Zhu Men Ji Shi

Chapter 135: A Mix of Sorrows and Joys (1)

Ruan Dongsheng is not as rigid as his father, as long as it is for the benefit of the family, he is willing to do and take risks.

In the past, the biggest backer of the Ruan family was the trust and reuse of the late emperor, but now, in order to consolidate their future career, they naturally wanted to find a new and solid backer.

Now, there is a war in the northwest, there is no battle to fight, no achievements to make, and the family's money is tight again and again, so it is impossible to sit still like this.

The more Ruan Dongsheng thought about it, the more anxious he became, he couldn't help but sighed heavily in front of his father.

Ruan Zhengshan seemed to be aware of his son's loss, thought for a moment, and said: "If you really want to find out, hurry up tomorrow and let your mother bring the daughters-in-law into the palace to visit the Empress Dowager. What's the idea of ​​seeing her old man?"

When Ruan Dongsheng heard this, he knew that his father had listened to his persuasion, so he hurriedly said, "Yes, my son knows."

The cold wind was blowing, and the lights were brightly lit.

Ruan Linluo looked at the picture of Songhe Yannian that she had just embroidered, frowned slightly and said, "It's still not good-looking, I'm going to tear it down and start over." After finishing speaking, she reached out to pick up the scissors beside her, but the maid stretched her hand Stopped it, and persuaded: "Good girl, if you don't like it, you don't like it, why do you have to cut it out? It took so much effort to embroider it, and you don't feel sorry for it?"

Ruan Linluo put down the scissors and sighed, "So what's the effort? It's not ugly. You see, it's not Songhe, it's just a chicken!"

After hearing this, the servant girl gave a "puchi" smile, took the embroidery stretcher from her hand, looked at it carefully for a while, and said: "Young lady is too picky, this slave girl thinks it is very pretty, and it is still alive."

Ruan Linluo shook her head: "No, no, Master He's embroidery is many times better than this."

"Miss, this is true. Master He has been carrying needles and thread for 30 years since he was a child. He wished he could embroider a flower with his eyes closed. The girl has only learned it for four or five years, so it is naturally incomparable. "As she spoke, she carefully put away Xiu Xian's embroidered stretches, and then said: "My servant knows that the girl is feeling bored, so I will play something else with you."

Ruan Linluo looked around the room, played with the bracelet on her wrist, and said, "What do we have to play with, isn't it just flipping through the rope and cutting paper, it's something for children..."

"Oh! My good girl, how old are you, and you still despise these children's things?"

Ruan Linluo smiled, didn't speak, suddenly thought of something, and said: "My mother said that she will take me into the palace to meet the queen mother tomorrow, so you go and pick out some suitable clothes for me... something essential, and, the best It's old."

At a time like this, she didn't want to dress like a butterfly.

After a while, the maids came over with a few plain little jackets for Ruan Linluo to have a look at.She picked left and right, and finally chose a lake color, the most plain one.

Before dawn on the second day, there was a sound of hurried footsteps outside the wing room.

Ruan Linluo was lying on the bed with her eyes closed, when she heard the servant girl ask softly, "Mother Li, the girl is still asleep."

"Oh, that's impossible, go and wake up the girl, don't delay the time to enter the palace!"

Mother Li panted lightly, she didn't care much, she gave the maids a little push, and said anxiously: "Go quickly, let the girl wash and change her clothes."

Ruan Linluo got up to wash and wash, and saw that the clothes brought by the maids were not the lake-colored ones that she chose yesterday, but water-pink ones. She couldn't help being surprised, "Why did you change them for me?"

The servant girl remained silent, just glanced in Mama Li's direction.

Mother Li stood aside, smiling all over her face: "Girl, you are not as comfortable in the palace as you are at home, it's better to dress solemnly, moreover, this dress was chosen by Da Furen herself."

Ruan Linluo glanced at the clothes, and thought in her heart: It's pink, how solemn is it?Sure enough, it looks like something chosen by the auntie, just like her people, beautifully dressed.

The Ruan family sent a carriage to take Ruan Linluo and her two outside the palace gate.Along the way, Ruan Linluo didn't say a word, she was not very close to her aunt, she was more polite than talking.

Once outside the high gate, it is necessary to change cars and sedan chairs. All the carriages and sedan chairs outside are not allowed to enter the palace gate, and all of them must be replaced by those in the palace.

Although Ruan Linluo had entered the palace for the first time, seeing the majestic aura in the palace city, she still couldn't help but think of her mother's previous earnest teachings, and became more cautious in her heart.

The palace servants of Tai'an Palace had been waiting inside the palace gate, and when they saw them coming, they immediately greeted them with smiles on their faces.

Ruan Linluo looked at their flattering pink faces and listened to their high-pitched voices, she smiled slightly, but her heart was very disturbed.

She hated the atmosphere in the palace, and also hated the people in the palace. She always felt that they were like people wearing masks, who changed their faces from time to time, and changed their appearance from time to time.

When I entered the palace last time, Tai'an Palace was still like a sea of ​​flowers, but now it is deserted and deserted.

The scenery has changed, and so have the people.

The empress dowager looked a lot older, her hair was all white, and her eyes were gray, as if covered by a layer of mist.

Ruan Linluo followed her aunt Yingying to greet her, and she couldn't help but think of the time when she first met the Queen Mother, she was sitting on the main seat in the hall with a smile on her face, and there were beautiful maids standing on both sides, each holding an ivory bamboo silk fan, and her face was full of radiance. full of energy.

Years make people old, but what makes you old more easily than years is heart-wrenching sadness.

The court lady in Tsing Yi moved a huanghuali chair and placed it in front of Ruan Linluo, and spread an embroidered cushion on it. The Empress Dowager raised her hand and said, "Sit down, all of you."

Ruan Linluo followed her aunt to greet her and thank her for her seat, and sat down next to the chair, her eyes lowered and she said nothing.

The Empress Dowager saw that she kept her head slightly lowered and did not speak, so she said: "This child has not come for a long time, but he has a relationship with the Ai family."

When Fang heard this, she was slightly startled, and hurriedly smiled and said, "Your Majesty, don't take offense, this child Luo'er is always like this, shy and seldom talk, most shy."

The Empress Dowager smiled when she heard the words: "That's not right. The girl knows that once she is shy, she has grown up. Children are not deep or shallow. Only when they become girls do they know how to avoid taboos."

Fang only felt that there was something in the Empress Dowager's words, so she just smiled and said, "Isn't that the reason? Or Empress Dowager, your heart is like a mirror, you can tell it at a glance."

The Empress Dowager smiled and said: "The Ai family has lived such a long time, so their eyesight is better." After finishing speaking, she waved to Ruan Linluo: "Come here, child, come to the Ai family."

Ruan Linluo got up according to her words, and walked slowly to her, Fu Yifu said: "The daughter of the people pays her respects to the empress dowager, and wishes her good luck and golden safety."

The queen mother nodded, looked at her carefully and said: "Well, good boy, Aijia likes you when he sees you. Would you like to stay in the palace and accompany Aijia for a few more days?"

Ruan Linluo turned pale when she heard the words, she felt a bit abrupt, but she didn't dare to refuse, she said weakly: "Thank you for the kindness of the empress dowager, but the girl is young and doesn't know the rules, so I'm afraid she won't be able to serve the queen mother well. Empress..."

The Empress Dowager wanted to keep her, and said with a smile: "You are here to accompany Ai's family, not to be a maid in the palace. You don't have to serve Ai's family, just treat the palace as if it were your own home."

After hearing this, Ruan Linluo felt so uncomfortable that she was about to cry.She looked at her eldest aunt as if asking for help, but she saw that Fang was smiling brightly, and said to her: "Luo'er hastened to kneel down and thank you, this is a blessing that cannot be wished for."

Ruan Linluo's eyes flashed, and she seemed to understand something in her heart. No wonder in the morning, mother said she was uncomfortable and didn't come with them... This must have been decided early.

Ruan Linluo knelt down trembling slightly, kowtowed to express her gratitude: "The daughter of the people thanked the Empress Dowager for her kindness." After saying this, tears welled up from the corners of her eyes.

Fang Shi was beside her, and also knelt down to thank her. Seeing her crying, she couldn't help smoothing things over and said: "Looking at the silly child, I was so happy that I cried."

Her words caused the smile on the Empress Dowager's face to fade a bit, and also made Ruan Linluo's tears flow more fiercely.

When Fang was about to leave, Ruan Linluo followed her all the way out of the Tai'an Palace, ignoring etiquette, and asked bluntly, "Auntie, Luo'er wants to go home, when can I go back?"

Fang pursed her lips and gave her a nasty look: "You silly child, why don't you know how to be blessed? The Queen Mother likes you so much, if you keep you, you should make her happy. Besides, the palace The place is so good, others can’t squeeze in even if they smashed their heads, you should be lucky, be sure to do well, you know?”

Ruan Linluo bit her lower lip when she heard the words, shook her head and said, "I want to see my mother, I want to see my father."

Fang's voice persuaded: "Your father and your mother will come to see you, and your aunt will also come to see you. You can stay in the palace with peace of mind, don't play childish temper, don't be self-willed." After finishing this sentence, she smiled meaningfully, turned around and walked away with the palace people leading the way.

Ruan Linluo stood quietly on the spot without moving, and suddenly felt a pain in her heart, as if being pricked by a long needle, and her eyes were sore.

She endured it for a while, and finally couldn't help it anymore. She knelt down, covered her face and wept, but kept silent.

Seeing this, the maid next to her stretched out her hand to support her back, and said softly: "Miss, don't cry, it's a taboo to be careful."

Ruan Linluo felt even worse when she heard this, she squatted on the ground and didn't get up for a while, until the maid beside her exclaimed: "Your Majesty!"

As soon as she finished speaking, there was a high-pitched voice saying: "The emperor is here."

Ruan Linluo was greatly excited, and quickly lowered her head even lower, knelt on the ground and kowtowed: "Long live the emperor, long live, long live."

Li Zheng watched her crying outside the gate of Tai'an Palace from a distance, her body trembling like a delicate pink butterfly accidentally fell to the ground, weak and helpless, very pitiful.

In the blink of an eye, it was the second day of the first lunar month, and every household was busy celebrating the New Year, which was very lively. Because it was still during the national mourning period, the Zhu family sent out all the actors and dancers in the garden, and kept everything simple, without the festive noise of previous years.However, the garden was deserted, but outside the main gate of Zhu's house it became crowded with guests.

Shen Yuechen was busy welcoming guests with the elders every day, and was so busy that she didn't even have time to go back to her mother's house, because Ruan Linluo had just been canonized as Concubine Jing by the emperor, and the Ruan and Zhu families were honored.Therefore, whether it was relatives and friends who had friendship with the Zhu family, or casual acquaintances who had met once, they all came to curry favor one after another.

(End of this chapter)