On New Year's Day, Tokyo was crowded with people, the streets were full of people in colorful clothes and hats, and the teahouses and restaurants were full of people.
"Brother, do you really want to learn to compose poetry?"
Wen Huanzhang looked at Sun Lei in surprise.
"Otherwise, what should I do? I'm going to the palace in two days. Zhao Ji likes to be arty, so he will be reciting poems and composing poems. I can't pretend to be dumb!"
Sun Lei nodded.
"Wen Junshang, don't teach too hard, give me something quick, relatively mediocre and conventional, preferably one that can handle any topic."
Sun Lei didn't really want to learn poetry. Poetry required long-term literary accumulation and could not be learned overnight. What he wanted now was for Wen Huanzhang to come up with some tricks at the moment and have an emergency ready when the time comes, just in case.
It's not that Sun Lei didn't think that it would be scary to pretend to be a fool and make a fool of himself when the time comes. What's scary is that so many people are staring at him as a joke. After all, where is his identity, being too conspicuous will only become dangerous.
Two days later, Zhuangyuan Building.
"Why are you all dressed so plainly?"
Sun Lei looked at the people wearing white t-shirts in the hall and asked in confusion. Although they usually wear white t-shirts, the materials are quite good. Why are they all wearing ordinary fabrics today?
"Senior Sun, today we are going to the palace to attend a grand banquet. As students, how can we wear silk and satin? Innocence is the moral character we should have."
Cui Yulin said with a smile.
"Kiyomasa! Kiyomasa! Haha!"
Sun Lei laughed. It was ridiculous for a group of people who were willing to spend a thousand yuan to attend a banquet to pretend to be honest.
Sun Lei followed Cui Yulin and others out of the Zhuangyuan Building with a smile, and walked along the Royal Street to the Imperial City. Along the way, there were more and more scholars wearing white robes, and they were all talking and laughing.
Outside Xuande Gate, the guards of the brigade lined up on both sides, and several eunuchs were checking the quotas with a book.
"Servant, this is our token!"
Cui Yulin smiled and stepped forward and handed over the tokens for the ten of them.
"Well, let's go in!"
The eunuch didn't even look at Sun Lei and others, he just checked the token and let them go.
Next is the body search by the guards. After all, this is a royal palace, so weapons are definitely not allowed.
Passing through Xuande Gate and entering the imperial city, there are even more posts every five steps, one sentry every ten steps, and the guards in armor are very majestic.
"This is the palace!"
Sun Lei looked at the surrounding palaces and sighed. From the outside, the imperial city was not that big and the palaces were not too tall. However, after entering, he realized that the level of luxury was far from ordinary.
"Senior Sun, you can't just look around. It will be troublesome if you get caught by the guards!"
Cui Yulin said quickly.
"Uh-huh!"
Sun Lei gave a perfunctory hum and still looked around, looking strange.
After entering the Daqing Gate, you can see the Daqing Palace from a distance. The entire square in front of the palace is filled with small tables. There is a small cushion behind the table. However, the table is very small and it is estimated that it cannot hold several dishes.
"What does this mean?"
Sun Lei asked, pointing to the rows of small tables in the square.
"That's where we sit!"
Cui Yulin said.
"What? We spent a thousand guan just to sit here?"
Sun Lei looked at the empty and uncovered square. Isn't it too cold to sit in the square in the middle of winter? When the wind blows, I'm afraid it will freeze him to pieces.
"Of course, the Daqing Palace is not that big. All officials and gentlemen from the Imperial Academy and the Imperial College will be here for this banquet. They are in the palace, so of course we are in this square."
Cui Yulin said matter-of-factly.
"Fuck, isn't this someone who has been taken advantage of? He can't even enter the palace!"
Sun Lei cursed in his heart, this kind of treatment was something he never expected.
Cui Yulin, Sun Lei and nine other people were led by the chamberlain to their seat, which was a row of tables near the southwest corner.
"This is your position, sit down and don't move!"
The chamberlain pointed to the row of seats and said, his voice was sharp and sinister, which made people feel uncomfortable.
"Everyone, sit down quickly!"
Cui Yulin asked everyone to sit down, and Sun Lei sat next to Cui Yulin.
"Brother Cui, is this just a thousand guan? It's too shabby, a thousand guan is enough for me to go to Jinmingchi to charter a big flower boat!"
Sun Lei looked at Cui Yulin and asked, a thousand guan is not a small amount.
"Senior Sun, this is a great honor. You can go to the flower boat at any time, but you may not be able to enter this palace once in your life!"
"Yes, Senior Sun is interested. I'll be my host someday. Let's charter a flower boat and cruise the Bianhe River together!"
…
Several people around him said with a smile.
Sun Lei was also laughing, and the candidates who had already sat down were chatting and laughing quietly with the people around them. The movement on Sun Lei's side was not so sudden.
Sun Lei looked at the dragon flag flying on the Daqing Palace. The five-clawed golden dragon was very majestic.
"Your Majesty has decreed a banquet!"
A eunuch walked to the door of Daqing Palace and shouted in a high voice.
"Give me a feast!"
The eunuchs around the square shouted in unison.
Immediately afterwards, groups of palace maids filed out from both sides of the hall, each holding a dinner plate in their hands and began to serve food to the candidates in the square.
All the candidates were sitting upright, looking intently, looking like good students and good children. Only Sun Lei looked at the maids curiously.
"As expected of a royal palace, the quality is pretty good!"
Sun Lei looked around, and it turned out that Yan was thin and the ring was fat, each had its own merits, and Zhao Ji was the one who knew how to enjoy it.
Dishes and fine wines were put on the table, with four dishes per person, a bowl of soup and a pot of wine, and nothing else.
"How shabby!"
Sun Lei said with a dissatisfied look.
"Senior Sun, this is made by the imperial chef, a reward from His Majesty!"
Cui Yulin whispered.
"But these are not enough to eat at all!"
Sun Lei picked up the chopsticks and plucked the dishes on the plate and said speechlessly. He thought he could have a feast from the imperial chef today, but he deliberately didn't eat lunch. There was only one dish with a small base on the plate. Four plates combined were not enough. He stuffed his teeth.
"Senior, this is for good looks. If it's not enough, I'll give it to Gong'e later!"
Cui Yulin looked at Sun Lei and said, the dishes in the palace are just a little bit on a plate. It would not look good or elegant if the plate is full.
"I see!"
Sun Lei took a chopstick and started eating.
“It tastes really good, but it’s cold and the portion is small!”
Sun Lei commented while eating the food.
Everyone around looked at Sun Lei in surprise. Before the emperor gave the order, someone dared to move his chopsticks.
"The Emperor has decreed, let's have a meal!"
The eunuch at the gate of Daqing Hall screamed again, and the eunuch in the square also shouted.
A square of candidates dared to use chopsticks, but they all ate carefully and took small bites, looking more delicate than other ladies.
"Here! Here!"
Sun Lei had already finished four plates of food and a bowl of soup, and drank up the wine in a few gulps. He waved his chopsticks to the palace maid not far away and asked her to serve the food.
Thousands of candidates in the square ate their food slowly, knowing nothing about the situation in the hall.
Sun Lei glanced several times while eating, and all he could see in the Daqing Hall was the swaying candlelight, the continuous sound of orchestral strings and bamboos, and what seemed to be a singer performing a dance. It was so lively, not at all as quiet and deserted as outside.
"The square is very big, there is no obstruction, the palace is not high, and it is heavily guarded. It is impossible to take the dragon flag during the day!"
Sun Lei looked around and thought silently in his mind.
(End of chapter)
