The flower boats are swaying, the crowds are buzzing, the bustling tide comes and goes, there are excitement and disappointment, it is a prosperous scene.
This was the busiest night in the imperial city. Great Xia The successive wars had put too much pressure on the people. On this night, they all chose to forget their worries for the time being and have fun.
Ning Chen led Little Mingyue into the nearest flower boat. The first thing that caught his eye were two gorgeously dressed girls and four burly men.
The screen on the ship was decorated with lights. Under the bright red lights, a couplet stood out, making people who came in scratch their heads.
"Enduring tears to find the red color, tenderness is like water!"
In just nine words, there are no traps between the lines. It is just a pair with profound meaning. It seems simple, but it is actually quite difficult.
Mingyue was so dizzy when she saw it. Although she also learned some of Central Plains's culture, most of them were the Four Books and Five Classics, the way of governing the country, and the expertise of these talented scholars and beauties, and she basically didn't learn it.
"Can you?" Mingyue asked softly.
"Yes" Ning Chen thought for a while and said. After speaking, he picked up a piece of paper on the table and wrote down the answer.
"Dancing to clear the shadow, skinny bones facing the wind"
Mingyue whispered softly, I didn't quite understand it, but it seemed to be very powerful.
The note was handed over, and soon a voice came from behind the screen, "Pass!"
The crowd suddenly erupted in surprise, and looked at the young man in front of them in a slightly different way.
The two brothel girls bowed and said respectfully, "Master, please come this way."
"Thank you." Ning Chen nodded in return and immediately pulled Little Mingyue towards another flower boat.
The flower boats in the Yin River are all connected to each other. After passing the test of the first level, you can build a bridge between the boats and board the flower boat of the second level.
The flower boat in the second level also gathered a lot of people, all coming from different flower boats. The pairs in the first level stopped a large number of people, but many people passed.
However, when Ning Chen brought Little Mingyue, he saw everyone frowning, as if they had encountered a big problem.
There are still two wonderful women and four men on the flower boat, guarding a screen, which is the title of the second level.
On the screen, five words were clearly written:
There is no spring in Wing Chun!
This is a poetry question, and it is obviously much more difficult than the previous level, causing many talented people to think hard.
Great Xia Confucianism and Daoism are flourishing, and talented people are flooding in. However, everything is too much, and after the prosperity of Confucianism and Daoism, it has shown signs of decline. Today's talented people are no longer as worthy of their reputation as they used to be. Most of them are just a false reputation left by nostalgia for the land of fireworks.
The ancient customs no longer exist, and there are fewer and fewer real talents.
The two came to the screen and stopped for a moment.
"Will it?" Mingyue raised his head and asked again.
"Yes" Ning Chen responded.
Everyone who was still thinking saw someone picking up a pen to answer, and immediately gathered around.
"Pei Hui felt the light snow, as if he cherished the bright sun;
If you don't realize that the wind and flowers are cold, it will be too late to turn over the plum trees. "
The five-character quatrains that appear on the paper do not contain a word of spring, but they describe the scenery of winter and spring in a vivid way.
"Good poetry" The people present still have some ink in their stomachs, and they can see the excellence of the poetry at a glance. The young man in front of him is a great talent.
After the answer was sent to the screen, the result came quickly. There was no nonsense, just one word, "Pass!"
Ning Chen and Little Mingyue successfully passed the test again and walked to the next flower boat under the envious eyes of everyone.
"Who is this person? Why have I never seen this person before?" someone asked curiously.
"Yeah, logically speaking, such a talented person shouldn't be unknown," replied a man in blue in his thirties.
"Unfortunately, I forgot to ask his name," the person from before said regretfully.
"Forget it, it's useless to think about this. Let's think about how to get through this level first," the man in blue responded.
At this time, many people who had passed the first level had begun to move on to the flower boats in the second level. After seeing the question, they all shook their heads.
This year's questions are more difficult than last year's.
"But!" Behind the screen, another voice of rejection sounded. In a short while, this was already the seventh one.
There are good and bad poems, and it doesn't mean you can pass them just by writing them.
"It's so difficult, who can survive?" complained a young man who had just arrived.
"Shh, keep your voice down, someone has already passed by just now," the man in blue beside the young man said.
"So fast" the young man said in surprise.
The man in blue whispered a few words in the young man's ear. Suddenly, the young man was shocked and opened his mouth.
"Why have I never heard of such a person?" the young man asked in confusion.
"I don't know, everyone is guessing who this person is now," the man in blue shook his head.
Ning Chen, who had already left, naturally had no idea what was going on behind him. At this time, he and Little Mingyue had boarded the third flower boat, staring at the title in a daze.
"Will it?" Mingyue asked subconsciously when he saw that the bad guy didn't speak.
"No" Ning Chen shook his head vigorously.
The third level question asked him to write an academic article. Wouldn't this cost him his life?
"It's for free points," Mingyue said with a surprised look on his face.
"I really don't know how to do it," Ning Chen said with embarrassment. Asking him to make a couplet and write two poems is okay, but writing an essay is really not okay.
"Then I'll do it?" Mingyue asked softly.
"Okay" Ning Chen nodded.
Mingyue stepped forward, without much thinking, and just started writing. After a while, he wrote down his neat and thorough way of studying, and Ning Chen next to him was stunned for a moment.
This child is not raised in vain!
The article was delivered to the screen, and a moment later, an old voice came out, "Nice literary talent, pass!"
"That's right, it doesn't matter whose child it is," Ning Chen said very proudly, feeling happier than having passed the test himself.
After passing the three levels, the two of them were the first to get the qualification to board the final big flower boat. Mingyue is a child and does not occupy a quota. Just follow the adults.
The two of them cooperated perfectly, and passing the three levels was as easy as drinking water. After boarding the big flower boat in a low-key manner, they quietly found a corner and sat down.
In the flower boat, the figures of the rich and powerful could be seen everywhere. They all came with invitations. Ning Chen glanced at them and basically didn't recognize them.
On the second floor of the flower boat are private rooms, with bead curtains blocking the figures behind them. Sitting in them, you can overlook the high platform downstairs where the oiran is selected.
These are real people with status and cannot show up casually. Lingyan Pavilion also fully considered this and specially arranged these boxes.
"Marquis of Knowing Fate hasn't arrived yet?" Su Feiyan asked in a private room on the second floor.
"No!" A maid replied, Marquis of Knowing Fate's box was still empty, and the person responsible for checking the invitations did not see Marquis of Knowing Fate arrive.
Su Feiyan frowned slightly, it made no sense, how could Marquis of Knowing Fate not come.
"Send someone to wait and report as soon as there is any news."
"Yes, Miss." The maid bowed and quickly retreated.
At the corner of the banquet, the woman in charge of pouring wine looked at the two people at the table strangely. There were actually people who went to the brothel to take care of their children. They said that rich people have many quirks, and this seemed to be true.
"When does it start?" Mingyue glanced at the high platform in the center of the banquet and said boredly.
"Don't be anxious, it should be soon" Ning Chen responded softly.
Before he finished speaking, a "ding" sound came from the piano. Suddenly, the entire flower boat became quiet, and the faint sound of the piano quietly penetrated into the hearts of everyone present.
Ning Chen drank wine quietly, thoughts flashing through his mind. The identity of Su Feiyan is really unpredictable. It is rare to see such a technique that can influence the minds of others just by the sound of the piano.
It seems that it is necessary to ask the seniors after returning to see if they can get some useful information.
The sound of the piano is very nice, like clear spring water. Ning Chen has two rolls of Heavenly Tome body protection. It is not affected by the sound of the piano and just enjoys the beauty of the sound.
As for Little Mingyue, with his Qi in his body, there is no need to worry.
"It sounds good." Mingyue raised his head and said softly.
"Eat first, I will take you to see her later," Ning Chen said, patting the little girl's cloth hat.
"Okay" Mingyue responded obediently and immediately continued to eat. They were in a hurry when they came out. They didn't get the invitation and didn't eat dinner. In addition, they were composing poems and articles just now, so they were really hungry now.
At this moment, on the high platform, ten women floated down along the red silk, dressed in green embroidered clothes. They had different looks, but they were all surprisingly beautiful, dancing gracefully to the music of the piano.
Everyone's eyes were immediately attracted and they watched intently.
Ning Chen and Mingyue looked up, lost interest, and continued to eat themselves.
The two of them have really seen a lot of dancing. The most indispensable thing in the palace is singing and dancing.
"This mangosteen is so hard," Mingyue said dissatisfiedly, holding a mangosteen and holding it for a long time without opening it.
"Here" Ning Chen took it, crushed it into pieces, and then fed it to the little girl's mouth piece by piece.
Mingyue was not embarrassed, took it directly, and ate happily.
"It's quite sweet," Ning Chen commented as he stuffed a piece into his mouth.
Mangosteen is not easy to preserve and spoils easily, so it can only be eaten by rich and powerful families.
On the side, the maid glanced at the two of them, her expression even weirder. The two of them had been eating from now on and were indifferent to other things, acting too weird.
Ning Chen is so thick-skinned that it's hard to measure, and doesn't care what the maid thinks. As for Mingyue, as a former emperor, she can never look at everyone except the people she cares about.
After all, it is unrealistic for an emperor to consider the thoughts of a servant.
"Marquis of Knowing Fate is here?"
Seeing that the oiran election could no longer be postponed, Su Feiyan stopped playing the piano and asked again.
"Miss Zhen, not yet," a maid said respectfully.
"No more waiting, let them start," Su Feiyan frowned and ordered.
"Yes" the maid took the order and left.
In the corner of the banquet, after hearing the sound of the piano disappear, Ning Chen raised his head, narrowed his eyes slightly, and reminded softly, "Mingyue, it's about to begin."
As soon as the words fell, a light bloomed on the high platform, and five beautiful figures slowly descended. Their red clothes were as red as blood, and they were so beautiful that people couldn't take their eyes away.
The five people arrived together, and their superior temperament and appearance immediately eclipsed the ten green embroidered figures around them.