Chapter 4: My Wife 04: The Disguise of a Brother
Although the Qionghua Banquet was a wedding banquet and not a strictly ceremonial banquet hosted by the emperor, those present were either court officials or children of wealthy families, and the relationships between them were complicated.
Once the top scholar enters the Hanlin Academy, he becomes a sixth-rank editor.
Not only is he known for his wisdom and talent, but he is also highly regarded by the emperor for his proper conduct and efficient work.
The young men of the dukes and princes often heard their elders stroking their beards and sighing, "Like the Yangtze River, the new generation is pushing the old generation forward. This Lu Huai is truly a brilliant and extraordinary talent. If you can achieve such great things in the future, our family will have no worries about successors."
Therefore, although this operation was in line with the topic, it caused a huge uproar among the respectful and polite civil servants:
After all, scholars value reputation more than gold. Even if it is a compliment rather than criticism, in their eyes, talking about appearance is still somewhat disrespectful to the court officials, not to mention that the target is such an outstanding Lu Huai.
If you think about it more deeply, you will see that putting your secret thoughts in the open. If you imagine a good man as a delicate woman, isn't that like treating him as a boy lover or concubine?
Although homosexuality was not uncommon in the court, and many officials kept handsome servants or page boys, these men were often not considered presentable. If such a thing happened in someone's family, everyone would tacitly laugh it off, knowing the truth and not asking any further questions.
This painting captures Lu Huai's demeanor to about 70%, and also gives him a sense of alienation that is not an ordinary person, making him compassionate but unapproachable.
The brushstrokes were unconventional, yet they accurately depicted everything from his beautiful face to his tall figure. The poem even compared Lu Huai to the plum blossom, which defied frost and snow, praising his peerless beauty and noble character.
It's easy to imagine how many times the artist's eyes, both overt and covert, have been licking the painting behind these incredibly gentle brushstrokes. While appearing to be pure admiration, one wonders how filthy and dirty the artist's gaze may have been in private.
The more they thought about it, the more indignant they felt for Lu Huai. They cursed the painter Xiao Xiao several times in their hearts, forgetting that the owner of this work might be one of their colleagues, and completely ignoring the amazement they felt when they saw this poem and painting.
Especially Pei Yu, although when the word "beauty" was mentioned, he did think of his good friend first.
But he knew that following his own will would bring trouble to Lu Huai, and he also vaguely realized that he might have some unspeakable delusions about his friend, so he drew Shen San, who he had always been familiar with.
Thinking that there was no girl he was attracted to at the banquet, it would be okay to use her as a shield.
If he painted his impure and noisy fiancée Chen Meng, it would become a hot topic in the circle, not to mention that he was reluctant in the first place.
But now someone else has done this troublesome thing and caused trouble for Yan Jin. It would be strange if he wasn't angry.
But in the end, this matter could be big or small, and it still had to be left to the victim's own discretion. We were all smart people, and no one would do something like meddling in other people's affairs.
Lu Huai wanted to walk forward to take a closer look at the painting, but the crowd that had originally gathered around the painting flowed to both sides in an orderly manner, forming a fan-shaped open space.
"Thank you." He didn't seem to be affected by this sudden incident and was as gentle and polite as ever.
"This work is powerfully written, with an exquisite composition and vivid figures. The plum blossoms in the background are also very charming. The poem and the painting complement each other very well. It is an honor for Huai to be included in this work, but..."
Having said this, an uncomfortable and shy look appeared on the young man Bai Yu's face.
"Huai's appearance is not striking, and he is just a rough and tough man. How can he be called a 'beautiful woman'? Entering this as a candidate may seem off topic."
"I don't think I'm off topic. The number one scholar is so handsome and elegant, so graceful and graceful that it's truly unforgettable.
Brother Lu is so modest, how many men would feel ashamed? "A pleasant voice with a hint of teasing responded to Lu Huai's words. Listening carefully, it seemed a little familiar.
Although both the male and female guests had their own opinions on Mr. Lu's wrong self-perception of being "plain" and "rough", they also wanted to complain.
However, due to the difference in their relationship, no one dared to speak out their thoughts directly for fear of offending the number one scholar by acting inappropriately, and Lu Huai had just given the author a way out, so no one dared to stir up trouble and mess things up.
Who would have thought that someone could be so brave and speak so bluntly!
This behavior was very much like that of those who were used to fighting on the wild side every day, but the words he spoke were not the kind of words that could be spoken by someone with little education. Everyone in the room, both civil and military, was extremely curious about the person who took over.
"My dear colleagues, today we are in high spirits with a feast and fine wine. Chen is fascinated by the success of Her Majesty the Princess. I started to speak while I was drunk. It just so happened that before the banquet, I chatted with Brother Lu, whom I have always admired. So when I mentioned the word 'beauty', he immediately came to mind."
It turned out that Cheng Ruochen clasped his fists and bowed, continuing to explain his painting.
"I was overcome with emotion and could not restrain myself for the moment. If I have offended Brother Lu, please forgive my immature behavior."
This third place winner is truly a monster. On the one hand, he is uninhibited and indulgent, but if he sincerely wants to win your favor, it would be easy for him. He knows too well how to make people pity him.
At this moment, Cheng Ruochen stared at Lu Huai sincerely with a pair of affectionate eyes, his brows slightly furrowed, making the cinnabar mark between his eyebrows look particularly fragile and bright red, as if he would be heartbroken if he was not forgiven.
Lu Huai couldn't resist at all, even though he was really embarrassed and annoyed just now, he thought that he couldn't let this naughty author go easily after catching him.
But despite his good temper, he immediately surrendered in reality. "Don't panic, my dear brother. It's nothing serious. A small fight is not an offense."
"Chen will follow your brother's advice. Next time I drink, I will definitely go get some fresh air to sober up. I won't do anything like teasing you like this again."
Cheng Ruochen climbed up the pole and immediately started to address Lu Huai as "brother". This gesture of learning from the elder made the relationship between the two of them seem as close as brothers.
This made the other guests who felt that Lu Huai had let him off too easily feel suspicious and uncertain. They felt that it was inevitable that there would be more tolerance among familiar friends, let alone a gentleman like Lu Huai.
After thinking about it, I was glad that I didn't interfere, otherwise I would have become a "reckless man" who didn't know right from wrong.
This "male beauty" episode was just lightly revealed.
Cheng Ruochen's lips curled up in a charming arc. How could he bear to let others comment on the treasure that he hadn't even obtained yet?
His actions this time were not driven by a momentary impulse to push Lu Huai further away. Although he himself did not want to paint or compose poetry for others, and had set his sights on this bright and handsome champion, he was also looking forward to Lu Huai's reaction.
Thinking of this dignified person, her cheeks flushed with shame and annoyance just as he had imagined, but she still chose to cover it up like a gentleman.
He licked his dry lips with the tip of his tongue, his eyes flashing with determination. With such a "brother" amulet, he would naturally have fewer obstacles in the future when approaching Lu Huai, and would also save himself from the gossip of others.
Even if they took care to put it in a place where no one could see, who could easily doubt that this was not a gentlemen sleeping side by side out of mutual respect?
Seeing that Lu Huai was not unhappy about this, the women voted for Cheng Ruochen's work based on the brushwork and level of poetry, and other beauties' works also received votes and comments from the women in turn.
As expected, Lu Huai's poetry and painting deservedly won the first place, while Cheng Ruochen came in second. The low-key runner-up Zhu Yue painted Liu Xi, a girl with lively eyebrows and eyes and more beautiful than flowers. He was also an expert in both poetry and painting and came in third.
Although Pei Yu did not make it into the top three, his work can still be ranked among this group of knowledgeable civil servants, and his colleagues still praised him as amazing!
Everyone knows that Shen Shensheng is extremely beautiful, so beautiful that she can be said to be stunning.
Food, sex and beauty are human nature. It is human nature to pursue beautiful things. However, people are used to beautifying themselves and are unwilling to admit that they are greedy for beauty. They would even rather believe some unfounded rumors and destroy the image of the beauty in their hearts in order to prevent degeneration.
His good aunt became increasingly unscrupulous after his mother's death when he was young, spreading rumors that he had killed his mother. When he grew up, he became accustomed to putting on a facade, beating and scolding him in private but claiming to treat him like her own son, making others think he was ungrateful and ungrateful.
After he grew up, she wanted to sell him at a high price, but she also didn't want him to overshadow Shen Meng. She tacitly tolerated the negative speculation about him, sometimes even spreading it herself. This behavior intensified after Shen Meng became obsessed with Major General Pei Yu, who rode a white horse with a silver saddle and galloped like a meteor.
Therefore, even though officials' attention was still attracted to him from time to time, their private evaluations of him were always mixed.
But weren't Lu Huai and Pei Yu close friends at court? Why would they both choose to paint Miss Shen San, known to many as a "vixen"? If the top scholar and General Pei were merely admiring her beauty, it would be fine. But if they truly developed feelings for her, there was no guarantee this beauty would truly drive a wedge between the brothers.
Being entangled with such a woman with a shady background might be a cause for gossip. How did these two golden cakes at the Qionghua Banquet become so obsessed with her?
"You are indeed a vixen," those who already had ill will towards Shen Chensheng became even more contemptuous of him.
Although the girls who were in love with Lu Huai and Pei Yu did not dislike him at all, they did not want to get close to him.
After all, this person took away the hearts of their loved ones as soon as he came, leaving their girlish thoughts to dissipate like the gurgling water.
The eldest princess was also very generous. She generously gave the calligraphy work given to her by the emperor in the past to Lu Huai, who won the first prize. This pen is known as the "best pen in the world" and has the four qualities of "sharp, smooth, round and strong", which attracts countless people who are obsessed with it.
The civil servants present were envious. If they had known that they could not only draw their loved ones but also have such a good prize, they would have put in more effort.
However, they also knew that with the two drops of ink in their stomachs, it was really a pipe dream to think that they could defeat Lu Huai, so they sighed sadly and gave up the idea.
Cheng Ruochen and Zhu Yue, who won the second and third place, also received very good rewards: the East Pearl of the South China Sea and a heavy, exquisite and gorgeous jade ruyi.
The other female relatives, civil and military officials who participated also received some rewards. After receiving their rewards, everyone went to find their loved ones to exchange poems and paintings, and from time to time you could hear men and women flirting with each other.
Seeing that Liu Xi was attracted by Zhu Yue's thick eyebrows and big eyes and went to chat with him aside, Chen Chensheng was quietly gazing at the stream in the garden with her eyes lowered, and there was no one guarding the beauty by her side.
One after another, some people, seeing an opportunity, put on a noble gesture and tried to invite the beauty to have a chat, but they were either ignored or rejected.
Lu Huai began to feel uneasy. He secretly felt that none of them were worthy of her.
But he was a little nervous. Even though his painting and poem had won first prize, he didn't know if the beautiful woman would like it. This painting and poem were originally made for "her" alone. If the fame he gained didn't please her, then it would be useless.
He went to a secluded place and straightened his clothes. He thought it was a shame that he hadn't officially met the Third Young Lady yet. He could use this painting of a beautiful woman as a stepping stone to get to know her. He could also ask her if she had any thoughts on the painting, or on him personally...
Unexpectedly, when he was trying to build up his courage, someone patted his shoulder, which scared him.
"Yan Jin..."
Lu Huai turned around and saw Pei Yu holding a glass of wine, wanting to chat with him. He seemed to notice that Lu Huai was frightened by him, and a look of guilt appeared on his face.
"I'm sorry, did I startle you?"
"Nothing, I was just daydreaming, but I've adjusted myself now."
Pei Yu pulled him aside to discuss some recent affairs in the court, and naturally, there were also some words about the Shen family.
When Lu Huai saw Pei Yu, he remembered the embarrassing incident of the two of them drawing the same person just now. Thinking of Shen San, his original plan had been sadly suppressed in his heart.
Pei Yu, he has signed an engagement with Chen Sheng's younger sister, but he still can't let her go...
He toasted Pei Yu with the wine in his hand, and saw the gorgeous fireworks blooming in the night sky reflected in the glass. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly as he enjoyed the beautiful scenery with his brother, but his heart felt as if it had fallen into an ice cellar.
Either... or...
The author has something to say:
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Huai Huai is about to turn evil hehe~
The banquet is over, the map will be changed in the next chapter, and more excitement is coming!
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