Chapter 10 Chapter Ten: Osmanthus Blossoms

Xiao Lianzi and Xiao Yunzi were puzzled by how lightly I let Huanbi go, and even Jinxi speculated.However, Huanbi became more diligent and careful in serving them, so they couldn't say much. Finally, one day, Jinxi took advantage of no one by my side and asked, "My lord doesn't seem to be prepared to do anything to Miss Huanbi." She hesitated a little, and said, "I'm afraid she will still be a confidant by my lord's side." At that time, the autumn light was just right, and the garden was full of flowers and the flowers had fallen.The green leaves had already been blown to a light yellow by the wind, even dyeing the thick moss on the rocks with a layer of light gold mist.Last year, the sweet osmanthus that the queen planted to congratulate me on entering the palace was in full bloom, and the whole Tangli Palace was filled with such an intoxicating sweet fragrance.I was reclining on the couch in the front porch of the dormitory, covered with a soft fur brocade cloak as red as the morning glow, watching Liu Zhu Huanbi from a distance leading the maid to pickle the newly picked crabapple fruit into candied fruit in the courtyard.

I lowered my head and drank the sweet-scented osmanthus wine, and said slowly: "If I want to get rid of her, I can borrow the hands of Concubine Hua. It's just that she is the person by my side after all, and I still have the affection I grew up with." See Jinxi Just silently, I said again: "She knows too much about me. If I kill everything, I will force her to jump over the wall. Now I cut her back, and I promise her what she wants most, so I can calm her down." Jinxi said: "Since the young master is sure, the servants will feel at ease." I smiled slightly, "It's true, I don't care about her one hundred and twenty times. She only thought that the incident that day was exposed by me because of Mihexiang, but she didn't know that I had already ordered people to pay attention to her whereabouts. Now , Xiao Lianzi was also ordered to keep an eye on her secretly, if she has another heart, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Jinxi smiled silently: "My servant has always thought that the young master is too kind and will cause endless troubles, but now it seems that this servant is worrying too much." I smiled and looked at her: "Jinxi. In terms of appropriateness, you are the first person by my side. It's just that I have been thinking, you and I have only been together for more than a year, why are you so devoted to me?" Jinxi also smiled, her eyes were calm: "Does the young master believe in the fate between people? This slave does." I laughed, "That's a good reason." I looked back at her: "Everyone has their own reasons for doing things, but no matter what the reasons are, it's good that your heart is loyal."

I yawned slightly. Since Concubine Hua was reprimanded by Xuan Ling, Feng Shuyi has become friendly with me day by day, and with the support of the queen behind me, my position with Ling Rong has gradually stabilized.However, Concubine Hua has been in the palace for a long time, and her influence is also intertwined. The family's influence should not be underestimated.For a while, the palace gradually became a confrontation.Evenly matched, the harem maintains a superficial calm and stability. It’s just that there is no evidence for what happened in Meizhuang, Liu Yu couldn’t find it for a long time, and Meizhuang couldn’t regain his freedom. Fortunately, Feng Shuyi and I tried our best to protect it, and Fang Ruo was also secretly careful, so the situation is not too hard.

In the cool season of autumn, even though a light unlined garment can't stop the coolness from blowing, it's still beautiful.It’s just that the feeling of coolness is not the shivering coldness, but a long-lost lightness and comfort after the heat subsides. Even the breathing is greedy. After taking a deep breath, it warms the chest cavity, which is warm and cool.Osmanthus seeds are in full bloom in the courtyard, and the sweet fragrance is like rain gradually falling, and it is as soft as a lover's hand gently stroking the temples and cheeks, making people unwilling to wake up.Yiyiran is lying under the west window, her hair is loose like black silk, and countless small sweet osmanthus seeds are like butterflies gently perching in her hair.

After taking a short nap, Jiang Zhongmin, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, came to pay his respects in person.After Huang Guiquan was punished, Jiang Zhongmin took over. He was in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs with one hand. He naturally understood who he was taking advantage of. He was so attentive to Tangli Palace and wanted to repay me for promoting him with all his heart. This time he came, but he was more excited than before, and carefully brought up a tray covered with red brocade.I couldn't help laughing: "It's such a big thing, hold it carefully like this."

He smiled happily: "The emperor specially bestowed it on the young master, and the young master will know it at a glance." On the base of the gilt tray is a pair of splendid and beautiful palace shoes, which make the precious light flow in front of your eyes.Rao Jinxi was well-informed, so she couldn't help being stunned. The vegetable jade used to make the shoe sole is a famous species of Lantian jade. It is emerald green, warm and delicate, and lined with various precious spices. On the tip of the shoe is a Hepu pearl the size of a thumb. It is round and huge and dazzling. Mixed with silk threads, gemstones and rice beads of various colors are embroidered into a pattern of mandarin duck and lotus.Forget about jewelry, the shoe uppers are actually made of Shu brocade embroidered with gold and crepe. Shu brocade has always been praised as "the shell brocade is made of Fei, and the river is full of colors", not to mention the Shu brocade of gold and embroidered crepe. Just get a horse, so luxurious and precious, the price of an inch can be compared with a bucket of gold.It has never been easy for a woman in the palace to even see it, let alone such a luxury as making shoes.

I accepted it with a smile, and couldn't help smiling: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward. It's just where did the Shu brocade come from. I remember that the tribute brocade in the middle of Shu had already arrived in February, and it was only given to the queen and the queen mother's palace. The new ones will arrive next year." Only in February." Jiang Zhongmin kowtowed and said: "This is the emperor's special favor for the young master. The prince of Qinghe left the palace for a trip to Sichuan, and when he saw a newly woven Sichuan brocade with a pattern, he was sent from thousands of miles away. Just this one, the emperor gave it to me." The Life Needle Work Bureau rushed out in a few days."

I said "oh", and then I remembered that King Qinghe left the palace to travel around after meeting in Taiyechi that day, counting the days, it has been more than a month.That's good, otherwise he often goes in and out of the palace, and he will always remind me of that jinying, and the emotion that I should avoid, although he never mentioned it. It's just that I'm afraid, afraid that such an unknown and embarrassing emotion will happen. So, I'd rather not see it.Not only "Mountain Ghost", but even Qu Yuan's "Li Sao", "Nine Songs" and "Mrs. Xiang" were shelved.

May everything be covered in dust like a book, and don't ask me to know more. However, after all, I can’t help thinking about what the continuous night rain in the Bashan Mountains in the middle of Sichuan is like, but I can only look at the confined square sky in a corner of the palace, holding a book of Li Yishan’s poems and silently imagining. In a blink of an eye, he got up with a smile, because he saw Xuan Ling who was stepping in behind Jiang Zhongmin, his complexion was very good, seeing that I was looking at the pair of jade shoes, and said with a smile: "Put it on and let me see."

I walked back to the back hall, Fang took off the silk shoes and put on jade shoes.Xuan Ling smiled: "Although a woman's feet are not allowed to be shown to anyone other than her husband, why do you have to be so careful?" I lowered my head and smiled: "Does it look good?" He praised it once, "It just fits your feet, it seems that I did not make a mistake." I looked up: "What?" He held me in his arms, "The people from Zhen Mingzhen Bureau made the shoes into four inches and two cents, it's true." I turned my head to think about it, and asked: "It seems that the concubine has never told the emperor about the size of the concubine's feet." He laughed in astonishment, "I have slept with you for many days, how could I not know this." He paused, "I specially asked the needleworkers in the embroidery courtyard to embroider into mandarin ducks..." He stopped and did not continue. I turned my head, the wind came in from the window, and the frost-like coolness in the air had penetrated into the autumn cold, my body trembled slightly, and I already understood his intentions for me. Not unimpressed.After returning from visiting Mei Zhuang, consciously or unconsciously, he alienated him a lot more than before.He would not have been unaware. He kissed my earlobe lightly, and sighed: "Huanhuan, I didn't make you unhappy, did I?" Outside the window, a few lupine maple leaves gradually condense into a thick red color like drunkenness, and no matter how far away, there is an impenetrable blue sky as high as a wall.I whispered: "No. The emperor didn't make the concubines unhappy." There was a little panic in his eyes, which seemed to be fear and eagerness, and he held my hand: "Huanhuan, I said that you can call me 'Shiro' when you are alone with me, have you forgotten?" I shook my head, "Huanhuan slipped her tongue. Huanhuan is just afraid." He stopped talking, just hugged me tightly, his body temperature dispelled a little autumn cold, and said softly: "Don't be afraid. I will give you what I promised you. Huanhuan, I will protect you." Recalling the apricot blossoms of that day, the soft words by the pillow, and the promises made in the royal study, my heart seemed to be hit softly by the warm spring breeze, and I almost shed tears. In the end, she still didn't shed tears, and stretched out her arms to hold his slender and warm neck. Perhaps, I am really an exception in his eyes.If there is so much love in these many pets, it is worth it. When the long night was frosty and foggy, I put on my clothes and stood up. The brilliant brilliance of the galaxy became more and more distinct in the quiet night. It seemed that the sky was full of bright diamonds. The bright brilliance was almost amazing.Xuan Ling hugged me tenderly, and cut the pair of bright candles under the west window with me.He said unintentionally: "The sky in Kyoto is clear and the stars are bright, but the sixth brother's letter said that it was rainy in Sichuan. Fortunately, the Bashan where he stayed had a beautiful view of rain at night, and it also comforted the stagnation of the journey." I smiled and said nothing, just leaning in Xuan Ling's arms.He Dang cut the candles in the west window together, but said that when it rains at night in Bashan, that is a beautiful sentence in the poem.Xuan Ling was silent, hugged me quietly, cast a soft shadow, overlapped with my shadow, as if it was a person.For a moment, my heart was touched softly, and I didn't want to think about the figure of Xiao Su who was tainted with Du Ruohua's fragrance, maybe he was in the night rain in Bashan at this time, and only thought at ease: Maybe Xuan Ling, he really likes me. This year's winter came very late, and it wasn't until December that there were several heavy snowfalls that it felt like a cold winter.The heavy snow continued for several days, like flying goose feathers.Standing at the window and admiring the snow scene for a long time, his eyes were slightly dizzy, he turned to Xuan Ling and said, "Si Lang originally intended to plant white plums in the Tangli Palace, but it's a pity that when the snow fell, it merged with the snow scene, so I couldn't tell .” He said casually: "What's the problem? If you like Hongmeizhen, then let someone go and transplant some jade pistil sandalwood hearts leaning on the plum garden into your palace." He stopped writing and looked up: "Ai! Did you let me I have no distractions in copying, but why do I talk to disturb my mind?" I couldn't help laughing, and said: "Where is there such a sloppy person, it's fine if you don't concentrate, but rely on others." He smiled when he heard the words, "If I hadn't lost three chess moves with you last night, I wouldn't have to be punished here today." I softly said: "How can Shiro break his promise in front of a little girl like me." I sat down again and smiled softly: "Okay, didn't I also tailor clothes for you as a gift for the winter solstice Is it?" He gently stroked my temple hair, "It's fine to break my promise, I just copied it three times for your own tailoring." I giggled and shot him a sideways glance: "You said it yourself, don't go back on your word." For a whole day, he copied all the poems about plum blossoms in the past for me. I just sat beside him and cut a pajamas for him in winter. Outside the hall, fluff and cotton were pulled, falling silently.The servants were dispatched early, and the two sat together, and the red gold carved cauldron on the ground was burning with a hundred and one incense sticks, which spread quietly into the depths of the Nuan Pavilion.Baihexiang is made from the powder of more than 20 spices such as agarwood and clove, sprinkled with wine to soften it, and mixed with white honey. It is specially used for Dongyue.Smell carefully, there is an intoxicating warm fragrance.Coupled with the heat from the ground kang stove, the pavilion is even more warm and fragrant, as if you are in the sea of ​​flowers in Shanglin Garden in Sanchun. The use of Baihe incense began in the Three Kingdoms period, and the method of making it has been lost after several times, and it is very rare in the palace. The ones used in the Tangli Palace are all from the mausoleum.Lingrong's father, An Bihuai, used to run a spice business before becoming an official, and obtained many secret recipes for making incense.Ling Rong knows that I have always loved incense, so he often comes to my palace to discuss with me, and we have a very happy chat.After several trials, a new recipe for making Baihexiang was made. There are large windows facing south in the Nuan Pavilion, pasted with bright paper, the blue-white snow light outside penetrates, illuminating the whole hall brightly.He and I faced each other quietly, so quiet that I could hear the occasional "peeling" of the top-quality red charcoal in the charcoal basin, and the bubbling of hot air, and even the sound of snowflakes flying outside the window was clear to my ears. The kang cage in the pavilion was too warm, which made people sweat a little. He held the needle and thread for a long time, and his fingers were slightly astringent. He was afraid that the bright yellow silk and satin he used would be stained with sweat, so he called Jingqing to wash his hands with water. Turning his head to Xuan Ling, he smiled and said, "Huanhuan can make the pajamas, but I have to push away the coiled dragon pattern used here. Huanhuan's embroidery skills are really not as good as An Meiren's, so it's better to let her embroider." ,OK?" Xuan Ling said: "This hypocritical thing, since I have promised it, I have to do half of it and shirk what to do for others. I don't want others to intervene." I stammered, "I'm going to put my ugly words up front, if the stitches are too thick and uncomfortable, don't blame Huanhuan for her clumsy hands and feet." I wiped it with a towel in Jingqing's hands, and then rewound the veil and handed it to Xuan Ling to wipe his face, but he didn't reach out to take it, just smiled: "You come." I had no choice but to walk over and said with a smile: "Okay, today I will be the emperor's little maid to serve the emperor, okay?" He couldn't help laughing: "It's so naughty." He wrote for a long time, fine beads of sweat appeared in his hair, I wiped it for him carefully, and said, "Changing to another clothes, this robe seems to be too thick." He shook my hand and pursed his lips with a smile: "I don't know how hot I am just writing for you." My ears couldn't help but I glanced at Jing Qing and said, "There is someone here, so I'm not afraid of embarrassment." Jingqing tried her best to hold back the smile on her face, turned her head and pretended not to see her.He just gave a "chi" smile, and was led by Xiao Yunzi to change clothes in the inner hall. I walked to the case and put the transcribed papers aside for Xuan Ling.I was flipping through the pages with my head down, when I suddenly heard a burst of crisp laughter like a silver bell approaching the door. Just as he was about to go out to see what happened, the heavy brocade curtain was lifted, and a gust of cold wind came towards his eyes accompanied by bell-like laughter.Chun'er held a bouquet of red plums in her hands, and stood in front of me pretty, unable to hide her joy and pride, shouted: "Sister Zhen, Chun'er is going to lean on the freshly picked red plums in the plum garden, look at them and be happy Not happy?" She rushed in like a gust of wind, and Jinxi, who was chasing after her, turned pale in anxiety, she stomped her feet and retracted her hands while breathing, and said, "Sister, it's so warm here, it's going to freeze people outside. " Before I signaled her to silence, Xuan Ling had already walked over from the inner hall.Chun'er was startled when she first saw Xuan Ling, but she wasn't scared either.Xingren's big eyes were like two pills of black mercury soaked in white mercury, and when he turned around, he already smiled and saluted: "The emperor sees the plum blossoms that my concubine picked for my sister, okay?" Because it is common in my palace on weekdays, and Chun'er is extremely innocent and cheerful.Seeing that it was her, Xuan Ling was not surprised, and said with a smile, "You have intentions. Your sister was talking about seeing Hongmei, so you came here." He said with a smile, "Chun Changzai seems to have grown a lot taller. .” Chun'er turned her head sideways, "The emperor forgot that the concubine will be fifteen years old after the new year." Xuan Ling said: "That's right, your sister Zhen was only fifteen when she entered the palace." I said: "Don't just talk, Chun'er should also brush off the snow on his body, don't turn around and catch the cold, don't cry when taking medicine." Jinxi has already taken the red brocade that Chun'er took off Fur cloak.I saw that her small stature had grown quite a bit, and the carmine red warm jacket lined up her figure well, and the treasure pattern on the clothes was embroidered with golden brown, bright green, royal blue and other colors. A mass of joy, against the round face, looks very delicate. She is not afraid of Xuan Ling, she just jokes around, and Xuan Ling likes her innocence.Although he was not fortunate to Xuan Ling, he was familiar with him. Chun'er smiled, and the jadeite pendant on her earlobe was shaking like drops of water, "Don't my sister have a white porcelain ice-patterned vase, which is the best for plum blossoms." While talking, she smiled and went to get the vase to put plum blossoms in. Chun'er's plum blossoms are either in buds like pearls, or in two or three petals. The branches are strong and powerful, solitary and cut like a brush.The three of them watched and commented together for a while, Chun'erfang sat down on the scorpion leaning on the charcoal basin, with all kinds of delicate pastries in front of her, with a happy face, she slowly picked out the one she liked and ate it. I ate snacks with Xuan Ling, and stood beside him to sharpen his ink and brush.In the warm atmosphere of the pavilion, he is only wearing the homely clothes of peacock blue flat gold satin and tufted dragon. True color.I am also dressed in a homely way, a pearl-pink velvet embroidered jacket, combed loosely into a precariously falling pony bun, and obliquely holding a red gold flat hairpin, without any beads. It is full and round in the black ink.Xuan Ling took the pen in his hand and wrote two or three characters. When he looked up, he saw a little ink splashed on the back of my hand, so he picked up the plain silk from the case and wiped it off for me.It's so natural, it seems like I'm used to it. I just lowered my eyebrows and smiled mildly, without saying a word. Chun'er had half a piece of steamed cheese with sugar in her mouth, and she forgot to eat the other half in her hand. She just stared at the expressions of Xuan Ling and me, laughed for a long time, clapped her hands and said, "I didn't understand it at first." Why do you always see the emperor and his elder sister looking familiar? It turned out that the elder sister and brother-in-law of the concubine also looked like this when they were at home. One was grinding ink, the other was writing, and they didn't speak for a long time. I was so bored and panicked just looking at it... ..." Hearing her unrestrained speech, I was embarrassed, so I interrupted quickly: "So you are so bored, you blame me and the emperor for ignoring you. Alright, I will come to talk with you after I finish grinding the ink." Chun'er raised her head, but she still wanted to continue talking even though I couldn't stop her from speaking. I hurried over and poured tea for her: "I've eaten so many snacks, let's drink some water to moisten my mouth." On the other side, Xuanling opened his mouth, "Huanhuan and you too, why don't you let Chun'er finish talking." He looked at Chun'er with a smile on his face and said, "Just keep talking." I stomped my feet and turned my head away in embarrassment to ignore them.With Xuan Ling's encouragement, Chun'er became more interested and said, "Chenqie's elder sister and brother-in-law are on good terms even though they don't talk, and they never blush. Chenqie's mother said this is... this is..." She Thinking hard, blushing, finally remembering, said excitedly: "Yes, the concubine's mother said this is 'the joy of the boudoir'." I was ashamed and anxious when I heard it, and turned my head and said: "Chun'er is young, so I don't know where I heard the stupid words, just talking nonsense." I reproached, "Your Majesty, you still spoil her so blindly, it's getting more and more serious." Indulge her." Chun'er couldn't help being wronged, she pouted and said: "Where is it that I am talking nonsense, it is obviously my mother who said it. Your Majesty, do you think that my concubine is talking nonsense?" Xuan Ling smiled so much that he almost leaned over the desk, and said again and again: "Of course not. How could you be talking nonsense, it's very good words." Then he took my hand, "Zhen and Jieyu should be like this." His hand was extremely warm, holding my fingers warmly.I smiled slightly, my heart was peaceful and joyful.