On the seventh day of December in the seventh year of Yong'an, the wind howled and the snow closed the door. The entire cold palace was white, and it was impossible to distinguish where the sky was and where the earth was. Even the dilapidated cloister pavilion is like a pile of ice and snow, with a trance-like sense of unreality.

The lotus leaves used the clothes that could not be worn for the time being to block the wide gaps in the doors and windows. Even so, the biting cold wind can still squeeze into the house through the small cracks, and lift the thin curtain made of lotus leaves spliced with old Luo skirts to show off the majesty.

Lingxi was lying on the bed in the dormitory, covered with two quilts. The couch was hot, but the quilt on his body was cold, and he couldn't feel the heating.

Every once in a while, the spirit rhino would roll over, making sure that his body was evenly heated.

After turning over for the nth time, Lingxi suddenly burst out laughing irrepressibly, laughing so hard that his chest hurt.

Lotus Leaf was fighting the wind outside the dormitory, and broke in from outside after hearing Lingxi's laughter. He stared at Lingxi in horror, and asked Lingxi in a trembling voice, "Niangniang, what's wrong with you?" ”

Since entering the cold palace, Lotus Ye has known the great pressure in Lingxi's heart. After seeing so many concubines become crazy, Lotus Ye is also worried in her heart that Lingxi will also collapse one day.

Lingxi raised his head and lotus leaves, with a pair of big eyes. She couldn't help but smile and said to Lotus Ye, "I'm fine, I just want to eat the same food as I was a child." ”

Seeing that Lingxi's eyes were clear and he spoke clearly, Lotus Ye put down his hanging heart. She walked up to Lingxi and stretched her frostbitten hands under the futon, and said with a smile, "Niangniang? What kind of food makes you think like this? ”

"It's called teppanyaki." Lingxi turned over, put his back, which had been frozen for a while, on the bed, and said with a smile, "It's to put the clean iron pieces on the red-hot charcoal fire and roast them." When the iron flakes are hot, add the cut meat and vegetables and add seasonings on top. Since it can only be heated on one side, it must be constantly turned during the baking process. Just like I am now. ”

As she spoke, Lingxi turned over from side to side, signaling that she was now eating as if she were lying on an iron plate.

The lotus leaf let out a low laugh, and then laughed loudly, and tears burst into laughter in her eyes.

"Niangniang, there is such a fun food, haha, Niangniang, it won't be you making the slave laugh."

Lingxi reached out and found the lotus leaf's cold hand under the mattress, and said with a smile, "I didn't make you laugh, I really ate that kind of thing." It's a pity that our conditions don't allow it now, otherwise we will make it for you to taste, it's delicious. ”

Lotus Ye was afraid that her hands would freeze to the core, so she pulled her hands out from under the quilt, rubbed them together, and said, "Niangniang, go and pull out a brazier and come in, if you are sleepy, you can sleep." When you wake up, the porridge will be ready. The slave maid exchanged two birds for a few dried vegetables from the white lady yesterday, and salted them finely, and you must have an appetite for them later. ”

Lingxi nodded, looked at the little face that was red and swollen from the lotus leaf, and said, "Don't be in a hurry to eat, you will come back after pulling out the brazier and go to the bed to warm up." ”

Lotus Ye nodded, turned around and went out to use the old copper basin scavenged from the Fat Pavilion, and went to the stove to pull out a pot of red charcoal.

The charcoal has not yet burned through, and puffs of black smoke rise from the surface with black ash, which is very different from the ink charcoal used by the servants in the palace, not to mention the silver silk charcoal and carrot charcoal.

Lotus Ye was choked by the black smoke and coughed, raised her red and swollen right hand and fanned it for a while, and waited until the black-gray surface was burned red, and no longer emitted choking black smoke, she carefully brought the charcoal basin into the dormitory.

In the dormitory, on the dilapidated bed, Lingxi was already frowning and confused.

Trapped in the cold palace, Lingxi can't guarantee a fine diet, can't guarantee a good medicine to protect the fetus, the only thing that can be guaranteed is enough sleep.

The lotus leaf gently put down the charcoal basin and tucked the quilt for Lingxi.

Seeing that the room was warm and Lingxi slept deeply, Lotus Ye carefully walked out of the dormitory and came to the place where the rations were stored on weekdays.

The bag of brown rice had dried up, and the lotus leaves had been poured over and over again, so that less than half a bowl of grain had been poured out, far less than one person could eat.

Because the lotus leaves offended Mama Liu that time, their rations here were severely deducted. It used to be three taels of brown rice per person per day, but now two taels per person a day can't arrive, cooking porridge, barely able to mix water and be full, don't think about dry rice.

There is no other food in the cold palace, the spirit rhino is still with his body, and the lotus leaves are trying to starve themselves as much as possible, so that the spirit rhino can eat more. Every day, I tightened my belt to do those rough jobs, and when I was so hungry that I couldn't stand it, I went to drink cold water. After half a month, the lotus leaves are already skinny and skinny.

The lotus leaf went to turn over the birds that had been detained a few days ago, and there were only two left. Due to the strong winds for several days, the birds are becoming more and more difficult to detain.

Lotus Ye picked up the rice bag and got up, and went out to ask for rations from Mama Liu against the strong wind.

As soon as he walked out of the door, Lotus Ye's thin body was immediately swept away by the wind and fell into the deep snow. Lotus Ye gritted her teeth and got up, and walked in the direction of the cold palace gate with the wind.

The house where Mama Liu lives is built according to the north palace wall, which is an independent small courtyard with three main rooms, two ear rooms on the left and right, and east and west wings. On weekdays, Mama Liu lives in the main room, and a little palace maid like Biyun, who is not treated by Mama Liu, lives in the ear room. The east and west wings are the storerooms.

On weekdays, lotus leaves come to get rations, and they are all measured by Biyun from the west wing with a small bucket.

After walking into Mama Liu's small courtyard, the wind became smaller. When the lotus leaf hugged her shoulders, she shivered, and her lips were blue from the cold.

In fact, Lotus Leaf has a cotton cloak that can be worn to keep out the cold, but the cotton cloak is seventy percent new, brocade material, and Lotus Leaf is afraid that she can wear it and can't bring it back.

The lotus leaf rubbed her ears that were so cold and painful, her teeth chattered up and down, and they made a 'bang' sound when they touched each other. She just wanted to find a room to get into, to slow down her frozen body.

Walking under Mama Liu's window, Lotus Ye just wanted to push the door when she heard the sound of porcelain breaking from the house.

Then Mama Liu's slightly rough voice came out, "Niang, I really killed a big cow in my last life, so I will stay in the cold palace in this life." What kind of thing is that Concubine Rou, she said that she would deduct the share of the cold palace. What about the dozens of people in this palace, do they all drink the northwest wind? Phew! A pricked pheasant, is she really a phoenix? ”

"Mama, you're drunk." Biyun's voice came out, "If people listen to this, I'm afraid they won't live." ”

"Listen? Do you think this cold palace is a place to be welcomed? Who the fuck is listening to the corner of the wall in the cold palace in this weather," the snapping sound came, as if Mama Liu was slapping the table, "Whoever wants to listen, let her listen." After listening to it, I will tell the concubine that the old lady is a capital crime! Biyun, you said, the basic ration of half a catty per person per day in this cold palace, two taels of green vegetables, and three coins of fine salt were set by the ancestors when they were alive. Mama, I've been in the cold palace for 30 years, and I haven't seen the two taels of greens per person every day, phew, I haven't even seen two fucking green seeds. That's fine, those madmen don't eat two bites less. But this is fifty taels of New Year's money at the end of the year, right, for more than a hundred years, this thing has not been less. It's okay now, as soon as Concubine Rou came to power, she deducted this item first, what kind of thing is she! Can she be bigger than her grandfather?! ”

It was the sound of things falling to the ground and shattering.

Biyun's voice came again, but because the sound was too small, the lotus leaf couldn't hear what it was.

However, Lotus Ye understood, it turned out that they should have half a catty of rations per person a day, as well as two taels of vegetables. Not only that, but at the end of each year, the palace will also pull out money to the cold palace for the New Year.

However, except for the ration of three taels per person, the rest have been deducted layer by layer. Mama Liu scolded in the room like this, just because she didn't get the fifty taels of silver for the New Year, so she was unwilling.

Lotus Ye gritted her teeth secretly, and she was so angry that she scolded these black-hearted things!

“…… I'm not drunk! Go get me the wine again!" ”

"Mama, you can't drink anymore."

"Are you Mama or am I Mama? Now even you look down on Mama! You little! ”

"I'll go now, ouch~ Niangniang, don't fight, I'll go ......"

Lotus Ye hurriedly hid in the corner between the house and the palace wall.

There was a 'squeak', and the door opened in the wind. Lotus Ye poked his head out to look, and saw Biyun walking to the east chamber with a key, and opened the door of the east chamber warehouse with a bang.

Lotus Ye saw the opportunity, and ran in like the wind the moment Biyun pushed the door in, and then closed the door with a bang.

This series of actions was done quickly and crisply, and when Lotus Ye stretched out his hand to rub his frosty ears again, Biyun was still stunned, looking at Lotus Leaf in shock, and his face turned white.

Lotus Ye snorted and sniffed the aroma of wine.

The lotus leaf looked around and saw that this small wing room was full of things. Two steps away, there were a lot of radishes, potatoes, carob melons and other easy-to-store vegetables on the ground, and a few strips of bacon soaked and shiny bacon, cured chicken, and cured duck hung on the window beam. Not only that, but in the left corner of the room, there are several large vats, which are covered with something, and I don't know what they contain. And the aroma of the wine is emanating from the three wine jars covered with red cloth on the right.

Lotus Leaf swallowed her saliva and her stomach gurgled.

Biyun finally reacted, put the empty wine bowl in his hand on the windowsill in the wing room with a 'bang', and shouted angrily at the lotus leaf, "What are you doing here?" Get out? ”

Lotus Ye's eyes were on those waxy meat, and he swallowed his saliva and said, "I'll get the rations, we're out of food." ”

"Didn't you just get it a few days ago? It's not ten days yet, no, get out, get out. Biyun pushed the lotus leaf with his hand and pushed the lotus leaf to his head.

Lotus Ye got up from the ground and said to Biyun with a flattering face, "Miss Biyun, it's okay, our young lady has been sick for a few days." If you can't eat enough, I'm afraid you won't be able to endure it for a few days. ”

"She won't live for a few days, what the hell is going on with me?" Biyun went to push the lotus leaf again, and said viciously, "Roll!" ”

Seeing that this trick was useless, Lotus Ye straightened her waist and glared back, gritted her teeth and said, "If you don't give me rations today, I'll go and tell Mama Liu that you are greedy for me for a pair of fine jade earrings." Look at how Mama Liu cleans you up! ”

Lotus Leaf has been skinny and skinny in recent days, like a skeleton. At this time, he stared at it, and he looked like a terrible ghost crawling out of hell.

Biyun was frightened by the lotus leaf and let go, "Just this once!" ”

Seeing that Biyun agreed, Lotus Ye put a humble attitude on her face again, "It's still Biyun girl who is generous and kind." ”

Biyun was frightened by the appearance of the lotus leaf, clutched his chest and frowned, "I'll take you to weigh the grain, and this time I will weigh you more." If you dare to threaten me with that next time, don't blame me for being rude! ”

"Self-is." Lotus Ye swallowed and spat at the mouth, and then said, "Miss Biyun, you are a good person to the end, can the bacon be ......?"

"Can't!" Biyun shouted, "That waxy meat mama has to check it every day!" ”

"Biyun Niangniang is so smart, she must be able to hide it." Lotus Ye continued to curry favor, and she was bent on taking some back to replenish Lingxi's body.

"No, no, no!" Biyun stretched out his hand and pulled Lotus Ye's thin arm, and said, "If you want food, I'll give you food, don't make up your mind about the things in this house!" ”

"Biyun girl......" Lotus Ye looked at Biyun pleadingly.

", I can't do it if I say no! If you do this again, I will call Mama to come, and it is a big deal to hand over those earrings, and you two will starve to death in the future......"

Pulling the lotus leaf, he saw an iron skewer standing behind the door that is used to clear ice and snow on weekdays, and suddenly became evil to the side of the guts, and picked it up while Biyun was not paying attention to it** to Biyun's heart.

The clothes in the winter were thick, and the lotus leaves had no strength, so the iron stick slid off Biyun's body.

Biyun was shocked into a cold sweat, and pointed to the lotus leaf and wanted to shout.

The lotus leaf is also shocked by the cold sweat of a lifetime. But her reaction was faster than Biyun's, knowing that she couldn't think much more in this situation, she raised the iron pick again and stabbed Biyun's delicate face fiercely.

Biyun fell to the ground with a bang, and when he raised his hand to touch the blood, he was completely panicked, and his legs were so frightened that he couldn't stand up. Biyun shouted at the top of his voice as he crawled towards the door, "Mama, Mama Liu, Mama come and save me!" ”

At this time, the lotus leaves were already red-eyed, how could they still allow Biyun to run. Lifting the iron skewer and stabbing at Biyun with the greatest strength of his whole body, again and again, blood splattered everywhere, splashing on the lotus leaf's pale face, like a ghost.

Biyun could still howl loudly at first, but slowly, his body softened, and he could no longer make a sound.

But the lotus leaf seemed to be not addicted, his eyes were blood-red, as if he was enchanted, and he was scribbling while piercing, "Let you hurt your mother, let you bully your mother, let you be arrogant, let you deduct our rations......"

Outside the window, Mama Liu shouted, "Biyun, you little hooves, you shout!" ”

The lotus leaf was awakened suddenly, and the iron stick fell to the ground with a loose hand, making a crisp sound.