Prequel to the Red Chamber: I Am the Second Wife

When Zili arrived at Zhuangzi, she realized that Zhuangzi was no longer the country holiday villa she built. Zhuangzi was guarded by the emperor's guards inside and out, and the nearby villages were not human, not even a chicken. want to fly over.Seeing Zili coming, Zhou Rui breathed a sigh of relief, and hurriedly complained to Zili: "Second Mistress, it's not that I didn't stop them. None of these people would listen to me. The house in Zhuangzi is not very good. Too many people, suddenly there are so many people here, I really can’t fit in. The upper room is also occupied, so I just created a side courtyard for my grandma to rest. Miss Mint is waiting for grandma with Pearl and the eldest girl.” Seeing that there was no one around Zili, Zhou Rui suddenly lowered his voice and asked softly, "I don't think those people are relatives of the Wang family. They all have great backgrounds. Grandma, who are they?"

Zili knew that there was no need to hide the identities of the crown prince and emperor at this time, she beckoned to Zhou Rui and asked him to come over: "Director Dai who came that day was Eunuch Dai Quan, the most trusted eunuch of the Sixth Palace by the Holy Majesty. Don't say anything, tell the people in Zhuangzi to treat them nicely." Zili left Zhou Rui, who was still in a daze, and walked away.

"My God! It turns out that the emperor is here!" Zhou Rui thought that he had just pointed at the guards and disliked them for trampling on the crops in the field. Zhou Rui was so frightened that his legs gave way and he almost sat on the ground.It took him a while to wake up, and he quickly got up and went to ask the kitchen to prepare food and drinks for them.

Before Zili entered the yard, he saw Jia Zhu and Yuan Chun running out with the crown prince. Seeing Zili's arrival, both Jia Zhu and Yuan Chun blushed with excitement.Yuan Chun ran over all of a sudden, stopped a few steps away from Zili, looked at her with the eyes of a stranger, and curled his mouth as if he was about to cry.The nanny hurriedly stepped forward to comfort her: "Girl, don't cry, it's grandma who is here." Yuan Chun had never seen Zili in men's clothes before and didn't recognize him for a while.Zili smiled and squatted down to take off his hat: "Look who I am, I heard the nanny said that you were obedient all the way, why are you crying now?"

Yuan Chun recognized Zili, her face gradually turned from cloudy to sunny, and she threw herself into her mother's arms with a vague sound of grievance.Zili smiled and hugged her daughter and kissed her, while Jia Zhu tilted her head to look at Zili, slapped her hands and said with a smile, "Mama looks better in this dress, and I want to ride a horse too. It's not that I'm coming to Zhuangzi." Tell me to ride a horse, why don't they tell us to go out?"

Just know how to play!Zili stood up and pinched Jia Zhu's cheek.She dragged Yuan Chun and Jia Zhu to the prince and knelt down in front of the prince: "Greetings to the prince." Yuan Chun ignorantly kowtowed to greet his mother, but Jia Zhu was stupid. Just now they were discussing how to go out to play secretly. The scruples of joking, there is a separation between monarch and minister in a blink of an eye.Jia Zhu knelt on the ground and didn't kowtow, but asked stupidly: "Is it possible that I won't be able to play with you in the future?"

A trace of shyness slid across the prince's face, and he was a little unnatural to the little friend's question.However, he was brought up according to the standards of the crown prince since he was a child, and soon the prince showed the style of the future emperor, raised his hand very skillfully, and said with great grace: "Madam Jia, please, my father and I are traveling in modest clothes. , there is no need to be too polite. Everything will be fine as before." Said the prince stepped forward and pulled Jia Zhu's hand, dragging him away quickly.

The two children ran for a while, until they ran under a sweet-scented osmanthus tree, Jia Zhu stopped breathless: "You are coaxing me, I asked you yesterday, what did you say? You are lying, I will never talk to you again." You played together."

"Where did I lie, you asked me where I came from and I said I came from the capital. Of course I came from the capital, what's wrong with that? You asked me if I met your grandfather and uncle, and I didn't lie You, of course I have met Mr. Wang and your uncle Wang Ziteng." They lived in the largest mansion in the capital, and the emperor often brought the prince to meet the ministers, so that the prince could learn how to deal with government affairs from an early age. Jia Zhu didn't ask. There is no problem with the prince's answer to the question.

"You, hmph, you are His Royal Highness, and I will kneel down when I see you. I can't afford to be too high, so I should stay away from you!" Jia Zhu is also a smart child, and he has always been the one who bullies others. He suffered a loss from the prince, and felt that he had lost face. He was so angry that his face flushed, and he turned around and ran away.

"Don't go, I can't make it with you. The emperor didn't ask me to say it! You treat me as before. I was surrounded by a group of people all day long in the palace, and not even a fly could fly in. None of those younger brothers played with me. I finally came out and met you as a friend." The prince pulled Jia Zhu and looked at him pitifully.This is the first time the prince has a friend who can talk about everything, so he is not willing to lose it.

"Well, I just said that in a moment of anxiety, don't worry. By the way, I haven't saluted you yet, and I won't be able to call you by your name in the future." Jia Zhu stretched out her hand to pat the prince on the shoulder He comforted him, but his hand stopped half way up.The identity of the partner in front of him is different, and he can no longer be as casual as before.

Waiting for Zili to settle down, Jia Zhu and the prince reconciled as before, smiling and playing together holding hands.Yuan Chun stood under the shade of a tree and watched the two boys carelessly catching rabbits for fun. Jia Zhu was about to catch the rabbit that was running away desperately, but she was still one step away and threw herself on the ground and slammed her mouth open. Eat mud.

Yuan Chun was amused by his brother's embarrassment and grinned happily.The prince blocked the rabbit's escape path, and finally caught the little snow-white rabbit.He brought the rabbit ears to Yuanchun: "Let's play with you, I asked the mothers and they said that rabbits don't bite people."

Yuan Chun looked at the cute little rabbit in surprise, and she stretched out her hand to take it excitedly.The little rabbit is so fun. It is snow-white all over, with long ears, four little furry paws, and eyes like red coral.Yuan Chun happily hugged the rabbit in his arms, blinking his eyes and said to the prince, "Thank you, Brother Dalang." The nanny next to him immediately corrected Yuan Chun: "The girl should be called Your Highness the Prince. You can't call it Your Highness."

Yuan Chun still doesn't know what the prince is, whether he can eat or drink.She tilted her head to look at the prince, and said to the nanny seriously: "He is brother Dalang, not a snack."

"You're so stupid, it's not snacks, but abalone mooncakes! It's His Royal Highness!" Jia Zhu rubbed his forehead helplessly. He had just been wiped with a towel by the nanny, and came to correct his sister.

Yuan Chun hugged the rabbit and frowned at her brother. Although she was not very eloquent, Jia Zhu, the one in the family, liked to tease her to say those awkward words all day long, and then found holes to make fun of her.Bad brother, he only makes fun of me, not at all as good as Dalang brother.He caught the little rabbit and gave it to me right away, wouldn't you do anything else besides make fun of me?Yuan Chun hugged the rabbit in his arms, rolled his eyes at Jia Zhufei, turned his face and pulled the prince affectionately: "Brother Daizi, we ignore him."

The prince glanced at him and winked at him, implying that he should ignore Yuan Chun’s Jia Zhu, gloating and giving him a helpless smile: “Sister Yuan Chun, we ignore him, and you will still call me Da Lang in the future. Don’t worry about your brother, he is a Gossip."

You are so weak, you want to abduct my sister!Jia Zhu didn't expect the prince to fall into trouble like this, the poor little heart was shattered to the ground, and it was petrified to stand there blankly.

Of course, Zili is not in the good mood of the children. For them, they really come to travel in the farmhouse, and everything in the countryside is fresh and unique.But to Zili, the scenery in front of her was like a palace of heaven, and she didn't have the heart to appreciate it.How is the situation in the city? Is Jia Zheng safe now?I don't know if King Wei's rebellion has subsided.I used to think that Li Shouyi was an honest person, but I didn't expect to hide it so deeply.Zili was about to be driven crazy by those messy and illogical thoughts, she could only find something to stop herself from continuing to think wildly.

First, Zhou Rui was called to inquire about the situation in the city, and then someone was sent to Jia Zheng to send him a letter telling him that he and his children were safe.Then Zili called the manager of Zhuangzi, she was a shrewd and capable woman, she was in her 30s, she was dressed in blue cloth and was well washed, even though so many people lived in Zhuangzi at once, her face was still calm.The woman came in and greeted Zili with a blessing: "Qinglian pays respects to grandma, grandma is blessed." Zili didn't expect Zhou Rui's family to hire such a young woman to be the capable steward of Zhuangzi.

"You are Qinglian's sister-in-law. This is the first time I have come to this Zhuangzi in person. I knew from the accounts before that you are managing well. I came here today to see that it is really good." Zili praised Qinglian's sister-in-law's ability and achievements.Zili asked Qinglian to sit down, asked about the village, and asked about her background and age, etc., only to find out that Qinglian used to be a girl from a well-to-do family, and married a well-matched family in the next village.She is shrewd and capable, not only grasping the affairs of the family, but also proficient in farming.Had a good time.Unexpectedly, a flood followed by a drought, the parents-in-law passed away one after another, and the family declined.As a result, her husband fell seriously ill again, and after selling the family property, she was still unable to save her. She was the only one left in Qinglian's family with her youngest son.

Zili sighed: "Just do your job here with peace of mind. People who follow me know my rules. As long as you work hard, I won't treat them badly. You still have a young son, who should be at the age of school too." I’m going to study with Zhu’er. Maybe I can get a good name in the exam.” Qinglian’s sister-in-law was very grateful when she heard it, and hurriedly stood up and knelt down for Zili: “I used to find a lot of jobs. Everyone dislikes me bringing a child, but fortunately I met my grandma and Zhou Guanshi so I can have a place to eat and live. I didn’t expect to be able to read to my little Zhu’er, how should I repay my grandma. I’m worried about Xiao Zhuer You have a wild temper, don't spoil the young master." Zili pulled Qinglian up and said, "You are serious and do your job well, so I am willing to promote you. Just don't worry, don't let my Zhu'er spoil your son. It's a good luck gone."

That Qinglian was a very knowledgeable woman, and when she saw Zili was happy, she told her about all kinds of things in the village before, such as the rivalry between brothers, and the private life of a girl and a young man that her parents didn't like.Which family's handsome daughter-in-law can still live in peace with her feet rubbing two boats.Anyway, all the gossip that everyone exchanged when the village was basking in the sun was brought to Zili's eyes in the original way.This is real hot life.Listening to Qinglian's most direct and pure rural reality magicism stories full of nature and primitive impulse, Zili can only express that her jaw and three senses are shattered.

"It's such a lively story, no wonder you are so engrossed in listening to it." Qinglian's story made Zili temporarily forget about those troubles, and when she was listening with gusto, a person suddenly opened the curtain and came in.The houses on the Zhuangzi are all thatched huts with bamboo fences. If you can’t come to build them, they are not very bright. Instead, the principle is to be simple and original. In addition, Zili is sitting in a side room now, and the room is relatively dark. She didn’t see clearly for a while. who is coming.

"Are you back?" Zili only saw Jia Zheng's image standing at the door, she stood up suddenly and took a few steps to the front.But after taking two steps, she suddenly realized that the person who came was not Jia Zheng but the emperor. Zili hurriedly stopped to greet him, but the emperor waved his hand and looked at Zili gently: "I'm standing outside." I listened to you telling stories inside for a while. I didn't expect such a thing to happen, and it was eye-opening. You go down, I will talk to your grandma." Qinglian has never seen Jia Zheng, but saw the emperor's clothes Dressing up and speaking, he thought he was Jia Zheng, so he quickly squatted down and said, "Greetings to Second Master. Just now Second Grandma was worried about Second Master's safety, but she was restless. I will accompany Second Grandma to talk to sisters. Now that Second Master is back, Grandma You should be relieved too."

it's not like that!Zili watched Qinglian misunderstand, she just wanted to explain, but the emperor smiled with satisfaction: "This sister-in-law is very good at talking."

"Go down and ask the kitchen to prepare some good fresh vegetables and I'll cook for the children." Zili didn't want to stay under the same roof with the emperor for a moment, ever since the emperor appeared in front of her eyes, Zili had noticed The emperor came to Qingzhou this time not only for the sake of King Wei.The way the emperor looked at her always made him feel uncomfortable, Zili didn't give the emperor any chance to keep her, she wanted to avoid suspicion as a widow.

The three children in the yard were watching curiously as Zili put the delicious stuffing on the bread inside the white dough, and put it on the drawer, ready to be steamed on the fire.

Zili took the small silver scissors and cut out the spines on the hedgehog. Suddenly, the prince picked up the red beans in the bowl and said to Zili, "Can I put my eyes on it?"

No problem. Following Zili's response, Dai Quan stood up first, "Your Highness, the gentleman is far away from the kitchen. You are out of line for standing here." The prince suddenly limp like a deflated ball after hearing Dai Quan's words.In the palace, he was also surrounded by countless foster mothers and big companions like Dai Quan. They chattered and preached in his ears all day long.This is unruly, that is inappropriate.Now it's easy to come out, and Dai Quan is watching him by the side.

Zili looked at the prince's disappointed expression, like a puppy that has been snatched to the bone.Zili's heart became hot, and he said to Dai Quan: "Oh, Eunuch Dai is really loyal to his duty, and he never forgets to teach His Royal Highness the crown prince. It's just that he is so young, and the crown prince wants to make snacks is also a filial piety to the emperor. Lying on the ice begging for carp, now there is also the prince offering snacks." Zili said as he handed the hedgehog steamed bun to the prince, pointing out where to get his eyes more vivid.

"Ms. Jia is really good at joking, but I'm too rigid when you say it." Dai Quan didn't refute Zili's words, but echoed her words with a smile.

Zili didn't talk, but just focused on making snacks with the children.Waiting for the night, Zili still didn't get any news about Qingzhou and Jia Zheng.She looked at Jia Zhu and Yuan Chun, who had already fallen asleep, without feeling sleepy at all. In fact, in the afternoon, Zili felt more and more uneasy. Room, she knew that as long as she wanted to ask, she should be able to ask for news.But Zili walked back and forth in front of the hanging flower door outside the main room a few times, but he still didn't have the courage to go in.She was afraid of hearing bad news, and she didn't want to see the emperor's black eyes staring at her playfully.

Zili couldn't sit still anymore, she tucked the quilts for the two children, put on her clothes, got up and opened the door and stood in the yard lost in thought. "You are worrying here by yourself, but you don't want to ask me how Jia Zheng is doing. Now he—" Zili turned around sharply, and met the emperor's playful gaze.

"What happened to him!" Zili subconsciously asked about Jia Zheng's whereabouts. "He is very good, and he is taking people to raid Wei Wangfu. I just want to ask you, is that Jia Cunzhou worthy of your attention? I watched him as an official these years with cold eyes. He is a conservative talent, more than rigid but not flexible enough. His articles and poems are all well-behaved, not interesting and spiritual. I think he is also a sticky person in daily life. It is not easy for a person like you to live with him. In my heart You are a person with a sense of humor, cleverness and dexterity. Tsk tsk, you are such a bully chewing peonies and reckless!" The emperor smacked his mouth and looked at Zili regretfully.

In my heart, I glanced at the self-righteous emperor, and said it as if you are so good, and you are another Mary Sue, who has seen too much and dreamed.But now that he is the emperor, he seems to be a bit narcissistic.Zili's expression was calm, neither resentful nor complacent, she just said plainly: "The emperor praised me, what is interesting about me, I must have a weird and tricky temper. The most important thing between a husband and wife is to tolerate each other. Ah, for peonies, flowers don’t last forever, they’re just living a life.” The emperor stared at any changes on Zili’s face through the night, who knew that the expression on Zili’s face remained the same, and his tone of voice was also normal, like It's just saying that the weather is good today, what are you going to eat tonight, it's calm and there are no waves.

"Haha, this doesn't sound like what you said." The emperor suddenly laughed. In the dead of night, the emperor's laughter was particularly obvious.Zili's heart suddenly became tense, and he subconsciously gave the emperor a shut-up look, and strained his ears to listen to the movement in the room.Fortunately, the children are fast asleep, too many things happened during the day.The kids were exhausted after a day of running, and they probably wouldn't wake up now that there was a thunderstorm.

The emperor rubbed his nose, feeling a little embarrassed and more fresh. The harem was not worth three thousand beauties, but his concubines were quite a lot.Not even the empress dared to express their dissatisfaction in front of the emperor so bluntly. Although some ministers in the previous dynasty made admonitions at the meeting, no one made sarcasm. They always added several sentences after one criticism praise.Such straightforward expressions are as rare as rainbows in the sky to the emperor.

Seeing that Zili was about to send his uninvited guest away with a cold face, the emperor hurriedly coughed and said softly: "I often think of the time before. The discussion outside the palace, but when I think about it carefully, I don’t feel bitter at all. Especially when you were in Hangzhou, you were also in the palace. The situation we got along with was just yesterday. Everything is vivid in my memory. I still remember that you like food Delicate dim sum in the palace. When I first came to pay my respects to the great emperor’s grandmother, others held it and held it, and dared not send it to my mouth with chopsticks. But you ate happily, I watched You feel hungry even after eating. You don’t know, I ate three or four pieces of dim sum that day when I went back, which scared Xiao Zhongliang. He immediately went back to the emperor’s grandmother and mother, so that I was hungry at night. I drank the medicine. Now even though there are rare delicacies in the world, and fine wines and wines in front of my eyes, I don’t feel the same mood at that time. You haven’t changed at all. It rained one night on the way to Qingzhou and I couldn’t go on my way. I stood like this alone. Under the eaves, listening to the pattering rain, I feel that I am already a white-haired old man who has weathered the wind and rain. Those people in the palace are depressed all day long, and the officials in the court are also serious. The emperor's grandfather is wise, But he did one thing wrong." Zili's heart was ringing with alarms, and he was about to run away.

The emperor stared at Zili through the darkness, "The emperor's grandfather said that I would be very happy when he chose her as grandson Liangdi. But now I am not happy at all, and the empress is full of resentment towards me. If—— "

"If I were in the queen's position now, it wouldn't change much. Maybe it's because I have turned my mate into an enemy. I don't have the good temper of the empress. She was tolerant and patient in everything during the draft. I don't have her." That good temper, if you are not happy, go back immediately. There are many things in the harem. I think that if the empress is a man, she can definitely be a prime minister who manages yin and yang. It is also a credit for the empress to manage the harem. I think it is Your Majesty. Only when you have been bored in the deep palace for a long time will you become restless."

Zili immediately expressed that there was no possibility, the empress was a competent empress, and the emperor was only thinking wildly when he was full.

"You are too modest. I watched you do housework in an orderly manner. If Jia Zheng didn't get you as a good wife, his official career would not be so smooth. It's a pity that I don't have this blessing, and you don't have to help the queen speak , things about the harem, you don’t know those troublesome things if you’re not in it.” The emperor sighed, stood up and walked around: “I’m not as lucky as Jia Cunzhou.”

I have seen shameless people, but I have never seen such shameless people. It is true that you are even more shameless than the king of Wei if you can be the emperor.Zili couldn't help complaining about the emperor, the thing that makes you uncomfortable in the harem is that your favorite concubines are competing for favor with each other, and the empress has tried her best to mediate, but those beauties of yours are fuel-efficient lamps.If it's me instead, I still dote on my concubine, so my old lady will be left in the cold.

Your Majesty said so, and I want to feel wronged for the empress. The empress empress respects the world and manages the six palaces. The maids, the six divisions, and the ten bureaus, so many people's food and clothing have to be dispatched by the empress.He also served the queen mother and took care of the concubine to raise the prince and princess.In my opinion, the affairs of a day are much more than that of the cabinet.I'm just a housewife. There are four people in my family and dozens of family members. If I can't do it well, what will happen to me? "Zi Li said that the emperor's requirements are too high, it's not that the queen doesn't work hard, but the emperor has his own prejudices.

"I hear what you mean, but I bullied the queen. By the way, you said that there are only four people in your family, and Jia Zheng is a person who is not lustful and not greedy for money. I just don't know how much credit you have for Jia Zheng's shamelessness." , he is a big man who is willing to watch over you to live. Do you have a crush on him?" The emperor looked at Zili with a smile, and deliberately asked her to pick her heart.

Unexpectedly, Zili actually wrote a moral article about maintaining a hard work style at all times. It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, and it is difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. A small step back in life style is a big step back in political principles. If the officials of the imperial court were not greedy for money and not lustful, they would not even mention that they had captured Jia Zheng.

Listening to Zili's serious writing, the emperor's complexion was like a kaleidoscope, and finally the emperor couldn't help laughing while clutching his stomach: "Oh, my old man should rest in peace after listening to your article, here comes another serious one." You can’t refute this nonsense! This is the most serious nonsense I’ve ever heard! Jia Zheng cherishes his reputation, you are talented, learned, capable, and have a family background that is better than him in everything. He can’t make big waves in your hands. What moral articles? Woolen cloth!"

Being exposed, Zili also laughed: "Since your majesty has seen through the world, why bother to trouble yourself? The empress comes from a scholarly family but is not distinguished. She always lacks confidence in front of concubines from relatives in the palace. The emperor is still standing on the sidelines. The current peace is the result of the queen's dedication. According to my concubines, the Emperor Taizu was indeed very wise in his decision on this matter."

"I feel much more comfortable talking and joking with you. In this world, you and the queen mother can tell me the truth. The current situation is really like returning to the palace in Hangzhou." Before I knew it, the sky was already getting brighter: "I'm leaving, I'm sorry for delaying your good night's sleep." The emperor stood up and was about to leave.

"Your Majesty, speaking of Hangzhou, my concubine has a gift, please accept it with a smile. I will send it to you when the sun rises." Zili stood at the door and smiled understandingly.