This New Year is as joyful and peaceful as ever. The drought in Chang'an and the Tibetan people raging in the border areas did not affect the mood of the people in the court, but the father and mother slightly cut down their meals for these reasons, but they still feasted the ministers and clans for days and days, and gave the people wine and meat. The style of banquets between relatives and nobles is better than in previous years, and the banquet is from the first day to the human day, the middle yuan, the obscure day, and then to the beginning of spring, and there is almost no rest. I am happy to use these things to forget the little caution about Wei Huan, whenever there is an invitation, I will definitely go to the banquet. My father and mother were not restrained because I was getting older.

In the past, I preferred to go out alone, that is, when I had to take people, I only brought a few close ones, but in recent months, I like to set up a huge pomp, when I leave the palace, not only to put on a full guard of honor, but also to call my companions together, and even their entourage is also spread out, and once I lose the pomp and circumstance protection of hundreds of people, I feel like a naked fish being presented to the slaughter on the board.

The others probably noticed my problem, and gradually even my companions were included when they placed the invitation, and of course, it was possible that they actually wanted to invite my companions, but they had to take me inside.

On the day of the beginning of spring, the will only give colorful flowers, no palace banquet, Dugu Shao made an east early, and invited us to go to the shore of Luoshui to enjoy spring. She is a noble lady of the high gate, I thought that this banquet should be full of Huatang, so I wore Chunsheng, Pei Langjue, dressed up and brought the crowd away, who knew that when I arrived at the place of meeting, I saw Dugu Shao and Dugu Min two people picked up, Dugu Shao wore a pointed top and took off, wearing a colorful narrow sleeve short placket beard, surrounded by a gold belt, a jade belt hook, a short sword with a gold sheath, and a colorful rope knot pony whip, under which was a pure black horse. This horse has long legs and a dark body, only a lock of snow-white hair on the tip of the eyebrows, the left front hoof, and the right hind hoof. Dugu Min and Dugu Shao's dress is no different, only the clothes are red gold, she is riding a red horse, holding her cheek with one hand, and looking at Luo Shui in a daze.

When Dugu Shao saw me, he smiled and said, "I didn't expect Erniang to be so punctual, I thought I would have to wait a little longer." ”

I wondered: "I didn't come out until a while after noon, and it's at least not the beginning of the day, how can I still be punctual?"

Dugu Shao came over, looked behind me, and said with a smile: "Erniang doesn't know, it's the busy season now, many people have rushed to go to that end, so busy that they can't even see the figure, in the afternoon of the appointment, I can arrive at the beginning of Shen, thank God, which Cheng wants to be an hour early, why isn't it punctual!"

I listened to her tone, and unconsciously looked back, but saw that it was Cui Mingde who was half a horse behind the horse on the right.

Cui Mingde was still telling me the allusions to Luoshui, everyone talked and laughed all the way, but in the blink of an eye, they closed their mouths again, and only looked up to find swallows everywhere.

Dugu Shao didn't say anything, he led us down the Luoshui River freely, and after about half a mile, he saw a shed barrier, waiting for dozens of servants outside, and when we dismounted, they led the horses away, and there were maids in high clothes waiting at the entrance of the barrier, holding the golden and red flowers that were cut very delicately in their hands, and when we passed, they put hairpins on our heads one by one, and waited for us to enter the table, and served the plates and offered fresh fruits.

There are more than the feast and drink, all kinds of delicacies I am really tired of seeing, this is not very careful, who knows that Dugu Shao's banquet is different from other places, there are only four kinds of fruits, but all are strange: a plate of cherries has twenty-five, the top is the largest one, the lower layer is three, then the next is five, and then the bottom and increase, a total of five layers, to the bottom nine, this is not counted, all the cherries are evenly cut into six petals, each open, the middle of a fruit core trembling and towering, like a flower; a plate of crisp green peaches, soaked with honey water, frozen, into a fruit like a rock sugar gourd, each crystal clear, is also like cherries like twenty-five small green peaches piled into a platePut a coconut in a plate, cut off a small half of the shell, embed a glass bowl in it, the coconut juice is placed in the bowl, the coconut milk and the glass reflect each other in the sun, shining; a plate of plums, look ordinary, I think the side is so rare, this plate is afraid that there is also some mechanism, pick up a flower and look at it, there is nothing peculiar, put it in the mouth and bite, only to know that the kernel in the plum is all gone, this plum must have been opened, then pick up another and look at it carefully, find two very small knife marks, peel off the plum to see, but see the small place inside, but carved horses, carefully counted, there are as many as eight horses。

Several companions saw that I showed surprise, and they also peeled off the plums, and then their faces changed, and even Cui Shunde showed the plums in his hand to her sister, and whispered something in her ear.

Cui Mingde picked up a plum and put it to his mouth, only bit it lightly, then frowned, threw the plum on the plate, and said: "No matter how good the carving is, it is also a sour plum, and it can't be eaten." ”

Dugu Shao said with a smile: "It's sour, so it's good for this spring drink." As he spoke, he clapped his hands, and a pair of maids in top hats came rushing in, each holding a bottle of wine and a glow-in-the-dark glass.

The wine was still in the bottle, and when it was poured out, it was dark red in the luminous glass, and I knew that it was wine, and I hurriedly said, "I am not good at drinking, so it is better to serve me some tea soup or ice drink." ”

Dugu Shao smiled and said: "It's the spring season, why don't you drink?" came to me, and even my companions and nurses laughed and said: "It's okay to drink a few cups in spring." "I plan to use a trick to confuse, take the cup in the hand, but it is inconvenient to drink, who knows that Dugu Shao and other wine is poured, holding the cup in one hand, then I wish the spring, I have to take a shallow sip, fortunately the taste of this wine is not very strong, and the entrance is very sweet, a little taste is not hindered.

They are all teenage daughters, drinking this sweet fruit wine, they all like it very much, Du Cui Mingde took a plum, threw it in the cup, and looked at it, the plum was soaked in it, like a jewel, and it looked very pleasing. Cui Mingde held the wine glass and took a sip by himself, I was curious, and I also threw a plum in it, and tasted it a little, but I felt that it was sweet and slightly sour, but it was better than just now, so I smiled at Cui Mingde and said, "I have never seen this way of drinking, did you come up with it?"

Cui Mingde lowered his head and took a sip lightly, "This is not my method." I waited for her to say who it was, but she raised the cup in front of her eyes, and with the thumb of her right hand, she slowly turned the cup back and forth, as if she had been immersed in the beauty of the luminous cup, and did not say anything more.