When two groups of carrier pigeons flew out of Wuyi Lane from the stables of Xie Mansion, a young eunuch in white clothes and gauze hat walked into the Changxin Palace in Taicheng.
Separated by a plain curtain, the young eunuch knelt forward and said, "To inform the Queen Mother, I have just received the news that Xie Langjun has proposed to postpone the Spring Banquet for three days."
"Delay?" Bu Yao shook the head of the figure behind the curtain, "What did those old guys say?"
The little eunuch pursed his lips obediently and said, "The first prince of Jinling has spoken. Who among the heads of the families will have any objections? They will all be happy to wait and see Xie Langjun's famous novel."
After hearing this, Empress Dowager Yu pushed the memorials piled up on the small case, nodded and sighed: "Such a talented person, such a prestigious person, if I can't use him, what should I do?"
In the Tai Chi Hall, just across the palace, the young emperor Chen Qing heard about the changes in the Spring Banquet and sat silently behind the empty imperial bookcase.
For a long time, the young emperor seemed to be speaking to the people around him, or to himself: "If he is willing to go out of the mountain, be a regular servant, a scholar, or even a young master, I will dare to fight for him and my mother." ...Xi Qing, do you think Xie Lanan is willing to help me?"
…
On March 3rd in Jinling, it was a tradition for celebrities in the Southern Dynasties to hold a spring banquet by the Xuanwu Lake in the north of the imperial city.
The barbarians marched to Luoyang and occupied Zhongzhou for nearly a hundred years. Without delay, the nobles and nobles settled in the south of the Yangtze River and lived in blissful dreams.
This year the banquet was postponed for three days, and the elegant people in Jinling didn't care much about it. Instead, they were looking forward to it. No, on the early morning of the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, there were carriages and horses on the royal road outside Youyuan, covered with green and gold.
People are getting out of a carriage with brocade and jade hangings. The man is wearing a high crown and rich clothes, and his demeanor is free and unrestrained. The girl is wearing a bright skirt and flying into the painting.
There are often marriages between the first-class families in the capital. After meeting and exchanging pleasantries, the topic naturally turned to the much-anticipated No. 1 husband of Jinling.
Hey, why did the young master of the Xie family postpone the date of the banquet, but he was late?
Little did they know that the person who was talked about so much by the ladies of Beijing was sitting in the inner room of his home, with his back to the mirror.
On the low table to her right, there are a white cloth wrapped around the chest, a pair of wooden shoes for feet, and a gentleman's crown.
The black hair that spread out from her back was extremely long.
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On the Youyuan, square mats and sandalwood couches were lined up. Wang Daozhen, the head of the Wang family, looked around with his crane feather fan. He didn't see the Xie family Yushu. He couldn't help stroking his beard and smiled at Mr. Xie, who was coming with his son:
"I asked my nephew to postpone the banquet, but I was late. Could it be possible that I closed my door and wrote a masterpiece that will be handed down for generations? Is there any talent in the world that can compete with the children of my Wang family?"
Since crossing the river, every generation of prime ministers in the Southern Dynasties has been in the pocket of the Wang family. The prime minister of this dynasty, Wang Ao, is the father of Wang Daozhen.
Wang Daozhen took charge of the family on his father's behalf. Xie Zhiqiu was naturally polite to him, clasped his hands and said:
"The Lord of the Palace is joking. The talents of the Third, Seventh and Eleventh Lang of your mansion are even praised by Xun Jiji. The young phoenix will be singing soon."
In fact, Xie Zhiqiu had already been filled with anger. How could he know what kind of medicine the arrogant nephew at home was selling in his gourd?
Xie Zhiqiu saw that the father-in-law, an orphan and a widower, had been at odds for a long time. Logically speaking, his father had died early, his eldest brother had passed away, and his second brother was famous for being a wanderer and ignoring worldly affairs. So, what was the position of the head of the Xie family? It's his third child's turn, right?
However, the second brother was very protective of Xie Lan'an, saying that this son was so much like his father that he couldn't help crying when he saw him. Last year, he was determined to recommend this teenage boy to take charge of the Xie family!
The second son went to Jingzhou to serve as an unfettered governor, leaving him at home to suffer such cowardice.
Xie Zhiqiu was feeling depressed. Xie Yan, the eldest son of the third wife who was following him, couldn't bear to hear anyone praise Xie Lan'an. He curled his lips secretly and walked quickly to the pavilion by the lake.
Before Xie Yan could get closer, he heard several people in front of him talking: "Brother Xi, you are familiar with Xie Hanling. Do you know why?"
It turned out that a group of distinguished young men had gathered in the octagonal pavilion where the spring breeze was blowing willows.
The young man clustered in the middle was dressed in a white gold robe, with thin lips like willows and arrogant eyebrows. Hearing this, he just poured out the pot and drank alone without answering.
"Don't mention it," a handsome man with thick powder on his face looked at the young master of the Xi family and fanned, "He is still depressed because he lost to Xie Langjun in the last chat."
"Am I losing?"
Xi Fu swallowed a sip of wine, brushed off the sleeves in front of his knees, and said casually: "You can't always win by talking, you will know if we fight next time. We are not that familiar, he is my opponent."
Wow, that's quite a tone. My friends all know this man's temperament, so they looked at each other with a smile. Some people also speculate:
"Perhaps Xie Langjun postponed the banquet because he was waiting for his close friend Wen Liangyu? I heard that the two of them used the piano to make friends, and they had an irreversible friendship."
Xi Fu was too lazy to say anything. When he heard the word "best friend", he frowned unhappily.
Compared with the speculations among the gentlemen, there are also many people talking about Xie Lanan among the girls on the other side.
A beautiful girl wearing a honey-colored silk silk spring shirt was sitting in the tent that had been set up, with a line of servants beside her, holding a pot of wine. The girl was in high spirits, holding her heart in her hands, and was talking enthusiastically to her friend:
"I like Xie Lang's "Ibis" and "White Horse" the most, as well as "Yishui Song" written by him for last spring feast. Do you still remember? I copied it no less than twenty times! Choose the best one Sticking to the screen, I read it every day. Xi is like the spring breeze turning into rain, sadness is like the changing water and the cold autumn. What does it mean to be brilliant in literature? This is it! Hey, pick chrysanthemums, look at my eyebrows and see if they are stained..."
This person is Chen Qingrong, the daughter of the King of Kuaiji and Princess Ancheng.
Among all the noble girls in Jinling City who admired Xie Lanan, Chen Qingrong was not the only one, but she was definitely the boldest one. She had blocked Wuyi Lane several times and publicly confessed her love to Xie Lanan.
Of course, they were all politely rejected by Xie Lanan.
Princess Ancheng was born with a big heart and was not discouraged.
The girl in palace attire next to Princess Ancheng is the daughter of the Hou family of Pingbei. She is envious of Chen Qingrong's frankness.
If she had the courage to express her admiration to the ice-like jade Mr. Xie in person, even if she knew it would be fruitless, she would just forget about her infatuation...
With the talk getting higher and higher day by day, except for these noble families who occupy the best places to enjoy the scenery, the second-class and third-class families can only hold banquets next to the slightly remote water slope.
Further away, in the corner of the tree-lined trees, there were gathered some handsome men from poor families who could not even put on a brocade robe, or some down-and-out scholars.
Scholars and common people did not intermarry, and nobles and lowly people did not sit together at the same table. This was an unbreakable rule of the Daxuan Dynasty.
The reason why these Han people have a place here is that they either have the reputation of being a scholar or a filial piety, or their ancestors have had officials of four or more grades, but their family fortunes have declined and they have been passed down from generation to generation. What's the background?
And if someone could get the favor of a certain prince at a banquet and worship under his sect, it would be like a fish leaping over the dragon gate, and it would not be impossible to build a new family.
So today's opportunity is extremely important to these humble people.
Under a peach tree near the water, there was a tall young man in a plain shirt, holding a bamboo slip with his poems written on it, staring intently at the end of the driveway.
The young man had a calm expression on his face, but his palms were slightly sweaty.
Several maids from wealthy families nearby could not help but look back at this man frequently and whisper to him.
Just because this young man was born with clear bones and handsome bones. Although he was dressed in cloth, he had a unique character and charm. He was like a white crane among the chickens. He was the first thing he saw.
"Qingyuan, am I right? Are you nervous too?"
A hand slapped him sharply on the shoulder. It was a classmate of the young man. He said with a smile: "Hasn't your talent and learning been appreciated by Danyang County Yin? As long as you change your noble temper, you will say less in the future." I can become a county official."
When the young man named Chu and Qingyuan heard this, he lowered his eyelashes calmly. Suddenly, he heard someone shouting from the side of Qushui: "Here he comes! He's here!"
Chu Qingyuan's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly raised her head, clenching her palms involuntarily.
"Are you here?" Princess Ancheng almost jumped up from the dust shelter, her skirt fluttering in shock.
She opened the curtain and saw a carriage approaching with the emblem of the Xie family, and her beautiful eyes suddenly shone.
Xi Fu didn't even raise his head, but put down his wine cup, played a game of chess, skillfully pushed the white chess box to the opposite side, and said with a smile: "It's not a small show, you came quite late."
Those wealthy family heads of the previous generation, who had a lot of money in their hands, also laughed at the sight of the car.
There is no way, every era has its own style, Jian'an style is gone, and the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest have also passed away. In this Xiuning Year, it is Xie's turn to have a Zhilan Yushu to lead the way.
Just as Wang Daozhen said, Jinling has talent with one stone, and he Xie Lanan monopolized the eight battles.
Born in a famous family, young and suave, and talented, this is the man who is admired by celebrities.
It is no exaggeration to say that Xie Lanan is the darling of Jinling.
Therefore, the whole capital was willing to wait for him for three days, and no one present felt that Xie Lan'an's late arrival was rude and disrespectful, and that he was trying to gain attention.
Because he is Xie Lanan, he doesn't need it.
The car slowly stopped.
In full view of everyone, a woman stepped out of the car.
The shore of Xuanwu Lake, where the spring light melted gold, was quiet for a moment, and everyone was a little dazed.
The woman's eyebrows were as long as swords, and her skin was as radiant as snow. A neatly cut long skirt in the color of sea and sky outlined her figure, which was slightly taller than that of an ordinary girl.
There is no forbidden step on the waist, no hairpin on the temples, and there is only a long red jade hairpin on the high bun with long hair like clouds.
But she doesn't need extra decorations. The skirt moves with her steps, just like a ray of light floating down from the hibiscus sun pond, bright but not feminine, dazzling and graceful.
"...Which lady of the Xie family is this?"
The ladies nearby could not move their eyes away from the sight, and murmured: "No, when was there a young girl with such a special temperament in Aurous Hill? Her appearance..."
A person's clothes can be changed, but his appearance and demeanor cannot.
What's more, Xie Yaochi, the fifth wife of the Xie family, was standing next to the girl. Her beautiful little face was lost and she still looked confused.
Xie Zhiqiu and his son were startled from the table. The more they looked at the woman, the more familiar she became, and the more unfamiliar she became.
A very absurd idea suddenly appeared in Xie Zhiqiu's mind, but he couldn't believe it and shouted: "Wu Niang, what is going on!"
Xie Lan'an stood upright, slightly raising his head, feeling the long-awaited breeze filled with water vapor.
However, Xie Yaochi trembled when her father asked her. She was Xing Wu among the sisters in the family and was the youngest daughter of Xie Zhiqiu. She opened her mouth timidly, but she didn't know how to explain.
She was also invited to the main courtyard this morning by her cousin Lan'an, who asked her to help him with something. After entering the house, I saw that my brother's long hair was disheveled and his face looked like that of a good girl. Xie Yaochi felt as if he had seen a ghost in the daytime.
She helped "him" put on his makeup with stiff hands and feet throughout the whole process, and then sat in the car in a daze... until now, she still felt like she was in a dream.
Not only Xie Wuniang was confused, Xie San and his son were surprised, but Princess Ancheng, who claimed to be familiar with Xie Lanan's every word and deed, also looked at her blankly and speechlessly.
Xi Fu didn't know when he got up, his expression uncertain.
With a "swish" sound, Xie Lanan shook off the jade-fragmented fan to block the poor little girl. He looked around and saw many familiar faces as expected.
They are all "old friends" who tried to defeat her in her previous life.
She was so well-dressed and so elegant.
An accident happened suddenly in her previous life. She lost power and lost her mother, and was kicked out of the house by her clan elders. In the cold rain, she saw old acquaintances rushing over to look at her like monkeys. There is surprise and novelty, there is sadness and resentment, there is also contempt and abuse.
She waded through that road alone, her words like Ling Chi.
She didn't have to go through so much trouble in this life. She didn't need to bother others to reveal it, and she didn't hide it, she just delivered it to her door.
It is true that there are lessons learned from the past. In this life, Xie Lanan can hide his identity if he is willing and continue to be his Xie family Yushu, in charge of the clan and with the title of Jinling.
In his young history, the name Xie Lan'an of the Southern Dynasties cannot be avoided.
But she didn't want to.
Because that was the man Xie Lanan, not her.
Walking slowly into the banquet, the woman spoke loudly: "Xie Lan'an is late, I hope you will not be surprised."
There was an uproar at the table. There was a name and a surname, wasn't it Xie Lan'an? ! Wang Shiyilang took two steps back as if he was struck by lightning. After a while, he moved forward to meet him again and said with a dry laugh:
"Brother Hanling, how can you sing like this? Not to mention, you, when you put on women's clothes, you look like you are still alive, and you will shame all the beauties in the world."
Xie Lan'an's appearance is recognized as handsome and handsome in Beijing, otherwise he would not be the number one person in Jinling. It's a pity that this joke to lighten the atmosphere failed to appease the angry Xie Zhiqiu.
"How dignified!"
Xie Zhiqiu looked embarrassed, "A good man imitates this style and is not afraid of making people laugh. Why don't you change him quickly!"
Xie Lanan gently pressed his ears and laughed.
The customs nowadays are really weird. Women can go out and have banquets, but men like to imitate women in applying powder and applying scarlet. So until now, no one thinks that she is a woman. They just think that she is disguised as a mischief.
But wasn’t it a lot of fun scolding me in the past?
Xie Lan'an had an indifferent and sarcastic smile, put the fan in the palm of his hand, and bowed his head to the surroundings, "Lan'an is a woman, and I have hidden it from the world for many years, which is not my wish. I would like to apologize today."
From time to time, the sound of silk and bamboo music on the tour stopped.
Even the wind is quiet.
Xie Lan'an paused, as if he was unaware of the astonishment of those present, "The banquet is as usual, don't let the little girl's personal affairs disappoint you. I heard that some people are waiting to read my new work? Yes, the new poem is called "Eni Yin" "Who is willing to give me advice?"
boom! Someone's wine glass fell to the ground, and after everything was silent, there was an uproar.
How can this be? Xie Lan'an, the elegant crown prince of Jinling, the head of the Xie family in Chenjun, and the number one rising star in the Southern Dynasties, is she a woman? !
Xie Zhiqiu's ears were ringing, and he slumped down, almost holding his breath.
