Three days later, the rituals and music were performed, the red lanterns were hung high, and the guests below came and went in an endless stream. It was a scene of a glorious and prosperous age. Welcomed by the guests of honor from the Qing Kingdom, the Northern Qi Mission and the Dongyi guests walked along the long corridor into the most solemn palace of the Qing Kingdom with smiles all over their faces. Looking at the expressions of the three parties, it seemed that the world was extremely peaceful. The wars and assassinations of the previous days were things that had never happened before.
The location of the banquet is arranged in the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests in the outer city of the imperial palace.
The court ladies who brought food plates and wine sauce back and forth before the weekdays were very beautiful. Fan Xian raised his brows and watched them bustling around in the grand palace with a smile on his face. These court ladies found that the young and handsome Mr. Fan cast some different eyes on them, and they couldn't help but feel a little shy. The faint rouge became more rosy, and they secretly glanced at him from time to time.
Celebrities gathered in front of the palace, but there was no sound. The guests of honor in the Kingdom of Qing were many heads of ministries that Fan Xian had never seen before, and some princes and nobles. Only Dean Chen and the prime minister called the future sick at the same time. Sitting opposite were the Northern Qi Mission and the Dongyi City Mission.
Although Fan Xian was a lowly official, but because he was a deputy envoy, he was arranged to sit in the middle of the desk, surrounded by senior senior officials, so he felt a little uncomfortable. At this moment, he heard the old man beside him smiling and said: "There are many rules for giving banquets, but Your Majesty has always been easy-going, Mr. Fan, don't be nervous."
This old man is Zhang Ziqian, Minister of Rites. Fan Xian was secretly wary of this man because of his unresolvable enmity with the Guo family, Minister of Rites. , I have never seen such a ostentation before. If there is any disrespect, I hope the boss can give me some pointers."
Zhang Zigan stroked his long beard under his chin, and said with a smile: "Ren Shaoqing said at the court meeting today that Mr. Fan has put in a lot of effort in this negotiation. At this moment, no one in the court will do anything to you, just be careful of those people in front of you. "
The two looked at each other, and saw that Ninghou, the head of the Northern Qi Mission, was waiting boredly, but the table at the very front was still empty, presumably it was the master Zhuang Mohan who never saw the end of the dragon. . But at the head of the Dongyi Mission, there was a middle-aged man with a long sword on his waist. Fan Xian couldn't help frowning and said, "Why can he enter the palace with a sword."
"Your Majesty kisses Huai. I look around at the sword gate and never leave my sword. This is a special case." Zhang Ziqian said in detail as if explaining to his juniors.
"Is he the disciple Yun Zhilan, the leader of the Sigu sword?" Fan Xian gasped, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he immediately felt the intent to kill from the man with the sword.
These days, the Qing court deliberately ignored the Dongyi mission. It seemed that Yun Zhilan, the ninth-rank swordsmanship master, was not in a good mood. Even if he was sitting in the Qing palace, he was still cold.
Fan Xian was looking at Yun Zhilan's sword-like eyebrows, and coincidentally, Yun Zhilan also looked at him.
The two gazes clashed like lightning in the air of the palace.
A moment later, Fan Xian lowered his head as if showing weakness, coughed twice, the sword intent in the opponent's eyes was too strong.
This pair of glances immediately made everyone in the hall notice this side. Everyone knows that Fan Xian killed two female apprentices under Sigu Jianmen on Niulan Street. And Dongyi City came to pay tribute before, just to clean up the beginning and end of that matter. But according to most people's opinion, this master of swordsmanship, Yun Zhilan, would not mind beheading Fan Xian by the sword.
Fortunately, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace has also shown some kindness to Fan Xian through negotiations on personnel arrangements, so no matter which faction in the imperial court dares to take pleasure in Fan Xian's misfortune because of this matter. The foreign enemy was present, so no matter which chief officer or people in the army of the Qing Kingdom glared fiercely at Yun Zhilan, the head of Dongyi City, the atmosphere in the entire palace suddenly became tense.
Fan Xian had no expression on his face, lowered his head to adjust the true energy in his body, and was always ready.
At this time, the faint sound of zither and zither came from the side of the hall, and amidst the solemnity of the palace music, a eunuch shouted loudly: "Your Majesty is here." The queen walked slowly from the side, and stood in front of the dragon chair with a gentle smile on her face.
"Long live my emperor, long live, long live."
The officials in front of the hall respectfully knelt down to salute, and the guests from the diplomatic mission bowed their heads to salute. The tension left in the hall was completely replaced by an inexplicable sense of solemnity.
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His Majesty the emperor is high above, the queen is by his side, and the prince also has a unique seat two steps below his parents. On such occasions, other princes generally would not come. The emperor's eyes swept over the officials below, and said gently: "Let's get down."
After saluting, the banquet officially began. First of all, the ministers of the Northern Qi Mission came out to sing their praises as usual, publicized the traditional friendship between the two countries, and then retreated. It was Dongyi Cheng Yun Zhilan who came out again, said a few words with a blank face, and then retreated.
The queen smiled slightly, and whispered in His Majesty's ear: "This person from Dongyi City is very arrogant." The Son of Heaven and the Mother of the Kingdom sat high, and there was no fear that others would hear their conversation, so they spoke directly. .
His Majesty also smiled gently and said: "If the leader of Si Gu Jian doesn't even have the slightest arrogance, he might not have the courage to hold a sword if he enters my house."
A court lady had already replaced the hot dishes with new sauces, and the officials buried their heads in eating and did not dare to speak. His Majesty didn't speak, so it was naturally quiet.
Fan Xian lowered his head uncomfortably, but his eyes were hardly noticed by others. There was already a person sitting on top of the chief executive who was empty before. The man's face is old, but his eyes are clear and bright, and the wrinkles on his forehead seem to be mixed with countless wisdom, and his not tall body is protected by a white robe like a cloud. Without asking, this is Zhuang Mohan, a great master of the Northern Qi Dynasty.
I don't know when he took his seat, Fan Xian analyzed, it should be when the emperor came down, and he came in at the same time. It seems that the rumors are correct, this Zhuang Mohan is very appreciated by the queen mother, maybe he has been staying in the palace before.
When Fan Xian secretly glanced at each other, he didn't know that the aloof couple was also looking at him. The queen took a sip of the wine, glanced at where Fan Xian was sitting, and said softly, "That young man is Fan Xian, the future son-in-law of Princess Chen."
His Majesty smiled slightly and said: "It looks good-looking, and there are some poems in Beijing. Today, Xin Qiwu and Ren Shaoqing, two young ministers, praised his talent at the same time. The prime minister's disciples are all so kind to him."
The queen's smile was a bit forced: "Maybe the prince understands the fate of people and ministers? Besides... he will soon be the son-in-law of the prime minister after all."
"Oh, popularity?" His Majesty smiled, and didn't look at the queen, but looked at his son below, "It seems that this son Lian also knows the importance of popularity."
Although she could hear a little dissatisfaction, the queen still felt that her majesty was in a good mood today, and she was not as willing to scold the prince as in the past. It is rare to have some positive comments, so she couldn't help but said happily: "Chengqian grows up, and he will always understand something."
His Majesty the Emperor smiled and was speechless.
…
…
After the banquet, Fan Xian didn't know whether it was because of nervousness or what, he kept drinking. These wines were at best a type of rice wine, not high in strength, sour and sweet, and Fan Xian didn't think much of it, but in the eyes of the nearby officials, the young man looked like a ferocious animal when he drank. Even Zhang Zigan, the servant of the Ministry of Rites, couldn't help reminding: "Master Fan, don't drink too much. If you lose your dignity in front of the hall, it will be a serious crime."
Hearing Mr. Fan's three words, he knew that the other party was reminding himself that this place was not on the Liujing River, but in the solemn and deep palace, and his identity was not a drinker, but a courtier. Fan Xian smiled in his heart, but his true energy was against his luck. He forced the alcohol on his face, and there was a hint of bewilderment in his eyes. He lowered his voice and said, "Don't dare to lie to my lord, my nephew is really nervous, why not?" Hurry up and drink some wine, so you can relax."
Zhang Ziqian looked at his drunken state and seemed unable to hear himself clearly, so he shook his head and smiled wryly: "Master Prime Minister said that he would not be sick, but your father never came at birth, but he entrusted you to me, if you are really drunk Rumu, how can I explain to them?"
The Northern Qi mission on the opposite side had been really embarrassed by the diplomats at Honglu Temple these days. Seeing Fan Xian's appearance at this moment, they couldn't help but glance at each other, making up their minds. Although Fan Xian, as the deputy envoy, has been silent these days, everyone in the envoy deeply loathes the listlessness shown on that pretty face all the time. Bei Qi still has many spies in the capital of Qing Kingdom, of course they know that. The reason why Qingguo Honglu Temple is so powerful this time is all because of the bad idea behind the back of this Deputy Envoy named Fan Xian, but no one knows what kind of bad idea he came up with.
Now that the negotiations between the two countries have been completed, and the royal families of both sides have made pledges, there is no way to go back on their word, but the Northern Qi Mission still has a big knot in their hearts. Seeing Fan Xian's drunken state, Marquis Changning smiled sinisterly, stood up, and saluted respectfully to the high place: "Your Majesty, the negotiations between the two sides have been hard these days, and the members of Honghe Temple in your country have also worked hard. I wonder if the foreign ministers can respect you Honghe A cup with temple officials to prove the friendship between the two countries."
When the Marquis of Changning spoke, the Dongyi City Mission was sitting next to them. Naturally, they also saw Fan Xian's drunkenness and knew what the Northern Qi people wanted to do. They just watched with cold eyes, but did not join in the fun.
The dragon chair was too high, His Majesty the Emperor and the Empress didn't seem to see the undercurrent clearly, and naturally they didn't notice Fan Xian, so they agreed with a smile. The prince also jokingly said: "Marquis Changning naturally wants to have fun. The so-called opponents on the field are also friends off the field... Of course, on the wine table, there are only opponents."
In fact, the prince just wanted to show his own conversation, but this conversation is really ordinary, and he doesn't know how things will develop, but he is worried about the officials of Honglu Temple sitting below. During the negotiations these days, everyone has already Deputy Envoy Fan regarded himself as one of his own, so how could the Northern Qi people make Deputy Envoy Fan drunk, but the two sides sat far away, there was no way to help.
Fan Xian smiled and drank wine with the Northern Qi mission, but felt a little uneasy in his heart. In the past few days, the chambers of commerce managed by the eldest princess have started to attack Danbo Bookstore, raising paper prices and lowering book prices. He and the shopkeeper Qiye were very depressed, but he knew that the other party's real means should be behind. And his method today needs the help of liquor.
It's hard not to be drunk, and it's even harder to pretend to be drunk. This was Fan Xian's strongest feeling when he was given a court banquet for the first time. The Northern Qi side also failed, six of the eight envoys fell, and in the end even the Marquis of Chang Ning no longer cared about his identity, and died bravely, half-hanging on Fan Xian's arm.
Until now, His Majesty the Emperor, who had been talking softly with the Queen and Zhuang Mohan, said with a smile on his lips: "The palace has not been this lively for a long time."
That Zhuang Mohan has been silent all the time, only occasionally answering a few words softly when His Majesty the Qing Emperor asks questions, showing off the air of a generation of celebrities. At this time, following His Majesty's eyes, it seems that he has just discovered the noise over there. Looking at the beautiful young man who is holding the Marquis Changning of the Northern Qi Dynasty drinking wine, he asked curiously: "That young lord is the poet. Mr. Fan?"
This world-renowned literary master seems to find it hard to believe his own eyes. The young talent who is said to have won the title of poetry with only three poems is actually a drunkard.
His Majesty the Emperor seemed a little annoyed, and raised his voice, "Fan Xian."
In fact, most of the people in the palace were listening carefully to the movement on the dragon chair, for fear that they might not check for a while. So when His Majesty the Emperor spoke, the huge palace suddenly fell silent, except for that young adult named Fan Xian, who was still shouting, "Drink Sheng! Drink Sheng!"
That seems to be some kind of saying in the south. It seems that Mr. Fan really drank too much.
"Fan Xian!" Seeing that the kid was drunk, the crown prince couldn't help but yelled out with suppressed anger. After all, it was Donggong's suggestion to appoint Fan Xian as the deputy envoy, and it was precisely because of this that Fan Xian was qualified to enter the palace today. Fan Xian was ashamed, and in the heart of the prince, he was not very honorable.
As if sensing that the atmosphere in the palace was strangely quiet, Fan Xian stood there in a daze, looking around in confusion, but his pretty face was full of the free and easy madness of drunkenness.
"Who is calling me?"
All the ministers in the court who had good relations with the Prime Minister's family of the Fan family, when they heard the boy's response, wished to gag him immediately, put him in the carriage, and throw him back to the Fan residence.
To everyone's surprise, when His Majesty the emperor heard the answer that could only be heard in a restaurant, he didn't seem to be very angry, but instead laughed: "It is I who is calling you."
Hearing my words, people who are really drunk or pretending to be drunk must wake up, and Fan Xian is no exception, he quickly bowed and saluted: "I...you deserve death for your crimes, I... drank too much."
As soon as he let go of his arm, Marquis Changning of Northern Qi, who had been held by him all this time, collapsed from drunkenness, and fell to the ground with a bang. Seeing the enemy country's chief negotiator falling into such a mess, the officials of the Qing Kingdom smiled very proudly. The only two envoys of the Northern Qi Mission who were not drunk hurriedly helped Marquis Changning back to his seat, and a court lady thoughtfully brought him hangover soup.
His Majesty the Emperor reprimanded: "Of course I know that you drank too much, otherwise I will definitely punish you for the crime of disrespect in front of the palace."
Fan Xian tried his best to maintain a bowed posture, and argued with a wry smile: "I dare not defend myself, but it is a pleasure to have guests coming from far away. If I do not accompany these adults from the Northern Qi Dynasty, I, as the deputy reception envoy, It is inevitable that the task has not been completed.”
"Look." His Majesty turned sideways to the Queen and said, "I still dare not defend myself. If he defends himself, I'm afraid he will say... I let him drink it, and he is no different."
The Queen knew that Her Majesty always loved Princess Chen's girl the most, and wondered if she loved the house or not, so she smiled slightly, not saying anything nice for Fan Xian, and naturally she would not be so stupid as to reprimand her.
"Fan Xian." This was the third time His Majesty called out his name in the hall. All the officials listened, but something else came out of their hearts. It seems that the relationship between the Fan family and the royal family is really not good. generally.
His Majesty said indifferently: "Your Fan family and I have an unusual relationship. In my eyes, you are just a junior. Regardless of whether you are a monarch or a minister, you still have to keep your sharp mouth shut when I speak. Don't think that I don't know about your nonsense in the restaurant, at such a young age, I really think that you are more eloquent, so you ignore the people in this world."
It is a reprimand, but it is caring in secret. There is no fool in the officials and envoys, who will not understand.
Sure enough, His Majesty said softly, "At the end of summer and tomorrow night, the monarch and his ministers are in harmony, and the friendship between the state will last forever. Fan Xian, you have always had the title of a poem, why don't you write a poem to mark your cause."
All the ministers agreed, knowing that His Majesty was showing face to the Fan family. It seems that His Majesty had an idea and wanted to take advantage of today's court banquet to let the ministers know what kind of character this son of the Fan family, this eighth-rank law master, is. His Majesty wanted to give Fan Shizi a great opportunity to make his mark, but Mr. Fan was half drunk at this time, so I'm afraid it would be a waste of this opportunity, what a pity.
Fan Xian recited drunkenly, he was indeed a bit confused, but he could hear the conversation in front of the hall clearly, he laughed at himself, and bowed in the direction of the dragon chair: "Your Majesty, I only know sour sentences, how dare I Show your shame in front of Mr. Zhuang Mohan, a great master of the generation."
As soon as the words came out, all the ministers looked at Zhuang Mohan, and only then did they understand what His Majesty meant. It was definitely not just to give Fan a chance to show his face, but to take this opportunity to prove to all the people in the world that In terms of martial arts, Qing country is unparalleled in the world, and in papers, Qing country also has talented people who can rival Zhuang Mohan!
Fan Xian's reputation as a "frequent guest in the sad autumn of thousands of miles" had already been heard in the capital for several months, and it was only after he insisted on not writing poems that it gradually faded away. After hearing his words, all the ministers pushed the matter to Zhuang Mohan, thinking that he and His Majesty had secretly planned a long time ago to blow the arrogance of everyone in the Northern Qi literary world.
In fact, Fan Xian was just guessing, his experience in the previous life was not enough for him to guess the heart of the emperor, but looking at Qing Kingdom's recent prosperity of writing style, it seems that His Majesty has never been reconciled to the fact that there is no enemy on the battlefield. Those above are always regarded as Southern barbarians by the Northern Qi people.
After Zhuang Mohan came to the country, he was banned from entering and leaving the palace. Although the queen mother and all the empresses respected his literary name, I'm afraid His Majesty will feel very uncomfortable. There are no literary masters in Qing Dynasty, so I, as a literary master, was pushed into the ring innocently.
Fan Xian knew that he had guessed correctly what His Majesty meant, because his powerful eyesight could still see clearly from a long distance away, His Majesty's eyes gradually narrowed, and there was a hint of appreciation in the deep eyes.
This admiration, of course, is admiration for Mr. Xiao Fan's deep understanding of my heart, and at the same time, it is also a warning that if you write a good poem, don't lose Qing Guo's face in front of Zhuang Mohan.
"Why don't you compose a song and let Mr. Zhuang Mohan judge it. If it's not good, you'll be punished with a drink." The queen said with a smile. She also knew what the man next to her was thinking, so she set her back in advance.
Things have come to this, what else? Fan Xian returned to the banquet, regardless of how drunk he was, poured another glass, let the slightly sour wine sip in his mouth, and frowned.
All the officials knew that Mr. Fan was impatient, so they secretly counted for him. When counting to fifteen, Fan Xian's eyes shone brightly, his face was full of smiles, his lips were slightly parted, and he chanted, "Singing to wine, how much is life? It's like the dew in the morning, and the days are bitter. Qingqing Zijin, leisurely My heart. But for the sake of you, I have pondered until now. I have a guest, playing the lute and the sheng. It is bright like the moon, when can I stop? Qi Kuo talks about the banquet, thinking of the old kindness. The moon and stars are thin, and the black magpie flies south, circling the tree three times , what branch can you rely on? Mountains are never too high, and seas are never too deep. Zhou Gong spit and feed, and the world returns to his heart."
Just like every time Fan Xian throws a poem and hits someone, when this poem comes out, the whole room is silent.
This is Cao Gong's masterpiece back then, Fan Xian deleted a few sentences and threw it out. On this palace, the return of the world to the heart just fits His Majesty's mind. The most wonderful thing is that Zhou Gong confided the canon, which actually exists in this world, and This Zhou Gong is not a man who embraces the emperor, but actually became the emperor, so Fan Xian dared to write it out grandly.
After a long time, in the grand palace, all the officials sang in unison: "Good poem!"
His Majesty the Emperor showed satisfaction, turned his head to look at Zhuang Mohan, and said softly: "I don't know what Mr. Zhuang thinks of this poem."
Zhuang Mohan's complexion remained unchanged. He has experienced such scenes many times in his life, and he has also commented on poems many times. The reason why he can be respected by the people of the world is that many officials of the Qing Dynasty, His Highness, read him. What he relies on to become an official is his virtue and his vision. Of course, the most important thing is his own profound knowledge.
"Good poetry," Zhuang Mohan said softly, and ate a peanut with his chopsticks. Young Master, this poem is full of quality, it is indeed a good poem. It is unexpected that Nanqing can produce talents now."
Fan Xian smiled slightly. He didn't have any special feelings for this literary master, but he didn't like the other person's style. After a shallow salute, he went back to his table, but he staggered a little.
All the officials in the court were still whispering about Mr. Fan's previous poems. Generally speaking, this is the end of the literary affairs, but the atmosphere in the hall today seems a little weird, and a person said coldly:
"Mr. Zhuang said something wrong about Nanqing earlier. Everyone knows about Mr. Fan's writings. In this poem, Mr. Fan is not necessarily as good as Mr. Fan. Why judge yourself. There are many scholars in this dynasty. Mr. Fan I am one of the best, not to mention the poem written in the fifteenth day today, but the poem "Worry for Thousands of Miles in Autumn", I really don't know, is there any talented person in the Northern Qi Dynasty who can write it?"
This is very inappropriate, especially on the feast of the country, it seems extremely rude. Emperor Qing did not expect such an ordinary matter to come to this point. His Majesty's brows gradually frowned. He didn't know which minister was so rude, but this person was doing justice to the court after all, but he couldn't convict him.
Fan Xian stopped walking back to the table, and saluted Zhuang Mohan slightly apologetically, expressing that he did not intend to be disrespectful. Zhuang Mohan coughed twice, stood up with some difficulty under the support of the little eunuch pointed out to him by the queen mother, and looked at Fan Xian calmly: "Mr. As a guest, the old man often recites."
Fan Xian suddenly saw a trace of pity in the eyes of this literary master, a trace of determination to cut off the way back. Fan Xian's heart suddenly moved, he felt some kind of danger that he hadn't been aware of, and it was slowly approaching him. He was getting drunk, but he still turned his head abruptly, behind the banquet in the hall, he found the face that provoked the fight.
Guo Baokun.
Guo Baokun who was punched by himself, Guo Baokun who is close to the crown prince, Guo Baokun who was compiled in the palace, is also qualified to sit on the table today. But it was obvious that the prince didn't know what he said beforehand. So the crown prince, like Fan Xian, squinted his eyes, looking at Guo Baokun's face with a hint of complacency, wondering what exactly he wanted to do.
Fan Xian sensed the danger and smiled slightly.
At this time, Zhuang Mohan coughed twice, saluted the emperor and said softly: "My body belongs to Daqi, but my heart is in the world's writing. I don't want to hurt the friendship between the two countries, but some Words, but have to say."
His Majesty's face gradually calmed down, and he said calmly, "Mr. Zhuang, it's okay to say it."
While His Majesty was speaking, the Empress also raised her wine glass, opened her mouth to speak, but then withdrew it again.
"The wind is rushing, the sky is high, the ape is mourning, the sand is clear and the white birds are flying back. The boundless fallen trees are rustling, and the endless rivers are rolling in. Thousands of sad autumns are often guests, and a hundred years of illness is alone on the stage. Hardships and bitterness hate the frosty temples, and the desolation is new. Dirty wine glass."
It was extremely quiet above the palace. I don't know what kind of astonishing words this famous literary master will say.
"The first four lines of this poem are excellent."