A kitten dressed as an empress

As the days got hotter, there were ancient trees planted outside Zangshu Pavilion, and the cicadas dormant among the branches and leaves kept singing.

On weekdays, there is only one person on duty in Zangshu Pavilion. Xia Xiang sits at the low table, and for the convenience of studying ink, she rolls her sleeves to her arms and fixes them.

One side of the window is slightly open, and the slightly dazzling sunlight falls into the hall. The crabapple flowers are already in full bloom, and occasionally there is a faint fragrance of flowers when the gust of wind blows.

In the early years, Xia Xiang carefully kept the begonia flower bag sent by Miss Su to her side, but the fabric is still a bit old now.

Miss Wen hasn't come here for quite some time, she only invites people to come over a few times for delicious pastries and sweets. On weekdays, most of Lisu's female officials go to the morning court with the Empress, and they spend most of the day serving in the main hall.

Therefore, Xia Xiang stayed alone in the huge Library Pavilion for many times, with the sound of cicadas singing outside the window, the wind rustling the leaves, and even the pretty crabapple flowers falling off the branches.

Xia Xiang got up and carefully picked up those crabapple flowers one by one with a handkerchief, looked at the petals all over the ground and sighed: "It's a pity that the flowers bloomed so well."

In the past, I didn't know why Mrs. Su loved crabapple so much, but later I found out that the habit of crabapple xiyang to withstand severe cold is somewhat similar to that of red plums that bloom in severe cold.

There are many poems in the book praising the beauty of Begonia, and there are also many words to express the noble character of Begonia that is not afraid of severe cold.

That day when Miss Wen said the word "like", Xia Xiang kept thinking about it in her mind, sometimes the more she thought about it, the sweeter her heart became, but sometimes she felt anxious when she thought of Miss Su's rich family background.

Such capricious emotions made Xia Xiang both happy and worried, and even her face became thinner.

In the evening, Su Qing was sorting out the memorials in the side hall, but the Empress suddenly said: "The autumn language test is coming soon, and Miss Su feels that there are female officials with outstanding qualifications in the Library Pavilion, so I recommend one or two."

The empress seldom asks about the affairs of the Cangshu Pavilion on weekdays. In this women's literary examination, only noble women from aristocratic families can take part in the test. The female officials in the Cangshu Pavilion are indeed from aristocratic families, so they meet the requirements.

But if the female officials of Cangshu Pavilion wanted to participate, they would definitely sign up by themselves. On the contrary, because of Xiao Xiang'er's family background, if the empress personally recommended it, then the court officials should have nothing to say.

Su Qing thought about it before answering: "All the female officials in Zangshu Pavilion are all female officials in the same palace examination, so they are naturally talented, but they are known for their age. If you choose from junior female officials, Xia Xiang is so smart and worth a try. .”

"There are currently 32 female officials in the Cangshu Pavilion, and there are at least sixty new female officials. Since the female official Su recommends this, I will bring her here tomorrow. I will personally assess it." Zhao Yao was thinking about how to bring the little palace maid Among the aristocratic family, looking at the extremely active Su Qing with his eyes, he had an idea in his heart.

The Su family has fewer children than the Song family, and Su Qing is the only daughter. As for his elder brother Su Hao, he has only two sons and no other daughters. If it is given to the Su family, it will be regarded as a reward to the Su family.

With this sudden edict, when Su Qing returned to Zangshu Pavilion, he never considered Empress Qing's thoughts.

Since the Empress is familiar with the number of female officials in the Cangshu Pavilion, she must also know that Xia Xiang does not meet the requirements for taking the essay test.

But after I proposed it, the empress readily accepted it. It seemed that I just happened to express what the empress thought.

When Su Qing entered the gate of Zangshu Pavilion, he saw the little palace man wearing a large sleeve robe with both hands, and holding a wooden tray in one hand to pick up the crabapple flowers that fell from the ground.

It was already the setting sun, and the fiery sunset smudged the entire Zangshu Pavilion into an orange-red color.

The tender white crabapple flowers were also dyed orange red, just like the red in autumn, the little palace man's cheeks were flushed from the sun, and he bent down to pick up the flowers with a very focused expression.

A girl of eighteen or nineteen years old has a slim figure, her blushing cheeks seem to be smeared with rouge, and her frowns and smiles are pure and pure. Su Qing walked over, leaned over and picked up a crabapple flower around her and put it in her He asked from the wooden plate in his hand, "What are you doing with these crabapple flowers?"

The little palace man squatted in a daze without moving with his bright eyes open, but his cheeks turned even redder and he hesitated: "Miss Su, why did you come back earlier today than in the past?"

"There are few memorials in the court today. Your Majesty reviewed them quickly, so I came back earlier." Su Qing was old and couldn't squat for too long, so he stood up.

"I'll make you a cup of tea." Su Qing followed suit, then blushed and trot into the library.

Su Qing originally wanted to explain to the little palace man that His Majesty will be assessed tomorrow, but who would have thought that the little palace man would trot in in the blink of an eye.

The two entered the Library Pavilion one after the other, and when Su Qing sat at the main table, the little palace man brought hot tea to his face and whispered, "Please drink tea."

"Sit down, I have something to tell you." Su Qing took a sip while holding the tea cup.

The little palace man knelt and sat on one side, the blush on his cheeks not only didn't disappear, but turned even redder.

Su Qing looked at her carefully and thought she was too hot, so she took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped the side of her face lightly: "Is it too hot?"

"No, no." Xiao Gongren responded with dodge eyes.

"I'm not in a hurry, why do you run away?" Su Qing looked at the little palace maid who didn't dare to look at her, feeling a little frustrated. Seeing her getting along with Wen Ruyan on weekdays, she was smiling, but she was getting along with herself But very cautious.

Could it be that he really looked too harsh?

Xia Xiang was afraid that if she looked at Miss Su, she would be seen for some clues, so she dodged and didn't dare to look, she just looked at the tea in front of her and said, "Do you have anything to say?"

Ever since she declined Mistress Su's proposal to recognize relatives last time, Xia Xiang has always been afraid of making Mistress Su unhappy.

"I recommend you to His Majesty to take the literary test, so His Majesty plans to test you first tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Xia Xiang looked at Mistress Su anxiously, clasping her hands in front of her anxiously, "If I haven't behaved well, will I implicate Mistress Su?"

Seeing that the little palace lady was only thinking of herself, Su Qing was naturally moved, raised her hand and pinched her cheek lightly, and said, "You just need to relax and answer your majesty's exam questions, your majesty is not a tyrant who kills people indiscriminately, don't worry ,do you know?"

Xia Xiang only felt that one side of her cheek was very hot. The hand of Miss Su's hand was covered with a thin layer of calluses due to the index finger of writing all the year round, so the feeling was quite different.

The two were not far away, Xia Xiang mustered up the courage to take a sneak peek and replied timidly: "Well, I will definitely not embarrass you, Ms. Su."

Su Qing couldn't help laughing at the little palace man's death-like expression, and let go of his hands with the corner of his lips raised: "It should be Miss Wen who said good things to His Majesty for you, so I made it easy for you, you should thank you Miss Wen is."

"Miss Wen is very good, but Miss Su, you treat Xia Xiang very well."

I have to say that Xiaogong people are sometimes very stubborn.

At night, Xia Xiang went to the kitchen in the backyard to boil water and prepare to wash in the library at night. Su Qing stopped writing and tidied up the books, only to see uncollected paper and inkstones on the low table, and went forward to tidy them up.

I saw many different crabapple flowers pressed in a book on the low table, some of them were estimated to be a few years old, already as thin as paper, the color of the petals has darkened a lot, but there is still a faint fragrance.

I don't know when Xiao Gongren has loved crabapple flowers very much. From tea to painting, he likes to take crabapple flowers very much.

When Su Qing was about to close the book, he caught a glimpse of a poem written on one page.

"In the spring night, the lights are deep and people are still awake, and the dead branches of old trees are hanging on the waning moon. The breeze has no intention of touching the edge of the bridge, so you can know who has pity."

This poem is full of sorrow and melancholy, without the lively and cheerful girlishness at all.

Most of the people in Xiaogong have been silent these days, could it be related to this poem?

After getting out of Zangshu Pavilion, Su Qing walked towards the backyard with his hands behind his back, and when he saw the ancient trees in the courtyard, he thought of the poem.

The ancient trees have existed since the Southern Kingdom Palace was built, and they have been blooming luxuriantly all these years. Where did the dead branches come from?

Spring Japan should be full of vitality, but Xiao Gongren's poems are full of scenes of decay. Su Qing thought about it for a while, but he still couldn't figure it out.

Su Qing pushed open the door, and just as the little palace man poured hot water, she blushed and said, "Miss Su, you can take a bath now."

"Xiao Xiang'er, are you in a bad mood?" Su Qing only had one elder brother and no other siblings. The little girl really couldn't figure out what she was thinking, so she had to ask aloud.

Xia Xiang shook her head and said, "No."

Regarding her mood changes, Xia Xiang actually couldn't tell whether it was good or bad.

Su Qing looked at Xiao Gongren's expression, but didn't notice something was wrong, so he had no choice but to keep quiet.

After the door was closed, Su Qing took off her clothes and sat in the bathtub, only then did she realize that the bathtub was full of crabapple petals.

"This child really has a heart." Su Qing stroked the petals with her palm, and couldn't help but think of that poem again.

Magpie Bridge Fate refers to the meeting of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. Ordinary verses mentioning Magpie Bridge must also be associated with Qixi Festival. This is the time when lovers will meet for a trip. Is it possible that the Xiaogong people have someone they like?

Su Qing was startled by this thought, and frowned slightly, thinking about whether the little palace people had close contacts with the guards on weekdays.

The most taboo thing in the harem is fornication. If the little palace people are tricked into doing wrong things, they will be punished severely.

But until the hot water turned cold, Su Qing never figured out what the little palace man had been in close contact with.

In recent years, the Xiaogong people have been close to Wen Ruyan except for themselves, and most of the time they read and read alone, they hardly have contact with others and rarely go out of the Cangshu Pavilion.

The guards patrolling the harem have been replaced by female guards in recent years. Could it be that the little palace is thinking of a certain female guard?

Su Qing lay on the bed in outer clothes and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, it would be easier to deal with it if she was a woman.

It's just that the little palace has a simple mind, and when others treat her well, she will treat others a hundred times better. If such a temperament is deceived by someone who has a heart, she is afraid that her heart will be hurt.

After thinking over and over like this, Su Qing turned off the light, thinking in his heart that he must take a good look at that talent for the little palace.

When all the female officials in the Zangshu Pavilion turned off the lights to rest, the Jiaofang hall was still brightly lit, the hanging red gauze curtain shook slightly, and a golden bell hung on the corner of the bed, the sound was clear and sweet, but it could not cover up the whispers inside the gauze curtain.

The palace guards outside were blushing, but they didn't dare to speak out.

When the bright moon outside the window was covered by dark clouds, the bells of the Jiaofang Palace bedroom stopped.

Zhao Yao poked her head out from the quilt and pecked Wen Ruyan's blushing cheek lightly. The thin quilt could not hide the stains, and the black hair hanging down beside the pillow was stained with sweat from the side of Wen Ruyan's side face, the corners of the eyes and the tip of the brow. Full of charming style.

Wen Ruyan feebly raised his hand and pulled off the quilt and said, "Stop making trouble, the weather is too hot, and you still need to cover yourself with a quilt. I'm really convinced."

"I just broke out in sweat. If you don't pay attention, you will easily catch a cold." Zhao Yao stretched out her slender arms from the gauze curtain, picked up the thin underwear and tied it lightly. Just now, she stretched out the quilt, looked down at the lazy Wen Ruyan, and said with her lips Smiling with an upturned corner, "I'll wipe it for you later, so it won't be hot anymore."

The palace man put the water basin to the side of the bed and then stepped back. Zhao Yao hung the gauze tent, raised her hand and twisted the handkerchief, sat on the side of the bed, wiped Wen Ruyan's side face and said: "I see you are getting better and better. The more you don’t toss about, you’ll be tired after a while.”

Before the words finished, Wen Ruyan bit the back of Zhao Yao's hand and looked at it with warning.

It looked as cute as a kitten with fried fur, and Zhao Yao never hid and waited for her to let go.

"You're not happy to take advantage of it." Wen Ruyan replied angrily with relief.

Zhao Yao raised her hand and gently squeezed her angry side face, and wiped it with a handkerchief in one hand: "Don't be angry, I've already thought about finding a family for the little palace."

Wen Ruyan turned her head to look at Zhao Yao and asked, "Whose family?"

"I think the Su family is pretty good."

"The Su family!" Wen Ruyan looked at Zhao Yao unrequitedly, thinking that it was too embarrassing to find this person.

Zhao Yao reached out and lifted a corner of the quilt and wiped it lightly: "The Su family is now very prominent, do you still dislike it?"

Wen Ruyan leaned up, didn't care about the quilt that slipped in front of him, and just explained: "That's not what I mean, the Su family is very good, but can we change to something that's almost there?"

The drooping black hair couldn't cover the stains, and Zhao Yao, who has always been thick-skinned, couldn't help blushing at such a straightforward display, and raised her hand to pull the quilt and replied, "Anyway, I'm going to test her knowledge tomorrow. If you don't like it, don't blame me for deliberately targeting her."

amount……

"But Xiao Xiang'er likes Su Qing, if you make them sisters, wouldn't it be bad?"

Zhao Yao looked at Wen Ruyan quite unexpectedly and said, "Xia Xiang likes Su Qing?"

Wrapped in the quilt, Wen Ruyan nodded in response: "That's right, that's why I asked last time how it would feel if a girl fourteen years younger than you liked you."

"It's impossible for Su Qing to like that little palace man, you're still old because of this." Zhao Yao didn't expect that little palace man to have such a relationship with Su Qing, so she was relieved.

"I didn't want to match them up, so I wanted to keep them at a distance." Otherwise, Xiao Xiang'er would have to face her crush for the rest of her life, so it would be a lot of torture.

Zhao Yao raised her eyebrows slightly and said: "Will the matter of the two of them be successful, what are you so concerned about?"

Come on, this person is going to be jealous again for no reason.

Wen Ruyan replied helplessly: "Okay, I don't care, anyway, I told you about their situation, so don't add fuel to the flames."

Zhao Yao put down the handkerchief in her hand, then picked up the underwear beside her and tied it on her: "You are not allowed to go to tomorrow's assessment, so you can inform me at the side."

"You're judging a gentleman's heart with the heart of a villain, so you're not allowed to cause damage, do you hear me?" Wen Ruyan murmured non-stop while pulling Zhao Yao's cheek.

"What damage can I do?" Zhao Yao looked at Wen Ruyan helplessly, bowed her head and kissed her a few times, "Anyway, you know how to bully me, what do outsiders have to do with us?"

Wen Ruyan bit her lightly, then raised her head to avoid the intimate response: "Don't be jealous, or you'll sleep in separate rooms."

Zhao Yao looked at Wen Ruyan complainingly, leaned over to retaliate and bit her cheek, and said, "If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have let you off so easily."

"Take it easy." Wen Ruyan felt that her face would probably swell up with this mouthful.

If you want to say what is the worst thing about Zhao Yao, it is probably because you are really tired of trying to control this matter.

Zhao Yao let go and raised her hands to rub her red cheeks and said, "Don't worry, the skin isn't broken."

Wen Ruyan snorted lightly and said, "If I don't make a sound, I could bite my face to pieces."

"I won't dislike you." Zhao Yao replied solemnly.

"Stay away from me, okay?" Wen Ruyan couldn't stand Zhao Yao's tender eyes.

Zhao Yao put her arm around Wen Ruyan and said with a smile, "This bed is only so big, where do you want to go?"

Wen Ruyan nimbly got out from under the arms, wrapped the quilt with only his head exposed, and said, "You bit me just now, and now you still want to hug me, so I won't give it to you."

"Then I'll let you bite it back?" Zhao Yao came over with her face poked.

"I'm not fooled." With Zhao Yao being able to hug her with just one stretch of the arm, Wen Ruyan huddled in the corner, resting on a soft pillow, yawning and feeling a little sleepy.

Seeing that she was not fooled, Zhao Yao had no choice but to come closer, and the bell at the corner of the bed rang clearly because of her movement.

Wen Ruyan couldn't help laughing and responded, "Can't you pick off the bell?"

"The bell sounds very nice." Zhao Yao generously embraced Wen Ruyan and lay on her side.

Because she was only wearing a thin underwear, Zhao Yao's large landscape was faintly visible, Wen Ruyan took a second look at it, and stretched out the quilt to wrap her up.

Zhao Yao approached with a smile in her eyes and said, "Do you know that you love me?"

Wen Ruyan looked away and said with guilt: "If you are sick, I will not take care of you in the end?"

It can't be said that it's because the beauty is too attractive. After all, the two of them have been together for more than ten years, so it is still necessary to save face.

"But the bell was heard by the palace people, how embarrassing it is." Wen Ruyan remembered the bell and continued talking.

Zhao Yao leaned her cheek against Wen Ruyan's shoulder and responded, "It's better if they heard it?"

"What?" Wen Ruyan felt that there was something wrong with her ears.

"A while ago, the court was still spreading rumors about you and me being unfamiliar, but now it's natural to come back for intimacy."

I didn't expect Zhao Yao to be bitter about this, Wen Ruyan really overestimated her face.

"But the bell is too ostentatious. It feels like when we two are getting close, the whole Jiaofang hall can hear it." Wen Ruyan's cheeks turned red as he thought about it, he really felt embarrassed to be listened to at the foot of the bed.

Zhao Yao hugged the shy Wen Ruyan and responded, "I just want them to hear, that's the best."

Wen Ruyan pulled up the quilt silently in embarrassment, and decisively decided not to talk about it with Zhao Yao.

This person really has a thicker skin than the Great Wall, there is no way, he can't compare.

Zhao Yao looked at Wen Ruyan who was stuffy in the quilt in perplexity, then quietly poked her head into the quilt and asked, "Don't you feel hot?"

At this moment, Wen Ruyan regretted why she agreed to Zhao Yao's shameful thing of hanging up the bell.

After this, how can she gain a foothold in front of the palace people of Jiaofang Palace!

The author has something to say: First of all, I would like to thank 32 lovely readers who silently clicked on the bookmarks to support and encourage them~~O(∩_∩)O~~