"Future? Aren't I struggling for his future for the rest of my life?" Concubine Hui smiled sadly, with a hint of despair flickering in her eyes. She coldly said to Madam Mingzhu, "People are partial, and the emperor is even more so.
. He likes the fourth and sixth elder brothers. They are innocent and lively in their coquettish and playful ways, and they are pleasing to the eye. As for our eldest brother, he doesn’t like him much anymore.
I am blessed, but why do I feel that I am more blessed when I am praised and praised? Why is my son so bad that he always gets scolded for whatever he does?"
Seeing Concubine Hui's excitement, Mrs. Mingzhu hurriedly persuaded: "Mom, calm down, the eldest brother is the eldest son, isn't he? The eldest son of any family did not grow up being scolded? Parents don't dislike the eldest son, but think about it.
When you get old, you have to rely on them, because you are afraid that they will become ineffective."
"What's the point of having an eldest son when there's a prince here?" Concubine Hui said passively and angrily. Fortunately, she suppressed her voice out of resentment so that no one else could hear her.
Madam Mingzhu's face became so nervous that she repeatedly advised her, "I want to think about the long term. If nothing else, those brothers below are still young. Who knows how big they will grow. But our eldest brother is strong and healthy. He will be strong and healthy in the next ten years."
At the age of 18, the young man is still incapable of doing anything, isn’t that all the glory of our eldest brother? As for the prince, not only my master, but also a lot of gossip outside, saying that the prince is being raised to death.”
Concubine Hui's eyes flashed with light and she stared at Madam Mingzhu. Madam Mingzhu said again: "Concubine De is so eye-catching and stands tall everywhere. How many people are displeased with her. Are you still worried about me? There are some things.
, it’s not like it never happened in the past.”
Concubine Hui's whole body was tense, and a cold fear ran up her back. She said in a dull voice for a long time: "I am still afraid of the poisoning of my eldest brother, but Concubine De seems to be okay with what she did back then.
She doesn't know how to be restrained and low-key." Suddenly someone sneered, "That's right, she is loved by two palaces, and the most noble people in the Qing Dynasty hold her in their hands, so what is there to fear about her?"
Indeed, as Concubine Hui said, in the eyes of the world, Concubine De has been with you for nearly ten years, and it has been a smooth journey. Everyone only sees her radiance now, but forgets how she sank into the dust in the past, and does not know how dedicated she has been in the past ten years.
There is no reward for taking care of the two houses, but envious people will only attribute it all to "good luck".
Shengjia went all the way back to Beijing and arrived in Qufu on November 17th. Local officials had been preparing for a long time. The emperor had already planned to hold a memorial ceremony at the Confucius Temple on November 18th. The memorial ceremony was the highest-level ceremony in the Confucius Temple.
The emperor's memorial ceremony was almost as important as offering sacrifices to heaven, earth, the country and the Imperial Ancestral Temple. This trip was also one of the most important events on the southern tour. Xuan Ye was very cautious, and because he was bringing his concubines with him, he arrived in Qufu for the first time.
Then he sent a ceremonial officer to explain the matters related to the ceremony to the concubines, princesses and other professors, so that no joke would be made tomorrow.
At this time, he and several ministers made plans for tomorrow's itinerary. Xuan Ye had a moment of leisure and thought that the female relatives were learning etiquette from the ceremony officials, so he came over to see the situation in person. Because he did not want to disturb the ceremony officials' lectures, he did not let the palace maids and eunuchs
Announcement, walking quietly, approaching the door, he heard Lan Qi's voice speaking.
"When you enter the Confucius Temple, the first stone square is called the 'Jin Sheng Yu Zhen' square. The meaning of the sentence comes from the Mencius saying, 'Confucius calls it a great achievement. The one who makes a great achievement is the sound of gold and the vibration of jade. The sound of gold is the beginning of order and the vibration of jade.
The final principle is also. Mencius compared Confucius to the perfect music and praised it as the great collection of thoughts of ancient sages. The ritual music played in the memorial ceremony was different in every dynasty. I wrote "Zhonghe Shao" in the sixth year from the Qing Dynasty to Kangxi.
"Music" takes the meaning of peace in the world, and the movements are all named after the word "ping", which was awarded to Guoxue as a tribute to Confucius. The Yingshen music played "Zhaoping", the Chuxian music played "Ningping", and the Yaxian music played "Ningping"
"Anping", finally the music played "Jingping", and the Chewei music played the movement "Xianping". The memorial ceremony was solemn and solemn, and after everything was ready, the drum master played the big drum for 360 times in the east of Dachengmen, and then
The big bell rang one hundred and eighty times as a warning, and then he went into the temple to salute, open the door, clean the house, and install the shrine..."
Xuan Ye silently retreated to the window, and faintly saw Lan Qi explaining these things to everyone with a smile. The imperial concubine was sitting on it, frowning as usual, but the princesses listened very attentively, and the courtesy officer stood aside with a smile.
, seeing Concubine De's eyes full of admiration, Xuan Ye suddenly felt proud in his heart, and stopped disturbing them, and left in a hurry.
In the evening, the ceremonial officer came to report to the emperor. Xuan Ye mentioned that it was Concubine De who was explaining. The ceremonial officer couldn't help but panic. Seeing that the emperor had no intention of blaming him, he even asked with a smile. Of course, he said what the emperor liked.
It turned out that after he kept talking for a long time, the imperial concubine angrily said she didn't understand. In order to appease the imperial concubine, De Fei began to speak on behalf of the ceremony officer. The ceremony officer followed the instructions and explained everything in detail, which was inevitably boring and complicated.
This made the Imperial Concubine impatient, but Concubine De only chose the important things and spoke concisely, and her words were not rigid, which made the Imperial Concubine listen.
Later, they also discussed how to stand when saluting, how to stack the left and right hands, how to kowtow, how to offer incense, etc., all these were taught by Concubine De. The ceremony officer praised Concubine De in front of the emperor and said bluntly: "I actually
I don’t know that Concubine De has such profound knowledge. After all, the concubine rarely participates in the memorial ceremony, so there is no need to be proficient in these principles."
Xuan Ye was extremely proud, but he kept it in his heart and did not show it on his face. He only said lightly: "I'm afraid that others may not be able to fully understand. Tomorrow, we must arrange corresponding personnel to guide all the empresses in the ceremony. Don't make a joke."
The courtesy officer hurriedly kowtowed and accepted the promise, then left tremblingly.
As soon as the people left, Xuan Ye called Eunuch Liang to come in and asked him if the imperial concubine had gone there. Then he went to his cousin. When he entered, he saw the imperial concubine reading under the candle light, frowning and mumbling. Xuan Ye approached and asked: "
Sure enough, when we arrived at Confucius’ hometown, there were so many outstanding people that even you studied hard?”
However, the imperial concubine complained: "Why did the emperor bring several concubines to pay homage together? Such red tape has made the concubine one and two big troubles." She rolled her eyes, thinking of Concubine De's vast knowledge, and was very unconvinced for a moment.
, and when the maid in front of the door said that the emperor had come, she couldn't hide it, so she just said, "People say it has been a cold period for ten years, but Concubine De has been studying and writing seriously for ten years. If I had known that this day would happen, my concubine would have been there too."
Some hard work."
Xuan Ye was very tolerant towards her and said gently: "You don't have to be too nervous. Everything will be guided by the etiquette officer tomorrow. You won't make mistakes if you don't speak. Just follow the steps and do whatever others ask you to do. You will be fine soon."
It’s over.”
The imperial concubine raised her slender eyebrows high and said unconvincingly: "Your Majesty, please don't underestimate me. How often have I ever embarrassed you in important matters? Otherwise, you would have thought that it was already dark and I was still bothering to look.
What book?”
Xuan Ye smiled and said: "Isn't it?" He praised her for understanding the general situation with her mind, but the imperial concubine still muttered why she wanted to bring her concubines with her. Xuan Ye said that Confucius was the master of the world, and now Yinzhen has learned to read and do forehead work.
It is not an exaggeration for my mother to come to pay homage to her son.
The emperor knew that everything else he said to the imperial concubine was empty talk, but it involved Yinzhen, so she could say anything. As expected, she made her cousin happy. She carefully prepared the emperor's meal at night and asked him to sleep early, saying that she could not delay tomorrow.
business.
Here, the fourth elder brother and the sixth elder brother are together. The emperor has sent someone to teach the elder brothers their etiquette. Yinzhen understands how important tomorrow's things are, and he always seems a little nervous. Yinzuo seems to understand, but remembers E Niang
He said that if he behaved well, he would ask Ama for a small scimitar for him, so he also followed his brothers to learn seriously, ensuring that he would not make any mistakes tomorrow.
At this moment, the two little guys were taking a bath. Lan Qi watched Huan Chun setting up dinner for them to eat. The wet nurse hurriedly came to say that Brother Six was playing in the water and refused to get up.
When she came over, she heard her son making a big fuss before entering the house. When she entered the door, she stepped on water all over the floor. The wet nurses kept asking her to be careful of her feet being slippery.
"Yinzuo, are you itchy?" Lan Qi scolded, but her son was not afraid at all. He waved his hands with a smile and called his mother to hug him. Lan Qi brought a thick blanket and wrapped the little thing in it.
Under the blanket, he slapped his butt twice to teach him, "Don't be so skinny anymore, my mother is really going to be angry." But when she turned her head, she saw Yinzhen huddled in the hot water and didn't know why she was nervous.
"Yin Zhen, you..." Lan Qi was about to speak, but something flashed in her mind. She smiled so hard that her eyebrows were crooked. Is her eldest son shy? For fear of embarrassing the child, she quickly said, "There is food in the house."
, Yinzhen is dressed and ready to eat, Empress De will take away your naughty brother first."
When Lan Qi was packing up and dressing up in the outside room with Yinzuo in her arms, she came to wait for the fourth elder brother at the dinner table. Someone from the imperial concubine happened to say that the emperor had passed by and asked when the fourth elder brother would be back. Only then did Yinzhen walk in, and Yinzuo ran over to bother him.
I don’t want my brother to leave. Yinzhen looked at Lan Qi. She smiled so gently and kindly. He also heard that Concubine De knew all the etiquette of tomorrow’s memorial ceremony, so he nodded and agreed. Anyway, since the southern tour, he often talked with
My brother is used to living in both ends of the house.
Although the two sons could not be said to move at all, both of them seemed quiet in front of Yin Zuo. This little guy was energetic and cheerful every day. Lan Qi usually rewarded those who took care of the sixth elder brother. They all knew that it was not necessary to serve this little ancestor.
easy.
After settling down to sleep at night, Lan Qi was suddenly woken up by someone touching her in a hazy state. Something was pressed heavily on her chest. When she opened her eyes, she saw Yin Zuo running over at some time, lying on her body and crawling inside, and then lay down with a grunt.
He leaned into his arm and said, "Mother, what do you want to ask your fourth brother?"
Lan Qi was startled, and then opened the curtain to take a look. She saw Xiangyue coming in with candles at night. The room was a little brighter. Yinzhen was standing under the bed in pajamas. Xiangyue said with a smile: "Brother Si, get under the bed quickly."
Go inside, it’s cold.”
"Come on, fourth brother." Yinzuo waved, and Lan Qi told him to speak softly. She got off the bed and squatted down to hold her son's hand. Her hand was already a little cold. She guessed that he might not be willing, so she just said, "If you catch a cold,
, I won’t be able to go to the Confucius Temple to attend the memorial ceremony tomorrow.”
Yinzhen became nervous and hurriedly followed his brother to bed. Lan Qi then ordered Xiangyue: "Tell the wet nurses that they will sleep here tonight and ask them to have a good rest as well. Follow the brothers tomorrow and don't make any mistakes."
Later, because Yin Zuo was tormenting him, saying that he wanted to stick to his mother, but it was difficult for the fourth brother to talk to her mother when they were separated, so he and the fourth brother insisted on sleeping together with Lan Qi, and he hugged her forehead without any scruples.
My mother's arms were sticky, while Yinzhen slept peacefully beside her, asking some questions about what she should pay attention to tomorrow.
Yinzuo fell asleep first while talking and talking. Yinzhen was a child after all. Before Lan Qi finished speaking, he fell asleep in a daze. With both sons by his side, Lan Qi was satisfied. Her only regret was
It was my daughter who was in the palace. She had been out for so long and enjoyed the family happiness with her son, but every day she returned home with a nagging heart and wanted to hug her little daughter.
The two little guys were so warm that Lan Qi felt a little sweaty on her body. She quietly got up and asked the night goers to move away a pot of charcoal fire. When she came back, she saw the peaceful and lovely faces of the two brothers under the dim candlelight, and her heart was filled with tears.
When he was about to melt, he came down and kissed them both. The fourth brother in the dream moved a little and continued to sleep comfortably.
We spent the night together, and got up early the next day to go to the Confucius Temple for a memorial ceremony. The etiquette was complicated and solemn, but everything went smoothly. The emperor knelt three times and kowtowed nine times in the Dacheng Hall, and personally wrote the four words "Teacher for Eternity", and ordered it to be hung in the Dacheng Hall, leaving a yellow crank.
Gai also ordered the landowners in Qufu County to collect all their money and grain in the 24th year of Emperor Kangxi's reign to benefit the people.
After the incident, Shengjia left Qufu and continued to return to the capital. However, Concubine De fell ill due to cold after the memorial ceremony. After that, she was no longer allowed to be close to her son. Even Xuan Ye had to wait for her to recover from the illness before he could see her. Everyone
It was normal to think that Concubine De fell ill due to exhaustion from the journey. Only Lan Qi knew that she got sick that night in Qufu because she got up from time to time to see the children turning over and kicking the quilt, and she was getting hot and cold. She kept up her energy to attend the memorial ceremony that day.
After the ceremony, he softened.
On the way back, she stayed quiet and didn't interact with anyone, finally recuperating before entering the palace. On the 28th of the month, the Holy Spirit drove to Nanyuan and entered the imperial city on the 29th. Concubine Wen and
Concubine Hui and others came to welcome her. After two months of separation, Concubine Wen was completely transformed and radiant. Even Concubine Rong opened her eyes and looked carefully for fear of mistaking her. Concubine Huang even frowned in disbelief.
Xuan Ye was very polite. After saying a few words to him, he took the prince to Cining Palace to pay his respects. The others dispersed back to their respective palaces. Lan Qi went all the way to Yonghe Palace and collapsed on the kang as soon as she entered the door.
Worrying about etiquette, he said, "We're finally home."
After this long trip, everyone was exhausted. Those in Yonghe Palace who did not go out with them were busy packing their luggage. Huanchun and others were also too tired to move. They could always hold their breath when they were out. This time when they came back,
It's just the arms, not the arms, not the legs. Everything was simple here, so Lan Qi told them to rest for two days while she cheered up, changed her clothes, and went to Ningshou Palace with the few maids who stayed at home.
, longing to hug her little princess.
The Queen Mother was indeed waiting. She had already sent someone to ask the Emperor not to come over to pay his respects. She also missed her fifth elder brother very much. She listened to the child talking about what he had experienced along the way, and after being led away by the wet nurse, she came to see Lan Qi and her daughter, and said with a smile:
"You must have thought bad, the little girl is so good, she doesn't cry at all."
Lan Qi thanked the Queen Mother for taking care of her, and then sat down to talk. The Queen Mother asked her if she had seen Concubine Wen. She mentioned her changes in the past two months and sighed: "If it lasts for a long time, it will be a good thing. Who doesn't want to see a spirited person?"
"
Lan Qi nodded silently, and the Queen Mother immediately added: "Next year is supposed to be the year of the draft, but the Queen Mother said that it is not necessary and we can just pick a few among the Eight Banners nobles."
I heard Concubine Rong mention this matter on the way. Unexpectedly, the Queen Mother told her just after returning home. She also said that there was no clear decree yet and that she would have to wait for the emperor to come back to discuss it before promulgating it. But one thing had been decided.
Queen Hesheli's biological sister is old enough to enter the palace.