Concubine Mei's funeral was extremely hasty, there was no posthumous seal, no funeral, no mourning, and no funeral in the concubine's mausoleum, and the white cloth was returned to her mother's house. The emperor didn't ask, and the queen mother should not have this person, as if there had never been a concubine in the palace, and even between the concubines' words, they consciously covered up the traces of this person's existence.

But dozens of days later, when he was with Ruyi, the emperor asked lightly: "I sent wine that day, I heard that the queen went in person, what did Concubine Mei say to you?" ”

Ruyi sat under the sunshine, holding a white jade chess piece, concentrating on the chessboard, and said disapprovingly: "Sisters, after all, we have to send one away." Concubine Mei said a few words, but they were all crazy words, not worthy of the concubines, let alone the emperor. ”

The emperor smiled like nothing: "Crazy words are also human words, tell me about them." ”

Ruyi cupped her cheeks, thought for a moment, and solemnly put down a piece of the matter, before she breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Concubine Mei wants to know what her dead child looked like back then. ”

The quiet room is faintly cool, and there is a gilded dragon tripod furnace in the corner, Yuhu twists the fine gold chopsticks that are more than a foot long, skillfully stirs the light silver fine ash in the furnace, and sprinkles a handful of ambergris incense. The spices burned, and from time to time there was a slight "crackling" sound, which made the surrounding air as quiet as a pool of clear water. The emperor said, "That's it? ”

Ruyi raised her eyes and looked at the emperor levelly: "For a mother, not being able to see her child is the biggest regret, enough to regret it for life." ”

When Moyu's chess pieces fell, there was an aftersound, and the emperor sighed: "You told her?" ”

Ruyi's eyes were slightly compassionate: "This is her last wish." ”

The emperor's slightly cool fingers seemed to carry slightly wet moisture, caressing the back of her hand: "The queen is merciful." ”

Ruyi has an indescribable mood, and when she discerns it carefully, it is actually a kind of fear: "It is the emperor's mercy." Concubine Mei ruled herself, and the emperor did not implicate her family. ”

The emperor's tone was as light as a cloud of smoke: "She is also confused for a while." ”

The long-held sorrow is like cold water surging under thin ice, unable to be still. Ruyi only felt that her teeth were cold, and that kind of cold state of mind was like the dense fog on the top of the mountain that would not disperse for many years, and the shadow became an impenetrable predicament. She finally couldn't help but say, "Yes." Rather than be so confused for the rest of your life, it is better to cut yourself off and be happy. ”

With such a few words, the two were relatively silent. In the hall, there is a cluster of celadon wide-mouth bottles on the red sandalwood shelf, a big canopy of snow white, a big canopy, a group of clouds like light clouds, exuding a sweet fragrance like honey, and the shade of the emerald color is falling. Standing on the side of the flowers and leaves, they have been speechless for a long time, and the person has become a thin piece of flowers, suspected of being quietly buried by the shadow. Fortunately, the news of Yi Huan's birth saved each other's slightly embarrassing silence in time. Li Yu knocked on the door happily and entered: "The emperor is overjoyed, the queen is overjoyed, Concubine Shu is born, she is an elder brother!" ”

The emperor's joyful expression was followed by a moment of disappointment: "Is it an elder brother?" ”

Ruyi caught this subtle change in time and said with a smile: "There are only four princesses in front of the emperor, and I must be looking forward to Concubine Shu giving birth to a princess who is as delicate and clear as her, right?" In fact, whether it is a brother or a princess, aren't they all the emperor's blood and bones? ”

The emperor smiled and said, "Very good, let's reward according to the rules." Tell Concubine Shu to take care of her, and I and the queen will go to see her at night. ”

Li Yu agreed, and went down with a smile on his face.

Ruyi said softly: "The emperor is not happy? ”

The chessboard was densely covered with black and white, and the emperor lazily stretched out his hand to caress it: "No." The queen thought too much. It's just that there are so many elder brothers, and another one has been added, and he is not as happy as before. ”

At that time, Ruyi and the emperor had not yet set foot in Chuxiu Palace, and the Queen Mother had already been accompanied by Fujia to see the newborn Ten Elder Brothers, and she was happy and rewarded countless supplements. Among them, there is a thousand-year-old purple ginseng, delicately wrapped in fragrant palace satin, embroidered with the tedious pattern of a boy sending spring, enough to be the thickness of a child's arm, and even the ginseng whiskers are slender and full - naturally it is the best in purple ginseng. It just so happened that the concubines were all there, and even Yuyan, who was used to seeing ginseng, sighed again and again: "The Queen Mother's things, just take one out and take it out, it's a rare thing we haven't seen." ”

Fujia smiled: "Not really! This is also one of the treasures at the bottom of our queen mother's box, and it was still honored by Lord Ma Qi when he was alive in the old years. The Queen Mother has always been reluctant, and now she keeps it for Concubine Shu. ”

Yi Huan was naturally grateful: "Queen Mother, the concubine is young, where can I eat such a good thing." ”

The Queen Mother smiled and sighed lovingly: "Since the death of Empress Xiaoxian, the emperor has been depressed. You gave birth to a prince, such a thing that made the emperor happy, and the mourning family naturally loved you. And how hard you have to give birth to this child. When she was about to give birth, the child's clothes in her belly couldn't come down, and she was forced to let the midwife peel it off, and she suffered a lot of pain. The mourning family loves you, and it hurts the emperor and grandson. ”

Yi Huan hugged the pink baby in his arms, as if he couldn't see enough: "As long as the child is well, the concubine is worth it." ”

Seeing that the Queen Mother valued it so much, the concubines became more and more flattering, and there was a lot of laughter in Chuxiu Palace.

When she returned to her palace, Yan Wan sank her face, slowly rubbed her cheeks with the jade wheel, held a small round mirror with copper gilt flowers in one hand and looked at it carefully, and said impatiently: "I laughed and laughed there, and my face was sour when I laughed, and I don't know if there are fine lines." ”

Lan Cui was squatting on the ground and beating her legs, and said with a smile: "How come? The little lord is young and beautiful, which is like Concubine Shu sitting, her eyes are swollen, and her mouth is crooked and her nose is slanted. ”

Yan Wan threw down the small mirror in her hand and said lazily: "Where is Concubine Shu as ugly as you say, this palace sees that she has nothing to do except for less hair!" ”

Lan Cui didn't dare to answer, but it was Chunchan who came in and said, "Little master, Mama Tian is here." ”

Yinwan's expression changed, and she hurriedly said with a straight face: "Please let her in." ”

Mama Tian is a half-old mother-in-law, wearing a subordinate clothes, dressed up cleanly, at first glance, she is a grandmother who has been serving in the palace for a long time, very sophisticated, just a smile, that smile can get tired of a person.

When Yan Wan saw her come in, she was not in a hurry to speak, Lan Cui moved a small pestle for Mama Tian to sit down, and slowly drank a bowl of ice bean fragrant drink, and then said idly: "If it is hot today, if you don't drink something to relieve the heat and boredom, your heart will always be bored." ”

Mama Tian hurriedly smiled and said, "Concubine Ling is right." Who hasn't been a little bored and aggrieved in this life, won't the slave and maid send you a happy time? ”

Yan Wan's expression was a little uncomfortable: "Concubine Shu doesn't know? ”

Mama Tian was full of confidence: "This is natural." After a woman gives birth to a child, it takes a quarter of an hour to half an hour before the garment is delivered. The slave maid pretended that Concubine Shu's little master couldn't take off her clothes, and before the hour came, she forcibly reached into the palace and pulled it off for her. She proudly fiddled with her right hand and said, "This is a light or heavy technique." As soon as the slave's hand is heavy, it hurts the palace body. It is her blessing that Concubine Shu gave birth to Ten Elder Brothers, but if she wants to give birth again, she can't do it anymore. She said, looking at Yinwan with a blank eye, and smiling flatteringly, "All this is unaware." The little master's command, is the slave and maid doing well? ”

Yin Wan endured her nausea and fear, and nodded: "It's a good job." You are not the only one who can deliver the baby, there is also the imperial doctor, how did you do it without knowing it? ”

Mama Tian said proudly: "Although there are many people, the slave and maid are old mothers who have accumulated years, and when it comes to midwifery, no one's qualifications can compare to the slave and maid." They all have to listen to what the slave and maid say, and they all have to believe it. And the imperial doctor is a man in the end, although he is waiting by the side, he doesn't dare to look around. The little master can rest assured. ”

Yan Wan smiled at this time, and motioned to Lan Cui to take out the silver ticket and give it to her: "Three hundred taels of silver tickets, you have collected it." ”

Mama Tian smiled from ear to ear, and hurriedly folded the silver ticket carefully and put it in her arms.

Yin Wan shook her head regretfully, and teased a bouquet of blooming snow-white tea in the flat bottle of the frozen blue glazed amphora, the sweetness of the fragrant flowers lingered between her slender hands, just like her expression. "It's just that Concubine Shu is blessed in the end, the tenth elder brother is safe and sound, and he was born with all his beards and tails."

"I can't help but give birth, so many doctors and grandmothers are here, and there are all the instructions of the Queen Mother. The little lord will let her go back for a while. Mama Tian smiled with full certainty, "It's just that I was born, and it's a matter of whether I can raise it or not." When Concubine Shu was pregnant, her kidney qi was too weak, and it would be fine if she gave birth to a princess, but if she was an elder brother, it would be difficult. ”

Yin Wan's eyes lit up slightly, and she said quietly: "It's really difficult?" ”

"It's really hard!" Mama Tian smiled knowingly, "The slave didn't disturb the little master's rest, and retired first." ”

Yinwan stared at Mama Tian's departing back, smiled coldly, and let the reddish candlelight shine on her beautiful face.

The days passed peacefully, as if they were a large piece of brocade drawn out of their hands, gorgeous and lackluster.

The matter between Concubine Mei Ruiji and Concubine Qing seems to be a page of yellow paper, and if you uncover it, you will also reveal it. The queen mother is still the queen mother who lives in Cining Palace, the emperor is still the filial son emperor in front of people, and even Qing Concubine is still favored after seeing her health, and everything seems to have not changed. The only fly in the ointment is that Yi Huan's birth hurt her vitality this time, and her hair didn't grow much back. Although the emperor often visited Yihuan and the newborn tenth elder brother, and instructed the imperial doctor to carefully treat the hair loss, he rarely sent her to bed. Yi Huan drank the He Shou Wu soup bowl by bowl, and the effect was also nonexistent. Fortunately, she was all about the child, and she had to sort out the emperor's imperial poems to pass the time, but she didn't care much about it.

And Brother Ten is like a sick kitten, a little wind and rain can cause him discomfort and tear away all Yihuan's hard work. However, this is only a small wave in the long years. The days lived peacefully and peacefully, as if they could grow old in the wilderness.

However, it was an ordinary and unusual night that broke the peace.

As a woman who has slept with the same man from youth to middle age, Ruyi is unforgettable of this special time.

The light of a pair of red candles in the Heart Cultivation Hall jumped, illuminating the eyes astringently. The wind was cool and soft, and the tent was lifted slightly, and the light flickered again. It was an ordinary autumn night, the sky outside the window was overcast, there was no moonlight, even the stars were drowned out by silver threads of rain, and the drizzle continued to fall on the flowers and trees in front of the temple, splashing from the yellow branches of the trees like broken jade.

The emperor struggled to rise and fall on her, clearly sweating, but still in vain. Ruyi keenly noticed the deep fear and confusion in the emperor's eyes, like a spider web covered with poisonous silk, covering him first and then herself.

Ruyi's fingers flowed like spring water on the emperor's body, caressing his cheeks, his earlobes, and his chest. She tried her best to calm her mind in order to face a sudden defeat that the emperor had never had before.

The emperor's voice was like a leaky wind, losing his usual composure and steadfastness, and becoming weak and timid: "Ruyi, Ruyi." "It's like that, you can bring back a little bit of confidence and spirit.