sjar Chapter 395 Princess
Chapter 395 Princess
The gilded ceiling of the Qionglin Banquet Hall was dyed amber by the twilight at the end of the Shen period. The emperor's crown only swayed for three cups of tea before he staggered away from the table, supported by the eunuch in charge of ceremonies.
The system said that he needed to take some supplements, as he looked like he had kidney deficiency. Lu Wensheng almost laughed out loud when he suddenly heard the system's complaints.
When Lu Wensheng leaned forward to express his gratitude, he intentionally observed the ministers around the emperor with his peripheral vision, wanting to see if there was the great scholar who would serve as the core of the formation.
But before he could think about it, he was drowned out by the congratulations of the new scholars around him. Cup after cup of overflowing fine wine was handed to him. Behind every smiling face and look, there was inquiry and planning.
In the following time, Lu Wensheng almost never let go of the wine cup.
"Top Scholar, hurry up and start eating. This roasted peacock is a specialty of the palace." An official came over holding a rhino horn cup. "His Majesty has made an exception and opened the ice cup for you. This grape wine is a tribute from the Western Regions--"
"Top Scholar, this is the newly made 'Golden Thread Jade Clothes' from the Imperial Household Department!" The Junior Secretary of the Guanglu Temple came over with an agate wine cup, the wine glowing bright red under the candlelight, "Take the silver cod from the East China Sea, cut it into thin slices, wrap it with gold foil, and serve with rose water -"
Before he could finish his words, three or four other Jinshi from the same class came up with glass cups in their hands. The wind from their sleeves made the white smoke from the Boshan inn tremble.
One moment, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice said he wanted to ask for advice on people's livelihood and raised his wine cup to toast him three times; the next moment, the Minister of Rites asked him about his marriage in a roundabout way and insisted that he taste some Western wine; even the emperor's personal eunuch came over and said he wanted to sound out the issue on behalf of a certain princess.
Every time he raised his glass, he had to glance around with the corner of his eyes, hoping to see someone familiar, but all he saw were scarlet robes and gilded accessories, even the willow branches hanging by the pool were dyed golden red.
The chilled wine slid down his throat, causing his fingertips to tremble. The purple gold jade pendant on his waist collided with the mutton-fat jade cicada, making a faint whine.
"I am not very tolerant of alcohol, I hope you will forgive me." Lu Wensheng stood up with the help of the table, the hem of his scarlet silk dress swept across the gold foil on the ground.
When the gong sounds at the beginning of the Xu hour came, Lu Wensheng finally found a chance and an excuse to leave the table. The luminous pearls embedded in the gilded bridge railings illuminated his staggering figure. Koi fish gathered into crimson clouds under his feet, competing for the cherry biro he had casually thrown to the ground.
He loosened the jade belt soaked with wine and walked along the Nine-Curve Bridge to the west bank of Taiye Lake. The light and shadow of the palace lanterns under the corridor were broken into golden scales on the water, and the noise of the banquet in the distance was gradually crushed by the night wind.
Feeling a little dizzy, he simply rested for a while by the bridge. The running water under the Nine-Curve Stone Bridge was glowing with a faint fluorescence, and the scales of the fish had a glass-like texture as they skimmed across the water. Lu Wensheng reached out to touch the stone railing, and the rough touch from his fingertips was so real that even the moss fragments embedded in the cracks in the stone were clearly visible.
Leaning against the Taihu stone and gasping for breath, Lu Wensheng rubbed his throbbing temples with his fingertips. He felt like vomiting as he decided not to drink unless necessary.
Suddenly, a breeze blew past his ears, carrying with it the cool fragrance of white plum blossoms, shattering the palace lanterns reflected on the surface of the pond into pieces of jade - the moment he raised his eyes, he saw a snow-green figure standing under a sycamore tree ten steps away.
The person was reaching out to pluck the late-blooming lily of the valley on the branch. His wide sleeves slipped down, revealing his frosty wrists. The tassels of the lily hanging from his waist brushed the stone railings lightly. What was pinned in his hair was not pearls or jade, but a half-opened white hibiscus. The dew on the petals was rolling down the veins of the leaves, dripping into the pond, causing tiny ripples.
The moonlight flowed through her long hair like crow feathers, and condensed into a cold light on the pearl earrings.
As if hearing a noise, the other person tilted his head slightly. The lines from the bridge of his nose to his jaw were as neat as a fine brush painting, but the corners of his eyes were stained with gold powder that had not been wiped off, like the stars peeling off from the mural of a goddess.
Lu Wensheng's throat tightened and sweat oozed out of his palms uncontrollably - his facial features were clearly extremely gorgeous, but they were suppressed by the cold aura that filled his body like a shattered moon in a cold pond.
When the man turned around, the shawl embroidered with silver-thread Epiphyllum swept across the bluestone bricks, and he actually heard a thunder-like roar exploding in his chest.
Because of the backlight, the face was not clear. Lu Wensheng only had time to catch a glimpse of the faint light flashing from the headdress at the other person's temples. The other person had already turned and walked to the other side of the Nine-Curve Bridge. When the sleeves brushed against the stone lantern, the warm yellow halo cut into pieces on the lake. Even the coldness between the sleeves carried a sense of loneliness that did not belong to this flashy city.
The throbbing in his chest came without warning. He subconsciously pressed his chest, his Adam's apple rolling as he swallowed down the inexplicable heat. Even his fingertips trembled slightly due to the sudden panic.
The moment they looked at each other, the gold powder at the corners of that person's eyes was like sparks, flickering repeatedly in his mind, and even the alcohol residue on his fingertips turned into an inexplicable burning sensation.
"Lu Wensheng, where are your future?" He pinched his palm hard, but the pain could not extinguish the ripples that had just surged in his heart.
The carved stone railings felt cold against his fingertips, and the palace lanterns reflected in the Taiye Lake flickered, just like his confused thoughts at the moment.
Thinking back to how he remained calm and handled toasts from everyone at the banquet, looking like a smart guy, but now he was thrown into a panic by a single encounter, Lu Wensheng madly despised himself for being obsessed with looks.
"You can't take your eyes off when you see something beautiful. Your concentration is not as good as Tang He's when he saw the osmanthus cake."
But the system played a song in his mind very appropriately: [It’s heart-throb, the bad look can’t be avoided~]
"Turn off the song." Lu Wensheng's eyelids twitched along with the music.
In fact, the system, which has a wide-angle view and can see everything clearly, remains silent and just keeps fanning the flames.
[It's terrible, you've fallen in love, tsk tsk tsk, if Liu Jiqian knew about this, he would cry. ]
"I just felt a sudden shock from seeing a good-looking person. I just admired them!"
Having said that, Lu Wensheng thought of Liu Jiqian, and guilt flooded his heart like a tide - he shouldn't have been so infatuated with her.
"Lu Wensheng, what are you doing?" He cursed himself again in his heart, "You are a scumbag who is only attracted by beauty!"
Just as Lu Wensheng was daydreaming about this, he heard the sound of footsteps coming from the other end of the Nine-Turn Bridge.
When I looked up, I saw Chen Bangyan, a newly-appointed Jinshi who was sitting at the same table, walking towards me with the help of a stone lamppost, and the aroma of roasted venison wafted over to me. "Why are you hiding here, No. 1 scholar? Can't you bear to be disturbed?"
Lu Wensheng quickly straightened his clothes, but the redness on the tips of his ears could not be hidden in the night: "Brother Chen, please don't make fun of me. I just enjoy the cool breeze by the pond."
Chen Bangyan suddenly lowered his voice and leaned close to his ear: "I just saw Princess Wangshu go to the west bank?"
Lu Wensheng was surprised: "Princess?" And she was called Princess Wangshu. Isn't Wangshu the moon? Lu Wensheng thought of Liu Jiqian, but felt it was unlikely - she was called a princess, so how could it be Liu Jiqian?
"Isn't it?" Chen Bangyan burped and stared at the palace lanterns reflected on the lake. "I heard that Princess Wangshu is very cold and rarely shows up. It's rare that she is willing to come to the Qionglin Banquet to pick flowers..."