Tangled

"It's almost a month before the Empress Dowager's birthday. Now you are just a beauty. Although my Mu family is in business, although I have money, my status is low. It is against etiquette to give something that is too expensive." Mu Luoluo Get rid of all the maids except Zhu'er, and rolled up their sleeves, "So, for the Empress Dowager's birthday this year, our birthday gift should be based on our heart, maybe it can be outstanding."

"Okay." Mu Xiaoxiao nodded obediently, she was used to obeying.

"It feels like you've been sleepy a lot lately, have you worked too hard at night?" Mu Luoluo teased.

"Sister!" Mu Xiaoxiao's face turned red.

"Okay, I'm not teasing you." Mu Luoluo smiled and nodded Mu Xiaoxiao's nose, "Since it's what you want, let's make some snacks, what are you doing in a daze, come here."

Mu Xiaoxiao hurriedly recovered from the daze just now, and followed Mu Luoluo.It has been more than four months since I got along with Mu Luoluo day and night. Mu Xiaoxiao has seen Mu Luoluo in many ways, stern, decisive, patient, and strict, but it is indeed the first time Mu Xiaoxiao has seen such tenderness. arrive.It turns out that she weaves lovesickness into armor, and turns expectations into spears, just to protect the tender heart when meeting her beloved.

"There are no outsiders in this room now, so I might as well tell you about some things." Mu Luoluo felt that after entering this deep palace, it was impossible for him to take care of all aspects of Mu Xiaoxiao, and she had to make her own decisions. When you can help her predict and deal with it, let her get used to it first. "On the day of the routine, you said that the empress dowager is like an old friend."

Mu Xiaoxiao didn't know why, but hearing Mu Luoluo deliberately lowered her voice, she couldn't help but move closer.

"The Empress Dowager is indeed like my mother, but in real terms, my mother should be like the Empress Dowager." Mu Xiaoxiao paused for a moment, then glanced at Zhu'er calmly, and the latter retreated knowingly. Luoluo continued in Mu Xiaoxiao's ear, "The Empress Dowager's surname is Feng, but she is actually Feng who has gone to Yiheng. She is from Jiangnan Feng's family, my mother's grandfather's sister, and my grandparents."

Mu Xiaoxiao was taken aback, she had also heard a little about the Feng family's family training.Mu Luoluo understood what she was surprised about, and shook her head slightly, signaling her not to be suspicious and not to speak up.

"When you come from your hometown, you should know the affairs of your hometown." Mu Luoluo recited the poem Su Qingwan had said to Mu Xiaoxiao, who was smart and understood everything.

"Let go of me! Let me go!" As soon as Mu Luoluo finished speaking, Zhu'er came forward with a guard and a maid.

"Master, she was the one who was eavesdropping outside the house just now, as if she was going to send someone a message." Zhu'er gave a shallow salute, and the servant girl behind her knelt on the ground with a plop.

"Slave is wronged! Master! Slave is wronged! Slave, slave is just passing by! Absolutely no eavesdropping!" The maid knelt on the ground and kowtowed, and she saw blood in a short while.

"What did you overhear?" Mu Luoluo completely ignored what the maid said, her tone flat.

"Your maidservant didn't eavesdrop! This servant girl was just passing by! Really just passing by!" The maidservant knelt on the ground, trembling all over.

Looking at the blood on the ground, Mu Xiaoxiao couldn't bear it, and was about to step forward, but was stopped by Mu Luoluo.

"Who was ordered by?" Mu Luoluo still asked at her own pace, unhurriedly.

"Really not! Slave, this servant didn't do anything! My lord! My lord believes in me!" The servant girl looked at Mu Luoluo who was clenching her tightly, but Mu Xiaoxiao was soft-hearted and easy to attack.

"Very good, since that's the case, then there's no need to say more." Mu Luoluo nodded, "You can't stay on the left or right, Zhu'er, just watch and deal with it."

"Yes." Pearl led the way down.

"Sister..." Mu Xiaoxiao gently tugged at Mu Luoluo's sleeve.

"Do you think what I did was too cruel?" Mu Luoluo asked in a warm voice.

Mu Xiaoxiao nodded. Seriously, in her opinion, Mu Luoluo with a gentle tone is more intimidating than Mu Luoluo with a sharp voice.

"It's a good thing that you have a kind heart, but you also need to distinguish the situation." Mu Luoluo was patient. Mu Xiaoxiao's character was too much like Aunt Yin's. She was placed in an ordinary family, but she was a model of respect, humility and virtue. It's a pity. This is the royal family. "You have just been favored, and someone starts to put eyeliner around you. This is a big taboo. People in your own palace must be of one mind with yourself, and share weal and woe, otherwise it will be difficult to move an inch in this palace. Today's This is the case in Qinglanyuan and Guanglutang, which is about to move, no matter how many servants the servant girls have, they must be their own people."

"But now, except for the five people we went to Youxiang to pick out, the rest are all sent by the Inner Court Department, so don't you keep one?" Mu Xiaoxiao looked at Mu Luoluo's gaze, and then thought of Chu Zhaoyuan whom she saw that day. , the heart is hardened for the most part.

"Most of the people sent by the Inner Court Department are servants without a master, and they can be used by themselves with a little care, but there is no guarantee that there will be no spy from other palaces." Mu Luoluo said, glanced pointedly. Looking outside the door, "This is an act to scare chickens and monkeys, and you can also throw stones to ask for directions."

"There's no need to track down the person behind her?" Mu Xiaoxiao asked.

"Not for the time being, there will be a day when she will show herself." Mu Luoluo slightly curled her lips, she probably had a plan in mind who it was.

Mu Xiaoxiao nodded, ignoring the screams outside the door, and went into the small kitchen with Mu Luoluo to prepare snacks.

"When my mother was alive, food and snacks paid special attention to the season, and the ingredients must be carefully selected. In this way, there are not many finished products, but they are all high-quality goods, which is in line with your current situation." Mu Luoluo rolled up his sleeves, and his movements were consistent with Su Qingwan was exactly the same, "It's just that when my mother was alive, she seldom taught me how to cook, so I had to try it myself. From now on, I will improve slowly in ten days or so, and it will eventually get better."

"Forget it, the left and right usually have nothing to do, so it's good to think about it more. Sister, the palace is empty and quiet, what do you think of raising a pet?"

"What do you want to raise?"

"How about a dog?"

"no!"

"Why?"

"I'm afraid of dogs..."

·

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty is coming." The little maid hesitated again and again, but stepped forward to interrupt Su Qingwan's master and servant who were playing.

"Why would Your Majesty come here at this hour?" Su Qingwan was startled, and immediately tidied up her appearance and went out to pick her up.

"See Your Majesty as a concubine."

"Get up." The emperor stretched out his hand to help Su Qingwan up, "What are you doing? You look like a cat."

"I've been feeling refreshed these days, so I thought about making some food by myself to see if the old craftsmanship is still there." Su Qingwan lowered her eyes, not looking at the watery tenderness in the emperor's eyes, and let the emperor gently wipe away the bruises on her face. Flour, want to hide but dare not, or can't.

"It's been a long time since I've tasted Qingwan's handicrafts. Today's one is also my blessing. Otherwise, I wouldn't even know if you secretly made it and ate it yourself." The emperor took Su Qingwan's hand and pulled her in. Sitting on the couch, then looked at Zhen'er, "Go, bring your mother's new dim sum, I'll try it."

"Yes." Zhen'er blessed her body and agreed.

"In the past few days, the spirit has really improved a lot." The emperor looked at Su Qingwan's face carefully, and said sincerely.

"Sister Guifei sent someone to deliver some tonics a few days ago. The imperial doctor also said that these tonics are mild in nature and suitable for my concubine. In addition, I have been lazy to go out these few days, so I should take more frequent medicinal baths." Su Qingwan smiled lightly. , reached out and took a ginkgo nut from the plate and peeled it slowly, "It's just that I didn't sleep well at night."

"What's bothering you?" The emperor was displeased, and specially placed Su Qingwan in the Shangqing Palace, because this place was quiet and suitable for Su Qingwan to recuperate.

"It's not a nuisance." Su Qingwan took out her handkerchief and spread it flat in front of the emperor, and put the peeled ginkgo kernels in front of the emperor. "I think that sister Zhang is here to please His Majesty, and it's not easy to practice the piano every night."

"I ordered her to move out." The emperor frowned, if he slept well at night, Su Qingwan's spirit would be better.

"Why bother?" Su Qingwan chuckled, raised her eyes and glanced at the emperor tenderly, "Sister Zhang is also kind, if she makes a mistake while playing the song and annoys His Majesty, the gain outweighs the gain, so it's better to practice more. "

"You are just too kind." The emperor raised his hand and pinched Su Qingwan's nose lightly.

Su Qingwan smiled noncommittal, and Zhen'er, who had been waiting by the side, brought over the rice cakes just right.

"Your Majesty, try it. If it doesn't taste good, don't blame the concubine." Su Qingwan pushed the plate towards the emperor, and at the same time gave Zhen'er a look of approval. After all, she was a maid who followed her since she was a child.

"How can I be willing." Seeing that Su Qingwan was in good spirits, the emperor naturally followed suit, "You don't like sweets the least, how did you make this dessert so sweet today?"

"I haven't done it for a long time, I don't feel it anymore." Su Qingwan said angrily, "However, why is Your Majesty so free to come to my place today?"

"Winter is approaching, and barbarians from the northwest frequently harass our frontiers. The former dynasty kept arguing to appease me. I am restless. I come to you to ask for peace." The emperor sighed. They only know how to be noisy, and when they really make up their minds, they lose their backbone.

"Then what does His Majesty think?" Su Qingwan asked casually, she knew that the harem did not care about political affairs.

"If you want to fight, this dynasty has strong soldiers. If you want to appease, this dynasty also has money, but..." the emperor frowned.

"It's just that Your Majesty is worried that if there is a war, the people on the frontier will be displaced, and if it is appeasement, the barbarians will be suspected of being greedy, right?" Su Qingwan went down to the ground, took out a box of spices from the cupboard next to it, and lit it in the incense burner .

"Yes, Concubine Ai explained it well." The emperor looked at the rising smoke, and stretched out his hand towards Su Qingwan, "Concubine Ai thinks this matter, what should I do?"

"I'm an ignorant concubine, so how dare I talk about government affairs." Su Qingwan took the emperor's lead and sat down beside the emperor, "What do you think of this fragrance, Your Majesty?"

"Elegant and peaceful, it makes people feel relaxed and happy, and it has the effect of calming the mind and calming the mind." The emperor commented.

"This incense was made by sister Ruan in Qingyou Pavilion. When my sister came to pay her respects the day before yesterday, she saw that my concubine was not in good spirits, so she specially made it for my concubine. She said that using it at night can calm the nerves and help sleep." Su Qingwan pulled the spice over herself and her body. In front of the emperor, the unlit incense has a special smell. "Sister Ruan said that this incense is difficult to adjust, but it is not because of the rare materials, but because of the ingenuity."

"How?" The emperor became interested.

"Sister Ruan said that there is a medicinal ingredient in this fragrance, which is extremely strong, and needs to be suppressed by another medicinal ingredient." Su Qingwan fiddled with the spice gently with a small spoon, "It's just that the amount of the two medicinal ingredients is extremely difficult to control. If you put too much If there is too much, it will be suppressed too much, and there will be no fragrance. If it is put too little, it will not be suppressed, and it may be harmful to the body. Therefore, sister Ruan got such a small box after a long time, and it is very rare."

The emperor looked at Su Qingwan thoughtfully for a long time, and then patted the back of Su Qingwan's hand approvingly, "My concubine is really smart."

The effect of tranquilizing incense was really remarkable, the emperor took a nap in the Shangqing Palace for an hour before leaving the palace and continuing to attend to state affairs.