Ruyi took advantage of the fact that no one was around, so she opened the gold-painted mahogany box at the bottom, turned up the tulle layer by layer, and embroidered it, and an old thing appeared in front of her. It was when she first got married, and she was only three months old, so naturally there was nothing wrong with it, and she was dissatisfied with everything. When I was reading with him, I smelled the air around me that was stained with the fragrance of ink and books, and embroidered my heart full of longing and happiness with one stitch at a time.

At that time, she only learned to embroider, clumsy, so one side hit the cherry blossom silk on the silk, only embroidered a few light cyan cherry blossoms, scattered on the side of a few red lychees, faint red fragrance, shallow green thick, but the reflection of two names: green cherry, Hongli, close to each other. When the embroidery was finished, she didn't dare to send it away, for fear of making him laugh, so she finally stuffed it at the bottom of the box. Now that I think about it, except for this, everything he has, except for the hair and skin of the body, is all his. Only that childish sincerity has not changed over time and will remain here forever.

She thought about it, took an ivory hollow flower box and sealed it, called Sanbao to come in and said, "When the emperor goes down to court, send it to the Heart Cultivation Palace." Don't let anyone see it. ”

Sambo agreed. Ruyi crouched under the window, watching the white gardenias bloom one after another, and smiled silently.

The days passed very quickly, like the cicadas sizzling on the treetops, the lotus flowers in the lotus pond were beginning to bloom, and this summer passed. Mei Guiren was promoted because she was pregnant, and it was hot for a while. Everyone thinks that no matter if she gives birth to a boy or a girl, because of this favor, the emperor is bound to have a good eye for this child.

Yonghe Palace is so lively, Xianfu Palace is not quiet, Concubine Hui Guifei is wholeheartedly conditioning her body, and every three or five times she has to ask the imperial doctor to diagnose the pulse and regulate breathing, and asked many folk ways to ask for children, but there is no quiet. In this way, after the Qixi Festival, it is the Midyear Festival, and then the autumn breeze is cool, and even the lotus root and water chestnut leaves also bring the vigorous atmosphere of prosperity and decline, as if to burn out the last enthusiasm of the whole summer, and try their best to open.

Seeing that the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, Changchun Palace is also busy with the marriage of Lianxin, although it is the palace maid and eunuch to eat, but the queen attaches great importance to everything, everything is asked, the palace people all praise the queen's virtuous grace, even the palace maid attaches so much importance to it. As soon as the festival of August 15 was over, everyone was busy on the 16th. Eating is a major event for the palace people, which means that as soon as this wind opens, there will be more lonely palace people who can gain grace and comfort each other. Because Lianxin and Wang Qin were both on errands in the palace, they chose a spacious room in the easternmost part of the area where the eunuchs lived, far away from the other eunuchs, to make a new house.

At dusk on this day, the concubines sent lotus hearts outside the gate of Changchun Palace with the queen. The queen deliberately changed into a red dress for Lianxin, dressed up well, and said kindly: "Although you are married in the palace, but your daughter's family is married, how can you not wear red?" ”

As soon as the queen said this, everyone praised the queen's kindness. Lianxin knelt on the ground with tears in her eyes, Wang Qin knelt down after her, and thanked her with a thousand thanks: "Thank you for the grace of the queen, the slave will definitely take good care of Lianxin." ”

The queen smiled and said, "That's it." Although you are not a real husband and wife, you will be companions for the rest of your life, and you must respect each other and care for each other, so as not to lose the heart of the palace and the emperor. ”

Lianxin seemed to be reluctant, grabbed the corner of the queen's robe tightly and kowtowed three times, and only let go with tears in her eyes. Concubine Hui said with a smile: "Lianxin really knows the etiquette, the folk marriage is like this, cry and cry, Wang Wang's mother's family, you will be the queen of Wang." ”

The queen bent down, although her gesture was light, she shook off Lianxin's hand, and said with a gentle smile: "Go well, don't forget what the palace expects from you." ”

Su Xin hurriedly smiled and said, "Congratulations to Sister Lianxin." In the future, it will be the prince who will take care of it. ”

Wang Qin helped Lianxin neatly, pulled her back step by step, and was surrounded by a group of palace maids and eunuchs.

Ruyi was full of discomfort when she came back from Changchun Palace, but she didn't feel sleepy. It was easy to coax Yonghuang to sleep, so she flipped through a volume of Nalan's "Drinking Water Words" under the candle with her cheeks propped up.

Yi Xin brought a bowl of red dates and white fungus soup, and said: "The emperor told me to get up early every day to drink bird's nest, and use white fungus before going to bed. Otherwise, the emperor doesn't know how to worry about it. ”

Ruyi didn't raise his head and said, "Put it first, I'll read the book for a while before drinking." ”

He moved the candle farther away: "Why is the little master so fascinated?" Beware of the candle flame burning eyebrows. ”

Ruyi groaned slowly: "Where is the flying flowers?" Layers of ice and snow ravage. Sparse one tree and five are colder. Love him Mingyue is good, and haggard is also related. The most is that after the silk is shaken, it is transferred to teach people to remember Spring Mountain. The dream of the skirt is intermittently difficult. The west wind hates a lot, and it can't blow away the eyebrows. She was touched with emotion, "It's hard to believe that Nalan Rongruo is the son of the Houmen, and it is such a husband and wife." Green clothes (1) mourn, infinite mourning. ”

He scooped up the white fungus soup and said: "Little master, today is a good day for Lianxin to get married. ”

Ruyi smiled and said, "Yes." If you want the concubine to know, you must think that I am mantrating the lotus heart. ”

While the two were talking and laughing, Ah Ji ordered wormwood to come in and smoke it in the corner, and changed the ice in the cloisonné urn. Ah Ji shook off the gauze tent for Ruyi, added jasmine frangipani and other fragrant flowers to the gold-coated silver smoked balls hanging on the tent, and smoked the embroidered quilt brocade tent with its natural breath. The flowers are elegant and charming, lingering in this silent space. Suddenly, a shrill cry came from out of nowhere in the quiet night, as if someone had suffered the most painful torture, and the cry pierced through the silent night sky and quickly pierced the quiet palace in the middle of the night.

Ruyi didn't react for a while, she just thought she had heard something. Just as he was about to speak, another cry sounded loudly, with a poignant and long tail note, and soon it was silent as if sinking into the bottomless sea.

The three of them were stunned for a long time, and Ah Zhen said timidly: "That voice seems to have come from the eunuch's room." She hesitated and said, "It shouldn't be wrong, our Yanxi Palace is the closest there." ”

He quietly turned on the light and whispered, "This voice is like ......"

Ah Zhen's eyes lit up, with a secret smile: "Lotus Heart!" ”

The next morning, Ruyi was awakened by the golden light that shone into the dormitory, and felt a thin layer of sweat on her body for no reason. In the early autumn, there was still a sense of heat, Ruyi lay in a daze, watched the heart and green marks come in, rolled up the low-hanging bamboo curtains, brought new ice in, and replaced the ice that had melted overnight in the large blue urn in the front of the couch. She lay on the bed, and the water jade under her body was delicately rubbing her skin. She played the thin silk fan of the ink landscape, and listened to the tiny drops of water sliding down the huge ice sculptures, and the soft sound of the drops. Thinking of the two cries of sorrow that shattered the silence last night, it seemed to contain great helplessness and pain. Ruyi thought about it slightly, and couldn't help but wake up from her shock.

When she got up to freshen up, Ruyi was still a little stunned, and while combing her hair, she said: "Yesterday evening, the sky was full of fire and clouds, and the sun was red and sullen today, and I'm afraid it will rain later." When it rains, it's cooler. ”

Ruyi said: "Wait and go to Changchun Palace, please be safe, prepare an umbrella." ”

I agreed, went outside to prepare, and accompanied Ruyi to Changchun Palace with Ah Ji.

Although Lianxin is a bride, she is also serving in the Changchun Palace in the morning. Everyone saw that she was wearing ordinary palace maid clothes, but there were a few more chic silk flowers in her bun, and she was happy with the color, and her expression was calm as usual. The concubines congratulated a few words of "congratulations" and each prepared a little reward for her. Lianxin thanked them one by one, and followed the queen peacefully.

The queen took a sip of tea with a smile, caught a glimpse of the newly worn jade bracelet on her hand, and said, "Looking at your dress, I want to come to Wang Qin to treat you very well." ”

Lianxin's face was stunned, showing a little sadness, and soon smiled as usual: "Hongfu of the queen's mother, everything is fine." ”

The queen was very happy: "This is good, and it is not in vain for the palace." She summoned Su Xin, took out a pair of silver-gilt Fushou Shuangcheng hairpins and held them in the brocade box, "The little masters have given you a lot of things, this palace is your master, and I can't treat you lightly." I will send you this pair of hairpins, I hope you and Wang Qin will also live a long and prosperous life, and grow old. ”

A spirit on Lianxin's body seemed to be very happy, and he hurriedly bent down to thank him.

And when they had said goodbye, they came out together. Yi Guiren smiled and said: "The queen is kind and kind to the people. ”

Jia Guiren also said: "Lianxin is just a palace maid, even if she refers to marriage, she may not be able to point to a good person, it is better to marry Wang Qin, and it is also the glory of a lifetime." ”

Concubine Chun felt a little regretful: "It's a pity that Wang Qin is a eunuch, and she ...... Lianxin"

Jia Guiren said disdainfully: "The eunuch is missing such a good thing, but what are you afraid of?" Lianxin marries outside, once it is a little bad, it is a poor couple. It's better to guard the glory of the palace. ”

The pure concubine took a sip embarrassedly, and Xiu promised to listen to her directly, and covered her mouth with a red face and a smile: "Jia Guiren dares to say this, we don't dare to think about it." ”

Mei Guiren was walking slowly, but when he heard this, he suddenly stopped and said, "Didn't you hear any sound last night, sisters?" ”

Yi Guiren's eyes widened, and he said mysteriously: "Could it be ...... Did you hear it too? ”

Mei Guiren had a secret smile: "I don't know if I heard it, but I heard two women's shouts from the eunuch's room in a trance." ”

Yi Guiren hurriedly grabbed her and said, "I heard it too." But my Jingyang Palace is behind my sister's Yonghe Palace, and I can't hear it very clearly, and it should be the sound of the wind. ”

Mei Guiren smiled and waved her handkerchief, and seeing that everyone was listening attentively, she lowered her voice more and more: "My Yonghe Palace is behind Concubine Xian's Yanxi Palace, and it stands to reason that Yanxi Palace is the closest to the eunuch's house, so she should hear it most clearly." ”

Ah Ji hurriedly said excitedly: "It's indeed ......"

Ruyi immediately interrupted: "It's true that we are already asleep and haven't heard it. ”

Yi Guiren was a little stupid: "It wasn't too late at that time, Concubine Xian didn't want to say it." She only looked at Ah Zhen, "Ah Zhen, you must have slept late when you serve Concubine Xian." Do you hear me? ”

Ah Zhen shook his head vaguely. Hailan said: "Sisters, don't guess. Even if there was any movement, the eunuch's shout was similar to a woman's voice. ”

Mei Guiren smiled: "A eunuch is a eunuch, and a woman is a woman, and this can always be shared." Do you think, what kind of woman will be in the eunuch's room? Isn't it ......."

The pure concubine was busy reciting a sentence of Buddha and sighed: "You can't talk nonsense, this is the great grace of the queen's mother." Let's speculate like this, but we want to make the queen unhappy. ”

Jia Guiren snorted and said, "Now I have left Changchun Palace." Besides, if she is allowed to shout, we are not allowed to discuss? I want to know, why did Lianxin shout? She lowered her voice and smiled like a stealing mouse, "Even if you haven't seen a man, you don't have to be happy to be like this when you see a eunuch, right?" ”

Mei Guiren frowned, wiped his ears with a silk: "Amitabha, what should it be, what kind of voice should it be, it sounds weird at night!" It's like being tortured! I was so scared that the dragon fetus twitched twice in my abdomen, and I was almost about to pass on to the doctor. ”

Yi Guiren immediately echoed: "Mei Guiren heard it right, and he screamed so badly. I thought I was a night owl. ”

Jia Guiren was puzzled: "What can a eunuch do, she is reluctant, can she be afraid of being like that?" ”

Concubine Chun was unbearable when she heard this, so she said: "Jiagui was born in North Korea, so I don't know this. In the pre-Ming Dynasty, eunuchs were rampant, and there were many unsightly dirty things. ”

Xiu promised a sudden mysterious smile, beckoned everyone to approach, and said, "It's not!" In the past, Wei Zhongxian, the great eunuch of the Ming Dynasty, used all those unsightly means to eat against the emperor's nurse Ke. Later, he killed several little palace maids. ”

Jia Guiren was surprised: "There are also dead people here?" ”

Xiu nodded in agreement and said, "It's not!" Some rich eunuchs marry prostitutes as little wives outside, marry one and kill the other, and even the prostitutes can't stand it, let alone ordinary people! ”

Ruyi really couldn't listen to it, her steps were a little faster, and she turned a corner with Hailan and entered the long street, not chatting with them anymore. She was walking briskly, and suddenly heard a call behind her: "Concubine Xian Niangniang stay!" Turning his head, it turned out to be Lianxin, holding a handicap, and hurriedly came up and said, "Concubine Xian, your silk has fallen in Changchun Palace." The queen asked the slave maid to bring it to you. ”

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Notes: (1) Green Clothes: "Green Clothes" is a famous mourning poem in the Book of Songs, which expresses the deep feelings of the husband in mourning his deceased wife. When the poet saw the relics of his deceased wife, he was filled with sadness, and his thoughts came to his mind. From the clothes to the silk treatment, I regret the deceased wife's ability to govern the family.