(This is the story of Ange's mother, narrated in the first person.) ）

One

Before I entered the palace, I was a storyteller in the capital.

I don't dress as a man because I don't feel the need to dress as a man.

God has blessed me with a good look, and I have no reason to hide it from others.

There are many dignitaries and nobles in Beijing who seek after me, they call me "Boss Chu", and some people want to marry me.

But none of the dignitaries were willing to marry me, and I knew that they still didn't agree with me in their hearts because they thought I was showing up.

But I don't care, I have money, I have a lot of friends, I live freely, and I don't need to rely on men in this life.

That day in the teahouse, there was a white-faced bearded old man, who listened to me from the beginning.

When it was over, the shopkeeper of the teahouse told me that the old man had something important to discuss with me.

I went, and the private room they had chartered, drew a curtain, and there was a dark shadow behind it.

The old man did not need to stand in front of the curtain, and with a mouth, I knew that he was serving the royal family.

He was kind and said, "There is a distinguished guest who wants to listen to Boss Chu's story, can you trouble Boss Chu to come with me?" ”

Since it is from the palace, this distinguished guest must also have a non-ordinary status.

The main reason why I can mix so well in Beijing is that I know how to measure and advance and retreat. This kind of person invites me to give me face.

I promised him.

I told the dark shadow behind the curtain about "The Peacock Flying Southeast", and when I talked about "Zhong Qing heard it, he also hanged himself in the garden tree", and the person behind the curtain interrupted me.

He said: "There is also a garden tree in "Xiang Zhixuan Zhi". ”

I know that he is talking about the sentence, "There is a loquat tree in the court, and the loquat tree that was planted by my wife in the year of her death is now like a pavilion." ”

His voice was gentle and very nice.

He added: "Why do loving husbands and wives always like to plant trees in the court? ”

His voice sounded sad again.

I suddenly thought about teasing him, and I asked him, "Do you know that there is a half sentence after that sentence?" ”

The people inside asked me, "Oh? Let's hear it. ”

I smiled and said, "There is a loquat tree in the garden, which was planted by my wife when she died, and now it is like a pavilion." Today, in order to make the little lady laugh. ”

The man inside was silent for a long time, and then suddenly he laughed, and he said, "You are very interesting. ”

Two

The second time I saw that person, it was in the Shuangsheng Pavilion in Bada Hutong.

The Shuangsheng Pavilion is the largest official brothel in Beijing, and I often tell stories there, because Aunt Hong, who is in the Shuangsheng Pavilion, is my friend.

Aunt Hong always said that she hurt me.

She said that if she hadn't always asked me to come here to tell stories, with my talents, it would not be difficult to marry a high-ranking official and a nobleman, just because I always came to this kind of place, even if I didn't do anything, those men would think I was not clean.

She also advised me that if I meet the right one and meet someone who is really good to me, I will compromise and become a concubine.

She also said that it doesn't matter if a woman is a wife or a concubine, the key is that the man she marries is worth relying on.

I know she's doing it for my good, but I don't agree with her.

Since I am talented and good-looking, I can live a good life on my own, I don't want anything for men, why should I be wronged to be a concubine?

Assuming that I will really marry someone in the future, I want the other party to respect me absolutely, I will definitely be a wife, the only wife, and he is also my only husband. If he dares to marry a concubine, then I dare to find another man.

Aunt Hong sighed and said: "You, just have a hard mouth, if one day, you really meet the one you love, maybe you don't have any principles, and you are willing to do everything for each other, and you are willing to be an eighteen-room concubine." ”

I didn't bother to pay attention to her, she was my friend, but she didn't know me.

I will always love myself more than I love others, so I won't wronged myself for any man.

That day, after I finished my new compilation of "Nine Kingdoms Night Walk", the white-faced old man came again last time, saying that his master was invited.

Last time, the man gave me a hundred taels of silver, which is more than I saved in half a year, so I naturally responded with a smile on my face.

I followed the white-faced old man into the room, still through the curtain, and I said, "What kind of story does Childe want to hear today?" ”

He was silent for a moment and replied, "You can talk about "The Story of the Peach Blossom Spring". ”

I tell the story of the sages, and I don't like to read from the book, because what the sages originally wanted to say, everyone should know, and I don't have anything new to say.

Just like the last time I told him that the peacock flew southeast, I changed the later story to the story of two immortals who were reincarnated in the wrong carnage and turned into peacocks flying together after the tribulation.

This time too.

"Later, Liu Ziji actually found the Peach Blossom Spring, but the outside world said that he was dying, but it was actually the news that he released himself, and the reason why he said this was because of ......"

Just as I was saying this, a young man suddenly came in and whispered something to the white-faced old man, whose expression changed, and he immediately said to the man behind the curtain, "Madame has found it." ”

I couldn't help but laugh out loud, I've seen a lot of this kind of thing in the Frost Sheng Pavilion.

I said to the old man, "There is a secret passage mechanism behind the curtain, you can hide in the secret passage first." ”

The man behind the curtain was silent for a moment and asked, "Where is it?" ”

I knew that the situation was critical, so I opened the curtain and went in, and without looking at the man, I found the switch at the corner of the bed, and the bed board turned over.

At this time, the footsteps at the door were getting closer and closer.

I was about to go back and signal him to go inside, when the man suddenly pulled me in, and the bed slammed shut.

I heard the white-faced old man in the room outside smiling at the visitor: "Queen Mother, why are you here?" The emperor really didn't come, it was the slave who went out of the palace alone to find someone for the emperor. ”

Empress? The man next to me is so afraid of the queen, is it possible, which prince is he?

The man whispered in my ear, "Is there a way to get out?" ”

The chamber was so small and pitch black that nothing could be seen. I could feel the prince next to me panicking, as he was next to me, and his breathing was a little heavy.

I didn't respond, I was wondering if I should sacrifice this prince and let the queen educate him well.

Although he didn't ask a woman to serve him when he went to the Shuangsheng Pavilion, as a prince, he didn't want to make progress, and he was not good to the country after all.

When he saw that I did not answer, he grabbed my arm more tightly and said, "Take me out, and I will give you five thousand taels of silver." ”

After a short period of thought, I agreed to him.

I, Boss Chu, am notoriously open-minded about money.

I don't plan to rely on men in this life, so I naturally have to rely on money.

Three

I'm also very familiar with the secret passages of the Frost Sheng Pavilion, and even if I can't see anything, I can get out in the dark.

The prince seemed to be particularly afraid of the dark, and his breathing became heavier and heavier, and I could detect a slight tremor in his body, and I took his hand and said, "Don't be afraid, we will be able to go out soon." ”

"Hmm." He replied softly.

Soon, we walked out of the secret passageway, pushed open the small door, and there was a street market outside, with people coming and going, and the lights were brilliant, and it was very lively.

By the moonlight, I saw the prince's face clearly, he was extremely good-looking, especially those eyes, as bright as stars.

I let go of the prince's hand and said to him, "Five thousand taels." ”

He smiled faintly and said to me, "I don't have so much silver with me now, tomorrow I will have someone come and pick you up and take you to my house, and I will hand it over to you in person." ”

I asked him, "I don't know you, and I don't know where you live." If you disappear tomorrow, where will I go to collect my debts? ”

He thought about it, took off the jade on his waist, handed it to me, and said, "The jade pendant alone is more than five thousand taels, if I really don't admit it, you go and take the jade pendant." ”

I am also a person who knows the goods, this white jade pendant with a transparent body looks really valuable, and the jade pendant is also engraved with words: Wei Yue séance, Shengfu and Shen.

I nodded: "Okay, if I can't see the money tomorrow, I'll go and take a jade pendant." ”

Four

Early the next morning, a group of people suddenly came to my house, dressed in palace clothes, led by the white-faced old man I saw two times before, and I have also seen the clothes he wears, which are worn by the eunuchs of Dongchang.

He smiled and said to me, "Boss Chu, my master asks you to go and get the money." ”

I whispered to him, "Are you going to the palace?" ”

The man nodded.

I was a little scared, I had never been to the palace, but I had heard a lot of rumors about the palace.

When I was very young, I befriended a maid who came out of the palace, and she said to me that it was a place of cannibalism, and it was a place for women.

Since then, I have felt in my heart that behind the high palace walls, there are monsters with teeth and claws.

"Otherwise, father-in-law, you can take out the silver directly for me, I will share half of you, my status, I can't be on the stage, I won't go."

The father-in-law still smiled and said: "The girl still enters the palace with the slave, although the slave loves money, but he is more desperate for his life, if he can't invite the girl today, it is estimated that the slave will die." ”

After hearing this, I naturally couldn't bear to refuse anything.

But I already have some resentment against the prince yesterday in my heart, how can he ask for someone's life at every turn?

What the palace maid said earlier was indeed right, the palace is a place where people eat people.

Five

I entered the palace and waited for a long time in a small attic until I waited for the prince.

I wanted to get the money and leave immediately, but he only took a silver ticket of 1,000 taels to me, and said to me: "My queen mother is more strict with me, and she only gave me 1,000 taels of pocket money today, can you stay in the palace for a few more days?" ”

I didn't want to agree, but I was reluctant to pay for it, so I thought that he would have 1,000 taels of pocket money a day, and I would have to wait five more days at most to get all the money.

So I agreed.

I had been telling him stories all afternoon, and I had never heard his laughter, until at the end of the day, he started panting again.

I patted him on the chest, followed his breath, and when he calmed down, I asked him, "Do you have a hidden disease?" ”

He didn't hide it: "Yes, I'm not well, I have asthma." ”

I don't know how to comfort him, as a prince, but with such a serious illness, I'm afraid that the throne will not be with him.

That night, I talked late and said that I was tired, and then I fell asleep in a daze.

When I woke up again, he was gone, and I was covered with his coat.

I smelled the faint scent of my clothes, and somehow I was a little sad.

The prince and I were not friends, and I didn't even know his name, but the thought of him suffering from such an incurable disease made my heart feel uncomfortable.