After the new concubine Tang Kuo Shige had a miscarriage, she nursed her back to health for more than a month and then began to sleep with her. The emperor favored her very much and gave her a beaded dress and a hundred taels of gold. It was designated as the eighth day of the first lunar month of the second year of Xinzhenyuan to hold a canonization ceremony for her. On the evening of the concubine's ceremony, a banquet was held, and all wives of second rank and above were ordered to attend the banquet.
This move made all the women of fate panic, lest they become the next prey of this tiger-wolf-like monarch. But at the same time of fear, the women of the clan had to obey the emperor's orders and dress neatly in mother-of-pearl ceremonial clothes to serve as foils for the new concubine.
It was also that night at the palace banquet. A year later, Qingya once again stepped into the locked palace door.
That night in the red corridor of Wude Hall, she was walking behind Wu Lin Mingxuan with her flushed cheeks suppressed. The two of them were in an orderly manner, one behind the other, their appearance was dignified and very decent, with a restrained face. , which is really a respect for the etiquette in the palace.
After walking for a long time, the banquet was approaching. Mingxuan turned around and came close to her and said: "I don't know if the Holy One will come during the palace banquet later. If he comes, try to avoid talking to the Holy One, and don't cause any trouble." His attention! Let’s just watch the singing and dancing, and eat some delicious food!”
Mingxuan looked around and saw no one around, then said again: "If Your Majesty comes, I don't know which sister will be targeted. Anyway, I hope it's not you and me."
After hearing this, she could only nodded slightly to express her understanding, and then went to the banquet.
At the banquet, there was singing and dancing, and Concubine Rou Shi Ge took the lead. Since the banquet started, the other concubines and sisters were talking and laughing, but she was the only one who sat blankly on the top chair, not interacting with anyone, and there were many people on the table. The food and tea were not touched at all.
Her dull eyes were filled with red tears. The golden hairpin tassels on her soft Lingyun bun swayed under the shadow of candles shining high in the room. The thin shadows were branded on her exquisite blue-colored haori. When she was still, she was like a girl. A handful of clear snow in winter is cold and gentle.
After a banquet, she only greeted the guests and gave the gifts she had prepared earlier to the wives, and she never said anything else. It was really a grand but deserted banquet, meaningless.
At the second watch of the night, the banquet was over, and the married women were relieved, and they each kowtowed and asked to leave.
Just when Qing Ya was about to straighten her clothes and go out, she was suddenly stopped by Shi Ge - "Mrs. Wan Guo, please stay!"
Qingya turned around in surprise and said, "What are your orders, Concubine Rou?"
She just watched Shi Ge walking towards him, his steps were light and graceful, and his green clothes were so beautiful that even a woman could not move her eyes away.
——She really is a soft concubine, just like the blue moon, just like the snow on the cold mountain.
But compared to Wu Lin Mingxuan beside her, she seemed to have less inner temperament.
"I wonder who this lady is? She has been obsessed with the Holy Emperor for many years?" She asked with a direct smile without any concealment, as if there was a sword hidden in every word.
Qingya was stunned for a moment and said with a smile: "I'm just kidding, the one I'm most obsessed with is you!"
"Oh? Do you mean that I deliberately embarrass you? Could it be that what I said is false? The old stories between you and the Holy One would be enough to write a masterpiece!" She walked in again and smiled: "In that case, why? Why don't you enter the palace and become a concubine? How happy is it to make His Majesty happy! Anyway, you like to climb up to the dragon and the phoenix so much, maybe if you enter the palace, His Majesty will make you a noble concubine!"
It was really impossible to answer Shi Ge's series of rude questions, and Qing Ya could only smile and bow her head to say goodbye: "Mother, you must be drunk today. I won't disturb your rest, so I will kneel down first!"
"What are you pretending to be! Which of you girls from the Li family is not a vulgar person who loves vanity? You bully Mr. Li every day to show off your status as a noble lady. In order to overpower you, she begged me to intercede for her, and I believed her. She entered the palace, how could I have expected...I am now in such a situation, it is really causing me so much pain."
"Now why do you pretend to look down on glory to disgust me? Why don't you just become the concubine? It's really a matter of honoring the ancestors. Maybe little Li will be granted a royal title because of it!"
As she said that, Qingya seemed to see tears flashing in her eyes in a trance. She didn't know whether she should forgive or hate such a miserable woman.
After a long time, Qing Ya stood up, clasped her hands and smiled: "Empress, as you said, I love vanity. I can go to the palace to be a concubine and share the beauty of life equally with you. I can climb up to your majesty and enjoy all the glory.
But what is the reality? I didn't. "
"Your Majesty, I am a straight person and I don't know how to speak nice words. Don't mind. You have your hopes and I have my perseverance. It is not because of me that you are in such a situation. After hearing your Majesty's anger, I can only offer a little help. "Bo Li, I'm just trying to comfort you! I can't help you with anything else," she lowered her head and replied, "As for what the empress heard about me, it's his choice to have his mouth on someone else. Believe it or not." In the Empress, I can't decide anything, I can only be myself. The Empress has a heart like a bright mirror. Now that you have seen me, you have made up your mind about what I am like!"
For some reason, she treated things more and more calmly, and spoke in a gentle and powerful manner, which made Rou Fei Shi Ge unable to reply and made Ming Xuan secretly praise her.
Not long after, Qingya bowed and resigned again. She still bowed her head slightly and straightened her body. The jewels on her bun ring swayed and shimmered in the hazy night.
Only Mingxuan showed great kindness, stood there for a long time and said comfortingly: "Mother, you are still young, keep an open mind on everything, and live a good life for the people you care about."
After that, when we said goodbye, Shi Ge burst into tears.
After leaving the palace, the road turned back to the corridor, and the palace eaves concealed the sky and the sun. The two of them walked faster and faster, trying to get out before the palace gate was unlocked. As she was walking, she was about to go down the hundred steps of the stairs when she vaguely saw someone waiting at the fence.
The man leaned on the railing and looked alone, holding an umbrella and feeling lost. He wandered on the city wall, his black fur collar covered with a thin layer of white snow.
It was someone who could be identified at a glance - that was Emperor Wan Yanliang.
Qingya couldn't find the feeling and walked forward again. The blood in her body was boiling. She clasped her hands quietly in front of her waist and stopped behind Mingxuan when she stopped moving forward.
For a moment, she seemed to be unable to hear or see anything. All she could see from the corner of her eye was the pale night and the cold light of snow crystals.
After a long time, the person opposite slowly walked in, holding on to the umbrella and moving forward. He stopped about three steps away from her, and restrained himself from moving forward.
She raised her head and glanced at his dark eyes, then quickly looked back.
Seeing this, Mingxuan first paid homage to the emperor and then took the opportunity to say goodbye - "I will see your majesty in person. Your majesty will talk to Mrs. Wan Guo first, while I went to wait for you."
The emperor acquiesced, staring at Qingya's red cheeks and nodding.
After Mingxuan left, he dared to take another step, just a small step of less than a foot.
"Madam..., it's windy at night, so bring an umbrella!" He spoke slowly, a faint smile appearing on the corners of his lips.
The sound of "Mother," made her feel dazed. At this time, she didn't know whether it was a general term or an intentional intimacy. I just saw his hesitant feet stomping back in place. He wanted to hand the umbrella over to her personally, but was afraid that this trip would bring her trouble. It was out of love that he stopped at courtesy, and finally he asked his side to wait. Someone put the umbrella in her hand.
She looked up again, and saw that he was now a heroic figure with a mind full of mountains and rivers. His dark eyebrows were still the same, and the thick black beard that had been left on his cheeks for some time covered his arrogant edges and corners. Three steps away, she seemed to be able to smell the faint fragrance of his fine clothes, and she seemed to be able to see the slight frost on his hair.
When she saw this, she could only bow to her side and thank you, "I thank your majesty for your gift!"
When the two of them looked at each other, they no longer looked like they did before, talking freely and free of speech. Now the words that should be said can only be kept in their hearts, and the superficial old feelings can only be sealed in memories.
After looking at her for a long time, her bun was soaked by the flying snow. After a long time, she smiled lightly, and two shallow pear dimples were engraved on the corners of her rouge lips: "Your Majesty, I just went to pay homage to Concubine Rou. Your Majesty is truly outstanding in beauty. There is no such gentle and generous person in the entire country, and I am also intoxicated by your beauty."
"Also, on the last winter solstice, I met Prince Guangying. The prince really has a heavenly style. He is handsome and unrestrained. He is so polite at a young age. When he grows up, he will have the demeanor of his majesty."
"I have also met Princess Heru. The princess can read poems and essays very well, and she has been taught well by the Queen and Concubine Yuan! I..."
"Qingya..."
He watched her talking about this with a smile, and became more and more uncomfortable. Before she could finish speaking, he interrupted her, and she did not have the courage to continue.
"Qingya, my harem is full of beauties, but you are irreplaceable. What I want most is that you come to my side, and what I want most is to have many babies with you!" He bowed his head and said, "This year is In the second year of Zhenyuan, you have been married for five years... Time flies so fast. I think if I had been braver and not so impulsive, maybe today I and you would have a prince and a princess."
She pursed her lips, suddenly feeling pain in her heart, and she swallowed again and again: "Your Majesty..."
She looked into his dark eyes, lowered her head again, bowed after a long pause, put away the umbrella she held, and raised her bright red jade fingers to catch the falling white snow.
"Your Majesty, it's late at night, so I'll go back home first!"
He was stunned for a moment and said: "Okay!" Then he said to Xiyi beside her: "Xiyi, please hold up the umbrella for me!"
With a pool of light red tears in her eyes, she raised her hand to help remove the snow from her black hair, turned sideways to stop the pity, and looked at him who was only a few steps away: "No need, it's okay to look at His Majesty in the snow, that's it. A wish from my youth!"
His eyes turned red.
After a long time, the guard patrolling in the distance passed the front hall, waiting for someone to stop him. She bowed her head and resigned, walked down the hundred steps of stone stairs, and disappeared into the flying white snow.
When she returned that night, she opened the umbrella and saw the "Ode to Leisure" that he had copied in thin Song script along the edge of the umbrella - "I wish I could make a fan on the bamboo, with sadness soaring in the soft hand; sadness in the morning zero of white dew, I care about my lapels and my sleeves to care for my miao. I wish I could make a paulownia out of the wood and a musical harp on my knees. The extreme joys and sorrows come with mourning, but they finally push me away and stop playing."
She sat alone into the night looking at this poem.
