Gongshang Confidante

The vermilion palace wall is like a winding dragon entrenched in the imperial city, with steep eaves and corners. The majestic and solemn hall is covered with brightly colored glazed tiles. This is the land of the emperor and the place where all people admire.

Outside the palace wall, people are envious of the plaster and pepper room of the palace, while inside the palace wall, they yearn for the vast world outside. The endless vermilion palace wall is like an indestructible barrier, making the palace a gorgeous and desperate prison. prison.

In the 17th year of the Great Zhou Jingli, the imperial palace tonight is a little different from usual. The eunuchs and maids walking in the corridors hurriedly walked, and even the emperor who had been ill in bed for many days drove to the Chengde Palace. Presumably, an extremely important person came.

On the way into the palace, the moss stained the stone slabs, revealing the vicissitudes of the years. The blue stone slabs are carved with beasts in different postures, which look majestic and solemn in the thick night. There are palace people lighting lanterns in front of them. The sedan chair shuttles silently within the palace wall,

Sitting in the sedan chair is a six-year-old girl with fair skin and a double-ringed fairy bun, with slightly curly bangs on her forehead, dark eyes, and a lively posture between glances. At a young age, she already has a beauty. prototype.

Chao'er couldn't sit still, but she didn't dare to move around, playing with the green gourd jade pendant in her hand, rubbing her fingertips, raising her eyes from time to time to peek at the person sitting opposite her.

The man was in his thirties, dressed in a plain white brocade shirt, with a thin body, and a simple jasper hairpin with lingering green silk. The sadness and desolation of the state of mind,

But it didn't hinder Chao'er's joy in her heart, she left the palace at the age of three, and now it has been three years, and finally she can see her father, emperor and mother concubine whom she misses day and night.

The sedan chair stopped in front of the hall, and the celebrity beside the emperor, the great eunuch Li Chengqian, was actually waiting at the foot of the steps. Li Chengqian had served the emperors of two dynasties. Holding the filth vomited up by the emperor in his hands is quite sacred, so he has the power to read the memorials and be endowed with the power of the sage, and his status can be seen in the palace.

Li Chengqian bowed forward very respectfully, lowered his eyebrows and lifted the curtain of the sedan chair, and raised his hand, so that others dare not guess how noble the person in the sedan chair is.

The people in the sedan chair put on veiled hats, and the soap gauze hanging down covered their faces. When they got out of the sedan chair, they didn't take Li Chengqian's hand. The waist is bent even lower, and even the breathing is shallower.

The little man following behind, stepping on finely crafted pink embroidered shoes, is small in stature,

"Luhe, take Princess Zhaoning to the side hall and wait for the emperor to summon you," Li Chengqian ordered. The maid who was waiting at the side knew that the one who returned to the palace today was Princess Zhaoning who left the palace three years ago. He led the princess away with his head down.

"Is the Holy Majesty waiting inside?" Li Chengqian said respectfully and softly, "Let's go", a voice as clear as jade sounded, she followed Li Chengqian into the hall,

Impressively, I saw Xiao Se standing in the hall with his thin figure wrapped in a bright yellow dragon robe, hands behind his back, pacing anxiously. His complexion was sallow and his cheeks were sunken. It's not surprising that there are border instability outside and eunuchs disorderly governing inside.

Li Chengqian asked the eunuchs and maids to retreat, and stood in front of the emperor with lowered eyebrows. The visitor said softly, "Li Chengqian, you go out first."

Li Chengqian's body froze, he looked towards the emperor, saw that he was silent, he folded his hands and bowed his back, and retreated step by step.

Li Chengqian, who was always by the emperor's side, was expelled out of the palace. The faces of the palace people remained unchanged, and they were full of speculations. The emperor trusted the person who entered the palace tonight more than Li Chengqian.

The door of the palace was closed, and the emperor's muddy eyes flashed with light, he knelt down on the ground trembling, and shouted, "I respectfully welcome the queen mother back to the palace!!",

An imperceptible sigh resounded, still in that clear and warm voice, and he said calmly, "Get up, the emperor has suffered all these years",

The person who came took off the veil, his face was cold, his eyebrows were indifferent, the years had not left the slightest trace on his face, his temperament was clear, and his penetrating eyes concealed unknown pain. The empress dowager of this dynasty who left the palace, Duan Ruohua.

After Duan Ruohua learned about the recent situation of the emperor who had been lingering in bed for many years, he said a few words of comfort, then changed the subject, but said calmly, "I heard from the prime minister that the government falls into the hands of the eunuchs, and my great Zhou foundation may be destroyed. The emperor's move is inappropriate..."

The emperor sat on the dragon chair, smiled helplessly, and said with great effort, "My son and minister have a difficult heart. Now that the queen mother returns to the palace, my heart is relieved, and I will let the queen dispose of everything." Duan Ruohua looked at the emperor's weak appearance, with gloomy eyes and lighthearted eyes. shook his head.

"You, get out of the way." Chao'er lifted the hem of her skirt and walked out of the hall, "Princess, Eunuch Li said that the princess has to wait here", Lu He stopped Chao'er and persuaded,

"Presumptuous!", Chao'er raised his eyebrows, the coercion at such a young age is not small, shocked Lu He was stunned, and Chao'er walked quickly to the main hall.

"Concubine Mei is dead, but Princess Zhaoning didn't know about it, and this time she returned to the palace, why did she make trouble?!", a high-pitched voice sounded, making Chao'er's footsteps stop, her big eyes blinked slowly, confused a layer of mist,

"Speaking of which, the emperor is really heartless. The princess was so young back then, so she was sent out of the palace, making Concubine Mei think about it day and night, smoldering in her heart. After more than a year, she left. Before she left, she didn't even see the princess for the last time. Alas ", a court lady with an old voice sighed,

Chao'er covered her lips, her eyes widened, tears rolled in her eyes, she opened the door suddenly, and shouted loudly, "You slave, how dare you talk nonsense! I can't spare you!!",

The old eunuch and the court lady were already whispering with their heads down, but it might as well be listened to, they drank loudly, fell to the ground in fright, their faces were pale, and hurriedly knelt down to beg for mercy. Reason, the voice was shrill but sternly reprimanded, "You are so courageous, dare to talk about the rights and wrongs of the master behind your back, let our family drag you down and slap your mouth!!".

Chao'er pursed her mouth, with tears in her eyes, and rushed into the hall, almost getting caught by the hem of her skirt, Li Chengqian hurriedly stepped forward, making gestures to help, and persuaded, "Princess, the emperor is discussing matters, and the princess has not yet been declared into the hall. , princess and...",

"Go away!" Chao'er pushed Li Chengqian away, blushed and pushed the door of the palace, "Li Chengqian, let Chao'er come in", the emperor's voice sounded inside, probably because he heard something outside.

Li Chengqian agreed, pushed open the door of the hall, walked into the hall toward his son, and saw the person sitting on the dragon chair, with a hand exposed under the wide dragon robe, so thin that only a layer of skin remained, his face was sallow, his eyes Muddy, with severe sunken cheeks, it is very different from the handsome and gentle father three years ago.

Chao'er involuntarily took a step back in fright, the emperor Zhou Qilin was slightly taken aback, the smile on the corner of his mouth faded, and he said softly, "Chao'er, do you miss your father after three years away from the palace?",

"Chao'er, don't forget the etiquette", Duan Ruohua said softly beside him, Chao'er hurriedly knelt down to salute, and stood timidly in front of the emperor, not speaking for a while, the grievances in his heart overwhelmingly struck, his eyes The tears in his eyes were like broken beads, rolling down in strings. Zhou Qilin felt distressed when he saw it, and waved, "Come here, let Father hug you",

Chao'er shook his head in tears, and said loudly, "Since father wants to take Chao'er, why didn't he take Chao'er back to the palace? The maid said just now that Chao'er's mother and concubine passed away. Don't let Chao'er see?!! The son wants to support but the relative is not here, why did the father deprive Chao'er of the right to be a filial mother and concubine?!",

Zhou Qilin froze, and slapped the table with his palms hard. Anger flashed across his ashen face, and he shouted angrily, "Li Chengqian! Drag the slave who has a bad mouth and cut him off!!",

The sallow and haggard face, coupled with the angry expression, looked particularly terrifying. Chao'er moved towards Duan Ruohua, stood beside her, and kept saying with tears in his eyes, "Father, this is a serious matter." Seriously?!", "I want to see my mother and concubine",

Duan Ruohua pursed his lips and said nothing, shook Chao'er's hand, and patted it comfortingly. Zhou Qilin's face was troubled, and there was sorrow in his words, "Chao'er, your mother and concubine left suddenly, I, I...", After finishing speaking, the emperor covered his red eyes and coughed violently.

"Since the death of Concubine Mei, the emperor has contracted an illness and has been ill for a long time. I hope that the emperor will take care of the dragon's body for the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty." Li Chengqian stepped forward to offer tea to persuade the emperor. Looking at Chao'er, that face that became more and more similar to Concubine Mei over time, I was filled with emotion, thinking of Concubine Mei's passing, I just felt that my chest was stuffy and it was hard to breathe.

Out of the corner of the eye was the obvious hatred on Chao'er's face, the emperor's fingers trembled slightly, he turned his face away and said, "Li Chengqian, take the princess back to the palace",

"Chao'er hates... my son hates my father... hates... let my father, let my son bear unfilial piety..." Chao'er twisted her body, her face turned into a cat crying, her nose was red, and she pulled her tightly Dressed in the corner of his clothes, he stubbornly looked at the emperor,

The concubine mother who hugged herself in her arms, the concubine mother with a gentle smile on her face, just went away, and I couldn't even see the concubine mother's last side, and I couldn't hold her by the corner of her clothes anymore. I can no longer act like a spoiled child to her, and I can no longer eat the hibiscus cake she made...

"Chao'er", Duan Ruohua squatted down and wiped her tears with a silk handkerchief, Chao'er lay on her shoulder, crying heartbroken, her small body trembling, she was expected to be sensible early, but she was still a child at heart, suddenly Hearing the sad news of Concubine Mu's death, she naturally wept, resented, regretted...

After coaxing Chao'er to sleep so tired from crying, Duan Ruohua asked Li Chengqian to carry her back to the palace.