Chapter 18 Childhood sweethearts

July 7.

The first city in the north, which is located in the floating soil of the Northern Wei Dynasty, opened the sixteen bronze gates very solemnly when the sun first shines, welcoming tens of thousands of students who are waiting outside the city in all directions.

Luoyang Shizi Banquet.

This ancient city that has been baptized for thousands of years can really be regarded as the oldest city in the Central Plains, extremely magnificent, and the innermost layer of the city is the highest level of the Northern Wei Dynasty where those big men conferred the title. The dragon of the imperial palace is in the center, and the four kings and thirty-two candidates are lined up in turn, rugged and gorgeous.

Ninety percent of the entire Luoyang area is shrouded in the prosperity of the world, Luoyang on July 7 opened the city gate, the imperial capital is important, and there is no access control.

The man who stood at the highest point of the Northern Wei Dynasty was not worried about his own safety, jokingly saying that if Luoyang wanted to compete with Qi Liang's Jiangnan Dao, which won the spirit of heaven and earth, if he was reluctant to open the city gate, then the so-called Luoyang Scholar Banquet of the Northern Wei Dynasty, even if he selected a great talent with amazing literary talents, he might not even be able to occupy a place in the Chinese Central Plains Commentary.

I have to say that in the sixteen years of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the momentum of selecting talents has become more and more solemn, and even if they have been suppressed by Qi Liang in the past 16 years, they can be regarded as a few literati who can be called geniuses.

Luoyang Shizi Banquet, this is a temple thing.

It's a pity that where there are people, there are rivers and lakes, and the restaurant and gambling house in Luoyang at this time are already overcrowded.

Sabre hanging sword, walking the rivers and lakes, where there is excitement to run.

Since the Northern Wei Dynasty dared not open the door at the time of the scholar's banquet and let him go in a big way, he naturally would not worry about the people of the rivers and lakes who went to the capital daring to make any trouble in Luoyang.

......

Luoyang Imperial Capital Peony Garden.

July has already missed the season of peony blooming.

But everyone in the world knows that the lord of the dragon bird has a back garden where peonies bloom in almost spring, summer, autumn and winter, regardless of season.

A tail of red pavilions, located in the midst of thousands of purples and thousands of reds.

Yao Huang Wei Zi is extremely magnificent. It's a pity that one or two points of popularity are missing.

The lord of Longque County has never come back since he left Luoyang in April, and this peony pavilion, which has taken a lot of manpower to maintain, is naturally deserted and deserted, and no one comes to watch.

It's just not the same at this point.

There were two people sitting in the red pavilion.

Among them was a respectful young man.

This young man's facial features are plain, his appearance is not amazing, and he can barely be called elegant. Wearing a white linen robe, it was so simple that it could no longer be simple straw sandals, but it was meticulous to wear the crown ornament neatly, and the dress was extremely clean.

His back was extremely straight, he didn't raise his head or bow his head, he looked ahead, and sat very upright in the peony pavilion.

Chen Wanjuan didn't listen, didn't listen, didn't listen, didn't want to think.

He silently looked at this earth-shattering peony garden, and the surroundings were so familiar that he could tell the names of every plant and tree with his eyes closed.

After three years of travel, this peony garden has not changed at all.

After he finished watching this piece of peony, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth at the end.

"Ten thousand volumes. ”

A gentle voice rang in my ears.

The reason why this young man sits extremely straight is not only because of the habits he has developed since childhood, but also because the father of the champion Hou, who has a very strict family education, grew up in the world when he was very young, and left the sentence "Reading ten thousand books, it is better to sit upright", which became Chen Wanjuan's lifelong engraved words in his heart.

He sat like a straight sword, but his edge was all retracted.

Because he sat beside him the majestic mountain at the highest point in the Northern Wei Dynasty.

Cao Zhixuan was extremely patient, quietly waiting for the young man with the most powerful background among the thirty-two princes of the Northern Wei Dynasty to finish appreciating the peony.

The Emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty said softly: "Go in July, go back in July." Chen Wanjuan, you have been traveling for three years, and you want to learn the unparalleled Confucianism in the world, come and tell me, what have you learned?"

Chen Wanjuan smiled and said, "Your Majesty, Wanjuan has not traveled all over the Northern Wei Dynasty in the past three years, but he has really read all ten thousand books. What I learned is miscellaneous, not refined, and barely passable. When you enter the house, you can see the avenue. The art of ghosts and gods, the art of Kanyu, the art of ink scrolls, the world is divided and combined, and the world is led. ”

The young man paused and said, "It's not as good as the metaphysics of the National Teacher. ”

Chen Wanjuan thought for a moment and added, "It should be regarded as Confucianism and Taoism. ”

Cao Zhixuan didn't look at this young man who didn't look amazing, but instead moved his gaze to the big red peony garden, and said softly: "Have you ever regretted going to practice Confucianism and Taoism for three years?"

Chen Wanjuan shook his head slowly.

Then he smiled bitterly: "I heard that Lingyi left Luoyang, so I returned all the way from Beiyuan, but unfortunately my luck on the road didn't seem to be very good, even if I stayed in Beiguan for a few more days, I didn't meet her." ”

Emperor Wei silently thought about the news from Senluo Dao, the dragon bird that had been enshrined in the palm of his hand since he was a child sent His Royal Highness Qi Liang all the way to a hundred miles, and severely damaged the shadow of Xiguan more than ten miles before the entrance of the Beiguan Gorge, and then no longer went north, but deliberately turned west to bypass Senluo Dao to investigate.

Chen Wanjuan laughed at himself for his bad luck, since the dragon sparrow was already approaching Invite Beiguan, how could he not know that this self, who grew up with her in Luoyang and could be called a childhood sweetheart, was waiting for Invite Beiguan?

It's just done on purpose.

Chen Wanjuan couldn't understand why the dragon sparrow didn't want to meet, so he just rubbed his eyebrows lightly and said, "Your Majesty, Wanjuan returned to Luoyang this time, just to fulfill His Majesty's three-year appointment that year. ”

Cao Zhixuan looked at Chen Wanjuan with admiration, this young man, as the only son of the champion Hou and the descendant of the first marquis of the thirty-two candidates, was able to let go of the huge family business accumulated by his father, and went against the wanton wine and meat in Kyoto, and embarked on the road of cultivating Confucianism on a peerless horse.

Chen Wanjuan is half a literati, but he is neither sour nor smelly, let alone pretentious.

Cao Zhixuan nodded, very satisfied with this young man, and said softly: "Wanjuan, my original intention was to let you travel for three years, and after returning to Luoyang, you will win the top spot in the sergeant's banquet, even if you give Chen Tiansheng an explanation, it will not be a problem to be crowned heir and knighted in the future." ”

Chen Wanjuan listened to the man who said the same thing as he spit out the words "Heir and Knight", his face changed slightly, and finally calmed down.

Everyone knows that the entire Northern Wei Dynasty is now crowned heir, and only the two descendants of the prince whose cause of death is unknown, as for the word Jiajue.

The champion Hou is already the first of the thirty-two candidates, and then the knight?

Chen Wanjuan just shook his head, smiled and didn't speak.

Cao Zhixuan stood up, Chen Wanjuan hurriedly stood up as well, and then heard the middle-aged man's voice unslow.

"I've changed my mind now. ”

Chen Wanjuan narrowed his eyes.

"Luoyang is a scholar after all, and it is not as good as Qi Liang, who is prosperous and prosperous, let alone competing with Jiangnan Dao, which has exhausted the ten demons of literary commentary. Cao Zhixuan laughed at himself: "I have been holding the scholar's banquet for sixteen years, and I have seen a few amazing people in the banquet, and I have been happy and inspired, but every time I look at Qi Liang, whether it is quantity or quality, I have steadily overwhelmed the Northern Wei Dynasty, and the joy in my heart is like being poured with a bucket of cold water." ”

"I have to admit that if the paper is reviewed, Luoyang is not as good as Lanling City. Cao Zhixuan raised his eyebrows slightly, and said with a smile: "So the leader of the Luoyang Shizi Banquet, the champion of Lanling City, is naturally inferior." ”

Chen Wanjuan bowed respectfully.

"My title as the leader of the Luoyang Shizi banquet is certainly not worthy of you today. Cao Zhixuan said lightly: "Chen Wanjuan, if you have the heart, you will set off tomorrow, from Luoyang to Lanling City, I will give you a Qingluan, take Qingluan to Lanling City, for me, for Luoyang, for the Northern Wei Dynasty, to win the palace test champion of Lanling City, it can be regarded as living up to expectations." ”

Chen Wanjuan didn't nod or shake his head.

The Emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty smiled, knowing that the so-called false name seduction did not have much temptation for this young man who had seen through the worldly red dust.

So Cao Zhixuan narrowed his eyes, no longer reminded of Qi Liang's Northern Wei Wen Commentary, but asked: "Wanjuan, is the token that the spirit shirt gave you back then still there?"

Chen Wanjuan subconsciously touched his hand to his waist, and touched the bamboo leaf red flute whose carving traces had been invisible to the ground, and it suddenly seemed like a world away.

"You have a fate with the spirit shirt, and you have known Luoyang Shuge since you were a child, and you have given each other tokens. Cao Zhixuan said with a playful smile: "The world only knows that the dragon bird of the Northern Wei Dynasty likes peonies, but they don't know why they like it." ”

Chen Wanjuan touched his nose.

Eleven years ago, Chen Wanjuan gave Wei Lingshan a song of peony words, sprinkled with 10,000 words and splashed ink, and carved all the peonies in the world to celebrate the birthday of the lord of Longque County.

Since then, the lord of Longque County, who is not out of Luoyang, has this peony pavilion.

He gave her a peony, and she turned it into red leaves.

In the past eleven years, the two have no guesses, studied the book and seal script, and accompanied each other, and almost read the collection of books in Luoyang of the Northern Wei Dynasty thoroughly.

Chen Wanjuan once asked himself.

Is this a childhood sweetheart?

Some unusual emotion has long been rooted in this young man's heart, maybe ten years, maybe only one day, Chen Wanjuan has asked himself countless times over the years, but in the end, it is not clear, whether it is a so-called love?

It wasn't until he went south to Beiyuan to invite Beiguan that he couldn't wait for Wei Lingshan, but instead got the news that the Northern Wei Dynasty sent Yi Gongzi for hundreds of miles.

This news is neither good news nor bad news, Chen Wanjuan, who is familiar with Wei Lingshan, is not worried at all that that Yi Gongzi, who is a blockbuster in Fengting City, will successfully capture the heart of the beautiful woman.

Because he knew that Wei Lingshan was diametrically opposed to the image of the dragon bird that outsiders thought of, he was not irritable or angry, his heart was like water, and he believed that it was fate to see each other, otherwise he would not have met himself back then just because of a word in the library, and then he came to this point.

On the contrary, Chen Wanjuan couldn't wait for the answer in his heart.

Then he rushed to Luoyang, hoping to meet Wei Lingshan along the way.

At this time, Chen Wanjuan rubbed his fingers on the red leaf flute with his fingers, and was a little stunned for a while.

Cao Zhixuan suddenly spoke: "If you can take the champion of Lanling City, I will be the master and help you decide this marriage." ”

"Huh?"

Chen Wanjuan was suddenly a little stunned.

The Emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty smiled and said, "Wei Lingshan is indeed very fond of peonies, because she is the grandest peony in the world. This peony pavilion contains peonies all over the world, but there is only one person missing, and she will come back one day. ”

"The Yi Gongzi who became a sensation in Fengting City is the little royal highness of Lanling City who is famous for his literary thoughts, and he wrote poems in front of the palace at the age of six, which is amazing, and he entered the world at the age of six and won the Lanling City Palace. Cao Zhixuan joked: "Eleven years ago, you could write a 10,000-character peony poem for her, eleven years later, why can't you win the champion of Lanling City for her?"

Chen Wanjuan realized that the red leaf flute in his hand was sweating by himself.

He was in a trance.

"I opened the gate of Luoyang City for sixteen years, held a banquet for scholars for sixteen years, and waited for a distinguished guest from Qi Liang to trample on Wendao of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and it was best to humiliate it. Cao Zhixuan smiled and said, "It's a pity that Qi Liang didn't bother to smash the field of Wendao in the Northern Wei Dynasty at all." ”

"This year is different, Qi Liang will definitely send someone. The Northern Wei emperor muttered: "Since the head of the Northern Wei Shizi Banquet can't be saved, why can't I ask for your Qi Liang's palace test champion in turn?"

"Chen Wanjuan—"

Cao Zhixuan's face was full of fierce meaning, and he said in a vicious whisper: "If you kid still have some ideas, go to Lanling City, let the so-called literary critics and demons in Jiangnan Province see the Confucianism that you said back then!"