After a short rest, Gege returned to his room. Luo Qingsong tasted tea and ate snacks elegantly, and when he saw Gege coming in, he pulled her to sit down on a chair, and said with a smile: "It's better now?" ”

Gege said indifferently: "When am I not good?" ”

Luo Qingsong smiled evilly and said: "My sister never refuses to admit defeat in her mouth, but I am afraid that I will go out to breathe again in a while." ”

Gege said, "Just say it. ”

Luo Qingsong sat down with a smile and slowly explained the two major concubine factions in the palace. It turned out that in addition to the queen of the main palace, the concubines were divided into two major factions. One faction is headed by Concubine Li, and the other faction is headed by Concubine Zhuang. Concubine Li is shrewd and calculating, but she is very favored by the emperor. Concubine Zhuang is dignified and upright, and most of the grievances in the palace she can give up. For this reason, Concubine Li has many favored or unfavored concubines around her, and most of them surround Concubine Li, hoping to use Concubine Li to speak directly to see the emperor. Most of the concubines around Concubine Zhuang are unhappy and peaceful, and they have the meaning of gathering people for warmth.

Luo Qingsong has also heard a little about these two major factions. In fact, Gege and Concubine Zhuang have a very close relationship. During the Lantern Festival, Gege entered the palace to see the emperor according to custom. Qianlong was about to hold a family banquet and invited Gege to drink in the Old Summer Palace together. Gege was not keen on drinking banquets, but he had to reluctantly participate in it. At that time, in the Old Summer Palace, there were mostly royal dependents, and the concubines and ladies were clustered together. Gege doesn't like to be busy, so he only picks up remote places and sits down.

Two palace maids came over with a young woman in her twenties. When the young woman saw Gege sitting alone, she asked, "Why is my sister sitting alone?" ”

Gege saw that she was gorgeously dressed. Knowing that it was not a concubine but also a royal prince, he hurriedly got up and said: "Sister Ruoqing asked my sister to say goodbye, I don't know what to call my sister?" ”

The young woman smiled. He grabbed Gege's hand and shook it and said, "Who is my Tao so Peugeot?" It turned out to be our Qing Gege. My sister's maiden name is Qingxiu, if you want to say that, we all have Qing in our names, and we are all from Jiangning, but it's a big fate. ”

Gege said in his heart, if Jiang Ning came out, then he would not be the emperor. The royal family was born in Beijing. If it is a family member of the royal family, it is most likely the name of the flag, but this is not the name of the flag. It's Jiangning again, and most of them are the emperor's concubines, but they can't think of which concubine it is for a while. While he was pondering, a palace maid standing behind him said, "This is our master. She is known as Concubine Zhuang. ”

Only then did Gege come to his senses. Busy and saluted Concubine Zhuang again. Concubine Zhuang helped Gege up and sat side by side under the tree. Concubine Zhuang has an easy-going temperament, and her chat with Gege is very speculative. From then on, as long as Gege entered the palace, he always had to find time to visit Concubine Zhuang. Concubine Zhuang was lonely in the palace, and she also looked forward to Gege entering the palace, bringing some rare objects outside and telling some interesting things outside the palace.

Luo Qingsong groaned when he saw her. said: "I know that my sister has a very good relationship with Concubine Zhuang, but. Concubine Li reported the news through the high eunuch and was very favored by the emperor. It's not my brother, let me remind you, Concubine Li is not easy to mess with, and Eunuch Gao is not a soft persimmon, so it's better for my sister to provoke them less. ”

Gege said: "Ruoqing knows it in her heart. ”

Luo Qingsong said yes, smiled evilly, got up and walked in front of Gege. Gege panicked, and hurriedly turned his head to avoid him, afraid that he would mess around, so he only said, "What are you doing?" Sit well. ”

Luo Qingsong said: "What are you afraid of? I'm not going to eat you again. With that, he leaned a few inches closer to Gege's cheek. Gege only felt a burst of man's breath rushing towards her face, which made her heart beat unbearably, and she wanted to avoid it, but there was nowhere to avoid it, so she barely held it back and said calmly: "You get up, I'll go out for a walk." ”

Luo Qingsong wiped a few strokes on her cheeks with his hand and said, "How do these maids serve, the rouge has not been wiped off." ”

Gege's face turned even redder, shook off his hand, forced himself to stand up, and took a sip of herbal tea. Luo Qingsong sat down calmly, looking indifferent. Gege said in his heart, if the two of them continue to be alone like this, I don't know what will happen? It's good to have something to do here.

While thinking about it, Dark Xiang said outside the door: "Gege, Gonggong Li has something to say." ”

Gege was busy talking about it, and he didn't talk to Luo Qingsong, so he walked out of the house. Since there is no holy decree, Gege does not need to kowtow to receive the decree. Gonggong Li saluted Gege first, and then said: "The emperor said that the Dragon Boat Festival is coming, and he wants Qing Gege to enter the palace to eat zongzi." ”

Gege asked: "It's only the Dragon Boat Festival the day after tomorrow, why do you have to eat zongzi today?" ”

Gonggong Li laughed and said, "Qing Gege doesn't know. The emperor said that in previous years, zongzi were made by the imperial dining room, but this year I was tired of eating, and there was nothing interesting in the palace, so I simply had a zongzi competition. The harem concubines each made fresh zongzi, and then took it out to taste, and the person who won the first place was named Zongkui, and the emperor was rewarded; The second place was given to Zongya, and the emperor had a big prize; The third place is called Zongji, and the emperor is rewarded. For this grand event, all palaces have tried their best to find secret recipes. The slave just invited Gege into the palace by the emperor's order, but I am afraid that Gege wants to taste the zongzi together so that he can seal the zongkui. ”

Gege didn't know that Qianlong was so elegant, and he could make such a name for himself during the Dragon Boat Festival. Since there is an invitation in the palace, I have to go to the palace, and I will just meet Concubine Zhuang. So, Gege said: "Gonggong Li goes first, I'll clean up and enter the palace immediately." After that, he instructed Dark Fragrance and said, "Father-in-law Li has worked hard to send his father-in-law out." Dark incense replied yes, leading Gonggong Li out of the house. Before leaving, according to the custom, give him some errand silver.

I heard that there was a decree in the palace, and Hongcui also heard about it. Listening to the excitement in the palace at this time, he had long forgotten the unhappiness of yesterday, and came over with an arrow, grabbed Gege's sleeve, and shouted: "Hongcui is also going to the palace to play." ”

Gege said seriously: "I'm not in the mood today, let's talk about it another day." She lightly brought out Hongcui's original words in the morning, but it was also appropriate. Hongcui knew that she was cold, and shook Gege's sleeves with both hands and said delicately: "Gege, good Gege, you can support the boat in your belly, what do you have to do with Hongcui?" Do you take Hongcui into the palace to play once? ”

Gege couldn't resist her, so he had to nod his head in agreement. Hongcui was as happy as something, and was busy going into the house to change clothes. When she cleaned up, Dark Xiang had already arranged the sedan chair and waited for them to go out. Hongcui Fugege got on the sedan chair, accompanied by Dark Fragrance on horseback, and arrived outside the palace in a short time. Several people still entered the palace from outside the Xizhi Gate, and the dark incense could not accompany them, and they still sat down in the guard pantry outside the door. Fortunately, Gege often enters the palace, and Dark Xiang is already familiar with the guards, and he is not very lonely between jokes and ridicule.

After entering the palace, Gege first went to the Heart Cultivation Hall to see Qianlong. Qianlong asked some questions, and then said that the zongzi making competition would not be held until the afternoon, and at this time Gege was called in, but he wanted Gege to go to the palaces to check it, which was really a supervision, to see if someone was doing it or cheating. Gege's heart said, it's just a joke, why bother to stir up the crowd like this? However, in front of Qianlong, Gege didn't say anything, so he could only bow his head and agree.

After explaining the matter, the official department Shangshu entered the palace to report the matter of the spring, and Gegecha took the opportunity to leave. Coincidentally, just out of the Heart Cultivation Palace, Gege actually saw Gao Wuyong again. He was in such a hurry that he entered the temple as if he had not seen Gege. Gege only looked at him and didn't bother with him.

Hongcui followed Gege outside the hall, asked about the situation, and said: "People often say that the emperor has seventy-two concubines in three palaces and six courtyards, and Gege wants to inspect like this, but he is afraid that he will not be able to take care of it until dawn?" ”

Gege said: "Although there are many concubines in the palace, there are only one or twenty famous and purposeful. Besides, it's just a joke, and we don't have to pay much attention to it, but a cursory look is, who wants to be a serious overseer? ”

Hongcui nodded and said, "What Xiao Gege said is that let's check it casually, and then go to Sister Zhuang to play." Hongcui hadn't seen her for a few months, and she thought about it very much. Not to mention anything else, Sister Zhuang's needlework is very good, and the magpie on the purse is like the real one. Last time, Hongcui asked for one, and she said that she was just done with the distribution, and she would make another one for me another day. Entering the palace today, Hongcui is mostly here for the purse. ”

Gege was about to meet Concubine Zhuang, but he didn't have much to say. The two started with the concubine and checked them one by one. said it was a check, and it was mostly a greeting or two sentences. All the palaces knew that Qing Gege was sent by the emperor, and he was also very dear. Gege sat in the palaces for a while, and then went to Concubine Zhuang's Duanjing Palace. The Duanjing Palace is located in the northwest corner of the harem, which is remote and quiet, so it is called the Duanjing Palace. Hongcui has also come to Duanjing Palace a few times, the path is familiar, she led the way, leading Gege straight to Duanjing Palace.

It happened that at the hedge outside the palace, I saw the maid Juye beside Concubine Zhuang. Hongcui flew over, hugged Juye in a big arms, and said with a smile: "Sister Juye, I miss you to death." ”

When she was hugged into her arms, Ju Ye was taken aback, and after seeing that it was Hongcui, she slapped her on the back and reprimanded: "You girl, you mess around all day long, you hug people when you see them, and everyone outside the palace greets her like this?" ”

Hongcui let go of the chrysanthemum leaf and smiled: "That's not true." Seeing that the chrysanthemum leaves grew like a peugeot, Hongcui couldn't help but want to hug them. ”

Juye was amused by her and said with a smile: "You girl, this mouth never suffers." You entered the palace by yourself? Why didn't Qinggege come? ”

Hongcui pursed her lips and said, "Why didn't you come?" Gege is just behind. ”

Kikuba looked up and saw Gege walking over unhurriedly. Ju Ye put aside the red cui, approached Gege, put his hands on his left knee, bent his right leg slightly, Ying Ying said to Wanfu: "Ju Ye, please Gege'an!" ”

Gege bowed his head and said, "That's it, your master can be inside?" ”

Juye got up and replied, "My master is in the house, Gege here, please." ”

Gege said: "You go and do your own business, don't worry about us." ”

Kikuba replied yes, bowed his head and sent Gege over, then turned to leave. Hongcui led Gege through the hedge and into the Duanjing Palace. A rough palace maid walked out of the room with a basin of clothes, saw Gege come in, and stood aside waiting for Gege to enter. Gege was about to Hongcui to go in to pray, but he didn't want to come out of it again, and when he saw Gege coming in, he hurriedly said to the inside: "Master Zhuang, Qing Gege is here." ”

Concubine Zhuang in the room replied gently: "Please come in!" ”

Gege was led by the golden flower and entered the palace of Concubine Zhuang proudly. (To be continued......)