Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Duan Shu

After coming out of Yikun Palace, Ling Yunche saw Yan Wan, who was walking alone on the long street in the twilight, the tall red walls lining the road were stained by the setting sun with a blush that can only be seen on the face of a dying person. Without a trace of anger.And Yan Wan, who was dressed in gorgeous clothes, seemed to have lost the brilliance brought by his grace when he left, like a gorgeous puppet, lifeless. After making eye contact with him, there was obvious surprise and fear in Yan Wan's eyes: "Are you back?" Yun Che bowed politely: "I have failed my little master's expectations, but my minister is still back."

Yan Wan quickly concealed her unreasonable emotions: "That's good. I heard that you have been promoted and will be married by the emperor. You will be married soon. Congratulations." Yun Che said bluntly: "The young master still likes to say things and do things against his will." Yan Wan frowned displeasedly: "Even if you are favored by the emperor, can you talk to me like this? The person who hurt you is Concubine Jia, if you have anything to say to her, don't blame me." Yun Che smiled calmly, and said clearly: "Why does Imperial Concubine Jia want to harm a humble official? No one in the palace can tolerate a humble official, and a humble official understands."

He took a step closer, Yan Wan was obviously very disturbed by his behavior, took a step back in surprise, and said: "What are you going to do? You..." There was deep guard in her eyes, "If there is evidence, you Go and tell the emperor!" "The so-called evidence is sometimes just a look, a kind of understanding." Ling Yunche said hoarsely: "You don't have to be afraid, I and I are not what we used to be, as long as we live in peace, we can both be safe. But, you Don't try to hurt me again." He took a deep look at Yan Wan, as if saying goodbye, "These words are where all the previous affection lies. If you dare to hurt me, I have plenty of reasons."

Yan Wan leaned against the wall, watching him leave in a daze, as if thinking about the deep meaning in his words.After a long time, she finally laughed at herself: "Isn't it? A woman who is not favored, who can help, who can be harmed?" With a ray of resentment in her, she watched the setting sun gradually fall into the western mountain, and the sky was as thick as ink. Then it devoured her lonely figure and face. A few months after returning from the Mulan paddock, Ruyi soon found out that she was pregnant again.Maybe it was the emperor's favor after giving birth.Maybe it was Jiang Yubin's physical recovery after years of breathing adjustment.In the autumn of the seventeenth year of Qianlong, Ruyi became pregnant again.And Yunche also married Maoqian this autumn.After getting married, he seemed to be busier. Except for the days when he should be on duty, he always took turns guarding for other guards, serving the emperor wholeheartedly, and the emperor relied on him even more.

Successive joys in the middle palace are a matter of joy in the palace.With Yong Xin's birth, it seems that it doesn't matter whether the child is a boy or a girl.As far as Ruyi is concerned, adding another prince is certainly icing on the cake; but if she has a daughter, it is really the caring and warmth of both sons and daughters. But at that time, Yihuan's beloved son, Elder Brother Shi, gradually became ill. Perhaps it was the disease of weak kidney qi brought out from the mother's womb. As the ten elder brothers grew up, it did not get better. Instead, it gradually became a rope that strangled his life, and it became tighter and tighter, as if again. Tighten it, and it could kill him.

During that time, the Chuxiu Palace was always haunted by dark clouds. Even though the Queen Mother and Ruyi had sent the best imperial physicians from the Taiyuan Hospital to stay in the Chuxiu Palace to ask for medicine, Yihuan vaguely The cries seemed to imply that the haze would not dissipate. After the spring, in order to let the ten princes rest better, and also for Ruyi to take good care of the fetus, the emperor took the queen mother and concubines to the Yuanmingyuan to live temporarily. The Old Summer Palace was built from the hands of the holy ancestor Kangxi, and it was vigorously built during the reign of the first emperor Yongzheng. It is surrounded by mountains and rivers and has excellent scenery.In the hands of the emperor, because of the emperor's natural elegance and beautiful garden scenery, and relying on the peace of the world and the prosperity of the country, he carefully built it.There are pavilions, terraces, pavilions, rocks and trees in the garden; the beautiful scenery in the south of the Yangtze River and the atmosphere of Yange in the north are integrated into one garden.

The spring breeze opens the Purple Palace, and Tianle descends to the Zhu Tower.Yingge hears Taiye, wind and phoenix blow around Yingzhou.Chi Riming singing seats, new flower dance clothes.Fireworks are suitable for the setting sun, and the silk tubes are drunk with the spring breeze.Compared with the restraint in the palace, in the Yuanmingyuan, it is such a day of flowing water. The emperor liked the comfort of the breeze blowing around the lake, so he lived in Qingyan, Kyushu as usual, and Ruyi lived in Tiandijiachun, which was closest to the emperor in the east, next to the spring scenery of the royal tomb.Concubine Ying was favored deeply, and the emperor liked her by his side, so he gave her to live in Luxiangzhai in the west.Luyun was getting old, and Hailan's favor was weak, so she chose the most simple and rustic Xinghuachun Pavilion, and brought her children for fun.Yuyan lives in the Wufu Hall with natural pictures. There are tens of thousands of bamboo poles in front of the court, which contrasts with the twin trees.In particular, the fourth elder brother Yongxuan was very fond of the emperor, and he was very concerned about his reading, so he personally pointed out such an elegant and pleasant place for him to study, and it was also convenient for daily encounters.

Concubine Qing and several new entrants often live in Maoyuzhai and Zhuxiangzhai in Ruguhanjin. Ruguhanjin is surrounded by beautiful trees and flowers, fragrant and stalks, surrounded by curved walls, deep halls and bright windows, Also do not have some affection.Yi Huan lives in Chunyu Shuhe, a little further away, in order to let Elder Brother Shi rest and recuperate.Because Ruyi was jealous of Yan Wan, she let her live in Wanchun Pavilion, the farthest place in Wuling Spring, which is close to the Cuifu Building of the concubine Jin who also fell out of favor. The winding path connects with each other, and there are wu and stones in the courtyard, which suits her best. The other concubines and concubines just relax in the middle, and they are also comfortable with each other.

Ruyi's delivery date is at the beginning of July. Apart from visiting Yihuan and Elder Brother Shi on weekdays and comforting her from time to time, she only cares about raising her baby. The life in the harem is nothing more than this, and no matter how big the disturbance is, it will be nothing Agitated in stagnant waters.But it was quiet for a while.But the real uneasiness lies in the previous dynasty. Because Ruyi gave birth to his son Yongzheng, the emperor's sacred heart was overjoyed, and in May, the world was amnesty again, and the autumn trial and court trial were suspended for more than three times.This is a good thing for the world to be peaceful. However, the country is so peaceful, but Junggar is gradually getting restless.

After the former leader of the Junggar, Gardan Celing, died, he left behind three sons.The eldest son, Dorza, was unable to take the throne because he was a concubine; the second son, Namza, was heir to the Khan throne because of his mother's dignity; the youngest son, Cewangdash, was supported by Da Ce Lingdun Duobu, and Namzha's brother-in-law Saqibolek assisted him Dorza destroyed Namzhar and made Dorza obtain the Khan throne, but his ascension to the throne was opposed by the Junggar nobles. Dorza's wife, to show the stability of the imperial court. For many years, Dorza has been arrogant and arrogant, indulged in wine and sex, and in order to prevent the recurrence of the mutiny, he killed his younger brother Cewangdash. It is very unpopular. Junggar nobles Unable to bear it, he had no choice but to support Gui Dawa, another relative of Junggar.Dawaqin is the descendant of Batur Huntaiji, the grandson of Dace Lingdunduobu, taking advantage of the fluctuations in the hearts of the Junggar tribe, he took the opportunity to lead his troops to detour into Ili, and took advantage of Dorza's unpreparedness to kill him and pacify him. Established a tribe, and since then, Dawaqi has become independent.

Here it comes.The government and the public were alarmed, and even the queen mother had to intervene. Just because Taijidorza of Junggar is the husband of Princess Duanshu Gulun, the eldest daughter of the Empress Dowager. Although Dorzado has a favorite in recent years and has a very strong and proud personality, the relationship between husband and wife is weak, and they are not very harmonious. The princess has been married for many years without even having a son and a half.But after all, being a husband and wife maintains the stability of the court and Junggar.Dawaqi supported his troops to stand on his own, and the Junggar tribe was in chaos. Princess Duanshu had to write a letter from her family to the palace, asking the emperor to intervene, avenge her husband's redress, and quell the civil strife in Junggar. However, as soon as Princess Duanshu's family letter arrived in the palace, news came from Junggar that Dawaqi asked to marry Princess Duanshu as a prestige. There are countless cases of brothers marrying sister-in-law and sons inheriting father's and concubines.Even when the Central Plains had just entered the customs, such things happened frequently. Back then, there were rumors that the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang married the regent Dorgon, and Emperor Shunzhi also married Dong, the widow of his younger brother Boguer. E's is the imperial concubine. However, after the Qing Dynasty ruled the Central Plains for a hundred years, it was gradually baptized by the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, and it was also necessary to conform to the hearts of the people and respect etiquette.Therefore, after Shunzhi, there was no such thing as incestuous marriage, and there were even few cases of remarriage among relatives who lost their husbands.Junggar is a Mongolian tribe and has always taken these things for granted, so it is common to propose to marry a remarried daughter. For such a difficult matter, the emperor naturally discussed the affairs with the ministers in the Palace of Qinzheng every day, and he couldn't take a step back to the harem. In the afternoon of this day, Ruyi was sleeping soundly under the west window, and the summer cicadas on the branches outside the window sang, making her drowsy even deeper.The nine wind wheels rotated, blowing the fragrance of the snow-white frangipani flowers in the hall.Rong Pei came in and whispered in her ear: "Empress Empress, Empress Dowager is anxious to see you." This word was enough to wake up Ruyi. She immediately got up to pass the sedan chair, and changed into a slightly solemn blue satin cloak with dark flowers and bamboo leaves, which was decorated with only a few pearl buttons. The lotus-leaf-colored crimson-green satin long skirt, with light lotus steps, is nothing but a plain plain dress.She was wearing a gold hairpin with dots of emerald emeralds inlaid with jade. In the sweltering heat of nearly June, she looked light and refreshing, and she looked like a well-behaved and diligent daughter-in-law.She thought about it, and then said: "Is the Xianglian bird's nest pear stewed for the emperor ready?" Rong Pei said: "It has been stewed and cooled down, and I can send it to the emperor later. These days, the emperor's heart is full of fire, and the Qinzheng Palace found a way to reply and said that it is just right for the emperor to drink this." Ruyi straightened the collar button of the Hetian white jade bamboo knot on the front of his shirt, nodded and said: "Prepare the next one, I will send it to the Changchun Immortal Hall." The Changchun Immortal Hall is spacious and deep, shaded by layers of emerald sycamore trees, and the ground is full of shade, making it very cool.Hundreds of pots of jasmine, jasmine, gladiolus, hibiscus, red banana, red and emerald are placed under the porch in front of the court, which is very pleasant.Occasionally there is a cool breeze, and the hall is full of fragrance.When Ruyi entered the palace, the Empress Dowager wore a black gauze cloak with folded branches and flowers embroidered with dazzling pine and crane spring patterns. The sapphire green dot emerald was originally very bright, but now it reflected the worried face of the empress dowager, and it also pressed down on the bright blue, which seemed to be gray and burnt ink. The Empress Dowager's youngest daughter, Princess Shuchang, sat with the Empress Dowager and shed tears. She was dressed in a long gown of peony flowers woven with gemstones and silver silk, and the Tang-colored dress flowed down gracefully, like flowing clouds.Rou Shu wore milky white jade pendant earrings, a jade hairpin slanted out from a light bun like a cloud of mist, and Jin Fengchai held a string of long pearls, which made her even more graceful and charming.But at this time, her gentle smile seemed to be soaked by the rain in the rainy season, only the tears trickled down her cheeks, staining her jewel-green clothes into dark blue after the rain. Seeing this scene, Ruyi knew it was not good.At that time, she was already eight months pregnant, and it was very inconvenient for her to move up and down.However, with the current state, Ruyi had no choice but to bend her knees and said, "Wan'an, the emperor's mother, Wan'an, the eldest princess." Although Rou Shu was sad, she hurriedly stood up and returned the greeting: "Wan'an, the emperor's sister-in-law." The Empress Dowager waved the Jinhua Zilun Luo round fan in her hand. It was a round fan made of mutton fat white jade, covered with Jinhua Zi Lun Luo as the face, dark gold with bright purple, extraordinarily eye-catching and luxurious.At that time, the Empress Dowager was wearing a black gauze cloak, and the flowers on it were dark green, sapphire blue, golden brown, and beige gray. With the scorching and dazzling golden pine and crane pattern and the round fan in her hand, it was gorgeous and dazzling. The color of the round fan was also suppressed, with a kind of depression that was about to simmer, as if holding a suffocating breath. The queen mother glanced at Ruyi, flapped her fan and said, "The emperor is busy with government affairs, so he won't enter the Changchun Immortal Hall for three to five days. State affairs are the most important thing, so the old lady of Ai's family can't say anything. But the queen," she pointed to the soft woman next to her. Shu said, "Rou Shu is the water thrown by the married daughter. The Ai family can't see their son, so they can only talk to their daughter to resolve their feelings. But daughter-in-law, the Ai family still has them, right?" When Ruyi heard the words, he immediately knelt down solemnly, and said with sincerity and fear: "The emperor's mother is serious. My son and minister are in the palace. Every day, I dare not not serve by the emperor's mother. If there is something wrong, please ask the emperor's wife to help me." Mother forgive me." The Empress Dowager stared at her for a moment, then sighed and said: "Rong Pei, look at your poor master, who kneels at such a young age, who doesn't know how the mother-in-law of Ai's family treats her harshly, help her up quickly. " Ruyi bent her waist, and it was a bit difficult to get up, so she hurriedly apologized and said with a smile: "I am young and ignorant, and everything has to be taught by the emperor's mother, but I dare not lose the slightest bit of respect and love for the emperor's mother. I know these things It's hot and irritable every day, so I specially stewed Xianglian bird's nest and pears for Huang Erniang, and it has been served with ice cubes to cool down. I hope Huang Erniang can take it easy and have a taste." After Ruyi finished speaking, Rong Pei took out a cup of soup from the carved food box, and covered the outer sand with ice cubes.When Rong Pei opened it, she saw that the soup was white and transparent, and the pears were stewed extremely crispy, paired with large Xianglian and silky bird's nest, which made people suddenly feel refreshed. Elder Princess Rou Shu forced a smile and said: "This soup is very refreshing, and my son looks appetizing. Let's have a taste of the emperor's mother. At least it is a kindness of the emperor's sister-in-law." The queen mother glanced at it, nodded and said: "It's hard to be the queen's heart. The Ai family doesn't have a son in front of them, so you two have to be a little filial. It's just that even if the Ai family has no appetite, they don't have any thoughts. These days, my heart is burning. Yes. There is no quiet time, I’m afraid I won’t be able to drink even the best things.” Ruyi understood what the Empress Dowager meant, so she had to apologize and said with a smile: "The emperor's mother is worried about Princess Duanshu, and the ministers and the emperor feel the same way. The emperor is discussing matters with the ministers in the Qinzheng Hall this day, and he is so busy that he can't even eat. It was brought in for use, isn’t it just for Junggar’s affairs?” The queen mother raised her round fan, and the tassels hanging from the mutton jade handle rustled like trembling water.The Empress Dowager frowned, and raised her voice: "The emperor is busy discussing matters, so the Ai family has nothing to say. But if it is about Junggar, the Ai family will be angry when they hear it. What is there to discuss?! The Ai family has nothing to say. I just sat in the palace and looked at the sky from the well, and I also knew that Dawaqi supported the army to rebel and killed Taijidorza. Ruyi listened to the empress dowager's sharp words, how could she dare to respond, so she had to apologize and said, "What the empress dowager said is very true. But how dare the son-in-law speak of the court's political affairs in the inner palace, and he hasn't seen the emperor for many days. There is no way to talk about the son-in-law!" The words were neither soft nor hard, and she was about to clear herself up, and reminded the Empress Dowager not to interfere in the inner palace. The Empress Dowager's eyes turned slightly, and she took a sip of honey-fried lychee syrup with crushed ice, and moistened her lips slightly. The lychee pulp was originally peeled and squeezed out of raw lychees, then boiled in honey, and then added ice cubes to make it sweet and cold, but at this moment, it did not reduce the empress dowager's anger at all.The queen mother sneered and said: "The queen said well! The inner palace is not allowed to engage in politics! The Ai family doesn't talk about political affairs with you. You are the mother of the country and the queen, so you can always talk about family affairs, right?" Ruyi hurriedly bowed her body, and said respectfully, "Emperor Niang speaks freely, and my son listens attentively." The queen mother put down the lychee pulp in her hand heavily, and said in a deep voice: "Since the founding of the Qing Dynasty, there has never been a princess who lost her husband and remarried to such a rich man. If she is unfortunately widowed, or lives alone in the princess' mansion, or returns to the palace to take care of her, it is unheard of to remarry, let alone marry a rich man." Married to her own husband-killing enemy! The emperor is the elder brother of the princess, and he doesn’t feel sorry for his sister’s suffering from marrying far away in Mongolia, but also discusses her deceased husband. What is there to discuss? Send troops to pacify Junggar, kill Dawaqi, and welcome Duanshu back to Anyang It is in the palace!" Ruyi said with a smile: "The emperor's mother is right. There is no one in the emperor's heart who would not favor the eldest princess Duanshu. They grew up together since childhood, and the relationship is of course different, let alone brothers and sisters of the same mother." Her The smile was meaningful and timeless, "And the Empress Dowager has such intentions, the Emperor is your own son, mother and son are connected, so why don't you listen to the Empress Empress?" This sentence is to break through all kinds of helplessness. Even though the queen mother is the head of all women in the world, the emperor is not actually her own. Although she wants to do many things, what can she do? The Empress Dowager was at a loss for words for a moment, and Princess Roushu said in a soft voice: "My son, I remember that whether it is good for the emperor to visit Qilu in the east or visit the south of the Yangtze River, whenever he passes the Confucius Temple, he must salute in person. It is very solemn. Does the emperor's sister-in-law say so?" When Ruyi came to her senses, Rou Shu smiled calmly again, "It can be seen that the etiquette of Confucius and Mencius has been deeply rooted in the heart of the emperor, probably not just for others to show off. In this case, the emperor sent his sister to remarry, and then If the world knows about marrying and killing husbands and enemies, wouldn’t it make people laugh at me, the Qing monarch, for acting artificially and pretending to be inconsistent?" Having been in the palace together for many years, Princess Roushu always gave her the impression of her title, gentle and graceful, as peaceful as jade.Even after marrying as a wife, she never relied on her identity as the queen mother's own daughter to be domineering, like a delicate branch facing the water to welcome the spring, with a clean posture and a gentle arc.But Duan Shu in memory is proud and awe-inspiring, like a red plum blossoming in the cold snow.But she didn't want Roushu to be so sharp, she couldn't help but smile, it turned out that the Queen Mother's daughter is so not to be underestimated. Ruyi bowed tenderly: "The emperor admires Confucius and Mencius's heart, the eldest princess and this palace both know it well, but state affairs come first, although this palace cares about the feelings of aunts and sisters-in-law, there are many things and many things to say, due to their status, I can't say anything .” With a gentle smile, Rou Shu gently shook the plain colored fan in her hand: "The emperor's wife is different from others. The emperor's wife is a queen, she has given birth to a son, and she is pregnant at the moment, so no matter what you say, the emperor You don’t even care about it.” There was a ray of compassion and sadness in her eyes, “Brother Huang is busy with state affairs, I’m just a princess, and Empress Empress can’t interfere with state affairs, I just want Brother Huang to be busy with state affairs. Let's meet each other and let the Queen's mother personally share the family relationship with the emperor's brother, I don't know if this is the case, would the emperor's sister-in-law be willing?" Ruyi lowered her eyes and focused, and said in a low voice after a while: "Actually, the queen mother has worked hard for many years, and she also knows that the words of her sons and officials may not be effective. In the current situation, even if Empress Xiaoxian is alive, it is hard to say. If Concubine Shu and Concubine Qing ..." The Empress Dowager's eyes trembled slightly, and with a pitiful wry smile, she said: "It's useless! A concubine is just a concubine, and you are a queen." The Empress Dowager was at a loss for a moment, "These days, there are many mourners. The second time I asked Fu Jia to invite the emperor, but the emperor only said that he was busy with political affairs and refused to pay attention. The mourning family was afraid, and the emperor wanted to let Duan Shu have another baby." There were tears in her eyes, "Duan Shu is The daughter of the Ai family used to marry Mongolia, which was a national affair. Although the Ai family was reluctant to give up, they could not stop it, but now that Duanshu has lost her husband, how could the Ai family have the heart to let her marry a man who killed her husband, and she will suffer from gossip all her life. She turned her head away and tried her best to hold back her tears, "Aijia, I just want my daughter to come back to spend the rest of her life by my side, Queen, can you understand?" Rou Shu said softly beside him: "Without him, the emperor's sister-in-law can only bring the rites of Confucius and Mencius and the words of the emperor's mother. The emperor's mother and I will not force the emperor's wife to do what she can't do." Her eyes flickered for a moment, Extremely bright, "It's not for anything else, just because the emperor's sister-in-law can see that the emperor's mother dragged you out of the cold palace." There was a moment of silence, and there were several huge silver basins in the hall, which were filled with snow stored in the icehouse in winter. At this moment, the sound of snow melting quietly entered my ears, one tick, another, and it seemed to be floating with infinite emotions. The Empress Dowager's voice was slightly calm: "If you are thinking about your aunt Ulanara's hatred, you don't need to help the Ai family, but the Ai family treats you well." She closed her eyes and sighed, "It's up to you to choose. Let's do it." How to choose?When she walked all the way to Fangbi Cong on the east side of Qinzheng Hall, Ruyi was still thinking to herself.The slowness of the footsteps, every advance and retreat are all hesitant. Although the queen mother is her own benefactor, she is also the enemy of the entire Ulanara clan.If it weren't for the queen mother, I certainly wouldn't be able to reach the glory of being above ten thousand people today. How can I be the mother of the country?But also if it wasn't for the Queen Mother, how could she have walked so hard and struggled in those years when she first entered the palace?