Chapter 6 6. Tibetan bow

When I walked past Dai Ang, I whispered, "Thank you for your kindness." Dai Yang retreated to the side, and shouted in a high voice without showing any emotion: "Your Yin is here——" I took a deep breath, moved lightly with lotus steps, and walked inward. There were more than a hundred people in the hall who didn't hear anyone's voice, only heard the rustling of their clothes, and they all scrambled up one after another. His eyes fluttered, his eyes swept across, and he had roughly seen the state of the crowd. Except for the three princes, all the officials in Nanyang, headed by Deng Yu, fell to the ground. Slow down and kowtow.

I was not surprised, I only turned my attention to Dou Rong and Liang Tong. Liang Tong looked at Dou Rong, and Dou Rong's eyes drifted, and finally he slowly knelt down on the table. I pursed the corners of my lips in satisfaction, and passed among the ministers. Before reaching the emperor, Liu Xiu, who was on the high couch, had already stood up. "Concubine Yin Ji knocks on..." In the middle of the ceremony, Liu Xiu suddenly strode over and held my arm. I looked up suspiciously, but was surprised to find that pair of clear water-like pupils were looking at me shining brightly.

"Why... is there something wrong with my face?" I subconsciously reached out to wipe my face, but he grabbed my wrist. "No, no." He suddenly lowered his head and smiled, dragging my hand, motioning for me to sit beside him. I took a look, the queen Guo Shengtong was sitting on his left, and the couch on the right was empty, but it was lined up with the empress's seat. I paused, and glanced sideways at Liu Xiu. He squinted his eyes and turned his head calmly to whisper to the queen.I took a deep breath, finally took a step forward, and sat up with my skirt. My waist is straight, and there has never been such a moment when my sitting posture can have such a standard, impeccable elegance and perfection.With my hands resting on my knees, my ten fingers are pointed, white and slender, I stare at my long nails that have been carefully trimmed, the Danko dyed on them, the bright red has a compelling force, as if spreading through the fingertips. to my body.

I closed my eyes, opened them, raised my head slowly, with a confident smile on the corner of my mouth, and turned my gaze to everyone present. All the generals of the Nanyang clan had more or less smiles on their faces, compared to the faces of the generals in Hebei, they were displeased, and some even glared at me angrily.I just pretended I hadn't seen it, hundreds of people gathered together, looking around, more people were lost in deep thought. I turned my gaze around, and was about to withdraw it, when I suddenly felt a strange gaze staring at me from the side.I looked up, but couldn't help but froze.

There was a deep layer of confusion and melancholy under those strange eyes, which suddenly seemed to bring me back more than ten years ago, and my breath seemed to freeze at this moment. I was a little embarrassed, I bit my lip and gave him a subtle nod and smile, but Deng Yu seemed to be distracted, staring at me in a daze for a moment.My ears burned, and my white teeth made teeth marks on my lips, but he was still in a daze.Li Yuelong, who was sitting with him at the same table, felt something, and glanced at her husband a few times, but didn't dare to raise his eyes to my side, and just whispered to Deng Yu's side.

"Hum--" There was a sound of strings vibrating in the hall, followed by the music of bells, chimes and bamboos playing in unison. I lowered my head and let out a long sigh of relief, but my heart began to feel uneasy. "When you first came into the palace, I was thinking..." Liu Xiu suddenly approached her body and said in a soft, cotton-like voice.His voice was very low, but it was not covered by the long music, and it penetrated into my ears thinly, mixed with a kind of itching. "What's your Majesty thinking?" After waiting for a while, I didn't see him continue, so I couldn't help but look up at him.

His face was handsome and thin, with fine lines on the corners of his eyes, his eyes were as clear as water, the water surface was as calm as a mirror, but there was an unspeakable undercurrent hidden deep under the water.It is rare to see him not smiling, but it is also rare to see him laughing so that even the undercurrents in his eyes burst into waves of joy. "I vaguely feel that you are still that dainty girl riding on the window railing. I seem to... I heard you shouting, Liu Xiu, come out... When I realized it, I really stood up like I did back then..." I gave a "chi" smile, and after laughing, I slowly recalled the deep meaning in it, and my eyes couldn't help but feel wet.

"Liu Xiu—come out!" A crisp voice sounded in my heart, and I compared the shape of my lips with my mouth, and silently read it to him word by word. The smile in his eyes was even stronger, like a thick mist floating in the ocean, he quietly held my hand, and his big sleeves covered this small intimate gesture. He pursed his lips and smiled, as if a child had stolen a piece of candy, happy, delighted, and drunk in it. I smiled and lowered my head, tears had already filled my eyes, almost falling down. I adjusted my emotions secretly, took two deep breaths, finally raised my head while sniffling, and jokingly said, "I only thought you were praising me for being young."

He laughed silently, with indescribable affection on his face, and after a long, long breath: "We have known each other for nearly twenty years, and I owe you so much..." His voice was inaudible, and he turned his head away quickly. I felt so sad in my heart, and the tears I could hardly hold back surged out. The kabuki in the palace sang a cappella, and after the end of each song, the palace staff had carried up various food tables in an orderly manner and placed them in front of everyone.I took a quick glance and saw that the food tables of the emperor and the empress were exactly the same as the dishes in front of me, there was no difference. These three food tables were all painted wooden lacquer, red and black, and there were all kinds of meat and vegetable delicacies on the lacquer plates. delicacies.Taiguan Ling obviously spent a lot of thought, and the dishes were arranged according to the etiquette system, which was very particular—food and some meat with bones were placed on the left hand side; soup, millet wine, and pure cut meat were placed on the right hand side. ; Finely sliced ​​and grilled meat is placed on the top of the food table, seasonings such as vinegar and sauce are placed nearby, and condiments such as green onions and peppers are placed next to it.In addition, there are some dried meat and dried beef, and the Taiguan ordered them to be placed separately, with the curved ones on the left and the straight ones on the right.

I kept silent, pretending to enjoy the singing and dancing as if nothing had happened.The drums in the hall were beating, and the sound of the drums was shaking but not chaotic. Seven plates were placed on the open space in the courtyard. A tall maiko was wearing a long-sleeved skirt, with soft and light waist, accompanied by the beating of the drums. , the toes are lightly jumping in the seven discs, sometimes shaking the sleeves, sometimes twisting the waist. The side of the drum is tactfully played, and the snake is in the court, and the seven discs are played in succession, and the sleeves and feet are danced, as light as a scorpion.

The dancing posture of the maiko is outstanding, the long sleeves are fluttering, like flowing clouds and flowing water, swaying gracefully, and sweat drips from the forehead during the dance. Demented appearance. I watched slowly, and the excitement in my heart quickly calmed down.At this time, Liu Xiu first raised the bell and moved the chopsticks, and the subordinates dared to drink and eat. After drinking for a few minutes, the princes and their wives saw that the emperor had no airs, so they slowly started talking and laughing boldly, no longer as stiff as when the banquet started. "Do you like to watch these seven disc dances?" I was watching it vigorously, and when Liu Xiu asked, I nodded and said casually: "That girl is very good at dancing, and she has a pretty face..." "Really?" He chuckled, "I remember... your dancing skills are also very good." "Martial arts?" I confirmed to him in confusion, wondering why he would mention my martial arts. "Dance..." He pointed to the dancers dancing in the arena, "Dance..." "Oh—" the long tone suddenly dawned on me, he was talking about my dancing skills, and he couldn't help wondering, "Why have I ever danced?" "Yes." He was sure, "I remember, that year when the spring was cold and steep, you picked well water to wash your clothes, curled up your tall hakama legs, stood in a wooden basin, stepped on splashing water with your bare feet, hummed and danced... I I feel that those dances are far more graceful and vivid than these seven dances." My face was hot, my face flushed red and I was stunned.How long ago was this?Why do I seem to remember, but also don't seem to remember such a thing? There are many kinds of dances in the Han Dynasty, regardless of gender. In addition to the long-sleeved dance, towel dance, Jiangu dance, and seven-pan dance, there are sword dances, stick dances, knife dances, dry dances, and Qi dances. I don't know these dances, the only one I know is the "Taekwondo" which combines the movements of Taekwondo into the rhythm.In contrast, the movements of "Taekwon Dance" are vigorous and full of rhythm. Although it is not abrupt, it is definitely not graceful and vivid. In order to hide my blush, I picked up the wine bell and pretended to drink.The two maids behind me held feather fans and were fanning the wind slightly. I thought the wind was too weak, so I turned my head and signaled them to use more force. At this time, Liu Xiu suddenly raised his voice and asked with a smile: "If you didn't follow me to restore the foundation of the Han Dynasty, what would you do now?" After a few words, it was revealed that the seven-pan dance had just come to an end, and the audience was silent for a while, and everyone looked at each other in blank dismay. After a while, someone at the table replied neither humble nor overbearing: "When I was young, I studied and studied, and now I can be a doctor of literature in the county." "Oh?" Liu Xiu said with a smile, "Qing is a descendant of the Deng family, and his ambitions and deeds have been improved, so why worry about not being able to achieve a meritorious service? The right general's words are too modest." Deng Yu curled his lips with a half-smile, a very weird smile, but his eyes were extremely sad.The atmosphere in the hall was a bit weird, my eyelids twitched, and the uneasiness in my heart increased. As you wish... Hopefully, there will be no mistakes in today's plan. "I have martial courage, so I can be a guard and specialize in catching thieves!" I heard this and looked sideways, and couldn't help being happy.Ma Wuzheng, the alcoholic xenophobe general, stood up unsteadily from the table and raised his glass to signal to the emperor. Liu Xiu smiled slightly: "Catch the thief? Ma Zizhang, as long as you don't become a thief yourself and don't get caught by the pavilion chief, you're pretty good." "Pfft—" The drink didn't reach my throat, and I spit it out in one gulp.I pressed my mouth tightly with a veil, so as not to lose my composure again, my face flushed and I coughed frequently. Ma Wu was obviously drunk, staring at a pair of red eyes, looked at Liu Xiu, then at me, and suddenly shouted: "Oh - I understand, your majesty made fun of me, is he still remembering the past hatred? .My lord...here I am going to make amends...to the Yin nobles." He scooped up the wine from the wine shop with a spoon, and walked towards me step by step. "Yin nobleman, I can't pay you. I was forced to become a thief back then, and I was blinded by lard. I became greedy for a while, and tied... tied you..." He smiled and knelt down in front of me, I hurriedly got up from the couch, bent over and stretched out my hands to help: "No way, general please get up." "It happened more than ten years ago. If I hadn't gotten to know such a wise master as His Majesty, I could only continue to become a thief... At that time, at that time... In order to save you, Your Majesty even made contact with us." Hehehehehehe...What a sin..." He knelt down at the bottom of the steps, raised his bell and drank the wine in one gulp, shaking his head, speaking freely, "However, your majesty and nobles really shouldn't Blame me again, how can I put it this way, I can be regarded as fulfilling a good story of a hero saving the beauty, if not for this..." He babbled nonsense, Liu Xiu was not angry, and ordered the Zhongchang attendant beside him to help Ma Wu back to the table.I sneaked a peek at Guo Shengtong who was standing aside, although Liu Xiu was in the middle and couldn't see the look on her face clearly, but the bell-shaped hand was trembling slightly.After a while, she covered her sleeves and drank the wine in one gulp, maybe she drank a little too quickly and coughed twice because of choking, and immediately a maid beside her brought water to serve her to rinse her mouth. All the veterans in the hall talked about what they might have done one after another, recalling the past, all of them sighed.I took a closer look, but the generals in Hexi did not say a word, quite embarrassed.Dou Rong, who was at the top of the table, had a humble and calm face, his eyelids were lowered, and he didn't know what he was thinking about.These people are not the old officials of the emperor, and now they are in Luoyang, but their official positions are not lower than those of the meritorious officials, so it is reasonable to feel panic in their hearts. I smiled knowingly, today's banquet is really getting more and more interesting. "Royal father." Seeing that the officials were talking about it, the crown prince Liu Qiang got up from the table and walked to the back of his father and mother, with a look of excitement on his face, "Royal father raised troops to restore the Han Dynasty, and the march was so heroic. I heard about it a little before, but I never heard it mentioned by my father. My father, can you explain it to my son?" That youthful face full of vigor showed incomparable admiration and hope, looking up at his father with blushing dimples. Liu Xiu looked down at each other condescendingly, Guo Shengtong put his arms around his son's shoulders, and pressed his fingers very tightly, Liu Qiang felt pain, shrank his shoulders slightly, and glanced at his mother for some unknown reason. Liu Xiu smiled lightly and asked: "In the past, Duke Ling of Wei asked Confucius about the battle, but Confucius didn't answer. Do you know why?" Liu Qiang was puzzled, Liu Xiu patted his head, and added indifferently: "This matter is beyond your reach." He withdrew his hand, and continued to chat and chat with the ministers as if nothing had happened. Guo Shengtong's complexion was snow-white, his eyes were complex and changeable, resentment and hatred, and he heard a light cough from behind him in a flash, and then hurriedly restrained himself, pulling his still confused son to his side , appease carefully. I turned my head, only to find that Liu Yang had arrived in front of me at some point, kneeling and sitting on the couch, taking the knife on the food table with a calm demeanor, and skillfully cutting the flesh.After dividing the meat, he handed the bowl to me respectfully, and softly called out: "Mother, please use it." I thoughtfully put a piece of meat into my mouth: "Yang'er, do you understand what my father asked your prince's brother?" He smiled lightly: "Ling Gong asked Chen, Confucius is wrong, the allusion comes from." "I didn't ask that." I chewed the meat and swallowed it slowly.If Liu Xiu's intention was just to prove to the prince, Guo Shengtong's pretty face would not be overshadowed. "Yeah." Liu Yang suppressed his smile, his expression was indifferent, and there was a touch of color in the corners of his eyes, "My child will never let my father and mother down." I nodded and took care of me with satisfaction: "In the future, you need to be more cautious and measured. From now on, every pair of eyes in this temple will be watching your every word and deed behind your back." "Promise." He agreed, then got up and went to salute his father, queen and queen, scooping up wine and dividing the meat, all acts of humility and filial piety. The singing and dancing were about to end, and the feast was about to end, I finally couldn't hold back, and secretly cast my eyes on Deng Yu. I never thought that Deng Yu was looking at this side all the time, and his eyes met for a while, and I was shocked again.His expression was too heavy, as heavy as a gigantic cauldron, which could make people breathless.But I couldn't avoid it, I looked straight at him, took a deep breath, and looked at him resolutely. I could clearly see his last speechless sigh, his expression solemn and numb, and then he got up from the table and straightened his clothes.When he was doing all this, his wife Li Yuelong was always by his side - when he got up, she also got up, when he adjusted his clothes, she stretched out her hand to smooth out the creases, the coordination was so skillful and natural. Under the gaze of all the people, Deng Yu calmly and calmly walked to the center of the hall, kowtowed and fell down, his cold voice covered all the noise and resounded through the entire hall. "Now that the country is restored and the world is at peace, I ask Your Majesty to take back the seal of the general, remove the armored soldiers, and cultivate Confucianism." He took out the seal of the right general from his sleeve, held it up on the top, and kowtowed. In an instant, there was no sound in the hall, only the sound of heavy breathing and breathing remained. Liu Xiuduan sat on the couch without making a sound, her eyes were calm, and she was silent. Another person flashed out from the bottom of the steps, but it was Jia Fu, the left general, who knelt beside Deng Yu and handed over his seal and ribbon, saying loudly, "Your Excellency, please hand over the general's ribbon and seal!" It was like a drop of water fell from the oil pan in the deserted hall, splashing oil splashes. Whispering whispers reverberated above the spacious hall, I cast my eyes coldly on Geng Yan in the crowd, he was slightly startled, and finally got up slowly and walked into the hall under the watchful eyes of several Geng family brothers Come, said in a hoarse voice: "The minister also paid the seal!" The oil pan is finally boiling! Both Deng Yu and Jia Fu came from Nanyang. These two can be said to be equivalent to the emperor's right arm and right arm, veterans, heroes, and good officials who were born and died with the emperor.As for Geng Yan, since his father Geng Kuang and Le Guanghou Geng Chun passed away, most of the Hebei gentry looked up to him. Liu Xiu twisted his beard and smiled, no one understood his mind better than me, if he was not fully sure, wouldn't today's banquet be in vain?There is a saying that the rabbit is dead and the dog is cooked, and the bird is gone. Now that the rabbit is dead and the bird is gone, if the heroes do not want to become Han Xin, Peng Yue, and Yingbu, it is time to learn to restrain themselves a little bit. I believe that Liu Xiu is not a cruel and heartless person, but in this world, is there anything unavoidable?No matter how benevolent Liu Xiu is, he is an emperor after all. If the imperial power falls aside and restricts others, is it true that the emperor is not the king, and the minister is not the minister? I can't be Lu Zhi, just like Liu Xiu can't be Liu Bang. Neither he nor I are ruthless people, so we have to settle for the next best thing, and the right to strike is imperative. After Geng Yan, those with knowledge of current affairs immediately echoed, and one after another played their own petitions to hand over the general and the general's seal and ribbon. At this point in the play, all that is left is the aftermath work that has come to an end. Liu Xiuqing cleared his throat: "Since that's the case... let's take back the seals and ribbons of the generals, grant Deng Yu the title of Marquis of Gaomi, and the four counties of Shiyi; Hou Judi, a special promotion, please..." The imperial edict was actually prepared a long time ago, and the representative was busy pretending to be busy, and then drafted the edict and read it out.This time, there were 365 meritorious officials who were dismissed from military power and increased fiefs, of whom 45 were foreign relatives and relatives of the emperor. A grand banquet for the emperor and ministers finally came to a successful conclusion amidst the sound of congratulations from everyone.