Before entering the palace, Wu Qingyi talked about something with Gu Yin and Wang Shi.
"The Queen's temperament is a bit strange, but she is a good person. If you meet her, take more care."
Wu Qingyi felt ashamed for failing to find the lost child for the queen.
Now that the royal family lost their children as a royal secret, it has been banned by Emperor Zhengyuan and cannot be mentioned again, but the guilt in his heart has not been diluted with the passage of time.
Wang Shi waved his hand dismissively, "She's the Queen, the most noble person in the world after the Empress Dowager, how can we be angry with her. If she doesn't make things difficult for us, we'll be fine."
In the blink of an eye, the day of entering the palace came.
Early in the morning, Wang Shi and Gu Yin got up and dressed up.
Wang's face is covered with fat powder, his hair is combed in a high bun, and he wears a set of emerald headpieces with excellent water head. On the bun is a long hairpin of a red gold pine crane. The pine crane is lifelike, and the eyes are pure rubies.
She didn't wear a big official dress, but a silk-engraved gold and silver ruyi cloud pattern brocade dress. First, this occasion was more casual, and it was organized by the Empress Dowager on a whim. Second, it was because Wang's imperial edict had not been issued yet, and she had not received her own clothes.
Gu Yin did not put on makeup, only painted her eyebrows and pouted her lips. She was wearing a long dress with gold embroidery and a pair of pomegranate flowers. She had a cloud-like bun on her hair and a golden begonia pearl on her hairpin. , embellished with a few small pearl gold hairpins, and wore a red gold double-buckle bracelet wrapped in silk on her hand, which Wang Shi casually put on her on the day she entered the palace.
That step shuddered as she walked, which made her a little playful.
At first, the Wang family wanted to put all the good things at home on her head. As soon as she walked around, the pearl swayed by her ear, which made her already white and shiny face look indescribably beautiful.
Wang Shi stopped talking. No matter how she looked at her, it seemed that she couldn't see enough. I really wished Gu Yin was a few years younger, so that she could be hugged in her arms and kissed.
After they were dressed up, Wu Qingyi sent them into the palace.
Across the carriage, Wu Qingyi said again: "The Empress Dowager is a very kind person, so don't be nervous."
Wang said she was not nervous.
I'm really not nervous. If you want to let her go alone, she must be panicked because of her rambunctious personality at home.
It would be different if Gu Yin was with her. Her daughter-in-law was omnipotent, and Mrs. Wang had confidence in her heart.
The British Palace was not far from the Royal Palace, and the carriage had stopped at the gate after two quarters of an hour.
Further in, it's a walk.
However, for such a short distance, it was nothing to Gu Yin and Wang Shi who were used to doing chores.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law got off the carriage, saw the maid who led the way, and went inside while talking.
Along the way, with red walls and black tiles, the palace walls are majestic, Wang Shi was a little excited at first, but after walking for more than a quarter of an hour, when he arrived at the Cining Palace, he didn't feel anything new.
The queen mother was not from a family that respected the rules, and she was too lazy to let people kneel and worship her when it was not a festival, so she let all the female relatives come and went directly to the side hall for a banquet.
When being led to the side hall by the palace servants, Mrs. Wang was still biting her ears with Gu Yin, "Our eldest son is right, the empress dowager is a very kind person. I used to read dramas, those who were not easy to get along with. Evil Queen Mother, whoever does not please her eyes will be punished to kneel when she is seen, and it will take a day and a half to kneel, which not only makes people shameless, but also makes people kneel hurt.
While speaking, the two entered the side hall.
Quite a few girls had already arrived before them, and they were talking around a young woman with a bright complexion and a beaded crown.
That woman has beautiful and beautiful face with a bit of heroic spirit.
Wang shi didn't look at her face carefully, but couldn't help but glance at her beaded crown.
The pearls are the size of a human thumb, full and round. Although the crown is made of sterling silver, it is not very expensive, but the white beads are matched with the white crown.
Wang Shi couldn't say it well, and she already thought about going back and giving Gu Yinxiang a top like this.
Anyway, there are beads and crowns at home, and they can't be sold for money, so they have to be used.
When their mother-in-law and daughter-in-law came in, the young woman looked up at them at the same time.
Seeing that Wang's eyes were not dodging, and Gu Yin was neither humble nor arrogant, she laughed: "Is this the British Duchess?"
As soon as these words came out, the hall became quiet, and everyone looked at their mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law have also been through the storm, and naturally they are not afraid of being looked at.
The palace staff reminded them that the young woman in front of them was Feng Guifei.
Feng Guifei was born in the Duke of Lu's mansion. Before they entered the palace, Wu Qingyi had already told them.
This Feng Guifei is quite like her mother, and she is not someone who can suffer.
So Wang Shi stepped forward to block Gu Yin from behind and gave a half salute.
Then Concubine Feng still laughed, but what she said was not very polite, "The British princess first entered Beijing, why does this palace remember that the madam's letter of appointment has not been sent out, and now she has no rank?"
The rank of the lady of the country is almost the same as that of the imperial concubine, just because one is a woman of external life and the other is a woman of internal life, it is not easy to compare them together. Generally speaking, it is enough to be polite and polite.
This Concubine Feng was holding on to the grade, and the meaning was obvious, that is, Wang's body has no grade now, and she has to give a big gift when she sees her.
It was indeed a bad one.
Wang's face sank.
If this was the case in the past, when I met a noble like a noble concubine, I would kneel on my knees.
Now that she came out on behalf of her own family, her husband and son exchanged their lives for their rank. She bent her knees and threw the Wu family's face to the ground.
Then Concubine Feng smiled at Yan Yan, and said to herself: "Oh, what I said is reckless, the British lady is not young, and she is also my elder, so it's not good to greet me. Behind you is your daughter-in-law. Right? You look younger than Ben Gong, so it would be good for Ben Gong to be greeted by her."
The Wang family is the wife of the Duke and the mother of Wu Qingyi. Feng Guifei didn't intend to humiliate her at first, otherwise the Liangzi of the two families would be really tied.
But if it's just Wu Qingyi's wife, even if she gets a first-class title, if she is of the same generation, giving her a slap in the face will not make the scene too ugly.
As for why they had to deal with them, it was naturally because Concubine Feng's younger brother lost a lot of money to Gu Ye not long ago.
After losing such a large sum of money, Duke Lu beat up Young Master Feng and locked him at home. The old lady Qin Shi, the old lady of Ren Lu Guogong's mansion, broke her mouth and failed to ask for mercy for the young son.
There was a lot of fish and dragons in the casino, and it was only a few days ago that it had already spread to the streets.
With the rumors, they all joked that their 15- or 16-year-old boy lost to a 6- or 7-year-old boy, and there were even tricksters, saying that this is not normal? The Duke of Lu, Feng Yuan, was ten years older than Wu Qingyi, so he still let Wu Qingyi compare. This is called family learning origin!
As soon as the statement about the origin of family learning came out, it really made the Duke of Lu angrily, and he caught the younger brother out and beat him. This time, he did not slap the board lightly twice, but invited the family method and used a stick to really beat him directly. People can't get out of bed.
A brother of a fellow mother, this time it is not only the Qin family who is distressed by the mother, Feng Guifei is also distressed for her younger brother.
Otherwise, she would not have waited in the Cining Palace early. Just to vent my anger on my younger brother.
Wang's face is even more ugly, can she just watch her daughter-in-law suffer
Immediately she pulled Gu Yin and said without laughing: "The concubine is right, our mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are new to Beijing, and we don't know what a gift it is to see the concubine. The gift of the Empress, or we will give you that kind of kneeling gift?"
The smile on Feng Guifei's face collapsed.
There are few female relatives in the palace, and she is under the queen mother and the queen, but that is also a clear class, and it does not mean that she can leapfrog to receive such a big gift.
What does this British lady mean, reminding her that her grade is not enough, shouldn't she be so arrogant
Wang Shi was not so interesting at all. She didn't tell any lies. Wu Qingyi asked Emperor Zhengyuan for a favor a few days ago, and an old lady came to instruct them on the rules for a few days.
That's what the old lady said, they only need to give the Queen Mother and the Queen a big gift, and the rest of the people will give half a gift.
It's just that the old mama didn't expect Concubine Feng Gui to stand up for the younger brother and embarrass them because of things outside the palace, so she really didn't teach them.
At this moment, the eunuch outside sang: "The Empress is here."
Everyone saluted, and even Feng Guifei had to stand up.
Empress Zhou only wore a plain-colored palace attire, with a few pearl hairpins stuck in her bun. No matter how she dressed or looked, she couldn't compare to Concubine Feng.
She came in with the child in her arms, and after getting everyone up, she found that the atmosphere in the hall was not right, so she asked, "What is this doing?"
Although many others in the hall flattered Concubine Feng, many of them belonged to the Queen's faction, and immediately said: "It's not a big deal, that is, the concubine said that the British lady and her daughter-in-law have no grades, and asked them to bow to the concubine. Woolen cloth."
Empress Zhou twitched the corners of her mouth and said, "The Queen Mother doesn't stick to these rhetoric."
Concubine Feng smirked: "Sister misunderstood. I didn't force them, I was just joking."
Empress Zhou didn't bother with this matter anymore, and invited everyone to take a seat at a banquet.
"The British lady, please sit next to this palace." Queen Zhou stopped talking after saying this, and looked after her children with good looks.
Because the queen mother did not come, the main seat on the main table was vacant. Queen Zhou and Concubine Feng sat next to the main seat.
Queen Zhou used to be Wang Shi and Gu Yin, while Feng Guifei was her mother, the old lady Qin Shi from the Duke's Mansion of Lu.
This Qin shi was not much older than Wang shi. Mian Ji, who was about fifty years old, the mother and daughter were quite imagining, but Qin shi looked fierce and unsmiling, even more fierce than the previous Wang shi.
The main table is not big, and the Qin family and the Wang family are sitting face to face.
With big eyes and small eyes, no one is convinced.
Gu Yin didn't look at the Qin family, but looked at the child in Queen Zhou's arms involuntarily.
This child has big eyes and white skin, is very beautiful and clever, and inexplicably closes his eyes. He just looked at about three years old, and he was wrapped tightly like a baby in a swaddling baby, with only half of his face exposed, allowing Queen Zhou to hold him. on.
Gu Yin has always had a relationship with a child. The child noticed that Gu Yin was looking at him, turned her face and smiled at her, and stretched out her little fat hand towards her.
Away from Wang Shi, Gu Yin naturally couldn't touch him, and she wouldn't touch the little prince, so she didn't stretch out her hand, but just winked at him.
The little prince giggled. Queen Zhou was chatting with the others at the table. When she heard her son's laughter, her face sank immediately, she reached out to hug the little prince tightly, and immediately followed the little prince's eyes to look at Gu Yin.
Those eyes were too guarded and vigilant, as if Gu Yin had done something heinous.
Just as Gu Yin was about to apologize, she saw Queen Zhou stand up, hugged the child tightly in her arms, and left the Cining Palace on the grounds that she wanted to take care of the child.
Concubine Feng Gui felt embarrassed because of embarrassing Gu Yin and the others, so she also got up and left.
As soon as the two big men left, the banquet became lively, and more and more female relatives started chatting.
Seeing that everyone was talking, Mrs Wang also said to Gu Yin, "Why do I think this dish is not delicious?"
I heard that I want to go to the palace for a banquet. Yesterday, the Wang family specially didn't eat dinner, and I kept my stomach, waiting for a meal of mountain and sea delicacies today.
Although the dishes at today's banquet are rich, many ingredients are unseen and unheard of by Wang, but most of them are steamed bowls, and the taste is light and tasteless in the mouth.
And everyone eats very elegantly, chewing up to ten mouthfuls in one bite, this way of eating doesn't look delicious.
It's not as good as a country banquet. As soon as the steaming big dishes came up, everyone scrambled to grab the dishes, and the dishes that were not so delicious became delicious!
Gu Yin opened her mouth just as she wanted to speak, but for some unknown reason, Mrs. Qin, who was sitting across from him, heard these soft words.
She heard it, and sneered: "The British lady is so loud, the dishes in this palace are not to your taste, is it possible that you want to eat dragon liver and phoenix gall?"
Wang Shi was still angry about what happened to Concubine Feng Guifei before, but when she heard this, she became even more angry.
Her mother-in-law doesn't quarrel, and it is not easy to argue with Feng Guifei in front of her. So Gu Yin took Wang Shi's hand and patted it, telling her not to get angry, and then helped her open the mouth and said: "It's not that my mother has a big tone, it's that we first entered Beijing, and the taste is still the taste of our hometown. The dishes in the palace. Of course it's good, it's just a different taste from what we used to eat."
She was neither humble nor arrogant, and Qin Shi then sneered: "Oh, I understand when you say that. The dishes in the palace are expensive, and you are from the countryside, so naturally you are not used to eating them."
Gu Yin was still calm and said with a smile: "Yes, our background is not as prominent as your family. However, when my husband was at home, he said that His Majesty liked a sentence, called 'Is there a kind of prince and general Xiangning?'. Thanks to Your Majesty We don’t have to be based on our background, so now people like us can sit at the same table with someone from a noble background like you.”
Come on, who can't be yin and yang
After Gu Yin finished speaking, she smiled again, and raised her glass to the others in the hall.
Most of the female relatives in the side halls followed the uprising of the righteous king and had meritorious service.
People like Lu Guogong's mansion are living a good life, after all, there are still a few people who help the uprising. Most of them were not prominent before, and they dared to take risks to rebel.
The words on their side were heard by many people. Although they did not dare to confront the Duke of Lu, they whispered beside them.
"What happened to the country people? How many of us were not country people before?"
"That's right, my family used to kill pigs in the village. What's the shame?"
"The old lady of Lu Guogong's mansion still talks about her background. Others don't know it, but I know it. Her daughter-in-law is not a young lady from a prominent family. Big pot of rice…”
Hearing this discussion, Qin's complexion was ashen, and he glared at him angrily until he glared at those people so much that they didn't dare to make a sound.
Qin Shi no longer talked about his background, looked Gu Yin up and down, and snorted softly: "It's all from the family of the prince who just opened the mansion. You dress up like this... tsk tsk, it's too poor. It's the family that can't make ends meet, or the UK. Does the lady-in-law treat her daughter-in-law harshly?"
Gu Yin's dress is definitely not suitable for being poor and sour. If she can sell it for money, a gold bracelet in her hand can be sold for thousands of taels.
Of course, compared to Qin Shi's dress that wanted to wear gold rings all over her ten fingers, her dress was indeed plain.
"What are you talking about? My mother treats me the same as her own." It's unnecessary to talk about aesthetics with such a rambunctious person. Gu Yin is still not annoyed, and then smiles: "Don't put in something that you don't look down on. Daughter-in-law's evil mother-in-law, right?"
Someone burst out laughing, but quickly held back.
The daughter-in-law is the most despised in this palace, and even she did not bring her daughter-in-law to the palace for a banquet, isn't it the Qin family
Qin shi's face was ashen, and he ignored the sneering sound, and continued: "That means your family can't make ends meet? Yes, it is easy to get carried away when the poor become rich. Don't you empty your family so quickly?"
"I don't read much, but I don't know what it means to be complacent. But it's true that the Fuzhong can't make ends meet as you said. I have to thank you for this. If it wasn't for the former son of your family, my life would not be as good as it is now. ."
Everything about the casino should have been known long ago, so Gu Yin didn't mind bringing it up.
"It's only a few thousand taels, so my family should be sending beggars." Qin shi gritted his teeth.
Wang Shi also gritted his teeth and turned to look at Gu Yin.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law came here relying on each other, and it is not an exaggeration to say that they have a good heart.
As soon as this look appeared, Gu Yin knew that she was really angry and asked if she could hit someone on the spot.
Gu Yin took out the tightly squeezed small cup in Wang's hand, "Mother's face is not very good, are you dizzy after eating too much fruit stuffed? Can you go out and blow the air?"
Then she patted the back of Wang's hand soothingly. Wang glared at Qin and went out obediently.
When she left, Gu Yincai said in surprise, "That's a few thousand taels of silver!"
When it comes to silver money, Mrs Qin also has the confidence to lift his chin and sneer: "Our family has a deep background, so naturally there will be no shortage of silver money."
It is also because of this background that their Feng family raised Feng Guifei, who was not inferior to any wealthy and noble daughter, and became the first person under the Queen Zhou in the harem.
As for the girls from other heroic families, they could not enter the eyes of Emperor Zhengyuan at all, and they did not even have the qualifications to enter the palace.
"How deep is it?" Gu Yin's eyes brightened and she asked curiously, "Could it be possible for Madam to elaborate?"
Sure enough, he was a countryman, and when he heard that his family was rich, he changed his attitude and attached himself.
Qin Shi sneered in his heart, and continued to hold his chin up and said, "Although my family doesn't have a lot of money, we also have our own villages and shops, not only in Chuzhou, but also many in the capital..."
The smile on Gu Yin's lips deepened.
…
After Wang Shi left the side hall, he told the palace servant that he wanted to blow the air, and the palace servant led her to the pavilion in the imperial garden.
The concubines stood far away, Wang shi looked left and right, and made sure that no one was nearby, so he used a very low voice, changed into the dialect of Hanshan Town, and scolded them.
After scolding Qin Shi, Wang Shi finally felt a lot more comfortable.
When she came back to her senses, Wang found that there were more people in the pavilion at some point.
An old woman about the age of Qin Shi, looking at her about ten years older and dressed in rich clothes, stood behind her at some point.
Seeing her turn her head suddenly, the other party took two steps back in fright, and said apologetically, "I scared you? I'm sorry."
The old woman's Mandarin with an accent is somewhat similar to Wang's accent, which makes people feel friendly all of a sudden.
Wang Shi waved his hand and said with a smile: "It's alright, I didn't have to be so scared. Instead, I suddenly turned around and scared you?"
The old woman also smiled and said, "It's okay, I can't be scared."
Wang Shi added: "That's right, we country people are not so particular about it." He asked her again: "Why did you come out too?"
Although the Wang family didn't recognize her, the female family members who were able to walk around in the palace were too old to bring their servants in, and they were the same group that the Cining Palace entertained today. However, there were many talented people, and Wang shi didn't look at her, and didn't remember who she was.
The old woman didn't answer, but asked her, "Then why did you come out?"
"I was run, I have a bad temper. My daughter-in-law was afraid that I would get angry, so she asked me to come back and have a good time."
The two sat down at the stone table in the pavilion.
The old woman shook her head helplessly and said, "That mouth of the old lady of the Duke's Mansion of Lu... I'm not forgiving."
Wang Shi snorted, "That is, in the palace. If I meet her outside the palace, I have to show her some color."
She didn't have the strength to talk, so Mrs. Wang took out the snacks in her purse and distributed them to her, "Aren't you full? This is the sweet-scented osmanthus cake made by my daughter-in-law. You can eat it too."
A piece of cake is the size of a thumb, which is about the size of what Gu Ye eats every day. However, Gu Yin made small snacks for Gu Ye because he was afraid that he might choke, so if you prepared such small snacks for the Wang family, it would not be easy to get rid of mouth fat even if you eat them.
Although this sweet-scented sweet-scented osmanthus cake does not have complicated patterns like the dim sum in the palace, it is white and clean, decorated with some osmanthus fragrans. people.
"Delicious!" the old woman praised sincerely.
"Really?" Mrs Wang smiled proudly and gave a thumbs up, "My daughter-in-law's craft is this!"
Wang Shi was still angry just now, and when he talked about his daughter-in-law, his eyes became crescents with laughter.
Seeing that she was so happy, the old woman asked with a smile, "Isn't she still angry just now? Why are you happy now?"
"Of course I'm happy, but I'm not happy that the family is reunited after coming to Beijing? And after this family becomes an official..." Wang shi lowered his voice as he spoke.
The old woman couldn't help being attracted by her words and listened to her.
"I'm even happier after I became an official. How dare I think of such a good life? I used to think that it would be a good life to have meat at home and eat white noodles. Feet waiting for someone to serve. So comfortable!"
In the past, the Wang family was only considered rich and noble in the small town. Naturally, there would not be so many servants in the government's mansion, and most of the things had to be done by themselves.
The current servants of the British government are all trained by the palace, and that is called a caring and sensible person. Many times the Wang family does not need to open their mouths, and the servants know what to do.
Noticing that the old woman didn't seem to be in high spirits, Mrs. Wang asked again, "Why, your family is not happy?"
The old woman nodded and sighed again.
Wang Shi asked again, "That's because your family treats you badly?"
The old woman thought about it and said no.
"It's all good, that is, they are all busy with their own affairs. Although there are many people around me to serve, but I feel bored, as if there is nothing to do except eat and wait to die."
Wang rectified his expression and said, "You're wrong, what do you mean by nothing? Children have their own affairs, we can have fun ourselves! Do you like listening to operas? I used to like listening to operas very much. Yes, but there are very few opera troupes in the town, and only when I got to the capital did I know that there is a theater here, and there are operas every day! It’s just that I haven’t been there yet, if you like it, we’ll make an appointment next time.”
"Listening to the play? Can't let people sing in the palace... at home?"
Invite the opera troupe to come to the house, and if they sing, there are dozens or hundreds of taels. Of course, Mrs. Wang couldn’t say that she was not willing to give up the money. When there is more than one, everyone applaud and applaud together, that’s how you will be energetic!”
The old woman thought for a while and said, "I seem to understand a little bit when you say this. No wonder I used to like listening to operas in the countryside. I called someone to sing later, but I felt bored."
"Is that so?" Mrs Wang smiled, "It's like eating in the palace, no matter how good the food is, everyone can't be polite. Put two shreds of vegetables in one chopstick and chew it for dozens of times. You say it's edible. Is it fragrant? It's a truth."
The old woman nodded again and again, "Yes! I don't want to eat with them!"
The latter two started chatting about family affairs, and only then did they realize that they both had the same maiden surname as Wang, had similar temperaments, and were of similar age. Last quarter of an hour.
Unconsciously, they chatted for more than half an hour, until the palace servant came to look for it, saying that the banquet had been scattered.
Wang Shicai reluctantly parted with her, and said again: "Old sister, I have made you a friend. We made an appointment to listen to the play, don't forget it."
The old woman was also quite reluctant to part with her. She took her hand and nodded and said, "Okay, I'll find you in two days. Let's listen to the show together."