Qi Su Niang only heard the word "emperor", and her heart jumped suddenly, resisting the urge to slam the door in front of her, and said with a smile: "I'm sorry to wait a while, the people's daughter will go and change her clothes." With that, he went back to the room to change into clean clothes, combed his hair again, and hurried out.

Qi Su Niang estimated that the emperor had returned to the queen mother, and was still stationed in the mansion of Cao Yin, who was weaving in Jiangning, West Street. She rode into the West Street in an oil-walled carriage, and could faintly see through the cracks in the curtains that the entrances of the alleys were tightly covered with bright yellow curtains. Because of the recent evening, a pair of high red palace lights lined up the entire street, and I am afraid that there are not hundreds of pairs. The lamp was surrounded by an oily yellow rain curtain, and the guards under the lamp checked the entry and exit, and there was no miscellaneous person. When I got off at the Dejiao Gate, I also saw two teams of guards guarding the camp in front of the gate.

Wei Zhu held an umbrella and picked up Qi Su Niang to get out of the car, and the guards greeted Wei Zhu with a smile, and when he explained the reason, someone flattered: "Father-in-law Wei was originally the emperor's haha bead, and now he has voted for the queen mother, and everyone has to ask Father-in-law Wei to take care of him." While speaking, he still carefully checked the two waist cards, and looked at the words on the waist cards: "Qi family, white-faced virgin." looked Qi Su Niang up and down, and then put it in.

The little Wei eunuch in front of the emperor collected the oil umbrella at the entrance of the corridor, gently shook off the water droplets, smiled at Qi Su Niang, and walked along the super hand verandah to the hall where the queen mother was.

Qi Su Niang lowered her head and followed behind her, peeking to see that there were glazed tiles, vermilion pillars, and stone blue ground on all sides. Flowers bloom under the corridor, and all kinds of colors are soaked by rain, becoming more and more delicate in the sunset. On the porch, there are starlings, colored parrots, orioles and other birds of various colors, fluttering their wings from time to time, shaking off half of the rain. Occasionally, the clear cry, and the clear sound of the rain hitting the plantain outside the corridor, is particularly pleasant.

After walking for a long time, the more inward I went, the more I saw the deacons and eunuchs and the female officials in flag costumes coming and going under the eaves and corridors, but the quieter they became. Qi Su Niang only heard her own footsteps and the sound of rain outside the corridor. The little eunuch Wei Zhu was obviously walking together, but he didn't say anything at all.

Qi Su Niang stayed on the emperor's imperial ship for a month, and she knew a lot about the rules in front of the nobles, and when she arrived at a hall where there were many young officials and eunuchs standing, she held her breath and did not squint.

Wei Zhu nodded slightly to her, opened the brocade curtain and went in, and without asking much, she heard the voice of an old woman inside and smiled: "Let that little girl come in." ”

Qi Su Niang took a deep breath, straightened her clothes, and a palace maid had already opened the curtain and let her in. She didn't dare to raise her eyes, knelt down from a distance, kowtowed three heads, and said respectfully: "The people's daughter Qi asks the Queen Mother for peace, the Queen Mother is a thousand years old, a thousand years old, a thousand years old." "Because of the big rules of the Manchurians, although the word slave is a cheap name, it is only used in the Eight Banners, except that the first-class Hanchen cannot call himself a slave to the royal nobles at will. She is a Han girl, and she is not the Eight Banners of the Han Army, so she calls herself a people's girl.

There was a slight noise in the seat, "Get up." The Empress Dowager smiled, "Come over and let the mourning family see what kind of girl Chen Da'er, who wants to divert the Yellow River, what kind of girl she originally ordered." ”

The Queen Mother's voice fell, and there were a few soft laughter, and there was more than one person in the seat. Qi Su Niang lowered her eyes slightly, was helped up by the two palace maids, and walked forward slowly, she vaguely remembered that the Yellow River had been diverted countless times in history, but it was rare to be diverted by manpower, but because of the huge project and the people's livelihood, no one dared to come out of this. Chen Yan is dedicated to water control, regardless of interests, and is meeting Kangxi, who is eager to control water, and he will protect him, which can be regarded as the blessing of Chen Niangzi from heaven.

She slowly raised her head and looked at the twelve panoramic glass screens erected in the hall, a mahogany lacquer inlaid eight throne couch in front of the screen, on both sides of which were several **** spring stools, and a few Yongrong and luxurious palace concubines on the brocade stool, she couldn't recognize herself, so she could only smile to the old woman on the couch in the middle.

The queen mother obviously knew that she was a northerner, looked at her, beckoned her to come closer, looked at her calloused hand, pinched her arm, nodded with satisfaction: "Born strong, like a child who can give birth." He turned his head and smiled: "Concubine De, look at it." ”

Qi Su Niang had been secretly pondering the queen mother's intention to summon her, and when she heard the queen mother's assessment, she smiled bitterly in her heart, secretly thinking that even if she was married, she would also give birth to the Chen family, and where did she have anything to do with the queen mother? She just felt that a palace concubine next to her was looking at her carefully, and when she heard the queen mother turn her head and ask, she didn't blink her eyes without a trace. Concubine De covered her mouth with a handkerchief and said with a smile: "The Queen Mother is right, I heard that she is still a talented girl." The fourteenth elder brother often complained in front of his concubines, only saying that because of her average age, the emperor looked at her and studied well, and no matter how attentive he was, the emperor didn't feel good. ”

The Queen Mother and the concubines immediately laughed, and the Queen Mother smiled: "Don't be ashamed of the little monkey, and a little girl is jealous." He turned his head and smiled again: "Su Niang, is it called Su Niang?" ”

Qi Su Niang hurriedly responded, only to hear the Queen Mother ask: "Who taught you this arithmetic?" ”

This has been asked countless times, and Qi Su Niang replied: "Back to the Queen Mother, when the Minnu was sold to Jianghuai, it was Brother Chen's mother who rescued her, and she taught the Minnu arithmetic. Later, when I arrived in Jiangning, I was taught by Mr. Mei while reading arithmetic books by myself. ”

The queen mother didn't know how to do arithmetic, nodded and said, "There is no serious teacher, so she learns so fast and so well, is she really a talented girl?" How is the poem written? ”

Qi Suniang replied in a low voice: "The folk girls don't understand poetry, and Brother Chen's mother only taught the folk girls the "Female Commandments", and nothing else. Although it is for the sake of a woman, talent is virtue, in the end, Qi Su Niang was originally a partial student who was more literate and less literate, and the poems that could be memorized were only two or three poems of "Bright Moonlight in front of the bed". Moreover, she had heard rumors from the palace ladies on the boat that the Queen Mother was not liked by the first emperor Shunzhi because she had no "long talent".

The queen mother was really happy, and said in a loud voice, "It's okay to learn, and the rest can know a few words and understand the truth of being a woman, and then you are blessed." ”

The palace concubines Qi claimed that it was, Qi Su Niangfang breathed a sigh of relief, and listened to the queen mother again: "Do you still remember the meaning of the couple in "The Female Commandment"? ”

Qi Su Niang hurriedly said: "The folk girl remembers, the female commandment says: The way of husband and wife, participating in yin and yang, reaching the gods, believing in the righteousness of heaven and earth, and the great festival of humanity." On the occasion of the noble men and women of the "Rite", the meaning of the poem "Guan Ju". In other words, it is necessary to be heavy. If the husband is not virtuous, there is no royal wife; If a woman is not virtuous, she will have nothing to do. If the husband is not a wife, the prestige is wasted; If a woman does not take care of her husband, then righteousness will fall. ”

The Queen Mother's face stretched with joy, and she nodded again and again, "Sure enough, maybe remember the full text?" ”

Qi Su Niang noticed that the Queen Mother had the intention of studying carefully, and several palace concubines around her looked her up and down, as if they wanted to pull her to find her mother-in-law, but I don't know why. While she was puzzled, she was secretly glad that she slowly recited the "Female Commandment" word for word. As soon as she finished reciting it, she heard Kangxi outside the curtain chuckle and said: "Yes, yes, I can memorize the full text at the age of eleven, which is rare among women." ”

As he spoke, the curtain was lifted, and Kangxi walked in, followed by the eldest brother, third elder brother, fifth elder brother, eighth elder brother, thirteenth elder brother, and fourteenth elder brother who were driving on the southern tour.

Everyone knelt down one after another, greeting the holy driver, Kangxi took a few steps to greet the queen mother, and said with a smile: "Huang Eniang, it seems that the Qi family and that Chen Yan are also a good match." ”

The Empress Dowager seemed to be slightly stunned, then nodded and smiled: "The emperor is right, that Chen Yan is a rare pure minister, and he must have a virgin woman to be worthy." He turned his head and said: "Su Niang, since the emperor is here, the mourning family ordered you to explain the "Female Commandment". ”

Qi Su Niang saw that although Kangxi was praising her when she entered the door, her face was not very good, most likely because she was in a bad mood, and she was a little apprehensive when she came to the Queen Mother to disperse. She listened to the tone of the queen mother and the emperor, but she was worried about Chen Yan's own woman's morality, and she felt that it was difficult to understand. Fortunately, she has pondered the meaning of this "Female Commandment" countless times, and she is familiar with it at the moment, and she tells it eloquently, which is very popular with the two saints.

The queen mother took off the jade bracelet in her hand and gave it to Qi Su Niang, and said with a smile: "It's a pity that she is not in the flag, if she is in the flag, let her enter the palace as a female official, and the mourning family will stay by her side to train well, I'm afraid that she is not more virtuous than those Gegnuneus?" Qi Su Niang didn't expect the queen mother to be so rewarded, she was taken aback, and hurriedly kowtowed and didn't dare to accept the reward. Kangxi said on the side: "Thank you for the reward, this is also a decent gift for Chen Bianzhi." He turned his head to the queen mother and smiled: "If the queen mother likes it, let her stay with her on the return trip, she was originally a native of the Yongding River, and when Chen Yan finds her parents, she will be sent out of the palace." It's not a violation of the rules of the ancestors. ”

The Queen Mother was stunned again, and then smiled: "That's really good." ”

Qi Su Niang listened to the queen mother and the emperor sing together, and it was very tacit understanding, and she actually gave Chen Yan a special dignity, and her heart was both happy and bitter. She is happy that Kangxi will most likely set the policy of "diversion of the Yellow River" and reuse Chen Yan, the chief technical adviser. Naturally, I am worried that the two will live together before they get married, and cause rumors, or one of them will not be able to control the filial piety, give people a handle, and be trapped by villains in the future. Just then she was sent to the palace to wait in front of the queen mother, and deliberately showed favor to Chen Yan. In this way, although Chen Yan has such a temperament, most of them can live as an official in peace. Mrs. Chen is aware of it underground, and she can also feel at ease.

What she complained about was that the rules in front of this royal nobleman were the most oppressive in the world's mansions, and when she saw a person, she had to kowtow and ask for peace, and she had to see the master's face at any time, that is, she looked at you differently, and she was particularly favored, and she had to stand the beating and scolding like Fu Yourong, she couldn't stand it on the royal ship, how many days could she endure if she really wanted to enter the palace?

She is a small and humble person, how can she speak, she can only be grateful, but her heart is inexplicably painful. After thinking about it, the only way to do it now is to wait for Chen Yan to come back and urge him to find the Wen family as soon as possible, so that she can leave this place where she needs to die.

As soon as she had something to do, she stepped aside, and the queen mother was very interested, laughing and gossiping with Kangxi, and the big and small brothers were all playing on the side, which made the queen mother and all the concubines happy.

At this time, another palace concubine accompanying her laughed and said: "The concubine has another matter, I want to invite the queen mother and the emperor to be the masters." ”

Kangxi was just in the right mood, smiled and nodded, "Concubine Yi, say it." ”