[Qing Chuan] Have a meal in the harem

No matter what they thought in their hearts, the next morning, the few of them met and went to the residence of the Empress Dowager together.

The climate and environment of Tangquan Xinggong is indeed more comfortable than that of the imperial palace, but the architecture is different. Instead of calling it Xinggong, it is better to be a Dahuangzhuang.

It was the early days of Kangxi, and the famous Changchun Garden, Yuanmingyuan and even the Chengde Mountain Resort had not yet been built.

This Tangquan Palace occupies a convenient location, and several hot springs were found, so it was selected and expanded. Later, it was used by the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang as a treatment center. The real effort to transform it was in the late Kangxi period.

It's just that when the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager lived, Yi Min felt that she was wrong. Compared with their small Po Qingfeng Garden, the Empress Dowager's Yi Ning Garden was simply a small garden with pavilions, terraces, waterside pavilions, and rockery corridors. All reveal exquisiteness.

Walking along the long corridor, the three of them felt the shabbyness of Qingfengyuan more and more.

Yimin: I'm so stupid, really!I actually thought Xiaozhuang's simplicity and mine were the same simplicity!

Concubine Tong Shu: Sure enough, the Empress Dowager is targeting me!

Guo Luoluo Lanjin: I must hug the empress dowager's thick thigh!

It was La Aunt Su Ma who came out to meet them.

"Masters, come with your servants, the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager are already worshiping the Buddha."

Yimin and Guo Luoluo Lanjin on her right looked at each other, all three of them were a little surprised and panicked.

What is surprising is that the Empress Dowager has already started to worship the Buddha, so how early did she get up? What is terrified is that the Empress Dowager has been up for a long time before they came slowly. What about being disrespectful?

Guo Luoluo Lanjin, who is still the most familiar with Aunt Su Ma, said: "It's our fault. I didn't want to disturb the empress dowager's rest, so I came a little late, but I didn't expect that the empress dowager is so sincere. It is so early to get up to worship the Buddha, and we also..."

"My lord, you don't need to be nervous," Aunt Su Ma comforted, "The Empress Dowager went to bed early last night, so she got up early today. My lord's arrival is not too late."

Several people were relieved now, each expressed their concern about the Empress Dowager's health, and after Lagu Su Ma answered, they turned to praise the Empress Dowager's sincerity in worshiping Buddha.

After blowing a few rainbow farts hard, they followed Lagu Su Ma into the small Buddhist hall.

Xiao Zhuang and the Queen Mother were kneeling in front of the Buddha to pick up Buddha rice, when they saw the three saluting, they just nodded slightly and ignored them.

Embarrassed for a while, seeing that Xiao Zhuang didn't respond to them, she looked at Aunt Su Ma, and she only smiled without giving any hints.

Eyes fell on the only two thin futons left, Yimin gritted her teeth, knelt down on the futon behind the queen mother, clasped her hands together, closed her eyes and meditated.

This futon cuts corners!

After kneeling down, Yimin realized that the futon was different from the usual ones, it was too thin, and she could even feel a bit of chill coming from her knees.

No need to think about it, but the two remaining futons were specially prepared by the Empress Dowager for them.

This time, Guo Luoluo Lanjin reacted quite quickly. Seeing this, she also quickly knelt down on the futon behind the Empress Dowager, pretending to worship the Buddha.

Concubine Tong Shu looked awkward, but there were only four futons in the room, the empress dowager and the queen dowager each occupied one, she was a step slower and failed to catch Guo Luoluo Lanjin, and was at a loss for a moment.

She quickly found the steps for herself, and first asked La Aunt Su Ma to beg for it in a low voice, but when she failed, she knelt down on the bluestone floor tiles without changing her expression.

Yi Min, who had been listening to the movement with her ears upright, sweated for her: This is winter!

Sure enough, a woman who can get into the position of imperial concubine or even empress in Kangxi's harem has two brushes after all.

She didn't dare to open her eyes, she was really scared, seeing her was like encountering a natural enemy, even feeling uncomfortable in the same room.

Although the charcoal fire was burning inside the house, two windows were opened for ventilation, and the temperature was just right, but Yimin was sweating profusely.

She thought bitterly: Fortunately, she survived, otherwise it would have been even worse.

When Xiaozhuang finished picking up the Buddha rice, half an hour had passed, and Yimin's chin began to drip sweat. She didn't dare to move or wipe, and she didn't even dare to open her eyes. Her arms were numb when she raised her arms. The matter of Kangxi's ink research.

I thought to myself: The tricks of the grandparents and grandchildren are really in the same line!

Yi Min is still like this, Concubine Tong Shu is only worse, her complexion is pale, and she can only hold on with one breath.

If Yimin turns around, she will find that even now, the future Empress Xiaoyiren is still like a green pine, with a straight back and firm eyes.

And the longer she knelt, the calmer she became.

……

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang did not leave the Buddhist hall after picking up Buddhist rice, but continued to read Buddhist scriptures.

She scolded her mother in her heart, even though she still hated Concubine Tong Shu's scheme against Zhuo Yuan, she couldn't help but worry at this moment, in terms of her three views and principles of handling things, this method was really too much!

A quarter of an hour later, just a second before Yimin couldn't help opening her eyes, the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang suddenly stopped reciting half of the Buddhist scriptures, and opened her mouth: "Let's stop here today, Su Ma, send a few Concubine Shu, let's go out, I don't need to come here to pay my respects during this time, I just go to the West Pavilion to pray for Ai's family and the emperor for two hours every day."

Where is the West Pavilion?Yimin didn't know.I don't care about the two hours of chanting for now, there is nothing more important than leaving here.

The accompanying maids were blocked outside the small Buddhist hall, and there were only six people in the Buddhist hall at the moment: Xiaozhuang, Queen Mother, Yimin and Lagu Su Ma.

Opening her eyes, she bent over, felt a burst of coldness when her forehead touched the floor tiles, and her numb limbs moved stiffly. Yimin heard her respectful voice: "Yes."

She got up slowly, not because she didn't want to go fast, but because her body didn't allow it.

Carefully moving towards the entrance of the Buddhist hall, when he passed Concubine Tong Shu, he paused, ignoring the other party's surprised gaze, and stretched out his hand with the last strength to pull her up.

Feeling Concubine Tong's icy body leaning against her, Yimin took a deep breath, held her under the armpit, and the two supported each other and walked out together.

Guo Luoluo Lanjin's situation was much better than theirs, they went out first, and when the two of them went outside, she had already been put on a cloak by the maid of honor and walked out with the help of them.

Lu Liu and Concubine Tong's maid, Qiu Rong, were already in a hurry, and surrounded them as soon as they saw them.

Especially Qiu Rong, when she saw Concubine Tong like that, she burst into tears, and Concubine Tong scolded her in a low voice, "Press the tears back, don't forget where this is!"

Qiu Rong held back her tears according to her words, but her eyes were reddened. She took Concubine Tong Shu who was leaning against Yi Min's body, and she couldn't help but thank Yi Min in a choked tone.

The moment Qiu Rong helped Concubine Tong Shu away, Yimin heard a very low "thank you".

Yimin thought in her heart: I am not here to help you, I am here for my own conscience.

She wrapped the rabbit fur cloak around her body tightly, propped herself on Lu Liu's body to breathe slowly, and replied in a exhausted tone: "Don't thank me, go back quickly."

The two pairs of master and servant left Yi Ning Yuan step by step, keeping today firmly in their hearts.

……

Yi Ning Yuan, Buddhist hall.

Xiaozhuang stood up and said indifferently: "How is it?"

The queen mother, who also stood up beside her, was silent. Aunt Su Ma took a step forward and repeated the performance of the three of them, including Yi Min's unstoppable sweat and Concubine Tong Shu's increasingly straight back.

"It seems that this time, Tong Jirou really has a grudge against Aijia."

After lighting three incense sticks and respecting the Buddha, Xiao Zhuang's tone was nonchalant.

Aunt Su Ma persuaded: "Ge Ge, why bother?" Concubine Tong Shu always respected the Palace of Compassion and Peace.

"The emperor has valued the Tong family more and more in recent years. Not to mention raising the flag, but also to return the Tong family to the Tong Jia family. He is not afraid of being unfit for virtue. The Tong family has also become more and more arrogant in the palace in the past two years, attracting a lot of attention. The emperor wanted to seal it many times."

"The Ai family couldn't take care of it in the previous dynasty, but the Ai family can still take care of this harem. If Concubine Tong hadn't died early, I'm afraid she would have to climb on top of the Ai family and the queen mother."

Everyone knows that Concubine Tong here refers to Empress Xiaokangzhang, the aunt of Concubine Tong.

The Queen Mother lowered her head, not to meet Xiao Zhuang's gaze.

Aunt Su Ma naturally knew Xiao Zhuang's knot: the emperor was so kind to his biological mother's family, but he was so wary of his grandmother's mother's family who single-handedly raised him!

Every time she loves concubine Tong Shu, she doesn't like to ignore concubine Borjigit.

Didn't he poke the soft flesh in the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang's heart?

If it weren't for the fact that Kangxi's double standards were too obvious, Xiaozhuang wouldn't be so attached to a prince who has a Borzigit bloodline.

And the more persistent Xiaozhuang is, the more defensive Kangxi is!

This becomes an endless loop.

Do Kangxi and Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang know?Of course they knew, but none of them wanted to take a step back.

Regretted asking this question, which caused the empress dowager's sadness, Aunt Su Ma hurriedly made amends: "Concubine Dong Shu looks very lively, but she didn't expect to be so timid, she scared herself to death."

Xiaozhuang also remembered what Kangxi had said to her, and the secret report sent before leaving the palace. She also had some impressions of Concubine Dong Shu. She thought she was a thoughtful person, and she didn't want to look like a little fox, but she was actually a little white rabbit.

The old man said meaningfully: "In this palace, it's easier to be a little timid than to be too courageous... But in this way, Concubine Guo Luoluo can still be used..."

Aunt Su Ma knew it in her heart, "The next time Concubine Guo Luoluo comes over, the servant will welcome her in?"

But Xiao Zhuang shook his head and said: "You just need to look after Fu Fu for a while, if Tana can be up to date, then she won't be needed, and if Tana can't, it won't be too late to win her over."

The gap between the low ranks of the two sides is too large, and it was Guo Luoluo who sent her to the door herself. It is not rare for people to catch up, and the Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang can't pay attention to it.

But the queen mother on the side remembered Concubine Guo Luoluo. Although she missed Horqin, she was not as obsessed with it as the empress dowager. She could see it clearly.

The empress dowager, who was old, frail, and increasingly paranoid, and the emperor, who was young and strong, were wise and powerful. There was no need for a contest between them, and the winner was determined.

Besides, if the emperor insists on not wanting it, who can conjure a prince out of thin air?What a joke!

In everyone's impression, the empress dowager, who had been stunned for decades, hid in the shadow of the Buddhist hall, lowering her head and showing a mocking smile.

My great-aunt, you are old after all.