son, stop

The twilight drums resounded throughout the capital, and there were riotous songs and bright lights in thousands of streets and hundreds of workshops.

Zuo Lingquan bid farewell to Tang Jingxuan and drove his horse back to the south bank of Wende Bridge. The sky was completely dark.

The Zuo family in Qinghe County has accumulated several generations. If nothing else, the family is very wealthy. Zuo Hanchou's mansion is also a rare luxury mansion on Wende Bridge. The red lantern has not been taken down at this time.

Zuo Lingquan handed the horse over to Jiading, entered the gate and bypassed the shadow wall. He wanted to go directly to his room, but when he looked up, he saw a person under the eaves outside the main hall.

To be precise, it is hanging a person.

When he looked up and saw this scene, Zuo Lingquan was really startled. He thought that someone in the third uncle's family had been hanged. He looked carefully, but found something wrong.

The main hall was lit with lights, and there were two servants standing in the veranda next to it. Under the eaves outside the main hall, a hemp rope was passed through the beam. Under the hemp rope was a rich young man who was tied up in mid-air, dangling unlovely. shake.

Looking at his usual appearance, it seems that this is not the first time he has been hung like this, with a chicken feather blanket leaning against the wall.

? ?

Zuo Lingquan knew about his third uncle, Zuo Hanchou. Among the three sons, the eldest and the third were all down-to-earth and studied abroad, but the second son, Zuo Yunting, had no future. It was sent back to his hometown, Qinghe County.

When the Zuo family taught the younger generation, they always said:

"Learn more from Brother Lingquan, but don't be like Yunting from the third uncle's family, who is too lazy to do anything."

As for the noble man who was hanged and beaten in front of him, there seemed to be no one else except Zuo Yunting.

Zuo Yunting was older than Zuo Lingquan and was the fifth oldest in the Zuo family, so Zuo Lingquan had to call him the fifth brother.

Facing his brother, Zuo Lingquan didn't like to show a mocking look, he walked slowly to the front, and raised his hand in a salute:

"Fifth brother?"

Below the eaves, the Zuoyun Pavilion, which was hung in the air, saw Zuo Lingquan approaching. Although it was the first time they met, he still recognized this beautiful cousin at a glance.

Zuo Yunting was tied up by the five flowers, so he couldn't come down to meet him. He could only smile with his brother's kindness and greet him:

"Ling Quan, you're back."

Not to mention, although he was hanged, his expression was straight and not arrogant or impetuous, and he really had the gentle and refined demeanor of a noble son.

Zuo Lingquan didn't want to embarrass the other party. He stood below and asked:

"Fifth brother is this?"

Zuo Yunting looked down at the rope on his body, thought for a while, and smiled plainly:

"Recently, I read ancient books and learned a unique exercise. I'm practicing. You haven't seen it before."

I must have never seen

Zuo Lingquan blinked his eyes and made a sudden realization:

"So it's because I'm ignorant, um, how long will it take to practice? Do you need me to take Fifth Brother?"

"Need not!"

Zuo Yunting's face was serious: "The time has not yet come. If you rush your work, I'm afraid you will hurt your muscles and bones. You have to choose a concubine tomorrow. Go down and rest first. When the time comes, I will come down by myself."

"Fifth brother, are you sure you can come down?"

""

"Oh, I'm the one talking too much, well, then Lingquan will leave first, good night."

Zuo Lingquan didn't know why Fifth Brother was hanged up and beaten. In order to take care of Fifth Brother's face, he still raised his hand and said goodbye tactfully.

Although Zuo Yunting didn't know why he was hanged up and beaten, seeing how understanding this cousin was, knowing how to take care of his cousin's face, his heart warmed a little.

------

The wind went out and the lights went out, and before you knew it, it was early morning.

The morning dew hangs on the green bamboo leaves outside the window, reflecting the bright dawn in the distance.

In the elegantly decorated wing, Zuo Lingquan was still sleeping, when suddenly there were dense footsteps in the veranda, and then the door opened, and more than a dozen beautiful and lovely young maids streamed in.

"Seven Sons"

"Get dressed and wash up"

Zuo Lingquan woke up suddenly, sat up from the bed, and covered the irrepressible youthful spirit under his stomach with a thin quilt.

The maids had laughter in their eyes, and without giving Zuo Lingquan a chance to push him away, they ran up to him, combing their hair and dressing with their hands.

Zuo Lingquan didn't like being served by others, but these little girls were too enthusiastic.

The eldest princess chose the concubine, and the candidates for the election were naturally not allowed to dress casually.

Zuo Lingquan walked out of the room, and he had already turned into a handsome young man in a snow-white robe and cloud-patterned boots, staring straight at the little maid who was already coveting masculinity.

When choosing a son-in-law in Qiyuntai, the princess will naturally be present, the court meeting would not be possible without the princess, fortunately the court gave all civil and military officials a day off.

At this time, in the Zuofu mansion, the third uncle, the third aunt, and the fifth brother Zuoyunting were having breakfast.

After Zuo Lingquan went to have breakfast together, he and Zuo Hanchou got into the carriage and went to Qiyuntai on the east side of the imperial city.

Qiyuntai is a manor, located on the side of the imperial city. The carriage traveled on the bustling long street. After walking for about half an hour, it came to the vicinity.

The Great Dan Dynasty ruled 36 counties, and all the counties sent sons from aristocratic families over. At this time, there were many cars and horses outside Yuntai, and there were many officials' daughters watching from the windows of teahouses and restaurants on the street.

Zuo Hanchou instructed all the way, and after the carriage stopped, he was dressed and walked out of the carriage.Zuo Lingquan followed behind, and before he reached the entrance of the cloud platform, there was a sudden burst of exclamations:

"Wow! Check it out"

Zuo Lingquan heard the sound of the breaking wind, and subconsciously looked at the top of the house on the street, but saw a young man in a scholar's robe, galloping with a black sheathed sword, his clothes moving with the wind and his long hair fluttering, only a few The ups and downs came to the broad and long street, and the smooth landing was unspeakable, causing countless applause from the street.

Seeing this scene, Zuo Hanchou snorted softly: "I will try to do some tricks to grab people first. That scholar should be Li Cang from Jintang County, and he is a distant relative of the current Li Xiang. Your biggest opponent this time is probably him. Be careful, and don't be held down in front of outsiders."

Zuo Lingquan looked at the young masters and scholars with oily heads and noodles, just like watching children, he didn't pay attention at all, and was about to nod his head when he suddenly noticed that someone was staring at him from a distance.

Zuo Lingquan quickly turned his head and looked at the tall building inside Qiyuntai, but the figures on the tall building went back and forth, and there was no one looking at him.

Zuo Lingquan frowned, feeling a little weird, but there are so many people here, it's normal to have illusions, he didn't take it to heart, and entered the gate with Zuo Hanchou

----

At the dawn of the dawn, the mist of Qiyuntai Manor, which is full of flowers, has not dispersed, and it looks like a sea of ​​clouds from the high-rise building.

Qiyuntai is the place where the royal family played polo. There are stands around, and a stadium in the middle. Various facilities have been built. The stands are full of dignitaries, and many princes and nobles have already sat on the stage.

On the top floor of the three-story high-rise building in the middle, there is a terrace outside. Bead curtains and seats have been placed. The eunuch and the maid are standing by the fence and waiting.

In the private room inside the high-rise building where the emperor's concubines rested, Jiang Yi, the Princess of Longli, dressed in a bright red palace, stood at the window with cold eyes, and had just closed the window.

The palace maid Leng Zhu, sitting next to the small case, sorted out the roster of 'Xiu Nan'. Seeing Her Royal Highness biting her lower lip and thinking about it, she said curiously:

"Princess, why did you close the window? Are everyone here?"

Jiang Yi's chest rose and fell, and after taking a few deep breaths, she suppressed the unbearable memory of the night before. She sat down on the soft slump and asked:

"Is it all arranged for you to arrange?"

"Princess, it's ready. Choose a concubine today, and test riding, archery, and martial arts. Martial arts can't be faked, but riding and shooting is a good way to start. The princess will wait and see the joke later."

Jiang Yi nodded at first, but after thinking about it, she felt that it was very rude to make a man behind her back, and it was inappropriate.

But when I think of Zuo Lingquan in Linhefang, he used shady tricks twice to defeat him and spanked her, and the only sense of guilt that he felt disappeared.

Whoever told you to be unkind is the first thing you asked for

Jiang Yi thought so, and when everyone was almost there, she got up and walked out of the private room, and sat behind the beaded curtain on the terrace.

Leng Zhu didn't know Zuo Lingquan, but through her name, she knew that it was the nephew of the waiter, Zuo Hanchou. She swept around the surrounding stands, and sure enough, beside a colonnade, she found a handsome man in white clothes like snow next to Zuo Hanchou. son.

Zuo Lingquan has been practicing martial arts since childhood, with a slender and well-proportioned figure, wearing elegant robes but not showing any signs of slenderness. Even if he does not make any movements, his spirit and spirit are still fully displayed. Compared with the scholars and officials next to him, he seems to stand out from the crowd.

Leng Zhu's eyes lit up. Seeing that the princess was also looking over there, she looked like a grievance woman who was deceived by her lover, and asked carefully:

"Princess, the handsome young man in the white robe is Zuo Lingquan."

Jiang Yi'er held the skirt in her hand, her eyes were hateful, and her face sank when she heard this:

"Jun, what kind of handsome? Jin Yu is in the middle of defeat, without the slightest gentleman's style, and this appearance is blinded in vain."

""

Leng Zhu blinked his eyes, feeling that the words were half-swearing and half-flattering, the princess still admitted that she was good-looking

----

"It's February, and it's spring. Today, the Son of Heaven holds a banquet and invites you all to come to Qiyuntai."

As people arrived one after another, on the balcony of the high-rise building in the middle, the old eunuch had a loud voice and read the opening speech.

The so-called concubine is different from the champion examination. To put it bluntly, the princess sits on the stage and looks for the young sons in the audience to see who is pleasing to the eye, and the various competitions are nothing more than giving the present sons a chance to show themselves.

Zuo Lingquan sat beside the third uncle, his mind was always on the matter of apprenticeship in Xihuanggu, and occasionally he glanced at the terrace of the tall building in the distance, but the princess' seat was blocked by a bead curtain, and only a vague outline could be seen. After a glance, I don't look at it anymore.

After the old eunuch on the terrace finished talking, the competitions officially began, the first one being equestrian.

The son of an aristocratic family, the six arts of the gentleman is a compulsory course. The riding in the 'cavalry and archery' was originally a test to drive a chariot, but with the rise of the cavalry, the chariots were eliminated, and now they are all horses.

Horse racing tests the pros and cons of horses more than the skill of the rider, so it is impossible to race horses. Qiyuntai was originally a polo field. Today, it is compared to the entertainment program 'playing polo' that the princes and sons of the Great Dan Dynasty liked. It happened that the eldest princess Love playing this too.

Polo, also known as "jumping", originally consisted of two teams of nearly a hundred people, men and women competing against each other on the same stage.However, there is destined to be only one winner in choosing a consort, so the rules have been changed. 40 players compete for a polo at the same time.

This kind of comparison is equivalent to that everyone has to face 39 opponents, and they have to pay attention to their demeanor so as not to make Her Royal Highness feel disgusted. It is very difficult to imagine.

However, Zuo Lingquan didn't want to be the concubine, so naturally he didn't worry about his grades. All he had to do was to show a little bit of limelight and not disappoint the third uncle.

There were more than [-] people participating in the election, divided into five teams, and the game was only a stick of incense. When the first team was off, the old eunuch on the terrace took the roster and began to read the name again:

"Zhao Huaian in Beiya County, Zuolingquan in Qinghe County in Pengyu County, and Lihua County"

On the stand closest to the tall building, a group of high-ranking officials sat among them. Prime Minister Li Jingsi, as the elder of the court, sat at the front.

Hearing Zuo Lingquan's name, Li Jingsi opened the tea leaves for a while, then looked up at Zuo Lingquan who was walking down the stand:

"That baby in white clothes is Zuo Hanchou's nephew?"

Wang Zheng, the minister of households, was Li Jingsi's confidant. Hearing this, he nodded and said:

"Get up from Zuo Hanchou's side, thinking about it, yes, he looks really handsome."

Li Cang is Li Jingsi's distant nephew and is very close to Li Jingsi. Hearing the elders compliment other people's appearance, he also looked at them and said:

"I have personally inquired about the people who have entered the capital. This Zuo Lingquan has heard that he is very good at martial arts and is very famous in Qinghe County."

Li Jingsi rubbed the teacup with his fingers and turned to ask:

"A practitioner?"

Li Cang shook his head respectfully: "Ordinary people don't have a foundation in cultivation, but they are just good at market skills."

When Li Jingsi heard this, he sneered softly:

"I'm not a practitioner, how can I compete with you on the same stage? You can't compare to a martial artist in the market?"

Li Cang naturally ignored Zuo Lingquan, who had no background in practice:

"What my uncle taught is that the younger generation should do their best."

A few people chatted, and the officials sitting at the back were all close followers of Li Jingsi.

One of the officials facing the rich state was just listening silently with his head bowed, but after hearing Zuo Lingquan's name, he remembered something and raised his head:

"Master Xiang, the lower official has something to report."

"Ok?"

Li Jingsi turned around and saw that it was Chen Maode, the little censor of the Censor Terrace, and was a little puzzled:

"If you have anything, just say it."

Supervising censor Chen Maode hurriedly bowed:

"My lord, last night, my unlucky dog ​​came home and said he met him in Linhefang."