The holy will bloomed occasionally, but it was like a dragonfly skimming the water, breaking the heart of the lake, but it only left ripples in the pool, spitting out the loneliness and coldness of the heart after the joy. Wave after wave, it swallowed the hearts of the people and wrapped around them like vines, slowly, slowly.
Last night, the Emperor rarely came to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. The bright yellow carriage had just stopped when the inner supervisor waiting outside the palace summoned her in surprise. The Empress was suddenly shaken, as if she was a newlywed mother. Cui Huan quickly wiped a touch of osmanthus cream to smooth out the Empress 'slightly messy sideburns and hurriedly reapplied her evening makeup.
In the hall, the faint and peaceful incense of the good Nan came out of the golden furnace cover carved into the shape of Hehuan's two sons. The beast smoke continued, and the brocade curtain was warm.
"Empress, zhen will rest here today.”The Emperor's face was tired. He had just stepped into the hall when he lazily walked towards the bed.
The group of servants retreated. The Empress's actions of undressing him were a little unfamiliar, but it was difficult to eliminate the joy of the pomegranate red. See the talent of the noble, already know the upright and beautiful; See the graceful quality, gradually feel beautiful. The grass and trees are fragrant and beautiful, and the clouds and rivers are full of flowers. The tender leaves and flowers are surrounded by fragrant wind. Outside the curtain of flowers, the night wind shook the dew, and a branch of Ruilan hung down in the dew.
The dragon inside the curtain flipped over the jade and poked at the grain. For a moment, the dragon fled high in the clouds and cried out in the deep valley. The dragon shook the sky and roared. It attacked the top of the jade again. It was loose and slow, eight shallow and two deep. The dead came back to life. Suddenly the hairpin fell down and the bun was messy. The horizontal wave entered slowly. The comb was low and half a moon was on the shoulder. White teeth like peony lips, pearl ears reflecting hibiscus cheeks. Orioles turn in the forest and face each other, swallows fly together. In the morning, the curtains were rolled up, and the incense in the furnace was added in the evening.
The next day, the Empress woke up slowly. The sky was already bright, but the side of the brocade pillow was still warm. Knowing that the Emperor had already left for morning court, the Empress slowly stood up with a smile. Just as she was tidying up her gorgeous clothes, she heard a call from outside the hall." Concubine Tong has arrived…"
Concubine Tong's pair of laurel leaf eyebrows were painted deeply, matching her almond-shaped eyes that were very spirited. Her laughter lit up the surrounding scenery, as if the tits were agitated and the world was awakened.
"Empress jiejie…jiejie pays her respects.”Concubine Tong bowed and hurriedly ordered Yu Shang behind her to present the brocade box.
The Empress smiled and said," Sister, there's no need to be so polite. Please get up."”
"Empress jiejie's complexion today is as good as a few newly bloomed red lotuses in the imperial garden. I wonder if jiejie has tried the incense from the western region that was offered to jiejie a few days ago? Is it still useful?" Concubine Tong took the box of porcelain.
The Empress caressed her red face and thought of the scene of receiving grace last night. She couldn't help but blush, but said," I picked a little and smoked it, but it was too thick. I didn't like it, so I left it there." You've rejected my sister's good intentions."
"It's fine, it's fine." Concubine Tong's smile did not fade. She quickly handed the brocade box to the Empress and said," The incense from the Western Regions is too strong. Younger Sister is not used to it." Doctor Duan had just made a new prescription for the use of smoked clothes, and it looked very good. His younger sister couldn't wait to make it. Yesterday, she tried it and it was indeed peaceful, elegant and refreshing, but it didn't dissipate.”
"What is it?" The Empress was slightly suspicious, but she became interested and said," Doctor Duan is indeed a wise person."”
Concubine Tong smiled and said," For this recipe, you need one catty of agarwood, nine taels of carapace, nine taels of cloves, one tael of muskiness, one tael of sweet pine, one tael of incense, and one tael of white sandalwood. These seven pieces are mashed and then mixed together.”
The Empress gradually nodded and said," The amount of materials used is very particular.”
"As for the Wrapping Fragrance recipe, it was made with ten taels of Deling Lu, six taels of Wuhuo, four taels of Nardostachys, four taels of Lilac, three taels of Greenwood Fragrance, and three taels of Agarwood. The fragrance of the hidden clothes will not dissipate for a long time." Concubine Tong said.
The Empress was even more delighted and quickly praised," Younger Sister has always been a little nimble, so you must teach Elder Sister more."”
Concubine Tong smiled and took the Empress 'hand." Of course." Then he told his sister about the recipe for washing face and cream.”
"That's good." Once the Empress thought about what happened last night, she became more concerned about the delicate work of dressing up. She also knew that Consort Tong was very attentive to these women's work, so she was happy.
"A woman's face is white, and a hundred ugliness can hide it." Concubine Tong led the Empress to sit down in front of the couch and explained in detail," To wash your face, you need five pig's kidneys, one liter of Bi beans, and three stalks of honey locust. The four ingredients must be mixed into scattered beans and mixed with a little water to wash your face and wash your hands. Only then will it be as white as snow.”Concubine Tong casually raised her jade-like hand and gently fiddled with a piece of golden butterfly armor.
The Empress was startled. It was indeed clear and pure, round and smooth, and she could not help but believe half of it.
Concubine Tong continued," This flour paste requires 20% of white silkworm, 10% of raw aluminum stone, 10% of white jade fat, 15% of almond, and 10% of the four flavors of mashed sieve and chicken egg white. It needs to be applied at night and washed with water in the morning to be effective.”
" This is really an eye-opener..." The Empress couldn't help but praise.
" Elder sister, the women in the palace will only be able to enjoy their glory for the next three years. If we don't cherish their looks, when the new concubines come in the future, Lord Wansui will no longer have the time to take care of us…" Concubine Tong sighed slightly after she finished speaking, which made the Empress even more worried.
"Younger Sister is right. "The election is coming, and the new sisters will be fat and thin, each with their own merits. How can Lord Wansui care about them? However, even so, I do hope that Lord Wansui can pick one or two people he likes to relieve his many years of loneliness…" Once the Empress thought of the emperor's heir, she touched the knot in her heart and almost shed tears.
"Sister is always thinking of others." Concubine Tong's face was filled with pity as she quickly held the Empress's hand tightly.
"Younger Sister has the best heart and is always thinking for Elder Sister. Not only was he not jealous, but he actually spent a lot of effort to prepare these beauty treatments. Only then was he truly magnanimous and virtuous.”The Empress then ordered Cui Huan to accept all of them and said," If they are used well, I will have to trouble Sister to ask Imperial Physician Duan to prepare more so that the sisters of the Eastern and Western Six Palaces can enjoy some."”
"Big Sister is the most meticulous." Concubine Tong watched as Cui Huan added fragrance to the incense and chatted for a while before leaving quietly.
Shui Yun led Nalan Rong Ruo and the other three and from afar, they could hear the sound of people chatting in the hall. They passed through the vermilion corridor and entered the hall of the waterside pavilion. The hall was wide and bright, and the orchids were fragrant. It was like a huge pavilion supported by a few thick pillars. The surroundings were airy and clear. Looking over, one could see the water lotus bonsai placed everywhere in the hall, emitting a delicate fragrance.
The hall of the waterside pavilion was already filled with young masters from all over the world who had come here because of their fame. Some were waving fans, some were drinking tea, some were chatting, some were admiring the scenery, some were tall, some were short, some were thick, some were thin, some were delicate, some were vulgar, there was everything that one could think of. They were all chatting and laughing.
Gu Zhenguan was famous in Jiangnan and many people admired him. As soon as he entered the crowd, he was surrounded. Chen Weisong was also recommended by a young master, and Nalan was the target of mutual admiration. Everyone dispersed, leaving Xie 'er alone. Bored, she wandered around. Suddenly, her eyes fell on a small vase with a pair of lion ears on the desk. Inside the vase was a snow-white lotus with a thousand petals. It matched the two double-petaled flowers and had a unique charm of "two colors are equally fragrant" and "half heavy makeup and half light makeup".
Just as Xie 'er was leaning on the table and staring blankly, a teasing voice suddenly came from behind her." Yo, which young master is this? Instead of chatting and bragging, he's actually playing with good flowers here?”
Xie 'er had been playing absent-mindedly, but she was startled by this shout. She turned around and saw two young masters waving fans in front of her. The one in front of her was wearing a blue robe with golden edges. He was tall and thin, and his pair of deep, long eyes revealed a noble air that was rare for ordinary people. He was not angry, but he was mighty, and people almost did not dare to look at him directly. Behind him was a man in a dark green robe. He had a strong figure, but he could not hide his scholarly aura. He was also very elegant.
These two were the Emperor and Cao Yin. She came in disguise, so naturally, Xie 'er did not know.
"'The fragrance of the grass fades away, the green leaves wither,' isn't that a beautiful sentence?”Xie 'er put the lotus back into the bottle and smiled calmly.
"Heh, do you want to leave the remnant lotus to listen to the sound of the rain?”The emperor saw that he was born with bright eyes and white teeth, and his figure was extremely small. He felt that it was interesting and said with great interest.
Just as they were about to chat a little more, a string music suddenly sounded around them, and the crowd instantly fell silent.
In front of the water hall, a huge curtain embroidered with the moonlight lotus pond was slowly pulled open. On the carved high platform was a harp. The woman who played the strings was dressed in a dark yellow satin with a few Su embroidery beads on her collar. Her long hair flowed down to her waist like a waterfall, and a euphemistic song was wrapped around her. The music gradually turned clear, and two white sleeves danced like water smoke. A beautiful person dressed as an actress appeared. Her body was as soft as a snake, and her eyebrows were as beautiful as a painting. She sang the tune of the Kunqu opera 'Peony Pavilion'. With a wave of her sleeve, she whispered," It turns out that the colorful flowers are blooming everywhere, but they are all ruined like this..."
Her bare hands played the harp, and the lotus wept. Just as the song ended, the bamboo curtains around the waterside pavilion were raised, and green silk oil-paper umbrellas spun between the red lacquer carved pillars, as if they were holding up lotus flowers with dew. Everyone was amazed.
"Mo Ruo, the word 'stunning' can be used to describe it.”A young master fanned himself and praised.
"May I know who the two women on the stage are?”A brown-green man beside him asked.
"Hehe, not all of them are women. The one playing the harp is Xu Gan's eldest daughter, and the one singing is his son.”The slightly older man stroked his beard and laughed.
"That person dressed in makeup is actually a man?”The brown-green young master widened his eyes.
"Isn't that so? That little young master didn't like anything else since he was young. Mr. Xu was surprisingly open-minded and did everything according to his children's wishes. This young master was now the most famous actor in the capital. His stage name was Zi Yun.”The bearded man laughed.
"In the past, the cultural gatherings were all organized by Mister Xu. This year, he appointed an examiner. He was a little busy with the paperwork, so he handed it over to his daughter and son to handle.”
"It's rare. This woman was quite young, how could she handle such a heavy responsibility?”The young man was rather suspicious.
"We'll wait and see." The bearded man closed his fan.
After the song was played, the woman stood up and slowly walked to the front of the crowd. She bowed and said," I am Xu Qiyue. My father is busy with documents, so I will be hosting this cultural gathering on his behalf." This is the first time I've held this meeting. Please forgive me for my negligence. I thank you in advance." Qiyue bowed.
Just as Xie 'er was looking up, she heard a familiar voice behind her. Looking back, it was indeed Cousin, and beside him were the two young masters from before.
"I am Nalan Xingde." Rong Ruo closed her fan and cupped her hands.
"Nice to meet you." The Emperor also bowed and smiled." I'm known as Third Master Huang. I'm from the capital.”
"Nice to meet you." Rong Ruo and Cao Yin greeted each other.
"I've long heard of Young Master Nalan's great name. Today, seeing you, you indeed have an extraordinary bearing.”Cao Yin said excitedly.
Just as they were chatting, Chen Weisong and Gu Zhenguan led a few scholars over to introduce them. Only then did they know that they were Yan Shengsun, Zhu Yizun, and Jiang Chenying. Gu Zhenguan, Chen Weisong, and Zhu Yizun were known as the "Three Unique Ci Artists" in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, while Jiang Chenying, Zhu Yizun, and Yan Shengsun were known as the "Three Commoners of Jiangnan".
For a moment, they talked happily.
(1) From the Plain Girl Sutra.
(2) From Yang Wanli's "Lotus".
(3) From Li Jing's "Spreading the Sand of Huanxi".
4. From Li Shangyin's "Su Luo's Pavilion, Cherish Cui Yong and Cui Yan."
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]