On the chilly morning, the servants of Ciqing Palace suddenly became diligent. They lifted the curtains and said to each other, "Prince Concubine is back!"
Mistress Gong hurriedly greeted her: "Prince Concubine, you're back, it's cold outside today!"
"Isn't it?" Linglong rubbed her hands together and hurriedly let Chu Jinyao into the room. All the maids in the house crowded to the door, those who changed the heaters and those who took off their cloaks were full of liveliness.
Chu Jinyao walked into the room and was roasted by the earth dragon for a while, and then she felt that she was slowly coming back to life. It snowed heavily last night, and this morning, she was so breathless that Chu Jinyao had only gone out for a while, and she was so cold that she couldn't straighten her hands.
Chu Jinyao sat on the pit by the window, with the warm sun behind her, slowly recovering the temperature in her body. Kikyo sat sideways on her feet. She didn't go out with Chu Jinyao to greet her today, so her hands were still warm, and now she was covering Chu Jinyao's hands with her palms. Mama Gong quietly asked Linglong, "There are sedan chairs going back and forth, how could the Crown Princess's hands be so cold?"
Linglong was pinching her ears with her hands, and after hearing this, she signaled with her eyes: "Prince Concubine went to pay her respects today, and waited for a stick of incense outside the hall. Later, Aunt Lanyu came out and said that it was snowing heavily last night, and the Queen's concubine was late last night. I didn't sleep well, and I woke up this morning with a headache from the air-conditioning. The Empress wanted to be warm, and she couldn't see the cold wind, so I asked the Crown Princess to come back first."
This is too much to say. The queen is afraid of cold, so they are not afraid of the princess? If it's really too cold and you don't want to see outsiders, then you should queue up someone to come over and tell the Crown Princess not to go out. She had to wait for the princess to go and wait outside for a quarter of an hour before saying that the empress did not see outsiders. Mama Gong was displeased: "Isn't this deliberately tossing people?"
"Okay, don't talk about it." Chu Jinyao stopped in a flat tone. Although the house is now filled with people from the Marquis of Changxing's dowry, but there are ears on the wall, it's better not to say some things. Chu Jinyao felt that the past two years had also been raised by herself.
Kikyo said in a low voice: "Prince Concubine is really working too hard. She takes care of the affairs in the palace, and she has to..." She was tossed by the queen.
Chu Jinyao glanced at Kikyo, and Kikyo swallowed the rest of the sentence unwillingly. However, Kikyo's words reminded Chu Jinyao, Chu Jinyao asked, "How are those two maids now?"
Madam Gong said: "Last night it was windy and snowy, and there was no charcoal basin in the backyard, but they were freezing enough. After you went out, Crown Princess, the old slave went in and told Madam Liu that Madam Hong had already gone out. All the tricks, stealing things and reselling them are all envoys of Liu mama. Sure enough, the old woman became angry all of a sudden, scolded Hong mama for shamelessness, and confessed many things about Hong mama."
"Oh?" Chu Jinyao became interested, "What are they?"
Mama Gong whispered quietly beside Chu Jinyao. After Chu Jinyao heard this, she shook her head lightly: "It's really a dog bites a dog, a mouthful of hair. Mammy Gong, bring the Hong family over."
Mother Hong was locked up in an empty house in the backyard. This place was used to accumulate debris. There was no one living there, so naturally she would not burn charcoal. She was locked up for a day and a night, no one spoke to her, and no one came to see her, as if she had been abandoned by the noisy and rich court world outside. When it snowed heavily at night, Mammy Hong almost froze to death, and she lost her temper.
Now that she suddenly entered the warm and prosperous main hall, Mammy Hong still couldn't react.
As if in a dream, Mammy Hong heard a soft and pleasant voice coming from the golden jade in the hall: "Mammy Hong, can you read?"
Hong mama nodded stunned. She was selected from the civil society and selected to be a maid in the palace. Once the palace maid and eunuch of this dynasty entered the palace, they would not go out again. There is a place in the palace that specializes in teaching eunuchs and palace maids to read and write. After all, eunuchs are supposed to help the emperor to applaud red, so how can they be illiterate. She barely studied there for two years, not as smart as her peers, but her literacy was not bad.
"That's good." Chu Jinyao handed the thing to Linglong and asked Linglong to transfer it to Mammy Hong. "Since you can read, then you can save yourself the effort of reading it to you. Mrs. Hong, see for yourself."
Mammy Hong took the piece of paper for unknown reasons, glanced at it roughly, and was immediately startled and frightened: "This... what is this?"
"This is Mammy Liu's identification to you." Chu Jinyao smiled lightly, "Mammy Hong, I don't know, you actually did so much in private. Mammy Hong, you spent more time in the palace than you did. I'm long, you say it yourself, what would happen if these pieces were accumulated and handed over to Zhang Xingsi?"
Mammy Hong trembled lightly. What she did was nothing. It was a trick used by old Youzi in the palace, but when she did it in private, no one would say. There will be good fruit to eat. Mammy Hong did not expect that Mama Liu would harm her like this in order to save her life.
Mammy Hong kowtowed deeply: "Prince Concubine please check carefully, these are the mother-in-law surnamed Liu who deliberately poured dirty water on the slaves to protect themselves!"
"Mama Hong is saying that these are all fake?"
Hong mama suddenly lost her words, of course she didn't dare to say it. She stopped for a while, and kowtowed three times to Chu Jinyao: "Please save the slave and servant."
"Save you?" Chu Jinyao sat sideways, straightened the folds on her cuff, and said slowly, "How to save?"
Mammy Hong gritted her teeth and said, "That old lady of Liu's is used to cheating and cheating. She is a slave, but she doesn't keep her duty. No matter who she works for, as long as outsiders give her money, she can take care of her master's situation. Reveal it all. Crown Princess, such a shameless person, how can you believe her words? If the Crown Princess doesn't believe it, the servant can prove it!"
"As long as someone puts money in, she knows everything." Chu Jinyao suddenly looked at Mammy Hong, and her eyes became sharp, "What did she say?"
Mammy Hong was at a loss for words, and after a while, she faltered and said, "When the Crown Princess first entered the palace, the Queen Mother sent someone to ask about the Crown Princess's temperament and preferences, but except that time, it hasn't happened since."
Chu Jinyao didn't speak, just stared at Mammy Hong silently, staring at Mammy Hong until she was sweating. She didn't dare to be careless, and hurriedly put her whole body on the ground, and said tremblingly: "Prince Concubine spare your life, that time the empress wanted to inquire about the princess' temperament. Mammy also only said that the crown princess was rich in dowry. The rest, slaves didn't say anything."
"I didn't say it." Chu Jinyao sneered, "I didn't have a chance to say it."
"Prince Concubine, spare your life!" Hong mama knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face, "At that time, people from Kunning Palace came to ask, but the servants did not dare to say no. Besides, when a new bride is entering, her husband's family will always ask people about the new wife's temperament and preferences. , and get along well in the future. The Empress is also out of a motherly heart, so I want to know what kind of person the Crown Princess is."
"Oh, it's all over now, and you still want to use such words to fool me." Chu Jinyao's voice suddenly turned sharp and said, "Pull her down and hand it over to Zhang Xingsi to be killed. By the way, in order to prevent her from ever" Out of good intentions' revealed the news of the East Palace, and poisoned her voice."
"Prince Concubine!" Mammy Hong was frightened, she broke free from the servant girl who was holding her, and walked a few steps on her knees to Chu Jinyao. The corner of the skirt said, "Prince Concubine, this servant knows it's wrong, and this old servant will never dare! If someone asks you next time, no matter who it is, this old servant will never dare to disclose the matter of the Crown Princess."
Chu Jinyao ignored Mammy Hong who was holding on to the corner of her skirt, but took up the tea cup to moisten her throat. It seemed that the tea was a little hot, so Chu Jinyao lifted the lid and blew it twice, but there was no entrance, but slowly rubbed the pattern on the porcelain cup.
In this silence, Mother Hong slowly understood. Her throat seemed to be blocked by something: "Princess, you..."
"Mammy Hong, since I entered the palace, I have never started or made friends with the palace concubine. I just want to live my life peacefully, do you understand?"
Mammy Hong understood, Chu Jinyao asked her to follow this rhetoric and convey it to the people on the Queen's side.
This... Once the Queen finds out, isn't Mother Hong asking for her own death
While Mammy Hong was hesitating, Chu Jinyao continued: "But I won't use mama in vain, you have been by my side for a long time, and there is no credit or hard work. After another two years, the Marquis of Changxing will be born. When the time comes to say kisses, would you like to go out of the palace and teach them the rules in the Hou's mansion? If mama is unwilling, then I can't force it. I have a dowry Zhuangzi outside the city, mama It is also possible to go there to retire.”
"Princess Princess..."
"Mummy has been in the palace since she was fourteen years old, and it has been almost thirty years now. I just don't know if I am willing to go outside the palace to live an ordinary life."
Once the palace maid enters the palace gate, except for death, she cannot escape for life. But there are also a very small number of people who are valued by the queen concubine and sent to their parents' house in the name of reward, and act as a rule for the young ladies. It is said that nurturing a girl is actually a pension. After all, the people in the palace are well-informed, and the young lady outside the palace got such a nanny. What's more, Chu Jinyao also said that if Mother Hong was unwilling to leave the palace gate and enter the house, she could also go to Zhuangzi in the suburbs and live the life of an ordinary farmer from now on.
Mammy Hong was stunned for a long time, but in the end she could not resist the temptation of freedom. She knelt down deeply, put her hand in front of her forehead, and kowtowed to Chu Jinyao dignifiedly: "Thank you Crown Princess for being sympathetic. The Crown Princess has a gentle and gentle temperament, indifferent to the world, and does not like to socialize. Home is the blessing of my husband's family."
"Mummy just understands." Chu Jinyao put down the tea cup and raised her voice slightly, "Lilac, take Mammy Hong to comb her hair and change clothes."
Mammy Hong stood up in awe, she followed two steps, and suddenly stopped: "Prince Concubine, what about Mammy Liu?"
"Liu's reselling the items in the palace and framing people in the same palace caused discord among the people in the palace. Naturally, such people should be sent to the Chief Xing Division for punishment. What does Mammy Hong say?"
"It's natural." Mammy Hong bowed her body in response. She offended Mrs. Liu this time. In order to prevent the mad dog from biting back, of course, she had to beat her to death with a stick now. Also, if Mammy Hong wanted to fool the people on the Queen's side in the future, then in order not to reveal the truth, she couldn't let another person exist.
After everyone left, Linglong came over and sent a message to Chu Jinyao: "Prince Concubine, Mrs. Liu has already sent it over, and there has also been a message from the head of Xingsi. Just relying on her stealing the items in the palace will not help. Blame her."
"Um."
"Prince Concubine, why don't you take advantage of Mama Hong being caught by us, and dispose of Mama Hong at one time?" Linglong thought about it for a long time and didn't understand, and finally asked today.
"The queen has been busy arranging the New Year for the past few days, so she doesn't care about us. When she is free in the spring, she sends someone to join her, and finds that the two maids she sent are gone. Can she just let it go? It's better to offer both favors and prestige, and bribe Hong mama. Mammy, Mammy Hong is from Kunning Palace. A word she says is more useful than 10,000 words we can say by ourselves. We go and tell the queen, she will definitely not believe it. More. We are of low seniority, and we won’t have good fruit to meet the queen, and we can fool her every day. Let her not pay attention to us and live a low-key life, which is better than anything else.”
Linglong felt sad when she thought of this: "Prince Concubine, you have had a really hard time. Not only do you have to subdue the forces in the East Palace, but there are also embarrassments and temptations to deal with the queen outside. The brides of other people, then use such a step by step. Be careful?"
"You said it too, that's someone else's bride, am I?" Chu Jinyao smiled, she nodded her forehead and said, "Prince concubine is from the first rank, except for the empress and empress dowager in the world. , you don't need to salute any woman, do you think this is for nothing?"
"Slave still feels sad." Linglong lowered her voice and said, "Prince Concubine, you have worked so hard, the prince never mentioned it! How about the servant inadvertently mention it in front of the prince?"
"No." Chu Jinyao smiled and shook her head, her eyes seemed to be shining brightly, and Linglong was stunned for a while, "He knows."
"what?"
"He even knows that I have trained a girl, but how long does it take me to stay in Kunning Palace every day? He just didn't say it."
Linglong is suspicious: "The newlyweds are the most sticky, even if they are ordinary people, if the daughter-in-law is wronged by the mother, the husband and the husband will feel distressed for a while. If the newlyweds don't talk about it, it will be troublesome in the future. This is still the stepmother, and the prince didn't say anything at all?"
"He doesn't have the temperament to talk about such things." Chu Jinyao was unexpectedly determined, "He never even said what he wanted to do, he must be guessed." Chu Jinyao said with a sigh: "Also I don't know how he developed this character."
Linglong also sighed, it was not easy for anyone in the palace. At any rate, Chu Jinyao only had to deal with the queen, and others would never dare to be rude to Chu Jinyao. These were naturally the deterrents of the prince's accumulated years. Long before they entered the palace, how did the young prince who lost his mother survive
Chu Jinyao was about to say something when she suddenly heard a voice outside. She took the call and went to pick up Qin Yi at the door.
Today is really cold and dry. Chu Jinyao stood outside for a while and has a deep understanding. And Qin Yi had to stand on the square outside Fengtian Temple every day in court, and he would be there before dawn.
Chu Jinyao probed Qin Yi's hand and frowned: "It's so cold."
She handed the cloak to the maid next to her, and shoved her stove into Qin Yi's hands.
Qin Yi grabbed her wrist, raised her eyebrows and asked, "What are you doing?"
"Your hands are so cold!" Chu Jinyao glared at him angrily, "Forget it, you don't want me to keep it for myself."
Qin Yi was not willing to use the stove for women anyway. Chu Jinyao despised this person in his heart, but he still warmed Qin Yi's hands very distressedly. "Your Highness, you have to go to court every day, it's too hard."
"This is the rule, and everyone is uncomfortable." As the crown prince, Qin Yi could not be short of it every morning. He was still standing at the front, not even a windbreaker. But he lived close anyway, and the other adults had to get up at the fourth watch, and the cold wind was blowing at the gate of the palace for a long time before entering the palace. And the emperor sat on the steps of Fengtian Hall, and it was not so good. It is precisely because of this that no one has the heart to discuss national affairs in the early morning, so after walking through the process, they hurriedly dispersed.
Chu Jinyao and Qin Yi sat in the inner room and asked people to quickly exchange hot tea, while she held Qin Yi's finger and breathed lightly on Qin Yi.
Coming back every day, to have such a person who knows both the cold and the hot is really an addictive thing. Qin Yi silently watched Chu Jinyao warm his hands attentively, and suddenly held Chu Jinyao's palm with his backhand.
"What's wrong?" Chu Jinyao raised her head and looked at her suspiciously.
Qin Yi slowly rubbed Chu Jinyao's slender fingers, remembering what the eyeliner had just reported.
Chu Jinyao went to Kunning Palace early in the morning, and stood outside for an incense stick, without even entering the room, she was sent back by Xiao Qi.
He used to have no feelings for Xiao Qihou, and felt that this person was shameless, arrogant and brainless, and had no other emotions except boredom. But now, after Xiao Qi succeeded in disgusting him.
The author has something to say: On the set:
In the lens:
Wendong Wuxi, demeanor stern. The elders of the pavilion are wise and wise, the emperor is high above, the crown prince is diligent and diligent, and the other courtiers concentrate on discussing politics.
In fact:
The emperor's heart: sitting a little high, the wind is strong...
The old man's heart: Someone here is abusing the elderly
Crown Prince: To tell you the truth, anyway, in the end, the solution will be found in the Wenhua Palace or the cabinet. Why do I want to vent here
Other ministers of civil and military affairs: It's so cold, why can the person who played the show say so much!
Censor: I'm not cold, I'm going to stare at this bastard who loses his honor in front of him! Let me go, I'm not cold!