It was getting late, the heat was faintly retreating, and the cool breeze came like jade, gradually cool, and it was quite comfortable. Ruyi held Jing Yi and had a meal with the emperor.

When the emperor saw Ruyi, he reached out and took her to sit down. The emperor wanted to turn sideways, but he didn't realize he stayed, sniffing and lingering on her temples, Zhan Yan smiled and said, "Why is it so fragrant today? But did he use the perfume I sent back to the West?"

Ruyi smiled lightly: "All the way, the lotus fragrance is everywhere. If you say that the lotus flowers are dyed with clear fragrance, it makes some sense."

Rong Pei smiled and pursed her lips: "Reply to the emperor's words, the empress always said that Western perfume is not easy. In addition to the empress dowager and the eldest princess, the emperor only left two bottles for the empress dowager in the palace, and the empress was not willing to use it. However, the empress liked the Western self-ringing bell that the emperor sent back last time, but now she was afraid of clamoring for the fifth princess, so she put it away."

The emperor smiled and said, "Ruyi, Ruyi, you are so stingy. What should you do if you don't need anything good?"

Ruyi looked at him with a smile: "I know that the emperor feels sorry for Jing Yi. If you have any good things, I will leave it to Jing Yi as a dowry. Then the emperor will say that I am generous and willing to give it up."

Rong Pei also smiled: "The Empress is other stingy, but the Empress is most willing to give up the green plum powder made by the Emperor for the Empress, and she will definitely use it every day."

The emperor immediately understood and stroking his hands, "Yes. You have always loved natural smells, so you don't even use incense in the palace, let alone Western perfume." He curled his lips, and there was a deep smile in his eyes, "It turns out that I have rewarded the wrong person, but I have paid for it."

Ruyi shook her head and sighed: "No, that's not. I really think of my intentions much heavier than Western things that have come from all the way."

After saying that, the two looked at each other and laughed.

The emperor stopped and said, "I am all my mom's people, and I am so smart. I will find someone who is like yours."

Li Yu hurriedly said, "When the Emperor and Empress, Concubine Xin was waiting outside and was preparing to serve the emperor and empress. The slave immediately went to invite him." After saying that, Concubine Xiang hit the bamboo curtains and saw a delicate and petite woman coming in, and said, "The emperor is blessed with gold, and the empress is blessed with gold." After saying that, he gave a great gift to Ruyi, "I am Xin and Dai, I will bow to the Empress."

Ruyi saw her looking up and was really beautiful. However, at the age of sixteen or seventeen, her eyebrows and eyes were shining brightly, her skin reflected in the morning glow, her hair was green, her frown and smiled, and her beautiful colors were innocence and bright, and her beautiful colors were not flawed under the sun. She looked like a full red pomegranate, sweet and juicy, so crystal clear that people couldn't help but kiss and sip. Although there were many beauties in the palace, they were as clear as Xinpin, but there were really few.

Ruyi smiled and said, "Get up quickly. I waited outside and was already hot, and I knelt and bowed as soon as I came in, and carefully slipped into a tumbler. The emperor would feel distressed."

Xinpin's eyes were as bright as the stars in the dark night, and he immediately smiled: "It turns out that the Empress also likes tumblers. I collected it better when I was home again, and there was also the Great Afu from Wuxi. I first entered the palace and thought that there were everything in the palace, so I specially prepared some plans to give it to the twelfth prince and the fifth princess."

Ruyi heard her words playful. Although she was born into a great man, she was not at all coquettish and lively and cheerful. She also smiled like a pearl when serving the meal, without the restraint and restraint of ordinary concubines, and felt a little happy.

After the meal, the emperor was in great interest and said, "The lotus flowers are in full bloom in the Old Summer Palace, which reminds me of the year when I went to Hangzhou. I never had the lotus flowers in June, which is really a pity."

Concubine Xin took the tea handed over by her maid and rinsed her mouth obediently: "My concubine, Ama, has been living in Hangzhou. Now she has entered the Old Summer Palace. She feels that the garden has two scenery in the north and south. Many places are as beautiful as the scenery in the south of the Yangtze River.

Ruyi smiled and said, "Pin Xin's Ama is the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang. She has been growing up in the south. She said it's good, it must be good."

At that time, the young eunuch Jinzhong brought water to serve the emperor to wash his hands, and said, "I passed by the Fuhai area this afternoon. I saw that the lotus flowers were blooming there. The ten miles of lotus fragrance, and I couldn't bear to leave."

The emperor wiped his hands with a veil and stood up and said, "Then go."

The cool breeze arrives by the sea of ​​Fu, and the lotus in the ten miles of the wind is like a sunset cloud, gently swaying among the misty smoke and water, carrying the vast and clear air of the water waves, which is particularly cool and pleasant.

The emperor smiled and said, "It's not that I spoiled Xinpin, it's that she really has something to pamper."

Ruyi smiled and said, "If the concubines in the palace are as bright as flowers and as bright as red and pink, then Concubine Xin is an extremely fresh and pretty flower."

The emperor smiled and held her hand: "The queen's example is good, but I feel that Xinpin's personality is as pleasant as the cool breeze, and her face is refreshing."

Ruyi teased Jing Yi in the wet nurse's arms: "The emperor's words are extremely high praise, and they really envy the sisters in the palace."

The emperor smiled and rubbed his eyebrows: "These days have been troubled by the floods in Jiangnan. Fortunately, Xinpin's words are innocent, which makes me happy. I also think that the queen's example is not outstanding enough, but if she really talks about it, the unique character of the palace is Shufei, like a green bamboo, and she would rather break than bend..." Before the emperor finished speaking, his expression became cold and waved his hand and said, "Forget it, I won't talk about her anymore. It's not a good thing to be so arrogant."

Xinpin turned her head, and the broken beads on her temples were as light as water waves, as light as flowing water. She curiously said, "Who is Shufei? How could there be a woman like a green bamboo?" Seeing the emperor's face unhesitation, she quickly woke up and smiled crisply, "In fact, what's the point of being too arrogant? For example, green bamboo, like plum blossoms, can easily be broken by snow. If it were my concubine, she liked to be a female radish, and there was a tree to support her."

Ruyi heard Xinpin's words carefree, and suddenly remembered the poems of her predecessors: Female radish is attached to pine and cypress, which is a false saying. Perhaps the dream of many women in the world is just that they hope that there are men like trees, pine and cypress to rely on pine and cypress.

The emperor smiled and pinched Xinpin's rosy face, and said with a smile: "I like the Wanshun of Nu Luo."

To welcome the jade pendant, Gao Song Nu Luoluo was attached. Ruyi lowered her head and looked at the cuffs of lychees with red branches and golden silk grape patterns. The complex golden silk embroidery wrapped around Ziying and light green stones, which were densely packed with three inches of grape patterns and embroidered laces. The grapes with fruits were originally filled with the softest vines to climb and rely on and seek protection. She smiled slightly and stared at the tips of her fingertips. The red marks dyed by the imitations on her nails were like the warm fire of the spring rain that day, and the red tingling eyes.

She thought, maybe she and Yihuan have been getting close to each other over the years, because neither of them is a person with the nature of a girl.

Ruyi knew that the emperor was in charge of his heart, so she didn't say anything. She pointed to a bush of deep red roses and said to Jing Yi: "The roses are beautiful, red and fragrant, but they are thorny. Does Jing Yi like it?"

The emperor reached out to stroke Jing Yi's face and said with great care: "As a princess, she must not be like a rose, and she can be broken too easily without any thorns."

Concubine Xin was breaking a branch of zimuth on her cheeks and laughing: "Before the princess has grown up, the emperor is afraid that she will be picked by the flower-skinned man. It's really Ama loves her daughter the most."

Seeing that she was scheming, Ruyi smiled and said, "When you are at home, you must also love you the most."

Xinpin looked proud: "The Empress is right! Ama has several sons, but she loves me the most. She always says that I am his little cotton jacket, the most caring."

Ruyi deliberately pounced on the embroidered magnolia leaf green silk fan in her hand, and the apricot red tassels on the handle of the fan hung on the back of her white hand like a blurred cloud. She looked up at the sky and sighed: "No wonder. Now it's the hot summer, and your Ama is so hot that she can't stand the little cotton jacket, so she has to send it to the palace."

Xinpin's face flushed, and with a "Oh", he hid behind the emperor, and after a moment he leaned over and said, "The Queen is so fond of jokes."

Just as I was talking and laughing, I heard the breeze passing by the clouds, attracting the elegant singing of the lake, and the faint fragrance of the green duckweed and red watercolors floated in scattered areas.

It was a clear and gentle female voice, and she sang in a wild voice: "The clear silk blows into the courtyard, swaying spring like a thread. I stopped for a while and stole half of the flowers without holding the diamond flowers. The colorful clouds were slanted. How could I show my whole body when I walked into the fragrance of the boudoir?"

The song was very suitable for the situation. I only heard the sound but could not see the person. Looking at it, there were bushes of leaves and lotus leaves. The lotus branches half a person tall were as red as a sword. How could I see who the singer was? Only the long tone was like crying and complaining, as if the melting snow on the early spring night had melted, and the eaves were jingling, and it was like the morning dew was clear and round, rolling down with lotus leaves and falling on duckweed, adding to the lingering and sorrow at dusk.

The flowers are fragrant, and the egrets are rising and falling in the rippling waves. Occasionally, mandarin ducks are swimming by in pairs, and the continuous singing is lingering among the blue and red lotus.

The emperor seemed to be engrossed in his ears, so he stopped and listened quietly.

The flowing clouds at dusk spread like beautiful brocade. A small boat rowed out of the gurgling water. The boat was filled with lotus leaves, bathed in the breeze, and approached with a shallow breeze. A woman in a scented figure sat on the boat and sang slowly: "There is no chaos and the spring love is hard to pass away. I suddenly felt resentful. I gave birth to Xiao Chanjuan for me, and I chose a famous family and a god in the same way. What a good marriage, throwing my youth away! Who can see my sleeping love? Then I followed the shyness. Who wants to dream about, and the spring light is flowing under the flow? It is prolonged, what is this heart? "

These daughter's hearts are both beautiful and sad, like expressing her heart, and the female voice is clear and high, flying upwards, like being blocked by flowing clouds. In the desolate and lingering place, even the ignorant birds cannot help swallowing their heads and bowing their heads in a sad and sad place.

Ruyi was familiar with him and already understood who it was. When she turned around, she saw the edges and corners of the emperor's face were clear and soft because of the singing, showing a warm smile like the beginning of sun. She took a step back and faced Ling Yunche, who was following the emperor's eyes.

Sure enough, Ling Yunche also guessed who the person was, just shook his head slightly, lowered his eyes and kept it all over, as if he had never heard it.

Ruyi's mouth slightly sank, and her expression became dark.

Everyone was intoxicated by her singing. Although Jing Yi was young, she stopped laughing and listening with all her attention. After just a song, Xinpin couldn't help clapping her hands and said, "I've sung so well! I have listened to so many Kunqu operas in Jiangnan, but no one can sing so eloquently. My heart is softened by her."

The emperor stood with his hands behind his back and said softly: "The soft singing makes me feel that the high walls of the Old Summer Palace are ruthless, with stiff edges and horns, and there is less roughness and a little gentleness."

Ling Yunche's eyebrows jumped and he said respectfully: "The emperor and the young master Xin said, "I have heard Kunqu opera for a long time and I think it is the best for the opera troupe in the south of the palace. It can be seen that the good things in the world are already in the palace."

The emperor nodded: "Well, the lyrics are both gorgeous and passionate. Maybe he is a singer from the Southern Palace."

"Walking in the river to play with autumn water, I love this red floral. Climbing lotus and playing with its beads, it cannot be round. The beauty wants to give it to the distant sky in the colorful clouds. I miss you for a longing, looking at the cool breeze. The red lotus is right in front of you, and the beauty is so blessed." Ruyi recited casually and gave a wink to Xinpin. Although Xinpin was simple, she was also smart. She immediately held the emperor's arm and said, "I don't know which singer in the southern palace sang Kun songs. I think the wind on the water is round. It's not the most appropriate to sing this song "Attack of the Garden" at this time, "Picking Lotus Song" is the best. Why not ask the emperor and the queen to move and listen to the song together in my palace."

Seeing Xinpin so obedient, Ruyi felt more and more happy and was happy to go with the flow: "Okay, it's still a little hot outside. The fifth princess is young and is afraid that her body will not be able to bear it. So she disturbed Xinpin's sister."

The emperor seemed a little hesitant, raised his eyes to look at the boat, Ruyi looked at Li Yu, and Li Yu hurriedly patted his forehead and said, "Oh! It's all my fault. In the past, the emperor rarely came to Fuhai, because he was afraid that there would be a maid who didn't know, so he practiced music here. I'll go and take a look."

The emperor wanted to see again, and Xin had already taken over the emperor and went with a smile.

Ruyi breathed a sigh of relief and fell two steps behind: "Is it Concubine Ling?"

Ling Yunche smiled bitterly and said, "It was her voice. When she was a teenager, she loved Kunqu Opera and had some skills. Weichen could hear her voice."

Rong Pei snorted: "I thought she had been quiet for a few days, but she was hiding here."

Ruyi glanced at her: "Since you don't like it, just send her off for me. You are not allowed to look so charming."

Rong Pei immediately agreed to "yes" and went there resolutely. Rong Pei had just walked around the Hyperbolic Bridge and reached the lakeside, but saw that the boat was already anchored on the shore. Li Yu was bowing and talking to a woman in plain clothes. Rong Pei was not angry, but refused to show her contemptuous expression and lowered her identity. She went forward and bowed respectfully: "Empress Ling is safe."

When Yan Wan saw Li Yu coming, she knew that the emperor was close by, thinking that it was the emperor who sent Li Yu to spread her. She asked happily: "Did the emperor send his father-in-law here?" At this time, she suddenly saw Rong Pei, and she suddenly changed her beauty and barely calmed down, "Why is Aunt Rong coming?"

Rong Pei said calmly: "I accompany the emperor, Empress, Concubine Xin and the fifth princess for a walk. I accidentally heard Kunqu opera. The emperor and Empress asked casually, and sent me and Eunuch Li to check it out." She saw Yan Wan's light willow-colored silver-wire embroidered Phalaenopsis gauze overlapping, and was dotted with pink peach blossoms falling on the cuffs of the collars, as if it could melt away with a slight blow. The pink light green clusters were clustered together, but her figure was as delicate as a weak willow, and her appearance was as bright as a peach blossom in the shore, dipped in water, and the rouge color made her look more bright and charming.

Rong Pei looked at her and said with a smile on her face: "The emperor said, which singer from the Southern Palace is not polite, and sang a song here to disturb the sage, causing the young master Xin to sing this song inappropriately. It is better to listen to "Cai Lotus Song"." She smiled and said softly, "It turns out to be Empress Ling, so I should go and report it back." She did it, "But how can I call me? Could it be that the emperor's concubine sang songs like the singer from the Southern Palace. This is really embarrassing."

When Yan Wan heard this section, she was filled with joy and expectation as if she was thrown into a snowy face. Her face was uncontrollable, but she couldn't believe it completely. Babaer looked at Li Yu.

Seeing Yanwan's tears rising, Li Yu smiled and said, "Aunt Rong is here just in time, and the servant is also worried about how to reply. Let's go back to this truth, I'm afraid that the emperor will say that Concubine Ling is not respectful and is considered to be a singer in the Southern Palace, so the emperor will not be able to save face. If he doesn't reply, the emperor will ask who it is, and it's hard to make up for it."

Rong Pei looked helpless and embarrassed: "No? If the emperor likes this song, please ask Concubine Ling to entertain her privately in front of the emperor. That is the joy of the boudoir. But if the emperor got up for a moment and said that Concubine Ling would sing again in front of the Empress and the little masters of each palace, how could it be calculated?"

Yan Wan was so angry that she almost vomited and bleeding, but she didn't dare to show any dissatisfaction. She had to suppress her desperately and said aggrievedly: "Since the emperor thought it was a singer in the Southern Palace, then... then I'd better ask Eunuch Li to go back like this. I..." She relaxed her breath and showed her usual flowery smile. "I'm just singing and playing with her own, and I never thought that it would alarm the emperor and the queen."

Rong Pei smiled slightly: "Since Concubine Ling doesn't want to be alarmed, then Eunuch Li can reply."

Li Yu bowed to the end: "In this way, I can report back. Thank you for your teachings from Concubine Ling."

After this, Yan Wan became even more depressed and silent. A few days later, the emperor took the concubines to Qiushou in Rehe. She also claimed that she was sick and asked the imperial physician to ask for medicine every day. Ruyi and the Queen Mother were still staying in the Summer Palace to escape the summer heat and take care of her. When Rong Pei heard the report, she thought Yan Wan was pretending to be artificial and sent the imperial physician to see her. Sure enough, she replied that she was depressed and hurt her liver and needed to take care of her carefully.

Since the emperor went to the Summer Resort, Ruyi did not want Yan Wan to be in front of her. She immediately sent someone to send her back to the Forbidden City to rest, and she was able to find the tranquility in front of her.

Since the emperor brought a few close concubines to Rehe to Qiu Shou, he also got away from the palace rules in the Forbidden City. Ruyi and the remaining concubines lived in the Old Summer Palace, and they were leisurely and at ease. Hailan originally wanted to accompany Yongqi to the summer resort with the emperor, but she thought that Ruyi had just passed the confinement period and was not as strong as before. She took medicine and conditioned her, so she asked to stay in the Old Summer Palace for company. So Lu Yun, Hai Lan and Wan Yin were also there.

Ruyi saw Hailan always staying with her and said, "It is a good thing for you to go to Rehe to accompany you, so why should you refuse yourself?"

Hailan teased a pair of orioles on the silver cage frame under the Jiuqu corridor and said, "What's the point of having Concubine Jia's arrogant person? It's better to be quiet here. Besides, if I don't go, it will be a blessing for Concubine Chun. Her third prince doesn't have to go to Rehe."

Ruyi leaned against the beauty with mahogany-curled peony patterns and smiled and said, "You are planning to get scalded, but if you don't go, Yongqi is afraid that no one will take care of her."

Hailan added a bucket of clear water to the oriole on the shelf. The slender enamel dotted green armor shone with a faint blue light. She was quite interested in serving it and said, "I can't accompany Yongqi for the rest of my life. He does many things by himself, but it's clean and neat. It's not a glorious thing to get involved with a mother like me."

Ruyi glanced at her tactfully and said angrily: "You are here again! Being a person depends on your future blessings. If you have a mother like Concubine Jia, you may not be more glorious."

Hailan's quiet smile was like a pair of snow-colored pearl earrings on her earlobe. No matter how beautiful it was, it was not eye-catching and gentle. "Yes, it was just glorious and disgraceful. We could only watch and guard against Concubine Jia. After all, there was no way to deal with her many things she did." She pondered slightly, and said, "Recently, the emperor repeatedly praised Yongsheng for his effective cooperation in providing relief to Jiangnan. Although he did not favor Concubine Jia, he was always kind to her. But I looked coldly at the emperor, and the emperor was not as good as before. Sometimes, I thought about it. Concubine Jia had three sons, and her parents' family was powerful and an old man who served him in a hidden residence. There was such a time. Looking at myself, there was nothing to complain about."

Ruyi's expression was calm and quiet. She pinched a pot of red flower buds from a begonia begonia beside the corridor and played with it in her hands: "The newcomer is like the flowers in the imperial garden blooming one after another. Who can care about lingering in the flowers you have seen before? Even if the beauty is in full bloom, it will get tired of seeing it, let alone the flowering period is about to pass. So don't try to keep anything in the palace. It is the most important thing to be able to grasp what you can catch in front of you."

Hailan chuckled and held Ruyi's hand, picked up a crabapple and waved it to Ruyi's lips, and suddenly said seriously: "The sad sound is easy to cause sadness. The Empress and Empress have both children. If you are not lucky, you cannot come from your ward." She pursed her lips, and she was a little gloating. "I heard that Concubine Ling was restless a few days ago, but the Empress pushed her down. In fact, Concubine Ling was already out of favor and was charming by nature. Why not deal with it neatly and neatly, so as not to be disliked in front of her."

Seeing that there were no one around, Ruyi took a small fan with green jade, mother-of-pearl, rouge, and silk agate wrapped in silk, swaying: "Hailan, although Concubine Ling is out of favor, the emperor has not abolished her position, and she still keeps her position as a concubine. Do you know why?"

Hailan sneered coldly and said to herself: "Young and beautiful, naturally make people have old feelings. If they are like concubines, they will be disgusted with each other, and they will be quiet."

Ruyi stretched out her hand and handed her a small golden pink lotus purple jade seven-tooth comb behind her swallow's tail, and said softly: "If you talk about embroidery in the palace, no one can come out of your right hand."

Hailan held her hand and said earnestly: "My sister is very proud of her poetry and literature."

Ruyi's eyelashes drooped slightly, but she just smiled slightly, and seemed to disagree: "Isn't Imperial Concubine Huixian the best at? Empress Xiaoxian is self-disciplined and conservative, and is also considered to be careful in calculating and has the style of a mistress. Concubine Jia is proficient in instrumental music of the Li Dynasty, and is excellent in swords, dances, drums and zithers, so even if she is not willing to be the saint, she still has the honor of today. Meipin plays a good pipa, and Qingpin can sing Yuan songs. Concubine Shu is proficient in poetry and calligraphy, and Yingpin is proficient in bows, horses, and archers. Even when Xin is upstart, she is good at being good at it for a while, and is also because she is young and has always been trained by her children. Only Concubine Ling is different."

Hailan curled her lips and didn't take it seriously: "She was born into a palace maid and didn't know many words. Even if she was young, she was rich and had not received good education, and she was just frivolous and charming, and let down the face that looked three-point similar to the Empress."
To be continued...