peasant young lady

Chapter 274
girl?Cheng Xia suddenly laughed when she heard Liu Jin's address. If she was not deaf just now, when Liu Jin saluted Wang Qingwan, she would have addressed her as Madam. Oh, it's really funny. Sure enough, no matter in ancient times or modern times, status and status are always the same. Allows people to stand at different heights.

But she didn't say anything, she just turned around and walked straight ahead.

Step into the Gate of Supreme Harmony, pass the middle right gate of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony and the rear right gate of the Hall of Preserving Harmony, and then pass through the gate of Qianqing to enter the main hall of the Palace of Qianqing.

In the modern Forbidden City, almost all palaces are tightly closed. Although Cheng Xia has been here many times, this is the first time he has seen the open Qianqing Palace. This feeling is naturally different.

During the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, the south study room was on the west side of Qianqing Gate, and the upper study room was on the east side, but the current Ming Dynasty has nothing.

Without looking sideways, Liu Jin followed Liu Jin to the main hall of Qianqing Palace. Liu Jin respectfully asked Cheng Xia to wait for a while, and went in to report by herself. Then Cheng Xia raised his eyes and carefully looked at the layout of Qianqing Palace.On the roof of the hall with double eaves and yellow glazed tiles, there are two stone platforms on the terrace in front of the Qianqing Palace. There is a gilded copper pavilion on each of the stone platforms. In the hands of the emperor.There is also a turtle and a crane on the left and right of the terrace, implying that the tortoise and crane will live forever in the country.

Since the establishment of the Qianqing Palace in the 18th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, it has become the sleeping palace of successive emperors and the place where they reviewed memorials and handled daily government affairs. It was not until Emperor Yongzheng moved his office to the Hall of Mental Cultivation that Qianqing Palace was a little idle.

While watching, Cheng Xia rubbed her hands unconsciously.Today's weather is particularly cold, and the sky is gray, it looks like it's going to snow.It's already November, so it's normal to snow.

Suddenly, Cheng Xia saw dozens of women wearing the same clothes passing by the palace gate not far away, Cheng Xia narrowed his eyes slightly, looked carefully for a while, and counted forty or fifty women, Cheng Xia even I'm curious.

Is this a show girl?Doesn't it mean that Xiaozong and Empress Zhang were deeply in love with each other, and they only married this one woman in their life, or didn't they even have concubines?So what are these dozens of show girls for?Watching and playing?
Just thinking about it, I saw Liu Jin swaying the Buddha dust and going out.Seeing that Cheng Xia looked cold, he quickly handed over the small heater hidden in his sleeve, "Miss, warm your hands first, Your Majesty is receiving guests, just wait a moment and everything will be fine."

Cheng Xia smiled and waved her hands, "Elder-in-law, you are being polite, I can bear the coldness."

"Hey," Liu Jin responded with a smile, "The sweet-scented osmanthus cake that the girl made last time is really delicious, and our family misses it even now." As Liu Jin said, she carefully moved to Cheng Xia's side, mysteriously. Xi said, "Young lady's culinary skills are no worse than the royal chefs in the palace."

"Thank you for your love, Eunuch." Cheng Xia smiled politely, "If Eunuch likes it, I will do it for Eunuch next time I go out of the palace."

"That's a good thing," Liu Jin smiled instantly.

Cheng Xia glanced on tiptoe, those women had disappeared long ago, but she was still a little curious, so she asked cautiously, "Elder-in-law, who is the woman who just walked north from Yuehua Gate towards Chuxiu Palace?" ?”

Liu Jin was taken aback for a moment. He looked towards the northwest cautiously for a while, and then looked at Cheng Xia seriously, "Miss, you know that direction is Chuxiu Palace? You also know that the small gate on the west side of Qianqing Palace is called Moonlight Gate?"

Cheng Xia smiled calmly, "I've been by Shao Chen's side for a long time, and I know a little bit about it."

"That's it," Liu Jin no longer doubted, just nodded, "These are the fifty beautiful women who finally stayed in the palace after many screenings. They will be together with Concubine Shao and Concubine Bai when His Majesty is free in a few days. , choose two concubines to fill the harem."

Cheng Xia was taken aback, she knew about the strict selection system in the harem of the Ming Dynasty, but it was wrong, Ming Xiaozong was not such an emperor.

When Cheng Xia was stunned, Liu Jin looked up and saw someone coming out of the hall, and hurriedly saluted, "Greetings to Du Shangshu."

When Cheng Xia heard Du Shangshu's name, she regained her senses and took a few more glances, but she collided with his eyes looking at her, Cheng Xia smiled generously, and then looked away.

The Du Shangshu mentioned by Liu Jin must be Du Zhiqian, the father of Du Zhong, the Minister of the Ministry of Officials.

After sending Du Shangshu away, Liu Jin lifted the curtain and led Cheng Xia into the hall.

Cheng Xia's heart suddenly jumped, she took two deep breaths, and then stepped in.She has never entered the Qianqing Palace. In the past, she just lay on the window to look at the internal structure of the Qianqing Palace, but she never thought that one day she would be able to enter the palace openly.

There is a solemn and solemn feeling in the palace, which can make people shudder.Liu Jin led Cheng Xia to the direction of Xinuan Pavilion, Cheng Xia hurriedly raised his eyes carefully to look at the plaque in Qianqing Palace, it was written not as we thought, "Upright and Bright", but "Respect Heaven and Fazu", the name was different, but it was Same solemnity.

Cheng Xia knew that Qianqing Palace was divided into upper and lower floors, with four rooms on the second floor and five rooms on the first floor, and now she stepped into one of the warm rooms.

Cheng Xia was very nervous. Although she knew that the emperor she was about to meet was the famous good-tempered Emperor Ming Xiaozong of the Ming Dynasty, and she had met him in Qingxian Village before, she still couldn't help being a little nervous. Perhaps this was the fault of the superior. Have a temper.

Liu Jin summoned him respectfully, then nodded to Cheng Xia and exited the warm pavilion.

"Raise your head," a deep and pleasant voice sounded, and Cheng Xia suddenly found a familiar feeling, and the panic and anxiety just now were swept away in an instant.She raised her head with a smile and met Zhu Youtang's gaze.

On the contrary, Zhu Youtang was taken aback, blinked his eyes as if he couldn't believe it, and after a while, he put the memorial in his hand on the imperial case, got up and got off the couch.He circled Cheng Xia twice, and after confirming that he was not mistaken, he suddenly smiled, "Do you still remember me?"

Cheng Xia nodded, "My daughter still remembers Your Majesty."

"Okay," Zhu Youtang waved his robe and sat back on the warm table, signaling the little eunuch serving beside him to move the stool over.

Zhu Youtang waved Cheng Xia to sit opposite him, shook his head with a smile, "I never thought that the one who saved my life on that mountain was actually Shao Chen's first wife. If I had known about it a long time ago, the matter would not have happened." It’s going to be what it is now.”

Cheng Xia smiled lightly, "Your Majesty is serious."

One step earlier or one step later, what should come will come without the slightest change, so what's the use of being too entangled.

Seeing Cheng Xia's indifferent appearance, Zhu Youtang was rather embarrassed, "Today Wang Yue came to me to plead for mercy. I hope that I can alleviate the grievances between Shao Chen and him, and seek a good marriage for his granddaughter."

Cheng Xia thought it was too funny, this Wang Yue had done all kinds of bad things, and he didn't think about such things when he ransacked Shao's family. Now, knowing that Shao Chen and Shao Lin are still alive, and his granddaughter insists on marrying When he arrived at Shao's house, and Shao Chen didn't appreciate it, he had the idea of ​​resolving all grievances and hatreds, which was really whimsical.

Do you really think that blood feud can be forgotten as soon as you want?

Oh, that's not right, Cheng Xia laughed at herself, at least Shao Lin accepted Wang Qingwan, didn't she?

Cheng Xia raised his eyes and looked at Zhu Youtang, with a warm smile on his face, "So, Your Majesty didn't ask Shao Chen to talk, but called me here, in order to be a peacemaker, start with me, let me Accept Wang Qingwan first, and then serve a husband with her two daughters?"

Zhu Youtang didn't feel embarrassed when someone directly punctured his mind, "Qingwan is a good girl, and she can coexist peacefully with you."

Cheng Xia shook her head, and suddenly felt a chill rushing up from the bottom of her heart, "The key to this question is not what kind of person she is, but that I will not accept such an arrangement." Cheng Xia breathed a sigh of relief, and the fear of the emperor disappeared in her heart. To be thorough, she will never succumb to the system of three obediences and four virtues and polygamy. What she has been exposed to since she was a child is monogamy, and this will never change.No matter who came to persuade her, she would not change her mind.

The only thing that can make her give up Shao Chen is Shao Chen.Unless one day Shao Chen tells her that he doesn't love her anymore and has someone else in his heart, then she will let go completely, otherwise it will be useless even if the emperor steps in.

"It's normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines." Zhu Youtang said in a deep voice, taking it for granted.

Cheng Xia smiled, "Your Majesty, is this really normal? Aside from those people who don't understand love and only play with women in applause, if you really love someone, you should love each other for a lifetime, never leave or leave Is there no third party to intervene? Life is like a fleeting moment, turning around and disappearing, time is so precious, shouldn't we guard one person wholeheartedly until we die?"

Thinking of the beautiful girls I just saw outside the palace gate, Cheng Xia suddenly felt a little unworthy for the queen, "I saw some beautiful girls just now, and I knew that His Majesty was going to choose a concubine, so I suddenly felt a little sad. I saw the newcomers laughing but not the old ones crying , they became the lords of the first palace, and the empress should be sad and weeping. In the future, your majesty will be tired of new people, and if you go to find new ones, there will be many more resentful women in the palace. Throughout the ages, how many women have been wasted like this Time and years have passed. "Sleeping in an empty room, the autumn night is long, the night is long and sleepless, and the sky is not clear." Women, I don't want to be one of them."

Seeing Zhu Youtang's pensive look, Cheng Xia continued to express his attitude, "Your Majesty shouldn't have called me over, because I really like Shao Chen, so I won't be the kind of magnanimous person your Majesty thinks. Woman, I can't push other women to my husband-in-law's bed, when you really love someone, it's impossible to accept that there are other people in his heart, not even the slightest bit."

For some reason, while talking, Cheng Xia suddenly felt a little sentimental, "Your Majesty, allow me to say something disrespectful, just to blame others. If the empress has other people in her heart besides Your Majesty, wouldn't Your Majesty have any ideas?"

It was almost noon when we left the West Nuan Pavilion of Qianqing Palace, but the sky outside was dark, so I couldn't feel anything for a while.

After leaving the Qianqing Palace, Cheng Xia just wanted to breathe a sigh of relief when he saw a luxuriously dressed woman standing at the gate of the Qianqing Palace, staring at her with tears in her eyes.

(End of this chapter)