Zhang Yanling walked slowly among the lush flowers and trees between the palaces. After leaving Qianqing Palace, he did not leave the palace because he had to go to Jingren Palace to see Queen Mother Zhang.
After the New Year, Queen Mother Zhang moved out of Kunning Palace and moved to Jingren Palace, one of the six east palaces. At the New Year's banquet, Zhu Houzhao was angered by Queen Mother Zhang, so he asked Queen Mother Zhang to move out of Kunning Palace. But In fact, Zhu Houzhao did not force Empress Dowager Zhang to move. Empress Dowager Zhang later offered to move out of Kunning Palace on her own initiative.
On the one hand, Kunning Palace is the palace of the emperor and the empress, and has always been the place where the empress lives. Although Zhu Houzhao has not yet married, and the position of the main palace is vacant, it will be vacated sooner or later. Naturally, it is impossible for the Empress Dowager Zhang to stay. On the other hand, Kunning Palace left too many memories and left too many traces of the life of the late emperor Zhu Youtang. Empress Dowager Zhang found it difficult to come out after seeing things and thinking about people. She also understood that she had to change places. Only by living there can you slowly come out.
Jingren Palace is not the best residence among the six east and west palaces, neither the facilities nor the area regulations are the best. Among the six east and west palaces, the best residence is undoubtedly the Changchun Palace among the six west palaces. It is a pity that the Empress Dowager Zhang There is something wrong in her heart. Changchun Palace is the place where the old Queen Mother beat little Jasmine to death with a cane, so Queen Mother Zhang naturally refuses to live there.
Of course, there are other palaces to choose from. The Renshou Palace on the easternmost side of the palace is also a good palace. Its shape and specifications are consistent with the status of the Queen Mother. Unfortunately, it is the place where the Empress Dowager Zhou was buried, and Empress Dowager Zhang still cannot go there. .
Therefore, after much selection, only Jingren Palace is suitable. It is far enough from Changchun Palace and Renshou Palace, and close enough to Qianqing Palace and Kunning Palace. Although the palace is smaller, the courtyard is cramped, and the furnishings are outdated. After a while, Queen Mother Zhang moved here anyway.
Zhang Yanling walked through the paths between the lush and poorly trimmed flower trees and came to the steps in front of Jingren Palace. Looking at the slightly shabby old palace of Jingren Palace, Zhang Yanling felt a little uncomfortable. He himself My sister became a widow at a young age. Her relationship with her son was not harmonious, and she now lives in this dilapidated palace. Although she can still live a well-fed life, most of her second half of her life will be spent in poverty. After going through this, it is still sad to think about it.
Moreover, I can't do anything to help her at the moment. Apart from coming to see her from time to time and talking to her, I'm afraid I can't give her much comfort. Besides, my sister's status as the Queen Mother also prevents me from coming frequently. Seeing her, I couldn't interfere too much in the affairs between the Emperor and the Queen Mother, otherwise it would be counterproductive. In the end, I still didn't have enough strength and power at the moment, so I had to make some considerations.
Zhang Yanling went up the steps and entered the entrance of the hall. The hall was deserted and deserted. The weather outside was hot, but when entering the hall, there was a feeling of coolness. After passing through the dim corridor of the front hall, the eyes finally became brighter. In the courtyard of the back hall The sun is shining brightly, the flowers and trees are in full bloom, and the eaves and railings are very bright. It seems that although the outside is dilapidated, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has renovated the apse.
"Master Hou? Is it Master Hou?" Someone from far away shouted in surprise, and a man quickly ran over and stepped forward to salute.
Zhang Yanling smiled and returned the courtesy: "How are you, Eunuch Zhang?"
That person was none other than Zhang Zhong, the personal eunuch beside Queen Mother Zhang.
"My servant is very nice. Oh, it's really the Marquis. The Queen Mother was still talking in the morning, saying that the Marquis has returned to Beijing, and I'm afraid he will come today. No, he is here as expected. Lord Marquis, the Queen Mother misses you." Zhang
Zhongxi said.
Zhang Yanling laughed and said: "Isn't this coming? Is the Queen Mother here?"
Zhang Zhongdao: "Yes, yes, Lord Marquis, come with me. The Queen Mother is in the back garden."
Zhang Zhong led Zhang Yanling through the corridor to the back garden. After entering the back garden vertical door, he saw several people busy in a small vegetable garden under the sun. One of them, wearing a bamboo hat and cloth,
She was dressed exactly like a peasant woman, holding a small hoe and weeding in the vegetable patch. Zhang Yanling recognized it at a glance and it was the Queen Mother Zhang.
Zhang Zhong was about to report loudly, but Zhang Yanling waved his hand and walked over slowly. At noon, the sun was so fierce that even standing in the sun was burning, but the Queen Mother Zhang didn't seem to care, and she continued to weed and kept talking.
The two palace maids beside him were talking.
"These weeds must be removed, otherwise they will absorb the fertility of the ground. Don't look at these grasses, they have great vitality. Without them, crops and vegetables will not grow fat. The Ai family doesn't know anything else.
I still understand these..."
Zhang Yanling said with a smile: "The Queen Mother knows so much. It turns out that the Queen Mother's family is farming, hahaha."
Queen Mother Zhang was stunned, straightened up and turned her head with surprise. When she saw Zhang Yanling standing on the path next to the vegetable patch, her eyes suddenly shone with surprise. She threw away her hoe and ran over quickly, carrying her skirt.
"Is it Trillium? Oh, you little monkey, is it really you? You didn't even know what to say, it scared me. You little monkey."
Zhang Yanling smiled and was about to bow her hands, but Queen Mother Zhang hugged Zhang Yanling and started sobbing.
"Second sister, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Who bullied you? Brother, go beat him up." Zhang Yanling said with a smile.
"Little monkey, my second sister is very happy. I have come back safely. You are so brave. You sneaked out with the emperor without even telling the Ai family. The emperor is young and has nothing to do. Aren't you sensible too? You are his elder.
Why are you still fooling around?" Queen Mother Zhang scolded her while wiping her tears.
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "Second sister, why did you blame me when we met?"
Empress Dowager Zhang said angrily: "You deserve it. Do you know how worried the Ai family is? After hearing the news that you and the emperor were besieged by the Tatars, the Ai family did not sleep a wink for days and nights. One is my younger brother and the other is my son.
, if you have a problem, how will the Ai family survive? Damn monkey boy, you are still smiling, are you still reasonable? "
Zhang Yanling was moved in her heart. Her sister really had nothing to say to her. She really loved her. No wonder even Zhu Houzhao was jealous.
"Second sister, please save face for your brother. There are so many people watching. If you want to scold me, do it in private." Zhang Yanling said with a smile.
Empress Dowager Zhang turned to look at Zhang Zhong and the two palace maids beside her. The three of them were all laughing at the excitement. Then she said angrily: "Why are you laughing? You are judging, isn't it right for the Ai family to scold them?"
Zhang Zhong smiled and said: "The Queen Mother is right."
Suddenly he felt that what he said seemed inappropriate, and he quickly said: "No, Lord Marquis, I didn't mean that. Alas, I don't know this either."
Zhang Yanling laughed and said: "Eunuch Zhang has encountered a problem."
Zhang Zhong smiled and said: "Queen Mother, Lord Marquis, please go back to the room and talk. It's very hot to stand under the bright sun."
Empress Dowager Zhang said: "Zhang Zhong, you will come here to water the water every day from tomorrow onwards, and come at noon because you don't like the heat. The Ai family are not afraid of the heat."
Zhang Zhong said with a bitter face: "The Queen Mother, please spare this servant. The Queen Mother is not afraid of the heat, but the Marquis cannot bear it. It is better to go into the room and talk."
Queen Mother Zhang was afraid of exposing Zhang Yanling, so she hurriedly ordered the two palace ladies to pack up their farm tools and leave.
Zhang Yanling looked at Queen Mother Zhang's red face and said softly: "Second sister, why are you growing vegetables? It's not too hard. Don't you think you can't eat the vegetables yet?"
Empress Dowager Zhang smiled and said: "There must be something to do. I saw that the land was empty, so I dug it out and planted a few vegetables. It is better to work here every day than to sit in the room in a daze. Watching the vegetables grow little by little, I was really surprised.
There is also some joy.”
Zhang Yanling nodded and said: "That's right, some things are busy and fulfilling, but we can't do weeding on such a hot day. What should I do if I get a heat stroke? What should I do if I get a sore from the sun? You have to take care of yourself."
Empress Dowager Zhang smiled and said: "What do you know? You have to weed at noon, and the dug grass will die immediately in the sun and will not grow back. Besides, this is the farming season. Fruits and vegetables grow fastest in summer, so not at this time."
Planting, is it planted in the winter? I also
We are not afraid of the sun. Back then, the emperor and I also planted vegetables in the garden of Kunning Palace. The emperor was a good farmer. He could carry water, dig the ground, and weed. Aren’t we all doing things under the bright sun? What a pity.
, now only the Aijia is left."
As Queen Mother Zhang spoke, her expression dimmed. She recalled the time when she and her husband stayed together and flew together.
Zhang Yanling looked at Empress Dowager Zhang worriedly, not knowing how to comfort her. Fortunately, Empress Dowager Zhang quickly returned to normal and said with a smile: "Don't worry about Aijia, I'm fine. Let's go back to the house to talk."
When everyone returned to the house, Zhang Zhong made tea for Zhang Yanling. After the Queen Mother Zhang washed her face and changed her clothes, she came out of the back hall and sat down at the table.
"Brother, you have lost a lot of weight. Are you going to suffer a lot this time?"
Zhang Yanling said: "It is indeed quite dangerous, but fortunately everything is safe."
Empress Dowager Zhang said angrily: "Look, how dare you act rashly next time? The emperor has also lost a lot of weight. I was shocked when I saw him after he came back."
Zhang Yanling said with a smile: "There will be no next time. I was able to escape safely this time, thanks to God's blessing."
Empress Dowager Zhang said: "It's good to know. You came from the emperor, right? Did the emperor tell you about the quarrel he had with Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and others in the outer court?"
Zhang Yanling asked: "Does the second sister also know about this?"
Empress Dowager Zhang sighed and said: "How could I not know? Li Dongyang, Liu Jian, Xie Qian and others came into the palace to see the Ai family. In those days, the emperor was at odds with them and refused to see them. So they all came to me.
.”
Zhang Yanling was stunned and quickly asked: "What did they come to see Second Sister for?"
"What else can we do? It's not just about what happened to the emperor this time, saying that the emperor was unruly, acted absurdly, and did not listen to advice. After he came back, he refused to admit his mistakes and quarreled with them. He said that they were entrusted by the late emperor to assist the emperor.
It is my duty to give advice..." Empress Dowager Zhang sighed.
Zhang Yanling pondered: "Do they want the second sister to help persuade the emperor?"
Empress Dowager Zhang said: "Yes, otherwise what would they do here? They want Ai Jia to persuade the emperor and ask him to bow his head and admit his mistake. Liu Jian said that the emperor refused to admit his mistake, which made the whole court and the people of Ming Dynasty feel unhappy.
It’s not good for the emperor either. This time the emperor must admit his mistake, otherwise he won’t be able to explain.”
Zhang Yanling frowned and said, "Second sister promised them?"
Empress Dowager Zhang smiled bitterly and said: "How could I agree to them? Even if I want to help them persuade the emperor, the emperor must listen to me. Little brother, it's not that you don't know that the emperor treats me... ah... I won't say anything anymore.
I'd better not bother him anymore. I can't do anything about it. They can handle matters between them themselves."
Zhang Yanling nodded and said: "Second sister, it's better if you don't agree to them. Second sister really can't get involved in this matter. Don't listen to what the people in the outer court say, few of them are sincere."
Empress Dowager Zhang was surprised and said: "Oh? You think so? But Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and the others are indeed heartbroken, and this time, the emperor is indeed reckless. What should we do if something goes wrong?"
Zhang Yanling said: "Second sister, listen to Yanling, don't get involved in this matter. Sometimes things cannot be taken at face value. In short, just believe me."
Empress Dowager Zhang looked at Zhang Yanling blankly for a moment and said with a smile: "That's all, I didn't want to get involved in the first place. It's not for the Ai family to have any say in these matters. The Ai family just wants everything to be safe and sound, the emperor and you
, and Helingdu
It's all right. That's enough. Let's not talk about this anymore. I'll stay and have dinner with the Ai family at noon. I'll order someone to call He Ling into the palace later. The three of us siblings haven't had a meal together for a long time. We should do that.
I’ll help you catch the wind and wash away the dust, okay?”
Zhang Yanling nodded and smiled: "Of course. It's been a long time since I've eaten the food cooked by my second sister."