Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Old Love

Hailan's high fever subsided after three days.When she woke up, a ray of bright autumn sun slanted in from the hollowed-out long window like a faint golden plumpness. The gloomy red sandalwood smell is lingering. She sat on the bed in a daze, looking at the verdant flowers and bamboos outside the window, and the warm sunshine, but it was just a frozen shadow of desolation, the palace garden was covered with dust and jade people fell into ashes.The Palace of Yanxi Palace has been vacant for too long... Ye Xin came in with the medicine, and when she saw that she woke up, tears filled her eyes with joy: "The little master finally woke up."

Hailan opened her chapped lips slightly: "It's been hard for you these few days, has anyone come to see me?" Ye Xin was a little bit embarrassed, but still said: "The pure concubine, Xiu promised, and Wan promised to visit you. However, Xiu promised and Wan promised to just look out of the window, only the pure concubine brought something with her elder brother , and sat on your bedside for a while." Hailan smiled slightly: "In this palace, only the pure concubine has a heart. It's just that she is also a pitiful one." She thought about it, struggled to sit up, and stroked her messy temple hair: " Ye Xin, go and prepare some gifts in return, I want to thank the pure concubine in person, and then let Luhen come in to do my makeup, I must be very ugly after being ill for a few days."

Ye Xin agreed with a happy "hey", but was also a little surprised: "The little master usually doesn't care about dressing up, but today he has become more particular about it." Hai Lan seemed to answer, and seemed to sigh to herself: "A disease is like a new life." When she held Chunfei's hand and looked at the third elder brother together in elder brother's office, her spirit was much better.Lian Chunfei also praised: "I changed the color of clothes and dressed up well, she is really a beauty, and she looks much more energetic." Hailan smiled and said, "Yeah, I've always been sleepy. From spring to summer, now that it's autumn, I really feel like I've lost all energy."

The third elder brother played very vigorously with a big bergamot in the nurse's arms, giggling. The pure concubine hissed softly, and said to the wet nurse: "Smile lightly, don't let the neighbors hear the heart stabbing." Hailan then asked, "Is Second Elder Brother still the same?" The pure concubine smiled bitterly and said: "Isn't it? Over and over again, the empress's tears are almost crying out. If I had known this, I might as well be as stupid as my third elder brother, although I don't like it. His Huang Ama likes it better, but after all, he is safe and strong."

Hailan said in a low voice, "How do you say that?" The pure concubine sent the wet nurse to coax the third elder brother to catch the cloth tiger to play, and said in a low voice: "I only found out after hearing what the eldest elder brother said. It turns out that since the second elder brother entered the Shang study room, the empress hoped that her son would become a dragon. Asking about homework day and night, the pressure is very tight, in order to stand out in front of the emperor. I don't know how Ruyi taught children in the past, so I told the elder brother, don't be competitive and compare with the second elder brother. , It’s good to lose to him in everything. Otherwise, it’s not that I’m at a disadvantage.”

Hailan nodded and said, "Brother is obedient, and will understand your mother's painstaking efforts." Concubine Chun and Hai Lan stood under the window, watching the imperial physicians coming and going in and out of the second elder brother's room, making a fuss.A few court ladies stood on the porch, drying the second elder brother's fushou pillow.Concubine Chun shook her head and said, "It's just that I'm sorry for the child, who suffers so much for being sick. I heard that the second elder brother's cold has turned into lung fever, and he almost lost his breath several times if he was not careful."

Hai Lan looked back at the third elder brother who was having fun, and said: "Actually, if there is no second elder brother, the emperor would still have a third elder brother in his eyes. A pure concubine, concubines have always had doubts. Back then, the third elder brother When my brother was raised by your side, he was always smart and clever, and he was quite liked by the emperor. Why did he leave you and enter the elder brother's house after entering the palace, so he was so stupid that he didn't like the emperor. The concubine came with you a few times, don't Not to mention, the nuns don’t even teach you how to recognize things. No wonder the third elder brother is always playful. He is held in his hands all day and doesn’t teach him to walk well. He is more than three years old now, and the third elder brother still walks unsteadily. .” Her voice was extremely low, like a soft needle, slowly piercing through: “Do you know whether the hearts of these nuns and nurses are towards the third elder brother and you?”

The pure concubine's complexion gradually turned gray: "I usually only have this idea once in a while. Thinking about it, people in the palace are always more careful. Does my sister think the same way?" Hailan said in a low voice: "I dare not think about anything else, but I am also a wet nurse, and also ordered by the queen, how can I treat the second elder brother so meticulously and strictly, and treat the third elder brother so pampering and indulgent? Now it's just a child , if he grows up, the third elder brother will not only not be valued by the emperor. Once he dislikes it, the first emperor Yongzheng will delete the name of his third elder brother Hongshi, our emperor's own brother, from the jade certificate and expel him from the emperor. Is there a genealogy?"

Pure concubine has always been timid and afraid of getting into trouble, but when she hears about her son, how can she not care.The grace of her life is nothing more than this, and her only hope lies in this son. These words are almost piercing in her ears, and she clenches her fists secretly, looking at a group of nurses, with A thorny suspicion, dark and difficult to discern. When Concubine Chun and Hailan left, the emperor happened to bring Li Yu out of the second elder brother's room.Autumn came early this year, and the yellow leaves in the courtyard were lonely.Occasionally, autumn geese flew by in the clear blue sky, and there was a hint of mourning.In the deadly atmosphere of Elder Brother, Hai Lan, who was dressed in a purple autumn shirt with flying flowers and flying birds, walked down the steps gracefully with her pure concubine in her arms. However, it is like autumn water, looking from a distance, it is like a tree of light purple and pink tung flowers, elegant and leisurely.

"It's the two of you?" The emperor's eyes lit up slightly, and he turned his eyes to Hailan, "It's rare for you to be so colorfully dressed." Hailan smiled as lightly as a cloud: "I made the emperor laugh. Dress up more colorfully and come to my elder brother's place. I hope my elder brothers are happy to see it." The emperor smiled and helped her up: "You have a heart. It is usually plain, and occasionally it is brighter, which makes people's eyes shine. No matter who sees it, they will like it." The pure concubine also smiled: "That's not true, the third elder brother really likes nobleman Hai."

The emperor patted his forehead and said with a bright smile: "I have forgotten that you are already a nobleman. Are you still used to living in Yanxi Palace alone?" Hai Lan said: "I'm used to it, and I'm not used to it either." The emperor laughed: "Why do you talk like that?" Hailan smiled faintly: "Sister Ruyi used to be a companion, but now she's alone, so I'm not used to it. But after facing the shadow alone for a long time, I'm used to it." The emperor's smile gradually faded, and a thin shadow of Shuanghua seemed to float in his eyes. He said "oh", and said, "I'm tired, and you are tired too. Kneel down." The emperor left, and the pure concubine gave her a reproachful look: "Did you forget that Ruyi was sent to the cold palace by the emperor's decree? It was so easy for the emperor to talk to you, why did you mention her to make the emperor unhappy?" Hailan didn't take it seriously and said, "The emperor hasn't mentioned sister Ruyi in the first half of the year. Since the emperor himself has forgotten, what's the matter with the concubine mentioning it?" The pure concubine was quite sad and indisputable: "You, if this goes on like this, the favor will not be as good as this palace. At least I still have a child, but you..." Hai Lan said seriously: "Because your mother has children, you must put children first in everything." She smiled wryly, and the smile was thin, like withered flowers scattered on the ground: "People like concubines are not Hurry up." The pure concubine looked at the room of the second elder brother, and listened to the carefree laughter of the third elder brother, her expression became more serious. After Hailan delivered her pure concubine, she went back to the hall and trimmed some reeds that Ye Xin had just brought.The reeds have fluffy catkins, which look like a pile of light snow floating in the air from a distance.Hai Lan said: "Have you taken the hang silk material I told you to go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs?" Ye Xin wondered: "Hangzhou silk is a rare material, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs has kept it on hold, saying that it is not enough for a few empresses." Hai Lan hesitated, and said, "That's all, those people are always so snobbish." Ye Xin explained: "I can't say for sure. When the slaves went to the House of Internal Affairs, they heard from the aunts in the embroidery room that the Double Ninth Festival will be in a few days. The emperor specially ordered to sew a long-lived wishful quilt for the queen mother. It is said that even the bed with the pattern of Longevity gold thread with pearls nailed on it was first sent to Tibet to be consecrated by the master lama to recite the scriptures, and then transported from Tibet to rush to embroider the pattern and send it to the Queen Mother before the Double Ninth Festival. They are all busy As for this matter, there are some who can’t take care of it for a while.” Hailan's eyebrows moved, and she fiddled with the reed that was as light as willow catkins in her hand: "Is the emperor very concerned about this matter?" Ye Xin said: "Of course. I heard that the emperor will go to the embroidery room to have a look at it every two days to supervise the progress." Hailan's smile slowly rose from the corner of her lips, like a rose that suddenly bloomed, shining brightly in the dark night. On this day, the emperor went to the House of Internal Affairs to check the birthday gifts for the empress dowager, and they were all exquisite. The emperor was satisfied, and praised: "Qin Li, you are quite diligent in doing things." Qin Li, the chief eunuch in charge of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, accompanied him personally, nodded and bowed and said: "The Longevity Ruyi quilt for the Empress Dowager has already been sewn for the most part, but the phoenix feathers on it are not bright in color, and the embroiderers are having trouble. " The emperor said casually: "If you want to be bright and bright, or add more colors, or twist gold threads, what's the problem?" Qin Li looked troubled: "I embroidered it all for the Empress Dowager to see. The Empress Dowager said it was vulgar and reprimanded her. Slaves, I'm almost exhausted thinking about it. There is still nothing I can do." The emperor scolded: "Stupid! You can't do such a trivial matter well, no wonder the empress dowager is angry. Let me go and see, why is the phoenix feather so difficult?" Just as they were talking, the group of people had already turned to the window of the embroidery studio.Qin Li was about to announce that the emperor saw the embroidered ladies surrounded by a woman through the long and hollow window, he felt a little curious, waved his hand to signal that he should not make a sound, and stood outside the window to watch. The woman said softly: "The Empress Dowager is very old, and she is used to seeing the flowers blooming like brocades. In addition, this quilt is a covering on her body. It is too gorgeous and looks dazzling at night. Naturally, she doesn't like it, and even more so, she thinks it is tacky. " A embroiderer asked: "Then what do you say?" The woman's voice was as clear as pearls: "This phoenix is ​​majestic, surrounded by hundreds of flowers, and the color doesn't need to be too bright, just twist a thin silver thread with eight strands of dark purple silk thread and twist it into a strand. The tone is soft but not dull, not dazzling in the sun, and slightly soft and lustrous under the candlelight. Then, on the edge of each phoenix feather, the smallest Ziying beads and dark green tourmaline beads are used to nail the beads alternately. Ziying and dark purple silk threads are interlaced in depth. The color can suppress the magnificence of the silk threads of hundreds of flowers.Finally, beeswax beads are often used on the head of the phoenix. Beeswax is the favorite blessing of Tibetan Buddhism, and the color is also stable and generous.In this way, the queen mother will not have any objections. " After she finished speaking, Bai Ruyu's fingers rose and fell lightly, like jade butterflies fluttering among flowers.The emperor looked at it for a long time, but saw the crowd surrounding the woman. He only thought the voice was familiar, but he couldn't remember who it was, and couldn't see her face clearly. After a while, the woman said: "I have already embroidered a feather, take a look, is this okay?" Before she finished speaking, the emperor had already stepped in and said with a smile, "Then I can take a look too?" When everyone heard the emperor's voice, they couldn't help being startled, and hurriedly said: "May the emperor be safe." The emperor smiled and said: "Where did such a sensitive embroiderer come from? I also want to see what new look she embroiders. Everyone listens to her?" Everyone hurriedly got up, and the woman stood in the middle of the crowd. Because everyone was wearing dark purple court ladies' costumes, she was wearing a light moon-white lake crepe jacket, and only a few flowers were sparsely embroidered with sapphire blue and silver thread. Epiphyllum when it is released.For a moment, it looks particularly fresh and eye-catching among the crowd, just like the dark clusters of petals are nothing special, but the stamens are particularly lovely.The emperor took a closer look, the woman lowered her head and couldn't see her face clearly, but the clouds were piled up on her temples, like light smoke and dense fog, all of which were made of flying gold pearls and silver inlaid emerald plum blossoms, with only a little amethyst hanging between her eyebrows Sui Chuan'er, like a branch of hibiscus on a curling Lingbo, seems to have been casually dressed, but there are ulterior motives everywhere. The emperor's admiration grew even more: "I hear your voice very familiar..." The woman raised her face, her pink face was slightly dizzy, shy and timid: "The concubine is showing off, the emperor laughed." The emperor couldn't help but smile: "Hailan, it's you." He looked at the phoenix feather she had just embroidered, and the color scheme was calm yet gentle and gorgeous: "I saw the phoenix feather you embroidered, not only the queen mother can't If there is any objection, I am already going to praise you. How did you come up with it?" Hailan's gentle smile was like a newly opened flower: "The concubine remembered the red sandalwood inlaid tourmaline beads that the Queen Mother often held in her hand, so she matched this color. If it wasn't the Queen Mother's favorite, she probably wouldn't always carry it with her." "Everyone can see it, but you have the most heart." The tenderness and approval in the emperor's eyes became more and more intertwined, and he approached, "Why didn't you know you had such a heart before?" Hailan smiled charmingly: "My thoughts are hidden in my heart, so I can't easily see them." "Then it's a coincidence that I saw them all today." The emperor looked down slightly, and said with a smile, "Why are there embroidered epiphyllum flowers on your body?" Hailan Yingying said: "Because it is a fleeting flower, it will thank you after it blooms. I want to keep it for a long time, so I embroidered it on my body." The emperor nodded and said: "The season of epiphyllum is over now. But if you like it, next summer, I will send more people to your palace." Hai Lan felt a little sad, shook her head and said, "No one sees the flowers, so what's the point of having more flowers?" The emperor took her hand and went out, "Next year when the epiphyllum blooms, I will definitely be with you. It's just that the flowers bloom today, how can I live up to it?" He whispered softly, with a bit of tenderness and intimacy: " I remember the first time I saw you, it was in the embroidered room of the prince's mansion, and you were also dressed in moon-white, so beautiful..." Hailan smiled sweetly, turned slightly sideways, and touched the emperor's arm. Qin Li watched the emperor take Hai Lan away with a smile, and felt anxious, followed him, "Your Majesty..." Li Yuben was following the emperor, seeing him like this, he scolded him and said, "You have no eyesight, didn't you see that the emperor wants to accompany Hai Guiren? Don't follow." In this way, by the time of the Double Ninth Festival night banquet, Hai Lan had become as favored as Concubine Mei and Concubine Hui, watching the beautiful singing and dancing in the hall, and showing a calm and clear smile to the emperor's affectionate eyes. In October, the weather gradually cools down.On the table in the Palace of Yanxi Palace, hang silks and satins sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs were randomly piled up, piled up there one by one, with a complete range of colors and patterns.Ye Xin smiled and said: "Since the young master has been favored, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has been very fawning. In the past, we didn't want to come, but now there are so many silks that we can reward the servants." Hailan was wearing a brand-new magnolia purple embroidered silver aster flower palace gown, with jasper beads of the same color on her hair, and the pearls were hanging down, like a vein of green orchid leaves.She smiled nonchalantly, stretched out her hand and said casually, "Wouldn't it be a pity to give such a good thing to a servant?" She whispered, "Have you prepared all the padded clothes I asked you to send to the cold palace?" Ye Xin smiled and said: "Young master, don't worry again! Last night, you chose thick new cotton and sewed it overnight. Seeing that your eye circles are black, it is like making a blessing pillow for the two little elder brothers." Be careful." Hailan smiled a little embarrassedly, and was dazed by a few reed flowers in the celadon amphorae.Suddenly the brocade curtain flashed outside, but it was Chun Concubine who came in, and said with a smile: "I haven't seen you for a few days, my sister is very different. It's really three days away, you should see her with admiration." Hailan affectionately took the concubine's hand and sat down, "Your Majesty doesn't know about concubines yet, but the emperor remembered it for a while, it's just a moment of interest." Concubine Chun slightly concealed her disappointment, and smiled softly: "Are you still so polite to me? In the past half a month, the emperor has treated you as well as Concubine Mei and Concubine Hui. Concubine Mei and Concubine Hui have always been favored." , and you, you are a rising star, how many people in the palace envy you." Hailan sneered slightly: "Where is the new rich, it's just an old love that is occasionally remembered. By the way, empress, why are you here to see the concubine at this time?" The pure concubine looked around, Hailan understood, and said: "Let's put the refreshments here, I'm talking to the pure concubine, you don't have to wait." Everyone hurriedly retreated, and the hall was as quiet as a long-standing deep pool.Seeing that there was no one around, Concubine Chun's face darkened, she clenched the silk tightly, tears filled her eyes with hatred, and said: "The last time my sister asked me to pay attention, I went to inquire one by one. I really don't want to, those people The third elder brother who listened to the queen's words and harmed my palace. On the surface, he loves the third elder brother, but in fact he doesn't teach or help anything. When the emperor asks, he only says that the third elder brother is greedy for food and sleep. I don't know anything else, and I can't recognize things after being taught. I also blame my mother and son for being stupid, the emperor has alienated my son like this, and I am still kept in the dark." The pure concubine said anxiously: "If At the point where my sister said that the prince was abandoned by the emperor, what hope does the third brother have in the future!" Hai Lan said in surprise: "The concubine was just suspicious that day, but I don't think the queen is really like this. After all, she is also the third elder brother's aunt." She gritted her teeth with hatred when she saw the pure concubine, and said softly: "That empress has I haven't thought of a way to make the Empress Empress have no time to worry about harming the third elder brother so much, and let her take good care of her own son." The pure concubine's eyes moved slightly, looking at the tea in the cup, she said slowly: "I want to vent my anger, but..." Her voice gradually lowered, helpless: "It's just that the empress is always careful, even the second elder brother's Everything that should be worn, even the quilts and pillows, are all sewed by myself, not to mention the food and daily life, I am afraid that it is airtight, there is no way..." Hailan helped the slightly swaying beads on the bun, the texture of jasper felt slightly cool in the palm of her hand, she smiled lightly, got up and took a set of blessing pillows: "A little heart for the third elder brother, ma'am Do you like it?" The pure concubine took a few glances, and said in surprise: "Isn't this what the empress did for the second elder brother?" Hailan's smile was secretive and slight: "Does your empress look alike too?" The pure concubine carefully turned over and over, looked and looked: "Really? It's almost exactly the same, it can be fake." Hailan knew gentleness and harmlessness: "I saw it in the yard of my brother's office that day, so I tried to make a set." "Sister's hand is really a coincidence!" Chunyu said doubtfully, "But the size of this set of pillows and quilts is really too big for Third Elder Brother, I'm afraid it won't fit." Hailan looked into her eyes, almost looking into her heart, and said confidingly: "Then the empress thinks whoever is suitable, she can replace it with whoever. Anyway, it's all the concubine's wishes for the third elder brother, no one else needs to know , I can't see it either." The pure concubine trembled, and the tip of her nose was slightly sweating: "What's the difference?" "Second elder brother suffers from wind-cold and lung-heat, and is afraid of cold. The quilt and pillow are made of silk, and the cover is very soft to protect the baby's body and skin. However, the concubines are not all cotton, but mixed with Reed wadding. The cover looks thick, but it’s actually thin, and the second elder brother’s wind and cold will be more serious. Let the queen learn a lesson, and stop caring about her own children and disregarding other people’s children.” Hailan looked at the pure concubine "If you don't dare, your concubine will be in vain. The concubines will be burned in the fire immediately, and each other will be clean." Chun Concubine's suspicious eyes gradually became a little shaken, adding a little bit of hatred and disgust, and said eagerly: "Just a lesson?" Hai Lan's smile was firm and calm, and said: "Yes. Otherwise, what can we do? If the matter fails, the concubine's stitches will fall, and no one else can rely on it. If it succeeds, the empress will also vent this anger, won't she?" The pure concubine's hand holding the quilt was getting tighter and tighter, she was really reluctant to push it away from it, and finally said: "Okay. Tomorrow is the first day of October, and I will go to visit the third elder brother to tell my sister's mind. Bring it to your senses." Hailan smiled, and held the pure concubine's hand earnestly, her tone was as calm as usual: "The concubine is the only one who comes to visit the concubine when she is ill, and only the concubine takes the concubine to heart and treats the concubine as a younger sister. The concubine herself is an accustomed person Those who bully, really don't want the mother's children are the same. From now on, those who love the third elder brother should also be counted as sisters." The pure concubine was deeply shocked, with tears in her eyes: "The emperor doesn't love the third elder brother, my good sister, everything is left to us."