Chapter 28 Chapter 28 Self-protection

Although the sun has set, the sky is still weakly bright and white, but half of the sky has already become dark and rainy, as if the ink is about to melt and has condensed into scattered cloud strips.The brocade hanging on the table is a passion flower pattern embroidered with ancient emerald silver thread, which emits a dim light. After looking at it for a long time, I feel a little dizzy. The Queen Mother's voice was deep and slow, with the unique texture of an old woman, like spices that had been burned for a long time, with an ancient atmosphere: "What? Can't kneel anymore?"

Yan Wan's knees had already lost consciousness, she just lowered her head obediently: "I dare not." She peeked out the window, the thin night was like a silent river at high tide, swallowing up a large area of ​​sky swiftly and quietly, leaving the last The only remaining bright color was forced into a trace of very faint crimson at the setting sun on the western mountain, and then even the last faint light disappeared, leaving only the dull atmosphere before the heavy rain gradually spread. In such a depressing silence, only the sound of a flute like ripples in the wind can be heard, stretching from the courtyard corridor.The sound of the flute is extremely sad, as if it is contaminated with the decay of the courtyard in autumn and the withered fragrance of the picked wood in the westerly wind, swaying and melodious.

The Empress Dowager leaned on the soft couch, let Fu Jia half-kneel at her feet and tapped her calf rhythmically with a jade mallet, took a piece of jade and scratched her head, and said comfortably: "Can you hear the song? " Yan Wan tremblingly said: "It's "Dream Startled"." The queen mother smiled slightly, and put Yutou's head casually down: "I heard that you are learning to sing from the musicians in Nanfu, and you are good at hearing." Yan Wan lowered her head and said anxiously: "The concubine is just idle to pass the time."

The Empress Dowager said clearly: "What? You are not in a hurry to see the emperor asking for favors, but you are more relaxed? This is not quite like your temperament." Yan Wan blushed, and could only say: "It's my concubine who is incompetent." "Are you incompetent?" The queen mother sneered, sat up, and said solemnly: "You have startled other people's dreams, and filled the lives of Concubine Shu and Elder Brother Shi, are you still incompetent?" Yan Wan was startled in a cold sweat, and immediately raised her body and said: "The queen mother forgives the sin, the concubine dare not!"

"Didn't you—do the things you didn't dare to do?" The Queen Mother said in a calm tone, "Since Concubine Shu suddenly broke into Fangbi Cong and asked about the birth control pill, the Ai family felt strange. Then sit The weirdness in fetal medicine is known to the emperor and the imperial physician, but they don’t know that Ai’s family also knows it. Concubine Shu has been kept in the dark, and suddenly she knows, so naturally it won’t come from us. And you secretly learned Concubine Shu drank the birth control medicine, but then she suddenly stopped drinking it. Naturally, she knew the weirdness of it. Before Concubine Shu went to see the emperor, she only saw you in front of the Tenth Prince’s Zi Palace. Apart from you, there would be others Who will tell her the truth?"

Yan Wan heard the queen mother come one by one, like five thunders, trembling, she just murmured: "Queen queen, queen mother..." The Empress Dowager sneered, and flipped the gold chiseled ancient cloud-patterned rice-bead-pattern longevity armor on her little finger, and said slowly: "It's just a bowl of anti-fertility medicine, Concubine Shu gave birth to her ten elder brothers after all, even if the emperor did these things She can't be counted. She will not be confused and go to the emperor immediately. Unless, this bowl of fetal medicine is related to her pain of bereavement, she will not be able to help but go crazy. So Aijia became suspicious Well, if that bowl of fertility medicine really lost her kidney organ, it wouldn't cause Concubine Shu's hair loss and kidney deficiency in the middle of pregnancy, so that she hurt Elder Brother Shi, and the pain brought out by the womb should have appeared sooner rather than later. Symptoms are the only ones. Aijia was so suspicious, he followed the clues and searched, and finally found some good things." She called: "Fu Jia, let Lingfei take a look."

Fu Jia agreed to get up, took out a small paper bag from the boxwood drawer, and put it in front of her. The Queen Mother said: "Concubine Ling, when Concubine Shu was pregnant, all the food you gave her was here. Sorrow If you don't say anything else, you will have one pack a day, and you will come to the Aijia Palace to eat it yourself, and the Aijia will not say anything." Yan Wan looked at the bag and wanted to reach out, but she withdrew her hand like an electric shock the moment she touched it. Her weak shoulders trembled slightly with her uncontrollable sobs, and she didn't dare to open it again.

The Empress Dowager's expression was gloomy and unpredictable, and she shouted: "Why? Don't you dare to eat what you dare to give to others? Eat!" Yan Wan seemed to be facing a small beast with a powerful enemy. She was so frightened that she couldn't help herself, and kowtowed desperately: "The queen mother forgives the sin, the queen mother forgives the sin. The concubine will never dare again!" "Don't you dare?" The Empress Dowager relaxed and said with a smile, "Then tell yourself, what did you do to Concubine Shu and Elder Brother Shi?"

Yan Wan collapsed on the ground, tears streaming down her face, and her voice came out of her throat uncontrollably: "The Empress Dowager Mingjian, it was the concubine who was confused for a while, and was jealous of Concubine Shu Chengen's pregnancy, and added concubine to her diet." Drugs for kidney deficiency and hair loss. The concubine...the concubine...just wanted her appearance to be damaged a little bit so that she would no longer be favored by the emperor, and she didn't intend to poison Elder Brother Ten." "Then Jiang and Bin were ordered by the Empress to rush back to treat Concubine Shu, but were delayed due to illness. Is it your fault?"

Yan Wan panicked and said: "Yes. It was the concubine who bribed Yicheng to give them diarrhea medicine, and delayed the time to ask for medicine, so that they were blocked halfway and could not return in time." "Even without Jiang Yubin, Concubine Yu is careful. She was entrusted by the queen to take care of Concubine Shu. If you want her to be distracted, you must ask Fifth Elder Brother to do it?" Yan Wan had no choice but to admit: "It was also the concubine who took in the fifth elder brother's wet nurse, and quietly lifted the quilt to let him catch the cold after the fifth elder brother fell asleep, so that Concubine Yu was busy taking care of her parents and children, and had no time to take care of Concubine Shu's unobvious illness. .”

The Empress Dowager sighed: "Fu Jia, listen, such a good plan, even Queen Ulanara back then couldn't match it! Ai's family has been lonely in the deep palace for these years, but they really met a What a great person!" Fu Jia said softly: "The Empress Dowager is not lonely anymore. It's just that the concubines and heirs in the palace will all be lost." After she finished speaking, she stepped aside and lit a few more gold-painted candles. The sky was already completely dark, and the suffocating wind that was about to rain outside caused the palace lanterns under the eaves to sway rustlingly, emitting an uneasy dim light. The empress dowager's gaze was as cold as a cone: "How much ability do you have, dare to murder the emperor's heir? Murder the emperor's favorite concubine?" Yan Wan spoke out in a hurry, but she calmed down a lot, and simply admitted: "The Queen Mother cares about Concubine Shu so much, it is nothing more than that Concubine Shu is a talented and beautiful person recommended by the Queen Mother. But in the end, the Emperor still cares about her, Yehenala. His family background is not a perfect person after all. I am afraid that the emperor also thinks that he is the pillow recommended by the empress dowager, so he is not at ease." She nodded, raised her beautiful and young face, "When Concubine Shu was pregnant Kidney qi is hurt, appearance is damaged, and it can't be mended. Now that the person is dead, why does the Queen Mother still care about her useless child?" The Queen Mother sneered and said, "Concubine Shu is a waste, so what are you?" Yan Wan thought about it and said: "It's good that the concubine harmed Concubine Shu, but as the person trained by the Empress Dowager, Concubine Shu couldn't resist the concubine's words. Well, she doesn't cherish her life so much, it is naturally because she cares too much for the emperor, since she serves the empress dowager, how can she care too much for the emperor?" The Empress Dowager Shu Zhan smiled and said: "Of course the Ai family knows that Concubine Shu has a heart for the emperor, and they are willing to reuse her because of her heart and sorrow. Because of the heart and affection, it is the truth that is fake and the fake is true, and it is difficult to distinguish. Concubine Shu speaks for Ai's family with a heart full of sincerity towards the emperor, so naturally people will think that she is speaking from the bottom of her heart." Yan Wan took a deep breath and said, "The concubine also has heart for the emperor, but the concubine has a heart of attachment, a heart of inviting favor. In other words, the concubine's sincerity to the emperor is just as much as the concubine's sincerity to the concubine. Like a cover. Instead of being as stupid as Concubine Shu, giving all her heart and being unable to extricate herself." Her smile was meaningful, "If I am deeply involved, how can I give my whole heart to the Queen Mother?" There was a long silence, and the candlelight flickered and swayed, turning the dark red tasseled brocade curtain in the hall into a dull and unspeakable purple.After staying for a long time, it seems that people have become one of them, dim and silent. "The Ai family has paid attention to it for so many years. Concubine Shu is an excellent seedling, but it's a pity that her intentions are too deep, and she has ruined her life instead!" The queen mother shook her head, "It can be seen that in this palace, you can have ambitions, you can have false intentions, But you must never have a trace of sincerity, otherwise you will harm others and yourself, and you will seek your own death." Yan Wan bowed deeply: "The empress dowager's teachings, the concubines will remember them in their hearts." She raised her face and said boldly: "The concubine is bold, if Concubine Shu can serve the empress dowager, from then on, the concubines will also serve the empress dowager A dog's work." The queen mother narrowed her eyes slightly, gathering a sharp ray of light: "Your thoughts are well thought out, since you want the Ai family to forgive you, you have to protect the Ai family in the future, and you have to call it a job for the Ai family. You You are a smart person with seven orifices in your heart, I am afraid that it will be too late, how can I dare to use you?" Yan Wan bent down, making herself look like a little beast with nowhere to go. Although she was cunning, she was powerless to protect herself: "The Queen Mother has gone through three dynasties. Who hasn't seen anyone or experienced anything? My concubine No matter how smart you are, how can you be as good as the Empress Dowager? Life and death, honor and disgrace are also in the mind of the Empress Dowager. If the Empress Dowager is perfected, the ministers and concubines will be smashed to pieces, and they will be rewarded by the spring." Yan Wan was very humble, almost bowing her head to the Empress Dowager's feet like a humble dusty mustard.The queen mother was about to speak, but she saw the little maid Xipo come in, and asked for peace: "The queen mother, the people in the concubine's palace came to invite, saying that the empress sent Aunt Rong Pei to look for the concubine, it seems Seems a little anxious." Yan Wan's body trembled, she shrank her body in fear, opened her panicked and helpless eyes, kneeled up to the Empress Dowager, hugged her knees and said: "Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, won't the Empress find anything?" "With the queen's intelligence, it's hard to say!" The queen mother looked down at her, her smile was cold and penetrating, like the moonlight on the snow, "Why? Are you afraid of what you have done?" Yan Wan humbly bowed her body to the Queen Mother's feet, almost knocking her forehead on the tip of her snow-blue soft-soled shoes with embroidered bamboo and butterfly patterns and falling beads: "Queen Mother, I beg you to protect me, I beg you Bless! In the future, the courtiers and concubines will only obey the orders of the Queen Mother, willing to be driven by the Queen Mother, in order to repay the kindness of the Queen Mother today." After a moment of contemplation, it was so quiet that one could hear the sound of the wind passing through the corridor outside the window.The queen mother caressed her armor, and said casually: "Okay. Since the Ai family has received your favor, they will naturally protect you. The queen can be suspicious, but just like the Ai family, she knows that Concubine Shu died in the tenth elder brother's catfish. I met you in front of the palace. Remember to tell the queen that it was the Ai family who found out that you committed a taboo by learning to sing Kunqu opera after the death of the ten princes, so they punished you and asked you to go to the palace of the ten princes to think about it. I will meet Concubine Shu." Yan Wan's eyes burst out with gleaming joy, and she bowed down again in a convincing manner: "The concubine rested with the queen mother." The Empress nodded slightly: "Then go quickly. Remember, the empress is in favor now, and she has a strict temper. The more humble you are, the more you blame yourself. Without full evidence, she can't do anything to you." Yan Wan agreed, and hurriedly dressed respectfully and left. Fu Jia watched her leave, picked up the paper bag on the ground, and said with a smile: "What is the Queen Mother preparing? She scared Concubine Ling so much that she said everything." The Empress Dowager laughed, and fiddled with the paper bag with the tip of her armor: "You don't believe that Ai's family prepared poison to make Concubine Shu concubine harm?" Fu Jia lowered her eyebrows and said compliantly: "At that time, there may be some clues to investigate this matter, but now it has been so long, where are there any traces to follow?" She smiled, "Don't be the queen mother to scare the concubine Ling? " The Queen Mother sneered: "Then you can drink it yourself. It is an ordinary laxative. If she really takes it for a while, she will have abdominal pains like colic, and the pain will be terrible, and she will tell it by herself. Zuo Ai's family just tried her." Forget it, you are still young, and you can't stand being scared." "I'm still young now, but this kind of scheming is deep and impeccable. If I get older, my scheming will only get worse." Fu Jia is a little contemptuous, but also a little worried, "Such a man who is scheming and ruthless, the Queen Mother Do you really want to use her?" The Queen Mother pondered for a moment, then nodded with determination: "Naturally. If you want to use it, you have to use such a cunning person like a fox. What do you want a simple and cute white rabbit? Is it fun to keep it? The Shu family used it before. Concubine, Concubine Mei, and Concubine Qing, Concubine Mei was jealous and caused chaos in the nest, causing Concubine Qing to be barren and harming herself. Concubine Shu is extremely beautiful and talented, but if she can't see through it, she can't see it if she is in love. Pulling himself out, he burned himself to death with a fire. Such a person is not one of them who fell into the schemes of others without knowing it. So Lingfei is a person who can be used." Fu Jia pondered and said: "It can make the concubine very favored when she first served the emperor, but now she is not as good as before." The Empress Dowager didn't take it seriously at all, and said: "The concubine's favor is weak, so she knows to ask for help from Aijia. Otherwise, she never asks for anything from Aijia, and naturally she doesn't have anything to attach to. Aijia depends on her family background. She is humble and humble, but she has a very strong heart. Now that she is in such an embarrassing situation in the palace, the Ai family will help her. Naturally, she knows the benefits of the Ai family, and she has fallen into the hands of the Ai family. Be obedient and obedient." Fu Jia was convinced: "The Empress Dowager has a perfect strategy, and the slaves are far behind. However, in the humble opinion of the slaves, it is not difficult to make the concubine the empress. Her face is somewhat similar to the empress, and she is younger than the empress. .” Fu Jia lowered her head and said, "Then what happened to Concubine Shu..." The Empress Dowager leisurely pulled out the agate and turquoise pagoda pendant that fell from the button, and said decisively: "As Ling Fei said, Shu Fei is already a waste. Everyone is dead, and justice is irrelevant to her. You don't need to pay attention to it. The left and right emperors are people who want face. Empress Huixian and Empress Xiaoxian made mistakes in front of them, and Concubine Shen was even more unbearable. The emperor refused to say anything to the outside world and saved face for them. If the emperor hates it, funeral ceremonies outside always have to save face." A trace of pity flashed across Fu Jia's face, and he still said submissively, "Yes." The Queen Mother breathed a sigh of relief, reached out and pulled out the silver hairpin from the bun to pick up the burnt black curled candle wick, and said somewhat depressedly: "Fujia, do you think Aijia is too cruel?" Fujia's complexion is soft and gentle, just like the tooth-colored robe under the light crimson dark satin Ruyi vest on her body, it is so gentle that there is no brilliance that belongs to her: "How dare the servants speculate on the empress dowager's heart and vision." The Empress Dowager supported her family with her hands, under her well-proportioned face, there were fine crow's feet wrinkles spreading over her ears. Her helplessness and old age were unavoidable, and she said sadly: "What kind of heart and vision can Aijia have? All the hearts and minds Both her vision and vision are no bigger than what the emperor wants. Duan Shu and Rou Shu of the Ai family..." The queen mother was silent for a moment, her voice choked up slightly, "This kind of thing can't happen again. The Ai family tried their best, but just wanted to protect themselves The Zhou Quan of the two daughters is not enough. Duan Shu is like a pawn being manipulated all her life... If something happens again... Aijia really dare not think about it. If the emperor does not have our own person by his side, if it is true If there is any movement, we are really kept in the dark, and we have no way or idea." Fu Jia's voice was like warm and thick cotton wool: "Don't worry, Queen Mother." The queen mother held Fu Jia's hand tightly, as if looking for someone to support her strength: "Aijia doesn't want to do anything, just want to have a pair of ears next to the emperor, know what the emperor wants to do, don't get involved It’s good to have Aijia’s daughter.” She leaned on Fu Jia’s arm and murmured weakly: “Don’t blame Aijia for being cruel, there is nothing Aijia can do.” The queen mother sobbed softly, her usual strength faded away, she was just a mother, a helpless mother. Fu Jia stretched out her hand and placed her shoulders on the Empress Dowager's shoulders as if comforting, with tears in her eyes, she said quietly: "Empress Dowager, no more, no more." Yi Huan's tragic self-immolation, to the outside world, was just a way of telling her that her memory of her son became crazy and her mind was damaged, so she accidentally set fire to her own palace and died trapped in it.For this reason, Yi Huan, the left servant of Ama's military department, Yongshou, did not have time to shed tears of sorrow for the early death of his beloved daughter, so he tremblingly pleaded guilty, admitting the crime of being incompetent in teaching his daughter and burning the palace. When Rong Pei heard about it, she was scornful: "Does it matter if it's your own daughter or a side hall in Yuanmingyuan? Yongshou is too clueless!" Ruyi looked at the little girl sleeping in the cradle, and sighed, "Yongshou knows the importance of good and bad, so he will apologize first. His daughter and grandson are gone, and there will always be other relatives. He did this to avoid The emperor blamed the family for implicating it." Rong Pei shook her head and said with emotion: "It's really pitiful!" Ruyi was wearing a snow-colored cloak with light blue cloud patterns, and a uniform blue lake green Luoyi, and the brocade pattern embroidered around the skirt was also a slightly darker green wisteria pattern, like rippling green.On the head is a loose bun with sapphire oriental beads, and a few scattered jadeite beads are dotted in between.The only things that are more eye-catching are a pair of long pearl and jade necklaces with pearls hanging down to the ears, and a pair of golden partridges embroidered on the pleated skirts, nestled on the light red begonia branches woven with silver threads, whispering. Tactfully. Such a light attire, like an epiphyllum spit out, although it does not resemble the dignity and luxury of the queen, but it also suits her appearance just out of the moon. Ruyi leaned down, stared at her young daughter's peaceful sleeping smile, turned her head away and said, "It's pitiful! It's pitiful to be born here, and it's even more pitiful to be sent here one by one. It can be seen that the matter of burning the palace is extremely taboo in my heart, if it gets out, it will not ruin the reputation of the emperor who cares most about the sage." Rong Pei said anxiously: "The ten elder brothers and Concubine Shu are both dead, so is it possible that the emperor still wants to investigate?" Outside the window, the flowers bloom like the sea, like brocade and embroidered flowers, presenting a magnificent scene of prosperity.Ruyi said indifferently: "Pursuing it is really bad reputation, the emperor will definitely comfort Yongshou with a few words, and make this matter vague." Rong Pei breathed a sigh of relief, gently shaking a translucent hibiscus fan in her hand, driving Ruyi away from the scorching heat of the afternoon.The wind wheel in the hall is gentle, sending the sweet scent of hosta flowers, mixed with the huge ice cubes offered in the large urn with the Chinese character "Shouyi Ruyi" on the yellow background, the hall has a bit of quiet coolness. In the courtyard, there are the faint chirping of young cicadas, one after another, making the sound line thin and long, which makes people drowsy.Ruyi closed her eyes and was about to go, when suddenly Rong Pei asked softly: "Your Majesty just said that people are sent in one by one, which means..." Ruyi sneered, opened her eyes and said, "This palace is only confinement, so I can't serve the emperor. Concubine Shu passed away suddenly. Although Concubine Jia is favored now, she is still young after all. The emperor can't be without someone to serve him, but Isn't there a suitable person now?" Rong Pei fanned her fan and said, "The empress is referring to Dai Meiruo?" Ruyi glanced at her lightly: "The chief official of the frontier, the daughter of Nasutu, the second-rank governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, and a person with a yellow banner. Isn't he from a noble family?" Rong Pei broke her fingers and said: "The Manchu Dynasty only had eight governors. Zhili, Liangjiang, Shaanxi-Gansu, Fujian and Zhejiang, Huguang, Liangguang, Sichuan, and Yunnan-Guizhou." , darling, it’s amazing. Now, it’s not enough to enter the palace to be a nobleman, right?” Ruyi plucked the emerald jade and crabapple leaf earrings on her earlobes: "Your Majesty, don't be wronged. To be a concubine or concubine is at least the lord of the first palace." She heard Jing Si in the cradle crying uncomfortably twice in her sleep. He hurriedly leaned over and hugged him for a while, then said, "Do you know where Sutu came from? His uncle Bai Haiqing was unyielding when he was sent to Junggar, and tried his best to protect the face of the Qing Dynasty. The eldest son, Laiwen, served as the general of Zhenjiang, the second son, Fulun, served as the minister of the guards, and the third son, Dai He, was appointed as the deputy capital to conquer Junggar. When the former army was killed in battle, the emperor gave Yunqi Wei as a sacrifice to the Zhaozhong Temple. His family is prominent." Rong Pei hesitated and said: "It's about Junggar? Didn't the emperor promise to marry Princess Duanshu and think peace is the most important thing? How did you reward Junggar for his unyielding battle?" "The combination of leniency and strictness is the way of the emperor. How can the emperor believe that only one princess can find peace. The meritorious service in the battle is for the sake of the people. This is the emperor's majesty." Rong Pei rested her chin and said intently: "What kind of wonderful person will this Dai family be? He won't be ugly like nothing, right? That would be fun." Ruyi gently arranged the daughter in her arms, and said with a sneer, "Even if there is no salt, the emperor will not be left out. Besides, with the emperor's eyesight, how could a girl without salt enter the palace? Around July 20." Once you enter the palace, you will be able to see it."