The biography of Concubine Lin in the harem

Chapter 97

Walking Song Carrying the Moon Returning to Xianyang (1)

On April [-]th of the third year of Qianyuan, the Southwest War was victorious. The six prefectures of Anzhao and Youbing, which were lost due to the rebellion of Bolinghou in the tenth year of Longqing, finally returned to the hands of Dazhou.The Empress Dowager Zhaocheng issued several decrees, praising Murong Jiong, Xuan Ji and others for being the pillars of the country. She even wrote down the "White Jade Pillar Lifting the Sky" and "Purple Gold Beams Standing on the Sea" with her own hands, and ordered them to make plaques and send them to Murong respectively. Mansion and Xiangcheng Palace.

In this way, in the capital, the Murong Mansion and Xiangcheng Palace, which had been silent for several years, gradually prospered, and Concubine He was allowed to visit the Queen Mother and Empress in the palace from time to time.

Outside the Yining Palace, the spring was in full bloom, and the spring flowers were in full bloom. Zhu Chengbi took a sandalwood box with golden silk and fragrant wood inlaid with cicada jade, and said with a gentle smile: "This jasper, ruby ​​and lotus hairpin is extremely rare. It was specially designed by the late emperor. It was built for the Ai family, and now the Ai family will give it to you. The king of Xiangcheng has won a great victory, and the Ai family intends to make him a prince."

Concubine He was overjoyed, took the box respectfully, and said in surprise again: "The empress dowager, forgive the concubines for being dull, the prince is already a prince, what does the empress dowager mean?"

"The so-called prince is an honor that only the children of the royal family can enjoy. Since Emperor Taizu abolished kings with different surnames, even a general who has galloped on the battlefield and made great achievements in battle can only be a marquis at most. But among the princes, there are also high and low points. In the last years of the first emperor, the regent was the king of Liang, just like a prisoner, so his status is naturally far above that of the princes." Zhu Chengbi smiled slightly, confiding in his heart, "The southwestern border is one of the most important border gates in my Zhou Dynasty. Xiangcheng The king fulfilled the wish that the late emperor had never been able to fulfill, and the Ai family, as the concubine of the late emperor and the current empress dowager, naturally gave King Xiangcheng a much higher honor than other princes."

Zhu Xi smiled and looked at Concubine He who was surprised and delighted and said: "Congratulations! When the prince returns triumphantly, there will be a grand conferment ceremony. Among the princes, except for the regent, he will be the prince's favorite from now on." Respect."

Concubine He was overjoyed, and bowed to the ground three times: "Thank you, Empress Dowager, for your kindness!"

Zhu Chengbi helped her up with a smile: "You're still called the Empress Dowager of the Ai family? Isn't it born?"

Concubine He's bright and clean face had a look like the glow of a spring dawn. She tried her best to calm down her fluctuating mood, and smiled the most appropriate smile on the corner of her lips: "I thank my mother for your kindness!"

The sun was shining brightly, and Concubine He walked slowly in the imperial garden, a cool breeze brought the fresh air of lush green spring, and all the palace people met on the road bowed and saluted, saying: "Blessings, Concubine Concubine He."

Concubine He couldn't hide the smile in her eyes. Since December of the tenth year of Longqing, several major events happened in succession: first, Marquis Boling rebelled and trapped hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the capital; Marquis Boling was recruited under the generous conditions of a king with a different surname and a death certificate; after that, there was a night banquet in the Chonghua Hall, and Marquis Boling failed to assassinate the emperor and committed suicide by taking poison; In the mausoleum of the concubine, the King of Xiangcheng was also imprisoned in the mansion, and he could not come out without an edict.The once grand and supreme glory abandoned itself in a blink of an eye, and the former scene of a bustling city has become a scene of few families and few birds.

I will never forget that on September 11st, 21th year of Longqing, I had to clean the courtyard myself due to the negligence of my servants. I accidentally fell down the steps and lost my three-month pregnancy.

However, no matter how heartbroken it was, it was because of this miscarriage that the emperor felt compassion and released Xuanji from confinement, allowing him to make up for what he had done and go to the southwest battlefield to practice.

It is heard that at that time, the empress dowager who was still Concubine Lin also persuaded her in a tactful manner, so that the confinement could be lifted smoothly.

From October of the 11th year of Longqing to April of the third year of Qianyuan, during the four and a half years, I and Xuanji got together less and separated more. However, it was worth it after all. With sarcastic remarks, I can finally feel proud.

Concubine He opened the sandalwood box, and inside lay a jasper ruby ​​lotus hairpin. The petals were carved from emeralds of excellent quality, as if they were born in nature. The center of the petals was a bright ruby. The petals and pistils are carefully inlaid with gold pinching technology, which makes the hairpin extremely luxurious, just like my own bright life that is unparalleled by others.

The maid Zihui couldn't help but praised: "It's really a good thing, empress, it seems that empress dowager loves you very much."

Concubine He looked at the hairpin, and while she was overjoyed, she suddenly became suspicious: "Zihui, why is this hairpin placed vertically? Don't you think that for a rectangular sandalwood box, it would be difficult to store it vertically like this?" Is it too weird?"

Zihui thought about it carefully, and wondered: "It's really... maybe Aunt Zhuxi was careless?"

"Zhuxi has been with the Empress Dowager for decades, how can you be careless?" Concubine He shook her head, her eyes wandering over the ruby ​​on the hairpin, "Lotus, lotus, stand upright, vertical..."

Concubine He was startled, and Zhu Xi's words suddenly rang in her ears: "Among all princes, except for the regent, the prince is the most respected from now on."

Except the Regent?Except the Regent!

Together... longitudinal?

Seeing Concubine He's look of bewilderment and trembling, Zihui hurriedly supported her arm, and said in a low voice, "What's wrong with your mother? Why is your face so ugly?"

"It's nothing." Concubine He smiled calmly, and looked back at the Yining Palace hidden in the greenery. The golden palace roof was bathed in a radiant brilliance, which made people admire her, "I just feel that the Empress Dowager treats me really well." It's very good, tomorrow morning, we will go to Yining Palace to pay a visit."

"Empress Dowager, don't worry." Zhu Xi saw Zhu Chengbi pick up a honey-soaked cherry on a white porcelain plate with phoenix pattern and lazily put it down, and hurriedly stepped forward with a red golden cloud tooth basin, and persuaded softly, "Concubine He I have always been intelligent, so I will not fail to understand the intention of the empress dowager."

Zhu Chengbi washed her hands in the red gold cloud tooth basin, and mixed the freshly extracted rose juice in the lukewarm water. The fragrance was overflowing, and she casually picked up a deep red rose petal floating on the water: "I hope you don't want to drink it." It has failed the painstaking efforts of the Ai family. The king of Xiangcheng has 20 soldiers and horses, and Chen Ke and his son have [-] soldiers and horses in their hands. Together, they are enough to fight against the regent."

Zhu Xi pondered for a while, and said slowly: "However, Xiaoqi Battalion and Shenji Battalion still have [-] soldiers and horses, and Shenji Battalion are all elite troops."

"Xiao Haitian from the Xiaoqi camp and Han Yuefeng from the Shenji camp are indeed good aides of Sun Chuanzong and Zhu Qizhen, but they don't have much appeal and control, let alone Li Jingren. Actually...it's okay, The soldiers and horses of the king of Xiangcheng have been battle-tested for a long time, they are the real elite troops, if they can subdue the king of Xiangcheng, it will be unknown who will win the battle."

"The King of Xiangcheng listens to Concubine He the most. Don't worry, Empress Dowager. Concubine He is deeply impressed by your great kindness right now. She must have a good idea of ​​who she should defect to."

Zhu Chengbi casually put the rose petals on the plate, and smiled coldly: "At the beginning, it was thanks to the abolished Xia family's skepticism, that the Ai family was able to break the ten-year alliance between her and Mrs. Yu'e, and even deceive her eyes and ears. She tried her best to plan the incident of jujube honey. Now, she is giving good things to the Ai family, and the Ai family will give it to Concubine He, I hope the painstaking efforts of the Ai family will not be in vain."

"The empress dowager's painstaking efforts are never in vain." Zhu Xi presented a white gauze handkerchief with a light smile, "What's more, with Fu Wanting in the Regent's Palace, what else can the empress dowager not know?"

The Prince Regent's Mansion is as quiet and treacherous as the deep sea. Yizheng slowly drank Taiping Houkui. The mellow tea fragrance also relieved the mood that has been pent up for several days. He glanced at the expressions of Miao Congzhe and Gan Xun, Putting down the teacup in his hand, he asked calmly, "The headless male corpse kneeling in the mass grave is really Jiang Chengyu?"

Gan Xun seemed to be looking at the horrific scene of the mass grave, and he was a little bit afraid, and said in a low voice: "Regent, it is absolutely true, there are three moles on Jiang Chengyu's left arm, which coincide with the headless man's corpse. My minister We have already received news from the frontier that Jiang Chengyu has not appeared, and the guards responsible for escorting him are also missing."

Miao Congzhe showed embarrassment: "There are rumors in the capital that the regent sent someone to kill Jiang Chengyu to silence the evidence. Even Jiang Chengyu's missing family members in the mudslide were also written by the regent..."

"Bastard!" Yizhen was furious when he heard the words, and slapped the red sandalwood book table hard, which made the partridge teacup jump, "This king sent someone to kill Jiang Chengyu? What a joke! If it is what this king said Why, why did you go to such lengths to hang his head on the east wall of the capital? Why did you let his body kneel on the mass grave?"

"Regent, the Xu family and his son are in the mass grave, and there are many Xiting party accomplices. People in the market think that the regent has nightmares every night, so Jiang Chengyu is made a scapegoat to make amends to those innocent souls. What's more, the His head was cut off and his facial features were cut off, as if to convey the message of 'Don't speak evil, see evil, and listen to evil'..." Gan Xunzheng said in fear, "If I knew this, I should have killed Jiang Chengyu in the first place, so that there would be no trouble. Out of such a storm."

Yizhen was so irritable that he waved his hand and said, "That's it, that's it! If you die, you die, it's so uneasy!"

Miao Congzhe said cautiously: "Regent, I believe that what we really need to worry about now is the King of Xiangcheng! He has recovered Anzhao, Youbin and the six prefectures, and the capital is full of joy. What the people are most keen on now is to listen to The storyteller in the teahouse told the story of King Xiangcheng’s battle on the battlefield. If King Xiangcheng’s power exceeds that of the regent, what should we do?”

"It's just a yellow-mouthed child in his early twenties, why should he be afraid?"

Gan Xun persuaded: "The king of Xiangcheng is naturally inferior to the regent, but if the empress dowager intends to win her over, what should I do?"

Yizhen was startled when he heard the words, and thoughtfully turned the emerald ring on his thumb: "What do you want to do?"

"My minister thinks that instead of fighting between the two tigers in the future, it is better to cut the grass and root out the troubles forever..." Gan Xun's eyes flashed a hint of cunning, "The king of Xiangcheng will return to the capital, at least half a month, at most a month , How do you know if there will be a sudden change on the road?"

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