Chapter 23 Chapter Twenty Three

He sobered up and dressed in silence. He stood in front of the bed, looking at me lying on top of me, who was mostly naked. He pushed aside the wet hair on my forehead, with regret in his eyes, moved his lips, but what he said was this: "I really like you, and I will not treat you badly." I wept silently and did not speak. He sighed and turned to leave. The room was still dark, save for a dying candle flickering on the table. I saw his bright yellow figure disappear from my field of vision, put on a piece of clothing, and walked off the bed. The burning pain in the lower body hurts every time I take a step, and I can't care about that much anymore.

I walked to the broken teacup, the tea had dried up, leaving only wet and greasy tea spread on the ground. I couldn't hold it any longer, and suddenly collapsed on the ground. My face was pale, the corners of my mouth twitched constantly, and big tears rolled down. I tremblingly picked up a piece of broken porcelain on the ground, and when the tile was away from the ground, it made a crisp and piercing sound. I picked up the broken and sharp side of the tile and scratched it towards my left wrist, and soon bright red blood oozed out from the scratch. I closed my eyes, as if I was relieved at this moment.Well, this is the best ending...

The blood kept flowing, and my consciousness slowly drifted away. I seemed to see King Quan Yu's delicate and steady face, with melancholy and sad eyes.I pulled me into my arms, and kissed my cold lips, so intense that it burned... But I don't know why he disappeared again. What I saw was the Twelve Princes sitting in the pavilion blowing the xun, mourning from time immemorial, and bright red fallen leaves... It was also as if he saw the bald-headed Ninth Prince wearing black and thick monk robes, twisting Buddhist beads, and looking into the distance with the sound of solemn bells...

My soul wanted to float far away, but my body was shaken by someone, and a voice gradually came from my ear, "Miss, you can't sleep! Open your eyes, wake up..." I slowly opened my eyes and saw a few pairs of eager eyes. When they saw me awake, they hissed. I saw that my wrist was wrapped with a circle of white gauze, and it hurt sharply when I moved it. I was so angry that I stretched out my right hand to try to tear off the gauze on my left hand, but the palace servants had already seen my intention and pinched me tightly. I said angrily: "Presumptuous!" The palace people were startled, and there was a look of fear on their faces, but they didn't let go of me, saying: "The slaves are arrogating. It's just an extraordinary period. As long as the lady is well, I will let the lady deal with it in the future."

We were in a stalemate like this, and my strength was gradually exhausted every minute and every second. I finally said feebly, "Let me go..." I cried, and finally experienced the feeling of wanting to die, such despair. Shanshan also cried, she knelt down in front of me, and said: "Miss, the servants know that you feel wronged, but please don't be overwhelmed, miss... Live well, if you die, what's the point of Shanshan living in this world... ..." I burst into tears, howling like I did when I was a child, and threw myself into Shanshan's arms. Why... why is this happening.My life is ruined, all ruined.

I sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the solidified crimson blood on the quilt, shocking. I have always respected him like a father, and I never thought he would do such a terrible thing to me. An incestuous feeling made me nauseous, and I bent over and retched. Shanshan hurriedly came up to give me a pat on the back. With one free hand, I pulled the heavy quilt to the ground with all my might, and I shouted, "Burn it, burn it!" At noon, the emperor's imperial decree arrived at Xiaoyazhai. The imperial decree said: "Wu Yu, a young girl of the brave general, learns etiquette and training at a young age. Wen Bangguo... should be promoted to the back court, and prepare for his internal duties, so he ordered you to be a noble concubine, and choose a date to give her title..."

I knelt on the ground and listened indifferently, neither prostrating nor giving thanks. It was the palace people who went to accept the imperial edict with smiling faces, and then helped me up from the ground. The eunuch looked puzzled and surprised, and Tingyi immediately took out a gold ingot and stuffed it to him, saying: "My lady took the decree to thank you. I can't express my joy. I hope my father-in-law will speak well..." The eunuch also understood, nodded and stuffed the gold into his bosom, and said with a smile, "I will definitely pass it on. From now on, I will still rely on the empress..."

After he left, Hua Splash handed me a glass of water and said, "Ma'am, your complexion is not good, drink some water." Niangniang... I trembled when I heard this word, I waved my teacup over, covered my ears and shouted: "I'm not Niangniang, not Niangniang! Call me Miss, call me Miss..." The palace people were in a hurry again, and they kept calling me Miss, Miss, to calm me down slowly. I saw a sudden boredom on their frightened faces and told them to back off. I curled up in a dark corner by the bed, my face blank and expressionless. At this time, Jingming walked in lightly.

I glanced up at him, then lowered my head again, and said weakly, "I know what you're going to say. I don't want to hear it. You back off." But he didn't leave, but knelt respectfully in the distance and said, "Congratulations, Miss." I ignored him, but he continued: "Miss is smart, but she may not be able to see clearly after this accident. The servant thinks that there is nothing wrong with the lady marrying the old emperor... On the contrary, it is more beneficial to those princes. Most of them have The concubine has a son, and the young lady married at most as a noble concubine. Even if she married the twelve princes and other young and familyless princes, how can the young lady guarantee that her long-lasting favor will last? There are many examples of those who fell out of favor in the past. But the old emperor is different. The queen has no children, and the lady is in her youth. If she can give birth to a prince, she will be the prince. In a few years, the emperor will pass away and the prince will ascend the throne. At that time, the lady will be the supreme empress dowager! Besides, we are always worried about Jing Zhao Yi has been promoted to a noble concubine, and now the young lady just happens to fill this vacancy, wouldn't it kill two birds with one stone?"

I said: "I know, I know all these benefits. But... this is my lifelong event after all, only this matter cannot be measured by benefits..." Jing Ming said solemnly: "No way. Prosperity and wealth are also important things in a young lady's life." I froze, looking down at his words. Seeing that he had reached the end of his words, Jingming backed away tactfully. Not long after Jingming left, the twelve princes rushed in. I saw his pale and haggard face, and suddenly became frightened. I shrank even tighter into the darkness, covering my face and not daring to look at him.

Don't look at me, don't look at me that way, please... I am no longer pure and pure, my whole body is so dirty... His footsteps revealed a kind of anger. He walked to my bed, grabbed my wrist firmly, and said, "Follow me!" I looked up at him in surprise, and took me away. With me like this, you still...don't despise me... At that moment, I had the urge to throw myself into his arms.Just throw everything away, leave here with him, leave this place full of scars... But... I shook my head, I don't regret my death, how can I hurt others again. Now that I'm gone, what will Shanshan Tingyi and the others do, what will your concubine mother and her family do... What awaits them is not just death. When he saw me shaking his head, there was a lot of puzzlement and... contempt in his eyes. Are you greedy for wealth?I knew he wanted to ask me that. I walked down, took out from the drawer the Tang porcelain doll he had given me that he kept carefully when I was a child, and slowly let go of my hand in front of him. It shattered, our childhood shattered. He looked at me in disbelief, the corners of his mouth trembling slightly, his hands clenched tightly. I carried him on my back, and suddenly remembered that what I gave the Ninth Prince was just a back, and said: "Forget me. Remember me, I am your mother, your father's imperial concubine..." He didn't make a sound for a long time. I turned my head and found him squatting on the ground picking up the broken pieces of porcelain one by one. A little bit of tears fell on the ground, as if it was raining. He put all the fragments in his hand, and with the other hand he pulled out something from his pocket and put it on the table next to him. He choked with sobs and said: "I went out of the palace to buy it for you...but maybe... Your Majesty... I have looked down on these things for a long time..." He finally bowed to me and left. I looked at the things on the table wrapped in oily yellow paper, spread out, and they were sweet potatoes. I told him when I was a child, the most delicious food in the world, sweet potato. It was still warm, with his body temperature in his arms. I picked up the sweet potato, ate it mouthful, and swallowed it together with the tears that fell. It rained in the afternoon, the first rain of summer. I listened blankly to the crying of the rain, and suddenly my heart moved, I pushed open the door and walked to the courtyard. he is. His clothes were wet against his body, and his hair was dripping with water. He didn't know how long he had been standing outside. He saw me walking over in a hurry and opened his arms to embrace me. I took a step back subconsciously, and whispered: "Don't touch me, I'm dirty..." He stopped just like that, froze like that, before he could retract his outstretched hands, forming an awkward posture. "Nuxi..." He called me like that, it was so sad that I had never heard it before. I squatted down and curled up into a ball, and the rain fell on my back like ice needles. After a long time, I looked up at him, and said in a small and desperate voice, "Call me your mother." My sister came once, with a mocking and gleeful smile. She said contemptuously: "Like a mother, like a daughter, she loves to seduce men since she was born. I said long ago that I would marry you to the emperor, but you couldn't wait to flirt with the old emperor... really for the sake of glory and wealth." , do you even do such a lowly thing... I really underestimated you." I said coldly, "Is that why you came here to say this?" She smiled triumphantly, walked to my side, and whispered in my ear: "King Quan Yu, Kong Wu is powerful..." I am calm. "I'm pregnant..." The important thing is this sentence. I kept a calm expression on my face, but my heart was severely stabbed. The emperor would come to Xiao Ya Zhai every day, with a flattering and guilty expression. I was indifferent to him, and he didn't answer what he said, but he still didn't care, and there was no sign of irritation. But I know that the emperor can tolerate me for a day or two, but not for a lifetime. I remembered Jingming's words, then, if being rich and honor is my whole life, if being rich and honor is also a kind of happiness, I can only hold on to the last bit of happiness and not let go. One day, two days...three days, four days...until the fifth day, I called out in a low voice, "Your Majesty." As if he had received some kind of reward, the depressed expression of the past few days immediately relaxed. It was night, and the emperor stayed in Xiaoyazhai. The next day, the emperor personally wrote a book, titled "Emperor Noble Concubine", and stipulated that her status was higher than that of the previous "Emperor Noble Concubine", and moved to Jujiu Palace. What is honorable is not the grade of "imperial concubine", but the title of "emperor". That year, I was fifteen years old, and the emperor was already forty-six years old. I have been kneeling outside the queen mother's hall for three hours, and the summer morning sun is also very hot, burning me hot.A few times when Hua splashed tears and brought water to me, I waved my hand and asked her to take it away. I didn't make it for the empress dowager, but for the emperor, and for the big and small concubines in the harem. My filial piety is exhausted. The Queen Mother must be gnashing her teeth and hating me now. She must not understand what happened to her son, why he is so obsessed with this mother and daughter; she must also not understand why her son, who has always been filial, dared to openly defy her orders this time and make me the imperial concubine; she must I was wondering why there were so many beauties in the harem, gentle and lovely, and good-natured women, why she chose me who seemed to her to be of low status. Emperor, Empress Dowager, Empress, Imperial Concubine.Only these four titles in the entire harem can be crowned with the word "Huang".So what about the imperial concubine?Above the imperial concubine?When will she also surpass her empress dowager?She must be thinking about what I am capable of, that I was bestowed this unique title by the emperor just because I stayed in bed all night.Which of the four concubines in the harem is not a famous family and gave birth to a prince for the royal family?and I?It's just a yellow-haired girl who has been fostered in the palace. But what she doesn't understand is that the emperor has been the emperor since he ascended the throne, and is no longer her son.The emperor said one thing, the emperor's supreme authority does not allow anyone to object or desecrate, even if that person is his mother. Look, the emperor hastily rushed over after finishing his visit. He stretched out his hand and pulled me up personally, with a look of concern and pity on his face. And I just fainted in his arms, with tears in my eyes, looking at him pitifully—how does your queen mother treat your tender concubine. The emperor is angry, but he can't be disrespectful to his queen mother no matter what, so he can only use more care and rewards to make up for what he owes me. He gently hugged me on the bed, covered me with a pear blossom tulle quilt, and fed me water himself. He said: "Don't go to pay your respects to the queen mother these few days, let's talk about it after her old man's anger disappears." I asked a little childishly: "How can I do that?" The emperor smiled, patted my head lovingly, and said, "Why do you want to make fun of yourself?" I bowed my head and smiled slightly. The emperor was a little stunned, he lifted my chin and looked at me and said: "You are such a cute little fairy. Your mother also smiles like you, but she is just shy and doesn't have so much charm like you. " I looked at the emperor and said, "Is this not good?" The emperor hugged me and kissed me from the forehead, his voice was a little panting, "I like it, men like it, I like it..." The emperor left, and I sat in front of the dressing table in obscene clothes and combed my loose long hair. The beauty in the mirror has a blank face, without any expression of happiness after joy. I suddenly thought of the little girl who was always dressing up in front of the dressing mirror with great interest, and felt a little wronged. Could it be that everything is irreparable... I leaned on the table and shook my shoulders slightly, but I suppressed myself and dared not cry out, and dared not let the palace people hear me.I am the master, even if they are loyal, I can't show any weakness in front of my servants... I cried for a while, wiped away the tears on my face, pretended to be nonchalant, clapped my hands, and the splashing tears came in, and I ordered: "Prepare water, take a bath." I am the only one in the entire concubine who enjoys this honor, with unlimited supply of hot water and food. I don't like the special smell on my body after a good time, so I will take a shower and change clothes after every time.The palace people soon learned about my habits, so Hua Splash replied, "The fragrant soup has already been prepared, Miss." Miss... because I have never allowed them to call me Niangniang, even though I know I have lost something. I soaked in a layer of bath water covered with various flower petals, and the maids in the background gently stirred the water to wash my body. My body is still a little thin and dry, not as plump and plump as a woman's. At this time, Shanshan hurried in, wanting to tell something, but I interrupted her, and just said: "Shanshan, I'm thirsty, and I want to drink a cup of tea." Shanshan brought tea from the desk to me, and I took a sip before slowly saying: "Look at your expression, is it some concubine who is here?" Shanshan looked at me in surprise, and blurted out, "How does the young miss know?" I sneered in my heart, how could I not know.I was conferred the title of imperial concubine, and according to palace etiquette, concubines below the rank of concubine should visit and congratulate me.But the status of those concubines who are one or even two rounds older than me, who I have always regarded as elders, is so embarrassing.So they didn't arrive late until the third day. I fiddled with the tiny glaze cup in my hand, and said indifferently, "Concubine Yanshu? Concubine Shuxian? Or should the two come together?" Shanshan was even more surprised, and replied: "The two ladies came together. But when I heard that the young lady was taking a bath, she said not to disturb her, and left after leaving the congratulatory gift. The servant came here in such a hurry just to tell the young lady In this matter, do we need to keep the two empresses?" I was silent for a long time before I said: "If you chase after them, it will ruin their hard work. Let them go. It's good for them and for me..." As the prestigious first-rank concubines in the palace, they were the first to express their opinions, so they deliberately picked this time to visit when they could avoid direct contact. Concubine Yanshu, Concubine Shuxian, I used to have a good relationship with them, but now I have to serve my husband together as sisters, how ironic and embarrassing it is.They felt extremely embarrassed, so why not me. Even though my status is higher than them, they are older than me and have a higher reputation in the palace than me, so how should I face them?Arrogant?It will only lead to a bad reputation of being vulgar and uneducated, and it will inevitably be rejected by all concubines; respectful?Then how will I be my noble concubine in the future, and how will I convince the public. I said to Shanshan: "Tomorrow you will bring some gifts back to visit the two concubines and express my gratitude to the two concubines." Shanshan asked: "Miss, did you let the slaves go there in person?" I know why Shanshan asks such a question.Your Majesty's reward, she has now been promoted to a second-rank female official in the palace. Everyone knows that she is the palace servant I value and trust the most. Normally, she is only responsible for disciplining the palace servants below, and she is rarely asked to do such errands. . I nodded and said seriously: "You go in person. Only in this way can I express my respect for them and appease their hearts. Now all the concubines in the harem are wary of me, appeasing them will help appease the entire harem." Shanshan asked again: "If that's the case, wouldn't it be better for the young lady to come to the door in person?" I smiled and asked back: "Then what? Let them curtsy to me?" Shanshan suddenly thought of something, and said: "Then what gift should I bring tomorrow? The emperor rewards you all the time, and there are countless rare jewels, so I don't know which one to bring." I lowered my head and thought for a while, knowing that although the emperor's rewards are precious and rare, they must never be taken with me, otherwise it will be unavoidable to show off. I said, "Tomorrow, I will make some pearl cakes myself and send them over." Pearl cakes are named because they are made with finely ground pearl powder. Eat snacks - of course not every concubine has such a big deal to eat pearls.I deliberately chose twelve pearls with uniform texture and smooth luster as materials, so as to express my sincerity without being shabby and making people laugh. After I got out of the bath, Tingyi said to me: "The emperor just sent someone to say that the lady is going to attend the dinner." I nodded, knowing what this dinner meant.The emperor is going to officially introduce me to the entire royal family, not the little girl named Nuxi before, but as the imperial concubine. Although these days they always avoid meeting princes and concubines, such occasions will always come. I took a deep breath. Why so tired. When I stepped on the threshold, everyone was silent and looked at me. The emperor saw me, smiled and walked down from the high dragon seat to me and stretched out his hand to me. I just hesitated for a moment, then put my hand firmly on it. The emperor led me to the seat next to the queen. The empress looked calm and greeted me kindly. She asked, "Are you still used to living in Jujiu Palace?" I replied: "Please trouble the queen, everything is fine." After that, there was nothing more to say between us. The Empress Dowager did not attend, obviously not acknowledging what I meant.And how many of them really admit me, but they don't have the identity of the queen mother to do such a thing, they are forced by the emperor's prestige. Eunuch Zhu presented the song and dance music list to the emperor. The emperor didn't read it, but waved his hand and said, "Let the imperial concubine order it today." Eunuch Zhu took the order, and when he took small steps over the queen and came to me to present the list to me, I found that the queen's face was a bit ugly. I didn't unfold the music list either, but handed it to the queen and said: "The concubine is mean, let the queen have some fun." The queen smiled at me, and pushed the play sheet to me, "Since the Holy Majesty tells you to order it, you can order it, and the holy will must not be violated." After hearing this, I couldn't refuse, so I carefully selected two "Nine Songs" and "Zhe Zhi" that the emperor usually likes, one "Bamboo Branch Ci" praised by the queen, and a new song "Tage". After a while, the actors began to play music and the kabukis performed dances. While watching the singing and dancing, everyone chatted with the neighbors on the left and right. And I sat upright throughout the banquet, but no one spoke to me. They didn't talk to me, but cast all kinds of eyes and looked at me quietly. I hate them. Not wanting to be humiliated here again for no reason, I deliberately spilled the teacup, splashed the corner of my sleeve, and left the table early as an excuse to change clothes. I retreated as if fleeing. The palace people called out cautiously and softly from behind: "Miss..." I stopped, and my voice was cold to cover up something, "Don't follow me." After I finished speaking, I strode forward without looking back. I lost, and lost badly. I was alone and weak, so I lost easily in their silence. I can not be reconciled. No one can hate me, no one. Today's situation is not my fault, to whom should I vent my pain and resentment. Footsteps came from behind, and I finally stopped. I suddenly turned my head and looked at King Quan Yu, a little bit of anger gathered in my eyes and ignited a raging fire. "Why, you came to see my joke? Is that so?" He was taken aback, then his face showed pain, and he shook his head, "Nu Xi, don't use that tone..." I sneered, walked up to him, and stretched out my cardamom-coated fingers across his face as if nothing, with a flirty and annoying tone, "Aren't you afraid? Just chase after him like this, if someone sees you... ..." He turned his face away, "I'm just worried about you." I smiled disdainfully, withdrew my hand, turned my back to him, and said indifferently: "The prince really knows how to be compassionate and cherish jade. It's just that this kind of love is misplaced. This palace has its own Holy One's favor, and it's not the prince's turn to care. The prince should take good care of my sister, after all, she is a great hero who can conceive an heir for you." King Quan Yu's expression changed, "What do you mean...?" I snorted softly, "What do you mean? The prince's question is really funny." As if he had been greatly insulted, his face flushed a little, he clenched his fists tightly, and said, "What child... I have never touched her! Nuxi, what do you think of me?!" My heart trembled, and I turned my head to stare carefully at his eyes, hoping to see a few traces of sophistry and deceit in his eyes. But no.despair. If he didn't lie, then I was deceived, deceived by my sister's cheap lie. If I had thought about it for a while, I should have known that my sister was lying, otherwise why would Emperor Qingxun question King Quan Yu for ignoring her. Become stupid, become stupid, as long as it is his business, he can't think rationally. So my sister's provocative method, which was full of loopholes, took effect easily. If there were no such words, how could I have obeyed the emperor in such a short period of time, even if I tried with my life, I would have to make the last resistance. Now think about how much helplessness, how self-defeating, how much revenge I put into the embrace of the emperor, and in the end, it turned out that I hurt myself, and I also took revenge. "Prince, please leave." I tried my best to say this. His eyes were full of hurt, and he moved his lips but said nothing. He gradually walked away, I slowly squatted down, pressed tightly to my chest, my heart ached. When I opened my eyes again, I saw the emperor's anxious and concerned expression. He grabbed my hand and said, "Aifei, you are awake." I propped myself up and found that I was already in Jujiu Palace. The emperor took the bowl of medicine brought by Hua Splash, took a sip and tried it himself, then took a small spoonful and handed it to my mouth, saying: "The heat is just right." But I just stared blankly at the jade wrench on the emperor's right thumb and didn't open my mouth. Seeing my silence, the emperor explained: "My concubine passed out on the verandah. Fortunately, the fourth brother saw you and sent you back." My heart trembled, and instead of taking the medicine, I fell on the bed and turned my back to the emperor. The emperor was unexpectedly good-tempered, he put the medicine bowl aside, put my hair behind his ear, and said softly: "I know you have been wronged today." I closed my eyes, in order not to shed tears. "Your Majesty, the palace is too noisy, making the concubines feel uneasy. Why don't you let the princes belong to the fief sooner? Wouldn't it be nice for us to live in peace in the palace?" The emperor pondered for a while, but did not answer. I know his hesitation. That was my first challenge to the Queen Mother. Prince Diji came back to celebrate the Queen Mother's birthday, not to mention that the Queen Mother was so angry that she couldn't get sick a few days ago, it was time for her grandson to be filial. I didn't continue to entangle, but showed a more depressed expression. The emperor sighed, as if making up his mind, he patted my back and said: "Everything is up to you, as long as you are happy." I smiled at the emperor, clapped my hands and called Eunuch Zhu, who had been waiting outside, to come in. I said to Eunuch Zhu firmly word by word: "The emperor's imperial decree, all princes, emperors and concubines will leave the palace before tomorrow." Eunuch Zhu was a little surprised, he glanced at the emperor faintly, and left without saying anything. I looked at the figure of Eunuch Zhu bowing away, and thought about the departure of Prince Diji tomorrow, and I felt a little relieved, as if their departure would take away my pain and guilt. I bit my lip, even if I was wrong, but when everything is irreversible, then continue to be wrong. Even though the emperor allowed me not to pay my respects to the queen mother, I still went to pay my respects early every day.The Empress Dowager didn't meet me, so I knelt outside her Shouan Palace, said some words of wishing the Phoenix body peace, and then got up and left.In this way, not only did he not fall into the trap of others, but he won some reputation for humility, respect and filial piety for himself. That day, after I knelt down outside the hall and got up, I happened to meet Liu Jieyu who also came to pay my respects. She saw that my expression was a little unnatural, and instead of the flattering expression she had before, she looked a little resentful and disdainful. She stood opposite, I raised my head slightly, looked at her majestically, and waited for her greeting. She walked in front of me with difficulty, bent down very reluctantly, just slightly bent her knees, and stood up before I could say to get up. She smiled and said: "The queen mother is still waiting for my concubine, so the concubine will not be more polite to the empress. The empress will not blame the concubine, right?" I didn't show an angry look, but replied kindly: "How can it be. Jieyu has worked so hard to serve the Queen Mother, how dare I blame you." She said very proudly: "It's Fuliu's honor to have the Empress Dowager serve her, because not everyone likes the Empress Dowager. Some people the Empress Dowager doesn't even want to meet, presumably they feel uncomfortable?" Although I knew that Liu Jieyu was mocking me, I still replied calmly: "Not necessarily. The Empress Dowager is as open-minded and compassionate as possible. She must persevere and persevere. One day, she will forgive. What I hate is those villains who gossip around the queen mother and make trouble, such people are really hateful." I took a deep look at Liu Jieyu, "If this palace really finds out such a person who disturbed the relationship of the royal family, I will definitely report the truth to the emperor and punish him severely." Liu Jieyu was a little guilty and didn't dare to look at me again, "I think my wife is taking it too seriously." I covered my fan and smiled, "Is Jieyu's innocence true or false? I'd rather worry about nothing, but villains are always far away and right in front of us." Liu Jieyu's face was a little unsightly, and she didn't pick up the topic, she said that she was afraid that the Queen Mother would leave in a hurry. Hua Splash looked at Liu Jieyu's disappearing figure a little angrily, and said, "Miss should be punished for her disrespect just now!" I shook my head and said with a sigh: "People have to bow their heads under the eaves. This is in the queen mother's palace. If it is found out that she disturbed the queen mother, I will be the one who will be humiliated in the end." Hua Splash asked unwillingly: "Then Miss will allow her to be so rude? If it gets out, Miss Yu's majesty will be detrimental!" I smiled, but remained silent. How could I waste such a good opportunity, otherwise I would have let down the opportunity given by Liu Jieyu in vain. When I returned to Jujiu Palace, the palace people reported that Jiao Jieyu had been waiting for me for a long time. I nodded, walked in, and saw that it was Jiao Jieyu sitting there. When she saw me, she hurriedly got up, walked up to me and knelt down gracefully, "Your Majesty is auspicious." I looked at her carefully, trying to figure out how sincere she was. I saw that her posture was steady, her eyebrows and eyes were upright, and she showed no sign of impatience. Only then did I respond with some enthusiasm: "Get up quickly." She thanked me and followed me to my seat before sitting down by herself. Tingyi came over to add a few pieces of incense to Jinlou's small incense burner, and brought the new tea brought in a few days ago with Huaspianlei. I took a sip of tea and felt much refreshed all over, then I looked at Jiao Jieyu knowingly and asked: "I don't know why Jieyu came here?" Jiao Jieyu bowed slightly and said, "I'm here to congratulate your empress." At the end, I added another sentence, "In the future, I will have to rely on my mother's support." I squinted my eyes to look at her, knowing that what she said meant that she wanted to take refuge in me.This is exactly what I have been secretly worrying about these past few days. Even though the emperor loves me more than ever, I am alone and helpless in the harem. I just need to find a few witty concubines to be my right-hand men, otherwise it will not happen before. It's been such a humiliating dinner for a few days. Jiao Jieyu is smart and smart, and she was good friends with me before, so she is a good candidate.It's just that I don't know how sincere she is. I don't dare to trust her easily, and I still need a few more trials. I chuckled, and said: "Jieyu is a bit elevating this palace. There are queens in the harem, and two concubines with high morals and high prestige under this palace. I found the wrong person to rely on." Jiao Jieyu shook her head and said: "Your Majesty has a bright future. There is no one in the harem who is one-tenth as smart as Your Majesty." I pretended to be amazed and said, "Do you know what you should do if you spread this word?" Jiao Jieyu smiled, and answered seriously: "Jiaoyue swears to be loyal to the empress to the death, so why not be afraid of just telling the truth?" I secretly acquiesced in my heart, but I put on a stern face and said: "Don't say such things that you don't know how to advance or retreat. Even if you don't know how to cherish your own life, I feel sorry for you." This was a hint of a promise, Jiao Jieyu stood up and knelt down again, and said gratefully: "Thank you, Ma'am. I would like to follow Madam's instruction." I smiled slightly, and told the palace people on my left and right: "Today, order the imperial dining room to cook more delicious dishes. I want to have lunch with Jieyu." The harem is strictly hierarchical, and even the food supply must be clearly divided. The emperor had a total of 120 dishes per meal, the empress had 6742 dishes, the imperial concubine had 6636 dishes, and so on, and Jieyu might only have nine or ten dishes.She looked at the table full of exquisite dishes in amazement, but her demeanor was still dignified and elegant, without any discrepancy. She is a little cautious, and always waits for me to finish tasting a dish before dipping her chopsticks. I smiled and said, "Jieyu doesn't need to be so restrained here. Eating is a relaxed and happy thing, but Jieyu's restraint will affect appetite." She smiled embarrassedly when she heard this, then stretched out her chopsticks to pick up a dish in front of her, put it in her mouth and said, "It's delicious." "Oh?" I raised my eyebrows, and Hua Splash obediently took a small plate of carved phoenix and placed it in front of me. I took a sip and praised: "It's really delicious. Jieyu has a good taste." I said to Tingyi who was standing by the side: "This cook is doing a good job, let him come here and I will personally reward him." Tingyi took the order to go, and soon brought up a young eunuch in his twenties. The eunuch "thumped" and knelt down, he could see that he was very nervous, his voice was trembling, and he said, "The imperial concubine and the empress Jieyu are auspicious. The servant has only officially become the imperial chef today and is honored to cook for the empress. It tastes like the empress, if the servant is not doing well, I hope the empress will forgive me!" After saying that, he kowtowed. Jiao Jieyu and I both laughed, and I said, "I didn't call you here to punish you, but to reward you. Did you cook this dish?" He raised his head in disbelief, looked at the dish I was pointing to, then nodded and said, "It's the pork tenderloin made by the servant." I nodded and said: "You can be promoted to the royal chef in your twenties. You are young and promising, and your future is boundless. Reward." The servant was dumbfounded at first, then woke up like a dream, and kowtowed again, "Thank you, Madam." I said: "The person you really should thank should be Empress Jieyu, she is the one who can recognize a thousand-mile horse." So he kowtowed gratefully to Jieyu before he was led out. In fact, it doesn't matter whether the cook's cooking is good or not, the important thing is that I use this to show how much I value Jiao Jieyu.I thought about it, and felt a bit similar to Prince Dan's appearance when he met Jing Ke. After we finished our meal, we sat down and talked for a while, and Jiao Jieyu got up to say goodbye. I smiled and persuaded her to keep her, saying: "Jieyu stay and accompany me to watch the excitement." Jiao Jieyu was puzzled, so I turned to Tingyi and said, "Go, call Liu Jieyu." In the harem, apart from the queen mother, only the queen and imperial concubine have the power to summon and punish.这样的职权纵是只有普通封号的贵妃都不能有的，而我贵为帝贵妃，自然也可随意召见后宫妃嫔了。 不一会儿，柳婕妤就到了，身上有匆匆打理的痕迹，眼中有许多的不情愿和无奈。 她有些倦意地屈膝给我请安，声音也无精打采的，想必是正在午睡就被叫过来的。 我坐在上首的位置上，语气不似早上见她时的那般热情，而是冷冷地说：“今早看见柳婕妤，便是这样对本宫行礼的吧。本宫以为柳婕妤是急于照顾太后，尚能谅解，也就没有加以责怪。现在一看，本宫倒是不得不怀疑婕妤是否真懂得如何向贵妃行礼了。” 柳婕妤知道我是故意刁难，脸上有了怒气，但是终究隐忍下来，耐下心来再次屈下身去，大声说：“给贵妃娘娘拜安。” 我听了笑出声来，对下面的皎婕妤说：“这样一看柳婕妤果然是不懂了。” 皎婕妤自然是配合我带着讥笑点了点头。 柳婕妤涨红了脸，身子蹲得更加低了些，再次说：“贵妃娘娘金安。” 我皱了皱眉，冲宫人们说：“你们是否应该把外面的鸟儿都抓起来杀了？它们这样吵闹本宫都听不见柳婕妤的请安声了。” 柳婕妤抬头狠狠地看了我一眼。 “柳婕妤这是在表示对本宫的不满吗？”我有些怒气地说。 柳婕妤又马上低下头去，“扶柳不敢。” “本宫也不是故意刁难婕妤，但是太后一向强调后宫尊卑先后，本宫也只是为维护宫中礼仪秩序出一份力罢了。只要柳婕妤做好了，本宫自然会让婕妤回去。” 柳婕妤深深吸了一口气，再次忍耐着屈下身去，朗朗地说：“贵妃娘娘金安。” 我假似惋惜地叹了口气，说：“看来真的要请尚仪的女官来呢。” 皎婕妤这时起身道：“娘娘还是给柳婕妤妹妹留点颜面吧，毕竟这事传出去对柳妹妹的名声不好。就是以前姒充仪的事现今还有不少人当为笑柄呢。不若让皎月略加提醒吧。” 我点了点头，说：“那样也好。” 于是皎婕妤像模像样地指点起柳婕妤来，细微到每个细节，总是有错误可挑。 宫人们不知道给我换了几次茶，也许柳婕妤也已经跪了不下二三十次，直到最终我也觉得累了，在她最后几乎带着哭腔说那句已经重复了好些遍的“娘娘金安”后，我走了下来，来到她面前。 出乎所有人的意料，我竟亲自扶她起来，语气和蔼地说：“起来吧。” 我能感觉到她的腿因为长时间跪着，站起身时明显拐了一下，一定很疼痛，但是她的自尊让她不能表露出什么，她紧咬住自己的嘴唇，竭力掩饰着自己的窘迫。 我撸下手上那只价值连城的油绿色玉镯子，顺着套在她的手腕上。 柳婕妤简直无法相信我态度前后的变化，疑惑不解地看着我。 我拉着她的手，极真诚地说：“便是狗，若是作揖作的好，也能赏几块儿肉吃；柳婕妤辛苦了这么久，本宫又怎么能不赏赐些什么呢。” 也许就是我的那份认真的真诚，深深地刺伤了她。我明显感到她身体一颤，脸色越来越惨白，屈辱的泪水再也抑制不住地流了下来，花了脸上精心调和的胭脂…… 皇上处理完一天的政务，晚上来到雎鸠宫时，我正和宫人们说笑着。 我看到皇上慌忙起身去接驾，皇上扶起我，审视我半晌才笑着说：“爱妃今日好似很高兴。” 我笑了笑，说：“君上心情好像也很好的样子。” 皇上拉着我入座，说：“前些日子爱妃愁容不展……今日爱妃高兴朕自然也高兴了。” “那么君上应该赏赐那个能让臣妾高兴的人喽。” “哦？爱妃所指何人？” “皎婕妤呀。今日多亏皎婕妤上门来陪臣妾说话解闷才不会让臣妾这样寂寞。” 皇上点了点头，说：“那就依爱妃的意思，该赏点什么呢？” “皎婕妤侍奉君上也有好多时日了，可偏偏一直没有晋升，倒是委屈了她。不若赏她个充媛当当吧。” 皇上笑着摇摇头说：“你想得倒简单。后宫自古以来没有随便册封的道理。” 我走到皇上后面，环住他的脖子说：“怎么是随便呢？她能让臣妾开心，就是让君上开心。博得龙颜一笑，这不是大大的功劳么？”