Step by step lotus flower

Chapter 179 The Palace Banquet (3)
There are a row of long desks made of rosewood wood on both sides below Majesty Dan. Behind each desk are two rose chairs inlaid with black lacquer and mica stones. , a small bonsai covered with moss; further down is a row of black lacquer lacquered and tinned large round tables, on which are placed jade vases, which are dotted with various flowers such as Yutang Fugui, and some flowers are dotted with dewdrops.

There are also many ice basins around the main hall. From time to time, two small servants come in with fresh ice. The ice in the palace is exquisite, or it is carved into the shape of hibiscus, or the shape of Bing Dilian. The appearance, or the festive appearance of Magu's birthday... All the way in, the cool air was brought in, and the twelve purple purlins with chicken wing wood and ivory landscape screens embedded in the ivory landscape screen at the entrance of the hall brought a sense of coolness. .

Obviously, the palace banquet later will be held here.

After Lu Mingxuan looked around the hall without a trace, she had some idea in her heart. After all, palace banquets are not like ordinary people's banquets. Usually after lunch, they would watch a play and wipe cards for fun. Most of the people would have to play at the host's house. It’s hard to tell the women of the inner life before leaving after the dinner, but the palace will never provide them with a place to play, so at most after the banquet, the women of the outer life will kneel down and leave one after another. After a few hours before and after, she will be able to escape this catastrophe.

While thinking about it, Mrs. Yan, Duke of Shengguo, and Mrs. He, Mrs. Changguo, arrived with their female relatives. Naturally, they had a good time seeing each other at the moment. This is because second- and third-rate nobles don't have that much face. So she was arranged by the female officer of the Fengyi Hall to enter the Dongpei Hall, and she could only wait in the curtain outside the hall, otherwise the Dongpei Hall would have been crowded with people at that time.

Not long after, a servant ran in with a smile on his face: "Ladies, the empress is ascending to the throne, please wait outside the main hall. After all the empresses, masters, princesses and princesses have finished their pilgrimage, it's time to turn around." Here comes the ladies!"

All the wives in the hall who were ordered to pay homage to Empress Xu quickly lined up in two rows after each ordered their daughters-in-law not to go or who were not qualified to go to the main hall of Fengyi Hall to pay homage to Empress Xu. Follow the servants and file out of the East Side Hall.

Soon there was the sound of playing music faintly from the main hall. Grandma Lu has not yet ordered her body, and she did not come into the palace today, so Dingguo Duke's Mansion is in the absence of Mrs. Lu and Mrs. Lu. It was Lu Mingfeng who was the leader.

Lu Mingfeng saw the tense faces of her younger sisters, which was in stark contrast to the calm and calm faces of the rest of the palace. She was from her own family and would think that it was their first time entering the palace after all, so it was natural to be nervous However, in the eyes of others, I am afraid that they will only feel that they are petty and shameless, and they will lose the face of the entire Dingguo Mansion, because they smiled and whispered to a few people: "Sisters, don't be nervous, let's go to the main hall." It will take at least an hour to go after the ceremony, why don't we go over there and have a rest?"

When Lu Mingli and the others heard the news, they saw that the grandmas and ladies from several other families had already chosen a secluded seat and sat down. They couldn't help but feel a little tempted. Their legs were already sore after standing for so long, so they, together with Lu Mingfeng, also They picked a secluded corner and took their seats.

Lu Mingfeng often enters the palace and lives in the palace for a while every year. Naturally, she is quite familiar with the maids of Fengyi Palace. After she arranged for Lu Mingli and the others to sit down, she got up and talked with a court lady beside her. After a short while, the palace lady came back with a small begonia-style carved lacquer and gold-filled tray, and there were five famille rose enamel teacups on it, which faintly smelled of tea. She first took a cup in her hand, Fang laughed softly and said to the four people: "I didn't drink a drop of water this morning because I was afraid of making a fool of myself after entering the palace. Now my throat is about to smoke. I think my sisters are not going to be any better. Take advantage of this moment There are few children, so the younger sisters should all have a cup of tea, otherwise the palace is no better than at home, and there is no telling when we will be able to have tea again." After speaking, he drank a few sips, and his face was immediately full of satisfaction.

Even the people who Lu Mingfeng often entered the palace were afraid of being embarrassed after drinking too much water, not to mention Lu Mingli, who entered the palace for the first time, not only did not dare to drink too much water, even the two pieces of meat that Mrs. Lu made them eat in the morning They didn't even dare to finish the buns, they were already thirsty and hungry at the moment, seeing that there was tea to eat, they couldn't help it, they all took a cup in their hands, and began to eat in small bites with a little restraint.

Only Lu Mingxuan didn't dare to take a mouthful, fearing that there was something in the tea. Although Empress Xu and Lu Mingfeng were not that stupid, she was afraid of anything but just in case. He pretended to be, but in fact he didn't even touch a drop of tea.

After eating tea, Lu Mingli, Lu Mingfu, and Lu Mingxin relaxed a lot. Lu Mingfu was the most lively and generous among them, and she and Lu Mingfeng got along well on weekdays. Lu Mingfeng began to speak: "Just now, I walked all the way, although I didn't dare to raise my head, but my eyes were wide open, it's really a magnificent sight... It's a pity that I can't go to Shanglin Garden to see it, otherwise, this life will be worthwhile .”

Hearing this, Lu Mingfeng chuckled and said: "The scenery of Shanglin Garden is indeed unparalleled in the world, especially now when the famous flowers are blooming and the beautiful trees are flourishing, coupled with the flying springs and clear water, it is beautiful and beautiful. , just like in the painting... The scenery of Taiye Pool is particularly good, with blue waves like a hectare, and the waves are shimmering. From a distance, the water and the sky are all the same color of lake blue and green, and the reflections give off light. There are also sporadic places in the pool On the island, majestic and beautiful pavilions and pavilions are widely built on the island, and the period when 'Shanglin Bafang' is planted all over the place has a unique flavor."

Lu Mingfu and the others were all filled with yearning, and hurriedly asked: "'Shanglin Bafang'? What kind of rare thing is that?"

Lu Mingfeng smiled and said: "Actually, it's not a rare thing, but it's just magnolia, crabapple, peony, sweet-scented osmanthus, green bamboo, plantain, plum blossom, and orchid. It's homophonic meaning of 'the jade hall is rich and honored, and the bamboo repays peace'. To show the auspiciousness of the court."

Several people nodded and smiled, "I see."

Lu Mingfu asked again: "Then will all the maidens in the palace be present at the palace banquet later? Never would I have thought that I would have the opportunity to meet so many ladies at once, but it's a pity that we must only Please accompany the last banquet, I am too far away, I am afraid I can't see what the ladies look like, whether they are all like the fairies in the sky."

"Not all mistresses will attend." Lu Mingfeng explained softly, "Only empresses and mistresses who are above the fifth rank are eligible to attend, and other low-ranking mistresses are the same as those low-ranking concubines. , I only kowtowed to the empress before I had to leave... Today's sage is a wise monarch who is diligent and loving in government, so there are not many concubines in the harem, especially those with high status. From the empress, there are only three The concubine, concubine concubine, concubine Shu and concubine Ding concubine who had princes became concubines, then Xu Zhaoyi, Zhu Zhaorong, concubines Ligui, concubines Wengui, who had princesses, became the empresses, and the others were several Jieyu Ronghua is the concubine, and the Holy Majesty has not drafted for several years, and there are no newcomers in the palace. If my sister Fu really wants to see the dignity of the empresses, or when I toast the empress later, my sister will also Come with me?"

(End of this chapter)