Chapter 47 Reunion "Don't let her feel that I have treated you unfairly."...
In this dynasty, there are four concubines: Gui, Shu, Hui and Xian. Strictly speaking, the word "Hui" in Huifei is not a title, but the word "Hui" still makes people feel like a thorn in the throat.
His Majesty is hammering her.
The emperor's will has been decided, and no one can change it. If you try to influence his will without knowing your own limitations, you will only incur the emperor's annoyance.
Concubine Hui suddenly didn't know what to say. The regret and fear lingered in her heart, and the longer the time went on, the stronger it became.
How could she have mistakenly thought that she had the qualifications to bargain?
Xiao looked at her lazily: "Why do you look like that? Are you feeling bad?"
Concubine Hui immediately said, "I dare not, but I leave it to Your Majesty to decide."
"Hmm." Xiao Fang had no intention of saying more on this matter. "But since she is beside the Buddha, fame, wealth and honor are all worldly filth and useless. If you can return one day, I will let her inherit my name."
His eyes were exceptionally deep and silent, imposing an invisible presence. "Remember, this is the grace you begged for her."
grace.
Concubine Hui could only swallow her anger and said with the same respectful demeanor as always, "Your humble servant... obeys your orders."
At least, His Majesty gave her a choice.
After Concubine Hui left with a gloomy expression, Xu Delu, who had been waiting outside, came in.
There was no trace of the aftermath of what had just happened on the emperor's face.
The palace servants also began to move around busily, taking down the dragon robe from the clothes rack and ironing and fumigating it, which the emperor would wear at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet soon.
The emperor calmly asked, "How is it? Is there anything unusual?"
Xu Delu went out early this morning. His Majesty had a spy investigate Chen Xiuzhuan's recent movements. The spy recorded all his daily trivial matters, and he was responsible for summarizing the key points:
"Apart from a few attempts to inquire about Miss Qingzan's news earlier, there hasn't been any unusual activity. However... before coming to the palace, and before the last banquet, the top scholar and Concubine Hui's people had private contact."
The emperor didn't need to know the reason for the communication. He sat down and slowly flipped through the scroll in his hand. "It seems that I am still kind to her."
Xu Delu couldn't help but take a breath.
But he had to continue, and his back hunched even lower. "Also, the top scholar has been visiting graves frequently lately, but it's not the Chen family's ancestral tomb, but an unnamed small grave. I've secretly investigated, and he goes there every year, but he's been there more often this year."
Even Xu Delu had a guess about the owner of this lonely grave.
It's just that this thing is difficult to verify, and we can't dig the person out. However, if His Majesty has an iron order, then no one dares to say anything about being afraid of difficulties.
The emperor, however, did not play by the rules: "Let Chen Shaoling come to see me."
*
On the Mid-Autumn Festival, Qingzan ate a Hu pancake in the morning and then went to the enclosure again.
In the past two days, she has devoted herself to hunting again.
It's not because the hunting competition has not been stopped yet, but because her hunting skills are becoming more and more proficient, so it is best to strike while the iron is hot. Once she slacks off, it will be difficult to pick it up again in the future.
The biggest gain so far was catching a musk deer.
But this thing was so stupid that Qing Zan had already drawn the bow behind it, but it didn't even know how to run away. Instead, it turned around and looked at her with its wide ears.
Qingzan finally let it go.
Doukou lamented: "It was so hard to catch such a fool!"
Qingzan kept recalling the musk deer's clear and foolish eyes.
Could it be that when she acted pitiful and innocent, she looked foolish in the emperor's eyes, and that was why he could not bear to see her so often?
The master and servant were sighing and stamping their feet, while the other was feeling mixed emotions, when a flash of fiery red suddenly passed through the forest. Doukou held his breath and was about to shake the horse's bridle to remind his master, but before he could exert any strength, an arrow flew out of nowhere.
Qingzan rode out on horseback and shot another arrow. At that moment, the forest was still, and Doukou and Red Fox were also still. When the wind in the forest started to blow again, Doukou clapped his hands and said, "I hit it, I actually hit it!"
The eunuch who followed them carried the red fox over. It was not big and whimpering sounds came from its throat from time to time.
The eunuchs repeatedly congratulated Qingzan: "Hunting a red fox is a good omen!"
Qing Zan was not overwhelmed by this unexpected bounty: "Why is there a red fox here?"
The eunuch hesitated for a moment, barely able to articulate the answer: "...Maybe he ran down from the enclosure on the mountain?"
Doukou hurriedly said: "Never mind it, whatever we hunt is ours!" With this red fox backing him up, the master's title of leader is well deserved, let's see who dares to gossip again!
Qingzan remembered that someone had said that they would hunt a red fox for her.
She looked over the crying little fox and fortunately didn't see any old injuries.
Being hunted twice in a row would be a truly unfortunate fate.
Doukou suggested, "We can take it back to Songzan as food?"
She and Songzan had been getting along well these days, and she knew that although it looked ferocious, it was actually gentle and pleasing in nature.
Qingzan shook his head and leisurely rode his horse: "Let him go."
Doukou was incredulous: "Release?"
Qing Zan looked towards the depths of the forest, in the direction from which the red fox had fled. "Even if my archery skills truly improve and I hunt down some treasures, they will still think I won unfairly. In that case, why not just hide my incompetence?"
Doukou didn't think much about it: "I will listen to the master."
Because it was Mid-Autumn Festival, the whole palace would gather together for a reunion dinner in the evening, so they had to start preparing early. They couldn't stay in the woods for too long, so they simply bandaged the red fox and released it before leaving.
Only after the few people disappeared did the eunuch in the forest dare to pull out the arrow tremblingly.
He had just seen clearly that Master Ying's first arrow was aimed at him. It actually pierced through his sleeve and pinned him to the tree trunk.
Master Ying is not a beginner in riding and archery, so how could he have such skills?
The young eunuch had narrowly escaped death, but his face was still pale. He couldn't tell whether the arrow had gone astray by mistake or whether Master Ying had truly made such rapid progress.
How should he explain to His Majesty when he returns?
When Qingzan and the others went out, the place outside had already been decorated with lights and decorations.
The palace maids and eunuchs all received rewards from their masters. They gathered in groups of three or four on the road to check with each other how much money they had received.
This was known in the palace as "reunion money." Many people had left home at a young age and had never been able to return, so the silver was used to make up for the lack of family reunion, serving as a temporary consolation.
Unfortunately, Pingting and Suoying did not come to the Hunting Palace. Qingzan had prepared a few red envelopes in advance and asked Pingting to distribute them to the people in the palace.
Now, the few in the palace are assigned to the palace servants who are stationed in the Mixue Pavilion.
Everyone was smiling happily, speaking sweet words fluently, and some even volunteered to comb Qingzan's hair.
The palace maid held the red envelope in one hand and gestured with her free hand, saying, "This servant knows how to style that stunning bun. It's a skill passed down from my mother. I'm sure the master will stun everyone tonight!"
"I won't take a penny from my master for nothing!"
Qingzan was so kind that she could not refuse and so she agreed. After she agreed, she could no longer show favoritism. The palace maids added a hairpin and a silk flower to her, dressing her up like a doll in a New Year painting, showing off from head to toe.
In the end, I didn't go out like that.
Everyone ate Hu pancakes and drank jars of fine wine together, and the green hairpin had been mostly removed. Doukou was afraid that someone would be offended, so she said, "Although a head full of pearls and jade is beautiful, we should just enjoy it ourselves. If we really go out like this, people will think we are wearing all the wealth on our head."
None of the guys were really stupid, and they quickly responded, "We are just messing around with the master."
In fact, everyone could see that Qingzan was a little silent today.
This is just a way to liven up the atmosphere and make the master happy.
The Mid-Autumn Festival reunion dinner was held in the Shengping Hall in the palace. The table was arranged early in the morning, but now two seats were suddenly removed, which made everyone sigh.
Concubine Wu said in a gloomy tone, "Poor Ying, she has no luck to celebrate this festival... Well, at least we live in the Qingdu Palace together, and she and I have a good relationship."
Public opinion always favors the weak, and sure enough, someone chimed in and spoke well of Concubine Ying, but no one remembered that it was the nettle juice she had prepared.
Concubine Zhen laughed and pointed at Concubine Wu: "Are they on good terms?"
When Ying was alive, Wu Concubine had no fear of her and would let her be bullied. But now that the dead are the most important, she is afraid of gossip. She quickly defended herself, saying, "We were close friends, so we had some small fights. I don't know how it got out and became such a big deal. I am truly heartbroken for Ying Concubine, it's not worth it!"
All the palace maids who served Concubine Zhen knew that she had been speaking in a particularly harsh tone recently.
I couldn't help but worry for Concubine Wu.
As expected, hearing someone actually contradict her in public, Concubine Zhen raised her eyebrows: "Not worth it? Just because she risked her life to fight for it, does that mean everyone has to give in to her? If that's the case, Concubine Wu, you should learn from her and become the most beautiful woman among all the beauties soon."
Wupin felt as if these words were a curse to her own death, and her face turned pale and blue.
Not long after, Qingzan and the emperor arrived at the banquet one after another.
Concubine Zhen didn't treat Qing Zan well either. She laughed maliciously and said, "What a big deal, Concubine Ying! You're so late?"
She has always been the one who is late the most. Now she naturally cannot stand anyone being more pretentious than her. In the past, it was only others who had to wait for her.
Qing Zan said gently, "This is my first time having a feast with my sisters. I felt nervous, so I dressed up extra carefully."
Concubine Zhen could only pout and curse inwardly: "Hypocrisy!"
When the emperor arrived, everyone was busy adding wine and starting the banquet, not wanting to miss the Mid-Autumn Festival.
When she thought that Concubine Ying might be promoted to a concubine soon, Concubine Zhen became so angry that she drank a few more cups.
The palace maid said, "Since the master is so concerned, why not invite Concubine Ying to a duel to dampen her spirit?"
Concubine Zhen was so drunk that her speech was a little slurred: "What do you know?"
From the moment the emperor wanted her to win, everyone else had already lost.
This is why she doesn't want to compete anymore.
She waited for a long time, but the emperor didn't notice her gorgeous makeup today.
The wine became more bitter.
After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Concubine Zhen's face flushed red as she drank. She wanted to look at the emperor, but he was no longer in his seat.
When she was drunk, someone passed by her seat and said to her, "Drink less."
The alcohol stirred up her emotions, and Concubine Zhen raised her sleeve and brushed it off: "Who wants you to care!"
After saying this, he realized in a daze who had said that... He hurriedly tried to grab the emperor's sleeve, but the emperor had already left the hall like the wind.
The palace maid supported her and said, "My lady, the banquet is over, let's go."
Concubine Zhen stood up, but stood there for a while in a melancholy mood.
I don’t know if I was too drunk, but I looked around several times but couldn’t find Qingzan in the crowd.
*
Outside the hunting palace.
Qingzan had also drunk a couple of extra drinks tonight, and while sitting in the emperor's arms, she twisted and turned restlessly. They were on horseback, so the emperor warned her, "If you move again, you'll fall."
Qingzan was not actually drunk, at least she could feel that she was sober.
But tonight, I really wish I could be confused.
But since the emperor didn't like her to move around too much, she just sat up straight and quietly asked, "Where are we going now?"
Only then could Xiao Fang remain calm.
Just now, she was rubbing against him so softly and tenderly, and her sweet scent was spreading everywhere. Even the smallest and gentlest collision could not be ignored.
Thinking about where he was going later, he didn't want to have any desire at this moment.
The two men and the horse stopped on a barren hill.
The wild grass is covered with smoke and weeds, and on the autumn grass there are wild vines, strange trees, yellow earth and white stones everywhere, all of which are eerie under the full moon.
Because it's so rarely visited year-round, the moss on the stone path beneath my feet has grown into strange shapes, like the claws of a demon. Qingzan flinched, then suddenly spoke out to bolster her courage, "Your Majesty, you didn't need to prepare that red fox for me. It's such a waste."
The emperor gathered her hand in his and pulled her closer, willing to demonstrate his warmth and reliability at this moment. He said in a deep voice, "You don't need it, but I do."
Qingzan turned to look at him suspiciously: "Why?"
The emperor was also visiting this place for the first time. While gazing at his position in the inky darkness, he also had to deal with her. There was a silent pause before he said solemnly, "Words can kill, and I do not wish to expose the woman I love to such dreadful words."
Qing Zan was no longer so afraid of the surrounding environment at this moment. She smiled and pursed her lips: "I am not afraid of what people say."
"It's a pity that I let him escape. I can't make the fur coat anymore!"
He was pretending to be relaxed and laughing, but when he saw the silent grave mound and the standing tombstone without words, he was completely stunned.
"That is..."
The moonlight surged across the horizon, shimmering in the air, oblivious to the sorrows of the human world. Crows chirped in unison on the hilltops, some startled by the sudden sound of footsteps before quickly settling down again as boldly as usual.
Qingzan didn't dare to move forward another step. She tried her best to open her eyes and look again and again. She could hear her own breathing mixed with the wild wind, so strong that it drowned out the sour sound of the wind.
The emperor didn't need to say much. With just one sentence, he gave the woman beside him a positive answer:
"A day of reunion, a time of sorrow. Go and have a look."
Qingzan didn't have time to think about anything. With trembling hands, she hastily pulled out all the few pearls on her bun.
These are too dazzling and bright, not suitable for the deceased.
As if he had known she would do this, Xiao Fang took out a white jade and osmanthus hairpin from his sleeve and pinned it on her bun as the only decoration, which was sad, solemn and beautiful.
"Don't let her think I've wronged you."
Qingzan pinched her palm, trying hard but confused, revealing a section of rugged veins on the back of Yucan's hand.
She still couldn't believe that what she saw was reality and not a dream.
So he remained frozen and didn't dare move forward, fearing that any movement would burst this dream.
I have been holding back tears for fifteen years, my eyelashes wet with tears, and I am staring blankly in the darkness.
Under that dark, cold, and short grave mound...is there really lying the mother who used to sit by the warm, sunny window, holding her in her arms and reading to her?
Mother, mother.
The daughter is unfilial.
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The author has something to say: Emperor: Do some stealing [sunglasses]
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