Mo Lan turned around, and saw Zhao Zhen walking along the small stone path with a smile, he was wearing a royal blue round-necked casual robe, the breeze poured into the sleeve robe, and the brocade ribbon fluttered, dancing like a gentleman in the forest. When a dead leaf falls on his shoulder, he does not blow it, but lets it go with the wind. His voice blew from afar in the wind, with a woody scent: "Moran." ”

Somehow, the corners of her eyes suddenly became wet, and she didn't shed tears when she was locked in the forbidden room, but she wanted to cry at this time. When he approached, she couldn't hold back her tears, lowered her eyebrows and lowered her face, interlocked her hands, put them on her left waist, bent her knees slightly, and said softly: "Wanfu of the official family." ”

Zhao Zhen hurriedly helped her up, seeing that her eyes were red, as if there were tears, her heart moved, a little softer than before, and said softly: "It's not good for me to let you be wronged." ”

Moran asked, "What's wrong with you?" ”

Zhao Zhen took her hand, only to feel cold to the bone, distressed, and hurriedly used his big palm to put his hands into the sleeve robe, and said warmly: "Yesterday's talisman, I should have personally handed it over to you, and I caused so many things in vain." After a pause, he added, "I've always wanted to wait for the right opportunity to transfer you back to the Tea Division, but now it seems that I can't wait." ”

Moran's hand was in his sleeve, gradually warming, and she said, "How did the official family know about today's affairs?" ”

Zhao Zhen saw that her eyebrows were slightly frowned, her eyes were red, and she was very weak, so she said with pity: "I saw you in Yujin Gate this morning, and there were two eunuchs of Shangzheng Bureau beside me, so I sent someone to follow you." If I hadn't happened to bump into you, I don't know how many ridiculous things would have happened. I want you to return to the tea ceremony immediately, after this incident, I can no longer put you in the Renming Palace, and you must appear in front of me every day to feel at ease. ”

Mo Lan smiled bitterly: "Even if you are around the official family, if someone deliberately frames you, it is inevitable. ”

Zhao Zhen swore an oath: "In the palace, I said it, do you remember?" ”

Mo Lan sneered: "You have said a lot, thousands and hundreds, how do slaves know which sentence you are talking about?" If this is really a royal order, if you can't answer it, you have to hit the board, stay behind the tea service, and the official family will ask about this every day, and the slave and maid will not be even more worried and afraid. She laughed at him, and called herself a slave.

The warm breeze blew, stirring the skirts of the two together, wrapping around, fluttering and flying with the wind. Zhao Zhen pinched her cheek and said, "You ...... The little hooves who are not respectful and humble ......" saw her eyes rolling, smiled, revealing plain teeth like silver shells, and couldn't help but kiss her on the lips, and said softly: "When I was in the palace, I said, with me, you don't have to be afraid of anything." As he spoke, he took her into his arms and refused to let go for a long time. The shade of the trees covers the sun, the fallen leaves are silent, the birds are singing on the side, and the time is quiet and beautiful like flowing water.

Su Hehe followed behind Zhao Zhen about forty or fifty paces, and when he saw this, he turned around silently and thought for a long time.

When Mo Lan returned to Renming Palace, Zifei had already been watching at the door for a long time, and when he saw her coming, he cried with joy. Mo Lan was moved in his heart and comforted her: "Heaven and earth have their own justice, isn't this a good return?" Stop crying. ”

Zifei took her hand and ran into the pantry in the apse, took out two packets of pancakes from the cabinet, stuffed them into Mo Lan's hands, and said, "Liu Congguang bought them outside the palace, and I saved you two." ”

Mo Lan opened the wrapping paper and took a bite, and it was crispy and crispy, "It's delicious." ”

Zifei saw that she liked it, and watched her finish eating with satisfaction, before getting up and going back to Tongjian Hall to do things.

Moran went to the temple to do his work, and was busy all afternoon, and returned to his lodgings after supper hour. After washing his face, he was about to go to the kitchen, but he saw Aunt Qing walking towards him with a limp, her face was full of gloom, and she hadn't seen her for a day, and she felt that she was several years older. Mo Lan invited her to sit in the house, and while pouring tea for her, he said, "I'll go to see the concubine after dinner, what do you have to take with you?" ”

Aunt Qing sat on the stool, her face colorless, "No need to go." ”

Moran held the tea, vaguely thought of something, and was stunned for a while, "Why?" ”

Aunt Qing held on to the corner of the table, cried out loud, and sobbed: "The concubine ...... last night It's up. ”

Mo Lan's heart was cold, although she didn't have much to do with Concubine Li, but she finally served her for a few days, and now she heard that she was dead, and she felt sad when she saw Aunt Qing's old tears. She patted Aunt Qing's back and reassured: "Now that the people have gone, you must also take good care of your health." The concubine has been sick for many years, why not be a relief now? I only hope that in the next life, she can marry an ordinary family. ”

Aunt Qing gradually stopped crying, took out the rosewood carved begonia brocade box from her arms, and said: "This brocade box contains the only remaining belongings in the concubine's life, and I will hand it over to you now." ”

Moran was very surprised, "I'm only serving the concubine for a few days, so how can I be?" Even if the concubine leaves relics, they should be kept by you, how can I accept it? ”

Aunt Qing opened the brocade box, which contained the Confucian scarf that the concubine wanted to present to Zhao Zhen, as well as a few jade pendants and golden hairpins. She persuaded in a loud voice: "The concubine handed me this brocade box, also because she wanted me to have some money when I was old." But I'm old bones, what's the difference between good and bad? It's okay to get by. ”

Moran asked, "Do you have something to ask for?" ”

The corners of Aunt Qing's mouth twitched, only that Mo Lan was really smart, and said with trembling lips: "The old slave has no one to rely on, I just want to hand over this brocade box to you, if you can hand over the brocade box to the official family one day, it is the best, and it can be regarded as fulfilling the long-cherished wish of the concubine." If not, the lady can keep it for thought, which can be regarded as a little gratitude to you from the old slave. ”

Aunt Qing understood Mo Lan's personality and thought that she would never embezzle money, so she came up with such a method.

Moran didn't understand why the concubine was so unrelieved of this matter, and even entrusted her with death. She was moved by compassion for a moment and accepted the brocade box, "Don't worry, if there is a suitable time, I will present this brocade box to the official family in its original form." Seeing her serious expression, Aunt Qing seemed to be a little sure, so she hurriedly got up and knelt on the ground, kowtowed, and said, "The old slave will be a cow and a horse in the next life to repay the great kindness of the lady." ”

The night is dark, Hui Fuyuan falls off the lock early and turns off the lights, only the beauty of the dormitory burns a few jade hook cloud pattern lamps, the lamp plate is jade, the five-petal cluster flower is carved in the center of the convex place as the wick base, the five lights are burned, and the hall is as bright as day.

Lin Dongyuan was reading under the lamp, and put down the book for a while, with a worried face, "Qi'er can't help but say the punishment?" Qianhua was closing the window, listening to the beauty's words, and hurriedly replied: "It's nothing if her own life is gone, and her relatives don't want it?" Beauty doesn't need to worry, the slaves and maids are all arranged. ”

Lin Dong was a little relieved, and said lonely: "When I was on duty in the Fengcha Division before, Zhang Molan's rank and appearance were below me, and he was the least popular in the division. I didn't want the official family to take her out of the palace to play, such a favor, even I didn't dare to expect it. ”

Qianhua put down the affairs in her hand, walked to Lindong, helped her put on the cloud brocade and beads, and comforted her softly: "When I went to the palace, there were no concubines to follow. There are also officials who are greedy for freshness for a while, and those who are small and favorable, how can they have a beautiful father who is proud of being an official. Since returning to the palace, the official family has only been to the queen and us, which shows that you are the same as the queen in the heart of the official family. ”

Lin Dong raised his eyebrows and smiled, sat up from the chair, walked to the bed in small steps, and said in a charming voice: "That's right, there is the favor of the official family, who has the courage to help me?" The soldiers will come to block, and the water will flood the earth. He immediately ordered the birch to make the bed and turn off the lights.

In the Cining Palace, the Queen Mother was about to go to bed, but Lu Yijian accidentally heard the palace Concubine Li at the banquet, and the Queen Mother only allowed to be buried with palace rituals.

The Queen Mother sat behind the four green bamboo and plum orchid glass screens, and said angrily: "Lu Xiang broke into the Cining Palace at night, is there something urgent?" ”

Lu Yijian bowed and knelt on the ground, "Concubine Li of Hualuotang died yesterday, and the minister heard that the queen mother ordered to be buried only with the rites of the palace people, and the minister, I really feel that it is inappropriate." ”

When the Queen Mother heard this, she asked angrily: "Then what kind of etiquette do you think should be appropriate?" ”

Lu Yijian said: "It should be buried in the queen's specifications." ”

The Queen Mother was furious, walked out from behind the screen, and said angrily: "Do you want to interfere in internal affairs for a palace person?" Beware of dying without a place to be buried! Lu Yijian straightened his waist and admonished: "Since the minister is the minister, naturally there is no big or small matter. After speaking, he said loudly: "If the Queen Mother doesn't care about the Liu family, the ministers dare not speak." However, if the Queen Mother still misses the Liu family, she should bury Concubine Li. No matter how he hides it, the official family will eventually know that Concubine Li is his biological mother, if he knows that his biological mother did not enjoy the honor she deserved before her death, and she is so mournful after death, what should he think? ”

The queen mother thought carefully for a long time, only to feel afraid, and hurriedly called her cronies overnight, and issued an order to crown Concubine Li as the concubine, decorate the funeral with the queen's clothes and ornaments, and fill the coffin with mercury to protect the body from decaying, and came out of the coffin from the Xihua Gate, and temporarily lived in the Hongfu Courtyard in the southern suburbs of Beijing.

On the second day, the palace people who served Concubine Li Chen before her death were called for questioning, and the old woman didn't know whether it was a blessing or a curse for a while, so she kowtowed and said: "There is a palace person on duty in Renming Palace, whose name is Aunt Qing, who often comes to see the concubine." A few days ago, a little lady came, and the slave didn't know what her name was, so she gave the silver to the slave, and only said that the slave would serve the concubine well, and do some work of boiling medicine and carrying water. The Queen Mother sent Aunt Qing to her.

Aunt Qing didn't want to be blessed to see the Queen Mother in this life, so she knelt on the ground, and she was in tears, crying: "Lady, the slave is Xiaoqing!" ”

The queen mother was shocked, there seemed to be a voice faintly coming from the Heng Yu courtyard more than ten years ago, she sat in the courtyard and stroked the qin, the wind was light, the jujube flowers in the courtyard were in full swing, Xiaoqing stood on one side to make tea, and always loved to ask stupidly: "Lady, when will Lang Jun come to pick you up?" ”

I still remember that morning, there was a crackling downpour, and the jujube flowers in the courtyard fell all over the ground. A little lady wears a goose yellow blouse, a dark green horse-faced skirt, a hanging bun, and green fake flowers on her sideburns. I picked up a broom and swept away all the rainwater and flower petals on the bluestone slabs in the courtyard. When the sun comes out, the blue sky is as clear as washing, a few wisps of white clouds rub in the sky, and the breeze blows through the jujube flowers on people's faces, and the dark fragrance is fragrant.

Liu E stood under the corridor and called softly: "Xiaoqing." ”

The little lady who swept the floor in the courtyard was busy "belching" and agreed, returned the broom, jumped in front of Liu E in a few steps, and said with a crisp smile: "What is the matter with the lady calling me?" ”

Liu E frowned slightly, and even reprimanded in a soft voice: "Now that I am temporarily living in someone else's house, I should be more stable, so as not to make others laugh." Xiaoqing suppressed her smile, but only asked: "King Xiang hasn't come to Hengyu Courtyard for a long time, in the end, when will Lang Jun come to pick you up?" ”

There is a Xuanfeng parrot in the golden silk birdcage under the corridor, the snow-white feathers and the long golden beak are extremely beautiful, and it also learns to speak - "When will Lang Jun come to pick you up?" ”

- "When will Lang Jun come to pick you up?" ”

On that day, he was driven out of the Xiangwang Mansion by the Holy Decree and secretly moved to the Hengfei Courtyard of Zhang Qi's family, where he brought a parrot to see her, and promised softly: "I personally bought this parrot from the grass market and gave it to you to relieve your boredom." You wait patiently for half a month, and when I beg my father, I will take you back immediately. ”

At that time, I thought to myself, such a noble family, such a romantic beloved, treat yourself so well, what if you wait for half a month, even if you wait for a year and a half, it is worth and willing. But I don't want to, but it's ten years to wait. From the age of seventeen to twenty-seven, even the parrots were damaged by dozens of parrots, but he was never heard of him returning home.

What is the use of living in a deep courtyard mansion all year round, and reading a wide range of books? What is the use of being proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting? It's just that before marrying another woman, she uses her face to urge people to grow old.

Liu E teased the parrot, lowered her eyes, her face was worried, and said coldly: "Surrounded by beautiful people in Xiangwang's mansion, how can you think that he will come here every day." The weather is very good today, so you and Xinyue will take out the bedding, curtains, and robes worn in winter in the courtyard to dry, so as not to get moldy. ”

Xiaoqing responded, and was about to call Xinyue, but saw the little lady Yingying walking out of the back room, wearing a light purple gauze shirt, holding a large stack of books in her hand, walking from a dark place, her skirt fluttering, like a blooming crape myrtle flower. I heard her pant slightly: "I took out all the lady's books and dried them well, so as not to be eaten by insects." ”

Xiaoqing listened, hurriedly went over and took half of the book, and complained in his mouth: "The ground is not dry yet, it is all rain, where can I put this book to dry?" Xinyue smiled and said slyly: "I have my own way." As he spoke, he put all the books in his hand into Xiaoqing's hand, causing her to scream: "I can't move!" ”

Xinyue entered the side room, took out a small pedal four or five feet long from it, put it in the courtyard, and turned around to work with Xiaoqing to stack the books neatly on the pedal.

Seeing this, Liu E also went to the study to help move the books out. Xinyue stopped: "Lady, these rough tricks, it's enough to have me and Xiaoqing, you go to the side or read a book or stroke the piano." ”

Liu E smiled: "There are three of us in this courtyard, if I can help some, I should also divide the master and servant?" Besides, you still have a lot of miles to do today. Even so, Xinyue no longer stopped it, and the three masters and servants worked together to move the books to the courtyard to dry.

At this time, the sun was shining, and the ground was dry, Liu E sweated, changed her clothes, and felt in good spirits, so she said: "Xiaoqing, you go and take the new tea that King Xiang brought a few months ago and I have been reluctant to eat to the courtyard to boil." After speaking, he asked Xinyue to move the piano out, sit under the jujube flowers, and caress carefully.

The jujube flowers are as fine as snow, and they fall all over the body. Xiaoqing burned charcoal to make tea, while supporting her chin with her hands, looking at the lady in white in front of her, who was touching the piano, she felt that she was as beautiful as a fairy. Xinyue was still hanging a futon in the courtyard, and she couldn't bear to disturb the sound of the lady's qin, and she was also light-hearted.

After the song fell, Xiaoqing asked again: "Lady, when will Lang Jun pick you up?" If this song is not tasted by him, and only listened to by me and Xinyue, wouldn't it be wasted? After a pause, he said lonely: "My mother is on an errand in the kitchen of the palace, I really want to go back to the palace of Xiangwang as soon as possible, so that I can see her every day." ”

Xinyue put down the work in her hand and scolded lightly: "Don't keep gossiping to make the lady unhappy, you ......" Before the words were finished, she heard someone knocking on the courtyard door, she shouted outside while opening the door: "Who is it?" ”

Someone outside the courtyard replied: "Is it Mrs. Li?" ”

Xinyue heard that it was the little guy on King Xiang's side, so she hurriedly opened the door, and the little guy didn't come in, and said at the door: "The prince said that he came over for dinner today, and he prepared well." ”

Xin Yue hurriedly "belched" a few times, and couldn't help but reflexively go back to the house, grabbed a lot of iron money from the cabinet, handed it to the little servant, and said with a smile: "If the prince doesn't remember, you have to remind the prince that Liu Niangzi can wait in the courtyard." ”

The little guy took the money, his eyebrows were overjoyed, and he was full of promises: "That's nature." This morning, the princess went back to her mother's house to visit the sick, and it would take two or three days to come back, and the prince might sleep here today. When the little girl rode away, Xinyue closed the door, first Xizi understood Liu E, and then hurriedly went to the kitchen to start boiling water and preparing vegetables, Xiaoqing served the tea to Liu E to taste, and waited for her to bathe and change clothes, and clean up the bed.

Liu E wears a blue brocade collared gown, embroidered with a large akane peony on her shoulders, and a duck yellow horse-faced skirt tied underneath, embroidered with colorful moire patterns at the skirt, combed with a fragrant bun near Chaoyun, and only said goodbye to the peach blossom hairpin.

Prepare everything, it is already the end of the day, Liu E is full of joy, sitting under the jujube tree while reading a book and waiting for King Xiang, keep telling herself that you must be calm, you can't be impatient, and you will definitely come. It was darkened until the sky was dark, and the lamps were lighted, but no one came. The joy gradually receded, she folded her arms and shrunk her body, leaned on the side of the jujube tree and quietly watched the bright moon gradually rise, only to feel that her heart was as cold as ashes, swallowed up by the night little by little, and tore like this sprinkling of jujube tidbits, and she didn't know where to float, as if she had fallen into the boundless black cliff, and her body was shattered.

I haven't seen him for forty-seven days, thinking of the group of beautiful wives and concubines in his house, she couldn't help but burst into tears, and asked Xiaoqing stupidly: "He won't have forgotten me." ”

Xiaoqing was just a yellow-haired girl at that time, she had no experience in the world, she just wanted to go back to Xiangwang's Mansion and stay with her mother, where did she know Liu E's heart? She replied to her firmly: "Of course not, otherwise how can I go back to Xiangwang's Mansion?" She was so eagerly looking forward to returning to Xiangwang's mansion, thinking that one day she would definitely go back and be by her mother's side every day. But she didn't want to later, Xiangwang's Mansion became the Prince's Mansion, and she followed Liu E into the palace to serve.

But in this life, how can you go back?

In the Ciyuan Palace, the Queen Mother recalled the past, her mind surged, remembering all kinds of Hengyu Courtyard, fifteen years of lonely days, and there were only Xiaoqing and Xinyue on her side. Even if she entered the palace later, Xinyue was favored and gave birth to a princess, and she was pampered and arrogant, Liu E always endured it again and again, but she was worried about the love of the master and servant that day. It was only later that she gave birth to an official family, and she had to make an inch, and she used a plot to make herself miscarry, and she couldn't get pregnant again, so she felt resentful and couldn't let go.

She personally helped Aunt Qing up, and ordered someone to move a chair and give her a seat to sit down. Aunt Qing said: "Now that the lady is the queen mother, the concubine has passed away, and the slave has a sentence that I don't know whether to say or not." Liu E seemed to have returned to the Heng Yuan twenty years ago, and the little girl who loved to wear a dark green skirt was sitting in front of her, and she smiled and said, "Just say it." ”

Aunt Qing sat down on half of the chair, wiped away her tears and said: "In the fourth year of Dazhong Xiangfu, the miscarriage of the Queen Mother was definitely not done by the concubine, and the slave can prove it." Liu E recalled the past, still felt heartache, and said: "It's been a long time, why mention it again." After speaking, seeing that Aunt Qing was still going to speak, Liu E only felt bored, and said angrily: "Don't mention this matter again." ”

Seeing that the Queen Mother was angry, Aunt Qing didn't dare to say any more. It's just that Liu E has lived in the deep courtyard, without a name and no share for fifteen years, and has his own King Xiang to appease her grievances and repay her with all the power of the world.

And Li Xinyue, when she was a child, she was sold into the palace as a slave by the tooth man, and even her parents didn't know where they were, she was claustrophobic by Liu E's side for fifteen years when she was young, even if she got the holy favor and gave birth to the emperor, she didn't enjoy the glory she deserved for a day, and she couldn't even ask for it if she wanted to hear her son call "mother", and she was miserable in old age, and died alone, she had never been really loved and distressed in her life, who would come to say "I'm sorry" to her?

In the evening, the Queen Mother summoned Mo Lan to the Cining Hall for an audience. Moran guessed that it was for the concubine's business, but he was not very sure, and he was apprehensive. Seeing that Aunt Qing had changed into clean clothes and stood beside her and waited for the Queen Mother to drink tea, she was surprised. The Queen Mother asked about Concubine Moran's life, and Moran also answered carefully and respectfully, and it was exactly the same.

The queen mother only felt that she spoke smartly and had a kind heart, and she liked it very much, and said a few words: "The benevolent heart in the palace should be rewarded ......" and other official words, and gave Mo Lan as the sixth rank of the royal attendant, Mo Lan thanked him and still returned to Renming Hall on duty. Aunt Qing was left in the Ciyuan Hall to do rough work and live for the rest of her life.

However, after three or four days, Shang Zhenggong issued an order, saying that Mo Lan had made many contributions during the period when he was on duty in the Division, and now he is still transferred back to the Fengcha Division to serve as the female official of the Liupin Imperial Palace.

After Mo Lan was personally summoned by the Queen Mother, he was not only promoted to the rank of the sixth-grade royal attendant, but now he has been transferred back to the most respected tea priest in front of the imperial palace.

At night, news came from the riot room, saying that Qi'er, the palace maid in charge of the Division, had committed suicide in fear of crime because she slandered the imperial guards and had an affair with Zhang Molan, the secretary of the palace. For a while, rumors spread everywhere, pushing Moran to the forefront of the storm, causing the palace people to talk a lot and gossip continued.