Golden branches and jade leaves

Chapter 28
Soon it will be the day when the dragon raises its head on the [-]th day of February.When the whole palace is busy entering and leaving for the new draft, the etiquette of the festival is naturally not to be neglected.Compared with the festive banquet, the festival of raising the head of the dragon has a more important meaning to Daqi. At the same time, there is also an important etiquette in the harem, which is the sacrificial activity in Hanshan Temple.

Originally, in the early years of the founding of Daqi, the national power was weak and the court was in a difficult situation. In order to save military expenses, the first Empress Qian'an even led the concubines in the harem to learn weaving and tailoring to reduce palace expenses.Once in February, when a strong country invaded, Emperor Taizong, the founding emperor of Daqi, led his army to go out. Empress Qian'an stayed in the palace, worrying day and night, hoping that her husband would return safely and victoriously. In the Hanshan Temple not far from the Qi Palace, he fasted and practiced penance, praying with all his heart, and only hoped that his husband would return victorious.Maybe it was the sincerity that really touched the heavens. Emperor Taizong really defeated the invading enemy and returned triumphantly. After that, Empress Qian'an would go to the temple to pray for peace every time Taizong went out to kill the enemy. After the death of the legendary emperor and queen, not only the reputation of Empress Qian'an's virtue and chastity, but also the rule that the concubine of Daqi enters the temple to pray and sacrifice is gradually passed down every February, forming a kind of etiquette .

Later, the national power of Daqi became stronger and stronger, and a family temple was built in the palace. Naturally, there was no need for the concubine to go to the mountain temple to pray for the blessing of the gods.As long as the queen leads all the concubines to sacrifice in the palace, it will be fine.However, in order to show respect for the famous founding queen of Daqi, every year, a concubine will be sent to Hanshan Temple instead of the queen to worship the Buddha to show respect.

"You said that this time Concubine Lian will take charge of the worship and sacrifice at Hanshan Temple instead of you?" Qi Long asked.

"That's right," the Queen said with a smile, "Does the Emperor think it's inappropriate?"

"The status of the concubine is low, how dare you take on such an important task rashly?" Su Mi quickly declined, "Besides, the concubine doesn't know much about etiquette, I'm afraid there will be a joke when the time comes. If it hurts the face of the royal family, all the concubines will die."

Qi Long also hesitated, taking on this task is a rare honor for a concubine, he wanted to agree immediately, but in the past, those who were in charge of this task every year were at least above the rank three noble concubines, Fang can show respect for the founding queen.Although he also wants to attribute this honor to Su Mi, but Su Mi's status is still too low after all, and I am afraid it will be difficult to convince the public.Maybe it won't be too late next year.

Seeing Qi Taki's hesitation, the queen quickly said sincerely: "Although Concubine Lian has not been in the palace for long, she is respectful and courteous, virtuous and virtuous, and although her status is not high, she can be regarded as a model for all concubines in the harem. When the Empress Dowager Qian'an was alive, she always paid attention to the virtues of her concubines. Therefore, the concubine thinks that the so-called status and background are just vain culture and customs, and the qualifications and character of the concubine are the most important. It is the concubine Lian who is in charge of this matter this time The best choice."

Qi Long took it seriously, nodded, and seeing Qi Long's expression, the queen smiled again: "As for the status, according to my concubine's opinion, Concubine Lian has served the emperor with respect and courtesy these days, and now it's too late In the new year, one should be promoted. Moreover, the completion of the sacrificial ceremony this time is another great achievement, and now it is reasonable to advance the position a few days in advance. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

"It also makes sense." Qi Taki nodded and smiled.

"Moreover, the concubine has also checked the classics. When Emperor Wu first went to preside over the sacrifice, there was once a queen who was only Ronghua. According to the concubine, it is better to follow this old rule and be promoted to Ronghua." Let's be gorgeous." The queen said while looking at Su Mi with a smile.

"Okay, what the queen said is right. I will present the next book ceremony today, and promote Mi'er's position to Ronghua." Qi Taki laughed, and turned to Su Mi beside him with a smile: "Mi'er can It's going to be hard work."

"Thanks to the respect of the emperor and empress," Su Mi saluted respectfully, "I must be careful and live up to high expectations." She was secretly anxious, but she didn't dare to reveal the slightest bit. There is a slight flaw, especially if even Qi Long agrees, if he refuses by force, he will look petty instead.

Su Mi was born as a court lady, according to the ancestral system, promotion must be promoted step by step, and now she has jumped two steps again, in the eyes of other concubines, I am afraid it is a dream of honor, but when it falls on Su Mi, she feels that It's like walking on thin ice, and it's hard to sit or stand.But she began to wonder in her heart, what does the empress mean by this move?
For concubines, it is a great honor and a proof of grace and trust to go to the mountain to worship on behalf of the queen and other concubines in the harem during the Lantern Festival.Since Qi Long succeeded to the throne, his first pilgrimage was from Concubine Li Xian, one of the first-rank four concubines.The second time was Ni Yelin who had just entered the palace, and the time last year, the empress recommended Concubine Yun.

Although Concubine Li Xian has long been out of favor in front of Qi Long, she is the concubine who served Qi Long when he was still the crown prince, and she has been by his side longer than the queen, and the queen is also courteous to her on weekdays , she has always been submissive and gentle in her actions, so naturally she has won the trust of Qi Taki and the queen.It was the first time she was given this task, and it was well received by everyone.

Afterwards, the two concubines Ni Gui and Concubine Yun can clearly see the trend of power and favor in the harem.Although Ni Yelin entered the palace not long ago, the power of the military behind her and her father's huge military exploits made any dissatisfied people shut up.Regarding Concubine Yun for the third time, although more concubines were dissatisfied, the Queen's persistence and Qi Long's attention to Concubine Yun's favor made the concubines have nowhere to vent their grievances.Just like myself this year.

What does it mean that the queen is trying her best to promote herself now?Is it just a way to show trust and win over, as if you elected Concubine Yun who was favored last year?But thinking of Qi Taki's face-smacking in public for him a few days ago... Su Mi had to think deeply about this sudden kindness at this time.

"Your Majesty, why don't you just refuse and let it go, or just pretend to be sick, will the empress do anything else to force your empress to leave Beijing?" Mi Qing suggested after hearing Su Mi's worry.

Su Mi smiled bitterly, "It's a blessing, not a curse. It's a disaster that can't be avoided. If the queen really intends to attack me, even if I pretended to be ill and avoided it this time, there will be a next time, what about the next time? Instead, it’s better to follow her wishes. Now my influence in the palace is so meager. After this pilgrimage, my prestige can also be raised a bit. I will be a new draft pick soon. Right now, I am very popular in the palace. Unlimited, but when newcomers come in, who knows what it will be like."

Mi Qing hesitated for a moment, looked at Su Mi's face, and whispered: "Among slaves and maidservants, the emperor's heart for the empress is sincere."

"What is true love, and what about falsehood? Do you think that the emperor has no true affection for Concubine Yun, but all lies for Concubine Ni?" Su Mi looked at her and asked. "Maybe my sincerity is a bit more than theirs, and even a bit more than all the people in the harem, but the emperor's temper..." She shook her head, Qi Long was originally a person who was greedy for sex. , in the face of more and more, younger and more beautiful women in the harem competing for favor and flattery, how much true love will be accompanied by the aging beauty and the appearance of beauties one after another sooner or later Gone with the wind.Sometimes she couldn't help but sympathize with them, even if the empress and Concubine Ni's organs were full of chess pieces, but facing such an emperor.All that is left is regret and unwillingness. This is the sorrow of being in the emperor's house. What else can I say after all this is said.

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Hanshan Temple is very close to Qijing, in the Danfeng Mountain not far from the city gate to the north.Danfeng Mountain is located in the north of Qijing, and it is a famous tourist attraction in Daqi. If you are alone, it is more than enough to run back and forth in one day. Nature is indispensable. The movement is so slow that it takes nearly two days to reach the mountains.

In the early morning of February [-]st, the solid and gorgeous nanmu carriage drove out of the palace gate under the service of a group of guards and palace servants.

The thick vermilion gate of the palace wall inlaid with gold rings was pushed open by several guards with a dull "squeak" sound. The carriage passed through the palace gate and walked onto the official road, and followed it with neat leanings to the north gate of the capital. drive away.It was Su Mi and his party.

This is the first time Su Mi has left the heavily guarded imperial city after entering the palace. She raised the sky-blue car curtain embroidered with gold-threaded peonies, looked back through the gap, and saw the conspicuously standing vermillion palace gate. Become more and more distant, more and more blurred.

For a moment, Su Mi didn't know whether she was sad or happy in her heart. Although she clearly knew that the carriage she was riding in was just a continuation of the power of the dynasty, she still hadn't escaped from that suffocating cage at all. As a concubine, she didn't even have the freedom to get off the carriage in public, but she couldn't help feeling a long-lost excitement in her heart.

How long has it been since I have seen such a scene? Although it is still early, the whole Qijing has begun to glow with vitality. The people who got up early have already started a busy day. Some of them are erecting the doors and windows of shops, and some They were picking up their goods and preparing to go to the market, and there were some people who looked at the glamorous carriage and the well-organized team from a distance, secretly pointing and discussing something in a low voice.

Next to the carriage are the people accompanying this pilgrimage ceremony.Although it is only a routine once a year, with Daqi's current national strength, it cannot be sloppy at all.

As early as the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Qi State was only called the king, not the emperor. When Empress Qian'an entered the mountain, she was just an ordinary driver with a few personal palace guards and guards.I hurried up the mountain lightly.Along the way, there was no complicated support, nor a luxurious motorcade, but the urgency to pray and bless her husband was more gorgeous and moving than all the hymns in this world, and it was also more beautiful than all the praises. The accompanying sacrifices are more sincere and noble.

But looking at the present, Su Mi couldn't help but shake her head when she thought about the preparations before and after her own business, and the salutes on the car behind. Extravagant rituals waste a lot of people's fat, manpower and financial resources in vain.If the empress Qian'an, who is famous for her simplicity and kindness, really has a spirit underground, knowing the behavior of her descendants, I don't know how she will feel?

The number of pedestrians on the street gradually increased, and the etiquette officer beside him began to look at Su Mi's raised car curtain from time to time. The meaning in his eyes could not be clearer. curtain.

She relaxed and leaned back on the soft hide cushions.

This time, due to the regular ceremony, in addition to the relevant utensils, the leading personal servants are all arranged by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. More than a dozen court officials from the Shangyi Bureau are responsible for related matters. Thirty inner guards were there to protect him, and the leader was Ni Tingxuan, the deputy commander of the guards.A group of five to sixty people marched towards Hanshan Temple in a mighty way, raising billowing yellow dust.

Although a luxurious and warm carriage was prepared, traveling in such a cold spring weather was still very tiring.

The journey in the capital city is quite brisk and smooth, but after leaving the city gate and entering the countryside, the journey becomes more and more difficult.Even though the carriage was covered with layers of padded fur, the feeling of bumping up and down still made most of the female officials who hadn't suffered dizziness and nausea.

After about a day's journey, we arrived at the boundary of the Danfeng Mountain Range.The road is steep and it is becoming more and more difficult to walk.

Su Mi was a little dizzy in the carriage, but suddenly noticed that the carriage stopped.

"What's wrong?" She asked in a deep voice, "Is there something wrong?"

"Your Majesty, the way ahead is blocked." The panicked voices of the accompanying palace servants came in.

Su Mi gently opened the curtain.

Now the car has reached the halfway up the mountain, the mountain road is rugged, and there are cliffs not far away, steep and towering.

And the originally smooth mountain road in front of him was blocked by a big tree that fell down for unknown reasons.The mountain road was too narrow and the carriage was too wide to go around, so it was blocked for a while.

Several guards jumped off their horses and walked towards the obstructing tree.

The leader of the guards, Ni Tingxuan, turned his head to look at Su Mi's driver, with a bit of anxiety and worry in his eyes.

While directing several guards, he was going to push the broken tree that got in the way to the bottom of the cliff.While loudly reminding the guards to be careful, at the same time, they worriedly approached Su Mi's car.

Seeing him approaching, Su Mi hesitated for a moment, and immediately understood that it was really inexplicable for such abrupt trees to appear on the road in such a bright daylight, so it was no wonder that he was vigilant.

Ni Tingxuan walked to the side of the car driver, saw Su Mi was raising the curtain to look over here, couldn't help being startled, Su Mi smiled at him, and said politely: "General Ni is here."

Ni Tingxuan blushed, not daring to meet that clear and beautiful gaze, and hastily turned his head: "Miss Rong Hua, you are being polite. The humble job is for you, so you should do your best." He tried his best to speak in a calm voice.

Su Mi smiled and stopped talking. Ni Tingxuan's seemingly indifferent eyes seemed to contain a kind of thought and emotion that she could not see clearly. She was not interested in exploring it, so naturally she would not say anything more.

With a loose hand, the curtain fell down, and Su Mi was about to lean back into the cushion, quietly waiting for the next road to pass, when suddenly Ni Tingxuan shouted in shock, "Be careful!"

At the same time, there was a sharp sound of breaking through the air, and something like lightning and thunder passed through the place where Su Mi let go just now, bringing up a small but howling gust of wind, rolling up the car curtain that had just fallen .

Then, accompanied by a crisp sound of "ding", it penetrated the layers of luxurious cushion pillows, and firmly nailed it to the floor of the carriage.

It's an arrow!The arrow's tail was still trembling slightly, showing that it hadn't completely exhausted its remaining strength.

Su Mi was stunned for less than a moment, and the sharp sounds of fighting and shouting outside the carriages and horses could already be heard.

Following Ni Tingxuan's warning, countless figures suddenly appeared on the cliff that was originally covered with layers of dead trees, which made Su Mi think of what he often saw in the mountains before, and he couldn't wait after the rain. mushrooms popping out.

It's just that the group of people in front of them were holding black lacquered bows and arrows and hard crossbows, and their faces covered with black cloth still couldn't hide the layers of flesh.Even a blind man can now know what they are here for.

Immediately, the entire mountain road became chaotic, and the screams and screams of the palace people rang out along with the shouts of killing.

The guards brought out this time were all elites. Seeing that they were being attacked, they reacted quickly and gradually approached Su Mi's carriage as the center, facing the attackers.

Su Mi couldn't see the outside scene in the carriage. After the first arrow, the window suddenly dimmed. It was Ni Tingxuan who blocked the window.
She could only hear a series of arrows piercing the air, followed by "jingling" sounds one after another. It was obvious that the bows and arrows shot by the attackers were blocked by Ni Tingxuan with his sword.

How could this be?who is it?It's impossible for ordinary bandits. Da Qi's martial arts over the years are commendable both at home and abroad. In big cities, especially near the capital, there are absolutely no large groups of bandits lurking.And even if there were, they wouldn't attack the car of the imperial concubine without knowing what to do.Then who would take the risk of beheading to stop him? Looking at the arrow just now, he clearly wanted his own life!
My enemy... only because of my love these days?
It's Concubine Ni, no!Outside is Ni Tingxuan who is in charge of guarding there. No matter how cruel Concubine Ni Gui is, she will not risk her own brother's life and future in order to deal with her own insignificant rival for favor.

It's the queen, it must be her.Su Mi panicked, she actually wanted her own life, what should she do now?I will be in the palace from now on...

Forget it, it’s such a time, and she is still busy analyzing these conspiracies and tricks, Su Mi couldn’t help but smile bitterly, wondering if she can escape this time, she will think about countermeasures when she survives.

At this time, seeing that the bow and arrow had no effect, the attacker outside had already jumped off the cliff.From the gap between Ni Tingxuan's actions, Su Mi could vaguely see that the attackers and the guards were fighting.If it is purely about martial arts, it is natural that the guards have the upper hand, but this time they left the palace, but only brought thirty guards to protect them.Facing hundreds of attackers at this moment, many of them were killed within a short while. The palace ladies and gentlemen of the Shangyi Bureau had never seen such a scene of bloody slaughter before them, crying for their father and mother, fleeing in embarrassment , the attackers stabbed one by one, and more than half of them died in Huangquan in the blink of an eye.

The sound of killing, crying, and clashing of swords... came one after another from this long and secluded mountain road.

Su Mi looked at the scene in front of her in shock. This was a far more real and bloody fight than the scene of the assassins in Tianxiangyuan. Especially this time, she became the main target of the assassins instead of waiting for an opportunity like that night Move, look for opportunities.In front of you is the moment of life and death for you!

The mountain road is narrow, and assassins surround the road on both sides.Fighting with the guards, even from time to time, someone was cut down to the mountain stream, and the shouts could not be distinguished from the guards or the attackers.Seeing that the guards couldn't hold on any longer, the assassin gradually came to this side.

Ni Tingxuan knew that if he went on like this and waited until his own manpower was exhausted, it would be a dead end.The only way to break through is to choose a direction. On the narrow mountain road, there are only front and rear sides. Backwards, there are many assassins. According to your own strength, you can't go there. Because there are big trees lying on the road ahead, there are fewer assassins guarding there. forward!
He decisively shouted to Xiang, "Get on the horse, break out!" while slamming open the carriage door behind him.

Su Mi was sitting in the car, she looked at him in shock, he didn't have time to tell, immediately stretched out his hand to grab Su Mi's wrist, pulled her into his arms, and pushed her hard.

With a long howl, the horse's hooves were raised high, and Ni Tingxuan immediately galloped forward.

Lying on the solid shoulders, all the stumped limbs and broken arms, bloody killing field, Su Mi only felt dizzy for a while. At such a critical moment, she could only hug the person in front of her tightly and let her body Not wobbly.

Although she had experienced the cruelty when Weiguo broke the city, and the thrill of Tianxiangyuan overnight, she had never been so close to the enemy's shining sword for a moment, and it was still stained with blood and flesh.

Ni Tingxuan's sword was fully unleashed, and at the moment when life was at stake, silver light shone, swords screamed and dragons groaned, several assassins who were closest to the ground were slashed by this fierce blow in the blink of an eye, flesh and blood flew, and they staggered to the ground , the attacks of the assassins behind him suddenly stagnated.

Ni Tingxuan immediately stepped up his horse and rushed to the outside, but then the assassins surrounded him again,
With fewer and fewer guards around him, Ni Tingxuan couldn't help feeling anxious.He protected Su Mi with his left hand and was unable to fight the enemy. After a few moves, the enemy soon discovered this defect, and more assassins surrounded him from the left. Ni Tingxuan barely supported Su Mi while protecting him.

I just feel that it is becoming more and more difficult to use the sword power. If this continues, I am afraid that the lives of the two of them will really be left here.

Immediately, he gritted his teeth violently, and stretched out the long sword, like a scattered light curtain, rolling towards the surrounding assassins. The assassins in front of them only felt the blue light in front of them, and they couldn't tell it was the blade. It was still Jian Guang, and they retreated and dodged one after another. Ni Tingxuan took the opportunity to push the horses with all his might, and as the horse jumped up, they straddled the big tree blocking the way, and the two rushed out.

"It's bad!" Seeing that their target was about to escape this time, the assassins were in a hurry. The mission this time was of great importance. If someone ran away, they might not even have enough lives. .

"Shoot the horse!" An assassin shouted loudly, and everyone reacted immediately. Immediately, more than a dozen crossbow arrows shot at Ni Tingxuan's back. Ni Tingxuan turned around to block the arrows, but the arrows shot at the horses below could not be completely blocked.

A few arrows shot into the horse immediately, no matter how battle-hardened the horse was, it couldn't withstand such an attack. Immediately, the horse stood up high in shock, Ni Tingxuan suddenly lost his balance, and the two of them were thrown out heavily by the sudden force .

Seeing that the two of them were about to fall to the ground, Ni Tingxuan turned around in mid-air, vacating Su Mi's direction, but the other side lost his balance and slammed into the cliff wall on one side fiercely. Su Mi clearly heard a crisp sound, his bone must be broken, she suddenly thought.

The assassins scrambled to climb over the big tree, and they swarmed in the blink of an eye. Ni Tingxuan couldn't help laughing wryly when he saw the shining sword in front of him. He was afraid that he was really going to die here.

At this moment, Su Mi was still in his arms. It would be good if she died with her. Between the swords and swords, he suddenly had such an idea.

Throughout the scene, the corpses of assassins and palace guards were lying on the ground in disorder, among which there were more corpses of assassins.However, the number of assassins far exceeds that of the convoy. At this time, most of the other guards have died in battle. Only a few outstanding martial arts still struggled to support themselves. They fought scatteredly, but they were all covered with injuries. Those who did not know martial arts All the palace ladies and officials were mercilessly killed on the spot by the assassins.

Openly attacking the concubine's car driver is equivalent to the crime of treason. No matter which side these assassins are from, they will definitely not be stupid enough to stay alive.

Ni Tingxuan tried his best to support while retreating, Su Mi was blocked by him, the two of them retreated a few steps, originally the mountain path was narrow, Su Mi hesitated, and did not look back carefully, suddenly his foot stepped into the air, his body tightened Then fall down.

She let out a scream, and there was a cliff below, she only felt that she was about to fall lightly and emptyly, when a hand suddenly stretched out from above, holding her tightly.It was hard to stop her falling momentum.

She raised her head in panic, it was Ni Tingxuan, his bright black eyes were looking at her, and there was anxious concern in his eyes.There was still blood splattered on his cheek, and he didn't know if it was his own or the enemy's.

The fool!Turned around when facing the enemy? !Feeling the scorching heat around her wrist, Su Mi could barely turn her head, she could only think in shock.

At this moment, the assassin behind Ni Tingxuan chased him up, slashed him down with a sharp knife, and let out a muffled groan in his ears, a series of scarlet blood splashed on Su Mi's face, making people panic in the bottom of their hearts. .

Ni Tingxuan was hit by the force of the knife and staggered forward. Immediately afterwards, the two of them fell down together before they even had time to exclaim...

(End of this chapter)