Lexu loves musical instruments.

Everything related to music,

Whether it is the elegant music of ceremonies and ancestor worship, or the folk music of banquet singing and dancing, I like it.

Shangyang flowers and trees have never fallen, and Luoshui flows everywhere through the palace.

This is a palace in the northwest corner of Shangyang Palace, called Ganlu Palace.

Close to a tributary of Luoshui, the cool river breeze that is rare in midsummer blows,

On the corridor, the hem of the robes of the court musicians of Le Xu and his companions was stirred.

Under the gaze of a female supervisor with a serious and dull expression in front of them, they either held the qin or the gonghou, bowed their heads and walked into the empty hall in small steps.

Behind the curtain at the edge of the temple, the people sat down one by one and adjusted their instruments.

This Shangyang Palace is located in the western suburbs of Luoyang, also known as the West Palace, the royal back garden.

In the Ganlu Palace, Le Xu sat down with his companions, put down the guqin in his arms, skillfully adjusted the strings, and prepared for the ensemble for a while.

Le Xu is an official name, not his real name.

As for the real name, after entering the palace, few people called it, and gradually forgotten,

And what I can't forget is only the piano music.

He and his companions are all musicians, and they are managed by the female musicians of Shangyang Palace, playing music for the emperor and nobles.

Today, the serious and old-fashioned female musicians suddenly urged them to leave and go to the musicians' workstations in various palaces and water pavilions.

Le Xu didn't have to guess to know that it was Her Majesty the Empress who moved to the West Palace and came to play.

As for whether Her Majesty will stroll around this relatively remote Manna Palace, who knows?

Shangyang Palace is too big, there are many palaces, extravagant and luxurious, and the emperor has no shortage of places to play.

Le Xu has been a musician in Ganlu Palace for nearly three years, and the number of times he has greeted Her Majesty the Empress is only a handful.

However, Le Xu did not complain, lowered his head and tuned the piano by himself, ready to play, and a trace of joy gradually welled up in his eyes.

As a musician in the court, there are not many monthly cases, and it is difficult to be deducted by some female officials above.

And I heard from my companions that if you find a Zhulou Mansion on the bank of Luoshui in Luoyang City and play for a few nights, you can earn a lot of money, and you can also meet the great poets who are suave and suave, or have the opportunity to spend the Spring Festival with some ignorant Oiran who are interested in music and art.

But Le Xu is not like his companions, looking forward to the world of flowers in Luoyang City,

In Shangyang Palace, the monotonous life with the piano has made him feel at ease.

I remember an old musician who taught liturgical music told him that if you want to be rich and stable, you can go to a restaurant or a noble mansion to be a private musician.

But if you want to make progress in the field of ritual and music, there is only one way, which is to stay in this boring court and hone your skills.

Le Xu always remembered this sentence.

But the old musician who taught him this sentence, a few years ago, found an opportunity to leave the Luoyang court, before leaving, on the simple send-off wine, the old man drank a few glasses, laughed away, and did not have any nostalgia.

Le Xu was puzzled.

In the Ganlu Palace, Le Xu and his companions finished debugging the instruments and played a grand and elegant melody.

Outside the hall, on the corridor, a group of old-fashioned female officials, standing motionless, bowing their heads.

It seems to be a blessing to welcome a certain empress.

Le Xu quietly used his spare eyes to look at the palace officials outside.

In Shangyang Palace, the largest number of people are these female palace people.

I heard that their strict hierarchy and strict requirements are more cumbersome and strict than those of these musicians.

In the palace, I have naturally heard a lot of this kind of chasing after the wind and shadows.

Originally, a person like Le Xu who was in the palace and could get in touch with the position of the emperor should have been castrated like a palace eunuch.

However, fortunately, the owner of Shangyang Palace was a female emperor, and she was not strict with the requirements of eunuchs, but occasionally favored men.

Of course, in the criteria for selecting such close attendants, good looks and long posture are essential, and there must be no crooked melons and cracked dates.

Looking at Her Majesty's selection of the female officials and palace maids around her, it can be seen that she is an emperor who likes to be sensual and sensual.

Le Xu was glad not to be castrated, but he also became more and more incomprehensible about the departure of the old musician who taught him etiquette.

Le Xu glanced at a big Buddha in the distance outside the door of the hall.

There is the Great Buddha Hall.

In Shangyang Palace, one of the most conspicuous buildings, on the square of the Big Buddha Palace, there is a tall Buddha statue standing, a hundred-foot building, rising from the ground, majestic and magnificent.

In Shangyang Palace, in addition to the female officials of the palace, the largest number are some people in strange costumes, dealing with some strange items all day long.

Le Xu couldn't tell if this was a Taoist priest or a monk, but he had heard people say that they seemed to be called Wangqi Shi.

Le Xu didn't quite understand what they were doing, but Her Majesty seemed to like them and summoned them often.

So...... Like their musicians, these aspirants are the way to please the emperors and nobles, right?

Le Xu quietly guessed, and even vaguely disagreed.

The etiquette is so beautiful and peerless in the world, these aspirants are unreliable when they look at it, and they don't know what kind of obscene tricks they use to please Her Majesty, causing Her Majesty to pay less attention to etiquette and music.

However, most of these hopeful people haunt the big Buddha hall and the Buddha statue, and the two sides do not have much intersection.

When Le Xu was passing by at night, he happened to see a lot of hopeful people walking into the hundred-foot-high Buddha statue, and he didn't know what they were busy within.

Le Xu shook his head and continued to play the qin, there are many musical instruments in the world, and he loves the guqin.

I remember that an old musician said when he was drunk that in this Shangyang Palace, there is actually a unique and unparalleled piano hidden in the world, as well as a peerless piano sound, and finally, the old musician sighed and said what a piano is not a piano.

Le Xu remembered it in his heart, but it had been ten years since he entered the court, but he had never seen or heard it, and he felt more and more that it was the old musician who was drunk and talking nonsense.

All the piano masters in the Shangyang Palace, Le Xu has already known everything, but Er'er, or slightly inferior to him, can't help but feel a little proud in his heart, his piano sound is the best in the Shangyang Palace......

Le Xu suddenly retracted his mind and lowered his head to focus on the strings of his fingertips.

At this moment, he faintly heard a dense but rhythmic sound of footsteps coming from the long corridor in the distance outside the hall.

It is the Holy Carriage of Her Majesty the Empress!

There was almost no doubt in my heart, and I could even faintly hear the familiar old voice of Her Majesty the Empress.

There was a hint of hoarseness in the solemnity.

Joy of Joy.

Although he has only seen a few times in the past few years, Le Xu has long remembered this voice.

Because his ears can distinguish every syllable, remember most of the sounds, simple melodies, and the music can memorize and play them once he listens to them.

I remember that the old musician once sighed, this is God's hand-to-hand feeding, this is called the high-grade tone, for musicians, it is hard to find.

Le Xu also heard that during the Taizong Dynasty, there was a female court musician with this kind of talent, in the Daming Palace in Chang'an, only listened to foreign music, and then in front of countless foreign guests and envoys who came to worship, she replayed the tune with an old pipa pattern.

Immediately attracted Emperor Taizongwen's long face to great joy, and the foreign envoys were all surprised, kneeling and singing, convinced...... For the great cadres of that year, he won the honor of the heavenly kingdom and the ceremonial state.

It's a pity that when Daqian first founded the country, there was no longer the scene of all walks of life flourishing, and the scene of the heavenly empire and the prosperous era of ritual music seemed to exist only in a dream.

At present, in Chang'an Luoyang, all the passions seem to have gradually slowed down with the growth of the empire, and the princes and nobles and the people of the two capitals have begun to settle down with the days in front of them.

Even the Great Zhou Dynasty, which had just been "founded", did not have the slightest appearance of the scene when the Great Cadres were first established......

Le Xu is just a little musician, and he doesn't understand much about the change of dynasty, but he can feel that Her Majesty does not pay much attention to etiquette and music.

In other words, she only listened to a small number of people, not to mention, there were those eccentric and eccentric people who snatched some of their favor and attention, where was it the turn of a little person like Le Xu to come out, even if the sound of the piano was the best in Shangyang Palace.

Le Xu laughed at himself.

The old musician said that his talent is good, but it is not good, and blessings and misfortunes depend on each other.

He also said that in ancient times, most musicians were blind, because by shielding one sense, they could improve the remaining four senses and pursue the ultimate.

But the musicians nowadays, especially those in this court, should not only be blind, but also deaf, if not for the need to distinguish and listen to music......

Le Xu didn't understand the old musician's feelings, how could he be a pianist when he was deaf? On the contrary, I am proud of the high-grade sound sense, but the only pity is that no one appreciates it.

And now, it seems that the opportunity has come.

The companions who were playing music around them noticed the movement outside the hall a little later than Le Xu.

Le Xu and his companions glanced at each other tacitly, their eyes were bright, and they all showed their best.

In the manna hall, the sound of the silk and bamboo orchestra suddenly rises, tactful and pleasant, among them, there is a unique sound of the piano.

The footsteps outside the hall approached, and a group of palace attendants walked into the hall with two figures.

Le Xu lowered his head to play the piano, not daring to raise his head at all.

Only the afterglow faintly could be seen of the hems and boots of Her Majesty the Empress and another nobleman.

Her Majesty the Empress was surprisingly considerate of the noble man who followed.

"The old man's body, how are you doing lately? The widow heard that the old man buried himself in state affairs in Fengge, worked day and night, and used up eight pairs of calculations. ”

This is the voice of Her Majesty the Empress, speaking at a slower pace, but it gives people a very weighty feeling:

"It's better for the elders to rest more, and this kind of trivial matter can be handed over to the people below."

"Your Majesty, the minister doesn't want to eat recently, but reads the official seal, reads thousands of volumes a day, and eats less for the elderly, and is also in the body."

This is a strange old man's voice, speaking at a calm speed, can he be called a national elder by His Majesty? Up and down, there is no doubt that there is only that Difuzi.

The master is a Confucian master, and he is extremely talented, so he should be proficient in ritual music and be able to appreciate his piano sound...... Le Xu excitedly stroked the piano.

In the main hall, the sound of the piano became more and more tactful, one moment low and sad, and the other impassioned.

In the melodious sound of the piano, Her Majesty's sigh sounded again:

"Can you have a little appetite when you review official affairs and state affairs...... The old man of the country is really a big Zhou Yuzhu, and the pillar of the society. ”

"The old minister doesn't dare." The Master's voice was neither humble nor arrogant.

The voice that belonged to Her Majesty the Empress suddenly changed to the front:

"Yesterday, a group of ministers jointly played, saying that the country cannot be without an heir for a day, and asked the widow to appoint the king of Wei as the heir, what do the elders think of the king of Wei?"

The hall immediately resounded with the master's unwavering and firm voice:

"Your Majesty, the old minister looks at the people of the world, and still misses Taizong's kindness, if he establishes the emperor's heir, he is not a descendant of Taizong, and His Majesty and Gaozong must be flesh and blood."

The hall suddenly fell silent, and Le Xu, who was playing the piano behind the curtain at the edge of the hall, heard the sound of fingers tapping on a jade artifact in front of him.

Boom Boom Boom ...... Again and again, rhythmically sounded.

Her Majesty the Empress did not seem to be in trouble, and did not speak again, as if she was enjoying the music.

After a long while, the tapping stopped, and she asked:

"Yesterday, a palace maid went out of the palace to procure, heard some rumors in the market, and told the widow to listen, I heard that there is a seven-grade petty official named Ouyang Lianghan, who resigned and refused to be promoted to serve the imperial history.

"The old minister knows also, the edict once passed the political hall."

"Oh, the widow also knows this little guy, he is the widow's hand-picked Tanhualang, tall and handsome, but his temperament seems to be quite straightforward......

"Heh, now resigned, how is the elder going to deal with this matter?"

"The minister will not take care of it, and he will not deal with it."

"Oh?"

Her Majesty the Empress uttered an interested voice and seemed to chuckle:

"That old man also thinks that he is not a talent? Just selling fame?

"Okay, that's right, here today, the old man recommends a talent to the widow, the old man is old, and people must share their worries about political affairs, so you can recommend a social talent who can be entrusted with important tasks."

Difuzi said lightly:

"Your Majesty, if you want a talented person, then the minister can recommend a lot of people, such as Li Qiao, a member of the Ministry of Rites, and Yu Shi Suwei...... These are the right people.

"However, if Your Majesty must find outstanding wizards right now, then only Ouyang Lianghan, the commander of Jiangzhou Longcheng, is small, but he has the posture of a prime minister."

"Hey, didn't you say you didn't care about it?" The empress was surprised and asked suspiciously, "Why did you suddenly recommend him so solemnly?" ”

Difuzi's faint tone remained unchanged:

"The old minister doesn't care about him, because his official position, only His Majesty can give it, and you have to promote it, and the old minister will never dare to do it for him."

After the words were spoken, there was silence in the hall for a while.

The empress suddenly laughed: "If the widow directly orders him to be promoted, to the specifications of the book, wouldn't that give him a direct promotion to an official position above the fifth grade?" ”

"The old minister has no intention of begging for officials, the important thing is His Majesty's personal promotion, and the official rank is meaningless."

The nasal voice was soft "um", and the empress was silent again, as if noncommittal.

Oh, the two monarchs and ministers changed the subject, Her Majesty the Empress asked a few warm words, rewarded some tribute pastries, and a certain fat old man bowed down and retreated.

In the hall, only the sound of the orchestra remains, and the atmosphere of ceremonial music is solemn.

The old woman in a dragon robe turned her head and glanced at a book and a picture album neatly placed on the desk.

It was Ouyang Rong who submitted the "Ten Sparse Water Control in the South of the Yangtze River" and "Reading the Water System Map of the South of the Yangtze River".

There are faint traces of annotations drawn by red pen circles on the folds.

"Miaozhen."

Empress Wei Zhao of the Great Zhou suddenly spoke.

The eight female officials in colorful clothes accompanying them, dressed in crimson palace clothes, with makeup and lips, all lined up on both sides of the hall without squinting.

At this moment, among the eight women, there was a woman in palace clothes who immediately came out of the queue and knelt down to salute:

"The slave is here."

There are two small bits of rouge between the dimples on the corners of the mouth of this palace woman, which is the Liupin Palace person Miaozhen who gave a gift to Su Mansion for Empress Wei Zhao.

It's just that at this time, she was not arrogant, and she knelt humbly on the cold marble floor.

"When I sent Yu Jue that day, in front of the Su Mansion, what Ouyang Lianghan said, I will tell the widow carefully."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Miao Zhen buried his head and retold it word for word.

The old woman in the dragon robe and phoenix crown supported her chin with the back of her hand, closed her eyes and listened, and her face did not change.

About half an hour later, the Closed Eyes Empress waved her hand gently.

Miaozhen and other eight female officials in colorful clothes retreated with the palace people in the palace, and only the junior music officials were left in the main hall.

That's when it happened.

Suddenly, a Zhuyi Wangqi man rushed from the Buddha hall, walked into the hall, bent down and said:

"Sage, watching the sky last night, there is a heavenly spirit in the southeast."

Wei Zhao opened his eyes, looked at him, closed his eyes again, picked up a round and green jade Maitreya Buddha on the table, and played with it carefully.

In the main hall, the sound of orchestral strings was chaotic.

The empress with her eyes closed, with the jade Maitreya Buddha in her hand, tapped the front:

"Killed."

Zhu Yi nodded and walked towards the group of musicians in the main hall, and where Zhu Yi passed, the figures fell to the ground one by one, including a musician who was holding the piano tightly.

The sound of the orchestra in the hall was completely cut off.

The empress suddenly opened her eyes: "What about you?" ”

Zhu Yiwang's spirit suddenly burst into a rage, his body was like a hurricane, and he rolled towards the open door of the main hall, desperately fleeing.

But in this silent hall where the piano master and other musicians died early, in that room, a piano sounded:

"Zheng."

The sound of the piano is very slight, like a heavenly sound, coming from a distance, but it is close at hand.

When Zhu Yi heard this piano sound, it was as if he had been plucked the pause button.

His face was dead, and he stopped any means of escaping or resisting, Zhu Yi turned around, knelt on the ground and kowtowed, and at the last moment, his head was facing Zhongnan Mountain in the distance, and his forehead was bleeding:

"Your Majesty, thank you for Emperor Wen's death!"

Zhu Yiwang's kowtowing action stopped abruptly, and the kneeling body, like a watermelon, was divided into two petals, the middle section was neat, the two petals were one left and one right, and they fell to the ground respectively, and the burgundy blood gushed out from the section of each petal after realizing it, staining the clean and dust-free hall floor.

The old woman in the dragon robe slowly opened her eyes, ignoring the bloody scene in the hall.

"Is there a son of heaven in the southeast......

She turned her head, looked at the direction of Jiangzhou in the southeast, played with the Jade Maitreya Buddha in her hand, and whispered:

"The Great Zhou is not Qin, and the widow is not the first emperor."

……

Afternoon.

The emperor has long since left the main hall.

Miao Zhen carried a group of beautiful people from the Plum Makeup Palace into the empty hall full of corpses.

Their faces were as usual, their hands and feet were neat, carrying buckets, rags, mops and barrels, splashing water and mopping the floor, and the corpses were bloody, and they were cleaning them one by one.

Go to open the doors and windows, light the fire and incense, and the smell of blood in the hall will faintly dissipate.

The backs of the female officials in colorful clothes and the people of the smart palace are far away.

In the temple of manna, clean and unblemished, everything is as before, but... The sound is not there.

(End of chapter)