Chapter 5 Chapter 4 Leisure

Xianyang Palace has already received news about this small disturbance in Qianqing Palace.Xie Yili was so startled that she almost gasped, she waited until the middle of the night and didn't dare to fall asleep, until she saw a string of gauze lanterns approaching from a distance outside the palace gate, her heart was finally relieved while hanging in mid-air. Qin Taiwei saw from a distance a beautiful woman surrounded by pearls and emerald greens sitting upright in the hall, she knew it must be her cousin Concubine Shu, so she hurriedly stepped forward and saluted, saying all blessings.Xie Yili waited for her to finish the ceremony, got up and helped her up personally, looked at her carefully, and said with a smile: "I haven't seen you for two years, my sister has grown a lot taller."

After exchanging pleasantries, Xie Yili sent the people from Qianqing Palace back to report back, and then brought Qin Taiwei into the inner room and taught her to describe today's situation one by one.When Qin Taiwei saw her relatives for the first time, she forgot everything, and immediately told her cousin and Pan about the past month's experience, talking about how she slipped out of the small courtyard over the wall and went upstairs, and then threw a flat scarf in the wind Hitting Xie Qian, Concubine Shu was very surprised to hear it.Concubine Shu asked again why Xie Qian went to Huangshicheng, she hesitated for a while, and then said about borrowing Xu Xiaoqi to pass on the letter.

"You guys are so bold." Concubine Shu said in surprise.She didn't want to blame Qin Taiwei, but she wondered if her parents were so foolish that they tolerated such absurd things by Xie Qian?Fortunately, the emperor didn't care about it, but he didn't know why the emperor didn't care about it, and he didn't know whether he would care about it again in the future.She lingered in the room for a while, but she was not sure about the thoughts of the emperor in front of her. "It turns out that Eunuch Zheng and Tian Zhihui hid you?" Concubine Shu thought, "No wonder I couldn't find you."

Qin Taiwei nodded slightly: "It was Eunuch Zheng who saved me." She suddenly thought of the afternoon before New Year's Eve, and vaguely heard what Zheng Banshan said to someone: "This child really doesn't know anything. But leave her alone." life?" It was this sentence that prompted her to write the text hidden on the paper.She has been careful since then, trying to find out who it was said to.However, this scene never happened again, but Zheng Banshan treated her with the same kindness as before.She even thought that the encounter that afternoon was just an illusion born of inner anxiety.If someone really came, why didn't you hear the sound of walking?

She hesitated for a while, and stopped mentioning this matter to Concubine Shu, but asked: "Sister, will Eunuch Zheng be punished by His Majesty?" Concubine Shu is still in a daze.After a while, she said lightly: "Eunuch Zheng is the queen mother's confidant, and the emperor never makes things difficult for him. But Xie Qian, and you, this crime is not small. I don't know if the emperor really let it go——The emperor Didn't you mean to stay?" Now Qin Taiwei of course knows what "stay" means, she blushed slightly, and said to Concubine Shu in a low voice: "The emperor said, if that happens, sister will be angry."

Xie Wanli smiled. According to the emperor's intention, Qin Taiwei was asked to stay in Xianyang Palace to accompany Concubine Shu.Unexpectedly, as soon as he got up the next day, two female officials came to Kunning Palace, passing on the Queen's oral order, saying that they wanted to see the new Qin insider.Xie Yili was in a bad mood, so he hurriedly changed into a long-sleeved shirt, and went out with the piano Taiwei. As soon as they arrived at Kunning Gate, they saw Zheng Banshan coming out of it, nodding and smiling at them.Qin Taiwei guessed that Zheng Banshan was safe and sound, and felt a little more at ease, but Xie Yili's complexion changed.

Empress Xu got up very early every day, had breakfast, and read scriptures. At this time, she accompanied the First Prince in Yangzhengxuan to trace the characters.The elder brother was already fifteen years old, taller than the empress, and he was fat. He was wearing a dark green round-neck robe, as if there was a big watermelon on the desk.The queen stood beside him, tracing the characters with his hand, while repeatedly telling him what the characters were.The eldest prince was very obedient, letting his mother dictate, just opening his mouth and laughing, as if this was a very fun game.When Qin Taiwei was at home, she once heard Princess Dachang and Mrs. Shen whispering that the eldest son raised by Empress Xu was actually crazy and stupid.

When Empress Xu saw them coming, she ordered the internal officials to take Chang Geer away.The elder brother couldn't bear to part with his mother, so he curled his lips and wanted to cry.Empress Xu had no choice but to comfort him by hugging him for a while, and taught him to sit aside. Xie Yili and Qin Taiwei performed the salutes one by one, Empress Xu asked Concubine Shu to sit down, and ordered Qin Taiwei to come forward, looked carefully at Concubine Shu, and said with a smile to Concubine Shu: "I remember that two years ago, this child The eldest princess has been in the palace, right?"

Concubine Shu smiled and said, "Your Majesty has a good memory. That year on the Empress Dowager's Longevity Day, the Eldest Princess brought her and my sister into the palace, and even kowtowed to the Empress Dowager and Empress." "She is really a beauty, quite like your aunt in those days." Empress Xu praised. When Qin Taiwei heard that her mother was mentioned, she was busy and nervous.Empress Xu looked at her, and said slowly: "If it's according to my opinion, I will simply ask you to stay in Xianyang Palace to accompany Concubine Shu. She is heavy now, and it is inconvenient to move around. It is good to have a relative to accompany you to talk and relax. , but early this morning, the Empress Dowager specially sent Eunuch Zheng over to deliver a message, teaching you to serve Kunning Palace."

When Qin Taiwei heard this, she didn't react yet.Xie Yili hurriedly said: "It's my sister Qin's honor to be able to accompany you in the middle palace and be taught by the empress." Empress Xu looked at the pair of cousins, one with peaches and plums, and the other with cardamom tops, I felt pity for them.Anyone has to guess that the emperor will take Feiyan Hede into everything, and he can't blame the queen mother for being angry. It was inconvenient for her to say more, she smiled at Mrs. Qin and said: "You are the daughter of the Qin supervisor, and you are brought up by the eldest princess. You must have been trained by the court at a young age, and you are well-educated. You don't need to ask. It's just that I heard Eunuch Zheng say that , you can still write a good hand, which can directly compare with the Hanlin in the Wenhua Palace. But I don't believe it, you can write it for me to see."

Immediately, some palace people put on the table and laid out the pen and ink.Qin Taiwei was about to start writing, only to remember: "Excuse me, Your Highness, what should I write?" Empress Xu took out a piece of ivy paper from her hand: "You copy this one over." On the ivy paper are a few lines of cursive script written with a vermilion brush. The handwriting is sharp and beautiful. It reads as a parallel essay-something like "yellow buds are everywhere, but those who are obsessed can find them; white snow is all over the sky, let the ears be trained." article. It's full of rhetoric, profound thoughts, and it's mouth-watering to read—but you don't quite understand what it's talking about.Qin Taiwei didn't want to ask too many questions, so she copied it with a beautiful Zhao's Songxue Book and presented it to Empress Xu for viewing. Empress Xu nodded, and praised: "It's really good. I need someone who transcribes Qing Ci here, so you can stay with me and be a female historian—it belongs to Shangyi Bureau." Qin Taiwei realized that the article that Empress Xu asked her to copy was Qingci.This is the wish letter dedicated to heaven during the Taoist fasting ceremony.The first emperor practiced Taoism for more than ten years, and he was so good at Qing Ci that his courtiers scrambled to enshrine Qing Ci to win the holy family. After ten years of hard work, their thoughts on stereotypes were transferred to the four or six gold inscriptions.Qin Taiwei remembers that his father was not without ridicule when he talked about this matter, saying that "the emperor is not the emperor, the minister is not the minister, don't ask the common people, ask the ghosts and gods".Up to now, when he is in power, this system has naturally been abolished, and no one dares to invite favor with green words.Among the people in the harem who are keen to seek God, only Empress Xu is left. Qin Taiwei thanked Grace, and Empress Xu said again: "You have been in the palace for half a year, but you have never learned the etiquette in the palace. Let Cao Dianji take you to familiarize yourself first." Then an elderly female official came forward, and after meeting each other, she led Qin Taiwei to the Shangyi Bureau to report.Concubine Shu said a few more words to the queen, and slowly left.When she was gone, Empress Xu ordered someone to change the cushion in a low voice.Looking back at her son, holding the pen and dancing on the paper until the ink was dripping, she couldn't help but sigh.Seeing Tang Qingqiu, her confidant, standing beside her, she called her over and patted her back for herself: "To teach this little friend to write a few words, my waist hurts from standing up. I teach him hand in hand every day, and now I still don't even know my own." I can’t write the name completely, if I knew this, why should I call Yang Tan, it’s easy to just call Yang Mu.” When Tang Qingqiu heard this, he didn't feel it was funny but felt sad, so he hurriedly changed the subject: "Your Majesty really wants to keep that girl from the Qin family by your side?" "The Empress Dowager has already spoken, how dare you disobey her orders?" Empress Xu said, "If I don't take good care of her, it will be difficult to explain in the future." Tang Qingqiu whispered in the Queen's ear: "I heard that last night I almost...caused this girl to cry a lot, but it's fine. It shows that the Emperor is very sympathetic. I'm afraid it won't be so easy to let go, right?" Empress Xu glanced at her lightly: "You think so?" Tang Qingqiu lowered his eyebrows and said: "The servant girl is just talking casually." Empress Xu said: "Since even you have such thoughts, others don't know what to say. It's just that in my Kunning Palace, such rumors are definitely not allowed. The Empress Dowager told me to look at this girl, but the emperor is not allowed It's her idea. Are you asking me to disobey the Queen Mother?" "I know I was wrong. I will tell you to go on, and this matter is not allowed to be discussed." Tang Qingqiu paused, but then asked, "Then... last night, the empress asked someone to investigate how this child entered the palace. Don't check?" "Of course we need to investigate." The queen said, "The emperor must have asked someone to investigate secretly. It doesn't seem like the emperor's behavior to bring out the princess's close relatives. I'm afraid he still doesn't understand it in his heart. Now it's just going with the flow, It’s all about being happy.” "Really?" Tang Qingqiu pouted in the direction of Qingning Palace. The queen shook her head and said softly: "After all, she is the only daughter of Cousin Xie. The queen mother will not do such a terrible thing. Besides, if she was thinking about it, she would just take her into the Qingning Palace. Why would she throw it to me? So This is a strange thing, we can't be careless. It's the same thing to find out and say it or not, but you have to know who is doing it behind the scenes." "Your Majesty is the one who taught me." Tang Qingqiu said respectfully. The queen suddenly said: "Look at this Qin Taiwei, how is he compared to her cousin?" Tang Qingqiu said: "Their aunts and sisters are quite similar. The forehead of Qin's wife is rounder, the eyes are bigger, and there are two smiles. It's just that the face is a little cold-it can't compare with Concubine Shu's beauty." "She's still young." The queen chuckled, recalling Concubine Shu's appearance when she was young, and said suddenly, "Actually, they are very different. For some reason, I actually like this child." Tang Qingqiu said with a smile: "Really? That's her blessing." "Look, Ah Lian's handwriting is so scribbled that she only made two mistakes in guessing, which shows that she is clever." "Your Majesty likes smart kids?" "Who doesn't like smart children?" The Queen sighed, "I like Anian very much." After entering the Kunning Palace, Qin Taiwei learned palace etiquette from Cao Dianji every day, and was familiar with the affairs of the division. Occasionally copied scriptures for Empress Xu.Qin Taiwei was assigned to be on duty at the Qingxia Residence in the east, and was in charge of transcribing Qing Ci for the Queen.The queen does not fast and sacrifice every day, nor does she have Qing Ci every day.She soon learned that all the green words used by Empress Xu were written by King Zheng.Every time the queen had an idea, she would write it down on a note, and send the internal officials to Xiyuan. King Zheng drew up the Qingci, and then sent someone to pass it back to Qingxiaju.Qin Taiwei took the manuscript of Qing Ci and carefully copied it on Qingteng paper.King Zheng's handwriting was scribbled, and sometimes she couldn't read it, so she had to take the time to ask the Queen for advice. Although the Queen was familiar with King Zheng's handwriting, sometimes she couldn't guess it, so she sent someone to Xiyuan to ask.Going back and forth like this several times, both of them feel very cumbersome.Qin Taiwei learns to be a good boy, but she doesn't ask people if there are unrecognizable characters, and she tries to figure out the meaning of the text and fills in another word.In fact, no one will notice if you do this - because the written Qingci will eventually turn into a wisp of green smoke in the incense burner. She Qin Taiwei wrote it right or wrong, so she had to ask Yuanshi Tianzun and Taishang Laojun . Seeing that Qin is too leisurely, the female officer in charge of Shang Yisi sends her to the school to give lectures to the palace members the next day.Most of the palace people could not read well, and the female officials would regularly teach them the rules and precepts for women, and use the principles of Confucius and Mencius to regulate the words and deeds of these young women.Qin Taiwei is particularly special among the group of female lecturers in their 30s and 40s.The palace people saw that she was young and tender, and they were all willing to chat with her.Some people even heard that she came from an extraordinary background and had been favored by the emperor. They expected that she would be a concubine in the future, so they came here deliberately to curry favor. In a few days, Qin Taiwei got to know the various masters in the palace in general.Compared with the bloody inner palace of the former emperor's dynasty, the palace today can be described as peaceful and peaceful.The emperor has a very good temper. Although he only favors concubines Shu, he doesn't neglect the rest of the concubines. He treats the palace people with spring breeze and drizzle; Empress Xu is virtuous and gentle, and treats her kindly. When the palace people make mistakes and are punished, if they can ask the queen Needless to say, Yang Tan, the eldest son of the emperor; Yang Xi, the second son of the emperor, is a reckless young man, and the palace people do not provoke him; the emperor's brothers and sisters are still in the palace, and there are three younger brothers. King Ning, King Ying, and King You, two younger sisters, Princess Tiantai and Princess Xianju, these princes and princesses are all concubines, and they live with the concubines in the two palaces of Cining and Ciqing. With the favor of Empress Dowager Xu, she can occasionally go in and out of Qingning Palace.The emperor's nephew, Zheng Wang, is gentle and courteous, and has an outstanding personality. He is a hot topic for young palace people to talk about. He is an adult, so he is not in the palace, but lives in Xiyuan for a long time.All in all, there is only one person who cannot be offended in this palace, and that is Empress Dowager Xu of Qingning Palace.The late Emperor favored many courtiers back then, and there were many turmoil in the palace, but no matter whether the east wind overwhelmed the west wind or the west wind overwhelmed the east wind, in the end it was Empress Dowager Xu who dominated.Three years after today's ascension to the throne, Concubine Zhou De once gave birth to a prince, who was covered in bruises when he first landed, unable to recover.The emperor and the empress intended to punish the doctors who delivered the babies, but the empress dowager heard about this and ordered hundreds of people from Changqing Palace to be arrested, and those in other palaces were also implicated, and they were all locked up together. Severe interrogation. "In the end, none of the more than two hundred people survived." The person who told this story was Shi Shen Ye, a woman who lived in the same room with Qin Taiwei. The two were similar in age, so Qin Taiwei was kinder to her.After turning off the lights at night and going to bed, the two often hid in the quilt and chatted.When Shen Ye said these words, his voice was almost inaudible, as if it was not a human language, but just the gurgling night wind passing between the high walls. "And not long after the incident, Gu Meiren, whom the emperor liked very much at that time, threw herself into a well and died." Shen Ye whispered. Qin Tai was slightly startled and said, "Could it be that Gu Meiren did it—" "Hush! Keep your voice low!" Shen Ye stopped her, "Actually, who knows, Mrs. Du of Gong Zhengsi has dealt with this matter. It is said that she did not find any solid evidence when she was pregnant. Moreover, when Concubine Zhou De was pregnant, There have also been a few times when the fetal phase was unstable, and they were all seen by the imperial hospital." Qin Taiwei still doesn't know what "unstable fetal phase" is, but she also knows that Shen Ye hinted that Gu Meiren was wronged to death. "And why..." "Because at that time, she was receiving the Holy Family, but the Empress Dowager didn't like her very much." Shen Ye said. Qin Taiwei couldn't help but think of those empresses and concubines in history, who were favored by emperors, but ended up not having a good ending: "She...has a bad character?" "No, she is very gentle. It is said..." Shen Ye's voice was almost completely lost in the quilt, "Her brother was in the Liao Navy and exposed General Xu's fraudulent reward..." Qin Tai trembled slightly, imagining the bloodless face of the woman in the well, only felt that the air on this spring night was as icy cold as the well water, and it was suffocating.After a long time, she remembered to ask: "Could the emperor watch her die..." Shen Ye was probably already fast asleep and did not answer her. Empress Xu refused to annoy the emperor, so she allowed Qin Taiwei to go to Xianyang Palace to accompany Concubine Shu.Therefore, when Qin Taiwei was not on duty and had no Qingci to copy, he went to Xianyang Palace to sit for a while.Xie Yili's body is getting heavier now, he can't stand and draw for a long time, he only likes to play chess in his room, when Qin Taiwei comes over, he can play a game or two with her.During this period, Mrs. Shen entered the palace again, and when she saw Qin Taiwei, she couldn't help wiping away a few tears with her arms around her.Because of Xie Yili's pregnancy, Mrs. Shen brought good news.For example, Xie Qian chose a scholar of the Imperial Academy, and someone proposed marriage to Xie Yuanyao.Due to the warmer weather, the Eldest Princess' condition has also improved. Although she can't get out of bed yet, she can gradually speak simple words and eat more.Qin Taiwei is concerned about her grandmother's illness, and asks her aunt to bring her safety letter to the princess' bedside.But regarding Xie Qian's marriage, Concubine Shu and Mrs. Shen never mentioned it to Qin Taiwei.Qin Taiwei was worried, and it was even harder to ask them. The emperor often came to visit Concubine Shu, and when he met Qin Taiwei by chance, he was still kind and cheerful, like a loving elder.The rumors in the palace did not stop because of Empress Xu's prohibition, Qin Taiwei also noticed it, and was very embarrassed.Even Shen Ye asked her quietly, could it be that Concubine Shu wanted to use her cousin as a solid pet because she was pregnant and couldn't sleep at bedtime?Noticing that the emperor always came to Xianyang Palace after dinner, she intentionally avoided this hour, and even quietly reduced her visits to Concubine Shu. One day, Empress Dowager Xu still found her. Qin Taiwei and Shen Ye were sorting out manuscript papers at Qingxia Residence, when suddenly an internal official passed on the words of Empress Dowager Xu, asking Qin's wife to come by name and send a few chapters of Qing Ci written by King Zheng to Qingning Palace.Qin Taiwei hastily reviewed a few chapters of Qing Ci, changed into a clean jacket and skirt, combed her hair, and went to Cao Dianji.Cao Dianji said: "Don't be afraid. Just remember the rules and be more careful than usual." After thinking for a while, he said, "If I ask you something, if you can't answer it well, just honestly say that you don't know. Don't be smart. .” Qin Taiwei nodded in agreement.Cao Dianji said again: "Come back early. Shen Zhengshi's empress is going to have a feast in Qin'an Hall." When they arrived at Qingning Palace, the Empress Dowager had just woken up from a nap and was dressing and washing her face.The palace servant in charge came out, and Taiwei, who taught the piano, was waiting for the summons in the corridor.Although the Qingning Palace is not as luxurious as the Qianqing and Kunning Palaces, with its exquisite carvings and decorations, it has a more austere atmosphere.The people and officials in the underground palace all act lightly, hold their breath and hold their voices, as silent as a wandering soul, the only spiritual creatures are a few cats wandering in the courtyard. After waiting in the corridor for a long time, my legs were sore from standing still.She realized that the queen mother was probably up early, but she was just waiting.When she was finally called into the palace, she saw Concubine Liang Yu and Princess Xianju inside, chatting with the Queen Mother.The queen mother saw that she had performed the great ceremony, so she instructed the palace servants around her to go down, took the few green words from Qin Taiwei's hand, and flipped through them for a while. Concubine Liang Yu jokingly said, "Since it was written by King Zheng, it seems to be very well written." The corner of the Queen Mother's lips curled up into a smile, but said: "It's okay, it's similar to what I wrote before." Concubine Liang Yu continued to flatter: "Wang Zheng's handwriting is really flowing." The Empress Dowager suddenly sighed: "Among my grandchildren, Anian is the one who stands out, what a pity..." When Concubine Liang Yu heard this pity, she was suddenly embarrassed and didn't know how to answer. The queen mother said: "It's a pity that he is so clever, he spends all day on these useless things, unlike his father, he followed his grandfather." Concubine Liang Yu smiled and said: "This is only what the empress asked him to write. Could it be that my nephew will not agree to my aunt's request?" The Queen Mother ignored her, took the manuscript and flipped through it again, muttering: "It's really a good sentence." Even so, she didn't leave any appreciation, and returned it to Qin after reading it. too small. Qin Taiwei took the manuscript and was about to leave when she suddenly heard the Empress Dowager say: "Are you Concubine Shu's cousin?" Qin Tai shivered slightly, and quickly answered with lowered hands: "Yes." The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "Did you visit your cousin during the past two months in the palace?" Qin Taiwei cautiously said: "Back to the Empress Dowager, the servants have received orders from the Empress Empress to go to Xianyang Palace to visit Concubine Shu every three to five days, and play chess with her." "Oh...you can also play chess, are you good at it?" The Queen Mother laughed. Seeing the Empress Dowager's tone becoming more and more gentle, Mrs. Qin said, "This servant is stupid and cannot play chess well. Concubine Shu needs to give way." "Hehe, there are times when Yili gives way to others?" The queen mother laughed, "Just let her win a few more times, be happy. She is a healthy person." Qin Taiwei replied: "As ordered, I will not teach her to yield next time." "How is your sister?" The queen mother suddenly put away her smile and asked solemnly, "This is a top priority." Qin Taiwei thought about it carefully, and said: "Every time I go to Concubine Shu's place, I see that she looks peaceful, has a good appetite, and is in a good mood. I haven't heard the palace people over there talk about Concubine Shu's discomfort... ...it's a good idea." "The fetal phase is stable, have you never seen red?" the Queen Mother asked again. Qin is too weak to feel dumb. Concubine Liang Yu smiled and said: "This child is too young, how can he understand these things." The queen mother also smiled and said: "I'm so confused, I should call the doctor to ask about these things. Tell me, besides you, who else often goes to accompany Concubine Shu?" "Aunt...that is Xie Shilang's wife, she has entered the palace once." Qin Taiwei thought while slowly counting, "I have met Shen Meiren in Xianyang Palace a few times, the emperor has also been there a few times, and Sun Lipin brought the little princess here..." "The emperor has also been there?" "yes." The queen mother slowly blew on the hot air on the teacup, and said: "The emperor is also true. At this time, if you want to disturb Concubine Shu, you are not afraid of a mistake." Qin Taiwei thought in her heart, what could happen if the emperor glanced at her.But the queen mother asked again: "The emperor went to see Concubine Shu, what are they doing?" "Just talk..." Qin Taiwei thought hard, when the emperor and concubine Shu were together, they often avoided others, and she didn't know what they did.After holding back for a long time, he said: "The emperor sometimes eats dinner in Xianyang Palace." "Oh?" The Empress Dowager suddenly raised her eyebrows, "The emperor's spleen and stomach are either cold or hot all day long, without any maintenance. How can Concubine Shu follow him to eat those things at this time? What did they eat? " Qin Taiwei was about to break out in a sweat. She tried her best to recall the scene when the emperor and concubine Shu had dinner, but she didn't pay attention to the dining table, let alone the cold or the heat.She was silent for a while, and suddenly remembered Cao Dianji's words, "If you can't answer well, just honestly say you don't know. Don't be smart."So he simply said: "This servant really doesn't know." "Oh..." The queen mother put down the tea bowl. Concubine Liang Yu said with a smile: "The Empress Dowager is playing with the children, she has only been in the palace for a few days, how can she figure this out?" The Empress Dowager glanced at Concubine Liang Yu, and said with a slight smile: "It's a child, so I have something to tell her. The Empress and Concubine Shu may not remember to remind you. Food is one thing, and incense is another. Something special It is said that the spices in the palace will cause women to have a miscarriage. You young girls don’t know what to do. If you smoke these incenses, you must never go to Xianyang Palace again.” Qin Taiwei said: "Thank you Queen Mother for teaching. I will remember this. I am a female official, and I only use sweet-scented osmanthus and jasmine." "Oh, yes." The Queen Mother said, "The ladies don't have those incenses in their regulations, and the concubines don't know how to use them either—the emperor never brought musk with him, did he?" Concubine Liang Yu was about to say something when the Queen Mother gave her a sideways look. "Slaves... I don't know if the emperor wears musk." Qin Taiwei said in a daze. "Then what kind of incense does he bring?" "I don't know..." She had smelled dragon saliva in the emperor's bedroom, but she hadn't noticed the fragrance on the emperor's body.Why don't the Empress Dowager ask the decorations of the Qianqing Palace?Qin Taiwei suddenly realized that the Empress Dowager's words were going around and around, and she was basically asking if she had ever been close to the emperor.She simply said: "Actually, this slave has not seen the emperor for a long time." "Long time no see?" The queen mother said indifferently, "Then when was the last time you saw the emperor?" Qin Taiwei thought for a long time, but couldn't remember, so she shook her head and said: "I really forgot." When asked this point, the queen mother also felt impatient, and said with a smile: "I only want to thank the girls from Xie's family for being clever, but I didn't expect you to be so clueless. Go ahead." Feeling relieved, Qin Taiwei resigned from the Empress Dowager and Concubine Liang Yu, thinking in her heart that she had finally escaped a catastrophe.She walked quickly to the courtyard, only to feel that the warm spring is coming, the greenery is harmonious, and even the air is cool.At first glance, I saw a pure white lion cat squatting on the flower bed, light and soft, round and cute, with blue and green eyes like emeralds.She was in a relaxed mood at this moment, and she couldn't help but feel flustered. Seeing that there was no one around, she meowed lightly at the cat. The white cat heard the sound and looked back at her.Seeing that it was calm and composed, Qin Taiwei expected to touch its long soft fur.She stood on tiptoe, slowly approached, and meowed a few more times, the cat looked at her, but remained motionless.She was overjoyed, looked into those Yingying eyes, and slowly stretched out her left hand. The white cat's pupils suddenly closed. Qin Taiwei only felt the white blade sway, and the back of her hand had been cut severely, the pain caused her to take a sharp breath, and took a few steps back.The white cat scratched her paw, then shrugged and ran away along the wall. Qin Taiwei clutched the bleeding wound on the back of her hand and rushed to Kunning Palace, intending to ask someone to apply some wound medicine.Unexpectedly, there was no one in several places, and a Kunning Palace was half empty.She was wondering when she suddenly saw Shen Ye hurrying past while holding on to her bun.Qin Taiwei grabs her and asks why. Shen Ye suddenly smiled, and said in a low voice, "Because King Zheng is here today." Qin Taiwei only felt the vast sky above her head, and suddenly a thunder exploded.She also didn't care about the wound on her hand, and rushed towards Qin'an Hall in a hurry.Shen Ye laughed behind her and said, "Is this the rush? The feast hasn't started yet." "Didn't start?" Qin Taiwei stopped. "Your Majesty is still changing clothes." Her mind was in turmoil.The Qing Ci used in this fasting ceremony was copied by her in the morning.Because she couldn't read the handwriting clearly, she simply changed a whole sentence.The green words will be burned only after they are recited by Taoist priests.It's fine on weekdays, but if King Zheng heard it today, wouldn't it immediately reveal his flaws.At this moment, the only way is to copy the Qing Ci again before the feast, and wait for the opportunity to replace it, or there may be a chance of survival.With such calculations in mind, she threw Shen Ye away and rushed to Qingxiaju in two or three steps. The room was silent and empty, and someone opened the window panes.Yongfeng brushed the manuscript paper, making a soft rustling sound.She ran to close the window, glanced past the desk, and was surprised to see someone. The man was standing by the desk, holding a pen she often used, not knowing what to write.What kind of person is so quiet that he has no breath, as if he is not a stranger, but a fragrant orchid on the table, or an ancient painting from the Song Dynasty hanging on the wall.She stared at the painting scroll with exquisite brushstrokes, and lost her mind for a moment. He suddenly raised his head, just in time to meet her gaze, his face sank for a moment, and his gaze suddenly swept over like a blade. She was so frightened that she took a few steps back, bowed her head and saluted: "All blessings, Your Highness." "You recognize me?" he said coldly. This shouldn't have been a problem.Apart from the internal officials, there were only a few men in the palace, and anyone could guess his identity.But Qin Taiwei was panicked, and blurted out the real reason: "I have seen your father's face." She regretted such an unwise answer.But he lowered his head and continued to write, ignoring her.She stood for a while, wondering if she should take her leave.The draft of that Qing Ci was placed on the desk, and the ivy paper and ink brush were also available. She should even ask him for a few words.But her heart seemed to be shattered all of a sudden, how could she dare to talk to him again. At this moment, the door of Qingxiaju opened in an uproar, and Empress Xu led the Taoist priests over.She had already changed into a white crane cloak and a lotus crown, holding an ivory stag, and floated in, smiling, "Isn't Ah Lian still leaving?" "Let's go now." Zheng Wang Zhen shook his sleeves, walked around the desk, saluted the queen, and changed into a gentle and courteous face. Qin Taiwei shrank to the side when she saw the queen entering the door, her chest was restless like a hundred claws scratching her heart.She saw the female officer next to the queen holding a gold plate, which contained the falsified Qing Ci.But at this time the queen saw her at a glance, and casually said to King Zheng: "Ah, have you met this qin insider? She is the daughter of the qin supervisor, and she is good at writing. Every time you write green Ci She transcribed them all." As the queen said, she took the Qing Ci from the plate and handed it to King Zheng for appreciation.He seemed to have watched it for a long time, so long that Qin Taiwei almost forgot to even breathe.She lowered her head and stared at the corner of his sky-blue Lusi robe, only seeing the long tide in her eyes, which made her whole body stiff and cold. In the end, King Zheng said four words: "The scriptures are exquisite." After finishing speaking, he seemed to feel that it was not enough, so he glanced at Qin Taiwei, and said lightly: "There is a female history." Qin Taiwei reluctantly bowed to him, already covered in cold sweat and unable to utter a word.The queen noticed that there was a change in her expression, and urged her to ask: "Qin nephew, are you feeling well?" Qin Taiwei had no choice but to reply: "It's okay." It was King Zheng who said softly: "What happened to her sleeve?" The queen looked down and saw that Qin Taiwei's left sleeve was stained with blood.She opened her sleeves and saw that the wound that had been congealed had opened again.Everyone was in an uproar.The queen took a look at her left hand, frowned and said, "Where have you been so naughty?" Qin Taiwei said: "The cat caught it." The queen was stunned for a moment, and immediately understood that only the queen mother had more cats in the palace.It was inconvenient for her to say anything, and she sighed: "Don't go to Qin'an Hall, go back and get some medicine quickly. It would be a pity to leave scars if you take good care of your hands." Cao Dianji came back from Qin'an Hall, visited Qin Taiwei in the room, and asked about the situation of Qingning Palace in detail.Qin Taiwei couldn't help asking: "How did I offend the Queen Mother?" Cao Dianji just shook his head, but took out a small porcelain bottle of fighting colors, and said: "This is the medicine that the Queen gave you. Apply it on the wound. In the future, it will not hurt you." There will be traces." Shen Ye heard it from the side, and leaned over to take a look: "Isn't this Xiyuan's medicine?" "That's right." Cao Dianji said, "It's still the ones that King Zheng prepared for the Queen last fall. There's only one bottle left, let's use it for you first." Shen Ye laughed again and again: "If I can get a bottle of Zheng Wang's medicine, it will be worth it even if I am caught by a cat and turned into a disfigured face on the stage." There is a lot of borneol in the ointment, which cools the skin deeply, making Qin Taiwei feel uncomfortable.She suddenly remembered the eyes of the white cat in Qingning Palace, keen, suspicious, vigilant, yes, it was Yang Lian's eyes. Enter the imperial city from Xi'an gate, go east along the sheep house road until you reach the Taiye pool, you can see Qionggong Yuyu along the lake, Qiaosong stands, and there is a quiet scene of mountains and rivers in the larger area. This is Xiyuan.On the west bank of Taiye Pool, there is a hill of stacked stones along the west wall of the imperial city. There are relics of Xuanbo Terrace from the previous dynasty on the hill.In his later years, the first emperor was quiet, and moved from Da Nei to Xiyuan, and built many palaces headed by Yuxi Palace.After the death of the first emperor, Yuxi Palace was easily used as the place for Empress Dowager Xu to spend her summer, while Qingfu Palace, Xubai Room and Tianlai Pavilion in the Linshui area were vacant.Because King Zheng didn't have a mansion in Beijing, and it was inconvenient to keep Da Nei, Empress Dowager Xu gave him the corner of Xiyuan to live temporarily. At the end of April, there was not a single cloud in the sky, and the sunlight hit the official road, stirring up bursts of white dust.Tian Zhihui walked all the way here, his face was covered with a thin layer of sweat, until he stepped into the courtyard gate of the Qingfu Hall, he suddenly felt the thick shade of the sun, the fresh air entered the brain, and the slightest coolness climbed up against the skin . King Zheng was not in the palace, but Cheng Ning, the eunuch in charge, came over and led him to the back.He left the young internal officials who followed him outside the hall, holding the box in his own hand, and followed Cheng Ning to the lake, where he saw King Zheng sitting under a plantain from a distance, with the sleeves of his Taoist robe half rolled up, holding a cup of tea Grinding a black medicinal powder finely, his expression was extremely focused.Zheng Wang Yang Lian is good at incense, and he has a little knowledge of Qi Huang's art. The pills, fragrant cakes and so on are made by himself, and the medicines enshrined in the imperial hospital are not in his eyes. Tian Zhihui observed for a while, there were no servants in the forest, only a young palace man followed.The palace lady was slim and tall, wearing a emerald blue gold gauze shirt, slightly more gorgeous than ordinary palace ladies.In July last year, Empress Dowager Xu once pointed out a concubine named Lin to King Zheng, and it was expected to be this beauty.Tian Zhihui carefully wiped the sweat off his face, walked over gently, and said in a low voice, "Your Highness." Yang Lian seemed to have noticed him just now, stopped his hands, looked up, smiled and said: "It's just a few books, just send someone. You actually made this trip yourself." Tian Zhihui shook his head and smiled and said, "These books are quite famous, and those children can't read a few characters clearly, so how can they explain them clearly?" The box was placed on the stone table, and when he opened it, there were ten volumes of "Book Fu Yuan Gui".King Zheng was also taken aback, stood up unconsciously and leaned over to look at it: "The late Emperor searched all over the government and the public but couldn't find this book, so he just regarded it as lost. I didn't expect it to reappear in the world." "Someone offered six hundred taels of silver, but Hairi Pavilion didn't even sell it. Cao Qu knew His Highness would like it, so he deliberately stayed." Hearing this, Yang Lian smiled slightly: "It makes me feel really sorry for making him suffer so much." Before Tian Zhihui responded, Yang Lian suddenly said to Mrs. Lin: "Take these away." Mrs. Lin took away the tea mill, medicine pestle, bowl, etc., and brought a basin of clean water to clean Yang Lian's hands.She lowered her eyebrows and remained silent, wiping the residual water on his hands with a silk handkerchief, her movements were extremely gentle.Yang Lian just stared at his own hands in a daze.All three of them were speechless for a moment. It wasn't until Mrs. Lin walked away with a copper basin, Tian Zhihui said softly: "There is something important." Tian Zhihui, as the chief inspector of ceremonies, the admiral and the eunuch of the Jingchang, was in charge of the collection and printing of books. He came to meet King Zheng from time to time, always under the guise of delivering books.此时身边无人，他立刻低声道：“翰林院庶吉士冯觉非。” “状元郎？”杨楝轻声道。 “冯翰林托我传句话，他想找个机会拜见殿下。”田知惠道。 杨楝吃了一惊：“他找我做什么？” “奴婢亦不知，今日是第一次见他。”田知惠道，“不过他提了一下余无闻先生……” 听见“余”字，杨楝隐隐明白过来，却道：“他的母族是明州巨贾，有机会结识余先生。不过他身为新科状元郎，又居清贵之职，并不宜与亲王结交，见了只是徒惹疑忌。” “奴婢原也是这么想，跟他说不必多事。不过他十分坚持，口才又好，奴婢竟然推脱不掉。” “也有你推不掉的事。”杨楝笑道。 田知惠道：“说起来，此人运气好极。他这个状元本来是白捡了谢迁的，这还不算，如今皇上放着自家小舅子不怎么搭理，反倒教他日日随侍御前。他倒也能干，又有文名，又会做人，今年新科的这一群进士俨然把他看做首领一般。” “果是会做人，你都夸起他来了。”杨楝忽岔开话，“——皇上冷落谢迁，我也有所耳闻，这却是怎么回事？” 田知惠面上露出几分尴尬：“大约还是为了皇史宬的案子。皇上为着淑妃的面子不追究，心里肯定是气恼的。” 杨楝追问道：“我听郑先生提过一句，说只该早点把人送走。究竟是怎么走漏消息的？” 田知惠道：“师父和我都只道她是个天真女孩儿，平日相处十分融洽，哪知她居然颇有心计。事后悄悄盘查一番，问题出在我手下一个小孩子身上。”于是便将琴太微借代写时文而传书沈家的事情讲了一遍。 杨楝一边听，一边想起那天在清暇居里琴太微吓得魂飞魄散的可怜模样，暗暗好笑：“虽有些小聪明，到底弄砸了。——那孩子你打发了吧？” 他说的是徐小七，田知惠回道：“找了个错儿，打发到天寿山守陵去了。”心中却想，他不会还想要小七的命吧？ 好在杨楝对这个处置并无异议，只说：“以后要加倍当心，小太监好打发，坤宁宫的小宫女却是你打发不了的。” “奴婢知错。”田知惠垂目道。“麻烦出在奴婢身上，要怎么收拾残局，还请殿下垂示，奴婢终是去拼命办成了。” “不必了。”杨楝摇头道：“郑先生和我商量过，她原来无关紧要，由她去好了。” “殿下明鉴。”田知惠应道。他肯就此放过琴太微，那倒是再好不过。 当初杨楝就藩杭州时，受过东南总督琴灵宪的关照，彼此可谓有恩有义。知道这层关系的人不多，田知惠倒也是其中一个。他实在是想不明白，杨楝对琴灵宪的女儿，到底打的什么主意。 杨楝自然不会告诉他。芭蕉叶底青色的暗影投在他的面容和衣襟上，宛如一泓沉沉碧水，唯有林间散碎的日光在水面轻轻跃动。但他的眼神比碧水还要冷，不起一痕风波。每次触到杨楝的眼神，田知惠都会感到莫名失落。早年记忆中，那个和他一起读书的小皇孙，似乎并不是这样的。 田知惠等了一会儿，见杨楝还在出神，不得不又问：“冯翰林的事……” “他啊……”杨楝回过神来，“据我想来，皇上冷落谢迁，还是为了规避外戚，总不能真是为了一个宫女吧。冯觉非可有透露，到底为什么要见我？” “他嘴紧得很。”田知惠苦笑。 “既是余先生的人，我可冷落不得。”杨楝道，“不要在海日阁……去阳台山吧，六月初十。” "yes." “去吧，别在这里耽搁太久——倒是连茶也没让你喝一盏。”他站起身，从袖中拿出两只粉青葫芦小瓶，递给田知惠：“快要入夏了，这是新配的清凉散，你用着试试。见到郑先生替我问好，请他得空时，再来陪我下盘棋。” 田知惠袖了药，临别时依旧道了声：“殿下珍重。” “嗯，彼此彼此。”他轻声说。 晚间又收到了坤宁宫送来的青藤纸，求一篇祝祷太后安康的青词。杨楝屏退侍从，静心思索，笔走龙蛇，一盏茶的工夫就拟好了。写毕又用楷书誊写了一遍。 打发走坤宁宫的内官，杨楝把田知惠送来的一匣书抱出来，慢慢翻开。翻到第三册，书页间飘出一张薄如蝉翼的信笺，上面蝇头小楷写得密密麻麻，无抬头，无具名，只有信纸背面用朱砂勾了淡淡一朵如意云纹，是余无闻与他约定的标记。 信中谈及海外风情，往来人物，江南局势，日常闲聊之外，并没有说什么特别的事情。他细细地读了一遍，仍觉不足，又读了两遍，才踱到灯台边，把信笺伸到烛火中。 火焰倏地张开，如一只大红蛱蝶在手中急剧地翻飞扑闪。他盯着那变幻不定的热烈色泽，心中亦燃起一点小小快意。 “殿下，烧着手了！”林夫人掀开珠帘，急急冲过来。 杨楝瞥了她一眼，冷冷道：“谁让你看的？” 林夫人一惊，不觉垂下头：“妾知罪。” 杨楝并不理她。他将那焦黑脆弱的蝴蝶投入熏笼之中，看着它瞬间飞灰烟灭。纸灰的草木气息，亦被冰凉如水的龙脑香气迅速淹没了。只有指尖残存的一点灼痛，提示那封海岛来信是真的存在过。