The Moon Over Tang Dynasty

Chapter 59 Advance and retreat strategies, life and death traps

Surrounded by skirts of various colors, a long skirt of bright yellow brocade with auspicious characters is dragged silently among the red brocade lichen. Only if you look carefully can you see the thin pattern of peony curly grass patterns on the corner of the skirt. . Liuli maintained a blessed posture, looking down at the skirt getting closer and closer, and finally stopped three or four steps away from her eyes. Then she heard a sigh, "Why did Zhaoyi come out? Why don't you hurry up and get Zhaoyi out?" "Yi helped me lie down!" Her voice was gentle, but slightly thin, "You guys should lie down too."

Standing up straight with everyone, Liuli quietly looked up and saw that the queen in front of her looked significantly thinner than during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Her face was not rosy, but her eyes were surprisingly bright. Behind her were a dozen female officials and maid. However, inside Liuli only recognized the round-faced Miss Liu, but she saw that her nose was a little red from the cold, and she looked a little more childish.

Wu Zetian also lowered his head and saluted, "Her Royal Highness the Queen is here. It would be rude for me not to go to the courtyard gate to greet you. Please forgive me." Just now, she had simply packed up and put on a begonia red ermine inlaid outside her middle coat. Mao's brocade cloak, her hair was simply pulled up, and two layers of rouge were carefully applied to her face, which was still slightly pale and thin. Although she was being supported by two palace maids, her cheeks looked red and her lips were red. He actually seems to be two years younger than usual.

Queen Wang lowered her eyes, and there was no emotion or anger on her face, "I heard that Zhaoyi was not in good health. I had wanted to come and visit for a long time. However, I was busy with many things during the New Year, so I just took the time to come today. Now that I see Zhaoyi, It’s a joy to see that the instrument has recovered.”

Wu Zetian still smiled brightly, "Thanks to Your Majesty and the Queen, I am indeed feeling better now. However, the imperial doctor has ordered me to rest for a few days and not to be tired. Your Majesty also said that I am not in good health now. Can I Don't go out when you go out, so even though Her Majesty the Queen sent people to greet me several times, I haven't gone to the Li Zheng Palace to express my gratitude. I will treat my concubine better before I go to accept my punishment."

Empress Wang paused and smiled faintly, "Zhaoyi is too polite."

Wu Zetian also lowered his head and smiled, then let the queen in, but he led the queen all the way to his palace. Naturally, there were no couches, mats, etc. in the room, only a few tusks stools randomly placed. Wu Zetian invited the queen to sit on the stool. He sat down and apologized, "Please forgive me for my poor health. I'm rude." After saying that, he sat on the bed and leaned on the soft pillow, half-lying down, with a lazy smile and a peaceful expression. The female officials behind the queen could not help but show a bit of anger on their faces.

Queen Wang's face was calm. She looked at Wu Zetian for a while before speaking, "Wu Zhaoyi, you're welcome. I'm relieved that your health is getting better and better. But I'm here partly to visit Zhaoyi, and partly because I'm here so far." I haven't seen the little princess yet. Her three-day bathing ceremony and full-moon ceremony were not arranged due to Zhaoyi's poor health. I originally prepared two small gifts here, but I couldn't send them out. " said the person behind her. Ms. Liu took a step forward and held a delicate small box in her hands.

Wu Zetian smiled, bowed and said, "I, on behalf of my little daughter, would like to thank Her Majesty the Queen for the gift."

Empress Wang shook her head slightly, "Why should Zhaoyi be so polite? Isn't she my daughter? This is my duty."

Wu Zetian couldn't help but be stunned and lowered his head, "Queen, please forgive me for my blunder."

Miss Liu held the box and said with a smile on her face, "Qi Zhaoyi, inside this box is a string of red sandalwood beads and a handle of Ruyi. The queen specially asked for the beads for the little princess, so she wanted to wear it with her own hands. On the hands of the little princess.”

Wu Zetian raised his head and glanced at the box, and his smile became a little forced, "Thank you, Queen, for your kindness. Your Highness is in charge of the Sixth Palace and is so busy. How dare you bother Her Majesty the Queen to do such a small thing personally?"

Empress Wang looked at Wu Zetian and smiled softly, "Zhaoyi's words are wrong. No matter how big the affairs of the Sixth Palace are, it can't be bigger than the royal family. Now that I'm here, how can I not see my daughter?"

Wu Zetian was silent for a moment and sighed, "To be honest with the Queen, Your Highness is here. It was time to bring the little princess out to see the Queen. However, her body has been extremely weak since she was born. She can only nurse on the third day, and it takes more than ten days for her to open her eyes." Open your eyes, the imperial doctor ordered, but now you have to keep them open so you don’t see outsiders easily.”

Ms. Liu immediately smiled and said, "In this case, the Queen's gift is exactly the right one. These eighteen pearls were originally obtained by the Queen from the eminent monks of Ci'en Temple, and they were blessed in front of the Buddha. The most important thing is Good luck can protect people. I am afraid that after the little princess wears it, she will be free from disasters and diseases. "

Queen Wang nodded slightly, "Speaking of which, the imperial doctor should be more careful, but am I still an outsider?"

Wu Zetian was startled, lowered his eyes and smiled, "I have made a mistake. Thank you Queen for taking the trouble. Your Highness is naturally not an outsider. This pearl is also very good. However, it is a bit unlucky for the Queen to come at this time. The little princess has just eaten it." It's not easy to move her when she's sleeping on her breast. I'm afraid that if I move around, she'll spit up her milk again. It's better to treat her well after a while, and then I'll take her to the Lizheng Palace to thank the Queen for her kindness. I would like to thank Your Highness in advance.”

Empress Wang frowned slightly, and Lady Liu laughed softly and said, "Queen, since it's difficult for the little princess to move, why don't Your Highness go and take a look at her in person?"

Wu Zetian immediately sat up and said, "How can this be done? How can I bother Your Highness to see her little baby in person? It's too rude."

Queen Wang looked at Wu Zetian's somewhat pale face, smiled lightly, and stood up gracefully, "What Zhaoyi said is, her little baby, if there is anything rude or not, now that I'm here, I'll always do it Only when you see the little princess can you feel at ease. Zhaoyi will rest first and I will be back soon."

Wu Zetian hurriedly got up and went to the ground, "Your Highness the Queen..."

The Queen glanced at her and said with a smile, "Why, can't I just take a look? Is this also your Majesty's order?"

Wu Zetian's face darkened slightly, and after a moment of silence, he said softly, "Queen, wait a moment, I will take the queen over right now."

Empress Wang laughed and said, "Zhaoyi is so weak that he can't even sit still. How can he lead the way?"

Mrs. Wu had been silent for a long time, but now she took a step forward and said, "Your Highness the Queen, it is better for me to lead the way for the Queen."

Empress Wang glanced at Mrs. Wu and said in a cold tone, "Thank you, Madam."

Mrs. Wu bowed silently, turned around and nodded to Wu Zetian before walking out. Empress Wang and the dozen or so maids she brought with her left the palace in a hurry. Liuli only hesitated for a second and followed Cuimo outside. Go, when I went out, I subconsciously glanced at Wu Zetian and saw Wu Zetian sitting on the bed with her head lowered silently, and the expression on her face could not be seen clearly.

The little princess's room was in the Nuan Pavilion at the back of the West Palace. It was not far from the palace. The maids must have come to report the news. As soon as Mrs. Wu walked to the Nuan Pavilion, the wet nurse, two nuns, and four palace maids He had already hurried out to welcome her, and saluted the queen fearfully.

The Queen nodded lightly and said as she walked inside, "Has the little princess fallen asleep?"

A nun hurriedly replied, "Queen Qi, the little princess has been sleeping for a while."

Seeing that the queen had taken the lead and walked into the door, the group of people behind her naturally followed her in. When Mrs. Wu turned around, she found that more than a dozen people had already walked in, filling half of the warm room. Liuli was originally walking behind, but then she quietly squeezed through the crowd and stood next to Mrs. Wu. Then she saw a very large nanmu screen bed set up on the north wall of the Nuan Pavilion, with a red gauze Qibao soft tent hung on it. The gauze curtain was drooped, and it was vaguely visible that there was a bed with a small quilt that was slightly raised inside. There were two maids guarding the bed. When the queen came in, they immediately bowed their heads and saluted.

The queen walked up to the bed, and the palace maid hurriedly rolled up the curtain. The queen sat down by the bed, glanced down, and said with a smile, "She is a neat child. Why does her face look so yellow?"

The two nuns and the wet nurse were already standing beside the bed. One nun hurriedly smiled and said, "The imperial doctor said that the little princess's birth was difficult, and she will get better slowly in the future."

Lady Liu next to the Queen pursed her lips and said with a smile, "My slave, the little princess looks like a gilded Bodhisattva in the temple." After saying that, she opened the box and brought it to the Queen. The Queen took out a string of small The nurse was startled for a moment, then hurriedly stepped forward and gently took the little princess's arm out of the quilt, and the queen put the beads on the little princess's hand. Liuli took a closer look and felt that the little hands seemed to be yellow too, and she couldn't help being secretly surprised.

I don’t know whether it was because there were so many people or the beads were a little cold. As soon as the beads were brought to the little princess’s hand, she started to cry. The wet nurse hurriedly stepped forward and held the little princess in her arms, patting her gently. But the more she cried, the louder she became. I heard the wet nurse suddenly scream, "Bring the handkerchief! The little princess is spitting out the medicine." The little princess actually started vomiting again, and the brown liquid instantly wetted the wet nurse holding it on her chin. That veil. The other two palace maids guarding the bed also rushed over and handed over the veil.

Mrs. Wu's face was already turning a little blue, and she said in a low voice, "Your Highness, Queen Qi, there are too many people in the room, I'm afraid the little princess will be frightened."

Ms. Liu turned back and said with a smile, "What did you say, madam? Do you think no one usually comes into this house?"

Mrs. Wu frowned and replied firmly, "Exactly! This is also the first time I have entered the little princess's room."

Ms. Liu still wanted to speak, but Queen Wang had already stood up, "That's all." She then calmly ordered the maids and maids, "The little princess has a delicate body, and you must take good care of her. You must not slack off in the slightest."

Seeing the queen walking out with an indifferent expression, and the figures of the accompanying maids also disappearing at the door, Mrs. Wu's face was as dark as water, she breathed out bitterly, turned back to the wet nurse and said, "I'm afraid the little princess is really frightened. Please coax her carefully." After saying that, he quickly walked out of the room.

Liuli also followed behind her. As she walked, she couldn't help but look back. She looked at the eight or nine busy maids and maids in the room who were doing their own duties, and listened to the little princess's hoarse cry. , feeling confused.

The queen seemed to be satisfied after seeing the little princess. When Liuli returned to Wu Zetian's room, she was slowly standing up, "Zhaoyi is resting well. I am waiting for Zhaoyi to bring the little princess to the Zhengdian Palace as soon as possible." , so that everyone can recognize it.”

Wu Zetian nodded respectfully and was about to get out of bed to see her off again. The Queen waved her hand and said, "Well, you'd better not get up. It's important to take good care of yourself!"

Wu Zetian had no choice but to agree, but Mrs. Wu sent the queen out of the Xianchi Palace with a smile on her face. She respectfully sent the queen off to Shangyu outside the courtyard, and then she walked back with a stern face. Liuli fell at the end, and she heard a dozen people walking away. Queen Buwai's maids suddenly burst into laughter, and a voice said vaguely, "The strange path is well hidden. I have never seen such a golden child! It is really unique!"

Liuli sighed secretly and followed Mrs. Wu's footsteps.

In Wu Zetian's bedroom, Yu Liu was carefully wiping the rouge on Wu Zetian's lips with a handkerchief dipped in hot water. The face that had lost its makeup looked obviously a bit paler than in the morning. Mrs. Yang arrived at the room at some unknown time and frowned, "You'd better lie down quickly! Stop thinking about it!"

Wu Zetian nodded, lay down and turned over to sleep. Mrs. Yang sighed and said to the maids in a solemn voice, "Let Zhaoyi rest well, and no one is allowed to disturb her!"

Everyone hurriedly responded. Yuliu and another palace maid stayed in the room, and the rest of the people retreated. Liuli still followed Mrs. Wu and Mrs. Yang. Mrs. Yang stood and thought for a while, then turned and headed west. Just after passing a heavy curtain, a nun hurriedly walked towards her. She was the person next to the little princess.

The nanny was startled when she saw Mrs. Yang. Just when she was about to say hello, Mrs. Yang said, "Zhaoyi was too busy just now and has gone to sleep. What's the matter with you, little princess?"

Grandma nodded hurriedly, "The little princess is crying hard and has vomited out all the medicine she just took. I am here to report to Zhao Yi, but do you want to boil it again? There is not much medicine here anymore, I'm afraid there will be more. Take the house to Shang Yao Bureau and ask the pharmacist to prepare one."

Mrs. Yang said "hmm" and said calmly, "I was just going to go over and tell you that this little child takes medicine every day, and even a good child will have a bad stomach. Since he vomited today, then Don't feed her anymore, I'm afraid she will feel better if she takes a breather."

He was shocked and busy, "This, this medicine, the doctor told that he had to eat every day, and it was not less at all."

Mrs. Yang sneered, "Of course I eat it every day, is it possible that I haven't eaten it today? What can I do if I vomited everything after being frightened by the Queen? I have to go to the Shang Yao Bureau to prepare the medicine again. I just went there. I’m afraid some people might think you’re causing trouble! Why don’t we talk about it tomorrow so as not to cause any trouble! And the pills I gave to the wet nurse have been finished now, so I’ll teach the wet nurse that she doesn’t have to pick them up later.”

Mammy became more and more surprised, but when she saw Mrs. Yang's indifferent expression, she didn't dare to say anything at the moment. She agreed in a low voice and retreated silently.

Mrs. Yang stood there, watching the figure of the nanny disappear around the corner without saying a word. Next to her was a mullioned window, and the winter sunlight filtering through the light blue screen window was cold and cold. She was bright and clean, and Mrs. Yang's wrinkled face also looked cold and solemn. The place where Liuli stood happened to be untouched by any sunlight. A wisp of cold wind blew in from the crack in the window, and she couldn't help but shiver.

Mrs. Wu sighed irritably, "This queen is really troublesome! I don't think she has any good intentions!"

Mrs. Yang suddenly smiled warmly, "Indeed, she has too many things to do!"

  p.s. Thank you Le Youyang and a certain classmate for the tip. Although there is no pink these days, but actually looking at the votes, everyone is actually quite supportive of me. Alan thanks all the students who subscribed.

 (End of this chapter)