There are precedents in the history of the Red Chamber

Empress Zhaomin, who has left her name in history, is still Empress Shi at this time. She has no honor given by future generations, but is just a quiet woman. Her surname and title of empress represent everything about her.

Empress Shi looked at her own face in front of the glazed mirror, the most unretainable thing in the world, the beautiful woman said goodbye to the mirror, and the flower said to the tree. Empress Shi remembered what her father said about using people as mirrors, and couldn't help thinking back to her first half of her life.

The first 20 years of Empress Shi's life were warm and beautiful spring mornings.Born in a prominent family, with a pair of world-renowned parents, a capable brother and sister, and a lovely nephew and niece, when Empress Shi was in her boudoir, she felt that the world was so clear and life was so beautiful.

Even though her parents often taught her that it is necessary to have a heart of love and guard against others, she still believes that the world is so beautiful.

Until she met Situ Ting, at the beginning, she thought it was a beautiful continuation.

After spending a happy childhood and entering her teenage years, she also longed for a relationship like that of her parents, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and sister-in-law. This is the life trajectory that the Shi family should have, and Empress Shi believes that she can get it.

When she met Situ Min, Empress Shi was 14 years old, which was the time when she was a girl Huaichun.During that time, I didn't know what happened at home, and the family members were very disturbed.Empress Shi thought it was because her father was stationed at the border and her mother was sick, so she waited on her mother's bed in undressed clothes.

Then she met such a beautiful man, who was noble in birth, capable in literature and martial arts, gentle and considerate, and well-matched, Empress Shi's heart was beating wildly.After three years of dating, Empress Shi almost recognized him.Of course, she dated Brother Situ in the name of a man.

So when she learned that her beloved was the prince who almost brought disaster to the family, Empress Shi almost collapsed.She wanted to be like the martyr in the story, sacrificing herself to help others.But she knew that it was not necessary. Her parents and elder brothers did not need to sell their daughter in exchange for peace. Her parents would take care of everything for her. She only needed to be happy.

When her father asked her if she wanted to marry the prince, although Queen Shi hesitated, she decided to marry him.

why?

It's because every woman has a dream of a princess and queen in her heart; it's because first love is the most beautiful flower; it's because of the emotions gushing out of her heart... Empress Shi didn't know why she was able to answer so decisively at that time .

After getting engaged to the crown prince, Wei Zhenniang's body collapsed, and she died soon after.Shi Zhenzhu clearly remembered that the day after her mother passed away, her father turned gray all night.

After his mother passed away, his father resigned from office and became a Taoist monk. He set up a Taoist temple in Lingshan, far away from the world of mortals, and the world is another love legend.Empress Shi finished keeping her mother's filial piety, and when she married the prince, the prince was already 21 years old, but there was no one around the prince to serve her.

Happy days are always short. In ten years, the emperor and the empress were in harmony, the saint and the empress were like glue, and they gave birth to the eldest son, the second son, the third son, the fourth son, and the eldest daughter.

Empress Shi thought that her life would go on smoothly like this, but she didn't expect that before the joy of the first birthday of the dragon and phoenix twins faded, the sage said: "This year I will admit a few ministers and daughters into the palace."

"What? Bro, what are you talking about?"

"Pearl, I'm sorry, Pearl, I can't help it either. The aristocratic family has made a comeback, and the humble family is not strong enough. If I want to win the loyalty of my subjects, what is stronger than in-laws? Nachen's daughter entering the palace is the easiest and quickest way."

"How can a courtier's loyalty be changed because of a daughter? A person who can cruelly let her be a concubine doesn't really love her daughter." Shi Zhenzhu didn't understand how her husband could speak such words outrightly, and disagreed. .

"Pearl, you don't know how difficult my life is. I want to leave a peaceful and prosperous life for our son, but reform is too difficult. If I want to employ people, I have to give them sweetness. The front and the harem have always been one. Pearl, help me Help me, okay. Didn’t my father-in-law say that the husband has a thousand gold burden, and the wife carries five hundred catties of pearls, please help me.”

Seeing her husband, who always pays attention to his appearance, crying uncontrollably, Pearl felt very uncomfortable.Even if the husband fell asleep, he would murmur "Pearl, I'm sorry", which made Empress Shi burst into tears. Knowing each other for 15 years, loving each other for [-] years, Pearl thinks that she can trust her husband, even if those women enter the palace, her husband will just act on occasion, and will not have feelings for them, and will not let them have children.

Pearl agreed to add people to the harem, she thought: I am helping my husband.

Pearl soon received a sign from Shi Zhongzhu requesting an audience.

"Pearl, do you know what you are doing?" Shi Zhongzhu said angrily, that is, people in the royal family are unreliable.

"I know, I'm helping my husband."

"No, you are leading wolves into the house!"

"No, brother Yan said, he is just trying to balance the court, concubines and concubines are just a thing, why would he take it to heart, brother Yan said, he will not touch them."

"Pearl... If what you want is love, you can only have love if you are dedicated and equal. If you allow him to be a concubine today, you will tolerate the concubine and the concubine tomorrow, and you will be more likely to compete with the concubine in the future. Your child Are you willing to compete with the concubine and the concubine for favor?"

"No, no." Zhuzhu said with tears: "Daddy, he won't, he said, only take one scoop for three thousand weak waters, I am his only wife, and my son has already been crowned prince !"

"So what if the crown prince is sealed, Prince Li of the Renzong Dynasty was once the eldest son, the sage undressed him, how much he loved him, and finally the throne fell on Gaozong's head." Shi Zhongzhu advised.

"No, Daddy, I trust my husband, he won't, he is a good father like you."

"Pearl, you will regret it."

"No, I want to try. You are not saying that love has no fixed pattern. I want to try. Maybe our love should be like this." Shi Zhenzhu insisted.

"Pearl, you will regret it." Shi Zhongzhu sighed, the child is grown, and he can't impose his thoughts on her, but Shi Zhongzhu has almost predicted the sad future.

"No, I won't regret it." Shi Zhenzhu said firmly.

Empress Shi touched the slightly hot teacup. She has become more and more fond of drinking hot tea in recent years, and always wants to use such hot tea to warm her heart.Paused, Empress Shi, looking back now, I don’t know how I was so sure at that time, proudly and stupidly said the words “I don’t regret it”.

What the father said was indeed correct, if he tolerated the maids entering the palace, he must tolerate them having children, and when the news came that a low-ranking imperial concubine was pregnant, it had already been Chengzheng 16 years.Pearl has been the crown princess for one year and the queen for 15 years, and this is the first time she has lost her composure.

This is betrayal, this is insult, this is provocation! ! !

Pearl cried out in her heart, she quarreled with the saint: "How did you promise daddy back then, you said you would treat me well for the rest of your life, and treat me as before."

"I promised that the Taifu will have no sons and concubines at 15. I will wait for you to get close to the newcomers after [-]. I also deliberately let the concubines prevent pregnancy. The age difference between the bastard and the prince is as much as [-] years. Isn't it enough? The sage growled, and then said softly, "Pearl, don't cry, I will treat you the same. The offering in the middle palace is still the best except the Hall of Mental Cultivation. I still respect you the same."

"Respect?! Do I want your respect?" Pearl asked with a hoarse voice.

"Enough is enough. Jealousy is one of the seven things. Are you dreaming that the saint only likes you?" The saint left a word and walked away.

Pearl couldn't accept her gentle and elegant husband, how could she become such a devil? Were all the vows and sweet words in the past fake?Are the loving couples who have been loving for more than ten years fake?

Pearl soon fell ill and was too ill to get out of bed. Looking at the crying faces of her children, Pearl tried her best to get better.The first thing he did when he got better was to find trouble with those concubines, quarrel with saints, make the palace a mess, and destroy almost all the good reputation he had accumulated in the past few decades.

Thinking back now, Empress Shi, I don’t know what happened to me back then. Like a fool, I wholeheartedly believed in my husband who had changed his mind. Like a shrew, I abandoned my upbringing and reserve, and became the person I despise the most.

Fortunately, the father who returned from wandering woke him up with a slap in the face.

"Pearl! You are the daughter of the historian, the most honorable daughter of the historian. You have your own thoughts and personality. You are an independent person. A husband who changes his mind can make you forget the teachings of being a father for 20 years. Become a shrew? Think about the prince, think about your children, do you want them to see you now? Ah!" Shi Zhongzhu put the glazed mirror in front of Shi Zhenzhu, the woman in the mirror was pale, The corner of her mouth was filled with anger. The once noble and benevolent queen had become a distraught abandoned woman.

Pearl crouched on the ground with her head in her arms and cried loudly, "How did I become like this, how did I become like this?"

Shi Zhongzhu was already old, and he still had to worry about his daughter, so he sat down slowly beside Pearl, hugging her and said, "Pearl, daddy's little Pearl, cry, cry, just cry this once, from now on, live a good life Come on, live your life."

Pearl cried a lot, wiped away her tears, and became the dignified Queen Shi.

Empress Shi established the Royal Charity Association, together with her sister's charity home, to take in orphaned children from all over the world, take care of the childless elderly, and treat the disabled. In the palace, what the common people can feel most personally is the bucket full of rice with the words "emperor" and "ci" written on them during the flood; or every winter, when queuing up to get the porridge, the aunt who serves the porridge wears The cuffs were embroidered with the words "Huang" and "Ci", and the reputation of the Empress's kindness spread all over the world, and everyone praised her as "mother of the world".

Empress Shi entrusted her little daughter to take care of the chores of the palace, and she devoted herself to the Royal Charity Meeting, ignoring those concubines and concubines. Of course, Empress Shi didn't even bother to care about saints. She declared her belief in Taoism since the 16th year of Taiping , Since she is absolutely loving to the emperor, she is dedicated to practicing and managing the Royal Charity Association.

Yesterday was Empress Shi's fortieth birthday. Empress Shi advocated simplicity, but no matter how simple it should be, the rules and ostentation were indispensable. Women inside and outside ordered kowtows to celebrate their birthdays, and gifts were presented by the court and the people. Empress Shi was very popular among the people. The people of the Charity Society offer gifts.

After a busy day, Empress Shi got up early this morning, so she had time to daze and think about the past.

Suddenly, the nanny who had been with him for decades walked in quickly and said, "Your Majesty, the saint is calling."

"What happened?"

"The imperial doctor is also here, saying that the saint is not good."

Empress Shi was stunned for a moment, she had told herself not to be sad for that man, but she couldn't stop crying, Empress Shi ordered: "Prepare the chariot and go to the Hall of Mental Cultivation."

When Empress Shi arrived, the court ministers had almost arrived. Empress Shi listened to the saint's order in a weak tone. These were his last words.

After the government affairs were arranged and the children and courtiers were dismissed, the sage waved his hand and signaled Empress Shi to come forward.Said: "Dearest relatives and distant husbands and wives, how did we get to this point?"

"It must be the concubine's fault."

The saint shook his head weakly, "You never claimed to be a concubine before, you must be very disappointed in me. I don't think I'm a good husband, and I can't compare with the Taifu. I always have a question. Back then, you knew that I Hiding your identity to get close to you, but why do you still marry me?"

Empress Shi pondered for a long time, and said, "Because I am a pearl."

"Ah?" The sage didn't understand. Based on his understanding of his tutor, he knew that his deliberate contact must be against Pearl marrying him.

"Because I am a pearl. Pearls are grit that enters the body of the shell. The shell is wrapped in flesh and blood, and finally the grit is wrapped into pearls. I thought I could grind the blemishes into bright spots. Unexpectedly, the grit is still the same after all. gravel."

"No, pearls will always be pearls, and gravel will always be just gravel." The sage raised his hand with difficulty and touched Pearl's arm, "You are a pearl, so forget about the gravel in the future. gravel."

postscript:

Empress Zhaomin, the daughter of Zhongjiahou Shi Zhongzhu, young and talented.In the seventeenth year of the year, Emperor Zhongzong of Shizong hired him as the crown prince, and in the same year, he was named queen.Yongqing collapsed in 32 years, at the age of 72, posthumously Queen Zhaomin.National Day, added repeatedly, said Zhaomin Wen Anyi Duancishou Renzhe Zhuang Huikang Ning Yuhong Ruixian and Xianhuang Empress Dowager.Both buried, posthumous title.Said Xiao Zhao Min Qi Yi Rui Ren An Duan Kang Shou Ci Zuo Tianyou Shengxian Queen.Four sons: Ruizong, Prince Xianfuxiao, Prince Shouchun, Prince Shunyi, and female one: Princess Rong'an.

Empress Zhaomin, who is compassionate in nature, founded the Royal Charity Association, and has the style of mother's ceremonies.