Chapter 28 Chapter 28 Autumn Eve (Part 2)

The concubine shook my hand and said: "It's getting cold at night, the mountain is no better than anywhere else, if you feel cold, why don't we go in." I laughed and said, "Why is it cold? It's just that it's boring to sit on the stone bench all the time." Cumulus laughed and said, "If my lady feels bored, why don't you sit on the steps with our concubine, I'll clean it up." The concubine looked at me with a smile, and said to Cumulus, "Huan'er was born in a boudoir, so she's as informal as we used to be when we were barbarians. I'm afraid I'm not used to it."

I got up and took Concubine Shu Gui's hand and walked to the stone steps together. Without brushing the dust, I sat down on the steps directly and said: "I used to read Du Mu's "Autumn Evening" at home, and said it was "Silver Candle" Autumn light cold painting screen, Qingluo small fan fluttering fireflies, the sky is as cool as water at night, sit and watch Altair Vega'. Today’s night is as cool as water, although it is not as luxurious as silver candle autumn light cold painting screen, nor is Qingluo small fan fluttering fireflies Elegant, but I and the concubine have the same feeling of sitting and watching the Altair and Vega, there is no half difference." I smiled and said: "Sitting on the steps and watching it, the view is much wider than on the stone bench."

Cumulus just smiled: "Is what I said, Concubine, right? The lady has never been that petty and hypocritical, she is also a sweetheart." The concubine nodded with a smile and said: "That's right. Otherwise, how could you have hit it off with me like this." She smiled and said: "What you read just now seems to be the first palace poem." I nodded, "Toffee said yes." She frowned and thought for a while, then said: "I used to live in the palace, and I often heard palace maids recite such palace poems. There is a song that is often recited by the current Empress Dowager. It has been a long time, and I don't remember it very clearly. It's vaguely like "the king's kindness flows eastward like water, and the worries of being favored and losing favor are lost." We Baiyi women only know folk songs, but don't learn poetry, and these are only slowly learned after entering the palace."

I was secretly startled, it must be quite sad for the Queen Mother to read such a poem.Presumably, after Concubine Shu Gui entered the palace, she was lonely in the palace and felt very self-pity. My smile faded away, and I said with emotion: "The kindness of the king flows eastward like water, and the sorrow of being favored is replaced by the sorrow of losing favor. But all women in the palace probably have such sadness." The concubine smiled brightly, and said: "I never have." Seeing that I didn't seem to believe it, she said: "Although the emperor's heart is easy to change, the late emperor has never treated me like this." She paused, "Not to mention whether Jun'en is really like flowing water, even if there is a day, I will not have the slightest sorrow, because in my heart, I only remember the late emperor wholeheartedly. No matter whether he favors me or not, whether he can still love me, he is in my heart In my eyes, I was the young emperor when I first met. And the late emperor treated me the same way, so I firmly believe in the saying that love is stronger than gold."

I saw her look intoxicated, and my heart suddenly cleared up. There used to be rumors in the former palace that only Concubine Shu Gui was favored by the late emperor's private chamber, and she was the most favored among the six palaces.I always thought it was just an ordinary relationship between a king and a concubine.But it turned out that Concubine Shu Gui and the late Emperor both had a heart of innocence, like a husband and wife, so their love is stronger than gold. Such affection, I was almost moved to tears.So she lowered her head slightly to hide her tears, thought about taking over what the concubine had just said, and said, "This sentence seems to be Li Yishan's "Gongci". The wind is only at the west end of the hall'."

The song "Flowers Falling" was also sung in the palace before, it seemed like An Lingrong, sitting beside Xuanling at the banquet in the main hall, singing loudly with her throat open.I really don't remember which banquet it was. It still seemed that it was not An Lingrong, but me playing "Flowers Falling" in Tangli Palace, as if Xuan Ling was watching me with a smile beside me when I was playing. The song "Flowers Falling", also known as "Plum Blossoms Falling", is the name of the flute song in Yuefu Hengfeng.The prelude to "Flowers Falling" is a piece of music that is indispensable in the peaceful years of accompanying the king to feast and have fun.

I sadly recalled that when the spring breeze played "Plum Blossom Falling" proudly before the king's banquet that day, how could I ever think that when a cool breeze blows in the future, I would also become one of the withered flowers.But today the spring breeze is proud, and the one who is still fluttering in the wind on the branches is probably her An Lingrong. The grace of the king is like flowing water, which flows indefinitely, and the east and west are self-directed. The favor and loss of concubines also change accordingly, only in the day and night.Today the favor of the king flows like water, and it will pass away like water tomorrow; if the concubine is favored today, she will fall out of favor tomorrow;Therefore, in that court, regardless of falling out of favor or gaining favor, waiting for a beautiful future is almost unfortunate.

On the contrary, although I am surrounded by bamboo fences in thatched huts, I have achieved great relief. Seeing me pondering, the concubine took my hand and said, "Huan'er, how did you spend Qixi Festival when you were in your boudoir?" I held a bunch of grapes in my hand, peeled them one by one, and said with a smile: "In the past, at home, the old mother would always tell us stories. In fact, she repeated them over and over again, that is, the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meeting in the Milky Way. After dinner , when it gets dark, I will play a begging game with the sisters in the boudoir. First, I want to eat Qiaofan, and several female relatives get together to eat dumplings made early in the morning. In fact, a copper coin, a needle or It is a red date, which needs to be wrapped in three dumplings. Before begging for cleverness, eat one each, and see what you eat. If you eat money, you will be blessed. If you eat needles, you will get married early. Then Well, it is necessary to offer offerings to Zhinu, using fresh fruits in season, such as lotus pods, white lotus root, red water chestnut, and grapes, and then burning incense and praying sincerely, hoping to find a good husband and bless myself in the future You can be ingenious, and everything goes well. After burning incense, the girls have to "fight skillfully" against the moon to pray for Zhinu to bestow skill; If you can pierce seven pinholes in one breath, you are called skillful, and you are called a "skillful hand". If you can't pierce seven pinholes, you are called "lost skillful", and you will be embarrassed by scratching your nose. Or what? , Catch a spider, put it in the box, and open the box the next day if it has already spun a web, it is called a coincidence." I giggled and said, "But spiders are hard to catch, and we are afraid of getting dirty, so we seldom look for them. "

In the past, every year in the boudoir, I always played this kind of game with Meizhuang, Caiyue, Huanbi, Liuzhu, Ping'er or other sisters.I often look forward to Qixi Festival before June, counting the days on my fingers day by day.You can have fun all night on this day, and the wet nurse who is usually strict in admonishment and follows every step of the way will not come to discipline and interfere. By the way, on the day of Qixi Festival, there are still "begging for clever fruits". Huanbi's hands are the most skillful. With ordinary oil, noodles, sugar, and honey, he can make all kinds of delicate and lovely fruits. The taste is sweet and delicious. Not tired of eating.

Such a good time is actually just a flick of a finger, and it will never come back. What I didn't say is that in the past in the court, my Qixi Festival was just to accompany the king, feasting and singing.This kind of festival is always full of singing and singing every night, intoxicating every night, and is endlessly extravagant. Thinking of this, I feel a little sad in my heart, and I also feel a little sad about the past. Concubine Shu Gui pointed to the cumulus cloud and said with a smile: "We used to be in Baiyi. The women in Baiyi love to sing and dance the most. The Qixi Festival is actually a night when men and women in the clan sing to each other. They often light a night by the river. Holding a bonfire, men and women sing love songs to each other across the river. If the two are happy, the man will cross the river and pull the woman's hand and dance in front of the tribe to show that his love will never change in the future. "

Baiyi men and women have always been single-minded in love, and the folk customs are simple and unrestrained. No matter men, women, young or old, they are frank and unrestrained by nature, and they can pursue the person they like without any scruples. Pay attention to the orders of parents and the words of matchmakers. I let out a "huh" and said curiously, "If it rains that day, wouldn't it be impossible to light a bonfire or sing a song?" Concubine Shu Gui seems to be infinitely fond of those years. "The Baiyi people call the rain that falls on the Qixi Festival 'Lovesickness Rain' or 'Lovesickness Tears', because it is caused by the meeting of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, so it is also called Happy Rain. If it rains like this , then the bonfire meeting will naturally be postponed. Moreover, there are always very few magpies on Qixi Festival, and the elders in the clan say that they all went to the sky to build magpie bridges." I just think this statement is interesting, "Do people in Baiyi also say that the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, and the magpie build bridges?" "It didn't exist in the earliest days, and later the Baiyi and the Central Plains communicated, and this legend gradually came into being." Concubine Shu Gui remembered the interesting incident, and her smile stretched even more. "This night, many girls who were not yet old enough to sing songs A person hides secretly under the luxuriant pumpkin shed. It is said that if you can hear the whispers of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl when they meet in the dead of night, then the girl to be married will be able to find a loyal love in the future, and she will be with the man she loves forever. old." I covered my mouth and smiled and said, "This is really a lie. How can anyone overhear the whispers of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl when they meet? The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl are all busy reuniting on the magpie bridge. How can they have the time to come to the world?" Concubine Shu Gui laughed and said: "Where is it really Cowherd and Weaver Girl? They are just whispering to men and women who have succeeded in singing and hiding behind their backs." I heard it was interesting, and I pursed my lips and smiled.Cumulus Yun stopped washing clothes, and came over to make fun of him: "Also, we have to get up early on the morning of July 7th, because the old people in the clan said that the seven fairies will go down to take a bath on that day, and drinking their bath water can ward off evil spirits." Curing diseases and prolonging life. This kind of water is called "Shuangqishui". Because of such benefits, people rushed to the river to get water when the rooster just crowed on this day, and filled it with new urns after getting it back. Get up and save it for later to drink slowly." Cumulus looked at Concubine Shu Gui with a smile, and said: "The concubine used to be the most naughty, she got up the earliest in the morning, and she took me first to fetch water from the river." Concubine Shu Gui smiled and said: "It's hard for you to remember the old things when you were young, so you can make fun of them." Cui Yun laughed loudly and said, "Young things are often the most careless things. Later in the palace, how can I be so comfortable." Concubine Shu Gui was in a daze, and seemed to have a ray of sadness that seemed to be joyful and sad.However, it was still so faint, like the thin mist before the sun in the morning. She said: "Afterwards, every Qixi Festival in the palace was spent with me by the late emperor. The two of you should be quiet and drink tea for a while." , talk for a while. Or, I played "Long Lovesickness" and the first emperor played "Long Xiangshou". It's very good to play a piece like this, and just look at each other quietly. It's just... the first emperor has gone, only I, a widow, am still living in the world. I wonder if the late emperor felt lonely in Jiuquan because he didn't have my company?" I know that Concubine Shu Gui was sad about the death of the late emperor, and comforted her: "If the concubine died with her own body when the late emperor passed away, the late emperor would not be able to be at peace in the fear of Jiuquan. The late emperor loved the concubine so much, so naturally he hoped that the concubine would be with Qing After the late emperor passed away, he can still live well, and live with peace of mind and joy.” Concubine Shu Gui just stared at the distant dark sky in a daze. After a long time, she sighed wistfully, and said sadly: "If it wasn't for my help, I'm afraid that my withered body would have gone with the late emperor long ago." I thought for a while, and said with concentration: "Since the concubine has a last resort, please live a good life for this last resort and for the sake of Qing. Huan'er knows that without the concubine, even if Qing gets any happiness, she will eventually be frustrated and boring for the rest of her life." of." Concubine Shu Gui suddenly turned around, took a deep look at me, her expression gradually became kind, and said softly: "Huan'er, Qing'er is his greatest blessing to have you." My heart skipped a beat, my face was hot, so I pulled my knees together as a salute, and said sincerely: "It is Huan'er's greatest blessing to meet Qing." Concubine Shu Gui hurriedly helped me up and let out a long sigh of relief, her eyes were full of love and kindness. I saw the moon in the sky, and it was getting late, so I got up to say goodbye and leave. Although the moonlight is clear, the stars are also dazzling and shining like diamonds.However, it was the first quarter moon after all, and it was not enough to illuminate the road, so I took a small lantern and walked back slowly. The moonlight is shrouded in light white mist, the mountain road is rugged, and there are many boulders. I also walked carefully, and occasionally heard some birds flying past, and suddenly flew high with a "chirp", which was very loud and harsh in the empty mountain . Although I am familiar with this road, I am always careful.I was walking concentrating on it, and suddenly there was a "slap" behind me, and someone's hand patted my shoulder.The shadows of the surrounding mountains were dim, and the strange rocks were as jagged as beasts. My heart beat wildly, and I cried out—"Who is it?!" Facing him was a pair of smiling eyes, so familiar and warm, my heart suddenly settled down, surprised and happy, I threw myself into his arms and said, "Why are you here?" It was Ah Jin who smiled and said: "There was a banquet in the palace, but our prince pretended to be drunk, so the emperor told him to send him back to the mansion quickly. After entering the mansion, seeing the people in the palace leave, the wine also woke up immediately. Alright, hurry up here." Seeing Ah Jin there, I quickly ran out of Xuanqing's arms and straightened my clothes.I was happy in my heart, but I said angrily: "Madman, the night road in the mountains is the worst." He approached me and whispered in his ear, "I want to see you." I blushed, turned my head and spat: "If you want to see me, you're coming, what's the point if you don't come? Is there anyone waiting for you?" He pinched my ears and said with a smile: "Of course you're not waiting for me - you won't lie, your ears are so hot." I was about to argue, when I suddenly remembered what happened just now, I slapped him on the shoulder, and said, "Why did you scare me like that just now? You scared me to death." He chuckled: "There is no one who walks with such concentration as you. He only looks at the road, and he doesn't even know that I am walking behind." I didn't bother to talk to him, just said Ah Jin, "You don't learn well, you just mess around with your master." Ah Jin asked for forgiveness, and said with a playful smile: "My lady, don't be angry, it's just because our prince came out so late." I chuckled and said softly, "Who is angry?" Only then did Xuan Qing say: "I don't feel at ease if you walk alone, so I followed you." I couldn't help but smile at the corner of my mouth, and said in a low voice: "Of course I understand." Then I asked: "Do you still want to go to Anqi Temple? First go to the concubine and ask for peace." With a "hmm", he handed the lantern in his hand to Ah Jin, and said, "Send the lady back in person, and I'll go pay my respects to the concubine first." He looked at me with joy in his eyes, and said softly, "Wait for me return." I lowered my head shyly, and said softly, "Okay." Then he went to Anqi Temple alone, and saw that he was walking far away step by step, so Ah Jin and I slowly went to our place.