The sky is getting late, the heat is faintly receding, and the cool breeze is like jade, gradually cooling, but also pleasant. Ruyi hugged Jingji and dined with the emperor.

When the emperor saw Ruyi, he stretched out his hand and sat down with her. The emperor was about to turn sideways, unconsciously staying, sniffing and lingering on her sideburns, and said with a smile: "Why is it so fragrant today, but I used the perfume sent by the West last time?" ”

Ruyi smiled quietly: "All the way to the lotus fragrance garden, if you say that the clothes are dyed with lotus flowers, there is some truth." ”

Rong Pei pursed her lips with a smile on the side: "Back to the emperor's words." The queen mother always said that Western perfume is not easy to obtain, and the emperor only left two bottles for the queen mother and several eldest princesses in the palace, and the mother was not willing to use it. It was the Western self-striking bell sent by the emperor last time, and the mother liked it very much, but now she was afraid of arguing with the five princesses, so she also put it away. ”

The emperor smiled: "Ruyi Ruyi, you are really stingy." What are you not using and what are you doing? ”

Ruyi smiled and looked at him: "I know that the emperor feels sorry for Jingji, but if it is good, the concubines will be left to Jingji as a dowry, and then the emperor will say that the concubines are generous and willing." ”

Rong Pei also smiled: "The queen mother is not stingy, but the emperor makes the green plum powder for the mother, and the queen mother is the most willing, and she must use it every day." ”

The emperor immediately understood, stroked his palm, and said, "Yes." You've always loved the smell of natural gas, so you don't even use incense in the palace, let alone Western perfumes. He pursed his lips with a deep smile in his eyes, "I rewarded the wrong person, but I spent the wrong money." ”

Ruyi shook her head and sighed: "It's not." The concubine originally regarded her heart as much heavier than the Western things that came from thousands of miles. ”

With that, the two looked at each other and smiled.

The emperor waved his hand and said: "I have been a mother, and I am still so sharp-toothed." I'll find someone who is like you. ”

Li Yu hurriedly said: "Back to the emperor and queen, the little concubine is already waiting outside, ready to serve the emperor and queen." The minion immediately went to please. After saying that, Concubine Xiang's bamboo curtain was beaten, and she saw a delicate and petite woman entering, and she saluted and said: "The emperor is blessed with Jin'an, and the queen's mother is blessed with Jin'an." After that, he saluted Ruyi again, "Concubine Xin Dai, knock on the queen's mother." ”

Ruyi saw her look up, she was really born very good, but at the age of sixteen or seventeen, her eyebrows were shining brightly, her muscles reflected the morning glow, her temples were green, her cheeks and smiles were innocent and bright, and her delicate color was not flawed under the bright sun. She lives like a red and plump pomegranate, sweet and juicy, so crystal that people can't help but kiss and sip. Although there are many beauties in the palace, there are really few that are as clear and sweet as a concubine.

Ruyi smiled: "Hurry up." Waiting outside was already hot, and as soon as he came in, he knelt and bowed, and carefully slipped and fell into a tumbler, and the emperor was going to feel distressed. ”

Concubine Xin's eyes were as bright as stars in the dark night, and she immediately smiled: "It turns out that the queen also likes tumblers." The concubines received a lot when they were at home, as well as Wuxi's Da Fu. When the concubine first entered the palace, she thought that there was everything in the palace, so she prepared some special plans to give to the twelve elder brothers and the fifth princess. ”

Ruyi listened to her playful words, although she was born in everyone, she was not a little arrogant, and she was lively and cheerful. Seeing that she was smiling like beads when serving meals, and there was no restraint of ordinary concubines, I liked it a little in my heart.

After the meal was over, the emperor was in a good mood, so he said: "The lotus flowers in the Old Summer Palace are in full bloom, which reminds me of going to Hangzhou that year, and I didn't have a different red lotus in June, which is really a pity." ”

Concubine Xin took the tea handed by the maid and rinsed her mouth, and said obediently: "The concubine has been living in Hangzhou with Amma, and now she has entered the Old Summer Palace, and I feel that the garden has both northern and southern scenery, and many places are cultivated in the same way as the scenery in the south of the Yangtze River, which is really good." ”

Ruyi said with a smile: "Concubine Xin's Ama is the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, and she has been growing up in the south, she said it is good, it must be good." ”

At that time, the little eunuch Jin Zhong brought water to serve the emperor's hand, and said: "The slave passed through the Fuhai area this afternoon, and saw that the lotus flowers there were blooming well, and the slaves were reluctant to leave. ”

The emperor wiped his hands with a handkerchief, got up, and said, "Then go!" ”

The cool breeze on the shore of Fuhai is coming, and the wind and lotus are like the morning clouds, swaying lightly in the smoke and water, with the vast and clear air of the water waves, which is particularly cool and pleasant.

The emperor smiled: "It's not that I spoiled Concubine Xin, it's that she does have something to love." ”

Ruyi said with a smile: "If it is said that the concubines in the palace are like flowers, red and white, then the concubines are extraordinarily fresh and pretty." ”

The emperor smiled and shook her hand: "The queen's analogy is good, but I feel that Concubine Xin's temperament is like a cool breeze and pleasant, and her face is refreshing." ”

Ruyi teased Jing Ji in the nurse's arms: "The emperor's sentence is a very high praise, I really want to envy the sisters in the palace." ”

The emperor smiled and rubbed his eyebrows: "These days, I have been worried about the floods in the south of the Yangtze River, and fortunately, Concubine Xin's innocent words have made me a little happier." I also think that the queen's talent, for example, Concubine Xin is really not outstanding enough, but if it is really provocative, the most chic character in the palace is Concubine Shu, who is like a green bamboo, and would rather bend than bend...... "Before the emperor finished speaking, his expression also turned cold, and he waved his hand and said, "That's it, don't talk about her." It's not a good thing to be so arrogant. ”

Concubine Xin turned her head, the broken beads and tassels on the side of the bun were like rippling water waves, and she was as light as flowing water, she was curious: "Who is Concubine Shu?" How can there be a woman like a green bamboo? Seeing that the emperor's face was uncertain, she quickly woke up, and said with a crisp smile, "Actually, what's the good thing about being too arrogant, such as green bamboo, such as plum blossoms, which are easy to break when pressed by snow." In other words, if you are a concubine, you like to be a female dill, and you can rely on an arbor. ”

Ruyi listened to Concubine Xin's carefree words, and suddenly remembered the poems of her predecessors: Nu Luo attached to the pine and cypress, vainly said that it can always be [from Gu Zhi's poem "Mourning Korea". In ancient times, it was often used to use "female dier" to attach to "pine and cypress" and "arbor" as a metaphor for women's dependence on men.

]。 Probably the dream of many women in the world is just to have a man like arbor pine and cypress who can rely on him all the time.

The emperor smiled and pinched Concubine Xin's ruddy face, and said with a smile: "I like Nuluo's gentleness." ”

Morning Fern Jade Peiying, Gao Song Nu Luo attached [from the Tang Dynasty Yuan Zhi "Sleepwalking Spring Seventy Rhymes".

]。 Ruyi lowered her head and looked at the cuffs decorated with lychee red entwined branches and gold silk grapes, and the intricate gold silk embroidery, wrapped around Ziying and light green fluorite densely stacked with grape pattern embroidery lace that was three inches wide. The grapes, which are full of fruit, also have the softest vines, so that they can cling to and seek preservation. She smiled slightly, staring at the tips of her ten fingers, the red marks on her nails dyed by impatiens were like the gentle fire color of the spring rain that day, and her eyes were so red that they stinged her eyes.

She thought that maybe she and Yi Huan had been close all these years because they were not female Luo people.

Ruyi knew that the emperor was in his heart, and he didn't go on, so he pointed to a cluster of crimson roses and said to Jingji: "The roses are beautiful, red and fragrant, but they are prickly, do you like them?" ”

The emperor stretched out his hand to caress Jing's face, and said with pity: "As a princess, you must not be like a rose, and it is too easy to be broken without a thorn." ”

Concubine Xin was breaking a branch of crape myrtle on her cheeks, and said with a smile: "The princess has not grown up yet, and the emperor is first distressed for fear of being picked and broken by the flower cherishers, but it is really Amma's most beloved daughter." ”

Ruyi saw that her words were unintentional, so she also smiled: "When you are at home, you Ama must also love you the most." ”

Concubine Xin's face was full of pride: "The queen mother is right! Ama has several sons, but he loves his concubines the most, and always says that the concubines are his little padded jackets, which are the most intimate. ”

Ruyi deliberately fluttered the embroidered magnolia leaf in her hand and lightly fanned, and the apricot red tassel on the handle of the fan hung down on the back of her fair hand like a blur. She looked up at the sky and sighed, "No wonder. Now that it's the height of summer, Concubine Xin, your Ama is so hot that she can't stand the little padded jacket, so she has to be sent to the palace. ”

Concubine Xin's face turned red, and with an "oops" sound, she hid behind the emperor, and only after a moment did she probe and said, "The queen mother is so fond of jokes. ”

was talking and laughing, only listening to the breeze between the clouds, attracting the elegant singing on the lake, with the faint fragrance of Qingping Hongling, floating scattered.

It was a female voice that was gentle and restrained, and the man sang: "The silk blows to the idle courtyard, and the spring is like a line." Stopped for a long time, didn't steal half of the flowers, and the colorful clouds were off. How can I show my whole body in the boudoir. ”

This song is very appropriate to the scene, only to hear its voice and not see its person, look at it, only to see the bushes of mushroom leaves, lotus leaves and fields, and lift out a half-human high lotus red like a sword, how to see who the singer is. Only the long tone is like crying, as if the melting snow of the early spring night has melted, the eaves are jingling, and it is also like the morning dew is clear, rolling down on the lotus leaves, falling on the duckweed, adding to the lingering and lamentation in the twilight.

Pairs of egrets rise and fall in the sparkling waves, and occasionally mandarin ducks swim in pairs, and the continuous song lingers among the blue waves and red lotuses again.

The emperor seemed to be fascinated by the hearing, so he also stopped and listened quietly.

The flowing glow of dusk spreads out like a brilliant brocade, a flat boat is rowed out in the gurgling water, the boat is full of lotus leaves, bathing in the breeze slowly, shallow and shallow rowing close. A slender plain-clothed woman sat on the boat and sang slowly: "It's hard to send spring love in the chaos, and there are resentments in the ground, so I give birth to Xiao Chanjuan." Pick a famous door, one case at a time, in the gods. Very good fate, throw youth away. Who will see my sleep? Then ask to be shy, want to dream of whom, and the spring light is dark. Delay, what is the meaning of this? ”

This voice of the daughter's heart is both beautiful and sad, such as a heartfelt appeal, and the woman's voice is clear and high, flying upward, as if blocked by flowing clouds, desolate and lingering, even the ignorance of birds is inevitably faint and gloomy, hanging their heads.

Ruyi faintly heard it familiarly, and already understood who it was. Turning his head, he saw that the edges and corners of the emperor's face were clear and soft because of this singing, revealing a smile as warm as the first sun, and he unconsciously took a step back, facing the eyes of Ling Yunche, who was accompanying the emperor behind him.

Sure enough, Ling Yunche also guessed who that person was, but he just shook his head slightly, and then lowered his eyes and stood to the side, as if he had never heard it.

The corners of Ruyi's mouth sank slightly, and her expression darkened.

Everyone reveled in her singing, and Jing, despite her young age, stopped laughing and listened attentively. After a song, Concubine Xin couldn't help but clap her hands and said, "It's so good to sing!" The concubine listened to so many Kunqu operas in Jiangnan, and no one could sing so tactfully, and the concubine's heart was softened by her. ”

The emperor stood with his hands in his hands and said softly: "The soft singing voice makes me feel that the high walls of the Old Summer Palace are ruthless, the edges and corners are stiff, and there is a lot less roughness, giving birth to a little tenderness." ”

Ling Yunche's eyebrows jumped, and he said respectfully: "The emperor and the little master of the concubine are right, Weichen has listened to Kunqu Opera for a long time, and he also thinks that it is the best in the Nanfu opera troupe in the palace. It can be seen that the good things in the world are already in the palace. ”

The emperor bowed his head: "Well, the lyrics are gorgeous, emotional and deep, and it is really a kabuki in Nanfu." ”

"Wading the river to play in autumn water, love this red fern fresh. Climbing lotus makes its beads, rippling not into a circle. In the beautiful clouds, I want to give away the sky. Acacia has no cause to see, looking forward to the cool breeze. At the moment of the red lotus, the beauty is in front of her, and the emperor is really a good blessing. Ruyi chanted freely, and gave Xin Concubine a look, although Xin Concubine was simple-minded, but also smart, and immediately grabbed the emperor's arm and said: "I don't know which singer in Nanfu sings Kunqu Opera, the concubine thinks that the wind on the water is round, and it is not the most appropriate to sing this song "Garden Dream" at this time, and "Lotus Picking Song" is the best. Why don't you ask the emperor and the queen to move and listen to the music together in the palace of the concubines. ”

Ruyi saw that Concubine Xin was so obedient, and her heart became more and more happy, and she was happy to push the boat along the water: "It's okay." It's still a little hot outside, and the fifth princess is young, so I'm afraid that my body won't be able to bear it. In this way, it disturbed Concubine Xin's sister. ”

The emperor seemed to hesitate a little, raised his eyes and looked at the boat, Ruyi glanced at Li Yu, Li Yu hurriedly patted his forehead and said, "Oops! It's all to blame on the minions, in the past, the emperor rarely came to Fuhai, for fear that there would be a maid who didn't know, so he practiced here. The minion will go and see. ”

The emperor wanted to see it again, but Concubine Xin had already grabbed the emperor and went with a smile.

Ruyi breathed a sigh of relief and took two steps behind: "Is it Concubine Ling?" ”

Ling Yunche smiled bitterly: "It's her voice." When she was a teenager, she loved Kunqu Opera, and she had some skills, and Weichen could hear her voice. ”

Rong Pei snorted: "I thought she had been quiet for a few days, but she was hiding here." ”

Ruyi glanced at her: "Since you don't like it, you sent her away for the palace, and you are not allowed to have this foxy appearance anymore." ”

Rong Pei immediately agreed "yes" and went resolutely. Rong Pei bypassed the double-curved bridge to the lake, but saw that the boat was already moored on the shore, and Li Yu was bowing down to talk to a plain-clothed woman. Rong Pei was not angry in her heart, but she refused to show her disdain and lowered her identity, so she stepped forward and saluted respectfully: "Concubine Niangniang Wan'an." ”

When Yan Wan saw Li Yu coming, she knew that the emperor was nearby, thinking that the emperor had sent Li Yu to spread the word about herself, so she asked with joy: "Did the emperor send his father-in-law here?" At this time, when I saw Rong Pei at a glance, I didn't feel that her face had changed, and she reluctantly calmed down: "Why is Aunt Rong here?" ”

Rong Pei said calmly: "The slave maid accompanied the emperor, the queen's mother, the little master of Xin Concubine and the fifth princess for a walk, and accidentally heard the sound of Kunqu opera, the emperor and the queen's mother asked casually, and then sent the slave maid and Gonggong Li to check. She saw that Yan Wan was wearing a light willow-colored silk embroidered phalaenopsis yarn with overlapping shades, dotted with a little pink peach blossom falling on the cuffs of the placket, as if it could be melted away with a light tug. The pink and light green clusters together are vulgar, but her figure is like a weak willow slender, and her appearance is like a peach blossom dipped in water on the shore, and her rouge is delicate, which only makes her more bright and moving.