The queen thought about it, but she still returned to her usual calm smile: "The concubine is just thinking about the emperor." Now in the New Year, all palaces are looking forward to the emperor to sit more, such as Yi Guiren, Hai Changzai and Wan agreed. ”

The emperor stared for a moment and said with a smile: "I know that it is nothing more than that Concubine Hui is weak, I have visited her a few times, and the queen is not jealous, right?" ”

Empress Yingying looked into the emperor's eyes and looked directly at him: "Is the concubine such a person?" It's just that I want the six palaces to be wet with rain and dew. ”

The emperor raised the corners of his mouth and smiled, put aside the queen's hand and said, "In this case, I will go and see Hailan, and the queen will rest." ”

The queen watched the emperor go out, followed two steps, and somehow, full of worries, turned into a light sigh on her lips.

On the first day of the first lunar month, His Majesty the palace saw that the concubines went to Cining Palace to pay homage, and the queen mother was dressed in full costumes, which teased several princes and princesses, and she was also very happy. The Queen Mother pointed to the eldest brother again and said: "The others are okay, the third elder brother is especially fat, why is the eldest brother thinner?" ”

The eldest brother's nurse hurriedly said: "The eldest brother has been out of appetite for a month ago, and he is greedy for fun, so he ran into the snow without seeing one, and had two colds. ”

The Queen Mother's face sank: "No matter how young Brother is, he is also the master, only you can't take care of it, how can it still be Elder Brother?" Next time, let the mourning family hear this, and immediately drag it out to be punished with a cane! ”

The nurse hurriedly withdrew. Seeing this, the queen hurriedly led the second elder brother and the third princess to the queen mother's knees to accompany her and laugh for a while, and the queen mother turned around.

After the concubines retired, the queen mother only left the emperor and queen to talk to the warm pavilion.

Fu Jia stood on the side of the warm pavilion, took the incense box handed by the little palace maid, and personally added a spoonful of sandalwood to the smoker with silver and copper chisel lotus petal bead pattern. She watched as the smoke of the Rona dispersed between the heavy brocade tents, and then she retired.

The queen mother let the emperor sit down and said with a smile: "I heard that there have been a lot of things in the palace recently, can the queen still deal with it?" ”

The queen smiled and said: "The matter of the harem, although the sons still feel that they are alive, everything is fine. ”

The queen mother's smile condensed slightly on her lips: "But how did the mourning family hear that the queen was busy coping with it and almost couldn't do it?" Because they finished the Xianfu Palace and the Heart Palace, there was no peace. ”

The queen's face turned red: "The concubine is young, and she has no experience in handling the affairs of the harem......"

The emperor said: "You have no experience, but the emperor has." He looked at the Queen Mother with a smile, "Huang Eniang, the affairs of the harem are still under your guidance." With your point, the queen is generous and virtuous by nature, and she will do better. ”

The Queen Mother said: "The mourning family has the heart to take care of their lives, and they don't care about anything." But the queen seems to have more than enough heart and not enough strength. There are only a few people in this harem, and you can't settle down, so you really have to study hard. ”

The queen lowered her head and looked down, only a few sporadic silk flowers flashed between her buns, like flower bones that had not bloomed in spring, timid, and a little at a loss: "Back to the emperor's mother's words, the son understands it." ”

The Queen Mother twisted the flail fragrant wood in her hand and inlaid the golden longevity word counting beads, and said slowly: "There are so many people in the palace, except for the palace people who are concubines, they see the mourning family, and they call themselves slaves and concubines. Only you and the emperor are different, you are a 'son' in front of the mourning family, both a child and a subordinate. So the queen, the mourning family hurts you a little more. ”

The queen said respectfully: "Yes." ”

The Queen Mother closed her eyes slightly, as if she was smelling the deep smell of sandalwood in the hall. The fragrance was the most meditative, but a heart in the queen's cavity fluttered, like a dove that could not fly with its wings tied. She raised her eyes to look at the Queen Mother, her slightly young but rock-steady face looked particularly hazy and distant among the rising cigarettes. It seems that when I was a child, I went to the temple with my family, and the tall and solemn Buddha statue, surrounded by flowers and cigarette smoke, always made people unable to see its appearance, so I was in awe and had to worship sincerely.

The queen has always had a scattered heart for the queen mother, just for her to know that the turmoil that day moved the palace was caused by all kinds of reasons, but because the queen mother was not the emperor's biological mother. But she never thought that the old woman of the deep palace who lived in Cining Palace without fighting with the world would suddenly wake up like this, and the words were like sharp blades provoking her nerves. Oh, she made a mistake, she thought she was the lord of the six palaces, but she didn't admit that this woman who had been immersed in the Zhubi of the Forbidden City for decades was the real lord of the six palaces.

The Queen Mother's voice was not high, but it sank into her ears: "The mourning family loves you, but I can't help but teach you." Queen, you are in a hurry. ”

The queen's body was cold, and she only felt a chill in the back of her neck, and it was obvious that there was a cold sweat forcing her out. It's winter, a winter day when the water is dripping into ice, and she actually sweats. She had no choice but to say: "The concubine respectfully listens to the emperor's teachings." ”

"You have to be thrifty, and the mourners can only praise you, not criticize you. But the queen, it's good for you to be thrifty, but you also have to take care of the face of the harem and the emperor. Kang Yong was prosperous for nearly a hundred years, the treasury was abundant, and the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. When the ministers were ordered to meet at the court, they couldn't look at the high-ranking concubines and masters who lived in the Forbidden City in their minds, and they were not as dressed as they were. Our subjects can fear and worship us, but they cannot have the slightest contempt. For example, the Bodhisattva in the temple, without the golden body and the red sandalwood seat, can the people still worship sincerely? They will just say, shabby, too shabby. ”

The queen was covered in cold sweat and was speechless. The Queen Mother continued: "Moreover, the emperor has only these princes under his knees, and it is when they are about to spread out their branches and leaves for the royal family to inherit the succession for all generations, you let the concubines dress up like women who have just entered the customs, who are you willing to open your eyes to?" A woman's mind does not fall on dressing herself, so she naturally only stares at others, and the harem is not at peace. Because of small losses, queen, you are too uncountable! ”

The emperor saw that the queen mother's tone was unquestionably calm, and the queen was already red-faced, so he couldn't help but smile and said: "The emperor's lesson is that the queen has such an ear and face as the emperor's mother, and there should be no more mistakes." ”

The Queen Mother smiled and said: "The queen is smart and virtuous, so naturally she can understand it at one point." But Queen, do you know what is most important to you at the moment? ”

The queen was no longer able to think about it, so she only said: "Please ask the emperor for advice." ”

"You already have a princess and a prince under your knees. But, this is not enough. You are still young and you are in the middle palace, you should let the harem have more children and raise them well. It's not an exaggeration to say anything about how you control the concubines, but there is one thing, that is, the six palaces are calm, so that the emperor has no worries. The rest of the things are not a big deal in the middle palace. ”

The emperor said: "Then the matter of the six palaces ......"

The Queen Mother glanced at the emperor with a deep groan, and slowly twisted the Buddha beads silently. The queen mother's eyes were obviously peaceful and like water, but the emperor felt that those eyes were like a beam of strong light, shining into his heart completely. He understood what the queen mother meant, and pondered: "Then the affairs of the six palaces are taken care of by the queen, and every ten days, how about choosing the important ones to ask the emperor for instructions?" ”

The Queen Mother smiled and straightened the jade pendant tassel on her placket: "The emperor's meaning is naturally good." It's just that Cining Palace is used to being quiet, and the emperor refuses to let the mourning family be idle? ”

The queen immediately understood, and said respectfully: "It's the concubine who has shortcomings, and I ask the emperor to teach me more." ”

The Queen Mother laughed: "Okay." Then, as the emperor and empress wished, the mourning family will work and labor this old bone. She glanced at the queen, "As for your frugal policy, the Internal Affairs Office is still the same, and no extravagance is allowed." The concubines' daily use is also as usual, as for dressing, tell them that the things they use can still be used, but not much. You can only use it once a season. ”

The queen agreed, and listened to a few words of instructions from the queen mother, before retiring with the emperor.

Aunt Fu saw the queen and the emperor going out, so she lit a hookah for the queen mother and said, "The queen mother has worked hard and finally achieved results." ”

The Queen Mother sighed: "Do you think the mourning family shouldn't fight for this?" ”

Fujia bowed her head and said: "The queen mother is thoughtful, and the slave maid does not dare to speculate. ”

The Queen Mother held the Wujin cigarette pipe and knocked a few times: "If the mourning family doesn't bother with this little thought, in addition to the Cining Palace to ask for peace, the mourning family will become an old waste that no one cares about." It doesn't matter if the mourning family has become an old waste, the mourning family also has a biological princess Roushu, if it is not for the mourning family, she will be married to a remote place like Junggar like Princess Duanshu of the mourning family in the future, but the mourning family will not even have a place to put a beak. Moreover, the Fucha clan of the queen's mother's family was originally one of the eight surnames in Manchuria, and the queen was so strong, once it became a big climate, how could there be a foothold for the mourning family? ”

Fujia sighed: "Although Queen Suri also comes often, the slave and maid are really convinced when they see her expression today." The slave and maid looked coldly at the concubine who came to invite her today, and the concubine seemed to be much more proud than in the past, thinking that the emperor was favored again. ”

The Queen Mother smiled slightly: "Isn't it just for this the people we used last time?" Concubine Hui is easy to control, but Concubine Xian is a temperamental. With her there to win the emperor's favor, the queen didn't have time to stare at the authority of the middle palace, so we could free up our hands! ”

Fujia smiled: "That's also because the Queen Mother picked a desirable person, so she did the Queen Mother's explanation!" ”