Suddenly, everyone stood up to thank Concubine Chen.
Ji Ling called everyone. Xiao Fenzi was standing next to him. When he saw that his master had sat down, he raised his hand and gave a light high-five. The eunuchs serving in the Ministry of Internal Affairs next to him immediately passed the message one by one, directly to the Sizhu team next to the stage.
, indicating that it’s time to start.
The play continued from yesterday's piece.
Ji Ling adjusted her position comfortably on the chair and ate less than half of the fruit cup. Qixi came over and persuaded her to take the fruit cup away. The third princess came over and stuck to Ji Ling's side. Anyway, the chair was wide, so Ji Ling
Ling simply sat aside, motioning for his daughter to sit with him, and then put his arms around the third princess.
She watched the play for a while, and when she turned around unintentionally, she saw many people behind her watching with great interest. Only Concubine Yu and Xibi were not watching the performance on the stage, but staring at her.
Ji Ling:……
Almost as soon as Concubine Yu met her eyes, she moved her eyes to the stage, looking like she was watching the show intently, and her facial expressions changed so quickly that it was comparable to the face-changing in Sichuan Opera.
But Xi Bi was caught red-handed, and she simply looked at Ji Ling openly, then smiled and lowered her head to show respect.
Xiao Fenzi stepped back and quietly discussed with the people from the Shengping Department. The people from the Shengping Department also talked like they were singing, obviously suppressing their voices, but they still sounded cadenced and full of aftertaste.
.
He said: After the play on stage is over, there will be another play that will be finished, so I must quickly send the playbook of Ni Jin over to Concubine Chen to continue reading.
Otherwise, there would have to be a gap in the middle. How ugly would it be?
This was true. With a look, Xiao Fenzi called the little eunuch who was waiting over her and said, "Send this booklet and the tea and fruit cakes to Concubine Chen in a moment."
The little eunuch responded cleverly.
Not long after, Ji Ling was watching a play when she saw servants coming over with trays of tea and fruit and opera brochures, asking her to continue reading.
She opened the booklet and thought about it for a while, but did not write anything. She motioned to the slaves to send the booklet to the back. She turned around and said with a smile: "Everyone, please click a few. If there are any exciting plays you want to watch, don't be restrained."
When all the concubines saw that Concubine Chen had spoken, they quickly stood up one by one and knelt down and said, "Thank you, Concubine Chen!"
In the past, when I went to the theater, I always watched it with the emperor and queen. How could I have the opportunity to order the show myself? Who would have thought that Concubine Chen was so generous, and for a while, everyone's faces became happy.
There were also those low-ranking concubines who had all the drama books turned before their eyes, but they were still hesitant and afraid to click on them.
Concubine Qian had already clicked a play, reached out and handed the playbook back to the young eunuch. She turned around and saw Li Guiren holding his stomach, with a slightly painful expression on his face, and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Li Guiren looked embarrassed, raised his hand and covered his mouth with a handkerchief to make mouth shapes for her.
Concubine Qian understood. What she said was: "I drank too much water."
There are many rules for watching a play in the palace. For example, if the palace ministers accompany the emperor to watch a play, and the Long Live Lord is sitting in front, it will not be easy for anyone to go to the toilet.
The theater is designed in a zigzag shape. Anyone who wants to use the restroom must go through the front row and pass through the entire first row.
In other words, the emperor will definitely see you and admire the graceful way you walk...
This is very stressful.
Although going to the toilet is not a crime, the emperor is looking at you seriously. If you stand up and walk over in a swagger, isn't it disrespectful to the emperor?
Therefore, during major annual celebrations in the palace, such as Wanshou Festival, many ministers would sit upright and never drink water when they accompanied the emperor to the theater.
But if we don’t drink water, we are still flesh and blood, and after all, there is no guarantee that everything will be safe.
So over time, the concept of "taking a small ladder" gradually appeared.
The so-called "building a small ladder" refers to eunuchs who have certain duties and wait on the scene. They stand behind the audience during the exercise and carry a small wooden ladder in the corner.
The small ladder was dusty and shoved into the corner without anyone paying attention.
Even if I noticed it, I wouldn't notice it at all.
The walls of the theater are all low and very low. If you want to get out, a small ladder is enough.
When the ministers want to go to the toilet, they will walk back quietly. After giving the eunuch a reward and pointing to the ladder, the eunuch will understand. Someone will support him, and someone will support his thigh from below to help him get up from the ladder.
Climb up the wall and go out, and there will be a little eunuch on the other side of the wall to help him go to the toilet.
Coming back is the same as climbing back the same way.
It sounds embarrassing...but in fact, the fierce operation has indeed solved many people's difficulties.
There were even eunuchs who pointed out that they could earn some money. Whenever they sang operas, they would wink and ask the little eunuch who was pouring tea in the front row to fill the teacups of the ministers.
…
Concubine Qian also knew about this.
Li Guiren was waiting for the imperial concubine at the door just now. It was so hot that he inevitably drank a lot of tea when he sat down.
Li Guiren held her stomach and looked around - she couldn't rely on the small ladder, let alone the princes and ministers, they were all big men. How could there be concubines tossing and turning on the low wall?
So, what is the system called?
Concubine Qian looked around and saw Zhang Guiren sitting aside, lowering her head and using a plate of cherry milk cake. She nudged Li Guiren with her elbow and motioned for her to talk to Zhang Guiren.
After a while, Ji Ling was watching a play, and Qixi next to him leaned over and whispered: "Master, Mr. Zhang is here."
Ji Ling turned around and saw Zhang Guiren standing nearby. He thought she was coming to watch the show together, so he patted the third princess on the shoulder, but Zhang Guiren shook his head, lowered his head and whispered a few words in her ear.
After hearing this, Ji Ling said:...
When she turned around, she saw Li Guiren blushing, standing behind him, half-bent, bending his knees to her. Ji Ling waved his hand and said immediately: "Go quickly!"
Li Guiren actually hasn't forgotten to thank him.
All the servants around are standing upright - no matter how good-tempered the imperial concubine is, she is still a royal concubine personally named by the emperor. Here, except for the few cronies who serve her personally, who dares to be lazy and move around?
The drums on the stage are still beating softly, the sound of silk and bamboo is heard, and the flowing water moves in the clouds.
Ji Ling thought for a moment and looked back, and sure enough he saw several concubines looking embarrassed and envious as they watched Li Guiren go out.
Ji Ling simply said loudly: "Respectfully, I don't stick to these things here."
…
Because of Yinzhen's words, Concubine Chen could only watch the show for half a day to avoid overwork and stress. It was past noon, so Ji Ling took a carriage and went back.
The others respectfully saw off Concubine Chen and went back to their respective homes.
As a result, on this day, the fifth elder brother Hong Zhou handed over a sign asking for an audience.
In the main hall, the palace maid was kneeling and massaging Concubine Yu's ankles. Concubine Yu had already vaguely guessed what was going on. When she heard the little eunuch running up, she said with a panic look on her face, saying that it was the fifth elder brother who came in and kicked two of them first.
The slave had a dark face, and it looked like something was not normal.
Concubine Yu smiled bitterly, sat up straight, and said: "Brother Five, please come in."
