[Qing Chuan] Jun Guifang has rested

Only the trunk is exposed.

Concubine Xian said: "The concubine knows that the empress loves osmanthus, but it is a pity that the osmanthus blooms in autumn and is inconvenient to grow indoors. So the concubine found this 'Ling Han osmanthus' from the land of Jingchu. It is small and exquisite, and it is fragrant all the year round. I wish your empress and phoenix body good health and continuous blessings."

The queen has always loved sweet-scented osmanthus, and in the palace, she urged all the concubines to be frugal and not to wear gorgeous dresses with her character of "why not light blue and light red, it is the first-class flower".Moreover, sweet-scented osmanthus is also known as "guizi", which is a homonym with "guizi", and it is very auspicious to keep in the palace.She looked quite surprised: "You really mean it." She raised her hand to signal the maids to open it.

However, when the silk cloth fell, there was an uproar, only to see that there were no flowers on the crown of the tree, and the leaves had been cut sparsely and disorderly.

Obviously, this was done deliberately by someone, and the person who was directly implicated was Xu Qiuyan, who was in charge of looking after the tree. At the same time, she also showed the embarrassment of Concubine Xian, who seemed to be dishonest and perfunctory.

Everyone watching the excitement did not think it was a big deal, Concubine Yu even added fuel and jealousy: "This sweet-scented osmanthus is also called 'Osmanthus osmanthus', which is often used in the folk to wish people 'Happy son'. Concubine Xian took the trouble to find 'Ling Han Gui', but she wanted to give a sweet-scented osmanthus. I don't know what it means to give flowers without children to the empress?"

She really made things big.Although the empress was blessed with divine favor, she only had one older brother, Yong Lian. Yong Lian was deeply loved by the emperor, but unfortunately died young. Since then, the empress has suffered physical injuries and has not been able to conceive a dragon descendant. A heart disease of the empress, no one dared to mention it.No matter how kind the queen is, she can't bear others to stab her in the heart.

Although Concubine Xian is not very favored and has few people who get along with her, she is prudent and stable, so the emperor gave her the right to assist the Six Palaces.Although what Concubine Yu said is not pleasant, there is some truth to it. When this incident spreads, some people will inevitably think that Concubine Xian did it deliberately, to provoke the position of empress when she gained power, and satirize her as a woman who can't bloom and bear fruit. iron tree.

The eyes of one after another of good things flowed between Concubine Xian and this beautiful girl, looking at the queen from time to time, as if waiting for a good show.

"Empress," Xu Qiuyan respectfully kowtowed to the queen, bowed her head and said, "This servant is Ningbi, the maid who takes care of Ling Hangui, and this servant noticed the strangeness of this tree last night, so this matter has nothing to do with others."

As soon as this remark came out, it was like a stone thrown into the lake, which aroused a lot of whispering.

Concubine Jia asked: "Since something went wrong, why didn't you report it?"

Xu Qiuyan raised her head to look directly at the Queen, and said: "I have never been half-slack in myself, and I can learn from my devotion to the Empress, why did this mistake happen. The servant was terrified and couldn't sleep at night, so I had to go to the Buddha to chant sutras, The Buddha took pity on the sincerity of the servant girl, and pointed out the maze to the servant girl, so the servant girl had the courage to dedicate this osmanthus tree to the empress."

The queen's face turned pale, and her tone was a little curious: "Oh? What does the Buddha mean, you can tell me."

Xu Qiuyan: "The Buddha said that this osmanthus tree is very rare, so it is much more difficult to bloom and bear fruit than the common osmanthus tree. The slaves and maidservants have the pain of taking care of them, but they have no blessing to preserve its aura. Only the empress Fengdan, let it bathe in the favor of the mother, so that it can get the osmanthus again."

The queen said nothing for a while, just looked at her.Xu Qiuyan's forehead was covered with a fine layer of sweat, but she was still motionless, kneeling straight.

"You're right," the queen smiled suddenly, "then I will follow the Buddha's will and bring it back to the Changchun Palace so that it can be bred so that I can get osmanthus seeds soon. Yan Ying, pick some good jewelry and appreciate it Ningbi."

Xu Qiuyan kowtowed and said, "My maidservant, thank the empress for her grace."

This accident finally did not cause any further trouble.

Nalan Jinyuan got up and said, "Empress, ever since Sister Xian's dowry, Zhenmei, has been married out of the palace, she has always been missing a close maid. Every time the concubine goes to Yikun Palace, she always feels deserted. The concubine looks Ningbi is pretty clever, so why don't you reward Sister Xian."

Concubine Shu's actions can be said to have given Xu Qiuyan the limelight. If she is allowed to be a lowly conservatory girl, it is tantamount to throwing a delicate flower in a corner of the wind and rain, and being bullied by those who hate her. It's all wasted; if she has the ambition to climb up, she will be a dazzling opponent. Why not mention her identity and give her some favors. Self-love.

The queen nodded: "Okay, Concubine Xian really needs a girl to take care of her. Ningbi, from now on, you will follow Concubine Xian."

After Xu Qiuyan thanked her, she saw the face of Concubine Xian for the first time.She was indeed a stunning person, she was smiling towards her, but the corners of her mouth were slightly raised, and her deep pupils were still indifferent.

The other concubines had maidservants standing beside them, but Concubine Xian was sitting alone, Xu Qiuyan saluted and stood beside her tactfully.

The author has something to say:

"Guizi" and "Guizi" are homophonic, and if you get Guizi again, you will get Guizi again!

Chapter 3

Coming out of Changchun Palace, Concubine Xian kept talking to Concubine Shu, while Xu Qiuyan silently followed behind them with her head bowed.

After walking for a while, Concubine Xian turned around and said, "Go back and clean up first, and come to Yikun Palace at night."

After Xu Qiuyan walked away, Nalan Jinyuan said: "Sister, she helped you today, it seems that this is God's will, to warn you that someone has malicious intentions to harm you, and I want you to plan well for yourself."

Concubine Xian flicked her sleeves, and smiled lightly: "Yikun Palace already has enough people to spend on food and clothing on weekdays, and the House of Internal Affairs has not shorted me. The empress shares her worries, so what else is there to plan. It's you, you should hurry up and get a prince while you're young."

After Nalan Jinyuan entered the palace, she hadn't served the bed yet, and Concubine Xian even brought up the matter of having a child, and recalled the mother's teaching about serving the bed, she couldn't help but become angry: "You...you are talking nonsense!"

"Where am I talking nonsense?" Concubine Xian didn't take it seriously, "Isn't it natural and right for a concubine in the harem to give birth to a dragon son for the emperor?"

Nalan Jinyuan wanted to leave angrily.

Concubine Xian smiled and said: "Why are you leaving? I just made some dried tea in the palace. I remember you like it the most... Forget it, if you don't want it, I will keep it for myself."

Nalan Jinyuan naturally wanted to eat it, but refused to give in, so she ordered her maidservant: "Pianxiao, go to Yikun Palace to get some dried tea." She walked away in stride.

*

Xu Qiuyan walked in small steps for a while, then started to run, and when she reached the residence, she leaned on the couplet and gasped for several breaths.

Wan Yan helped her to the bed, poured tea for her, patted her on the back and said, "I've heard about the osmanthus tree, we checked it out last night, and the osmanthus was still in full bloom at that time. When was the problem?"

Xu Qiuyan said: "I saw the osmanthus tree early this morning. There was no mistake. Then we were called away by some nuns to teach the rules of presenting gifts. The osmanthus tree was placed in the greenhouse. When we came back, the osmanthus tree had been destroyed... Maybe it was There was a problem with that space. But when I left, I remembered that there were still a lot of people coming and going in the greenhouse, so many people were distracted, how did you move your hands?"

Wan Yan shook her head: "It was true that there were quite a few people before, but then there was a word from Yonghe Palace that the fifth elder brother was crying all the time and asked the green house to move some calming and fragrant flowers and plants, so there were fewer people."

The legendary "fifth elder brother" actually had a role in her real life, and almost killed her indirectly, Xu Qiuyan was a little bit dumbfounded.She wondered: "Crying and making a lot of noise, why didn't you go to the Tai Hospital, instead you remembered to move flowers?"

Wan Yan said: "You don't know, the fifth elder brother was sick and weak when he was young, and he almost became a yào jar. It was yào for three cents. Later, if it was not a serious illness, Concubine Yu was not allowed to use yào at will. Fortunately, the fifth elder brother is after all I'm a child, and I like flowers and plants the most, so many flowers from the greenhouse are given to Yonghe Palace every year."

Nothing seems wrong with any of this.But Xu Qiuyan couldn't help but think of Concubine Yu's sharp words "no flowers and no children", obviously trying to drag Concubine Xian into the water and drive a wedge between her and the emperor and queen.Xu Qiuyan intuitively felt that this was no coincidence, but in this era, no matter how high the temple is or how far the rivers and lakes are, there are always many false accusations and frame-ups, but many things can't leave any strong evidence that can be used to vindicate the case, and many grievances will disappear Let it go.

Xu Qiuyan felt much more relaxed at the moment, but recalling that scene, she still had lingering fears, so she stopped Wan Yan and said, "Will this matter cause any trouble?"

Wan Yan said: "You are lucky today. You were late in catching up with the emperor who was busy with government affairs. The empress is kind. Not only did she not blame you, but she even rewarded you. If it were the emperor, I'm afraid the empress would not be able to tolerate this kind of punishment." I am wronged. Fortunately, the empress has already dealt with it, so this is considered a matter of the harem, and the emperor should not ask any more questions."

"That's good, that's good." Xu Qiuyan patted her chest and let out a sigh of relief, hoping that she would never see the emperor for the rest of her life, so that the emperor would never remember this matter.

Looking at her, Wan Yan couldn't help laughing.Xu Qiuyan glanced at her accusingly: "I'm almost scared out of my wits, but you can still laugh."

Wanyan immediately apologized to her pitifully, and brought tea and water by the way.

"Hmph, do you think this is the end?" Xu Qiuyan feigned anger, took advantage of Wan Yan's unpreparedness, picked up the purse that she had embroidered half of it behind her, and said with a smile: "I have fallen in love with this purse, how about giving it to me?"

Wanyan's cheeks immediately turned red, and she rushed to say: "If you like, I can embroider another one for you, but this one won't work...Ningbi, don't make trouble!"

Xu Qiuyan recognized that the pattern on it was a mandarin duck, and she thought Wanyan already had a sweetheart.I wanted to tease her a few more words, but considering that women in ancient times were quite reserved in matters of love for their children, Xu Qiuyan gave up.

The two were panting from laughter, and after a short rest, Xu Qiuyan said seriously: "Hey, Wanyan, there isn't even a personal servant beside Concubine Xian?"

Hearing these words, Wan Yan's face became serious, she looked out, and said: "This happened not long ago, before you entered the palace. About two months ago, the imperial concubine Huixian was found out to be with you. The guards had an affair, and the emperor Longyan was furious, but before he gave an order to deal with it, the Chengqian Palace of the imperial concubine Huixian disappeared. The fire was rescued, but the people in the palace had already changed beyond recognition, and only survived A few vigilant palace people. Most of the palace thought that the imperial concubine Huixian wanted to save the last bit of face and set herself on fire, and didn't want to hear more criticism from others."

Xu Qiuyan said: "How did you discover the affair?"

Wan Yan went on to say: "The guard is a person in front of the emperor. When he was accompanying the driver that day, he dropped a purse. The purse was embroidered with the boudoir name and birth date of Emperor Huixian, and it used a special gift from the hometown of Emperor Huixian. Liao embroidery. There is also a jade pendant inside, the jade pendant is a pair, and the other piece is on the body of the imperial concubine Huixian. Later, more and more evidence was found. Emperor Xian's father, Gao Bin, recommended her to the palace. Later, several palace officials said that they had seen with their own eyes the embarrassment between Emperor Huixian and the guards, and among them was Xian's dowry girl, Zhenmei.

"However, imperial concubine Huixian behaves well and treats others well on weekdays. If any empress or palace family has difficulties, she will help them if they know about it. Therefore, everyone does not believe that she will do this, and thinks that she has been framed. But no one dared to stand out, but everyone was in danger, fearing that one day they would be counted against, and the emperor would never pursue it again. Within a few days, Concubine Xian married Zhenmei, and the people in the palace There are also many sent out, and now there are no really caring girls, probably because of this reason."

Xu Qiuyan nodded while thinking about what she had said, thinking that this harem is really a place that cannibalize people, if the result of empress Huixian's kindness is so bleak, it is really chilling.

Wan Yan said again: "The emperor said that he gave Gao Bin the posthumous title of 'Emperor Huixian' because of his hard work, but then he relegated Gao Bin and sent him to a remote place on the grounds of Gao's personal affair. Bin has meritorious service in water control, he has colluded with cronies in the court, and he wants to take advantage of his daughter's favor to interfere with the emperor's appointment of the crown prince. The emperor hates this the most, so..."

She didn't go any further, Xu Qiuyan would understand that for the king of a country, the relationship between children is far less important than power struggle.Even if the emperor dotes on Concubine Huixian again, when she has become a pawn on the chessboard, there is no reason why the emperor should not contribute to the flames and make good use of this pawn.As for which step to make, it depends on the emperor's love for this pawn.

Maybe one day, before I knew it, I became a pawn in someone's hands... Xu Qiuyan suddenly felt that the wind in the Forbidden City was extremely biting, and shivered.

Wan Yan took her hand and said with a smile: "This is not about us little girls, you just listen to it as gossip and forget about it."

Can this really be the case? Xu Qiuyan was a little skeptical.Looking back, Xu Qiuhong felt that Wanyan was very different from those ordinary court ladies who entered the palace just to feed and support their families, and became more curious about her life experience and experience.

*

Xu Qiuyan talked to Wan Yan again, left some of the jewelry that the queen rewarded for Wan Yan, and then packed up a few sets of clothes before going to Yikun Palace.

When Xu Qiuyan arrived, the night was already dark, Concubine Xian lit the lamp and drank tea on a small wooden table.

"Slave Ningbi, kowtow to Concubine Xian."

Xu Qiuyan gave her a grand gift according to the etiquette Wan Yan taught her.

Concubine Xian allowed her to lay down and asked, "Have you had dinner yet?"

"Ah..." Xu Qiuyan seemed stupefied, he hesitated for a while before realizing what Concubine Xian was asking, and quickly replied: "I've used it."

The first time she was alone with the imperial concubine of the Qing Dynasty, Xu Qiuyan was rather nervous, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, wondering if she had been rude.

Concubine Xian just gave a light "hmm" and continued to drink tea.

Xu Qiuyan moved behind her and stood silently.

Concubine Xian's back was a little thin, and her profile was also slightly pale. Against the backdrop of the warm candlelight, she was a little more angry.

Xu Qiuyan stared at her, thinking about her ending in history, disobeying and breaking her hair, not giving up.

In the past, this ending was nothing more than a few lines of text, or a deduction through a cold screen, and it was over after reading it.But now, with such a living person in front of her, Xu Qiuyan felt a little bitterness in her heart. She couldn't help thinking, how did she get to that ending step by step, did she ever think about saving it, and could she help her get it back? ?

"Ningbi, it's a bit cold at night, go and close the window."

Seeing that she didn't respond, Concubine Xian called back, "Ningbi?"

"Ah, yes."

Xu Qiuyan blessed her body, closed the windows one by one, secretly embarrassed by her performance just now.Has been so disrespectful, will Concubine Xian just throw her out?

"Don't you seem to be smart in front of the empress this morning? Did I scare you?"

There was a little smile in Concubine Xian's tone, and the panic in Xu Qiuyan's heart dispelled a lot, and she replied: "This morning, I was trying to save my life, so my mouth is a little bit more tactful than usual. Now that I am under the protection of my mother, I don't know what to say for a while. .”

Concubine Xian took a sip of tea: "You dare to take everything on yourself, you are not a covetous person who fears death."

Xu Qiuyan said: "The servant girl is just duty-bound, it's just a duty."

Concubine Xian nodded: "This is very rare."

Xu Qiuyan thought that Concubine Xian must be