Don't be a salted fish, the daily life of the concubine in the palace

"But, the emperor is heartless. He used me to harm the concubines. He killed my sister and me... After I died, the emperor didn't even give me a posthumous title."

"Is this a dream or is this really happening...I really can't tell. The world is just one big dream."

Xiaoqi thought Lu Xuan was so sick that she was talking nonsense. She lowered her head and couldn't help crying.

The autumn wind was blowing in the yard, and the yellow leaves on the branches were swirling in the wind, swaying and falling.

That night, Li Yuanjing was still outside discussing matters with court officials, and Shen Wei had dinner alone.

Shen Wei had just taken two bites of food when Cai Ping came hurriedly to report: "Master, the one in Changxin Palace has passed away."

Shen Wei wasn't surprised.

Lu Xuan was seriously ill and could die at any time. Shen Wei calmly put down her white jade chopsticks and told Cai Ping: "Tell the emperor and the queen mother about this. Ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to send the coffin to Changxin Palace, and do everything according to the rules."

Caiping went to work.

Lu Xuan's funeral was simple. Li Yuanjing was still angry about the Lu family's affairs, and took his anger out on Lu Xuan, so he did not give her a posthumous title.

Before Lu Xuan was buried, Shen Wei went to take a look at her remains.

Seeing that Lu Xuan's clothes were too thin, Shen Wei thought for a moment and then sent someone to help Lu Xuan put on her concubine's formal attire. She also ordered someone to dress up Lu Xuan and put all the jewels in her hair.

After all the operations, Lu Xuan was buried in a decent manner.

The thin coffin contained the former favorite concubine, and was escorted by eunuchs and guards to a corner of the imperial mausoleum for burial.

The once bustling Changxin Palace has become completely deserted.

After late autumn, Duke Lu and others who were imprisoned in Tianlao were executed and their bodies thrown into a mass grave.

The once prosperous Lu family was completely lost in the long river of history.

...

Autumn passes, winter comes, spring comes, and a new year begins.

Not long after the beginning of spring, the palace welcomed another grand event. The eldest daughter of the current emperor, Li Yao, was coming of age this year.

As usual, Shen Wei prepared a grand coming-of-age ceremony for Li Yao, inviting all the noble ladies in the court. Li Yao was named "Shou Kang Princess" and a princess's residence was also set up outside the palace, and she was about to live outside the palace.

Shen Wei always treated the princesses equally and prepared money and servants for Li Yao.

At dusk, the door of Kunning Palace, which had been closed for many days, opened, and Li Yao, wearing the princess's wedding dress, walked into Kunning Palace. Kunning Palace was covered with weeds, withered chrysanthemums were tilted, and the strong smell of incense was pungent.

Li Yao felt a pain in her heart.

She dismissed the maids and entered the Buddhist temple in Kunning Palace. The temple was filled with incense and candles, and the candlelight was dim. Even in broad daylight, it was like hell. The skinny queen knelt on the futon, pinching the Buddhist beads in her hands and muttering curses.

"Mother." Li Yao called softly.

The queen paused in pinching her Buddhist beads, and turned her neck as if it were rusty, and saw Li Yao at the door of the Buddhist hall.

Li Yao is fifteen this year. Although her eyebrows and eyes have not fully grown, she has already grown into a graceful and elegant lady. Her gestures and movements have the demeanor of a princess. Li Yao is dressed beautifully and elegantly today, and she has also put on beautiful makeup.

The queen took a long time to identify her daughter before she realized that it was her own daughter. The queen was delighted and rushed over to hold Li Yao's hand: "Yao'er, are you coming of age today?"

Li Yao nodded slightly.

She longed to hear her mother's blessing.

The queen took out a paper bag from her pocket and stuffed it into Li Yao's hand: "This is rat poison. A few days ago, the palace maids came to Kunning Palace to kill rats, and I secretly left a bag. My dear child, find a way to put this medicine in the food of that bitch Shen. If she dies, I can turn things around."

The queen's eyes were shining.

It is better to do it yourself than to pray to gods.

She couldn't wait for Shen Wei to die.

Li Yao's nose was sour: "Mother, today is Yao'er's coming of age, and you want me to poison Empress Chen?"

The queen kept on nagging: "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Once you leave the palace, it will be difficult for you to get close to Shen. My dear child, whether your mother can escape from the sea of ​​suffering depends entirely on you."

Li Yao felt heartbroken.

The coming of age of a girl is one of the most important days in a girl's life. Although Shen Wei is not Li Yao's biological mother, she held a grand coming of age ceremony for her. She also carefully considered Li Yao's future and taught her how to manage the house and servants.

Li Yao is grateful to Shen Wei and regards her as her biological mother deep down in her heart.

The Queen, as Li Yao's biological mother, did not even offer her blessing and instead instigated Li Yao to commit a crime.

Li Yao took two steps back and threw the rat poison in her hand into the corner in disappointment. Tears flowed from her eyes: "Mother, my daughter will rarely be able to enter the palace in the future. Father has already chosen a prince consort for my daughter, and the imperial decree for marriage has been issued. My daughter will get married next year at the beginning of summer."

The queen froze in shock.

Li Yao knelt on both knees and kowtowed three times to the queen.

Li Yao said: "Take care, mother. From now on, Yao'er will go her own way."

She left the temple in disappointment.

The queen was stunned for a moment, her heart seemed to be torn apart by a pair of hands, the pain made her cry. The queen hurriedly chased after him, trying to explain: "I carried you for ten months and gave birth to you, how dare you deny me! What kind of magic potion did that bitch Shen feed you? Come back to me! Li Yao, come back to me!"

With a creaking sound, the heavy and dark door of Kunning Palace closed.

The queen desperately slammed the palace door, screaming and cursing: "Li Yao! Yao'er, come back! Mother needs you! Come back soon..."

dong dong dong-

There was a constant knock on the door.

It was not until the sky darkened and the night fell that the queen leaned weakly against the closed door. The Kunning Palace was dead silent at night, and the wind blew and there were strange noises all over the yard.

The queen curled up in a corner, staring at the dead silent yard with wide eyes. She saw her two dead sons, the concubines she had poisoned to death, her mother and father...

The queen closed her eyes in pain, as if she was falling into the abyss.

Even Li Yao, the only person willing to approach her, gradually left, and the queen became completely alone.

...

...

Cining Palace.

The sun was warm and the flowers in the courtyard were in full bloom. Li Wan'er and Li Yao moved out of the palace, Li Chengtai and Li Chengyou were riding horses and shooting arrows in the training ground, and the Cining Palace was a little quieter.

The Queen Mother's birthday was approaching, and several noble ladies and wives of officials came to the palace to pay their respects to the Queen Mother in advance. In the pavilion of the Cining Palace, the Queen Mother sat in the main seat, Shen Wei sat next to the Queen Mother, and the three court ladies sat down in turn.

Cakes and tea were prepared and everyone was chatting about family matters.

The wife of the Minister of War smiled and said, "The second son of the Zhang family is both excellent in character and learning, and has a good character. He is a perfect match for Princess Shoukang."

The Queen Mother nodded and said, "Wan'er will marry this year, Yao'er will marry next year, and when Nanzhi's child reaches the age of marriage, her marriage will also be put on the agenda."

It is no small matter for a princess to choose a husband. She has to consider many aspects, including family background, character, ability, and faction.

To some extent, the princess was the bond between the royal family and the court officials.

Everyone was talking about the princess's marriage.

Seeing that the sun was hot, the Queen Mother summoned Madam Qian to ask, "Where did Leyou go to play again? It's hot, don't get a heat stroke."