When Ling Yunche learned the news, his heart almost burst. He took advantage of his free time after the shift at three o'clock, and waited for Yan Wan who was helping the maids Chun Chan and Lan Cui to prepare to go to the Heart Cultivation Hall to sleep.

Yin Wanzheng whispered to Chun Cicada: "Some of the rewards sent by the Internal Affairs Office, you have to pick some good ones to deal with the Jinzhong of the Heart Cultivation Palace." I told him that if it didn't work out, I'd rather marry him. If it is done, I will thank him with a lifetime of glory. This time, I finally won the bet. ”

Yin Wan still had palpitations, and the spring cicada agreed on the wall, and said on the other: "Fortunately, the little master won, otherwise how can it be good?" In the palace, those who eat against the eunuchs have a lotus heart that is enough to be afraid of people. ”

"If not, how can Jin Zhong help me?" Yin Wan caressed her heart, "Luck! Lucky! If it doesn't work, I will only be killed by a headfirst collision, and I will not suffer the same pain as the lotus heart. ”

Chun Chan hurriedly comforted: "It's not in vain that the slave maid and Lan Cui follow the little master." Although the little master suffered at Concubine Jia's place, he still did not forget the slaves and maids who carried the flower room and Lan Cui. The slave and maid must be loyal to the little master and will not forget it until death. Now that the future of the little lord has arrived, as long as the emperor likes it after going to bed tonight and agrees, then he is the real little master. ”

The two were talking secretly, as if they were pleasantly surprised. Yin Wan suddenly looked up and saw Yun Che standing at the corner of the long street, her heart trembled, and she tried her best to maintain a calm countenance, and asked the maids to stand back and wait. Yinwan has changed the outfit of the official woman, the light orange unpatterned brocade robe, inlaid with an inch wide dark one-color swirling satin, which is not only auspicious, but also the beauty of her double decade, reflecting the starry silver ornaments and brittle silk flowers between the buns, showing the beauty of dust.

Yan Wan was not surprised, but looked at him calmly: "I'm going to bed, and I don't have much time to talk to you." Say whatever you want. ”

Yun Che rushed all the way, with countless questions stuffed in his chest, but seeing her such an indifferent expression, somehow, he only turned into a cold piece and chilled his heart.

After a moment, he could squeeze a voice out of his throat: "Did someone force you?" ”

Yan Wan's bright eyes were clear and waveless: "Concubine Jia and Concubine Xian were both present at the time, and what they all saw was voluntary." ”

Yun Che shook his head in disbelief: "Why? Why would you want to be someone else's concubine? ”

Yin Wan looked at him incredulously: "Why don't I want to?" As a concubine and a wife, you care who you marry. Being the emperor's concubine is far more noble than being anyone's wife in the world. Don't you understand? ”

Yun Che was like a heavy blow, and looked at her in a daze: "You suffered in the flower room at that time, and you came back and said that you were willing to be with me again, are those words all lying to me?" ”

Yin Wan shook her head, frank and honest: "Of course not. People want to find the best way out of any situation. At that time, marrying you was my best future, and it was naturally the most sincere thought, even when I was trapped in the Jiafei Palace as a slave and humiliated, I always thought about it. ”

Yun Che hung his head gloomily, his cheeks lost their blood, and he laughed at himself: "It turns out that you are just a way out for me!" ”

Yin Wan raised her eyes like stars, and there was a cold light in the dark night: "Of course, is it possible that you like a stumbling block?" Unfortunately, I now realize how insignificant my wishes were. In the years when I was trapped in Concubine Jia's palace and bullied and humiliated by her, there was not a day when I didn't look forward to being assigned to you and escaping from this hellish place. But I gradually realized that there was no one to save me except myself, and no one could help me. In that case, why can't I find a better way out to help myself? ”

Yun Che looked at her long shadow on the ground, and shook his head sadly: "Yinwan, you have changed." ”

It's the character of the leader of the inner housekeeper, but once my Ama loses power, we can only be slaves, and we can only be subordinates. I was deprived of even the opportunity to be drafted, and I could only be the most despicable palace maid, bullied and looked down upon. I don't want to live a day like this. I just want to live a better life, and to be a master again, so that my family can have some face in this life, and I don't have to live so humblely anymore. Tears flashed from her eyes, and she quickly wiped them away, "So, I've never been wrong!" ”

Ling Yunche said weakly: "But if you are with me, I will also work hard, I ......"

Yan Wan interrupted impatiently: "No matter how motivated you are, you are just a guard." Our children and grandchildren are just slaves. Why? I want to get a little bit of glory from others, not more from my own strength. I'm young, I'm still beautiful, and if I can get more glory with everything I have, why wouldn't I? Last time, I had already lost the opportunity, the best opportunity to get close to the emperor. This time it's a foregone conclusion, and I can't and won't miss it again. ”

Ling Yunche looked at her, only feeling that he was full of sadness, but he was beaten by this little woman's words and words, and only the pain was heavy and broken.

Yan Wan indulged in stroking the vermilion palace wall, and said in a low voice: "Everyone else sleeps in the Fengluan Chunen car, do you know why I want to walk over by myself?" Seeing that Yun Che was just silent, she lowered her judo more and more, "I have been a slave for so many years, and I have been walking with my feet and knees. I really want to use my own feet to measure how far from the Yongshou Palace to the Palace of Nourishing Hearts is on the day of my first day of bedtime, and how far there is still to be from a humble palace maid to the favorite concubine of the future. ”

Yun Che could hear the resolute meaning in her mouth, such a beautiful and delicate Yinwan was so familiar, but it was already very strange and unfamiliar.

Yun Che persuaded hard: "You only want to be favored for a while with your youth and beauty, have you ever thought about how painful it will be when you lose it one day?" is as smart as a concubine, and there is also a day when the cold palace is tormented, you are not afraid that your coming day will be hard and rugged, and you can't turn back? ”

Yan Wan pulled up the silk on the cuffs and rubbed it lovingly: "When I was in the Sizhi Library, I saw such good clothes and satin all day long, but I could only iron them hard, and I knew that I was not blessed and did not deserve to wear them. Now you see how good I look. How can I take off the clothes I have already put on? Even if I want to die, I have to die in them. ”

Her voice was extremely soft, like the whispers in his ear in the past, but now it was clear and sharp that demarcated the Han boundary of the Chu River. He held back the choking in his throat and said in a deep voice: "The path you have chosen, go forward by yourself." May you have a smooth journey and never regret it. ”

Yin Wan smiled faintly: "As long as you don't come to hinder my way, I will definitely go far." Naturally, you are still Brother Yun Che who grew up with me, and I will always remember it. ”

Her smile was fleeting, and she called Chun Cicada and Lan Cui and said, "Let's go to the Heart Cultivation Palace." There was a hint of awe-inspiring majesty in her eyes, "Guard Ling, you can step down." ”

Yun Che stared at her blankly, his body, which was still numb from pain to numbness, half-knelt down, and slowly spit out word by word: "Weichen, send off Junior Master Wei." ”

He knelt on the slate, looking down at the pattern of "Spring Grace is always there" engraved on the slate, each of which was a good mouth gloss for auspiciousness, and each of them was a brilliant future for Yinwan all the way.

His heart ached, empty as if it had been corrupted, and tears fell unconsciously. The summer night's wind, with its scorching heat, forced him little by little, and also wrapped him in the loss of strength, completely unable to move. I don't know how long it took, a pale cyan silk embroidered with snow-white cherry blossoms floated in front of his eyes.

He saw this silk and muttered, "Xian Guifei Niangniang." ”

Ruyi was draped in a snow wool silk cloak with a faint cyan bamboo leaf pattern, and Yingying stood in the moonlight. Her words were not overly comforting: "Wipe away your tears." You have to remember that you should never shed half a tear for someone who won't look back, because it's not worth it. ”

He clutched the silk tightly, as if to vent his unquenchable pain. Ruyi said softly: "I once gave Yinwan a chance, hoping that she could give her another way out, but she didn't. Since this path was chosen by herself, then, let her go down. ”

Yun Che took a deep breath: "Yes." ”

Ruyi smiled brightly, with a little understanding of sadness: "Only this time, you don't have to drink all day like last time." It's enough to do that stupid thing once. ”

Yun Che's consciousness seemed to be much clearer: "Yes." It's not worth it to grieve for the same person twice. ”

Ruyi glanced at him appreciatively: "That's right." Even Yinwan knows that she has to fight for herself, not to mention that you are a big man! It's time for you to plan for yourself, too. ”

Yun Che slammed: "But according to the orders of the concubine." ”

Ruyi smiled lightly: "Imperial front, how's it?" ”

After the queen finished breakfast, she hurried to see Yongcong. Yongcong is still so thin and small, sleeping in the arms of his nursing mother, and he is not very peaceful. The queen was distressed, she hugged and coaxed for a while, and the nurse Chunniang smiled: "In the end, the seventh elder brother and Eniang are the closest, and as soon as the queen mother hugs, he will sleep soundly." ”

The queen said with a smile: "I prepared a bowl of unsalted elbows for you outside, go drink it quickly." Brother Qi likes to drink your milk, which is your blessing. ”

Chun Niang agreed to go down. The queen hugged her son in her arms, and she couldn't see enough love. It just so happened that Su Xin came in and said: "Niangniang, Li Yu came to pass the decree, the emperor said that our seventh elder brother has been sick since childhood, so I plan to go to the palace on the west side of Longxing Temple with Niangniang on the first day of September to live, and I can also go to Longxing Temple to pray for the safety of the seventh elder brother." ”

The queen said happily: "Longxing Temple is a thousand-year-old temple, the Zhengding Bodhisattva enshrined in the temple is said to be very effective, and Kangxi Ye also visited many times when he was alive." The emperor really has a heart. ”

Su Xin was also happy: "No, the emperor loves our seventh elder brother so much, he can't bear to see him for a day." She thought for a moment and frowned slightly, "One more thing." The emperor was fortunate to be a Wei official woman last night, who was Ying'er next to Concubine Jia, and she got up this morning and agreed. ”

The queen's smile instantly froze: "Sakura! No matter how Concubine Jia can't do it, a little girl can't cook well. ”

Su Xin hurriedly smiled and said, "That girl is really a foxy thing!" Concubine Jia has two elder brothers, and there are some who are negligent for a while. But then again, in the end, it's just a promise, what can it be! ”

The queen was slightly relieved: "Yes." Although Concubine Jia is still quite powerful, she has two sons, and she has to prevent her from being restless in the future. It's okay, there are many Wei Yanwan, she also has to be troubled. The palace just has some free time, and it is important to take good care of Yongcong. ”

Su Xinnuo listened, his eyes rolled, and he accompanied the queen to coax Yongcong as if he had nothing to do.

When Ruyi saw Mo Xin again, it was already the winter of the twelfth year of Qianlong. This year, the pox epidemic in Beijing was everywhere, the autumn was dry and the winter was warm, there was little frost and snow, and the river well dried up. Since September, the pox epidemic has spread from Hebei to the suburbs of Beijing, and then to Beijing.

In the palace, because Shunzhi Ye Fu died of pox plague in the past, even the Holy Ancestor Kangxi had it when he was young, so he was extremely frightened. In addition to being busy with the pox epidemic in the previous dynasty, the emperor especially instructed the elder brother to take all the princesses and elder brothers to the palace of their biological mother or adoptive mother to raise them, and carefully avoid pox. The palace enshrined the pox god Niangniang, and the Spring Festival couplets, door gods, and lanterns hung for the Spring Festival were all removed, and at the same time the whole country and the palace were ordered to "not fry beans, not to light the lamp, not to splash water", and issued an edict to amnesty the world. All of a sudden, everyone in the palace was in danger and was terrified.

Yongcong was frail and sickly, and the queen was also extra vigilant and cautious. No one is allowed to enter or leave the Changchun Palace, for fear of being contaminated with pox plague.

And Mo Xin asked to see Ruyi at that time. At that time, Ruyi was gossiping with Hailan about the pox epidemic in the palace, and even the nurse nanny didn't trust her, and everything had to be done by herself, she heard the name "Mo Xin" cautiously mentioned, and couldn't help but be a little surprised: "Isn't Mo Xin the personal girl who serves Emperor Huixian's concubine?" I heard that Emperor Huixian's concubine couldn't rest assured of him before she died, so she was assigned to a guard guarding the Shunzhen Gate, and then she worked as an errand in the antique room. What does she want to see us all of a sudden? ”

Yongqi smiled lively, making Hailan laugh more and more, coaxed Yongqi to play with a rattle, and said casually: "Now the emperor only favors Wei Changzai, and he must be a nobleman before the year." We don't need to be accompanied, what will happen when we see Moxin. ”

Ruyi was silent for a moment, hugged Yongqi into the nurse's arms, and got up and went out with her heart. When I met Mo Xin, it was in a dimly lit small room next to the antique room, and I thought it was where she lived on duty on weekdays. Mo Xin was dressed as a woman, with white velvet flowers, and her dull hair was tightly pressed with a plain silver hairpin. Her eyes are red, and she is wooden, as if she has no life, how can she still look like a pet maid in the past.

Ruyi and Hailan saw Moxin's dress and knew that she had a funeral at home, so they said, "What's wrong at home?" Is there a dilemma? ”

Mo Xin was far away from the two of them, shrunk in a corner of the wall, and sighed: "The slave's husband is dead, and the slave and maid are here to clean up his relics today." ”

Ruyi sighed: "I am sorry, I will prepare fifty taels of silver for Mo Xin, and I should handle the funeral for her husband." ”

He agreed: "The slave will go back to the palace to get it." ”

Mo Xin smiled miserably: "Xian Guifei Niangniang, it's hard for you to give some rewards, but I don't care that the slave maid was the one who served the Huixian Emperor and the concubine." ”

It was still cold outside the window, and the room was not as warm as the palace where the concubine lived. Ruyi stood far away in front of Mo Xin's body, listening quietly, and suddenly felt a short sense of peace of mind in her heart. The competition for favor with Xiyue for more than ten years is the dust that falls in the cracks of the palace wall, which cannot be picked out or erased, and can only be allowed to stay as a soft crease of time. When these once frivolous fragments slowly peeled away from Ruyi's memories, she was overwhelmed, but that was also the living fantasy of the victor. After all, the person who is alive today is herself. Therefore, her gaze at Mo Xin was distant and cold, but she did not lose a trace of compassion: "The so-called care is for the living. The Si people have passed away, and there is nothing to let go of in the past. What's more, you're just the maid of Emperor Huixian's concubine, so why bother with you anymore? ”

"Then the slave maid came to find Concubine Xian, and it was really not wrong." Mo Xin bowed down, "In the past, there were many disrespectful slaves and maids, and this worship can be regarded as a return." She smiled slightly, kowtowed, and said, "It's just that since Concubine Xian has been rewarded, how can fifty taels of silver be enough?" For the funeral of two people, it is also a hundred taels. ”

Ruyi's eyebrows twisted up carefully, looked at Mo Xin and said, "How do you say this?" ”

Moxin's face is the color of yellowish petals, and there are signs of slow decay. She laughed miserably: "The slave's husband died of the pox, and the slave and maid have served him for these days, and I am afraid that they will not be able to escape." When I woke up yesterday morning, I had symptoms of vomiting and headache, and today I found two red rashes on my arm. So, two mothers, slaves and maids are so far away from you. ”

Ruyi heard the word "pox epidemic", her heart tightened for a while, and she almost subconsciously took a step back. Hailan snuggled tightly beside her, and reluctantly calmed down: "You all have pox plague, and you still want to see this palace and Xian Guifei, do you want us to contract the pox epidemic, so that you can avenge the Huixian Emperor Guifei?" ”

A trace of hatred flashed in Mo Xin's eyes, and she shook her head and said, "The slave knows that Emperor Huixian's concubine will not be blind to death, and who is the person she hates the most." Emperor Huixian's concubine couldn't even speak before she died, she still stared at the slave maid, and the slave knew that she wanted the slave and maid not to let go of that Buddha's mouth snake heart! ”

Ruyi stared at her for a moment, shook her head and said, "You're like this, what are you still thinking about?" ”

Mo Xin smiled, her dry lips opened and closed slightly: "It's because the slave has reached this point that there is finally a way." She laughed and showed Sensen's white teeth, "Before Emperor Huixian's concubine died, the slave maid was accused of marrying a guard, so that she could stay in the palace and find an opportunity. But the slave maid has a low status and has no way at all. Now that she has even given birth to a sister-in-law, this life is really satisfying! But the slave maid has always had how much hatred the imperial concubine Huixian hated before she died, and the slave and maid promised the imperial concubine that she would definitely avenge her. ”

Hailan shook her head disapprerovingly, and quietly fiddled with the carnelian flower bracelet on her wrist, like chalcedony red and transparent like pomegranate seeds, lining off her pair of soft jade: "Changchun Palace is heavily guarded, you can't enter." She raised her head and glanced at Mo Xin nonchalantly, "You want this palace to help you?" ”

Mo Xin nodded and said, "Since the slave has the pox plague, there are many ways. The slave knew that Niangniang hated her as much as Emperor Huixian's concubine. ”

Hailan smiled: "You really understand the thoughts of this palace." ”

Ruyi thought for a while, turned her back, and left only the figure of the high temples in gorgeous clothes: "This matter, this palace does not do." Hailan hurriedly followed, and didn't say a word, "Sister, have you forgotten how she hurt you?" My sister has no children until now, and she caused it single-handedly. If my sister is afraid of getting her hands dirty, I'll do it. ”

Ruyi's heart trembled suddenly, as if she had been whipped out of nowhere, and the pain of the wound cracking was sprinkled with snow-white new salt. She held Hailan's hand: "What's the difference between what I do and what you do, let's not get this hand dirty." ”

Hailan said eagerly: "My sister is the one who got a life back from the cold palace, and she can't have the kindness of a woman." ”

Ru Yi fixed his head: "It is not the kindness of a woman." You and I both know that this son of hers is born weak and has a hard life. Moreover, if you are not afraid of retribution, there was no Yongqi in the past, and there was no worry about what to do or do. But now......" she shook her head, "not for anyone else, just for Yongqi." I didn't understand before, but I was willing to do anything just because I hated someone. Now that you and I are both mothers, there is no need to do this. ”

Hailan still didn't give up: "Sister......"

Ruyi waved her hand, turned to Mo Xin, and said resolutely: "I'm sorry, neither this palace nor Concubine Yu can help you." Seeing that Mo Xin suddenly changed color, Yue Jianning said kindly: "This palace knows that it is useless, so it is powerless." ”

Ruyi said, turned around and took Hailan's hand and came out. She said earnestly: "Let's go." Go back and wash yourself with potions, so that you don't get the pox. ”

Hailan still didn't give up, and said in a low voice: "Sister, let's really not do it?" ”

Ruyi said in a deep voice: "If in the past, I would never have a word. poked her soft underbelly, and my heart was happy. But now ......"

Hailan's voice was a little sharp: "It's not just for Yongqi, my sister is also worried about the damage to her status and honor, and I'm also afraid that the emperor will know, right?" In the past, we lost completely and were not afraid of anything, but now the more we gain, the more we look forward to the future. Hailan gloomy slightly, "Sister, I'm really afraid that one day, we will have too many concerns, and we will only be incompetent." ”