[Qing Chuan] Yongzheng's embarrassing empress

On the surface, the reason why the emperor ended the southern tour ahead of schedule was for the crown prince, but no one knew what it was for, and only a glimpse of the truth could be gleaned from the details.

The capital has been quiet for a few days, the crown prince has something to do with the country, and everyone just wants to live a peaceful life for themselves, not daring to get involved in the struggle for imperial power.

Shuwan and Wu Fujin are the easy-going faction, they don't listen, don't talk, don't read, pretend to know nothing, and try to keep their schedules as low as possible.

But not everyone is like the two of them, Shuwan obviously felt that the eighth elder brother's mansion and the ninth elder brother's mansion next door became active.

The princes in the palace are divided into four categories, one is the prince, and he is the only one in this category. This is the card that the prince should have.The second category is the ambitious faction, such as the elder brother and the eighth elder brother. They are not satisfied with the status quo and hope to obtain a higher position.

It's just that the elder brother put his ambition on the bright side, and the eighth elder brother concealed his ambition.

The third category is those who have no desires and no desires, such as the fifth elder brother, seventh elder brother and others.They have no ambition, no need for a career, and a thin sense of existence.

The last category is the fourth elder brother. He does not expect to be a prince, but he is ambitious and hopes to show his skills and talents in the court.

Now that the prince is a little weak, the second type of prince, such as the big brother and the eighth brother, can't help it.They hovered over the prince like vultures, eager to tear him apart, drink his blood, and eat his flesh.

Shuwan told the fourth elder brother what happened next door, and the fourth elder brother just sighed after hearing it.

Shuwan poured him a cup of tea, "I'm not a blind man, you don't have to hide it from me, I have a vague idea of ​​what's going on outside. The prince and Suo'etu must have made a mistake, and they happened to be caught by the emperor." Yes. The crown prince’s status is not stable, and the court is in turmoil. The minds of the elder brother and the eighth elder brother are also active, I guess, right?"

The fourth elder brother looked outside the door, "Be careful what you say. Although there is no one in the house, the partition walls have ears. What if there are spies sent by others in the house? What if Kang Bao Xiaobao heard it?"

"Yes! Elder brother is right!" Shuwan said helplessly, "The mouth of servants and children is not reliable, my mouth is always strict enough, right? If you encounter this kind of thing in the future, please tell me clearly in advance, so as to save I’m guessing. If I get it wrong, it’s not good.”

Fourth elder brother: "You women are timid, I'm afraid I will tell you that you are afraid."

Shuwan: "... Your impression of me seems to be quite different from the reality."

In fact, the fourth elder brother knew that Shuwan was a hero among women, the kind who dared to show her hands in front of the emperor.But he still has a bit of machismo, thinking that it is enough for a woman to take care of the house, and as a man, he will protect her from the wind and rain outside.

The fourth elder brother acted arbitrarily, "In short, you just need to take care of the house."

Shuwan: "..."

The fourth elder brother insisted on "sheltering the wind and rain" for Shuwan, and in the next door, the eighth elder brother insisted on sharing the burden for the eighth elder brother.

"The prince has accumulated money in the south of the Yangtze River these years, and Suo'etu used the name of the prince to win over the ministers. The emperor will not indulge the prince anymore, eighth brother, our chance has come!"

Eighth Fujin's words were bewitching, and eighth elder brother scolded her, not allowing her to talk nonsense.

"Could it be that you and I can make random guesses about the prince?"

Ba Fujin sneered, "We have been husband and wife for so many years, what can we not say? I know what you think in your heart, why do you hide it from me?"

Brother Ba is helpless, he doesn't like his wife interfering in affairs outside the house, but he has to admit that he has no choice but to rely on Fujin. Sometimes he has to rely on Fujin.

Bafujin was in a weak position when dealing with the side Fujin and his concubine, because she was too tough, and she couldn't act like she was lying down and begging for favor.But in terms of court battles, Bafujin is an excellent assistant.

When she was unmarried, her grandfather and uncles pampered her and provided her with the best education.She has an overall view, can win people's hearts, and knows how to use interests to form alliances.She can also deduce who the adults are allied with from the trivial details of the back houses.

Bafujin was quite proud, "Brother Ba, admit it! You need me!"

The eighth elder brother looked at her quietly, "You and I are a husband and wife."

Eight Fujin sneered, husband and wife as one?What a big joke!

"Since husband and wife are one, why did you let Fujin humiliate me?"

"Ms. Wang treats you respectfully, how dare she humiliate you?"

Ba Fujin said sharply: "Her existence is to humiliate me!"

"You!" Brother Eight turned his head away, not wanting to talk about this anymore.

He and Fujin had quarreled many times because of the side Fujin, and he really didn't want to quarrel anymore, it was the same thing.

Brother Ba refused to quarrel, but Fujin was still relentless.

"What is Mrs. Wang? She is my servant, and she is also worthy of being a side Fujin? You clearly don't take me seriously!"

Brother Ba said coldly: "Don't forget, it was you who did something wrong that made her a side Fujin. The deal is done, it's no use arguing with me."

Bafujin stood up angrily, Ba Ge said with a smile.

"I advise you not to lose your temper with me. There are many counselors around me, and you are not as important as you think. If you are willing to help me, then we will still be the loving couple we used to be. Think about it carefully!"

Bafujin's chest heaved with anger, she thought for a while, and then laughed.

"Okay! I'll help you, and we'll still be a loving couple. But with me, you can't have side Fujin, you have to go back to the main house and have a baby with me! The eldest son in this mansion must come from my stomach crawled out!"

Eighth Prince paused for a moment, then nodded cheerfully, "Okay! As you wish!"

The couple smiled at each other, standing together like a couple.

Only Bafujin knew how much pain she felt in her heart. The love that should belong to her husband had to be exchanged for the love of her husband.

The eighth elder brother said: "March next year will be Huang Ama's [-]th birthday. This is a whole birthday, and now it is a good time for Huang Ama to be dissatisfied with the prince. The things we send from the house must please Huang Ama. .”

Ba Fujin smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will definitely not disappoint you."

For the dignitaries and dignitaries in the capital, this new year is not easy, but the common people don't know the above things, and everyone's enthusiasm for the festival has not diminished in the slightest.

Ningzhuang Pavilion canceled the year-end promotion and new products, causing complaints from the guests.

Shuwan and Wu Fujin didn't care about the requests of the guests. At a time like this, it was too conspicuous for them to make money with a big fanfare, so they didn't dare to attract the attention of their superiors.

Shuwan is at home preparing for the New Year with peace of mind, and there is no need to elaborate on things such as sweeping the dust and offering sacrifices to the stove.

She was a little too busy, so she ordered people to fetch water to freeze into ice lumps, and made some ice lanterns in the yard for the children to play with.

It made Kang Bao Xiaobao stay in the yard with a runny nose from the cold, Shuwan asked them to go back, but they refused to listen, so angry that Shuwan violently dragged them away, dragged them back into the house, and fed them thick ginger soup , They grinned so hotly.

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, the New Year, Shuwan's family went to the palace for a banquet, and this time they brought Xiaobao with them.

Sitting at the banquet, Shuwan picked up the vegetables to eat one after another, and occasionally glanced at the people sitting in front.

The Empress Dowager led the female relatives to joke, her face was rosy and she looked very happy.

The Empress Dowager does not have a city mansion, and the emperor keeps everything from inside and outside the palace to the Empress Dowager.

The queen mother didn't know the inside story of the prince's illness during the southern tour.

Sitting next to the queen mother, the princess was talking to people with a smile, and seemed to be in good spirits.

But the palace lantern hanging behind her betrayed her, the light was not good, and the candlelight reflected her eye bags and deep tear troughs.

When the palace banquet was about to end, the queen mother went back early. She said that she was tired, and she was afraid that these juniors would be restrained because of her presence.

After the Empress Dowager left, everyone talked in groups.

Shuwan thought for a while, took the wine glass and went forward to toast the princess.

"Auspicious new year, please give the princess a favor and have a drink!"

The crown princess laughed when she saw her, "So it's you! I don't drink your wine, why do you always not come into the palace to talk with me? Now I have a younger brother and sister I like more, and you have fallen out of favor."

Shuwan smiled and begged her, "Good sister-in-law, please love me more! I have thousands of faults, but I look good! For the sake of my pretty face, you should love me more. love me."

The princess snorted and couldn't stop laughing, "You are really shameless, I have never heard anyone praise themselves like that."

"Then the princess saw you today, because I am different and make you happy, why don't you drink my glass of wine?"

The palace maid poured wine for the princess, Shuwan clinked glasses with her, and the two drank it down in one gulp.

The princess sighed, "You live outside the palace, we have no time to chat. Every time you enter the palace, you are in a hurry. After serving your mother-in-law, you have to go home to serve your husband and children."

Shuwan smiled and said: "Aren't we all the same? Even though I went to Yuqing Palace to see you, you are actually busier than me in charge of palace affairs!"

The princess took Shuwan's hand and shook it firmly.

There are a lot of people here, and it is really inconvenient for her to say some things, but there is no caring and caring person around her, and she is about to suffocate to death.

The prince is impatient and listens to Suo'etu in everything. Every time she tries to persuade her, the prince scolds her.

Now the emperor obviously hates Suo'etu, if the prince can understand it, draw a clear line with Suo'etu as soon as possible, plead guilty to the emperor, admit his previous mistakes, and get a good result.

It's a pity that the crown prince refused to listen to her, thinking that she was a housewife who didn't understand anything, so she knew to come up with random ideas.

He also said that if he left Suo'etu, what would he be a prince.

The princess felt that the prince was extremely confused. If he followed his thinking, even if he became the emperor now, he would probably be a puppet controlled by Suo'etu.

The Crown Princess sighed, it was about the Crown Prince, even if Shuwan lived in the palace, she couldn't tell Shuwan, she could only complain in her heart.

But there were too many things on her mind, and she felt that she was about to overwhelm herself.

"Palace affairs are family affairs. It is really annoying to deal with these trivial matters every day. I don't know when I will be relieved. I really want to leave these things behind, sleep with my head covered, and ignore the ordinary things outside."

Shuwan thought for a while and said: "Of course it's good to ignore things, but unfortunately there is no Peach Blossom Spring in the world. Even if there is a Peach Blossom Spring, you have to cultivate and weave cloth, and have disputes with your neighbors. After all, there is no quiet place in this world. We are all ordinary people , have to deal with these vulgar things.”

The princess smiled lightly, "That's true."

Sanfujin came over with a cup in his hand, "What are the concubine and the fourth sibling talking about? I heard about Peach Blossom Spring, and ordinary people. Are you practicing Zen?"

Shuwan smiled and said, "It's just practicing Zen! I don't know if the third sister-in-law has the roots of wisdom."

Sanfujin waved his hands again and again, "I don't have the root of wisdom. I'm just a layman, and I like to drink and eat meat. If I practice Zen, the Buddha will laugh his teeth out."

The princess looked at Sanfujin enviously, she also wanted to be such a commoner.

San Fujin raised his glass to the Crown Princess, "The Crown Princess is saving face, and also drank my glass of wine! You can't favor one person over another, just now I saw you drinking with your fourth sibling."

Shuwan smiled and helped the crown princess, "The crown princess drinks my wine because I am beautiful, and the third sister-in-law is far behind me! This glass of wine is not for the crown princess to drink. If you drink it, it means that the third sister-in-law is better than me." Am I looking good?"

The Crown Princess covered her mouth and snickered, Sanfujin also felt speechless.

"I have never seen anyone who can boast more than the fourth sibling, and you don't feel ashamed to panic."

Shuwan raised her eyebrows, "I don't think so! I look in the mirror every day, I'm so self-aware!"

The crown prince and Sanfujin both laughed.

After entering the palace, Shuwan was full of sympathy for the princess, but she was powerless to deal with the plight of the princess.

The prince is extremely strong in front of his wives and concubines. The education the princess has received since she was a child is three obediences and four virtues, so she dare not challenge the prince.

She lives in the palace, and the empress dowager and the emperor are all staring at her, so she is not as free as Shuwan and others.If she dares to compete with the prince, the emperor will be the first to spare her.

Unlike other princes, Fujin, who live behind closed doors, no one knows how their husband and wife get along.

Shuwan was helpless about the plight of the princess, and even felt a little bit guilty.

Because the fourth elder brother will also join the battle for the crown prince in the future.

Shuwan turned to look at the fourth elder brother, and the fourth elder brother touched his face, "What are you looking at me for? Is there something on my face?"

Shuwan smiled, "Nothing."

She made an excuse casually, "It will be the emperor's birthday soon, have you thought about what to give?"

The fourth elder brother is worrying about this!

"I heard that other brothers are making careful preparations. I ordered someone to burn a set of porcelain with the words Fu Lu Shou and various auspicious patterns on it. I don't know if Huang Ama will like it."

Shuwan: "..." Brother, how obsessed are you with making porcelain?Porcelain is used as a gift. Did you burn kilns in your previous life?

The fourth elder brother said again: "Actually, the idea you told me is also good. I am still hesitating whether it is better to give porcelain or follow your way."

The couple sat in the carriage and thought about something. After a while, a flash of inspiration suddenly appeared in Shuwan's mind, and she had an inspiration.

"What kind of porcelain do you prepare?"

"Vases and large bowls can be used as decorations."

Shuwan pursed her lips, "It seems a bit simple and shabby to just send porcelain, and I should neutralize my thoughts."

Shuwan whispered in the ear of the fourth elder brother, the fourth elder brother frowned, and finally nodded vigorously.

"Okay! Just do as you say!"

In the first month, the ministers presented the Longevity and Boundless screen, but the emperor didn't want it, but only accepted the writing book of the screen, and then he inspected the Yellow River.

The princess is busy in the palace, and she has to get ready for the emperor's Longevity Festival.

When the day came, Shuwan's family entered the palace and kowtowed to the emperor to congratulate him on his birthday.

Early in the morning, the emperor went to the Longevity Palace to pay his respects to the queen mother, and the others knelt in the courtyard, kowtowing to the emperor and wishing him a birthday.

After that, the emperor went to the front, exempted the court congratulations from the ministers, and issued a decree to exempt this year's taxes.

The Empress Dowager led the female relatives to have a banquet in the harem, and the emperor entertained the prince's clan and ministers in front.

The gift-giving link of each prince is naturally the most anticipated by the emperor. He has to see how the children are filial to him for the children who have been brought up with great difficulty.

The elder brother was more embarrassing, so he sent a Buddha statue, which was gilded on the outside. If you look closely, the facial features seem to be somewhat imaginary with the emperor.

The third elder brother gave him a collection of poems written by himself. He is well versed in flattering principles. The confession in the collection of poems is warm and sincere, and the emperor liked it very much.

Compared with the big elder brother and the third elder brother, the gifts of the fifth elder brother and the seventh elder brother seemed mediocre, but it can be seen from the exquisite and expensive level that these gifts were carefully prepared.

Next came the eighth elder brother's gift. He gave some precious items such as gold, silver and jade, and then a roll of hand-copied Buddhist scriptures, which were made by mixing his blood and cinnabar.

The emperor read the scriptures and was very moved. He even scolded the eighth elder brother a few words, saying that he didn't take care of his body.

But anyone can tell that this is distressing for his son.

Compared with these princes, the prince's gift is too simple.

The things he gave were no different from the gifts given on the Wanshou Festival in previous years, except that they were two points thicker. In addition, there were a few volumes of scriptures embroidered by the princess herself.It's a pity that in the face of Eighth Prince's blood tattooing and copying of scriptures, embroidery by himself is not worth mentioning.

It seemed strange that the fourth elder brother's gift was mixed with the gifts of many princes.

His gift was nine large wooden boxes, and the gift was hidden in a weird wooden box.Except for the base, there are traps on several sides of the wooden box. The emperor had to break the traps one by one to see the contents.

How could the emperor have time to turn on the mechanism at this moment, he asked casually: "What did you send?"

The fourth elder brother bowed his head and said: "The gift from my son is porcelain, you can see it when you open the box. It's just some tricks, Bohuang Ama smiled."

The emperor also likes this kind of small puzzle game, "Okay, I will take it apart slowly when I get back."

The princes and ministers ignored the gift from the fourth elder brother. It's not unusual to not be able to open a gift that is not allowed to be seen.

After the palace banquet, the princes living outside the palace all left the palace.The emperor drank a few glasses of wine and sweated a little.

He returned to Qianqing Palace and wanted to take a bath, but when he saw the wooden box on the table, he instantly forgot about taking a bath.

"Look at the things that the fourth brother sent before washing."

He sat in front of the table, and there were verses and some idioms on the mechanism on the wooden box. He had played with this kind of mechanism before, and it was easy to open.

But there are several organs that he has never seen before, and some clues are mixed with foreign language.

After tossing for a while, the emperor opened the wooden box, and the box was pulled open, just revealing the vase inside.

This vase is dark red, the glaze is very delicate, and it feels cool to the touch with your fingers.

The emperor nodded, "It's a very nice vase, the fourth son has a good taste and a good eye."

Liang Jiugong reminded the emperor to take a bath, "Your Majesty, the bath water has already been boiled, go take a bath, and change into clothes quickly!"

Once one box was opened, the emperor was not in a hurry to open the other boxes.

He nodded and walked back, "Put this vase on the shelf, by the way, go to the conservatory to pick some flowers and put them in it to grow."

Liang Jiugong quickly agreed. He followed the emperor and walked back. The little eunuch went to move the vase, and suddenly he let out a ouch.

Liang Jiugong scolded: "You monkey boy, you can't move a vase securely! Watch me beat you in a while!"

The little eunuch hurriedly said: "Elder-in-law, don't hit me in a hurry, there is something in this bottle!"

The emperor walked over to have a look, Liang Jiugong stopped beside him.

"Your Majesty, let the slaves take a look first!"

The emperor stepped forward, "The fourth child is not that kind of child."

Others will harm him, the fourth child is not that kind of person.

The emperor looked down into the mouth of the bottle, he raised his hand, it was quite heavy.

He carried the vase and poured it down, and out came a pile of small silver ingots.

"Hey!" The emperor laughed loudly, "What is the fourth brother doing?"

It is said that if you buy a box and return the pearl, he is giving the bottle and giving the silver.

The emperor didn't want to take a bath anymore, he was aroused by the fourth elder brother and started to open the boxes one by one.

Liang Jiugong said with a smile: "It turns out that the fourth elder brother stuffed money into it! The slaves just said it! We moved these boxes before, but they were heavy. We thought it was a mechanism!"

The emperor opened another box. Inside was a large bowl with a cover. When the cover was lifted, pearls and gold ingots were contained in it.

The emperor shook his head and laughed, "The fourth son is really willing to spend money!"

The little eunuch stood watching, his eyes were sharp, he saw a piece of paper under the big bowl, and quickly reminded the emperor to look.

The emperor took out the paper, it was a letter written by the fourth elder brother.

After the emperor finished watching it, he read it again from the beginning.

Liang Jiugong smiled and asked: "Your Majesty, what did the fourth elder brother say? How could you be so nice and give you silver? No one in the world knows that the Emperor is the richest person, so there is no shortage of gold, silver and jewelry." gone?"

The emperor smiled and sighed: "Yes! I am rich all over the world, and everyone is vying to give rare treasures, or gold, silver and jade articles. Who will give silver directly? It seems insincere."

In the letter, the fourth elder brother said to the emperor that Huang Ama has everything, but he really doesn't know what to give Huang Ama.

But think about it carefully, Huang Ama is rich in the world, but most of the time the world cannot be used to buy things.

Huang Ama's private treasury has always been limited, and the brothers have been separated in these years, and the House of Internal Affairs must be under a lot of pressure. '

The fourth elder brother said that he now has a house and land, and his family is also loose, so he gave some money to Huang Ama, and Huang Ama would buy whatever he needed.

In the end, the letter also included Kang Bao and Xiao Bao's doggerel, which were all celebrating the emperor's birthday.

The emperor felt emotional, he really didn't know whether to praise the fourth elder brother or scold the fourth elder brother.

To scold him is to scold him for not knowing how to live. How can he lack something like Si elder brother?

Forget it, let’s praise it!

Who let the fourth elder brother say it? He didn't give things to show off, and he didn't do anything else. He just hoped that Huang Ama would be happy.

It's rare to have such a low-key mind.