After a long silence in the room, Fang Yougong maid shrank her hands and feet and came out, walked to the eaves of the corridor, and said in a low voice: "Long live Lord saw the excerpts, and his mood was not good, and he didn't see anyone coming." After finishing speaking, he blessed Concubine Shu and said, "Master Shu, please go back." ”

The cold wind blew on his face, and his lips were dry and cracked.

Concubine Shu lost face in front of the minions, her chest was blocked, and she pursed her lips tightly, but she was helpless. Jiaoyue, the palace maid carrying the lantern on her side, said softly: "Master, the night wind is strong, it's better to be tomorrow..." ”

Jiaoyue's cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were overflowing with tears, but she didn't dare to show her tears, and she forcibly said: "The slave deserves to die, please forgive the master." ”

It is disrespectful to reprimand the palace people in front of the emperor's bedroom.

Wu Shulai himself is also a minion, so he can be regarded as empathetic, and he couldn't help but stand up for Jiaoyue, and said: "Master Shu wants to punish the palace people, although he goes back to Xianfu Palace to slowly scold, this is the Palace of Nourishing Hearts, if the Lord of Long Live knows, no one will have good fruits to eat." ”

Concubine Shu was timid, and said quietly: "I'm just angry for a while." ”

Wu Shulai took the opportunity to say: "In this case, Master Shu will go back to dissipate his anger." ”

Shu Concubine was anxious, stumbled under her feet, and almost fell, when she got up, she saw the brocade curtain in front of the palace raised, and some palace people turned over and went in, and faintly saw that the lights inside were bright, and the figure was sufficient. Recalling the past when I was smiling in front of the palace, stepping on the wool blanket with bare feet, the dense and soft touch can be crispy to the bottom of my heart.

Qingcheng was dressed in a palace skirt of moon and white moon, separated by dozens of zhang from the emperor, sitting in front of the kang and cutting vases of flowers with the palace maids. Suddenly hearing a slight sigh, she turned her head to look, only to see the emperor stroking his forehead and staring at the fold, his brows furrowed, and letting the ink drip down.

The eunuch who was guarding the pen and ink on the side, standing with a boo, did not squint, as if everything had nothing to do with him, just grinding the ink ingots wholeheartedly. Qingcheng raised her face, and the palace maid quietly retreated.

She got up and withdrew from the idle people in the hall, studied the ink herself, and asked softly, "What is the emperor worried about?" She shouldn't have asked about the affairs of the court, and she couldn't have asked, but seeing that the emperor was worried, she couldn't help but open her mouth.

The emperor said: "The Zhili Yamen handed over the excerpt, saying that the governor Li Wei died of illness. After a pause, he moved, put down his pen, closed the fold, and said: "He is an old minister of the ancestral dynasty, an honest official, an example for the ministers, knowing that he is old, I have always wanted to go out of the palace to see him, I don't want to... This is a loss for the imperial court. ”

Qingcheng didn't dare to make judgments, listened quietly to the emperor's words, and said: "It is also his blessing to be so pitied by the emperor." He also said: "If the emperor feels tired, it is better to rest first." The emperor snorted, Qingcheng hurriedly gestured outside, but after a while, there were attendants holding towels and warm water inside, Qingcheng waited for the emperor to wash and change clothes, and the two of them lay on the dragon couch.

The emperor was dressed in bright yellow silk, half-leaning and half-lying, looking at the shimmering light in front of the tent, his heart was heavy, and he was silent. Qingcheng leaned on his back and said softly, "Can't the emperor sleep?" The emperor turned around and refused to say more, but smiled lightly: "You go to sleep first." ”

Qingcheng pondered for a moment, suddenly sat up, and said, "The emperor's braids are scattered, I'll comb it for you." ”

The emperor said: "On a cold day, I carefully froze my hands, and Ming'er has his own combing eunuch to serve." ”

She got out of the quilt, tiptoed to the truss to take the clothes, learned that Suo Suo took a boxwood engraved comb, covered the half of the quilt, and said with a smile: "There is a famous doctor in the Sui Dynasty named Chao Yuanfang, he said in the medical book that combing the hair has the effect of smoothing the blood veins, dispelling wind and dissipating dampness, and making the hair not white." Regardless of this, I just think that combing my hair at night can forget my worries and sleep peacefully, and I sleep until dawn. ”

She forced him to sit up, and surrounded the two of them with a brocade quilt, but the emperor had to sit cross-legged, and let her untie her braids, and slowly break up her hair, combing it all the time. Her hand strength was neither light nor heavy, and the boxwood teeth gently scraped at the roots of his hair, making him feel crispy and numb, and he felt quite comfortable. The hall was quiet, and the two of them occasionally murmured, and the dim light reflected the tulle curtain, fainting a warm and comfortable.

The next morning, it rained, and the sky was cloudy and soaked, making people feel more and more cold to the bone. The emperor dispersed, and the imperial doctor from the imperial hospital came forward to tell him, saying that the second elder brother was not good again, and the high fever had not subsided all night.

The emperor didn't have time to rest, so he took a sedan chair and went straight to Changchun Palace to visit. Yonglian knew the etiquette and observance, although he was sick, when he saw the emperor coming, he wanted to get up and salute. The emperor pressed his shoulder with one hand and sat down next to the couch, and without waiting for the imperial doctor to stop him, he had already put his face on Yonglian's forehead.

Yonglian's face was pale, his lips squirmed, and he gasped: "Erchen greets Huang Ama for peace, Erchen can't get up and salute, please forgive Huang Ama for his sins." The emperor felt that his forehead was hot, and he felt pity in his heart, and said, "Good boy, the emperor is not angry." ”

The palace maid twisted the cold towel and stepped forward to serve, the emperor took it, personally put it on Yonglian's forehead, and stroked the little face with the back of his hand, paused for a moment, and said lovingly: "You get better quickly, Daqing is still waiting for you to be the master." ”

When the queen heard this, she was happy and worried, and this was the first time that the emperor showed his intention to establish a prince in front of everyone. Yonglian was clear in his heart, barely squeezed out a smile, and said: "It is the blessing of the people that the Qing Dynasty can have the emperor Ama." When I recover from my illness, I will definitely follow Huang Ama to learn the teachings of Chinese language. ”

The emperor bowed his head and said, "When you are ready, Huang Ama will teach you to ride a horse and shoot arrows, and there are still many things to do." ”

For a while, a palace maid who was waiting for the decoction stepped forward, knelt in front of the couch generously, and said respectfully: "Please use the second elder brother to use the medicine." ”

The emperor lifted Yonglian up, let him lean on his shoulder, and half-hugged him.

The queen took the porcelain bowl, tasted it with a spoonful of blowing, and fed it to the second elder brother. Yonglian ate half a bowl, and suddenly burst into tears, the emperor was distressed, and asked, "Is the medicine too bitter?" If you endure it, the medicine is bitter, and if you take the medicine, the disease will be cured. ”

Yonglian shook his head and said, "It's not bitter. After a pause, he said: "Today, the emperor Ama and the emperor will take care of it personally, and the sons feel happy, so they cry." ”

The queen wiped away her tears, feeling very sad, but she forced a smile and said, "Silly child." ”

Yonglian was about to say something, but he felt that his stomach was like a river and a sea, and he couldn't bear it, so he spit out all the medicinal juice he had just eaten and vomited the emperor. The imperial doctors leaned forward to diagnose the pulse and see the treatment, the queen guarded on the side, and the palace people led the emperor to the side hall to wash and change clothes. Seeing that the emperor's face was full of worry, Wei Wan'er quickly twisted Wen Pa and waited for the emperor to wipe his face.

The emperor asked, "When did the second elder brother start vomiting medicine?" Wan'er was calm, stood in front of the emperor, tightened the cloud dragon buckle, and said: "Back to the emperor, the second elder brother started to have a fever last night, and he always vomited. After a pause, he said: "The emperor doesn't have to worry too much, it's normal to vomit when you have a fever." An empty stomach may be better for the condition. She was wide-eyed, quiet and delicate, and her words were dignified and dignified, and the emperor couldn't help but look at her twice, feeling very familiar and familiar, but he couldn't tell why.

In the middle of the night, the wind and clouds surged, and before the beginning of winter, snow particles began to fall. There was no burning dragon in the house, and Qingcheng was so cold that his feet froze. Hai'an temporarily carried a lantern, took out last year's charcoal from the warehouse, piled it up like a hill and burned a large iron basin, wrapped it in a mulslin cover, put it in the dormitory to keep warm, and said in a low voice: "Master, do you want to take two more quilts?" ”

Qingcheng said: "It's enough to take a bed, and if you cover too much, it will make me breathless." After a pause, he asked, "I heard the sound outside, is it snowing?" Hai'an said: "It's sleet particles, and there will be heavy snow tomorrow." Qingcheng exhaled and said, "The weather this year is really unusual - you can go and ask the Internal Affairs Office when the Earth Dragon will be burned early tomorrow morning." Hai'an responded, unpacked and took out the red bird and bird Lianli tribute satin quilt, carefully helped the green orange armpits, blew the lamp, rolled up the cover and slept against the wall.

The sky was dark, the rain was crackling, and at the end of the palace street, there were two people walking quickly with a dim melon skin lamp, and they were not afraid of the snow at all. When they arrived at Changchun Gate, the eunuch who guarded them shouted, "Who is it?" The person outside was so cold that he stomped his feet, and said in a domineering tone: "Hurry up and open the door, there is an urgent report of eight hundred miles." A smooth forehead came out of the door, and a smile was piled up on his face, and he said, "It turned out that the grandfather of the Heart Cultivation Hall is here, come into the house and rest." ”

Gao Yu didn't bother to greet him, and said, "Go and spread the word, I have an urgent report from Yunnan." The bald-fronted eunuch said: "The second elder brother has been making trouble for half a night, and the emperor has only fallen asleep, no one dares to pass it on, Grandpa Gao, look, can you Ming'er again..." Gao Yu raised his eyebrows and shouted: "Let go of your mother's bullshit, delay the matter, and behead your nine clans!" Frightened, the bald-faced eunuch didn't dare to say more, and the fart and urine flowed inside. The emperor and queen stayed in the dormitory together, and Shanrou tiptoed to the couch and whispered: "Long live the lord..."

The emperor did not fall asleep, but raised the curtain with one hand and asked, "What is the matter?" ”

Shanju said: "It's an eight-hundred-mile emergency." As he spoke, he presented the yellow envelope, and turned around and held a painted copper goose fish lamp in front of the emperor. The emperor swept it slightly, the corners of his lips sank, his expression gradually became solemn, and he said in a low voice: "Call it up." The queen woke up, looked out the window, and said, "It's not dawn yet, Yonglian is late, so the emperor might as well rest for half an hour." ”

The emperor had already gotten up, and Wu Shulai listened to the movement and led the palace people in. The emperor said: "It is the excerpt of the governor of Yunnan, Yunnan borders on foreign regions, and it is not too late to wait for half a cent of border affairs." In the political affairs of the court, the queen couldn't intervene, and was about to force herself to get out of bed to serve, but she heard the emperor say: "You are also very tired, you don't have to get up, just rest." ”

The queen's figure moved slightly, knelt and sat solemnly, and said, "Thank you, Emperor." ”

At the end of the day, the sky fluttered with snowflakes, less than half an hour, looking far away, the pavilions and pavilions are all white. Qingcheng slept deeply, and suddenly there was a noise in his ears, Hai An stepped forward a few steps, with an anxious look on his face, and said eagerly: "Master, wake up quickly, something is wrong!" ”

Qingcheng suddenly woke up, sat up from the quilt, and asked, "Why are you so alarmed?" Two palace maids hung up the curtain, and Hai An said quickly: "The Ministry of Internal Affairs just passed the word, saying that the second elder brother is gone, and let the palace masters go to Changchun Palace to mourn." "After most of the charcoal basin was burned, the red light covered it, and when I looked at it, I could only see a thick layer of white ash foam. Qingcheng's brain thundered, she had bumped into Yonglian at the banquet before, she was a very well-behaved and valuable child, when she saw her, even if she didn't know her, she would make a fuss and call out: "Concubine Niangniang is good." ”

Hai'an had already ordered someone to prepare warm water, waited for Qingcheng to freshen up, picked out a solemn and solemn blue pine silk cotton robe, sat in a warm sedan chair, and braved the snow to go to Changchun Palace. The Changchun Gate has set up a white tent, and the palace lights and windows are covered with white veil, and the fine snowflakes are still cold and sad in the dark light. The sedan chair was stopped, Qingcheng entered the straight room, there were already Gao Fei, Shu Concubine, Lu Concubine and others waiting, Yingying Yanyan stood all over the room, with different faces, whispering.

Lu Concubine said: "I heard that the emperor has decreed that the second elder brother will be named the crown prince of Duanhui, and all matters will be based on the crown prince's funeral, and the crown prince's garden will be built!" Although she was wearing a moon-white plain skirt, the dark lines were embroidered with silver wire, shining under the lamp, and the current occasion was really not stable enough. Everyone knew that she loved to chew the root of her tongue, and when they saw the situation, they didn't talk to her.

Wang Guiren quietly pulled Lu Concubine into the dark and said, "Do you want to go back to Zhongcui Palace to change your clothes?" The emperor is sad in his heart, don't touch the mold, and carefully treat you for the crime of disrespecting the crown prince. ”

Concubine Lu herself had already noticed it, and said softly: "I also know, but after picking out clothes for a long time, I can't find a suitable one, and most of the cabinets are pollen, and I can't see people." Wang Guiren thought for a moment, pointed to the palace maid who served the tea, and said, "You ask people to borrow a set of plain clothes and cover them outside." Concubine Lu was embarrassed and said, "It's too ugly..."

Wang Guidao: "Where can you still care if it looks good or not!" ”

After a while, a eunuch in mourning clothes came on foot, and Lin Xue stood under the eaves of the porch, and said, "Please follow the slaves." "Before dawn, the ground was full of slush and crowds, and Qingcheng didn't care to see the road, but walked deep and shallow behind, and didn't know where to be taken. When they arrived at a side hall, there was a golden coffin parked inside, and the white curtain was heavy, and another chamberlain shouted on the side: "Kneel! Qingcheng knelt down, and the attendant shouted: "Mourn!" Wailing and weeping inside and outside the hall suddenly echoed throughout the Forbidden City.

After making trouble for dozens of days, at the end of the year, Fang Xing "moved the ceremony" and temporarily moved the golden coffin of Duanhui Crown Prince to the Jingxi Tiancun Funeral Palace. Qingcheng and the concubine, the princess, and the wife stood together in the two gates, and when the golden coffin carried the coffin car passed, they knelt on the ground and wept and saw them off. Listening only to the sound of boots, neatly and uniformly, thousands of officers and soldiers such as honor guards, eunuchs, and escorts can be seen in the afterglow, and their grandeur and grandeur can be seen in general. Yonglian was ill, the queen was unable to take charge of the affairs of the harem, Concubine Xian was in the cold palace, and Concubine Gao was not relied on by the Queen Mother, so the emperor ordered Jin Shun Concubine to be Concubine Shun, and held a canonization ceremony on a certain day, and she was temporarily in charge of all matters in the harem.

On this day, the snow flakes are like fluttering flakes like broken petals, sprinkling and sprinkling, covering the sky and covering the sun. Qingcheng was crooked on the kang, his back was sore, and he felt uncomfortable all over, so he ordered: "Tell the kitchen to stew two bowls of chicken soup with red dates and ginseng." Hai Anxin calmed down, promised to go down, and turned back to the house for a while, saying, "Master, the Queen Mother summons you." When Qingcheng heard this, he hurriedly struggled to get up and said, "What did you say?" Hai'an knelt on the ground and waited for her to put on her shoes, and said, "The slave and maid estimated that it was for Concubine Shun's canonization." ”

The snow is ankle-deep, and the footprints you step on are only halfway through before you are covered in fresh snow. Qingcheng has not gone out for several days, seeing that the sky is gloomy and gray, sitting in the warm sedan chair, he still feels that his hands and feet are cold and unbearable. When I arrived at Shoukang Gate, I saw a number of green sedan chairs parked on the road, and I couldn't help but be a little faster. The eaves of the corridor have been replaced with red gauze and green gauze lanterns, and the palace maids who lead the way are also wearing red and green, which is not as solemn as before.

The four walls of the house are hung with thick Fushou Ankang felt, the fire dragon is boiling hot, and several pots of silver charcoal are burned with the carved flower smoked basket of the wrong gold depiction phoenix, and the green orange is drilled into it, the heating is pressing, and even the tips of the toes are alive. The queen mother sat on the throne, the emperor sat on the opposite side, and below was a group of concubines and attendants, who saw her enter the house and looked at her together.

Qingcheng was stunned, hurriedly knelt down, and said: "Hello to the Queen Mother, hello to the emperor, hello to the little masters, the concubines are late, please forgive the Queen Mother." "Since the second elder brother, the emperor has not entered the harem for several days, nor has he been summoned to bed, Xu is cold and thick, he actually feels that the green orange body is plump. The Queen Mother saw that the emperor was staring at Qingcheng, and his expression was different from before, so she said lightly: "Get up." ”

There were already clever palace people who moved stools and chairs, and Qingcheng sat down, and his waist was not as sore as before. The Queen Mother is calm, under her thick eyebrows, her two small eyes are as deep as an abyss, and she seems to be able to see everything in the world. She said: "The queen is lying on the couch, and the affairs in the palace are handed over to Concubine Shun to deal with, Concubine Shun is cautious and orderly, and the mourning family is very relieved." After a pause, the onyx-inlaid tortoiseshell gold armor on the little finger slammed heavily on the kang, as if knocking on the tip of everyone's heart, and the sound was terrifying. He also said: "Yesterday, I heard that someone was disrespectful to her, and the emperor gave her the right to be an assistant, and the people in the harem naturally want to respect her, how can they bully others!" ”

Qingcheng didn't know what was going on, but he was terrified when he heard it. Concubine Gao trembled, knelt down, kowtowed, and said: "The concubine is confused for a while, please punish the queen mother." Concubine Shun sat upright, looking at her coldly, silently. The hall was silent, and there was a sudden twist in the belly of the green orange, and he almost cried out in pain.

The Queen Mother said: "Do you know what is wrong?" ”

Concubine Gao wept silently and said: "Concubine Shun has the emperor's will and is in charge of the harem, since she only gives her concubines ten baskets of silver charcoal, the concubines should obey it and should not quarrel with her." The Queen Mother nodded and said, "You are a concubine, with a high rank, you should set an example for the concubines, how can you be willful." Shun Concubine saw that there was a slow color behind the queen, and the emperor did not speak, so she was undecided for a while, and got up and said: "Having said that, this matter should not be completely blamed on the high master, she has always been afraid of the cold, and the emperor once had an edict to allocate three more baskets of silver charcoal to Xianfu Palace every month." The concubine did not check the old accounts, but only did it according to the rules, which led to misunderstandings. ”

Only then did the emperor speak, and said slowly: "Although there are mistakes and omissions, it should be reasonable, how can it be like a shrew in the market, making the palace restless." A smile crossed Concubine Shun's eyes, and then she said respectfully: "The emperor is right." Concubine Gao was so hateful that she scratched her lungs, her palms clutched tightly around her waist, angry and afraid. In the middle of the ring, the emperor said: "Since you have made a mistake, you must not go unpunished." After a pause, he said: "Passing on my will, Concubine Gao behaved unceremoniously, fined money and food for half a year, and confined until the first day of the Lunar New Year." ”

The punishment is neither light nor severe, and can only be regarded as punishment. Concubine Gao didn't dare to scream, so she kowtowed to the ground and said, "Thank you, Lord Longen." The Emperor added, "If there is such a matter in the future, I will not spare it!" All the concubines calmed down, got up and said in unison: "The concubines and others obey orders." ”

Qingcheng suddenly hurt so badly that it was difficult to even get up, her forehead was covered with beads of sweat the size of beans, the emperor had been paying attention to her, and when he saw her strange posture, he couldn't help asking: "Su Guiren, but you are not feeling well?" Qingcheng thought that he was out of tune and made an accident, which made people laugh, so he endured the pain and said: "Emperor Xie cares, and the concubine is fine." ”

The emperor was still not at ease, so he didn't care about the eyes of others, got up and walked in front of her, stretched out his hand and stroked her forehead, and said, "Is it a cold?" Qingcheng wanted to bend his knees to thank him, but as soon as he saw a flower, his head was dizzy and dark. Instinctively, she grabbed his arm and held herself to her feet. The emperor said eagerly: "What the hell is going on?" He hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Mama, go and call the imperial doctor." ”

Mama Yan answered, but she only looked at the face of the Queen Mother. The matter has come to this, the queen mother is not easy to refute the emperor's face, so she secretly bows her head, and the grandmother obeys the order and hurriedly goes. Qingcheng's legs and feet were weak, and he snuggled softly in the emperor's arms, the emperor was anxious, and said to the queen mother: "Su Guiren is unwell, and his son wants to borrow the emperor's mother's bedroom." "Concubine Shun knew before that Qingcheng was very popular, but she didn't want to be favored so much. The emperor is well versed in the art of the harem, no matter who he favors, he always treats everyone equally in front of all concubines. If it weren't for the fact that there was a record in the worship room, how could she know that Su Guiren, who was plain and indifferent and not good at words, would be the most favored.

Qingcheng said weakly: "The queen mother's phoenix couch, the concubines dare not lose their manners, please ask the emperor to send the concubines back to Yikun Palace." The concubines are nothing, just rest for half a day, the emperor can rest assured. The emperor was angry when he heard her, and said eagerly: "You look like this, how can I rest assured?!" If you want to go back to Yikun Palace, I will send you back—but you must let the Imperial Doctor treat you properly. Qingcheng's heart warmed, and the corners of his lips slowly floated into a smile, with a little coquettishness, and said: "It's all old problems, it's nothing." ”

Xuanlai warmed the sedan chair, the emperor personally accompanied Su Guiren, and Concubine Gao and others sent the saint to the palace street, and then they turned back. Concubine Shun was about to get on the warm sedan chair, but suddenly a voice called behind her: "Master Shun, wait a minute!" ”

Concubine Shun heard that it was Concubine Gao's voice, her feet froze, and after a pause, Fang turned around with a smile on her face, as if nothing had happened, and said, "What does Master Gao command?" Concubine Gao smiled at the corner of her mouth, but there was no pleasure in her eyes, she said coldly: "You won once today, in order to avenge the Xian master, it can be regarded as a lot of effort." ”

Concubine Shun still smiled happily and said, "What did Master Gao say?" I don't understand. The wind was wrapped in fine snowflakes, and the cold brocade into the neck, Concubine Gao held the white copper stove in her arms, and said with a smile: "Don't be too happy, the days ahead will be long, let's see." Concubine Shun said: "In the future, the sisters will be happy and harmonious, and it will be good." After speaking, he was solemn and said, "I have a lot of trivial things, so I will leave first." ”

Concubine Gao seemed to smile and said, "The road is slippery, be careful along the master's road." ”