Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Straightforward

Waking up early this morning, Qingying hastily cleaned up and went to Fucha's Palace to serve her.In order to facilitate the daily life and preside over the funeral, Fucha Langhua lived in the nearby side hall all the time. When Qing Ying left, the sky was bright, Ru Xin opened the curtain to welcome Qing Ying in, and said with a smile: "The young master came so early. The mistress just got up." Qingying smiled modestly: "I should have waited for the master to get up earlier." The curtain inside was lifted, and the maids waiting for the wash came out holding shackles.Qing Ying knew that Mrs. Fu Cha had finished washing, and it was time for her to dress up.

Ru Xin said softly, "Master, Qing Fujin is here." There was only a gentle voice: "Please come in." The maids on both sides raised the curtain with both hands, half bent their waists, lowered their eyebrows and bowed their heads to welcome Qingying in.Qingying unconsciously complimented that even if it was a national funeral, the rules of the Fucha clan here are not bad at all. When Qing Ying entered, Mrs. Fu Cha was sitting in front of the mirror, and the hair bun was combed by a special hair-combing nun.The Fucha clan was about the same age as the emperor, so he was a young man with a dignified appearance.The simple and unadorned flat square of sapphire makes her look extraordinarily light and pleasant, like a white magnolia branch facing the wind, although it is plain, it is solemn and pleasant.

Qingying invited Ann, and Fucha turned her head with a smile, "Get up. It's rare that you came early." Qing Ying stood up and thanked, Fucha pointed to an open jewelry box on the mirror stand, and said: "It is not appropriate to have too many beads in a funeral, but it is too simple to make people laugh. You have always had good eyesight, and you are also here to replace it." I choose." Qingying smiled, "My mistress, I haven't seen anything good, it's just a test of my concubine's eyesight." Fucha smiled and said nothing.Qingying picked a jade-colored phoenix with pearls in it for comparison, and said: "Today is the last day of mourning, and tomorrow is the official enthronement ceremony. Even though the master is plain attire, she has to wear something eye-catching." Jewelry. The phoenix wears emerald feathers, and the eyeballs of the phoenix are also sapphire beads, coupled with a few sapphire pearl flowers, it is the most elegant and pure."

Mrs. Fu Cha smiled at Sister Combing Hair, "I still don't do what Qing Fujin said." Qing Ying took a step back and guarded, only waiting to pass things.Fucha saw it, but didn't say a word.After finishing dressing up, he smiled slowly and said: "You are doing so well, Fujin, but you have done all these little things for me, and I have wronged you." Qingying hurriedly said: "I don't dare." Mrs. Fu Cha looked at the mirror again and again, and said with a smile, "You really can't fault the bead ornaments you wear. If you can be impeccable in everything you do, then you can be regarded as a person with both blessing and wisdom. Fu Cha closed his eyes for a moment, and said seriously, "You are wronged after all."

Qingying didn't know what Fucha was referring to, she hurriedly knelt down and said: "I am stupid, I don't know what your mother is referring to, please ask your mother to advise." Mrs. Fucha looked at her twice, and said slowly: "You know how you married into the palace and became a side Fujin." Qingying knelt on the ground, after all, she didn't know what to say, so she just bowed her head and dared not make a sound. Seeing her lowering her head, Mrs. Fucha slowly smiled, and said, "I'm asking you this because you and I are sisters. After all, you are Xiao He who succeeds, and Xiao He who is most afraid of failure. No wonder Mrs. Gao wants to Stealing your limelight everywhere."

Qing Ying forced a smile, "I serve the emperor with Elder Sister Gao, it's hard to say who stole the limelight from the other. If my concubine is not as good as others, Elder Sister Gao should give me advice." Mrs. Fucha smiled faintly, "Advice? In the past, in the palace, did she dare to advise you? Now that times have changed, how should you deal with yourself?" When Qingying heard the words, she couldn't feel the cold sweat dripping down, she said softly: "My lord..." Mrs. Fucha stared at her for a moment, then returned to her usual elegant and virtuous expression, and said softly: "Okay. I just want to remind you that things may not be so bad." Mrs. Fucha was a little self-confident, "In the end I am also the empress, the first wife of the emperor, if you keep yourself safe, I will not allow Mrs. Gao to bully you again."

After hearing this, Qing Ying could only thank her, "Thank you, Mistress, Mistress. Mistress Mistress has always treated me and my elder sister equally, and the only one I can rely on is Mistress Mistress." Mrs. Fu Cha's eyes swayed leisurely on her wrist, seeing that Qingying's white wrist had no other ornaments except a string of emerald beads wrapped in silk and red gold lotus bracelet, she could not help but secretly nodded: "The bracelet on your wrist, There were only one pair of treasures that An Nanguo paid tribute to when the emperor was the prince. At that time, the late emperor gave it to our mansion. I thought that you and the Gao family were equal, so I gave it to you each. It is to let you keep each other. I also want you to understand that as a side Fujin, you should not distinguish between each other and don't care about everything. Now you are still willing to wear it every day."

This bracelet was originally a very rare tribute from the Annan Kingdom.Annan originally produced good jadeite, but such a pair is really rare.A string of emerald green jadeite beads are of the same size, not to mention transparent and moist, what's even more rare is that they are evenly distributed without any variegated color, and the green jadeite beads are so quiet that they look like a pool of flowing green water.If it is exposed to the sun, there will be streaks of white light streaks like water waves, just like peacock feathers.Because of the deep green color of this jadeite bead, it is specially equipped with red gold silk-wrapped flower leaves to protect the whole body of the bead. Both ends of each emerald bead are wrapped with thin lotus-shaped gold foil, which is even more ingenious.

The emperor, who was the fourth prince back then, was also very happy to get this pair of bracelets. Although he doted on the two newly married side Fujin, he still gave it to the Fucha family of the first Fujin.The Fucha family thought of the emperor's heart, and within a few days after accepting it, they donated it to Qingying and Xiyue. Qingying lowered her head, caressing the bracelet with a calm and easy-going face, "Master, what the empress said is true. I really appreciate the empress's kindness, so I always wear it and be alert at all times, as my empress told me back then."

Mrs. Fucha said softly, "You are a sensible person. I think Mrs. Gao also wears it every day, but I may not remember the meaning." She paused, "Oh, it's not that I don't know Mrs. Gao's arrogance last night. From now on, you have to let her go." Qingying was thinking about what Hailan said last night, and was about to speak, but she heard Fucha say, "Before you came, the emperor had already given an order to raise the flag for the Gao clan, The Xianghuang Banner was given the surname Gao Jia. The Qing Dynasty was founded nearly a hundred years ago, and the emperor was able to carry the flag himself. Gao was the only one who won this honor, and only Zhenghuang and Xianghuangqi were trusted by the emperor. You can measure the weight clearly."

Qing Ying's heart throbbed, she wanted to speak, but her tongue was numb with surprise, she couldn't speak a word, so she could only smile. Mrs. Fucha turned her head and leisurely picked out a pair of exquisite sapphire drop earrings from the jewelry box, and said: "In the past, your status in the mansion was naturally higher than that of Mrs. Gao, but now it seems that she is actually going to be on par with you .Alas... you should kneel down first." Qing Ying slowly walked out of the Fucha Clan's palace, feeling dry mouth, as if she had never been so troubled.Even at the beginning... when he was rejected and humiliated by the third elder brother Hongshi, it was never like this. Thinking of the word "Hongshi" in her mind, she just felt annoyed, shook her head vigorously, and slowly went out with the hand that supported her heart. The hot summer and the summer vacation are receding, and occasionally a gust of wind comes, and there is a faint cool air.Someone came over with a chatter and a smile, Qingying frowned, and was about to speak, but Gao Xiyue and Jin Yuyan came over affectionately.Seeing Qingying, Jin Yuyan still took half a step back as usual, bowing her knees to salute, but Gao Xiyue just looked at Qingying with a smile, "Sister, it's so early." Qingying knew that the situation was different from the past, so she met Gao Xiyue first, and then said with a smile: "It's better to come early than to come at a good time. The master and the lady have finished grooming, and it's just right to go in." Xiyue nodded and said with a smile: "Is my sister still used to living in the palace these few days?" Qing Ying said: "Sister Lao, don't worry, everything is fine." Xiyue nodded, "It's good to get used to it. I'm afraid that my sister is used to sleeping on the hot kang bed in the palace, not used to the high bed and big pillow in the Forbidden City, and wakes up in the middle of the night alone, suddenly surprised." Qing Ying frowned slightly, but she still smiled, "Sister Gao is used to joking. The emperor kept his filial piety for the late emperor, and these days he lives in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Could it be that sister still has the emperor as a companion?" Xiyue cast a condescending glance at her. "My younger sister is so clever, she will be a match in chess from now on. Queen Ulanara of Jingren Palace will probably be as free as my younger sister, and gossip about family affairs together." Seeing Qingying's slightly embarrassed expression, she took a step closer and whispered Said, "Sandwiched between the Empress Dowager and Queen Ulanara, my sister, rather than competing for favor when she has time, might as well think about how to deal with herself." Gao Xiyue waved to Yuyan, and said affectionately: "What are you doing there? Why don't you come in with me!" Yuyan answered "yes", glanced at Qingying, proudly took Xiyue's hand, and entered affectionately. There was wind blowing close to the face.The September wind in central Beijing turns out to have such a faint coolness of wind and sand, which can dazzle people's eyes. Xin waited for them to go in, held Qing Ying's hand and walked slowly forward, said in a low voice angrily: "Yue Fujin is just like you, she won't return your gift, she..." Qing Ying said indifferently: "There will be more days like this in the future. If I can't even bear this anger, it will be useless to get along with her for a few years." Take a breath, "Besides, how old is she? , I should respect her a little bit and listen to her teachings. As long as she doesn't go too far, that's fine." Ying hesitated to speak, Qingying glanced at her, "What do you want to say?" Xiao Xin lowered her eyebrows and was pleasing to the eye, "The young master said this because he also knows that Xiyue Fujin is not too much for us to let her go." Qing Ying raised her eyebrows, and said in a deep voice: "Do you have to tell what you know? It is to your advantage that you are slow in speech and quick in action, why are you as straightforward as Ah Ruo?" Hanging his head down and saying nothing, he just stretched out his hand, "I know my mistake. My lord, it's time to salute before the late emperor's spirit." On this day of mourning, Xiyue knelt down in front of Qingying as a matter of course.Mrs. Fucha didn't say a word, but treated Mrs. Gao more politely than usual.The people in the palace are the best at seeing the wind and steering the rudder, and for a while they changed their astonishment from yesterday, and treated Xiyue more respectfully. After three quarters of the hour, the concubines entered the palace one by one, and lined up with the new emperor's concubines on the left and right sides, mourning.Although there are many people in the hall, but at a glance, they are all dressed in plain silverware, with a white frosty look of sadness.It seems that even a person with a soul has become a weak point in that plain color.But half an hour later, the Queen Mother also came over to support Aunt Fu's hand.Because of mourning for days, the Empress Dowager's expression was not very good.The Empress Dowager was the noble concubine Xi of the first emperor, she was always loved and pampered, and she devoted herself to taking care of her. She looked like thirty people.Now, because of the sad state of mind, and the grief of the late emperor's death, I haven't had any water or rice for several days, and my whole person suddenly withered a lot.It seems that when the beauty is in full bloom, the flowers and leaves are all alone. When Lang Hua saw the Empress Dowager entering the hall, he hurriedly led the crowd to salute.The Empress Dowager nodded slightly, "That's enough. It's time to be filial to the late emperor, so there is no need for so many rules." Lang Hua hurriedly answered "Yes" and stood up to support the Queen Mother.Qingying always had the most visits with Langhua in the palace, so she also took a step to support the queen mother.Unexpectedly, Xiyue bumped her elbow, stepped forward to support the other hand of the Empress Dowager, and said softly: "The Empress Dowager has been tired for several days, it is inevitable that grief will hurt her body, and she should also pay attention to the phoenix's body." The Queen Mother nodded, and patted the back of Xiyue's hand, "You have a heart." Only when the Queen Mother approached did Qingying dare to look up at her.In the past when we met in the palace, the Empress Dowager was still a favored imperial concubine. Although there were young concubines Ning and Concubine Qian who came from behind, they were lovely people who had accompanied the late emperor for many years. They always had a delicate makeup that was greasy and greasy, without any relaxation.Looking at it carefully now, after all, the years are ruthless, accompanied by sadness, crawled over her skin silently, and left thin marks on the corners of her eyebrows and eyes.The empress dowager's face was haggard and gloomy with thin makeup, as if the best silk satin, after a long time, was also stained with light yellow traces of the years, no longer smooth and smooth. After the death of the first emperor, the Empress Dowager's attire became much lighter.Underneath the mourning white robe was a plain dress with silver-backed satin embroidered with white bamboo leaves.The brilliance of the jade tins scattered on the crescent-shaped bun makes the white hair that cannot be hidden in the blue silk look like dazzling grass, tying people's eyes. Qingying's heart felt pity, as the Queen Mother and Langhua knelt before the coffin, weeping miserably. Although the days of crying to the soul were tiring, if I were really a candlestick placed in front of the soul, or if I was tied into a plain white curtain by a golden string, the time would pass much faster. When it was time for lunch, because it was not long before Luyun gave birth to her third elder brother, the queen mother specially allowed her to go back and take care of her.Luyun was very grateful and went immediately.Then Langhua, Xiyue and Qingying went to the side hall to serve the Queen Mother for lunch. The Empress Dowager's lunch was supposed to be used in the Shoukang Palace.According to the rules of this dynasty, the new emperor cannot live in the east and west palaces with the former emperor's concubines.So the first emperor passed away, and hastily moved all the remaining concubines from the six palaces to Shoukang Palace for placement.The Empress Dowager also temporarily lived in the main hall of Shoukang Palace, and did not move to the Compassion Palace where the Empress Dowager should live alone.And this day was the last day of mourning for the late emperor, the Empress Dowager did not want to work in chariots, and preferred to spend more time mourning for the late emperor, so she ordered the imperial dining room to move the lunch to the side hall. Langhua originally planned to take advantage of lunch to visit the second elder brother, but the queen mother is here, and in the spirit of filial piety, she also serves her wholeheartedly, which is not bad at all.All of a sudden, the meal was served, Langhua added the rice, Xiyue served the dishes, and Qingying scooped up the soup. Although there were many people serving, there was not even a trace of coughing, and it was as quiet as if no one was there. The queen mother saw Langhua serving beside her, and asked unconsciously: "Second elder brother is still young, why don't you go back to the palace to take care of Fu, but stay here to serve Ai's family?" Lang Hua smiled, "The Empress Dowager doesn't know, in order to take good care of the affairs of the harem, the concubine has already sent the second elder brother to the elder brother to be taken care of by the nanny according to the ancestor's rules." The Empress Dowager was slightly startled, as if by accident, "What? Don't you take care of him for two days first, and you're not afraid that he won't get used to Elder Brother's house?" Lang Hua's eyes were calm, as if he could accept it calmly, "The family law of this dynasty is that once a elder brother princess is born, if there is a will, the low-ranking concubines will be raised by the high-ranking concubines; if there is no will, all will be handed over to the elder brother. The nuns of the elder brother's office will take care of them so that the mother and child will not be too affectionate, and they will not be able to serve the emperor with peace of mind, and they will miss the opportunity to give birth to the emperor. The concubine dare not set an example, so the second elder brother and the eldest elder brother are sent .” The queen mother concentrated for a moment, then said slowly: "That's hard for you. In this case, it is not appropriate for the third elder brother of the Su family to stay by his side to be educated. Fu Jia, please go down and order Ge Gesu family to remove the third elder brother as soon as possible. Elder brother, let her concentrate on serving the emperor." Aunt Fu agreed, ordered to go on, and then turned back to serve the Queen Mother. The rule of the Empress Dowager is to drink a bowl of soup first.Seeing that there was a ham and fresh bamboo shoot soup on the table, Qingying saw that the snow-white bamboo shoots were paired with bright red ham. The bamboo shoots were handed to the Empress Dowager and put down. The Queen Mother took a sip and nodded slightly, "When it comes to soup, there is nothing more delicious than the best Jinhua ham served with sliced ​​bamboo shoots. This soup is fresh, and the sliced ​​bamboo shoots are also tender. It's just that the umami taste is all there. No matter how good the dishes are at the back, they will always feel tasteless.” Aunt Fu who served the Empress Dowager was an old woman for many years, and said with a quick smile: "The Empress Dowager always liked this soup, but she mourned for the late Emperor in the past few days, and the tea and rice were tasteless. I can't eat any more." Qingying was startled, and hurriedly knelt down and said: "The concubine only thinks about the Queen Mother's usual liking, but she didn't realize the Queen Mother's current appetite. It is really the concubine's fault." Seeing Qingying like this, Xiyue couldn't help but sneer and just watched from the sidelines. Lang Hua also said: "It's just soup. Although the bamboo shoots are fresh and tender, eating too much will hurt the stomach, so it's not suitable for the Queen Mother." The queen mother waved her hand and said lazily: "Forget it. You are also a filial piety. It's just that Ai's family has no appetite." The queen mother glanced at the meals on the table and said lazily, "Let someone take it away. Ai's family will also see it no appetite." Xiyue sneered silently, and said slowly: "My sister is very filial. The queen mother has reduced her diet these days, and it is easy to have some lunch. She lost her appetite with only one sip of soup. There are still several hours of mourning this afternoon. , Is my sister planning to let the queen mother stay there starving?" Qing Ying bit her lip, kowtowed her head and said: "I also ask the Queen Mother to forgive me, the concubine made a mistake for a while, and I don't want to hurt the Queen Mother's body. The Queen Mother wants to punish the ministers and concubines without complaint or regret, but please take good care of your body and work harder. some." The queen mother was lazy and did not want to eat.Seeing this, Lang Hua hurriedly scooped up a bowl of extremely thick porridge, took a silver spoon and blew it gently, and handed it to the Empress Dowager, "The Empress Dowager has no appetite, please take a bowl of porridge for the sake of the late emperor." .” The queen mother raised her eyes and glanced, then closed her eyes lazily, and said with disgust: "The Ai family has no appetite." Aunt Fu frowned slightly, and said softly: "Mistress, the Empress Dowager has not had a good appetite these few days, at most she can add some thinly boiled porridge, the Empress Dowager really has no appetite for such thick porridge." Langhua was not discouraged, and said with a smile: "This kind of porridge rice is newly imported from Yutian. The grains are full and crystal clear. It tastes slightly sweet, soft but chewy. It melts in the mouth. The emperor is sad about the death of the late emperor these days, and he is busy with the affairs of the previous court, so he has no appetite. The minister ordered the imperial dining room to make such porridge, and the emperor can eat a few mouthfuls." The queen mother nodded, "You are the emperor's first wife, you should care more about the emperor and save him from trouble." She paused, "Forget it, the emperor is working hard to add meals, no matter how sad the family is, you have to pay It's one o'clock. Just try it." Lang Hua couldn't help being overjoyed, seeing that the Queen Mother was still upset after eating two mouthfuls, he felt relieved.Xiyue served dishes attentively and picked some light side dishes as much as she could, but she also watched the queen mother drink up half the bowl of porridge. Lang Hua just smiled a little bit, and said softly: "Sister Qingying's soup is fresh, and it can be eaten with light porridge and side dishes. If the following dishes are still thick and fresh, it will really hurt your appetite." The queen mother thought about it for a while, "You have a heart. It's just that Aijia is drinking it. There is a faint ginger taste in this porridge. It warms the stomach and makes you feel a little better after eating it." Langhua was unexpected, and really didn't know, he hurriedly glanced at the eunuch in the imperial dining room who was waiting behind him, and asked, "What's the reason?" The eunuch slapped Qianer, bowed and replied: "Your Majesty's order is to use the new rice from Yutian to make porridge, but the emperor had a cold stomach from the night before. Little Master Qingying knew it, and specially ordered the servants to add a little rice. The young ginger in the porridge can warm the stomach and warm the air. The emperor has always found it good after using it, so the porridge for the Empress Dowager today is also prepared in the same way." The Empress Dowager sighed softly, "My son! This is what you have done with all your heart." She glanced at Qing Ying, and ordered, "Kneel outside, and kneel here at Ai's house, so you don't have to worry about hurting your knees. , get up." Only then did Qingying dare to thank En and stood up.The Empress Dowager supported the silver silk pearl phoenix hairpin on her temples, and said: "The Ai family still wants to drink some soup, you can choose a bowl for the Ai family." Qingying didn't dare to act rashly anymore, and after careful consideration, she chose a bowl of "Purple Ginseng Snow Chicken Soup" and gave it to the Queen Mother.The Empress Dowager only glanced at it, and the circles of her eyes turned red, "Why did you choose this soup?" Qingying cautiously said: "Purple ginseng lifts Qi, snow chicken nourishes body, suitable for the Empress Dowager's phoenix body. And when the late emperor was here, the concubines served the late emperor and the empress dowager for dinner, so they listened to the late emperor's instructions that this soup is suitable for the empress dowager to drink. Now please ask the empress dowager To drink, it is only to ask the Empress Dowager to remember the painstaking efforts of the late emperor and take good care of herself." The Empress Dowager concentrated for a moment, wiped away her tears with a piece of silk, and said: "When the late Emperor was here, he liked this soup the most. He always said it could refresh the mind and invigorate Qi, and he often asked Ai's family to drink it. Looking at it now, it is just touching the scene and hurting the situation. What's more The first emperor just left, and most of the food on the table is meaty, where can the Ai family eat it? Forget it." Although these few words are not a refusal to eat, they are more serious than just now. Qingying only feels that the roots of her ears are getting hotter and hotter, and her scalp is aching from the burn. Besides, the soup of the imperial meal is made of copper for fear of getting cold. Hang Zinuan is there.Qing Ying held a bowl of hot soup in her hands, at first she felt her fingertips were hot and painful, like insect bites, she gradually lost consciousness, holding the soup in and out, it was very embarrassing. Seeing the opportunity, Xiyue hurriedly picked up a chopstick of asparagus and put it in the Empress Dowager's bowl, "This asparagus is quite tasty. The Empress Dowager has a taste, and it is also a vegetarian meal. I will do my best to the late emperor." The Queen Mother reluctantly ate a mouthful, took Langhua and Xiyue's hands and sighed: "The Ai family is just looking at your hearts. In fact, how much attention can be paid to a drink and a meal? It's nothing more than judging the situation, don't be smart!" She Glancing at Qingying, "Okay, what are you still doing with that soup? For example, the porridge, the emperor is suitable for adding some ginger, but the Ai family may not be suitable. It is good to be careful, but don't always treat others like you People today, do you understand?" Qingying didn't know where she was wrong, but after hearing these words, she realized the reason, she knelt softly like five thunderbolts.