Many years later, even when Mu Fulan grew up, she still could not forget the scene when her aunt said goodbye to her at the Fengyi Palace when she was six years old, and every word she said to her that night.
My aunt was the most beautiful woman in Changsha. In addition to her beauty, she was also famous for her virtue and talent. Later, she was chosen by the Queen Mother to live in Fengyi Palace and became the Queen of the dynasty.
This seems like such a glorious thing.
This dynasty has been established for more than 200 years. At the beginning of the founding of the country, the whole country was enfeoffed. In addition to the royal princes who were enfeoffed in various places, there were also meritorious officials of several surnames who were granted the title of kings of different surnames due to their meritorious service.
The ancestor of the Mu family was one of them. Because of his great achievements, he was granted the title of King of Changsha and ruled Yuezhou and Tanzhou. From then on, the Mu family also moved to the south and lived by the Dongting Lake for generations.
Several generations of Changsha kings have kept in mind the teachings of their ancestors. They have made contributions to the country and made requests for favors in spring and autumn; they have governed the country and loved the people like their own children.
The country has been passed down to this day. Several kings of different surnames in the current dynasty have been deposed or expelled from their countries due to various crimes. The rest of them are still in danger.
Only Changsha State, although small, has been away from the disputes and conflicts of the Central Plains because of the diligence and love of the people of several generations of kings, and it is located in the remote south, with the 800-li Dongting Lake and the Yangtze River as the natural barrier. It is a paradise in Chu, with peace and prosperity. Now, the sister of the King of Changsha, who is deeply loved by the people, has been chosen by the royal family far away in Shangjing to enter the palace.
What an honor and pride this is for the people of Changsha.
The year my aunt left Yuecheng on the shore of Dongting Lake and was sent to Shangjing to be the queen, Fulan was not yet born.
But since she was old enough to understand, she had heard the old maids in the family say more than once that she looked a lot like her aunt. When they talked about the grand scene of the princess leaving Dongting Lake, everyone's face still showed the pride brought by the glory of that day.
Although the aunt had never met little Fulan, she had probably heard some things about this little niece who looked like her, and had always been very caring towards her.
Since she was born, gifts from the capital have been coming in all seasons. Little Fulan was full of longing for the legendary aunt, the queen, who lived far away in the palace of Shangjing, and she was always looking forward to meeting her aunt.
She often prayed devoutly to Emperor Junshan and made wishes in secret.
It seemed as if the gods had heard her request.
When she was six years old, her wish finally came true.
That year, the Queen was pregnant, and the Prince and his wife of Changsha were allowed to come to the capital to pay their respects.
Fulan, accompanied by her parents and her brother, traveled through mountains and rivers, and after nearly a month of hard work, they finally arrived in Shangjing.
Fulan originally thought that Yuecheng, where she grew up, was the most prosperous city in the world. Her home by the Dongting Lake, which was called the "Royal Palace" by the people of Changsha, was the best place in the world.
It was not until she arrived in Shangjing and witnessed the prosperity of the emperor's capital, and saw the place called "the Imperial Palace" where her aunt lived, that Fulan realized how narrow-minded her previous thoughts were.
The imperial palace before him had flying eaves and towering buildings, stretching endlessly. Even if he strained his eyes, he could not see the end at a glance.
Such endless expanses of colored glaze, jade steps and red courtyards, and endless golden splendor and painted buildings and flying eaves.
The Fengyi Palace where my aunt lived was decorated with carved railings, jade bricks, and golden paving.
In the dazzling splendor, Fulan met her aunt, the most noble woman in the palace.
The aunt was dressed like a fairy from heaven and was as beautiful as a fairy from heaven. She smiled and, despite Fulan's mother's dissuasion, let little Fulan sit on her lap and gave her a warm kiss on the cheek.
Aunt and Fulan looked exactly as I imagined.
The aunt liked Fulan, and Fulan liked her aunt just as much. Later, when her parents took her brother back to Changsha, Fulan was left behind to continue to accompany her aunt in the palace.
With Fulan on her lap, my aunt's belly grew bigger and bigger, and finally the day of delivery came.
What Fulan didn't expect was that her aunt had a difficult delivery and then suffered hemorrhage.
The prince could not be saved soon after he fell to the ground.
My aunt has been lying on the phoenix bed in Fengyi Palace and has been in a coma for three or four days.
During these three or four days, Fulan prayed to the Junshan Emperor of Dongting Lake in her hometown all the time, asking the god to bless her and help her aunt get through this difficult time safely.
In the eyes of little Fulan, Emperor Junshan is the most powerful and compassionate god between heaven and earth.
Every year on the Spring Equinox, the parents would prepare five animals, take Fulan and her brother, as well as officials from the State of Changsha, abandon the sedan chair, and walk devoutly from the foot of the mountain to the top to offer sacrifices to the Emperor of Junshan.
It is with the blessing of the gods that Changsha enjoys good weather and a good harvest.
It was also because of the gods' response that she was able to come to the capital and meet her aunt.
However, this time, the gods of Junshan no longer listened to her prayers.
Late that night, she was tired of crying and fell into a deep sleep beside her aunt, but suddenly she woke up.
A singing voice seemed to float into her ears from some corner of the palace.
"… In the southwest is Kunming, where a golden bird spits out of the sea… Pearls and turtle brains spit out gold dust like millet…"
“… If you don’t accept the gold for warding off the cold, how can you win the emperor’s heart… If you don’t accept the hairpin for warding off the cold, how can you win the emperor’s pity…”
Little Fulan didn't know what the song she heard meant at the time. She found out later when she grew up.
Legend has it that there was a bird called Kunming that flew over the distant sea. During the reign of Emperor Ming of Wei, a bird was offered as a gift from that country. The bird was fed with pearls and tortoise brains. The bird spat out gold dust as small as millet, which was made into hairpins and earrings. The beautiful women wore them, which made them look more beautiful. The emperor stopped and looked at the bird with pity and love. The palace ladies competed to use the gold spat out by the bird to make hairpins and earrings. It was called "cold-proof gold" because the bird was not afraid of the cold.
The palace was gloomy, and the singing was vague and distant, accompanied by the swaying candlelight beside the body that was suddenly blown by the night wind. It was faint and resentful, as if it came from the underworld, and it was particularly charming in this deserted palace late at night.
During the six months she lived in the palace, Fulan had heard the little palace maids tell her mysteriously that in a place they couldn't see called the Cold Palace, there were the spirits of female ghosts that had been floating around for hundreds of years. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, the palace maids who were haunted by the evil spirits in the palace could even hear the resentful singing coming from that direction.
Fulan didn't believe it at first.
How could there be resentful spirits in a place as bright and noble as the imperial palace
But at this moment, she was horrified to find that a strange singing voice seemed to really float into her ears.
What frightened her even more were the palace maids and ladies-in-waiting who were keeping watch beside her.
They actually had no reaction at all. Some were so tired that they secretly dozed off against the pillars, while others wept in front of the phoenix bed, watching over the Queen Mu from Changsha, who was still unconscious and treated the palace maids well.
The sad song in my ears is intermittent, as if it is still continuing.
At this moment, Fulan saw her aunt who had been in a coma for several days. Her drooping eyelashes trembled slightly, and then she slowly opened her eyes.
The aunt woke up and looked blankly at the satin curtain embroidered with phoenixes and peonies above her head. After a moment, Fulan saw her lips slightly parted and she muttered something.
Her voice was so weak that it was almost inaudible, but Fulan could see that her lips were repeating the vague song she had just sung.
If you don't obey the cold-proof gold, how can you win the emperor's heart
If you don't obey the cold rule, how can you get the emperor's pity
"aunt!"
Fulan called out, rushed to the bed, grabbed her aunt's hand, with tears in her eyes and a bit of surprise.
The palace maids and female officials nearby were alarmed and gathered around.
My aunt’s face was as white as if it was covered with a layer of snow floating on the top of Junshan Mountain.
After a moment, she slowly turned her head, placed her cold fingers lightly on Fulan's small hand, and used a weak voice to order everyone around to go out.
The palace maids and female officials silently left the inner hall.
The ethereal singing in my ears came and went without a trace.
All is quiet, but my ears are clear.
My aunt said softly, "Lan'er, sing a song that your father, the king, sang when he climbed Junshan Mountain to offer sacrifices for a good harvest, and that the people of Changsha sang..."
"Auntie, I haven't listened to it for many years. I want to listen..."
Fulan hurriedly wiped away her tears, nodded vigorously, and sang the ballad she was so familiar with:
"Oh, Great Emperor, your wisdom is like a god. You share the glory of time and help us living beings."
"Oh, Great Emperor, your merits are like those of heaven. You balance the four seasons and bring us a good harvest."
The little girl's voice echoed in the spacious and deep palace of Fengyi Palace, tender and ethereal, like the sound of nature.
The corners of my aunt's lips slowly curled up.
Fulan sang the ballad over and over again. After finishing one, she sang another one for her aunt.
At first my aunt listened attentively, but slowly, as if she was tired, she closed her eyes.
After a while, Fulan heard her murmur: "...Prime Minister Yuan, is he okay now..."
Fu Lan was stunned and stopped.
She once heard her mother tell her in a nostalgic tone that Prime Minister Yuan of Changsha was her father's right-hand man, but he died of illness a few years ago.
Prime Minister Yuan never married, leaving behind a son who was said to have been picked up from a wolf's den in the mountains. The son was named Handing. After the prime minister passed away, the queen mother took the child to the palace and raised him as her own. He was a few years older than Fulan, and was very obedient to Fulan, just like another brother of Fulan.
"Aunt... Prime Minister Yuan... He has passed away..."
Fulan didn't understand why her aunt suddenly asked about Yuan Xiang. She hesitated for a moment and answered in a low voice.
My aunt didn't move, but her eyelashes suddenly trembled again and she slowly opened her eyes, as if she had woken up again.
"... Yes, he has gone... I forgot..."
She muttered to herself in a voice so low that it was almost inaudible.
"Aunt! You have to get better!"
An ominous feeling, like a tide, completely engulfed the little Fulan.
She lay on the side, her little hands tightly clasping her aunt's soft, clammy hand, crying and calling her non-stop.
The aunt raised one hand with great effort, and gently wiped away the tears that kept rolling down her face with her fingertips. She stared at her with her beautiful eyes and said softly, "They all say that you are the most beautiful woman in Changsha, but I knew it the first time I saw you. When Lan'er grows up, you will truly be the most beautiful woman in Changsha."
She smiled and said word by word: "Lan'er, you will definitely be luckier than your aunt in this life. Your aunt will pray for you and protect you."
She held Fulan's hand tightly.
It seems that only in this way can one convey one's wishes to heaven.
Behind him, the female official and the imperial physician hurried in.
In the end, the aunt could not get through that ordeal. She did not want Fulan to see her dying, so she had the crying Fulan forcibly taken away.
At dawn, Fulan heard from the palace maid that her aunt, the queen, had passed away very peacefully, looking as lifelike as if she had fallen asleep.
Ten years have passed in a flash.
Perhaps, much more than ten years.
So many years have passed by just like this.
She is no longer the little girl who sang to her aunt.
But Fulan can still remember clearly every word her aunt said to her that night.
However, my aunt's beautiful wishes before her death were ultimately in vain.
People at that time said that among the daughters of the Mu family in Changsha State, there would be one outstanding beauty in every generation.
Despite her unparalleled beauty, she suffered a tragic fate and did not have a good ending.
This may be the fate of the Mu family's daughter.
…
From Dongting Lake, turn into the Yangtze River, go west along the river upstream, pass Jiangling, Xiazhou, Guizhou, go through Badong, cross Wushan, and next to the difficult Shu Road, you will find Kuizhou. There is an ancient county under the state. It is said that the county annals can be traced back to the beginning of this dynasty, when a group of people with the surname Xie from the previous dynasty moved here to avoid disaster, and gradually multiplied and settled here. To this day, there are still many families with the surname Xie in the county, hence the name Xie County.
The morning light shines through an old window that is covered with a layer of window paper and has a swastika pattern carved on it, gradually illuminating the scene in the house.
In the main room of the Xie family's ancestral home, Xie's mother, Shen, sat cross-legged on the bed as she did every day, waiting for her daughter-in-law, Mu Fulan, to greet her good morning, put on her shoes, and comb her hair. Thus, a new day began.
Mu was the daughter of the King of Changsha who passed away three years ago, and the younger sister of the current King of Changsha.
After marrying into the husband's family, no matter what their original social status is, it is necessary to greet their mother-in-law in the morning and evening. This is the filial piety of a daughter-in-law to her mother-in-law.
But for a girl of the Mu family, putting on shoes and combing her mother-in-law's hair every day was a bit condescending.
So at the beginning, when the new daughter-in-law took the initiative to serve him and do these things, Shen was caught off guard and felt a little restrained.
And now, the Mu family's daughter has been married for more than half a year. She is gentle and virtuous, and is very respectful to her and serves her attentively. She does not have the slightest airs of a princess at all. Mother Xie has gradually become accustomed to it, and even takes it for granted, from being restrained in the beginning.
Shen was used to getting up early, and the new bride followed her. They got up before dawn every day, and would wait outside the main hall at 12:00 a.m. Seeing that it was already past 12:00 today, and the Mu family daughter had not yet appeared, the Mu mother who came with the new bride to serve her in the east wing new room only sent a maid to say that the lady got up a little late this morning, and apologized to the old lady first, and would come to greet her later. She felt uncomfortable in her heart, and her brows gradually frowned.
Qiuju, the maidservant who came from the Qi family to serve her several years ago, her real name was Qiulan. She was quite pretty, but to avoid the name of the mistress, she changed it to Qiuju. She observed her words and muttered softly: "Old Madam, I'm not saying anything too much. Although Madam was married from Changsha, things are different now. Three years ago, when we were just engaged, Changsha was still doing well. But since the old King of Changsha passed away, Changsha has been getting worse and worse. Our master has been rising rapidly in recent years. At the beginning of the year, when he married her, he had been appointed as the governor of Hexi by the court. I heard that even the current Empress Liu would smile and say a few nice words to win over our master when she saw him. When our master wins the rebellion this time, he will surely be promoted."
A smile appeared on Xie's mother's face.
"Madam, you treat Madam like your own daughter. You feel sorry for her because she married far away and you treat her like your own daughter. She has been married here for only a few days, but you have already lost sight of me. You have made me wait for a long time!"
The tip of her tongue pressed against the roof of her mouth and slapped it deftly, making a crisp "tsk" sound.
"I only know that it is natural for a daughter-in-law to serve her mother-in-law. This is the first time I've seen someone relying on her natal family to make her mother-in-law wait for her to show up."
The smile on Shen's face disappeared, and her expression turned a little unhappy. She said, "Go over there and see what's going on. The sun is shining brightly on her back. Could it be that she hasn't gotten up yet?"
Qiuju responded crisply, walked through the corridor with lotus steps, and soon arrived at the east wing.
The ancestors of the Xie family are direct descendants of the Xie family that moved here in the previous dynasty. In the time of the great grandfather, they were still local tyrants. It is no exaggeration to say that they had thousands of acres of fertile land, almost occupying half of the land in Xie County. This ancestral house was once one of the most imposing mansions in the county. But later, the great grandfather was addicted to gambling, and the Xie family began to fail. By the time of Xie Changgeng's father, Xie's father had become a county postmaster, relying on a meager salary to support his family. After Xie Changgeng got into trouble and left home at the age of fourteen, the Xie family's ancestral house was once abandoned. It was not until a few years ago that the Xie family regained its power and the Shen family moved back, and the house was renovated. The east wing on this side was renovated when Xie Changgeng married the daughter of the Mu family at the beginning of the year.
Xie Changgeng married the princess of the Mu family of Changsha Kingdom in early spring.
More than half a year has passed, and now it is autumn. Although the red double happiness characters on the doors and windows are still affixed, they cannot withstand the wind and sun, and the original bright red color has gradually faded and turned into a bleak and powerless color.
"Mother Mu, the old lady got up early in the morning. She waited and waited but couldn't see the lady, so she sent me over here to check on her. If the lady has a headache or a fever, please tell me and I will tell her when I get back. There is no need to keep the old lady waiting in vain."
Qiu Ju stood at the corner of the corridor leading to the east wing and spoke to Mother Mu who was knocking on the door. Her tone sounded respectful but actually implied disrespect.
What kind of person was Mother Mu in the past
The princess traveled across mountains and rivers to fulfill her promise and married to the poor land of Badong. On the wedding night, just as Xie Changgeng entered the bridal chamber, he was summoned by an urgent imperial edict from the court. He took off his wedding gown, left home in a hurry, and went to quell the rebellion of King Jiangdu. He has not returned since.
During the past six months, he had witnessed with his own eyes the princess, who had been pampered at home in the past, serving her mother Xie morning and night, taking care of her meticulously, doing everything herself, and never complaining.
If this mother Xie was a knowledgeable and considerate person, it would be fine, but she was a shallow-minded person. Seeing that the princess was respectful and gentle, and taking advantage of her son's little confidence, she became arrogant and felt at ease, and increasingly looked down on the princess.
Mother Mu knew that the princess' heart was firmly tied to Xie's husband, so she loved him and was willing to endure the grievances. Although she was angry, it was related to her relationship with Xie's husband, so some things were not easy to say. She could only remind the princess secretly. Seeing that she didn't care, she could only bear it.
Over the past six months, the princess has been getting up early every day, rain or shine, and every day she would be waiting in front of the main house door early in the morning for it to open and go in to serve.
But today, for some reason, the princess has not gotten up yet. I was afraid that Xie's mother would be waiting, so I sent someone to pass on the message.
Not only that, even this lowly servant from the Qi family dared to come here and speak like this.
If this happened when she was younger, Mu's mother would have slapped her in the face.
The maids who were waiting at the door to help the princess get up all looked angry when they heard this.
Zhu Yu, who had the most explosive temper, could no longer hold back his anger and said coldly, "You cursed my princess so early in the morning. What a scabby pig! Today I have seen."
Qiu Ju choked and her face immediately turned red. She was about to speak again to save face, but Mother Mu spoke up, "It was our fault for keeping the old lady waiting for so long, but we have already sent someone to pass on the message, so it is not considered to be too rude. You must know that even in the court, the emperor does not allow his subjects to take leave, let alone a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law family?"
After she finished speaking, she turned around and told another more stable maid, Danzhu: "Go and tell the old lady what I just said and apologize to her. I don't think the old lady will care about such a small matter."
Danzhu agreed and turned to leave.
Qiu Ju was always a little afraid of this Madam Mu from the Changsha Palace. When she heard her speak like this, with two eyes staring at her, she dared not say a word anymore. She swallowed it back, lowered her head, turned around and was about to go back when she heard a "creak" coming from the east wing. She looked up and saw that the door was open and the daughter of the Mu family appeared at the door.
Her face was pale and her beautiful eyes were slightly red and swollen, but her expression was extremely calm.
It was clearly the same person, but for some reason, he looked completely different from yesterday.
Her eyes were fixed directly on Qiu Ju.
"You are just in time. Go tell mother-in-law that I am leaving for home today. After I have packed my luggage, I will go to say goodbye to her."
After saying that, he turned to Mother Mu, who was shocked when she heard that, and the maids outside the door.
"Pack your things as soon as possible, prepare the carriage and arrange for the staff, and set off today. I'm going back to Dongting."
After giving her instructions, she turned and went back to the house.
Mother Mu woke up as if from a dream, and hurriedly followed him in.