Chapter 125
Female officials were a system set up by Emperor Hongwu. They were divided into six bureaus and one division. Female officials are different from these palace maids and eunuchs who are like mustards. They have grades on their bodies. They are well-versed in literature and ink. They are the managers of the harem. Some female officials were selected from outside, and some were trained from the palace. Qin Xianger was admitted from outside the palace.
After the palace maid and Wang Yanqing finished talking, they went to Qin Xianger to report. Wang Yanqing didn't follow her, but changed the way, silently pondering the affairs of Ciqing Palace.
The management of the palace is so strict that it is difficult for outsiders to take advantage of the loopholes except for the inner ghosts. And last night, Ciqing Palace was haunted after being surrounded by Jin Yiwei. No outsiders approached Ciqing Palace during this period, so this ghost must appear inside them.
The first time there were no valid witnesses to the haunting, and the second time half of the people in Ciqing Palace kept vigil in the house while the other half slept. The five palace servants and the Queen Mother Zhang hit the ghost together. When these people gather together, it is difficult to cheat, and the other half of the palace servants are more likely to commit crimes. Among them, Cui Yuehuan, who slept to death during the first vigil, and happened to be not in the dormitory for the second time, was very suspicious.
The sky gradually darkened, and the atmosphere of Ciqing Palace was obviously flustered. When Wang Yanqing was walking around, she saw two palace maids looking around in the main hall in the backyard with suspicious expressions. One of them was Yu Wan who had spoken to her earlier. Wang Yanqing stopped at the door and knocked gently: "What are you doing?"
Yu Wan was startled when she heard a voice behind her, and almost threw the thing in her hand. When she looked back and saw Wang Yanqing, she breathed a sigh of relief: "Miss Wang, it's you."
Wang Yanqing lifted her skirt and stepped into the threshold, and asked, "What's wrong?"
Yu Wan quickly twisted the handkerchief in the water basin, not daring to delay for a moment, and said, "Auntie asked us to scrub the warehouse in the back. It's getting dark, there are few people here, and it's cold and scary, we have to go back quickly."
It was the fear of ghosts. Wang Yanqing stopped in front of Duobao Pavilion to help them. Wang Yanqing carefully took down a pair of vases and asked, "How long have you been in the palace?"
Yu Wan twisted her handkerchief, wiped the vase neatly, and replied, "I have been in the palace for five years, and she has just entered the palace for three years."
Wang Yanqing looked at the other palace maid. She had a beautiful face and a slender body. She looked a little dazed, and when she noticed Wang Yanqing looking over, she hurriedly lowered her head, her hands shook, and she almost broke the vase.
Wang Yanqing stood beside him, and quickly caught the vase. Yu Wan was startled, she was relieved when she saw that the vase was okay, raised her eyebrows and complained: "Xiu Jin, what are you doing? This is the vase given to the Queen Mother by Emperor Hongzhi. The Queen Mother is usually very precious, if it is broken, Ten is not enough for you."
Xiu Jin lowered her eyes and said sorry. Yu Wan looked at Xiu Jin's appearance and hesitated, finally sighing: "Forget it, if you are not good, just go back and rest for a while, I'll just wash here."
Xiu Jin waved her hand and said no, Yu Wan snatched the things over and said in disgust, "Don't make trouble here, you are so dazed, what can you do? Go back quickly, I have to go to the Queen Mother's house to watch the night. ."
Xiu Jin couldn't grab Yu Wan, and finally walked away with her head down. Wang Yanqing watched the woman go out and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong with her? I see her face is very pale, is she not feeling well?"
Yu Wan hesitated before speaking, and finally shook her head and said, "She is young, and she is not used to it when she first entered the palace. It will be good in a few years."
Yu Wan said it casually, Wang Yanqing looked back at her, only to see Yu Wan's brows drooping, she picked up Xiu Jin's vase and wiped it swiftly.
Behind this understatement, I don't know how much sorrow is hidden.
Wang Yanqing sighed secretly and asked, "Xiu Jin is an elegant name. Her parents should also be scholars, so why are you willing to send her to the palace?"
Yu Wan said, "No way. It would be great if their family was really a scholar, but unfortunately her parents died early, and her brother and sister-in-law didn't want to support her, so they sold her into the palace. It's called Xiaosi, and Aunt Qin later said that the fourth is not auspicious, and there is a poem called Xiuzhen..."
Wang Yanqing answered: "April is beautiful, and May is Ming."
"Oh yes." Yu Wan had already washed the vase and put it back in the Duobao Pavilion, twisting the handkerchief in the water and saying, "This is the poem. Aunt Qin said that the four-tone is not good, so she changed her name. Xiujian. It's a pity, no matter how delicate the name is, grass is still grass, and it's still a life to be trampled on."
Yu Wan washed the veil in the water, and Wang Yanqing stared at her. Wang Yanqing noticed that Yu Wan's tone did not fluctuate when she said these words, but her eyes were slightly closed, her upper lip was lifted, and two thin grooves quickly appeared on the side of her nose, which soon disappeared. Wang Yanqing remained calm and asked, "What happened to her?"
Yu Wan pouted and was about to say something when a voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Yu Wan."
Yu Wan was frightened and stood up immediately: "Aunt Qin."
Wang Yanqing turned around and found that it was the female official Duansu whom she had seen in the morning. It turned out that she was Qin Xianger. Wang Yanqing joined hands and said a thousand blessings, but Qin Xianger avoided and returned a salute: "Miss Wang, you are a distinguished guest, why did you come here? Mr. Lu brought you dinner on behalf of Shang's Food Supervisor, ma'am, please Come with the servants."