After the New Year, spring soon opened, and Yongzhang became more and more like an emperor the longer he grew, and he became very big at a young age. The emperor intended to teach him to ride and shoot Buku, and selected dozens of guards with both skills and courage from the Shenji Battalion to accompany him to practice. Qingcheng untied the emperor's braids, wiped the sweat beads on the back of his neck with a warm towel, and took a horn jade comb to gently smooth his hair, and said: "Yongzhang is still young, he practices boxing and archery every day, I am worried that he can't stand it." The emperor said, "What's small, I can knock over three or four men at his age." ”

After combing his braids, Er Qi had already ordered someone to set up a meal, and Qingcheng said: "I hope that he is weak and weak, and he will be a rich prince in the future." There was something in her words, and the emperor could understand it, but he didn't mention it. He sat down at the dining table and said, "Yesterday, the queen said that she would take the fifth elder brother to Changchun Palace for upbringing, what do you think?" ”

Qingcheng waited left and right, and said lightly: "It's good if you think it's good." I have heard from the older generation that if a woman is married for a long time and is infertile, she can adopt a small child with her and bring an heir. ”

The emperor picked up the chopsticks and said, "The queen said the same. Qingcheng understood that although the emperor asked her, he actually had the answer in his heart. Then he said: "The queen thinks about everything, she should be in a hurry, and you will fulfill her wish." The emperor pondered for a moment, and then said with a smile: "Anyway, it's none of your business, I just asked casually, let's eat." ”

Within a few days, the fifth elder brother really moved into Changchun Palace.

Concubine Xian leisurely leaned on the kang and listened to Luo Qing talk about this matter, fiddling with the enamel armor, and said contemptuously: "The queen can't hold her breath, and she is worried about the fifth elder brother." "Concubine Shun's cheeks itch in the spring, and it didn't help to apply rose powder, so she was planning to call the imperial doctor to take a look. She scratched the itch and said, "Don't think about left, not only the fifth elder brother, but also Concubine Yu, who will also help the queen do things in the future." ”

There were three or five palace people passing by the window, Concubine Xian stopped talking, drank two sips of tea, saw that the people were far away, and said: "How did Concubine Yu get promoted, who doesn't know if she is a little older in the palace?" She only got the concubine position by following the shoulders of the pure concubine, how can she have any real ability. Concubine Shun said: "That's not necessarily, when we all underestimate Concubine Chun, she knows how to win over, just by virtue of this, she is stronger than Concubine Shu, Lu Guiren, Jin Guiren, etc." ”

Concubine Xian smiled and said, "Don't be afraid, don't we still have Wei Wan'er?" Maybe she can turn things around with her promise. Tonight thou shalt pick two ingots of gold and send them to her, a lowly and lowly man, who is only good for money. ”

There is a lot of rain in spring, the filaments are pure, and the cuts are not messy. Yongzhang rarely didn't have to practice riding and shooting, and squatted under the eaves of the porch to watch the ants move. It was interesting that the emperor arrived at the Tao Te Tang Hall at some point and said, "What are you looking at?" Yongzhang was frightened, leaned back, and sat on the ground with his buttocks. When he saw that it was Huang Ama, he was half bluffed to death, got up in a hurry, and knelt down with his sleeves and said, "Say hello to Huang Ama." The emperor stood with his hands behind his back, and dozens of palace people accompanied him under the corridor with tea, clothes, towels, etc.

The emperor asked, "What are you looking at?" ”

Yongzhang didn't dare to hide it, and said 1510: "My son is watching the ants move." The emperor asked, "Is it pretty?" His words were cold and cold, more cold than the spring rain, Yongzhang trembled slightly: "It's beautiful." The corners of the emperor's mouth drooped, and he made a straight face to speak, but before he could speak, he heard Qingcheng's voice coming, and said: "He finally rested for a day, and you can do whatever he likes." ”

Qingcheng held the sixth elder brother in his arms, let Hai'an hold the umbrella, came all the way, arrived at the eaves of the porch, handed the sixth elder brother to the nurse, stretched out his hands to the armpit of the third elder brother, and wanted to pick him up, only to find that he couldn't hold it anymore, and couldn't help but smile "hum", and said to the emperor: "I can't hold him anymore." ”

The emperor lost his temper when he saw Qingcheng, and said: "It's all big children, how can you let Eniang hug it, and get up by yourself." Yongzhang had the green orange as his backing, and he had a little more confidence, and said "Xie Huang Ama" and got up.

The sixth elder brother has recently learned to speak, and when he saw Yongzhang, he was very affectionate, and shouted in his mouth: "Brother, brother." Yongzhang loved his brother very much, pinched his face, and begged Qingcheng to say, "Eniang, can I hug my brother." Qingcheng said: "Then you have to be careful, don't fall your brother." Yongzhang swept away the haze just now, showed a childish smile, and said happily: "I know." ”

He carefully took the third elder brother from the nurse's hand and pouted to kiss his face. The emperor couldn't stand it anymore, and said, "How can you look like a little girl." The rain was dripping, and Qingcheng put his elbow against the emperor's waist and said, "They are brothers, why are they like girls?" It's the first time I've seen a child like Yongzhang who is so tall and strong at the age of four or five. ”

The emperor glanced at her, saw that her face was full of pride, and couldn't help but want to splash her with a basin of cold water, and said, "If I hadn't taught him to practice martial arts and swords, pay attention to his diet, and eat more beef and mutton." It's amazing to let him watch the ants move and eat pastry cheese like that! Qingcheng glared at him twice and said, "Okay, dislike my snacks." Erqi, today's snack, the rose dew doesn't have to be served. The emperor pinched her cheek and bared his teeth, "Stingy." ”

After the afternoon lecture was finished, the chapter was approved, and the emperor stepped on the night to Yikun Palace for a late snack.

Really, there is no rose dew.

In front of the four eunuchs, the four palace maids, and the four palace maids such as Hai'an and Er Qi, the emperor secretly put his hand under the table into the sleeve tube of Qingcheng, rubbed the tender flesh, and said ambiguously: "You are really bold enough." Qingcheng was afraid of being seen, so he didn't dare to make a big move, so he let him pinch and knead lightly, stared at him and said, "It's you who dislike it." ”

Because in the house, Qingcheng was wearing a homely robe, with extremely wide sleeves, and when the weather was hot, he was not dressed inside, only wrapped in a big red peony pattern. The jacket is not tightly tied, and the bow will fall apart with a slight pull. The emperor originally just wanted to tease her, but as soon as he put his hand in, there was a hole in it, and he stroked it to his back, and then to his chest.

Qingcheng gradually leaned on the emperor's shoulder, and the palace people didn't know the twists and turns, and they didn't know if they were whispering, or if they were saying something important, they couldn't get in or retreat, they stood quietly with their hands down, and they didn't even dare to breathe. The emperor scraped softly on her chest with the back of his hand, and he practiced martial arts and arrows all year round, and his hands were calloused, rough and rough, which made her numb and unbearable. He looked at her cheeks flushing with a smile, and only stopped halfway before leading her to the dormitory.

The palace people understood, tiptoeing to clean up the plates, dishes and chopsticks. Qingcheng snorted, "I haven't washed yet." ”

The emperor didn't say anything, he tightly tied her in his arms, still stuck in her sleeve, and said with a grim smile: "This dress, it's really good..." Do it again..."

Since the fifth elder brother moved into Changchun Palace, Concubine Yu really wants to see it but doesn't dare to see it. First, I am afraid that the queen will have a bad heart, and second, I am afraid that I will see too much, and the fifth elder brother will not kiss the queen. But she faintly hoped in her heart that the fifth elder brother would not kiss the queen, in short, neither left nor right, and she was in a dilemma. The queen is quite generous, after all, she is a person who has given birth and raised, and she knows that she is a mother and can't see the sadness of her son, so she often takes the initiative to summon Concubine Yu to visit Changchun Palace.

On this day, Concubine Yu couldn't help it, and took a sedan chair to Changchun Palace in the evening to greet the queen. Shanrou is the maid in charge of the palace, and she can guess the queen in everything, and before she waited for the queen to pass it on, she invited Concubine Yu to see the fifth elder brother in the side hall. The queen was sitting under the lamp copying the scriptures, and when she heard that Shanrou had returned, she asked, "Do you see it?" Shanrou bent her knees and said, "See, it just so happened that the fifth elder brother slept late today, so he ate milk." The queen hummed, put down her pen, and said, "I'll go over and take a look." ”

Shanrou hurriedly opened the curtain and asked the palace maid to carry the yarn lantern of the sheep's horn palace, and the queen said: "You carry the lantern." Shanrou understood what it meant, and withdrew the guard of honor, and only one person lit a lantern at the queen's feet. When she arrived at the door of the fifth elder brother's dormitory, the queen did not go in, but only waited outside. She knew that Concubine Yu would not stay long, and there were rules in the palace, and everyone had to return to their house before the lock was locked.

Concubine Yu went out and saw two figures standing in the shadows, stunned, and said softly: "Please come over and talk about it." When I got to the front, I realized that it was the queen, and hurriedly asked for blessings, but the queen pulled her and shouted, "Quietly, follow me." After walking along the verandah for half an hour, and turning into the dark corner door, Concubine Yu asked, "Why are you doing this?" ”

She wanted to ask: Why is she sneaking around even though she is in her own palace.

The queen said: "Don't look at this is the Middle Palace, but there are eyeliners everywhere, if you can prevent it, just guard against it." ”

Concubine Yu thought for a while and said, "But what do you have to tell your concubine?" The queen said in a low voice: "Master Gao's belly is getting bigger and bigger, and it should be born in May." I inquired with the imperial doctor, most of them are princes, and the fifth elder brother has one more opponent. Concubine Yu sneered: "What opponent is not an opponent, not to mention that the emperor is bent on establishing a concubine, even if it is not, there are still big brothers, third brothers, fourth brothers, and sixth brothers in front of me, I only hope that the fifth brother will grow up healthy and healthy, go out of the palace to build a mansion, and live a dull life." ”

The queen sneered: "It's a good idea, but if you are willing to let them go, will they let go of the fifth elder brother?" Once Concubine Gao has a prince, she will revert to the concubine, and her seventh elder brother is the highest status among the elder brothers. The eldest brother is unattended, and his future is very small. The third elder brother and the sixth elder brother are blessed by pure concubines, and no one dares to move. The fourth elder brother is a descendant of a foreign race, and it is difficult to ascend to the throne, only the fifth elder brother... After all, he has been raised by me, and I am afraid that he will hinder Concubine Gao's eyes. After a pause, he saw that Concubine Yu's face was loosened, so he said: "I'll tell you a good way, which can make you sit back and relax, and you and I can't find you and me no matter what." ”

The lights are far away to the endless, the night is deep, there are no stars and no moon in the sky, and there are black palace walls and palaces on both sides. Concubine Yu sat in the sedan chair, recalling what the queen said just now with an expressionless face, only to feel that her fingers were stiff and her scalp was numb.

The queen said: "Grinding almonds into a pulp and mixing them with crisp cheese is nothing for ordinary people to eat, but it is a big taboo for pregnant women." You buy the girl in Concubine Gao's kitchen, and prepare three bowls of cheese for Concubine Gao every day, only one bowl mixed with almonds each time. If Concubine Gao didn't eat the bowl with almonds, nothing would have happened, and no one else would have found out. If you eat the bowl with almonds, you can eat it, and you can't find out the two bowls next to it, no matter how much you check. Moreover, the toxicity of almonds is slowly accumulated over time, and no one will be able to discover it for a while, and when it is discovered, it will be too late, absolutely foolproof. ”

Back at Zhongcui Palace, the palace maid Zhiyan helped Concubine Yu get off the sedan chair, but saw her staggering, as if she was infinitely sad and worried, so she persuaded: "Master, since the queen intends to win you over, why don't you push the boat down the river?" In the future, it will also be beneficial to the fifth elder brother. ”

Concubine Yu walked to the dormitory step by step, and said in a low voice: "After entering the palace for many years, even if I am favored, even if I am unwilling, my hands are clean and clean, and I have never been stained with blood." But now..."Zhiyan screen dispersed the guard of honor, only the master and servant were left in the wide courtyard, and two palace lamps were hung under the eaves, stretching the figures of the two extremely long.

Zhiyan said: "Everything is for the fifth elder brother, and it is also a matter of course." ”

Concubine Yu seemed to grasp the life-saving straw, and suddenly asked, "Rightfully?" Zhiyan said: "The fifth elder brother's only reliance is the master, you, and your reliance is the fifth elder brother." If you don't help the fifth elder brother, what is the difference between the fifth elder brother and the eldest elder brother? ”

Eniang died when the eldest brother was born, although the emperor was posthumously named Concubine Zhe, but the child she gave birth to with her life was difficult to see even in front of the emperor. A hint of determination and cunning flashed in Concubine Yu's eyes, and she couldn't stop wringing her handkerchief and said, "You're right, for the sake of the fifth elder brother, even if your hands are bloody, it's a matter of course." ”

The deeper the spring, the stronger the flowers. The begonias and apricot blossoms in the courtyard of Yikun Palace are blooming, and the green orange in front of him ordered someone to build a grape trellis next to the pavilion, and at this time spit out the green leaves the size of a palm, crawling all over the bamboo poles, bright green and intoxicating. Every morning, Qingcheng has to take a walk and drink tea in the courtyard with the sixth elder brother in his arms. Yongzhang left school at noon, and often came over to play with his younger brother.

Yongzhang himself likes to eat crisp cheese, so he thinks that the sixth elder brother also likes to eat, and always feeds it to the sixth elder brother with a small spoon. Qingcheng sometimes doesn't care, and Hai'an takes a lot of ribbons to make tapes in the sun. The emperor came quietly and said, "Yongzhang, don't always feed the sixth elder brother sweets, he is teething, and you yourself should eat less." Everyone hurriedly got up to say goodbye, Qingcheng wiped his mouth with an embroidered handkerchief for Yongzhang and Sixth Elder Brother, and said, "Huang Ama is right, but you have to listen to it." Yongzhang made a mistake, was a little scared in front of the emperor, threw away the spoon, bowed his head and said, "Emperor Ama, my son knows that he is wrong." ”

The emperor kept a straight face in front of his courtiers, and he said in a deep voice: "Have you done your homework?" Yongzhang became more and more unconfident, and whispered: "Back to Emperor Ama, my son will do his homework after dinner." The emperor frowned and said, "No need to take a lunch break?" Or don't you have to go to the south study in the afternoon? Yongzhang was frightened, glanced at Qingcheng pitifully, and the emperor said, "Look at what your mother is doing?" Qingcheng was about to speak, but the emperor raised his hand at her and said, "Don't interrupt!" ”

Yongzhang had tears in his eyes and said, "My son is going to do his homework." ”

The emperor stared at him without speaking, as if Mount Tai was overpowered, making people breathless. After half a sound, the emperor said: "I just reprimanded you twice, and you are going to cry." After a pause, he said, "Go ahead." Yongzhang knelt down as if he was about to be amnestied, and retreated quickly. The nurse looked at the situation, and had already carried the sixth elder brother into the house, and Qingcheng said: "Look at you, Yongzhang is frightened." ”

The sun poured down the white flowers, and the spring breeze blew down, blowing off countless broken petals. The emperor picked up a begonia on her sideburns, put it in her ear, and said, "Don't always get used to him, I have seen his homework now, and I haven't grown at all." ”

Qingcheng said angrily: "He is only four years old, and it is the season of fun. ”

The emperor said: "But he is the heir of the Aixin Jueluo family, how can he be so playful?" It's okay to play, but you should do your homework first. He wants to play, and when Concubine Gao gives birth, I will take you two to Chengde Palace to have fun for a few months. Qingcheng hadn't been out of the palace for more than a year, and he was happy to hear it, and said, "Take the sixth elder brother with you." The emperor said, "Okay." ”

In the spring, you have to eat all kinds of apricot blossom cakes, acacia cakes, red date cakes, rose dew, etc., in the morning the fog has not yet dissipated, Er Qi will lead the palace people below to pick flowers and take dew, and they are busy until the three poles on the sun. At noon, the emperor came to eat, and Erqi went to the kitchen to pick up pastries, and hundreds of dishes of red, green, white, black, steamed, boiled, and fried snacks were placed on two large tables. In addition to preparing the emperor, green orange and the two elder brothers' favorite meals, the kitchen also has to make special plans for seasonal melons and fruits, flower cakes and refreshments.

In short, what the masters want to eat, the cooks have to find ways to get it out, and they don't dare to slack off.

Especially like Yikun Palace, the emperor is fortunate almost every day. If there is something missing, even if it is compared with the imperial dining room, it must be close to the Yikun Palace first. Huang Er was originally snubbed and excluded in the imperial dining room, so he was sent to Yikun Palace on an errand, and after a few years, now there is a lack of ingredients, so he went to the imperial dining room to get it, and the directors had to fight him desperately, which was really beautiful.

The emperor had a meal, changed into a bright yellow plain gauze bedclothes, put a braid on his chest, and fell asleep on the kang. Qingcheng half-knelt beside him, took off his armor, pressed his legs delicately and softly with his ten fingers, and said, "Concubine Gao is going to give birth in the next two days, should I go and see her?" The emperor was comfortable, squinting and enjoying himself, and said, "What are you going to do?" ”

Qingcheng said: "Today in the Jiaotai Palace, Concubine Xian said that we are concubines, as an example." ”

The emperor seemed to be sleepy, and casually pulled a piece of silk to cover his chest, and said: "She has thought about it thoroughly, she should be an example, and it should be the queen's business, just keep your duty, don't mess with her." As he spoke, he rolled over and went in, breathing heavier and heavier. Qingcheng didn't want to disturb him to rest, so he tiptoed up, covered the quilt for him, and went out to see if the sixth elder brother had eaten well.

In the evening, the emperor drove the Xianfu Palace to visit Concubine Gao. Since breaking the lion's leg last time, Concubine Gao forbade enough to come, and the emperor walked into Xianfu Palace for the first time. He smiled and smiled, and he was not to blame for the past. Concubine Gao's heart was much more relaxed, and the palace people presented cheese, and she dared to dare to dedicate it to the emperor. The palace people coincidentally presented three bowls, the lights were bright, the emperor glanced at it, saw that something was wrong, and asked: "Why is the color of the bowl in the middle darker, is it tasteless?" ”

Concubine Gao took a closer look and said with a smile: "The concubine didn't see it. ”

The emperor raised his hand, and the palace maid with the cheese stepped forward. The emperor picked up the engraved silver spoon, tasted it, and asked, "Is there anything mixed in it?" The palace maid had a ghost in her heart, and her legs trembled with fright, but her face was respectful, and she forcefully said: "Sometimes it will be mixed with some rose sauce, osmanthus sauce or sour plum sauce, the taste and aroma will be different, the emperor eats osmanthus flavor, because of the osmanthus dew, so the color is also darker." The emperor picked another spoonful and tasted it carefully, and said, "Sure enough, there is some taste of osmanthus." ”

Concubine Gao can't sleep, Xianfu Palace still lives Shu Concubine and Yu nobles, Wu Shulai stepped forward and asked, "Where does the master want to rest?" The emperor happened to be standing in front of the courtyard of the Yu nobles, and when he saw the lights flickering inside, he walked in. Yu Guiren didn't even see the emperor's face a few times in a year, she had already washed, and her face was crooked on the kang and the palace maid cut silk flowers, and she suddenly heard the little eunuch in the corridor room, as if she had fallen into a dream, and said: "It's a big night, what nonsense are you talking about." Her palace maid was transparent, and she cleaned up the sundries on the kang with her hands and feet, and said with a smile: "It must be that the emperor came to visit the high master, and the high master couldn't sleep, so he came to the small master's house." ”

It was too late to clean up and dress up, so Yu Guiren had to hurriedly put on his shoes and go out to greet him. She was wearing a light gauze spring dress, without rouge, with a black silk waist, and she had three points of beauty when she was just favored. The emperor smiled and said, "Did I disturb your sleep?" ”

Yu Guiren didn't speak, as soon as she opened her mouth, she exhaled like silk, and said coquettishly: "The concubine is worried about the long-lived lord every night, and she can't sleep at night." After speaking, he dared to throw a wink at the emperor.

The emperor was shocked, and his heart thumped.

Qingcheng didn't sleep at noon, and his sleepiness was unbearable. I didn't see the emperor coming, and I didn't wait for him, so I went to bed early. I slept in a daze, and suddenly there was a chill on my back, and then a hot body came up. Qingcheng opened his eyes, closed them peacefully, and said lazily: "Why is it so late?" The Emperor put his arm around her waist, hooked her into his arms, and mumbled. Qingcheng thought that he was busy with the court, so he didn't ask, turned around and twisted into his arms, and fell into a deep sleep.

Concubine Shu rolled on the couch with a smile, and asked the palace maid Xiang'er, "How is the face of Yu Guiren?" ”

Xiang'er put down the gauze tent and said with a smile: "What else?" The miserable white face scared the little Zhuozi in the corridor to cry. The emperor finally came, glanced at Master Yu, didn't want the emperor to leave again, and lost what Master Yu said that he couldn't sleep at night because he wanted the emperor to think about it! Shu Concubine said: "She won't look at her face, we Long Live Lord likes to be quiet and unhurried like a pure master, where can she stand her straightforward and arrogant." Laughing again: "She must have been secretly proud in her heart before, thinking that the emperor didn't like me anymore, so she ran to her." Unexpected..."

She covered her stomach, laughed so much that tears came out, and said, "I didn't expect the emperor to leave again, it's better not to go, I have no face." He glanced out the window again, and saw that there was still light in the courtyard of Yu Guiren from a distance, and said with a smile: "It's good now, I really want the emperor to think that I can't sleep." ”