It's the Lantern Festival again, the lights in the flower market are as bright as day. The moon is above the treetops, and people are meeting after dusk.
Seeing such a beautiful night view, Lu Jiayi couldn't help but recall the time when she and Chen Yuanzhu visited the Lantern Festival together.
In the blink of an eye, everything has changed.
Thinking of these things, Lu Jiayi suddenly looked a little sad.
Next to him was a pretty girl wearing a light green jacket, with thin eyebrows and big eyes, and a charming look. Seeing Lu Jiayi's sad face, she couldn't help but ask, "Is there something on your mind? Tell me about it."
Looking at her, Lu Jiayi couldn't help but think that in Li Qingzhao's time, Chen Yuanzhu had not yet been born! Those separations and deaths were very far away from her. Thinking of this, she suddenly smiled.
"It's okay, I just remembered my childhood playmates." Lu Jiayi said with a smile.
The gentle girl beside her is the talented and beautiful female poet Li Qingzhao. Although she is still young, her fame has spread far and wide.
Lu Jiayi has been here for more than a month. She is now a maid in the Li Mansion, specializing in teaching Li Qingzhao the art of tea. Lu Jiayi is smart and clever, completely different from other maids, and it is easy for her to gain Li Qingzhao's favor.
"Look ahead." The clever girl pointed.
Lu Jiayi looked in the direction of her finger and found that the two had come to Xiangguo Temple. The temple was bustling with people, and incense was constantly burning. Two majestic stone lions sat at the gate, which made people feel respectful.
"Since you are feeling sad, you might as well tell the Buddha and let the depression in your heart go out." Li Qingzhao smiled and pulled Lu Jiayi into the crowd who were burning incense and worshiping Buddha.
The two of them came to the main hall, worshipped the Buddha devoutly, and asked for a fortune.
"What signature?" Lu Jiayi asked curiously.
Li Qingzhao smiled shyly and said, "A very good fortune."
"That's great!" Lu Jiayi clapped her hands happily and anxiously pulled her to queue up to interpret the fortune.
Li Qingzhao gently broke free, shook her head, and said softly: "Although it is a very good fortune, I don't want to interpret it."
"Why?" someone next to him asked.
"If it is really destiny, there is no need to interpret this fortune. The person in my life will come to me naturally. I guess all I have to do is wait." After Li Qingzhao finished speaking, she vaguely felt that something was wrong and turned back in panic.
That glance——
It was as if time and space were out of sync, and the people and things around her became the background. She saw a young man in a white gown, with handsome eyebrows and eyes, and an elegant smile, which made people forget the world.
The man saw her turn around and inadvertently saw a pretty little face . He was flustered with a bit of innocence and curiosity, and couldn't help but be slightly startled. With a thought, he bowed to the ground and said, "I am rude."
"Who are you?" Lu Jiayi walked up.
"My name is Zhao Mingcheng, nice to meet you two girls. " The man was polite and elegantly spoken, and there was no flaw in his every move.
Compared to the surprise of meeting him, Lu Jiayi was more shocked by what he just said. He is Zhao Mingcheng?
Li Qingzhao stared at him intently, bowed gently in return, and said, "My name is Li Qingzhao, and I come from the residence of Mr. ."
As soon as Li Qingzhao finished speaking, Zhao Mingcheng seemed even more surprised than Lu Jiayi, and couldn't help asking, "Young lady, are you the lyricist of the poem ' Last Night the Rain Was Sparse and the Wind Was Raging'?"
"It's just an empty reputation." After he said that, Li Qingzhao felt a little embarrassed and subconsciously moved closer to Lu Jiayi beside her.
Lu Jiayi took advantage of the opportunity and asked, "Mr. Zhao, what are you doing in the temple so late at night? Are you here like us..." She blinked slyly and teased, "Are you here to seek marriage?"
Zhao Mingcheng was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "I am just a student from the Imperial College. I heard that the Prime Minister will have tea and discuss Taoism with the abbot at Xiangguo Temple tonight, so I came here to pay my respects and learn from him."
Lu Jiayi's smile remained unchanged, but her heart gradually grew colder. She looked at Zhao Mingcheng and asked with a trembling voice, "Which Prime Minister?"
"Of course it's Master Cai..."
Zhao Mingcheng bowed respectfully and gave the man's surname.
"Hey! I think..." Lu Jiayi suddenly looked at the sky outside the door, and then said to the two of them, "It's getting late. We have to go back early, so that everyone in the mansion won't worry."
"Okay, let's go back now." Li Qingzhao nodded.
Seeing her lightly moving her lotus steps and about to leave, Zhao Mingcheng subconsciously stretched out his hand and called out, "Miss Li!"
Li Qingzhao turned sideways and looked at him seriously.
"I have had the honor of reading your masterpiece and I admire your talent. Seeing you today, I am even more impressed..." He was a little flustered and hesitated to speak, fearing that he would offend the beauty again. He changed the subject and said, "I wonder if I will be lucky enough to see you again in the future?"
Li Qingzhao looked away somewhat unnaturally, with a blush on her face. She was silent for a while, and whispered: "Your father and my father are officials in the same court. You and I are both in Bianjing. If you want to see him... you can see him naturally."
Having said this, she became even more shy, and quickly took a few steps to catch up with Lu Jiayi at the door.
Zhao Mingcheng looked at the beautiful figure gradually disappearing in the light, feeling extremely lost, as if he had been hit by a hammer and didn't know what day it was.
In the first year of Chongning, Li Qingzhao and Zhao Mingcheng met for the first time at Xiangguo Temple, and the eternal legend began on the night of the Lantern Festival.
After leaving the Main Hall, the air around us suddenly became much fresher.
The streets in the distance were full of lanterns, twinkling like stars, reflecting the stars in the night sky. The night view of Bianjing City was so beautiful that people lingered during this festival, and even the incense in the temples was more prosperous than usual.
Lu Jiayi and Li Qingzhao walked towards the mountain gate, passing by the faithful men and women who came to pray. Somehow, Lu Jiayi felt a strange feeling in her heart, and she couldn't help but look up and look at the crowd that kept pouring in from the mountain gate.
At this time, a master in a red cassock greeted a guest with a smile. The man was wearing ordinary casual clothes, with an upright posture and a kind smile, just like an ordinary person who came to visit the famous temple with sincerity.
However, if he was just an ordinary person , how could he alarm the abbot of the temple?
After not seeing him for a long time, he has become a person who can handle various social circles with ease.
Only those eyes were still so bright that even the starry sky could not overshadow their color.
Lu Jiayi stared at her blankly, her mouth opening wider and wider, almost forgetting everything around her.
Li Qingzhao noticed that she was not normal and asked softly, "What's wrong?"
It took Lu Jiayi a long time to react. She grabbed Li Qingzhao's hand and whispered, "Let's go!" She lowered her head, as if afraid of being seen, and hurriedly blended into the crowd.
The night breeze was gentle, and Lu Jiayi held Li Qingzhao's hand and passed by the man.
Lu Jiayi wore a white dress today. Although it was not eye-catching, the few blood-red plum blossoms embroidered on the corners of the dress made it look poetic.
The hem of the skirt flashed and disappeared in the night. The person caught a glimpse of it with the corner of his eye. Although he couldn't see it clearly, he felt inexplicably melancholy in his heart.
The host led him to the main hall attentively, but Cai Jing was preoccupied and did not hear clearly what he said.
As they walked a few steps, he felt more and more panicked. He couldn't bear it any longer and quickly turned back.
Lu Jiayi pulled Li Qingzhao to the gate of the mountain, and her panic finally eased a little, but she was not sure whether the other party had noticed her, so she turned back quietly.
In an instant, their eyes met...
Looking into those eyes that seemed to be able to pierce people's hearts across the chaotic crowd, Lu Jiayi's expression gradually froze.
Her heartbeat suddenly quickened, her pupils contracted, and even her body began to tremble.
Seeing that she was panicking, Cai Jing immediately took big steps and chased after her without thinking.
Lu Jiayi was so frightened that her face turned pale. She no longer dared to stay where she was and ran away pulling Li Qingzhao.
Cai Jing chased to the mountain gate and saw the two girls running farther and farther away. They were already drowned in the crowd of the Lantern Festival, so he had to stop.
"Sir! Sir , what alarmed you?" The host chased out.
Cai Jing looked at the crowded street lights, his mood slowly calmed down, and his eyes turned from warm to cold.
After all these years, he didn't expect that she would still have the courage to show up.
Lu Jiayi, you are finished.
Lu Jiayi did not explain to Li Qingzhao what happened on the night of the Lantern Festival.
Li Qingzhao was a kind-hearted woman. She knew, without needing to say it, that everyone had their own little secrets, or some past that they were afraid to face.
After the Lantern Festival, Zhao Mingcheng took the initiative to contact Li Qingzhao.
It is not accurate to say that there is a connection.
Li Qingzhao's father, Li Gefei, was a member of the Yuanyou Party, a group of conservative ministers who opposed Wang Anshi's reforms, commonly known as the Old Party. Zhao Mingcheng's father, Zhao Tingzhi, was a member of the New Party, which was hostile to the Old Party, and the two families did not interact with each other.
Zhao Mingcheng was concerned about Li Qingzhao, but he didn't dare do anything to embarrass his father, so he used the excuse of meeting friends through poetry to exchange letters with Li Qingzhao.
If two people come up with a new word, the other person will be the first reader to appreciate it.
Li Qingzhao was very talented, and even in the entire history of China, few women could surpass her. Therefore, in her time, her talent was enough to dominate the entire literary world. In comparison, Zhao Mingcheng's talent was not as outstanding, but Li Qingzhao also admired him.
As time went by, their friendship gradually deepened. Seeing that the time had come, Lu Jiayi began to make plans .
She found an excuse to take Li Qingzhao out of her boudoir and made an appointment with Zhao Mingcheng, and the three of them met in a teahouse.
"Qing'er." Zhao Mingcheng held Li Qingzhao's hand. The latter was a little shy and did not dare to look into his eyes.
Lu Jiayi smiled secretly and walked away tactfully. She went to chat with the shopkeeper about tea art for a while, and when the waiter brought the brewed tea, she returned to her seat.
Lu Jiayi sat down openly, pretending not to notice the two people in front of her whose faces were as red as tomatoes, and said seriously: "Let's talk about your wedding."
"What?" Li Qingzhao and Zhao Mingcheng were both very surprised, as if they had not expected today's development to be so fast.
"You two are a perfect match, a perfect match, and a perfect match... of course you should be married!" Lu Jiayi said all the four-character idioms she could think of, and then revealed an inquiring tone, "Don't you want to?"
The two people at the tea table fell into silence.
"My father..." Zhao Mingcheng whispered, "My father will never agree to my marrying the daughter of a Yuanyou Party member."
When Li Qingzhao heard this, her face turned pale and her fingers unconsciously left white marks on her hands.
Lu Jiayi touched her chin, pretended to be silent for a while, and then asked: "Does Lord Zhao really have the heart to destroy the happiness of the young master because of factional grievances?"
Zhao Mingcheng frowned and asked, "How can I make my father understand that Qing'er is my happiness?"
Lu Jiayi blinked her eyes, smiled slyly, and said, "I heard... Lord Zhao believes in fate?"
Zhao Mingcheng nodded and said, "My father believed in heaven and earth and respected ghosts and gods. He taught us brothers from a young age that only by being respectful can we know the limits and maintain integrity."
"Then I have an idea!" Lu Jiayi motioned Zhao Mingcheng to come over.
Zhao Mingcheng didn't understand, so he had to hand over his ear.
Lu Jiayi started whispering to Zhao Mingcheng, this and that, and even Li Qingzhao became curious.
She was about to ask, but she found that Zhao Mingcheng's eyes were getting brighter and brighter, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Okay!" After Lu Jiayi finished speaking, Zhao Mingcheng slapped the table and stood up, saying confidently, "I will definitely convince my father!"
After that, he walked around Lu Jiayi and came to Li Qingzhao. He held her thin shoulders, looked into her eyes, and said word by word: "Qing'er, wait for me. I will soon ask my father to go to your house to propose marriage."
"how……"
Li Qingzhao frowned, not understanding how the problem was solved in an instant.
Zhao Mingcheng did not answer her, but just gave Lu Jiayi a wink and hurriedly left the teahouse.
Li Qingzhao turned her gaze to Lu Jiayi.
Lu Jiayi laughed, pretended to drink a cup of tea, and said, "I'll give you a lantern riddle, guess it."
lantern riddles?
Li Qingzhao recalled the night she met Zhao Mingcheng, but although it was the Lantern Festival, they did not play the guessing game. Could a mere lantern riddle really help them?
"The words and the words are in harmony, An Shang has been taken off, and Zhifu grass has been pulled out."
Li Qingzhao recited it silently, and then separated the words in her mind. Suddenly, the confusion in her eyes disappeared, and a blush slowly appeared on her face.
Putting "言" and "司" together, it becomes the word "词".
An has taken off the hat of "An", and it becomes the character "女".
Zhifu Caoba, is to remove the grass radicals of the characters "zhi" and "fu", and it becomes...
The husband of a woman.
A pair for life, since Lu Jiayi said they are a match made in heaven, then they are.
Zhao Mingcheng had a dream.
He didn't know that this dream would become a story passed down through the ages. At that time, he just wanted to use the guidance of the dream to convince his father to let him go to the Li Mansion to propose marriage .
During the day, he took a nap and dreamed that someone gave him a book. He immediately opened it and read it. After waking up, he only remembered three sentences. Zhao Mingcheng thought this dream was a bit strange, so he went to ask his father.
Zhao Tingzhi listened to his story and paced around the study room with his hands behind his back. After a long while, he sighed and said, "My son, it seems that you will get a wife who is good at writing."
" What do you mean?" Zhao Mingcheng looked delighted.
Zhao Tingzhi glanced at him and explained, "These three lines of poetry are a riddle. If you break down and combine these words, you will get four words: the husband of a woman with a poem. You see, your fate has been arranged. This is all God's will."
Zhao Mingcheng suppressed his frantic heartbeat and said hesitantly, "The most famous poetess in the capital is the daughter of Lord Li. Could it be..."
"I just don't know if this old guy is willing to marry his daughter to you." Zhao Tingzhi turned his back to his son and shook his head gently.
Zhao Mingcheng finally smiled, then bowed to the ground and said loudly: "Since Miss Li and I are arranged by God, I will trouble you, father."
Zhao Mingcheng left his father's study with brisk steps.
At this moment, he finally felt the same feeling as in high school. The spring breeze is blowing, and the horse's hooves are galloping. I can see all the flowers in Chang'an in one day. If it weren't for the future, he would have wanted to ride a fast horse into the back garden of Li's mansion to see the most beautiful flower in his heart.
…………
A few days later, Zhao Tingzhi came to Li's house with a betrothal gift.
Zhao Mingcheng did not inform Li Qingzhao of this matter. So, until the guests arrived, the two girls were still playing leisurely on the swing.
Li Qingzhao asked her brother to help her build a swing in the garden, just behind a rockery. When she was not studying, Lu Jiayi would accompany her here to play. The two of them played on the swing unscrupulously, you swing me and I swing you, and soon, both of them were sweating profusely, and even their laughter was accompanied by panting.
When Zhao Mingcheng arrived at the garden, he was attracted by the silver bell-like laughter. He had never seen Li Qingzhao indulge herself like this. Usually, she always tried to maintain the generosity and dignity that a lady from a noble family should have.
Zhao Mingcheng didn't want to disturb her for the moment, so he walked over quietly.
But Lu Jiayi's eyes were sharp and she noticed the corner of the clothes fluttering behind the rockery at a glance.
"Who?" she exclaimed.
Li Qingzhao was startled and quickly jumped off the swing and fled away. Her face was as red as a boiled shrimp, and she tried so hard to avoid it that even her socks fell off.
"Wait a minute!" Zhao Mingcheng hurriedly walked out from behind the rockery and stretched out his hand to call out.
"Click!" The only response he got was the golden hairpin that was accidentally left in front of the Moon Gate.
Lu Jiayi was about to run away, but when she saw that the person coming was Zhao Mingcheng, she was immediately overjoyed. Since Zhao Mingcheng came to Li's house, it meant that her method worked.
Lu Jiayi looked at the socks left on the ground, then looked at the golden hairpin in the distance, and shrugged helplessly.
This was one of Li Qingzhao's happiest moments, but she ended up blushing. She laughed at the stunned Zhao Mingcheng and pointed at the Moon Gate, saying, "Why don't you go after him?"
Zhao Mingcheng finally reacted, bowed to Lu Jiayi, and then chased after the disappearing person.
Lu Jiayi didn't follow, but she knew what happened afterwards.
Not only her, but everyone who reads this poem "Dian Jiang Chun" knows what happened today.
After playing on the swing, I stand up and tidy up my slender hands. The dew is thick and the flowers are thin, and my light clothes are soaked with sweat.
Seeing the guest coming in, she took off her socks and her gold hairpins and ran away. She walked away shyly, leaning against the door and looking back, but she sniffed the green plums.
This is the age when a girl is most shy, but also her best age.
If love comes, she will grab it at all costs.
That night, Li Gefei came to his daughter's boudoir.
Like Zhao Tingzhi, he walked around the room with his hands behind his back. Li Qingzhao and Zhao Mingcheng could ignore the factions in the court, but he had to consider them.
No doubt both fathers have given the matter a lot of thought.
"I have explained everything to you clearly." Li Gefei said, "If you don't want to, I will go and choose a good family for you tomorrow. It will be no worse than Lord Zhao's son, and it will make our two families united."
"Daddy..." Li Qingzhao listened silently for a long time, finally raised her head and said slowly, "I know that the husband chosen by Daddy for your daughter must be very good , but Qing'er...will not marry anyone else but this man."
Li Gefei sighed.
He didn't say anything else. From the look in Li Qingzhao's eyes, he knew that this matter had been decided long ago.
"You have to think carefully. No one can predict what will happen in the future."
Li Qingzhao nodded and said word by word: "My daughter is willing to take all the responsibility for today's decision."
"Okay." Li Gefei twirled his beard, "Then let's pick a day."
The marriage was thus settled.
In the city of Bianjing, news of an eye-catching marriage spread.
The bride is a talented woman famous all over the world. Many people recite her poems over and over again, dreaming of being able to spend a hundred years with her.
In the political world, this marriage has a different flavor.
As we all know, Li Gefei is from the Old Party and Zhao Tingzhi is from the New Party. The marriage between these two families is really a jaw-dropping news.
However, despite envy and discussion, the marriage went smoothly.
It went surprisingly smoothly, and the whole thing was abnormally peaceful.
Lu Jiayi has been immersed in a state of suspicion and has been feeling uneasy. She doesn't know if anyone will come to stop the marriage between the old and new parties, but...
It is really surprising that Cai Jing has not shown up.
Given his personality, he would never allow Lu Jiayi to play games so freely, especially when he was already the prime minister. Just thinking about it was a bit scary.
"It will be over soon. No matter what, I hope everything goes well." Lu Jiayi said to herself.
"What are you talking about?" Li Qingzhao interrupted her. She pushed aside the maid and mother-in-law who came to put on her makeup, walked up to Lu Jiayi, frowned and asked, "Have you really decided - not to go to the Zhao Mansion with me?"
Lu Jiayi nodded, looked at her and smiled: "We have known each other for a short time, but we are really destined to be together. After you get married, I don't want to be an ignorant person around you anymore! Moreover, in my opinion, your marriage is like the end of a journey. After getting married, you will start a new life, and I think so too. I want to start a new life."
"Where will you go?" Li Qingzhao asked, "Or, will you go find that person?"
She blinked.
Lu Jiayi covered her face and almost couldn't help blushing.
"You are indeed a person with a story." Li Qingzhao smiled.
"No, no, no, it's not what you think..." Lu Jiayi put down her hands, lowered her head, and whispered, "I want to go back home."
Li Qingzhao's smile slowly froze, she nodded and said, "Oh."
After a long time, she called Lu Jiayi's name.
"Jia Yi, you have been so good to me. Now you are leaving, do you want something from me?" Li Qingzhao looked into her eyes and asked seriously.
"I want a cup of tea for your wedding night." Lu Jiayi looked at her and answered seriously.
"Okay." Li Qingzhao nodded, "I will brew it for you myself..."
"No." Lu Jiayi interrupted her, "You want me to take it home."