On June 6, the Tianzhu Festival, according to legend, on this day, the daughter of the Jade Emperor went down to the mortal world to play, turned into a dusty water hibiscus on the shore of the lake, just a scholar passed by, pity her lonely photo, and went to the lake every morning and evening to visit her, and painted poems for her.

This fairy fell in love for a long time, turned back into a beautiful woman, and then met this scholar, a year later, the two of them became husband and wife, loved each other, but the good times did not last long, the Jade Emperor noticed the whereabouts of his daughter, and sent the heavenly soldiers to arrest the lower realm.

The fairy refused to leave her husband and return to Heaven, so she defied the rules of Heaven. The Jade Emperor was furious, and in front of the scholars, he turned his daughter into a real water hibiscus and punished her for a hundred years before she could return to her human form.

One day in the sky, ten years on the earth, but mortals are old and sick and die, but a hundred years, how can a scholar live to that time, the Jade Emperor thought that this mortal would not wait long, facing a lotus flower that could not speak, sooner or later he would change his mind, just take this opportunity to let his daughter die to that scholar.

One day the Jade Emperor remembered his daughter, so he walked around, and in a big house, he saw a fairy who was still a lotus, and an old man with white hair sitting by the lotus pond.

The Jade Emperor recognized this old man at a glance as the scholar back then, and in surprise, he appeared and asked him - after so many years, are you still waiting for her?" At this point, Xia Jiangmin's eyes reddened slightly, he sniffed and asked Yu Shudao:

"Guess what the old man answered?"

Yu Shu listened fascinated, and shook his head slightly, the first half of this story is vulgar, but the back is a little touching.

Xia Jiangmin's eyes flowed, and his expression said with a hint of yearning: "He said." He married his wife back then, and made a vow that he would never leave her in this life, so as long as he lived for a day, he would not leave her. The Jade Emperor was moved, so he withdrew the punishment of his daughter, changed the lotus flower back into a human form, and the scholar kept it for fifty years, and finally saw his beloved wife again. Satisfied, he closed his eyes by the lotus pond and passed away. ”

After that, tears fell from her eyes, although Yu Shu was not as emotional as her, but she was not indifferent. patted the back of her hand and said softly:

"This scholar and the fairy are both infatuated people, although one person and one flower, but they still spent fifty years together, didn't they?"

Hearing this, Xia Jiangmin nodded slowly, "That's right, this scholar is a true gentleman, and the fairy is also infatuated and unrepentant." The Jade Emperor was moved by their persistence, so he asked Yue Lao to draw a red line for those crazy men and women in the world on June 6 every year, that is, the day when the scholar and the fairy meet. It's the Heavenly Blessing Festival. ”

Yu Shu today is the first time I heard that there is such a special day as the Tianzhu Festival, it sounds a little similar to the origin of Qixi Festival, the difference is that Qixi Festival is Daughter's Day. The woman begs skillfully, worships the weaver girl, and hopes that there will be a wishful husband in the future. The Heavenly Blessing Festival exists entirely to bless the marriage between men and women.

"Then what is the Furong gentleman's banquet you are talking about?"

Xia Jiangmin rubbed the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, and said that women are the most fickle, and she was still crying just now, so there was a smile on her face, and she even talked to Yu Shu a little excitedly:

"This has a lot of origins, it can be traced back to the time when our Da'an was just founded, Anling was first built, the court was full of power, the military generals and the Yi Shi faction that had just risen, these families and capable people were not harmonious with each other, so Empress Ning Zhen came up with a way to hold a hibiscus gentleman's banquet on the day of the Tianzhu Festival every year, and invited unmarried young men and women in the capital to the banquet to show their talents."

"The Furong Gentleman's Banquet is presided over by Empress Ning Zhen herself, and anyone who is talented and amazing, regardless of gender, can get a water hibiscus made of golden jade, and those who get the golden jade hibiscus——"

Xia Jiangmin suddenly lowered his voice, shook Yu Shu's hand vigorously, and said excitedly:

"You can express your love to your favorite men and women on the spot, and if the two are happy, you will have a blessing as a matchmaker and achieve a good relationship."

Yu Shu was surprised when he heard this, and secretly thought about it, so he had to praise the three-hundred-year-old Empress Ning Zhen for being a master of playing with power. After the expulsion of the Jin people, the establishment of a new dynasty, the court civil and military Yi three discord, then the state affairs are uncertain, the most effective way is to make them intermarry with each other, so there is a Furong gentleman's banquet.

However, today, the Hibiscus Gentleman's Banquet has lost its original role, and what can make people rush to it is probably the golden jade hibiscus.

"Then what if there is wishful thinking on the part of one party," Yu Shu asked, "For example, if a man gets a golden jade hibiscus and expresses his love to a woman, won't the woman's reputation be affected after refusing?" ”

Xia Jiangmin smiled and said, "I think so too, but Miss Xie told me that it is also a kind of glory to be selected by the person who won the golden jade hibiscus at the Furong Gentleman's Banquet, but if you refuse it unfavorably, it is too late for others to envy it." ”

As she spoke, she shook Yu Shu's arm and winked at her:

"I don't have a chance to go to this kind of banquet, Ah Shu, you are a big girl, and now you have a good reputation, this year's Furong Gentlemen's Banquet will inevitably send you an invitation, you must go to participate in it then, and when you come back, you must tell me about it."

"If I get an invitation, I'll go." Yu Shu is actually not interested in this kind of ancient official blind date activity, but if she has the opportunity to meet the current queen, it doesn't hurt for her to join in the fun.

Xia Jiangmin looked her up and down again, and couldn't help but remind: "You'd better prepare your clothes and jewelry early, there are still some days, don't go sloppy on that day, make people laugh at you." ”

"I know it." Yu Shu perfunctory her, stood up and said, "It's not early, I should leave, and I'll come to see you tomorrow." ”

Xia Jiangmin sneered: "But what you said, don't have no news for ten days and half a month, I'll send you." ”

Yu Shu was sent out of the backyard by Xia Jiangmin, and followed the maid out of the front door, and waited until he sat in the carriage and went home, only then did he suddenly realize one thing, and his face was not so calm-

Furong Gentleman's Banquet, will Xue Rui go?

***

In the second half of May, there was a star class by Sima Kui, Yu Shu went to see Xia Jiangmin yesterday, and he was a little concerned about the Furong gentleman's banquet, so as soon as he saw Xin Liu today, he opened his mouth to ask:

"Have you received an invitation to the Furong Gentleman's Banquet?"

Xin Liu hadn't seen her for a few days, and was about to show her the white crystal stone on her wrist, when Leng Buding was asked by her, so he asked in a daze:

"Not yet, why have you already received it?"

Yu Shu shook his head, "I just heard about this yesterday. ”

"By the way, you're not from Anling, no wonder you don't know," Xin Liu patted his head, as if he had just realized this.

The students all came early, standing near the stargazing platform in twos and threes, Sima Kui had not yet arrived, and Yu Shu and Xin Liu were standing under a ginkgo tree and talking.

For the Furong Gentleman's Banquet, Xin Liuzhi was more detailed than Xia Jiangmin, and the whole lecture also gave Yu Shu a further understanding of this kind of banquet that has been passed down for more than two hundred years.

It turns out that the Furong gentleman's banquet is not necessarily presided over by the current queen's mother, last year the queen was ill, so she entrusted the banquet to Concubine Lu Xian to preside, and this year, I don't know which nobleman in the palace came forward.

As for the young men and women who were invited to the banquet, they can be divided into four kinds of people, one is the children of the family, the second is the meritorious nobles, the third is the famous official family, and then there is Yu Shu, a new stream of talents who have taken off their white bodies by virtue of Dayan or scientific research.

Speaking of this, Xin Liu suddenly remembered a few gossips he had heard the day before yesterday, and he changed his words and frowned:

"I was about to ask you, what the hell is going on with that Zhan Xueyuan, why did I hear that you slapped her in the library, and I also heard that during your trip to worship your ancestors, she falsely accused you of stealing her baby Tianyu in Huazhen Garden, so she owes you ten slaps, and in the past two days, there have been rumors everywhere in the Taishi Library-is these things true?"

Yu Shu raised his eyebrows, and said in his heart Situ Qinglan's words were fast enough, "There is such a thing, Cui Yun, do you recognize it, it was she who stole Zhan Xueyuan's Tianyu, and then these two people wronged me, and almost made a fuss in Huazhen Garden." ”

She probably told Xin Liuyi about the events of that evening, and Xin Liuyi was angry when she listened:

"Who are these people, it's shameless, you should really slap them a few times, and see if they dare to slander people in the future."

Then he rejoiced: "Fortunately, it's okay, this matter has been clarified, otherwise you will be charged with stealing, and it will be passed out, and the shame will be small, and then people will think that you have a bad character, and if you don't say anything far, just say that this Furong gentleman's banquet, you can't go." ”

Hearing this, Yu Shu seemed to have some thoughts flashing in his mind, and he was so fast that he couldn't catch it.

"Academician Sima is here, let's go over." Xin Liu glanced at the students gathered in the south and pulled her.

Yu Shu's train of thought was interrupted, and he didn't have time to think about it for a while, so he and Xin Liu greeted Academician Sima

Half an hour later, at the end of a class, Sima Kui finally informed all the students present of one thing:

"After midnight tonight, measuring the stars at the stargazing platform, the old man has miscellaneous matters, so he entrusted Academician Jing to speak on his behalf, don't be naughty, come over on time, stay in the library at night, and wait for tomorrow to go back."

There was a whisper below, most people were excited, and a small number of people were depressed, including Yu Shu and Xin Liu.

The reasons for their depression are different.

"Lianfang, I don't want to go to the stargazing platform at night, do you think I should sneak home?" Xin Liu's murder of Cao Youling has always had a shadow.

Yu Shu didn't want to stay, she was suspicious of Sima Kui's sudden finding Jing Chen to talk to her, wondering if Jing Chen was looking for an opportunity to approach her.

But because of this, she delayed her homework, and she didn't want to.

"Lotus room?"

"It's okay, with me, what are you afraid of, you can't go to the stargazing platform for the rest of your life." Yu Shu patted Xin Liu's shoulder, and at the same time calmly told himself:

Sooner or later, she will figure it out, she can't hide from Jingchen all her life. (To be continued.) )

PS: (Note: Water Hibiscus = Lotus)