Denghuaxiao

Chapter 217 Wild Flowers

 Sleepless night.

 Early on the next morning, as soon as the rooster crows, the Medical Officer's Hospital becomes lively.

Chang Jin got up before dawn, got dressed, and went to the kitchen early to boil a large pot of herbal water. They were all peach leaves and gale roots that strengthened the body and dispelled evil spirits. When it was boiled until it gave off a bitter fragrance, he was called to stay in the courtyard. The medical officers who got up brought the silver basins to serve themselves - it was always customary to bathe hands in grass soup on the morning of the festival.

When Lu Zhen went to get the medicinal soup, he also made a pot for Lin Danqing.

 After returning to the house, he put the copper basin filled with medicinal soup on the table, and then someone came out from behind the screen.

Lin Danqing was wearing a light blue robe and skirt. Her long hair was tied high with a hairband of the same color. A dark belt was tied tightly around her waist. The corners of her robe fell down, revealing black boots when she walked. The medical officer's robe was elegant and elegant, and she wore it. It's like a freehand painting.

 She stretched out her hand, turned around in front of Lu Yan, and asked, "How is it?"

 Lu Huan: “Very beautiful.”

She became proud of herself: "That's natural, you're not bad either."

Today is the Tianzhangtai Festival. Lu Zhuo returned to the Medical Officer's Hospital last night so that he could set out early in the morning with everyone in the Medical Officer's Court.

The Tianzhangtai Festival is grand and lively, and will be busy for a whole day. During the day, red boats compete for bids by the Changle Pond, His Majesty ascends the tower to watch the water play, and gives banquets to the ministers. After the ceremony, there is a Nuo ceremony at night. In addition to the imperial doctors, most of the medical officers, especially the new medical officers, seldom paid homage to the holy face and began to get excited early on.

As soon as he walked to the door, he saw Chang Jin waiting outside with a group of medical officers. When he saw Lu Zhu and the other two, Chang Jin urged: "We're just waiting for you two. Get in the car quickly."

The group of people hurriedly got into the carriage, with Lu Zhuo, Lin Danqing, and several medical officers sitting together. When he woke up a little late in the morning, Lin Danqing peeled a few green-shelled eggs on the carriage to fill his stomach in advance.

Lu Zhen saw that she seemed really hungry, so he gave her his eggs.

Lin Danqing gave her one: "Sister Lu, you should eat something too. The festival has to be busy all day long, and there are many people at the table. Sometimes, just to show off, you don't eat as much as you want. It's your first time attending the festival. I don't know. I came here once with my dad and I was so hungry that my chest pressed against my back.”

The neighboring medical officer laughed and said, "Medical Officer Lin is scaring Medical Officer Lu again. How can the palace deprive you of some food?"

Lin Danqing turned around: "It's not a loss, but it's still not as comfortable as in your own house."

Seeing that Lu Chen was silent, she was relieved: "However, I ate less, but I had a good time. In the Changlechi Water Palace, you can watch various water plays, water puppets, water swings... and Nuo rituals. They are not like those outside. You can see it!”

While chatting like this, the road didn't feel far and wobbly, and the destination was reached in a short time.

The carriage stopped. Lu Zhuo and his party got off the carriage and saw many carriages parked one after another outside the long gate veranda.

After Chang Jin counted the names of the group of people, he led them inside.

 In fact, it stands to reason that Lu Yan was suspended from her job before. Even if something happened to Cui Min, her previous affairs were handled vaguely. But now that she was treating Qi Yutai, Chang Jin was in charge of the medical office for the time being. Chang Jin thought about it and realized that this festival was just for fun after all. After asking Ji Xun, he added Lu Yun's name. .

After entering the martial arts field, Lu Zhuo looked up and saw an endless long pool in front of the vast square, with a water shed already built on top. There are dozens or hundreds of ornately decorated red boats docked at the edge of the pool.

On the shore around the water palace, there are also mounted archers and other guards. This is where the other divisions compete.

 There is a long table in the martial arts arena, which is filled with fine wine and dishes, and each department has its own place. The location of the medical hospital is relatively remote. Chang Jin led everyone to the long table in the corner and sat down. As soon as Fang sat down, he heard a greeting from the neighbor.

 The person sitting next door is someone from the Imperial Medicine Hospital.

 The Royal Pharmacy Hospital and the Medical Officials Hospital have always been delicate. When they met each other, they greeted each other very politely. Then everyone pretended that nothing happened, turned their heads and talked to themselves, no longer being polite.

Lu Zhen glanced around and saw no trace of Ji Xun. It is expected that Ji Xun's position is not here. Based on his official position, he may be further forward.

In the porcelain pot on the table, there was also some chrysanthemum wine, chrysanthemum cakes, and Double Ninth Festival cakes, all of which are part of the Double Ninth Festival diet - the Double Ninth Festival has just passed. In the vase in front of each altar of chrysanthemum wine, there are small clusters of chrysanthemums, which are flying yellow and flowing red, which is particularly delicate and beautiful.

More and more ministers were sitting around, and ceremonial guards gradually began to move around on the red boat on the Changle Pond. I don’t know how long it took, but in the bustle, an official of ceremony spoke loudly, and the Holy One arrived—

The crowd suddenly fell silent, and all the ministers knelt down and worshiped.

Lu Zhen also knelt down and worshiped. When he raised his eyes, he saw Emperor Liang Ming who was surrounded high up in the hall from a distance.

This is the first time Lu Zhen saw clearly the holy face of the legendary emperor.

 Emperor Liang Ming looked very young.

He is in his early forties, wearing a bright yellow robe embroidered with clouds and gold dragon patterns, and a gold crown on his head. The beads hanging down from the crown cover his imperial expression, but he still does not lose the imperial aura, but his face is slightly pale, which makes the whole person look a bit... gloomy.

Emperor Liang Ming raised his hand and ordered everyone to sit down on the high platform without ceremony. To his left and right were the Queen Mother, the Queen, and then the Third Prince, the Second Prince, the Fourth Prince and several princesses.

 Lu Zhen's mind moved slightly.

 Prince Yuanzhen was not among them.

 She looked behind Emperor Liang Ming again.

 The royal family sat on a small building above the water hall. Here they could have a panoramic view of the Changle Pond, and it was also an excellent location to watch water plays.

 Behind Emperor Liang Ming, there was a young man standing.

Pei Yunying is dressed in a dark green official uniform with dark flower and black eagle pattern brocade, and an official hat on his head. His posture is as neat as the beautiful silver sword on his waist. He is heroic, sharp and handsome. At a glance, he really stands out.

In just a moment, Lu Zhuo understood that Pei Yunying was the commander in chief of the palace. Whenever there was a banquet, he should naturally accompany Emperor Liang Ming to protect his safety.

Just as he was thinking about it, his arm was lightly poked.

Lu Zhen turned around, and Lin Danqing looked towards the distance and said, "Look."

Lu Zong followed her gaze and saw a young lady sitting in the back of the long hall not far from the tall building. Although she was covered with a veil, she was still graceful, elegant and fragrant. At first glance, she could tell that she was of an extraordinary life.

 Lu Wei paused.

 Qi Huaying also came.

On the long banquet in the Water Palace, Qi Huaying sat beside Qi Yutai. The large and dazzling peonies on her dress made her look like the most dazzling beauty on the table, causing the male guests in the distance to secretly look at her. Look this way.

 Qi Huaying frowned uncomfortably.

Even though there was a veil covering her face, even though there were no outsiders around her at the banquet due to Qi Qing, and she was only accompanied by Qi Yutai, she still felt uncomfortable and did not want to be in the same place with these mixed people, those admiring eyes. It doesn't make her proud, it just makes her more bored.

The woman raised her eyes, but the people on the tall building never glanced at her.

A trace of disappointment secretly flashed in Qi Huaying's eyes.

 She has seen Pei Yunying.

This Commander Pei Dian is accompanying me on the left and right. From his angle, it should be easy to see myself.

She dressed up specially today. The dress she chose was gorgeous, dignified and elegant. When she sat down at the table, she carefully calculated every inch so that when she sat down, the person upstairs could just see the most beautiful side of her profile.

Perhaps it’s not because of emotion, but just a little unwillingness. She has always been the only one who looked down on others, why would others look down on her first?

It's a pity that even though all the male guests at the table were shocked by her appearance, they still felt deeply disappointed when she raised her sleeves and raised a lamp and peeked upstairs through her long sleeves.

Pei Yunying stood indifferently, never looking over.

 He never noticed her at all.

His self-esteem is like being poured down by cold water, but his face is barely calm. However, Qi Yutai beside her didn't know that she was depressed at the moment. She was talking to others and seemed to be in a good mood today.

 At the other end, Lin Danqing and Lu Zhu were biting their ears.

 “You have to be careful.”

"Miss Qi has never come to the ceremony before, but she is here today dressed up. Just now I noticed that she peeked five or six times upstairs. She couldn't be looking at the emperor! That would be very interesting."

Lin Danqing sat up straight and sighed: "The word love hurts people."

The two of them whispered together, but they did not see the high-rise building. The young man quickly glanced towards this side, and then quickly looked away.

Not long after, the crowd of red boats on the Changle Pond began to make a noise. A medical officer beside him said excitedly: "Look, the water play is about to begin!"

Lu Zhen recovered his thoughts and looked up into the distance.

The Changle Pond is vast and boundless. On a large boat at the front, the music officer of the Jiaofang stepped forward to deliver a speech. Then the drummer at the water shed in the pool started playing drums. Amidst the fierce drumming, dozens of small red boats dispersed and lined up neatly by the Changle Pool.

On each of these red boats stood more than ten or twenty red-coated sergeants, with a big red flag on the bow. There were dozens of tiger-headed boats beside them. The people on the boats wore green short clothes and long green scarves. They waved their oars in unison.

There are two more flying fish boats, with detailed and exquisite paintings painted in gold paint. On board are a group of ritual warriors in costumes, waving gongs and drums and other musical instruments in their hands.

Lin Danqing sat beside her and explained: "The people on the flying fish boat are the music officials, and they will do water puppets and other tricks later. The tiger-headed boat leads the red boat, and they immediately start to 'compete for bids.'"

 “Competing for bids” is the highlight of water play.

The green-robed boatmen rowed hard, dragging the red boat carrying the red-robed sergeant forward. The gongs and drums on the pool sounded in unison, and several red boats moved forward together, rushing towards their destination like several arrows. The red boats are intertwined with each other, just like two armies at war.

In the center of the Changle Pond, there is a military officer holding a long pole with a long golden arrow hanging on it. Whichever red boat rows to the destination first and gets the long golden arrow, and shoots the colorful arrow by the pool, it will be the winner. "Win the bid".

The sergeant on the shore gave an order, and immediately "several arrows were fired", and the sound of gongs and drums, cheers, and singing of various operas could be heard on the water for a while. The Changle Pond is gorgeous, the drum music is like gold and stone, the water in the pond is turbulent, like underwater scales leaping into the sea, and fish and dragons are fighting each other.

The atmosphere suddenly became warm.

Lin Danqing was so excited that he wanted to roll up his sleeves and join the battle himself. The screams were so loud that even Lu Zhen couldn't bear it. Looking at Chang Jin on the other side, he was also excited. He held up a wine cup and shouted hello, no longer showing his usual polite and old-fashioned appearance.

 Really devoted.

The red boats are racing fiercely in Changlechi. Looking down from upstairs, the situation becomes even more vivid.

Upstairs in the small building, Emperor Liang Ming stood with his hands behind his hands. Standing on the small building and looking downstairs, he seemed to be infected by the fierce drumming, and his pale face became a little red.

The Queen Mother smiled and said: "This year is more lively than in previous years."

The competition for the bid for the Water Palace was a program set by the late emperor, and it is a must-visit event every year for the Shenbao Palace. The former emperor had a bold and cheerful temperament, but Emperor Liang Ming was completely different, gentle and calm. After the death of the former emperor, the annual ceremonies seemed a little less interesting without the emperor enjoying himself with his ministers in the water palace. As for this year, the ceremony and Nuo ceremony are combined in one place, so the preparations are more grand. In the Changle Pond, the red boats in the audience were competing with each other. Two red boats gradually surpassed the others and took the lead. The two boats were stuck with each other. Seeing that they were getting closer and closer to the target boat, the leading sergeant on one of the boats suddenly stood up. , flying towards the golden arrow on the flagpole of the flag ship.

Seeing this, the leading sergeant on the other ship, not to be outdone, flew up and landed on the flag ship. He grabbed the person in front of him by the thigh and tore him off the flagpole.

 The two men immediately fought on the tender ship.

"well!"

 The onlookers became even more excited.

What's the point of rowing a boat? It's all about having fun. If it's a good fight, let's fight!

The two sergeants on the boat were equally skilled. One was just about to pull out the arrow, and the other followed closely. The red boat rocked, and the water splashed up due to the shaking. The sergeants on both sides of the boat were waving flags and shouting, and there were other boats. When he came close to stop him, everyone on the shore shouted and cheered, and the golden arrows on the red boat remained unmoved.

The third prince Yuan Yao then said with a smile: "The two sticks of incense have passed, and the two sergeants have not yet decided the winner, so there will be some delay."

When the queen sitting next to the emperor heard this, her eyes moved, and she said with a smile: "Why should Yaoer be impatient? The two armies are fighting, and the outcome is not known until the end. What's the point of settling down early? Have the last laugh. That’s the winner.”

Now the court is divided into two factions. The prince and the third prince each have a group of supporters, and their relationship is not really close.

 Now that the prince is under house arrest, and His Majesty has assigned the military power to the Chen family of the third prince's mother clan, the queen is very anxious.

The overt and secret strife was brought to light, and Emperor Liang Ming looked calm. Seeing this, the Queen Mother on the side spoke out to smooth things over: "Although Red Boat is wonderful, this year's bidding for sergeants is indeed not as good as before." She glanced at the young man standing next to Emperor Liang Ming, smiled and said: "Look at the Ai family, if it changes It's Pei Dianshuai. Within one stick of incense, he has already won the gold medal and the bidding is over."

When everyone in the building heard this, they all looked at the young man behind Emperor Liang Ming.

Pei Yunying stood and did not do anything else when he heard the Queen Mother's praise. He only smiled and nodded: "Thank you, Queen Mother, for your good reputation."

He is dressed in rich official attire, has an upright and handsome posture, and is handsome and handsome. He seems to be humble and polite, but without making a move, he outshines the princes beside His Majesty.

The Queen touched her fingertips and laughed too, and said: "What the Queen said is true. I still remember that at three o'clock in March, the soldiers broke off the willow rings and planted them on the ground. The sergeants galloped to shoot them. Pei Dianshuai was hit by the arrow.毬, the limelight is the same.”

With her reminder, everyone just remembered the flying appearance of Pei Yun when he galloped into the field. He was still younger at that time, and his dazzling brilliance could not be concealed like a sword that had just been unsheathed.

　Nowadays, the older we get, the more handsome we become, but our temperaments are calmer, which makes people miss the past a little bit.

Emperor Liang Ming looked at Pei Yunying for a long time. He didn't know what he thought of, but suddenly he twitched the corner of his mouth and his tone was a little strange.

“In this way, Pei Aiqing will also end up. Let’s teach those sergeants what ‘fighting for bids’ is.”

 Everyone upstairs had a meal.

Pei Yunying raised his eyes, but Emperor Liang Ming had already retracted his gaze and looked at the pool downstairs.

 He then handed over his hand and said, "Yes."

Lu Yan was sitting in the long banquet of the water hall, expressionlessly listening to the deafening cheers beside him. Suddenly he heard a cry of surprise from the front, and Chang Jin next to him let out a high-pitched scream, and he couldn't help but wince. Frowning, he looked up and was suddenly startled.

On the water surface of Changle Pond, a person suddenly passed by. This person was dressed in a familiar dark green and dark flower brocade. His movements were light and beautiful, like a bluebird spreading its wings across the water. The wind shook the water, leaving only a few ripples on the water. .

 The cheers around him suddenly became excited.

 "Dianshuai Pei, Dianshuai Pei is gone too!"

Lu Zhen stared at it.

Pei Yunying had taken off his official hat, took an ink embroidered piece and put it on his forehead. He moved very quickly, and the whole pond of red boats was as flat as the ground beneath his feet. Everyone's eyes were dazzled by the fact that the young man had already reached the "competing bid" boat.

He stepped forward again, and the two people who were fighting fiercely under the bamboo pole seemed to have sensed the approaching crisis. They immediately put aside their previous suspicions and shared the same hatred. One left and the other picked up Baixi spears from the shore and rushed towards him.

"well!"

There was another round of applause and applause all around.

This is much more exciting than the water puppet on the dragon boat just now.

Two spears stabbed him in the side, one from the left and the other from the right. Pei Yunying didn't care. He didn't use the knife. He picked up a red tassel spear on the opera stand and held it against it. The spear head was like a shooting star, and the red tassel was as bright as cloud brocade. It was flying fast. The time is dazzling.

Everyone at the banquet watched intently, and some elegant ministers roared until their faces turned red and thick-necked. Qi Huaying sat in the hall amidst the cheers, and suddenly she felt that her heart was like the red tassel on the spear, following the up and down movement of the man holding the spear. Flying red.

There are also people holding wine cups, looking at the young man on the red boat in the distance, and complimenting the person beside them: "The prince is extremely handsome and has the appearance of reaching the sky. Mr. Pei really teaches his son well."

Duke Zhaoning, Pei Di, lowered his head to drink with a dull expression and did not answer.

Suddenly, the crowd exclaimed again. When everyone looked up, they saw that the two red-coated sergeants were somewhat outmatched. Pei Yunying fired a shot, but the two of them were unable to dodge. There were two "plop" and "plop" sounds and they fell into the water one after another. The young man under the flagpole smiled when he saw this, he raised his spear easily, and the golden arrow hanging on the top of the flagpole fell down, along with a small golden bow beside it, and fell into his arms.

At this time, he was surrounded by red boats, the gongs and drums on the boat were beating fiercely, and everyone on the shore cheered and applauded. In the distance, the shore was green, with pomegranate flowers in full bloom. A young man with beautiful eyebrows and handsome face bent his bow and pointed at the shore. The golden pin shot from afar—

"boom-"

 The golden sword fell in color and hit the target with one hit.

The table was quiet for a moment, and then a huge cheer erupted.

 “Good! Beautiful! So wonderful!”

Chang Jin’s excited voice changed its tune, Lin Danqing also clapped the table and cheered, and there was a roar of gongs and drums on the bank of Changle Pond.

The young man smiled and raised his hand to take off the black gold embroidery on his forehead and wipe it with his forehead. The look of his face shining in the sun reminded people of a poem -

 There was a young man named Yu Linlang from Chang'an who rode and shot gracefully to serve the wise emperor.

　　Perfect light shines on people.

After a while, the two sergeants who were picked off by Pei Yunying's spear swam to the red boat and climbed onto the boat wet. They were both a little surprised. The sergeant who had high hopes of competing for the bid was actually thrown into the water with just a few moves. It was really embarrassing.

but…

The commander-in-chief’s skills are so good, no wonder they are there!

The red boat with the pole hanging on it gradually returned to the water shed. A music official in red walked out of the water shed, holding a gold plate. He walked respectfully in front of Pei Yunying, crouched and said with a smile: "This is a hairpin flower." , please choose Mr. Pei.”

In the Liang Dynasty, imperial flower hairpins were often given to silk hats or chests at birthday celebrations, wedding banquets and sacrificial banquets. Today, these imperial flowers were given by the palace to the water opera sergeants as a token of honor.

 The winner of the "bid competition" should be the first to choose the hairpin.

Pei Yunying lowered his eyes and looked.

The gold plate is filled with delicate flowers of various colors, according to their grades, such as large silver-red flowers, variegated twigs, large silver-red silk flowers... There is also a purple-red silk flower called a peony on top, with the petals of the peony blooming beautifully. Rui Rui, like a beautiful woman, the beauty of the country is fragrant.

The sergeant said with a smile: "Your Excellency, why not choose this peony? It is rich, graceful, and stunningly beautiful. It is the most beautiful of all the hairpin flowers!"

The water shed is some distance away from the long seats in the water hall. Everyone can't hear clearly what the two of them said, but they can see their movements.

Qi Huaying was closer to the water shed, so he also saw the peony on the golden plate in front of Pei Yunying.

 She subconsciously looked down at her dress.

The beautiful smoke is heavy and it is difficult to open it, but the red pistil is beware of a touch of sandalwood. The young master drunkenly returned to the room under the lamp, and the beauty looked into the mirror... She specially wore this long skirt embroidered with gorgeous peonies, because only such a dignified and rich color could complement herself.

If Pei Yunying takes away the peony...

In the water shed, the young man looked down at the hairpins in front of him, thought for a moment, and stretched out his hand towards the golden plate.

That hand has distinct joints and is as slender as jade. It rested on the purple peony flower for a moment, and then took it back.

"grown ups?"

Pei Yunying took a step back and said with a smile: "It's not my job to compete for the bid today. It's just your Majesty's interest. It's better to leave the hairpin to Sergeant Hongzhou."

Ye Guan was stunned, not knowing what to do for a moment. He thought for a while and then said: "But if you hit the golden pole, you should pick a hairpin flower."

The young man raised his eyebrows and was about to say something when his eyes suddenly stopped.

The water shed is next to the shore, with a long shed above it and a lush grassland below it. Behind the music officer, in the smoky green, there are shrubs that have not been cut off. The shrubs are dotted with small pure white flowers, swaying slowly in the wind.

These wildflowers look very inconspicuous and can easily be ignored at first glance. Due to wind, rain, or deliberate pruning by the officials, some flower branches were cut off, and the broken flowers fell to the ground, like a layer of fine snow.

Pei Yunying looked at it for a long time, then suddenly passed the music officer, leaned down and picked up a small white flower that fell from the ground.

Le Guan was stunned.

Qi Huaying in the water palace banquet also widened his eyes.

Lu Zhuo, who had been watching him coldly since he entered the water shed, moved his eyes slightly.

 “How do you like this one?” he asked the music officer with a smile.

Yeguan ignored his unexpected move of not picking up the hairpin from the gold plate, and only reminded him blankly: "Sir, this is a hibiscus flower..."

Hibiscus is humble, blooming in the morning and falling in the evening, falling apart instantly. Wealthy people do not like this kind of wild flowers in their gardens. It is for this reason that all the wild hibiscus trees beside Changle Pond are cut off.

 Unexpectedly, Pei Yunying picked up one.

The young man held the hibiscus flower with his fingertips and turned it slightly. The snow-white flower was as soft as a graceful moon and bloomed gracefully in his hand.

“Wild flowers are beautiful, and peonies are not needed.”

He raised his eyes with a smile, his eyes passing over the people at the water hall banquet, and finally landed on the hibiscus flower at his fingertips again.

 “I just like hibiscus.” He said.

 “Wild flowers are beautiful, no need for peonies” - "The Secret of a Small Window"