Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace

Hailan left feeling disappointed when dinner was approaching.Yizheng came in to clean up the cold remnants of tea, and she had a faint fragrance of plums brought in from outside. Ruyi was a little dazed, and asked casually, "When is this? The early plums in the palace are all blooming?"

Yizheng poured hot tea again, and replied with a smile: "Isn't it? Your Majesty always thinks that the begonias and hibiscus in the yard are not fragrant, but Ling Xiao, which is your favorite, has withered, and it was Rong Pei who just went to lean on it." After a long search in the plum garden, I finally found a few white plums that were barely noticeable, and put them in vases of earth as tributes in the Nuan Pavilion."

"Why is it Baimei? But this is the season, it's not the time for Yurui Tanxinmei to bloom." Ruyi didn't drink tea, and walked out slowly.

Winter in the capital came quickly, and the fallen leaves hadn’t been flying for a few days before the north wind sighed and passed through the palace palaces in the deep shadows of the red walls, passing over the remnants of flowers and decaying grass, condensing into a frosty air, covering the palace with a thin cold.The crabapple couldn't last for a few days, but the layers of hibiscus in various colors bloomed relatively well, and they could still resist the severe frost, so that the eyes would not be dimmed.

Yizheng put on a soft fox fur cape from behind, and said softly: "Your Majesty, be careful."

Ruyi didn't look sideways, but only looked at the withered and large pieces of Ling Xiao's remnant branches beside the palace wall and said, "Today, please ask for Ping An's pulse in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, what do Jiang and Bin say?"

Yizheng bowed her head obediently, and said in a low voice: "There is a sign. Doctor Jiang said that the medicine is very concealed, and the pulse record is clearly written, so I am not afraid that others will see the clue. Moreover, even if someone later As for the question, it is all according to the emperor's will, and at worst, Concubine Rong will be responsible."

"Even so, you have to be extra careful. You don't want to see Aji again in the near future. If something happens, just ask Jiang and Bin to send a message." Ruyi's voice was so cold that there was no warmth, far worse than the north wind. "Did Jiang and Bin say how long it will take?"

"Physician Jiang said that you will know from Laba to Xiaonian." Yizheng replied, "Concubine Rong was serving the emperor at that time, and she knew about it earlier than we did. She also took the opportunity to send a message to Aji when she asked for peace. The imperial concubine has been paying attention to food these days, and will control the dosage of the medicine, and try her best to happen on the day of the Laba Festival."

"Very good." Ruyi squatted down and picked up a withered Xifu Begonia in her hand. The bright red petals had a circle of dull burnt yellow around them, just like an old scroll. "Go and prepare the next table for dinner, it's fifteen today."

Yizheng was a little surprised, and whispered: "The emperor hasn't come for many days..."

"Today is different. This palace and Concubine Rong have been feuding so far in front of the concubines of the sixth palace. The emperor will definitely come for his own face."

As Ruyi expected, even though many emperors from the [-]th day of the Lunar New Year stayed in Baoyue Tower, he still came to Yikun Palace that night.

The night in Yikun Palace was always very quiet, only a few more lanterns were placed in remote places, the emperor went all the way in, but he didn't see a few attendants, so he didn't allow Li Yu and his attendants to make any noise, and walked in with his hands behind his back.

Dinner is always served in Dongnuange.When the emperor arrived at the door, Ruyi was turning her back to herself and ordered Yizheng: "Go away this roasted venison, the emperor has used a lot of game these days, and his anger is high, quickly replace it with that lily, water chestnut and pear soup, to clear away the heat. After looking at it for a moment, he asked Rong Pei again, "What kind of incense is burning today? It's so strong."

Rong Pei heard it, and replied, "It's the agarwood that Yun Zhi brought from the House of Internal Affairs."

Ruyi frowned lightly, and said: "The Yikun Palace has never used such strong spices. The emperor has been tired all day, and smelling this dizzy, how can he be in the mood to eat? It's better than the two pots that Lingzhi brought today. Narcissus, I smell fine, go get someone to move it and put it by the window."

Yizheng couldn't help interjecting: "The empress always prepares like this every time, but the emperor hasn't come to Yikun Palace for a long time to see the empress..."

Ruyi glanced at her and said calmly: "Today is the [-]th day, so the rules are like this. It doesn't matter if the emperor comes or not, but I have to prepare everything that needs to be prepared. As a queen, I want the emperor to let the emperor do whatever he wants. When you step into Yikun Palace, you can do whatever you want, instead of just pretending that the emperor is coming."

Rong Pei and Yizheng had to answer one by one, and got up to go out, only to find the emperor standing by the door with a smile.Both of them hadn't seen the emperor come to Yikun Palace for several months, and they didn't realize it for a while, so they saluted hastily, "All blessings, Your Majesty..."

Ruyi turned around when she heard the sound, as if she had just realized that the emperor was walking in with a smile on her face, she hurriedly put on a smile on her face, bowed her knees and said: "My concubine pays my respects to the emperor. Why is the emperor here so soon?"

The emperor walked in with a smile, helped her up himself, and said softly: "The empress has worked hard. I have been busy with the affairs of the previous court, and I have time to visit the empress today. The empress won't complain about me, will she?"

"What the emperor said, the concubine and the emperor have been married for many years, why do they still care about the two-day reunion?" As soon as Ruyi smelled the cold fragrance on his body, she knew that he came from Baoyue Tower, and she didn't say anything. He only held a bowl of snow lotus soup and said: "The matter of the previous court is important, and the emperor must take good care of himself. The emperor braved the wind and frost to come here, let's drink some soup to warm up first."

The emperor accepted it readily, but he took a casual taste and put it down, showing a faint smile, and said softly, "The queen's craftsmanship is really good. This snow lotus sweet soup is full of lingering fragrance and has a sweet aftertaste. It took a lot of thought."

Ruyi smiled peacefully, and personally arranged chopsticks for the emperor, "The concubine's thoughts are nothing more than small, if the emperor likes it, it is also a blessing for this soup." She personally put a chopsticks clams and crucian carp in the emperor's bowl, "Jing Midwinter is irritable and melancholic, so it's good for the emperor to get rid of the anger."

The emperor's smile was impeccable, and he seemed satisfied with her eyes, "The queen should stop being busy all the time, don't be restrained, let's sit down and have dinner together."

There are not many fresh foods to eat in the season when the season is green and yellow, but there are some meaty things made of mushrooms and mushrooms in different ways.Only Yizheng, Li Yu, and Rong Pei were waiting outside Nuan Pavilion.

It had been a long time since such a quiet time appeared in Yikun Palace, it seemed that the emperor couldn't find anything to talk about for a while.After a long silence, the emperor cleared his throat and said, "I see that you don't grow many plum trees in Yikun Palace. The winter is inevitably boring and there are no flowers to enjoy. Instead, the painting garden has sent a few plum blossoms of Wang Mian of the Song Dynasty. Let Li Yu send the picture tomorrow, and the queen will see which one she likes, and it will be worth it."

Ruyi smiled like smoke and water, illuminating her beautiful face, misty, "The concubine would like to thank the emperor. It's just that the concubine is afraid that flowers are more delicate than people, and with the plum blossoms blooming, the concubine will look old."

The emperor still had a gentle smile as usual, but his voice was so crisp that there was no sound at the end, and his face was slightly cold, "The empress said this, is it to blame me for lingering in Baoyue Tower?"

Ruyi got up and saluted slightly, lowered her eyes slightly, and sighed slightly: "Jealousy is a serious crime for a concubine. As a queen, I naturally dare not have such a heart. But as a wife, it is not so much resentment as it is. It's just a taste. But as long as the concubine remembers, even if it is not in Baoyue Tower, the emperor wants to be exposed to the rain and dew. It is impossible to accompany the concubine alone. Moreover, the emperor has loved Concubine Rong deeply for so many years, and it is easy to turn around To Concubine Rong's mind, the concubine's taste is not fake, but she is really happy for the emperor."

The emperor's face softened a little, and he was quite joking, and he said half-jokingly: "It's rare to hear such words from the empress, it seems like I'm back in the hidden mansion." Zhui, his expression became more and more pleasant, "I'm just joking, the queen doesn't need to be so concerned, the dishes are almost cold."

"After so many years, the emperor still likes to joke like this." Ruyi smiled lightly, hiding the coldness in her eyes, "But although the concubines have no such intentions, the younger sisters in the harem have turned over the vinegar bottle in the past few months. Be a sympathetic concubine. It’s okay for the emperor to go to the younger sisters who are new to the palace.”

The emperor just snorted lightly, "The women in the harem are ignorant and jealous, so the queen doesn't have to mind. If anyone dares to criticize Concubine Rong, the queen will just deal with it according to the palace rules. Tell them to remember that even if Concubine Rong is just a concubine, she is not a casual concubine. Anyone can be bullied!"

So including her too?Ruyi thought to himself, the emperor has finally reached the point when he talked about it.Husband and wife have been together for many years, and their children are around their knees. After all, they can't compare with Concubine Rong's change of heart.From the moment he entered the door today, all he thought was to make her endure, and to use the majesty of the empress to suppress the dissatisfaction in the harem. In the end, the emperor continued to be happy, and all the resentment was towards her.

Just like in the original ending, when the emperor abolished the empress, he said that Ruyi was not lenient enough, so why didn't Ruyi take the blame?

Thinking about it, the emperor had to respond to his words.The corners of Ruyi's lips raised slightly, with a bright smile, "Left is just a matter for the concubines. The concubine said nothing, so the emperor doesn't have to be too angry. But when it comes to the concubine's position, the concubine remembered that the harem is now One of the four concubines is missing, and there are only Concubines Wan, Concubine Qing and Concubine Jin in the positions of concubines. They have not been added for a long time, but it is possible to add a few more, and let the concubines know that the emperor not only has Concubine Rong in his heart, but also misses her. with them."

The Jin concubine was born in the Fucha family and had long since fallen out of favor, so naturally she was not within the emperor's consideration.His complexion softened a little, and he thought for a while and said, "Both Concubine Wan and Concubine Qing enjoy concubine status. Neither of them had children, but they both raised princes and princesses, so they are qualified to be concubines. Now that you are a servant, since you have a lot of experience, let me make Concubine Wan Concubine Wan."

"Yes, the concubine will make arrangements now. It's just that the new year is coming soon, and the new year is not suitable for conferring. The canonization ceremony can only wait until the Lantern Festival." Ruyi counted with her fingers, "Where is the concubine? Now there are Gonggui, Xi Noble, sincere and often noble."

The emperor pondered: "It is not appropriate for a nobleman to be granted a title just after entering the palace. The father of nobleman Gong is Mengjunqi, and the concubines of Mengjunqi in the harem already have Concubine Ying and Concubine Ke as the main ones, but she, nobleman Xi and nobleman Cheng entered the palace on the same day. Palace, if it is not sealed, it seems that I prefer to be full of military flags, so I might as well seal the concubine together. It's just that there is no master in the Jubilee Palace, so I call her the master of Yonghe Palace. Qixiang Palace has also been vacant for a long time, let Cheng Concubine go live, as for Concubine Gong... that's all."

"The concubine knows." Ruyi replied with a smile, "It is also a rare event for one concubine and three concubines to join the Jin Dynasty. The concubine will make arrangements for it. Laba Festival is coming soon, so it would be nice to have more happy events."

When the emperor heard it, he didn't know what was on his mind, his face suddenly became ugly, and it took a long time for him to smile a little: "The empress is right." He looked at the narcissus blooming under the window, and there was clearly a bit of forbearance on his face. Bo angry, but not only to her, "It's even deeper, I will stay with the queen tonight."

Ruyi gracefully showed her due joy, "It's really not suitable for the emperor to go out due to the wind and cold in the early winter. If you stay here, the ministers and concubines are overjoyed."

The decree of Concubine Wan and others being promoted to the Jin Dynasty spread throughout the Forbidden City in the fragrance of porridge in the palace during the Laba Festival.But this kind of unexpected joy did not last long, it seemed to be to prove what Concubine Rong said was true. celebrate.

Looking at the empty first seat and the forced smiles of all the concubines, the queen mother resisted not having a fit, and only asked Ruyi: "Queen, where is the emperor now?"

Ruyi got up and saluted, and said concisely: "I have asked Rong Pei to go to Baoyue Tower to invite me."

The queen mother glanced around and snorted coldly, "The queen is really troublesome, you can't bear the emperor's refusal to go to Yikun Palace even on the fifteenth day of the lunar new year, and you even doubled the amount compared to previous years to arrange family banquets for the Laba Festival. But I can't wait for the emperor's 'excuse me' to see, it's really all for others to make wedding clothes!"

In front of concubines, princes and princesses of the sixth palace, the Empress Dowager's words like this are really too refuting for Ruyi's face, and she really doesn't leave any room for it.Yongjin and the others suddenly changed their colors, but since the matter involved the harem, it was difficult for them to speak out to refute.Yongqi glanced at her mother-in-law from the corner of her eye, seeing that she was also looking at Ruyi worriedly, her heart sank.

With Ruyi's intelligence, how could she fail to guess the reason why the queen mother is so and so, but that the concubine conferred by Jin this time is Concubine Wan and not Concubine Qing who was once attached to her.She bowed down and gave her a blessing, and said calmly: "My son is hosting the Laba family banquet. What he does is just for the emperor to do as he pleases, for the emperor's mother to be healthy, and for the six palaces to be in harmony. Why do you say that you make wedding dresses for others? Since Concubine Rong Being able to serve the emperor is happy, and my sons and servants will be full of joy as the emperor."

"What a virtuous and tolerant queen!" The queen mother glanced at Ruyi, and said sarcastically, "Empress Xiaoxian could call the word 'virtuous' back then, but she still had selfishness towards the emperor. Now the queen I don’t know if she really doesn’t mind or is it because of the emperor’s order to have you Rong Concubine up to this point? The Ai family heard that the emperor wants the empress to severely punish those who arranged for Concubine Rong behind her back!”

"The virtuous and the unvirtuous are only in the emperor's heart. My ministers think that they are not virtuous enough and dare not compare with the filial queen." Ruyi bowed his head and said respectfully: "Everything that my ministers have is the emperor's grace, so I dare not persuade you rashly. .If the Queen Mother gives instructions, I dare not refuse to accept them."

"Instructions?" The queen mother slowly moved the rosary in her hand, her brows frosted, "When Mrs. Han entered the palace that day, Ai's family worried that the harem would never be peaceful, so they dared not be cruel. In recent years, she has kept herself safe and never caused trouble. The family only regards her as the magistrate, and does not want to end up today. Empress, you are the master of the harem, how should you deal with such a vicious person who seduces the master?"

Ruyi's lips were cold, as if the chilly cicadas were soaking in the autumn, "Although Concubine Rong has received many favors, she didn't take advantage of her favors like the Wei family in Rehe Palace. My son..."

The queen mother interrupted her: "The empress also knows that the Han family should be compared with the Wei family? You need to know that the Wei family even gave birth to a prince and princess, and they have made contributions to the dragon veins. No matter how favored the Han family is, it is impossible for the emperor to give birth to an heir! "

No one in the harem knew about Concubine Rong's sterilization, and what the queen mother said was true.However, when these words fell into the ears of Ruyi and Hailan, it had another layer of deep meaning because of a matter that had not yet been revealed to the world.

Coincidentally, just as the Empress Dowager finished speaking, the emperor's calm and prestige voice suddenly came from outside the palace: "Emperor Niang also said that Concubine Rong is helpless in the dragon's veins, so we know that the instigator has no descendants?"

The voice seemed to come from the clouds, it was indistinct and unknowable, but it caused panic and confusion all over the place.The emperor approached steadily holding onto Concubine Rong's hand, and slowly scanned the crowd, his gaze settled on Ruyi's body, "The empress works hard for Concubine Rong."

After the hatchback ceremony was over, Concubine Rong got up and returned to her seat without looking at the crowd.The emperor strode up the stone steps and raised his glass to respect the queen mother from a distance. Although he was smiling, it was as cold as snow and frost. , I and Concubine Rong are able to have today, all thanks to the success of the Queen's mother."

The Empress Dowager paused while turning the beads, and said in a deep voice: "If you are not of my race, your heart must be different. Concubine Rong's current state shows that the mourning family has prepared for a rainy day."

There was a chill on the emperor's face, and there was a hint of resentment and sinisterness in his eyes, "Naturally, there is nothing wrong with the emperor's mother. It's just that except for Yonglin in the palace, she has not heard of it for many years and cried. Sometimes I always think about it. The successive deaths of the sons born to the Wei family are not only caused by the Wei family's restraint of the son, but also because some people in the harem did something that hurt the yin and prey, offended the heavens, and made the concubines unable to bear children?"

The empress dowager's eyes froze, and her expression changed: "The emperor is the son of heaven, and he has the blessing of heaven. As a survivor, it is a blessing from heaven to serve the emperor quietly. If there is a child, I'm afraid there will be more troubles. , the emperor already has so many princes and princesses, and there are many successors in the Qing Dynasty, how could it hurt the yin bird?"

The emperor's eyes were foggy, and there was a coldness and haze that had not been seen for many years. After a long time, he turned his eyes to the concubines, smiled slightly and took a sip of porridge, saying: "For Laba porridge, use yellow rice, white rice, and glutinous rice. , millet, water chestnut rice, chestnuts, peeled jujube paste, etc., boiled with water, and dyed red peach kernels, almonds, melon seeds, peanuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, white sugar, brown sugar, and Suo Suo grapes for dyeing. This is the original Sakyamuni The Muni became enlightened under the bodhi tree and once ate chylus. In order to worship the Buddha, later generations cooked porridge and worshiped it. The queen has been extraordinarily hard this year. I am very happy. With the help of the Buddha's mercy, I will come to wash away the harem's harem. good."

The emperor's words meant something, who would dare to cater to it?The Empress Dowager secretly clenched the beads tightly, trying not to attack.

At such a time, only Ruyi can speak: "The emperor is thinking about the harem, and the ministers and concubines are waiting for the emperor's favor. Please drink this cup to the full."

"it is good!"

The emperor poured himself a big cup, raised his head and drank it all in one gulp.The concubines breathed a sigh of relief when they saw each other, and toasted one by one.The song and dance carefully prepared by Hai Lan and Yi Huan also came up to compliment.

Concubine Rong was the most impatient with these social engagements, she got up and said: "The concubine is not feeling well, I'm afraid I've lost my interest, so I'll leave first." Then she took Aji away.

The emperor didn't want Concubine Rong to leave the table, and regardless of the Queen Mother's eyes, he hurriedly got up and said: "I will go back with you..."

Before he finished speaking, he saw the emperor's feet paused, as if he was a little dizzy, Li Yu stepped forward to help, but it was too late, he saw the emperor's body swaying, and he fell straight down the steps as if out of control.

"emperor!"