[Qing Chuan] Yongzheng's embarrassing empress

This remote village was originally used for farming, and the nearby fields were leased to farmers, and some rent was collected every year, and the output was not too much. It can be said that it was a relatively poor village in Shuwan's hands.

Because this is a Zhuangzi for farming, not for play, the house is very simple. This is the first time for Shuwan to come here.

Xiaohua sent the craftsmen and others to work, and she and Guaibao took Shuwan and the emperor around.

The main hall in front is the place for receiving guests, and the side hall is the tea room.The tea room is very large, and there are hot water snacks in it all year round for the craftsmen in the village to take.

There are two rows of houses in the back, where the craftsmen study.

Xiaohua brought Shuwan and others in, and she knew the progress of each room like the back of her hand.

Shuwan knew nothing about these things, and she couldn't even memorize the complete formula of clay gunpowder.The emperor knew a little more about this, he asked questions from time to time, and Xiaohua answered them fluently, it was obvious that he had worked hard.

After visiting these few houses, the sun has risen so high that it is already time for lunch.

Xiaohua has already prepared a banquet in the backyard, and she invites Shuwan and others to move over to have dinner.

After lunch, the emperor and Guaibao stayed in the dining room to rest, while Shuwan went to Xiaohua's bedroom to rest.

Xiaohua wants to help Shuwan to lie down on the bed, "I heard from Guaibao that the empress has the habit of taking a nap, and the bed is a new bedding. I will help you change your clothes. You can take a nap!"

Shuwan waved her hand, "No need, it won't matter if you miss a day of sleep, you sit down, let's talk."

Xiaohua sat down cautiously, while Shuwan looked at the room.

The room was cleaned very clean, there is no partition in the middle of the room, it is very spacious, and the decorations in the room are unobstructed.

Facing the door is a round table with four round stools beside it, and there are fruits and teapots on the table.

To the east is a canopy bed, the bed curtains and bedding are brand new, it seems that they are specially prepared for Shuwan.To the west is a desk, bookshelf and a bed, on which Shuwan and Xiaohua are sitting.

Shuwan asked her, "Can I see your desk?"

Xiao Hua hurriedly said: "Of course!"

Shuwan got up and stood beside the desk. The desk had been tidied up, but the owner's usage habits could still be seen.

There are only three pens on the table, and the inkstone brush washers seem to be old stationery used by Guaibao.There was a thick stack of books and manuscripts on the table, Shuwan picked out two at random, and the lines were full of dense annotations.

Shuwan smiled and said, "I can see that you work very hard."

Xiaohua was very shy, "I can't be praised by my mother. My mother, you entrusted me with such an important matter. I was afraid in my heart, and I was always afraid that it would not be done well. I am stupid, so I can only work harder."

"You came to this wilderness, does your family agree?"

Xiao Hua smiled wryly, "They...they are not very happy."

In the eyes of her family, Xiaohua was lucky to know Guaibao. She had better catch the third prince's heart while she was young, and encourage the third prince to marry her home as soon as possible, even if she was a concubine. OK.

People's hearts are changeable, if one day the third prince changes his mind and abandons her, no one will make decisions for her, and it will be difficult for her to find another husband.

Xiaohua doesn't want to talk about these things, she doesn't like to tell others about her difficulties, the help from others is always limited, and she has to solve many things by herself.

"Empress, this Zhuangzi has just started to operate, and it will take some time to make a profit. I will research the results as soon as possible and make profits for the empress.

Behind Zhuangzi is the farmland. After a while, the emperor and you will have a rest, why don't you go around the back.When we're working on the cannon, we're going to fire it in the back, and there's a demonstration this afternoon. "

Shuwan nodded, "I know the land behind Zhuangzi, it's very cold and the crops don't grow well."

"It's cold?"

Shuwan smiled and said, "I don't know what to say. It's probably because the temperature of that piece of land is lower than other places, so the crops don't like to grow. I didn't understand at first. I thought the land was the same. Buying this piece of land When you land, you feel that the price is right and you start with it.

Later, I found that the harvest was not good. I asked someone to find out that there are many ways to cultivate the land. You can see that the terrain is similar, but in fact the temperature in this area is lower than other places.Moreover, the north side is a bit low-lying, the drainage is not good, and the crops are prone to waterlogging. "

Xiao Hua nodded again and again, "So there is such a saying, I didn't know it before."

"360 professions, each profession has its own doorway, it is even more difficult to enter the profession, take your time, you will be fine one day."

At this time, someone knocked on the door, and Xiao Hua's maid reported something, saying that a family member of a certain craftsman was sick, and that person wanted to ask for leave, so Xiao Hua asked for permission.

Xiaohua thought for a while, "I remember that Master Cheng's wife has a bad heart. This time, it must be a relapse. You go to the account and pay ten taels of silver to Master Cheng. It's not for nothing, it's his salary paid in advance. .

The matter at hand is handed over to Master Mo first, and I will give him three days off, no more.If he can't come back in time, his progress will not be able to keep up, and the progress of others will also be slowed down. "

The maid took the order to go down to do some work, Xiaohua turned around and explained to Shuwan.

"Your Majesty, don't think I'm unreasonable. It stands to reason that ten taels of silver is not much, and it's okay to give it to Master Cheng for nothing. But there are so many people in this village. Today this mother is sick, and tomorrow the son is going to marry a wife. I I can't give money to everyone. In that case, even if I have mountains of gold and silver, I can't bear the flowers.

I still understand the situation of Master Cheng's family. I reckon that three days' leave should be enough, and I dare not give any more.Otherwise, if everyone asks for leave, there will be no work in the village. "

Shuwan didn't comment on Xiao Hua's management style, she just asked: "This Master Cheng must be very powerful! You actually went out of your way to find out about his family's situation."

Xiaohua smiled and said, "Master Cheng is really good, but I didn't go out of my way to get to know him. There are so many people in the village, and I keep everyone's situation in mind. Firearms are more important. I am most afraid that someone will leak the secret, so I can only do more." bother."

Xiaohua's hard work on firearms left a good impression on Shuwan. She wrote down everyone's family background, which made Shuwan even more impressed.Everyone wants to have the opportunity to display their ambitions, but few are willing to work hard.

It's almost time to rest, Xiao Hua brought the account book and asked Shuwan and the emperor to have a look.

"All the expenses on the Zhuangzi are here. There are vegetable fields here, so I don't need to buy vegetables and fruits, which saves me a lot of money. In my spare time, the masters made some firecrackers with leftover materials, and sold them all, which is also an income..."

Xiaohua doesn't look at the account book, and talks about all expenses in a logical manner.

Shuwan picked up a few simple questions and asked Guaibao, Guaibao either answered vaguely or said she didn't know.

The emperor said angrily, "What do you know?"

Guaibao had a bitter face, "These are all Xiaohua's care, I... I don't care."

The emperor scolded: "Since you have a division of labor, why does Xiao Hua not only know about firearms, but also understand the following things?"

Shuwan added: "She also knows Zhuangzi's family background up and down."

The emperor nodded, "Xiao Hua grabs her from the front and back, what are you responsible for in Zhuangzi? Are you in charge of cooking?"

Guaibao bowed his head and admitted his mistake, looking pitifully.

Shuwan knows that it's not that he doesn't work hard, it's just that his little girlfriend is too curly, making him look extremely useless.

After checking the ledger, Shuwan and the others went to the back to look at the cannon. Xiaohua and the others had made some progress in their research, and the range of the cannon had become longer.

After spending a day in Zhuangzi, the emperor saw that the time was almost up, and ordered the people below to set up the carts, and they were going to go back to the palace.

Before leaving, Shuwan grabbed Xiaohua and talked to her, "It's hard for you to be with Guaibao!"

Xiaohua blushed, "I chose this by myself, so I don't feel bitter. Empress, I know in my heart that many people call me shameless and shameless. I... I don't know what the empress thinks of me Yes, but I don't care!

I can meet Guaibao, which is the best thing I have ever experienced growing up.You let me go to the Academy, let me come to Zhuangzi to study firearms, this is the second best thing I have ever experienced.

I cherish it very much, even if I am separated from Guaibao in the future, even if you don't need me in the future, I will be satisfied after having such an experience. "

Xiao Hua's eyes were full of tears, she lowered her head, unwilling to let others see.

"Maybe you think I'm weird, but that's how I am. I always don't care. I never think about the future when I do things. I just need to grasp what I have now."

Shuwan patted her head, her heart changed completely.It's not that Xiaohua doesn't want the future, she is very smart, she has already figured out all kinds of possibilities in the future, she just doesn't care about the bad results that may happen.She rushed forward with a single tendon, a little silly, but brave.

Shuwan turned around and got into the car, Guaibao ran over to help her.

"Emiang, you met Xiaohua today, what do you think of her? Isn't she very cute?"

Shuwan looked Guaibao up and down, and shook her head regretfully.

Guaibao was surprised, "Huh? Don't you like her?"

Shuwan shook her head again and again, "I don't dislike her, I just feel it's a pity."

"What a pity?"

"It's a pity that she is a flower stuck in cow dung, tsk tsk tsk, you are a bit unworthy of her."

Guaibao: "???"

The emperor agreed, "As the saying goes, a good wife often sleeps with a clumsy husband. There is no way around that."

Shuwan nodded again and again, she put down the curtain and let the coachman drive.

Guaibao watched them leave, tears were about to fall, he fell out of favor too quickly!

After that, Shuwan went to Zhuangzi several times, and she became more and more familiar with Xiaohua, and she liked Xiaohua more and more in her heart.

In the past, Guaibao always said that Xiaohua was good here and there, but Shuwan didn't take it seriously, but now Shuwan realized that her son's words were really not exaggerating.

Xiaohua not only understands firearms, but also has a good command of interpersonal communication.Zhuangzi obeyed her from top to bottom, and the maids and guards that Shuwan gave her were also willing to listen to her orders and serve her sincerely.

Shuwan thought to herself, Guaibao is a little childish in matters of relationship, but he has a good life and a wife's life.

In order to support Xiaohua, Shuwan often gave her rewards, some to the Zhuangzi, and some directly to her home, to express that she was very satisfied with her future daughter-in-law, and others should not underestimate her.

During the Chinese New Year, Shuwan summoned her wives, and specially asked Xiaohua's mother to follow the wives into the palace to meet them.Although the emperor hasn't issued a decree yet, everyone knows that Xiao Hua is a surefire third concubine.

The Queen Mother was not very satisfied with this granddaughter-in-law. She disliked Xiao Hua's low status, and even more disliked Xiao Hua's public appearance, saying that she was restless.

Shuwan saw that the queen mother was getting old, so she didn't want to argue with her, so she responded with a hmm, secretly doing whatever she wanted.

In order to make the queen mother happy and divert her attention, Shuwan specially ordered someone to compile a playbook, borrowing the experience of the queen mother.There is a story about a girl who looks like a fairy, who once became an imperial concubine, enjoyed all the glory and wealth in the world, and finally flew to the sky to become a fairy.

Shuwan thought this story was very ridiculous, but she didn't expect the Queen Mother to like it very much.When she has nothing to do, she will take the concubine, Song and others to read it, and listen to everyone's flattery during the period.

Shuwan always pretended to be busy with palace affairs, and then sent a basket of brand new copper coins for the Queen Mother to reward.

Song and the others almost got sick of hearing this play, and they couldn't take it anymore, so they ran to Shuwan to beg.I beg the empress to be a human being and stop torturing them.No matter how good a play is, it would be boring to listen to it ten or eight times. What's more, this play is very interesting to the Queen Mother, but it is extremely boring to them.And the singing lines are not worth aftertaste, as if the wood dross has been chewed several times.

Shuwan turned to ask them for help, the queen mother is rarely happy, so you just coax her!

The local wealthy Shuwan took out a stack of banknotes as encouragement, and Song and the others immediately accepted their complaints.

As long as they have money, everything is easy to talk about, what is watching a play, what is flattering, let them kowtow to the Queen Mother every once in a while, even if they bleed their heads!

In this way, Shuwan coaxed the queen mother to be happy for two months with a play and a stack of bank notes.

Who would have thought that after February [-], the queen mother fell ill.Shuwan thought it was just a cold, and didn't care about it at first, but she didn't expect that the queen mother would not recover for a long time, but became more and more ill.

The emperor didn't bother to critique papers anymore, he summoned all fourteen elder brothers and fourteen Fujins into the palace, and these sons and grandchildren took turns to serve the queen mother.

The Queen Mother didn't have any serious symptoms, but she was groggy every day, always wanting to sleep, and couldn't lift her spirits.

Shuwan tried every means to relieve the empress dowager, every time the empress dowager smiled face-to-face, and fell asleep again after a while.

In the side hall of Ningshou Palace, Shuwan and Fourteen Fujin sat talking together.

"The queen mother is like this, and the imperial doctor can't help it."

Fourteen Fujin sighed, and she whispered: "It's not that far yet, the imperial physician dare not speak too clearly. I thought, what the imperial physician means is that the queen mother has reached her age, so..."

Everyone is clear in their hearts. They are limited in what they can do as sons and daughters. They can only try their best to accompany the Queen Mother through the last part of their lives.

Shuwan frowned and said: "The queen mother was fine during the Chinese New Year, but after the year she caught a cold, I thought it would be cured soon, who would have thought... who would have thought that this would happen?"

Fourteen Fujin persuaded: "Sister-in-law, don't blame yourself, you take good care of the queen mother. They say that filial piety is the first thing, and you have never taken care of the elderly. Everyone says you are filial. Only after taking care of yourself can you know what's going on." .

The queen mother has been living in the palace all these years, and she has always been taken care of by her sister-in-law. Every time we come here to greet her, it's over. My sister-in-law has carried a lot for us these years. "

Fourteen Fujin is reasonable, no matter whether these words are sincere or false, Shuwan feels comfortable listening to them.

Fourteen Fujin said: "The second prince is far away in the south of the Yangtze River, and sister-in-law is about to let the child come back. It's okay if it's a false alarm, but if it's not...you have to let the queen mother see her grandson!"

Shuwan nodded, "The letter has already been rushed to Jiangnan, and I reckon Xiaobao will be back soon."

While talking, the palace maid spread the news that Xiaobao had returned, and Shuwan hurriedly let him in.

Xiaobao's face seemed to be covered with a layer of dust, and his body was not very clean.

He knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Shuwan, "My son rushed back as soon as he received the letter. Jiaojiao and the child are still on the way and will arrive in a few days."

Shuwan hurriedly asked him to get up, seeing her son's dry and chapped lips, Shuwan was very distressed.

She poured Xiaobao a glass of water and let him moisten his throat, "Your yard has been cleaned up all the time, you go back and take a shower, change your clothes, eat something and come back."

Xiaobao drank the water, put down the water glass, said hello to his mother and Fourteen Fujin, and was about to leave.At this time, someone rushed in from outside in a panic.

"Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager does not seem to be quite right, Your Majesty, please go over immediately."

There was chaos in the palace, and the eunuchs rushed to various places to report.

These days the queen mother's descendants are guarding the palace, and it didn't take long for everyone to arrive.

The emperor, the fourteenth elder brother and the fifth princess knelt beside the queen mother's bed, holding the queen mother's hand, calling for the queen mother.

The queen mother closed her eyes, breathing lightly and quickly.

The imperial doctors knew that the queen mother might not be able to save her, but they were still reading medical books and giving the queen mother medicine.

After pouring a bowl of bitter soup, the queen mother slowly regained consciousness, the emperor and others were overjoyed, thinking that the medicine had worked.

The Queen Mother rolled her eyes, and saw Elder Fourteen first.

"Old Fourteen! Why are you getting fat?"

Fourteenth elder brother touched his face, "Have you forgotten, Queen Mother? I have gained weight a long time ago."

The emperor refused to assign him an errand, and he was idle at home every day, so he could only grow flesh.

The Queen Mother seemed a little confused, "Oh, is that so? You should look thinner and look better. Your sister-in-law said that people should not be too fat, too fat is unhealthy."

Fourteenth elder brother forced a smile and said: "Yes, you are right, and the emperor's sister-in-law is also right. I will eat less and lose weight when I go back."

The queen mother nodded, "You are obedient, get thinner, listen to your brother's orders, don't make trouble, and don't be naughty. As long as you are obedient, your brother will not ignore you. I can't protect you anymore, you can't be willful anymore .”

The fourteenth elder brother burst into tears, "I'm sorry, Queen Mother, my son is not filial, and I have caused you to worry about it all these years."

The queen mother ignored him, and looked at the fifth princess with misty eyes.

"My son, you have a bad life. You married a bad husband. It's Er Niang who is sorry for you."

The fifth princess cried: "Emperor Niang, what are you talking about!"

"At the beginning, the late emperor and I refused to let you reconcile, and I have been regretting it all these years. Now you are the richest and most powerful princess, and your son is still worthy, but what's the use?" The queen mother sighed.

"You and Li! The current atmosphere is not the same as in the early years. Those clan girls can go out on business, and it is nothing to be separated. While you are young, you can find another good one. Your brother loves you , he won't stop you."

The fifth princess was crying so hard that she was out of breath, the emperor said: "Don't worry, Queen Mother, I will order her to reconcile later."

The queen mother squinted her eyes and looked at the emperor, "I owe you the most. You are the most obedient and obedient child, and you are the most worry-free. I am used to your sensibleness, and I have neglected you a lot. At this time, I will give you more money." trouble."

The emperor's feelings for his mother are very complicated, and what the queen mother said today is enough for him.

"Emperor mother, don't say that..." The emperor choked up.

"I have no other requirements for you. You should live a good life with Shuwan. You and your wife have always arranged the family well, so I am relieved. You, don't be too desperate to deal with the affairs of state. You should listen to Shuwan more. , stay healthy and live longer is more important than anything else."

The queen mother beckoned Shuwan to come forward, she held Shuwan's hand, and suddenly remembered the scene of Shuwan copying scriptures many years ago.She tapped Shuwan's nose lightly, smiled and said something narrow.

The queen mother let go of Shuwan's hand and told everyone to go down. She closed her eyes, so no one dared to leave.After a while, the Empress Dowager's breathing gradually weakened, and it disappeared after a while.

The room was filled with bitter cries, and Shuwan rested her forehead on the side of the bed, tears streaming down like rain.

Their mother-in-law and daughter-in-law have had quarrels and discord, but in the years of getting along, they have become relatives and important existences of each other.

Everyone put on filial piety clothes, and white lanterns were hung all over the palace.

The emperor and the fifth princess looked haggard, and the fourteenth elder brother seemed to have aged a lot all of a sudden.

Shuwan didn't have time to be sad, she took Tana to preside over the funeral of the queen mother, and she was so busy every day that she hit the back of her head with her feet.Three days later, Jiaojiao came back. The child had grown up a lot and could run, dance and talk.

The kid had long forgotten about the palace, and when he returned to the palace, he looked at the strange things timidly.When he was young, he didn't know where this was, and he didn't understand why the adults were crying.

Tana asked her son to take her older brother to play, and the two children quickly got to know each other.They didn't know their worries, and soon they happily hugged each other and rolled on the kang.

After the crying was over, everyone went to the side hall to drink tea and rest.

The fourteenth elder brother sighed: "The Queen Mother is gone. I saw my brothers in the past few days, and suddenly found that everyone is old. I heard that the eldest brother is not in good health. The second sister-in-law was ill again a few days ago, and the third brother has a beard. White."

As soon as this remark came out, everyone present was a little sad.

Shuwan looked at the sunlight that penetrated into the room, "Because time flies and time flies, so we should cherish it even more!"

She seemed to hear two young grandchildren whispering. Their generation passed on their ideas to the next generation, so that passing on from generation to generation may be the meaning of life.