Chapter 63 Entering the Palace and Discussing Marriage

The sunshine after Jinyang Beijing is too fierce.

But the main hall of the Ci'an Palace seems to refuse the hot invasion. The sky-blue veil grounded by the hanging beams in the window blocked the wisps of sword-like golden sun slightly gently, and there are four huge round-bellied white jade basins set aside in the east, west and north and south. The clear ice is exposed in the impetuous heat, silent Breathlessly releasing the cold and expelling the restless heat.

After the Luohan bed directly opposite the door, the moist color of the sheep fat jade screen undoubtedly expressed some heat visually. There is also a little heat on the flower stand placed on the side of the screen. In the clear crystal basin, there is a shallow jade lotus blooming peacefully, coupled with the continuous fragrance of Ningyi from the gold carved flower incense burner, everything seems to make people put In the quiet and elegant leisure of the lotus pond, it is like a boundary from the golden heat outside the hall.

On one side of Luohan's bed, the empress dowager listened to the beautiful voice like a yellow warbler with a smile on the front, and said vividly about the talented women's display of their talents at yesterday's birthday banquet.

Of course, because of the presence of the crown princess, Ying cleverly did not mention the quarrel between Zhen Mo and An Hui.

Yesterday, on the birthday of the eldest princess, the emperor and the empress dowager both gave a congratulatory gift. According to the example, the eldest princess will enter the palace today to thank her kindness.

As the eldest daughter-in-law, of course, Huang, the wife of the Duke of Wei, will accompany her. Because the Empress Dowager Su Xichen and Yijing, the two sisters usually edicted them to enter the palace and live in the palace, so the two little wives also followed the Ci'an Palace today.

Although the Empress Dowager is not far from the eldest princess, her temples are slightly frosty, and the corners of her eyebrows have also left traces of the years, and the charm is still still there. Compared with the eldest princess of about 40, she looks slightly old, but those eyes that seem to be able to understand everything still remain clear and divine. Although it was full of smile and gentleness at this time, it also made ordinary people dare not look directly at it.

The scenery is not that ordinary person.

At this time, she was half hugged by the empress dowager, looking up with a beautiful face like magnolia, chattering, just like when she acted coquettish beside the eldest princess.

Although what was hidden in her bones was already a soul that had experienced life and death, when she saw the empress dowager, the cuteness of the cardamom girl recovered uncontrollably, and even herself temporarily forgot about the matter of rebirth.

Of course, this is also because the Empress Dowager has spoiled her since she was a child.

On the other side of Luohan's bed, the eldest princess did not wear a dress for the ladies to enter the palace. She is still the favorite bright blue cloud brocade with big sleeves, but the hair accessories are more complicated than usual, with nine trees and green crowns.

The Empress Dowager was born in the Yan family and is the maternal niece of the Empress Gaozu. She was originally a cousin and sister of the eldest princess of Shangyuan. The two are close to each other. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the only Shangyuan has been awarded the title of princess. Now she is the saint's direct aunt and has a noble status. Therefore, there is no lifeless woman to enter the court. Privilege.

Differing from the charming and casualness of the beautiful scenery, Yichen was as dignified as ever. He looked at his nose and nose, sat next to Huang, who was sitting upright in a dark purple sleeve jacket and embroidered with golden clouds. The two were like their own mother and daughters.

Princes Concubine Zhen is naturally full of smiles, listening to the crisp words of the beautiful scenery with great interest, and funny words from time to time.

"In a word, yesterday's game was obviously slightly better than us." Yijing shook two small flower buds and said proudly.

The crown princess immediately echoed: "It's true that the little ladies are better. If it hadn't been for the support of Haoxi's piano, they would have been defeated." After saying that, a pair of apricot eyes seemed to look at Yichen with deep meaning, but found that the girl was still bowing her eyes and her expression remained unchanged. The crown princess couldn't help sighing secretly. Aunt Su's appearance was ordinary and her temperament was very old-fashioned, which seemed to match the third prince.

However, this is also good. The two husband and wife are estranged. It is best to make the Duke of Wei and the eldest princess dissatisfied and have reservations about the third prince, which is more beneficial to the prince - after the marriage between Amo and the prince of the prince of Wei is promoted, there is no need to worry about the separation of the Patriotic Association.

The Empress Dowager was a little disbelieving: "We even stroked the piano in person and fell down? Not to mention that Yuaner has also returned this year. His talent is praised by the emperor.

The crown princess smiled and said, "The Empress doesn't know anything. The opening song arranged by A Jing yesterday surprised all four people, and the pipa song of A Yue in Jianning Houfu was even more unheard of. Anhui's Yangqin also made people's eyes. Speaking of the son of the king of Chu... It seems that I didn't see him show it yesterday."

"I told you, you must be humble and don't want to be in the limelight, so you little women show off your power." The Empress Dowager smiled, looked at the graceful beautiful scenery next to her, and looked at the beautiful scenery that stuck to her like a honey. She couldn't help sighing, "You are still blessed by Shangyuan. Look at these two girl, one is steady and elegant, the other is lively and cheerful, which really makes me jealous."

The eldest princess smiled and said, "Five sister-in-law is joking me. Aren't you a descendant now? Do you think thirteen grandchildren are not enough? In the past few years, when the princes have married their wives, a bunch of great-grandson daughters, are they afraid of not to overturn the roof of this Ci'an Palace?

The Empress Dowager sighed again: "I'm really jealous, and you don't know. I've been looking forward to having a daughter under her knees, but I don't have such a blessing." After saying that, if there was a seemingly sharp look, he swept to the crown princess.

The Empress Dowager has only one son, that is, today's emperor. It is strange to say that although there are many imperial concubines, their children are not directly proportional. In addition to today's emperor, there is only King Kang from the Jin family, and two imperial concubines who died at a young age. Although the emperor's sons are abundant, they have 13 princes, but they do not have daughters, and the only prince among the princes who married concubines is still empty.

The princess also seemed to notice the fierce eyes of the empress dowager, and her smile was even stiff.

"It's rare for you to go to the palace. You have to have a good chat with me today." The empress dowager restrained very quickly and only said to the eldest princess.

The eldest princess knew that the empress dowager had something to say, so she naturally would not refuse. Seeing that the crown princess was a little embarrassed, she suggested, "These two girls entered the palace today and have not yet said hi to the queen. Let them go to Kunren Palace first, so that the two of us can also talk quietly for a while."

So Huang took her two daughters to salute and followed the crown princess to the queen's Kunren Palace.

The Empress Dowager simply took the eldest princess and went to the carved kang behind the partition to sit and talk to each other.

"But I haven't seen you for a few months, Jing'er's height has become taller and more and more like jade. I can't wait to leave her by my side. Alas, looking at your two granddaughters reminds me of the time when I was still in the boudoir." After swinging back a group of maids, the empress dowager couldn't help sighing.

"The children are getting older, and we should get old." The eldest princess also sighed and looked sad.

"I'm the only one who is old. You look at it in the mirror, just like before. How can you see that it's the grandmother of your descendants around your knees?"

The eldest princess's heart is a little sad. Even if her face is still there, some people have been separated forever. The rest of her life can only rely on the joy of her descendants. What's the difference between green silk and jade face or crane hair?

But the gloomyness was only for a moment, and the mood of the sad moon was only occasionally. As soon as the eldest princess changed the topic, she turned her emotion into solemn: "The fifth sister-in-law left me down. There must be something important to discuss."

The Empress Dowager nodded cautiously: "You know, Erlang, Sanlang and Silang have all reached the age of marriage. This year, several of their princes and concubines must be selected."

The second prince is actually eighteen years old. He was elected as a concubine two years ago, but his biological mother is just a palace maidservant. The queen, the lord of the middle palace, intentionally or unintentionally ignored it and even delayed it until now. However, the third prince and the fourth prince are sixteen this year. According to the order of the eldest, the second prince's marriage also has to be considered.

"There is no need to go around between you and me, so I will speak out to you." The Empress Dowager continued: "Chen'er is my granddaughter-in-law that I have been sure of for a long time, but I can't match her to which grandson."

The eldest princess was actually psychologically prepared for this, so she was not surprised.

At present, she is very clear that although the emperor is the son of heaven, because of the power of the nobles and the family, Jin Xiang and Qin Xiang, as the leaders of both sides, have become incompatible, especially Jin Xiang. Over the years, he has held the system of official selection and is very domineering. The emperor has long been eager to change the system, but he can't Regardless of the stability of the political situation, we can only do it slowly.

If we want to reform the official system and consolidate the imperial power, we must suppress the arrogance of the Kim family and the Qin clan, and not break the dynasties of checks and balances between the nobles and families to avoid causing civil strife.

Although the Duke of Wei is noble, he is also a relative of the emperor. At present, he is in charge of the imperial guard and has a high status. The royal family's marriage with him is precisely to further strengthen the relationship.

On the one hand, the unreserved support and loyalty of the Duke of Wei is very important to the Holy One; on the other hand, the trust and dependence of the Holy One is also related to the life and death of the Duke of Wei, and the marriage between the two sides is imperative.

"Since my fifth sister-in-law is outspoken, I don't have to hide it. Chen'er is Huang's hand**. She has been influenced by the old customs of the family since she was a child. She is knowledgeable and polite, virtuous and gentle, which is her strengths." The eldest princess also said, "But her temperament is somewhat old-fashioned and lack of opportunity. At present, the mother of the fourth prince is a noble concubine, and there is a power behind her. I'm afraid that Chen'er is not competent for this fourth prince's concubine."

This is just a stop.

The fourth prince's biological mother, Chen, was born in a family. At present, his father and brother are all courtiers, and the Chen family has many senior officials. Although the crown prince has been determined, the Chen family may not have the ambition to seize the crown prince. The emperor wants to marry the Duke of Wei, and he can't let the Duke of Wei be involved in the open and secret struggle between the princes, and burying hidden dangers for the future, because This is absolutely impossible for the four princes.

The Empress Dowager was also worried that the third prince only knew how to play the moon, neglected his studies, was idle, and couldn't do anything about Shangyuan. Hearing this, she exclaimed: "Shangyuan, you can put the overall situation first. I am very grateful. In fact, Erlang's temperament matches Chen'er. However, his biological mother's origin... To tell you the truth, I actually treat Chen'er as my own granddaughter and can't bear to make her suffer any grievances. Therefore, after thinking about it, I still think Sanlang is the most suitable.

The eldest princess was speechless.

The third prince Yu Yingxi, whose biological mother is Princess Xiliang, can't be said to speak of his dignity, and because of his mother's early loss, the emperor is very proud of this son and raised by the queen herself, but he is raised by the emperor, but he is raised with a loose temperament, unmotivated, and abandoned in his career. He only likes piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and playing in the mountains and rivers, among which is not without the achievements of the queen. Lao, if he was born in an ordinary noble family, he would undoubtedly be a fake drank, but in the imperial family, it was not a bad thing.

At least, it will not endanger the storage position.

At this level, there is no hidden disaster when Yichen marries him.

In the future, when the prince succeeds to the throne, the third prince will be at most a free and idle prince, and his princess does not need to be full of planning, just to make up for the shortcomings of the lack of opportunity and not being good at planning.

However, the mother of the third prince was charming at that time. The third prince's appearance was cool and his mother, and the demeanor of an unrestrained scribe, which attracted many ladys in the boudoir. Both her talent and appearance and rigid temperament were a little out of line with him, which became the most hesitant thing for the eldest princess.

Although the third prince did not do that at present, he was afraid that if the two did not get along well after marriage, Yichen would be neglected.

Of course, there is not only one official concubine beside the prince, but also side concubines and concubines. Naturally, there are many people who compete for favor. If beautiful Chen can't get the favor of the third prince, I'm afraid that the future will be difficult.

Thinking about this, it was difficult for the eldest princess to make a decision. At present, she only said, "It's about my life. My fifth sister-in-law still allow me to consider it carefully."

Naturally, the Empress Dowager will not force her, and mention the son of the Duke of Wei: "Xing'er is also over fifteen years old, and you should also pay attention to his marriage. Today, Zhen constantly praises her mother's sister's fourth mother in front of me. Listening to her, it seems that she wants to marry the Duke of Wei."

In fact, not only the princess, but also the queen came to ask for her, and also gently mentioned this matter. The Empress Dowager also secretly cared about herself. The Zhen family is the Crown Prince Yue's family. If this marriage can be achieved, it will be of great benefit to the prince, and there is nothing wrong with it.

But...

"I didn't pay much attention to the fourth mother of the Zhen family, and I don't know how her temperament is, but I have never liked her sister." The Empress Dowager snorted: "When the prince chose a concubine, I had some reservations, but the queen was stubborn."

The eldest daughter-in-law that the Empress Dowager originally preferred was Yan's ninth daughter, who was her niece. She was gentle. However, her daughter-in-law was optimistic about the Zhen's daughter and persuaded the former emperor that the crown princess would be the mother of the country in the future. It was not suitable for a woman who was too gentle and weak. The aunt of the Zhen family was born in a well-known and noble family. The influence of the mother was decisive and resolute, and only then did she have the quality of the mother of a country. After several considerations, the previous emperor still chose the aunt of the Zhen family and issued a decree to marry.

However, Zhen's entry has been more than five years, but he failed to give birth to a son and a half daughter. Last year, good news came from the two side concubines of the prince, but soon they had a small birth one after another...

"Don't think that I didn't know it was Zhen's method. I lived in this palace wall for half my life. What kind of insidiousness can hide from me? The two side concubines of the prince were injured due to misbirth. If they had children, they were afraid of difficulties. There were so many concubines, and they had nothing to do over the years. Two years ago, I also understood Zhen. Not to mention the crown prince of the East Palace, even the noble family, the importance of the eldest son was also ordinary, so they also ignored her actions and hoped that she could be the eldest son of the prince. Son."

When it comes to the Zhen family, the fierce look in the empress dowager's eyes reappeared: "But in a blink of an eye, the prince has already reached the crown, but the Zhen family has not heard anything. Is it that she will be sterile for the rest of her life and will not be decided after the prince? How important the son of Chujun was, but she turned a blind eye to it and said that she knew the book and etiquette... It was only last month that a maidservant in the East Palace was punished by the Zhen family to kneel down, so that she had a small birth, and then she knew that it was the prince's bone and blood! The queen is also confused and wants to cover up. She doesn't think about it. If the prince has no heirs, how can the storage position be stable?

The eldest princess raised her eyebrows and felt that Zhen's methods were too selfish and fierce. Although for women, it is inevitable to be jealous of her husband, wife and concubines, but who made her the wife of the crown prince, even for the sake of the overall situation, she could not be killed like this. If the prince has no queen, the throne of the crown prince must be guaranteed.

"The fifth sister-in-law is angry. At present, the emperor is still at the peak of spring and autumn, and there is no need to rush for a moment. Besides, the most urgent matter is still the political situation to be stable. The Zhen family is quite powerful, so the crown princess can't move lightly. Maybe later, it is unknown that the princess will have good news." The eldest princess comforted.

The Empress Dowager is still unhappy: "I can only ask God to worship Buddha and give you good words."

The eldest princess just returned to the point: "Zhen Si Niang's character is still straightforward and straightforward, not as arrogant as Mrs. Zhen, but how it is? We have to look again. She is still young, and there is no need to worry so much."

The Empress Dowager nodded slightly and asked Su Lian: "What about A Lian's marriage? No matter how reluctant you are to be a mother, it's not good to delay any longer. Do you have to wait for your niece to come out of the cabinet, and she, as an aunt, still can't wait for her daughter?

The eldest princess laughed: "Am I so confused? Can't even consider this?"

The Empress Dowager shook her head: "If I were you, I would not be willing to part with this only daughter."

"If you don't want to give up, you can still let her accompany me for the rest of my life." The eldest princess sighed, "It's basically settled with the Jia family, and they have officially invited the matchmaker to propose marriage."

The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "After all, it's still the eldest son of the Qing family of Taichang Temple. I told you that the later life is a good one, and you are still hesitant. This marriage is very good."

The eldest princess also nodded and talked about the family affairs of the king's mansion: "What do you think of the fifth sister-in-law?"

"The child is wise and cautious when he was young. He is not like the wind and shadow catcher. If he feels suspicious, he is 70% or 80% sure, but after many years, he can't find any evidence." The Empress Dowager looked serious: "Fortunately, with the blessing of the Buddha, I got the fate of Master Tongji, found the life-saving good doctor, and solved the poison in my body. When I mentioned this, I really admired my second sister-in-law and was confused for a lifetime. Now I have caused a lot of trouble to Yuer. Then Xie Sanniang, a concubine, is not worthy of Yuaner? Xie's nonsense."

"The second sister-in-law is pure-hearted, and how can she know those human faces and beast hearts?" The eldest princess also sighed.

"It's still up to you to persuade your second sister-in-law to give up that thought. Before Yu'er's 'healing', she was bewitched by others and did something ridiculous."

The Empress Dowager and the eldest princess did not expect that while they were planning to discuss, the queen was also "forcing" the marriage between Huang's son and Zhen Mo.