On New Year's Eve, the emperor ascended to the palace to receive congratulations from hundreds of officials, and the officials paid homage to his superiors, which was called the Year of Worshiping Officials. Women with foreign titles also had to go to the inner court to pay homage to the queen and concubines.
In the early morning of that day, led by the old lady, Song Wanru and the eldest lady, the second lady made up according to their grades, put on court clothes, and drove to the palace in a BMW car.
The old lady's car in the Zhongyong Hou Mansion was the most luxurious and luxurious, followed by the prince's wife Song Wanru's.
Two sleek black horses took elegant steps and pulled the carriage steadily. Song Wanru in the car closed her eyes, her thoughts tumbling.
Song Wanru was a concubine who lived with her mother outside the palace. Suddenly one day, her mother disappeared. When she was a child, she missed her mother every day. When she saw other people being led by her mother to go shopping on the street, she was envious. Just cry. Aunt Dong told her that her mother had passed away, and she was not pregnant with her, and she could not miss her. She would never return after this farewell.
When she was taken back to the palace when she was ten years old, the princess treated her well. Although her father loved her, when she saw her sisters being cared for by their aunts, she often thought about how wonderful it would be if her mother were still alive.
When she was fourteen, an imperial edict changed her fate. There were only four marriageable girls in the Sixth Prince Xian's palace, and there were six or seven girls from other clans waiting to be married. She was the only one who chose her to marry into the Zhongyong Marquis's mansion. It is said that Long Live Lord pointed out that During the wedding, Concubine Wanshu happened to be waiting by her side. She said that the name Wanru was destined for her, so she chose Song Wanru.
Because of this, every New Year and the Queen's birthday, Qianqiu Festival, when she enters the palace, Song Wanru will go to pay homage to Concubine Wanshu after being received by the Queen. She is a fairy-like figure, gentle as water, and speaks softly, like spring water. It's so refreshing that it penetrates people's heart and spleen.
Because she bumped into Eunuch Hu in Guanju Palace when she brought Aunt Dong into the palace for the first time, Concubine Wanshu was kind and did not punish her. After that, Song Wanru always brought her maid Biluo with her into the palace.
The carriage stopped and the palace arrived. After some inspection, they were allowed into the palace. Because of her old age and high rank, the old lady was allowed to ride in the sedan chair, and the others entered on foot following the sedan chair.
The Queen lived in the Jiaotai Hall, and some foreign wives were already waiting in the Nuan Pavilion. A gong sounded, and the Queen arrived. All the ladies knelt on the ground and shouted three times, "Greetings to the Queen. May the Queen live a thousand years."
The Empress is wearing a court dress embroidered with gold brocade and phoenix wings. She has a high bun on the back of her head. On her head is a nine-tailed phoenix with a big beaded hairpin. The phoenix holds a string of rubies in its mouth and hangs in front of her forehead. She is tall, with phoenix eyes and eyebrows. Luxurious and graceful.
When the empress sat on the phoenix throne, she said, "Madams, please sit down if you are flat."
The Empress is the successor. She is forty-two this year. She has nine princes and twelve princesses. She has always been virtuous and dignified. The emperor does not like her much, but she respects her very much.
After chatting about some household matters and showing the superior's love and care to the families of the ministers, the empress left her seat, and the foreigner went to the concubines to greet them and celebrate the new year.
Song Wanru helped the old lady leave the Jiaotai Hall, then separated from everyone in the Zhongyong Hou Mansion and went alone to Concubine Wanshu of Guanju Palace.
Eunuch Hu stood waiting outside the palace gate. When he saw Song Wanru Shanshan arriving, he immediately welcomed her from afar and said, "Mrs. Gu, you are here. Your Majesty has been thinking about you for many days. She has been talking about you since the 23rd." , I’m looking forward to seeing you!”
Song Wanru gave a blessing gift, took out a thin red envelope from her sleeve pocket, and stuffed it into Eunuch Hu's hand, "My father-in-law is joking, how dare I worry about it?"
Don’t think about it, the red envelope must contain banknotes. The Zhongyong Hou Mansion is rich and powerful, and the Crown Prince’s wife spends a lot of money every time she comes. Eunuch Hu pinched the red envelope, and the smile on his face became brighter. He led Song Wanru into the palace and whispered: " Madam Prince, please come in. Your Majesty is waiting in the hall, and the Za family will leave first."
The Guanyong Palace is magnificent, with carved beams and painted columns, and is so beautiful. The ground paved with fine white jade shone with a warm light, and the floor tiles were inlaid with golden lotuses that opened side by side. The hem of the skirt slid past, and it looked like lotuses growing step by step.
The crystal bead curtain is meandering and pouring. Behind the curtain, a graceful figure is playing the piano with his head lowered. As the fingertips rise and fall, the sound of the piano flows, and the long Sanskrit sounds are like the waves of a fish jumping on the water.
Song Wanru listened to her ears, but her heart was filled with turbulent waves. This bead curtain, this sound of the piano, and this figure had long been imprinted in her childhood memories. When she dreamed back at midnight, she always recalled her mother playing the piano while facing her. Smiling, she said softly: "Wanru, does it sound good? When you grow up, mother will teach you to play the piano." Little Wanru always said happily: "Mom, mother, I want to learn, Wanru wants to learn."
Song Wanru stretched out her hand and lifted the beaded curtain tremblingly. She slowly raised her beautiful face, her curved eyebrows were lightly frowned, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and her fair and flawless skin revealed a faint pink color. Her lips were as delicate as rose petals, and she opened and closed them and uttered a wonderful sound, "Wanru, does it sound good?"
"Mother, mother!" Song Wanru blurted out. A catkin stretched out and touched her lips.
After coming back from the palace, it was time to worship the ancestors. The Gu family ancestral hall was in a courtyard to the west. The Gu family members stood up according to their seniority, men and women. The old marquis led everyone to put out meals and burn incense to pay homage.
After worshiping the ancestors, they returned to Xuanzangyuan. The old marquis and his wife were sitting on the throne. The prince Gu Huainan and his wife Song Wanru led all the masters to salute and pay homage. The old marquis and his wife distributed red envelopes, and then the servants paid their respects and received red envelopes.
The old Marquis stroked his beard, stood up and said, "Let's have a feast and go to the dining hall."
The next handsome middle-aged uncle was none other than the eldest son of Zhongyong Hou Mansion. Gu Jingzhi’s father, Gu Huainan, stepped forward to help his father. The old Marquis snorted and said coldly: "I am not even 70 or 80 years old, so I can still use it." I'm holding you up, don't you know how much I weigh?"
His father loved to dance with guns and sticks, while Gu Huainan loved poetry, calligraphy and painting. He didn't agree with each other, and he looked down on himself anyway. Gu Huainan could only smile awkwardly and said to Gu Jingzhi: "Jingzhi, please support me for my father." grandfather."
Gu Jingzhi nodded and walked a few steps quickly to catch up with the old Marquis. He took his arm and headed to the dining hall together.
Entering the dining hall, men and women sat at separate tables. Since there were no outsiders, there was no need to put a screen in between. The servants served dishes and rice, Tusu wine, acacia soup, auspicious fruits, and wishful cakes in turn.
The old Marquis picked up the wine glass, took a sip, and said to himself: "Today is the New Year's Eve. The third son and his family are not allowed to come back during their tenure in Yangzhou Mansion. My Gu family is relatively intact today. I have already expressed my gratitude to Lord Long Live." After receiving the certificate, the title of Marquis Zhongyong will be passed on to the fourth son Huainan after the new year." He paused for a moment, glanced at Song Wanru from the corner of his eyes, and saw the joy on her face, and then said: "At the same time, I will make Jingzhi the heir apparent. "
Song Wanru's expression remained the same as before, and she still had a smile on her lips. The old Marquis nodded inwardly, he was a calm man.
Gu Huainan stood up and said to the old Marquis: "My father is in good health and in good spirits. Why did he think of passing on the title to me? My son is not worthy of it."
The old Marquis glanced at him contemptuously, "You are aware of yourself. The title of the Zhongyong Marquis has always been occupied by capable people. The eldest and second eldest brother are the best among men, but they shed blood on the battlefield and sacrificed their lives for the country. The third son has always been a great talent, and he was supposed to be the heir apparent. If your mother hadn't acted so recklessly and forced the third son to flee the capital, how could I have taken advantage of you?"
When the old lady heard what he said, she stood up and said angrily: "You old ghost, the third child didn't crawl out of my belly. How can the title that my eldest and second son earned with their lives be advantageous to others?"
Song Wanru used her hands to help the old lady calm down, "Mom, calm down quickly. It's the Chinese New Year. It's not appropriate to get angry. Besides, my father has already been cheated. The title will not be changed again. Please relax!"
Seeing his old wife sitting down, the old Marquis blushed after being scolded, and then said: "I just said that my title of Marquis of Zhongyong has always been occupied by capable people. Among the grandchildren, Jing Chao is extremely brave and unrivaled. , but my brain is not bright enough to make my Gu family shine."
The eldest lady hurriedly stood up and saluted the old Marquis, "Father may make arrangements, but my daughter-in-law has no objection."
The old Marquis nodded, waved his hand for her to sit down, and continued: "Jing Shen had a problem in her womb, and she has been lingering on the bed all year round. Jing Xing is too young, but Jing's bones are very good, he has great achievements in martial arts, and he is even better at strategy. The saints all praised him for his ancestral style and an unparalleled talent. I, the Gu family, have Jingzhi as the next head of the family. I don’t seek to make further progress, but I only want to preserve the century-old family legacy of my Zhongyong Hou Mansion."
