No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 850: Li Guoer: Empress Weiyang (Extra )
In the tile-blue sky, a white crane soars high into the sky.

Li Guoer looked at it and suddenly felt that the sky in the north was very different from the sky in the south.

The sky in the north is high and blue, with few clouds, but the weather changes from cloudy to sunny quickly, just like the mood of a little girl, who laughs quickly and cries quickly.

The small town in the south of the Yangtze River where she lived for many years was slower and more leisurely. The blue sky, white clouds, green mountains and clear waters were like a painting, small and exquisite, suitable for opening in the afternoon and lazily observing.

Luoyang, the northern capital, is not something that can be contained in any painting. After Li Guoer came to the Luoyang Palace, he was no longer so lazy.

The whole world has a sense of vastness and infinity; even the autumn charm of the Mid-Autumn Festival at this moment is majestic and grand.

Even at this moment, she was walking in the exquisite forest garden of Princess Changle's mansion in Qinghuafang, which imitated the Yangzhou in Jiangnan.

I still couldn't help but slightly raise my head and take a deep breath.

That's right, Li Guoer felt that this northern land was a place suitable for taking deep breaths and looking at the vastness. It was not like Xunyang in the south where one could relax and unwind with an umbrella to block the sun.

The night fell over the ingenious gardens in the princess's mansion. Tonight's Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was hosted by Princess Changle herself, and she had personally invited Li Guoer.

Now, the favored princess of the Great Zhou even went to the door in person to welcome her niece into the mansion. This was something that none of the male and female guests attending the meeting today could enjoy.

The aunt and niece, who had somewhat similar features, did not sit in the sedan chair.

Princess Changle held Li Guoer's hand affectionately and walked on the red-carpeted gallery to the Zhuogu Garden deep in the backyard where the banquet was held.

However, when they were chatting about the past just now, a certain four-character name was mentioned, which made the usually talkative Princess Changle feel a little embarrassed and the atmosphere became a little dull.

Just in front of the gallery, a group of ladies passed by, and the two women just kept quiet.

Li Guoer tilted her head to look at the gray-blue sky outside the gallery, her little face a little distracted.

Princess Changle looked straight ahead, held her niece's hand and walked forward for a while, then suddenly said:

"In fact, I have never seen him."

Li Guoer tilted her head slightly and looked at her aunt's profile under the dim light.

The last rays of sunset had fallen behind the ancient and majestic city walls of Luoyang, and all the subtle expressions of the woman were hidden behind the city walls along with the afterglow.

"Even when he impeached me in court that day, and then was later pulled out of the prison by his teachers and banished to a remote place in the south of the Yangtze River in a low-key manner... until he left Luoyang, I never saw his true face."

Princess Changle turned around and asked calmly:

"After that, news about him kept coming in from time to time, but I kept silent about it... Do you know why?"

Li Guoer tilted his head, as if thinking about it.

"Because my aunt hated him at that time, and ignoring him was the greatest contempt."

"Do not."

Princess Changle shook her head slightly and looked at the wind chimes ringing at the corner of the corridor in front of her. She didn't know if her voice was deliberately soft or if it was covered by the crisp sound of the bells:

"Because what he said was indeed correct. Among all the scholars in Luoyang, he was the only one who spoke the truth loudly.

"I admire this kind of scholar very much. This is the first time I have met such a scholar. But I know that this kind of scholar is very 'dangerous'. It's not that he will hurt me, but that he is like a moth flying into the fire. His whole body is full of flames and he will burn everything he touches. Even if the flames are extinguished, there will be embers left in the world to be worshipped by other moths."

She chuckled as if to mock herself, then turned her head to Li Guoer who was listening quietly and said:
"To put it simply, you can't have too much interaction with him. Even if you meet him once or say a few words, it may be recorded in the books of later historians and become an allusion. I will obviously become the one with a bad reputation. In the books of future generations, the more brilliant he is, the darker I will look..."

Princess Changle suddenly asked:
"Guer, from this perspective, am I a bad aunt?"

She stared at the little princess with plum blossom makeup without blinking, with an extremely serious expression.

Li Guoer hesitated for a moment and shook his head gently:

"No, Aunt is not bad, but Ouyang Lianghan is also not wrong. Neither of them is a bad person, but they are helpless. Aunt, you are just like the Royal Grandmother, you are in the middle of it and you can't help yourself."

Princess Changle raised her eyebrows when she heard this, and then she heard her voice behind her, which was clearer than the wind chimes:

“The higher you stand, the more lonely and helpless you feel that you can’t share with the people below you. Many people only stare at the black and white in front of them, not knowing that sometimes the darkness they hate is because someone above them is standing in front of them to shield them from the wind and rain.”

Li Guoer smiled faintly and took the initiative to hold Princess Changle's hand:

"If my aunt was really a bad person, she wouldn't have told Guo'er all this. In fact, when I was in Longcheng, I also asked Ouyang Lianghan about the impeachment that year."

Princess Changle tilted her head:

"How did he say."

"He keeps his mouth shut and rarely talks about the past, focusing only on the present."

"He's a man who does great things."

Li Guoer nodded, and murmured, "It's not a small matter."

Princess Changle glanced at her and smiled sweetly:
"Okay, we're almost there. You can drink as much as you want later. If you're afraid of being scolded by your father, then drink less. If you want to drink, you can just stay the night at your aunt's place if you get drunk. Anyway, no one can make you uncomfortable at your aunt's place. If anyone does, I'll make them uncomfortable."

"Aunt is so nice."

Li Guoer smiled faintly and took the lady's arm.

The aunt, niece and two daughters walked into Zhuogu Garden together.

They were the last ones to arrive.

The banquet was grand. Zhuogu Garden, which was the largest circular forest in Princess Changle's mansion, was filled with guests. A stream ran through the garden, flowing through three or two elegant pavilions. Tables were placed on both sides of the stream, from the beginning to the end of the garden.

In addition to the staff and retainers kept by Princess Changle's mansion, among the visitors there were talented men from Luoyang, literati of the clear stream, children of wealthy families, and even a graceful lady with her face covered with a veil, who was unknown who was the daughter of some important official in the court or the public in Luoyang.

Although there were quite a few female guests, there were obviously not as many as male guests. Perhaps to avoid suspicion, the seating areas for male and female guests were separated by a screen with Buddhist paintings, with pearl curtains hanging in the middle. One could only vaguely see the graceful figures of the noble ladies.

When Li Guoer and Princess Changle walked into Zhuogu Garden, everyone's eyes were on them.

Everyone stood up to greet and see him off, but some were slow to move.

Princess Changle thought her niece would say a few words, but she found that she walked straight through the screen and into the women's area, her slender figure hidden by the curtains.

All the eyes on the field followed reluctantly.

This plum blossom-shaped little princess from Xunyang Palace is someone that countless men in Luoyang want to meet.

Not only because her father was Xunyang King Li Xian and she was favored by the Saint, but also because rumors about her kept coming out.

Some people say that she will soon be given a title and establish her own government, and will be the second Princess Changle.

Some people said that the little princess was gifted, fond of literature, well-read, and resembled the sage when he was young. She was well-behaved and eloquent. The sage was very pleased and wanted to choose a husband for her.

Some people also said that this little princess had long eyebrows, red lips and white teeth, and a fairy-like appearance. She was the most beautiful woman in the palace and could be called the most beautiful woman in Luoyang...

Rumors spread around, naturally arousing everyone's curiosity, and they all wanted to see her beauty.

Princess Changle watched her niece enter the tent, looked around at the male guests who seemed to be behaving inappropriately, chuckled, went to the main seat, and presided over the dinner in a gentle and generous manner.

Li Guoer sat in one of the main seats in the women's area.

There were female guests around who took the initiative to talk to her. They seemed to be princesses of royal families, including some from the Wei family.

But the atmosphere was not far from the tension between the men of the royal family.

Perhaps they noticed that Li Guo'er was a little absent-minded. Women are naturally sensitive, so, except for a young princess of the Li family who had not yet reached marriage age and spoke to her frequently in a friendly manner, the other female guests did not take the initiative to come forward.

It's just that women are naturally concerned about their appearance and love to compare with others. During the banquet, their eyes would vaguely fall on Li Guoer's little face, which was only lightly made up. Some were envious and jealous, while others admired her generously.

Li Guoer knelt gracefully beside the coffee table, sipping the sweet-scented osmanthus fermented glutinous rice wine from the White Horse Temple. She paid little attention to Princess Changle who was hosting the banquet with ease, nor did she pay attention to the heated atmosphere of the banquet and the gazes around her.

Her eyes were attracted by a Vairocana stone Buddha ten meters ahead.

From time to time he reached into his sleeves and touched something inside.

These days, Li Guoer seemed to be worried and absent-minded about everything.

Because the saint worshipped Buddhism, there is a sense of Zen and Buddhist ideas everywhere in Princess Changle’s mansion.

The stone Buddha stretches his palm forward and performs the flower-picking gesture.

Zhuogu Garden is full of golden autumn ginkgo trees. At this moment, the autumn wind blows through the garden, and a golden ginkgo leaf gently falls on the palm of the Vairocana Stone Buddha.

Li Guoer saw the Buddha statue with lowered eyebrows and eyes, and its mottled and old stone body revealed a compassionate smile that had not changed for thousands of years.

Looking at the lifelike folds of the monk's robes carved on the stone statue, Li Guoer suddenly remembered a conversation she had with someone during his spare time at the statue-making site in Xunyang. He was an expert and seemed to have mentioned this kind of statue-making technique. This stone statue should have been made by a craftsman from the Northern Wei Dynasty and was an old object.

While Li Guo'er was distracted, she heard some noisy noises at the banquet and came back to look.

Some of the guests started a quarrel.

It's like arguing about a poem.

Tonight is the Mid-Autumn Festival dinner. Li Guoer knows without guessing that there will be many talented men of letters competing for beauty. Although it will be boring, the palace will be even more boring, so Li Guoer will come to participate as a way to relax.

As the saying goes, there is no best in literature. Li Guoer is used to such quarrels among writers.

When I was the director of the Juhua Poetry Society in Xunyang, I had some experience. Sometimes, to deal with these literati, or to control them, you have to lure them with "fame" and let them fight secretly. Only then can you show them favors and win their hearts.

Li Guoer shook her head and was about to reach out to pick up some food, but suddenly she heard a familiar name. She paused slightly and looked towards the center of the banquet.

At this moment at the banquet, Princess Changle felt a little headache when she saw the quarrel.

She sighed and held her forehead, looking at the male and female guests who were arguing behind the curtains.

It all started at the end of the banquet, when the best Autumn Rhythm poem needed to be selected. A female guest enthusiastically shared a new poem that had recently been sung hotly in the Luoyang ladies' circle and dance halls.

The author of this poem was also an acquaintance of hers, Ouyang Lianghan, a scholar of Xiuwenguan, Sima of Jiangzhou, and acting governor.

At the beginning of the banquet, a female guest took out this new poem and praised it highly. At that time, everyone at the banquet just agreed with her and no one sang against it, because this poem was indeed written in a unique and refreshing way.

However, as the banquet progressed till now, many talented male guests had presented their poems, and when it came time to select, everyone naturally took it seriously. The young lady who had just highly praised Liang Han's poems still insisted that this new poem be the best Mid-Autumn poem at tonight's banquet.

This caused dissatisfaction among some talented male guests. After all, Ouyang Lianghan was not in Luoyang, and although this new poem was related to the rhythm of autumn, it had nothing to do with Mid-Autumn Festival lyrics. Although it was well-written, it was so highly praised by the female guests that some male guests naturally could not stand it.

In addition, Princess Changle was vaguely aware that there was another reason why these male guests dared to object - they seemed to think that she and Ouyang Lianghan still had an unresolved personal grudge, and they were trying to guess what she was thinking.

Looking at the people who were arguing, Princess Changle looked helpless.

The man and woman, who each had their own opinion, turned to her for decision.

Princess Changle was about to speak, but suddenly turned her head and was attracted by a figure behind the curtain not far away.

Everyone at the party followed her gaze.

A little girl with plum blossom makeup was seen walking out from the ladies' area behind the screen curtain.

It was the little princess who remained silent throughout the whole process.

She passed by the two arguing parties and came to the table in the middle. She lowered her head and seemed to look at the new poem by Liang Han on the table. She was quite quiet.

The scholars and talented people who were originally dissatisfied also quieted down and looked at each other.

Li Guoer's eyes fell on the paper and he slowly read through it:

"…I have been out of office for three years, and I have been at peace with myself. I was moved by this person's words, and that night I began to feel the thought of being exiled. So I wrote a long poem as a gift to him, with 616 words in total, and named it "Pipa Xing and Preface"…"

Although this was not the first time he had read "Pipa Xing" in recent days, and although he had memorized it by heart, Li Guoer still read it again in its entirety.

Especially the preface, which seemed to attract her more than the main text. On the contrary, she was not as touched by the preface as by the main text.

Li Guoer is well aware that the main text may contain some embellishments and exaggerations, but the preface is an expression of the author's true feelings.

She didn't know why, but she had a strange feeling of empathy, as if she was standing next to the drunken young man with tears on his shirt, just like the Pipa Girl, Ye Weilai, and Khu Fu that night.

Read often and find new things.

Li Guoer seemed to be in a trance, and whispered in a voice that was barely audible to the guests around her who were staring at her:

"...What a wonderful song of Pipa Xing...You still say you are not good at writing...Also...You always win, but you are always so sad...What are you worried about, what are you thinking about...and how many things are you hiding..."

Everyone saw that the little princess suddenly turned around and said to the little female guest who was hesitant to speak and praised the poem:

"You are right. This is indeed the best poem of this autumn. It is worthy of being passed down through the ages."

After these words were spoken, the whole place fell silent.

The several competitive and talented people who had originally opposed it suddenly became speechless.

After a while.

"good!"

Princess Changle was the first to stand up and applaud, and everyone in the audience followed suit and stood up and applauded. Words of praise were endless, and the ladies behind the curtains who were praising her also blushed.

This "Pipa Song" spread from the Xunyang River to the court and the people in Luoyang. With the support of the two important aunts and nieces, the whole audience sang and copied it unanimously.

The Mid-Autumn Festival banquet at Princess Changle's mansion is one of the most important banquets in Luoyang, a place full of romance, fame and fortune. It is a kind of weathervane. The poems that stand out from the banquet will spread throughout the literati circles in the two capitals the next day. If the talent is strong, it will also ferment to become famous all over the world...

Just when the winning poem was decided and the banquet was bustling with activity, some talented scholars and writers looked vaguely at Li Guoer, only to find that she had left at some point and disappeared behind the screen.

Perhaps he was inspired by a certain poem. When the banquet ended, Li Guoer did not stay long and left early amid the noise.

Princess Changle saw it out of the corner of her eye, waved to the servants, asked a few questions, her eyes flashing.

She stood up, asked her friend to take over as the host, and left Zhuogu Garden, catching up with a little girl with plum blossom makeup.

"Auntie, what are you doing?"

Li Guoer looked back and saw Princess Changle was followed by several followers.

They followed them, carrying a load of objects covered with red cloth.

Princess Changle said with a smile:

"I like it, so I'll give it to you."

Li Guoer tried to refuse it for a while, but finally had no choice but to accept it.

Soon, they arrived at the gate of the mansion and parted ways with the aunt and niece.

Li Guoer returned to the carriage, lifted the curtain, and waved to Princess Changle with some affection and reluctance.

Princess Changle watched the carriage drive towards the imperial city with a smile.

When the carriage drove away, Li Guoer lowered the curtain and his little face immediately calmed down.

Inside the carriage, Cai Shou, who had just changed into her palace attire, looked curiously at the heavy objects being carried up, but she heard her mistress suddenly ask:

"Have the people from Xunyang been settled?"

Caishou reacted and nodded like a chick pecking at rice:

"Uh-huh."

She lowered her eyes:
"After returning to the palace, bring her to the warm room to see me. Don't bring her to the bedroom yet, and don't let Sister Xie see her."

Cai Shou nodded obediently:

"Yes, ma'am."

No questions asked, no thoughts given.

Li Guo'er was quiet for a while, then he touched something in his sleeve and slowly took it out.

She leaned close to the flame of the lamp in Caishou's hand and glanced at it with lowered eyebrows.

It is an ordinary wooden hairpin.

His wooden hairpin.

(End of this chapter)