The palace luncheon in Guanghan Palace was as expected when Zhao Rong came.
There was a long dining table and a dazzling array of dishes, so many that he couldn't even remember their names.
The Dugu clan, Zhao Rong, the young emperor and only a few others were seated at a very far distance from each other, strictly abiding by etiquette.
But Zhao Rong still didn't see what the Dugu family looked like. Even this time it was not as good as last time in the mourning hall, where he could see the figure of the widow above.
This time, she didn't even show her body, she was hidden behind heavy curtains.
However, from Zhao Rong's tone behind the curtain, Dugu's voice suggested that she should be quite surprised and delighted by his active arrival.
The reason is self-evident.
As if to avoid suspicion, not only did the three of them have a banquet, but the Dugu family also invited Zhang Huizhi and other civil servants and Confucian scholars to accompany them.
As a result, Zhao Rong was quite bored and ate a formal palace banquet.
Most of the banquets followed the Confucian etiquette of not speaking after eating. The Dugu family's occasional warm-up remarks also followed the pattern of questions and answers between monarchs and ministers.
While Zhao Rong was eating, he counted the number of times the female figure behind the curtain took a handkerchief to wipe the corners of her mouth.
She only holds one chopstick for each dish in front of her, and only chews one chopstick eight to ten times. Then she will put down her chopsticks and reach out, take the handkerchief handed to her by Xian Yue Li Nu, wipe the corners of her mouth, and then take it again.
A new pair of chopsticks, pick up a dish.
Zhao Rong nodded and muttered something in his heart, and then he didn't look much more, only occasionally looking at the little emperor Li Wangque.
Since the little emperor came to his mother's house, he immediately became obedient and quiet. He also observed etiquette when eating and did not look around.
After two sticks of incense, the luncheon ended.
"Mr. Zhao and other gentlemen, would you like to take a leisurely stroll in the back garden after dinner and enjoy the chime music and dance of my Dali palace?"
Behind the curtain, the hazy figure placed the handkerchief wiping his mouth and asked in a voiceless voice.
Of course, everyone present is a scholar and cannot agree to this kind of invitation. Well, at least there are so many people now that I can’t be the first to agree.
Zhao Rong, Zhang Huizhi and others looked at each other and shook their heads in refusal.
The little emperor on the side looked slightly regretful, but the young man did not dare to say anything and bowed his head obediently, as if he was afraid that the widowed queen above him would notice him and leave him behind.
After hearing this, the Dugu family didn't force anything, and after a few polite words, they let Zhao Rong and others go.
After leaving Guanghan Palace, Zhao Rong exchanged greetings with Zhang Huizhi and others and then separated.
Before the latter left, he mentioned drinking in his spare time, and Zhao Rong agreed with a chuckle.
"Mr. Zhao, why didn't you agree to the Queen Mother's invitation just now? The singing and dancing in the palace are unparalleled, and the dancing of our daughter off the ground is the best on the mountain in the north of Wangque. I don't know how many immortals want to have it.
See, sir, have you heard of it before?
"However, the slim-waisted beauties who are most capable of singing and dancing are all in the music department and the palace, all beside the queen mother, and are generally invisible to outsiders."
Zhao Rong thought for a while and nodded, "I heard Brother Yiwu mentioned something."
The little emperor imitated Zhao Rong, holding his sleeves and walking side by side with him.
At this time, he let out a long sigh like a little adult and said with a regretful expression:
"Although I became the emperor, my mother seldom exposed me to these things, and the sisters from the Ensemble Division never performed in front of me. Sister Daukou, for example, always supervised my homework every time she came... Mr. Zhao, it was so rare just now
It would be a pity that you turned down the opportunity."
When the little emperor calls himself himself in front of Zhao Rong, he rarely uses the terms "I" or "Gu".
Um, you also want to have a good time, so you feel sorry for me, right? I heard you say so, if it weren't for the need to "see the mind and its nature" these days, I would have to go see it and have a good meeting.
In a moment you will leave the slender beauties of the palace...
Zhao Rong blinked.
He frowned suddenly, reached out and patted Li Wangque on the shoulder, and said seriously: "How can we, the scholars, indulge in this way? You are the king of a country, and being indulged in female music is a sign of the country's subjugation."
The little emperor looked solemn and said, "Thank you, Mr., for your teaching."
Zhao Rong waved his hand modestly.
He looked at the road ahead and suddenly whispered: "Actually, it's not like you can't watch this female singer."
Li Wangque was stunned for a moment, "How do you say this, sir?"
Zhao Rong frowned and sighed in embarrassment, "When you watch this kind of extravagant dance music, you need an elder with high moral integrity to supervise and wake up."
He nodded reluctantly, "Hey, let's do it like this, next time. Next time you have a chance to watch this extravagant dance music, you can come to me and I will check it for you."
Little Emperor: “…………”
"What? If you don't speak, you don't believe me?"
"No...no, I was just wondering if it would affect my husband and taint his pure and stoic state of mind?"
The young Confucian scholar waved his hand, "It's okay. With their little moral skills, they still want to destroy my realm? You can come to me with confidence."
"Okay... okay, sir."
The little emperor scratched the back of his head.
The young Confucian scholar nodded with satisfaction.
In fact, he didn't lie. After getting through this period of time, he succeeded in seeing his mind clearly, and his state of calm mind, few desires and pure mind will surely be greatly improved.
Although a few days have passed since that night, he still hasn't fully figured out what seeing the mind's clarity is, but he must be a very powerful state...
"Hey, Gui, if you're still alive, let me know."
Zhao Rong called out in his heart.
Waited for a while.
No one answered.
Zhao Rong looked as usual and folded his sleeves.
"Mr. Zhao, you know that our Li Di girls are slender and good at dancing, so do you know who the most powerful dancer in Li Di is?"
Zhao Rong said casually without thinking: "It can't be your mother."
He smiled after saying that.
As a result, after waiting for three breaths, I didn't hear the young man next to me speak.
Zhao Rong was startled and turned around to see Li Wangque looking at him with admiration.
"…………"
"Your mother...ahem, Queen Mother, is she so powerful?" Zhao Rong coughed twice.
The little emperor nodded, looking proud:
"The Queen Mother is not only recognized as the most beautiful woman in Dali, but also the most beautiful and slender-waisted daughter in Dali. She is also the undisputed number one dancer in Dali."
"However, I have never seen my mother dance, and it is said that she only danced once, at the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China. Only this time, she became the undisputed first person to divorce her daughter.
It makes all the women of Dali eclipse, and everyone says that the queen mother is the reincarnation of the Nine Heavens Goddess of the Li clan..."
He glanced at Zhao Rong who was listening carefully, shook his head and said:
"My mother later became a queen and never danced again. Now that she is a widow... she will never have the opportunity to show up and dance again. Goodbye... Well, no man is qualified to let my mother do this now."
Already."
Zhao Rong nodded and just listened to it as an interesting thing.
The young emperor and Zhao Rong walked together for a while. When they were about to separate, the young man invited Zhao Rong to sit in the royal study for a while. He had some questions about the Book of Songs that he wanted to ask for advice.
Zhao Rong glanced outside the palace wall in the distance. It was still early. After thinking about it, he nodded and agreed. He smiled and said he would borrow some more books to read.
The young man named Li Wangque nodded happily.
Not long after, the two of them arrived at the Imperial Study Room.
This is Zhao Rong's second time here. He has an excellent memory and is already very familiar with the roads to the imperial study and other places in the palace.
The little emperor habitually dismissed the maids and eunuchs and closed the door.
Although he skipped school and ran away today, he finally brought Mr. Zhao back to the palace for dinner. His mother didn't say anything about him at the banquet just now, so he should have escaped disaster at that time.
The young man went to get the book with a happy face and asked Zhao Rong for advice.
However, just when Li Wangque handed the book to Zhao Rong, the closed door was suddenly opened by an outsider.
A bookish girl in palace clothes walked straight in, followed by Xian Yue Li Nu, who was left guarding the door.
With a red flower between her eyebrows and holding the sleeves of her wide skirt in both hands, she came to the little emperor and Zhao Rong.
The girl in palace clothes seemed not to have seen Zhao Rong, and kept looking at the little emperor.
Poker face.
Zhao Rong glanced at her curiously, and just when he thought the latter was about to bend down to salute, the little emperor suddenly stood up, stood in front of the girl in palace clothes, and then knelt down without saying a word.
Facing the direction of Guanghan Palace.
…………
Guanghan Palace.
In the main hall where a banquet was held to entertain the Queen Mother's distinguished guests not long ago, a group of young palace maids were cleaning the room with ease.
Very carefully.
The expensive curtain at the head of the hall was mercilessly torn down and replaced.
The white veil worn by a very noble woman was thrown on the ground casually, and its owner was nowhere to be found...
Deep in Guanghan Palace.
There is a place where the water mist is lingering and the fragrance is fragrant.
In the fairyland-like mist, there are faint green, red, and white things.
The mist suddenly started to billow.
Through the mist, if you take a closer look, you will see that there is a bathing pool covering an area of tens of meters, and it seems to be a natural hot spring, which is very rare.
The bathhouse is luxuriously decorated and surrounded by rare and precious flowers and plants.
Among the lush and fragrant flowers and plants, some women's clothing was sparsely dropped, including skirts, ribbons, purple gauze, and bellybands...pieces of clothing fell all the way to the edge of the bath.
In this huge bathing pool, there was only a graceful snow-white figure bathing in the hot spring water.
Around the bathing pool, there were Xianyue Linu of high status walking around from time to time.
They couldn't take their eyes off them, either carrying basins, handing over towels, or holding clean dresses...
The most common thing among them is clean towels.
It is embroidered with golden silk thread and a picture of the goddess flying to the moon.
There are also some divorced women who from time to time sprinkle fine flower petals, spices, essences and other expensive fragrances into the bath water.
"Cardamom."
At this moment, the widow in the bathhouse, who was extremely noble in Dali, suddenly called out.
"Mother, my servant is here."
Beside the bath, a girl in palace clothes holding a gorgeous towel quickly glanced at the beautiful woman who closed her eyes and made a sound in the mist, and then she responded with a low eyebrow.
Dugu Chan was immersed in the water with pink petals floating from her shoulders down.
She was quiet for a moment.
No one around the bath dared to make a sound.
Kao Kao and others waited with bated breath for this woman who was as beautiful as a picture of a goddess to speak.
For a while, there was only a slight sound of rolling water and the tinkling of falling water drops in the air in the bathtub.
Dugu Chanyi closed her eyes and rested, leaning her head lightly. She gently stretched out her hand and pulled her dark brocade-like hair in front of her left shoulder. She combed it with her jade hands, curled up her jade palms, scooped up a hand of warm water, and poured it into the
On her delicate collarbone.
Elegant movements and noble temperament.
"The Ai family asked him to study hard, but he tried his best to run around. Did he forget Li Mingyi's lesson last time?"
Dugu Chanyi frowned slightly.
Daukou waited for Li Nu to lower her eyes and lower her head, not daring to make a sound.
"Kneel down for two hours as punishment."
She stroked the wet black hair on her shoulders with her bare hands and said softly.
Daukou, who had a bookish temperament, hesitated to speak, but still closed his mouth and said, "I obey."
She handed the luxurious towel in her hand to Li Nu, who was looking down at her side, turned around and left directly.
Not long after Cardamom left.
Not far away, a figure of a crescent moon girl suddenly appeared. She came to the bathtub, knelt down directly, held a colorful ribbon in both hands, and presented it to her.
"Mother." She called softly.
The beautiful woman in the bath suddenly opened her eyes and turned to look at the ribbon.
"Bring her in."
"yes."
"All of you, please retreat. No one is allowed in without my permission."
"According to the order!"
…
PS: I fell asleep last night and the last leave request note was used up, woo woo woo.