Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Rumors

The emperor was silent for a moment, just looking at the faint red plums in the courtyard, spit out dark red stamens, like countless bloody red spots splashed.Ruyi quietly looked at the emperor's face, but felt that nothing could be seen. The emperor's expression was extremely calm, like the surface of a mirror-clear lake in autumn, with the golden afterglow of the warm sun falling on the surface, adding a touch of joy. Divided into warm tone. The queen pressed Ruyi's hand, stepped forward quietly, and said softly: "Concubine Hui's words were a little hasty, but the concubine thought to herself, no matter who is in this palace, no matter what, it is not as good as Da Qing's." Your country is important."

When Ruyi thought of the word "hanging herself", she felt chills all over her body, and couldn't help but said, "Your Majesty, the child of Mrs. Mei was purely accidental. Since the child is already dead at birth, it doesn't matter to others, let alone Affecting Guo Zuo of the Qing Dynasty." Concubine Hui smiled and said: "Concubine Xian's words are too light. The emperor is in his prime, and there will be more children in the future. It doesn't matter if the child is an elder brother or a princess, what matters is that they are smart and complete, and become useful to the Qing Dynasty People. Concubine Xian has not given birth now, imagine if she was harmed by a bitch and gave birth to such a stillborn baby, Concubine Xian, as a mother, can you accept it? It will be too late to regret it by then."

When Ruyi heard that she used herself as an example, her heart was vicious, and her heart became even more impatient: "Fate blesses me, I am not afraid. If Concubine Hui wants to worry, she should worry about her own children." Concubine Hui's eyes widened, and she said coldly: "What I want to think about is not only my own children in the future, but also the children of Mrs. Yigui and the children of others in the future. Concubine Xian, you plead for Mrs. Mei, do you dare to vouch for it? In the future, there will never be such a disaster in the palace, or if there is such a disaster, then you and Mrs. Meigui will sacrifice the child together to repay the Qing Dynasty?"

The emperor scolded: "Okay. Standing here and arguing like this, what does it look like?" Ruyi and Concubine Hui looked at each other, then bowed their knees and said, "Your concubine is presumptuous." The Queen whispered: "Your Majesty, what do you mean..." The emperor frowned, supported the queen's hand and said, "Mr. Yigui's child should be taken care of by the queen. As for Mrs. Mei, first move out of the Yonghe Palace and live in the Yuhua Pavilion in front of the Baohua Hall, so that she can be near the Buddha. Sound, cleanse your mind well."

Concubine Hui was still dissatisfied, and said: "Your Majesty, but she gave birth to such a child..." "Child?" The emperor snorted lightly, "Whether or not Mrs. Mei is allowed to hang herself and think about it later. I want to know who are the daring people in the palace who dare to spread rumors without authorization and confuse people's hearts. I definitely won't tolerate it!" The emperor's words were serious, and everyone was shocked when they heard the words.The emperor said: "Concubine Hui, you have nothing to do here, please kneel down first."

When Concubine Hui went out, the emperor stood in the court with his hands behind his back, and there was no one around to wait on him.Seeing his expression and what he said just now, Ruyi felt a little depressed.The emperor's voice was very soft: "I was here that night, and the only ones who saw that child were Zhen, the Queen, Concubine Xian and Wang Qin." The queen said softly: "Yes. The rest of the people who saw the child were sent out that night, so there should be no time to say anything in the palace." The emperor sighed, "You are all close to me."

Ruyi understood, and immediately said: "The concubine will follow the emperor's order and dare not reveal a single word." The emperor nodded and asked again: "Empress, when Wang Qin sent the child to be disposed of, no one will see him on the road, right?" The queen's voice was extremely low, just enough for the people around her to hear clearly: "I was strangled to death when I left the gate of the Yonghe Palace. All the way, a stillborn baby was sent to a small coffin to be sealed and incinerated. In this matter, Lian Xin, who was beside the concubine, followed her. If you do it, there will be no mistakes.”

Although Ruyi knew that the child was bound to die, she didn't want Wang Qin to strangle him to death.For some reason, she felt that her heart was trembling and suffocating, and she almost wanted to vomit. The emperor gave a soft "hmm" and slowly walked out of the courtyard.Ruyi listened to the desolate wind in the courtyard, and passed through the branches recklessly and violently, as if she herself had become a withered branch, allowing the headwind to attack, and she couldn't get rid of it. When Ruyi returned to the palace, she became impatient.She sketched a few patterns, then put the pen down in annoyance.The apricot red group Fusa golden brocade curtains used in winter are the color of joy and flowers, but in her eyes, she only feels that the golden color is particularly dazzling.Xing Xin opened the curtain and came in with tea in her hands, "My lord, Mrs. Mei from Yonghe Palace is about to move out."

Ruyi nodded, took the tea and said: "She is also pitiful to see her. The child has become like that. It is good to move to the Yuhua Pavilion to calm down." She took a sip of the tea and asked, "Why did you change the Jasmine flower?" Tea?" Qiao Xin smiled and said: "Jasmine is pure and calm, the young master has a gloomy face as soon as she comes back, so the servant changed this." Ruyi said, "Where is Ah Ruo? Why haven't you seen Ah Ruo?" Luo Xin said: "It is said that I went to the Piku of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to pick some good leathers to make two winter clothes. After going there for so long, it must be delayed in picking leathers. The young master knows that Ah Ruo's choice of things is considered delicate. "

Ruyi said with a smile: "Yes, she has seen good things, and she is also strict in picking things. I think she is calmer now, not as impetuous as before, and she is more at ease." "Isn't that right? Sister A Ruo has learned a lesson from what happened last time, thanks to the young master's teaching." Ruyi breathed a sigh of relief, "As long as she knows it herself." Sing Xin looked at Ruyi, and asked cautiously, "Then why is the young master unhappy?" Ruyi stretched out her slender fingers and stroked the table lightly, calming down her disturbed mood: "The rumors in the palace are like boiling, and they are too disturbing."

"There is never a shortage of rumors in the palace, why should the young master bother?" The red tassels hanging from the top of the cloud bun rustled against the temples, and every time they flicked, there was a layer of coolness like fallen leaves in autumn rain. "If the emperor's most taboo rumors can only come from me, the queen and Wang Qin, what do you think the emperor will think?" Xin's expression changed suddenly, as if covered with a layer of white frost: "If this matter is not investigated, I am afraid that the emperor will have great suspicion on the young master. If the emperor's suspicion is not removed, then the young master will The days to come will be sad for the Lord.” Ruyi said troubledly: "Why don't I know about this? It's just that the emperor is already investigating this matter, and I hope the truth will come to light soon." The Yuhua Pavilion at night is extraordinarily deep and quiet.Yuhua Pavilion was originally a building left over from the Ming Dynasty, with a total of three floors.Except for the Buddhist statues and scriptures on the first floor, the upper two floors can be used for people.It's just that the regulations are old and simple, and they are not the same as the East and West Six Palaces.Meigui has just moved here, and even the number of maids she serves has been reduced by half. After listening to the long and continuous Sanskrit sounds in the Baohua Palace for three or five days, I feel even more desolate in my heart. But this body is lonely, and all the glory and dreams of the whole life have gone with that poor child.She has also been trapped here for her entire life. I don't know when she will be freed? Meigui fell down in front of the Buddha statue, listening to the wind outside the window sobbing and complaining, she didn't feel shed tears.I just feel that this life is boundless, and there is nowhere to go. She didn't realize it when the Queen Mother came in.It was Aunt Fu who called out first: "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is going to pay homage to the Baohua Hall, and after passing by the Yuhua Pavilion, please serve the Empress Dowager with tea." When she came to pay her respects at night, the Empress Dowager only brought Fu Jia with her, and the palace attendants stayed outside the Yuhua Pavilion.The Empress Dowager was wearing a simple yet elegant sapphire blue satin gown with flat gold embroidered plantains, blessings and deer patterns. On her head, she wore the same color of longevity character Ruyi gold ornaments, but there were only a few of them, but they were simple and elegant. Mrs. Mei didn't react for a while, she hurriedly got up to pay her respects, she turned away the crowd and solemnly kowtowed three times, and said with tears in her eyes: "Unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager moved to the Yuhua Pavilion late at night, and the concubines did not go far to greet her, it is really rude." The Empress Dowager slowly moved the emerald beads in her hands, the pool of green water was glistening, like a lake of clear and emerald blue waves under the candlelight, one could tell it was a high-quality tribute. The queen mother said slowly: "If you are still in the Yonghe Palace, it is not convenient to come to see you. Are you used to living in Yuhua Pavilion now?" Meigui was at a loss for words for a while, but finally shook her head.The queen mother smiled gently: "That's right. I'm used to the prosperity of the East and West, how can I bear the loneliness of the Yuhua Pavilion? It's just that the emperor's meaning is right. You are always so sad. You live in the Yuhua Pavilion and listen to Buddhist scriptures." , is also good." When Meigui heard the words, she couldn't help but burst into tears, like the unstoppable cold rain: "Empress Dowager, everyone in the palace is spreading the rumor that the concubine's birth is not a stillborn child, but an evil fetus. The concubine... ...how could a concubine give birth to such a child?" The Empress Dowager sighed, "Your child was sealed in a coffin and cremated at birth. It doesn't matter whether it was a stillbirth or a sinful child. Even Ai's family can't confirm it, let alone you. If you think too much, you will embarrass yourself. .” Meigui wept unwillingly: "But, that is my concubine's child! How can a concubine's child born after ten months of pregnancy and painstaking efforts be a sin?" The Empress Dowager stared at her, her eyes were as calm as if they could penetrate people's hearts: "Is it important to be evil? Even the emperor doesn't want to mention it, let alone any related rumors in the palace, so why are you so persistent? After all, that child is already dead. And if you insist on doing this again, even though you are still alive, you are not far from death." Meigui's whole body shook violently, as if she couldn't believe it, she collapsed on the ground: "The Queen Mother..." The queen mother twirled the beads slowly, and said slowly: "Aijia heard that Concubine Hui has told the emperor that you are allowed to hang yourself to accompany your child, so as not to have such an unlucky baby in the harem. The emperor was soft-hearted and did not agree. If one day the pillow wind blows harder, he won't know if he hears it. At that time, you don't need to hang yourself, the emperor will fulfill you." Meigui was so frightened that her face turned pale, she shook her head repeatedly, walked up to the Queen Mother, and said on her knees: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this concubine didn't intend to hang herself to death, but after the concubine gave birth, the emperor never came to see my concubine. The concubine had no choice but to make such a bad plan and lure the emperor over. Even those maids were arranged by the concubine, the concubine didn't want to die, the concubine didn't want to die!" The queen mother closed her eyes, and said calmly: "Of course the Ai family knows that you don't want to die. When they fished you out of the Nanfu that day, they found that you are a man of heart, and you came from the Ulanala mansion. Once you are put into the harem, you will be guaranteed to be able to die." Let the empress and others exhaust their minds. The empress concentrates on the disputes in the harem, and Aijia's words will be heard and useful in the harem. If you die so easily, it will be a waste of Aijia's painstaking efforts." The nobleman Mei bowed her head and bowed her head, and kowtowed again and again: "As soon as the concubine entered the harem, Concubine Hui tried her best to exclude her and regarded her as a party of concubines, and now she is going to die for her. The concubine is stupid, please take pity on the empress dowager and give me some advice." The queen mother smiled faintly: "The only one who can point out the maze is the gods and Buddhas in the sky, and the only one who can cross the maze is yourself. Aijia knows that you feel sorry for the death of the child, but if the child is dead, as long as you are alive, there will always be a chance. Don't worry. , the Ai family will tell Qin Tianjian that the year is not good, and there will be no white affairs after the palace breaks. But how to get out of the Yuhua Pavilion and how to live up to the Ai family's entrustment is up to you." Mrs. Mei bowed down, her grief-stricken expression became more solemn: "My concubine would like to be taught by the Queen Mother." The Empress Dowager helped Aunt Fu's hand and walked out. Her tone was slow and deep: "There is one thing that Aijia has never understood. Your fetus has always been said to be good, and the child is also strong. How could you give birth to that baby?" It looks really pitiful." Meigui fell to the ground, the smooth mirror-like brick floor was cold and hard on her forehead, and the coldness went straight into her brain.She raised her head, only the aftertaste of sandalwood incense that the Empress Dowager had burned for many years was left in the hall, the breath was deep and filled the room. Ruyi was summoned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation at lunch time.She had just finished her lunch, and A Ruo took care of cleaning her hands, when Li Yu, who was beside the emperor, hurried over: "Concubine Xian, the emperor has a decree, please go to the Nuan Pavilion of the Hall of Mental Cultivation immediately. .” When Ruyi heard the last sentence, her heart sank slightly, she felt a little hesitant, but she still smiled on her face: "The emperor's decree, but what happened?" Li Yu's expression was not as usual, and he only said: "The chariot and sedan chair have been prepared outside, my lady please." Ruyi hurriedly changed her clothes, without even taking A Ruo and Ji Xin with her, she held Li Yu's hand and went out.It wasn't until the moment when she was about to get on the sedan chair outside the Yimen that she heard Li Yu say in a very low voice: "Wang Qin told the emperor in front of the emperor, but the slave didn't know what was going on, only that the empress was here too." Ruyi heard "Wang Qin" and "Queen", and her heart became even more gloomy, so she could only say: "Then go quickly, don't keep the emperor waiting." As soon as Ru Yifu entered the hall, he felt that the atmosphere in the hall was not the same as before.The emperor looked gloomy, and there was a hint of anger in his eyes.The empress was also half-sitting on the red sandalwood chair in front of the couch, she did not dare to sit on the couch with the emperor.And Wang Qin knelt on the ground dejectedly, not daring to speak a word. Ruyi hurriedly blessed and said: "May the emperor be safe, and the empress be safe." The emperor hastily raised his chin, signaling her to get up.Ruyi hurriedly stood on the side with hands down, the emperor didn't ask to "sit down", but only said to Wang Qin: "You tell me what you just told me, and then tell the empress and concubine Xian again." Wang Qin quickly kowtowed and said: "The servant was ordered by the emperor to thoroughly investigate the rumors of the six palaces, and found that there are indeed rumors in the palace, saying that the baby born to Meigui is a monster. The details about the baby are like Seeing it myself, coupled with the baseness of the slaves, adding oil and vinegar, it becomes to say that the baby is like a monster." The emperor said impatiently: "What are you talking about! Just talk about what you found!" Wang Qin was startled, and hurriedly said: "The slaves have investigated and found that the spread of such rumors is that the East Sixth Palace is far more than the West Sixth Palace." The queen was obviously relieved, and her expression was relieved a lot. She touched the silver pot on the enamel filigree hand stove and said, "Amitabha, the ministers and concubines live in Changchun Palace. gone." Wang Qin wiped his sweat with his sleeve and said, "Yes. As far as I know, the rumors are mainly concentrated in Yonghe Palace, Yanxi Palace, Jingyang Palace and Zhongcui Palace." Seeing that Wang Qin was sweating profusely, the queen said warmly: "Among the six east palaces, only these four palaces have concubines living in them, and the Yonghe Palace is where the incident happened, so there will inevitably be rumors. Tell me, where did these words come from? ?” Wang Qin's face turned pale, and his sweat dripped down. It was smoked by the Suhe incense in the hall, and the smell was really unpleasant.Ruyi held her breath and just listened to what he said. The queen said in a deep voice: "In front of the emperor, is there anything you dare not say?" Wang Qin kowtowed, glanced at Ruyi, and said, "People in the palace say that the first rumor to spread is Yanxi Palace." Ruyi seemed to be poured down by a bucket of ice water. It was so cold that Tianling Gai was shivering. He knelt down and said, "The Emperor clearly learned, what I saw and heard in the Yonghe Palace that night, the ministers and concubines have never reported a single word. Yanxi Palace No one in the palace knows how to spread rumors in the palace!" Wang Qin hurriedly said: "I don't dare to speak nonsense, so I specially brought back some palace servants who spread rumors, and I ask the emperor to investigate carefully." The emperor said coldly: "Since we have checked, let's pass it on." Wang Qin clapped his hands twice, only to hear someone coming in from outside, the brocade carpet on the floor was extremely thick, almost no sound of footsteps, only the rubbing sound of the robe and the carpet scraping the eardrums approaching.About four or five palace people knelt down a foot away from the emperor, kowtowed to say hello, confused for a while. Wang Qin regained his usual arrogance in front of the palace people, and said with a cold face: "I ask you what, you just answer truthfully. In front of the emperor, everyone is honest and honest, no nonsense is allowed. " Everyone timidly answered "Yes", and Wang Qin said again: "You guys are the most powerful gossipers in the palace. When you have time, you just talk nonsense and gossip. I will ask you now. At the earliest time, you Where did you hear those dirty words about Mrs. Mei?" The palace servants looked at each other timidly, and seeing Ruyi beside them, they became more and more timid. One of them timidly said: "It's been a long time, servants, servants have forgotten." Ruyi saw a few palace people glance at her, so she didn't dare to say anything, her heart sank even more.She knelt on the ground, and saw that the floor was covered with scarlet brocade cloud carpets with a picture of a hundred flowers playing in spring. Hundreds of magpies and thousands of butterflies are playing.Such a bustling and lively pattern, which was originally a joy for the whole spring day, seems to be so dense and dense that one can hardly breathe. "Forgot?" Wang Qin sneered, "I still remembered it just now, but now I have completely forgotten it. I knew that slaves who don't have a long memory have no other choice but torture." The emperor's tone was also cold: "You still have to shirk when you are in front of me? Wang Qin, use torture! First pinch off a few fingers, and then you will know that you have to tell the truth." As soon as the emperor finished speaking, two of the timid ones kowtowed desperately and said, "Your Majesty, spare your life! Your servant has said it all, and I have said it all. The servant first heard about it when he passed Yanxi Palace." The queen asked: "The earliest? When is the earliest?" The palace maid's face turned pale: "It was the night when Lady Mei gave birth." The queen's expression changed slightly, and she seemed to be talking to herself: "That is to say, just after the emperor told his concubines and concubine Xian to leave, rumors started to spread in the palace?" Several other palace people also hurriedly said: "Not bad, not bad. Your Majesty, the slaves don't dare to talk nonsense anymore. It was first reported in the area of ​​Yanxi Palace." The scent of Su Hexiang was originally clean and pleasant, but now that he sniffs it in his nose, he feels it is hot and almost brings tears to his eyes.Ruyi kowtowed deeply, and said sternly, "Your Majesty has learned from you, my concubine did not reveal a single word." The empress looked a little embarrassed: "Your Majesty, as Concubine Xian is, I think she wouldn't talk nonsense to outsiders. It's just..." She looked at Ruyi, and her gentle eyebrows became more speculative: " Concubine Xian, did you get frightened that night and were overtired, did you tell anyone about it, but you don't remember it yourself?" In the big tripod with gilded gold and silver, there is a thin smoke of Suhe fragrance, which is intertwined and densely woven, and spreads endlessly, as if weaving an invisible net, covering the sky and the earth. , leaving nowhere to escape. Ruyi felt dull and stagnant in her heart, looked up at the emperor and said: "If the emperor is willing to believe what I say, I will guarantee my life and never say a word to anyone." Wang Qin tutted his tongue and said: "This is strange. Everyone said that there were rumors coming from Concubine Xian's Yanxi Palace, but Concubine Xian said nothing. Could it be that these servants are all crazy, and they even divide every palace and garden? I don’t know, talking nonsense? Or it’s just like what the empress said, the empress Xian concubine said it herself unconsciously, whether it was in her sleep or in anger, I don’t know!” Ruyi was annoyed, staring at Wang Qin and said, "You keep on insisting on me, what is the intention of me, to harm Lady Mei and her reputation? Not to mention the reputation of the emperor and the royal family?" Wang Qin hurriedly shook his head and said: "Concubine Xian, please don't be angry, and the slaves are just talking about it. It's just that Concubine Xian has never given birth, and out of jealousy and angry at Noble Mei, she said it out of the blue. .” The emperor kept silent, but just slapped the red sandalwood case heavily, the empress eagerly took the emperor's hand and inspected it carefully: "If the emperor is angry again, he must also pay attention to the dragon's body, don't hurt yourself." The emperor said: "In front of me, I don't speak well, I just bite one by one and don't let go, what is it like!" The queen got up and knelt down and said: "The emperor calm down, even if all kinds of evidence are convincing, everyone will testify against Concubine Xian, and the concubine does not believe that Concubine Xian did it on purpose." The emperor thought for a moment, then slowly said: "I also believe in Concubine Xian, but I have to investigate thoroughly what the rumors point to." The queen quickly said: "The emperor is right. It's just that concubine Xian has served the emperor for many years, and she has worked hard without credit. But please don't punish the emperor. The concubine thinks that since this matter needs to be thoroughly investigated, it is not appropriate for concubine Xian to be involved. Why don't you ask the emperor to let Concubine Xian not enter or leave the Yanxi Palace first, and then give Concubine Xian a clean slate after the investigation is made." The emperor pondered, and the cigarette smoke from Su Hexiang in the hall wafted away, and even the face of the emperor was covered by a thin layer of mist.Ruyi knelt on the ground, the hall was clearly as warm as spring, the air seemed to be congealed by the propolis in the spring, and it was so stuffy that she couldn't breathe.After a long time, the emperor's voice pierced through the thin smoke as sharply as gold and cold stone, and broke through the air: "Then, I will do as the queen said." Ruyi's feet softened, she almost lost the strength to get up, and only looked at the emperor disappointedly and sadly.The emperor did not avoid her gaze, and said in a deep voice: "I will ground you for a while to find the truth. You can rest assured to live in Yanxi Palace first." He didn't want Ruyi to say anything more, and called Li Yu outside the palace : "Li Yu, help Concubine Xian go out." Ruyi only felt that her feet were weak and weak, and her heart sank again and again. Looking back, there was a bit of sharp determination in the emperor's eyes, so she had no choice but to calm down and walk out slowly.When she was in a place where there were few people, she held Li Yu's hand, as if keeping her expression on her face, and only looked ahead. Very occasionally, a wave of her eyes crossed Li Yu's cheek, showing deep determination and coldness.Li Yu nodded knowingly, lowered his eyes again, maintaining his usual gentleness and obedience.