Wang Xianlou
Wang Gufeng Sweet Cake 2, Thump Thump Thump Thumb
Thumb. On the surface,
I frown deeply, but in my heart, I can’t help being ecstatic: Is there such a good thing?
So after seeing off Concubine Wen, I asked Wan Xi, the dowry maid, to inquire about what the late empress liked to do and what she ate and wore.
Wan Xi was puzzled and asked me if I was not sad?
I gobbled up the watermelon and asked her, “Do you want to waste this wonderful life on the little love of the emperor?”
However, when I was complacent and thought I had pinched the emperor, the emperor was teasing me with his chief eunuch: “You see, she is really a bit like him.”. Interesting, very interesting. When
I first entered the palace, it was the anniversary of the death of the late queen.
Kneeling beside the wall of the courtyard, I could just see a bright yellow figure crying back and forth on the Wangxian Tower where the empress used to live.
I couldn’t help crying: I asked Wan Xi to stew my elbow before I came out. If I go back later, it’s time to freeze. So is the emperor. Aren’t you hungry after crying for so long?
I don’t know if the son of heaven has magical powers, but the bright yellow figure actually turned his head and looked in my direction. I was so
frightened that I hung my head and squeezed my tears. After crying for
a while, the figure kneeling in front of me could not stand it and moved his knees carefully. Are
you numb on your knees, too, Wen Fei?
I haven’t recognized anyone else yet, but this Empress Wen is really impressive to me.
She was extremely beautiful, and her father was a high-ranking official of the second grade in the court. At first glance, she had been held in the palm of her hand since she was a child, and she was usually domineering. On the day
our group of newlyweds entered the palace, she came to exert her influence and let us walk with vases on our heads. If we broke one, we would not be allowed to have dinner.
And I performed so well that I reserved at least a dozen nights to starve.
“Don’t think of yourself as a lawless person with a face like yours.” Wen Fei pinched my chin. I didn’t understand why a beautiful person like her should be jealous of my appearance. “There’s still a long way to go in the harem. Don’t try to be a demon under my nose.”
“Empress,” I decided to use softness to overcome hardness. I followed her hand almost to the tip of her nose. “How dare a concubine act like a demon in front of a goddess? Wouldn’t she have to be taken away by the empress?”
Wen Fei is stupefied, on the face for a while angry and want to be happy, like spicy fried watermelon heart, contradictory and interesting. So
she let go of my more than a dozen dinners, let me tuck my tail between my legs and seduce the emperor less. The concubines in the
palace are like flowers that can’t be defeated. One is more beautiful than other. I can’t see the one I put in the crowd. What’s more, my father is just a petty official who can’t be reused in the northwest.
I couldn’t think of anything I could rely on to seduce the emperor.
To this day, the emperor came down tired of crying and stopped in front of me step by step.
He told me to hold my head up. At that time, I was so hungry that my chest was close to my back, and when I looked up, my expression should be a little grinning.
The young emperor’s name was Chu Yu, and this was the first time I had looked at him closely. As his name suggests, he was indeed a man with a face like a crown of jade.
Just less than I look carefully, Chu Yu’s eyes suddenly rose a shock, followed by a few strokes, unexpectedly-unexpectedly fainted. In the midst of the
confusion, Concubine Wen supported Chu Yu with both hands and did not forget to give me a kick. She scraped me with a knife, as if to say, “Didn’t I say that I wouldn’t let your little hoof become a demon under my eyes?” I was so
scared that I cried and ate a whole elbow that night, and I thought Wanxi had put less salt, otherwise I could drink two more grape fruit tea.
Since the death of the first empress, the harem has not been established, and all matters are represented by the imperial concubine Chen Sixian. When
the emperor did not wake up, Chen Guifei ordered people to hold me first. If I frighten the sick emperor, he will throw me into the cold palace immediately.
When I was about to kneel down again, the emperor finally woke up.
Later, I heard that he woke up hungry, and his behavior was not bad.
Chu Yu sent me to bed on the same day.
The candlelight was shining, the moon was shining, and he was a little embarrassed and asked me if I wanted to drink with him.
The white jade cup collided and made a clear sound.
Chu Yu was stunned and said he didn’t have to bump into it.
Frankly speaking, I drank like this with my father when I was at home.
“Then I’m not your father, either. There’s no need to bump into him so loudly.” He touched his wine cup, and his eyes were filled with genuine heartache. “White jade, fragile..” Just
be stingy. Of course,
I dare not say. Of course, I can only say, “Yes, yes, yes, yes.”.
I have five brothers, I am the only daughter in the family, and my mother left early, so the whole family is very spoiled me. I read a lot more books than other girls in the boudoir, and my third brother, who became a military general, taught me how to ride a horse and shoot arrows.
I used to wear the clothes of my brothers and swagger through the market, listening to the storytellers on the street corner who were full of dirty words telling some secret history of the palace. Most of
the storytellers talked about how the emperors and concubines fell in love with each other at first sight, but when it was my turn, I realized how embarrassing the scene was.
After all, it is the first time to meet people, he may not even know my name, let alone intimate.
So, as expected, Chu Yu asked me, “Does Chou Tsai have small print?”
“Back to the emperor, my concubine’s name is Zhou Xinyi, and the small characters are Xinyi.”
I finally had something to say, but after a round of questions and answers, I had nothing to say.
Seeing that the white jade cup in Chu Yu’s hand had not been broken by me, but was almost torn by his boredom, I quickly answered, “Does the emperor have small words?”
Chu Yu looked at me as if I had eaten a spicy fried watermelon heart.
“Huai Gui.”
“Can I call the emperor that?”
“No.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I think this time there is progress, good Lai walked a few more back and forth.
And also because I was too boring, that night did not arouse the interest of the emperor, so we went to sleep one by one.
But of course it was he who slept on the couch, and I made do with it on the recliner, causing me to hold my waist and beat my back for several days, which made all the sisters very envious. It was said that Chu Yu rarely set foot in the harem because he missed the queen too much, and few concubines were favored.
“Empress, these concubines seem to have some misunderstanding about the empress.” Wanxi knew what had happened to me that night and helped me rub my shoulders and legs.
“No,” I mused as I peeled the oranges. “They may have some misunderstanding about the emperor..”
Wan Xi is my dowry maid, and she has been crazy with me since she was a child. When I pretended to be a dandy young master, she pretended to be a dog-legged bookboy and listened to a lot of dirty books with me, so she immediately understood.
So she chimed in: “That’s right. Why else would the emperor have married and taken concubines since the time of the crown prince? He hasn’t had a son or a daughter for several years now.”
Otherwise, why can you faint after crying? It can be seen that the dragon is ill.
I nodded heavily and began to worry about the heir of this generation for the courtiers.
I was continuously turned over the sign for half a month, and my position jumped from a talented person to a concubine, which was unprecedented in the harem.
Although no one believed it, the emperor and I did nothing but drink and chat for half a month.
But my fourth brother at the Escort Agency often said, “Drinking tea is a friend, and drinking wine is a brother.” Chu Yu and I have been in the wine shop for half a month, but we are not as separated as we were at the beginning.
“Oh, oh, oh, Your Majesty!”! My concubine has drunk up this cup. What do you mean by leaving a foundation? Take my concubine as an outsider, right? My concubines have no weight in the eyes of the emperor, do they? People in the northwest drink, and they are most annoyed by this kind of stingy search.
Chu Yu was so drunk that he couldn’t hold his liquor half as well as I could. He had to frown and beg for mercy. “I’m going to the morning court tomorrow, Concubine Zhou..”
The white jade cup was covered with the same white jade knuckles, and Chu Yu’s other hand was propped up on the edge of his forelock, and his slightly drooping eyebrows were crimson. It was
probably the gentle wind on the south bank of the river that raised him. He was really a very beautiful man. As I
thought about it, I leaned over and said softly, “If the emperor promises me one thing, I will spare the emperor.”
He asked me what was the matter, and his starry eyes flickered under his elegant eyelashes.
“The emperor called out the small characters of his ministers and concubines, ‘Xin Yi.'”
Chu Yu was stunned and immediately laughed. When
he smiled, his eyes would soften, and I was caught off guard and brought into a warm embrace. He almost bit my ear and said,
“Magnolia, Magnolia, Magnolia..” Can you hear me clearly, Xinyi?
His warm breath got into my ears and rushed all the way to open my heart, like a falling rock, which made an unstoppable ripple in my heart.
I drank to embolden the coward, and then I asked again, “Can I call the emperor a word?”
“No.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Although it was another awkward chat, the situation was not the same tonight-Chu Yu showed his tender side, pulled out the mattress on his couch, and helped me spread it on the recliner. Who doesn’t say “absolutely” when they
see it. Chu Yu went to the morning court
the next day, and Wan Xi helped me massage and analyze the situation with me as usual.
We have even been thinking that if the emperor has no queen, who will succeed to the throne among the existing four princes.
When the time comes, if a certain prince becomes emperor, will I have to move to the Chinghsi Hall to take care of myself? Can I eat the steamed fish Imperial Kitchen? You have to eat this dish when it’s hot. Won’t it get cold when you get it to the Ching Hsi Hall?
Wan Xi is also lost in thought, steamed fish she likes to eat more than I do, every time I point to a fish to eat, she has a fish head to eat, who is willing to give up.
“Then let’s eat a few more in the next few years, or we’ll have a hard time in the Ching Hsi Hall.”
I thought so, and immediately ordered the maid to send a message to my palace to send a month of steamed fish first. After
Chu Yu ordered me to move into the Wangxian Tower in the Yihui Palace, Concubine Wen could not sit still. She didn’t
even drink my tea, but she said angrily, “Chou Pin didn’t think that this favor was really due to the emperor’s love for you, did she?” Holding a bowl of bird’s nest in my arms,
I felt that eating porridge at this time was not in keeping with the atmosphere, so I had to answer cautiously: “My concubine is stupid, and I would like to ask Empress Wen to give me some advice.” Concu
bine Wen raised her eyebrows just short of carving a high-sounding image on her face. “Chou Pin looks very much like the late empress. That’s the childhood sweetheart who accompanied the emperor when he was crown prince.”
“When the late empress was crown princess, she died of illness at a young age, but after the emperor ascended the throne, he still made an exception and gave her the honor of being an empress to be buried in the imperial mausoleum, which shows the emperor’s yearning for the late empress.” When Concu
bine Wen saw my silly expression, she calmly took a sip of tea and said, “It’s just a matter of picking up the wisdom of others. Don’t be too complacent and lose your sense of propriety.” Now the change of
mood is on my side.
I thought for a moment, and then, sizing up the situation, I frowned, mourned, and held my head in my hands and cried, “No, it won’t be like this. The emperor certainly didn’t take me as a substitute for the late empress!”
But my heart is really happy, never thought there can be such a good thing to pick up ready-made!
I cried until Wen Fei was satisfied to leave. Wan Xi hurried forward to comfort me. I hurried to give her the bird’s nest porridge in my hand and let her heat it up.
Wan Xi asked me what the situation is, not sad, how can I just drink porridge.
“Should this wonderful life be wasted on the meager love of the emperor?” I knocked Wan Xi’s head, obviously since the little girl, how can not see through this.
But Wan-hsi was quick to understand, and after saying “Oh,” she warmed up the steamed fish.
“After all, this fish has to be eaten fresh.” I took a few bites and felt very sorry. “Concubine Wen came at a really bad time. Isn’t it good for her to insult me at another time? I have lost the delicacy of this fish in vain.
“What is it that the magnolia is sighing for?” Chu Yu stepped on the wind, sat down beside me, and ate a few pieces of fish with my chopsticks.
He blushed with white jade, and I blamed the summer on the south bank of the river for being so dry.
He said that I came from a cold place, and I should not be used to such a hot summer. So he ordered people to build wind pavilions and waterside pavilions for me in the place near the mountain forest behind Wangxian Tower.
Wangxianlou is the first queen’s favorite pavilion, Chu Yu can let me move in, has seen the favor.
Now they have built a new pavilion for me, which is really what Concubine Wen called “Long En.”.
I can not help but touch his face, can not help but sigh: or I am the president ah!
Does beauty work? Does Qingguo Qingcheng work? At the end of the day, I have to be lucky to look like the first queen.
Chu Yu said to me, “If you have anything you need, just tell him.”. I
remembered something I had heard before about the late queen, who was a quiet woman who loved lotus flowers.
So I lowered my eyebrows slightly and put my hands on the edge of the table, trying to look as good as a rabbit. “Since there is a waterside pavilion, I would like to ask the emperor for another Wang Han.”
“As the saying goes, ‘When Tiantian first came out of the water, he read Jiao Rui.'” I observed Chu Yu’s expression and saw that he was indifferent, so I recited a few more poems.
“The heavy door is covered with green shade, and the broad pool is full of streamers.” “
In the shadows of the reeds, the smoke lies, and in the fragrance of the streamers, there is a poncho.” “The flowers of the river
are folded, and the shadows of the banks are moored on the Chinese parasol trees.” “Yes
, plant a few more Chinese parasol trees on the banks, and it will be even better.” Reciting this sentence, Chu Yu finally beamed and said something, and I took a long breath and nodded in agreement. If
he doesn’t stop, I will recite the few poems I know about lotus.
“But I don’t know if Xinyi can paint?” Chu Yu asked suddenly, looking at me with sparkling eyes. “The Chinese parasol tree is drizzling in the early autumn. If the magnolia can be painted, I will hang it in the Chaoxi Hall and watch it every day.” In the
blink of an eye, I flashed eight hundred minds.
I guess the first queen should be a person who loves to write poems and paint. Maybe she had painted the autumn rain Chinese parasol tree. At this time, I don’t know which pillow Chu Yu was hiding under.
So I weighed my words carefully and said, “My concubine loves to paint autumn scenes.”. It’s just that the wild grass is clumsy and the painting is not good. It doesn’t have to be hung in the Chaoxi Hall. There’s no reason for the courtiers to laugh at it.
Chu Yu took my hand, and when his eyes smiled, they were always sparkling like Wang Chuntan.
“Who dares to laugh at me for spoiling you?”
Yes, yes, yes. Yes, yes, yes. Become a national master painter in
a month. Do you want this favor.
But there is no end to learning in life. I
heard that Concubine Wen once smiled at the emperor and practiced dancing in the water until she had a cramp. What reason do I have not to work hard! Otherwise, you deserve to be trampled on the ground every day!
So after Chu Yu left, I hurried to find the old Mammy who had served the empress to ask questions. Sure enough, she said that when the empress was in the East Palace, she loved to go to the pavilion in the middle of the lake to enjoy the lotus trees.
The tree is a Chinese parasol tree, presumably because of the line in the poem, “The flowers on the river are broken, and the shadows on the bank are on the Chinese parasol tree.”.
The late empress really loved to paint, and painted more lotus flowers, even in the Empress Dowager’s Palace, she treasured several pairs.
I asked the old Mammy to say more about the late queen, no matter how big or small, preferably even what kind of wine cup she liked.
The old Mammy frowned, and I suddenly felt that something was wrong. Sure enough, I heard her say, “The empress is weak and has never touched a drop of alcohol.”. I’ve never touched anything like a wine cup.
I turned my head and took a look at the wine shelves behind me, which were stacked on the wall. Unable to sit still for
a moment, I buried myself in Wanxi’s arms with regret.
“Do you think this can be remedied, Wanxi?”
“Then stop drinking today, Empress.” When the
pig’s feet were served with wine that year, you said you loved to drink a little. It turned out that you were wrong from the very beginning. During the month when I spent the summer
in the waterside pavilion, I painted at least sixty or seventy drizzling Chinese parasol trees.
Wen Fei has always been alert, thinking that this is a new trend of competing for favor, and also followed the closed-door painting. Her painting is a cold wild goose with reed flowers, which is much more skillful than mine.
So Chu Yu picked up my painting and hung it in the Chaoxi Hall, and then I asked for Wen Fei’s painting, which was mounted and hung in the study. When
Wen Fei heard the news, she looked very dumbfounding.
She asked me what I wanted. It was rare for
me to say something to her that was not flattering and sincere: “The autumn scene of the empress is very much like the scene of the concubine’s hometown.”. When you look at it, it’s like seeing home, and then you don’t miss it so much.
“Concubine Chou always has a sharp tongue, but she’s as sweet as honey when it comes to fawning on others.” Wen Fei raised her head, although the words were a little harsh, but she pointed out the main points of my painting of Chinese parasol trees, which was very useful.
Wen Fei is quite cute when she is not domineering.
I held a watermelon in my arms and looked at Wen Fei with a smile.
Perhaps my eyes were too bright, and she seemed to wake up suddenly after having been bewitched, and as soon as she hit the table and brushed her sleeves, she was about to leave. “Every day you can enjoy the paintings of this palace and cultivate your moral character. You can’t be a demon.”
“Empress Wen, if you know how to paint lonely smoke in the desert, you can give me another one when you come back.” I sent her to the gate of the palace and saw that the cocky woman looked down on everyone, but she did not refuse.
Wan Xi said that I was a dog’s leg, and that I knew how to be a slave better than she did. I said that if she came to be a concubine, she would be sent to the cold palace in two days.
“You don’t have to do anything. If you knew there was such a fierce person as Concubine Wen in the palace, the maidservant would have to find a way to move to the cold palace.” Wanxi curled her lips and asked the Imperial Kitchen for tea at my urging. It was drizzling
at the right time, and I had nothing to do for a while, so I put a small copper basin under the porch to catch the rain on the eaves.
I was squatting in front of the copper basin watching the raindrops hitting the surface of the water, when Chu Yu’s voice came from the palace gate: “What is Xinyi doing?”
I beckoned him to come over and look, his bright yellow clothes swept over the water, and he crouched down in front of me, wrapped in the fragrance of flowers and rain.
“I didn’t do anything. I just wanted to get a basin of water to use.” We were reflected on the surface of the water, and I saw the puzzlement on his face. “My home is in Mobei, and I’m short of water all the year round. On the rare occasion of a rainy day, the family would find a vessel to collect the water from the eaves and store it.
I pointed to the Lotus Lake in the slanting wind and drizzle. “Your Majesty, this is the biggest pool of water I have ever seen.”. If there were a lake like this on my side of the lake, my father wouldn’t be so worried day and night.
Chu Yu thoughtfully asked me if I wanted to bring my family to the capital.
I shook my head and said that even if I wanted to pick it up selfishly, my father would not want to come.
I caught the suspicion that flashed through Chu Yu’s eyes, thinking that he only thought I was playing some kind of means of competing for favor.
So I thought about this very carefully, and even took some risks: “The emperor is the son of heaven, sitting in a position above thousands of people, and does he really enjoy the wealth and prosperity of this capital all the time?” As
soon as I asked, I regretted it.
After all, the joy of being an emperor is beyond my imagination as an ordinary man.
Chu Yu was stunned for a moment, but he was very clever and soon understood what I was talking about.
There are always people who are in their positions, seek their policies, worry about their people, eat the salary of the monarch, and dare not forget their responsibilities.
My father is such a person, but his temper is too dull to win the favor of those in high positions. He just has an empty ambition to serve the country.
So Chu Yu did not answer me and asked me, “Is your father an official in charge of sand control in the northernmost city of Kanchuanli?”
“It’s not just a small adjutant, but a small adjutant who speaks lightly. Some of the ways to control the sand are just worrying about themselves after all.” The small copper basin quickly filled half a finger high, and I moved the water.
“My concubine picked out one of her own paintings of the Chinese parasol trees and the Lotus Lake and sent it home.”
I raised my eyes slightly and saw Chu Yu’s rare solemn expression. “I want my brothers and fathers to have a look at this beautiful view of the water.”. After all, it’s only been ten years since I can remember, and the desert of Ganquanzhou is already spreading into the city gates. Not long after
Chu Yu ascended the throne, he was invaded by enemy countries in the east, banditry often occurred on the south bank, and it was reasonable that there would be omissions in the northwest.
But he did not abandon Mobei because it was barren. He slept in my study that night, and I know he studied all night for sand control. When
the day was about to break, he pushed the door open against the black and blue under his eyes, sent an imperial edict of eight hundred Li to rush, and also sent relief food to the prefectures and counties I mentioned that had no harvest all the year round. In the procession that
delivered the imperial edict, there was also a secret edict. Chu Yu asked me to write a letter home to my father, specifically inquiring about the strategy of sand control.
He does not listen to one side and believe one side and appoint people by favouritism because he favors me alone.
“Xinyi, are you annoyed that I didn’t promote your father right away?” When he asked this, the light rain of the morning rustled down. The small copper basin under the
porch was filled with rainwater, and he went straight to wash with the basin of cold water.
I was stunned. It was clearly a rainy day, but it seemed that there was a dazzling spring light overflowing from him.
“I’m just annoyed that I can’t drink a pot of good wine with the emperor at this moment.”
He dried his face and said that he would never waste water after being taught today, and he stretched out his bony hand and took my wrist lightly.
Those smiling eyes were so close at hand that I couldn’t help myself. “Didn’t Chou Pin stop drinking?”
That’s good. The heartbeat is only for a moment.
Sure enough, the cold palace could not ask for the love of the emperor.
He teased me and said that he would go to court first and drink with me in the evening. Disappointed,
I waved my hand weakly and shouted at his chariot, “I really quit!”! Let’s have tea!
Zhou Pin treats me like an outsider, doesn’t she? I have no weight in Chou Pin’s eyes, do I?
The familiar words came into Wangxian Tower, which made my face burn and I squatted on the ground with my head in my hands. The palace people
along the way were shocked to watch, and Wan Xi even wanted to avoid me. Wan-hee
, where are you going around? Bring the fresh meat wonton quickly! I’ve smelled it for a long time! It was a long
way to go, and it was autumn when the reply arrived.
Chu Yu almost trotted into Wangxianlou and picked me up at the waist, who was eating plum spareribs, and spun around several times in situ.
I think he wanted to kiss me at that time, but maybe he saw a circle of oil around my mouth and finally stroked the back of my head stiffly.
I love to be clean.
“I’ve promoted your father. Is Gao happy?” He ate half of the ribs in my hand, and his soft lips touched my finger belly, itching. My
face burned, and I couldn’t help avoiding his smiling eyes. “If there is a way to control the sand, I’ll be happy.”
“Why can’t I help it? Your father wrote back seven letters, all of which are really useful.”. If I don’t ask for a seal or a reward, I’ll send someone quickly to do the real thing. “
He took out the veil in his arms and wiped my mouth.” You’re so straightforward that you think you’re following your father. ”
I raised my eyebrows and felt uncomfortable.
In order to imitate the temperament of the empress who was sick and beautiful, I usually wrote poems and paintings, and sighed at the lake. If he hadn’t rushed out suddenly today, I wouldn’t have been able to catch the original shape of my careless eating.
“Your Majesty, you may have misunderstood my concubine. My concubine actually follows my mother, and is very delicate and afraid of strangers.”
Before I had finished speaking, I saw Chu Yu put a wine cup in front of me, with a puzzled expression on his face: “Why are you drunk before you drink?”. I was so
sick that I couldn’t breathe. Chu Yu quickly patted me on the back, and his voice was full of worry: “Did I not pay attention when I ate the ribs, and the broken bones got stuck?”
Ah, right. I got stuck in my throat when I ate spareribs, and I gargled with Huadiao wine for 50 years.
I realized in an instant that this was not going to work.
So I had planned to show off my skills at the Mid-Autumn Festival State Banquet, and that night I asked Wan Xi to bring out the Guqin I had secretly practiced. Although I have never met the
late queen, the more I understand her, the more I admire her. This is the talented woman who is proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting in the mouth of
the storyteller! It’s a pity that the beauty is unlucky, and now she has been ruined by my imitation.
I have only practiced one song altogether, which is also said to be the favorite song of the late queen. I played with trepidation and looked up carefully. Sure enough, I saw Chu Yu in a trance.
I cleverly added a few light coughs of illness, and the autumn wind rose and the moon fell on the Chinese parasol tree, which was just the atmosphere of missing the old friend.
“Your hibiscus-colored dress is very nice today.” Chu Yu looked at me with a gentle expression and voice. “Although the flowers have withered, it’s lucky that you’re still here.”
The old friend has gone, but fortunately I have such a substitute to relieve boredom. The moment I
read this, I was somewhat aggrieved for no reason.
But without waiting for me to think about what I was wronged about, Chu Yu suddenly walked up to me, smiling with an obvious apology in his eyes: “I made a slip of the tongue.”. Magnolia liliflora is a flower, but when it blooms in the cold, it is even better than hibiscus.
The candle flickered and the moon fell behind him.
I couldn’t say a word for a moment, only to see him approaching inch by inch, kissing and falling, and the cool autumn night was suddenly boiling hot.
The red candle tent was warm, and that night I had a very long dream in Chu Yu’s warm arms. When
Wen Fei sent me the painting of desert smoke, I had just changed my riding clothes and was going to the racecourse. The
beauty raised her chin delicately, and as she talked about what her daughter’s family had learned about riding horses, she peeked at me and asked, “Did Chou Pin ever fall off a horse when she was a beginner?”
“Back to the Empress, because she was always under the care of her elder brothers, the concubines never fell.” I couldn’t help laughing and looked at Wen Fei with a pinched face.
Seeing that she was in such a mess, I took her by the wrist and walked out. “Just be a concubine and beg the empress to ride back with her!”.
“Since the concubines of Zhou begged bitterly, my palace has granted you this time.”
One side of Wan Xi secretly cast his admiring eyes on me, and I couldn’t help saying, “Learn from Wan Xi, it’s not easy to be a slave of flattery!”!
I personally picked a gentle little white horse for Wen Fei. I held her on it first, and then straddled behind her. Today,
I found that Wen Fei is very small, and she is the tender beauty on the south bank of the river. Concu
bine Wen was obviously not feeling well because she was too close to me, so I hurriedly flattered her and said, Concubine, look at the ancient painting. The goddess flying in the sky is riding such a snow-white mythical beast. The empress should hold on to the reins and not go back to heaven, so that the concubines will have nowhere to go to see the goddess.
The little beauty laughed so hard that the flowers trembled. I rode forward, and I was very happy for a moment.
But less than hour after I experienced the joy of the emperor sitting on a beautiful woman, the real emperor appeared in an unpleasant way.
Wen Fei once again seemed to wake up after being bewitched and pushed me, saying that she wanted the emperor to carry her. I am always
the only one who takes other people’s food. How can anyone pick up the meat in my bowl?
So I proposed a horse race with Chu Yu, and whoever won would carry Wen Fei.
It can be said that all the people at the scene, except me, looked as if they had eaten spicy fried watermelon hearts.
Chu Yu was the most familiar one. He agreed to my competition and galloped with me.
He probably didn’t expect me to ride so well. When I looked back, I accepted the clear shock in his eyes and even slowed down my pace with ease. The
final scene was somewhat strange: the sun was setting in the west, the rosy clouds were lingering, and the emperor’s two favorite concubines were snuggling up to each other on the horse pasture, and he himself was alone behind them, neither walking nor staying.
Chu Yu could not help being jealous when he stayed in my palace at night, saying that he had never seen Wen Fei look at anyone with such fervent eyes.
I thought for a moment and said, “Maybe Concubine Wen is just envious of my concubines.” Before she
entered the palace, she lived in a square house, and after she entered the palace, she lived in a square courtyard. My concubine asked me to paint her lonely smoke in the desert. She had never seen it before. It was just an imitation of an ancient painting. It was probably a yearning for freedom.
“I’m afraid Concubine Chou didn’t know. When Concubine Wen was in the palace, she followed her father to the north of the Great Wall and down to the south of the Yangtze River several times a year. I guess I just didn’t expect that a palace concubine could ride a horse like that.” That’s
all right.
Embarrassed to pour tea, embarrassed to drink tea, embarrassed to refuse a cup of wine from Chu Yu, embarrassed not to hold back into my mouth.
Unexpectedly, after drinking this glass of wine, I felt dizzy and abdominal pain after a while, and I retched.
The whole palace was in a panic, and for the first time I saw Chu Yu, who was calm and relaxed, his face turned white with fear.
He picked up the crook of my arm on the couch and trembled uncontrollably. He called my name again and again, and even his voice trembled when he summoned the doctor.
I tried to soothe him, but reached over with one hand and clasped back with two. “Xinyi, Xinyi, don’t scare me, don’t scare me..”
Although the whole body is very uncomfortable, but at this moment I have no reason to love him more.
And unavoidably oversensitive: how much of his worry came from the same sadness when he bid farewell to the late queen? After
the doctor came, he was very cautious. After
probing again and again, I finally invited two more sainted doctors to come and see me, and then I dared to say
that I was pregnant.
Chu Yu looked at me and opened his mouth again and again, looking even more surprised and delighted than I was.
Blocking the crowd, he reached out and took my hand lightly.
He seemed to have a lot to say to me, but he couldn’t say a word for a long time, but his eyes were red.
I was amused by his appearance. I asked him how big the happy event was and why he wanted to cry.
He grunted, like a furry puppy, and I took him by the neck and carried him into my arms.
“Xinyi, I’m afraid I can’t take care of you and your children..”
His breath fell on my palm, as if he were already thinking of some terrible omission, and warm tears fell on my wrist in an instant. Only
at this moment did I know that there were things that made him afraid when he was in charge of all the people and rivers like the Son of Heaven.
And this fear only comes from a little woman like me and a little baby in my belly.
I held Chu Yu in my arms. For the first time I wanted to protect him. “Don’t be afraid, Your Majesty.”. Whether it’s a broad road or a dead-end road, let’s go together.
“Call me Huai Gui, Xin Yi.” Like the first time he called me in small print,
I whispered softly in his ear, “Huai Gui, Huai Gui, Huai Gui.”. Can you hear me clearly, Huai Gui?
Everything should be very warm, if Chu Yu does not say the last sentence, “After that, I really want to avoid certain foods, but I can’t secretly eat ribs with wine any more.”.
Wen Fei was the first imperial concubine who came to see me. As usual, the first thing
she said was, “You’re not allowed to be a demon under the eyes of this palace, but you’re secretly pregnant with a dragon heir. It’s really hateful.”
But he is still as cruel as ever. “Since I was pregnant, I dared to race yesterday, and I wasn’t afraid to fall off the horse and hurt myself.”
I leaned close to her and pretended to be pitiful. “Is the goddess afraid?”? Are you worried about your concubines?
“Who cares about you?” I coughed on purpose, provoking Concubine Wen to pour me a cup of hot water before she had finished speaking. “You must be careful. The late empress had a cough in late autumn, and it was gone before the New Year.” My
heart stagnated and I asked her slowly if I really looked like the first queen.
Wen Fei nodded first, frowned for a moment and then shook her head, but nodded hesitantly.
“You look very similar, but your temperament is very different,” she thought for a moment. “But when you play the piano and paint, you often look very similar everywhere.”
Wen Fei was completely “appeased” by me, and she really wanted to get up for me.
She said that since I could be so like the first queen, it would be a good thing to restrain the naughty part of my temper and win the favor of the emperor for a long time. That’s what
I intended to do, and that’s what I’ve always done.
If Chu Yu has no true feelings for me, I think I will always pretend like this.
For myself, but also for my original intention of entering the palace: to fight for the honor and favor of my mother’s family, so that my father, who was always bullied and depressed, could have a chance to show his ambition.
It’s just that there is always a place where people are not satisfied.
I hope that when he is admiring the paintings and listening to the lute, he will have a little joy for me; that when he is looking at the ten-mile lotus pond, he will remember the magnolia flowers on the shore for a moment; and that when I pretend to be gentle,
he will think that I am more attractive when I am riding and drinking. I
didn’t expect that Chen Guifei, whom I hadn’t seen for a long time, would come to see me in person. The daughter of the
first grade prime minister, the agent of the six palaces is diligent and has never made a mistake. It is reasonable that she is the best candidate to be queen at present.
But I had no children, and I was pregnant with the first child in the palace.
I’m a little nervous. I used to be alone, and it’s okay for me to be bold, but now that I’m pregnant, I’ll be cautious for the sake of the baby.
Sixian Sixian, Chen Guifei, as her name suggests, always has a virtuous bearing. Daughter of the
rich and powerful, and has a natural grace, she sat there, just a look to hand, I know that people are the master, I am the servant, I do not have to be a clown jumping in front of others. After
some pleasantries, she mentioned my two brothers in the camp.
Her uncle, who was the commander of the military forces in the northwest, said that in order to make me feel at ease in the palace, he would also ask her uncle to take good care of my brothers. I was relieved that
Chen Guifei was willing to put pressure on her first instead of going directly to the thunderbolt. Even if it’s somewhat threatening. In fact, I had considered
this matter for a long time, so I didn’t panic. I only promised her slowly that if I gave birth to a boy, I would ask for a decree to adopt her and honor her as the queen of the birth mother.
She asked for power, and I asked for peace. She showed her attitude and stood in the same boat.
Chen Ssu-hsien understood what I meant and stared at me with interest. “Chou Pin just made a slip of the tongue in front of this palace. You have to be careful in front of the people around you, so you don’t get a handle on it and cause trouble.”
“It was also because of my concubines’ selfishness. They only thought that if they gave birth to the emperor’s eldest son, they would have to be raised by the empress of the middle palace, so they confided a few days earlier.” When I served tea to Chen Guifei, she took it with a smile and asked me if it was the emperor’s preference.
“My concubines don’t dare to speculate on the divine will,” I said without a trace of water. “It’s just that my concubines think that they should be like this. With the empress holding the line, my concubines can always live a good life like this.”
“It’s strange that you can take down Concubine Wen. Today the Japanese Palace has learned how clever you are.” She tapped my forehead with her hand and left with a happy face.
“Empress, it’s a pity you’re not a slave.” Wan Xi helped me bask in the sun and sighed heartily.
I pretended to look at the distant mountains, “just to leave you a way out.”
“Thank you so much, Empress..” When
this matter reached Chu Yu’s ears, he was very dissatisfied and quarreled with me for a long time.
I couldn’t stand the way he groaned. He waved his hand and said, “Isn’t there only one son?”? There are so many childless concubines in the whole palace. If we give birth to one, can’t we just give one away?
Chu Yu’s head, buried in the pile of books, suddenly rose, and at that moment I felt as if I saw a light like a poisonous snake in his eyes. “A word from Xinyi cannot be recalled.”
“Wait a minute.” I got up and tried to run, but Chu Yu carried me into the bedroom.
He just hugged me quietly and tucked the quilt carefully from beginning to end.
He whispered in my ear, “Thank you, Xinyi, for taking the overall situation into account.”
I patted him on the arm, and though I was comforting him, I was telling him the truth: “Thanks to you, you know how to use people.”. If Concubine Chen had been that jealous woman, I would never have given her the child to raise.
Chu Yu hugged me even tighter. “Then we’re going to have a child in the same house.”. Since you are the best friend of Concubine Wen, you should at least give birth to three children for her.
Hiss, this is really the extent that Wen Damei is speechless.
12
I have always been in good health, and I have not suffered much when I was pregnant. In addition, Concubine Chen and Concubine Wen took good care of her, and she was safe until the day of labor.
In those days, Chu Yu almost never left me. I often rubbed my waist and patted my legs. I was so anxious that I frowned into a knot. Half kneeling on the edge of my couch,
he helped me beat my leg. His expression was as guilty as a child who had done something wrong. “Since giving birth to a child is such a hard thing, just give birth to this one.”. I hate that I can’t give birth for you.
“Don’t worry about it. Anyone who wants to give birth to a child for me, including the emperor, will have to go from the Wangxian Tower to the Qingxi Hall.” Holding a plate of jade and white jade shrimp, I glanced at the goat’s milk and yam soup that Wan Xi was carrying.
Chu Yu saw that I had big eyes and a small stomach. “If you can’t eat it, leave it to me,” he said with a helpless smile. “It’s a pity that you’ve wasted food.”
“How dare I let the emperor eat my leftovers?” As I spoke, I put the plate into Chu Yu’s hand and hurried to take the soup from Wan Xi’s hand.
Wan Xi said that it was made by Wen Fei herself, and it was the first time she had cooked for the imperial concubine since she entered the palace.
“You see, Xinyi, with such affection, it’s worth giving her three children.” As Chu Yu ate my leftovers, his face brightened with a smile. “Let’s not talk about whether we can give birth to them. Let’s try our best first!”.
Your Majesty, didn’t you just say that you would not give birth? Why are there two faces.
And what do you mean, try your best? Everyone is not a child. Do you think I don’t understand?
“Ah, yes. My three children are only worth a bowl of Wen Fei’s yam soup.” I deliberately quarreled with Chu Yu, the clouds and shadows were leisurely, and everything was very leisurely.
It was just that when Chu Yu and I were fighting, there was a misty rain outside the waterside pavilion. I saw him see the sycamore tree through the window, and suddenly I was stunned.
He asked me, “Xinyi, do you remember that at this time last year I asked you to paint the Autumn Rain Wutong for me?”
I don’t really want to talk about it at all.
This is my amulet. Just pretend to be crazy and stupid all the time. If we talk thoroughly, we may not be able to protect me any more.
So I can only nod obediently and say that I remember that the autumn rain and the Chinese parasol tree are also my favorite scenery.
But Chu Yu suddenly became serious. He turned his head and gazed at me. “No, your favorite scene is clearly the desert smoke.”
“You were born in the north of the desert, riding in the wild. When the sun rises, you listen to the horn that stretches for thousands of miles.” Chu Yu bent down and put his hands beside me, so I had to look straight into his eyes.
Those smiling eyes were no longer soft, and for a moment they looked like a sly fox. “You’re in good health, but you always cough on purpose. You like to read poetry and gossip, but you always spend time painting. As for the guqin,”
he suddenly grabbed my hand, not angry but proud.
I expected him to be so shrewd when he took the crown prince’s throne at the age of fourteen. I heard from your father that you would rather draw the bow than pluck the strings when you were young. Now that you have the ability to pierce the poplar with a hundred paces, you’ll have a good competition with me when you hunt next autumn.
I have been eloquent all my life, and this moment is aphasia after all.
I was stunned for a long time, and Chu Yu, who had a fierce look on his face, couldn’t help but giggle. Pointing to the yam soup in my other hand, he asked, “Your face is white with fear, but you don’t let go of the delicious food?” I was so
scared that I picked it up and pulled it into my mouth a few more times. Even if
you die, you have to be a full ghost. If you don’t eat, you won’t eat.
What’s more, this is a delicacy that Wen Fei only made for her father. Isn’t it the same as that I enjoyed the treatment of a second-grade court official before I died?
Perhaps seeing that I was frightened, Chu Yu said with a straight face, “I know that the late empress has always been a worry to you. I said these words today to untie your heart knot.”
“I am not here to punish you for deceiving the king.”
What do you mean you know? Still all the time? So these days, am I acting for myself? Ashamed and angry,
I threw the bowl into Chu Yu’s arms and asked him, almost in tears, “We’ve had so many drinks!”! In the end, Emperor, are you playing me like a monkey? So I’m the only one who confides in you?
“You’re pretending to be the first queen to deceive me. How can you confide in me?” Chu Yu was also wronged, shaking his head and sighing, and the bright yellow tassels in his hair swept across my neck.
That’s right, too.
If so, I calmed down in an instant. This wave is not a loss.
So I picked up the bowl, ate it again, and told Chu Yu to leave a few prawns for me, not to eat them all.
Chu Yu was speechless until he bit his lip. After all, he just touched my head helplessly and asked me to eat slowly.
He said that all the delicious food in the world was left to me.
He said that when I was healthy, he would accompany me to drink with pig’s feet every day.
Light rain into the night, that night in Chu Yu’s gentle explanation, I know the cause and effect.
I thought I was pretending to be a pig and eating a tiger, but I was pinched by this old fox who laughed like a little rabbit!
Chu Yu said that he actually had no impression of the first empress. At the age of fourteen,
he was in charge of the East Palace; at the age of eighteen, he was in charge of state affairs; at the age of twenty, and on the day of the coronation ceremony, the late emperor arranged for him such a strange Crown Princess.
It is the combination of power and power to pave the way for the throne. The weak Crown Princess was vomiting blood on her wedding night, and her eyes were full of disappointment when she saw him.
He later learned that she had a childhood sweetheart of her own.
If you have to talk about it, you can only say that you respect each other. She is for her mother’s family, and I am for the emperor’s order. Chu Yu was in a trance, and I guessed that he might have had a crush on her, but I was wrong.
He said that her death had touched him a lot, but not because he loved her. He just felt that he couldn’t marry the person he loved, and that kind of engagement was too painful.
Therefore, Chu Yu’s empresses and concubines were the fewest in history.
Apart from the East Palace period, the old emperor forced his Crown Princess, and today’s Concubine Chen and Concubine Wen, only to comfort the old sick Empress Dowager, I was summoned to the palace. A
total of eight were recruited, and seven were promoted to be female officials. I was left alone because I looked like the late queen.
So at first he was just acting downstairs in Wangxian. My humble family background was able to enter the palace because he noticed me when he looked at the portrait long ago.
“I’m sorry to say that I treated you well at first just to take advantage of you.” Chu Yu rubbed my face and explained that the grandfather of the late empress was a patriarch of three Dynasties, and his ancestors were the founding heroes. If it was said that the emperor favored a concubine who looked very much like the late empress, it would comfort the old minister’s heart.
“Besides, I love you so much that I can use you as a shield. I can deal less with the harem and concentrate on the court.” He sat on my shoulder and asked for praise with a smile. “Kill two birds with one stone. Xinyi, do you think I’m smart?”
Smart. Of course smart. Not like me, one person plays the role of two carvings, and you play them together.
“But Xinyi is also clever.” I was so angry that I just wanted to sleep, but I still had to listen to him rub salt into his wounds. “I told Grandfather Li before that you really learned something similar. It was very interesting.”
Magnolia, Magnolia? Are you asleep? Do I make myself clear? It’s true that I’ve been in love with you for a long time. It’s not because I remember my late queen.
“I just said it today. I just thought it was very interesting when Xinyi played the role of the first queen. I thought it was fun, so I never exposed it.” Do
you still remember the day you were caught by me when you secretly ate the plum chop with the wine? In fact, it wasn’t because your father’s letter from home happened to come by, but because I sent someone on purpose to keep an eye on it.
I have issued a decree. If I find you drinking secretly, I will report it immediately. I will personally stop you. I love to see you in a hurry. You’re so cute..
That is to say. Also do not know the fate of the assassination of the emperor is not serious? Can life of the
dog emperor be more important than my face? The
end
of my life should be very good.
Father sand control, was later promoted to the fourth grade position, several brothers also stand out, the third brother also mixed to the position of the capital guard, often can enter the palace to see me.
As for me, my first child gave birth to a princess, who was so white and fat that she was able to compete with me for elbows when she was not as tall as my waist. My second child gave birth to a prince, who was adopted by Chen Guifei as promised. On the day of the crown prince, she ascended the throne of queen together. When I
was pregnant with the third child, the fetal position was not correct. I suffered a lot when I gave birth. I was so frightened that Chu Yu wanted to protect the big and abandon the small. As soon as I heard the words of the abandoned son inside, I became anxious and gave birth to a little princess while swearing. I
didn’t expect that the little princess would look a bit like Concubine Wen, with willow eyebrows, apricot eyes, and snowy skin. I even heard Chu Yu secretly ask Wan Xi, “Your empress shouldn’t be able to have a child with Concubine Wen, should she?”
I, on the other hand, for the sake of a bowl of goat’s milk and yam soup every day of the season, sold the baby’s stomach with a shy face, and gave the little princess to Wen Fei to raise.
Wen Fei hugged the baby with a look of disgust and said that children were the most annoying, while embroidering a small bellyband with her own hands. The
mouth is the most poisonous and the heart is the softest. I don’t know her yet.
Afraid that I would hurt my body, even though I liked children so much that I felt that the palace should be like my family, with a big room of brothers and sisters, but Chu Yu refused to allow it, so the little princess given to Wen Fei was my last child.
Later, Wen Fei and I both sat on the position of imperial concubine. The two of us relied on Empress Chen to do everything in detail. In the harem, we had the style of throwing away the shopkeeper. We didn’t care about everything, but only enjoyed ourselves. Empress Chen was so
angry that she checked the prince’s homework and scolded me: If I had known that, I would have been afraid that you would take the position of empress. I should have pushed you to this chair to break my heart. Look, after all these years, you and Concubine Wen are exactly the same as when you entered the palace.
Not the same, probably only Chu Yu. His temples were gray, and he worked hard for the country and the people, and he was worthy of the name of a wise king.
Apart from the former court, he also managed the harem very well.
Especially for me.
He asked me to recognize the parents of the first queen as my adoptive father and mother. He asked me not to lose the ability to imitate the first queen. As long as I met the parents of the first queen, I had to do that. I should cough and play the piano.
Wen Fei also helped me with several paintings of the late empress, signed my name and asked me to send them to buy people’s hearts.
Chu Yu even burst into tears in front of people’s parents. The noise was as loud as when I entered the palace the first day he cried until he fainted. “Zheng Guogong, maybe this is heaven’s pity.”. The whole family and I have never forgotten it, and that’s why a man like this has come to the palace.
“If you want me to tell you this, it means that even Meng Po couldn’t bear to take back the soul of the late empress, and asked her to come back and continue to accompany me and be filial and respectful to my parents.”
The Duke and his wife, who were also in tears, took me by the hand and called me “Nannan.”.
This made me admire him very much, and I sighed that it was a pity that Chu Yu did not go to be an actor.
If so, it paves the way for me and for my little prince.
We grew old together, and finally he left a few days earlier than me and closed his eyes on a rainy early summer day. On
the Wangxian Tower, beside the Lotus Pond. He talked around and finally just looked at me.
Keep, keep looking at me. We agreed
to accompany you for a lifetime, but after all, we are short of time. Look at the king on the Immortal Tower. You won’t be able to see me in the future, Xinyi.
I promised him many years ago that if he went first, I would leave him a smiling face at last and let him leave with peace of mind.
But at this moment I really can not bear, tears rustle down, can not stop. Holding his hand as hard as
I could, I leaned close to him and called his name. “Huai Gui, you don’t owe me anything.”. You have given me too much, too much.
Is it? But I always feel that it’s not enough. All my life, I’ve wronged you a lot, Xinyi.
“Xinyi, leave that pair of white jade wine cups in my coffin..”
“In the afterlife, I will take that cup of wine to find you, but you must drink with me..”
Next life, next life.. Don’t treat me like an outsider, Xinyi.
Maybe it was too much grief, maybe it was fate, I died in the same summer.
I didn’t listen to him, so I left one of the white jade wine cups with him.
The other one, I ordered to be put in my coffin.
Huai Gui, Huai Gui, you have been smart all your life, but how can you be stupid. One for
each person, the afterlife is right.
You say, isn’t it?
— end —
Record No.: YX01WNVNdgMn92roo
Published on 2022-07-11 17:26. It is forbidden to reprint
the daily life
of the emperor and his favorite concubine. Gufeng Sweet Cake 2, Thump Thump This Life Limited
Dusk Mountain Stream, etc
.
