The Biography of Concubine Wen Xi in Qing Palace

Chapter 44 The Art of Balance
When the Empress entered the Palace of Compassion, the Empress Dowager was sitting on the warm seat, looking out the window at the autumn scenery.

The empress asked Ann for a while, and then she took a deep breath, rubbed her forehead and said, "You are more and more like an empress now."

The Empress Dowager remained silent for a while, seeing the Empress bowed her head in silence, with a look of panic on her face, she frowned and said, "The Ai family is talking to you."

The empress dowager's tone was displeased, the queen was startled, she regained her composure and replied: "Grandmother, I only think about the emperor, the poisonous incident at the family banquet yesterday shocked the Six Palaces, and the concubine Xian is in the middle of rumors, I will have to complain to you." She asked why."

Aunt Su Ma handed the Empress Dowager a seed-removed grape, and the Empress Dowager put it in her mouth and spat it out, saying 'sour' with some meaning.

The grapes that were urgently transported back to the palace at eight hundred miles from Gaochang were carefully selected by Aunt Su Ma, so they have a sour taste.

It's not that the queen can't hear that the empress dowager is secretly conveying a message to herself, but because of the face of the middle palace, it's hard for her to respond.

I had no choice but to pretend to turn a deaf ear and stand upright.

Aunt Su Ma poured tea and served it on the Empress Dowager's desk. The Empress Dowager brushed off the steam rising on it, smiled steadily, looked at the Empress and said, "The Ai family asked the imperial physician in private, the poison on the stomach pocket The poison is not enough to kill Chengrui, the empress is smart, can't you see the doorway here clearly?"

"The courtiers and concubines are dull and don't know what the empress dowager is saying."

"Are you dull?" The Empress Dowager snorted lightly, lowered her eyelids and said indifferently: "The Ai family chose you as the empress because you were smart and obedient, and now you have really grown up, and you have also made peace in front of the Ai family. .”

The queen lifted her clothes and knelt down, respectfully said: "I dare not, the Hesheli family has been taken care of by the emperor's grandmother for many years, I am grateful for it and dare not forget it."

The Empress Dowager took a Buddhist scripture next to the warm seat and read it casually, and did not tell the Empress to get up, she said to herself: "The Ai family took care of the Hesheli family. It is your grandfather and Ama who have made great contributions to the country. Sincerely, the emperor can move forward safely." Chao. Now the Ai family is taking care of you, so that you can balance the harem, avoid troubles, and take the responsibility of living in harmony among concubines and serving the emperor wholeheartedly. But what have you done now?"

After saying these words, the huge Compassionate Palace became even more quiet.From the lotus furnace on the table, smoke slowly spewed out, and the lavender smoke reflected the empress dowager's face even more solemnly.

"Mr. Rong has been proud of her son's favor for a long time. On the surface, you have shown her virtuousness, but in fact, you let her act domineeringly to provoke the wrath of the concubines. If she bullies too many people, she will always be impatient and make mistakes. You just need to stand on the sidelines and use your strength to fight."

"Isn't Chengrui being poisoned now? Isn't that an example? The court lady's confession of concubine Xian was full of mistakes and omissions. With your intelligence, you can definitely see that something is wrong. But what did you do? You saw that the emperor loves concubine Xian and favors the noble lady." Fearing that they would form a party and shake your position in the future, they hurriedly used torture to force Concubine Xian to confess. With such a magnanimity, does she still have the maternity posture that an empress should have?"

The Empress Dowager made her thoughts clear with a few words. The Empress suddenly felt her head go numb and her back went cold, but she still did not let go and argued strongly: "I don't know what caused the emperor's grandmother to misunderstand this, it's just that my son No such absurd thing has been done. There are constant criticisms in the six palaces about concubine Xian being poisoned. Even if the minister believes in her, he still has to torture and interrogate her palace servants. She's innocent."

The Empress Dowager was silent for a moment, watching the cigarettes curling up and drifting away, she narrowed her eyes slightly and said: "The Ai family has gone through five dynasties, what are the thoughts of the women in the harem? You, now, how do you deal with these indecent things?"

The queen thought for a moment and replied: "I think, no matter who did this, that person must not stay, and if Concubine Xian was framed by someone, then the maid who confessed her must be instructed by that person. Now people have been imprisoned in Shen Criminal Division, the criminal officer has his own way to get the truth out of her mouth."

The Empress Dowager flicked her nails: "It's okay if the court lady bites the concubine Xian to death, but if she changes her words at will after being punished, how can the confession be counted? And even if you know who did it, so what? She will also cry out for injustice, when will the empress plan to review this bad thing?"

"That's according to the emperor's grandmother."

"Anyway, you can't ask why, and Chengrui's body is fine. It's clear that someone wants to pour dirty water on Concubine Xian. Do you think the emperor can't see it? If he really suspects Xian Concubine, Concubine Xian's personal maid should have been sent to the Punishment Department yesterday, how can you still have the style you have in Chengqian Palace today?" The smile on the corner of the Empress Dowager's mouth gradually faded: "If the Ai family You, knowing the emperor's intentions, should think of ways to remove the suspicion of concubine Xian and rescue her from the predicament, so as to show the queen's bearing even more."

"Introduction?" The queen was stunned, and said in confusion: "It's about the emperor's heir, and my minister just cleared the suspicion of the concubine Xian. If the court lady refuses to confess to her death, how will my minister explain to Liu Gong. In this way, I'm afraid it will be difficult." Convince the public."

The Empress Dowager sighed like a faint wind: "Not even a court lady around her has the ability to shake the sky. The Empress just put all the crimes on her. First, she obeyed the Sacred Heart; Or it can also let those concubines who have moved their minds live in peace, and stop going crazy."

Seeing that the Empress still had scruples on her face, the Empress Dowager caressed the jasper bracelet with a translucent carved lotus flower pattern on her wrist, and smiled wryly: "If this jasper is broken and scattered, it will be stone scum. Things that are at your fingertips, who can get them?" Do you still care about its preciousness? If this jasper is a concubine, and you have no doubts about it until the emperor finds out, then she is still jasper, and even more honorable if she is inlaid with gold. But if you take the initiative to confess to her, even though she is in trouble, she will be relieved immediately. But the emperor's suspicion has always existed, and there is no way to dispel it if there is no proof of death."

The queen's tone was very gentle, and she said with a bit of respect: "Thank you for the teaching of the emperor's grandmother, my son understands what to do."

The Empress Dowager didn't want to talk to her too much, so she sent her to kneel down after a few more gossips.

Qingyue waited for the queen to get into the phoenix sedan chair, and whispered with a calm expression: "Your Majesty and the Queen Mother have talked so long, and the servants are exhausted for you."

The queen opened the sedan chair curtain with a sneer, her slender eyebrows fluttered and said calmly: "After all, Concubine Xian is the niece of Empress Dowager Cihe. With this status, the ancestors will of course think of ways to keep her. Say everything in the open Come on, if I don't follow her wishes, it will appear that I am ignorant."

"However, the empress is even more wronged."

The queen said: "Why are you wronged by me? Chengrui is the grandson of the empress dowager after all. Since she doesn't want to think about it, why should I take this matter?" She looked at the newly painted red walls along the road. , His complexion sank: "That's fine, Mrs. Rong is domineering, and now she has been promoted again, let her suffer a little bit, and then she will restrain herself."

Qingyue even said yes, and then asked: "Your Majesty, are you going to the Punishment Department now?"

"Let the Department of Punishment and Lian Xin be interrogated together, and I will go to the palace tomorrow." The queen put down the sedan chair curtain, sat in the sedan chair and supported her forehead: "Concubine Xian also has to suffer some crimes, so that she can give to the nobleman she befriended." Let me remind you, otherwise, if all the new entrants are colluding together, the harem will be messed up."

Then he raised his voice and instructed Qingyue, saying: "Let's go back to the palace now. The emperor will come to Kunning Palace for dinner at noon, so I have to go back and watch the food in the small kitchen. Such a bad thing happened yesterday, if the food is no longer delicious Some, the emperor has no appetite."

(End of this chapter)