Forty-eight, the flute player goes to Yulou to go down
A few days later in the morning, the rain gradually stopped, and occasionally a drop of rainwater would fall down - it was the remaining rain accumulated on the broad-leaf bananas, which would splash all over the ground with a "swish" from the green leaves.
.
From the purple morning light in the east, a noble bright yellow shines like bright sunlight into the closed courtyard. I raised my head and smiled happily, "The Emperor is here."
He said with a faint smile, "Come on, aren't you surprised?"
"How could that happen?" I stopped my embroidery work and said with a smile, "This is the emperor's home. The emperor can come anytime he wants. Why should I be surprised?"
Xuan Ling had not set foot in the Rouyi Hall for several days. When the children saw him, they were so happy that they threw themselves on him. They held his hands and pulled his clothes like candy. Han'er was the liveliest one.
Beng hugged his neck and shouted affectionately, "Father--" Before he could finish his words, tears fell down.
I gently stroked Han'er's back and said with a smile: "Men don't want to cry. My father is busy with government affairs, so he didn't come to see you. Didn't you come today?" After saying that, I gave Xuan Ling a wink.
Xuan Ling's embarrassment was easily overcome by the child's affection and admiration. Unconsciously, he became more in love with his son. He hugged Run'er with one hand and Lingxi with the other, letting Han'er hang on his neck and act like a baby.
, as if he couldn’t see enough. He asked me again and again, “Where is Xue Po?”
I said gently: "It rained heavily and snowed a few days ago and I didn't sleep well. Now my wet nurse is holding me to sleep."
He coaxed several children to eat snacks and then sat down next to me.
Due to the nearly ten consecutive days of confinement, I dyed my temples black again while recuperating. The fine lines at the corners of my eyes were reduced by applying egg white on my face every day. They were also perfectly covered up with powder under Jin Xi's skillful hands.
.Since there was nothing to do all day long, I only wore a palace dress of bright and soft purple silk, without any pearls or emeralds. Xuan Ling looked at my face carefully and nodded unconsciously, "After seeing each other for a few days, Huan Huan seems much younger.
"
I stroked my cheek and said, half happy but not happy: "Is your Majesty referring to my concubine who has aged a lot?"
He consciously made a mistake and smiled unconsciously, "No. Everything is the same as before."
I embroidered a few stitches, then raised my head and smiled at him, "In my heart, everything is still the same as before." I rubbed my forehead, "I just feel that I haven't had any headaches recently, and I am in good spirits.
A lot."
He nodded and gently stretched out his hand to hug me, "I know I have wronged you."
I smiled softly and said, "The emperor is here, so naturally he intends not to cause my concubines to suffer any more injustice."
"Indeed." He nodded slightly, his eyebrows moved slightly, and his anger overflowed unconsciously, "Yunrong, she has lied to me for so many years."
Reflecting the increasingly clear dawn light outside the window, I was stunned, "How can I say this?"
Xuan Ling placed his hand heavily on the table, "Her piece of jade..."
I only learned the details from Xuan Ling's slightly sulky narration. That day, because of my ban, Wuyue had a dispute with Hu Yunrong in Yiyuan Hall, and accidentally knocked down Yunrong's jade. Yunrong
I have always regarded this jade as a good thing and hung it on my chest every day, refusing to show it to others. Suddenly it was broken into pieces by Long Yue. How could I not be furious? Even Xuan Ling was angry. After reprimanding, Long Yue must give it to her.
Repair it completely, otherwise she will be severely punished.
Wu Yue had always been used to being held in the palm of Xuan Ling's hands. How could he be so wronged? In anger, he went to the palace craftsmen, and they all said that they could only repair it with gold and jade, otherwise there was nothing they could do. Wu Yue had to find Wen Shichu and force him out.
The palace went to look for skilled craftsmen. Wen Shichu had no choice but to find the oldest skilled craftsman outside the palace. After handing over the jade, the master was hesitant. Wen Shichu became suspicious and asked in every possible way, only to find out that this master had done it more than ten years ago.
The piece was exactly the same. Wen Shichu knew that there was something fishy, so he immediately took him back to his mansion and took him to the palace that night to meet the saint.
I quietly stood next to Xuan Ling and sighed while being surprised, "Xian Fei comes from a wealthy family, why do you have such intentions?"
There was cold anger in his eyes, "Huan Huan, she has ulterior motives. More than ten years ago, she falsely claimed that she was born with a jade in her hands, so that I would accept her into the palace. In order to compete with you for favor and seize the throne, she did not hesitate to resort to the art of hating victory.
Curse you, making you sick and haggard."
I was shocked when I heard this, "Is this concubine actually cursed by a wise concubine?"
Xuan Ling looked disgusted, "I ordered an inspection of the Yanxi Palace because of her forgery of jade. Unexpectedly, several puppets were dug out under the flowers and trees in her palace. Those puppets had obviously been buried for many years, and they had all been born."
The names of you and Zhu Yixiu are engraved on the moss, and there are several silver needles stuck in it. The most taboo in the palace is the art of winning, and she went so cruelly to seek the throne." He said coldly: "It turns out that is what Ji Weisheng said.
Referring to her, she is a magical bird invented in the East, and suddenly became a phoenix, and it is related to jade. She is the one who causes trouble and makes trouble. She has also deceived me for many years with the jade bi. No wonder the sky is angry and people are resentful, and they dare to encourage me to abandon it to you.
His face was gloomy, "I have abolished her position as a good concubine, reduced her to a talented person, and lived in a separate palace. She is not allowed to go out without an edict."
I was silent for a moment and then said hesitantly: "However, Emperor Hehu is still young, and it is not appropriate for the Emperor to anger Emperor Ji."
Xuan Ling calmed down his anger slightly, nodded and said, "I have given He Hui to Yan Yi to raise. Yan Yi has a pure and quiet temperament, and is more suitable for raising children than her."
"After this incident, the emperor should no longer have the idea of abandoning the Zhu family and establishing a new queen." I stood up seriously and bowed solemnly, "If the emperor has such an idea, it is inevitable that someone will covet her. The emperor has promised to empress Zhaocheng.
'The noble family will not abolish the queen', then please ask the emperor to tell the world clearly that he will neither establish a new queen nor abolish the queen. Only in this way can people in the harem be at peace."
Xuan Ling looked at me deeply, as if he was thinking about it. After a long time, he leaned over and looked at me, "Huan Huan, do you really think so?"
I raised my face and looked back at him calmly, "Yes."
He had a faint smile and said, "But after this incident, I have chosen you as my queen."
I bowed my head and worshiped again, "I have received the honor of divine grace and been registered as the imperial concubine. It is really not suitable for me to be honored and favored again. Besides, the emperor's promise to the Queen Mother should not be changed because of me. If I am side by side with Empress Chunyuan, I am not worthy of it."
I'm afraid that I will lose my good fortune and my life." I opened my lips softly and said something unspeakable, "The emperor made an exception and appointed this concubine as the imperial concubine. There has been a lot of controversy in the court. Didn't Lord Sikong give advice many times? I don't want to live above the charcoal fire.
, making it difficult for the emperor to be separated from his husband and his subjects."
He smiled faintly, stretched out his hand to help me up, with a distant look on his face, "If that's the case, I won't force you." He paused, "However, if you really want to seize the throne, then you are no different from Hu Yunrong."
I smiled lightly and stared at him, "I just have a small request."
He said gently: "You say."
"I don't like that Ji Wei was born in the palace." I muttered, "After all, he had a close relationship with the Hu family."
Xuan Ling thought for a moment and said, "He has passed the imperial examination. Although he has a close relationship with the Hu family, he does not favor her. Since you don't like him in front of you, I will let him serve as a foreign official."
I smiled, tilted my head and said, "He is actually not bad, he has some abilities. After all, the emperor cherishes talents, so let him go. I just want to be out of sight."
A few days later, the sun was shining brightly, and I was returning from the Imperial Concubine Palace in a sedan chair along the red walls and red walls. I met Ji Weisheng who was coming out of Yiyuan Hall to express his gratitude. He stopped and saluted me. I glanced slightly sideways and said calmly: "Congratulations.
Mr. Ji. I just wonder how many ranks of officials the emperor has given you?"
"From Qipin County Cheng."
I smiled meaningfully and said, "Compared to the fifth-grade official position of Master of Ceremonies of the Qintian Supervisor, being released to the outside world will be unfair to you."
He nodded silently, then raised his eyebrows and smiled, "In Qin Tianjian, the master of ceremonies is already the highest position. No better than the county magistrate. There is always some future in doing things with heart. It's just that the humble minister is just a little good at observing the sky. How can he show it to others?
For a local petty official, the emperor has made things difficult for a minor official."
"Being good at observing the sky, being able to tell the weather, and understanding people's hearts is already a very good skill. If you are also smart and know how to advance and retreat, you will have a bright future. But I always feel that the county magistrate is a little aggrieved."
He smiled and said respectfully: "I will follow your empress's example and not care about temporary gains and losses. Thank you for your concern, empress."
I looked sideways at him and smiled as softly as autumn light, "I would like to thank you very much. Take care of yourself along the way."
He lowered his hands and respectfully sent me away, and walked out of Ziao City without looking back.
The autumn wind blew up a few veins of withered yellow leaves on the bluestone slabs of Yongxiang, making a rustling sound. I half-leaned on the luan sedan and closed my eyes to rest, feeling the coolness of the wind under the palace wall through the light silk fabric on my skin.
Fallen leaves piled up all over the ground, and the branches that had lost their green leaves stretched sadly towards the sky where only a sliver could be seen. Everything was lifeless and withered and yellow. The long alleys where only low-class or out-of-favor concubines lived were even more desolate.
I don’t know how long I’ve been walking, but I heard a voice as cold as frost calling out: “May the imperial concubine be blessed with peace and happiness.”
I opened my eyes, and a touch of verdant and dark green came into my eyes, which made me feel fresh and dazzling in the eternal alley against the red and yellow.
It's Ye Lanyi!
Since Xuanqing's death, Ye Lanyi, who already liked to wear green, increasingly only wore green clothes and moon-white gauze skirts. All her jewelry was mostly decorated with sterling silver, making her look even more soft and elegant in the deserted scene. After the prince passed away, the concubines were no longer needed.
Sufu, Lanyi just missed Qing in her own way. What's more, since Xuan Qing passed away, she was rarely willing to serve Xuan Ling anymore.
I cannot be infatuated with this kind of love.
My heart suddenly felt sour, and I said gently: "Concubine Yan, please get up."
She was quiet for a moment, and looked at me with her long, narrow and deep eyes without saying a word. I understood, got off the sedan and walked to her side, and said politely: "The autumn scenery is just right, would you like to accompany me for a walk?"
She shook her head gently, and the hair hanging down from her temples fell loosely on her shoulders. For a moment, it was blown to her face by the wind and messed up. Her respectful expression was completely inconsistent with the deep and fierce look in her eyes. She said lightly: "Thank you for your love, my queen."
, I still need to take a step forward."
Seeing her expression as usual, I thought she had let go of her sadness for Xuan Qing. I felt a little comforted and told her, "This person has passed away. Please take care of yourself."
Her face was originally calm, but she smiled brightly when she heard this, revealing her teeth as white as shells, which were shining brightly. "Of course, I am a concubine of the emperor. This life is precious and precious, so it is of great use."
She yawned tiredly and breathed like blue, "I haven't been to the Liger Garden for a long time, and I don't know how old the leopards I used to raise are."
I nodded and said, "Since you have something to do, you might as well go first."
She paused and said, "I just came from Yiyuan Palace. Your Majesty said that the loss of acacias in the late autumn is annoying, so he has issued an order to cut off all the acacias in the Luoyue Kaiyun Pavilion."
My heart was shaken. Worry and sadness surged up at the same time, like ice water flowing over my body in December. In the end, I just sighed, "The emperor doesn't even want to keep these acacias!"
She sneered lightly, her brows filled with confusion and sorrow, "Those acacias were given by the late emperor when the prince turned five, with the intention of wishing the prince happiness every year and joy every year."
Those were the years when Xuan Qing was at his peak, and they also reflected Xuan Ling's loneliness and unhappiness. They were years that were not cherished by his father, and probably memories that Xuan Ling would not want to touch in his entire life.
"The emperor's will is right. We are all gone, so how can we have fun every year? It's okay to chop it down." She didn't care about my slightly shocked face, she lightly cut my face with her eyes, and smiled sarcastically, "Concubine.
I know that your Majesty can’t speak out and can’t speak out, so I say it for your Majesty.”
I felt relieved and kept my calm posture, "What did you say?"
She came close to me and said without saying a word, "Those Albizia japonicas were the gifts he gave you on the day you became Concubine Shu, weren't they? It would make you feel heartbroken every night. The concubine said that she couldn't sleep at night, so she wanted to keep the Albizia japonicas for cooking.
To cure the disease." She stroked her heart and said, "It's okay. The emperor agreed and asked someone to transplant those acacias into the concubine's palace."
I stared deeply and felt a gentle comfort like water in my heart, "Thank you very much."
She snorted coldly and turned away. The silver tassels on Qushui's hairpin rustled against her smooth forehead, giving it a cool and sinuous luster. "I don't want to part with those albizia flowers." She looked at me with a squinting eyebrow.
The anger and resentment on her face swept away, and suddenly turned into a cold and poisonous sharp blade. She slowly spat out a few words, "Don't let him go so easily."
I asked: "Who?"
She smiled casually, and immediately a soft light spread over her cheeks, "I mean, Hu Yunrong was only demoted to a talented person, which would be too cheap for her."
I smiled leisurely, nodded deeply, and watched her walk away, until her veins of green disappeared in the corner of the deep palace lane with dead leaves. In the huge Ziao City, the bustling city was filled with beauties, and she was left alone with a cold look.