The Prince of Wei's palace was bustling with activity. The officials who were receiving the emperor's entourage were extremely busy, and the servants were even more busy. Even if they couldn't see the emperor, it would be a good thing to see the ministers around him.
But in Zhang's room, the atmosphere was quite different. A woman was whispering beside Zhang: An official named Lu was summoned, and I don't know what it was about.
After a while, someone else came in and whispered in Zhang's ear: Is it really what the eunuch said
Zhang gnashed her teeth and said: Who else but him
The woman who just came in said: I have been eavesdropping outside for a while. An eunuch named Wang beside the emperor went to see Cao Tai. Cao Tai mentioned that the capital was in chaos that year, and the Zhao family was causing trouble. Cao Tai went out of the palace with his head on his shoulders to see the emperor and told him about the danger in the palace. The emperor praised him for his loyalty and courage.
Zhang's face became even uglier: Since the eunuch has such a good relationship with the emperor, why would he come to Fu's house to cheat people
She frowned and thought hard for a moment, feeling that it was Lu Chun who was unlucky this time. Her only mistake was offending the eunuch. If the eunuch slandered the emperor, the emperor only needed one word to cause serious consequences, just like what he said today: "You have great ambitions." The Lu family would fall into the eighteenth level of hell.
Eunuchs are really hateful, Zhang cursed.
The old lady was very flexible and could not sit still any longer, so she quickly took her belongings, asked someone to drag the fat woman up, and went to find Cao Tai.
The eunuch Cao Tai was very thin and frail. He had been lying on the bed peacefully, but when he looked up and recognized Zhang, he immediately began to groan.
As soon as Zhang came in, she said kindly: I'm sorry that Eunuch Cao has been wronged.
Cao Tai shouted and said: "No way, how can the lady condescend to come here in person? My house is just a eunuch with no subordinates."
Suddenly, a servant whispered: "I didn't mean to scold Eunuch Cao.
Zhang said: Lord Cao is a magnanimous person, please don't bother with that servant.
Cao Tai sighed: How can a eunuch be a great man? A commoner is just a small man.
Zhang's face flashed with displeasure, and she turned around and said angrily: Pin that servant to the ground and beat her until Eunuch Cao calms down.
Cao Tai groaned again and said: "Madam, why did you have to put on this show? You want to punish your own servants, why do you have to do it for others to see?"
Zhang's expression suddenly changed, her face turned cold, and she blurted out: "Eunuch Cao is so ruthless when he is in power, leaving no room for maneuver, right?"
Cao Tai put his hand on his chest, glared and said angrily: "Oh my, I'm so scared. The eldest lady is criticizing me. I'm just taking advantage of others' power. The eldest lady is the eldest daughter-in-law of the Prince of Wei's mansion. My dear, I'm in your house now. If I offend you, I will be crushed to death like an ant."
After a while, he stopped his exaggerated expression and said seriously: Madam wants to reconcile, but you are too impatient. You turn hostile in a blink of an eye. Who would believe you? And, I can't help but remind Madam that if there is anything wrong with this marriage, you can't get away from it. The servants present here can really keep it completely confidential.
Zhang looked annoyed.
Cao Tai said: "I have only one worthless life left, which will lead to the extinction of my descendants. My wife enjoys wealth and glory, and it is not worth it to fight with people like me."
Zhang turned around and pointed at the fat woman: Come here, beat this ungrateful servant to death.
Madam, please spare my life. Madam, I am so worried about you, the fat woman, but my mouth was immediately blocked.
The sky gradually darkened, and lanterns were lit on the eaves and corridors of the palace. The lights were brilliant, and the pavilions and towers seemed more beautiful in the hazy prosperity than in the daytime.
In front of the house where the emperor's palace was located, a group of eunuchs and palace maids came with a yellow umbrella curtain and a four-man sedan chair. After a while, the eunuch Wang Zhong came out and said: The queen ordered that we go to the inner palace to see Madam Fu.
Then, Fu Ermei, wearing a phoenix crown and a wide yellow dress, walked out from the door. A group of palace ladies and maids stood in front of the sedan chair with their backs bent, and Fu Ermei was helped into the sedan chair.
When the group arrived outside Jinzhan's boudoir, Fu Ermei saw through the curtain that there were already a few people waiting outside. They slightly bent their knees, bowed, and said together: "Welcome, Queen."
Fu Ermei stepped down from the sedan chair and was slightly surprised when she saw her elder sister, because Jinzhan was dressed too plainly, in a gray and white skirt, with a headscarf tied on her hair, and without even a piece of jewelry. Thinking that she was a widow, it was really inconvenient for her to wear brightly colored clothes. However, some women really don't rely on clothes, even if they are wrapped in rags, they still can't hide their beauty. The skirt was too plain, which made her figure and appearance look too inappropriate.
The second sister walked up quickly, helped Jinzhan up, and called her affectionately: Big sister.
When the two of them walked together, the contrast in their images was so great, as if a noble was meeting a commoner. The second sister waved her hand to stop the followers, and then took Jinzhan's hand affectionately and went inside.
"I really wronged my elder sister," said Fu Ermei distressedly.
Jinzhan asked her to sit down beside a table and said with a calm smile: What's there to be wronged about
The second sister thought about it and a relaxed smile appeared in her eyes: That’s right, it seems to be really not easy for anyone to bully the eldest sister.
Jinzhan looked at her second sister with a smile on her face and nodded.
When they were the only two left in the room, the second sister let go and asked excitedly: "Eldest sister, have you gone to the peach blossom forest over there? It was just in bloom a while ago."
I went there, and my sixth sister and I often played there. Jinzhan said with a smile, picking up the clothes she was sewing on the table and working on them under the lamp while talking to her second sister.
Seeing this, Fu Ermei seemed a little unhappy: I finally met my elder sister, why is she still thinking about this thing
Jinzhan smiled and said: You talk as if we have been separated for a long time. We were together in Tokyo last month.
Fu Ermei nodded seriously: I felt like we had been apart for a long time, but it turns out it’s only been a short while.
She looked around and at her elder sister again, feeling that things had changed. It had only been a short time, but now she looked like a pretty young wife, sewing under the lamp with a shy smile in her eyes.
Moreover, the room was a little dim. The second sister turned around and found that there was only one lamp. She said casually: Why don't you light a few more lamps
Jinzhan glanced at her and thought, why light so many lights when just one light would be enough.
The second sister said: Is it possible that the family is cutting back on the eldest sister's expenses
Jinzhan smiled and said: How could a few lamps only cost a few dollars? But the servant beside me couldn't move around easily these days, so I didn't go to buy any, and I didn't want to ask the mansion for it. It's just a small matter.
After hearing this, the second sister smiled again. She relied on her intuition. Although some details around the eldest sister seemed a little strange, the eldest sister looked reassuring. The second sister also knew how to do needlework, sewing one stitch at a time, which took a lot of time and required some leisure time. If the eldest sister had something on her mind, how could she have such leisure time
While Jinzhan was busy, she talked to her second sister for a long time.
There was only a little left to do, but she finally finished sewing it. Jinzhan breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes curved into a satisfied smile. She was a little tired, and too lazy to get up to find a pair of scissors, so she put the thread end to her mouth and bit it off with her white teeth.
The second sister looked at her and was stunned: It’s rare to see the eldest sister like this.
Jinzhan smiled but said nothing.
It was almost time. The second sister glanced out the window, then stood up and leaned over to Jinzhan's ear, looking at the beautiful place where her black hair and white skin intersected, and whispered softly.
After hearing this, Jinzhan looked at her second sister with complicated eyes: Is it okay to be like this in the Fu family
The second sister whispered: Don't worry, it's not the first time.
Jinzhan said: Every time it is risky, as long as someone pays attention, it is easy to find.
The second sister whispered: "Sister, just agree. The official has been restless all afternoon, so please serve him well for me tonight."
Jinzhan's face turned red and she said: I just want to talk to him.
For a moment, she felt as if she was stealing her second sister's man, but then she changed her mind and wondered whose man it was. If she hadn't thought that she and Guo Shao couldn't have that kind of relationship, she wouldn't have been able to facilitate her second sister's marriage. It was all her own fault.
The second sister said: The eldest sister agreed
Jinzhan paced a few steps and said, "I need to make some preparations. My second sister will rest in my room tonight. Tomorrow morning, I will come here with you to greet my father and aunt. You wait for me here, we will change back into clothes and identities, and then go to my father's place; otherwise, our family will see through us at a glance."
After hearing this, the second sister whispered: Big sister has thought it through very carefully.
The two of them then entered the warm room together. The second sister was in a hurry to take off her clothes, but Jinzhan remained calm, and her bright eyes were always observing every detail of her body.
They worked for a while, changing clothes and decorating, and even helping each other comb their hair. Jinzhan took a piece of red silk and stuffed it into her arms, and folded the purple clothes she had just sewn and put them into a package.
The second sister looked at what she was holding and said nothing.
Jinzhan looked back at her and said nothing. From childhood to adulthood, Jinzhan was quite generous and doted on her younger sister. She would give in to whatever her younger sister wanted. But this time she really didn't want to give up. Just this once, my younger sister, I'm sorry.
Jinzhan prepared her things and took out a cloak and put it on. The stand-up collar covered her neck and half of her face.
The two of them walked out of the bedroom together and went to the front door.
At this time, a woman in a robe said: It is still a little chilly in Hebei at night. The Queen comes to visit the Madam so late, so she must take care of herself and not catch a cold.
Jinzhan, who was wearing the queen's dress, turned around, held her second sister's hand and whispered a few words.
Jinzhan walked slowly towards the sedan chair parked at the door. The attendants around her all bowed and saluted. No one dared to look up at the queen in the dim night lights. She didn't say a word.