God was very kind to the Empress Dowager today. It was a sunny and windless weather. Under the warm early winter sunshine, Li Gui lazily walked into Dongcheng Yanle Alley and met with several officials from the Ministry of Etiquette who had made appointments.
Two ninth-rank officials from the Jiaofang Division also came forward to agree. What were their official names? Li Gui didn't know and didn't care.
Judges, please don’t get carried away. These adults really went to the Jiaofang Division to guide the work. At least they were carefully appreciating the program in the morning. This is necessary. Without this reason, they would not dare to come openly to seek huā.
I asked Liu, but he still felt a little guilty, and by coincidence, both of them were not wearing official uniforms.
According to the plan..., we will watch the new program in the morning, and then have a banquet at noon, and we must invite some people to accompany us. Of course, after eating and drinking, and having enough wine, it will be time for me. It is cold in the early winter in Beijing, and many nightlife activities are carried out in advance.
,you know.
The Ministry of Rites is a Qingshui yamen, and its small treasury does not have many sources of income. It only relies on the sales of ultimatums by the monks and Taoists and the performing arts by the Jiaofangsi. In addition to undertaking the music and dance tasks in official ceremonies, the Jiaofangsi can also take on si jobs.
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When the dignitaries in the capital hold ceremonial events, they must ask the director to perform for the entertainment. Of course, the performance fee cannot be less and is collected directly by the Ministry of Etiquette.
Therefore, the music and dance department of the Jiaofangsi is the biggest source of the treasury of the Ministry of Rites, and the quality cannot be ignored. Besides, in addition to undertaking rituals and music, the Jiaofangsi theoretically also has the errand of performing arts and entertainment in the palace. It is normal for the adults to check the quality.
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These officials from the Ministry of Rites had heard that Mr. Li had vision and experience in this field, and that he was from Suzhou, a prosperous and fashionable city in this dynasty. He was also worth making friends with, so they invited Mr. Li through Zhu Bulang to inspect him together.
Zhu Bulang himself did not come. He went to the palace as a relative of the emperor to congratulate the Queen Mother on her birthday.
The Queen Mother celebrates her birthday today, and the top elegant music troupe went to the palace to support her. The rest are the so-called secular music troupes, which are more suitable for everyone's appetite.
The Jiaofang Secretary arranged a warm room for several adults, and everyone sat in a circle, leaving open space. After that, female prostitutes took turns entering the room to perform, and male prostitutes were not included in today's review.
After watching a few songs and dances symbolically, everyone became dishonest. While drinking some wine, they flirted with the prostitute who entered the house to perform, euphemistically calling it a debauchery. Anyone who caught his eye could of course stay by his side and continue discussing with her.
Art.
Li Gui had been nervous for several days and needed to relax. At this time, he felt more relaxed than others.
A beautiful and fair-skinned female musician finished her music and did not go out. Instead, she took the initiative to come to Li Gui. She bowed Yingying and said, "I would like to serve Master Li today."
Among the female prostitutes in Jiaofangsi, some are prostitutes and some are unwilling. This female musician wears makeup and looks like a good family, not like someone who is willing to sell herself. If she respects herself, Li Gui will not force her without taste or quality.
Immediately, he asked curiously: "Do you recognize me?" Mr. Li's name is as loud as thunder, how can he not recognize me when we meet him?"
Li Gui sighed with emotion to everyone: "Recently, I have realized a truth. Whenever a woman offers herself as a pillow, no matter what the reason, there must be another man among them."
Everyone laughed together, and someone asked: "What happened to Master Li that made him realize the truth? Do you dare to elaborate so that we can clear up the doubts?"
Someone else joked: "Dare you ask me, little lady, if Mr. Li's words are accurate? Who is your best friend?"
The female musician pursed her lips, her face turned red, she clenched her clothes tightly, and lowered her head in embarrassment, not knowing what to do.
At this time, someone outside the door poked his head in. When he saw Li Gui inside, he came in and called, "Li Zhongshu is here, please tell me to look for it. The Queen Mother summons you to come to the palace to see him quickly!"
Everyone looked and saw that he was an eunuch in the palace. They all couldn't help but be moved when they heard him deliver the order. The Empress Dowager had spoken in advance, and the ministers did not need to congratulate him since they were given leave today, but they came to summon Li Gui specially. This kind of kindness was simply too impressive.
People are envious.
When Li Gui, who was enjoying himself happily, suddenly heard this sentence, he felt as if a bucket of water had been poured on his head.
What a disappointment! He was very worried. It was rare for him to go out to relax and have fun, and something unexpected happened. But when the Queen Mother and the Queen Mother summoned him, he still had to go, and he didn't even dare to show his dissatisfaction.
Everyone at the table laughed and said, "Congratulations, Mr. Li, there is no need to rush here. It's still a long day today.
I will keep feasting here until Mr. Li returns home after seeing the Queen Mother, and then come back to have fun together in the afternoon."
Li Guigong bowed his hands and said goodbye. When he went outside, he asked the eunuch who had delivered the order: "I will go back to my apartment first and change into my official uniform?"
The eunuch raised his head, looked at the sky, and urged: "It's not long since I left the palace to look for you. Let's go like this. Don't ask the Holy Mother to wait for too long. Don't worry, sir, I will tell you the difference."
"Why did the Queen Mother summon me?" Li Gui asked again.
The eunuch who passed the order said as he walked: "For the thousand years since Gui De has passed, we have chosen thirty people to write congratulatory poems in Wuyin. The Queen Mother is very pleased. She heard that the well is from a fellow villager, so she will summon you."
It turns out that the 1,680 poems "made" by Li Gui with the money can be subdivided into thirty (paragraphs). They are the birthday poems written by Fulin, the pure and false emperor in the previous life, to "my Xiaozhuang".
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It is said that historians said that Fulin had a filial piety and wrote it himself, but Li estimated that it was a group of Han poets who ghostwritten the poem. The reason is that there was also a pseudo-emperor Fulin in this time and space, but these poems did not appear. It is probably because the country's lack of luck did not attract those literati.
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It doesn’t matter what the level of these one thousand, sixty-eight crosses is, but it is long, numerous, and very flattering, which is enough. What’s more, the power of the Empress Dowager Cisheng is similar to that of “I Xiaozhuang”. The meaning in the word is transferred and used again.
Couldn't be more appropriate.
The eldest princess of Guide had an exquisite mind. After receiving the poems plagiarized and revised by Li Gui, she selected them in the palace. Thirty palace maids with clear teeth, each with eight sentences, learned to recite in Suzhou dialect. Fortunately, Wu dialect was close to the rhyme of the Tang Dynasty, so she used
Reading poetry is quite pleasant.
This morning, Cisheng Palace celebrated birthdays. Gui De Qianse ordered these thirty palace ladies to dress in Su-style clothes, go to the palace neatly with gold and stone music, and take turns reciting birthday celebration poems in Suzhou dialect.
The mother tongue is pleasant to the ear, and some of the poems include: "The women of Yao and Shun meet again today, and the flowers and blessings should only be sung by You Zhai."
Long live the visit to many countries.", "The Merciful Saint is in harmony with the sky, and the Yao water flies from the west of the sea.", "The Holy Mother sings with nine joyful voices, and the joyful things come to the Xichao for thousands of years." These words of praise are all written by the Cisheng Empress Dowager.
The merits and deeds.
It really pleased the Holy Heart. When I heard that it was made by Li Gui, a talented fellow from the same country, I summoned him to reward him.
The eunuch who delivered the order was exhausted. He first went to Li Gui's house but could not find anyone. He only heard from the Li family that he had gone to Jiaofangsi. So the eunuch who delivered the order went to Dongcheng again. There were many alleys in the three alleys of Bensi, Yanyue and Goulan.
It took a lot of effort to find Mr. Li.
After knowing the cause and effect, Li Gu couldn't help but sigh, it is indeed the capable who can do anything. His Highness Chitose has always given him the impression of being majestic and decisive in killing." But when it comes to taking pictures of Ma Cilai, he is also a good hand. Compared to him, Jian Gu
Not to mention more concessions.
Traveling in a hurry all the way, I finally arrived at Cisheng Palace before noon. The eunuch who delivered the order came in to reply, and Li Gui waited outside the palace. He looked around and found that there were some eunuchs in full court uniforms of Fengguanxiapei left outside the palace, as well as
Their personal servants are also waiting to see Iroga.
It is said that the ministers of rank 4 and above in Beijing today had to rush to Cisheng Palace and enter the palace in batches to celebrate their birthdays. What Li Gui saw at this time was probably the last batch.
Li Gui's foundation was shallow and his social circle was limited. He had never seen any wealthy people. But he glanced at the crowd curiously and then lost interest. Most of these wealthy people were in their forties or fifties or above, and they were ordinary-looking.
Most of them are old and decrepit and really nothing interesting to look at.
He thought about it, wives follow their husbands in their noble status, and their ranks follow their husbands. Under normal circumstances, if a husband is in the fourth rank or above on the imperial list, he must be in his forties or fifties. After all, he is one of the few who succeeds at a young age. And when
The age of the wife will not be much different, and she will be the wife as long as she is older than her husband.
When the last batch of servants went in and came out after paying homage, Li Gui was finally summoned to enter the palace.
In the palace, the Empress Dowager sits high on the throne, but the closest ones are the Emperor and Princess Guide, their son and daughter, and then there is the eunuch Gong'e. There are dozens of people on both sides of the palace, most of whom are close relatives of nobles and nobles.
Lin's consort Zhu Fanghe was among this group of people.
Everyone looked relaxed, not serious and solemn, and some were even whispering to each other. At this moment, most of the formal ceremonies were completed, and they were just waiting for the lunch banquet, which was considered a time to relax.
Li Gui didn't dare to look any further. He stepped forward and bowed four times and bowed. At the same time, he did not forget to learn from advanced experience and praised the saint in Suzhou dialect.
Hearing that Mr. Li spoke in dialect, the eldest princess, who was standing on the right hand side of the Queen Mother, knew that he was imitating her, and secretly cursed in her heart, "What a slippery man."
The Empress Dowager Cisheng was about forty years old, with a graceful figure, a face like a full moon, and a friendly look. She took a closer look at Li Gui, who was dressed in simple clothes, but she was tall, tall, and handsome, which was very eye-catching. She smiled to the left and right and said
: "A handsome young man, worthy of someone from Suzhou."
Hearing that Li Ai spoke Wu dialect and seeing his youthful romance, the Queen Mother suddenly recalled the old things when she lived in Suzhou when she was a child. She also subconsciously asked Li Ai in Wu dialect: "I haven't returned to my hometown for many years. Are there many people in Hehuādàng?"
Others don't know what the Queen Mother is talking about, but Li Gu understands it. The custom of the Lotus Flower Festival in Suzhou Prefecture during the Imperial Dynasty was very popular. Every year on June 24th, ladies and gentlemen went out to see the Lotus Flower. It was very lively. Generally speaking, the Lotus Flower Festival was very popular.
Huādàng is located outside Fengmen in the east of the city. The Queen Mother obviously asked these questions.
Li Gui then replied: "In recent years, most people have moved to Huzhuo or Shihu in the west of the city, but there are fewer tourists outside Fengmen."
"My family has lived in the east of the city for a long time. I still remember renting a boat with my father and brother every year and going out to Fengmen to visit Hehuādàng. The festive scenery is unforgettable. It would be a pity if it declines like this."
"There are fewer people, but the scenery is more pure. The green mountains remain green and the water flows forever, which is also a beautiful thing."
Li Gui answered the question with clever words.
Hearing that his words were elegant and interesting, the Empress Dowager Cisheng continued to chat with Li Gui about gossip about her hometown.
Li Gui had just worked as a promotion officer in Suzhou Prefecture this year, had a lot of friends, knew a lot of new things, and had a pleasant appearance and a sharp tongue. When he met the Queen Mother who suddenly felt homesick, he really got the right medicine.
Most of the other people in the palace could only stare blankly, watching the Queen Mother's approachable and ordinary life with Li Youla, and could not say a word. Including the Queen Mother's two brothers, they have been in Beijing for more than 20 years. Who knows what is going on in Suzhou Mansion?
?Then Qian Huangshang can join in the fun here, but it's a pity that he has status but no rank. He can attend the family banquet but cannot enter today's formal ceremony.
Being too pushy will attract resentment. Even though the empress dowager looks like a kind-hearted aunt next door at the moment, her identity is the empress dowager Bingzheng who exercises imperial power. Jing Hechao has gone from being the de facto to the nominal supreme ruler.
I guess she also knows that she is comparing it to "my Xiaozhuang". There are countless people in the palace who want to please her. Doesn't Li Gu's situation make people jealous?
At that moment, a man of about the same age as Mr. Li, who was from an unknown family, came out and asked, "It would be too rude for Mr. Li to enter the court in rough clothes. This is disrespectful and disrespectful to the Holy Mother."
How could the charge of disrespect be tolerated? Li Gu was dissatisfied but did not dare to act recklessly, so he had no choice but to plead guilty to the Queen Mother.
Before the Queen Mother said anything, the eldest Princess Guide smiled at her mother and said: "Looking at Mr. Li's scholarly crown, he looks like a scholar. He probably went to meet friends through literature. They are talented scholars who get lost in each other as soon as they get together."
"
The Queen Mother nodded and said: "There was a report from the internal prison earlier, saying that it is not surprising that Li Gui arrived in a hurry."
It's too fake. Li Gui opened his eyes wide and glanced at Guide Qiantose. He could hardly believe that the Qiantose with a dimple-like smile in front of her was the same person he usually saw. She had never seen such a look on her face at this time.
Pass.
From this we can see that Chitose is also a person who watches what others serve, Li Gu thought to herself, but the Queen Mother is probably the only person in the world who is worthy of her words and smiles.
There were many people in the palace who were familiar with the character of the eldest princess Yan Yi. They were all slightly surprised when they heard that she was uncharacteristically excusing Li Gui. However, it was not surprising to think that Li Gui's poem had given her a face today.
The emperor, who was standing opposite Princess Guide, was still a little dissatisfied. Why did his sister never treat him leniently when she disciplined him? Who knows whether Li Gu was going to eat, drink and have fun or to study?
With this thought lingering, the emperor became angry and turned to ask the eunuch who delivered the order: "Where did you bring Mr. Li from?"
The eunuch who conveyed the order did not dare to deceive the emperor. Besides, Li Guang did not give him any benefits, so he could not hide it from his superiors. He played truthfully: "Jiaofangsi Yanyue Hutong."
From the corner of Li Gui's eye, Guide Chitose's unusually amiable face suddenly cooled down, as if it had returned to normal in an instant.
After the late night interview with the eldest princess the night before, Li estimated that he was sure that he would have a place in His Highness Chitose's heart. On the one hand, he was proud of his charm, but on the other hand, he was worried about the arrogance of the eldest princess who was too possessive and controlling.
His character brought him unexpected troubles. When Prince Consort Lin went to drink alcohol, he was beaten in the street, and he still vividly remembers it.
Unexpectedly, less than two days later, he encountered this trouble. Li Gui felt that he was like a scholar meeting a soldier, and he couldn't explain why. To others, he could plausibly say that he was invited by the Ministry of Ceremonies to review singing and dancing, but to the elders,
Is the princess’s argument effective?
Forget it, just do what you love, Li Gui sighed in his heart...!
