big song poppi

Chapter 589 0586 [National Cuju Competition]

The fifth day of November.

Li Qingzhao's urging voice came from a small courtyard on East Street in the inner city.

"Hurry up, sister. If you're late you won't be able to catch up with the singing and dancing."

Today is the opening day of the National Cuju Competition. Not only will there be competitions, but it is said that there will also be song and dance performances by the Jiaofangsi before the competition begins.

For this reason, she specially asked for leave from the chief academic officer of the Imperial College yesterday.

"This is coming."

The next moment, Lin Wanqing walked out of the room.

Looking at the way her best friend was dressed, Li Qingzhao was slightly stunned.

She was wearing a light yellow floral skirt, a pink undershirt, and a moon-white cloak. The fluffy white rabbit fur at the collar made her look more lively and fresh. This outfit made her look ten years younger, like a twenty-year-old girl.

Her hair was combed into a high bun with a golden hairpin inserted diagonally into it. A golden butterfly with a pattern of golden threads hanging from the end of the hairpin swayed as she walked, as if flapping its wings and dancing gracefully.

When she came to her senses, Li Qingzhao said quietly: "There is no way to get rid of this feeling. It has just left my brow, but it is still on my mind."

This poem "A Cut Plum - The Red Lotus Fragrance Fades Away and the Jade Mat is Cold in Autumn" was written five years ago when she was missing Zhao Mingcheng who was an official away from home.

Reading it out loud at this moment is truly profound.

Seeing that her little thoughts were seen through, Lin Wanqing blushed slightly and changed the subject, "Sister, please leave quickly."

Li Qingzhao said: "He may not go, so why bother?"

Lin Wanqing said shyly: "Sister was in a hurry just now, why are you not in a hurry now?"

"Let's go."

Seeing that her good sister was still stubborn, Li Qingzhao said no more.

The two men got on the carriage and headed straight for the Cuju field in East City.

The streets were crowded with carriages and horses, and most of them, like them, were heading to the Cuju field.

The tickets for the Cuju stadium were sold out as soon as they went on sale yesterday.

The ticket price is not expensive, only 80 cents per ticket, which is affordable even for ordinary people after working for a day.

How could 6,800 tickets satisfy the more than one million people in the city?

Many merchants who failed to get the tickets spread the word, threatening to buy the tickets at ten times the price.

In just one night, the ticket price for the Cuju competition was raised to twenty strings of coins.

This made many people who got the tickets very happy. They originally just wanted to join in the fun, but unexpectedly they made a fortune.

For a time, a whole new business emerged in Tokyo.

cattle!

Lin Wanqing and Li Qingzhao did not get the tickets, and naturally they were reluctant to spend a high price to buy scalper tickets. However, Lin Wanqing had a good daughter who gave them two internal tickets in advance. It was said that the seats in the stands were excellent, and there were fruits and drinks to enjoy.

When I drew aside the curtains, I saw the hustle and bustle of the street, with all kinds of small stalls lined up on both sides of the street, stretching as far as the eye could see.

From time to time, you can see a team of soldiers in black armor patrolling by.

Lin Wanqing sighed: "It's so lively today."

She was in a particularly good mood, perhaps because of the lively atmosphere today, or perhaps because of other reasons.

"Yes, it's more festive than the Lantern Festival."

Li Qingzhao was smiling and looked very happy.

After leaving Yidu, the sad place, and moving to the capital with her good sisters, her gloomy mood gradually became brighter.

She teaches at the Imperial College every day. After work, she drinks tea, goes shopping, recites poems and writes essays with her best friends. From time to time, she goes out of the city for outings and exchanges, and occasionally goes to the casino to play a few games.

At first, Zhao Mingcheng often wrote letters to persuade her to go back.

But gradually, the letters became fewer and fewer, and now there has been no letter for more than half a year.

A loving model couple are now strangers, which makes people sigh that life is unpredictable.

……

Although the people who failed to get tickets could not watch the game in person, it did not dampen their enthusiasm.

The five Mongolian painting shops in the city were crowded with people.

"Give me ten bets, three in one, Qiyun Society, Qingfeng Society, Langtao Society!"

"I'll place a hundred bets, six in a row..."

"..."

"Give way, give way."

Relying on his strength, Zhao Kai squeezed through the crowd and into the store.

The clerk asked, "What do you want to buy?"

Zhao Kai leaned on the counter, panting slightly, and said, "I want to bet on the champion!"

The clerk then asked, "Who are you buying from, and how much are you buying?"

"Qiyun Society, two hundred strings of cash!"

As Zhao Kai spoke, he took out a few green coins from his pocket and slammed them heavily on the counter.

Hey!
As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar among the people, and even the shop assistants looked surprised.

Although there are countless people who come to buy lottery tickets today, most of them just spend a penny to join in the fun. Some people increase the bet, but the highest is only three or five strings of coins.

This is the first time that a bet of 200 strings of cash has appeared.

Zhao Kai naturally didn't have that much money; it was all borrowed from his brothers and sisters.

Qiyun Society has a long history and strong strength. There are many masters in the society, and it is the favorite to win this Cuju competition.

Of course, the odds are naturally the lowest.

But even so, if Qiyun Club wins the championship, Zhao Kai's 200 strings of cash will immediately become 420 strings of cash.

"It turned out to be Prince Yun!"

Just then, some people recognized Zhao Kai.

"Prince Yun, please wait a moment."

The clerk took the cash, counted and checked it, and only started issuing the invoice after confirming that it was correct.

At Gu Song’s request, the Institute of Engineering designed an invoicing tool.

Convenient and simple, only one person is needed to operate it.

Soon, a receipt was handed to Zhao Kai.

The lottery ticket is not big, just a small one, and the paper is very ordinary, but it is printed with color-changing ink as an anti-counterfeiting mark.

The clerk reminded him, "Prince Yun, please keep the lottery ticket safe. When you redeem the prize, we will only recognize the ticket and not the person."

"Ah."

Zhao Kai snorted lightly, turned around and left with his hands behind his back.

In his opinion, the Mongolian painting shop run by Han Zhen's son was simply giving away money.

As a prince, how could he not know the strength of Qiyun Society?
It's easy to win the first place.

It would be a waste if you don't make money from Han Zhen's son.

It's a pity that Lao Wu and the others don't trust him and are only willing to lend him this little. If he had a million strings of cash and put it all down as collateral, he wouldn't have to worry about the rest of his life and could go back to living the extravagant life he once had.

……

The streets outside the Dongcheng Cuju Stadium were now crowded with vendors and horse-drawn carriages, and were extremely noisy.

Countless horse-drawn and ox-drawn carts were jammed on the road, unable to move forward or backward.

Fortunately, Kaifeng Prefecture had arranged a large number of officials here in advance to maintain order.

"If you want to watch the Cuju competition, get off the carriage quickly and let the carriage leave. Don't block it here."

Following the officers' command, the congested streets were able to slowly become passable.

Seeing that the carriage had only traveled less than fifty steps in a quarter of an hour, Lin Wanqing suggested, "Sister, the Cuju field is just ahead, only two or three hundred steps away, why don't we get off the carriage and walk over there."

"it is good."

Li Qingzhao had exactly the same idea.

There were too many carriages and horses today. At this speed, it would take an hour to reach the Cuju field. The two got off the carriage, told the driver to go back first, and then walked towards the Cuju field.

There were also many pedestrians on the street, jostling each other.

Lin Wanqing and Li Qingzhao held hands and walked slowly with the crowd.

At this moment, Li Qingzhao felt a slight movement in her waist.

Looking down, I saw that the jade pendant around my waist was grabbed by a hand and was being pulled hard.

Li Qingzhao was startled and subconsciously shouted: "Thief, catch the thief!"

Seeing that he was exposed, the thief became furious and quickly pulled out a knife.

Naturally, he didn't have the courage to kill anyone, so he cut the red string on the jade pendant with a knife.

This jade pendant is warm and crystal clear, and the carving is also very fine. It is obviously made by a master. If he steals it, it will be enough for him to enjoy himself for three to five months.

Suddenly, a black shadow flashed by, and a hand as big as a palm-leaf fan came like lightning and grabbed the thief's wrist.

"what!"

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The thief suddenly let out a scream and the knife in his hand fell to the ground.

Then, another punch hit the thief in the stomach.

The effect of this punch was extremely good. The thief immediately became motionless and bent like a shrimp.

All this happened in a flash. When Lin Wanqing and Li Qingzhao came to their senses, they found that the thief had been caught in the hands of a sturdy man in a military officer's uniform.

"Thank you for the rescue, General."

Li Qingzhao bowed deeply and showed gratitude on her face.

"You're welcome, Madam Li."

Ouyang Deng smiled slightly, and then said to Lin Wanqing: "Madam Lin, Concubine Shu invites you two to get in the car."

long?

Lin Wanqing took a quick look and saw a rickshaw parked on the street not far away.

The Shu brocade curtains were lifted, revealing Ma Shuyao's small face with bright eyes and white teeth.

Ouyang Deng handed over the jade pendant: "Madam Li, this is your jade pendant."

"Thank you."

Li Qingzhao thanked him again and tied the jade pendant around her waist again.

The jade pendant on a woman's waist is not just a decoration, it also serves the purpose of holding back the collar.

Because women's skirts in ancient times were thin and loose, they would be lifted up by strong winds. Although the society is open now, decent women would never want to expose their legs and feet in public, so they would hang a jade pendant around their waists to hold down their skirts.

In addition, when jade pendants collide while walking, they will make a crisp sound. If the sound is pleasant and rhythmic, it means that the woman has a steady pace and a decent manner.

But if it is messy and disorganized, it means that the woman is disrespectful and lacks education.

As the saying goes, jingle of jewelry.

After fastening the jade pendant, Lin Wanqing and the other person walked towards the carriage.

Ma Shuyao was not the only one in the carriage, there were also Fu Qingyi and her two daughters.

"Hello ladies."

Lin Wanqing and Li Qingzhao hurriedly greeted him.

Jiang Suyi said jokingly, "Aunt Lin, you don't have to be so polite, otherwise Sister Youyou will ask me to pay back the debt later."

Hearing this, Ma Shuyao laughed and said, "You should gamble less. You don't know how much debt you owe!"

Lin Wanqing looked around the carriage and asked casually, "Isn't His Majesty here?"

Ma Shuyao replied, "My husband has been busy with the affairs of the North these days. When I left the palace, he was discussing matters with Prime Minister Chang in the Chuigong Hall. I'm afraid he won't be able to come today."

"Oh."

Lin Wanqing nodded, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes.

The Yan Zhai carriage was the carriage for the concubines in the harem. Wherever it passed, the carriages in front gave way and the journey was smooth. Soon they arrived at the Cuju field.

At this moment, there were more people outside the Cuju field, and the noise was endless.

There were several long queues, and everyone had their tickets checked one by one to enter.

Under the protection of imperial guards, Ma Shuyao and his party swaggered into the venue without having their tickets checked.

The Cuju stadium has undergone a major transformation. Signs advertising the sport can be seen everywhere, and the central Cuju field has also been carefully decorated.

Led by the maid, the group came to the stands on the fifth floor.

The fifth-floor stands are divided into private rooms by brocade curtains and screens. Because the venue is designed in a bowl shape, the space becomes narrower as you go up, so there are not many private rooms on the fifth floor, only about a hundred.

These private rooms were not open to the public for the time being and were given to court officials as benefits by Han Zhen.

After all, Cuju is a national sport, and many officials in the court also love it very much.

Even though the technology may not be that great, it doesn't stop them from appreciating it.

"Greetings to Madam Shufei and Madam Zhaopin..."

Many officials or their relatives had already taken their seats in the private room. When they saw Ma Shuyao and others, they all stood up to greet them.

Ma Shuyao and the other three girls smiled and nodded in return.

Soon, they arrived at the largest private room.

This private room was specially prepared by Gu Song for Han Zhen. It was decorated extremely luxuriously, with a thick cashmere carpet imported from the Arab world spread on the floor. Walking on it felt like falling into the clouds.

After sitting down, the maid immediately brought fruits, meats, cakes and drinks.

As more and more spectators entered the venue, the atmosphere became lively.

Half an hour later, after all 6,800 spectators had entered the venue, the door of the venue slammed shut.

Gu Song held a large copper megaphone in his hand, walked to the center of the Cuju field, and shouted at the top of his voice: "Cuju is the national sport, which implies the art of war, can also strengthen the body and enrich the spirit, and is deeply loved by the people of the world. Today, the court is hosting the National Cuju Competition. Please know that the heroes of all counties are all distinguished friends from all over the world. This year's Shenshou Competition is held in the capital, which is a special charm. When you come, please come forward to pay homage to the saint, and then submit your name. Xiangjin left behind a flower imitation man, and the balloon will definitely win!"

"it is good!!!"

As soon as the words fell, there was a burst of warm cheers and applause from the stands.

There was a lack of entertainment in this era, and large-scale events were few and far between. This Cuju competition hosted by the imperial court was the first of its kind, and all the spectators were extremely excited.

When the cheers died down, Gu Song continued to shout without picking up the loudspeaker: "This National Cuju Competition is exclusively sponsored by Dongyang Commercial House. I hereby declare that the National Cuju Competition will begin immediately!"

After all, they spent 1.2 million strings of cash to win the exclusive naming rights, so naturally they have to promote it more.

In this way, the exclusive naming rights for next year's Cuju competition will surely fetch a good price.

On the fourth floor stands, Lu Dafu's face was ruddy and his heart was excited.

Just based on Dean Gu's voice, his 1.2 million strings of cash were not wasted.

Too long!

After this national Cuju competition, his Dongyang business will spread throughout the Qi State and become well-known to the people.

Yan Yucai, who was standing aside, had eyes full of envy. He had underestimated the effect of the exclusive naming rights. If he had known this, he should have fought for it in the first place.

As Gu Song left, the dancers from the Jiaofang Bureau, who had been prepared for a long time, walked slowly to the center of the venue and began dancing to the melodious sounds of stringed instruments.

"Hiss! What a grand event! It's actually the song and dance of the Jiaofangsi."

"These twenty strings of cash were not wasted!"

"The song and dance alone is worth the price of admission."

In the stands, many spectators' eyes lit up.

The Jiaofangsi was a institution exclusively for the royal family. Songs and dances would only be performed when the emperor or princes and ministers held banquets. Ordinary businessmen could never enjoy them.

This is also the reason why many viewers said it was very enjoyable.

"Mom, are you feeling unwell?"

Seeing that her mother was not in a good mood, Ma Shuyao expressed her concern.

"No."

Lin Wanqing smiled and shook her head.

She actually doesn't like Cuju, and she came here today dressed up just to meet that man.

Even if she just took a quick look, she was satisfied.

Women should look after those who please themselves!
(End of this chapter)