Chapter 1 It’s hard to disobey the emperor’s order
As night fell, not long after the sound of bangs was heard, the bustle of Shengjing City gradually dissipated. It was originally crowded during the day, but now only the official sweepers were left to clean up the streets.
Located on Chang'an Street, the nearest street to the south of the Imperial City, in Prime Minister Lin's Mansion, the maids and servants are lighting lamps in the backyard in an orderly manner at the moment.
After the exquisite ram's horn palace lanterns were lit one by one, the entire prime minister's residence was filled with a peaceful and peaceful atmosphere.
In the main room across the courtyard to the east, Mrs. Dong was lowering her head and weeping, but she suppressed her crying and did not dare to make too much noise.
Sitting next to him was Lin Guangzu, the elder of the Lin family who also frowned. His fists were clenched loosely, and in the end he could only let out a long sigh. When he looked at his wife, he stopped talking.
"Sir, what should we do? We only have a daughter like this, why should we send her to the palace for such a trouble? The people in Xikuoyuan put it nicely. To put it bluntly, they just watched their daughter enter the palace for many years.
Do you only have one princess? Isn’t it just to keep Qian Qian’s favor in the palace for her?”
Thinking of her daughter's sensible appearance, the eldest lady couldn't restrain her crying even more. She clutched the veil in her hand tightly, wishing she could immediately tear up the imperial edict for her daughter to enter the palace.
"I originally wanted to keep her for two years to delay getting married, but unexpectedly, the old woman from Ronghetang was plotting against her. If we had known that we were going to send her to the palace, we should have made the appointment earlier when she was old enough.
It’s a matter of marriage.”
Uncle Lin regretted his mistake and punched himself in the leg. Although he had no strength to restrain the chicken, the blow did not hurt at all.
It's just that he, who has always been the most filial piety, actually called his stepmother "that old woman from Ronghetang", which made the lady sitting next to her stop crying.
Complaining sentence by sentence about the grievances suffered over the years.
"But this is your life-long event! Xikuoyuan is too much of a bully!"
No wonder the servants said that Xi Kuoyuan was the master of the Prime Minister's Mansion.
She shook her head slightly at him, took his arm and whispered.
Anxiously, he wanted to break through the door immediately, but was blocked by Lin Wanyi on the side.
"Qianqian, why don't you let me go in and ask clearly?"
The candlelight lengthened the couple's shadows and cast them under the window. Outside the door, Lin Xingzhi and Lin Wanyi, brother and sister, who originally brought sweet soup for their parents to try, heard these words clearly.
.
So he spoke slowly, without any hint of loneliness or embarrassment in his tone.
Along the way, the cool breeze had already awakened her.
And her real granddaughter, Lin Wanzhou, the eldest granddaughter of Prime Minister Lin, is now the most powerful concubine in the palace, less than one person and more than ten thousand people.
Listening to his wife's scolding, Uncle Lin became indignant when he thought that over the past few decades, the big house had either been ignored or marginalized.
Lin Xingzhi was extremely excited about anything involving his sister, especially when he heard that entering the palace was related to people from Xikuoyuan and Ronghetang, the evil fire in his heart that had been suppressed for a long time was about to burst out.
That night, everyone in Dongkua Courtyard had an uneasy sleep.
Seeing that the whole family has become the foil of the Xikuoyuan next door, I didn't expect that even their only daughter would be spared.
Lin Wanyi stepped forward and looked at his hand. It was just a little red, but it didn't matter.
Entering the palace seems to be a supreme honor, but behind the scenes, how many thorny roads are there?
Lin Wanzhou of Xikuoyuan has become a royal concubine, but she is not living a happy life. Now that her sister is gone, she still doesn't know what kind of life she is living.
Lin Wanyi's eyes were full of sincerity, and she was more concerned about her family.
It was obvious that she was only seventeen years old, and it was obvious that she could find an ordinary family and live a peaceful life, but everything came to nothing.
"Muzhi is now a son of about thirteen years old. He can't get into the famous Imperial College, so he can only hire a scholar to teach at home. Even if he has great ambitions, he doesn't have the wings to fight against the enemy."
But he couldn't do anything except punching the air a few times.
"Qianqian..."
As for the people in the East Cross Courtyard, without the support of the Dong family of my wife's mother-in-law, I am afraid that they would have become a deserted courtyard, or they would have been driven back to their hometown to guard their ancestral home.
He just came back from duty today and met his sister on the way back to his room. He came to greet his parents together. Unexpectedly, he accidentally overheard that Xikuoyuan was sending his sister to the palace.
With a long sigh, the uncle of the Lin family not only hated his own powerlessness, but also felt aggrieved for the children.
The more he talked, the sadder he became, and his eyes that were red from crying were now swollen.
Mother Liu of Ronghetang went to Dongkua Courtyard in person to invite Mrs. Dong and Lin Wanyi to talk to her. The expression on her face was unprecedentedly friendly.
"The deal is done, and the emperor's order cannot be disobeyed. It is already difficult for our family to survive at home. If we offend the princess and the people in Xikuoyuan because of my marriage, how will my mother live peacefully in the backyard? My grandfather said some time ago
I just found a job for my father to be admitted to the imperial prison, so if my entry to the palace can bring peace and prosperity to our family, brother, I am willing to do so."
Who knows that his stepmother is Princess Rongkang from Prince Zhan's palace. After decades of accumulation of prestige, she not only has full control over the palace, but also has people who can speak in the palace and in the court.
Being in this room of his seems to be a beautiful sight but is actually very difficult.
Lin Wanyi was a little stunned, frowning and thinking about this matter.
Early in the morning of the second day, the clouds had just broken and dawn had just begun.
"Brother, what do you want to ask when you go in? No matter how much you say, it won't change the fact that I'm going to the palace, right? On the contrary, it will make my father and mother even more uncomfortable. Why bother?"
When Lin Wanyi saw her brother like this, she knew how distressed and sad her parents must be without even thinking about it.
"Our Xingzhi is now in his twenties, but he is still just a low-grade guard. I am afraid that others will not believe it if I tell him. The eldest grandson of the dignified Prime Minister Lin cannot even get into the lowest rank of a seventh-grade palace guard.
, just making people laugh."
"The second young lady is so lucky. She is about to enter the palace and become a noble. Madam, you can rest easy. Our noble concubine is there to look after you. The second young lady will not be able to endure hardships. Maybe you will be able to enjoy wealth and honor once you go. This
Isn’t it also a blessing to have a big house?”
While walking, he tried to please and comfort me.
Lin Xingzhi felt quite uncomfortable seeing his sister being so sensible.
After that, he dragged the person from the main house to his small courtyard.
"Brother, come with me."
He punched Li Mu's table, causing the celadon cups and cups on it to sway again and again, making a clanging sound.
Lin Xingzhi wanted to persuade him, but he didn't know where to start.
Lin Xingzhi's hand holding the wooden pallet was so tight that his veins popped out, and his face looked very ugly.
Madam Dong's eyes were still slightly red, and her mouth was pursed tightly.
Under the wide sleeves, Lin Wanyi held her hand and refused to let go for a long time.
Lin Wanyi also held her mother's slightly trembling hand in return, wanting to convey her calmness to her and make her feel more at ease.