After Li Ke sat down, Xiuming was amazed: "Brother Li, it's really extraordinary. I heard from a few people next to me that you gave them several answers to the riddles. You're so awesome."
Li Ke smiled slightly: "What's the difficulty? It's just a trivial matter. Brother Xiu Ming, please don't mention it again, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble later."
On the stage in the middle of the lobby, the singers and dancers had just stepped down after their performance. Strips of tulle hanging from high places were fluttering, and there was a little smoke from time to time. It looked quite elegant.
At this time, a girl slowly walked onto the center of the stage. She was dressed in Tsing Yi and had a pretty face. Especially the jade pendant around her waist was eye-catching, causing everyone in the audience to praise her.
"Dear talented officials, the little girl named Yugui is the host of the second round of this lantern riddle competition. There are three questions in the second round. The first two questions are couplets, and the third question is writing poems with objects. This round one The rules of the first round have been changed. The little girl will give out the questions at once. You can create while watching the performance or drinking. The answer will be written on the red paper in front of you. The time is half an hour. After the hour is up, it will be collected. , and then I will announce your answers on the spot." After introducing the rules, Miss Yuzhen began to give out the questions.
The first title is a couplet title, the first couplet is: Now there is a piece of jade here, please ask for the second couplet.
The second question is also a couplet, the second couplet: When the red sun sets, the house is full of guests. Ask for the first couplet.
The third topic is about writing poems with objects, and the object given is "osmanthus".
After giving the topic, Miss Yu Guan left the stage and went upstairs, entering a pavilion. I think that must be Miss Si Yao's room.
For a moment, everyone in the audience was dancing wildly, mumbling various answers, but Li Ke remained silent and drank alone.
Xiu Ming was also in a panic. Seeing Li Ke's calm look, he became even more anxious. He couldn't help but ask: "Brother Li, everyone is in chaos, why are you so calm?"
Li Ke responded leisurely: "Brother Xiuming, you are here to enjoy yourself. It would be too wasteful to spend half an hour answering questions. Brother Xiuming, don't pay attention to me, just answer the questions."
Xiu Ming stopped talking and started answering the questions. Li Ke still drinks freely.
Seeing that the time was approaching, Miss Yu Guan came downstairs and reminded: "Everyone, please hurry up, the time is approaching, please write down your answers as soon as possible."
Hearing this, Li Ke held the wine glass in one hand and slowly picked up the pen on the table with the other hand, dipped it in ink, and wrote the answer gracefully on the red paper. As soon as Li Ke put down his pen, Miss Yuzhen arranged for someone to collect all the red paper.
"Everyone, now everyone's answers are in my hands. I will read them to you once and please confirm." Girl Yugui held a stack of red paper and began to read in the order of promotion in the first round.
"The first one is Mr. Sun Yifan. The second line of his first title is 'I carve it for the craftsman', the first couplet of his second title is 'The blue bird turns around and his emotions are in chaos', and the third title is 'Today the sweet-scented osmanthus blooms, just for my beloved. Take it. If you know the face of a beautiful woman, it's not worth coming now."
After hearing this, everyone clapped their hands and applauded. Some people said that the man who could write such an answer in half an hour was none other than Mr. Sun. Upon hearing this, Sun Yifan also had a proud look on his face.
"The second one is Mr. Zhao Dongliu. The second line of his first question is 'I'm here to carry him home'. The second line of his second question is 'The rooster crows and the man falls to the ground'. The third question has no answer to his poem."
Everyone couldn't help but laugh after hearing this. Zhao Dongliu covered up his embarrassed expression with a domineering look on his face and said: "How can you create something in such a short time? I'm afraid it's not something that can be forced on others."
"The third Mr. Xiu Ming, the answer he gave was: 'I am afraid that there is no craftsman beside me', the second answer is 'The willow silk hangs down and the swallows fly away', and the third answer is 'The moon is quiet, the osmanthus flowers are falling, and the birds are singing all night long. The small pavilion leaves the fragrance. In my youth, I walked alone'."
...
After a while of noise and complaints, Li Ke finally got his answer.
"The last one is Mr. Li Ke. The second line of his first couplet is 'Why don't I eat melons?', the upper line of the second couplet is 'The song in Qingyi is hot after drinking,' and the third title of the poem is 'Yao Tai Yi Yi'. The colorful sky and the river are vast, and the night dew condenses and the jade osmanthus blooms. It's not as if the mountains are far away and I wonder if I know the fairy has come down to earth."
After listening to this, everyone was incredulous that they could write such couplets and poems even though they were only focused on drinking. When everyone was astonished, Miss Yugui suddenly spoke: "Please be patient, the final result will be decided by Miss Siyao." After that, Then he sent the red note upstairs.
At this time, Xiu Ming asked in confusion: "Brother Li, you can understand the second and third questions, but why is this first question?"
Seeing that Xiuming was so curious, Li Ke replied: "Brother Xiuming, although the first question is nothing special, the first couplet actually comes from a sentence in "Mencius: King Hui of Liang", and my second couplet is from "The Analects of Confucius Yang Huo" "It's right, I think it should be no problem."
After hearing this, Xiu Ming suddenly realized and said, "Brother Li Ke is indeed much smarter."
And Yu Mao also hurriedly walked downstairs and walked onto the stage to announce the results.
"After Miss Siyao's deliberation, the final winners are Mr. Li Ke and Mr. Xiu Ming. Please go upstairs and have a drink with Miss Siyao. Other gentlemen, don't be discouraged. There are still many good girls in our building. I invite you all to have a drink and have fun." After that, he led Li Ke and Xiuming to the private room upstairs.
When everyone downstairs saw this, they all complained in disappointment. Sun Yifan lost interest and left angrily, while Zhao Dongliu called his friends, ordered a few girls to go to another private room upstairs, and started having fun.
Li Ke and Xiuming were brought into the private room by Miss Yugui. As soon as they entered, Miss Yugui introduced that this private room was exclusively for Miss Siyao. Even the interior decoration was in the style that Miss Siyao liked and was only used for entertaining. Miss Siyao’s distinguished guest.
The interior of the pavilion is simple but full of a simple and literary atmosphere. The desk under the wooden wall in the front is not placed with some vulgar and expensive ornaments, but a white porcelain fish tank with several red goldfish swimming in it. There is also a In the Analects of Confucius, there is a picture of autumn frost and a couplet on the wooden wall. Next to it is a coffee table with a guqin lying on it. In the middle of the pavilion is a log table for eating and drinking, surrounded by people There were only four round stools and a pot of orchid in the window, which was already past its flowering period.
Miss Siyao stood in front of the window, reading the red note written by Li Ke carefully. She looked up at the mountains in the distance from time to time, as if she was deep in thought.
Li Ke saw that Miss Siyao was lost in thought and did not say anything. He pulled Xiuming to sit down at the table. Seeing this, Yu Guan quickly said: "Miss Siyao, Mr. Li and Mr. Xiu Ming are here."
Si Yao slowly turned around when he heard the sound, and the breeze gently blew up the plain gauze covering his face. After just one glance, that delicate face was deeply imprinted in Li Ke's heart. He thought it was Li Ke who was so calm. People's heartbeats can't help but accelerate at this time.
Si Yao walked to the table and sat down, looking at the two young masters in front of him. Xiu Ming, who had always been impatient, became shy at this moment and slowly lowered his head. However, Li Ke changed his usual behavior and looked at Si Yao for a moment. , becoming more and more curious about the woman in front of him.
Yuzhen and Ling'er arranged the food and drinks, leaving Ling'er alone to wait on them.
"I just saw the answers of the two young masters. They are indeed outstanding among the contestants tonight. I am lucky today. I will have a few more drinks with the two young masters. We will discuss the final test later. I don't know what you two young masters want." How about the next one?" Si Yao's gentle and clear voice sounded in their ears.
Li Ke said: "That's very good. Since Xiu Ming and I are good friends, we should drink a few more drinks. But why does the girl still cover her face with a veil? If you want to drink freely, why not take off the veil. Firstly, it will be easier to drink and write poems. Secondly, Come and wait for me so that you can have a look at the girl’s beauty.”
After Li Ke finished speaking, Si Yao raised her arms and untied the veil from behind her ears. A pair of exquisite facial features appeared in front of the two of them. The face was delicate and slightly cold, and the coldness was mixed with a touch of tenderness. Clear and clear, a little light on the lips, and exuding a slight floral fragrance, it really surprised Li Ke and Xiu Ming. They never thought that there would be such a beautiful woman in Jinyang City today.
Si Yao handed the veil to Ling'er and picked up the wine glass from the table: "You two gentlemen, when we meet for the first time, I will toast you two first." The three of them raised their glasses and drank it all.
Speaking of which, although Li Ke promised to go out and have fun drinking with friends, he has never fallen in love with any woman so far. Even his fiancée Tian Fengxiao, who has never been married to the Tian family, is a lady and a pretty beauty even in the eyes of outsiders. If it weren't for the two of them, The family insisted on getting married, and Li Ke was not interested in her at all. What's more, Tian Fengxiao's reputation for being bossy and unreasonable is well known.
After three rounds of drinking, all three of them had a slight blush on their faces. Si Yao said: "It's a blessing to be friends with the two young masters. After a conversation, the little girl also knows that the two young masters are different from others. But now that the rules have been set, let's start the ultimate test."
"People in this world are nothing more than a word of love. The most difficult thing is the feeling of lovesickness. Tonight, let's write a poem each with the theme of lovesickness. Let's see who understands the little girl's mind better?"
After hearing the word "lovesickness", Li Ke picked up the wine glass and drank it in one gulp, chanting casually:
Things have not calmed down for a long time,
The common feeling is still in the water and the sky are new.
The blue hair is completely stained and no one can see it,
Another update to be alone.
Si Yao looked at Li Ke in front of her and was surprised. He could write a poem in just a moment, and couldn't help but look at Li Ke a few more times. At this moment, Li Ke chanted again: Second
The flowing river is clear and silky,
The purple beauty is gradually covered with clouds and cypress trees.
Where did Qinghua return yesterday?
Ten years of silence.
At this time, Xiu Ming, who was completely lost in thought, saw this and said: "Well, since Brother Li is here today, there is no hope of winning. Xiu Ming is resigned to being defeated and should leave early so as not to disturb Brother Li and Miss Siyao's good story." After that, he raised his glass and said goodbye to the two of them.
Si Yao motioned for Ling'er to go out too. At this time, only Li Ke and Siyao were left in the pavilion. Si Yao dared to take a closer look at the man in front of her, and suddenly found that Li Ke also had a handsome face, and there was an overbearing heroic spirit hidden between his eyebrows. A handsome man. Siyao saw that Li Ke felt uncomfortable, so he said, "Master Li, it's a long night, let Siyao play a song for you first." Then he got up and walked to the guqin and started playing and singing.
Li Ke looked at Si Yao who was playing the piano, looking elegant and noble. It was hard to imagine that he would commit himself to Ciyu Tower. He thought there must be a reason for doing so. However, the sound of the piano and singing came, but Li Ke didn't have time to think too much. He was instantly immersed in the melodious atmosphere, picking up a glass of wine and drinking from time to time. A broken heart, where can I find a close friend in the world? This is the most suitable word to describe these two people at this moment.
The two of them were in the pavilion, reciting poems sentence by sentence, which was very pleasant. After some conversation, Li Ke learned about Si Yao's life experience. It turns out that Siyao is not the child of an ordinary family. She was the daughter of an official in Kyoto. She was proficient in all kinds of music, chess, calligraphy and painting. She was a famous and talented girl in the capital at that time. However, her name was not Siyao at that time, but Zhiyao of Song Dynasty. Later, she was raped by a traitor in her family. After being framed, only he and Ling'er escaped from the capital, wandering around. Fortunately, they had a few crafts. Over the years, they lived in brothels all over the place. They always maintained the principle of doing business but not selling themselves. They lived a worry-free life, but everywhere they went I didn't dare to stay longer for fear of being discovered and causing trouble, and I had just arrived in Jinyang recently.
Li Ke also told Si Yao his experiences over the years. After years of trial and error, coupled with the pressure and prejudice at home, the most unacceptable thing was the marriage with the Tian family. A series of things made Si Yao gradually develop a liking for Li Ke. Although their experiences were different, their inner feelings had already brought them closer.
It's a pity that spring nights are short and good people are rare. The brief encounter caused the morning stall vendor on the street to break with a shout.
If there were a thousand words left unsaid between the two of them, the morning light shone through the window on their faces, which seemed much brighter than yesterday. When Li Ke saw it was dawn, he stood up and sighed, and wanted to say goodbye to Siyao.
Although Siyao was still unfinished, he had no choice but to ask: "Master Li, can we meet again?"
Li Ke replied: "Although the rivers and lakes are far apart, we are destined to meet each other."
After speaking, Li Ke picked up the pen and wrote it gracefully on the paper. He left a poem as a farewell message to Si Yao. After writing it, he dropped the pen and walked straight out the door.
Si Yao stood by the window upstairs, looking at the figure gradually disappearing in the morning light. She felt sad in her heart. She turned around and picked up the paper on the table. She saw that the words were elegant but powerful, very wild and uninhibited. Looking at the content, the poem says:
Last night the sound of the piano was as heavy as dew,
Hang down all the hundreds of bushes today.
It’s hard to see off an occasional guest from a foreign land.
Inviting you to drink with the moon is a natural meeting.
After Si Yao finished reading this poem, his thoughts became more and more complicated. When he looked out the window again, Li Ke was no longer visible.
