Yesterday, Xiu Jin stayed at midnight in the Queen Mother's palace, and today it is time for her to be on duty in the middle of the night. Xiu Jin was thinking about changing shifts and fell asleep early, but strangely, she slept very deeply at night, and she didn't realize that she had slept before, and it was five watch outside until she was woken up by a chill.
Xiu Jin secretly said that it was bad, and quickly jumped up from the bed. While she was randomly putting on clothes, she wondered in her heart that she overslept and delayed her shift, why was no one reminded her
Xiu Jin didn't even have time to put on the jacket inside, so she hurriedly straightened the front of her shirt and ran out. However, when she opened the door, she found that the Ciqing Palace was quiet. At this hour in the past, someone should have gotten up and cleaned it.
what happened
Xiu Jin was terrified, not knowing whether she was dreaming or hitting a ghost. Xiu Jin didn't dare to go out, she stopped at the door and hesitated, only then did she notice that the maid in the same room was also asleep.
There were four of them in the house, two in the first half of the night and two in the second half of the night. She and her companions didn't replace her, and the night watchman didn't come back. She was busy going out just now, but she didn't find anyone in the house.
Xiu Jin didn't dare to go by herself, so she stepped forward and shook her companion awake. The maid in the same room was shocked and scared when she found out that she had slept. Xiu Jin told his companions about the situation, and the two walked to the main hall together.
The doors and windows of the main hall were closed, and no movement could be seen inside. Xiu Jin and her companions dared to knock on the door. They held their breath and waited for a while, but there was no response inside. The two of them were startled and quickly pushed open the door, only to find that everyone was sleeping on the ground, staggering and motionless.
Xiu Jin clenched her companion's hand tightly, and shivered to test her breath. Fortunately, they were still breathing. Xiuzhen and the maid in the same room went inside to see Empress Dowager Zhang again. Empress Dowager Zhang also slept peacefully on the bed. Xiu Jin did not dare to try Empress Dowager Zhang's breath.
Xiu Jin was confused by this development, everyone fell asleep, no traces were found in the palace, and nothing was lost. Could it be that the palace maid and the empress dowager just slept past time and forgot to change shifts? It is understandable that one person has slept, but with so many people staying together, can it be that everyone can slept
Besides, the palace maid forgot the time, and Aunt Qin.
At this time, Xiu Jin suddenly realized that not everyone was there. Aunt Qin and Miss Wang are gone.
At this moment, Wang Yanqing was already waiting in front of the palace gate. As soon as it was time to unlock the lock, she followed the leading eunuch out of Donghua Gate, boarded the carriage, and drove outside the palace.
Wang Yanqing breathed a sigh of relief after entering the carriage of Lu Mansion. Yesterday, Wang Yanqing had no traditional Chinese medicine, but after Qin Xianger was taken away, Wang Yanqing did not dare to sleep any more, so he had to endure for a long time. Lu Heng probably guessed that she couldn't sleep. It was dawn this morning, and a eunuch knocked on the door quietly, saying that they were ordered by Lu Heng to take Wang Yanqing out of the palace.
The eunuch carried a note. After Wang Yanqing checked it, he recognized that it was indeed Lu Heng's handwriting, so he followed the eunuch. The eunuch knew the road to and from, and even calculated which road was the least crowded and how much time it would take. After Wang Yanqing walked to Donghua Gate, he almost didn't wait long when he heard the drumming of the opening of the palace gate.
Wang Yanqing leaned against the wall of the car and closed his eyes tiredly. The sound of the drums gradually ceased outside, and after a short interval, a second wave of vigorous drum beats sounded on the city tower.
Today is the ninth day of the first day. After three waves of drums, the Meridian Gate was opened, and the official and military flags were placed inside. Fu Tingzhou stood in the ranks of Xunqi. He looked back quietly and found that Lu Heng came a lot later than usual, and just came over.
With Lu Heng's prudence, it was impossible to make such a mistake. Fu Tingzhou frowned secretly, wondering what Lu Heng was doing.
Fu Tingzhou was fascinated by his thoughts, but he didn't know that while he was speculating about Lu Heng, a carriage pulled out from Donghuamen and Gululu walked towards Dong'anmen. The mighty Meridian Gate City Tower rang the bell, and Fu Tingzhou quickly regained his mind and followed everyone to the palace. At this time, Wang Yanqing's carriage also passed through Dong'anmen safely and merged into the city streets.
The sun rises in the east, the sky will be bright, but the two of them run in opposite directions.
Wang Yanqing leaned on the carriage, and wanted to close his eyes to rest, but fell asleep when he was not careful. When the carriage stopped, the carriage rushed forward, and Wang Yanqing woke up instantly. She rubbed her brows with a headache, tapped twice on the wall of the carriage, and a familiar female voice sounded outside: "Girl, we're at the house. Are you still awake?"
It's Lingxi, and it's finally back. Wang Yanqing blinked her eyes hard, endured the sourness, got up and walked under the car: "I'm fine."
Wang Yanqing spent two days and two nights in the palace, and it didn't feel long in the palace. After coming out, seeing the furnishings of the Lu Mansion seemed like a lifetime away. No matter how comfortable it was, even the weeds on the roadside looked cute. Wang Yanqing returned to his courtyard, and as soon as he entered the house, he said, "Prepare water, I want to take a bath."
Lingxi Lingluan received news last night that Wang Yanqing was coming back this morning, and refreshments and hot water were already prepared in the room. Lingluan was slightly blessed and went inside to check the soup pool. Lingxi waited on Wang Yanqing to take off her big clothes and asked, "Girl, you haven't had a good rest for a few days. The kitchen has brought some cakes. Do you want to put some on it first?"
Wang Yanqing shook his head: "I don't have an appetite right now. I'll talk about it after I take a shower."
Wang Yanqing took a hot bath and felt alive. She changed into new clothes, and her wet long hair fell naturally. Lingxi had already set up breakfast outside. Seeing Wang Yanqing coming out, he saluted and asked, "Girl, the commander told you to eat something before going to sleep. Look..."
Wang Yanqing knew that Lu Heng said something in the house, everyone was afraid of him, she didn't intend to embarrass the maid, and besides, taking a bath took a lot of energy, and when she came out and smelled the aroma of warm food, she was also a little hungry. Don't be shy in your own home, Wang Yanqing sat down and finally let go of his voice and said, "I'll just come by myself, you guys can go down and rest."
She left the palace at Yin Shi, and as soon as she came back, she had hot water and hot meals. When did these maids and cooks start preparing? It's not easy for everyone, and if you can understand, you can understand.
Lingxi Lingluan answered yes, but did not leave. She waited for Wang Yanqing to finish eating and dry her hair before gently serving Wang Yanqing to go to bed to rest. Wang Yanqing loosened her hair and lay in the warm quilt, finally understanding what it feels like to be at home.
Of course, the Lu Mansion is not as delicate as the Imperial Palace, but she can talk freely, move around freely, and don't have to worry about eating and drinking, which is far more comfortable than the Imperial Palace. Wang Yanqing walked around the palace for a while, and understood a little why Lu Heng was always so tense, that he didn't even dare to eat spicy food in his own home.
Often doing bad things in that environment, no wonder he became like this.
Wang Yanqing wanted to land on Heng, put her hand on the edge of the bed, closed her eyes unconsciously, and fell into a deep sleep. Wang Yanqing slept for a long time, and when he woke up, it was dark.
She moved a little, and the maid outside heard the movement and came in to roll up the bed curtain and light the candles. Wang Yanqing had slept for too long and her body was sore. She sat up with difficulty, and just sat up and asked, "Is the second brother back?"
She hadn't drank water for a long time, her throat was dry and hoarse, and these words came out weak and weak. Lingluan saluted and said, "Girl back, the commander just returned to the mansion."
When Wang Yanqing heard this, she fell asleep immediately and wanted to get out of bed to find Lu Heng. She changed into a green jacket and skirt, and Lingluan brought her a cape. Wang Yanqing couldn't wait to fasten it, so he took the cape and rushed out, putting it on his body as he walked.
After February 2, the land thawed and the weather was getting warmer every day, but the wind at night was still cool. Wang Yanqing ran quickly to the main courtyard, Lingluan chased after him, and said anxiously, "Girl, you can't stand the cold, be careful of catching a cold."
Wang Yanqing didn't have the heart to listen to these words. She ran into the main room with her clothes on. The people inside heard the movement early and turned around calmly: "Qingqing, what's the matter?"
Wang Yanqing was relieved when he saw that it was indeed Lu Heng. Lu Heng looked like he had just returned, and he had not had time to change his clothes. Wang Yanqing folded his hands, walked in a thousand blessings, and asked, "Second brother, have you eaten yet?"
Lu Heng thought that Wang Yanqing might ask Qin Xianger where she went, how the haunted case was tried, and what happened in the harem after she left, but Lu Heng did not expect that Wang Yanqing hurried over, and the first sentence turned out to be asking Has he eaten yet
Lu Heng was surprised and said with a smile, "Not yet. I heard from them that you slept all day, and you slept comfortably. Do you want to stay and have dinner with the second brother?"
Wang Yanqing nodded, she wasn't actually hungry, but she wanted to accompany Lu Heng to eat something, and then hurriedly put him to bed. Wang Yanqing squinted for a while last night, but Lu Heng had been busy all day. Even his sturdy body can't stand such consumption.
The kitchen was already ready. After learning that Wang Yanqing was also going to eat, he quietly added a pair of bowls and chopsticks, and added a few dishes that Wang Yanqing liked. Wang Yanqing sat down and quietly observed Lu Heng. His face was tired, but his eyes were bright and he looked in good spirits.
It seems that the case should be smooth. Wang Yanqing thought silently for a while, then took the initiative to scoop out a bowl of soup for Lu Heng, and asked, "Second brother, is it really Qin Xianger who pretends to be a ghost?"
Lu Heng took Wang Yanqing's bowl, glanced at her, and sighed: "I thought Qingqing was here to care about me, but it turned out to be for the case."
"There's no way." Wang Yanqing frowned and said, "I'm obviously afraid that your body will not be able to bear it if you endure it for too long."
Lu Heng laughed, turned the spoon with his fingers, and said slowly, "It's still so casual. With your words, it's worth it even if I die of exhaustion."
"Don't say these unlucky things." Wang Yanqing stopped Lu Heng's words with a serious face.
She taught Lu Heng with a stern face, and Lu Heng also let her instruct him. After Wang Yanqing finished speaking, while there was nothing to do at the dinner table, he asked, "Second brother, why did she do that?"
Lu Heng took a sip of the soup and said calmly, "It's a long story, this is the bitter fruit planted thirty years ago."
Wang Yanqing looked at Lu Heng seriously, waiting for his next words. Lu Heng didn't continue talking, and suddenly asked, "Qingqing, do you remember what I said to you on the day of Shangyuan Festival?"
Wang Yanqing thought about it for thirty years, and asked tentatively, "You mean Emperor Hongzhi?"
"That's right, it happened during Hongzhi's reign." Lu Heng put down the soup bowl and sighed slightly, "At that time, there was a eunuch who offended the Empress Zhang because he stopped the Zhang brothers Dai Yuguan, and was put in prison by Emperor Hongzhi instead. Later, Empress Zhang ordered him to be beaten to death. That eunuch was called He Ding, and what Qin Xianger did had something to do with him."
Wang Yanqing guessed: "They are brothers and sisters? But Qin Xianger's surname is Qin. Could it be that she used a pseudonym?"
"It's her real name." Lu Heng said calmly, "The identity of the female official who is sent to the palace must be checked again and again, but if it is almost impossible to pass. Her surname is Qin, from Huaian, and she has a sister above her. ."
Wang Yanqing seemed to sense something, and a pair of Qiushui cut pupils stared at Lu Heng motionless. Lu Heng nodded, confirming her guess: "Qin Xiang'er's sister also entered the palace, but not a female official, but a palace maid. On the day of the conflict between He Ding and Zhang Heling's brothers, there was a banquet in the palace, and Zhang Heling and Zhang Yanling were drinking When there was too much wine, Zhang Yanling raped a palace maid while drinking. After he returned to the banquet, he saw the emperor's hair crown was itchy, and he pushed Zhang Heling. The two wanted to pick them up and wear them again. He Ding and the palace maid were on duty in the same palace. He discovered Zhang Yanling's animal behavior, and when he got to the front, he found that they had no intention of repenting, and even wanted to wear the imperial crown. He Ding was immediately furious and wanted to kill the two of them with a gourd. At that time, many people begged Emperor Hongzhi for mercy, but Queen Zhang couldn't swallow this breath and insisted on imprisoning He Ding. Emperor Hongzhi couldn't bear to let his beloved wife be wronged, so he asked Jinyiwei to take He Ding away. Did Emperor Hongzhi think about it at the time? No one knew about killing He Ding, but later, He Ding did die."
Wang Yanqing's eyes were unbearable, like the dark clouds covering the moon, the smoke enveloped the cold water, and it made people feel distressed. Lu Heng took her wrist and clenched it tightly: "That palace maid is Qin Xiang'er's sister - Qin Ji'er."
Wang Yanqing fell heavily, only the place where Lu Heng held her was warm and powerful, like the only support in the vast ocean. Wang Yanqing asked, "What happened to Qin Ji'er?"
"Dead." Lu Heng's words were direct and cold, and there was no emotion in his eyes, "The record in the palace is that Qin Jier was frozen to death at night because of the cold weather. But the old eunuch who handled the matter said that Qin Jier's There were bruises on the neck when the body was thrown out."
The ending is unfortunate, but not surprising at all. The Empress Dowager Zhang did not let go of He Ding, who was in prison, let alone a palace maid? Qin Jier died silently, even if everyone could see that she did not die naturally, no one would investigate the cause of her death. He Ding is a eunuch, and he has no family descendants, and no one will seek justice.
The two of them were like a speck of dust on the gorgeous floor tiles of the Forbidden City, obstructing the master's eyes, and brushing it off with a single sweep, no one cared where they landed. Only Qin Xianger, the sister of Qin Jier who is also a duster, gave up marrying and entered the palace, and served as a slave for 20 years, just to find out the cause of her sister's death that year.
Wang Yanqing finally understood why Empress Dowager Zhang was so resistant to talking about encountering ghosts, and she finally understood why Qin Xianger shouted "so cold" outside the door when she was pretending to be a ghost. Qin Xianger's sister ended up "frozen to death", so it's no wonder that Qin Xianger is worried.
Wang Yanqing asked, "Did she find it?"
"She explained in the prison today that she found some traces, but she was not sure that it was Empress Dowager Zhang. She pretended to be a ghost to scare Empress Dowager Zhang, just to know if her sister's death had anything to do with Empress Dowager Zhang."
The result is needless to say, the Empress Dowager Zhang was so frightened that it was obvious that she had nothing to do with her.
Wang Yanqing sighed deeply and asked about the thing that had troubled her for a long time: "The first time she drugged Cui Yuehuan, no one saw her pretending to be a ghost. But the second, third, and fourth times later Damn, she was always by the Queen Mother Zhang's side, why did she make a noise outside the window? I could see clearly the night before, she was in the hall, lying on the bed before the incident and sleeping in front of the Queen Mother. Even if she could pretend to be asleep, the knock on the door and The ghost screams are clearly coming from outside, how can she be divided into two halves by herself?"
Lu Heng slowly rubbed the roots of Wang Yanqing's fingers, and when he heard this, he smiled meaningfully: "Who said it must be a human?"
Wang Yanqing was stunned, but when Lu Heng was about to decipher it, he suddenly sold the secret, shook her hand and said, "When I saw Qingqing, I didn't take my words to heart. I was worried that you would be wronged in the palace. Teach you the contact code, but you don't care at all."
"No." Wang Yanqing was quite aggrieved, and hurriedly defended, "I always remember it, but it's just useless."
Lu Heng took time to relax, and asked in a calm manner, "Really? Then why didn't you notice the bird's chirping?"
Wang Yanqing was stunned for a moment. At this time, she recalled that when she went out the night before, she didn't see anyone, but it seemed that birds did fly by.
Seeing that she understood, Lu Heng smiled and said, "You don't like cockfighting and horses, so naturally you don't know. There is an excellent bird in the bird market, called Myna, with a clear voice and good at learning human language. If you teach it well, It can learn a dozen commands."
Wang Yanqing slowly connected the whole thing. After Qin Xianger found out the cause of her sister's death, she suspected that it was the hands of the Empress Dowager Zhang, so she wanted to pretend to be a ghost to deceive her. Qin Xianger is a female official, and the Queen Mother Zhang can't finish the cakes she can handle. Qin Xianger picks out Cui Yuehuan's favorite desserts, puts a drowsiness medicine in it, and tricks Cui Yuehuan into eating them. Cui Yuehuan really fell asleep that night, and Qin Xianger put on the ghost girl's clothes to scare the queen mother. Qin Xianger and Qin Jier are sisters, their hair is loose and the light is dim, it is almost unreal. After seeing it, the Queen Mother Zhang thought it was Qin Jier's manifestation, and was shocked and fainted.
After that, Empress Dowager Zhang scolded anyone like she was crazy. Qin Xianger saw it and became more and more sure that the person who killed her sister was Empress Dowager Zhang. It's ridiculous that the Queen Mother Zhang killed a young and beautiful palace maid, but she didn't even remember the other party's name. Whenever the Queen Mother Zhang knew that the woman was called Qin Jier, she would never put Qin Xianger, whose name was obviously related, by her side.
Qin Xianger finally determined the real murderer, and after that, she didn't have to take the risk herself. She stayed by the Queen Mother's side openly, and after everyone fell asleep, she quietly whistled and called Brother Myna to imitate the human voice. If the people inside pushed the window or the Jinyiwei outside broke in, Brother Myna would naturally flutter and fly away, so Qin Xianger didn't have to worry about it at all.
The myna had black and purple feathers, and it was impossible to see it when it was dark. Besides, everyone's attention was on people, who would care about a bird. Neither Jin Yiwei nor Wang Yanqing behind him found a black bird in the courtyard. When Jinyiwei patrolled, outsiders were not allowed to approach Ciqing Palace, but they certainly couldn't take care of the birds in the sky.
Qin Xianger just pretended to be a ghost in front of everyone's eyes. If she hadn't run into Lu Heng, I'm afraid Jin Yiwei would have been played around by her.
Qin Xianger used a whistle to control the bird, but she didn't know that Jinyiwei also had a secret code inside, and Lu Heng was an expert in this area. Wang Yanqing was amazed, and once again realized that there was a reason why the second brother was promoted so quickly.
However, Wang Yanqing was still puzzled, and she hurriedly asked, "What about the second time? I always thought the lanterns under the eaves of Ciqing Palace were weird, but I couldn't tell what was strange..."
Lu Heng has always praised his sister. He nodded and affirmed Wang Yanqing's thoughts: "Yes, there is something wrong with those lanterns. You don't often go to the palace, so it's no wonder that you can't see the difference. The first time I entered, I noticed that the lanterns were It was adjusted and hung too low. The second time the so-called cry of a woman was my myna. As for the female ghost with disheveled hair on the window, it was actually a shadow cast by a lantern, and the reasoning was similar to a shadow puppet show."
Wang Yanqing's eyes widened, and she asked very studiously, "How did you do that?"
Lu Heng looked at Wang Yanqing's big clear eyes and wondered how the Zhenyuan Hou Mansion raised the girl. Wang Yanqing is not familiar with flowers and birds, and it can be said that he is strictly upbringing, and he is not allowed to play with things, but why is he not even familiar with shadow puppetry
While despising Zhenyuan Hou's mansion, Lu Heng said, "It's not advisable to play with things and lose your mind, but you can't devote yourself to studying and you won't have time to relax at all. The way to combine work and rest is... "
When Lu Heng said this, he suddenly stopped. He realized that he was the one who didn't care about Wang Yanqing's hobbies and focused on his own affairs, which made Wang Yanqing dare not play at all.
Lu Heng's lips moved, he pursed his lips, gritted his teeth secretly, and finally said to Wang Yanqing with a smile, "It's all my second brother, I was busy practicing martial arts before and forgot to take you out to play. Second brother will definitely accompany you more in the future."
Wang Yanqing nodded slowly, her eyes still dull. Lu Heng couldn't see that she was unhappy, and immediately said: "Lingxi, bring the shadow puppet."
Wang Yanqing was startled, and said hurriedly, "Second brother, you've been busy for several days, so hurry up and rest..."
"It doesn't matter." Lu Heng said lightly, "It doesn't take much effort to do things that are easy."
After Lu Heng and Wang Yanqing finished their meal, Lingxi also prepared things. Lu Heng took Wang Yanqing to stand in front of the window, used a fishing line to go around the window, tied a small wooden stick, and adjusted the shadow puppet to a suitable angle. Lu Heng asked someone to raise the lamp, and a lifelike shadow immediately appeared on the window paper. Lu Heng gestured casually and said, "That's probably the case. She may have adjusted it a little bit more finely, but the reasoning is the same."
Wang Yanqing saw with his own eyes a small paper-cut magnified into a black shadow on the window, and the last mystery in his heart was solved. When they met a ghost for the second time, the maids saw the ghost's shadow, and coupled with the intermittent cries outside the window, they naturally thought it was from a ghost, and they would have noticed that the "ghost shadow" had not moved. Moreover, Wang Yanqing remembered that Yu Wan said that Qin Xianger came forward that day and took the initiative to open the window with a wooden stick to drive away the ghost.
In fact, Qin Xianger was not trying to exorcise ghosts at all, but to take away things such as fishing lines and paper-cuts. At that time, both the palace maid and the queen mother Zhang were so frightened that they did not dare to approach the window.
Seeing that Wang Yanqing's wish was over, Lu Heng put down his things and signaled Lingxi Lingluan to take it away. Wang Yanqing realized that she had disturbed Lu Heng for a long time, and hurriedly said, "Second brother, are you in a hurry to rest? It's all my fault. I'm here to remind you to go to bed early, but I've been pestering you for so long."
Lu Heng didn't care about this, he and Wang Yanqing were relaxed when they talked, and it was considered a rest. However, Lu Heng was never reluctant to do such a thing. He immediately showed a look of exhaustion and said, "I've been in prison all day today. I have a headache and can't sleep."
Wang Yanqing felt more and more guilty, and said cautiously, "Then I'll leave now?"
He is really a clever ghost, Lu Heng can't help it, he can only say clearly: "If someone helps me rub the acupuncture points, maybe it will be better."
Wang Yanqing said in an annoyed tone, "Unfortunately, I don't know how to massage."
If it was someone else, Lu Heng would definitely feel that the other party was pretending to be confused, but if this person was Wang Yanqing, Lu Heng would be full of patience: "It's okay, I'll teach you."
The author says:
Lu Heng (disgusted): Some people are very selfish and don't know how to take care of their sister at all.
Lu Heng: Yes, that person is me.