Chapter 22 Chapter 22

There was a light rain in the evening, and it cleared up at night, with a hazy half-curved moon hanging in the sky, as yellow as if it had been soaked by tears, and covered with a layer of wet mist.Ruyi endured the drowsiness, and took the silver hairpin to light up the candle that was about to go out, watching the faint moonlight leaking in through the window screen of Xiaying, and sprinkled on the ground indistinctly, shaking like a puddle of clear water. Yoyo's shadow.A few peach trees in the courtyard spit out little by little pink buds, timidly, unwilling to show their heads, but filled the whole palace with the joy of the coming spring.

A Ruo yawned, but there was a smile on her face: "My lord, wait a little longer, maybe there are too many books today, and the emperor will come later." Ruyi nodded, and ordered: "Get some cold water, I'll apply it on my face to wake me up." Just as he was talking, he saw Wang Qin approaching in a swaying posture, smiled and slapped Qianer and said, "Concubine Xian has been waiting for a long time. The emperor just came out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and he was going to come to Yanxi Palace. Concubine Hui was not happy, so the emperor changed the way and went to Xianfu Palace. No, let the slaves come and report."

A Ruo felt a little unhappy at the moment: "Your Majesty has worked hard, but I just want to say that it should have been said earlier, why is it so late?" Wang Qin was not annoyed at all like a smiling Amitabha: "Isn't it true that the emperor is staying in the Xianfu Palace, and the slave has to go to the respect room to say a note? The slave only has these two legs when he comes and goes. Delayed." Ruyi smiled faintly: "It's fine for the emperor to rest, but I have the noble concubine to accompany you. It's late at night, and the father-in-law is going out for a slow walk. Three treasures, hold the lamp for the prince."

Wang Qin waved his hand: "Don't dare to work anymore, slaves can go by themselves." Seeing him go out, Ah Ruo said anxiously: "The emperor was dragged away by Concubine Hui, what should we do?" "What should I do?" Ruyi looked at the long carved window of "Liuhechun is always there", the vermilion fine lattice, one by one, carved people's hearts into fine holes.She gritted her teeth slightly: "I have nothing to do." A Ruo was so anxious that her face was flushed red: "There are more and more women in the palace. I heard that the emperor was promoted again this afternoon, and Mei promised to be here forever. Look, the skinless and shameless Nan Fu kabuki can be promoted..."

"Shut up!" Ruyi said abruptly, A Ruo raised her head and saw her nose twitching slightly, she knew she was angry, and was too scared to complain, she just said aggrievedly: "I am sorry for the young master. What is the identity of the young master?" ? With the coquettish and cowardly appearance of the imperial concubine, she is also vying to serve the emperor, stealing the young master's good time!" Ruyi was troubled, and said coldly: "I told you to shut up and there are so many things to say, no matter how lowly Mei Chang's status is, she is still a serious little master, and the noble concubine, what status is she, is up to you to discuss Do you want to discuss it? When you leave Yanxi Palace, half a person will be dragged to the Department of Punishment and beaten to death if they hear your words."

Ah Ruo was angry and wronged, so she lowered her face and wept silently.Ruyi pondered for a while, seeing that she was still crying, she couldn't help but couldn't bear it, so she slowed down her tone and said, "You are my dowry maid, how can I not know that you are worried about me?" Ah Ruo heard the sound and answered "yes" in a low voice. Ruyi said softly: "What you don't like in your heart is exactly what I don't like in my heart. But it's okay to keep it in your own heart. Once you say it, it will become a joke for others. What's more, if you want to be unforgiving and involve people who the emperor loves, isn't that just asking for trouble for yourself?"

A Ruo's eye circles were as red as two cherries, and she raised her head: "The servant girl knows that she has a quick temper, and she speaks quickly. But if the servant girl has been serving the young master as a servant, she would not dare to say some things. In Yanxi Palace Dare to say, there are only slaves." Ruyi was already annoyed, but when she saw her thinking about her love for her since she was a child, she became even more annoyed, so she could only bear with it and said, "Okay. I know what you mean, go out and wipe your face first, let me take care of you here." Just wait."

Ah Ruo went out with a blessing, and walked outside the hall, seeing a round moon dazed, and felt that he was loyal to Ruyi, but he was always reprimanded, and he was really wronged.She held back her tears, shook the silk and went down the steps.The eunuch Xiao Fuzi who was waiting on the side came with her from the hidden mansion, called "Sister Ah Ruo", and approached with a smile on his nose and face: "Have you settled down, my lord? Do you want me to ask you to prepare some tea?" Bring some snacks in?" A Ruo said angrily: "Why do you want to worry about it? If you worry about it, people may not think that you have this kind of heart!"

Xiao Fuzi was startled, but immediately understood: "Young master is in a bad mood, and scolded sister again?" As soon as A Ruo heard it, she said angrily: "What do you mean scolding again? What is there to scold! I don't even look at who I am. In the palace. My lord has nothing but words.” Xiao Fuzi hurriedly apologized and said with a smile: "Yes, yes. Didn't you say that? Among our group of servants, no one can compare to you kissing the young master! The young master is also upset, I said it, turn around I still love my sister. What's more, my sister's Lord Ama Guiduo has been released to be an official, and the future will be good in the future, the young master loves my sister even more."

Ah Ruo was a little happy now, straightened her back and said, "Okay. There is a heart waiting for you inside, so I'll go and rest first. You should be diligent and pay attention to what the little one is doing." Xiao Fuzi nodded and bowed in agreement, took a look inside, and whispered: "Why is she serving you heartily again? Among the people we serve the young master, she is the one who follows the young master the most, like a dog. In fact, in terms of caring, In terms of understanding the mind of the young master, who can compare with you, sister!" A Ruo curled her lips, and said disdainfully: "Who knows? She usually looks like a gourd, but now she is alone in front of the young master, and she doesn't know what to say. Forget it, we are not afraid of her anyway. One has served the young master for a few minutes. Can you compare with those of us who have served for so many years?"

Xiao Fuzi nodded again and again: "That's that, that's my sister's thoughts, that's unmatched by anyone." He lit up a lantern and illuminated the road for Ah Ruo, "Be careful, sister, I'll watch the road for you. Watch out, watch out for your step." Ruyi rested her chin in thought for a long time, brought a bowl of eight-treasure sweet cheese to her heart, and said cautiously: "Young master always spends time thinking about things, drink some sweet soup to moisten your throat." Ruyi waved her hand, looking at Ruyi's expression, she said softly, "Actually, Miss Aruo is right, but she is too straightforward and puts everything on her mouth. She is worried for the young master." It's not bad." Ruyi twisted the silk in annoyance and said, "She's right. But the emperor spends most of his time in the front court, and when he returns to the harem, he also walks around the palaces. It's inevitable that he won't come to Yanxi Palace for several days. " Concentrate on thinking for a while: "Yes. There are too many women in the palace, and the emperor wants to take care of them one by one. In fact, he just ignored them one by one. What the slaves mean..." She glanced at Ruyi quietly, "Your Majesty, you should think about it. The only way is to win the emperor's heart." "Hold the emperor's heart?" The worry on Ruyi's brows is like a dark cloud covering the moonlight, gradually thickening, "The queen is the middle palace, and there are princesses and princes. Concubine Hui has status, and the pure concubine has three elder brothers. Jiagui also has the status of the daughter of the Joseon Dynasty. Apart from the favor in front of the emperor, what else can I do? Since the incident in the Xianfu Palace last time, Hailan was afraid. In fact, I was also afraid. It is not safe to walk today and tomorrow." Xin Xin sighed: "That's right. There is also the Queen Mother, the Queen Mother has always been indifferent to the young master..." Ruyi's eyes jumped, shining brightly like a flame being lit: "The Queen Mother..." Ji Xin was a little puzzled: "What's wrong with the Queen Mother?" Ruyi was silent for a moment, a thought quietly entered her mind, and she asked, "Where will the queen be at this time?" Xin thought for a while and said: "At this time, I should have just gone to Elder Brother's place to see Second Elder Brother, and then went to Queen Mother's place to pay my respects." Ruyi smiled slightly: "Morning and evening, the queen is a good daughter-in-law. How can I not follow the queen well and show my filial piety to the emperor's mother-in-law?" Ji Xin was stunned and said: "What did the young master say? The slaves don't even understand." Ruyi stared at the bowl of eight-treasure sweet cheese in a daze, and slowly gestured with her fingers on the table: "Xin Xin, what do you think the emperor lacks the most?" Pin Xin broke his fingers and said: "The emperor has a princess, an elder brother, a queen, a concubine, and brothers and sisters. In the previous court, there were Lord Zhang Tingyu and Lord Gao Bin who assisted, and the harem was ruled by the queen mother and empress. The world is peaceful, There is nothing wrong with the emperor, and there is nothing missing." Ruyi pointed there with her hand, and said in thought, "No, the emperor lacks one thing." "what?" Ruyi tried her best to lower her voice: "Although the palace keeps secrets, you should know that the emperor is not the empress dowager's own." Xing Xin's eyes widened, and immediately ran to the window, pretending to glance at it unintentionally, until he was sure that the palace guards at the door were standing far away, then he closed the window, and said in a low voice: "I know. The emperor's biological mother was once The maid serving in the Rehe Palace is called Li Jingui. If she hadn't been favored by the late emperor by mistake and had the emperor, she would have been a lowly maid in this life. I heard that she died of dystocia when she gave birth to the emperor, and the late emperor didn't bother One word." "The first emperor didn't even bother to ask, and others would trample on him even more. So the emperor was raised in the Old Summer Palace when he was a child. His biological mother, Li Jingui, is still unknown, and no one knows where she is buried." The heart was shocked: "The little master means..." Ruyi twisted the silk and tied it into a knot, slowly said: "The emperor doesn't say anything, but someone has to mention it." The heart turned pale with fright, and hastily knelt down and said, "No, my lord, it's too risky. Don't say whether the emperor will agree, there is a hurdle for the empress dowager. Her old man has treated you indifferently. If you want to recruit The Empress Dowager will not tolerate you when it comes to giving birth to a mother!" "If I talk about my biological mother, then Li Jingui will naturally pursue the Queen Mother. Of course, the Queen Mother will not tolerate me, and the Emperor will think that I am flamboyant, and immediately put me in the cold palace. Don't worry, I will not take risks. " Ruyi turned her head and saw that Xin was looking at her worriedly, so she smiled and said, "I don't have anything solid to rely on in this palace, so I will naturally pay attention to every step and never take any risks easily. " The fifth day of March was originally Ruyi's birthday.Because the emperor missed the appointment the night before, he informed Wang Qin early that he would come to pass the biography, saying that he wanted to spend his nineteenth birthday with Ruyi. On the day of Ruyi's birthday, the Ministry of Internal Affairs was already busy, redecorating Yanxi Palace, and specially made new dishes and snacks for Ruyi to taste one by one.Early on, the emperor asked people to reward the silver-threaded birthday noodles and the corresponding ornamental utensils. A Ruo stood beside Ruyi on the porch and watched the eunuchs clean the yard and replace it with fresh flowers and plants. She couldn't help but said, "The emperor has a young master in his heart. The emperor always thinks about the young master's birthday. " Ruyi only thought about her own worries, didn't speak for a while, just lost herself in silence. In the evening, just as the sky darkened, the emperor came.Before saluting, the emperor stopped her first, and said apologetically: "Xiyue was uncomfortable for two nights, I stayed with her and delayed you." Ruyi said with a gentle smile: "The imperial concubine is not in good health, the emperor should accompany her." The emperor sighed: "She is not in good health, and she still makes troubles for herself. She keeps telling me that she wants to raise elder brother. With her body, why bother when elder brother is naughty at the age of eight or nine?" With a thought in Ruyi's heart, a thought slipped by in an instant, and before she could think about it, it disappeared.She drank two glasses of wine with the emperor, and the dishes they prepared were also fashionable and refreshing side dishes, but they were spinach egg whites, mushroom stewed chicken, stir-fried Malan head, fried crispy magnolia flower slices, thick soup with cabbage heart, roasted deer breast, yam Stir-fried prawns, deep-fried mandarin duck belly, fried pork with asparagus, cooked quail with double lily, and a bowl of silver noodles simmered with bird's nest and pear soup and shredded pork with shepherd's purse. The emperor ate two mouthfuls of noodles, and praised: "The taste of new shepherd's purse at this time is really incomparable to anything. Where did you find this? The imperial dining room has not been served yet." Ruyi laughed and said, "If you want to eat something fresh, how can you wait for the imperial dining room? The concubine entrusted someone from her natal family to pick it outside the city early in the morning, and it was still covered in dew when it was delivered in the morning." The emperor smiled and said, "It's hard for you to use your heart." Ruyi looked at him with a smile, and said softly: "Isn't that what my concubine thinks? If the emperor eats well, sleeps soundly, and is kind to the left and right, that's fine." The emperor smiled and embraced her: "Although I don't come here every day, I always remember it in my heart, and I always feel that I can calm down when I think about it. Over the years, your temperament has become much more delicate and quiet, not compared to when you first married me. , making a fuss." Ruyi laughed so hard that she lowered her face, tapped the emperor's shoulder lightly, then got up and saluted, "Today is my concubine's birthday, and this concubine has a wish, I wonder if I can use the Emperor Jinkou to fulfill this concubine? " The emperor helped her up with a smile and said: "I have been with you for many years, whatever you want, just tell me." Ruyi didn't stand up with the emperor's hand, but just bowed her head and said, "No matter how ignorant my concubine's wish is, I ask the emperor to make it come true." The emperor smiled and said: "As long as you don't force me to make you a queen, there is nothing difficult about the rest. Tell me, do you want to be promoted?" Ruyi hurriedly lowered her head and said, "How dare the concubine disregard what the majesty asks for? The concubine's wish has nothing to do with me, but the emperor's." The emperor raised his eyebrows and asked curiously, "Oh? Come and listen to me." After a moment of hesitation, Ruyi bit her lips, but still let the words flow out clearly from between her lips and teeth: "The late emperor passed away and left behind a full palace of concubines, and the emperor granted all the concubines and concubines to take care of them in Shoukang Palace and other places. What the concubine thinks is that the concubines who passed away in the early years of the late emperor, although some of them were of low status, I ask the emperor to remember that they also served the late emperor, even though they were nameless, I ask the emperor to give them posthumous titles as a show of filial piety." The emperor's brows gradually twisted into Sichuan characters: "The person you are talking about is..." Ruyi hesitated for a moment, but said it anyway: "It's the late emperor's concubine Li Jingui in Rehe Palace." The emperor turned pale, and said coldly: "Presumptuous! The Li family has no name and no status, but she was just a lucky maid of the late emperor, how can she be granted the title!" Ruyi leaned down and begged: "The emperor is fully aware of Li's contribution to the country. It's just that there are as many people who have made meritorious service in the Qing Dynasty as crucian carp crossing the river, so there is no need to praise everything. But please look at the first emperor's face, Even if Li Shi is only posthumously named too noble and buried in the late emperor's concubine mausoleum, it will be regarded as full of her face." There was no expression on the emperor's face, and even his voice was so cold that there was no warmth: "I'm afraid the Queen Mother will be unhappy if she finds out about the late emperor's concubine." "It's just that the title of a nobleman or a concubine doesn't need to be too high. It's just a heart. It's better than Li's mausoleum is far away in Rehe, where the grass is setting and the sun is setting, and the solitary tomb is cold and smoky, and it is desolate." The silence was too long, and the long sound of each other's breathing could almost be heard clearly.It was as if even time stood still, turning into layers of invisible gel, forcing drops of cold sweat to break out from Ruyi's forehead.She lay on the ground and did not dare to move. After a long time, a drop of cold sweat fell from her forehead and fell on the thick red carpet of red brocade and lychee, and disappeared in an instant. After a long time, the emperor finally said: "Get up." He looked at Ruyi struggling to get up, "Today is your birthday, go to bed early. I will go to the back hall to see Hailan." After finishing speaking, he nodded. Without going back, he walked out the door. Ruyi only felt weak physically and mentally, and her whole body was completely defeated. Looking at the tall back of the emperor leaving, she couldn't help calling out: "Your Majesty..." The moment the emperor stepped out of the threshold, he stopped suddenly and asked without looking back, "Why did you make such a wish to me?" Ruyi said sadly: "The concubine's aunt is a big treason, she is not tolerated by the first emperor, and she is not allowed to have any status. Therefore, the concubine does not want another relative to be like an aunt, silent for the rest of her life, even the one who deserves it. got nothing." The emperor paused for a moment, then walked out.The moment he walked outside the door, he suddenly felt that the corners of his eyes were slightly cold, as if something invisible was shrinking in the corners of his eyes, and he refused to show any more.He stretched out his hand, only to realize that there was a drop of tear condensed on his fingertips, under the soft and white moonlight, it seemed cold and silent. Seeing the emperor go out, Qiao Xin came in in a panic and said, "My lord, my lord, why did your majesty leave?" A Ruo also opened the curtain, and ran in as if she had lost her soul: "My lord, today is your birthday, why did the emperor go to the back hall? The emperor..." Ruyi waved her hand in frustration: "Stop talking. There's no need to clean up here, let's go down." A Ruo saw that Ruyi sent her away with only a stern heart, so she got a little angry, pulled down the curtain and retreated. Ji Xin anxiously said: "My lord, did you still say it?" Ruyi nodded, Qi Qi said: "I have said everything that should be said and what should not be said." "You are..." Xin Xin didn't dare to say any more. "I know you're going to say I've made a mistake. But as a son of man, although he doesn't say many things, he always misses his biological mother and wants to be a filial son. Today I'm trying to get the emperor to punish me, but I also want to say it." If the emperor can fulfill this wish, then he will fulfill himself." Ji anxiously said: "But today is your birthday, the emperor left without even finishing the banquet, obviously out of temper. You are really worthless!" The pairs of red candles that were lit just now were flickering, as if they were going to go out at any moment.Through the gap between the opening and closing of the window lattices, a gust of wind gushed in, bringing in the cold and humid night outside the hall, easily extinguishing the blazing candles on the copper candlesticks. The darkness is as cool as night, spreading silently.Ruyi opened her mouth to speak out, but the endless loneliness and darkness blocked her mouth, making her unable to make any sound other than warm tears. Ji Xin hurriedly said: "The young master is waiting, and the servants are going to light the candles." Ruyi let her tears fall silently, and said quietly: "No need. You go out, I will be quiet for a while."