stomach and is light. Huang Erniang wakes up every morning Prepare it for my son, and always change the pattern of pickles, just in case my son will eat Xu."
The Empress Dowager smiled gratifiedly, with a kind face on her face: "It's hard for you to remember." Seeing the Emperor's joy in eating, she put a piece of dried goose in the bowl for him, "Pure Imperial Concubine has been ill these days, has the Emperor visited her?" The Ai family also knew that she was sick and couldn't eat anything, so they picked some side dishes that the emperor usually liked to eat, and rewarded her with some."
After finishing a bowl of porridge, the emperor took another piece of white jade cream cake in his hand: "My son has visited her twice, but it's just a heart attack. The imperial doctor can't help, and neither can I."
The queen mother smiled and glanced at the emperor: "The imperial doctor is incompetent and can't cure the heart disease, so the emperor can't do it either?"
The emperor's lips were full of smiles, as if he was half joking: "If my son wants to cure her heart disease, he must take back what he said that day, and tell the pure imperial concubine Yonghuang and Yongzhang that there is still a possibility of becoming the crown prince. Son Still young, it's really boring to talk about the prince's words in vain."
The queen mother sighed, added a bowl of egg custard with goji berries and red dates for the emperor, and said gently: "Eat the crisps slowly, and choke carefully. Come, drink some soup to moisten it."
The emperor smiled happily: "Thank you, Empress Empress, for your love." He ordered, "Yuhu, I remember that Concubine Xian loves this white jade cream square cake very much. You take a copy and send it to Yikun Palace."
Yu Hu hurriedly agreed to take the pastries and went.The queen mother looked at the emperor with interest: "The emperor really cares about Concubine Xian."
The emperor felt a little emotional: "Ruyi is the only Fujin left in the hidden mansion. They have been married for many years, and of course my son cares."
The Empress Dowager had no interest in eating anymore, she took the tea from Fu Jia and rinsed her mouth: "The emperor is a person who misses old love. The Li family looked at it coldly, many of your concubines, when you were young, you treated them only mediocrely. For example, Empress Xiaoxian, the emperor has been mourning for many days and has never diminished. But there is one thing that the emperor has to think about, and the rich cannot be without a master for a day. Otherwise, the empress will be empty for a long time. , people's hearts are fluctuating, and the emperor can't be stable in the previous dynasty."
The emperor's smile was like a green branch caught in the cold rain, hanging down from the cold and damp: "Emperor mother, forgive my son for speaking bluntly. Empress Xiaoxian has just passed away, and my son really has no intention of becoming an empress. If you really want to become an empress, you have to wait for the empress two When the mourning period is over, just treat her as a son and do your best as a husband.”
The morning light shines in through the floating blue window screens, like the inextricable light gold and crimson petals of phoenix flowers scattered and flying in.The Empress Dowager sat sideways under the window, her eyes were deep and deep, looking straight into people's hearts.She pondered and said: "The emperor's long-term love, the Ai family understands. But the affairs of the six rich cannot be presided over independently. The pure concubine and the concubine Xian are both concubines, and they can take care of them together. Or, the emperor can first confer a concubine with the same rank. Deputy Empress, taking pictures of the Six Palaces." She sighed leisurely, "Yesterday Aijia saw? Yan and Yongluo came to pay their respects, people with both children are truly blessed."
The smile in the emperor's eyes was as faint as the light and shadow falling on the branches and leaves: "In terms of offspring, the pure imperial concubines include Yongzhang, Yongrong, and Jingyan. Jiafei has Yongxuan and Yongxuan. The child in Jiafei's womb The imperial doctor said that he is probably also an elder brother. Concubine Chun is more gentle and tactful, while Concubine Jia is flamboyant and sharp. But..."
"But you don't care?" The queen mother closed her eyes for a moment, "You know the family background of the noble concubine Kexian."
The emperor's expression was extremely quiet: "No family background is the best family background."
The queen mother smiled: "Are you afraid that someone will rely on your family background and the power of your relatives? From this point of view, the Wulanara family is more suitable than the Fucha family, but the natal family of the pure noble concubine is also a small family, and the pure noble concubine has children, while the Xian noble concubine has no children." .In the palace, the heirs are supreme."
The emperor said frankly: "Because of having no children, we can treat the emperor's heirs equally."
The Empress Dowager's face turned cold for a moment, and she quickly smiled and said: "Okay, okay! It turns out that the emperor has planned to be so thorough. It turned out that the old woman was too worried. It's just that when the first emperor was there, there was a saying that the Man-Han family, the pure noble concubine is Do you remember who was born under the Han Army Banner?"
The emperor bowed respectfully and said: "The empress is worried about her son, and the son has taken care of her. The first emperor said that the Manchu family, so many concubines were from the Han army flag. But when it matters, the empress is fine, the new emperor Whether it is the birth mother or the birth mother, they are all under the Manchu army flag. Isn’t the surname Niu Hulu of Huang Erniang also? In fact, when Huang Ama was there, he didn’t have to love his son less when he loved his fifth younger brother Hong Zhou, but because Hong Zhou’s birth mother was the Geng family He was born under the banner of the Han army, so he just missed the chance. Huang Ama’s thoughts through the ages, my son will always remember it.” He paused, then calmed down deeply, “Emperor Mother, my son is no longer a child with a yellow mouth, nor is he an ignorant teenager. Although my son is your master He was raised by training, but the son can make decisions on many matters and can be the master.”
Hanging in front of the eaves, the swaying Xueli flowers are swaying, and the vine flowers are dyed wet, covering the light in the hall.The atmosphere turned cold for a moment, and the queen mother concentrated for a long time before forcing a smile: "Forget it. When a child grows up, he always has his own ideas. Since you have chosen Ulanara in your heart, it is useless for Aijia to say anything. You Live a good life by yourself. But the Ai family has to say that it will be very hard to be a queen with no family background and no heirs."
"Yes. Life is your own. As for whether it is hard or not, you know how warm you are when you drink water. If Concubine Xian cannot comply, then she is incompetent, and neither is her son." , my son will take his leave first, and come to have dinner with the empress in the evening."
The queen mother nodded and watched the emperor go out.Fu Jia lit a burner of sandalwood and brought it up, the curling white smoke scattered, and the elegant and unremarkable furnishings in front of him also had a hint of softness.The cigarette was warm and luscious, wrapping around people like a wandering dragon, covering the face of the Empress Dowager in a haze: "Concubine Xian is right, the emperor is indeed not the emperor who has just ascended the throne. The emperor is so rebellious, if he is new, he will not be able to grasp it. In his hands, isn't Aijia's position in Houfu just a vain?"
Fu Jia took a piece of jade to scratch her head, and gently scratched the hairline for the queen mother: "The experience of the queen mother is unmatched by anyone in the harem. Concubine Xian is not ignorant of propriety, besides, didn't the emperor say that he should not make a queen first?" Well, it's just the imperial concubine. Naturally, the queen mother can watch slowly."
The queen mother smiled helplessly and took a deep breath: "This sandalwood smells really good."
On the first day of July in the thirteenth year of Qianlong, Ulanara's family Ruyi was promoted to the imperial concubine, and she was the same as the deputy queen, and the six riches were photographed: Jin Yuyan was promoted to the imperial concubine, and she was the assistant of the six riches; Huan is concubine Shu, the nobleman Wei Yan is the concubine, Qingchang is the nobleman of Qing in Lu Yingluo, Wanchang is the nobleman of Chen Wanyin, Xiu promised to be Xiuchang, and there are several court ladies who serve the emperor on weekdays. Enter the position of promise, such as Kui promise, Ping promise and the like.
However, Luyun, who was originally on the same level as Ruyi, was still just a noble concubine, and Yuyan was added to be her equal.As a result, others began to discuss it, and it was because Ruyi was the side Fujin when he was in the hidden mansion. At that time, the Empress Xiaoxian of Fujin and the imperial concubine Huixian of the side Fujin had passed away, so the order should be Ruyi .What is even more proud of the spring breeze is the newly appointed Concubine Jia Jin Yuyan. On the eighth day of being promoted to a noble concubine, she gave birth to the nine sons of the emperor, and became the mother of the three sons in one fell swoop. It is really extremely honorable.So the emperor was overjoyed and joyful, and specially allowed Yuyan to meet the congratulatory envoy from the Li Dynasty and relatives of her mother's family, and rewarded her a lot.
However, there are also people who are not happy to see everyone in Qixiang Palace being sought after, and that is the newly appointed concubine Yu Wan.Although she was granted concubine status, her favor was diminished because of Ruyi's conferment and Yuyan's birth of a child.Besides, the matter of the bird's nest fine powder before has always covered a layer of displeasure and panic, which made her secretly study hard when facing the emperor, and at the same time, she was afraid that she would make the emperor laugh at her wrong words, so she was not as lively as before. So pampered.At this moment, she was standing on the long street outside Qixiang Palace, watching the congratulatory crowd, and sighed sadly: "Concubine Yu can no longer sleep after giving birth. Follow in her footsteps?" She contemplated for a long time, until a line of guards passed by, the sound of boots breaking her thoughts.She pressed her flat belly tightly, bit her lip and said, "Lan Cui, quietly invite Zhao Jiuxiao and the guard Zhao from Kunning Palace to come. I have something to ask him."
In fact, Jiu Xiao hasn't seen Yan Wan for a long time.Ever since Ling Yunche was promoted, he has accommodated his relationship and transferred his brother Zhao Jiuxiao, who was suffering in the cold palace, to Kunning Palace as a stable job.Zhao Jiuxiao was naturally grateful for his brother's loyalty.He has never been in the concubine's palace in the past, and he has a leisurely job in Kunning Palace. He was drinking and playing dominoes with a few guards, when someone came looking for him, and he changed into a eunuch's attire from the corner gate. Going in, I can't help but feel apprehensive under the shock.
After entering the Yongshou Palace, Jiu Xiao felt a little bit bound, and wearing the clothes of some young eunuch, which was tight and had the peculiar smell of eunuch clothes, made her whole body feel awkward.He knew that Hou Wan was somewhat doting, and he also saw that the Yongshou Palace was quite luxuriously furnished. In the huge palace, it was as quiet as if there was no one there, and the rules were extremely strict.He moved his steps cautiously and entered the hall. Jiuxiao only felt cold all over his body, and the sweat from walking outside for half a day was suddenly absorbed into thousands of pores, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.It took me a while to remember that Liu Gong started to use ice after summer, but I didn't know that it was so cool that it was really comfortable.However, there are twelve large screens painted with gold and lacquered silver, and the carvings are exquisite and clear. The piano, sword, vase and stove are all attached to the wall, and the surrounding brocade gauze is covered with golden pearls, and even the bricks on the ground are green and dark gold. Gossip.He became more and more dazzled, not knowing where to settle.
Lan Cui looked down on his trembling pettiness, she was angry and funny at the same time, so she softly shouted: "Your Majesty, where are your eyeballs wandering?"
Only then did Zhao Jiuxiao raise his eyes, and saw a beauty embroidered with a pile of sarongs leaning on the couch in the Nuan Pavilion.He couldn't make out what kind of clothing it was, he only felt that it exuded a bright light, and the bright light on his face also had the splendor of pearls and jade.Beside her was a woman dressed as a court lady, embroidered in red and wearing burnt blue silver jewellery. One could tell she was of status at a glance, and she was holding a tortoiseshell handle and gold tulle fan for the beauty.He really wanted to take a closer look at the faces of the two women, but there was ice in the big cloisonné vat in the pavilion, and there was a trace of snow-white cold air, and the bamboo curtain of the concubine Xiang on the window was quietly falling, so the women's faces were a little dizzy. Vague.After a while, the woman on the couch yawned lazily, and said in a leisurely voice, "Lan Cui, is anyone here?"
Jiuxiao was so nervous that he didn't know where to put his hands and feet, he knelt down in front of him, and said in his mouth: "May my concubine be safe and happy, my concubine and concubine will be blessed and safe."
The woman on the couch sat up straight, and said with a smile, "Brother Zhao, why are you so polite now? Get up quickly."
It's not that Jiuxiao has never heard the gentle voice. When she was a court lady, it was crisp and delicate, always surrounded by the joyful Ling Yunche, like a cheerful little oriole.But now, the voice was like Yu Zhi Lun's voice, and he was so startled that he kowtowed desperately and said: "I want my concubine to forgive my sin, I want my concubine to forgive my sin, I just drank some wine and fiddled with the deck, I didn't mean to be lazy! "
Yan Wan smiled softly, with a bit of solemn majesty in her kindness: "Lan Cui, don't help Zhao guard up yet! There's no way you can sneak in when you're not busy, not to mention that I and Zhao guard are old acquaintances. What's the big deal."
Lan Cui didn't want her hand to touch the clothes of his low-ranking eunuch, so she gave her a hand and said, "Guard Zhao, get up quickly, our mother has something to ask you."
Jiuxiao's heart fell to the ground, so he dared to raise his head: "If you want to ask the concubine, I will know all the nonsense."
Yan Wan winked, Lan Cui moved Zhang Xiaozi to sit down for Jiu Xiao, Chun Chan stopped the fan in her hand, handed a cup of tea, and the two quietly left.Jiuxiao was holding the cup of hot tea, seeing that Yan Wan was just stroking the gold silk armor with a smile and not saying a word, she was a woman even when she was sitting, and she was uneasy when standing.After a while, Yan Wan said leisurely: "Brother Zhao and Guard Ling are still in contact with each other so much now?"
Zhao Jiuxiao was taken aback for a moment before realizing that she was asking Ling Yunche, and he dislocated his shoulder and said, "Our brothers are still the same as before."
Yan Wan smiled softly, suddenly depressed: "I really envy Brother Zhao! My childhood sweethearts and Guard Ling are now strangers. Thinking about the old acquaintances that Benfu can trust in the palace, only Brother Zhao and Guard Ling It's a pity that Guard Ling is so far away, he probably hates me already, right?"
Jiuxiao rubbed his head and said: "That's not true. The empress serves the emperor... that... Although Yun Che is sad, he has never said that he hates the empress!"
Yan Wan's face was full of worry, she caressed her pink cheeks and said: "It's like a stranger, if you don't ask, what's the difference between you and Hate Benfu?"
Jiu Xiao froze for a moment, hesitating whether to say it or not, but when she saw Ju Wan's sad face, and even more beautiful, she couldn't help but said: "Yun Che still misses your empress very much. Doing things for the imperial concubine. I thought, if the imperial concubine and the empress were not three points similar, Yun Che would not have worked for her."
Hearing what he said, Hou Wan felt more confident in her heart, and smiled more cordially: "With Brother Zhao's words, I feel at ease. Let's get to know each other, don't end up in a situation where we don't know each other That's it." After she said that, she didn't bother to stay for Jiuxiao, she ordered Lan Cui to send Jiuxiao out, and asked, "Chunchan, is the emperor in the Hall of Mental Cultivation at this time?"
Chunchan looked at the copper leak, and said: "At this time, the emperor is probably taking a nap in the palace of the imperial concubine Xian."
Yan Wan nodded, with a serious expression on her face, watching the concubine Xiang's bamboo curtain carve out the blue sky into fine lines, she narrowed her eyes slightly: "Have you prepared everything that needs to be prepared?"
Chunchan said: "It's all over." She looked at the figure of Jiu Xiao walking out in the yard and said, "It's just my master, it's something I've decided on, why bother asking such a person to ask, wouldn't it be redundant?"
"Since you want to do something well, you must be very confident." She sighed worriedly, "Has the emperor not been here for more than half a month?"
Yan Wan silently turned a silver ruby ring on her finger. The ring was originally inlaid with gem powder and was not very expensive, but she had worn it on her hand for a long time and became a habit, and she never took it off. When she entered the palace, she didn't have any jewelry in her hand. She was laughed at by the maids who worked in the four warehouses together. She cried to Yun Che. Yun Che gritted his teeth and saved up his monthly salary for a long time before buying this one for her. .The accessories that I loved so much back then look very shabby when I wear them now.When she was favored for the first time, the emperor rewarded her with a lot of precious jewellery, and she took them off too, and her fingers are as tender as spring onions and fat, which are more suitable for engraving exquisite and precious jewellery.But ever since that idea had been entwined in her heart, she couldn't help but wear it again.Left and right, the emperor doesn't care what she wears.Yan Wan thought for a while, took off the ruby silver ring from her finger, handed it to Chun Chan, and made up her mind: "Go."
Lan Cui sent Jiu Xiao to the gate of Yongshou Palace, she didn't want to go any further, she turned around and wanted to go in.Looking at Lan Cui's back, Jiuxiao felt something shaking in her head, causing deep ripples, and she couldn't help saying: "Girl!"
Lan Cui turned around, smiled impatiently, and said, "What's wrong?"
Jiuxiao grinned so much that he couldn't take it back: "Girl, I've worked hard for you to lead the way, but I don't know what your name is Gao Fang?"
When Lan Cui heard his nondescript words, she became even more amused: "This girl is a person who serves your mother, what's wrong with her name." After saying that, she shook the silk and told the eunuch guarding the gate, "The sun is poisonous outside, don't worry about it." Close the door so that the heat doesn't come in!"
The little eunuch agreed: "Yes, Miss Lancui."
Standing under the white sun, Jiuxiao didn't feel that she was already sweating, rubbing her hands together and laughing foolishly.
When night came, the palace gate was unlocked, except for the night guards who occasionally passed by, it was as quiet as no one's land.The night is as thick as juice, flowing wantonly from the sky to every corner of the Forbidden City.In the deep blue and dark sky, the galaxy is far away, deep and dim, and the night is as blurred as a thin layer of veil, as if it can cover people's eyes at any time and make people lose their direction.There are faintly variegated colors in the half-curved bright moon, as if the branches of the ancient sweet-scented osmanthus tree in the Guanghan Palace are disordered. Perhaps Chang'e has long since regretted, and is embracing the remorse of the jade rabbit stealing the elixir under the sweet-scented osmanthus tree. Loneliness and unspeakable lovesickness.
Yun Che followed Chunchan, wondering, "It's so late at night, what other important things does your concubine want?"
Chunchan held the lantern and said with a sad face: "The empress wanted to ask about the emperor's daily diet, but how tight is Li Yu's father-in-law? No one can ask. Lord Ling has the emperor's trust, and the empress has no choice but to ask you for help. But please don't refuse." Chunchan sighed, worried, "Slaves shouldn't say these things, but the empress has been bullied by Concubine Jia, she really has to protect herself. This guard Ling should also know."
Ling Yunche was silent for a moment: "I am a little bodyguard, what can I help?" He said, pulling the clothes of the little eunuch on his body, and said uncomfortablely, "I still have to dress like this, sneaky .”
Chunchan smiled gently, with an expression of endless gratitude, which was hard to refuse: "As long as my lord is willing to come, it will be a remembrance of old acquaintances, and I will help the empress." After she finished speaking, she led Yun Che to move forward, After passing the right gate of Chenghe, you can see the main gate of Yongshoufu.
It was getting late at night, and the emperor had probably rested in the Yonghe Palace that Ping promised.The coolness of the summer night was gradually dissipated, and in addition, the palace people poured well water on the corridor to make it cool, and it was as bright as a mercury shop under the hazy moonlight.At that moment, even Yunche himself was a little fuzzy.Where is he walking?Such a familiar road seems to go to a place where there is no return.He was preoccupied, listening to Chunchan's light footsteps on the carved bluestone slab, every step led him closer and closer to Yongshou Palace.He took a deep breath and looked up, only to see the deep red walls of the palace, with layers of golden animal spines covered with cold and rounded edges, coldly reflecting the moonlight, looking down at him indifferently.There was no sound in the surroundings, although the guards were gone, even the lights hanging at the gate of the palace were darkly listless, and it was extraordinarily cold and desolate.
He sighed slightly, remembering that he just turned the corner and passed by Concubine Jia's Qixiang Palace, brightly lit, brilliantly colored, surrounded by countless palace people, it is really a place where the beloved concubine lives, but the Yongshou Palace just across the road is so deserted.Probably Yan Wan's days are really not very good.But, looking far into the distance, he could faintly see the upturned eaves of Yikun Palace, and felt a little bit of comfort in his heart, at least Ruyi was much more stable now.
He was concentrating on thinking that Chunchan had already led him into the courtyard.The side hall and the apse really had no lights at all, only the main hall where Yan Wan lived was dimly lit.Chunchan stood aside politely, not intending to go in, and said respectfully: "Master Ling, please come in, Your Majesty is already waiting for you inside."
Yun Che hesitated for a moment: "It doesn't seem appropriate to do this, please ask the girl to accompany me in."
Chunchan smiled slightly: "Your Majesty and Your Excellency are old acquaintances, so there must be something important to discuss. The slaves are lowly, how can they be around to serve? Besides, there are people who serve Your Excellency inside."
After hearing this sentence, Yun Che was slightly relieved and stepped inside.As soon as he entered, Chunchan had already closed the palace door tightly behind him.He was quite surprised, and he felt that it would be inappropriate to turn around again, so he had to walk in slowly.There are only a few candles lit in the hall, and there is a white gauze lampshade, so the lights are also hazy and ambiguous.He tentatively called "Ms. Lingbi", but he didn't hear anyone responding. He vaguely saw that the lights in the Nuan Pavilion in Xici Room were brighter, so he went in a few more steps.
Inside the warm pavilion at the end, there are many gauze curtains, which are soft pink around the fingers, as gentle as a woman's unpainted lips.Passing through a peach-shaped new lacquered round door, several layers of thin gauze tents are held on both sides by tent hooks, and a lavender crystal bead curtain hangs in the middle, slightly reflecting the hazy halo.The faint scent inside the incense burner is incomparably quiet, although he often goes in and out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation and is used to smelling all kinds of spices, he can't tell what kind of scent it is, he just feels soft and charming to the bone, and makes people want to be drunk.