beauty
Frost condenses on the pomegranate head, and a green feather holds the flower in its mouth. The winding pool is gilded with water, and a white ruler soothes the cold heart.
Wang Ling leaned against the stone railing, looking at the wound on her forehead in the water. Seeing that Ah Jiao was alone and was about to go to a secluded path, Wang Ling blocked her way.
"Ma'am, where are you going? The party is over there."
Gillian raised her head and looked at Wang Ling's forehead, smiling contemptuously, "Auntie Wang, don't meddle in things you shouldn't meddle in, and don't take things you shouldn't take. Haven't you learned enough from this lesson?"
Wang Ling thought about the whole thing and realized that it was Gillian who was plotting this. "You are a hypocritical bitch. You pretend to be humble and kind in front of your husband, but you are plotting against me behind my back! You made me look bad in front of His Majesty and the Queen!"
Ah Jiao chuckled, "You speak as if you were wronged. I gave you the rare red jade flute you wanted, but you ordered someone to smash my white jade flute. I tolerated all of this. You smashed your things in front of the emperor and snatched mine as a gift in front of His Majesty, and I tolerated it too. Are you still not satisfied?"
Wang Ling angrily said, "It was you who deliberately smashed my jade flute and said those words so that I could hear them, so that His Majesty would blame me and embarrass me!"
Gillian said innocently, "You're talking even more nonsense now. How could I have known you would have someone eavesdrop? And how could I have known you would be so bold as to swap my gift? I haven't even told my husband about this crime yet. If he knew, would you still be able to stay in the mansion safely?"
Wang Ling sneered, "You've only been married for half a month and you're already being rejected. How could your husband blame me for you?"
Gillian leaned close to Wang Ling and whispered, "Do you know why I didn't want you to marry me in the beginning?" "I checked you out."
Wang Ling's face changed drastically, her heart pounding. She only heard Ah Jiao say, "Yangzhou Skinny Horse, the head of the Nuanxiang Tower, you have countless customers like a swarm of fish in the river. Princess Pingyang must have covered up all this for you from your husband, right?"
Not to mention him, even I don’t want to touch a man who has been involved with such a woman again.”
Wang Ling was furious. She stretched out her hand and slapped Ah Jiao, leaving a bright red palm print on the side of her face. Ah Jiao leaned on the stone railing and watched her reflection gradually approaching on the water. She covered her face and her eyes blushed. "Auntie Wang, you assaulted the mistress in the palace. This is insubordination. I will tell my husband and ask him to divorce you."
Wang Ling put her hand on Gillian's shoulder and said, "Okay, then it depends on whether my husband believes it or not."
Gillian leaned back, Wang Ling was stunned for a moment, then she fell into the water with a splash. She looked at Gillian's handkerchief that fell on the stone railing. When the wind blew, it fluttered and was intercepted by the emperor standing in the distance.
There was a white handkerchief with the word "Jiao" embroidered on it. The emperor was stunned for a moment, and then Wang Ling and the eunuchs behind him saw him take off his cloak and jump into the water.
"Your Majesty!" "Come and save me!"
Butterflies fly in pairs, their clothes swaying in the wind, the water gently drifts as the goddess of Luo River returns. My eyes are hazy, my body is about to fall, as if the soul of an old friend in a golden house has fallen into a dream. In this daze, I embrace the beautiful woman and forget the world.
The Yulin Guards rescued the emperor. When Huo Changqing rushed over after hearing the news, he saw the emperor putting a black cloak on A Jiao, whose skin was transparent and white.
Ah Jiao evaded the request fearfully. Her face flushed from the cold and nervousness, and drops of water hung from her eyelashes and the tip of her nose, dangling precariously. She raised her eyes and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for saving me. However, I am truly uneasy about harming His Majesty's body."
The emperor still clutched the soaked handkerchief in his hand. "Your name is Cheng Jiao, and you're from the north? It's rare to see northerners with that name."
"My ancestors were originally Han Chinese and migrated north. Since I was the only daughter in my family, my Chinese name was Jiaojiao."
"Will your parents be at ease if you marry here alone?"
"My parents are both dead."
The emperor rubbed the raised words on the embroidered handkerchief and asked Gillian, "How old are you this year?"
Ah Jiao was a little panicked and whispered, "After my birthday this year, I will be seventeen." She added, "I have been married to my husband for only half a month."
Empress Wei, who had hurriedly arrived with the others, saw the two standing alone, and her face darkened. She exchanged a glance with Huo Changqing, who had already stepped forward to cover Ah Jiao's face.
"Your Majesty, please go back and change your clothes. It's freezing cold, or you might catch a cold."
The emperor then turned to look at everyone and said with a smile, "It was a false alarm. You all should go back and sit down. Don't let me disturb your fun."
Everyone looked at their noses with their eyes and their hearts with their noses, and they could only cooperate, seeing nothing and wanting to see nothing, and went back in a lively manner.
After the palace banquet, the Queen summoned Changqing and the other two individually. Changqing and A Jiao sat below the Queen, while Wang Ling knelt alone in the center, looking uneasy.
Chang Qing's gaze pierced her body like a knife, but the Queen ignored it and continued to talk to Chang Qing, "You are such a grown-up now, and I don't need to discipline you anymore. But what kind of drama did you two wives and concubines make today? You were jealous of each other in front of the emperor, and you even dared to fight in the imperial garden."
The Queen frowned and glanced at Wang Ling. Chang Qing apologized and said, "I will punish you severely when I return."
The Queen said, "There's no need to go back and punish them. I know I can't bear to punish them, so I'll make the decision for you. Ah Jiao will be punished by copying ten verses from the Analects, and Wang Ling will be confined to her room for ten days and given ten strokes of the cane."
Wang Ling cried when she heard this, "Madam threw the gift I gave to the Queen first, and I was so angry that I accidentally pushed her. Why should I punish her for copying a book?"
Seeing that she was still trying to retort, the Queen became even more dissatisfied. "I don't care who comes first and who comes last in your twists and turns. Those objects are just things. You are killing people, which is a huge sin. Are you still dissatisfied?"
Wang Ling pouted and tears fell one by one. Seeing this, Chang Qing said, "Aunt, I think these are all trivial matters. Why don't we just forget about it?"
Ah Jiao also said, "I'm afraid she can't bear ten strokes of the cane. Besides, there's no one to serve her husband. Why not change it to copying twenty books?"
Changqing suddenly turned around to glance at Ah Jiao, his face unfriendly. Ah Jiao inexplicably lowered her head. The Queen suddenly stood up and pulled Ah Jiao around. "You are a good child, but your temperament is too gentle. Now that you have married Changqing, you will be the head of the Huo and Wei families in the future. With such a large family and business, there must be laws and regulations. I didn't want to punish you, but rewards and punishments should be clear. Mistakes are mistakes, and they should be punished. Even if they are not wrong, I will not wrongly accuse anyone."
Wang Ling lowered her head at this, and the Queen smiled and said, "With such a kind person like you here, how can you say that Changqing has no one around him? This is a good opportunity for you to go with him to burn incense and pray to the Buddha. If you can give him a legitimate son as soon as possible, we will be relieved."
Ah Jiao blushed and responded silently. Chang Qing said, "Jiao Jiao is still young, and I don't want to have a child so early. We can't even take care of ourselves, so how can we take care of a child?"
The Queen asked, "How can you go to the battlefield without even taking care of yourself?"
Chang Qing said coquettishly, "Aunt, you're here again. Do these two things have to be linked together?"
The Queen looked at Chang Qing and said sternly, "This must be done. The glory and future of the entire Wei family rests on you."
Chang Qing looked at the Queen. He didn't know when his gentle and noble aunt had already grown white hair on her temples, and fine lines were clearly carved into the corners of her eyes. Chang Qing was silent for a moment, and his smile gradually faded. "I know, I know."
The Queen patted his shoulder and held his hand with Gillian's. "Now that you've married, take good care of Gillian and don't let her suffer any grievances."
The Queen looked at Wang Ling meaningfully, and Chang Qing nodded in agreement. They chatted about family matters for a while, and seeing that Wang Ling was still kneeling in the middle, the Queen had no intention of asking her to get up, so Chang Qing said goodbye and went back.
Wang Ling was caned in the palace, and after returning home, he went to his room to recuperate in a state of illness. Lvliu was very happy and gloated, saying, "The Queen is indeed a kind and tolerant person. She knows who is good and who is restless."
Ah Jiao soaked in the water, enjoying the warm water, and did not reply. Lvliu rubbed her while saying, "The concubine Wang has been lying on the couch and can't get out of bed these days. The master will definitely come to the lady to see what she is proud of."
Ah Jiao smiled and said, "This is also what my husband has told the Queen. After the matter is over and Aunt Wang is well again, he will go there as usual."
Seeing Ah Jiao's indifferent smile, which seemed quite cold-hearted, Lvliu consoled her, "It's not about where the master is going. It's time to have a child. Then the lady won't have to worry about these things in the future. Don't worry about Concubine Wang and Concubine Zhang. Let them do what they want."
Gillian raised her head and closed her eyes, the water flowing down her fair neck. "Actually, I'm not ready yet. Having this child may not be a good thing. My husband has great ambitions, and he will eventually go to the battlefield. Life and death are unpredictable, and things are changing constantly. I'm fine being alone, but having a child would inevitably be a burden."
Luliu was puzzled, "How can this be a burden?" In fact, there was another question she didn't dare to ask, could it be that Gillian still wanted to get married again?
Ah Jiao laughed and said, "Silly girl, I mean, if my husband really achieves great merit in the future and becomes a general, then the entire Wei family will be under his control. A tall tree attracts the wind. If someone wants to harm him and bring down the Wei family, then wouldn't our child be the first obvious target? It would be a problem for him to grow up safely."
Lvliu paused in her scooping motion, looking somewhat worried. "Then Madam doesn't want any more? But the Queen is pressing for more."
Gillian said, "Fortunately, I think my husband is also young and full of energy, and he doesn't want to be a burden. With him carrying the burden, the Queen can't do anything. I just said that I am also anxious."
Lvliu smiled and poured a spoonful of hot water on Gillian. "That's true, Madam is really smart."
"Your wife is smart. She lets her husband, me, be your target in front, while she enjoys peace behind the scenes."
Chang Qing pulled aside the curtain and walked in. "But how do you know, Madam, that I don't want children?"
Green Willow stood up and bowed. Gillian turned back to look at him, the sound of water shaking. "It's just some jokes. My husband, I support you no matter what."
Chang Qing smiled and walked over to Ah Jiao, squatting down and caressing her wetness. Ah Jiao dodged a little uncomfortably, then turned back to face Chang Qing, "Husband, please come from Aunt Wang. Is she feeling better? If the doctor in the mansion is not good enough, we should take a sign and go to the palace to invite the imperial physician to avoid leaving scars."
Chang Qing said, "She has harmed you so much, yet you care about her."
Gillian said, "Our little tricks can't be hidden from my husband. If you want revenge, I will return it, and our hatred will be settled. Besides, we are all family. If she is not happy, my husband will not be happy either."
Chang Qing smiled and said, "My wife is truly virtuous."
There was silence for a moment, and Gillian felt the water was cold, but Changqing sat there without saying anything. Gillian glanced at him and decided to ignore him.
She said to Green Willow, "Bring me some clothes."
Chang Qing took the green willow dress and put it on Ah Jiao. Ah Jiao held the buttons on her chest and said, "I can do it myself."
Chang Qing smiled and hugged her slender waist, "Don't wear it anymore, you'll have to take it off again soon."
Ah Jiao's face stiffened when she heard this. She secretly hated that Wang Ling didn't carry out the execution in the mansion, otherwise she could have been more lenient. But she really didn't want to touch Chang Qing again. "My husband, I have a cold today. I'm afraid I'll pass the illness to you. Wait two days."
Chang Qing raised his eyes and stared at the dark fur coat on the rack, tightening his grip on her waist. "I'm not afraid. If we get sick, we'll get sick together. My aunt just gave me five days off. What do you think it's for?"
Gillian quickly buttoned up her clothes, sat on the edge of the bed, and said with a smile, "Then can we go out and play tomorrow?"
Chang Qing smiled and said, "Aren't you sick?"
Gillian said, "Have a good sleep tonight, and you'll be fine the next day."
Chang Qing rubbed his fingers together and lay down next to Gillian. "You've been avoiding me lately. Why is that?"
Gillian said, "I'm not hiding from you, I just do have a cough today."
Chang Qing raised his hand to grab her belt, but Ah Jiao grabbed his hand at the same time. Chang Qing raised his eyes and asked, "What are you unhappy about? Why don't you just say it?"
Seeing that he was no longer as lazy as before, but now had a fierce and imposing aura, Ah Jiao was somewhat puzzled and sat up straight. "Why should I be unhappy? I helped you take a concubine and protected her in front of the Queen. I also arranged everything for you to go to Wang Ling. I have absolutely no complaints. What could my husband be dissatisfied with? It's you, my husband, whose moods are so unpredictable that we have to guess at you through the curtain. You are even more unpredictable than my own mind."
Chang Qing's forehead twitched. "I'm unpredictable? When have I not been helping you? Before I could finish my words, you gave up with a bow, insisting on being a good person in front of others. Can't you see that my heart is on your side?"
Gillian gradually became angry. "If I don't let you, then you won't give it to me? I'm just following your wishes. I'm afraid you'll be embarrassed, so I give in to Wang Ling in everything. If my husband really sided with me, why would he take her in in the first place?"
Chang Qing quickly grasped the key point of the last sentence, his face turning from gloomy to cloudy. "Isn't this a gift from Princess Pingyang? She was a little worried when she saw that I had no children. This is also a gift from her and my uncle, so I can't refuse it. I told you from the beginning that if you don't like it, you won't let her in."
Seeing that his tone had softened again, Ah Jiao sneered, "If I don't let her in, I'm afraid Princess Pingyang will come to block me."
Chang Qing smiled and said, "When we have a child, she won't have anything to say. Then we can naturally send Wang Ling away."
Gillian threw off her shoes, pulled open the quilt, lay down and covered herself with it, closed her eyes, turned her back to Chang Qing and stopped talking.
Chang Qing clung to her again, speaking in a bad tone, "You don't want a child. Most women would want a child to tie their husbands' hearts. What are you thinking?"
Hearing that he was about to explode again, Gillian couldn't help but yell, "Didn't you tell the Queen that you didn't want children?"
Chang Qing was stunned for a moment, and seeing her quickly shrinking like a rabbit with her back facing him, he couldn't help but smile, "I don't want it, but sometimes I do.
I've been fatherless since childhood, and I've felt so empty when I'm alone, so I've really wanted a child. But the outcome of a battlefield is so uncertain, and I don't want my child to go through the same experience I went through. Giving birth to a child without the ability or the guarantee would be a bit selfish."
Gillian was silent for a moment, staring blankly at the curtains above her head. "Selfish? But isn't it a great blessing for parents to give their children the opportunity to be born?"
Chang Qing said, "But this opportunity isn't what the children wanted. They can't decide where they're born. Instead, it's us who made the decision, hoping they'd accompany us and bring us joy. We're asking for something from our children before they're even born, and we're indebted to them. If we're asking for something, how can we repay them? Since we've brought them into this world, we should be prepared to love and care for them, rather than preoccupying ourselves with what they can repay us in the future."
Gillian smiled and turned sideways, "You will definitely be a good father in the future."
Chang Qing also extinguished the candle, "You will also be a good mother."
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