372 The Imperial Concubine Travels 5000 Words Arrived
The emperor wanted to rush back to the Forbidden City. He didn't have much time to explain. He just said, "Wait for me." Then he handed Lan Qi over to his trusted inner guard. The guard respectfully asked the empress to get on the carriage, and the carriage left with the emperor.
Changchun Garden soon separated on the road.
Lan Qi was only accompanied by Huan Chun. The master and servant didn't know where they were going. When the carriage finally stopped, they heard someone outside say: "Madam, we are here."
Madam is what she is called outside the palace. Although Lan Qi is still young, she is no longer a teenage girl. Her temperament is also different. When she goes out of the palace in private clothes, she can no longer pretend to be a little girl like before, and she is also dressed in a very different way.
The brocade that ordinary people can get, and the gestures and gestures are full of nobility. When I got out of the car, the people who greeted me at the door were eye-catching.
"Madam, please come inside. The other guests are all gone. The best room has been cleaned for you. The quilts and mattresses on the bed are all the latest. The teacups and utensils on the table are also unused. Madam, please be careful about the steps." It seems like.
The middle-aged man in the store was very attentive, but just as she was about to approach Lan Qi, the guard wearing ordinary clothes stopped her and said, "My wife has someone to take care of her, so you don't need to worry."
Lan Qi smiled and said nothing, and then walked in. It was a huge and spacious inn, with more than a dozen Eight Immortals tables set up in the hall. I don't know how it was usually crowded with guests. At this moment, it was empty, and the words echoed.
The inn is three stories high. According to the store owner, the second and third floors are all guest rooms, and there are only two first-class rooms on the third floor. Lan Qi came up and saw that the furnishings on the second floor were also very luxurious and exquisite, so she smiled and said, "I want to come to your hotel."
Is it a famous inn in the capital?"
The shopkeeper's face clearly showed a bit of pride, but he also deliberately clasped his fists and was humble: "I don't think I should take it seriously. It's all the old customers who favor me. Madam, this is the first time I've seen her. She doesn't sound like someone from out of town. Are you from the capital city?"
As a result, the guard scolded the shopkeeper again: "Why are you asking so much? Our wife was tired from the journey and needed to rest. She quickly opened the room and went down quickly. We gave you the money. I made it clear before that I don't want you."
Dazzling in front of my eyes."
Lan Qi didn't want to cause trouble to the guards, nor did she want to lose her dignity, so she ignored the store and waited until she entered the spacious guest room. It was really a luxurious inn. There were three rooms in it through one door, and the innermost bedroom was full of space.
It is as big as the two rooms that Lan Qi lives in Ruijingxuan. Sure enough, although the Tian family royal family is luxurious and majestic, as long as they have money, people can do anything. In the past, when I went to Jiangnan, the mansions of the two major weaving houses were enough.
It was an eye-opener for Lan Qi.
At this time, the shop owner left, and the guard explained to Empress De Fei that the man was not the boss, but that this shop was opened by Cao Yin, a relative of Mr. Cao's family, and Mr. Cao also had a status, so what he did was in the officialdom.
In business, there are many dignitaries coming and going on weekdays, so that person is brave enough to pay high prices, so please don't worry about it, Concubine De.
Of course Lan Qi didn't care about these things. Even if the whole inn was empty along the way, she knew what was really going on. Someone might rush out to protect her within ten steps. Since it was Xuan Ye who sent her here
, the emperor must have made arrangements in advance.
"Is the Emperor planning to come directly at night?" Lan Qi asked, but she was not embarrassed to speak to the guards in her heart. She only waited to see Xuan Ye at night to ask him if the Empress Dowager knew they had come out to play.
After that, no one came to disturb the master and servant. The house was empty and everything was complete. But after all, it was just a guest room. After walking around, it was not new. Lan Qi sat under the window and looked at the lively streets two streets away.
Seeing the scene, he said sadly: "Why send me here so early in the morning and just sit and wait all day? What's the point of being locked up here? He just wants to come out."
Huan Chun sat at the table, cutting a plate of fruit, and said with a smile: "It's a pity that we can't go out for a walk, otherwise it will be very lively outside, and the slave has not left the palace for a long time."
A few years ago, Lan Qi would have excitedly told Huan Chun that it was better for them to go shopping on the street first. Anyway, there must be guards within ten steps, so they would not be afraid of being abducted, but now she is the mother of several children.
, I have long since lost my impulsive and reckless temper. Even if I want to go out and have a look, I don’t dare to do such things. Not to mention causing trouble to the guards, if something really happened, Xuan Ye won’t give up this inn.
Demolished.
"It's boring." Lan Qi lazily sat down at the table. Although the melons and fruits were fresh, she had never eaten anything good, so naturally she didn't care. She just picked up a piece of cantaloupe and refused to eat it. She got up and wandered around in front of the window.
Still complaining: "It's boring, I'm still thinking about the Queen Mother. What if the old man doesn't know that I'm out?"
Huan Chun was very happy. She felt that the Empress Dowager should know that there was someone knocking on the door outside, so she wiped her hands and went out to obey. Not long after, she came in with a bright smile and said: "Ask the empress if she has rested. The emperor ordered the guards to arrange for the empress."
Before noon, I went to the Chenghuang Temple to burn incense. There are a lot of people there. I can’t go there today because it’s not the first or fifteenth day of the lunar month. I’m just asking the queen not to wander around. We’ll come back immediately after burning incense and worshiping Buddha.”
"Is it arranged by the emperor?" Lan Qi felt relieved now, and quickly threw away the cantaloupe in her hand, and asked Huan Chun to wash her hands and change clothes. She stood in front of the mirror and saw that she was dressed in brocade, and said with a smile, "That's where the common people often go.
It’s not a good idea to dress like this in a place like this.”
Huan Chun didn't prepare any simple clothes when he went out. Who would have thought that it was a private visit incognito, but soon someone knocked on the door again, saying that they had forgotten to give the clothes to the empress.
Two pairs of common clothes were brought in, and the master and servant changed from head to toe. All the headdresses on their buns were replaced. Lan Qi only inserted a silver and jade hairpin in her hair. The person in the mirror changed her appearance. Lan Qi
Smiling excitedly: "If the emperor sees me like this at night, he might not recognize me."
After going out, the store owner saw the two people changing their clothes downstairs, with their mouths half open and not knowing what to say. However, the guards around Lan Qi were too overbearing and could not tolerate them talking. The carriage had been prepared outside, and the group was wearing it.
Walking through the streets and alleys to the Chenghuang Temple, Lan Qi and Huan Chun were no strangers to these things. Before they entered the palace, they were ordinary people. They also went to the streets and burned incense and worshiped Buddha. It was only after they entered the palace in their teens that they began to feel outside the palace.
It has become another world that is close before our eyes but out of reach.
Today, the tenth day of the lunar month, was not as lively as the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month. Although there were many people, it was not difficult to walk. The two of them entered the City God's Temple smoothly. Huanchun helped them donate incense and offered incense. Lan Qi invited three more
The incense sticks entered the main hall and they paid homage to the City God. Huan Chun asked the three incense sticks to be placed on the incense table. Lan Qi knelt on the futon, clasped her hands together and prayed devoutly. When Huan Chun turned around after offering the incense, she saw her master, who had been smiling just now, silently
shed tears.
They did not stay too long in the Chenghuang Temple. The carriage and horse quickly brought the master and servant back to the inn. They were silent all the way. When they returned to the inn again, when Huan Chun asked if she wanted to change clothes, Lan Qi felt a little more energetic and smiled.
He said: "I just heard the women next to me at the Chenghuang Temple saying that there is a night market tonight, and I want to go shopping to see if I can wait until the emperor comes back."
Seeing that she was in a better mood, Huan Chun asked, "Why did you cry just now? Did you miss your sixth brother again?"
Lan Qi nodded, with a bit of sadness in the corners of her eyes: "The City God is in charge of affairs in the underworld, so I naturally seek blessings from the underworld for Yinzuo. Actually, thinking about it, it's just to comfort myself."
"Is this why the Emperor asked you to go to the City God's Temple?" Huan Chun seemed to understand, and comforted his master, "Seeing that the Emperor is so attentive, don't be sad anymore. The servant is still very confused at first. There are many big temples in the capital.
, why did you go to the City God’s Temple? There are so many people there, so it’s not very convenient.”
"No matter what the emperor thinks, I am already satisfied." She turned and looked out the window. Although it was high and had a wide view, the Forbidden City could not be seen. It was a physical and mental relaxation, even though she had lived in Changchun Garden for many days.
After all, I have been bound by the Forbidden City for more than ten years.
At this moment in the Forbidden City, the prince's lecture has just ended. All the brothers who have gone to study are standing in a row in the Qianqing Palace. The emperor is sitting at the table and looking through the words they have written these days. Except for the fifth brother, they are all making great progress.
, but the imperial grandmother told him not to be too harsh on the fifth elder brother, so he just gave a brief reminder.
At this moment, the emperor raised his head in a good mood and saw a row of children in front of him. The youngest seventh elder brother stood next to the fifth elder brother. He was born with a disability. No matter how well the palace people raised him, he would still look thin.
, Xuan Ye looked over one by one, between Yinqi and Yinyou, and suddenly there was a missing piece in his heart.
If Yinzuo were still here, what would he look like now? After two years of studying in the study, he should no longer be so naughty or refractory, and would not be honest in the study. In that case, Lan Qi would definitely be angry with her son.
Temper, he might still have to coax her about the child in the past two years, but God withdrew those burdens of happiness before he had time to give them to him. Is it because he was afraid that the burden on his shoulders was already heavy enough, or because he was an Ama
Not doing enough?
He admitted that although they were all his own children, whether it was the prince born to the queen or the elder brother promised to be born to Chang Zai, Xuan Ye cherished every child, but his heart was born with a biased appearance, and he was not immune to it. He loved them too much.
In addition to several children, he also tried his best to educate other children. In the future, they will all be ministers of the imperial court, the prince of the royal family, Baylor, and the branches and leaves of Aisin Gioro stretch out from the Forbidden City. Together, they will support the powerful royal family and the Manchu people.
The inheritance of the country truly began with his generation.
At this time, Eunuch Li came in from outside and said that Brother Eight was waiting. Xuan Ye let his son in, but saw Yinsu walking in obediently and respectfully. After saluting his father, he met the brothers again. Xuan Ye had always heard that Eighth Brother was waiting for him.
My elder brother has a gentle temperament, and he is indeed a sensible and smart boy when I see him today. When I see him today, I feel that he has suddenly grown up a lot, but going to the study is a serious and solemn matter. At this moment, the emperor also said solemnly: "I will meet with your master this afternoon."
, you will go to the study from tomorrow. The rules in the study are very strict. Your royal brothers have done a good job. I hope you can concentrate on studying like them. We Manchus must fully understand the knowledge of the Han people before we can properly rule the world.
.”
The eighth prince agreed one by one, and then the emperor asked a few more questions, and then had lunch with the elder brothers. In the afternoon, the eighth prince went to the study to see the ceremony, and then watched his sons riding and shooting together until sunset.
Be prepared to leave the palace.
In the harem, everyone was eager to see where the emperor could sit in the palace, but the emperor had not seen anyone except the imperial concubine. Even the imperial concubine was looking forward to seeing the emperor, but only
When Eunuch Li came to greet her, she naturally would not be rude in front of others. After Eunuch Li left, she complained to Qinglian: "He comes and goes in a hurry, what is it that attracts him in the garden?"
Qinglian said: "The Queen Mother is taking good care of her health. I'm afraid the Emperor is worried."
The imperial concubine sneered: "Have you heard the rumors in the palace? It is said that the little promise who left Yonghe Palace has made the emperor very happy now. I think it will not be unusual for her to come back as a noble person who has always been here."
But it happened that there was nothing in Changchun Garden that attracted the emperor. The person who attracted his heart was hiding in the wells of the capital. Lan Qi spent the day bored in the inn. She, a busy person every day, suddenly calmed down and didn't
She felt leisurely and comfortable, but instead felt empty and worried inexplicably. She always felt uneasy if she didn't do something. Huan Chun laughed at her hard life, and they said proudly: "It's not like those who can work harder?"
Fortunately, Huan Chun was with me. When the sunset gradually faded from the west, I finally heard the movement outside. There were three rooms here, but it was not clear. Lan Qi ran to the door and waited for the familiar footsteps to approach.
, the door suddenly opened and Xuan Ye was outside.
The emperor was wearing an ordinary brown robe. When he saw Lan Qi opening the door and she was dressed as a commoner's wife, he was startled for a moment, but then both of them laughed. Lan Qi said delicately: "I've been waiting for a whole day.
I’m so bored, it’s really boring to come out like this, so I’m going back now, right?”
Xuan Ye smiled: "The interesting part has just begun. I asked them to find an excuse to hold a market tonight. Let's go shopping."
Lan Qi remembered that several women at the Chenghuang Temple today asked each other if they could go out for a walk at night. She also told Huan Chun that she wanted to join in the fun. Unexpectedly, Xuan Ye took the initiative to tell her to go out. Even this night market gathering was a place given by the emperor.
It's done. As the carriages and horses passed by, Lan Qi asked Xuan Ye in a low voice: "Your Majesty, are you asking for a thousand pieces of gold in exchange for a beautiful woman's smile?"
Xuan Ye looked at her leisurely and said with satisfaction: "I've always seen you unhappy in the past few days. I know that no matter how clean the garden is, there are still things that bother you. It's not really free there. Even for a day or two, I
I also want to take you out for a walk."
Although the emperor didn't say it clearly, Lan Qi guessed that he had promised Zhang with a guilty conscience. Recently, the emperor had promised Zhang a lot of favors, and there were rumors in the garden. He was probably afraid that he would be unhappy. But from another perspective, it was quite normal for the emperor to favor his concubines.
If Zhang had not promised, Li would have promised and Wang would have agreed. Now that the emperor could feel guilty and take her out to relax, Lan Qi was content after all.
The night market is very lively. Although it is not a new thing that I have seen for the first time, after more than ten years in the palace, all this has long been just an impression. After the southern tour, I only remember the fatigue of the journey. Many things have even been thought of now.
Can't get up. At this moment, she melted into the crowd of ordinary people. Lan Qi said to Xuan Ye as he stepped on the dirt on the ground: "Now, I feel down-to-earth in the world. In the palace..." Shocked by the mistake, she was busy
He covered his mouth and then smiled brightly, "At home, I always feel like I'm in the clouds every day."
Xuan Ye smiled happily: "Your husband is at the top of the world, and you are staying in the clouds with him. Is there anything strange about it?"
As he spoke, he called Huan Chun to him, took the money bag from the guard and handed it to her, smiling and saying: "I want to buy something later, just pay the money quickly and don't let your wife touch the money bag.
She had to hide half of it evenly and split the other half before she was willing to take it out and spend it."
Lan Qi was so angry that her cheeks were bulging. She hummed and turned around to get into the crowd. Xuan Ye quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her out. She said with a fierce face: "Bastard, this is where you are walking around? Follow me honestly."
.”
Huan Chun covered her mouth and smiled. Seeing the emperor holding hands with his wife without scruples, she felt warm in her heart. She followed diligently behind her. It had been a long time since she had experienced the joy of spending money. She followed the emperor and his wife around.
, it didn’t take long for the “boys” accompanying him to have their hands filled with large and small bags.
At this moment, the two of them stopped in front of a shop. The shop sold all kinds of candied snacks, some of which looked very rough, and some of which were finer than those in the palace. Lan Qi said that she wanted to pick some for her grandmother to take home.
Xuan Ye wanted to try it, why would the emperor be interested in such a thing, and waited for her impatiently. Lan Qi ate a kind of preserved fruit she had never seen before, and tore some of it off and ran to Huan Chun. She just stuffed it into
She asked if it tasted delicious, and suddenly there was a commotion on the street. Something happened not far away, and many people suddenly started running and getting restless.
Although the two emperors and concubines were surrounded by many overt and covert guards, they could not withstand the surging flow of people. Not knowing what happened ahead, everyone ran this way, and the shop was quickly filled with people trying to escape.
The common people, Xuan Ye and Lan Qi Huanchun were separated in an instant, and the flow of people became more and more, the shouts and cries were heard, and the source of the restlessness gradually started to glow into the sky.
Huan Chun held his master's hand tightly for fear of being separated again, but the restless crowd kept rushing over. When they came to their senses, they were already squeezed away from the shop just now, and there was no familiar face around them.
Even if there were guards around, it would be difficult to recognize which one was the Concubine De.
When the flow of people was no longer crowded, the master and the servant no longer knew where they were. The streets that were still brightly lit just now had many lights extinguished due to an inexplicable commotion. The common people were rushing home by familiar routes. These two ten
People who haven't been on the street in several years have no idea where to go other than standing there.
"Empress, what should we do? Will the Emperor come back to see us?" Huan Chun was very nervous. He still held his master tightly with one hand, as if he was afraid that she would fall.
"Let's not wander around. You won't be able to find us if you wander around. Where did we get squeezed in from just now?" Lan Qi looked around at the dark road. The crowd had almost dispersed, leaving only the mess on the ground and a few people in the street.
People who are busy packing their things may not be desolate and uninhabited, but who should they ask?
Huan Chun asked anxiously: "Empress, what is the name of that inn? Do you remember it?"