Chapter 537 Jia Heng: What does the unknown imperial concubine have to say?
Princess Jinyang’s Mansion, it’s time to hold the lantern.
The courtyard where Yuanchun was located was shrouded in darkness, and two candles were lit in the wing.
In the inner room, in the steaming wooden bathtub, Yuan Chun closed his eyes slightly, took a towel, and was taking a bath. A red candle on the high table reflected the cloudy hair on the screen.
This girl, who was born on the first day of the first lunar month in her twenties, has a plump figure and white skin. According to Jia Heng's previous experience, she is a little chubby. She is soft and soft when held up, and the warmth seems to fall into her body on an autumn afternoon.
In a pile of cotton.
Yuanchun's round and beady face was as red as the clouds and as bright as a hibiscus. The hot water picked up the petals fell on her neck. The full moon came out of the water, and her slender hands were scrubbing the granary.
"The girl is weak at the moment, let me serve the girl." At this time, Baoqin came over with a towel and helped Yuanchun take a bath.
"Yeah." Yuan Chun frowned and responded softly.
Recalling the scenes of the nonsense I had with Jia Heng, I still feel a sense of shame and joy lingering in my heart.
Under Baoqin's service, Yuanchun changed into a light yellow dress after taking a bath. Because his legs were shaking at the moment, he could only let Baoqin support him, came to the bed, lifted the quilt and sat in
.
At this time, the inner compartment had been replaced with new sheets and bedding, and the agarwood in the smoke cage and the ice silk ignited a few wisps of light smoke, dispersing the previous charm.
"Bao Qin, that bed sheet." Yuan Chun's beautiful eyes flashed, and suddenly he remembered something, turned his head, and asked with a slightly trembling voice.
That bed sheet was the tie between her chastity and love. To lose it like that made her feel a little reluctant to part with it.
"Cut it for the girl and hand it over." Baoqin Pingguo had a half-smile on his face. He glanced at Yuan Chun and lowered his voice and asked, "Didn't the girl suffer a lot just now?"
"What are you talking about!" Yuan Chun said angrily, his cheeks reddening slightly. It was just a little bit at first, but then it became irritating. Thinking of Hengdi's "bullying" earlier, he pursed his lips.
Bao Qin turned around and held the teapot to pour a cup for Yuan Chun, and said softly: "Girl, drink some tea first and relax. The kitchen will prepare dinner and send it over later."
Yuanchun said softly, "Hmm", drank the tea, leaned on the pillow, and lay on the bed. At this time, his whole body was as soft as noodles.
Baoqin put down the tea cup, sat down in front of Yuan Chun, and whispered: "Girl, you should pay special attention in the future. Although we are all from His Highness Jinyang here at the Princess Mansion, after all, there are many people with mixed eyes, and you may not know who is talking."
Damn, fortunately we are in a private courtyard, which is better. No one comes over without my permission. But after leaving the courtyard, girl. I’m not worried about it. It’s the uncle. I have to talk to him about this. It’s not good for the girl.
If you are fooling around in front of others, you can avoid gossiping. If a girl wants to go far and far, she must be more careful about these things, and she cannot just follow the uncle's temper. As the old saying goes, be careful and sail the boat for thousands of years."
This is to remind Yuan Chun to be careful in front of others and not to hug Jia Heng or even do anything too intimate.
Hearing this, Yuanchun raised his beautiful watery eyes, nodded and said, "Well, I'll talk to him later. He usually pays attention."
After all, they have lived in such an important place as the palace for several years, and the master and servant's sense of confidentiality has been tempered...
However, Jia Heng had never been intimate with Yuan Chun in public before, and no one else had any suspicion.
"Girl, please pay attention to your eyes, don't reveal your hidden features, and this bun. You should also comb the girl's bun, and cover up your eyebrows with gouache." Baoqin sighed, secretly said something about bad luck, and warned.
road.
Yuanchun nodded and whispered: "Well, when we were in the palace, some of the nuns had very poisonous eyes, and you could tell at a glance." She listened to the nuns discussing in the palace, who was eating right with the eunuchs.
Shi'er, as long as he is broken, you can see it at a glance.
Bao Qin thought for a while, then blushed again, and whispered: "There is one more thing. If the girl's letter is late that month, you must pay attention to it and be careful."
It is also a great thing to have a child for an uncle. "He has arranged all these." Yuan Chunfang was ashamed, and she said quietly, raised her eyes to Baoqin, took her maid's hand, and said in a soft voice
With a bit of tact and prettyness, she said: "Good sister, you are a cautious person. Please keep an eye on me more carefully in the future so that no one will notice."
Baoqin whispered: "Don't worry, girl, I'll watch over it for you.
Yuan Chun said softly: "Good sister, we have been dependent on each other for so many years after entering the palace, and now we come out together. You have served me wholeheartedly for so many years, and I will not let down this fate. If you are willing, I will let him take over in two years."
Come to the room and I'll give you a good result." When Baoqin heard this, his heart trembled slightly and he felt a surge of surprise. He bit his lower lip, his cheeks turned red, and he lowered his head, but didn't say much.
When Yuanchun saw this, he knew that he had already made up his mind. He chuckled and said: "Then it's settled. I'll tell him next time that if I happen to be inconvenient one day, you can help me with some of it."
."
Even her maid can be with him openly, but she can't. Of course, letting Baoqin give to Hengdi is also a layer of identity protection. Even if someone is suspicious, Baoqin can just come out and protect him.
Since this girl is a female historian in the palace, she still has some scheming intentions.
Baoqin said "hmm" and then said: "Miss, if the madam is still urging me, just follow the girl's wishes and prepare Buddhist scriptures first. After the girl returns to the house, she will look for Dongfu.
The one called Miaoyu, we talked about Buddhism together for a long time, even though my wife felt unhappy, she got used to the girl."
Yuan Chun said softly: "I had the same idea, and it's easier for my mother to deal with it."
"Then there's nothing else going on." Bao Qin said, and suddenly frowned and said: "Girl, I think His Highness Jinyang knows that the girl and the uncle, the last time I talked about qin music with the girl, it seemed like..."
"It doesn't matter to Your Highness Jinyang, it doesn't matter even if she knows." Yuan Chun thought for a while and whispered.
Anyway, she also knew about the "intimate affair" between the eldest princess and Hengdi, and this kind of thing was also common in young history and happened frequently in the royal family.
It's hard to say that she will have to serve Hengdi together with the eldest princess in the future.
…
…
Palace Garden, Wuying Hall
As the night fell and the lanterns were turned on, the light shone brightly through the carved glass windows in the Xinuan Pavilion, reflecting a figure of Qing Jun. Sitting on a Taishi chair behind a mahogany bookcase, Jia Heng lowered his eyes and looked at the books moved from the Wenyuan Pavilion.
The information received is exactly the taxable population of Henan, Shandong, Hebei and other places, as well as the disaster situation reported by the vassals of the three provinces to the central government over the years...
In recent years, cold weather and reduced food production have become problems faced by the entire Han Dynasty.
The biggest feature of these three provinces is that they are located in the north, lack of rain and water, and are repeatedly affected by drought and locust disasters. Coupled with the exploitation by corrupt officials, the people are miserable and have no choice but to flee to other provinces or become bandits. "This
The historical period is said to be in the third Little Ice Age. It seems that we have to look for highly drought-resistant crops such as sweet potatoes and potatoes, otherwise it will not be a long-term solution to expand the south to supplement the north."
Jia Heng thought, and picked up the official and military establishment of the Henan Dusi archived by the Ministry of War, and looked through it. Henan Dusi has ten guards and several thousand households under its jurisdiction, guarding Luoyang, Kaifeng and other big cities. There are 50,000 to 60,000 registered soldiers, but the food
The vacancy is more serious than that of the Beijing camp. In fact, half of the number of soldiers would be considered good.
"According to the report from the capital of Henan, more than 10,000 people were deployed to wipe out the bandits in Jigong Mountain. If there is a mistake, Henan's military strength will be empty, and the consequences will be disastrous." As he looked at the military strength in Henan and other places, Jia Heng frowned and his heart began to grow.
Cast a layer of haze.
Thinking back to the late Ming Dynasty in his previous life, the official army was retreating steadily in the face of the peasant army, while the peasant army was invincible. Now he is only preliminary reorganizing the Beijing camp, but the top-down decadence of the Han military system has not been solved.
Just as Jia Heng was thinking about the situation in Henan, the conversation between the eunuch on duty and the woman outside the palace could be vaguely heard: "Your Highness, Mr. Jia is still in Wuying Hall."
"I know, please step back first." Jia Heng's face paused slightly and he looked away.
Sure enough, Princess Xianning, with a slim figure and a charming face, led several female officials around a splendid screen of mountains and rivers and appeared in front of her.
Illuminated by the lights, the girl in light red palace clothes stands tall and graceful, with only a sapphire hairpin in her temples combed with clouds and moonlight. Her bright eyes under the curved eyebrows hide the stars and the moon, and her jade face is like an iceberg and snow lotus.
Pure temperament,
"Sir." Their eyes met, Princess Xianning smiled softly, called out, and walked over.
Jia Heng stood up quickly and asked: "It's so late, Your Highness is still not asleep?"
"I couldn't sleep in the palace. I read for a while and thought about it, so I came over to see my husband." Princess Xianning said clearly and asked with a smile: "You didn't disturb your husband, did you?"
"No." Jia Heng said with a smile, glanced at the food box in Princess Xianning's hand, and asked: "Your Highness, what is this?"
Princess Xianning’s eyebrows were curved and her cheeks were lightly flushed. She seemed a little embarrassed. She put the food box on the wooden table and lowered her eyebrows and said: “I cooked some white fungus and lotus seed porridge for my husband. I thought that my husband should do it now.
If you're hungry, use some to warm yourself up."
Jia Heng looked at Princess Xianning and said, "Thank you so much, Your Highness. I didn't have much dinner tonight."
I did not eat dinner because I was having a fuss with Yuanchun before, so I am really hungry now.
During this period, as long as he was staying at Wuying Hall, Princess Xianning would often come over and bring him food. From the beginning, he was flattered, but now he has gradually become accustomed to the girl's wishes.
Princess Xianning said softly: "Sir, you can't always be busy with official duties and you have to take care of your body. It's better to have dinner on time next time."…
Jia Heng nodded, and it was difficult to explain the details. After all, the reason behind it was chilling.
Princess Xianning scooped a bowl of porridge for Jia Heng. After putting it away, her sparkling eyes were attracted by the map and asked curiously: "Sir, are you looking at the map of Henan and Shandong?"
Jia Heng nodded and said: "Look at the situation in the two provinces. In recent years, these provinces have reported disasters or civil unrest every year. Many people have fled to the capital to eat. The unstable internal affairs in the local areas are the source of unrest in the world.
, if we can detect political failures, we can also find strategies for long-term peace and stability and nip problems in the bud.”
Princess Xianning nodded and said with emotion: "Xiang makes the people live and work in peace and contentment, have a livelihood, and there will be no chaos among the people."
Jia Heng said: "Yes, harsh government is fiercer than tigers. Although taxes in these provinces are exempted every year, the people are still unable to make a living and the people are hungry. This is a dereliction of duty by those in high positions."
Princess Xianning looked at the young man and said softly: "Sir's concern for the country and the people is admirable."
With that said, he handed the bowl of porridge to Jia Heng and said, "Sir, let's eat the porridge first and talk later."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Jia Heng reached out to take the porridge bowl, picked up the spoon and ate it in small sips. The aroma of the food stimulated his taste buds, and he was really hungry.
Princess Xianning's eyes fell on the young man who was eating white fungus porridge with his head down. His bright eyes were shining under his beautiful eyebrows. She was in a daze for a moment. Seeing that the food was delicious, she felt a little sweet in her heart.
"Sir, I really didn't need dinner. If I had known earlier, I would have brought some snacks for you," Princess Xianning said.
Jia Heng smiled and said: "Your Highness's craftsmanship is so good. The porridge is so sweet and delicious that even the royal chef in the palace cannot match it." Princess Xianning smiled lightly and said: "Sir, you are exaggerating. There are some over there.
, I will serve the bowl to Mr.
With that said, the girl went to take Jia Heng's bowl of porridge.
Jia Heng did not refuse, and handed over the porridge bowl. His fingertips touched the skin on the back of the girl's hand. He felt a little moved but saw that Princess Xianning was also a little shy.
"Sir, he said he was going to Beijing Camp before. When will he go?" Princess Xianning filled a bowl and handed it to Jia Heng. She smiled and said, "I have been looking forward to it for a long time."
"In the past few days, Your Majesty has also been urging me to train my troops. Tomorrow is the moving ceremony of His Royal Highness King Wei. After we leave, if your Highness is free, you can come with me to the capital camp for a walk," Jia Heng said.
.
Princess Xianning was overjoyed when she heard this and asked, "Is the Beijing camp ready now?"
Jia Heng nodded and said: "It's been a few months, so it's almost done, but there's still a lack of actual combat."
After drinking the white fungus and lotus seed porridge, I was about to take the handkerchief from my sleeve, but it was all empty.
Well, he almost forgot that he wiped Yuan Chun's mouth at the eldest princess's house.
"Sir, here it is." Princess Xianning said softly and handed over a handkerchief made of plain white silk with a small lotus embroidered on it.
Jia Heng reached out and took the handkerchief, wiped his mouth, but it was not easy to return it and said: "I'll give it to Your Highness after I wash it."
"No, sir, just keep it." Princess Xianning said quickly, changing the topic and said: "Then tomorrow I will meet Brother Wei Wang, and I will go with my husband to the capital camp to meet my powerful generals."
Jia Heng was about to say something when suddenly a female official came from outside. She looked a little panicked and whispered: "Your Highness, Concubine Rong is here."
Princess Xianning was stunned for a moment, a flash of panic flashed across her beautiful face, and she whispered: "Sir, the concubine is here."
Jia Heng said: "Concubine Rong, I think she called your highness to go back."
Concubine Duanrong came here at this time, most likely to see if her daughter was not abducted by him, but of course there were other reasons.
He had a close relationship with Princess Xianning in the palace, and it was impossible for Concubine Duanrong not to know about it. She couldn't sit still.
After a while, I saw a graceful and quiet beauty with a green bun among the clouds. She entered the palace surrounded by female officials and nuns. Her appearance was slightly similar to Princess Xianning's facial features, but she was a little more familiar, elegant, and beautiful.
She is even taller and taller, and beside her is a little girl wearing a green skirt and airy bangs. She is none other than Li Chanyue, the princess of Qinghe County.
"Mother Concubine." Princess Xianning stood up and bowed to the graceful and graceful beauty. Her eyes were slightly lowered and she was worried.
"Wei Chen has met Concubine Rong." Jia Heng also stood up from behind the mahogany table and bowed his hands to the beautiful woman.
Concubine Duanrong's crystal clear jade face had a calm expression on her face and she said softly: "Captain Jia doesn't need to be too polite."
Among Jia Heng's many positions, he chose the Commander-in-Chief in Jinyi because he was very particular. The Commander-in-Chief in Jinyi is more like a servant of the Tian family than a retainer.
The beauty's cold eyes stared at the porridge bowl on the desk, and her heart skipped a beat. In the past few days, she had vaguely heard some rumors, saying that when Jia Heng was staying at Wuying Palace, Xian Ning often came over to ask for help and make beds.
, like a maid serving a concubine, what kind of behavior is this?
Li Chanyue first rolled her eyes at Jia Heng, and then quickly winked at Princess Xianning, as if to say, I didn't stop her either.
Li Chanyue often spent the past few days chatting with Concubine Duanrong to relieve her boredom, and then stayed in the palace where Princess Xianning lived.
Jia Heng was silent for a moment and asked about the purpose of his visit: "I don't know what the noble concubine has to say when she comes here."
"Dudu Governor Jia was busy with the affairs of the country and stayed in Yeting. In Xianning, she always made mischief and often caused trouble. I apologize to Governor Jia on her behalf." Concubine Duanrong's face was cold, her red lips were slightly parted, and her words were full of politeness.
A sense of alienation.
Jia Heng's expression did not change and he said: "Your Majesty, you are so polite. Your Highness, she sympathizes with the hard work of my humble servants. She forgets to sleep and eat, and gives a banquet on behalf of the Holy Spirit. I am so grateful that I can't help but feel deeply.~~"
"Mother and concubine." Seeing such a serious exchange between the monarch and his subjects, Princess Xianning had a look of worry on her face. She opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly she saw the phoenix eyes glancing at her, with such a stern look, and her heart was shocked.
He pursed his lips and said nothing.
"Xianning, the night is so late, you and Chanyue should go back to the palace to rest early." Concubine Duanrong said with a calm expression.
Jia Heng's eyes narrowed, and a strange feeling suddenly occurred in his heart. He always felt that the imperial concubine was a bit like a proud peacock at this moment. In fact, the concubine Duanrong, who was good at singing and dancing, did have an arrogant temperament.
Princess Xianning hesitated for a moment, and finally whispered: "Mother and concubine, I will go back first."
While speaking, he glanced at Jia Heng worriedly. With his temper, he probably wouldn't quarrel with his mother and concubine, right?…
"It is late at night and the stone road is slippery because of the heavy dew. Your Highness and the princess will walk slowly." Jia Heng looked at Princess Xianning and warned her.
After Princess Xianning and Princess Qinghe left, Concubine Duanrong winked at the female officer beside her, and immediately the female officer slowly retreated outside the house.
In the West Nuan Pavilion of Wuying Hall, in a blink of an eye, only Concubine Duanrong and Jia Heng were left.
Concubine Duanrong looked at the boy in the python suit. She had to say that despite his skinny appearance, this boy was indeed a rare young man in the capital, not to mention that he was one of His Majesty's closest confidants. No wonder she would be tempted by Xianning, regardless of Qingyu.
If there is loss, come here again and again.
"If you have any orders from the imperial concubine, you might as well speak frankly. I will continue to look at the map later." Jia Heng looked at the beauty opposite him calmly. Compared with the grace and beauty of Empress Song, the Duanrong imperial concubine in front of him was
Moon eyebrows and starry eyes, beautiful nose and mouth, and a cool temperament with a bit of solitary self-admiration.
"Jia Ziyu, Xianning often comes to Wuying Palace, and there are quite a lot of rumors in the palace. Did you know?" Duanrong Noble Concubine did not beat around the bush, or in other words, facing such important officials in the court, it would be better to go straight to the point than to beat around the bush.
Jia Heng's eyes fell on the beauty's jade face, and he said in a calm voice: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty...? If the palace officials have made a mistake, your Majesty should go to the Empress, not the humble minister."
Concubine Duanrong frowned and said softly: "I have dealt with the people in the palace, but Xianning often comes to see you, and you obviously have a family, so you don't alienate her on your own, but instead act like this. I don't know.
And why?”
The young man in front of her was an important minister of His Majesty, so she couldn't blame him too much, but it wouldn't be a problem if things continued like this.
Jia Heng asked: "What do you mean, the empress is saying that I have led your highness to evil?"
"It's not a bad thing." Concubine Duanrong had a delicate face, her eyes were fixed on the boy opposite her who was one or two years younger than her daughter, and she said: "You can understand it as a mother's request. Xianning is over two years old.
8. Because her eyes are higher than her head, she has never found a suitable family. Considering her reputation in Xianning, it is not suitable for her to have frequent interactions with you in this palace."
Jia Heng was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked: "Did the imperial concubine tell the emperor or the empress before she came to look for me?"
Concubine Duanrong looked worried and said in a somewhat sullen tone: "I am looking for you, why should I tell His Majesty?"
She is a noble concubine and the mother-in-law of Xianning, who else do I need to talk to?
Jia Heng's face remained calm and he asked: "Is it true that the Queen is not worried about His Highness's reputation as the Lord of the Sixth Palace? Or is it because His Majesty is not worried about his daughter's reputation?"
When Concubine Duanrong heard this, she was slightly startled and was silent for a moment.
How could she not know what His Majesty and her sister had planned, but she really couldn't figure it out, could she still force someone to divorce his wife and marry another?
She could only pretend not to know and came to look for Jia Ziyu.
Otherwise, if two children really did something that disgraced the honor of the royal family together, how would Xianning and her deal with each other in the palace? Jia Heng said in a low voice: "I understand your Majesty's mood very well, but Your Highness is here.
Can I scold her when she comes to see me? As for the other side, the empress is a smart person. Since she could clearly ban His Highness, she came here to ask for help. She just wants me to be a bad person. But since Your Highness and I are friends, how can I
If you can treat me coldly and alienate me because of the matter of catching wind and shadow, your Majesty is putting yourself in a difficult position."
"But is it a long-term solution for you to continue like this?" Concubine Duanrong was embarrassed and annoyed, she said anxiously, thought about it, and whispered: "If you are willing to divorce the Qin family, I will
Neither."
Jia Heng didn't wait for Concubine Duanrong to finish speaking, and said calmly: "I don't want to."
Concubine Duanrong: "."
She was a little angry in her heart. She knew that her daughter had a rare golden character in the world, but she didn't want to
I was a little surprised that the young man in front of me was so determined. Not everyone could cut off the opportunity to marry the Tian family without hesitation.
Jia Heng thought for a while, carefully weighed his words, and said: "Your Majesty is looking for me like this. I think it will not help if I don't say anything. It will also easily make Your Highness rebel and hurt the relationship between mother and daughter. Your Highness has always had her own opinion."
In fact, he even felt that Concubine Duanrong was here to help. How many young men and women may not be doing well without forcing, but under pressure, they become more frustrated and braver.
Concubine Duanrong frowned and felt that it made sense for a moment. She also knew Xianning's temperament.