Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace

In July of the 35th year of Qianlong, the Empress Dowager's national mourning was removed.On August [-]th, Gu Lun, Princess Wen, and Princess Heshuo and Princess Jing descended on the same day, which has become a good story.Jing Yao and Jing Concubine bid farewell to the empress and concubine Ying in Baohe Hall, and left the boxy Forbidden City one after the other.The only difference is that one was carried to the mansion of General Guerjia, while the other was carried to the distant and vast Zasak Grassland.

On that day, despite Jiang Yubin's medicinal drinks, the emperor was still yawning, and he was accompanied by Concubine Rong back to Liuxiang She.The rest of the concubines dispersed separately, and only Hailan accompanied Ruyi standing on top of Dan Bi, watching the fiery red disappear into the sunset light, she found that the corners of her eyes were so dry that she couldn't even shed a tear.

Royal weddings are mostly held on such evenings, though rarely in August.Looking out from the steps, a row of colorful glazed tiles on the eaves in the distance is dazzling, dazzling people's eyes and fascinating people's hearts among the overwhelming red silk.

"Sister, are you tired?" Hailan's voice was thin and tough, like an elongated thin thread, "We finally sent the last child out of this golden cage. But sister, we are the ones who will be together for the rest of our lives. Can't get out."

Ruyi stretched out her hand to catch a pale pink begonia petal blown by the corridor. Such a small and thin flower, like tears, fell on the palm of her hand: "Look, what you can see today, what you can't see, which one?" Can you get out of the Daqing Gate? Look at this flower, even if it is lost, it can only be lost in the palace garden. The palace wall is so high that it can't die with the wind."

"Sister, I know that you will be tired and bored too." Hailan's tone was deeply dependent and understanding, "From that day you said those words to me, I understand that you are It is the most tiring. You are tired of many people and many things, but if you don’t fight or fight, you won’t be able to live.”

Ruyi nodded gently, letting the afterglow of autumn evening cover her body: "Yes. Time is slow and long, and it makes people despair." She closed her eyes to reject the emptiness in front of her eyes, "So, Hailan, I don't want to delay any longer."

Hai Lan nodded knowingly, and said in a low voice: "Sister, Concubine Rong has already made preparations. If sister hadn't insisted on waiting for Jing Yao's marriage, I'm afraid she wouldn't have waited until now."

With a cold feeling running through her heart, Ruyi suddenly opened her eyes: "I'm always selfish. Before I came here, I saw the saplings in Yikun Palace blooming, but this year's weather is cold, and the flowering period may be short. I've been Think about what kind of ending to use to commemorate this upcoming flower fall."

Hailan raised her beautiful lips and sneered, "To commemorate? Then we have to choose a festival. Chongyang will be next month, and the closest good day is Mid-Autumn Festival, but that day is the day when Jing Yao returns home. Nothing to make children think of taboo in the future."

Ruyi shook her head, stretched out her hand to carefully wipe off the fine powder on the Phoenix court clothes, "I thought about it, but I just don't think it's worth it. It's better to let the ending be quiet than to make a big splash. I don't want every Mid-Autumn Festival or Chongyang, everyone thinks of unpleasant things."

"What does sister mean..." Hailan asked.

"Jing Yao will do it after returning to the door, and the day when it will flare up depends on God's will."

Three days later, it will be the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the son-in-law, Erleden, escorts Jingwei to the outside of Yikun Palace.Jing Yao talked about the situation after marriage. Although the son-in-law is a general, he is also steady and simple;After hearing this, Ruyi said with a smile: "The children and grandchildren have their own blessings." That's all.

That night, the singing and singing in Liuxiang House were intoxicating all night long.Ruyi watched Ling Xiao blooming in full bloom all night, and before dawn, she sprinkled fire oil to burn it down.

On August [-], the emperor was ill.

The emperor's dragon body was restless, so Li Yu dared not neglect, so he invited Jiang Yubin on the front foot, and Bao on the back foot, and went to Yikun Palace to pass the message.

The Hall of Mental Cultivation is not as grand and spacious as the Palace of the Qing Dynasty. It is the same as the palace of the concubine, with a small square of clear blue sky above the head, separated by the surrounding palace walls.Large swaths of white clouds in the sky were blown by the bright wind and disappeared without a trace.The shadow of the sun shifted under the dark red eaves, and the courtyard was silent.

Turning around the Nuan Pavilion, the emperor was not in the sleeping hall. Li Yu said it was because the dragon's body was not suitable for moving, and he was still in the fragrance room at the back of the hall.When Ruyi entered, the emperor was lying flat on the couch, soundly asleep.The smell of the medicine in the room was bitter and strong, and there was a scent of sweet and greasy powder in it. No need to guess, Ruyi could imagine how confused and absurd it was here last night.

Concubine Rong was watching from the side, her hair was in a disheveled bun, and in front of her was a bowl of steaming soup.Ruyi looked at her with lowered eyebrows, but asked Li Yu, "Dr. Jiang came to see her? But why did the emperor suddenly fall ill?"

Li Yu is a fine person, he glanced at Concubine Rong cautiously, and said hesitantly: "Yes. Physician Jiang said...the emperor's body has been weak, and last night...Physician Jiang prescribed medicine, saying that he would drink it when the emperor woke up. .”

Ruyi said: "Is there a major obstacle?"

Li Yu answered the wrong question: "Prince Jiang is preparing a prescription for future diagnosis and treatment in the side hall, and has sent someone to invite several highly respected imperial physicians from the imperial hospital to discuss it together."

Ruyi didn't know what this meant, the emperor's illness was dangerous.She was silent for a while, then Fang said: "Concubine Rong, you hurt the dragon's body, what else can you say?"

Concubine Rong didn't answer, she was just in a daze.

Ruyi followed her gaze, and saw a copper flying luan candlestick on the table, and a straight branch of peach blossom dipped in water was painted on the snowmelt gauze lampshade, the halo was hazy, glowing with the warmth of spring water.

The bricks, tiles, tables, and chairs of this Liuxiang House are all decorated with snow lotus patterns in imitation of the customs of Hanbu.But the only thing is that there are no peach blossoms in the cold part, let alone the warmth of spring water flowing eastward.There, there are only endless snow-capped mountains, and at the foot of the snow-capped mountains are cold green fields and Hanbu people who are struggling to survive.

Ruyi didn't have time to sigh, it was Hanxiang's sadness seeing someone alone, and it had nothing to do with her.All she needs to do is to order Li Yu sternly: "From now on, Concubine Rong will be confined to Baoyue Tower and not to step out of the palace gate."

Concubine Rong gave her a hasty glance before she left, she was persistent and firm, clearly telling her, remember your promise.

Concubine Rong left, and only Ruyi was by the emperor's side.The emperor woke up once on the way, and asked about Concubine Rong, Ruyi only said to let her go back to rest, the emperor nodded after learning about it, and fell asleep again after drinking the medicine.

After that, he did not wake up for several days.

One after another, the concubines who learned that the emperor had fallen ill came to visit one by one.It was not the first time he was seriously ill, the harem still acquiesced in Ruyi and Hailan's sickness in front of the bed, and Yi Huan assisted in managing the harem, which was considered step-by-step.

But what was unexpected was that this time the emperor did not see any improvement, and even gradually weakened in the lethargy day after day.By mid-September, the emperor could no longer eat, and could only hang himself by force-feeding ginseng soup.

Even the emperor himself, I'm afraid he never thought of it now.Or maybe his obsession with Concubine Rong has surpassed cherishing his own body.It is not uncommon for the emperor's temper to become more and more stubborn in his later years.

The emperor's return to light came in an evening.

After ordering the Three Treasures to invite Yong Jin, Yong Long and other adult princes in Beijing and the princes of the close branches, they arranged some urgently needed items for the emperor, which were already willow shoots on the moon.Ruyi pushed open the palace door and went out, there was already a large group of concubines with tears in their eyes kneeling under the steps.The night wind blew slowly, and the dense fragrance of flowers in the air wrapped around her body softly. Ruyi looked intently, but there was no Concubine Rong in the crowd.

Of course she didn't want to come.

Hailan and Yihuan are the first one on the left and the other on the right, and then they kneel down in order according to their positions. The two princesses who have not yet left the cabinet follow their mother and concubine.Ruyi raised her face and asked, "Li Yu, who made this kneeling here?"

Li Yu took a step forward, bowed his waist and said: "Going back to the empress, at first it was Concubine Ying and Concubine Wan who were here, and then the masters of the palaces came after they got the news. The two noble concubines couldn't persuade them, so they had to kneel down .”

Ruyi nodded, glanced at everyone one by one, and said in a deep voice: "You are here to show your heart to the emperor, and this palace will not stop you. But the emperor has not yet died. You are kneeling, and you can only pray to the gods and Buddhas." Bless your majesty, the dragon body is healthy and healthy, if your majesty hears the slightest cry, I will not forgive you lightly!"

How dare everyone not respond.Yi Huan stood up with He Xi's hand in her arms, her thin body becoming more and more precarious in the wind.She walked up to Ruyi, bowed slightly, and said softly but eagerly: "I heard from the imperial doctor that the emperor has returned to his glory, but is it true?"

After all, Yihuan has a true affection for the emperor.Ruyi didn't intend to hide anything, sighed and nodded, "Those words are for myself, just to deceive others. Jiang and Bin said that it will probably be about tonight and tomorrow morning."

Yi Huan heard it, and a tear fell from the corner of his eye.She remembered Ruyi's words just now, so she quickly wiped it with a handkerchief, gritted her teeth, and said, "Don't worry, my concubine, I know the seriousness. The concubine can't help with matters inside, so I can only try my best not to let my mother have any worries. Treat the elder brothers The prince and prince are here, I hope you will cherish yourself.”

After saying that, he turned around and went back to his position, still kneeling down.Ruyi looked at her, then looked at Hailan again, and turned to go in.

The emperor couldn't get up, and was so stubborn that he refused to close his eyes and rest.Hearing footsteps, he asked hoarsely, "Queen, are you here?"

Ruyi signaled Yizheng to guard the door, then went to sit down on the little man next to the emperor's bed, and said softly, "It's a concubine. The emperor has slept for a long time, do you want some tea to moisten you?"

The emperor shook his head with difficulty, not minding the dryness of his lips and teeth—or perhaps not aware of it.He narrowed his eyes slightly, and said softly: "Queen... Ruyi, no, it's Qingying, I want to talk to you."

Three titles were changed in one sentence, but none of them felt familiar.Ruyi's eyebrows were crooked, and her smile was as warm as the sun: "Your Majesty, my concubine is listening."

The emperor breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "There seem to be a lot of people coming outside, are they my concubines?"

Ruyi nodded, and said: "The sisters in the harem knelt outside the hall, sincerely praying for the emperor, hoping that the emperor will recover soon, this is the infatuation of the sisters."

The emperor snorted lightly, with a hint of sarcasm, "Prayer...they are here to mourn. I have so many concubines, all of them are beautiful, smart and capable, and they all obey and considerate me. But who knows if this obedience and consideration are unspeakable dirty thoughts and filthy means. When I think about it, I feel sick."

Ruyi hurriedly laughed and said: "The emperor is too worried. Even if the sisters in the harem have crooked thoughts, they are definitely not against the emperor. What's more, the emperor is sage and fair. Anyone who has a wrong intention will be dealt with early on."

The emperor turned his head with difficulty, and looked at her faintly, "Over the years, I don't even remember how many people I have dealt with—the old man in Qiandi, not to mention the Fucha family, the Gao family, and the Jin family. , Huang's fate is low, Su's heart is high, Chen's is dull, Hailan has nothing to ask for, only you...Only you and I will go to the end and share this glory with me."

With a soothing smile, Ruyi stretched out her hand to tuck his quilt flat, "The concubine's morals are mediocre, but I am lucky to be in love with the emperor, and I feel that I have no regrets in this life."

"No regrets?..." The emperor whispered softly, "How can you have no regrets... You shouldn't have no regrets... The Fucha family pretends to be a filial piety, but they can't allow my heart to please you, but Qing Ying, Can you sit and watch my love for Xiangjian for so many years?" He became more and more moved, his bloodless face turned blue, and he asked in a voice: "It has been ten years since Xiangjian entered the palace. Qingying, you have never made a mistake , Therefore, even though I had doubts in my heart, I was quickly dispelled by your words, and I never asked again. Now, I suddenly want to ask, do you love me wholeheartedly in your heart?"

Ruyi paused, but her smile was still as clear as the moonlight outside the window, "Concubines treat the emperor with the same heart as the emperor treats concubines."

The emperor's face froze.

He only felt his heart beating violently one after another, as if something was about to come out, it was clearly an impeccable answer, but he just felt strange, "Qingying, you didn't admit it directly. I'm already a half-dead person, you just say If you are jealous and resentful, I will not blame you."

The last sentence is not so much the emperor's generosity, but rather a comfort to himself before Ruyi answered.

Ruyi smiled peacefully and shook her head, "Your majesty is too worried. The reason why I don't admit it directly is because I am not only your wife, but also the mother-in-law of elder brothers and princesses. You will always be the number one in my heart." But the concubine can't just pretend to be you, but also pretend to be the children in her heart."

The emperor is already in this situation, but he just wants to hear some happy words, why should she disappoint?Furthermore, it is not false to put the emperor first, it is a matter of life and wealth, she always has to survive first, and then talk about other things.

Sure enough, the emperor's expression eased a little, and he sighed.The sigh was very light, like a gust of wind passing by the ears, "Qing Ying, I have failed you in the end."

Did you fail?Ruyi suddenly raised her head, remembering that on a night long ago, she also looked at a pair of ordinary flower candles with a man, and made a promise to live up to each other.And the person in front of her once said to her on the night she was sealed off: I will live forever, and I will not bully or bear each other.

However, such an oath, it seems that one party must live up to it before it can exist.If it is true that you have never met each other, why bother to swear?

Therefore, Ruyi stared at her tenderly, with a faint smile like ripples, "Your Majesty, my concubine does not feel disappointed."

Because she didn't pay anything herself.

"Qingying..." the emperor called out in a low voice, coughing several times with trembling heart and lungs, spilling out a little blood foam, which reflected his pale and haggard complexion, like a broken leaf, hanging alone on a cold and lonely branch.

Such long-lived nostalgia floated in front of her eyes with incomparable clarity, which Ruyi had never seen in her previous life.She was wondering, was that person also so reluctant to let go before he died?Or, there is still regret, resentment, hating oneself for being deceitful and cruel, and hating being powerless.But after all, she doesn't know, can't see, can't imagine, even though the supreme power is in her hands, she is still ignorant and unknowable.

Thinking about it like this, Ruyi felt a little uneasy in her heart: Why!Why can't she wait to see that person for the last time, but the person in front of her has her own death?

So, with a lift of the hand, the curtain hangs lightly on the ground, quietly separating the moonlight from outside the hall.Ruyi reached out to wipe away the blood on the corner of his lips, covered his mouth with a brocade handkerchief, and said in a quiet and unpredictable voice, "Your Majesty, you are tired, don't waste your energy. Let's go on, my concubine—I just can't think about it." What words come out, come to comfort each other."

The emperor was stunned for a moment, and it took a long time for him to show a sad and gloomy smile. He stared straight into Ruyi's eyes, like sharp blades, and said quietly: "Qingying, you still complain after all. I always thought you He is the only person in this harem who has never concealed or deceived me, and now, I know that I was wrong."

Ruyi smiled softly and softly, and said respectfully: "Let the emperor misunderstand the concubine for many years, and the concubine is guilty. In fact, the emperor has never failed the concubine..." She leaned down slightly, and leaned closer to the emperor's ear, "Because, the concubine Never loved the emperor."

The emperor suddenly burst into flames, as if he couldn't believe it, his eyes were protruding from his thin face, he was about to devour people, he was sick and empty, how could he stand this, his whole body collapsed like a broken body After getting down, he gasped and said, "Zhen...impossible...why...you..."

Ruyi stood up suddenly, smiling slightly, but that smile was the furthest barrier and distance, like a red rose quietly blooming among the green branches in May. Everyone in the Six Palaces didn't believe it. Who doesn't know that the concubine has been in love with you for many years? But haven't you ever doubted it? That year, you were in the Yikun Palace, listening to the concubine's ramblings in a dream, and called out "Shiro" '..."

The memory of a long time ago suddenly became clear, and the sound of "Shiro" in the dream, although it was his ranking, but the woman in front of him rarely used that title... The emperor's eyes widened in disbelief, and he slapped the bed fiercely and said: "You...you're called...not...not me..."

The dark red Su embroidered gold brocade quilt surged like a torrent because of his violent actions. Ruyi retreated a few feet away, watching him furious with cold eyes, and spoke softly, "When the Jin family of the Li Dynasty was in the past, they often said that the late emperor Yongzheng was the fourth emperor. His son ascended the throne, and the emperor is also the fourth son of the emperor. It is good luck for the prince to be the fourth son. But the concubine wants to know, if there is a person who is the fourth son of the emperor, and the concubine calls Shiro, how will the emperor know that he is the fourth son? Is it you?"

"Aixinjueluo Hongli, being cheated by his wife for half his life, isn't it hard?"

Seeing her slowly retreating away, the emperor became more and more furious, struggling to reach out to catch her—it was such a movement that drained his last strength.Gradually, there was no more movement, and everything returned to the calm of the deep sea.Ruyi moved slowly and approached the bed, only to see his eyes wide open, seemingly unwilling to do so, and died of exhaustion.

"What he can't get, you are even less qualified."

In the empty hall, with heavy curtains and heavy curtains, Ruyi's brisk and sarcastic voice could not be heard by the concubines waiting under the stone steps outside the hall.She gently closed the emperor's eyelids and smoothed all the wrinkles on the pillow, as if he had passed away peacefully in his sleep.

Birth, old age, sickness and death, association of resentment and hatred, parting of love, not getting what one wants, these are the seven sufferings.It is even more difficult to say that you can't get it.The emperor has been so far, she has endured for half her life, and she can finally make it through with hypocrisy.

Ruyi turned around abruptly, walked slowly to the front of the palace gate, suddenly opened the palace gate, the moonlight was cold, and the deep palace Hualin was everywhere.Facing the concubines of the sixth palace, facing the elder brother and the prince who came in a hurry, she said with a sad voice:

"The emperor is dead..."