calm to light

The author has something to say:

I have been in the Empress Dowager's Palace for a while, and the Empress Dowager herself is not seriously ill, it is probably just that she is getting old, so she is tired all day long and has no energy.And I can only let Zhu Xi help and serve the queen mother when she drinks medicine and eats.The queen mother is kind, and she has a solemnity that has been accumulated over the years and an affinity that has suppressed all the pomp. After staying by her side, it is also a kind of enjoyment for me.Seeing the elder in the palace occasionally smile knowingly because of me, I am very satisfied and take care of the queen mother even more, so even if I haven't gone out for a long time and haven't seen Meizhuang, I don't feel bored, but enjoy it .

After serving the Empress Dowager for lunch, Aunt Zhuxi persuaded me to take a rest. I saw that it was almost time for the Empress Dowager to take a lunch break, and it would not be of great help to keep it by myself, so I went back to my room and asked Aunt Zhuxi to accompany me. Queen Mother left and right.

Zhu Xi personally burned sandalwood in the hall, and saw that the queen mother was not tired, she was holding a string of Buddhist beads in her hand, leaning on the soft seat with her eyes closed, as if she was thinking about something, "The queen mother, it is time to take a lunch break It's time."

Opening her eyes after hearing the sound, the Queen Mother glanced at Zhu Xi and motioned for her to help herself up, but she just changed her posture and sat down, and then said to Zhu Xi who was a little doubtful, "There are many Aijia today."

"That's right, the Empress Dowager's complexion has improved a lot when she came in. The whole person is very energetic," Zhu Xi said with a smile, "Thanks to Mrs. An Gui, seeing that the Empress Dowager always had no appetite when eating, I thought about the meal by myself. In order to cater to the Queen Mother's taste, I have done it myself many times."

"It's no wonder that the food I eat recently is more refreshing and elegant. It's because of her heart."

"Isn't that right? Mrs. An is very attentive when she is close to her. I heard from Xiao Fuzi that the nobleman has been embroidering Buddhist scriptures for the Queen Mother and praying for the Queen Mother when she went back to the house." Zhu Xi is an old man who has served the Queen Mother for a long time, so she naturally understands the Queen Mother She was concerned about Mrs. An's sudden arrival to serve her, she didn't need the Queen Mother's instructions, she kept paying attention, and seeing that Mrs. An was indeed serving the Queen Mother wholeheartedly, she took this opportunity today to speak clearly.

"Ling Rong is well-behaved and sensible, but that girl, who embroiders scriptures at night, is not afraid of hurting her eyes."

"Mr. An's calligraphy is not good, but embroidery is very good, so choosing this method is indeed hurtful to the eyes. The slaves will help the Queen Mother to persuade her."

"Well, I leave the matter to you, Aijia can rest assured. It's just that when you talk about the Dharma, Aijia thinks of the queen. The queen's calligraphy is unique in the palace, but her temperament is still not tempered." Something is wrong in the palace If it's a matter, just use yourself to come forward. After all, you can't make the emperor really care about it. This is not as good as her sister.

"The queen also has intentions. It's not that she greets the queen mother every day. When she sees the queen mother is not feeling well, she doesn't bother her."

"In this regard, she is more caring than the emperor." The queen mother seemed to agree with Zhu Xi's words, and nodded slightly, "Ai's body is also recovering. Zhu Xi, please ask the imperial doctor to look at Ai's family again. It should be a different one. Fang Zi."

"Queen Mother, the illness is very good, but I still rest in peace to soothe my nerves and nourish my body." Zhu Xi didn't understand why the Queen Mother would pay attention to the affairs of the harem, but now...

"Aijia, why don't you want to enjoy the blessings?" The queen mother looked at the bamboo breath and said slowly, "It's just that the queen is still not ready. No matter how quiet the Aijia palace is, it is also in the harem. The harem is complicated, and it is not quiet here. "As soon as the queen feels jealous, she will send it to the Aijia Palace, where can the Aijia hide.

······· In the afternoon, the imperial physician came to rectify the empress dowager's pulse, saying that the empress dowager was fine.I was by the side at that time, and I was both happy and pleasantly surprised when I heard the news, but I didn't think it was strange that the queen mother recovered from her illness.Before he could get over his excitement, he welcomed the emperor and queen who had heard the good news.And as usual, when the emperor and empress came to the queen mother's palace, I went directly to my room to avoid it. Fortunately, the queen mother didn't say anything.

The emperor sat next to the empress dowager, and the empress sat on the seat below them.

"The Ai family just feels better. The emperor is busy with political affairs, so he really doesn't need to accompany the queen." Although the queen mother said so, she did not hide the joy in her words. After all, the emperor valued it so much. The emperor's mother enjoyed it very much.

The emperor didn't speak, but put down the tea in his hands with a smile, and the queen, who had been paying attention to the movements of the two, spoke first, "The emperor's body is naturally the emperor's most concerned thing. No, the emperor will be overjoyed when he hears the report from the imperial physician." , let go of the others and come over.”

"You two are filial." The queen mother happily praised that the queen mother was resting on a soft pillow, and the pattern on it was very unique. A closer look turned out to be a light yellow pattern base embroidered with silver thread in an orderly arrangement. font.The queen was fascinated by it for a while, but after she wanted to figure out whose handwriting it might have come from, she felt the eyes of the queen mother on her, and said, "The concubine looked at the soft pillow of the emperor's mother, it is so unique, Just watched it for a long time, the concubine lost her manners."

Yinzhen looked at the soft pillow for a few times, then at the queen, and said, seemingly unintentionally, "It's exquisite, but I see it is "Lotus Sutra" (1) embroidered on it?"

"Your Majesty, you have good eyesight." The Empress Dowager touched the vaguely visible font on the soft pillow with her hand, and smiled expressively, "It is indeed the "Lotus Sutra". As far as she likes to embroider, it must be time-consuming and labor-intensive, but no one can compare to this skill."

"The concubine only knows that Mrs. An is a very good dancer, but she doesn't want to be very good at embroidery." Yixiu saw that after hearing what the queen mother said, Yinzhen looked at the exquisite embroidery in his eyes, and she didn't understand her. Afraid of the change, he hurriedly said, "I'm afraid the Queen Mother doesn't know that the dance that An Guiren performed on the day of the sacrifice surprised many sisters in the harem."

"The Ai family really doesn't know, what does the emperor think?" It's good for a woman to have a skill, but if she passes it by, she will only do bad things. The empress understands this truth, and so does the Ai family. Yixiu is just... that's all. It's okay to help her again.

"It's really rare and touching," Yinzhen smiled, but his eyes were cold, as if he was looking at the queen, or looking at others through the queen, "it's just not as good as Chunyuan, who can startle people with a dance. "

"There are a few people like Chunyuan in the world, and the emperor shouldn't be too picky." It's one thing not to want her son to be addicted to women, but she and her son who don't want her have been thinking about a deceased person all the time. people?"

"The new nobleman Wan, I think it's good."

"It's good that the emperor has a well-behaved person to serve him. The Ai family vaguely remembers that there is a nobleman Shen."

"Shen Guiren is also dignified, and quite kind to me."

"Well, that's good. Lingrong is also lovely, but Ai's family really likes it. There are people around the emperor to serve him, so let that girl accompany Ai's family again."

"It's her blessing to be liked by the queen mother," Yinzhen looked at the gentle queen who was smiling, and then at the queen mother who was smiling like a statue, and suddenly lost the ability to continue talking with them, "My son I have a lot of political affairs in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, so I will go back first." After speaking, he got up and left on his own.

"Queen, Ling Rong is fortunate that Kuai's family has seen her these days, and she also wants to let her go back to her own palace to live more comfortably. You can look at the arrangements for this matter. The Ai family is also exhausted, so you can go back."

"Yes, the concubine is retiring."

After seeing off the emperor and empress, the queen mother herself really felt upset, resting her forehead with one hand, looking at the "Lotus Sutra" on the soft pillow, wondering what she was thinking.

"The Queen Mother might as well take a break." Zhu Xi said beside him.

"It's not necessary at this time, Aijia is not very tired, but it's just a headache." The queen mother said.

"The servant girl went to call Mrs. An, the former queen mother praised Mrs. An's skillful hands, and the massage was very comfortable." Zhu Xi suggested.

"That girl in Lingrong... is rare and smart in the harem." The queen mother didn't know what to think, and said, "It's just a queen, I don't know how much I have to worry about." When will the queen be as good as Lingrong Let go so you can be more comfortable with yourself and others.Otherwise, she can understand that it is better to force people to avoid people than to use people. There are so many women in the palace, Wan nobles, Shen nobles, even nobles, she can't completely separate them from the emperor. People are not satisfied.Thinking of her son's unwillingness to leave, she felt that she would have to worry a lot in the future, "Alright, you went and called Ling Rong."

I followed Aunt Zhuxi to the Empress Dowager's place again, seeing that the Empress Dowager's complexion was really not good, as if she had a severe headache, so I hurriedly removed the armor on my hand, walked up to the Empress Dowager, and rubbed her temples on the forehead.It's not that I have all the skills, it's just that compared to others, I have the right strength, and because I have seen a lot of medical skills on weekdays, I don't know much about acupoints, but I really look good.I don't know how long I rubbed it for the queen mother, but I saw that the queen mother's expression eased a lot, "Queen mother, do you feel better?"

The queen mother didn't answer me directly, but after a long time, she took my hand and held it in hers, and pulled me to her, "You child, you have a bit of skill in your hands." A little embarrassed, she smiled shyly, and did not dare to look at her with lowered eyelids, "I also serve my mother like this when I am at home, so I have some experience."

"You are filial, and your character is good." The Queen Mother looked at me with a soft tone, "No wonder the emperor also valued it, but there are really few sensible people like you around the Ai family, so they kept you. Do you blame the Ai family? "

Hearing what the queen mother said, I was so frightened that I wanted to kneel on the ground, but the queen mother stopped me, annoyed me for being too disciplined, and knelt at every turn, I said anxiously, "The concubine is stupid, so the queen mother likes to be able to serve the queen mother and monopolize this place." It is too late to be grateful for the benefits of the jealousy of the harem sisters, so how can you complain?"

"You girl, Ai's family wants to hear what benefits can be gained from being here, so you can make Ai's family happy."

When the queen mother said this, I felt more at ease, and then said what I had just thought up, "The queen mother is the emperor's mother-in-law, and also the queen mother-in-law of the sisters in the harem, but the concubine is proud to be by the queen mother's side alone. The empress dowager taught only the concubine, and the concubine did not take advantage of the huge benefits."

"You child, you have your own opinions, and you are also novel and polite." Seeing me smiling like a child who has been praised by an elder, and happy from the inside out, the Queen Mother was very satisfied, and said, "During these days you have been In Shoukang Palace, I'm afraid it will be very boring. Now that Aijia is in good health, you should move back to Yanxi Palace. I heard that you have a good relationship with Shen Guiren, and you will walk around more in the future. If Aijia makes you sisters strange, It's also a pity."

"Concubine, thank the Queen Mother for your concern." Hearing that the Queen Mother very much approves of my friendship with Meizhuang, I am really happy, as if my good friends and sisters have been affirmed by my parents, and I am very excited.

"Just now Aijia wanted to say that you are prudent, but now you are so happy that you have lost your temper, a child!" The Queen Mother laughed amused by my rare joy.

"Angui's appearance makes people think that she is a sixteen-year-old girl." The bamboo beside her echoed, "Before, she was always stable and not like a child."

"It's just that this child is so good, Aijia likes it."

And I, listening to these two elders talking about me, felt familiar, and felt warm and embarrassed, yes, would my mother and Aunt Xiao say that about myself in the past, such a feeling is rare.

This night, it was rare for me to return to my Yanxi Palace again, but I surprised the people in my palace and was very pleasantly surprised.I saw that when I was not around, Bao Juan had managed the things in the palace in an orderly manner, and I was very satisfied and rewarded them.After dinner, when I had a rare leisure time, I couldn’t sit still, I wanted to go to Meizhuang Palace, but Baojuan told me that Sister Mei was going to come to my palace, but I didn’t want to be called by Concubine Hua halfway It is obvious that Concubine Hua wants to make things difficult for Mei Zhuang, but I can't help her, and regardless of whether I have the ability, if I intervene, Mei Zhuang will instead Concubine Hua will be criticized, saying that she has no ability to assist the Six Palaces.

"Baojuan, please pay attention, if elder sister Mei returns to the palace, please let me know." Baojuan left after obeying the order, probably to inquire about Concubine Hua.I asked about Zhen Huan's news again, but Ju Qing said that she passed Suiyuxuan at night, and happened to see the emperor's sedan chair going there, and she should be attending bed tonight.Zhen Huan has always won the Sacred Heart, so it is natural to go to bed. I am just depressed, and I have no one to accompany me when I have a rare free time. I feel a little uncomfortable.Anyway, there is nothing to do, let's just sleep.It's just that for some reason, there is always a kind of restlessness before falling asleep, as if forgetting something important, and then I can't sleep well.

······

Are you still asleep?No matter... is it safe?

Who?

Did you forget it?

what?

Have you forgotten "The Legend of Zhen Huan"?Your...sister...tonight...

what are you saying?

Or,...you don't die...you don't have to worry...

what are you talking about! ! ! !

The intermittent sound disappeared, instead, a blurry scene appeared for some reason. The shadows of the trees at night became more whirling, like black shadows. A well-dressed and elegant woman stood by the pond and looked down at the water. The hidden fish in the middle of the scene didn't have any defenses at all, but I watched a pair of powerful hands slowly approaching her from behind, full of malicious intent, slowly approaching the girl.

Sister Mei, be careful.

I wanted to make a sound to remind me, but it seemed that my voice was taken away. I opened my mouth, but I couldn't make a sound.

Sister Mei, be careful, be careful!

I could only worry in my heart, watching that woman fall into the pool in front of my eyes, I could only watch her cry for help, watch her struggle, helpless.

I can only watch...

"Sister Mei!" I finally shouted out, but the voice was very low. I only woke myself up from the dream, sat up, and recalled that dream, that "The Legend of Zhen Huan" like the script of our destiny, "The Legend of Zhen Huan" "I was not very big at first, but this dream was too real, "Ju Qing." I called out to Ju Qing who was waiting in my outer room. Maybe it was late at night, and that girl was also killed by me in my dream. When I woke up, my face was still a little confused, but when I saw that my complexion was not good, I became serious.

"My lord, what's the matter," Ju Qing walked to my side and said, "It's a nightmare."

"Juqing, is Baojuan back?"

"Bao Juan has been back for some time, and she said that nobleman Shen has gone back to her palace to rest, and the servants saw that the young master was asleep, so they didn't bother her."

"Sister Mei has gone back to the palace to sleep?" I was a little puzzled, seeing Ju Qing's serious face again, it didn't look like she was lying to me.So I let her go out, but I couldn't fall asleep after tossing and turning, so I called her in again. The girl paid attention to my movement, and came in immediately, "Juqing, how did Baojuan look when he came back?" I looked at her. A little hesitant, he said, "You can just say it."

"My servant's eyesight is dull, I just feel that Baojuan seems to be frightened, maybe someone frightened me on the way."

Hearing what she said, my heart suddenly sank. Did something really happen to Meizhuang, or... Baojuan, Baojuan, what did you see and what did you hide from me?No, I have to go to Cunjutang to have a look.

When I went to Cunju Hall, I saw Concubine Hua in gorgeous clothes, well-dressed and accompanied the emperor, and I was even more confused and uneasy. Isn't the emperor in Suiyuxuan?Why are you here, and Concubine Hua, who was born in the middle of the night, why are you outside?They came from Cunjutang, sister Mei is afraid that something really happened.I saw Shengjia coming towards me, so I saluted and stepped back, thinking about waiting for them to pass by. I was rushing to the Cunju Hall, but I didn't want the emperor to see me, "Mr. An, why are you here?" After being named, I can only go forward again to greet the emperor, Concubine Hua.

"I'm afraid An Guiren knows that Shen Guiren has fallen into the water, so I want to go and see it out of worry." Concubine Hua looked at me with an indescribably unfriendly look, and I didn't care about her attitude, only thinking that Meizhuang really fell into the water , I don't know why, "No, An Gui came out before he was dressed properly, and the night is very cold and frosty, what if he freezes."

"Yes, the clothes are a little thinner. It's you who come out when you are dressed properly." Concubine Hua was at a loss for words at Yinzhen's words, and she felt like she was lifting a rock to shoot herself in the foot. "..." Concubine Hua wanted to say something to make amends, but Yinzhen didn't give him a chance to speak, "Take care of yourself, and save me from worrying about you." Although I don't think that the emperor's concern is for me, but I can't help it The emperor was vague, so he could only speak with Concubine Hua, "My concubine, thank the emperor for your concern." It was just the same thing, Concubine Hua said it as naturally as if she was acting like a baby, but I said it in a well-behaved way, just thinking about not having more lives Right and wrong.

"It's cold at night, and you're wearing thin clothes. Go early and come back early." Yinzhen personally helped me up and spared my troubles, which flattered me and made Concubine Hua dissatisfied. "The concubine knows." And all I can do is to deal with the emperor's sudden concern without breaking the rules.

I thought that the emperor went to Concubine Hua's Palace with the same expression, and Meizhuang must be fine, but when I arrived, I saw the pale person who was still unconscious on the bed, and it was clearly a life-and-death adventure In my heart, I only feel that it is cold and cold, because of Bao Juan's deceit, the emperor's fickleness, and Hua Fei's calculations.And Zhen Huan was also very surprised when she saw me coming, but she still told me the scene when the emperor was there just now.Concubine Hua came prepared, anyone with a discerning eye could see it, but the emperor probably knew it in his heart, but he didn't care.Mei Zhuang fell into the water this time, and Zhen Huan and I probably understood after listening to Cai Yue's words that Concubine Hua must have contributed a lot to it, but the emperor didn't want to get to the bottom of it, so Mei Zhuang could only suffer from being dumb.

At any rate, Mei Zhuang woke up later, she was frightened, and although she felt a little relieved seeing the two of us before the watch, it was still difficult to calm the fear of the rest of her life after the catastrophe.Someone pushed her into the water, someone wanted her name, and that person came to her palace when she was unconscious and showed a lot of power, how could she not be angry, how could she not complain, how could she not hate?

She tolerated and avoided taboos everywhere, but the other party approached her step by step, and no one would always be a squeamish person.Just looking at such a sister who has always been tolerant and kind-hearted, she said with tears streaming down her face, "I can't do anything to her now, but it doesn't mean I can't do anything to her in my life. I will slowly settle the score with her." There is hatred slowly in the eyes, and I feel flustered seeing it, this is the harem, no matter who it is, if they want to survive in this palace, they have to give up something and learn something.

Sister Mei has made up her mind not to show weakness to Concubine Hua, and I can no longer pamper Baojuan.She can lie to me today, but what will she mislead me in the future?

Notes: (1) The full name of "Lotus Sutra" is "Miaofa Lotus Sutra". It uses lotus as a metaphor to describe the whiteness, purity and perfection of Buddhism.The content preached in the scriptures is supreme, and it is clearly stated that everyone can become a Buddha, regardless of rich or poor, high or low, so the "Lotus Sutra" is also known as "the king of the scriptures".