Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 189 Win or Lose

In Ziyun Tower, the music on the stage has not stopped.

The saint became more and more interested and after the competition, he became more immersed in the charm of opera. He picked a few of his favorite operas and asked both troupes to sing them for him.

Li Shiniang had left early, and Xue Bai suddenly felt much quieter. Although she only said a few words in this lively place, it was strange that she seemed noisy just standing there.

When Yang Qixuan saw that his wife was not there, he suddenly became full of life. He held a wine glass and came to Yang Hui's side, secretly saying some naughty words with a playful smile. The two of them were glared hard by Li Niang a few more times.

Zhang Bian looked at this scene and smiled bitterly, and took the opportunity to talk to Xue Bai and whispered: "Look at them, they still think that the Right Prime Minister and the Eighteenth Niang are unruly, but you don't know that their little temper is just coquettish. "

Xue Bai said: "It seems that everyone has different perceptions of Jiaohan."

The reason why he told Xue Bai this was because Zhang Bian had an intuition that Xue Bai understood him.

"Although you are young, you are actually more mature than them."

"I have been wallowing in hardships and gained more experience."

"Really?" Zhang Bian asked, "I thought you were kept in a deep house."

Xue Bai asked back: "Shouldn't I ask Prince Consort Zhang about this?"

Suddenly, a flute played. Everyone realized that Li Longji had had enough rest and was about to speak, so they all calmed down and listened.

"Haha, it's time to sing "Farewell at the Changting Pavilion"." Li Longji said: "In my opinion, in the entire play, this is the only one that was written by the Number One Scholar."

Xue Bai responded: "The sage's wisdom is as clear as observing fire."

Li Longji couldn't help but feel proud. It showed that his art appreciation ability was indeed high. He actually waved Xue Bai to come to him to watch the show.

Xue Bai did not refuse. In full view of everyone, he walked to a place five steps away from Li Longji, where he could talk about opera without going too far.

Li Longji sneered and said, "Shu Zi knows what's appropriate."

Yang Yuhuan couldn't help but turn his head and glance at Xue Bai, knowing that the saint's words were actually about the gambling, and the saint knew that Xue Bai had sold face.

The purpose of betting is not to win the saint, it is like playing a small game with a beautiful young lady, and the purpose is not to win. Xue Bai has always made a clear distinction in this regard.

After presenting the play and stopping here, everyone naturally knew that he made the emperor happy. There was no need for rewards tonight. He wanted an official position. Would anyone dare to embarrass him during the civil service examination?

The meaning of the gamble lies more in Yang Yuhuan's look back and smile.

……

"The troubles in the world are filling my mind. How can these big and small cars be able to carry them?!"

By the time Xue Bai came to his senses, Xu Hezi had already sang the last line on the stage, and he and Xie Aman quickly left the stage to take the curtain call.

Although Li Longji was still in high spirits, he was already exhausted. He ordered all the actors to be brought to the palace and each would be given a reward.

The worshipers in the Liyuan were all the same people they had seen in the past, but everyone in Xueyuan was meeting the saint for the first time. They were extremely nervous. After all, taking off their makeup and coming to the temple was different from being on the stage.

"Which one is the drummer?"

Li Longji saw Lu Yuanzhen at a glance. Looking closer, he couldn't believe that she was really an old woman with gray hair. He couldn't help but look at Xue Bai.

"It's Mrs. Lu." Xue Bai said.

Li Longji actually stepped forward in person, helped Lu Yuanzhen up, and sighed: "With such a drumming skill, I have never heard of your name?"

"Your Majesty." The old woman spoke with tears streaming down her face, "My name is Lu Yuanzhen... During the Jingyun period, my reputation was somewhat obscure."

"During the Jingyun period?" Li Longji thought for a long time, suddenly remembered something, and asked: "I was at the vassal residence and heard that there was an artist in the capital who placed water on his head and played a drum without the water moving. Is it you?"

"It's the slave family. When His Majesty called for it, the slave family didn't dare to neglect it. However, it offended the priest... It took thirty seven years to see the beauty of heaven!"

Thirty-seven years ago, Lu Yuanzhen was twenty-eight years old, with outstanding sex and art. If she was lucky enough to enter the palace, she might have a place among the concubines, and one of the princes might be married to her.

Now, she looks to be over seventy years old, a generation older than Li Longji. No amount of reward can give back thirty-seven years.

Of course, depending on what she thinks, spending her whole life in a deep palace may not be a good idea.

At this time, it was Li Longji who was even more emotional, sighing: "Such a drumming skills, the pearl is covered in dust, I will reward you, I will reward you greatly!"

After that, he looked at Dong Tinglan and said to Xue Bai: "There are such musicians among the people. Where did Shuzi find it?"

"Mr. Dong was a late bloomer. I was lucky enough to meet him at the right time."

"You can all make offerings to Miyagi."

"Thank you saint for your grace." Dong Tinglan saluted quickly.

Little did he know that he was enshrined in the palace today and would not wander around again, and Gao Shi could not write a farewell poem for him.

After appreciating the musicians, Li Longji turned to the actors. With a straight face at first, he pointed at Li Yuetu and cursed: "As the granddaughter of the emperor, I only know how to fool around."

Since he had already scolded his granddaughter, he wanted to prevent others from criticizing her in the future.

Li Yuetu also knew that the saint was not angry, so he responded: "Sage, do you think your granddaughter sings well?"

"It's not bad."

Li Yuetu then said coquettishly: "Then can you allow your granddaughter to fool around for a little longer?"

Li Longji knew that she did not want to be a pawn for the East Palace to attract talents, so he felt pity, smiled kindly, and agreed.

He glanced around among the actors and asked Pang Sanniang: "Are you pretending to be Mrs. Cui? You are so young."

Pang Sanniang is usually called "the one who sells fake faces" and pretends to be young to show off her smile. This is the first time that she has been called young and thanked her repeatedly after taking off her makeup.

Nian Nu, who was kneeling among the crowd, was so beautiful that he caught everyone's attention.

Li Longji had noticed her a long time ago, with a smile on his face and said: "This girl is beautiful, with charming eyes, and a melodious singing voice that can rise above the morning glow. Okay, okay."

His affection was beyond words and he was full of praise.

At this time, Fan Nu gently pushed Nian Nu and reminded her in a low voice: "The saint praised you, why don't you thank me?"

"I thank the saint for his grace."

Li Longji's eyes fell on Fan Nu again, and he found that this woman was both talented and beautiful. It was rare that she could show the simple and loyal feeling when she was playing matchmaker just now, but now she had a different style after taking off her makeup.

Looking at Fan Nu's age, he couldn't help but wonder, with such a beauty, how dare the Jiaofang not let her appear on stage in front of the emperor for many years?

"Little matchmaker, is this your first time performing for me?"

Fan Nu was not young at all. She swayed slightly, lowered her head and said, "The church does not allow slaves to perform for saints."

"Why?"

Fan Nu lowered her head shyly and responded in a low voice.

"There is something under my armpit..."

Her voice was so soft that Li Longji leaned over to listen. After listening, his eyes narrowed and he took a deep look at Fan Nu.

Gao Lishi understood immediately and thought, what kind of beauty has the saint never seen before? Nowadays, it is inevitable to like some novel and eccentric tricks.

Seeing this scene, the first person to become nervous was Wang Zhun.

Wang Zhun often went to the church to play, and had some small interactions with Fan Nu. At this time, he was keenly aware of the change in the saint's attitude, and was afraid that Fan Nu would enter the palace and gossip in the saint's ears.

Fortunately, the saint has treated musicians differently in recent years than he did when he was young. He once said, "I don't want to seize the glory of the knights." After that, he rarely placed musicians in the palace. Today, he made no exception in public and just patted him. Gao Lishi's arm hinted at his private arrangements.

……

At dawn, a banquet for watching the theater dispersed.

The saint loves opera, and after today, I don’t know how many operas will spring up like mushrooms after a rain.

There are a few more famous people in Chang'an, and there are a few more worshippers in the palace.

As far as Xue Bai is concerned, if there is another big event, Lu Yuanzhen and Dong Tinglan will definitely help him quietly.

~~

While the banquet was bustling with excitement, the back of the stage seemed very quiet.

Li Tengkong sat upright with his eyes closed and calmed down, looking indifferent to the world.

For her, this time she just helped her friend once. As for the credit and the holy grace, she didn't want it.

Even his gratitude is not important to her, what is important is her own state of mind...

"Make room."

Suddenly she heard a soft call, she opened her eyes and saw a handsome face in front of her, and her mood was immediately confused.

"Thank you." Xue Bai said, "I stayed up all night, thank you for your hard work."

Li Tengkong looked at him for a while, shook his head, smiled calmly, and said, "As long as no one forces you to get married."

"No, go back."

The two have a tacit understanding, and they understand each other's attitude towards marriage and understand each other tacitly.

At this time, Li Jilan and Mian'er were both asleep, so they had no choice but to ask Jiaonu to wake them up and they all left together.

For the time being, the musicians and actors will still go back to Xueyuan and wait for arrangements. Since they are going to Xuanyangfang, they will naturally go with Yang Yuyao.

As soon as they left Furong Garden, Nian Nu ran to Xue Bai and asked nervously: "Can we still stay in Xueyuan in the future? Or we will be sent back to the classroom."

She was originally from the studio, but was seconded to rehearse the show. At this time, she was inevitably worried.

Xue Bai asked: "It depends on where you want to go, why don't you mention it to the saint?"

In fact, I said beforehand that if you want anything, just ask the saints for reward.

Lu Yuanzhen and Dong Tinglan hope to be enshrined in the palace so that they can provide for their old age; Pang Sanniang wants to serve in the Jiaofang in order to become famous; Li Yuetu also knows that he will marry a few years later in order to be free; Fan Nu's intentions are unclear and somewhat ambiguous. Only Niannu seemed to have really forgotten, and now he could think about his own future.

"Then... can the Nu family go wherever they want?" Nian Nu raised his head and looked at Xue Bai blankly.

Yang Yuyao was amused when she heard this, and said angrily: "I just came to tell him now, how many places can he take you to?"

"Can the slave family stay in Xueyuan?"

"You little fool." Yang Yuyao said angrily: "If you have this intention, just ask the saint to give you to Xue Lang."

"I, I didn't...that's not what I meant."

At such a young age, Nian Nu could not be so bold, and he was immediately at a loss.

Yang Yuyao said: "Okay, okay, I'm just teasing you. With your current reputation, you can't stay in his house, so you have to come to my house."

Xue Bai said: "They all contributed. It's up to them to decide where they want to go. I also ask Yao Niang to help."

"I know, how can I treat your people badly?" Yang Yuyao, known as the "Male Fox", was quite generous to these actors and agreed with a smile.

~~

It's inevitable to feel lonely after a party.

After returning to Xingqing Palace, Li Longji woke up and looked at the sunset in the distance, his mood suddenly dropped.

Of course, I can never regain my high spirits from last night.

"The imperial concubine gave me face, and Xue Bai also had a sense of proportion. In that competition... I actually lost."

"Listen, old slave, Dong Tinglan is not as good as Li Guinian, Niannu's singing skills are inferior to Xu Hezi, and except for the Lord of Hezheng County, there is no one who can compare with the children of Liyuan. Even Lu Yuanzhen's drums are inferior to those of the saints."

"Plays are not about competition one by one like this." Li Longji sighed, but he didn't care about winning or losing. He cheered up again and said, "It's okay, let's rehearse another play!"

"Old slave, I'll make arrangements now."

The singing and dancing started again.

When Yang Yuhuan arrived, Li Longji was stunned.

"What kind of clothes is Taizhen wearing?"

"Dress." Yang Yuhuan smiled and said, "The new clothes that the third sister gave me, do they look good?"

She was wearing a long red skirt, which made her skin as white and smooth as snow, with a lotus leaf-like hem.

Li Longji looked at it for a while and said with a smile: "This must be the bribe Taizhen took to judge me as the loser in the competition."

"Sanlang thinks it looks good." Yang Yuhuan pinched the hem of her skirt and turned around.

"Weird, I can't stand it, I can't stand it."

"Doesn't it look good?"

Li Longji just waved his hand and said with a smile: "It's too strange."

"Hmph, it's fine if it doesn't look good. I'll change it myself."

Yang Yuhuan was not very happy, and turned back to the bedroom angrily, and once again went to admire her huge bronze mirror.

She could see the smooth fabric wrapped around her graceful waist, outlining a beautiful arc... The more she looked at it, the more she liked it.

"It's so good-looking. I wonder how he understands women so well at that age?"

~~

The smooth fabric wrapped around her graceful waist. Yang Yuyao smiled with satisfaction, turned sideways, and hugged Xue Bai's neck.

"I don't know how you, at the age of a little wolf, know my body so well?"

"Like it?"

"Well, it looks good."

She held his hand and stroked the soft fabric...

In the distant horizon, the setting sun shines on the rolling hills of the Qinling Mountains, as if it is covered with a light veil. Afterwards, the sunset faded and everything was hidden in the night.

In the night, Yang Yuyao murmured in a low voice: "Those girls from aristocratic families still want to compete for the number one scholar. We should really let them see...it's mine..."

~~

"The matter is not over until the saint grants Xue Bai a marriage."

"I think they won't give up easily until he gets married. After all, he is such a famous and favored person."

In the official room of the Ministry of Personnel, Chen Xilie and Da Xixun chatted about some boring gossip. The reason was that Xue Bai came to the Ministry of Personnel today to submit documents and wanted to take the Bo Xue Hong Ci exam.

Chen Xilie happened to go to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to sit in court today. He learned that Xue Bai was in Du Youlin's public house, so he sent someone to call him. During this period, I had a few words with Da Xixun, and Xue Bai arrived.

"I have met Zuo Xiang, Minister Daxi."

"You don't need to be polite to the number one scholar." Chen Xilie stroked his beard and smiled, looking very friendly, and asked: "You are young and have just won the number one scholar. Why don't you take a break for two years, get married and start a career, and then come to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to seek an official position?"

Xue Bai responded with a smile: "I dare to ask the left prime minister, but to seek an official position in the Ministry of Personnel, you must have a family?"

"The number one scholar is really funny."

If Chen Xilie was thin-skinned, he would have been scolded to the point of becoming an official over the years. At this time, he was not embarrassed and still put on an amiable smile.

"I can't stop me from taking part in the Erxuehong Ci Examination. However, I have a few old words for the number one scholar... Now that we are in a hurry to be awarded an official, it is better to settle the marriage as soon as possible. As the saying goes, after you have a family and a career, you will have an official position after you have a family. . The officialdom is a place where serious work is done. It is different from fighting cocks and singing operas. You cannot just rely on the holy family."

"Thank you, Prime Minister Zuo, for your kindness." Xue Bai said, "I still want to take the civil service examination first."

Chen Xilie smiled even more kindly, and reminded him clearly: "Why go against other people's good wishes? Otherwise, when the saint's interest has passed, what will the champion do?"

The words have been made very clear, Xue Bai doesn't give face to anyone, as if he wants to be a lonely minister, and it is difficult for him to do so.

Regardless of whether it is the Right Prime Minister's Mansion or a wealthy family, Xue Bai only needs to choose a family and get married. After making a statement and then seeking an official position in the Ministry of Personnel, Chen Xilie will be able to handle it much easier.

The Holy Family will always fade away, so why not know what is good and what is bad?

With this thought, Chen Xilie kept persuading.

He is the prime minister of a country and he is also very old. When facing Xue Bai, a young young man, his tone is majestic but kind, and he can be regarded as very sincere and kind to persuade him.

"What you do is higher than others, and others will not do it. Young people are energetic, and they think that the world has changed because of you, and they think that the world has changed because of you. In fact, you have been helped by many noble people along the way. But look at you again, you don’t even want to repay me with a peony..."

Since Xue Bai came, he also gave Chen Xilie the courtesy he deserved.

But he had been listening for too long, and when he looked over, he saw Da Xixun nodding his head repeatedly, with no intention of dissuading Chen Xilie from stopping.

"Left Prime Minister."

"Have you figured it out?"

"If Prime Minister Zuo has the ability, just don't let me pass this erudite course of poetry."

After Xue Bai said that, he turned around and left.

"you!"

Chen Xilie was quite surprised. He stood up and pointed at Xue Bai, thinking that this guy was so shameless. He just waited for Li Linfu to leave. After he took power, he must look good to him.

"You want to take the Civil Service Examination, how dare you speak to the Minister of Civil Service like this?!"

Xue Bai didn't look back.

It's not that he was motivated, but there was really no need to give Chen Xilie too much face. One was a popular figure in the imperial court who had just presented a show, and the other was a stamped prime minister with no real power...it was shameless to give him face.

Xue Bai turned around the corridor and saw Du Youlin waiting there.

"How? Have you decided on an official position first?"

"No, Chen Xilie is ignorant."

Du Youlin was surprised when he heard this tone, and asked in surprise: "What should we do?"

"It doesn't matter." Xue Bai said: "In the officialdom, if someone is as weak as him and can be manipulated by anyone, he will never get anything done... We should learn from this."

~~

"You saw it." Chen Xilie turned to Da Xixun and said, "I have good intentions, but this guy is so stubborn."

Da Xixun just smiled and responded: "The lower official must inform the right prime minister."

……

That day, the Prime Minister's Mansion.

"enough."

Li Linfu scolded and said: "I don't have time to listen to Chen Xilie's nonsense. I just want to ask what official position you plan to give to that guy?"

One is a puppet at his disposal, and the other is a monkey who makes troubles that make him suffer repeatedly. It is self-evident who he cares about more.

Da Xixun said in surprise: "Do we really want him to pass the Bo Xue Hong Ci exam?"

"Otherwise? Since Chen Xilie is capable, you ask Chen Xilie to stop him and rehearse a play to dedicate it to the saint."

"I understand...but the Prime Minister Zuo's worries are justified. Xue Bai is so maverick..."

"He is the one who is being persecuted. Even if he is not in a hurry, you are anxious for him?" Li Linfu scolded: "If you are really unwilling to obey, find a far away place to send him off. In three or two years, the holy family will fade away. Look at him, can he still be crazy?"

"The Right Prime Minister, this is a wise idea! I don't know how many times higher than the Left Prime Minister!"

Li Linfu glanced at Da Xixun coldly, sighing in his heart why all the people under his command were these idiots...

　Don't wait for the second chapter, it will be released in the morning~~Please vote at the beginning of the month~~

　　

　

(End of this chapter)