Wang Yanqing was embarrassed and hurriedly said, "You don't have to call me Xianchang, just call me by my name. I just lived in Qiyun Mountain for a few years by coincidence, and I'm not an official disciple."
When Wang Yanqing said these words, she couldn't help feeling guilty. She really didn't know how Lu Heng could make it up so smoothly. Wang Yanqing was embarrassed to continue this topic, and hurriedly asked, "Where is the woman who was vigilant on the twenty-ninth day?"
The palace maids looked at each other and did not see Cui Yuehuan nearby. One of the palace maids volunteered and said, "She should be in the room. I will take Miss Wang to find her."
Wang Yanqing followed the palace maid to the apse. Ciqing Palace sits north and faces south, with five open halls on the front. It is the living place of the Empress Dowager Zhang. Passing through the small doors on both sides of the main hall, you enter a small courtyard that is obviously cold and quiet. The main hall of this courtyard is one level lower than that of Empress Dowager Zhang in front, and the foundations of the windows are much shorter.
But even so, the main hall is not suitable for the maids to live in. They are the largest in number, but they are crowded into small rooms on the east and west sides of the apse. These houses are built together with the palace walls, low and cramped, in sharp contrast with the magnificent Queen Mother's palace in front.
The palace maid stood in front of a low house, knocked on the door, and asked, "Cui Yuehuan, are you inside?"
After a while, a woman's answer came from inside: "Who is it?"
"It's me. The female layman brought by Commander Lu wants to ask questions. Is it convenient for you now?"
There were hurried footsteps inside, and a palace maid wearing a green jacket quickly opened the door and said, "I don't know if it is the female fairy, the fairy forgives."
Wang Yanqing smiled and said softly, "My surname is Wang, just call me by my name."
Cui Yuehuan should be, and asked Wang Yanqing to come in a little embarrassedly: "Miss Wang, forgive me, there is no sunlight here, and it is a bit cloudy. I will pour tea for the girl."
Wang Yanqing shook her head lightly, indicating that it was okay: "I'm just here to ask a few questions, you don't have to bother."
Wang Yanqing said no, but how dare the palace maid neglect Lu Commander's people. She went to the window to pick up the teapot and found it was empty. Cui Yuehuan couldn't help showing embarrassment. The maid who led the way saw this and said, "I'll go get you some hot water."
The maid who led the way grabbed the teapot from Cui Yuehuan and left. Cui Yuehuan brought Wang Yanqing an embroidered pier and nervously asked Wang Yanqing to sit.
Wang Yanqing leaned back and sat down, his eyes swept across the room silently. This room is not big, it is less than half of Wang Yanqing's bedroom in Lu Mansion, but it is full of four beds, and it is difficult for people to even turn around. The furnishings in the house are clear at a glance, except for the bed, the box in the corner, and the case in front of the window, there is nothing else.
Because there is no sunshine all the year round, and too many people are crowded, there is a cloudy tide in the house. Wang Yanqing's dress, appearance and temperament were incompatible with this shabby house, and Cui Yuehuan was restless. Wang Yanqing smiled at Cui Yuehuan and said kindly, "You don't have to be nervous. I heard from the maids that you were resting in the room and worried that you were not feeling well, so I came over to have a look. Can I call you Yuehuan?"
Cui Yuehuan's face relaxed slightly, and she nodded cautiously. Wang Yanqing asked, "How old are you this year and where are you from?"
Cui Yuehuan didn't know what Wang Yanqing was asking about, and replied, "I'm twenty this year, I've been in the palace for six years, and I'm from Pingyang."
Wang Yanqing rolled her eyes in surprise and smiled: "You are actually from Pingyang? My ancestral home is Datong Prefecture, so we are from the same town."
Cui Yuehuan has been in the palace for many years and has long lost contact with her hometown. She heard that Wang Yanqing was from the same province, and even though she knew that this woman was from the same province, her heart was relaxed.
Wang Yanqing seemed to be joking, but in fact he had been paying attention to Cui Yuhuan's expression. For most people, talking about childhood and hometown is the easiest way to get a good impression. Wang Yanqing reluctantly used a fellow countryman to get close, and then asked quietly, "I heard that you were beaten a few days ago, how are you, how are you?"
When Cui Yuehuan heard this, her eyebrows drooped down, and she lowered her head and said, "I made a big mistake. It is already grace that the Queen Mother spared me not to die, so how dare you cry out in pain?"
The day Empress Dowager Zhang met the ghost happened to be Cui Yuehuan's vigil. Cui Yuehuan didn't hear or say anything, and even caused Empress Dowager Zhang to lie on the ground in the middle of the night. If it wasn't for Empress Dowager Zhang's frequent encounters with ghosts and a trance, she forgot to deal with Cui Yuehuan for a while, she would have to endure more than a slap in the face.
Wang Yanqing guessed that the palace maids were scrubbing the palace outside, but Cui Yuehuan stayed in the house alone, most of which was recovering from her injuries. Wang Yanqing asked: "You are injured, are the tasks in the palace still as usual?"
"Of course." Cui Yuehuan said, "For those of us who are slaves, it is the master's grace to be punished for making mistakes. We should be grateful. How can we delay work? Thanks to Aunt Qin for taking care of me, I have been replaced by a relaxed one these days. Work, and the people in my room help me with things. My aunt is so kind to me, how can I dare to be hypocritical?"
Recuperation is the only treatment for the masters. As a palace maid, it is not allowed to waste time. Cui Yuehuan was already considered lucky, with Qin Xianger releasing water in front and her roommate in the back, so she could barely wait for the wound to heal. Otherwise, you will be assigned to do heavy work the next day after being beaten, and your body will collapse.
Wang Yanqing looked at Cui Yuehuan and couldn't even say words of comfort. Others can also paralyze themselves with "the days will get better day by day", but for the palace ladies, such days are their whole lives, and there is no hope for them.
As soon as you enter the gate of the palace, it is as deep as the sea. For the palace ladies, once you enter this gate, there is no chance to go out. The best result for them is that in the palace of old age and death, if they follow the wrong master, they will be oppressed by the concubines and eunuchs, and even if they follow the right master, they may be buried in the future. To be able to live in peace until old age and death is already an extravagant hope that many palace maids cannot achieve.
The Forbidden City is towering and towering, but below it, there are piles of bones. These maids, eunuchs, and even concubines were all victims of this splendid palace.
Wang Yanqing's heart became heavy, and she asked, "Is it because of the vigil that day?"
Cui Yuehuan was silent for a moment, and said, "I fell asleep during the night vigil for the master, and I deserved to be beaten to death. Besides, I also made the Empress Dowager ill."
Wang Yanqing said in a low voice, "But the other palace maids said that you usually sleep very lightly, and you have never made such a mistake before. Did you fall asleep that day because you were tricked, such as eating some tea or medicine by mistake?"
Cui Yuehuan lowered her eyes, pursed her lips slightly, and said, "No."
Wang Yanqing stared at her face and asked, "Is there really no? Think about it carefully, such as eating tea, cakes, snacks and so on from others."
Wang Yanqing spoke very slowly, Cui Yuehuan listened indifferently, and said, "I can't remember, probably not."
Wang Yanqing nodded lightly and stopped asking, "That's good. I don't know where this ghost came from, so why don't you just stare at the Ciqing Palace. You are still injured, do you need to go to the front hall for a vigil at night? ?"
Cui Yuehuan lowered her eyes deeply, and replied, "Yes."
"Are you going too?" Wang Yanqing sighed and asked with concern, "It's too hard to keep vigil while you're injured. Did you hit a ghost?"
Cui Yuehuan bit her lip, her expression completely different from when she talked about her hometown just now. She didn't want to continue talking, but because of Wang Yanqing's question, she had to reply: "I fell asleep during the first haunting and didn't see anything; the second haunting happened in the first half of the night, and it was my turn to guard that day. In the middle of the night, I just missed it. I only heard it last night when the ghost knocked on the door."
As if unable to see Cui Yuehuan's indifference, Wang Yanqing continued to ask, "Is that ghost scary?"
Cui Yuehuan gave a "hmm" and then nodded. Wang Yanqing suddenly reached out to hold Cui Yuehuan's fingers, Cui Yuehuan was startled, and subconsciously pulled back half. Wang Yanqing smiled gently and said, "Don't worry, the emperor has handed over this case to Lord Lu, and Lord Lu will definitely find out."
Cui Yuehuan shrank her fingers, raised the corner of her lips and smiled at Wang Yanqing.
The maid who went to pick up the hot water came back, and Wang Yanqing let go of Cui Yuehuan's hand. She asked Cui Yuehuan about her recovery, and Cui Yuehuan responded from time to time, her eyes were vacant, and she didn't talk much. Wang Yanqing got up wisely and said, "I won't disturb your recuperation, you can rest in peace."
Cui Yuehuan lowered her shoulders secretly and stood up to send them off. Wang Yanqing stopped Cui Yuehuan at the door, and walked out of the curtain with the maid who had led the way. After coming out, Wang Yanqing asked the palace maid, "How did the vigil work on the fifth day of the first day?"
The palace maid recalled and said, "Aunt Qin divided the people into two groups. One group stayed in the middle of the night, the other group in the middle of the night, and the next day was replaced. On the fifth day of the new year, it should be Aunt Qin's group who stayed in the middle of the night."
Wang Yanqing asked who were in the two groups, and the maids said one by one, which matched what Cui Yuehuan and Yu Wan said. Wang Yanqing pondered, when the palace maid saw this, she asked, "Miss Wang, what are you asking about?"
At this time, I would like to thank Lu Heng for finding a good excuse for her. Wang Yanqing smiled and replied without thinking hard: "I'm thinking about transcending the ritual. I'll keep vigil with you tonight, and I don't need to work on shifts anymore. , why don't we just watch together at night and night."
Now that female ghost is making people panic, of course, the more people who watch at night, the better. Wang Yanqing still bears the name of Zhang Tianshi's successor. The palace maid heard that Wang Yanqing was going to stay, and she could not ask for it. The palace maid said, "It's hard work, Miss Wang. But the night watch has always been arranged by Aunt Qin. One more person has to talk to Aunt Qin."
Wang Yanqing often heard the ladies mention Aunt Qin, and she asked curiously, "Who is Aunt Qin?"
"Aunt Qin's name is Qin Xiang'er. She is a female official of the Shangyi Bureau. She is the master of all matters in the Ciqing Palace." The palace maid said with some envy in her mouth, "Aunt Qin is different from us, she was selected through an examination. , to help the master handle the palace affairs, without having to do the work of serving people. Unfortunately, I am stupid and can't pass the exam of the internal school, otherwise I will also become a female official. "
Female officials were a system set up by Emperor Hongwu. They were divided into six bureaus and one division. Female officials are different from these palace maids and eunuchs who are like mustards. They have grades on their bodies. They are well-versed in literature and ink. They are the managers of the harem. Some female officials were selected from outside, and some were trained from the palace. Qin Xianger was admitted from outside the palace.
After the palace maid and Wang Yanqing finished talking, they went to Qin Xianger to report. Wang Yanqing didn't follow her, but changed the way, silently pondering the affairs of Ciqing Palace.
The management of the palace is so strict that it is difficult for outsiders to take advantage of the loopholes except for the inner ghosts. And last night, Ciqing Palace was haunted after being surrounded by Jin Yiwei. No outsiders approached Ciqing Palace during this period, so this ghost must appear inside them.
The first time there were no valid witnesses to the haunting, and the second time half of the people in Ciqing Palace kept vigil in the house while the other half slept. The five palace servants and the Queen Mother Zhang hit the ghost together. When these people gather together, it is difficult to cheat, and the other half of the palace servants are more likely to commit crimes. Among them, Cui Yuehuan, who slept to death during the first vigil, and happened to be not in the dormitory for the second time, was very suspicious.
The sky gradually darkened, and the atmosphere of Ciqing Palace was obviously flustered. When Wang Yanqing was walking around, she saw two palace maids looking around in the main hall in the backyard with suspicious expressions. One of them was Yu Wan who had spoken to her earlier. Wang Yanqing stopped at the door and knocked gently: "What are you doing?"
Yu Wan was startled when she heard a voice behind her, and almost threw the thing in her hand. When she looked back and saw Wang Yanqing, she breathed a sigh of relief: "Miss Wang, it's you."
Wang Yanqing lifted her skirt and stepped into the threshold, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Yu Wan quickly twisted the handkerchief in the water basin, not daring to delay for a moment, and said, "Auntie asked us to scrub the warehouse in the back. It's getting dark, there are few people here, and it's cold and scary, we have to go back quickly."
It was the fear of ghosts. Wang Yanqing stopped in front of Duobao Pavilion to help them. Wang Yanqing carefully took down a pair of vases and asked, "How long have you been in the palace?"
Yu Wan wringed out the veil, wiped the vase neatly, and replied, "I have been in the palace for five years, and she has just entered the palace for three years."
Wang Yanqing looked at the other palace maid. She had a beautiful face and a slender body. She looked a little dazed, and when she noticed Wang Yanqing looking over, she hurriedly lowered her head, her hands shook, and she almost broke the vase.
Wang Yanqing stood beside him, and quickly caught the vase. Yu Wan was startled, she was relieved when she saw that the vase was okay, raised her eyebrows and complained: "Xiu Jin, what are you doing? This is the vase given to the Queen Mother by Emperor Hongzhi. The Queen Mother is usually very precious, if it is broken, Ten is not enough for you."
Xiu Jin lowered her eyes and said sorry. Yu Wan looked at Xiu Jin's appearance and hesitated before speaking, and finally sighed, "Forget it, if you're not feeling well, just go back and rest for a while. I'll take a shower here."
Xiu Jin waved her hand and said no, Yu Wan snatched the things over and said in disgust, "Don't make trouble here, you are so dazed, what can you do? Go back quickly, I have to go to the Queen Mother's house to watch the night. ."
Xiu Jin couldn't grab Yu Wan, and finally walked away with her head down. Wang Yanqing watched the woman go out and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong with her? I see her face is very pale, is she not feeling well?"
Yu Wan hesitated before speaking, and finally shook her head and said, "She is young, and she is not used to it when she first entered the palace. It will be good in a few years."
Yu Wan said it casually, Wang Yanqing looked back at her, only to see Yu Wan's brows drooping, she picked up Xiu Jin's vase and wiped it swiftly.
Behind this understatement, I don't know how much sorrow is hidden.
Wang Yanqing sighed secretly and asked, "Xiu Jin is an elegant name. Her parents should also be scholars, so why are you willing to send her to the palace?"
Yu Wan said, "No way. It would be great if their family was really a scholar, but unfortunately her parents died early, and her brother and sister-in-law didn't want to support her, so they sold her into the palace. It's called Xiaosi, and Aunt Qin later said that the fourth is unlucky, and there is a poem called Xiujian..."
Wang Yanqing answered: "April is beautiful, and May is Ming."
"Oh yes." Yu Wan had already washed the vase and put it back in the Duobao Pavilion, twisting the handkerchief in the water and saying, "This is the poem. Aunt Qin said that the four-tone is not good, so she changed her name. Xiujian. It's a pity, no matter how delicate the name is, grass is still grass, and it's still a life to be trampled on."
Yu Wan washed the veil in the water, and Wang Yanqing stared at her. Wang Yanqing noticed that Yu Wan's tone did not fluctuate when she said these words, but her eyes were slightly closed, her upper lip was lifted, and two thin grooves quickly appeared on the side of her nose, which soon disappeared. Wang Yanqing remained calm and asked, "What happened to her?"
Yu Wan pouted and was about to say something when a voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Yu Wan."
Yu Wan was frightened and stood up immediately: "Aunt Qin."
Wang Yanqing turned around and found that it was the female official Duansu whom she had seen in the morning. It turned out that she was Qin Xianger. Wang Yanqing joined hands and said a thousand blessings, but Qin Xianger avoided and returned a salute: "Miss Wang, you are a distinguished guest, why did you come here? Master Lu explained that the Shangshan Supervisor brought you dinner, maiden, please come with me. Here comes the servant."
Wang Yanqing listened to the big head, and there were special people for everything in the palace. She just stayed in the Ciqing Palace for a while, and it was too much for the second brother to alarm the people of Shangshan Supervisor, right
But everything was delivered, Wang Yanqing could only go with Qin Xianger to dinner, and the topic just stopped naturally. After Qin Xianger and Wang Yanqing left, Yu Wansan put away her things and ran away with the dirty water basin.
Wang Yanqing was taken to a quiet palace by Qin Xianger, and Qin Xianger wanted to help Wang Yanqing prepare meals in person, but Wang Yanqing quickly stopped him. Qin Xianger was used to being a female official and kept her face straight in everything she did. Wang Yanqing couldn't eat in front of her, so she politely sent Qin Xianger away. When only Wang Yanqing was left in the room, she opened the food box and found that it was all her favorite dishes.
Wang Yanqing took a random bite with his chopsticks. Maybe because the emperor believed in Taoism, the meals in the palace were vegetarian, but the taste was not bad. It was the first time that Wang Yanqing had eaten such a delicious vegetarian dish. She sat down to eat with peace of mind, thinking that acquaintances are really easy to handle. If this dish was not specially taken care of by Shangshan Supervisor, Wang Yanqing would not believe it.
The second brother's behavior is a bit of a traitor.
Lu Heng is someone who has the ability to make a presence even without being in front of him. Wang Yanqing ate a high-standard dinner, and realized that she hadn't thought of her second brother all afternoon, and felt very guilty.
After dinner, the sky quickly darkened. Because the Ciqing Palace was haunted, it was particularly depressed after dark, and the gate was locked early. Wang Yanqing did not delay after the meal, and immediately went to the Queen Mother's bedroom.
There are already many people in the dormitory at this moment, all of them looking like they are in a state of unease and mourning. Qin Xianger was arranging people, and when she saw Wang Yanqing coming in, she gave a half-salutation lightly.
Qin Xianger's face was serious, as if the rules had been carved into his bones. Wang Yanqing nodded in return, and hid in the corner silently, so as not to be obtrusive in front of others.
Empress Dowager Zhang's face was extremely bad, and she didn't even bother to pay attention to Wang Yanqing. Empress Dowager Zhang was upset when she saw the flustered faces of the palace maids. She drove them out of the floor covering, and she was served by Qin Xianger to lie down. Qin Xianger beat the Queen Mother Zhang's legs in the inner room, Wang Yanqing and the other palace maids crowded together, silently waiting for midnight to come.
It's a very torturous thing, they know what's going to happen, but there's nothing they can do. The palace maids were all pale and pale. Wang Yanqing scanned the crowd and noticed that Cui Yuehuan and the palace maid named Xiu Jin were there. Wang Yanqing remembered that Cui Yuehuan was guarding the first half of the night yesterday. Tonight, it should be her turn to guard the second half of the night, but Cui Yuehuan appeared here, and she should have changed classes with others. Why would she do this
Wang Yanqing hid the guess in his heart and did not show it. She doesn't actually believe in the so-called haunted words, and she spends most of her time observing the palace maids present. However, no matter how terrifying it was, it couldn't stop the instinct of the body. As the night gradually deepened, the air in the hall became colder a little bit, and the palace maids also huddled together and fell into a drowsy sleep.
Wang Yanqing kept reminding himself to be vigilant, but when sleepiness struck, no one could choose, Wang Yanqing closed his eyes at some point. In a daze, she suddenly felt a cold air bullying her, and Wang Yanqing opened her eyes instantly.
She looked around, and found that the palace was quiet, and the maids were slumped and unconscious. The lights in the inner room flickered slightly, and Qin Xianger leaned on the couch of Empress Dowager Zhang, and seemed to have fallen asleep too.
Everything looks the same. Wang Yanqing moved her numb calf quietly. At this time, she vaguely heard a whining sound outside.
The sound was shrill and gentle, like the sound of wind and someone crying. Wang Yanqing got up immediately and pushed open the window.
There was no one outside, Wang Yanqing was so concentrated that he could no longer hear the whining sound.
The wind of early spring brought with it a sharp chill, and the night wind swept in from the window, dispelling the drowsiness in an instant. Wang Yanqing did not believe in evil, and looked around carefully, even on the beams of the house, but there was still nothing.
Wang Yanqing couldn't help but be shaken. Could it be that it was just the wind
Wang Yanqing found nothing, so he closed the window and returned to his original position. After a series of hauntings, the maids have become startled. Wang Yanqing's movement was very light, but someone still woke up.
When Cui Yuehuan saw Wang Yanqing coming back from the window, her face changed slightly. Maybe because she just woke up, her voice was still hoarse, and she asked hard, "Miss Wang, what's wrong?"
Wang Yanqing shook his head and said it was fine, but the others were also awakened one after another. When they realized what had happened, their faces changed.
This feeling of knowing that there are ghosts outside but having nothing to do is too terrifying. A palace maid hugged her companion in panic and muttered absentmindedly: "She's here, what should I do, she's here again!"
The inner room was also awakened, and there was a rustling voice inside. Wang Yanqing was waiting to comfort everyone when he suddenly heard a "dudu" voice behind him.
It was like something was scratching the door, and almost at the same time, the shrill and resentful voice sounded again: "It's so cold, let me in."
The author says:
In April, weeds are displayed, and in May, weeds are called. - "Book of Songs July"