After crossing the Hengbo Bridge and going to the southeast, a number of Qiqiao Cai Lou will be set up in the garden in the middle of Yujin Garden.

In the morning light, Shu'e and Hua Fu saw that the shelves made of bamboo and wood have now been erected with various colored cloths. The lights on the color building are brilliant, and the lanterns of various colors are hung high, and the brocade covered by the color building is full of colorful streamers. Countless wrist-thick giant candles were lit around the color building, illuminating the day on the edge of the color building.

Even better, the weeping willow trees planted around the garden look crisp and shiny from a distance. Shu E guessed that there must be lamps and candles around the willow tree, but when she looked closely, she couldn't see it.

Shu E counted from afar, from south to north, there were a total of seven colorful buildings. The one in the center is the tallest and largest, and there are three smaller colored buildings on each side. But even smaller buildings occupy the space of several houses. Therefore, the sum of the seven colored buildings actually filled the garden in the center of Yujin Garden.

Before I got closer, I could see the smoke under the light of the lamps and candles, and I smelled a burst of fragrance early.

Shu E and the others walked over quickly, and almost all the palace maids in each room were there, and they couldn't recognize them for a while. It's just that Mu Xiaoxia's crisp laughter can be heard in front of the building, but it is quickly drowned in the laughter of everyone. Although it was a night out, the palace people were very careful to dress up.

The crowd gathered in front of the colorful buildings to point out and watch. Hua Fu asked Lilac and Zihao to extinguish the lantern, and they both followed Shu'e to the front of the building to watch. Shu E saw that the three of them were following behind her, and said with a smile: "You just have to look, you don't have to follow me." It doesn't hurt to play a little more tonight. If I am tired, I will go back by myself. ”

When Lilac heard this, she hurriedly said, "You are just sick, it's better to go back early." I'll stay here a little longer, and I'll go back and serve you to sleep." He handed the lantern in his hand to Shu E.

Shu E smiled: "Where is it so sick that nothing will happen?" Just be here. ”

Lilac said, "What about the needle and thread you want to bring?" Before the worship begins, it should be hung on the shelves of the colorful building. Shu E nodded and said, "I know the way." ”

The curtains that built the colorful buildings were all embroidered with colorful silk threads on various brocades. Whether the embroidered pattern is plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum folded branch pattern or peony, lotus, chrysanthemum and other flowers, whether it is landscape characters or dragons, phoenixes, auspicious clouds, peacocks, cranes and other birds, beasts and beasts, all wonderful to the upside down, lifelike.

Because the color building is built tall, there is more than one embroidery cloth on each building, and the large pictures are connected into a complete pattern with several embroidered cloths.

There is an incense case in the middle of each color building, and the incense case is displayed with a statue of Mahula coated with gold and silver, and there is a small tripod in front of the statue, and the incense stick is slowly burned inside. The tributes placed on the incense table are not only much more varied than those set up in the secluded fence, but also the colors and patterns are also extremely novel.

The steps set up by the color towers on both sides are not high, and the palace people have climbed the steps. On both sides of each colored building, there are empty bamboo frames without hanging colored silk, and there are palace people who tie their own needles and threads to the shelves. Then we went to see the embroidery and delicate colored silk displayed upstairs.

Only the flower building in the middle is quiet, and there is no one on it, and there are several brocade embroidered phoenix wings behind it. It is the position where the palace people will be led to the main sacrifice for a while.

Shu E took out a handkerchief from her sleeve, and was about to go upstairs to hang it, bowing her head to take a handkerchief, but she couldn't help but be stunned.

The handiwork is not fine, and the embroidery is not brilliant. It's just that the pattern is deeply imprinted in my heart. Since entering the palace and learning embroidery with Hua Fu, the most embroidered thing in these days is bamboo.

Shu E looked at the bustling crowd, only felt a sense of loneliness, and stood for a while by the farthest Cailou. In front of me are brilliant lights, bright eyes, lively crowds, but all of this is so far away from me.

After a while, a team of bright lights and candles came in the distance, and the voice of talking on the color building gradually became smaller, and the people standing on the color building were busy tying up the needle and thread in their hands and walked down. The palace people on both sides of the colorful tower in the middle fought opposite each other, waiting for the comer.

After a while, two chamberlains came over, announced "The queen has arrived", and stood on the left and right.

After a while, three pairs of maids carrying palace lamps led the queen over. The queen slowly walked to the stage in the middle, turned around, and the palace people wanted to salute the queen together.

The queen smiled, "Please get up." In previous years, the beggar meeting was originally presided over by the Queen Mother. It's just that Taifeng's health has not been good recently, and the imperial doctor told him not to be tired, so he had an early break at night. This year, I will bring everyone to worship Qiqiao. ”

Everyone replied, "Yes." ”

The queen's clothes are not very ornate, and the fabric still looks like silk. It's just that the pale red gauze shirt is lined in front of the bright yellow brocade embroidery behind him, but it complements each other.

After the queen led everyone to kneel, a eunuch and palace maid blew out the lights and candles on the top of the color building, leaving only some candlelight around the color building. Another maid of the palace presented a needle and thread.

The queen smiled: "The origin is that it is easy to thread a needle to the moon, but it is difficult to straighten the line in the wind." As he spoke, he slowly twisted a needle and continued: "This seven-hole needle originated in the Han Dynasty, and it has seven holes in one needle. If it weren't for the ingenuity and dexterity, it would not be easy to thread the needle through the moon. Tonight, the sound of the flower drum will be the trumpet, and the drum will stop, and whoever wears the needle more will win. ”

The palace maids below all applauded.

Zhan Xi followed the queen's instructions and asked the palace people to climb the Cai Lou.

For women who serve in the deep palace all year round, this annual begging festival is like a grand event. Shu E heard Hua Fu say that the women in the palace almost stayed awake that night. There are also a lot of begging names on the color building. There are needle threading, floating needle tricks, seed begging, spider web tricks and so on.

Threading needles and begging for skill, also known as gold needles for people, is the longest-standing method of begging. Its method is to thread the pinhole with silk threads under the Qixi moon, and the first to pass through is "skillful", and the backward one is "lost".

The floating needle is used to try the trick, also known as the throwing needle, the flower needle, is to hold water in the bowl, put it in the open air for a period of time on the surface of the water after the film, throw the needle or fine grass on the film, and look at the pattern of the needle shadow at the bottom of the container to test the wisdom and skill. If the shadow of the needle under the water becomes a cloud, a flower head, a bird or a beast, or a shoe and scissors, it is called a begging skill. If the shadow of the water is as thick as silk, as thin as silk, and as straight as shaft wax, it means that people are clumsy. There is also a kind of begging skill. The so-called seed is also called Wusheng, and the utensils used are called Wusheng basins. Before the Chinese Valentine's Day, the beans, wheat and other seeds are soaked in ceramic vessels, sprouts a few inches, and bundled with red orchid silk for the weaver girl to beg. The spider web begging is to take a spider, put it in a small box overnight, and see if it has a web and how many webs it has formed the next day, so as to test its ingenuity. The one with many meshes and the one with the right round is skillful. Seeing the brightly dressed palace maids Mochizuki wearing needles, and hearing the sound of flower drums and laughter, but the light of the surrounding lights and candles was very dim, Shu E felt more and more alienated and lonely, and she didn't know where she was for a while.

Suddenly, Shu E saw someone beckoning to her gently behind the Cai Lou.

Shu E couldn't see her face clearly, and in a haze, she only felt that this woman was familiar, so she walked over.