The Moon Over Tang Dynasty

Chapter 42 The Emperor is Passionate and Ruthless

Mrs. Wu's eyes lit up, she stood up, stretched out her hands to straighten her temples, and was about to go out. Suddenly she saw Xiao Yueniang looking up at her eagerly. She stopped in her tracks, leaned over and said with a smile, "Mom, go and take a look first." Look, if you are hungry, ask the wet nurse to bring you some snacks."

Yueniang nodded obediently, and Mrs. Wu smiled at Liuli again, "Just wait, Zhaoyi has mentioned you to the Holy One, and maybe the Holy One will summon you in a while."

Liuli said hurriedly, "Madam, it's better not to mention Liuli. Liuli is timid, and she is afraid that she will lose her etiquette in front of the emperor, which will not be beautiful."

Mrs. Wu smiled and said, "Why are you so timid now that you are here? The Holy Emperor is the most gentle and compassionate person, and he has praised your paintings. I am afraid that I will be rewarded after seeing you."

Liuli wanted to say more, but Mrs. Wu waved her hand and walked forward.

Yueniang was indeed a little hungry, so the palace maid went out and brought in four plates of delicate snacks. Yueniang took a mini-sized sesame cake and ate it in small bites. After a while, there was still a grain of sesame on her mouth. Liuli looked at her cute appearance and suddenly thought that a similar poisonous pancake would kill her more than ten years later, and her heart sank.

  Can history be changed? You have to give it a try to find out!

Seeing that Yueniang had finished one cake, Liuli smiled at Yueniang and pointed to the corner of her mouth. Yueniang touched it and looked at the sesame seeds on her fingers. She smiled shyly and turned around to pick up a piece of golden pastry. , handed it to Liuli, "You can eat it too!" Liuli could only smile and thank her, and took it in her hand. Aling said, "This is chicken milk cake, it tastes very sweet."

I saw that this small pastry was made into the shape of a six-petal plum blossom, and the stamens were clearly visible one by one. It was almost unbearable to eat. Liuli looked at it several times before carefully taking a bite. It tasted really good. , she ate a piece, and as soon as she took a sip of tea, a palace maid hurriedly came in outside the door, "Ms. Kudi, the Holy One declares you."

Liuli was startled, stood up, patted the pastry crumbs on her hands, and walked quickly to the main hall with the maid. The maid led her all the way to the back room of the west hall where she had just been. Liuli glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw Wu Shunniang standing there. Beside the bed, Wu Zetian was still leaning on the head of the bed. Next to her sat a man wearing an ocher yellow robe. He did not dare to look at her too much. He bowed his head upright and bowed, "Daughter of the people, see you, Your Majesty."

"Ping Shen." Emperor Gaozong's voice sounded young and gentle. He paused for a moment before asking, "Where did you hear the poem "Spring River Flowers and Moonlight Night" from?"

As expected, he was an emperor with a cultural vision. Liuli replied quickly and respectfully, "It was a folk girl who accidentally heard someone singing it when she was outing in Qujiang a few years ago. The folk girl is stupid and can only remember these few lines."

"So..." Gaozong seemed a little disappointed, and Wu Zetian smiled and said, "I have seen that poem too. If she could write it at her age, I'm afraid no one in the Tang Dynasty would dare to claim to be able to write poetry. Liuli was originally Painter, I don’t think there is any painter in the palace who can compare with her when it comes to painting peonies.”

Gaozong also laughed, "That's right. The poems, calligraphy and paintings on the screen can be regarded as three masterpieces. The calligraphy has already been praised by Pei Shouyue. For a while, I couldn't find out who wrote the poem. Now the painter is here Now, Mei Niang is telling me how to reward her."

Wu Zetian said, "Your Majesty, you don't know. Kudi Liuli's lifelong wish is to travel around the world and paint all the strange mountains and rivers of the Tang Dynasty. I think it will take a lot of silk to paint. Why don't Your Majesty reward her with some plain silk?" Liuli, what do you think?"

 Plain silk? These days, silk seems to be easy to exchange for money, and can even be used directly as money... Liuli raised her head and smiled, "But it depends on Zhaoyi's arrangement."

Emperor Gaozong also laughed and said, "Then reward her with a hundred pieces of plain silk. It will probably be enough for her to draw."

A hundred bolts of silk, dozens of them, Liuli smiled and saluted, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the gift." When she raised her head just now, she could see clearly that Emperor Gaozong looked only twenty-seven or eight years old, with a smile on his face. He has a long square face, delicate features, and a peaceful expression. He also has a pair of slender phoenix eyes, but his face seems a little too pale.

Wu Zetian said again, "There is just one more thing, and I would like your Majesty's approval."

Emperor Gaozong hurriedly asked, "What's the matter?" Wu Zetian said lightly, "Liu Li met Her Royal Highness Shu Concubine when she entered the palace today. It was her first time entering the palace. She didn't know much about etiquette and was reckless. She probably clashed with Concubine Shu verbally. Concubine Shu was angry. I heard that she was a painter, so she was only allowed to serve in Shujing Hall. She regretted it so much that she begged me to intercede with Her Majesty Concubine Shu. What could I do? Please ask His Majesty for her favor, please forgive her for her recklessness and allow her to serve in this palace without being called by other His Majesty."

Gao Zong couldn't help but frown. Could it be that Concubine Xiao Shu's love for taking advantage of the palace maids caused her to lose her temper again? The young painter in front of him, who was neatly dressed, spoke cautiously, and almost never raised his head, looked so reckless that he dared to attack Concubine Xiao Shu? Thanks to Wu Zhaoyi for covering up Concubine Shu! Thinking of how Concubine Xiao Shu had been nagging Wu Zhaoyi in his ear these days regardless of anything, he looked at Wu Zetian with a softer look, nodded and said, "Okay, it's up to you."

Liuli secretly screamed, but thinking that she no longer had to worry about Concubine Xiao Shu coming to trouble her, she breathed a sigh of relief and said gratefully: "Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you Zhaoyi."

Seeing her relieved but still cautious look, Emperor Gaozong became more and more sure of his guess. He sighed in his heart and ordered with a smile, "You will serve Zhaoyi well in the Xianchi Palace in the future, so that Zhaoyi will not be in vain." I’ll plead for you.”

Liuli quickly lowered her head and responded. She heard Gaozong faintly say, "Go down." She bowed and retreated. After walking for more than ten steps, she raised her head and breathed softly. This could be regarded as her service to Wu Zetian. Bar? However, if you want to achieve your goals, just playing this role is not enough...

She returned to Mrs. Wu's room on her own, teasing Yueniang for a few words. Soon Mrs. Wu also came back, looking a little sad. When the maids led the three of them to a room in the back hall to have dinner. , Liuli finally understood: the emperor and Zhaoyi had dinner together, but did not let Mrs. Wu accompany them.

 She sighed in her heart, but her face was filled with ignorance, and she asked Mrs. Wu this and that from time to time. The eating rules in this palace are also different from those outside. On the gilt-edged and carved high-legged table in the room, seven or eight silver-decorated tooth trays were filled with dishes of exquisite shapes. Although the number of samples is not exaggerated, when Liuli sat down to taste them one by one, she realized that each one seemed to have some mystery. There was a roast goose dish in the center of the dish. Not only was the belly stuffed with mutton glutinous rice dumplings, but the goose meat also had a strange smell on the outside. When Liuli asked, she found out that the goose was actually roasted in the belly of the sheep until it was cooked through. The plate of extremely finely kneaded meat buns is called "Jade Jian Noodles", and the filling inside is a mixture of plump bear meat and lean venison.

Mrs. Wu was in a daze at first, but Liuli asked carefully, and Yueniang began to eat happily again, her mood gradually cheered up, and she said with a smile, "I only know a rough idea, but I don't know some of the dishes." Pointing to a plate of brightly colored barbecue, he said, "I heard that this meat will not go bad for more than ten days. There is also a better one that can last for more than a month. But I don't know how Fengyu from Shangshifang makes it. of."

Liu Li tasted a little of everything and ate less than half a bowl of crystal rice before putting down her bowl and chopsticks. The three of them sat for a while and then went back to their houses to take a lunch break. Liuli didn't have the habit of taking a lunch break. Fortunately, Aling told her that there were many books in Xianchi Palace. There was even a shelf of books in the east room of this building. Liuli hurriedly went to check it out, chose a book called "Han Shu" and sat under the window. Just flip through it.

Unknowingly, she had read half of the volume and was wondering if Mrs. Wu had woken up. Then she heard a sound of talking and laughing outside the window. When she looked out the window, it turned out to be Gaozong taking Wu Zetian to the pavilion in the backyard. , there was a plump woman beside them holding a baby who was less than one year old. After Emperor Gaozong sat down in the pavilion, he took the child from the woman's hand and lowered his head to tease her. Wu Zetian looked on, and from time to time reached out to touch the child's hands and face, which made the baby giggle. Gaozong held him high in his hands. The child kicked up his legs and smiled even more cheerfully. However, Wu Zetian seemed a little nervous and stood up. After saying something, Gaozong put the child down. Then he took his hand and taught him to walk.

Liuli couldn't help but be stunned by the happy situation of this family of three. The current emperor and future empress in front of them look no different from any young parents in the world. The child who is like a jewel in their eyes at this moment must be their eldest son Li Hong... After a while, little Li Hong seemed to have some He became impatient and cried loudly. Gaozong and Wu Zetian coaxed him nervously for a long time to no avail, so they had to hand him over to the wet nurse. After the nurse withdrew, the two of them chatted and laughed in the pavilion for half an hour before returning to the palace hand in hand.

Liuli looked at the two people's close backs and couldn't help but feel a little confused. She just felt that everything she saw today seemed to be different from what she imagined.

After a while, Mrs. Wu came to the attic, and took Yueniang and Liuli around the Xianchi Palace. The three of them hung out until dark. After dinner, Mrs. Wu gradually became a little absent-minded, and Liuli He hurriedly excused himself, and just after washing and bathing, he heard Yueniang being led back by the wet nurse.

Liuli looked at the lights in the front hall and couldn't help but mutter in her heart. Normally, a pregnant concubine could not serve the emperor. Wu Zetian should not have had a single wife and exclusive favor. So, Gaozong was so affectionate with Wu Zhaoyi. After spending a day together, could it be that he turned around and slept with another woman, or even his sister-in-law? Is this the way to be loved by an emperor?

 Forget it, whether Gaozong was sentimental or ruthless had nothing to do with her at all! Liuli yawned and felt sleepy. Then she realized that although she had done nothing this day, she had had a really hard time. The red candle on the lotus candlestick next to her was exuding a faint fragrance. Liuli was lost in thought for a while, blew out the candle, put down the tent, and finally felt relaxed as she returned to her own little world.

Unfortunately, this feeling did not last long and was interrupted by a sudden banging sound coming from the front yard.

  p.s. Thank you to my dear Diandian de Meng for the pink ticket, thank you to aahhmm for the peace charm, and my dear Le Youyang for the sachet again. Seeing the declining ranking of this article, Alan still had to shamelessly continue to ask for pink votes.

　　Well, I wrote this chapter until early in the morning today and updated this chapter in advance, because I have to interview Huang Shengyi for a magazine early tomorrow morning. If you have any interesting gossip, please come back and report it to everyone...

 (End of this chapter)