Chapter 117: twilight

The New Year’s Day is just around the corner, and there are grand banquets in the palace for several consecutive days to entertain hundreds of civil and military officials and madams. The festivities in the harem also continued.
This day is a family banquet in the harem, arranged in Zhaoyang Hall. Not only the concubines, but also the noble daughters of the clan, princess and princess, and a number of princesses and concubines.
Yuan Luo and Queen Wei lined up on either side of Sikonglin. The imperial concubine and the empress were both on the high platform, which is not compliant with the rules, but the imperial concubine and Si Konglin have experienced the throne side by side, and naturally no one cares about this little impoliteness.
The banquet on the New Year’s Festival is particularly lively and gorgeous. Not only did the palace teaches various vaudevilles, but also called outstanding folk artists from outside the palace to perform. Even many princesses and concubines who love to lively have prepared singing and dancing. This era is not as particular about ethics as later generations, and famous ladies are proud of being good at vocal music.
Yuan Luo was holding the wine glass and looked at the dancing figure in the center of the wide hall with interest.
Concubine Zhuo Shu, dressed in a green palace costume, is performing, and the fast-rotating slim figure is particularly dazzling on the red embroidered golden thread carpet.
Concubine Zhuo Shu's face was plain, she didn't expect to dance so amazing.
After Concubine Zhuo Shu, a county lord showed off his voice and sang a song praising the prosperity of the dynasty. The weak Du Zhaoyi put on a hunting suit and showed off a sword dance. Yuan Luo was amazed to see.
Even Queen Wei couldn't hold back her eagerness to try, and ordered the female officer to fetch the long piano and play a piece on the spot.
In all fairness, Queen Wei's piano art is quite good, and when the Queen's empress comes off the stage, everyone is constantly complimenting her, and she praises the sound of the pretty good piano.
Queen Wei smiled reservedly: "You are polite, everyone's singing and dancing are also excellent."
Yuan Luo, who glanced at the opposite side, smiled and said, "I don't know if the concubine is preparing for the show today? Let me open my eyes when I wait."
There was a moment of silence in the hall, and everyone knew that the queen was incompatible with the imperial concubine, and the imperial concubine's origin has always been the focus of criticism. It is said that the family has been named as a declining family, and everyone is clear in their hearts, just the name.
Yuan Luo put aside the wine glass, this dead girl liked to poke herself if she had nothing to do. At the same time, he deeply reflected on whether his temper was so good these days that many imperial concubines no longer feared themselves.
Although this was originally Yuan Luo's goal, but sometimes a little irritable.
"Since the Queen has spoken, this palace is not easy to hide. Speaking of which, the palace has been practicing painting skills recently and has made great progress. It is better to paint a picture to open your eyes."
The people in the hall were a little bit funny when they listened. What is an eye-opener? Would anyone praise themselves so much before painting?
Queen Wei said with a smile, "Then I'm looking forward to it."
Yuan Luo stood up slowly, and when she passed by Queen Wei, she lowered her voice and laughed, "Then turn your head up."
Empress Wei stiffened, her cheeks flushed with anger, and she was bulging like a pufferfish.
Liu Xiuchun has hurriedly brought the little to the desk and prepared pen, ink, paper, inkstone and various colors of paint.
Yuan Luo walked to the table and waved a big pen, but with a little bit of tea, she raised her head and said, "It's finished."
Everyone in the hall was shocked, and I had never seen painting so fast. Everyone is even more curious about the quality of the finished product.
Yuan Luo instructed the two eunuchs: "Show the works of the palace to all the sisters and ladies."
Everyone looked at it intently.
Those with flattering attributes, thinking of Yuan Luo's overwhelming power at this time, prepared to pinch his nose to compliment no matter how bad the painting was. At this time, he was dumbfounded when he saw this painting and couldn't export it.
Because it can't be called a painting at all. On the snow-white paper, there are only a few thick ink marks, which are messy and disorderly.
Yuan Luo laughed: "How is this painting in this palace? Please taste it."
Everyone looked at each other, and didn't know whether they should praise their conscience or remain silent. The main reason is that this painting is too far beyond their tolerance limits. It is praised, and it may become a joke in the capital in the future.
Concubine Zhuo Shu couldn't help asking, "What kind of scene does the painting of the unknown empress describe?"
Yuan Luo said lightly, "Can't you see this? Of course it's a snow scene."
Everyone:...
This vast expanse of whiteness can really be regarded as a snow scene.
Princess Yichang asked: "The black in it..."
"Those black are the houses in the snow."
Everyone is complaining, is there such an ugly house? Isn't such a house a mess of wood?
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"Speaking of which, these private houses look like some messy wood." Yuan Luo came to his masterpiece and touched his chin.
It turns out that this imperial concubine also knows herself.
Yuan Luo glanced across the noble ladies in the hall and raised her voice: "This kind of messy wood-like house is the real scene under the blizzard in Beijing today, and it is what I saw with my own eyes."
In the astonished sight of everyone, Yuan Luo walked to the hall.
"The emperor, and all of you, today, in the high seat hall, what we ate is splendid, rosy silk and satin, with ambergris burning around, and golden velvet under our feet, enjoying the days of swallowing beads and eating jade, but not I know how many people have been struggling since the beginning of winter. In recent blizzards, there have been 2,221 residential damages in the capital, and more than 8,000 people have been affected. This is the case at the feet of the emperor in the capital. Outside the city. There are so many people who have been displaced. Even those who barely suffer from disasters, they live in thatched huts and are wrapped in linen cloth. The days are difficult..."
She went to the palace to see the scene of the snow disaster in Beijing.
Sikonglin thought for a while, "Is that the story in "Ma Liang" that A Luo told me before?"
The picture book Yuan Luo made for him before, combined with folk tales, filled a lot of people's livelihood issues at the bottom of the population, and guided Sikonglin's three views, so now Yuan Luo remembered the snow disaster when he mentioned it.
"The emperor is wise." Yuan Luo smiled kindly at Si Konglin.
"So this palace drew this snow disaster building map today. It is an advocacy, sisters in the harem, and ladies, if you have more money, you may wish to donate it. This palace wants to set up a special fund for this time. The people affected by the disaster built houses and bought food and clothing so that they could survive this winter safely."
Everyone in Queen Wei was stunned. How did the good banquet suddenly change its style and become a government fundraising meeting.
"Since this palace is the first advocate, it will be a good start."
The imperial chief Liu Xiuchun personally took the little eunuch, holding a large golden lacquer tray, and kneeling in front of Yuan Luo.
Yuan Luo pulled out the golden phoenix with a bunch of rubies from her hair bun and put it in a tray: "In addition to this golden hairpin, the palace will also donate thousands of silver patterns to help the victims."
Looking at the people who were still in a daze, Yuan Luo kindly added: "This donation is all voluntary. Everyone will do what they can. After the victims are relieved, a stone tablet will be erected outside the city to engrave all of you. Credit."
You are called to do what you can!
The nobles have complicated faces. If you really do what you can, cry for the poor and have no money, and donate only one or two liang, which will be engraved on the tablet in the future, then it would be a public sentence. Can only catch the ducks on the shelves. Fortunately, the standard set by the imperial concubine was barely acceptable, one thousand taels.
The imperial concubine donated one thousand taels, so these follow-ups could not steal the imperial concubine's limelight.
Except for one person.
Empress Wei looked at the plate brought to her, and the corners of her mouth twitched. It stands to reason that this kind of thing shouldn't be the responsibility of her queen, and this woman took the limelight again.
Angrily, she pulled out the hairpin with twelve large pearls inlaid, threw it on the tray, and raised her voice: "My palace donated three thousand taels."
Yuan Luoxi smiled and bowed and said, "The empress is really kind."
Queen Wei sat upright with satisfaction, as if she was pressing Yuan Luo a head, turned her head to think, but there was another pain. That was her favorite pearl hairpin, and the night pearl in the middle was hard to find. Looking at Yuan Luo again, he was hypocritical in every way.
Fortunately, other people didn't entangle like this. According to their status, they were 800 taels, 600 miles, and 300 taels.
Yuan Luo returned to his seat and was very satisfied with the increase in the amount of money accumulated.
But the people who reluctantly paid for the money in the audience were not so relaxed. Many of them still couldn't understand how a good palace banquet suddenly turned into a charity party.

At the end of the banquet, Yuan Luo returned to Zichen Palace.
Lian Yanqiu came out from the main hall. Yuan Luo couldn't wait to ask: "How much money did you receive in total?" Liu Xiuchun had already sent both the silver and silver donations to the Zichen Palace.
Lian Yanqiu replied: "The total amount of silver is forty-six thousand one hundred taels. There are too many jewelry to be counted, so I can only count them slowly."
Yuan Luo couldn't wait to take a look at the list of accounts, and the list of numbers above made her excited and let out a satisfied cheer.
Lian Yanqiu wanted to laugh, in such a mood, it was really like a cat stealing a fat fish with a mouth full of fat, snoring comfortably. After a pause, he asked, "How did the empress think of this trick?"
"Who makes them always like to laugh at me. They can't be laughed at for nothing, and simply collect some money." Yuan Luo closed the accounts.
"Ha, congratulations to the mother that her small vault has become a lot richer. It's just that these pearl hairpin jewelry are too distinctive to be directly collected in the warehouse. It is better to send them to the workshop and disassemble them before processing."
"No need, just auction it out." The value of those jewelry is not only the material, but also the exquisite craftsmanship. Dealing with it after dismantling will greatly depreciate.
"I also give the lady who likes her pearl hairpin a chance to take things back. After all, gentlemen don't seize the love of others." Yuan Luo said very considerately.