Xuanyuan Jue

Chapter 187 The Weeping Blood Demon Painting (1)
After their discussion, the two went to Yiluan Hall one after the other.When he came to Dongnuan Pavilion, he saw that the curtains in the middle of the pavilion had already been hung up. Xiaode Zhang knew that Cixi was washing, so he pulled Ye Heli down on the porch and waited quietly.

After a while, the hall curtain was stirred, and a maid came out with a silver basin.

Recognizing that she was the eldest girl who was sleeping at night, Xiao Dezhang hurriedly greeted in a low voice: "Aunt Rong!"

The maid was startled, she turned around to cover the hall curtain, and then slowly came under the porch. "Eunuch Zhang?"

Xiaode posted a smiling face, "Where is Aunt Rong going tonight?"

"Aunt or not?" the maid pursed her lips and smiled, "Eunuch Zhang can just call me Rong'er."

"You are the 'big boss' in front of Lafayette, don't dare to disturb your duties." Xiao Dezhang said, and glanced at Nuan Ge. "Aunt Rong, Lafayette hasn't rested yet, has he?"

"No," Maid Rong patted the silver basin, "I just soaked my feet in papaya soup, and now Xiao Juanzi is serving 'Tranquilization Wine' in it..."

Just as Xiao Dezhang was about to speak, a light cough came from inside the warm pavilion. "Rongzi, what are you muttering outside?"

Recognizing that it was Cixi's voice, Xiao Dezhang hurriedly pulled Ye He to his knees. "Slave Xiao Dezhang, kowtow to Lafayette."

"Xiao Dezhang?" Cixi said, "It's so late, do you have anything to do?"

"Yes," Xiao Dezhang hurriedly said, "I see you at night, my servant, and I have something important to report."

"Since there is something important, come in."

"The Lafayette, Rong Zhi, came with the servant, and Ye He from the Hanyuan Hall..."

"Come in and talk together!"

"Hey." Xiaode Zhang Chong waved to Ye He, got up and walked towards the Nuan Pavilion.

Seeing that Ye He was restrained, Maid Rong patted her on the shoulder quietly. "Don't panic, just don't lose your courtesy."

"Thank you, Sister Rong." Ye He squatted down gratefully, and followed closely behind Xiao Dezhang.

As soon as the curtain of the hall was lifted, a warm fragrance rushed over.In an auspicious beast incense burner, I don't know if it is smoked with dragon, sandalwood, or musk, and it blends with the fragrance from the two daffodils in the house, which is very elegant and pleasant.

Xiao De Zhang bowed and came behind the partition fan, and hit a thousand children with one knee. "Greetings to Lafayette!"

Ye He also hurriedly said: "The Lafayette is auspicious..."

"Get up." After Cixi said this, she turned her face to the maid in the room and said, "Juanzi, bring me the 'Shenshen Wine' first, it will be cold in a while."

"Yes." The maid in the room agreed, and presented an enamel cup filled with wine.

What is contained in this cup is the Anshen wine, which is made by Chen Shao who has been used by the imperial physician for ten years, mixed with many precious medicines.This drink retains the mellow alcoholic nature of Huadiao, and it also harmonizes the blood to drive away the cold, strengthen the root and increase the vitality, so it has become the favorite of Empress Dowager Cixi.Every night after winter, Su La from the Tai Hospital will be on time and deliver the tranquilizing wine and the safety post.

While Cixi was drinking, Ye He secretly raised his head and looked into the cabinet.I saw Cixi sitting by the eaves of the Tiaoshan Kang in the north, with a silver fox crop with a round girdle between her knees, her left leg curled up, her right leg drooping on the pear pedal, and two soft-tyred clogs under her feet. , are sleeping shoes for the queen of Yanju.

After drinking the calming wine, Cixi's face became even more rosy, she wiped her mouth with a yellow satin brocade handkerchief, and then asked, "Xiao Dezhang, what's your business?"

Xiao Dezhang took out the painting and put his hands flat on his palms. "Returning to Lafayette, the servant accidentally found a portrait tonight, and I dare not specialize in it, so I invite Lafayette to take a look..."

"Portrait?" Cixi frowned, "Who is the portrait of who deserves to be sent with a red face?"

"Lafayette first forgives the slave's death penalty." Xiao Dezhang knelt down on his knees again, "Perhaps the slave has poor eyesight...the person in the painting...looks like a precious concubine."

"Oh?" Cixi raised her upper body and ordered, "Juanzi, bring that pair of crystal mirrors, I want to see that painting!"

"Yes." After the maid Juan presented it as she said, she took the portrait from Xiao Dezhang and gently displayed it in front of Cixi.

Cixi put on the mirror, squinted her eyes for a while, then snorted and said, "Hmph, it's really that bastard's brows and eyes. Xiao Dezhang, where did you get this portrait?"

Xiao De Zhang said: "The servant and Ye He found it in Shuqing Court."

"Shuqingyuan?" Cixi looked at Ye He, then at Xiao Dezhang, her face slowly sank. "It's late at night, what are you two doing there?"

When Xiao Dezhang and Ye He heard this, they kowtowed in a panic, and hurriedly responded with the pre-made rhetoric.

After hearing this, Cixi relaxed a little. "So, someone broke into the palace?"

"I don't dare to make a statement," Xiao Dezhang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and said, "It is said that the palace is heavily guarded, and if someone breaks in, they should not be able to hide from the eyes and ears of the guards... It's just that the appearance of this portrait is too strange. A slave is incompetent, and the only way to let Lafayette decide."

"Well," Cixi nodded thoughtfully. "Xiao De Zhang, you have done a good job in this matter. It seems that someone in the palace is trying to make trouble again. Ye He, what is the emperor doing these days?"

Ye He replied: "Reporting to Lafayette, the Emperor has been playing with Western clocks recently, disassembled and reassembled them... Said it can pass the time..."

"He's free," Cixi said, "Isn't there a lot of foreign clocks and watches? What about Ye He, go to the inner store later, pick another batch and send them there, so that the emperor can dismantle them all!"

Ye He quickly thanked him: "Thank you Lafayette for giving the clock..."

Cixi said coldly: "It's not a gift, it's a gift!"

Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Xiaode quickly changed the subject and said, "Lafayette, what do you think about that painting?"

Cixi thought for a while, and said: "This portrait will not appear for no reason, regardless of other things, first find out who painted it!"

Xiao De Zhang Zuo wondered: "But there is no inscription on this painting, and there is no mark on it..."

Cixi said: "To have such vivid painters, I am afraid that there are not many people in this world. How about this, Xiao Dezhang, go to the Ruyi Museum in person tomorrow, and check those painters and painters one by one!"

Xiaode Zhangmao suddenly realized, "Oh, it's Lafayette Shengming! This slave knows what to do."

Cixi took off the mirror and the golden armour, and threw them on the kang table. "Okay, I'm tired, let's keep this painting first, you two can kneel down."

"Hey!" Xiao Dezhang and Ye He kowtowed again, and they both withdrew.

After the two left, the previous Maid Rong also returned to the pavilion.Cixi waved her hand and said, "Rong Zi, come over and have a look at this painting."

Maid Rong stepped forward, looked at the painting, and wondered, "Huh? Isn't this..."

"Hey," Cixi sneered, "You recognize it too? Rongzi, Juanzi, you two should be smart these days, and pay more attention to who is wrong in the harem!"

The two maids looked at each other, "What does Lafayette mean?"

Cixi said: "After Xin Chou returned to Luan, the few 'old men' who were often used in the palace were removed, and the rest of the eunuchs and court ladies were all changed. The newcomers naturally don't recognize that foxy son, so I suspect that this Strange, it's among those 'old people'! Oh, you two don't be afraid, I didn't think about you."

The second maid was grateful to Dade, "Thank you Lafayette for your trust!"

"Well," Cixi pulled the painting over and looked at it again. "However, this painter is really good at painting, hehe, he has such a skill, but he paints a portrait for a dead ghost... Wait to find out who it is, hehehe..."

Seeing this, Maid Rong persuaded: "Lafayette, it's getting late, shall I serve you to bed?"

"The alcohol is getting a little stronger, it's time to rest..." Cixi yawned, and Fang wanted to close the portrait, but found that the corners of Concubine Zhen's eyes in the painting were slightly moist.Cixi thought it was her eyesight, and hurriedly shouted: "Rongzi and Juanzi are here, help me to see what's wrong with this painting?"

The six eyes of the three of them stared at Hua Xin unanimously, but they saw that Concubine Zhen's eyes became more and more wet, and after a while, two lines of blood and tears flowed out!
"Ah! There are ghosts in this painting!" Cixi cried out in shock, her liver and gallbladder bursting with horror.

The second maid was also terrified, and quickly threw the painting aside. "Lafayette, don't be afraid... You are a body of gold, and you have the protection of gods... Even if it is a monster... dare not get close to you..."

Cixi panted: "Yes... I am supreme and holy, God is blessed! What kind of bloody storms have I never seen along the way? Isn't it just... Isn't it just a little red 'monkey urine'? Juanzi, You go and tear up that spoil for me!"

"Yes……"

Maid Juan picked up the painting tremblingly, and was about to tear it up, but Cixi stopped it suddenly.

"Slow down, don't be in a hurry to tear it up... This demon painting is evidence of a crime, I have to find out what's going on! Even if it's really that low-handed hoof causing a demon... I... I'm not afraid! She was a wimp when she was alive , I’m still a pustule ghost after death! I’m not afraid of her! I’m not afraid of her!”

Cixi said that she was not afraid, but after all, she fell ill after all.Hearing that the body of the phoenix violated harmony, everyone in the palace panicked.Needless to say, imperial physicians, pulse diagnosis, prescribing and dispensing medicine.But the prescriptions were taken one by one, and the decoctions were fried in one pot, but Cixi's condition never improved.

The two aunts Rong and Juan knew the inside story, and they knew that Cixi had run into an evil spirit. Seeing that the medicine didn't work, they invited the Sanpeng Sutra, hoping to save the wronged soul with a ritual.Ever since, eminent monks from Fayuan Temple, old Taoists from Baiyun Temple, and lamas from Lama Temple gathered in Yiluan Hall, built altars high, spread all over the dojo, chanted scriptures and mantras, and burned incense with paper.It is the monk's wooden fish that is knocked, the stick and drum of the Taoist are the one that is knocked, and the conch that is blown is the lama.The three schools of Buddhism, Taoism, and Fan competed to play, and the sound of Dharma music came and went, from early morning to dusk.

At night, the shamans and witches of Nansan Institute set up sacrificial poles in the open space in front of the temple, and danced to drive away ghosts.The whole hall was filled with smoke and mist, and two shamans in divine clothes with disheveled hair danced and sang non-stop around the sacrificial pole.One holds a knife and mirror, the other holds a drum hammer, and silver bells are hung on the wrists, ankles, and waists.

(End of this chapter)