box of hearts

Chapter 208: Ji Xianbin (16)
"Well, go to sleep." Qingtian stood up and blew out the small candle beside the bed, and fell into his arms in the gently falling night.His snoring resumed almost immediately, and she closed her eyes.There is nothing better than the sound of snoring warming her forehead, the clapper of the night watchman, so that she can always find her way home even in disorienting dreams.

13.
The next day, the weather turned fine, and as far as the eye can see, the flowers are blooming and the forests are full of green. It has already been the return of spring to the earth.Qi She left before the fourth watch as usual, Qingtian slept and woke up for a while, having countless dreams.Sometimes I was fighting dark red blood, sometimes I was in a prison three feet underground, or I was fleeing from layers of suffocating yellow paper and white mist, and I didn’t struggle to get up until mid-noon.I didn't want to eat anything, so I cleaned my hands and burned incense, and just chanted sutras sleepily.After reciting the time of two incense sticks, Sun Xiuda, the steward of the palace, asked to see him, and brought his nephew named Zheng Wen, who kowtowed to Qingtian from outside the curtain, saying that the prince sent him to take care of the Beifu. , In addition, he also brought a white parrot that is very good at human speech, and he recited a few small orders, either "The hills overlap and the golden light fades away", or "Apricot blossoms contain dew and fragrant snow"[4], with a strange tune, although Qingtian Full of thoughts, but also amused to laugh.

She nicknamed the parrot "Fei Qing", and fed it water and food with her own hands.Just thinking that Qi She might not be able to make it back in time, the eunuch Xiao Xinzi hurried over and said that the prince must be waiting for him to eat.

After waiting for about half an hour, Qi She entered the door of Jiuhuaju, completely different from yesterday's exhaustion, and looked radiant, "Pass the meal! Are you hungry?"

The dinner was extraordinarily sumptuous, steamed deer tail, duck stuffed with glutinous rice, three silk wings, mullet eggs, braised foie gras, honey roasted fire recipe, Taizhou Tianmo bamboo shoots, silk duck noodle soup... two people eat together at the same table, it is warm While chatting and laughing, Zhou Dun came quickly, saluted, and then posted it under Qi She's ear to talk.

After only a few words, Qi She's face became quite ugly, and she put down her chopsticks, and said briefly: "Something happened in the palace, I'll go back and deal with it."

Qing Tian also put down the bowls and chopsticks, wanted to ask him, thought for a while and swallowed the words, "Okay, take your time on the road."

After Qi She changed her coat, she walked towards the door, sighed again suddenly, and turned to Zhou Dun who was accompanying her, "You don't have to go with me, stay and explain clearly to your empress."

Zhou Dun replied, and stood there to watch him off. When Qi She left the yard, he turned back.Qingtian asked anxiously: "Eunuch Zhou, what happened in the mansion?"

"Oh," Zhou Dun frowned tightly, even the old scars on his cheeks shrunk, "It's ugly. Didn't your mother have an old sister named Die Xian?"

Qingtian's heart fluttered suddenly, "Yes."

"Didn't she steal the prefect's property and run away with Zha Dingkui, an actor who committed adultery?"

"Yes."

"Two people were arrested in Songjiang a few days ago. Among the eight camels' luggage, not only the things stolen from the magistrate's house were found, but also a lot of gold beads, jewelry, and antiques. They were all the private collections of the nobles in Beijing. The rare thing was reported as stolen, but the case has never been closed. After interrogation, it turned out that not only the concubine of Honglu Temple Minister, but also more than a dozen concubines of princes, clans and ministers who had been secretly involved with the actor They all communicated with him secretly, and even stole things from the master's house and gave them to him privately. Among the gifts was a jade belt of the Four Gods, which belonged to the Prince Regent's house."

Qingtian took a deep breath, "There are female relatives in the mansion, and——"

Zhou Dun paused for a moment, his face filled with disdain, "The opera singers have already been recruited, and they are the side concubine of the mansion, Concubine Shun."

"Concubine Shun?" Qingtian touched the golden button of Fengchaohua under his collar with his fingertips, "I know her."

"Concubine Shun has been in the mansion for a long time, and she is the next concubine. She is the most prestigious, and she did such a thing!" Zhou Dunyi sighed indignantly.

Qingtian felt his heart was full of confusion, he looked around and saw the parrot Feiqing on the silver frame.The bird fluttered its wings suddenly, and then turned its red tongue and began to chant: "The willows are unevenly colored to cover the painting building, and the Xiao Ying sings to send the sorrows of the palace. Every year, no one sees the flowers, and the spring springs out of the imperial ditch. [5] "

The sad poems float out of the window, and disappear into the night sky as soon as the wind blows.

As soon as Qi She returned to the palace, she was directly led to the Fengyue Shuangqing Pavilion of the second concubine Zhan's family.All the servants have been sent away, only Rui Zhi, Zhan's personal maid, guarded the door of the side room, and there was a loud scolding sound coming from inside.Qi She pushed open the door, and Zhan stopped her mouth suddenly, her dignified and calm body disappeared without a trace, embarrassed and anxious, with swollen eyeballs, she pointed to the ground, "I have already given this shameless bitch to the prince. I brought it, how to deal with it, the prince will decide."

Concubine Shun just knelt on the green brick floor, and her palace make-up was beautiful, and her phoenix hairpin was in a high bun. She didn't see a trace of dilapidation, and she turned her face slightly, neither looking at anyone nor speaking.

Qi She took a look at her, then shook Zhan's hand, "You go out first."

Zhan looked at him worriedly, "Your Highness's body is important, don't be angry, you can't do it for such a bitch."

"I know, you go out." Qi She didn't show any expression, Zhan Shi gave a salute, then cast a disgusted glance at Concubine Shun, and backed out of the door.

Inside the gate, people are separated by a size, but they seem to be separated by thousands of mountains and thousands of waters.After a long time, "Concubine Shun," Qi She said, and called her again, "Xiao Shun, do you have anything to defend yourself?"

Since Qi She came in, Concubine Shun looked at him directly for the first time, her eyes were raised high, and her eyes were radiant and cold.

"My lord, my concubine has nothing to argue about. The concubine went to the Huale Building to watch a play in June of the year before last, and she fell in love with Zha Dingkui. I met him several times one after another, and I also helped him with some things. Concubine and concubine plead guilty to both charges of stealing."

An unknown fire shot up from the soles of Qi She's feet, and he grabbed something casually and threw it at Concubine Shun, "Bitch!"

Concubine Shun turned her head to hide, and a white porcelain conch bead bottle was smashed against the corner of the wall.

Zhan's maid, Rui Zhi, was still outside, leaning against the door and asked timidly, "My lord, are you alright?"

"Get out, get away!" Qi She's voice was not high, but the anger in it was raging.Immediately there was silence outside the room, but inside the room, he could only hear his own breathing, which was heavy and short.

Concubine Shun was wearing a cloud shoulder with lotus petals and emerald beads, the beads trembled twice, accompanied by the laughter of the beads falling on the jade plate, "Why, is the lord angry? Will the lord still be angry for me?" Her eyes wandered. Moved around, looking around at the calligraphy and painting banners, flowers and flower stands, but did not stop for anything, "I married the prince, and the night I entered the mansion, I said to the prince: 'I like to sing, so I have a bad reputation outside. , They all say that is not something that a lady of the upper class should do, the more polite and immoral." But the prince said: "What's the matter? I prefer to listen to your singing." I sang to you one by one beside my pillow , sang until the candles were extinguished. After ten days, you rested here every day. When I took off my makeup, you took off the hairpins on my head one by one. But on the 11th day, You stopped coming, you went to another concubine Ji. From that day on, I opened my eyes every day and waited for the dark, waiting for you to come. In the first two months, you came every two or three days, and then I only come here every seven or eight days, and after that, I don’t come here for more than ten days. I often ask the servants, where is the prince staying tonight? From time to time, I hear a new name. There are more and more women in the mansion. There are so many women that I can’t even remember them. I was sad at first, but gradually I don’t feel sad. I think, so many women, the prince himself may not be able to remember them, but he always remembers me and seals me. Concubine side, will come to see me and talk with me, isn't that good? So I will continue to wait, every day I open my eyes and wait for you, turn 32 jade dominoes over and over, push the magic number, Ask Tianji, ask if you will come today, until Dongfang turns white. Even on such a day, I am very satisfied. Anyway, the card says you will come in three days, but you did not come on the third day, and on the third day Four days, fifth day... eighth day, you will always come, but—”

Concubine Shun's erratic tone suddenly changed, and the turn was so sad: "But since you got to know the lady with that surname, even if you are with me, you have become more and more absent-minded. You always coax me, but later, if I get upset for a little bit, you get annoyed, and you don't want to give in at all. When I get rid of your anger, I regret it very much. I miss those little class servants They must be gentle and sensible, but the mothers said, what's the use of being gentle and sensible, those women are best at 'inner charm', and they can hold men's hearts just now, so I told them to secretly spend money to invite Huanxi Buddha in the Lama Temple Your lord, do you still remember, one night, I crawled between your legs like a dog, you laughed and asked me where I learned it from."

Tears overflowed from the corners of her eyes, and just one or two drops extinguished Qi She's anger.Now he doesn't feel angry at all, he just feels the saltiness of tears in his heart.He wanted to stop her from talking, but he just stood there without saying anything.

(End of this chapter)