This night was the Chinese Valentine's Day, and I expected that the palace would have a banquet to celebrate as usual, so he would definitely not come. www. So I brought Jinxi and Huanbi to make some simple side dishes, and we slowly prepared for the meal together.
.
The wind was strong at night, and the heat of the day was gradually blown away, so it didn’t feel too hot. I saw that Jinxi’s stir-fried daylilies had a refreshing taste, so I asked, “Is there anything else?”
Jin Xi was standing on tiptoes picking loofahs under the melon shed. She turned around and said, "There are plenty of them."
I thought about it and said with a smile: "Why don't you fry a daylily and mix it with a cucumber, and I will personally take it to Princess Shu Gui."
Jin Xi smiled and said, "That's of course very good. There are only a few people at Concubine Shu Gui's place. The first thing I want to do is to show my filial piety, and secondly, it's good to have a companion to talk to Concubine Shu." Then she gestured to Huanbi.
Eyes, lowered head and chuckled.
Huanbi didn't answer, just laughed it off, and continued to sit on the small stool and peel the pods slowly. I knew what Jinxi was referring to, so I felt a little embarrassed, so I could only say: "Concubine Shu Gui is the elder after all, I
It’s also right to visit her.”
Jin Xi pursed her lips and smiled: "Of course, it is very appropriate."
I knew she was making fun of me and Xuanqing, so I was too embarrassed to pay attention anymore. I waited until Jinxi had prepared the side dishes and packed them in the food box.
Huanbi stood up, patted her clothes and said, "How about I accompany the lady there."
I pointed to the sky with a smile and said: "The sky is still bright, I can just go to Anqi to watch by myself. Anyway, I will come back as soon as I go. You and Jinxi will eat first."
Huanbi said "hmm" and watched me go out.
It was still early at that time, and the blue sky was full of colorful clouds, which looked like the glass lamps I had seen when I was a child. They were pink and purple, sapphire blue, emerald green, bright yellow, and orange, and the colors were flowing in and out, reflecting each other, changing for a while, and spreading out like a five-color tapestry.
Although it was windy in the mountains, after walking for a long time, there were thin beads of sweat on my back. I ignored the heat and was greedy for a moment. I couldn't help thinking that in the past, it was always said that the Weaver Girl was good at darning, and the sky was full of clouds in front of me.
As beautiful and beautiful as this, was it she who woven it with her own strength?
However, the Weaver Girl longed for the Cowherd on the other side of the Milky Way for a long time, and she could not stop crying all day long. 1. After the clouds bloomed, it was probably her countless longing and sad tears, right? Thinking about it this way, no matter how beautiful the clouds are, they are also...
I was so stunned that I had no other interest.
Outside Kyoto, there are many mountains, undulating, and many peaks are connected like a green barrier. Among them, Piao Miao Peak, Saga Peak, Ganlu Peak, and Lingyun Peak are the most famous. Piao Miao Peak and Saga Peak are far away from each other. Ganlu Peak, Saga Peak, and Lingyun Peak
They are connected to each other, and the scenery is the most beautiful. Ganlu Temple is built on the top of Ganlu Peak, Anqi Temple where Princess Shu Gui lives is on the back mountain of Ganlu Peak, and Xuanqing's Qingliang Terrace is on Piaomiao Peak, and Lingyun where I live is
The peak is the highest and steepest among the other three peaks, but it is located between the two peaks of Saga and Ganlu, making it slightly easier to travel between.
The Zen monastery where I live is located under the mountainside of Lingyun Peak. It is not too far to go to Anqi Temple, and it only takes half an hour.
Although Anqiguan is small, with only Concubine Shu Gui and Aunt Jiuyun living there, it is kept very neatly. I pushed the door and walked in. When Aunt Jiuyun saw me coming, she was already smiling and waved:
"The concubine is reciting sutras in the inner hall. Madam, please come and sit down first." She smiled and said, "It's a coincidence that Madam has come. I was just about to pick grapes for washing. Madam, please have a taste."
As he said this, he led me through the atrium to the backyard.
There are two trees in front of the atrium door, one pine and one cypress. They are each tall and well-proportioned, with the pavilions level with the eaves. They shade each other with the surrounding parasol trees, which provide shade to the ground.
Jiuyun saw my attention and took a look at it, saying: "This is the time when the concubine came to visit and the six kings personally sent her here. They were reluctant to part with the mother-child love and planted it with their own hands before leaving. At that time, it was just a small sapling.
, I am so old now. When I think about it, I really feel that the years are like running water."
I nodded, thinking that the pines and cypresses were planted by his own hands, and I stretched out my hand to touch them, feeling extremely friendly.
It seemed as if what he touched in his palm was not the ordinary vigorous tree bark, but the marks that his hand had touched, and he felt a little comforted and happy in his heart.
When I got to the backyard, I looked up and saw that the shade of grapes in the backyard was like a canopy, with green branches and leaves and vines winding wantonly on the thin and straight bamboo poles.
The courtyard has become cooler. Countless bunches of grapes hang from the vines, either bright purple or jade-green, each one as plump as beads, as if they are about to burst.
I smiled and said: "She looks so good, the concubine is so delicious."
It was quiet in the mountains, and the cool breeze was fresh and pleasant. As soon as I finished speaking, Concubine Shu Gui had already strolled out with her clothes, and said with a smile: "You are here."
I bowed to the elders and said, "It's Chinese Valentine's Day today, so I shouldn't bother the concubine at will. But the maid next to me cooked two very refreshing dishes, thinking that the concubine might like to eat them.
So bring it over and ask the concubine to have a taste."
The concubine was already kind, and her smile made her look as beautiful as jade, so she smiled and said: "I am here, and there is nothing to do. You are here just in time, otherwise I would be sitting across from Jiuyun during this Chinese Valentine's Day.
It’s very boring to look at big eyes and small eyes.”
While he was talking, Cuiyun had already taken out the dishes from the food box and placed them on the stone table under the grape trellis. The princess smiled and said, "This dish looks appetizing. I like it very much."
I sat down and said, "I haven't had dinner yet, how about Huan'er come with me?"
I said, "Originally I was going back, but when the concubine spoke, she naturally had to obey her orders out of respect. I happened to be here on an empty stomach." So I helped Jiuyun bring a plate of rose tofu, a plate of purple ginger, and a plate of purple ginger.
A bowl of loofah soup with white porridge is a refreshing and appetizing side dish in summer. The three of them sat down to eat together.
The night sky melted like strands of ink, darkening half of the sky. The half-curved crescent moon faintly climbed up from the depths of the eastern sky, lingering on the treetops.
The concubine and I ate grapes together and said slowly: "At noon, Cuiyun told me about it, and I realized that today is the Chinese Valentine's Day. The mountains are quiet, I don't know how many years have passed, and I almost forgot about the Chinese Valentine's Day." She said.
With the tips of his ten fingers, he slowly peeled a grape and smiled slightly, "Actually, the late emperor has been gone for so many years. To me, there is no difference between Chinese Valentine's Day and ordinary days. But for your children, such days are more worrying.
I’m reluctant to give up.” He looked at me and just smiled.
I was a little embarrassed, so I just lowered my head and played with a grape, and whispered: "What did the concubine say?"
She looked at me, as if remembering something, and said, "Isn't Qing'er here yet? Oh, there must be another banquet in the Qixi Palace today, so he won't be here." Then she asked me, "Is he going to the Taiping Palace?"
Is it done?”
I shook my head, "In the past two years, the Emperor has been staying in the Taiping Palace and rarely went to the Taiping Palace to cool off."
"Although we are in the palace, it is not easy to come out." The concubine nodded lightly and said with a smile: "No wonder you have to come to accompany my old lady on days like this. It turns out you are alone." She comforted me, "It's not Qing'er.
I don’t know, but he also has his own reasons in the palace. It’s not my partiality as a mother. At this time, I’m afraid that he is thinking about you at the banquet.”
I raised the corners of my lips slightly and said, "No need to persuade Princess, I naturally know his heart. Even if we are not together for a moment, what does it matter?"
The concubine stroked my forehead and sighed: "It's best if you understand his heart like this. Qing'er and I are connected as mother and son. As a mother, I know very well how he treats you. So I
In my heart, I treat you as my own daughter."
I was filled with gratitude, so I fell on the lap of the concubine and said, "In my heart, I treat the concubine like a mother." After saying this, my face started to burn and I felt ashamed.
The concubine said lovingly: "Since you regard me as your mother, I will not hide it from you. If you want to be with Qing'er, there will naturally be many dangers and difficulties. But if your hearts are the same, there will naturally be no difficulty. Yes.
There is a saying that love is stronger than gold, do you know that?"
I nodded and said, "I know."
The cool breeze blew gently onto my face, as cool and gentle as the concubine's hands, and I felt comfortable blowing on my face.
The concubine looked at the night sky, the surroundings were quiet, and magpies were flying by with fluttering wings. The concubine's voice was soft and gentle like spring water, "This child is very much like me and his father. In the past, I was the one who persuaded the ministers.
My daughter, living with her father in the imperial court of the Zhou Dynasty, had an embarrassing status. Later, my father was demoted for a crime, and I was convicted of a crime and was taken into the palace of Princess Rongde as a maid. Later, in order to allow me to enter the palace, the emperor gave me
I have a title that allows me to be by his side all the time. I am called Shi Pingzhang, Ruan Yannian, Lord Ruan, to be my adoptive father. I went through many twists and turns before I entered the palace, but I was only allowed to live in the Taiping Palace."
The concubine seemed to be immersed in the past, her bright face was illuminated by the milky moonlight, and seemed to be covered with a soft silk gauze, which was extremely smooth and soft, "Because the Queen Mother Zhaoxian was dissatisfied with my origin, so
I am not allowed to enter Ziao City to be conferred. Empress Dowager Zhaoxian is the late emperor's legitimate mother. After the death of the late emperor's biological mother, Empress Dowager Zhaohui, it was Empress Dowager Zhaoxian who personally raised the late emperor. The relationship between mother and son for more than ten years was naturally difficult for the late emperor to disobey.
Empress Dowager Zhaoxian wanted to do this, but she couldn't bear to wrong me too much, so she built a tong flower terrace in Taiping Palace to welcome me into the palace for the canonization ceremony."
Along the long road to Tonghua, there is no end to the chatter of the court. Tonghua Terrace is where Princess Shu Gui entered the palace for the canonization ceremony. It is also the place where she and the late emperor can publicly stand in front of the world and join hands in advancing and retreating. On that day, the late emperor stood on Tonghua Terrace.
Above, he personally played the "Long Staying" song "Phoenix Flying" to welcome the return of the woman he loved all his life. For a woman, such a grand affection is naturally a very beautiful memory.
However, for me, Tung Blossom Terrace - a gentle smile appeared at the corner of my mouth unconsciously.
The sunset that night was so white and pure. Whenever I feel sad, I think of the words of that night in my mind, and it is tainted with such a clean and peaceful atmosphere.
When the concubine saw me smiling, she couldn't help but ask: "Huan'er, what are you laughing at?"
Only then did I realize it. Yingying smiled slightly and said, "I just remembered that I had seen Tonghua Terrace before, so I smiled."
The concubine said: "Yes. The Tung Blossom Terrace is three feet and nine feet high, and is paved with the finest white jade. The towers and jade buildings, the beams and beams shine with auspicious colors. A lot of skilled craftsmen spent a lot of thought on building the Tung Blossom Terrace.
The late emperor also ordered the planting of Jiamu Tangdi and sycamore trees on the edge of the tung flower terrace. The sycamore tree is a tree that symbolizes long-lasting love."
I nodded and said, "Yes. The phoenix tree attracts the phoenix. It is indeed a loving and precious tree. It can be seen that the late emperor's thoughts about the concubine are indeed not ordinary."
The concubine nodded slightly, the curvature of her chin was as soft as the crescent moon, and said softly: "Every spring and summer, Tangdi flowers bloom like snow, with a subtle fragrance. Occasionally, there are also purple flowers, which are even more rare. That
This kind of beautiful scenery is like a purple mist rising all over the sky, and the flowers are in full bloom, which is enchanting. At this time, the late emperor would order the maiden who was good at singing to sing "The Flower of Tangdi" under the sycamore tree, and walk hand in hand with me
In the meantime, we enjoyed the flowers blooming and falling together. The late emperor has treated me like this for many years since I entered the palace. Although there are always several months in the years when the late emperor has to return to Ziao City to live, the two places are separated. Moreover, the Queen Mother is not happy and the Queen is dissatisfied.
, the concubines criticized me, and the courtiers discussed me, but the late Emperor’s affection towards me has never changed.”
"I have also heard from time to time that the late emperor's deposed concubine was a close relative of the empress dowager, and there was a powerful Lady Yu'e in the palace. The late emperor even punished the concubine for the concubine's move to seal the palace."
"The late emperor treated me very well. If he lived in the Taiping Palace, he would definitely not invite any concubines except me. Although everyone from the queen mother to the courtiers always made things difficult for me, the late emperor
If I work hard to maintain it, I will never feel that the years in the palace are hard."
When I heard her say this, I was actually a little scared. The more the late emperor favored Concubine Shu Gui, the more he actually forced her to become hostile to other concubines.
To gather favor in one body is to gather resentment in one body! No wonder Xuan Qing warned me on the Tonghua Terrace that day, "If the emperor's favor is too great, it will be like putting it on charcoal fire, and it will be very hard."
This sentence is probably Xuanqing's emotion about the kindness she received from her mother and concubine.
Well, even though Concubine Shu Gui said she enjoyed it, she was actually feeling very painful inside.
However, perhaps in her heart, only the late emperor's affection was the most important.
"Later, Empress Dowager Zhaoxian passed away, and I was able to move to Zi'ao City. Although Zi'ao City is prosperous, in my heart, it is far less comfortable and leisurely than Tonghuatai." Concubine Shu Gui said, sighing softly.
"It's a pity that the Queen Mother doesn't like Tonghua Terrace and thinks it is too extravagant. Now that we haven't seen it for many years, it must be so abandoned that no one takes care of it."
I smiled faintly and said comfortingly: "So what? No matter whether the Tonghua Terrace prospers or declines, in the eyes of the concubine and the late emperor, it will always be the Tonghua Terrace where love and joy arose."
Concubine Shu Gui smiled lightly, "Yes, in my heart, Tonghua Terrace will always be a witness to the many years of love between me and the late emperor." Concubine Shu looked back at me with a gentle look in her eyes, "Do you feel that I am talking about these old things from the past?
Boring?"
I smiled and said, "No, I always like to hear about things in the past. In the past, I only listened to other people's stories about the concubine and the late emperor. Now I can listen to the concubine recounting the past in person. I am very willing."
The concubine smiled very happily, and even her silver-gray robe seemed to be dyed with a translucent color by the moonlight. Her whole body shone like the moon, and the evening breeze picked up the corners of her clothes and fluttered like a moon.
Concubine Shu Gui was now over forty years old. I saw that her appearance and shape were just like those of the past, bathed in the starlight and moonlight. I thought about how graceful she would be when she first entered the palace and stood side by side with the late emperor on the high platform facing the wind.