What happened in the palace soon reached the residence of Xue Qing, the Minister of Revenue. Xue Qing read the information sent and then threw it into the stove. He looked at the flames igniting in the stove and stretched out his hand to try. He caught it, but the flame caused by a piece of paper was too small, and the flame was fleeting, but even this fleeting flame made him feel warm and gave him hope.
"Father, the prince has taken the bait so quickly. Should our plans be moved forward?" Xue Kui asked.
"What's the rush? This is just the beginning. We have to wait until the fire is strong. The stronger the fire is, the better it will be for us," Xue Qing said lightly.
"How is the situation back home?" Xue Qing continued to ask
"Go back to father, all the 100,000 armors have been built." Xue Kui replied softly.
"It's not enough. We need to continue building it. We must at least ensure that we build another hundred thousand pairs of armor. This move can only succeed and cannot fail. Otherwise, my Xue family will definitely be doomed." Xue Qing said leisurely.
"It's father."
"How long has the third child been gone?"
"It's been five days, I should be home soon."
"Tell the third child to keep an eye on those people on the border. Don't let the fire come to our house. Let the Zhang family and the Dai family fight. I want to see how these few people can survive without that old ghost from the Zhang family." What kind of tricks can this kid come up with?"
"Don't worry, father, I have already informed my third brother." Xue Kui replied, "In addition, King Heng's salt transport team has set off again. The emperor also ordered King Heng to set up a salt guard, and the people in the coastal areas of Hebei Province will If I want to use it to practice salt, what should I do about this matter?"
Xue Qing's wrinkled old face showed a stern look: "Okay, the more salt you practice, the better. Reveal the news to the Jie people. It's inconvenient for us to take action again, so let the Jie people deal with them." Well, I think the Jie people must like their fine salt very much."
"I understand, I'll arrange for someone to send the message right now."
"There's no rush. We'll wait until they refine the salt. It's too early to do it now." Xue Qing interrupted.
"The child is impatient."
"Kui'er, you have to remember that the most important thing when doing things is stability. Only when you are stable can you be invincible. You will be the patriarch of the Xue family in the future, so you must be thoughtful when doing things." Xue Qing said earnestly. said
"Children remember their father's teachings."
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, thousands of households went out to pray for good health. Countless lanterns lit up the streets. The whole Kyoto was shocked again. The Ya city was decorated with lanterns and colorful lanterns, and countless Kongmin lanterns floated into the sky. Boys and girls from ordinary families flocked to the streets to find their loved ones. After the sacrifices held in the palace, the palace doors were opened wide, and some concubines and nobles who had received the favor could return to their natal homes to reunite with their families today.
To the west of the capital, Wenya Garden in the upper reaches of Luoshui River is a leisure and entertainment place. In fact, it is similar to a park in later generations. However, during the Lantern Festival, it becomes a gathering place for rich ladies, princes, and grandsons. They are here They recite poems and compose poems, and choose their favorites from each other. Although these people have no control over their marriages, occasionally one or two well-matched families get married. This also makes countless boys and girls hope that they can become one of them. Of course, some people come here to participate in the rally with the purpose of Pan Gaozhi, hoping to find a better family marriage.
Fang Qingxue, the eldest daughter of the Fang family, put on men's clothing and blended into the crowd. Girls passed by Fang Qingxue and were attracted by her handsome face. The bold girl came forward shyly and asked if they could exchange incense. The sachet usually contains each person's birthday and horoscope. Those who are interested in each other can exchange sachets as a token of love and facilitate contact in the future.
Fang Qingxue coldly refused to the women who came forward to exchange sachets. The maid disguised as a man who followed Fang Qingxue whispered in a low voice: "Miss, you really shouldn't come out in men's clothes. It's been so long that you haven't even talked to anyone." None of the men”
"Damn girl, what are you talking about? Are you afraid that others won't know that I am the eldest lady of the Fang family?" Fang Qingxue said angrily.
"But you always dress up as a man. Which young man would dare to talk to you?"
"What I am looking for is naturally an unparalleled man in the world. Is it possible that someone else should choose me?"
"Does the young lady have a crush on any handsome young man? If you don't dare to go, I can help you exchange sachets." The maid whispered in Fang Qingxue's ear.
Fang Qingxue slapped the maid on the forehead angrily.
Fang Qingxue walked through the crowd and gradually came to a high platform. This was the place for poetry competitions. Some good poems would be brought to the stage and recited on the spot.
I saw a young man, about eighteen or nineteen years old, holding a piece of paper and slowly walking towards the center of the stage. The people in the audience immediately stopped making noise. I saw this man wearing a pure white suit, and he seemed to be writing quite smartly. , but its appearance is indeed extremely ordinary.
The man cleared his throat and said, "Cui Run, please write a poem for everyone to enjoy."
"Shangyuan night -
Don’t rush the jade leaking silver pot.
The iron gate's golden lock is fully open.
Who can sit around and watch the moon?
Where can I hear the light but not see it? "
After Cui Run finished this poem, there were bursts of applause from the audience.
"Good poetry, good poetry"
"As expected of someone from a famous family, Mr. Cui is a great talent."
Fang Qingxue silently savored this poem. The maid next to her tugged on Fang Qingxue's clothes and said, "Miss, how are you? Is this Mr. Cui's poem good?"
Fang Qingxue gave the maid a white look and whispered, "How many times have I told you to call me Young Master when you go out?"
The maid stuck out her tongue and said, "It's the young master! Is this poem a good one?"
Fang Qingxue said helplessly: "Not bad."
"Then let me go and exchange the sachet for the young master." The maid said hurriedly.
"No need?" Fang Qingxue said calmly.
The maid said helplessly: "Didn't the young master say that his poetry is good? I think this young master Cui is not bad, and his literary talent is also good. Considering the young master's family background, I believe the Cui family will be happy."
"I just said it was pretty good, I didn't say how good it was." Fang Qingxue said.
"I knew it was like this. I've been shopping during the Lantern Festival for several years, and I haven't seen you say anyone's poems are good." The maid muttered.
"Why, it's annoying. If you want to change it, just use your own."
While the two were chatting, a girl who looked about sixteen or seventeen years old came up to the stage and bowed and said, "My little girl Wu Xing and Shen Qiaoyun, I wonder if I can enjoy the moon with Mr. Cui."
When Cui Run heard about Wuxing, he knew that the visitor was the young lady of the Shen family in Wuxing. The Shen family was a prominent local family in Wuxing. There were many elders in the family who were officials. Like the Cui family, they were also from a long-established family. Cui Run saw that Shen Qiaoyun was dignified. He was decent and handsome, and he couldn't help but feel happy. He was the right match for him, so he immediately agreed, and the two made an appointment to walk towards the green lake not far away.
A burst of warm applause suddenly erupted from the audience, and someone shouted, Congratulations to Mr. Cui, Miss Shen, congratulations.
Shen Qiaoyun blushed for a while, but there was nothing to be ashamed of. The young men and women who came here during the Lantern Festival came here to find their loved ones, and everyone thought it was normal.
"Look, let someone snatch it away," the maid said helplessly.
As soon as the two people left the stage, another young man named Su, dressed in Chinese clothes, came on stage and recited a poem:
The trees and flowers bloom together,
The star bridge iron lock is opened.
The dark dust goes with the horse,
The bright moon chases people.
There was another good mood in the audience, and then two women came up to the stage to invite one of them. Mr. Su politely declined one of them, and walked down the stage hand in hand with the other young woman.
Everyone in the audience exclaimed, "What happened this year? In a short period of time, two pairs of beauties found their true love. For a while, the poetry competition was even more exciting."
The maid looked at the young masters on the stage being snatched away one by one with some frustration. She was extremely depressed. She looked at her young lady Fang Qingxue and murmured: "Sir, isn't there a poem that makes your heart move?"
Fang Qingxue hesitated for a moment and said: "Every one of them is a masterpiece, but it just lacks some soul. Forget it, you don't understand even after I tell you, let's go."
Just when the two of them were about to turn around and leave, a man with a small goatee came up to the stage and said: "Here is a poem for sale to Yuanren."
Everyone in the audience suddenly felt that Yaxing had been disgraced, and they cursed. Do you know where this place is? You dare to sell any bad words here.
The man with the mustache ignored everyone at all, so he opened his mouth and recited loudly:
"Magpie Bridge Immortal"
Thin clouds make tricks, flying stars spread hatred, and silver men are far away in darkness. Once the golden wind and jade dew meet, they will win over countless others in the world.
Tenderness is like water, good times are like dreams, and I can't help but look at the Magpie Bridge on the way home. If the love lasts for a long time, how can it last day and night?
