Red makeup against the world

Chapter 442
Get out of the sedan chair and stand on the square in front of Duanmen.

The early morning of early summer is not cold, the night has not completely faded, and there are still a few shining stars in the sky.

Taking a breath of the cold air, Xu Wan really collected herself, glanced at her surroundings very quickly, and then followed Banmei's lead, and walked towards Mrs. Zhuang.

There are still two quarters of an hour before the end door will open.On the square in front of this gate, there are high-ranking wives and their daughters in their clothes and temples. This is a gathering of the top ladies of the empire.

The crowd in front of the door was inadvertently divided into two groups.The boundaries between each other are not clear, but they are distinct.

Borrowing the morning light, with Xu Wan's really good eyesight, she could easily tell that the lady wearing imperial clothes in front of the direction led by Banmei was familiar with the young lady beside them.I have seen it at the peony flower party, the summer banquet, and the small banquets at the An Guogong's mansion. It is obviously a female family member of the noble group of the Gaomang Dynasty.

On the other side, there were only a few young ladies whom she had met once or twice, and none of the ladies knew each other.Presumably it should be the female relatives of the important officials in the court.

It turns out that in the DPRK, the contradiction between the Wuxun Group and the Civil Service Group has been brought to the surface.Xu Wanzhen thought secretly in her heart.

She bowed to Mrs. Zhuang, and Mrs. Zhuang took her hand and said in a low voice, "Good boy, don't be nervous. When you enter the palace, you will be by my side."

Mrs. Zhuang's hands were warm and dry, which made Xu Wan's heart feel warm.

One after another, the sedan chairs were lowered in front of the door. The wives and young ladies got off the sedan chairs and waited quietly, and lowered their voices for occasional conversations.

When the time came, the morning drum in front of the Xuanzheng Hall was beating, and the drums were beating passionately, announcing the arrival of a new day.

With the sound of drums, the palace guards who guarded the gate twisted the chain vigorously, and the two red-lacquered brass rivet gates at the end gate slowly opened in front of the eyes of the wives.

The people had a tacit understanding and lined up in two rows according to their grades, one for the women of military honor and one for the women of civil servants.

On Wu Xun's side, the top ones are the Crown Princess, Princess Zhaoyang, Princess Qi, and Princess Chu, and then the Princess, County Lord, and Township Lord who were entrusted out of the palace by Emperor Qinglong himself. These are all royal family members. , even if the grade is lower, it is still at the forefront of the ladies.

Secondly, there are super-first-grade state princes, old ladies, madams, etc.

Although there are many people, this has been the rule for many years.Every pilgrimage, Empress Dowager Xiao's birthday, Empress Cao's Qianqiu, Emperor Shengshou and other big days, all the ladies and wives will come to the palace to meet and congratulate them. There are old rules to follow, and they are busy and not chaotic.

Xu Wanzhen followed Mrs. Zhuang, together with Shi Jingyu and Shi Jingfu, silently followed the crowd.

When they arrived at the gate, the servants of An Guogong's mansion handed over the pass jade tokens issued by the palace to the guards. After the guards verified their identities, they let a few people in.

After entering the palace, Shi Jingfu stuck out her tongue quietly, and whispered in Xu Wanzhen's ear: "Second sister, every time she enters the palace, she is most nervous at this time."

"Why is that?" Xu Wanzhen wondered.It's just a few guards guarding the gate, and they don't see the emperor and queen, so why are you nervous?

Shi Jingyu made a gesture of silence, and took another cup of tea time. After she was far away from the palace gate, she lowered her voice and said: "Second sister doesn't know something. This is the most strict time when entering the gate. Only the jade card is recognized. Don't recognize people. If the jade card doesn't match the person entering the palace, no matter which family you belong to or how powerful you are, you won't show any sympathy."

Xu Wanzhen's eyes widened in surprise, and she asked softly, "What if I'm sorry?"

"They will be caught on the spot and sent to the forbidden prison in the palace. After the pilgrimage is over, the trial will be carried out slowly." Shi Jingfu interjected.

Shi Jingyu explained: "I heard from the mother in the mansion that this rule was established because a thief entered the palace with the intention of assassinating. At this time, the guards are the most powerful people, and there is no jade card , not even the princess can enter."

Xu Wanzhen nodded, and they continued to move forward.She thought to herself, no wonder Madam Zheng said that every mansion needs to report the people who will enter the palace a few days in advance, no one can be wrong, so it was for this reason.

In the Gaomang Dynasty, there were no various technological means, and such security measures were indeed strict enough.

Arriving at a gate hall in front, there are maids standing in front of the gate to welcome the ladies, and welcome the ladies in for a short rest.According to their grades, they arranged soft sedan chairs in the palace to pick up all the ladies and ladies.

With such a big palace, these female family members who have been pampered and raised, I don't know how long they will go with their legs, and their bodies can't bear it.

Therefore, from the time Empress Dowager Xiao became a queen, the rule of soft sedan chairs was established.

She said: "These noble ladies and ladies come to the palace as guests. Is our way of hospitality to make them tired?"

Empress Dowager Xiao's words have saved the wives from the pain of their legs and feet, and they have been used to this day.

It is only a quarter of an hour away from Duanmen to this resting gate, which is close enough in the imperial city.But even so, some delicate and expensive female relatives shouted that they couldn't take it anymore, entered the gate hall, and sat around one after another.

Looking up, I can't see their embarrassment. The rules and etiquette since childhood have been engraved in their bones, and there is no room for mistakes.

When it was the turn of Mrs. Zhuang and the others to board the soft sedan chair, the sky was already bright.The soft sedan was walking among the palace walls with red walls and green tiles. Xu Wanzhen sat quietly among them, as if smelling heavy historical dust.

……

In Yanqing Palace, it was extremely lively.

The concubines in the palace came one after another, and those who were favored wanted to fight for face; those who were not favored should also seize this golden opportunity to see the sky and show their faces.

On the Empress Dowager's birthday, according to the usual practice, Emperor Qinglong will accompany the Empress Dowager for the whole day to show her filial piety.

Emperor Qinglong and Empress Cao came together, and Tingting bowed down in the hall, and Yingying whispered in a moment: "The concubine pays homage to His Majesty the Emperor and the Empress."

On such a festive and auspicious day, Emperor Qinglong, with a rare smile, waved them to get up, walked up to Empress Dowager Xiao with Empress Cao, and was about to salute.

Seeing the opportunity, Nanny Ding, who was waiting beside Empress Dowager Xiao, hurriedly took out two thick brocade cushions and placed them in front of them. Emperor Qinglong and Empress Cao first folded their hands on top of their heads, and then slowly knelt down on the ground, holding their hands together. Lay it flat on the ground, and made a standard salute, saying in unison: "I respectfully wish the queen mother a long life and a healthy phoenix body."

The emperor and the empress took the lead in congratulating her, and the concubines who just got up just knelt down again and said in their mouths: "My concubine wishes the empress dowager good luck and prosperity, and a thousand years and a thousand years!"

Empress Dowager Xiao sat on the phoenix chair, looking at the kneeling descendants below, her eyes were moist.

How many years have passed, she finally managed to survive, survived the death of the first emperor, and survived until De Geer ascended the throne as emperor.Only by sitting in the position of Queen Mother can I enjoy this supreme honor.As long as the court is stable and the country is stable, her honor cannot be shaken.

　I wish you all a happy holiday and a healthy Dragon Boat Festival!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)