After breakfast, the emperor reviewed the excerpts sent in an urgent manner for eight hundred miles in the middle of the night, rested for a while, and then changed into a gray cloth coat and walked around the town. Ortai found two coarse cloth skirts with a blue background of flowers out of nowhere, wearing them with green oranges, and their waists were empty, and they looked more and more weak and graceful, still not like a country woman. The town is already small, everyone knows each other, but after half a day's work, the whole town knows that the inn is inhabited by rich adults. The people in the town are hospitable, and the old woman and old man who sell apricot blossom cakes, chive crisp rolls and other snacks on the street see the emperor and his party, and they are all happy and smiling, beckoning to pour tea and send water.

The emperor drank bitter tea and said with a smile: "The apricot blossom cake tastes fragrant." ”

The old woman smiled: "Before dawn this morning, I picked it with dew, all of which are newly opened half-sized flower bones, if you like it, I will give you two more." "Green oranges like to eat chive crisp rolls, one bite down, like thousands of layers of thin slices clicking, falling on the tip of the tongue, full of nasal fried onions.

Seeing that she had eaten three or four pieces, the emperor couldn't help but say, "Be careful of the anger!" ”

The old woman smiled: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, eat two more sips of bitter tea, and be sure to be fine." Then he took out a basket of nectarines from the well water, all of them were red skin and white flesh, wrapped them in oiled paper, and stuffed them into the hands of the green oranges, and said, "Don't dislike it, Madame, they are all picked from their own trees, and they look good and taste sweet." Qingcheng was so enthusiastic that he had to accept it, Zhang Tingyu looked at the situation and prepared a silver ingot to make tea money. The emperor saw that the people were simple and well-fed, and he felt more and more proud.

In this way, he stopped in Hukou Town for four or five days, and on the morning of the sixth day, he set off all the way south. By mid-May, the holy driver finally reached a place called Dongzhen at the mouth of the Yellow River. Only then did he find a separate small courtyard and settle down, and then there was a secret music, Qingcheng thought it was a court matter, and was about to retreat, but when he saw the emperor glance at himself, his heart couldn't help jumping, and asked: "Is there something in the palace?" ”

The emperor waved his sleeves and ordered everyone to retreat, and said, "Yugui is born, it's my brother." ”

Qingcheng was stunned, and the sunlight of the countryside sprinkled through the treetops in the house, and the leaves and branches were mottled horizontally, and there was a sound of fine fragmentation. These days, only she gets along with the emperor, and the ministers and servants all call her Mrs. and the emperor Master, which almost makes her forget her identity and everything in the palace. Such a sudden news shattered her phantom fantasy and pulled her back to reality, and the man in front of her was no longer her lord, but the emperor of the Qing Dynasty.

She was stunned for a while, endured her heart palpitations, and said, "Congratulations to the emperor." ”

The emperor snorted, did not force her, and said: "You are tired after traveling for several days in a row, go down and rest, and go to the Yellow River to see the water defense after a while." In the evening, when a eunuch came to summon him, Qingcheng's chest was full of panic, and he said, "Say that my leg is uncomfortable, so I won't drive with me." "The eunuch felt strange, no matter where she went in the past, the pure noble concubine always followed, climbed mountains and waded through waters, and never heard her cry out about being tired, but now it is suddenly like this, but people can't understand it.

But he didn't dare to speculate, and went back to 1510 to make a confession. The emperor was faintly worried, but Hongday, Fu Heng and others had already led their horses and waited outside, and it was getting late, so it was not easy to delay, so he gave a few orders and went out.

The night of the town came very early, Qingcheng crooked on the kang and pretended to sleep, I don't know how long it took, suddenly felt that the lower abdomen was stuffy and swollen and painful, thinking that it was a menstrual affair, she didn't bring a maidservant, so she wanted to get up and arrange, put on her shoes, and only walked two steps, only to feel that her waist seemed to be hit by a heavy object, and it was so painful that it hurt a lot, and there was a hot flow between her legs. She sat down on the kang, her face was pale, beads of sweat the size of beans appeared on her forehead, and she shouted with all her strength: "Someone! ”

The eunuch outside sat in the corner and took a nap, never hearing at all. Qingcheng had no choice, so he had to brush the small case on the side of the kang with one hand, and the magnetic plate and tea cup on it fell all over the ground, and the eunuch woke up from his dream, pushed the door and looked into the house, and was half dead in fright. Qingcheng said weakly: "I hurt a lot, go quickly, go and call the imperial doctor!" ”

The eunuch said with a sad face: "Mrs. Hui, the imperial doctor went out with the Lord Banzai, and he hasn't come back yet." ”

Qingcheng was so painful that he couldn't hold it anymore, he shrank into a ball, and something in his body seemed to be pumping away, empty and dazed. She had a vague premonition of something, and couldn't help but tears in her eyes, silently hiding in her sideburns, and getting wet.

She sobbed, "Go to the town to find a doctor, hurry." ”

The eunuch didn't dare to slack off, and ran out in discouragement, but the town was too barren, and he found two pillars of incense for an hour, and then found a half-tone in the pharmacy, but the matter was urgent, and he couldn't take care of it. Back in the small courtyard, Lang Zhong immediately took a pulse, although his medical skills are superficial, but he still knows the slightest illness, he regretted: "Mrs. is overworked, I'm afraid it's a miscarriage, can there be a girl around to serve?" ”

Qingcheng's tears came surgingly, and he didn't cry out loud, and said: "I didn't bring the girl out, I bother you to go outside and invite two neighbors to come over to help, and when my lord comes back, he will naturally be rewarded." Lang Zhong did things neatly, and immediately wrote a prescription for the eunuch to grab the medicine, and then ran back and forth to the neighbor's house to invite a familiar woman to serve.

When the eunuch came back from picking up the medicine, he saw that the emperor was getting off the saddle, so he knelt down in front of the horse in a panic and cried: "Master, it's not good!" Zhang Tingyu reprimanded: "I was shocked to do things, and I didn't have a proper manner." The emperor was not displeased, and asked, "What is the matter?" The eunuch said: "Just now Mrs. said that she was not feeling well, so I asked Lang Zhong to go outside and take a look, unexpectedly... Unexpectedly..."

The emperor's forehead was bruised, and he said eagerly: "What did you expect? ”

The eunuch kowtowed and said, "It's a slave who is not good, he didn't take a good look at the pure master, the pure master... The pure master has a miscarriage! Everyone present was shocked, and even Hongtian was terrified, and looked at the emperor carefully.

The emperor's face was black, and his pupils flashed with sparks, which made people look forward to it. He staggered to his feet and went straight to his bedchamber. Because he was outside the palace, there were no rules, and Wu Shulai was not there, so no one dared to risk death to stop him. Qingcheng was lying on the kang bed, and the two women were guarding beside him, and when he saw the emperor, he got up and saluted, and said softly: "Madame has just fallen asleep." ”

Zhang Tingyu beckoned the two of them to go out, and ordered the imperial doctor to come forward to check the pulse.

After everything was in order, everyone was dismissed. Qingcheng woke up faintly when she heard the sound, and saw the emperor sitting on the edge of the kang staring at herself, sadness came from it, she said: "Your Majesty, I seem... It's like...", his cheeks wet with tears.

The emperor mourned in his heart, wiped away her tears with the back of his hand, endless loss and remorse haunted him, and he lamented: "It's all my fault, it's all I'm sorry for you." Qingcheng couldn't hold back any longer, and cried bitterly, crying so much that his heart trembled, and his breath was choked. The Emperor lay down beside her and gently patted her on the shoulder. Qingcheng squeezed into his arms, tears soaked his collar and flowed into his neck, warm and cold, dripping down to the bottom of his heart.

Even for a small half month, the emperor did not go out, and accompanied Qingcheng in the courtyard every day. In the end, he hired two women to be rough envoys, and the women were innocent people, who worked hard, were simple and sincere, and looked at the formation of the master's house, and they really didn't dare to walk more than half a step, didn't dare to say more than half a sentence, didn't dare to inquire about anything, and only waited in the green orange house.

Qingcheng is silent, every time he thinks of his carelessness, he doesn't know that he has a body, and he can't wait to cry. And the emperor was also guilty, if he hadn't gone out that day and asked the imperial doctor to see her, maybe it wouldn't have happened. The two of them have their own hearts and debts, but they are much more alienated than usual.

Until the beginning of June, the weather was getting hotter and hotter, and Zhang Tingyu was afraid that he would be prone to seasonal diseases in summer, so he secretly begged Hongtian and Fu Heng to persuade the emperor to return to Luan. The emperor told Qingcheng, and Qingcheng said: "I haven't been to the Yellow River to see it, and it is rare to have such an opportunity in the future, but I want to go and see it." It was rare for her to take the initiative to say that she wanted to go out, and the emperor agreed.

The two of them found the guards and servants who were waiting by their side, secretly went out through the back door, rode a horse together, waved their whips, and ran to the Yellow River. Qingcheng was timid and said, "Will it be dangerous?" ”

The emperor smiled and said, "With me here, don't worry about anything." ”

In the evening, the Yellow River is wide and full of birds. The blood-colored sunset fell at the end of the water's edge, dyeing the heavens and the earth into a charming crimson, orange and purple. The river is surging, the honest fishermen collect their nets and make fires, the women with thick black arms wrap their headscarves in the bow of the boat to cut fish and cook smoke, groups of children play around the river embankment, and the sound of frolicking and joking comes into the ears like a magic spell in the wind, which makes people can't help but sink their hearts and become quiet and peaceful.

With a smile on the corner of his mouth, Qingcheng said, "It's so beautiful here, I really want to stay forever." The emperor smiled and said: "You have said this once in the Daimyo's Mansion, once in Hukou Town, and once in Beizhen, and this is the fourth time." Qingcheng leaned on the emperor's arms, and the horse's hooves slowly paced along the bank of the Yellow River. She looked up at him, and the sunset shone on him, reflecting his blush. He rested his chin on the tip of her nose and rubbed it, and said, "Are you willing to give up the third elder brother?" ”

Speaking of the third elder brother, she thought of the child who had disappeared before she was born, swallowed for a while, and stopped talking. The emperor knew that it had touched her heart, and comforted her in a deep voice: "I promise that you will give birth to many lovely children in the future." Qingcheng hummed in a low voice and said, "Don't forget." The emperor said, "I will go back later, and I will give you a stamp." Hearing him say something solemn, Qingcheng couldn't hold back and sneered.

Seeing her smile, the emperor breathed a sigh of relief.

It was already dusk, and the two rode back, and Qingcheng suddenly felt thirsty, so he went to the farmer's house by the road to ask for water. After knocking on the door for a long time, there was a voice and asked, "Who is it?" ”

Qingcheng said: "We are passing by, and we want to beg for a drink." After a while, I heard the creaking of the chaimen, and a woman with red face and tender skin came out of it, and the emperor was stunned, isn't this the little lady who sang in Hukou Town that day?

The little lady was shocked and said, "Ah, why are you?" The emperor smiled slightly: "If you meet everywhere, can you give two bowls of tea?" The little lady hurriedly opened the door, her pretty eyes were flying, and she jingled and said: "You are my savior, don't say two bowls of tea, even if it is something on the side, if you want it, can I not give it?" He shouted inward: "Grandma, here is a nobleman, you can receive it quickly." "There are four or five blue-tiled brick houses in the courtyard, surrounded by flocks of chickens and ducks, and there is a strong smell of animal feces, but the ground is extremely clean, and a gravel path leads to the eaves.

The old man took the teapot and teacup and turned it out of the back room, bent up, smiled and invited the two to sit in the hall, poured tea and said: "I walked in a hurry, and I am not in good health, so I am really ashamed to not be able to thank the two benefactors in person." After saying that, he knelt down, kowtowed three times, and said flatly: "It's really unrewardable." ”

When the emperor saw that the white-headed old woman knew how to be reasonable and observant, and her words were also knowledgeable, he looked at her differently, stretched out her hand to help her, and said, "Get up." It was getting late, so we drank tea and left. The little lady had already crossed the threshold with a duck with teeth and claws, and said, "That's not possible, the poor don't have any delicacies from the mountains and seas, so I'll go and kill the duck, and the benefactor will eat before leaving." ”

Without guards around him, Qingcheng was not at ease, so he said, "You don't have to be busy, we are in a hurry to leave." After drinking tea, she got up and said to the emperor, "Let's go, the family should be in a hurry." The emperor snorted, and the two of them went straight to the courtyard gate.

The little lady was in a hurry, stopped in front of the emperor a few steps, and said, "Don't go!" ”

The emperor paused and looked at her indifferently, with a hint of annoyance in his eyes. For the first time, the little lady confronted such a young and mighty handsome man, her face blushed, her heart beat up and down, she lowered her eyes, and said shyly: "I offended the master." The emperor was not such a good person, he said in a heavy tone, "Get out of the way!" ”

The little lady was timid in her heart, although he spoke quietly, he had an aura that could not be refuted by anyone. Instinctively, she turned sideways, made way out, and said earnestly: "I don't mean anything else, I really want to entertain you." Qingcheng saw that her expression was different, so she was a little more cold, and excused herself: "No need, it's getting late, and it's not easy to walk on the road." Just about to take a step, a few people suddenly broke in outside, and at a glance, it was Hongtian, Fu Heng and others.

Zhang Tingyu was so anxious that his lips were purple, he was sweating profusely, and he didn't speak, so he knelt down first and said, "Ten thousand... Master, you can kill the slave in a hurry. Hongtian and Fu Heng also invited An, and said, "How is everything okay, master?" The emperor nodded, helped Zhang Tingyu up, and said with a smile: "Seeing that you are scared like this, don't I stand in front of me?" Hongtian held his round belly and said, "Don't make fun of him anymore, if you can't find anyone again, he's afraid he's going to pee his pants in a hurry!" ”

A few words made everyone laugh.

The little lady knelt in front of the emperor and said, "I have lost my parents since I was a child, I have to worry about food and clothing, and I often have to be oppressed by my clansmen. If the lord doesn't dislike it, I'm willing to be a girl in the lord's house, as long as I fill my stomach with two meals, I'm willing to do anything. ”

The emperor had already seen her thoughts, hooked his lips and smiled: "Girl?!" There is no shortage of girls in my house. ”

The little lady raised her head and said sadly: "Please take me in, whether it is cooking, washing, sewing, I can do it." And... And I can sing tunes and play the piano, if the master is bored, I will relieve the boredom of the master. The emperor nodded thoughtfully and said, "That's reasonable. But he raised his chin at Qingcheng and said jokingly: "Madam, do you agree?" ”

Qingcheng glared at him fiercely, and with a "phew", he walked away. provoked Hongday, Fu Heng and others to laugh but didn't dare to laugh, so they could only hold back and endure it, looking up at the sky and spinning, pretending not to hear. The emperor didn't feel embarrassed, and said with a smile: "Listen to me at home, and listen to my wife outside." She wasn't happy, and I couldn't help it. ”

With that, he turned and left.

Out of the courtyard gate, dozens of strong men poured out from the darkness, Fu Heng was half frightened to death, thinking that he was an assassin, and suddenly rushed out from the corner of the roof wall, surrounding the emperor like an iron bucket. Zhang Tingyu also raised his sword and shouted, "Who is coming?" ”

There was a white-bearded old man who walked from the crowd to the light, he was wearing a black centipede pattern groom's robe, wearing a big red flower on his chest, his eyes were above the top, and he held a tiger-headed sandalwood cane in his hand, and said loudly: "You are outsiders, don't muddy the water, be careful that you can't get out of Dongzhen!" Then he shouted inside: "Zhilan, since you are back, why don't you tell me?" It's hard for me to find it! Come out quickly, go back with me today to get married, the banquet has been arranged, just wait for me to lift the red hijab! ”

Zhilan didn't dare to come out, hiding behind the courtyard gate, but Wei trembled and said: "What are you still doing, the gift money has been returned to you, we don't owe each other!" The old man was so angry that he slammed his cane on the ground, and with a clatter, he said, "Can you just retreat?" I haven't said yes yet! Lao Tzu is now in love with you, I have to marry you! Zhilan had the courage to say: "If you mess around again, I will go to the county government to accuse you of robbing the people's daughter!" ”

The old man touched his beard and laughed, "Sue the official? My son is on an errand in the county office, and he also donated silver to the Taoist platform in the front, but he will soon be promoted to a parent official, see where you go! As he spoke, he shouted at his subordinates, regardless of the presence of others, "You just go in and smash whatever you see, and if anyone dares to stop you, you will smash them together." The chickens, ducks and geese in it are all caught and fed to the dogs, the important thing is to tie up Na Zhilan, but don't hurt her face, the bride can't be ugly! ”

The strong men wore sweatshirts and horse coats, and threw their bare arms straight inside. Zhilan screamed in fright, and the emperor shouted, "What are you still doing, stop those people quickly!" The guards obeyed the order, drew their swords and rushed in, and with three or two or five blows, they subdued the people, tied them all up and knelt on the ground, waiting for the order.

The old man blew his beard and glared, and said: "Where did you come from, as the saying goes, a strong dragon does not suppress the head of the snake, you take your Yangguan Road, I will cross my single-plank bridge, don't cause trouble in vain, your head is different!" ”

Ortai couldn't help but shout: "Bold! ”

The emperor smiled coldly and said, "I am still in charge of this matter!" Not only will I suppress you, the snake of the land, but I will also remove your son's office, raid your mansion, and kidnap you to the dungeon to taste the hardships! After a pause, he said: "Fu Heng, start driving immediately, return to the palace overnight, and order the officials everywhere along the road to prepare for the send-off!" ”

Fu Heng clenched his fists and bowed, and said respectfully: "Yes." ”

Zhilan was as weak as mud, and she could barely support herself by holding on to the threshold. Since the first time they met in Hukou Town, she thought that the man in front of her was either a royal family or a Qincha, or at least a majestic commander. But I never thought about it, and I didn't dare to think that it was today. She looked at him from afar, watched him mount his saddle, stretched out his hand to the handsome woman beside her, and with a gentle touch, took her in front of her. He looked grim, but whispered in the woman's ear, and the woman turned her head to say something to him, and the two looked at each other and laughed. As the night grew thicker, the servants lit torches, the moon dimmed with a light yellow veil, the sound of horses' hooves became more and more urgent, the crowd finally disappeared into the distance, and his back was gone, she staggered forward two steps, and stopped, and looked quietly, hoping for what was beyond her reach, enough for her to chew for a lifetime.

I had to go back faster than I had come, and by the beginning of July, I had arrived in Beijing. After going to the Yangxin Palace to deal with the court affairs briefly, changing his clothes and washing his face, the emperor hurriedly went to Shoukang Palace to say goodbye. Qingcheng has sat on one side and replied, the queen is kind and kind, and said with a smile: "Go out, both of you are a lot darker, this year the mourning family asked the imperial hospital to make a few new jars of angelica ointment, the face can make the skin white and tender, stay for a while and let Mama send some to each of you." Qingcheng hurriedly said: "Thank you for the grace of the Queen Mother." ”

The emperor smiled and said, "Just use it for the pure noble concubine, and I will be exempted." ”

The Queen Mother smiled and glanced at him and said, "Not only can it make the skin whiter, but it also has the effect of calming and relieving itching." If you are exposed to the wind and sun outside, you will inevitably hurt your skin, so you have to take good care of it. ”

The emperor's face was embarrassed, and he responded respectfully: "The queen mother is right." ”

The two of them retreated together, and walked to the palace street, Qingcheng still wanted to go to the queen's palace to say goodbye, and the emperor said: "After several days of hurrying, you are also tired, the queen will go there and say that is, you go back and lie down and rest." Qingcheng said: "That's not good, let the Queen Mother know, and she will be angry again." The queen was considerate, I went to take a photo, and she would order me to go back to the palace to rest. She paused and said, "It's you, I'm just afraid that the folds on the Qingyu case will be piled up?" ”

The emperor said: "I am a dignified Qing man, what is this accumulation." Then the two went to Changchun Palace to visit the queen, and the queen did not dare to slack off, respectfully, and carefully guarded. When he was about to leave, the emperor suddenly said: "The miscarriage of the pure noble concubine in front of me was my mistake, and I want to compensate her." The queen was quick-witted, and she didn't think much about it, so she said: "It's better to be promoted to the throne." ”

Qingcheng wanted to push back, but the emperor glanced at her and said to the queen: "After being promoted to the concubine position, I want to take the third elder brother to the moral hall to live in the dormitory." After a pause, he said: "When you give birth to a prince, you will also be raised in Changchun Palace." The queen was also happy and sad, happy that she could finally raise her own children, sad that this was the emperor's expedient measure. She held back the sourness in her heart and said with a smile: "It's all up to the emperor to decide, and the concubines have no objections." The emperor nodded approvingly and said, "The queen has become more and more virtuous in recent years. ”

The queen was slightly happy and said, "The concubine is just keeping her duty." ”

When he arrived at Yikun Palace, he didn't even have time to drink water, and the Internal Affairs Office came to Yizhi, saying that the emperor was out on patrol, and the pure noble concubines were meritorious, and the noble concubines were concubines and lived in the main position of Yikun Palace. Yikun Palace was overjoyed, Hai'an didn't have to prepare, and hurriedly grabbed two handfuls of broken silver from the cupboard in the inner room, and he didn't know how much it was worth, so he rewarded people indiscriminately, and then took Erqi into the house to kowtow to Qingcheng to congratulate him.