Xu Guifei was indeed stunned.
She had never seen such a stupefied bride, who had just been married for a few days, so she dared to go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs regardless of her dignity.
After being surprised, she smiled again, and her smile was like a hundred flowers in full bloom, and she was graceful and magnificent.
Concubine Xu Gui is not a very beautiful woman, she can only be considered to be above average in terms of appearance, and there are many more beautiful women in the palace. What makes her beautiful is that special temperament, that kind of distinctive charm. As soft as water, and with a hint of shyness, she is pitiful.
"Niangniang, these four princes and concubines are completely idiots. This is a joke."
Concubine Xu just smiled and did not speak.
The same dialogue also appeared in Fengqi Palace.
"Niangniang, these fourth princes and concubines are simply vulgar. At the beginning, Your Majesty should have promised her to the second prince. If she is dragging her back like this, it is estimated that Xu Guifei will regret it too late."
"What do you know, this person really promises to give the second prince, so he can help that bitch Xu. If someone hadn't deliberately done this, why would a dignified prince and concubine be so disrespectful to make a fuss about the Ministry of Internal Affairs?"
"… "
"This bitch never forgets to dig a hole for this palace. This time, I started from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Anyway, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is not under the control of this palace. Let's just wait and watch the show." Queen Xiao showed a hint of unknown meaning. smile.
"Yes."
***
Sure enough, such a cold day did not stop the rumors from spreading in the palace.
Almost on the second day, almost everyone in the entire palace knew about the Fourth Prince Concubine's trouble with the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Of course, there are not a few people watching jokes in the palaces and courtyards. This rumor does not mention the case of the Ministry of Internal Affairs detaining the Xianyun Palace. It only stares at the Fourth Prince Concubine to make trouble with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Described as a dominatrix coming into the world.
The reason why rumors are rumors is because it satisfies some people's bad tastes. These palace eunuchs have low status in the palace, and they finally have a high status and quite a slot, and they are all very excited to talk about it. Some people who have never seen Yan Yan, only have to describe her as seven feet tall, strong and mighty, not like a woman at all, otherwise they would not be assigned to the fourth prince.
The rumors became more and more intense, and Queen Xiao finally couldn't stand it any longer, so she tried to stop it. At the same time, Yan Yan, who was the main culprit, also asked the palace servants around the queen to come forward and give a lecture, and banned them for ten days as punishment.
During the whole process, Mei Xiang's heart almost stopped beating with fright, but Yan Yan and Luo Huaiyuan ignored them, as if nothing happened. The grounding was just right. It just happened that Yan Yan disliked the snow and slippery roads in the past few days, and did not want to go to Fengqi Palace to ask for peace.
Originally, I closed my door and lived my own life. I never thought that you would not cause trouble to provoke you. As soon as the empress's concubine said that she was forbidden, Lu Xiuling, the second prince concubine, came to the door.
When the sister-in-law came, she naturally wanted to sweep the couch to greet her, but as soon as she was seated, Lu Xiuling made a call, annoyed Yan Yan.
The general meaning of Lu Xiuling's words is to tell Yan Yan to pay attention to the etiquette of the prince and concubine, and not to concede her status and care about the servants. There is no sarcasm at all from the voice, but if you put these words upside down in your heart, you can see nothing but sarcasm.
Lu Xiuling probably thinks that her identity is higher than that of Yan Yan. Speaking these words as a sister-in-law, it is true on the surface, but who is with whom in private? This person is also too ignorant, adding to the family.
As soon as Yan Yan didn't want to see anyone, she put on her face: "Second Huangsao is here to teach me a lesson?"
This was quite rude, and Yan Yan was not prepared to be polite to her.
You say Lu Xiuling is here to deliberately disgusting people, she seems not to be, she is also sincere and hard-working. But this behavior and these words, no matter how you look at it, are all disgusting people. Anyway, Yan Yan doesn't like such people, and she doesn't bother to guess what she is thinking. If she doesn't like it, it's better to stay away.
"Why do you talk like this? I'm here to persuade you with good intentions. You are like this..." Lu Xiuling blushed.
Yan Yan raised her eyebrows, "What's wrong with my words? Erhuang sister-in-law, you should go back quickly. I was banned by my mother, so it's not suitable to receive you at this time. Evian, see you off."
"Second prince and concubine, please come here."
"you-"
Lu Xiuling's eyes turned red, she stomped her feet, and the back of her leaving seemed to be running away.
At dinner, Yan Yan and Luo Huaiyuan talked about it.
"What do you think she thinks? I never give her a good face, and I still lean on me tirelessly. What do you think she wants?"
"My daughter-in-law is so beautiful, she wants to touch your light, and she will be nurtured to be more beautiful in the future."
Yan Yan slapped him, "All nonsense!"
***
Leaving the Xianyun Palace, on the way back to Jin'an Palace.
The palace servants beside Lu Xiuling couldn't help but said, "Niangniang, why don't you come to the door to find it so hard? These four princes and concubines are rude."
The expression on Lu Xiuling's face was indistinguishable, and she whispered, "We are sisters-in-law after all, and her reputation is not good for me. As a sister-in-law, I have to persuade her a lot."
Xiufang was quite indignant: "But look at her appearance, you don't respect you at all, why should you be so kind to her."
Lu Xiuling just lowered her head and did not speak.
Back in Jin'an Hall, she excused herself a bit tired and went to the bedroom to rest, and she didn't let anyone follow her to serve.
Xiufang was angry and anxious and had to wait outside the door of the bedroom. A curious palace servant asked what was wrong, but Xiufang didn't hide it, so she thought that the second prince and concubine were kind, but she didn't know that she was scolded by the fourth prince. said. So it didn't take long for the entire Jin'an Palace to know that their prince concubine was bullied by the fourth prince concubine of Xianyun Palace.
This is not the first time. In the past, there have always been the fourth prince concubine who did not give the second prince a good look. I didn't expect it to develop like this now. The fourth prince concubine is really deceiving!
The news naturally reached the ears of the second prince.
During dinner in the evening, the second prince couldn't help but say: "You don't go to Xianyun Palace in the future. If you can't get along, why bother yourself."
Lu Xiuling lowered her head and said in a low voice, "She and I are sister-in-law after all, she is ignorant, and I, as a sister-in-law, persuade her more and do my part."
The second prince's eyes flickered inexplicably, and he smiled, "The fourth younger brother and sister are at the cusp of the storm right now. There are many people in this palace. To prevent any rumors from spreading."
Lu Xiuling's body stiffened for a moment, and then she said obediently: "My husband is more considerate than a concubine, and a concubine should do her best."
The second prince nodded, put down the silver chopsticks, and someone took a saliva and a water basin and served him to wash his mouth and wash his hands. After that, he wiped the water on his hands with a cotton handkerchief, and the second prince stood up.
"I'm going to the study, you can rest first, don't wait for me."
"Congratulations to send husband."
Lu Xiuling lowered her head halfway, squatted down and saluted, the moment she stood up, a twist finally leaked out of the corner of her eyes.
***
The ten days of confinement passed quickly, and on the first day of the lifting of the ban, it was reasonable to go to Fengqi Palace to thank the Empress.
At the gate of Fengqi Palace, Yan Yan, who was about to get off the warm sedan chair, saw Lu Xiuling not far away. Seeing this, she deliberately slowed down.
Unexpectedly, the other party still greeted her. Lu Xiuling was wearing a cloak with a silver-white background and emerald pattern, her hands folded in the cloak, and she was holding a gilt hand stove.
"The fourth siblings came to greet the mother? Let's go in together."
Yan Yan had to laugh stiffly and got off the warm sedan chair with the help of Mei Xiang.
After being informed, the two entered the hall, and Empress Xiao sat high on the phoenix seat in the hall, full of grace and luxury.
Lu Xiuling greeted her with a salute, and Empress Xiao called out. After that, it was Yan Yan's turn. She squatted down and greeted Queen Xiao according to the etiquette in the palace.
Empress Xiao glanced at her, and seemed to suddenly realize that she said to the palace servant beside her: "Today is the day when the fourth daughter-in-law's probation period expires?"
The palace servant squatted down and said yes, Queen Xiao nodded and looked at Yan Yan again.
"You are a bride. I, the mother, should not be so disrespectful to you, but since you are a royal daughter-in-law, you must know the etiquette and know how to maintain the dignity of the royal family. In this palace, the family has a big business, and it is inevitable that there are a few You are a cheating slave. If you encounter anything, you can come and talk to your mother. The mother will decide for you. How can you make trouble in the House of Representatives regardless of your dignity? You must know that you are the daughter-in-law of the fourth eldest. , both the glory and the loss are all lost, what did you do wrong, the old four faces are also dull..."
During this period, Empress Xiao didn't shout, so Yan Yan kept squatting.
This is a common trick in the palace, but unfortunately it is a piece of cake for Yan Yan. She walks on a horse for two hours without tremors in her legs. Would she be afraid of this kind of trick? Empress Xiao did not shout, she continued to be blessed.
Lu Xiuling was hesitant to speak, but she couldn't help but open her mouth to make a relief: "Mother, do you think you should let the fourth siblings get up first and always squat like this, how can you stand it?"
Empress Xiao looked suddenly enlightened, and sighed while holding her forehead: "Get up, now that the mother is old, her memory is not as good as it is, and she always loses it. Xiangping, give it to the two princes quickly. The concubine sees the seat."
Seeing this, Lu Xiuling hurried over and stretched out her hand to help Yan Yan, but Yan Yan straightened herself up without shaking or shaking. She didn't look uncomfortable at all, and deliberately avoided Lu Xiuling's hand, which made Lu Xiuling suddenly embarrassed.
She covered her embarrassment with a soft smile and withdrew her hand: "Fourth younger siblings deserve to be martial arts practitioners."
Yan Yan nodded and glanced at her: "It's easy to say."
"The mother's careful teaching to you must be kept in mind. In the future, don't make mistakes and make mistakes in the face of our royal family. After all, we are different from other people. We are the daughter-in-law of the royal family... "
Yan Yan saw that a palace servant brought a chair, so she turned around and sat on it, ignoring Lu Xiuling.
"You are young and have a reckless personality. After all, being in a boudoir is different from being married. There will be more in the future..."
Yan Yan couldn't bear it any longer, and pulled out a sneer: "Second Huangsao, this is Fengqi Palace, not your Jin'an Palace. I know that you are virtuous, graceful and dignified, and your character is noble. I am a younger brother and sister. It's better to sigh. But if you want to show off, can you go back to your house to show off, what are you doing here? Are you not using my misbehavior and low moral character to set off your noble character, and you feel uncomfortable? "
Lu Xiuling took a step back, battered, with tears in her eyes, "I'm kind, how can you say that..."
"Okay, okay, why are you arguing here in this palace? It's really naughty!" Queen Xiao said angrily.
Xiang Ping, who was on the side, smiled and said to the queen: "Empress Empress, the two princes and concubines are young and ignorant. In the future, you will have to teach me carefully as a mother-in-law."
Empress Xiao sighed and laughed: "Now there are three enough for this palace to have a headache. If I have to come in two more, I will not confuse the palace."
I have to say that this Empress Xiao is extremely good at talking, and she was on the verge of tearing her face off.
This Xiang Ping is also a capable person, that is, he agrees with the master's words, and also points out that Empress Xiao is a serious mother-in-law. These words naturally hit Lu Xiuling. After all, Empress Xiao is an orthodox middle palace no matter what, even if Xu Guifei is Lu Xiuling's orthodox mother-in-law, she has to take a step back in terms of status.
I don't know if Yan Yan understands it or not, but Lu Xiuling understands it anyway.
She hurriedly bowed her knees to Empress Xiao, blushing and said crampedly: "I hope the mother doesn't commit the crime, it's all the daughter-in-law's fault, please don't blame the fourth siblings. She has always spoken straightforwardly, but she has no intentions."
Yan Yan was simply convinced by this Lu Xiuling, why did she pull her up for anything
She was too lazy to save face for Lu Xiuling, and said with a sneer, "Thank you, the second emperor's sister-in-law, for making excuses for my brother and sister. But please don't say anything and take me with you in the future, we are not familiar with each other, really don't. cooked!"
After she finished speaking, she didn't even look at Lu Xiuling's face, she stood up and saluted Queen Xiao and retired.
"Empress mother, the daughter-in-law's palace still has business to do, so I will retire first."
Empress Xiao waved her hand, she turned around and left. Empress Xiao glanced at Lu Xiuling, who was standing below, and waved her back.
When the two of them stepped back, a eunuch on the side had a strange look on his face and said, "Miss, do you think that the second prince and concubine has a sick head?"
Empress Xiao laughed sarcastically, and said, "You don't understand a woman's mind, especially the mind of a woman who doesn't want her husband to see her. Xiangping, talk to Lu Hai."
Xiang Ping pursed his lips and smiled: "The servant said, if it is wrong, please correct me. The second prince asked for the marriage of the fourth prince and concubine in public back then, but His Majesty did not approve, but promised the fourth prince and concubine to him. The fourth prince. After that, the second prince concubine appeared. It is reported that the Jin'an Palace has been unstable recently. I'm still enjoying it, rumors are spreading everywhere. According to the slave maid's guess, it's probably something that the second prince concubine cares about before, and wants to tell everyone that the fourth prince concubine is wicked, and it is better for her to take on the important responsibility of the second prince concubine."
Xiang Ping said it quite implicitly.
Empress Xiao smiled silently.
Lu Hai suddenly realized, but he couldn't believe it: "That means the second prince concubine wants to step down the fourth prince concubine to lift herself up?"
"There has never been a shortage of women in this palace who step down others to lift themselves up, but this Lu Xiuling's method is too clumsy." Queen Xiao said.
Xiang Ping covered his mouth and smiled, "This fourth prince concubine is really a second person, and he doesn't leave any face to the second prince concubine. Now Liang Zijie is too big."
Empress Xiao nodded: "It stands to reason that Lu Xiuling is not such a disrespectful person, and she actually made a scene in Fengqi Palace. Then there is only one possibility, it must be stimulated by something..."
Empress Xiao didn't say anything else, she just knocked on the armrest of the phoenix seat, revealing a meaningful smile.
The two people on the side saw this, and their hearts turned quickly, but they couldn't figure out the clue.
***
Time passed quickly, and it was the twelfth lunar month in a blink of an eye.
As soon as the twelfth lunar month arrives, the Chinese New Year is not far away, and the palace also begins to be lively.
On the day of Laba, the palace has the habit of enjoying Laba porridge. The emperor and the queen congregated and cooked Laba porridge as a reward to the princes, ministers and guards. The Laba porridge of the people in the Guard Palace is naturally not the same as that of the princes and ministers, and the ingredients are a few lower grades. Being able to get Laba porridge from the palace shows that he has a face in front of His Majesty and the Empress. Because of Yan Yan's relationship, Weiyuan Houfu also got Laba porridge from the palace this year.
When Laba Day is over, it will be officially entered the New Year's Eve.
Every household outside the palace began to decorate with lanterns in anticipation of the upcoming New Year. This place in the palace is also extremely busy, and all the palaces are starting to show up. After all, the new year in the palace is different from the other places, and there are many feasts.
But all this has nothing to do with Yan Yan.
Because of the deadlock with Lu Xiuling last time, she was really clean for a while, and no one ran up to her by herself, blocking her and brushing her face. Due to the intimidation of the fierce fourth prince and concubine, the top and bottom of the Xianyun Palace are honest, no matter what is inside, at least on the surface. And Luo Huaiyuan is a wife and slave, absolutely what Yan Yan says, so Yan Yan's life is very smooth.
It's New Year's Eve.
On New Year's Eve, Emperor Xi held a family banquet in Zhaoyang Hall to show his reunion. The Empress, Concubine Xu, and concubines and concubines above the concubine rank were all present, as well as the princes and concubines.
The family banquet was divided into separate tables, with the imperial banquet table as the chairman, with Emperor Xi and Empress Xiao seated. The bottom and left are lined up and divided into two columns. The one headed by Xu Guifei is on the right. There is one seat for the concubine, two people above the concubine, and three seats for the concubine. , sitting with two concubines who were both unloved.
It stands to reason that she should not come to participate in this kind of family banquet due to her current status, but the fourth prince is for her, and she has to give this kind of face more or less.
On the left are several princes headed by the prince, who have not yet been married, and the prince who is married has a seat with his concubine. The prince's family occupied two more seats than others, one seat was set up by him and the crown princess Qu, and the other seat was two small county masters and the prince two Liang Di.
These two little county masters are not very old, but they look like they are two or three years old. One is from the Crown Princess, and the other is from the Crown Prince's side concubine surnamed Wu. All watched by the grandmother, sitting upright in the chair.
The new year's congratulatory message is opened by the prince, because it is a family banquet, there are not so many rules, just say a few words of blessing. Afterwards, the second prince and the third prince entered the words of blessing one by one. When he arrived at Luo Huaiyuan, he was too lazy to think about it, so he slipped through what others said before.
Everyone knew that the Fourth Prince was ignorant and stupid, but no one laughed.
It was not the fifth prince's turn, because the fifth prince was a mute, which was known to everyone.
It happened that the fifth prince's seat was beside Yan Yan, and she couldn't help but glance at it.
I saw that the fifth prince had fair skin, handsome appearance, and his eyebrows and eyes were as touching as ink paintings. His expression is very indifferent, his face is not fluctuating, even in such an occasion, his eyes are still standing still, as if he is out of the way.
Yan Yan secretly sighed a pity, she had heard that the fifth prince was a mute, but she didn't know whether he was deaf or mute.
The hand on her lap was pinched, Yan Yan turned her eyes and saw Luo Huaiyuan winking at her. I don't know the meaning of it for the time being, but Yan Yan didn't pay attention to the fifth prince.
At the family banquet, Emperor Xi said a few words, probably meaning to make the three married sons work hard so that they can see the little grandson at the family banquet next year.
Speaking of this, the second prince and Luo Huaiyuan were fine. After all, they had just gotten married, and the prince's face was ugly.
The prince has been married for more than four years, and there are many concubines in the East Palace, but so far no male heir has been born, only two small county masters.
Emperor Xi did not blame the prince, but the prince was anxious. In fact, not only is he anxious, but Queen Xiao is also anxious, because with the inheritance of children, the crown prince's position is more stable. It would be a joke to let two or three princes come to the fore.
Press not to mention.
After the family banquet, everyone dispersed, and then went back to the palace to guard the old age.
Luo Huaiyuan was lazy, so when he returned to the Xianyun Palace, he washed up and got on the couch first. In this big winter, the weather is cold, so it is natural to lie warm and comfortable under the quilt. Yan Yan wanted to do something else to pass the time, but it was still early in the ion, and when she saw the man lying in the quilt, he kept beckoning to her. , he also took off the hairpin ring and went to the couch.
Still comfortable in the bed.
Yan Yan was too lazy to nestle in Luo Huaiyuan's soft arms, and was so hot that she didn't want to move.
"Why are you staring at the fifth boy today?"
Luo Huaiyuan nibbled at Yan Yan's snow-white earlobe leisurely, and Yan Yan didn't bother to pay attention to his actions, because her experience during this period of time told her that it was useless to stop him.
"I didn't stare at it all the time, I was just curious. Is the fifth prince born deaf and dumb?"
Luo Huaiyuan nibbled and licked, and then said, "That's not true. The fifth man can't speak, but he can still hear."
The ancients regarded disability into two categories, the natural disability or the lack of the earth. A natural disability is a natural disability, and a lack of earth is an acquired one. The fifth prince could not speak since he was a child, which is a natural disability, but generally deaf and dumb, most of the deaf can't speak, because he can't hear, so naturally he can't speak. It is rare to see people who can hear but cannot speak.
"There is a reason why the fifth is like this."