bookrebus Chapter 95 The Highlight (Part )
Chapter 95 The Highlight (Part )
Last time we talked about Li Yi joining the table, the Dugu brothers and the Nangong siblings all came to drink and chat with him, and the Empress Dowager Xiao taught the emperor and the empress. So what’s next should be the highlight of the birthday banquet. What kind of shock will this song "Pointing to the Moon with the Left Hand" bring to everyone? Let’s continue watching.
Li Yi was drinking and chatting with a few of his brothers. He looked around and asked, "Why is Mr. Tao not at the Queen Mother's birthday banquet?"
Nangong Qi smiled and said, "The Queen Mother and Mr. Tao are not on good terms. Xiuyuan doesn't know about this?"
Dugu Yu interrupted quickly, "Brother Qi, be careful with your words. There is no discord at all."
Nangong Qi smiled but said nothing. Dugu Yu explained, "Xiuyuan, this matter is hard to explain. The Queen Mother believes that the way of being a king should be open and aboveboard. Mr. Tao, as the helmsman of the Confucianism, is good at using shady means. The Queen Mother just doesn't like him. The cause of death of Mr. Tao's most proud disciple, former Crown Prince Tuoba Hong, is unknown, but everyone knows that he was plotted against.
So the Queen Mother has some resentment towards Mr. Tao, thinking that it was Mr. Tao who failed to protect the former Crown Prince, and Mr. Tao also feels guilty, so you won’t see Mr. Tao at this banquet.”
Li Yi nodded and said, "So that's how it is. Being a monarch does require being aboveboard, but it doesn't work without shady tactics. As the saying goes, it's easy to dodge an open spear but hard to guard against an arrow from the dark. There must be someone in the shadows to protect your majesty and the Wei Dynasty. It's really hard for Mr. Tao. I guess he has always been criticized."
Nangong Qi raised his glass and said with a smile: "All's fair in war. I think there's nothing wrong with Mr. Tao's methods. There's no need to be polite to the enemy. Is it possible that before two armies confront each other, we have to notify the enemy first that we are going to launch a surprise attack on your food and grass camp. You'd better get ready quickly!" After saying that, everyone at the table burst into laughter.
At this time, the song on the stage had finished. Seeing that Li Yi's table was really lively, Tuoba Jun made a stop gesture and shouted, "Li Changshi!"
How could Li Yi be negligent when the emperor called him? He quickly stood up and saluted, saying, "I am your humble servant."
Tuoba Jun smiled and said, "I see you guys are chatting so lively. Shouldn't there be some wonderful poems for the Queen Mother's birthday banquet today? Why don't you read them out quickly so that we can all appreciate them together? You are the most talented person in the capital, so you can't keep your works to yourself!"
Since the emperor asked for a poem, there was absolutely no reason for him to refuse. Li Yi looked around and said calmly, "What a pity, Tianhao is not here."
Tuoba Jun said with a smile: "You, you actually want to make Yang Hua happy. If you have a good work, please read it to me. The great scholars are all here. If you can astound everyone, I will make you the most talented scholar in Wei. How about that?"
Li Yi looked at the expectant eyes around him, especially Nangong Xue's smiling face. He cleared his throat, picked up the wine pot and wine glass, walked to the high platform, bowed and said, "Since your majesty has said so, then I will present my humble service. However, I don't care about whether I am a talented scholar or not."
Minister Kong laughed and scolded: "Okay, Xiuyuan, if you have a poem, just recite it quickly, don't keep me in suspense!" Li Yi smiled faintly, raised his wine glass, and recited aloud:
Have you not seen the water of the Yellow River coming from the sky, rushing to the sea and never coming back? (Raising a toast to the Emperor)
Don't you see the white hair in the mirror in the hall? It was black in the morning but turned white in the evening. (Raise a glass to the Queen Mother)
When life is good, you should enjoy it to the fullest, and don't let the golden cup face the moon empty.
I am born to be useful, and come back when my wealth is gone.
Cooking sheep and slaughtering cattle is fun, and we must drink three hundred cups at the party. (Throws down the cup)
Minister Kong, great scholar of Lu, let's drink, don't stop. (Pick up the wine pot)
A song with Junge, please listen to me.
Bells, drums, jade and silk are not expensive, I just wish to be drunk forever and never wake up.
In ancient times, the saints and sages were lonely, and only the drinkers kept their names.
In the old days, Wang Chen feasted and fought for peace and joy.
What is the master's word for less money, you have to sell to the king.
Five-flowered horse, golden fur,
Hu'er will go out to exchange for good wine, so that we can share our eternal sorrows! (The pot is empty and the wine is gone)
Li Yi's face turned slightly red. He poured out the wine jug, and there was no more wine in it. Nangong Xue used the Taoist Tianzong's art of controlling objects to control a wine jar flying in the air. The lid slipped off, and the wine flowed out of the jar to form a crystal clear ball above Li Yi's head.
At this time, the talent generated by the poem was poured into the water ball formed by the wine by Li Yi, and the ball instantly turned purple-red, like aged wine. Li Yi looked at Nangong Xue, smiled faintly, pointed at the purple wine ball and recited:
Grape wine luminous cup, urge you to drink Pipa immediately.
Drunk lying on the battlefield, Lord Grim, how many people have fought in ancient times?
As he spoke, Li Yi's talent was regenerated. He condensed the talent in the water, and transformed it into a glass goblet with gas. He raised the goblet into the air, and a stream of "wine" flowed out of the purple wine ball and poured into the goblet.
Li Yi drank it all in one gulp and then said with a smile: "Your Majesty, this next piece is the climax of tonight's birthday banquet. I have put a lot of effort into it!"
Tuoba Jun smiled and said, "Oh? If so, then I am looking forward to it!"
Li Yi raised his hand, and the purple ball in the air began to spin and flew over the stage. The stage was like a rain of fine wine from the sky, and the purple ball began to shrink and then emit white light, like another bright moon in the sky.
Li Yi clapped his hands, the musicians played together, and a sea of clouds rose above the stage again. In the sea of clouds, a beautiful woman in a light yellow long skirt rose up. The hem of the skirt was round. Under the illumination of the light ball, it looked like a beauty singing in the moon:
Hold the earth in your left hand and the sky in your right hand
The palm prints cracked with lightning in all directions
(The curtain showed an image of a purple lightning exploding in the night sky, and one of the branches directly pierced through the curtain and landed on the stage. Then a vortex appeared in the sea of clouds on the stage. As the vortex rose, Zhao Hanfeng, who was wearing a white dress, was lifted onto the stage by a lift. She had a tight-fitting bra, a high-slit long skirt, a sleeve fan, long legs, and exquisite curves. The moment she appeared, all eyes were drawn to her. Lady Zhao danced to the song, her graceful figure reflected in the bright moon on the curtain, just like the silhouette of a fairy in the moon!)
Time hastily converted into years
For three thousand lifetimes, it’s like nothing you’ve seen
Holding flowers in left hand
(Bai Ling grabs with her left hand and a white flower appears in her hand, which she throws towards Zhao Hanfeng)
Right hand dancing with sword
(Lady Zhao catches the white flower with her sleeve fan and joins her hands together to perform a sword dance)
Ten thousand years of snow fell between my eyebrows
(Zhao Hanfeng opens his sleeve fan and raises it above his head, and snowflakes fall all over the stage)
A drop of tear ah ah ah
(The snowflake flew upside down into the air and condensed into a large water drop)
That's me ahhhh
(Moonlight reflected in water drops)
The left hand points to the moon and the right hand points to the string
(Interaction between Bailing and Zhao Hanfeng)
Boat ferrying across the waters of Wangchuan River
(Water drops fell onto the stage, and the sea of clouds instantly turned into gurgling water)
When troubles can bloom into a red lotus
(Blood-red lotuses rose from where the water drops fell and blossomed in the middle of the stage)
Don't stop, give me distracting thoughts
The left hand turns into feathers and the right hand turns into scales
(The lotus petals shatter and float to the feet of the two people.)
In one life, I was in the clouds; in another life, I was in the woods
(The petals of the lark turned into clouds, and the petals of the maple turned into bushes)
I wish to follow you in the form of a speck of dust
(All illusions disappear and turn into dust)
Emerge in all the world
(The floating dust gathers in the air)
I pick you up with my left hand and put you down with my right hand
(Bai Ling and Han Feng raised their left hands at the same time and walked towards each other)
When I put my hands together, you are all taken back into my heart
(Both put their left hands together and then slowly separate them)
A stick of incense ahhhh
(A stream of green smoke rises from between the two men’s left palms)
you are me
(All the dust and smoke gathered together)
No difference
(Bai Ling and Zhao Hanfeng both raised their hands, and together they lifted up the full moon formed by the smoke and dust!)
When the long sound ended, the lingering sound dissipated, and the full moon dissipated and turned into purple air and merged into the ball of light. Li Yi stretched out his hand and summoned the ball of light to his palm. With a pinch of his hand, the remaining purple air entered his body, and the whole performance ended.
The whole place was silent. Everyone stood there in astonishment. Some were pouring wine, but the glasses were already full. The overflowing wine flowed down the table and dripped onto the ground. Even the dripping sound of the wine hitting the ground could be heard clearly.
Shi Yu, who was watching the crowd in the audience, was so proud that she couldn't express it in words. She smiled secretly: See, this is the man I chose. He is the only one in the world who can write such lyrics, choreograph such dances, and create such special effects. Humph! The most talented man in Wei? My husband doesn't want that. He has to be the most talented man in the world!
Li Yi looked around and saw that no one responded. He smiled faintly and recited:
"The music of silk and pipes in Jincheng is in full swing, half in the river wind and half in the clouds.
This song should only be found in the sky, and can be heard several times in the world.
The beautiful figure of Guanghan falls in the blue sky, and the fairy in the painting descends to the mortal world.
The stunning dance startled everyone, and all living things under the moon were in deep silence. "
After Li Yi finished reciting, the purple air reappeared, forming a river from Li Yi's back into his body. A white shadow flew down, it was none other than Nangong Xue, she drew out the Ruyun Sword and held it on Li Yi's neck, angrily saying: "Li Yi, didn't you say that you can never write a poem as good as "The clouds resemble clothes and the flowers resemble face"? What's the matter with that poem just now!"
Li Yi quickly explained, "Miss Nangong, please don't misunderstand me. The poem I just wrote was just something I made up. It can't compare to that one in terms of both artistic conception and words!
What realm is that poem in? Not a single word mentions beauty, but every sentence is about beauty. How can the poem just now compare to it! You were amazed by the special effects of the song just now, and the poem I recited casually was just borrowed from the amazingness of the song just now to achieve this effect. Really, don't get me wrong!"
Nangong Xue said coldly: "Li Yi, do you think I'm stupid? Is it possible that such talent as pure as water can be fake?"
Li Yi looked back at the talent that was still being injected into his body. For the first time, he felt that this talent came at the wrong time and was very troublesome! He waved his hands behind his back to try to disperse the talent, but the talent had already entered the absorption state and could not stop until it was completely absorbed.
Li Yi cursed in his heart, but he still defended himself: "Miss Nangong, this talent may be brought by the song just now, not the poem!"
Nangong Xue pushed the sword forward an inch, pressing it against Li Yi's throat, and then said, "Li Yi, stop playing dumb with me! I want you to write me a poem that can rival the beauty of clouds and flowers! Otherwise, I will separate your head from your body right now!"
This scene is very strange. Why? You can imagine it. A huge moon is in the sky, the sky is clear and the air is fresh. Under the moonlight, the empress dowager, the emperor, and the empress are sitting upright in gorgeous clothes on the high platform. The civil and military officials on the high platform are wearing formal clothes, and so many important figures are looking in the middle. The most beautiful woman in Shangjing, wearing a plain white robe, holding a cold sword, with a peerless appearance, a cold face, and glaring, and the sword in her hand is on Li Yi's neck!
Seeing this scene, Nangong Ting slammed the table and scolded: "Xue'er, don't make trouble. This is not the place for you to be willful!"
Nangong Qi also ran over, grabbed his sister's hand tightly, and tried to snatch the sword from her. Nangong Ting looked at his daughter angrily. Nangong Qi anxiously twisted his sister's hand. Nangong Xue glanced at her father and brother, flicked her sleeves and threw Nangong Qi to the ground, threw the Ruyun Sword into the air, and jumped away on the sword.
In this short quarter of an hour, the Queen Mother's birthday banquet was full of climaxes! First, Li Yi recited a poem "Song of the Wine". Needless to say, the weight of this poem fully demonstrated the arrogance and uninhibitedness of the literati.
Li Yi added a military poem and demonstrated his technique of condensing qi into objects. Then the highlight of the entire birthday banquet was "Pointing to the Moon with the Left Hand" performed by Bailing and Zhao Hanfeng, which as well as various special effects designed by Li Yi astonished the entire audience!
Just when everyone hadn't recovered from the surprise, Li Yi presented another poem of praise. But this poem aroused Nangong Xue's dissatisfaction, making Nangong Xue think that Li Yi was just perfunctory to her and had no sincerity in writing poems for her!
Then there was this farce of drawing swords in front of the emperor. Everyone saw it clearly and genuinely, so it was hard not to suspect that there was something else going on between the two!
At this time, when no one knew how to end the situation, Queen Mother Xiao spoke up. Otherwise, why do they say that old ginger is still spicy! Queen Mother Xiao said coldly: "Nangong Ting!"
When Nangong Ting's name was called, he was like a frightened chick. He knelt down at the foot of the platform and kowtowed, saying, "I am here!"
Empress Dowager Xiao's voice was unusually cold, and every word was like an ice needle piercing her face. She said, "Nangong Ting, is this your Nangong family's family education? I heard that you are planning to marry your precious daughter into the palace, right?
In my opinion, let's forget about this matter for now, and wait until you go back to discipline your precious daughter! If she enters the palace and continues to act like this, it will be disgraceful!" Nangong Ting's forehead was covered with cold sweat.
Li Yi was watching from the sidelines, feeling completely bewildered. He wondered in his heart why Empress Dowager Xiao, a woman who had married from the Southern Liang Dynasty, could control the patriarch of one of the four great families so tightly.
You must know that she has no strong clan support outside, and no support from the late emperor inside. Although her son is the emperor, these four major families dare to force the emperor's existence. In front of the Empress Dowager Xiao, none of the patriarchs of the four major families dared to speak straight, and they were afraid to even breathe!
Nangong Ting knocked his head heavily on the ground. This posture did not seem like he was kneeling down to apologize, but more like he was looking for a crack in the ground to crawl into! Nangong Ting said, "I have failed to teach my daughter well and have offended the Holy Spirit. Please forgive me, Queen Mother, Your Majesty!"
Empress Dowager Xiao said sarcastically, "Come on, I dare not punish you. You are the Minister of War, and the 150,000 Dingnan Army obeys your Nangong family's orders. If I punish you too severely, I'm afraid you will also betray the country. Then won't my Great Wei be handed over to others?"
Upon hearing this, Nangong Ting kowtowed like crazy, saying, "My Queen Mother, please understand! My Nangong family will never betray our country!"
Queen Mother Xiao gave Tuoba Jun a look, and Tuoba Jun immediately understood. He stood up and saluted to his mother, saying, "Mother, I believe in Minister Nangong, and I also believe that the Nangong family will never do anything rebellious. Please show some leniency."
Empress Dowager Xiao glanced at Nangong Ting and said calmly, "Alright, get up. The emperor has already pleaded for you, so I won't make it difficult for you. But Nangong Ting, you must discipline your precious daughter when you go back. If she continues to act so recklessly, as long as I am still alive, you can forget about marrying her into the palace!"
Nangong Ting knocked his head heavily on the ground and said loudly: "Thank you, Queen Mother. I will discipline him strictly when I return and give you an explanation."
Tuoba Jun said, "Minister Nangong, please get up." Nangong Ting stood up and walked back to his original seat. Nangong Qi got up from the ground and sat behind his father.
Empress Dowager Xiao changed her tone and called out gently, "Li Yi."
Li Yi knelt on the ground without saying anything, and almost cried out that he was guilty! This action amused Empress Dowager Xiao, who said with a smile: "Li Changshi, what's wrong with you? I just want to praise you a few words, why are you kneeling? Get up quickly!"
Li Yi heaved a sigh of relief and stood up slowly. Empress Dowager Xiao smiled and said, "Li Yi, I like every program at this birthday banquet. I like it very much. I can see that you really put your heart into it, and your talent is undoubtedly revealed. How can a talent like you not be rewarded! Tell me what reward you would like?"
Hearing the word "reward", Zhai Baishan suddenly stood up and shouted loudly: "Empress Dowager! Empress Dowager!"
Empress Dowager Xiao looked at the giant who was as big as a hill and asked gently, "What's wrong?"
Zhai Baishan smiled innocently and said, "I just heard you talking about rewards, so I wanted to ask you, you said that I should find a girl I like, and if I find one, I should tell you, and you can decide to marry me, does that still count?"
Empress Dowager Xiao said with a smile: "My words are golden and I mean what I say. How come you have a favorite woman?"
Zhai Baishan pointed at the stage and said with a grin, "I like these two girls on the stage, Queen Mother, can you marry them both to me?"
Gu Zhou on the side hurriedly pulled Zhai Baishan, indicating that now was not the time to talk about this matter, but Zhai Baishan misunderstood and thought that his brother wanted him to also tell him about the woman he liked.
So Zhai Baishan said, "Oh, Queen Mother, my brother has chosen someone too, that dancing Di girl. We have chosen one, even though we picked one too many. How about this? We don't want the dowry you mentioned. You can just let us take these three girls away! Is that ok?"