Leader Lan Palace

Chapter 2581 Nine Volumes 63 Getting More and More Intensified
A few days before the empress dowager's birthday, the emperor issued a rare decree.

The decree clearly stated that in the past, when the emperor offered sacrifices to heaven, he would get off the chariot outside the altar, and then walk to the worship seat in front of the altar of Huanqiu.

But starting from this year, the emperor decided to change the rules for himself and stop walking so far.

The emperor explained that the reason was that "it is over [-] years since I read the Spring and Autumn Period, and it is far from being as good as before."

The emperor, who had always been in good health and never looked old, suddenly publicly admitted that he was getting old this year... This decree was so good that even Wanxi was surprised, not to mention the front court and the harem.

At this time, Wanxi didn't know it yet, just like the theme of "Plowing and Weaving" was used in the couplet between the monarch and his ministers at the beginning of this year. …

Only when the emperor obeys the old, the establishment of a reserve is imminent.

Especially when the emperor admitted that he was old at the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven, this was to convey his heart to the heavens.Ask God to approve his intention to establish a reserve.
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Wanxi was afraid that the emperor would be dispirited, so when the emperor came over from court, Wanxi specially grabbed the emperor's hand, looked him up and down, and said with a smile, "Where is the old man who is over [-] years old? "

As Wanxi said, she pushed the emperor to the full-length mirror with a smile. She hid behind the emperor, showing her head, "I see that the emperor is younger than me..."

The emperor's heart was full of embarrassment and pain, and when he squeezed hard, it hurt Wanxi.

"You talk nonsense again!" The emperor stretched out his hand and pushed Wanxi's head back, covering her completely with his high body, not wanting her to really look in the mirror and count the wrinkles on her face, "Forgot How much younger are you than the master? If you have to compare with the master, then the master will be "turned into anger from embarrassment"!"

Wanxi leaned on the emperor's back, and laughed softly, "My lord is still 'getting angry from shame'? Then I want to see it even more~~ Not everyone can see how shy my lord is."

"Bah!" The emperor patted Wanxi on the forehead with his back, "I won't show it to you!"

Wanxi didn't check herself, she just stuck it on the emperor's back, and wrapped her hands around the emperor's waist, "Even if you are really over sixty, so what? It doesn't look like it~~ Besides, emperors are all Long live, long live, long live, 60 years old is nothing but a grain of sand in the Ganges."

The emperor couldn't help smiling, Niu turned his head and stared at Wanxi condescendingly, "Even the "Diamond Sutra" has been moved out, huh?"

"Ganges sand number" comes from "Diamond Sutra".

"If you really can live that long, I will just pick up a sleeve of sand and pour it into your arms."

He is not afraid of his own old age.As the emperor, he was already over sixty years old, and he was about to equal the emperor's grandfather, so he was already satisfied; on the contrary, he was even more worried about Wanxi.

She was born slender, especially in the past few years.Every time he ordered the painters of the Ruyi Museum to paint her portraits, the samples presented by the painters made him lose his temper, and he was thrown out several times, and he almost got punished.

——Not for anything else, just because Jiu'er's haggardness is even more prominent in the painters' pens, making it impossible for him to continue to escape.

Originally, when we get along every day, the haggardness of her face is not so obvious. He also wanted to fool himself, saying that she is naturally delicate, and at this age, her face is more likely to look older;

Besides, she gave birth to the most children for him, almost once a year, which inevitably made it easier for women to look haggard.

He can ignore these things, he doesn't care about her haggardness—after all, in his heart, she will always be that little girl who is 16 years younger than him.

But once the painters painted it, the reality always made his heart ache.

More recently, whether to draw her or not has become his deepest struggle.

"I'll tell you why I don't look old," he said carefully, hiding his thoughts, "it's because I gained weight in middle age, and my face became round, which opened up all the wrinkles on my face." go."

Wanxi couldn't help laughing and bent over, thinking of Xiao Shiwu's round face.The emperor said that father and son are the most alike, how could Wanxi deny it.

The emperor held back his sighs, and said softly, "From now on, you will use half a bowl more for each meal, and make yourself plump and fat, so you won't look old just like the master."

Wanxi nodded with a smile, but shook her head again, "It's a pity that I'm the type to eat and not get fat, so I can't compare to my master's luck."

The emperor glared, "Who said you can't get fat? If you really can't get fat, how did you give birth to Xiao Shiwu's white round dumpling? He looks like a master, so why doesn't he have any trace of you?"

Wanxi didn't want to make the emperor unhappy, so she nodded with a smile, "Okay, okay, then I will eat half a bowl more from tomorrow. Anyway, if the rice in my ration is not enough, I will go to court!"

Only then did the emperor quietly breathe a sigh of relief, and squeezed Wanxi tightly, "You can ask for it! If you can ask for twice as much, I will be happy!"

This night, the emperor was extraordinarily brave, resisting Wanxi, and murmured hoarsely, "... I will tell you to see what it means to be old and strong."

On the other hand, Wanxi could only keep begging for mercy, "Master, this is the first time entering the bridal chamber."

The emperor's heart fluttered, and he said badly, "...you're still a 'first-time bridal chamber'? Silly girl, I've been in it dozens of times just now. Why, I'm so confused?"
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With the aftertaste of this night, the emperor went to greet the empress dowager the next day, and his mood was much more relaxed.

Today the emperor specially took Concubine Dun to the Changchun Garden. When he came in front of the Empress Dowager, the Emperor looked away from Concubine Dun with a smile from time to time.

It was clearly an affectionate look.

Although the empress dowager felt a little regretful, the person whom the emperor's son liked was not concubine Shun.Fortunately, Concubine Dun walked out beside her, which made the Empress Dowager feel relieved.

When the empress dowager was happy, she also specially selected a pair of gold hairpins with pearls in them, and gave them to Concubine Dun.

The emperor also liked it when he saw it, and said, "You will wear it during the Chinese New Year. What the emperor rewarded you with should not be put on the shelf, you have to wear it all the time, it is filial piety."

The emperor said, took the golden hairpin, and personally helped Concubine Dun put it on.

Concubine Dun's cheeks were flushed, and her eyes sparkled.

The Empress Dowager looked even more happy, clapped her hands lightly and said, "You are young after all, it looks really good-looking."

The emperor lowered his eyes lightly, and changed the subject, "Because of the lunar eclipse, my son has found him. Please don't worry about the Queen Mother - this matter has nothing to do with the Queen Mother, and the Queen Mother can celebrate her birthday with peace of mind, and be safe and sound." Let's celebrate the New Year."

The empress dowager was startled, her eyebrows raised high, "Oh?"

Knowing a son is like a mother, the empress dowager made some tricks when she knew that this must be her son.

It's just a pity that she is too old, and now her brain is not enough.Even my own mother couldn't figure out what tricks my son used again.

The emperor suppressed his smile, his face sank like water, and he looked back at Concubine Dun, "Ling Zhi, tell me."
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Concubine Dun trembled, and bit the bullet to give the Empress Dowager a double-squatting salute, "...Back to the Empress Dowager, I heard it with my own ears, and she cursed the Empress Dowager."

The empress dowager was shocked and slammed the table, "Concubine Dun, be careful what you say!"

Concubine Dun was so frightened that she fell to her knees, her tears were already falling, "I dare not lie to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor... I really heard it with my own ears!"

The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes, "When did it happen?"

The emperor's eyes flickered quietly, and he didn't speak, just staring at Concubine Dun.

Things have come to this point, Concubine Dun is caught between the emperor and the empress dowager, and has no freedom to advance or retreat.

She once thought about relying on the empress dowager, and she has indeed done so in the nine years since she entered the palace.But nine years have passed, and the empress dowager has not been able to help her win the favor of the emperor; what's more, in the empress dowager's mind, she will never be as good as those two Gege from the Niu Hulu family...

Even if she wanted to rely on the empress dowager again, she should understand in her heart that if she only wanted to rely on the empress dowager again, then maybe she would have to wait another nine years...

The empress dowager is the emperor's biological mother, but the emperor is also separated from the empress dowager by a layer of belly. Although the empress dowager can influence the emperor to a certain extent, especially in the matter of canonization in the harem, the empress dowager cannot control everything The emperor goes.

Now that things are going on, she understands more and more that if she wants to get the emperor's favor, she can't count on the empress dowager to go.

Only the emperor himself, and only if the emperor wants to treat her well, can she have hope.

Besides, the empress dowager is already over eighty years old, how long can such a life span last?
Therefore, between the emperor and the empress dowager, she finally understood what choice to make.

Concubine Dun immediately burst into tears, raised her eyes and looked at the emperor quietly, then choked up and said, "...it happened at the beginning of September. The Imperial Concubine's Thousand Autumn Festival is on the ninth day of September. The princess was exhausted after finishing the wedding; and at that time the emperor was still in Rehe with the empress dowager, so the rules in the palace were loosened."

"On the imperial concubine's Qianqiu Festival, I waited to salute the imperial concubine and saw the emaciated concubine with my own eyes. This made people think that the imperial concubine is her, she...is not in good health."

"That night the banquet in the imperial concubine's palace was over, and when I returned to the palace, I heard Shun concubine rushing into the small Buddhist hall with a little drunk and saying what shouldn't be said."

Concubine Dun is also smart enough, although she said it according to the emperor's wishes, she also added an extra reason for Concubine Shun to "take advantage of drunkenness".

Concubine Dun said to the ground, "The concubine is the head of the six palaces at this time, concubines should respect and respect her, but concubine Shun said something because she felt that the concubine was dying soon because of drunkenness... again I said it in front of the Buddha, and if I want to come to heaven to hear it and be angry, there will be a lunar eclipse in a few days."
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The empress dowager was startled, staring blankly at her son.

The emperor stood with lowered eyes, "This year's lunar eclipse is serious, and my son asked all the ministers to rescue him, just because he was afraid that this matter would cause your empress to worry about it... But my son never thought that this matter would be related to the empress's mother." It was caused by the Shun concubine who came from the same sect."

The emperor took a deep breath, "My son knows, even for the sake of the emperor's mother, he can't punish Shun concubine publicly, let alone let the news of Shun concubine spread... But the son thought, this matter can't be left like this never mind."

"As the son of heaven, my son has always been clear about rewards and punishments. Since this matter has happened, my son cannot ignore it."

The emperor said as he pulled up his robe and knelt down in front of the empress dowager, "My son will play the emperor's mother, and my son intends to ask the concubine Shun to worship the Taiyin Lord alone for a year, and eat vegetarian food every day to make atonement for this."

The empress dowager's heart trembled violently.

"Emperor, Concubine Dun also said that Concubine Shun said the wrong thing that day because of her drunkenness!"

If Concubine Shun was really asked to worship Taiyin Lord alone, what would be the difference from sending her into confinement?
The empress dowager closed her eyes, "It's the Chinese New Year, don't do such things at this moment, so that we can all have a smooth New Year, can't we?"

The emperor bowed his head to think about it, and said respectfully, "How dare my son disobey the emperor's mother's edict? It's just... for the sake of my concubine, from now on, my son doesn't want to hear anyone in the palace gossip again, talk about the moon again." It's about food."

The empress dowager took a deep breath, "That's natural, why don't I think so! I don't care about your side, but in my Shoukang Palace and Changchun Garden, if anyone dares to talk about this time again, I will be the first to not tolerate it." !"

The emperor nodded in satisfaction, and said, "My son may not be demoted to the position of concubine Shun, but... naturally, my son will not be able to be concubine Jin again. Son, please forgive me."

The Empress Dowager also closed her eyes lightly, and nodded helplessly, "...It's all up to you."

The emperor stretched out his hand to hold his mother's hand, and comforted him softly, "Don't worry, Empress Madam, even if she is a concubine with no virtue, my son will still remember the teachings of Empress Empress, and he will deliberately choose the right one among the ladies of the Eight Banners in the future." The rookie is."
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The emperor got a satisfactory result, smiled and hugged his concubine and left.

The empress dowager watched the two people's backs, and felt that her heart was ten years older.

"Anshou, tell me, what does the emperor mean?"

An Shou was also so old that his eyes were a little dazzled, he squinted his eyes for a while, and then said slowly, "The old slave is thinking, what the emperor means is that the concubine Shun doesn't have the virtue to be a queen..."

The empress dowager sighed, "I also know what he meant. Among the younger generation in the harem, among the famous ladies in Manchuria, concubine Shun was the most hopeful."

An Shou can only comfort, "But the emperor also said that he will choose newcomers deliberately, and will not disappoint the old master."

The empress dowager lowered her eyes wearily, "But it will be elected every three years, I don't know if I can still see that day."

An Shou hurriedly said, "Why not? The old master has a long lifespan now, and he is already the crown of the harem in ancient times!"

The empress dowager wanted to laugh, but she couldn't do it, so she could only sigh in the end.

"... Ordinarily, Ling Zhi is also the child I grew up with. It is good to be favored by the emperor now. It's just a pity that Ling Zhi is also a Han surname, and she is also a woman in a coat, so she can't be admitted at all. Go to the main palace."

An Shou hesitated for a while, and then said, "Old master, if you are willing to change this rule for Concubine Dun...?"

The empress dowager slapped the table, "How can I do that? If I can change this rule for Ling Zhi, then the emperor will be so happy to go with the flow, and just go straight to make his imperial concubine!"

After all, Concubine Dun and Concubine Huang had the same background. If Concubine Dun complied with the rules, then Concubine Huang would naturally conform even more!
An Shou could only sigh, "No matter what... Master Concubine Dun can still get the emperor's favor, which is rare."

It has been so many years, only the imperial concubine lives alone in this harem, and no one else has a chance.

There are so many young empresses, no one can give birth anywhere, in the final analysis, the emperor does not give favor at all~~ Such a situation, in the harem throughout the ages, is really a bit too weird.

The Empress Dowager nodded, "Yes, at least there can be such a concubine as Dun."

The empress dowager sighed as she spoke, "But look, why did the situation turn out that the emperor would rather choose a woman with a Han surname than a lady from a well-known Manchurian family?"

"There's also this Ling Zhi...She was originally by my side, the child I watched grow up, she was originally one of my mind, but she still went to speak for the emperor after all."

"It's like, a person I cultivated so easily was snatched away by the emperor, huh?"

An Shou knew that the old master was suffering, so he hurriedly persuaded, "Look at what you said, old master~~ Who is the emperor, the emperor is your own son, and the emperor has always been with you. It is Master Dun To be nice to the emperor, isn't that also filial to the old master?"

The Empress Dowager rubbed Anshou's words again.

The truth is that, the mother and the child are originally two in one; it's just... Maybe from the time the child was born, until he grew up, he was finally separated from her, separated from her heart and lungs.

When he has his own daughter-in-law, all his heart goes out~~
The empress dowager also became annoyed more and more, so she hurriedly restrained her mind, and didn't want to think about it any more.

Someone from outside came to report, saying that elder brother fifteen had come to pay his respects to Queen Mother.

The Empress Dowager was heartbroken for a while, and hurriedly said, "It's cold, don't ask him to stand outside, call him in quickly!"

Dressed in pure snow, the fifteenth elder brother Yongyan walked in quickly, and brushed off the snowflakes on his body outside the threshold.

The 13-year-old boy already has a handsome appearance.

Especially with the sable endmask on him now.The fur of the sable is black and bright, while the snowflakes are light and white. When he brushes them off neatly, pure white snowflakes fly up from the oily sable fur.

In addition to keeping warm, the sable's fur has another feature - it doesn't get wet from rain and snow.No matter how much it falls, it just needs to be dusted, and everything falls smoothly.Therefore, sable fur became the most noble fur of the imperial family of the Qing Dynasty, and sable was only used for the end caps of emperors and princes.

Yongyan's end cap was personally presented by the emperor the day before the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration.For this reason, the emperor also specially decreed: "The fifteenth year of the emperor has grown up, and he has been rewarded and end-shielded. To sacrifice to the first hall, it is also listed."

From this decree, Yongyan is no longer a junior Shiwu, but the fifteenth elder brother Yongyan who has grown up and officially entered the historical stage of the Qing Dynasty.

The emperor personally rewarded the end shield, and from then on, Yongyan could be included in the family sacrifice ceremony in Fengxian Hall.

It is not uncommon for princes to wear end caps, and it is also an old custom for princes to participate in the family sacrifice of Fengxian Hall—in particular, the emperor will issue a special decree on this matter.

This is among the princes, never seen before.

Besides, this decree happened when the emperor emphasized that he was old when he was offering sacrifices to heaven...

Echoing back and forth, the more you see the emperor's deep meaning.

(End of this chapter)