Chapter 21 The twenty-first round of licking the calf

Before the Empress Dowager planned to go to Fengtian, Yi had a great wish to use Fengtian as a transfer station; that is to say, the terminal station of Dongxing in Yi's plan was not Fengtian, although The track of the Beijing-Fengzhou Railway only ends at Fengtian, but Yi still wants to abandon the train and use other means of transportation to continue eastward until she stops at Changbaiche and the Songhua River.Because the real birthplace of our Manchurians is over there!However, the plan is just a plan after all. In fact, after we arrived in Fengtian, we never took a step forward, as if something had tied our legs; and the biggest obstacle was the empress dowager. Too superstitious.Yi thinks that no matter which one wants to go on a long trip, he must first choose a good day, and then he can avoid bad luck and come back safely.

Yi set off from Beijing, of course, only after picking an auspicious day.Now in Fengtian, after a few days of playing, she has visited all the places of interest that she was supposed to visit, so Yi is anxious to continue to go east, but at the same time, she can't give up her idea of ​​picking a good day.If you want to choose a good date, you have to consult those officials in the Qin Tianjian. Although the prince who presided over all the affairs of the Qin Tianjian in Beijing did not come with him this time, in the past, scholars often knew a few things. As usual, there are many officials in the Qin Tianjian. This time, two of them have come with us, and they can be regarded as one of the subordinates of the accompanying ministers——Qingshan and Xunling. .In the morning of this day, the Empress Dowager ordered Li Lianying to call them into the palace, and taught them to study and calculate together on the spot, which day would be the most auspicious for Sheng Jia to continue eastward.Under their orders, they stood side by side in front of the throne, took out the almanac pens and inkstones they had with them, and calculated very solemnly.The Empress Dowager also sat upright, quietly waiting for their reply.I happened to be standing behind the Empress Dowager at the time, and I couldn't help laughing secretly when I saw them doing such a waste of time, and I was also very anxious, fearing that they would calculate a bad result, because I was very concerned about Changbai Mountain. The scene of the Songhua River passing by is more admired by the Queen Mother than the Queen Mother. I have long wanted to visit it, but I have no chance; this time I have arrived in Fengtian, and I am happy to meet the Queen Mother again, so I am very excited to go, but I'm afraid these two masters of Qin Tianjian will make trouble for us!What particularly fascinates me is a section of records contained in a certain volume of barnyard history, which describes the history of the birth of our ancestors as absurd and beautiful as a myth.it says:

"Before a date that cannot be traced in history, in the fields near Changbai Mountain, there flowed a stream with clear water, with thin and dense ripples. When it was illuminated by the sun, it really looked like the scales on the whitebait. It was just as beautiful. One morning in early summer, when the weather was extremely hot, a beautifully dressed girl from Linxi jumped into the stream alone to swim. The lovely cherries were floating; Yi saw it amused, hurried over to pick it up, and swallowed it in one gulp. This was a very common thing, and Yi herself never noticed it; Gradually, she grew up, and everyone laughed that Yi was pregnant without marrying, and talked about it one after another. Only Yi's parents knew that Yi Ping's behavior was very upright, and they didn't believe that Yi Zhen had any shameful affair; but Yi Zhen was pregnant. Finally, a very fat boy was born. This boy is the ancestor of all Manchurians!  …”

Although this section of the story has never been verified, there are quite a few people who believe it to be true; just like myself, of course I will not be fooled by the book writer again, but the birthplace of our Manchurians, according to historical records It is an undeniable fact that it is indeed between the white mountains and the black waters.So I really want to be able to experience it personally.When I was waiting quietly for the two masters of Qin Tianjian to calculate the auspicious days for us, my heart almost jumped out of my chest. However it turned out to be disappointing!Although their reply to the Queen Mother never said that we are absolutely not conducive to continuing to look eastward, they only set a limit for us;

"Queen Mother, according to the results calculated by the servants, from today onwards, at least sixteen days later, Shengjia can continue to look northeast." This is the reply of the two astronomers and fortune tellers. "This is calculated by the servants based on the year, month and day of the Queen Mother's Longevity Day! At the same time, they have also noticed the stars in the sky and the directions of the gods of the year, so this is very accurate! If we set off in six days, it must be auspicious, and there is no need to worry about it!" After hearing this, the queen mother frowned and pondered silently for a while.

"Speaking of it this way, we can't wait!" Yi's voice clearly told me that the results calculated by the two masters of Qin Tianjian also made Yi feel very disappointed; helpless Mr. Yi refused to break his superstition. (I think what a fluke it would be if Yi suddenly made up his mind to go east despite everything for some special reason!) Because before that time, the emperor will rush back to Beijing to preside over the memorial ceremony The Grand Ceremony of Taimiao! When the Empress Dowager was sighing like this, Guangxu was also standing beside us. When he heard the last sentence, he couldn't believe it and shrugged his shoulders slightly, as if he didn't want to hear it.Really, the opinion of this political prisoner-like emperor is really good!He has always been opposed to the boring activities of burning incense and worshiping Buddha and offering sacrifices to heaven and ancestors!In particular, he disapproved of spending a lot of energy, time, and financial resources on ceremonies to commemorate or pay homage to those dead ancestors.This kind of thinking was really unique among the ordinary nobles at that time!One day, after the break, he found another opportunity where no one saw him, and whispered to me:

"Since we are in charge of a country's affairs, we can't spend most of our time on such useless sacrifices; we should turn our attention and use all our strength to build a strong navy and army, which is only natural. Application. I remember a few days ago, when we went to the Fox Immortal Pagoda together, Lafayette taught you a lesson, and you probably haven’t forgotten it, right? You might as well tell me honestly, can you convince me?” What he said was pointing out that I was accidentally in the Fox Immortal Pagoda that day, and openly expressed distrust to the Great Green Fox Immortal in front of the Empress Dowager, so that I was reprimanded by the Empress Dowager. ——Actually, this matter has left a deep mark on my brain nerves, how can I forget it?

"That time, right? Lafayette just taught me to kowtow a few times!" On the point of breaking superstition, Guangxu and I have the same opinion, but in order to avoid any unexpected mishaps, I don't want to He made too explicit an expression, so he had to answer him in a diplomatic tone. "Besides this, I actually can't express anything else! I don't know what the emperor thinks?" "These are ridiculously superstitious tales!" Guangxu refused to hold back.Because he knew that among all the people in the palace, no matter whether they were high or low, no matter how high or low, there was almost no one who would not inform the Queen Mother about his words and actions; even Long Yu was not reliable.There is only one exception among them, and that person is me.So he was willing to speak to me boldly. "Last year, there was another thing that you probably didn't know. It was the day when I offered sacrifices to the Taimiao, I seemed to have just heard an interesting piece of news, and I couldn't help but feel more excited than usual; so the ceremony At the end, I deliberately stood in front of the incense table, straightened my body, raised my right hand, and saluted a foreigner, and at the same time said, "Old ancestor, please look at the salute of foreigners. Okay?" This was originally meant to make me laugh. I didn't insult my ancestors. If they were really spiritual, they would definitely not see sin. But the eunuchs standing near me had heard it a long time ago. They heard that it's really not a problem, but there is such a coincidence in the world that on this night, probably because the burning incense candles during the day were not completely extinguished, they rekindled and continued to burn until the guards When I found out, a corner of the Taimiao was already on fire. Fortunately, there were a large number of people and desperate efforts to save this important building. As a result, the most superstitious eunuchs started talking about it; finally, Someone told Li Lianying about my actions in the Taimiao together. Of course, this person would never take it easy! He quietly told the Queen Mother: "This fire started very strangely! It is said that the emperor is here. During the memorial service, I imitated the appearance of foreign soldiers and raised my hands. No wonder the ancestors are going to be angry!" Then the Queen Mother became furious and immediately reprimanded me severely, as if this It was all my fault that the Taimiao caught fire once. Don’t you think this is a joke?”

I haven't heard anyone talk about what happened this time, but it's not convenient for me to make any judgments, so I can only smile as a way to end. The queen mother's temper is really good, which is very weird!No matter what happens, there is always regret.Although Yi had listened to the words of the two officials of the Qin Tianjian and decided to cancel the plan to continue eastward, but in her heart she was extremely longing for the scenery of the white mountains and the black waters, and deeply regretted that she should have made extra calculations; I even suspect that their calculations may not be accurate. Maybe tomorrow is the most auspicious day, wouldn't it be a waste of time?But how dare Yili take such a big risk?Because Yi didn't dare to take risks and could not forget her original plan, Yi herself felt a kind of indescribable annoyance: and because of Yi's annoyance, it affected the people in the palace and made us Feeling extremely bored and restless.The entire Shengjing Ancient Palace has been shrouded in an air of melancholy; I think that before we return to Beijing, the happy scene will never be seen again!

On the third day, the melancholy atmosphere was obviously extra thick, because this day was the death anniversary of Lafayette’s beloved son——Tongzhi; and all the souvenirs of his life happened to be in Fengtian, so this day The impression of a death day is especially deeper than in previous years!But as usual, no ceremony was held in the palace.It turns out that there is a special reason for this: because the queen mother is the leader of the first palace at the moment, before the old man Yi was promoted, although Tongzhi was a leader before him, he was still a junior, and he could not be regarded as an ancestor; According to the law of the palace, except for the ancestors, all dead people cannot enjoy the sacrifice alone.

So every time it was Tongzhi's birthday or the day of his death, all the people in the palace fell silent and stopped entertainment to express their condolences in memory of him.On this day, of course everyone had to be dumb for more than ten hours as usual.The Empress Dowager herself sat quietly all day long, and never spoke unless she had to. Yi's footprints almost never left the hall, and her body was full of gloomy and sad colors, which made people feel very worried when they saw her, lest Yi would be there. In such an annoyed and depressed situation, if we encounter any unsatisfactory things, it will really teach us that we cannot live a life!The position on this day is extremely dangerous, because unfortunately, it coincides with the day when it is my turn to serve the Queen Mother.I was really worried at first, but luckily nothing happened to me.Yi just casually told me many trivial things about Tongzhi. "The generosity and luxury of his appearance are really hard to see in the world!" Yi said very gently, this kind of voice was extremely difficult to hear normally. "Good-looking is not something to be commended. The most commendable thing is his filial piety and courtesy. I still remember one thing very clearly: one year in the early summer, a few peach trees planted in the imperial garden Many of the peaches growing on the tree were already ripe; he was wandering in the garden with a group of eunuchs, and when he got to the underside of the peach tree, he saw those bright red and plump peaches, and he couldn't help being very envious. In order to please him, he hurriedly tried to pick a few off for him. Everyone thought that he would open his mouth to chew as soon as he got it; Eat it right away. The eunuchs couldn't help being very surprised, and asked him why he didn't eat it after picking it off? He laughed to himself, and didn't just answer them. He only taught one person to serve those peaches to the team, looking straight at Our palace came and said that the peaches in the garden were ripe, and I picked them specially for my parents. I asked him, "Why don't you try something new first?" He replied respectfully, "This is the peach." Fresh fruit must be eaten first by the father and mother before the child dares to eat it.' Think about it! How clever and polite he is! And he was only a ten-year-old child at the time!" After Yi talked about this memorable past, she felt extremely sad: Yi's eyes were already filled with bitter tears, and she couldn't continue talking for a long time. "Although we have always loved him very much, we still made a big mistake for him, that is, we mismatched a wife for him." Female, posthumous posthumous Xiaozhe.) As soon as the Empress Dowager mentioned this matter, she immediately changed her resentful attitude, and her words were no longer as gentle as before. "But how do we know? Yi's appearance is generally very upright and beautiful! Who would have thought that Yi's character is so clumsy! Yi only treats us as enemies, and has never had the slightest affection for us." According to the situation of ordinary families, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are often the most difficult to reconcile hostile elements in the family, and the reasons are always very complicated and difficult to study. The discord between Cixi and Empress Jiashun has almost become an open issue for a long time Facts, but the reason for the disharmony, but there are different legends, and there is no consensus.As far as I know, it's because Jiashun looks down on Cixi at all.Why did Yi look down on Yi's husband's mother?It is because before entering the palace, Yi already knew the secret that Cixi had a love relationship with Ronglu when she was young, so she could not help being contemptuous, especially after Xianfeng ascended to heaven, the empress dowager immediately promoted Ronglu to the official position It’s a matter of getting up——Although the Empress Dowager Jishi promoted Ronglu to an official position, they still couldn’t get close, and there was absolutely no chance to shake hands. ——It makes Jiashun even more dissatisfied; Yi thinks that a woman who loves the world, except her husband, should never have any feelings for other men no matter what.Therefore, in Yi's mind, the queen mother is regarded as a person who is not worthy of respect! "The pain we have suffered is beyond words!" The queen mother continued, "Because of the respectful relationship, I had to endure it. It was not until she committed suicide that we were relieved as if we had seen the sun again!" That's right, the death of the Empress Dowager Tongzhi was indeed a suicide known to everyone, so the Empress Dowager herself thought that there was no need to hide it; After Tongzhi died, he deliberately satirized Yi, saying that a truly virtuous wife should die with her husband instead of respecting her husband, so she had to die after Tongzhi.No matter what the reason for this matter is, in short, Tongzhi did commit suicide. When Yi committed suicide, the pregnancy in her womb was nearly ten months old, and the little flesh and blood left by Tongzhi died along with her. (Translator's note: It is not true that Tongzhi had a body. People at that time were aware of the injustice of the future, and deeply resented the tyranny of kindness and swiftness. Therefore, it was specially created to increase Cixi's crime. But the yellow people There is also this saying in "Cixi Wai Ji" written by Bai Kehaosi, and most people who see it regard it as a strange talk.) Although no one knows whether this unborn child is a boy or a girl, if it is a boy, , then after his birth, the Empress Dowager of Tongzhi will be honored as Queen Mother, and our Lafayette will no longer have such a good status and such high power; so this unborn child will follow The death of his mother is really a very cheap thing for Lafayette!As I write this, I can't help but think of four poor middle-aged women who live in almost another world.No one ever paid attention to them; maybe they never saw anyone at all.Although Yimen lives with us in the palace, but Yimen is always locked in a very remote palace like a prisoner, and is not allowed to go outside all year round.According to my guess, apart from death, Yimen can no longer come into contact with the outside world.So what kind of characters are Yimen?It turned out that Yimen was the concubine of Emperor Tongzhi. When Emperor Tongzhi passed away, Yimen was still a young girl with a green mane and beautiful face. So Yi locked Yimen in the deep palace like a living burial until now. "If our child is still alive," said the Queen Mother, her voice softening again. "I think that with his intelligence and courage, he will surely accomplish a lot, and our country will not be so bad under the rule of a virtuous man like him!... Counting on one's fingers, until today, he has fifty Six years old." It turned out that Tongzhi was born in 1847 in the Gregorian calendar. Fourteen years later, his father, Xianfeng, died. Four years old, actually only thirteen years old, no wonder the dragon robe he wore when he was crowned was so short in those ancient palaces we saw the day before yesterday! Although the Queen Mother was still talking to me reluctantly, Yi's heart was really melancholy; and whenever Yi was so melancholy, Yi's temper became particularly bad.When we peeked at Yi, there was really an indescribable majesty, which made people break out in a cold sweat when they saw her.Fortunately, everything is quiet outside, and we have nothing to disturb her, then she will sit alone for half a day or a day in silence, no matter who she is, as if she has never seen it; if something bothers her Yi, this is a big deal!No matter what kind of insignificant matter it is, if Yi refuses to quit, she will definitely lose her temper and make the whole palace uneasy, and in this way, Yi will definitely hate this person or this thing to the end, even after three years Two years later, I still remember it deeply.Perhaps the resentment of a woman's family is more tenacious and durable than that of a man's family, and the queen mother is especially unwilling to let people go lightly.For example, at this moment, the old man Yi is talking to me about Tongzhi. At this time, what Yi said really comes from the heart, and Yi's attitude is infinitely solemn and sincere. If I don't have to be very concerned or very moved Listen, or do something casually enough to make Yi unhappy, then don't expect Yi to forgive me!Even if I spend all my life atoneting for my sins and kneel at Yi's heels for a moment, Yi will never let me go!In this way, doesn't Yi become a terrible madman?No, no, others may not be able to understand Yi's true temperament, but I have at least sensed that the reason why Yi's character is so special is that there is really a driving force; what is this driving force?This can be explained in two words, namely "pain". It is true that her status, power, and all her material comforts can make her happy, but how can she remedy her inner pain?According to statistics, Yi's life is almost full of all kinds of unsatisfactory, difficult and bitter things. When Yi Miao was young, she was just like a flower that is about to bloom, very beautiful and lively, and Yi's heart I was very contented to pour myself into Rong Lu, but I was unexpectedly selected into the palace and became Xianfeng's concubine, and I forcibly left Yi's sweetheart aside, this is already very sad!In addition, Xianfeng is a very stupid and rude person. Some people don't know how to keep Yi Wencun, and they always embrace the principle of fraternity. When they meet a woman with a little bit of beauty, they all want to be lucky, so there is nothing wrong with him. Time was spent on Yi; what comfort did he give her?There was only one son, and this son died when he was weak. Thinking of these things, can Yi still have some optimism?Thinking of the later, Yi's brain nerves were obviously surrounded by images of melancholy, pain, disappointment, melancholy, etc., not to mention that all of us in the palace were trembling, anxiously trying to restrain ourselves up!On this day, I actually spared some free time for me. I got this opportunity and hurried to the ancient palace where the relics of Emperor Tongzhi were stored; I just wanted to see the Queen Mother personally Take a little mud rabbit with eyes and tongue that can move by itself, did you put it back in its original place?I searched for a while, but there was no trace. Of course, the Empress Dowager has put away this gift of Tongzhi with all her heart; probably when we are not in front of Yi, Yi will inevitably take it out to have a look or stroke it! I don't know how this day's time passed, and then the night finally came. The melancholy atmosphere that enveloped the entire ancient palace in the past, felt even more profound now!The sky seems to be much lower than usual, and people feel more difficult to breathe.There is another very coincidental thing, it seems that God intentionally tried to intimidate the Queen Mother, so that Yi would wholeheartedly believe in the prophecy of the two Qin Tianjian officials; it was a sudden north wind blowing violently outside the palace. , roaring angrily, shaking those windows rattling.When it was time for dinner, my service time was full, and my spirit and body were also tired, so I said goodbye to the Queen Mother, hurriedly withdrew, and first leaned on the railing in front of our dormitory, and planned to take a breath. Some cool air; Unexpectedly, those purple and white lilacs, when the wind blows, the branches are swaying wildly in the air, so the unpleasant smell they have becomes more and more intense , I actually thought of the breath of death with me! I still tried my best to endure, so I went back to the dormitory; quietly watching those eunuchs walking back and forth like ghosts in the darkness.After a while, I watched them light up those strange corner lamps one by one; then a mysterious yellow light was revealed everywhere.A gust of wind blew by, and the lamp kept swinging, and the light also shook, which made me think about the fairy tale again.The worst thing to hear is the howling sound from the corners on both sides of the corridor when the wind blows past the corridor.On the horizontal board under the corners of this kind, there were originally many patterns painted on them. The flying dragons, unicorns, and lions painted on these paintings didn’t look scary in daylight; When illuminated by the half-bright candlelight, they all seem to have come to life, and the things at each end have their mouths open like blood basins, ready to move; I think if they really jumped out of the painting How can we escape the kiss by luck? These ancient palaces were already very lonely and gloomy, but now they are not like a paradise where strangers live; I think that if we continue to live here, this situation is really dangerous, and the degree of danger , will increase moment by moment, and in the end, there will be any changes, but it is not what I dare to predict. The night was getting darker, and most of the people had gone to bed, but in the lonely main hall in the middle, there was an old woman holding a little white rabbit made of clay, sighing sadly.