On the day of the Shanglin Banquet, the capital and auxiliary mansion.
"Little lady's hair is really good, it's black and shiny, I'm afraid you won't be able to find another one in the whole of Shangjing."
The lady who combed her hair neatly pulled out a moon-watching fallen fairy bun, and took the dowry, "Today, my lady, is the hairpin this golden silk inlaid with rubies, double luan dotted with green steps, or the cloud-footed pearl tendril hairpin?"
"Let's take this one."
Zheng Wan stretched out her bright wrist, opened the bottom layer of the dowry, and took out a ruby tortoiseshell hairpin from inside.
The hairpin looks like it has been around for a while, it is not the fashionable style now, but the ruby on the head of the hairpin still looks a bit precious. But this preciousness still looks a bit shabby to Miss Zheng who wears the South China Sea Pearl all the year round and wears suet white jade.
The lady who combed the hair didn't ask any more questions. The little lady looked good, but she was actually a good-natured one. She put the hairpin on and left first.
Zheng Wan looked in the mirror and felt that the makeup was too plain and deserted, so she simply took a Chinese ink brush and drew a plum blossom on her forehead, smeared thin gold leaves, sipped her rouge, and asked the maid behind her:
"How about Rouge?"
Rouge opened her mouth wide:
"The little lady is so... so beautiful."
Suo Dai entered the door with a long-sleeved blouse cut out of brocade by a needleworker overnight, and said with a smile, "From tomorrow onwards, I'm afraid this flower tin will be popular in the whole of Shangjing."
Zheng Wan raised her lips meaningfully.
Didn't say any more, got up, Ren Sudai and Yanzhi were serving to put on the big-sleeved shirt, put on the shawl, and were about to go out, but they saw that Suo Dai hesitated to speak.
"What's wrong?"
"My lady forgot to put on pearl powder."
This is the pearl powder made from the best South China Sea pearls. It is moist and delicate on the face, and it is the favorite of young ladies on weekdays. I don't know why these days, and I haven't touched it.
Only the black eyebrows were painted, and the vermilion lips were painted.
Zheng Wan shook her head:
"All these makeup powders are put away, don't use them again in the future."
Many plots in the dream were blurred when I woke up, but I still remembered these details, even Zheng Wan found it ridiculous - those fairy daughters who can fly to the sky and escape from the earth are quite disdainful of these mortal makeup powders, saying they will embarrass themselves.
That being the case, it doesn't matter if you don't need it.
"Here."
Suo Dai blesses her body, and Yanzhi and Yanzhi go to meet Wang's with the little lady by their side.
The carriage of the Capital Mansion stopped at the door, one for Zheng Wan and her mother, one for the maids, but Zheng's father, who was supposed to accompany them, was not beside the carriage.
"Where's Aye?"
Mrs. Wang shook her head: "You, Aye, went out after receiving the letter. He just said that we will go first, and he will arrive later."
Zheng Wan was wondering, but saw her father's attendant winking at her by the car.
She stroked her forehead, pretending to be sleepy and wanted to rest in the car for a while, so she and her mother got into two carriages one after the other. Suo Dai was on the sidelines, and handed over a note:
"A message from your lord."
Zheng Wan opened it, but saw her father tell her that she really found a suspicious person beside the Dengwen drum, and he has rushed there, don't think so.
The time is advanced.
Zheng Wan was startled, not understanding what the advance of time meant.
In the dream, the bitter master who lost his wife ran to Beijing to file an imperial complaint, accusing her of the Zheng family's ten crimes of bullying men and women, obviously after the banquet in Shanglin.
"Father...do you have any other words to bring?"
"Your Excellency said that there might not be a good banquet today, so please be careful, little lady."
Just an ordinary order.
"That's all."
Soldiers come to block, water comes to cover it.
Outside the car window, the carriage was rumbling out of Ronghe Lane, heading for the western suburbs outside the city.
The Shanglin Banquet was held in the Plum Garden in the western suburbs.
The plum garden covers an area of thousands of hectares, where you can run horses, kick balls, and play cups. The most amazing thing is that in the past 20 years, wintersweet has been in constant bloom in the plum garden, and it has become a royal garden for the queen. It is guarded by guards and is only open on special occasions.
Before arriving at the place, you can see the colorful cover of the Huating Pavilion, the fragrant cars and BMWs, and the road in front of the main entrance of the Meiyuan Garden is packed to the brim. There are shopkeepers cooking, drinking, making tea, and selling along the street.
"It's more lively than in previous years."
Suo Dai opened the curtain on one side of the car.
The green pines and cypresses beside the road are all hung with delicate tassels of bells and knotted. When the wind blows, they will jingle, which is festive and beautiful.
Zheng Wan laughed:
"It must be lively."
Today's banquet was co-organized by the Holy Lord and the Secretary of Rites and the Division of Hu. It was said that all the officials had fun to celebrate the good year, but in fact it was all to please the invaluable master of the state. It's worth it to please this adult even a little bit.
Zheng Wan came here with the same purpose.
Before she came, she thought about it carefully, she didn't look at what she saw in the dream, she only looked at the past, and she also knew that Cui Wang, the general of the Zheng family, had offended him to death, and there was no room for change.
From the playbook, it was first his father asked the housekeeper to drive him out as an autumn wind, and then it was the young and rampant she who rewarded him with a board - no matter how you look at it, he should be the villain who was pressed to the ground and beaten .
It is wishful thinking that she wants the heart of Sword Lord.
However, no matter how bad it is, it is not as bad as it is now. Zheng Wan never lacked the courage to take chestnuts out of fire, but as to whether she took it in the end - she didn't want to think about it. It is imperative to get close to people first and try to eliminate their bad feelings.
"Let Rouge take the famous post to report—"
"No need." Zheng Wan shook her head, "They can wait, and my Zheng family can too."
When Aye knelt at the Anju gate, the government and the public were shaken by kneeling, plus the crown prince retired at this time, her Zheng family's loss of the king's heart was already a certainty.
If there is intention at the top, it will be effective at the bottom.
There is no need to humiliate yourself and beat others with a shy face.
"Here."
Suo Dai bowed her head and said yes.
"But Miss Wan?"
At this time, a high-pitched voice came from the side.
Zheng Wan looked out of the window, but saw that the curtains of a carriage tied side by side were also drawn up, and the third lady Jiang, whom she had just met the day before, was looking out.
These honorable children of general background are always so reckless.
"Third lady."
Zheng Wan held her body and sat gracefully, nodding her head slightly.
Jiang Sanniang: "It's rare that Wanniang is waiting with us, come, come, treat you to tea."
"Don't bother the third lady."
Zheng Wan smiled and refused.
Unexpectedly, this refusal seemed to anger the other party, Jiang San's brows were erected, and she quickly said sarcastically: "If you don't eat at this time, it will be a few days, and you don't even have to eat this tea."
"If there is a day, I hope that the third lady can be as generous as today and give the old man a bowl of tea to see him off."
Zheng Wan replied slowly.
The third lady Jiang choked, and after choking, she admired this Zheng. It is also a skill to be able to deal with it so calmly.
With the Zheng family's eyeliner in the court, it is impossible not to know that the crown prince is going to be engaged to sister Liu's family at today's banquet.
However, she knows more than others.
Last night, Aye ate some wine, crying and laughing at her aunt's drinking madness. She happened to be there too, and heard a few words like "the rabbit died and the fox was sad", which probably meant "just waiting to be published." Hearing the sound of the drum, he will be punished for several crimes, and the house will be ransacked." After thinking about it, the only people in Beijing who have seen evil against the Holy Master recently are the Zheng family.
She, Aye, knows, probably because he is also the commander of the Shenji Battalion.
Looking at Zheng Wan who didn't feel anything, Jiang Sanniang was pitiful and relieved. She just felt that the depression that was congested in her chest was relieved, and she was very happy. Just about to say a few more words, she suddenly covered her mouth with a veil. exclaimed:
"My lord!"
Zheng Wan didn't know that the world was far more dangerous than what she had seen in her dreams, and the time left for her was not a month, but perhaps as short as a time for a banquet.
She was turning her head at this moment, and followed the third lady to look into the distance.
Outside Meiyuan Road, a carriage came from a distance.
The two horses pulling the cart are all white, as clear as snow, galloping like flying through the clouds, but with just one wrong eye, they have already come close.
"咴—"
"咴—咴—"
All the horses in the audience suddenly neighed up to the sky, pulled their carriages and started to move. After a while, a wide avenue was opened in the middle, enough for two carriages to pass by side by side.
When the carriage of the National Teacher's Mansion sped past, the horses raised their heads again, and the road returned to chaos, someone asked as if waking up from a dream:
"This... is the national teacher?"
"The weather of the real fairy's family is also good."
Zheng Wan's heart was agitated.
Having personally experienced the so-called "surrender of all beasts" in the book, Fang felt shocked. The pair of horse-drawing horses were not real horses, but unicorns in legends, but Cui Wang had used a trick to deceive them.
"I don't know what the life of this National Normal University is like."
Jiang Sanniang looked yearning.
"You don't know either?"
Zheng Wan thought of the beauty's neck that she saw under the umbrella that day, and it really matched the "ice sculpture and jade casting" mentioned in the book.
"Aye said that even the Holy Lord has never seen it."
Jiang Sanniang murmured, and when she came back to her senses, she realized that it was Zheng Wan who was talking to her, and her face froze.
Zheng Wan was fascinated by the place where the carriage disappeared. Others didn't know, but she knew that the so-called national teacher sitting in the carriage was just a "puppet".
The real teacher of the state had already taken Yi Rongguo and turned into an ordinary young man, who went to the Plum Garden to enjoy the "baptism of the mundane world".
What she has to do is to seize the opportunity and make friends with this mediocre Cui Langjun who has changed his appearance.
Division Li and Division Hu organized the banquet together, and Zheng Wan didn't wait too long, but he entered the garden after a stick of incense.
The plum garden is huge, divided by Lanpo Lake. On the left side of the lake are rockery and strange rocks, small bridges and flowing water, and on the right side of the lake are pavilions and pavilions. The most famous "Lisi Tang" in Shangjing is also on the right side of the lake.
Zheng Wan followed her mother for a while, and stopped a hundred meters away from Lanze Courtyard.
"Wan Wan?"
Wang Shi turned her head and urged her.
Zheng Wan pressed her stomach with her left hand, her face blushed: "Mother, maybe there are more pastries in the carriage, Wan Wan, Wan Wan think..."
The little lady is thin-skinned and can't speak.
The maid leading the way covered her mouth and smiled, pointing to the Moon Gate nearby:
"The second room here is where the women's relatives change clothes. Today, the Plum Garden is short of manpower, so it's inconvenient for the servants to go there. The young lady comes to Lanze Garden after changing clothes."
"Aniang, you go first, Wan Wan will come soon."
Mrs. Wang hesitated to speak, and took a step after Zheng Wan pushed her back. After taking two steps, she turned back, with a concerned look on her face: "Is it really all right?"
"Mom, go quickly."
Zheng Wan stamped her feet, her youngest daughter's shame was fully revealed, "If you don't go, my daughter will be annoyed."
Only then did Wang turn around and leave.
The play required the whole audience, Zheng Wan really went to the dressing room, sent Su Dai away, asked her to go to the carriage to get another set of dresses, and then went out through the arch next to the Moon Gate.
Just now the little servant girl waited there, blessing her body: "Little lady, everything is properly arranged."
"You don't have to follow."
There is a cobblestone path outside the arch, and the winding path leads to seclusion. After walking along the path for a while, we arrived at the destination. At this time, the sky began to flutter with snow particles again.
Zheng Wan picked up the feathers and went forward.
In front of you, there are vast expanses of blue waves, sleeping lotus and wind bamboo, and small buildings and pavilions, but there are no people.
Zheng Wan walked slowly around the lake before finding the crooked neck tree she had seen in her dream. The body of the tree needs to be embraced by three people, and the branches are strong, maybe it is thunder. Half of the tree has been split and charred, but the remaining half is still tenaciously alive.
Who would have thought that there was a person sitting on this tree with all its branches and leaves fallen.
The methods of the immortal family are really miraculous.
Zheng Wan thought to herself, stretched out her hand to caress the rough and brown tree body, her eyes filled with emotion:
"It's good that you're still here. If I'm still here next year..."
She hid her words, and stood upright with her hands folded. Ren Xueluo's head was full, and she looked up at Yaoyao Bibo, speechless for a long time.
Cui Wang condescendingly looked at this daughter of the Zheng family, with plum blossom tins, cloud brocade clothes, the most precious sparrow feathers in the mortal world, and pearls as shoes, she was truly awe-inspiring.
If you don't look at the character, but only look at the color, you will be placed in the Xuancang world. This person can be regarded as a rare beauty.
He turned his head without a trace, and set his sights on the lake not far away.
After a while, I heard choked sobs coming from under the tree, as if someone was crying hard, shut his mouth and tried his best to bear it, but still couldn't help running out.
Cui Wang glanced down.
However, the girl who was proud of Ling Xue just now shrank herself into a ball, hid behind the tree, hid her head in her big coat, and cried tremblingly.
Seemingly realizing that there was a noise, she tried her best to close it, but couldn't stop it, and began to hiccup.
Cui Wang casually installed a soundproof cover, and the crying of a beautiful woman could not even stir up any ripples in his life. He looked at the lake again.
Zheng Wan stopped crying after a while.
She patted the blades of grass that had been touched when she squatted down just now, and took care of all the mess just now, making sure that no one else could see it before she rested.
Seeing a group of well-known playboys approaching from a distance, he turned around and wanted to leave.
"Hey, hey, don't go."
"Look, isn't this the invincible Zheng's Wanniang back then, hiding here and crying alone?"
"His Royal Highness does not want you, brother wants you, come to brother's arms, turn around and tell Aye, brother will marry you back home as a concubine."
"Presumptuous! Who gave you the guts to humiliate the daughter of a court official." Zheng Wan straightened her back, unable to take another step.
It's true that she can't leave. This group of people are rich and poor, and they also grew up on horseback. They have sharp legs and feet, and it's easy to chase a woman.
"Yo heh, presumptuous?!"
The second son of Liang Guogong, the little overlord in Beijing who had been whipped by her in public, laughed, "Brothers, listen, this Zheng Qingwu is still so proud, who knows that her Zheng family is about to face disaster, and she will be in Jiaofang someday." When I meet you, I'm afraid I'm going to feel bad."
"Wouldn't it be a pity that this number one beauty would be lost in fireworks and become something that thousands of people sleep on and taste for thousands of people?"
"Why don't I try it before this?"
Zheng Wan was "so angry" that she was trembling all over, like a willow leaf rustling in the wind, her back was still straight, she had never bent down for a moment, she gritted her teeth and retreated to the lake:
"wishful thinking."
The strong smell of alcohol on the tip of her nose told her that the arranged scene was ready.