Chapter 9 Chapter 6: The Oath of Allegiance

Concubine Zhen shook her head and said, "No, Your Majesty, Zhen'er and Jun know each other well, even though the sky is falling and the earth is falling, and the sea is dry and rocks are rotten, she still dare not break up with you..." Emperor Guangxu and Concubine Zhen are going back to the Forbidden City, because they have to go to court tomorrow.So the emperor led his concubine Zhen to kneel down to the Empress Dowager Cixi and bid farewell. Empress Longyu looked at the backs of Emperor Guangxu and Concubine Zhen with hatred and anger in her heart, she was so wronged that she almost shed tears.She looked at the Empress Dowager Cixi, Cixi didn't seem to care, and turned her head away.

She blamed her aunt and blamed her for leaving Concubine Zhen in the palace. Isn't it too cheap for her to get close to the emperor? The Empress Dowager Cixi walking in the front is of course the grievance of Dao's niece, but I just want to keep Concubine Zhen by the emperor's side, let them know how grateful they are to me, besides, keep you, does the emperor want it?Concubine Liu Jin, is the emperor willing?Who made you useless. Concubine Jin secretly looked at the empress' tearful eyes. She was also dissatisfied with the emperor's favor on Concubine Zhen. Although Concubine Zhen was her own half-sister, Concubine Jin still did not forgive her. He also snorted bitterly.

In the evening, Emperor Guangxu took Concubine Zhen's arm and walked to the Imperial Garden, which was their favorite place.Followed by Wang Shang, Xiaomei and other court ladies and eunuchs. After entering the Royal Garden, they walked towards Duixiu Mountain, climbed up the small steps, and reached the Yujing Pavilion. They leaned on the railing and looked around. People feel happy. Emperor Guangxu stared at Concubine Zhen and said affectionately: "Concubine Ai, there are only the two of us now, are you happy?" "Happy, Your Majesty. You don't have to look at their faces every morning."

Concubine Zhen was so spoiled by the emperor that she spoiled the empress, she poured all the resentment towards Emperor Guangxu on Concubine Zhen, whenever she had a chance, she would provoke Concubine Zhen. Although Concubine Jin is her elder sister, but because of being neglected by Emperor Guangxu, she developed resentment towards Concubine Zhen, and even sided with Empress Longyu, contributing to Concubine Zhen's attack. According to the rules in the palace, every morning, the emperor and concubine must go to pay their respects to the queen mother. In this way, they have to wait for an audience in the side hall of the Empress Dowager Cixi's bedroom every morning.Of course Concubine Zhen dared not neglect, she went before them every day, every time the Empress came, Concubine Ji would greet her, but Long Yu either turned his head away, looked up and squinted, or just said a few sarcastic remarks.If Emperor Guangxu came with Concubine Zhen, she was still a little restrained, and when Emperor Guangxu came later, she would intensify the mockery of Concubine Zhen, and Concubine Zhen had to hold back desperately, often with tears streaming down her stomach.

Concubine Zhen understands that although she is favored by the emperor, her status as a concubine cannot be compared with that of a queen.So no matter how Longyu treated her, Concubine Zhen endured it. Now that Empress Longyu and Concubine Jin are going to live in the Summer Palace with the Queen Mother, at least they can avoid the grievances they suffer every morning, and Concubine Zhen is naturally relieved. She leaned close to Emperor Guangxu, raised a pair of beautiful eyes and asked: "Your Majesty, why do you think Father Huang is willing to let me accompany you here?" Emperor Guangxu said: "I begged the emperor's father to keep you. My concubine, how can I live without you."

"Your Majesty..." Concubine Zhen whispered gratefully, tears welled up in her eyes. Emperor Guang hugged her tightly. The sun was gradually setting, and the setting sun dyed the western sky red. Guangxu looked at the Forbidden City, which was blood-red by the sunset, and overlooked the golden palace hall. He sighed softly and asked, "My concubine, tell me, Will our Qing Dynasty also set like the sun?" "No, with the support of a hero like you, it won't decline." "Alas!" Guangxu sighed, "How difficult! Now we are on the Korean battlefield, and our military equipment is far inferior to that of Japan. It is obvious that the Japanese invaded Korea to invade China, so we must defeat it, but to defeat Japan, we must defeat Japan." The funds are already very limited. Lafayette embezzled the money to replenish the navy to repair the Summer Palace, and now he is planning to celebrate his birthday in the garden, completely ignoring the food ahead, and the military pay is insufficient."

Guangxu irritatedly took two steps and said angrily: "Lafayette has returned to the government in honor, but the important matter is still to go to the Summer Palace to receive orders from her. My concubine, tell me, I am some kind of emperor like this!" Concubine Zhen said with a lot of emotion: "Since the emperor is the emperor, and the emperor is the one who rules the world, he should dare to exercise his power." "Your Majesty, in history, all the emperors whose empress dowagers listened to the government were young emperors. Now that the emperor is married and an adult, he should make up his own mind. Not to mention far away, let's take my Qing ancestor Let’s talk about Emperor Kangxi, he only showed his ambitions when he had real power.”

Guangxu sighed deeply. At night, the moonlight was charming, and Emperor Guangxu and Concubine Zhen still hugged each other and did not go down the mountain. Wang Shang was afraid that the Emperor would catch a cold, so he came over to put a cloak on Emperor Guangxu, and Xiaomei also came to put a windbreaker on Concubine Zhen.The two retreated and waited at a distance, while the other maids and eunuchs stood far away. Guangxu asked Concubine Zhen with concern: "Aifei, is it cold?" "Not cold, you will never feel cold when you are with the emperor." Emperor Guangxu held Concubine Zhen's hand tightly and said: "My concubine, it's rare to meet a confidant in life. I never thought that I would meet you in my lonely life. It's like a clear spring has poured into my heart."

"Your Majesty, Zhen'er is the same. It is Zhen'er's blessing to be with a hero who is ambitious and hard-working. Your Majesty, will you love me forever?" Concubine Zhen raised her neck and looked at Emperor Guangxu s eyes. "Of course, I love you forever, and only you. Tang Minghuang is 'three thousand beauties in the harem, and three thousand dotes on him.' And I am: 'Why do you need three thousand people in the harem, one dote is worth three thousand.'" Concubine Zhen nestled excitedly in the arms of Emperor Xianxu. "emperor……"

As night fell, the sky was full of stars.Emperor Guangxu looked up at the star-studded sky and asked, "My concubine, can you tell which one is Altair and which one is Vega?" Concubine Zhen said: "I can't tell the difference, but the ancient poem is very moving, 'The Altair is far away, the Han girl on the Jiaojiao River...The river is clear and shallow, and the difference is a little bit. There is a gap between the water and the pulse. language." Concubine Zhen recited softly, and said: "This poem is too sad, we can't be the Cowherd and Weaver Girl separated by the Milky Way."

"Of course not, I am the emperor, no one can separate us." Guangxu hugged Concubine Zhen tightly to comfort her. Emperor Guangxu said again: "If we want to separate us, unless the ancient poem "Shangxie" said '...the mountains have no tombs, the rivers are exhausted, the winter thunders are shaking, the summer is raining and snowing, the heaven and the earth are united, and the king dares to die!'" Concubine Zhen shook her head and said, "No, Your Majesty... Zhen'er and Jun know each other well, even though the sky is falling and the earth is falling, and the sea is dry and rocks are rotten, she never dares to part with you." "My concubine..." Emperor Guangxu kissed her passionately. Concubine Zhen looked up at the sky, pointed to the shining Big Dipper and said, "I like to watch the Big Dipper constellation. The Big Dipper revolves around the Polaris and never separates." "I also love to watch Beidou. My concubine and I are the constellation of the Big Dipper. We will never help each other." "Your Majesty..." Concubine Zhen moved closer to Emperor Guangxu. They looked up at the Big Dipper in the night sky and hugged each other reluctantly. exactly: "Your Majesty, I always feel that our love will be tragic." "Why?" Guangxu opened his eyes wide, "Is it because the queen is jealous?" Concubine Zhen shook her head and said melancholy: "I can't say. I think of a poem by Bai Juyi: 'Flowers are not flowers, and fog is not fog. Come in the middle of the night, and go in the morning. Come like a spring dream. How long does it go? Looking for a place'... I always have an ominous feeling." "My concubine is worrying too much. Unless our Qing Dynasty is in danger, our love will be as short as a flash." "Dangerous as morning dew...short as mist?" Concubine Zhen thought about the meaning of this sentence, and then said to herself: "Yes, unless our Qing Dynasty's country is as dangerous as morning dew..." The Hall of Longevity in the Summer Palace. In the Empress Dowager Cixi's dormitory, Li Lianying was combing her hair. He suddenly found that there were more gray hairs. He was startled and dared not say anything, but just hid the gray hairs inside.However, this inadvertent discovery made Li Lianying feel a sense of crisis. While combing the queen mother's hair, he thought, the queen mother is more than twice as old as Emperor Guangxu.Combing the empress dowager's shoulder-length hair, he suddenly thought of his younger sister Li Lianwu, a sixteen-year-old girl with a charming appearance. oops!Li Lianying sighed, why did I just think of her... Li Lianying lost her mind, combed her hair and went on a business trip, Lafayette yelled "Ouch", Li Lianying came back to her senses, and quickly blamed herself: "Damn the slave, Damn the servant!" "Little Lizi, be careful of your skin!" Cixi scolded. Li Lianying quickly put the torn hair back into her hair. Kou Lian will comb her hair tomorrow and let him deal with it. After combing her hair, the Empress Dowager Cixi looked in the mirror, was quite satisfied, and said with a smile: "Xiao Lizi, you comb your hair well, and you know how to love others, but it's a pity that you are a man. I have given you to the emperor." Li Lianying got an idea, and hurriedly knelt down and said: "Lafayette, slaves don't have this life, but slave's sister, who is sixteen years old, looks like a budding crabapple, if she can serve Lafayette , will make Lafayette happy." Li Lianying didn't dare to go to the sky in one step, fearing that Lafayette would be disgusted, so she thought of a two-step approach, first becoming a court lady for Lafayette, and then bestowing gifts on the emperor, isn't it common for people around the old lady to bestow gifts on their sons. "Oh, I heard you said that there is a young girl in the family who is smart, how did she grow up! Bring me into the palace tomorrow to have a look." "Thank you Lafayette." The Yongshou Zhai in the east backyard of the Empress Dowager Cixi's bedroom is the bedroom of Li Lianying, the chief eunuch. Although it cannot be compared with the magnificence of the Empress Dowager Cixi's bedroom, it is also very particular. Li Lianying lay on the bed tossing and turning and couldn't fall asleep... The increasing gray hair of the Empress Dowager startled him, didn't it?The queen mother is already in her sixties, if something happens, who will I, Li Lianying, rely on?I think that I, Li Lianying, can become what I am today, how much suffering and humiliation I have experienced... Some people call me Li Lianying not a human being, yes, at least I am not a complete person, especially not a man, not only cannot enjoy the happiness of a man, but also Cutting off children and grandchildren and being blindsided by others... Think about it, what kind of suffering I, Li Lianying, suffered!It was all the suffering of pigs and dogs. When Li Lianying thought of being cut off from her thigh since she was a child, Li Lianying was in terribly painful pain, and the unforgettable memories of her childhood were still vivid in her mind... Being poor, it was because of poverty that Li Lianying and her family lived in Beijing. Forced to make ends meet, Li Lianying had no choice but to take the road of getting clean and entering the palace.Li Lianying looked at the resplendent and resplendent palace, gritted her teeth secretly, and wanted to go in and rush in, but if she didn't go, she would starve to death anyway. So Li Lianying, who was only seven years old, was taken into a dark, blood-smelling earthen house by Liu, a well-known cleansing knife. Lianying, who was lying on the bed with her hands tied, heard her mother's tears outside the house. Heartbreaking cries.yes!Who is willing to let his own son do that inhuman eunuch.But if you don't do it, you will starve to death if you are full. If you do it, there may be a way to survive. God, what kind of way to survive! After Xiaodao Liu gave Li Lianying a bowl of anesthetic, he cut open his lower body with a knife, and squeezed out his two testicles, oh my god!Little Li Lianying was in so much pain... what kind of pain it was, it was tearing his heart and squeezing his lungs, which Li Lianying would never forget.Then there was "castration", Xiaodao Liu grabbed his penis with one hand, and cut it off by the root with a single knife. Little Li Lianying fainted again with a scream... Li Lianying, who had been "purified", was sent to the court. He secretly swore that after suffering such a horrific crime, he must look like a human being.At first, he was often slapped by eunuchs who were older than him. Later, because of his cleverness, he learned the skills of combing hair and massage with one hand, and was appreciated by the Empress Dowager Cixi. well!Li Lianying sighed unexcitedly. Although she was appreciated by the queen mother, being with the king is like being with a tiger!Haven't you spent the past few decades in trepidation?It is well known that Lafayette is moody. If you are not careful, your head may move. Although he is now the chief manager, but to put it bluntly, he is actually not a dog in front of the master. He commands him when he needs it, and kicks him away when he doesn't need it!Li Lianying, Li Lianying, although you have a lot of money now, you still have to bow your head and bow in front of your master every day to obey orders.Now those princes and ministers are nodding and bowing to me when they see me, not because they need me to speak for them and do things for them in front of the Queen Mother. One day, the Lafayette will be a hundred years old, and they will not kick me away!Those who hate me may even tear me up and eat me. Li Lianying's heart trembled again at the thought of the Empress Dowager's centenary. He couldn't sleep anymore, so he just sat up and lit a cigarette. I think I, Li Lianying, am not ugly and have a clever mind. I should have married a woman who is as beautiful as flowers and jade, have children, make a fortune and start a career, and enjoy family happiness.But now, he has become an eunuch who is neither human nor ghost, Li Lianying thought bitterly, why, why should I, Li Lianying, serve people all my life?Hmph, I, Li Lianying, have suffered such a big crime, and I still can't get ahead. I'm too bad. Now that the Lafayette is still alive, I still have a way to survive. If the Lafayette is dead, who am I to rely on? Li Lianying, Li Lianying, if you don't want to find a way out, it will be too late. ... Alas, Li Lianying sighed again... Sister, there is only one way for my sister. If my sister becomes an imperial concubine and gives birth to a dragon son, who will inherit the throne in the future... Then I, Li Lianying, will become the uncle of the country, the uncle of the country Haha, at that time, with a little trickery, the power will be in the hands. On that day, the emperor may not only be afraid that I, Li Lianying, will get three points but seven points, and those dragon sons and grandsons will also be killed Playing in the palm of my hand.I am the number one eunuch in the world, even Zhao Gao, Gao Lishi, Tong Guan, and Wei Zhongxian may not be able to match me... Thinking of this, Li Lianying smiled, and after taking two more puffs of cigarettes, he lay down and fell asleep. After breakfast, the Empress Dowager Cixi took a walk with Princess Rongshou at the Zhichun Pavilion. The Empress Dowager Cixi gazed at the White Pagoda on Yuquan Mountain in a trance. After a while, she asked Princess Rongshou: "Princess, tell me, can you really ascend to heaven if you are gone?" "Huihuang Ama, of course not everyone can ascend to heaven, it is determined by karma, good and evil." Cixi heard this, thought for a while, and said, "Then...do you think Huang Ama can ascend to heaven?" "Of course, Huang Ama can." When Princess Rongshou answered, she tried her best to avoid all unlucky words, because she knew that the most urgent thing for Empress Dowager Cixi was longevity, which was more important than whether she could ascend to heaven. Li Lianying took her sister to the Summer Palace. "Lafayette, the servant brought my sister to greet you." "My maidservant pays respects to the Lafayette, the Lafayette is auspicious." Li Lianying's sister knelt and said. When the Empress Dowager Cixi heard this pleasant voice, she turned her head and saw this young and beautiful girl, she was stunned for a moment, and said in surprise: "I never thought that there is such a beautiful flower in your little Lizi's house. Your mother is really amazing." Easy!" The Empress Dowager Cixi sat on the bamboo and rattan chair and looked at the girl: there are a pair of seductive eyes on the oval face, the bridge of the nose is straight, but the lips are a little thinner, no wonder she is eloquent.A water-red cheongsam made her cheeks radiate more youthful redness, her high breasts were rising and falling with the nervous breath,...it was really charming. "How old are you?" "Back to Lafayette, this servant has just turned sixteen." Li Lianwu replied sweetly. "What will happen?" "Poems, qin, calligraphy and painting, needlework girls, slaves and maidservants know a little bit." "Poetry, Qin, calligraphy and painting? You can too?" Empress Dowager Cixi was a little skeptical. Li Lianying hurriedly answered for her: "Go back to Lafayette, the slave girl went to a private school." "Oh..." Empress Dowager Cixi thought that Concubine Zhen was favored by the Emperor because of her mastery of poetry, qin, calligraphy and painting, so she asked this girl to serve the Emperor and share the Emperor's heart, so as not to let Concubine Zhen's little hoof get too powerful and make my The poor queen can't even touch the edges. "Li Lianying, I think this girl is cute and clever. I have enough manpower, so let her serve the emperor in the Hall of Mental Cultivation!" Li Lianying's brother and sister kowtowed to the sky when they heard this. Both of them kowtowed to the Empress Dowager Cixi with joy. "Thank you Lafayette, I will serve the emperor with all my heart." Li Lianwu thanked cleverly. "Then Li Lianying, you can take her to where the emperor is! Oh, by the way, I haven't given her a name yet... let's call her Sister Li." "Thank you Lafayette." Li Lianying took her sister to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Li Lianying was indescribably happy. She didn't expect Lafayette to shorten the time for him to be the uncle of the country with a single word. The scene where the girl became the favorite concubine, and he became the uncle of the country... When they arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Emperor Guangxu went to court, Li Lianying confessed to Wang Shang, and then called her sister into the emperor's bedroom to confess again. "Sister, if you want to enjoy the glory and wealth for the rest of your life like your elder brother, then you should serve the emperor well. Be careful, do you hear me?" "Brother, I know, the nagging is endless." Li Lianwu replied coquettishly. Emperor Guangxu came down to court, and before the Hall of Mental Cultivation was built, he heard the sound of playing the piano. He thought it was Concubine Zhen playing, but when he heard that the tune was vulgar and not like Concubine Zhen's usual playing, he was puzzled, and only heard "Auspicious, Your Majesty, The slaves pay respects to the emperor."Concubine Zhen was not seen, but a new maid in the palace was seen, knelt and kowtowed to him gracefully, and said good luck to him in a soft voice.Emperor Guangxu was very surprised and asked, "Did you play the piano just now?" "Damn the servant girl. The servant girl just brushed the dust on the piano and tested the sound of the piano. I didn't want to disturb the holy driver. Please forgive me." Emperor Guangxu found it strange that she had a pair of charming eyes and a charming look when she was talking.Li Lianwu took the opportunity to point to the poem she wrote on the imperial case, and said, "Please read, Your Majesty, this is a poem written by slaves." Emperor Guangxu walked over to have a look, and saw that it was written on the paper: Guangxu felt that this poem was a bit frivolous and gaudy, unlike the elegant charm of the poems that Concubine Zhen loved, so he nodded noncommittally. The emperor only glanced at it, but he didn't want to read it. Although the writing was flamboyant, it didn't have the charm of Zhenfei's writing. Li Lianwu wanted to let Guangxu look at her paintings, but Emperor Guangxu didn't look at them because he expected that there would be nothing good to do. He just asked this newcomer who looked like a court lady and not like a court lady strangely: "What's your name?" Li Lianwu said softly: "The maidservant's name is Li Lianwu, yesterday the Lafayette gave her a new name, Sister Li." "Sister Li?...Whose girl are you from?" "My Majesty, the slave is Li Lianying's younger sister, the chief executive of Li, and it was Lafayette who asked the slave to serve the emperor." Guangxu's eyes widened upon hearing this,... Li Lianying's own sister, sent by Lafayette...Guangxu frowned, one Empress Longyu is enough, another follower...wanted to drive away my concubine Zhen... In an instant, the young girl in front of her turned into Long Yu for a while, and turned into an ugly toad for a while... "Humph!" Guangxu snorted, stepped out with a flick of his sleeves, and called, "Wang Shang, Wang Shang." "The slave is here, Your Majesty." "What about Concubine Zhen, I want to summon Concubine Zhen." "Your Majesty, Master Zhen was taken to the Summer Palace by Lafayette, saying that she was going to accompany Lafayette for a few days." Li Lianwu burst into tears after hearing the bitterness... In Li Lianying's bedroom in the Summer Palace, Sister Li cried to her elder brother Li Lianying: "Brother, the emperor ignores me..." "Then why? What did you do to him?" "No, how dare I provoke him, I just said that I am your sister, and it was Lafayette who asked me to go to the emperor." "Oh! Look at you, don't tell me who it is! This is bad." "The emperor asked me, can I not say it? I am enough." Li Lianying sighed: Since the emperor is not moved by sex, then move him. "Sister, how about this, from now on, you have to pretend to be very stable, sincere, and serve the emperor loyally, understand?" "understood." "Then go quickly, while Concubine Zhen is in the Summer Palace these few days, you hurry to catch the emperor's heart, understand, to impress him." "Hey." Sister Li was happy again. In the evening, Emperor Guangxu read the playbook at his desk, and Sister Li moved her slim waist to bring bird's nest and white fungus soup to the emperor. "Your Majesty, it's time for you to rest, don't damage the dragon's body." Sister Li said softly. "Well, let it go." Guangxu said lightly, without turning his head at all. After a while, Sister Li brought another basin of footwashing water, and said to the yawning emperor, "Your Majesty, this servant will wash your feet." Guangxu said coldly: "No need... Wang Shang!" "The slave is here." "Wash my feet." "yes." "Why hasn't Concubine Zhen come back yet? I'm going to the Summer Palace to see her tomorrow." "yes." Guangxu still turned a blind eye to Sister Li. Sister Li couldn't even please wash the emperor's feet, so she turned around and ran out crying in anger. Sister Li ran to her brother to complain again. "The emperor doesn't even look at me, and he doesn't even want to wait for him to wash his feet." Li Lianying gritted her teeth angrily. "If you flirt with him, he won't move. If you're honest with him, he won't move. It's obvious that he's targeting me, Li Lianying." He comforted Sister Li and said: "Sister, don't cry, so what if it's the emperor, I'm not afraid that you won't be able to subdue him, you can't be soft, let's be tough, anyway, you are destined to be an imperial concubine, don't cry, ah! God go." Li Lianying pinched the Empress Dowager Cixi's shoulders, and the Empress Dowager Cixi closed her eyes and said, "Xiao Lizi, you not only comb your hair well, but also pinch your shoulders and backs. It's a blessing to have such a slave like you!" Li Lianying took the opportunity to say: "Lafayette, the slave's younger sister is also good at rubbing her shoulders and back, or Sister Li said that she will serve the emperor for the rest of her life." "Serving the emperor for a lifetime... Yes, the emperor should accept her as his concubine." "Thank you Lafayette Long En." Li Lianying knelt down to the Empress Dowager Cixi. "Brother and sister Li Lianying are willing to serve Lafayette and the emperor for the rest of their lives." The Empress Dowager Cixi smiled and said: "Get up, you monkey, you have cultivated to become a master, and you really have to do it for you if you talk." The Empress Dowager Cixi poked Li Lianying's forehead with her finger . "The slave will ask Lafayette again." "Okay, okay, get up, the emperor will come to pay his respects tomorrow, there is a reason to be sad. By the way, you can tell the imperial dining room to get me some of the emperor's favorite food tomorrow." "Yes, Lafayette." Li Lianying was so happy that she couldn't close her mouth. The Hall of Longevity in the Summer Palace.The Empress Dowager Cixi is eating, she is sitting at the west end of the two imperial dining tables facing east, and Emperor Guangxu is standing on the left side serving the meal, "Eat more, today's dishes are all your favorites, it is the emperor's father who asked the imperial dining room to specialize Made it for you." "Thank you, father." As Guangxu ate, he thought, why is there something special about the emperor's papa being so warm to me today... Li Lianying is usually waiting on the sidelines, why did he avoid seeing me today, he must be telling me about Sister Li ... Hmph, resolutely drive her away.The Empress Dowager Cixi, who was full, saw that Guangxu was eating deliciously, and said, "Are these dishes delicious, Your Majesty?" Cixi said and brought him some more dishes. "Abba Huang doesn't love you. Ever since you entered the palace at the age of four, Apa Huang has worried about you. You should be considerate of Apa Huang's difficulties." "My son understands the difficulties of the emperor's father." "That's right, Father Huang is old now, so he can't worry about you personally, he can only rely on other people to love you... Your Majesty, how is Miss Li?" Emperor Guangxu's heart tightened when he heard this, but he had no choice but to say: "Sister Li...fortunately...okay." "Since the emperor thinks it's good, let's accept it as a concubine. This way, there will be one more person who loves you, and the emperor's father will feel relieved." After hearing this, Guangxu knelt down anxiously and begged: "Father Emperor, this is not allowed. Sister Li is a Han Chinese, and the ancestral system does not allow it." The Empress Dowager Cixi disagreed, "The ancestral system is punishing, isn't it just to accept a concubine and not choose her as the queen, and it is not uncommon for the ancestor emperor to accept Han people as concubines. Isn't Concubine Dong E also Han?" "No...no... Father Emperor, absolutely not, this may cause the Manchus and the Han to fight for power, and it may be detrimental to the Qing Dynasty." This one convinced the Empress Dowager Cixi, and she began to soften. Guangxu said again: "Besides, there is no precedent in the ancestral system for accepting the eunuch's sister as the imperial concubine. If the emperor's father likes her, then let her come and serve your old man. On the other hand, I already have one empress and two concubines. Adding more chaos, I am really overwhelmed." Empress Dowager Cixi thought for a while and felt that there was nothing to refute what Emperor Guangxu said. It was indeed unprecedented in her ancestors to accept the sister of an eunuch as a concubine, and she was afraid of arousing others' comments, so she had to give up. "Since the emperor doesn't like it, then let her come and serve the emperor's father. After a while, find her a good husband's family, and she will be worthy of her brothers and sisters!" Guangxu nodded and said, "Abba Huang is wise." At this time, the eunuch came in and removed the dining table, and the court lady brought tea. The Empress Dowager Cixi took a sip, put down the teacup and said, "The emperor's father agrees with you, but the emperor must deal with the empress and concubines in the future, so as not to violate the ancestors." Besides, you are not too young, you should have children, don't let the emperor's father worry about it." Guangxu blushed when he heard this, and replied: "I understand." The next day, Sister Li returned to the Summer Palace crying. From then on, Li Lianying hated Emperor Guangxu to the bone. He gritted his teeth and cursed: "You ruined my dream of being an uncle of the country. I will make you daydream for the rest of your life." "My concubine, my concubine." After Emperor Guangxu came to court, he heard from Wang Shang that Concubine Zhen had returned from the Summer Palace to Jingrenguan, so he happily went straight to the official residence of Concubine Ji. Xiaomei, the maids and eunuchs all hurriedly knelt outside the hall to meet her. Guangxu didn't see Concubine Zhen to pick him up, so he asked Xiaomei: "Xiaomei, where is Concubine Zhen?" "Emperor Qi Bing, Master Zhen is not feeling well and is lying on the bed." "Oh, Concubine Ai." Emperor Guangxu called out and entered the room. Seeing Concubine Zhen with her back to him, half leaning on the bed, Emperor Guangxu walked over and said eagerly, "Ai Concubine, what's wrong with you?" Then he sat down on Concubine Zhen's bed. Concubine Zhen didn't look back after hearing this, and ignored him.Emperor Guangxu was anxious, touched Concubine Zhen's forehead, took her hand and said, "Zhen'er, what's the matter with you? I haven't seen you for a few days, I miss you so much." Concubine Zhen withdrew her hand and said, "The emperor has Eldest Sister Li waiting on her, so why would she still think of Zhen'er?" Oh!It turned out to be for this. "Zhen'er, why do you look at me like this? You are the only one in my heart." Emperor Guangxu said as he hugged Concubine Zhen in his arms and was about to kiss her. Let's go, Zhen'er is not worthy of serving you." "You... okay!" Guangxu stood up angrily. I didn't expect that even you would treat me like this. All my heartfelt affection for you was in vain. "Wang Shang, return to the palace." "The emperor is driving." Guangxu left angrily. Xiaomei, the maids and eunuchs hurriedly knelt to see her off. Xiaomei came in and knelt down and said: "Master, how can you treat the emperor like this, the emperor is kind enough to see you..." Xiaomei cried anxiously. "Stop talking..." Concubine Zhen buried her head on the pillow aggrievedly and began to sob. Xiaomei was so anxious that she tried her best to persuade her. "Master, how can you blame the emperor for this, you are so vain to the emperor." Guangxu returned angrily to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and sat down on the imperial chair. He leaned his head on the backrest and closed his eyes... Concubine Zhen, you have wronged me so much, how could I have been unfaithful to you?Sister Li, I hate her from the bottom of my heart, and I never touched her half a finger. You are the only one in my heart, don't you believe me... Concubine Zhen!You have broken my heart so much. "Your Majesty, it's time to pass on the meal." Wang Shang said softly. "I don't want to eat." "Your Majesty, don't hurt the dragon's body. The old slave just heard Xiaomei say that Master Zhen was crying very sadly." "Ah! She was crying very sad?" Emperor Guangxu asked with concern. Wang Shang hurriedly said: "It's okay, Your Majesty. She will be fine after crying. Don't worry too much, Your Majesty." After working hard for several days, coupled with not wanting to eat or drink, Guangxu felt a headache, brain fever, and lack of energy, so he lay on the dragon couch and couldn't get up.Wang Shang was so anxious that he quickly invited the imperial physician.The imperial doctor said that the pulse was a disharmony between the liver and the stomach, and there was no serious problem, just recuperate and recuperate. After prescribing the prescription, he knelt and retreated. Knowing that the emperor was ill, Wang Shang went to Jingren Palace to call Xiaomei out and said, "Tell Master Zhen that the emperor is ill." "Ah! This servant will tell Master Zhen immediately." After Wang Shang left, Xiaomei hurried to tell Concubine Zhen. "Master Zhen, the emperor is ill." "Ah!" Concubine Zhen threw the book on the table anxiously, "Quick, Xiaomei, go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation." "yes." Concubine Zhen and Xiaomei arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Wang Shang handed the boiled medicine to Concubine Zhen, and Concubine Zhen walked gently towards the inner hall with the medicine bowl.Suddenly she heard Emperor Guangxu calling her. "My concubine, my concubine..." Concubine Zhen burst into tears when she heard this. "emperor……" Guangxu, who was lying on the bed, turned his head when he heard this, and seeing Concubine Zhen walking towards him, he jumped up excitedly, but felt dizzy and lay down again. Concubine Zhen saw it and hurriedly put the medicine bowl on the table , walked over. "Your Majesty, Zhen'er misunderstood you." "Aifei..." At this time, there is no need to say anything, the two cried and hugged each other... beat each other, kissed, cried, shouted..., forgot you, forgot me, forgot everything... for a moment, as if There is no sky, no earth, no human world... At this time, the river of love is surging down like a torrent that has just released its gate, and it is running wildly like cattle and horses that have just come out of the pen on the grassland... exactly: In the midwinter season, the sky was full of snowflakes, which made the beautiful imperial garden look like a fairyland.The snow was so heavy that Qingsong bent down, as if bowing to Emperor Guangxu and Concubine Zhen who came hand in hand.They saw Ruixue walking in arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder, and stopped under a cedar tree. Emperor Guangxu sighed: "What a beautiful snow scene, look at it, my concubine." Concubine Zhen raised her head, looked at the garden with teary eyes, and said with a sob: "...it's beautiful." Emperor Guangxu said affectionately: "My concubine, don't be sad, the queen is like that, don't pay attention to her." Guangxu stopped and held Concubine Zhen's face with his hands, wiped the tears on her face with a handkerchief, kissed her gently, and murmured: "I want to kiss your tears dry, and I will kiss you away." your heart flower." "Your Majesty..." Concubine Zhen leaned affectionately on Emperor Guangxu's chest, and Emperor Guangxu hugged her tightly, and said softly, "I really can't bear to let you be wronged every day." "It's okay, Your Majesty. Your Majesty has to worry about the country's affairs. Don't worry about me." "They wronged you once, and I will kiss you ten thousand times." "emperor……" Concubine Zhen burst into tears... Seeing this, Wang Shang and Xiaomei, who were following behind, hurriedly stopped and stood behind with their heads bowed. It turned out that when they greeted the Empress Dowager in the morning, Empress Longyu and Concubine Jin gave Concubine Zhen a look, so angry that Emperor Guangxu took Concubine Zhen's arm and left. Suddenly, they were attracted by a faint fragrance. "Your Majesty, smell it, it smells so good!" "Well, it smells so good, let's go and have a look." The emperor held Concubine Zhen in his hand, and walked along the stone path under the bamboo forest, stepping on the snow to the side of the pavilion. "Your Majesty, look..." Concubine Zhen pointed to a wintersweet plant next to the cedar tree. "Oh, Lamei." Concubine Zhen caressed the wintersweet gently with her hand, looked at the wintersweet blooming proudly in the wind and snow, and sighed: "Flowers are not afraid of ice and snow, why are people afraid of wind and rain." Guangxu nodded with a smile, and praised: "My concubine is like the only beauty in early spring. I love you because of your fearlessness." Concubine Zhen laughed and said: "The emperor compares Zhen'er to wintersweet, so the emperor is the cedar accompanying wintersweet." "Okay." Guangxu clapped his hands and said, "I would like to be the cedar next to my concubine." Concubine Zhen said affectionately: "Without cedar, wintersweet will not have its brilliance, and without wintersweet, cedar will also appear dull." Guangxu nodded and said: "My concubine supports the emperor's efforts to govern. I am the cedar that is not afraid of the severe cold, and my concubine is like the plum blossom that is not afraid of the wind and snow." "Your Majesty, Zhen'er wants to draw it. Xiaomei, hurry home and get a brush and inkstone." "yes." After a while, Xiaomei brought brushes, inkstones and rice paper, and Wang Shang and two eunuchs brought big umbrellas. Concubine Zhen began to paint, while Emperor Guangxu studied ink for her personally. After a while, a picture of cedar and wintersweet was reflected in front of Emperor Xianxu, but he saw the wintersweet pistil, the green pines were strong, and the pine plums were blooming against each other. Concubine Zhen clapped her hands and said: "Since Zhen'er is painting, please ask the emperor to compose poems beside me. This is the relationship between pine and plum, and the rhyme of poetry and painting." Emperor Guangxu smiled and said: "Okay, I will write a poem for my concubine." Xiaomei waited on the brush and inkstone, so Emperor Guangxu wrote a poem on the painting. The goose feathers are heavy with snow, and the wintersweet is covered with green pines. In early spring, there is a unique show, and the fragrance is secretly sent. In the Leshou Hall of the Summer Palace, Emperor Guangxu and Concubine Zhen walked out after paying respects to Empress Dowager Cixi. In the courtyard, Sister Li hurried over to greet Emperor Guangxu in a charming manner. Emperor Guangxu gave her a white look. , holding Concubine Zhen's hand and leaving.Li Lianying, who was on the side, saw her teeth gnashing loudly. He looked at the backs of Concubine Zhen and Emperor Guangxu bitterly and cursed in his heart: "Little vixen, you are the one who took away the emperor's soul and killed my sister." If you are neglected like this, just wait, I, Li Lianying, will never let you go! In Cixi's bedroom, Li Lianying washed the Empress Dowager Cixi's feet and said, "Lafayette, my servant has found out what Concubine Zhen and the Emperor are doing." "Huh?" Empress Dowager Cixi put the snuff pot on the table and snorted vigilantly. “他们呀……”李莲英故意拉长腔调，以引起慈禧的注意。 “他们在干什么？”慈禧等不住了。 “禀老佛爷，他们在看什么……什么通鉴！” "right?" “对……对，就是这书名。” 这是讲历代治乱兴衰的书，慈禧当然知道是写给皇帝借鉴历史的，她自己也看过……难怪珍妃这么有心计，哼，这小蹄子，还真不能小看她。 “秉老佛爷，珍妃娘家还经常通过她哥哥给她带书来。” “都是些什么书呀？” “奴才没记住，等奴才打听好了再秉老佛爷。” 慈禧若有所思地听着…… “老佛爷，奴才还听说，珍妃跟皇上在说康熙爷收伏鳌的事……” 夺权！这两个字在慈禧的大脑里闪电般划过，慈禧的脸一沉，慢慢阴了下来…… 李莲英见状，脸上掠过一丝阴笑…… 暮春三月，颐和园里百花争妍，而又以牡丹为诸花之王。慈禧太后一生最喜爱玉兰、荷花及牡丹花，尤喜玉兰，因玉兰花和她的乳名同，其次喜欢莲花，因为慈禧太后笃信佛教之故，然后便是喜爱牡丹了。所以，乐寿堂前后都精心栽培着玉兰、荷花及牡丹。 昆明湖岸都种满了荷花，庭院里精心栽培着牡丹花。为了托福于牡丹，不但在颐和园引种各种珍贵牡丹花，而且慈禧太后的发冠、衣服都绣着牡丹，室内陈设也多牡丹图案，以示富贵吉祥。 现在，颐和园牡丹花绽放，慈禧太后当然不会放过观赏，于是这天早饭后，慈禧太后在皇妃、公主、福晋、格格簇拥下看牡丹花来了，李莲英自然是搀扶着老佛爷走在最前面，最后是值班的御前太监、宫女，他们各执慈禧太后的用具远远地跟着。 到了花园里，各种牡丹都已绽开，在灿烂的阳光下各显风采。 红的、白的、黄的、紫的和绿色的……花型有荷花型的、皇冠型的、菊花型的、蔷薇花型的……令人目不喂接。 慈禧太后注视着一簇大近尺许、皇冠型的红牡丹，赞道：“真富贵满堂矣。” 李莲英指着一株泛着淡绿色光的牡丹，说：“老佛爷，您看这是牡丹中最珍贵的品种。” “噢，叫什么来着？” “回老佛爷叫豆绿。” 慈禧太后仔细端详了一下，说：“这朵花活像一颗绿宝石，果然是绝色。” 四格格也指着一株泛着淡黄色光的牡丹：“老佛爷，这是姚黄，也是明贵品种。还有这株夜光白牡丹在月光下最为出色。” 慈禧太后点了点头，高兴地笑着。 李莲英见慈禧太后喜爱，便把这三株牡丹摘了下来，说：“老佛爷这几株就准备插到您寝室的宝瓶里吧。”慈禧太后点了点头心里自然是高兴，大清江山是哀家的江山，摘几株花又有何妨！ 珍妃指着一簇洛阳红，说：“牡丹花中洛阳红最悲壮，传说唐皇武则天过生日，下令要园中百花齐放，结果众花皆放，独牡丹未开，武则天大怒，遂将牡丹赶出皇宫，流放洛阳，红牡丹不屈于武则天的淫威，不但没死，反而更加绽放鲜红，流传千古。” 慈禧太后听了心里似有所触动，她转过头来盯了珍妃一眼没有说话。珍妃心中一紧，低下了头。隆裕皇后见状，趁机说：“皇阿爸，孩儿是最喜爱黄牡丹，和皇阿爸帽冠上绣的黄牡丹一样，象征皇权至上。” 慈禧太后听了不笑也不怒。 荣寿固伦公主为打砹僵局忙说：“这么好的花，不咏几首诗不是太可惜了吗？珍儿诗文最好，珍儿来一首。” 荣寿固伦公主，是恭亲王奕祈之女，自幼聪慧善解人意，深得慈禧太后喜爱。荣寿固伦公主少女时长得如花似玉，被慈禧指婚给一个面色惨白患重病而行将就木的人，结果婚后不到半年，病丈夫便死了。也许是出于内疚，慈禧太后便认她为义女，并封为公主，之后，又将她接入宫中陪伴于左右。 荣寿固伦公主人品绝好，生性善良，遇事公正，深受慈禧太后赏识，二人关系也笃亲密。每遇太后奢靡之处，敢直言进谏，太后念其忠耿而常不以怪罪。公主人缘关系也极好，危急之时，也敢挺身而出，所以不仅慈禧太后喜欢她，宫里的后妃、公主及福晋、命妇也都敬重她。公主谙熟礼仪，又识大体，所以宫中有大事，太后常与她商议。 珍妃听了公主要她赋诗，便说：“好吧，既是公主点名，珍儿就只好从命了。”珍妃凝望着牡丹片刻便吟了出来： 慈禧太后转过头来，笑道：“这诗倒还可以，哀家还真有点如醉如酣了。” 珍妃终于松了一口气，同样是赏牡丹，和光绪帝在御花园中观赏，那是何等的激动，何等的愉快，而陪伴慈禧太后却要小心翼翼的，惟恐失误，真比受刑还难受。 珍妃想起了她和皇上一起在御花园里观赏牡丹时，珍妃凝视着两株黄牡丹颇有感触地说：“皇上，您知道汉牡丹的传奇吗？” “噢，珍儿是指西汉帝刘秀逃难途中遇花醒志的事吗？珍儿细讲来。” “好的，那是发生在西汉时代，王莽篡位，追杀刘秀，刘秀逃至一寺庙中，悲观欲绝，忽见两株盛开的黄牡丹金光灿灿如皇冠，刘秀被花的灵气所感，下意识地摸了摸自己头上的皇冠却早已掉落，莫非这两株形状酷似皇冠的牡丹是丢失了的皇冠所托，刘秀顿时醒悟，不再自杀，发誓要夺回失掉的皇冠。三年后，刘秀终于平息了王莽叛乱，恢复了帝位，重新戴上了皇冠，建立了东汉，为纪念牡丹醒志，从此黄牡丹也就有了汉牡丹之称。” 光绪帝听了叹道：“没想到牡丹花还有如此灵性，真壮士矣！珍儿，现在趁花绽放，我们就多来感受一下花的灵气吧。” 珍妃点头说：“甚好，皇上……” 珍妃正想着，慈禧太后命道：“李莲英，再去摘几株来，哀家要分赏她们。” "yes." 李莲英和几个太监忙跑过去摘花，不一会儿，便摘了几株呈上来，其中有洛阳红、贵妃出海、黄牡丹、白牡丹、紫二乔…… 每个人都至少赏到一株牡丹花，都欢喜地向老佛爷致谢，慈禧太后这才高高兴兴地下令回官。四格格一路上念起了刘禹锡的诗：“惟有牡丹真国色，花开时间动京城。” 颐和园真是太美了。 exactly: 傍晚，光绪帝和珍妃手挽手的从湖边向十七孔桥漫步而去。 珍妃看着西斜的落日说：“荣寿固伦公主说，站在十七孔桥上看晚霞最美，我们今天就好好地感受一下。” “对，我们好好感受一下。” 他们走到了铜牛旁，光绪帝驻足用手摸了摸铜牛感叹道：“据说每年七月七日，铜牛都会发出响声，这是铜牛欲挣断铁链子去和织女姑娘相会。” 珍妃听了十分感动，说：“这池湖水成了银河了，太悲壮了，动物尚且如此，人何以堪？” 光绪帝也叹道：“是啊！人何以堪？爱妃，如果有一天我们也被隔在两地，朕也一定要像铜牛一样挣开铁链去和爱妃相会。” “啊！皇上，不会的，珍儿永远不离开皇上。” “对，我们永远不分离。” “真的吗？皇上。” “当然是真的。”光绪帝说着低头亲了亲她的额头，又挽着她说：“走，我们上桥去看落日。” 到了桥上，落日已西沉，刹那间，西天绯红满天，如火如茶，壮美极了。 “啊，好一轮藩日，如此殷红，如此红霞四射。”珍妃叹道。 他们在桥中央，依栏相拥着欣赏晚霞，简直被西山落日陶醉了。可是，很快红日便落到了西山后，顿时，红霞变换成了暗红，须臾，又变成了灰色，尽管他们的目光始终在挽留红霞，但落日还是无情地沉了下去，天渐渐变黑了…… 凉风开始习习送来，王商和小梅给光绪帝和珍妃披上了风衣。 珍妃系好风衣领带叹道：“留连忘返啊！夕阳真的太动人了，只可惜太短暂了，怎么也留不住它的美。好在天天都有落日，否则该不知有多惆怅啊！” “爱妃说的对，以后我们天天看夕阳红辉。” “好，皇上，要看到我们大清也像夕阳美的那一天。” “那我们发誓。”光绪帝把她的双手握到胸前。 “我们发誓。”珍妃依偎到光绪帝肩上，光绪帝热烈地拥抱了她。exactly: