I'm really sorry, I'm still stuck in a serious problem at the moment, and I'm still trying to think of the follow-up plot, so I can't write the main text yet qaq But in order to prove that I don't have a eunuch, I'll just write some things I prepared in the previous outline period that are no longer needed. The material is shared with everyone in the form of extras.
This extra episode is free and has nothing to do with the main plot. It tells the story of "What if Gu Xu and Lu Shiyao were born in the same era". It is for entertainment only. If you don't like it, you can skip it.
1. Trees in Spring
When Gu Xu first visited Lu Mansion in Qingzhou, spring was returning to the earth, and the grass was growing and orioles were flying.
Before this, he had heard from many people that this mansion occupies a large area and is magnificent. It can be described as "the mansion of the immortals in Yuhu, Kinmen, the home of the concubine of Guidianlan Palace", which is different from ordinary people. The residences of officials and wealthy households are all different.
When I saw it today, it was indeed the case.
Carved jade seals and embroidered cloud lintels. The jade steps of the Jin Dynasty are bright and colorful. Decorated with Chinese cypresses and jade, the scenery shines through the sky. The bright moon shines on the bright wall, and the red pillars are glowing and electric. 1
It seems that no matter how beautiful the words are, how sophisticated the rhetoric is, they are not enough to describe its beauty and luxury.
Gu Xu’s second impression of it was “strict rules and numerous etiquettes.”
There is an order between elder and younger, and distinction between superior and inferior. Men and women are not allowed to sit at the same table, and concubines are not allowed to sit at the same table. There are extremely strict rules on etiquette when meeting, seating arrangements when eating, clothing on different occasions, the value of gifts, and even the order of using chopsticks.
Because of this, although Gu Xu had a polite smile on his face and greeted everyone calmly, he was actually paying attention and caring at every step, and did not want to admit the wrong person or say the wrong thing. , causing unnecessary trouble.
As a time-traveler and an orphan from a civilian background in this life, Gu Xu is used to being free and easy. Now in such an environment, he undoubtedly feels a little depressed, feeling like a A wild sparrow accidentally got into a canary birdcage.
After lunch, Lu Huan, the chief minister of the Daqi Dynasty cabinet and the head of the Lu family, asked his eldest son Lu Bingde to take Gu Xu around the compound to get to know the young people of his generation.
After all, Gu Xu is the most dazzling genius of the younger generation in the Da Qi Dynasty.
Lu Huan also hopes that his juniors can form friendship with him. When Gu Xu reaches his peak in the future, he will also be able to support the Lu family's descendants.
It would be even better if he could be recruited as his son-in-law.
"Mr. Gu, this is my sister Lu Wanru. She has been very talented since she was a child. She knows everything about music, chess, calligraphy and painting."
"Mr. Gu, this is my sister Lu Jingshu. She is our family's daughter. The younger generation of cultivation geniuses has already broken through to the third realm at the age of sixteen."
"Master Gu, this is my cousin Lu Huaixin. Although he is only six years old, he is already familiar with etiquette and understands it. Give up the pastries and fruits to your brothers and sisters."
""
Gu Xu followed Lu Bingde through the twists and turns.On the verandahs and beautifully decorated halls, I saw the children of the Lu family one after another.
Both men and women, young and old, are all dressed in embroidered clothes, gold and silver hair ornaments, jade pendants and sachets hanging on their waists, looking like gods.
Standing in front of them, Gu Xu, dressed in a dark official robe, looked simple and plain.
When they saw Gu Xu, these young people all saluted and greeted Gu Xu. The men bowed and the women bent their knees. Either they looked reserved and frightened, or they greeted him enthusiastically, or they said: Pretending to ask for advice on spiritual practice, in reality he was flattering and flattering in a roundabout way.
Gu Xu responded politely, but there was no smile in his eyes.
He just hoped that time would pass faster so that he could leave this suffocating mansion as soon as possible.
However, at this moment, his eyes caught a plain white shadow under a crabapple tree in front of him.
It was a girl wearing a snow-white dress. Her long hair was styled into a simple pony bun. She was not wearing any gold or silver jewelry. She had no makeup but her eyes were picturesque.
Tall and slim with a slender waist.
Wherever she is, everything seems to lose its color, leaving only pure black and white, like a plain ink painting.
At this time, she was standing on tiptoes on a small wooden chair, holding a pair of large scissors in her hand, staring blankly at the branches and leaves of the crabapple tree, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.
"Who is she?" Gu Xu asked Lu Bingde beside him.
“She is my half-sister Lu Shiyao,” Lu Bingde replied. “She has always been eccentric and not very gregarious. She likes to toy with the cats, dogs, and flowers in the yard alone. Damn it. We rarely interact with her."
Gu Xu did not respond.
He pondered for a moment, then took a few steps forward, walked to the girl in the white dress, and asked softly, "Do you need my help?"
The girl named "Lu Shiyao" turned to Turning around, she was stunned for a moment, as if she didn't expect that the distinguished guest visiting the Lu Mansion today would take the initiative to talk to her.
She shook her head, subconsciously wanting to refuse.
As a sensitive and introverted person, she has always had the mentality of "not wanting to trouble others" and is used to solving all problems by herself.
But when she once again caught a glimpse of the dark brown spots on the leaves of Begonia, she hesitated for a while and chose to step down from the small wooden chair. She curtsied to Gu Xu nervously and said cautiously, "This Master, this crabapple tree is sick. If the dead branches and leaves are not cut off in time, it will become more seriously ill. The only thing is that the branches and leaves are too high and I can't reach them."
While speaking, Her eyes were a little moist, and it seemed like tears might roll out at any time. Looking at her anxious look, it seemed that the disease was not a plant, but a relative or friend of hers.
However, seeing that Gu Xu did not respond for a while, Lu Shiyao thought that what he just said had offended the other person, and immediately lowered his head and said apologetically, "Sorry, sir.Son, I’d better do it myself”
“Give me the scissors. "Gu Xu smiled slightly and interrupted her.
He had already seen that this crabapple tree should be infected with "anthracnose". In the early stage of the disease, small oval reddish-brown spots will appear on the leaves of the plant. In the later stage, The lesions will expand into dark brown round spots, and in severe cases, most of the leaves will turn black and die.
This requires timely pruning of diseased leaves and dead leaves in the green space, and burning them to prevent expansion.
p>
This was not difficult for him to accomplish
So he took the big scissors from Lu Shiyao's hand, stepped on the small wooden chair, and quickly cut off the dead branches and leaves of the crabapple tree.
Then he moved the small wooden chair and cut off the dead leaves from another angle of the crabapple tree.
Lu Shiyao helped him on the side. Help him.
Help him hold the chair and hand him the tools.
Gu Xu noticed that since the ground was uneven, she would always move the chair first. After shaking and pushing to confirm that the chair was stable, he pursed his lips, nodded slightly, and agreed to step on it.
Soon, Gu Xu trimmed all the spotted leaves. Clean.
Then he threw a talisman into the fallen leaves, and bright flames immediately appeared on the fallen leaves, turning into black ash.
At this time, Lu Shiyao. He took out the handkerchief he carried with him, handed it to him, looked up at him, and said softly, "Sir, you just shed some sweat."
Gu Xu looked at the clean and dust-free handkerchief, and her Those clear black and white, lively eyes raised the corners of his mouth and said, "Miss Lu, we are just meeting for the first time, so you have to give me your personal handkerchief."
Hearing his words, Lu Shiyao's face A faint blush immediately appeared on her face.
She put her handkerchief back and lowered her head, not daring to look into his eyes again.
At that moment, she saw him. There were beads of sweat on her face. She just wanted to give him her handkerchief to wipe away the sweat, but she forgot for a moment that in the traditional customs of the Daqi Dynasty, girls' personal handkerchiefs were often used as tokens of love.
< p>At this moment, she just wanted to find a hole to crawl into.After Gu Xu followed Lu Bingde and left, Lu Shiyao slowly raised her head, her eyes narrowed into two crescent moons, beautiful and refined. A pure smile appeared on her face.
She watched Gu Xu's back disappear from sight, then glanced at the crabapple tree beside her, patted its trunk gently, and said to it, "You must." You must remember this young master, he is the benefactor who helped you get rid of your illness."
That night, Lu Shiyao returned to the house where he lived, opened the drawer, and took out a colorful flower note. .
She has few friends in Lu Zhai.
As an introvert, she prefers to focus on her inner world than the noisy external environment.
She can quietly look into the distance all day long. She can feel happiness from the touch of the sun. She can also look at the pond after the rain.Create a conversation in your mind between a dragonfly and a lotus leaf.
In her eyes, everything in the world seems to be a life with soul and thought. They can be happy, sad, laugh, and cry.
For example, today, when she saw the dark brown spots on the leaves of the crabapple, she seemed to feel its pain and heard its low sobbing.
She also likes to record her mood every day with flower paper of different colors, and then hides them quietly in her drawer.
It is as if there is a close friend living in the drawer.
She can freely tell him what she sees, hears and feels.
But in addition to recording moods, these flower notes also have another purpose
Because Lu Shiyao is face-blind, he often cannot distinguish other people's faces and cannot distinguish other people's names and looks. Match it up in time.
This is almost a nightmare in the Lu Mansion, which has a large number of people and complicated rules.
So she would promptly record the identity and physical characteristics of everyone she met on flower paper, and force herself to review and recite it over and over again, so as to avoid making a fool of herself and being punished for misidentifying the person. Punishment from the elders.
So at this moment, while trying to recall Gu Xu’s appearance, she wrote on the paper in neat and elegant hairpin regular script
“Gu Xu, head of the Exorcism Department , less than a weak crown, thin and slender, fair complexion, regular facial features, thick eyebrows."
Halfway through writing, she suddenly stopped writing.
Because she felt that it was difficult to summarize the young master’s unique temperament using these too broad and too popular adjectives.
He deserves to be described in better, more thoughtful words.
So she thought for a while and wrote a sentence
"Bright as a jade tree in front of the wind."
2. Summer flowers
Gu Xu visited Lu Zhai for the second time. After receiving the invitation, he was invited to participate in the poetry meeting.
It was June, and the lotus flowers were in full bloom in the Lufu pond.
Among the green leaves, flowers of various colors stand gracefully, the white ones are as pure as jade, and the red ones are as bright as clouds. The tender stamens are condensed and dripping, and the fragrance is refreshing.
Under the call of Mrs. Lu, the young people of the Lu family gathered at the waterside pavilion in the pool. There are windows on all sides, winding corridors on the left and right, and a bamboo bridge connecting to the shore.
Through the window, you can see the panoramic view of the pond, as if you are in a painting.
Since the ancestors of the Lu family in Qingzhou once entered Taoism and became immortals through poetry and painting, the Lu family has always focused on cultivating the poetry attainments of the younger generation. Everyone hopes to stand out in poetry gatherings and be praised by everyone and appreciated by their elders.
Because he was delayed for some time by the Exorcist Department's mission, when Gu Xu arrived at Shuixie, most of the poetry meeting had passed.
The young people of the Lu family and the invited guests were all sitting around a round table. There were pens, inks, paper and inkstones on the table, as well as fruit cakes.point.
There are two bamboo tables nearby. One has cups and wine sets, and the other has tea spoons and tea sets. Each has a maid fanning the stove to make tea or scalding wine. .
The theme this time is "Lotus".
Can compose poetry and lyrics.
According to the rules of the poetry meeting, participants need to write their works on Xuelang paper, and then tie them to the wall with a needle to receive comments from everyone.
In addition, each participant can also receive several lotus-shaped stickers. When they see the work they admire most, they can put the lotus stickers on it.
The author with the most lotus stickers will be the leader of this poetry meeting.
"Master Gu, all that's left now is your masterpiece." Mrs. Lu stood up and said to Gu Xu with a smile.
The maid next to him came forward and respectfully handed the brush and Xuelang paper into his hands.
Gu Xu politely thanked him.
At the same time, his eyes passed over the men and women in rich clothes beside the round table, and landed on a slender girl in the corner of the waterside pavilion.
She sat in the shadow of the room, lowered her head, and looked at her toes.
Everyone was wearing brightly colored silks and satins, and sparkling gold and silver jewelry. Only she was dressed in plain white, like a goddess in the moon palace or a fairy from another world, and was incompatible with the surrounding environment.
Gu Xu did not start writing poetry immediately.
He first glanced at the works of the Lu family's children on the wall.
He must admit that the Lu family is indeed a scholarly family. The works of these young people are basically neat in rhythm and gorgeous in rhetoric, extolling the beauty of the lotus.
Although it is not particularly stunning, it is still quite satisfactory and can be barely complimented with "literary talent".
However, if you compare these poems with the masterpieces he read in his previous life, you will find that they are very stiff and old-fashioned, and lack a strong emotion.
It doesn’t seem like it comes from a deep feeling.
It’s more like “expressing sorrow in order to compose new words”.
In order to show off their skills, many young people even use many uncommon words and little-known allusions in their poems, which makes people confused.
Gu Xu did not comment.
He glanced at the surrounding buildings with red yoke and engraved inscriptions, and thought of the complicated and strict rules of the Lu family. He only felt that in such an environment, it was unusual for young people to write poems that were gorgeous but lacked soul. Very normal thing.
Besides these works, there are more or less a few lotus stickers.
As for the work that has received the most lotus stickers, it is Mrs. Lu's work "Ode to the Red Lotus." In Gu Xu's opinion, this is also a work that cannot be faulted, but it is also mediocre and cannot be said to be excellent.
The reason why it received the most votes is obviously because of the noble status of its author.
It was as if my district chief father had won the first prize in an essay contest.
Gu Xu suddenly felt somethingSomewhat boring.
A few minutes later, his eyes fell on a song called "Recalling the King's Sun".
The content is as follows
"The wind is hunting cattails in the small pond, the lotus flowers are fragrant in the courtyard after the rain, plums and floating melons are sinking in the ice and snow is cool. Bamboo square bed, needlework and long afternoon dreams " 2
After seeing this poem, Gu Xu had such a picture in his mind
After the rain, the water plants in the wind made a strong sound, and the fragrance of lotus filled the small courtyard, and he was young. The girl lay lazily on the bamboo square bed, enjoying the plums and melons that were put in the well and chilled with cold water. She just felt cool and comfortable. In this case, she no longer had the heart to do needlework and just wanted to take a nice nap.
It must be said that the language of this word is fresh and refined, simple and natural, and it outlines a vivid picture with just a few strokes. It is full of life interest and stands out among many works filled with gorgeous rhetoric. .
And its signature is "Lu Shiyao".
"I didn't expect that in a place with strict rules like Lu Mansion, a girl with such a true temperament would be born," Gu Xu silently sighed in his heart, "It's really interesting."
While he was thinking, he glanced at the girl in the white dress in the corner again.
The girl noticed his eyes and turned her head nervously, pretending to stare at the dragonflies on the pond, not daring to look at him.
Gu Xu smiled.
He couldn't help but imagine how cute this girl who was shy and shy in front of him would look like, lying on a bamboo bed and eating iced plums in private.
But at this time , Gu Xu noticed that such a fresh and natural work failed to get even a lotus sticker.
It is unexpected and reasonable.
Who said that Lu Shiyao was just a concubine with a low status?
In a place like Lu Mansion that pays great attention to status and bloodline, it is difficult for her poetry to be mastered. Being truly appreciated by others will only lead to indifference and jealousy from others.
Gu Xu sighed lightly, then sat down at the table and wrote quickly.
In an instant, a seven-character quatrain appeared on the Xuelang note
“There are many plain flowers that are deceived by others, but this flower is truly in the Yaochi.
"With ruthlessness and hatred, who can feel the moonlight and the clear wind when he wants to fall?" "3
After writing, he handed the Xuelang note to the maid next to him, and she tied it on the wall.
The content of this poem naturally fell on Lu In Shiyao's eyes.
She glanced at Gu Xu and quickly turned away.
At this moment, she only felt that her nose was sore and she couldn't shed tears. The words flowed out of her eyes, soaking her snow-white collar.
A ray of breeze ruffled her black hair, but she didn't notice it.
Late at night, Lu Shiyao sat quietly at her desk as usual, writing her feelings on colorful flower paper.
She wrote every word slowly and carefully.
p>During this process, the corner of her mouth inadvertentlyThe ground rose slightly. Lu Shiyao rarely smiled and usually had little expression on her face. People said she was withdrawn and cold, like an ice sculpture.
But when she really smiled, she looked sweet and pure, like an orchid blooming, refreshing the heart.
I saw her writing
"The world should not make me so happy.
" But he appeared. ”
Notes
1 From Zhang Heng’s Xijing Fu and Wang Yanshou’s Lu Lingguang Palace Fu in the Han Dynasty;
2 Li Chongyuan’s poems recalling Wang Sunxia’s poems in the Song Dynasty;
< p>3 Lugui Mengbailian in the Tang Dynasty;,,
.