The Biography of Concubine Wen Xi in Qing Palace

Chapter 5
Wan Lai crossed the courtyard corridor all the way, and arrived in front of Shu Shujue Luo's gate.

There is no maid waiting outside the door, the door is wide open, and from a distance one can hear Shu Shujue Luo chanting Kunqu Opera in the room.

Wan Lai stood in front of the door, and saw her mother sitting on a seat in the hall, holding a silk thread in her hand, sewing and embroidering a ball of fan.

Only this time, like Bayara's, the expensive moon shadow gauze was used on the fan.

The candles in the room were flickering and bright, Shu Shu felt that Luo Shi was smiling, sealed with needles and threads, and chanted in his mouth.

"It turns out that the flowers are blooming everywhere, so they are all ruined."

"What's the day with the beautiful scenery on a good day, who's house is there to enjoy the pleasure?" ①
When Wanyu was young, Shu Shujue Luo Shi often sang Kunqu Opera Bo Ye Bi Long Yi Xiao, she was used to hearing this garden horror dream, but when she listened to it today, she was no longer as shy as she was when she sang to Ailang Sentimental.

"My daughter greets her mother."

Wan Lai stood at the door, put away the oil-paper umbrella and leaned against the door, and knelt down to Shu Shujue Luo Shi from a distance.

Hearing the movement, Shu Shu felt that Luo Shi put down the needle and thread in his hand, stopped singing, and slowly turned his gaze to Wan Yu.

"The rainy night is cold, come in and sit."

Shu Shu felt that Luo Shi's tone was flat, and he didn't get up to greet her, not as close as he used to be with her.

Wan Yu thought to herself, could it be that she saw her being bullied by Bayara and did not stop her at noon, which offended her mother?
She got up, walked towards Shushujue Luoshi with anxiety in her heart, and acted obediently again, poured tea for her and offered it with both hands.

While pouring tea, she looked around, only to realize that all the decorations in the room had changed, and regardless of whether it was suitable or not, she picked out some valuable items.

Compared with Bayara's dormitory for example, the degree of wealth is too much.

Shu Shujue Luo took the teacup, put it aside casually, raised his eyes and stared at Wanyu, without saying a word.

Her eyes were full of disappointment and coldness, and she felt uncomfortable looking at Wanya, so she had no choice but to sit aside and break the silence first: "Mother hasn't sung for a long time, today I am in a good mood."

Shu Shujue Luo put the round fan in his hand aside, and said with a half-smile on his face: "When Ulanara was around, he always said that the melodious voice sung for mother was not elegant, and one had to know how to keep quiet. Later, Ba Yala's over-the-top wife humiliated me by comparing her to a firework girl, and as a mother, she had no choice but to keep her voice shut and stop making people laugh."

As she said that, she turned her head to look at Wanyu, pointed to the various new items in the house, and continued: "Now that the Bayara House is abandoned by the master, the whole mansion sees that I have gained power, so Baba has to change all the displays in the house. Look at the sweet white glazed flower vases, the glazed jade dishes on the mahogany table, the Shu brocade warm pillows and silk quilts on the couch."

Shu Shujue Luo Shi moved the half-embroidered round fan that he had just put down again, and sneered: "And this fan made of moon shadow gauze, which ones are not hard to find? I used to look at other people's faces in everything. , Now I can finally be my own master, if I like to sing Kunqu opera, I will sing Kunqu opera, how can anyone dare to criticize me?"

Listening to what her mother said, Wan Yu was happy for her mother in her heart, but all these things were happy, but her mother looked at her, but she was not happy.

"It's a joyful event for my mother to keep the clouds open. Why is she still frowning and worried?"

The cold wind outside the house poured the earthy smell of spring rain into the house, blowing the candle shadows in the house to shake like will-o'-the-wisps.

"This candle is a bit dazzling." Shu Shujue Luo Shi got up, extinguished two candles, and the room was half dark in an instant.

Then he walked towards the open door, and with the roar of thunder, closed the door.

"Your Ama will send you into the palace."

Wanyu was stunned by her mother's words. Although she knew that her mother would mention this matter to her sooner or later, she didn't want to say it so bluntly.

A trace of disappointment flashed across her face, she was silent for a while, then forced a smile and said: "Very good, I also miss my elder sister very much."

Shu Shujue Luo looked back, glanced at Wanyu, was not surprised by her answer, and just replied coldly: "If that's the case, then go back and prepare."

She pushed open the door that had just been closed, nodded to the door, and signaled Wannai to leave.

Outside the house, the rain fell more densely, like thousands of silk threads entangled together, pouring down on the ground, without breaking point.

Looking at her mother's resolute expression, Wanyu suddenly felt that Shu Shujue Luo Shi in front of her was very strange.

In the past, when the eldest sister Yide entered the palace, her mother cried for half a month, and because of this, she fell seriously ill and almost died.

Compared with Yide, mother loves her more.

But now it's her turn to enter the palace, her mother's abnormal words and deeds arouse Wanyu's suspicion.

She walked quickly to Shu Shujue Luo's side, and pushed the door shut.

'Snapped'

The sound of closing the door was so loud that Shu Shujue Luo Shi couldn't help shivering.She lowered her eyebrows and looked at the solemn Wanyan, and said, "You chose this path yourself. Don't you like it if I help you for your mother?"

Wan Lai frowned and raised her head, looked at Shu Shujue Luo Shi in blank dismay, and said that she didn't understand what her mother was talking about.

Shu Shujue Luo sighed and shook his head, felt a sudden headache, put his hand on his forehead, turned around and said, "I taught you and Yide to be unpredictable since childhood, and you can't eat what others bring you. You are more obedient than Yide." Clever, how could she eat the dried apricots made by her own hands?"

"When you were eight years old, you changed into a spruce maid's clothes and came to visit me secretly at night, but was accidentally discovered by Ulanara. She punished you for confinement and slapped you in the face. You often said in front of me that she hated you When did she become so friendly with her that she would cry and mourn in front of your Ama?"

"Xuerong is the cat I gave to Yide, and Yide gave it to you after entering the palace. It is timid and afraid of people by nature, and it just nests in the corner of the house all day long. How come it ran around in the yard when you got it? ?”

Shu Shujue Luo Shi's series of questions made Wanyu speechless for a while, but she didn't show any panic expression on her face, she was just silent for a moment, and then she replied calmly: "What did the mother say that the daughter can't understand, but today in Ama's room, Seeing the portrait of Fei'enniang hanging on the wall, my daughter's heart is full."

'Snapped'

In the middle of Wanya's speech, Shu Shujue Luo suddenly turned around and slapped her hard across the face. Seeing Wanya covering her face and looking at herself in surprise, she was extremely angry, tears rolled in her eyes, and said angrily: "You still have to lie! I found the dried apricot, broke it open and looked at the pollen inside! The pollen still has a damp floral fragrance, which is obviously freshly picked. Ulanara passed away more than half a year ago, you tell me , why doesn't the pollen show any signs of drying up?"

Wanlu slowly put down the hand covering her cheek, without making any excuses, she clearly recognized what she had done.

Seeing her mother crying sadly, she couldn't bear it in her heart, and couldn't hold the tears in her eyes, which dripped on the back of her hand.

"That's because she, Bayara, is unlucky and can't blame others. If she doesn't bully her mother, I can still tolerate her, but now that her daughter's entry into the palace is a foregone conclusion, how can I let her bully you and ignore it?"

"But you are only 13 years old! Who taught you these insidious methods?" Shu Shujue Luo shouted at Wan Lai: "If you do such a sinister thing, if the master kills Bayara today in anger, Are you not afraid of retribution for framing people to death?!"

"Retribution?" Wanyu sneered, brushing her sleeves and ignoring the tears: "Daughter has watched since she was a child, Ulanara's viciousness has no retribution, and Bayara's toughness has no retribution. On the contrary, it is the mother who just forbears, and the retribution and evil consequences are all in one mind. Here you come!"

Hearing Wan Lai's words made her furious, without any remorse, Shu Shujue Luo sighed, waved his hands and said: "Forget it, let me ask you, did you agree to enter the palace during the day in the master's bedroom?"

Wan Yu nodded without saying a word, Shu Shujue Luo Shi frowned and closed his eyes, tears fell silently, echoing the rain falling outside the house.

Her words were helpless, and she couldn't bear it even more: "If you shouldn't, there is still room for change in this matter, but if this is the case, it will completely cut off hope."

"Where is the room?" Wan Yu shook her head and whispered: "Ama has already handed over the roster, and the arrow has to be fired. If the daughter does not agree, it will cause mother and Ama to quarrel. The matter has come to an end, and the daughter can't bear to let the mother be sad again. .”

After saying that, she walked forward and gently wiped the tears that fell from Shu Shujue Luo's face: "Mother, don't be sad, enter the palace graciously, and swear to be blessed, then you will know that your mother is poor and your son is precious, and the family will be happy." No one dares to bully you anymore, so Ama can love you more."

Shu Shujue Luo Shi caressed Wanyu's immature little hand, bit his lips and shook his head, reluctantly said: "What kind of love fate, my mother has lived most of her life, and she has long since given up on it. If I want to sacrifice you and Yide to fulfill myself, I definitely can't do it." arrive!"

She spoke excitedly, and took a moment to continue: "You are young, you don't know how dangerous the deep palace is. Now the former court is in turmoil, Oboi's party members are ready to move, and Queen Hesheli in the harem is the only concubine. Ma Jiachang gave birth to the eldest son of the emperor years ago. The arrogance is even stronger, even though your eldest sister has been named Concubine Yi, the emperor is jealous of her, and even Ma Jiachangzai and Li Xuning can't compare to her in terms of favor. How can you be better off with Yide and the same mother?"

"My daughter thinks that whether she is favored or not depends mostly on the emperor's will. Eldest sister has a high spirit and is unwilling to marry someone as a concubine. Even if she enters the palace, she has a strong temper and has a sad face all day long. How can she win the holy family?" Her speech is mature, without the slightest hint of childish innocence.She held Shu Shujue Luo's hand, pressed it hard, and said with a smile: "My daughter knows that the king's favor cannot be taken care of all the time, and the emperor's affection is never extravagant, nor does she have the spirit of the elder sister who only wants to be single-minded. If she is not allowed to be a regular wife, her daughter must be the emperor's most beloved concubine. If she can be the late emperor's imperial concubine Dong E, she will be able to glorify her family and make her mother proud in front of Ama."

"What I care about for my mother is not those false things. I hope that you, Yide, and Faka can live a safe and smooth life, so that my mother can feel at ease."

"In the mansion, my daughter is used to living a life of being a sword and me being a fish. I feel really wronged, and I am afraid of the days of exhausting myself. Although entering the palace is a bad policy, it is also a good policy. As the second lady of the Niu Hulu family , Marriage is destined to be beyond your control, even if you don't enter the palace, you will be designated by Ama as a concubine to the son of a courtier nearby."

Wanyi's words were sincere, and when she was emotional, she knelt down in front of Shu Shujue Luo with a 'plop': "It's just a mother. In the future, Wanyi will no longer be able to serve you by your side, and she will do her best as a filial piety."

As the words fell, Wan Lai burst into tears, she leaned on Shu Shujue Luo's lap, and murmured hoarsely: "After all, it is my daughter who is sorry for you."

Shu Shu felt that Luo Shi was so sad seeing Wanyu crying in love, he quickly leaned over to lift her up from the cold ground, and hugged her into his arms: "Mother, I'm sorry for you, I'm sorry for Yide."

　Remark 1: Excerpted from "A Dream in the Garden", which is a piece of Kunqu Opera "The Peony Pavilion".The author is Tang Xianzu, a Chinese dramatist of the Ming Dynasty
　　Remark 2: Imperial Concubine Dong E: Dong E·Wu Yunzhu: (1639~1660 A.D.), female, Manchu, the famous Concubine Dong E in history, also known as Concubine Dong E, daughter of E Shuo, the Minister of Internal Affairs; Beijinger, Manchurian Zheng white flag.The famous Qing Dynasty ancestor Shunzhi Emperor Huang Guifei.Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty really regarded Concubine Dong E as a beautiful woman and a confidante.Emperor Shunzhi fell in love with Concubine Dong E at first sight, and he would never change until his death.There are a few things that can show that the first emperor of the Qing Dynasty had an excessive love for Concubine Dong E, and the drafts of Qing history all record that Concubine Dong E "loved the harem".

　　
　
(End of this chapter)