(This article is a derivative of the novel "The Rebirth of the Poison Queen")
In the forty-sixth year of Xiaowu's reign, I was in the prime of my life, carrying a muddy blue suit The long gown quietly entered Chang Shi's Mansion through the side door in the northwest corner. The snow-white piping with bamboo leaf patterns had long been covered with mud. I walked through the bamboo forest and prepared to sneak back to the house. "Stop, you've gone wild again," I looked up. Unfortunately, at the end of the bamboo forest, my elder brother was waiting for me to go home. He frowned, his face full of anger.
I was born in the Changshi Mansion. My father is a historian who compiles history books for the Daliang court. My eldest brother has already entered an official position and has a smooth career.
At this time, my eldest brother was staring at me. I quickly led him into the house and poured a cup of brewed scented tea. "I'm just going out to have fun, brother, please don't tell dad," I said absently, lowering my head and blowing on the floating petals. The eldest brother took a sip of the scented tea, and his anger was defeated. He could only sigh, "You are the young lady of the Changshi Mansion. You have to carry on the airs of a scholarly family. You can't be out in the field all day long." "I, I have to be like this." In the history books, Jing Ke and Cheng Yaojin were heroes who walked the rivers and lakes, doing chivalry and justice." After hearing this, the elder brother sighed again, rolled up his sleeves and went out.
In the first year of Yongle, the new emperor ascended the throne, and the whole world celebrated. For a time, the establishment of the emperor became its top priority.
In early March of the second year of Yongle, I had just turned sixteen. My mother called me over. She held some hairpins in her hand for me to choose from. I saw a dazzling array of flowers in various colors. I picked the most plain one. My mother put the hibiscus hairpin in my hair and said softly, "The palace held a flower festival dinner. The new emperor chose his concubine. He ordered all the officials and their families to bring their daughters of suitable age. You are the only one in the Changshi Mansion. You’re a young lady, so of course I want to go.” I wore a moon-white gauze skirt, which was elegant and light, just to be chosen.
The sedan stopped next to the palace. I looked at the vermilion palace gate and the various unique landscapes in the gate. I thought, this is probably a gorgeous cage, and the trapped canary can only She laments every day and longs for the world outside the palace.
I followed my mother into the hall, and I was accompanied by the family members of General Lu and the charming lady of Zhang Shangshu's family...all of them were dressed in beautiful clothes and talked and laughed.
After entering the palace, Emperor Yongle and the Queen Mother were sitting at attention, singing and dancing. Empress Dowager Jingxian said, "The Ai family would like to invite all the ladies to perform their talents and show off their talents, so that we can celebrate the Flower Festival together." The officials and family members immediately understood the meaning, playing chess, calligraphy and painting, but they were all interested in playing chess, calligraphy and painting. The performance in front of me was just for the high position, but when the lady of Zhang Shangshu's family played "Phoenix Seeking the Phoenix", Emperor Yongle didn't even look at it. I couldn't help but find it funny.
I was sitting alone in the corner, watching everything indifferently, but I didn't seem to care much about it. It seems that the position of a high-ranking queen or the rich and handsome young emperor are all illusions.
Empress Dowager Jingxian asked if she had any talents.
I hurriedly raised my head and replied, "I am stupid and don't have any special skills. I just make tea for my father and brother at home. My father and brother think it is very good."
The other ladies all ignored it. She looked at me with disdain, as if she were looking at a lowly servant who makes tea.
I paid no attention to it, washed the flowers, weighed them, boiled water, and made tea... Half an hour later, a pot of jasmine tea was brought up. Emperor Yongle remained silent, respecting the empress dowager. But very satisfied.
On the sixth day of June in the second year of Yongle, I was promoted to the imperial concubine and entered the palace. Later, I was made empress Xiande, ascending to that high and high position that I didn’t want, and became the Yongle Emperor. Xie Chi's wife.
"One yang begins to stir, two surnames are harmonious, celebrate three more, and gather four beauties. In the fifth generation, it will be prosperous and the phoenix divination will be gathered. The six rites will be completed. The seven sages will gather together, and those who make up the eight will sing the nine harmonies. Perfect and perfect, a pair of beautiful people leave a small shadow, and the two people of the country have a good marriage. "
"Two surnames are married together, and a good relationship will last forever. Look at the peach blossoms blooming today, it is appropriate. The house is in Yijia, and it is predicted that the melons will continue to bloom in the next year, and the Er will be prosperous. I would like to write this promise to Hong Jian, so that the red leaf alliance can be recorded clearly."
Xiniang used a clear The voice finished the song. On the day of the Empress's inauguration, the sedan chair started from Chang Shi's Mansion, circled around the capital, and returned to the palace.
When I left Chang Shi's Mansion, my mother held my hand firmly and said, "Qingzhen, from now on you will become the mother of a country. Mom has a few words to say to you."
p>She said, "The most important thing for a husband and wife to get along is honesty. You are a young lady from the Changshi Mansion. You must be generous, honest, and have a stable temperament. That is your husband, He is the person who wants to spend his whole life with you. As an emperor, there is no way there will be a woman in the backyard, but we, the daughter of the historian, must not compromise. Remember, we will always be behind you..." Then This is the most solemn thing my aunt has said to me since I was a child.
In early August of the second year of Yongle, the day after I became the queen, I tried to get familiar with every plant and tree in the palace, as well as the stone steps on the palace walls, and still treated the emperor with respect.
In the first month of the third year of Yongle, when I went to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager Jingxian, I heard a secret that I would never let go of. The Queen Mother solemnly said to me word for word, "My child, Aijia has fought with the late emperor all his life. Aijia is old. You are calm by nature. If you have a relationship with the emperor and build a kingdom, you will definitely be the mother of the world in the future. Aijia likes you and doesn't want to do anything to you." You are hiding something..."
The Queen Mother looked at me and continued, "The late Emperor and I were a young couple. At that time, the Liang Dynasty had not yet been established and the world was at war. My Xiao family assisted the late Emperor in conquering the country. The country of Daliang originally thought we could grow old together like this, but later the late emperor became suspicious of the Xiao family and wanted to kill them all. I was pregnant with Xie Chi at that time and was banned. After Xie Chi was born, I gave him a small name, It’s called Xie Xingzhi, ‘When the mountains look up, the scenery stops’. I hope this child can become a person of noble character in the future. I will only tell you his small words.”
She paused and said. I thought that the late emperor would relax day by day, but I was not careful, and Xing Zhi was given medicine by a bitch who had just been brought into the palace."
"The medicine was extremely toxic, although the imperial doctor tried his best to save it. , but the poison has invaded the internal organs. Doctor Gao said that there is no cure for the poison in Xing Zhi's body, and he can only live for thirty years at most, and the poison will be passed down to his heirs."
"Later, I stabbed him one after another. Cutting off that bitch's flesh would not relieve the hatred in my heart, but she would not have dared to do it without the late emperor's instructions, so the Ai family fought with the late emperor for a lifetime, and in the end the Ai family won." Empress Dowager Xiao. His eyes were filled with hatred.
"The child born later was named Xie Jingxing. The Ai family was worried that he would be persecuted by the late emperor, so he was sent to Mingqi when he was young. After Jingxing came back a few years later, the Great Liang became their world. Aijia is also tired..."
"Qingzhen, you are a good boy. Aijia is telling you these old things just to tell you that what you are facing is more complicated than you think. , then, are you still willing?"
I raised my eyes and calmed my heart, "My mother once told me that if I marry the emperor, I will spend my life with him. , even if it only lasts for thirty years, I have no regrets." "I have wronged you," Queen Mother Jingxian seemed very tired...
I walked out of the Queen Mother's chamber, but I bumped into Xie Xingzhi. It was the first time I looked at him so carefully. He was handsome and handsome, with deep eyes and a dignified appearance. I couldn't believe that he was only thirty years old. "Why is the Queen looking at me with such eyes?" He suddenly remembered something, "You know everything? Don't be afraid. I'm doing very well now. The queen doesn't have to worry about becoming a widow." After being teased like this, she felt a little better.
In the third year of Yongle, the second year after marrying into the palace, I prepared elixirs for myself. If one day he dies, I will go with him. This is my choice...
p>
Since then, my relationship with Xingzhi has gotten better day by day. We make scented tea together every day, enjoy flowers and scenery in spring, go boating on the lake in summer, chat in autumn, and make snow-made wine in winter... Maybe it's him Just feel like you owe me something.
It was snowing in the fourth year of Yongle, and the emperor came to Weiyang Palace. The wind blew through the treetops, the stars were sparse and the moon was bright, leaving behind the silhouettes of pines and cypresses. When he came, the wind on his brow had stopped.
On the Lantern Festival in the sixth year of Yongle, the emperor quietly took me out of the palace. The streets were brightly lit, with lanterns hanging on the treetops. The moon was bright and the streets were still lively at night. The children were guessing Lantern riddles, the shop is filled with merchandise. The snow had just melted and the ice on the ground was still slippery.
Xingzhi and I were dressed in plain clothes. He pulled me and said, "The ground is slippery. Please pull me along." I smiled and said, "Concubine... I often went out for fun when I was a child, walking in the streets and crawling in the mud every day." It doesn't matter." After hearing this, he blushed and said, "It's nonsense."
I ran away to buy a candied haws of sugar, but my hand was suddenly held by a drunken man. He looked at me drunkenly, but was pushed away, "Mo Spare my wife." I raised my eyes, and it was Xingzhi who shook the candied haws in his hand, looked at me with a smile and said, "I haven't eaten this before."
Winter snow begins. Rong, the wind stopped at him.
On the twenty-ninth day of the first month of the seventh year of Yongle, the fifth year after I entered the palace, I was burying snow wine in the snow. This year I encountered a rare heavy snow, and the snow in Weiyang Palace was deep. Aunt Tao hurriedly ran in and said, "General Lu's daughter was brought into the palace as Concubine Jing. I heard that she is arrogant and domineering. If a prince is born in the future, the queen's status will be..."
I lowered my eyes and continued to shovel the snow, saying, "You see, there is no concubine in the emperor's palace who can give birth to a prince for him, and there will never be one in the future."
Later, the court became turbulent. Yong, the emperor rarely sees him.
I disdain the struggle with Concubine Jing and continue to make scented tea and copy Buddhist scriptures every day. I work hard to build a country, but my body is getting worse every day...
On the ninth day of September in the ninth year of Yongle, many of the flowers in Weiyang Palace withered.
The palace maids found some chrysanthemums, big purple, white and yellow flowers, which seemed to be able to dissolve the deserted atmosphere. The autumn rain drifted in thinly. Aunt Tao closed the window, turned on the stove a few times, and then retreated gently.
Xingzhi was half leaning on the couch.
I am making scented tea. The petals I collected have the first snow of last year. I add a spoonful of honey and simmer slowly over low heat. It is sweet to the heart. I picked one and handed it to Xingzhi.
"The first snow I picked last year was very sweet. When it snows this year, if the emperor likes it, you can pick it together." I said with a smile.
Xing Zhi casually found the handkerchief from the side, took my hand, wiped it and scolded me, "Why are you so careless?" But the more I wiped it, the more water dripped on the back of my hand, which was even worse than tea. piping hot. His movements were startled, "Qingzhen..."
"Since I entered the palace, the emperor has never complained about anything. You and I have been honest with each other. At this point, why does the emperor disdain You are coaxing me and saying these heart-wrenching words to keep me awake. Why don't you make me confused for a while? Do you have to break this reality?"
Emperor Yongle paused for a long time.
"Qingzhen, I owe you something. I don't know when I will fall, so I don't dare not wake up. If that day comes, you will live the life you want, It doesn’t matter whether you are awake or confused, as long as you are happy.”
I lowered my head and blew the floating petals. Over the years, I have kept myself confused, as if this way, the emperor will always be healthy and able. Accompany me till I grow old.
I raised my eyes to look at Xing Zhi, but I caught a glimpse of the blood in his handkerchief, "If we don't talk about anything else tonight, the emperor will play chess with his concubines as usual. Is that okay?" I asked.
"Okay" Xingzhi nodded.
I ran towards him with the chessboard in my arms, as if I had gone back to my childhood when I went out to walk around the streets every day and only thought about walking in the world...
The following days were very peaceful. , the tranquility and tranquility of the long flowing water.
On the summer solstice of the 10th year of Yongle, I opened the snow wine buried in the snow last winter and said to the emperor, "I have always been reluctant to drink this snow wine. I will drink it with you tonight." Okay?" Xingzhi smiled and said, "Yitan, do you want to get drunk?" His tone was gentler than ever.
"If you can stay drunk, who wouldn't want to? A jar of wine will not make you drunk. When I was a child, I often stole wine with my brother." I murmured to myself. "I thought my queen only knew how to make tea. Turns out she is an alcoholic.
" His tone was still gentle.
"Drinking tea makes you sober, drinking is indulgent."
I took a sip and continued, "When I was a child, I read history books with my father. I most yearned for heroes and neat men. A great hero, abandoned in troubled times, no one cares about him as much as he wants, eating meat and drinking wine. I thought, this is the life I want to live. " She seemed a little drunk.
"It's a pity that after I entered the palace, I couldn't enjoy a large bowl of wine. I had to pay attention to the queen's etiquette at all times. I regretted it to death. "
"Then tonight, I will accompany you to indulge. "The emperor took a bowl of wine and drank it in one gulp. He looked exactly like the hero I imagined. "Actually, Qingzhen, you have a choice. After I leave, remember to find a good family..."
I looked at Xing Zhi, and he seemed to be drunk, "No more, I knew it since I entered the palace. "
"You are more exposed, your Majesty, please go back early, be careful of catching a cold. "I stood by the pond to get some air, but I became more and more awake, and tears fell uncontrollably.
I fiddled with the beads in my hands, and each one was polished very smooth. That was for All I want is peace and victory.
Suddenly, I heard a "crackling" sound. It was that the Buddhist beads were broken. I was at a loss and was about to pick it up. Eunuch Deng ran over in panic. He said, "Queen, please go and have a look, there is something wrong with the Emperor. "
Emperor Yongle was lying on the couch.
He looked at me for a long time, then smiled and said: "That's good, before I left, I finally drank the snow wine you brewed. "?"
"Qingzhen, I can't accompany you anymore. Emperor Yongle said apologetically: "When you married me, you thought you would be protected. In fact, you have received nothing after so many years." "He spoke very slowly. He had to rest for a while without saying a word. It seemed very strenuous.
"I have worked hard to live this year. I hope I can have a few more days. In fact, it is not because I want to see Xie Yuanjun coming. The world. The great things in this world have been settled. There is nothing I can't let go of. I just... I can't bear to let you go..." He breathed hard: "I can't bear to let you go... Even if I can be husband and wife with you for half a day or a moment, that's fine. "
"When I first met you, and then you were called into the palace, it was actually not my mother's idea. It was me at the beginning. I told my mother that I thought you were very good. For so many years, you thought I was satisfied with the 'Queen Xian De', but that's not true. I said anyone can be this queen, as long as they can do it well, but that's not true. It was you from the beginning. Those words... are all lies to you..."
I was stunned, and cried and said to him, "Why didn't you tell me earlier. "I buried myself in the quilt. From now on, I will not look, listen, think, or read...
Later, Xing Zhi closed his eyes, and at the last moment of his life, he finally said "you" The two words "I" match each other, and it seems that they have been shouting like this for a lifetime.
On the summer solstice of the tenth year of Yongle, Xing Zhi left.
Xing Zhizai left me. The next day, I took out the medicine bottle that I had hidden when I first entered the palace. The jade box was already covered with dust. For so many years, I was glad that it was buried in the dust every year, but now, I still opened it.
I put on a moon-white plain dress, cleaned my eyebrows, and put on light rouge. This was what I wore when I first met Xingzhi. Destiny always happens by chance.
Marriage. It takes a lot of courage to give to a man who doesn't know when he will die.
But I am the bravest young lady in Yuchang Shi's house, and I yearn for a hero the most. Emperor Yongle is probably not a hero. He plays tricks and wins people's hearts, and is not aboveboard, but I still feel that he is still my hero.
At first, he was also at the end.
I looked in the mirror. I said to myself
Qingzhen, a person from the world of martial arts, is a hero and has a strong sense of justice. He dares to love and hate. Although you are in the official family, you still yearn for the world of Jianghu. , it is your decision to follow.
I drank the whole bottle of medicine in one gulp.
In front of my eyes, I saw him who was silent when we first met; him who was shaking the sugar-coated haws on the Lantern Festival that year; he who was thinking about it for a long time while playing chess together; he who was hiding the handkerchief with eye-catching blood stains. ...
"Xingzhi, if there is an afterlife, I would like to be born in the world. You are still my hero. I don't seek glory and wealth, but I want to hold hands and love forever..."