Before Yin could speak, Princess Hehui was sitting next to several concubines. At this time, a smile broke out on her plump little face. She also clapped her hands and said with a smile: "Huang Ama will try this golden bow."
Bar!"
Seeing that everyone was talking enthusiastically, Yin opened his mouth with kindness, and nodded to Su Peisheng. Su Peisheng hurriedly bowed forward, took the small golden-horned bow from Hua Rong, and handed it to Yin.
One end of the small golden-horned bow was covered under a piece of blue bamboo-patterned ten-sided brocade. Next to it was a copper plum-blossom bow. Yin opened the cover and saw that under the small golden-horned bow, there was a
A large bundle of specially made arrows, all wrapped with five-color Duanyang silk, and calamus tassels hanging from the tail.
He easily took one out, held it in his hand, stood up, and slowly walked around from behind the dining table to the front. When the queen and concubines saw the emperor standing up, they all stopped holding the chopsticks in their hands and stood up too.
The queen followed Yin, walked a few steps, and stood beside him. Seeing the rice dumplings piled up like a mountain on the brown plate opposite the palace, she smiled and said: "Your Majesty, I have a suggestion for the first rice dumpling to be shot. Why don't you give it to me?"
Let’s go point it out to Hehui.”
Yin Yueyue agreed: "That's fine, let this girl pick it!".
Su Peisheng immediately took a plate of vermilion hibiscus flower stickers from the little eunuch next to him and carefully moved to Princess Hehui. He smiled and said: "Princess, all the flower stickers are on this plate in the hands of this servant.
Princess please!".
Since the Shunzhi period, the custom of enjoying hibiscus flowers during the Dragon Boat Festival has become fashionable in the palace.
During the Dragon Boat Festival, the hibiscus flowers in the Royal Garden are in full bloom. The hibiscus flowers stand tall and tall, with brightly colored petals. This plate of hibiscus flower stickers is made from picking hibiscus flowers with morning dew in the morning, squeezing out the flower juice, and dyeing it with realgar.
On the paper, a flower pattern was cut, and glutinous rice juice was applied with a brush on the back.
Whichever rice dumpling the flower sticker is affixed to, the person holding the bow has to shoot which rice dumpling. Only in this way can the game of "shooting rice dumplings" be completed.
Princess Hehui raised her chin, revealing two small tiger fangs, and without hesitation reached out her hand and said: "I'll do it!", her voice was crisp and clear, lingering in the palace.
Yin smiled and said: "This girl is just like Lao Shisan, both are born with a cheerful and decisive temperament!".
The queen came forward at this time, personally took Princess Hehui's hand, and whispered to Su Peisheng: "Put the plate lower and let the princess pick it carefully."
When the concubines saw that the princess was about to put on the first rice dumpling flower sticker, they all gathered around her in amusement.
Only when Princess Hehui picked up two or three flower stickers did Ji Ling see that the petals had five poisonous patterns painted on them, including centipedes, poisonous snakes, scorpions, geckos and toads, all different from each other, and the ink marks were light.
Princess Hehui picked out a hibiscus flower sticker with a centipede pattern, and quickly ran to the Zongshan Mountain opposite, looking up and down. Suddenly she grinned, walked around to the back of the Zongzi Mountain, and reached out to pat the flower sticker.
Put on a rice dumpling on the back.
Concubine Qi glanced at Yin, pursed her lips and joked: "Your Majesty, it is not easy for Princess Hehui to choose this position!".
Mao Bi also smiled and said to Yin: "Your Majesty, the princess is so smart and cute, she is really well raised by the Emperor!".
Yin didn't answer, just smiled slightly, without moving his eyes from the Zongshan Mountain, he stretched out his hand and said to the person next to him: "Bring me the bow."
Su Peisheng immediately handed the small bow with golden horns to Yin's hands.
Yin had just taken the arrow, and now he did not look down. He only relied on his peripheral vision and the skill of pommel horse to put the arrow on the bow very neatly.
He then raised his bow and narrowed his sharp eyes.
Before everyone could react, they saw the five-color arrows and meteors flying out month by month. With a whoosh, it opened a path through the Zongshan Mountain and pushed four or five Zongzi out.
The force of the arrow was so strong that there were only a few muffled sounds of "plop-plop" falling to the ground behind Zongshan, and all the concubines couldn't help but let out a "yeah".
The little eunuch had been guarding there for a long time. At this time, he rushed over and picked up four rice dumplings, put them on a tray, held them high and brought them to Yin. He knelt down and presented the tray.
Everyone stretched out their heads to take a look and saw that the rice dumplings were still steaming. One of them had a beautiful hibiscus flower on it. If it wasn't the one Princess Hehui had chosen, which one was it?
He Hui rolled his eyes, suddenly stamped his feet and shouted: "Huang Ama! This doesn't count! I only posted one rice dumpling, but you knocked down these four!".
Yin glanced at her and said with a smile: "You girl!" When he was about to speak, he saw that Concubine Qi had come forward to He Hui, bent down and whispered a few words.
Concubine Qi was a mother-in-law, and she was very good at coaxing children. She made He Hui smile with every passing touch.
Yin handed the small golden-horned bow to the queen. The queen took the bow and held it in her hand. She looked around at everyone with a smile and then said: "Since the emperor has opened the first bow for our Duanyang banquet, sisters don't have to be restrained."
Come! Who else is coming?".
As soon as she finished speaking, Mao Bi said with a smile: "Empress, I see that shooting rice dumplings is very interesting, and I want to give it a try if I dare."
She is usually a mature and prudent person, but no one expected that she would be the first one to come out and shoot rice dumplings.
The queen still had a smile on her face, but her smile was a little thinner, and she said: "It's okay, Mao Bi is a calm person, and archery is the most important thing about this." After saying that, she slowly handed over the small golden-horned bow.
Give it to Hua Rong. Hua Rong holds it and quickly brings it to Mao Bi.
Mao Bi took the bow and drew it unskillfully. Due to her weak strength, even though the bow was very small, she could not draw it perfectly.
She raised the bow and arrow, and Ji Ling saw that her fingers holding the bow string were trembling slightly, obviously she had exhausted all her strength.
Princess Hehui smiled and stepped forward and said: "Mother Maobin, let me choose this rice dumpling!"
Mao Bi immediately smiled and said: "What the princess chooses must be the best!".
Princess Hehui smiled, skipped to the side of the rice dumpling mountain, and pasted a lower rice dumpling with a flower sticker.
Everyone saw that the position was easy to hit, and they thought that Maobin might be able to hit it, so they all turned around and looked at Maobin with some expectation.
Surrounded by everyone's gazes, Mao Bi's pale face actually turned a little red at this moment. She bit her lip tightly, squinted one eye, turned her head, and aimed at the embroidered rice dumpling, going back and forth.
I aimed back six or seven times, but still didn't release the arrow.
Concubine Ning was anxious, so she squeezed Concubine Yu away from her and said to Maobin: "Maobin, if you see it right, let it go!".
Before she finished speaking, she saw that the arrow in Mao Bin's hand had left the string, and with a "swish" sound, it stabbed firmly into the flower patch of the rice dumpling.
Everyone cheered loudly, and the little eunuch ran over to pick up the rice dumplings and presented them to the emperor and everyone for a look. Ji Ling stood among the crowd, holding Qixi's arm and looking at it interestingly. Yin turned his head and looked.
He glanced at her, suddenly raised his hand and pointed in her direction, and said to Su Peisheng with a smile: "Let Mr. Ji come over and give it a try!".