Li Huang

It is said that it is a sleeping place, but it is actually two chase shops. Everyone's things are placed in a small wooden box with a lock at the foot. Because I came the latest, I had no choice in the convenient place to sleep, it was a place near the window. The windows are not tight, so summers are hot and winters are cold, but they are relatively clean and I am satisfied.

After changing clothes quickly, Zhiqiu took me to the yard where Huan washed clothes.

I saw six rows of court ladies lined up, each with three large wooden barrels in front of them, the middle was for laundry, and the two sides were for clothes. At this time, there was no one in the courtyard, only the sound of washing, everyone's face was flushed with hard work, and there were many scars on their hands.

"Don't look at the simplicity of washing clothes, they are all women's clothes, you must be careful." Zhiqiu's voice sounded in her ears: "Go over there and wash them." She said, pointing to the last position for me. Then ordered a maid next to him to bring dirty clothes.

I walked over in silence, sat on the low stool, took a deep breath, and started my life in the coat of arms.

In the days that followed, it was hard and boring. Every day it’s dark to get up and start washing, and there is another big pot waiting there after lunch. I was far away from the big tank for changing water. During the first month, I could only eat dried buns because of the slow washing speed. At night, my bones would be broken. I couldn’t lift my arms and my legs trembled. , His hands were white because of being soaked in water all day long, and the palms of his hands were also peeled off by rubbing clothes hard, and a cocoon was worn out.

In this way, reborn next to time, waiting for an opportunity.

Until the first snowfall in winter, because the harem was guarding the funeral of the Queen Mother, Huier only visited me twice during this period and gave me some broken silver. Turn around, half have to be respected to Zhiqiu. And most of our Yueyin must be handed over to her.

During this period, I can see that Zhiqiu loves money and rights very much. He speaks harshly and harshly, beating the palace maids who make mistakes from time to time. As if only this way she would be happy.

I did things cautiously, barely speaking a word in silence, but I was beaten several times by finding out the wrong things out of nothing. Kneeling in the sun to wash clothes for a day, or without food, gradually got used to it.

The maids of the coat bureau take turns to rest one day each month, and can walk around the places specified by the imperial garden. Every day, it is the happiest day for the ladies. But I mostly lay on the bed, resting my tired body.

On this day, seeing the next year, all palaces began to make new clothes. In the past three months of guarding the funeral for the Queen Mother, the concubines in the concubine's palace could only wear silver ornaments and dress better with white pearls. At this time, all palaces will make more beautiful clothes and shirts at the same time. Our task of washing is also increased.

Xiao Rong pouted and sat next to me, rubbing her hands on an autumn-scented double-luan pattern woven gold skirt. I glanced at her and reminded softly: "Which woman should this skirt belong to, you It's better to lighten up."

Xiao Rong smashed the clothes in her hand and tears fell: "Why should we help Su Ye and the others wash? They are all right, and follow Zhiqiu to pick fabrics."

I only carefully scrubbed a golden apricot drape on my hands, and said lightly: "Aunt Zhiqiu's arrangement, what can we say? It's just Su Ye who met Zhiqiu's eyes on the left."

"That's not it!" Xiao Rong said angrily when Zhiqiu was not there, "Last month Su Ye gave all her moon silver to Zhiqiu, saying that it was the Chinese New Year, only as a respect for Zhiqiu. Xiu, Caiyun, and Hongzhu also handed Yueyin to Zhiqiu. You see, since that day, their clothes have been reduced a lot, and today they can take a day off by accompany Zhiqiu to pick fabrics. Who is it? I don’t know, what fabrics we can choose for our clothes, they are the most inferior ones."

I disapproved of it and said: "If you are envious, you can also give her your monthly silver from last month, why bother with other people."

"I'm not." Xiao Rong's voice lowered: "I have to save myself a dowry, right?"

I nodded her head: "Little girl, how old you are, I just want to marry."

Xiao Rong smiled shyly: "Anyway, it's impossible for me to leave the coat of arms. It's better to wait until the twenty-fifth to leave the palace and be at ease alone."

"Where is your family?" I asked casually.

"They...I won't go back." Xiao Rong said indifferently: "My mother gave birth and I had a dystocia. My father thought I was a girl, so he beat me whenever he was upset. After the stepmother gave birth to a younger brother, they took me Selling to the palace, I will have no family anymore." Xiao Rong's eyes were red. Although I have a good relationship with her, it is the first time I have heard of her life experience. Can't help feeling uncomfortable for her.

Xiao Rong wiped her eyes: "Don't tell me. When I leave the palace, I will be able to live well on my own."

I patted her on the shoulder: "I will, rest assured."

There was a burst of laughter in the distance, and Su Ye's voice also came with the wind. Xiao Rong and I looked at each other, and both lowered their heads and started to work in silence.

"Aunt Zhiqiu, it's better that you have a good eye. The green material is indeed better than the purple one." Su Ye's voice was filled with a sweet smile, flattering.

"You are young, it would be better to wear green." Zhiqiu's tone is rarely gentle.

"I really opened my eyes when I went to the Needle Industry Bureau today. There are so many beautiful materials. I have never seen them before." Green sleeve broke his fingers: "That goose yellow material looks so beautiful, I touched it quietly. , Very smooth. And the pink woven golden python flower, it’s so gorgeous, what kind of clothes have to be made."

"You still need to worry about these things. Naturally, the aunts from the Needle Industry Bureau will do them." Caiyun smiled and hid her mouth.

"You are also courageous. Those are all the clothes of the girls. If you are seen touched by you, a few sticks will be light." Zhiqiu said with a cold face: "Don't cause trouble to our clothing bureau. ."

"Aunt, don't worry, I touched it quietly, absolutely no one noticed." Lu Xiu hurriedly defended.

"Auntie, the clothes are selected. When can we have new clothes?" Hong Zhu asked with a smile.

"According to the past, it can be sent years ago." Zhiqiu said and walked to his house: "You don't need to wash your clothes today. You can pack the clothes over there and send them to the ironing room."

Su Ye and the others laughed: "Thank you auntie." After seeing Zhiqiu walked back to his room, he walked proudly among us, talking loudly about what we had seen in the Weaving Bureau.

I looked around quietly and saw that everyone was angry and jealous. Some people curled their lips or gave a wink to the person next to them, but no one spoke.

"Xie Niang, I really want to take a look at those beautiful clothes, too." Xiao Rong smacked her lips and said with envy in the direction of the three people.

"They just looked at it, and when will they be able to put it on." I haven't spoken yet, another court lady surnamed Liu next to Xiao Rong said sourly: "Are there few beautiful clothes we wash every day? It’s not yours, so proud."

"You can wear it, you have to wear it all the time. Here, there are people who wear the clothes of the concubines. Are they still the same as us now?" Another voice came from not far away, full of disdain.

I was shocked and looked at the speaker. A round-faced maid slapped her clothes in her hands, while staring at the woman opposite her.

I looked at the woman again, she was standing up and twisting the clothes in her hand, unheard of the words of the opposite person. I was stunned when I saw her face. The slim and fit figure of the time is now only the sloppy skinny bones, and the palace maid’s dress looks like a face pocket when worn on her body, completely losing her original attractive appearance. And the face that was once a bright moon now only has a pair of eyes that have lost its glamour, and the complexion is no longer white because of working in the sun all the time. Her hair was arbitrarily pulled behind her head, and her movements were slightly sluggish. The whole person looked like a gray dove with its wings cut off, and it did not attract the attention of others.

She is the Miss Li family who we had met in Anyang that year.

"We can go out in Twenty-Five. Some people have to wash clothes here for a lifetime." A mocking voice came.

I think of Haoyue’s words. She was demoted here for mentioning me in front of Shen Xiyao. She can only do this kind of coolie all her life, and she can’t be released from the palace at the age of twenty-five. She can only die in the corner of this deep and silent palace. in.

I looked at her numb expression, repeating the washing action unconsciously, and deaf to the ironic laughter surrounding her from what the palace lady said, suddenly admiring and lamenting her peace at this time.

"Well, I have been a concubine to the emperor, and it's worth it in my life." Another person smirked: "It's just that I think of the good old days in the future and look at it now. I don't know how much I regret it."

"It deserves it, who made her talk about the Queen Nyonya and the emperor being upset." One "hum" said: "I don't want to look at myself, dare to compare with the queen empress? What is her background? The daughter of a merchant, is it comparable?"

"If you talk about it, our background here is better than her." Another voice came: "We are also servants of the official family anyway, and we are better than businessmen."

"People Li Changzai said that his skin is good, and he didn't say where he came from. You are really." A burst of laughter came from the courtyard door where the clothes were dried, and Su Ye and others were holding a stack of clean clothes, saying like It was a relief, but there was an expression on his face that he wanted to watch a good show.

"Good skin?" A court lady next to Ms. Li took advantage of her unpreparedness and lifted her skirt, revealing thin and dry legs in black and yellow. The skin was as rough as tree bark, and there were a series of hideous red scars, which was shocking.

"Ah!" Miss Li exclaimed and wanted to step back. I don't know when there was another maid standing beside her. She stopped her at once, and reached out to untie her coat: "What's so beautiful on the leg, look at it."

"Don't, don't touch me." Miss Li's eyes were full of horror, her hands tightly guarding her chest.

"What are you afraid of, here are all women. Anyway, when you take a bath, everyone hasn't seen it before." Someone said coldly.

With a "hiss", Miss Li's coat was torn apart due to entanglement, exposing a large area of ​​the skin of her front body.

"This is also called good skin?" There was a harsh laughter: "I'm much better than you."

Miss Li embraced her with her arms around her, her rough black skin was still exposed in the gap between her arms. She squatted on the ground and wept, feeling helpless.

"Why does she have scars?" I asked Xiao Rong in a whisper.

"It was not beaten by Zhiqiu." Xiao Rong lowered her voice: "Li Chang was arrogant and refused to be disciplined when she first arrived. As a result, Zhiqiu kept looking for her fault, and always used thorns to beat her without rubbing medicine. Anyway, Li Chang I am a person who is disgusted by the emperor and has no family background, so I learned that Qiu was bullied." Xiao Rong leaned to my ear: "We will send a little ointment every month to moisturize our hands, but Li Changzai never No, Zhiqiu arranged for her either a big sun or a cold wind. It's strange that her skin is good."

I nodded and looked at Li Changzai who was trying to hold his clothes over there, "It's really pitiful."