Chapter 12 Chapter Twelve

After Mei Zhuang and Ling Rong left, Tangli Palace became lively again.The bustle started when the emperor's rich and exquisite rewards entered my palace one by one. Because of the emperor's intervention, the bustle was far better than when I entered the palace. My sudden promotion and favor caused a great shock and shock to this seemingly calm harem, and aroused the curiosity of countless people who usually had nothing to do, so much so that Yu Yu, who was demoted almost at the same time as I was promoted. The story of changing clothes was quickly obliterated like a dead leaf caught in the turbulent waves. Except for a few people, no one cared about her existence any more. .And the curiosity of the people in the harem flowed into my palace in the form of gifts and visits accompanied by envy and jealousy, which made me overwhelmed.

At dusk, the emperor finally issued a decree, asking me to close the door and thank all guests except him and the imperial physician to recuperate.Finally got a temporary leisure again. I made a very important decision in this strange and short-lived hustle and bustle full of curiosity, hostility and flattery.I decided to accept the emperor's favor with a fighting attitude, and dedicate my affection and admiration to him.I don't know if this is a road full of dangers and thorns.But that beautiful spring afternoon and Emperor Xuanling's smile opened another door for me, that is a world full of temptation and beauty, which I have never touched, although it is also full of swords, swords, shadows and poison The scent of powder, but I can't stop my yearning for it.

That night I stood in front of the mirror for a long time, and the only thing I did was to shut myself in the back hall alone, then lit the red candles in the room, and looked at myself in the mirror.I put on the most beautiful clothes and the most gorgeous jewelry, and I put them on and off one by one.I stared at my beautiful young face and body in the mirror, and suddenly wondered whether I would live my whole life in silence and die of old age in this deep and silent palace.This reminds me of two idioms I once saw in a book, called "Admiring the solitary beauty, pitying the shadows."

The appearance of Xuan Ling made me suddenly fall in love with the wonderful poems about love in Heyuefu.Even though I decided to stifle my thoughts about him after thinking he was King Qinghe, I couldn't stifle my imagination.In my imagination, the heroes and heroines of those beautiful love stories have all become me and him.In those few days, I have been wondering whether this kind of imagination will last my whole life and become the only joy in my dull and boring life; sometimes, I wonder whether Wen Shichu's presumptuous proposal and this bright spring will become my only pleasure. Something to remember and never forget.I even thought, if, as Mei Zhuang said, relying on the power of the emperor, can my family have a better future, and my life will become more meaningful because of his maybe rare or thick favor.

I found something long dormant in my body and face, and now I found it stirring.Well, they think the same as me. Now that the decision has been made, then I want the best opening, let me step by step into the bloody place of the harem. I put on my clothes one by one very solemnly, and when I opened the door, my expression was the same as usual, and I said to Xiao Lianzi: "Go to Tai Hospital and invite Mr. Wen to come." Wen Shichu arrived faster than ever before.I dismissed everyone except Liu Zhu Huanbi.Seeing his eager expression, I knew he had heard about it. Palace affairs, ups and downs, honors and disgraces, are always short-term and fastest-running. They can spread to every corner of the palace, and even the tiniest door cracks hide warm rumors and gossip.

I cut to the chase and said, "I can't hide." His expression dimmed in an instant, and in an instant his eyes were ignited again, and he said: "You can express your feelings to the emperor, saying that the young master's body is really not suitable for serving you." I looked at him: "What if the emperor sends other imperial physicians to treat me? My body is only sick because of the medicine, and the inside is fine. If it is found out, do you want my head? You and I are full of people." Do you still want my head?!" His mouth opened slightly, but in the end he didn't say anything, his gaze was as dull as a dead fish.

I glanced at him and said lightly, "What's your opinion, Mr. Wen?" He stood up silently, bowed and said: "Minister, but according to the orders of the young concubine Guan." I said gently: "Your Majesty Wen is polite. I still need your support, otherwise the harem is always a trap, and Huan'er is really walking on thin ice." Wen Shichu said: "The minister will not change his original intention, and will do his best to protect the young master." I smiled and said: "That's good. Please Mr. Wen cure Huan'er's illness, but not too quickly, it will take one month."

"The minister will gradually reduce the amount of the medicine, and then add some tonics at the right time, it will be fine." Huanbi sent him out, and Liu Zhu said: "Since Miss is interested in the emperor, why don't you recover from your illness early? Is it because you are afraid that you will be suspicious if you show too much trace?" I nodded and said: "This is one of them. What is more important is the emperor's thoughts. If my illness recovers too quickly, I will inevitably lose my urgency. You have to know that for a man, the harder it is to get, the more he cherishes and let go No problem, not to mention that he is the emperor, and he has never seen any woman before. If I let him get what he wants like other women, it will only be too early to satisfy him and he will lose interest in me. If it takes too long, it is because the emperor's appetite has been hung for a long time It's easy to get nauseated; besides, time is the most precious thing when the harem is competing for favor. If someone else takes the lead in this time, it will be too late to regret."

Liu Zhu nodded secretly: "The servant has made a note." I wondered: "What do you write down?" Liu Zhu blushed, and murmured: "Your maidservant will also learn this art of controlling her husband after she gets married." I gasped with laughter: "This damn girl, she already wants to have a husband-in-law at a very young age." Liu Zhu turned around and said: "Miss, why are you like this, you laugh at me when people say something personal to you." I forcefully stopped laughing: "Okay, okay, I'm not laughing at you, I will definitely point you to a good marriage in the future, and fulfill your long-cherished wish."

The next day, Huang Guiquan, the head of the House of Internal Affairs, personally brought a group of eunuchs and court ladies to my palace for me to choose.Seeing me, he kowtowed and laughed, "Master Wan is auspicious!" I smiled and said: "Mr. Huang's memory is wrong. I am still a concubine, so I can only be called 'Little Master', and I must not be called 'Master'." Huang Guiquan slammed the door shut, and said with a sneer: "Look at this servant's memory. But the servant feels that the young master is so blessed that it will be a matter of time before he becomes the master, so he rushed to congratulate the young master in advance. "

I smiled and said: "I know your intentions are good. But others who don't know will think that you have been the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for so many years and still don't understand the rules. It would be bad if you caught your pigtails. There is no need to let people see Let me be frivolous and presumptuous." After finishing his speech, Huang Guiquan hurriedly kowtowed his head and said, "Yes, yes, my servant has remembered the teaching of the young master." I ordered Huang Guiquan to get up, he bowed his waist, his face was covered with a cautious and ingratiating smile, and said respectfully: "My lord, these court ladies and internal eunuchs are all carefully selected, and they are all top-notch. My son, please choose eight inner eunuchs and six maids." I swept through the crowed crowd underground, and carefully selected a dozen or so people who were handsome, honest, and agile, and said to Xiao Yunzi and Jinxi: "That's all, take them down and teach them well." Huang Guiquan saw that Xiao Yunzi was leading the people down, and pointed to a little eunuch kneeling behind him with an apologetic smile and said, "I am a fool. Because I was busy with the trivial matters of the House of Internal Affairs a few days ago, I painted the tables and chairs in the little lord's palace. That matter was pointed out to Xiao Luzi. Who knows that this dog slave is not paying attention to the matter, and has completely forgotten about it. The slave Tete brought him here to plead guilty to the young master, and ask the young master to forgive him." Before I could answer, Pei'er saw that the tassels hanging from Ruyi Pei on my skirt were messed up by the wind, and squatted down to tidy them up for me, saying: "We don't dare to accept Huang Gonggong's plea, how can we bear it? No, I heard some words behind my back that I shouldn't have heard, which made people panic!" I reprimanded: "The more I don't understand the rules, what nonsense!" Seeing me speak, Pei'er immediately fell silent and dared not speak even though she was annoyed. Huang Guiquan was overwhelmed by Pei'er, his face was embarrassed, he could only smile and said: "Look at what Miss Pei said, it's all slaves who teach the people below to be useless." I smiled and said: "My father-in-law speaks seriously. My father-in-law manages the affairs of the house of internal affairs. There are hundreds of things every day, and the people below are negligent for a while. How can I say sorry. It's just that the maids around me are ignorant. The father-in-law laughed." Huang Guiquan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and said: "Where is it? Thank you, my master, for your forgiveness. In the future, the servants will definitely be more attentive to serving the young master." He laughed again: "The servant has already brought a new table, and I will return it to you. I hope the young master will not find it crude when using it." I nodded and said, "Thank you for thinking in your heart. Let's go." Seeing that I had nothing else to say, Huang Guiquan told An Dao: "Miss Concubine Guan has nothing else to do, so I'm going down now. I wish you all good health and concubine Guan." Seeing Huang Gui all go out.I lowered my face and scolded Pei'er: "Why are you so impetuous?! I'm not careful in my words." The first time Pei'er saw me speak harshly to her, she couldn't help feeling afraid, she hurriedly knelt down and whispered: "It's just that Huang Guiquan will play against the wind, and he used to deduct the young master's expenses all the way, but now seeing the young master is favored Blindly taking other people to take the blame..." "Why don't I know? I know in my heart that I just need to be on guard. If I tear up my face in front of this, he is also the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. If such a thing spreads, it will only make people laugh at us for being stingy and frivolous, and let the truth be in vain." I said Sighing slightly: "I know you're doing it for my own good, but you shouldn't fight for a moment. I've seen a lot of things with red tops and whites. Everyone in the palace knows how to do it, not just him and Huang Guiquan." Pei'er lowered her head, her face was ashamed, and she said in a low voice: "Your servant knows it's wrong." "It's good to remember. But it's good for you to warn that slave, it will also make him afraid, but you must not lose your sense of proportion in everything." I called Jinxi over and said, "Go and tell the people below, don't show your arrogance, and don't mess up your address. I'm afraid someone is trying to catch our fault." Jinxi replied "yes", and said: "There is something I want to tell the young master." "you say." "Huang Guiquan is a distant relative of Concubine Hua..." I raised my hand to signal her not to continue, "I see. I was just about to tell you about this. Although I personally selected these new inner eunuchs, they were all sent from outside. You and Xiao Yunzi Put all your energy into watching me, and don't allow them to do anything. In addition, they are only assigned to do rough work, and I will still be served by you guys." Jinxi said: "Your servant and Eunuch Yun must be careful." I asked, "Is today's medicine ready? Let Liu Zhu bring it in for me to drink." Ever since Xuanling personally cared about my condition, the imperial hospital was even more cautious and did not dare to be negligent. Wen Shichu would come to my palace every day to ask for my pulse. No one else is allowed to intervene in the dosage of the medicine, and reduce it bit by bit as appropriate, and personally adjust the dosage of my medicine before handing it over to the maid to fry.At the same time, I take care of me with tonics that do not conflict with each other. The emperor will come to see me every other day, and he is very happy to see that my spirit is gradually recovering and my face is turning red. One morning, as soon as I got up, the eunuch next to the emperor sent a message with a beaming face, saying that the emperor would come to see me in the morning and asked me to get ready. Jing Qing said: "The emperor is coming here, please don't change into bright clothes to pick him up, how about a maidservant to help you make a spring bun?" I just smiled and didn't answer, and turned to ask Jinxi: "Isn't most concubines in the palace dressed in gorgeous makeup?" "Yes. The women in the palace face saints, and to please the emperor, they are naturally extremely gorgeous." I nodded with a smile and asked Huanbi to fetch the clothes.The light green silver-patterned blouse embroidered with butterflies has only one sleeve made wider than usual, rustling in the wind.The waist is tightly tucked, and underneath is a long dress with light yellow embroidered with white magnolia.She wears a simple peach heart bun, wearing only a few stars of milky white pearl wreaths, which reflect the black and green luster of the clouds, and a thin strand of silver tassel hangs from a slanted emerald hairpin. Jingqing tentatively said: "The young master is very beautifully dressed, but she is a little plain." I just smiled, "That's good." The women in the palace always competed in front of the emperor, showing extravagance, and I only dressed in a simple and elegant way, which could make him feel refreshed. Dress up and dress up, and the emperor will arrive in a short while.I greeted him early in front of the palace gate and saluted him with a smile.He supported me and said: "It's windy outside, why did you come out. Come in with me." I thanked me and stood up. When Xuan Ling saw my clothes, his eyes lit up, and he said with a smile, "Hibiscus comes out of clear water, and it can be carved naturally. My concubine Guan is really different." Hearing his approval, I felt joy in my heart, and said shyly: "The emperor doesn't dislike the quality of his concubine Pu Liu." After entering the hall and sitting down, a little court lady had already prepared a brocade mat and spread it on the Panlong throne, and burned a handful of Ruinaoxiang tributed by Xiyue in the copper furnace of gold and Persian Wennuel beside the seat. The light smoke of the smoke is submerged in the air, and the room is full of fragrance.When I saw Xuan Ling sitting down, I sat down on the rosewood chair beside him. Xuanling nodded slightly and said: "This fragrance is very good. I am dizzy after listening to the courtier's memorial all morning." I pursed my lips and smiled, it seems that I was prepared correctly. I said softly: "The emperor came to see my concubine early in the morning. I think the emperor is also tired, so my concubine can go and serve a cup of tea, okay?" Xuan Ling smiled and said: "It's fine to let the servants do this kind of thing, why do you do it yourself." "The tea served by the concubine himself is unmatched by others. Please wait a moment, the emperor." I walked into the Nuan Pavilion with a smile, and after a while, I came out with a hot white jade teacup and walked in front of him. I said with a smile: " I don’t know if the tea cooked by my concubine is suitable for the Emperor’s taste? The Emperor should not dislike it.” He said with a smile on his lips, but he couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy in his heart, hoping that he would be happy after tasting the tea, but afraid that the taste of the tea would not suit his liking. It's okay to frown and don't like it. Xuanling said: "You made it yourself. I like it the most." He took it and opened the porcelain bowl, which was as fine as jade, and saw that it was full of green and green like a curling haze. Tea", took a sip, frowned slightly in thought, and took another sip.My heart sank, thinking that he was not happy, and he was in a state of panic. Xuanling's eyebrows slowly stretched out, and his smile grew stronger. He looked at me and asked, "The taste of this tea is particularly clear and fragrant. I have been tasting it for half a day. , the tea leaves are Yuezhou cold tea, with the smell of pine needles and plum blossoms, but the rest is not clear, you come to tell me what else is put in?" I laughed and said: "The emperor is so clever, this tea is called 'Suihan Sanyou', and the pine needles, bamboo leaves and plum blossoms are cooked together with water. The water is the dewdrops on the lotus leaves before sunrise in summer, which makes it so fresh. .” "The ancients said that 'tea can cleanse the heart'. After drinking your tea from Guanqing today, I know that the words of the ancients are true." My face flushed slightly, "The emperor has won the prize. It was also a coincidence that the concubine took two urns last year and was reluctant to drink them. She brought one into the palace and buried it under the pear tree behind the hall. It was only called people two days ago. dug out." "Are you used to living in Tangli Palace now? I think it's a bit remote." "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern. I think it's okay, it's very quiet." My voice lowered slightly: "I don't really like the excitement." Xuanling's fingertips slid across my cheeks, and he raised his hand to stroke the broken hair on my temples. It seemed that a hot strand froze on my cheeks with his fingers, and he said softly: "I understand. Tang Li It is quiet, the atmosphere is good, and it also supports people." He only smiled, and looked at me carefully with his clear eyes, and said for a moment: "I see that your complexion has improved a lot, it should be great." "It wasn't a serious illness in the first place, it's just that the concubine's body is weak. Now with the blessing of the emperor's blessing, it will naturally recover faster." Xuan Ling only looked at me with a smile and said nothing, there was a hint of affection in his eyes.I saw that his smile was a bit weird, and he was feeling puzzled, when I caught a glimpse of Jinxi who was standing beside him blushing and pursing his lips into a smile, his heart suddenly brightened, his face was burning like fire, and the roots of his ears were as if they were immersed in boiling water middle. Seeing that I was shy and anxious, Xuan Ling smiled and said, "I really can't put it down when Guan Qing gets shy." I thought of the court ladies and eunuchs standing beside me, so I was about to shrink my hands, and said anxiously: "Your Majesty..." His smile grew stronger, "What are you afraid of?" I looked back, and at some point, Jinxi and the others had retreated outside the hall, standing with their backs to us.Xuan Ling took my hand and stood up, gently hugging me into his arms.There was a pleasant smell of ambergris in his clothes, mixed with the bitter taste of rutabagas, and the strange and strong smell of a man in his prime, which made me curious and addicted.His breath brushed warmly on his neck, a little humid and hot, like wearing only light clothes in summer to take a break from the cool. The branches of the crabapple outside the window were covered with spots of crimson that were waiting to burst out, Xuan Ling hugged me quietly.The days are warm, and the window screens in Yingxin Hall are newly replaced with Jiangning weaving tributes. The sky-blue organdy gauze is used after rain, hazy like smoke, and the warm wind makes the thin window screens bulge slightly like a girl smiling. cheek.The sound of the wind blowing through the leaves is like a very intimate whisper.The voice was so far away, as if it was calling me gently from the unreachable shore.Although I am bold and unconstrained, I just feel a little softness in the palm of my hand spreading to my whole body at this moment. There is a blank space in my mind, but my heart is full of joy and hot sweetness. I just want to close my eyes and be intoxicated like this. Let go.