Story of Yanxi Palace: Red Seal Spring Star

In the midwinter of the 20th year of Qianlong, the end of the year was approaching, and the sky was gloomy.

Zhuzhu and the two little girls were playing shuttlecock in the yard, and saw Xiao Quanzi and several servants coming in from outside, some of them were holding a big box in their hands, and some were carrying a big suitcase in their hands, she greeted with a smile : Master Quan, is this another reward from the palace?Xiao Quanzi stepped forward and said with a smile: "This is from the old lady. There are several cars outside. There are not many people in this house. How can it be used?"The two little girls also stopped, and said: "Master Quan, you can use it if you need it, and we can use it if we have it!"Pearl patted the two of them, laughed and cursed: Do you understand the rules, I will not expose your skin tomorrow!

The two little girls were not afraid, and laughed together.Pearl told the two of them to go to another place to play, and seeing that they were gone, she said to Xiao Quanzi: After the new year, you can go find a foster mother, and there should be rules in this mansion!Xiao Quanzi laughed and said: "Little aunt, the master hasn't said anything, what are you worrying about!"My lord just came back from the palace, saying that it will be very late today, so the master must go to bed first, you must remember to tell the master, don't forget to play!As he said that, he walked along the corridor to the backyard.

Pearl was not angry either, she pursed her lips and smiled, looked at the sky, it was already afternoon, and thought: It's really cold, maybe it's going to snow.Just as she was thinking, tiny snowdrops began to fall from the sky, and they fell mistyly. She caught them with her hands, feeling cool and comfortable. After catching them for a while, she said to herself: Master, it's time to get up too!As he spoke, he walked up the steps, drew up the red noren curtains, and went into the house.

Located at the east end of Chunshu Hutong, this mansion has a wide gate, a deep courtyard, high walls, and two large stone lions at the main entrance. The door remained closed.There is a wide street in front of the door, but because the house is very quiet, the east end of the street is not too busy.This house has been here for a long time, and it was not until a few months ago that people began to come in and out, and cooking smoke was frequently seen.This house is located in a prime location in the capital, not far from the Forbidden City, and covers such a large area, so it is difficult to estimate the background of this family.It's just that no one on the street has ever seen the owner of this house, neither the male owner nor the female family members.

Among the servants who come and go, there is often a young man, about 27 or [-] years old, with a small beard on his lips. He often wears a fine royal blue silk shirt and a blue-black vest, which is soft and heavy. , wearing a small blue-black hat on his head, with a piece of yellow warm jade the size of a sparrow egg inlaid in the middle of the hat.He is thin, with a smart face, he should be a manager in this mansion, but he only walks through the corner door on the side, getting on and getting off the car quietly, without stopping or dealing with outsiders.The stewards of big families are generally experienced middle-aged people, so he is particularly eye-catching.After a long time, people on the street heard someone calling him Uncle Quan, and knew his last name was Quan.

It is rare for the gate to be opened today, because there are many large carts parked outside, and the carts are full of new year's goods, and the servants carry them back and forth. Looking in from the gate, the courtyard is huge, and there is nothing to be seen. The red lanterns hanging high under the eaves, although not rich and luxurious, are full of smoke and fire. Obviously, there are two worlds inside and outside the door.The transfer lasted for about half an hour, and the two big copper doors were closed heavily again. The weather was cold, there were no pedestrians on the street, and the snowflakes were falling, making it even more desolate and deserted.

Yingluo was sitting at the table, and there was a piece of black fox fur spread out on the table, she put her hand on it, it felt very soft, she smiled.This fox fur is very similar to the cloud fox fur that the emperor gave her several years ago.At that time, Concubine Chun was punished and her revenge was avenged, so she declined the favor, and the emperor bestowed the extremely valuable cloud fox fur, she felt guilty, sewed a hat, and gave it back to the emperor, who liked it very much.He didn't understand it at that time, but now he understands it and let it go, but he even gave this fox fur to run her down!His temperament can never be changed.

When she was dressing Fu Heng this morning, Fu Heng was sleepy and muttered: That fox fur was given to you by the emperor.She was very strange then.emperor?She and Fu Heng talked occasionally, and Fu Heng said that the emperor never mentioned her, neither of them mentioned her.How could she be rewarded suddenly.After Fu Heng left, she asked Pearl to find the fox fur from the rewards in the palace, and then she understood everything.Thinking about Fu Heng's expression in the morning, she smiled mysteriously again. She knew he was upset, but it was not easy for him to ask.

Just as she was thinking about it, Pearl came in from the outside, and said with a smile: Master, you got up by yourself, you have been asleep for a whole day, why don't you find a servant to serve you?You must be hungry, the slave will pass on the meal.Yingluo also laughed and said: "Don't be too particular about it. Those who are still slaves are not the same as before. They have to say "I".I'm not hungry, pour me a cup of tea.Pearl smiled and said: Yes, I am used to it, and I can't change my mouth.Then he brought tea in.

Yingluo drank tea, took her hand, and gently stroked: "Pearl, we used to serve together in front of the empress of the Changchun Palace, and then the empress left. I have always regarded Mingyu and you as sisters. Originally, I wanted to Seeing that we left the palace together, Mingyu married Hailan and saw how happy she was, she didn't expect to go so soon.Now you are the only one left by my side, so you are my only sister.Your Majesty used to treat people very well, no matter how high or low your status is, I am the same, and Master Fu Heng is the same.She smiled a bit when she said this, but Pearl saw that her eyes were wet, and felt sad in her heart, and said to her: Master, Xiao Quanzi said, he took your invitation to Lord Sauron's residence, Lord Sauron Ben refused to come, but he said that if the lord did not come, the master would break his knee when he came back, so the lord agreed.

Yingluo smiled, let go of her hand, and said, "Look at you two, you're talking about me so viciously, you can just stay at home, go outside and watch other people joke."After the new year, you should change your mouth and call me Mrs.Pearl Qidao: Why?Even the grown-ups say it's good to be called master, but he says you are also his master!whee.Yingluo smiled, Pearl is her maidservant, she and Fu Heng are in charge of everything in the house, and she listens to the jokes between herself and Fu Heng on weekdays.When he was a teenager, Fu Heng said that it was inappropriate for her to look at him and flirt with him. Now that she is married, he is the only one who is inappropriate. This is really duplicity, so he said: He, you don't know him.Pearl smiled and said: "Others don't know, how come the slave doesn't know, the master loves the master to the bone!"

The two chatted and laughed for a while.Pearl said: You'd better go and see how many things the old lady sent here, food and clothing are all piled up.Yingluo raised her eyebrows and said: The old lady also gave it to me?

Pearl said: Really!As he said that, he came to help her up to see.But Yingluo took her hand again and said: Pearl, what kind of person do you like, I will find you a good one in the future.When Pearl heard her mentioning this suddenly, she blushed and said, "Pearl never marries, never for the rest of her life!"The slaves are here to serve the master and adults, and will serve the little masters in the future!As he spoke, he broke free from her hand and walked away.

Yingluo watched her go with a smile, her smile froze slowly, and sighed, the "little masters" that Pearl just said made her feel uneasy, she shook her head, stood up, and planned to go out to have a look, but felt the right side of her lower abdomen Slight throbbing pain, unable to stand up for a while, and sat back on the round stool.She knew that she was tired these days, and she and the girls and servants put up lanterns and festoons everywhere in the mansion to make arrangements for the New Year. She even climbed the tall ladder, which was very fun. Afterwards, she lay down for a day, but she never told anyone to tell Fu Heng, so as not to worry him and trouble the servants again.The cramping pain in her lower abdomen quickly passed, and she didn't care, and walked out of the house.

Walking to the warehouse at the back, she saw a room full of things, one side was the reward from the palace yesterday, and the other side was something she had never seen before, which should be the things Pearl said the old lady sent today.Pearl and Xiao Quanzi were looking at something at the table, talking and laughing, but they didn't see her coming in, she walked over quietly, looked forward from behind the two of them, and saw a box of red bean cakes on the table, which looked very delicate , She hadn't eaten all day, and couldn't help feeling hungry, she gently reached out her hand from between the two of them, took a piece, and quickly put it in her mouth, full of fragrance, she couldn't help but praised: delicious!Zhu Zhu and Xiao Quanzi were taken aback, and only then did they realize that it was her who came in.

The three laughed and laughed for a while, and Yingluo ate two more cakes, feeling full.Pearl said: The old lady really loves your lord!They sent a lot of delicious food, and also a lot of winter clothes. There are a lot of adults, as well as the master's and ours.The emperor also loves his lord, all he sent is precious medicine and supplements!Xiao Quanzi said: "My lord, who can go past our master? No matter how late the lord comes back, the master will wait for him, and get up early in the morning to send the lord out personally. How many times have the lord told me that the master must go to bed early and early?" sleep!I said, Pearl is not a good slave and can't control his master, so how can you blame me!

Zhu Zhen was so angry that she didn't know what to say, so she went to beat Xiao Quanzi immediately, Xiao Quanzi pretended to be "Ouch, Ouch" and asked Yingluo to save him.Yingluo stopped Pearl and said with a smile: Forget it!See what others saw!Xiao Quanzi is the eunuch in the palace, so Pearl doesn't have any scruples about guarding against men and women, but other people in the house don't know the origin of him and Pearl, so Yingluo said this.Pearl blushed and said: Master, you are always protecting him!

Yingluo put her hands on her shoulders from behind, and said, "Little aunt, grandma, go to the kitchen and have a look, they stew the bird's nest with rock sugar for adults, you must be careful, don't let your breath go."Pearl stomped and said: How do you learn from this monkey!I'm watching, don't worry.But still went.Xiao Quanzi smiled at Yingluo: Thank you, master!Yingluo also smiled and said: "Don't bully Pearl all the time, she is not good enough to you on weekdays?"Then he asked Xiao Quanzi carefully about going to invite Hai Lancha, and saw what was going on there, and then went back to his room.

After returning to the house, I found that the lights in the house had been lit, and Pearl was tidying up in the house.The piece of fox fur was still spread on the table, and it had a soft luster in the light. The emperor's reward was naturally top-grade, so she asked Pearl to take the fox fur away.Pearl came up, rolled up the fox fur, was surprised to see Yingluo's eyes gleaming with tears again, and asked, "Master, what's wrong with you?"

Yingluo smiled and said: Yes, what happened to me today!I always think about the things I did in the palace before, the empress, Mingyu, and... Pearl said: It's all caused by this fox fur!Master, pass on the supper. The slave will serve you for dinner. If you teach me how to embroider again, Pearl is stupid. I can’t do the embroidery you taught me yesterday.Although Yingluo was not hungry, she nodded and poked her head with a smile.

After dinner, the master and the servant sat side by side and whispered under the lamp. On the embroidery frame on the table were two half-embroidered mandarin ducks.The silence and warmth of a room.Yingluo patiently demonstrates Pearl's various stitches, and Pearl also learns it very seriously. Yingluo thinks of Mingyu again. When she was in Yuanmingyuan, she often taught her, but she didn't make much progress.After teaching for a while, Pearl went to ponder on her own.Yingluo then spread out the rice paper, rubbed the ink, and wrote under the lamp.She is now writing "The Story of Yueyang Tower" by Fan Zhongyan, a famous official of the Song Dynasty.

After writing for a while, the ink was fragrant, and Pearl suddenly realized, and said: "Master, this servant is here to grind ink for you."As he spoke, he put down the embroidery needle and embroidery frame.Yingluo said: No need, I will write it.Pearl looked at the word, it was round and straight, and she praised it.Yingluo said: "Fu Heng said, after I finish Wen Zhenggong's "Yueyang Tower", I can learn to write cursive script."Over the past few years, Pearl has been learning to read and write under Yingluo's supervision. She has already learned a lot of characters, and she reads slowly in a low voice: And the smoke will be gone, the bright moon will be thousands of miles away, the floating light will jump into gold, the still shadow will sink into jade, and the fisherman's song Answer each other, what a pleasure!Then he asked: Master, I can read the previous paragraph clearly, it is about the scenery, but what does Chen Bi mean?

Yingluo said: "The quiet shadow sinks into the jade, and the fisherman's songs answer each other. What a joy it is." It means that the quiet moon image sinks in the jade jade in the water, and the fisherman's song sings in harmony. This kind of fun is really endless!Pearl nodded, and read the last few lines again: Don't be happy with things, don't be sad with yourself; if you live high in the temple, you worry about your people; if you live far away in the rivers and lakes, you worry about your king.Very puzzled, asked: What does this mean?

Yingluo said: That is to say, an official must always remember the sufferings of the people and devote himself to the emperor.Pearl nodded and said: Our adults are like this.Yingluo nodded with a smile: That's natural, otherwise the empress would be unhappy.Seeing her expression, Pearl pursed her lips and said, "Master, you are probably not happy!"Yingluo knew she was teasing herself, so she patted her on the shoulder with a smile.