Li Huang

In this way, after the Spring Festival, spring slowly descended silently.

The first to open was a magnolia plant at the back of the house, with its white petals resembling clear white jade and floating clouds on the horizon. Then comes the various flowers of the second time. Because the house of Master Li is used to dissipate the summer and enjoy the scenery, there are many kinds of flowers to watch. For a time, the green willows are blooming, the apricots and plums are contending for fen, the peach blossoms are blooming, and the flowers are burning. It's really the beauty of spring with "tragic flowers gradually becoming charming."

In the beginning of the spring, Xihe successfully obtained the position of the husband in the village school based on the letter of recommendation from Gongzi Liu. He got up when it was getting light every day and only returned in the evening. However, the school will rest for two days every half month. During these two days, we will join hands to climb high, or go to Anyang City for a stroll. But most of the time, I still stay at home, washing and chopping wood, chanting poems and painting, and I am happy to do it.

Boss Xu only entrusted me with the same job after the new year. He embroidered a picture of "Hundred Flowers Striving for Beauty". It is said that it was specially designated by a certain master in the city, and the reward was naturally high. At the same time, there are all kinds of fine silk threads. I use the fragrant flowers in the front and back of the house to get a light fragrance, and then I embroider them carefully.

Because there is only this one job, life is simple. Every day, Xihe used breakfast to teach in the school. After I cleaned the house and the outside, I would sit in front of the Xuan window, carefully align the various silk threads, and embroider on the snow-white raw silk with stitches. And the most important thing seems to be to choose the most suitable color among the thousands of colors, and then embroider the colorful colors according to the mind.

The welcoming spring of Jinying's green calyx, the silky silk tree, the scorching green peach, the beautiful lotus that keeps the wild rice leaves, the wet apricot flowers, the golden osmanthus with the green leaves and the roots, the peony with the golden silk and the star green The rose of the pedicel, the magnolia of Chuyao, the wisteria of the suspected beauty, the rhododendron of the national color, the orchid of the fragrant fragrant...

Needle and thread, exhausted. Whenever Xi He stood in front of the embroidery frame, he couldn't help but "tsk tsk" praise the ingenious workmanship of embroidery. I am well aware that such an embroidery is rare if it is placed in the palace, but if it is the home of a giant, it is not surprising to have such an embroidery. After all, top-notch embroiders are not the only ones who make embroidery for the palace.

After the "Hundred Flowers Striving for Beauty" is embroidered, it must be washed again in mountain spring water. On this day, Xihe was resting, so I took the embroidered raw silk and washed it in the creek in front of the house.

A woman was reflected in the clear water, her jade face was radiant, her air was like orchids, her breath was calm and leisurely. You have a pair of eyes that are as bright as stars, agile as pearls, lightly dancing and flying.

This kind of look seems to have been seen a long time ago, and it was before entering the palace, in Ling's mansion, pure and happy, like the purest Wang Qingquan, without any impurities. Entering the palace, even in the first days, there is only oneself, but because of the deep red wall, the heart is heavy, and the show is lost.

Xihe chopped wood not far behind him, and the sound of "Kang Kuang" was heard, echoing in the silent valley, and it also brought out the quieter the cicada-noisy forest and the more secluded Niaoming Mountain.

I smiled slightly, my eyes fell on a white magnolia by the water, and the washing of my hands slowed down.

"What are you thinking about?" Xihe didn't know when he walked to my side and stared at me.

I met his gaze and shook my head slightly, "I didn't think about anything, just looking at the spring scenery, I couldn't help but indulge in it."

Xihe smiled. I don't know when there was a magnolia in his hand. It was freshly picked, with dewdrops still in the morning. As soon as he bent over, he pinned the magnolia to my loosely rolled bun.

Since I was out of the palace, I rarely wear any jade jewelry. Except for big festivals, I usually wear a round bun, fasten it with a wooden hairpin, and wrap a blue floral turban. It is a complete village woman dress. .

At this time, he was not wearing a headscarf, and he was facing the water, and the beautiful appearance of the person in the water was even worse than the delicate flowers on his head. Xihe stared at me in a daze for a long time, with deep affection and tenderness in his eyes, as if the stars were falling, and like the spring light reflected in the lingering lake.

I was careful not to pay attention, and put my hands together to hide the small ripples in my heart.

The embroidery is softer after several times of water, and the colors on the picture are more vivid. I smoked it again and again with fragrant flowers. On the day Bilian arrived at Aunt Huang’s house, this "Hundred Flowers Contesting Beauty" could smell the faint fragrance of flowers.

On this day, Bilian and Big Brother Zhang returned to Aunt Huang's house. Aunt Huang naturally made a lot of delicious food and called me and Xihe early. I saw that Bilian was wearing the peach-colored upper garment that I gave her before, matched with the loose-colored skirt, in this bright spring day, as bright and beautiful as a flower. She was very happy to see me and couldn't wait to show me her outfit.

"Xie Niang, this body made me show my face among the family members of the high-ranking officials in Anyang City." She smiled Yingyingly: "But I did not tell anyone that I knew Xiu Niang according to your instructions, only that I was a friend from Jiangnan. From the land."

I smiled and said, "If you like it, I'm free, I will embroider it for you again. I got a pale pink material a year ago, and it looks the best in a skirt. You also match that color."

In fact, the pale pink satin was sent by Young Master Liu. I only cut the other cyan and blue horses into men's clothing and gave them to Xi He. All the other horses used by the women were stored in a camphor wood box.

"No need, I know this embroidering is the most eye-intensive. By the way, this time, Boss Xu asked me to ask you specifically, did he entrust you with the embroidery last time? I said it was the one who urged you to do it. ."

I nodded and handed the embroideries wrapped in my hands to Bi Lian, who carefully put them away. Then I went to the kitchen with me to help Aunt Huang.

At dinner in the evening, Brother Zhang and Xi He chatted about the things circulating in Anyang City. Brother Zhang grabbed the greens and said, "You really got it right. Sure enough, General Meng was sent to garrison in the southwest."

Bi Lian leaned over: "General Meng? Is General Meng who lost the battle last time? How could the emperor send a defeated general?"

"What do you know as a woman, General Meng is the father of Empress Li. Empress Li is very spoiled. It will be easy to blow the pillow wind in the ear of the emperor." Big Brother Zhang said.

Xihe and I were both stunned, and looked at each other, but kept silent.

"It turns out to be the imperial concubine's father, no wonder." Bi Lian tutted: "It seems that it is good to enter the palace, where food and clothing are comparable to our people. The family can be touched. I said how the daughters of the grandfathers in the city rush one by one. I want to enter the palace."

I filled a bowl of soup and handed it to Aunt Huang, and Xi He said indifferently: "This matter is probably not related to Li Fei. After all, the emperor is the master and will not be nepotism. I am afraid that the emperor wants General Meng to commit crimes. So he I will work hard to keep the border stable."

"Master Liu said the same thing." Brother Zhang said with a smile to Xihe: "He asked me to ask you and Niang Xie. I said that there have been many things recently, and I will see you another day."

Xihe clasped his fists: "Thank you, Mr. Liu, for helping me."

Bi Lian approached me and said, "Xie Niang, don’t you know that the daughters of Mr. Li and Mrs. Wu in the city are the two young ladies we met at Xuji Silk and Satin Village last time. It's the primary election."

"The primary election? What primary election?" I didn't react for a while.

"This year's spring show." Bilian glanced at me and said in surprise: "Don't you know? This year is a three-year draft."

I just remembered, suppressing the bitterness in my heart, and smiled and said: "I am a savage woman, I really don't know. You said that the two ladies were selected last time?" I recalled Miss Li and Miss Wu's appearance nodded: "The two young ladies are indeed beautiful, and they should be selected."

"Not really. In addition, five women have been selected in Anyang City. This year is more than in previous years." Bi Lian sipped the soup and continued: "They will have a flower viewing party before they enter Beijing and choose again. Then you and I Would you like to go and see?" Bi Lian's face was full of excitement.

I took a look at Xi He. He was talking about the border war with Big Brother Zhang, and he looked slightly solemn. So he didn't ask his opinion, just tell Bilian I think about it.

Five days later, Bi Lian came again, and brought Boss Xu to embroider this time, a few summer clothes, because it was still early in the summer, so she was not in a hurry. There are also dozens of kerchiefs, agreed to be paid in one month. Bi Lian accompany me looking through the materials, and inadvertently said: "Xie Niang, the last time you embroidered "Hundred Flowers" is really beautiful. The buyer came on the day I sent it, and when I opened it, there was still a fragrance of flowers. , But it makes boss Xu and the buyer happy." She blinked at me mysteriously, "Do you know who ordered it?"

I only looked at the light blue veils in my hand and wondered whether it was embroidered with Begonia Spring Sleep or Fanli, and then casually said: "Looking at the wages given by Boss Xu, the asking price is not low. If it is a buyer in Anyang City, I naturally flee. But those big ones. If they were from outside, I wouldn't be able to guess."

"Xie Niang, you are so smart. Master Li ordered it. It is said to be brought to Miss Li to enter the palace." Bi Lian picked up a haze-colored skirt: "This color is really beautiful. What do you plan to embroider Xie Niang? "

I was horrified by the word "entering the palace", my hand trembled, and the veil floated on the ground like a leaf in the wind.

"Bilian, you just..." My voice trembled slightly: "What did you say just now?"

"You embroider so well. Those veils and skirts were all wrapped up by Master Li and Master Wu. That's why Master Li quietly asked the boss to ask you to embroider an embroidery screen, so that Miss Li could be in the palace. There is something you can tell."

My face must be as pale as clear frost, and Bi Lian was startled when she looked up: "Xie Niang, what's the matter with you?"

I calmed my mind: "It's nothing, I'm thinking about tricks, my hands are loose." Then I tried to conceal my inner anxiety and took a look at the skirt on Bilian's hand: "This I plan to embroider auspicious and wishful clouds."

"Will it be too simple?" Bi Lian stared at the skirt in her hand and said, "This material is so beautiful."

I took a look almost absent-mindedly, then paused and said, "It's because this color is already very beautiful. If you embroider more complicated patterns, it will cover up, which would be a pity then." I took a bunch from the embroidery frame. The silver silk thread was compared on the skirt: "This color is the best." But the heart is not knowing where to go.

Bi Lian smiled: "Sure enough, Niang Xie has a good eye."

With a smile like a pear blossom, I nodded, and asked casually, "Do you know when those ladies will enter Beijing?"

"One month later." Bi Lian replied.

I figured it out in my mind. If I enter the palace in one month, after the election, I will be trained in the Etiquette Institute so that I can serve the king. It will take two months. Whether Miss Li can finally enter the palace, I have to make long-term plans. Thinking about it this way, Huangjiacun is no longer a place to stay.

But it can't show up on the face, this has to be discussed with Xihe in the long run. After all, if you leave, regardless of the real estate, you have to count where you go and how you go.

So I would rather settle down, here Bi Lian begged me to go to the flower viewing party with her, just want to see the appearance of the beauties who are about to enter the palace.

I thought that I would be separated from her within two months, and I would never see her again from now on, so I couldn't help but give up, so I agreed.

In the evening Xihe came back from the school, I put one end of the food on the table, and then I decided how to tell him what I heard in the day.