Roufu Diji

Chapter 15 Gaozong Zhao Gou This Flower Is Alone
1. Tour luck
The weather is high and sunny in autumn, the lake is as flat as a mirror, and the breeze is blowing.Zhao Gou stood on the head of the big dragon boat with his hands behind his back, watching the hundreds of boats fighting on both sides of the dragon boat.

The trip to the West Lake was one of the grand celebrations for the Empress Dowager after her return to Luan, and the preparations were unprecedentedly meticulous.Among the followers, apart from the large dragon boats commanded by Zhao Gou, Empress Dowager Wei, concubines, Yuan and Yuan, there were also Zai Zhi, near ministers, eunuchs, Ying Feng Bureau, imperial guards and other divisions of the capital floating on both sides and behind. There are hundreds of big boats on which the people in the government yamen ride.

The Empress Dowager specially ordered "Happiness with the people" before. Zhao Gou decreed that the people in the lake and the lakeside are not prohibited from visiting and buying, and they can go on as usual. Therefore, there are also many painted light boats on the lake, which intersect with the official boats. lively.

In some of the boats, there are kabuki and dancers called "water fairies", standing by the water, all of them show off their make-up to treat others.On the other big boats or lakesides, many entertainers play bombs, sing, dance, share tea, throw pots, play Cuju, perform zaju, juggle, play juggling, teach water and birds to entertain people.

There are also water performers swimming in the lake to perform tricks, or putting a log in the water, stepping on it to make it roll, and making various postures at the same time, which is called "treading on a rolling log".Some people also set up a stage on the lake to perform "water puppets" in full swing.

Dozens of concubines stand on the royal boat, like gods, and the tail of the boat teaches imitation musicians to play Piaopiao Tianle in unison.It is vaguely reminiscent of the story of Huizong driving Jinmingchi in the past.Zhao Gou looked back at his mother in the dragon boat sideways, wondering if this scene would satisfy her.

There are four hanging bead curtains and brocade curtains on the royal boat, hanging decorations such as seven treasures, pearls, shuttles, poles, flower baskets, and exquisite dragon boat models. , You can see the slight smile of Queen Mother Webster.

Zhao Gou went in and apologized slightly to the queen mother: "West Lake is not a royal garden, so it is a bit noisy."

Empress Dowager Wei smiled and said: "Although there are more people than Bianjing Jinmingchi, but fortunately, you and I can enjoy the people together, and can also see the folk customs in Beijing, very good, very good."

Then I looked towards the lakeside, watching with great interest the peddlers selling the native foods in the lake, such as vegetables, soup wine, theater sets, painting fans, colorful flags, powder bait, clay babies, or seasonal flowers.

At this time, a businessman chased the official boat in a small boat, and gently rowed close to the imperial boat, and was immediately reprimanded by the imperial guards in the big boat beside him, wanting to drive him away.Empress Dowager Wei waved her head and ordered: "Let him come over and see what he sells."

Two forbidden soldiers brought up the merchants in the boat and listed the goods one by one. They turned out to be pearl and emerald crown combs, gold colored satin, rhinoceros horn and flower tinsel, lacquer utensils, rattan weaving objects and various porcelains.The Empress Dowager looked at them one by one with a smile, and finally chose a few combs and rhinoceros. When the baby who accompanied her saw them, she ordered the maid to take out double the money and pay the merchant without waiting for the Empress Dowager to speak.

The businessman kowtowed and saluted with gratitude before resigning, and returned with great joy.

Yuzhou continued to move forward, passing the Broken Bridge. Zhao Gou saw a small wine shop beside the bridge, which looked quite elegant and clean. Rest and let Zhao Gou go by himself. Zhao Gou then took Yingfu and two adopted sons, left the boat and went into the wine shop.

Seeing the emperor's visit, the owner of the restaurant was both surprised and delighted, and immediately led his people to kneel down to greet him.

Zhao Gou entered the hall and looked around. He saw that there was a plain screen in the hall as a decoration, and he wrote "The Wind Enters the Pine" from a distance. , After reading this, I stayed silent for a long time.

Seeing that this word attracted him so much, Yingfu and the others followed suit.

Its ci goes: "One spring spends a lot of money to buy money, and the day is drunk by the lake. Yucong is accustomed to Xiling Road, passing by arrogantly, and in front of Gu restaurant. The red apricot fragrance is filled with flutes and drums, and the green poplar shadows are filled with swings. The warm wind is ten miles away. In the beautiful sky, the flowers press down on the temples and the clouds. The painting boat carries the spring back, and the remaining love is paid, and the lake is full of smoke. Tomorrow, I will bring the remaining wine and come to Moshang to find the flowers."

After Yingfu finished watching, he paid attention to Zhao Gou's expression, and saw his eyes lowered and lingering on the lower half of the gate, thoughtful.

After a while, Zhao Gou looked back and asked the restaurant: "Who wrote this word?"

But the listener replied: "It's Yu Guobao, a student of the imperial court. He wrote it a few days ago when he was very drunk."

Zhao Gou smiled faintly: "This word is very good, but the last sentence is not unavoidable." Then he ordered someone to fetch pens and ink, draw on the screen, and changed "bring the residual wine tomorrow" to "help the disabled drunk tomorrow".

After this change, all the viewers admired it, saying that only three characters have been changed, but the artistic conception is completely different.Zhao Gou put down his pen and sat down, drank some tea, and then ordered the accompanying officials: "Find a suitable official position, and do it for Yu Guobao."

He sat for a while longer, tasted some delicacies served by the restaurant, and then got up to go back to Yuzhou.He walked to the door but stopped again, turned his head slightly to look at Zhao Yuan behind him, and asked, "Is your aunt getting better recently?"

Zhao Yuan replied: "It's better, but the complexion is still not good, and I don't want to move all day long."

Zhao Gou nodded, started to walk on, and told Zhao Yuan casually: "The fish soup here is good, you can send some to your aunt later."

Zhao Yuan bowed his body and agreed, and stopped there to buy fish soup.Yingchi also paused when he passed by him, and asked with a smile, "Yuan, do you have any money with you? If it's not enough, I'll send someone to bring it."

Zhao Yuan hurriedly said that he had brought enough money, so Yingfu followed Zhao Gou on the big dragon boat.

The next day, Yingchi went to the Compassion Palace to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager.Empress Dowager Wei chatted with her for a while and asked, "Yesterday, the officials took you from the boat to the wine shop. Why did you stay so long?"

Yingfu laughed and said, "The officials changed the lyrics for a student of the Taitai in the restaurant. This must have been a good story in Beijing." Then he told the Queen Mother how Zhao Gou changed the words and how to reward Yu Guobao for what he did. up.

Empress Dowager Wei was surprised when she heard this and said: "It's just a poem, but he likes it so much, so casually rewarding officials to do it? Just read this poem to me again, and I want to see what's so good about it." .”

Yingfu then recited the "Wind into the Pine" again.Empress Dowager Wei listened intently, and when she heard "Painting a boat to take the spring home, I will pay the rest of the love, the lake and the lake smoke" suddenly smiled, and said to Yingfu, "You probably like this sentence too?"

For a moment she didn't understand what the Empress Dowager meant, Yingfu lowered her eyes and dared not answer.

"I heard from Concubine Pan Xian that you are most favored by the officials, and you often travel alone with the officials." The Empress Dowager Wei said, then glanced sideways at Yingfu, and continued: "In the first year of Shaoxing, the officials sent Empress Dowager Longyou to drive away. Shanghuang Village, Kuaiji County. It is said that in order to persuade the officials to express their condolences, you specially invited the officials to take a boat trip to Jinghu Lake, but you did not return all night... You are really a sensible person, very thoughtful."

After Yingchi listened silently, her eye circles were already red, she got up and knelt down in front of the Queen Mother, with tears streaming down her face, and bowed again: "Mother Empress has learned from you. For more than ten years, the ministers and concubines have served the officials, and they dare not be unsatisfied. But the concubine is definitely not the kind of person who seduces the Lord. Although the concubine is not very knowledgeable and does not understand the principles, but she understands the word filial piety. How could she invite the official family to go out not long after the funeral of the Empress Dowager Longyou? And stay overnight..."

Empress Dowager Wei saw that she was crying sadly, and she didn't seem to be lying, so she frowned and asked her: "Then, did someone else fabricate this incident to frame you, or was it not you who accompanied the official's family on the trip?"

The kneeling infant bowed her head deeply, wiped her tears with a silk scarf, and replied softly: "The concubine dare not lie to the queen mother... The person who travels with the official family to Jinghu is not a concubine."

2. Conspiracy
"If it's not you, then who is it?" Empress Dowager Wei said coldly: "Everyone in the palace knows about this, didn't you admit it yourself?"

Ying Chi waved her head, only insisting that "it's really not a concubine", but didn't answer who that person was.Dowager Wei asked again, but Yingfu still didn't say anything clearly, and turned to look at the palace people on both sides with a look of embarrassment on her face.

Empress Dowager Wei became more and more curious. Seeing her expression, she knew that she didn't want the palace people to hear her, so she waved her hand and ordered all the palace people to retreat, leaving only Yang Shi, and said to Yingpo: "You tell me. Xiangnu is not an outsider."

Only then did Yingfu say, "At that time, it was...the Elder Princess of Fuguo who went swimming with the officials at the lake."

This answer surprised Empress Dowager Wei, and Yang looked at each other, both of them were stunned for a moment.After a while, Empress Dowager Wei asked Yingpo in doubt: "You mean, the official family and Princess Fuguo traveled together? According to others, they spent the night in the boat without any entourage?"

Yingchi nodded and said yes in a low voice, her face turned red first, as if it was not Roufu who did this but her.

"Young concubine, be careful," Yang said from the sidelines, "This matter is not trivial, if there are some falsehoods..."

"Mother," Yingchi immediately kowtowed to the Empress Dowager again, and then solemnly said, "If there is even a half-truth, the concubine is willing to be tortured by Ling Chi."

Seeing her so serious, Empress Dowager Wei and Mrs. Yang have already believed her eighty-nine percent.Empress Dowager Wei didn't know how to deal with it at this moment, so she tapped her fingers on the table next to her and muttered to herself: "This, this..." After a while, she regained her composure and asked again, "Then why did you treat Concubine Pan Xian and so on?" People said it was you?"

With a sympathetic smile, Yingpo replied: "The concubine understands that the eldest princess of Fuguo was young at that time, acted recklessly, and was playful for a while, so she forgot her scruples and invited the official family to travel with her. The official family always loves this sister. Seeing her I was very interested and couldn't bear to disappoint her, so I agreed, and my original intention was to stay with her on the lake for such a long time. Later, I was afraid that it was delayed by the rain, and I had to stay on the boat... Originally, not many people knew about it However, the next day the boat owner knew the identity of the official family, and took it for granted that Princess Fuguo was a concubine, and immediately spread the news about them traveling together, and for some reason they said they were concubines... Sister Pan, Zhang When my sister heard about it, she came to ask my concubine..."

Empress Dowager Wei gradually understood: "Are you afraid that if you let them know the truth, it will affect the reputation of the official family, so you pretended to admit it?"

Yingpo nodded, but quickly added: "The courtiers know that the officials and the Princess Fuguo are both upright and respectful. Although they are in the same boat, they will not do anything beyond the courtesy. But the palace has always There are some people with long tongues, if this matter is known to them, I am afraid that some rumors will spread. So much is worse than less, since everyone recognizes them as concubines, there is no need for concubines to explain so much to them, as long as it does not harm It’s good for the officials to have a clean reputation.”

After hearing these words, Empress Dowager Wei softened her gaze and said softly, "If you admit this, you must have aroused the jealousy of many people for no reason, and you will inevitably criticize you behind your back...I have wronged you."

Yingfu shook her head and said: "The concubine is not wronged. Being able to serve the official family is a blessing obtained by the concubine in her previous life, but if she can do something for the official family, the concubine is willing to give up her life, not to mention this little reputation. Today It was the empress mother who asked about this in person, and the concubine did not dare to respond with falsehoods, so she only spoke a few words, if someone else asked, the concubine would be beaten to death and would not say anything."

Empress Dowager Wei sighed softly, took her up with her own hands and made her sit beside her, held her hand and said, "My good boy, it was my mother who blamed you before. There is a gentle, virtuous and righteous person like you around the official family. What a blessing."

"Mother, don't say that, my concubine is afraid." Yingfu immediately responded, with a faint glint in his eyes, "The concubine is rough and stupid, and the officials have always looked down on them. They just saw the concubine raising two children. After a little bit of hard work, I was rewarded with the title of imperial concubine. The concubine is very grateful, and has no plan to repay. The only thing I can do is to follow the rules and strive to make fewer mistakes, so as not to cause trouble for the official and worry him. The reputation of virtue How can I afford it!"

Empress Dowager Wei smiled at her and said, "If the people in the harem are as sensible as you, the world will be at peace." Thinking back to what she said, she suddenly asked, "You said that the government has always loved Princess Fuguo, Did he treat her well?"

"Yes." Yingpo nodded, "Since the eldest princess returned to the south, the officials have treated her more favorably than other palace family members. After the Jingkang Change, the national power has become stronger than before. In the first few years, even the palace Everyone was living in poverty, and when the eldest princess descended, the official family still contributed [-] yuan to buy her dowry. Compared with Jingkang's previous expenses, this money may not be enough, but when you think about it, it is equivalent to The salary of the prime minister and the privy envoys is five years. The monthly salary for the eldest princess is also in accordance with the rules of the eldest princess. After that, there will be a big reward every year and festival. By now, there must be hundreds of thousands. Everyone in the world It is said that the eldest princess was a blessing in disguise and came back after a great disaster, so the officials are especially sympathetic."

Hearing that Queen Mother Wei shook her head again and again, she sighed again, and asked again: "Do they meet often?"

Yingfu said: "It is common for the eldest princess to live in the palace before her descent, but she occasionally enters the palace after her descent. Later, because the high concubine went out to work and did not return for a long time, the eldest princess sometimes returned to live in the palace..."

Empress Dowager Wei interrupted her: "Then why does the high son-in-law work outside for a long time? Did the officials let him go?"

"That's not true," Yingchi replied, "it was the son-in-law's own request."

When the Queen Mother Wei asked the reason carefully, Yingchi was a little hesitant, but under the Queen Mother's questioning, she continued to tell about the murder of the maidservant with the Roufu Staff.

The Empress Dowager's face changed when she heard this, and she said in shock: "She can do such a heavy hand!"

Yingfu sighed softly: "The concubine was also surprised. After the eldest princess came back, she seemed to be a different person, and her temperament changed a lot... How lenient was the former Roufu Emperor Ji to her servants, what did the servants do wrong, she At most, it’s okay to blame a few words, how can it hurt people’s lives..."

Speaking of this, someone suddenly reported that Concubine Pan Xian came to the province to pay her respects, so Yingchi didn't say any more.Empress Dowager Wei also asked her to go back first. After Concubine Pan Xian entered the province, she closed the door and faced Yang Shi alone in her room. After thinking for a while, she suddenly burst into tears: "No wonder the officials haven't detained Rou Fu for interrogation. , it turned out to be because of this reason!"

"Your Majesty, don't get angry," Yang quickly persuaded her, "It is a last resort for the official family to be in the same boat with Roufu, the official family has always been prudent, and Concubine Wu also said that he is an upright and respectful person, and he will never do anything foolish. "

Empress Dowager Wei wiped her tears and said: "Officials are upright and respectful, but it's hard to guarantee that others can be so upright and honest. Officials and Roufu are not brothers and sisters born of the same mother, and they have never had any contact with each other since they were young. Yes, why did you treat her so well? On the day we were on the boat together, Rou Fu must have had his heart on... I thought Rou Fu was just reckless and frivolous, without any cover, but I didn't expect her to have such a scheming..."

Hearing this, Mrs. Yang also became indignant, following the Queen Mother's words: "The dragon begets the dragon, the phoenix begets the phoenix, and the daughter Hu Meizi gave birth to is also Hu Meizi. In order to seek the honor and favor of the holy family, she even disregarded the rules of ethics! Now it seems that, Even if there is no such thing as slandering the empress, she must not be kept, and letting her live will be a disaster to the officials sooner or later."

"Oh, I understand this, but what can I do?" The Empress Dowager Wei sighed again when she recalled Zhao Gou's reaction when she mentioned Roufu when she returned to the palace. I don’t even listen to my mother’s words...I’m afraid that Rou Fu has slandered him about my old affairs in the Kingdom of Jin, and he must have looked down on me..." Before I finished my words, I was already filled with embarrassment and annoyance. He lowered his head and wept sideways.

"That's impossible...the officials didn't say they won't deal with her, but they have to think long-term...Maybe it's because there are too many government affairs these days, so I forgot for a while..." Yang tried to find something to reassure Wei Shi, but it was helpless. The words were forced, and I couldn't believe it, let alone reassure Wei Shi, and couldn't suppress her grief.

Mrs. Yang thought for a while amidst the empress dowager's sobs, and suddenly suggested: "Concubine Wu Guifei has quite a status in the harem, and she is also the mother of the Prince of Pu'an County and Duke Chongguo. The officials must listen to her words. I think she is too. She is a person who understands the general situation and understands things, and can speak, if the empress comes to her and tells her that Roufu is a fake for others, and asks her to persuade her politely in front of the officials, the officials will probably not ignore her."

"Inappropriate." Empress Dowager Wei immediately objected, "She is Roufu's former maid, how could she betray the old master."

Mrs. Yang said in a low voice: "Just now Concubine Wu Gui talked about how the officials treated Rou Fu generously. From her tone, she seemed to be dissatisfied. She probably didn't like Rou Fu's behavior. She also said that Rou Fu's temperament was not good after returning. Great change, the empress said that Roufu is false, she might believe it... Even if she didn’t believe all of it, would she dare to say that she didn’t believe what the empress said? What’s more, getting rid of Roufu would be beneficial and harmless to her, so she would definitely be willing.”

Seems to be reasonable, Empress Dowager Wei stopped crying, staring at her eyes and thinking.Yang continued to laugh and said: "She is Rou Fu's former maid, that's great! If she says Rou Fu is fake, who would doubt it?"

Queen Mother Wei thought about it again, and finally nodded.Yang immediately said: "I'll invite Concubine Wu to come over tonight, and we'll do the sum together."

It was Ye Yang who really invited Yingchi.The three of them entered the inner room, and ordered the palace people to wait outside, so Yang began to ask Roufu whether his behavior in recent years was really different from that of the past. Once upon a time."

Yang asked with a half-smile: "If it is said that the current Eldest Princess of Fuguo is not Roufu Diji, but someone else's impostor, would the noble concubine believe it?"

Yingfu smiled and replied: "The princess is used to doing her own way, and she has offended many people over the years. After returning, her feet are much bigger than before. People in the palace have suffered from her, and sometimes they will whisper quietly, saying that there are golden branches and jade leaves. How can the eldest princess feet be so big... If someone jokes and calls her a fake, I'm afraid many people will agree with me before I speak."

"If it's not a joke?" Yang asked in a low voice, "If the empress dowager says that the returning princess of Fuguo is a fake, will the concubine believe it?"

Yingchi raised her eyes to look at her for a moment, then leaned back and said to the Queen Mother: "What the Queen Mother said is naturally correct, if the Queen Mother says she is false, she must not be true."

Empress Dowager Wei and Yang looked at each other and smiled, both heaving a sigh of relief.Then Yang said to Yingpo: "What the empress dowager wants to tell the noble concubine today is the truth about the Roufu Emperor Ji. The matter is of great importance. The empress trusts the noble concubine, so she invites the noble concubine to come and discuss..." Then she said that the real Roufu had been Ruined in Wuguo City, the current Princess Fuguo told Yingchi vividly that she was pretending to be someone else.

Yingfu listened for a while and did not respond, but was silent in a daze, watching Yang's heart anxiously, and asked cautiously: "Is your concubine convinced?"

Only then did Yingfu blink her eyes, her lips pursed into a gentle smile, and she said, "Where. Of course I believe that, just now I was just quite shocked. I never expected that such a bold commoner woman would dare to pretend to be Tianhuang." Nobles, bully the king and ignore you."

"Exactly!" Yang said happily, "Fortunately, now that the Queen Mother is back, she can expose her deception, otherwise the officials will not know how long they will be deceived."

"This...does the official know about it?" Yingfu asked.

The Empress Dowager Wei sighed: "I told him the day I returned to the palace, but he only said that he had to come up with a good plan to deal with it before making a plan, and it has been delayed until now. Therefore, I have come to discuss with you to see if you can persuade him, Please punish the false Empress as soon as possible, and let Zhen Rou Fu's remains be buried in the ground, so as to comfort her spirit in heaven."

Yingpo frowned, and said sadly: "In the eyes of the officials, the concubine is just a rude girl, she speaks lightly, and the officials are always very assertive, so how can I listen to the concubine's words! If the concubine persuades him about this matter, he will I'm afraid they will only think that the courtiers and concubines are jealous and criticize deliberately, but it will be a waste of time."

Empress Dowager Wei thought about it, and admitted that she was right: "Officials are not able to listen to people's persuasion because they have decided something since childhood. He doesn't listen to my mother, let alone what my wife and concubine say... But, do we just have to Let him procrastinate like this, and see that fake emperor concubine continue to seduce the Lord and bring disaster to the country and the people?"

"Mother, you don't need to worry too much. The officials may not be procrastinating on purpose. Maybe they really need to deal with it. But with all the affairs of the day and too much work, there are times when you forget about it for a while." Yingfu said, her drooping eyelashes covered her deep eyes. He politely landed at the Empress Dowager's feet, "Let's find a way to remind the officials."

"Oh? Then how should we remind?" Seeing that she was calm and calm, Queen Mother Wei knew that she must have made up her mind.

Yingfu replied: "Mother and Empress told the officials in private a few days ago. Others don't know. If the officials forget, no one can mention it again. Therefore, Mother Empress might as well hold a family banquet in the palace in a few days. All the palace family members are invited to attend. The eldest princesses of Qin, Lu, and Wu must also be invited. Then the Queen Mother summons the Fuguo...the false emperor concubine enters the palace. She claims that she has been ill for a long time. After she enters the palace, the empress mother will announce her crime of impersonating the Empress Dowager in front of everyone, and the truth will be revealed to the world, and the officials will definitely make a decisive decision..."

"Wonderful, wonderful!" Yang applauded repeatedly, "Under the eyes of everyone, there are even the princesses of Qin, Lu and Wu who testified, so that the officials will never forget it even if they don't execute the woman immediately, at least they will She should be handed over to Dali Temple for interrogation."

Empress Dowager Wei praised it quite a lot, and couldn't help but also smiled.

Yingfu continued, still with a low eyebrow and a compliant expression, holding her soft smile: "There are two people, it is best to invite the queen mother too..."

3. Family dinner
The planned family banquet was held as scheduled a few days later. Empress Dowager Wei told Zhao Gou that she would like to take this opportunity to meet all the royal family members in Lin'an, and Zhao Gou invited them one by one. Almost all of the status came.

But Rou Fu was not invited, but when the banquet was about to start, Gao Shirong, Rou Fu's son-in-law, who was serving as the envoy of the Changde Army, came in a hurry, first greeted Queen Mother Wei, and then turned to Zhao Gou to meet Ruyi.

Zhao Gou was a little surprised, and asked, "When did the son-in-law return to Beijing?"

Gao Shirong replied: "I just arrived today. The empress dowager returned to Luan, but I didn't congratulate you in time. Since I was called by the empress dowager, I didn't dare to delay any longer. I drove back immediately, changed my clothes in the mansion, and came."

His brows were slightly frowned, but Zhao Gou didn't ask any more questions, and only said two words to him: "Sit down."

Princess Wu Guochang was quite surprised when she saw it from the side. She smiled and said to Gao Shirong: "The consorts are all back, and today is really a reunion dinner...Where is Princess Fuguo? Are you here too?"

Gao Shirong leaned forward and replied, "She is still ill and still unable to come here... Please let me apologize to the Empress Dowager and the officials on her behalf."

But the Empress Dowager's voice sounded coldly: "What kind of disease is this? It hasn't healed after so long? I'm afraid I found the wrong doctor. Let her enter the palace. I'll find a good one for her to take a closer look at." The eunuch next to him said, "Go find a bigger car and send her to the residence of Princess Fuguo to invite her. Be sure to invite her. If she is too sick to sit up, let her lie down."

The eunuch took orders and left.Zhao Gou's face darkened slightly, but he didn't say anything after all.

Empress Dowager Wei turned sideways to Princess Lu of Qin who was sitting next to her, and chatted with her with a smile.

When it was time to drink the fourth cup of wine, three talented people came in to perform Zaju.I saw two of them pretending to be scholars, and when they met, they asked each other about their birth years. One said it was Jiazisheng, the other said Bingzisheng. Dali Temple." The two scholars hurriedly asked the reason, and the man replied, "The clips and pancakes are both uncooked, which is the same crime as not being familiar with wontons."

As soon as these words came out, everyone except Queen Mother Wei and Zhao Gou couldn't help laughing, and they all stole glances at Zhao Gou, and saw that he himself started laughing, so they laughed out loud.

Princess Lu of Qin State is four generations older than Zhao Gou in terms of seniority. She is the most respected among all people, and Zhao Gou respects her the most. Every time she meets Zhao Gou, she must bow to her first, so seeing Empress Dowager Wei at this time is puzzled. Ye Hao explained to her the allegory involving Zhao Gou with a smile: "There is a reason here. The Queen Mother also knows that the officials have always loved to eat wontons. One time, the imperial chef was careless and the wontons made for the officials were a bit raw. The officials ate it. Long Yan was furious, and immediately ordered the imperial chef to be sent to Dali Temple for punishment. The matter spread quickly, and everyone in Lin'an knew about it. These talented people are bold enough to make up a joke to make fun of the officials."

The Empress Dowager Wei also smiled when she heard this, shook her head and said to Zhao Gou: "Brother, you really don't know anything. A ruler should love the people like a son, treat others with kindness, and if the wontons are cooked, they will be punished. You will become a faint king, and the official historian will write you a book, which will leave you with a bad reputation!"

Zhao Gou bowed his body and said yes with a smile, and immediately sent an order to release the imperial chef in Dali Prison.When the palaces saw each other, they couldn't help but compliment and praise the two for their actions.

After drinking another two cups of wine, she suddenly heard the report from the internal servant that Princess Fuguo had arrived. Empress Dowager Wei immediately suppressed her smile, sat upright, and looked coldly at the door.

The music paused for a while, and everyone felt it was weird seeing the empress dowager's serious expression, so they didn't make any more noise.

Facing the thousands of gazes from the silent place, Rou Fu walked in slowly.

Sure enough, she still looks sick, she has lost a lot of weight, and the usual long-sleeved dress is now slightly loose and grand, and the skin on the neck exposed outside the crimson-colored Luosheng-color collar is pale, as if blood veins are hidden.The bun was tied casually, the plain face was facing the sky, and the expression on his face was also light.She walked slowly, her skirt moved only slightly, and her cloak trailed behind her in a long way, like a piece of smoke and water.

As she got closer, Empress Dowager Wei's face became more and more ugly.Before she could salute and pay her respects, the Empress Dowager spoke first: "Who is this person?"

Rou Fu stopped.Princess Lu of Qin Lu also said that Empress Dowager Wei really didn't recognize Roufu, so she reminded softly, "This is the former Emperor Roufu, Ji Yuanyuan."

"Emperor Ji Rou Fu?" Empress Dowager Wei sneered, "Emperor Ji Rou Fu died in Wuguo City last year, but where did this one come from?"

Everyone in the house was shocked, they looked closely at the Empress Dowager's expression and saw that she didn't seem to be joking, so they all fell silent, and the hall returned to a state of complete silence.

Zhao Gou also said nothing, his eyes just stared at Roufu quietly.Rou Fu looked up at Empress Dowager Wei, but didn't say a word.

Empress Dowager Wei nodded to Yang Shi behind her, Yang bowed and left, and after a while, the old man who was over a year old was brought in.

The old man knelt down and saluted with a spirit tablet, Yang urged softly: "Please tell the royal relatives here who you are and whose tablet you are holding."

The old man said: "The name of the grassroots is Xu Zhongli. Jingkang used to be an internal medical officer. He is the father of Xu Huan, the son-in-law of Roufu Emperor Ji. This tablet belongs to Roufu Emperor Ji."

After hearing this, Gao Shirong's face turned pale immediately, and the rest of the family members also looked at each other in amazement.

But Rou Fu still looked calm, standing proudly in the hall, motionless, only glanced at Xu Zhongli out of the corner of his eye, and listened to him: "After Emperor Rou Fu went north, she first lived in Shangjing, and later moved to Wuguo City. Meng Dao The emperor is kind, and the dog Xu has to be gentle and blessed the emperor. The emperor is gentle and filial, and everyone in the family praises her. But she suddenly suffered from a serious illness in Shaoxing in 11 years. She was hospitalized for many days but did not recover, and finally abandoned the dog Let go. The empress dowager has always been sympathetic to the soft and blessed Di Ji, and when she returned to Luan, she kindly allowed the grass-roots to escort the coffin of the coffin of the coffin back to the south. Now the coffin of the coffin of the coffin of the coffin of the emperor is enshrined in the Longde Palace with the Taoist Emperor Zigong."

After he finished speaking, there was silence in the hall again, and it took a while to hear the eldest princess of Qin Luguo ask the Queen Mother Wei: "So, now the eldest princess of Fuguo..."

Empress Dowager Wei sighed heavily, and said to Yang, "Tell the Eldest Princess."

Mrs. Yang agreed, and said: "This princess of the Fu Kingdom is naturally a fake..." Then it started from how the Empress Dowager Wei took care of the "Roufu Emperor Ji" in the Kingdom of Jin, and went straight to how they watched the Di Ji fall into the ground with their own eyes. How can I not bear Roufu to bury his bones in the north and return to the south with his remains.She had long remembered these words by heart, and she spoke clearly and logically, without stagnation, and finally led to the conclusion that the eldest princess of Fuguo was pretending to be a civilian girl who looked exactly like Roufu.

As soon as the voice fell, Concubine Pan Xian said coldly in a corner: "I said, if she is really a girl from the official family, how could she curse the prince. I'm afraid that pretending to be the emperor's concubine to enter the palace is not only to cheat wealth, but also has other plans. .”

The eldest princess of the State of Lu of Qin attaches great importance to women's conduct. She has never been used to Roufu's surly behavior. She sighed at this time and said: "Princess Guochao has always abided by women's commandments. Almost all of them are gentle and cautious, and have outstanding virtues. Back then When I saw Princess Fuguo killing her maid with a stick, I felt that she was too arrogant and self-willed, not like the imperial daughters of the Song Dynasty, as expected..."

Hearing her mention of the stick killing of the maidservant, Yang turned to Gao Shirong and asked Gao Shirong: "Gao Consort, I heard that one of the women killed by the stick by Princess Fuguo had served Emperor Roufu in Bianjing before?"

Gao Shirong was speechless, and nodded with a pale face.

Then Yang said: "No wonder, the servant girl must know that the eldest princess of Fuguo is a fake, but I don't know if the fake Emperor Ji colluded with her before, or she found out that the Emperor Ji is fake after entering the princess's house... ..."

At this moment, Gao Shirong's mind was so confused that he couldn't figure it out, only one question came to his mind uncontrollably: Rou Fu stick killed Zhang Xi'er, besides jealousy, was it also to silence him?
He turned his head to look at Rou Fu in the center of the hall, still standing upright with his chin slightly raised.Until now, in his eyes, she is still the same as when he first met, every strand of hair seems to have an unworldly nobility.

Could this kind of her be a fake Emperor Ji?A bully who pretended to be the princess and brutally killed Xi'er who knew about it?
"Grand Prince Consort," he heard Empress Dowager Wei ask him, "Think about it, Princess Fuguo tortured and killed her like this, did that maidservant ever say anything worthy of consideration."

The memory of Xi'er is associated with some horrible scenes: bloody scars on the rice paddies, bruises, blood-stained rags... Gao Shirong couldn't help but close his eyes, trying to get rid of this unforgettable picture as if he was getting rid of the right and wrong in front of him. .

Strangely, a sentence that she didn't care much about in the past clearly emerged in her heart. It was the last words Xi'er said before she died... She said... "She is not the Roufu Emperor Ji in Bianjing Palace back then"...

"She said, she wasn't..." He unconsciously repeated the words in his heart, and when he said these words, he was suddenly surprised and stopped.

"Isn't she the real Empress Roufu?" Yang asked tentatively.

"She's not... isn't she?" Gao Shirong repeated in a low voice, asking himself rather than answering.Suddenly felt a different kind of eyes on him, he raised his eyes, and sure enough, Rou Fu finally looked at him, his clear eyes were neither angry nor happy, but there was a faint smile on his lips .

Gao Shirong couldn't bear to just look at her once, and he bowed his head, realizing that in the blink of her clear eyes, he was once again defeated.

"I don't know." He shook his head heavily, "I don't know anything."

Princess Wu Guochang took pity on his embarrassing situation, and sighed softly: "The son-in-law is a person who attaches great importance to feelings, so don't force him."

Yang turned his eyes to ask Empress Dowager Wei for instructions, and Empress Dowager Wei also blinked to indicate that there is no need to ask him again.

Yingchi had been watching silently and coldly, but at this moment Empress Dowager Wei called her: "Concubine Wu."

Ying Chi immediately stood up and bowed in response.

"You are also the person who served Roufu Diji in Bianjing back then. You should be able to tell whether it is true or not? Tell me, is this Fuguo eldest princess really Roufu Diji?" Queen Mother Wei said. .

This face-to-face identification was not mentioned by the Queen Mother during the conspiracy.Yingchi was unprepared, so it was difficult to answer for a while, but everyone's attention has turned to her in an instant.

She half-closed her eyes, all she saw was her own skirt, and she didn't need to raise her eyes to know how Zhao Gou and Rou Fu were looking at her.

Empress Dowager Wei urged her again: "Tell me, is she true or false?"

The acceleration of her heartbeat was only a short moment. She quickly adjusted her breathing and answered the Queen Mother's question: "Over the years, the concubines have not questioned much because they have seen that the eldest princess of Fuguo has the same appearance as the Roufu Emperor Ji. The eldest princess After the descent, there were not many contacts on weekdays, so I have not paid attention to distinguishing the authenticity from the false..."

"Yes, or not?" Queen Mother Wei must give a clear answer.

Yingfu was a little hesitant, but finally lowered her eyebrows and made the necessary choice: "The current Princess Fuguo is very different from the Roufu Emperor Ji in the Huayang Palace in the past... Now it seems that the behavior, It's like two people."

The Empress Dowager nodded lightly, turned her eyes to Zhao Gou, and waited for him to make a statement.But Zhao Gou still sat still, and when Yingfu finished speaking, his expressionless eyes turned to Roufu again.

And Roufu actually smiled silently, walked calmly to Yingchi's side step by step, stood still, leaned towards her slightly, the soft smile and the swaying shadow of her hair fell on her shoulders together, she was in her ear Bian whispered: "Yingfu, do you know what brother Kai told me before I came back?"

Hearing that she mentioned Zhao Kai again, Yingchi was startled and speechless.

"He said," Rou Fu continued to tell her softly, "when you go back, kiss the baby for me...she owes me."

So, before Yingchi came back to his senses, Roufu turned his head slightly, and under the astonished gaze of others, with her cold lips, gently touched Yingchi's lips that also lacked warmth.

4. Jackdaw
It's just a sudden touch, but it seems to have the length of the past and the present.Yingfu tried her best not to let herself fall into the past and present mixed emotions brought about by this kiss, she knew that she could only respond with a calm attitude, and give calmness to all those who observed her expression in shock Calm impression.

So in the end she still stood upright in the posture just now, her eyelids drooped slightly as usual, the blushing color that was about to appear on her face was wiped out by her thoughts, her calmness was impeccable.

And the soft blessing who kissed her looked back slowly, peacefully scanning the astonished people in the hall, from Xu Zhongli, Pan Xianfei, Gao Shirong, Princess Lu of Qin, Princess of Wu, to Yang Shi and Wei Shi, more than half of the people she touched Like being burned suddenly, he lowered his head or moved his eyes, not looking at her.Finally, her eyes locked on Zhao Gou's face, "Guan Jia," she called him with a smile, and asked, "Am I a fake?"

Zhao Gou's gaze has been wandering slightly where she and Yingchi were standing, and at this moment he finally opened his mouth.

"You poor servant girl," he said, "who dares to commit crimes and deceive the emperor with your courage?"

Looking at Roufu, he ordered the servants on both sides: "Put her down and send her to Dali Temple for interrogation."

The servants took orders and walked towards the woman who was said to be a criminal who deceived the emperor.She looked on indifferently, and she still had the prestige of the eldest princess they respected and even feared in the past, so even though they walked to her side, they didn't dare to pull her for a while.But she didn't make it difficult for them, she turned around and started walking after looking at Zhao Gou again, and walked out by herself, and the servants followed her, as if she was traveling with the eldest princess on weekdays.

After her figure disappeared, Zhao Goucai raised his glass again, as if nothing had happened, and smiled at everyone, "Continue. I remember that there are still two cups of wine that have not been served yet."

Zhao Gou issued an edict ordering Jiang Miao, the imperial envoy in the palace, and the Minister of Dali Temple to try the case of Roufu Diji on Wednesday.Empress Dowager Wei often ordered Yang to go to the trial.And the trial of this case went smoothly, Roufu did not refute the accusation, she also nodded and admitted that she was a fake Diji, but she did not answer when asked her "real" identity, but said wearily: "I Don’t bother to think about it, just say what you say.”

The case would not be settled without the identity of the impostor being found out. Jiang Miao and Zhou Weizheng were at a loss. Yang pointed out: "There was a Qianming Temple in Bianjing in the past. The palace people who went there to offer incense came back and said that there are people in the temple. This nun looks exactly like Roufu Diji. Recently, the Empress Dowager is doing things, and I heard that many nuns from the Qianming Temple have also come to Anming after the official's family crossed south. The two adults may wish to find some of them to see if they agree with this prisoner. "

Jiang Miao and Zhou Wei sent people to look for it, and soon found an old nun from Qianming Temple in Bianjing.When they were taken to Dali Temple, the old nun was shocked when he saw Rou Fu: "Jing Shan, why are you here?"

The old nun was interrogated again, so "the truth came out", Rou Fu also confessed, and was quickly charged.Soon after, a piece of paper recording the details of the case was sent to Zhao Gouyu:

Jingshan is a native of Bianjing, with a secular surname of Li. He became a nun in Qianming Temple since he was a child. He was plundered into the Jin army during the Jingkang Incident. He met some court ladies who were also captured. When they saw it, they thought it was Emperor Roufu. , all called her Di Ji, and told her many old things in the palace after getting acquainted with her.In the fourth year of Jianyan, Jingshan escaped by chance, and met Zhang Xier, a court lady who had served Roufu Emperor Ji, on the road.Zhang Xier also said that she resembled Rou Fu, and the two conspired together in order to swindle wealth. Zhang Xier taught Jing Shan the etiquette in the palace and explained everything in the palace in detail. After the preparations were made, they were about to publicize the matter, but they were separated by bandits. .Jingshan was plundered by Liu Zhong, and after being rescued, she entered the palace as the concubine and descended to her son-in-law Gao Shirong.Zhang Xi'er continued to wander, and later also came to Lin'an, where she was taken into the house by Gao Shirong.Jing Shan was afraid that Zhang Xi'er would reveal her secret, and also hated Zhang Xi'er for being favored by her son-in-law, so she killed Zhang Xi'er to silence her words and vent her anger.

After the trial of the Roufu case, her salary of more than 12 yuan in the past 47 years, some treasures, calligraphy and paintings rewarded by Zhao Gou, and her mansion in the first district of Yangshakengpo outside Lin'an City were all confiscated.The remains of the maid who was killed by her stick and buried in the mansion were also dug up. Among them, the family of the victim Chen Caiqing cried in front of Dali Temple every day, demanding that Jingshan be executed.

How to punish Jiang Miao and Zhou Zhouwei dare not make the decision, so Zhao Gou is invited to personally explain.

How to punish the crime was difficult for Zhao Gou to decide for a while, but he put it down after several times of writing.It was very late at night, and the eunuch standing in the hall could barely hold his eyelids anymore, but he was still extremely awake and irritable, and finally had to stand up, pacing back and forth in the bookcase with his hands behind his back.

Outside the pavilion, the autumn wind picked up again, passing over the phoenix trees, and startling a jackdaw to spread its wings.Zhao Gou heard the reputation, but saw a silhouette of a woman standing sideways reflected on the window.

Wearing a hairpin in a bun, she is obviously not an ordinary court lady.Zhao Gou's heart trembled unknowingly, and vaguely recalled the scene of Roufu eavesdropping on political affairs outside his door.

Walking quickly to open the door, the unsuspecting woman looked up hastily, and he saw a plausible and soft face.

There are somewhat similar eyebrows, but completely different demeanor.Hongxiapei Han Qiuxi immediately knelt down to apologize, but her reaction made him deeply disappointed for a moment.

"What are you doing here?" Zhao Gou asked coldly.

She held a porcelain cup over her head with both hands, and replied timidly: "Seeing the hard work of the officials, my concubine often stays up late at night, so I personally made a pot of ginseng soup for the officials... There is no one standing outside the door, and my concubine can't invite anyone." I sent it in, but I didn’t dare to go in and disturb the officials, so I waited outside the door.”

Zhao Gou nodded and said, "Go in and put it down, let's go back."

Han agreed, bowed his head and backed away after putting down the ginseng soup, and retreated more than ten steps respectfully outside the pavilion before turning around and leaving.

With the night wind blowing, Zhao Gou stared at her back, and the vague thoughts in his heart gradually began to become clear.

When he returned to the pavilion, the pen that was to be written seemed to be no longer so heavy. He mentioned it, and wrote two words on the memorial sent by Dali Temple: stick death.

5. Autumn fan
The imperial edict of stick death is announced, and Jiayin's execution is scheduled to be executed in September.As a result, stories about this case quickly spread among the market. The words "Rou Fu Di Ji" suddenly represented a big lie, and the nun who was said to have enjoyed 12 years of happiness as the eldest princess of the Fu Kingdom was instantly reduced to For the people to insult, despise and cast aside the object.

The guards in Dali Prison would occasionally say taunting words in front of Roufu, but she always looked like she had never heard of it, waiting quietly in prison for the arrival of her sentence, with no trace of sadness or joy on her face.

Two days and nights before the execution, Zhao Yuan went to see her in prison.Seeing her faded, skinny, only wearing plain clothes lying in the corner of the damp and dark cell, staring blankly at the mottled roof, Zhao Yuan's eyes were suddenly clouded with mist.

"Auntie." He tried his best to call her with a smile.

When she saw him, she also smiled, got up gently and walked over, leaning on the wooden pillar separating them, looking at him softly as always: "Yuan, why are you here?"

Zhao Yuan lowered his eyes and said sadly: "Yuan wants to ask Auntie if there is anything she needs, Yuan can bring it for Auntie."

Rou Fu shook his head and said: "People are going to die, so what else is there to use?" After thinking for a while, he turned his head to show a small wooden box behind him, "The son-in-law also came here today, and brought me some clothes, which is enough gone."

Zhao Yuan nodded and said in silence for a moment: "I heard that Consort Gao is planning to leave Lin'an."

Rou Fu smiled coldly: "Is his life not easy now?"

Zhao Yuan was speechless, and didn't want to tell her that after she was imprisoned, the identity of Gao Shirong's son-in-law captain was naturally eliminated, and even her original official position was also cut off. This provided another opportunity for people to gloat over others' misfortune. I have always been the captain, just like when Maitreya was born; now I go to the world, and I go to the place where the Tathagata eats porridge."

"He came today and just stared at me for a while without saying a word, but I know he came to say goodbye." Rou Fu sighed and said to Zhao Yuan, "If you see him in the future, please tell him for me. Say, I'm sorry for him."

Zhao Yuan nodded in agreement.Seeing that he had nothing else to say for a while, Rou Fu advised him: "Go back quickly. I am a fake Empress who committed a capital crime. It is not good for you to come here. Don't let your parents know."

"Aunt," Zhao Yuan called her again, a little more solemnly than before, "Since I entered the palace, the aunt I have known is you, whether it is a real princess or a fake emperor, it is no different to me. No matter who you are, in my heart, you will always be my aunt."

Hearing this, Rou Fu smiled peacefully, didn't say anything, just raised his hand to straighten Yuan's temples, just like she used to do when he was young.

Zhao Yuan stared at her gloomyly, then suddenly smiled again, and asked her: "Auntie, are you hungry? I brought you some snacks. What do you want to eat? Crispy seal, lotus cake, camel's hoof, Melaleuca, crab meat buns, or molasses rhyme fruit circles..."

Rou Fu was stunned and said nothing.In the dim light, Zhao Yuan saw a flash of light in her eyes, but she blinked quickly, still smiling, and said, "I'm not hungry. But thank you, Yuan."

Then they were all speechless.Zhao Yuan bowed his head, thoughtful, and for a moment, stretched out his right hand, which had been behind his back, to Rou Fu, and bent his fist, as if he was holding something.

"So, what about this?" Zhao Yuan smiled with tears in his eyes, "I think this is what my aunt wants."

Rou Fu stretched out her right hand silently, and Zhao Yuan transferred the thing he was holding into her palm.

It was an exquisite porcelain vase, still carrying Zhao Yuan's warm body temperature.Rou Fu clenched it back, and could feel the liquid rippling slightly in it.

She immediately understood the function of this mysterious liquid.

Zhao Yuan knelt down towards her, choked with sobs and said: "Auntie, Yuan is useless, powerless to save you, that's all I can do."

Sliding her left hand along the wooden pillar, Rou Fu also knelt down slowly, looked at him at the same level, and expressed her gratitude tenderly and sincerely: "Yuan, Auntie is really grateful to you. This is exactly what I need."

She pulled him up, then turned around to open the small wooden box, took out a round fan from it, and handed it to Zhao Yuan: "My aunt has nothing now, so I can't return the gift, only this fan. You take it, and take a look when you think of aunt occasionally, As if my aunt is still by your side."

Zhao Yuan took it, and saw that it was an ordinary plain silk fan, the surface of the fan was very clean, without words or pictures.

"The son-in-law brought it together in this box of clothes." Rou Fu explained, "It's a bit old, and it may not be good. It was not given as a gift."

Zhao Yuan accepted it solemnly and said, "Thank you, Auntie."

Rou Fu sighed again, and said with a light smile, "I don't know why he sent it here. It's late autumn and the sky is so cold, who can use a fan?"

Without waiting for Zhao Yuan to respond, she urged him to leave again: "Go back quickly. It's not right to delay in prison for a long time."

Zhao Yuan knelt down again, kowtowed to her with tears, and only got up after Rou Fu received it, and walked out after saying goodbye.After walking a few steps, Yiyi looked back, only to see Roufu leaning on the prison post to watch him off, with a warm smile on his pale face that made him feel kind when he first saw him when he was a child.

6. Setting sun
Two hours after Zhao Yuan left, several servants entered the prison, without saying a word, put Rou Fu into a small blue sedan chair, and in the boundless night, passed through an inconspicuous small door somewhere behind the palace, and put Rou Fu Enter a secluded courtyard with moss-stained green steps.

As dusk approached, Zhao Gou walked into the place alone.Opening the creaking door, the purple-golden light penetrated into the confined space, fine dust was flying in the beam of light at the beginning, and the indoor background was dull, he saw Rou Fu sitting in the depths of it, just like the day of Nangui, She has a haggard but beautiful face.

Seeing him coming in, she leisurely picked up the teacup on the table, drank the colorless water in it, and smiled at him: "Finally I've waited for you."

There is only the world of him and her, he seems to have come back from outside, and she said that she is waiting for him, the scene is warm and flat, but everything is so good.Zhao Gou couldn't help but smiled softly at her, and said with pity: "Sorry, I scared you this time."

But she shook her head and said with her calm smile, "I knew that one day I would die by your hands."

The meaning of these words did not match her expression, nor did he expect it.The joy just now was swept away, Zhao Gou's face immediately turned cold, and he looked sideways: "You think so?"

"People who often trouble the officials don't live long, and I am an anomaly." Rou Fu's raised lips did not bring a friendly signal, "You have killed Yue Fei, so why not kill me more One."

He boldly warned her: "Don't mention this traitor."

"Rebellious? Where is he rebellious? He didn't seek rebellion, what rebelled was just your will." Rou Fu chuckled, "You don't like him clamoring all day to welcome back the Second Sage; you don't like his nagging to persuade you You set up a reserve; I don't like the prestige he gained by leading the anti-gold..."

"Shut up!" Zhao Gou sternly stopped, staring at her and said slowly, "What I don't like the most is the way you think you are talking about political affairs."

Rou Fu looked at him with emotion, and his voice softened: "You know what? In fact, I don't like to discuss those dirty political affairs at all. I just want to know why you would rather pay tribute than resist gold and restore the Central Plains. ,Take me home."

"Go home..." Hearing these two words, Zhao Gou felt a little sad. He raised his eyes and looked back at the boundless sky, and promised, "I will go to the Northern Expedition, I will repel the Jinren, and bring you back to Bianjing, but You need to give me some time. Song and Jin have been at war for many years, the country is devastated, and the people are in dire straits. Now we have to negotiate peace and stop the war to recuperate. Don’t think that 25 taels of tribute silver is a lot. If the war does not stop, it will be spent on military pay and armaments every year There are far more than this, and the casualties of the soldiers are heavy, the people are overwhelmed, and it is even more difficult to maintain long-term stability."

"Do you really want to go back to Bianjing? Then why did you announce that your capital will be here, and you are busy building the imperial palace and Taimiao here, and renovating Lin'an according to the scale of the capital?" Rou Fu asked back, seeing that Zhao Gou didn't answer for a while, he waved his head again He sighed, "Song has resisted the gold for many years, and has a chance to win. You are in sight of attacking Huanglong, but you killed Yue Fei and used this advantage to negotiate a peace."

"At that time, the situation was only slightly superior, and it was an extravagant hope to go directly to Huanglong in the short term." As if trying to convince her, Zhao Gou was willing to talk to her more than ever on these taboo topics, "The legacy of the ancestors of the Guochao, and Wen Yuwu is not allowed to be a general. Since Jingkang, the power of the generals has increased greatly. Not only did the officers and soldiers use their own surnames, but if they didn’t agree with others, they often took the act of supporting the soldiers. Emperor Yizu once drank wine to release his military power , and if this battle continues and the power of the generals increases, I will not even have the chance to toast. Yue Fei is arrogant and conceited, and he has different ideas. If he is allowed to lead the army without restraint, even if the Northern Expedition succeeds So what? At that time, he will definitely turn around and kill the king and usurp the throne. I can't let this happen and let the country and society of the Song Dynasty be destroyed in my hands."

"No, Yue Fei is not disloyal." Rou Fu retorted indifferently, "It's just that he is loyal to Song Dynasty, not you, the emperor. Go back to your father and eldest brother. You are worried that he will turn against each other and seek self-reliance, and you are afraid that he will pull you down from the throne in the name of supporting the old emperor after taking back the eldest brother. Therefore, you would rather reuse the villain who takes the power of captives to take over the king. , negotiated peace and became a minister, gave up the Northern Expedition, and was willing to stay in a corner and guard half of the country alone."

The anger in his eyes deepened, and Zhao Gou approached her slowly.He still didn't make any drastic moves towards her, although his hands on the table were trembling slightly. "Taking captives to want the king?" He finally grasped this sentence, and said coldly, "Qin Hui is not capable of this, he is just my dog."

"Yeah, he's just your dog." Rou Fu suddenly laughed, "You've been using him to do what you want to do but you can't do it clearly: eradicate dissidents, frame Yue Fei, and even bend your knees to welcome the envoy. From the day you ascended the throne, what you thought about was not welcoming back the Second Sage, defeating the Jinren, and restoring the Central Plains, but only keeping your own throne, and for this reason, you did not hesitate to do the next dirty thing soberly. "

"Then what do you think of me?" Zhao Gou said angrily, "You want me to fight to the death with Jin Guo regardless of strength or consequences? Yes, now I only guard half of the country, but if I am not careful, even this half of the country will be destroyed." If I can’t keep it, my family and my subjects will suffer another Jingkang disaster. Why should I welcome back the second sage? Why should I welcome back the father who ruined the Song Dynasty’s great rivers and mountains in the song and dance, and the weak and incompetent will only listen to the courtiers’ mercy Brother? Give them another chance and they will not be able to protect Da Song, nor you, Yuan Yuan!"

Calling out her name, he stared at Roufu, and his tone became gentle again: "I want to keep my throne, and that's the only way I can protect you."

"Protect me?" Rou Fu seemed to think this statement was strange, and his lips curled into a mocking arc, "How did you protect me? Did you order to be killed?"

"Stand dead, that's just a show." Zhao Gou said, "The queen mother misunderstood you deeply. I couldn't explain it clearly at the moment, and it was inconvenient to flatter her in public, so I had to wrong you and send you to prison. Now After saving you, I will properly place you in a safe place in the future. Although I don't have the status of the eldest princess, Brother Nine guarantees that you can still live a glorious life like before, and Brother Nine will visit you often."

Rou Fu raised his brows slightly: "The decree has been issued, how will the execution be carried out then?"

Due to being in prison, she is still only wearing plain clothes at this moment, her hair is not combed up, it hangs long behind her back, and her face has no color of makeup or powder. The simple and elegant appearance that is different from the previous image makes Zhao Gou stunned. heartbeat.Gently inserted one hand into her right side hair, the soft hair gave him a cool touch on the back of his hand, he caressed her creamy face, and told her: "There is someone who looks like you and can be tortured for you. "

"A person whose appearance is similar to mine?" Rou Fu quickly understood who he was referring to, "Hong Xia Pei Han?"

Zhao Gou said nothing, but the shallow smile immediately showed that she had expected it.

She turned her head to avoid his touch, then stared at him for a while, and suddenly laughed out loud: "You mean, let me switch identities with Mrs. Han, let her go to die for me, and I will also be from now on." Don’t need to wear the name of the eldest princess anymore, and turn it into your red scarf, let it be stored in your golden house?”

"No, it's not..." Zhao Gou was slightly embarrassed by her direct words, and subconsciously denied, "I will choose a quiet and comfortable place for you outside the palace, and I will go out of the palace to visit you and chat with you in my free time. Chatting, listening to you playing the piano, just like before... that's all."

"That's all..." She smiled coldly, looking at his eyes with a hint of sarcasm, "Is it really all that? What about the 'others'? Do you not want to, or can't bear it?"

Zhao Gou was stunned immediately.Facing this unprecedented provocation he had never faced before, he remained silent for a while, unable to remember all the previous ways of expressing anger.

He vaguely thought that maybe what she said "can't bear it" didn't mean what he understood, but she didn't give him a chance to rejoice, and immediately made it clear: "The government has always trusted the medical officer all these years. Wang Jixian, I heard that he has an effective pill handed down by his ancestors, but has he ever cured the illness of the official family?"

Seeing that he didn't answer, she continued to hold her ironic smile and stabbed him sharply: "According to the current temperament of the official family, the pill formula must have not worked well. It completely defeated the official family, from temperament to body, everything was completely defeated..."

Staring at his face that was getting colder and colder like ice, she looked contemptuous: "You are not really filial to the queen mother, otherwise you will take revenge for her on the golden man who humiliated her, instead of trying to get rid of the witnesses for her. You don't really want to protect me, but you want to take advantage of the trend to make Princess Fuguo disappear from the palace of singing and dancing, because she will always remind you of the existence of Jingkang. What you hope to have is for you to store in the golden house for play The appreciative Yuan Yuan allows you to be the Emperor of Taiping by the West Lake, while escaping the fact of national calamity and the responsibility of recovering the country, you can also weakly recall the flawless years of the past and the dream of Tokyo. Now you are strong outside but do nothing to protect the throne. Bloodless, willing to be partial, flattering enemies who insulted his mother, wife, children and sisters, only playing tricks in the palace, unable to use prestige and ability to consolidate imperial power openly, but scheming, suspicious, and playing with power that cannot be on the table The art of deceit is like that of a treacherous eunuch, how can he look like a man in the slightest!"

Finally he couldn't bear it anymore, he stretched out his right hand to grab her by the throat, pulled her up, pushed her to the corner step by step, stared at her eyes with a cold light, and his canthus cracked open: "Do you really want to die?" ?”

Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and she tried to break his hand on her neck with both hands, her body struggled unceasingly, her brows were furrowed, as if she was in great pain.Seeing this, he loosened his hands a little, and she was able to take a breath, and turned to look at him, but then threw out a harsh sentence intermittently: "Ru... now it seems that the illness of the official family... is different from the official family... ...It complements each other well..."

He was so angry that he squeezed her neck harder with one hand, and slapped her face with the other, but she was still struggling with the sharp smile on her lips at the same time, which made him suddenly doubt her identity. "Are you Yuan Yuan?" He pulled her closer to him, staring into her eyes, "Are you Yuan Yuan from Huayang Palace? How could that Yuan Yuan be as vicious as you, and say such things to Brother Jiu?" if?"

"No..." She coughed, her eyes were so painful that she couldn't open her eyes, and she had difficulty uttering the words, "I'm not... Yuan Yuan, you... and you're not... Ninth Brother..."

He didn't have time to decipher the meaning of her words, he felt that the anger in his heart continued to spread, and the blood in his whole body seemed to be boiling. In an instant, he just wanted to destroy her, just like destroying her made him face the shame.He continued to pinch her throat fiercely, and when she swung her head and turned around to resist, her collar was slightly undone, revealing a piece of fine white skin under her neck.This scene stimulated him strangely, he suddenly grabbed her collar and tore it downwards. Hearing the crisp sound of tearing silk, he felt as if he wanted to tear her dignity.

However, when he lowered his eyes, he was shocked by what he saw, stood still, and stopped all movements.

A bright red mole appeared on the top of her left breast, the color of rouge was like a decoration against the snowy skin underneath.

The sudden rouge mole shakes time and space, and the page of memory many years ago seems to have just been turned over. He is the prince who has the right to ride into Genyue, and she appears at the beginning of his bright future, like the fresh morning light. brighten his eyes.

He took her hand and walked through the shadowy forest, the sun shone brightly on them, he felt the pine needles he was stepping on sunken under his feet, and occasionally heard the bells on her shoes and the chirping of birds.

In the Xiaoxian Pavilion under the greenery of bamboos, she on the imperial concubine's bed does not object to practicing kisses, his lips absorb the fragrance of her skin, and her belt is unknowingly untied by him until the rouge mole Be the end of that day's lingering...

The initial anger dissipated quietly, and she only felt sour in her heart. Looking at Roufu again, she actually had a gentle expression, and looked at him quietly, with both sadness and pity in her eyes.

So, he gently embraced her waist, bent down and lowered his head, and after 16 years, he branded her rouge mole with his lips again.

She didn't resist, she even put her arms around his head, stroking his crown bit by bit.But the gentleness at this moment didn't last long, he gradually felt her cold fingers trembling slightly, the sound of her breathing became heavier and heavier, and the sound of her heartbeat became very clear.Soon he understood that her strange reactions were not caused by emotional shocks—she covered her mouth with one hand, and her chest trembled violently, as if she was about to vomit.

He stood up straight in surprise, before he had time to see clearly, a stream of liquid spurted out of her mouth uncontrollably, splashing on the front of his clothes and his face.He froze for a moment, lightly touched the warm drops of water on his cheeks, looked down, and sure enough, his fingertips were stained with the same bright red blood as her lips.

Her feet went limp, and she fell to the ground under his shocked gaze.He immediately bent down to pick her up, and asked anxiously: "Yuan Yuan, what's wrong with you?"

Rou Fu closed his eyes and didn't answer, smiled and led his sleeves to slowly wipe the blood on his lips, but before it was wiped clean, another mouthful of blood gushed out.

Zhao Gou turned around in panic, and suddenly found the teacup she was drinking from just now, grabbed it and looked at the suspicious liquid left in it, vaguely glimpsed the terrible answer, and asked Roufu in a rage: "What are you drinking?" ? Who gave it to you?"

Rou Fu remained silent, shook his head slightly, still closed his eyes, and nestled in his arms, like a sleepy child.

He violently threw the teacup into the corner of the wall, smashed it to pieces, then put his arms around her, pressed his face to her forehead sadly, and called her repeatedly: "Yuan Yuan, Yuan Yuan! Why are you doing this? Why are you doing this?" Don't believe me? You are the most cherished person in my life, how could I kill you!"

"No..." Roufu panted, and said to him in a low voice, with difficulty, "Your most precious...is not me...it is...you...you...yourself..."

Sensing Zhao Gou's momentary numbness when he heard this, Rou Fu smiled wryly again, and continued: "What I love...is just...the you at that time...we were all wrong...Ninth Brother... "

Zhao Gou heard the pity, and was silent in the throbbing that her words brought him. After a while, he remembered to raise his voice to call the servant: "Come on! Come on!"

Rou Fu put his hand on his shoulder, "No need." She sighed, tried to open her tearful eyes and looked at him again, and said the last sentence with all her energy: "You... ...when I killed Zong Jun, I also killed... my... brother Ninth."

After she finished speaking, two lines of blood and tears slid down her pale face, and her hands fell limply, unable to move anymore.

Zhao Gou hugged her tightly and cried out several times. Seeing that she didn't respond anymore, he hugged her with both hands in a daze and wanted to go out. The tears in his eyes blurred the way ahead. He staggered a few steps before finding the way out. way.

The setting sun outside the door was like blood, and the westerly wind sighed and passed through the twilight palace, disturbing the originally silent old tree branches. A few fallen leaves flew sparsely and intermittently, passing the stone steps in the courtyard, and drifting towards the row upon row of green tiles and red walls.

The Lin'an Imperial Palace was built on the side of Fenghuang Mountain. The forest in the mountain is thick and dense, and there are thousands of palace crows. At this moment, they are also entering in a formation. The black feathers are fluttering and circling in the sky, reflecting the desolate sky, and there are layers of mourning. .

Looking up sadly at the sickly setting sun covered by the mourning crow, Zhao Gou knelt down on the front steps of the hall with Rou Fu in his arms.Following the golden-purple light from the crow's feathers, he seemed to see the beautiful scene in the spring breeze of Genyue faintly reappearing: the pink cherry blossoms dyed the water in Fengchi red, the petals fell like snow in the wind, and deep in the fallen cherry blossoms there was A fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl is kicking the shuttlecock. She is dressed in green spring clothes, has a small bun, has water-cut eyes, and is smiling sweetly. She raises the shuttlecock and says, "Your Majesty, come play with us."...

I didn't realize that tears were streaming down my face.Yuan Yuan, Yuan Yuan... He hugged her tightly and called out the name hidden in his heart again.But she didn't agree, the only thing he could feel was her soul passing through his fingers like water.Finally he closed his eyes, and amidst the wailing of the thousand-feathered palace crow, he clearly heard his life that recorded Huayang Huaying shatter in his heart.

7. Meng Liang
After Roufu's death, the identity of the skeleton in the coffin brought back by Queen Mother Wei was officially confirmed as Roufu Emperor Ji. Zhao Gou named her "Princess He Guochang" and had a grand funeral.

In February of the 13th year of Shaoxing, Taishi Qin Hui led a group of ministers to beg for Zhengzhong Palace.Zhao Gou asked Empress Dowager Wei to drop her handwriting and she said, "I only know about family affairs, and I can't interfere with important affairs of state affairs. You can make up your own mind."

In the fourth month of leap and ugliness, Zhao Gou made his concubine Wu the queen.Zhi said: "Looking at my middle palace, I have been vacant for a long time. The mother-in-law has far-reaching concerns, and the officials have lost their loyalty. It is advisable to choose Shuxian and use the book of life."

Wu Yingfu became more filial and respectful to the Empress Dowager after he entered the Central Palace. He personally provided food and clothing for the Empress Dowager, and took care of everything in the Palace of Compassion and Peace. Bad things happen.

Yingfu saw that Zhao Gou was often depressed when he mentioned the queen Xing, so he asked Zhao Gou to marry the second daughter of the Xing family for his nephews Wu Xun and Wu Ju, "to comfort the emperor's heart". Jue, a noble man for a while.

Zhao Gou treated Yingchi very well, and most of her requests were accepted, but since he became independent, he has recruited a lot of concubines, mostly young beauties who are proficient in writing and ink, and have a good understanding of music. The time we spend together is getting scarcer.

As usual, Yingchi was not jealous at all, and even in the 19th year of Shaoxing, she personally chose a woman from the Wu clan named Yunu to present with Zhao Gou.Zhao Gou first named Yunu the wife of Xinxing County, and later became a talented person, but he had no interest in her, and ordered her to leave the palace and return to his family after a few years.

Among the concubines and concubines, Zhao Gou favored two of them the most, Concubine Liu Gui and Concubine Liu Wanyi, whom the palace people called Big Lady Liu and Lady Liu respectively.

Concubine Liu Guifei has a pair of slender feet, and she wears embroidered shoes shaped like a crescent moon, delicate and lovely.Zhao Gou treated her generously, and Concubine Liu Gui was arrogant and extravagant. She used to decorate her feet with crystals in the midsummer. That day she was leaning on the bed coquettishly, with exquisite lotus shoes on her feet. This situation will definitely make people more happy. Unexpectedly, when Zhao Gou came in and saw it, his face sank slightly, he looked at her coldly, and said, "Is this a foot pedal? Take it to make a pillow."

His tone was only indifferent, and he didn't show much anger, but Concubine Liu Gui was already in a cold sweat, and immediately removed the pedals resentfully, and never dared to do such violent things again.

Liu Wanyi, on the other hand, was charming and charming, with a lively temperament. She was good at singing and dancing, and she was excellent at playing the qin and the sheng, so Zhao Gou cared especially for her.Liu Wanyi was also restless, relying on kindness to seek power, once sent someone from Guangzhou to offer her pearls and fragrant medicines, and secretly promised her an official title.Lin Xiaoze, the ship official, informed Zhao Gou after learning about it, and Zhao Gou immediately ordered the Tibetan merchants to make donations.Going back to the palace to reprimand Liu Wanyi, but Liu Wanyi didn't take it seriously, and took Zhao Gou's sleeves to confess the crime. Zhao Gou's heart softened, and he couldn't bear to criticize her harshly.

In the 31st year of Shaoxing, Liu Kai commanded the division of Zhenjiang. He heard that the Jin people would rebel against the alliance and intended to cross the river to attack the Song Dynasty.Wang Jixian and others insisted on peace talks, saying that using troops might miss the plan. Wang even hinted that Zhao Gou should kill Liu Kai: "There is nothing wrong with the border, but there are some militant officers who like to use troops and want to ask for merit and reward. If you kill one of them With one or two people, the peace agreement can be as stable as before." Zhao Gou was displeased, and replied in one sentence: "You want me to kill Liu Kai?" Wang Jixian didn't dare to say any more.

After that, Zhao Gou ate at Liu Wanyi's place, but he didn't raise his chopsticks for a long time because he was worried about the trivial matters.Liu Wanyi felt strange, so she ordered her servants to find out why the officials were troubled, and soon found out about Liu Qi's main battle and Wang Jixian's words.Seeing that Zhao Gou was still frowning deeply the next day, Liu Wanyi also sighed softly, pretending to be considerate, and said: "Liu Qi's false rumors about side affairs will make the instructors worry."

Hearing this, Zhao Gou raised his eyes, glanced at her, and asked calmly, "Oh? Does Miss Liu have a good plan for this?"

Liu Wanyi was very happy to see Zhao Gou asking for her own opinion, and she only wanted to forgive the emperor's wishes, saying repeatedly that the court should insist on peace talks, and that Liu Kai's main battle was out of self-interest, so it is better to kill him, and what she said was probably similar to what Wang Jixian said.

After listening to her with a cold face, Zhao Gou raised his hand and overturned the table full of food and wine, pointing at her and asked angrily, "You are just a woman, how do you know important military and political affairs? Someone must teach you to deceive me!"

Liu Wanyi had never seen him so angry, she knelt down to plead guilty, and told the whole story tremblingly.Zhao Gou became more and more annoyed, and kicked her out, gave her a different residence, and never called her again.He even sat Wang Jixian, demoted him to live in Fuzhou, and stopped his descendants as officials.

Yang Shi, Empress Dowager Wei's maidservant, did not live to the New Year's Day of the next year after returning from the south.At the end of the 12th year of Shaoxing, Yang's family was sixty years old. Empress Dowager Wei celebrated her birthday in the Palace of Compassion and Peace. Zhao Gou also gave him a pot of imperial wine and some gold and silk to congratulate her.Yang thanked her for accepting it, happily drank the imperial wine, and died that night without any illness, "Smiling Jiuquan".

Afterwards, Zhao Gou issued a decree to the Empress Dowager's palace: "For the sake of the Empress Dowager's birthday, I will report all the big and small matters in the Palace of Compassion and Ning directly to me. Do not discuss with the Empress Dowager, so as not to worry the Empress Dowager."

After Yang's death, the life of Empress Dowager Wei suddenly fell into silence.Wearing a plain robe all day long, he guards the ancient Buddha with blue lanterns all day long. He is unsmiling and only reads the Buddha's scriptures.Although Zhao Gou often ordered people to donate money and silk to the Empress Dowager's Palace, she had no intention of using it, and lived frugally, and most of the money she got was idle in the treasury.He also seldom interacts with people in the palace, but Yingfu is allowed to enter the province every day.Yingfu was suitable for the meaning, and once hand-painted a volume of "Pictures of Ancient Women", in which the appearance of the Empress Dowager was painted, and taking the meaning of "Poetry Preface", she inscribed "Xianzhi" on the plaque of the Empress Dowager's Buddhist Hall.

In October of the 26th year of Shaoxing, the right servant of the Shangshu shot Wan Qiyu on "The Facts of the Empress Dowager's Return to Luan".When the ministers presented the letter to the Empress Dowager, they also selected a large number of gifts and presented them together. The Empress Dowager Wei withdrew all of them and did not accept them. Years old, but healthy as five or 77 years old, all because of the virtues and virtues. This kind of blessing has never been seen since ancient times.”

Zhao Gou would celebrate Empress Dowager Wei grandly every year on her birthday, and did not forget to promote her longevity at the same time.Everyone who has seen the Queen Mother is amazed at her youthful appearance, and then cannot help praising her virtues and blessings.

The Queen Mother has always been relatively healthy, but her eyes are getting worse and worse, her vision is getting more and more blurred, and she is completely blind in the end.Seeing that the imperial doctor could not do anything about the Queen Mother's eye disease, Zhao Gou searched for good doctors all over the country.In the 28th year of Shaoxing, Zhang Cheng, the governor of Lin'an, recommended a Taoist priest from Shu who was good at learning from the wind to treat the Empress Dowager.Zhao Gou called him to ask how to heal the disease, and the Taoist replied: "If the heart does not do anything, the body will be safe, and if the master does not do anything, the world will be governed." After hearing this, Zhao Gou, if he realized something, led him into the Palace of Compassion and Ning to use his skills as the queen mother.The Taoist picked it with a golden needle, the queen mother's left shade fell off, and the left eye regained vision.The queen mother was overjoyed, and asked to heal her right eye, but the Taoist said: "One eye of the queen mother is enough to see things, and the other eye can be used to keep oaths."

The days when Empress Dowager Wei was clear-sighted and calm-minded were not too long. In Gengzi, September 29, Shaoxing, Empress Dowager Webster collapsed in the bedroom of the Palace of Compassionate Ning holding a string of Buddhist beads.

When the queen mother was alive, she always hoped that Zhao Gou would have a biological son to inherit the throne, so she never allowed Zhao Gou to formally establish the status of adopted son as a prince, let alone make an adopted son as the crown prince.Among the two sons, Zhao Yuan and Zhao Yuan, she also likes Yuan more, and has no support for Yuan, whom Zhao Gou likes more.

In February of the 15th year of Shaoxing, promoted by Empress Dowager Wei and Empress Wu, and at the instigation of Qin Hui, who was at odds with Zhao Yuan, Zhao Gou named Zhao Yuan the Shaobao of the inspection school, Jin named Enping County King, and lived outside the palace.For a while, Yu and Yuan were both kings of the county, with equal status, and the officials privately called it "East and West Mansion".

In October of the 25th year of Shaoxing, Qin Hui became seriously ill.He discussed with his family and party members and decided to block the news, in an attempt to let his son Qin Xi continue to control the government on his behalf.When Zhao Yuan heard the news, he immediately reported to Zhao Gou, so Zhao Gou went to Qin's house in person to test his falsehood in the name of visiting a doctor.Qin Hui didn't say a word, only exchanged tears.Qin Xun asked who the acting prime minister was, and Zhao Gou replied, "This is not what you should have heard." Then he walked out of the room and returned to the palace in a chariot. The system of father and son becoming official (that is, the formalities for dismissing officials due to old age).Seeing that the plot failed, Qin Hui was terrified and passed away in disappointment.

After this incident, Zhao Gou appreciated Zhao Yuan even more, and also paid more attention to testing.Zhao Yuan was unhappy, and there were very few concubines in the county palace.One day Zhao Gou called Zhao Yuan and Zhao Chu into the palace and gave them ten maids each.Not long after, these maids were recalled and inspected. It was found that the maids given to Zhao Yuan were no longer virgins, while those who entered Zhao Yuan's mansion were still intact.Although Zhao Gou didn't say a word on this, he already had a conclusion in his mind.

After the Empress Dowager passed away, Zhao Gou asked the Queen Yingfu for her opinion on Li Chu, and Yingfu smiled and replied, "Pu, that is, the word 'and the sun'. Pu'an is the expression of the sun and the sun." Zhao Gou then smiled, In February of the 30th year of Shaoxing, the royal pen was paid to the three provinces: Wang Yuanke of Pu'an County was established as the prince, and his name was changed to Wei.A few days later, Jin named the prince Jianwang.

In May Jiazi in the 32nd year of Shaoxing, Wang Wei was ordered to be established as the crown prince, and his name was changed to Yan.

In June, Bingzi, the crown prince Zhao Wei was the emperor, and he was Xiaozong.Zhao Gou changed his name to Taishang Emperor, and retired to Deoksugung Palace with Taishang Empress Wu.

8. Shuying
Deoksugung Palace was originally the residence of Qin Hui, and later Zhao Min expanded and refurbished it, giving it the name Deoksugung Palace, so that Emperor Taishang and Empress Taishang could spend their lives here.Its scale is large, and the essence of its architectural scenery is not inferior to that of the Forbidden City.Because Zhao Gou loves the lake and mountains in Lin'an very much, Zhao Min conveniently dug a large pond in Deoksugung Palace, diverted water into it, imitated the cold spring of West Lake, and built a mountain with stones, imitating the scene of Feilai Peak.There are dotted pavilions and pavilions in the palace, and there are four seasons flowers everywhere. The royal boat is bathed in the fragrance of the sea of ​​flowers and blows across the water in the melting pool under the cold spring pavilion.

In the winter of a certain year, the plum blossoms in Jujing Garden outside the Qingbomen Gate were just beginning to bloom, and the sparse branches were decorated with jade, which was fragrant and elegant. It was more prosperous than in previous years. Therefore, Zhao Yun sent someone to Deoksugung Palace to invite the Supreme Emperor Zhao Gou to drive. Enjoying flowers in Jujing Garden.

But Zhao Gou said: "The official said, I go out frequently from Deoksugung Palace, which not only costs a lot of money, but also requires a lot of labor. I also have a few good flowers in my back garden. Why don't you invite the official to come and relax tonight?" Look."

Zhao Yun was invited to go to Deoksugung by car after dinner.After entering the palace gate, the servant reported that the Supreme Emperor was taking a rest in the Lengquan Hall opposite Meipo, so Zhao Yan went straight to the Lengquan Hall.From a distance, I saw Zhao Gou lying half-lying under the eaves in front of the hall, sleeping on the fur quilt in the couch.Zhao Yan didn't know if he was asleep, and was afraid of waking him up, so he approached quietly, and stood silently by the side, waiting for him to wake up by himself.

The moonlight is very good tonight, and you don't need to light up many palace lanterns to see the grand scene of the plum sea and condensed clouds on the opposite side.Most of the plums planted in Deoksugung Palace are ancient plums. Compared with the flowers in Jujingyuan, they are thinner and more elegant, and the fragrance is subtle, and the fragrance can't be found anywhere.In the stone bridge pavilion next to the hall, there is a famous young princess, accompanied by the flute played by a musician behind her, singing a melody softly amidst the faint fragrance.Presumably she was ordered by the Supreme Emperor, so she sang a song over and over again, and she sang the same song.

Listening intently, Zhao Yan recognized that she was singing a poem about plum blossoms: "Moss branches are embellished with jade, there are green birds and small ones, and they sleep together on the branches. We meet in the guest, and at dusk at the corner of the hedge, we are speechless and lean on the bamboo. Zhaojun does not I am used to Hu Shayuan, but I secretly remember Jiangnan and Jiangbei. I want to wear a ring, return on a moonlit night, and turn into this lonely flower. I still remember the old things in the deep palace. And arrange the golden house. Also teach a piece to go with the waves, but complain, Yulong mourns. When you wait, you will find the fragrance again, and it has entered the small window banner."

Thinking carefully about the meaning of the words, the more I thought about it, the more depressed I became, and gradually I felt a bit sour, I was stunned for a while, and listened silently.

After Gong Ji sang again, Zhao Gou slowly opened his eyes, looked sideways at Zhao Yan, and said with a smile, "You're here." After Zhao Yan finished his ceremony, he got up and walked to the stone bridge pavilion, pointing at Zhao Yan. The ancient plums on the slope said: "This year's moss blooms well here, let the officials have a look."

Zhao Yan looked over, but saw the moss and plum blossoms on the slope like jade, and the moss mustaches hanging between the branches, several inches to more than a foot long, the evening wind blew intermittently, and the green silk fluttered with it, which was indeed very beautiful.

Zhao Gou also explained: "There are two kinds of moss plums in Deoksugung Palace: one comes from Zhanggong Cave in Yixing, with thick moss and extremely fragrant flowers; the other comes from Shaoxing, with moss like green silk, about a foot long. This year The two bloom at the same time, so you have to stay and watch."

Zhao Xuan bowed his body and agreed, and was about to praise Taimei, but when he looked up, he found that Zhao Gou's eyes did not actually fall on Taimei.Zhao Yan followed his gaze, and saw that what he was looking at were actually a few wintersweet plants transplanted from self-restraint, such as Lvca, Qianye, Yurui, and Tanxin.

At the beginning, Zhao Yan never understood why Zhao Gou loved these flowers and trees so much.It was originally planted in the Plum Garden of the Inner Palace. Zhao Gou ordered people to dig out these flowers and trees in the middle of the night on the eve of moving to Deoksugung Palace, and dug three feet of the ground, and even moved the thick mud underneath. Deoksugung Palace.Zhao Yan once persuaded: "There are many plum blossoms and wintersweet in Deoksugung Palace. The plants are better than these, and they must be able to satisfy the emperor's will. Now it takes a lot of trouble to move the past in the palace, so why not stay here." And Zhao The agency did not change its mind, and still insisted on removing the wintersweet.

At this moment, Zhao Gou's eyes had a rare sense of desolation, standing on the misty waves under the moon, talking about irrelevant moss plums, but his eyes lingered among the ancient plums in the old palace, that lost look was strange and familiar to Zhao Gou, and he vaguely remembered it , I have seen it many years ago, when my father stared at someone's figure.

The sound of the flute played again, and it was still the same tune just now.Accompanied by Gong Ji's singing, the figure in the bottom of my heart gradually became clearer, as if drifting closer with the faint fragrance of wintersweet, quietly blending into the artistic conception of this new word.

Shocked, Zhao Yan immediately understood what kind of secret was secretly flowing in the blood of the forbidden flower tree.

9. Ca Mau
On August [-]th, the ninth year of Emperor Xiaozong's Chunxi, Zhao Min drove past Deoksugung Palace to court the Supreme Emperor.Zhao Gou left him to have breakfast with him in the Zhile Hall, and then ordered his servant to go fishing with colored poles for entertainment. The father and son talked happily. Stay to watch the moon and return."

Zhao Xuan naturally received the imperial decree respectfully, followed Zhao Gou in the car to shoot bows through the shooting hall, watched the courtiers and sergeants of the Royal Horse Court play polo, and watched the water puppets in Longchi for a while, and then went to Xiangyuan Hall for the dinner.

The Xiangyuan Hall is built by the water, and the Longchi is about ten acres, and the wind and lotuses by the pond are all Chibabai lotus.The color of the hall is elegant, and the couch, screen, wine vessel and other items are all made of crystal, and even the incense is also crystal clear. All kinds of spices lie quietly in this clear box, and the color is high, waiting for people to taste.

There are 50 girls playing Qingyue on the south bank of Longchi, and there are also 200 musicians from the teaching workshop in Furonggang on the north bank.

In the east of the hall is the Longevity Bridge, which is more than six feet long. It is made of jade, and the sill is carved with exquisite workmanship.In the center of the bridge, there is a four-sided pavilion made of Silla white eucalyptus, which is pure, white and elegant, and shines with the jade bridge.

Sitting in the pavilion were beauties with a palace make-up. Seeing that Zhao Gou and Zhao Yan had already taken their seats, they also got up lightly and walked leisurely towards Xiangyuan Hall.She is wearing a bright red dress with long skirt and wide sleeves, and the wide drape is long and flowing on the jade bridge, like two rays of sunlight passing by the clouds.

Riding on the music in the wind, she entered with a light posture, holding a white jade sheng in her hand exposed under her red sleeves, like a Nine Heavens Xuannv bursting out from the plain background decorated with thousands of leaves and white lotuses.

She bowed to Zhao Gou, father and son, and the Empress Dowager and Empress one by one. After the ceremony, Zhao Gou gave her a seat. When the music outside stopped, Zhao Gou ordered her to play the preface of Bai Yusheng's "Song of Neon Clothes and Feather Clothes" by herself. She played it calmly, and sure enough. It is graceful and beautiful, and compared with the music of the teaching workshop, it also contains a hint of elegance and elegance.

This situation and this scene seem familiar, although this beauty should be Zhao Gouxin's, Zhao Yan has never seen it before.He couldn't help but look a few more times, Empress Xie who was sitting next to him noticed it, and said to him in a low voice with a smile: "Young Majesty, this lady has a very kind face, probably because she is similar to others."

"Really?" Zhao Yan asked lightly, "Similar to who?"

Empress Xie said: "She has slender steps, she looks like Mrs. Big Liu, and her delicate appearance and her rhythmic skills are very similar to Mrs. Liu."

Zhao Yan smiled when he heard it: "Not bad."

After the beauty finished playing, Zhao Yan got up and took the jade cup to offer wine to the Supreme Emperor and the Supreme Empress. On behalf of the Supreme Emperor, he gave the beauty of the sheng blowing bowls, cups and plates with gold inlaid treasures.

After serving two more glasses of wine, the banquet attendant Zeng Zi filled out a piece of "Slowness in the Pot" and presented it to the Supreme Emperor.Zhao Gou took it, and saw his words: "Sun soaring and rippling, look at the sky and see it steadily, a bright moon. The green water Yinghu can't be seen, it's like the autumn farewell in the world. The jade hand Yao Sheng, the same color for a while, according to "" Neon Clothes stacked. On the Tianjin Bridge, someone secretly memorized the new title. Who was imagining the Silver Bridge that day, who was fooling around with a joke, and became obsessed with laughter. I am willing to believe in the feast of the immortals, and move down the crystal palace. Osmanthus blows fragrant snow. He Lao jade axe, golden Ou will be intact through the ages."

Zhao Gouyue smiled behind him and said: "I have never used the word "Jin Ou" in Yue Ci, which can be described as a novelty." Then he gave Zeng Mi a gold belt, a purple fanluo, and a pair of crystal bowls, and then ordered people to raise their voices to recite this word.But Zhao Yan took advantage of the conversation between the monarch and his ministers to quietly leave the table and walked out of the Xiangyuan hall alone.

Zhao Gou chatted with Zeng Qu for a while before he realized that Zhao Yan was no longer in the hall. He asked a servant and asked, and the answer he got was: "The official family is watching the palace people put a little red on the bank of Longchi."

The smile faltered slightly, Zhao Gou was speechless for a while, and the servant bowed and asked, "Does the Supreme Master want the minister to invite the official back?"

Zhao Gou waved his hand and said, "I'll go and have a look too."

There are tens of millions of small sheepskin water lamps floating between the water and the sky with a little red halo. Zhao Yan stands alone under the Longevity Bridge, alone.

The same water is like moonlight, the same fire is like stars, the same lonely people are independent, but the time is not the time, and the person is not that person.

After blinking his cloudy eyes for a moment, Zhao Gou walked up alone and asked Zhao Yun, "The officials are also here to release the water lamp?"

Zhao Yan turned around and replied with a slight smile: "No. Just now I drank a lot and felt a little hot, so I came out to get some air."

Zhao Gou also stopped asking, and changed the subject: "When did you come out? Have you ever heard Zeng Face's Moon Ci? It's a masterpiece."

Zhao Yun lowered his eyes and said: "I was dizzy at that time, and I didn't pay attention to it. The emperor forgives the crime. Since this word has been praised by the emperor, it must be a good work. After a while, the ministers will also reward Zeng Mi with something."

Zhao Gou nodded.Suddenly, he found that Zhao Yun was holding a girl's round fan in his hand. He couldn't help being surprised, and asked, "Why do officials also use women's round fans?"

Zhao Yan stared at the round fan in his hand, and replied: "This fan is a relic of an old friend. I will always take it with me every Mid-Autumn Festival."

Zhao Gou then smiled: "The official family is also a long-term lover. Who is the old man? Queen Guo or Queen Xia?"

Zhao Yun has had three queens successively. The original wife Guo and his successor Xia have both passed away. Today's Empress Xie is the same as Xia. She was originally the maid of the Supreme Empress Wu. In the third year of Xi's reign, he entered the palace.

Zhao Gou knew that he had always attached great importance to friendship, and had a deep relationship with the two late husbands and wives. Seeing him meditating with an old fan on the Mid-Autumn Festival, he guessed that he must be thinking of those two.

After pondering for a long time, Zhao Yun finally gave his father an unexpected answer. "Neither of them," he said clearly and calmly, "it's my aunt."

Zhao Gou was silent.After staring at Zhao Yan for a long while, they turned their eyes slowly to see the sparks on the water almost at the same time, just like many years ago, they each stayed in different directions, but watched the cold and lonely woman let go of her flameless body by the pool. heart light.

At this time, the sky was covered by dark clouds, covering half of the full moon, and the half moon was reflected in the water, floating and swaying in the sparkling waves, the night wind was getting stronger, and the moon shadow also became fragmented.Zhao Yan sighed in his heart.He wanted to, but he would never tell Zhao Gou that he had heard Zeng Mi's words, but he didn't think that the world would be perfect through the ages.

In the end, it was Zhao Gou who sighed.He asked Zhao Yan, "Can you borrow the fan to watch it with me?"

Zhao Yan presented the fan to him with both hands.Zhao Gou took it over and looked at it carefully, didn't say anything, and walked away slowly holding the fan.

Zhao Yan wanted to ask his father when he would return it, but his lips only moved slightly, but he didn't say anything.Watching his father go away, he suddenly noticed that he was walking with his head bowed slowly, and his figure had a tendency to become rickety. Under the radiance of the autumn moon, which had just been hailed as the perfect golden gate, he looked unprecedentedly old and weak.

Since then, Zhao Gou's health has deteriorated day by day, and his illnesses have gradually increased.In the 14th year of Chunxi, the 81-year-old Supreme Emperor was already bedridden. Zhao Yun had to visit the palace every day, and the Supreme Empress Wu Yingfu stayed by Zhao Gou's side forever, serving him as closely as she did when she was young.

On the day of Yihai in October, Zhao Gou seemed to recover suddenly, and he was in good spirits. He even picked up a pen and practiced calligraphy during the day, and went out for a walk along the waterfront, returning at dusk.

Yingfu was quite happy, and at night, she sat beside his bed and talked with him as usual, holding his hand, chatting about things around her wherever she thought of: Wujun Wang's family has newly brewed a new kind of wine, which is unusually sweet and mellow. Several altars have been delivered, and the Empress Dowager will be able to taste it in a few days... Empress Xie is very knowledgeable, and now she is embroidering a picture of a thousand cranes with her own hands, preparing to present it to the Empress as a birthday gift in the coming year... It's just that the Crown Princess Li Fengniang is really serious It's hard to worry about, but the day before yesterday, he beat out a court lady bestowed by the government to the crown prince, and threatened that if the crown prince took another concubine, she would kill the other if he took one... After all, she was a general's daughter, and she was a bit more hostile...

"Baby..." Zhao Gou suddenly called her.

Yingchi didn't agree immediately, because he hadn't called her boudoir name so intimately for decades.After being startled, he smiled and replied softly: "What is your order?"

Zhao Gou asked her, "Listen, is there someone playing the sheng?"

Yingchi listened intently, but heard nothing, so she told the truth.

Zhao Gou still opened his eyes and listened intently, then said after a while, "Or is it the sound of the zither?"

Yingfu listened quietly again, and finally shook her head: "Probably not. In the dead of night, who would dare to play music at this time, preventing the Taishang from resting?"

Only then did Zhao Gou slightly nod his head, and said with a light smile, "Yes, it's late at night, and you and I are tired too, so go back to sleep."

Taking a closer look at Zhao Gou, seeing that he looked fine, but closed his eyes, as if he was tired, Ying Chi took the order and retreated back to his bedroom.

The next day, Yingchi went to Deokshou Palace again, and the palace people reported that the Empress was still fast asleep.Yingfu waited for a long time but did not see him get up, so she went in to visit by herself.

Zhao Gouduan was lying on the ground, he was indeed in a deep sleep, but Yingchi noticed that his skin complexion was different from usual, her heart sank suddenly, and she called out tremblingly: "Your Majesty!"

As she expected, he didn't respond.She lightly guided his nose with her fingers, but she didn't feel a trace of anger derived from breathing.

She sat down next to him slumped, not distinguishing between sorrow and joy for a while, only feeling empty in her heart.After a while, he shook his already cold hand on the brocade quilt sourly, as if wanting to pass on the warmth from his hand to him again.

And the things hidden under his hands before slipped down, and the arc of the slide startled Ying Chi, seeing that it was a round fan, she bent down to pick it up.After seeing it clearly, all her initial feelings disappeared, and a cold, ice-like smile gradually formed on her lips.

There are quatrains inscribed on the fan.The cursive running script, the steady and smooth strokes of the pen in the center, the restrained strings and the calm strokes, are quiet and unobtrusive, and she is very familiar with his handwriting: "Who is burning incense at night downstairs, and Yusheng mourns for the first cold. Facing the wind, there are guests chanting autumn fans, and no one sees evening makeup when worshiping the moon."

(End of this chapter)