Chapter 15: Nightfall
At night in the first night of the palace, some people fall asleep with anticipation, others are restless, and others begin to look at things and think about people.
Shen Shuzhao took off the hairpin ring on his sideburns, and after dismissing the palace maid, he slowly paced to the door in the dead of night.
Late at night, she was dressed in plain clothes, only covered with a cloak of flowers and clouds, the wind gently blew the tips of her hair, but she still only looked in one direction and remained motionless.
That's the direction of the Golden Hazma.
Shen Shuzhao sighed softly, turned around and pushed the door into the inner room.
She sat down in her chair slowly, remembering how long ago it had been a long time ago when she had often looked in this direction with such a person outside the door in her previous life. It seems that I haven't done anything like this since I was reborn.
In fact, it's not that I can't let go of that familiar place, it's just like the best memories of my past and present lives are placed there.
The golden wisp palace, the plum blossoms are in full bloom, and after the night of the winter snowfall, the ground is scorching and blooming, and he will wear a brocade fur cloak and brave the wind and snow from the Yang Palace to accompany the woman to enjoy the flowers.
Although she came to accompany someone, it was not her Shen Shuzhao who took the initiative every time.
In the memory, it will always be the woman's gentle smile like water, standing in the snow and looking at herself like a sister, for the Shen Mansion that came out of the cold winter ice cellar, except for her own mother, she has never experienced such tenderness.
Shen Shuzhao closed her eyes, so many scenes, she didn't dare to relive them for a long time.
She would often wonder if she was reborn, but if she lost all her good memories.
No...... It should be said that there are many good memories that only you know, but the other party doesn't know anything and has never experienced it.
Why did you be born again? She believes that things always have a cause and an effect, and that since something unexplainable has happened, there must be a reason for it to happen.
The candlelight was extinguished, and the room was suddenly shrouded in darkness, and Shen Shuzhao fell into a long contemplation.
At this time, outside her window, there were people not far away who were paying attention to every move inside for a long time.
Shen Xiaozhao glanced at Shen Shuzhao's room opposite, which had changed from light to darkness, she snorted coldly and sat opposite the eldest sister.
"I thought she would be as late as we did, and it seems that it is not unusual for her to enter the palace for the first time."
Shen Zhuangzhao selected the beaded jewelry in the enamel wood carving box of tomorrow, and did not answer, Shen Xiaozhao stretched out his hand and shook it in front of her: "Eldest sister!" ”
Finally, Shen Zhuangzhao glanced up at Shen Xiaozhao and asked, "What's the matter?" ”
Shen Xiaozhao propped his elbows on the table and said curiously, "What did the Queen Mother tell you?" ”
After Shen Zhuangzhao heard it, his eyes sank, and he replied: "There is nothing." ”
"There must be," Shen Xiaozhao got up and sat down beside Shen Zhuangzhao, holding her left hand and coquettishly said: "The Queen Mother must say that the eldest sister is beautiful and smart, and she will definitely be the candidate for the imperial concubine, and after entering the palace, she will be the position of the concubine." ”
Hearing this, the corners of Shen Zhuangzhao's mouth lifted slightly, and he didn't say anything.
Shen Xiaozhao continued to talk to himself: "Today, the Queen Mother told me to let me stay here with peace of mind, and the three princes will come to see her in a few days, and the Queen Mother said that she will bring me to invite the three princes to a banquet that day!" Eldest sister, do you mean the Queen Mother......"
Her eyes shone towards Shen Zhuangzhao, Shen Zhuangzhao smiled, and looked at the person in front of him helplessly: "How old are you, you start thinking about these things." ”
"The eldest sister is going to marry the emperor, can't you let the younger sister think about how to marry?" Shen Xiaozhao said while shaking the eldest sister's arm.
Shen Zhuangzhao glanced at her, then looked at the box of beads and rouge on the table, sighed and said, "It's all something that hasn't been recognized yet, what you said is as if it's true." The emperor is the Son of Heaven, and the Son of Heaven has his own reasons for choosing who he chooses in the end. ”
Shen Xiaozhao casually continued: "For the Son of Heaven, there are many beautiful people in the world who can ask for a lot, but there are very few beauties like the eldest sister. ”
After Shen Zhuangzhao heard this, he frowned slightly, and Shen Xiaozhao continued: "If the eldest sister is in the sixth palace, she will be glamorous, thinking about the first beauty in the harem back then, Li Roufei, with what kind of posture has made the Son of Heaven favored for several years, and almost spread among the folk that it is similar to Wei Zifu's original 'no joy in giving birth to a man, and no anger in giving birth to a girl', but when we were children, we also saw her next to the emperor who was still the prince when we first entered the palace with my mother, and now it is really not as good as the eldest sister." ”
After finishing speaking, she smiled and took Shen Zhuangzhao's jade hand, and then said as ingeniously as she did in the Shen Mansion: "But in the end, she didn't end up with a ruined family and was given white silk!" The eldest sister is more beautiful than her, and she will be more blessed than her! ”
Facing Shen Xiaozhao, who was full of anticipation, Shen Zhuangzhao reluctantly smiled at her, a little gloomy but hidden in his eyes.
"It's not too early, Xiaozhao will go back to the room first. Maybe you can see the emperor in a few days, and the eldest sister must be dressed up brightly, so that the Son of Heaven should also open his eyes! ”
After saying this mischievously, Shen Xiaozhao quickly flashed out of the room as if he was afraid of hiding from Shen Zhuangzhao's play.
Shen Zhuangzhao, who was left to sit in the room, faced the quiet and bright room without people, but he didn't feel a little funny.
Shen Xiaozhao, who left the eldest sister's room, returned to his room, and the palace maid who stayed in the house immediately saluted when she saw her, "You all go out." Shen Xiaozhao said, his eyes passed over to them, and he walked straight to a cabinet.
After those palace maids retreated, Shen Xiaozhao also took out a small box inside, and after opening it, it was all some beaded jewelry and other things, although each was exquisitely made, but it was dwarfed by any of Shen Zhuangzhao's outstanding accessories.
She picked up one of them, pinched and played with it, and muttered to herself, "These things sent by the Shen Mansion...... I can't fault a single not. But good sister, since you already knew that the eldest lady was partial, why did you deliberately put it out for me to see? ”
After saying that, her gaze turned cold for a moment, and she smashed a piece of jewelry to the ground.
Shen Xiaozhao casually threw the box on the bed, and then went to other cabinets to rummage through something, until she took out another inconspicuous simple box, she gently opened it, and instantly the dazzling light reflected into her eyes.
A box full of luxurious gold ornaments comparable to Shen Zhuangzhao entered Shen Xiaozhao's eyes without omission, she hugged the box and smiled happily.
Like a kid with a sweet tooth.
No one knew that it was something she had secretly brought with her.
On the other side, Shen Zhuang Zhao hadn't come to his senses for a long time, and a palace maid walked in and whispered to the distracted beauty in front of her: "Miss, you should rest early." ”
Shen Zhuangzhao looked at the palace maid, and then at the jewelry box on the table, his eyes were not so gloomy than before, but there was still an unknown feeling, and he only heard her say sadly: "Take the things on the table." ”
"Yes."
The palace maid quickly put away the jewelry and boxes scattered on the table and put them back in their original places, and then Shen Zhuangzhao got up and began to change clothes.
The candle went out, and a qiē entered the darkness.
In the early morning of the first day of the palace, the early sun hung into the rhombic window, Shen Shuzhao sat in front of the Luodian bronze mirror, and Lu Rong and Huizhuang were painting her eyebrows and putting on makeup.
Ruoyun walked in from outside the jade curtain, brought something with him, respectfully raised his hand and put it in front of Shen Shuzhao, and said to her, "Second Miss, this is something given by the Queen Mother today." ”
Shen Shuzhao turned his head to see that it was a peach blossom jade bead flower, with excellent color and luster, and at first glance it was something made by the royal jade craftsman.
"Eldest sister, do they have it too?"
"Second Miss Hui, yes."
"Thank you for me, the Queen Mother, since you have such a good bead flower, then Lu Rong, you can draw a peach blossom makeup on my forehead."
Lu Rong nodded yes, and began to pick up a pen to put on makeup for her forehead, while Huizhuang behind her picked up her hanging sideburns, and pinned the peach blossom and jade beads given by the Queen Mother on both sides of her hair, and the peach-colored petals between Shen Shuzhao's forehead reflected each other, and the rouge was stacked, sweeping the pear vortex, and emitting a burst of fat fragrance from her.
Shen Shuzhao chose a lilac-colored auspicious cloud collared top, with a moon-white water-patterned skirt underneath, and the skirt seemed to ripple when she walked with lotus steps. Although this purple and blue color can't set off her to the extreme, it can also highlight her own soft temperament.
She stroked her sideburns gently, she knew that the news of the Queen Mother's three nieces entering the palace yesterday must have spread around in the harem, and it was hotly discussed.
No matter what, you can't lose the impression of the first side.
Although he had already met with that group of women in his previous life, and he couldn't be more familiar with each other's personalities, but now he has to do it all over again.
When Shen Shuzhao walked out of the house, she happened to see Shen Xiaozhao coming out behind Shen Zhuangzhao, she glanced at it hurriedly, and then looked back in disbelief, and then was stunned.
Because Shen Zhuangzhao only wore a very elegant waist-length skirt, and only the beaded flowers given by the Queen Mother were inserted in her sideburns, and there was no other makeup, which was completely different from her appearance of changing three beaded hostas every day in the Shen Mansion in the past.
"Since they're all here, let's go." Shen Zhuangzhao said with a haggard face.
Shen Shuzhao didn't say anything, and led the palace maid to keep a distance behind her.
Although the relationship between the three has never been close, they at least have to maintain peace on the surface in the palace, such as going together to ask the Queen Mother for peace and the like.
Along the way, the three of them had no words.
The Queen Mother's Yongshou Hall is in front, Shen Shuzhao took a deep breath, because she vaguely looked at the palace gate of the Yongshou Hall below from the corridor of the side hall, there were many concubines' steps, it seems that today's Yongshou Hall will be very lively.
Just after the corner, a person appeared in front of everyone, it was Gao Dezhong, the eunuch next to the Queen Mother.
"Slaves and maids to the young ladies to say goodbye," Gao Dezhong cleared his throat, bowed down and said: "The Queen Mother is in the palace to meet the concubines, concubines, concubines, concubines, concubines, Gu Meiren, Qi Meiren, Wang Meiren, Yan Cairen, Tao Cairen, Jiang Cainu and Tao Cainu, I am afraid that the hour will be delayed for a long time, so I specially let the slave and maid convey the meaning of the mother here, so that the young ladies are exempted from asking for peace today, and then have lunch with the Queen Mother at noon." ”
Shen Shuzhao squeezed out a kind smile: "...... Got it, eunuch high, please go back. ”
"The Queen Mother still has something to tell the slave maid, so I will leave first." After speaking, Gao Dezhong saluted and turned to leave.
Shen Xiaozhao looked at the Yongshou Palace, her face showed deep resentment, she took Shen Zhuangzhao's hand and asked, "Eldest sister, where should we go now?" ”
Shen Zhuangzhao said: "Now that the lotus flowers are in full bloom in June, why don't you go to enjoy the flowers together with the sisters, second sister, do you think it's good?" ”
said this sentence in a faint tone, and when anyone heard it in this Changle Palace, they really thought that they were sisters who got along very well.
"No need," Shen Shuzhao refused with a smile, she knew that Shen Zhuangzhao was just pretending, "My sister is a little unwell, so I'll go back first." ”
After saying this, Shen Zhuang Zhao said a few more words to her, and after greatly expressing the eldest sister's concern for the younger sister in front of the queen mother's palace people, he left with Shen Xiaozhao.
Shen Shuzhao was not in a hurry to leave, she turned her head and looked into the distance, there was still an endless stream of people coming at the gate of Changle Palace at this time.
In just one night, their entry into the palace caused a lot of movement in the entire harem, and it seems that the queen mother's thoughts are already known to everyone.
The concubines' greetings today are earlier than ever, and she doesn't believe it if there is nothing to say about the queen here.
But the queen didn't come today, maybe she just asked the others to come and test the water.
"Let's go."
Shen Shuzhao said as he walked in the direction opposite to the Yongshou Hall with a few palace maids from Huizhuang.
Anyway, from today onwards, the show has been staged.