atypical prostitute

Chapter 25
The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is the evil day of the poisonous moon. Today, the next day, Fu Zhu's holy family is honored. He will get a black gold belt, a box of Baisuo Jiuzi rice dumplings, and a calamus, mugwort leaf, realgar, stalactite and other medicinal materials. A small box, a bundle of multicolored silk threads, and a plain fan with the inscriptions "Phoenix" and "Luan" in the imperial pen, envying others.

On the day of the festival, wormwood, calamus and banyan branches wrapped in red paper were hung high above the door frame of Yinfeng Pavilion, and several maidservants, led by the nuns, splashed realgar water to drive away all kinds of poisons.

The four ladies are weak in constitution, and they are most afraid of the invasion of evil spirits, so after the Yulan soup was finished early in the morning, Dan Xing and Bi Lian put pomegranate flowers on Li Ci, gold silk Ai Hubu rockers, and tied their arms overnight to use the imperial gifts. Longevity thread woven with five-color silk thread, a golden phoenix tied with a colorful rope around the neck, and a multicolored Fang Sheng decoration on the chest, and exorcism charms and insect-repelling realgar powder are put into colorful silk thread pouches filled with spices such as Perrin and Angelica dahurica, for She matches.

At this time, Baozhu entered with rice dumplings, five poisonous cakes and realgar wine.Li Ci used up a bit, and was about to get up to go to Fuchun Residence to say hello, when he suddenly remembered that his father and two wives were summoned to Qujiang, and his wife also went home for the holidays, so it was a rare leisure not to go to Dianlou for classes.

In previous years, the whole family went to Qujiang to watch dragon boats during the Dragon Boat Festival, and this year was no exception.Unexpectedly, an envoy suddenly came from the palace last night, ordering the two wives of the Fu family and the first lady to ride the dragon boat with the Queen Mother tomorrow.The eldest wife was overjoyed, and the first lady was even more secretly happy at the thought of being able to be close to the prince.I only feel sorry for the other three ladies and the husband, but they have to stay in the mansion on a happy day.

Mrs. Wei Guogong suggested that some ladies and gentlemen should go with Erlang. This time when the Yuzhang king returned to the court, the Qujiang dragon boat race was more lively than in previous years. It would be a pity not to go.But the Fu family has a strong nature, knowing that Mrs. Wei Guogong looks down on their concubines after all, so naturally she won't lick her face to flatter her, so the second wife and fourth wife all declined, and even the fifth lady felt that the sisters would not go alone. Too boring, but also declined.

In this way, Fu Sheng was free for half a day.

Seeing the maids in Yinfeng Pavilion busy, Li Ci couldn't help thinking that although she was a concubine, because of the shadow of the eldest princess, there were two first-class maids, three second-class maids, and several third-class maids in Yinfeng Pavilion. The rest of the maids and maids are as decent as the first lady.Clothes for the four seasons and gifts for festivals and festivals are never missing.Even if there were occasional conflicts with the maids and women in other yards, and when they got into trouble with the eldest wife, most of them were partial to this side.

If it is really covered by the big tree of the eldest princess, even cats and dogs are more respectable than human beings.

Li Ci smiled wryly, she didn't know how long this favor would last, but she knew that the charity from the superiors was always asked for in return.

Fu Zhu obviously knew what the eldest princess wanted in return, but he couldn't say it clearly, so he treated this daughter unusually.He explained the court situation to her, allowed her to express opinions on state affairs, and made her vision not limited to the narrow sky in the back house. These teachings obviously hoped that she could protect herself well when the fate she could not escape came.

For Fu Zhu, the truth is that there is no sunshine but there is sunshine.

It's just that after thinking about it, Li Ci doesn't know which point of her is worthy of the eldest princess's investment.Although this body will fade away after a few years of maintenance, and there are barely traces of beauty, but there are no beauties in the world, not to mention, the eldest princess herself is the most beautiful in the world.

Tianfei phase?Li Ci is not rare.The king is the coldest, and Concubine Yang Gui, who was loved by three thousand people, also ended up dying like a crescent.If the eldest princess really wants her to be a harem spy, Li Ci doesn't mind finding ways to make herself miserable in the cold palace.

It is much easier to make a man invisible to himself than to make a man fall in love with him.

Li Ci was a pragmatist in her previous life, and soon felt that it was ridiculous to worry about a future that would come without knowing when it would come, so she spread out her jade paper, looked at the banana leaves outside the window, dipped her pen and ink, and prepared to write. The servant girl came to report, saying that the second lady had come, and hurriedly sent the servant girl to prepare cakes, while she went out to welcome her.

Yu Jing was already youthful, but today she only put on a little makeup and wore a thin emerald green shirt, which was more natural and uncarved.Li Ci was intimate with her, and accidentally caught a glimpse of the bump on her chest that was shaped like a spring peach, and couldn't help but feel ashamed.

"Why is Er Niangzi here today?" He asked, holding Er Niangzi's hand and leading her into the room.

"Ask knowingly!" The second lady scolded with a smile, "The old lady is not here, and I am suffocated with those women alone, thinking about Aunt Li once told me about the custom of fighting herbs on the Dragon Boat Festival, and thinking of you, I am afraid that I will also feel bored. I came to find you."

"Doubaicao?"

It was only then that Li Ci discovered that Aunt Li had also come with the second lady.

"Yes, Doucao."

Aunt Li, who was following the second lady, answered. She was wearing a woman's bun and a water-red spring shirt. Her graceful skin was faintly visible, and her head bowed and her brows were pitiful.But my aunt is a waiter after all, and she is not as precious as a lady. She is humble, and Li Ci accepted it as it should be, and lightly ordered "please sit down".

Li Yongyu gave a half salute, thanked her, and then took her seat.

He straightened his waist, his eyes drooped slightly, and he was very proud.

Li Ci didn't look at her anymore, and just sat on both sides of the bed with the second lady.

Li Ci knows a little about the customs of the Dragon Boat Festival, they are nothing more than dragon boats, Qu Yuan, rice dumplings, mugwort leaves, etc. People in the Xie Dynasty also drank realgar wine to drive away evil spirits during the Dragon Boat Festival, but there is no legend of the white lady here-this makes Li Ci very regretful .

The game of fighting grass, she had heard those servant girls mention it occasionally.As the name suggests, it is nothing more than picking grass with certain toughness and wrestling with each other. The tough one wins, and the broken one loses.It sounds interesting, but in the end it is a game played by urchins in the countryside. It would be unseemly for rich women to lie on the ground and fight grass.

So he said with a smile: "Although there is no outsider, the dignity of the daughter's family is still important."

Unexpectedly, when Aunt Li heard the words, she burst into a smile: "My lady thought that the fighting grass was a naughty boy's fighting. What I'm talking about today is Wendou."

"Appreciate further details."

"In the previous dynasty, there was a prince who liked luxury and planted exotic flowers and plants in the garden. When the flowers bloomed in the late spring, he ordered the palace people to enter the garden to pick flowers and plants. After half an hour, they gathered in the main hall to compete. The odd one wins."

"This sounds interesting, but there are few flowers and plants in the garden, so I'm afraid I won't be able to enjoy it to the fullest."

Yu Jing felt embarrassed, but Aunt Li said: "Yi Nu's fighting skills are not based on the amount of grass, nor does it need to be broken. Just say the name of a flower or fruit tree at random, and you can go to it literally. Like Changchun Pinellia, calendula against hosta..."

Unexpectedly, before he finished speaking, Luliu, who had brought hibiscus cake and cheese, interjected, "Auntie's fighting style is too sour. How can there be such a fighting style? It's not a match."

Yu Jing and Li Ci nodded and said yes, Wendou Baicao originally intended to imitate the ancient sages to taste all kinds of herbs, go out in the green to collect herbs, and after harvesting, they will exchange the names of flowers and plants in the form of confrontation, which is fun to learn. , It is indeed ingenuity.

Aunt Li wanted to sell it as a coincidence, but she was ridiculed when she didn't want to, and she was a little embarrassed.But after all, she came from Changsha Prince's Mansion, and she immediately lowered her eyebrows and said: "What the ladies taught me is that slaves are wrong."

Yu Jing glanced at her, and said to Li Ci: "Si Niangzi, go fight grass in the garden."

Seeing Li Ci get up, she said to Aunt Li who was beside her: "The Fu family's backyard is not the Changsha Palace. As long as you keep yourself safe and serve your father well, it's easy to live in peace."

"The slave is taught."

……

……

It was already May at this time, spring and summer intertwined, peanut trees were scattered in the garden, and warblers were flying around.Li Ci and Yu Jing strolled along the cobblestone path, laughing and talking, their skirts swept the floor, looking for herbs in the shade of greenery, and chatting in whispers.The servant girl didn't dare to disturb her, she just followed from a distance.

Yujing's sharp eyes saw a spearmint, she bent down to pick it up, and said casually, "What do you think of Aunt Li?"

Not in a hurry to answer, she plucked a branch of Zelan deep in the grass, Li Ci said: "It's very informative and interesting."

"Oh?"

Yu Jing saw a few perilla trees, picked them carefully, and was about to ask, but unexpectedly, there was no one around, and Li Ci was standing under a big tree that was full of blooming and exuding an inexplicable fragrance.

This is a ylang ylang tree.

It’s just that ylang-ylang is naturally warm and humid, and was born in Yunnan, Indonesia and other places. Rao Deli was very fond of ylang-ylang in his previous life. When he first smelled the fragrance, he only felt familiar. When he walked in, he found this big tree with inconspicuous flowers and colors. It was Ylang Ylang.

I don’t know who’s skillful hand transplanted this subtropical flower tree to Chang’an.

"Si Niangzi has good eyesight, and she actually saw that this tree is the source of fragrance."

Yujing smiled. It turns out that although the ylang-ylang tree is fragrant, it is not amazing in appearance, and there are all kinds of flowers and plants planted beside it. Even if ordinary people smell its fragrance, they will not notice this tree full of yellow-green flowers. Tree.

"I just read about the extraordinary product of ylang-ylang incense in books, and Buddhists soak it in water to worship the Buddha. I just smelled the freshness and fragrance here from a distance, which is unusual. I don't want to run into a mouse."

Li Ci said modestly, Yu Jing also broke off one, sniffed it carefully, and couldn't help but be fascinated.

"It would be great if I could keep this first scent for a long time."

Seeing her melancholy, Li Ci also felt the same sadness.

Aromatherapy and face powder in this era are all made of spices, boiled, roasted and ground, and they are very faint when left on the body, so there is a saying of dark fragrance.However, although the subtle and light fragrance perfectly sets off the elegance of everyone, it also leaves a fly in the ointment for gorgeous and unrestrained women.

Fortunately, Yujing was open-minded. Seeing that she was frowning, she picked a few fragrant ylang-ylang flowers and put them on separately with her, saying:

"Si Niangzi hasn't answered me yet?"

Li Ci hurriedly restrained her thoughts and said, "Aunt Li was trained by the Changsha Palace after all. How can I not afford the evaluation of being knowledgeable and interesting?"

"But I don't like Aunt Li at all."

Ever since Mrs. Wei Guogong was taunted in front of her, Yu Jing and Li Ci have let go of their previous suspicions and become more and more intimate.Therefore, it is not surprising that Li Ci is so outspoken by Yujing.

"Could it be that the old lady thinks she's a bitch?"

"My aunt didn't like her a long time ago. There is a Li Yongyu fighting for face with the eldest lady. It's too late for the old lady to be happy."

"Then why doesn't my sister like her—"

"She looks humble and obedient, but deep down, she doesn't consider herself a slave at all." Speaking of this, Yu Jing glanced at the back, and Aunt Li kept a distance of more than ten steps from them, showing a very humble appearance.

He said again: "My aunt is no more respectable than your aunt. I was disgraced by others when I didn't move into the old lady's yard. So, I'm used to seeing those slaves and servants face each other. Seeing her say 'slave',' Slave, I still don’t know what’s going on in my heart!”

When Li Ci saw her talking about her unsatisfactory past, she quickly comforted her.

"The second lady doesn't need to meet her. The lady of the Fu family is a concubine, and she is also a serious master. She won face in the Changsha palace, but now in the Fu family, she is just a servant."

"It's natural." Yu Jing picked a few more fragrant flowers, and said to Li Ci: "Si Niangzi really laughed and said a few words to you, and I feel comfortable in my heart. No wonder my father also let you grow old Serving fast."

Li Ci accepted it with a half-ashamed face.

At this time, the other servant girls also picked some grass, and started fighting grass in the Banyue Pavilion.

One said that I had Guanyin willow, and the other took out Luo Hansong. Someone said bell grass, and someone immediately returned Guzihua, and they were very happy.At the end of the day, the most almonds are picked and the best.Lu Zhi yelled disapprovingly, Dan Xing said shyly: "The servant girl has helped her parents with work since she was a child, so she is naturally familiar with these flowers and plants." Yu Jing and Li Ci were willing to admit defeat when they heard the words, and immediately took a small ornament to reward Dan Xing Do lottery.

Just as she was smiling, Yuxin broke in, holding a handful of weeds and saying, "It's so fun, why don't you call me?"

(End of this chapter)