Twenty-three, the former covenant and the present covenant are suitable for rest
Xuan Ling spent a whole day and night in the Shenxing Department before he came out. The imperial concubine and I knelt in the Tongming Hall for a full day and night. The imperial concubine prayed day and night. Every three hours, she would play her lute and express her infinite sorrow until her lips
She turned purple and refused to leave. I didn't know whether she was mourning Queen Chunyuan who taught her the pipa with her own hands, or whether she was mourning the child who was never born in her belly. Her worries were as deep as the sea, and I couldn't sympathize with her.
Finally, it was Emperor Wen Yi who came to accompany Chang Kneeling before she agreed to return to the palace to rest.
Xuan Ling had not come to my palace since the time when the Chief of Punishment came out. It was a long night of silence and the stars were cold and dim. I closed my eyes and wanted to go to sleep, but a headache followed me faintly. I seemed to be in a trance, but I heard more and longer sounds.
The hanging heart could not let go after all.
There was a figure standing outside the colorful curtain with hanging silver tassels. It was Jin Xi who said softly: "Your Majesty, the Emperor has summoned you to the Yiyuan Hall."
I asked: "What time is it updated?"
"At three o'clock in the morning," she paused, "Mrs. Zhuang Min has gone as ordered."
It was not the intention to go to bed, so I suddenly opened my eyes and ordered: "Change clothes."
The road to Yiyuan Hall was very familiar. The inner prisoner walking at night walked quickly and steadily. He could only hear the night breeze blowing into his temples, and the sedan chair went straight to Yiyuan Hall.
On the night of the ninth day of February, there was still a slight chill that invaded the skin. The evening breeze blew in through the window edges, and the Queen's hair on the temples was slightly floating, and her face without makeup was slender under the light of a pair of red candles.
The tattoos were all gone, and there was no place to escape. Because she was a victim of crime, all the jewelry and pearls were taken off. Only a pair of dark green jasper bracelets on Hao's wrists lay quietly. The queen's hair was pulled into a bun.
The low-hanging bun was tightly tied with a silver ribbon. She was kneeling on the ground wearing a full-body red palace dress with black swastika pattern and gold satin trim. The exquisite and unobtrusive pattern was spread out on the neckline.
Revealing a hint of collarbone due to weight loss.
Yunrong stood quietly beside Xuan Ling, with a sneer of pleasure and said nothing.
Xuan Ling closed his eyes slightly and pointed at Xiuxia and Huichun who were kneeling behind the queen: "They have already confessed, what else do you have to say?"
The queen glanced at the two tortured people, stretched out her hand to hold Hui Chun's nails that were pierced by long needles, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, Hui Chun and Xiu Xia have been tortured very painfully. Does such a confession count as a result of torture?"
Xuan Ling glanced coldly at the two people who were covered with whip marks, "The scars on her fingers were punished by me after she confessed. I punished them for being an accomplice and aiding the tyrant. Their confessions were also very clear. If they were beaten into a move, they would not be so consistent.
Confession." A trace of deep anger emerged from the corner of his lips, "Don't worry, if I hadn't interrogated her personally, I wouldn't have believed that the queen who had been with me for many years and had been so virtuous would be able to cruelly poison her own sister."
The queen said coldly: "Since the emperor already believes it, why bother to ask me again?"
Xuan Ling closed his eyes and said in disgust: "If I hadn't waited for you to confess in person, do you think I would still be willing to see your face?"
"My concubine is old and beautiful, which naturally offends the emperor. I just wonder if my sister is still here, does the emperor still really like her aging appearance? I really regret it. Maybe I should let the emperor see that my sister is like me now."
With her decayed appearance, perhaps the emperor would not hate my concubine so much."
"A kind heart leads to beauty. No matter how old Wan Wan is, she will definitely be thousands more than you."
The Queen smiled softly, revealing a delicate face like a rain-washed peach blossom. She lowered her head and gently touched the jade bracelets on her wrists that were as clear and transparent as clear water.
I put it on, and wish to see each other day and night with this ring. But now, if the emperor doesn’t think that I have made a mistake, I probably don’t want to see my concubine again.” She paused, and her tone became lower and lower, “Back then, the emperor was also obsessed with this ring.
Tell me that if I give birth to a prince, the throne will belong to me. But when I give birth to a prince, you have already married my sister as the queen, and even my child will be forced to become the son of a concubine, and I will
There will always be a concubine identity that cannot be shaken off."
Xuan Ling's eyebrows twisted into a river, "You know that I don't care about my concubine. In fact, my mother doesn't care either. My mother is a concubine, and I am also a concubine."
"Your Majesty, do you understand the pain of a woman who is a concubine? I have been wronged at home since I was a child. In the eyes of my father, I only have my sister who is a concubine. Because I am a concubine, I and my mother are rarely taken seriously. How can you do that?
clear?"
"I understand." Xuan Ling opened his eyes and stared at her, "It is precisely because I understand that I will treat you kindly after you enter the palace. Even if I am the only queen, you are the second best queen."
Her Concubine Xian. But you are never satisfied!"
The queen's voice was like broken ice floating on the water, "The throne that should have belonged to my concubine was taken away by my sister, and the crown prince's position that should have belonged to my son will also belong to someone else."
Just live under the halo of my sister, and will always be subordinate to her after entering the palace. Even all her husband's favor belongs to her. I want to be content, but it is really difficult to do so."
Xuan Ling let out a sigh of relief, "But you are indeed not as good as Wan Wan."
"So, I, my concubine, will have to suffer defeat and always be inferior to others?"
Xuan Ling suddenly slapped the table with his palm, which made the green-glazed teacup bang. The green tea leaves and green tea water spilled out, and the hot air flowed down with the pleasant fragrance of tea. Xuan Ling's face was slightly distorted,
"Wanwan is your biological sister!"
Yunrong took Xuan Ling's hand and blew it gently, saying softly: "Cousin, Zhu's snake-hearted heart is not worthy of your anger! If you are angry, just kill her."
The queen's eyes were extremely bright, with a hint of arrogance. She looked at Yunrong with contempt and disdain, "Hu Yunrong, if you want to talk more, wait until you sit on the throne of the queen! The emperor has not dethroned the queen, and I am still the queen.
, the emperor is talking, how can you allow your little concubine to interrupt!"
Yunrong sneered softly and smiled charmingly, "I follow the same example. Some people dare to murder the queen and take human life. I just interrupted it. It's not a heinous crime!"
The queen smiled softly and said coldly: "You don't have to be too impatient if you want the queen's seat in this palace. You don't have any stability and self-control. If I give you the queen's seat, you won't be able to sit there for a few days!" She turned her eyes and sneered.
He repeatedly said, "Now that the imperial concubine and concubine Shu are here, you are getting jealous first."
I bowed and bowed politely, "The Queen has high regard for me, I dare not be jealous of the queen."
"Don't you dare?" She lowered her face and sneered, "You have already done what you dare or dare not, so what else can you say? Do you dare to swear that today's weak situation in our palace was not caused by you?"
"No." I looked at each other calmly, "I believe that it is the reincarnation of heaven, and retribution is not good. Wrong has its end, debt has its owner, and what is owed will eventually be repaid."
The moment the window lattice opened and closed, a cold wind rushed in and rushed, causing the heavy brocade curtains to fall heavily. The wind finally blew in the face, bringing chill to the bones without leaving a trace, shaking the candle flames in the room. Xuan Ling was both angry and sad, "
Aren't you afraid of retribution? Have you ever dreamed of Wan Wan and her children chasing you for their lives at midnight?"
"If she can ask for it, just come and get it! To avoid the long night in Zhaoyang Palace, I always dream of my dead child crying to me." The flickering candlelight was dim, and the queen's face was blurred in the candlelight, like a
Like ink stains stained with water, faint hot tears slowly flowed out from her dry and empty eye sockets. They fell like hot tears like candle tears, burning through her body and mind, which were already riddled with wounds. "My concubine's son died of illness."
When she died, my sister was already pregnant. Your Majesty, you only cared about the joy of your sister's pregnancy. How could you ever remember that you had an eldest son? Your Majesty, my concubine's child died so pitifully! I carried him and walked for a whole day in the rain.
At night, I wanted to go to the Hall of Hell and beg the gods and Buddhas in the sky to exchange my concubine’s life for the life of my child! Before he was even three years old, he was scorched by a high fever and died! But my sister had a child, not her son.
Are you taking my son's life? How can I allow her to give birth to a prince and sit on the throne of my concubine's child? I am his mother, how can I endure it!"
I have never seen the Queen so out of sorts. She also has her own heartache that will never heal!
"You're crazy!" Xuan Ling's face was soaked with deep sorrow and he couldn't extricate himself. "It was me who insisted on marrying Wanwan, it was me who insisted on making her our queen, it was me who had a child with her!" He hurried over.
In front of the queen, he grabbed her collar and said, "Why don't you hate me?!"
He was very close to her face, and the queen's warm breath brushed against Xuan Ling's face. Her breath gradually became rapid and intense, and her eyes wandered to his face like greed, "Does the emperor think that I don't want this?"
She stared at Xuan Ling, as if she wanted to bury his face and body in her eyes, "I want to hate you so much, if I could do it, how could I not do it!" Hot tears slid down her cold eyes.
Cheeks, "The Emperor only has my sister in his eyes, but did you know that I love you as much as you do for your sister!"
"Cousin!" Yunrong whispered, her pretty face covered with strong hatred, "Don't talk to her anymore, she's disgusting!"
Xuan Ling coldly removed the hand that grabbed her collar, pulled a curtain and wiped his hands, then threw it away in disgust. He called me, "Huan Huan, draft a decree for me to abolish the queen."
I watched with cold eyes, just for this moment. All the quarrels and confrontations are not as clean and tidy as the abolition of the imperial edict!
I spread out the golden imperial edict of the Coiling Dragon, and with the full red pen like an arrow of red lotus flowers, I wrote in a meandering way:
"Queen Zhu, destiny is not blessed, she is flashy and unrealistic. She has caused prison lawsuits, slapped the court, and saw that there is no general. She has evil intentions that cannot be tabooed. How can she respect the ancestral temple and honor the world as a mother? She can be abolished as a commoner and placed in a cold palace.
.To punish the family members is to be ashamed of the past king. It is a great plan for the country, and it is not something that has been achieved."
After I finished writing, I put down the pen and read aloud to Xuan Ling. Each word was like a scorching flower blooming from my sharp wound. They were all watered by my heart full of hatred. My heart moved slightly, but there was an even greater joy.
my hatred.
The queen looked at her with an indifferent face, as if the abolition of the imperial edict was not written by her. She only murmured to her son who had died young, "Child, my child!"
Xuan Ling listened quietly and said, "That's enough." He lowered his head to take the red seal. I raised my head and met Yun Rong's ecstatic and joyful eyes, and unconsciously turned my head away.
After being deposed, there is only one red seal missing.
There is a cold and cold fragrance in the deep and vast palace, which seems to be the blooming of the jade stamens in the corridor far away. The cold fragrance is soaked by the cold wind and rain, and it becomes even more cold and glamorous.
In a stunned moment, there was a long "squeak--", and the palace door was slowly pushed open. The dragon-headed crutches were lifted step by step, and the sound of falling to the ground was as dull as thunder. The Queen Mother then leaned on the gilded dragon-headed crutches with that cold fragrance.
Step in slowly.
Coming late at night, the Queen Mother was just wearing a home-style long-sleeved azure blue satin dress, embroidered with gold threads, willow leaves, lake-blue purple aster flowers, the color was calm and elegant, and her autumn-colored cloud satin skirt was silently dragging on the ground, the two sides of the skirt were pressed.
The drooping lines of the tourmaline brocade heart tassel are gentle and straight, just like the bead-embedded double dragon-dot emerald hairpin stuck in the simple Ruyi high bun. Even the south bead tassel at the mouth of the dragon's mouth does not move at all, without any unnecessary wrinkles and waves.
, which made her posture even more lofty and calm. I secretly sighed, how could such a demeanor have such a noble and stable aura as Mount Tai if it hadn’t been for decades of experience in the palace. It’s ridiculous to speak noblely in the market, what kind of white jade is made of gold for the palace?
Ma, who comes from a boudoir family of generals and prime ministers, always thinks that gold, jewels, jade, silk and satin can be piled up. It is just a vulgar and warm imagination in the world of food and clothing. The true noble charm must have experienced hardships and looked down upon the world.
Qingyuan can hold on.
When Xuan Ling saw the Empress Dowager arriving in person, he hurriedly stood up to greet her. Yun Rong and I did not dare to neglect and kowtowed in greeting.
The Queen Mother held Xuan Ling's hand and sat down on the throne in the middle. She coughed twice and asked slowly: "Has the edict to abolish the Queen Mother been issued?"
Xuan Ling was startled and said respectfully: "There is only one scarlet seal left."
The Queen Mother said "hmm" and said: "The Ai family has bad eyesight. Yunrong, please come and read it to the Ai family."
Yunrong was slightly afraid, looked at me, and finally picked up the edict and read it tremblingly.
The Queen Mother glanced at her and said, "The voice is very good and I can read clearly, just don't tremble." The Queen Mother turned to look at me and said, "The words are concise and concise, it should be Concubine Shu's handwriting."
I lowered my head gently, "Yes."
The Queen Mother's face was full of sorrow, and her eyes looking at the Queen could not hide the look of disgust and sorrow, "Concubine Shu, I did not exaggerate your sins!" Her eyebrows trembled, and a heavy sorrow flashed through her eyes. She raised her cane and was about to go to the Queen.
Hit it on your body!
The dragon head crutch is made of red gold with a dragon head and golden nanmu as the handle. It is hard and heavy. If the stick is used, the queen will be disabled even if she does not die!
This incident happened so suddenly that Yunrong was so frightened that she almost dropped the edict. The queen was so shocked that her face turned pale, but she refused to escape. She straightened her spine and prepared to bear the stick.
However, after all, the crutch only stopped halfway. The Queen Mother pushed it hard on the ground, and only heard a deep "dong--". The echoes echoed loudly, as if the Queen Mother was full of anger and pain at this time. The Queen Mother did not look at her anymore, only cold words
He said coldly: "It was the mistake of the Ai family to ask you to enter the palace in the first place."
The queen slowly raised her head, her breathing gradually became heavier and faster. The sound was like a drum beat one after another, beating desperately in her ears. She held a hopeless smile and said, "The queen's mistake was not to welcome me into the palace."
, It’s not that I shouldn’t agree to welcome my sister into the palace. Since I gave birth to Yu, how can I give birth to Liang? My mother is so wise, how can I not understand?”
Perhaps the palace was too spacious, and the Queen Mother's breathing was cold and long, "It's because the Ai family values your sisterhood too much."
"Sisterly love?" The queen sneered slightly, the smile seemed to spread from the bottom of her chest, with a hint of suffocating sadness, "You can even attack people who are close to each other, but the love between sisters may not be that deep! What's more, when it comes to how to treat sisters, I am completely convinced by my mother's methods!"
The Queen Mother's aging cheeks were as pale as the withered lotus in the Taiye Pool. Xuan Ling saw it at a glance and shouted sternly: "How can you be so arrogant to the Queen Mother!"
The queen smiled slightly at Xuan Ling, her dark pupils had lost the solemn brilliance of the past, and seemed to be filled with endless emptiness and despair. She slowly said: "From the beginning of my career, I must rely on Kun Cheng's healthy and smooth work to prepare for the unexpected." Governance, combined with internal duties, the transformation of the family began to prosper. However, the long-term emptying of the middle pot, Yi Hongyi's initiative, Aiji Maodian, and Xie Yi Zhang. Zi'er photographed the Sixth Palace, the Xian noble concubine Zhu, Xiu Yu's famous family , Xiangzhong Shide, I have been serving you for a long time, I am cautious and respectful in my respect, and I am generous and peaceful in my subordinates. I have a seal and a fragrant appearance; Orchid Curtain; Bingde and Wen Gong, and the letter can be passed down in the Jiao Palace. In the past, the Sixth Palace was unified and the post was taken, so it is appropriate to follow the previous regulations; now I read it for three years and it will expire, and it will be a ritual to respect the emperor. I respectfully serve the emperor. The empress dowager ordered you to be the queen with a gold book and a gold treasure. You followed Yi's instructions and showed your integrity in Yeting. You practiced gentle and pure etiquette, just like Changle, and performed the duties of frequent rites in the deep palace. The benevolence of the wood will forever bring good fortune to the queen; the virtues of the cocoon hall and the bow of the robe, the front emblem of the bow, showing the destiny of a dragon, and the growth of Hongma. Thank you!" (1) This was her edict to establish the queen that year. , every word was exchanged for her hard work, blood and life, and she recited it fluently.
The Queen Mother turned a deaf ear and looked at Xuan Ling calmly, "Emperor, there is a red seal missing, which means that the Queen has not been deposed."
Xuan Ling's face darkened, and his attitude became more submissive, "Mother, the Zhu family's crime is unforgivable, and I have no choice but to abolish her to appease the spirit of Wanwan Jiuquan. I hope my mother will not dissuade her."
The Queen Mother smiled slightly and said, "You have said it before. It's fine. You asked the Ai family not to dissuade them, and the Ai family has no intention to dissuade them. I came to see the emperor at night, but I just dreamed about Wan Wan's past years, and wanted to tell the emperor. .”
Xuan Ling looked stern and said, "Yes."
The Queen Mother caressed Xuan Ling's shoulder lovingly, "Aijia knows your feelings for Ah Rou very well. You must still remember what she said. So, Aijia just reminds you." The Queen Mother coughed. , said in a low voice: "Do you still remember what Ah Rou told you while lying on your knees before she died?"
Xuan Ling's body was shaken, shocked and stunned. His expression quickly calmed down and he said clearly: "My son, I will never forget it. It's just that the Zhu family's crimes are extremely heinous."
The cold wind gently knocked on the carved window lattice, carrying the damp and cold breath of the rain-soaked vegetation through the deep palace. The candle on the copper platform had been burning for a long time, and the candle wick was black and curled, and even the light of the flame gradually dimmed. Clusters of fireworks danced weakly in the lampshade of crimson gauze, and the dim orange light and shadow increasingly illuminated the scene in the hall, which was dark and unclear.
The Queen Mother said calmly: "The Ai family is just asking you."
Xuan Ling struggled to swallow the suppressed resentment and anger in his throat, and said in a deep voice: "At that time, Wanwan was dying, and she lay on my knees and begged." He closed his eyes and said clearly every word: "I am not lucky. , I can’t grow old together with Shiro, and I can’t even keep our children. I only have a sister, I ask Shiro to be kind to her no matter what in the future, and don’t abandon her!”
Shiro! Shiro! She was the one who called him so lovingly back then!
The Queen Mother's long sigh hit my heart coldly, and she said: "You personally promised Ah Rou that you will never give up and practice!"
Xuan Ling shouted angrily: "Queen Mother!"
"Your Majesty!" The Queen Mother suppressed Xuan Ling's grief and anger, "If you ignore your promise to Ah Rou and don't even obey her last words, how can you face her when we meet in hell one day?"
Xuan Ling's face was filled with sorrow, and she couldn't help herself. The Queen Mother looked at him with pity, and her words were stern but unflinching, "You now dislike Yi Xiu, and you don't even want to call her by her name. You keep claiming that she is Zhu. But don't forget, Ah.
How can Rou not be the Zhu family, and how can your queen mother not be the Zhu family? The Ai family will only tell you one thing - the Zhu family cannot have a deposed queen!"
The queen mother cast a cold glance at me and Yun Rong from the corner of her eye, "You two had better remember this."
I lowered my head gently and answered "yes" calmly.
The Queen Mother no longer ignored me and persuaded Xuan Ling in a gentle voice: "Ah Rou is intelligent by nature, and her mind is the clearest before death. She may not be unaware of what Yi Xiu did, so she begged you so hard. What Yi Xiu did,
——The Ai family can’t tolerate her! The Ai family advises you, just leave room for meeting Arou in the future, and don’t make her soul uneasy. The Zhu family of Yi Xiu is also the Zhu family of Arou, ——Don’t
All her efforts were in vain!"
Xuan Ling just looked at her in deep silence, and the Queen Mother said warmly: "The Queen Mother is a dying person, so you must not listen to my words. But you have to remember that your mother is the Zhu family, your first wife is the Zhu family, and you are also dripping with blood.
With Zhu's blood!" After saying this, she held Aunt Sun's hand and ordered: "Zhu Xi, take the queen back."
It was extremely quiet in the palace, and even the sound of agarwood shavings melting in the incense burner was clear and unobstructed, as if the Queen Mother had never been here. Yunrong was still unwilling to accept it. She held his lapel and begged, "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother is ill and confused. Can you please
Don't be confused! So many children in the palace who died in vain are all your children!"
Xuan Ling sat quietly on the seat, only looking at me with silent and mournful eyes.
My heart became colder by the minute.
The next day, Xuan Ling's decree spread throughout the Sixth Palace, "Queen Zhu, destiny is not blessed, she is flashy, and she is not suitable for the mother to treat the world. She is the sister of Queen Chunyuan, and she has been serving in the palace for a long time. In memory of her old kindness, she placed her in Zhao
You can't get out of the Yang Palace without death. Concubine Shu takes charge of the Sixth Palace. Concubine Shu and Concubine De will assist you in managing the Sixth Palace. I admire this."
Not only that, Xuan Ling ordered people to take away the imperial edict of concubine, concubine, and empress, as well as the concubine's seal and treasure book, and ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to treat the empress in the most unscrupulous manner of dressing. He even told the Sixth Palace, "I will live and die with Zhu Yixiu."
Never meet again."
All grudges were severed, leaving her with only the title of queen.
There was a lot of discussion in the palace: "The two Zhus will be favored, which will bring great blessings and disasters. The queen's position will be shaken, and people's hearts will fluctuate like tides."
And the Queen Mother in the Yining Palace became increasingly ill in such a chaotic and cold early spring.
Note:
(1) Quoted from Qianlong’s edict conferring the title of empress on the imperial concubine Nala, with slight modifications.