On the last day of April, Yan Shu held a banquet at his home and invited the ten people who had the best poems at the Luoyang Peony Banquet. [No pop-up novel website]
He gathered these ten people together to prepare for the Dragon Boat Festival poem battle and select suitable people from them.
Xu Nuo went to the front yard early in the morning disguised as a servant and knocked on Xu Pingyi's door.
Xu Pingyi had his hair tied up by his maid, and while he asked the servant to put on his brocade robe, he said, "Come in."
When Xu Nuo heard the news, she pushed the door open and called out "Hello, big brother" with a smile.
Looking at his eldest brother Yushu Linfeng's appearance, Xu Nuo's eyebrows and smile became even crooked. It’s okay if her eldest brother’s appearance is not faulty at all. He has a pure and elegant temperament, and you won’t get tired of him no matter how you look at him.
The so-called beauty, pleasing to the eye, and personable are people like her eldest brother.
When Xu Pingyi saw Xu Nuo's outfit, he was confused at first, and then he understood her thoughts and said: "Liu Niang, this can't be done. Many of the people who went to the banquet hosted by Yan Si Cheng today will recognize you. You go If you do, your identity will be exposed and your reputation will be affected."
He was ranked sixth among the ten people. Among the other nine people, he promised to recognize at least five of them. It was really risky to appear among them like this.
Hearing this, Xu Nuo didn't say anything to persuade, but only gave Xu Pingyi a look.
Xu Pingyi understood and dismissed the boys around him, then heard Xu Nuo say mysteriously: "Brother, do you remember Mrs. Wu who died at the peony feast a few days ago?"
"Of course I remember, didn't mother ask her to teach the four female workers?" Xu Pingyi didn't know why Xu Nuo asked about this, but he was a little more wary and his voice was obviously lowered.
Xu Nuo smiled slightly, a little mysteriously, and said: "Brother, Mrs. Wu also taught me. I heard that her case has been settled. As Yan Sicheng, when the case is concluded, someone will tell him as soon as possible. In my heart, I was thinking about Mrs. Hu. I wanted to know the result earlier, so I came up with this strategy. If I didn't know it at the first time, I wouldn't be able to settle down and I would definitely blame myself."
When Xu Nuo went to Prince Ning's Mansion, she learned from the head of Jiaren County that she would reveal that Xu Qian was the murderer of Madam Wu. With the temperament of County Master Jiaren, today is undoubtedly a good opportunity. Since there is a big enough scene and everyone involved is also present, she will not miss this opportunity.
Xu Nuo did not tell Xu Pingyi the truth. It's really because of his temperament. He doesn't have any money in the city and treats people sincerely. If he knew that Xu Qian was framed as a murderer by the head of Jiaren County, he would definitely not go to today's banquet. Even if he went, it would be easy for people to see the problem.
Although Xu Pingyi was smart, he always had complete trust in those he trusted. He agreed to Xu Nuo's request without much thought, and also made a three-part agreement with her: no words, no words if recognized. My parents didn’t blame me.
After hearing his request, Xu Nuo knew that he planned to take all the responsibilities on himself.
*
When they arrived at Yan Shu's house, there were only two people in the flower hall. One of them was wearing a brown robe, and Xu Nuo did not know him. The other was wearing a green robe, and it was Song Qi.
The Song brothers have always appeared in people's field of vision at the same time. This time only Song Qi came because Song Jiao Fu's ranking did not enter the top ten.
Xu Pingyi greeted the two of them and then sat down at the table. Xu Nuo stood behind him and kept looking into the courtyard.
She stared for a long time. Then he saw the person he wanted to see. Xiao Yuan, wearing a black brocade robe and holding a folding fan, strode in.
"I've seen three of them!"
Xiao Yuan originally had a smile on his face. But when he stepped into the room, his expression changed. He didn't shiver as much as the other people present, and he went straight to his seat, looking proud and arrogant as usual.
The last time he went to the Peony Garden, he only left one poem. I didn't plan to compete for the noun, but I was ranked tenth by Yan Shu. This was really unexpected, but it was also reasonable. He has never shown it before, but this time he wrote a song with a true level, so it is normal for him to be noticed by Yan Shu.
Normally, he might not have accepted the invitation.
It's just that today is likely to be used by Jiaren County Lord to slander the Xu family. If he promises to come, he will definitely come.
The boy following him lowered his head after entering the hospital. Xu Pingyi took a second look and recognized this person as Hu Ling, who was disguised as a man. He frowned slightly and looked back at Xunuo. Xunuo shook his head hastily, indicating that Hu Ling's coming here had nothing to do with her.
Then Fan Zhongyan, Ye Qingchen, and Ding Mo also arrived in the flower hall. After everyone had arrived, Yan Shu, who was wearing regular clothes, came out.
"Thank you all for accepting the invitation. I will not give in. Today I will choose the top five from you to participate in the Dragon Boat Festival Poetry Competition."
Yan Shu had a faint smile on his face and looked at the ten people one by one.
He knew all of these people, and he had a rough idea of their intellectual ability. However, poetry competition was not the same as a person's knowledge, so he had to examine them a little more to choose the best one.
"Why don't you choose one of the flowers that bloom in this season and write a poem or lyrics about it, and I will be the judge."
After Yan Shu finished speaking, he asked the boy to start writing while observing the expressions of several people.
He is not much older than the people sitting here, but his life has been bumpy, he has experienced more things since he was a child, and he entered the official career at an early age, so he is more mature than his peers.
Ding Mo asked: "Si Cheng, if the ten of us choose the same flower, what should we do?" There are many flowers blooming in this season, but there are only a few types of flowers that people are familiar with and used to compose poems. , repetition is really unavoidable.
Yan Shu smiled and said: "It's easier to compare, so that's okay."
Ding Mo nodded, thought for a moment, and without hesitation asked the boy beside him to sharpen the ink.
Xu Nuo secretly applauded Yan Shu. She felt that his method was very clever. It could not only test the level of everyone, but also explore their character from the flowers they chose.
Ding Mo was the first one to write. He had only just arrived in the capital, so he should be able to write poems easily. After a while, there was a seven-character poem on Bai Xuan.
Yan Shu was not in a hurry to see it, and he did not take the poems out. He just sat quietly and looked at the scenery outside the house.
Ding Mo felt calm, but Xu Qian, who was pretending to be his servant, couldn't stop. She stood behind Ding Mo and silently read his poem twice in her heart, her face turned red.
Ding Langjun had her in his heart, otherwise why would he have agreed to let her be a servant, and also chosen the flower on the skirt she wore when she went to Ding's house today - hibiscus!
While Xu Pingyi was thinking about it, half of the poems had been written. Xu Nuo couldn't wait any longer, so he read through all the poems written by the people in the same row as Xu Pingyi.
Song Qi wrote a poem related to Begonia: "Sleep on the jade screen, blowing away the messy red and still falling. The weather is suddenly light and warm, lined with agarwood curtain foil. The bead curtain catches the wind of Begonia, and sorrow drags the corners of the eyebrows. Last night A bright moon in a garden, a red rope on a cold swing.”
Although she doesn't know how to appreciate poetry, she has a good history and knows what kind of talent Song Qi is.
Among those sitting there, apart from Fan Zhongyan, Song Qi Cai was the most talented.
It's just that she doesn't understand why Song Qi, a young man, would make such cold words.
On the other side, she saw Ye Qingchen's white letter written on it: "The smoke is piled high and the rain is faint, and the steep rocks are caressing my feet. The memory is scattered in the deep grass, and I wake up drunk and look for it again when the moon comes out."
This poem is quite interesting.
The people next to him were still thinking, and when they saw his poem, they said, "Fifteenth son of the Ye family, what kind of flowers did you write about in this poem? I am so stupid that I can't see it."
Ye Qingchen smiled indifferently, with clear eyes, and looked at the person who asked him: "What is written in my poem is bamboo flowers."
When the man heard this, he put down the pen in his hand and said with a smile: "I didn't see any bamboo anywhere, let alone, are there any flowers on the bamboo?"
A disdainful smile appeared on Xu Nuo's face. This person wanted to find trouble with Ye Qingchen, but failed to find the right time. (To be continued.)
