Two days later, I obeyed the queen's instructions and sent several volumes of Cui Bai's paintings into the Rouyi Hall for her to see. The queen was chatting with Zhang Weiji, the governor of the inner province, and when she saw that I had sent the painting, she ordered someone to unfold it and evaluate it with Zhang Weiji.

Those paintings were carefully selected by me, with different themes, including flowers, bamboos, feathers, lotus and geese, as well as Taoist ghosts and gods, mountains and forests flying away, etc., all of which are Cui Bai's director. Zhang Weiji smiled when he saw it, and seemed to appreciate it, and the queen asked him for his opinion, and he replied cautiously: "This person's paintings are quite innovative. ”

The queen was silent for a while, and then looked at it carefully, and finally her eyes fell on a "Lotus Flower and Twin Heron Picture", the corners of her lips were slightly raised, and she said to me: "Huaiji, you are not wrong, Cui Bai is good at sketching, if it comes to the state of writing, there are indeed few people in the painting academy who can beat him." ”

I smiled and lowered my head. Zhang Weiji saw that the queen had been paying attention to the double heron picture for a long time, so he also approached and looked again, wanting to know the subtleties.

The queen turned her head and asked him, "Do you think you want to paint this?" ”

This picture shows two herons playing in the water on the lotus pond, one swimming from right to left, trying to catch red shrimp in front of them, and the other flying down from the sky, with a long neck bent and two feet stretched straight back.

Zhang Weiji looked at it carefully, and then said: "In the painting, the egret is agile and delicate, and its feathers are soft, which seems to be touchable and touchable...... It is indeed a rare masterpiece. ”

"Not only that," the queen said, looking at the neck of the egret above, "when the egret flies, it will bend its neck and shrink, and even the lower half of its neck will be bag-shaped." I have seen other people's drawings of egrets in the past, often mistaken for white cranes in a flying posture, with their heads, necks and feet stretched forward and backward respectively. Now that Cui Bai is correct, it can be seen that he has indeed put some thought into his observation and sketching. ”

Zhang Weiji and I both looked at this painting again, and sure enough, we saw the neck of the egret in flight above curving, almost into a bag, and we were not shocked.

Zhang Weiji immediately praised: "Niangniang Shengming." Cui Bai can be appreciated by his mother, how fortunate he is! ”

The queen shook her head again and sighed: "But with his talent and temperament, it is binding him to continue to stay in the academy...... There are some people who are not born to enter the imperial city. ”

"Put the painting away and hide it in the secret mansion in the future." She ordered me: "As for Cui Bai, I will ask the official to leave at the invitation of the painting institute." ”

Her appreciation for Cui Bai once gave me the illusion that she would keep him because of this, so I was slightly surprised by her abrupt turn of conclusion, but then I had to admit that this was indeed a decision that could make both the officials of the academy and Cui Bai feel comfortable. I admire her.

The palace people rolled up the scrolls one by one and prepared to hand them over to me to take back. I stood solemnly while waiting, and suddenly heard a commotion outside the hall, and a woman crying outside: "Queen, my mother and daughter have been victimized, and you don't want to be the master to punish the adulterer, why don't you even let me see the official?" ”

Zhang Weiji frowned, and wanted to go out to check, but was stopped by the queen, and ordered the palace to say, "Let her in." ”

Extremely quickly, a woman with scattered clouds rushed into the hall, knelt down in front of the queen, showed the child in her arms to the queen, and cried: "Youwu is sick like this, can't the queen let the official family see it?" ”

Thinking that she was worried about the child's illness, this woman's eyes were red and swollen from crying, and her face was very haggard, but it could still be seen that she was beautiful, and if the makeup was properly groomed, it should be stunning. She was holding a three- or four-year-old girl, who was breathing heavily with her eyes closed, and her little face was flushed sickly, like a high fever.

The queen said peacefully: "I have ordered the imperial doctor to carefully diagnose and treat Youwu, Zhang Meiren should not take her out, it will not be good if she catches a cold again." The official family should recuperate in the past few days, and they have given an order before, and they will not see the concubines. ”

Zhang Meiren shook her head: "The queen is not unaware, this child's illness is caused by a curse, too much to treat the symptoms and difficult to cure the root cause, if you want to be cured by young enlightenment, you must punish the villain who harmed her." The concubine knew that the queen disdained such a trivial matter and didn't dare to bother with it, but why didn't the concubine ask to see the official family and the queen? ”

I've heard people mention that the most favored lady in the world today is the beauty Zhang, and she must be the one in front of her. Now she is arrogant and aggressive, and she really looks pampered and arrogant, and the queen is not angry, and responds indifferently: "The beauty is too worried." And today's qi is fickle, and the young enlightenment is just an occasional cold, and it will be fine after taking a few doses of medicine, and it has nothing to do with people. ”

"Nothing to do with people?" Zhang Meiren sneered, raised her hand and threw an object on the ground: "This thing was found yesterday from under the stone in the back garden, and the concubine has ordered someone to report it to the queen, but the queen still said that it has nothing to do with people?" ”

A small figure made of cloth, with handwriting on its body, and several shiny needles inserted deep between its head and chest.

This is a witchcraft that has always been strictly forbidden in the court. Seeing Zhang Meiren suddenly throw out this puppet, everyone in the palace was frightened.

The queen looked sideways at the puppet and didn't say anything, her expression was as usual. But listening to Zhang Meiren again: "The night before yesterday, the insider Feng witnessed Hui Rou praying to the moon on the shore of Houyuan Lake, but it was such a coincidence that someone searched for this thing under the big stone by the lake yesterday. Feng has made it clear to the queen, why does the queen ignore it? I went to ask Hui Rou in person, but she confessed to going to the back garden the night before! ”

Hui Rou? The name surprised me even more than the puppet with the pin. I pondered Zhang Meiren's words, and quickly understood that she meant that Hui Rou, the girl who prayed under the moon, had gone to the back garden the night before to perform witchcraft to curse her daughter Youwu.

I hesitated, wondering whether I should intervene in the conversation between these two noble palace members at this time, and tell what I saw.

The queen groaned and did not express her position, and the palace people also held their breath, but Zhang Meiren's angry wail of demanding severe punishment of Hui Rou echoed in the hall: "The human and material evidence are all there, why didn't the queen order punishment to ban the palace?" ”

Finally, the worry about Hui Rou's misfortune was greater than my own consideration, and the thin figure and tearful words of the little girl gave me a different kind of courage. I skimmed out of the list and bowed to the queen: "Niangniang, the minister has a matter that I want to verify with Mrs. Zhang." ”

My abrupt interjection surprised the queen and everyone in the palace, but the queen bowed her head and allowed me to say.

I turned sideways towards Zhang Meiren, bowed my head and said, "Dare to ask Mrs. Zhang, is the girl you are referring to named Huirou?" ”

Before Zhang Meiren could answer, Zhang Weiji had already scolded: "Presumptuous......"

The queen raised her hand to stop him from continuing, but Kind Yan motioned for me to continue.

Zhang Meiren looked at me coldly, and the strange smile on her lips seemed to have no meaning: "Yes, this girl is called Huirou." ”

I asked her again, "Feng Neiren saw her praying to the moon on the shore of the lake in Houyuan, but on the eve before?" ”

Zhang Meiren thought about it and said yes.

I turned around again and said to the queen: "The night before yesterday, the minister sent the painting into the Rouyi Palace, and it was late at night when he left, because he was not familiar with the inner palace road, he mistakenly went to the inner garden, and accidentally saw a little girl in white clothes praying to the moon, calling herself Huirou...... Previously, the minister vaguely heard the voice, it should be the time of the son. ”

"Oh?" The queen asked, "What did she say when she prayed?" ”

I told the truth: "She said that her father was sick, and she repeatedly appealed to heaven for this, and she was willing to replace her father." ”

The queen smiled: "Didn't you curse others?" ”

I shook my head and replied affirmatively, "No." Because she was seen, Hui Rou prayed and left the back garden immediately, but the minister did not hear her cursing others. Looking at the puppet that Zhang Meiren threw on the ground, he added, "I haven't seen her bring this thing, it shouldn't have been her under the back garden stone." ”

"Nonsense!" Zhang Meiren's slightly suppressed anger was aroused by my words again, "Who can she be if it's not?" Who would be as worried about Youwu going to the official family as she did? ”

My mind was disturbed by her question, and I vaguely felt that Hui Rou's identity should not be as simple as I thought before.

"You are clearly instructed by others, so you disregard Tianwei and dare to give false testimony!" Zhang Meiren approached me step by step, raised her hand, and her slender fingertips almost wanted to poke me in the face, but she sneered secretly, and her eyes swept over the queen intentionally or unintentionally: "Say, who is the one who instructed you?" Is it Huirou, or is it someone else? ”

I was a little cramped by her pomp, and I took two steps back, but still insisted: "The minister does not dare to speak presumptuously. Every sentence is true. ”

A slap landed on my cheek like lightning, and the sound of that moment had the sharpness of her voice. She withdrew her hand, put her arms around her daughter, raised her chin haughtily at me, and smiled contemptuously, "And now? Or is it true? ”

I hung my head indifferently. Similar humiliations have not been uncommon in my years of life in the palace, and how to quietly dissolve the shame and anger of this time is part of our education. As far as forbearance and humiliation are concerned, I am not yet the best cultivator, and I can't do it if my master hits the left cheek and then smiles and offers the right cheek, but at least I can maintain a calm expression and a silent posture.

"That's enough." The queen spoke at this time, "It is a loss of identity to do it with the ministers." ”

Zhang Meiren hooked the corners of her mouth, looking very disdainful.

The queen looked at me and told Zhang Meiren: "He is Liang Huaiji, the former provincial minister, who entered the inner palace for the first time the day before yesterday, and he didn't even know that Huirou was the name of Princess Fukang, so who could he instruct?" ”

Princess Fukang. The eldest daughter of today, the most noble woman in the palace except for the queen.

That doubt was gone, but my heart was at a loss. The queen's words were like the wind, and the white figure of the little girl in the world suddenly blew up from my memory, and let her float leisurely to the nine layers of the sky.

When I came back to my senses, I bowed down to the ground and asked the queen to forgive me for the sin of not knowing how to avoid.

Zhang Meiren was still smiling without warmth on the side, and said quietly: "What a good singing and songwriting play!" ”

The queen said that it would not be an exaggeration to say that those who did not know, ordered me to be even, and then instructed Zhang Weiji: "Invite Princess Fukang here." ”

After a while, but when I heard the sound of Huanpei, two adult women walked in quickly outside the hall. They all comb high crown buns, wear small sleeves and placket jackets, and the materials are exquisite, one is the green crepe yarn of the county, and the other is the dark peony yarn of Xiangzhou, which is different from ordinary female officials and should belong to the concubines.

They hurriedly saluted the queen, and immediately defended Princess Fukang in unison, saying that the matter would not be done by the princess. Among them, the person wearing the green crepe jacket looked particularly anxious and sad, and after giving the salute, he knelt down for a long time, and said repeatedly with tears: "Hui Rou is young, where will he understand these witchcraft techniques!" What's more, she has always cherished her younger sister and would never do such a thing. Queen Wanwang is in charge and returns her innocence. ”

The queen ordered her to get up and gently persuaded her: "Since Miao Zhaorong believes in Huirou, there is no need to worry." "Look left and right," give Zhang Meiren, Miao Zhaorong, and Yu Jieyu to sit. ”

The latter two ladies are also the favorite concubines of today, and they have both given birth to princes and princesses, so I have also heard their names. Miao Zhaorong is the daughter of Jinshang Breast Protection, the biological mother of Princess Fukang, and has a very personal relationship with Yu Jieyu. It's a pity that the prince born to Yu Jieyu and Miao Zhaorong died one after another, and there has been no heir today, and even the little princesses have passed away one after another, and now there are only two daughters under the knees of the official family: the eldest daughter Princess Fukang and the eighth daughter born to Zhang Meiren, Master Baoci Chongyou.

Miao Zhaorong's Qi Rong decreased slightly, and Yu Jieyu sat down one after another, and Zhang Meiren reluctantly sat down under the persuasion of insiders, but she still looked unwilling to compromise, and she just sneered at Miao Zhaorong.

At this time, the chamberlain came in, and Princess Fukang arrived. Then the princess walked in slowly, her eyes reddish and tear-stained, but her clothes were neat, and her braided hair was neatly combed. approached under the attention of everyone, slightly drooping her eyelashes, but her head was not lowered, especially when she passed in front of Zhang Meiren, she even raised her small face slightly, her chin and neck hooked up at an upward angle, her eyes did not squint, and her expression was indifferent.

Walking to the queen, the princess solemnly raised her hands and raised her eyebrows, bowed to the queen, and owed her mother and Yu Jieyu blessings, and then stood with her hands down, without saying anything to Zhang Meiren, and completely ignored it.

The queen smiled and said to her, "Huirou, I've seen Zhang Meiren." ”

The princess said yes softly, but she did not move, and did not mean to salute. Zhang Meiren glanced at her and said coldly: "That's it, this is not the first time...... I, a lowly man, could not afford to be a princess. ”

The princess still didn't react when she heard Zhang Meiren's words, and the queen asked her: "Huirou, did you go to the back garden the night before yesterday?" ”

She bowed her head and admitted, "Yes." ”

"What are you going to do?"

The princess hesitated, and did not answer for a moment. The queen asked again, she was silent for a moment before she spoke again, but asked lightly: "Daddy...... Is it better? ”

The queen turned her eyes to look at Zhang Weiji, with a relieved look. Zhang Weiji smiled and bowed, presumably to indicate that what the princess said was in line with my testimony and could confirm her innocence.

So the queen asked the princess again: "Are you going to the back garden to pray for the moon and pray for your father?" ”

The princess was surprised and blurted out, "How do you know?" ”

The princes and daughters of the dynasty called their fathers and emperors like Shishu people, "fathers", called their mothers "concubines", and their biological mothers who were concubines were "sisters".

Except for Zhang Meiren, everyone in the hall who heard what I said was smiling. Zhang Weiji then explained the previous reason, Miao Zhaorong turned to me after hearing this, and there was a lot of gratitude in his eyes, Yu Jieyu also breathed a sigh of relief, and Miao Zhaorong looked at each other and smiled.

Zhang Meiren couldn't hold it back, got up again, pointed to the puppet on the ground and asked the princess sharply: "What do you say about this needle-prick puppet?" Why did it happen right after you went to the back garden? ”

The princess frowned, turned her face slightly, and ignored it.

Zhang Meiren didn't keep quiet, she simply picked up the doll and sent it to the princess: "Princess Suwen dares to act, why is she silent now?" ”

The princess's lips pursed, always as if she were transparent. Zhang Meiren continued to press and ask, and the queen persuaded the princess when she saw this: "If this matter has nothing to do with you, you can explain it to Zhang Meiren." ”

The princess bit her lip and lowered her eyes for a long time before she spit out four words: "I won't do it." ”

"Won't do it?" The queen's tone was gentle, intended to induce her to explain more, "What won't you do?" ”

This time, the princess refused to say more. Miao Zhaorong was anxious, and persuaded her to answer again and again, but the princess still didn't say a word.

The queen was speechless, Zhang Meiren looked angry, Miao Zhaorong persuaded for a while, and seeing that no one in the hall spoke, her words of persuasion were particularly clear, and she hurriedly closed her voice. There was another awkward silence in the hall.

In the end, it was I who broke the silence.

"Mother, the princess has answered." When this voice sounded, I was actually as surprised as everyone else: an insignificant little chamberlain actually interjected twice without authorization to discuss the harem mystery case, where did he get the guts?

But since I have already spoken, I can only bite the bullet and continue: "In the past, Zhao Feiyan sued Ban Jieyu for cursing, and Emperor Han Cheng asked Jieyu, and Jieyu replied, 'The concubine has a life when she hears death, and wealth is in the sky. If you are not blessed with cultivating goodness, what hope can you hope for evil desires? If the ghosts and gods are knowledgeable, they will not be sued by evil people; If they are ignorant, what is the use of suing? Therefore, it is not for either. 'Chen Dou Courage, guess what Princess Shicai said, 'I won't do it', is the same as Ban Jieyu's 'so don't do it'. ”

After I finished speaking, Princess Jue stared at me sideways, and I met her gaze for a moment, but I felt that her eyes were shining, and a smile appeared shallowly, and my cheeks were hot for a moment, and I lowered my head deeply.

Everyone was silent for a moment. After a while, I heard Yu Jieyu smile and praise: "What a clever little yellow door, it is really reasonable, it must be like this." ”

The queen smiled, and Miao Zhaorong and Zhang Weiji also looked at me with a pleasant face, but Zhang Meiren became more and more annoyed, looked directly at me and reprimanded: "You compare me to Zhao Feiyan? ”

I was stunned. At first, I just wanted to defend Princess Fukang, so quoting Ban Jieyu's matter, I didn't mean to compare Zhang Meiren to Zhao Feiyan, but now it seems that it is difficult to explain clearly.

Fortunately, at this time, a message from the outer ministers saved me: "The official family has woken up and wants to see Princess Fukang!" ”

The palace dependents in the palace stood up one after another, and the queen took Princess Fukang's hand and said, "Go, go to see your father." The two left the hall immediately, followed by Miao Zhaorong and Yu Jieyu. Zhang Meiren was stunned, and hurriedly rushed to her daughter with her arms in her arms.

The rest of the people in the hall gradually dispersed, and I stood in place for a long time, and when I saw that no one cared about me anymore, I walked out of the hall and returned to the painting institute by the same way.