Chapter 7 Don’t be disrespectful to her Fragrant.
Zhao Jiao tied a sachet with a piece of red silk around his waist. The hollow gilt silver sachet contained unknown spices and fell into Jiang He's skirt as he moved.
It is as thick as sandalwood, as elegant as cloves, and wrapped with the sweetness of osmanthus and the coolness of dipterocarp. The various flavors are blended into the right shades and glide through the mouth and nose like a gentle breeze, making it unforgettable.
Jiang He stepped back, but fortunately Zhao Jiao didn't hold her too tightly. Her arms were first freed from the restraints, and then she took out her sleeves.
Just at the moment when the last bit of his sleeve slipped from Zhao Jiao's palm, he trembled with fear and turned up his loosened sleeve, revealing Jiang He's wrist.
The white wrist skin was smooth and delicate, with only a faint red mark on it, which was the mark left by last night's binding.
Jiang He felt that Zhao Jiao's gaze seemed to freeze slightly for a moment, and then he looked away in a frown.
She calmly put down her sleeves and stood up. Zhao Zheng had already arrived.
Although he didn't speak, he was like the fury of thunder swirling and air in the hall suddenly became cold and cold, as if it was the depths of winter.
Zhao Jiao, who was cowering on the ground, hurriedly looked for a hiding place, and suddenly saw a large table. He was about to get in and hide, when he suddenly felt a tightness in his lower back.
Zhao Jiao's hair suddenly stood up.
He screamed and left the ground.
Zhao Zheng picked up Zhao Jiao's belt with his right hand, lifted Zhao Jiao up half a foot like a chicken, and then let go and dropped it to the ground.
The floor was hard and Zhao Jiao was beaten to pieces.
Although the Queen Mother looked worried, she did not dare to stop him. Zhao Jiao shouted to the sky and the earth to beg for mercy.
"Brother Wang, please spare your life, brother Wang, I know I'm wrong! My brother is wrong..."
"Where did you go wrong?" Zhao Zheng's voice was low and he didn't even breathe.
Zhao Jiao reluctantly adjusted his posture and knelt in front of Zhao Zheng, and said aggrievedly: "My brother should not be raising a singer, and she is a singer from Chu State."
"anything else?"
Are there any more? Zhao Jiao raised his head in confusion, his frightened eyes did not dare to look directly at Zhao Zheng, but looked at his slender but powerful hands with lingering fear.
"My dear brother, you shouldn't go to the Weiwei Junfu to ask for someone, and you shouldn't come to your mother to complain."
He felt like all the bones in his body were about to break. His teeth chattered as he spoke, and there was a bit of salty taste in his throat. He wondered if his tongue had been bitten.
But Zhao Zheng said reluctantly: "There is more."
what else? Zhao Jiao bravely raised his head, looked at Zhao Zheng's unpredictable face, and shook his head blankly.
Zhao Zheng leaned down, and the twelve chapters [1] embroidered on the black clothes flowed in the light and shadow, and the black dragon pattern on it seemed to be alive and breathtaking.
He approached Zhao Jiao and said word by word: "No, it's disrespectful to your sister-in-law Wang."
The sound was neither high nor low, but it was like drumsticks beating against skin, making people shudder.
Zhao Jiao sat paralyzed on the ground, he was so horrified that he forgot what to defend.
he did not do it on purpose.
He didn't mean to be frivolous with Meng Lang's words, or seek refuge in Mrs. Wang's if he had a hundred courages, he wouldn't dare to be disrespectful. Besides, wasn't Brother Wang in the front hall? Why did he see everything? Cold sweat fell from his back, soaking Zhao Jiao's clothes.
Zhao Zheng had turned around and bowed respectfully to the Queen Mother before the bride he married yesterday was following Zhao Zheng, following every step, looking very well-behaved and docile.
Zhao Jiao calmed down and got up, rolling towards the Empress Dowager's arms.
Zhiyang Palace, I heard it was originally called "Zhiyang Palace".
Yang represents fire, while Dayong represents water, so it was renamed "Zhi".And because black represents water among the five elements, black is often used in palace furnishings.
Occasionally, there is a touch of crimson curtain, which blends with the darkness of the ink and makes people's eyes slightly brighter.
When Jiang He followed Zhao Zheng back from the Queen Mother and walked into the Zhiyang Palace where she rested last night, the chamberlain reported that the royal meal had been arranged.
The palace maid served Jiang He and changed out of the dress he wore to meet the Queen Mother, put on a light yellow Luo shirt, a silver mud cloud shawl on his shoulders, a crescent Luo skirt tied around his waist, and gold mud shoes on his feet, and he was ready to have a meal.
Twelve palace maids accompanied the two sides, fanning fans, holding incense, carrying bowls, and holding towels. They were busy and orderly. Even Jiang He, who was familiar with the etiquette of Qi State's palace, felt that it was too grand and cumbersome.
The palace maid who led the way took her into the dining hall. As soon as she arrived at the door, she smelled the intoxicating aroma of rice in the hall.
Jiang He couldn't help walking faster.
Zhao Zheng has already sat down at the table.
He was wearing dark clothes. He had already replaced his crown, and his hair was tied into a bun with a jade hoop. He lost some of his maturity and gained the aura of a heroic young man.
Seeing Jiang He arrive, Zhao Zheng raised his head slightly and looked at her, his eyes brightening but he did not speak.
Jiang He was too lazy to look at him and immediately looked at the table.
This place is not close to the sea like Qi State, so there is no seafood in the royal meal.
There is a double-layered food cauldron in the middle of the table. A charcoal fire is placed on the lower layer, and the slightly yellow soup is boiling on the upper from the color and smell of the fat on it, it should be butter soup.
There is an exquisite earthenware dish placed under the food cauldron, with a fish in closely at the fish, although the shape has not changed, the scales have been removed. From the head down to the front of the tail, the entire fish has been filleted by [-]% with superb knife skills.
Zhao Zheng picked up a piece of fish with wooden chopsticks, put it in the soup cauldron, boiled it, took it out, dipped the condiments in another pottery dish, and put it in his mouth to chew.
Jiang He's index finger twitched when he saw it. He first put down the Fengxiang bacon, Zizhou fruit stuffing, warm shredded waist and golden thread oil tower next to the dining pot. Then he followed Zhao Zheng's example and picked up the fish fillets, blanched them and dipped them in the sauce. Observe for another moment and put it in your mouth.
The thin fish fillet has no fishy smell or thorns. The warmth of the butter collides with the deliciousness of the fish. The numbing aroma of the dipping sauce stirs up the lips and tongue. It is salty, tender and that Jiang He was interested in fish, the waiter who was waiting in front of the dining table explained softly: "This way of eating scalded fish on a tripod is common in Shu County. Her Royal Highness the Queen is from Qi State, so she must often eat fish. That’s why I like it.”
Just as Jiang He was about to talk to the chamberlain about Qi's rich products of fish, meat and seafood, he heard someone reporting outside the palace.
"Su Yu, the commander-in-chief of the Guard Army, wants to see you."
Su Yu, the commander of the Weiwei Army, must be the one who captured the singer Zhao Jiao, Lord of Chang'an, and threw Zhao Jiao's head.
Jiang He looked at Zhao Zheng and saw that he had put down his chopsticks. He seemed to be about to get up but then changed his mind and said, "Tell him to answer outside the screen."
The eight ink jade screens with pictures of mountains and rivers were quickly carried into the hall by the chamberlain, blocking the view of those who were outside the door.
Su Yu was kneeling outside the screen and talking. Jiang He couldn't see his face, but heard his loud voice, which was respectful but not humble.
"Your Majesty, the singer of Chu State is indeed a meticulous artist, but she didn't confess anything. I am incompetent."
"I have found out that most of the singers in the Chang'an Lord's Mansion were given away by others, and several wealthy families often exchanged singers and maidservants. This singer has stayed in three mansions, and the last one was by Prime Minister Wei. .”
Wei Xiang, the Prime Minister of the Great Yong State, shared weal and woe with the ancestors of Yong State, and had the merit of following the dragon. He was honored as "Zhongfu" by Zhao Zheng.
Such people cannot even doubt.
Zhao Zheng tapped his fingers on the table and said nothing.
Su Yu reported again: "I didn't dare to ask about the affairs of the prime minister's house, and I also interrogated the assassin caught outside the palace that day. The assassin only took the singer's money and didn't know anything else. Now he has been tortured for three days. I can’t hold it any longer.”
So this is ah.
Jiang He thought while eating.
The assassin who broke into the palace to assassinate the princess of Qi that day was caught by Zhao Zheng's people who were ambushing assassin confessed that it was the singer in Chang'an's palace who paid for the that the diva is dead, the assassin knows interrogation reached a deadlock, which made Su Yu very troubled.
Zhao Zheng thought for a moment and said in a clear voice: "Let it go."
Su Yu was surprised for a moment outside and then responded: "I understand."
Sometimes dead people don't work, only half-dead people do.
The assassin was interrogated but did not die. If the owner of the singer saw it, he would be clues are revealed, Su Yu can follow the clues and continue to investigate.
Outside the screen, Su Yu resigned and left, and Zhao Zheng turned around.
The light smoke curled up inside the palace, wiping away the cold and solemn atmosphere of the dark woman in yellow clothes sat opposite him, enjoying the delicious food with satisfaction.
The way she eats is very different from the women Zhao Zheng has met.
Most of them put down their bowls and chopsticks after just a few tastes, and behaved in a dignified and polite manner, making it impossible to fault the slightest bit of disgrace.
Although Jiang He still behaved naturally, he ate happily and carefully picked up the meat and chewed it gently, one bite after another. Sometimes it felt numb after adding too much dipping sauce, so she would scoop up a spoonful of smoothie glutinous sugar and put it in her he smiled and pursed his lips slightly, not chewing, but slowly melting the smoothie in his mouth.
It seems that this black palace is not a prison, but a foreign land where everything is rich and interesting.
The waiter who served Jiang He was also happy and introduced various kinds of food to her in a low voice.
Opposite the fireworks, Zhao Zheng looked at Jiang He, who had beads of sweat on his nose and forehead, and didn't understand why she was just eating seriously, but it made people want to eat.
Zhao Zheng picked up the chopsticks and stretched them towards the pottery plate, but immediately stopped in mid-air without moving.
There was a fish lying on the pottery plate, complete with head, bones and tail, but no meat at all.
Seeing that Zhao Zheng couldn't move his chopsticks, the waiter who had been serving Jiang He suddenly panicked.
"Your Majesty, this servant will go and bring you another plate right now."
"No need," Zhao Zheng said as he put away his chopsticks, "It's the same as eating anything else alone."
The night was like a bronze mirror covered with black cloth, instantly darkened.
This time, Zhao Zheng waited for Jiang He to wash up before tying her hands. In order to confirm that she had not hidden anything on her body today, the usual body search was also carried out.
Perhaps because he was too full, Jiang He fell asleep earlier than Zhao Zheng.
The heat has subsided and the nights have become a bit cooler.
Zhao Zheng pulled the thin quilt up to his chest, lay down straight and fell asleep.
This is a habit he has developed since he was six years old.
At that time, he left the state of Yong to go to a foreign country as a hostage. Occasionally he caught cold from kicks and almost died from a then on, Zhao Zheng never turned over or kicked off the quilt when sleeping, until now.
But the woman who is now married to him is obviously not like this.
Late at night, Zhao Zheng suddenly felt something touching his thigh.
Zhao Zheng opened his eyes, and in the dim light of the candle, he saw that Jiang He had already kicked Bao's quilt under the this time, she was lying on her side and turned inward. Her exposed feet seemed to feel cold. She was searching for him in her sleep and got into his thin quilt.
A pair of small, soft feet searched for an opening.
Zhao Zheng felt a "boom" of heat throughout his body.
注释 [1] The twelve chapter patterns generally refer to the twelve kinds of patterns painted and embroidered on the attire of emperors and high-ranking them, the sun, moon, and stars are taken to mean their illumination; mountains are taken to signify stability and calmness; dragons are taken to signify magic and change; Chinese insects are beautiful flowers and insect feathers in five colors, very beautiful, and they are chosen to have literary talent. The meaning of Zongyi is to offer offerings and filial piety; algae is to be clean; fire is to be bright; Fenmi is to be nourished by flour and rice; Fu is to cut off and be decisive. Meaning; black, take its meaning of discernment, discernment, turning away from evil and toward good.
(End of this chapter)