Hualou encounters Chenghua by chance. At the end of the autumn of the seventeenth year of Chenghua, Yan Qing returned to the imperial capital from Jiangling with his father.

She was thirteen years old that year, still in her prime.

The figure of the young man in green shirt in Prince Cheng's Mansion also gradually faded away as the river boat sailed away.

After returning to the capital, life was as usual, and the days were still dull. Most of them were working in the embroidery house and learning from the embroiderers. In Yan Qing's opinion, it was really boring.

Shen Zhu would come to Yan's house every day, and sometimes he would bring some interesting gadgets to relieve her boredom.

Shen Zhu was four years older than Yan Qing. His father was a minister of Honglu Temple, and he and Mr. Yan Ge participated in the palace examination together, so they were of the same age. Therefore, the two families have always been on good terms, and Yan Qing and Shen Zhu have grown up together.

But her brother Yan Lan didn't like Shen Zhu very much. He always said that he was scholarly, old-fashioned and boring.

"You are just jealous that others are more knowledgeable than you." Yan Qing would push back every time.

This sentence is a pain point for Yan Lan. He has had no talent in reading since he was a child. When his younger sister started to read scriptures and memorize poems, every time his teacher assigned articles, he could not recite them as fast as Yan Qing.

Mr. Yan Ge was the number one scholar back then. In his opinion, this son had completely disgraced him.

Yan Lan didn't take it seriously. His father always restricted him from studying at home, but he tried his best to sneak out to fight cocks and horses, and mingled with a group of people in the market. Even Yan Qing couldn't stand it.

Old Yan Ge was so angry that he asked the family lawyer several times, beating his wife and daughter until they cried and begged for mercy. The boy was very hard-boned and would never give in. In the end, the two elders of the Yan family had no choice but to let him go.

What can I do? I am an only child in the family.

In the 18th year of Chenghua, Yan Lan and his father almost had a falling out because he wanted to join the army.

How could a scholarly family like the Yan family, and Mr. Yan Ge, be a great scholar of the world, allow their only son to join the military camp? The two fathers and sons refused to give in to each other, and the quarrel turned the family upside down.

Mr. Yan Ge was so angry that it was still hot at the time, so the couple went to Yan's family home in Xishan to escape the heat to relieve their anger.

When a servant came to report that Jiang Weiren from the Hanlin Academy asked for an audience, only two brothers and sisters were present at home.

Yan Lan had never heard of this name, but there were countless people in the Hanlin Academy who wanted to visit the Yan family.

Hearing this, he said with disdain: "Those rotten scholars from the Hanlin Academy again. These scholars spend all day long thinking about clinging to the powerful, burying their heads in piles of old papers, spending their whole lives in the intrigues of the court, and have achieved nothing!"

Yan Qing gave him a blank look, looking down on him every time he reduced the scholar to nothing, "If you continue to attack, my father will be included in this. Both civil and military achievements are made, there is no distinction between high and low."

"What do you know about movies, little girl?!" Yan Lan snorted coldly, and then said to the servant, "Tell that Jiang or something to go, I won't see him at home."

The man followed the order, but was pulled out by Yan Qing She shouted to stop, "Tell Mr. Jiang that the master is not at home these days. Ask him to come to your door next time."

After saying that, she turned around and looked at Yan Lan provocatively and said, "Let's take a gamble and see what happens next time." If Jiang Weiren comes again, will my father be willing to see him? "

The brothers and sisters have been quarreling since they were young, and they have to argue about everything. Yan Lan was the most offended, and immediately said: "Okay, let's bet, girl, don't think it's okay. You know dad."

Soon, Yan Gelao came back from his other career, and Jiang Weiren came to visit again. Yan Qing happened to be beside her father. She knew that her father always loved talents. When he helped Jiang Weiren in Jiangling, it was not only because of herself, but also But he already valued Jiang Weiren very much.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Yan Ge said: "No."

The servant conveyed this to Jiang Weiren outside the house. After a while, he came in again and said: "That Mr. Jiang said he came to thank him."

"Then tell him. ," Mr. Yan Ge said lightly, "I can't remember what kind of kindness I had to him."

The servant ran out again. When he came in again, Yan Qing asked curiously: "What was his reaction after you said that?

" The young master knelt down outside our house and kowtowed, and then said to the villain that the old man had forgotten his kindness that day, but he would never forget it in this life. After saying this, he left. "

Yan Qing thought, this man is indeed a kindhearted person. Pictured.

"Dad, Jiang Weiren said to you that you have seen his strategies, don't you admire him very much?"

Mr. Yan Ge sighed softly and said: "This boy's talent is good, but after all he is just starting out and still needs experience. Yan

Qing didn't quite understand what his father meant. He frowned and thought for a while and asked, "He just entered the Hanlin Academy not long ago. He will have plenty of time to practice in the future. Why do you just turn people away like this? It's so unhuman."

Mr. Yan Ge smiled and said to her: "Nanny, you don't understand. Dad is doing this for his own good." "

For his own good? " Jiang Weiren came from Jiangling and inherited such a favor from the Yan family. If he takes care of him now, he will definitely feel more grateful in the future, right?

After Yan Lan heard that the scholar named Jiang Weiren was turned away, he said to his sister very proudly: "Look, my brother is right, there are so many people who want to take shortcuts by climbing the door. , Can dad still like this kind of person?"

Yan Qing saw that her brother always had prejudices against scholars, so she told him in detail about the time when Jiangling became the prince's palace.

"No wonder you want to bet with me," Yan Lan smiled and said, "But my silly sister, you are still too naive. You don't want to see the weak being bullied. You want dad to help him because you pity him, but dad said You're right, this is for his own good."

She asked again, but Yan Lan refused to elaborate. If he didn't tell her, there would always be someone willing to answer her questions.

When Shen Zhu came to see her, he explained to her: "The truth is very simple. You also know that now Cai Yong's party controls the government, and your father is the only one who can compete with them.

"This Jiang Weiren has no background in Beijing and has just entered the government . As an official, with his current foundation, he cannot stand on either side, otherwise he will never get ahead. If Jiang Weiren wants to become an official in the court, he must understand these principles.

Yan Qing sighed: "He comes from a poor family and first entered the court. Naturally, he doesn't understand the ways of officialdom. " You see, even Yan Lan understands that in the final analysis, it is just because you have grown up in such a family since childhood and have been immersed in it. "

You're right," Shen Zhu nodded, "It's hard for a child from a poor family to get ahead, that's how this world is." If Jiang Weiren really wants to get ahead, he can't just write a few beautiful articles. "

Yan Lan and his father argued endlessly. In the end, Mr. Yan Ge compromised and finally relented and agreed to let him abandon literature and join the martial arts and enter the Yulin Guards.

Yan Qing often heard his father sigh. This dynasty emphasizes literature and suppresses military affairs. The higher the military commanders are, the more senior they are. The more powerful the king is, the more likely he is to be jealous. She understands that her father still hopes that his son can inherit his ambition, but everyone has their own ambitions and cannot force it.

Since Yan Lan joined Yu Linwei, he has been like a fish in water. He goes out early and comes back late every day, and Yan Qing is also very good. Shao Neng saw him.

When she finally found a chance to block him, Yan Lan was now full of thoughts outside, so she asked helplessly: "What's wrong?

"Brother," she tugged on the corner of his clothes and whispered, "please take me out to play. Staying at home all day long will make me sick. "

Naturally, Yan Lan would not agree easily. He frowned and said, "How does your daughter's family behave in public? "

Yan Qing snorted: "You took me out a lot before! " "

In the past, Mr. Yan Ge was very strict with his son, but Yan Lan always found opportunities to sneak out. Among the people he made friends with were not only people from the market, but also people from the world. When Yan Qing found out, he threatened to tell his father.

It was because of the leverage he had that forced him to sneak her out of the house several times. Speaking of which, Yan Qing's understanding of the Imperial Capital mostly came from her brother.

"If you don't take me there, then I'll find Shen Zhen. He won't refuse." She pouted.

She was right, Shen Zhu would spoil her in anything, but Yan Lan had always disliked Shen Zhu and didn't want him to be too close to her sister.

"Where do you want to go?" He frowned and agreed, "I'll take you there."

Yan Qing immediately raised his eyebrows and smiled, leaned closer and told him softly, "In the late spring of this year, the major teachings in Qujiang will choose oirans. ..."

"Stop it!" Yan Lan interrupted immediately and said solemnly, "You can go to that kind of place?"

Yan Qing refused to give up and said: "The Oiran election is a grand event in Beijing. , How many people will go there? I will dress up as a man as before, and no one will notice."

Yan Lan was unmoved, "You were young at that time, and no one would notice. Now you don't. It’s almost time for my haircut. What if someone finds out?”

“You also know that I’m about to have my haircut.” Yan Qing deliberately put on an aggrieved look, holding the corners of his clothes and rubbing them hard, “Wait for the next three years. What chance will there be to go see it then? If you don’t take me with you this time, I will find a way to drag you home so that you don’t even think about going there. If you don’t believe me, try it!”

Of course Yan Lan believed it. My sister is very weird and likes to go against him. If he doesn't agree, she will definitely give him a headache.

Yan Qing saw that his expression was relaxed, and he immediately kept pleading, finally getting his brother to relent and nod helplessly.

The Qujiang River flows through the southwest corner of the Imperial City. The most famous thing is not the blue water on the river, but the rows of willow lanes and beautiful buildings along the river. Painted boats, flutes and drums, people reveling in life and wealth, make it the most charming and gentle town.

But this land of flowers and willows is not that simple. The so-called prostitutes are also divided into two categories. Those who park in the painting boats on the river every night are the former. Most of the women in this category have good looks but no talent. Anyone can get on the painting boat, including traffickers and pawns, regardless of their status, as long as they have money.

But the women in the courtyards with carved railings and painted buildings on the shore are quite different.

Most of those courtyards only had one woman living there. This woman was often selected by the madam when she was young, and then she was raised in a boudoir. Various masters were invited to teach her music, chess, calligraphy and painting. She not only had to be beautiful, but also had outstanding talents.

When such a girl is raised to fourteen or fifteen years old, she has become famous all over the world, attracting countless celebrities and talented people to pursue her, and is worth more than a thousand pieces of gold. She alone can support the bustard and her servants in that courtyard, and there is no shortage of dignitaries among the people who come and go in the courtyard.

These boat-painting and pearl markets in Qujiang are all under the jurisdiction of the Jiaofangsi. In order to add elegance, the Jiaofangsi has established a rule to select an oiran once every three years. The woman with the most outstanding talent and elegance must be selected from the fireworks and willow lanes along the river. .

Often, a woman who can be selected as an oiran can become famous in the imperial capital overnight and be sought after by thousands of people. Ordinary people may not be able to see her even if they spend a lot of money.

Such a grand event only happens once every three years, and the various stories that come out every time are all fascinating and fascinating.

It was not once or twice that Yan Qing sneaked out of the house with her brother. She put on the men's clothes she usually prepared and put on a loose robe, which was enough to look fake.

When the carriages and horses arrived at Qujiang, it was already blocked by water. If you look at the place with the most people from a distance, you can see where the flowers are.

Yan Lan was a frequent visitor to these fengyuechang. If he had never visited any courtyard, he would know which courtyard it was when he looked up.

"Qingbo Tower." He looked at the place where everyone gathered and said.

The girl from Qingbo Tower is named Gu and named Yuqing. She is in her 28th year of Jade. It is said that her appearance is like the reincarnation of Concubine Mi, who has conquered the country and conquered the city.

Yan Qing was quite curious after hearing this. He was selected as the oiran when he was just starting out. He thought that with these three words "Gu Yuqing", he would become famous all over the world in the future.

The oiran has been selected, but it is not that easy to get a glimpse of her beauty.

First of all, to enter the courtyard of Qingbo Tower, you need to pay ten taels of silver. Once inside, the lady in the attic will open the curtain to take a look and select those with acceptable appearance and bearing before entering to compete in poems.

Now that he is here, Yan Qing naturally wants to join in the excitement. After giving the money to the turtle slave, Yan Qing followed his brother into the Qingbo Tower.

Of course, elegance is reflected everywhere in the courtyard, with pavilions and pavilions, and every decoration reflects care. It is not what ordinary people imagine the Fengyuechang looks like. Even the makeup of the maids is quite exquisite.

Everyone stood in the courtyard, and the windows in the attic were pushed open. Everyone was eagerly waiting to see what kind of fairy concubine the girl Yu Qing would look like.

But what disappoints everyone is that although the window is open, there is a bamboo curtain, and only a graceful figure can be seen behind the curtain.

After a while, the maid upstairs came down. After whispering to the turtle slave in a low voice, the turtle slave began to drive people away.

Many of the people who were invited out were reluctant and even cursed, but there were more than a dozen guards lined up outside the door, and no one dared to really cause trouble, so they had no choice but to go out.

Yan Qing looked around for a week, and suddenly saw that familiar figure.

"Why is he here?" She couldn't help but murmured in a low voice, but Yan Lan still listened.

"Who?" He followed her gaze and saw behind the rockery in the corner of the courtyard, a man in a moon-white robe. Only a silhouette could be seen, but he was tall and thin, which was pretty good.

Yan Qing tiptoed close to his ear and said three words, "Jiang Weiren."

It took a while for Yan Lan to remember the name. He couldn't help but look at it a few more times and said disdainfully to his sister: "Look, you can see that you come here to visit. He is not a polite and reserved gentleman."

Yan Qingqing glanced at him and said, "Have you forgotten that you are also here?"

Then he started to write poems. The maid put the pen and paper on the table and asked everyone to come forward. Why, Yan Qing turned around again and found that Jiang Weiren was standing next to him.

Her heart suddenly skipped a beat, thinking that when she first entered the palace, she only took a quick glance at her. After so long, she was dressed as a man again, and he wouldn't recognize her anyway.

During the time it took to write a poem for a stick of incense, the maid also read the title given by Miss Yu Qing, and everyone in the courtyard wrote the poems on paper. Yan Qing put his heart into it and thought about it for a long time. After he finished writing, he saw that Jiang Weiren had already stopped writing.

She pretended to glance at it casually, but saw that the name he wrote in the next chapter was actually "Zhao Shu".

The written poems were sent up one by one. Soon, the maid came down again and said to everyone: "I'm sorry, everyone, but my lady would like to invite a young man to come upstairs to talk about it."

Yan Lan stroked his clothes nervously, and Yan Qing She patted him on the shoulder to express comfort and said, "Don't worry, if you can be chosen as the oiran, Miss Gu's vision will not be low."

It means that Miss Gu has high vision, how could she fall in love with you.

Yan Lan knew that his sister was teasing him in different ways.

At this time, the maid had spoken again: "I'd like to invite Mr. Zhao Shu."

After saying that, a man in brocade robes stepped forward and followed the maid into the courtyard at the back and climbed to the attic.

The others were still sighing, but Yan Qing only quietly looked at Jiang Weiren and found that he was standing there quietly with an indifferent expression.

After a while, just as everyone was preparing to leave one after another, the maid who had just led Zhao Shu away returned to the courtyard.

"Please stay," the maid took out a piece of paper from her sleeve, typed it slowly, and carefully showed it to everyone present, "The young master who composed this poem is invited by our young lady. "

Under that poem, Zhao Shu's name was clearly written, but since the maid said so, someone else must have written the poem.

Everyone looked around, but after a while, no one answered.

This was probably unprecedented, but the person chosen by the oiran was unwilling to go upstairs. If word spread, it would undoubtedly hurt Gu Yuqing's face.

At this moment, the window in the attic opened again. This time, the bead curtain was lifted, and Gu Yuqing's face finally appeared in front of everyone.

At that moment, Yan Qing heard several muffled exclamations beside her. The tall and graceful woman on the attic deserved both the title of the courtesan and the word "Yu Qing" in her name.

The eyebrows of Zhenshou are as bright as the moon and the sun is shining like the rising sun.

Not only that, her voice is also clear and graceful, which makes people's hearts sway.

"If there is fate, we will meet one day. Yu Qing believes that the fate with the young master will definitely be more than this."

When he came out, Yan Lan was still gritting his teeth, "Such a good girl, what bastard would tease her? Since she wrote a poem He refuses to admit it, what a coward! That Zhao Shu is the same, he actually let others ask his name, and it is so disgusting that he can hide it from Miss Yu Qing!"

When the two came out of Qingbo Tower, the sky was already dark. In the dark, lotus lanterns float on the Qujiang River, like fireflies floating in the water, which is really beautiful.

This is the custom of the Imperial Capital. On the fifteenth day of every month, lotus lanterns are put out in Qujiang, some to pray for relatives, and some to send thoughts from afar.

It was a coincidence that on this day, Yan Qing became interested. Yan Lan had no choice but to accompany her to a lotus lantern seller not far away and bought two lotus lanterns.

Walking to the stone bridge, Yan Qing squatted by the water, put the lit lotus lantern into the water, and gently stirred the water waves with his hand, and the lotus lantern swayed away.

After putting it down, he stood up and followed Yan Lan towards the carriage. But after taking a few steps, he heard a voice from behind.

"Please stay..."

Yan Qing turned around after hearing the voice, only to see a lonely figure standing by the stone bridge. In the distance were the bright lights along the Qujiang River, but he was standing in the most deserted place, with dots of the river behind him. The lotus lantern illuminated his face with its dim light.

He was holding on to a folding fan, and the tassels falling from the fan were swaying slightly.

He stepped forward and handed the fan to Yan Qing's hand. He looked at her and said calmly: "The thing has fallen, girl."

The sound of "girl" made Yan Qing's heart skip a beat. She was sure that under her attire, she would not be able to tell that she was a woman at first glance. identity, especially when the lights beside the stone bridge were dim.

She and he were just a brief moment in the palace, and Yan Qing thought he wouldn't remember it. But at this moment, she suddenly remembered that he was rumored to be called a "child prodigy" because of his photographic memory.

At this moment, Yan Qing was thinking of what Gu Yuqing said not long ago.

If we are destined, we will meet one day.