After lunch, Zhao Zhen instructed Zhou Huaizheng to send a medical woman to see Mo Lan, and sent the royal ointment, until the next day to see Mo Lan's intact value, he was relieved.

When the Qixi Festival arrives, the bustling Bianjing City has become the Qixi Market, and the neighborhood tiles on both sides outside the Suzaku Gate are full of exquisite Qixi Festival objects, there are candy carved Kit Kat fruit food patterns, there are cowherds carved with wax sculptures to weave women, as well as begging objects such as Moro from the Western Regions, the red lights are shining, and the sky is lively.

Every year on this day, the common people have to build a colorful building, go to the grape trellis to listen to the cowherd and the weaver girl whisper, and worship the weaver girl to pray for the good luck.

The Queen Mother is willing to enjoy with the people, and officials above the third grade in the capital can bring their families to beg for the moon in the Zichen Hall of the Forbidden Palace. The Zichen Hall is very large, separating men and women, and setting up a separate banquet in the front hall and the back hall. In the temple, twelve arm-thick candles stood on the side every nine feet, and a long letter lamp was shrouded in a veil underneath, which illuminated the surrounding fire.

There are palace people leading the women of the family to enter from the Donghua Gate, after the Xuande Building, only to enter the apse of the Zichen Hall from the side door, a line of more than 100 people did not make any sound, all quietly followed the palace people, only heard the sound of shoes. It wasn't until the inner sanctum was seated that the whispered salute could be heard.

In the middle of the day, the official family danced and drank with the clan courtiers in the front hall, and the queen led the concubines and princesses to sit in the back hall. At the end of the day, the official family left their seats from the front hall, and ordered the unmarried men to set up tables in the back hall to drink and meet the women.

The apse has more than 40 small tables in the open-air courtyard, which are placed up to several hundred meters. Each table sits four people, the table is placed with tea, wine, fruits, five sons (longan, red dates, hazelnuts, peanuts, melon seeds) and other offerings, in the center with a plain white fine-necked porcelain bottle inserted with a pleasant fragrance and a few branches, if there is no in-law in the lady, you can take a flower from the bottle to be different from the sideburns, so that people can see at a glance.

At this time, it is the clouds that are clever, the flying stars are hateful, and the silver man is secretly crossing.

Seeing that the official family led the young sons to the apse, the attendants hurriedly moved out more than ten four pine, bamboo, plum and orchid screens to surround the harem concubines in a circle, so that the men outside the palace could not peep.

The queen mother and the queen sat on the left and right of the throne and worshipped by everyone.

The Queen Mother was very happy today, and said with a smile: "When I was young, I met the emperor outside the palace, and that day was the begging festival, he stood on the stage and danced the "lady mask" dance, wearing a vermilion Confucian shirt, a hearty and moving posture, I fell in love with him at a glance. ”

Zhao Zhen listened, remembering that day and Mo Lan also danced the "Lady Mask" dance outside the Gongyi Palace, and his eyes looked for Mo Lan's figure, and saw that she was wearing a blue green cloud brocade dress and was standing in the flowers talking to people, and the summer wind blew her long skirt fluttering like a fairy. was thinking about finding an excuse to call her over, when she suddenly heard a woman in the courtyard raise her voice and ask: "Can the queen mother and the emperor take off each other's masks?" ”

Among the quiet and skillful daughters of the family, there is such a bold girl who dares to ask the Queen Mother. However, with such a feast, it is not a big deal to lose a little bit of proportion.

The Queen Mother smiled: "That's nature." But he refused to say more.

Zhao Zhen looked around, the bold woman was the green-clothed woman who shared tea and danced in Fengle Building, and was still dressed in green at this time, with lotus flowers on the sideburns of her ears, and she didn't talk to the woman next to her, she drank herself alone, and she was quite arrogant.

The queen said with a smile: "I heard that there are often begging competitions among the common people, and the Qixi banquet was held, so it is better for us to join in the excitement and beg for a coincidence." As he spoke, more than a dozen palace maids wore one-color apricot gold wisps of the moon palace costumes, holding a box carved with vermilion lacquer Yingying turned out from the depths of the flowers and plants, and put the box on the table.

Lu Qiqi opened the box and saw that there were several small bundles of silk threads and more than ten silver needles inside. I heard the queen's laughter blown by the wind, fluttering like falling snow without a trace: "If anyone wears the most silver needles on the silk thread, I will give her the rouge she made herself." Don't look down on this little rouge. ”

The people below were busy saying, "The concubine doesn't dare." ”

The queen continued: "This rouge is made by me and Princess Minhua personally selected the finest roses and wrung out the juice, washed them, and steamed them with morning flower dew. Just pick a little with a fine hairpin and rub it on your lips to make it rosy and plump. If you put it in the palm of your hand and pat it on your cheek with water, you will have peach blossoms on your face. ”

Zhao Zhen also smiled: "If anyone wins, no matter which family you fancy here, you don't need to care about the difference between status and descendants, I can marry her and reward her with a dowry." ”

Although rouge is not a rare thing, if it is given by the queen, it is also the glory of the family. Now I heard that the official family said that they wanted to give marriage, and the women of the family were even more eager to move. An attendant dragged a long voice and said, "The begging game begins!" ”

The women who compete for beauty, with lotus flowers on their heads, thread needles and threads under the lamp. Waiting for half a cup of tea, a palace maid stepped forward to count the silver needles worn on the line one by one, and it was the green-clothed lady Lu Qiqi who won the jackpot.

Although the queen didn't like Qiqi, she couldn't show her color at this time, and when she saw the official family's expression, she was a little relieved and said insincerely: "The lady of the Lu family is really quick and skillful. ”

The Queen Mother leaned forward and asked the Queen softly, "This is the daughter of Lu Yijian's family?" ”

The queen bowed her head and said, "It is the second lady of the Lu Xiang family." ”

The Queen Mother was puzzled: "I remember that the daughter of the Lu family is called Shang Fall, and she has been given the princess of Qinghe County, how can there be a second lady as a concubine?" ”

The queen explained carefully: "Mrs. Lu Xiang died of illness a few years ago, and Lu Xiang straightened the concubine in the family, and the daughter born to the concubine naturally became a concubine. ”

The Queen Mother bowed her head and sighed: "I see." ”

The queen then ordered someone to give the rouge to Lu Qiqi, but Qiqi didn't dare to say anything, and hurriedly knelt on the ground to thank him. When the Queen Mother saw that she was bold and polite, quite like the demeanor of her youth, her heart moved, and she smiled: "Lu Erniang hasn't allowed anyone yet, right?" ”

Qiqi said respectfully: "Yes." ”

The Queen Mother glanced at Gongzi's table, stared at Liu Congguang, and said lovingly: "Congguang, what do you think of Lu Erniang?" Congguang was shocked in his heart, this is the meaning of marriage. was about to kneel down and say a few words of redemption, but he heard Lu Qiqi kneel in the hall and say: "The concubine is bold and has the love of the queen mother." ”

The Queen Mother's face changed slightly, and she said majestically: "How can you say this?" ”

Lu Qiqi was fearless, and kowtowed to the ground, "The concubine already has a favorite person, since the concubine has drunk the wine he sent, she naturally can't have anyone else in her heart, and she asks the queen mother to fulfill it." ”

Children's marriage has been the order of parents since ancient times, and the words of the matchmaker, such a bold and straightforward woman is really rare, even Congguang can't help but look at her a few more times, and said in his heart: If there is no child, marry her and go home, and you will not be bored if you think about it.

I heard Lu Qiqi say again: "The concubine has something to ask the official." ”

Zhao Zhen only felt that this woman was interesting and different, and listened to her and said: "What the official family said before the game can be counted?" ”

Zhao Zhen said: "A gentleman's word, it is difficult to chase a horse, not to mention that I am an emperor, so I naturally count." ”

Lu Qiqi raised his head, his face was not afraid, "The official family just said that as long as you win the game, no matter which family you fancy here, you don't need to care about the difference between status and concubines, the official family will give her a marriage and a dowry of 1,000 taels." If a concubine falls in love with her sister and has not entered the door, can the official family give me to him? ”

Lu Qiqi's sister Lu Shangluo was originally invited to enter the palace, she was taught boudoir etiquette by her mother since she was a child, she is a real wealthy lady, afraid that when she enters the palace, she will inevitably bump into the king of Qinghe, and Yu Li is not in agreement, so she postponed saying that she was not good and did not come to the banquet.

As soon as Lu Qiqi's words came out, the discussion in the court gradually rose, with both disdain and praise. Lu Qiqi didn't care about anything else, kneeling in the court awe-inspiringly, without any shame.

Zhao Zhen only felt that his head was big, "You get up first." ”

Lu Qiqi came up vigorously and said loudly: "If the official family does not agree, the concubine will not be able to kneel for a long time." After a pause, he said: "The official family is the respect of the Ninth Five-Year Plan, not to mention that there was a promise first, even if there is none, now that I have fulfilled the wish of a little woman such as me, what is it?!" ”

Even Jingshu couldn't help but be moved, such a daring woman was a hundred times better than herself. She sat upright on the phoenix seat, looking at Zhao Zhen's side face through the candlelight, the water chestnut was clearly still the man she met for the first time, she had been married for many years, she had never shown her heart, and deliberately kept the respect between the emperor and the queen, and the etiquette rules. Sometimes I really want to marry into a mortal family, and like the woman in front of me, I dare to act and go to great lengths to win my beloved.

Zhao Zhen said majestically: "In this case, it is better to invite the king of Qinghe County to come over and talk about it." Saying that, he sent the palace people to the outer hall to invite Zhao Qing, he didn't remember anything Lu Qiqi at all, he was slightly drunk, with a smile on his face, knelt on the ground and said: "The minister once promised her that she would only marry one wife for the rest of her life, and if she violates this covenant, she will be burned with fire and will never be at peace." ”

It is surprising that there are such men in the world. I thought that Lu Qiqi would make a big fuss, but I didn't want her to laugh instead, that smile was like a crape myrtle flower that blooms in summer, gorgeous and wanton. She sighed, "Okay, it really deserves to be the king of Qinghe County that I love!" He said sadly: "It's just that since you are such a character, how can you tell me to let go?!" ”

Moran stood behind the palace people and reminisced about the old relationship with Langyue. Hearing such twists and turns in the banquet, I couldn't help but look at the two people kneeling in the court, and I really admired them. The two of them, who are so loyal and firm, insist on keeping what they love in their hearts, but they can't stay together, and they are finally fated to have no part, and they don't feel that their eyes are wet with tears.

Lang Yue said quietly on the side: "This woman is so arbitrary, she never thought that she would put her family parents anywhere, which is really sad. ”

Mo Lan only felt that he was in disobedience, and he didn't want to argue about such trivial matters, so he said: "The Queen Mother's official family may not blame her, even if she wants to be punished, it will never affect the parents of the family." She walked through the crowd and looked at Zhao Zhen sitting in the hall, he ruled the country with benevolence, how could he blame others for such a trivial matter.

Listening to his gentle words, "In this case, I will allow you to marry you if you marry in the future." Lu Qiqi didn't care about this, but he also thanked him respectfully and retreated.

At the end of the day, there was a palace dancer with a mask on her face and a red cannon suit, dancing in the court. The sound of drums and bamboos started, and everyone enjoyed the dance while drinking and talking, leaving their seats one after another, and went to their favorite people to invite them to dance. If you are politely rejected by the Iraqi people, there is no need to be embarrassed, just invite someone else.

The queen mother didn't like the noise, so she left the table and went back to the palace to sleep. Zhao Zhen went to the front hall to drink with the courtiers, and only the queen was left in the inner hall to preside, and everyone drank again.

It was the first time for Lang Yue to participate in the banquet as a concubine, and she had never seen such a scene, so she was amazed, and pulled Mo Lan's hand and said, "Is it allowed to be so presumptuous in the palace?" ”

Mo Lan smiled lightly: "The Qixi banquet is not as serious and important as other celebrations, so naturally there is no need to stick to the rules. Even if it is a little rude, the emperor will not lower his responsibility, and the more cheerful and lively he is, the more he seems to be happy with the people. ”

The two stood quite far away from the court, looking at it from a distance, as if looking at a mirage and a prosperous scene. The palace has always been a lonely place, bound by rules and etiquette, a little out of line, that is, there are officials of the imperial history platform impeachment, Zhao Zhen has always acted according to the rules, never favoritism, so the forbidden palace is always dull.

Although feasts are common, there are very few such unruly and rude.

As the two were talking, they suddenly saw a person come out of the light, who was wearing an indigo brocade robe, with a long jade body and a hideous mask, which was quite terrifying. Lang Yue hurriedly turned her back to prevent people from seeing her, and shouted boldly: "Who are you?" This is the place where the concubine set up a banquet, and she left quickly. ”

Moran felt that the person in front of him was quite familiar, and was about to ask, but before the words could be spoken, his right hand suddenly felt warm, and he followed the strength of the arm and dragged her to the dark place ahead. She let out a soft snort, but was drowned out by the sound of drumming.

Langyue waited for a long time, and no one answered, so she slowly turned around, but there was no one else, only the wind and shadow, and the moonlight was sultry.

For some reason, Moran was led by that person to turn left and right under the walls of the dark palace and in the middle of the passage, but he was not afraid, but felt that the hand was warm and powerful, which made people unbearable to let go, and it also had the power to calm people. It wasn't until a secluded palace that the man stopped. The sound of silk and bamboo gradually drifted away, faintly blown by the wind, and only the clanging sound could be heard. The moon hangs high in the night sky like silver teeth, and the moonlight pours on the ground, full of brilliance.

Mo Lan has lived in the palace for a long time, and his usual behavior is dignified and decent, and he is most afraid of frivolity. It's rare to even walk at a brisk pace, let alone run so recklessly. At this time, his cheeks were crimson, his forehead was also dripping with fine beads of sweat, and he was panting heavily, only to feel that his heart seemed to jump out, and he caressed his chest without any strength.

The man silently took a small cloth bag from the branch and stood in front of Moran without speaking. His breath is gentle, his clothes are fluttering, there is a wind blowing, and he doesn't know what kind of flowers are blooming on the ancient trees next to him, the petals are falling like rain, sprinkling people all over his body, and the fragrance is lush.

Mo Lan breathed a sigh of relief, and asked in confusion: "Are you Liulang?" The man was wearing a mask, and he couldn't see his expression clearly, and he slowly opened the bag in his hand, his movements light and graceful.

Suddenly, a fluorescent flash flashed in front of me, as if thousands of stars were rising from the bag, filling the body and flying into the sky. The man took off his mask at this time, and said affectionately, "Do you like it?" Do you like the Tanabata gift I gave you? "Fireflies swam in the night, flying around the side of his face, reflecting his clear eyes, as bright as stars.

Mo Lan didn't feel moved, took a step forward, and threw himself into his arms, "I like it, of course I like it!" This is the best gift I have ever received. ”

Zhao Zhen took her into his arms and said softly: "When you were in Gongyi, you failed to take off your mask with me, and I know that you have always been haunted in your heart. Today, I just want to tell you that even if we don't get to take off each other's masks, I will only take off the masks for you, and there will never be a second person. He swore a vow, and his love was deep, and Moran seemed to be stepping on the colorful clouds, floating and floating without knowing where he was. Xindao, to be able to get the most noble Lang Jun in the world, to be able to cherish him, even if he dies tomorrow, it is worth it.

As soon as the Qixi Festival passed, because the wedding of the king of Qinghe and Lu Xiang's concubine Shang Shen was imminent, Princess Minhua became more irritable and irritable, and often abused the palace people, insulting at light, and beating people at every turn.

Zhao Zhen didn't want to damage the majesty of the princess because she made the palace restless, so he specially ordered her to be sent to the Holy Temple to relax, and said that the princess was unwell and sent out of the palace to recuperate.

Unexpectedly, on the night before leaving the palace, the princess broke up all the attendants and jumped into the royal river to find a short meeting. Fortunately, Zhao Zhen went to resign from her, and happened to encounter this, so he hurriedly ordered Su and He to rescue her from the Yuhe River in order to avoid the tragedy.

Su He hugged Minhua in his arms, and saw her green silk sticking to her face indiscriminately, and her whole body was wet and dripping with water, and suddenly realized that the noble princess, who was usually arrogant and rude, was so lonely and at a loss. She leaned her head weakly on his chest, her eyes were blank, her face was full of sorrow, and her whole body trembled, like a wounded kitten, decadent, depressed, and hurt......

And despair.

She repeated those words angrily: "Sixth brother, I'm really stuffy, it's better to die." When Zhao Zhen heard this, he almost wanted to cry.

The imperial doctors and medical women of the Imperial Medicine Institute almost poured out of the nest, and the black pressure knelt all over the ground. When she was put on the bed, Su Jihe heard her crying and asked, "Why do you want to save me?" As he spoke, he put his wet sleeve robe to his eyes, and wept so painfully and heart-rending that he made the listener mourn.

Zhao Zhen ordered that this matter must be kept silent, and if the slightest rumor is heard outside, the talker will die without a place to be buried. The whole hall knelt down in unison, sweating profusely.

After settling down and returning to the Funing Palace, Zhao Zhen was exhausted, standing behind Mo Lan and leaning on her shoulder, talking to her while pretending to sleep. Moran was grinding, his right hand gently pushing back and forth into the inkstone, and his left hand holding his face leaning on his shoulder.

He closed his eyes in her ear, almost lost his strength, and asked bitterly, "Why does Minhua want to do this?" Even if there is no Zhao Qing, she still has me and the eldest lady, doesn't she even want us? Why can't you think about it so much? ”

Due to the hot weather, not only bamboo curtains were hung under the porch in front of the window to block the heat. The hall is filled with large celadon jars with large ice cubes taken out of the basement, which makes the hall cool and comfortable. On the imperial table, a white porcelain bowl with lotus petals and moon white from the Ru kiln was filled with kumquat sent from the Jiangxi Mansion on Jiangnan East Road, and in order to maintain the taste, a lot of crushed ice was mixed with it and frozen.

Moran put the cigarette ink back in the box, took the kumquat from the moon-white porcelain bowl, turned around, and fed it to him himself. I saw that his face was tired and tired, and he was very distressed.

Her hand rubbed against his face, and she comforted him softly: "I think the princess is a temperamental, and it would not be good if she was blindly sent out of the palace." If you can't let her really let go, something will happen sooner or later. ”

Zhao Zhen said helplessly: "How can I not understand this truth?" It's just that I can't find a good way. He also said, "This kumquat tastes very good, and the last time I saw that you liked to eat it, I asked people to pay tribute again." ”

Mo Lan also picked a golden one and put it in his mouth, and only after eating did he say: "The princess needs someone to accompany and explain the most now, does the official family know who the princess is close to?" ”

Zhao Zhen said: "She has always been close to the queen, and when the queen did not enter the palace, Minhua often invited her to play with the daughters of several courtiers. During the two years that Min Hua went to the Holy Zen Temple, several people often exchanged letters. ”

Mo Lan held his face and said, "That's good, it's better to invite them into the palace and talk to the princess, it's always good to come." ”

Zhao Zhen saw her smile lightly, very good-looking, couldn't help but stretch his eyebrows, and said softly: "In this palace, only Lan'er can relieve my worries." As he spoke, he lowered his head and kissed her on the forehead, the evening breeze blew the curtains on the window, the shadows of the flowers floated, and the years were quiet.

Sure enough, in just four or five days, Minhua's health gradually improved, and the queen announced that several courtiers' daughters entered the palace and went to the Scarlet Hall to speak. Several daughters of the family are about the same age as the queen and Minhua, and they have been close friends in the boudoir since childhood, and they have exchanged letters from time to time.

A few people kicked the feather shuttlecock in the court, and ate the cold fruits made in the palace, before sitting in the shade of the tree in the court and talking about trivial matters at home.

Among them, the daughter of the family was also included in the list of queens' primary selection, remembering that when she was young, Jingshu was the most ordinary among several people, and was finally elected as the queen, and she was only married to a doctor from Wupin Yiwei, and she was very angry in her heart. I didn't dare to say anything on weekdays, but at this time I couldn't help but say narrow words, the woman said: "I heard that the official family is very fond of Shang Mei and Li Meiren in the palace, and I heard the official of the concubine say that when Shang Meiren was born, her father was promoted two levels in a row." ”

The others also showed a rather envious look and praised them repeatedly. Seeing that the queen seemed to be embarrassed, Minhua hurriedly said: "That Shang beauty, no matter how much she is favored, can she surpass the queen's sister-in-law?" ”

The queen couldn't hide her loneliness at this time, "Shang Meiren has a soft appearance and a good temperament, and it is normal for the official family to favor her." ”

The daughter of the family was quick for a while, forgot her humility, and said rudely: "Although the concubine has accepted three or four women to put at home, if the concubine does not allow them to eat, they will never dare to serve the bowl." The queen's temperament is finally weaker, according to the concubines, if you can't grasp the hearts of the officials, you must be able to suppress these concubines. You ......"

Before the words were finished, I heard a voice from the weeping flower door: "The official has arrived." ”

Everyone hurriedly stopped talking, got up to invite An Nafu, only Minhua smiled and said, "Sixth brother, why are you here?" ”

Zhao Zhen was dressed in a vermilion dragon robe, wearing a crown of jade, his figure was quite beautiful and strong, and his facial features were clearly and deeply, even if he stood in the sun, he was as bright and dazzling as the bright moon. The respect of the Ninety-Five has its own momentum of a king who reigns over the world. He smiled gently: "I heard from the palace people that the queen is here, so I came over." Saying that, he said to the ladies of the family: "I'm afraid the queen can't catch up with you, Si Yuan Si Xinpei has a few begonias, and they are blooming just right today, I want to take the queen to watch it." ”

As he spoke, he stretched out his hand to the queen and said with a light smile: "Jingshu, let's go." ”