admiration

The next day, the carriage in the palace stopped in front of Linzhang Academy early, waiting to pick up the three talented students from Yijia to enter the palace.

The Luming Banquet originated in the Tang Dynasty. It was named after the poem "Luming" in "The Book of Songs Xiaoya" was sung at the banquet. Daiguo ordered it to be abandoned because of red tape. Later, Daiguo declined and wars continued. After being annexed by the Min Dynasty, the Min Dynasty resumed the Luming Banquet because of the urgent need for talents to support it, so as to encourage the people to make scientific research.

This is the first time for the three of them to show their faces in front of the dignitaries in Beijing, no matter what the purpose is, it is enough for them to stand upright and not dare to relax.

Jiang Wan got up early in the morning, and knocked on Xiao Zhijin's door after tidying up. She thought that this person should sleep in again, but before she raised her hand, the tightly closed door opened automatically. Why do you get up so early?"

Xiao Zhijin said, "I can't sleep."

He said he couldn't sleep, but he was in surprisingly good spirits, and even his clothes looked better than usual.Jiang Wan looked at him thoughtfully, and followed him downstairs.

Xiao Zhijin is not only in good spirits, but also in a better mood. There was news from the palace last night that the second prince will attend the Luming Banquet, and Emperor Hongzhi specially ordered someone to arrange Mo Yichi's seat next to him. I want the two of you to have a good conversation.

Qin Huilan got up earlier than the two of them, and was chatting with people from the palace. When he saw someone coming downstairs, he went up to say hello. The haze of the previous two days did not appear on his face, and his enthusiasm seemed to be really good. .

Qin Huilan didn't want to show that the three of them were at odds in front of the palace people, and took the initiative to show their friendship. Xiao Zhijin and Jiang Wan were also willing to accompany him to cover up, they all smiled, and went out together with the palace people.

The Luming Banquet is held in the apricot garden near the imperial palace, which is specially built for literati, so it is different from the carved beams and painted buildings in the palace, and the ornately decorated palace. Carved on it are the stories of students studying in the past and present, showing the elegant style.

Half an hour later, the three of them arrived at Xingyuan.

Jiang Wan, as an envoy to visit flowers, needs to present famous flowers when the number one scholar visits the garden. The Minister of Rites has asked people to wait at the door, and when he sees Jiang Wan, he will take him away, and he wants to tell her the regulations for presenting flowers.

When Qin Huilan saw this, his expression was a little ugly, but it was only for a moment. After all, so many officials were present, and if he was not careful, his reputation would be ruined. Although he was not angry, he would not make fun of his future.

Xiao Zhijin and Qin Huilan entered the apricot garden together, surrounded by rockery, pavilions, terraces and pavilions lived in different places, birds singing and flowers fragrant, and the sound of curtain officials reciting poems and prose can be faintly heard in the distance.

And in the place where the banquet was held in the garden, the inner and outer curtain officials were gathering together to talk and laugh, some spoke out in words, some wrote in writing, and the sound of reading was so lively. When they were intoxicated by it, Emperor Hongzhi came.

Eunuch Li behind Emperor Hongzhi shouted loudly: "The emperor is here!"

The curtain officials hurried forward to greet the saint.

Emperor Hongzhi waved his big hand and said with a smile: "Everyone is in peace!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Everyone stood up and looked at Emperor Hongzhi. Now the hot-handed eldest prince was standing on his left, with a gloomy expression and no joy.What is even more surprising is the person standing on the right hand of Emperor Hongzhi, the Second Prince Mo Yanchi.He looked down at his feet with a calm expression. After hearing what Emperor Hongzhi said, his eyes lit up and he nodded with a smile.

Everyone was surprised and stared at the man in a daze.

Before everyone could react, a burst of noise attracted everyone's attention.

I saw Xiao Zhijin wearing a red dress embroidered with egrets and a black gauze hat inlaid with jade, riding a horse from a distance, with a splendid demeanor and a heroic bearing.The court ladies present almost stared straight at them, the curtain officials had seen Xiao Zhijin once or twice before, but the man was dressed in shabby clothes, now that he dressed up, he looked handsome and talented.

Emperor Hongzhi nodded in satisfaction, and turned sideways to explain that Mo Yanchi wanted to establish a good relationship with Xiao Zhijin.His voice was not high, but Zhu Qiming, who had sharp ears and eyes, heard every word. He was still annoyed at Mo Yichi's participation in the Luming Banquet, his face darkened a little, and he gave Mo Yichi a few vicious glances.

Xiao Zhijin had already rode his horse around the apricot orchard, and many people came to see the appearance of the newly promoted No. [-] Scholar, not to mention his talent, this handsome face alone was enough to make them full of praise .

During the period, Jiang Zhiwan, the flower explorer, personally folded the famous flower and presented it to the champion, as a congratulation.

Emperor Hongzhi watched from a distance, and always felt that Tanhua envoy looked very familiar, but he couldn't remember who he looked like.

When they returned to the garden, the three of them walked side by side, kneeling down to worship Emperor Hongzhi.

Looking at Xiao Zhijin who had a smile in his eyes, Mo Yanchi couldn't help clenching his fists, feeling inexplicably complicated.

Emperor Hongzhi happily asked people to stand up, and the palace servants led everyone to the table.The curtain officials took their seats one by one, nodded to their colleagues, and after a brief greeting, they stopped and looked at Emperor Hongzhi.

Emperor Hongzhi laughed and said, "You don't have to be restrained, you can do whatever you want."

Having said that, the person sitting on the top is the emperor, majestic and majestic, without anger and prestige, and there are some civil servants with no real power. They only write poems and paintings on weekdays, and promote Chinese studies. How can they have the opportunity to face the saints? Well, the Luming Banquet once every three years is a sight to see, so naturally I dare not pretend.

There are two major features of the Luming Banquet, one is to present flowers when visiting flowers, and the other is to offer wine by the number one scholar.

Seeing that the scene was quite indifferent, Xiao Zhijuan, the number one scholar, got hints from the Ministry of Rituals, so he raised his wine glass, walked to the front, and saluted Emperor Hongzhi, saying: "Xiao Zhijuan, a grass-roots man, is honored to enter the palace due to the grace of God. Today, I offer this wine to His Majesty as a token of my heart."

The palace servants around Emperor Hongzhi wanted to go up to pick up the wine, but they were stopped. Emperor Hongzhi said, "I heard that you and the second prince were classmates when you were young?"

When everyone heard the words, they all looked at Emperor Hongzhi in a daze. What he did now was tantamount to tying Xiao Zhijin and Mo Yichi together. One move is really unpredictable.

But Mo Yanchi didn't raise his head, and looked down at the delicacies in front of him, as if he had nothing to do with himself.

Zhu Qiming quickly realized that the way he looked at Xiao Zhijin changed immediately. He was appreciative at first, but now he was murderous.

"Yes." When everyone was staring at Xiao Zhijin nervously, he answered calmly, without any concealment, and nodded calmly, "Cao Min received a lot of 'care' from the second prince when he was a child, and he is still grateful mind."

Mo Yanchi took a sip of green plum wine guiltily, saying it was caring, but in fact it was more bullying.

It stands to reason that the new top scorer has a bright future, and unlike the second prince, Mo Yichi, if Xiao Zhijin wants to have a smooth career, he should take this opportunity to put the relationship between the two of them aside. After all, no one will be bored To find out whether what he said is true or not, not to mention in this muddy water, the important thing is the position.

Civil servants don't participate in party struggles, but they have been in the officialdom for a long time, so they naturally understand this truth well. Seeing that Xiao Zhijin doesn't shy away from the second prince, they all sigh with regret.

Emperor Hongzhi looked at Xiao Zhijin meaningfully, and said with a random smile: "In that case, then you can dedicate this glass of wine to the Second Prince."

As soon as these words came out, there was a commotion downstairs.Since the first imperial examination in the Kaiyuan period of the Min Dynasty, there have been countless champions offering wine to the emperor. This is not surprising, but this time the glass of wine failed to fall into the hands of Emperor Hongzhi, but was dedicated to everyone. The second prince who is not optimistic.

The surname of Tian's family is Zhu, and Mo Yanchi joined the palace for three years. Emperor Hongzhi never allowed him to change his surname, and he never even allowed him to go to court for a single day. Everyone was skeptical about his bloodline. Now Emperor Hongzhi's words and deeds seem to be planning to appoint Mo Yanchi.

"Yes." Xiao Zhijin walked towards Mo Yanchi without any scruples, holding a wine glass.

Everyone watched him walk over step by step with complicated eyes.

Zhu Qiming sneered from the bottom of his heart, now that the glass of wine is down, it seems that Emperor Hongzhi agreed to the two to be friends and intends to reuse Mo Yanchi, but in fact he is ruining Xiao Zhijin's official career.

Most of the people in the court are the eldest prince, if they want to make a career, they have to rely on him, if they make friends with the second prince, he will find a reason to deal with them in a short time.Emperor Hongzhi was able to protect him without hesitation, so could it be possible that he could still protect this little number one scholar.

Mo Yanchi thought the same way, he frowned and took the wine handed over by Xiao Zhijin, drank it down without saying a word, then sat down in a muffled voice, not talking to him too much.

Xiao Zhijin didn't care about it, bowed to leave, and returned to his case.

The toast of the number one scholar ended in a weird atmosphere.

The number one scholar, who was originally amazing to everyone, rarely came to talk to him after the toast, and he didn't care. so it is.

Seeing this, Zhu Qiming had another plan.

Xiao Zhijin was always looking for Huatou to chat, but Mo Yanchi ignored him, acting like a condescending prince, Xiao Zhijin was not discouraged, and continued to harass Mo Yanchi.

Mo Yanchi was annoyed by the annoyance, and asked, "Did you take the wrong medicine for the past three years?"

Three years ago, Xiao Zhijin was dull and boring. Mo Yanchi would often tease him for a long time without any response. Now this person is glib and glib, completely different from his former appearance, self-assertive and arrogant. up.

Xiao Zhijin pondered for a moment, and said, "Perhaps it is true that he took the wrong medicine."

But not in these three years, but earlier.

Xiao Zhijin didn't say the last sentence, he looked at Mo Yanchi fixedly, pursed his lips and said nothing.

Mo Yanchi felt terrified from being stared at, so he changed the subject and asked, "Last time I forgot to ask, where did Du Ming come from?"

The desks of the two were deliberately arranged very close to each other, and there was also some distance from Zhu Qiming. Mo Yichi asked Xiao Zhijin in a low voice, even people with internal strength could hardly hear a thing or two in this noisy environment.

"Du Mingyuan is not mine, I was just entrusted by someone to come to Beijing to investigate some matters, and I just borrowed from that person for a few years." Xiao Zhijin also said in a low voice.

Mo Yanchi raised his eyebrows, "Since there is General Wei Ling, why didn't that man investigate himself?"

"It's...it's inconvenient for him to show his face in Beijing. And I also have selfish intentions." Xiao Zhiju said.

Mo Yanchi only thought that the "selfishness" he mentioned meant winning a place in the capital, so he didn't ask any more questions and changed the topic.