Chapter Twenty-Three, The Days in Lantian Are Warm and Jade Smokes
Ming Garden, also known as the "Imperial Garden", is located twenty miles outside Ziao City and is far away from the Lingyun peaks outside the city. In the first year of Baohe, Emperor Taizong built Ming Garden with tens of thousands of soldiers. Hundreds of animals were raised in the garden, and the emperor's relatives shot and hunted in the spring and autumn.
There are countless animals in the garden. Among them are ponds, palaces and gardens, and countless pavilions and pavilions. On both sides are ancient pines and cypresses. In the middle is a pomegranate orchard, a cherry orchard, and a grape palace where grapes from the Western Regions are introduced, and there are exotic flowers and trees from the south.
Such as mountain ginger, lychee, betel nut, olive and so on. There are dragon and phoenix giant ships connected end to end in the pond. There are often palace ladies and imprisoned women boating in the pond. The phoenix canopy is raised high, the flag is fluttering, and the singing is performed softly, mixed with instrumental music. It can be heard from a distance.
It can be intoxicating. There are also walking dog watch, walking horse watch, fish and bird watch, elephant watch, white deer watch and lion and tiger garden, etc., there are too many to mention. Every year during the flower season, exotic flowers and plants bloom here, and there are countless scenic spots.
In addition to Yurao and I, Xuan Ling also brought Hu Yunrong, Zhou Pei and Ye Lanyi, as well as several princes and nobles. It was almost noon when we arrived at Mingyuan. Everyone rested for half an hour and changed their clothes.
Then we went to the martial arts viewing platform to watch riding and shooting together.
The weather was fine, and the wind blowing towards the martial arts viewing platform seemed a bit warm and cool. The thin silk shirt flicked against the skin, like a child's delicate hands gently caressing me. Xuan Ling and I were sitting side by side on the martial arts viewing platform in the main hall.
, Ye Lanyi and Hu Yunrong sat on both sides, Zhou Pei and Yurao sat further away, watching the noble princes enter one after another.
Ye Lanyi was quite pleased with herself. She stretched out her white palms, and in a moment, a colorful sparrow fluttered and landed on her palm. Concubine Min was born in a noble family and was no stranger to Mingyuan. After looking at it for a moment, she gave Ye Lanyi a slight smile.
With a smile, "Xiao Yi used to tame animals here, so she must be very familiar with Mingyuan. Even the birds, animals, fish and insects are particularly close to you."
Ye Lanyi smiled faintly, "Yes, I'm used to seeing animals here. Occasionally I see people coming, and they are so beautiful that I mistakenly thought they were some rare and exotic animals raised in the imperial garden." After that, he didn't care about Min Fei Xiu.
His eyebrows are slightly furrowed, and he only enjoys teasing birds.
The princes of the three families sat on two sides, farther away from the concubines. The eldest prince, Xuan Xun, sat at a table by himself, with three or five beauties sitting beside him. It was very lively.
I can’t help but envy you how comfortable I am.”
Xuan Xun took a sip of the wine brought to his lips by the beauty, and pointed at the woman beside him with a smile, "Your Majesty, you are laughing. They are not worthy enough to carry shoes for Concubine Shu and Concubine Min. I look at the girl in green shirt beside me.
They are several times better than them."
When Xuan Ling looked at Huanbi, he couldn't help but smile and said: "She is Concubine Shu's personal maid, but the eldest brother is interested in marrying her as a concubine?"
I yelled softly: "Your Majesty."
Xuan Ling even laughed: "That's all, Concubine Shu is feeling distressed. She has found someone she likes again. Tomorrow we will let some of the palace maids out. I can take the ones I like."
Xuan Xun laughed and said, "I don't want to make a joke. No matter how beautiful the maids in Zi'ao City are, they are just wooden beauties. They are all restricted by the rules. They are not as good as the maids in Mingyuan. Looking at them from a distance, they feel romantic and graceful."
.Otherwise, how could the emperor be so attracted to Ye Xiaoyi alone?"
Xuan Xun was the eldest son of the late emperor. There were four remaining princes of the late emperor. He had never been interested in political affairs. He only went to the court every day to answer questions. In his free time, he only loved wine, beautiful women, and horse fights. Xuan Ling was particularly fond of this eldest brother.
, even to the point of being lenient. The Prince of Zhou Dynasty had one main concubine, two side concubines, four concubines, and an unknown number of concubines. And Xuan Ling had given more than a dozen women who were drafted into the palace to be his concubines.
At this moment, the sun in the garden is as bright as makeup, and the breeze is blowing. Sitting on the martial arts viewing platform, I can see the luxuriant grass in the distance, the large willow forest with old trees and new branches, the leaves are luxuriant, drooping to the ground, the pomegranate flowers are in full bloom in the distance, and the orioles are flying.
Swallow dance is a beautiful scene.
When Xuan Ling saw Mao Liu Yiyi, he put his hands behind his hands and smiled, "After the Dragon Boat Festival, it happens to be the time to shoot willow trees."
The so-called shooting of willows is to choose a willow tree with lush branches and leaves. The shooters will be ranked in order of seniority or seniority, and each will tie a token on the willow branch as a mark. The archer will be about a hundred steps away from the willow branch and shoot with an arrow.
After breaking the willow branch, you must gallop to the bottom of the willow in an instant and pick it up in your hand, which is a great victory. Shooting the willow branch but not catching it in your hand is the next best thing. If you have not shot the willow branch, let alone never.
If you hit the target, it will be a loss. Such a thin and soft willow branch will be broken in a hundred steps, and after breaking, the broken branch must be promptly picked up in the hand, and the token must not fall. Therefore, although it is called the accuracy of the test archery, it is actually
What is tested is the strength of riding and shooting, eye sharpness, skill, flexibility and even the ability to control horses. All must be perfect in order to win. 6r-i8 Xuan Ling said with a smile: "Of course you and I are going to give it a try.
." After saying that, he ordered Li Chang to lead their respective horses and line up in a row under the stage. Xuan Ling was the most distinguished, wearing a dark brown riding and shooting uniform, with dragon patterns embroidered with red gold thread on both arms and chest. On the bright
The most eye-catching under the sun. The second is Xuan Xun, wearing a black dress with chi pattern; the third is Xuan Qing, wearing cloud white, without a trace of embroidery; the last is Xuan Fen, wearing a parrot green silk dress with dark patterns, which is also very eye-catching.
Refreshing.
I turned my head secretly, suppressed my involuntary glance at Xiang Qing, raised my sleeves and drank a glass of "Pear Blossom White". I felt the cold liquid in my throat slipping down, and I couldn't taste anything. Huanbi's eyes turned slightly.
, there seems to be infinite confusion, and I can't move my eyes even half a minute.
Concubine Min laughed crisply, holding a peony gauze rhombus fan with her slender white fingers, shaking it one after another, and said: "Your Majesty and the three princes are standing together, and they are all like jade trees in the wind. No wonder Huanbi
You are dumbfounded."
Huanbi blushed, lowered her head to add some wine for me, and whispered: "I'm waiting to see She Liu."
Zhou Pei also smiled, "It's rare for Miss Bi to be distracted. Concubine Min, please don't laugh at her."
Concubine Min smiled, waved the silk, pointed to the sky and said, "I am not laughing at her. I am just laughing at the goose flying in the sky. When she saw someone shooting willows, she didn't even flutter her wings."
The drums sounded suddenly, and Concubine Min stopped talking and laughing. Xuan Ling rode a Dawan horse and flew out first. He drew a golden feather arrow with his backhand, and suddenly used his right hand to draw away the red lacquered rhinoceros horn long bow, "
"Whoosh!" An arrow shot out far away, and the willow branch stirred up and rebounded upward with great force. The green strip tied with fiery red silk flickered like a fine silk thread. When it fell again, it was already in Xuan Ling's hand. The dust flew up and was already broken.
Turning around, there was thunderous applause on the field. Hu Yunrong laughed first and clapped his hands and said, "My cousin's riding and shooting skills are not as good as they used to be. On the contrary, they are getting better and better day by day."
Zhou Pei said with a smile: "This is the first time for us to see the emperor's shooting skills. It is not as common as the empress. After all, the feelings are different."
Xuan Xun never practiced riding and shooting, so he suddenly used his strength and fired the string hard at the willow branch with a colorful purse hanging on it. The arrowhead was slightly off target, and he shot a willow branch back, which was not a shame.
By the time Xuan Qing came on stage, he seemed to be a little drunk and was shaking slightly. Huanbi couldn't help but said: "Although the prince's illness has recovered last time, he is still not strong enough. Could it be that he suffered from heat stroke under the sun?"
I was silent, and I saw him draw the bowstring fully, then let it go suddenly, and the arrowhead flew out, four or five steps away from the most obvious target, the bag. Hu Yunrong couldn't help but tilted his head, showing a bit of disdain, "
My sixth cousin used to be good at riding and shooting, but in recent years he has indulged in poetry, calligraphy and music, and he is even worse than my eldest cousin."
No, that's not the case.
I still remember that in the past, in the small courtyard of Lingyun Peak, a colorful oriole that came from nowhere dropped a piece of bright feathers under the tallest branch of an old peach tree. I was greedy for the beauty, but felt that I couldn't ask Qing to climb the tree to remove the feathers for me.
If it is too light, the peach branches are full of flowers, and the slightest movement of the branches and leaves will knock them off. He thought of a way, put a little honey on the arrow, and walked hundreds of steps away, choosing to avoid hitting the flower branches.
At the right angle, with a little bit of skill, he shot the feather far away, flew up and grabbed the arrow with the feather in his hand, not even a single piece of the peach blossom in full bloom fell.
My heart sank. The concubine's words of "hide your strength and bide your time" were still in my ears. When I looked at him again, there were tears in my eyes.
Before the thought was finished, he heard a clear whistle, and a long silver arrow in Xuan Fen's hand flew out like a ray of light chasing the sun, and hung directly in it a wicker stick with a small thumb and a big snuff bottle. He tapped his feet lightly, and his hips
He got off his horse and galloped out. There was a gentle breeze, and he saw that the willow branch was falling more and more heavily. He was not in a hurry, and he shot back with another arrow, hitting the willow branch that was so excited that it bounced up several feet and hit it again.
But seeing the willow branch falling sharply, he jumped up from his horse a few feet high with his arms relaxed, and firmly caught his broken willow branch. In the middle of the short willow branch, the snuff bottle tied with a red rope was still steady.
.The twelve victory drums sounded "dong dong" in unison, and Li Chang sang happily: "The emperor and the nine kings are victorious——"
Ye Lanyi also admired, "The young heroes of the Nine Kings are good at riding and shooting."
Hu Yunrong drank a cup of wine slowly and frowned at the distant mountain eyebrows that were delicately painted with snails. "So what if you are good at riding and shooting. It's a pity that the birth mother is humble and she is useless after all." After saying this, she glanced at her intentionally or unintentionally.
Ye Lanyi turned to look at Xuan Fen, who was still not very happy after the victory, "No wonder the late emperor didn't like his biological mother. Look at his solitary temperament. After all, it was due to his origin that he couldn't stand on the stage."
So everyone returned to their seats, and Ye Lanyi said "It's too hot" and got up to change clothes. She usually only likes to wear blue and green colors, but now she changed into a moon white ramie light shirt, embroidered with extremely fine gold thread
The pattern of albizia flowers and the pleated skirt with cloud-colored water patterns underneath changed from the cold and glamorous past and added a bit of softness and warmth. Xuan Ling unconsciously took a second look and said: "I usually only think that you look good in green, but unexpectedly
Even more so."
Ye Lanyi tilted her head slightly, patting her face gently with two emerald willow leaf pendants on her earlobes, "I like it very much."
Xuan Ling pointed to his side and asked Ye Lanyi to sit down. He turned to look at Xuan Fen with a happy expression, "Lao Jiu is getting better and better." After speaking, he pointed at Xuan Qing with a smile, "You are getting more and more dizzy, you might as well be Qi Ba.
The skills you had when you were young." He paused and added, "Your father taught you how to ride and shoot, how could you have forgotten it now?"
Xuan Qing smiled faintly, but still had the same calm expression, "I have been drinking too much, and I have neglected all these things. After all, the emperor is diligent and has always been good at riding and shooting."
Xuan Xun patted his thigh and said, "The sixth child hasn't gotten married yet. Once we get married, won't it mean that our hands are weak and our legs are weak?"
Seeing that he spoke without restraint, the concubines didn't say anything for a moment. Xuanqing raised his glass and drank three gulps, then Fang lazily said: "If I had known, I would have drunk less wine before I left. I would have felt drunk before the arrow was shot."
Hu Yunrong leaned next to Xuan Ling, wiped the sweat from his forehead with a piece of silk, and said with a smile: "My cousin is born with supernatural power, please give that gift to me." Xuan Ling handed her the big red silk with one hand.
His expression was even more joyful.
Xuan Xun grasped the chin of the beauty next to him and said with a smile: "The fact that Concubine Min is so happy after winning the lottery shows that this natural power is a man's business after all. Women only need to cheer and cheer."
While talking, Yurao stood up slowly and said, "Everyone says that shooting willows is a matter for men. Let's see how our daughter's abilities are today."
I frowned, stretched out my hand to pull Yurao, and hinted her to sit down. Xuan Ling looked at her with interest and said, "I only saw Princess Zhenning Sheliu, the imperial sister, and we haven't seen each other for several years. Now I really haven't seen her again."
.”
There was a hint of anger between Yurao's brows, and she did not look at me. She only said: "My lord has been in the wilderness of Sichuan for a long time. I have learned riding and shooting for a few days in order to defend myself. I only smiled. I really don't dare to compare with the eldest princess. Your Majesty, you don't want to see weirdos."
good."
Xuan Ling looked at her delicate and arrogant face, smiled and said to Xiaoxiazi: "Go and bring the eldest princess's horse to my aunt."
Yurao said: "My daughter is not worthy of riding the eldest princess's horse." She turned to look at Xuan Qing, "The six kings lost just now, and my daughter wants to ride the six kings' horse. If I am embarrassed later, I can still save some face.
"
Xuan Qing's eyes quickly passed over her face and landed on her raised chin, "Miss Third, just do what you want."
Yu Rao was originally wearing a narrow-sleeved dress, but she moved neatly. She took off her shawl and threw it aside. She picked a bright red rose that was blooming beside the stage and told Huayi: "Go and tie it there."
Let's go to the willow branch." After saying that, she turned off the stage and jumped onto the horse. Her posture was as light as a swallow. Zhou Pei was curious and funny at the same time and asked me: "Is Concubine Shu's family good at riding and shooting? Third Miss.
It’s very stylish.”
I saw Yunrong fanning her face with a slight look of disapproval, and I couldn't help but smile and said: "We three sisters are good at riding horses. We have learned from my brother since we were young. Is it just archery?" I shook my head slightly, "My second sister
My sister is so weak that I can't help but tell the truth, and I can't do it either."
Yunrong covered her mouth and smiled, the bright red kodan on her fingertips blooming like roses, "It's also good to know how to embroider your legs. It's always fresher than dancing in the snow."
Yurao calmly drew her bow and tested the strength of the string. Then she reined in the horse and galloped out. After galloping fifty steps, Xuan Xun was already shaking his head. "You haven't shot an arrow yet. Do you want us to watch her ride a horse?"
Before he finished speaking, he saw Yurao throwing the bow string in his hand, raising his hand high, and hearing a "pop" sound, he suddenly used his hand to throw the arrow at the rose tied with it from dozens of steps away.
This move was so unexpected that Zhou Pei exclaimed: "Isn't this archery? Why did the third lady throw the arrow out!"
Yurao took advantage of the willow branch to stir up, clamped her horse's legs and galloped forward. A strong wind blew by, and the willow branch fell to the ground very fast. When she came closer, the willow branch was no more than an inch away from the ground. In an instant,
, Yurao quickly bowed her body to fish it out, and stood up as lightly as fishing for the moon under the water. Her jade-colored long skirt was blown up by the wind, just like a blooming magnolia. When she turned around, she held the broken willow branch in her hand.
In her hand, the rose was already held between her lips. At that time, the sun was bright like vigorous golden powder, and she was in the dazzling sunlight, but she saw a delicate rose leaning across her snow-white face. For a moment,
He couldn't tell who was more beautiful, the human or the flower. Xuan Xun looked hesitant and quite disappointed; Xuan Qing watched calmly, but there was a faint hint of worry in his eyes; Xuan Fen had a smile on his lips, with a hint of approval; Xuan Ling had already
I was so focused that I admired secretly in my heart. I even forgot to cheer for the moment. When I turned around and saw Xuan Ling's expression, I happened to meet Yun Rong's worried eyes, and my heart sank.
Yurao didn't realize it yet. She picked up her skirt and ran up quickly. Her clear face was even more radiant due to the slight sweat. She threw the rose casually and it happened to fall on Xuanfen's table. She stopped and said lightly: "You count them.
Count, is there one petal missing?" (o5j5v5u0k;~)
Yurao bowed slightly and said to Xuan Xun, "Your Majesty, it's funny."