The darker the sky outside, the more brilliant the Cunxin Palace becomes, like a grand scene in the heavenly palace.
Zheng Haizhu's embroidered jacquard bijia and gold-woven horse-faced skirt must be regarded as high-end ready-to-wear if placed by a wealthy family in Jiangnan, the land of affluence.
But when it comes to the night banquet at Prince Lu's Mansion, being surrounded by those royal ladies who "carry five hundred gold hairpins and thousands of silver minks in red" can only be regarded as "not shabby".
But that's not important.
For a grassroots businesswoman to be able to make these parasite-like ladies condescend to look at her, it definitely doesn't rely on a few good clothes or a few brand-name bags.
Zhu Yipai's legitimate wife, Mrs. Guo, led Zheng Haizhu to meet several wives of the princes and princes.
Guo's words, "This is Miss Zheng who works for Mr. Liu, the weaver of Suzhou," had an immediate effect.
The noble ladies of Lu Fan all very wisely put away the question mark faces they had just a moment ago, and praised them with some grand remarks such as "Young and promising, both talented and beautiful".
After taking the embroidered forehead that Zheng Haizhu respectfully offered and returning to the VIP seats near the throne, these noble ladies could not help but whisper in small groups.
"Is she the eunuch's niece or niece?"
"I think they look like wives and concubines outside the palace. Nowadays, many eunuchs have mansions outside the palace."
"No, no, no, even a eunuch wouldn't be able to bear it if a woman comes out to do business and loses the face of her own men."
"Hehe, Mrs. County is right. She should be a niece or something. I guess she is a young widow and is not planning to get married again."
"There is another kind, that is, those who lose their virginity before marrying. They are already unclean. No one will want them in the playbook. They can't be mentioned in the husband's family. They can just go out and earn some money to live with them."
"Ah, when you say that, I want to throw away this forehead wipe. It's so dirty! I usually read those legends. If I see a woman losing her virginity, I will give up the book."
"You don't need to do that, Lord. Your Majesty hates the Japanese the most. Every time I mention it, I curse them for attacking me in Dengzhou. But I heard that your Majesty spent thousands of gold to buy a long knife made by a Japanese craftsman the month before."
"That's right, what to do after throwing it away? Look at the begonia flowers on the forehead, how thin the silk thread is, and the stitching method, we have never seen it before."
At this end, the ladies were vividly arranging the origins of common women and finally began to study female celebrities. At the other end, Mrs. Guo was sending Zheng Haizhu to the outside of Cunxin Hall.
As he walked away, he said in a low voice: "You are so smeared with makeup today that even I can hardly recognize you. Just now a few county ladies were laughing at your tacky makeup, and they couldn't even see your true face."
Zheng Haizhu pursed her lips: "Then I'll be relieved. I wish the nobles would think that you don't even recognize your own parents with this face."
But she quickly regained her serious expression: "My shopkeeper Wu mingled with His Highness's bodyguards and was wearing a helmet. Naturally, the criminals couldn't recognize him. After all, I was sitting with Zhang Changshi outside the palace.
I am the only woman in the scene, and no matter how dark the sky is, I always stand out."
Guo said: "Actually, if you pretend to be my maid, you can hide in the palace."
Zheng Haizhu said: "I have personally seen those people who are suspected of being the Wenxiang Sect. If it is really them who are causing trouble tonight, and the methods used by your Highness are really guessed, I can tell the difference more clearly from outside than from inside.
It would also be good to call the police a few minutes earlier.”….
There was no exaggeration on Guo's face, and she was already secretly approving in her heart.
Although she was also born in Shandong, she was different from Princess Meng of Lu who came from a scholarly family. She was the daughter of a military general who was transferred to Yunnan to put down the rebellion in the past few years. Emperor Wanli rewarded her and betrothed her to a member of the Lu clan.
The most dazzling young man.
There is actually a psychological gap between such a tiger girl and the group of ladies behind her who are showing off their elegance but are in fact vulgar and useless.
Guo often advised Zhu Yipai to run the farm and deer garden in exchange for money to give porridge to the poor. In her opinion, the more such things were done, the more she would degenerate herself and become a vassal worm.
of melancholy.
However, what Zheng Haizhu and her companions did in several incidents were brave and decisive, which made Guo feel kind to them.
Including Wu, who calls himself the shopkeeper.
Sir, Guo also felt that he was not an ordinary commoner who had practiced some boxing and kicking, but was somewhat similar to those Ye Bushou who were not as majestic but smart and capable in his father's camp.
Mrs. Guo is looking forward to the mystery being revealed tonight, and after the crisis is over, she can have a good chat with Miss Zheng and the others over wine.
…
In the corridor outside Cunxin Hall, the same exquisite carved sandalwood eucalyptus trees are arranged in an orderly manner, leaning against the white marble railings.
In order to protect the prince's subordinate officials from the cold, the chamberlains placed several small copper stoves burning charcoal beside each table.
As the official of the Chief History Department, Zhang Yaofang exchanged greetings with his colleagues from the Inquisition Office, the Gongzheng Office, and the Good Medical Office. After returning to his seat, he happened to meet Zheng Haizhu coming out of the hall.
When Zheng Haizhu went to the Nanbian Yamen today, he told Zhang Yaofang that he and Wu Bondang had won the favor of Zhu Yipai and his wife for rescuing the little girl and catching the Wenxiang Sect villains.
Therefore, Zhang Yaofang did not show any surprise when Mr. Guo brought Zheng Haizhu into the palace just now.
But Zheng Haizhu concealed the charcoal work from this senior official in the palace.
Even if the other party was Zhang Dai's father, a loyal minister of the Lu Palace with a good reputation as recorded in official history, Zheng Haizhu would remain silent on him until the truth came to light.
In the words of Wu Bond's educational informants, talking too much is as taboo as snitching.
At this moment, Zhang Yaofang retracted his hands into his sleeves and looked at the square in front of the palace with a smile where the wonderful performance was about to begin.
Of course he was in a great mood.
As the head of the nine subordinate officials, Changshi's dining table is located on the left side of the main entrance of Cunxin Hall.
When watching the fireworks later, King Lu and Princess Lu must come out, and Chang Shi will be the closest official to them.
Even though Lu Wang Zhu Shouhong often summoned Zhang Yaofang in normal times, standing shoulder to shoulder with the leader in front of everyone was the real highlight of life.
"Miss Zheng, our location is the best. It's a pity that your capable shopkeeper Wu didn't come."
Zhang Yaofang said to Zheng Haizhu.
It's a little greasy like a successful man's, but it's still within the tolerable range.
Zheng Haizhu held the tea cup and responded with a sigh: "Who says it's not the case, but he looks like he has caught the wind and cold, and his old and healthy body has turned into a diseased chicken. It's a sight."
As soon as he finished speaking, the eunuch in the palace announced: "His Royal Highness King Lu has arrived, His Royal Highness the Princess has arrived."
All the clan officials inside and outside the palace stood up and headed towards the throne in the palace...
Prince Lu and his wife, who passed through the garden from the harem and entered the Cunxin Hall, were dressed elegantly. After the listening officer read the congratulatory message written by Duke Yansheng of Kongfu in Qufu, he smiled and motioned for everyone to take their seats.
The eunuch shouted in a high-pitched voice: "Let the show begin!"
The little flamers outside the hall spread the news in a numb voice.
For a moment, drums and drums were heard on both sides of the venue. In the hustle and bustle, martial arts students from the Fang Family Class in Yiyang dialect appeared one after another,
The characteristic of Yiyang tune is that "one person sings in harmony", and today's performance is the famous martial arts drama "Dingtian Mountain".
Suddenly, with the great martial artist who played Xue Rengui as the center, there were people doing somersaults, wielding silver spears, whipping horses, and bending bows and swords. At a glance, it looked like there were hundreds of people showing off their skills in the whole place.
Whether it is the clan members of the Lu Di Zong clan or the civil servants in the royal offices, most of them are arty and elegant. They usually watch Yi Yi Ya Ya and various literary plays that are sung slowly. Today's magnificent scene is really exciting.
They opened their eyes and applauded.
However, if you pay more attention, most of the "Tang Jun" in this drama can't really be called martial arts. At most, they are just supporting players, and their movements are stiff.
The posture of turning somersaults is not relaxed, and the dance of gun and dance is not graceful enough.
Sitting next to Zhu Yipai, there was a royal nobleman who knew the temper of his young highness. He shook his head and said: "General Zhenguo, this Caotai team has defrauded our Lu Fan of so much money. You have to check it later."
Zhu Yipai snorted softly: "Let's just watch it. The main thing in this play is Xue Rengui. You can just take the side effects and see how lively he is."
When it comes to playing the role of Xue Rengui and the slave chieftain,
After the actor sang a high-pitched tune back and forth, "Xue Rengui" took the big bow that was used as a prop, and after three empty strings, the gong was struck again, and everyone left the stage.
The shunt retreated into the shadows behind the musicians' classes on both sides.
Then, the palace musicians at the head of the palace, taking over from the musicians from the theater troupe, began to play soft and graceful silk and bamboo music, mostly an ensemble of zither, Xiao, and pipa, allowing the guests to enjoy their meals in a soothing atmosphere.
Shandong cuisine is the first of the eight major cuisines. The Shandong cuisine at today's royal palace banquet fully reflects the motto of Confucius: "You never tire of fine food, and you never tire of delicate food."
Even each section of the nine-turn large intestine is embedded with minced sea cucumbers and chopped shrimps, making it resemble old branches and white plums. The urge to show off their skills is clearly visible. It is estimated that the next goal of the master craftsmen at the stove is how to
A copy of The Analects of Confucius is engraved on the large intestine.
However, Zheng Haizhu, who regarded herself as a foodie in her previous life, has no intention of tasting the delicious delicacies like Zhang Yaofang next to her.
She only used the fastest speed to finish half of the tender braised chicken.
This thing replenishes physical strength the most, who knows what will happen later.
Zhang Yaofang, who was tasting the Baihua Yongdoufu politely, glanced sideways at Zheng Haizhu.
This girl is usually not pretentious, which is an advantage, but in the current situation, she must chew her food slowly.
Zheng Haizhu wiped her oily mouth with a silk towel soaked in floral dew from the palace. Somehow, she remembered the steamed fish cake she had eaten to gain strength before going on a treasure hunt on Daishan Island more than a year ago.
I just don’t know how many bloodthirsty sharks there are tonight…
After the performance of "Autumn in the Han Palace" was completed, the eunuchs inside the palace and the fire-makers outside the palace performed relay singing: "Fireworks are going up and lanterns are dancing."
Soon, with a "Hugh" sound, the first fireworks flew into the blue night sky.
The star bomb rose to the middle of the sky and immediately spread out with a bang. The silvery bright lines shot out, outlining a huge peony with rich charm.
The outline of the big peony has not yet been completely hidden, and several more fireworks are flying into the sky.
Bright purple, rose red, bright green, and golden yellow are painted with bunches of grapes, dots of red plums, and clusters of green bamboos, sparkling as you wish.
In this grand scene with countless crystal lights blooming beside the moon, the bamboo flute masters from the palace began to play cheerful flute music.
King Zhu Shouhong of Lu and Princess Meng stood up hand in hand, greeted the members of the left and right clans, strolled to the steps outside the palace, and enjoyed the lanterns of the fireworks with Zhang Yaofang and other palace officials.
I saw a dazzling fire dragon coming slowly from the east side of Chengyun Hall in the distance.
After passing the Chengyun Hall and appearing in the square illuminated by fireworks in front of the Cunxin Hall, the guests finally saw clearly that it was not a whole fire dragon, but an array of animals such as elephants, ligers, camels, and colorful phoenixes.
array.
These lanterns, which were previously placed in the greenhouse under the city gate, are now made of silk and are even more bright and beautiful under the double contrast of the candles inside and the fireworks in the sky.
Regardless of birds or animals, there are hollow wooden wheeled carts under the lights. There are at least three people in each cart, one person is pushing the cart, and two people stretch out their arms from the left and right sides, waving hand-held fireworks sticks, making the lantern procession seem to be marching in the brilliant Milky Way.
.
The lights on the ground and the fireworks in the sky complement each other. People are in the lights, in the fire, in the fog and shadow, in the light, like a dream, like an illusion, and intoxicated.
Zhang Yaofang couldn't help but twist his beard and praise it, and then turned his head and asked Zheng Haizhu proudly: "Miss Zheng, this Lufan fireworks and lanterns are worthy of being said to be the best in China?"
Zheng Haizhu turned a deaf ear.
Her eyes were fixed on the Phoenix car that arrived at the steps of Cunxin Palace.
The face of the man in the car holding a fireworks stick was clearly illuminated by the direct light.
It is clearly the hanging eye of Chaitan Mountain.
How can a charcoal worker be also a lantern maker!
Zheng Haizhu suddenly turned around to look for Wu Bangde, who was pretending to be a bodyguard behind King Lu.
Wu Bangde also said in a deep voice to King Zhu Shouhong of Lu and His Highness Zhu Yipai: "In Phoenix, there are the charcoal workers of Chaitan Mountain."
Just when Zhu Yipai and Wu Bangdang were moving to cover themselves in front of King Lu and his wife, the hanging eyes suddenly climbed onto the wings of the phoenix, stepping on the trembling but unable to move for a moment.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! The broken lantern bamboo net shouted loudly: "King Jielu!"
Suddenly, the sound of breaking bamboo and silk was heard from the lantern procession, and forty or fifty men emerged from the birds and animals, waving their waist knives and swords, and rushed towards the Cunxin Hall.
The noble men and women and the civil servants of the royal palace were stunned for a few breaths by the sudden disaster. They were immediately ignited by the survival instinct like the fireworks just now, and ran away screaming in both directions.
Among the members of the clan, only Zhu Yipai and his father, Prince Taixing, stayed where they were, while Guo and two guards protected Princess Meng and retreated to the depths of the Cunxin Hall.
In the cold light, Diao Yantiao rushed to the front, grinning with his teeth bared and his face full of evil.
I didn't want to be met by sparks as soon as I stepped up the steps, and then a large basin of hot coals hit my entire face and neck with the head of my pocket.
The tip of the hanging eye was burned so hard that he screamed and his steps were stagnant, but he still had the strength to do so and did not fall down on the steps.
Zheng Haizhu threw away the charcoal basin and the wolf-hair sleeve that protected his hand, and looked at it intently.
But from the darkness behind the Yiyang Fang Family Band musicians' table, nearly a hundred men with spears rushed out.
These men with oil paint on their faces were just dressed as the royal soldiers of the Tang army in "Dingtian Mountain".
When fighting with cold weapons, every inch is stronger and every inch is longer.
As soon as the spears appeared, the regular army came out again, immediately crushing the robbers armed with short swords and daggers.
[Recommended, @@ Zhuishu is really useful, everyone should try it soon.]
Soon, in front of Cunxin Hall, miserable screams could be heard one after another.
Zhang Yaofang, who had already fled to the side pillar, stared at him for a moment, then followed suit and moved back a few steps, finally seizing an opportunity to learn Miss Zheng's sneak attack method.
He didn't care about burning his hands, picked up a copper stove, rubbed it to the railing, and poured a pot of hot coals on the head of a fierce bandit who was fighting with his own soldiers with his back against the railing.
Just like Diao Yanshou, the gangster was also burned to the point of screaming. The next moment, the soldier's spear point pierced his heart.
