Chapter one hundred and eighty sixth intentional or unintentional
The second day was cloudy.
Because it was the day to pay respects to Kunning Palace, Ji Ling did not dare to sleep much in the morning. As soon as he opened his eyes, he sat up immediately.
After washing, she chose a light blue summer robe with silver embroidery and put on it.
Then there was combing my hair, putting on makeup, matching jewelry, and putting on shoes, which took nearly an hour.
Fortunately, I got up early, so I don't have to worry about the time delay.
Then, she went out of the back room and sat at the dining table in the front hall, where she ate a basket of vegetarian steamed buns and a bowl of minced fish and shrimp porridge. The shrimp porridge had some chopped chrysanthemum and celery added to it.
, the taste is fragrant and salty at first.
Ji Ling looked at the bowl. The fish paste was milky white like clear snow, the shrimp meat was light red, and the vegetables were green. The three colors looked really good together.
There is also a plate of shredded taro chicken and a plate of mushrooms and vegetables, which are considered as side dishes.
She finished it calmly, took the handkerchief Qixi handed her, wiped her mouth carefully, then got up, and took Qixi, Bixue, and Xiaofenzi out of the yard.
As soon as they left the courtyard, they saw Mao Bi coming out of the main hall, and the two of them met each other.
Maobin was startled for a moment, and then she walked towards him with a smile on her face.
Ji Ling stepped forward in a few steps, and just as he was about to bend his knees and salute, his elbow was held hard by Mao Bin.
She held Ji Ling's elbow to prevent her from saluting, and said affectionately: "No need to be polite, noble sister, it only adds to the liveliness! Hey, I have an impatient temper. Whenever Kunning Palace greets you, I always think about it.
If I go out early, it is rare to meet a noble sister.
Since we met today, let’s walk together! We might as well talk on the way!”
Ji Ling was held by her hand. He didn't find a chance to pull it out for a while. He just listened to Mao Bi's laughter and eloquent words. He spat out a lot of words without even taking a breath. There was no place for anyone to interrupt.
No.
After being pulled to the door by Mao Bi, Ji Ling looked up and saw Zhang Guiren waiting at the door.
Seeing Ji Ling coming out, Zhang Guiren's eyes suddenly lit up and he was about to step forward.
As soon as she turned her eyes and saw Mao Bi, the light in her eyes dimmed and her movements restrained. She just stepped forward and said in a slightly timid voice: "My concubine, please pay your respects to Mao Bi, may I wish you all the best."
Mao Bi turned around and looked at her. The smile on her face became a little more reserved. She nodded and said solemnly and indifferently: "It's Mr. Zhang, get up!"
Mao Bi only wanted to say a few words to Ji Ling. When she saw the shoulder carriage waiting at the gate of the palace, she raised her veil and said to the two young eunuchs carrying the shoulder carriage: "I am not feeling well today.
If you want to move around, you won't need this trouble."
The few slaves were naturally happy and relaxed, and they put down their shoulders and continued to agree.
Mao Bi and Ji Ling were walking in front while talking. Zhang Guiren was half a step behind, following behind them.
Mao Bi asked Ji Ling with a concerned look on her face: "Sister, noble lady, I heard a puppy barking in my sister's east courtyard yesterday. It was so lively! I heard that the emperor gave my sister a royal dog as a gift the day before, and it was called...
...Call it Qilin? The noble sister is teasing you in the yard, I’m afraid it’s this Qilin, right?”
Ji Ling thought in his heart: This news spread too fast!
She just smiled and said softly: "Ms. Maobi is right, it's called Qilin! Royal dogs are very expensive and lively. I'm a clumsy person. I just hope that I can take care of her as much as I can."
Well that’s it.”
Mao Bi looked at her with a smile, looked her up and down, and then said: "Ji Guiji has not been in the palace for a long time, no wonder he doesn't know about it."
She paused and asked, "My noble sister, have you ever wondered why this royal dog is named Qilin?"
Ji Ling could only accompany her and continue the awkward conversation: "This... I really don't know."
A look of pride appeared on Mao Bi's face. She raised her hand to help her temples and said, "My dear sister, I don't know. Our emperor only loves Qilin.
Take the former Prince Yong's Mansion as an example. What was placed in front of the door was not a stone lion, but a pair of stone unicorns. There were also statues of unicorns in the gardens, study rooms, and corridors of the palace. Even the late emperor once said
It was said that where stone lions should be placed, a pair of stone unicorns were placed instead, which looked nondescript!
The emperor naturally wanted to follow the late emperor's wishes, and he changed some things later."
Ji Ling didn't expect that there was such a reason for this, and couldn't help but smile unexpectedly: "When I first saw this puppy, it was wearing unicorn clothes. It was so beautiful. I thought that was the name."
I got it!"
Maobin shook her head repeatedly and said with a smile: "Our emperor is a very thoughtful and careful person! Moreover, these puppies are the emperor's beloved ones. How could he choose names so carelessly?"
When Ji Ling heard this, he just smiled, lowered his head and rubbed the silk handkerchief in his hand, not wanting to answer Maobin's words anymore.
As Mao Bi spoke, she felt more energetic. She glanced at Ji Ling and said with a smile: "Actually, this puppy is also the emperor's wish for his sister! The noble sister really doesn't take it at all.
Do you understand what the emperor means?"
Ji Ling asked doubtfully: "My concubine is confused by what you said. What does the emperor mean?"
Mao Bi raised her hand, covered her mouth with a handkerchief, covered her mouth with a smile, then stretched out her finger, lightly tapped Ji Ling's arm, and said word by word: "Qilin is sending a baby!"
According to legend, before Confucius was born, a unicorn appeared in his courtyard and uttered jade writings. Since then, there has been a saying among the people that "the unicorn in the sky is the number one scholar on earth".
Folks also believe that Qilin is a beast of benevolence and righteousness and a symbol of auspiciousness. People who accumulate virtue and do good deeds and pray to Qilin will be able to have children.
Ji Ling's heart skipped a beat as he thought... Is this what he meant?
Maybe it's just a coincidence of names?
Mao Bi looked at the expression on Ji Ling's face, laughed, and changed the subject: "My sister is a virgin, young, and thin-skinned... That's right, that's right, I shouldn't make fun of a noble sister!
"
After all, the weather was hot. After walking along the palace road for a while, the three of them were all a little out of breath.
Mao Bi's eyes turned, she raised her hand to print the sweat on her forehead with a handkerchief, then she smiled and said to herself: "Look at this old bone of mine! Just now I just wanted to walk around more with my noble sister.
A few words of reflection, I didn’t expect this body to be so unsatisfactory! Although the road in this palace is familiar, it is not close after all.
She suddenly changed the topic and said with a smile: "My dear sister is different. I heard that my sister returned to Jingyang Palace in a sedan chair given by Yangxin Palace yesterday morning?
Tsk tsk, the emperor's kindness towards his sister is really beyond words! There are so many people in this palace who came in the same group as the noble sister, and they are also beauties like flowers, but others are not so lucky. It can be seen that the noble sister and the emperor are not as good as each other.
It’s really a natural fit!”
As she spoke, her eyes seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally passing by Zhang Guiren next to her.
Ji Ling kept pace and fell behind. When he heard Mao Bi's words, he just pretended not to hear and lowered his head to wipe the sweat on his forehead with a handkerchief.
