In winter, the clouds were thick, and it rained cold at noon, freezing to the bones. The palace people all changed into cotton jackets and walked quickly between the cloisters and palaces, their skirts flying, and their breath was like frost. The eldest brother followed the Minister of Internal Affairs of the court to learn how to do things, and walked outside the palace for several days in a row, once tasted two skewers of roast mutton on the side of the road, as if the spirits of the whole body were opened, and described as "shocking as a celestial" and showing off among the brothers. Yongzhang had never eaten it, and went back to Yikun Palace to talk to Qingcheng, clamoring to eat kebabs.

Er Qi found an ear room that was idle on weekdays, and asked the grandmothers to prepare iron stoves, iron forks, and iron nets, and burned three or four pots of silver charcoal steamingly. He also asked Huang Er to go to Qingfeng Division to receive freshly slaughtered raw mutton, raw beef, venison and chicken thighs, marinated them in salt, Shaoxing rice wine, pepper, fennel, cloves and other ingredients for half an hour, cut them into strips of meat and skewered them with wooden sticks, and neatly arranged more than ten plates. Yun Huang spread the iron net on the charcoal fire, and asked the eunuch to carry half a sack of silver charcoal and put it on the side, Fang smiled: "It can be regarded as ready now." Erqi smiled and said, "There is one thing missing." ”

Yun Huang thought about it carefully, but he really didn't have a clue, so he smiled: "Good sister, just tell me." ”

Er Qiwei said: "Although the weather is cold today, it is charcoal grilling, and it is meat and fishy meat. Therefore, there is still a vat of herbal tea missing. Yun Huang suddenly realized and said with a smile: "It's still my sister who is thoughtful, so I'll ask someone to boil the soup." As he spoke, he turned around and wanted to leave, but was stopped by Er Qi and said: "Compared with herbal tea, after all, it is boiled with medicine, the fifth elder brother and the sixth elder brother are still young, and the body is easy to get cold after eating, and the little master does not like to drink." After a pause, he said: "It's better to make a pot of chrysanthemum rock sugar tea and prepare it, and then stew a pot of pear white fungus soup, the princess and brother love to drink it." ”

Yun Huang benefited a lot, and really admired: "It's still my sister who is wise." ”

For a while, the south study was dismissed, and it was already the time to hold the lamp. The eldest princess Min Yue, the eldest brother Yonghuang, the third elder brother Yongzhang, the fourth elder brother Yongxuan, and the fifth elder brother Yongqi all came to Yikun Palace. The sixth elder brother Yongying was in the ear room early, and he roasted two skewers of beef and ate them first, and he ate it with a fishy taste, but he shouted that it was delicious.

Several brothers rushed up, surrounded the two stoves, took off their coats, and rolled up their sleeves to do it themselves. The eldest princess was disgusted by the smell of charcoal and refused to approach, so she only sent her grandmother to help roast it. Although Qingcheng indulges in their play, they also have rules.

"First, each person can only eat a maximum of ten skewers, and only two chicken thighs," she said. Second, after eating, each person must eat a bowl of Sydney white fungus soup. Can you promise me? The eldest brother has experience outside, and then he is older, and everyone must set a good example, so he got up and respectfully hugged his fists and said: "Wait for the order, and I dare not disobey the words of the pure mother." ”

The brothers also chimed in.

Qingcheng nodded with satisfaction, ordered Erqi to stare at the side, and went back to the main hall to take care of Jiao'er. The eldest princess suddenly got up and said, "Chun Niangniang, the emperor won't let me eat more meat and meat at night, and I don't like to eat either, I want to go back to the house with you to eat snacks." ”

The eldest princess has grown a lot taller this year, her waist is getting fatter and stronger, and her face is round and slightly swollen. Qingcheng turned around and took her hand, and asked softly as she walked out, "What kind of snacks do you want to eat?" The eldest princess said that she loved to eat cream cakes, bean rolls, sugar ears, etc., Qingcheng turned her face and told Yunhuang to prepare, and took the eldest princess all the way to the east house.

Yun Huang did things quickly, and quickly served it on the table, not only a few pastries that the eldest princess loved to eat, but also specially prepared a pot of rose dew to moisten her throat. After a while, Kyau'er woke up, Qingcheng nursed, and hugged her to play opposite the eldest princess. The eldest princess sat cross-legged on the kang pillow, and the small table rested on the food fruit syrup, she cleaned her hands on the kang and said, "Chun Niangniang, can I hug the second princess?" ”

Qingcheng said gently: "Jiao'er is still young, she doesn't have much strength in her neck, she can't hold her head, you can't hold her yet." When she grows up a little more and has strength in her hands and feet, Chun Niangniang will give you a hug. The eldest princess was frustrated, and sat down along the side of the kang. The rainy day was dark early, and it was cold outside, and two yellow gauze palace lamps could be seen in the distance.

Hai An entered the house and curtled his knees, and said, "Master, long live the lord is here." ”

When the words fell, the emperor had already entered the house sideways, and said with a smile: "The weather is really cold. The eldest princess hurriedly put on her shoes to say goodbye, and when the emperor saw her, he was slightly stunned, and was about to ask something, but he heard Jiao'er suddenly mutter, and when she saw it, she actually spit out two bubbles in her mouth, which was really cute. The political affairs were idle, the emperor was in a good mood, reached out to Qingcheng and hugged Jiao'er, while shaking his body and teasing, while laughing: "This little dimple really looks like your mother..." ”

The Chinese New Year is approaching, and the concubines in the palace are transcribing Buddhist scriptures to the Queen Mother to show their filial piety. Qingcheng replied: "I copied two in the morning, and before it was dark, I copied another one." I was busy coming and going, and I didn't know what I was busy with, and most of the day passed in a blink of an eye. After speaking, he hugged Jiao'er back and said, "Your back is wet, go change your clothes first, wash your hands and then hug you." ”

She put Jiao'er on the kang, and the sides were blocked with large pillows, and there were a few grandmothers next to her to take care of her. The emperor walked through the flower hall into the West House to change clothes, Qingcheng followed behind him, and said, "Brothers are all roasting meat in the ear room, do you want to take a look?" Separated by two rooms, the emperor's voice was a little inaudible, and he said, "I won't go, so that they won't bother me..."

Qingcheng couldn't help but laugh.

The eldest princess stood in the middle of the house, and her shoes were not firmly on. She looked at the West House through the empty flower door, and then at Jiao'er who was lying on the kang and quietly spitting bubbles. She took two steps to the side of the kang and two more steps before cautiously approaching the baby girl. The baby girl was wrapped in a bright yellow embroidered Fushou pattern forged cotton cloth, and her black eyes were round and extremely moving. The eldest princess flicked Jiao'er's little face with her fingers, and Jiao'er smiled, revealing a shallow pear vortex on her lips.

The pear vortex was clean and beautiful, but the eldest princess suddenly became disgusted and took a bite of it.

Qingcheng was tying the emperor's belt, and the sound of a baby crying suddenly sounded outside, she didn't know what was going on, and said outside: "Mama Li, let's see if the second princess is wet." I didn't want to hear a sound of pushing, and someone could vaguely be heard exclaiming: "Eldest princess, let go, what are you doing..."

The emperor walked into the east house, saw that the eldest princess had some blood stains on her mouth, and then looked at Jiao'er, her little face was full of blood. Qingcheng's heart was almost broken, she picked up Jiao'er and shouted to Hai'an: "Go, go to Lord Xuanjian." At this time, she didn't care about finding out who was right and who was wrong, so she hurriedly ordered someone to bring salt and warm water, twisted the handkerchief, and carefully wiped the wound for Jiao'er. Jiao'er kicked her hands and feet in pain, opened her mouth and cried silently. Qingcheng coaxed softly, and couldn't help crying.

The eldest princess was driven to the flower hall and sobbed, sobbing quietly, regretful and frightened.

The grandmothers were so frightened that their faces were gray, and they knelt on the ground with their bated voices, not even daring to come out. The emperor looked at the eldest princess with his hands behind his back, his face was calm, the corners of his mouth drooped, his eyes seemed to be on fire, and he even breathed much faster. He said, "What the hell is going on?" The eldest princess sobbed and didn't speak, and the emperor couldn't help but shout: "Don't tell me to say it a second time!" ”

The eldest princess raised her face, looked at the emperor with tears on her face, and said, "I don't like the second princess, I hate her!" The emperor said angrily: "I don't like it, I hate it!" It's been less than three months, why did she offend you? The eldest princess said: "If she doesn't have dimples, Huang Ama probably won't like her... So, I want to bite off her dimples..."Before she could finish speaking, the emperor slapped her, causing her to stumble back half a step, and her face was hot as if it were burning.

The emperor asked, "Does it hurt?" ”

He has never beaten his children, and even if he gets angry again, he will just be disciplined. But now he is so angry, in order to compete for favor, the concubines are intriguing, even if he is disgusted, he can turn a blind eye. But she never thought that her daughter, the eldest princess, would hurt her sister in order to compete for favor.

This far outweighs disgust, but hurts the heart.

The eldest princess opened her mouth wide in astonishment, and tears rolled into her mouth, salty, like a wound soaked in salt water, so painful that she could not speak. The emperor said: "It hurts, I just slapped you, you know it hurts, that Jiao'er, she was bitten by you, and her face was covered with blood, how much pain should she have?" ”

He looked at the eldest princess, between her eyebrows and eyes, there was the stubbornness of the queen's youth, her chin was similar to herself, and even when she smiled, the corners of her lips were raised and carved out of the same mold as herself. The more he looked at it, the more angry he became, and said: "Get out, I don't want to see you again, tomorrow, you will move to the outer garden to live, without my will, you are not allowed to return to the palace!" ”

When the eldest princess heard this, she was so frightened that she knelt on the ground, hugged the emperor's thigh, and cried: "Huang Ama, Min Yue knows that she is wrong, she really knows that she is wrong, I don't mean to harm the second princess, and I will never dare to do it in the future." You can punish me however you want, please don't let me go to the other garden, Huang Ama..."

The emperor said to the grandmothers: "What are you still kneeling for, why don't you hurry up and take the eldest princess back to the palace to clean up." Several grandmothers hurriedly got up, grabbed the eldest princess and tied her belt and retreated. The eldest princess cried and cried, and after a while, Jian Yuheng came, looked at Jiao'er in the east house, took medicine, prescribed medicine, and said: "Your Majesty, the pure master doesn't have to worry, the second princess's injury is not serious, apply a ten-day plaster, and take two soups of medicine will be fine." ”

Qingcheng was relieved and said, "There is Master Lao Jian." ”

Jian Yuheng instructed a few more words, and then knelt down and retreated. When they arrived at the flower hall, they saw Er Qi standing on duty by the door frame, the two looked at each other, their eyes wandered, but they didn't even say anything, they did their own things.

Kyau'er was tired from crying and finally fell asleep. Qingcheng was exhausted, leaned on the emperor's arm, and said, "I treat the eldest princess well, why does she treat Jiao'er like this?" The emperor also felt sad, patted her on the back gently, and sighed, "It's because I don't teach well." He added: "She is still a child, you have a lot of adults, how about forgiving her once?" ”

The bedroom was warm and burning, and the red silk tent was glowing bright crimson in the candlelight. Qingcheng snuggled on the emperor's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, soft and relaxed. She said: "It's normal for children to push and fight. In the past, Yongzhang fought with Big Brother, and I really didn't hate Big Brother at all in my heart, but this time it was different. She raised her head, rested her chin on the emperor's shoulder blades, and stared at him silently.

She didn't know what it meant, and the emperor understood what it meant.

The emperor sighed and said, "Min Yue is like a queen, jealous and angry, and refuses to lose at all. He added: "But after all, she is the eldest daughter of the emperor and the eldest princess of the Qing Dynasty, so you can take care of what you can." Qingcheng broke free from the emperor's arms, sat up, and said stubbornly: "I will naturally take care of what I can bear, but in the future, I will never allow her to get close to Jiao'er, nor will I welcome her to Yikun Palace." Seeing that her face was gloomy, the emperor stretched out his arms and said with a smile: "I lifted the quilt, and the cold air came in." ”

Qingcheng lay back in his arms, his hair disheveled, covering half of his face. The emperor followed one by one and said, "I usually see that you are very generous, but you are really stingy when you are stingy." Qingcheng said sourly: "Of course you are generous, both of them are your children, and Min Yue is the eldest princess, you prefer it." He shrank into the quilt again, his tone was much weaker, and said, "But I only have one daughter, Kyauk'er." She stared at the Emperor, fearing that he would be angry.

The emperor was really displeased, and said with a straight face: "Am I not good to Yongzhang, Yongying, and Jiao'er?" They are all my children, where do you like to say it? He has always regarded the Holy Ming as his own responsibility, and will never admit that he is selfish.

Qingcheng listened to his anger, so he changed his conversation and said, "It's good, but it can be better." Yongzhang made a poem in front of him, saying that he showed Huang Ama, and he didn't get half a good word, and he was taught a lesson, saying that the big characters did not grow. The emperor said: "If a boy doesn't teach a lot of lessons, how can he become a talent?" He glanced at her again and said, "Don't give me a problem." ”

The two of you talked back and forth, but you didn't really get angry.

At night, the sound of rain was dripping, and the water dragon under the eaves of the porch was spitting out a trickle, and the wind and clouds were surging, and the branches of the trees were creaking. Qingcheng shrank in the crook of the emperor's arm, listening to the rain, the more he felt warm and fragrant. gradually sleepy eyes, but someone whispered faintly on the side of his ear: "Master, the queen is here." Qingcheng only said that he was dreaming, ignored it, and hummed like a coquettish cry, and turned over to go back to sleep. The palace maid on the night watch was embarrassed and wanted to call again, but the emperor made a look, put on a lynx end cover, and went out lightly.

Although the flower hall also burned the earth dragon, after all, it was not as warm as the bedroom, the emperor looked at the queen, pulled up the placket, and said angrily: "If there is something to talk about tomorrow, come here at night and call the six palaces to see the joke!" The queen was wearing a stone blue embroidered peony tribute satin robe, with a white fox fur on her shoulders, her face was red from the cold, she didn't speak, she knelt on the ground first, and said: "The emperor wants to send Min Yue to the palace outside the palace, how can the concubines sit idly by?" She is still young, and the mistake she made is not an unforgivable crime, so she begged the emperor to take back her fate. She has always trembled in front of the emperor, but once her children are involved, the momentum of her whole body rushes forward like a galloping wild horse.

The emperor said coldly: "This matter has been decided, there is no need to say any more. ”

He was so ruthless that he shattered the last bottom line in the queen's heart, she trembled, her eyes were red, and she said boldly: "Min Yue bit the second princess, it was a big mistake, but the emperor was not wrong at all?" ”

When the emperor heard this, he reprimanded: "Presumptuous! ”

The queen seemed to have lost her mind, and said regardless of it: "Aside from being an emperor, you are the eldest princess's Amma, but have you ever hugged her?" Not once. Because she is not a sister-in-law, she was snubbed as soon as she was born, and for a few years, you didn't even want to look at her. I finally entered the south study, followed the brothers to read, and she didn't know how happy she was to see you often. But you treat her as a daughter, no matter how well she writes and how smooth her articles are, you haven't looked at her squarely... She..."

The words of this collision with the holy driver made the emperor furious, and he was angry and kicked on the cloisonné enamel entwined branch lotus pattern copper tripod, and there were still incense ashes in the ding, and he fell to the ground with a bang, and suddenly the dust was flying. Qingcheng slept in a daze, suddenly heard a sound, and was frightened for a while, so he leaned on the emperor, touched his hand, and realized that there was no one beside him.

She first thought that there was an urgent performance in front of her, but then she felt that something was wrong, so she shouted to the closet compartment: "Someone." ”

The palace maid on duty at night stepped forward, blessed her body, and said, "What does the master command?" Qingcheng asked, "Who's coming outside?" The palace maid didn't dare to hide it, and said, "It's the queen mother who is here." Qingcheng thought about it for a while, and knew that the queen was for the eldest princess's business, she tiptoed up, did not wear clothes, shoes and socks, and walked to the door barefoot, but there was no sound at all, as if no one was there.

After half a ring, Fang heard the emperor say coldly: "You don't have to say anything, you can go back." ”

The queen straightened up, tears fell silently, and she said: "If the emperor does not take back his order, the concubines will not be able to kneel for a long time." The emperor was furious and couldn't help but shout: "You still want to blackmail me? The queen said: "The concubines don't dare." After speaking, he still knelt with an awe-inspiring expression. It was during the stalemate that suddenly heard a voice in the rainy night, "Huang Eniang..."

A grandmother turned over and entered the house, bent her knees and said, "Master Qiqi, the seventh elder brother is here." ”

Yongcong is the emperor's most valued son-in-law, like a piece of meat on the tip of his heart, the emperor knows that it is freezing outside, and he hurriedly said: "Let him come in." Yongcong can't even walk well, and he can only shout "Huang Eniang", "Huang Ama", "Huang Grandmother" and other titles, the grandmothers carried Yongcong into the house, and the queen frowned and said: "On such a cold day, who asked you to bring Yongcong here?" ”

Mama Jingqi trembled with fright, and said with a pale face: "The seventh elder brother is crying and asking for the emperor's mother, and the slaves and maids really have no choice." As soon as Yongcong saw the queen, he immediately turned crying into laughter, and stretched out his hand for the queen to hug. The emperor felt sorry for Yongcong and said to the queen: "Get up first." The queen knelt on her neck and feet numb, struggled to get up, and took Yongcong and hugged her in her arms.

The queen said: "Yongcong, hurry up and ask the emperor Ama to say goodbye." ”

Yongcong's meaty little hands were clenched into fists, and there were tears in his eyes, and he said, "Emperor Ama Wanfu." The emperor's heart softened, wiped the tears on his little face with his fingertips, and scolded the grandmothers: "What a group of foolish minions, they dare to take the seventh elder brother in the rain at night!" The mothers pounced on the ground and kowtowed, saying, "Slaves and maids should die, slaves and maids should die." ”

The queen said: "The matter has come to this, and the concubine has nothing to say, so please ask the emperor to spare his sister-in-law for Yongcong's sake." Yongcong giggled and shouted, "Huang Ama...", as if helping the queen intercede, so that the emperor could not refuse.

The wind and rain were raging, and occasionally a cold wind entered the house through the cracks in the windows, and the skin of the people was chapped. The emperor touched Yongcong's face, and his tone softened for three minutes: "Yongcong is obedient..." and said: "I'm tired, you all go back, the matter of the eldest princess, I will deal with it later." The queen's face was a little gloomy, hugged Yongcong and bent her knees, and said, "Concubine Xie Lord Longen." ”

When the emperor returned to the bedroom, Qingcheng had already returned to bed.

He already had a chill on his body, took off his end mask, hid in the quilt, Qingcheng was pounced by the cold air, and couldn't help but shiver with a "sizzle". The emperor put his left arm on his pillow and said sideways: "Woke you up?" ”

Qingcheng simply turned around, faced him face to face, and said, "It's hard to wake up with such a big movement." ”

The emperor was in a depressed mood, closed his eyes and said: "For Yongcong's sake, I will endure the queen again and again..."

Qingcheng knew that he was uncomfortable, and the warm palm was held on his cheek, rubbing softly. She said gently: "I have some sympathy for the queen, if you send Jiao'er outside to be raised, so that I can't see it, I will be more uncomfortable than death." He smiled and comforted: "Okay, forget it, seeing that you are angry, the eldest princess is afraid that she will regret it." She is still a child, and she will have to take care of it from now on. The emperor slowly opened his eyes, and his dark eyes stared deeply at Qingcheng.

He said: "I'm afraid that you will blame me for favoring my daughter-in-law, and I don't even care about Jiao'er's injury." ”

Qingcheng smiled and said, "Whether you prefer it or not, I know your intentions." Kyau'er is hurt, and I know you're even more upset than I am. I'm just sad that Jiao'er hurts, and you are not only sad that Jiao'er hurts, but also sad that the eldest princess is ruthless in competing for favor. After a slight pause, he said: "Fortunately, Jiao'er's injury is not serious, and the eldest princess is still young, so there is room for redemption." I just said that I can't forgive the eldest princess, most of it is because I am still angry. Now that I'm not angry, I feel like I can forgive her. ”

She untied the knot in her heart, and the emperor suddenly overflowed with tenderness, put his cheek on her face, and murmured: "In the harem, only you can solve my worries." Qingcheng squeezed into his arms and fell asleep.

Seeing that it was the end of the year, the queen and the seventh elder brother fell ill one after another, and the two of them contracted wind and cold, just avoiding everyone talking about the eldest princess biting the second princess. Although the illness is not serious, the emperor will visit the seventh elder brother in Changchun Palace every day, and he will always have a hurdle in his heart, that is, when the second elder brother Yonglian was sick, he did not spend enough time with him.

So the emperor really cares about Yongcong, and he can't wait to be sick for him and hurt for him.

The scars on her face scabbed over in two or three days, but they were all healed in seven or eight days, but she still insisted on applying the cream to remove the scars every day. Since Jiao'er was bullied, Yongzhang had a dislike for the eldest princess, neither talking to her nor inviting her to play in Yikun Palace. The eldest brother helped Yongzhang, and the two formed a gang to isolate the eldest princess. The fifth elder brother was instructed by Concubine Yu to take Yongzhang as the foresight in everything. is only the fourth elder brother, and the eldest princess is still the same as usual, and she does not deliberately treat her poorly.