All your life is gentle

On August [-]th, I actually saw the sun at noon, which is a rare sunny day.

The servants were all on vacation, packed up their clothes, went out early, and took a good seat by the Biluo Lake to watch the lights at night.Although Zigui was very interested, seeing that his eldest brother and Zizhou didn't mention it, he planned to stay at home with him.Towards dusk, the porter suddenly reported that Mr. Wang, Mr. Mi and Mr. Yuan had come.

Zigui asked, "Do you want to go back to them?"

Zi Shi said to Yin Fu: "Please wait in the hall, three gentlemen." Turning to his sister, "Go and get Zi Zhou out, I think he is almost bored like a kimchi jar. Let's clean up and go shopping and watch the lantern festival."

Jinxia custom likes to watch lanterns, and the Lantern Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival are the most prosperous.Among all large-scale entertainment projects, Zhao Ju especially loves the lantern show.Because it is lively enough, gorgeous enough, and has a lot of room for creativity, and the fiery trees and silver flowers compete with each other, making it feel like a fairyland on earth like a dream.After entering Shu, limited by the actual conditions, in the first few years, they only played in the palace. In the past two years, they began to guide the trend of the people, and slowly reproduced the grand occasion of the old Lantern Festival in Xijing.

What is good at the top will be effective at the bottom.What's more, Xijing is originally a rich and prosperous place, and there are many rich gentry and rich people, skilled craftsmen.On the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, from "Enzefang" to "Zhulan Street", merchants along the way received lamp oil money from Jingzhao Yamen, and if they did well, they would be rewarded.If the empress and other members of the royal family stop for a while when they pass by a certain house, or if one of them or even Long Live himself boasted such a sentence, the accompanying servants will immediately take the special gold and silver in the palace. Sub-side to the head of household.It's a good mood to catch up with the emperor, and maybe you can see the beauty of the sky - that's the glory of generations of children and grandchildren!

As a result, every household has racked their brains and would rather give away money and goods, or order or make their own, and hang all kinds of exquisite lanterns in front of the door.

On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, there are only square, long, round, flat, spherical, rhombus, octagonal, five-star, bird, animal, flower, melon and fruit, paper-stacked, and yarn-shaped ones. Paste, carved, embroidered, moving, squawking, feather-glued, silk-laced, inlaid with shells, inlaid with glass...all kinds of fancy changes that ordinary people can imagine.Even on the street vendors' stalls, there are all kinds of small lanterns.The entire long street is tens of miles, decorated with gold and colorful, and the jade is flowing.The bright moon and lanterns complement each other, tourists wear brocades and women's heads are full of jewels and emeralds, which is a peaceful and peaceful scene.

To say that it is the most beautiful, it is the terrace Dengshan built beside the "Biluo Lake" at the north end of "Zhulan Street".Zishi brothers and sisters followed Wang Zonghan and others, and saw a platform stretching from the east side of the street to the lake from a distance, and it was raised above the lake.In the middle of the platform, bamboo and wood are the bones, colored silk is the network, and hundreds of large-scale lanterns are connected, stacked on top of each other, several feet high.A group of dancers and kabukis are performing on the stage around the Lantern Mountain.The precious light circulates, the colorful waves shake, the fairy posture is graceful, and the fairy music is fluttering.What's more, there are nearly a thousand red lotus lanterns floating on the surface of the nearby lake. The name of the water is Biluo, and the lights are like stars.

"...The performances at the moment are all going through the motions. The main character will not appear on the stage until the Yujia arrives. I heard that there are not only actors from the palace, but also "Liufangxuan" and "Zhongmeige" A lady from a famous hall..." Yuan Jilin was talking about gossip about the Lantern Festival, seeing Zigui who was following behind his eldest brother was smiling, and spoke more vigorously.

"Have you seen the biggest dragon-headed and phoenix-winged boat in the lake? Just watch the lanterns in front of the terrace, and the boat will come. The emperor and all the ladies moved into the boat and returned to the palace from "Yuliangou" Compared with the land, watching the lights on the water is different. Our boat is also moored at the pier at the moment. After another hour, we will not be able to get close to the pier. We can only follow the imperial boat from afar on the lake. .—Everyone, please get on board.”

It turned out that the dignitaries in the court and the rich in the city had been granted special permission in advance to enjoy lanterns on the water with the royal boat.Having said that, the ones who are really qualified to serve as imperial servants are only a few prominent families.Among the few young people, Yuanfu was the most powerful and prepared a boat at the pier, while the others were all rich.In addition to Wang and Mi, the three brothers and sisters of the Li family, there are also some colleagues and friends who get close on weekdays.The guards patrolling the wharf inspected the fish amulet dental plaques that marked the grades of the first few people, and then took a closer look at the appearance of the fellow travelers before letting them pass.

In order for the Lantern Festival to go smoothly, 10,000+ security personnel including the four departments of the Imperial Guard, the Inner Court Guard, the Lifang Division, and the Jingzhaodu Guard Division all went into battle.Among them, the imperial guards and the capital guards have the largest number of people, and are mainly responsible for public security along the way.The inner court guards and Li Fangsi are responsible for protecting the personal safety of the emperor's empress and all the dignitaries.In particular, the Lifang Division has organized grassroots forces to investigate all the residents of the merchants in the places Yujia has passed since a few months ago.On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, in addition to sending experts to personally protect the emperor and the uncle of the country, countless hidden stakes were set up, even the bottom of the bridge on the lake was not spared.

Zi Shi and others got on the boat, visited and introduced the ceremony, and there was a lot of excitement.Several cousins ​​from the Yuan family, plus Wang Zonghan's younger sister, Zigui quickly got along with his female companions and went to the back cabin to talk about himself.Here in the front cabin, a group of young people were drinking and chatting, equally enthusiastic and harmonious.The family members of the elders of the Yuan Mansion are all on the second floor, and their juniors laugh and laugh at the bottom.

Boating on the lake is like traveling in the sea of ​​stars.Let's talk about it, and before you know it, the time has passed.Suddenly, I heard the sound of drum music, and I saw red lights and feather fans meandering in the brilliant Milky Way.

Yu Jia was about to reach the terrace, and there were guards lined up on both sides of the road to separate tourists.In front of the imperial court, the imperial court hurriedly used its hand to clear the way in front of the beaded lanterns. A hundred maids at the front and rear each held red gauze and pasted golden candle cages to guide the driver.There are also two hundred inner court guards holding glazed jade pillars and palm fans to accompany the driver, and eight hundred inner court guards guarding on both sides with red clothes and white horses.The end is majestic, majestic and beautiful.

As soon as the emperor's chariot appeared, tens of thousands of heads crowded Zhulan Street, and the people bowed down on the spot, shouting long live.When the imperial chariot stopped in front of the terrace and rolled up the bead curtain, the crowd became even more violent.The first two times when the emperor went out of the palace to enjoy the lanterns, he went back to the palace on a boat without stopping.This time, Long Live Lord actually stopped and opened the curtain to watch the performance on the stage, and the common people were naturally excited.Even though it was impossible to see the emperor's appearance, everyone couldn't help stretching their necks and pushing forward.

Seeing this, the commander of the Lifang Division, Ning Kuang, immediately called the commander of the Duwei Division who was following the convoy, and ordered him to immediately erect another human wall behind the Imperial Guards along the way.

Half an hour passed, and Zhao Ju hadn't seen enough. The leaders in charge of the security work had already begged in front of An Chen, the chief servant, several times.Director An thought about it for a while, and went forward and said: "Your Majesty, the dragon boat has already been prepared, and the view across the water is better. In addition, Mr. Fu has already arranged for the two oirans who appeared on the stage..."

After a while, the bells and drums were melodious, and the red lights were held high, announcing that the emperor would move the dragon boat.There were eight other large ships with other people waiting to accompany them.The boats of the families of officials and rich men were about ten feet apart, and they followed slowly behind.Except for Li Fangsi's patrolling boats, all the other boats on the lake have their own ingenuity, colorful decorations and lanterns.The moonlight and lights are rippling in the water, and the fleet seems to be carrying a dream of the Milky Way.At this time, watching the water from the shore is even more magical and gorgeous, and all the viewers are fascinated.

Suddenly, there was a commotion and screams, and the railing on the second floor of a restaurant on the shore of the lake suddenly snapped off at its roots, and people lying on top of it and watching the dragon boat go away fell into the water one after another.I only heard the sound of "plop plop" repeatedly, and dozens of them fell in the blink of an eye.Originally, there were soldiers from the Duwei Division in these places to maintain order, and the secret stakes of the Lifang Division were caught among the tourists to pay attention to the movement.But the beauty of the fairyland in front of them is so beautiful that no one can bear to look at it.It was just a moment of stupefaction, and the audience moved forward in unison, and the wooden railing finally couldn't bear it and broke instantly.

As soon as the accident happened, all security personnel immediately entered a state of first-level combat readiness to prevent people from taking advantage of the chaos and causing trouble.The soldiers on the shore drew their swords to scare the people; eight large boats protected the dragon boats; dozens of patrol boats spread out in a fan shape, and the guards of Lifang Division on the boat raised their bows and arrows——

For a while, no one came to rescue the drowning person.

The Yuan family's boat sailed astern, closer to the place where the accident happened.There was a noise, and everyone got up to look around.Just as Zi Shi walked to the window, he caught a glimpse of a green shadow flashing in front of him.

"It's Zigui! Hurry up and help, don't tell the emperor's guards to accidentally injure her!" Zi Zhou pushed hard.

The girls were in the back cabin, closer together.Hearing the yelling, Zigui turned his head and saw the people in the restaurant falling into the water like glutinous rice balls.I felt that it was beyond my reach, and it should be faster for people nearby to rescue me, so I stood still first.After a while, it was found that no one did anything, and the person who fell into the water was left to fend for himself.Those who can swim are climbing to the shore; those who can't swim are about to sink after seeing a few thumps.Immediately lifted the skirt and pinned it to the waist, stretched out his hand and tore off the long silk decorated on the cabin roof, and jumped out of the flower window amidst the screams of the female companions.The silk ribbon in his hand came out of the hole like a spirit snake, wrapped around the cabin pillar of the ship in front, stomped his feet and jumped, rose and fell suddenly, and reached the top of the ship in an instant.

With a few "swish", the nearby patrol boats began to shoot arrows.The colorful silk danced in Zigui's hands, and the arrows rolled down.Just as he was about to speak, he heard Zi Zhou roaring from behind: "Si Wenlang and Li Zizhou are here to save people, who dares to shoot arrows!" Immediately afterwards, the man followed, took off the fish charm around his waist, and threw it into the nearest patrol ship. On the boat: "Human life is at stake, how can we stand by and watch? Hurry up and row the boat over!" He stared and shouted at the leading guard on the boat, and couldn't help but answer "Yes".

The brother and sister jumped on board the cruiser.Zigui took a look with his eyes, and it might be too late to swipe across, so he glanced around and got an idea.Turning around, he took out a soldier's saber, and handed it to Zizhou: "I'll build you a bridge, and you go and cut down the railing on that big ship."——It turned out that there was another luxury ship at the end of the entire fleet, which was more expensive than ordinary boats. There was an extra circle of carved railings, and it happened to be driving over at this moment——and turned to the patrolman: "Give me the bow and arrow."

"Ah?" Before the patrolman could react, the bow had already been handed over.Zigui tied the two silk ribbons into one, tied one end to the arrow cluster, bent the bow and set the arrow, and let go of his arms. The feather arrows were wrapped with colored silk, like a Hongqiao flying frame, firmly nailed to the beam of the big ship.

Zizhou understood and swung across with the power of the ribbon.No matter how stunned the people on the boat were, they raised their knives and chopped off the railings, throwing them one by one to the younger sister.

Zigui told the rowing soldiers to speed up, and quickly threw the wood in their hands towards the person who fell into the water.Often just when the head emerges from the water, it is brought to the front, and at the same time, it is said crisply: "Catch it!" These railings are made of high-quality balsa wood, which has excellent buoyancy. As long as you hold on to it, you don't have to worry about sinking.She has quick eyesight and quick hands, and almost nothing misses.After a short period of time, almost all the dozen or so who can't swim have confidence.Everyone on the nearby boat and on the shore held their breath to see how the brother and sister could save people.

A child jumped up and down, unable to catch the floating railing, stared at his head and disappeared.Zigui threw a few logs on the surface of the water, built a pontoon bridge for himself from near to far, jumped over like a dragonfly on water, and jumped into the lake to pick him up.Swimmed back to the boat and patted it to squeeze out the accumulated water in the abdomen, "Cough!... Cough!..." The child started coughing and woke up.

The people on the shore applauded wildly, and the cheers were louder and louder.Even the soldiers who were nervously paying attention to the movement around them couldn't help smiling.

At this moment, the commander of the Duwei Division and the inspector of the Lifang Division who was in charge of the safety of the lake had already rushed over.Seeing that there was nothing abnormal, it was purely a safety accident, so he instructed several nearby patrol boats to rescue the person who fell into the water and send him back to the shore.Zigui was drenched all over, and he didn't want to stay longer, so it happened that Yuan's boat came to pick up the two brothers and sisters, greeted the eldest brother, jumped into the back cabin, and went to borrow clothes from his girlfriend.

Zi Zhou chopped off the entire carved railing on his boat, and turned around and shouted: "Sorry for disturbing everyone. Please come to Li's house at No. [-], West [-]th Road, Enrongfang, to collect the compensation money tomorrow."

Turning around to leave, a young man in luxurious clothes came out of the cabin: "Si Wenlang wait a minute."

Zi Zhou was startled when he saw the person coming.The person who came out to speak was Ning Shuyuan's grandson, the uncle of the country, Ning Tian, ​​the third young master of the Ning Mansion, the youngest son of Ning Yu, the commander of Li Fangsi.This person has reached the age of the crown, has no fame, and spends his days in the Imperial College.I've met him a few times on social occasions, and he's a Playboy, someone I keep a respectful distance from.

Zi Zhou cupped his hands in salute: "So it's Master Ning. How dare you ask about this boat..."

"That's right. It's our house's ship."

The other party was too powerful, Zi Zhou didn't want to get entangled, and became more respectful and humble: "I was in a hurry to save people, and I had to damage the treasure ship of your house. Tomorrow, I made a decision to come to the door with money to make amends..."

The other party said: "Si Wenlang is too polite. I didn't expect Si Wenlang to be so versatile in civil and military affairs, and he also has a benevolent heart and a compassionate heart—" The conversation changed, "I don't know who is the chivalrous woman who saved people with Si Wenlang? Who?"

"That's Sister Sister."

Ning Tian was overjoyed and blurted out: "I don't want you to pay money either, just marry my sister to me!"

Zizhou was furious.

The Third Young Master Ning had just said a few human words, but in a blink of an eye the dog couldn't spit out ivory.Smiling back in anger, he pulled out a silver glow with a single knife in his hand, swished a few times, moved the knife like the wind, and cut half of the railing into a pile of snowflakes.Seeing that the other party's face was as scared as the sawdust under his feet, he said coldly: "Master Ning, did you see that? Sister Sister's knife is much faster than mine, so Master Ning should think about it! Besides, these railings on your boat, how can you use them?" It’s just Baisewood in the southwest, and only 1000 taels of silver came to the end. A mere thousand taels of silver will be hired, so what’s the face of the Hou Mansion when it’s spread out? Shemei’s talent is outstanding, and her marriage is independent. I’m an older brother. The young master is really interested, why not think about how to win the heart of a beautiful woman!"

Back on the Yuan's boat, everyone applauded and welcomed him with the ceremony of welcoming a hero.Seeing that his younger brother looked a little off, Zi Shi asked, "What's wrong?"

"That's Ning's boat."

Everyone was stunned.

"Did they say anything?"

"I said to pay money, but third young master Ning came out and said—" snorted, "I want the son to marry him."

After hearing this, all the handsome young men present couldn't help saying "Hey".Two blunt openings are enough: "As long as he--"

Zi Shi stopped the conversation: "Everyone, it's better to go in and talk."

Wang Zonghan nodded aside: "Go in. Let's talk later."

Enter the cabin, close the window sash, put down the curtain, add wine and light, and sit down again.Zi Shi asked his younger brother, "How did you respond?"

Zizhou explained his words and actions, and the audience was completely stunned.

After a while, Yuan Jilin said, "Zi Zhou, are you serious, really... scaring Third Young Master Ning with a knife? This..."

No matter how young and vigorous these people are, they will complain bravely behind their backs. Who dares to really disobey in person?Playing and playing on weekdays, each other wins and loses, they all tacitly pick up soft persimmons and carefully bypass this iron plate.Today, Li Zizhou actually took the initiative to show his knives to others, in case he annoyed the other party... A few more mature ones couldn't help but look worried, thinking about whether to keep a distance from the Li brothers and sisters from now on.

Wang Zonghan sighed: "If Third Young Master Ning wants to say this to me, I'm afraid I'll have to nod on the spot, turn around and send my sister to the door. Even if I have the guts to refuse, my father won't be able to throw me down when I get home? "——To be able to marry Uncle Guo Zhendinghou's Mansion is an opportunity that many people can't earn without sharpening their heads.

Zi Shi suddenly asked, "Zi Zhou, are you talking to Third Young Master Ning, is there anyone else around?"

"No. The people of Ning Mansion are all in the cabin, and some boatmen asked him to send them aside."

Zi Shi nodded and spread his hands: "I have already frightened, and I can't take it back. I have to wait and see. Fortunately, I only hurt my inner face, not my face. I hope he won't become angry... What you said is actually true." Not bad, even intimidation and aggressiveness, there is room for it. Discuss with Zigui later, and see what she says." Smiling, "Oh, this girl. Tonight, I'm a little too ostentatious." I thought, Fortunately, the emperor's dragon boat was far ahead. It would be really troublesome if the curious and lustful Long Live Lord saw it.

Everyone heard that he was obviously sighing, but his expression and tone were full of pride; his expression was at ease, as if he didn't pay attention to the mere Third Young Master Ning at all.They couldn't help but relax, chattering about the wonderful scene of the twins saving lives, and scrambling to ask Zi Zhou how he met a stranger in the world to teach him his unique skills.

Zi Zhou looked up at his elder brother.

Zi Shi said: "It's not a secret, everyone is interested in the heroes of the green forest, so you can pick a few deeds of the "Heroes with Red Eyebrows" and talk about them."

Boss Zi Zhou rolled his eyes over him.He knew that when he and Zi Gui rescued people, the eldest brother was talking nonsense with these people.Moaning from the bottom of my heart: God, the red-browed hero...

Zi Shi looked at them with a smile, stretched out his hand to grab a piece of snack and put it in his mouth.When I got it in front of me, I realized it was a piece of peanut cake.As if looking at some rare treasure, after looking at it for a while, I finally took a bite.

On the boat of the Ning Mansion, Ning Sanshao stood there for a while, thinking back to that pretty figure before, coming and going on the water, as beautiful and light as a Lingbo fairy, and his heart was rippling for a while.However, the most fascinating moment was the moment when he shot the arrow—at that time, he happened to be standing by the window of the boat, and he could see his eyebrows clearly.She restrained her face and stared, bent her bow and set her arrows, and the feathered arrows flew over with colored silk, as if holding neon lights in her hands... That kind of bright, fresh, firm and soft beauty, I have seen countless beauties and powders, but I saw it for the first time.

Looking down at the pile of sawdust on the deck, he became annoyed: Li Zizhou is so daring, how dare he threaten me!And I don't feel depressed: seeing her archery saving skills, I'm afraid she is really better than his brother.This is so difficult, Zensheng can think of a way...

After entering the cabin, Zhang Tinglan, the son of Secretary Deputy Cheng who always went in and out with him to eat, drink and have fun, smiled and said: "How is it, did you ask?"

"It's Li Zizhou's younger sister."

"That's right!" Zhang Tinglan patted the table lightly, "I heard from the fellows in the Imperial Academy that the three brothers and sisters of the Li family, one brother and one younger sister, are all good-looking, but it's a pity that a number one scholar was put in the middle for stuffing."

Looking at Young Master Ning's distraught look, he said with a smile: "Who's son under the moon, looking back in the Milky Way?"The startled Hongcai took a picture, and the colorful phoenix danced lightly again. "Ji Fan, he is a frightening Hongzhaoying, with a colorful phoenix flying around. Unless you also have wings, how can you chase after him?"

Stirred by Zhang Tinglan, Ning Tian became ruthless: "When is there a woman in this city of Xijing who I, Ning Sanshao, can't catch up with?" Zi Pei from "Liufangxuan" has two eyes on the top of her head, and the money is smashed down You know the one in my room. At the beginning, she was crying and looking for death, but when her parents heard that she could enter the door of Ningfu, she was tied up and carried in a sedan chair. Isn’t it better now? Today This——I would rather be willing to marry the media, even the princess. She is only the younger sister of a third-rank idle official, how can you not be happy?"

Zhang Tinglan was surprised: "Hey! You are not serious, are you? People throw wood like chopsticks. Such a tigress, no matter how beautiful she is, she just wants to play with her. Do you really want to marry her back to restrain herself? I think you are a sex fan Mind..."

Ning Tian was about to answer when the wet nurse came out from the back cabin: "Madam is calling the young master."

Zhang Tinglan is a regular customer, so there is no need to greet her, Ning Tian went to the inner cabin to meet her mother.Mrs. Ning said: "Tian'er, just now I saw two children saving lives from behind the curtain. It's amazing. They said that you went out to talk to someone, do you know whose family it is?"

"The one who boarded our boat was Li Zizhou, the number one scholar in the autumn test last year, who is now serving as Si Wenlang in the Secretary's Department. That girl is his sister."

"The young man is the No. [-] scholar who is famous in Xijing after sixteen years of enrolment? Such a good talent. Her sister is as good as her, and she is really a heroine. ——I remember that this No. [-] man is not from the capital, right?" Ning Madam is still used to call Jiyang the capital.

"This kid didn't pay attention, so I went back and asked about it."

Mrs. Ning thought for a while: "Ting Lan is at the front, right? He has a lot of friends, so he must know."

Ning Tian was a little surprised.But it is of course a good thing that the person I like can be appreciated by my mother.I went out and asked Zhang Tinglan carefully, and replied to my mother: "The three brothers and sisters of the Li family escaped from Tongcheng, Yuezhou. Li Zizhou has an elder brother at the top and a twin sister at the bottom. That is to say, he looks far worse than his sister. I heard from people who have been to Li's mansion that among the three brothers and sisters, he is the worst at showing off..."

Mrs. Ning's mind was rumbling, she didn't hear the fragments behind her son at all, her mind was full of "Tongcheng" and "Twins"...

Ning Tian hurt Li Zizhou a lot, and remembered that he still had to be a bridge and matchmaker, so he said to his mother: "Mother thinks he is good, I will invite him to visit later."

When Madam Ning heard this sentence, she calmed down, "That's a good thing. This number one scholar is both civil and military, and has a benevolent heart. You should associate with such a child more often."

When the son withdrew, leaving only the wet nurse by her side, Mrs. Ning's voice trembled: "Xiao Tao, did you see it too? That girl..."

"Yes, that girl...is very similar to Miss San back then."

"Did you hear that too? They... are from Tongcheng... twin brothers and sisters..."

"Yes, madam. They are from Tongcheng, twin brothers and sisters."

Mrs. Ning grabbed the hand of the servant girl who had been with her for 30 years: "At first glance, I thought... it was the third sister who came back from the dead...God has eyes..."