In the quiet night, the sound of the piano is long and lingering. When I wake up from a drunken dream, the rhythm that hits my ears is different from before. The sound is slowly filled with melancholy. Lan Qi opens her eyes. The candlelight in the room flickers, unclear or not. She opens her mouth to call someone.
He brought some water to drink, but also thought that it was late at night and didn't want to torment them, so he endured it.
Turning over, the sound of the piano suddenly stopped, and I thought: Who is playing the piano tonight?
In the Chengqian Palace, Xuan Ye stood up from the piano and said with a smile: "I haven't touched it for a long time, and I feel very unfamiliar. It's better that you play well. It's late at night, otherwise I have to play a piece of music from you."
"I don't like to play the piano." Concubine Tong sat aside and just listened to Xuan Ye playing the piano, and she was determined to say this to him, "Your Majesty, come to Chengqian Palace again in the future, let's do some other fun.
Right. I don’t like to play the piano. It was Ama who told me that you liked it, so I let you learn it. I asked you to play it for you. Although you like it every time, every time I play or make a sound, it doesn’t come from my heart. I don’t care at all.
Not happy."
She stood up and left her seat, and knelt firmly in front of Xuan Ye, her voice choked with sobs: "Your Majesty, don't be angry. From now on, I don't want to play the piano anymore. If you insist on asking why, I can't tell you. It's just... I don't want to play the piano anymore."
Playing the piano."
Xuan Ye smiled calmly: "Every time you play the piano, you think that it was your uncle who asked you to do this. You are doing this just to please me. Only if you please me will I treat you well, so it makes you feel more and more uncomfortable."
Concubine Tong raised her head, her eyes were already glistening with tears. As soon as she nodded, tears rolled down her face. Just when she was about to reach out to wipe her tears, Xuan Ye stretched out his hand and personally helped her up. He held her shoulders firmly and said, "
You still have to play the piano. If the sound of the piano spreads out, others will know that I am here with you and that we are okay. If you don't play the piano, uncle and the others will be worried, and more trouble is still to come. You
I understand your intentions. I am not good to you because you play the piano, so I still have to play the piano."
"emperor……"
"The wine tonight was too strong, I'm even drunk." Xuan Ye smiled meaningfully and gently pushed her to the couch together, "Go to bed early and don't think about it. You'll be fine when you get up tomorrow morning."
Concubine Tong was pushed to the bed, and the emperor called for people to come in loudly. The concubine was served here to take off her clothes, and the emperor was served to change clothes there. When the two of them were lying side by side on the bed, Xuan Ye was already tired and closed his eyes lazily.
The imperial concubine seemed to call her cousin, and he hummed softly and said nothing again.
The imperial concubine turned over, her tears moistening the pillow. She closed her eyes stubbornly, her body trembling slightly, but Xuan Ye's hand suddenly placed on her waist, and her delicate body immediately froze. The person behind her did not speak, she
I didn't dare to cry anymore, so quietly and silently, I drifted into a dream.
The next day, before dawn, there was a strong wind. After dawn, it started to snow. The strong wind carried snow particles into every corner of the imperial city. The doors and windows of all the palaces and courtyards were tightly blocked, making it difficult to burn charcoal to keep warm.
The house was blown cold by the wind again.
When Lan Qi woke up from her drunken dream, it was already past the usual time for her to go to Cining Palace. She was stunned on the bed, her mind was blank, her whole body felt hot and dry, and her lips were wrinkled and covered with skin.
, she moved a little, and the tent was lifted up. When she saw Huan Chun, she felt at ease and asked for water in a hoarse voice.
The green pearls and jade sunflowers all came to wait on her, washed and tidied up, drank water and mixed it into the porridge. The hungover little noble finally took a breath, but her body was still limp, so she heard Huan Chun laugh at her: "Master is still very drunk when he is drunk."
Be honest, sleep peacefully, don’t cry or fuss or vomit, but you sleep so soundly that you almost fall out of the sedan chair. This slave also benefited from it and came back with you in the soft sedan chair."
Lan Qi smiled softly: "If you go back to Cining Palace, you will definitely get scolded. When I was taking tonics with the Empress Dowager, the doctor told me not to drink alcohol." She moved her body and stretched her muscles lazily.
, recalling the beauty of the wine last night, "The wine was really delicious, sweet and fragrant, how could I have known I would get drunk."
Huan Chun held up the armband and said: "Master is in good spirits now. Go and sit in the main hall. The eldest princess can't bear the pain and is crying from time to time. Concubine Duan came twice to ask if you were up, and said she was coquettishly coquettish.
Can’t live.”
"Then hurry up and go." Lan Qi hurriedly put on her shoes and picked up her armholes. Yu Kui put a big cloak on her body. She thought it would only be a few steps, but she passed after a few trots. Who knows?
After opening the thick curtains, a gust of wind blew snow particles onto my face, and my eyes were blurred.
Shivering, she returned and put on her cloak. Then she braved the wind and snow to go to the main hall. However, in the blink of an eye, she was shivering with cold. After entering the inner hall, she quickly warmed herself by the fire. Lan Qi stamped her feet and said:
"Why is it so cold all of a sudden?"
"You must be weak from a hangover. The wind is strong, but it's not much colder than yesterday." Duanbi sat on the kang, Chunxi lay in her arms, and medicine was applied to her buttocks. The little man saw the noble man coming.
, and burst into tears again.
Lan Qi was very distressed. She warmed herself up and came over. She lifted the blanket and took a look. There were several red ridges swollen on her white and tender buttocks. When she saw Chunxi, she was even ashamed. She burst into tears and started to complain.
Lan Qi: "Don't look at it. Our eldest princess's butt is so easy to look at." Then she said, "Come and change me. I have been grinding for more than an hour and my legs are numb."
As Duan Concubine said, there was a palace maid hugging the princess away. She frowned and climbed to the side stiffly. Lan Qi changed to her position, and Chun Xi leaned over again and asked delicately: "Honorable man, what are you doing?"
Did great-grandmother scold you too?"
"It's okay, I didn't hit anyone." Lan Qi gently approached the little princess and kissed her delicate cheek, "Chunxi is the eldest sister of the younger siblings. My great-grandmother hit you not because she doesn't hurt you, you understand.
?”
"I've said it eight hundred times." The little princess was impatient and whimpered. Lan Qi coaxed her to tease her, and then fed her some snacks and soup, and finally fell asleep obediently.
Concubine Duan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's better when you're asleep. When you wake up, you just complain about pain. It's so annoying."
Lan Qi and her left Chun Xi's place and sat down in another warm pavilion. The two of them made a fire and drank tea. Bu Guiren led Duan Jing there because it was too windy and snowy to come, so Duan Concubine said: "Your Majesty, why don't you come here?"
Up front, I heard the piano playing when I woke up in the morning. The imperial concubine was really in a good mood. With the sound of the wind and snow, even a rough man like me felt desolate."
Thinking of what happened yesterday, he said, "Concubine Rong said that the sun rises in the west. I didn't come back to my senses yesterday. Now that I think about it, the concubine didn't add insult to injury yesterday. According to her temper, there will be no good consequences for us."
I think it's not just the Rong concubines who would say this. Lan Qi remembers that when she returned to Chengqian Palace to salute the imperial concubine, the people around her were so quiet that the gongs and drums on the stage stopped.
She blamed herself for coming here in a funny way, but Concubine Tong didn't fulfill everyone's wishes. She just said a few polite words to herself and pretended that nothing had happened.
When Duan Concubine mentioned it, she also felt strange in her heart. She was grateful that the concubine did not take the opportunity to make an attack, but it seemed that there was something else blocking her chest.
"Zi Fujin didn't attend the dinner party last night. It seems that her mistress didn't want her to show her face in public." Duan concubine used the tongs to stir the coals in the charcoal stove. After staring at the scarlet fire for a long time and squinting her eyes, she said disdainfully.
He said, "She has nothing to give her so far. There are one male and one female concubine in the house. She really can't get pregnant. It's not that I want to be mean to her. With her temperament, God can't give her blessings. Your Majesty won't stop.
He was already polite to her, but he was always arrogant and tormenting her."
Lan Qi didn't like this kind of nagging, and she didn't want to talk behind people's backs, but she always had to deal with Duan's complaints. What's more, she said too much about what happened yesterday. She also thought about how pitiful Ci Fujin was, so she said: "
What I said yesterday was very rude. Although Prince Fujin is noble, we are still the emperor's concubines."
The little nobleman was very angry and told Duan Concubine about the conversation in Ningshou Palace and mentioned the rumors. He suddenly remembered what Jue Chan had promised. He weighed it in his mind and still did not say it. As for Nala Chang being there, he would always return it in the future.
If there is a chance, I can explain to you face to face that you should not make enemies if you don't make good friends.
They chatted for a while, people who had just woken up from a hangover were tired. When the two of them were gradually leaning away, a little eunuch came running outside, the sound of stepping on the snow was very fast.
Said: "Why are you running so fast?"
Not long after, her maid came in to report, saying that there were two important things. One was that Brother Wanfu was not in good condition, and the Imperial Hospital had sent several doctors to his office for consultation. The other was that the two young princesses in Prince Gong's palace were in trouble.
They were all found dead this morning.
Duan concubine was panicked when she heard this, and kicked the fire tongs to the ground. The fire tongs pried out a piece of scarlet charcoal and fell to the ground. The animal fur carpet sizzled due to the burning. Several palace maids rushed over to water it, and the carpet was burned.
It was completely charred, and the room was even more smoky. The two of them had already escaped, and stood still in the wind, looking at each other with frowns on their faces.
The little eunuch over there came to the door again to report and said: "I heard this, the two little princesses and the wet nurse girls were sleeping in a room. Someone called the door this morning and found that the doors and windows in the house were tightly blocked. The two princesses were sleeping in the same room.
All the charcoal is gone, the wet nurses and girls are lying everywhere, they are said to have died of suffocation, and the two youngest princesses, Shu Shujue, Luo and Jin, are missing."
The two of them were frightened when they heard that Mrs. Jin was Chunxi's biological mother. The youngest daughter was only three years old, and Mrs. Jin Shushujueluo was also three years old. They were two such young children, so...
"Long live Lord, do you know?" Lan Qi asked the little eunuch.
"It has been reported." The young eunuch said, "It seems that the clan has been sent to investigate. It was Prince Gong who asked the emperor to order a strict investigation. The prince is very sad."
Lan Qi helped Duan concubine back to the hall and sat down. The mess in the warm pavilion over there was also cleaned up, and a charcoal stove was brought in to keep them warm. Duan concubine was very nervous, and she must be careful to watch the charcoal fire in Chunxi's room, and let people
Go and tell Mr. Bu that you must not get into trouble while dozing off.
"How come there are so many wet nurses, how come no one noticed?" Lan Qi's heart was very tight. For no reason, she thought of the fierce and ferocious face of her direct descendant Fujin, and immediately shook her head, not daring to think nonsense, and then listened to the concubine's words.
Said to the side, "I'm just patronizing and thinking about those two little princesses, and our Brother Wan Fu is not doing well either."
Lan Qi guessed what she was thinking, and both of them were quiet for a while. As expected, Duanbi said, "Are you feeling well? Let's go and see. I've also held Wan Fu, but I couldn't bear to part with him. I had hoped to be able to hold him, too.
It's just that the emperor never paid attention to it, and even sent Duan Jing, leaving the child alone in my elder brother's house."
"My concubine's cloak and hood are all ready-made. I'll wait for you to put them on first." Lan Qi didn't say that Xuan Ye didn't take it seriously. She just pushed the concubine to wrap it up tightly, and she also got dressed with both hands and feet.
We all rode together in a soft sedan chair to reach my elder brother. Although we were not allowed to come in and out at will without the holy decree, at this point, I'm afraid no one cared about it.
As expected, the two of them arrived not too early. Yi Bi led Jue Chan and promised to arrive first. They sat outside and waited for the result of the imperial doctor. When they saw them coming, they both sighed: "It's a good day, but so many things happen."
Lan Qi stood beside Duan Concubine. Not long after, several imperial doctors came out. They all said dejectedly: "I am incompetent. I'm afraid it will only last a few days. Ladies and gentlemen, please sit down for a while. I will go to the emperor later."
Return to life."
"Dear doctors, there is no need to go to the emperor's place." But when he saw General Manager Li coming in covered with snow, and the winking little eunuch beside him went up to dust off the snow, he pushed it away in disgust, and came first to concubine Yi, concubine Duan.
The man saluted and said, "Long live the Lord, I have a headache when I woke up in the morning. I am afraid that it was caused by the evil wind. I have to rest in Chengqian Palace for two days. I can't take care of things here for the moment. When I just reported it, the emperor said, if it is true,
If you can't keep him, let the ladies take the decision and see what Nala Chang wants there."
Lan Qi saw that Duanbi's face was gloomy, and her eyes also showed sadness. She guessed that she missed her little princess.
It inevitably aroused her pain, and listening to what she said just now in Zhongcui Palace, she probably resented the emperor for leaving his son here.
Yi concubine sighed and discussed with Duan concubine for a few words. Lan Qi didn't understand why concubine Yi concubine led Jue Chan to agree to this matter. On the contrary, concubine Rong and concubine Hui, who were currently in charge of the affairs in the palace, did not see any movement. They only waited for two people to come.
After the discussion came to a conclusion, they sent someone to fetch Nala Changzai.
Lan Qi followed Duan Bin in and looked at Wan Fu, a child over three years old. The little person had his eyes closed in pain, his eyebrows were twisted on his face, and he would make a sound from time to time. She took a look at it twice without daring to look at it any more.
I always hope that I can remember the way he was still alive and kicking on the day of the imperial concubine's birthday. Although my brother was caused by a hidden disease, I always felt in my heart that if Concubine Wen didn't plan that incident, it may not have caused the hidden disease, and she would not be able to escape the involvement.
When Nala Chang was brought to the hospital with a full belly, she heard crying before she entered the door. Yibin stopped her and said, "Brother is still fine. Why are you crying? I asked you to come here because I want you to comfort the child. You
If you cry again, don't go in."
Nala Chang was twitching for a long time before he came in tremblingly. He saw Lan Qi following Duan Bin and glaring at Lan Qi viciously. Duan Bin was also very confused when she saw it. When they went outside, they still heard Na La Chang
While she was crying, Manager Li and the imperial doctor were here. Yi Bin couldn't stand it, so she had someone take her out before trying to persuade her. There were noisy people outside, and she only heard the announcement: "The imperial concubine has arrived."
Everyone hurried to greet the door. Concubine Tong came in wearing a mink velvet snowsuit and a snow hat. She was elegant and elegant. While taking off her cloak, she said to Manager Li: "I see that the emperor is worried, so I'd better come and take a look for him." Seeing that.
La Shi was also in front of him, so he said, "Long live my Lord, I have a headache. I can't come here for a while, so don't think too much about it. The emperor has said that if you can't keep him..."
"Your Majesty." Nala suddenly collapsed and knelt down towards the imperial concubine with her belly bulging out. Everyone around was surprised, but she cried and said, "Please make the decision, your Majesty."
Everyone looked at each other, and then heard Nala crying and telling what happened on Laba Day. He turned to the noble man and cried, "If the noble man didn't let the servant curse like that, how could it harm the little brother?" He didn't care about his dignity.
Pointing her finger at Lan Qi, "My virtuous man, I have no enmity with you. It's just that the emperor cheated on you once when you were pregnant. Do you still hold grudges against me like this?"
Lan Qi stared at her blankly. Just yesterday, Jue Chan agreed to talk about the rumor that Nala arranged for her to have an affair with the prince. Before she even tried to reason about it, she came here to take another bite. And this sentence simply made the other seniors or senior officials laugh.
Or she would drag her down and join other ladies and nobles in the palace to sleep with her. It was because she, a noble lady, could not sleep with him, so she gave him food and picked up the leftovers.
"I don't know what happened that day. If I knew, how could I allow my servant to be so presumptuous?" Lan Qi looked stern and unmoved, "My brother's illness started in October, how could he be counted as Laba? Nala was always there.
, I understand that you feel uncomfortable, but if you throw dirty water on me, what's the point?"
Several people on the side were stunned when they heard the noble man say these words. The little noble man who was usually gentle and kind, and polite to everyone, actually had such a powerful side. It can be seen that people are not judged by their appearance, but they did not know that Lan Qi
She felt that Nala was blaspheming Xuan Ye's love for her. Why did Xuan Ye's kindness to her become evil in the eyes of others, so she couldn't tolerate it.
Concubine Tong was sitting on the side, watching the scene quietly. What was different today was not only the noble man, but also the concubine. She seemed to have changed. Wherever she went, she was no longer as flamboyant as the wind. From just now, she was graceful and graceful.
As soon as she walked in the door grandly, she seemed to be no longer the little Concubine Tong she used to be.
Nala was always there, but he refused to give up. Regardless of his bulging belly, he only asked with a blushing face: "How dare I throw dirty water on you? I just want to ask you, did you hear the slave say this sentence that day?"
What about reincarnation?"
Lan Qi breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. She didn't expect that La Shi was quite smart. After saying this, she really couldn't deny that she acted like a fool with her big belly, and even the concubines couldn't come forward to scold her. Besides, the imperial concubine was here.
It’s better not to overstep the mark.
"My dearest concubine, I beg you to make the decision for me." Nala often cried and laughed. She had also been bullied by the Angui people who shouted all day long. In the blink of an eye, she herself also developed such a temper. Lan Qi saw
Looking at it, I felt pitiful. Just as I was sighing, I saw the little eunuch next to Xuan Ye running over and whispering a few words to Manager Li who was smiling wryly. The wry smile on Manager Li's face turned into embarrassment and he frowned.
He bowed in front of the imperial concubine and said: "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager issued an edict that you are weak in body and bones. I am afraid that it was too hard to take care of the Emperor so that you can get better and not get sick again, so I just ordered the Emperor to be sent back to Qianqing Palace."
As Eunuch Li spoke, he glanced at Lan Qi again, still smiling awkwardly: "The Empress Dowager invited a distinguished person to go to the Qing Palace to serve the sick, and said that Long Live Lord, there are many important events waiting to be presided over on New Year's Eve, so you must take good care of yourself these days.
, it’s a strict order.”
Lan Qi was startled when she heard this, but then she felt relieved. She knew that being called away in front of the imperial concubine would not look good on anyone present, but if she didn't leave, she would be resisting the order and not caring about others.
If Nala's misbehavior bothers me again, my heart will be filled with anger, and I will be clean only if I leave.
"Concubine, please leave." She bowed to the imperial concubine and concubine Yi, and then stepped out when she saw the imperial concubine nodded. Eunuch Li also followed her, and smiled bitterly when they got outside, "The noble man has been wronged, Nala."
Chang Zai is too ridiculous."
Lan Qi didn't say anything. She got into a warm sedan and hurried to Qianqing Palace. She heard that Xuan Ye had a headache and was already worried. The quarrel just now made her even more upset. Finally, she could take care of him quietly and didn't want to do anything else. think.
At the elder brother's house, Concubine Tong went in to take a look at Wan Fu, and then came out ready to leave. She saw Nala Chang Zai beside him in a state of despair and embarrassment. She suddenly laughed and said coldly: "You are crying like this, isn't it better than What's more unlucky for me to say? Wan Fu is still alive."
Nala often covered her mouth and did not dare to cry. Everyone bowed and sent her off. She only breathed a sigh of relief when the imperial concubine also left. Yi Bin's face was full of frustration. She didn't know why. Seeing Nala's appearance again, she was annoyed. He said: "Why are you bothering? Be careful with your words. How can you drag everyone else down when you argue with a noble man? What do you mean, the emperor cheated on her while she was pregnant? Where did you put the honor of the imperial concubine and us?"
These few reproachful words will be reported later by the young eunuch left by Eunuch Li, but it will be a different matter before they can get in front of Xuan Ye and Lan Qi. At this time, the young nobleman hurried to Qianqing Palace, and there were already The imperial doctor came to see the emperor and said that the emperor just caught a cold. He should not be exposed to the cold and would be cured by sweating.
Lan Qi waited for the imperial doctor to leave before entering the dormitory. Xuan Ye was lying lazily on the bed. He had worked hard all year long and rarely had a few days of leisure. Loosening the string is indeed easy to get sick. In addition, this year he is still focused on the affairs of the southwest. Today There was so much bad news early in the morning, so I can't blame him for having a headache.
"Your Majesty, would you like me to rub you?" Sitting on the edge of the bed, she saw Xuan Ye rubbing his head. Lan Qi stretched out his hand. Xuan Ye looked at her, held a hand in his palm, shook his head and said, "I'm fine. , I’m just upset, pretend to have a headache, don’t bother with those trivial matters.”
"Wan Fu is fine, the imperial doctor said he will try his best." Lan Qi lowered her eyes and said these words against her will. She didn't care whether Xuan Ye knew that the child was not alive for a few days. She just heard Xuan Ye sigh, "It was my negligence."
"Your Majesty, don't think too much." Lan Qi still stretched out her hand to rub his forehead, but Xuan Ye smiled, "Go get a mirror and look at your face. You've been hungover all night and your eyes are blue. None of us can take care of him." Who is it? Sit sideways for a while."
Lan Qi leaned next to Xuan Ye, her heart beating for no reason. She suddenly remembered the sound of the piano she heard last night when she was half asleep and half awake. She didn't know if she wanted to change the subject and let him relax. She asked with a smile: "Did the Emperor promise you last night?" Is Qian Gong playing the piano?"
Xuan Ye was puzzled and asked if it was Mr. Li who said it. The young lady shook her head: "I have been listening to the imperial concubine playing the piano. It was very different last night. I just wondered if it was the emperor." She smiled broadly and wanted to coax Xuan Ye. Ye was so happy that he deliberately lied and said, "Last night I had a splitting headache. I fell asleep listening to the emperor's piano. It turns out that the emperor can also play the piano?"
But Xuan Ye's face didn't look good, and his face suddenly darkened, "Don't mention it again in the future."