At about the same time, Concubine Deng was in the imperial study room until Miao Jieyu finally left the table, changed her clothes, bathed in incense and dressed up, and arrived in all her glory. After setting up a ladder for Miao Jieyu and letting her stay in the royal study to add fragrance to the holy red sleeves, he finally retired and dragged his tired body back to Mingguang Palace.
Fortunately, we had people clean up the waterside pavilion early in the morning, and it had been left with ice cubes for most of the day, so it was cool and pleasant. Lying down on the soft couch in the waterside pavilion, she saw the crocodiles hanging low around her and the gentle breeze blowing. She felt indescribably comfortable and comfortable, which made Concubine Deng feel much more relaxed. Another little palace maid took out the fruit from the well, cut it into lotus shapes and put it on the ice tray. It was really beautiful.
Concubine Deng drank three or five slices of fruit in one go with the chilled agarwood drink. She narrowed her eyes in contentment and then took out the handkerchief from her arms. While wiping her fingers, she asked the only palace attendant who was left in the waterside pavilion: "Look at this Guard Chief Ying...?"
The palace man said cautiously: "She is a beauty."
"Beauty is not surprising. You can tell at a glance that it is gorgeous. The most rare thing is that it is gorgeous but not vulgar. But that's nothing..." Concubine Deng said lightly, "I am talking about her temperament and person. Liu Di today My son has been serving her, what do you say? "
The palace man pondered for a moment and then said: "Miss Su and Miss Shen also looked for her. It can be seen that although she has not been in the imperial capital for a long time, her popularity is good. Later, she went to Qianqiu Pavilion, and it was difficult for Liu Di to follow her. When she came back, I found that Wei Zhangying... paid close attention to Miss Fifteen."
Fifteen is Deng Wanwan’s ranking.
After hearing this, Concubine Deng thought for a while and said, "Su Yuli is the daughter of the aunt of the Chief of Guard Ying, so it's not surprising that she would take care of her. As for Shen Zangning, this girl seems to be willful and indulgent, but she actually has her own sense of proportion." , she has always been protective of her family, otherwise Shen Xuan would not be so doting on her. None of this explains Wei Changying's popularity. To say that her popularity depends on her relationship with her sisters-in-law, you see, neither of her sisters-in-law came to take care of her. She didn't even send her servants to ask, so she knew that she was just a newcomer and her foundation was shallow. "
Then he said, "Did she pay attention to Wanwan? Maybe she heard what Song Zaishui said."
The palace attendant said: "Your Majesty is right."
"Looking at it this way, the temperament is not too bad. Otherwise, both Su Yuli and Shen Zangning are the beloved darlings of the family. Even if there are instructions from their elders, there is no need to please her." Concubine Deng Guifei said thoughtfully, "But they are not too evil-minded. Otherwise, there is no reason why her two clever sisters-in-law would ignore her... What's more, Su Xiuman is here today, and they will behave virtuously in order to serve Su Xiuman. It seems that Wei Zhangying and this. The relationship between the two sisters-in-law is not very good, and they are not at odds with each other just now. How can they be so diplomatic? Su Xiuman's eldest daughter-in-law and second daughter-in-law have a good reputation in Beijing. I think Wei Changying should be. Is she pampered because she is so loved? Even if there are older and more stable people around her, she may not be willing to listen, so she doesn’t appear to be very affectionate with her sisters-in-law.”
Rubbing her forehead, Concubine Deng was a little unsure again, "Yao Tao, tell me... Could the person in Qi'er's heart be this Wei Changying? If we guessed wrong, then let's choose Wei Changying for him. Man, that’s not necessary!”
Palace servant Yao Tao was startled, hesitated for a moment, and then said: "Young Master has never had any thoughts about any young lady before, but he came back from Qingzhou and wrote a poem describing a beauty in red walking under the bamboo forest in the early morning. , by the Qingxi River, there are quite touching words in it... I heard from people who followed the young master to Qingzhou that although there were many bamboo forests along the way, they did not meet any beauty in red in the forest. In Xiaozhu Mountain outside the city, due to a dispute with Wei Changfeng, the young master and Gu Ziming climbed the mountain to say goodbye early the next morning. Because Wei Changfeng said that there were women on the mountain, he did not dare to bring his entourage, so they went there alone... The maid thought, if The poem written by the young master is indeed true, and it must be there. "
Concubine Deng sighed: "Song Zaishui arrived in the imperial capital last year. Although he walked with Qi'er on the road, he didn't see Qi'er paying much attention to her. Originally, Wanwan and Song Zaishui were interacting with each other, and I thought... Although Song Zaishui's appearance has been damaged, , after all, he is free. If Qi'er likes her, I can think of ways for him, but I don't want to say that I was not ordered by Qi'er to interact with Song Zaishui. Qi'er is still worried about the Song family. The second daughter-in-law, Duanmu, was jealous and Wanwan was already in her prime. She should not cause trouble when going in and out of the Song family. She was reminded not to go to the Song family too often... It was said that there were only two female relatives on Xiaozhu Mountain at that time. Since it was not Song Zaishui, I think it’s Wei Changying.”
The imperial concubine was very sorry, "Qi'er, this child, was dragged down by his father and suffered a lot when he was a child! I have always said that I would choose a wife for him to live a good life, but why did he choose the wife who was born when he was a child? "Where are the people who are getting married?" He then told Yao Tao, "Anyway, I will go and visit some ladies with similar temperament and temperament who are not engaged. I will ask Qi'er again."
Yao Tao said respectfully: "Yes!"
Concubine Deng warned her again: "Qi'er's love for Wei Changying must be kept secret and no one should know about it."
Yao Tao solemnly said: "My maid understands the importance." He added, "Madam, please don't worry. My maid also had someone take out the young master's poem and burn it with her own hands. All the servants who knew about this matter have already been killed." I’ve beaten them, they are in the imperial capital and they won’t dare to talk nonsense.”
"Just burn it." Concubine Deng breathed a sigh of relief and said attentively, "No one dares to say that Qi'er covets his colleague's wife without evidence. That is all slander! Although Qi'er has no parents to protect her, I cannot tolerate this aunt. He bullied his nephew!"
Yao Tao said: "Yes!" and asked, "The master's wife will be chosen according to the guard chief Ying. What about... Miss Fifteen's marriage?"
Deng Wanwan didn't look like the Sixth Prince. Although she was also her biological niece, Concubine Deng was not very interested in her. However, thinking of how much Deng Zongqi loved this sister, she pondered for a moment and said, "Let's see if there is a suitable one." The children have come forward and I have gone through the details. They are dragged down by their father and are not welcomed by the clan. They should choose a family with fewer people and a loyal family to avoid being bullied. "
Yao Tao smiled and said: "The empress said she was loyal, but my servant actually thought of someone."
"Oh?" Concubine Deng didn't expect Yao Tao to have a target before she turned around, and asked in surprise, "Who is it?"
"The person who came back with the young master this time mentioned a guard named Wei Qing from the Wei family in Fengzhou." Yao Tao said with a smile, "My servant sounds like a good person."
Concubine Deng said displeasedly: "Guard! Even though his surname is Wei, he must be a descendant of a side branch? Our Deng family in Rongcheng is not as good as Fengzhou Wei, but Wanwan is still the legitimate daughter of our sect. Even if both her parents died, she married the Wei family. The concubine of this sect is a bit high-spirited, but the descendants of distant branches have limited status in the clan... "
"I don't know, the empress. Wei Qing was nothing in the past, but later I found out that he was the guard who escorted Wei Changfeng back home when Wei Changying and Wei Changfeng were assassinated last year." Yao Tao explained hurriedly, "And he also Not counting him as a distant descendant, his great-grandfather and Mr. Jingping are actually brothers! "
"Is he also a disciple of our sect?" Concubine Deng Guifei calmed down and said thoughtfully, "After saving Wei Changfeng, if Wei Changfeng becomes powerful in the future, as long as this person does not make mistakes, his status in Ruiyu Hall will not be the same. It's too low. Especially since Wei Changfeng is an only son and has no brothers, it is inevitable that he will be chosen as his confidant! But Wei Changfeng is young, Wei Shengyi is in his prime, and Wei Huan and Mrs. Song are both old... It's hard to say! "
Although the imperial concubine didn't seem to agree, she thought about it for a moment and asked, "How is the situation at Wei Qing's house?"
"His parents have both passed away, and he only has two siblings." Yao Tao said without thinking.
Concubine Deng was very surprised: "Why do you know so well?" Yao Tao knew about Wei Qing. He asked the people who served Deng Zongqi when he went to Qingzhou. After all, these people were just servants, but Wei Qing was Wei Changfeng's bodyguard. Only a descendant of the Wei family, even if he spoke cordially and kindly to Deng Zongqi's servants... he wouldn't tell them that his parents were dead and he had two younger sisters, right
"It's a coincidence." Yao Tao smiled slyly and said, "When the young master and his party stayed at the foot of Xiaozhu Mountain, their clothes got wet, so they borrowed robes from Wei Qing to change. In the middle, the young master of the Duanmu family saw Wei Qing taking out a robe. The embroidery on the clothes was exquisite, so he thought it was done by Mrs. Wei Qing, so Wei Qing said that his mother had passed away long ago and the clothes were all made by his sister."
"Then how do you know they are two sisters?"
Yao Tao smiled and said, "But it was the Liu family's sixteenth son who interrupted and praised the two styles of embroidery, both of which had reached the level of proficiency. The young master praised Wei Qing's sister for her embroidery skills at such a young age. You can be proficient in two embroidery styles - I originally borrowed Wei Qing's clothes, so I had to say something polite. But Wei Qing explained that he had two sisters, and they took turns embroidering in two styles."
Concubine Deng also laughed: "What a coincidence."
Yao Tao asked: "What about this matter?"
"Wan Wan is just the hairpin." Concubine Deng said, "There are still two or three years to delay! I was just passing through Fengzhou, and who knows if I might have misjudged him through hearsay? What's more, Qi'er is just a younger sister, so it may not be possible. I'm willing to let her marry far away." He couldn't help but hesitate when he said this, "Even if Wei Qing is really good, he is Wei Changying's clan brother, and he is close to Wei Changfeng. I won't see Qi'er again in the future. When it comes to Wei Changying...don't...don't cause trouble!"
Yao Tao hurriedly said: "Although the young master is young, he has always been cautious. Even though he has revealed his affection for Wei Changying, he did not even say it to the empress. It can be seen that it is more about love than etiquette. In fact, for the maid, then Although the servant girl has never been to Xiaozhushan, Zhushan must be full of green. The guard chief Ying is so beautiful. He is dressed in a fiery red dress and walks by the clear stream inside. How beautiful this scene is. The young man is leisurely. Can you not be tempted when you first see it? But if you see this scene a few more times, you may not take it to heart. In the final analysis, the young master has always been polite and did not go out of the hook. The woman he saw was too much. If it’s less, then…”
These words reminded Concubine Deng, who suddenly clapped her hands and said: "Yes, yes! I said that even though Qi'er met Wei Changying on Xiaozhu Mountain and saved her, I expected that Wei Changfeng and Gu Ziming were both there, at most To be polite, why are you so attracted to this woman? It's my brother's fault! Qi'er's father shouldn't take it out on his children, let alone give them what they deserve! The property was also withheld, making it difficult for the brothers and sisters to survive. Qi'er loved his sister. After joining Yiwei, all his salary was used to buy makeup and jewelry for Wanwan. How could he not spend anything on it. Go to the land of Goulan to see him? He is young, in his prime of life, and has not seen many women. It is not surprising that he fell in love at first sight with the red clothes in the bamboo forest and the beautiful figures by the stream!"
"So I hope my wife shouldn't worry too much about the young master. Who didn't see an amazing person when they were young? As time goes by and I see more people, I know it's just like that..." Yao Tao pursed her lips and smiled, "Didn't the empress say with emotion that the queen's eyes are so charming? But after meeting Miao Jieyu, don't you think that the queen's eyes... sometimes compare to Miao Jieyu, they are just like dead fish beads?"
Concubine Deng loved to hear what Empress Mi Tai said and laughed when she heard the words: "That's right, what is love at first sight... It's really hard to fall in love, but now the only thing I love is beauty, this is easy to do. Who do you want to ask? If there are beautiful ladies, I will arrange for Qi'er to see them more often. He will know that although Wei Changying is beautiful, there are many talents in the imperial capital who can surpass her in beauty, such as Liu Ruoye. An example - it's a pity that although the eleventh daughter of the Liu family has a good appearance, her mind is not right. Even if she is not biased towards Weiyang Palace, I don't worry that she will lead my Qi'er into trouble!"
Yao Tao smiled and said: "In my opinion, if the empress is worried that the young master is infatuated with Wei Changying and will delay his future. In fact, it is not necessary to marry the young master. It is better to choose a few innocent and beautiful people to serve the young master first! This way! When the young master is well-informed, he will no longer be easily confused by beauty.”
"It's not like I haven't thought about it this way." Concubine Deng shook her head and said, "But think about it, Qi'er and Wanwan are now dependent on each other, and there is no elder to help take care of her. Wanwan is not smart enough. , is now in charge of several old servants, and it is also because of the loyalty of these people who have served their brothers and sisters for many years that they can keep the house in order. If these beautiful concubines are plotting against each other, the backyard will be a mess. Wan can't control them, isn't Qi'er worried about it in the end? Besides, Qi'er will also get a reputation as a beauty, and it will be difficult if she wants to marry a girl from a high family. "
Yao Tao hurriedly said: "My maid is confused. Thanks to your empress for knowing everything, otherwise my maid would have harmed the young master!"
"So it's better to marry him first." Concubine Deng did not blame her, but said cautiously, "If he still remembers Wei Changying in the future, it will not be too late to arrange a beautiful concubine for him to distract him." (To be continued)