Red Mansion: Bastards rule the roost

Chapter 290 Vertical and horizontal combination 2

Wanmei Mountain Villa is located on Xixie Street of Drum Tower in the north of the city, next to Nianhua Temple. A stream of running water is brought from Jishui Pond to the village, where thousands of plum blossoms are cultivated. Every winter in the twelfth lunar month, thousands of plum blossoms bloom together, which is a great scene in Shenjing.

This Zhuangzi was originally owned by the Shanxi Merchants Guild, and was often lent to court officials free of charge to recite poems, have banquets, and have fun, to show the filial piety of the merchants.

At this time, seven or eight court officials were drinking and discussing poetry in the Plum Blossom Pavilion on the Plum Ridge in Zhuang Nei.

Zhao Huaian, the right minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was in his sixties, with a slim appearance and a goatee. He picked up a cup of peach blossom wine and said with a smile: "It's snowing in the evening, can you have a cup? Sir, please."

"Please, please." Everyone raised their glasses and laughed.

"Listen to everyone playing the piano, watch everyone dance with swords, taste the sweetness of peach blossoms, and admire the enchanting beauty of thousands of plums. At this point in your life, what more can I ask for? Lords, drink and win." Li Muyu, the left minister of the Ministry of Rites, said with a smile.

"Invite you two." Everyone praised in unison and raised their glasses.

Lan Wei from Baihualou and Ren Shu from Qilou raised their glasses and said with a smile, "You old gentlemen, you are so complimentary. I am so ashamed of myself."

"No, the skills of the two masters are close to the Taoist realm. Listening to master Lan playing the piano is like looking at the five internal organs. Watching everyone dancing the sword is like listening to the stormy waves. It makes people dazzled and drifting away from the sky." Another person said with a smile.

Lan Wei and Ren Shu looked at each other and said with a smile: "It's hard to believe that this gentleman talks so well about our sisters without having a drink."

"Brother Zhanzhi, everyone is invited, drink quickly, drink quickly." Everyone hurriedly cheered.

Lu Jie, the right minister of the Ministry of Justice, smiled slightly, raised his glass and said with a smile: "You two, let's have a drink together."

"Your Majesty has a lotus tongue, I will accompany you." Lan Wei and the two girls said with a smile. When it comes to drinking, they are not afraid of these old men.

Everyone laughed obscenely and said, "Brother Zhanzhi has an excellent tongue, but you two have never tried it. How do you know that he has the ability to bloom lotus flowers with his tongue?"

The two girls, Lan and Wei, secretly scolded these old men for not cultivating themselves, but they were still high-ranking officials in the imperial court, and they were extremely obscene and obscene.

Ren Shu looked calm, pursed his lips and smiled and said: "We are not good at this, Master Lu is not blessed to be able to bear it, but many sisters in our building have quite a lot of experience in this, and we should be able to discuss it with you and ask for advice." Old pervert, as long as you dare to come, I can't kill you.

Everyone laughed, "Brother Zhanzhi, do you dare to accept the challenge?"

Lu Jie was almost 60 years old, and he still had no fighting power. However, he did not want to lose his dignity at this time. He forced himself to smile and said: "If I want to rule the world peacefully, in today's world, who else will be better than me?"

"Okay! Brother Zhanzhi will be stronger and more heroic than before. Let's congratulate him together." Everyone laughed.

When he was having fun, he suddenly heard the boy coming to report. Zhao Huaian was slightly startled and said with a smile: "Everyone, Brother Cunzhou is here with that Zilong. I'll wait to welcome you."

Everyone was a human spirit, and they guessed a little bit with their eyes, and said with a smile: "Let's go together, let's go together."

Lan Wei and Ren Shu looked at each other and were overjoyed. Is Jia Cong here?

Outside the door, a very flat and wide stone road leads directly to the bottom of the mountain, and the boy is leading the two people up the mountain.

Everyone laughed and said, "Brother Cunzhou, come here quickly. How can such beautiful scenery and beauties not be appreciated by elegant guests?"

Jia Zheng changed his dignified and serious look at home, smiled with a smile on his face, cupped his hands and said: "I have met you all, I am feeling a little unwell today, but I also thought that when all of you get together, there will be some good poems, so I brought Zilong here to broaden my horizons. , I hope you adults won’t be surprised.”

Jia Cong smiled and said: "I came here uninvited, gentlemen, please don't blame me for being abrupt."

"Hey, Dang Koubo's literary name is known all over the world, and he is recognized as the most talented man in the country. Now that he is here, this place will shine." Everyone smiled and invited the two people in.

"Lan Wei (Ren Shu) has met Dang Koubo."

Jia Cong looked at the two girls who came forward and bowed to each other. He stretched out his hands to support each other and said with a smile: "Lan and everyone are here too. We haven't seen each other for three years. Their style is even better than before. Cong is very relieved." As he spoke, he gently pinched her wrist. , this is an old acquaintance.

"Does uncle only have Sister Lan in his eyes? How can he regard the slave family as nothing?" Ren Shu frowned slightly and glanced at Jia Cong.

"This girl is..." Jia Cong hurriedly went to help her.

I saw this girl with an oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, red phoenix eyes, and a cherry mouth. Her lips seemed to be filled with pills, and her teeth were like braided shells. Her appearance was not inferior to that of Lan Wei at all, and she even had a bit of sassiness in her beauty.

Lan Wei pursed her lips and smiled: "This is the sister Ren Shu I mentioned to you before."

Um? Jia Cong was stunned for a moment, suddenly realized, and said with a smile: "It turns out to be the famous Heroine Ren. Cong has long wanted to learn some marksmanship from the heroine... Oh no, it's swordsmanship. Seeing her today will comfort me for the rest of my life."

Ren Shu's eyes were like swords, which seemed to penetrate the darkness in Jia Cong's heart. He rolled his eyes at him, covered his mouth and laughed softly: "Uncle, I want to learn 'marksmanship', I can also accompany you."

Jia Cong's heart was so excited that he almost forgot about today's business. He was such a fairy. He could capture people's souls with just one sentence. He was worthy of being one of the four great leaders.

He coughed twice and glared at Ren Shu. You couldn't tell that I was a serious person and should stop talking nonsense.

Ren Shu had a clear mind. He had seen a lot of "serious people" like him. He raised his eyebrows lightly, bit his lower lip and looked at him in return. Why would a serious person hold his hand and not let go?

Jia Cong's face turned red and he immediately retreated. He quickly dropped his hand and covered his mouth to cough.

All the officials laughed and said, "Is Zilong amazed by the beauty of these two people?"

Jia Cong hurriedly got off the donkey and said with a smile: "That's true. How could Cong have seen such a heavenly being in Liaodong for a long time."

"You are blessed today." Everyone laughed, including Jia Zheng, who was upright and upright at home, and stared at the two women. With his status and financial resources, there were not many opportunities to meet these two ladies.

After the two women retreated to a separate table, Jia Cong followed the others and sat down, smiling: "Cong has always admired the elegance of all of you, but I came here to visit you today. I'm sorry to bother you."

"Brother Zilong, you're welcome. Originally, we wanted to write two crooked poems to be arty. But now that Brother Zilong is here, how can we dare to compose poems?"

"It's very, very good. It corresponds to Brother Shi's poem: 'If I don't speak first when spring comes, no insect dares to make a sound.'" "Today there are good wines, beautiful people, and beautiful scenery. Brother Shi must have good poems."

"I have admired Brother Shi's poems for a long time. Why don't you recite them impromptu and drink with us?"

Everyone complimented him and promoted Jia Cong to the title of "World Brother". Jia Zheng smiled proudly while twirling his beard, and did not think there was anything wrong with Jia Cong being older.

"Brother Cong, since the elders are so proud of you, just compose a song." Jia Zheng said with a smile.

"Then Cong will show his disgrace."

Jia Cong was well prepared. He pretended to think for a moment, pointed to a white plum outside the window, and said with a smile, "Yes. There are several plum blossoms in the corner, and Ling Han is blooming alone. I know it's not snow from a distance, because there is a faint fragrance coming."

"Good! It's simple and fresh, transparent and refined, good!" Although everyone is an old party member, they are also two-ranked Jinshi. They were born in the Han Dynasty. How can there be anyone who doesn't know the goods? They all clapped their hands in admiration.

Jia Zheng also nodded and smiled. Brother Cong is indeed gifted. He is a self-taught man who can chant beautiful sentences casually. Our family should be prosperous together.

Zhao Huaian smiled and said: "Brother Shi is a talented poet. This poem is beautiful, but it is not full of joy. Why not write a masterpiece for the enjoyment of the world? We will also benefit from it."

After saying the fate, the boy next to me recorded it.

Damn it, I knew your poems would be troublesome. Fortunately, there were many famous poems about plum blossoms by the ancients, and Jia Cong still had two poems in his stomach, so he smiled and said, "Gentlemen, please don't rush me, and let Cong think about it for a moment."

Everyone laughed and said: "It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. Brother, I will slowly think about it. I will wait and see. It is rare to catch the world's most talented man, how can I let him go so easily?"

"A prize, a prize, a prize." Jia Cong smiled dryly and handed over his hand, knowing that false fame is tiring. He didn't want to rely on this thing to become famous, but he had no choice but to go further and further on the road of "romantic talent".

Jia Cong didn't dare to do it too easily, for fear of being forced to do it again, and he couldn't remember many poems. Slowly pacing in the hall, he walked to Lan Wei's side unconsciously.

"Third Master, don't forget, you still owe me a poem." Lan Wei said softly.

"Uh... I haven't forgotten. How about I return it to you today?" Jia Cong said with a smile. He had already thought about the poem for Lan Wei.

Ren Shu said aggrievedly: "Uncle, why do you prefer one to another? Isn't the slave family worthy of a poem?"

Jia Cong glared at her and said: "Don't make trouble, I don't owe you anything. Don't think that just because you are beautiful, you can do whatever you want. I am a scholar and not a womanizer."

Lan Wei snorted and laughed.

Pooh! Ren Shu wrinkled his nose and secretly spat, "Who doesn't know that you are so hungry that you even take two wives from a Jurchen barbarian? You even give Zhu Bajie glasses - pretending to be gentle."

"Do you have any history with the two of us, Brother Shi?" Everyone laughed.

Jia Cong smiled and said, "I still owe everyone Lan a poem."

"Okay! I have heard for a long time that Zilong's love poems are the best in the world. Today I am willing to collect debts for everyone Lan. If you don't have good poems, I won't let you go." Zhao Huaian said with a smile.

"Thank you all for making the decision." Lan Wei smiled and stood up to give a blessing.

Ren Shu glared at Jia Cong, cursed inwardly, and then rolled his eyes to see that you, a pervert, could not escape my mother's grasp.

Jia Cong deliberately used a plum blossom poem to calm everyone down, so as not to be entangled all the time. He suddenly raised his head and said: "Yes. Beside the broken bridge outside the post, I am lonely and without an owner. It is already dusk and I am sad alone, with more wind and rain. I don't want to argue. In spring, all the flowers are jealous. They fall into mud and become dust, but only the fragrance remains the same."

"Good! What a great book. There is no word "plum" in it, but it describes the sorrow and nobleness of plum blossoms. Zilong's poetic talent is truly the best in the world. I'm waiting for you, I'm waiting for you!" Everyone raised their hands and laughed.

"It fell into mud and ground into dust, but only the fragrance remains the same. This sentence is enough to be passed down to the world." Lu Jie sighed.

"Brother Cunzhou, Tanfu Wenqu came into the world with such great luck that others would envy him." Everyone said.

Jia Zheng was always a strict father, and he habitually scolded Baoyu and Jia Huan as if they were grandsons. Hearing this, he wanted to say a few words of modesty for Jia Cong, but instead he said: "Zilong is still young, and he occasionally gets good works, but they are not worthy of mention." What, all the gentlemen should not be punished."

Jia Cong secretly laughed. Hearing the word "masterpiece" from the old-fashioned mouth of Jia Zheng made Mr. Fang Weng smile.

"Brother Cunzhou is too modest, too modest."

"Well, I have no intention of fighting for spring, and I will be jealous of everyone. Is this a poem for everyone Lan?" Yang Shaoyuan, the right minister of the Ministry of War, said with a smile.

Before Jia Cong could speak, Lan Wei hurriedly smiled and said: "Sir, how could the slave family suffer such a loss? It is obviously a poem about plum blossoms, what does it have to do with Wei'er."

"That's right, flowers are flowers and people are people, how can they be confused. Zilong, please don't perfunctory the poems you wrote for Master Lan, otherwise it will be spread out and it will damage the reputation of the most romantic and talented man in the world."

"Who doesn't know that Zilong's love poems are the best in the world? He must have love poems." All the officials cheered in unison.

Even Jia Zheng had forgotten how he scolded Baoyu at home for working hard on rich poetry and colorful poems. He smiled and said, "Brother Cong, if you have good poems, write them. It's an elegant thing."

Jia Cong smiled and said: "What's so difficult about this? Just pen and ink."

The servant presented me with paper and pen.

Jia Cong pondered for a moment and then waved it off.

(End of this chapter)