Autumn goes to winter, and the winter in Chengdu is cold and damp, and the sun is not seen for many days. After a few days of continuous winter rain, my body became more lazy. I only want to hug the soup woman and nest on the chaise longue in the inner study.

Jingyi often comes to the study to find me after cooking the big and small things in the palace, doing needles and talking about some homely things, and occasionally picking up some elegant words and sentences in the "Flower Collection" to read together.

"My sister saw Mrs. Rencao at the Queen Mother the day before yesterday?" Jingyi raised her head and asked with a smile.

"Well, my sister has seen it?"

"I never had the chance to see it." Jingyi shook her head and sighed: "The person that the Queen Mother likes must be the best choice, what does my sister think?" ”

"As my sister said, this new lady is indeed extraordinary, with a beautiful appearance, a well-behaved demeanor, and very good rules, but she has never talked to her, and her personality is unknown." I turned over and changed into a comfortable position, and said: "Actually, what matters whether others look good or not, what matters is that both husband and wife feel good, being a husband and wife is like wearing shoes, and only you know whether they fit or not." ”

"Hehe, my sister has become more and more enlightened recently...... Jingyi chuckled lightly and sighed: "It seems that I will ask the Queen Mother for grace to copy the Buddhist scriptures for a few days another day." ”

When I heard this, I glanced at her with a smile and said: "My sister has always been a virtuous person, and she has children, presumably the queen mother is a first-class blessed and virtuous person in her heart, why copy those." Hmph, I thought you were a good person, but now it seems that you are not. ”

"Look, what a small heart, this annoys." Jingyi put down the embroidered Juanpa in her hand and pulled my hand with a smile, "Sister, take a look, but I'm really annoyed?" ”

"Yo, why are my sister's hands so cold, it's not cold." She took my hands and frowned.

"Don't get in the way, sister, I'll be like this when I get to winter." I smiled back.

"You just don't care about yourself." Jingyi sat down beside me and said with a serious face: "No wonder the emperor and Imperial Doctor Ling are worried when they talk about your body, An Zhi is not that you are unwilling to pay attention to it on weekdays and lose your recuperation." ”

I listened with a smile, but I saw her hesitate for a moment, and said tentatively: "There are some things that my sister shouldn't have asked, but today the queen mother mentioned my sister's matter." My sister has been sleepy recently and doesn't like to move around, I'm afraid I have it? ”

Pregnant? Is that so? Thinking that I have drunk a few doses of medicine to condition my body recently, the symptoms of laziness and cold have not improved.

Yesterday, Imperial Doctor Ling came to consult, but he didn't mention that there was a happy pulse, and I couldn't help frowning.

"Sister!" Seeing that my fugue was too empty, Jingyi called me out loud.

"Oh!" I came to my senses.

"In fact, according to Sister Yu, my sister is still young, and the matter of the heir is not in a hurry...... It's just that the day before yesterday, I heard that the Chinese scholar Zhang Yezhang had mentioned to the emperor and the queen mother that there was a talented and beautiful little daughter in the family, and he intended to send her to the palace to serve, although the emperor politely refused. But does my sister know? According to the power of Lord Zhang in the court, if he insists on sending his daughter into the palace, I am afraid that the emperor will also be embarrassed......" She said, her eyes looked at me for a moment, for a long time, she lowered her head and rubbed my hands, as if to say to herself: "If my sister is pregnant, the queen mother will naturally be towards the emperor and my sister, but ...... Alas......" sighed and stopped.

"Zhang Ye, the squire of the Chinese book?" I was anxiously searching for information related to this name in my heart, and said to Jingyi: "I only vaguely heard that he has a son, who likes fencing, and it seems that he has asked the emperor for grace a few months ago, and now he is also an official in the court. Why did you have another daughter? "I was faintly uneasy for no reason in my heart, but I pretended to be indifferent and casual on my face.

"Yes, when I first heard about it, I wondered too. It stands to reason that the father and son are already officials in the same dynasty, which can be regarded as a great grace, and it seems a little ...... to peek at the position of the abbot Alas, but this person's heart, how can he be powerful and noble, but he is just ......" Jingyi sighed with emotion.

I was about to listen to the following, but she stopped, looking at her with hesitation, only to see her glance at me and said with a sneering smile: "Sister, don't be careful, my sister's father and brother are also officials in the same dynasty, but it is rare to see a person like Xu Guozhang who knows how to advance and retreat...... That's why the emperor and the queen mother value her sister and the Xu family so much. ”

After listening, I was silent, just secretly thinking about Zhang Ye and his people.

I remember that Bao Yuan once said that Zhang Ye was a rare brave general in Shu, and he and his uncle Li Renhan entered Shuchuan with Gaozu in that year, and went around to conquer and repeatedly made military exploits.

When Gaozu was honored in Chengdu, he worshiped the commander of the right Kuang Shengbu army, and also led the Ningjiang army to make an envoy. Bao Yuan ascended the throne and crowned him as the captain of the school.

In October of the first year of Mingde (934), Li Renhan exceeded the law, seized good land, was arrogant and arrogant, and served merit and had a rebellious will. For the plot of Bao Yuan and his father Zhao Jiliang and Zhao Tingyin, Li Renhan was ambushed.

At that time, Zhang Yedian was in charge of the forbidden army, and Bao Yuan was worried about his rebellion, so he used it as a phase.

In the first year of Guangzheng, he entered the left servant and shot and served as the secretary of the same book.

In April of the third year of Guangzheng, the father of the prime minister wrote to ask for the separation of powers, and Zhang Ye, the secretary of the book, was also in charge of the affairs of the branch. Xiang's father, Wu Zhao's descendant, and Zhang Ye shared power and balance in the court.

Thinking about it, this Zhang Ye was once a man who led troops and was in charge of the forbidden army, and the power of the government and the opposition should not be underestimated.

Now he took out his daughter to make a fuss, thinking that he was well versed in the mysteries of the harem and the court, and the Jingyi in front of him was backed by the privy deputy envoy Han Baozhen, and raised the prince; Although I am a high and prosperous person, I have no children, and my father and brother are not able to hold civil positions; Except for the two of us, the concubines in the harem are nothing, even if Li Yanniang, who gave birth to the prince...... He intends to send his daughter to the palace at this moment, and his desire to seize power is really obvious, and he may still have the ambition to borrow the belly of his daughter to seek the position of prince, if this is the case......

I pondered for a moment and said, "The emperor politely refused this matter, and I think that my father will not agree if he knows it." The queen mother has always been a well-planned person, so naturally she will not agree easily. ”

Fu paused again and said: "As soon as you enter the palace gate, it is as deep as the sea, and the world only sees glory and wealth, but you don't see ......."

"The bitterness and tears of the palace people!" Jingyi sighed.

I knew she was distressed, so I shook her hand and patted her for comfort. With a husband, which woman would be willing, if Zhang Xian can't enter this palace, it is her creation.

Bored for a long time, Ming'er was very active, invited Cuimo and Mei'er to a few palaces, and brought Xuan Zhe and Feng Yi to gather in the corridor to kick the shuttlecock, and it was lively to look through the window. The laughter of the children swept away the gloom and dreary winter rain.

I got up and moved to the window, and I could see a corner of the Mingde Hall through the misty rain and fog, Bao Yuan should still be discussing in the court at this moment!

After watching in silence for a long time, I curled the corners of my lips and sat back down.

Jing Yixu saw that my expression was not good, and blamed herself: "Look at me, I shouldn't have said these things that made my sister sad and upset." ”

I smiled and shook my head, looking up to see the children playing.

Jingyi's words of comfort sounded in her ears, "My sister is upset, it's better to leave the palace for a walk, I heard Ming'er say that my sister's sister is now five months pregnant, and I think my sister must be remembered." ”

Yes, Sister Xinning, I didn't expect that it had been so long since I heard about her joy from Ling Xuan last time, and I really wanted to go and see her now, but the Queen Mother would agree.

"It is not a trivial matter for the palace concubine to return to the province, and it may be difficult for the queen mother to agree. The emperor has been busy with state affairs recently, so I'd better save some things. "Although I want to do it very much in my heart, I can't do what I want today, and taking a bad step will not only bring more worries to myself, but in the end, I will also implicate the Xu family.

"No, my sister has made a merit in copying scriptures, and the Queen Mother has also praised me from time to time in front of us recently, and it is promising to come and ask for fear at this time." It's rare for Jingyi to be so confident.

"Really?" I bowed my head and thought about it again and again, and finally followed her advice to the Queen Mother of Qinghe Palace to ask for the will of the palace, but I didn't expect the Queen Mother to hear it was also refreshing, and also gave a Ruyi and respected Guanyin Bodhisattva statue, to me to give Xinning the use of the fetus. It is also a big deal to ask the concubines to go out of the palace to save their relatives, and they must not disturb the people, and they should not be publicized inside and outside the palace, just follow the simple car.

Only promised, out of Qinghe Palace, called Liang Shouzhen to ask him where Baoyuan is now, and the Tao was in Chongguang Palace. Thinking that if I quit him in person, I was afraid that I would be hindered and give birth to some things, thinking that it would only be half a day anyway, so I asked Liang Shouzhen to report the matter of returning to the province to Baoyuan after I left.

Then he took Ming'er, and Ling Xuan and the six inner eunuchs went out of the palace.

When the chariot arrived outside the Ling Mansion, he had already seen the Ling Mansion kneeling up and down outside the door and waiting.

Hurriedly stepped forward to help the second elder of the Ling family, and called Ming'er to help Xinning.

When everyone saw me, their faces were very respectful, only Xin Ning looked at each other with a smile and gentleness, she now has a slight lower abdomen, and her whole body is shrouded in the kindness and joy of being a mother, and my heart warms at the moment of eye contact, I stepped forward to support her, and walked to the house with Mrs. Ling.

Because everyone was very formal in front of me, I couldn't sit and stand at peace, and after receiving the tea greetings, I only wanted to talk to the Xinning sisters, sent everyone away, and took Xinning to her residence.

Fang sat down in the room, and saw Xinning looking at me frequently, knowing that it must be Ming'er looking for an opportunity to bite the root of her ear again, looking back at Ming'er, the little girl blinked her eyes and shrunk her neck, put down the refreshments and retreated.

There was no one in the room, Xinning chose a piece of my favorite snack and sent it to her, and said with a smile: "Don't blame Ming'er, I asked her when I saw that you looked bad." ”

"I know, it's my sister's to make my sister feel tired." In front of her, I have never been upright, my heart is wronged, and I collapsed my shoulders for a while, and I only felt tired.

"Are you tired?" As she spoke, she went and fetched a soft pillow to lean on my back, and gently kneaded it on my shoulder. I smiled and pressed her hand and said, "Sister, don't open up, you are now a person with a body, let's just sit and talk like this." "Speaking of a closer look at the furnishings in the house, they are all elegant and chic.

Although Xin Ning is married to a merchant woman, after all, she was born in a scholarly family, and the Ling family has been a doctor for generations, so she can be regarded as a family heirloom of poetry and rites, and her husband Ling Rong is also a Confucian businessman.

Seeing a lot of classics listed on the ancient rattan bookshelf on one side, I got up and looked through it, and asked casually, "What does my sister do on weekdays?" Why don't you see your brother-in-law? ”

"He's just a horse without a hitch, and he's always running around because of business." Xinning's smile is gentle and contented, and this kind of smile can only be found by happy housewives! Slightly distracted, I only heard her say slowly: "Recently, I have a business with Kaifeng Mansion, saying that I have never been to the Central Plains, and I will go to see it by the way, this has been out for more than a month." ”

"Brother-in-law is not here, you should be very hard alone, right?"

"My in-laws treat me very well, and my uncle takes care of me from time to time, so I don't think so."

"Well, that's good." Seeing her stroking her stomach and smiling, I suddenly turned my worry into joy and murmured: "Since my sister is happy, Rui'er hasn't congratulated my sister properly." I walked up to Xinning and gently stroked her lower abdomen, "Is the little nephew naughty?" ”

"Oh, look at what my sister said, I don't know if it's a man or a woman." Xin Ning caressed her stomach with a loving face, and the smile on her lips was like the warmest sunshine in spring, "Of course, the Ling family is looking forward to having a male grandson, but if I follow my meaning, I hope to be a well-behaved daughter, and the daughter is intimate!" ”

"her men and women! If only I ...... Hey......" I sighed, my eyes dimmed, and everywhere I went, it seemed that this heir was a heart disease.

"I asked my uncle in private, and I heard that my sister is just cold. My sister shouldn't worry too much about the heir, it's not conducive to conception. Xin Ning took my hand and said earnestly, "Besides, my sister is now in the palace, although she has the favor and favor of the saint, but my sister knows that everything in the palace is not worry-free, and now if these troubles are added, how can I get it for a long time, so sister, I still want to open up everything." ”

"Sister, don't worry, I'm doing well in the palace, I'm bored and Han Zhaorong and Su Chongyi are accompanied to relieve boredom, and the prince and Princess Fengyi are also very likeable." Afraid that she would be worried, I said words of relief.

"In terms of intelligence and wit, my sister is rarely matched, but you are simple and kind, and you have no calculating heart, I am afraid that you will suffer in the future." Xin Ning frowned and sighed.

"Isn't Anzhi taking advantage of a loss? Sister, just relax. I smiled widely.

"Alas, in any case, my sister still has to be a little defensive." She was still uneasy at teaching.

"Got it, got it." I smiled and pressed her on the chair, and said coincidentally: "Good sister, it's rare for me to come, do you have any good things to honor the palace?"

"You......" Xinning smiled and nodded my forehead, her face showing her usual doting look. Then he raised his voice and said, "Someone." ”

In response, an old servant walked in and said respectfully, "Young lady, what do you command?" ”

"You go and get the food box I prepared a few days ago, and then invite Miss Ming in."

"Yes" Soon after the old servant stepped back, Ming'er walked in with a red and black food box.

As soon as the lid of the box was opened, the room was full of fragrance, and Ming'er sniffed and said strangely: "Miss, what delicious food have you prepared for your sister, I really haven't seen it." ”

I craned my neck when I heard this, only to feel that some familiar fragrance only drilled into my nostrils.

"Guess? If you don't guess correctly, I won't give it to you. Seeing my greedy face, Xinning gritted her teeth and smiled.

"Biro? Cakes? Wow...... "I jumped up from my seat happily, I couldn't care about my image anymore, I thought about it for so long and I can be considered to have eaten today."

"Is it delicious?" Xinning smiled softly and looked at me to feast.

"Well, of course it's delicious." I beckoned Ming'er to eat with me, took a sip of tea, and said with satisfaction: "The imperial dining room never makes these folk snacks, not to mention that this taste is only made by my sister." ”

"Hehe, that's because this thing can only be imagined by your weird little brain." Xin Ning smiled, pointed at me, and said, "Look, how can you look like a favorite concubine." ”

"When I wanted to come to the house that day, I read in the "Zizhi Tongjian" that 'Shang is still uneaten, Yang Guozhong from the city Hu cake to offer', I also asked my sister what the Hu cake was, I don't want my sister to know, fortunately, my brother-in-law is well-informed, in the market to find a Tang Dynasty recipe, which recorded a number of Hu Shi practices, which is not dependent on my sister to make Bi Luo, Hu Cake."

In fact, the word Biro is derived from the Persian language, which is a kind of food made with flour as a skin and a filling, steamed or baked. The Hu cake is somewhat similar to the modern sesame cake, but with meat filling inside.

"Hehe, although I made the thing, but the method was thought up by my sister, when I was in the house that day, my father and mother also praised each other for eating, especially this crab roe Biluo and pepper sesame sauce meat Hu cake, which I never get tired of eating."

"I knew that my sister loved Rui'er the most." I happily hugged Xinning regardless of my greasy hands, and she also laughed and hugged me tightly and said, "I knew you would be happy to see these foods, but I didn't expect to be so happy, and it was not in vain for me to spend all this effort." While he was talking and laughing, he only heard someone outside the door reporting it.

"Young lady, the Pucha you ordered is delivered."

"Come in." Xinning Road.

The little girl went into the house and put down the brocade box, saluted the two of us, and then withdrew.

"Sister, there is no shortage of these things in the palace, you can keep them for yourself." All I said was that she had a gift for me.

"I'll read it first and then talk about whether I want it or not, this thing is not for my sister to prepare for you." Xinning's words are a little confusing.

Ming'er stepped forward to open the box, only to see that in addition to the two tea cakes in the box, there was also a letter pressed, and the envelope was written in Li, "Sister Fei Rui'er opened it personally." "I had doubts in my heart, and I opened the letter and paper, and wanted to find out.