It was full of autumn frost and cold, and the wind rolled the leaves and swirled bitter dust. Fang Fei swept away xiao Xiao, leaving only the remnants of red to comfort the sun. In the late autumn of Beijing, in a dry willow, in the courtyard of a hutong in the east of the city, the chill in the wind woke up the woman who was sitting on a rattan rocking chair basking in the sunset, only to see her full of snow and silver, her face was haggard and sickly, and she was dressed in embroidered clothes and clothes, which looked more than wide on her thin body. From time to time, a coughing sound came from her mouth covered with Supa, revealing the miserable loneliness in the courtyard.
This woman is Gu Mei, and her and Gong Ding's home in the capital is here- a two-door courtyard house in the Tieshi Hutong of Beijing's Dongcheng. It was the mid-autumn of the third year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1664 AD), and it had been four years since Gong Dingzi returned to the capital from his hometown of Hefei, but these four years were unforgettable and painful four years for Gu Mei. If things could be repeated, she would never step into this damn capital half a step! Nian Huai left, and Jewel also went, leaving only Gong Dingzi, who had been with him for ten years, to survive in this world for the rest of his life.
Only four months after entering Beijing, the terrible smallpox began to spread the epidemic in Beijing, and when Gu Mei felt that the situation was getting worse and worse, it was too late for her to make a response. Remembering that she had been lively and mischievous since she was a child, she was willing to hang out with Jewel, and when she was thirteen years old, she would learn to play in the street with Her children dressed as men. After returning from the street that day, I slept at night, and in the middle of the night, I had a fever on my body, and I had a rash on my face, hands and feet.
Gu Mei saw that missing this symptom was in line with the smallpox that was currently spreading in the capital, and she couldn't help but panic when she had a roar in her head, and she told Gong Dingzi to go to the Imperial Doctor of the Tai Hospital to diagnose the disease for Nian Huai. He personally went to the temple to invite a statue of a lady with a pox to offer in the hall, and knelt for three days and three nights without eating or drinking and making a vow to forbade his mouth. However, it was too late, and the epidemic was fierce, and there were countless deaths in the capital.
Maybe the desire to survive is strong, maybe it will return to the light, remembering the tears in Gu Mei's arms when she was dying, one hand firmly grasped Gu Mei's hand, and with all her strength, she could only gently spit out two words: "Mother... Dear..." Then the body was soft and a rosin disappeared the jade soul and returned to hate the heavens, but he was only thirteen years old but died halfway, pitiful.
Life is also happy and death is bitter, and the barren grass of the sun is a piece of soil. If there is an afterlife to accompany you, the laughing warbler butterflies fly. (Photo credit network)
Gu Mei didn't care, nor was she afraid of whether she would be infected by the epidemic, and she cried her heart and lungs with the body of the nostalgia that was gradually getting colder. Jewel also knelt there and cried out in regret, Gu Mei was heartbroken and did not know when Jewel walked out of the room and where she went. Gong Dingxiao was also sad about the loss of his beloved daughter, and when he didn't know how to be good, the bells of the major temples and monasteries outside the capital were ringing non-stop at this moment, and the Jingyang Bell Dengwen Drum on the upper floor of the Zhengyang Gate City also sounded. For many years, Gong Dingzi listened to the bells with experience and knew that there would be major events in the imperial court country, and sure enough, then there were eunuchs from the inner city who came to the palace to convey the will of the Empress Dowager, and summoned Gong Dingzi to enter the palace quickly without mistake.
The family affairs and state affairs were all embraced, and Gong Dingzi forcibly arranged for several elderly maids in the palace to take care of Gu Mei, wait for her to return and then take care of her daughter's affairs, and then she gritted her teeth and stomped her feet and staggered to follow the eunuch out on horseback. At this time, the inner city palace was also full of mourning, in the face of the epidemic, everyone was equal and noble, and even the Ninth Five-Year Supreme True Dragon Heavenly Son of the Hall of Fame was not spared. Empress Xiaozhuang sat in front of the Bed of the Shunzhi Emperor in the Yangxin Hall of the Qianqing Palace and wept heavily, and behind her, both the courtiers and the palace eunuchs were all wearing white filial piety and kneeling there crying.
When Gong Dingzi entered the palace gate, he learned that the twenty-four-year-old Shunzhi Emperor had also died because of smallpox. The Shunzhi Emperor ascended the throne at the age of six and reigned for eighteen years, the third emperor since the Qing Dynasty, and the first emperor after the Manchu Qing entered the customs to unify the country. When he was a child, he was held hostage by his uncle Dorgon, and it was only after Dorgon's death that he was able to govern pro-government, and his benevolent heart never slackened in governing the country, which can also be regarded as a DaoMing King.
When Empress Xiaozhuang learned that Gu Mei's daughter had also died of the epidemic, she thought of the young and deceased Shunzhi Emperor, who also fell from her own body, and could not help but feel empathy for Gu Mei's heart. Empress Xiaozhuang only briefly consulted the courtiers about who among the sons of the former emperor should inherit the unification, and other matters could only be postponed. Gong Dingzi stabilized the churning emotions in his heart and suggested that a prince who had already had a pox should be chosen to succeed to the throne, so as not to repeat the mistakes of the Shunzhi Emperor. Empress Dowager Shanyan accepted Gong Dingzi's suggestion, which was also the meaning of the Shunzhi Emperor before his death.
After some deliberation among the courtiers, Empress Xiaozhuang finally decided to let the third son of the Shunzhi Emperor, who had already suffered from smallpox, the then eight-year-old Aixin Jueluo Xuanye, succeed to the throne and change the next year to the first year of Kangxi (1662 AD). This emperor is not simple, at the age of fifteen years old, he wisely captured the power of the minister Aobai, and then put down the rebellion of Wu Sangui Shangzhi Geng Jingzhong San Fan, defeated a generation of steppe eagle Geldan, sent troops across the sea to destroy the Zheng clan to recover Taiwan, sent generals to bombard Yaksa on the banks of the Heilongjiang River and called the Czarist Peter the Great, all the way to the opening and hanging out of the Huanghuang China good big country, worthy of the title of "Emperor of the Ages", written out of another legend.
It was snowing and it was white. The same is true of my heart, where does my soul go? (Photo credit network)
By the time Gong Dingzi had finished dealing with the errands in the palace, it was already the second day, and everything made Gong Dingzi exhausted, and when he forcibly and patiently dragged his tired body back home, another blow followed and made Gong Dingzi want to cry without tears. Jewel blamed herself for not having good memories, which led to her death from the epidemic, and she committed suicide by swallowing gold in remorse. When Gu Mei heard the news and arrived, Zhu'er was already dying and lacking in skill, and Gu Mei couldn't help but hug her and cry when she saw That Jewel was so miserable: "Jewel, you are so confused!" Don't you want me, don't you want me? yes...... Ahhh..."
Jewel endured the colic pain in her abdomen and said intermittently, "Great aunt I... Jewel is so sorry! ...... I really shouldn't have led Nian Huai to the streets... It was Jewel who hurt The Miss... Jewel will go to miss and miss, the aunt should not be sad... If there is an afterlife, Jewel will lead the remembrance to find the aunt again, and the aunt will forget the pearl... and...... Miss! As the sound became smaller and quieter and finally faint, gradually the pearls lost their voice.
Gu Mei saw that HuaiZhu Er had died one after another, and her spirit completely collapsed, and a mouthful of blood spurted out of her mouth like a bright red flower soaking the white shirt of her and Zhu'er in her arms, and in an instant Gu Mei's head was full of green silk like snow falling into silver. When Gong Dingzi returned to the palace, he just saw this unforgettable scene, and he was also grief-stricken as if he was ten years old. Seeing Gu Mei vomiting blood and fainting like gossamer, Gong Ding was busy and asked the doctor to rescue and treat, and finally pulled Gu Mei back from the ghost door, but after this difficulty, her body was completely injured... Unconsciously, four years passed like this.
Soft footsteps came from behind her, interrupting Gu Mei's memories, and after many years of habit, Gu Mei knew that Gong Dingzi had returned home after hearing this footstep. Hurriedly wiping away the tears that had already flowed from her cheeks at some point, Gu Mei slowly stood up from the wicker chair and gently turned around, facing Gong Dingxiao, who was walking towards her in the sunset and autumn wind, and squatted down: "The old man is down? ”
Everything is empty, but the heart is tolerant. Where the dust is affectionate, it has gone with the wind. (Photo credit network)
"Madame doesn't have to be so polite, she's all old husbands and wives." Gong Dingxiao hurriedly took a step forward to support Gu Mei's weak body and said painfully. "Yeah, aren't they all old husbands and wives?" Gu Mei also looked at Gong Dingzi and said softly, a few years ago, Gong Dingzi's sideburns were indeed much older. Gu Mei instructed the next person to take another rattan chair and put it opposite hers, and then motioned for Gong Dingzi to sit down with her.
Gong Dingzi knew that Gu Mei had something to say, and sat down and waited quietly. Gu Mei drank a bowl of fried soup medicine sent by the next person, barely suppressed the cough, and said to Gong Dingzi, "Lord, is it okay to tell the emperor for a leave tomorrow morning?" Gong Dingxiao was puzzled: "Madame has something to say directly, and Dingxiao will definitely obey." Gu Mei saw that he was so cheerful, and sighed with great relief: "Lord, accompany Mei'er to Jiangnan, Mei'er wants to go to those sisters in the past." Lord, can you fulfill this mind of Mei'er? ”
Gong Dingzi smiled when he heard it: "Mei'er's words Dingzi obeyed, tomorrow morning why should the dynasty take a leave of absence, just resign from the government!" Gu Mei couldn't help but hear this: "Why did the old man say this?" Gong Dingxiao sighed and said, "Mei'er, you don't know anything, now that the imperial court is in power and the Ao Bai family is the only one who has monopolized power and dictatorship, the emperor can't suppress him when he is young." Although I had intersected with Ao Bai in my early years, I have only recently argued with him because I am not used to his sloppy style, and at this moment, I and Ao Bai are inseparable, so I simply throw my sleeves and leave, and I am not subject to the pickles of this shit! ”
Gu Mei couldn't help but smirk when she heard it, Gong Dingzi's Jiangshan nature was difficult to change after all, but Gu Mei admired his temperament, and naturally the husband and wife followed Gong Dingzi to advance and retreat. When it came to the early morning of the next day, Gong Dingzi really handed over the resignation fold, but the emperor comforted Aobai but did not approve it without authorization, Gong Dingzi was not in line with his political views, if the resignation of the official was equivalent to removing a nail in the eye, why not? The emperor saw that Ao Bai was so rude and angry, so he had no choice but to complain to Empress Xiaozhuang. At this time, the power of Ao Bai was like the second Dolgun, and it was already in the form of a tail that was difficult to fall. In order to stabilize Aobai, Empress Xiaozhuang persuaded the emperor to take a step back, and when she learned that Gong Dingzi wanted to accompany Gu Mei to Jiangnan, she allowed him to resign from Jiangnan and then give him a resignation before it was too late, and Gong Dingzi promised Xie En.
The hometown Yan is still back, but the old man is difficult to chase. The past has become the past, and there is no regret in the nine deaths. (Photo credit network)
After Gong Dingzi returned to the palace and entered the house, he told Gu Mei everything that happened in the court, and Gu Mei knew that after the empress dowager allowed them to go to Jiangnan, her spirit was also very happy. Gong Dingxiao was also happy to see gu mei's mood for many years and a long time. Before leaving, Gu Mei sighed and begged Gong Ding: "Lord, this time to Go to Jiangnan will not go to Jinling (Nanjing), that sad Mei'er does not want to go back, go to Suzhou hangzhou okay?" It is often said that 'there is Heaven above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below'. Gong Dingxiao heard Gu Meiyi's words and couldn't help but hook up the sad past, and her eyes choked with tears and agreed.
In the late autumn of the third year of the Kangxi Dynasty (1664 AD), Gu MeiGong Dingzi, in the name of returning to his hometown in Hefei, Anhui Province, followed the Official Road of Kaifeng in Baoding, Tongzhou, to the south of the river. At this time, Gong Dingzi had not yet resigned from his official position, but was still escorted by officers and soldiers to walk the local area as a member of the imperial court, and the husband and wife were naturally warmly received by officials of all sizes along the way. Although it was late autumn, the more south the greener it became, Gu Mei's mood also got better, and the pale face in the illness also had a little redness. Gong Dingxiao was afraid of Gu Mei's situation on the road, so he invited an old lady doctor from the Tai Hospital to follow him to take care of him.
Gong Dingzi was also very happy to see gu mei's good spirits, but when the accompanying old lady saw Gu Mei's scene, her face became more and more solemn, and he privately called Gong Dingzi to the person behind him: "According to the old decay and foolish opinion, Lady Zun has returned to the light, I am afraid that I will not survive this winter, and Lord Gong should have made plans earlier." After Gong Dingzi listened, if he was struck by lightning, gong Dingzi found a place where no one was and cried loudly after the old lady doctor left.
It took nearly a month to finally cross the Yangtze River, cross the Jinling Gu Mei Gong Dingzi to Hangzhou, Gu Mei's body became heavier and heavier, and she could not afford to work hard, so she had to dispel the idea of going to Suzhou again. When Gu Mei was in Hangzhou, gu mei beat the spirit and Gong Dingzi paid for her own pockets, scattered the family wealth and silver over the years, set up a luxurious banquet, and invited Gu Mei to the many Qinglou sisters who had known and not known since she fell into the wind and dust as a prostitute, which was a sensation in Hangzhou at that time.
During the banquet, Gu Mei sat in it, searching all over the crowd but she could no longer find the Qin Huai sisters who were as famous as her. Liu Ru is Li Xiangjun Dong Xiaowan Kou Baimen Bian Yujing and other Yi people have long returned to the clouds with the wind and rain of the years, where is the only remaining Chen Yuanyuan now? Still in Yunnan? Will Wu Sangui treat her as well as Gong Dingzi treats herself?
Looking back at the hundred years, the sky is full of storms in my dreams. The past floats up and down, and the years are fireworks in the world. (Photo credit network)
Cups and plates are scattered at the feast, or the remaining soup is used as a sad song. Since the end of the banquet in Hangzhou, Gu Mei could no longer support herself, and finally she could not afford to be ill. Knowing that her limit was approaching, she decided to return to the capital, and Jewel's ashes were still stored in the Changfeng Temple on the outskirts of Beijing, and Gu Mei also hoped to be with them after her death. Gong Dingxiao endured grief and took Gu Mei on the way back to Beijing, and the mule car was already groggy and drowsy in the whispering, and at the time of dying, she still held the medallion that Yu Huai had given her, which had been touched by her hand for many years and had turned yellow, as an emotional sustenance to accompany Gu Mei for half a life, and finally a spring dream was traceless.
When Gu Mei was finally awakened, she was held in the arms of Gong Dingzi, and she raised her hand to gently caress Gong Dingzi's tear-stained cheeks, and said intermittently: "Lord, Mei'er can't afford to be old... If there is an afterlife, mei'er has promised more than enough... Lang, lord, Mei'er only has to come to the afterlife again... Come back to serve the old master..." Gong Dingxiao couldn't help but hug Gu Mei, whose breath was weakening, and cried a mess, and only a "good" word could be heard in her choking voice.
Gu Mei still did not insist on walking to the capital, and finally died on the way back to Beijing in the snow of the swan feathers. Half a life to support each other, to the end of the only Gong Dingzi drifted away from the lonely body, which made him feel bad? The news of Gu Mei's death also reached Empress Xiaozhuang of the Cining Palace in the Forbidden City of Jingshi. When Su Mo'er had red eyes and was holding a fast horse in her hand, the secret box containing Gu Meishang's widow for the empress dowager entered the palace to report the news, and the empress dowager was sitting opposite the young Kangxi Emperor at a small table on the kang, discussing how to deal with the matter of Ao bai's unauthorized power.
"The emperor must be calm and think about things, he can endure it first, he must know that the ninja word has a knife on his head, and when he accumulates enough strength to strike the enemy to death..." Speaking of this, Su Mo'er walked into the palace with tearful eyes, knelt in front of the fire with a secret box and whispered: "The old ancestor of Qi Yu, the Lady of the Qin Dynasty, Xu Shi Shanzhi (that is, Gu Mei), the lady of the Qin Order Ceremony Department, was killed yesterday, and this was the remains of Xu Shi when he was dying. After saying this, Su Mo'er raised the secret box with both hands above her head, and a eunuch came and presented it to the empress dowager.
Who have you loved and who you have loved? This life is nothing more than east flowing water. As soon as the clouds rise and the moon sets in the west, the geese fly south and the wind blows in the north. (Photo credit network)
Opening the secret box with her own hands, Empress Xiaozhuang picked up the fold and read it carefully, and after a long time, she gently sighed with her eyebrows. Gu Mei's long-term illness with the empress dowager also knew, but did not want her to die so quickly. The empress dowager gave the fold to the Kangxi Emperor and said: "Gu Yatou did not pray with herself in the fold, but asked for the cremation of the ashes to go to the Changfeng Temple on the outskirts of Beijing and be in the same place as the daughter of the righteous sister." In addition, it was important that she wanted to save one person, that is, Chen Yuanyuan (Chen Yuanyuan), how did the emperor deal with this matter? ”
During the empress dowager's speech, the Kangxi Emperor had already read the fold, and after a little thought, he said slowly: "Although Xu Shi is a woman with great insight, he is also very admired. She had already foreseen that sooner or later Wu Sangui would rebel and cause chaos in the world, and she was sure that this unpopularity would be defeated, and she only hoped that when the swords and soldiers met, she hoped that the imperial court could spare Chen Yuan once, after all, a weak woman. If only then he would forgive her. ”
After listening to it, the empress dowager nodded approvingly: "But now the plan is to first remove Ao Bai and then try san fan, the meal must be eaten in a mouthful, and the outside must first be inside, and nothing can be done without first moving the mountain of Ao Bai, the emperor you must have a definite plan in your heart." The Kangxi Emperor stood up from the fire and bowed to the empress dowager: "Grandchildren respectfully obey the will of the emperor's grandmother." ”
When the Kangxi Emperor left, the empress dowager beckoned to Su Mo'er, who was still kneeling there and secretly weeping: "Jasmine rise up, how can people come back from the dead?" It is useless to leave sorrow in vain, but it is a pity that Gu Yatou's affection is deep and righteous. After Su Mo stood up, the empress dowager ordered: "You go to find Gong Dingzi and tell him that it is the will of the Wai family, and set up a wonderful xiang pavilion for Gu Yatou at the Changfeng Temple on the outskirts of Beijing, after all, it is Lady Yipin, let her also enjoy the cannibal offerings, and then tell Gong Dingzi to allow him to give shi after this matter, and accompany Gu Yatou in the temple." Su Mo'er nodded and led the order away.
After Su Mo'er left, the empress dowager paced to the front of the book, looked at the fan surface of the "Orchid Diagram" that had been refined, did not say a word for a long time, and finally sighed lightly: "The soul of fang passes away with the wind, and the red dust is less than one person." (End of full text)