Painter

Chapter 236 85: Entrance
Early in the morning, Li Chan opened her eyes.

Since I planted the Tao, my body and mind have been united, and I rarely dream.Last night, it seemed that he had some dreams, but he couldn't remember what he dreamed of.Probably because of finishing the spring examination of Qianyuan Academy, letting go of a heavy burden, and being exhausted from studying painting for three consecutive days, he slept very deeply.

He dipped a willow branch in green salt to clean his teeth, opened the window, and it was daylight.The sky over Yujing was clear, and as far as the suburbs, lead-colored thick clouds gathered.

This kind of weather with sunrise in the east and rain in the west is very common in Yujing, not because of geography, but because whenever there are major national events, the imperial court will sacrifice to the sky and perform spiritual skills to drive away the rain clouds.

Today is the day when Qianyuan Academy releases the rankings.

Li Chan turned around and picked up the Gu Yu mirror from the 24 mirrors, thinking that if he went to Danfeng's gate today, he should wear the cage crown that Mr. Bi gave him when he picked up the characters.Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the painting on the wall, turned his head, and saw that most of the pictures of demons from last night were illuminated by the morning light outside the window.

He smiled, and suddenly remembered something, took out the mahogany box under the bed, opened it and saw that it was full of paintings, and felt at ease again.

It has been almost half a year since I arrived in Yujing, and the life here has become more and more stable.He closed the box and thought, after entering the Qianyuan Academy and finishing the chores in the early stage, he will free up some time to save some money and buy a manor in a place with few people in Gyeonggi. It is best to buy a piece of land. Put all the monsters in the mountains and forests, so they don't have to be tied up in Yujing City, and they can practice with peace of mind.

Thinking about it, he spit out the willow branch, went out, and saw Mai Wang teaching the monster to draw and write with sand under the old locust tree, and Chi Yasha was turning the well pulley and carrying buckets to deliver water to the kitchen.Li Chan saw the smoke from Dongchu's cooking, so she also went over, intending to get some food.

After entering the door, I saw Hong Yao, Song Wuji, Fuhuo Zhenshui and other monsters busy working, but Sao Qingniang was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is Qingniang?" Li Chan took a hot pancake, took a bite, and asked vaguely.

"It seems that I went out early in the morning." Hong Yao threw a piece of firewood into the stove and thought for a while, "The scissors at home are broken, so I said I'm going to buy a pair."

Li Chan groaned, smelling the fragrance in the pot, and took off the lid to see that it was some murmuring and boiling white porridge, so she scooped up half a spoonful of it, blew it, and tasted it, it was very delicious.

He smacked his lips twice, tasted it for a while, and wondered: "Put fish?"

"Alang's mouth is really good." Hong Yao laughed, "Last night, Alang went to bed early, Mr. Bi went out for a walk, and when he came back, he said that he went shopping in Dongshi and drank a bowl of fish porridge. It’s very delicious. I used to fish with my mother on the river and often made fish porridge. Although this porridge is simple, it takes a lot of work. Not to mention that the fish must be fresh, and the scales of the internal organs must be cleaned so that there is no fishy smell. So I got up early and tried to make some, but I don’t know if Mr. Bi likes it or not.”

"You are so caring, Mr. Bi must be full of praise." Li Chan smiled, and thought, Mr. Bi used to be a vegetarian, but after getting married, his appetite has become more and more, "Is it cooked? "he asks.

Hong Yao said: "It's just right, if you boil it for a while, some of the umami will be lost."

Hearing this, Li Chan called out, "Mr. Pen!"

But there was no response, he asked: "Mr. Bi went out with Qing Niang too?"

Hong Yao shook her head, "I didn't see it either."

Li Chan scooped up a bowl of fish porridge, took a pancake, and sent it to Mr. Bi's study.

When he was about to reach the study room, he called Mr. Bi twice, but there was no response. Li Chan frowned, feeling a little puzzled, and pushed the door open, only to see that there was no one in the study room. on the letter.

Li Chan was stunned for a moment, stopped at the door, and saw from a distance that the letter read "Fucha Dear Father".

He immediately wanted to open the letter, but he had a bad premonition in his heart, he hesitated, and instead slowed down a lot.When he got to the table, he put down the fish porridge, reached for the letter, realized that his fingertips were stained with porridge water, and quickly wiped it off with the corner of his clothes, before carefully opening the letter.

The first four words on the letter read "Fucha Wutu."

Li Chan's heart skipped a beat, and she continued to read:

"After the Waking of Insects, the peach blossoms are in full bloom, because of the peach capital. It can be regarded as living in the pen and accompanying you for more than [-] years."

"I haven't tasted the five flavors for a long time. Last night when I went to Dongshi, the silver toad fell obliquely, and the fishing fire burned the river. There were merchants standing on the embankment to eat carp porridge. I tasted it, because there was a lot of mud in the Yujing River, and it smelled a little fishy. I recall the carp in the Luohe River. It is the fattest, and it sells fish porridge at the Xiashui Station in Longchuan, which is unique in Longxi. The merchant is also a native of Longxi, and when he asked him, he said: "Because of the soldiers, it has been abandoned for a long time."

"Falling flowers and flowing water, vicissitudes of life, things are still like this, so what is the old man? Recalling the past, the old people followed each other, just like you, the snow lion, the yaksha, the red medicine, and the monsters in Tushan. I have been reclusive for a long time, and now I am here See you later."

"What I have learned has been taught to everyone. Looking at the three pictures of heaven, earth and man, I can fully grasp my supernatural powers. However, practice is like holding a candle to catch a shadow. The later it is illuminated, the later you get it. You are intelligent, no need to say more .”

"The new swallows under the eaves gave birth to several children a month ago, and they all left the nest by the day before yesterday. You have been crowned early, and your wings are also full. You have a school to protect you, so you can fly on Hualiu. Don't go this time, the clouds are scattered. In the spring breeze in the future, we will gather together."

After that there is a blank space.

Li Chan stared at the letter, but before she recovered, she saw a line of beautiful handwriting on the back.

Qingniang often copied scriptures to subsidize her family in Xuandu, obviously it was her handwriting:

"There is not much left of the cloth given by the emperor. I cut it into four pieces of clothes, one for spring, summer, autumn and winter, and they are all at the bottom of the box. When you go to the throne tomorrow, remember to put on new clothes."

……

In Yujing City, the alleys are empty for thousands of people, and Danfeng's family is bustling with people. The scene is ten times more lively than the announcement of the imperial examination.The Qianyuan Academy has always been mysterious, and today all scholars old and new will be present, parading in the street.This is probably the closest opportunity for most people to get to Qianyuan Academy.

The sound of ceremonies and music came from the palace, which shocked people's hearts.The spring sun shone on the glazed tiles, and in the golden light, all the scholars from Qianyuan Academy came here on stilts.

Amidst the din of people, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Wei Zhou, Minister of the Ministry of Rites, unveiled the corner of Zhu Bang.The two-foot-high silk seemed to be blown away by the wind.

It is still necessary to pass on the roll call of the imperial examination, but it is always the Royal Palace to sing the name of the scholar in the Qianyuan Academy.In the Ziji Hall in the palace, hundreds of officials are lined up, and on the Danchi, Dayong Emperor Li Yingao sits on the dragon chair, takes the jade scroll from the hands of the courtiers, and unfolds the lacquered silk.

Every time he uttered a name, the sound of thunder spread throughout the Yujing City with the sound of rites and music, and officials from the Ministry of Rites rode horses, and rushed to the temples and temples where the living beings lived to announce the good news with the posters.

After 26 straight bachelors, there were the names of the ten bachelors. Every time a name appeared, the crowd burst into cheers.

"Yongzhou Mengzhu Tang Qingchen!"

"Yongzhou Yujing Jiang Ruo!"

"Yongzhou Yujing Li Guanqi!"

"Bai Weizhi, Lingqiu of Danzhou!"

"Xuzhou Jiyang Yuan Qixuan!"

"Xiangcheng, Yuzhou, I wish Shinji!"

"Weizhou Hue Song Changqing!"

"Jiangzhou Jiangning Wang Xiaogong!"

"Linzhou Junzhu Xie Ningzhi!"

"Li Dan from Qingling Mausoleum in Lizhou!"

……

The paper crane flew into Li's house, dodged the white cat's swoop, but failed to avoid the crow's beak that followed, and was caught by its wings and brought to the window of the study.

The sound of fluttering wings woke Li Chan up. He put down the letter, but he didn't look at the paper crane. He quickly pushed the door and went out. figure.

On the window, the paper-cuts that Hongyao pasted yesterday were dazzlingly red under the spring light.

Xu Da snatched the paper crane from Ya Qiansui's mouth, and when he saw the writing on the corner of the crane's wings, he exclaimed with joy, "Okay, ok, good news from Qianyuan Academy!"

The good news made all the monsters clamor, Mai Wang threw away the bamboo branches painted in sand, and approached in surprise, "Qianyuan Academy released the list, the good news has not yet been announced, and the crane book comes first! Good, good! In the future, Mr. Lang will be Qianyuan." Bachelor!"

Hong Yao trotted over in a hurry, murmured "That's great", with tears in her eyes, but she couldn't help being taken aback when she saw Li Chan's sad expression.

"What's wrong with Alang, aren't you happy?"

"Happy." Li Chan squeezed out a smile, went back to the room and took the paper crane from Xu Da's hand, unfolded it, with mixed feelings in her heart, then glanced at the letter on the table, and put it in the drawer.

Outside, gongs and drums sound from far to near.

……

The official who announced the good news brought a horse with snow-white hair and black hooves. Surrounded by all the neighbors, he knocked on the gate of Li's house and asked loudly, "Who is Li Lang?" It landed on Li Chan who came out of the study, and congratulated: "Congratulations Li Lang, you have entered the Qianyuan Academy!"

Mai Wang stepped forward to take the poster, and slipped two pieces of money into the officer's hand. After congratulating the officer, Li Chan asked the officer to wait a while, went into the bedroom, and opened the suitcase.Turning to the bottom of the box, I saw four brand new clothes.He smelled some borneol aroma, and smelled it closely for a long time.For a moment, I glanced at the paintings on the wall and took a deep breath.He got up and changed into a white shirt, and put on a blue and black half arm.

As soon as Li Chan went out, the official came up to him from afar, and said with a smile, "Li Lang is really a handsome man, a good-looking talent, although he doesn't wear fancy clothes, he has a coquettish demeanor. If Li Lang changes his clothes, let's go now?"

"Let's go." Li Chan nodded and walked out the door.

The monsters hid in the dark and were very excited. Hong Yao looked around and whispered: "Oh, Mr. Bi and Qing Niang went out this morning, and they haven't come back yet. I missed this time, so it's no wonder that Alang is a little depressed..."

Tu Shanxi looked at Li Chan's back and sighed, "You really don't know?"

"what do you know?"

Tu Shanxi said quietly: "Mr. Bi and Qingniang probably left. Don't even think about it. If Qingniang hadn't left, how could we use the paper-cuts to shelter from the rain?"

Hong Yao opened her eyes wide, "Where did Qing Niang go?"

"who knows?"

Tu Shanxi curled her lips, turned and went into the kitchen, and when she came out, she took a wine bag.

She rushed out the door, Li Chan was getting on the horse, she shouted to wait a moment, and passed the wine bag under the horse.

"If you are not happy, just drink some."

Li Chan was stunned for a moment, took the wine bag, said thank you again, and clamped the horse's belly with his legs.

The white horse put on its black hooves and trotted through the crowd.

……

Under Danfeng's gate, the people of Yujing, who were watching the excitement, rubbed their shoulders. When they saw a new scholar riding past, they threw flower petals, handkerchiefs and sachets and other things.

In the crowd, an old man and god said: "Then Jiang Ru is indeed worthy of being born by Jiang Dulu. She is still young. I have said that this girl will achieve extraordinary achievements in the future. No, she is very talented in martial arts at a young age. Looking around In the entire Yujing, in the entire Dayong Kingdom, it is difficult to find an opponent among the young people!"

"This Zhu Shinji is also from the family of a sage. Before he came to Yujing, I said that this young man will definitely be a bachelor, isn't he? Sure enough, he came..."

"This Li Guanqi looks silly, but I know..."

The old man was eloquent, and every time he saw someone passing by, he said "I just said" and "I knew it" and so on.

Suddenly, he saw a man in a white shirt with blue and black half-arms passing by, and he said, "This Li Dan was unknown at first, but after the Xinyuan Gathering, many people scolded him for grandstanding. As I said, this young man The origin is unusual. No, it didn't take long before people were called 'the fairy in the painting', and now they have won the bachelor degree?"

Someone next to him said: "The old man is really good at predicting things, and he must have made a lot of money from betting, which makes people envious!"

When the old man heard "betting", the corners of his eyes twitched, his heartache flashed away, he coughed dryly, and changed the subject, "This Li Dan never forgets to drink even though he is riding a horse. Every time I paint, I have to drink two buckets of wine..."

As he was speaking, he suddenly heard a woman behind him whisper softly: "Although he drinks, he is not considered a good wine."

The old man stared and turned around to refute. Seeing that the person speaking was a beautiful and gentle woman in red, his temper immediately disappeared, but he saw that the woman in red was not refuting him, but talking to the people around him, worried He frowned frantically: "Why did you start drinking so early in the morning?"

The man was wearing a dark coat with a black border and a white bottom, and he said with relief: "There is a happy event, of course we have to drink."

……

Li Chan rode to the gate of Danfeng, suddenly his eyes moved, and he turned his head to look west.

In Yongchangfang, a man in white and a woman in red turned their backs across the street.

Mr. Pen, Qingniang?
Li Chan reined in the horse outside the Danfeng Gate, only wanting to turn the horse's head to catch up, the rein was pulled halfway, hesitated for a moment, and let go again.

He didn't look at the street corner any more, but his heart was filled with panic. He took a deep breath, drank the liquor in his pocket, and threw it away.

The crowd cheered, and raised their hands to grab the wine bag.

Li Chan hiccupped and yelled out the depression in his chest with a "drive".

With a shake of the reins, he slapped the horse's buttocks with his left hand. The white horse hissed and galloped forward on the imperial road.

Accompanied by the sound of horseshoes, Li Chan passed Bai Weizhi, who was in front of him, with his hunting clothes. Bai Weizhi was taken aback, and laughed again: "Brother Fucha, don't think about leaving me behind!" catch up.

Just as Bai Weizhi was speaking, Li Chan passed Jiang Ru again, and Jiang Ru raised his eyebrows, not to be outdone.

A white horse moves first, driving two horses to run together, followed by three horses, five horses, ten or even 36 horses.

Under Danfeng's gate, the sound of hooves was like thunder, and the surname Wan shouted.

In the crowd, the old man pointed at the young man in Danfeng's sect who took the lead, and praised: "That gentleman, so handsome! So happy! A man should be like this, a man should be like this!"

……

The sun was shining brightly in Yujing City, but when we left the west gate of the city, it was raining heavily in spring.

Mr. Bi drew two divine steeds and white horses, pulling the carriage and rushing into the rain.

The drizzle was approaching, but it didn't fall on the carriage, nor did it wet the horse's mane, and the horse's hoof stepped on the muddy road, but it still didn't get muddy.

In the carriage, Sao Qingniang lifted the curtain to look back, and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

Bi Jun sighed and patted her on the back.

"You, you can stop the rain from the sky, why can't you stop the drops in your eyes."

The carriage turned its back to the spring, and was submerged in the dark wind and rain.

(End of this chapter)