[Qing wear] Harem promotion expert

In addition to bringing the news of the pro-silkworm ceremony to the Yonghe Palace, the emperor also asked for a lot of old regulations from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

During the reign of Lord Kangxi, three queens were established successively.Although there are quite a few empresses, the empresses all went early.In terms of time span, there are no queens in the harem most of the time.

Therefore, there are many old cases where concubines perform the silkworm ceremony on their behalf.

Jiang Heng looked at the records of several years at a glance: the silkworm ceremony process is the same, the only difference is that the empress uses a golden hook to pick the funeral, and if the concubine is acting on her behalf, the silver hook is used to pick the mulberry.

It was already night when the emperor arrived at Yonghe Palace.

Jiang Heng had already removed her bun. At this time, she was leaning over the table to read the old rules of the late emperor, and her long hair inevitably fell down. The emperor naturally stretched out his hand to pin it behind her ear: "You have been advising me to be careful with my eyes, and the candlelight must be bright enough and not dimmed. Looking at things, I don't care about the shadowy shadow of my own hair blocking the light."

Jiang Heng also closed the paper, raised his head and said with a smile, "Speaking of which, I haven't been to Taiye Pond yet." The silkworm altar where the silkworm ceremony is held is just north of Taiye Pond.

Taiye Pool belongs to the Imperial City, but it is outside the Forbidden City.In the previous dynasty, the guards' ice play and ice walking games were held every winter on the frozen Taiye Pool.The emperor sometimes took his clan and courtiers to watch the ice activities, but the concubines were not allowed to go out of the harem of the Forbidden City.

In his previous life, Jiang Heng visited Beihai Park, which was converted from Taiye Pool. In this life, he lives in the Forbidden City, but he has never been to Taiye Pool next door.

"The scenery next to the Taiye Pond is nice—the auspicious day for the silkworm ceremony this year according to Qintian Supervisor is March 22. At that time, there will be Yin Li from the Ministry of Internal Affairs to come and accompany you."

The emperor signaled her to keep the old rules and read them slowly, and said: "You just need to keep the silkworm kissing ceremony in your heart first, and you don't have to show it to others. I plan to wait until March before asking the Ministry of Rites to handle this matter. Lest they have too much time to prepare for the ceremony, and find some unimportant things to remonstrate."

As long as there is enough time, the Ministry of Rites always loves to dig out details.

During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, concubines and concubines performed silkworm kissing ceremonies on their behalf, and they were all dispatched by imperial concubines—in years when there were no queens or imperial concubines, silkworm kissing ceremonies were generally omitted.

If the Ministry of Rituals has enough time, it must be considered that this time it is the imperial concubine performing the silkworm ceremony on behalf of the concubine. The details of various trips need to be reduced a few points. It is likely that there will be an argument over how many golden tassels to wrap around the sedan chair, and repeated writing .

The emperor was too lazy to spend time looking at these excerpts.

I just plan to notify the Ministry of Rituals at the pressing time, and just follow the example of the former imperial concubine performing silkworm kissing ceremony on her behalf.

The emperor didn't reveal in advance that the noble concubine performed the silkworm ceremony on his behalf, so Hongli didn't even know that the queen had made a decision.

So after hearing that Huang Ama sent a consecrated Buddha statue to Zhongcui Palace, Hongli ordered Fujin Ulanara to pay his respects to the queen.

"Emperor Niang has been ill for a long time this time, so she hastily started to build a Buddhist hall in Zhongcui Palace to pay respects to the Buddha. If so, you can visit him tomorrow." Hongli could not travel often in the upper study, so Arrange Fujin to perform filial piety and continue to impress the queen.

The next day, Ulanara changed into plain and elegant clothes and went to Zhongcui Palace to pay his respects.

However, since the empress had decided to close the door and do nothing, she had made up her mind a long time ago that the princes (especially Hongli) would never see each other, let alone the princes Fujin, Gongmei only politely declined Sifujin.

Ulanara had no choice but to salute at the door.

When I got out, I wanted to go back to Elder Brother's house, but when I saw the wall of Yonghe Palace next to me, I couldn't help asking the nurse beside me: "Should I go to pay my respects to the imperial concubine or empress?"

It doesn't matter if she doesn't come out of Elder Brother's house, since they are all out, the elders, especially the concubine who is in charge of the Sixth Palace, should go to pay a visit or two, otherwise it would be rude.

That nanny is also an old adult assigned by the emperor to the newly entered palace Fujin by the Ministry of Internal Affairs - the people that elder brother is serving now are not something that Hongli can pick or decide.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs looked at the Sacred Heart, and the palace people selected for Sifu Jin were more close to the Yonghe Palace. The emperor would like to see harmony in the palace if he thought about it.It is not easy for the fourth elder brother to get close to the Yonghe Palace, but Si Fujin, the female family member, is a breakthrough.

At this time, the nanny said: "Since Fujin is here, he should also go and greet the imperial concubine."

Jiang Heng saw that there were not many Fujins in Hongli, but he already felt that she was an extraordinarily virtuous and docile girl.

At first, when Jiang Heng heard about Ulanara's family, he thought it was the empress Ulanara in history who cut off her own hair and made Qianlong so strong that Qianlong refused to even give her the funeral ceremony.But after a careful calculation of the age, it is known that this Ulanala family should not be the queen with broken hair in history.

Queen Ulanara, who lost her hair, was seven years younger than Hongli, and she was not yet at the draft age.

But it's okay, this Ulanara Fujin is soft, virtuous, and obviously considers her husband as the sky. Jiang Heng thinks that such a temperament is more suitable for Hongli's Fujin, and he will not be stubborn and twist with Hongli. Even if he is not favored in the future, his life will not be too miserable.

Jiang Heng spoke kindly to such a docile little girl.It is the same thing that Yonghe Palace and Jingren Palace are not compatible, but there is no need to embarrass a little girl.

When Ulanara retired from the Yonghe Palace, she felt that the imperial concubine was a good person to get along with.

It's just that at night, the fourth elder brother came to the door and asked face to face: "You didn't go to the Emperor's Empress Palace today, but did you go to the Yonghe Palace?" Ulanara hurriedly stood up and said everything about today.

After hearing this, Hongli's expression remained calm, and he refused to speak.

Standing by his side, Ulanara was a little embarrassed and dazed: after being married for a year and a half, she still couldn't figure out Si elder brother's mind at all.He always kept things straight in front of her, making her feel as uncomfortable as if she was hanging in mid-air.

But soon Ulanara realized the unhappiness with Hongli.

She was just thinking about getting married for a year and a half, and the relationship between the two was as strange as they first met. Hongli also mentioned "one and a half years": "Now we have been married for a year and a half, but we don't have half an heir." News... the imperial physician will come to give you a peace pulse tomorrow, and ask the imperial physician to prescribe more nourishing prescriptions, you should take the medicine accordingly."

Fujin changed from awkwardness to embarrassment, and quickly got up: "What the Lord said is, I will remember to ask the imperial physician for a prescription tomorrow."

Hongli just left, and when he returned to the study, he was not in the mood to write the homework assigned by Huang Ama, but was just thinking about the issue of heirs just mentioned.

As of February this year, he has been married for a year and a half.

There has been no good news about his birth in the courtyard—not only Fujin, but also the two concubines, Gege. Hongli is unavoidably anxious, he needs a child very much, and he needs more than one.

There must be one legitimate son, after all, Fujin's pregnancy is a major event, and it can be used to exchange for Erniang to leave the Old Summer Palace, which is how Concubine Qi came out; the concubine must also have one, and he only verbally said that he would adopt to the elder brother Honghui's heir, I'm afraid it can't be done. To impress the empress, if there is a real child and let the empress watch, it will be easier to impress the empress.

Hongli thought that he needed at least two children in a short period of time.

Unexpectedly, he worked very hard, but there was still no good news in the elder brother's office.

Hongli was about to be depressed: Could it be that he inherited Huang Ama's poor offspring?Or to make matters worse, he inherited difficulties from the eighth uncle's heir?

I hope Fujin can get good news after drinking more tonics.

Maybe God couldn't bear to live up to his heartfelt expectations. When he woke up the next morning, Hongli got good news.

As soon as he arrived at the upper study room, he saw Hongzhou rushing over with joy, "Fourth Brother, I'm going to be Ama!"

Hongli: ... If he remembers correctly, it has only been half a year since Hongzhou got married!

Jiang Heng also saw Concubine Yu who couldn't keep her mouth shut early in the morning.

The empress had already spared all the concubines to pay their respects, and when she got up to worship the Buddha, Jiang Heng moved some tedious work to the most awake time in the morning.

But today it can't be done.

The palace people from all over the Yonghe Palace waiting for an answer saw Concubine Yu entering the door with a happy face, they all hurriedly saluted and then agreed to leave.When they got up early, they all heard the news that the fifth elder brother Fujin was pregnant, and there were also palace officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs waiting to answer: the fifth elder brother Fujin was pregnant, and it should be allocated to the nursing mother as usual, and the imperial concubine had to nod and approve Woolen cloth.

Seeing Concubine Yu coming now, they all retreat first.The two concubines have a good relationship, Concubine Yu must have something to mention to the concubine in private, they winked and left first.

Sure enough, Concubine Yu came, first she smiled and told Jiang Heng the good news several times, and then pulled Jiang Heng to tell her: "My daughter-in-law is pregnant for the first time, so I need to find an experienced nanny to accompany her." .Besides, that child has the same temperament as Hong Zhou, and he is also a bit naive. The nanny sent over must be careful and capable, and can guard the door for her."

Jiang Heng agreed, and said with a smile: "Send another nanny from the Punishment Department to be a supervisory censor, okay?" She was joking, but Concubine Yu immediately said: "That's a good idea, but I don't have it." For the sake of face, if you can invite those veteran vice-principals of the Punishment Department, I will give them double their salaries from my own money."

Jiang Heng also began to think seriously about this possibility: Madam Su already intended to retire for the elderly, and anyone with a discerning eye could see that Madam Su had been trying to cultivate her apprentice Yinqiao over the years.Since there is no hope of becoming the head of the department, there are two deputy heads in their forties who have the intention of leaving the Punishment Department and want to find a safe place to retire.

It is quite in line with Concubine Yu's standards, and the two vice-principals must have agreed: as long as Wu Fujin's first pregnancy is well maintained, he can naturally go out with Fifth Elder Brother to open a mansion and enjoy the blessings.

So Jiang Heng said to Concubine Yu: "Then sister wait for me to arrange with you to meet the two nuns."

After talking about the business, Jiang Heng couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "Hongzhou is going to be Ama. I was in a daze when I heard this letter in the morning. I still feel that he is still so young." Jiang Heng compared the time when he first saw Hongzhou. , the size of the child is five or six years old.

Concubine Yu 'puchi' laughed out loud: "The days go by so fast. Sister Guifei, you have also been in the palace for ten years!"

Jiang Heng also smiled: "Yes, exactly ten years."

Concubine Yu said again: "Looking at the child, you know that life is coming soon. According to the age, Minmin is almost ten years old, and it will be the time when Minmin is going to marry, I'm afraid you will feel uncomfortable at that time."

Jiang Heng shook his head: "Minmin won't marry early."

Concubine Yu only thought that Jiang Heng was reluctant, so she refused to accept the reality here.

However, Jiang Heng has already arranged it: she has been in the palace for many years, and whenever she is free, she always goes for a walk in the Zhongzheng Hall.It can be said that Master Yunzhang in the Zhongzheng Hall watched her go from a noble person to a noble concubine with his own eyes.

Master Yunzhang has always been a real court mage (valuing incense and money), and he has received offerings from the Yonghe Palace in recent years.

Seeing that the noble concubine is in charge of the sixth palace, knowing that the emperor loves the fourth princess very much, she does good deeds without Jiang Heng's explicit instructions, just a few simple hints, Master Yunzhang calculated the fate of 'the fourth princess should not marry early'.

Jiang Heng sighed: What a master!

After Concubine Yu left, Qiu Xue couldn't help feeling beside her: "Unknowingly, the servant has been with the empress for ten years." Then she laughed and said: "March 23 is the empress's birthday. Although it is not the entire birthday of the empress, it is It's the tenth birthday of entering the palace, I don't know how the empress plans to spend it? I think the emperor will also come to accompany the empress."

Jiang Heng just laughed.

This birthday should not be passed.

March 22 is the date of the silkworm kissing ceremony calculated by Qintian Supervisor. Compared with the birthday, the silkworm kissing ceremony is a big deal.

What's more, the silkworm kissing ceremony is not one day, but three consecutive days.During those three days, she should have lived in the house next to the Taiye Pool and fasted, so she couldn't celebrate her birthday.

Concubine Yu was the happiest in the palace about the pregnancy of Wu Fujin, the saddest was Ulanara who was being compared with younger siblings, and the most anxious was Hongli.

He couldn't help thinking: Fifth brother is not in a hurry to wait for the child to use it, why did he have it first?He urgently needs a useful heir, but he can't wait for it.

Not only did this incident make him miss, but also the empress's lack of movement for a long time also made Hongli and others anxious. Didn't the empress think about it?

Fortunately, Hongli was not in a hurry.

In the middle of March, he heard a bad news: the queen asked the emperor to order the noble concubine to perform silkworm kissing ceremony on the grounds that she was not recovering from the illness.

Hongli was shocked and puzzled when he heard the news: The Queen Mother just ignored her for the time being, but she chose to show her favor to the imperial concubine?Could it be that she is really sure that the still young sixth brother is more likely to become the crown prince than him?

Hongli was in a bad mood.

As the official secretary of the Ministry of Rites, although he was a little flustered by the sudden decree that the noble concubine performed the silkworm ceremony on his behalf and had to work overtime, he was very calm and happy in his heart.

That's great, the emperor just summoned him now, so he doesn't have to bite the bullet and remonstrate.

Is he a fool who likes to offend the emperor?He is just a minister of the Ministry of Rites, if the emperor's will is inconsistent with the old rules of etiquette, if he doesn't go up to advise the emperor, the censors will swarm him and scold him.

Arzona was also very aggrieved: what are you doing, you censors don't dare to persuade the emperor, but you want to scold me who also dare not persuade the emperor.

This time it was different, the emperor's order was urgent, and the Ministry of Rituals had 'no time' to care about the details of the difference between the royal concubine and the imperial concubine's silkworm ceremony.Arsunha immediately decided to follow the old rules, and let the noble concubine use the ceremonial guard that the former emperor sent the imperial concubine to sacrifice.

On March 21, Jiang Heng first lived in a small courtyard near Taiye Pool.

Because the emperor usually went to Taiye Pond to see Bingxi in winter, the courtyard for temporary accommodation was built in a depression to shelter from the wind on all sides.

Jiang Heng bathed and fasted in advance according to the procedure.

The first day of the Silkworm Prosperity Ceremony is no different from ordinary worship, it is a series of processes of offering incense and paying tribute.Outside, officials from the Ministry of Rituals read and prayed. First, on the altar of silkworms, Jiang Heng only needs to follow the instructions of the nurse of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and salute step by step.

On the other hand, picking mulberry leaves and feeding silkworms with a silver hook on the second day was a very fresh experience.

At night, Jiang Heng also talked about picking mulberries with Qiu Xue, but he just went astray while talking, and the topic shifted to the deliciousness of mulberries. Qiu Xue was not sure: "The mulberry forest in the palace is probably not a fruit mulberry tree? I wonder if it can be Bear mulberries."

Just as I was talking, I heard Xiao Luzi calling Qiuxue softly outside the window.

Qiuxue laughed and said, "Probably the master's longevity noodles are ready, and the slaves will bring them. This year happens to be fasting, and I don't eat noodles for my mother's birthday, but I always want a bowl of longevity noodles."

After she went out for a while, she turned back and took Jiang Heng's cloak in her hand: "Your Majesty, let's go out and have a look, there is a wonderful big moon outside."

Jiang Heng: ...Are you sure?Today is March 23, how can there be any big moon.

But seeing that Qiu Xue's cloak was shaken off, and she couldn't help smiling and asked her to go out, Jiang Heng got up and walked out.

Standing at the entrance of the small courtyard, Jiang Heng immediately felt that this place was different from usual. Except for the lights hanging in the courtyard, it was pitch-black everywhere outside——Jiang Heng had only seen the night scene last night, and the lamps and candles around the Taiye Pool were originally All night long.

Before he could turn his head and ask Qiu Xue, a bright light appeared, followed by two, three, and counting points.Groups of orange-red flames rushed and jumped from the hillside, in the darkness, like a group of fire spirits who came alive.

Just like fireworks in the night sky, it is amazing.

The strange thing is that no matter how the flames danced, they never went out.Because the small courtyard was built on the concave ground, the orange-red light clusters gathered all the way.

The first light group to appear came to Jiang Heng.

Qiu Xue was stunned: she was originally ordered to invite her mother out, but she didn't know what was going on with this light ball that seemed to come alive all over the mountain.

Seeing a ball of flames approaching, Qiu Xue subconsciously tried to stop her.

Jiang Heng smiled and held Qiu Xue's arm, indicating that he didn't need it.

Qiuxue watched in amazement as the empress grasped the flame in her palm—it was so close that Qiuxue realized that it was a hollow ball made of thin bamboo strips, with a burning candle hanging inside it. The bamboo strips are painted black, and the outline looks very inconspicuous at night, like a ball of fire rolling over.

She couldn't help asking: "Your Majesty, this candle is hung inside the bamboo ball, why did it roll all the way down without falling over?"

More and more fire balls gathered around Jiang Heng's body, and then gradually stopped, like golden-red stars falling to the ground.

Jiang Heng played with the one in his hand, turned it around and even threw it for Qiu Xue to see.

I saw that no matter how I turned and moved, the candle was still hanging firmly in the center of the bamboo ball.

To use a physical explanation, it is similar to the fulcrum hanging principle of a gyroscope. The outer bamboo shell and the candle holder inside are connected by a flat ring living shaft. No matter how the outer layer moves, the center of gravity of the inner lamp holder will never change. It becomes vertical and downward, so the bamboo ball can roll all the way down the slope, but the candle flame does not go out or tilt.

Jiang Heng was holding a ball of fire, and his whole body was as bright as day, and he couldn't see clearly what was a few steps away, so he had no choice but to say: "My concubine pays my respects to the emperor."

If only one or two roller lights appeared, Jiang Heng would still think about whether Minmin specially made her a surprise.But the one who can extinguish countless lamps and candles beside the Taiye Pond and release countless rolling lamps openly can only be the emperor.

Thinking about it, in the dark night beside the Taiye Pond, there must be countless palace people who don't know how to roll lanterns, and they are very nervous. They are afraid of a fire, and even the fire bucket is quietly called to prepare.

This is probably the romance of science.

Jiang Heng invited the emperor to enter the door, and the two of them happened to be holding a small rolling lamp to illuminate it. Before entering the door, Jiang Heng did not forget to ask Qiu Xue to lead people to light all the rolling lamps tonight and put them away, and she wanted to take them back to Yonghe Palace.

After entering the door, Jiang Heng smiled and said, "Why did the emperor come to Taiye Pond?"

The emperor first looked inside the house, and saw that the bedding and bedding were all thoughtful, so he sat down on the couch by the window: "This is your tenth birthday in the palace, why don't I come? Longevity noodles are delicious. ?”

Seeing Jiang Heng shaking his head, the emperor let Su Peisheng in.

With a food box in his hand, Eunuch Su took out two bowls of silver noodles as thin as hair and white as snow.

"I will eat with you."

The next morning, when Jiang Heng opened his eyes, he saw that the sky was still dark.It was the sound of the emperor standing in front of the couch changing clothes that woke her up.

She thought the emperor was about to go to court, so she got up together.

Unexpectedly, after washing and bathing, the emperor walked into the yard, but suddenly stopped laughing and said: "It's rare that you are so confused that you forgot to count the days. Today is the rest day."

Jiang Heng: ...I knew I wouldn't be able to get up. I was so tired last night and it was very difficult to get up.

And today I could have slept a little longer—today is the third day of the silkworm kissing ceremony, and it is just the finishing work. I will go to worship the silkworm god Leizu and visit the silkworm room, and put two mulberry leaves for the fattest ones. Silkworm baby can be.

The auspicious time calculated by Qin Tianjian is the imperial concubine's quarter past, that is, it is best to go out formally after [-] o'clock in the morning.

Jiang Heng could have slept until eight o'clock in the first place, so he didn't have to get up at four o'clock like now, but the sky is still pitch black now!

Jiang Heng looked at the emperor at four o'clock in the morning, and there was inevitably resentment in his eyes for having lost four hours of sleep.

The emperor was full of energy, he stretched out his hand to re-tie the tie of the cloak for Jiang Heng.

"Now that you're up, I'll go with you to the Taiye Pool to watch the sunrise."

Jiang Heng had no choice but to agree.

I can't help but think of Mr. Dongpo's famous "Night Tour in Chengtian Temple". Obviously, he went to Zhang Huaimin by himself and made a fuss so that he would come out to watch the moon with him in the middle of the night. sleep".Is that sleepless?

Just like the emperor said: "Since you are up, let's watch the sunrise." It seems that there is no need to get up in the first place!

Jiang Heng's tiredness dissipated like mist at night when he saw the morning glow and sunrise of Taiye Lake.

It is indeed a round of rising sun jumping out of the east, taking advantage of the vastness of the water, the Taiye Pool with red walls, green tiles and new willows is so beautiful.

Enough to soothe the mind.

The emperor also watched the sunrise quietly, and he hadn't watched the sun rise much these years—it wasn't that he got up late, but that he got up too early, especially in winter, when it came and went in the dark, you know The sky outside the window changes, but there is little leisure to wait for a sunrise.

Watching the dawn break, the emperor decided on the name for his youngest son, which he had not been able to decide before.

Sixth elder brother has already had acne, so he can get a big name early.But the emperor has been hesitating in the two words.

Hongshi, Hongzhou, and Hongli (calendar), the names of the princes of this generation all start with '日'.

The emperor had already chosen two characters, and he wanted to choose one of them for his youngest son.

The first one is 'Xi', the past of the past.

The sixth elder brother has followed Gu Badai since his enlightenment, and various small habits such as reading and writing are like the emperor's childhood. He often reminds the emperor of the past, and has the meaning of reminiscing about the past and the present.

But after watching the sunrise today, the emperor changed his mind, he doesn't need to look back to the past, only focus on the present.

"Hiroko?"

Back in the study in the courtyard, Jiang Heng watched the emperor write two words with a pen.

The emperor nodded: "Yes, this is the name of our sixth elder brother."

"Xin means light." The emperor put down his pen and said, "I hope that he will shine in all directions like the morning sun."