in the sound of swallows

Chapter 101 Winter Grass
"Who likes to be under control?" Gu Chaobei chuckled and said, "I don't have big ambitions, I just like to listen to music and watch dances, surrounded by beauties, and it's even better to open my mouth to eat. It's better to have a regular wife, and to hold my son I work hard every day to seek fame. Now that I can escape from her control and be free, I am very happy."

Whatever the queen likes to hear, Gu Chaobei will pick up what to say.Wen Xiuli was happy, and she was even more certain in her heart that when she saw Gu Chaobei do something, it was all taught by Shen Guiyan.Without Shen Guiyan, Gu Chaobei would be in control.

Then think about how to arrange Shen Guiyan, who is born with a good fortune, now.

Not only Gu Chaobei had to learn etiquette, but the female relatives had to learn the rules when they entered the harem, how to serve the emperor and the empress dowager.Both Qinghuan Qingluo and Jiang Shi were taken away by their respective nuns, but Shen Guiyan stayed in the Yeting Palace and no one came to take her.

"Miss, don't you need to learn the etiquette of the empress?" Baoshan asked curiously: "Your maidservant sees that the girls in the connecting room have gone to learn the rules."

Shen Guiyan sat on the swing with her eyes downcast, and said in a low voice: "Once you enter this palace gate, your life is in the hands of others. Why do you ask so many people? It doesn't matter if you are in the back seat or not. I am a little worried." facing north..."

He suddenly became a prince, and suffered too many changes, and I don't know if he can bear it.The queen has been assisting the government, even if Gu Chaobei sits on the throne, he can only be controlled by her.

She was shocked, never thought that such an idle person would be the prince, and what was even more shocking was that he killed the prince so suddenly, pandered to the queen, not to mention regaining his identity, he was about to ascend the throne soon.

Gu Chaobei, Gu Chaobei, what kind of person is this?She couldn't understand, and suddenly felt that the distance from him was so far away.

He has been in the palace for a few days, and he has never visited her once.

"It's snowing." Bao Shan looked up at the sky and said, "Miss, let's go back first."

"No, the scenery here is quite beautiful." Shen Guiyan leaned on the swing, staring blankly at the blooming flowers in front of her: "Maybe I won't be able to see them anytime soon, I want to see them for a while."

Baoshan frowned, not knowing what his young lady was worried about.Right now, prosperity and wealth are coming soon, and the next position is also a matter of course, why is she still so unhappy?
The snow was about to fall heavily, after thinking about it, Bao Shan turned around and ran to the palace to get an umbrella.

Shen Guiyan sat quietly alone.

It is indeed a matter of course for the husband to ascend the throne and the wife to be the queen.But there is a queen above, she once offended the dead queen, Shen Guiyan felt that it might be a bad luck for her to enter the palace this time.

"Madam Fourth Young Master Gu." Someone called her from behind.

Since entering the palace, Shen Guiyan has never heard this title again.Looking back, it turned out to be Yuwen Changqing.

Yuwen Changqing, who helped Gu Chaobei rectify his name, has made great contributions. When Gu Chaobei ascends the throne, his official title will only rise to a higher level.

Shen Guiyan looked at him and smiled: "General Yuwen."

Yuwen Changqing approached and saw no one around her, so he stopped three steps away: "Aren't you going to learn the rules? I came here just now, and saw many officials and women walking with the mother."

"Probably because the Empress would not consider her in the harem, so there is no need to learn the rules." Shen Guiyan said flatly, "That's all."

At first, she just wanted to avoid being ruined by Gu Chaobei, so she just planned to marry him. Later, she wanted to live a normal life, but never thought that she would enter the palace one day.It was already unexpected good luck, and she didn't want to ask for more.If the queen refuses to let her go this time, then she will admit it.

"Young madam, do you have no confidence?" Yuwen Changqing raised his eyebrows: "Changqing always remembers that young madam dares to speak and is smart, as if nothing can trouble you. Now that the great cause of facing the north is about to be completed, you don't want to continue to accompany him. go down?"

Does she want to be useful?Shen Guiyan shook her head. She is a little grasshopper now, or the kind of grasshopper that can't jump out of Queen Wen's palm. If she is pinched, she will die. How can she accompany Gu Chaobei to go down?

"Follow me." Seeing her frustrated face, Yuwen Changqing couldn't help but hook his hands at her, turned and walked out.

Shen Guiyan paused, followed curiously: "Where are you going?"

"Yu Huayuan." Yuwen Changqing said: "There is no one in the palace now, they have been cleared out, and they all need to be replaced with new ones, so don't worry, come with me."

The snow really fell harder and harder, Yu Wenchang took off the black cloak and covered her head, and led her slowly to the imperial garden.

When Baoshan came back, there was no one on the swing.

"This imperial palace is huge, and the palace walls are also very high. It is never easy for those who survive inside." Yuwen Changqing said in a low voice: "Just like Queen Wen, when she entered the palace, she was just a young talent. , also came up step by step. Nianshi is the same, after many life and death, he still wants to be the queen mother."

Shen Guiyan listened, feeling nothing: "I didn't think about how high I was going to climb, the high place is extremely cold, and there is nothing I want."

"No?" Yuwen Changqing's head was covered with snow, and he smiled lightly, "Isn't it facing the north?"

Slightly taken aback, Shen Guiyan sighed, pretending to be unrestrained: "He always loves beauties, there are far more people who are more beautiful than me, it's not the same who will accompany him?"

"Really think so?" Yuwen Changqing looked at her sideways: "If one day he makes someone else his queen, won't you be sad?"

Feeling pain in her heart, Shen Guiyan's eyes turned red.

Just hearing such a hypothesis makes me feel sad. If it really happened, how can I not be heartbroken?She hates the way she looks weak and incompetent. These things are not up to her to decide, so she doesn't want to face them.

But thinking of Gu Chaobei's face, she felt... a little bit reluctant.

When Yuwen Changqing led her into the imperial garden, the flowers, branches and leaves were already covered with snow, and everything was depressed.

"Come and see." He said, "Guess what's under the snow?"

Shen Guiyan took a look, and the plants under the snow showed some dead branches: "Should they be dead things?"

Yuwen Changqing smiled, brushed away the snow from the dead branches of the flowers, and pointed to her like a treasure: "Look."

It is a pot of delicate and beautiful safflower whose name I don't know. Although it has no fragrance, it blooms just right.

Shen Guiyan was startled.

"You think it is impossible for flowers to live?" Yuwen Changqing said: "But it is still alive, and it will spit out pistils in spring and emit fragrance. It is called winter grass."

"It's obviously a flower, why is it called a grass?" Shen Guiyan was puzzled.

"I think it's probably because winter flowers don't survive well, so it's called grass. Even if it's called grass, everyone would think it looks good, wouldn't it?"

Shen Guiyan was silent for a while, and finally looked sideways at Yuwen Changqing: "Are you here to encourage me? In this snowy weather, you even took me on this trip specially."

Yuwen Changqing rubbed his nose and said with a light smile, "I was discovered. In fact, I heard some news. I thought you might not be able to bear it, so I came here early to encourage you, so that you can be mentally prepared."

"What news?" Shen Guiyan asked.

Yuwen Changqing looked at her and said, "Promise me first, don't be sad."

Shen Guiyan nodded.

"Empress Wen wants to demote you to be Nian Shi's maid of honor on the grounds that you have no children."

The palace maids are not even talented, so if they are placed in the courtyard, they are at the same level as the maids in the house.

Shen Guiyan opened her eyes slightly. Although she knew that the queen would not make her feel better, she never thought that it would be so excessive.She is the main wife of Gu Chaobei's three books and six courtesies, so he directly demoted her to be a court lady?
"What did he say?" After a while, Shen Guiyan recovered her voice.

"Chaobei has no objection." Yuwen Changqing lowered his eyes: "He probably couldn't help himself..."

Shen Guiyan nodded, slowly knelt down and looked at the flowers in the dead branches, and was in a daze for a while.

"But you don't need to be too sad. The queen's seat is empty. I said to the north that I don't plan to let anyone up for the time being." Yuwen Changqing half-bent down to block some snow for her: "You can take your time."

What are you doing slowly?Once she enters this palace gate, she will never be able to get out again, right?Not only do you have to share a man with thousands of women, but you are also oppressed by the queen, and you are always careful about your own life.

Who said she had a good fortune?Dare to stand in front of her and talk to her now?
Shen Guiyan buried her head and squatted on the spot, feeling extremely uncomfortable.The people around her didn't disturb her, but the snow fell a lot less.

When Baoshan finally ran over to find the two, Yuwen Changqing was almost a snowman, and Shen Guiyan still didn't get up.

"Miss, what's the matter?" Baoshan walked over worriedly, looked at Shen Guiyan, and then at Yuwen Changqing.

Just as Yuwen Changqing was about to explain, Shen Guiyan already grinned and raised her head and said, "Bao Shan, give me a hand, my legs are numb."

Treasure Fan: "..."

Reaching out to help his young lady up, Baoshan gave Yuwen Changqing a strange look, and then helped Shen Guiyan to walk back.

"Goodbye, General Yuwen." Shen Guiyan smiled as if she hadn't heard anything just now: "It's a good thing I'm not a harem woman, and now I don't even need to avoid suspicion."

Yuwen Changqing didn't move, just nodded and watched her go away.

His legs were also numb.

"What's not a concubine from the harem?" After walking two steps, Bao Shan asked Shen Guiyan anxiously: "What did Miss just say?"

Shen Guiyan smiled and said: "It's not interesting, it means we have to work hard again!"

What are you trying to do?Bao Shan was at a loss, but Shen Guiyan didn't say much.

Until the day Gu Chaobei ascended the throne.

After the imperial decree came down, the Jiang family was named a nobleman, and Qinghuan Qingluo was named a talented person.

As for Shen Guiyan, she was accused of going to the Queen Mother of Beigong to act as a court lady.

Those who learned of this decree were very surprised. It stands to reason that even if Shen Guiyan could not be crowned empress, she would at least be a concubine, right?

No, the queen said, Shen is barren and can only act as a court lady.

What is even more surprising is that an irrelevant person was appointed as a concubine.

Shen's cold dew made great contributions to the new emperor's ascension to the throne, and was specially conferred the title of concubine Shen, and given to live in Luhua Palace.

(End of this chapter)