box of hearts

Chapter 144 Congratulations to the Groom (14)
It wasn't until Xi He made a move that he woke up from the dream. He quickly turned away his face, and stiffly sent back a jade hand that was on his shoulder. The minister will immediately proceed to select a batch of empathetic and handsome faces and send them to the palace in secret, so as to relieve the empress dowager's worries."

But hearing this, Xihe's color changed several times.She bent down and grabbed the man's cheeks with one hand, and forced her back in a rough manner, leaning her face against his nose, "Face, head? What do you think I am, you are such a good sister-in-law? "

Looking deeply into Jin's eyes distorted by the rage, Qi She was taken aback for a moment, and simply didn't say a word.

Xi He threw Qi She's face away again, pointed at her nose and cursed: "Hmph, look at your useless appearance! Your majestic prince, you actually defend yourself for a bitch?!"

It was this "bitch" that completely offended Qi She.It's like his disability, which can be used as a joke for Qing Tian, ​​but if it's another person, it should be Ling Chi's crime.He deliberately scanned every inch of the naked body, which had lost all charm for him, and provocatively said: "I guard my body voluntarily, and the Queen Mother guards her body voluntarily. I don't know who is more cowardly?" With a "snap", his cheeks were burning hot, leaving behind the ear temples a bloodstain that was scratched by the golden armor.

Xi He couldn't care less about what to do, and asked in a low tone, "How dare you insult the mother of the country?"

Qi She is a prince who was born as a concubine in the middle palace, with a high status, even if he has gone through ups and downs, he has never been humiliated by a slap, so he can't help but get angry.Sweeping the tip of her tongue around her cheeks, she stood up straight on the armrest of the chair, her words were indifferent and contemptuous, "I don't know what 'National Mother' is, but I know that 'National Mother' won't say 'bitch' This word." He let out a cold breath through his nose, turned around, lowered his right shoulder slightly, lowered again, and walked away.

Xi He, who was left behind, gasped for his life, his eyes just fell on a small gold and silver Buddha about five inches high on the front headline case.Buddha lowered his eyes arrogantly, not paying any attention to her at all.Xi He clenched two fists, stepped forward step by step, and stared straight at him.Buddha is also a man, right?Didn't the scriptures say that one can become a Buddha only by transforming into a male body?For countless days and nights, she kowtowed to a man like this, what's the use?Worship again, they will not open the golden eyes of the body of the seven treasures to a woman's jade body[12] with mercy.Xihe hated this man's world.With a wave of her hand, she slapped the small statue and its base to the ground.

The cold of winter began to spread all over his body, Xihe's teeth chattered, and ugly goosebumps protruded from the snow-sculpted and ice-built muscles and bones.

9.
This remnant snow will soon be gone, and it will be the end of the new year.

The major yamen in the capital are closed from the 28th of the twelfth lunar month until the [-]th of the first lunar month of the following year, except for those on duty.Due to the approaching of the Xie Yamen, there were a lot of affairs, large and small, and the officials of Kaifeng and Jianfu from all over the country also sent people to Beijing to deliver the festival gifts, and the Regent's Palace was full of people from morning till night.In addition to the strict system of ceremonies, there are many complicated and trivial matters such as writing the word "blessing" to bestow all over the important ministers, and there is no place that does not require extravagance.Once the new year was over, it was no longer convenient for him to rest in Ruyuan, so he moved back to the palace.On the first day of the New Year's Eve, lead the princes and ministers to bid farewell to the emperor in the main hall of Huangji, and at night, worship the ancestors in their own mansion.From the gate, Yimen, hall, inner hall, to the inner three gates, the inner Yimen, and the vertical flower gate, the Wangfu is full of festive lanterns, golden candles, and brocade embroidered screens.After the sacrificial ceremony, the banquet of fine wine was opened in the main hall.Qi She occupied a large dining table in the center alone, the second concubine Zhan sat at the first table in the east, the side concubine Shun was at the first table in the west, and the other concubines were arranged according to their positions and the order of canonization. Tables and grounds are arranged in sequence and sit on the east and west sides.

It's rare for Zhu Ji to see her husband once a year, and they all dress up to compete with each other for the sake of gaining attention, lest they fall behind.At a glance, the white face, dark eyes, pink cheeks, red lips... slender hands raise glasses to Qi She frequently.During the banquet, only concubine Shun Shun was the only concubine who spoke little, with a sea otter lying on her forehead[13], and her small chin was half buried in the marten collar, revealing a small part of her face full of indifference and gloom. dark.Concubine Rong, who was adjacent to the table, glanced this way, leaned over her upper body and whispered: "Sister Shun, everyone is toasting the prince, why don't you toast a glass? The prince even ate the wine from that Ji." Woolen cloth."

Concubine Shun straightened her slender waist and narrow back, and squinted her two big square eyes, "What's the use of eating your wine? I also made a bowl of ecstasy soup and poured it down for the prince, which made him wait for years and months. Looking at you, you even forgot where the door of the house is facing, that’s what you call skill.”

Concubine Rong hurriedly lifted up her golden sleeves, and covered her mouth, "Sister, keep your voice down, it's a happy day, let the prince and the second concubine hear it, it's useless to make you unhappy."

On the opposite side stood another beautiful woman, with vermilion in her sandalwood mouth, emerald green in the waves, holding a golden flower snow cup in both hands, the sound quality was as gentle as porcelain, "Concubine concubine Xiangshou, respect the prince and step-concubine empress again One cup, I wish the prince and the empress blessings and eternal years."

Qi She and Zhan Shi, who were at the top, both smiled and accepted it frankly.Xiangshou Fang sat down, and Concubine Wan, who was sitting with her, rose gracefully again, with a fairy gold forehead inlaid with gemstones and white jade on her eyebrows, and her pair of handsome eyes were lightly pressed. "Concubine concubine also toast the prince and empress again."

Qi She held his cup and smiled, "I drank too much today, I can't drink any more."

Concubine Wan cast a deep glance at Xiangshou beside her, "My lord just ate the second round of wine from concubine concubine Shou's sister, why wouldn't he eat concubine's? Isn't it partial?"

"Concubine Shou hasn't attended the carnival feast in the mansion for several years, it's different."

"In the end, it's still biased."

Qi She was already half drunk, and shook the small cup in his hand with a smile, "Okay, take this cup from you. The second concubine should spare her, she is never suitable for drinking too much."

Only then was Concubine Wan satisfied, and she covered her face and drank the wine in her hand.Not long after, two more concubines came forward with cups, laughing and persuading them.Qi She didn't refuse any more, and took one by one, picking out the flowers with drunken eyes, only to see this streamer staring at each other, that one's smile rejuvenated, surrounded by his wives and concubines, but he only felt unspeakable guilt.He was thinking about Ruyuan, thinking about a woman who had no home in a lonely family and trusted him as her home. On this night when thousands of families were reunited, she was still left alone by him.However, these young women in front of him are full of colorful flowers and few blossoms, does he have a clear conscience?

The only consolation he could give everyone, he thought, was his own drunkenness.

As soon as the new year begins, the Lantern Festival follows.In previous years, the palace would hold a grand and grand lantern appreciation meeting, but this year, due to the financial reforms carried out by the Prince Regent, he made repeated orders to stop extravagance. A small celebration is reserved in the imperial city.Folk Lantern Festivals start on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year and end on the eighteenth day. However, the Royal Lantern Festival always starts on the first day of the Lantern Festival. Therefore, before the fifteenth day, there is a leisurely scene in the palace.

The layered courtyard walls and the majestic halls were deeply silent, only a low sob came from the courtyard of the Compassionate Ning Palace.But seeing a little maid kneeling at the gate of the palace, her eyes were swollen from crying, "I just accidentally said something 'Sister Yuming asked me to give it to the Queen Mother' when I was answering, and the Queen Mother was not happy, saying How can the master have any messy sisters and sisters, even if they want to be called, they should also be called 'Sister Yuming's slave', scolding me for not even learning this little rule in the palace for so many years, so someone slapped my mouth, Punishment to kneel outside."

"Oh," a court lady next to her with her waist half folded, sighed with deep eyes, "the queen mother has been a little bit wrong recently. Every morning when she wakes up, either she thinks the fragrance is too strong, or the tea has been brewed for a long time. She always finds a Whoever scolds from the head, the Qi of the day will be smooth. The imperial doctor said that the phoenix body is not hesitant due to excessive anger, but I think it seems to have violated the common saying of 'beheaded wind'."

"what?"

"Hey, you entered the palace when you were young, so you don't know about this. The widowed women in the folk keep the house for half their lives, and it's easy for their children to grow up. After suffering, it's time to enjoy the blessing of a prosperous family, but they always mention it. If you don’t feel energetic, but lose your temper for no reason, this is called “the head wind”. It must be the first night that you think about the things that you can’t tell your juniors and servants, and you can’t sleep, so you wake up early and sometimes you have nothing to do.”

"Hush!" An eunuch came nearby and reminded in a low voice, "What about 'pillow wind' and 'quilt wind', are you two getting impatient?" Take a look at the main hall.

In the hall, several court ladies were circling around Xihe, beating his back and massaging, and pouring ointments. Xihe was half asleep on the beauty's couch, with an angry look in his sickly face, and his face was very ugly.

The court lady Yu Tea held a cloisonné enamel incense box in her hand, took out two purple-red incense baits from the inside, and put them into the carved incense burner with eight treasures of animal heads.

"The Empress Dowager doesn't need to be angry with those stupid slaves. This is the 'Ningyuan Fragrance' specially prepared by the Imperial Hospital for the Empress Dowager. It is extremely soothing and calming. The Empress Dowager took a few deep breaths and soon felt comfortable."

At the end of the speech, a eunuch's voice floated in from outside the courtyard: "Mother, Empress Dowager is here——"

Xihe's eyelids trembled, "Just now I said I'm comfortable, but this uncomfortable person has come, let's meet you."

Since Wang Zhenghao's rebellion, the status of the East and West Palaces has undergone subtle changes.Even though the Eastern Empress Dowager Wang came in person, Xihe only came to greet her at the gate of the hall, and said perfunctory, "I dare not work hard, my sister condescends, and sees the disease in person."

(End of this chapter)