Ming and Qing Temple
King Zhennan frowned slightly, thoughtfully.
Nangong Yue said calmly: "Father, when General Tang sent Cousin Lan back that day, some people saw it, and before that, the whole city was looking for another girl...I'm afraid it won't be long before I send it off. Cousin Lan can also avoid the limelight when she goes to Mingqing Temple. What's more, Mingqing Temple has always been enshrined by the palace, Cousin Lan can't suffer much when she goes there, and it's better to cultivate one's mind and cultivate one's character in the beautiful mountains and rivers."
Ming and Qing Temple…
King Zhennan was a little moved in his heart, but he still had concerns and remained silent.
"Father." Nangong Yue said with some embarrassment, "Cousin Lan went to Qingyunwu privately today. Although she didn't meet An Yihou, she was stopped by the people around An Yihou. This matter..."
Zhennan Wang's heart "thumped", yes, he almost forgot, if he didn't give an account of this matter, if An Yihou was misunderstood... maybe he would think that he wanted to use his niece to win him over If he accidentally leaked to the emperor again...
The king of Zhennan thought more and more deeply, and his face became darker and darker.
Nangong Yue stood obediently with lowered eyebrows, too much was too late, so she didn't persuade her any more.
After a while, King Zhennan nodded slowly and said: "... Concubine Shizi, please do as you wish."
Nangong Yue bowed her knees and agreed.
Now that the purpose of this trip was achieved, Nangong Yue resigned.
After returning to Bixiao Hall, she asked Que'er to pass down an order to fine the two women who didn't guard the gate properly with three months' monthly money and five bamboo boards.
Afterwards, Nangong Yue ordered Baihui to invite someone over tomorrow morning—
Xiao Ni.
Nangong Yue sighed faintly and went to the small study.
So, early the next morning, Baihui led the confused Xiao Ni to Nangong Yue's yard.
Xiao Ni is a girl from the second room, and she is not close to Nangong Yue on weekdays, but only keeps in touch with each other in terms of etiquette. She also wondered why Nangong Yue suddenly asked her to come over.
Baihui was in front of her picking up the curtain for Xiao Ni, and Xiao Ni's pace stopped outside the curtain for a moment, she collected her mind, and walked into the east room at a leisurely pace.
Nangong Yue was sitting on the Arhat's bed, wearing a long silver-red gown, with loose bras on her arms, her beautiful face looked more delicate and soft than usual in the morning light.
Obviously the other party's expression was calm, but for some reason, Xiao Ni felt a little uneasy. Although she is the daughter of the second wife, but her father was a concubine and died young, she seemed to be inferior to other girls in this palace, so she was a little sensitive.
"Sister-in-law." Xiao Ni stepped forward and was blessed.
Nangong Yue asked Xiao Ni to sit down with a smile: "Third sister, please sit down."
Nangong Yue was also looking at Xiao Ni. The girl who was in the golden hairpin year wore a peach red butterfly makeup and flower beanie, her face was radiant enough without makeup, but there was a faint sense of embarrassment in her words and deeds. .
Xiao Ni sat down on a rosewood armchair beside Luohan's bed, and Huamei made tea and served some desserts.
Xiao Ni straightened her back, and asked politely: "I don't know if my sister-in-law called me over, but what's the matter?"
Nangong Yue's clear eyes met Xiao Ni's, and she said slowly, "Third sister, why did you go to the small garden with your cousin Lan to release paper kites yesterday?"
Xiao Ni was startled, and replied: "It was suggested by Cousin Lan. She said that the small garden has a beautiful view and is the most suitable place for paper kites. I don't have any important matters, so I went with her."
Yesterday, after the two of them arrived in the small garden, the mother-in-law of the small garden said that Yuanxin Lake was removing duckweed, and asked them to put paper kites in the back garden, but Qiao Ruolan felt that they were just releasing paper kites anyway, and they didn't want to go boating in Yuanxin Lake , why bother. It made sense for Xiao Ni to think about it, so she went in with Qiao Ruolan.
Could it be that my sister-in-law called me here because of this matter
Xiao Ni lowered her eyes and pinched the handkerchief in her hand.
She knew that the elder sister-in-law was strict in managing the family, and normally, she would not have entered the small garden even though it was closed, but Cousin Lan is a guest, so she must not let Cousin Lan feel that the palace is deliberately neglecting her. What's more, this is just a trivial matter, and my sister-in-law must have made a big deal out of a molehill.
Seeing Xiao Ni's expression, Nangong Yue knew that the little girl didn't know what was wrong. She picked up the teacup and took a sip before continuing to ask: "Since you are putting paper kites in the small garden, why is your cousin Lan?" Will it go to the outer courtyard?"
Xiao Ni couldn't help thinking of Qiao Ruolan's behavior at that time, and also vaguely felt a little weird, and replied cautiously: "Later, Cousin Lan's paper kite suddenly broke and flew out of the fence. I originally wanted to find someone to help Cousin Lan find it. Zhiyuan, but Cousin Lan insists on going by herself..."
As soon as Cousin Lan left, Baihui and Huamei, the sister-in-law's maids, also chased after her. After that, Qiao Ruolan never came back, but a mother-in-law came to say that Cousin Lan had returned to the mansion.
Could it be that something happened that I don't know about? !
That's why my sister-in-law asked me to come over and ask the teacher for a crime
Xiao Ni couldn't help feeling aggrieved: Even if Cousin Lan did something wrong, it has nothing to do with her! Her mother taught her sisters to be both prosperous and humiliated when they were young, but Cousin Lan's surname is Qiao, and her own surname is Xiao, so they are two different families.
Xiao Ni is still young, even though her temperament is calmer than the second girl Xiao Rongxuan, she is still an innocent little girl, even if she tried her best to conceal her grievance, she couldn't hide her grievance.
Nangong Yue sighed quietly.
As the saying goes, no rules make a square, since she ordered the small garden to be closed, Xiao Ni had to ask her permission first if she wanted to go in and play. But thinking about it, the palace used to be evacuated according to the rules, Xiao Ni didn't realize this.
In terms of yesterday's incident alone, Xiao Ni was plotted but didn't realize it, it really made people angry and funny. One must know that Xiao Ni is a girl from the Zhennan Palace. Even if she is a concubine, she is destined to be unable to live alone. She is always so ignorant of the world. She will suffer in the future, and what's more, it will affect the Palace.
At this time, there was a rush of footsteps outside the house, and Thrush came in holding an eagle paper kite.
Xiao Ni heard the sound subconsciously, and recognized at a glance that the kite belonged to Qiao Ruolan, and sure enough—
"Shizi Concubine," Huamei said with a smile, "I found Cousin's kite, and it was found by the mother-in-law of the outer courtyard in Jiang Yuexuan."
"Jiang Yuexuan?" Nangong Yue raised her eyebrows pretending to be puzzled, and muttered to herself, "Jiang Yuexuan is far away from Qingyunwu, how could Cousin Lan go to Qingyunwu?"
Qingyunwu? ! Xiao Ni's pupils shrank, recalling everything from yesterday, her small face was pale, and her jet-black eyes instantly dimmed.
Cousin Lan actually went to Qingyunwu? !
I see! I see!
Cousin Lan didn't care about the third brother's homework at all, she performed one good show after another in front of her just to test out An Yihou's residence.
Xiao Ni didn't know whether to be angry or ashamed, her whole body trembled slightly.
How unreasonable is this, Qiao Ruolan did such a shameless thing, and even used herself as a cover! ...Sister-in-law, wouldn't she think that she knew the truth and helped Qiao Ruolan
Xiao Ni looked at Nangong Yue uneasily, and saw that the other party's expression was calm, as if they were just chatting with her just now.
"Humei, go and send this paper kite to Qiao's house, and personally deliver it to Cousin Qiao. In addition, you take a few more women with you, and do what your father ordered yesterday." Nangong Yue said Of course, it was about sending Qiao Ruolan to Mingqing Temple.
"Yes, Shizifei." Huamei hurried away holding the kite.
Xiao Ni looked at Nangong Yue anxiously, feeling uneasy.
"Third sister," Nangong Yue said with a smile, "I got some new bead flowers recently, see if you like any of them, and pick a few back."
While she was talking, Que'er came over with a carved mahogany box.
Xiao Ni's high-hanging heart relaxed a little.
Que'er opened the box with a smile on his face, and saw that the small box was full of jewels, and there were exquisite pearl flowers of various colors, coral, turquoise and beeswax pearl flowers, golden emerald pearl flower butterflies, garnet pearl flowers, and southern pearl flowers. Bead flowers... Xiao Ni had never seen many patterns of bead flowers in southern Xinjiang, which dazzled her.
Xiao Ni looked at Nangong Yue's face, saw that she was smiling and nodding to him, so she cautiously picked three pearl flowers from the box, then got up and thanked: "Thank you, sister-in-law." smile.
To Xiao Ni's surprise, Nangong Yue didn't talk about what happened yesterday, but after a few idle words, she ordered Que'er to send her back.
It wasn't until she stepped out of Bixiao Hall that Xiao Ni was completely relieved, thinking: Is this sister-in-law talking about herself
After going back, Xiao Ni hesitated for a long time, and finally walked into the Qiu's courtyard, and told her mother exactly what happened.
Qiu pondered for a moment, then said, "Your sister-in-law is a good person."
After all, they are separated by a room, and their second room is orphaned and widowed. If the concubine is unhappy because of what happened yesterday, she can be fined. But she cared about Sister Ni's face, so she just taught her a little bit. The crown prince's status in the palace is now stable, and the second room can't help her, so there is no need to use this to win over the second room. It can only be said that what she did was really for the good of sister Ni.
"Sister Ni." Qiu Shi said seriously, "Do you know your mistake?"
Xiao Ni lowered her head and replied, "Yes."
She also thought a lot on the way back, obviously at the time she thought it was strange that Cousin Lan insisted on putting paper kites in the small garden, but she didn't stop her, and instead let Cousin Lan use herself to achieve her goal... Fortunately, there was no scandal yesterday, Otherwise, mother and third brother will lose face along with him. My mother is right, one prospers all, one loses all, she is still too naive.
"After returning to the room, copy "Women's Instructions" and "Women's Commandments" ten times each." Qiu was always strict with his daughter, "Don't go out until your uncle's birthday party."
Xiao Nifu agreed.
Seeing her daughter's embarrassing expression, Qiu Shi sighed, pulled her to sit beside him.
Nangong Yue didn't know how Erfang would teach her daughters, nor did she intend to inquire.
For her, as long as Xiao Ni knows that she can't do things as she pleases in the future. After all, Xiao Ni is still young, her temperament is not too bad, and she can still teach. Today, it seems that she has realized something.
It’s okay to make mistakes, as long as you can grow, it’s worth it.
After looking at the account book for a while, the thrush who went to Qiao's house came back. When she saw Nangong Yue, she knelt down and pleaded guilty: "Shi Zifei, this servant did not complete the errand."
Nangong Yue raised her hand and said, "Get up and answer."
Huamei got up, and explained the story carefully, "After the servant girl went to Qiao's house, she handed over the paper kite to Miss Lanbiao, and asked her to check the wind direction when looking for paper kites in the future. Don't go to the wrong place..."
At that time, Qiao Ruolan's face turned blue and white, and she almost threw the paper kite out of her hand.
Next, Huamei conveyed the order of Zhennan King and sent her to Mingqing Temple.
This time, Qiao Ruolan really panicked and refused to leave until a servant girl saw the opportunity and called Mrs. Qiao over...
Huamei lowered her head and said, "...Later, Mrs. Qiao ordered the slaves to be driven out, and she herself came to the palace angrily."
Nangong Yue nodded slightly. She was not surprised by this, or it was expected. If Mrs. Qiao asked Qiao Ruolan to go to the Ming and Qing Temple without making any noise, she would feel strange. Nangong Yue deliberately asked people to go to Qiao's house early to "give him off", because at this time, King Zhennan was still in the mansion.
"Mae'er. Go and have a look."
Nangong Yue didn't say what to look at, Que'er knew it well, bowed her knees and bowed before leaving.
An hour later, Que'er came back, and reported with a smile: "Prince Princess, after Mrs. Qiao went to the study, she cried, made trouble, and hanged herself three times. I was so troubled that I finally agreed to Mrs. Qiao not to let Miss Qiao Biao go to Mingqing Temple, but to send her to Shuyao Women's Court."
Nangong Yue raised her eyebrows slightly, and asked, "Shu Yao's Courtyard?"
Que'er replied: "My servant went to inquire. This Shuyao Nursing Court was first established by a talented woman who guarded the widow. Later, she also invited many widows from a scholarly family to work there as female teachers. Gradually, , Shuyao Women's Court has become famous. Some dignitaries and dignitaries want to hire female husbands, and they will choose from there. The rules of Shuyao Women's Court are very strict. To be obedient, there are still many daughters left behind by the wife who don't want to be disciplined by the second wife, and they will also be sent to Shuyao Women's Court... "
Nangong Yue listened, with a faint smile on the corner of her mouth.
This can be regarded as the result of Zhennan Wang's compromise.
Actually, it is better to go to Mingqing Temple than to Shuyao Women's Court.
Mingqing Temple was enshrined by the palace, and Qiao Ruolan would not suffer much if she went there. Mrs. Qiao would go to Zhennan King to beg from time to time, and she would be back within ten days and a half months at most.
But since the Shuyao Women's Court is the result of Zhennan King's compromise, then don't even think about coming back for a while.
It's a pity, Mrs. Qiao couldn't figure it out, she insisted on arguing with King Zhennan, looking like a shrew.
Mrs. Qiao was arguing about big and small matters in front of King Zhennan like this, no matter how deep the sister-brother relationship was, she might have to toss about it.
She will not realize the crisis until the day when King Zhennan no longer obeys her words...
Whether Qiao Ruolan was sent to Mingqing Temple or Shuyao Women's Court made no difference to Nangong Yue. When Kikyo came to deliver the Zhennan King's order for her to prepare the carriage, Nangong Yue followed suit.
On the same day, Qiao Ruolan got into the carriage and was sent to Shu Yao Girls' Court.
As for whether she was willing or crying, Nangong Yue couldn't control it.
Nangong Yue stroked her skirt, got up and went to the pharmacy.
The antidote to the miasma this time was entrusted by Guan Yubai, and it also involved the war ahead, so the matter was of great importance, so Nangong Yue and Baihui were cautious, and even small matters such as buying herbs were entrusted to Baihui to do it herself. .
The pharmacy is full of various medicinal herbs, from poisonous silver snakeroot, poison celery, blackhead to non-toxic salicornia, etc., each kind of herb has prepared several baskets.
There are many, many combinations of these herbs that must be tried one after another...until the antidote to the poison of the miasma is tested.
This will be an extremely complicated and difficult process, and it is likely that after hundreds of experiments, it may not be possible to discover anything.
Nangong Yue knew that something was going to happen next, so both of them put on deerskin gloves—most of these herbs are highly poisonous, so care must be taken to avoid direct skin contact with the herbs.
After Nangong Yue looked around in the pharmacy, she had a rough plan in mind. First, she ordered Baihui to crush the poisonous celery, while she herself went to process the silver snakeroot.
Silver snakeroot is named for its roots like a silver snake. Its leaves are non-toxic, but its roots are highly poisonous.
Nangong Yue removes its leaves, leaving only its roots, and divides it into two parts, one is freshly mashed, and the other is processed. Cut into slices, dry fry in a pan, let cool and set aside…
As soon as Nangong Yue got busy, she was engrossed. She was so busy that she didn't know what year it was... until there was a burst of weird creaking noises outside the house, and Huamei came in with two cages. There were more than a dozen gray mice in the cages. scurrying around, making squeaky noises from time to time, which made goosebumps of many girls get up. Ying'er and several little maids watched from afar, not daring to approach, watching with admiration. Thrush.
Huamei didn't think anything, looked at the cage in her hand and said strangely: "Sister Baihui, what's there to be afraid of the mouse? It's so small, it should be afraid of us, right?" It was also common to catch voles from the fields and eat them when I was young.
Baihui's complexion was also a little stiff, but she was used to forbearance and remained calm.
At this time, Nangong Yue put down the medicine pounding rod and the medicine pounding pot, looked over and was taken aback for a moment. Only then did she realize that more than an hour had passed before she knew it, and it was almost noon when she looked at the sun.
Nangong Yue took off the deerskin gloves on her hands, rubbed her sore arms, and ordered: "Baihui, go get some dried swamp mud and soak them in water, and then give these rats an appropriate amount, and see how much the dose will cause toxicity. The symptoms of the disease, how much dose is enough to kill..." She spoke carefully, and the two maids listened attentively...
This day passed quickly in a busy way.
Nangong Yue tried to concoct every kind of poisonous weed, and asked Baihui and Thrush to swallow it for the mice.
The result was not surprising—
"Concubine Shizi, those mice are dead." At dusk, Baihui and Huamei came to report together.
While talking, the two handed over the list they had recorded. Each sheet of paper was densely written and accompanied by many simple diagrams.
Nangong Yue leaned against the window and read carefully. Baihui recorded in detail the various reactions of each poisoned mouse after taking the herb before and after the processing. Of course, there are many subtle differences that need to be carefully figured out. …
In fact, apart from this, there is a more important point. The herbs used in the experiments are all purchased from pharmacies. It grows on the edge of the poisonous swamp, and its medicinal properties may be different... But there is no way now, so I can only try it first.
Time passed quickly, and the night gradually deepened. Nangong Yue put down those lists and yawned sleepily.
No matter how urgent it is, the medicine is vital to life, and it cannot be prepared in a short time.
In the next few days, there was one more thing in Nangong Yue's daily life. She was so busy all day long that she lost a lot of weight. Not only a few maids, but even the old lady Fang felt distressed and advised her to spend more time. rest.
Nangong Yue agreed with a smile, but she turned her back and was still busy. After all, it will be Zhennan King's birthday banquet in three days. error.
However, it has been almost two months of preparations, and everything is in order. It can be said that everything is ready.
The birthday of King Zhennan is a major event in southern Xinjiang.
And in the capital, there is also a major event, that is, the establishment of the crown prince has officially been put on the agenda.
As a result, Han Lingfan, the emperor's only direct son and the fifth prince, had more homework every day, and the emperor even came to the school himself to take the first and second exams.
Therefore, in recent days, every time it comes to You, the young and clear voice will be faintly heard from the Royal Study Room, "... In ancient times, those who wanted to make clear the virtues of the world, first ruled their country. Those who wanted to rule their country, first regulated their families. If you want to cultivate your body, you must first correct your mind. If you want to correct your mind, you must first be sincere in your mind. If you want to be sincere in your mind, you must first express your knowledge... "
The waiter led a young man in a lake-colored brocade robe into the imperial study. The young man was tall and tall, with an indescribable elegance, just like the figure in the painting.
It was the third prince, Han Lingfu.
He looked at the young man who was talking to the emperor, a flash of hostility flashed in his eyes, but he immediately returned to a gentle and refined look.
After the young man finished answering, the emperor brushed his beard with a smile and said, "Little Wu, that's right. As the Taifu said, you have made great progress in your homework these days."
The young man is the fifth prince, and he hastily thanked the emperor.
At this time, Han Lingfu stepped forward and saluted the emperor: "See Father!"
"Exemption." The emperor in a bright yellow dragon robe raised his hand and looked at Han Lingfu indifferently.
Han Lingfu naturally noticed the indifference and alienation of the emperor's attitude, and his heart sank: Although he said that he was relieved by his father, his father obviously still remembered what happened before, even if he impatiently tried to please his father with hard work. The emperor's attitude was only a little better.
Han Lingfu's eyes darkened, he collected himself, and said with a smile, "Father, the cooks in the son's mansion have recently cooked up some new food, and the son sent it to the father immediately."
Recently, the emperor's appetite was not good, so Han Lingfu thought of ways to keep sending some fresh food to the emperor to taste.
The food that Han Lingfu sent recently was indeed quite novel. The emperor's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said, "Bring it up."
Han Lingfu hurriedly handed a celadon jar to Eunuch Liu.
After Eunuch Liu accepted it, he did not present it to the emperor immediately, but opened the lid first, picked out a small dish, and put it on the emperor's desk after being tested by a special poison-testing eunuch.
The emperor looked at the golden things in the celadon jar with interest. It was fluffy and delicate, and a strong sweet smell of meat wafted out of his nostrils, which made people move their index fingers.
The emperor asked curiously: "Xiao San, does this food have a name?"
"Meat floss." Han Lingfu hurriedly replied, "It's made from pork."
The emperor picked up a small silver spoon, took a spoonful and put it into his mouth, the corners of his mouth slightly raised. After he tasted another spoonful, he put down the silver spoon and praised: "Not bad, not bad. Xiao San, reward the chef in your house for me."
Seeing that the emperor's expression softened a lot, Han Lingfu was overjoyed, and said respectfully, "It's the blessing of the cook in the servant's mansion that the emperor likes it."
The emperor let out a hearty laugh, and Han Lingfu was about to take the opportunity to say something more, but the emperor raised his hand to greet Han Lingfan and said, "Xiao Wu, come and try this meat floss too."
When Eunuch Liu saw it, he immediately presented a silver spoon to Han Lingfan.
Han Lingfan scooped a spoonful of golden meat floss from the celadon jar, tasted it, and said with a smile: "Father, my son also thinks that the meat floss tastes really good. It's very appetizing. Why don't you try it with porridge? It must be pretty good."
"Xiao Wu, that's a good suggestion," the emperor brushed his beard with a smile, and then told Eunuch Liu, "I want porridge tomorrow morning."
Han Lingfu watched helplessly as the emperor and Han Lingfan sent a loving father and son to be filial, a haze flashed in his eyes, and he felt a little unwilling. Obviously he was the one who brought the meat floss to the father, but the fifth emperor insisted on stealing the limelight from him.
"Your Majesty." At this time, a servant came in and said: "Your Majesty, this servant has brought the Second Young Master of the Nangong family and is waiting outside."
The emperor smiled at Han Lingfan and said, "A Xinke is here, let him in quickly."