The banquet at Shilang Lu's house was indeed boring. Except for the appearance of Su Yiyun, which refreshed Lin Sui'an for a while, the whole process was drowsy.
It was a boring introduction and compliment session, full of words like "long admired", "lucky to be lucky", "long time no see". After sitting down, there were several rounds of toasts and unskilled drinking orders, interspersed with all kinds of flattery. , Su Yiyun sat next to Minister Lu, talking loudly and with great interest. Zhang Shaoqing and Ling Zhiyan's position became the hardest hit area, and they were subjected to a series of flattery attacks. The mutton on the table changed its category and gave off the smell of a stable.
Lin Sui'an and Hua Yitang were located next to Ling Zhiyan. Unfortunately, they were deeply affected. The name of the Yangdu Hua family attracted a lot of attacks. Fortunately, Hua Yitang was used to being praised since she was a child, so she could handle it easily. It seemed Even more comfortable than Ling Zhiyan. Fortunately, the banquet was full of students who participated in this competition. There were no martial arts students, and they didn't know Lin Sui'an. They only came to say hello. Seeing that Lin Sui'an was not good at speaking, they knew enough to stop talking.
Lin Sui'an took advantage of the lively toasting session and no one paid attention to her, so she hurriedly found a quiet corner to stay, and then she breathed a sigh of relief. At this time, I really miss Fang Ke. If it were Brother Fang, he might have fallen asleep as if no one was around. It would be great if she had the ability to sleep when she says so.
Lin Sui'an naturally couldn't sleep. Xian Ji looked around boredly and found that there was another person who was as bored as her. Bai Ruyi sat at the bottom of the table. He refused to flatter or chat with others. He drank with his head down and the students who came to chat were all dismissed by him with the etiquette of turning away people and being thousands of miles away.
Bai Ruyi didn't know how much she drank, and two abnormal blushes appeared on her face. She looked like a clay doll sold in Nanshi, with her face white and two red ones, which was quite funny. Lin Sui'an looked at Hua Yitang and Ling Zhiyan who were holding the moon among the stars. They probably didn't have time. After thinking about it, he leisurely walked to sit down next to Bai Ruyi and said hello, "Thirteenth Bai, I haven't seen you for a long time. I have lost weight."
Bai Ruyi's hand holding the wine cup paused, put it down, and saluted, "Ms. Lin, long time no see. I heard that you and Brother Hua helped Dali Temple solve the corpse case. Congratulations."
"It's all a fluke." Lin Sui'an looked at Bai Ruyi's expression. His eyes were dim and his cheekbones were so thin that they protruded. "Does Thirteenth Bai have something on his mind?"
Bai Ruyi smiled bitterly and said, "Ms. Lin, why do you ask questions knowingly?"
"The head of the Bai family still insists on letting you become the concubine?"
"The head of the family wrote a letter saying that I wasted my life and lived decadently. I am not as good as Su Shilang of Suizhou who strives to make progress and become a descendant of the Bai family."
Lin Sui'an: "..."
Su Yiyun is indeed working hard, but the direction of his efforts seems to be wrong.
"Bai doesn't understand! I have studied hundreds of thousands of poems and books since I was a child. What is it for?! Isn't it to inherit the unique knowledge of the past saints and create peace for all generations? But now, what have I become?! I have become their maintenance The stallion inherited from the family has become a pawn to protect the wealth of their family, and has become a pathetic puppet! Now that I am such a loser, what is the meaning of living? I might as well die drunk in this wine, and it will be over!"
Bai Ruyi picked up the jug, tilted her neck and poured it into her mouth. Lin Sui'an was so frightened that he quickly snatched the jug away. With his small body, if he drank like this, he would definitely get alcohol poisoning.
"No, no, it's not. As the saying goes, there must be a road when a boat reaches a mountain, and when a car reaches a bridge - ah, when a car reaches a mountain, there must be a road. When a boat reaches a bridge, it will naturally be straight. There is always room for turning. Don't do it, Thirteenth Bai. It’s so hard to get into trouble!”
Bai Ruyi sobbed twice, looked at Lin Sui'an with tearful eyes for a long time, staggered up, bowed respectfully to Lin Sui'an, and said loudly, "Bai Ruyi, the Bai family of Longxi, is willing to leave the Bai family and marry the Lin family." !”
This voice was so loud that it suppressed all the voices in the audience. Everyone's eyes were directed towards him, and Ling Zhiyan almost twisted his neck.
Lin Sui'an's jaw dropped.
No, come again? !
The rich aroma of fruity woods blew over like a tornado, and Hua Yitang was moving so fast that even Lin Sui'an was defeated. He held the fan as if he was holding a cleaver, and his expression looked more like a butcher's, huffing and puffing. He unceremoniously swept over all the wine bottles and wine cups on Bai Ruyi's table. He pinched the back of Bai Ruyi's neck and pushed him back to his seat. He glared angrily and grinned, "Thirteenth Bai is drunk, right?" !”
Bai Ruyi cocked her neck, like a fighting cock unwilling to be outdone, "What Bai said is true to every word, and every sentence is from the bottom of his heart——"
Lin Sui'an grabbed a steamed cake and stuffed it into Bai Ruyi's mouth. He laughed dryly and said, "I did drink too much. Don't mind it. Let's continue chatting."
Ling Zhiyan coughed dryly, picked up the wine cup and said, "Where did everyone just talk about?"
Zhang Shaoqing: "That person who just gave me a speech, I might as well read your poem again. Zhang needs to appreciate it carefully."
Everyone wisely changed the subject, and the garden was filled with a relaxed and happy atmosphere.
Bai Ruyi had red eyes, chewing steamed cakes, hunching her shoulders, twitching like an aggrieved quail, Hua Yitang looked at Lin Sui'an with his forehead turning green.
Lin Sui'an felt guilty and covered her forehead with her hands, trying to hide her face. However, her clothes had clean and tight cuffs. She didn't have big sleeves like Hua Yitang, so she couldn't make such a clever move as "cover her face and run away". Difficult action.
"...I saw that he was in a bad mood, so I came over to give him some advice. Who knew he was still thinking about getting married..."
Hua Yitang's cheeks puffed up like a pufferfish.
"Mrs. Lin can actually make young heroes from the Yangdu Hua family and Luoyang Bai family fall under your pomegranate skirt," Su Yiyun held the wine cup high and said in a sinister tone, "Su is really impressed, admired!"
Lin Sui'an: "..."
She seemed to smell Su Yiyun's intention to cause trouble.
The garden instantly became quiet again, and everyone exchanged gossipy glances.
"This Lady Lin was engaged to the Su family of Suizhou before, but for some reason she broke off the engagement."
"I heard that Mrs. Lin later climbed onto the high branch of Hua family, so she kicked Su family."
"Go, go, don't talk nonsense. It was clearly the disciple of the Su family who misbehaved and was divorced."
"real or fake?"
"Last time we were drinking, Bai Xiang of the Qingzhou Bai family told me that the Qingzhou Bai family and the Yangdu Hua family have always been at odds with each other. Bai Xiang will definitely not speak to the Hua family, so what he said must be true."
"The Su family in Suizhou is considered a famous family, so it shouldn't be so bad, right?"
"You don't know Qingzhou Bai Xiang? He never speaks the truth. His words cannot be trusted."
"Yes, I see that Su Julang has a refined appearance and elegant speech. He doesn't look like a discordant person."
"Yes, as the saying goes, appearance comes from the heart. With Su Julang's appearance and posture, he must be a kind person. We all have read poetry and books, and we are the pillars of the country. How can we follow what others say?"
Bai Ruyi finally finished eating the steamed cake and muttered: "You are just following what others say."
Listening to this trend of public opinion, Lin Sui'an roughly guessed why Su Yiyun dressed up so exaggeratedly today. It must be to take the opportunity to re-establish the image of the Su family in Suizhou and restore the reputation.
Lin Sui'an was a little excited: Hua Yitang, here comes the work!
Hua Yitang unfolded her fan with a snap, and said with a pure and sincere smile, "Mrs. Lin is a heroine. There is a woman in charge of the gate who is brave enough to be brave. She is willing to make Hua a good friend. It is an honor for me, Yangdu Hua Family." It's a pity that some spring-headed geese have been quacking all night, but Mrs. Lin didn't even bother to look at them. She must have been so sad that she was jealous."
Su Yiyun was furious: "Huashiro, who are you calling a stupid goose in Fa|chun?!"
Hua Yitang pointed his fan toward the pond in the garden, "Shilang Lu, the geese in this pond are very well-raised. They have white fur and thick feathers, a big head, a long neck, and a loud voice. They are extraordinary at first glance!"
Everyone was stunned and looked at Hua Yitang's fan. Indeed, there were indeed two big white geese in the pond. They had big heads and swam away in the water. Dressed in snow-white, with his head and neck held high, he looks a bit like Su Yiyun.
Ling Zhiyan made a "pop" sound and almost stopped laughing. Zhang Shaoqing coughed dryly and turned his head.
Everyone was clearing their throats, pouring water, and eating vegetables. The atmosphere was very awkward for a while.
Su Yiyun's face turned green, and Mr. Lu hurriedly smoothed things over, "This goose is very understanding of human nature. It has a fierce temper and a painful bite. Mr. Lu raised it to look after the home and nursery - ah, Mr. Su Lang, don't misunderstand me. I just It’s definitely not his intention to explain the purpose of this goose!”
Zhang Shaoqing couldn't hold it back and said "poof".
Lin Sui'an looked at Lu Shilang with admiration: He was indeed a high-ranking official of the imperial court, and he was better than Hua Yitang in criticizing mulberry trees and pagoda trees.
Su Yiyun's face turned green, probably due to Lu Shilang's identity. He narrowed his eyes, but endured it calmly. He even raised his wine cup and toasted Lu Shilang, and said, "Huasilang is right. Mrs. Lin is really a strange person in the world, and the person she can like must be a genius in the world. Su is not talented, and today he wants to take advantage of this opportunity to compete with Huajia Silang. I wonder if Huajia Silang dares to challenge?!"
Oooh! It turns out that this is Su Yiyun's purpose. Lin Sui'an understood. Hua Yitang had just solved a major case and was famous. Su Yiyun must have come prepared today. Most likely, he wanted to step on Hua Yitang's reputation and rise to the top.
Hua Yitang blinked, "Hua is in Yangdu and has to compete with others more than 300 times a year. He has never lost. Su Shilang actually wants to challenge me. What a big statement!"
As soon as these words came out, not to mention everyone else, even Ling Zhiyan and Lin Sui'an were shocked.
Lin Sui'an: "How many competitions do you have to compete with others a year?"
Ling Zhiyan: "What are you comparing to?"
Hua Yitang straightened his back, with a very proud expression on his face, "There are so many, including polo, Cuju, cockfighting, Shuanglu, Hulu, Changxing, drinking, fighting, and swearing. Hua is good at all of them. I don’t know!”
There was faint laughter in the crowd, and the students whispered to each other with disdain on their faces.
Lin Sui'an and Ling Zhiyan both held their foreheads,
Su Yiyun smiled and stood up, "All of you are here today, bringing with you your life's proudest works. I believe Huashiro is also prepared?"
Hua Yitang: "Oh, it turns out that Su Julang wanted to compete with this. What a coincidence, Hua actually brought some with him today."
"Would you like Hua Shilang to display it together with Su, and invite Mr. Lu, Zhang Shaoqing, Ling Sizhi and all of you to comment?"
"Okay."
Zhang Shaoqing tugged on Ling Zhiyan's sleeve, "How do you think of the poem Hua Silang wrote today?"
The corners of Ling Zhiyan's mouth twitched, "It's about the level of a four-year-old me."
Zhang Shaoqing covered his face and said, "Oh, my mother."
Minister Lu was very happy and immediately ordered someone to hold the lamp and move the table. Six table tables about three feet long were placed in the center of the backyard, which was regarded as a venue for competition. Su Yiyun ordered the boy waiting outside the courtyard to bring his poems in, which were spread across three desks. Lin Sui'an was quite confident in Hua Yitang at first, but after reading Su Yiyun's poems, he felt unsure. .
Because she can't understand it at all!
Su Yiyun probably wrote in running script or cursive script. The glyphs were very twisty and weird, and it was hard to understand. But looking at the expressions of everyone nodding in appreciation, it was obviously a good calligraphy. Lu Shilang was full of praise, and the disciples clapped their hands in surprise and shouted, "Good." "Poetry is good." If Ling Zhiyan and Zhang Shaoqing hadn't looked increasingly ugly, Lin Sui'an would have thought that these people were all shills for Su Yiyun.
The only one who had a different opinion was Bai Ruyi. He turned around and shook his head. Unfortunately, no one paid attention to his opinion.
Lin Sui'an quietly poked Hua Yitang's arm, "Are Su Yiyun's poems very good?"
Hua Yitang nodded repeatedly, "As expected of the Su family in Suizhou, he does have some literary talent."
"How does it compare to you?"
"Don't worry." Hua Yitang looked quite proud, "Hua has no literary talent at all."
Lin Sui'an: "..."
You are so proud!
After everyone finished appreciating Su Yiyun's poems, they looked at Hua Yitang's three tables, which were bare and empty, and they were all a little puzzled.
Mr. Lu: "Huashiro, where are your works?"
"Here it is!" Hanashiro took out his only "poetry" and spread it on the table. It only occupied one corner of the table. It was as shabby as it was. Everyone gathered around to take a closer look and immediately became excited. laughing out loud.
"Hahahaha, what is this?"
"Could it be a child's play?"
"No, no, I could have written better than this when I was ten years old."
"With such a level, you actually dare to participate in the competition?"
"Brother, what you said is wrong. The Yangduhua clan is not an ordinary noble family. He participated in the imperial examination, so naturally he did not follow the ordinary path."
"You mean-"
"Alas, the tacit understanding is the tacit understanding."
Su Yiyun held her head high, her expression proud and proud as never before. Looking at Hua Yitang was like looking at a clown.
Minister Lu looked surprised and winked at Zhang Shaoqing frequently. Zhang Shaoqing could only pretend not to see it and pretend to be stupid. Ling Zhiyan quickly winked at Lin Sui'an, who looked away and pretended to be stupid.
Hua Yitang shook his fan and looked at everyone with a smile. When everyone was tired of laughing, he asked, "What are you laughing at?"
His expression was so natural, without even the slightest trace of shame, that it stupefied everyone else.
Su Yiyun sneered, "How can such inferior and unsightly poems be considered elegant? Isn't it funny that Hanashiro has incorporated this poem into his works? He is not ashamed of it, but proud of it!"
"So you are all laughing at this." Hua Yitang shook his head, "Who said this is my work?"
As he spoke, he took out a large roll of paper from his wide sleeves and spread it out on the table. There were hundreds of handwritings on the paper, all in small regular script.
Everyone was very curious and gathered around to watch. The more they looked, the more shocked their expressions became, especially Zhang Shaoqing and Lu Shilang. Hua Yitang looked as if he had picked up some rare treasure.
"The imperial examination is the emperor's own edict to recruit the world's most talented people. There are more than thousands of talents in the world. Who said that only writing poems and compositions can be talented?" Hua Yitang spread all the papers on the case and stood aside. , withdrew his smile and looked solemn, "These are the 168 large and small cases that I, Shiro Hua, have handled. They are not all, but they are enough to represent Hua's ability and experience in solving cases. Hua participated in the system this time. , not for the sake of rising through the ranks, not for the glory of the family, not for the high position in the court, but just to get an official who is close to the people and to quell the injustices in the sea!"
The night wind turned the pages of the case records, and the white pages rustled. Hua Yitang stood in the wind, her clothes dancing wildly, and the records also rustled, as if she was in resonance with those cases. The bright moonlight washed away the superficial laughter and curses of the young man, revealing his sharp edge and brilliance.
Everyone looked shocked, and they all nodded and clasped their fists.
"Kashiro has high aspirations, we admire him!"
Su Yiyun clenched his fists, his whole body was shaking, and his expression was distorted, as if he was possessed by an evil ghost.
"Oh, this is like stealing the chicken but losing the rice. I wanted to take advantage of Yang Duhua's reputation and become famous, but I was defeated instead. I said, that surnamed Su, why can't you figure it out and have to fight with me? Why is Hua Yitang, who is so full of tricks, going against her? Isn’t this just looking for abuse?"
A sound fell in the night sky, as clear as a drop of dew in a glass cup. Lin Sui'an was excited and suddenly looked up. He saw a man standing on the high ridge of the main compartment, dressed in black and without a mask. , carrying a bulging baggage.
The huge bright moon behind him reflected his facial features very clearly, and he looked exactly like Mr. Lu. :,,
