Brocade tears

Sui'er clearly remembered that it was the 12th day of the first lunar month in the [-]th year of Wanli, a clear day after snow.The entire Forbidden City is covered in silver, which is the best time to enjoy the snow in the Imperial Garden.She left the Shangfu Bureau early in the morning, walked all the way to the southeast corner of the Imperial Garden, and found an inconspicuous corner where she could see the whole view of the Imperial Garden.It was freezing cold, her hands and feet were cold, and she was still holding tightly in her arms the satin embroidery that she had painstakingly embroidered.It was double-sided three-different embroidery, the unique technique of Suzhou embroidery, and it was embroidered with the empress dowager Li's favorite cloud and mist narcissus.

In the past, not many palace people would come to the imperial garden, only the Siyuan Bureau in charge of gardening would send a special servant to take care of it every day.In this deep palace, the scope of activities of most palace people is fixed and limited. Roughly where you are assigned, if you don’t have a token, you can’t get out of the first place in any direction. Dao palace forbidden.Fortunately, there is no palace ban between the Shangfu Bureau and the Royal Garden, at least during the day, you can still walk around more casually, but you must be careful not to bump into the master. In the Royal Garden, if you accidentally bump into the master, it is really reasonable nowhere to say.

Sui'er waited for a full two hours, until it was the right hour, when the sun was shining brightly, Sui'er heard the footsteps of a large group of people outside the imperial garden.Although the footsteps are obvious, the voices of people are silent and inaudible.After a while, you can see the graceful and luxurious Empress Dowager Li wearing a thick fur cloak, stepping into the imperial garden, accompanied by Queen Wang.

They entered the Wanchun Pavilion and sat down to enjoy the snow. The maids and servants serving around them had already arranged the seats with built-in heaters. Warm wine and exquisite pastries are served on the table, and the arrangement is pleasant.

Sui'er looked at this red-painted golden-roofed pavilion with four bulging buildings and multi-angled points, while thinking in her heart that maybe this is the last place of her life, while still taking steps unswervingly.With her head sullen, she quickly rushed into the Wanchun Pavilion, and was discovered by the guards guarding the outside a few feet away from the Wanchun Pavilion, who immediately stopped her:

"Bold! The nobleman will not evade here!"

Sui'er turned a deaf ear and went straight in, the servant immediately rushed over with two or three companions to stop her.

"What a daring slave! Which bureau? Get it for me! Send it to Gongzheng's judicial office!"

Sui'er immediately knelt down and shouted loudly: "Li Hui'er, a member of the Shangfu Bureau [Note], bring the embroidery to beg an audience with the Empress Dowager, please taste it!"

"You still dare to shout! Gag her!" The servant immediately came to cover her mouth and tried to drag her away, but Sui Er struggled to avoid his hand and continued to shout:

"It's a place where mulberry and hemp are good, and the field family enjoys the same things. The farmer is idle in the daytime, and the animal husbandry takes advantage of the spring breeze. The piccolo is outside the cloud mountain, and the long forest is in the rain. The couple also borrowed grass, and said that the year is good. The empress dowager is brought by Li Huier. The double-sided three-different embroidered cloud and mist narcissus begged to have an audience with the empress dowager, and the empress dowager should appreciate it!"

Her voice was crisp and clear, her words were articulate, and although she uttered words quickly, her words were clear. If pearls fell into a jade plate, it was very pleasant to the ear, and it was immediately transmitted to the Wanchun Pavilion.I don't know if it was the poem read by Sui Er that attracted the Empress Dowager Li's attention, or the so-called "Double-faced Three-Different Embroidered Cloud and Mist Narcissus" aroused the Empress Dowager's curiosity, or she simply became curious about this daring court lady Heart.Empress Dowager Li's voice, which was not loud but still recognizable, sounded in the pavilion:

"Come on, don't bother her anymore, let her in, I have something to ask her."

"Here." Mother Jiang, who had served Empress Dowager Li for many years, came out immediately and directed the servants to let Sui'er go.Sui'er hurriedly adjusted her clothes, hugged the embroidery that almost fell to the ground during the struggle just now, walked all the way into the Wanchun Pavilion, knelt down in front of Empress Dowager Li and Queen Wang, and bowed down:

"Li Hui'er from the capital, please greet the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager have good fortune and Jinan."

The queen mother didn't let her get up, so Sui'er kept lying on the ground and dared not get up.After about three breaths, the queen mother said slowly:

"You said, you belong to the Shangfu Bureau?"

"Report to the Queen Mother, that's right." Li Sui'er said.

"Are all the people in the Shangfu Bureau so unruly now? What if they all show me their embroidery and want me to help? Is there any rules in this palace?" The queen mother said slowly.

"What the empress dowager said is that it was the concubine who did the wrong thing. The concubine will definitely be punished by the supervisor of ceremonies and the palace official." The young queen Wang and Queen apologized softly.

At the beginning of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, following the system of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there were six bureaus of the Shang Palace—Shang Gong, Shang Yi, Shang Fu, Shang Food, Shang Sleeping, and Shang Gong, which were in charge of the palace ladies and various affairs in the palace.However, from Yongle to now, the sixth bureau of Shanggong is basically empty, and only the fourth division of Shangfu bureau—Sibao, Siyi, Sizhuang, and Sizhang—remains, and the skilled embroiderers are selected to be the concubines in the palace. The masters make clothes and things.The functions of the remaining five bureaus have all been transferred to the jurisdiction of the twelve inner courts and concentrated in the hands of eunuchs.Therefore, the affairs of the court ladies are now also managed by the eunuchs.As the first department of the inner court, the Supervisor of Rituals is in charge of the palace's criminal names, and its subordinate Gongzhengsi specializes in dealing with palace people who have made mistakes and committed crimes in the palace.Although the Empress is said to be in charge of the inner court, in fact the specific affairs are under the supervision of the Twelve Supervisors, and the power of the eunuchs even faintly overwhelms the masters in the palace, and the masters would not ask about the details of these affairs in the past.

"The empress is serious, this matter has nothing to do with you. I'm afraid there won't be such a bold man in this palace for hundreds of years. Li Huier, do you know the source of the poem you just recited?" The queen mother's voice sounded similar I don't know whether it's joy or anger, but the voice is steady and majestic.

"Reporting to the Queen Mother, this poem is Mr. Taiyue's "Shepherd"."

"Since you know, why are you still reciting this poem here?" The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes, and her voice became stern.

Sui'er didn't answer, just bowed down on the ground, raised her hands high, and presented her embroidery.Seeing this situation, the Queen Mother said to Mother Jiang beside her:

"Bring me her cloud narcissus."

Nanny Jiang immediately took the embroidery, unwrapped the furoshiki, and unfolded the embroidery in front of the Empress Dowager.Empress Dowager Li took a look and saw a beautiful flower painting embroidered on the three-foot-square black satin with extremely beautiful stitches.The three-color threads of porcelain white, turquoise and indigo make the misty daffodils look like living things, which is too beautiful to behold.The embroidery on the front and back is the same, even if you look closely at the details, there is no flaw, it is really exquisite.The Queen Wang looked at this embroidery curiously, and secretly marveled. This embroidery is also one of the best in the palace.Empress Dowager Li gradually locked her eyebrows and pondered.After a while, she told Mother Jiang beside her:

"Bring these people back to the Palace of Compassion and Ning, and I will interrogate them myself."

"Here."

Watching the servants take Sui Er down, the Empress Dowager turned her head to the Empress and said, "Empress, since such an accident happened today, I am not interested in admiring the snow. You should go back earlier and take care of yourself. "

"Yes, Empress Dowager." The Empress respectfully replied.

"It's all about human affairs. Tell the servants to keep their mouths shut and don't spread the word. If it reaches the emperor's ears, he will be unhappy again."

"Yes, please don't worry, the queen mother, I will save it."

……

Sui'er knew that she had won the Queen Mother's attention, which meant that her self-rescue plan had succeeded more than half.Early in the morning, he hid in the Imperial Garden to guard the Empress Dowager, not because he was afraid of missing the chance to meet the Empress Dowager, but because he was afraid that if he left late, he would never have the chance to escape from the Shangfu Bureau.She didn't know when Zhang Jing would bring someone to catch her, so she had to leave as soon as possible, and she couldn't go back in a short time.The only thing she has to do next is to make the queen mother pay continuous attention to herself, so that she can continue her life.

The reason why Zhang Juzheng's "Mu" was used was Sui'er's decision after careful consideration.Since the Longqing period, Zhang Juzheng has been in charge of teaching Jinshang to study, and he inevitably met with Empress Dowager Li many times.It was rumored that Zhang Juzheng was having an affair with the Empress Dowager Li, and there were even rumors that the present was not the biological son of Emperor Longqing, but Zhang Juzheng's biological father.It is true that Zhang Taiyue is a great talent born in the world, and even more so, he is unparalleled in handsomeness.Empress Dowager Li was born in a city with a low status and was always neglected by Emperor Longqing.But Sui'er didn't believe that such wise figures as Zhang Juzheng and Queen Mother Li would do such a secret affair as rumored in the market.Because doing so is ruining one's own future, and even those with a little wisdom will not fall into injustice, let alone they are in the center of a court situation where there is no turning back if they make a wrong step.

But Sui'er believes that there is indeed a certain friendship between Empress Dowager Li and Zhang Juzheng, which can be seen from some clues.After all, Sui'er stayed in Zhang Juzheng's mansion for a while, although Zhang Taiyue would never bring up any topic about his personal relationship with her, but Sui'er could tell from the few words and sentences left in Taiyue's study that the former Chief Assistant Mood changes over time.In his spare time, he occasionally draws daffodils and has two pots in his study.Whenever it is drawn, it is burned.Sui'er embroidered this painting of cloud and mist narcissus, which he had kept and was not willing to burn, and it was hidden in the scroll jar in the study.Sui'er had seen him take this painting out before, but he brought it back that day, she judged that it might have been brought into the palace for someone to see.And the poem "Mu" was written by Zhang Taiyue when he was in a good mood one day. On that day, he went to Xiannongtan with the Holy Father and Empress Dowager Li to plow the fields. It happened when the Holy Lord was young, and Sui'er was not there The Zhang family, Zhang Sixiu, the second son of the Zhang family, told her this.Sui'er relied on her super memory to memorize all these details in her mind, and now using them, the purpose of all is to evoke the Queen Mother's memory of Zhang Taiyue, and at the same time make her pay attention to herself.

Now it seems that her judgment is indeed correct, and the queen mother is still merciful to Zhang Taiyue.But times have changed, the royal family has always been cold, and when the former chief assistant was liquidated, the queen mother never asked the Holy Majesty for mercy.It's really hard to know exactly what attitude the Empress Dowager has towards the former Chief Assistant.

Perhaps it was to show Sui Er a disgrace, after Sui Er was brought to the Palace of Compassion and Peace, she was directly thrown to Mother Jiang for disposal.She has experienced one of the three most terrifying criminal laws in the palace - strict punishment.Why stick it?That is, the punished person stands facing the north, bends down and stretches out his arms, and holds his feet with his hands.The knees are not allowed to bend, and this lasts for an hour.

Sui'er's body flexibility is not bad, and it's not difficult to hold his feet with his hands without bending his knees, but the longer it lasts, the harder it will be.In addition, the head was down, the blood flowed backwards, and the dizziness soon became unsustainable.In the process of desperately enduring the criminal law, Mother Jiang explained to her the various punishments in the palace very "kindly".For example, there are two other punishments for punishing maids of honor together with "banzhe"-"lifting the bell" and "blocking the lock". "Tiring the bell" requires the punished to go from the gate of Qianqing Palace to Rijing Gate and Yuehua Gate every night, and then return to Qianqing Palace.Walking slowly, rain or shine, singing the peace of the world, the sound is slow and long, corresponding to the bell. "Pier lock" is to let the maid squat down, and use a wooden box about seven inches high with four openings to lock the maid in place so that she cannot stand up.

In addition, there are all kinds of weird and shocking punishments, large and small, the most famous ones are eating big boards, eating small boards, self-correcting sticks, collectively known as "three boards", etc. Sui'er's heart was extremely cold when he heard it.

After waiting for an hour, Sui'er, who was already physically weak, fainted at the moment it was over, and was thrown into the An Le Hall afterward.This place is where the sick and old palace people wait to die.There is a rule in the palace: if the concubine is sick, the doctor is not allowed to enter, and the medicine is obtained based on the certificate.Even if the palace concubine is sick, the sick palace lady has no medicine at all.Sui'er was thrown in the An Le Hall and fell into a coma for three full days. When she woke up, she realized that she was only able to return to the hospital thanks to the careful care and service of an old palace maid with a severely burned face and an extremely ugly appearance. soul.

This disease took half his life.Sui'er has been recuperating in An Le Tang for nearly two months, and no one cares about her.Even Zhang Jing would not find this place.The only one who accompanied her every day was the old maid with severe facial burns, gray hair, extremely hoarse voice and blindness in one eye.

The old lady's voice may have been seriously damaged by the smoke, and she could hardly speak. Occasionally, she gestured to express something, which was very simple.Sui Er asked her if she could write, she shook her head.Sui Er hesitated for a long time, but finally did not ask why she was burned.She didn't seem to have a name either, Sui'er called her "Old Aunt", and she seemed very happy to hear that.

The old aunt knows some medical knowledge, and every day she would use a scalded towel dipped in warm water to scrub Sui'er's body carefully to keep her clean.The daily food was also made by her, and it was all bran porridge and pickled vegetables, which were hard to swallow.But I don't know where the old aunt got some vegetable seeds, turned over a small piece of land in the yard, and planted some delicious vegetables herself.It seemed that she was the only one in this small courtyard in the Anle Hall in the past, and the rest of the patients or old palace servants were elsewhere.

The old aunt was silent, but very kind. Although she looked very scary, Sui'er got the first warmth after entering the palace from her.During her convalescent period, she was often bedridden with a high fever, and it was only the old aunt's rough palms that touched her forehead that allowed her to survive the most difficult moments.

Sui'er thought of her late mother again.

Nearly two months later, Sui'er barely recovered from her illness. This serious illness was the result of the outbreak of previous injuries and crimes. Fortunately, she was still very young, so she had to bear it.At this moment, Mother Jiang from the Palace of Compassion and Ning brought her to bring her back to the Palace of Compassion and Ning. On the day she left, the old aunt spoke the first sentence to her. What she said in her ear:

"Son, you have to find a way to get out..."