In the mansion of the Anju Governor's Palace, a graceful and luxurious woman is sitting on the flower couch of the Red Art Troupe as a female worker, and she uses the superb skill of applique embroidery to sew up the torn round-necked narrow-sleeved robe and long silk hakama, and wears it on the body to look seamless from the outside, still the same as new.

The personal maid praised again and again: "Wow, the mother's needlework is so ingenious!" Slaves and maids are not in case of emergency. The embroidery around the robe corresponds neatly, not bad at all! ”

A middle-aged man came over and said, "Why do you have to work hard yourself? There are many clothes in the fragrant wood cabinet, and there is no shortage of this one. The woman sighed and said, "After a tour of the former virtuous country and family, it has become a matter of diligence and thrift. The richer you are, the more cautious you are! The virtues of diligence and thrift, hard work and simplicity will never go out of fashion! ”

The middle-aged man smiled: "That's right, A-Niang's words are always so reasonable!" Hehe. The woman said, "Let my son be one with what he does, and not go in and out of his left ear, or only know and not practice." ”

The middle-aged man took the sewn round-necked narrow-sleeved robe and put it on his body, and sighed: "Mother's hand is threaded, and the wanderer's shirt is topped." Before leaving, I am afraid that I will return late. Whoever says an inch is careless, and he will be rewarded with three springs! Ah Niang, Yun Mengze is fun, let's go on a tour together another day, the old house is not good for your health in the house! ”

The woman nodded in agreement. At noon, the family sat around a large square table.

The woman is Yan Ping, the concubine of the Yue Kingdom, who is famous for being good at female workers in the palace concubines, although she is fifty-six years old, she still looks like she is thirty years old. The middle-aged man is her son, Li Zhen, the king of Balangyue, who is 1 year old.

Yan Ping sat at the top, Li Zhen and Concubine Dai sat on the side, and grandchildren Li Chong and Li Gui sat below. The family likes to talk about the gossip news in Lu Lane, especially the gossip inside the palace.

Of course, Yan Ping knows that the palace rules that prohibit Chinese cannot be disclosed, but because of the strict discipline, the family can be tight-lipped to outsiders, so the family often talks freely and happily during family dinners.

Concubine Dai asked: "Wei Jue is married for the second time, and she also has a daughter, who is twelve years older than Grandma, why is she named a noble concubine and ranked in front of Grandma?" ”

Yan Ping replied: "I don't blame others for this question, we should reflect on ourselves." My grandfather was Yan Rong, the governor of Qingzhou in the Sui Dynasty, who killed many people in office, had a reputation for tyranny and cruelty, and was finally given death by Emperor Wen of Sui. Do you all know that? The children and grandchildren shook their heads in disbelief.

Yan Ping continued: "My father's name is Yan Baoshou, and he has a reputation as a prodigy since he was a child, but he did not take the road of official career, but simply lived the life of a rich man, and took the third daughter of King Guan as his wife, that is, my aunt!" A-Niang received a strict aristocratic education since she was a child, and she was a high Mengmu and a wife of Cao. She taught her children to learn the virtues of gentleness, courtesy, and humility, and not to repeat the mistakes of Yan Rong, so I developed a quiet and quiet character since I was a child. ”

"Wei Jue is the daughter of Wei Yuancheng, the Duke of Yunguo of the Sui Dynasty, she is not only beautiful and graceful, but also very tall, it can be said that the high-crowned harem, standing there can give everyone a sense of oppression. It's just high, she is also good at both virtue and appearance, and she is the one who is particularly dazzling in the women's pile! ”

She first married Li Min, the son of Li Zixiong, the secretary of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the Sui Dynasty, and gave birth to a daughter, who was the lord of Dingxiang County. Later, Li Zixiong rebelled with Yang Xuangan, and after the defeat, Li Zixiong and Li Min were killed, and Wei Jue was confiscated into the palace as a palace maid. In the fourth year of Wude, Wei Jue was assigned to serve the King of Qin in the palace of the King of Qin, because she was particularly dazzling and attracted the attention of the King of Qin, so she was accepted as a concubine. The children and grandchildren listened with interest.

"This year, I was also hired into the King of Qin** and was named a nobleman. In the first year of Zhenguan, Taizong and Empress Changsun discussed the canonization of the four ladies, and felt that Wei Qi had high prestige and could convince the public, so she was canonized as the head of the four ladies, and I was the virtuous concubine! Yan Ping said this, and drank a few sips of dogwood chrysanthemum wine to moisten her throat.

Li Chong had just reached adulthood and was studying to manage political affairs in the palace, and also asked: "Grandma, you have been in the palace for many years, watching your children and grandchildren grow up, do you say that Emperor Jiulang is a cowardly person?" ”

Yan Ping smiled: "Cowardice? Those are all rumors spread outside the palace! In my opinion, Jiulang is the deepest in the city among the three sons of the eldest grandson queen, the outside is like cotton, but the heart is like needle iron, especially good at acting! ”

"I'll just say one thing, and you'll be able to get a glimpse of the leopard! Li Yun, the king of Qilang Jiang, was also the governor of Anzhou in the past, and governed this rich land. But he was greedy for money, and liked to expropriate violently, and when he left Anzhou, he loaded 400 cars with all kinds of treasures such as silk, brocade, silk, and fang! ”

Li Chong and Li Gui opened their mouths in shock. Li Chong said: "It's not enough for him to enjoy the actual sealing of 800 households!" ”

Yan Ping continued: "Once the human heart is greedy, heaven and earth are not enough! In the clan, Li Yun, the king of Jiang, and Li Yuanying, the king of Teng, were both well-known for their greed, but Taizong thought that this was a small section and did not care. ”

"After Kuro ascended the throne, there was no direct punishment. But once at a gathering in the court, Jiulang rewarded the kings of the clan, but did not reward King Jiang and King Teng! King Teng stood up and asked, Jiulang said in public, Uncle Teng and Brother Jiang can take their own money, what else do they want to reward? I'll send you a cart of hemp rope to wear copper coins. ”

Everyone burst into laughter, but Li Yun and Li Yuanying blushed and felt very ashamed, and they have since reined in a lot! The people under his rule also benefited from this. Li Chong and Li Gui clapped their hands and applauded Jiulang.

Li Zhen asked: "I heard that Shangguan Yi was killed, Jiulang and the queen are called the two saints, this is a situation that there is no situation in modern times, I feel that the queen is not simple, A-Niang has been her boss for many years, have you found any clues?" ”

Yan Ping recalled for a while and said, "Ah Wu can be the queen, of course she has her advantages. Ah Wu and I are cousins, I didn't know at first, Ah Wu talked to me, saying that her mother is the daughter of Yang Da, Yang Da is the younger brother of **, and my mother is the daughter of **, so the two are cousins, Ah Wu and I are cousins. ”

Li Zhen interjected: "I remembered, Ah Wu once greeted me at the palace banquet, saying that her brother-in-law Helan Anshi was on an errand under me and served as the Gongcao of the Yue Palace, and asked me to take good care of him!" Ha ha. ”

Yan Ping said: "Yes, she is strong in social activities, energetic, pulling relationships everywhere, looking for umbrellas, and accumulating her network resources!" But I like her a lot, let her do things for me, she does a great job. ”

"Once Taizong held a Qujiang banquet for the tributes in Qujiang, south of the city, and I was in charge of the inner court, and I asked Ah Wu to help. You have also heard of this kind of banquet, that is, the emperor and his courtiers and tributes watch the pavilions and pavilions, the sky and the water by the Qujiang River, taste the palace food, and then play the game of Qushui Liuzhen, and disperse happily! ”

Li Gui interjected: "My grandson also wants to participate!" ”

Yan Ping looked at her grandson kindly and said with a smile: "If you want to participate, you have to study hard, abandon the view that reading is useless, and in the future, the gold list will be named a high school jinshi!" However, the Taizong Dynasty only had tributes. Ah Wu wants to bring forth the new and make a new appearance, so he suggests a cherry banquet! ”

Because it was late spring at that time, the spring flowers were blooming, the cherries were ripe, and the trees were full of small red fruits. I agreed on the spot. Ah Wu took the palace maids and eunuchs to pick cherries, then washed and basketed them and sent them up. ”

"Ah Wu also ran back and forth between Shang Shan Kitchen and Guanglu Temple, coordinating the work of the main meal, catering, palmbrewing, winemaker, Fengjing and other staff of the Taiguan, Zhenxi, Liangyu, and Zhangjiao departments, ensuring that the treasures and delicacies such as Hump Grill and Su Scales were continuously delivered, adding fuel to the warm atmosphere of the banquet!"

"This Qujiang banquet was held very successfully, and Taizong happily named this banquet as the cherry banquet and asked to continue to hold it in the future! I was richly rewarded, and I commended Awu in the harem! ”

Li Zhen nodded and said, "It seems that Ah Wu is a capable woman!" Yan Ping continued: "Once Ah Wu saw me as a female worker, she was silent, and after going down, she went down to learn tailoring, embroidery, and pulp dyeing skills from the master of Hongsu. After Ah Wu learned to judge me, there was more topic of female workers between me and her! ”

Li Chong said: "No wonder she can be the queen!" Being a man is not afraid of losses, and he is not afraid of hardships in doing things, which is not something that grandchildren can do. This was the end of the family conversation.

A few days later, Yan Ping, Li Zhen, the king of Yue, Li Chong, Li Chong, Li Gui and others traveled to Yunmengze in the south of Anzhou. Yunmengze is the hometown of Chu State, famous since ancient times, its radius is 900 miles, there is a black dragon mountain in the middle, the upper dry green clouds, the lower river is bordered, there are five colors of soil on the mountain, the boulder is like a dragon, the ancient wood is towering to the sky, covering the sun and the moon.

A group of people drove on the road with tired cars and elephant ornaments, came to the foot of the mountain, and gave up the car to climb the mountain. The palace maid supported the concubine, and Li Zhen held Concubine Dai. Walk slowly upwards. On the road, I saw strange-shaped boulders, as well as various beautiful stones such as red jade and rose stone, and I couldn't help but pick them up.

When I climbed the mountain, I was out of breath, I looked up at the cliffs, and when I was tired of walking, I sat on the pavilion on the mountain for a while. Swim and bathe in the river in the afternoon, then dry your clothes and blow the wind on the cloud balcony!

In the evening, he staggered to find ancient temples and thatched huts to rest. When the moon rises, lean against the cliff and listen to the ape chirping and enjoy the symphony of the wild. I played like this for a few days.

Walk into the Hui Garden on the east side and pick orchids, Du Heng, Angelica dahu, Chuanxiong and Changpu. Walk to the forest to the north, smell the fragrance of laurel, pepper, orange, pear, chestnut, etc., and hide from the glare under the plane tree.

When you come to the south, you can see the open plain Guangze, you can hunt and gallop, there are lotus roots and water chestnuts in the lake, and there are hairy grasses and pampas on the shore. Swimming to the west, you can see the clear water of the pond and the gushing of clear springs, the water pushing the stones, making a crisp sound, and the turtles, hawksbill turtles and turtles can be faintly seen in the water.

When Yan Ping watched people fishing by the lake, she sang a poem:

The August Lake is level, and the culvert is too clear.

The steaming cloud Mengze shook Yueyang City.

If you want to help without a boat, you will be ashamed and sage.

Sitting and watching the anglers, there is nothing to envy the fish.

Li Zhen, the king of Yue, chanted repeatedly, thinking it was a good poem. Yan Ping smiled: "Where's the good?" Although I can write poetry, my literary talent is not as good as Xu Hui, so my poems are not widely circulated and are not known! ”

Li Zhen said: "Who said that? Our children and grandchildren will recite this poem, A-Niang's poem is widely circulated in this Anzhou area, everyone is familiar with it, chant a few words! ”

"Haha...... Is it? Yan Ping said happily.

In the blink of an eye, the Mid-Autumn Festival, Liu Zichang, the eunuch of the inner counselor, was ordered to go out of the palace to summon Yan Ping, the concubine of Yueguo, to come to Luoyang to participate in the grand event of Mount Tai Feng Zen, and he rushed to Anzhou by carriage on this day.

Li Zhen, the king of Yue, went out to greet him, and then held a banquet for Liu Zichang to pick up the wind and wash the dust. Yan Ping got the news and went out to meet her. Liu Zichang hurriedly got up to meet the concubine of Yueguo.

Yan Ping inquired about the recent situation of the palace, and praised the reforms such as the reform of the official name, the release of palace people, the selection of palace people, and the construction of Penglai Palace, and praised the Empress Wu for continuing the style of chastity in the governance of the palace.

Liu Zichang expressed his intention and said: "The minister will convey the concubine's praise to the queen, I believe the queen will be very happy!" Does Niangniang know the "Holding the Edict of the Confederacy of the Zen Institute Siji Yue" released by everyone last fall? Yan Ping said she knew.

Liu Zichang asked the queen to read the decree, and ordered the concubine of Yue and the king of Yue to gather in the eastern capital in October. Yan Ping bowed down and took the order. Seeing that the mission had been completed, Liu Zichang did not dare to delay more, and set off for Luoyang to resume his life on the same day.

Yan Ping, like Wei Qi, fully realized the great historical significance of Empress Wu's invitation to her to participate in the great ceremony of the Fengzen Sacrifice to the Earth, so she was very excited and told her son to prepare for the trip immediately!

Li Zhen was of course very happy to see that A-Niang was willing to go to Luoyang with her, and quickly issued a notice to all states and counties in the territory that she was about to travel to participate in the Feng Zen. After the announcement was issued, the government and the public were very excited.

Li Zhen sent his servants to the prefectures and counties under his jurisdiction to purchase local products and prepare to present them to the emperor. In less than half a month, the Tugong collected from all over the country includes: folding japonica rice, ramie, purple ginger, orange, silk towel, lacquerware, purple taro and so on.

After full preparation, at the beginning of September, the osmanthus flowers were fragrant, and Yan Ping and Li Zhen set off in a tired car and elephant ornaments. The travel honor guard is strictly orderly, and there are guards, guards, canopies, flags, and propaganda as usual.

Singing and dancing along the road without any trouble. One night, King Yue came to a fertile plain and saw many bonfires, people laughing and dancing, and music accompaniment.

Li Zhen took the guards to inspect, and it turned out that the guests from the Western Regions had traveled thousands of miles here, preparing to participate in the Tang Dynasty's sealing ceremony! There were several beautiful girls in the dancing crowd who caught Li Zhen's attention.

Their dignified and white faces obviously have traces of thrush, red makeup, rouge, flower and other makeup, the upper body is wearing a bright Lianzhurui beast pattern half-arm brocade and collarless chest, the lower body is wearing a red pleated skirt, the waist is tied with colorful ribbons, and they are happily dancing Hu Xuan dance.

Li Zhen unconsciously immersed herself in this beautiful and joyful atmosphere, applauded and cheered for the beautiful girls, and chanted a poem:

Hu Xuannu, Hu Xuannu,

The heart should be stringed, and the hand should be drummed.

The strings and drums raised their sleeves, and the snow fluttered and danced.

Left and right rotation are tireless, thousands of turns and thousands of cycles are endless.

A group of people came out of the felt tent dome, the leader of whom wore a soapy scarf on his head, a purple crotch robe and crotch trousers, a belt with seven things, and long boots on his feet, and was a noble and majestic middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man looked at Li Zhen and said, "If I'm not mistaken, Your Excellency should be a prince." Li Zhen arched his hand and said: "Mr. has a good vision, the servant is Li Zhen, the king of Tang Yue, may I ask Mr. Honorable Name?" ”

The middle-aged man saluted and said: "It turned out to be Hachiro, the brother of the current emperor, disrespectful and disrespectful!" I am Si Lule, the king of Zhuju Banguo, and I act according to the orders of the Anxi Protectorate. ”

Pointing to a dancing girl, he said, "That's my daughter, Lord Yecheng!" Then he pointed to the noble lady next to him and said, "This is my wife, Queen Zhu Juban!" Hehe. Li Zhendu saluted respectfully.

Si Le invited Li Zhen to enter the vault and taste snow chicken, swan breast and other delicacies from the Western Regions. When she heard that the princess of Yue had also come, she was in a nearby camp, and she and the queen asked to see her.

Li Zhen led them to meet the concubine, and Si Le and the queen respectfully made a big gift, offering precious gifts from the Western Regions such as bear paws, dried yaks, yellow sheep's breasts, and jade jade! Then he told about the customs and customs of Zhu Ju Banguo.

Yan Ping inquired about their living conditions and travel experiences, and after learning about their long journey and difficult situation, she rewarded them with valuable silk silks and gold and silver ingots.

The next day, Yan Ping accepted Sleven's invitation to visit the vault, and the guests and hosts had a warm and friendly conversation. Then dance together on the wide field outside, stretch your muscles and enhance friendship.

Li Zhen and the county lord of Yecheng danced a lion dance, dancing beautifully, and the onlookers clapped their hands in praise. Si Le also invited Concubine Dai to dance, claiming that Zhu Ju Banguo is the hometown of dance, and men, women and children will listen to music and dance.

In the evening, Yan Ping invited Si Lule and his family to a banquet at King Yue's camp to taste the delicacies of the Central Plains of the Tang Dynasty. Si Le was particularly fond of Shouyi alfalfa cakes, the queen was full of praise for Su Scale, and the lord of Yecheng loved to eat jade tip noodles.

On the third day, the concubine of Yue Guo and the family of the king of Zhu Ju waved goodbye and met at the foot of Mount Tai.

Anzhou is relatively close to Luoyang, there is plenty of time, Yan Ping watched the wind and the moon all the way, not in a hurry or impatient, while Wei Jue, who was far away in Jingzhou, was quick to speed up and gallop to Luoyang.

By the time Yan Ping arrived in Luoyang, Wei Jue had been ill for a few days. When Yan Ping heard the news, she immediately went to visit Dunxingli, and when she saw that the old lady, who was twelve years older than herself, was described as haggard, she couldn't help crying bitterly.

Empress Wu also came to visit with Si Yao and precious medicinal materials, and the three old sisters shook hands and cried.

After bidding farewell to Wei Qi, Empress Wu and Yan Ping discussed the details of the women inside and outside the Six Palaces to sacrifice to the earth in Sheshou Mountain.

The discussion reached a consensus, and it was agreed that the positions of Haotian God and Zhao Pei Empress Dowager set up in the Feng Zen altar were too simple to use weed, straw mats, pottery, and sacrificial vessels, etc., and should be changed to Yin, mattress and Wei and Jue sacrificial vessels, and other suburban rituals should also refer to this standard.

In terms of music and dance, it is believed that there are two kinds of cultural dance and martial arts for the suburban temple banquet, and it is better to use "Meritorious Celebration and Good Music" for cultural dance, and "Divine Skill Breaking Array Music" for martial dance. Li Zhi readily agreed to the results of the discussion of Empress Wu.

In their spare time, Empress Wu, Concubine Yan, Gao Xuanyi, and Xu Jieyu enjoyed "Spring Oriole" together, which was performed by the Qiuzi musician Bai Mingda with a guzheng, and rehearsed the dance program used for Feng Zen together. For a while, the fairy music sounded, the skirt fluttered, the scene was very shocking, and the onlookers thought that it was no less than a fairy descending to earth.