The warm wind in March blows warmly on my body, and I can't help but feel spring sleepiness.
Jiang Yan was sitting on the porch, with tea, snacks and fresh cherries from the capital on the low table by her side.
But she was not in the mood to enjoy the food.
On the twenty-eighth day of the first lunar month, Emperor Kaiyao passed away. The death knell rings in the harem,
Jiang Yan was still the harem Jiang Shuyi at that time, she remembered Zhou Miao's order, took out the porcelain bottle, and took out the pills.
She hesitated and struggled for a long time, and when she heard the scolding voice from the palace man, she knew that there was no time for her to continue to hesitate.
She gritted her teeth, cruelly, and swallowed the pill.
The confidant palace lady will delay the palace people outside for her.
When the palace servants came to the main hall, she was sure enough to hold her breath and 'dead'!
What happened afterwards, how she got out of the palace, how she was buried in the underground palace, how she was dropped out of the underground palace, and how she was placed in this secluded small house, she had no idea.
When she woke up, she was already in this small house with two entrances.
There is a servant girl, an old woman to serve, and an old man to guard the porter.
All the servants are dull and don't like words.
On weekdays, they all called her Lady Jiang.
After inquiring about it, she realized that she was still in the capital, and this house was located in a certain city in the south of the city, surrounded by residential buildings.
Since waking up that day, more than a month has passed, the weather is getting warmer every day, and she has added four sets of spring clothes, but no one comes to her, and she can't go out.
Whenever she wants to go out, the old man guarding the door will definitely put on a straight face, wave his hands, and tell her to go back to the room.
Jiang Yan was a little depressed.
Every day when there is nothing to do, I start to think wildly.
The noble person in Zhou Miao's mouth tried her best to rescue her. After such a long time, but not sending her out of the capital, nor sending someone to visit her, what does it mean
She looked at the mirror and felt sorry for herself, and couldn't help but make a bold guess.
Could it be that this nobleman is coveting her beauty
Jiang Yan is still young and beautiful. It can be said that she is more feminine and charming than her teenage body.
After living in the harem for several years, she has developed a graceful and luxurious demeanor. Just sitting there, raising his eyebrows and eyes, he gained momentum.
If she is willing to smile, she will be full of charm for no reason, and her whole body will be weak and weak. Whenever a man sees it, he can't help being moved.
Jiang Yan is very clear about her capital. Knows better than anyone in the world.
She knew that her greatest assets were her face, her body, and her job of serving others.
It is also possible that the nobleman takes a fancy to her and is reluctant to send her out of the capital.
However, she is a 'dead' person after all, and she is the late emperor's woman, so it is not good for her to appear in the capital, so as not to be seen by others.
The nobleman probably didn't think about how to arrange her, so he left her here.
Jiang Yan thought she had grasped the truth, so she was not in a hurry and lived in this small house safely.
The old man who guards the gate won't let her go out, so she doesn't go out.
Hearing the little maid talk about the situation on the street, I also found it very interesting.
It's just that the warm wind in March is confusing and makes people lose their spirits.
She didn't regain her spirits until she heard the servant girl talk about the current princes.
"The six princes are still living in the palace. They have never moved to the palace, and they have never opened a mansion. It is said that His Majesty takes pity on the people, and the tax is too heavy. He does not want to increase the burden on the people for the prince to open a mansion. Therefore, let the princes first I still live in the palace. When the court has money in the future, I will arrange another residence for the princes."
Jiang Yan asked, "Who did you hear that from?"
The servant girl said: "That's what people say outside."
Jiang Yan laughed, with mocking eyes.
She has been in the harem for many years, and her eyesight has improved a bit.
She could see at a glance that it was impossible for these words to spread to the market and let the people talk about them freely without Emperor Wende nodding his approval. Maybe Emperor Wende also arranged many spies to secretly guide the public opinion of the people.
Emperor Wende's move was clearly an invitation to buy people's hearts and fame.
Don't think that you don't need fame to be an emperor. An emperor cares more about reputation than anyone else.
The emperors of all dynasties, as long as they have a little pursuit, want to leave a reputation as a wise monarch in the history books, so that future generations can praise them.
A sage monarch, first and foremost, is to love the people like his own son, and be light on corvees and gifts.
As long as this is achieved, no matter how many brothers the emperor killed, how many sons he killed, and how many wars he provoked, there will be a more wise evaluation in the history books.
Anyway, it wasn't Wen Chen who died.
The civil servants are not dead, and the burials are light and the tax is light. This is a proper and wise monarch.
Anyone who calls the pen is in the hands of civil servants and scholars.
Jiang Yan muttered, "I didn't expect King Ning to have a good reputation, and he couldn't wait to build momentum just after he took the throne. Could it be that he has done a lot of bad things before, or that he knows that he has a bad reputation and wants to correct the people's impression of him. .”
"What did Miss Jiang say?" the servant girl asked curiously.
Jiang Yan shook her head, "I didn't say anything. If you hear anything else, tell me."
The servant girl said again: "Now the street is still discussing, saying that outside the south gate of the city is very lively these days."
"How lively?"
"The guards of the Four Seas Trading Company are carrying out forced demolition, and they want to demolish all those shacks. I heard that it has aroused public resentment, and the embroidered clothes guards have arrested many people. Some people have their legs broken and thrown out. Say no to moving If you leave, you will not be qualified to continue working on the construction site."
Jiang Yan's heart tightened, she didn't understand forced demolition, but she knew the severity of public grievances.
She asked nervously, "Has it really aroused public resentment?"
She didn't know whether she was nervous for Gu Jiu or herself.
The servant girl nodded, "That's what people say outside, and I think it's true. Those refugees deserve it. The Four Seas Trading Company feeds them with good food and drink, but now they just refuse to move to another place, damn it.
The people in the capital said that they should have done this long ago. They were too kind to those refugees in the past, and they made progress one by one. Now it's time to use the thunderbolt method to let those people know what's good or bad.
A good capital city, a huge shack area, looks ugly. What's so good about that shack, those refugees are still reluctant to move away. "
Hearing the maid's words, Jiang Yan breathed a sigh of relief.
It just aroused the public grievances of those refugees, that's okay.
Listening to what the maid said, it is obvious that the people in the capital are all on the side of the Four Seas Trading Company, wishing that the Four Seas Trading Company would be more ruthless to those refugees.
"Won't my wife eat the cherries that just hit the market this year?"
Jiang Yan smiled and said, "If you want to eat, fill half of that bowl."
"That's so embarrassing."
"It's nothing to be embarrassed about, I'll make the decision for you."
The servant girl cheered up, "Thank you Mrs. Jiang."
The servant girl happily went to the kitchen to get a bowl, filled a small half bowl of cherries, and ate deliciously while hiding alone.
bang bang bang!
Jiang Yan was stunned for a moment before realizing that it was a knock on the door.
How long, how long has she not heard a knock on the door.
And the knock came from the courtyard door.
Jiang Yan put on her shoes and hurried to the front yard.
Sure enough, the courtyard door opened, and a familiar person walked in from the outside.
"Zhou Miao!"
Zhou Miao grinned, "How is Miss Jiang these days?"
"Why... come in and say, come quickly."
Jiang Yan was very happy to see an acquaintance. She had too much to say, so she waved to Zhou Miao and told him to follow her to the backyard to talk.
Zhou Miao knew the way, and followed Jiang Yan to the backyard.
Jiang Yan closed the door, first yelled twice, then howled again.
"Don't cry! Live well, why are you crying?"
"Don't worry about me, I just feel unhappy."
During this period of time, Jiang Yan suppressed too many emotions, and when she saw Zhou Miao, she couldn't help but let it out.
She cried a lot, crying out all the fear of death and the fear of not knowing the future, and her mood calmed down.
Sure enough, crying is an excellent outlet.
She wiped away her tears, a little embarrassed, "I told you to read a joke."
Zhou Miao drank tea, "It's nothing. I can't go out for such a long time, so it's not bad."
"If you don't come again, I'm really going to go crazy. When you come back, are you visiting me specially, or are you sending me out of Beijing?" Or are you sending me to a nobleman's bed
Jiang Yan waited for Zhou Miao's answer with secret suspicion.
Zhou Miao smiled, "When the nobleman heard that you had settled down, he asked our family to come and see you. Seeing that you are all well, our family is relieved."
Jiang Yan stared, "That's all?"
Zhou Miao nodded, "Yes, that's all. What else do you want?"
Jiang Yan frowned, "How long am I going to live here? I can't live here forever and never go out."
"It seems that you are really suffocated. Well, let me tell you the truth. Ten days later, there will be a fleet going south. At that time, someone will escort you on board and send you to the south to settle down. When you arrive in the south, you change your name. , you can start a new life. Whether you are married or single, it is all up to you. Anyway, you are not short of that little money."
Jiang Yan opened her mouth, this day really came, but it seemed so unreal.
She asked cautiously, "Really send me south?"
Zhou Miao nodded, "Of course it's true. It's just that from now on, you can no longer use the name Jiang Yan, you have to change your name. I'm here today for this purpose. You think about a new name, and then use the new name." The name will do a set of road citation documents and household registration for you. With a new household registration, you will truly gain a new life."
Jiang Yan tentatively asked: "Ten days, can you really help me do it?"
Zhou Miao looked at her with a half-smile, "You have seen the energy of a nobleman before. It's just a matter of one sentence to get your household registration. Don't you think it's difficult?"
Jiang Yan lowered her head and smiled, "This matter is naturally difficult for ordinary people. If you think about it, even if the nobleman is not a member of the royal family, he should be a minister in power."
"Don't guess about the nobleman's identity. You promised our family to stop your curiosity and stop asking about the nobleman's identity."
"I remember it all. I won't trouble you."
"It's best. If you can't think of a name, then I'll think of one for you. Why don't you take my last name and call it Zhou Yan."
"Not good." Jiang Yan rejected it without even thinking about it, "My surname is Jiang, so my name is Jiang Zhu."
Zhou Miao frowned, "This name is not good."
"It's pretty good. In my hometown, Jiang is the common surname. There are quite a few people named Jiang Zhu. But the name is ordinary, not eye-catching."
"Forget it, it doesn't matter what your name is, as long as it's not Jiang Yan."
Zhou Miao drank tea, finished business, and planned to leave.
It was rare for someone to visit her, so Jiang Yan naturally refused to let Zhou Miao leave.
"If you talk to me again, I'm having a hard time these days."
"There's nothing to say, I should go back to the palace as an errand."
"Don't coax me. You rest and take a bath today, and you have no errands."
"You know my situation perfectly."
Jiang Yan snorted, "I have worked with you for many years, if I don't even know when you rest, how stupid I must be."
Zhou Miao chuckled, "What do you want to know, I will try my best to tell you what I can say."
Jiang Yan hesitated, "Am I really 'dead'?"
Zhou Miao nodded, "In the roster of concubines in the harem, you have already been buried for the late emperor, and you deserved to die."
Jiang Yan's face was pale, obviously she was living well, but for no reason she would feel cold.
She asked cautiously: "Is it true that no one found the bag?"
Zhou Miao laughed, "Who dares to open the coffin to inspect the concubine who has already been in the coffin? Are you dying? Even if she dies, she is still the late emperor's woman, so don't just wait and see."
Jiang Yan breathed a sigh of relief, "It's so good. I've been in a panic these days, and I'm afraid that one day the Jinwu guards will rush in to arrest me, kill me, and throw me into the imperial mausoleum as the most humble sacrificial object .”
"Don't worry, the nobleman has wiped out all this matter for you, without any trace. As long as you don't tell me, no one in the world will know your true identity."
Jiang Yan laughed, "Thank you, Eunuch Zhou. All these years, thanks to your care, I can live to this day."
"It's easy to say, who told us that we are fellow villagers."
"Is my mother's family all right?"
"Very good! They have all returned home safely, very respectable. As long as you don't commit suicide and don't be too careful, the three generations of Xiaofu can still be guaranteed."
"That's fine. When I leave the capital, please ask Eunuch Zhou to take care of my natal family when you have time. After all, don't let them die in vain."
"It's simple, leave it to me."
The two chatted for a while, Zhou Miao ate a few pieces of snacks, then said that he could not stay any longer, got up and left.
Jiang Yan watched him leave anxiously. This farewell, I'm afraid I'll never see you again. My heart couldn't help feeling sad.
Zhou Miao walked out of the house, went to the street, and wandered around.
The street is very lively, but his mind is not on it.
There was a carriage passing by, and he heard a faint cry, so he paid more attention.
Eh, looking at the emblem on the carriage, it seems to be Gu's carriage.
Gu's mansion is very prosperous now, who told Gu Da to give birth to a capable daughter, who changed from the emperor's grandson's wife to the emperor's wife, and also managed a huge property.
But the Gu family is keeping a filial piety now, keeping a low profile.
Who was sitting in the carriage, crying and crying, it was clearly a woman crying.
The carriage drove slowly all the way, finally entered through the side door of Gu's mansion, and stopped at the second door.
The one who got off the carriage was none other than Mrs. Xie.
Xie's eyes were swollen, he was ten years old, and he was very haggard.
She came back from the farm outside the city, and she was very sad.
Two days ago, she asked the coachman to drive her to the farm outside the city to visit Gu Yue.
When he arrived at the place, seeing Gu Yue's haggard appearance and the harsh living environment, Xie was heartbroken and angry.
"Too much deception, really too much deception. These lowly servant girls, who gave them the courage to torture you like this."
As Xie said, he was going to take Gu Yue back to the mansion. How can a dignified daughter born in the first place be tortured to such an extent.
Unexpectedly, the people sent by Master Gu followed to the farm and forced Mrs. Xie to return to the capital.
Xie's various methods were useless.
Mr. Gu made up his mind that he would never condone, so the servants who chased him were all big and round, Xie and Gu Yue were no match.
In the end, Mrs. Xie was forcibly sent to the carriage by the maid, and Gu Yue continued to eat bran and swallowed vegetables in the farm.
The carriage drove all the way, and Xie cried all the way.
At the beginning, I was quite strong, and I cried until I was exhausted.
When he arrived in the capital, Xie cried until he had no strength left, only sobbing and choking, desolate and desolate.
The sixth young lady, Mrs. Hu, was waiting at the second door, "The wife is back, the master is worried. Do you want the wife to wash up first, and then go to see the master?"
Mrs. Xie said angrily, "What am I going to see him for? He wishes I could die."
"My wife said this to offend my daughter-in-law."
"One or two of you are not good things. Yue'er was tortured in the farm, but you have food and drink, won't your conscience hurt?"
Mrs. Hu rolled her eyes, "The third aunt was kicked back by the palace, so she has no reputation. If she is not confined to the farm, should she be allowed to live in the mansion and ruin the family's reputation? Madam doesn't care about reputation, daughter-in-law I still care, and so does your granddaughter."
Mrs. Xie was furious, and cursed: "You can't even give birth to a son, what face do you have to show people. What use are you for a hen that can't lay eggs."
Hu's face turned pale with anger, and he trembled all over. Tangtang commanded, and even scolded his daughter-in-law for being a hen that couldn't lay eggs. This kind of vulgar language is not as good as even a street shrew.
Hu held back a mouthful of old blood, and said gloomyly: "Naturally, a daughter-in-law is not as capable as a mother-in-law. It is also extremely powerful to be able to give birth to a troublemaker."
"Little whore, I have to tear your mouth apart today." Shi Xie raised his hand and slapped Hu Shi in the face.
"Stop! What is mother beating?"