Story of Yanxi Palace: Red Seal Spring Star

Li Yu continued to say: The Empress Dowager is worried about the body of the dragon, but the empress is at ease, Lord Long Live, apart from you and the past... there is never a day.Concubine Rong suddenly stopped talking when she saw him, and understood that he was talking about the former concubine Ling.So he asked in a low voice: Does the emperor still miss her?Li Yu smiled and said: "Nobody is here anymore, the empress can just rest assured."Then he paused, looked inside again, and said with a smile: The emperor is really kind to the empress, don't let the emperor down.Concubine Rong also looked inside, and realized that the emperor was not asleep. He let himself go because of what he said that lost his head. He suddenly felt heavy in his heart, but nodded solemnly.

The emperor went back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation in the afternoon and continued to critique papers.Desheng whispered to Li Yu: I thought the emperor would not come back today!Blocked everyone back.Li Yudao: "Who wants to see the emperor?"Desheng said: The elder brother of the concubine Jia, Mr. Jin Jian, and Mr. Yalhashan from the Military Aircraft Department came in the afternoon.Li Yu thought to himself that there would be no room for reversing the matter of Concubine Jia's offense against the Empress Dowager, Yalhashan is currently at the bottom of the Military Plane Department, he doesn't know what important business he has, but he still went in and went back to the emperor.

The emperor thought for a while, and said: I will go to the Old Summer Palace for three or two days, and you go to pass on my will. The military aircraft department will report to Fu Heng for the past few days, and Fu Heng will act cheaply. If there is an urgent matter, let Fu Heng send someone to the Old Summer Palace .Jin Jian went to Fu Heng and said anything.Li Yudao: Your Majesty, are you going to Yuanmingyuan this time without business?The emperor said: Yes, no, I want to rest.Li Yu made a puzzled expression, but immediately went to the military aircraft department to announce the decree.Yalhashan followed him out to the porch, and quietly asked him about the emperor's situation, he only said: "The emperor has important business to go to the Summer Palace, Lord Yalhashan, if you have anything to do, please report back to Mr. Fu Heng."Said to grow up and go.

It was half past the second day when the emperor's holy car arrived at the Old Summer Palace, and when the emperor settled down in Jiuzhou Qingyan, Yilu came up to answer the conversation, and by the time the conversation was over, it was already lunch time.The emperor announced that Wu Min was waiting outside, and when the emperor finished his meal and Li Yu came out, Wu Min replied to the emperor, and finally said: "Your Majesty, are you going to see her now?"The emperor thought for a while and said, "Let's announce it."Wu Min went immediately, and walked in with a maid after a while.

Li Yu looked at this court lady, her skin was fair and tender, her face was long, her eyebrows were willow leaves, her eyes were soft, her nose was augmented and her lips were red, she was not very beautiful, but she had a feeling of pity for me, but she was still different from what I saw in the painting .Wu Min led her to kneel down and said to the emperor: This is the Wei family.The woman kowtowed and said, "Wei Mei pays respects to the emperor."The voice is very gentle and crisp.The emperor said: "Look up."The emperor looked at it and said to Wu Min: "Go down."Wu Min immediately backed out.

The emperor said softly: Tell me about your past.Wei Meidao: Yes, my father is a minor official of the sixth grade in Dali Temple. He is upright by nature. Ten years ago, he offended his boss. Only a few days ago, Master Wu found out the whereabouts of the servants.Last year, when the slave turned 25, he could be released from Yujun Palace, and Master Wu Min took the slave back home.The emperor was taken aback and asked: What?Are your father and Wu Min old friends?You lived at Wu Min's house before entering the palace?Wu Min didn't mention a word, how dare he play favoritism!

Wei Mei kowtowed and said, "Please appease the emperor."Mr. Wu and my father are friends of the general manager. When my father was in prison, he ran around in many ways. Although my father was eventually exiled, my mother accompanied him and died together in Ninggu Pagoda. He has been looking for the descendants of the Wei family. He never gave up for many years, but he only found slaves. He said that slaves' brothers and sisters were gone.The emperor sent Mr. Wu this errand, but his lord has not chosen the person the emperor likes. It is a slave who volunteered to give it a try. It has nothing to do with Mr. Wu.

The emperor nodded and said, "Wu Min is not so bold even if I think about it. Hmph, you didn't let him tell me if he didn't tell me?"Wei Mei said: Yes, if he tells the emperor, then the servant will not be able to be selected.

The emperor looked at her and said: You are willing to enter the palace, why?Wei Meidao: I have passed the age of the plum, and I have neither parents nor dowry. Mr. Wu and his wife treated me very well, but Mr. Wu's salary is not much, and the whole family needs support. The slave can't bear to drag the Wu family down.The emperor said: Wu Min can marry you as someone else's house fill.Wei Mei raised her head, looked at the emperor, and said: That slave would rather enter the palace to serve the emperor.The emperor snorted and said: Do you like glory and wealth so much?You entered the palace only from the background of an official girl, so you don't necessarily have a lot of glory and wealth.Wei Mei said: "Recite Guan Ju Shi, Zhu Qin has broken the string." The emperor was startled and looked at her.

Wei Mei smiled and said: This is Long Live Lord's poem mourning Empress Xiaoxian, Wei Mei likes it very much.Hearing this, Li Yu glanced at her.The emperor looked at her without speaking.Wei Mei smiled again and said: "Once it hurts, you can never know the eternal farewell." At that time, all the women in Yujun Palace, from Ge Ge to maidservants, were all overwhelmed by the emperor's affection for the former empress. Let's see what kind of person the emperor is, Wei Mei is lucky to have three lives today.The sentence she just said is a sentence in the emperor's mourning essay "Shu Bei Fu" written for the late empress.The emperor nodded sternly and said: Hello.Then he said to Li Yu: "Go and call Wu Min."Li Yu is busy going out

Only then did Wei Mei realize that he was angry, and immediately kowtowed and said: Your Majesty, did the servant say something wrong?If you want to punish, just punish the slave, everything has nothing to do with Mr. Wu.Li Yu immediately led Wu Min in, and Wu Min hurriedly knelt behind Wei Mei.Li Yu whispered in the emperor's ear: He kept kneeling outside and didn't leave, probably because he was getting ready.The emperor nodded and smiled at Wu Min: You are quite courageous!Wu Min's forehead was already full of cold sweat, but he still tried his best to maintain his composure, and said, "Your Majesty, since I received the emperor's order, I have been trembling all the time. I know that this day will come, so I ask the emperor to forgive me. I'm just a slave and a family. Come on!" There is an 80-year-old mother, and her youngest son is only five years old. I implore the emperor not to get involved.

Hearing what he said, Li Yu looked at the emperor with a little difficulty. He knew very well that the errand assigned by the emperor to Wu Min was indeed very tricky. There were a dozen or so, but the emperor didn't like any of them. The half-year deadline is coming soon, and he still has to be punished. That's why he said this.The emperor laughed again and said: Even if I don't punish you for the crime of deceiving the emperor, but look at what kind of slaves you sent here, what are they talking about? !Specially flattered.Do you think you should be punished?

Wu Min didn't know what Wei Mei and the emperor had said, her body kept trembling, and she said after a while: "I am willing to accept the punishment, but please the emperor see her as an orphan girl, she doesn't know the severity, she didn't intend to offend the holy face, please forgive me." she strikes.The emperor said: Seeing that you are dedicated to being a friend, I don't want to be a fool, so I will punish you with half a year's salary.Wu Min thought that his life was finally saved, and he had to borrow money from his relatives, so he quickly kowtowed and said: Thank you, the emperor, for forgiving this humble minister.

The emperor went on to say: I know you are a talented person, and you have a lot of experience in garden architecture, but being a hall master in the Lifan Courtyard is not good enough. I just want to repair the garden, so I will send you this job. Things, you can't quit, are you willing?Wu Min immediately said: My minister is willing.The emperor looked at him and said: "Since the Wei family said that your family's life is poor, I can't take back the fine, but if the errand is done well, I will give you another reward."Kneel down first.

Wu Min thought to herself: Where is this garden going to be built?The Old Summer Palace had already had a group of people. Last time he and Yilu went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation for the first time, Yilu was replying to the emperor about the garden repairs that were about to be completed.But it's not easy for the emperor to ask him if he doesn't tell him. In short, he just takes orders afterwards.So he said: "Yes, Your Majesty, then look at Wei... The Emperor said: "Since she entered the palace, she is a member of the palace. How to deal with it is a matter of the palace. As a foreign minister, don't ask. Nothing more to do, you understand?Wu Min's heart skipped a beat, knowing that the emperor wanted to clear himself from the Wei family's affairs because he had to do other errands by himself, so he hurriedly said: Yes, I understand.He looked at the kneeling Wei Mei again with great concern before turning around and going out.

Li Yu was also very surprised: Didn't the emperor build a temple?Why are you building a garden again?Wei Mei was still kneeling, with her head on the ground.The emperor stood up, walked back and forth a few steps, and said to her: You heard what I said just now, how do you think I should punish you?Wei Mei said: Keep the slave, let's see if the slave really likes glory and wealth.

The emperor snorted heavily, and said: Sure enough, the teeth are sharp and the mouth is sharp.But I couldn't say anything for a while.Seeing this, Li Yu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this Miss Wei has been taught by a nanny sent by Master Yilu for a month, and she has learned all the rules in the palace, so let her serve you in Yuanmingyuan this time.The emperor sat back and said: There is no such precedent for a maid serving me, so what do you want?She doesn't have a master, so I think it's better to let her go.

Wei Mei breathed a sigh of relief, straightened up, but saw Li Yu winking at her solemnly, she didn't understand, so Li Yu frowned, raised the Buddha dust slightly, and gently moved, she finally understood, surprised, Li Yu did What the emperor said was to wipe her neck. The emperor said to send her away, not to let her go back to Wu's house, and then she remembered what the emperor said to Wu Min just now, telling Wu Min not to have any contact with her again. Hearing that the maids and eunuchs in the palace were often executed with sticks, she broke out in a cold sweat from fright, and kowtowed again: Your Majesty, this servant is very good at serving others, and this servant is willing to serve the Emperor.Li Yu said to the emperor: How about, Lord Long Live find her a master?The emperor looked at Wei Mei who was kneeling on the ground, and after a while, said: No need, let her serve you tonight.

Knowing that it was her own life that had been saved, Wei Mei breathed a sigh of relief, but seeing Li Yu's face beaming with joy, she said to her: Miss Wei, you still don't thank the Lord for your kindness!Wei Mei didn't know why, so she looked at the emperor and Li Yu.Li Yu was a little helpless, and said in a low voice: It is the emperor who wants you to sleep in bed tonight.Only then did Wei Mei understand, she blushed, leaned down again, and said, "Thank you Lord Long En!"

After Mrs. Wei was taken away by Yilu, Li Yu waited on the emperor to change his clothes and asked, "Your Majesty, my servant has never understood why you sent Mr. Wu to do this matter?"The emperor said: "Wu Min is a man with a tight mouth. He never interacts with others. His rank is low and he doesn't attract attention. He has to deal with this matter."

Li Yu thought to himself: Mr. Wu doesn't know anything, and he thought he paved a good way for himself. This Miss Wei is just occupying the emperor's heart and still thinking about Miss Yingluo. In the future, it will depend on her fate.I couldn't bear it today, and saving her life was considered a good deed. When she mentioned the first queen, she was obviously a smart person.She is petite and looks like Miss Yingluo, but she looks good-natured, and she looks a bit like the former queen.

The emperor said: "Go and whisper a message to Wu Min, just say that this person is staying, he can rest assured, but he is not allowed to associate with her again, just pretend that he has never known this person, and I still say what I said before."Then you pass the decree to Yilu, asking him to investigate the Wei family's father and family background.Li Yu felt very strange and asked: Your Majesty, why is this?The emperor looked at him.Li Yu hurriedly said: "Yes, yes, the servant is talking too much."Suddenly, I thought of what the emperor said about Wu Min, and thought: Is it related to the emperor asking Wu Min to build a garden?I don't know what kind of garden it is?so mysterious?

In the evening, Wei Mei was taken care of by a few court ladies after taking a bath, and then she was wrapped in a quilt and sent to the bed of Emperor Qingyan of Kyushu.She has always been anxious and full of expectations. When she saw the emperor during the day, although she was frightened by the emperor's moody temper, she secretly delighted in the emperor's mature, handsome and imperial demeanor. I have admired him for many years.She is 20 years younger than the emperor. If she marries someone to fill the house, she can only be a concubine at best, and her husband will be about the same age as the emperor, so she would rather enter the palace than tell a lie, and this is why she has never Unexpected opportunity.

This is also the reason why Wu Min agreed to her and was willing to take the risk, although Wu Min knew in his heart that entering the palace didn't mean anything, the emperor wanted as many women as he wanted.But since she was willing, she might not be able to choose, so she asked someone to draw a portrait of her, and wrote her family background and experience to the emperor. Unexpectedly, the emperor really liked it, and after finishing her errands, forget it A wish for an old friend's family.

Before coming to see the emperor, Wei Mei also said that he would tell the emperor about his relationship with him. He thought that the fire could not be covered with paper. Even if the emperor was furious, it was better than hiding the emperor's worries forever. The emperor would know sooner or later, so he obeyed her.I have been in the Lifan Academy for many years, and there are very few Han people in it. I can't send any important errands, but I am not busy.I originally loved garden design, but it was easier to get into the Lifan Academy, and I was worthy of my ten-year poor window. The head of the hall was only a small official of the sixth rank, but it was also the highest position for a Han Chinese in the Lifan Academy.He is aloof and arrogant, and has only had Wei Mei's father as a friend for many years.After entering the officialdom, the situation forced me to be more unwilling to interact with people.

The emperor had a close relationship with the Lifan Academy, and had some contact with himself, but suddenly gave himself a secret decree to find a woman for the emperor. He was very reluctant, so he took it, tall, short, fat, thin, beautiful, and even as long as he could close his eyes. The emperor had been dissatisfied with all the appearances, and it was not in vain to have Wei Mei enter the palace in the end.And it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, the emperor asked himself to repair the garden, it seems that the emperor had investigated himself before sending him the job of finding someone.Thinking of this, I couldn't help being startled, and worried about what would happen to Wei Mei.In the evening, Li Yu came to his lower place in the Old Summer Palace and told him that the emperor had kept Wei Mei, etc. He felt that the whole thing was strange, but naturally he obeyed the order.

The author has something to say:

[Historical origin] Lifan Academy.Li Fanyuan is the highest authority of the Qing government to rule the ethnic minorities such as Mongolia, Hui and Tibet.Its predecessor was built in the reign of Emperor Taiji, and it was set up to handle (Monan) Mongolian affairs at that time, and its original name was "Mongolia Yamen".After Huang Taiji came to the throne, the Jurchens were still outside the pass, and their desire to win the Central Plains became even more urgent.At that time, in addition to the peasant army in the Central Plains, the Ming Dynasty, the leaders of Manchuria, and Monan Mongolia formed a tripartite force.Between the Ming government and the leaders of Manchuria, the geographical location of Monan Mongolia is very important, and it is a buffer zone.The position of Monan Mongolia directly affects the growth and decline of the power of the Ming government and the leaders of Manchuria.

In order to eliminate the worries of advancing in the Central Plains, the leader of Manchuria is determined to win and control Monan Mongolia.Huang Taiji once said: "Taking Yanjing is like cutting down a big tree. You must cut down from both sides first, and then the big tree will fall on its own."The purpose of setting up the Qing proxy vassal court was precisely to meet the strategic measures taken by the Manchu leaders to "cut down" the big tree of the Ming Dynasty in order to enter the Central Plains. The inevitable trend.In a certain sense, the Lifan Academy was set up for the Manchu leaders to better control and manage Mongolia, with the purpose of advancing the Central Plains faster.After Emperor Qianlong quelled the rebellion of the Hui Ministry, he ordered the Minister of Military Affairs that the Lifan Academy could also take charge of the affairs of the Hui Ministry.

The six divisions of the Lifan Academy are in charge of government orders such as royal salary, tribute, delimitation, official system, military punishment, household registration, farming and animal husbandry, taxation, post station, trade, and religion.Under the jurisdiction of the Lifan Academy, there are successively established institutions such as the Inner Hall, the Outer Hall, Mongolian Studies, Tangut Studies, Toth (Oirat) Studies, Russian Studies, Mulan Paddock, Lama Printing Office, and Zeli Hall.In addition, staff members such as Bi Tie Shi are stationed in minority areas to handle specific affairs and rotate regularly.The highest position of the Han people in it is the head of the hall.