Golden branches and jade leaves

Chapter 45 Adding Oil to the Fire ([-])

"Isn't it the newly appointed Jade Concubine who is sleeping today?" Su Mi asked casually.

"I heard that the emperor originally meant that, but Yubi said that she was new to the court and hadn't practiced etiquette, so she didn't dare to go beyond the rules and violate the ancestral rules, so she declined."

"Hmph, what did the emperor say about this kind of playing hard to get trick?"

"The emperor was very happy when he heard that, and praised that the concubine Yu was very polite, and she even..."

"How is it?" Su Mi asked.

"I also changed the name of Juhe Palace, where Concubine Yun originally lived, to Weishuyu Palace on the spot, and ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to choose a date for repairs. Although I didn't say it clearly, the meaning is..."

"It seems that this jade concubine is quite popular." Su Mi smiled slightly.

It’s already April, and the weather is getting warmer. The dresses of the concubines have gradually changed from thick and rich brocade to silk and light gauze. The light and light colors reflect the blooming flowers in the palace, making them extraordinarily delicate. pretty.

In today's palace, when it comes to flowers, peonies bloom best, and the best place for peonies to bloom in the palace is Xifu Palace of Concubine Ni.

A few days ago, when the concubines gathered in Fengyi Palace to pay their respects, the queen and the others started talking and laughing about the scenery of each palace.Concubine Ni Gui is not stingy, she immediately set a date and invited all the sisters in the harem to go to Xifu Palace to enjoy the flowers and have a banquet.

So on the sixth day of the lunar new year, with the singing of birds and the fragrance of flowers and the warmth of the wind, the empress took the lead and brought all the concubines to Xifu Palace one after another.

Su Mi got out of the car and looked up.

As the imperial concubine's palace, Xifu Palace was originally built magnificently with dragons, pans and phoenixes, red walls and golden tiles.Concubine Ni has been in the top position for a long time, and she also likes luxury. In the entire Xifu Palace, the utensils and furnishings are somewhat better than the Queen's Fengyi Palace.The golden-red glazed tiles shimmer with golden brilliance in the sun, which is dazzling at first glance.

"Sister came early." A soft and delicate call came from beside her, and Su Mi turned her head to see Shi Rou'er, who was wearing a lotus-colored long dress embroidered with magnolia flowers, walked over gracefully.

She only brought a young maid by her side, and she didn't even ride in the chariot. When she saw Su Mi, she came up to her from a distance, and asked respectfully, "How is sister?"

Nowadays, all the ladies in the palace are receiving court etiquette training, and Shi Rou'er is among them. Although she still considers herself to be an ordinary girl in the draft, she has a title after all, so the activities of the concubines in the palace are not Pull her down and completely treat her as a concubine.

Although many concubines had objections to this, the empress even specially asked her to attend the banquet, not to mention ordinary gatherings, the concubines could only suppress their dissatisfaction in their stomachs.She has a charming appearance and a sharp tongue. She treats the concubines with a respectful manner and has never been favored. It is difficult for the concubines to hate her for a while.

Facing Shi Rou'er's intimacy, Su Mi responded calmly. Su Mi was unwilling to pay attention to this kind of ulterior motives, but she had to do it on the surface.

Guided by the maid from Xifu Palace in front, the two talked and laughed all the way into the back garden.

As soon as you enter the garden, you will be greeted with a strange fragrance, which makes you feel refreshed and intoxicated.At this time, the garden is full of radiant peonies, colorful and tender.There is a magnificent scenery of "painted fences embroidered with red jade, clouds with brocades and clouds and greenery".There are also a few cats and dogs around to relieve boredom, playing and having fun in the courtyard.

The servants of Xifu Palace had already arranged all kinds of fruit teas in the pavilion in the courtyard. There were rosewood seats and incense tables with soft golden flower cushions on them, and screens inlaid with silver begonia embroidery around them.

All the concubines, including Su Mi, entered the pavilion and sat down. Immediately, some maids brought dishes, wine, fragrant tea and cakes.

Looking around, the concubines were talking and laughing happily, while looking at the beautiful scenery around them, while tasting the delicacies.

The queen looked left and right and said: "The little sister of the imperial concubine is very ingenious. She can even take care of a yard so beautiful. Compared with the back garden of my Fengyi Palace, I don't know how many times more exquisite."

"The empress is overwhelmed," said Concubine Ni's host today, and she was quite polite in her words: "The style of Fengyi Palace is elegant and fresh, how can a layman like me compare to it?"

"The spring is coming really fast. I remember that not long ago it was snowing and the ground was full of dead branches, but now it will be colorful and full of flowers." Concubine Li Xian laughed looking at the surrounding scenery.

Shi Rou'er was holding Su Mi's hand, walked into the pavilion, heard Concubine Li Xian's words from a distance, said with a smile: "It must be that the flowers in the garden know that you ladies are coming to watch today. You can't lose color in front of a beautiful woman, so you put extra effort into opening them. But I don't know how attractive they are, how can they compare to the beauty and beauty of your ladies?"

Who doesn't love to hear compliments?The faces of the concubines softened a lot when they heard the words, Su Mi smiled lightly, Shi Rouer's words were just right.

Seeing Shi Rou'er and Su Mi next to her, Concubine Wen smiled with a bit of coolness: "It's really enviable to see the two sisters being so close."

"Your Majesty is joking, the concubine has always admired Sister Jieyu, and she just can't find time to get close." While talking, the two entered the table.Shi Rouer is sitting beside Su Mi.

After sitting down, Shi Rou'er raised her head and looked around, her eyes couldn't help flickering with admiration. "The scenery here, the imperial concubine, is really like a fairyland."

While speaking, he stood up, looked around, and approached the small jasper incense burner placed on the horizontal rail behind him, "This fragrance is so mellow, like drinking fine wine, sweet and greasy, I don't know what the empress used here What fragrance?"

"It's some sesame oil that the people in the family got from Dongyang. They are all the things of wild people, and they can't be put on the big table." Seeing that the fragrance is still clear, let the palace people light it."

"Oriental sesame oil, isn't it the legendary spice commonly known as 'Guan Qun Fang'?" Shi Rou'er asked with some surprise.

"It's this kind. There is such an elegant name in Dongyang?" Concubine Ni smiled and said, "That's what those barbarians call Baihuaxiang directly."

"It is said that this kind of sesame oil is extracted from the stamens of twelve kinds of flowers, including evening primrose, jasmine, sea branch, snow lotus, rosemary, and magnolia, mixed with other kinds of oils, and extracted according to a certain amount by secret method. Every ten catties of stamens can only extract two or three drops. We in the Central Plains don’t know how to make them, and only overseas merchants can bring them from afar when they come to our Central Plains to buy and sell goods.” Concubine Li Xian couldn’t help but said .

"The barbarian's strange obscenity skills are nothing more than worth mentioning. Since sister Yubi likes it, she might as well take some back later. It's not a rare thing." Concubine Ni said with a dispensable smile.

"Don't dare," Shi Rou'er waved her hands again and again, "I heard that Dongyang's mountains are high and the waters are far away, and the ocean is difficult to cross. Even the most experienced business travelers only go back and forth once a year. Spices are more expensive than gold, and there is no market for them, and this kind of crown is even more precious, and maids and concubines cannot afford to enjoy it."

"Isn't Yongzhou the most prosperous place for trade with the East? Besides the imperial concubine, who else can produce such spices?" Concubine Wen lightly twisted a fruit into her mouth, and said with a smile: "Sister Yupin doesn't have to refuse."

Shi Rou'er waved her hands repeatedly and laughed: "Only a place as rich and luxurious as the imperial concubine produces such precious spices. If I take them back, it will be ruined."

"Why should my younger sister be humble? I heard that the emperor has ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to renovate the Shuyu Palace and decorate it with beautiful jade crystals. She can move in after she is favored." Hearing Shi Rouer's praise, Ni Guifei was not salty or not. He said calmly: "My younger sister looks like jade. In the eyes of the emperor, the pearl and beautiful jade can only be used as a foil for my younger sister, let alone these small drops of sesame oil."

(End of this chapter)