Autumn 1894. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Ningshou Palace Le Shou Hall, Xinuan Pavilion.

Cixi slowly closed her eyes, gracefully cocked her orchid fingers, reached out and rubbed her sore temples, forcing herself to forget about those trivial things and empty her head.

"Queen Mother, do you want to rest?" Li Lianying's ability to observe words and expressions has already been practiced, and looking at Cixi's tired posture, she asked cautiously.

"Let's all go down! I don't need you to wait, and I don't come in if there's nothing to do. Cixi waved her hand and spoke weakly. Li Lianying signaled, and all the people in the warm pavilion bowed slightly, and bowed their heads respectfully.

Not feeling the faint breathing of others in the hall, Cixi slowly opened her eyes, she took a deep breath, and smelled the faint scent of sandalwood that permeated the room with some obsession.

Reaching out and touching his cheek, his heart sank. She slowly got up and walked to the dresser, her face changing as she looked at the clear and familiar face reflected in the diorama. Pulling open the drawer, he took out the tribute rouge gouache from it and applied it carefully, trying to cover the thousands of furrows on his face.

Ready for everything, she took a few gorgeous silk flowers and inserted them in her hair, making the whole person look a little angry. Looking at the woman who looked like she had been reborn in the mirror, the corners of her mouth hooked up with a satisfied smile.

Getting up, putting on a dark-colored cloak and carrying an oil lamp in her hand, she walked to a row of bookshelves, stood on tiptoe, reached out and twisted the blue and white porcelain placed on the far left, and the secret door hidden in the wall opened. Cixi calmed her mind and walked slowly into it with small steps, the crisp sound of clogs echoing in the gloomy corridor.

After a few bends and a long hallway, she finally stopped in front of an old-fashioned wooden door of dark red, and her eyes were confused for a moment before she mustered up the courage to push it open. Cixi placed the flaming oil lamp on the desk, and then set her eyes on a mirror with exquisite and luxurious workmanship and a very European style. She picked up the rag and carefully wiped the fine dust from it.

Looking at the noble woman in the mirror, the corners of her mouth raised a confident smile: "Magic Mirror Magic Mirror, you say...... Who is the most beautiful woman in the Qing Dynasty? ”

Hearing the summons, a white mist gradually rose above the magic mirror, and soon condensed into the figure of a child, he had golden curly hair, red lips and white teeth, a straight nose, and a pair of blue pupils looked blankly at the pious oriental woman below.

He stretched out his chubby little hand and rubbed his eyes, stretched his waist, rolled a little, as if lying on the bed, supported his chin with one hand, pouted, and used this non-standard Chinese: "I haven't seen you for a long time." ”

"Yes! Long time no see. Cixi smiled softly at him, looking haughty. That's because she sorted it all out. "Can you answer my question now?"

The magic mirror blinked innocently and giggled a few times: "You can ask another question!" ”

Cixi frowned slightly, obviously a little displeased, but she couldn't lose her temper indiscriminately, so she had to suppress it: "No need, just that question." ”

"Hmm...... All right. The magic mirror pursed her lips, poked her cheeks with her fleshy little hand, and thought for a while before she said slowly: "The most beautiful woman in the Qing Dynasty is ......."

Cixi lifted it up in one breath, excited and scared. "Concubine Zhen." Hearing those two words, her face turned pale, and she couldn't even hide the rouge she had just smeared, her whole body shook, her hands clenched, she bit her lower lip resentfully, and sneered: "Why is it Concubine Zhen?" You're kidding, right? ”

The magic mirror got up, sat cross-legged in the air, he shrugged his shoulders, spread his hands, and said innocently, "You know, I never lie." ”

"Really? But I think you're lying right now. Cixi squinted at him, a smile on her face, and the foundation that stuck to her skin began to crack, and some of the residue fell down, making the magic mirror giggle.

"No, if you don't believe it, you can't help it. Haven't you believed it before, though? Why are you the only one who gave birth to Emperor Xianfeng's child? ”

Looking at the child floating in mid-air, he looked innocent, but she was shocked into a cold sweat. How did he know? Oh...... It is because of him that he can get rid of threatening women.

This Forbidden City was originally an ice city, and there was no need for simple and lively people.

Concubine Zhen...... She's damned!

Cixi's old face was dim in the dim light, and her black pupils were full of murderous aura. The magic mirror sighed helplessly, it seems...... Someone else was going to suffer, he yawned, and retracted back into the luxurious mirror, or he would grow quickly.

"Hurry up, get your poses...... Hey, no, no, a little further to the left. Concubine Zhen's head burrowed into the camera obscura, which was tightly covered by the black cloth, and she looked at the upside-down figures through the camera, trying to adjust their postures.

In order to get better lighting, they moved all the instruments to an open courtyard this time. Concubine Zhen said excitedly: "Laugh, laugh, it's fine." ”

She found that no matter how she mediated the atmosphere, the palace maids under the camera all had tense faces, and even looked a little trembling. Looking at the panic on their faces, she just thought that it was because kerosene had seen this kind of Western object, and she was a little scared, so she reluctantly pressed the shutter, and with a bang, green smoke came up.

When she came out of the dark box, she found that the atmosphere in the air was a little tense, and there was a creepy feeling behind it. She turned around stiffly, only to find that Cixi, who was sitting on the phoenix and couldn't see her anger and anger, was shocked in her heart, and she couldn't reflect it for a while.

"See Lafayette, the queen mother." Before the act of bowing was finished, Cixi slapped it on the wooden board angrily, got up and walked in front of Concubine Zhen, and slapped her viciously.

Concubine Zhen's body was beaten to the side, her ears buzzed like an electric drill, her face was hot, and she was swollen all of a sudden, and the mist in her eyes stubbornly prevented her from falling.

Cixi angrily pushed the camera next to her, glanced at the entire courtyard, the people who were crawling on the ground reverently, the corners of her mouth were slightly hooked, and she said sarcastically: "What kind of master is there, what kind of slave is there, and I don't know the palace rules and etiquette at all." She kicked the broken camera, making a thumping sound, still as if she was puzzled: "I learned to use this kind of Western thing, huh...... Not bad! ”

She raised her head, looked at Concubine Zhen, who was quietly kneeling on the blue brick floor, embarrassed, and said disdainfully: "Concubine Zhen is obsessed with witchcraft, specializing in intimidating people's souls, this palace has ordered that Concubine Zhen will face the wall for three months from now on, and she will not be allowed to step out of Jingren Palace." ”

Cixi stroked her chest, and then she felt a little more comfortable in her heart, touching the wrinkles on her face that could not be covered, and the look in her eyes changed several times.