Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 98 I've Picked This Flower
Yang Yuan listened to them talking about fine wine and beauties with great excitement, and couldn't help but think of the diary of the great Chinese scholar Ji Xianlin.

A true intellectual who lives a transparent life speaks and chats in a simple, down-to-earth manner.

Even these great writers are no exception.

Among the six people at the table, only Yu Yunwen was relatively steady. Although he would occasionally interject and join in the fun, his words were obviously restrained.

After all, he is the oldest among the six, and in many families, he can be a grandfather at this age.

Among the six, Yu Yunwen is the oldest, forty-four years old this year.

Lu You is second, and he is twenty-nine years old this year.

Fan Chengda is the second, and he is 28 years old this year.

Yang Wanli took the next step and is now 27 years old.

The next one is “Bojiu”, who is 24 years old this year.

Yang Yuan is the youngest, at twenty-three years old.

Although Yu Yunwen is already 44 years old, old enough to be a grandfather, he is also a candidate for this year's university entrance examination.

The reason why it has been wasted until now is not because Yu Yunwen has always failed the imperial examination, but because he has never taken the exam before.

In his early years, Yu Yunwen always wanted to join the military. He felt that in this era, joining the military would be more useful to the country than studying literature.

But in those days, civil officials were valued more than military officials, so his father Yu Qi always refused to agree.

Yu Qi felt that once his son took part in the military examination or joined the army as a warrior, he would be labeled as a warrior.

Although there was no hereditary military status in the Song Dynasty, sons still had the opportunity to pursue a career in literature. However, once a soldier was labeled as such, it would be difficult for him to integrate into the ranks of the literati.

Because of this, the father and son have been arguing.

Yu's father had no choice but to adopt a roundabout tactic. He directly let his son become an official through the method of "Enyin".

Under the Song Dynasty's system of imperial favor, higher-ranking officials could directly arrange for their sons to become officials.

However, the rank of officials obtained through imperial favor will not be very high, and the upper limit of their future development will be extremely low.

In this way, Yu Yunwen was kept under the supervision of his father and became a minor official in Chengdu.

He had worked in the Tea and Horse Bureau and the Grain Science Institute, both as a minor civil servant.

When he was 24, his mother died of illness, and when he was 37, his father also died.

Yu Yunwen was in mourning for three years, and when the period was over he was already forty years old.

If he wanted to join the army or take part in the military examination at this time, he would be too old.

So, the father and son argued for a lifetime, and in the end his old father won.

Under the current circumstances, whether considering from the long-term perspective of family development or from his own actual situation, Yu Yunwen has only the choice of pursuing a career in literature.

Moreover, his father Yu Qi left a will before his death: "If you want to do great things and become a great man, the imperial examination is the only way!"

At his age, he is long past his rebellious stage. Is he going to disobey even his old father's last wishes?

Therefore, Yu Yunwen prepared for the exam for another three years and then went to Lin'an to take the exam.

The imperial examination system of the Song Dynasty stipulated that even if you had never taken the Juren examination or failed the Juren examination, you could directly take the Jinshi examination as long as you felt you were capable of it.

So, after three years of preparation, Brother Yu went directly to Lin'an to take the imperial examination.

Sitting among such a group of great writers, Yang Yuan was actually quite nervous at first.

He wanted to make friends with these people, but was afraid that he would not be able to "get along" with them.

When talking about poetry and songs, Yang Yuan didn't dare to respond.

After all, he could only remember a few poems and songs that were worth mentioning after the Song Dynasty, and he would easily show his weakness if he talked too much.

He also didn't dare to play drinking games. To be honest, it was more difficult to follow the drinking games played by literati than to show off poetry and songs, as it was too easy to be exposed.

But they were actually talking about fine wine and beautiful women!
Yang Yuan was not afraid to talk about this. Not only did he have witty remarks and novel views, he also calmly led the topic to the "Tea Beauty" Dan Niang.

In his words, Yang Yuan made no secret of his admiration and love for Dan Niang.

Yang Yuan said this to draw Lu You and others' attention to Dan Niang.

If these great writers could gain admiration for Dan Niang and leave her a poem or lyrics, that would be a huge win.

Yang Yuan praised: "There are ten scenic spots in West Lake. I would like to call this Danniang scenery the eleventh scenic spot of West Lake!"

Can a woman be a scene of West Lake?
After hearing this, everyone looked towards Dan Niang, but the ten maids rolled their eyes in dissatisfaction.

Lu You and others had never looked at Dan Niang carefully before, but when they looked at her now, they could not find any flaws in her manners, expressions, temperament, appearance and figure.

However, although she has a beautiful appearance and boasts about the eleventh scene of West Lake, it seems...

"That's right, that's right, this woman's temperament is indeed extraordinary..."

Forget it. It’s obvious that Brother Yang Yuan really likes this young lady, so we have to give him some face.

Lu Fangweng was the first to praise, and the others also nodded frequently.

Zhao Yu looked at his jealous concubine, then at the scholars who were "forced to work", and could not help but let out his unique laugh again: "Geese, geese, geese, geese..."

...Wanyan Quxing looked absent-minded, and Ugun Yingge, who was sitting beside him, had already noticed it.

Yingge couldn't help but sneer in her heart: "It turns out that a dog will always eat shit!"

Although she came here today just to make Wanyan Quxing fall in love with Dan Niang, she still felt unhappy.

Doesn't this prove that the Han woman is better than her?
But, looking at Dan Niang carefully again, Yingge couldn't help but admit with frustration that the girl's every smile, every move was so charming that even she felt itchy inside.

Look at others, then look at yourself...

Yingge looked down and saw herself sitting cross-legged with her horse and sword in hand.

Compared with that green tea girl, I am simply a Zhang Fei who can have an orgasm!
Yingge raised her hand and rubbed her nose. She didn't want to continue competing with Dan Niang. It was simply humiliating herself.

The rain, like silk and mist, floated down without my noticing.

The river tide was even more majestic and dangerous at this time, but the excitement of the surfers competing for the colorful flags in the water was a little unclear due to the rain and fog.

Yingge took the opportunity to say to Wanyan Quxing: "If we just watch the tide here, it's quite spectacular, but it's a bit far to watch those people playing in the water. I want to go to the riverside to take a look, do you want to come?"

Wanyan Quxing was overjoyed when he heard this and said quickly, "I am drinking with Deputy Envoy Han here and will not go down. You can go for a walk by the river."

"Okay!" Yingge nodded to Deputy Envoy Han, then stood up, and the master and the servant went downstairs holding an umbrella.

Deputy Envoy Han teased Wanyan Quxing with a smile: "Young Prince, your woman is seeing other men, don't you care?"

"It doesn't matter!"

Wanyan Quxing smiled generously: "We northern girls admire heroes the most. If we were in the water, you and I would not be as brave as them. If Yingge wants to see it, go and see it!"

After saying this, Wanyan Quxing pushed the table aside and stood up: "Alas, I have been sitting for too long, my legs are numb. Deputy Envoy Han, you watch the tide while I stretch my legs."

Wanyan Qu walked out of the pavilion, stretched his waist, expanded his chest, pretended to move his body, and then walked towards the opposite pavilion impatiently.

After the plum rain, a breeze lifted Dan Niang's sleeves.

She was still there drinking by herself, and her quietness was enhanced by the drifting rain and mist in the background, which made her look even more elegant and graceful.

Seeing such a scene, Wanyan Quxing slowed down his steps.

He walked politely to the pavilion where Dan Niang was, and bowed to her: "Young lady, I am a little thirsty after drinking wine. I saw that your tea is quite unique, so I came to ask for a cup of tea."

His actions and conversation all imitated the Han Dynasty scholars, except that the top of his head and the hair on his temples were shaved bald, and two small braids hung down his shoulders. This way, he looked very much like Ah Fu in the New Year picture, and even looked a bit naive.

Dan Niang felt amused in her heart, but her expression became more elegant.

Dan Niang bowed to Wanyan Quxing and said with a smile: "My dear and I are both guests who come to watch the tide. It is fate that we meet. Why should I be stingy with a cup of tea? Please take a seat, my dear."

Wanyan Quxing's bones softened when he heard it. This was the voice of a woman, which was far superior to Yingge's rough voice.

Wanyan Quxing quickly agreed, took off his boots and walked to the table.

Qingtang handed him a "zhizhi". Wanyan Quxing thanked him politely and sat down.

This "heel support" is a T-shaped wooden seat, which can be placed under the buttocks when kneeling. It is equivalent to sitting on a small stool, so that the heels and calves will not be under heavy pressure.

After Wanyan Quxing sat down, he looked at the tea tray shaped like a landscape and exclaimed: "I have never seen such a unique tea set. A tea tray is like a landscape painting. It is really amazing."

Dan Niang smiled slightly and began her tea ceremony performance.

This is the latest tea ceremony that has never been shown to the world. It is as graceful and elegant as flowing clouds and water.

Wanyan Quxing watched with trepidation, like a country bumpkin entering the city, afraid that he didn't know the rules and would do something funny.

Danniang poured a cup of tea, gently pushed the light green tea in front of him, and said softly: "It's rainy and windy, and I can hardly see the tide. I feel depressed. Fortunately, you can sit with me and drink tea and talk about everything. I am very happy. Please come in, my dear."

"Ah, okay, okay..."

Wanyan Quxing carefully picked up the tea and sniffed its fragrance. Suddenly, he remembered an ancient poem from the Han Dynasty: "The wind and rain are dark, and the cocks are crowing. How can I not be happy to see a gentleman?"

From what this beauty said, it seems that she has a good impression of me as well!

Yes, this prince is tall and strong, and has a good appearance! I think she is as gentle as spring water, which is very different from the girls in the north.

When she looked at me, I felt that I was as tall and strong as a mountain, much better than the men from the water town.

Thinking of this, Wanyan Quxing suddenly felt a tender affection between the two.

Dan Niang said, "This is the best Longjing tea. My dear, please try it and see how it tastes."

Wanyan Quxing looked down and saw that the tea soup was clear and light green, with a faint tea fragrance that filled his mouth and nose. It was completely different from the tea he had drunk in the past...

Wanyan Quxing took a sip, not knowing whether it was a psychological effect or he had really adapted to the taste of Qingming all of a sudden.

He felt that all the tea he had drunk before was not worth mentioning, and the cup of tea in his hand was the real tea.

Only this kind of tea can “refresh muscles and bones after five bowls, and reach the state of immortality after six bowls”.

Only a beauty like this one in front of him would make him miss her like crazy if he couldn't see her for a day.

The flowers can be folded straight and must be folded.

He drank this cup of tea.

He decided to pick this flower!

(End of this chapter)