The moonlight is like water, and silver waves fall to the ground.
In the courtyard of Ciqing Palace, where the fragrance of early osmanthus floats, Zhu Youzheng, his brother Zhu Youjian, and his sister Zhu Huiyan sat around the table, eating crabs brought as tribute from the south via canal boats.
At the beginning of the lunar month, the crab roe is not yet thick, and the meat in the crab body and legs is not plump enough, but Zhu Youxiao prefers softer crab shells.
These slightly elastic shells are less likely to break into powder and stick to the crab meat if you use "eight pieces of crab" to clip and cut them.
Zhu Youxiao didn't need the help of the little eunuch and the maid. He moved his fingers dexterously up and down, and in a moment, white and brown crab meat and light golden crab roe were accumulated in the two green-glazed sunflower petals.
Zhu Youxiao poured a few drops of Zhejiang vinegar into it, pushed it in front of Youjian and Huiyan, and smiled as he looked at his younger siblings, who were like two kittens, tasting the seasonal delicacies.
The three of them all lost their biological mothers when they were very young, and they grew up together. Zhu Youxiao has a deep affection for his younger siblings.
New crabs arrived today, but Empress Xili did not have dinner at Ciqing Palace, but went to Qianqing Palace.
Before the banquet started, Mr. Hakka quietly told Zhu Youxiao that after Concubine Zheng sent a beautiful palace lady to the Long Live Lord, Xi Li didn't have much to say in terms of face. In fact, he had been angry for half a month and had not been summoned to bed by the Long Live Lord. Now, I should be arguing with Long Live Lord in Qianqing Palace now, maybe I will have to stay in Qianqing Palace tonight.
Zhu Youxiao has become accustomed to the fact that Xi Li is not afraid of the name of arrogance and takes advantage of his father to vent his anger.
He sighed softly and said, "Long live the Lord, it would be great if I can make Lady Li a queen," but he felt really happy in his heart.
The mean and brutal Xi Li was not here, and Youjian's adoptive mother, the cold-tempered Empress Dong Li, was also resting in her palace due to physical discomfort.
In the courtyard where the bright moon was shining brightly and the evening breeze was pleasant, Zhu Youxiao felt that for the first time he had become the lord of the first palace. He could relax and have a delicious meal with his brothers and sisters. It was really comfortable and enjoyable.
In a good mood, his hands are more skillful. In a moment, Zhu Youxiao put the peeled crab shells into a complete crab on a porcelain plate and showed it to his younger sister Zhu Huiyan to make her happy.
"Brother's hands are so skillful," Zhu Huiyan pursed her lips and praised, then asked with a smile, "Brother, in the Crystal Palace in Huiyan's courtyard, there are stone carvings of fish, shrimps, crabs and shells, but there is no water curtain. Brother is the best at ingenuity, how about making a dragon palace water curtain for Huiyan?"
Zhu Youxiao washed his hands in warm water with chrysanthemums soaked in it. While drinking the soup, he softly discussed with his sister: "How about the water curtain curtain is delayed for half a month? My brother wants to go with Youjian as he enters the Wenhua Palace." Lecturer Fu, make a boat for water fighting."
Zhu Huiyan killed her own mother when she was a child, and she was just a princess. Her father never asked her about her upbringing. She had learned to look at the faces of her mothers and eunuchs since she was sensible, and her temperament was polished to the point where she no longer had the habit of acting coquettishly.
She nodded simply: "Okay, master's lessons are more important."
Then he looked at Zhu Youjian with admiration: "You are only one year older than me, so you can go to Wenhua Hall. Does your master teach you how to make interesting things in addition to the books written by the master? ah?"
Zhu Youjian ate the last crab leg and said seriously: "There are several instructors, and the interesting one is Master Zheng. Well, she is a woman. In fact, when Master Zheng is on duty, Huiyan can really Let’s go together.”
Zhu Huiyan's eyes suddenly lit up.
Before she could ask further questions, she stood behind Zhu Youxiao, waving a fan to drive away the autumn insects, and said in a soft voice: "Even if Master Zheng starts giving a lecture, His Highness Ningde cannot go."
Unlike her two brothers who have not yet been crowned kings, Zhu Huiyan was named "Princess Ningde" not long after she was born because she could not be the heir to the throne, so Ke Yinyue called her by the title.
Zhu Huiyan raised her round almond-shaped eyes and stared at Ke Yinyue: "Why?"
Keshi smiled and said: "Although Master Zheng is a woman, she brought a jade-faced young man with her. How can Your Highness meet a man outside the palace?"
"Oh..." Zhu Huiyan responded lightly.
Zhu Youjian's anger surged. The emperor's wet nurse was becoming more and more outrageous. What's the matter? Today, Xi Li is not here, and she actually thinks that she, a slave, can be the talker of Ciqing Palace?
It was disrespectful to interrupt casually, and the implication of what he said was to slap Zhu Youjian in the face.
But Zhu Youjian did not fight back as bluntly as he did during the day.
In the young man's mind, Master Zheng's trick of hiding the needle in the cotton of the guest Yinyue came to mind.
Confronting this fly-like slave and losing her temper made her even more proud, feeling that she could make the fifth prince angry.
Letting her go is the key.
Zhu Youjian then picked up the handkerchief and wiped the crab roe from his mouth, looked at the guest Yinyue and said: "Mommy, Eunuch Wei went to the kitchen to burn some incense, right? The lotus root cake and chestnut antler dumplings are not ready yet? Mom
Mom, go and have a look."
The fan in Ke Yinyue's hand froze.
Zhu Youxiao was not stupid. He also knew that his nurse had contradicted Zhu Youjian. He was afraid that his younger brother would reprimand the Hakka family. But when he saw that not to mention the wind and rain, not even the dark clouds appeared, he felt relieved and turned to tell Ke Yinyue:
"That's right, mama, go take a look. If the people below are not careful, please let Eunuch Wei be more lenient and don't punish them."
The corners of Ke Yinyue's lips, which had been flattened, finally turned up again. She responded, bowed respectfully to the three princes and princesses, and then walked towards the back of the main hall.
…
Beside the small kitchen of Ciqing Palace, at the end of the narrow and deep corridor where charcoal blocks and scattered firewood were piled, in a dark corner where the moonlight could not reach, the gasping sounds of the man and woman, which they tried to suppress, finally stopped completely.
Wei Zhongxian put on his trousers, tied up his belt, straightened his robe, and caressed his guest Yinyue's cheeks as smooth as tofu with satisfaction, and whispered: "How about it, I'll feed you a meal and your anger will subside."
?”
Ke Yinyue raised her eyes and glanced at the figures reflected on the window paper in the kitchen. The three little palace maids were all there, so she rubbed the back of her head and temples with relief, but she still had a bit of anger when she said, "You don't even have a crown."
The erect little cock has been staring at me and pecking it since this year. How often have I ever been so angry?"
Wei Zhongxian comforted her: "Okay, my dear, if that little cock hadn't driven you here tonight, how could you and I be so happy like this?"
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Ke Yinyue leaned over, took a sip from the man's Adam's apple, and muttered: "Well, speaking of it, my brother is destined to be the prince.
It's a happy event that the father-in-law from the inner treasury is transferred back to be in charge. But it's not convenient for us to do this."
Wei Zhongxian said: "Don't worry. When I become the prince, we will tell him that since the Wei Dynasty became enemies with you, he will always torture you in places where outsiders can't see. I will definitely feel sorry for you."
, let’s push him and beat Wang An, so that we can be together, and then we can legitimately sleep on the same kang.”
After hearing this, Ke Yinyue let out a cry and said bitterly: "How courageous do you think my brother is? How courageous do you think that old guy Wang An is? Don't even think about taking Wang An's route. Wang
An is the most displeased with me. When I went to the Wenhua Palace yesterday, the old man treated me like a maid in the palace and taught me a lesson."
"Then, who told you that you are neither a father-in-law nor a female official? It is not natural for him to show off to Qiao in front of you?"
Ke Yinyue rolled her eyes, remembered another verse, and complained: "By the way, there is also the Zheng family who is giving lectures to my brother. I heard that she was also a servant of a wealthy family in the south of the Yangtze River, and she dared to make my mother miserable.
That despicable way of hitting me with a knife out of spite, I am really, really..."
"Okay, okay," Wei Zhongxian tugged on Hakka's sleeves, indicating that the two of them should leave here, while continuing to comfort her, "No matter how illiterate I am, I still listen to those eunuchs who are used to adjusting book bags.
However, a little impatience will ruin a big plan. Just treat all the rags around your brother as dogs and cats. Don't offend them, and you will find a reason to drive them out of the palace. After enduring this for a while, who knows?
Next year, shall we move to Qianqing Palace?"
Ke Yinyue's eyes lit up: "What's wrong? Lord Long live your health is not good?"
Wei Zhongxian smiled obscenely: "Lao Cui on Concubine Zheng's side has the Imperial Pharmacy make pills for fun every day and send them to Qianqing Palace. Even the breeding boar can't bear it, right?"
Ke Yinyue punched him sweetly and angrily: "You have made your mark, and you finally dare to think about this. Then I will tell you, my dear brother, please hurry up and put on the dragon robe, then we will really have a good life."
"
"No, let's go to the kitchen and eat some dumplings first."
…
Before the hour was over, Zheng Haizhu took Hua Er and gifts to Baoxu Temple near the Imperial College to look for Taoist Master Jingzhao.
That day, after completing their first lecture at the Wenhua Hall, Zheng Haizhu and Lu Xiangsheng had just left the Donghua Gate when a young eunuch hurriedly caught up with them, saying that Mr. Wang An wanted to talk to Master Zheng.
The next day, after meeting Wang An at his house outside the palace as promised, the prince told him openly that he and Yang Lian both felt that the turmoil in front of the three palaces was not like what Eunuch Xue had said about deceiving the Long Live Lord.
, but Yao Zongwen, a minion of the Zhejiang Party, instigated his subordinates to set up a trap, which not only avenged the loss of Chongming's troops, but also made Donglin infamous for introducing a woman who was like a famous woman to be the prince's official official.
However, while Wang An agreed that Zheng Haizhu was calm and calm, he also mentioned that Concubine Zheng had a good relationship with the Zhejiang Party, but Taoist priest Jingzhao, who often ran to her palace, came to her rescue that day.
Zheng Haizhu analyzed that it was possible that Jingzhao was really just an outsider. Although he was in contact with the imperial concubine, he did not know that Hu Ke was controlled by the Zhejiang Party, so he meddle in some nosy matters that he should not.
It is also possible that after the new king ascended the throne, Dong Lin gained power, and Fang Congzhe left the cabinet overnight, Concubine Zheng simply made it clear to her cronies that Yikun Palace should show its alienation from Fang Dang, so as to gain favor with Zhu Changluo and Dong Lin.
, Concubine Zheng’s title of empress dowager may be turning around.
Wang An thought it was reasonable, so he asked Zheng Haizhu to take advantage of the warm words of thanks to come to Baoxuguan as soon as possible and take a pulse of Jingzhao.
After the explanation, Wang An couldn't help but sigh, Yang Lian's words were really good at the beginning. It worked if he had someone of his own who could smoothly communicate with people inside and outside the palace, and she was also a woman.