Chapter 20 Chapter 20 The Fisherman

The momentum of Ruyi's favor was gradually revealed after this blessing in disguise. Compared with the deep favor of the imperial concubine, Ruyi is naturally not as good as it is, but the emperor came to see her every three to five days. Grace.Even walking down the long street with the palace servants of Yanxi Palace, their chests straightened up and their heads were raised too, no longer the low-browed and low-eyed look of before. However, Ruyi didn't like their look, and told them repeatedly in front of Sanbao, Aruo, and Jixin, asking them to tell the people under them not to be arrogant, not to be frivolous, and not to use their power to bully others and have disputes with Xianfu Palace.

There are too many exhortations, and the others have not changed, A Ruo first said: "The young master is so favored now, why are you still afraid of Concubine Hui? Besides, the people in the palace are the most snobbish. They always look at us with low eyebrows, and don't know what's going on behind the scenes." Arrangement." Ruyi flipped through the winter clothes newly sent by the House of Internal Affairs, and said, "How can we arrange them? Just because the people in the palace are snobbish enough, if you want to be frivolous, you're really short-sighted. You can't be favored, Will they not be able to see it? The more secure you are, the less others will know your bottom line, and the less you dare, the less you can do anything.”

Smiling, Xin Xin turned over the materials for Ruyi: "These big-haired materials were not originally included in the regulations, but the Ministry of Internal Affairs paid extra respect to the young master." She took Ah Ruo's hand, opened a bundle and said, " Here are two gowns with a blue duoluo sheepskin collar, a rose-purple squirrel-skin jacket and a magenta cotton satin phoenix skirt. The Ministry of Internal Affairs respects us very much. I have repeatedly asked the little master if he can accept it. .In fact, those people's eyes are sharper than knives, and they can see everything for real."

A Ruo was convinced now, and just pursed her lips and smiled: "The emperor often comes, and the slaves are also happy for the young master." Ruyi said: "The happier you are, the more discreet you are. This is a person who has experienced it. Well, it's almost the end of the year. Let's wear all the clothes that honor you, and look happier." Ah Ruo happily took it.Two days later, Ruyi saw that Ah Ruo was dressed up very vigorously. He was wearing a blue duoluo woolen gown with a sheepskin collar and a magenta cotton satin phoenix skirt, and a rose-purple squirrel leather jacket on the outside. Cai Sheng's noble spirit is no less than that of a low-ranking mistress in the palace.While A Ruo was in the courtyard and Sanbao counting the new year's goods sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ruyi asked Xin Xin: "I remember that the Ministry of Internal Affairs paid extra respect to you and A Ruo. It should be two of you, why is it that A Ruo is alone? Wearing three? I thought it was getting cold, so you should put on that green duoluo robe anyway."

Xin Xin didn't dare to show aggrieved expression, just smiled as usual: "Sister Ah Ruo has been choosing for a long time, but she still likes everything, so I gave it to her." Ruyi frowned: "Give it to her? Those two green duoluo robes are exactly the same. What is she doing here?" Song Xin lowered her head: "Winter clothes must always be replaced." Ruyi turned her face away, and through the Xiaying veil on the window, she saw A Ruo laughing loudly outside, poking the heads of a few little maids with her fingers, as if she was poking something amusing. Ruyi became more and more unhappy, but refused to show it on her face, and said, "A few days ago, the Ministry of Internal Affairs sent me a lambskin jacket made of blue silk and a bucket of pearls. I think it's thin, so you can wear it under your outer clothes. It’s really nice. There’s also a pink soft silk dress, it’s almost New Year’s day, so it’s brighter.”

The circles of Xin Xin's eyes were slightly red, and he said in a low voice: "The servant girl is not the maidservant of the young master, so the young master doesn't need to love the servant girl so much." Ruyi smiled and said, "Ah Ruo's temperament has always been competitive, and her mouth is fierce. You live with her, even though we are both big girls, she must have given you a lot of grievances in the open and in the dark. Just because of you You never came to complain to me, as long as I love you, that's what I should do." With tears in his eyes and a smile, Qiao Xin said, "The servant girl thanked the young master for the reward."

Ruyi smiled and said: "Don't thank me, it's the best thing to wear to look good and make me happy." This day was the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, and the emperor stayed in the queen's palace and ate Laba porridge, and then talked with the queen in the warm pavilion.The queen handed over the account books of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and said: "This is the expenses of the harem for this month. The emperor has a look, and the concubine has an account." The emperor slowly flipped through a few pages, blew his tea and said with a smile: "The empress practiced strict thrift, and saved a lot of expenses in the harem. The colors and styles of the Guan Dynasty are a bit dull in addition to the ancient style."

The queen smiled very modestly: "The emperor is very right. It's just that the concubine is thinking, there are many concubines in the palace, and there will be a time to add new people in the future. They are all young female relatives, and it goes without saying that they compete for beauty on weekdays. The emperor's first palm Great power, when there were still many times when the previous dynasty had to use silver, it was a little thought to save some money in the harem. As for the emperor thought it was dull, the courtiers thought that the ancestors of the Qing Dynasty would have won the country immediately, with one knife and one gun Those who have risked their lives, especially the concubines in the harem, must not forget the difficulties and merits of their ancestors, and should not blindly pursue gorgeous decorations, and lose the frugal atmosphere of their ancestors when they entered the customs."

The emperor took a sip of tea, closed his eyes for a moment, and seemed to be very satisfied with the clearness of the tea: "I just want to say that the empress has thought so carefully. I thought that what the empress said was like this cup of tea. Although the taste is bitter, the aftertaste But it has a lingering fragrance." The queen respectfully replied "Yes", "If the emperor thinks the tea tastes too bitter, the concubine will ask someone to exchange another cup of eight-treasure tea." The emperor waved his hand: "No need. I understand what the empress means. It's just that when I first set up the harem, there were only a few people from the hidden mansion to wait on it. I couldn't bear to cut them off for a while. Besides, they are still young and like to be charming. Pretty, as long as it’s not too much. Not to mention the queen, it’s almost New Year’s Eve, and they are already dressed heavily, with heavy old-fashioned embroidery, but these embroidery are from the hands of court ladies, and they are not flexible and vivid. It's dull. Originally, there were more light and bright materials, but it was also a landscape."

The queen nodded in agreement, and then smiled and said: "The emperor is very right. It's just that the selection of concubines in the harem is different from the private concubine room. It is beautiful to pay attention to decorum and solemnity. If everyone only knows how to dress up, wouldn't they become coquettish? Yaoyao Tiao Tiao, who only thinks about pestering the emperor all day, doesn't look like a royal." The emperor was holding the teacup. Hearing this, the lid of the cup couldn't help but knocked lightly on the rim of the cup.The warm pavilion was already quiet, but the winter sun shone in warmly through the bright paper windows, and even the palace servants standing outside the pavilion became distant figures.The celadon teacup was already fragile, but when touched like this, the sound was crisp and clear, the empress suddenly shuddered, and immediately got up and said: "My concubine made a mistake, please forgive me."

The emperor was silent for a while, then stretched out his hand to the queen and said, "We have been married for so many years, why should the queen be like this." The queen stood up holding the emperor's hand, and his fingertips smelled of overnight agarwood.As soon as the Queen's heart moved, she could tell that it was the fragrance of Yanxi Palace.The queen stabilized her mind, concealed the bitterness in her heart, and greeted her with a smile just like the old days.The emperor misses the relationship between husband and wife, and has always come to sit in the palace often, but Lang Yu clearly felt that that familiarity has gradually faded.The uncontrollable confusion and helplessness of the past overwhelmed her body again and again, and she still felt uneasy. The queen thought about it, but she returned to her usual calm smile: "The concubine is only thinking of the emperor. Now in the new year, all the palaces are looking forward to the emperor's visit more often, for example, Yigui and Hai Changzai kindly agreed." The emperor focused for a moment, then smiled and said: "I know, it's just that Concubine Hui is weak, I went to see her a few times, isn't the empress jealous?" The queen gazed into the emperor's eyes, and looked straight at him: "Is this the kind of concubine? I just want the six palaces to be exposed to the rain and dew." The emperor raised the corner of his mouth as a smile, put aside the queen's hand and said, "In that case, I'll go and see Hailan, and the queen can rest." The queen watched the emperor go out, and followed two steps, somehow, full of thoughts, it turned into a light and melancholy sigh on her lips. On the first day of the first month of the first lunar month, when the concubines finished their visits to the Palace of Compassion and Peace, the Empress Dowager was all dressed up, teasing the princes and princesses, and she was very happy.The queen mother pointed to the elder brother again and said: "The others are alright, the third elder brother is especially chubby, how come the elder brother seems to have lost weight?" The elder brother's wet nurse hurriedly said: "Eldest elder brother had no appetite for a month ago and was also fond of playing. One of them ran into the snow without seeing him, and caught two cold spells." The Empress Dowager's face darkened: "Elder brother is still the master no matter how young you are. You are the only ones who don't take good care of you. How could it be Elder Brother's? Next time, let Ai's family hear this sentence, and immediately drag it out for punishment!" The nurse backed away hurriedly.Seeing this, the queen hurriedly led the second elder brother and the third princess to chat and laugh with the queen mother for a long time before the queen mother turned around. After the concubines retired, the queen mother left only the emperor and queen to talk to the warm pavilion. Fu Jia stood on the side of the small table in the warm pavilion, took the incense box from the little maid, and personally added a spoonful of sandalwood to the incense burner with silver and copper chiseled lotus petals and pearls.She watched the smoky smoke spread out among the heavy brocade curtains, and then she left silently. The Empress Dowager let the Empress sit down, and said with a smile: "I heard that there have been many incidents in the palace recently, can the Empress still handle it?" The Empress smiled peacefully: "Although I still feel unfamiliar with the matter of the harem, everything is fine." The Empress Dowager's smile condensed slightly on her lips: "But how did the Ai family hear that the Empress was too busy dealing with it, so she almost missed it? Let them finish the trouble in the Xianfu Palace and the Hall of Mental Cultivation, there will be no peace." The queen's face turned red: "The concubine is young and has no experience in handling the harem..." The emperor said: "You have no experience, but the Queen Mother has." He looked at the Empress Dowager with a smile on his face, "My Queen Mother, I need you to give me more advice on the affairs of the harem. With your advice, the Empress is tolerant and virtuous by nature. , she will do better." The Empress Dowager said: "The Ai family is determined to take care of their lives, and they don't care about anything. But the Empress seems to have more than enough energy. There are only a few people in this harem. You still can't settle down. You really have to learn." The queen lowered her head, looked down, and could only see a few sporadic silk flowers shining in the bun, like flower bones that hadn't bloomed in spring, timidly, a little at a loss: "Return to the emperor's mother, my son Understood." The Empress Dowager twirled the bead inlaid with golden longevity characters in her hand, and said slowly: "There are so many people in the palace, except for the palace people, they are concubines. When they meet Ai's family, they call themselves slaves and concubines. Only you and the emperor It's different, you are 'children' in front of the Ai family, both children and servants. So Queen, the Ai family loves you even more." The queen respectfully said: "Yes." The Empress Dowager closed her eyes slightly, as if sniffing the gloomy scent of sandalwood in the palace.That fragrance is the most calming, but the heart in the empress's cavity is beating like a pigeon whose wings are bound and cannot fly.She raised her eyes to look at the Queen Mother, her slightly younger but rock-solid face seemed particularly hazy and distant among the rising cigarettes.It seems that when I was young, I went to the temple with my family to worship. The tall and majestic Buddha statue, surrounded by flowers and cigarettes, always made people unable to see its appearance clearly, so I was in awe and had to pay respects. The empress has always been careless towards the empress dowager, just because she knows that the turmoil of moving to the palace that day, and various reasons, are just because the empress dowager is not the emperor's biological mother.But it never occurred to her that such an old woman in the deep palace who lived peacefully in the Palace of Compassion and Peace would suddenly be so vigilant, with every word provoking her nerves like a sharp edge.Oh, she made a mistake, she thought that she was the lord of the six palaces, but she didn't realize that this woman who had been immersed in the vermilion walls of the deep garden of the Forbidden City for decades was the real lord of the six palaces. The queen mother's voice was not high, but it was deep in her ears: "The Ai family loves you, but they have to teach you. Queen, you are desperate." The Queen's body shivered, and she only felt a chill on the back of her neck, which was obviously forced by cold sweat.This is a winter day, when the dripping water turns into ice, she actually broke out in beads of sweat.She could only say: "The concubine respectfully listens to the teachings of the emperor's wife." "You have to be frugal. The Ai family can only praise you, not criticize you. But queen, it's good for you to be frugal, but you also have to take care of the harem and the emperor's face. Kang Yong was nearly a hundred years old, the treasury was abundant, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. When court ladies and ministers meet, they cannot look at the high-ranking concubines and masters who live in the Forbidden City in their minds, who are not as well dressed as they are. The subjects can be in awe and worship us, but they can't be contemptuous. Just like in the temple The Bodhisattva, without the golden body, without the red sandalwood seat, can the people still worship it devoutly? They will only say, shabby, too shabby." The queen was covered in cold sweat and was already speechless.The queen mother continued: "Besides, there are only a few princes under the emperor's knees, and it is time for you to let the concubines dress up like women who have just entered the customs. Who is the emperor willing to open his eyes to look at? Women don’t focus on dressing themselves, so naturally they only stare at others, and the harem is not peaceful. Small losses make big losses, empress, you are really worthless!" When the emperor saw the empress dowager's tone was undeniably calm, and the empress had already blushed, he couldn't help laughing and said: "The empress has taught you the lesson, and the empress should not make any mistakes if she has the empress's advice." The queen mother smiled and said: "The queen is smart and virtuous, so naturally she can understand everything. But queen, do you know what is most important to you right now?" The Empress was already unable to think about it, so she only said: "Please give advice to the Empress." "You already have a princess and a prince under your knees. But, this is not enough. You are still young, and you are in the middle palace. You should let the harem have more children from the harem and raise them well. How can you control the concubine? It’s not an exaggeration, but there is one thing, that is, the peace of the Sixth Palace, so that the emperor has no worries. The rest of the things are not considered as big things in the middle palace.” The emperor said: "Then about the sixth palace..." The queen mother looked at the emperor ponderingly, and slowly twirled the beads without saying a word.The empress dowager's eyes were as peaceful as water, but the emperor felt that those eyes were like a beam of strong light, shining into his heart from beginning to end.He understood what the Empress Dowager meant, and said after deliberation: "Then, the Empress will take care of the affairs of the Sixth Palace, and every ten days, I will pick the most important ones and ask the Empress Dowager for instructions, how about it?" The Empress Dowager smiled and straightened the jade pendant and tassels on the skirt: "The emperor's intention is naturally good. It's just that the Compassionate Ning Palace is used to being quiet, so the Emperor won't let Ai's family relax?" The queen immediately understood, and said respectfully: "It's the concubine who has shortcomings, please teach me more." The queen mother smiled: "Okay. Then, as the emperor and the queen wish, Aijia will work on this old bone." She glanced at the queen, "As for your frugal policy, the Ministry of Internal Affairs It’s still the same, no extravagance is allowed. The daily use of the concubines is also the same, as for the clothes, tell them that the things they use are still usable, but not many. Only once a season is allowed.” The queen agreed, and after listening to a few orders from the queen mother, she left with the emperor. Seeing the queen and the emperor going out, Aunt Fu lit a hookah for the queen mother, and said: "The queen mother worked so hard, it finally paid off." The Queen Mother let out a long sigh: "Do you think the Ai family shouldn't argue about these things?" Fu Jia lowered her head and said: "The queen mother is very thoughtful, but the slaves dare not speculate." The queen mother held up the black gold pipe and knocked it down a few times: "If Ai's family doesn't bother with this, the Compassionate Ning Palace will come to greet you like a dot, and Ai's family will become an old waste that no one cares about. Aijia It doesn't matter if the family has become an old waste, Ai's family still has a biological Princess Roushu, if it is not relying on Ai's family, she will be married to a remote place like Junggar like Ai's Princess Duanshu in the future, but Ai's family There is not even a place to put your beak. Moreover, the Fucha family of the queen's mother's family was originally one of the eight surnames in Manchuria, and the queen is so strong. Once it becomes a big climate, how can there be a foothold for the Ai family?" Fu Jia sighed and said: "Even though Queen Su Ri often comes here, but seeing her expression today, I am really convinced. The servant looked coldly at the concubine who came to pay her respects today, Concubine Xian seemed to be more proud than before, I think so The emperor loves her again." The queen mother smiled slightly: "The last time we used human thoughts, isn't it just for this? Concubine Hui is easy to control, but Concubine Xian is very temperamental. With her there to win the emperor's favor, the empress has no time to stare at her." The power of the middle palace, we are free to take it out!" Fu Jia smiled knowingly: "That's also because the Queen Mother has chosen someone she likes, so she can fulfill the Queen Mother's confession!" When the queen returned to the palace, she was already full of anger, but she didn't dare to show it on the road.After reaching the sleeping hall and closing the door, only Lian Xin and Su Xin were left by his side, Fang said coldly: "Since the late Emperor passed away, the Empress Dowager has never cared about world affairs, this time, who do you think went to the Empress Dowager?" Are you chewing your tongue?" Lian Xin spat and said, "Of course there are those who get cheap and act good!" Su Xin glanced at her: "You also think it's Concubine Xian... It's just that the Empress Dowager doesn't like Ulanara, why would she listen to her?" The queen sneered and said: "Concubine Xian is naturally the most suspicious, but others can't say that there is no more. I thought the harem was quieter, and anyone who smiled at you inattentively would show their teeth and suddenly bite you in the back." Su Xin worried: "Then what is your plan?" "Plan?" The queen smiled slightly, "The queen mother wants the palace not to be so frugal, and wants them to dress up more beautifully, that's okay. They are extravagant, I am the queen, I am the middle palace, so I can't be as coquettish as them Luxury, of course, remains the same." Lian Xin smiled and said: "That's right. The more they love and compete for favor, the more they appear calm and majestic, and they don't care about luxury, which is the demeanor of the lord of the Sixth Palace." The queen snapped off a branch of plum blossoms in the Lianzhu vase: "As for the empress dowager who wants me to call back within ten days, I will just go back. How many important events can there be in the harem? The empress dowager loves to listen to gossip, so I will take it easy. Tell her. But there is one thing that the Empress Dowager said is right." Lian Xin asked: "What?" "This palace is the middle palace, and there are only one son and one daughter in the middle palace, which is too few." The queen pondered, "Second elder brother is a golden and precious seedling in our eyes, but in the eyes of others, I'm afraid I can't wait to marry you." It would be good to lose him. Therefore, the more children in Zhonggong, the more secure they will be." Although Su Xin was worried, she said with a smile: "The transfer of power in the middle palace is not necessarily a good thing, nor is it necessarily a bad thing. With the crown prince in hand, you don't have to be afraid of anything." The queen smiled faintly: "Yes, if you want me to be free, let me be free for a while. If anything happens, it's not the responsibility of me, the lord of the sixth house."