a)

On the third day of the third month of the twelfth year of Tianbao, the haze of the past day was swept away, and the blue sky faintly revealed a warm and gentle luster. From Chang'an City to Qujiang Pond, there are endless crowds of people for more than ten miles: men in robes and robes, women in gorgeous clothes and heavy makeup, girls with narrow sleeves and silver belts, and even Persians, Gaochang people and Kunlun slaves with strange makeup. Although it is not yet the time of the hour, the east and west cities have already been very noisy, all the way over, the wine curtain is fluttering, there are thousands of charming orchids standing at the main entrance of the wine shop, Lanling wine tulips, grape night wine is frivolous, as well as Persian Sanle pulp, dragon paste wine, are all mellow.

This is the day of Shangsi passed down from ancient times, and it is one of the three major festivals of the Tang Dynasty, from the saint to the common people, they are not happy to have their cheeks, travel in Chinese clothes, drink and feast on the side of the Qujiang Pond, hunt and buy their favorite things in the East Fang West Market, and enjoy the comfort of peace in the world.

The spring light is lazy and leans on the breeze, and the tender stamen is carefully discussed. The women who arrived early on the shore of the Qujiang pond hung up the skirt with a bamboo pole to shield the rising sun, and sat on the embankment in twos and threes, the red, purple and blue "skirts" reflected in the clear and tender green river, intertwined between the undulating palace pavilions and pavilions on the riverside, which was not a lot of fun.

"The water of the waves is clear, and it can wet me; The water of the waves is turbid, and it can wet my feet. Miss, look at this winding river, rippling blue waves, docile and peaceful, it is really not inferior to our Taihu Lake. The speaker was a maid sitting on the east bank, dressed as a maid, with a low beard, small mountain eyebrows, a white shirt and skirt, chanting poetry as if in the same shape, and her hand could not stop playing with the slowly flowing river, and her face was joyful and pleasant, delicate and lovely. Her lake-blue gown has become a "skirt", and it is also an outlier in the group of "skirts" that are mostly red and purple.

The woman who was called Miss was Shen Zhuzhu, from the point of view of this dynasty, she was slightly too slender, but her cheek lines were round and smooth, and her facial features were delicate and exquisite, she was indeed a rare beauty, especially her eyes were like water, her charm flowed, and her wisdom could be seen; Long eyebrows into the sideburns, dense and even, heroic and hidden. Since last year, she went to Beijing to visit her father Shen Yizhi, who was the secretary and supervisor, and she has been detained so far, and now the spring is in full bloom, and after the most prosperous and prosperous "March 3" in Chang'an City, it is time to make a trip and return to Wuxing. She had been stunned by Linjiang since she listened to the maid's words, nodded and smiled approvingly: "Su Porcelain, you have really benefited recently, I want to test you, do you know the meaning of this poem?" ”

This stumped Su Ci, but fortunately, she had always been intimate with Miss, stuck out her tongue, and said honestly: "Without Professor Miss, how can I know?" But yesterday I helped you clean up the bookcase, and I saw a book being opened, and there was this poem on it, and I thought it sounded good, and I read it several times before I managed to remember it. ”

This is a sentence in Qu Yuan's "The Fisherman", the meaning of the words is shallow, but the meaning is deep. The so-called subtle words are none other than him. Shen Pearl frowned, as if there was something he couldn't solve.

"Qu Yuan! I remember that Miss said to me before, "Su Ci thought about it, and said with some difficulty: "Miss said: Doctor Qu Yuan, upright and unrepentant, paranoid and affectionate, clear in controlling chaos, adept in rhetoric, but unfortunately there is no hope of serving the country, and he died from sinking in the Miluo River." Seeing that Deep Pearl nodded, he said, "What does this poem mean, you haven't said it yet, Miss!" ”

"When Qu Yuan was exiled, he was groaning bitterly by the river, miserable and haggard, and grief-stricken, when a fisherman came up and asked, 'Aren't you a doctor in Sanlu?' How did it come to be like this? Qu Yuan said, 'The whole world is turbid, I am alone, everyone is drunk, I am sober, so I was exiled'. The fisherman said that you chant this sentence, which essentially contains metaphors, using water to clear the water is a metaphor for the Ming world, and using water to wet the feet is a metaphor for the faint world, which means to persuade Dr. Qu Yuan to go with the flow and not to be too persistent, but Qu Yuan did not adopt it in the end. After thinking about it for more than a thousand years, her eyebrows were slightly sad, like a mistle.

"Oh, I said why! It turned out that Dr. Qu's story touched the heart of the young lady, and the young lady was worried about whether she should join the company, or Yinyi! Su Ci was very smart, laughed weirdly, and made a grimace at Shen Pearl by the way.

"Little girl, talk nonsense! I'm a woman, what's in the office, hidden! Shen Pearl said angrily, raising his hand to make sure that he wanted to play plain porcelain. Su Porcelain bowed her waist for a flash, stood up and attached her feet to Shen Zhuzhu's ear, and said in a whisper: "Choosing a concubine, isn't it as good as entering the imperial examination?" Shen Zhuzhu's face turned red, and he said in a low voice: "You know everything, who told you?" ”

Su Ci hesitated slightly, and then replied, "It's Madame, she's ...... Let me keep an eye on you! Shen Pearl had already expected it, and there was a slight sour feeling in her heart, and she said: "Mother is looking forward to my choice of concubine!" He turned his head and asked Su Porcelain: "What do you think?" ”

Su Ci replied with a smile: "Miss has her own ideas for everything, I don't dare to talk nonsense!" I just think that Miss is very talented, and it would be a pity not to choose a concubine. ”

While talking, I suddenly heard the sound of a clear sound of the cane opening the way, and saw a line of three colorful chariots flying by on the opposite bank in the distance, the beautiful woman in the chariot was crowned into the clouds, the jewels were embellished, and the extravagance was noisy, and behind the chariot was the waiter and servant who were full of jade delicacies, and in the blink of an eye had entered the Liuru Pavilion where the pool was newly built and the guards were numerous.

Mrs. Guo and concubine...... Female Pet ...... Unauthorized power, An Lushan...... Visitors are talking a little bit, a dragonfly skimming the water, and the river ripples slightly.

"Talent?" Shen Pearl smiled bitterly and shook his head, there are many talented women in this dynasty, from Empress Zetian, Princess Taiping, Shangguan Wan'er, to Zhongzong Wei's family, and Concubine Wu Hui, who died not long ago, there are a few who are not infamous on their backs, blood splashed in five steps, and the end is desolate, and it is finally their turn to wade into the troubled waters of the royal family.

"Miss is not happy, then don't go," Su Ci saw Shen Pearl hesitate, and squatted down to play in the water disapprovingly, laughing and explaining, "Anyway, with Miss, your appearance and conduct, it is not easy to find a good husband!" Our Wuxing's Shili family, the dignitaries and nobles in the capital, and the young masters of the capital, are ready to break through the threshold of the mansion, and the old lady picks them one by one, which is no worse than the concubine selection of the king of Guangping and the king of Jianning! ”

"You," Shen Pearl saw that Su Porcelain was still innocent, and she couldn't help but smile dumbly, recalling that she had been with her since she bought the Shen family at the age of five, and had been with her, saying that she was a maid, but she had never suffered in eating, wearing, living and being a person in the world, so she naturally thought about everything simply and straightforwardly, and thought about the recent torture of herself from the beginning, and sighed quietly: "Everything in the world, how can it be as you wish." ”

"Anyway, wherever Miss goes, I will follow the waiter, and I will rely on you for the rest of my life." Su Ci didn't think about it, and continued.

"Miss, Su Porcelain, let's go to the bridge and get a glimpse of Qujiang Pond!" Another maid Hongrui ran from the direction of Qujiang Bridge at this time, her head was wrapped in blue and blue, her feet were pedaling black leather boots, and she swept her eyebrows lightly.

"Okay, let's go! Today we're going to have a great time! Quchi Bridge is a hundred steps away, and the bridge is full of people, pointing out the beautiful scenery and looking at the pavilions. Shen Pearl was aroused, and walked briskly towards Quchi Bridge with Hongrui's hand, Su Ci was busy putting away the "skirt" and hurriedly followed.

(b)

"Dodge——, dodge-" has not yet been on the bridge, I can hear the noise behind me, only to see a horse galloping straight to come, the road on both sides of Qujiangchi is wide, pedestrians still can't avoid it, immediately people from the side shouted and dodged, while waving the horsewhip, where it reached, several people have fallen to the ground, and the order was chaotic for a while.

"It's just a joke!" Hongrui has a straightforward temperament and can't help but reprimand loudly.

"Hongrui-" Before Shen Zhuzhu's words fell, the horse had just rushed in front of the three of them, and the man on the horse seemed to have eyes behind his back, and he didn't look back, rolled up the horsewhip, and pulled it straight towards Hongrui. Hongrui is not inferior, this dynasty practiced sword dancing into the wind, the emperor's former maid Gongsun Auntie is a master of swordsmanship, Hongrui was a famous teacher when he was young, quite a bit of real kung fu, when the waist of the purple jade small sword out of the sheath, "poof" a moment, the birth of the whip cut into two.

"Huh?!" The man on the horse was visibly surprised, and jerked the reins of his horse, and the horse let out a long neigh, and turned around. Only then did Shen Pearl and the three of them see the face of the horse clearly. Wearing a navy blue tight-sleeved arrow suit, a wide belt around the waist, a long sword that looks heavy but has no ornaments, and long boots with thick black soft satin, he is spiritual, he is in his twenties, his forehead is broad, his face is angular, his eyebrows are thick, he is cold and expressionless, his black eyes swept towards Hongrui, Shen Zhuzhu, and Su Porcelain, and his eyes were as cold as a knife, Rao is Hongrui, and he couldn't help but feel a sudden sudden, but at the same time, he also recognized who the person was immediately, "An-", Hongrui's voice did not fall, Immediately, the person has reached out and reached out to fall together, the action is so neat, Shen Zhuzhu's body is light, and he has been hugged on the back of the horse, and the horse is urging the saddle hard, the horse looks up to the sky and roars, and he struggles to drive forward, and he disappears in an instant.

The horse was very strong, and he galloped for dozens of miles, far away from Qujiang Pond, to the outskirts of Chang'an City. The sunlight is like silver, and the white expanse is sprinkled on the grass with new branches emerging at the beginning, the grass is delicious, the air is sweet, and it is indescribably comfortable. Only then did Shen Pearl snatch the reins of the horse, pull the horse to stop, jump off the horse lightly and skillfully, and said loudly to the horse: "Second Brother An, you are crazy enough!" Come down and rest. ”

Immediately, the face of the person was still cold and silent, his eyes were looking into the distance, his voice was cold and hard, and he said word by word: "You are always like this, and you are ruined." ”

"What do you call this? Rampage all over the street, regardless of whether others live or die, is also called exciting? Shen Pearl first reprimanded, and then looked at him with a blank expression, as if he had lost his direction, with such a cold and handsome face, it would be heartbreaking. Her heart softened, she stepped forward and pulled him off the horse, sat side by side on the ridge, and asked, "What is the sad thing, say it!" ”

I vaguely remember that ten years ago, it was also such a bright March day, in the deep house compound of the Shen family of Wuxing Guan, she was the most precious young lady, the servant girl who served closely, and the old mother who raised her life, surrounded her in a large circle of people to watch her kick the keys.

"A shuttlecock, kick in half, play the flower drum, wrap the flower line, kick inside and outside, and the eight immortals cross the sea ......", coil, crutch, knock, jump, kick, bounce, jump, the key kicks faster and faster, kick higher and higher, "Okay, okay, Miss, here, here, catch it!" She didn't catch the key, and it fell into his hand. She looked at this foreign-dressed young man with some surprise, so thin, and his arrogant face looked at her coldly, without a trace of a smile. She had seen many young men of his age, sons and sons of rich families, those of gold and jade, or ruined in them; I have also seen the poor tenant's boy, working thin and happy, but I have never seen him like this, as if the world had enmity against him.

The servant of the Shen Mansion who followed behind stepped forward with a smile on his face and reported: "Miss, this is a relative of the second lady's family, and I have come to live here temporarily." ”

So they met like this - An Qingxu, An Lushan's second son, she called Second Brother An, he was only one year older than her. An Lushan was just a small deputy general in Fan Yang at that time, and his wife Lu was angry, and took his youngest son Qingxu to travel thousands of miles back to Wu Xing's mother's house, where did he think that he had been away from home for many years, his parents had died, and he was homeless, poor and sick, so he had to inquire and find Shen Mansion, and found Shen Mansion's second wife, her distant cousin.

Under such a host's fence, although the host is hospitable and will not care about the food, clothing, housing and transportation of one or two people, the white eyes and snubbing of the servants are indispensable. Who would have expected that in the past ten years, there have been several new personnel, and now not only the second lady has become the eldest lady, but An Lushan is also the envoy of the three towns of Fanyang, Hedong and Pinglu, holding heavy troops, and everyone talks about it.

Only Shen Pearl has a special concern for these two mothers and sons. At first, An Qingxu was unmoved, refused all the kindness of Shen Pearl's friendship, and coldly sealed a wall for himself and the outside world, until soon after, Lu's illness and fever, and Shen Pearl, who was less than seven years old, personally wrung a towel and waited all night, and then became friends with An Qingxu. From then on, he slipped out of the mansion to play, caused trouble everywhere, and had a loyal companion, until a year later, Lu died of illness in Shen Mansion, and An Lushan sent someone to pick up An Qingxu.

(c)

"Lin Zhi her, she actually wants to participate in the selection of concubines, she wants to marry King Jianning." After being silent for a long time, An Qingxu slowly spit out a sentence. The "Lin Zhi" in his mouth, whose full name is Murong Lin Zhi, is the daughter of Murong Chun, a scholar of the current dynasty, and the younger sister of An Qingxu.

Shen Pearl was stunned for a moment, and replied casually: "Then go, you are a senior brother, can you manage so much?" ”

"No, I don't want her to go!" An Qingxu's muscles trembled, as if he was torn in pain, and the horse's reins twitched a big tree beside him, leaving a scratch, and Shen Pearl immediately understood his intentions.

"Second Brother An, I want to persuade you to let go, since Miss Murong has decided to choose a concubine, there can be no change now; Even if you don't decide to choose a concubine, with Scholar Murong being incompatible with your father, do you think Scholar Murong might marry his daughter to you? ”

"As long as Lin Zhi is willing, I can take her out of here and live our own lives." An Qingxu pursed his lips tightly and said fiercely.

"Would she like to?" Shen Pearl asked, picked up a handful of small stones casually, and threw them into the distance one by one.

An Qingxu shook her head: "She said that she likes King Jianning, and when she was in the dragon boat race last year, she liked him the first time I saw him." Turning his head and asking Shen Zhuzhu: "Pearl, I don't understand, I have known Lin Zhi for so many years, she can be indifferent to me, but a new acquaintance can like it so easily." ”

"I don't understand." He repeated, still staring blankly into the distance.

Shen Pearl didn't know why, there was a wisp of bitterness in her heart, and she asked playfully: "Actually, I don't understand why you are so affectionate to Miss Murong." ”

"That's because—" A light smile flashed on An Qingxu's face, and he turned the conversation: "It's a secret." He asked Shen Pearl again: "I heard that you will go back to Wuxing tomorrow." ”

Shen Pearl was noncommittal, and listened to An Qingxu say: "Then I'm sorry I can't send you tomorrow." I decided to go back to Fanyang tonight. ”

"What are you going back to Fanyang for?"

"I beg my father to ask Lord Murong for marriage, and I will marry Lin Zhi one step earlier than the royal family. The only thing I asked my father to do, he had to do it anyway! ”

Shen Pearl gasped, indeed, how difficult it was to persuade An Qingxu to let go, and how against his temperament. I just ask him not to make any big things that turn the world upside down.

She unfolded her palm, a ray of warm light shone brightly under the sunlight, it was actually a pearl, picked up the pearl with her right hand, and showed it to An Qingxu: "You won't forget, when you gave me this pearl, you said that I can use this pearl to ask you to do any three things!" ”

An Qingxu took the pearl, the treasure is bright, Hepu returns the pearl, the best pearl in the world, many years ago in the cold night, the mother swallowed the last breath, still holding this pearl in her arms, and now the residual temperature seems to be in her hand. His face was solemn, and he looked up at Shen Pearl worriedly, afraid that she would stop his trip to Fan Yang, but he said simply and neatly: "A gentleman's words, the horse is difficult to chase, you say!" ”

"Good!" Shen Pearl took the pearl with his hand and said, "Now I want you to do the first thing for me: play with me for a day!" ”

He was relieved and replied cheerfully: "Okay! How you want to play, I'm with you! ”

Shen Pearl recognized the horse, looked into the distance, and said loudly: "I just need to be like Fang Cai, free and free, galloping on the horse, just do it!" ”

The sky is getting darker, and the wind whistles across the cheeks as we gallop through the wilderness; Life, is it like this, galloping, galloping?

The deep and cold courtyard, the front of the stairs is not cleaned, and the moss marks are green. Under the dim light and candle, the green light scroll, the lady's words were so clear and clear: "Are you really willing to flow into the ordinary people's house? Think about it yourself, you should be the person who should be the queen of the concubine book. ”

Her answer was so hesitant: "Treacherous and evil are in charge, and the court is waiting to be revitalized, and Pearl is only afraid that she will not be able to do it......"

"Because of this, is it possible that you want to take your destiny into the hands of others and follow in my footsteps? As the daughter of a family, even if she marries into an ordinary official family, can she have less power struggle? I see that within three or five years, there will be a great disaster in our dynasty, and I will be under the nest...... Ahem, ahem, ahem......" There was a coughing sound in the sigh.

She choked up: "Madam, ma'am...... Can you really bear to put a pearl in that place from which there will be no return? ”

What answered her was a long silence, "I'm not begging you, let alone forcing you, just with your temperament, you want to be plain all your life and be obedient; Or do you want to fly into the wind and do your best? The future is certainly difficult and dangerous, with your intelligence, what is the way? Think about it...... the emperor ...... the crown prince, "his voice is even lower, almost inaudible," although he is suspicious, but he has always loved King Guangping...... Only you can truly support him and make him ......"

King of Quang Binh...... The Emperor's eldest grandson...... The future prince ...... Future ...... Emperor......

She hesitated for a long time.

"King Guangping, you saw it ten years ago. The person who saved your life back then should be him, not me. ”

"On the third day of the third month of March, I am here, waiting for your answer; If...... If you don't come, I'll take your consent......" Madame's voice floated through the air, mingling with the sound of horses' hooves.

When it was about to happen, Shen Pearl and An Qingxu returned to Ma Chang'an City, An Qingxu sent her to the gate of the mansion, and saw that she was still radiant, her face was flushed, her eyes were shining with crystal light, and there seemed to be tears contained in it. ”

"Yes!" She nodded briefly. Why not? From now on, there will be no such thing as today, which only belongs to one person, and is at ease; Tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, she will swim to another world, hoping to be as vast as her hometown Taihu Lake, boundless.

"But, I think you're unusually happy."

"Really?" Her smile blooms in the night. An Qingxu saw her smile, and instantly felt that thousands of fireworks suddenly bloomed in the silent night of the capital, prosperous and sudden, and he was in this fireworks, and she didn't know where to go. Shen Pearl had entered the mansion, and the vermilion lacquer door was closed with a "boom".