The Legend of Shushan Xuanjian

Chapter 465 The courtyard is deep
How deep is the courtyard?The cloud window and fog pavilion are often closed.Willow shoots and plum calyx gradually become clear.Spring returns to moling trees, and old people build Kangcheng.

——Excerpt from Li Qingzhao of "Linjiang Immortals: How Deep and Deep the Courtyard"
……

On March 21, the first year of Qianyuan, when Li Siye was stationed in Hanoi, Wang Weiliang, the army envoy of Beiting, conspired to rebel.

After An Qingxu learned that Li Siye was stationed in Hanoi, in April of the same year, he personally led his troops, Cai Xide and Cui Gan, led [-] infantry and cavalry, crossed Qinshui, and attacked Hanoi.Li Siye's army was brave, but Yan's army failed to conquer Hanoi, so they had to retreat and returned without success.

Bai Fu, who was far away in Chang'an, smiled when he saw this military newspaper.

During this period of time, accompanied by Princess Qingluan, he was lingering in the Daming Palace all day, admiring the beautiful scenery in the palace and appreciating the calligraphy and paintings in the Daming Palace.

Every time he stepped into the forbidden garden of the imperial palace, Bai Fu was filled with emotion.

Daming Palace is a place full of rules, with strict hierarchy, and those who trespass will be beheaded.The emperor walked the royal road, but the court ladies and eunuchs must not take a step.

There are strict regulations on what kind of palaces the queen, concubines, Liangdi, etc. live in, and they live according to their rank.

And all these tedious and complicated etiquette and rules are to ensure that the emperor of Tang Dynasty can not abide by any rules, just to highlight the emperor's ninety-five supreme privileges.

From the Daxing Palace in the Sui Dynasty to the Taiji Palace and Daming Palace in the Tang Dynasty, the Nine Palaces witnessed the passage of time, the change of dynasties, the emperors hurriedly entered the stage, and then left sadly.

The Forbidden Palace of the Imperial Palace is the largest container of power and ambition, the extreme of human treachery and impermanence, where desire and conquest are intertwined, conspiracy and lies alternate.

Here determines the longevity of the country, and also determines the fate of everyone in the world.

It is said that before Princess Huo Guochang was hanged by the rebel Sun Xiaozhe in Taiji Palace, Sun Xiaozhe asked her about her last words.Princess Huo said bitterly: "Civil and military officials are the most unjust, Chen Xilie, son-in-law Zhang Yi and others will come to congratulate tomorrow."

Before dying, Princess Huo's last sentence was: "Kill them for me."

……

From Linde Hall to the north, through the three main halls of Chang'an Hall, Xianju Hall, and Shicui Hall, you come to a wide Yuhe.This Yuhe River is the waterway leading to Taiye Pool, which brings the running water of Yong'an Canal into Taiye Pool through the Forbidden Garden.

Seeing Yuhe, Princess Qingluan burst into tears.Princess Qingluan cried: "I heard from the surviving maids that the rebel army invaded the Daming Palace, and those concubines and maids who were unwilling to be humiliated fell into the river one after another and committed suicide by throwing themselves into the water."

Leaning on the railing, Bai Fu looked into the distance, as if he saw hundreds of corpses of court ladies floating on the river, their dresses were brightly colored, as bright as blue lotus.

Can't help but sigh.

……

On this day, Princess Qingluan said that she was going to Taiji Palace to visit a sick elder and asked Bai Fu to accompany her.

The two walked through the West Inner Court and entered the Tai Chi Palace from the Anli Gate.

Facing the vast palace, Princess Qingluan also went in the wrong direction and went to a separate courtyard.Unlike the splendor of the palace in front, this place seems to have been deserted for a long time.

There is a plaque in the other courtyard, and the words "Huixinyuan" are written on the door.

Princess Qingluan said with emotion: "I'm afraid no man has visited this garden for a hundred years."

Bai Fu asked, "Where is this place?"

Princess Qingluan sighed: "This is the cold palace where Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu were imprisoned."

Bai Fu's heart tightened. He was familiar with history and knew the tragic ending of these two people.

Back then, in order to bring down the queen, Wu Zhao did not hesitate to kill her infant daughter in order to blame the queen.

After Wu Zhao succeeded in ascending the throne, he urged Emperor Gaozong to depose the Queen and Concubine Xiao Shu as ordinary people on the grounds that the Queen and Concubine Xiao Shu conspired to commit poison.

Bai Fu looked around, the whole courtyard was empty and desolate, with cobwebs tangled, cold and damp.

The wild grass grows almost knee-deep.There are nameless wild flowers floating on the wild grass, swaying in the wind.In the courtyard, half of the eaves of the small stone pavilion for night lighting are exposed from the grass, covered with moss, dull and dull.

Some houses in the courtyard have been dilapidated, only a little residual color on the window lattice, people can get a glimpse of the prosperity of the courtyard carved beams and painted buildings in those days.

Princess Qingluan sighed uncontrollably, and said: "Emperor Gaozong missed the Queen and Concubine Xiao Shu once, so he came here quietly, and saw that the doors and windows of the palace were tightly sealed, and only a small hole was cut in the wall to deliver fresh water. Emperor Gaozong felt sorry for him, and called out, "Where are the empress and concubine Shu?"

Queen Wang cried and said, "Concubines and others are offended and become maidservants in the palace. How can they be more honorable."If the Supreme Being reminisced about the past, he sent his concubine to wait for the sun and the moon to see the sun and the moon again, begging to name this courtyard as the Huixin Temple. '

Wu Zhao was furious when he found out, and ordered the Queen and Concubine Xiao Shu to be beaten a hundred times with sticks, cut off their hands and feet cruelly, and then threw them into a wine jar to soak.

Within a few days, Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu were tortured to death.After they died, Wu Zhao still couldn't let go of his hatred, so he fished out the heads of the two corpses.An edict was issued to change the surname of Queen Wang to Mang and that of Concubine Xiao Shu to Xiao.

In the face of torture and death, Queen Wang was surprisingly calm and said: "Long live everyone."Zhaoyi accepts kindness, and dies from me. '

Concubine Xiao Shu strongly cursed: "A Wu is so cunning, so much so!"May he give birth to me as a cat, and Ah Wu as a mouse, and choke his throat. '

It is said that from this day onwards, Wu Zhao banned keeping cats in the palace.Concubine Xiao Shu's curse before her death was like a nightmare, and Wu Zhao couldn't sleep at night.In the dream, Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu turned into ghosts and ghosts, with disheveled hair and bleeding hands and feet, as if they were dead, they grabbed Wu Zhao's neck again and again, seducing her for their lives.

Wu Zhao was scared out of his wits, so he had to move to Daming Palace.But within two days of recovery, I still saw them in my dreams from time to time.Wu Zhao had trouble sleeping and eating, so he simply fled Chang'an and stayed in Luoyang, the eastern capital, as much as possible for the rest of his life. "

Bai Fu had seen Wu Zhao before, and it was hard to imagine that this kind old woman had done such bloody and cruel things back then.

Possessed by the desire for power, the lamb will also become a demon.

……

Standing in the desolate and overgrown grassy courtyard, Bai Fu imagined its former glory.

The dilapidated pavilions and pillars of the platform seem to be restored little by little; the moving moments of the past seem to be played back bit by bit; the whole courtyard reproduces the grand occasion of blooming flowers:
The warm sun is shining brightly, pear blossoms are in full bloom, and the latticed windows in the courtyard are all open.The spring breeze blows, and the fragrance of flowers mixed with powder floats in the early spring morning.

The thrush chirped, and the beauty leaned against the window.

Concubines and court ladies fluttered butterflies, danced lightly and released paper kites among the flowers.Holding a handful of well water, the moon is reflected in your hand; inserting a bunch of orchids, the dark fragrance is all over your clothes.

The most prosperous is also the saddest.

……

Leaving the cold palace, Bai Fu and Princess Qingluan hurried all the way in silence.Turning around the palace wall, a crabapple tree in front of them was in full bloom. The red wall and green trees filled the courtyard with fragrance, which made the two of them stop suddenly.

There is a line of small characters beside the tree: the noble concubine plants the tree by hand.

Bai Fu felt a tingling pain in his heart, as if he saw Yang Yuhuan wearing a ring, surrounded by everyone, with beautiful eyes looking forward and a graceful posture.But now there is only one tree left here, and in the wind of falling flowers and fragrance, only the shadow of the lonely moon is left.

How deep is the courtyard, the beauties are like flowers, blooming lonely, withering lonely, the beauty is floating, and the beauty crowns the six palaces, but it can't match the luck of the emperor, and the old age is late.

……

Princess Qingluan had a teardrop hanging on her long eyelashes, she said to Bai Fu: "The imperial concubine is not a prisoner in the Forbidden Garden.

If there is such a day, I hope that someone can take me away.Gallop on horses in the vast grasslands, and go boating on the West Lake in the misty and rainy Jiangnan.Whether it's wandering around the world, eating or sleeping in the open air, smiling proudly in the Jianghu, enjoying kindness and hatred, it's better than being kept like a canary in this gorgeous cage.Involuntary body, involuntary death. "

　[-]. References

　　1. "The Hidden Corner of the Forbidden City", Zhu Yong, People's Literature Publishing House, published in June 2020.

　　2. "History of Chinese Architectural Art", Liu Tuo, Life·Reading·New Knowledge Joint Publishing, published in March 2021.

　　[-]. Reference poems

　　How deep is the courtyard?The cloud window and fog pavilion are often closed.Willow shoots and plum calyx gradually become clear.Spring returns to moling trees, and old people build Kangcheng.

　　There are so many things that I feel about the moon and the wind, but now I am getting old and getting old.Who pity haggard more withered.It's boring to test the lamp, and I'm not in the mood to step on the snow.

　　——"Linjiang Immortal·How Deep is the Courtyard" Li Qingzhao
　　
　　
　
(End of this chapter)