Chapter 53: Meeting in the parade, drunk at the Luming Banquet
In the Golden Palace.
At the beginning of the morning court session, the names of the candidates were announced.
The top three candidates in the palace examination chosen by the emperor yesterday entered the palace under the watchful eyes of all the officials.
"Your Majesty, long live your Majesty!"
Emperor Wu Su looked at the people kneeling in the hall with gloomy eyes.
The one kneeling in the front was the top scorer he had chosen yesterday.
Tutor Qiao was not wrong. In terms of talent and ambition, Li Chengxun far surpassed his contemporaries. The articles he wrote were grand and majestic, and were able to criticize current social ills.
Since he has ambition and real ability and wants a high position, what's wrong with giving it to him?
A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind.
I just don't know how long he can last in the treacherous officialdom.
"My dear, please stand up."
When Li Chengxun heard the shouting, he bowed and stepped aside.
Emperor Wu Su, who was sitting high on the throne, said: "The number one scholar is a man who stands in the divine land, and his body can hold millions of people. Do you know what I expect of you?"
Li Chengxun stepped out again, prostrated himself, and said gratefully: "I will definitely not let Your Majesty down."
After expressing gratitude for the emperor's grace, the number one scholar chosen by the emperor began to ride a horse through the streets.
Li Chengxun wore a black gauze hat with golden flowers, a bright red robe, and rode a horse with a golden saddle and a red mane. He was accompanied by flags, drums, and musicians, and was surrounded by people in front and behind him. The scene was grand.
The people all came out to watch, wanting to see the style of the new top scholar.
"This number one scholar is so handsome! I have never seen such a handsome man."
"Oh, don't be jealous. This top scholar will soon become the consort of Princess Qingyun."
"If you ask me, the emperor really dotes on the princess and picked such a good husband for her..."
Because the number one scholar was so handsome, many girls were brave enough to throw fruits at him even though they knew he was going to become a royal consort.
The parade was here, and the road was blocked by crowds of people.
Two carriages had to pull over and wait for the crowd to pass.
It was the Ji family’s carriage.
Old Madam Ji and her two daughters-in-law sat in the larger carriage in front, followed by a smaller one for the girls in the family.
Ji Qingyuan lifted the curtain on the car window and glanced at the man in the middle of the crowd.
He turned his gaze to Ji Qingwu who was resting with his eyes closed opposite him.
There is no wall that is completely airtight.
She also heard the rumors about her fifth sister and this top scholar. Such a handsome and talented husband was just stolen away by Princess Qingyun.
She couldn't bear to see her fifth sister being better than herself, and now that she heard that she had been abandoned, she felt a sense of superiority from the bottom of her heart, but also a little sympathy and pity.
Today’s palace banquet is grand, and it is also the Luming Banquet, so the two will definitely meet at the palace banquet.
Qiao put all her effort into dressing up Ji Qingwu, as she could lose the battle even if she lost the person.
At this moment, Ji Qingwu was wearing an open-collared, low-necked, light green, wide-sleeved blouse, which was tucked into a long, floor-length balsam flower skirt.
A three-winged oriole feather pearl hairpin is inserted diagonally on the double-ring Wangxian bun, and there is also a sleeping lotus hairpin in the color of Xiang Fei on the forehead.
The collar of the blouse is wide, revealing skin that is smoother than the pearls on her head.
But what’s the point even if you dress up to be the most beautiful woman in the world? Who will appreciate it?
Ji Qingyuan pointed outside and said, "This new champion is indeed handsome, don't you think so, Fifth Sister?"
Ji Qingwu, who was dozing with his eyes closed, would be lying if he said he wasn't bored.
What did that guy say at the beginning? When he became the top scorer in the imperial examination, he would marry her in grand ceremony.
Now he was riding a tall horse, with a big red silk flower hanging on his chest, and he had entered the officialdom with honor. However, the person he was going to marry was not her.
Seeing that Ji Qingwu didn't want to talk, Ji Qingyuan let down the curtain.
He said to himself, "If you ask me, no matter how handsome this number one scholar is, he can't be better than that guy."
It was a rare woman who was not mesmerized by Li Chengxun's face. Ji Qingwu's eyelashes moved slightly.
Is there anyone more handsome?
Ji Qingyuan had seen bigger scenes, and she began to recall the past.
She said proudly: "When the emperor was still the general of Dingbei, he returned to the capital after suppressing the rebellion of Dongjue. All the women in the city wanted to see the great hero. The atmosphere was out of control. Countless people threw flowers and fruits, and also threw..."
She suddenly got stuck, with a bit of shyness on her face.
Ji Qingwu stopped pretending to sleep.
I stopped halfway through her story, opened my eyes, and asked curiously.
"Fourth sister, what else is there to throw away?"
Ji Qingyuan covered her mouth and whispered, "Dumbbell."
Ji Qingwu thought about that scene...
The brave and warlike general was riding on a war horse, wearing silver armor that was as cold as frost.
But she was wearing a brightly colored bellyband that was worn by girls.
Associating it with his current image of a cold-faced king, Ji Qingwu tried hard to purse his lips and not let himself laugh out loud.
The annoyance in my heart was immediately relieved.
The journey was supposed to take half an hour, but due to frequent stops and starts, it took an extra hour.
This banquet was large in scale and was held in the southern corner of the Imperial Garden.
The musicians were already ready, and as the guests arrived one after another, they played the flute, drums, and various stringed and bamboo sounds, filling the ears.
The Ji family is the empress dowager's maternal family, so apart from the royal family, their seats are closest to the front. Men and women sit separately at the banquet, separated by a two-meter-wide aisle.
This place is close to the lotus pond, and the fresh fragrance of flowers is carried over by the wind.
On the way over, Ji Qingwu looked out at the beautiful lotus flowers in the pond that reached the sky. The flowers in the palace were more carefully raised and of better variety. The lotus pods grew larger than those outside.
Suddenly I wanted to eat fragrant lotus seeds.
Ji Qingwu stared into the distance in a daze and didn't even notice that the Queen Mother and Princess Qingyun had taken their seats.
Wait until there is a commotion around and people start to talk about it.
She looked over and saw Li Chengxun, dressed in a red robe and a jade belt around his waist, appear at the door.
His face was full of smugness, and he couldn't hide it even if he wanted to.
Across the crowd surrounding him, Li Chengxun immediately spotted the woman sitting on the far right in the front row.
Ji Qingwu did not immediately look away.
Because she suddenly remembered what Ji Qingyuan said, she lowered her head and raised her jade hand to cover the smile at the corner of her lips.
The long dress with marigold flowers made her face look gentle and charming.
What strikes the heart is the shyness of lowering the head...
Li Chengxun was absent-minded for a moment.
Emperor Wu Su arrived to join the banquet only after everyone was seated.
Today, Emperor Wu Su did not wear the golden crown because he was entertaining his ministers and guests.
Instead, he wore a bamboo-framed black gauze hat with gold thread, a black cross-collared plain gauze gown with wide sleeves, a narrow red silk belt, and a nine-cauldron jade pendant, making him look even more elegant and handsome.
At the Lu Ming Banquet, the most carefully prepared dish is venison. It is not only a dish, but also a symbol of the emperor's great grace and respect for talents.
Ji Qingwu was in a normal mood, but his appetite was extraordinary.
Since we are eating venison, we must have wine with it.
The venison had a delicate texture, was tender and juicy. She ate it in small bites and finished the small cup of wine without knowing it.
In contrast, Ji Qingyuan beside him hardly moved her chopsticks or touched her wine.
Ji Qingwu leaned over, stared at the wine and venison on her table, and called softly, "Fourth sister."
Seeing her fixed gaze, Ji Qingyuan thought that she was just having trouble speaking and was drinking to drown her sorrows, so she pushed the plate and wine cup towards her.
Ji Qingwu poured a glass, the clear wine had a mellow aroma.
She opened her lips to drink.
But unexpectedly, several figures suddenly appeared in front of him.
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