Concubine Zhuang is just over twenty years old, with a full moon face, a pair of big round eyes, and pink lips without powder. Gege went in and saluted Concubine Zhuang as usual. Concubine Zhuang stepped over first, took Gege's hand and said, "It's all your own people, sister, don't be formal." Gege was pulled by Concubine Zhuang and sat on the chair hand in hand. Golden Flower Offering Tea.

Concubine Zhuang said: "Just now Juye came back and told me that the emperor sent a supervisor for this zongzi competition. I also said, this palace is not better than the outside of the palace, what kind of supervisor do you want? It's not the imperial court to select talents, so it's not so publicized, right? Sister, I never thought my sister was the overseer. I had known that my sister should have prepared a big banquet to bribe my sister. ”

Hongcui couldn't help but say: "Sister Concubine Zhuang is right, if it weren't for my sister, Hongcui would not be rare to enter the palace." Nuoda's garden, you can't enter it, you can't get out, except that the palace maid is a eunuch, what's there to play? Hongcui I just want my purse. ”

Concubine Zhuang smiled: "I have already prepared Sister Hongcui's purse. Saying that, Concubine Zhuang instructed Jinhua: "Bring me the purse of 'Spring Red and Summer Cui' that I embroidered a few days ago." Jinhua agreed, and went into the inner room to get her purse. Concubine Zhuang said again: "The purse was embroidered a few days ago, and I said that I would send it to Jinxiulan for Hongcui, and Sister Keke Hongcui came." Sister, what I promised my sister, when did I rely on it? ”

Hongcui bent her knees and said deeply, and said, "Thank you, Sister Zhuang!" Another day, Hongcui will prepare some news outside the palace to tell Sister Zhuang. took Concubine Zhuang's sister's purse, Hongcui was very embarrassed, and those news rights outside the palace were given away for nothing. Don't give you half a penny. ”

Concubine Zhuang smiled at Gege: "What a girl trained by my sister!" Do you want to be rewarded for telling some news? ”

Gege said: "The red girl has a mouth, but my sister won't bother with her. ”

At this time, Jinhua took out the 'Spring Red and Summer Cui' purse from the inner room. In the hands of Concubine Zhuang. The background color of this purse is pierced with red silk, and a golden fox in the green is poking its head out of the forest, which is a portrayal of red cui. The purse is set off with red, green and gold, and the color is very good-looking. Not to mention that Concubine Zhuang's handiwork is very exquisite, people like Gege who came from a silk family can't find the slightest fault.

Gege took the purse handed over by Concubine Zhuang and carefully examined it. admired and said: "My sister's female celebrity, I'm afraid that the Qing Dynasty won't be able to find a second one." ”

Hongcui raised her eyebrows and snatched it from under the seat to see the purse. Gege threw it at her and said, "Look at you, you're in a hurry." Here you go. ”

Hongcui took the purse in her hand and put it in her arms. Chrysanthemum came in from outside, holding a plate in his hand, and the inside was full of zongzi. This zongzi competition. Duanjing Palace is naturally no exception. Concubine Zhuang laughed at herself and said: "Let's talk about needlework." Sister, I still have some confidence. But when it comes to food, sister, I'm really not the opponent of Kira Palace. ”

Kira Palace is the palace where Concubine Li lived. Qiluo Palace is in the southeast corner of the harem, close to the Summer Palace, and the scenery everywhere is better than Duanjing Palace. Concubine Li of Qiluo Palace was born in Suzhou, and she is good at making some exquisite dishes to make the emperor happy, and with her clever mouth, she can be regarded as a very proud master in the harem.

Gege persuaded and said: "It's nothing more than a trouble, why should my sister be worried? The emperor is just trying to have fun. My sister can deal with it, can she really want this dumpling to be famous? ”

Juye put the zongzi in front of Concubine Zhuang. Concubine Zhuang peeled a zongzi and gave it to Gege and said, "Sister, try the zongzi I wrapped first, but I can't pass the test?" ”

Gege took a bite, tasted it carefully and said, "My sister made osmanthus and jujube paste stuffing?" ”

Concubine Zhuang said: "My sister is right, my sister can't make other stuffed zongzi, only this osmanthus jujube paste stuffing is often made at home, so it is easier to do." ”

Gege ate half of it, and gave the rest to Hongcui. Hongcui swallowed two bites in three bites, and begged for two more to eat, and praised in her mouth: "Not bad, yes, I love to eat zongzi the most." If I were the emperor, I would be the first to evaluate Concubine Zhuang's sister's zongzi. ”

Concubine Zhuang said with a smile: "As the saying goes, eat other people's soft mouths, and take other people's soft hands." This is the most appropriate thing to use for Sister Hongcui. ”

Hongcui pouted, snorted, pulled the chrysanthemum leaf with one hand, and pulled the golden flower with the other and said: "You know that the cold Hongcui, Hongcui is angry and doesn't play with you." Let's go, I'll hang out with these two sisters and give you a chance to count me down. After that, he took the chrysanthemum leaves and the golden flower out of the door. Hongcui was originally clever, and pulling out the chrysanthemum leaves and golden flowers was nothing more than asking them to say something close to themselves.

When the three of them went out, Gege Zhengse said: "Ruoqing is about to ask my sister, my sister is good-hearted, why can't she get along with Master Li?" ”

Speaking of Concubine Li, Concubine Zhuang sighed and said: "My sister doesn't know, it's not that my sister can't get along with her, but she is looking for her sister's bad luck." Speaking of that, my sister still has a chill in my heart. ”

Gege asked, "What the hell is going on?" Ruoqing had never heard her sister mention it. ”

Concubine Zhuang got up, walked around the house, sat down again, and said an old thing in a low voice. Speaking of which, Concubine Zhuang and Concubine Li were both drafted into the palace in the first year of Qianlong. It is said that the relationship between the two should be closer than that of other concubines in the palace. Concubine Zhuang is peaceful by nature and is as affectionate to everyone, but this concubine likes to form gangs. At the beginning, she wanted to entrap Concubine Zhuang, but Concubine Zhuang didn't get on her thief ship, so she co-opted other concubines and became her own faction. During the Lantern Festival in the second year of Qianlong, there was a pair of phoenix hairpins missing from the palace of Concubine Li. Coco, this phoenix hairpin, was found in Concubine Zhuang's palace. Concubine Li said well, there are many things the same in the world, can't there be two pairs of identical phoenixes in this palace? Concubine Zhuang was honest, and admitted that she didn't have this kind of phoenix hairpin in her palace, who dared to steal it in? For this reason, Concubine Zhuang interrogated the maids in the palace, but after all, she didn't find out one or two. Concubine Zhuang returned the phoenix hairpin to Concubine Li, and personally went to the palace to apologize, thinking that this matter would end here, but Concubine Zhuang never thought that the next day, the emperor went to Duanjing Palace to reprimand Concubine Zhuang, saying that Concubine Zhuang was not strict in discipline and connived at the theft of things. Concubine Zhuang was scolded head-on, and she was very annoyed in her heart. She said in her heart, when she saw Concubine Li last night, she also said well, what is a pair of phoenix hairpins worth? But after a night passed, it was all over the palace, what was going on?

Gege listened to Concubine Zhuang Wanwan tell this old story, and said in a deep voice: "Sister said so, this pair of phoenix hairpins is stolen goods, presumably Concubine Li deliberately brought them in?" ”

Concubine Zhuang smiled faintly and said, "At that time, I had just been favored by the emperor, and Concubine Li was not angry in her heart, and she wanted to damage my reputation. It can be seen that her scheming is not comparable to ours. ”

Speaking of this, Gege thought of what Luo Qingsong said before, but this thing involves privacy in the palace, and it is difficult to speak. She thought about it for a while, and had to ask in a roundabout way: "The emperor was originally an amorous person, and he favored Concubine Li or for a while, but it was difficult to last long." ”

Concubine Zhuang said: "My sister is right. The emperor has countless favors around him, how can he focus on one person? In recent years, Concubine Li has also fallen out of favor. ”

Gege said again: "I'm afraid that a person with a strong heart like Concubine Li will be lost? Loneliness in the palace, how to get rid of it? ”

Concubine Zhuang didn't know the meaning of the aphorism, knowing that there was no one in the room, she said with confidence: "She is not lonely, she is not lonely, someone will spare her." ”

Gege exclaimed: "What do you say about my sister? ”

Concubine Zhuang waved her hand and motioned for Gege to come forward and speak. Gege got up, put his ear in front of Concubine Zhuang, and heard Concubine Zhuang say softly: "There are many rumors in the palace that Gonggong Gao and Concubine Li are close. This matter is unseemly, everyone knows it, and only the emperor and the queen are hidden. ”

Gege was taken aback and whispered, "This is a crime of murder." How dare they do that? Besides, Gonggong Gao is a eunuch, how can he do things for men and women? ”

Concubine Zhuang's face flushed, pushed Gege away and said, "My sister is not married yet, and it is not easy for my sister to talk about such a thing." In short, eunuchs also have the methods of eunuchs. ”

Gege sat down again and said: "Ruoqing also often hears that the palace is cold, and there are many eunuchs and palace maids who pretend to be husband and wife, which is called a pair of food, and it is lonely. The emperor may know, so he will turn a blind eye to the past. But the eunuchs and the emperor's concubines are like this, so they can't pass with one eye open. Not to mention the matter of fake couples and real couples, this royal dignity alone can't get by. If the emperor knew, he was afraid that he would lose his head. ”

Concubine Zhuang sighed and said: "This matter was originally our sister's intimate words, my sister has to think about it, just talk about it in this house, if I say it, my sister and I can't hang it on my face." Although I disdain Concubine Li's behavior, I want to hurt her life, and I will never do it. ”

Gege saw that Concubine Zhuang was righteous and strict, so he had to say yes. As he spoke, Hongcui's shouting was heard outside the door. Concubine Zhuang smiled: "Hongcui, this girl, my sister has been trained for so long, and her temperament has not changed at all. If it's outside the palace, it's okay, but if it's in the palace, sooner or later you will be punished. ”

Gege said: "What my sister said is true. Hongcui, this girl is so natural, she can only wait for the next life to change. Saying that, he told Concubine Zhuang about Gonggong Gao's trip to Jinxiulan the day before yesterday. Concubine Zhuang heard Hongcui kick Gao Shuang's life, covered her mouth and smiled, and said: "Hongcui, this girl should really take care of it, such nonsense will suffer sooner or later." ”

Hongcui pushed the door and said, "Can't hide that you are talking bad about Hongcui behind your back?" What did Hongcui offend you about? ”

Concubine Zhuang smiled and said, "No one says anything bad about you." I said to your master, Hongcui, this girl is not young, and she should find someone to take care of her. Marry and give birth to a few dolls as soon as possible, and this temperament will be more restrained. ”

If it was a girl from another family, her face would naturally turn red when she heard this. But Hongcui didn't care, and said refreshingly: "Sister Concubine Zhuang looks up to Hongcui, whose man dares to ask for Hongcui?" An unsatisfactory person is about to be kicked, but he doesn't want to die? Hongcui, I, I will follow my master as an old girl for the rest of my life. ”

Concubine Zhuang and Gege both smiled. At this time, Kikuye said, "Lunch is ready, please invite the master and Qing Gege to eat." ”

Concubine Zhuang got up and took Gege's hand and said, "Come, let's talk after dinner." (To be continued......)