"Uncle, are you feeling better?" Sima Bao walked to the bed and saw the haggard Sima Hong, his eyes filled with worry and concern. Because his parents left early, he has been growing up in the big room, so Sima Hong is equivalent to the role of a father to Sima Bao. Now that Sima Hong is dying on the bed, he can't help but red eyes.
"When you get old, this day will come sooner or later," Sima Hong coughed a few times, leaning on the bedside and said, "You walk to me all day, don't delay your errands."
"Don't worry, uncle, nephew," Sima Bao pressed the quilt for Sima Hong, and then told Sima Hong some interesting things. How could he tell his uncle that because the Sima family lost power, his errand in the Ministry of Industry had turned into an idle job with little real power. These words only made the uncle who was already in poor health worse.
"Hey," Sima Hong sighed, took the medicine brought by the maid and gulped it down, "Nowadays, you have a hard heart, when you are doing errands, you must be careful not to cause trouble."
"Yes," Sima Bao replied respectfully, and then helped Sima Hong to lie down, "Uncle, rest more, don't worry about these things."
Sima Hong looked out the window, "What time is it now?"
"It's already time." Sima Yue replied.
"Is there a court meeting today?" Sima Hong suddenly asked, "Is His Majesty's longevity coming soon?"
"The small court meeting was just held yesterday," Sima Yue said in a low voice when he saw that Sima Hong's eyes had closed, "Three days later, it will be His Majesty's Wanshou ceremony."
After saying this, he saw that Sima Hong didn't react at all, and his bleak face was lifeless. He couldn't help but put out his index finger and probed the tip of Sima Hong's nose. After making sure that the other party was still breathing, he let go of the breath he mentioned. , walked out lightly.
"Second brother," Sima Zhi asked in a low voice when Sima Bao came out, "Is my father asleep?"
Sima Bao nodded, and then said, "I see that my uncle's face is not very good, what did the imperial doctor say?"
"What else can I say, it's just nonsense about being weak and needing rest," Sima Zhi was full of anger when he mentioned the imperial doctor. "They are all useless quack doctors. Seeing that our Sima family has lost power, they will perfunctory." They The Sima family was a temporary downfall, and it was also a first-class family. Could these people be allowed to be slow
"Didn't His Majesty send a royal doctor a few days ago, and these people didn't say why?" Sima Bao frowned, "These people are too rudderless."
"Those imperial doctors are somewhat capable, but they are only treating the symptoms but not the root cause," Sima Zhi was not comfortable talking about the people sent by the emperor, so he changed the subject, "Just now our girl sent us a letter saying that it was the eldest princess Deyi. sick."
"If she's sick, she'll be sick," Sima Bao said with limited affection for the eldest Princess Deyi, and his tone was a little dull, "It's easier to save trouble when she's sick."
If it wasn't for his cousin's daughter marrying the grandson of the eldest princess Deyi, his words might have been a bit harsher.
Sima Zhi didn't refute his words, just said: "I asked my wife to send some gifts over, and we don't want to mix in the rest."
Now their Sima family seems to be losing power, but when he thinks that King Rui is frequently moving behind his back, and that His Majesty is young and promising, he feels secretly glad that there is no need to get involved in these matters now. For their Sima family, it is the same. a good thing.
"Since that's the case, I'll do the same," Sima Bao sighed. "It's getting late, so I should go to the department to order mao. Uncle is not in a good mood. Big brother, please make the servants to be more careful."
"I know, you go," Sima Zhi nodded sadly, his whole person was a little sullen.
Seeing him like this, Sima Bao reached out and patted his shoulder without saying much, sighed and left the courtyard.
After leaving the Sima Mansion, Sima Bao saw that many people on both sides of the street spontaneously hung up red lanterns with longevity characters, and many vendors also took advantage of His Majesty's longevity to get a lot of handicrafts, not only to please His Majesty, but also to earn money Money does two birds with one stone.
Today's mind is indeed much wider than the previous emperor, and he has a lot more people's hearts than the previous emperor. If it wasn't for this, how could there be such a grand occasion in the capital. Even if the people have done enough to cope, they will not do it so willingly.
Among the six departments, the Ministry of Works is not considered a high-ranking position. His relationship with his colleagues has always been good. Since his uncle took office, although these colleagues are still as normal on the surface, they are secretly alienated from him. Many private gatherings have also been I don't like calling him.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help laughing bitterly. Who in the court did not know that His Majesty's biological mother was his compatriot sister, and who did not know that His Majesty had a difficult life in the Prince Cheng Mansion when he was young, but his uncle did not help.
He hadn't heard how ugly these people were talking behind their backs, but he could guess.
He knew that life was hard to buy, and he regretted it in his heart, but he could only swallow this regret.
"Lord Sima." His colleagues in the past greeted him one after another, but after saying hello, they kept leaving, as if staying and talking could infect them with the plague.
He felt so aggrieved in his heart that when it was time to get off work, Sima Bao didn't want to stay any longer. He hurried back to the Sima Mansion. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he received a message that their mansion had received a request from the palace. post.
Holding this invitation card with trembling hands, Sima Bao looked a little excited.
His Majesty's longevity ceremony, there is actually a place for him, this is really something that can be called a surprise.
Seeing his appearance, Mrs. Sun walked up to him, took off his shirt and let him breathe: "It's not a few days before His Majesty's longevity, we have to prepare carefully."
"Madam said it very well," Sima Bao nodded again and again, then walked to the desk and began to write some points that need attention. He also discussed with the Sun from time to time, what clothes to wear when entering the palace is more appropriate.
This joyful expression is no different from a few-year-old child getting a beloved toy.
Seeing her husband like this, Mrs. Sun felt distressed and sad, so she had to go crazy with him.
Don't look at the longevity ceremony as just the emperor's birthday, but there is a lot more to it. There are so many nobles in Beijing, but the number of people who can participate in the banquet is limited, and who can go and who can't go, there are many articles in the middle.
There is also which wine to use, which utensils can be used for the royal family, and which opera troupe or famous actor is fortunate to enter the palace, this is not a small talk.
The palace has its own Yuefu, but on such a big occasion, it seems a bit monotonous to only use people from the Yuefu to perform. A birthday banquet is all about being lively, so it is a normal thing to get some credible and reliable opera troupes, jugglers, musicians, dancers, etc. from the folk.
Like in the small talk book, it is absolutely impossible to be replaced by an assassin in disguise. The folk artists who can enter the palace first are all famous, and everyone eats this bowl of rice, and suddenly there is a strange face mixed with people. In the pile, anyone around him would find it as long as he wasn't blind.
There are also people who can be elected to the palace. Even what he has done in his life can be found out. It is impossible to pretend to be an impostor, unless the people who enter the palace with him want to lose their heads with this person.
"Niangniang, this is the list of artists selected from the folks by the province in the palace, do you think it's appropriate?" Bai Xian handed a list to Gu Rujiu, and then said, "These people have all been arranged to live in the palace, surrounded by There are heavy guards, and the people below have seen their performances, and there will be several screenings before the Longevity Festival."
After reading it carefully, Gu Rujiu found that there are indeed some well-known artists here. Even she has heard of them, and some have come to Gu's house to perform on stage. She nodded and said, "There are many guests here. There must be no mistakes."
"Please rest assured, madam, all departments will be strictly controlled, and there will be no problems," Bai Xian thought for a while, and then said, "I heard that there is a dancer from outside the palace this time. Legend has it that as long as she performs on stage, there will be a thick layer of reward money on the stage, both gold and jade, attracting the envy of countless dancers."
"Is this the person you're talking about?" Gu Rujiu pointed to the word "Fuyao" on the list, and said with a smile, "The word is like a person, you can tell she is a stunning beauty at a glance."
Bai Xian smiled and said, "What the mother said is true." Without a surname, and with an air of dust, isn't it a good name
"Who is the stunning beauty?" Jin Yang walked in, saw Gu Rujiu holding a list in his hand, and said with a smile, "Did you see a beauty today?"
"Didn't I see it?" Gu Rujiu glanced at him, then pointed to the list and handed it to him, "The beauty is on this."
"Isn't beauty in my eyes?" Jin Yang pulled out the list and put it aside, looked at Gu Rujiu and said, "There is no more attractive woman in the world than this beauty in my eyes."
Gu Rujiu looked at his own shadow printed in his pupils, reached out and pinched his cheek: "You are eloquent."
"I'm sincere, how can Jiu Jiu not believe it?" Jin Yang smiled and brought his chest close to her, "If you don't believe me, listen to me."
Bai Xian silently took the list that was thrown to the side by the emperor and withdrew. He walked into the yard and watched his shadow stretched out by the sun. He couldn't help feeling that he seemed to be alone.
"Eunuch Bai, those people from outside the palace are all arranged to live in Yueyang Palace. Do you want to go and see?" An eunuch in charge of the palace province saw Bai Xian, and came over with a smile on his face, " With your old hands and eyes, our hearts are also at ease."
Knowing that these people were afraid that the person who arranged them would not be in line with the master's wishes and take responsibility, he pulled him together. Bai Xian raised his chin and said lazily, "Then let's go take a look."
If something really happened, it would be useless for these people to pull him.
Yueyang Palace was originally a place where women from all over the world lived temporarily after entering the palace. The biggest feature here is that there are many spacious rooms, the place is remote, and it is far from the three main palaces. Even if the people inside rehearse songs and dances, there will be no noise in the palace. 's nobleman. If anyone has malicious intentions, with the strict guards in the palace, these people can be shot into a sieve without half a step out of the Yueyang Palace.
When Bai Xian arrived, he heard the sounds of various musical instruments. All kinds of sounds were mixed together, and no matter how wonderful the sound of nature could be, it could become a magical sound that penetrated the brain.
Seeing that Bai Xian's brows were wrinkled, the steward of the central province hurriedly let the little eunuch who was guarding the door go in and told them to stop rehearsing.
After the sound stopped, Bai Xian stepped on the stone steps and stepped into the palace gate. Entering the gate is a spacious yard. The artists who came into the palace all stood one by one, and when they saw him come in, they all bowed their heads respectfully.
Although these folk artists are small in size outside, in front of Bai Xian, the royal father-in-law who is close to the front, they are only pariahs who are low in the dust. Bai Xian glanced over and didn't see a very special-looking woman, so he turned to ask the steward, "Are these the invited folk artists?"
The director nodded and said yes, and then said to these folk artists: "This is Eunuch Bai, the former head of the royal family. You should greet Eunuch Bai quickly."
These folk artists have long known that Eunuch Bai's identity is not simple, because he usually looks up at their stewards, and in front of Eunuch Bai, he looks like a grandson. Now when they heard the steward say that this Eunuch Bai was actually the head of the eunuch, they were all surprised and hurriedly bowed their heads and saluted.
Their etiquette was uneven, and their posture was not very good-looking. Bai Xian said: "Let someone teach them some rules. If you lose your manners in front of the nobles, it is small to get reprimanded, but it is big to lose your life."
"Yes, yes, you are right." The steward nodded and said yes, and wrote it down.
At this moment, I suddenly heard the sound of running from behind. A girl in pink, about sixteen or seventeen years old, ran over. She just ran close. Because she ran too far, the hairpin fell to the ground.
Bai Xian saw that this girl's skin was shattered, and her appearance was even more breathtaking. Even the girl from the third room of the Sima family was no match, so she guessed that this girl was probably the legendary Fuyao girl.
He calmly glanced at the hairpin ring that fell on the ground, then glanced at Fu Yao's sideburns, and said lightly, "The rules in the palace are strict, what you eat, what you wear, and what you say is important. If the rules are met, people can be sent out of the palace."
Fuyao knew that the eunuch was talking about himself, so he secretly raised his head and glanced at the eunuch, and when he saw the majestic aura all over his body, he lowered his head honestly.
Touching the twisted silk gold bracelet on her wrist, her cheeks were a little red, then she pulled her sleeve and hid the bracelet under it.
"Okay, I've seen everyone, but the rules are still lacking. As for rhythm and dance, our family is not good at this, so we can't say much," Bai Xian said, and glanced to the side. Everyone, after seeing these people bowing their heads, they retracted their gazes with satisfaction, "There is only one point, don't make the emperor and the empress empress dissatisfied, otherwise our family will not be able to help you at that time."
The steward repeatedly said yes, and after personally sending Bai Xian out of the Yueyang Palace, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and returned to the palace. The first thing he did when he returned to the hall was to ask Fuyao to change his clothes.
When the other dancers saw this, they all gloated. What if Fuyao was touted by the noble sons outside the palace again, and when he entered the palace, he would no longer be able to make a mark.
Seeing that Fuyao had taken off the hairpin and put on an ordinary skirt, Dancer Jia sneered, "You still dare to dress up in the palace when you enter the palace. I really don't know who you are trying to confuse."
"Who else can I show it to," Dancer Girl B was a little lacking in interest, "They're thinking big."
A few people next to them all laughed. These dance girls who can enter the palace are not very beautiful and good at dancing. Although they also dreamed that some nobles and grandchildren would take their fancy to them and then marry them home, but in fact they also It is very clear that they, who came from humble backgrounds, among these noble families, are nothing but pleasing things, not to mention being married and going home, even being a concubine is not easy.
Seeing that Fuyao is young and beautiful, and is sought after by some Beijing gangsters, they are so erratic that they don't know who they are. They all feel sad and funny. Who among them has not had such delusions
Thinking of this, the few dancers no longer had any thoughts of laughing at Fuyao. You looked at me and I looked at you, and they all felt that it was not interesting, so they all went back to their rooms.
Fuyao didn't mind what other dancers thought of him. In her opinion, it was normal for these dancers not to like her.
"Isn't it just jealous of how beautiful I am?" She went back to the room, looked at herself in the mirror, took out the lip balm and lightly smeared it on her lips to make her lips look more moist and attractive.
Beauty is her ultimate weapon.
Seeing her like this, the dancer who lived in the same room with her persuaded her in a low voice, "Fuyao, this is the palace, you..."
"So far, there is no man who will not be in a daze after seeing me," Fuyao looked at her and said with the corners of his lips hooked, "The emperor is also a man."
"But… "
"No but, there are singers in history who can be queens, can't I even be a concubine?" Fuyao said confidently, "You must know that there are no other women in your majesty's harem other than the queen."
"That's because Your Majesty has a good relationship with the Empress, so why do you want to get involved?" The dancer in the same room disagreed, "Isn't it worthwhile to anger the Empress?"
"There is no cat in the world who doesn't like to eat fish, and there is no man who doesn't like to steal fish," Fuyao stroked his eyebrows, "As long as you catch His Majesty's heart, what can the Queen do even if she is dissatisfied."
The dancer in the same room was quite speechless. After a long while, she said, "You haven't even seen His Majesty's face, so don't think about anything else." After speaking, she lifted the quilt and wrapped herself in a deep sleep.
The two have completely opposite views, so there is no way to talk about it any more.
Fuyao looked back at the small mountain bag that rolled up on the bed, and snorted disdainfully, how could these women understand her thoughts, how could Yanque know the ambition of Honghu
On the twenty-eighth of June in the fifth year of Delong's year, the longevity ceremony after Emperor Delong's big wedding finally arrived in anticipation of many people.
Before dawn, the officials and nobles who were able to participate in the Wanshou ceremony got up, and then dressed up and sat on the carriage that entered the palace.
The sound of carriages passing by on the street has never been interrupted. Some curious people pushed open the window and looked at them. They saw the carriages passing by, with red tops, blue tops, and black tops. Very refined and luxurious.
Some children who like to watch the fun hid behind the windows, looked at these carriages with envy, and innocently asked their parents behind who these carriages belonged to.
"These cars are the carriages of Gu Guogong's family. If you see it, the carriage in front has avoided it."
"This is the Li family's carriage. Their carriage looks so delicate."
"The carriage has the word Rui printed on it. Could it be the chariot of King Rui?"
The carriages of King Rui and King Zhong almost went out together, and almost stopped at the corner together. Both of them are iron hats. In terms of gold content, it is naturally the iron hat of King Zhong that has more weight. But in terms of closeness and distance, King Rui is today's uncle, and he is closer to today.
Therefore, the carriage of the two people, who is in front and who is behind, is a bit subtle.
Just when King Rui was about to ask his groom to let King Zhong's family go first, the groom from King Zhong's mansion squeezed past them and walked in front of them.
King Rui's two sons almost lost their anger when they saw King Zhong's arrogant behavior. When the queen mother chose her stepson, they also went to Beijing, but unfortunately the queen mother took a fancy to the uneducated Jin Yang, and instead threw them aside, the sons and sons who had been taught by the husband.
If one of their brothers became the emperor, King Zhong would still be as arrogant as he is now.
"It's so deceiving," Prince Rui's eldest son turned pale, his knuckles turning white because he was holding the reins too hard, "It's not because of the father..."
He paused for a moment, not daring to say the rest. His father, king, was rejected by his grandfather because of his natural leg problems. As a son of man, wouldn't he be unfilial if he said this out of anger
The second son of King Rui knew what his brother wanted to say. He glanced at his brother and then at the silent carriage behind him. He lowered his voice and said, "Let him go, the more arrogant he is, the more dissatisfied His Majesty will be with him."
When the carriage passed through the Suzaku Gate, the guards guarding the gate searched more strictly than before. After the search, they clasped their fists and said, "His Royal Highness Rui, please."
"You have a job." King Rui smiled gently, and then slowly lowered the curtain of the carriage. This move fell into the eyes of other people, and many people were very emotional, and they praised Rui Wang for his reasoning and elegance.
In the Zichen Hall, Gu Rujiu arranged Jin Yang's clothes by himself. Because it is not a court meeting, Jin Yang is now wearing a set of brocade robes embroidered with dragon patterns, not a serious dragon robe.
While arranging the front of his clothes, Gu Rujiu touched the warm jade that she gave him, so she smiled and continued to organize her clothes.
Jin Yang lowered his head and looked at the sachet hanging on his body. After looking back and forth for a few times, he still took off the sachet and replaced it with the mint sachet that Gu Rujiu embroidered for him, "Other sachets don't taste as good as this."
The embroidery thread used for the mint sachet is the best, the only bad thing is the embroidery. Gu Rujiu looked at the auspicious clouds that looked like steamed buns on the purse, and couldn't help saying, "Don't wear it today. To avoid making jokes."
"Isn't this pretty good?" Jin Yang fondly touched the surface of the sachet, "That's it, everything else is too tacky."
Gu Rujiu glanced at the exquisite and novel sachets on the tray next to her, and then looked at the ugly sachets she had embroidered. She couldn't help but think that because it was too ugly and creative, it complemented other beautiful sachets. Cheesy