Deep ice

Outside Jingxuan Hall, the morning light is warm.

Concubine Ning's belly was already a little bulging, and she said that she just had breakfast that day, and she was walking around the courtyard with Zizhu's support.

The fox fur with silver needles rustled in the wind. Concubine Ning put a golden walker in her bun, and held a carved and hollowed-out stove in her hand, walking more and more slowly.

"Purple Bamboo—"

Zi Zhu on one side wrapped the cloak tightly around Concubine Ning, and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty..."

"How long has it been since the emperor came?"

Zizhu pondered for a moment, then put his hands in his sleeves to warm up, "It's not long since I've returned to your empress, and I haven't heard that the emperor favors other empresses during this period of time, presumably it's because of the busy government affairs."

Concubine Ning sighed softly, and a teardrop rolled down her cheek, "It's not that I can't understand, it's just that I've been pregnant with this dragon fetus for a month, and the emperor only came to see it once, and didn't say a word. I left after a few words, and there was such a long time in between, no matter how busy the government affairs are, if I really want to come, I can always come here..."

Zizhu hurriedly looked around, "Your Majesty, I dare not..."

Wiping away the teardrops with a slender hand, Concubine Ning let out a sigh of relief, "The time for the emperor to come to the harem is getting shorter and shorter, but there are still a group of people looking forward to it. It's really ridiculous."

Zi Zhu lowered his head to answer the irrelevant question, and said softly, "Madam, it's cold outside, my servant will help you into the house."

Concubine Ning turned slowly towards the hall and said casually,

"Is there any movement at Huayu Palace?"

Zizhu carefully supported Concubine Ning, "Eunuch Xiu has been very busy recently, yesterday a servant girl met him on the way to the clothing bureau, and only said a few words. Rules, I just went to the imperial study yesterday, talked to that idiot all night, and sent it back at the second watch, "

Zizhu paused for a moment, with a puzzled expression on his face, "Eunuch Xiu also explained that he has to go later at night... I don't know if this slave heard it wrong..."

Concubine Ning's face darkened, "It's late at night, what did you do in the past, haven't you asked?"

Zizhu said: "I asked, Mr. Xiu only said that the emperor asked that fool to talk."

Ning Bin frowned slightly, "What's the point of talking to an idiot, apart from reading jokes, maybe you want to talk about military affairs and government affairs."

Zizhu said: "Who knows, the emperor's mind is hard to fathom."

The gold-encrusted jade bracelet was dangling in her hand, Ning Bi said softly: "Turn around and let Xiuxiu keep an eye on it, and come and tell me if there is any movement."

Zi Zhu said: "Your Majesty, don't worry, this Eunuch Xiu is loyal to Your Majesty..."

-

Huai Huai was so excited that he didn't sleep all night.

Pancakes tossed and turned on the bed, thinking about talking to He Yan, but He Yan became a dead man again, lying beside Huai Huai, closing his eyes and recuperating, not even breathing.

It wasn't until dawn that Huaihuai was so sleepy that he fell into a deep sleep.

But before he slept for a long time, he was woken up by Chun Bao who came in.

"Huaihuai, get up."

Huai Huai burrowed towards He Yan, and pulled the quilt over his head, "I'll talk about it later."

Chunbao sniffed, "Huaihuai, something big is wrong, get up first and then sleep."

Huai Huai buried his face in He Yan's clothes, "Why don't you go back to sleep after getting up."

With red and swollen eyes, Chun Bao lifted Huai Huai's quilt.

"You lazy donkey! I'm sorry, I'm afraid you and I will be taken away!"

With heavy eyelids, Huaihuai elbowed He Yan twice, "Get up and have a look."

Chun Bao said: "I've read it all, so get up quickly."

Huai Huai couldn't stand the trouble Chun Bao had to make, so he forced himself to sit up straight, rubbed his eyes, and asked with a tired expression, "What's the matter?"

Chunbao's eyes were blue and purple, and he hadn't slept all night, "There's something wrong with Huayu Palace."

Huai Huai yawned, "Isn't there?"

Chunbao glanced around, and said in a very low voice, "I found that Mr. You is gone, Xiaotianzi, and Chunhua are gone."

Huaihuai asked, "Which one is Xiaotianzi and Chunhua?"

Chunbao hissed, "Xiaotianzi and Chunhua are both eunuchs and maids of Huayu Palace, don't you remember?"

Huai Huai shook his head, "I know you."

Chun Bao continued: "Huayu Palace has unknowingly lost so many people, and all of them have been replaced by newcomers. I think there must be something ulterior in this."

Huaihuai understood, and felt a soreness in his heart, "Actually...Chunbao..."

Chun Bao frowned a pair of pale eyebrows, "I can't blame me for sleeping in the past two nights, I didn't feel right, and then I figured it out. It turned out that there was a new person next to me. The eunuch who used to sleep next to me only liked to grind his teeth, but he didn't have smelly feet. , but this time is different, every night there is a sour smell, strong and lingering, which caused me to think that my head and tail are too smelly, so I will change the head and tail, but the smell still does not diminish , I think it should be someone else's business."

After finishing speaking, Chun Bao tightened his nose again, "That man smoked me for a whole night, even now, there is still a faint sour smell."

Huaihuai stared at the two pieces of cloth around Chunbao's neck, "Chunbao, why are you still wearing stockings around your neck? You are not young, why are your clothes so uncomfortable?"

Hearing this, Chunbao hurriedly lowered his head to have a look, but it was not right, so he hurriedly took off the cloth socks on his neck and put them on his feet, "I was just about to tell you that someone stole my cloth socks and made me sick." The sulking all night turned out to be like this."

After wearing it, he sniffed again, "This man is in a better mood, even the smell is gone."

Huai Huai then lay down, "I'll go to bed first if there's nothing else to do, I have to go out in the afternoon."

Chun Bao looked sad: "Eunuch You and the others disappeared for no reason, why are you so careless? I'm afraid it will be our turn next time."

Huai Huai turned over, feeling completely sleepless.

Just thinking that the matter is over, and there is no need to make Chun Bao sad, it is better to prevaricate the past and not mention it, "No, you and I will be fine."

Chun Bao's eyes lit up, "Really?"

Huaihuai nodded, with a smile on his face unconsciously, "The emperor told me to go there today, so he shouldn't kick me out again."

Chun Bao was taken aback, "What did the Emperor tell you to do?"

Huai Huaiteng stood up, pointed at He Yan beside him, and said with a radiant look, "It's a long story, but thanks to this brother, if it wasn't for him, the emperor would not ask me to come and talk again."

Chun Bao stared at the void of Huai Huai's fingers, rubbed his eyes, and then his eyes dimmed,

"Huaihuai, my eye disease is getting worse... I can't see things clearly, what should I do?"

Huai Huai said: "It's okay, I'll call the imperial physician for you later."

Then I remembered the same thing again, "I forgot to introduce you before, this is Brother He."

Chun Bao stared at the messy quilt, tried his best to hide his eye disease, and bowed to the void, "I have seen Brother He."

Huaihuai pushed He Yan, "Why can't you pay back, Chunbao is talking to you."

He Yan didn't move at all, his face was frozen, without any vitality.

Chun Bao said, "Both of you are named He."

Huai Huai was taken aback for a moment, then said: "It's true."

Turning to He Yan again, "You and I are destined."

Chun Bao blinked fiercely a few times, "I'd better drink some mutton liver soup, it's said to improve eyesight."

Just as he was about to leave, Huai Huai tugged at his sleeves, "Wait a minute, I'm going to the emperor tonight, help me think about how to make the emperor think better of me."

Chun Bao said, "What are you doing at the Emperor's place?"

Huaihuai said: "It should be just talking... Brother He talked to the emperor for a while last night. I thought the emperor would be angry with me again. Unexpectedly, brother He would say it out loud. The emperor was not annoyed, but was patient." Temper listened to Brother He for a long time, and when it was over, he told me to come over today."

Chun Bao said: "You are borrowing someone's credit."

Huai Huai said: "That's right, I'm a little ashamed to think that I hated him like that before."

After a pause, he said again: "Hurry up and think about it with me, how can you please the emperor."

Chun Bao said: "The Emperor is not short of anything, if you want to please him, you have to spend some effort."

Huaihuai said, "You can always figure it out."

Chun Bao said: "The Emperor likes to talk to Brother He, doesn't it? You ask Brother He to accompany him every day to talk."

Huai Huai shook his head, "That's impossible."

Chun Bao was puzzled: "What's wrong?"

"In case the emperor falls in love with him, what can I do."

Chun Bao said: "If that's the case, then he's really dishonest."

Huai Huai pondered for a while, "If that's the case, it's no wonder he's not righteous. The two of them got to know each other first, and then I got to know me later."

Chun Bao said: "You must not let this person steal the limelight, you must always appear to be better than him."

Huai Huai sighed, "That's not easy."

Chun Bao said: "What's the problem? He's only good at speaking. I'll go and find some books for you. You read them and memorize them. As soon as he opens his mouth, you rush to talk about it. Maybe the emperor will look at you with admiration." .”

Huai Huai was very grateful, "Brother Chun, you are the most loyal."

Chun Bao laughed foolishly, "When the time comes, you and the emperor will be on good terms, don't forget that I am."

Huai Huai said: "But you said which job you want to be?"

While talking, Xiuxiu suddenly pushed the door open and entered, put the food box on the corner table in the outer room, lifted the lid, and brought out some exquisite cakes and porridge, the room was filled with the aroma of food for a while.

"Huaihuai, drink the medicine first." Xiuxiu carefully took out the medicine bowl from the bottom of the food box, turned around and brought it up.

Chun Bao's eyeballs straightened, and then he returned to Huai Huai's words, "I didn't expect that, I just think that I can have food every day."

Huai Huai pondered for a moment, then enlightened, "It's done, I'll transfer you back to the imperial dining room when the time comes!"

Xiuxiu took the medicine with a dark face, "Drink the medicine first if you are daydreaming in broad daylight."

Huaihuai glanced at Xiuxiu, "Just put it there for now, I'll drink it naturally after eating, if I drink such a big bowl of concoction first, how can you tell me to eat it?"

Xiuxiu moved her lips, thinking there was nothing wrong with it, she turned back and put the medicine bowl down, "Just don't forget."

After finishing speaking, he turned and left the house.

Chun Bao looked at the bowl of medicine, "Huai Huai, how long has it been since you took this tonic?"

Huai Huai got out of bed and straightened the folds of his clothes, "I stopped drinking after you came here, why?"

Chun Bao stared at the medicine bowl, "I always feel that this medicine is not right."

Huaihuai just put on his shoes and socks with his head down, "What's wrong?"

Chun Bao said: "I always feel that the size of this medicine bowl is getting bigger and bigger. I used to drink it in two sips and it was gone. Why can't I drink it all the time?"

When Huaihuai heard this, he leaned over and took the blue and white porcelain bowl for drinking porridge for comparison. It was indeed several circles smaller than the medicine bowl.

Chun Bao sighed, and began to drink from the medicine bowl.

Huaihuai stared at the size of the medicine bowl drinking Chunbao's face, and pulled the corner of his mouth,

"Chunbao, I can tell, this is not a bowl, it's clearly a washbasin..."

Outside the house, Xiuxiu was following the prescription from the Imperial Hospital, sorting out the herbs that Huai Huai would eat tomorrow, and then took out a paper bag from her belt, looked around, and added the medicines in the paper bag .