Yan Cigui

In the inner hall, almost all the waiters left, leaving only the nanny.

Lin Yunyan glanced at the imperial concubine's expression.

Even though the empress took the initiative to call her here and she really wanted to talk to her, it was obviously too complicated and she didn’t know where to start.

Lin Yunyan gave a smile and said: "Did you prepare these candied fruits in the small kitchen? There is a shop specializing in candied fruits on East Street outside the palace. It is sweet and not greasy. I often buy some. If the empress likes it, I will buy it. I’ll bring you some to try when I return to the palace.”

The imperial concubine's suppressed depression suddenly found a way to release her, and she burst into laughter.

have a look.

 Ning'an is still interesting.

 Don’t ask about medicine or illness, just talk about sweetness.

"Then give me some," the imperial concubine said. "They all say that I am tired and sick. It is all nonsense. I am tired everywhere."

Once the first sentence is spoken, the subsequent words will become much easier.

"The Holy One was recuperating at my place a while ago. When I said that I was waiting for you, I was just talking a few words. The people below were all busy, so how can I be considered tired?" The imperial concubine sighed, "In addition to saying a few words to the Holy One, Nothing happened.

Besides, the Holy Father was not in a good mood for those few days.

 That is to say, the border military report was sent to let the Holy Emperor show his face a little, otherwise he would have to keep his face down.

So the princess must have heard about it, right? Fu Guogong won another great victory. "

Lin Yunyan nodded and added: "I am not humble for the Duke, nor is he the one who sat in the pass and fought out of Yumen to fight with Xiliang."

In border wars, Beijing will always be late to receive news, but once it is won, it will spread all over the capital.

Victory inspires people and calms the people.

Lin Yunyan loves to hear this.

In addition to the news her father brought her, she would also go to several teahouses and listen to the stories told by tea doctors.

 Hands on whether it’s true or false, and it’s almost impossible to embellish or exaggerate it, but it makes people feel excited and very interesting.

Since Gu Yue suddenly withdrew his troops, Xiliang was unable to mobilize its defenses in time, suffered a defeat, and had to retreat two hundred miles.

They were also experienced and quickly stabilized the morale of the army. They re-set up camp and wanted to wait for follow-up reinforcements before giving Dashun a try.

 Dashun did not give the Xiliang people such a chance.

Dingbeihou ordered his troops and once again went out to pursue them. The remaining troops of Xiliang resisted with great difficulty, but they also knew that the situation was over. There was nothing they could do this winter and they could only continue to retreat.

"I heard from the Holy One," the imperial concubine pursed her lower lip, "If everything goes well, this time we can recover all the passes that Yongjia lost in the past eight years."

Lin Yunyan clenched her fists subconsciously.

 The eighth year of Yongjia was the year when Xu Jian went on his first expedition.

Yumen Pass was broken, and countless people died in the battle at Anxi General Mansion. It was Lao Fuguo who asked Ying to take command, and fought from the beginning to the end of the year before recovering Yumen Pass.

　　The fight was brutal but also firm.

They recaptured Yumen, but were unable to advance westward and regain the rest of the lost territory.

 Because Xu Mang was injured, the situation between the DPRK and China did not support continued fighting.

 Xu Mang was recuperating from his injuries, while Xu Jian stayed in Yumen. Throughout the ninth year of Yongjia, he rebuilt the Yumen Pass and trained his soldiers in order to fight out as much as possible.

Unfortunately…

In the spring of the 10th year of Yongjia, Xu Jian, who had just finished taking care of his grandfather's death in Beijing, returned to Yumen. Soon after, Li Shao visited Yumen on behalf of the Holy Spirit...

Lin Yunyan's heart ached dully just thinking of this.

She and Xu Jian talked about many topics, and sometimes they talked in depth. In the past, Xu Jian would avoid the content of border defense, but in this life, they actually talked about it a lot.

 Xu Jian spoke in a calm tone, as usual, but Lin Yunyan could hear that he was enthusiastic and regretful.

He passionately wanted to take back the lost pass outside Yumen Pass, but regrettably he could not go into battle in person.

Even if Xu Jian went to Yumen this time, he also gave her a promise: he would not rush out to fight.

 Even though Lin Yunyan never made a request.

 Because Xu Jian is calm and sober enough.

It is this calmness and sobriety that makes Lin Yunyan regretful every time she thinks about it.

"Recovering lost territory is the long-cherished wish of many soldiers," Lin Yunyan paused after saying this, and then decided to open up and talk to the imperial concubine, "If it hadn't been for what happened in Yongjia ten years ago, the Duke would not have been stationed in the pass. He also had I promised my grandfather that I would fight out the Xiliang people with my own hands.

I know that being there is a merit, but you also understand that compared with the so-called merit, it is better to do it yourself. "

The imperial concubine's eyelashes trembled, and after a while, she said: "Yes, who can ride a horse and wield a sword, who wants to be a defender?"

Lin Yunyan was slightly startled.

She thought that she seemed to sense that the imperial concubine was feeling sick.

“Is this the reason why the empress was more attracted to His Highness before?” she asked.

The imperial concubine curled her lips and finally said: "Your Highness, he is different from His Highness the Second and Third Highnesses when he is here with me.

 No one calls me “mother”. It’s better for me to follow the Holy Spirit than to sing the opposite.

 Furthermore, Your Highness should be more stable, and the harem should be calmer, so that they don’t have to jump up and down one by one in my Bihua Palace, you come and I go, they are not tired, I look tired.

 All I ask for is peace and peace of mind. "

 Lin Yunyan understands.

 This is also the reason why the imperial concubine "betrayed" Li Shao.

Because Li Shao is becoming more and more unstable, peace and peace are far away from the imperial concubine. Even if Li Shao rises again, she will probably not have a good life as the imperial concubine.

 So, for the sake of the green bamboo handkerchief, the imperial concubine gave Lin Yunyan a gift.

Now, Li Shao is crazy, the emperor is seriously ill because of this, but the imperial concubine's heart disease cannot be resolved.

“Do you know why Your Majesty often comes to Bihua Palace?” The imperial concubine asked, but she didn’t ask Lin Yunyan to answer. She kept talking to herself, “Because other concubines have serious thoughts, and I am the only one who can see clearly and accept it easily.

 Here I am, a place where the Holy Spirit seeks purity.

 He came here to recuperate for the sake of purity.

 You know that, right? As long as the Holy One is raised by me, no one in the harem will dance or make trouble.

why? Don't I know what those concubines are thinking? I know it all too well.

 I am not a threat at all, and I am not worthy of their elaborate schemes.

 I am getting old. I have no son and cannot possibly have a son. "

 At this point, the imperial concubine's eyes were already red and her voice was trembling.

 She stood up and walked up and down the inner hall, talking non-stop.

 “From the day I was named the imperial concubine more than ten years ago, I will not have any children.”

“Look at His Highness and His Highness, they are more than ten years apart!”

"Even if there are three princes and others later, I can't have a son because I am rich enough. My great-grandfather was the chief minister, my grandfather was the emperor's master, and my father is still the envoy of the two lakes. Let me have a son. , what should your highness do?"

"They are far inferior to me, so they can do it. No matter how many children they have, they will not be able to surpass the former crown prince."

"Oh, there is also a Concubine De, but how did Concubine De get the position of the fourth concubine?" ˆ ˆ ˆ "If his grandfather, father, uncles and brothers had not all died at Yumen Pass, and the coffins had been carried back to the capital, the capital would have been "It's snowing in June, can she be the fourth concubine?"

"In other words, her son was born early enough, but a few years later, when she got the fourth concubine, she would not be able to give birth to a son."

"Now, it's time for the Holy One to find a new candidate. After he recovers from his illness, anyone in the harem can have a son, but I can't. At my age, this life is over!"

"Isn't it annoying to me? It's been more than ten years, and I still haven't recognized the reality? I'm used to it and accepted it. I just want to be my royal concubine. There aren't too many things. I don't have to get involved in those intrigues. Please give me a favor. Peace.”

"But now? Things are getting lively. I can't eat melon seeds and watch the opera. I have to accompany them on stage to sing in the opera. They drag them around and blow the pillow for their son!"

 A long series of words that brought tears to the eyes of the imperial concubine. She was so exhausted that she threw herself back on the imperial chair.

 She has been holding back these words for too long.

 No one can say.

But holding it all in will break her sooner or later. She is neither stupid nor stupid, so there is no reason for her to become bored and go crazy, so she has to find someone to talk to.

Thinking about it, the only one who can listen to her complaints is Ning'an.

Lin Yunyan listened very carefully, but she just listened without any comments.

"Princess," the imperial concubine said dejectedly, "there is a difference between having a choice and not having a choice."

In the past ten years, it is true that she has been peaceful and stable, and it is true that she is happy to be so, but as time passes and the situation changes, the entanglement and struggle are also true.

Lin Yunyan quietly finished a pot of tea with the imperial concubine.

 When grandma saw that the teapot was empty, she went to replace it with a new one.

Lin Yunyan thought for a long time before whispering softly: "I have been thinking about whether I should say something to you.

The reason why I have been silent before is that I know that you don’t actually need my opinion. You just need someone to listen and stop you from being too bored.

Furthermore, I can't solve your predicament, I can't help you, and nothing I can say is weak.

 But the last thing you said touched me. "

The imperial concubine raised her eyes, thought for a while, and said: "There is a difference between having a choice and not having a choice." Is this the same sentence?

“Yes,” Lin Yunyan nodded, “You made the choice to tell His Highness’s secret, because you were sure that he would ascend to the Dabao in the future, and you would not be able to enjoy any peace or peace.

 You took the initiative to eliminate a big risk in the future, but you still have no worries.

While you can still choose, choose the most stable one, otherwise, all the previous efforts will be in vain. "

The imperial concubine’s eyes sank and she looked deeply at Lin Yunyan.

Hasn’t she thought about it?

 She naturally thought about it, but she just wasn't willing to do it.

Are you willing to let her really give birth to a son? Is she really willing to have a son and join the Chang family to fight for the throne?

To be fair, she is not that decisive.

At the same time, after so many years, she has accepted to be a stable imperial concubine. Is it not Chang's idea?

It is not a wise choice to make big losses just for the sake of temporary motivation, but it is also necessary to arrange more escape routes for yourself.

The imperial concubine thought for a while, and her tone became much calmer: "It's not that I dislike other people's eyes as they are not eyes, and their noses as noses. Your Second Highness is introverted and not generous, and your Third Highness is also soft. Not that seedling, let alone your Fourth Highness, or A baby with milk, who knows what will happen in the future..."

Even if she wants to choose one, she can't choose randomly.

If she chooses someone like His Highness, she will be in bad luck.

"I was mixed up in it, dragged along by them, and it was difficult to stay out of the excitement," the imperial concubine sighed, "You and Duke Fu, there will be many people watching you, and when his army returns to Beijing, there will be a lot of excitement. "

Lin Yunyan smiled.

 Perhaps she felt depressed after saying this, but the imperial concubine's spirit improved a lot.

 When Lin Yunyan left, grandma sent someone back and said to her: "If you really have an idea, please ask the imperial doctor to take care of her..."

The imperial concubine shook her head: "No need, I was panicking for a while. It will be fine after this period."

 When grandma saw this, she stopped trying to persuade her.

 After all, the empress cannot work so hard at her age.

 It’s midway through November, and the previous gloom is gone in the court hall.

The border relations were successful, and military reports were delivered one after another. Until the end of November, all the passes that Yongjia had lost in eight years were regained by Dashun.

 Dingbei Hou's command was outstanding, there was no longer any suspicion of treason, and the guards outside the Hou's mansion were also lifted.

Ji's family set off firecrackers, and the alley was covered with red paper.

 At the same time, the Holy Master also decided to return to the imperial court.

 In the twelfth lunar month, Lin Yunyan received a letter from Xu Jian’s family.

 There are two letters in total, one is for her and the other is for Mrs. Xu.

Lin Yunyan went to the backyard.

Mrs. Xu was surprised and happy when she heard that it was a letter from Xu Jian. She even washed her hands before removing the wax paint and taking out the letter paper.

Ah Jian wrote her a short letter. He reported that she was safe, asked about her and Ah Ping's health, and said that she would be able to arrive in Beijing before the year before.

 It was very simple and ordinary. Even so, it made Mrs. Xu’s eyes moist.

“I don’t quite remember what I wrote to my family last time,” Mrs. Xu cleared her throat. “It’s been too long. When I was still unmarried, my father wrote to me when he came back from the station.

His handwriting is very big and can fit on several sheets of paper. In fact, there are only a few sentences. He is not good at writing this.

 I haven’t received it since. "

 She married Liu Jing, and her father went on several expeditions but did not return home with any letters.

She asked her later, and what her father said was, "Your husband is an official in the government, and he knows both good and bad things. What else should I write?"

Her father didn’t want to write, so she couldn’t force him.

 In the following years, my family members were all in Beijing, so there were no letters from home.

Now, many years later, Ah Jian wrote this letter as succinctly as her father did back then, but it made her full of emotions.

“I arrived in Beijing years ago, so that’s not too long ago.” Mrs. Xu curled her lips.

 In comparison, the letter Xu Jian sent to Lin Yunyan was much thicker.

Xu Jian wrote about the war situation, the changes in the capital that they received, his worries, and Yu Chengan.

 Catching Cheng Xi is a credit, and several escapes are also credit.

With great achievements in hand, Yu Chengan kept talking about "not coming in vain" and "having the dignity to return to Beijing".

 “But we have to borrow our place and invite people to say a few words.”

 This person, of course, refers to Zhu Xian.

Lin Yunyan couldn't help laughing when she read the letter.

 Xu Jian is this person...

He is writing that Yu Chengan is thinking about Zhu Xiang, but in fact, it is he who is thinking about her. (End of chapter)