Bend Over [ 折腰 ] - Chapter 44

[Chapter 44]

Unlike Zhu Shi, when the grandmother said this, the tone of voice sounded not much different from usual, and she could not see the excitement that should be there.

If there was anything different from usual, it was that Xiao Qiao saw a look of almost pride in the light emitted from her one-eyed eyes.

These heroes or tyrants have created this chaotic world, and it is also this chaotic world that has achieved new heroes and tyrants.

Wei Shao’s grandmother really deserved to be proud, with Wei Shao, a grandson who had become the overlord of the party at the age of a weak crown, Xiao Qiao thought in his heart, not to mention that he had now captured Jinyang again. In terms of military significance, Jinyang is not just a city, Jinyang merged into the hands of Wei Shao, it does not only mean that he only truly unified the north and became a veritable northern hegemon, but most importantly, he obtained this treasure land with the title of granary of the world.

With sufficient grain and grass supply guarantees, it is the greatest guarantee for future attempts to plot the hinterland of the Central Plains. The Chen father and son sat on the treasure land, but in the end they made wedding clothes for others, and they could only complain about their incompetence.

The future that could be called a nightmare that had plagued her repeatedly from the first day she came into this world, with the appearance of the woman named Emperor Su’e and the pace of Wei Shao’s unification of the north, was following the predetermined trajectory, step by step, becoming a reality.

If nothing else, her husband Wei Shao should eventually be called emperor.

This kind of judgment is not only out of her own nightmare, or Xuanzhi xuan’s theory of destiny, but after arriving at the Wei family, in Wei Shao’s man, she saw with her own eyes the vigorous ambition, the abundant energy, the empty-eyed sacrifice of who I am, and the tenacious step by step advancement.

Such a man can come to the end in the chaotic world, and it will never be because of chance.

Therefore, Xiao Qiao inevitably had more doubts in his heart. Wei Shao’s wife in this life is no longer Big Joe. Wife Yi, the Su woman who finally appeared alive in front of her with this trip to Zhongshan, will she still follow the trajectory of her previous life, as she knows, and finally stand side by side with him and become the founding empress of this beautiful country?

All his knowledge of his past life came to an abrupt end after Wei Shao became emperor, Big Qiao committed suicide, and Su Nuli was established.

She suddenly wondered if that Wei Shao in his previous life, after becoming emperor as he wished, joining hands with his lover, and finally completely destroying the Qiao family that he hated to the bone, when he happened to think of the poor woman who had been treated coldly by him all her life, and could not even enter the Wei family’s mausoleum after death, would there be such a trace of pity and guilt in his iron heart?

What will be his final outcome?

……

(Past lives.)

Three months ago, Wei Shao’s army invaded Luoyang and forced it into the Suzaku Gate of the Imperial Palace, after deposing the last Han Emperor and claiming the title of Emperor of the South, Xingxun, who was besieged on all sides and had no way to escape, and finally died in the Northern Palace.

The Fire in the North Palace lasted for three days and three nights before it subsided.

Half a month later, Wei Shao sacrificed to the northern suburbs and told the Queen of Heaven to ascend the throne at the Hall of Thousand Autumns and Long Live, with the name “Yan”.

This year, he was in his early thirties and became the new lord of Luoyang, the imperial capital of a million people.

He set up the Zongmiao Sheji and the Provincial Taiwan Division, rewarding merit and punishing crimes, but the harem was still vacant.

In his harem now, there were two women.

One was Big Joe, the wife he had married ten years earlier.

The other is the pet Ji Su nu who has been following him for many years.

He had unified the north many years ago, and now the Central Plains and the warlords of Luoyang had been cut down, and the few fish that had slipped through the net were left, but he did not pay attention to the climate.

The only piece of territory that could enter his eyes, but had not yet entered his hands, was Yong.

Two years ago, in order to resist the usurpation of Xingxun, some courtiers loyal to the Han Dynasty welcomed Liu Yan, the son of the former Prince of Langya, to Yongdu and established a small court of the Han Dynasty, with the capital at Yongdu.

As long as the small court of Yong was taken, the whole world would fall into the hands of Wei Shao.

In fact, a few days after Wei Shao had just invaded Luoyang, Xingxun*, the emissary brought with him the will of the small imperial court, made him the Grand Chancellor and Grand Sima and invited him to go to Yongdu to welcome the emperor and return to Luoyang, and to make Liu Yan the emperor of the world.

Wei Shao laughed at that time, and everyone could see his contempt and arrogance.

He said that if god does not take it, he will be blamed for it.

Half a month later, he raised an army to attack the small imperial court.

Before he went out to the army, he still did not set up Big Qiao as the queen, nor did he change to the Su Nu he had favored for many years as the queen, as others speculated.

He did only one thing. Feng Su was made a lady.

This is the highest rank of queen concubine in the harem.

He then left Luoyang to march on Yongdu.

The day after he left, Emperor Su’e came to the Chongde Hall of the North Palace.

……

The Luoyang Imperial Palace is magnificent and is divided into two palaces, the South Palace is the place where the Emperor congratulates and discusses the government, and the North Palace is the residence of the Emperor’s concubines.

The fire that was burned by Xingxun half a month ago burned down most of the palaces in the North Palace, and now only some of the remaining buildings remain. Wei Shao was anxious to destroy the small imperial court, and did not immediately order repairs, but only ordered people to clean up the few palace rooms left over from the fire and use them as temporary residences.

Emperor Su’e lived in the most ornate Yanxiu Hall, and The harem ladies who survived the harem of the former Han Emperor were all placed in the Zengxi Temple in the east, while Daqiao was placed in the most remote Chongde Hall.

She has been ill for a long time. There was only an old woman waiting for her medicinal meal.

A long time ago, when she was not yet married, in her hometown of East County, together with her sister Xiao Qiao, she was called “Double Joe” by the people of the time for her beauty.

Now she is twenty-five or sixteen, which should have been the most beautiful year in a woman’s life, but she was thin and out of shape. The hand resting on the bed, the back of the hand was only a layer of skin that could clearly see the blue blood vessels crawling like a spider’s web inside. Only when I opened my eyes, from the glare of those eyes, I could still faintly find a trace of the beauty of that year.

Big Joe felt thirsty. She had been thirsty for a long time. She knew that the old woman didn’t want to serve herself, and she just wanted to struggle to get down and pour water. But she couldn’t really get up. The strength of her whole body seemed to have left her inch by inch.

She called out to the old woman again in a low voice. The old woman finally walked in, and her footsteps made a harsh clicking sound on the bare brick floor.

The old woman poured a lamp of cold water and brought it to the bed, and the cup fell heavily on the edge of the bed.

The water splashed half out and wet the bedding.

“The’s busy frying medicine for you!” If there is no big deal, it is better to shout less. The

old woman muttered a word in disgust, turned around and left.

Although this woman who had been assigned to serve her was nominally the wife of Emperor Dayan, everyone knew that the emperor had never looked at her.

Even, these people were still saying in private that the emperor not only did not look at her, but also that for so many years, he had never touched a finger of her.

being a woman has achieved this level, and it is also a shame to live.

……

Big Joe struggled and sat up slowly.

I’m too skinny. The skinny one sat up like this, and he could feel the pain.

When she reached for the water that had been hard to summon, she suddenly felt as if the dim and dark palace room in front of her eyes was suddenly illuminated by something.

It was a woman who was walking toward her bed.

The woman is over thirty years old, but the maintenance is excellent, and the skin is smooth and full, which is in stark contrast to the big Joe on the bed. She combed the intricate and delicate nine-ring Yingxian bun, the clear crested head in her hair was shaken, and the glass treasure string hanging down from the phoenix’s mouth followed her steps, making a slight and pleasant sound. This bun alone requires two maids to comb her for the first half of the hour at the same time; She wears a gorgeous silk purple flower phoenix dress. This kind of silk brocade pattern is intricate, and now it is very precious, and twenty female reds can only weave one horse in a year. Men of status are usually only used as a decoration for their belts. She used it to make a whole skirt. The pair of embroidered shoes on her feet, the sole of which is three inches high, with a gold wire upper, the upper is decorated with the same pearls of laughter, and the left and right toes are embellished with a lifelike entangled gold jade butterfly, moving with her footsteps, the butterfly wings tremble slightly, making people can’t look away.

She is Su Nu, Wei Shao’s favorite, and now the lady in the harem, and the only woman around Wei Shao for so many years.

When the old woman saw Madame Su, her face immediately showed a flattering look, and she knelt down and prostrated her head.

Emperor Su’e asked the old woman to go out. The old woman withdrew. Only Big Qiao and Emperor Su’e were left in the palace.

Emperor Su’e walked to the edge of the bed, sat down, personally took the ice water and delivered it to Big Joe’s mouth, smiling: “I heard that you are not lightly ill.” Your Majesty Zhengyong, you and my sisters, it is also a fate, I come to see you. Big Joe was

motionless.

Emperor Su’e looked at her chapped lips and frowned slightly.

More than thirty women, although the maintenance is good, but this inadvertent small movement, or make her eyebrows and the corner of the skin a few thin lines of different lengths.

She said, “How do these slaves serve!” In winter, I even have the courage to send such ice water to you to drink! “After saying that, I threw the cup. The bamboo carving cup was thrown to the ground, making a strange bone-rattling sound, rolling forward, and sprinkling a pool of water on the green bricks on the ground.

Big Joe remained motionless.

Emperor Su’e looked at Big Qiao for a moment: “Before Your Majesty leaves the imperial capital, you should have made me a lady, you should know?”

Big Joe naturally didn’t know. No one told her. She didn’t care about that either.

“Your Majesty was supposed to do one more thing. Crown you as empress. But he didn’t. Naturally, Your Majesty cannot make you empress. But as long as you live for one day, I will not be able to become Your Majesty’s Queen.

Finally, she sighed and looked at Big Joe with sympathetic and pity eyes: “So, I really don’t understand, you have reached such a point, why are you still lingering and refusing to die?” ”

……

Yeah, why are you still surviving and refusing to die?

Big Joe asked himself too.

At this point, what still supported her to live was perhaps the moonlight that could not be dispersed in the back garden of the East County’s home in her heart and the man with green eyes who watched her back leave in the moonlight.

……

Emperor Su’e saw that Big Qiao should not be, and stared at her.

“Lady Joe,” she said in a tone that seemed to be gossip, “in this world everyone has what they want. Men high-ranking officials Houlu, Guangzong Yaozu, women husbands and noble wives Rong, no matter how bad it is, they also seek the heart of one person and marry a ruyi langjun. But I don’t think you know that there is nothing in this world that is easy to come by. Even if God gives, you have to take it yourself. I know that you must hate me in your heart, but you do not know, how can everything I have received today come easily?

Her lips slowly revealed a smile, and then she sighed softly, sounding a hint of self-pity.

“Originally, I never had the opportunity to say these words to anyone in my life.” She said, “But somehow, at this moment I suddenly wanted to talk to you.” She was

silent for a moment, as if caught up in the memory of the past.

“I was born in Zhongshan Houmen, and I have known His Majesty since I was a child. I’m two years older than him. By the time I was fourteen years old, I had already decided in my heart that he would become my husband in the future. Unfortunately, the heavens did not follow people’s wishes, the Wei family suffered a change, and when I was seventeen years old, my parents married me to Liu Li. Naturally, my heart is not willing. Only I know that even if I disobey my parents’ orders, Your Majesty is willing to marry me, but the Wei family will not accept me, because I am not pleasing to Your Majesty’s grandmother, and Your Majesty is extremely fond of her grandmother…”

Referring to “Your Majesty’s grandmother”, her lips showed a slightly strange disgusted expression, and then disappeared.

After weighing it, I listened to my parents’ words and married Liu Li. This incompetent Liu family man, I committed myself to him for nearly ten years, and in the end, instead of ascending to the throne of God, he himself died in a nest. I became a new widow, and the fortunate old man who entered Luoyang coveted my beauty and wanted to accept me, and I was willing to commit myself, and when I returned to Zhongshan Kingdom, after several twists and turns, I finally saw His Majesty’s face again…”

She stared at Big Joe: “When we met, Your Majesty asked me in surprise, why was my voice destroyed?” I said, I know that Your Majesty loves my singing voice, and that before I got married, I poisoned myself with medicine. Even though I had to marry someone else and could not keep his body for His Majesty, I could keep a voice for His Majesty. His Majesty was touched at the time. But he didn’t know that my throat was only caused by being sick and taking drugs by mistake…”

“Lady Qiao, from that moment on, I knew that Your Majesty had aroused old feelings by me. When Your Majesty married you, she was twenty-two years old. There were no concubines in the room. What is your word? Because I used to laugh with him and joked, why do men in the world have beloved women, still have three wives and four concubines, but women have to be alone for their husbands and princes? I have been out of contact with him for many years, why is he not close to women? It should be that I remembered my unintentional words at that time, so that I regarded the women of the world as brooms…”

Emperor Su’e laughed, and a slightly proud look appeared in his eyes.

“Even if I had something separate from him back then, so what? He was only a teenager at that time, and in his heart, what my aunt, who was two years older than him, left him, he could not forget for the rest of his life. What’s more, when he was seriously injured and his mother couldn’t afford to be ill, I stayed in Wei’s parents for half a year, and I worked tirelessly every day to take care of his mother and son? With such feelings alone, I have committed a great transgression, and he cannot treat me with a cruel heart.

Big Joe looked at her sheepishly.

Emperor Su’e’s gaze gradually became cold.

“Sister Joe, your fate is also pitiful, and in your state today, I didn’t want to do anything to you.” Unfortunately, if you don’t die, Your Majesty’s throne will probably remain empty. I’m not impatient, I can’t wait for that time. But do you know that the back seat is vacant, but I am crowned lady, which is a kind of humiliation to me? I have worked hard for today. What have you done, as the daughter of the enemy of the Wei family, to occupy the status of Your Majesty’s wife for ten years? But it’s just because you were Your Majesty’s grandmother who married him! Only when you die will Your Majesty crown me as queen. ”

“So, why don’t you want to die?”

Finally she stood up, looked down at Big Joe with cold eyes, and spoke slowly again.

[End of This Chapter]