female concubine

Not long after the Southern Suburb offered sacrifices to heaven, the emperor fell ill. Whenever he was ill, he was never allowed to be examined by the medical officer in the house. For decades, the only person who could get close to the emperor was Sun Hongda, the medical officer of the Imperial Academy. Entering the inner court, the degree of favor is the first among the envoys of the Medical Officers' Academy and the House of Representatives.

After falling ill, the emperor moved from the Kunning Hall to the Funing Hall, and all the meetings with ministers in the inner court were held in the Funing Hall.

——The eighth day of December——

The young woman who is about to reach the age of Ji is sitting in front of the bronze mirror, holding a fine brush with rouge in her hand.

The maid came into the room carrying a wooden tray with a porcelain bowl, "Girl, the Laba porridge is ready."

"Did you send it to your mother?"

"The first bowl that was boiled was sent to the eldest lady."

"Thanks a lot."

Seeing the master dressing up, the maid put the porridge aside, "Miss is so beautifully dressed, are you going to watch the lights at Baolu Palace outside Jinglongmen tonight?"

"It happens every year, what's so interesting about it."

"It's not yet the Chinese New Year, only the Jinglongmen area will meet. I heard that there will be many young gentlemen."

"Oh, so it's Ah Ci who wants Mr. Lang?" Cao Shuyao continued to look at the bronze mirror.

The maid then knelt down beside the master and shook her head, "Ah Ci doesn't want to. Ah Ci is willing to follow the girl all the time. Wherever the girl goes, Aci will go."

Cao Shuyao put down her pen and looked sideways at the female envoy, with neither joy nor sorrow on her face, "If you go to Da Nei, will you follow?"

The maid was stunned for a while, then Cao Shuyao said again: "Do you know that place is like a cage, once you get in, you can't get out again."

The maid raised her slender eyebrows, "Miss, are you going to the palace?"

"It's just an example."

——Boom! ——

The family boy walked to the door and knocked on it easily, "Girl, outside the door there are monks and nuns who come to beg for alms. They come every year. The master asked if they should be sent away."

"Send them away for what?" The woman stood up and walked to the door, "The person didn't come to make trouble, neither stole nor robbed, and the kitchen just made some porridge, and brought some steamed buns and buns. "

"Yes."

There are two bhikkhunis and three bhikkhus in front of the gate of Cao's house. The head is an older bhikkhuni, followed by Bibi holding a pot in his hand. Inside the pot is a bottle soaked in perfume. The golden statue of Buddha, the elder bhikkhuni took willow branches dipped in the perfume in the basin and sprinkled it on the Buddha statue. While waiting, he kept chanting Buddhist scriptures, "...I know that Prajna Paramita is a great mantra, It is the great Ming mantra, the supreme mantra, the incomparable mantra, which can eliminate all suffering, true and true..."

Cao Shuyao led a few female envoys out from the second gate to the main gate, folded his palms and bowed slightly, "I've kept you elders waiting for a long time."

"The benefactor has a compassionate heart," the bhikkhuni looked up at Cao Shuyao carefully, "he must have a long life, and there will be a girl in your house, and it will be even more glorious in the future."

Cao Shuyao joined hands again and bowed, "Shu Yao doesn't plan to become an official."

Afterwards, the bhikkhuni did not continue to speak, and after several thanks, he took his disciples to beg for alms and left.

——Jinglongmen Baolu Palace——

It was night, when thousands of lanterns were lit in Baolu Palace, the gardens and well pavilions were covered with lanterns of all kinds, the whole street was lit with lanterns outside the shops facing the street, and there were shouting vendors and jugglers on the wide road. Among the people who came and went were caravans from foreign countries and envoys from the state of Zhou. Apart from different costumes, their facial features were also different.

"What does the princess think of the lights in this garden?"

Princess Yiguo changed her clothes and rode on the horse. Looking at the person leading the horse, she shook her head, "It's not as good as it was at the Lantern Festival in Shangyuan, when there were fireworks."

There are quite a few boys and girls in the garden. Since the women's department was established, some female officials have advocated that they don't need to wear a hat when going out, but most of them keep a certain distance to talk.

"Isn't this Xiao Yanei? Why did someone lead the horse?"

"Who is that young man sitting on the horse? He is so handsome."

Xiao Yangui grew up in the capital. She was intelligent when she was young, but like her father, she was very playful at least sometimes and refused to enter the Imperial College.

Princess Yiguo covered her mouth with a smile and said, "They all said you, the majestic and handsome Ya Nei is leading a horse."

"They don't care about Yan Gui's happiness."

"Sir said that the son-in-law was first to lead the horse for the emperor, and then he became the prince of the princess."

"My eldest princess, you should go around Yangui."

"Hmph, I was just joking. Both the crown prince and the prince can accept concubines, so I don't want to hire a son-in-law."

"Could it be that the princess still wants to marry a concubine?"

"No, if I do this, the group of ministers will definitely do this," Princess Yiguo imitated the group of civil servants while sitting upright, "how can it be decent for a dignified princess to do such a thing that violates human ethics? , It's really insulting to the gentleman, and the world is going down." Then she covered her mouth and couldn't hold back her laughter, and Xiao Yangui and the servants and guards who followed behind her were also amused by her.

"No wonder my uncle likes the princess so much. I'm sure I'll be happy every day with the princess."

Listening to this, the smile on Princess Yiguo's face slowly dissipated, "It used to be, but it has changed since Daddy's birthday last year. I have never seen Daddy smile again. Daddy even treats Mother differently. .”

Princess Yiguo's brows became deeper and deeper, "They say that people will be confused when they are old, and the emperor is the same. I saw my father's serious illness and aged a lot overnight. I don't know why, that place is so unpleasant. , Daddy had a minor illness a while ago and moved out of Kunning Hall. In the past, Imperial Physician Sun only asked for pulse every half a month, but these years, Imperial Physician Sun would come to the inner court almost every three or two days..."

Xiao Yangui led the horse to a halt, turned around and looked up at Princess Yiguo, "Princess, the heavens will not take away the Holy Lord easily, and the official family will get better."

Princess Yiguo held the reins, looked up at the bright moon above her head, and was gradually covered by dark clouds blown by the wind, "What should I do if I lose my father?"

"No, even if..." Xiao Yan stopped talking, "The princess still has the empress, there is the crown prince, there is the eldest princess, there is uncle, and I."

Princess Yiguo got off her horse, "I won't accompany you around the lantern festival tonight."

Seeing this, the servant turned around and brought the carriage that had been following all along, Xiao Yangui led the horse and turned around and asked, "Where is the princess going?"

"I'll go to Da Nei to see Daddy."

After Princess Yiguo left, the family boy stepped forward, "Your Majesty, shall we go back too?"

Xiao Yangui stepped on the horse and leaned over to touch the horse's neck, "Daddy will allow me to participate in the martial arts after I get the crown, and then I will ride you to fight for the officials..."

Unexpectedly, the usually docile horse suddenly went crazy after being replaced, and Xiao Yangui ran away unprepared, "Get out of the way!" A carriage slowly drove out from the alley, and when it was about to hit it, the driver hurriedly pulled it away. The reins made the horse turn to the right, and the cart knocked over a small stall selling hot drinks.

Xiao Yangui jumped off the horse and controlled the horse with all her strength, "You bastard, if you don't obey me, I'll break your leg!" The exhausted horse collapsed on the street and foamed at the mouth.

The car body shook violently and the two women sitting inside were thrown out of their seats. The maid hurriedly helped the master up, "Is everything alright, girl?"

Cao Shuyao didn't show panic in her eyes, but felt strange and unlucky, "Why do I always encounter such things when I go out?"

The female envoy helped Cao Shuyao out of the carriage and saw a horse collapsed on the ground. She thought it was someone who had fallen while riding a horse, so she got out of the carriage and asked the man whose back was facing him, "Is everything all right, my lord?"

Xiao Yangui turned around and was amazed by the person in front of her. Seeing this, the female envoy stepped forward and blocked the master behind, "Why are you staring at a little lady like this?"

"Ah Ci, don't be rude."

"My Xiao family's name is Yangui, just now the mount was frightened and ran into the little lady, please forgive me."

"Let me tell you, you ladies and gentlemen," the vendor owner stepped forward, "I have a stall here, and all the good business has been ruined by you."

"Old man, I will compensate you for your stall."

"The girl is obviously her..."

"take money."

"Oh." The maid reluctantly took out her purse.

Several house boys ran forward panting all the way, "Lang...Lang Jun, are you hurt?"

Xiao Yangui gently pushed them away, "I'm fine."

"Swallows and swallows are flying, but they are not as good as their feathers; the son is returning home, and he is sent away to the wild. With a good name, the parents of the son should love the son very much."

"This is the name given by the government..."

"I made you talk?" Xiao Yangui scolded.

"Xiao..." Cao Shuyao raised his eyes, and immediately said with a blessing, "So he is the eldest son of the Duke of Huaiyang." Today's Xiao family is not only a powerful official with a heavy army, but also the most distinguished relative in Tokyo City.

"Hey, what is the eldest son, I don't want to rely on my family background to be judged by others. In the future, I will definitely rely on myself to be appointed as a marquis."

"Then I wish Ya Nei can get what he wants in the future." Cao Shuyao turned around to get into the car.

Xiao Yangui said with some reluctance: "Miss, you haven't told me your name yet?"

"It's a small family, it's not enough to talk about it."

Seeing that she seemed unwilling, Xiao Yangui didn't force her, and said to the rear of the car that was about to leave: "The girl's conversation must not be small, I believe we will meet again."

The female envoy looked at the master with some puzzlement, "Why does the girl say that she is a small family, and the family background of the master and the eldest lady can be regarded as one of the best in Tokyo City."

"I told him what to do. I just saw the look in his eyes. If he went back and told his parents to send someone to propose a marriage, how would the Cao family respond?"

"The girl doesn't like to come back."

Cao Shuyao closed her eyes and shook her head, "Their family is not ordinary dignitaries, rich and powerful, but power and nobility are different."

The female envoy still twisted her eyebrows, "I don't understand."

"This capital city is like a thousand-year-old tree, supported by a trunk like an imperial city. Under the big tree, there are intertwined roots. Only when the rhizomes prosper, will the fruit on the tree be sweet, but it is not a good thing if there are too many fruits. It’s a good thing, so smart fruit growers will get rid of some bad ones, but ah, the tree is a whole, and they can’t do without each other.”

The female envoy raised her hand and touched her cheek, "Young lady's words are getting more and more profound..."

Cao Shuyao raised the curtain of the car, and the passing gardens were filled with lanterns, "One light will spread all the lights, and eventually all lights will be bright."

The author has something to say: use one lamp to spread all the lamps, and eventually all the lamps will be lit.From "The Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Dharma"

Interpretation: One fire can burn a thousand fires, and one lamp can spread the meaning of thousands of lights. This sentence means that a single spark can start a prairie fire.

In addition, Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism are both respected. Sister Xiao believes in Buddhism.