The biography of Concubine Lin in the harem

Chapter 83

I regret that this place is not my land (1)

On the morning of the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, Concubine Zhuanghe and Concubine Shun Chen came to Yining Palace to pay their respects, and they brought Xuanfen who was about to turn four years old.

Xuan Fen saluted according to the rules, the little man put on the appearance of a full grown-up, and said in a childlike voice, "I wish my mother well, I wish my mother good luck!"

Zhu Chengbi hugged Xuanfen with a smile, the sapphire blue lake brocade satin was extraordinarily soft, like a pool of melting spring water rippling from his palm, and the mood that had been sluggish for several days was also relieved a bit.

Zhu Chengbi kissed Xuanfen's pink and tender face, and said to Zhuang and Concubine Zhuang: "It's a bit heavier, children are cute when they grow fatter, and Qing'er is a little thinner."

Concubine Shun Chen covered her lips and smiled: "Yesterday, when my concubine went to Shouqi Palace, Zhuang and his elder sister were reading Fen'er in their arms. Although Fen'er is young, the plaque 'Shouyu Yizhao' hanging in the main hall of Shouqi Palace, But it’s true.”

Zhu Chengbi shook Xuanfen's chubby little hand, pointed to the plaque hanging in the main hall, and said softly: "Fen'er, tell the queen mother, what is that word?"

Xuan Fen blinked his eyes and looked at it for a while: "Qinglong respected, the queen mother is Qinglong respected!"

Zhu Chengbi couldn't help laughing and said: "I recognize you so clearly, Zhuang and Concubine, but you taught them?"

Concubine Zhuanghe took Xuanfen and carefully carried it into the hands of the wet nurse. Fang Xuxu said: "It's strange to say that Concubine Qinren's Shoukang Palace has 'Changle Fuhua' hanging on it, and Concubine Duanjin's Fushou Palace has 'Changle Fuhua' hanging on it. The concubine taught Fen'er three or four times, but he couldn't remember clearly, but the Yining Palace's "Qinglong Zunyang" was only taught once, and Fen'er can memorize it."

Concubine Shun Chen also smiled and said: "Fen'er doesn't always remember the Empress Dowager in her heart, so she recognizes it so clearly."

Zhu Chengbi smiled peacefully, took the rose purple woven gold rolled velvet cloak beside him and handed it to Zhuang and the concubine: "The earth dragon in Yining Palace is warming up, go out later, be careful not to freeze it for Fen'er, This cloak is newly made by the Weaving Bureau, although the material is not luxurious, it is the best for keeping warm."

Zhuang and Concubine Tai hurriedly took the cloak and said gratefully: "Thank you, Empress Dowager, for your love."

Zhu Chengbi nodded: "Although the first month and a half have passed, they are still in the winter and have not yet come out. Children are always weaker. You should take good care of them."

Concubine Zhuanghe and Concubine Shun stood up and bowed their knees: "Concubine obeys the order."

Before the words finished, it was Zhu Yu who lifted the curtain and came in, Fu Yifu said: "The empress dowager, the governor of Shandong Liu Zhiran and Jing Zhaoyin Fang Mingyuan handed over the urgent brochure."

Concubine Zhuanghe and Concubine Shunchen looked at each other, got up quickly and said: "The empress dowager is busy with political affairs, so the concubine will retire first."

When all the people were waiting to leave the hall, Zhu Chengbi only left Zhu Xi and Zhu Yu to serve in the hall. Zhu Xi got Zhu Chengbi's order to read the excerpts first, but he frowned, rather hesitantly.

Zhu Chengbi said lightly: "One by one, what did Liu Zhiran say? He has never sent an urgent note to Ai's family before."

Zhu Xi said in a low voice: "Although it's not a big deal, it's not a trivial thing either. It's the He Lake in Dingtao County. The water in the lake has turned red recently."

Zhu Chengbi was startled, and blurted out: "What did you say? The water in Hehu Lake is red?"

Zhu Xi did not dare to hesitate, and hurriedly said: "In the first year of Qianyuan, in order to avoid the taboo of the regent's name, the lake was renamed Hehu, and the local officials also protected them very much and did not dare to neglect. Who knows, since the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the The water in the lake turned red, and it didn’t recede for several days. The local people all said that it was an ominous sign, and there might be big changes.”

Zhu Chengbi said angrily: "Bastard! What is an ominous omen! What is fear of a big change! Since there is more protection, why does the lake turn red? Has someone tampered with it? What do the governor of Shandong and the county magistrate of Dingtao eat? of!"

Zhu Xi and Zhu Yu hurriedly knelt down, Zhu Xi kowtowed and said: "The Empress Dowager calm down, Liu Zhiran and Master Liu are investigating the truth, but because the matter is serious, they will report it to the Empress Dowager first, in order to prevent rumors from spreading and causing a storm in the city."

Zhu Chengbi was stunned, raised his hand and said, "Get up first, what are you doing kneeling all the time? What did Fang Mingyuan say in the book?"

Zhu Xi read it carefully, with a strange and uncertain expression on his face, and murmured: "Empress Dowager, a meteorite fell on the eastern outskirts of the capital last night, but...but..."

Zhu Chengbi became more and more impatient, and slapped the Lihuamu desk heavily: "But what? Just say what you have to say! What are you talking about!"

Zhu Xi knelt on the ground with a "plop": "The empress dowager forgives the sin! The servants are terrified! It's just... there are two lines of small characters on the meteorite, 'Lingyun fell, Dingtao revived'."

Zhu Chengbi turned pale with shock, and stood up suddenly: "Let's drive to the eastern suburbs!"

In the eastern outskirts of the capital, the meteorite has been guarded by a team of guards, and the common people are not allowed to approach it. Jingzhao Yin Fang Mingyuan and Shenji Battalion Commander Han Yuefeng saw Zhu Chengbi coming here, and hurriedly saluted: "May the queen mother be blessed!"

Zhu Chengbi raised his hand and said lightly: "Ai's family came here to take a look at the meteorite."

Fang Mingyuan clasped his hands and said: "Empress Dowager, the meteorite is round in shape, as big as a fist, and the color is like iron. After falling, it creates a hole the size of a disc, more than three feet deep, but it is still glowing and hot, so don't get close."

Zhu Chengbi said: "Can there be words on the meteorite?"

Fang Mingyuan hesitated for a while, and said in a low voice: "There are two lines of small characters, I have never seen such a thing..."

Zhu Chengbi didn't want to waste his words, when he got closer, he felt a heat wave coming one after another, he could barely see, there were two lines of small characters on the meteorite, the color was as red as blood: Ling Yun fell, Dingtao revived.

"Fang Mingyuan." Zhu Chengbi took a step back, tried his best to suppress the surging emotions in his heart, and said calmly, "How many years have you been Jing Zhaoyin?"

Although Fang Mingyuan didn't understand what he meant, he replied respectfully: "It's been five years since I reported to the Empress Dowager."

"Very well, the matter of the meteorite should be blocked immediately and not leaked. If you do well, the Ai family will reward you. If you do not do well, so what if you have been working for ten years? The Ai family will send you to the frontier anyway." , do you understand what Aijia means?"

Fang Mingyuan trembled tremblingly, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back: "I respectfully obey the Queen Mother's order."

Zhu Chengbi glanced at Han Yuefeng again: "You used to be by Zhu Qizhen's side, and you can be regarded as a cautious person. You should also keep an eye on Shenjiying's mouth."

After returning to Yining Palace, Zhu Chengbi was still in deep thought, and offered a cup of rose honeydew with a breath of bamboo. The bright red color was like the small characters on a meteorite, and it grabbed Zhu Chengbi's heart fiercely.

"The Empress Dowager." Zhu Xi asked tentatively, "Is the Empress Dowager worried about the lotus lake and the meteorite?"

"Do you think Yi Chen did this kind of thing?" Zhu Chengbi pressed Zhu Xi's eyes tightly, the voice seemed to burst out from his chest, dull and urgent, as if a person who fell into the water wanted to hold onto his side tightly The only straw left.

Zhu Xi's eyes drooped slightly, and he said softly: "The servants can't see clearly. If it is said that the Regent did it, he has such ambitions. If it is said that his subordinates did it, they also have their own calculations. It is possible that it was done by the Prince Regent’s political enemies and enemies. What the servants say doesn’t count, what the Prince Regent tells the Empress Dowager himself counts.”

"Really?" Zhu Chengbi leaned wearily on the beauty cushion, eyes slightly closed, "I was just wondering if Yichen would tell me the truth now, times have changed, and he is not what he used to be."

Zhu Xi didn't know how to intervene, so he could only tactfully persuade him: "Last year's bribery case, the Prince Regent was too fierce, but he was also afraid, whether it was the Empress Dowager who deliberately used the hands of the Xiting Party to attack him?" , Let’s go ahead and talk about the matter of the Empress Dowager Zhaoxian..." Seeing Zhu Chengbi's eyebrows twitching, Zhu took a breath and said, "The Empress Dowager, please calm down..."

Zhu Chengbi said quietly: "Go ahead."

"Such a variety of things are only concealed between the empress dowager and the regent, which will arouse each other's suspicion. Whether it is the lotus lake or a meteorite, the empress dowager sitting in the Yining Palace and guessing, it is better than not Go up and ask the regent for a truth..."

Before saying a word, it was Zhu Yu who lifted the curtain and came in: "Empress Dowager, Su Shangshu and Lord Su are here."

"pass!"

Since the bribery examination case, Su Suixin's power in the Ministry of Industry seemed to have been emptied. Seeing that Xu Fujing, Qi Zhengyan, and Lu Ding'an were convicted and imprisoned one after another, Su Suixin could only do his job obediently. When working in the Ministry of Industry, he will only stay in the mansion to enjoy the family happiness with his children, and he does not want to go to other places to avoid getting into trouble.

Zhu Chengbi watched Su Suixin's calm face, and said slowly: "Master Su, what's the matter?"

Su Suixin said in a deep voice, "Does the empress dowager want to let the regent alone?"

Zhu Chengbi sneered, compared to the ice-species white jadeite ring on his finger, and said calmly: "Master Su is asking Aijia Xingshi for a crime? This is strange, Master Su is not ignorant of the embarrassing situation of Aijia now. , and why come to accuse Aijia?"

"My minister heard that Jiang Chengyu privately made a royal uniform for the regent. This is a treasonous act! If the empress dowager lets the regent do whatever he wants, I'm afraid my country will change hands."

Zhu Chengbi's eyes froze, and he paused word by word: "The imperial clothes are only allowed to be used by the empress, and no matter whether it is the regent or Jiang Chengyu, right and wrong, but how did Lord Su know?"

"At present, although I am walking on thin ice, there are always eyeliners walking in the capital." Su Suixin bowed to the bottom, and said meaningfully, "Please think again, Empress Dowager."

When Su Suixin came out of the palace, Zhu breathed out and asked in a low voice, "What is the Empress Dowager going to do?"

"Bamboo breath." Zhu Chengbi stared blankly at the branches covered with ice and snow outside the window. Now, wait for me outside Wanbao Pavilion."

Zhu Xi was slightly stunned: "Empress Dowager?"

"Zhuxi, this matter must not be known to others." Zhu Chengbi clenched the green pine jade hammer in his hand little by little, and a hard and cold feeling penetrated from the palm of his hand, as if the burning earth dragon in the palace had cooled down , It was so cold that even a heart seemed to have sunk into the frozen three-foot pool of Taiye, and it no longer belonged to me, "Zhu Yu, grind the ink for me."

!!