I took a nap at noon, because in the afternoon the painter in the palace entered the Qingshuang Garden to paint a portrait, the grandmother ordered the ladies to dress up neatly and wait in the house, so as to avoid a day of practicing hanging Feiyan playing the piano and singing.

Zi Ning didn't sleep well last night, and had a tiring dream all day at noon, and when she woke up, she felt heavy and the pain was unbearable. The green ring helped her put a silk satin headband on her forehead, and pressed it carefully, and the headache eased slightly.

Since moving into Qingshuang Garden, the women have been waiting for more than ten days, learning to play and sing and dance diligently from morning to night, looking forward to Lord Su entering the house as soon as possible, looking forward to their eyes being empty, and still not seeing the shadow of Lord Su.

There was a cold wind last night, Xianggui's illness was even more serious, and Zi Ning was also weak, so she fell on the pillow, thinking of the figure under the bamboo tree, and didn't feel a little stupid. Looking at the roses in the backyard from the window on the couch, they have produced small buds and bones, and in less than a month, they are full of pink and bright flowers.

Last night's flute sound was like a turning person, which made people linger and intoxicated. I thought: "In this deep and secluded house, although there are many resentful women, there is also such a clean timbre. Xia Wan was named a top-grade maiden, and she really didn't have a wasted name. ”

Luhuan folded his clothes on the side, and when he saw Zi Ning's headache, he pouted and said, "I don't know who it was last night, and I played the flute all night, which made me have a headache this afternoon." If you want to say that those who know how to play don't play music in the daytime, they prefer to play enough at night, but they can't sleep if they disturb people!"

Yao Er, who was sitting in front of the couch drinking tea, suddenly said: "That's Xia Wan, who blows the flute well." She is also like this in the palace, there is the little princess of the Moon Fairy who indulges her, and others don't say much. ”

Since Yao Er and Zi Ning have been close, they have often come to their house, and the grandmother ordered the girl to dress up and wait for the painter to come to paint the portrait, so Yao Er came over and asked Green Ring to help comb her hair.

Zi Ning listened to her and nodded secretly, the sheng is a commonly used banquet and drinking instrument in the court, and it is mostly in line with the chime. However, the flute has a sense of remoteness and leisure, and it has a unique charm when it is played solo. Xia Wan is alone, and she is good at two musical instruments with different artistic conceptions, which makes people impressed.

In the days when she came to Qingshuang Garden, Zi Ning didn't often go to the front courtyard, so she only saw Xia Wan a few times. Xia Wan's gentle and soft appearance, a pair of eyes are shining, and she doesn't smile when she meets the girls, and nods slightly.

Zi Ning smiled: "She is a girl who can read and write, and it is said that calligraphy works part-time. If it is really so beautiful, it can be regarded as the number one champion in the Qingshuang Garden. ”

Luhuan suddenly laughed, approached Yao'er's side, and asked curiously: "Yao'er, do you often see princesses and concubines in the palace, do they all look like the people in the paintings?"

Yao Er snorted lightly from her nose, put down the teacup, combed her hair and temples with wood in the mirror, and said casually: "It looks the same as the painting, what's the use? Even if the little princess of Yuexian is spoiled by the queen and marries a wife in the future, she is only a few grades higher than us, and she still has to guard the loneliness of day and night. In the end, they are all women, no matter how arrogant they are, they can't go beyond men. ”

Manzhu, who had been crooked on the couch, suddenly sat up, shook the collar of his clothes, and said with a coquettish smile: "That's not necessarily, look at the King of Huajun in the house, he is only good to the eldest princess, and he doesn't even have half a concubine by his side." I heard that the prince went to court in the morning, and his mind was on the eldest princess, and he was anxious to return home. That's why I say, although there are many women in the world who are miserable, there are also dedicated men. ”

Raising his eyes and scanning the few people in the room, he showed a coquettish demeanor, clapped his hands, and asked, "Guess what, is Master Su such a dedicated person?"

Green Ring's face turned red, and he lowered his head to play with his skirt and did not speak. Yao Er said lightly: "He is inattentive or inattentive, he has nothing to do with me, I never expected Master Su to be devoted to me!" combing his long hair in the mirror, his face was cold.

As soon as Manzhu mentioned the words "Master Su", Zi Ning felt a burst of piercing heart, and said, "Manzhu, let's talk well, don't let that Lord Su disturb our tranquility." If he is a dedicated man, how can he get these women back, not only accept them, but also make them wait, it can be seen that he is a ruthless and vicious person!"

Master Su was almost a shriveled shadow puppet in her heart, filled with countless resentments and hatreds.

Manzhu's expression was a little gloomy, he lowered his head and said to himself: "Lord Su, Lord Su, since you know the hearts of the maids, why do you want to hide your whereabouts? Let these poor maidens look forward to it with all their hearts, but in the end it is a spring dream without a trace!"

Yao Er put the wooden comb in his hand "popped", turned his head to look at Manzhu, and said angrily: "Don't mention Lord Nasu again, he is really hateful." Presumably, there must have been a lady's concubine, and she didn't care about her wife, but she wanted to provoke her daughter. In the future, we will go back to Su Mansion with him, I wonder if the lady will be able to tolerate us? I have heard that the wives of the scholar clan are all very powerful, such as concubines and concubines are not easy to mess with, and there are tragic incidents of beating and scolding women at every turn, and pulling out nails with palms in their hands!"

The more Zi Ning listened, the cooler her heart became, and most of Lord Su's wives were also arbitrary, and the wives were under her, and life was even more difficult.

When I thought of myself, I couldn't help but feel depressed, and thought: "When can I leave Qingshuang Yuan, shouldn't I be a girl?" I wish to win the heart of one person, and the white head will not be separated, although this expectation is a bit hypocritical, but it is also a real infatuation, and it is better not to be a delusion." ”

I only heard the green ring ask in surprise: "What? Madame wants to pull out her nails with her palms, what should we do, isn't it impossible to live?" Master Su has the spare time to look at us more?" Then he sighed deeply, and there was a little more loneliness in his eyes.

Yao Er was silent, only looked at the green ring in the mirror, and then smiled sadly, "The green ring is so stupid, a girl is a girl, and it is great luck to live peacefully to the end of her life!"

For a while, no one made a sound, and the room was silent.

Xianggui, who was lying on the bed, coughed violently twice in her sleep, Zi Ning hurriedly helped her cover the quilt, seeing that her face was thin and haggard, her lips were dry and pale, she couldn't help but be full of boredom, and muttered: "Xianggui, you must get better, you are such a strong person, don't let those villains be secretly proud." ”

Crooked on the bed in the room for a long time, Zi Ning's eyes were very indifferent, looking at the shadow of the rose flowers outside the window, the green bamboo was clear, and thought: "Others go to paint portraits, what am I busy with, but it's just a mess, and I don't dress up." ”

Green Ring took out the half-worn whitened wooden jewelry box, and saw that there were only two slender silver collar hairpins inside, and at the bottom of the box were a ball of coarse linen head rope dyed red, and there was a pair of silver-inlaid bead earrings, the silver was old and black.

"Only with such jewelry, how can Ning'er dress up?" Luhuan sighed lamentingly, reaching out and lightly picking up a silver hairpin inlaid with magnolia flower heads, which was the most valuable of all jewelry. Zi Ning raised her head and smiled: "It's the same whether you wear jewelry or not, and in the future, you will often go to the dining room to cook for the eldest princess, and it will be troublesome to wear those gold and silver things." ”

got up and sat in front of the dresser, tied a ponytail at the back of his head at will, took out a red head rope and wrapped it carefully, and inserted the magnolia hairpin horizontally on the ponytail, showing a smart and pretty appearance in the mirror.

Yao'er and Luhuan both looked at her in a daze, and asked puzzledly, "What kind of bun is this, it's so strange." Zi Ning made a grimace at them, her head shook from side to side a few times, the magnolia hairpin flickered horizontally and vertically, the silver hairpin was quite heavy, the ponytail was not forced, and the hairpin fell on the table with a "dang" sound.

Manzhu blinked, pursed her lips and laughed, and said: "Sister Zining is used to joking, if you comb your hair in such a bun and go out, the people in the yard will be lively when they see you." Zi Ning winked at her, and suddenly remembered her best ball, which was the most popular hairstyle when she was in school.

Hurriedly untied the head rope and twisted the ball bun on top of his head according to the style in his memory. Zi Ning coiled her hair and smiled faintly in the mirror, as if a clear figure appeared in the mirror, and Liang Ziye was looking at her affectionately.

Zi Ning sighed secretly and thought: "It's a pity that things are not human, if the midnight is still there, when I see me holding the pill head today, I will definitely stare blankly, just like the first meeting under the peach blossom tree back then." If life is only as it was when you first saw it, you didn't promise it at first sight, and you have been separated, and you have long forgotten who you were lovesick for back then. Looking at the pretty appearance in the mirror, his nose was sour.

Green Ring watched her comb her hair intently, and saw that she had abandoned the hairpin, tied a bright red headstring and tied it tightly, and the top of her head was obliquely gathered into a fluffy bun, and two long strands of hair were combed on both sides of her sideburns, which hung quietly on her ears and cheeks.

couldn't help but smile: "Ning'er's new bun is so good-looking, she doesn't need to be dressed up with a hairpin, she is still glamorous." ”

Seeing Zi Ning raise her arm, revealing the whiplash scar on her wrist, criss-crossing matte red shadows, lining her snow-white skin, looked terrifying. Green Ring sighed gloomily: "You are covered with scars, what can you do in the future?"

Zi Ning suddenly became sentimental when she saw the green ring, turned her head and smiled: "What a fool, women are the ones who please themselves, and men who are confidants die." If a man sees me as a confidant, he doesn't care whether his skin is beautiful or ugly, and if I don't like that man, I don't bother to look for him, so it doesn't matter if I have a scar. ”

Put away the golden peacock hairpin and folding fan together, and the ladies will go to the portrait in the afternoon, she doesn't want to wear the peacock feather golden hairpin to appear, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble.

In the afternoon, a group of ladies and daughters were in the front hall, listening to the discussion of the grandmothers, the suitcase brought by Lord Su entered Beijing and was soon sent to the palace. When the women thought that the luggage had arrived, they were afraid that they would be able to see the adults in the next two days, and they couldn't help but feel a shock to their spirits, and their originally melancholy and sad complexions also improved.

The women waited for another hour, the five old painters came late, the bead curtain in front of the main hall house, the painters each set up their positions and sat down, and Qing Mama ordered someone to call the high-quality maiden.

There is only one top-grade maid Xiawan, but there are four middle-grade maids, such as Shitao, Frost Goose, Xianggui and Manzhu, and Xianggui is sick and can't come, so there are only three of them left. Shi Tao wore a single skirt of royal blue hook yarn and satin, and wore incense beads and eight treasures on her head.

Seeing that Xianggui was missing, Mama Qing said to the ladies in the hall: "Whoever wants to take the name of Xianggui on the top, come in and line up, and let the painter paint you first." ”

All the ladies and girls were happy, competing for the first time, there were only five painters here, and those who lined up the first round of portraits must be finely depicted and lifelike. As for the queue at the back, the painter had more than enough heart but not enough strength, so he just did something perfunctory.

If it is painted ugly by the painter, it will not be favored in front of Master Su.

——