"Holy Lord, today's New Year's Day, please go up to the palace of the concubine to rest." After the simple and royal family banquet, the queen looked at the slightly drunk Mu Jianyu and was affectionate.

"It's cold, the queen has to take care of her body, I still haven't finished the excerpts. You Dexing, Fu Zhen back to the imperial study. Mu Jianyu rejected the queen, at this time he just wanted to stay alone, and miss Concubine Yun for the last time in the paralysis of alcohol.

"Yes." Gonggong You supported Mu Jianyu and walked out of the hall step by step.

Two lines of tears ran down the queen's cheeks. I can't count how many times Mu Jianyu has rejected herself, but she knows that Mu Jianyu will never forgive her in this life, just because she was negligent for a while, and she didn't find out that Concubine Yun was pregnant in time, so that there was an accident. Since Concubine Yun passed away, Mu Jianyu has never given her a good face, she is the queen in front of people, and Mu Jianyu is a loving couple with eyebrows, but behind her back, Mu Jianyu abandoned her like a mustard. It's been three years, because of the Queen Mother, Mu Jianyu had to go to her palace to spend the night on the fifteenth day of the new year, but every time, Mu Jianyu didn't allow her to be close, and ordered someone to strip her naked clothes, kneeling naked outside the tent, and couldn't sleep peacefully. They don't have a bed to share a bed for a long time.

"Sister, do we have to get up early tomorrow?" Qiu Tang took off his shoes and climbed into bed. The fire in the house is burning brightly today, and it is as warm as spring.

"You don't have to wake up early throughout the New Year." Luzhu responded absentmindedly.

"Sister, don't you have to get up early for a whole month?" Qiu Tang was a little unconvinced, sat up and grabbed Lu Zhu's hand.

"yes. When did I lie to you? Lu Zhu barely squeezed out a smile, and reached out to scratch Qiu Tang's little nose.

"Sister, aren't you happy?" Qiu Tang saw the sadness in Lu Zhu's eyes.

"Alas, you're still young." Lu Zhu rubbed Qiu Tang's hair, turned around and got out of bed, walked to a few older girls, didn't say a word, just held hands, and watched silently, as if the eyebrows that get along day and night can never be enough.

"Green bamboo, take good care of your sisters. Alas, they are all hard-working girls. The voices of the girls were very low, but every word fell clearly in Qiu Tang's ears. Reflecting the candle flame, Qiu Tang saw that their eyes were bright, like stars in the night sky in summer.

"Sister, where are you going?" Qiu Tang climbed out of bed, couldn't even wear his shoes, and stumbled over.

"Qiu Tang doesn't cry, and he doesn't cry his nose under the New Year. We're older, and we're old enough to marry someone, and we'll be laughed at if we don't marry. The eldest girl, Lisha, wiped Qiu Tang's slightly wet eyelashes. She only told Qiu Tang that she wanted to marry someone, but she didn't tell Qiu Tang that if no one wanted it, she would be sold to the Qinglou and reduced to a plaything.

The night was so short that the sisters didn't say a few words, and the day dawned.

I only heard the five watch drums playing on the upper floor, and Lisha, who had not slept all night, and several other girls of the same age began to dress up.

Under the gaze of the sisters, they put on new clothes, tied up the waist-length green silk, inserted the pearl and jade jade, painted the willow leaf thin eyebrows, dotted the red lips, put on the pearl and green earrings, and the hands were deliberately maintained by Xu's mother for more than two months, at this time they looked white and tender, and the smooth and slender nails on the ten onion tube-like fingers were also dyed with dancôme by Xu's mother a few days ago, reflecting the faint morning light and the dancing candle flame, which looked charming and moving.

"It's time to go." Risa straightened her clothes and stood up.

Green Bamboo and Qiu Tang were a few half-grown girls who hugged Lisha and they walked to the door. No one spoke, and everyone held their breath, for fear that if they were relieved, their tears would not be able to be controlled.

"Yo, the girls are up?" Mother Xu came to the small courtyard where the girls lived with a hand stove and a brown fox fur cloak.

"Happy New Year, Mom! Blessed mom. Hearing Xu's mother's voice, the girls hurriedly stood up, deeply blessed.

"Lisha, you guys are starting to prepare to go out today, and Mom's dowry here is ready for you. Alright, now that you're all dressed up, let's take my sisters to breakfast. After breakfast, let's go to the Warm Fragrance Pavilion. ”

"Yes." All the girls are blessed.

Warm Xiang Pavilion is a small courtyard next to the gate of Linglong Pavilion, there is only one room in it, there is only a long wooden bench in the house, every New Year, the big families in Lingcheng will meet to choose a concubine room in this Warm Fragrance Pavilion, the girls don't have to do anything, just sit on the stool, wait for someone to pick it up. If it is picked by any master, you have to write your name on the flower note that is handed into the house, and then set the price by Xu's mother, and the buyer pays the silver, even if the girl is decided, after the first month, the buyer will send a small sedan chair in Tsing Yi to Linglong Pavilion to carry people away. If he is not picked, he will be sold into Caifeng Building by Xu's mother after the first month, and he will fall into Fireworks Willow Lane from then on.

"Mother Xu is auspicious." Wan Liangjin smiled all over his face and made a false salute.

This Wan Liangjin is the shopkeeper of Lingcheng Wanjin Xiang Silk Village, he has long passed the age of not being confused, he is sleek and cunning and lustful, and he always has a small gold abacus hanging on his waist, and he has a jade wrench in his hand all the year round.

"Eh, Wan Ye is auspicious, hurry up and be exempt, you can always break the old body!" Mother Xu hurriedly turned sideways and helped her up from the side, "Which girl in our family is Wan Ye thinking about again?" Tell me to hear it, and I'll keep it quietly for you. ”

"Mother Xu is so hearted, then I have to take a good look." With that, Wan Liangjin stepped into the Warm Fragrance Pavilion and ran straight into the house.

"Mother Xu, are we still the same old rules?" There were already people waiting there in the courtyard.

"Old rules, old rules. Who does Qi Ye have a crush on? As soon as Mother Xu raised her head, Qi Yang, the owner of the big rice village in Huizeyuan in the east of the city, was raising her eyebrows at herself.

"I've asked for this name, can my mother make a price?" Qi Yang handed over a piece of note.

"Lotus heart, twenty taels." Mother Xu looked at the flower note, with a reluctant face.

"Come on, Mother Xu, you can keep this lotus-hearted girl for me, and I will send someone to pick it up at the beginning of next month." Qi Yangle turned into the Linglong Pavilion and asked the power master to pay the money.

"Mother Duan, take the lotus heart down, you've bothered a lot this month." Mother Xu beckoned to a woman about fifty years old.

"Yes." Duan's mother entered the house and took the lotus heart out.

"Mom." Lianxin called, and tears rolled down uncontrollably.

"Don't cry under the New Year. Go with Duan's mother, she will teach you what to do in the future. Mother Xu closed her eyes, as if she couldn't bear to see the scene in front of her.

One day, the green bamboo and Qiu Tang who were on the courtyard wall saw Duan's mother bring out five or six girls from the Warm Fragrance Pavilion one after another. When night fell, there were still seven or eight left in the Warm Incense Pavilion.

"Ming'er has changed her clothes, put on her makeup more carefully, and she gives me a little smile on her face! Don't cry with a sad face, I tell you, if you can't sell yourself, you will cry in the future! Now go back to sleep! Mother Xu stood in the Warm Fragrance Pavilion with a smile and admonished her, and left with a gloomy face.

Risa sighed and took the rest of her sisters back to Linglong Pavilion from the corner gate.

This kind of excitement is only two or three days, after all, there are only a few families in Lingcheng who can afford the girls of Linglong Pavilion. For the rest of the day, the two people who were left behind, Lisha and Qingwan, sat alone in the Warm Fragrance Pavilion, letting the cold wind carry the snowflakes into their arms, even if their hands and feet were cold, they were not allowed to leave the stool for half a step.

"Lord, Mrs., she ......"

"What's wrong with her?" Zhang Qingyan was flirting and scolding in the study with Yue Shumei in her arms, and she couldn't help but be a little annoyed when she was interrupted by Zhang Chun.

"Madame, she's dead."

"Dead?" Zhang Qingyan couldn't believe his ears. He let go of the beauty in his arms and stared at Zhang Chun with his eyes, "How did you die?"

"I heard Madame's personal maid say that for more than a month, Madame has locked herself in the firewood room all day long, washed her face with tears, and rarely eats rice, and she has been muddy all day.

"Under the big year, it's really unlucky!" Zhang Qingyan frowned, paused for a moment, Zhang Qingyan turned his head and saw Yue Shumei, "Go, prepare to go down, today help Shumei as the eldest wife, let the family prepare to salute, and rush to the bad luck." ”

"Master, under this great mourning...... It's not in order. Butler Zhang Chun boldly persuaded.

"The rules are made by men." Zhang Qingyan snorted coldly and interrupted Zhang Chun's words, "The Fang family was not the original wife, but it was Rou'er and Wan'er's biological mother who died of illness, and she became good friends with her, so she was asked to take care of the family affairs, and now she is more and more jealous, and she has not given birth to a son and a half daughter, my Zhang family has been kind to her for many years, and she has done her best, and I have written a letter of resignation to send to her mother's family on the day she entered the firewood room." Zhang Qingyan took a sip of tea and paused, "Go ahead, let the family prepare to salute the new lady." ”

"Yes." Zhang Chun had no choice but to leave.

It's February. Early in the morning, Lisha and Qingwan were called to the front hall by Xu's mother: "What you are wearing and wearing, I don't want you to return it to me, there are two silver coins here, just use them as your money to redeem yourself in the future." If it's not enough, find a way to save some for yourself. After breakfast, follow me to Caifeng Tower. ”

"Thank you mom for her many years of nurturing." Lisha and Qingwan both knelt down and kowtowed to Xu's mother three times.

"Go ahead." Mother Xu waved her hand and closed her eyes, as if she couldn't bear it. Risa and Kiyowan got up and exited the antechamber.

After about a cup of tea, Lisha and Qingwan both came to the front hall.

"Let's go." Mother Xu noticed that someone was approaching, opened her eyes, put down the rosary in her hand, and looked at it from head to foot again before she ordered to leave.

Li Sha and Qing Wan didn't say a word, lowered their hands and followed behind Xu's mother, and left Linglong Pavilion.

"Sister, Sister Lisha, where are they going?" Qiu Tang, who was lying on the wall, looked puzzled.

"Caifeng Tower." Green Bamboo's voice was full of despair.

This is the second time Qiu Tang has heard of Caifeng Tower, the place where the legend can touch the sky.