Chapter 7 Chapter VII

The queen, Feng Jieyu and other concubines were almost completely concentrated in Ningshou Palace. Because of the rules of etiquette, when Princess Ninghu came to thank the Queen Mother, they were supposed to serve as attendants, and at the same time, after Princess Ninghu visited the Queen Mother, they also had to see the ceremony.For this reason, except for illness or other special reasons, the Empress Dowager of the Ming Dynasty asked for leave in advance, and all of them arrived at Ningshou Palace early. Of course, Zhaojun was led by Shi Hengzhi, Ye Tingling, and was on standby in front of Ningshou Palace. When the scheduled salute time came, the ceremony officer shouted praises.Eight maids of honor led Zhaojun into the gate of the palace holding towels, whisks, stoves and other ritual objects.When climbing up the steps, Feng Jieyu, who had the best eyesight, suddenly opened her eyes wide and made a sound from her throat.This demeanor immediately caught the Queen Mother's attention.When she looked closely, the left and right concubines, court ladies, and even the empress all showed surprise, which made her even more puzzled.

"Queen!" she yelled. "The concubine is here." The queen bowed and agreed. "My eyes are blurred!" said the queen mother, "It seems that Wang Zhaojun is very eye-catching, isn't he?" "Yes! The eldest princess is stunning." "Beautiful?" Before the queen could reply, the ceremonial officer had already saluted: "Princess Ninghu Chang pays homage to the empress dowager to thank her for her kindness!" So, Zhaojun stood still first, straightened his sleeves, and bowed gracefully.Said in a very clear and clear voice: "My daughter Zhaojun, I greet the Empress Dowager, and I wish you all the blessings and peace."

"You are Wang Zhaojun?" "Yes! Grass grass girl, when will you receive your kindness and take it back to your knees. I really don't know how to repay the kindness of the sky and the earth?" "Come here and let me see you." "yes!" Zhaojun stood up, walked a few steps forward, still kneeling in front of the Empress Dowager's knees, he should be able to see very clearly.But the queen mother seemed to be in a daze, she wiped her old eyes again and again, and didn't say a word for a long time. This time, not only Zhaojun was flustered, but also the empress and Feng Jieyu were greatly disturbed, held their breath, and kept peeping at the empress dowager's face.But nothing could be seen.

That's because the queen mother is very deep.In fact, countless waves were stirring up in her heart, with unspeakable emotion and regret.At the same time, I was also considering whether to confer another princess and marry Zhaojun as a concubine far away from the Great Wall? Finally, she dismissed the idea.Because she was not allowed to fully think about the timing, "Zhaojun," she asked, "do you really have the heart to repay your kindness?" "Jiaojiao's heart can only be expressed by heaven." "Repaying kindness is repaying the country," the queen mother paused for a moment and then said, "Zhaojun, you always know that marriage is based on the orders of parents?"

"yes!" "Now there is a Hu Hanxie Chanyu who comes to propose marriage. I want to betroth you to him. Are you willing?" Hearing these words, Zhaojun's complexion changed, like a sunny day with a beautiful sun and a gentle wind, suddenly cloudy and hazy, and the earth is miserable and angry. However, her voice was still clear and firm: "Is there any reason why you don't want to be ordered by your parents?" Obviously very unwilling, but she answered so bravely, the queen mother was very moved and said: "It's rare that you understand the righteousness, you really deserve to be the princess of the Han family!"

This is praise, gratitude, and self-respect to Zhaojun all at the same time, and he bowed his head reservedly to express his gratitude. "daughter." Even the name was changed.Zhaojun couldn't help feeling a little terrified, and hurriedly replied: "The minister is here." "Although it is hard beyond the Great Wall, in the end, you are also his queen. You must remember that in the future, you will persuade your husband and son-in-law to follow the example of the Han family, and the two countries will reconcile." "Yes!" Zhaojun's eyes suddenly became hot, and he suppressed tears and replied, "Never dare to forget your benevolence!"

"Okay! Okay! Your sister-in-law also has a gift." This is an instruction to refer to the meaning of the queen.As Zhaojun agreed, he turned around and faced the queen, waiting for the salute, but his arms were already supported. "Sister!" The queen said with a smile all over her face, "You are so handsome! You are truly beautiful." "The empress is too flattering! Please let me go and let me pay my respects." The empress still had to be modest, and it was the empress dowager who said, "Courtesy cannot be discarded" before the official worship began.Then he met with Feng Jieyu and other concubines.

Talking about seniority, setting titles, inquiring about family background, and talking about hometown, surrounded Zhaojun like stars and the moon.While talking lively, an announcement was made that the emperor had come to pay homage to the empress dowager. The queen mother is the emperor's stepmother.The birth mother, Xu Hou, was the wife of the first emperor when he was living among the people.The second Empress Huo was the youngest daughter of General Huo Guang, who died long ago.Today, the Empress Dowager is surnamed Wang and is the third empress of the first emperor. She is highly respected by the emperor. Except for festive festivals and Shuowang, every three, six, and nine days, she would come to Ningshou Palace to have a meal and say hello.This day is the ninth day of November, and it is a day for greetings as usual.

"You came just in time!" The queen mother said happily, "Just in time to see your sister, she is not what you said at all!" "The queen mother refers to Wang Zhaojun?" "Yes!" The Empress Dowager ordered the maid: "Bring the eldest princess here." Zhaojun who was in the other room had already heard what the Empress Dowager said, and thinking about how he had deliberately paid attention to how to win the favor of the emperor, he couldn't help but feel a strange feeling in his heart.But after thinking about her identity, she realized that she and the emperor are brothers and sisters, so she could immediately get rid of the strangeness and follow the maid to see the emperor calmly.

Of course, it was half shyness, half courtesy, and her head was bowed.Arriving in front of the emperor, he bowed down and said in his mouth, "Zhaojun pays homage to the emperor." "Less courtesy, less courtesy!" The emperor gave a false support: "Please get up!" "Yes!" Zhaojun raised his eyes for a moment before getting up. Unexpectedly, at this glance, the emperor was suddenly startled as if stung by a wasp, and then he was stunned. Anyone can see that the emperor is dazzled by Zhaojun's color.But no one understood why the emperor had such a puzzled look on his face?

Finally, the emperor said, "You are Wang Zhaojun?" "yes!" "Are you from Zigui?" "yes!" "Are you good at playing the pipa?" "I just love the pipa, but I don't play it well." "You," said the emperor, "Zhaojun, raise your face, and let me take a closer look." This is very embarrassing for Zhaojun, he can only imagine that the emperor is his brother, he raised his face and smiled slightly, just like the occasional joke between brothers and sisters. The part the emperor wanted to see had already been seen clearly.But he couldn't bear to take his eyes off her face, so he kept silent. This time, Zhaojun couldn't hold on any longer, and slowly averted his eyes, then lowered his head again, only to hear the emperor ask: "Don't you have two moles on your forehead?" "Mole?" Zhaojun replied, "Zhaojun has never had a mole on his forehead!" "Then, what's going on?" The emperor became more and more confused. The emperor decided to personally investigate why the portrait did not match his own, and took the most direct method, calling Mao Yanshou to ask him face to face. Before the emperor ordered the summoning, Mao Yanshou knew that something was wrong! That was the news that Yang Bixian had inquired about. Hu Hanxie proposed, and the emperor named Wang Zhaojun Princess Ninghu and sent him to marry outside the Great Wall.According to his opinion, if Zhaojun never had the chance to appear in front of the emperor, the truth might not be revealed, otherwise, the emperor would definitely investigate Mao Yanshou's crime of deception, the evidence is so strong, how can his life be saved? This is a truth that everyone understands. Mao Yanshou took it seriously and knew the importance of it. However, he did not believe that there are things in the world that cannot be deceived. The most important thing is not to panic.In line with this idea, I used my brain to think, and finally got the confidence to turn the danger into a bargain. "You don't have to worry about being a teacher!" He said to Yang Bixian: "Today's incident has been estimated, and a rescue plan has been prepared. Now I am afraid that you will not be able to calm down. You have nothing to do, but you will cause trouble. Some unexpected troubles have occurred. Disciple, you'd better forget about this matter, as if it never happened. If someone asks, you answer him with three words: I don't know!" Yang Bixian was relieved to hear the master speak so easily, "Master, I can't do anything else, I will pretend to be confused." He said: "You don't have to worry about it." He was relieved, how could Mao Yanshou be relieved?Asking the heart, asking the mouth, discussing with myself over and over again, how to play back what the emperor might ask, and the demeanor he should have when playing back, I really got home. Therefore, when he was called in for an audience, his attitude was surprisingly calm, which was in perfect contrast to the emperor's fury, and Zhou Xiang was also confused by it, wondering why he dared to be so indifferent? "Mao Yanshou, you are so bold!" The emperor pointed to Zhaojun's portrait and said, "I ask you, why did you paint Wang Zhaojun so ugly?" "Responding to the emperor," Mao Yanshou replied calmly, "I feel very sad for painting Wang Zhaojun so ugly. However, out of love for the emperor, I have no choice." The emperor was more than surprised, he was astonished, "You still say you love the king?" He asked sharply, "You still dare to lie to your face?" "The loyalty of a minister can be compared with ghosts and gods." Mao Yanshou replied with a calm expression: "Wang Zhaojun's heavenly fragrance and national beauty are unparalleled in the world. If the subject is true to the portrait, after the submission, Wang Zhaojun will be favored.At that time," he suddenly showed a distressed expression: "I can't bear to talk any more! " The emperor understood a little bit, and his expression softened, "You mean, because she has a mole?" He asked. "The obscene mole is next." Mao Yanshou pointed to the corner of his right eye and said, "The worst thing is that there is a white tiger mole here." "I looked carefully." The emperor said doubtfully, "There is no mole on Wang Zhaojun's face!" "It's not that it's not there, it's that the emperor didn't see it." "Didn't you see it?" The emperor tried his best to recall——Zhaojun's appearance had been engraved on his heart like a brand, it was so delicate, and there was a mole on the corner of her right eye that couldn't be seen. "Emperor's eyes are clear!" Mao Yanshou explained otherwise: "Since Wang Zhaojun has these two threatening moles, of course she will try to get rid of them. Her method of removing moles is very clever, but she can't hide it from my eyes." "You mean, my eyesight is not as good as yours?" "The emperor is responsible for this, and the ministers are terrified!" Mao Yanshou hastily prostrated himself on the ground and made a gesture of pleading guilty, "The emperor rules the world and enlists all the ministers to do their best. There have been many people who have read the enshrinement of Danqing and the portraits. If you are not extra careful and insightful, how can you repay your kindness? " "You don't need to make more excuses, I understand! An inch is long and a ruler is short. I don't mean to surpass your eyesight." "Your majesty is wise! Advisers have the strengths of size. They hide their secrets and keep silent, and they are perfunctory. They feel that they are insecure." "You are very loyal. But," the emperor asked again worriedly, "would you be wrong?" "No! Please ask the emperor to call Wang Zhaojun for a reexamination." "Of course! I want to retest. You go down!" After hearing Zhaojun's self-narration of his life experience, the emperor was more than surprised.Things in the world happen to be incredible.Zhaojun, who grew up in Hudi, is going to marry Hudi again!Could it be that she is really destined to be a Hu Fu? No!He said decisively in his heart: things can still be redeemed.But the first thing to clarify is the two fierce moles. "Have you seen the portrait Mao Yanshou drew for you?" This question is exactly what Zhaojun wanted, and the whole mystery is about to be solved!There is an indescribable excitement in my heart.However, she also thought of her own identity, and warned herself not to lose her composure.Therefore, he made up his mind and replied: "My sister has seen the portrait painted by Mao Yanshou. I don't know if the one presented to the emperor is the one my sister saw." "So there are two!" The emperor said very carefully. "Not necessarily—" "Zhaojun," the emperor rushed to ask, "How about the painting you saw?" "It's not bad, maybe it's exaggerated." "What is over-rendering?" "Yes," said Zhaojun reservedly, "it is the images that are more beautiful than others." "Images are more beautiful than people?" The emperor was even more astonished: "But why did it change? Zhou Xiang took the images!" Taking a look at the image, Zhaojun's face immediately changed.Infinite grievances and anger appeared on his face together.In the end, he closed his eyes, but still couldn't cover the two crystal clear tears. Seeing this appearance, the emperor knew something was wrong.When the question was about to be asked, Zhou Xiang came to report: "The women of Zi, Lin Cai, Han Wen, and Zhao Meixuan, have arrived. We are waiting for the order to proceed." "No need! Let them go back." It turned out that the emperor's intention was to summon these three people to testify that Zhaojun had moles and no moles.Now it seems that this move is redundant.However, Zhaojun refused to miss this opportunity—it is secondary to prove himself clearly, the most rare thing is that the three sisters have the chance to meet him, and they have the possibility of being favored, why should they be easily ignored. "Qi Zou the emperor, it's better to let Zhao Jun's fellow countrymen and sisters come to make a clear distinction." "Why do you need to distinguish? No need!" "Please forgive Zhaojun's selfishness, so that I can also meet with my sister." "So you want to see them? That's good! Let them in!" After being summoned to enter the palace, Lin Cai took the lead in signing up for the grand ceremony of meeting the king, and then meeting the eldest princess.Zhaojun shunned the seat, but due to etiquette, after all, he bowed to the empty seat, and the emperor began to say: "You all raise your heads." Looking closely one by one, Lin Cai is dignified, Han Wen is clear and beautiful, and Zhao Mei is charming and simple.If we use the classification method of third class and nine ranks, among the girls in Ye Ting, these three are not upper middle class, but also middle class.But when the emperor saw Zhaojun, he felt that the three of them were just vulgar fans, so he dismissed them. "Are you all from the princess's county?" "Yes!" Lin Cai replied. "Are you familiar with each other before?" "I only knew the name before, but I had never seen it before." "After entering the palace, can we be together often?" "Yes!" Lin Cai replied, "I don't see you every day." "We have to meet several times a day." Han Wen answered. "You guys have a good relationship?" "Yes!" Zhaojun replied, "As far as the emperor is concerned, Zhaojun and the three of them are sisters with different surnames." "So you are married," the emperor casually asked, "Have you seen any moles on the eldest princess's face?" "Never seen." As soon as Lin Cai finished speaking, Han Wen said, "The eldest princess has a mole on her face." The difference between the two words surprised even Zhaojun.In a panic, Zhao Mei forgot etiquette and said loudly: "Third sister, you are talking nonsense!" That kind of forgetful look made the emperor laugh. "Hanwen," he asked, "tell me, where is the mole on the eldest princess's face?" "In the middle of the right eyebrow." Hearing this, Zhaojun was relieved.Smiling is the default expression. "Really?" The emperor stared at Zhaojun's face: "Why can't you see it?" "Look closely and you'll see." The matter is already clear, so there is no need to ask Zhaojun's three sisters any more.The emperor ordered that each of them be given a colorful brocade and a pair of hairpin rings, and Lin, Han and Zhao were sent away. "Sister——" "Qi Zou the emperor," Zhaojun hurriedly said: "Pengmen girl, stealing famous treasures indiscriminately, she feels that she has gone too far, and she really dare not be called the emperor anymore, please call me a humble name." "No! I'll still call you sister," the emperor continued, "The Korean text says you have a mole in the center of your right eyebrow. Why can't I see it?" "A very small mole is not easy to detect." "Then how did Hangeul be discovered?" "It's autumn lights and rain at night, sleeping on the same table, only a few inches apart, so I can see it clearly." "Wait for me to take a look, I don't know what is good or bad about my sister's mole?" Hearing this, Zhaojun raised his face to face the light.The emperor came closer and took a closer look, and sure enough, there was a small "cinnabar mole" in the middle of her right eyebrow, hidden in her fleshy, neatly folded eyebrows. "This has a name, sister, do you know?" "Zhaojun is ignorant, please show me the emperor." "It's called 'Bicao Danzhu'." Zhaojun only heard from his mother that this mole was named "Pearl Hidden in the Grass" and was intended to give birth to a precious son, but he had never heard of such a name, so he couldn't help laughing: "I guess the emperor thought it up himself." "Yes! What do you think of this title?" As he spoke, he stretched out his hand to stroke Zhaojun's right eyebrow. The virgin who keeps the etiquette is the most alert to this kind of behavior of the man.Shrinking back quickly, the emperor's hands were hanging in the air and he couldn't put them down. Zhaojun felt apologetic and a little apprehensive, but he couldn't explain it.He could only lower his head, and said softly: "If the emperor has no further inquiries, Zhaojun will leave." "Not busy, not busy!" There was no unpleasantness in the emperor's voice: "You sit down, I have something to say." "Has Mao Yanshou ever asked you for a bribe?" Zhaojun felt that there was no need to hide it for Mao Yanshou, and it was impossible to hide it.However, Grandma Fu might be involved, but I couldn't bear it, so I hesitated and didn't know how to answer. "I think he asked for bribes, but you ignored him, so you deliberately framed him?" "It can't be said to be asking for bribes, it's just a hint." "Uh, he asked Shi Hengzhi to talk to you?" "No!" Zhaojun didn't want to involve anyone.After thinking for a while, he said, "He hinted at Zhaojun himself." "What did he say?" "When he was drawing the portrait, he said to himself: 'The old man draws the nose first, and the emperor looks at the picture first.' Zhaojun ignored him. The picture did not appear to be deliberately bad. Later, someone told Zhaojun, you must give Mao Yanshou a heavy gift, otherwise, what he drew in public is one picture, and what he presented to the imperial court is another." "Ah, ah!" The emperor suddenly remembered that the pictures drawn by Mao Yanshou were very moving, and even when he was called to have a look, they were only mediocre.Only now do I know that those people were all given heavy bribes! However, there is still some forgiveness for treating shame as beauty.It is absolutely unforgivable for such a rare national beauty like Zhaojun to bear to paint like that!Thinking of this, I was furious.He didn't even care about the fun of talking calmly with Zhaojun! "You go back to the palace first." The emperor's voice was already quite excited: "I will immediately capture Mao Yanshou and kill him!"