March 16th, the 24th year of Qianyuan Dynasty, was the time of spring.
The spring sunshine quietly covers every corner of Weiyang Palace like light silk. The sixteen flower trees in the courtyard are blooming as white as new snow, and colorful butterflies are fluttering among the branches and flowers. It is particularly beautiful. But all this is better than
Apart from the grand talent show in the Yunyi Palace, the so-called joy of spring is all happening in the Yunyi Palace at this moment.
Because the queen still needs to rest and should not be overly stressed, she asked me and the concubine De to stay with her. The queen and the three concubines accompanied the emperor in the selection process in the Yunyi Palace. The showgirls have already been selected twice, and the zodiac signs cannot be matched.
The emperor must not have any scars or disabilities, and must not have a heavy stutter. Various conditions, down to the thickness of the voice, are included in the selection. The beautiful women who can come to Yunyi Palace today are naturally rare beauties.
There was still half a cold moon in the sky, so I got up and dressed up. This was the first time since the founding of the Zhou Dynasty that a concubine attended the draft ceremony in person, so I had to treat it with great ceremony. I am like this, and so must be the concubine De and the noble concubine.
I remembered that I had a joke with Concubine De in the afternoon yesterday. Su Suixin, a veteran minister of the former dynasty, heard that Concubine Shu was attending the draft ceremony. He immediately reported to Xuan Ling and accused me of "fooling the emperor and corrupting the palace rules. The queen is still alive, but she dares to violate the rules." Until Xuan Ling.
She persuaded him with a smile, "The queen is indeed alive, but her health is not good. Besides, if Concubine Shu is charming, the concubine De and the noble concubine who are going with her will also become charming. Concubine Shu is in charge of the Sixth Palace, but she is not arbitrary and domineering. She always consults the concubine on everything.
Together with the virtuous concubine, she is extremely virtuous and a role model for the harem."
I said with a smile, "Without Sister De Fei and Sister Guifei, I would be a charming and charming master; with two sisters, I would be an example of virtuousness. It can be seen that these two sisters are the banner of virtuousness. I have to hide wherever I go."
It’s better to live under your banner.”
Concubine De laughed so hard, "Without you, Sister Guifei and I are just Concubine De and Concubine in an empty space, just looking for a place to cool off by ourselves. Not to mention Sister Concubine, Wen Yi who lost his biological mother, who dares to look down on us now?"
she!"
I closed my eyes and said nothing. There was no one in the court who would not look at Xuan Ling's face. As for Sikong Suisin, he was an old minister. Back then, he tried to protect the Zhu family from ascending to the throne. Now, how can you see how I can gradually change the throne of the queen?
Eclipse empty.
Jin Xi's gestures were even and gentle, and the purple sunflower powder made up her face delicately and delicately. She completely lost the tiredness from reading the memorial for Xuan Ling until midnight last night. I smiled softly, "old" is the most important thing for an veteran, and he is a veteran of two dynasties.
, assisting the emperor. However, he also lost to the "old". Why should I fight with him? His enemy is time.
When I opened my eyes, Jinxi had already finished dressing me up. I smiled lazily. Because I was hosting the talent show, I wore a crimson-colored dress, which was slightly darker than the royal queen's. The clothes were too gorgeous, and there was always the suspicion of overshadowing the guest. After all,
The Queen is still in her position. Her clothes are too simple and disrespectful to the etiquette. How can we neglect such a grand ceremony? I have no intention of provoking the Queen's authority and causing trouble on such occasions, so I still wear the red gold and jade ornaments made by the concubine in a formal manner.
A six-winged crown, combed into a fairy bun, and no other ornaments.
At dawn, Huichun from the Queen's Palace has come to invite the Queen, "May the Queen be blessed and safe. The beautiful girls have been selected in the Yunyi Palace. The Queen has ordered the servants to come to invite the Queen. Don't waste the time."
The chariot and sedan chair were already prepared. When we entered the palace, the queen was already sitting on it. I smiled lightly. In front of others, she will always be the empress of the palace with no loss of grace. The noble concubine is on the left, and I and Concubine De are on the right. Xuan
Ling has not arrived yet. Among the three concubines, I am the last to arrive.
The vast and far-reaching grand hall was filled with beautiful ladies like flowers and jade, but it was so quiet that they didn't even hear the rustling of their clothes, and there was no one to teach them. There were already beautiful ladies who took the lead in kneeling down to say hello, and the sound of the mountain shouts drowned them out.
Wearing a jade ring, "May the Queen be blessed and safe."
Yan Yuese and I said "get up". After I saluted the queen, I exchanged greetings with the noble concubine and the concubine De.
After I sat down, Concubine De smiled quietly in my ear, "The Queen arrived first, but the ladies were not so neat and respectful in their encore."
I glanced at the queen with a dignified appearance and said in a low voice: "Whatever wind blows in the palace, rain falls outside the palace, it's always been like this."
Concubine De looked at the empress with a gentle look that showed infinite coldness, "Concubine Shu is in power and the empress has no favor. It is a certainty. Who doesn't know it?"
When Xuan Ling arrived, the eyes of all the show girls were ignited, like stars shining brightly in the dark night. After some salutes, the talent show began.
In fact, there is nothing new or unexpected. The focus of this draft is to show off. And Xuan Ling and I know very well that all the effort has been settled on Xu Yiren.
I was sitting on a high seat, looking down at those beautiful women with some confusion and intoxication. Sitting in the depths of such a lofty hall, above the young beings, I listened to the eunuch's uniquely pregnant and high-pitched voice reporting to each woman.
family background, name, age; listening to Concubine De occasionally whispering in my ear a few comments about the appearance of a beautiful woman; watching the rows of beautiful faces kneeling down to salute devoutly and respectfully in accordance with palace rules, raising their heads and facing the saints.
; Watching their eyes flow softly through Xuan Ling's face, through the ostentatious throne, and through their expectations and worries about future glory.
They look so much like me in the past, Meizhuang in the past, and An Lingrong in the past.
As time goes by, it only makes people feel ruthless. Yunyi Palace is still Yunyi Palace, only its appearance has changed. Now, I am left alone on the throne, looking at the past time as if it has come back before my eyes, a mirror-like scene.
bustling.
"Zhu Qianwei, the daughter of Zhu Hengming, the imperial official of ceremony, is fourteen years old!" When the supervisor heard this name, his tone was extremely long.
Xuan Ling turned to the queen and asked, "Zhu Hengming—is he the queen's cousin?"
The Queen looked calm for a long time, and then she smiled with an ice-breaking smile, "Yes. My cousin has been taught by his mother since he was a child, and he is a very mature person. Qianwei is the cousin's daughter, and she has inherited her father's temperament, and she is quite sensible.
"
"It's good to be sensible." Xuan Ling called her, "Just take a few steps forward."
Xiwei stepped forward as instructed, and the queen raised her face. Concubine De understood this and raised a cup of tea and poured it on the ground. Xiwei, on the other hand, stepped through the water calmly, without any hesitation or evasion.
color.
Xuan Ling smiled unconsciously, "He is indeed a good tutor for Mrs. Zhu."
The queen smiled slightly, like the spring breeze blowing in her heart, "Xianwei is fourteen this year, and Yuli is sixteen, so they match in age. It's not that I am partial, I just like Xianwei's stability, just like Concubine Shu back then." She said.
He looked at me with a smile and said, "My sister was like this back then, but do you still remember?"
Xuan Ling recalled the past, and a gentle smile appeared on his lips. He looked at Qianwei and said, "Today's dress is also very appropriate, simple yet noble."
Xiwei was wearing a sunflower-colored gauze blouse with large sleeves and colorful embroidery of flowers and birds, and a smoky green peony-patterned chest-length underskirt, which indeed made her look quite elegant.
Standing two rows behind Qianwei was the worried Xu Yiren. She bit her lip and beads of sweat appeared on the tip of her nose. However, the beautiful girl in front of her was too tall, which completely obscured her face.
Xuan Ling has been busy with government affairs these days, and it is possible that he has forgotten about Xu Yiren. I feel worried. Because of the Zhu family, Xuan Ling seems to like Zhu Qianwei.
Wei, all the previous efforts were in vain.
I smiled and said, "The queen has praised me. I was not as young and steady as Miss Zhu back then. It was just a mistake." My eyes were gentle, only fixed on Xuan Ling, "The emperor loves his eldest son, Zhu, the most.
The young lady comes from a descendant family and has a distinguished status, so it would be appropriate for her to be matched with the emperor's eldest son. Miss Zhu and the emperor's eldest son are cousins. I wonder if they have ever met each other in the palace, and do they still like each other?"
The queen was about to speak, but Concubine De seemed unaware and said with a smile: "Miss Zhu is very good at choosing the color of clothes. Smoked green is the emperor's favorite color. I remember that the emperor's eldest son Suri likes cherry color very much."
Come on, if the eldest son of the emperor sees Miss Zhu, he will also think that she is more suitable for the emperor."
Xuan Ling shook his head and chuckled, "Concubine De and Concubine Shu have been together for a long time, and they are used to Concubine Shu's slippery tongue."
Concubine De smiled happily, raised the ink-and-wash fan with a mask and pointed it from a distance, "Speaking of which, isn't there a cherry-colored woman in the same row as Miss Zhu?"
Xuan Ling casually made a move, and it was Xu Yiren who came out, wearing a new dress of cherry red with broken pear blossom gauze, a moon-white water-patterned damask skirt underneath, and a long hairpin of plum blossoms and silver beads, which was refreshing yet charming.
The supervisor of the ceremony sang: "Xu Yiren, the adopted daughter of the Duke, is sixteen years old."
When Xuan Ling heard the words "Xu Yiren", his eyebrows moved, he looked down, nodded unconsciously and said: "She has a good appearance and is about the same age as Yu Li." He asked Yiren standing at the foot of the steps, "Can you read
Have you ever read a book?”
Without thinking, Yiren said, "In addition to Women's Rules, I have also read Poems and Books."
Xuan Ling thought about it and said, "I will test the Xu family and the Zhu family. You can think about it before you answer me." The two of them respectfully answered "yes". Xuan Ling said: "The opening chapter of "The Book of Songs" is "Guan Ju".
What is the meaning of 'Guan Guan Jiujiu, in the river island. A graceful lady, a gentleman likes to quarrel'?"
Qianwei pondered for a while and said calmly: "Three hundred poems, the thoughts are innocent. "Guan Ju" talks about the virtues of the concubine. He is happy to have a lady to match a gentleman. He is worried about promoting the virtuous and not to be lascivious. As a virtuous concubine, she should be
To obtain ladies for the king and to produce heirs."
This is Mao Fuzi's interpretation of the Book of Songs. There is no difference between the interpretation of the sages and the sages. The queen nodded with a smile, took a cup of tea and took a sip, looking quite relaxed.
Yiren was hesitant, but remained silent. Unable to withstand the repeated urgings of the inner prisoner, for a moment, she seemed to be extremely cruel, calmed down, looked up and said with a smile: "Three Hundred Poems, the value of the people is the simplicity of the people and the natural behavior.
Both ladies and gentlemen come from the common people. A lady is slim and graceful, and a gentleman thinks about her when he sees her. This shows that the people are not stubborn. A gentleman cannot get what he wants, and is not rude. He only ponders over it. This shows that the people are honest and honest. They are not people who take things by force, but are educated.
Gong. Therefore, I think that "Guan Ju" only describes the folk customs and does not talk about the virtues of the concubines. The people are all ladies and gentlemen, and people of noble character are not limited to the concubines. How can the world not be in good order?"
Xuan Ling pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, stroking his palms: "It's good to see a great virtue with a small courtesy."
The queen frowned slightly and said softly to Xuan Ling: "I heard that Duke Sui only has two sons. This Xu family is an adopted daughter and her family background is not high."
Xuan Ling glanced at her, still smiling, "Have you already made up your mind about the queen? I am asking a lady to be my wife, and it is not necessary to be from a wealthy family."
The queen hurriedly lowered her head, "That's not true." The queen thought for a moment, "The emperor doesn't want his concubines to comment on this matter, so why not... let the eldest son of the emperor make his own choice, after all, it is his own marriage."
Concubine De looked at me with a smile, turned to the empress and said, "Actually, the emperor and the empress can just make up their minds. Why do you need to ask the eldest son of the emperor? The eldest son of the emperor still has to listen to the two of you after all."
The queen hesitated for a moment, then saw Xuan Ling looking at Yiren with an approving look, her eyes suddenly sank and she said, "Please let the eldest son of the emperor make his own decision."
After a while, the eldest son of the emperor had arrived. The queen called him forward with gentle words, and tied his hair with a golden crown.
Leave it to her if you wish." She solemnly warned, "It's time for you to make your own decision about marrying a wife with virtue."
Yu Li held Ruyi in his hand and hesitated, "Please ask your father, the emperor, and your queen to make the decision for your son."
Xuan Ling frowned, "You don't have to ask anyone now, you just make up your own mind."
Yu Li saw that the queen had no expression on her face, and Xuan Ling didn't say much. She looked at me as if asking for help, her gentle face full of tenderness. I said gently: "Go down, your highness. Marrying a wife is a lifelong matter, the most important thing is
Only when the relationship is close can the husband and wife be harmonious and the royal family be harmonious."
Yu Li hesitated for a moment, then without thinking any more, she walked directly in front of Xu Yiren. The queen's expression suddenly changed and she called out: "Li'er——"
Yu Li suddenly turned around, that gentle expression covering his brows like a floating cloud again. He hesitated and said respectfully, "What are your instructions, Queen Mother?"
The Queen smiled kindly and said, "What advice can I give you, Mother? I just want to remind you that jade is as important as your wish, so be careful and hold it securely."
Yu Li's silence spread like stagnant water in the hall. The look of helplessness in his eyes gradually deepened, and he whispered: "Yes."
I felt slightly anxious and looked down coldly at Xu Yiren who was equally anxious and helpless.
Her raised eyes met my cold gaze. She was such a smart person, how could she not know that she had been selected by the emperor's eldest son. Once she was not selected, even Xuan Ling would not accept her again. She rushed into the palace with such excitement.
, returned in disastrous defeat, I am afraid that even Suiguo Gongfu will no longer be able to gain a foothold.
It was just a moment of weakness. Xu Yiren lightly brushed her long temples, and a delicate peony with a slanted hairpin fell lightly on her temples. She sighed in a low voice: "What a pity for this 'beautiful face'."
Yu Li suddenly took a deep breath, slowed down his gestures, and Yu Ruyi passed in front of Qianwei and came to Yiren.
The Queen's expression dimmed, and she was about to speak, but it was too late. Yi Ren's hands had already firmly grasped Ru Yi, and she knelt down with her hands flat. She smiled like a delicate rose blooming on her flushed cheeks, "Thank you, my lord."
Your Highness, thank you very much, Your Majesty, for your love."
The Queen let out a sigh, like a long sigh, and the last sound blended into the quiet air of Yunyi Palace. Zhu Qianwei couldn't hide her disappointment and slowly retreated into the queue. Yu Li seemed a little uneasy and looked at the Queen.
Said: "Does the Queen Mother disagree?"
The queen shook her head silently and then regained her composure, "No. You have your own ideas. The queen is very happy." She paused and said meaningfully: "The eldest son of the emperor has indeed grown up."
Yu Li nodded, stretched out his hand to hold the handle of Ruyi, and took Yiren over to bow. Xuan Ling smiled and nodded, "Excellent. I also like the Xu family. I will get married to you on the twenty-sixth of next month."