Jiuxi

Chapter 348 Chapter 346 [All the talents have arrived]

In the next two days, as Xue Ruogu said, groups of people giving gifts appeared outside the gate of Shanyang Hou Mansion.

They were all from civil servants, military officials, aristocratic families, and relatives of the emperor. Lu Chen collected hundreds of them just for the gold-gilt name stickers.

Chen Shu and the other servants were so busy that they never touched the ground. Fortunately, he was experienced and not afraid of the stage, so he helped Lu Chen take on most of the reception tasks.

However, Lu Chen still had no time to relax. Not all mansions asked their family stewards to come, and some families sent their legitimate sons to come to congratulate them. At this time, Lu Chen had to entertain him personally.

By the end, Lu Chen was so numb that he couldn't remember which young master he was or whose young master he was.

When the Moyuan Cultural Conference was held as scheduled, Lu Chen couldn't help but feel a sense of relief, so he asked Chen Shu to thank the guests behind closed doors, and then headed to Beicheng with more than ten soldiers, accompanied by Xue Ruogu.

Mo Garden is located in Jinchifang. It is a garden covering a large area and has the elegance of a typical Jiangnan water town. It is also one of the industries of Prince Xiang's Mansion.

Except for the period when cultural gatherings are held, Moyuan is a famous romantic place in Yongjia City. It is as famous as the Alum Tower in Nancheng.

Fanlou once had two top oirans, Gu Waner and Su Qianyu. After Gu Waner was taken to Jingzhou by Li Bingxue, Li Yunyi asked someone to bring out Zhao Lianxin, who was known as a swordsman and dancer, to take Gu Waner's place and still maintain the position. The name of the top five oirans in the capital.

"I will obey His Highness's order."

It is said that Jing Pianpian was born in a scholarly family, but later fell into the flower bush because of her family's financial difficulties. She knew books and was good at etiquette. She also liked to recite and compose poems, and she was known as "one word that can make a big difference" among the people.

It is said that she often wears an embroidered bag beside her, which contains white pills and red pills. The white pills only play marbles, but the red pills have the power to destroy gold and jade.

The second prince nodded and said: "Father has given permission, and he himself has promised that he will come today naturally."

At this moment, a steward from the Prime Minister's Mansion hurriedly walked into the Zilan Pavilion, bowed and said: "Your Highness, Shanyang Marquis and Editor Xue from the Right Prime Minister's Mansion are here hand in hand."

These two are famous in the capital, but when the Moyuan Literary Fair is held every year, they can only be used as decorations and foils. The limelight belongs to those knowledgeable literary scholars, the young talents who criticized Fang Qiu, and the strange scholars who became famous for their poems. .

Moyuan, which is as famous as Fanlou, also has two oirans, both of whom have overlapping names. One is Jing Pianpian and the other is Xue Susu.

It's just that this year's Mo Yuanwen is destined to be a little different.

Cheng Wenyuan's heart tightened, and he quickly put away his smile and said: "You are stupid, please show me your Majesty."

Xue Susu has a quick mind and can write poems, lyrics, and poems. He is especially good at orchids and bamboos. He is also good at line drawing of flowers, grass and insects, each with its own artistic conception.

A white-faced scribe asked with a smile. His name was Cheng Wenyuan. Although he was white, he was well-known in the literary circles of the capital for his good writing.

"Your Highness, will the Shanyang Marquis really come today?"

None of the scribes who could enter the Purple Orchid Pavilion were stupid. The second prince spoke so clearly, so they naturally knew what to do.

The two of them looked at each other, and Shen Ruiyuan nodded slightly, indicating that the arrangements had been made according to the second prince's instructions.

The second prince looked around at everyone and said slowly: "As far as I know, Marquis Shanyang is not good at writing. I invited him here just to get close to him. I didn't want to disgrace him in public. Just a little bit. Later, if he is interested in writing poems, that’s it. If he just wants to see beauties sipping wine, don’t do anything to disappoint him.”

In the Zilan Pavilion, the second prince occupied the throne, accompanied by more than ten scribes. Jing Pianpian and Xue Susu stood beside them with their maids, serving tea.

What's even more surprising is that Xue Susu is not a weak woman with no power to restrain a chicken, but a rather chivalrous person.

The second prince raised his lips slightly and said, "Do you think that the king invited him to attend the cultural gathering because he wanted to humiliate him in reciting poems and composing poems?"

Cheng Wenyuan said leisurely: "I wonder how accomplished Shanyang Marquis is in poetry, and whether he is as capable as he is in military matters."

Although these two oirans were slightly inferior to Gu Waner in appearance, their reputations were even greater, and they were highly sought after by celebrities in the capital.

The second prince turned to look at the middle-aged scholar sitting first on the left. This man's name was Shen Ruiyuan, and he was one of the founders of this year's Moyuan Literary Society.

The second prince stood up and said with a smile: "Everyone, please follow me to greet this young prince who has made many meritorious deeds."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Everyone gathered around the second prince and left.

It became quiet in the Zilan Pavilion. The two courtesans who had been standing for a long time looked at each other. Jing Pianpian rubbed her waist and said delicately: "Sister, what kind of person do you think the Shanyang Marquis will be?"

Xue Susu was half a year older than her, and the two had a very close relationship in private. After hearing this, she walked to a chair and sat down, and said calmly: "How would I know?"

A hint of cunning appeared in Jing Pianpian's eyes: "Isn't sister curious?"

Xue Susu knew what she was thinking and whispered: "What kind of person does he have to do with us? Do you still want to be the second Gu Waner? I advise you to give up this idea as soon as possible. Our Second Highness is not Li Saburo is such an empty-bellied dandy."

Jing Pianpian moved lightly, walked to sit next to her, stretched out her arms, and said with emotion: "It's not that I want to be the second Gu Waner, I just think she is much luckier than us. It is said that she went to Jingzhou and followed Li Living with the governor's daughter, although the life is more sober, you don't have to smile every day, it's very relaxed and comfortable."

Xue Susu remained silent. There was no one else in the pavilion at this moment. Jing Pianpian came closer and said softly: "Sister, Your Highness is now deliberately making friends with Marquis Shanyang. If we can get his favor, can we escape our lowly status?"

Xue Susu shook her head and said: "Gu Waner was able to escape from Fanlou's control in the first place because Li Sanlang first asked her to renounce her citizenship and tried to force Shanyang Marquis to submit. Maybe it was because Gu Waner had no intention of harming others, so Shanyang Marquis was willing to leave her a There is no way out. In the past two years, I have often heard rumors about Shanyang Hou. It can be seen that he is a man with great ambitions and is not disturbed by women. How can such a man hang around among flowers? If you show your courtesy for nothing, I am afraid it will make him suspicious. Your Highness’s original intention will turn out to be asking for trouble.”

Jing Pianpian pouted slightly and sighed, "Sister is right."

While the two oirans were thinking about their fate, outside the gate of Moyuan, the second prince smiled heartily and said: "Marquis Shanyang, if you don't come again, I will have to send someone to invite you."

Lu Chen looked at the free and easy smile on his face, and couldn't help but think of Xue Nanting's evaluation of him, and said calmly: "Your Highness is joking, how dare I break my promise and lose weight."

The second prince stepped forward, nodded to Xue Ruogu next to him, and immediately took Lu Chen's arm without any explanation, and said leisurely: "If others can't bear it, you can certainly bear it. Today's literary meeting is quite lively, in the capital Talents gather together, maybe some unknown talents will emerge from the 'Mo Criticism' later."

Lu Chen pulled out his arm without leaving a trace, bowed his head slightly and said: "Your Highness, I am a rough man in the army, and I really don't know how to write. If it hadn't been for Your Highness's kind invitation, I would definitely not have set foot on such an occasion, so as not to make my generosity laugh."

The second prince didn't care about his actions of keeping a distance and said with a smile: "Don't worry, am I that kind of confused person? I guarantee that no stupid person with no eyesight will show up today and force you to write Lao Shizi's poems. You and I Like a king, wouldn’t it be a beautiful thing to sit on a high platform, drink wine and watch quietly?”

"Thank you for taking care of me, Your Highness."

Lu Chen is actually not worried about this problem.

He is not someone who seeks fame and reputation. Moreover, everyone knows that he has never even participated in the imperial examination. His ability to become the prince's guest depends entirely on his outstanding military exploits. Even if there is a man who is not afraid of death and provocative with his articles and skills, his reputation is There was no damage at all.

The two went first, followed by Xue Ruogu and other officials and literati.

The scenery of Moyuan is quiet and elegant, with complete pavilions, corridors and curved doors, and the sound of gurgling water can be heard everywhere.

The second prince was very eloquent and had a lively conversation. He explained various allusions to Lu Chen along the way. I don't know if he was just showing off, or if he wanted to show his true nature in front of the young prince.

It's a pity that Lu Chen didn't give him enough feedback. He listened quietly all the way and occasionally agreed.

Generally speaking, the atmosphere was harmonious.

After about half a stick of incense, everyone came to the lobby called "Yaxu".

The space inside the hall is quite spacious, with a high platform on the north side. The hall is already filled with more than a hundred literati.

There are banquets all over the corridor on the second floor. This place obviously belongs to those in high positions and famous literary figures.

"See Your Highness!"

The whole hall was filled with greetings.

The second prince said calmly: "Please don't be too polite. Today I will only talk about the pros and cons of the article, not the status. I would like to introduce to you, this is Lu Chen, the Marquis of Shanyang. I believe everyone is familiar with Lu Marquis' deeds. He has been in the army for more than two years, and has witnessed more than ten battles, large and small, without losing a single victory, and has made great military exploits for Da Qi. This year, my frontier army recaptured Dingzhou and invaded Heluo, all of which were contributed by the Marquis of Lu."

Countless eyes instantly focused on Lu Chen.

There are many rumors in the market that are exaggerated. Some say that Lu Chen is as tall as a mountain, some say that his eyes are like daggers and he can kill people from a distance, and some say that his rough tone can stop children from crying at night.

What appeared in their sight at this moment was a young man with a tall figure and a handsome face. He was so young that many people felt jealous.

An eagerness to try immediately appeared on the faces of some young literati.

Lu Chen looked around the scene and said calmly: "Thanks to your highness's invitation, Mr. Lu is here today to see the graceful talents of the Qi Dynasty. I hope you will not mind the arrival of a rough man like me. I am barely good at wielding swords and guns, and I am pretty good at dancing and writing. But they know nothing about it, today is a grand gathering, Lu can only greet each other with wine, I hope you all can be famous all over the world."

"Marquis Lu is too modest!"

"Thank you Marquis Lu for your kindness!"

Hearing Lu Chen's words, someone immediately shouted out with a smile, and soon received a response from the people next to him.

The second prince said with a smile: "Okay, you have more business to do, so you don't need to pay attention to us spectators. Lu Hou, please."

"Your Highness, please."

The two walked up to the second floor together and came to the round table facing the high platform. The second prince took the main seat, Lu Chen sat on his left, and the others took their seats according to the established arrangement.

In the east corner of the lobby on the first floor, a young scholar looked up at the corridor on the second floor diagonally above, and could vaguely see the second prince and Lu Chen toasting and drinking.

He quickly lowered his head, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

At the same time, Shen Ruiyuan, a great scholar of the time, stepped onto the high platform. After his eloquent lecture citing scriptures, the highlight of this year's Mo Yuan Literary Conference, Mo Ping, slowly kicked off.

(End of this chapter)