Emperor Qianlong: the beginning of his glory

Chapter 72
"What a thousand years old." The queen mother smiled and narrowed her eyes. "Who has lived for 1000 years? There are dozens of them here today. There are a large group of old aunts and young aunts. Some of them know each other, and some don't." I know, this way of sitting, no matter how you look at it, it looks like we are arranging a women's court, so uncomfortable. According to me, whoever is familiar with someone and gets along well can sit in one place, and there is no need to fix a room. One, it’s about seniority, closeness, and status, so you’re afraid of being impolite when watching a play, don’t you think so?” Sigege and Shiqigege hurriedly laughed: “Yes! Lafayette It’s called empathy for human nature and natural principles!” The group of princesses were so eager for this edict, they immediately became a chaotic group, calling sisters and sisters, looking for aunts and nephews to find their acquaintances. The atmosphere suddenly disappeared, and only those old and strange mothers stood in place as if they were logs.

With the sound of gongs and drums, it has begun.The one playing Magu is the well-known Xiaodan Xiangyun in Beijing, whose sleeves are dazzling.A group of female fairies danced to the music, ribbons fluttered all over the stage, and cigarettes curled up. It really felt like being born in the air. The Magu sang:

Worship the Queen Mother, leave the Yaotai, and step on the colorful clouds in the sky.When I look back suddenly, I can see the majestic tower of the sky, and the emperor's kindness and fate are still in my arms.Overlooking the majestic mountains and rivers in the world.I would like to offer these thousand-year-old flat peaches to the Buddha and the Tathagata, and pray for millions of surnames, good men and believers, to carry this blessing together, and wish the world, the virtues of Emperor Yao and Shun, and the grace of mothers all over Caolai...

Wang Xiong pretended to be an ugly boy, dressed like a butterfly among the "fairies", turned somersaults and made funny faces, and joked: "Now the World Buddha is sitting opposite. Since your old man has just been to the Peach Blossom Festival, why don't you take advantage of the peach blossoms?" Erxian, don’t you hurry up and offer it to Lafayette?”

"It is also!"

That "Magu" flicked her long sleeves, and immediately the stage was filled with white mist.When the fog cleared, each fairy had a small plate of peaches in their hands—although it was not the season, the Beijing Fengtai florist Liu's family had already planted May fairy peaches.The green leaves are paired with the big fairy peaches with red tips, which are fresh and delicate. Each person has a plate, and floats along the long bridge of the curved corridor next to the waterside pavilion, until they reach the bottom of the earthen platform, and salute upwards, saying in unison: "Congratulations to the old man. The Buddha, the master and the wife are as blessed as the East China Sea and Shoubi Nanshan, and I wish Sigege a thousand years, a thousand years!" The queen mother smiled happily: "Princesses, two each, put a plate here, and we will enter when the emperor comes!" Pointing to "Magu" and laughing, "Reward them!"

"Yes." Si Gege agreed, the family members had already prepared, and baskets of money made by Qianlong were brought out and sent to the water pavilion, and they fell on the stage with a "bang", and the actors did not care about the "immortal family" "Identity, kowtowed and dispersed, lying on the stage desperately hugging the money in his arms.The Empress Dowager, Empress Fucha, and a group of concubines from the Nala family below them, and all the princesses, big and small, were laughing.

Then he began to sing the main opera, singing according to the point.The monsters danced wildly, the monks cast spells, and the smoky atmosphere was very lively.When it came time to perform the second piece of "Wat on the Bed", it was quieter.The queen sighed beside him: "There are not many people like Guo Ziyi who have been blessed with seven sons and eight sons-in-law in the history of wealth and longevity." Si Gege laughed and said, "This is all drama, why take it seriously? Guo Ziyi didn't make such a great contribution in history. , the emperor gave him a favor once, and he was worried, is the emperor's favor so easy to bear?"

"Fourth Sister's words are interesting. Everyone and ministers think so, the monarch and ministers live in harmony, and the country is in great order!" Suddenly, someone behind him interrupted.

When Si Gege and Qi Gege turned around, they saw that it was Qianlong who had quietly come up from behind at some point, and everyone was so absorbed in watching the play that they didn't even see it!At this time, "Full Bed Wat" has been sung.The princesses in the audience knelt down one after another, and the actors also knelt and kowtowed on the stage.The Empress Dowager ordered the emperor to be seated without courtesy, and said with a smile: "Even I was taken aback, have you seen anyone? Why didn't you bring your Sixteenth Uncle, Hong Xiao, Hong, Hong Xi? Today is our The natal family has no taboos about meeting aunts." Qianlong smiled and said, "There is no meeting in the military aircraft department of the study room, and they each have errands, so they can't come. I followed the train of thought I said when I met my mother last night, and met a few young ladies. Minister. People like Liu Tongxun rushed over after a few words of confession. This is the first time I’ve seen a play since I took the throne!” He made a fuss at Gao Wuyong, saying, “How to act, keep singing, don’t I don't like to watch hat shows." Gao Wuyong agreed and went to deliver the decree.

The play started again, that is, "Beating the Golden Branch" Guo Ziyi tied his son to the palace and folded. He played it to the fullest.Xiao Guo Ai is exactly his son's disguise, but he has a depressed and fighting spirit on his face.Guo Ziyi shook his head and trembled, and asked regretfully:
"My child... Aren't you afraid of death?"

"My child, I am not afraid of death!"

"Hey... You ignorant and bold bastard, follow my father to face you!"

……

Qianlong laughed and said, "It's a pity that we don't have such a son-in-law! This play is so interesting. There are a large group of golden branches sitting under the stage, but there are golden branches on the stage! Who ordered this play?"

"Your Majesty," there was a seat next to the concubines in the audience, suddenly a 20-year-old Gege got up and left, went to the front of the stage and knelt down, without kowtow, said: "It's my show! I have something to report !"

Her echo immediately caused a sensation in the audience.The princesses whispered, and the eunuchs and mothers all looked at each other in dismay.The queen mother was also stunned, and then she smiled and said, "Isn't this the [-]th grid? Good boy, can you play the emperor after you have something to say?" Qianlong also laughed and said, "It's my little sister! Let's watch the show first, this is your order." Yes, if you have something to say, we can talk about it after the play, okay?"

"After the play, the Empress Dowager Lafayette has gone back to the palace. Your Majesty, you are busy with serious business again." Shiba Gege kowtowed and said, "After I finish speaking, I will rely on the emperor to kill me, this golden branch. I really can't stand it!" This Shiba Gege is Qianlong's youngest sister, she is very shy, gentle and polite when we meet occasionally, what's wrong today, she has become so stubborn?Qianlong thought for a while, then apologized to the queen mother with a smile: "I'll talk to my eighteenth sister first, and see what she plays."

The queen mother sighed and said: "I know what she wants to say. It's what Qi Gege cried last night. You came here to comfort Da Tong's "make military achievements, confer titles and worship generals". The words are not right." Qianlong asked in surprise. Said: "Eighteen sister, is it because your son-in-law has no errands?"

"That's not what I want to talk about." Eighteen Gege said, "I want to ask, who is my man? Where does he live?"

Qianlong's face became gloomy, and he said: "I should have asked you this. You have been married for five years, right? I usually see you as peaceful, why are you making trouble for no reason? Today it's not just the fourth aunt's. Birthday, and the Queen Mother and I are all here, don’t you care about the laws of the country and the family?”

"I'm asking the truth!" Eighteen Gege immediately pushed back, "I am 23 years old, and I have been married to Ge Xinting for six years, and I have only met him ten times. He enters Gege's mansion at night and goes out when it is not clear. After staying together for three days, I don't know why the late emperor married me into an empty house! To be honest, we meet every six months, and it's night, and I can't recognize my man in the crowd during the day!"

Qianlong smiled and said: "Sister, maybe he has been released on a foreign job? Don't be so angry. If you really miss him, you can just transfer back to Beijing tomorrow."

"Your majesty, brother, you are wrong!" Eighteen Gege said in shock again, "He is working in the clan's mansion, and he lives next door to my mansion. It's quiet at night, and I can hear my man talking over there." Bird brand, guess the sound of the song after eating wine. Just don’t meet each other!” She pointed to a large group of princesses and said, “Look at us hard-working prisoners who are proud of the spring breeze, golden and precious Huanglian people! Gray hair. Too old aunt, old aunt, aunt, and a little Gege like me, ordinary people call aunt. Counting down to Lord Shunzhi, there are hundreds of them, only one who lived past 40 years old, and one who lived past 60 years old There are only thirteen. A man has a wife and a woman has a family. This is human relations. Why can’t I live with my man? I ordered this "Hitting the Golden Branch" today, and I was desperately eating puffer fish. The emperor and I are the same mother and the same Holy grandfather. Point to the holy grandfather and I will play a book. If you don’t listen to me, read it next year. Half of the "golden branches" here will die—Aunts and sisters, who dare to stand up and say, I'm not telling the truth, I'll pay my death for this crime of deceiving the emperor!" After saying that, he burst into tears!She started to cry, and the group of princesses below were touched, some sobbed at their desks, some hid their faces and wept, and some burst into tears. After a good birthday, they turned Sai Ruxin's mourning shed!

Thinking about her words, Qianlong saw a group of aunts, elder sisters, and younger sisters crying heartbroken. He couldn't help being furious, and asked, "Why is this so? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Ask these nurses!" Eighteen Gege wiped away tears, pointed to the ashen-faced and exquisite nurses standing behind them, and said, "I didn't bring my nurses with me today, I just wanted to offend you." They!" She swept across the group of people with contemptuous and arrogant eyes, "You are old maids and old widows, so you prevent our husband and wife from reuniting! ——In terms of status, you are just lowly old palace people, just because you have ancestors If you teach us, you will become overlords! Didn’t you ask, Your Majesty, to speak with shame, we want to see our husbands, we have to bribe them first, otherwise she dares to say that we are 'shameless'! One princess a year 3000 cases , More than half of it is used here, and you have to pretend to be decent, generous, and luxurious! You said why you didn’t play you earlier, because we are women, can you say these things to your brother, the emperor?”

Even the guards, eunuchs, maids, and a large number of nurses, maids, and old ladies in the courtyard were stunned by Shiba Gege's stupidity and boldness.It's not because she dared to be such a "brother emperor" and completely disregarded the courtesies of the emperor; it was her words that were astonishing, and it was tantamount to asking the husband and wife to live together in the same room in broad daylight and to stay with her husband every night. !Si Gege suddenly thought of himself, her husband in his 50s was close at hand, and now he could only have a drink with a group of concubines outside the second door, "congratulate" his birthday, and he couldn't even see each other after the banquet, so he had to go Going back to his "Consort's Mansion", we spent only ten nights together in the same place for a whole year. He couldn't help but feel sad, and he was afraid that Qianlong would punish Shiba Gege, and he was afraid of causing trouble for himself, so he looked at the Queen Mother and Empress for help.The queen muttered for a while, wanted to get up and talk, sat back down again, sighed and said to the queen mother: "Eighteen grid words are reckless, if the emperor is angry, I beg the queen mother to save you." The queen mother said: "The emperor may not be angry. These nuns sent out by the palace are too outrageous, the master took a few sips of milk from her, and just rely on this 'credit' to overwhelm the master!" Qianlong stood at the entrance of the platform, glanced around with a livid face, and asked:

"Are you guilty?"

"Convicted!" Eighteen Gege kowtowed, "Your Majesty, just punish him!"

"It's you who I'm asking!" Qianlong raised his voice sharply, and forced to ask the nuns standing behind Gege, "Aren't you guilty of deceiving the master with your slaves?"

More than 100 nuns trembled from his persecution, and immediately knelt down, begging for forgiveness while kowtow, in a mess, and couldn't hear what the group of women said.

"Get out!"

Qianlong shouted angrily, and this group of high-ranking servants who were pretending and complacent hurriedly kowtowed and stumbled out.Only then did Qianlong turn his eyes to his aunts and sisters, stared at them for a long time, and sighed: "No one can blame, and I will not blame anyone. Some of these nuns are good, and some are kind. In the future, the princess Ge Ge got married, and the House of Internal Affairs no longer sends nuns. The existing ones are considered your domestic slaves. The princess will live in the same courtyard with her son-in-law in the future—that’s the deal. If there are nuns, they will still receive the punishment money from the palace. Son, you just have to fight out, just send it away——" He suddenly chuckled, "This is your family business, as sung in "Hitting the Golden Branch", it has nothing to do with my country, I don't care!" This group of princesses and princesses are like rain and dew, but they can't say thank you words, so they leave the table together, everyone holds back their smiles and kowtows.The queen mother said with a smile: "My son, this is a good emperor who is physically and naturally conscientious, and this is like a family relationship! - It is also a happy day for the fourth brother-in-law to ask all the brothers-in-law outside to come in. Wouldn't it be more interesting to watch a play as a couple?"

"Success!" Qianlong returned to the queen and sat down, "Follow the mother's order. Eighteen princesses will be granted the title of Princess Heshuo!"

(End of this chapter)