[Red Mansions] The Road to Empress Dowager

At this time, the luncheon was only attended by the clan, and the banquet tables were not placed outside the hall, and only concubines in the harem had separate seats in the front, while other low-ranking concubines were in the back row.The close clan and princesses accompanied me next.

Today is the Empress Dowager Zhou's Thousand Autumn Festival, she is in the main position, with Empress Dowager Liu on her right and Tu Yuanyi on her left.But Tu Yuanyi's next head is the empress, and Xing Xiuyan sits next to Empress Dowager Liu.In ancient times, the left was the most respected, and the ranking was of course particular. The empress was concubine Hui, and next to her was the second prince. Although the second prince was not born to Concubine Hui, he was raised under her knees since childhood.

The second prince on the opposite side looked at Xing Xiuyan, his eyes were like ice crystals, his eyebrows and eyes looked very similar to Tu Yuanyi, Xing Xiuyan couldn't help smiling at her.

And because the eldest prince looks more like the queen, and the queen is still alive, Xing Xiuyan finds it difficult to get close.

Clan princesses, concubines, and low-level concubines in the harem sat in the bottom or back row.

After a while, the emperor's fresh and young concubines came to perform. These beautiful women who were selected from all over the country were naturally eye-catching.

The dancer in red was as light as a cat, with a graceful figure, every step seemed to be able to hit people's hearts.

She cast her eyes towards Tu Yuanyi, really beautiful, Xing Xiuyan didn't think she could be more beautiful than her.The concubines are both bitter and expectant. They have no favors now, and they really need such beauties to break the status quo of uneven rain and dew.Only when the emperor turns his eyes away from Concubine Chen, can they have hope.

Xing Xiuyan naturally knew what they were thinking, and she was also a bunch of poor people, but she was also very pitiful.If she loses Tu Yuanyi, the ending can be imagined.Eighty percent of the concubines present wished her to die. Once she fell out of favor, she would face everyone's bite. She had no way out, or Tu Yuanyi didn't leave her a way out at all.

A woman's life is involuntary, and the only one to blame is that the society of this era is too harsh on women.

The water sleeves fluttered, the lotus steps moved lightly and silently, and spun more and more quickly, really like a nine-day fairy falling into the world of mortals, which shocked any young man.

The music stopped, and Yingying, the leading dancer, stepped forward and bowed down: "Concubine Feng Lian congratulates the Empress Dowager on her blessings like the East China Sea and her longevity in Nanshan."

Feng Lian's current status is a beauty, a new show girl, but she hasn't served in bed yet.

Empress Dowager Zhou nodded her head in praise, and was appreciated, but it was Empress Dowager Liu who said with a smile: "Sure enough, the dance is graceful and graceful. Emperor, look, don't you?"

Tu Yuanyi smiled slightly, looked at Feng Lian and said, "It's not bad, let's put in a lot of hard work."

Feng Lianying bowed down and said: "My concubine has loved dancing since she was a child. Although she practices hard every day, she doesn't feel bitter doing what she loves."

Liu Jingru glared at Xing Xiuyan viciously, and then gave Feng Lian a sour and embarrassing look.Why let this little fairy stand out today? It's been a long time since she saw the emperor. Although she can't dance, she can also play the piano.

But my aunt refused to let her perform, but suggested Feng Lian to dance to attract people's attention.

After seeing Feng Lian retreating, Liu Jingru stepped out temporarily and said, "The two empress dowagers, with Beauty Feng dancing in front, let Jingru play a song for everyone."

Empress Dowager Liu somewhat hated that iron could not be made into steel, but now this is the only daughter the Liu family can afford. Originally, there was a concubine daughter in the second room who was beautiful, but she broke her leg in an accident while going out on the incense carriage before the draft.

Empress Dowager Liu knew that Liu Jingru's mother and daughter had something to do with this matter, but she knew what to do, she also couldn't watch the Liu family fall.

The Empress Dowager Zhou said: "When we are celebrating today, I don't really want to listen to quiet music, but to watch lively dances. Concubine Wen, please step back."

Liu Jingru felt resentful and wronged, so she had to go back to her seat.Xing Xiuyan looked at Liu Jingru and suddenly felt that she was very pitiful. In fact, what was she doing in the palace to soak in this muddy water.If she married someone outside, at least now that the Empress Dowager Liu is still there, she can still live with confidence, and her future husband's family will not bully her.

According to the inheritance habits of the ancients, if her brother is not outstanding, she can still look forward to her son.Even if you are poorer in the next 20 years, it is better than not being favored in this deep palace.

After sitting for a while, Xing Xiuyan left the table to change clothes, and Ziyue accompanied her around to the main hall, and turned a few more turns.This Ci'an Palace is not her own Lingyan Palace, nor is it in Taiji Palace, she can only come to this place for convenience.But fortunately, this place is not with the eunuchs and maids, it is only for high-ranking masters, and it is very clean.

After he relieved himself, he left the dressing room and wanted to go back, but Xing Xiuyan felt a little unhappy seeing all the women asking for favor from Tu Yuanyi, so he didn't want to go there.

Seeing a small garden at the back, the sweet-scented osmanthus was just in bloom, and I couldn't help but want to sit down on the stone chair beside it and breathe slowly. As I was walking past, I suddenly heard a sound from behind the flower bed bushes.

She couldn't help but walked over to have a look, only to vaguely see two figures stacked together behind the flowers, and a woman's painful cry came softly.

"Your Highness, don't, please spare this servant, Your Highness, the empress will kill me."

Suddenly I heard a boy's voice like a duck's voice, saying: "If you don't follow my prince, this prince will kill you."

Hearing the low sobbing sound of the palace lady, Xing Xiuyan's heart was pounding.This is... the eldest prince?

He seems to be only eleven years old, right?

Xing Xiuyan was about to walk away quietly, but when Ziyue stepped on a small stone, in order to stabilize her figure, she stepped heavily, and the people in the flowers had already heard it.

Tu Hui got up disheveled, with some grass clippings on his body, he couldn't help being surprised when he saw Xing Xiuyan, with fear in his eyes, he quickly gathered his clothes and ran away.

The court lady also found her, she folded her clothes and knelt in front of her, crying, "Grand Concubine, please spare me!"

Xing Xiuyan saw that the maid was only thirteen or fourteen years old, she was quite beautiful, and she cried pitifully.

Xing Xiuyan couldn't help sighing in her heart how many girls have been ruined by this evil harem system.

Xing Xiuyan shook her head secretly, and said, "Go, I haven't seen anything."

The maid was still sobbing, Xing Xiuyan frowned, and said: "Instead of crying here, you might as well tidy up your clothes and hair. What's the use of crying? If you want to climb the high branch of the eldest prince, I won't stop you."

The maid said: "The servant deserves death! But how dare the servant climb the high branch of the eldest prince, the servant is forced, and the servant is only a second-class maid next to the empress, and the first prince coerces the servant, so the servant has no choice but to obey."

Xing Xiuyan said: "Whether it is voluntary or coerced, how can there be reason in this palace? If you want to climb high, this is not the place. If you don't want to, then you should stop showing such a pitiful demeanor in front of the eldest prince. In short These things today are really unwise.”

Although Xing Xiuyan sympathized with the women in the harem, he was not stupid.When people like this come and go today, these two people hang out here alone, this palace maid didn't come here on her own legs, could it be that the First Prince can still kidnap people?It's just that Xing Xiuyan knows that it is understandable for a harem woman to climb a high branch while young for the future, and she doesn't hate it like other concubines.

The maid hurriedly tidied up her skirt, but Xing Xiuyan walked away in a huff.

But he said that after the first prince was smashed through the "first experience" plan, he ran back to the gate of the main hall of Ci'an Palace in a panic.The eldest prince had heard of this imperial concubine Chen, and he heard that she was the most flattering concubine to his father, with vicious thoughts, and made his mother lose favor and lose face.It is said that she most wanted to knock down the queen mother so that she could replace her. This time she will definitely not hide it for him.

Tu Yuanyi raised the princes very strictly, and controlled their work and rest time, and because Tu Yuanyi knew that the second prince would indulge in drinking and sex in the future, he only used eunuchs for the underage princes, not maids.Tu Hui wants to get close to women, except for sneaking out on such festivals, there really is no other opportunity.

Before Tu Hui entered the door, he withdrew his legs, his body was a little tense.

No, if she exposes him, he will definitely disappoint his father even more.He had violated his father's taboo a few days ago because of his mother's queen, and recently his father has been ignoring him very much. If he still leaves ink history in front of his father because of this, he will be finished in the future.

The eldest prince's heart became ruthless, and he turned back again.

Xing Xiuyan was a little surprised, how dare the other party reappear in front of her.

The eldest prince saluted her politely: "Imperial concubine."

With a trace of contempt in Xing Xiu's eyes, he said, "You don't need to say anything. I didn't see anything either."

Seeing her contemptuous gaze, the First Prince felt ashamed and angry, but he still wanted to protect himself, and asked, "You really don't want to say anything?"

Xing Xiuyan said indifferently: "You are not my son."

The eldest prince said: "You won't lie to me, use this matter to get rid of me and the queen mother in the future."

Xing Xiuyan hehe, said: "You can imagine so much, why don't you go to heaven? I really want to get rid of you, and it's not something you can stop by talking about it now, but it depends on what price you can pay."

The eldest prince was angry and worried, and said, "What do you want?"

Xing Xiuyan originally wanted to say what you, a brat, can give me.But I think this eldest prince is in the middle of his adolescence with impulsiveness, his talent is developing rapidly, and his sexuality/impulse is not under his control.Therefore, I'm afraid that he will commit this crime again before he serves the palace maid, and then he may die tragically of an innocent woman.

Xing Xiuyan said: "What do I want, can you really do it?"

The eldest prince said: "If you keep your word, this prince can do it."

Xing Xiu paused for a moment, then said in a low voice: "You should wait for your mother to give you the maid in bed. You are the son of the emperor, how can you sneak around like a mouse? The son of the emperor should be the son of a dragon, and he should hold his status precious and cherish the common people. You If you want to be a mouse, it's better to take off this dragon skin, dig a hole in the ground with peace of mind and no one will stop you, so as to save your father from wondering where you came from."

The eldest prince was only 11 years old, at this moment tears could not help but flow out, he felt unprecedented humiliation.If others would dare to ridicule him and humiliate him like that, but Concubine Chen is the emperor's favorite person, even the queen mother can't touch her, how can he, a prince who has been neglected, be an opponent now?

After all, Xing Xiuyan is also a little reluctant to respond to Tu Yuanyi's son. Originally, when adolescent children make some mistakes, it is modern times that focus on education and counseling.Xing Xiuyan didn't even realize that she hated the child born to Tu Yuanyi and other people, and the child looked half or half like a queen.As long as a woman has feelings, she will be biased, so she can't help but be mean to a child. After all, she is a mortal.

The eldest prince suppressed his sense of humiliation, trembling all over, clasped his fists and said: "My prince... has been taught. I also invite the imperial concubine to... keep her word."