Zuixianju in the north of the city is as lively as ever today.
Zuixianju has become famous in the past two years, and it is already one of the most famous restaurants in the capital.
Its biggest feature is that every afternoon there will be storytellers or songs to perform, because the books or songs are written by Zuixianju, and there are no other places. Therefore, at this time of day, many people will come to order a few small dishes, a pot of wine, and enjoy it comfortably.
The lobby of Zuixianju is usually used to entertain commoners, while dignitaries and dignitaries will choose the elegant private rooms on the second or third floor.
Today's song is a story about a scholar and a young lady. Said to be a handsome scholar, whose family was poor and unable to support his studies. Occasionally, the scholar rescued a girl from a rich family. The girl's family recruited her as her son-in-law in order to repay her kindness, and fully sponsored him to study for the exam...
When the girl with a soft voice on the stage was singing in a tune that should be both sad and joyful, the scholar was selected as the number one scholar in the Golden Luan Hall. The beautiful princess fell in love with the scholar's talent and was willing to marry. The two daughters served one husband together...
At this time, one of the guests sitting at the bottom table lowered his voice and said with a strange expression on his face: "...Hey, speaking of the princess, have you heard about that incident?"
One of them, dressed as a scholar, asked suspiciously, "What happened?"
The other smiled meaningfully, and said: "Of course I heard... Brother Ziyang, you are too ignorant!"
Ziyang asked curiously: "Tell me, Brother Shihong, what is it?"
Shihong didn't hold back, and said quietly: "It is said that the second princess in our palace fell in love with a handsome young monk from Huangjue Temple, and ran away with him secretly."
"It's not a little monk." Another person said, "I heard that it was a guard in the palace. He said that the two of them hooked up when they were in the palace, and they had cooked rice long ago. But the emperor disagrees." , So, the second princess seduced her lover and eloped."
Ziyang was very excited to hear such a beautiful thing, and hurriedly asked: "Is it the little monk or the guard?"
"I don't know about that." Shi Hong looked around and said with a smile, "It is said that our second princess is so beautiful that she can make the second princess commit herself to elope. .Why can't I touch it..."
"So, I heard that in the palace, even the little eunuchs are all very handsome. I'm afraid the second princess has a spoiled eye, and she doesn't like ordinary people like you and me."
"Hahaha, it's true! Come on, let's drink and listen to the music... I heard that a new girl has arrived in the Cuiyan Tower recently. Although she is not as beautiful as the second princess, she is still a rare beauty..."
Not only this table, almost every table in the lobby of Zuixianju was talking about this news that had spread in the capital at some time.
Such a glamorous event has swept through the entire capital in just two days, and the streets are well known. It's just that the target of the second princess's elopement was passed on from word to mouth. In addition to the original little monk and little guard, there was another little eunuch.
It is said that the second princess fell in love with a handsome little eunuch in the palace. She pretended to be a phoenix and false phoenix. After being discovered by the emperor, she wanted to kill the little eunuch.
…
"Absurd! Absurd!"
In the East Nuan Pavilion of Chang'an Palace, the emperor thundered furiously on the desk, his face was flushed, his breathing was disordered, and he seemed about to faint at any moment.
Eunuch Liu hurriedly comforted him, and hurriedly asked the little eunuch to bring Nangong Yue's specially made pills, and served the emperor to take it, and then he continued to comfort him: "Your Majesty, calm down. This is just the nonsense of thugs language… "
The commander of Jin Yiwei made Lu Huaining kneel down, not daring to vent his breath.
After taking the medicine, the emperor's complexion gradually improved, and he asked angrily, "What else did those unscrupulous people say?"
Lu Huaining lowered his head, and replied: "They opened a handicap, betting on the emperor, betting on the emperor, will you give the second princess to the guards, or the little monk, or just give the little eunuch an identity... Now, the person who guards the guards More."
"hateful!"
The emperor threw a cup suddenly, and it fell to the ground with a "bang" and fell apart.
The emperor took a deep breath and asked, "Where did the news come from? How did everyone know about the second princess!?"
Lu Huaining secretly groaned in his heart, and said: "It's all spread from some restaurants and teahouses. Those who have good deeds spread it to ten or ten, and it's impossible to know the source." It is simply impossible to trace the source of the news.
The emperor's voice was as cold as ice, "Is there any whereabouts for the second princess?"
"The minister has ordered people to chase after him to the south." Lu Huaining hesitated to speak, "It's just that the time has dragged on for a long time. Although the minister and others searched all the way, there may still be some omissions and miss the whereabouts of the second princess."
Speaking of this, the emperor was very angry. If Concubine Zhang came to report the second princess as soon as she found out that she had left the palace, she might have already found her, so how could it be so bad. The face of the royal family was lost by this shameless and rebellious girl.
If it wasn't for the empress who was worried about the second princess' illness and went to visit, maybe how long it would have been kept secret.
The more the emperor thought about it, the angrier he became, and he said coldly: "Huairen, pass on my will. Concubine Zhang has no way to teach her daughter. She will be demoted to a concubine, and she will be fined with a year's salary. She will close the palace and think about her mistakes. Without my order, she will not come out."
Is this a long-term ban
Eunuch Liu quickly agreed and arranged for someone to send a message to the queen.
Concubines and concubines in the harem, their status is up and down, and what is passed on is the queen's decree.
The emperor took a sip of herbal tea, suppressed the anger, and said in a deep voice, "Keep looking! Once the second princess is found, bring her back to me immediately..." He continued, gnashing his teeth, "It doesn't matter whether you live or die!"
This sentence "life or death is irrelevant" made Lu Huaining silent, and also made Nangong Yue raise her eyebrows in surprise.
Nangong Yue flicked through the account book in her hand, while thinking about her calculations, she asked dividedly, "Your Majesty really said that?"
"Yes." Lily said with a smile, "I didn't avoid those little eunuchs who served in Chang'an Palace. I'm afraid the whole palace has spread the word now.... Shizifei, you are so wise. I was wondering why this time Did not pass the message to Sister Yimei, but asked Zhu Xing to do it, you guessed that the news of the restaurant would spread faster."
"This is one of them." Nangong Yue shook her finger and said, "The second is that this matter involves the face of the royal family, and the emperor will definitely let the Jin Yiwei strictly investigate. The face of the flower is too eye-catching. In comparison, in restaurants and teahouses , most of the daily contacts are related to the myriad teachings, and I can't find the source even if I try to find out. As for the third..." She raised her chin slightly and said proudly, "After all, Huayan is a shop for girls and wives. , I'm afraid that my shop will be dirty."
Lily giggled and said flatteringly: "So, it's still the wise concubine."
Baihui at the side brought a cup of bright-eyed scented tea with a smile, and said, "Concubine Shizi, please rest for a while before watching."
Nangong Yue put down the account book and yawned lazily.
Ever since gaining prestige in the Martial Shoutang, Nangong Yue has been looking at the account books for the past few days, and the more she reads, the more headaches she gets. The inner house of this majestic palace has turned into such a mess, I am afraid that no one will believe it. To straighten out these things cannot be done in a day or two.
However, there is at least half a year before Xiao Yi comes back, and she has enough time to take her time.
"Lily, you go to open the warehouse tomorrow, get some materials for the sewing room, let them make autumn clothes and winter clothes for the servants, four for each, first bring out two autumn clothes, and then slowly do the rest. Maids The autumn clothes are lilac color, the daughter-in-law is lotus color, and the nuns are brown. As for the winter clothes, you can decide, the rules of this palace are also chaotic, so I will follow my rules in the future, and give them in January and July every year. The servants in the mansion tailor their clothes, four clothes per season, and two jackets in winter."
Lily replied with a smile: "Yes, Shi Zifei. Those little maids must be very happy."
The maids in this palace wear ready-made clothes bought from tailor-made clothes shops. First, the size is somewhat inappropriate. Second, most of the people who go to buy them have saved a lot of oil and water, and they bought them at random. This style and The color makes a pretty girl in her teens look like a daughter-in-law in her twenties and thirties.
Nangong Yue rubbed her forehead and said, "Let Anniang and Zhang Nanny choose three reliable daughter-in-laws, one is in charge of the warehouse in the inner courtyard, the other is in charge of training the new maids, and the other is in charge of the house. The rewards and punishments of the subordinates and the distribution of monthly money are given to each of them, and they can arrange it as they like. I only look at the results. From now on, there is no need for Anniang and Zhang Nai to take care of these trivial matters. They only need to take care of these things. As for the private treasury of Fufengyuan, it is still the same as in Mozhuyuan, Baihui holds the key for me."
In addition to the two stewards, there are only six stewards in a majestic inner house of the palace. If this is said, it will become a laughing stock in the capital!
"Let's do this for the time being." Nangong Yue bent the corners of her lips and said, "I'll find someone to come over tomorrow, and you go pick out a few little maids. There are still too few people in the palace. Besides, pass on my words, and I'll pass them on." In a few days, I will promote a few nuns in charge among the old people in the palace..."
Lily asked curiously: "Concubine Shizi, do you want to use people from the palace?"
"You have to look at their dispositions." Nangong Yue smiled, and said pointedly, "What's more, this Zhennan Palace belongs to Zhennan Wang, and I'm just a new daughter-in-law. Take good care of yourself One-third of an acre of land is enough, and we can’t stretch our hands too far.”
Lily seems to understand, but she also knows that her girl has an idea, and she must have her own intentions in saying this.
After drinking the scented tea, Nangong Yue remembered something and said: "By the way, I said last time that I would invite my eldest sister to come over to play in a few days. It is better to hit the sun than to choose a date. September 18th will be fine. You will help me I will post a few posts and invite Sister Xi, Sister Yi, and Liu Niang together. Let Chef Zhang from the big kitchen in the outer courtyard prepare some special dim sum." This cook is the imperial chef bestowed by the emperor.
Lily responded with a smile, and went to prepare the post without mentioning it.
After explaining all this, Nangong Yue continued to look through the account book. At this time, Que'er came to report: "Concubine Shizi, uncle sent you your private treasury in the mansion."
"Brother is here?" Nangong Yue got up happily and said, "Come out with me to meet you."
When Nangong Yue got married, the one hundred and twenty-eight dowry did not include her small private treasury in the mansion.
Unlike ordinary girls from aristocratic families who only have some private money, Nangong Yue's small private treasury is staggeringly rich, most of which are rewards from the emperor, empress, and queen mother over the past few years. , and the silver she earned from running the shop over the years, as well as the Zhuangzi, the shop, the house deed, the land deed and so on. If these come with the dowry, then one hundred and twenty-eight loads may not be able to let it go. In this way, it will exceed the princess's share. So, we can only send it over after she gets married.
Having not seen Nangong Xin for a few days, Nangong Yue welcomed him to the flower hall in the front yard, had someone serve him his favorite snacks, and talked enthusiastically. Let Lily and the others take the maids and women to count and compile the books, and opened two small warehouses by the way.
It's a pity that Xiao Yi was not around, and it was inconvenient to keep Nangong Xin for dinner. After the inventory was finished, he reluctantly sent him back.
A few days passed by in a hurry, and when Nangong Yue finally read all the account books in the mansion, it was already September 18th, which happened to be the day of the small banquet.
Before Si time, Nangong Cheng, Jiang Yixi and Yuan Yuyi came one after another.
This was the first time they saw Nangong Yue after Xiao Yi left the capital. Seeing that her complexion and energy were good, they all secretly heaved a sigh of relief.
Nangong Yue set up the place to receive guests in the small flower hall next to the garden, thinking that after lunch, she could go for a stroll in the garden, sit and enjoy the flowers.
In the small flower hall, there was already a table of fresh fruits and desserts, mung bean sweet-scented osmanthus desserts, crisp cheese milk bean rolls, bean paste flower cakes... It looked colorful, all of which were made by Chef Zhang, and they were exquisite and beautiful.
They drank tea, ate snacks, and chatted casually, just like when Nangong Yue hadn't left her boudoir.
The topics of the girls are often the fashionable clothes, jewelry, piano, chess, calligraphy and painting in the capital, but they accidentally mentioned the most concerned topic in the capital recently, about the second princess.
Yuan Yuyi said with a complicated expression: "...the second princess seems to be really not in the palace. My mother entered the palace yesterday, and the emperor and queen mother were very angry."
"It's really not here." Jiang Yixi said with certainty, "I heard from my father that the emperor has dispatched Jin Yiwei to look for the second princess. I think the second princess will be found soon." , The second princess is so bold.
From last year's marriage incident, due to various interests, it was finally suppressed hastily, and it ended with Qu Jiayue's marriage.
But this time's private escape has become known to everyone, and the rumors in the capital are getting worse and worse. Even the girls in their boudoirs have heard of it. It is conceivable that the rumors spread how wide.
I don't know where the second princess went, did she really elope with someone
Regardless of whether it is true or not, now that the royal family has lost face, I am afraid that this matter cannot be resolved!
Sure enough, Yuan Yuyi nodded and said: "From the Queen Mother's tone, I'm afraid that even if the second princess is found, life will not be easy."
Nangong Cheng sat on the side, quietly, without saying a word, a complicated look flashed in his eyes, but he quickly returned to calm. Why worry about things that have passed.
"Forget it, let's not talk about such disappointing things." Yuan Yuyi forced a smile, then looked up and looked outside the hall, "It's been three quarters, why isn't Liu Niang coming?"
After another quarter of an hour, a little maid finally came to report: "Concubine Shizi, ladies, Miss Fu Liu's carriage has entered the mansion." Fu Yunyan was the last one to arrive.
After a while, a dog barking "Wow Wang" was vaguely heard outside the flower hall, and the girls immediately realized that it was Fu Yunyan's pet dog Yao Ri.
Jiang Yixi couldn't help laughing: "There is a saying that before a person sees his body, he hears his voice first. Liu Niang is good, before a person sees his body, he hears his dog first!"
"Liu Niang is too slow." Yuan Yuyi blinked and suggested with a smile, "She was the last one to arrive, so she should be punished with three glasses of wine."
"That's not allowed." Unexpectedly, Nangong Yue vetoed it first, Yuan Yuyi raised her eyebrows, and then she continued to speak plausibly, "Sister Yi, you are not allowed to drink alcohol when you come to my place, and plum wine is not allowed. If you go back smelling of alcohol, then your family may not know how to bury me! You will not be allowed to come to my place in the future, so who do I go to complain about my grievances?"
Her words made everyone laugh, and the atmosphere was very relaxed and cheerful.
At this time, Fu Yunyan and Yaori finally entered the small flower hall under the guidance of the maid, and saw that they were all smiling, so they couldn't help laughing too.
Nangong Yue's gaze paused for a moment on Fu Yunyan's brilliant smile, and she couldn't help but think of Nangong Xin, she had to find time to talk to Mrs Lin...
"Liu Niang, you're finally here." Nangong Yue greeted her with a smile, and pulled Fu Yunyan to sit beside her, "If you don't come, Elder Sister Yi, you'll be lost forever."
Fu Yunyan said embarrassedly: "I also want to come out sooner. But recently, my grandmother is not here, so I must get my mother's permission to leave the house. These days, my mother seems to have eaten gunpowder. I begged for a long time before she let go." I'll come out."
Yuan Yuyi was startled. She and Fu Yunyan are cousins, and Mrs. Fu is her cousin. As far as she knows, Mrs. Fu may not have a particularly good temper, but compared to her mother, Princess Yuncheng, she is still considered I lost my temper. Madam Fu must be in a bad mood recently, and it must have something to do with Fu Yunhe's going to southern Xinjiang.
Not only Yuan Yuyi, but several other girls also thought of this, and the atmosphere was a little heavy.
Seeing the strange expressions on their faces, Fu Yunyan hurriedly said: "Don't think about it, it's because of that Jinxinhui!"
Jinxinhui?! All the girls were startled, how did Jinxinhui get involved
Fu Yunyan looked at Jiang Yixi and Yuan Yuyi helplessly, "Sister Xi, Cousin Yi, have you received a post from Jinxinhui?"
Jinxinhui is a talent competition founded by a very talented woman hundreds of years ago. It is held once every three years and only unmarried girls can participate. Moreover, most of these girls are from famous families, and occasionally they are from poor families. It is an official status, in short, it is impossible for civilians to participate in Jinxinhui.
In the past, it was Nangong Cheng's longing to participate in the Jinxinhui, but she never thought that she would get married before this day.
Both Jiang Yixi and Yuan Yuyi nodded.
Fu Yunyan spread her hands helplessly, "I don't know where my mother got the news. She knows that both of you and Cousin Xia have received the post, but I didn't. I'm not so angry. I went to pay my respects early in the morning, so I sent you a message. I trained a bloody sprinkler." After a pause, she said angrily, "It's nothing at first, but after all, I have to blame that Yongxu Society for insisting on posting some posts for me!"
"Liu Niang, you also received the post from Yongxuhui?" Yuan Yuyi said shyly, the meaning of the word "also" was beyond words.
This chant club is a poetry club set up by some talents in the capital a few years ago. It is a bit of a rivalry with the Jinxin society. According to the first talented person who founded it, the Jinxin society has too many restrictions, and it is really buried. There are quite a few talented women, and their chanting club is only for talent, even if you are just a bean curd Xi Shi, as long as you have poetry and books in your stomach, you can participate.
This chant is better at speaking than singing, and the girl who won the leader in the past has really enjoyed a lot of glory, but how can the girls of the aristocratic family lower their status and let those talented and noble sons comment on them, and they are admiring them, so Most of the girls from aristocratic families who received the post would not go, and most of the girls who went were girls from lower backgrounds who wanted to raise their social status.
It is absolutely impossible for the girls present here to participate!
Fu Yunyan rubbed her knuckles angrily, and made a "click click" sound, "If I find out who thought of posting it to me, I must show him!" She was tortured for no reason. A curse!
"Liu Niang, calm down, it's rare to come to Yue'er as a guest, don't lose your interest." After Yuan Yuyi comforted her, she turned her head and smiled and said to Nangong Yue, "Yue'er, since everyone is here, Hurry up and take us around this Zhennan Palace. This is the residence of Murong Rui, the regent of the previous dynasty. Murong Rui was in power for a while. I want to take a look at this mansion..." Looking at Nangong Yue's bewildered face, Yuan Yuyi suddenly thought of something, "Ah Yue, you don't know?"
Nangong Yue shook her head, she didn't care who left the palace and what history it had. But she still knew what Yuan Yuyi was talking about, Prince Regent Murong Rui. The existence of Murong Rui made this mansion somewhat legendary. It seems that the first emperor gave this mansion to the old Zhennan King to show his honor and favor.
Looking at Nangong Yue's natural look, Yuan Yuyi had a flash of inspiration, blissful in her heart, and blurted out: "Ah Yue, you haven't visited this palace yet, have you?"
Yuan Yuyi's tone made Nangong Yue a little embarrassed to admit that after Xiao Yi left, she was busy with various things every day, and whenever she had time, she would invite them over as guests, but she really never thought about visiting this palace.
Jiang Yixi thought of something, and suddenly realized: "Sister Yi, I still wonder why you have been concerned about whether Liu Niang is here today, so it's just to visit this palace!"
For a moment, everyone's eyes were focused on Yuan Yuyi, as if they were saying, so that's the case.
Yuan Yuyi couldn't help explaining: "You don't know, my mother wanted to ask my grandfather to ask for this mansion before, but my grandfather didn't agree, and instead gave it to the old Zhennan King. Giving it to the King of Zhennan is a waste of money, and the house is still deserted and uninhabited." Yuan Yuyi couldn't help but glance at Nangong Yue, but her mother also said that the Zhennan Prince's Mansion was really a natural enemy of her, and first robbed her The princess's mansion, and now she has robbed her favorite daughter-in-law... Yuan Yuyi felt a little ashamed when she heard it, and felt that her mother was living like a child.
"It's rare that sister Yi is interested, so how about we accompany her once?" Nangong Yue asked with a smile.
When Yuan Yuyi said this to the others, they also felt a little bit of interest. Anyway, they came to Zhennan Palace for nothing special, so they just wandered around the palace, and they were quite leisurely.
Seeing that there were no objections from the crowd, Nangong Yue thought for a while, and then ordered Baihe: "Baihe, go and call Madam Zhang here."
After Lily left at the sound, an old woman was brought with her after a short while. She was wearing a pale silk jacket with plain silk, and her hair with a few silver strands at the temples was neatly tied up in a bun. The sandalwood hairpin is none other than Nanny Zhang.
Nanny Zhang was still a little apprehensive at first, not knowing why Nangong Yue called her suddenly, until she heard what Nangong Yue said, she was secretly relieved, and she became calm and relaxed.
"Concubine Shizi, do you want someone to prepare a sedan chair?" Nanny Zhang said respectfully, "This palace covers an area of more than 100 acres, not counting the forest behind it, so it is still a bit strenuous to walk."
Nangong Yue looked at the others, Nangong Cheng and Jiang Yixi said in unison: "It's fine to walk." They looked at each other and couldn't help laughing.
Fu Yunyan didn't even need to ask, given her physical strength, she didn't need a sedan chair, but Yuan Yuyi simply obeyed the majority.
Afterwards, a group of people wandered around under the guidance of Madam Zhang. Because there are many guards in the outer courtyard, in order to avoid collisions, they didn't go to the outer courtyard, but walked directly to the inner courtyard.
Although it is autumn now, the autumn tigers are ferocious and the sun is still hot. Fortunately, the Zhennan Prince's Mansion is a mansion left by the previous dynasty. Naturally, there are many old trees in the mansion. At a glance, there are peaches, plums, locusts, pines, cypresses, and bamboos. The green trees are sprouting, making them walk a lot more comfortably.
Nanny Zhang introduced the composition of the palace as she walked... Only then did Nangong Yue know that Xiao Fang lived in the main courtyard named Bixiaoju when she was in the capital. There are nearly thirty rooms in total, and it looks grand.
I have to say that Xiao Yi chose Fufengyuan after careful consideration. Although this Fufengyuan only has more than twenty rooms, Shengzai Bixiaoju is located on the west side of Wushou Hall, and Fufengyuan is located on the east side of Wushoutang. One side, one east and one west, the two yards are far apart.
In addition to these two courtyards, there are seven or eight courtyards in the inner courtyard, large and small, all of which are naturally empty; in addition, there is a meeting hall, one large and one small flower halls; connecting these wing rooms, courtyards, and flower halls Waiting are maze-like corridors, eaves corridors, verandahs, and corner gates, moon gates...
When Nangong Yue walked to the end, she had already fainted, and she didn't know where she was.
Yuan Yuyi suddenly suggested: "Sister Yue, I think the front is a garden, why don't we find a pavilion in the garden to rest for a while."
Seeing her dripping with sweat, Fu Yunyan teased her with a smile: "Cousin Yi, your physical strength is still so poor."
However, when Yuan Yuyi said this, Nangong Yue noticed the slight fatigue on Jiang Yixi's face, and thought that Jiang Yixi's body was much weaker than before after recovering from the epidemic, so she also nodded and said: "Go quickly." It's been half an hour, it's time to take a rest."
"Concubine Shizi, ladies, please come with this old slave." Nanny Zhang naturally responded, and while leading them forward, she introduced that the front is the back garden, which is connected to the forest behind, and the one next to the small flower hall It is a small garden.
While speaking, they passed through a moon gate and walked into the back garden.
As soon as they entered the garden, they saw a lotus pond with a size of at least half an acre. The water in the pond was clear and sparkling. It was a pity that the season of lotus blooming had passed, and only the lotus leaves were left on the surface of the pond.
This lotus pond is very large, a gazebo is built in the center of the pond, and a veranda beside the pond connects to the pavilion.
The girls walked along the veranda in twos and threes to the gazebo for a rest.
After resting in the gazebo for nearly half an hour, the girls went back to the Xiaohua hall for lunch. After lunch, Yuan Yuyi didn't bother to go shopping anymore, and said with emotion: This mansion is too big, and it is too big. Not very practical.
So, Nangong Yue suggested to take a stroll in the small garden next to the small flower hall, and the girls readily agreed, but just as she got up, Que'er suddenly came in a hurry and whispered something in Nangong Yue's ear.
Nangong Yue frowned. Seeing that her face had a strange expression, Nangong Cheng exchanged glances with the others, and then said, "Third Sister, if you have something important to do, then we will leave first!"
"No need." Nangong Yue has changed color as usual, and said unhurriedly, "You will know about this soon."
The girls were startled, but they heard Nangong Yue continue: "I just got the news that Her Highness the Second Princess has been brought back to the capital!"
Although they knew that this would happen sooner or later, the girls couldn't help but change their expressions slightly and looked at each other.
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