Shun nobles wear light green gold embroidered gowns, draped gold entwined branches and four ruyi pattern cloud shoulders, skirts to the knees, hanging incense beads and incense cards in front of the placket, and stepping on soft satin chan butterfly two-color hibiscus flower pot shoes, gently moving lotus steps, graceful and coming. Hai'an held the bronze mirror high, Qingcheng looked inside, stroked his sideburns slightly, sat upright in the hall, and nodded to Erqi.

Er Qi lifted the curtain and passed the word outside, but after a while, he heard the noble man laughing under the corridor: "The rules of Yikun Palace are really big, I can be regarded as knowledgeable." Then he ordered: "Quickly, move the jade sunflower into the house and show it to the pure master." As soon as the words fell, the person had already entered the house vividly, with a smile on his face, and blessed the green orange, and said, "Say hello to the pure master." ”

Qingcheng raised his hand and said with a pleasant face: "Please get up, please sit." ”

Shun Guiren said with a smile: "I personally planted a few pots of jade sunflowers, and they bloomed in the morning, and I sent them to the pure master to see." Qingcheng raised his eyes and looked at it, it was really fresh and elegant, and he had a unique demeanor, so he said: "You have to worry about it." ”

Without waiting for Qingcheng's instructions, the clever palace people moved the flower plate to the porch.

Er Qi stood on the side, but thought: It's useless, you can't wear it and you can't eat it, what's so strange, it's obviously the work of the people of the Imperial Garden Palace, and it's not a shame to take it out and show it.

Hai'an presented the tea and said with a smile: "Shun master came by coincidence, this morning, the Ministry of Internal Affairs only sent a few catties of Dongting Lake's "Junshan Silver Needle", this tea has a quiet aroma and a mellow and sweet taste, so that the slaves and maids can treat the guests. ”

Shun nobles took the lotus petal-like Hetian white jade small tea cup, which was as white as a feather, and the tip of the bud hung in the soup, rising and falling, and it became an interesting view. The corners of her lips curled slightly, and she said with a smile: "As far as I know, Junshan Silver Needle is the Qing Dynasty tribute tea, and the annual tribute is only seventeen or eighteen catties. ”

She had the heart to flatter, but Qingcheng quietly tasted tea and did not reply.

Shun Guiren didn't feel embarrassed, stared at the turquoise tea soup, raised his jaw, and said with a proud smile: "Yikun Palace is worthy of being a pepper room with painted walls, and a table and a chair are unusual. I was born and raised in Zhongming Dingshi's home, and I have wanted anything since I was a child, and now I feel fascinated. ”

Lian Erqi also heard the disrespect in his words, and couldn't help snorting coldly, and said secretly: Excited? What do you want? It's up to you, and you still want to replace it?!

Qingcheng said: "Your father is a hero of the Qing Dynasty and a servant of the heavenly family, how can there be a slave in the world who is more noble than his master?" However, luxury in the palace is also common sense. She spoke softly and gently, without the slightest bit of coldness, but when the noble people heard it in their ears, they panicked, and hurriedly said: "The Niu Colu clan is loyal and filial to the lord, so naturally I don't dare to compare it with the heavenly family." Qingcheng nodded with a smile and said: "The emperor praised the mellow taste of this tea yesterday and asked me to taste it. After a pause, his smile became more and more kind, and he said, "If you like it, I will ask the palace people to pack two catties for you." If you Ama like it, you can also ask someone to send it out of the palace. Although private teaching is not allowed in the palace, it is easy for me to talk to the emperor. ”

Shun Guiren smiled and said, "Thank you for the kindness of the pure master, such a trivial matter, I don't want to bother the emperor to know." After that, he got up and said, "I still have to go to Changchun Palace to ask for peace, so I won't disturb the pure master." Qingcheng bowed her head, still sitting and tasting tea, and said indifferently: "The queen's mother has not been in good health recently, I am afraid of disturbing her recuperation, so I have not been to visit, since you are going, don't forget to help me say hello." Shun nobles were slightly stunned in their hearts, with a hibiscus face, and said, "Yes." ”

Er Qi looked at the face of the noble Shun, as if he had a bad breath, and he shouted in his heart. Haian sent the man to the bottom of the stairs and turned back to the house. She ordered someone to clean up the teacup, went to the study to arrange paper, ink, pen and inkstone for Qingcheng, and said: "Slave and maid, Shun Guiren seems to be sulking, why is the master today..." In the end, he only said half a sentence, and then did not go on. Er Qi interjected: "Why should the master let the noble Shun, the little noble dare to come and stir up trouble, he should give her some color to see, and he won't inquire about it, what kind of place is our Yikun Palace!" ”

Hai An reprimanded: "It's just a matter of saying this in Yikun Palace, but don't spread it outside." Qingcheng licked the ink with the brush, and said lightly: "She is the person rewarded by the Queen Mother, and the surname of Niu Colu, originally I didn't want to worry about her, but now she clearly wants to stand up in front of me, if I am at her mercy, she still thinks I am afraid of her!" ”

Er Qi smiled and said: "The master's majesty just now is extraordinary, and it can be regarded as a lesson for her." ”

Qingcheng glanced at Er Qi and said, "You are good at everything, but you are not forgiving and have no taboos." Think about it, what is the benefit of taking advantage of the desire of the tongue? Eating the wrong thing may only make you diarrhea, but if you say the wrong thing, it will kill you at any time! She treated her subordinates leniently, and treated Erqi and Hai'an without even saying half a heavy word, Erqi knew that she was speechless, and hurriedly said: "Thank you for the master's teachings, and the slave and maid will remember it in their hearts." Qingcheng heard her admit her mistake, and said, "Don't take it as an example." ”

Shun Guiren walked back angrily, to Yikun Gate, happened to bump into the craftsman who was carrying objects to Qingyunzhai, so he casually called a eunuch and asked: "Yikun Palace has fortifications?" The eunuch said respectfully: "The slave doesn't know. Shun Guiren asked again: "What do those craftsmen who pass by at the right time do?" The eunuch didn't raise his head, but still said, "The slave doesn't know." "Shun Guiren is already angry, and she can't help kicking over, she is delicate and expensive, and it doesn't hurt too much to kick on her body.

The eunuch leaned back, stumbled, and then knelt on the ground, silent.

Seeing that the nobles were angry, the palace maid who accompanied them hurriedly relieved: "Xu is an old palace that needs to be repaired." Leaned over to the side of his ear again, and said softly: "Master, this is Yikun Palace, and there are a lot of eyeliner in the Heart Cultivation Palace." You..."Shun Guiren reflexively glared at the palace maid fiercely, and roared: "Don't I know that this is Yikun Palace?" I want you to talk more. Frightened, the palace maid begged for mercy again and again. Back in Qixiang Palace, Shun Guiren instructed the maid Lingxiang and said: "The people in Yikun Palace have tight mouths and can't speak, so you go to the Internal Affairs Office to ask, there are people from my clan there." I don't believe it, it's still airtight. ”

Lingxiang was brought into the palace from the family by the nobles, and it goes without saying that he is loyal. It didn't take long for the nobles to know about the fortifications built by Qingyunzhai, and they were jealous and hateful for a while, but they didn't dare to show it because of the emperor's control.

The winter is deepening, and Concubine Xian ordered the Internal Affairs Office to make a batch of cotton jackets and gowns to reward everyone in the palace. Er Qi led the new clothes back to Yikun Palace, and went to the palace with great interest, and when he reached the threshold, he knew that the holy driver was talking in the house, and he was busy and lowered his eyebrows and lowered his eyes respectfully. The emperor changed into a dragon robe and wore a stone blue jacket, with a long jade body and a golden dragon pattern long silk tied on his braid. He half-squinted, leaned on the kang pillow, and said with a smile: "The project is not big, the difficulty lies in ingenuity, and I am afraid that it will not be completed without half a year." That's why I asked someone to start repairing early, and by next summer, I would be able to live in people. ”

When he practiced Buku in the afternoon, he accidentally scratched the dragon robe, and Qingcheng was idle, so he took a needle and thread and helped him sew it finely and densely. She threaded, knotted lightly, compared the warp and weft, and said, "I hear the knocking and beating every day, and I am troubled." Besides, there are always people from outside the palace coming and going, and it is not very convenient to enter and exit. ”

The emperor looked at her hand in a daze, and said, "Bear with it for the time being, and after the New Year, I will take you to the Old Summer Palace to avoid it." He asked again: "A while ago, what did the noble Shun come to Yikun Palace to tell you?" Qingcheng paused, raised his eyes to look at him, and said with a smile: "What, she is still suing in front of you?" The emperor smiled and said, "Last night, I saw a few pots of jade sunflowers under the corridor, and I asked Erqi in vain. She had a sharp mouth and said two baskets like a bean. ”

Qingcheng said: "Don't worry, after all, I am in the concubine position, and she dare not overstep." ”

The emperor raised his eyebrows and said, "I just asked casually, I'm afraid that you will blindly back down." After sewing her clothes, she got up, called Erqi into the house, and asked, "What food has been prepared in the kitchen?" Er Qi replied: "Half a bowl of rice porridge, a few plates of pickles, and a pot of mutton and radish soup." Qingcheng snorted and said, "Very good, you have to keep an eye on the food there in Yongzhang, the weather has been getting colder and colder recently, so you have to make up for it." ”

Erqi belched and stepped back.

Qingcheng was about to instruct the palace people to set up a meal, but the emperor got off the kang and said: "I went to Changchun Palace, the queen has been sick for most of the month, and she has not improved, and the imperial doctor is secretive, I dare not tell the truth, I can't let go." Qingcheng took the apricot gold pattern cloak, personally wrapped it for the emperor, and sent it to the corridor, Fang said: "The queen's illness is mostly a heart disease, and the emperor is close to the eldest princess, and the queen is comfortable." The emperor pondered for a moment, smiled, and said, "I know, it's cold outside, you can go in." ”

The Changchun Palace was lifeless, and there was no laughter. The queen lay down for more than half a month, and although the eldest princess lived in the side hall, she didn't dare to hold her over to the queen, for fear of passing the illness to the eldest princess. The emperor went to see the eldest princess first, a small soft ball, hiding in the brocade quilt, pouting and spitting bubbles. When he went to the main hall, he smiled and said to the queen: "The princess spits bubbles, it's really interesting." When you are cured, I will accompany you to take the princess to the royal garden to bask in the sun, and then let the Ministry of Internal Affairs choose a nice name. ”

When the queen heard this, she was really pleased, and the palace people brought the decoction, and it was not as resistant as in the past, so she drank the big bowl in one go. Her pale face had a slight complexion, and she said with a smile: "Emperor Xie is worried, and the concubine must get better soon." The emperor shook her hand and said gently: "I know your heart, you and I are a young couple, whatever happens, I will share it for you, there is no need to be sad in vain." He rarely coaxed her in a soft and shallow voice, and the queen's eyes were red, and she suddenly drooped two lines of tears.

The emperor wiped away the tears on her cheeks and said, "Let Concubine Xian take charge of the six palaces, you have a mustard, and I know it, but with your body, even if I intend to help you, I'm afraid you won't be able to bear it." His gaze deepened and deepened, and he said, "I promise you, as long as I have you, Concubine Xian will always be below you." At this point, the queen's thoughts surged, her heart rippled, and she said movingly: "The emperor is deeply affectionate, and the concubines... Concubines... There are no words. ”

She suddenly threw herself into the emperor's arms, her arms hooked around his neck, her apricot eyes closed, and she couldn't help but sob. The emperor patted her on the back and said with a smile: "Why are you also hypocritical?" In his eyes, the queen is dignified, filial and virtuous, how can she show such a little daughter's demeanor. In just a moment, the queen returned to her normal color, upholding the etiquette of a monarch and a minister, and said: "The concubine is reckless. ”

The emperor was stunned and played with taste: "If this is what you call "recklessness", I hope you can be "reckless". ”

The queen looked at the golden embroidered dragon pattern on the emperor's chest, her cheeks flew red, and she said shyly: "You are the lord of the Qing Dynasty, the concubine is the queen, you are the king, the concubine is the minister, since ancient times, the monarch and the minister are different, and the rules cannot be broken." ”

The emperor was disappointed, stared at her for a while, and then sighed.

The winter is deepening, the dead branches are faint and the old trees are faint, and the majestic imperial city is also showing the color of depression. Because there is a prince living in the palace, the earth dragon was born early, the emperor dispersed, and once he entered the palace, he only felt warm and fragrant, warm as deep spring. Qingcheng put on a white gown on the outside of the palace robe, and stood beside the desk with his sleeves rolled up and peeled the jujube core. The emperor took off his apricot yellow flat gold embroidered cloak and asked, "What are you doing?" Such a big battle. "The palace people didn't know that the emperor was coming, and they all jumped and hurried to ask for peace.

Qingcheng held the boiled red dates in his hand, stretched them out to the emperor's mouth, and asked with a smile: "Is it sweet?" ”

The emperor took advantage of the situation to eat, nodded and said, "Not bad." When I got closer, I saw dates in a half-iron basin on the table, and two bowls of nuclear bones next to them. Qingcheng took a small hammer and stirred it in the iron basin, and the emperor smiled: "What new things have you thought of?" ”

Qingcheng said: "The day before yesterday, I went to Shoukang Palace to ask for peace, and I heard that the queen mother became more and more lazy after the winter, and she didn't even use her meals well." I thought about making some yam and red date cakes for the Queen Mother. She kept her hands on it, added some sugar to the basin, and continued to stir vigorously, she said: "Yam nourishes the spleen and stomach, and nourishes the lungs." Red dates nourish blood and calm the nerves, delay aging. The two are compatible, which can remove cold and dampness, replenish the strength of the body, and make the ears and eyes smart after eating for a long time. After a pause, he said with a smile: "If it is boiled into a soup, I am afraid that the Queen Mother will not like it, so I want to make some yam and red date cakes, add some glutinous rice soup, and steam it until it is ripe, and let the Queen Mother eat it as a snack." After that, he tilted his head and asked, "Do you want to help, the yam still needs to be ground fine after cooking, and my strength is not enough." ”

The affairs of a woman's kitchen should not be interfered with by a man, let alone an emperor. Wu Shulai played a small drum in his heart, but when he saw that the emperor had rolled up his arrow sleeves, he said: "Since it is for the queen mother, I should also show filial piety and be a model for the Qing Dynasty." ”

He is inevitably clumsy, but he has a lot of strength, and he is much better than a green orange. The shallow winter sun shines through the glass window, reflecting on the two of them, shrouded in a hazy halo. Sometimes Qingcheng would coquettishly blame him for spilling too much sugar, and he would also stare at her impatiently, squirming, and make trouble in the middle of the night.

The next day, Qingcheng ordered someone to pack two boxes of yam and red date cakes, and took a warm sedan chair to Shoukang Palace to ask for peace. When he arrived at Shoukangmen, suddenly a eunuch with a head came to high-five, and Qingcheng knew that the holy car was coming, so he stood and waited. The emperor stretched out his hand from afar, and Qingcheng put his palm into his hand and said, "It's really early to go down today." The emperor smiled and said, "I also helped make yesterday's pastry, and you can't be allowed to monopolize it if you have merit." ”

Qingcheng glanced at him and said, "It's fine." ”

The queen mother had breakfast, and was eating hookah on the kang, Concubine Xian was waiting on the side, and a eunuch knelt under the corridor and said: "Lafayette, the emperor and the pure master are here to greet you." The Queen Mother was in a good mood and said with a smile: "Let them come in." He sat up again, asked Concubine Xian to put away the cigarette sniffle and so on, and looked at the door with a light smile.

The palace maid lifted the green silk thick felt, and the grandmother greeted her, and said: "The slave and maid ask the emperor for peace, and for the pure master." The emperor said, "All are exempt from courtesy." He walked to the Queen Mother and said, "Lafayette's body is refreshing?" The Queen Mother smiled: "When I saw you coming, I was comfortable." Qingcheng asked the Queen Mother to say goodbye, saluted with Concubine Xian, greeted for a while, and everyone sat down.

Qingcheng personally took out the yam and red date cake, put it on the table, and said respectfully: "The concubine is idle, she made a snack for Lafayette, and invited Lafayette to taste it." He also carefully talked about the theory of nourishing the spleen and stomach.

The queen mother was happy and praised in front of the emperor: "The pure concubine knows the words of Wen Xiaozi, and she is favored, but she never quarrels with others. After a pause, he said: "Xian girl, you have to learn, if it weren't for the fact that Concubine Chun is a Han girl, with her talents, the mourning family would have to ask her to deal with all the affairs of the harem with you." ”

Concubine Xian was displeased, but she said with a smile on her face: "Lafayette is right." ”

The Queen Mother's words were both praise and shock, and reminded Qingcheng to remember his identity. Qingcheng didn't understand anything, but fortunately, she really had no intention of seizing power, so she said: "The harem has the queen's mother and the master of Xian, and the concubines are happy to be idle, just carefully raise Yongzhang and honor Lafayette." The Queen Mother was satisfied and said with a smile: "You are a concubine, serving the emperor is important, and you don't have to worry about the mourning family." ”

The emperor smiled and said: "Concubine Chun is filial to the Queen Mother, and I sigh when I see it." He brought the yam cake to the Queen Mother, and said: "I didn't have much to do yesterday, and I watched her make pastries for most of the day, doing everything herself, and the two girls around her only started to fight." ”

The Queen Mother picked up half of the piece and said, "It's a solid child." ”

When the emperor and Qingcheng went, the queen mother and Concubine Xian talked with each other, and said: "No wonder the emperor loves the pure concubine, reads poetry and books, has a quiet temperament, and has never seen her arrogant in front of people when she gives birth to a prince." Moreover, she dared to restrain the emperor, and the mourning family heard that the emperor was not allowed to eat meat and fish when he had a late snack in Yikun Palace, and no one could say anything if it was for the emperor's good health. Concubine Xian was lonely and said, "I have failed Lafayette's high expectations." ”

The Queen Mother said: "Live up to it, let's not talk about it for the time being, the mourning family wants to tell you, don't take the queen's position and the power of the ruler too seriously, when it matters, you have to see who the emperor values in his heart." You fight with the queen, both lose, and then you can cheapen others. Another sentence broke through, and said: "With your identity and the queen's identity, the key lies in the heir." ”

When Concubine Xian heard this, she was like an empowerment and said, "The concubine understands." ”

The emperor sent the green orange back to Yikun Palace, and he didn't want to sit in a warm sedan chair, so he walked hand in hand on the street of Yongdao Palace. Qingcheng was quite excited and smiled from ear to ear. The Emperor asked, "What are you happy about?" Qingcheng leaned on his shoulder and said with a smile: "In the past, the Queen Mother was reluctant to talk to me, but she kept praising me just now." The emperor joked: "The Queen Mother just said two good words, and you are happy to be like this, and Ping Suzhen said a lot of good things, but you may not be like this." ”

Qingcheng said: "That's different. ”

The emperor said, "What's the difference?" Qingcheng paused, looked at him fixedly, and said rudely: "You say those words, I don't know how many women you have to say to in a day, how can you believe them all?" Besides, I get tired of saying the same thing every day. The emperor sank his face and looked up at Tiandao: "You will be tired of saying the same thing every day, why don't you get tired of doing the same thing every day?" ”

Qingcheng saw that his face was not good, and knew that he was too carried away, so he was careful and asked, "What is the same thing?" ”

The emperor was diagonally across her, and the emperor was mighty, and he saw that she was a little more nervous. The emperor suddenly picked her up, held her tightly in his arms, whispered in her ear, and said faintly: "It's about giving birth to the sixth elder brother..." The palace attendants were also frightened, and turned their backs in a panic, not daring to look.

The Shun nobles relied on the fact that they were rewarded by the queen mother to the emperor, and they held themselves superior, jumping up and down day by day, and did not take the concubines of the same rank in their eyes. Within a few days, Wang Guiren, Jin Guiren, Lu Guiren and others were offended. On this day, she disliked that the new silver charcoal sent by the Internal Affairs Office was too small for her to make, so she announced the theory of going to Jingren Palace in a sedan chair. When she walked to Gong Street, there was a warm sedan chair blocking the way, and she refused to fall behind, so she instructed her relatives to serve Lingxiang, saying: "Go, tell the sedan chair in front of you to avoid it, let us go first." ”

Lingxiang obeyed his orders, so he trotted over to pass the word, but unexpectedly, it was Wulanala Shu Concubine sitting in the warm sedan chair in front of him, and she was also the lord who refused to suffer. Shu Concubine sneered: "If you are in a hurry, find a shortcut to the side." There are rules in the palace in the palace, and the nobles are not out of proportion. Shun Guiren was deflated, but she knew that Concubine Shu's family was illustrious, and she was named a concubine as soon as she entered the palace, so she didn't dare to make too much trouble, so she swallowed a breath. The two warm sedan chairs stopped at Jingren Gate before and after, and there were several concubines waiting in the corridor, all of whom came to ask for peace, and their rank was not high.

Cheng Guiren walked in the forefront, Fu said: "Master Shu is auspicious," after all, she had a lot of favor a while ago, and there was still room to turn over, Shu Concubine didn't dare to slack off, she helped her hands up, and said with a smile: "Cheng Guiren don't have to be polite, they are all their own sisters, feel free to order." Cheng Guiren smiled more and more, and even changed his title, and said, "Sister is right." ”

Shun Guiren stepped forward and sneered: "Sister and sister, it's really called affection, and I don't know how to be cheap behind my back." According to the rules, the honest nobles made a flat salute to the Shun nobles, and they didn't want to be obedient to the nobles and didn't return the courtesy, so they received the courtesy of the honest nobles, and they were so angry that the honest nobles said: "You are the noble person given to the emperor by the Queen Mother, and you don't want to, but you don't know the etiquette so much." Before the words fell, Shun Guiren slapped her in the face and said, "What is the courtesy, I still beat you, how about it?" ”