Long Harem Road

Chapter 69

Entering the study room, there is a large red sandalwood carving case in the north. On the case is a rosewood double dragon play ball pen stand, from thin to thick, hung with twelve finely crafted lake brushes, with round and healthy nibs, all with a little ink soaked Black silk is obviously often used by the owner, rather than grandstanding.

Looking at the Hui ink, hall paper, and She inkstone on the case, all of them are high-quality goods, which not only show the owner's favor, but also reflect the owner's attitude of striving for perfection.

There is a couplet on the north wall behind the table, "Shui Neng Xing Dan is my friend; Zhu Jie Xin Gui is my teacher." On the mahogany table at the west end, there is a guqin, which is obviously the owner's attention on weekdays. Self-cultivation.

Separated by bead curtains on the east side, you can vaguely see a row of high mahogany bookshelves inside, neatly arranged, with an Eight Immortals table in the middle, grand master chairs on the left and right, a chessboard at the corner of the table, and three flower windows embedded in the south wall, like three paintings, quiet, Elegant and beautiful.

Concubine Xian has always respected literati and poets, but now she is more pleasing to Baozhu, but her heart is even more bitter. If fate did not arrange her to enter this cage, would the two of them be able to know each other and get along with each other unscrupulously under different identities?
"My sister's study is exquisite and elegant, which is breathtaking."

"Sister made fun of you, please sit down, Luliu, and bring me the picture of "Treading the Snow and Looking for Plum Blossoms", and ask the concubine Xian to appreciate it." The two sat in the grand teacher's chair, and Joy had already served good tea, and quietly retreated Get out and stand at the door.

Luliu came out from behind the bead curtain, holding a carved solid wood camphor brocade box, and Baozhu got up to take it.

"Retire, there is no need to wait here." Baozhu glanced at Luliu, who had not changed her expression, and waved her to retreat. She couldn't help but lamented that the concubine's eyes were vicious, and Luliu did have the qualities of an excellent spy.

"Yes, ma'am."

Concubine Xian didn't care about the undercurrent between master and servant, she stared happily at the brocade box in Baozhu's hand, followed her every move, got up and followed.

Baozhu opened the lock, revealing the white gold velvet inside, took out the long yellowed scroll, and placed it on the desk, Qianqian's fingers lightly hooked it, and it was opened and tied with a string.

Concubine Xian stared at her for a moment, and the light yellow and simple scroll with the fragrance of sandalwood unfolded lightly, rendered in light ink, and covered with white snow. From the beginning, it is vigorous and healthy, and the plum blossoms are in full bloom in the snow.

Under the tree stands an old man holding a stick, looking up at the plum blossoms, concentrating his eyes in meditation, which has the charm of "the intention is in it, and the emotion is seen in the outside".

Both the artistry and artistic conception are at their peak. Concubine Xian was deeply engrossed in it, and she remained silent for a long time. Her white and tender hands trembled a little as she caressed the picture. She was extremely excited, and her eyes were full of shock, "Sister, is this, this, the real work?"

"Of course it's the real work." Baozhu smiled slightly. Concubine Xian's obsession seemed shocking to her. She had always used piano, chess, calligraphy and painting as auxiliary things for self-cultivation. guilt.

"Thank you my sister today for fulfilling my sister's long-cherished wish." Concubine Xian reluctantly put away the scroll after admiring it, and thanked Baozhu. Thinking of her long-cherished wish when she was young, she was filled with mixed feelings and emotions.

Time has changed, and everything can't go back. He has already married and established a business, and he has successors. As for himself, he was trapped in this deep palace and lived a miserable life. He can only focus on calligraphy and painting to remember that good time.

"My sister is polite, please sit down."

Seeing that Concubine Xian regained her composure, Baozhu invited her to sit down, and continued, "Sister has always been smart, and my sister never speaks secretly in front of others. Today, I invited my sister to thank my sister for helping me last time. cooperate."

"Oh? My sister is polite. The last time, my sister was just icing on the cake. With the emperor's secret favor and support, how can my sister suffer?" Concubine Xian raised her eyebrows, raised the teacup in front of her, and Qianqiansu held the lid of the tea. Gently tap the rim of the cup, making a crisp impact sound.

The tea mist lingered, Ruyu smiled slightly, she was not surprised by Baozhu's words, she guessed it already, but she only answered one thing without mentioning the other, took a breath, took a sip of tea, put the tea lid on, the whole action was done in one go, Take it easy.

Baozhu sits quietly across from her without interrupting. Influenced by years of subtle book fragrance, Concubine Xian exudes an elegant and peaceful aura from the inside out, but the last banquet was her most aggressive moment.

Suddenly, Baozhu couldn't figure out the woman with a temperament like Lan in front of her. I don't know if she was purely jealous last time and couldn't get used to bullying people, or was she a leading stone for temptation?The two sat quietly, savoring quietly, looking at each other without saying a word.

Baozhu knew that she had fallen behind when she proposed cooperation, but she only had a few days, so she had to try again, sipped the water in the teacup, and said casually, "Pear blossoms are white, sweet-scented osmanthus is fragrant, I don't know." Which one is your sister more optimistic about?"

Concubine Xian was slightly taken aback, her eyes were contemplative for a while, and she smiled, "My sister is deliberately making things difficult for her. Sight and smell are completely irrelevant. How can there be any comparison? If there is a real comparison, then it is Each has its own merits."

"Each one has its own advantages and disadvantages. I wonder if my sister would be interested in arranging them to compete?" Baozhu asked persistently.

The pear blossom symbolizes the queen mother of the Li family, and the sweet-scented osmanthus symbolizes the noble concubine. Baozhu implicitly implies that she wants to provoke both sides to bite the dog, and they will reap the benefits of the fisherman.

Before concubine Xian's true intentions are determined, she can't speak too bluntly, and she can't make excuses for nothing. In this way, even if everyone understands her meaning, they can't be regarded as real excuses.

"It's really embarrassing for my sister's whimsical idea. The pear blossoms are in full bloom in spring and the sweet-scented osmanthus is fragrant in autumn. Is it possible that my sister has the ability to bring the two together?" Concubine Xian put away her joking tone and said seriously with interest.

"Sister, why don't you take a look at this first, I think my sister is very clear about some of the secrets." Baozhu took out two pieces of paper from his cuff and handed them to Concubine Xian. Seriously look.

After reading it, Concubine Xian put down the paper in her hand, did not speak, and meditated quietly, Baozhu knew that she was weighing the pros and cons, this harem did not have absolute allies, but everyone took what they needed, so naturally they needed to be extremely cautious.

"How can my sister be sure that my sister will definitely take this muddy water? The previous help was just because I couldn't get used to Zhou Baolin's deceit." Concubine Xian stared at Baozhu with a pair of black eyes.

"Just now, my sister wasn't sure yet, but now, it's confirmed, so why should my sister test her sincerity again and again?"

Baozhu hooked the corners of her lips. From the moment Concubine Xian showed interest in her secret words unintentionally, she was sure that Concubine Xian intended to cooperate, but she was also testing her sincerity and leverage.

"My younger sister is really smart, so I am naturally willing to cooperate with smart people." Concubine Xian raised the teacup in front of her and waved her hands forward, with a smile on her lips, "Happy cooperation!".

"Happy cooperation!"

"Is there someone in Yongshou Palace, sister?" Bao Zhu stared at Concubine Xian with a half-smile, and since the cooperation was confirmed, there were some things that needed to be honest with each other.

"I don't know how my younger sister found out?" Concubine Xian was noncommittal, her expression became serious.

She has a deep understanding of how difficult it is to arrange the manpower of Yongshou Palace. She has been planning since she entered the palace. With the convenience of being in charge of the harem for one year, in six years, the manpower that has been painstakingly arranged is still on the periphery. She cannot help but be careless.

"Sister, don't worry, my sister doesn't know the details, it's just a guess.

Zhou Wan'er stole the poems of the palace, and my sister can know the inside story, either it is the person behind the scenes, or the person behind the scenes has her sister's informant by her side, that's all. "

"Sister is really powerful. I made such a guess based on this clue, but can I ask my sister to enlighten me, why did I make such a guess?" Cooperating with smart people will not be hindered, and the purpose of Baozhu is to show Concubine Xian that she is Ability.

"Concubine Wei has always been meticulous in her actions. She instructed Lu Liu to use the empress dowager's people as spearmen to frame the palace and cause friction with the empress dowager. She hid behind the scenes and watched the show. Naturally, she was extra cautious. Anyone who knew the inside must be an absolute confidant. How could she stay behind?" Being tricked and easily seen through by my sister?

The Empress Dowager was different, she thought she had a high status, but she was misled that the emperor didn't know about the poem, so she turned a blind eye and let the servants deliver the poem to Zhou Wan'er in order to increase her chances of entering the palace .

The empress dowager is confident, the emperor doesn't know, even if the palace finds out that she is obstructing it, because of her status, there is nothing she can do about it, so naturally she won't bother to think too much, let the servants torment her, it is inevitable that her flaws will be exposed, and she will be taken advantage of by her elder sister. Find out the truth.

Moreover, Ben Gong guessed that the elder sister's person should be by the side of the eunuch Xiao Shunzi of Yongshou Palace, right? ", Baozhu finished drinking in one breath, took a sip of the clear water on the table, and without waiting for Concubine Xian to respond, she suddenly changed the subject and asked:
"However, what my sister is curious about is that my sister took great pains to bury someone in the Empress Dowager's Yongshou Palace. It's not just for fun. I wonder if my sister can tell me the inside story?"

Concubine Xian's complexion suddenly turned ugly, she glanced at Bao Zhu and said, "Didn't my sister already guess it? Why bother to ask? If not, why would you seek cooperation from Bengong, how would you plan to provoke a war between the Queen Mother and the noble concubine?"

Baozhu was just guessing, she had nothing to do with Concubine Xian for ten years, and Concubine Xian was pregnant three years ago and had doubts. .

"Sister is reckless, please forgive me." Baozhu was mercilessly pointed at by Concubine Xian, showing a bit of embarrassment, but she did not take Qiao, and apologized generously.

For a woman, especially a woman struggling in a harem where men are superior to women, nothing is crueler than having no children and losing hope of living.

No wonder Concubine Xian, who has always been indifferent, couldn't help but make a move. She had endured it for nearly ten years, and now she must have planned it properly.

Although Concubine Xian was annoyed that the orb poked the scar, she didn't feel disgusted with her generous pleading, she knew that she was just venting her anger for a while, and the two of them got what they needed, and they were still cooperative allies, so naturally there should be no estrangement because of this, she said with a wry smile:

"It's okay, but I just remembered some old things. My sister guessed right. Back then, my palace and the noble concubine were gifted by the late emperor. Someone was afraid that I would give birth to a prince before the queen, so they secretly manipulated it."

Concubine Xian's eyes were gloomy, and there was a hint of sarcasm, "Queen Mother? She is really a good daughter, a good aunt.

"Who would have thought that on the first day I met with the imperial concubine, the tea given to me would be filled with colorless and tasteless contraceptive pills? I think the imperial concubine had been prepared for a long time, so she tasted it.

But Bengong didn't take precautions, and because of the coldness of his own palace, he caused irreparable trauma, and lost his qualifications to be a mother because of a gullible belief. Should Bengong hate it? "

Concubine Xian clenched her hands tightly, her face turned pale, her face was no longer sad, her voice was flat, but there was a kind of bone-piercing pain.

"Sister!" Bao Zhu unconsciously caressed her lower abdomen, not knowing how to comfort her. Although Concubine Xian was killed in her youth and ignorance, it also showed the empress dowager's cruelty. For the sake of the Li family, she had the heart to give her son medicines for other women.

Concubine Xian waved her hands and continued with a sneer, "Wei Furong thought she had escaped a catastrophe, but she never thought she would finally get the way. My sister probably doesn't know that Concubine Wei was pregnant once two months after entering the mansion.

That was the emperor's first child, but she lost the baby with inexplicable hemorrhage. After the imperial doctor diagnosed the miscarriage, it hurt her body. No matter how difficult it was to conceive, the emperor forbade her, and no one dared to pass it on. However, she was kind Fortunately, she finally gave birth to the third prince. "

There was a hint of loneliness in Concubine Xian's tone, I don't know if it was envy or jealousy, or it was a tragedy in her life.

Baozhu's heart was shocked, no wonder the imperial concubine did not hesitate to expose Luliu, but also designed herself and the empress dowager, so there was such a secret, thinking that Concubine Wei had carried her miscarriage on the only empress dowager who was capable and had a criminal record.

"Thank you sister for speaking frankly and explaining my sister's doubts."

"Sister, you don't need to thank me. Since I choose to cooperate with my sister, I will naturally not hide anything. Besides, I am just taking advantage of the situation. The emperor's love for my sister is what I value most.

Wanting her to be overwhelmed with pain, there is nothing more satisfying than the disobedience of one's own son. ", a cold light flashed in Concubine Xian's eyes, and her face was ferocious.

(End of this chapter)