,.
Some people want to eat chicken, but some people have stewed chicken in front of them but they don’t know how to eat it.
Canglu County is located in a remote place, and there are no truly erudite scholars. Even if there were, they would not be able to stay in this small place and would have left long ago. Lin Shangpo was considered a very knowledgeable person in the county, so he also received the invitation.
There was a mix of meat and vegetables on the table. Lin Shangpo picked up his chopsticks and put them down. He picked up the invitation card and looked at it again and again, as if he wanted to see the flowers. Finally, he took the invitation card and left the table, leaving his wife and daughter on the table. The children were wandering by the bamboo forest outside the house.
Mrs. Lin quickly followed and asked, "No one else can get the princess's invitation, so why are you so worried?"
Lin Shangpo shook his head and sighed: "The capital is the place where real celebrities gather, and learned people gather together. The princess has never seen anything, and there is no one who is proficient in poetry in this small place. Meeting friends with poetry is just an excuse no matter how you look at it." Haven't you seen what's going on in Canglu County recently? Almost all the houses of rich families have been ransacked. That prince is clearly trying to make money. Our family is quite prosperous. With this invitation, I'm afraid there won't be a good party if the feast is not good. ah!"
Mrs. Lin suddenly said nervously: "What should we do?"
Lin Shangpo sighed: "What else can I do? I'm being targeted, and I'm afraid I won't be able to run away..."
The Su Mansion, with its white walls and black tiles, is one of the few famous families in the county. The old man, Su Dekang, is also a famous and educated man in Canglu County. He studied in the capital in his early years. It is said that he was a classmate of a certain current feudal official when he was young. And my ancestor also served as a high-ranking official in the imperial court, and his current family fortune can be regarded as that of Yu Ze, the ancestor of Meng.
Last time, Su Dekang was among the people who came to welcome Shang Chaozong from afar. He originally went there in a carriage, but ended up walking back despite seeing a bloody scene. A lot of people at his age were forced to walk such a long distance, and they almost missed it. I didn't lose my life. Fortunately, he came back alive, and Su Mansion was one of the few whose homes were not confiscated.
The housekeeper held the invitation in his hand and accompanied Su Dekang, who was walking on crutches in the courtyard, and asked: "Sir, what does this princess mean by making friends with poems?"
The crutch poked the ground, and Su Dekang snorted coldly: "What else could it be? It's just that I'm trying to win people's hearts by killing too much, and I'm just showing off for others to see!"
Butler: "Sir, do you want to go or not?"
Su Dekang thought for a while and sighed: "I am also in a dilemma! If you don't go, the lives of the whole family will be in danger! Go, this Prince Yongping is clearly a rebellious minister and a traitor with evil intentions. Once the imperial army comes, he will definitely be killed." If everything falls apart, our Su family will be labeled as being in league with the traitors, and we might also be liquidated... "
As evening approached, there was a slight commotion in Canglu County due to the scattering of more than a dozen invitations.
Jingmoxuan, Lu Shengzhong stood at the door and handed over politely, finally dismissing the neighbors who came to watch the excitement.
The reason was naturally because of the invitation. People in the shops saw officers and soldiers riding horses to deliver the invitation to Lu Shengzhong. When the officers and soldiers said that the invitation was from the princess, they naturally aroused a wave of surprise and onlookers.
After getting clean and walking back behind the counter, Lu Shengzhong opened the invitation and looked at it carefully for a while, and finally put the invitation into his sleeve, as if nothing happened.
When night fell, he only lit one of the two lanterns at the door.
About half an hour later, a customer entered the shop and stayed for a while before leaving...
Early the next morning, when Niu Youdao opened the door, as expected, Shang Shuqing was already waiting outside.
"Good morning, Mr. Dao."
"Morning, Princess."
Without further ado, Niu Youdao opened all the windows to show the light, and then consciously sat in front of the dressing table.
Shang Shuqing also walked behind him naturally and began to help him arrange his hair.
Normally, Shang Shuqing would say something every time she came here, but this time she remained silent until she helped Niu Youdao fix her hair.
In the end, Niu Youdao stared at the person in the mirror and asked, "Don't you want to ask me something, Princess?"
Shang Shuqing asked, "Will Master Tao tell me?"
Niu Youdao: "Actually, I didn't hide it from you, the people doing the work are all your people. [oM]"
Shang Shuqing: "But I'm still confused."
Niu Youdao: "I feel sorry for having to work so hard for the princess every day. How about asking the princess to watch a play later?"
Shang Shu blinked her clear eyes and smiled, "Okay!"
The golden light of the rising sun filled the forest. Looking at the foot of the mountain outside the city, those who received the invitations yesterday included some coming in bullock carts, some in sedan chairs, and some on foot.
Lu Shengzhong came on foot, wearing a soft hat and looking around from time to time. He heard some rumors last night and knew that he was not the only one who received the invitation, which made him relax his vigilance.
At this time, all those who had received the invitations were waiting in a long pavilion at the foot of the mountain. The visitors held invitations and greeted each other one after another. The county is only so big, so even if the people who come here are not familiar with each other, most of them have met each other in person. Only Lu Shengzhong seemed to be a different person. He was very unfamiliar to everyone. When he learned that he was the new shopkeeper of Jingmoxuan, some people couldn't help but ask where the original shopkeeper was. Lu Shengzhong naturally had a well-prepared speech.
While waiting, everyone had different expressions, some were sullen and silent, some were solemn, and some were excited. The topic of discussion was nothing more than the princess's meeting with friends through poetry this time.
Lu Shengzhong didn't speak much, always had a smile on his face, and was polite to everyone. As he listened to everyone's conversation, he was thinking in his heart, making friends with poems? Could this have happened without my poem
He could also understand why Shang Shuqing wanted to make friends with poetry. After all, Shang Shuqing was an unmarried woman, and it was unreasonable to meet him alone as a man.
I just don't know how to make friends with poems this time. He also prepared another of the two poems sent to him by Song Yanqing, which will definitely attract Shang Shuqing's attention even more. I wonder if Niu Youdao will show up. If he shows up, will there be a chance to strike? If he does, will he be able to escape safely
Just as his thoughts were whirling, a private guard in plain clothes entered the pavilion, and with a smile on his face, he cupped his hands and said to everyone: "Thank you, distinguished guests, for waiting for a long time. I have been neglectful."
"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter!" Some people were polite, while others were silent.
The guard did not hesitate and stretched out his hand to invite: "Everyone, if the princess invites you, please come with me!"
Everyone left the pavilion one after another, but they were told that the accompanying servants and transportation vehicles were not allowed to enter the mountain, and they had to go on foot. It was said to be the rules here, and everyone had no choice. Some things were not up to them, civilians, to make choices, so they had to abide by them.
On the way, there were those who enjoyed themselves and praised the beautiful scenery along the way, such as the beautiful scenery, the land of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, etc.
Su Dekang, who is much older, can't get up and down. Although the road into the mountain is not rugged and has no steps, it winds up slowly, which is equivalent to climbing all the way. Naturally, he can't bear it at his age. However, in this case, there is naturally no shortage of people who respect the elderly and have younger people to support them.
Arriving outside the heavily guarded villa, we were already on the top of a mountain overlooking the entire county.
When everyone entered the villa, the man kneeling on one side of the door made many people mutter. They didn't know what mistake he had made. He looked very haggard.
After everyone was brought to the main garden of the villa, the guard smiled at everyone: "Here is a private room for everyone to rest. There are pens, inks, papers and inkstones. The princess first asks you to leave your calligraphy treasures, poems and songs. All are welcome, the time limit is half an hour, and the princess will come here after half an hour to meet with everyone and share their achievements."
Regardless of whether everyone agrees or not, a group of servants have come over and asked one of them to go with them.
Someone enthusiastically raised his hands to everyone and said, "Everyone, see you in half an hour!"
Lu Shengzhong followed the people into the depths of the garden, keeping secretly looking around from the corner of his eyes. He had been paying attention to the internal environment since entering the manor.
Where he went was a quiet little pavilion located deep in the garden. The servants led him into the pavilion, poured tea, asked him to help himself, and then withdrew.
Lu Shengzhong looked around the pavilion. There were all tea and fruit dishes, and there were neatly arranged pens, inks, papers and inkstones on the table.
I slowly walked around the small pavilion without touching any tea or fruit. I walked to the desk, put water on the inkstone, and slowly ground the ink.
Just when he was about to leave another poem given by Song Yanqing, there was a sound of footsteps outside, and four people came in. A woman wearing a gauze hat; a middle-aged man holding a sword with white hair like silver frost and a calm expression; a young man with a slightly lazy look, who came in and put his sword on the ground, followed by a tall man. young man with an indifferent expression.
With just one glance, Lu Shengzhong could roughly identify a few people. When Shang Chaozong arrived in Canglu County and entered the city, Lu Shengzhong met Niu Youdao in the crowd. Unexpectedly, he saw his target as soon as he arrived at the villa. But he didn't dare to take action. The white-haired man holding the sword in his arms made his heartstrings tighten secretly, for fear of being caught.
As soon as he saw someone coming, Lu Shengzhong quickly walked around the long case to perform the ceremony, and the Confucian scholar behaved in a decent manner.
Niu Youdao introduced Shang Shuqing with a smile, "Mr. Fang Ping, right? This is the princess!"
Lu Shengzhong hurriedly saluted: "I pay my respects to the princess!"
Shang Shuqing nodded and murmured in her heart, wondering what kind of show Niu Youdao wanted to see by inviting her here.
Niu Youdao stretched out his hand and invited Shang Shuqing to sit down after going to the case. He and Yuan Gang guarded Shang Shuqing, while Bai Yao quietly moved behind Lu Shengzhong, making Lu Shengzhong feel uncomfortable.
"I heard that Mr. Fang Ping's poems are good?" Niu Youdao asked again with a smile.
Lu Shengzhong said modestly: "I don't dare, I won't be able to reach the level of elegance."
Niu Youdao said with a smile: "I also wrote a poem, and I would like to ask sir for some advice."
Lu Shengzhong said politely: "I dare not give you advice, but I am willing to listen attentively."
Niu Youdao seemed to think about it for a moment, then continued to sing with a smile: "Once upon a time, the sea was difficult to make water, except for Wushan, it was not clouds. I took a look back at the flowers, half of them were cultivators and half of them were kings... I wonder what this poem I wrote is like?"
"..." Lu Shengzhong looked at him in astonishment and thought to himself, does this want to pressure me to plagiarize it for myself
Shang Shuqing also looked at Niu Youdao with some suspicion. ,.