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Yuan Cihan understood what Zheng Zhuo meant at a glance. There were many guests in the mansion today. Not to mention that walls have ears, if the two of them were to be apart for too long, they would probably attract attention. Naturally, it was not appropriate to discuss the matter right now.
Zheng Zhuo probably wrote this note in a hurry after sending the girl away, so he didn't have time to say too much. He just made an appointment with her to discuss it in detail tomorrow.
From this, she had a rough answer in her mind: the young lady must have some relationship with her or the Yuan family, otherwise Zheng Zhuo would not have said that. Thinking back to what she had just heard, that deliberately low, fake rough, but still somewhat familiar voice, she estimated that it was most likely the second daughter of the Jiang family, Jiang Birou's younger sister Jiang Bican.
When Jiang Birou was driven out of the Yuan family, Yuan Yuren informed the Jiang family out of his utmost loyalty. However, due to the imperial decree, the Jiang family did not dare to take her back to Chang'an and only sent a nanny outside the city to take care of her.
Soon after, the Jiang family fell into decline, and the nanny fled with her belongings for fear of being implicated, leaving Jiang Birou alone outside the city. The Jiang family was busy with their own affairs, so no one remembered her for a while. Instead, Yuan Cixian sent Jianzhi to visit her once.
It's not that she regretted or felt soft-hearted, but she saw that her brother was still a little depressed, and was afraid that if Jiang Birou died at this time, it would be difficult for him to let go, so she sent him some food and medicine.
Jiang Birou was already weak, and because she drank the wine given by Emperor Huining, she was already very ill. Yuan Cixian estimated that she would not survive this winter, and thought that since there was no one at Jiang's house, someone would collect her body when the time came. However, the next time he sent Jianzhi there, the place was empty.
Jianzhi asked the neighbors and found out that Jiang Birou had indeed died of illness, but that night, a young lady came to collect her body.
Yuan Cixian had suspected that it was Jiang Bican at that time, but because the Jiang family could no longer perform, she did not pay much attention to it. But now it seems that this little girl is quite stubborn, and who knows what tricks she will play next.
She couldn't help but sigh. She wasn't afraid of Jiang Bican's tricks, but this incident made her a little depressed - as if everything in the dream was a fate that was difficult to avoid. Even though Lu Shiqing did everything he could to help her destroy the Jiang family this time, the involvement of Jiang Bican and Zheng Zhuo was still unavoidable.
She thought pessimistically for a moment that the Yuan family's fate might be the same.
Yuan Cixian kicked pebbles all the way back to the back garden, but she soon lost the energy to be depressed because she heard Lu Shiqing's voice from afar. She had only walked for a while when the banquet seemed to have changed direction, from poetry to classics.
She saw Lu Shiqing standing beside the long table with his hands behind his back, and smiled at a young man on the other side of the winding stream, "Brother Dou, you are wrong."
What kind of classics are they discussing? She returned to her seat as inconspicuously as possible, but as soon as she sat down, a young lady next to her came over and whispered in her ear: "The county lady missed a good show."
Yuan Cixian glanced at Lu Shiqing, who was standing aside discussing classics with others without even looking at her, and asked in a low voice, "What's the show?"
The young lady whispered, "Did you see those young men on the opposite side who are blushing? All eight of them were angered by Minister Lu. After you left, the discussion began, and Minister Lu seemed very unhappy for some reason. He spoke to all eight of them in one breath, leaving them speechless. It's really pitiful for these young men..." They had to endure the nameless anger for no reason.
Yuan Cixian was stunned. He looked up at Lu Shiqing, who seemed very majestic. Seeing that his face was indeed not looking good, he sneered and said, "Brother Dou, what you said is even more wrong. It is true that the ancient sages said: A virtuous man can easily change his appearance. But Brother Dou has committed the taboo of scholars who take words literally."
The young man named Dou opposite seemed unconvinced and argued seriously: "The so-called virtuous man changes for the beauty of women, firstly, it means that when seeing a virtuous man, one should strive to emulate him and abandon the beauty of women; secondly, it means that when dealing with a wife, one should focus on her inner character rather than her outer appearance. This has been the interpretation since ancient times, so how can it be interpreted literally? Minister Lu is probably making far-fetched arguments." After he finished speaking, he couldn't help but glance at Yuan Cihan.
Yuan Cixian touched her nose embarrassedly.
Oh, she was indeed pretty, and Lu Shiqing liked that about her, but she didn't teach him to argue like that.
Lu Shiqing smiled, also glanced at Yuan Cixian, and then asked back: "Brother Dou, what do you think the '色' in '贤贤易色' refers to? Women, female beauty, the beauty of men and women? I'm afraid that's too narrow. As a descendant, when reading and studying classics, we should return to history and fulfill the will of the saints. Brother Dou misinterpreted the meaning of the saints with the perspective of the modern world. It's too polite to say that you just took the words literally."
"In ancient times, the relationship between husband and wife was the beginning of human relations and the foundation of the king's rule. How could Confucius, as a sage, go against common sense? Humans have five senses: eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and body. Everything they sense is 'color', even attitudes, behaviors, and other things of form and color are 'color'. Brother Dou's discussion of female beauty is not only one-sided, but also contemptuous of the young ladies present."
Mr. Dou was stunned by what he said, and the young talents around him were also confused. It seemed that they had never heard of such an interpretation before. They felt it was novel and doubtful at the same time.
Yuan Cixian glanced at Lu Shiqing.
This mouth is really good at talking. But what about the saying that every generation has talented people, and the predecessors should give way to the younger generation
Lu Shiqing continued, "Let's talk about women. Appearance is an external thing to virtue, but if you don't really experience it, and just listen to what others say, how can you really know which is more important? Brother Dou, if you keep devaluing external things, how is it different from a blind person who doesn't care about appearance, and how is it different from a hypocrite who talks about benevolence, righteousness, and morality but actually deceives the world? If you haven't picked it up, you have no right to talk about letting it go." He smiled, "Of course, Brother Dou is young, so it's no wonder that he is still inexperienced. But if you must talk to me about which is more important, virtue or women, please understand it before you discuss it."
There was an uproar on all sides.
Wow, this Lu Shiqing is so shameless, relying on his fiancée to be so arrogant. He is the only one who has picked it up, so he has the right to put it down
But his words were irrefutable. After all, no one in Chang'an could match the beauty of the Princess of Lancang County. If Lu Shiqing said that he had never experienced the true beauty of a woman, I'm afraid no one else here would dare to say that he understood.
The enemy boy named Dou's face turned red, and he felt as if his chest was pierced by a sharp blade. He almost couldn't help but cover his mouth with his hands.
He thought, maybe this is... the power of saints.
He could not help but admire deeply, and said with a bow: "Listening to your words is better than reading ten years of books. Dou will remember the teachings of Minister Lu. When I have learned something in the future, I will come to discuss it with you again!"
Lu Shiqing waved his hand to indicate that he didn't need to be polite, then returned to his seat in a casual manner.
Yuan Cixian's mouth twitched slightly. She pulled his sleeve and asked in a low voice: "Are you serious? Why does it sound so..." So misleading
Of course Lu Shiqing wasn't serious. Who told Yuan Cixian to leave the table and chase Zheng Zhuo, leaving him here? He was upset, so of course he had to find someone to vent his anger on.
He said that they had only knocked down nine of them. If she came back a little later, everyone present would be in trouble.
But Lu Shiqing was unwilling to admit that he was talking nonsense, so he said seriously, "I am serious."
Yuan Cixian was confused by his seemingly powerful words just now. She said "Oh" doubtfully, and then asked: "It seems that the first prize of today's Liushang Banquet must be you. This way I will be very busy."
He was still angry at first, and when he heard this, he asked in surprise, "What are you busy with?"
She held her chin in her hand and said in distress, "Next year it will be your turn to host the Liushang Banquet. With so many guests coming to our house, won't I be too busy?"
Lu Shiqing was stunned at first, then he realized her words "our house", and all his jealousy and annoyance disappeared in an instant. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise slowly, and he tilted his head to quietly hide the uncontrollable excitement.
Yuan Cixian secretly glanced at him.
Tsk, that’s so easy to appease.
*
At the banquet that day, Lu Shiqing deservedly won the first place, and then he sent Yuan Cixian back to Shengyefang first, and then returned home quietly.
The next day, February 15th, was the Flower Festival, a good day for people to go outing together and enjoy the flowers. However, it was also the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the court did not give Lu Shiqing leave, so he could not go out. This saved Yuan Cixian the trouble of explaining to him that he had an appointment.
Yuan Cixian rode a carriage out of the city and arrived at Yanxing Gate at noon, just in time with Zheng Zhuo's carriage. There were many people around, and the two of them understood each other tacitly, and neither of them stopped the carriage, and continued to go straight east, as if they really just happened to pass by.
It was not until they passed Lu Bridge and the crowds of spring outings gradually dispersed that Zheng Zhuo stopped the carriage and then climbed up an inconspicuous mountain nearby.
Yuan Cihan asked the carriage to drive a little further away, and then he walked back into the mountain, pretending to enjoy the scenery.
It was common to see the scenery in the mountains during the Flower Festival. The two of them did not act as if they had made a deliberate appointment, and no one would be suspicious even if they were seen. After all this trouble, Yuan Cixian finally met Zheng Zhuo at a stone pavilion on the top of the mountain.
This stone pavilion was built in a remote area and seems to be quite old. It looks quite dilapidated, with its back against rocks and facing cliffs on both sides. If someone approaches, they will definitely be discovered by the people in the pavilion at the first time, so it is considered very safe.
After making such a judgment, Yuan Cihan sat down beside the pavilion railing with peace of mind.
Zheng Zhuo was a gentleman. Since they were alone, he left the side of the rock for her and sat on the dangerous cliff to show that he had no intention of offending her.
He smiled and said, "Thank you for making this trip. Chang'an City has been heavily spies lately. There are many people outside during the Flower Festival, so it's not easy to attract attention."
Yuan Cixian certainly knew that Prince Ping had not yet left the capital, and was probably keeping a close eye on Zheng Zhuo and the Yuan family.
She smiled back at him: "Your Highness is too polite. I wanted to ask you for information. You should have been chanting in Wangji Temple today. It would be hard for you to sneak out."
Zheng Zhuo laughed out loud: "I always feel sleepy while reciting, so I have to thank the county lady for saving me today."
After a few polite words, Zheng Zhuo stopped smiling and was about to get to the point when he suddenly glanced towards the mountain path and was slightly stunned.
Yuan Cihan followed his gaze and looked back, and saw a man in a black wide robe and a wooden hairpin coming from the entrance of the mountain path. The bright spring light made his silver mask sparkle, and the mountain flowers fell behind him, so bright that they were almost eye-catching.
Yuan Cixian was also stunned and asked Zheng Zhuo, "Why is Mr. Xu here?"
Zheng Zhuo smiled helplessly and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
Yes, why is this kid Lu Shiqing here
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