Li Huang

The rest of the day was calm, and Yi Zhaorong never told me to go to Changchun Palace. During the New Year, she sent Huier some rewards. It is a few pieces of cloth and some silver. It's not just me, everyone has a share in the coat bureau. Zhiqiu’s eyes were full of joy, she took away most of the silver, and she gave the rest of the money to the dining room, so that we could eat better meals during the New Year, and the others were evenly distributed to the coat. Maid, each has a hundred pennies. Everyone was happy, and everyone prayed for Yi Zhaorong to always be here. She was unexpectedly not greedy for the cloth, and distributed it to everyone as a New Year's gift. In those few days, the coat bureau was beaming with joy, and walked and talked much more briskly. The clothes of the Changchun Palace, no matter the master or the palace servants, the maidservants in the clothes wash with great care, as if they could only use this way to thank Yi Zhaorong's kindness.

Xiao Rong divided a piece of satin with a lilac-colored rattan flower shading, held it in her hand and looked at it with joy. This day is a rare day off. I was sitting under the window stitching up an old clothes, and I saw Xiao Rong walking towards me with a smile on her face full of joy.

"Xie Niang, look at the piece of cloth I got." She raised the piece of cloth towards me.

I raised my head and glanced: "It's beautiful, what are you going to do?"

"I haven't figured it out yet." The color of hesitation flashed, and Xiao Rong said: "So I wanted to ask you what you plan to do." She said, suddenly "Yeah": "Yeah, I still I haven't seen the fabric you have allocated."

I shook my head, just mending the clothes on my hands.

"Zhiqiu didn't give me any fabric." I bit off the knotted thread and shook my clothes before I looked up at Xiao Rong.

"Ah?" Xiao Rong was surprised: "Isn't everyone in it?" She pouted, "Said Empress Zhao Rong will give us rewards. It's not because you helped you before."

I smiled indifferently: "The lady is compassionate, what to do with me?" I looked at the gloomy and snowy sky outside the window, and thought of the weird tone of the yin and yang that day.

"Zhiqiu said, Niang Niang will reward me for good things in private. If I don't want my share, you can divide an extra inch or two." I took another pair of socks to make up.

"How can this be done!" Xiao Rong was angrily: "I can't do anything with an inch or two."

I didn't say anything. In fact, Zhiqiu was the first one to ask me to pick it up that day and let me choose it myself. However, the fabric that Yi Zhaorong had appreciated looked good in the eyes of this group of maidservants, but it was actually used by ordinary court ladies, the colors and patterns were the same as when I was in the palace. I don’t mind, I just said casually: "These patterns from three or four years ago are really well preserved." I put my hand on a vermillion-grey silk brocade. This brocade looks inconspicuous, without even a pattern. , But it is really the best one in it.

"This one is good, but the color is a bit lighter." I scanned the other fabrics one by one, only this one was a little bit to my liking.

When Zhiqiu heard her face change, I suddenly knew that my unintentional words must offend her. Sure enough, she rarely showed a smile, but that smile didn't mean anything.

"Isn't Xie Niang familiar with these fabrics. Can't you look at them?" She stared at me closely: "It's no wonder that with Niang Niang's blue eyes, I naturally look down on these ordinary things."

I was stunned to explain, she took a sip of the tea and opened her mouth again: "You look down on these materials, those girls are very rare. You can decide who to give it to yourself." Her tone was leisurely. But his eyes are not good.

I did not argue with her, nor did I take that piece of clothing to heart. He only bowed his knees: "Then ask Auntie to share the material of Xie Niang among all the sisters."

"Equally share it with them, one person is no more than one or two inches, what's the use." Zhiqiu snorted coldly: "It's better to give a sister that you have a good relationship with, and show your love to help you in the future."

I endured a sneer in my heart, and my tone was as gentle as before: "Xie Niang treats all the sisters equally, although it is only an inch or two longer, but it is enough to make a sock or half a handkerchief." After that, I moved towards Zhiqiu slightly. After a ceremony, he withdrew.

But Zhiqiu didn't tell the maidservants about this matter, but simply distributed the cloth. She herself left the piece of brocade, and everyone didn't know it. They thought that Zhiqiu was so merciful this time, and they could hear their whispers for several days.

"But it's strange that Zhiqiu only took the vermilion-grey material this time." Xiao Rong compared the cloth to herself: "Xie Niang, do you think I am cutting a right gusset? Wear it with a pair of breasts."

I took a look at the material in her hand. This brocade has a mediocre texture. It looks like it has been left for several years and is a bit old. Looking at the size, right-handedness is probably not enough, and in recent years, both inside and outside the palace are not fashionable. But being a pair is not suitable for Xiao Rong's age.

I put aside the work in my hand and thought for a while, and said to Xiao Rong, "I'm afraid that the right gusset and the front are not suitable. According to my thinking, it is better to go to the upper skirt and the lower skirt. You might as well ask other people, if they do it If the colors of the skirts and skirts do not collide, they can be changed."

Xiao Rong's eyes lit up: "You still have more ideas! I'll ask. It seems that Li's got purple material, and Zhen'er is light green, and..." Xiao Rong thought, breaking her fingers. , Looking forward to it.

"Light green is better." I looked at her and said softly, "But Zhen'er has to be willing."

Xiao Rong waved her hand indifferently: "I entered the palace together with Zhen'er. They are from the same hometown and have a good relationship. She just asked me what I wanted to do."

I looked at her tenderly, young girls, as long as they have beautiful clothes and delicious meals, they will be satisfied, how enviable.

Xiao Rong sat next to me, watched me mending my socks, frowning and said, "You don't go out and walk around every day, you just make up, go out and see the sun."

I glanced at the withered tree branches outside: "It's cold, go out and blow."

Xiao Rong laughed: "Everyone is going to see winter plum. Do you want to go?"

My heart moved: "Lamei? Where is it?"

"Imperial Garden." Xiao Rong folded the clothes carefully and said: "Lower court ladies like us can only go to North Point. But there are a lot of winter plums, which is best seen in winter."

"Aren't you afraid of meeting your master in the Royal Garden?" I looked timid.

"How come the masters go to North Point." Xiao Rong said, "There is a place where the lower palace people go, and the master will not go. Besides, there is a place in the Imperial Garden that specializes in seeing plum blossoms. What is called Dongxue and Fei? Yes." Xiao Rong thought hard.

"Dong Xue Ji Fei." I forcibly resisted the shock in my heart, but my tone was slightly trembling.

"Yes, this is it!" Xiao Rong clapped her hands, then looked at me strangely: "How do you know?"

I didn't know how to answer her, but said: "This place seems to have been heard before."

Xiao Rong pretended to smile mysteriously: "It was repaired the year before last." She looked around, "I once went to see it quietly. It is a separate garden with a two-story building and a pond with lotus flowers. , There is an octagonal pavilion next to it. It was summer, and it is said that white plums were planted inside."

I was frightened by her words. "Dongxue Jifei" was the name of the courtyard where I lived in Ling's Mansion. There was indeed a two-story building in the courtyard where I used to embroider and paint. That octagonal pavilion was built by my father when he was twelve years old. There are lotus flowers in the pond. On summer nights, the family often sits in the pavilion and listens to me blowing a purple jade ring.

It was my happiest and most worry-free period of good time.

"It's not Baimei." I almost blurted out: "It's a compound green calyx."

"Huh?" Xiao Rong looked at me: "What are you talking about green?"

Only then did I realize that I had lost my mind again, and smiled: "The plum blossoms for the masters should not be simple white plums. Also, that name is really special."

Xiao Rong didn't notice my dry laughter, she just nodded: "Xie Niang, are you really not going?" She winked at me: "The garden is not far from the North Cape. I can also take you secretly. "

I shook my head and suddenly felt that I often miss the old days recently. And when I think of those old times, I will inevitably think of the days at the palace, at Pengdao Yaotai, and at Huangjia Village. I just feel that my emotions are trapped in a huge and unclear whirlpool. In a place like Fan Shi's loneliness and Huan Yi Ju's hard work, my character is no longer the same as Ling Xuewei. Even I can't recognize myself.

Suddenly I felt very tired. Looking at Xiao Rong's kind face, I shook my head gently: "It's too cold, I won't go. You take a look at the plum blossoms. Come back and embroider some of your new dress. "

Xiao Rong was gone, and I looked at the suddenly quiet yard outside the window, pulling over the quilt and covering my head to sleep. The door was gently pushed open, Zhi Qiu looked inside carefully, and then called out, "Is anyone?"

I didn't want to care about her, because I was afraid that there would be some work, so I hid under the covers and kept silent. Seeing that no one responded, she seemed relieved and left. Because she did not close the door, when I got out of bed, I saw her walking towards the backyard with some joss stick paper money. I was puzzled, the palace never allowed to burn paper privately, is she?

So quietly following her, she walked through the small door in the backyard, walked to a quiet forest, looked around, and started to burn.

Wiping your eyes while burning: "You said you were in the Meng Mansion well, what kind of nurses come in, where is the place where people are in this palace? Now that you are in, how good is your duty to be a nurse? This elder sister still expects you to pull me out. But well, you have eaten the ambition of the leopard and pushed the queen empress into the water, you are not dead!" She cried and mourned in the silent forest, making her scalp numb. .

"You came to see me and told me not to do anything for the Lifei Empress. But can I choose? We were sent in, isn't it his Meng family's chess piece." She burned another handful of paper money: "You are good , I’ve committed suicide for a hundred, but have you ever thought of my parents at home? I was also implicated and transferred from Ye Ting to the horrible place of Huanyi Bureau."

Her movements and voices stopped, like a puppet sitting on the ground, the north wind rustling, rolling up burnt paper money like a flying black butterfly, unknown and sad. My heart tightened a little bit.

That's it, it's her!

"Sister!" Zhiqiu suddenly howled: "Today is your birthday. My sister can only quietly burn you some paper money. You are below, but it's good!"

I just feel like my heart is twisted. I ran back to the clothing bureau like running away, drank a sip of tea, and decided to take a look at the "Winter Xue Jifei" to calm my mind.

Changed to a plain cotton dress, covered the bead-grey gown of a court lady, turned her hair into a flat bun and walked out.

Pushing open the door, the cold wind blows on his face. I shuddered, but my head became clear. I stretched my stiff back and took a few deep breaths. It seemed that I really moved too little. I laughed self-deprecatingly, and walked to where Xiao Rong said.

Along the way, I met some palace people and walked quickly. There was a gust of wind, and it looked like it was going to snow. That's good, no one pays attention to me, no one pays attention to me. I looked for it near the north corner of the Imperial Garden, followed a bluestone road by intuition, and really walked to the garden.

The moment I stood at the gate of the garden, I could hardly believe my eyes, thinking that I had returned to the residence of Ling Mansion.