Lin Niang cried so hard that she couldn't stop crying, and said, "Ning'er's life, why is it so bitter!"

Zi Ning cried: "Don't worry, A-Niang, I and Luhuan take care of each other, never separate, and no one will bully her." Green Ring only nodded frequently, bit his lips with his teeth, cried so that his eyes were red and swollen, he held back his grief, and comforted Lin Niang: "I will definitely help Ning'er." Lin Niang should also be relieved, Ning'er is the most clever and intelligent, and her appearance is also the first, and she will be favored and enjoy good luck as a concubine. ”

The three of them clasped their hands tightly, and cold tears dripped on their hands, turning into a touch of sourness. Zi Ning had a sense of heartache and intestines, and thought that there was a slight gap with such a family relationship, but she didn't expect the separation to be so sad. The people and events of this era are gradually integrated into her blood and soul, and every scene is alive, no longer a performance on the stage, no longer a romantic dream. From now on, she will face a cruel and dangerous real life like a torrent.

The three of them cried darkly, until a mother-in-law shouted outside the door: "The ladies are going out, and every family is ready." Zi Ning held back her tears, clasped Lin Niang's hand, and said solemnly: "Being a concubine is not necessarily bitter, Ah Niang must believe that her daughter has her own blessing!"

After the rain, the courtyard was bleak, Zi Ning and Lu Huan stood under the tree in a daze, and a breeze broke the broken hair on the sideburns, which made Zi Ning's heart extremely messy. The memory of this era has just been fused in my mind, and I was suddenly chosen to be a concubine, and I have to face a strange environment, and I can't help but feel uneasy, thinking: "What kind of world should the life of a concubine be?"

The green ring beside her turned his head to look at her, stretched out his fingers, and carefully helped her straighten her sideburns, and a subtle trivial voice came out of his mouth: "Ning'er, is it a blessing or a curse for us to go?" The voice trembled slightly, as if suppressing a lot of fear and worry.

Zi Ning was also at a loss for the future, and only hugged the green ring around her, full of panic and annoyance. The flowers in the yard fell silently, and the two thin figures were lonely and helpless.

After a long silence, Zi Ning grabbed Green Ring's hand tightly and said categorically: "Green Ring, no matter what, there is me and you, we are all in one place!" The eyes of the two met together, and there was a strong warmth.

The apricot blossom trees in the courtyard were full of remnant flowers, but the trees were blooming more vigorously, and Zining and Luhuan each carried their burdens, and looked up at the top of the tree from under the tree.

Zi Ning suddenly looked outside the high wall, she had never been there, and she didn't know what kind of scenery there was. He sighed slightly, and whispered to himself: "If it is like the apricot blossom on the treetops, although it will decay if it blooms and falls into the dust and mud with other petals, there will always be a time when the branches bloom." Once hung high in the treetops, overlooking the scenery outside the wall, even if it is scattered, there is no regret. ”

Luhuan's eyes showed a sad look, took her hand and said, "Ning'er, don't be like this, you have to live a good life in the future!"

Before noon, Mama Qing sent her mother-in-law to take the selected maidens to the East Garden. As soon as the maids came out of the big courtyard, they heard some rough maids talking, "Yan'er died in the early hours of this morning!"

Zi Ning was startled, and hurriedly grabbed a little maid who was talking, and asked, "Which smoke is it, and how did it die?" All the maidens were also stunned, and asked each other, "Is it our smoke here?"

The little maid nodded heavily, "It's the one who chose the maid in the yard, and she looks handsome." I heard that she eloped last night and was caught and locked up in the house. Unexpectedly, she tied a white silk and hung it from the roof beam, and Mama found out this morning, and after saving most of the day, she still died. ”

Another little maid continued: "Yan'er's parents have been dragged down by her, and I'm afraid they won't be able to survive." I think she didn't want to live alone, but I heard that before she died, she cut a happy word window flower sticker out of white linen paper, and lit a pair of white candles in the house......!

All the wives and girls sighed silently, and Luhuan couldn't help but shudder, "Yan'er is only fifteen years old, and he died like this?"

Zi Ning felt sad in her heart, as if she saw the pair of white candles, and when the morning burned out, they left spots of translucent white wax oil, dripping on the table and flowing into a piece, like the tears of Yan'er's pain and unwillingness.

A fifteen-year-old girl, like a flower about to bloom, withered and died before anyone could appreciate it. Zi Ning turned her head to look at the green ring and said, "If we accept our fate, we will not have the same fate as her." We can't be like smoke, we have to fight for happiness from ourselves!"

His gaze looked into the distance and gradually became firm. Green Ring was a little dazed, and said in his mouth: "Fight for happiness from your own hands?" Ning'er, can we?"

Zi Ning nodded at her, a confident smile on her face.

The palace chose the auspicious day of the zodiac on this day, and set off firecrackers on the incense burner, and sent the newly elected maidens to the East Garden. Recently, due to the lack of peace in the queen mother's phoenix body, the prince and the eldest princess often go to the palace to ask for peace, and they cannot personally handle the matter of choosing a concubine. Therefore, when the maidens entered the East Garden, the big and small matters were handed over to a few proper grandmothers in the house to handle, and the prince instructed Aunt Li to take care of the East Garden temporarily, urging the maidens to strictly abide by the rules until Lord Su entered the mansion.

Since the concubines have been chosen, they are all the private property of Lord Su, and everything is up to Lord Su to decide, and others have no right to interfere. The maid has sold the death deed, and she needs to keep the etiquette of the scholars, and she can only see the maids and daughters-in-law on weekdays, and her relatives cannot visit them.

The ladies came out of their homes outside the second gate, and when they looked back and saw that the big courtyard was getting farther and farther away, the younger ones cried and cried, which made the women also sad, and suddenly sobbed.

The women sat in the carriage at the corner of the wall hanging flower gate, followed by two mothers-in-law in front of the car, and the wheels of the carriage rolled on the paved bluestone road, making a "rumbling" sound.

The seven women in a cart were silent, each holding a small burden in a daze, and the carriage staggered all the way through the long alley, and the windows on both sides were covered with green cloths, so that the outside scenery could not be seen.

Zi Ning and Lu Huan knelt side by side, she raised her eyes to look at the five strange women, and saw that they were of the same age, with beautiful appearances, and obvious tears on their faces.

Zi Ning saw that their faces were desolate, and they didn't speak anymore to adjust the atmosphere, and they were about to suffocate people in the carriage, so she spoke first, opened her eyes and smiled: "Everyone will take care of each other in the East Garden in the future." We are all from the palace, my name is Zi Ning, her name is Green Ring, you can also tell me what your name is. ”

The girls glanced at each other, although they were not familiar with each other, they all reported their names, and one of them, a round-faced girl named Xianggui, was the most lively, seeing that Zining was easy to get along with, she also smiled and said: "Since we are going to Dongyuan, we don't have to all keep our faces tight." It's just that I have something to say, although the people who went out of our palace didn't know each other before, they will all be sisters in the future. In the future, no matter who is favored, don't forget that these people who are sitting in the carriage today are good. ”

Xiang Gui was seventeen or eighteen years old, the eldest of these women, and her eyes were shining when she spoke, and she was quite old-fashioned. Luhuan had a very good impression of her, and hurriedly nodded in response: "What Sister Xianggui said is that if we don't take care of each other, I'm afraid it will be difficult to gain a foothold in Dongyuan for a long time." Ning'er and I have long been good sisters, wouldn't it be better if we all recognize each other as sisters today. ”

The other girls were silent, not knowing what was going on in their minds. The girl with only one melon seed face raised her head, her bright eyes flickered twice, and she said in a weak voice: "I wish my sisters to have mercy, if my sisters don't dislike it, how about recognizing Manzhu as a sister?"

Zi Ning saw that her eyes were like a deer, clear and timid, and couldn't help but like it, and said with a smile: "Manzhu, you are the youngest, and you will be our sister in the future." ”

Xianggui grinned, revealing her white teeth, and nodded and smiled: "That is the case, the four of us will be sisters in the future, and I, who is an elder sister, will have three younger sisters in the future." ”

The four of them were deeply happy, chatted lively, and talked about age, sure enough, Xianggui was the largest, Zining was second, Green Ring was third, and Manzhu was fourth.

The other three women in the car saw that the four of them were like this, they all showed indifferent and impatient looks, and when they saw that they were chatting happily, one of them suddenly said: "You don't want to say anything about sisterhood, after entering the East Garden, if you really compete for favor, I'm afraid even your own sisters will have to be divided." ”

Xianggui raised her eyes to look at her, and said a little jokingly: "What I just said about being favored, but when I talk to you about playing, I actually take it seriously! Among us, who wants to compete for favor? I advise you to save your worries, I heard that there are hundreds of thousands of maids in Lord Su's family, and there are even more young and beautiful slaves and maids, and a large courtyard of a few feet of land cannot stand. Every year, a new woman enters the door, and the old one is overcome, but the new one cannot be renewed. What's more, what kind of status is a concubine, no matter how favored she is, she is only a good concubine, what is the use!"

When Manzhu heard this, she was surprised and asked, "Sister is telling the truth? There are thousands of daughters in Master Su's family, what else do you want us to do?"

Xianggui dusted off the floating ash on his sleeve, and said helplessly: "I'm afraid that Lord Su doesn't want us, so the congratulatory gift sent by the prince is forceful, and if you don't want these concubines, it will hurt the face of the two mansions." ”

Zi Ning and Lu Huan glanced at each other, but felt relieved, Master Su has too many daughters, and they definitely can't take care of these newly selected people, they live quietly and wholeheartedly, which is also a good thing.

Manzhu lowered his eyes silently and said in a low voice: "No wonder Yan'er would rather hang himself than enter the East Garden, such a fire pit, but we have to jump in." ”

When the women heard her say that she was smoking, they couldn't help but feel sad. Lowered his head, each with his own thoughts, and resented Lord Su more and more, if he hadn't entered Beijing, what kind of maid would he choose? The princess clan has no idea how much money and food will be wasted every year to feed the maiden, not to mention the amount of clothing and expenses of the maiden. If he wasn't a womanizer, what would he do raising these women for nothing? ————