A Thousand Hills

Chapter 353

The prince's worry was not unreasonable, his father suddenly delegated power, the cabinet's memorials were given to the prince to approve, and the matter of offering sacrifices to the heaven and earth to the ancestors was also handed over to the prince.Of course, the old emperor was unwell, and it was reasonable for the prince, who was in his prime, to take over his father's work. Even the cabinet would be happy to see it.However, the first thing his father did after his death was not to take back the power, but to call Miss He into the palace immediately.

The prince didn't know what his father said to Miss He, but Miss He was staying in the palace for dinner that day.Moreover, when Miss He resigned from the palace, it was true that his father gave her a silver fox cloak.

The prince had never seen his father burn so much enthusiasm for a woman. After the first meeting, he called him twice a year ago.I don't know if it's because of Miss He, but his father's complexion was very good years ago, and he was more than ten years younger.

Moreover, the prince cleverly summed up an experience, as long as his father summoned Miss He, if he went to report the matter, he would agree to anything.It can be seen how happy his father Longxin is.

Amidst the busy rituals of the imperial court and the crown prince's worries about his father, the royal family ushered in the new year.

Although Xie Moru moved out of the palace, she moved back to the palace a few years ago. After all, the prince's family needs to live in the East Palace during the Chinese New Year.What's more, what makes Xie Moru feel relieved is that when she returned to the palace this time, Queen Mother Hu didn't even fart.

However, Emperor Mu Yuan didn't forget to give Miss He a royal meal when he had the New Year's Eve dinner on New Year's Eve.

You know, on this day, Emperor Mu Yuan will reward the ministers close to him with royal dishes, because Emperor Mu Yuan rewarded them from the imperial banquet table, which is also called blessing dishes nowadays, but no matter how close a minister is, such as Su Xiang, he will only get a bowl of blessing That's all.On the contrary, this Miss He, who is silent, gets a seat as soon as she wins.Fortunately, Emperor Mu Yuan didn't do this with much fanfare, and the prince was also entrusted by the princess to suppress Miss He's affairs, and ignore the eyes of those who cared.

However, there are so many caring people in the palace.

Especially, now that Zhao Chongyi's favor is fading away, even the two noble concubines Zhao Xie can't help but think that His Majesty may have fallen in love with this Miss He, but he just doesn't know what position he can give in the palace?The two imperial concubines were not worried about Miss He's status, they both had grandchildren.Your Majesty doting on a few tender concubines is nothing to them.

However, even Princess Changtai was curious when she heard about it, wondering what kind of beauty this girl He is, who can fascinate her father so much.

Fortunately, more people did not take the matter of Miss He to heart. After all, the reserve position has been decided, and even if His Majesty has some romantic affairs, it is nothing.Furthermore, His Majesty did not accept Miss He into the palace, and there was no matter of Miss He serving her bed. Therefore, to be fair, this matter is not even a romantic affair.

Those who are well-informed know what they should know.

Empress Dowager Duhu didn't know about it until she was out of the first month.

Ever since Mrs. Wei passed away, every time the dragon raised its head and Madam Wei's memorial day, Emperor Mu Yuan was not in a good mood.As the mother-in-law of Queen Mother Hu, she feels sorry for her emperor's son, but on this day, she must ask the emperor to come to her palace to have a meal and talk, so as to ease the emperor's son's heart.Empress Dowager Hu sent someone to call for the lunch that Du Long raised his head this year, but Emperor Mu Yuan didn't go there, saying that he had to deal with some government affairs and let his mother eat first.

Empress Dowager Hu was worried about her son, for fear that her son would be overwhelmed and would not eat, so she went to Zhaode Hall to see her son on crutches.As a result, as soon as I arrived at the gate of Zhaode Hall, I heard my son Shuanglang's laughter, hey, I haven't heard my son laugh so heartily in decades.Empress Dowager Hu stopped immediately, and after a while the laughter gradually subsided. Empress Dowager Hu pushed the door open and went in, and saw her son eating longevity noodles with the woman.

Empress Dowager Hu's mood, don't mention it!

She had an old heart, worried about her son's mood and body, and didn't want him to eat and drink with a little goblin in Zhaode Hall by himself.But who is this woman?Empress Dowager Hu narrowed her eyes and looked at it carefully, only to feel strange.

Empress Dowager Hu came suddenly, and Emperor Mu Yuan was a little surprised, but he quickly adjusted his mentality and got up to greet him, "Why is the queen mother here?"

Empress Dowager Hu held her son's hand and sat down, complaining, "Ai's family told you to go over to have dinner, but if you don't go, you'll lie down here joking with the concubine."

Miss He also got up and saluted, and she was a little embarrassed when she heard what Queen Mother Hu said.Emperor Mu Yuan hurriedly introduced, "Miss He is not my concubine, she is Zhaoyun's disciple. This time I came to the imperial capital, I called her into the palace to talk."

"What?" Empress Dowager Hu didn't think of who "Zhao Yun" was for a moment, but after a while, Fang gradually understood.Empress Dowager Hu stared at Miss He with her presbyopic eyes for a moment, then Fang slowly said, "Oh, he is Zhao Yun's disciple. Where is Zhao Yun now?"

"In Shuzhong." The words were still answered by Emperor Mu Yuan.

Strangely, Empress Dowager Hu was extremely displeased with Mrs. Wei Guo, Princess Fusheng, but she had a good impression of Fang Zhaoyun. When she heard that Fang Zhaoyun was in Shuzhong, Empress Dowager Hu asked Ms. He a few words, and Ms. He answered truthfully.Empress Dowager Hu sighed, and said to the emperor, "There is no news of Zhaoyun in these years, and the Ai family is very concerned. Now that we know, the emperor will take care of him more."

Emperor Mu Yuan agreed.

Emperor Mu Yuan invited his mother to eat longevity noodles, and Empress Dowager Hu asked, "What did you say just now, the emperor smiled so heartily."

"I heard from Zijin that relatives from her hometown came to her house to steal oil residue." Emperor Mu Yuan laughed, "This is the first time I know that there is such a thing as oil residue."

Empress Dowager Hu took a look at her son. Did she have a sense of superiority in knowledge in front of her son, and said to her son, "It's rare to see. What is left after cooking lard with fat pork is oil residue. This thing is rare in the palace. Aijia When I was young, I could only eat it once during Chinese New Year. Ms. He also knew lard residue, which shows that she came from a bitter background."

Miss He has always been bright, and her words are crisp, "The empress dowager is wise, you can tell it at a glance, the daughter of the people comes from a small family."

Empress Dowager Hu nodded, seeing that Miss He was pleasing to the eye, she continued to squint her eyes and recalled, "The oil residue is really fragrant, just fried, mixed with some salt, wrapped in freshly baked cooking cakes, and eaten, it is very fragrant."

Ms. He is so smart, and she can see that Queen Mother Hu also has a hard background, so Ms. He said, "Yes, you can also bake oil residue cakes, especially when you cut some spring wild onions, it is even more delicious." drool."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Empress Dowager Hu said happily, "The pancakes baked in this way can be eaten without any dishes, and they are so delicious."

Then, Ms. He and Queen Mother Hu started talking to each other. These two people have a lot in common.When Miss He resigned in the evening, Empress Dowager Hu asked Shoushanfang to make a lot of snacks for Miss He to take back, and said, "I saw that you are a sensible girl. When you are free, just go to the palace to talk to Ai's family. "

Miss He thanked her for the reward and left the palace.

Empress Dowager Hu stepped in, freeing Miss He from some emperor's pink rumors.When Empress Dowager Hu summoned Miss He to enter the palace, she would not call her directly and generously in the name of growing flowers like Emperor Mu Yuan did.Then Miss He can coax Queen Mother Hu to laugh all day long.

Even Princess Yongfu thought it was too unbelievable, this village girl was going against the sky!

In fact, although Ms. He was born as a village girl, her parents did not look like a village girl at all.Those spring-like eyes, that snow-white skin, even though they are not as gorgeous as the nobles in the palace, but the whole person has a pure and transparent spirituality.

Even if she said good things about the princess in front of the queen mother, the queen mother was not annoyed.

What Miss He said was, "The Empress Dowager is very nice. When I went to deliver something to the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager also rewarded me with a necklace, which is very beautiful." She then showed the Empress Dowager the treasure on her neck. Bright wreath.

"What's so strange about Yingluo?" Empress Dowager Hu glanced at her, disapproving.

Miss He smiled, "The queen mother has never seen such a treasure, but this is the first time I have seen such a good thing."

Empress Dowager Hu immediately rewarded her with a bigger, better and more gorgeous piece, but Miss He didn't want it, "Look, it seems that I want something from the empress dowager.

"It's for you, take it." Empress Dowager Hu vowed to compare herself to the Crown Princess.

"I do not want."

"Put it away quickly, and when you come back tomorrow, put it on and show it to Aijia."

Miss He's eyes widened, and she said seriously, "How dare you wear such a treasure? I have to go home and store it carefully, and pass it on to future generations as a family heirloom."

Empress Dowager Hu immediately burst into laughter, looked at Miss He's clothes again, and said, "Is your hairpin not good?"

"It's not good, but it's pure gold." Miss He refused to admit it.

"It's too thick."

"That's not it, you weigh this amount, it's rough, this is the top-grade red gold hairpin in the best silver building in our state capital."

"No, no, look at me."

"I have never seen such a craft, what is it called?"

"It's tired."

"Oh, this is Leisi. I have never seen such a delicate strange way, but when I read it, it was recorded in the book. It is really ingenious. Looking at the stamens, it seems to be moving. If I wear such a set of jewelry in summer, I can't say It will attract bees and butterflies."

Empress Dowager Hu rewarded her with a set of lace gold jewellery, but Miss He refused to take any more, and said again and again, "It is a great grace for a commoner girl to see the Empress Dowager. There is no reason why she always wants your things. If you are like this, in the future I dare not come, I am ashamed and flustered."

Empress Dowager Hu didn't force her anymore, and said to Emperor Mu Yuan in private, "Miss He is really a good girl with a sincere heart."

Emperor Mu Yuan sighed, "Yeah, give her something, she is always embarrassed."

"It's true at first glance." Queen Mother Hu said.

For such a sincere girl, Empress Dowager Hu prefers to call her into the palace to speak.In the words of Empress Dowager Hu, "How many people want to benefit from Ai's family, but this girl is grateful for Yingluo, and she refuses to take any more."

Empress Dowager Hu is also relieved of such an honest person.

As for Miss He herself, Empress Dowager Hu also thought she was a decent person.Ms. He mentioned her marriage several times. She was already engaged. The Empress Dowager Hu asked the young man how he was doing. Ms. He smiled, "Anian and I grew up together since we were young. We don't want to do anything else. We know everything."

Empress Dowager Hu laughed, "Oh, this is my childhood sweetheart."

Miss He smiled happily.

Then, in terms of food, clothing and so on, Queen Mother Hu and Miss He have a lot in common.In particular, Empress Dowager Hu is old and loves to remember bitterness and sweetness. In this matter, Ms. He is even more irreplaceable.In fact, there are also concubines with ordinary backgrounds in the palace, but if they can please Empress Dowager Hu, they probably won't wait until now. Empress Dowager Hu likes to talk to Miss He.

Even the crown prince received care from the Empress Dowager Hu from time to time, such as shepherd's purse buns, wild vegetable cakes, etc., are all products of the Empress Dowager Hu's memories of bitterness and sweetness.Compared to the first prince and others who don't know what it is, the prince can't say a few words about it, for example, "wontons wrapped in shepherd's purse are also delicious."

Emperor Mu Yuan felt strange, "Why, have you eaten this before?"

The prince said, "When spring begins, the princess will ask the cook to make some to eat. Fresh shepherd's purse, just pulled out from the garden, is mixed with meat-wontons, and then boiled in chicken soup, it is delicious and delicious."

Emperor Mu Yuan didn't expect the princess to know a thing or two about wild vegetables.

Empress Dowager Hu twitched her mouth and said nothing.Even if the princess knows, she doesn't want to talk to someone surnamed Xie, so she just loves to chat with Miss He.

Empress Dowager Hu said, "When Ai's family was young, life at home was difficult, and they looked forward to the spring, when there would be food all over the mountains and plains. Once, Ai's family caught two fish in the river, which were only palm-sized, and brought them home to drink. Fish soup. The river fish has an earthy smell, so it needs to be raised in the water for a while. As a result, it was raised in a water basin on the first day. As a result, it was eaten by someone’s cat at night, and Aijia It hurts enough."

Miss He laughed, "Cats are the worst. Not to mention the fish kept in the water basin, even the bacon hanging on the beams of the house must be closed. If you forget the kitchen door for a while, cats will sneak in and steal the bacon." eat."

"That's right! It's so hateful!" The two condemned the cat, and Ms. He said again, "Say it's hateful, we can't live without it at home. Otherwise, the mice will make trouble again." "Hey, when there is a famine , even mice can starve to death.”

"Isn't it? I heard from my grandmother that people can eat even the bark of a tree."

"Your grandmother obviously had a hard time too."

"Bitter, my family used to be very poor. My grandmother said that when she was a child, the world was not peaceful. There were wars and famines. Fortunately, our hometown was close to the mountains, and the people hid in the mountains and relied on the mountains to eat them. At least they did not starve to death. Later Only when the world is peaceful can we have a good life. Recently, life has become better and better, and my younger brothers can all go to school."

"This is the benevolent government of the emperor for decades!"

"Isn't that right? My grandmother said that I didn't even dare to think about the life I have now. I can't even dream of it."

Even Jiang Xingyun had to say, "It's unbelievable." The empress dowager Hu and other foolish people, who have been so faint in recent years, can't be coaxed even by Princess Wenkang, but now, Miss He can coax them.

However, Miss He's just-in-time appearance is indeed a stroke of genius.

The point is, Miss He was able to please the mother and son of Emperor Mu Yuan and Empress Dowager Hu.Moreover, as long as Miss He enters the palace, Emperor Mu Yuan will definitely go to the Ci'en Palace for a meal, and this meal must be enjoyed by both the host and the guests.

The Crown Princess also felt that Miss He was quite capable, at least in terms of likability, she was indeed outstanding.Among the female relatives that the Crown Princess has met over the years, Ms. He is not the most beautiful, nor is she the most dexterous with her mouth. Even her background is very ordinary, but I have to say that this girl is indeed special.This kind of special is not a different personality, but a kind of vigorous vitality.

This is not a famous flower that blooms in the palace garden, but a strong grass that grows freely in the wilderness.

At least the person who can win the favor of the two palaces will not be a fool.

The princess was a little relieved.

Li Jiujiang's investigation has also made progress. The Qingsong Mingyue painting is a famous book in the world. The research on the Qingsong Mingyue painting is multi-faceted, for example, the brushwork of the whole painting, the color matching, and the arrangement of the scenery in the painting, including the figures. The shape, appearance and charm are all aspects.

Li Jiujiang's investigation is not the above.What he is investigating is, all the jewelry worn by Princess Mingyue in the painting, and the scenery in the painting, all of which require detailed textual research.Li Jiujiang unfolded the picture of Qingsong Mingyue slowly again, and said to the princess, "This drape is a famous tribute pattern in the Shu brocade of the previous dynasty. It is called Feiyun Liucai. The long skirt inside the drape is of the former The most common high-waisted skirt in the imperial court, as for the material, it should be the famous mandarin duck brocade at that time, because of its auspicious name, and the mandarin duck brocade. People who marry wives and daughters usually use mandarin duck brocade. The long skirt outside the skirt is grape brocade, the jade pendant hanging around the waist is the concentric pendant, and the knot on the concentric pendant is a butterfly knot. I can't find the source of this hairpin, but judging from its shape, it is a pomegranate phoenix and bird hairpin. As for the long fence behind Princess Mingyue, it is said that it is the scene of Liufang Garden in Wanmei Palace."

Wanmei Palace is now Xie Moru's private property. Xie Moru pointed to the carved phoenix bird on the long pole in the painting and said, "It is indeed Liufang Garden, but there are no camellias in Liufang Garden."

"Camellia should be added by Xue Dongli himself. Xue Dongli's hometown is in the middle of Shu, which is rich in camellias."

Xie Moru nodded slightly, and said softly, "It's all in this painting."

Li Jiujiang said, "It's strange that there were rumors that Princess Mingyue had an affair with Xue Dongli in the previous dynasty. If you only look at the mandarin ducks and butterflies in this painting, it is probably true."

The two were talking, and the prince happened to return home.

The prince also listened to it for a while, and felt that what Li Jiujiang said was reasonable, but Xie Moru said, "Not only that, when Xue Dongli drew this picture, Princess Mingyue should have been pregnant."

The two men were dumbfounded. It wasn't because they were stupid than Xie Moru or something. The reason for the contrast was the difference in gender.Xie Moru said, "Grapes and pomegranates all have the meaning of having many children, so women's family members use a lot of decorations on their clothes. There is no reason why Xue Dongli painted such a picture. Especially this pomegranate phoenix hairpin, which has double strands , has always been used by literati to symbolize the meaning of being in pairs. Fengniao hairpins are generally Fengniao Ganoderma lucidum hairpins, Fengniao Liuyun hairpins, and phoenix bird pomegranate hairpins are rare. This hairpin is probably Xue Dongli's favorite hairpin. A metaphor for a happy event. Perhaps Xue Dongli made this painting in such a state of excitement and joy."

The crown prince and Li Jiujiang were speechless for a while.

Li Jiujiang sent back the scroll and withdrew.

The prince sighed twice, "Ouch, ouch", and didn't know what to say.He finally said, "Then, what does uncle mean by sending this picture?"

"Check out Xue Dongli's descendants first."

"That's good." The prince said, "Xue Dongli is an old man from the previous dynasty. He has passed away for a long time. Even if there are descendants, he may be his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. This is not urgent. It is your canonization ceremony right now." gone."

Although the auspicious day for the canonization ceremony is approaching, Xie Moru was not very optimistic, and said, "This year is the year of Chunwei, is Chaozhong busy?"

"It's so busy, it's just the happiest." The prince said, "Before the canonization ceremony, let's move back to the East Palace? You have to accept the orders in the East Palace to greet you." Years ago, his wife took him back to the East Palace for the New Year. I moved out again.The prince just wanted to discuss this matter with his wife.

Xie Moru has no opinion.

She is the crown princess, so of course she wants to live in the East Palace.

Regarding the canonization of the crown princess, Empress Dowager Hu and her son had a private conversation. As for what they said, no one knew, only the mother and son whispered, and no one remained in the palace.

But obviously, it is true that the Mercy Palace is obviously not very enthusiastic about the canonization of the Crown Princess.

On the contrary, Emperor Mu Yuan suddenly became enthusiastic about conferring the crown princess. He first asked about the production of the crown prince's treasure book.He also asked the Crown Princess Yiying if the dress was ready, and the Secretary of Internal Affairs was also ready.

Right now, there is still the matter of Chunwei, and there must be an examiner. Since the end of last year, Emperor Mu Yuan had the intention of delegating power to train the prince.This time was no exception. He specially summoned the crown prince to Zhaode Palace to speak, and said, "Although you were in charge of the Ministry of Rites for several years, you have never been an examiner. Fortunately, you have experience in the Ministry of Rites. You know all the things to pay attention to. I have thought about it for a long time, and while I am still clear, you can go ahead and do it, and you will also experience a thing or two." Handed over to the crown prince the task of taking the main examination in Chunwei.

The crown prince said, "Father is in his prime, and my son still needs my father's guidance. Father must not say anything to worry my son."

Emperor Mu Yuan smiled, "It's just a talk. I'm your father, and I'm sixty this year. I'll go ahead of you sooner or later. Don't tell me I won't let go of the authority. If I close my eyes one day, I won't be at ease. .If you still understand, let you experience the most important things, and you can rest assured."

The prince couldn't hear this even more, and couldn't help but feel sad.

Emperor Mu Yuan laughed, "I'm just feeling emotional for a while. It's you, you go to discuss with the cabinet about the matter of Chunwei. This is a grand ceremony for the country's talents, and it must be thorough and safe. Also, you are also staring at the canonization ceremony of the crown princess. Please ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to ask the Ministry of Rites to prepare the regulations for the canonization ceremony. Besides, the envoy of the canonization, I thought, how about just your aunt?"

The prince quickly said, "This is excellent. Aunt Wenkang is the envoy, and it is also the face of the princess."

Emperor Mu Yuan smiled, obviously liking his sister very much.Emperor Mu Yuan said again, "As for the deputy envoy, let Mrs. Cheng'en and Mrs. Jingnan come. You and Mrs. Jingnan have a love affair and have always been close. Cheng'en's mansion is farther away. I know it's not your fault. The Cheng'en government, hey, always depends on the face of the queen mother. Besides, after all, it is my uncle's family, so it can be relaxed if it can be eased. In recent years, the Cheng'en government has also understood that giving him this kind of grace will make the queen mother look better. "

The crown prince said, "My son understands that Cheng'en's mansion is just an old story, but it's really nothing. As the saying goes, even when the upper teeth are knocked and the lower teeth are knocked, the son doesn't pay attention to some small things between relatives. "

Emperor Mu Yuan looked at this son and said, "You have always been soft-hearted, and you always look at people's favors in everything. I'm not talking about you. If you want to do something in the future, you should persuade your daughter-in-law. She has a bad temper."

The prince agreed, and spoke for his daughter-in-law again, saying, "Actually, a person with a bad temper is not easy to keep things in his heart. He expresses his temper immediately, but he doesn't remember it."

Emperor Mu Yuan snorted and asked him, "Maybe you can straighten up at home?"

The prince asked his father, and said in a muffled voice, "My son's waist is straight!"

"Don't listen too much to women's ways in everything." Emperor Mu Yuan sighed, Emperor Mu Yuan liked and was very satisfied with the fifth son, just like that, the fifth son likes to discuss everything with his wife, this is not a good thing.However, until now, I am afraid that it will be difficult to change.Emperor Mu Yuan said, "I just don't feel at ease about this. But sometimes think about it, you are a soft-hearted one, and it's good to have a hard-hearted one on the side. I have thought about your daughter-in-law for a long time. Don't think that I am harsh on her. After all, she After being a concubine, I have to think about it."

Emperor Mu Yuan babbled a lot of private conversations with the prince, and the prince heard all kinds of feelings in his heart.

Afterwards, the prince conscientiously acted as the chief examiner to arrange the affairs of Chun Wei. Emperor Mu Yuan began to reward the princess in various ways, and even the Palace of Mercy also rewarded the princess quite generously.Of course, Empress Dowager Hu said this to Princess Wenkang, "Those things are just the name of Ying Ai's family. They were all prepared by your imperial brother who asked the Department of Internal Affairs. If Yi Ai's family wanted it, none of the Ai's family would know it." Give it to her. Ai's private house is reserved for you."

Princess Wenkang sighed, and didn't bother to persuade her mother anymore.

Princess Wenkang was very happy to be the official envoy of the crown princess, and Mrs. Cheng Engong was very surprised and grateful for the post of deputy envoy.One must know that the Crown Princess and Cheng En Gong's Mansion have some old grudges, and it's not rare to be able to get this job today.The fourth concubine is also happy to see this matter, Cheng En Gong's mansion is the house of Hu's family, as long as she is not in a daze, the fourth concubine will not hope that her family's house will be unlucky.

It was Xie Moru who said to the prince, "I originally wanted Xingyun to be the deputy envoy."

The crown prince said, "They are all appointed by the royal father. Forget it, the royal father still has great affection for Duke Cheng'en's mansion. What's more, the appointment of the crown prince as a deputy envoy must be ordered by the duchess. Although Earl Jiang and our mansion Being close, it's not very suitable in terms of identity."

Xie Moru didn't say any more.

Jiang Xingyun had never thought about the mission of the envoy, she said to Xie Moru, "Do you know why your Majesty suddenly changed his attitude?"

Xie Moru smiled, "If you have something to say, you might as well just say it."

Jiang Xingyun said, "It's just my guess. His Majesty was not very enthusiastic about your canonization ceremony at first. I don't know the reason why His Majesty changed his mind. However, His Majesty changed his mind after privately summoning Miss He."

Xie Moru was a little surprised, but felt it was reasonable.Miss He came to the imperial capital for a short time, but she was deeply liked by the two palaces. If it is said that she persuaded Emperor Mu Yuan, this is not unusual, but it is enough to surprise Xie Moru.Emperor Mu Yuan is not a person who is easy to persuade. He is as close as the crown prince and as trustworthy as Prime Minister Su, but none of them can change Emperor Mu Yuan. However, this happened to Miss He.

Jiang Xingyun sighed, "This is probably the greatest help Mr. Fang has given you."

Xie Moru suddenly felt a burst of hot soreness in her heart, which made her choked up in her throat for a moment, making it difficult for her to speak.

(End of this chapter)