Chapter 52 Section fifty-two

Due to the tacit understanding the day before, when they went to the Chuxiu Palace to pay their respects in the early morning, the imperial concubine Dunyi and the imperial concubine Jingyi paid special attention to the emperor's attitude towards his cousin.But just as Concubine Jingyi expected, "I can't see anything"!Because the emperor didn't stay in Chuxiu Palace for much time, and Guixiang's daughter, even though she is the niece of the Empress Dowager Cixi, because she has no status, she can't stand in the palace like Princess Rongshou because she has no status. After Empress Dowager Cixi died, she was only at the forefront of the court ladies.In addition, the appearance is not outstanding, and the words are not surprising, so it is easy to be ignored.

But the imperial concubine Dunyi had her opinion, and concluded that the emperor would never choose his cousin as the queen. "Looking left and right, I can't see that she looks like a queen. And she is not lucky." Concubine Yihuang quietly said to Concubine Jingyi, "I think Lafayette probably also knows that this girl from her natal family is not very good! So she is not working hard until now. It seems that she is just letting her try her luck. The best thing is when she meets her. It doesn’t matter if you don’t touch it.” "What a big deal! It doesn't matter how you say it. Maybe Lafayette has already mentioned it to the emperor."

"If Lafayette mentioned it to the emperor, Da Gege must know. What did she say?" "She didn't say anything, so it's inconvenient for me to ask her. It's about your little sister. I asked her for you, and she agreed. But I dare not say if it can be done. Just wait for the fifth day of October!" The day of Empress Li was chosen on the fifth day of October, and the time was set at Yin time before dawn, which was an auspicious day specially selected by Qin Tianjian Cheng Yi. The place where the Queen stands is Tihe Hall.This place was originally the Chuxiu Gate. After the Yikun Palace in the West Sixth Palace was connected with the Chuxiu Palace, the gate was demolished and converted into a hall.At this time, the lamps and candles were brightly lit, the fire was blazing, and all the furnishings were replaced with bright red except the throne was still wrapped in yellow satin, making it look more joyful.

The selected ones went through another round of elimination, and there were only five people left in the Tihe Hall.Besides Guixiang's daughter, there are two pairs of sisters from Dexin and Changxu's family.Of the other three, only the daughter of Foyou, the first-class guard of the Qianqing Gate, was accused of being married to the wife of Pu Lun, the great-grandson of Emperor Xuanzong. One piece of clothing material was "put down". All of a sudden, seven or eight chiming bells in the hall rang simultaneously. After striking four times, the eunuch called softly, and the Empress Dowager Cixi had arrived.She didn't take the warm sedan chair, because Chuxiu Palace to Tihe Palace was only a one-shot journey.

The two palaces - the empress dowager and the emperor came in a very long line. At the front was the eunuch who shouted softly, followed by the empress dowager Cixi about ten steps away, and then the attendants were at the side, walking sideways, looking at the ground for a while, Looking forward for a while, taking care of the only sincere Li Lianying.I just heard him keep saying hello: "Lafayette can go well, I would rather slow down!" Apart from the voices of the two eunuchs, only footsteps were heard.Immediately behind the Empress Dowager Cixi on the left is the emperor, then Princess Rongshou, Mrs. Fukun, and Mrs. Ronglu.This princess's second life wife is very popular in front of the Empress Dowager Cixi recently, and the eunuchs generally call it "Sanxingzhao" because the title happens to have the words "Fu, Lu, and Shou".The Empress Dowager Cixi also heard about this general term and thought it was very good, so she asked the eunuchs to call it and ignored it.

Apart from this, there is no other Fujin wife.After the establishment of Mu Zongli, all the kings of Fujin, as long as they were "wives of Quanfu", participated in the grand ceremony, but this time the Empress Dowager Cixi did not call, and no one dared to ask for instructions, because everyone knew in their hearts that if there was a call, the first one would answer It was the emperor's biological mother, Wang Fujin, which was tabooed by the Empress Dowager Cixi.Especially in the past two or three years when the period of returning to power is approaching, the Empress Dowager Cixi always said intentionally or unintentionally: the emperor is the son of a mother, and the emperor mother is naturally the empress dowager.In today's Lihou, in order for the "daughter-in-law" to truly realize that there is only one "mother-in-law", there are no two "mother-in-laws", let alone Wang Fujin who is always there, but she is alone. Wang Fujin's feelings would be greatly hurt, so he was not called at all.

From now on, there are only court ladies and eunuchs.According to the regulations, the concubines of the previous dynasty were not allowed to be present, not only on such occasions, but in any place, the concubines of the previous dynasty had no formal meeting with the emperor, unless both parties were over fifty years old.As for the palace maids and eunuchs, they followed as usual, and almost everyone held something in their hands.No matter where the empress dowager or the emperor goes, as long as they leave a palace, they will have many things to take with them, from tea sets, food boxes, clothes bags, medicines to toilet utensils, and finally a soft sedan chair.But this day was different from usual, there were one more long and two squares, three extremely gorgeously decorated brocade boxes, and the eunuch holding these three brocade boxes was at the front of the ranks of retinues.

A throne has been installed in the Tihe Hall, and a long table is placed in front of the throne.The Empress Dowager Cixi sat down behind the table, and first asked, "Where is Fu Kun?" "Wait on the porch!" Li Lianying replied, and said to the little eunuch beside him who was running for him, "Call Fu Zhongtang!" So Fu Kun entered the hall and kowtowed, and the Empress Dowager Cixi asked, "Are you ready?" "It's all ready." "Where's the military plane?" "It has been notified." Fu Kun replied: "Sun Yuwen has already entered the palace, and the Xizhao was prepared by the Hanlin in the South Study Room, and everything is in order."

"Okay! When I turn around, I will declare the decree." The Empress Dowager Cixi turned her face and said, "Show me the things?" "twitter!" Li Lianying waved to the three eunuchs who were holding brocade boxes, and they both bent down and walked to the long table.He opened the brocade box, and placed a gold inlaid jade ruyi in the center, with two pairs of purses on both sides, all made of red satin, embroidered with cross-necked mandarin ducks, very bright and unusual. As soon as these three things were displayed, some people wondered.The "token" used after the election has always been a Ruyi and a purse. The candidate for the show girl is awarded Ruyi, that is, the queen who rules the six palaces, and the show girl who gets the purse is named imperial concubine or noble concubine.Now, with a new model, there are as many as two pairs of purses!

Among them, Fu Kun was the most confused, and Fu Kun was the one who thought the most.He remembered it from the "Great Qing Huidian". The quota for concubines in the regulations is one imperial concubine, two noble concubines, four concubines, and six concubines, and there are no restrictions on "always present" and "promise".Although they were conferred the title of imperial concubine at the same time on the day of Empress Lieutenant, the situation of Shunzhi and Kangxi in those years is impossible to investigate for a while.After Yongzheng, the concubine was always in the middle palace, and concubines and concubines were conferred one after another. Only Mu Zong got married after he ascended the throne, but it was not limited to the day when he became the queen, and only one imperial concubine was conferred.While thinking about it, the Empress Dowager Cixi spoke again, "Fu Kun!" She said, "If you are selected, bring it here!"

Fu Kun led the decree to retreat outside the hall, and ordered the officer who was on standby in the west side hut to summon the five beautiful girls who were finally selected to go to the hall.Five beautiful girls had been waiting there for a long time, and each of them was taken care of by two nuns from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.Since the family has already spent money, these nuns are very attentive. They have been styling their temples and hair, adding fat and powder, and kept whispering in their mouths: "Calm down! Don't be afraid! Don't forget, if you don't teach them, you will have to teach them." Kneel there!" Hearing a sound of propaganda at this time, everyone was excited.Whether or not the beautiful girl under my care can become a queen depends on this "show", so no one dares to be negligent in the slightest. Look carefully at the front, back, left, and right, for fear that something is not thoughtful, or the clothes are wrinkled, and the flowers are crooked. , Picking faults for the emperor, not being elected, wasting his life, and regretting it all his life. "Stop the mushrooms!" The official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs urged repeatedly, "Lafayette and the emperor are waiting! Go, go, go!" Whoever goes first is already scheduled.Guixiang's daughter Yehenara took the lead, followed by two sisters from Dexin's family, and finally two sisters from Changxu's family. The elder sister was fifteen years old, and the younger sister was only thirteen years old. Among them, he is not childish. Five people were led by Fu Kun into the hall, and they arranged to salute word by word.I don't know how many times I have performed the ceremony, so naturally there will be no mistakes.The registration for the kneeling ceremony is over, and the Empress Dowager Cixi said: "Get up!" When he stood up and took a look, Fu Kun suddenly realized that five people can be included. The queen is naturally the leader Yehenala family. The two pairs of sisters must be two concubines and two concubines, and they seem to be the concubines of the Changxu family, because The youngest is thirteen years old, still waiting for the new year, and it is too early to be a concubine. "Emperor!" Empress Dowager Cixi shouted. The emperor who was standing next to the imperial case quickly turned half of his body and replied solemnly: "The son is here." "Who can be the queen, you can choose with your own vision. If you agree, give her your wishes." "This is a big matter." The emperor replied: "Of course I ask the emperor's mother to be the master. My son dare not be a master." "No! It's up to you to choose!" "It's better to ask the Queen's mother to show off for her son" "I know your filial piety. You choose yourself, and the one you choose must be in line with my wishes." After saying that, the Empress Dowager Cixi went to get Ruyi, and the emperor knelt down.Ruyi was too heavy, so Li Lianying stretched out his hand to hold it up. The emperor knelt down to accept it, and then Li Lianying helped him to get up. It is very clear to whom this wishful hand will be handed over.Therefore, Red Candle Yeye, under the watchful eyes of everyone, was so quiet that he could almost hear a needle drop on the ground, but he was just watching the excitement and didn't feel nervous. All eyes were naturally focused on the emperor, especially on the wishful handle.He didn't look hesitant in his footsteps, and he didn't focus on anything else. It was obvious that he had made up his mind. He had already chosen in the several re-elections before this day. However, looking from behind and on both sides of him, you can't tell who the eyes are on?It can be concluded that it is by no means the last two, because the direction is wrong.When he calmly approached step by step, it became more and more obvious. As the Empress Dowager Cixi expected and everyone expected, Ruyi would fall into the hands of Yehenala, who was the leader. But, suddenly, seeing the emperor stretch out his hand, although silently, it was like a bolt from the blue, shaking everyone's heart. The wishful handle was handed to the second person, Dexin's eldest daughter. "emperor!" When it was so quiet that everyone could hear her own breathing, Empress Dowager Cixi's sudden sound was like a thunderbolt, shaking many people whose hearts were already in their throats.The emperor was also shocked and almost dropped Yu Ruyi to the ground. But he was really surprised when he turned around and saw the Empress Dowager Cixi, her face was blue, her lips were tightly closed, and the right side of the bridge of her nose had a sudden cramp. Zhang half-closed, against the staring left eye, the description is even more frightening. Even so, it can still be clearly seen that the Empress Dowager Cixi is pushing her lips to the emperor, and she is pushing to the left.So the emperor hung his head like a rooster who had lost a fight, and without looking at it, he handed Yehenala a wishful handle. This is really wronged and shameless.If it were a spoiled and arrogant girl, maybe she would cry at that time.However, Yehenara could hold his breath, his smile was naturally forced, and his manners were good. He lifted his hem first, knelt down, and then raised his hands high to accept Ruyi, and said at the same time: "Slave Yehenara, thank you for your kindness." .” The emperor didn't answer, nor did he say "Yili" - "stand up" in Manchurian. He just turned around and walked back to his original position, without a smile on his face. Empress Dowager Cixi's right eye twitched even worse.She was in a state of confusion, unable to tell if it was anger, hatred, worry, fear, depression or disappointment?However, she considers her interests but still maintains a clear and calm mind, and she still has her skills in controlling the situation.The emperor's intention has been made clear. In the future, "three thousand loves will be in one body", and his niece and daughter still have a deep-rooted worry.Wenzong's attitude towards himself and Concubine Li was a lesson learned from the past.Thinking of this, she shouted without hesitation: "Big princess!" "Here!" Princess Rongshou flashed out from behind the throne, waiting for orders. "Take this pair of purses and give them to the sisters of Changxu's family." After finishing speaking, she inspected the five green lottery sticks lined up in front of her, took out the second and third two sticks, and threw them to the corner of the table in disgust.This is "putting down the brand", and the two young ladies of the governor of Jiangxi were expelled. "Congratulations!" Princess Rongshou sent a pair of purses to Changxu's two daughters respectively. The two also knelt and accepted.The old and honest, forgot to speak, but the young one said: "Thank you to the empress dowager and the emperor!" He stood up and greeted him again: "Thank you, princess." After speaking, he smiled sweetly. Princess Rongshou felt so heavy that she couldn't laugh, so she softly replied, "Thank you for what?" Then she turned around and walked back to her original place. She was not the only one with a heavy heart, the whole hall was full.All of them were expressionless, as if they were extremely embarrassed and could not express themselves.It was a great happy event, but the noise was listless, and everyone sighed in their hearts. Fu Kun originally prepared a set of words, just waiting for "the universe is certain", he will congratulate the Empress Dowager Cixi and the emperor.Seeing this scene, I knew it was better to speak less, so I just knelt down and left the hall with the original five beautiful girls. "Go back to the palace!" Empress Dowager Cixi said this, without looking at anyone, she stood up and walked back with her face up. "Lafayette is probably tired." Li Lianying said, "Let's take a soft sedan chair!" The Empress Dowager Cixi sat in a soft sedan chair, and as usual, the emperor supported the sedan chair and walked with her attendants.Li Lianying took advantage of this moment, took a few steps back, and quietly pulled Huang Tianfu, the chief eunuch in charge of Qianqing Palace, and the two of them gently covered themselves to talk. "Look!" Li Lianying stumbled slightly, "It's like this? What are you doing!" "I really didn't expect it." Huang Tianfu punched himself in the chest in pain, "I knew that Long Live Lord didn't understand what Lafayette meant at all, so I have to mention it no matter what. But, who would have thought of it?" "Things are terribly bad. Don't gossip, hurry up and get ready for your wish." Li Lianying said, "When you are serving Lord Long Live to change clothes, I would like to remind you that you must put on a smiley face."