Roufu Diji

Chapter 7
Rou Fu Di Ji · Volume [-]

1. Killing
In November of the first year of Shaoxing, Shangshu Zuopu shot Lu Yihao. Seeing that the water transportation in Yuezhou, Kuaiji and other places was not continuing, and the situation in Lin'an had stabilized, it was more suitable for a place to stay. He suggested that Zhao Gou move to Lin'an, saying: "Now the Central Plains is isolated There are still thieves in the river and Huaihe Rivers. The most important place to stay is the most important. Your Majesty should first set up a place to stay so that the orders issued can be easily and smoothly conveyed to Sichuan, Shaanxi and other places. , so that it will not be difficult. Then quickly send out large troops to quell the bandits. In February and March next year, the people will be able to farm and mulberry, and the foundation of the country will be established. Now the situation of the world can be described as critical. After losing the Central Plains, only the remaining Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guang are just a few roads, and most of them were destroyed by the Jin army. Zhejiang counties and counties have often been burned and looted. Now, the east of Zhejiang road seems to be quite unfavorable to water transportation. If it is not moved to the upper reaches, Preserve this number of roads, so that the state's orders can be easily communicated in all directions, and the people will lose their farming, and the orders will be blocked. In the future, when the Jin people come back, regretting it will not help."

Zhao Gou felt that what he said was reasonable, so he issued an edict announcing that he would move to Lin'an.

On Bingwu of the first month in the spring of the second year of Shaoxing, Zhao Gou returned to Lin'an with his family members and officials.Seven days later, a banquet was held for all the officials in the palace, and dozens of young officials and generals were called to perform a Jujube match outside the main hall of the palace to celebrate the return.

Kicking is polo.During the reign of Xuanzheng, every March, Zhao Ji would hold several grand kick-jutting competitions in the Daming Palace in Bianjing. Sergeants and generals, civil and military officials, clan royals, and even beauties in the harem could all participate in the competitions. The scene was very lively and spectacular.The unlucky Zhao Huan has no interest in this, since he came to the throne, the harem seldom held competitions such as shooting and Cuju.In the first few years after the Jingkang Incident, the political situation was unstable and wars were frequent. Zhao Gou moved around in the south of the Yangtze River, often living in no fixed place, so he was not in the mood to return to this kind of competitive entertainment.Now that the situation is getting better, when Zhao Gou came back, he was very happy to see that Lin'an has been rebuilt by the government and the people since it was recovered, and it looks peaceful and peaceful.

On that day, two golden dragon-painted wooden pillars were erected on the east and west sides of the palace courtyard outside the main hall as goals. The game serves as a referee and conveys the emperor's will at any time.There are also a few dragon officers dressed in brocade clothes, holding Geshu sticks, ready to patrol the border to pick up balls.There are two flags of the sun and the moon erected under the steps of the main hall, facing east and west, dancing in the wind.The Jiaofang drum band is set up under the two corridors outside the hall, with five drums on each side, and five drums behind each goal, making a total of twenty.Officials who were not on stage watched from the hatchback seats set up on the sidelines, while court officials such as Roufu and Yingfu sat behind the beaded curtain in the hall to watch from a distance.

Participants are divided into two teams, one in yellow and the other in purple. At this moment, they are all waiting on both sides on horseback holding sticks.After a while, only a long neighing of a well-known horse was heard, and the main gate of the palace opened immediately. Zhao Gou appeared wearing a bright yellow brocade embroidered robe, black leather boots inlaid with gold, holding a red painted club, riding On a tall horse with a red mane and brocade mane, he galloped towards the arena with a serious expression on his face.

All of a sudden, the drums and music played together, and the ensemble of musicians and performers in the Jiaofang played "Liangchuan Song". The officials of the hatchback immediately stood up to greet them. Like looking at a water swing, breaking the bead curtain with hands to see Zhao Gou's figure, Weirou sat alone calmly, not as excited as they were.

Immediately after Zhao Gou entered the arena, a servant came running with a gold box in his arms, knelt down in front of Zhao Gou, opened the gold box, took out the red lacquer and seven treasure balls inside, respectfully placed them under Zhao Gou's horse, bowed again, and then exited the arena .Zhao Gou first hit the ball symbolically, and then returned to the main table. After drinking a cup of wine respected by the officials, he officially entered the field and kicked off. He led the yellow team and the purple team to gallop.

He is skilled in the game. After the kick-off, he only cooperated with the players of the yellow team. After a few times, he had already attacked the goal of the purple team. With a cut of his stick, he firmly caught the ball from his teammates. The audience on both sides immediately cheered in unison , the accompaniment of the Jiaofang band became more vigorous, and twenty big drums beat at the same time, and the sound shook the sky.Zhao Gou smiled, and putt calmly, but the opponent's goalkeeper couldn't make a save, and the ball went in at the sound.

The emperor took the lead first, the music stopped, and all the officials knelt down and shouted long live.There are 24 embroidered flags on both sides of the goal, and there are empty shelves under the east and west steps of the hall. When each team scores a goal, a flag must be placed on the shelf to score points.How dare the singing recruiter be negligent, he has already taken out a flag and put it on the yellow team rack.

Since then, the Yellow Jackets continued to attack unabated, and Zhao Gou soon made another victory. The Yellow Jackets had two chips in their hands, and the three-chip game won the game. win all.Zhao Gou was quite complacent, and waved his stick to signal the players to go all out to win the game as soon as possible.The members of the yellow team were also greatly encouraged, and cheered up their horses and ran to chase the seven treasure balls. The decline of the purple team became more and more obvious, and they were about to be overwhelmed.

Soon Zhao Gou attacked the opponent's goal again, and the ball had been passed to him by the players. At the moment when he lowered his head and was about to hit the ball with his stick, a black lacquered stick suddenly crossed into his field of vision. The crescent-shaped tip of the stick was inserted between his stick and the ball, but in just a short moment, the ball had been knocked away by the stick holder and flew towards the goal of the yellow team.

Zhao Gou raised his head and saw the man who destroyed his final attack.

The man was dressed in purple, riding a shiny black horse, with a club in one hand and a steed in the other, sitting upright on a carved saddle. He looks like he is in his 20s, with a heroic look in his sword eyebrows and bright eyes.Seeing that Zhao Gou who had lost the ball looked at him coldly, he was not afraid, and only bowed slightly to express his apology.

Zhao Gou remembered him.He is Gao Shirong, the defense envoy of Yongzhou. He also made contributions when he brought Roufu back.

The game was still going on, Zhao Gou didn't have time to think about it, and galloped away to catch the pass from the players. Unexpectedly, the ball Gao Shirong just intercepted just now fell under the staff of the purple team.Gao Shirong quickly galloped his horse to the frontcourt, and his teammates immediately swung the ball towards him knowingly. He didn't wait for the ball to hit the ground, and hit the air sideways with his stick in both hands. He only heard a "snap", and the ball abruptly changed its flight. The trajectory of the goalkeeper of the Yellow Jackets has not yet reacted, and the ball has already flown into the goal.

The goal was scored beautifully, and the audience on both sides couldn't help applauding in unison. The band played drums in accordance with the law and played a three-way tee, and a flag for scoring was also planted on the flag stand of the Purple Team.Zhao Gou frowned slightly.

According to the rules of the game, the player who scored the goal should get off his horse and thank the emperor.Gao Shirong immediately got off his horse and kowtowed to Zhao Gou to thank Zhao Gou. Zhao Gou nodded and ordered him to flatten, then kicked off again and continued the game.

The situation then abruptly reversed.Gao Shirong rode proficiently and galloped like a god. He drove his black horse from east to west, and his actions were like wind blowing back and electric shocks. He kept stealing and attacking.

The two teams are evenly divided, and the one remaining is the most important. The first to score the goal wins, so the expressions of the players on both sides have become particularly dignified.The Yellow Jackets managed to steal the ball from the backcourt, and a group of players immediately counterattacked, galloping all the way and firmly controlling the ball under their sticks.Running to the frontcourt, the ball-handling player looked up and found that Zhao Gou had rode his horse to the goal, and there was no player in purple beside him. He was overjoyed and quickly sent the ball... Suddenly, a black shadow volleyed in the air In a flash, the ball that flew towards Zhao Gou was gone when the shadow fell.Everyone took a closer look, only to see that it was Gao Shirong who leaped from a distance on his horse and hit the ball with his stick in the air. When it landed, he leaned over to block the ball, stopped the ball for a while, and then swung his stick violently, hitting with all his strength. , I saw that the ball passed over the heads of several yellow jerseys like a shooting star, drew a long arc, and swung in from the upper left corner of the yellow jerseys goal against the goal post.

After a brief silence, drums and cheers resumed. Gao Shirong dismounted with a smile, and bowed to Zhao Gou for the third time to thank him.

Zhao Gou smiled slightly and said, "Okay, you have won." Then without further ado, he got off his horse and entered the hall to change clothes.

After the game, Zhao Gou called all the ministers into the hall to drink, and rewarded the winner and loser.During the meeting, Zhao Gou praised Gao Shirong, and said to the officials with a smile, "Gao Qing's equestrian and ball skills are superb. Today's Ziyi team's victory can be said to be due to him alone, and he deserves a special award." Then He Yan asked Gao Shirong, "Your hope What reward?"

Gao Shirong came out, bowed and asked, "Your Majesty, can I tell you frankly?"

Zhao Gou said: "Of course, but it doesn't matter."

So Gao Shirong raised his head and said loudly: "Your Majesty, please send me down to Princess Fuguo."

Zhao Gou was stunned and did not answer yet. He raised his glass and slowly took a sip of wine before staring at him: "What did you just say?"

Gao Shirong bowed again, and answered clearly word by word: "I dare you to ask Princess Shangfu."

2. Poppy
Zhao Gou put down the wine glass, and the maid beside him immediately came over, lifted the wine pot and filled him with Royal Wine Rose Dew.A thin stream of light purple red poured down from the mouth of the pot, poured into the white jade carved dragon cup on the table, and merged into a pool of clear liquid, with a slightly deeper pure color, full of fragrance, and roses in it. The fragrance of petals.

The wine and dew gurgled and poured, and the sound was very clear in the silent hall.Zhao Gou kept watching until the glass of wine was completely filled before he finally spoke: "Give Yongzhou Defense Envoy Gao Shirong four hundred thousand dollars, twenty bolts of silk, thirty bolts of silk, and fifty taels of cotton."

This is a very heavy reward, which is equivalent to the two-month salary and the amount of horses received in a year by the political affairs counselor at that time.As soon as he said this, all the officials understood that it was tantamount to rejecting Gao Shirong's marriage proposal to Princess Fuguo, and comforted him with a generous reward.

Unexpectedly, Gao Shirong did not kneel down to thank you, but took a step forward, bowed again and said: "Your Majesty, I dare not accept the reward, please take it back. If Your Majesty thinks that the minister is not worthy of the eldest princess, I will continue to fight for the country. Make meritorious deeds in order to meet His Majesty's expectations. Before that, Your Majesty does not need to reward the ministers with other property. The only thing I want in my life is the eldest princess."

It was astonishing that he spoke so directly and clearly.All the ministers knew that Zhao Gou attached great importance to his only younger sister, and he did not allow her to marry him for so long, probably because he felt that he could not find a husband who was worthy of her in the civil and military affairs of the ministers, and although Gao Shirong was young and promising, From an official to a defense envoy, the status is not low, but it is obviously more abrupt to propose marriage in public, and there is no certainty about the outcome.So everyone marveled at his courage, and at the same time guessed Zhao Gou's next reaction. Before Zhao Gou replied, there were whispers in the hall.

Zhao Gou sat upright, glanced around coldly, and the officials immediately fell silent.

"I understand what Qing means." He said lightly: "But the eldest princess's marriage is not a trivial matter, and we will discuss this matter later."

Gao Shirong seemed to want to say something else, but Zhao Gou raised his hand: "Play music."

The sound of silk and bamboo sounded immediately, and Zhao Gou raised his glass to the ministers with a smile.Gao Shirong had no choice but to go back to sit down in silence, and drank a glass of sullenly.

He is a son of an aristocratic family in Hebei, and has a good background. He has been a man of both civil and military skills since he was a child in poetry and prose, and practiced bow and horse.After the Jingkang Incident, he joined Zongze's army. He was appreciated by Zongze for his bravery and strategic skills in resisting the Jin army, and was gradually promoted and reused by him.

In November of the third year of Jianyan, Liu Zhong, the leader of the rebellious army and bandits active in the Huaihe and Yellow River basins, led his troops to invade Qizhou, Hubei. Zhao Gou transferred Gao Shirong to Qizhou to assist Han Shiqing, the inspector of Qi and Huangdu, to fight against Liu Zhong.The two generals worked together and defeated Liu Zhong a few months later.Liu Zhong finally abandoned his nest and fled to Hunan.When Gao Shirong led his troops to search Liu Zhongshan's bandit camp, he found a haggard woman in a small woodshed.

She was wearing a dull and shabby dress, her hair was yellow, dull and disheveled, her cheeks and lips were bloodless, and she was leaning against the corner with a weary expression. The moment he opened the lock and pushed the door in, she subconsciously turned her head inward. , as if stabbed by a sudden intensified light.

"Who are you?" he asked standing by the door.

She turned her head slowly and opened her eyes, the big eyes were lifeless and empty.Her eyes were on his, but he couldn't be sure she was looking at him.

Like a drop of cold water falling on his heart, this scene suddenly made him tremble slightly.

He unconsciously approached her, squatted down and asked her softly, "Who are you? Why are you locked here?"

She looked at him quietly, from helmet to armor, from facial features to siblings, and then he heard her clear voice.

"Are you General Song?" she asked.

"Yes." He nodded.

"Your allegiance is King Kang?"

He nodded again, but did not forget to correct him: "Now the Holy Majesty has ascended the throne as the emperor, and the girl should no longer be called King Kang."

Hearing this, she smiled strangely: "Yes, he has already ascended the throne as emperor."

That smile seemed to ignite all the remaining spirit in her at once. She stood up, straightened her dress carefully, smoothed the hair on her temples, then turned to look at him, raised her chin slightly, and said, "I am the son of Emperor Daojun." Daughter, the younger sister of the Holy Majesty, Empress Roufu."

After being dazed for a while, he solemnly drove her to the official residence of Zhen Cai, the guard of Qizhou, and settled her down.Later, I learned something about this woman from the captured Liu Zhongbing soldiers.

She was snatched into the cottage by Liu Zhong half a month ago. Seeing her beautiful appearance, Liu Zhong wanted to take her as his concubine. Unexpectedly, this woman desperately refused to obey. She tore off several locks of his beard and hair, and almost bit off his arm. On a piece of meat.Liu Zhong was furious, and tied her up to be raped. He didn't want to find out that her lower body was bleeding profusely and felt filthy, so he let her go temporarily and locked her in the firewood room. First, let her wash clothes and chop firewood in it every day. I want to make plans after she recovers.But when he was chased by Song Jun and the situation was critical, Liu Zhong also forgot about her and never thought of taking her away when he fled, so she was able to meet Song Jun.

Hearing that she claimed to be Di Ji, Zhen Cai didn't dare to neglect her, and wanted to prove her identity, so she asked Han Shiqing to investigate together.For this reason, the two put on their court clothes carefully, invited her out, and asked her through the curtain.She recounted her experience of escaping from the Kingdom of Jin and being plundered by Liu Zhong halfway. She was not nervous when faced with their inquiries, and she answered calmly and impeccably. Finally, under the guidance of Zhen Cai, she talked about some old things in Bianjing Palace , even the names of concubines, princes, and concubines in the palace and the relationship between them are all accurate.

After asking, the two came out and said to Gao Shirong who was guarding the outside room: "She has explained all the trivial things so clearly, so it should be true."

Gao Shirong smiled and remained silent.He had already determined in his heart that she was the real Di Ji.The moment she got up to reveal her identity, she had an extraordinary expression. Even though she was wearing a coarse cloth dress and was in a poor situation, her undeniable nobility was still attached to her smooth brows and the corners of her lips, so he never Do not doubt the veracity of what she said.

Zhen Cai and Han Shiqing hurriedly sent people to report the matter to Zhao Gou. Zhao Gou immediately ordered them to send Roufu to Yuezhou for a temporary stay, and sent Feng Yi, the chief servant who had seen Roufu, and Wu Xin'er, the clan wife, to inspect.After the two reported that she must be the Empress of Roufu, Zhao Gou then ordered people to rush to make Yunfeng shoulders and related ceremonial guards and princess costumes. After choosing an auspicious day, he sent [-] court ladies and [-] forbidden soldiers to the posthouse to welcome the Empress. enter the palace.

Gao Shirong escorted Rou Fu all the way to Yuezhou, but because of Rou Fu's status, it was very difficult to see her again, at most, he could only see her across the curtain.Two days before Rou Fu entered the palace, he was appointed as the defense envoy of Yongzhou, and he had to leave immediately to lead the army in Hunan, so he could not continue to send her into the palace like Zhen Cai did.Before leaving, he finally saw Rou Fu again in the backyard of the post house.

Originally, he just wanted to say goodbye to her from a distance outside her hall, but he didn't expect that she was standing alone in the courtyard at this moment.It was in the evening, and the bright red clouds were burning in the sky, and she was wearing a crimson dress, which was light in texture, and the sleeves reflected the rays of the sun and fluttered in the evening wind. The gorgeous red color and that delicate figure suddenly made him feel Reminds me of an herbaceous flower called poppies.

"Di Ji." He called out cautiously from behind her.

She turned her head leisurely, looked at him lightly, and said nothing.

Her face was extremely pale, just like when he first saw her, especially against the red dress, which made their careful care for these past few months look useless, but he didn't think there was a more beautiful face in the world than this.

"Emperor Ji," he said with some difficulty, "I have to go. The emperor appointed me as the defense envoy of Yongzhou, and asked me to go to Yongzhou immediately to fight against the bandits."

"So what?" She didn't seem to understand why he said this to her.

He was rather disappointed: "I came to say goodbye to Di Ji."

She nodded: "Oh, I see. You can go."

She doesn't even say clichés like bon voyage.

Gao Shirong bowed to her, turned around to leave, took a few steps, finally turned back, and said to her: "Di Ji, my name is Gao Shirong."

Although the guard had been by her side for months, she had never asked him a question or called him, so he wasn't sure if she knew his name.

She smiled slightly: "Okay, your name is Gao Shirong."

She smiled at him.As if he had received a great reward, he also smiled happily, and then set off for Yongzhou with full of joy.From then on, the bright red poppies under the flowing clouds and her last peaceful smile were frozen in his memory, and they became a great motivation for him to actively lead the army to defeat the enemy and make contributions to the country. The Empress Dowager he meets in the mortal world will be his lifelong ideal.

3. Female Commandments
Gao Shirong's marriage proposal naturally became a new topic that the women in the palace were interested in discussing. Even Concubine Pan Xian, who had always been at odds with Rou Fu, praised the candidate for the son-in-law to her with a smile on her face: "This Mr. Gao is from Famous, with a good family background and good character, he has been an official to the defense envoy at a young age, his future is boundless, and he is a good match for the eldest princess."

Zhang Jieyu interrupted her with a smile: "Sister's words are not entirely true. The eldest princess is a fairy-like beauty, and even a first-class person may not be able to match her. The officials are afraid of wronging the eldest princess, so they are reluctant to arbitrarily send her away. It was downgraded to ordinary officials, so the eldest princess was left until now. In terms of the character, demeanor and official rank of the courtiers, Zhang Jun should be the best, but it is a pity that Mr. Zhang has already married. Except for him, who has good conditions and has not yet married It seems that this high-defense envoy is the only young courtier of his wife... I heard that the eldest princess was escorted by him when she came back? It can be seen that the eldest princess is destined to be with him, and he has been celibate, maybe it is because of waiting for the elder princess. Princess, if you don't have deep love for the eldest princess, how dare you propose to the eldest princess in public today? Although it is still a bit wronged that the eldest princess descended to him, he will cherish the eldest princess for the rest of his life in the future, which can also be called a relationship. Good luck."

Rou Fu listened to people talking about her marriage, and she was not as shy as other women in a hurry. She looked at Concubine Pan Xian and Zhang Jieyu indifferently, and did not answer them for a while, only shifting her gaze to Ying Chi's face: "Baby, what do you think?"

Yingchi lowered her head and smiled and said, "The two elder sisters have already said what should be said. I'm clumsy and I can't say anything better. I just think... Mr. Gao played really well today. After returning from his envoy to Jinying, he rode his horse into Gen Yue's official residence."

Rou Fu stared at her for a long time, the corners of his lips suddenly raised, drawing a cold moon arc: "It seems a bit inappropriate to compare officials with officials."

Yingfu's complexion changed drastically, she quickly nodded and said: "Princess, please forgive me, it was Yingfu who made a slip of the tongue!"

Rou Fu ignored her, got up and went back to the cabinet, and threw a sentence to the concubines who were looking at each other in dismay: "It's not now that I want to congratulate, Brother Nine hasn't agreed yet, you should be happy first."

Zhao Gou played a bow match that day, and drank more wine with the ministers at the dinner. He felt a little tired at night, so he informed the servants not to go to the imperial study to review the memorials tonight, but to go back to the bedroom early to rest.However, the scene of Gao Shirong's marriage proposal came to mind frequently, and after thinking about it, he became impetuous and depressed again. Finally, he sighed and decided to go back to his study for a while.

Walking to the door of the study, there was a light inside the door, and two servants stood guard in front of the door. When they saw him, they immediately bowed down to pay their respects, and then shouted to the inside of the study: "The official is here!"

Zhao Gou frowned and asked, "Is there someone inside?"

The servant bowed and replied, "Princess Fuguo is reading inside."

Zhao Gou nodded and stepped in.He vaguely remembered that she had asked him to allow her to go to the study to look for books.

Rou Fu stood in the room, and when he came in, he gave him a blessing, he stretched out his arms and said, "You don't need to be so polite in private."

She nodded in agreement, lowered her eyebrows and lowered her eyes, looking depressed, with a book in her hand, which was the usual "Chu Ci".

He took the book to read, smiled slightly, and asked: "Yuan Yuan likes to read "The Songs of Chu"? That's right, so Yingfu's name comes from here." He didn't hear her answer, turned to look, and asked gently She, "what? Who made you unhappy?"

She wept sadly: "I don't want to marry Gao Shirong!"

Pear blossoms with rain on their faces really made me feel sorry for them, he couldn't help but sighed softly, and pulled his sleeves to wipe her tears: "I didn't promise him again."

She frowned lightly, although the tears on her face were wiped away by him, there was still a thin layer of water lingering on her eyelashes. "Brother Nine," she said to him, "I won't marry for the rest of my life, okay?"

Why didn't he want to do this, but there are many helplessness in this matter.His smile was a bit bitter: "When you grow up, you will eventually leave the cabinet. Brother Jiu has no reason to keep you forever."

She looked up at him, her starry eyes were bright, and her face was full of pleading expressions: "I will always stay by Brother Jiu's side. I came here tonight to wait for Brother Jiu and tell Brother Jiu this sentence."

He was startled, and asked, "Didn't the servant tell you that I won't come tonight?"

"They said," she whispered back, "but I just knew you'd come... We have a heart-to-heart connection."

We are on the same page.These words were like a gentle breeze in spring, warming his heart, he suddenly felt that everything was negligible, nothing mattered, it didn't matter if he was full of gossip, keeping her by his side, his life would have a chance to be perfect.

"Okay." He blurted out, "Go to his Gao Shirong, go to his son-in-law captain! I will not marry you to someone else."

Rou Fu smiled sweetly, stretched out her arms around his waist, and snuggled up to him gently.

Thinking of the servant standing outside the door, Zhao Gou was quite disturbed by her intimate behavior. Although the servant turned his back to them, he would not turn his head unless he summoned him.

He grabbed Roufu's wrists, pulled her away slightly, and said softly: "Don't do this..."

Suddenly, through her silk sleeves, he noticed a paper object in the sleeve of her left hand, which seemed to be rectangular, and he was very familiar with its softness, hardness, and thickness.

His smile disappeared immediately, he took her left hand, reached into her sleeve and took out the document.

As expected, it was a memorial. After opening it, I found that it was the Shangshu submitted by Qin Hui today.

Instantly understood many things.Presumably, she often used the name of reading books to come to his study to read the documents and documents submitted by the courtiers, so she knew very well the affairs of the court and his policy.It should be the same today, when I heard that he was not coming to the study, I came to peek at the book, and when I saw him appearing suddenly, I stuffed the book in my sleeves, and then grabbed a copy of "Chu Ci" to cover it up.The hateful thing is that they actually lied to him that they waited for him specially, that they had a good understanding...

There is a tacit understanding!He smiled coldly in his heart: just now he was moved by her pure lie, but he didn't expect that she had always regarded herself as a prey that could be deceived at will.

When she came back to her senses, she found that Roufu was looking at him timidly, calling him in a whisper: "Brother Jiu..."

He didn't show her an angry face as she expected, but said lightly: "These things written by the courtier are very boring and not suitable for Yuan Yuan to read." Next to the bookshelf, I took a copy of Ban Zhao's "Women's Commandments" and handed it to her: "Daughter, you should read more books like this."

Rou Fu didn't dare to say more, and obediently took the "Women's Commandment" and bowed his head in silence.

"It's getting late, you go back." His tone was very firm, clearly an ordering tone.

She nodded, gave another blessing, and then started to leave.

Zhao Gou waited for her figure to completely disappear into the night, and finally his suppressed anger broke out. He walked back to the imperial case a few steps, and with a sudden flick, all the stationery and documents on it fell to the ground.

The servant ran over in shock and knelt down: "The officials calm down..."

Zhao Gou glared at them angrily, and said, "Call some forbidden soldiers from the Imperial Battalion over here."

After the forbidden soldiers arrived, Zhao Gou pointed at the two servants, and ordered to the forbidden soldiers, "Give each of them forty rods, and then drive them out of the palace. They will never be used again!"

The servant heard the words and begged: "What did I do wrong? Could it be that it was wrong to let the eldest princess into the study? But the officials promised the eldest princess to allow her to come in and read books!"

Yes, he agreed, but at that time Rou Fu seemed to mention it casually, so he agreed casually, but he didn't expect her to be so scheming and take this as an opportunity to spy on the government.But it is an unforgivable crime for the internal servant to fail to report the knowledge.

He didn't answer the servant's question, but waved his hand resolutely and ordered the guards to drag them out.Immediately, he leaned on the dragon chair, raised his head and closed his eyes, feeling a dull pain in his head and heart.

After punishing the servant, the forbidden soldier came back and asked him what else he wanted to order.He raised his eyes and looked in the direction of the Jiang'e Pavilion where Roufu lived, and said: "From now on, you will guard in front of the Jiang'e Pavilion of the eldest princess of Fuguo, and you must not let her go out without my order."

4. Marriage
After leaving the study, Zhao Gou went to Yingchi Pavilion.Yingfu saw that his eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and there was a hint of anger, so she stepped forward to help him sit down, and said softly: "Did the officials hear any gossip? It's just random guesswork by the palace people out of boredom. Nonsense, why should the officials care so much?"

Zhao Gou opened his eyes and said, "Gossip? Someone in the palace is spreading rumors again? How do you say it?"

"Didn't the officials hear about it?" Ying Chi first asked back in surprise, then quickly covered up and said, "It's nothing, it's just a few words, and the concubine couldn't hear it clearly."

Zhao Gou became more and more suspicious, and kept asking. Ying Chi showed embarrassment, twisted her skirt and hesitated for a while before slowly saying: "High defense makes young and promising, family background and character are very good, and he openly proposed to the eldest princess. It can be seen that I have longed for the Eldest Princess. Perhaps because she was jealous that the Eldest Princess was expected to have such a happy relationship, several maids in the palace said some disrespectful words..."

Having said that, he stopped and looked at Zhao Gou hesitantly.Zhao Gou stared at her, ordered: "Speak."

Ying Chi bowed her head and continued: "They said... If the high-defense envoy hadn't had much contact with the eldest princess before, he would never dare to propose in public rashly... The eldest princess was escorted back by the high-defense envoy, presumably they were on the way... ...From this, the love is deeply rooted, the two hearts meet each other, and the private life is unknown..."

"Nonsense!" Zhao Gou was furious, "Which maid said that?"

"Calm down the anger of the officials." Ying Chi immediately knelt down and begged, "Please don't pursue the details of who said it. They just saw that the eldest princess has the care of the officials inside, and the high-defense envoys love her outside, so they inevitably felt a little bit reluctant. Sour mentality, what you say is not pleasant, but in fact there is no malice."

Zhao Gou said: "It's about Princess Chang's reputation, how can we let them talk nonsense!"

Ying Chi lowered her eyebrows and said: "They were guessing whether the officials would agree to marry the eldest princess to the high-defense envoy before they said this. If the high-defense envoy and the eldest princess were not thought to match each other very well, they would not have done so. Said. Where they are from should not be investigated carefully, one is gossip from servants, it may not have anything to do with the master of the palace, if the officials track them down, they will be implicated, Ying Chi is really disturbed; The investigation and punishment will inevitably cause some people to say that the officials are trying to cover up the matter, and maybe the rumors will be spread more and more by them as the truth."

Zhao Gou groaned for a moment, stretched out his hand to lift the infant, and asked her: "People in the palace are guessing whether I will agree to the high defense envoy's marriage proposal to the eldest princess?"

"Yes." Yingchi nodded, then smiled, "Sister Pan and Sister Zhang made a bet on this."

"How do they bet?" Zhao Gou asked.

Yingfu replied: "Sister Pan said that a high defense makes a talented person stand out. She is so young and has no wife. It is really difficult to find a second such suitable son-in-law in Lin'an, so the officials will definitely agree to his marriage proposal. Sister Zhang does not." Agreed, saying that the official family loves my sister so much, one more day is a day, and they will not marry her off so soon. The two couldn't argue, so they each drew a golden hairpin as a bet, and waited to see how the official family made a decision. "

"Zhang Jieyu..." Zhao Gou suddenly remembered the singing that came from the direction of her pavilion that day, and his face sank slightly, "Did she say that?"

Baby Chi said yes.Zhao Gou looked her up and down coldly, and then asked, "What about you? You didn't bet with them?"

"The concubine has always been unlucky, and she always loses when she gambles." Yingpo smiled lightly, "If you gamble with the two older sisters, it's not suitable to bet on either side, and it's tantamount to harming the concubine who bet with the concubine." Sister, it's better not to gamble."

"Then let's not talk about bets." Zhao Gou asked her indifferently, "It's just about your own opinion. Who do you think is more reasonable, Concubine Pan Xian or Zhang Jieyu?"

Yingfu first declined and said, "I don't dare to make unreasonable comments." Zhao Gou asked again, and then she thought for a while, and said, "Sister Pan's words about the high defense envoy are very reasonable and not exaggerated, but is it true? The officials who agree with his marriage proposal have their own reasons. We people in the harem should not guess at will... But sister Zhang's words are questionable. Although the officials cherish the eldest princess, how can they ignore the eldest princess's life and don't take the initiative to do it for her? When choosing a son-in-law, "staying one more day is one day"? Sister Zhang thinks too much about the official family, and the official family is a person who does big things, and they must calmly weigh the pros and cons when making decisions. Princess forever?"

After Zhao Gou heard this, he remained silent for a long time, his eyes fixed on Yingfu's face.Yingfu was quite uncomfortable being looked at by him, she couldn't help stroking her right cheek with her hand, and asked softly: "Official, did my concubine say something wrong again?"

Only then did Zhao Gou look away, smiled slightly, and said, "How come? You never said you missed anything."

Three days later, Zhao Gou issued an edict: Send the imperial sister, Princess Fuguo, to Gao Shirong, the defense envoy of Yongzhou.

During the three days of being grounded, Rou Fu lived in her own pavilion without crying or fussing. She just read books and played the kite alone, and passed the day in silence. On the ground, and then rushed out of the palace to find Zhao Gou regardless.Seeing this, the forbidden soldiers guarding outside the palace wanted to step forward to stop her, but she raised her hand and showed a dagger, angrily said: "Whoever dares to step forward, I will kill myself here!" The forbidden soldiers did not dare to act rashly, she continued to move forward Okay, knowing that Zhao Gou must be staying in the study at this time, he walked straight there.The forbidden soldiers and a group of palace maids and servants were all frightened by her actions, fearing that she would cause some trouble, so they had no choice but to follow her step by step.

Walking to the door of the study, the two servants were also shocked when they saw it, and rushed to stop her, Rou Fu angrily reprimanded them.During the stalemate, Zhao Gou's calm voice came from inside: "Let her in."

Roufu opened the door and went in.Zhao Gou was writing in his study, still holding his sleeves calmly, without looking up at her.

"I won't marry him!" Roufu bit her lips and said bitterly.

Zhao Gou finished writing this picture quietly, then put down the pen, walked over, lightly held her chin, and led her to look at him.

"It's not up to you to decide whether to marry or not." He said calmly.

His eyes are deep, bottomless, and occasionally emit a cold light.There are firm lines on his lips, especially at this moment.The fingertips that touched Rou Fu's skin were cold, which made her shiver.

Rou Fu's hand holding the dagger hangs down, suddenly felt sad, and said sadly: "Ninth brother, you don't want me anymore."

Zhao Gou sighed, gently took the dagger from her hand and threw it aside, and said softly, "Yuan Yuan, brother Jiu said that there is no reason to keep you forever."

"But why did you agree to Gao Shirong's marriage proposal so quickly?"

"He's the right guy."

"How can it be suitable?"

"He loves you, will tolerate you, and cherish you."

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure."

"Okay," Rou Fu nodded and said, "Let me meet him first, I have to ask some questions clearly, otherwise I would rather die than marry."

After a moment of silence, Zhao Gou agreed to her last request.

5. Scrim
The person who has been yearning for a long time is behind the thin double curtain at this moment.

This fact pleased Gao Shirong.Through the gaps in the bamboo curtains and the smoke barrier of the veil, you can vaguely see her figure.She was sitting elegantly in the vermilion lacquered rattan chair, only a few steps away from him.She said "Excuse me" to him who saluted her, it was still the clear and pleasant voice in his memory.

Finally getting closer to her.He thought that maybe the next time he saw her again, even this distance of several steps would no longer exist.

So unconsciously, his joy touched the corners of his lips.

"Why did you propose to me?" Rou Fu behind the veil asked lightly.

Gao Shirong was stunned, and seemed to have a thousand words to say, but he felt that none of them could accurately and clearly describe all his feelings.She is his goal, his ideal, and the gorgeous dream he longed for. He can't express these words in words, and she probably won't understand either.

In the end, he lowered his eyes slightly, and chose to answer her question with clichés: "The eldest princess has a dignified appearance, is virtuous and virtuous..."

"I'm not as beautiful as you imagined." Before he finished speaking, Rou Fu interrupted him impatiently: "I have something to tell you first, if you think there is anything unacceptable, regret it now Before it's too late, you can go and ask my ninth brother to withdraw the engagement."

Gao Shirong said without thinking, "It is Shirong's blessing to win Princess Shangchang, how could you say the word 'retirement' lightly?"

"Listen to me." Rou Fu said indifferently: "You don't know about my experience before returning to the south, can you guarantee that you will never hear or ask about it for the rest of your life, do you mind?"

She refers to her humiliating experience in the Kingdom of Jin, implying that she is not perfect.Gao Shirong was a little sad.This is actually something he has thought about thousands of times, and he can't help but regret it.But this shortcoming cannot be compared with his feelings for her after all, the world is not always perfect, he thinks he can be careless, like she said, "don't care and don't care".

He replied: "Yes, I promise. What happened in the past...is not the eldest princess' fault."

"Did I say it was my fault?" She immediately asked coldly.

He was startled, and quickly apologized: "Shirong's wording is inappropriate, the eldest princess forgive me!" He didn't think her words were harsh, but he was a little annoyed, thinking that his slip of the tongue touched her sore spot and hurt her.

She paused, and then continued: "I may not be virtuous and virtuous. I often lose my temper and make my temper worse. Will you tolerate it?"

Gao Shirong smiled and replied: "The eldest princess is the emperor's concubine, she has always been honorable and dignified, and her temperament is naturally slightly stronger than other women. Shirong will get along with the eldest princess with his heart in the future, and everything will go according to the eldest princess's wishes. It will make the eldest princess feel any dissatisfaction or unhappiness."

Rou Fu asked: "You promise to respect my opinion in every way, and you won't do what I don't allow you to do, and you won't force me to do what I don't want to do?"

Gao Shirong clearly stated yes.

"The last point," Rou Fu said again: "I see that you are also an aspiring man who has repeatedly entered the battlefield and made great contributions to the country. You must have your own lofty ambitions, but I have to remind you that if you marry me, although you can become a son-in-law The status of a captain enjoys wealth and honor for half a lifetime, but in the future he can only be transferred to a vacant post, and if he wants to get another chance to be promoted, it will be difficult for him to lead the army and defend against the enemy."

"This..." Gao Shirong said after deliberation: "According to the Song Dynasty's custom, the son-in-law is not allowed to hold real power and handle the military. However, during the Jingkang period, he also broke the clan's ban on not leading troops to serve as the Marshal of the army. Now is an extraordinary period. , will you still abide by the old rules and not delegate real power to in-laws and relatives?"

Roufu behind the veil smiled slightly and asked, "What do you think?"

Gao Shirong was silent for a while.Rou Fu waited for a while, and then asked: "What, are you still willing to marry me?"

Gao Shirong took a deep breath, raised his head, and said firmly: "For the sake of the eldest princess, why not abandon all fame and wealth."

"Okay then," Rou Fu's light tone could not hear any emotion, as if stating the result of a deal: "I will marry you, and I will bring you the title of captain consort and the wealth that comes with it." Ronghua, and the price you have to pay is to give up your future as a ZTE general, respect me, and be loyal to me. You have promised all of these, remember it?"

Gao Shirong was a little surprised by her unusually calm tone, and faintly felt that he should think carefully about her words.At this moment, however, the wind blows by, and slowly raises the layer of veil intended to isolate, as if the mist has dissipated, and her soft skirt clearly appears under the bamboo curtain that does not reach the ground.It is still gorgeous bright red, dragging the ground long, attached to the smooth marble floor and lying on one side, with the posture of flowing clouds.The large sleeves hanging below the knees are embroidered with exquisite patterns, and a gauze cloak is flowing down, transparent but with a light gold and silver color.

As if burned by this strange scene, Gao Shirong couldn't help but blink, and when he opened it again, the veil was already hanging down as usual, but he couldn't remember what he was thinking about just now.

"The eldest princess is asking you something." The maid on the side reminded kindly.

He nodded hastily and answered "yes" to cover up his absence just now.

The marriage was decided, and Zhao Gou decided to let them get married in half a year, and the auspicious date was chosen early.Rou Fu no longer objected, but suddenly became much quieter, like when she just came back, it was rare to see her smiling again.Zhao Gou looked uncomfortable, and canceled the ban on her, but she seldom walked out of her courtyard on her own initiative, but Yingchi often came to pull her out to relax.

A year ago, Zhao Gou sent Zhao Lingchou, who was in charge of the palace clan affairs, to visit the descendants of the Taizu, "Bo" in the character line, so as to select the sons of the clan to be raised in the palace.At that time, there were as many as 640 descendants of Taizu's "Bo" character line. Zhao Lingchou spent nearly a year carefully selecting, and finally selected ten children with good aptitude under the age of seven, and put their Submit the detailed information to Zhao Gou.After Zhao Gou read it, he ticked off the imperial pen and picked two children whose birthdays were closest to his own son, Prince Yuan Yi, Zhao Yan, who passed away, and ordered Zhao Lingchou to take them into the palace, and he selected them himself.

In May of the second year of Shaoxing, the two six-year-old children were brought before Emperor Zhao Gou.

Two children, one fat and one thin.The fat man was fat, strong, handsome, and very sensible. Zhao Lingchou asked them to kowtow to Zhao Gou. After he finished the salute according to the rules, he kowtowed three more, but no one taught him. He opened his mouth, imitating the grown-ups, and shouted: "Long live His Majesty the Emperor!" Zhao Gou laughed out loud, and his impression of him became even better at the moment.

After saluting, the skinny kid stood silently aside, looking calmly at the fat kid and shouted long live three times. Performances that have nothing to do with themselves.

Zhao Gou took a closer look at the appearance of the two, and felt that the fat boy had healthy ears, which was quite a blessing, while the thin boy seemed a little frail although his features were pretty.So it was decided to keep the fat man, and asked people to take out 300 taels of silver and give it to the thin child, and ordered him to hold it with his own hands, and sent him home.

The thin boy thanked him according to the ceremony, then took the silver that was given to him, held it in both hands, and slowly walked out of the palace gate.

At this time, Rou Fu was walking slowly from the outside, and saw the child before he got close.He is still small, so it's hard for him to hold so much money, but because Zhao Gou personally ordered someone to hand it to him, so before he walked out of Zhao Gou's sight, it was not convenient for the servant who escorted him to take it for him. .And he has been holding it silently, and continues to walk slowly and hobbled.

When crossing the threshold of the gate outside the hall, he was finally knocked off balance by the abrupt obstacle, tripped and fell to the ground, and the silver in his hand rolled and scattered.

The servant hurried over to help him, but he quickly broke his arm out of the servant's grasp and insisted on getting up by himself. The moment he stood up, a stubborn look flashed across his clear eyes.

Rou Fu went to Zhao Gou who was also watching the child off, and said, "Don't you think this child is very similar to you?"

Zhao Gou didn't answer her question, but just stared at the skinny child standing upright at the moment, quietly looking down at the servant who bent over to pick up the silver for him with a natural and noble posture, and ordered the servant beside him to say, "Bring him back." .”

6. Zhao Yuan
The child was again led into the temple.Roufu bent down and picked up the pet cat Yushier who ran in behind her, and smiled at the child while stroking the cat's back: "What's your name?"

The child looked up at her, and answered concisely, "Bo Cong."

Zhao Lingchou on the side hurriedly bowed and explained: "Mr. Bo Cong is the sixth grandson of Emperor Yizu's youngest son, King Defang of Qin. Yin was born in Xiuzhou."

Rou Fu glanced at Zhao Lingchou lightly, and said, "I just want to know his name, and I didn't ask you who gave birth to him."

Zhao Lingchou was very embarrassed, so he had to hang his head and say: "It's the minister who talked too much."

Rou Fu ignored him, still smiling at Bo Cong: "Good boy."

Zhao Gou beckoned and ordered Bo Cong and the fat boy who had been left just now to walk in front of his throne, let them stand side by side, and then looked at them again, his eyes moved alternately on them, observing carefully in silence.

At this time, the cat in Rou Fu's arms suddenly let out a "meow", broke free from her arms, jumped down, and ran to Bo Cong's feet.

The jade lion is only a few months old, small and exquisite, with snow-white body, long and smooth hair, and two eyes, one blue and one yellow, which are really beautiful. Seeing that Roufu is in a bad mood recently, Zhao Gou specially ordered someone to find it for her. of.At this moment, Yu Shi'er took the lead to sniff Bo Cong's front lapel, seeing that he was motionless and didn't respond, so he boldly stretched out a paw and stepped on the satin surface of his brocade shoe.Bo Cong only slightly shrank his foot back, lowered his head and silently looked at the jade lion that was constantly rubbing against his feet, his expression was still calm and calm, neither loathing nor afraid.

Yushi'er played beside Bo Cong for a while, seeing that Bo Cong didn't pay much attention to it, she ran back to Rou Fu happily, but just when she ran past the fat boy, the boy suddenly kicked up and kicked it Go, Yu Shi'er let out a scream, and flew to the bottom of the imperial case, convulsing all over.

Surprised, Rou Fu hurried over to pick up the cat.But Zhao Gou was immediately displeased, and scolded the fat boy, "This cat just happened to pass in front of you, and it never hindered you. Why did you kick it? So frivolous, how can you take on the heavy responsibility of the community!" Then turned Looking at Zhao Lingchou, he said, "Give him the money and let him go home."

The fat boy was quickly taken away by Zhao Lingchou.Bo Cong watched all this quietly, his childish face still showed no trace of joy or worry, and there was no fear in his eyes when he looked at Zhao Gou, but there was a hint of wariness.

Rou Fu handed the cat to the maids and ordered them to find someone to heal him. Then he walked up to Bo Cong, stroked his hair and face, and said to him kindly: "Bo Cong is such a good boy. What gift should my aunt give you? ……what do you want?"

Bo Cong shook his head and said, "I want to go home, I want to see my mother."

Rou Fu smiled, turned to Zhao Gou and said, "Ninth Brother, who are you going to make his mother?"

Zhao Gou summoned the servants who stood there and said, "Please Zhang Jieyu and Wu Cairen to go to Panxian Concubine Pavilion as soon as possible, and I will take Bo Cong there after a while."

Zhao Gou and Rou Fu briefly asked about Bo Cong's situation in the hall, and then Zhao Gou led Bo Cong to Panxian Concubine Pavilion, and Rou Fu also went with them.

Concubine Pan Xianfei, Zhang Jieyu, and Yingpo were sitting in the middle of the pavilion chatting. When they saw Zhao Gou coming in, they immediately got up to pay respects. After the ceremony, everyone took their seats. Zhao Gou asked Bo Cong to stand in the hall, pointing at the concubines. Said to him: "Bo Cong, which one of them is more like your mother?"

Bo Cong looked at them one by one.Concubine Pan Xian saw that Bo Cong was about the same age as her dead child, so she couldn't help but feel the pain of bereavement. When she met Bo Cong's eyes, she became more unhappy, and immediately turned her head to the corner, frowning and ignoring him.Zhang Jieyu and Wu Cairen were both smiling, with the same kind expressions.Bo Cong looked around for a week, and finally his eyes fell on Rou Fu, and then he went straight to her side, stopped, looked at her silently, but didn't speak.

Rou Fu sighed softly, pulled him over and embraced him, and said with infinite emotion: "Silly boy, I can only be your aunt, not your mother. In a few days, I will leave here."

Indeed, her wedding day was drawing nearer.Hearing these words, Zhao Gou was stunned for a while, and the rest of the people couldn't answer the conversation for a while, and a moment of silence became the inevitable result.

After a while, Zhang Jieyu suddenly heard a chuckle: "Bo Cong... Your name is Bo Cong, right? Come, come to my side!" She stretched out her hand, beckoning Bo Cong over.

Immediately, Yingfu also smiled and said: "This child is really handsome... Come here, let me take a closer look."

Bo Cong turned to look at them, hesitant.Rou Fu said to him softly: "From now on, this will be Bo Cong's home. Go, go to the lady you like, and ask her to be your mother."

Bo Cong lowered his head and thought for a while, then turned around and looked repeatedly at the two concubines who called him over, and finally walked towards Zhang Jieyu.

Yingfu's eyes dimmed, she was slightly disappointed, but it was only for a moment, and soon Zhanyan smiled and said to Zhang Jieyu: "Congratulations, sister Zhang, on the birth of a precious son."

Zhang Jieyu picked up Bo Cong and let him sit on her lap, said with a smile: "I really like this child, but I don't know if the official family will trust him to me to raise him."

Zhao Gou said, "Since he chose you, you will naturally be his mother in the future."

Zhang Jieyu immediately smiled and bowed to thank her.

From this, Bo Cong recognized Zhang Jieyu as his mother, and lived with her in the palace.Although Zhao Gou did not officially issue an edict to accept him as the prince, everyone knew that Bo Cong had actually become his adopted son. If he still had no biological son in the future, Bo Cong would probably be the future heir.

Since Zhenzong in the Song Dynasty, the naming methods of the prince and the clan son have been different. The prince's name is single character, and the clan son's name is double character.Not long after Zhang Jieyu adopted Bo Cong, he asked Zhao Gou to give Bo Cong a single character name.At that time, Zhao Gou was practicing calligraphy in his study, with Yingfu standing beside him.After hearing Zhang Jieyu's request, Zhao Goulue pondered for a while, and said, "Yuan. Let's call Yuan."

Yuan?Both Yingfu and Zhang Jieyu were taken aback: the audio sounded like "Yuan" in Roufu's name "Yuan Yuan".

Zhang Jieyu asked softly: "I don't know which word the official said..."

Zhao Gou wrote the word "Yuan" on the paper with a swipe of a brush, and said calmly while writing, "Yuan refers to the 'Yuan' of jade bi. Bo Cong will be called Zhao Yuan from now on."

7. Tumi
Roufu was still very quiet in the few remaining days before her landing, she rarely argued with Concubine Pan Xianfei and other concubines, and kept her usual indifferent attitude in the face of Yingfu's frequent visits. The communication between the two is limited by etiquette, and will not be exceeded, but what surprised the palace people is that she actually loves Zhao Yuan, who was adopted by Zhang Jieyu.

Zhao Yuan is quite an introverted child, his clear eyes are always calm beyond his age, although he recognizes Zhang Jieyu as his mother, but he is more than respectful to her, but he is not very close to her.And respect is also his basic attitude towards Zhao Gou and other concubines. In front of them, he behaved sensible and obedient, and his every move was calm like a six-year-old child. People also found that he was not like a child of the same age. Like his children, he is very dependent on others, including his adoptive mother Zhang Jieyu. The methods that adults usually use to amuse children are not suitable for him. When everyone hands toys to him with loving smiles, he will quietly Take it, and then thank you, but rarely feel curious or happy about the plaything in your hand.

His emotions are the same as Roufu's, except for each other.Rou Fu seemed to be very interested in him, and often went to Zhang Jieyu to find him, took his little hand and wandered around the palace, and chatted with him about topics that could make each other smile in a place far away from the crowd.This made other people puzzled. Zhang Jieyu once said with a smile in front of everyone: "This child Yuan seems to have a special relationship with the eldest princess. He is closer to the eldest princess than to my mother."

After hearing this, Rou Fu said calmly, "Maybe we have the same name."

Zhao Gou was also surprised by the special closeness between Rou Fu and Zhao Yuan. Sometimes he was worried that Rou Fu would regard Zhao Yuan as the future heir, so he deliberately approached him in order to instill her own theory of Northern Expedition and rejuvenation into the young him. Just like trying to influence yourself.One time when I passed by the Imperial Garden, I saw Rou Fu holding Zhao Yuan and standing next to the tea stand, bathing in the starlight, so I approached quietly, wanting to hear what they were talking about, but what I heard was Rou Fu's calm and peaceful words: "Yuan, you can see that the tea is very fragrant, and you can see that the stars are very bright."

He was actually very close to them, so close that his body could even take over their shadows that were originally swaying on the ground. Look back and find his opportunity.

The lights and shadows in front of her eyes are blurred, and she can't touch them, but time is slipping indifferently in the shallow distance between Roufu, Yuan and him. In a blink of an eye, it is time for her to come out.

The day before the wedding, Zhao Gou entrusted Zhang Jieyu and Yingchi to take care of the preparations for the wedding in the palace, and he lived and acted as usual. He only passively listened to the details of the wedding reported by the servants throughout the day, and did not take the initiative to ask. The situation of Roufu.It wasn't until nightfall, when the court order of the highest court lady presented him the hairpin crown dress that Roufu would wear tomorrow, that he turned his head to avoid the dazzling golden red, and said, "Tell the eldest princess that you must get up early tomorrow, and get up early tonight." some rest."

Sigong Ling lowered his eyes and said: "The eldest princess is still worshiping the moon and praying, and I'm afraid she won't rest soon."

Prayer to the moon?Zhao Gou asked in surprise, "Is this also part of the ceremony?"

Si Gongling said: "No, the eldest princess will do it herself."

The thin figure standing pretty under the cold moon on the day of her return clearly emerged in his heart, he couldn't hold back anymore, finally got up with his sleeves waved, and strode towards her Jiang'e Pavilion in stride.

She set up an incense table in her courtyard, and knelt under the bright moon to burn incense and pray.Wearing a thin lavender blouse, the loose cloud bun is not adorned with any pearls and emeralds, the lead is washed away, the face is facing the sky, the skin on the face is very clean, but there is no blood color, it has a cool feeling like ice jade.

She clasped her hands together, closed her eyes and prayed silently.Zhao Gou walked beside her for a long time before she opened her eyes to look at him, smiled faintly, and stood up slowly.

"What are you praying for?" Zhao Gou asked.Under the moon, she is so thin and weak, with no joy in the corners of her eyes and brows, she is not at all like a newlywed who is about to get married the next day.Zhao Gou looked sad, and his tone was unusually soft.

"Why should I tell you?" Rou Fu pursed his lips and smiled, "It is said that saying prayers will not work."

Zhao Gou also smiled at her and said, "Not necessarily. In the past, Yingpo also worshiped the moon and prayed. I heard everything she said, and it finally came true."

"What is she praying for?" Roufu asked, but before he could answer, he said, "I always pray for you. In this way, if you like to hear it, I can say it too."

She raised her eyebrows slightly, as if a little disdainful.

Zhao Gou managed to maintain the smile just now: "Really? I thought you would only be angry with Brother Jiu."

Rou Fu sighed softly, and said to him: "I will leave the palace tomorrow to live, before I leave, I will not be angry with brother Jiu, just say a few words that maybe brother Jiu will feel happy." Bye, he smiled leisurely and said, "In the spring banquet, sing a song with a glass of green wine, and then I salute Chen three wishes: first, I wish my husband a thousand years; second, I wish my concubine a long and healthy life;

This is "Longevity Girl" written by Feng Yansi, a poet of the Southern Tang Dynasty.What is the meaning of her chanting this word at this moment?Zhao Gou stared at her face, tasted a trace of sarcasm, a trace of helplessness, and a trace of coolness from her smile.

If she really thought like the woman in the poem, maybe everything would be different.

"That's not the right word for you," he said.

"I know." Her eyes rippled into his heart, "I thought you would be happy when I said I wanted to see you often."

Zhao Gou couldn't help taking a step back, a little further away from her, and looked up at the same time, and found that Roufu's maids were far away, so he felt relieved.Then whispered to her: "Of course, you can still return to the palace often in the future."

She kept silent and smiled lightly, but he couldn't be sure that she was expressing her joy.

I was speechless for a while.In the silence between the two compartments, a cricket was suddenly heard from nearby.Rou Fu looked back, smiled and said, "Yuan, you're here."

Zhao Gou followed her gaze and saw the little Zhao Yuan standing in the shadow cast by the palace gate, watching them with his clear and clear eyes.

Zhao Gou waved to him and called him over.

Yuan walked up to him, knelt down and kowtowed to pay his respects, Zhao Gou found a delicate little gold silk cage tied to his belt during his movements, and a cricket was locked inside.

He bent down and held the golden wire cage in his hands, looked carefully, and asked Yuan with a smile: "You also like cricket fighting? Father was also a master at your age... This cage is very beautiful. Who gave it to you?"

Yuan looked at Roufu, and replied, "Auntie."

This golden cage may not be the one he gave Rou Fu when he was young, but the appearance is quite similar.That is related to a memory many years ago, far earlier than the encounter in Huayang Flower Shadow.The scene that had been blurred for a long time became clear again. A timid little girl, sitting alone and crying, with long hair over her shoulders and a white silk dress. When he left, she struggled not to bind her feet. The golden silk cage given to her was crumpled out of shape.

He glanced at Rou Fu hastily, and quickly turned his head to still look at Zhao Yuan, not wanting her to feel too much emotion in his eyes.

"That's my meeting gift for Yuan." Roufu explained lightly, then took Yuan's hand lightly, and said to him, "It's so good, I came to see my aunt at such a late hour... Are you hungry? Come on, Aunt Pavilion There are a lot of dim sum in it. What do you want to eat? Crispy Indian, Furong Cake, Camel’s Knuckle, Melaleuca, Crab Bun, or Molasses Yunguoyuan Huanxi?”

While talking, he was led into the pavilion.Zhao Gou stayed where he was, watching them gradually move away, feeling a little contemptuous of himself here.

So he looked up at the moon, carefully explored the traces of its profit and loss, and suddenly realized that the relationship in his life had never been perfect.

(End of this chapter)