On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, the palace became lively.
As evening approached, the carriages and horses had already formed a long queue in front of Chengtian Gate.
The two generals of Yulin led their troops to station at Chengtianmen, and it was the officials of Taichang Temple who welcomed the visitors into the palace.
There were more and more cars and horses, but only a few people could enter the palace.
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Dressed in mink fur, with her hands folded in front of her belly, Dugu walked gracefully and slowly to the front of Chengtian Gate. Wherever she passed, people in front of her gave way and saluted.
She is the wife of Zhongshu Ling Xiao Yu, and her status is extremely noble.
And this is not all because she is Xiao Yu. She was born into the direct branch of the Dugu family. Her grandfather was Dugu Xin, the general of Shangzhu State in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and her father was Dugu Xin's eldest son, Zhao Degong Dugu Luo.
As the eldest son of Dugu Xin, Dugu Luo was supposed to inherit Dugu Xin's mantle and become the leader of the Dugu Clan in Kansai.
But Duguluo was more unlucky. Emperor Xiaowu of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Yuan Xiu, wanted to take power, so he led his people to the west, moved the capital to Chang'an, and took refuge with Yu Wentai, the prime minister of Daxingtai.
This was the beginning of the Western Wei Dynasty.
The fate of the Dugu family is also interspersed in it.
At that time, Dugu Xin was a minister of Wei and was at odds with Gao Huan. When Yuan Xiu rushed west, Dugu Xin got the news a little late. In a hurry, he knew that if he stayed in Luoyang, he would probably be poisoned by Gao Huan, so he rode after him alone.
The team headed west, but they left their wives, children, and children behind in Luoyang.
Gao Huan was furious and killed many people. Because Dugu's tribe was so powerful, he still had some scruples, so he only imprisoned Dugu Xin's wife and children and did not kill them immediately.
At that time, Duguluo was still in his infancy, and he had been in prison for more than 20 years, which meant that he spent his youth in prison.
It wasn't until Dugu Xin was forced to commit suicide by Yu Wenhu, the powerful minister in Guanxi, that Luoyang heard the news, and Dugu Luo was released.
At that time, he was alone and had no one to rely on, so he lived in seclusion in the mountains and barely survived by eating chaffy vegetables. Later, he received help from his compatriots, Dugu Yongye and others, and his life gradually improved.
After Yu Wenyong ascended the throne, Queen Mingjing's Dugu family remembered that she had an elder brother in the Northern Qi Dynasty, so she sent someone to bring Duguluo's family to Guanxi.
But at this time, the main branch of the Dugu clan in Guanxi has been transferred to the Dugu whole branch.
So to be precise, Duguluo can be regarded as a member of the Dugu family in Luoyang.
Although Duguluo, who returned to Kansai, was often looked down upon and ridiculed by the children of the Dugu family in Kansai, he had not experienced many hardships, so these things were nothing, and he could only laugh it off.
Because he was very magnanimous and easy-going, even if his talents were mediocre, Yu Wenyong was willing to put him to good use. Duguluo's other brother-in-law, Sui Guogong Yang Jian, also had a good relationship with him.
Duguluo became successful at this point. Although he was estranged from his half-brothers and had a lot of grievances, he got along well with his three sisters.
His lineage thus continued, and he was unique among the Dugu family before.
After the Dugu clan changed two clan leaders in succession, Dugu Luo's son Dugu Kaiyuan finally took back the position of the clan clan leader of the Dugu clan.
Many nobles in this era have some wonderful stories behind them, which read like the plot of a novel. You can pick any one out and use it as the protagonist.
Xiao Yu married Dugu Luo's only daughter and Dugu Kaiyuan's sister.
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Although the Dugu family has been on the decline for some years, and the surname Dugu is rarely seen among high-ranking officials in Beijing, Aunt Dugu is still a relatively special existence among the aristocratic women of Chang'an.
Because she is the niece of Empress Mingjing and Empress Wenwen, the sister of the current head of the Dugu clan, and she is married to Zhongshu Ling Xiao Shiwen. How many people do you think are more unique than her?
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She casually nodded to her acquaintances and walked straight towards Chengtian Gate. When she got close, she stopped. The person in front of her didn't mean to let her go first.
The servant hurriedly whispered in her ear: "In front of us is Madam Jin's chariot. Madam, please wait a moment."
Dugu nodded, walked to the side, and stood sideways by the road, obviously aware of the importance of this.
Mrs. Chen of the Jin Dynasty was the wife of the governor Li Jing and the mother of the current queen. She was nothing in the past, and could even be said not to be included in the family walls of the capital.
But it's amazing now, especially since the emperor respects the Chen family and often visits her at home, so no one can offend her easily.
If the nobles want to do well, they must update their hero records frequently to avoid being slapped in the face like a fool.
After waiting for a while, Mrs. Chen's entourage from Jin State retreated, and Mrs. Dugu waited again before stepping forward.
As soon as the person handed over the invitation, Duguhua appeared.
"I met my great-aunt..."
She did not come specifically to greet the Dugu family. Because she owns the Wude Palace, she will lead the palace staff at Chengtianmen to receive the ladies entering the palace tonight.
The internal ban is guarded by Wang Zhaoyi.
This is the advantage of concubines holding important positions in the palace, which can clearly show their status. Among the three ladies in the palace, Wang Qi and she are the most outstanding.
She accompanied her great-aunt as she walked through Chengtian Gate. The snow on the road had been swept clean, but the road was still a little slippery. Duguhua held on to Dugu's arm as she walked forward.
The Dugu family is actually only about thirty people. Although they have a lot of grandchildren, they are definitely not old-fashioned.
"Dabao came to the palace some time ago and said that you were doing well in the palace. Why did someone ask you to come to see you in such a cold weather?"
Dugu's voice was clear and her smile was very kind.
She likes to be quiet and doesn't go out often. Because she comes from the long branch of the Dugu family and has a high seniority, Duguhua and her great-aunt have not met each other a few times. In fact, they are not very familiar with her.
On the contrary, her father Dugu Dabao often went there to visit, and he was very popular with the Dugu family.
"Don't listen to my grandpa's bragging. There are countless grandnephews in the palace. It's not the right time to come out to guard the gate today. If you look at the pitiful grandnephews, you should take more care of them in the future."
Dugu Shi laughed, patted her niece's hand and said, "Okay, such a smart person will be blessed no matter where he goes. Don't worry, so many people outside are thinking about you."
The two exchanged a few words, and Duguhua had to go back to receive the lady who entered the palace. He could only tell the palace people to be careful, and then he returned to the door.
Dugu Shi walked deep into the palace city.
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Despite her noble family background, this is her first time entering the palace.
It's not her own fault, it's mainly because her husband, Xiao Yu, is very outspoken and can easily offend others. Offending his colleagues is fine, but offending the emperor and the prince is another matter.
The ups and downs of Xiao Yu's official career were all due to his character. Especially in the years when Li Yuan entered Chang'an, Xiao Yu had three ups and downs. He was deeply involved in the competition between brothers Li Shimin and Li Jiancheng.
Danger abounds.
Mrs. Dugu was worried about everything at home. In order to prevent her husband from having any worries, as long as her husband was not at home, she closed the door and saw almost no one.
The reason why she likes Dugu Dabao is because this nephew has no ability and often comes to her to chat and doesn't get involved in other matters. He can relieve some of her loneliness.
Now that Xiao Yu's official career has finally stabilized, she is very grateful to the emperor of the day. She thinks that the emperor is very magnanimous... Being able to use her husband in the past few years is not magnanimous. At least Li Yuan is not comparable to him.
of.
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When passing by the square in front of Tai Chi Hall, she looked around curiously. The houses on both sides looked a bit awkward.
The palace attendant who accompanied her wisely explained to her, "Madam, that is the Lingyan Pavilion. It was just built a few days ago, and the portraits of the heroes have not yet been hung up.
The slaves heard that in the future, when the portrait is invited, incense will be offered..."
Dugu nodded secretly, it turned out that this was Lingyan Pavilion, the name was really good, and her husband could also occupy a place in it.
I just don't know where he will be ranked. I guess he can't compete with those founding heroes who are full of military and political achievements. He won't be the last one, right? Then you have to laugh at him when you go back.
Although this person looks elegant and dignified, he is actually quite lively in nature.
"Isn't that the same as a living temple?"
The palace man choked, but he wisely said: "Everyone respects you for your contribution to the founding of the country, so it is just right for you to receive some incense."
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After passing the Tai Chi Hall, we walked all the way and faced the wind. The Dugu family was so cold that she was not very willing to talk.
When passing by Liangyi Hall, the lights there were dim, and the palace people unconsciously surrounded her and walked faster. The emperor was dining in Liangyi Hall tonight, and he was probably eating.
The queen entertained ladies from various palaces in the capital, but Li Po would not join in the fun because of his reputation.
Mainly because the private lives of the emperors in the late Jin Dynasty were too corrupt, which also brought a lot of trouble to the people who came after them. The ministers were also made to be on guard, guarding against the emperor as much as they guarded against thieves, lest the tops of their heads turn green at some point.
For example, the Emperor Xiaowu of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Yuan Xiu, was killed by Yu Wentai as mentioned earlier. The reason used was that Yuan Xiu had bad personal ethics and was not worthy of being a king.
To put it bluntly in the words of later generations, Yuan Xiu messed up the relationship between men and women, which resulted in a bad reputation and everyone's heads were green, so Yu Wentai came out to uphold justice and killed Yuan Xiu.
Of course, this was certainly not the main reason for Yuan Xiu's death, but the emperors of the Northern Wei Dynasty had no way of saying that morality was not in their minds at all.
According to this standard, if they are pulled out and slaughtered, no one will be unjust.
The fact that the story of Li Po and Li Xiuning spread so widely is not unrelated to this trend.
Dugu also speeded up her pace along with the palace people, and after a while she felt sweat on her body and was no longer so cold.
After passing the long street that separates the Outer Court and the Inner Forbidden City, we came to Ganlu Gate.
The long palace wall runs across the front. The wall is somewhat mottled. Trees with all their leaves are hanging on the wall. When the north passes by, they make a roaring sound. In the dark night, it looks gloomy and solemn.
Wang Qi greeted him at the door, which was different from Duguhua.
Zhaoyi was the head of the nine concubines and the first female official under the empress and the third wife. The Dugu family did not dare to neglect and immediately paid homage to her.
Wang Qi returned the favor briefly, exchanged a few words of greetings, and then ordered someone to accompany Dugu and lead her into the inner garden. The people before him returned to Chengtian Gate.