All things are renewed and old illnesses are healed.
Shangdu City ushered in the New Year amidst auspicious snow and the sound of firecrackers.
Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. According to the old custom, I have to go to the palace to pay homage to the emperor.
The palace was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and palace staff were sweeping the snow along the aisles. Everyone was wearing new clothes and their faces were beaming with joy.
Octagonal palace lanterns are hung in the corridor, painted with patterns such as dragons and phoenixes, landscapes, flowers and birds, pines and cypresses. Lanterns are hung in the corners of the palace and on the trees by the lake. There are many styles, such as simple tangram lanterns and lotus lanterns, complicated ones like revolving lanterns, and lifelike animal lanterns. Lantern riddles were hung under the lamps for the palace people to play during the Spring Festival and for the emperor and concubine to watch.
In front of the Qianqing Palace, there stands a pair of huge longevity lanterns. The lanterns are decorated with gold paint. There are six fans inside the building, depicting immortals and ladies, rotating around the lampposts, the immortals stepping on the clouds and mists, misty and flying. There is a cloud support below the lantern, and an eight-pronged squatting dragon on top. The dragon's mouth holds a ring, and you can lift the lantern couplet. There are text on the front and back of the lantern couplets, a total of sixteen pieces. Two pieces in each couplet are related to the beauty of work, singing and dancing, auspiciousness and other contents.
In the hall, there are "Daji" gourd bottles decorated with striped patterns and mosaic and leaf patterns, which are homophonic to Fulu. The picture of the New Year painted by a famous artist means good luck.
Xia Yunhe followed the ministers, congratulating and offering gifts.
Emperor He Hui wrote the first word "福" on the dragon paper with the Blessing Common People pen, and posted it in Qianqing Palace. He also wrote many paintings with the character "福", which were posted in other palaces or given to several senior ministers.
There are also many spring notes personally written by the emperor. The two words are "Ying Xiang" and "Peace", the four words are "Time and Benevolence and Longevity", and the large number of words is "It is good to enter the New Year with great joy and good luck."
New Year pictures are posted at the entrances of each palace, and bonsais are placed...all of them are exquisite and exquisite.
Afterwards, the whole process of giving banquets and praying came to an end, and it was almost dark.
The lanterns were lit one after another by the palace people, and Emperor Hui also allowed the courtiers to go home. Because next, is the emperor’s own family banquet.
Outside the palace are waiting for the actors and musicians of the studio. At that time, the actors and elegant music will dance, and the palace will be full of joy.
Xia Yunhe walked up the road and was suddenly stopped by a young eunuch who said that the seventh prince had something to tell him.
She was quite confused, but she still followed the little eunuch. After many twists and turns, the little eunuch disappeared.
The pavilions are covered with thick snow, few people are cleaning them, and the surroundings are deserted and silent.
Xia Yunhe secretly thought that it was too bad, and wanted to go back the way he came. When walking around the rockery, I accidentally caught a glimpse of Concubine Wan Gui and Chen Haizhou. There was no one else around them. They were standing far away under the rockery. Concubine Wan Gui was wearing a red spring silk mink cloak, walking with golden hairpins, looking graceful and regal, smiling kindly. Chen Haizhou was standing there. He was tall, standing with his back to Xia Yunhe, and suddenly he knelt on the ground facing Concubine Wan Gui.
The snow here was deep, so he knelt down and knocked his head down, creating a snow pit.
Concubine Wan Gui smiled and helped him up, looking very friendly.
Xia Yunhe felt something was wrong, so he slowly retreated following the footsteps he came from, trying not to make any sound.
The rockery was so slippery that her fingers turned red from the cold. When she retreated to the three-way intersection, she stopped. There used to be only her footprints here, but now, the three roads leading to different directions are all covered with footprints, making it difficult to distinguish.
The surrounding scenery was similar, the people were lonely, and they were all the same pavilions. She stood there, trembling in her heart.
Suddenly, she recalled that this place was called Tongtong Pavilion, connected by three roads, three pavilions with the same style and scenery, and the rockery behind them overlapped. After several turns, cold sweat dripped on her forehead, and she could no longer tell where she came from. , what is the way forward.
If you stay here all the time and meet Wan and Chen, what will you do?
As the sky grew dark, Xia Yunhe lifted up his clothes and gritted his teeth to choose a path. After walking a few steps, he was stopped by two raw-faced chamberlains.
There was a slight crunching sound of snow behind me.
"Where did Master Xia come from? Where are you going?"
Xia Yunhe turned around and looked back, and recognized the person through the lantern carried by the chamberlain. Under the light, there is the fourth prince in a brocade hat and mink fur coat.
He was playing with a small lotus lantern in his hand, with a slight smile on his lips, looking as if he was in a state of splendor, but his eyes were a little white and he looked uncomfortable.
The young eunuch who had led the way stood behind the fourth prince with his head lowered and remained silent.
Xia Yunhe saluted the fourth prince according to the palace rules. The fourth prince helped her up and said with a smile, "This servant is stupid. He can't convey the words clearly and he can't lead the right way."
His expression changed again, and he said coldly to the young eunuch, "Master Xia has been found, go get the board yourself."
After the young eunuch retired, the fourth prince showed her the way with a smile.
"Everyone in the palace is busy, the father is busy praying for Najib, the concubine Wan Gui is busy cataloging the palace and city, the prince is busy banqueting guests, the fifth child is banned again, the seventh child endorses it every day, and the two sisters lead the sixth sister up the mountain to pray for blessings. I am an idler and stay in the palace every day. As time goes by, I will become familiar with various places."
After turning a few corners and passing through a land with overgrown branches and no one cleaning it, a few people walked to the edge of the Imperial Garden Lake.
"Mr. Xia is lucky enough to bump into Gu today. If he bumps into anyone else and deliberately makes things difficult for him, he would go to Emperor Father and make Long Yan furious, which would be a hindrance to this happy day."
The fourth prince looked at her with a smile. The lanterns on the lakeside were lit up, one after another, forming a river of lanterns. They circled the lake embankment and clung to the shadows of the palace trees, creating a bright scene of lights.
He held a small lamp and hung it lightly on the treetops. The light spots reflected on his face, making it mottled.
Xia Yunhe remained silent, having already figured out the situation in her mind. In the name of the seventh prince, the fourth prince led her to watch a secret conversation between Concubine Wan Gui and Chen Haizhou, and then led her out. What did she want to do? The palace banquet will start soon, what else does he want to do?
After thinking clearly in his mind, Xia Yunhe said, "Your Highness, Fourth Highness, if there is nothing else to do, I will take my leave first."
The fourth prince raised his voice slightly, turned to look at her, and said with a chuckle, "Master Xia, why are you anxious? I am just curious. Under the guidance of Master Xia, Lao Qi's calligraphy has improved rapidly. I also love calligraphy. I would like to ask Master Xia for some advice." two."
Xia Yunhe looked at the face that smiled like a fox in front of him. He didn't want to beat around the bush anymore, so he said straightforwardly, "Your Highness, if you have something to say, you might as well say it directly."
Seeing her like this, the fourth prince stopped pretending and looked away at several chamberlains. He chuckled, "Does Mr. Xia know who brought the seventh child out of the palace in the first place?"
Xia Yunhe stood with his hands down, "This matter has been found out, why does Your Highness need to mention it again?"
The fourth prince snorted coldly, smoothed his long beard on his temples, and stared into her eyes, "What everyone thinks must be the truth?"
If he wanted to talk about palace affairs, she didn't want to hear it, so she looked into the distance and said seriously, "If there's nothing else, I'll leave."
"Stop, Mr. Xia," the fourth prince looked at Xia Yunhe coldly and tapped her shoulder, "Prince. Mr. Xia has already offended the prince when it comes to choosing a disciple. Although the fifth prince has the support of the noble concubine, he has no brains after all. The prince is so excited. He just said a few words and was about to trouble Lao Qi. If Lao Qi can escape once, how many times can he escape in the future? "
Xia Yunhe said nothing and stood with his eyes lowered.
The fourth prince sighed and added, "Hey, that's how it is in the palace. Fortunately, this summer, I can leave the palace and open a mansion, and leave this terrible place."
"It's just..." He deliberately tilted his head to look at Xia Yunhe, then frowned, "Why didn't Mr. Xia react at all when he heard this? It's like he knew it in advance."
Xia Yunhe chuckled lightly, "Your Highness, Fourth Highness, please do not speak nonsense."
"Master Xia, don't believe it? Huh, the prince has a message for Mr. Xia, telling good birds to choose trees to roost in. Although the seventh child is hardworking and diligent, he has no protection from his mother's family. If Mr. Xia hadn't chosen him, who in the palace would have remembered this. Alone. What happened in Xiahe Village is just a small warning from the prince."
"Your Majesty, Fourth Highness, are you lobbying for the Crown Prince?"
The fourth prince smiled and took down his little lantern from the tree, "I just want to say something. After all, in summer, I will leave the palace. Of course, if Mr. Excellent, Lord Xia will definitely come by then." He looked at Xia Yunhe and paused, then smiled and said, "Well, it doesn't matter if Lord Xia doesn't come."
Then he held her shoulders and leaned close to her ear, "If the water is clear, there will be no fish, and if people are careful, there will be no disciples. Mr. Xia, sometimes, if you don't make a choice, others will make the choice for you."
The fourth prince smiled without saying a word, patted Xia Yunhe on the shoulder, and left with a smile.
Watching the fourth prince go away, a firework exploded just above Xia Yunhe's head. She looked up and saw several more fireworks blooming in the night sky. The crackling sounds filled her ears, leaving her with no time to think. It took her a long time to come back to her senses. He rubbed his brows, turned around, but stopped.
The Seventh Prince Xie Yi slowly walked out from behind a tree. He was wearing a rare new suit today, and the tailoring was very decent. However, there was a trace of ruthlessness in his eyes. Under the illumination of countless palace lanterns, there was a little bit of cold light, which made people unable to help but A shudder.
When he looked at Xia Yunhe, his ruthless expression disappeared again.
Xia Yunhe's heart trembled. She didn't know how much Xie Yi heard what the fourth prince said to her, so he took the initiative to ask, "Is Your Highness going to the palace banquet?"
Xie Yi came over and looked up at her and said, "Sir, when can I leave the palace and open my mansion?"
There was a little starlight in the young man's eyes. Xia Yunhe was a little confused whether he had seen it wrong just now. After thinking for a while, he replied, "The prince will be able to leave the palace and open a mansion at the age of fifteen. I will ask for your majesty's permission then."
He lowered his head and murmured, "Two more years."
He raised his head again and said, "Sir, in terms of the art of war, victory is achieved through righteousness and miraculous combinations. The changes of miraculous and righteousness are endless like the heaven and earth, and endless like the rivers and seas. In this palace, as mentioned in the book, conspiracies and scheming are all happening. It’s just that there is no light and shadow of swords. Concubine Wan Gui just looks kind. Last time I heard her say behind the rockery that she was afraid that her father would be angry with her because of the fifth prince’s affairs, so she retreated in order to advance and deliberately showed weakness. Her father had four sons. , the three brothers are all thinking about themselves, and now they have to fight for the husband. If one day, I..."
Xia Yunhe hurriedly interrupted him, "Your Highness, some words can cause disaster once spoken. You should be more cautious in the palace."
She looked around and pointed to the gorgeous palace lanterns, "Your Highness, what the book tells is only part of it. The rest needs to be understood by Your Highness yourself. Just like these gorgeous lanterns, only their light can be seen when they are hung. But take off the lantern and look carefully. By observing its structure, you can understand the complexity of making lamps. War is like human affairs, changing endlessly, but change remains the same. Only when you understand the situation, know the wonders and correctness, and do not feel depressed because the opponent is strong, nor feel happy because the opponent is weak, will you not Falling into passivity. Things in the world are unpredictable, and misfortunes and blessings depend on each other. Only by mastering what can be mastered will you not fall into the trap. You can't do things without power, but you can't just use power. Power and righteousness complement each other, power is the use, and the Tao is the foundation. Those who are good at fighting are not outstanding. merit."
She recalled Xie Yi's stern look before, softened her voice, and whispered, "I hope that Your Highness will be benevolent and righteous."
The huge explosion of fireworks covered up Xie Yi's words, and the young man could only see his mouth moving a few times, then lowering his head and remaining silent.
After the round of fireworks was set off and there was a break, Xia Yunhe said, "Your Highness, I am a little lost. Can you help me find my way out of the palace?"
Xie Yi looked up at her, opened his mouth, and all his words finally turned into one word, "Okay."
