Zhuo Qihua

——In the tenth year of Yong'an, nearly 10 counties in Matata (read: Yu) Guoguan Nei Road, Hedong Road, and Hebei Road in the south were severely droughted for two years, with no crops and hundreds of thousands of victims.Changing sons to eat, killing people to eat, victims of disasters, refugees, and hungry corpses fill the three realms.The imperial court not only allocated several [-] taels of silver for disaster relief, but also transferred millet from the rich land in the south to Sandao.Governments and local wealthy gentry in various places also offered relief during the severe drought.At the same time, the imperial court also sent heavy troops to prevent the refugees from developing into riots that would shake the foundation of the imperial court.But no matter what disaster relief measures the imperial court takes, the disaster caused by this natural disaster can only be eliminated if the drought is relieved by abundant heavy rain.

Danyang Palace is quiet, as the emperor's harem is located, the noble lords of the palaces will not go out after nightfall, especially in such a tense situation, everyone is more cautious, for fear that anyone who doesn't check will offend the emperor Anger, he was murdered.Just a few days ago, Mrs. Xi and Mrs. Qing Ya were fighting for favor, and there was a quarrel on the way the emperor entered the inner palace. The emperor was upset about the severe drought. When the two had such a quarrel, the emperor directly demoted them to common people and put them under confinement in the cold palace. Even the queen empress was reprimanded by the emperor, saying that she was not effective in controlling the harem.The father, brother and relatives of the two were also implicated, and were affected by the Holy Wrath.

"Snapped!"

A memorial was thrown heavily on the ground, and the emperor of the Mata Kingdom, Yong'an Emperor Nan Rongshi (read: Shi) Ying's face was ashen.Zhang Xian, the personal eunuch of Emperor Yong'an, didn't dare to come out, hurriedly picked up the memorial on the ground, folded it, and put it back on the emperor's desk.Emperor Yong'an was furious: "The severe drought in Guannei Road, Hedong Road, and Hebei Road has not been resolved so far, and locust plagues have occurred again, hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced. Local officials are ineffective in disaster relief and slack in killing locusts! , all should be killed!"

"Long live, calm down, long live, calm down..." Zhang Xian hurriedly persuaded: "Long live those corrupt officials and fish merchants, you just kill them, but you must not hurt your dragon body!"

"Go! Announce Chen Changgeng to see me!"

"Yes!"

Zhang Xian immediately went out to call for an eunuch, and ordered him to announce to Chen Changgeng, the Imperial Envoy of Zuodu of the Inspectorate, to have an audience.

For a whole afternoon, Emperor Yong'an received ministers and dealt with state affairs in the Zhixing Hall.It wasn't until it was dark that Emperor Yong'an took a rest, Zhang Xian hurriedly ordered someone to pass on the meal.

"I'll go see the Queen Mother first."

Zhang Xian was so anxious that he was about to cry: "Long live, you haven't taken a rest all afternoon, and you haven't eaten a bite of snacks. It's already time to eat. If you don't eat, Longhui can't bear it." ,Long live……"

Emperor Yong'an squeezed the center of his brows, and said wearily: "I haven't paid my respects to the Queen Mother today, if it's later, the Queen Mother will have to rest."

The emperor insisted on seeing the empress dowager first, Zhang Xian was only an eunuch and could not influence the emperor, so he had to order a ride to the Shoukang Palace where the empress dowager lived.

Emperor Yong'an is the grandson of Emperor Jiande of Emperor Mingzong.Emperor Mingzong did not have many heirs, and the crown prince—posthumously named Emperor Shenzong—died early, and the remaining three sons were all embarrassing.For the sake of the country of Damata, Emperor Mingzong named Nan Rong Shiying, the eldest son and only son of the prince, as the grandson of the emperor, and devoted himself to cultivating him.After the death of Emperor Mingzong, the emperor's grandson Nanrong Shiying changed his name to "Shiying" and ascended the throne, and changed his reign name to Yong'an.As soon as Emperor Yong'an came to the throne, his three uncles joined forces to rebel.Emperor Yong'an spent more than four years suppressing the rebellion.In the end, one of the three princes was given death, one was exiled, and the other was imprisoned in the imperial mausoleum for life.Today, Emperor Yong'an, who is only 30 years old, has been on the throne for ten years.In the past ten years, Emperor Yong'an used his wrists to tell those who coveted the throne that he was the real dragon emperor.

Emperor Yong'an had a very good relationship with the Empress Dowager, his biological mother, Wan Shi.Emperor Yong'an lost his father when he was young, and lived with his mother.He was brought up by the emperor's grandfather, and he was named the emperor's grandson. One can imagine the danger.In order to protect this son, Wan worked hard. After the rebellion of the three kings was suppressed, Wan was able to live in the dangerous harem.

Emperor Yong'an, who was sitting on the chariot, closed his eyes and rested his mind, his head was still full of state affairs.The emperor's guard of honor appeared even more solemn and silent in the Danyang Palace at night.What Emperor Mingzong left for Emperor Yong'an was not a prosperous age, but it was by no means a mess.Emperor Yong'an was a diligent emperor and a wise emperor, but no matter how wise he was, he could not prevent the disasters from the heavens, nor could he prevent the man-made disasters caused by selfish desires.

"Long live, Shoukang Palace is here."

Emperor Yong'an opened his eyes, and the chariot landed on the ground. Emperor Yong'an supported Zhang Xian and walked down. All the palace people in Shoukang Palace had already knelt on the ground to welcome the holy driver.

Knowing that the emperor hadn't eaten yet, the queen mother immediately ordered someone to pass on the meal, complaining a few words that the emperor didn't care about the dragon's body, and also told the emperor not to come to her every day to pay her respects, the state affairs are the most important.The queen mother was not yet fifty, and became a widow in her early twenties. After that, she worried about her only son, and her health has not been very good.After Emperor Yong'an ascended the throne, the Empress Dowager did not occupy the power of the harem, but handed it all over to the Empress, who devoted herself to worshiping Buddha in Shoukang Palace, praying for her son, and praying for Damata Kingdom.

The empress dowager felt sorry for the emperor's recent hard work, and urged the emperor to return to the palace to rest after the emperor finished his dinner.Three years of severe drought, the Empress Dowager surrendered her palace points. This move of the Empress Dowager immediately attracted the attention of others, and all the concubines in the palace surrendered their palace points one after another. Of course, it is hard to say whether they are willing or not.Although the silver taels saved from the subjugation palace are just a drop in the bucket for the silver taels needed for disaster relief, this is the empress dowager's support for the emperor.Originally, the Queen should take the lead in this matter.Sitting on the carriage back to the palace, thinking of the empress dowager wearing plain clothes and taking off her jewelry, Emperor Yong'an felt guilty and depressed.

"Zhang Xian."

Seeing His Majesty raised his hand, Zhang Xian immediately ordered to stop driving.Emperor Yong'an got off the chariot and said, "I want to walk."

Zhang Xian immediately asked: "Long live, which noble lord should I go to sit with?" Or rest?

Emperor Yong'an said impatiently: "No!"

Knowing that Wan Sui was displeased with what happened a few days ago, and even a little angry, Zhang Xian shut up.As the eunuch who personally served the emperor, and one of the three chief eunuchs in the entire Danyang Palace, although Zhang Xian would not reject the "good intentions" of the masters of the palace, the most loyal object would only be the emperor.If the emperor doesn't want to go to the noble lord of the palace, he will not propose it, no matter who he has received benefits from before.Although there were not many concubines and maids in the Emperor Yong'an's harem, there were also some gentle and considerate ones.It's just that no matter how gentle and considerate she is, she can't help the emperor at this time.In addition to the disturbing incident before, Emperor Yong'an also deliberately beat everyone in the harem.It's okay to compete for favor, but it takes time.When he is in a good mood, they can fight whatever they want.But when he is upset, it is best to be honest, even if he is a favorite concubine or servant, he must be careful.

With state affairs in his head, Emperor Yong'an did not go through the palace route, but went to the West Third Courtyard from outside the palace route.Xisanyuan is a palace garden located in the northwest corner of Danyang Palace.The Ministry of Household Affairs and the Imperial Household Division select women and Duanmu who are suitable for entering the palace from among the ladies in the world, and there are also descendants of officials and noble families.Those who were able to enter the palace were selected through layers of selection, some were palace servants, some were concubines, and some were wives of the royal family. From then on, once they entered the palace (wealthy family), it was as deep as the sea.To put it bluntly, the West Third Courtyard is the courtyard where the candidates live.

Brother Lao's body is between a woman and a man. Throughout the dynasties, for the stability of the harem, only women and men who were castrated to become eunuchs acted as palace people.In history, those brothers who were not selected into the harem as duanmu usually came from the imperial court or other palace officials other than Danyang Palace.Such people and noble lords who stand out as court ladies are very rare in all dynasties.

In Danyang Palace, low-ranking concubines and servants will be sent to the West Third Courtyard for some reason.There is only a palace road and a small garden between Xisanyuan and Lenggong, so Xisanyuan is also known as "Little Lenggong".

There are two main courtyards in the west and east courtyards, the east courtyard is the residence of women, and the west courtyard is the residence of brothers.In the middle of the east and west courtyards is a small garden with a lotus pond. The entire west third courtyard is separated by four walls, with two gates in the east, west, north and south.The draft is held once every three years, and this year happens to be the third year. However, due to three major droughts, Emperor Yong'an postponed the draft. Now that the plague of locusts has reappeared, this year is absolutely impossible.As for whether it will open next year, it is hard to say, the Ministry of Households has not yet received the emperor's will.

Seeing the courtyard wall of the West Third Courtyard, Emperor Yong'an asked casually, "Is there anyone living in the West Third Courtyard?"

Zhang Xian thought for a while, and replied uncertainly: "The last Long Live draft, no matter whether it was the selected show girl or Duanmu, it seemed that they were all assigned to the noble masters of the main palaces. Before that, the servants had never heard However, if any noble master lives in the West Third Courtyard, there should only be the palace servants who are in charge of cleaning. Yan Yaren and Chu Guiren were conferred by you, Long Live, in the last draft."

Emperor Yong'an immediately said: "Then go for a walk."

Zhang Xian understood, Wanzai wanted to find a quiet place.The palace lanterns in the West Third Courtyard were dim, and there was no one inside, at least not a single palace person was seen along the way.Six eunuchs were holding lanterns in front of them to illuminate the road. Emperor Yong'an walked slowly with his hands behind his back, obviously still thinking about state affairs.It was the middle of summer, but the West Third Courtyard seemed to be cooler than the other palaces, which made the extremely irritable Emperor Yong'an calm down a lot.

"Master, there are several here!"

Suddenly there was a clear voice in front of him, like a voice from an eunuch.Emperor Yong'an stopped, and Zhang Xian was about to go over to question him immediately, but was dragged by Emperor Yong'an.

"Go and see."

Zhang Xian quickly signaled the eunuch and imperial guards behind him to be quiet.Emperor Yong'an walked lightly, looking for his voice, and the other party called "Master", so he must have a position.At this time, which concubine or maid would dare to leave the residence and come to the West Third Courtyard!

The eunuch who led the way blew out the lantern, and Emperor Yong'an, who had already seen the figure, stopped in the dark.Zhang Xian stood behind Wan Sui and looked around. Under the two lanterns in front of him, which were brighter than palace lanterns, he saw three people, one was sitting, and the other two were standing in front of the tree. He didn't know what they were doing.Zhang Xian rubbed his eyes, the people sitting with their backs facing them, the back view was very strange.The court ladies and eunuchs in front of the tree are all dressed up by the lowest-ranking palace servants in the palace.The eunuch is facing this side, with a strange face, and the palace maid is sideways, also strange.

The sitting person's long hair was simply braided into a thick braid hanging behind his head, and he was wearing a light green bean-colored shirt.In other words, this kind of unruly dress in the palace would have to be beaten to death by the nanny in charge or the eunuch.Zhang Xian was puzzled, this is not a maid, so why did he call him "Master"?Emperor Yong'an raised his hand, and the eunuch and imperial guards who followed retreated to the back, leaving only Zhang Xian by his side.

"Master, there are so many cicada monkeys tonight, could it be because the weather is getting hotter?" the youthful-looking eunuch asked happily.

The person sitting there yawned heavily, and said in a lazy tone, "Maybe. But it's also possible that they hatched together. Knowing that the eggs of cicada monkeys take a year or two to hatch, If you encounter a large number of hatching at the same time, then naturally there will be more."

The little eunuch swallowed: "There are so many cicada monkeys, enough for us to eat for several days."

The little maid laughed and scolded: "With your appetite, so many cicada monkeys are not enough for you to eat two meals."

The little eunuch rubbed his head embarrassingly, and the person sitting said in a lazy tone: "Xiaohui, don't talk about Chang Jing like that, he is growing up now, and he can eat normally. How can I say it?" Half a child, eat a poor old man'."

Chang Jing teased himself: "Master, this servant is no longer a boy, but an eunuch who is neither male nor female."

A few deep and pleasant laughter sounded, but the man said strangely with a bit of envy: "You are still a man in essence, but there are a few things missing, at most you can be considered a disabled person. Your master, I am the real man." Not male or female, it is born, worse than you."

"Pfft!" Zhang Xian hurriedly covered his mouth, raised his head in fear, and then shrank back under Wanzai's cold eyes.But in Zhang Xian's heart, he had a good impression of this unknown noble lord who had never seen his face.The noble lords of the palaces faced him politely, turned around and for some reason cursed him in their hearts as an eunuch who was neither male nor female, eunuch.It was the first time he had heard such remarks, and he naturally liked them.But Wanzai is afraid that he will be unhappy.The other party should obviously be a noble lord with status, but why is he in the West Third Courtyard at night?

Zhang Xian was puzzled, and Emperor Yong'an would only be more puzzled.The concubines and servants in the harem, Emperor Yong'an did not say that they were familiar with each of them, but at least his face was familiar, but this person was extremely strange in terms of his back and voice, and he was sure that he had never seen him before.

Xiaohui said at this time: "Master, you are sleepy, why don't you go back and rest."

The man raised his hand and shook it: "I still feel a little sleepy sitting here, but I won't be able to sleep again when I go back. Wait for another half an hour before going back."

"it is good."

Chang Jing and Xiao Hui Mao lowered their bodies, each carried a lantern and searched for them in front of the trees.Chang Jing said regretfully: "There are so many cicada monkeys, if only they could all be fried."

Xiaohui sighed helplessly: "Who says it's not, but there's nothing you can do about it. The queen mother has reduced her palace points, and the master can still get a little rice, a little oil and a few vegetables. It's a little fishy. It's thanks to Uncle Wang, otherwise the master would not have rice to eat porridge."

Emperor Yong'an narrowed his eyes slightly, is this person from the cold palace?Considering that Lenggong is not far from West Third Hospital, it is really possible.Emperor Yong'an never cared about who was in the cold palace, even if he just sent two concubines into the cold palace.A concubine who has been cast into the cold palace will still have at least one servant by her side.But seeing that none of these three people behaved nervously, Emperor Yong'an was furious.When will the people in the cold palace be able to come out at will?This "Uncle Wang" is probably the eunuch who guards the cold palace!

Emperor Yong'an guessed that it was someone from the Leng Palace, so Zhang Xian naturally guessed it too.Taking a peek at the emperor's face, Zhang Xian's heart skipped a beat, and he secretly worried about the servant whom he had a crush on.