The spring colors quietly dyed the branches. When I opened the window, I inadvertently saw a few strands of fresh green onions, which made me feel good.
Guo Juli took a deep breath of fresh air, smiled, and then turned around to pull Mu Zhuohua who was lying in bed.
"Miss, did you steal last night? The sun was shining on your butt and you didn't get up. If you get up later, you will miss the Fuyun Poetry Festival."
Mu Zhuohua stood up lazily, lying on Guo Juli's shoulder as if boneless, and said with a sad face: "I am not good at writing poetry. The Fuyun Poetry Festival must be accompanied by the poet Shen Jinghong. Others who go there will only humiliate themselves. It is better for me to sleep a little longer at home."
The Fuyun Poetry Festival is said to be a poetry festival held every year on the Buddha's birthday in Fuyun Mountain outside the city. The students who are taking the exams are elegant, flowing wine and water, expressing their feelings for mountains and rivers and poetry, showing the elegance of literati. But this year, with the outlier Shen Jinghong, I am afraid that there will be a different scenery. Just to catch a glimpse of Shen Jinghong, this year there are many more people going out for an outing than in previous years. Even Guo Juli, a little girl who doesn't believe in ghosts and gods and doesn't understand poetry, is interested in joining in the fun.
Recently, Shen Jinghong's reputation has become more and more famous. His poems and articles have spread all over Dingjing. For a time, Dingjing's paper is in great demand and everyone is chasing after him. The literati circle cursed Shen Jinghong for being talented but not virtuous, relying on his talent and being unrestrained, and having no literary demeanor. Those who debated with him were all ridiculed. His poems have the magic power to bewitch people's hearts. Sometimes they are heartbroken, sometimes they are unrestrained, sometimes they are lingering and sad, and sometimes they are open-minded and free and easy. People love and hate them, and they keep singing them. Therefore, he has the title of Poetry Demon.
The imperial examination has not yet begun, but he is already a sure thing. If someone takes his place as the first place, I am afraid that half of the people in Dingjing will make a fuss.
Although Guo Juli was a little maid, she was spoiled by Mu Zhuohua and had a very bad temper. She ignored Mu Zhuohua's coquetry and made up her mind to go to the Fuyun Poetry Meeting.
"Miss, you are not good at poetry, so you have to learn it! Besides, today is Buddha's birthday. It is said that Fuyun Temple is very spiritual. All students will go there to burn incense and pray for high school in the examination."
Mu Zhuohua laughed: "Everyone goes there to pray, but the number of people on the list is limited. It's embarrassing to ask the Bodhisattva to bless one."
Guo Juli said seriously: "Of course, it will bless the most sincere one. Miss, I will rely on you for the rest of my life. Be energetic and don't make the Bodhisattva angry."
The weather was really good that day. The sun was warm but not dazzling. The breeze was blowing gently, accompanied by the fragrance of early spring. The sweetness was wrapped with a few wisps of soil and grass, full of vigorous vitality. Mu Zhuohua and Guo Juli walked on the path full of wild flowers. The haze that had enveloped them for the past few days was blown away unconsciously by the spring breeze and the fragrance of flowers. The two chased and played, laughing all the way.
When the two arrived at Fuyun Mountain, they really saw what it meant to be a prosperous incense. People who burned incense were crowded together, and they didn't know whether the Bodhisattva could hear everyone's needs clearly.
Mu Zhuohua raised his hand to shade the sun and was amazed: "It is said that fame and fortune are floating clouds, but these floating clouds, everyone wants more, the better. It's really thoughtful to come to Fuyun Temple to ask for floating clouds."
Guo Juli bought incense and moved freely in the crowd with his brute force, expanding the territory for Mu Zhuohua.
"Miss, follow me!" Guo Juli grabbed the best spot for burning incense with his strength, "You kneel here, the Bodhisattva will see you at a glance!"
Mu Zhuohua was pushed by Guo Juli to kneel on the futon, looking up at the compassionate-looking Bodhisattva, holding the incense and silent for a moment, before slowly bowing down.
Guo Juli next to him closed his eyes and muttered to himself: "Bodhisattva, oh Bodhisattva, you must bless me to be the top scorer in the imperial examination. If not, the second place will also be fine. You must also bless me to be healthy and free from illness. Let me be happy every day, and don't be sad or worried."
Mu Zhuohua teased, "You only spent ten cents, and you asked so much from the Bodhisattva. A bit too greedy."
Guo Juli thought for a while and said, "Bodhisattva, I don't have much money to give you, but I can work like a cow or a horse to repay you."
Mu Zhuohua felt warm in his heart, rubbed Guo Juli's head, and smiled, "That won't do. I made braised pig's trotters for you the day before yesterday, and you said you would work like a cow or a horse for me. How come you change your mind?"
Guo Juli pouted: "Miss, you are making things difficult for me, Juli. Never mind, there is a first come first served rule. I will work like a cow or a horse for the Bodhisattva in my next life."
Mu Zhuohua stood up with a smile and walked towards the incense burner.
Guo Juli chased after her: "Miss, what wish did you make to the Bodhisattva?"
Mu Zhuohua said without turning her head: "Today is Buddha's birthday, so of course I wish the Bodhisattva a happy birthday."
As soon as Mu Zhuohua finished speaking, she heard a familiar chuckle. She turned her head and saw a familiar figure with his back to her, quickly disappearing in the crowd.
Mu Zhuohua was startled and suddenly lost all sleepiness. Before she could catch up, she was pushed away by the crowd.
The two major scenic spots on Fuyun Mountain, in addition to Fuyun Temple, are Liuyun Pavilion. Liuyun Pavilion is where the Fuyun Poetry Festival is held.
Liuyun Pavilion is on the top of the mountain. The pavilion is not big and can only accommodate about ten people. There is a large open space outside the Liuyun Pavilion. Every year on the day of the Fuyun Poetry Festival, someone will place a full cushion on the open space for students to sit. Famous literary masters in Dingjing City will be invited to the pavilion to comment on the poems and essays of the participating students as commentators.
Mu Zhuohua and Guo Juli arrived relatively late, and there were a lot of people at this year's poetry gathering, so when they arrived outside Liuyun Pavilion, there was already no room for them. The cushions in the venue were filled with candidates wearing scholar's clothes. There were many people sitting in the pavilion, but it was difficult to see who they were from a distance.
Mu Zhuohua took a glance and found that there were many soldiers standing outside Liuyun Pavilion. He was stunned and pulled a person next to him and asked, "Which distinguished person came to Liuyun Pavilion today?"
The person answered without turning his head, "The eldest prince is here!"
Mu Zhuohua suddenly realized.
This eldest prince is said to be very fond of poetry, especially frontier poems and military poems. The current Emperor Zhaoming is said to be a gentle man with a very good temper, and the Empress is also dignified and quiet, but the eldest prince Liu Chen is a martial and belligerent person. According to folk legend, this is because Liu Chen has been close to Prince Ding Liu Yan since he was a child. Since Liu Chen can remember, Liu Yan has been fighting in the army and making meritorious deeds. He has heard of Prince Ding's deeds like a god of war. Naturally, he is full of admiration for Liu Yan and wants to be like him. Liu Chen's feelings for Liu Yan are extremely close. At the beginning, Liu Yan was trapped in an ambush and the soldiers in the army did not come out. It was Liu Chen who rushed to the rescue with his personal soldiers and rescued Liu Yan, but he himself was seriously injured.
Today, the eldest prince suddenly arrived without any warning, disrupting the pace of the poetry meeting. Knowing that the eldest prince likes frontier poems and military poems, those well-prepared poems and lyrics are no longer useful, and the scholars can only bite their pens and think of new poems and essays temporarily.
From time to time, excellent works would be heard coming out of Liuyun Pavilion, and someone would stand outside the pavilion and recite poems aloud for everyone to appreciate. Although Guo Juli did not understand, he thought it was amazing. He turned around and saw Mu Zhuohua in a trance. He pulled her sleeve in dissatisfaction and whispered, "Miss, I heard from them that the eldest prince attaches great importance to poetry and prose. If you are not good at poetry and prose, you will suffer a great loss. You should listen to other people's poetry and prose and learn more."
Mu Zhuohua waved her hand disapprovingly, "Poetry and songs require talent and inspiration. I don't have this talent, but I have other ways." Mu Zhuohua patted Guo Juli on the shoulder and
said, "You listen to poetry and prose here, and be influenced by it. Maybe you have better talent than me." Mu Zhuohua was about to run away. Guo Juli shouted, "Miss, where are you going?"
Mu Zhuohua said without looking back, "I'm going to pray to the Buddha again."
Guo Juli nodded with satisfaction, "Miss, you have made progress."
Mu Zhuohua walked out of the crowd, but did not go to Fuyun Temple. Instead, he ran towards the back mountain where there were fewer people. He walked for a mile before stopping and looking around.
As expected, the familiar figure walked out of the forest.
Mu Zhuohua went to meet him, and said humbly, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Today, Liu Yan was still wearing the human skin mask with ordinary and blurry facial features, but his back figure still stood out in the crowd, and Mu Zhuohua knew it at a glance.
Liu Yan looked at Mu Zhuohua with interest: "Why did you come to the back mountain?"
Mu Zhuohua said: "I was thinking, when the prince showed me the back of his head, could it be a hint that we should meet in the back mountain?"
Liu Yan raised the corner of his mouth slightly: "That's too far-fetched."
Mu Zhuohua said: "Well, I actually think that except for the back mountain, other places are too crowded. The prince probably wouldn't want to talk to me in the crowded crowd, so I came to the back mountain to try my luck. It seems that my luck is really good."
"You also believe in such a vain thing as luck?" Liu Yan didn't believe it, "I just saw that you don't have any piety to the Bodhisattva."
Mu Zhuohua argued: "The prince has wronged me. Everyone prays to the Bodhisattva for wealth and honor, but only I wish the Bodhisattva a happy birthday. In this way, I am the one who is truly good to the Bodhisattva."
"Then why do people pray to the Buddha for wealth and honor, but you don't?"
Mu Zhuohua showed a flattering smile and looked at Liu Yan eagerly: "It is better to pray to the prince than to the Buddha. The examiner is right in front of me, why should I go far away?"
Liu Yan laughed and shook his head, turned and left.
Mu Zhuohua hurriedly chased after him.
"Prince, do you have something important to ask me?"
Liu Yan said as he walked: "I didn't come to see you today, but since I happened to meet you, I want to ask you. Where did you get the prescription for Huanyang Powder?"
Mu Zhuohua said: "I heard this prescription from my mother when I was a child, but she didn't know the full prescription."
Liu Yan looked at Mu Zhuohua in surprise: "Then do you know... I asked people to ask all the famous doctors, and no one has heard of Huanyang Powder."
Mu Zhuohua was also a little surprised.
"The Imperial Hospital doesn't have it either?"
Liu Yan asked, "Why do you think the Imperial Hospital has the prescription?" Mu Zhuohua said, "Although I don't know the complete prescription of Huanyang Powder, the few herbs I know are very precious. To successfully prepare a new prescription, it is definitely not something that can be done in one or two times, but it takes many failures to try out the most appropriate ratio. To prepare a dose of Huanyang Powder, excluding the Zhixian Fruit, it costs hundreds of gold. To develop it from scratch, it would cost thousands of gold. Apart from the Imperial Hospital, which other genius doctor would be so wealthy? Moreover, I have never seen this prescription among the people, so I guess that only the Imperial Hospital has it."
Liu Yan said, "However, all the prescriptions in the Imperial Hospital have been checked, and there is indeed no Huanyang Powder you mentioned. Perhaps your mother is wrong."
"Impossible." Mu Zhuohua shook his head decisively. "Although my mother has forgotten where she heard it from, she doesn't remember much about her childhood, so the few things she can remember are doubly clear. She can describe the medicinal properties of Huanyang Powder so clearly, which shows that it is true. Especially the Zhixian Fruit... Oh, Zhixian Fruit!" Mu Zhuohua's eyes lit up. "Your Highness can't find the prescription for Huanyang Powder, so why not find the source and consumption of Zhixian Fruit. Zhixian Fruit is also very rare. There are only three plants growing on the top of Tianshan Mountain, and it takes three years to bear fruit. Once upon a time, the Zhixian fruit had miraculous medicinal effects when eaten raw, and it was basically only found in the royal families of various countries. "
Liu Yan looked at Mu Zhuohua suspiciously: "Then how can you know that Yun Xiangyue smells the Zhixian fruit?"
Mu Zhuohua blushed and coughed twice: "This... Your Majesty knows, I was born in the Mu family in Jiangnan, my father is rich and romantic, I heard that the Zhixian fruit can be used as medicine to strengthen yang, so I paid a lot of money to get one, and I was fortunate enough to see it..."
Liu Yan laughed and said: "You are lucky to have benefited from the Mu family, and you have seen all kinds of rare treasures."
"This is not important." Mu Zhuohua changed the subject, "Your Majesty can check the comings and goings of the Zhixian fruit in the palace, and you will have some clues."
Liu Yan said: "This is a clue, in addition..." Liu Yan's eyes fell on Mu Zhuohua's face, "You are also suspicious."
Mu Zhuohua blinked his almond eyes, with an innocent look.
"Why is it that only you and your daughter know this prescription in the world? Who is your mother?"
Mu Zhuohua confessed honestly: "To be honest with you, my mother is called Gu Yixiao, but this is not her real name. When she was young, her family suffered a great change and was hit hard. She forgot many things. Because she was beautiful, she was sold to a brothel and was given the flower name Gu Yixiao."
This information was really limited. Liu Yan frowned slightly and said, "I will send someone else to check this clue."
"Yeah!" Mu Zhuohua nodded repeatedly, with big and bright eyes, looking at Liu Yan flatteringly, "Your Highness, I am your person!"
Liu Yan choked and frowned at Mu Zhuohua.
Mu Zhuohua then said, "If that's the case, Your Highness should help me more."
Liu Yan looked at Mu Zhuohua leisurely with a smile: "What benefits do you want."
Mu Zhuohua said, "Your Highness, do you know that the eldest prince came to the Fuyun Poetry Club today?"
Liu Yan said, "He has always liked poetry and prose, which is not surprising."
Mu Zhuohua disagreed: "As the chief examiner, he should avoid suspicion, but he came here. There must be some conspiracy behind this."
"Go on."
Mu Zhuohua said with a smile: "Recently, Shen Jinghong's reputation is not very good."
Liu Yan's eyes flashed with a hint of sharpness, and his smile faded: "Why is it related to him?"
"A man as talented as Master Jinghong is really reckless. He made a name for himself in Dingjing by slapping people in the face, but ruined his reputation in the literary circle. After all, he will serve the eldest prince in the future, so the eldest prince will naturally support him and make his reputation both loud and good. Today's Fuyun Poetry Festival is much more grand than before, and the eldest prince came in person, presumably to help Shen Jinghong gain fame and redress his shame. Shen Jinghong has proven his literary talent and eloquence, but has not yet proven his literary integrity. What can be more exciting and awe-inspiring than frontier military poems?"
Liu Yan stared at Mu Zhuohua and couldn't help but value her a little more.
"My lord, the eldest prince cares about his people, so you should be nicer to me too." Mu Zhuohua blinked.
Liu Yan withdrew his esteem for her.
Mu Zhuohua pointed at his finger and said, "Everything in Dingjing has gone up in price recently, especially pens, inkstones, and paper. Although I am from the Mu family, I am an unfavored concubine, and I didn't bring much money with me when I came to Dingjing. I have helped the prince a little bit these days. Let's not talk about anything else. The girls in Xiaoqin Palace gave two ingots of silver for the consultation fee that night..."
Before Mu Zhuohua finished speaking, a silver note floated down. Mu Zhuohua hurriedly caught it and took a closer look - five hundred taels!
"Thank you, Your Majesty! Your Majesty is always generous!" Mu Zhuohua was overjoyed and took the silver note into his arms with a smile on his face, "Next time you get sick, just look for me!"
Liu Yan's mouth twitched, and he suddenly felt uncomfortable all over. He shook his sleeves, turned around and walked away without stopping.
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