The next morning I got up and went to Zhaoyang Palace to pay my respects as usual. Most of the female relatives in the palace had already arrived. When they saw me meandering towards me, they all bowed down to pay their respects. There were sounds of exquisite joy as countless pearls and emeralds jingled against each other. I looked at the flowery face of Yingying who fell prostrated.
, with infinite lazy smiles, they don’t really bow to me, they just bow to the power.
Rumors about my return to the palace continued. Until I suppressed the Xiang concubine, suppressed the Qi concubine, gave birth to a son, Feng Shufei, and held the power to co-manage the Sixth Palace. Countless rumors stopped appearing in my ears overnight. Even the jealous faces of everyone greeted me.
When he came to me, he greeted me with a respectful smile.
I held Jin Xi's hand and slowly climbed up the stairs. When I passed by Mu Guiren, I suddenly stopped and said with a smile: "Mu Guiren has been in the palace for some years, right?"
She raised her head, feeling confused and confused, but smiling attentively, "I have a good memory, and I entered the palace in the same year as Fu Jieyu."
I rested my eyes on the hem of her Daphne-colored myrobalan dress, and said Yingying: "It is the etiquette of a concubine to keep her clothes clean of dust. How come a noble lady gets her clothes dirty as soon as she gets up in the morning and washes herself? It's so careless."
Or are you too careless about paying your respects to the Queen?"
There was a little bit of inconspicuous gray dirt on the hem of Mu Guiren's skirt. She thought it was the dust and mud she brought along while walking. She suddenly blushed and said hurriedly: "I don't dare to disrespect the queen."
I nodded and said, "Although my sister said this, she didn't do it, which shows that she is not a person who means what she says. Cui Shangyi." I turned to Jin Xi and told her, "Ask Aunt Xi to go to Guiren Mu's palace and teach her the rules." I
He suppressed his smile and said sternly: "In the next month, noble man, you must learn the rules and don't have to come to Zhaoyang Palace to pay your respects. Noble man should also know that there are many eyes and ears in the palace. Don't talk nonsense and do things according to your heart. Maybe someone will hear what you say."
My Lord, please wait until you learn not to say one thing to your face and do another thing behind your back before you set foot in Zhaoyang Palace to pay your respects."
Tears flashed in Mu Guiren's eyes, his face turned purple with shame, and he pursed his lips tightly. I looked around, everyone was standing with bated breath, and the sound of birds and birds was not heard. Yan Cai and Yang Shunyi were hiding behind others, their heads turned.
I didn't dare to raise my lips. I pursed my lips with slight interest and said, "Yan Cai and Yang Shunyi have always been close to Mu Guiren. I don't know if I have contracted her habits. Why don't we ask Auntie Xi for advice together."
Yan Cai and Yang Shunyi were startled and said hurriedly: "I don't dare."
Mu Guiren argued: "I understand what the empress is referring to, but Concubine An Gui is an unlucky person. I cannot believe her nonsense when she slanders me. I am really unjustly accused."
I knew that she had determined that An Lingrong had told me the slanderous words she had said behind her back that day, so she just smiled resolutely, "What did Concubine An say? Don't worry, noble lady. I just asked you to learn the rules."
"After that, he told Hua Yi who was following behind, "When the night cools down, go and instruct the Ministry of Internal Affairs to send some quilts to Jingchun Hall. Although An Gui is an unlucky person, you can't treat her too badly. Having said that, An Gui
No matter how bad the concubine is, she is still more sensible than noble Mu."
Mu Guiren and Yan Cairen looked at each other quickly, showing a hint of resentment, and bowed their heads again.
In the quiet and magnificent palace, the queen was already sitting on the phoenix chair and said lightly: "Concubine Shu is here." After saying that, she pointed to the Qingluan Tuan Zhuhaitang carved chair near the side and said: "Sit down." I held it.
After sitting down, the concubine Duan and the concubine Jing sat down on both sides, and everyone took their seats.
The queen wears a homely silk dress made of lotus purple, dark silver and spring flowers and moonlight flowers, embroidered with small and approachable light jade white water chestnut flowers. She is less dignified and solemn than usual, and more friendly and casual.
After chatting leisurely about family affairs, Hu Zhaoyi suddenly turned to me and said, "I heard that a maid from the Ministry of Internal Affairs hanged herself yesterday?"
I nodded slightly and said with a smile, "Zhaoyi's information is very good."
Hu Zhaoyi smiled sweetly, her delicately painted eyebrows rising slightly like misty spring mountains, "I am the most wealthy and idle person, and I hear a lot of gossip when I am idle." She paused and said, "The concubines in the palace committed suicide.
It is a serious crime and the palace maid's suicide cannot be forgiven. How does Concubine Shu plan to deal with it?"
I looked at the tips of my ten fingers that were slightly exposed at the cuffs. The marks stained by impatiens on my nails were a little transparent, as light as the very thin and brittle shy blush on my cheeks.
A slave in humble service."
The queen had been listening silently, and now she suddenly said: "Concubine Shu is too tolerant." She looked at me calmly, without a trace of unnecessary smile on her face, "Mo'er is suspected of murdering the second son of the emperor, and the smallpox poisoning has spread from
Where did it come from? Was there someone who ordered her to hang herself? Did she commit suicide out of fear of crime or was someone silenced her? In fact, no matter who she was, she was the one waiting for the crime, so how could she let it go so easily. Murdering the prince is a serious crime. According to the law, the male members of the family are beheaded, but the female members are missing.
Being an official prostitute can serve as a warning to others."
The queen's voice was not loud, but the deep meaning in her words was completely different from her attire. Like copper nails hitting the ground, every word was hammered into everyone's ears.
I turned to look at her, "The queen also knows about this. I originally wanted to find out and report it to the queen, but I also want to know who is behind it to do such a beastly thing!" I said Yingying
With a smile, his eyes wandered over the people in the palace, "Old, old, old, young, young, young, who have never been a child, how can they be cruel enough to harm the son of a noble concubine with pox poison?"
A meaningful smile appeared on the Queen's lips, and she said in a deep voice: "Sure enough, Concubine Shu is a person who has a prince, and she has a deep love for licking calves." The Queen looked at the dozens of concubines under her seat, her face as calm as autumn water, "
The emperor already has three princes, but for the sake of the great Zhou Dynasty, I still hope that your sisters will give birth to more children. I have nothing to offer, so I will treat your sons as my own and treat them equally."
After hearing this, everyone hurriedly stood up and said, "I, my concubines, please obey the Queen's teachings." Then they saw a girl Yingying step out of the crowd, with a clear and steady voice, "The Queen is absolutely right. The eldest son of the Emperor's biological mother died early. If not for the Queen's careful teaching, he would not have died."
How could the eldest son of the emperor be as talented as he is today? The empress’s loving heart can serve as an example to all women in the world.” The person who spoke was Ronghua Zhao. Zhao Ronghua was three years older than me, so she was my former concubine. I have nothing to do with her.
After many interactions over the years, although she was not very favored, she never fell out of favor, and she was considered to be quite qualified among the concubines.
Hu Zhaoyi turned his head disapprovingly, and the queen just ignored her and said with a smile on her face: "I just want to give you a few instructions. Why bother standing here? Sit down quickly."
I suppressed the anger that was secretly burning in my heart and said softly: "The Queen is the legitimate mother of all the princes and emperors, and we are also concubines." I looked deeply at the Queen's gentle and dignified face, and said slowly: "Everyone is like this.
It would be great if the Queen were so virtuous."
There was a cold smile in the Queen's eyes, which fell faintly on my body, giving me a chill as if covered with a layer of autumn frost. Her words were extremely kind, "Although Concubine Shu is the first among the concubines, she knows how to respect others."
She is a humble concubine, no wonder the emperor loves her so much." She leaned slightly and said slowly, "I am tired, so please leave. Only Concubine Shu and Concubine Zhengui are left to talk to me.
Let’s talk about how to raise children.”
Everyone was silent after hearing this, and a few of the impatient ones couldn't help but show a bit of jealousy. From the corner of their eyes, they saw Mu Guiren hurriedly walking out of the hall, and both Yan Cairen and Yang Shunyi looked troubled.
Hiding his anger, he quickly followed Mu Guiren.
The morning light outside is bright, and the rose bushes in the courtyard are green and untouched by autumn. At this time, the stars are opening some timid little flower buds, which are also quite delicate. But there are dozens of camellias vying for beauty, bowls
The large-mouthed flowers are fragrant, and the crimson and pink clusters are clustered together, making it very lively. Such autumn light, separated by the deep red and blood-carved red windows of Zhaoyang Hall, falls into the Zhaoyang Hall and becomes a layer of mist.
Lonely gauze. The sound of wind rustling outside the curtain, the sound of breaking dead leaves, and the intermittent sounds reached Zhaoyang Hall, making it even more quiet. The so-called deep courtyard is probably the same.
The queen half-closed her eyes, her expression was peaceful, as if she was about to fall asleep. I remained silent, but my heart was as alert as an animal, knowing full well that the queen must have her own plans when she left me alone with my concubine Zhengui.
After a sluggish silence, the queen saw that the concubine Zhengui was restrained, and smiled lightly: "I wanted to have a good chat with you, but I am really old and very tired, so I left you here for nothing."
Concubine Zhengui didn't know why, so she had to stand up and said, "Your Majesty's words are serious." She looked at me and said, "Then, I will take my leave."
I straightened my clothes and bowed out politely. I had only taken three steps when I heard the Queen's voice sounding faintly from behind, like a wisp of ghost attached to my ears, "Thankfully, Concubine Shu was here yesterday. It's really a coincidence to think about it.
"
Concubine Zhen immediately stopped and turned around. I suddenly felt unhappy and looked back, "How should I interpret the Queen's words?"
The queen caressed the pearl bracelet on her wrist. The bright and clean pearls about the size of her thumb glowed with a soft light pink halo, making it even more obvious that the queen's wrists were as thin as dry wood after her illness. The queen's makeup looked particularly heavy under the pile of makeup.
, even when she was ill in the past, she dressed up carefully and refused to neglect at all, losing the dignity of the queen. At this moment, she spoke every word very slowly: "Isn't it? If the Ministry of Internal Affairs hadn't accidentally sent someone infected with smallpox
Concubine Shu happened to be there when the pox-infested clothes arrived at the noble concubine's palace, and it happened that Concubine Shu noticed the danger in the clothes. It can be seen that Concubine Shu cared about the noble concubine in every possible way, and she was blessed with great blessings and was able to bless the second prince and turn the danger into safety.
In the future, when the second prince grows up, he must thank Concubine Shu properly." She coughed twice and smiled, "It can be seen that Concubine Shu is the assistant in charge of the Sixth Palace with great care, and everything can be done with the word 'just right'."
She kept saying the word "just right" in every sentence, and I felt a shiver in my heart. Just now she mentioned in front of the concubines, intentionally or unintentionally, that I and Concubine Zhengui both have biological princes, and there were rumors that they had already mentioned the future throne.
, everyone must have suspected in their hearts that I was the one who secretly plotted the murder. Now in front of Concubine Zhengui, she pointed at the word "just right" every time, which meant that I was pretentiously designing to win over Concubine Zhengui.
Concubine Zhengui's eyebrows moved slightly, and she immediately lowered her eyes, looking at the gold bricks on the ground under her feet without saying a word.
I was about to say something in reply, but when I saw the state of the noble concubine, I had to take a deep breath to endure, and said: "The Queen is as careful as her hair, and she knows so many things, but I am not as thoughtful as your Majesty."
The queen stood up with her sleeves fluttered and said seriously: "Concubine Zhen, take good care of your only son." After saying that, she looked at me deeply and said, "Concubine Shu, too."
Concubine Zhengui was deeply blessed, and a curve of bright jewels fell down on her face, making it difficult for people to see her expression clearly. They could only hear her say: "Thank you, Queen, for your concern."
The queen nodded, holding Jianqiu's hand and slowly moved into the back hall. The light and shadow changed, and the queen's clear shadow was half-hidden under the tall and almost ferocious golden osmanthus pillar with a coiled dragon, and it also had a ferocious look, as if it was ready to move.
The hairy beast has a faint killing aura hidden under the graceful posture.
I held Jinxi's hand and slowly walked out, and when I was about to go to Shanglin Garden, I saw several clusters of oncidiums in full bloom in the garden. Their slender leaves were light and diffuse, and the stems of green jade and amber were light and drooping, blooming like flying golden butterflies.
Flowers, beautiful and lovely.
Huanbi smiled and said: "When autumn comes, there will be no butterflies. These flowers bloom upside down like butterflies. They are really beautiful."
Jin Xi also joked: "Indeed. This flower originally bloomed best in hot and humid places, but now it grows so luxuriantly, which shows that the gardener has put a lot of thought into it."
I smiled and said: "Go and tell the master of the flower room to send a few pots of good ones to Shen Shuyuan to enjoy, and then send a few more pots to Rouyi Hall. Ask him to come over and give her a good reward."
Jinxi immediately went to look for it, but it took a long time to bring the gardener to thank him. Huanbi was a little unhappy and said: "Calling Master He to come and receive the reward, why did you waste all this time as if you were being tortured?"
Master He hurriedly apologized and said with a smile: "I didn't delay the delay intentionally, I am really aggrieved." He was afraid that I would blame him, so he hurriedly said, "The honorary servant loves peony very much. It is not the season for peony to bloom now, so he urges me three or four times a day."
He cultivated them in the greenhouse and sent them off. He thought some of the pots were not good, so he told the slaves and ordered them to be thrown into a mass grave and put on the grave of the chosen servant." He couldn't hide his surprise, "I don't know.
What kind of weird temper does Rongxuan have? The pots of peonies she disliked were the most carefully cultivated by slaves, but they were thrown into mass graves. What a pity! What a pity!" After saying this, he stamped his feet again and again, feeling extremely frustrated.
I was a little confused for a moment, "Shun Chosen Waiter?"
Jin Xi frowned and whispered, "It's Concubine Hua."
My heart felt like it had been scratched by an extremely thin saw blade, and the deepest malaise surged up. Murong Shilan! That bright and cold woman also loved peony the most.
Huanbi on the side saw that I was deep in thought, and hurriedly scolded: "What are you talking about with all this nonsense? How unlucky is it to choose an attendant or not?" He added, "Why don't you pick some good oncidiums and send them to Tang?"
Pear Palace and Rouyi Palace.”
Master He was too busy, so I muttered softly, "If you think about it carefully, the domineering temper of Rong Xuan Shi is somewhat similar to that person."
Jinxi said: "My slave has checked her origins, and it only says that she worked in the Huanyi Bureau a few years ago, and was later sent to Lingbo Palace to serve incense and candles. She only came to Zhengui Concubine two years ago. Because she is smart and can break...
Concubine Zhen Gui admired her very much for her writings and kept her as a personal maid."
"Then what about before entering the clothing bureau?"
Jin Xi said: "This slave doesn't know anymore." I glanced at Huanbi and she understood, "This slave will inquire carefully."
As she spoke, she tilted her head, and the autumn rhododendron pinned to her temples dropped a pink petal. I picked up an oncidium in my hand and put it in my hair, which was as fluffy as dark clouds, and said with a smile: "
Although the azaleas in autumn are beautiful, you might as well decorate them with a few other flowers to make them look fresh."
Huanbi felt a little embarrassed, then smiled and said: "I didn't have time to wash my hair yesterday, so I didn't have to spoil the smell of the oncidium." Her face flushed slightly with shyness, "Besides, the flowers given by the lady should be pinned to the chest.
Solemnly." After saying that, he took off the gold-wire beaded brooch on his lapel and pinned the oncidium to his chest.
I felt deeply in my heart that rebirth is a bit desolate. Huanbi and I are different from each other. After a long time, we smiled very softly and sighed, "We are all just idiots——"
But I heard a gentle voice from behind: "Why are you talking about this? I think the autumn wind is getting stronger, and your Majesty is also feeling sad about autumn."
I turned around, and on my arm, the rose-dropped pearls were in full bloom, and the silk was fluttering gently in the wind. I smiled and said, "I don't know how to meditate. I just see the flowers and leaves withering. I don't realize that the mortal world is like a dream. Everyone is like a dream."
They're all just idiots."
Concubine Zhengui smiled lightly and said, "Although a fool is crazy, he will never wake up from the dream of the mortal world, and he is very happy with himself. The most painful thing is to be independent from the world, to be cold and self-aware."
Holding the thin and delicate petals of oncidium in his hand, he said, "It would be good if it were like this. There are many right and wrongs in the world of mortals. They often slander themselves and deceive themselves, and hallucinations occur frequently, making it difficult to distinguish the true from the false."
The concubine Zhengui has slender shoulders and a slender waist, and her whole body is as graceful as an elegant narcissus. As she approaches, a faint and lingering fragrance hits her face, "What the empress said is true, but when it is fake, it is also true. I am also very fond of it."
It’s hard to tell.”
I just looked at her with burning eyes and said, "My sister and I don't have a close relationship, but our pity for her is true."
Concubine Zhen Gui leisurely raised her eyes and looked at me with a somewhat confused look, "Yan Yi is very grateful for your concubine's sympathy, but there is one thing that remains unclear."
"Sister, please tell me."
"The empress loves the emperor so much that she goes to the palace alone regardless of her status as a deposed concubine. Since the empress loves the emperor so deeply, why can she tolerate Yan Yi's love for the emperor?" She paused, "It's just because Yan Yi is not deeply attached to the emperor."