Chapter 15 Section IX

The second day of August. The stream under the bamboo bridge was rushing, hitting the reef, rolling up white foam. "Young Master Chen, please." Baili Yu personally led the way at the bridgehead. Lu Guichen bowed in return, and followed him up the path.The two of them sometimes cross the bridge and sometimes go up and down the steps among the flowers and trees.This garden was built close to the mountain wall. It is not very big, but the craftsmen carved it deliberately, and the scenery changes every time you turn a corner.Crossing the mountain stream from the suspended bamboo bridge, they have already reached the height of the middle of the mountain. From a distance, the artificially cultivated flowers and trees are layered on top of each other. The bright red suppresses the dark green, and then the pink purple replaces the bright red.There are bamboo forests below the middle of the mountain, but the top of the mountain is tall and tall golden nanmu.

"When the weather is fine, you can see the Phoenix Pond from here." Bailiyu pointed to the distance. He pointed to a corner of the house in the high forest: "Among the several palaces we went to the Tang Dynasty, this Nan Palace is very special. Although it is far outside the city, it is the most unique and has a good view. When I was young, I didn't want to I lived in the East Palace, and clamored to live in the Nan Palace. My father scolded me for calling me a majestic prince, but I didn’t live in the East Palace because I was greedy for the scenery. I was angry for a long time. Father let Ah Jia stay."

He smiled: "Maybe it will be the residence of Young Master Chen in the future. If possible, Young Master Chen will leave a room for me to study, and we can continue to be neighbors." "Master Yu told a joke." Lu Guichen took a step back and saluted. The faint sound of music floated down from a high place, and if you listen carefully, it is the palace tune of Shengxiao and Xiaoming, which is dignified and upright. "It's here." Baili Yu took Lu Guichen's arm, "There is one more thing to tell Young Master Chen. It is this meeting, we must act as if we met by chance. Seeing Ah Ji and the others, they just said to borrow a cup. Just drink water."

"why is it like this?" "These are also the old habits of the emperor's ministers. When the nobles get married, the man and the woman have to meet each other to see if they like each other. But ladies usually don't go out, even if they are ugly, no one knows. If the man sees it and regrets it, he will fall Therefore, the blind dates are not arranged in the mansion. Most of them are pretending to meet by chance, saying that they are borrowing water to drink. In fact, it depends on the person. If you really don’t like it, you can just shirk it. There are annual outing festivals and The two seasons of 'Shuanghua Chrysanthemum Appreciation' are when the married ladies are going out one after another, and the common people crowded on both sides of the street to watch, which is also very fun." Bailiyu couldn't help laughing when he said this, "But don't worry, I'm My younger sister looks exactly like my mother, I guarantee you won't be disappointed after seeing it."

"Young master Cheng Yu taught me." Lu Guichen bowed respectfully. Bailiyu walked out of the path in the forest with him on his arm, and suddenly there was a huge bamboo shade in front of him.The dense bamboo forest blocked the sunlight, and there were only dots of light and shadow on the ground swaying in the wind.This season is catching up with the falling leaves of bamboo, and the fusiform leaves fall down, forming a thin layer on the ground.In the middle of the bamboo shade is the mountain stream running across, and on the small slope opposite stands a silk screen painted with golden chrysanthemums, with a figure behind it, and a corner of the screen revealing a beautiful palace gown.

Bailiyu nodded slightly, led Lu Guichen across the water, stopped ten steps in front of the screen, and saluted respectfully: "I wonder if passers-by who are traveling can borrow a glass of water to quench their thirst?" The sound of the flute stopped, and a girl with high bun and palace makeup walked out from behind the screen, holding a plate, and led Lu Guichen and Baili Yu to sit down on the mat outside the screen, and served clear water with jasmine petals floating in the water.The girl bowed her head and stepped back. "In the vast distance, we meet each other by wading. The glass of water is enough to drink, and I hope to meet again." Baili Yu took a sip of water and sang softly, quoting the ancient style, "Thank you for the hospitality, I wonder if the master can come out and see you?"

It was quiet behind the screen. Bailiyu frowned: "Can the master come out and see you?" This time there was a sound behind the screen, but it sounded like a scratching sound, and suddenly there was another "hissing" sound of cloth being split, and then silence returned. "Ah! Ah!" Baili Yu stood up in surprise, "What happened?" After a while, the girl serving water came out and knelt tremblingly: "Master Yu, the princess said...the princess said..." "What did Ah Chi say?" "The princess said she would kill herself!"

"Suicide?" Baili Yu almost jumped up. The girl hurriedly waved her hand: "It's okay, it's okay, the princess is just talking..." "What are you talking about?" The girl's exasperated voice came from behind the screen, "Shut up, Xiaoran! I'm going to kill myself, I'm going to kill myself, and I won't marry a barbarian!" Bailiyu only felt his head buzzing loudly.Looking back, fortunately, Lu Guichen just sat quietly with his knees together and bowed his head, without any strange expression. "Ah! Be good! Have you forgotten what you're here for today?" Bailiyu yelled at the screen.

"I came here today to tell that barbarian that I would rather die than marry him!" The girl behind the screen refused to budge. "Ah!" Baili Yu raised his voice, "Don't be so rude, you are the daughter of our Baili family, and Young Master Chen is the eldest son of the Beilu Golden Horde Kingdom, the family matches, and Young Master Chen is my friend , has been living next to me, and has a good character, what are you dissatisfied with? If you are so presumptuous, I will tell my father!" "I just don't want to marry a barbarian! If you want to marry, why don't you do it, why do you have to do it?"

"I..." Bailiyu became anxious, "I'm a man, how can I marry someone?" "If you don't get married, you can marry a barbarian woman, go and go!" Bailiyu couldn't laugh or cry, so he could only shake his head. "Brother," Princess Zhu found that Lai Pi didn't have any effect?She begged softly, "You tell your father, tell your father, that Ah Ju doesn't want to marry, and Ah Ju wants to stay by his side." Bailiyu spread his hands: "Where are there girls who don't marry when they grow up?" "I just don't want to go to the barbarian's place. I heard that there are no cakes or fruits there, except mutton. The people there don't take a bath for half a year. The mud scraped from their bodies weighs a pound. Everyone is filthy. I'm going to throw up when I smell it. You all stay in Nanhuai, eat well, drink well, and watch flowers and dances. Why did you throw me to Beilu alone? Brother, you and your father are not good people. Don't do it!" Princess Ji began to cry, at first she just cried in a low voice, and finally let go of her voice, and the guards who accompanied her from a distance heard it, and couldn't help but look at each other.

The little maid at the side also seemed to feel sad, and shed a few tears. But Bailiyu sneered, and patted hard on the mat: "Ah, don't play tricks again, I grew up with you, I can't see your little thoughts? Cry real or fake as you like, this time father Once you have made up your mind, there is absolutely no room for change! Let me tell you the truth, Hong Luqing has divination the wedding date, and all the wedding invitations to the princes have already been sent out!" The crying stopped suddenly, as if cut off by a knife.There was silence behind the screen for a while, and a slender figure overturned the screen and jumped out, waving his hands and jumping vigorously: "I won't marry, I won't marry, I won't marry! Brother, I hate you to death!" Lu Guichen looked up.It was a little princess of fifteen or sixteen years old, with long ink-like black hair piled on top of her head, revealing her slender neck.The large and luxurious palace skirt is an elegant water green color, which sets off her fair skin, no different from the white tube top.Her eyes were rounded, her mouth was pursed hard, and she was jumping and jumping furiously.That little face is full of childishness, with a pale red plum blossom mark between the brows. He actually smiled suddenly. Bailijia also saw the barbarian son.She was surprised to find that he looked no different from the Gongqing boy. He was wearing a golden embroidered toga with Kui Lei pattern, and his hair was tied up on the top of his head with a silver hoop. He was simple, quiet, and delicate like a girl.He was also looking at her, his eyes were as deep and quiet as a lake.She couldn't understand his expression, but felt that it was deep and far away, and it was different from the youths she had seen before. She became curious, and bit her finger to look at the boy carefully, her big eyes flickering.She felt her face was a little hot, thinking that this boy must have fallen in love with her because he looked at her and smiled so seriously. "Princess Ju, Princess Ju!" The old woman hurried up to pull her, "Send the princess back to rest in the back hall, are you blind? Come up and serve her!" The maids gathered around, blocking the eyes of Lu Guichen and Bailijiao.They put up a gorgeous umbrella, surrounded the princess and left, and the woman who followed behind ran stumblingly. Lu Guichen lowered his head, he was thinking of the bright red mark on Princess Ji's eyebrows.He has worked hard for a long time to stop himself from thinking about those trivial things, but there was a red mark between Princess Yi's eyebrows, and the shadow of another person moved in his heart, like a chick knocking on an eggshell inside.He thought about that night when he watched her take off the mask with red marks between her eyebrows in the air, holding a lamp in her hand. He thought he was really useless, always thinking this way.But he couldn't help it, he felt a real pain in his heart, as if he was tied to a thread, always being pulled inadvertently. Bailiyu stepped up: "Young Master Chen, I've seen you before. Let's go back to the East Palace." Lu Guichen got up obediently, and Bailiyu said again: "The garden here is very good, and the hibiscus flowers have just bloomed. Why don't we take a few steps together and go out through the back door?" Lu Guichen froze for a moment, then nodded. "Let the chariots and horses move to the back door and wait." Baili Yu ordered to the bodyguards, "You guys follow, I can just walk with Young Master Chen." The guards also left.Bailiyu led Lu Guichen around a few doors in front, and walked up the path behind the mountain. The two of them didn't speak, just strolled one after the other. After walking for a long time, Bailiyu cleared his throat: "My younger sister, who grew up with her mother since she was a child, is indeed spoiled, but she doesn't have any evil intentions. Most of the ladies in Donglu Gongqing's family are like this Don't take it for granted." Bailiyu thought about it and smiled: "Actually, Aji is very beautiful. Among the princesses of the Eastern Land princes, they all said that Princess Xiaozhou is the most beautiful, but Aji is also famous. Chen Guogong sent an envoy to send her a few days ago I came to Lizhi to test my father's tone for the prince's marriage proposal, but my father didn't agree. This time my father insisted on letting Ah Ji marry, I was very surprised at first." "I know that Princess Fu is the lord's most cherished daughter, and I feel lucky to be appreciated by the lord," Lu Guichen said. The two of them walked a few more steps, and Baili Yu suddenly stopped: "What is Young Master Chen going to do about that girl from the Yu Clan?" Lu Guichen shivered slightly: "Master Yu also..." Bailiyu chuckled lightly, and shook his head: "Actually, Young Master Chen is quite famous in Nanhuai City. I have been told all these things by the fast-talking imperial guards in the East Palace." He sighed lowly: "I am Ah Ji's elder brother. It may be selfish to say that. But since Young Master Chen has agreed to his father, he wants to marry Ah Ji... I am a person who only knows calligraphy, painting and poetry. I can't say anything about the covenant, but marriage is a big deal, I hope Young Master Chen can treat Ah Chi well, although she is capricious, she is my sister after all, your future wife...don't let her down." Lu Guichen was silent for a while, then nodded, "You don't need to be told by Young Master Yu, I know what to do." Bailiyu patted him on the shoulder, walked a few steps with him, and suddenly whispered, "Didn't Young Master Chen think about running away?" Lu Guichen was taken aback, stopped, and stared at him blankly. Bailiyu seemed to feel that he had made a slip of the tongue, chuckled a few times, and shook his head: "To be honest, sometimes I have very rebellious thoughts, but how can I be free in this world? Fumenguan, Fuguan, where are you going to escape... What is the wedding date set by Honglu Temple?" "August 12th." Bailiyu nodded, ignored Lu Guichen, and walked along the path silently.Only Lu Guichen was left alone in the garden at dusk. He raised his head and saw the hibiscus flowers above his head in full bloom.