Chapter 2 Prequel to Empress Dowager Cixi (1-1)

The emperor finally read all the memorials. Abandoning the scripture played by Prince Hui, "Grandly complete the hadith, please follow the decree", he took advantage of the opportunity to lean on the red sandalwood desk to pant.The little eunuchs on the left and right did not move, they just watched nervously, fearing that "Long Live Lord" would faint.The emperor was too weak to touch him at this moment, and he had to wait for his breathing to calm down before he stepped forward to serve him. The thirty-year-old emperor had cold sweat dripping from his head and a dull pain in his chest. The most uncomfortable thing was that his cheeks were hot, and he felt a sense of vanity that he didn't know where to focus his efforts.However, his thoughts are still clear and sharp, and he can still clearly remember the content of the last memorial he saw.What "hadith"?Thinking of what he said to his courtiers, how about "Zhen"? How about "you"?The more I felt that my cheeks were on fire, and my ears were burning hot.

Every time he thinks about his responsibilities, he can't help but feel confused, confused about his ancestors, how can he have such energy to easily cope with the complicated dramas of daily affairs?What puzzled him in particular was how his great-grandfather, Emperor Sejongxian, had the utmost pleasure in dealing with political affairs throughout the ages, writing thousands of words every day without getting tired of it? For him, just reading the memorial every day is a torture, especially those military newspapers.The south of the Yangtze River has not been leveled, Shandong has risen again, the territory has not disappeared, and the barbarians have arrived again.Before my grandfather, there was only the scale and armor of the frontier. In my father's hands, it was nothing more than Yingyi fighting for opium. As in the past few years, internal and external troubles have occurred one after another. Not coming to Rehe for refuge, this is a difficult situation that has never been encountered before. He believes that any emperor will be like him, afraid of reading the chapters that report the military situation.

Only in this way can he sustain himself, and only in this way can he find reasons for himself, can he have some fun and appreciate some of the nobleness of the emperor! The panting gradually calmed down, and he slowly raised his body. The little eunuch, who had been prepared for a long time, stepped forward to serve him quickly and orderly. First, a soft white hot towel was handed to him, then the ginseng soup and bird's nest, and finally the emperor Ruyi, the most favored little eunuch in front of her, took a large fruit box with red lacquer inlaid with snails, knelt beside the throne, and when the lid was lifted, there were five kinds of jujube, lotus root, lychee, apricot pear, and muskmelon inside. Candied fruit.The emperor picked up a piece of pear with a golden fork, put it in his mouth, leaned on the throne and chewed slowly, feeling much more comfortable.

"The imperial concubine Chuanyi came to approve the book!" "Hey!" The little eunuch Jin Huan, who was in charge of propaganda in the palace, knelt down, took the order and left. "Wait!" When Jin Huan stood still, the emperor ordered again: "Concubine Chuan Li, Dong Nuan Pavilion will serve you." By the time Jinhuan passed the decree and returned to the imperial study, the emperor had already returned to the East Nuan Pavilion of Yanbo Zhishuang Hall.Then Concubine Yi went to the imperial study, and quietly commented on the memorial for the emperor alone.

She cannot sit on the throne, and there is a small desk for her on the side.Moved all the memorials that the emperor had read from the imperial book table, and dealt with them first.Pick out the yellow papers of "Please Saint Ann" and put them aside, and count the white papers for the incident. There are thirty-two papers in total. After picking them out, there are only seventeen pieces left. Approving seventeen memorials will take less than half an hour for Concubine Yi, because it is really nothing! Due to the experience accumulated over the years, the emperor usually only chose one of a few idioms when answering this chapter, such as "lan", "know", "the ministry knows", "the ministry discusses", "according to the proposal". "such as.And even for this simple sentence, the emperor does not have to write it himself, just make a mark on the memorial.

The markings are made with fingernails.The white folds of the tribute rice paper are soft, and the pinch marks are not only clear, but also difficult to eliminate. The person who approves the copy can know the meaning of the emperor by looking at the number, horizontality, and length of the pinch marks. , even if the review is completed.The eunuchs in the "respect room" are capable of everything. The noble concubine Yi who likes to seize power, because she often waits on the emperor to handle government affairs, took this job that can be kept secret.Sushun, the emperor's close confidant, co-organizer of the university, chief of the guards, minister of the interior and in charge of the key, repeatedly said in secret, saying that concubine Yi is in power and likes to interfere in political affairs. In fact, she is studying political affairs.For the throne of the Qing Dynasty, no one sees it more clearly than her. Maybe within a year and a half, or at most within three years, her son, who is only six years old this year, the eldest son of the emperor, is the only son Zai Chun in front of the emperor. , will inherit the Datong.She must help her son govern "the world".

Therefore, she not only responded according to the pinch marks, but also paid more attention to the fact that the emperor had read it, but did not make a statement, but had to submit it to the Minister of Military Aircraft for handling. Often the statement in it was the important military affairs in development. , She wants to understand the internal and external situation, be familiar with the court system, tacitly understand the words and deeds of ministers, study the way of controlling subordinates, and understand the style of instructions. All these must be carefully understood from the memorials.

There is a memorial written by Prince Gong Yixin. The emperor did not make any mark, but there should be clear instructions. Prince Gong "Please go to the memorial and ask about daily life." Love is a matter of course, why not criticize it? After thinking about it for a while, Concubine Yi could see that there were other articles in this simple memorial.Prince Gong's visit to ask about the daily life was just a superficial reason, but actually he wanted to see the emperor's condition in person, so as to prepare for himself.Perhaps, Prince Gong would still try hard to remonstrate back to Luan, and if the persuasion really came into effect, when he returned to Beijing, there were so many princes and ministers, and his relatives and elders were still there, so he could always find a way to punish Sushun who was domineering and domineering.

Thinking of this, she immediately knew the result after the memorial was sent to the Military Aircraft Department.Although Sushun was not a minister of military aircraft, among the ministers of military aircraft in Rehe, Prince Yi Zaiyuan and Sushun's elder brother, Prince Zheng Duanhua, relied on Sushun as their soul.Mu Yin, Kuang Yuan, and Du Han all looked up to him. Jiao Youying, who had the lowest qualifications to "play the curtain", was promoted by Zhang Jingchao, the military aircraft minister, to be the Minister of Military Aircraft, and it was Sushun's promotion. Meaning, to refute Prince Gong's note?

"Hmph! Sixth Su, don't be complacent!" Concubine Yi whispered to herself softly, holding Prince Gong's memorial in her hand and going to see the emperor. Concubine Li in Dongnuange deliberately avoided the eunuch's report after hearing the eunuch's report.The emperor was still lying on the kang bed, and when Concubine Yi knelt down, he asked, "Whose book do you have in your hand?" "The Sixth Master." The family members in the palace called it, the emperor was the fourth, and Prince Gong was the sixth, so all the concubines called Prince Gong the "Sixth Lord".

The emperor remained silent, his face slowly darkened, but the hot flashes did not subside, and his cheeks were still bright red like roses, making him look sicker by comparison. With such a gloomy face, Concubine Yi had seen too much in these two or three years.At first it was uneasy and unhappy, but after a long time, the feeling of uneasiness disappeared.But now, he can't even feel unhappiness, he still has to say what should be said, no matter what his face looks like! "Your Majesty! Why do you have to distribute this booklet?" The emperor said: "I have my reasons." He originally wanted to use a cold voice to show her a nail, but because of lack of energy, his voice was low and weak, as if he was asking for forgiveness. So Concubine Yi became more and more aggressive: "I know the emperor has reason. But the emperor has something to say, and he should write it down. Don't forget, the emperor, the sixth master is the emperor's brother. And..." She pondered for a while, and finally said the following words Come out: "He has a different relationship with Fifth Master and Seventh Master." The emperor has five half-brothers. Yicong, the fifth brother, was born as the son of his third uncle, and heir to the title of Prince Dun. , is the younger sister of Concubine Yi, Yi Yi of Xingba and Yi Yu'e of Xingjiu, both of whom were named King Zhongjun and King Fujun only in the hands of the emperor.Only Yixin's situation is special. When the emperor inherited the throne, he was proclaimed as Prince Gong by the late emperor Zhu Bi. The special difference is that the emperor lost his mother at the age of ten and was raised by Prince Gong's biological mother. Among the six brothers, only the two of them were born from the same mother. However, because of love, it almost becomes hatred, and that is why.This was the emperor's heart disease, and Concubine Yi came to expose it. It made sense, but the emperor was annoyed in his heart, but he had no choice but to back down a step: "Then, you put it aside for now!" "Yes!" Concubine Yi said, "I will keep this excerpt separately, waiting for the emperor to personally approve it." "Well. Kneel down!" "Kneeling down" is a more euphemistic way for the emperor to ask people to step down. However, the real meaning varies from person to place. To summon ministers and workers is a way of expressing preferential treatment, and in the hall of heavy curtains , If you tell the concubine like this, it more or less means that you hate her in front of her, so Concubine Yi feels very uncomfortable. Kneeling is kneeling, and it just so happened that when I knelt down, I saw a pink handkerchief dropped from under the kang bed. I picked it up and shook it.Seeing this, Concubine Yi suddenly felt a sour taste hit her forehead, and her face became ugly. Enduring and enduring, unable to swallow the breath, she stood still and shouted: "Ruyi!" This cry startled the emperor, and when he turned around, he saw a handkerchief in her hand, which he recognized as Li Concubine's.How did it get into her hands?Let's see what she said to Ruyi? "Send a message to Xiao Anzi and ask him to ask, is the empress taking a nap? If she wakes up, report that I want to see the empress." Concubine Yi finished her instructions loudly, raised her handkerchief, stepped on the "bottom of the flower pot", and left Dongnang Pavilion with a sway. The emperor was very angry, and immediately went back to his study to summon Sushun. Originally full of anger, he planned to demote Concubine Yi three ranks in a row, and become the first "noble person" when she entered the palace, but after seeing Sushun, the emperor changed his mind again.Concubine Yi and Sushun are deadly enemies, the emperor can't overcome troubles, but he wants nothing to happen, and dare not stir up trouble. However, Sushun had already learned the clue from the eunuch from a young age. Seeing that the emperor was silent and troubled, he went to the side of the throne and asked quietly: "I guess Concubine Yi is being rude in front of the emperor again?" The emperor sighed and nodded. "Then, what does the emperor mean? Order it down, and the slave will follow it." "I don't know what to do?" The emperor said helplessly: "First, she has finally made meritorious service to the clan; Great topic, one excerpt on the left and one on the right, it’s so annoying!" The so-called "Yu Zongshe has made meritorious service", of course, refers to the only concubine Yigui who gave birth to the prince in the harem. Sushun thought to himself, it's fine not to mention it, but it is just to use this as an example. So, he looked out first and saw clearly that the little eunuchs were all in the far corridor, then he lay down on the ground, touched his head with his hat off, and said in an extremely devout and loyal gesture: "My slave has a saying, dare to enlighten me." Play to the emperor. This sentence comes from the mouth of the slave, if there is a disaster of death, I beg the emperor's grace and make decisions with the slave." Sushun was a close and close minister who obeyed the emperor's words, and he had already lost the etiquette of a monarch and his ministers. At this moment, he was surprised to see him so sincere and frightened, and also felt a little funny, so he used the usual ranking address and said: "Su Liu! You have something to say. Get up and say." Sushun was really a little panicked, kowtowed, his forehead was already sweating, he also forgot why, he put the big hat topped with a jewel given by the emperor on the imperial case, and leaned over to whisper to the emperor . "Concubine Yi is proud of her son and has ulterior motives. The queen is loyal, and concubine Li is no match for her. The emperor should make plans for the queen and concubine Li." The empress is respected by the emperor, and concubine Li is loved by the emperor. When it comes to these two people, the emperor has to be concerned, but: "How do you plan? And with me here, how dare she do it?" "It's not about the immediate future, it's about ten thousand years after the emperor - it's still too early! However, it doesn't matter if my elder brother is six years old this year. When my elder brother grows up and becomes sensible, then the emperor will make another decision. It's not easy to do!" What he said was quite straightforward, and the emperor couldn't help being horrified. Regarding his own illness, he was the one who knew the most.Lu's family is bright and empty, with clear historical records. The Qing clan society cannot be given to the Yehenala clan for nothing. If that day comes, how can we show the spirit of the ancestors in heaven? The emperor is tempted!Under the pale skin on the temples, blue veins were faintly throbbing, both hands tightly grasped the armrest of the throne, thinking painfully and laboriously about this serious future trouble. And his frail body couldn't bear such a major problem. After thinking about it for a long time, he felt dizzy and had chest pains, and couldn't make any more careful calculations.This is not a major event that can be decided in a moment, so let's not think about it for the time being! "Let me think about it carefully." The emperor warned again solemnly: "You must not reveal anything!" "The slave doesn't have two heads, how dare he?" In the evening, the emperor felt refreshed, remembered Prince Gong's note, and wanted to make a proper reply.So I went to the study again, and Concubine Li served the pen and ink under the lamp. After re-reading Prince Gong's booklet, thinking of his childhood, the emperor touched the brotherhood. So the past twenty years came to my mind in an instant. The most unforgettable thing is that every day at four o'clock, I got up to go to school. Let's go!" Immediately, he opened his eyes wide and shouted in a panic: "Fourth brother wait for me! Fourth brother wait for me!" So the gauze lanterns were counted, guided by the inner supervisor, from the East Fifth House of Qianqing Palace where the prince lived, to the left gate of Changkang, through Yongxiang, into the Rijing Gate to the upper study room east of the Qianqing Gate.Although each has a master who teaches Chinese and a master who teaches Manchurian, as soon as they leave the book case, the two of them will definitely get together, no matter where they go, they are inseparable. The emperor remembered that when he was fourteen years old, he officially started to learn riding and archery, and he tried horses on Dongyi Long Street, west of the East Sixth Palace.Thirteen-year-old Yixin screamed in fright when he was carried on the saddle for the first time, but within a few days, he was able to control himself freely and ride better than anyone else.From then on, Yixin showed his talents and caught up step by step! "Alas!" the emperor sighed softly, feeling an inexplicable melancholy, and murmured: "The green lantern has a taste, it's no longer in childhood!" While talking to himself, he took out a jade-tube vermilion pen and scribbled. Concubine Li looked over the emperor's shoulder and saw two people in the painting, one with a gun and the other with a knife, fighting, so she asked, "Who is the emperor painting?" "One is me, and the other is the sixth child." Concubine Li's heart sank suddenly, her hands and feet were a little cold, she knew that the emperor and Liu Ye brothers were at odds, but why did they meet each other like enemies and fight to the death? "This has been said for fourteen or five years!" The emperor said while drawing: "It's a trick played by the sixth child. The Ministry of Internal Affairs gave me a good knife and a good gun. He and I figured it out together. A lot of new moves came out. One day, the old man saw it and was very happy. He gave the sword and gun a name, and the sword was called 'Bao'e Xuanwei'." Concubine Li breathed a sigh of relief, wondering for no reason, and thought it was funny, "Where's the gun? What's its name?" She asked again. "The gun is called 'Dihua Cooperation'." The emperor turned his face and asked, "Do you understand these four words?" Concubine Li smiled coquettishly, "How do I understand? I'm waiting for the emperor to tell me!" "This means that brothers must work together and go to battle to ensure victory." "That's how it should be!" "Even you know it," the emperor sneered, "huh! The sixth man just doesn't know! At the beginning of last August, I asked him to come forward to negotiate a peace. Who would have thought that he only listened to his father-in-law, Gui Liang, and really made friends with foreigners! I really don’t understand what he’s thinking?" Concubine Li, who was listening quietly, gradually lost her smile and dared not say a word of praise.Because the empress had repeatedly warned her that she was only allowed to listen to what the emperor said that mattered, and she was not allowed to speak, and she was not allowed to echo or come up with any ideas indiscriminately. This was the family law of the ancestors.The weak Concubine Li would not dare to violate even without the Queen's reminder. The emperor, who complained for a while, felt better, stood up, walked a few steps, returned to the throne, and looked at the memorial of King Gong, thinking about it. He has already made up his mind, and he is determined not to have Prince Gong come here.However, he didn't want to approve a few words and let it go. He thought that he should write a good-sounding and emotional sentence, so as to block the mouth of the government and the public, and let the "old six" appreciate his Literary talent, he knows that he can surpass his younger brother at this moment, and this is probably the only thing he can do! "This is just brewed." Concubine Li brought the new tea in a Kangxi multi-colored tureen to the front of the imperial court, "Yesterday, I bought Junshan tea from Hunan. Your Majesty, try it!" "Yeah." The emperor himself used a bowl cover, and slowly filtered the floating tea leaves to one side, stared at the faint tea atmosphere for a while, and suddenly turned his face and shouted: "Lianlian!" "Lianlian" is Li Fei's nickname.She had just walked to the door, and wanted to tell the little eunuch to prepare some snacks, but when she heard the emperor's call, she quickly agreed, "Lian Lian is here!" "Tell me," the emperor waited for her to walk up to the imperial book case, pointing to the memorial and asking her: "Lao Liu wants to come to Rehe to see my illness, what should I tell him?" "This...," Li Fei said with a smile, "It's up to the emperor to make up his own mind. I dare not say." The emperor knew that the palace had ordered his concubines not to hear about government affairs, so he nodded and said, "It doesn't matter, I asked you, and you agreed. The queen won't blame you if she finds out." With this statement, Concubine Li had to obey the order.She thought for a while and replied: "The emperor treats the sixth master like a brother. I am afraid that when the sixth master comes, he will feel sad when talking about the past. Then it is very inappropriate for the holy body. If the sixth master is considerate of the emperor In my heart, I'd better do my job well in the capital and share the emperor's worries. It's better if I don't come. Anyway, Qiu Liang has to return to Luan, and it's only a blink of an eye!" Chen Zuo tactfully won Long Yan Da Yue, tapped the book case again and again, imitating Liu Bei's Kebai in the Three Kingdoms Opera and said with a smile; "Well, well, it's just what I want!" Seeing the emperor's smug expression, Concubine Li pulled out the pink handkerchief in her sleeve in the shape of five blessings holding birthdays, held it to her mouth, and smiled softly. So the emperor readily took a penny, pondered for a while, and used his pen that he had worked hard on "The Story of the Magu Fairy Altar" to write on the back of Prince Gong's booklet: "Since I left Prince Gong in the autumn , There is more than half of the Sutra, and I want to shake hands and have a face-to-face interview. I just read it for a little comfort. However, my body has been out of harmony recently, my cough has not stopped, and I still see red phlegm from time to time. Calyx love couplet, how can we be indifferent when we meet and think about the past? It is not suitable for the sick body! Besides, there is no place for a face to face compromise on everything. We will wait until this year when we return to Luan, and then we will have a detailed interview. Author You don't have to go!" At this point, add the word "special envoy" and it will be the end.Suddenly remembered that there was a "clip" in the memorial, picked it up, and sure enough. Don't narrate one thing in the memorial, but write it on another paper, which is called "clip".Inside Prince Gong's fold, there is another piece attached, which says that Wen Xiang, the military minister who stayed in Beijing for business, also said that he went to greet Sheng'an in person.This man was born in the Guerjia family, one of the "Eight Great Nobles of Manchuria". One party, and I have been tired for half a day, too lazy to bother, so I wrote another hastily: "Wen Xiang doesn't need to come. Special order!" I re-read it after writing it, and I feel very sincere. I can't return to my difficulties for a while, and I should be able to invite the understanding of the ministers and workers in Beijing.As for Prince Gong's thoughts?Then leave him alone! That night, the emperor was served by Concubine Li.If you sleep in the forbidden palace in the capital, you have to get up and pass the breakfast. At dawn, you will summon the military plane to rule on the affairs of the people.The political tour is out, and the procedures may be flexible.Moreover, the emperor had a lingering illness and had to be taken care of, so the eunuchs dared to "please drive" only after dawn. It has been a long time since I drove to the Rehe Mountain Resort in August last year, but Concubine Yi paid special attention to the emperor's daily life. In fact, she was always monitoring the emperor's movements. Served by her eunuch An Dehai. This An Dehai, who is called "Little Anzi" by everyone, is a native of Nanpi, Zhili. He has a rabbit face and a snake waist. With a parrot mouth and a cunning and suspicious fox heart, he has a special ability to pry into other people's privacy, so he won the favor of Concubine Yi.In the Forbidden City, Concubine Yi lives in the Chuduo Palace of the "Sixth West Palace". According to the rules, there are fourteen eunuchs in charge, and the two leading eunuchs are called "leaders". One, she is the confidant of Concubine Yi alone. The night before, Xiao Anzi played up the news that Concubine Li was serving pen and ink in the Imperial Study Room in front of Concubine Yi.But as soon as he arrived, the palace gate was locked and the news was interrupted.Concubine Yi, who has not received rain and dew for two years, looked at Concubine Li's pink handkerchief with jealousy and hatred, and could hardly sleep for a night.So when she got up early in the morning, when Xiao Anzi came to greet her, her first words were: "Go and see!" Where to "go"? "Look" what?Xiao Anzi naturally knew.With a promise, he left in a hurry.After inquiring, Concubine Yi was having breakfast, he helped to take care of the dining table, and stood back quietly, without saying a word, as if he had suffered a great grievance. "What's the matter? You!" Concubine Yi asked with a slightly tilted face. "The slave is angry for the master." "For me?" Concubine Yi didn't say anything else, she just took the gold inlaid chopsticks in her hand, pointed to a plate of steamed buns on the meal and said: "Here, take it and eat it!" Xiao Anzi knelt down to thank the reward, holding the plate of buns in both hands, stepped back a few steps, then turned and walked out. Concubine Yi slowly finished her breakfast, drank tea, and went to the corridor to "take a detour" as usual.Walking around to the back garden, I saw purple and white lilacs, brilliant and lovely, peach blossoms, shining like clouds, and several famous peonies on the white stone flower bed, which are about to bloom, especially delicate and beautiful.She was deeply surprised, she hadn't arrived in three days, and she didn't expect the flower event to be so lively. The flowers are lively, the people are quiet, and the eyes are full of fragrance, which suddenly arouses the lonely heart. The twenty-seven-year-old Concubine Yi suddenly remembered two words written by no one who knows when and who wrote them down, and said softly: "It's not as good as peach. Xing, you still want to marry Dongfeng!" Read it over and over again, sighed and moved lazily, turned around and glanced, just in time to see Xiao Anzi appearing in the corridor, knowing that he had something to say, so he stopped and waited for him. "The servant just came from the front. The emperor just passed the mouthwash!" Xiao Anzi bowed and whispered, reporting secretly. "Did you wake up so late?" "I heard the 'sit watch' person tell the servant that the emperor didn't rest until the third watch. He chatted with Concubine Li all night long." "Oh!" Concubine Yi asked pretending not to care, "Where are you talking so much?" "Who knows? It is said that I heard Concubine Li laughing softly!" Concubine Yi's face suddenly changed color, but she didn't want Xiao Anzi to see it, she sneered slightly, walked away, stood quietly to Hua, without saying a word. "The emperor too!" Xiao Anzi followed her, and said in a slightly complaining tone behind her, "Why don't you take care of your body!" good!Concubine Yi thought in her heart, this is a very upright sentence, which can be said anywhere.So she turned around calmly and asked as she walked: "What time is it?" Xiao Anzi, who was following behind, quickly took out a spring gold watch from his purse, saw the short and long hands pointing at the eight and three in foreign characters, and replied loudly, "It's a quarter of an hour." "Ouch! It's a little late!" This is a bit late when it comes to Zhonggong's greetings.She was going to have a report with the queen yesterday afternoon, because the queen was still awake from her afternoon nap, so it was inconvenient to disturb her.At this time, he decided to take the opportunity of greeting Li to severely sue Concubine Li.So I specially took that pink handkerchief with me as evidence.At this time, another eunuch came to secretly report that the emperor had spit two mouthfuls of blood not long after he got up.This is a common thing, but it happens to be with the queen. The Empress is two years younger than Concubine Yi, with a round face, always beaming with joy, with a generous and peaceful disposition, she is respected by the Emperor, and even more loved by concubines, eunuchs and court ladies.Therefore, even the shrewd and capable Concubine Yi had to be a bit jealous of her.But compared to Concubine Li, Concubine Wan, Concubine Qi, Concubine Mei, and nobleman Rong, Concubine Yi is already very arrogant.Just like the queen grooms and washes up every day, the concubines should go to the central palace to serve, only the noble concubine Yi can't.The empress also congratulated Yourong, and even when the emperor knew about it and expressed disapproval, the empress still protected her, saying that it was Concubine Yi who wanted to take care of elder brother, so she was exempted from serving her as usual. It is also because of this that Concubine Yi respects and loves the queen in addition to being jealous. At the same time, she also understands the principle of "coercing the emperor to command the princes".So in addition to respect and love, they also used some tricks to win over. As soon as he arrived at the central palace, he saw that other concubines, including Concubine Li, were already there.Only then did Concubine Yi realize that she had made a mistake. She should have come earlier, anyway, before Concubine Li. In this way, when Concubine Li was late, she could immediately take advantage of the situation, and even put down her face to admonish her for her status as a concubine who was inferior to the queen. sentence.Can't you just vent your anger? With this thought in her heart, she remained calm on the surface, greeted the queen, and greeted all the concubines.Turning her face to the queen who was sitting on the kang, she whispered: "I have something important, and I want to ask the queen to look at it." "Oh, what is it?" Concubine Yi deliberately stayed expressionless for a while before saying: "I'm not busy either. I'll talk to the queen when the queen is free." The queen is very honest, but she is also very smart. If other people say so, she will believe it and leave it alone for the time being. Concubine Yi is different. I know that she is very calm, and her words and actions often have deep meaning. At this time, there must be something very important. , only in private. Therefore, the queen raised her eyes slowly, greeted everyone below Concubine Li, and said kindly: "You all go away!" So the concubines knelt down in order and left the central palace, each with their own eunuchs and maids of honor surrounded and left.The palace rules were purged, and there was no sound at once. In the shadow of the morning sun, there were only a caged thrush and a parrot hanging on the corridor, occasionally making the sound of flapping its wings. Concubine Yi was a little hesitant, afraid that what she said would be heard by the eunuch standing outside, and would be heard by Concubine Li.Therefore, between looking and looking, I still want to speak.The queen guessed what she wanted, so she got off the kang and said, "Come with me!" "Yes!" Concubine Yi was vigilant, and casually picked up the Empress's Xiangfei bamboo cigarette pouch with an emerald mouthpiece that was placed on the kang table - in this way, the maids close to the Empress knew that there was no need to accompany her, so they were discouraged. Entering the palace, the queen sat cross-legged on the upper head of the Nankang, pointed to the lower head and said: "You sit down too!" Concubine Yi thanked her for her kindness, and sat half sideways, took out the pink handkerchief from her sleeve, and put it on the kang table. "Whose is it?" The queen picked up a corner of the handkerchief, shook it off and looked at the patterns on it, "It looks familiar!" "Concubine Li's." "Oh!" The Queen smiled and put the handkerchief back where it was. This smile was rather sly, and Concubine Yi was secretly vigilant, she must not give the impression that the Empress was jealous of Concubine Li.Her thoughts were extremely fast, and her wording was very different in a blink of an eye. "I picked it up in the East Nuan Pavilion of Yanbo Zhishuang Palace yesterday afternoon. It's nothing, but," Concubine Yi frowned and said, "Because of the emperor's illness, the rumors outside are already annoying enough. If you want them to see this, why are you chewing your tongue?" "That's right! The emperor sometimes 'calls' there to summon his servants, why is Concubine Li so disrespectful!" "I can't blame Concubine Li for this. She is young and ignorant, timid, and has a good temper. Can she not obey what the emperor says?" The queen was silent, and slowly picked up the cigarette bag. Concubine Yi rushed to fill a bag of cigarettes for her, took a piece of paper coal, lit the cigarette in the crab shell yellow Xuande incense burner, and waited for the queen to speak. The queen was kind-hearted, smoking a cigarette and thinking, who said that Concubine Yi regards Concubine Li as a thorn in her side?Looking at her at this moment, she is actually quite protective of Concubine Li.It's just that if there are rumors about the palace outside, and I am in the middle palace, I have to inquire about it. So the queen asked, "What kind of gossip is going on outside?" "The queen doesn't know yet?" Concubine Yi pretended to be surprised. "Nobody ever told me that." "It must be that they are afraid that the queen will be angry." "There was no gossip in that dynasty, that generation?" The queen said calmly, "What is said outside is right, we have to listen to them, and what is wrong, just smile and ignore them, isn't it over?" "The empress is so virtuous! You can't help but get angry when you call me." "What are you talking about?" "There's a lot to talk about!" Concubine Yi seemed to be suffering from not knowing where to start, so she hesitated for a long time before she said in a general way: "Anyway, it is said that the emperor does not cherish his body." "Oh! So these are the words? It didn't happen in a day." Seeing the queen's calm and indifferent expression, Concubine Yi was quite disappointed.From the looks of it, one or two harsh words by right and wrong could not arouse her temper.So she deliberately put on an air of wanting to speak but dare not speak, and wanted to entice the queen to ask her first. Sure enough, the queen fell for the trick, looked at her and said, "You seem to have something to say that you don't want to say?" "I..." Concubine Yi lowered her head and raised her eyebrows, "I have something to pass on to the queen, for fear that the queen will really get angry." "It doesn't matter! You have agreed." "There are quite a few people out there who say that the Queen's temper is too good, and she abuses her body according to the Emperor's temperament. If Xiao Xiao and the Queen Mother were like that, the Emperor's illness would not be as bad as it is today."