Chunman Palace

Chapter 66
The warm sun slanted, the snow branches of Fengyi Palace melted, and the ticks ticked like broken glass, and the cold felt chilly in the ears. The queen burned incense and read poems in the warm pavilion, and some palace people came to report about the concubine Ling.

The queen sighed, put down the scroll in her hand, and said thoughtfully: "It's a pity to leave, how does the emperor react after knowing this?"

The palace man replied: "The emperor said that he will be buried as a concubine, but he will not enter the imperial mausoleum. He will find another place with a treasure of geomantic omen to bury."

"That's good. I don't know what's going on in the harem recently. There are always turmoil..." After finishing speaking, the queen put her hand on her forehead and gently rubbed her temples.

Shu Xiang stepped forward to offer a cup of fragrant tea and said, "Your Majesty, you think too much about things. How those people will fight, whether they fight to the death or not, has nothing to do with your Majesty. Why bother to worry about them?"

A unique fragrance attracted the queen to take the teacup. The tea in the cup was shaped like a blue cymbidium, green in color with pekoe exposed, and the leaf buds were like a gold-encrusted sheath wrapped in a silver arrow. It was small and lovely.

Take a sip, the tea tastes fragrant and sweet, the taste is fresh and refreshing, and the aftertaste is sweet and refreshing.

The queen savored it slowly, and said with a satisfied smile: "This tea is not bad, is it newly served?"

Shu Xiang replied: "It was found by the governor of the Qiantang River. They said it was called Yinjian tea. Only ten of this tea tree were found. They are very precious. They are specially processed and presented. One can each for the queen mother, the emperor and the empress. No more. gone."

"He has the heart, and knows how to present such a good thing." The queen picked up the teacup, took another sip, the tea tasted refreshing in her throat, and her mind was not as sore as before.

Shu Xiang showed joy, and took another plate of freshly made peony rolls, and said: "It's so good for the empress to eat refreshments in Fengyi Palace and taste this kind of fragrant tea, and let the outsiders make troubles. Wouldn't it be more pleasant for the empress to just sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight?"

The queen's complexion changed, and she said sadly: "As a queen, how can I not care about the affairs of the harem? If they usually make small troubles, that's all. ...This palace is really worried that the emperor will be sad."

Shu Xiang said contemptuously: "It's fine if Xin agrees, but Mu promises to be a maid of honor with Ling Concubine to seduce the Holy Majesty, and a dirty harem to die, and the emperor gave the concubine the title of burial for the sake of face, which is already a great gift." , Your Majesty is really too kind-hearted."

The queen frowned, and said seriously: "Shut up, I usually ask you to be cautious in your words and deeds, but now you have completely forgotten it." After saying this, the queen became dizzy again, feeling as if the sky was falling and the earth was falling. , I felt my heart flustered, pounding.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. This servant doesn't have any intentions. This servant is just upset for your Majesty." Seeing this, Shu Xiang hurriedly stepped forward to support the Queen, "Mother, please go to the imperial physician, your servant, your symptoms have become more and more serious recently."

The queen's complexion was pale, as if she had been frightened by something, she said weakly: "It's just some old problems, why is there a need to call the imperial doctor? Just take a good rest for a while."

"Your Majesty...you can't hold on like this anymore, it's your own body that's wasted!"

"What's wrong with the Queen?" A familiar voice came into the room, and a black figure stood outside the room at the door.

Shu Xiang looked up, and immediately bowed and said: "My maidservant sees the emperor, our mother is tired from the affairs of the harem, and now she is suffering from palpitations."

"The queen should take good care of her body." Xuan Yin stepped forward, reached out and touched the queen's forehead, and said, "Did you not rest well last night?"

"The concubine heard Xuehua's voice last night, so she didn't have a good rest, so she was depressed, the emperor should not take it for granted." The empress looked at him with tenderness in her eyes.

Xuan Yin sighed, gently grabbed the queen's hand and caressed it, glanced at the cup of green tea on the table, said: "The queen is like this now, it's better to drink less tea, otherwise it will affect the rest."

The queen smiled and said: "The concubine thanked the emperor for his concern. Can the emperor have lunch? Why don't you use some for the concubine?"

"it is good."

The queen ordered again: "Extraordinary fragrance, pass on the meal."

Xuan Yin stretched out his hand to pick up the spring colored emerald teacup, looked at it thoughtfully for a moment, then said in a deep voice: "This set of tea set was given to Concubine Dan by the Empress Dowager earlier, I ordered someone to put it away carefully, how could it be here."

Almost half a year later, the emperor finally found something strange here, the empress was delighted, but she only pretended to be surprised, and said: "This is a birthday gift from the emperor to my concubines, not like the concubine Dan."

"Oh? But I clearly remember that only two sets of this spring tea set with colorful emeralds were made. One was lost, and the other was given to the Queen Mother, and the Queen Mother gave it to Concubine Dan when she was pregnant. Now this tea set, Where do you start?" Xuan Yin looked cold, and stretched out his fingers to lightly touch the body of the cup.

At this time, Shu Xiang ordered the meal, and seeing that the atmosphere in the room was not right, she hurriedly stepped forward to explain: "Your Majesty, this tea set is indeed a birthday present from you to the empress, and it was taken by the servants themselves."

Xuan Yin's expression froze, and he shook his sleeves and said, "Nonsense! When did I give such a birthday present to the Queen?"

Shu Xiang immediately knelt down, wanting to tell the truth again, but was pushed back by the queen with a look.

The queen's expression was soft, and she said slowly: "Perhaps because things were so messy that day, Shu Xiangji took this tea set by mistake, and this concubine will discipline her well."

Li Qiao looked at the tea set, with a terrified expression, stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this set of tea sets should be used by Concubine Dan. Look at the edge of this cup, there is a crescent-like scratch!"

Xuan Yin frowned and looked at it, already furious, "Stupid thing! The things that Concubine Dan used during her lifetime were actually given to the queen as a birthday gift. I clearly remembered that the ones given to the queen were Zhi Cuiluan and Mingchai. Where did the things go!?"

Li Qiao panicked and said, "I remember that Concubine Min came to pick up something that day, saying that it was for the emperor to prepare a birthday gift for Empress Empress, so I let Concubine Min take it away."

Xuan Yin frowned and said in a deep voice: "I remember how busy things were that day, I didn't personally send someone to give the Queen a birthday gift, could it be that Concubine Min Yue Zu did it on her behalf, and gave the things of Concubine Dan's life to the Queen in my name? "

The queen smiled and smoothed things over: "Maybe Sister Concubine Min sees that the emperor is busy, so she specially helps the emperor to present congratulatory gifts to his concubines? It's just a moment of carelessness, and the intention is good."

Xuan Yin was furious, and he patted the table and said: "Absurd! Li Qiao, take this set of tea sets away and seal them properly, and then go to the inner court to make a new set of tea sets and send them here!"

The queen touched her sleeve, and said casually: "Your Majesty, please don't blame Concubine Min, she has meritorious service in protecting her, if the Emperor punishes her for such trivial matters, I'm afraid it will chill Concubine Min's heart."

"Rewards and punishments must be distinguished. If Concubine Min really does such a wrong thing, I will not tolerate it." Xuan Yin shook his head and sighed, and walked away.

The queen asked in surprise: "Hasn't the emperor had lunch first?"

I only heard a voice full of anger: "I will come back later."

Shu Xiang looked at the tea stains splashed on the table, and said with a smile: "The emperor is really angry, I don't know how Concubine Min will be punished."

The queen said indifferently: "Even if the emperor doesn't punish you heavily, you should also dampen Concubine Min's spirit. She is too much in the limelight. She really thinks she can make a comeback, but she doesn't know that the situation in the harem has changed long ago."

"It's just a pain in the ass to use the tea set that Concubine Dan got during her lifetime. It's really..."

"Concubine Dan?" The queen suddenly laughed, "How can I really use the tea set that Concubine Dan was alive? The one that was lost before was actually found and put away by Bengong a long time ago. It is not enough to make a crescent gap. Is it easy?"

Shu Xiang's eyes brightened and said: "Your Majesty is really thoughtful."

The queen said flatly: "Concubine Min was injured for protecting the sage, and now she is proud of herself. If you think about it, the emperor will not severely punish her. You should just plant a thorn and wait until the day it breaks."

In Ganquan Hall, the scent of sandalwood, which is as calm as water, lingers for a long time, and the light smoke curls up to outline a wonderland, which suddenly gives people a sense of being outside the world.The sweet and delicate flavors of citron and citrus on the table are mixed with the quiet soothing fragrance, which is refreshing.

The sun is not clear at noon, but it is as light and lustrous as azure porcelain after rain, which makes people calm and calm for no reason.

The hall is extraordinarily quiet, the scenery outside the window screens in spring clothes is picturesque, a few branches lying on the snow are a little more brilliant in the plain, the sun is golden, separated by the hazy mist.

The Empress Dowager was quietly picking Buddha beans on the velvet red sandalwood couch by the window.

Lin Qingyu respectfully came forward to pay her respects, the queen mother casually called her up and sat down, and asked Aunt Yu to serve tea, saying: "I haven't seen you for a while, and now you have become a noble person, do you feel a little more enlightened?"

Lin Qingyu blurted out the answer: "A man's heart is not enough, a snake can swallow an elephant."

The queen mother suddenly stopped her hands, touched the tea cover, and said: "There are indeed people in the harem who have monstrous desires and do not care about the consequences. They don't know that they have stomachs as big as sparrows. If they want to ask for more, they will only be themselves." take perish."

Lin Qingyu said modestly: "Although the empress dowager has not set foot in the harem, she has a clear view of the affairs of the harem, and the concubines bow to her."

"The Ai family didn't want to get involved in the affairs of the harem, but some people just want to disturb the harem. It's hard for the Ai family to figure it out." The queen mother sighed leisurely, raised the teacup and took a sip of tea, saying: " The Qing nobles should also use some, this is the Yinjian tea presented by the governor of Qiantang River, it tastes very fresh."

Lin Qingyu drank it as she said, and felt a clear and sweet fragrance lingering in her throat, which lasted for a long time. She couldn't help but admire: "It really is a good tea, the taste is refreshing, and the fragrance is even more refreshing."

The queen mother wiped a faint smile: "If you like it, Ai's family will ask Yu Dai to pack some and send it to you."

Lin Qingyu declined and said: "I heard that this silver-tip tea is not easy to obtain, so I only made three cans in total. It is a blessing for my concubine to taste such a precious and rare thing from the Queen Mother."

The queen mother smiled kindly, nodded and said: "The Ai family will keep this tea. If the Qing nobles want to drink it, they can come to the Ganquan Hall to have a chat with the Ai family."

Before the words were finished, a rosy figure swayed behind the ebony mirror screen in the hall, and a woman came out, it was Chang Xiuru.

Chang Xiuru glanced at her, Zhang Yang's eyebrows concealed a bit of tit-for-tat sharpness, and she handed over two stacks of ink-stained rice paper in her hand: "These Buddhist scriptures have already been copied by the concubine, please look at the empress dowager."

The Empress Dowager didn't raise her head, she added a touch of coldness to her voice, and said, "Concubine Chang knows where I am wrong?"

Chang Xiuru bowed her head and spoke, but her tone was not respectful, full of provocation: "I know that, I dare not have any contact with the eldest princess from now on, even if the eldest princess seeks my concubine, my concubine will not see her behind closed doors."

The Empress Dowager looked up at her, and said calmly, "What you said is very good, don't communicate anymore? The Ai family sees that you have eaten the heart of a bear, and you will come out with lies."

Chang Xiuru was expressionless, and she spoke bluntly as if giving up her arguments: "The concubine dare not. After the queen mother punished the concubine to copy the scriptures a hundred times, the concubine felt that she was not enough, so she would not associate with the eldest princess any more, so as not to The Queen Mother is suspicious."

The Empress Dowager's eyes were sharp, she narrowed her eyes slightly, and said coldly: "Master Qing, listen, this Concubine Chang really doesn't take Ai's family seriously, if she speaks so eloquently, if Ai's family doesn't punish her, wouldn't she be even more defiant?" gone."

Lin Qingyu suddenly heard such words, and her heart was not calm for a long time, but from the two people's words, she vaguely knew that Chang Xiuru and the eldest princess seemed to have a relationship, and suspected that there was something wrong with the cooperation, so she only attached herself to the queen mother and said: "Concubine Chang is like this, the queen mother The empress will naturally be punished."

The Empress Dowager sat up, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes made people feel a little stern because of her solemn expression, and she gave birth to a bit of awe, she said nonchalantly: "Copying the scriptures can't sharpen the temper of Concubine Chang, if this is the case, I will punish you to kneel six For an hour, he was banned for three months as a punishment."

Six hours... Counting from now, I'm afraid I'll have to kneel until midnight.Lin Qingyu was shocked, but he didn't expect the empress dowager's punishment to be so severe, not counting the punishment of three months of confinement. After kneeling down, it would be difficult to get out of bed for less than ten days and half a month. From this, it can be seen that the empress dowager is very fond of the eldest princess. For caring.

It's just that Chang Xiuru didn't take the initiative to cause trouble, but she also wanted to be the scapegoat, which made the Queen Mother utter this anger.

Chang Xiuru kowtowed, neither humble nor overbearing said: "The concubine takes orders." After saying that, she backed away.

The Empress Dowager suddenly looked at Lin Qingyu, and said: "In the harem, the fate of those with unscrupulous intentions is far worse than this. The Ai family is now punished with small punishments. I only hope that I can get used to the strong temper of Concubine Chang. I hope she will not let her down." The merits of his father's diligence."

Lin Qingyu smiled and said: "The concubine understands that the Empress Dowager is wise and loves Concubine Chang, so I give her a hand, hoping that she will find her way back."

The Empress Dowager's expression was slightly relaxed, she stroked the bead string on her handle casually, and said kindly: "Well, it's really good that the nobleman is so thoughtful." She lowered her eyes and looked at the unknown booklet on the table. , said: "Do you still have a brother?"

Lin Qingyu's heart trembled, and he replied: "Yes, brother is now in a weak year."

The queen mother said: "Can you master poetry and books? Can you master martial arts?"

Lin Qingyu lowered his head slightly, the sun was shining on his neck, and the heat slid down his back, feeling a little prickly itchy, and said softly: "Brother is good at martial arts."

"Okay, serving the emperor in the palace is quite sacred, and the Ai family also likes it. When will it be better for your brother to come to take the exam for the champion of martial arts, and work for the previous dynasty?" The queen mother seemed to have the intention of promotion.

Lin Qingyu said softly: "The concubine will write a letter from home after returning to the palace, so that my brother will practice diligently day and night."

The Queen Mother nodded in satisfaction and said with a smile, "Very good."

(End of this chapter)