Hairpin Flower

Next is the hairpin with flowers. Ministers are given flowers according to their official rank. Princes and prime ministers are given 18 large flowers and 10 涼枝 flowers. The number of flowers given to lower-ranking officials decreases according to their rank. The lowest-ranking officials only wear two flowers. At the same time, it is stipulated that all officials can wear Luo flowers, while guards and eunuchs can only wear silk flowers.

Zhao Gou then issued an order: "Give me flowers."

The eunuchs filed in and presented the palace flowers prepared in advance to officials at all levels. Liang Hongyu received six flowers.

Princes and important ministers had their hairpins worn by eunuchs, while other ministers wore them themselves.

Liang Hongyu was about to put it on her hair when Zhao Gou came over and put a red rose in her hair.

All the ministers looked at Liang Hongyu in surprise, and the emperor personally pinned flowers on the minister to show his favor.

Han Shizhong felt a surge of bitterness in his heart as he watched another man approach Liang Hongyu. Even though this man was the emperor, he still felt extremely uncomfortable.

He had originally thought that even if he didn't marry her, she would still be his. Even when he saw Asen and her laughing and chatting, he had never felt this panicked. But now, the man who was showing her affection was the emperor. He could easily use the power in his hands to take her for himself. He was really scared.

At this time, all the ministers knelt in the center of the hall. Han Shizhong also hurried to the center of the hall. All the ministers said in unison: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the flowers."

Liang Hongyu drank a few glasses of wine and felt a little drunk, so she got up and went outside the hall to get some fresh air. When she reached a pavilion or waterside terrace outside the hall, bursts of laughter mixed with the fragrance of rouge came towards her in the breeze.

Presumably, the noble lady from Jincheng was having a small gathering here after leaving. She was about to take a detour when a woman in green holding a round fan said, "Oh, isn't this the first female general of our Southern Song Dynasty? I heard that the emperor just put flowers in your hair in the hall just now."

Liang Hongyu bowed and said, "Excuse me, who is this distinguished guest?"

A woman in red said, "How come you don't even recognize our Concubine Pan?"

"I have never been to the inner palace, so naturally I don't know. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

Concubine Pan sarcastically said, "Has she never been to the inner palace, or did she sneak in so secretly that we don't even know about it?"

Liang Hongyu didn't know how she had offended Concubine Pan, who had been so sarcastic in her words. She said patiently, "I don't know what the Concubine means by this."

The woman in red next to her echoed, "Someone saw you enter the Xuande Hall that day. You and the emperor were the only ones in the hall."

Before Liang Hongyu could explain, a woman in yellow said from behind, "She used to be a prostitute. Her seductive skills are beyond the reach of decent women like us."

When Liang Hongyu heard this, she felt a surge of anger in her heart. She was not going to tolerate it any longer. "The princess and the concubines were all abducted by the Jin people and taken to the north. I'm afraid they are now worse than prostitutes."

As soon as she finished speaking, there was a slap on Liang Hongyu's face.

Lady Pan roared, "How dare you! How dare you, like me, discuss matters of the imperial family?"

"Madam Pan, do not do to others what you do not want done to you. Since you cannot tolerate others making irresponsible remarks about the royal family, do you think others can tolerate your irresponsible comments?"

"Even if I once fell into prostitution, it was fate that forced me to do so, not my own will. I was once a noble lady, and I only sell my art, not my body. I don't feel inferior to others."

The other concubines wanted to say something more, but Han Shizhong came over and saluted them, saying, "Your humble servant greets all the nobles."

Mrs. Pan asked, "Isn't this General Han? What brings you here?"

"Replying to the Imperial Concubine, the Emperor has requested the ministers to discuss an important matter. I have come to invite General Liang."

When Lady Pan heard that the emperor had invited her, she did not want to say anything more and said, "Then go ahead."

After the two of them left, Han Shizhong took Liang Hongyu to a rockery and said to her, "Be careful when you enter the palace. Don't say anything."

Liang Hongyu was furious and said, "They say I'm a prostitute, a seductress with tricks. Can't I fight back? After all, I'm a general now, what am I afraid of?"

"I think what they said is true. You have made the officials pay attention to you now."

Liang Hongyu was about to scold Han Shizhong when she suddenly understood, "No wonder these concubines are trying to make things difficult for me. It turns out it's because the Shangguan family in the main hall put flowers in my hair, which made them misunderstand me."

Han Shizhong said embarrassedly: "Do you really think they misunderstood you?"

Liang Hongyu asked doubtfully, "Isn't it?"

"The way the official looks at you is full of a man's possessiveness towards a woman."

Liang Hongyu couldn't believe he would say such a thing. She glared at him and said, "General Han, don't talk nonsense!"

After saying this, he was about to turn around and leave, but Han Shizhong grabbed his hand.

Liang Hongyu tried to break free, but he held her even tighter.

She turned around, drunken, her face flushed and slightly tipsy, the hair on her forehead fluttering in the wind, and she looked at the person in front of her in a daze.

Han Shizhong saw that her face was flushed, she was slightly drunk, her eyes were a little blurry, she seemed to be drunk but not drunk. Her usually cold aura now became enchanting and charming, which could capture people's hearts in a small space and make people unable to control themselves.

At that moment, she suddenly leaned in close to him, his breath on her neck, his nostrils filled with the dissipated scent of alcohol. He felt a tingling sensation spread throughout his body, his throat tightening, and he tried hard to suppress the urge to eat her up. After all, this was the imperial palace, and he couldn't afford to act rashly. Besides, he wasn't the kind of person who would take advantage of someone in distress.

He took out the sobering pills he had prepared in advance, took one of them out and stuffed it into her mouth. She didn't want the emperor to see her seductive look when she was drunk. Besides, she was a female general, and who knew what kind of trouble would arise if she got drunk at the imperial banquet.

She only mumbled, "General Han, is this poison for me?"

Hearing this, he almost laughed out of anger. Is he really so unbearable in her heart?

The sobering pill took effect in less than a moment. The first thing she said after she woke up was: "General Han, why are you here?"

This sentence made Han Shizhong even more depressed. Did she completely forget everything that had just happened?

He said coldly, "The government sent me to find you." Then he strode away.

Liang Hongyu sensed the displeasure in his words, not knowing where she had offended him. As she was enjoying the breeze, she saw a cold and handsome face. She thought the effects of her drunkenness had worn off, so she followed him obediently back to the palace.

The government stipulated that every minister must take the hairpin given by the emperor home with him, and those who did not wear it or lost it would be punished.

Liang Hongyu pinned three flowers on her head and wrapped the remaining three in a silk handkerchief and took them back home.

After Han Shizhong returned home, he tossed and turned and couldn't sleep. He simply got up and went into the study, lit the lamp, sat upright on the chair, and looked around the study with calm eyes. The study was deserted at the moment, just like his long-silent heart.

He suddenly recalled the faint fragrance of her daughter and the smell of wine that sprayed on his neck during the imperial banquet. The wonderful feeling made his heart flutter, and he felt hot all over. He strode out to the courtyard and took a cold shower with his upper body naked by the well in the courtyard.

The weather was cold, but he remained composed. After the residual heat in his body subsided, he returned to his study and changed his clothes. Then, lying on his bed, he opened his eyes, never sleepy at all. Outside, the night was as dark as ink, insects chirped, and the long night stretched on, bringing with it an indelible sense of loneliness.

A figure suddenly floated into his mind. He closed his eyes, and the charming look of Liang Hongyu after she was drunk could no longer be lingered in his mind. Countless chaotic thoughts came flooding in.

He threw back the quilt, sat up, and went to the courtyard again, letting the cold wind blow in, but it could not blow away the heat in his body. He was confused that night and tossed and turned until five o'clock in the morning before he fell asleep.

Liang Hongyu slept until dawn and was in a very good mood. She wore a red robe that day, and her black hair was simply tied up with a red ribbon. She held a sword in her hand and went out with Asen and Jinxiu.

"Girl, where are you taking us?" Jinxiu asked next to her.

Liang Hongyu turned her head and said, "I heard that there's a restaurant in Lin'an City that has the best food in all of Hangzhou. I'll take you there to have a look."

Jinxiu opened her eyes wide, her eyes full of anticipation, "Really? Girl, you treat me so well."

Asen laughed and said, "Look at you, little greedy cat. You've never seen the world."

Jinxiu glared at Asen and said, "You sound like you've seen it before."

The streets of Lin'an were bustling with activity, untouched by the war. Small boats filed in through the various water gates of the city wall, bringing the freshest vegetables, fruits, fish, snails, shrimp, and crabs from the suburbs to the restaurants and teahouses along Imperial Street. A peasant girl sat at the bow of a boat, softly humming a Hangzhou tune.

Before they knew it, the three of them had arrived at a restaurant with the three characters "Hefenglou" carved on it. The restaurant was magnificent, stretching for hundreds of meters, and more than thirty meters high with five or six stories.

Asen said, "I heard that this is the largest restaurant in Lin'an City. This restaurant can definitely look down on all the restaurants in Lin'an City."

Jinxiu sighed, "Miss, this place is nice, but I don't want to eat a free meal if you don't have enough money."

Liang Hongyu smiled and said, "What are you thinking about? The emperor gave me a lot of silver at the last Hairpin Flower Festival. It's more than enough."

"Let's go in." Liang Hongyu said, and the two followed her into the house.

The restaurant was bustling with activity. Even before noon, it was already bustling with visitors. The ground floor was where ordinary people ate, while the upper floors housed the accommodations of high-end guests. The waiter was frantically busy shuttling between the guests, while several waiters rushed to deliver food boxes.

In the center of the first-floor hall, a woman was holding a pipa, and the sound of the pipa was lingering in the air. The diners were enjoying the food and listening to the tune, their expressions intoxicated and very comfortable.

They went straight to a private room on the second floor. The room was decorated in an antique style. From the tea table by the window, one could enjoy the scenery outside.

After the three of them sat down, the waiter came over and asked, "What would you like to eat, my dear guests?"

Asen said: "Of course it's the best food you have here."

"Okay, I'll get ready."

Soon, the food was served. Jinxiu ate the delicious food and couldn't help but exclaimed: "This is too delicious!"

Asen pointed at the plate of fish soup and said, "This famous dish is called Song Sao's Fish Soup. Legend has it that one day, while the emperor was cruising West Lake on his imperial boat, he ordered his eunuchs to buy turtles and fish from the lake and release them. Among them was a woman named Song Wusao, who made a living selling fish soup by the lake. The emperor, after eating her fish soup, was deeply impressed and, considering her age, gifted her with gold, silver, and silk. From then on, her reputation soared, and the sons of wealthy families flocked to buy it, and Song Sao's Fish Soup became a famous dish."

Jinxiu said, "So this fish soup is famous because of the emperor!"

Asen continued to introduce that this Dingsheng cake is said to be related to Yue Fei's anti-Jin campaign. The steamed rice flour cake is big at both ends and thin in the waist, shaped like a silver ingot. It is then dyed a beautiful crimson with red yeast rice, symbolizing victory.

Jinxiu looked at Asen with admiration and said, "Asen, how do you know so much?"

Liang Hongyu also teased: "Yeah, Asen, are you often cheating on us?"

Asen touched the back of his head embarrassedly and said, "Sister Hongyu, I have only heard about this from others. I have never tasted it before. Thanks to you, I finally have this good fortune today."

Liang Hongyu patted Asen's shoulder and said, "That's nothing. When our Song Dynasty drives out the Jin people and recovers the lost territory, I will take you to eat delicious food every day."

After Liang Hongyu finished speaking, she took a bite of the Dingsheng cake. It was soft, glutinous, sweet, and left a lingering fragrance. It was even better than the Dingsheng cake she had eaten in Jingkou. It seemed that Hefenglou was not undeservedly famous. She hoped that the beautiful meaning of the Dingsheng cake would help the Song Dynasty to quickly drive out the Tartars and recover lost territory.