Holding the Piano in the Red Chamber

Except for Qixiang Palace, Baoqin's pace quickened, and he was already out of breath when he arrived at Compassion Palace.The queen mother didn't say anything when she saw her, but Liangqian waved her hand to signal her to come in quietly.

There were not many people in the Compassionate Ning Palace, the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and Liu Changzai and Concubine Wu who had the accident.Both of them were kneeling in front of the Empress Dowager, Liu Chang was bowing his head, Wu Concubine raised her head high, as if the child was hers proudly.

Baoqin is nothing more than a child's business after much deliberation. Concubine Wu wants a child.The more children she has under her name, the more powerful she will be, but Liu Changzai never thinks about it, Concubine Wu just found it unhappy in the imperial garden, and if she really wants to raise the child for her, how can she raise it well.Especially for children's mental growth, although Baoqin doesn't think he can teach them well, Concubine Wu is still a child herself, so should they nurture each other?Apart from worrying about food and clothing, what else can I expect from her.

"Your Majesty is a lesson." Seeing Baoqin coming in, Concubine Wu became more and more joyful, "My concubine is busy with affairs, Liu Changzai is alone, and he has been in the palace for three months before going out, which is very boring. Now that I'm pregnant, it's not okay to stay in the house all day. If I move to my Chengqian Palace, it will be closer to the Imperial Garden. Every day, the two of us go for a stroll. It's good for adults and good for Longzi .”

On the surface, this is the case, but that's not what Concubine Wu said when she got the news and went to Liu Changzai.

At that time, Concubine Wu screened her left and right, and her words were sharp and sharp. "Think about it, you are only here now, even if the emperor is merciful, you will not be able to raise your son yourself after giving birth to a son. I have already asked, the emperor does not come to you once a month, twice is too much Yes, from this point of view, whether she can be promoted to noble or not is a matter of debate." Concubine Wu looked at Liu Changzai's pale face, and felt extremely disgusted in her heart, she was pregnant in only three months, how did her belly grow!

Concubine Wu rubbed her stomach again, and said: "I am already a concubine, and I will not treat you badly if you move to my palace. I have the most responsibilities in the palace except for the queen mother, how can I not raise it well?" Child." Liu Changzai raised her head quickly, and Concubine Wu felt that she had to work harder, "If it's a son, I promise you to visit once every three days, and if it's a daughter, you can even meet every day."

"Why are you like this!" Liu Changzai didn't speak for a long time, and Concubine Wu was a little anxious. She came here while she was asleep with the piano in her arms. If she was the first to take Liu Changzai there After seeing the queen mother, there is nothing wrong with her.

"Think about it, even if Hefei is favored now, how long can she last? How old is she, her parents are still servants, and it is said that she can't even read a single word!" Yuan Chun told her the news Yes, Baoqin is three years older than her, and is 21 this year. Not only are her parents illiterate in her family, but her brother can also write a name.

"How can you teach such a person to raise your son who was conceived and born in ten months of hard work! She comes from a humble background, so you can rest assured. It is often said in the palace that a child is more valuable than a mother, and your son will be raised by a maid. What else can you do in the future!"

Liu Changzai's face turned even paler, he raised his head and then lowered his head, as if he had some concerns, he didn't dare to speak out.

"Let me tell you, this is a common thing, it's not a big deal, it's also in the Xiandi's Palace, you don't have to plan for yourself when you have a child. You don't have to be afraid, just follow my words." Concubine Wu Just now she gave a generous speech, now she suddenly relaxed and felt a little hot, fanned the wind with the palm of her hand, and the maid who was close to her immediately took out the handkerchief.

Liu Changzai's voice was extremely low, only when Concubine Wu got closer did she hear what it was about the imperial garden and dare not speak. "Hey, the Royal Garden is not targeting you. It's the same if you change places with Ling Chang. You just need to follow me to the Empress Dowager's Palace, just catch a little, and let you go out after three months with my concubine. Don't say too much."

Liu Changzai nodded slightly and asked, "When will you be there?"

"Let's go now." Concubine Wu's eyes lit up, and she said, "We will go while she is asleep, as long as we can convince the Queen Mother to nod, no matter what, she will be powerless."

Turning her gaze back to the Empress Dowager's Palace, Concubine Wu became excited again as she spoke, her little face blushing, "Liu Changzai is about the same age as me, and we can usually chat together, Empress Dowager, just let her move to my palace." Let’s go, maybe we can bring out another grandson sometime.”

The queen mother coughed twice, thinking that she wanted to attract her grandson because she was holding the piano. Didn't you see that the first pregnant woman was from her palace? But why hasn't she moved yet?The queen mother quietly looked at Baoqin who was sitting at the bottom, her face was swollen, her hair was not combed well, it could be seen that she came here in a hurry.

"You two get up first." The Empress Dowager turned her head to look at Liangqian, and immediately four maids stepped forward to help them up. Liu Changzai was still pale and refused to speak. Concubine Wu looked at her and said : "Tell me something, what did you tell me just now. You don't need to hide it in front of the empress dowager. The empress dowager is the most kind, and she is all for our good."

Liu Changzai raised his head in a little panic and quickly scanned around, saying: "The Empress Dowager..."

The queen mother frowned, and the queen looked at Baoqin worriedly, and Baoqin also noticed that something was wrong.This is just pretending. Before entering the palace, he dared to fight with others, and even dared to rush to answer after entering the empress dowager's palace. There is no reason to become a doormat now.I have only listened to talk about being pregnant for three years, and I have never heard that pregnancy even changes my personality.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for her next sentence.

"The imperial doctor came to check my pulse in the morning and said that I was pregnant. I thought that my sister and concubine hadn't slept all night, so I thought I'd tell her in the afternoon. Unexpectedly, before my sister woke up in the afternoon, Concubine Wu came..."

Hearing this, Concubine Wu already sensed that something was wrong, one was called sister and the other was called empress, so it didn't matter who she was close to.

"Your Majesty said that she wanted to raise my child. She said that I was just a noble person when I gave birth to a dragon son. It is better to find someone to rely on as soon as possible." Liu Changzai's voice became louder and louder, "Ever since I entered the palace, my sister has been very kind to me. Okay, although I don't have much time to take me out, but the meals are exquisite every day, and I don't put on airs. I live well in Qixiang Palace, why do I have to move. My sister is kind, so I am naturally willing to let my sister raise the child. .” Liu Chang was rubbing his stomach, but his smile was a bit miserable.

The Queen Mother let out a sigh of relief, without even realizing it. "The Ai family knows what's going on, Baoqin, you are leading Liu Changzai back to the palace. Empress, please tell Concubine Wu what the palace rules are, and what the cold palace is for!"

The Empress Dowager's voice was stern, and Concubine Wu didn't even dare to refute, so she could only stare back viciously from the corner of her eye: "Wait for me..., I will make you look good!"

Baoqin took Liu Changzai back, saw her pale face, called the sedan chair, and walked quietly without saying anything, and entered the gate of Qixiang Palace, Liu Changzai called softly: "Sister... ..."

It's hard for Baoqin to say whether she is happy or sad now, but she said with a straight face: "Look at your pale face, I'll call the imperial doctor to show you, what do you want to eat tonight? There is still plenty of time for this meeting, and I can order a few more dishes .”

Liu Chang smiled and nodded.

Here, Liu Changzai ate the highest-standard meal since entering the palace. The eight dishes on the table are regular servings, and the other four extra dishes are because of pregnancy. None of the twelve dishes are inconsistent with each other. Her appetite, especially the dish of (wax melon) coriander soup deserves special mention.Liu Changzai has a special fondness for coriander. She can't eat coriander, but she likes the water boiled with coriander. The winter melon in this soup is almost tasteless, which brings out the flavor of coriander.Liu Changzai drank two bowls before reluctantly asking someone to take it down.

Alas~ I only wish that every year has today, and every year has today.

Liu Chang was full, but Concubine Wu didn't eat a single bite.It is not a good thing to be scolded by the queen, because the whip in the small study in Kunning Palace has been hung up again.Although the queen was worried about the blindness of swords and so on, she was afraid of hurting the cockroach, so she didn't show the sharp weapon, but this alone is quite scary. Whose girls grow up with whips.

Even if there are two whips, either pink or red, with bows on them, unlike the queen, they are black and golden, which is scary.

"That," Shulan followed Concubine Wu's eyes, "You are quite smart. This whip was given by my brother. It is made of python skin. It is colder in summer and winter, and it can also repel mosquitoes. You have to try it." Try it. Hebi likes it very much, and asked me to ask for it several times.”

As soon as Concubine Wu trembled, her legs went limp, "My lady, I don't dare!"

Shulan smiled and said, "Nurse Gao, explain the palace rules to her again."

Concubine Wu was frightened, and she calmed down for a while. Now the attention of the palace is basically focused on the son Liu Guicai gave birth to.

Although the queen ordered that the concubine should not be disturbed before the full moon, but she couldn't stand the fact that there were only two children in the palace, and the fire of gossip was blazing.

Concubine Wu herself withdrew from the queuing list, and she and her concubines had Liu Changzai's child, the queen had no time to plan, and there were only four concubines left.The two new concubines couldn't wait to stay in the house because of something wrong with a group of concubines who entered the palace, so only Qingmei and Yuanchun were left.

Going around and returning to their hands.

So the day the Second Prince lifted the ban on the full moon, the two of them came to the door with congratulatory gifts.

Dong Qingmei thought that she couldn't compete with Yuanchun financially, so she had to find another way.In this month, she personally made more than a dozen clothes for the second prince from head to toe with two maids in the court. The materials were all good materials, enough for him to wear for half a year.This kind of heart is not something everyone can have, Qing Mei squeezed her sore wrist, thinking: This is a real effort, no matter how you look for it, I am better than that guy who only knows how to give money.

Qingmei's thinking is really good. The young lady in the Duke's Mansion takes the high-quality route. If she is asked to make clothes for the children, then what will come out will be handicrafts. I can't make one piece in a month. The finished product will make everyone in the harem tear their eyes They all fell off. Of course, double-sided embroidery, beading and hollow patterns, etc., of course, I couldn't wear them anymore, and I was in a panic.

Her craftsmanship can only be used to make purses. Unfortunately, the emperor thinks she is a mother-in-law. The purse on the queen's body is the craft of holding a piano, so Yuanchun really brought it with her in addition to the gold and silver she used to take out. A small bellyband that is not very practical passed.

What Baoqin gave was ordinary things, plus a plate of snacks, and the queen also rewarded her.Although Concubine Wu didn't go out, she sent a maid to deliver something.

Because it was the first day, everyone said goodbye after sitting for a while.

In the evening, Zhenli sat on the bed and ate up her snacks, and took out the small clothes that Qingmei gave her one by one, she was about to shed tears after a while.

"My lord, don't be like this." Zhenli's court lady Le'er said, "Even though I'm confinement, my lord still has to take care of her body."

Zhen Li sat silently on the bed, lying on the bed was her only one-month-old, but already white and tender little bun, "I can't keep this child."

For the sake of this child, Qingmei comes here every day, she is more diligent than anyone else, and sometimes she can do things, such as changing a diaper or wiping her mouth.Although my heart of wanting to raise a child has not changed, but my heart is indeed much more peaceful. This child is very cute. I always think that if I can really have this child, I must treat him well.

After going back and forth like this, the smile on her face became more and more sincere. One day, after changing the diaper of the second prince, she stopped by to Zhenli's room to wash her face. While she was putting on powder, Zhenli said, "I know a little bit about my sister's thoughts." , I am afraid that this child will not be able to fulfill my sister's wish."

Qingmei was a little stunned, and her hand movements were half a beat slow. In the past two days, her tacit understanding with Zhenli has gradually deepened, and she can always look at each other and smile between taking care of the children. Her chances of raising a child will be much greater, but she never thought...

Qingmei was about to ask something, but she saw Zhenli was in tears. "This child, I think the queen mother is going to take it up for her." Zhenli looked up, looked straight into Qingmei's eyes, and said, "I am a noble person now, and I can raise myself and raise a child with just one step forward, but the child born There was no decree on that day, and there was no decree on the third day, not to mention the full moon."

"So I can't raise this child by myself."

After hearing this, Qingmei felt that it made sense, and she also thought about it subconsciously. Today, she felt a little sad when Zhenli said it outright, but she didn't know how to persuade her.

"What the queen mother values ​​most in the palace is concubines, but she already has a pregnant woman in the palace, and her background is better than mine. The queen mother will not give her my child. The age of entering the palace this year is too young. , and cannot enter the eyes of the Empress Dowager."

Hearing this, Qing Mei hurriedly said: "Then there are me and Jia Bin."

Zhen Li shook her head lightly, "It's not like that. You see, the Empress Dowager has revealed something, and the Empress Dowager didn't say anything, and even the concubine always said that the child is growing up well every time he comes over. So this child I'm afraid the whereabouts will be decided before he comes out."

"Based on this, it's only in the Empress Dowager's palace. It's been almost two months now, and when it's [-] days old, my child..."

Qingmei nodded and shook her head, thinking that she probably guessed it, but she couldn't find a reason to refute it.Zhenli said again: "Sister, I'm 28 this year, this may or may not be my last child."

Qingmei took a closer look at Zhenli's face, at first she thought it was because she was exhausted from taking care of the child, but now that she thought about it, she was actually worrying about where the child would go. "Don't worry too much. If you can really enter the Empress Dowager's palace, it will be much better than raising us."

Zhenli closed her eyes and opened them again, "Yes, I can be raised by the Empress Dowager..." I am a noble person, I am afraid that I will only see you three or five times throughout the year.

Qingmei went back to the palace a little distraught, thankful that she was a concubine, and this kind of thing would not happen in the future, she felt sorry for Zhenli, with two dark circles under her eyes, she still went to Zhenli Palace the next day. "This is the best cotton and silk in my palace. If it's what you said... let's make more clothes."