Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Shadow puppets
When it was late, Qingying went back to her own palace to rest, feeling exhausted, she didn't even have the strength to raise her hand to drink tea.
After Xing Xin gave an order, a little maid came up immediately, beating her shoulders, and pinching her back.Ah Ruo prepared hot water and was about to scald Qing Ying's hands, but Xin shook her head quietly, and said in a low voice, "Come change the ice water."
Ah Ruo immediately changed the water, and Xin Xin had already found a piece of cool ointment from the silver lock drawer of Huanghuali, and waited on Qingying to wash her hands, carefully picked out some ointment with a silver stick, and carefully applied it on Qing Ying. Sakura fingers.
Ah Ruo saw that Qingying's ten fingers had crimson marks, and she knew it was hot, but she didn't feel her brows stand on end, and said, "Xin Xin, you went out with the young master, why did the young master's hands get burned?" So red? How did you serve him!"
His face flushed with anxiety, and he hurriedly whispered: "Sister Ah Ruo, this matter is a long story..."
"It's a long story..." A Ruo snorted softly, "It's just that I was lazy and careless, and now I dare to talk back! Did you follow the little master's family to give birth to a girl, I don't know how much I feel for the young master!"
A Ruo is Qing Ying's dowry, and has always been the most respectable, so she counts herself as Qing Ying's natal family, and she is also more powerful in her words and deeds.Xing Xin refers to the people in Qiandi who used to serve Fujin Gege in the house. They all follow the Xin family. Although they are also decent maids, they are not as good as A Ruo after all. Therefore, she dare not argue too much when A Ruo speaks. .
Qing Ying was upset when she heard this, and said coldly: "I didn't take good care of the queen mother, and I hurt myself. I already took some medicine in the afternoon." A Ruo was taken aback, and immediately shut up and didn't dare to say anything, and acted. The waiting room is also much more light-footed.
After Qing Ying finished applying the plaster, she drank a cup of tea with her heart in her hand and calmed down. A Ruo came up and smiled and said, "Today is the last day of mourning. Tomorrow is the day when the emperor officially ascends the throne. Time to dress up in some festive colors."
Seeing Qing Ying nodding, A Ruo laughed even more, "I heard that the emperor's reign was set to be Qianlong. It really is a prosperous and prosperous era. The servants are also happy and waiting It's the day when the emperor canonize the young master."
Qingying took a sip of tea silently, "So what?"
A Ruo greeted with joy, "The slaves are waiting for the good day when the empress canonize you as a concubine. The other young masters came to visit you in the past two days, and the servants around them also said the same."
Qingying smiled, holding the teacup and concentrating on it: "You have seen that I have such a good fortune. Then, Ah Ruo, what do you think if I am only granted the promise or kicked out of the palace?" ?”
A Ruo turned pale with shock, and said with a tongue-tied voice, "This... how could this happen?"
Qing Ying said: "Why not? You are so red-mouthed and white-tongued as to bring trouble on me, and dare to tell others such right and wrong, how can I not be implicated by you. Whoever the emperor wants to confer and demote, it is all the emperor's responsibility." Your mind, you are presumptuous, let me ask you, how many lives do you have?"
A Ruo was so frightened that she knelt down, "My lord, this servant has made a slip of the tongue, and this servant is also very concerned about this young master."
Qing Ying said coldly: "Xin Xin, take her out. Ah Ruo has made a mistake in his words and deeds, so he is not allowed to serve in the hall anymore."
A Ruo panicked, quickly hugged Qingying's leg and said: "My lord, my lord, this slave is your dowry maid and has served you since childhood, please take care of this slave's face, don't drive this slave to serve you outside."
Qing Ying shook her head and said: "You have repeatedly slipped your tongue, and in front of the Emperor, can I defend you?"
Ah Ruo cried: "My servant has never dared to be careless in serving the young master. The young master likes how hot the water is and how strong the tea is. The servant will keep it in his heart and dare not forget it for a moment. Please forgive the servant this time Bar."
Qingying knew that she was used to being complacent in the hidden mansion, and the people around her would inevitably be careless, but now the situation has changed drastically, not as usual, and only she knows the embarrassment in her heart.However, A Ruo relied on being her dowry maid, and she was used to being inconspicuous. He wanted to use her as a raft, but he couldn't be cruel.
After a long while, Qingying saw Ah Ruo lying on the ground trembling with fright, begging desperately, which was a grievance never before, and immediately shouted: "Don't go out! If you continue to speak like this without restraint, ask someone to drag him out immediately and beat him up." Death is not too much."
When A Ruo heard the sound, her face turned pale with fright, and she kowtowed desperately, but she was still smart enough to help her up, and quickly thanked her for letting her back down.
This made the hall much quieter.The people who served Qing Ying were all used to seeing A Ruo's identity and being favored, and seeing this, everyone couldn't help but be silent.Qingying raised her face, and her heart immediately understood, she opened the door of the palace, Qingying took a sip of tea slowly, and said calmly: "Now you are in the palace, it's not like in the hidden mansion where you can let your willful, nonsense, Talking nonsense. Whenever I hear a word that dares to talk about the master behind my back, I will be sent to death immediately, and there will be no mercy."
Although what she said meant nothing, everyone broke into a cold sweat when they heard it, and they all agreed, not daring to stir up any more words of right and wrong.
Qingying raised her face, everyone understood and immediately retreated.Seeing that there was no one in the hall, Xing Xin took care of Qingying to remove her make-up and freshen up.Qing Ying let her play with her, she just sat in front of the dressing table, looking at herself in the mirror.The face in the mirror was very familiar, she was only nineteen years old, she came from the mother clan of the former emperor and empress, her journey was smooth and smooth, she was protected, so she was inevitably a bit delicate.Walking this way can not but be said to be safe, but if there is any shortage in everything, it is an old thing that happened a few years ago.
Born noble, Qing Ying knows her status, no matter how high or low she is in this life, even if she is not drafted into the palace to become a concubine, she will still be married to the emperor's relatives.The best way out, of course, is to become the concubine Fujin of some prince, preside over the affairs of the government, and continue the glory of the Ulanara clan.
The late emperor's grown-up sons were only the third elder brother Hongshi, the fourth elder brother Hongli, and the fifth elder brother Hongzhou.At that time, she was going to be betrothed to the third elder brother Hongshi.But Hongshi prefers to belong to himself, and doesn't recognize himself as his Fujin.In desperation, just in time for the queen dowager, who was the concubine Xi, to marry the fourth elder brother, she escaped the embarrassment of being pointed at and became the fourth elder brother's side Fujin as if she had been amnesty.
After marrying into the fourth prince's mansion, life is pretty smooth.Although the fourth elder brother was never considered the most favored prince by the late emperor, she also settled down and spent every day with him in a seemingly peaceful but carefully planned life.Fortunately, the family is still peaceful, and the only person with a higher status than her in the mansion is the Fucha family, who is a descendant. She only cares about spreading branches and leaves for the fourth elder brother, consolidating her status, and rarely argues with her.Although the fourth elder brother has taken in several concubines over the years, he treats her kindly.Although her temperament was spoiled by her family before she got married, and her husband loves her, she is inevitably arrogant.But in the last few years of the first emperor, her aunt, Queen Ulanara, fell out of favor, so she dared not restrain herself a little.Now that the late emperor passed away, once her husband ascended to the position of Ninth Five-Year Supreme, she was naturally very happy and proud of him.However, the life in the palace has been like walking on thin ice in just a few days. Xiyue's overtaking, the empress' cold eyes, and the empress dowager's beating all alerted her. The happy days of ignorance in the past are gone forever .
Qing Ying sat quietly, looking at herself alone in the mirror.For the death of the first emperor, although everything in the palace was simple and plain, they were allowed to temporarily live in a side hall, but the palace was still a palace, magnificent, with piles of gold and jade.There is only her, she is alone, she is alone in the mirror, and her shadow falls on the ground, still not a pair, like a solitary pistil in the heap of brocade.
Qing Ying stretched out her hand and held it into a hollow circle, only to realize that she couldn't grasp anything.In her life, there has never been a day when she was so bewildered and helpless as she is today, as if all her confidence had been exhausted in one day.
While she was in a panic, there was a sudden noise outside, it seemed that someone was making noise, which shocked her lonely introspection.Qing Ying frowned, and before she could ask, Ah Ruo, who was guarding outside, had already pushed the door in and said in panic: "My lord, Su Gege seems to be crazy, he came to us with tears all over his face." , must make a fuss to see the young master. It's so late..."
Ah Ruo hadn't finished speaking, but Su Luyun had already run in.She thought she was going to rest, she was only wearing a homely jade-colored chiffon gown and skirt, and a light water green and silver-patterned heavy lotus veil over her head, her temples were disheveled.In such a cold and dewy autumn night, she actually ran so that her face was covered in sweat, mixed with tears, and she completely lost the demure and cowardice of the past.
Qingying's face suddenly changed, she was shocked and said: "Luyun, this is in the palace, what are you doing?"
Lu Yun's face completely lost all color, pale as porcelain, she seemed to have only the strength to cry, and tears poured down like springs.After a long time, she finally knelt down in a "plop" and fell in front of Qing Ying, crying loudly, "Sister, sister, please save me! The master sent someone to take away Yongzhang! My Yongzhang, my Sanya Brother! He was only a few months old, and the mistress sent someone to take him away!"
Qingying understood at the moment that the empress told the foreword and that her own second elder brother Yonglian was already being raised by her elder brother, so there was no reason for the third elder brother who was born of a small princess to stay with her biological mother to raise her.
Luyun cried so much that her hair fell loose, sweat and tears mixed on Yubai's cheeks, as if swept by a cross wind.She fell on the ground and cried: "Sister, I beg you, help me to beg the master and empress, let her return Yongzhang to me, return it to me!"
Qingying hurriedly stretched out her hand to help her, but she didn't know that Luyun was so strong, she kowtowed on the ground desperately, "Sister, I am soft-spoken, and the master and empress don't care about me! But you are different, you are a noble-born side Fujin, you used to When I was in the mansion, the mistress was only willing to listen to you a few words, please beg her for me, okay!"
Before, how long ago.That is a balance of each other's status, not sincerity.
Qing Ying winked, Ah Ruo and Yan Xin half helped her and half dragged her up to sit down.Seeing Luyun crying hoarsely, her heart was also sore, so she had to persuade her, "Yongzhang was taken away by the mistress, but it is not the mistress who can take Yongzhang away, it is the ancestor's rule to take Yongzhang away." !" She paused, "The Empress Dowager knows about this."
Luyun was stunned immediately, her shoulders trembling, "Even if it is the ancestor's rules, but Yongzhang is still so young..."
Qingying pressed her shoulders, and said softly: "Yongzhang is still young. But if you gave birth to Yongzhang in the palace, he would have been taken away from the moment he left the mother's womb. May you take a look." She took a breath and said in a low voice, "Besides, the master and the empress told the queen mother that her biological second elder brother is already in elder brother's house, so she dare not violate the family law."
Luyun's body swayed and almost fainted, Qingying hurriedly supported her, and pinched her fiercely.She originally had inch-long nails, but after pinching off, Luyun woke up a lot, and she shed tears in a daze.Ah Ruo quickly fed Lu Yun a sip of hot tea, "Don't be like this, my little master, you are really going to scare our little master!"
Qing Ying held her down, and said softly: "You look like this, it's fine if you frighten me. But if you frighten the rest of the palace, and they spread it out one by one, what will happen? You don't want to be decent, the third elder brother also wants it." She raised her face, motioned for Sing Xin to take the jade comb on her dressing table, combed her hair bit by bit, and put it into a bun, "Let's Once I entered the palace, I couldn’t help myself. I used to be chaotic, but now I understand it. You are better than me, and you have a son. You are not worse than me, and you look good on the outside. No more. Your Yongzhang is raised in the elder brother's house, and is taken care of by eight nuns. Every day and fifteenth, they will bring the child to meet you for an hour, because they are afraid of mother and child. It's too close, and your relatives will be involved in politics in the future. It's useless for you to ask anyone for this matter, you can only bear it yourself."
Qingying's hand touched Luyun's cheek, the makeup was wet and greasy, and the tears were scorching hot.Lu Yun's tears fell on her hands, and Qing Ying felt that her hands were cold, there was no warmth at all.With these words, she was persuading Lvyun, and she was also persuading herself.When things come to an end, it's useless to beg anyone, only oneself suffers, gritted one's teeth and endured.
She had read so many palace poems, she was lonely, and in the end, she only had this epiphany.
Lu Yun's tears fell onto the lapel of her clothes, and disappeared in an instant.Her eyes were full of tears, weeping and sad, "Then, in the future, I can only do this. As long as I have a child, this child will have to leave me, right?"
Qingying made a bun for her, and took a silver bead with blue and emerald greens, which perfectly reflected her usual softness and gentleness.Qingying raised her face, motioning for Xin to twist a handful of hot handkerchiefs over and re-dress Lvyun's face.She sat down sideways and said softly: "Luyun, it doesn't matter how many children you have in the future. Only with these children can you make your way to the top and find a stable seat in this palace. If you are really sad, just remember One person. Concubine De of Emperor Kangxi, Empress Xiao Gongren, the biological mother of the late emperor. When she gave birth to the late emperor, her status was low, so she could only entrust the late emperor to the care of Concubine Tong Gui at that time. But later she gave birth to many children, and finally gave birth to The Fourteenth Prince stayed by his side. Now you are in the palace just now, and everyone entered the palace together. It is not appropriate to entrust anyone to take care of it. It is best to send it to Elder Brother. From now on, from now on, you All is well and you can raise your own children. Understand?"
Luyun sat in a daze, letting the maids put on makeup for her, barely concealing her eyes that were swollen and red from crying, and said tearfully, "Sister, what should I do?"
Qing Ying took the silk and wiped away her tears. "Be patient. Endure until you have the ability to raise your own children. So, now you can't make mistakes, not a little bit." She took Luyun's hand and stood up, "Now you are dressed neatly and go to the Queen's Palace Here, thank her for letting Elder Brother take care of Third Elder Brother for you. You cried just now and ran to my palace just now because you were too sad and fainted for a while. Now you understand, this It is grace, you have received it."
Luyun bit her lip and shook her head in distress, "Sister, I can't say it. I'm afraid I'll cry if I say it."
Qingying caressed her thin shoulders comfortingly, "Don't cry, think about your future, brother three's future, you have other children. Weeping is for them; refraining from crying is also for them. "
Luyun held back her tears, nodded, and walked out.In the courtyard, the moonlight was dim, and the tree shadows were cast on the blue brick floor thin and messy. There were waves of touching sounds from the branches in the silence. The sound was thin and dense, as if countless tiny insects were gnawing on something, burrowing into the eardrums. There is also a heartache.Qingying looked at Luyun's shadow dragging on the ground, it was as thin as when she followed the nuns to watch a novel shadow puppet show when she was a child, the paper people on the top were dancing happily with their hands and feet hanging, no one knew, every move was involuntary That's all.
What is the difference between her and Luyun today?
This night, Langhua didn't sleep deeply at all, the side hall where she temporarily lived was not the old and stable bed she was used to sleeping on, and there was no Yong Lian's familiar son's cry in her ears, so she couldn't sleep well no matter what.Turning over quickly, Ru Xin, the maid who slept on the ground with her at night, heard it. She got up and lit a candle, poured a cup of calming soup and handed it to Lang Hua, and thoughtfully said: "It's already three o'clock, why is your mother restless?"
Lang Hua didn't feel sleepy at all, so he got up on his back, "Second Elder Brother isn't by my side, I'm always uneasy."
Ru Xin stuffed a goose feather soft pillow to cushion her waist, and gently persuaded: "Your Majesty, don't worry. The slaves have already gone to ask, the three elder brothers are all in the elder brother's house, and those servants are not good to our second elder brother. Brother is doing his best, and I'm afraid he won't be able to take care of anything. Those wet nurses have enough milk and feed the second elder brother in turn, and the nurses are also meticulous in their care, and they dare not neglect at all."
Langhua sighed, and said gloomyly: "The ancestor's rules are there, I can't go to see it often, you must do your best for me."
Ru Xin hurriedly said: "That's natural. Our second elder brother is heaven and earth noble, the other elder brothers are not even worthy of the mud on his toes, and there is no one below who dares not to do their best." She chuckled lightly, " Today, the third elder brother was also sent away from Su Gege, so the servant is very happy. Why does the mother follow the ancestral family law, she prefers mother and son together, the servant just can't see it."
Lang Hua took Ru Xin's hand and slowly sipped the dark red calming soup, and said casually: "Forget it, she is also pitiful for Jian'er. She is so sad, but she still resisted to come to me to thank you. I heard that she Weeping and ran to Mrs. Ulanara, she didn't dare to accompany her, so she hurriedly sent Mrs. Su out."
Ru Xin happily said: "That's it! Qing Fujin can help her, and the slaves don't believe it. She is a mud bodhisattva and cannot protect herself when crossing the river. Today, the Queen Mother gave her a lot of embarrassment during lunch."
Lang Hua smiled slightly, "Originally, Wulanara was the side Fujin whom the empress dowager proposed to marry the emperor, and she was also the niece of the empress Jingren Palace of the former emperor. I would give her three points no matter what. Now the empress dowager has given such a face, There are even more people in the palace."
Ru Xin raised the corners of her lips, very happy, "Except for the queen mother, the empress is the only master and empress. They can do whatever you want them to do, just like the shadow puppets on the stage, they all have to be on your side hand."
Langhua caressed the loose black hair on his chest, concentrated for a moment and said: "It's all in my hands. So Ru Xin, you will go to elder brother's orders tomorrow, and you must treat third elder brother well. My Yong Lian treats me better and more meticulously. Eat as you please and don’t restrict yourself. You must pay attention to the temperature and temperature. You must take good care of the third elder brother and play with him as much as you can. Our royal children can’t bear hardships , just pamper her for the rest of your life."
Although Ru Xin didn't understand what it meant, but after hearing Lang Hua's solemn instruction, she quickly agreed, took the calming soup she had finished drinking, and lowered the beaded curtain again.
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