In mid-May, a blazing tomorrow swelters over Kyoto, and the paved bluestone roads on the ground kick up puffs of dust as mule carts pass by.

Nowadays, it is rare to see horse-drawn carriages on the road in Kyoto, all because of the tight war in the north last year, horses have become an important military item, so the empress dowager in the palace is thrifty, and the mule cart is promoted to replace the horse-drawn carriage.

Located in the Shen Mansion on General Street, the east main gate that is rarely opened on weekdays is opened, just to welcome the nobles who are coming from the palace, next to the main gate of this wide gray brick and red wall, there are two stone lions standing on the gold bricks with round pearls and jade in their mouths, and they are looking majestically at the few mule carts in front of them that have just stopped.

The mule cart is painted with blue curtains and red paint, extremely simple, although the decoration is simple but the carved pattern is unique, the Shen Mansion sent someone to wait at the door early, and when he saw someone coming down, he politely greeted him.

These mules and carts came from the palace, and the people who came down were naturally not ordinary.

Shen Taisheng and many family members were waiting in the east main gate, and after a while, a person who was hugged from the left and right appeared from the door, and went straight to their place through the corridor, it was a person in a eunuch's court uniform, older than Shen Taisheng, with a thin figure, a horse face and thin eyes, making it impossible to guess what expression was on his face.

In ancient times, there was a system, and even the highest middle attendant in the eunuch Huangmen was only a third-grade, but that person wore a court dress with a second-grade crane ornament, and his identity in the court must be extraordinary.

Shen Zhuangzhao glanced at it, and knew the preciousness of this person's identity, and secretly decided to show it well.

As for Shen Shuzhao, she especially knows the benefits and disadvantages of this eunuch, she will never forget this face no matter what, he is an important confidant eunuch around the queen mother in the previous life, and he is also the last person to give herself wine.

At the thought of this, her nails dug into her flesh.

I saw that the eunuch quickly came over, and bowed his hand to the three Taishan of the Shen Mansion in front of him: "The eunuch Gao Dezhong has seen Shen Taishi, and I wish the Taishi and the two wives Antai, and today the ministers will come to pick up the three young ladies into the palace by the order of the Queen Mother." ”

Even if the eunuch in front of him said so politely, Shen Taisheng couldn't snub him, and replied to him: "The nobles are polite, what do the little ladies have to do when they enter the palace, and the nobles have to bother the nobles to give more guidance." ”

After Gao Dezhong listened, he politely looked at the female relatives behind Shen Taisheng, and when he saw Shen Zhuang's bright smile, he couldn't help but be slightly stunned, and then said to Shen Taisheng with a smile: "The master is so blessed that the daughters are like immortals reincarnated, and the queen mother will definitely love it." ”

This remark deserved the love of Shen Taisheng and the eldest lady, and he hurriedly said politely, and after chatting a few words, Gao Dezhong opened his mouth and prepared to lead people away.

Shen Zhuangzhao walked a few steps, as if he was worried, turned his head to his parents and bowed and said: "My daughter is afraid that the time to go to the palace this time is not short, and she can't serve in front, I hope that grandmother, father and mother don't worry too much, and my daughter is here to say goodbye." ”

Shen Shuzhao on the side followed the steps of the eldest sister and stepped forward to salute: "What the eldest sister said is very true, I hope that when my daughter enters the palace, grandmother, father and mother can take care of their health and be healthy for a long time." ”

After hearing this, the eldest lady's eyes were full of reluctance and pity, and the hearts of everyone in the Shen Mansion also felt very warm.

I'm afraid that only Shen Xiaojun is very uncomfortable now, because when her eldest sister Shen Zhuangzhao saluted, she also saluted behind her, but Shen Zhuangzhao said such good words, and she couldn't keep up for a while, so she had to be a foil silently.

"They are all good children," said the eldest lady, looking at her three daughters with distress, "and go with the nobles." ”

Gao Dezhong looked at this family with satisfaction, thinking that he must have felt that the queen mother's choice was still not picky, and soon Gao Dezhong led the three daughters of the Shen Mansion to the mule cart.

A few people at the door saw that the ladies were coming, and hurriedly put a low bench under the sedan chair so that they could step on it. Several maids opened the curtain while gently helping the ladies into the sedan chair, and finally after everything was done, the mule cart whipped up, and several mule carts rushed towards the east of Kyoto.

Shen Shuzhao, who was sitting in the blue tent, felt the shaking of the mule cart, and in the dim and narrow space, she remembered the scene when she entered the palace for the first time in her previous life, and those unforgettable scenes were all floating in front of her like a passing cloud.

At that time, everyone in the Shen family was outside the door to see them off, firecrackers rang out, and the lights were colorful, Shen Shuzhao felt the treatment of a real daughter of a famous family for the first time in his life, if there was no queen mother's hand-picked entry into the palace, who would really look up to her?

So even though she was wearing a heavy golden silk flower on her head, she still straightened her back and walked steadily in front of those people step by step, she saw the eldest lady with a stiff smile on her face, Shen Xiaozhao cast a resentful gaze, and Shen Zhuangzhao's complicated eyes.

"Shen Niangniang is fine when she enters the palace, don't worry too much about her family." Although the eldest lady looked haggard, she tried her best to maintain dignity and bid her farewell.

This woman who spent all her time training her daughter to enter the palace, but in the end she sent away the concubine who she ignored.

Shen Shuzhao replied to her with a polite smile: "Mother can't repay her daughter's kindness, even if her daughter is in the palace, she will never forget her family, and her daughter will always keep her family in mind." ”

She has always disdained to be polite to the eldest lady who likes to play yin, but now she has learned to be polite, but it is when she is in the limelight, so the eldest lady's eyes sank and she didn't say much.

When Shen Shuzhao made a farewell salute and was about to turn around and get into the sedan chair, Shen Zhuangzhao's voice came from behind him unhurriedly-

"Second sister, let's go."

There is no honorific title, an understatement, full of cold emotions, which gradually fermented in Shen Shuzhao's inferiority complex.

She turned around and looked straight at Shen Zhuangzhao with a pair of eyes, the eldest sister who was always unmatched, the concubine whose bearing and demeanor were far above others, and there was an incomprehensible complex meaning in her eyes at this moment, which was incomprehensible.

Shen Shuzhao in his previous life didn't answer anything, and left like this.

And now that she thinks back, she really understands what Shen Zhuangzhao meant at that time.

Entering the palace in advance, Shen Zhuangzhao had more than a month to serve by the Queen Mother's side, and even in the first month after entering the palace as the Queen Mother's minions, he saw countless connections between court officials, so something must have happened in the palace in his previous life, so that the Queen Mother gave up the two daughters of the eldest lady and chose herself without a background.

Maybe...... Shen Shuzhao's eyes flashed with an indescribable emotion, the reason why the Queen Mother chose herself was precisely because she was like duckweed and had nothing to rely on?

All in all, Shen Zhuangzhao in her previous life must have known that her future was dangerous, and she had become a piece of meat on the anvil when she entered the palace.

Shen Shuzhao closed her eyes, slowly sorted out the things in her previous life one by one, and for a while she had mixed feelings in her heart, and fell into a trance, she clenched the Xiu Wei in her hand, and was silent along the way, only relying on this mule cart to drive quickly to the destination.

The man in the mule cart took a deep breath, and the birdcage-like place ...... There is no escape, and she will be reunited with it again.

I don't know how long the time has passed, the noise of people coming and going outside the curtain is getting quieter and quieter, until there is no sound, several mule carts finally slowed down and gradually stopped, Shen Shuzhao's heart suddenly rose in his throat.

From outside the curtain came the sound of the people busy, and heard the crisp sound of the low bench on the ground, and then the curtain was lifted by the old palace maid, and the bright light outside instantly pierced into the eyes.

Shen Shuzhao was helped down from the mule cart by the old palace maid with sharp hands and feet, in front of him was the continuous city wall of the palace, a corner of the majestic palace faintly appeared inside, a huge vermilion lacquer door was opened in the center of the palace wall, and the forbidden army standing on both sides of the door stood guards, this is the side gate of the palace.

A woman in her thirties who seemed to be in charge of the palace came over, Shen Shuzhao recognized her as a person from the Queen Mother's palace, but it was still a step away from talking about the Queen Mother's close body and mind.

I saw the old palace maid bow down and say to them, "Ladies, please go to the sedan chair." ”

Shen Shuzhao looked around, and the people in the palace on the side had prepared three sedan chairs early, each with four eunuchs, waiting for Shen Shuzhao and them to go up.

Shen Zhuangzhao, who came down at this time, nodded dignified and said, "Aunt Lao is so concerned. ”

The old palace maid was overjoyed when she heard this, and hurried back: "Where is it, the eldest lady is really tormenting the old girl, the queen mother has been waiting in the palace for a long time, go with the maid." ”

Hearing this, Shen Zhuangzhao had a slight pride in his eyes, the eldest lady had only brought her and Shen Xiaozhao into the palace when she was eight years old, whether the old palace maid in front of her recognized her as the eldest lady of the Shen Mansion after listening to what the Queen Mother said, or judging only by her excellent appearance, she felt comfortable in her heart.

Soon the sedan chair carried the three of them step by step to the Changle Palace where the Queen Mother was located, and no one said much along the way, but for this empty avenue where only palace maids and eunuchs hurriedly came and went, a slight cough seemed abrupt, let alone chatting a few words.

After getting on the sedan chair, it is a long distance, the glorious palace of the golden horn phoenix eaves in front gradually emerges a corner of Lushan, reflecting the dazzling light of the noon sun, giving people a sense of depression and grandeur, here is the Changle Palace where the queen mother lives alone, and the name has the meaning of "long-term happiness".

At this time, a very long white marble staircase appeared in front of him, as long as he went up from here, he could go to the Yongshou Hall where the Queen Mother lived, and the three Shen Mansion girls were still a little apprehensive.

Gao Dezhong, who walked next to the first sedan chair, said: "This is the Queen Mother's dormitory, the Yongshou Palace, Your Majesty treats people kindly, and the ladies are not too nervous." ”

Be kind?

Shen Shuzhao sneered in his heart, if he was really kind to people, would he have forced the queen from a powerful family into a desperate situation in his previous life, and at the same time turned around and gave himself a pot of wine as a loyal dog and knew too many things?

But for the time being, Shen Shuzhao just replied softly: "The three of us sisters rarely enter the palace, if there is anything we don't understand in the future, I will be reminded by the nobles." ”

The sentence "rarely" covered up the fact that he had never entered the palace as a concubine, and generally took care of the face of the other two sisters.

Gao Dezhong glanced at Shen Shuzhao meaningfully, and the observation along the way made him realize that the eldest sister Shen Zhuang Zhao and the second sister Shen Shuzhao are more capable of dealing with people, and the third sister Shen Xiaozhao may still be too young and silently serve as a foil for the two.

And the Queen Mother is most likely to choose between Shen Zhuang Zhao and Shen Shuzhao, and he will be even more polite to them in the future.

After a while, the door of the Yongshou Hall arrived, Shen Shuzhao and others followed Gao Dezhong into the inside, the white jade pillar in the hall was carved with a golden dragon pattern phoenix flower case, which was magnificent, behind the heavy red curtains, a woman of about fifty sat on the phoenix seat and waited for them, and the purple copper gilt tripod next to it wafted out a wisp of sandalwood.

Shen Shuzhao lowered his head obediently, faintly caught a glimpse of the bright yellow jade curtain above, and couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Sitting on it was the real hostess of this nine-fold phoenix, a woman from the four surnames, who was used by the Tianjia Wei clan to balance the power of the court, from the first emperor's serious illness to the new emperor's accession to the throne, and controlled the government for two years.

Such a person, if he is his superior, then Shen Shuzhao is lucky; If she were an enemy on the other side, she would have died.

After three years of going to the soup and going to the fire, but in exchange for the never-daylight of the unsealed palace, the emperor's coldness, the Xiao family's compulsion and the queen mother's strength, these strong hatreds surged like a tide for a while, making Shen Shuzhao difficult to hide the unrest in his heart.

At this time, Gao Dezhong shouted in a loud voice: "Kneel-"

Shen Shuzhao retracted his thoughts, immediately knelt down with the others, and said respectfully: "The little woman sees Your Majesty, may the Queen Mother live forever, and be a thousand years old and healthy." ”

The sitting Queen Mother bowed her head, and Shen Shuzhao and the others got up.

The queen mother on the opposite side looks very energetic, although there are already a few strands of silver on her sideburns, but the corners of her lips are always slightly lightly curved, which seems to tell the world that even if she no longer deals with the government and stays away from the battle, she is still sitting firmly in the East Palace as a victor.

This made Shen Shuzhao and the three of them all straighten up one by one, for fear that they would be a little bad in front of this old ancestor.

I saw the Queen Mother casually putting one hand on the edge of the seat, wearing a heavy tortoiseshell inlaid jeweled flower nails, the color was calm and noble, and it was this hand alone that pinched the future of Shen Shuzhao's past life and this life.

"Sit down."

The Queen Mother raised her finger and said.