Under the leadership of King Xin, the group slowly climbed the beautiful pleasure boat.

This is the first time Ye Qing has boarded the Royal Exclusive Painting Boat, and it is also the first time he has visited the beautiful night scenery of West Lake after coming to the Southern Song Dynasty.

The sound of orchestral silk and bamboo began to sound like a welcoming music on the spacious second floor of the pleasure boat when King Xin stepped onto the boat.

The palace lanterns are bright, the palace maids are light makeup, and they are dressed in thin shark silk dress. They are graceful and graceful, colorful and soft, and the music is harmonious, gentle but not sad, beautiful but not pitiful. The artistic conception is very consistent with the liveliness of the Shangyuan Festival, and the prosperity and comfort under the rule of the royal family of the Zhao Song Dynasty.

King Xin was obviously very clear that Ye Qinggang had a marriage with Yan Qingcheng, so after everyone sat down, he first picked up the wine glass to congratulate Ye Qing.

Ye Qing, who had hurriedly got up, raised his glass to Yao and drank it all at once. Yu Guang swept over the other people, as well as the two women who were whispering with Princess Xin at this time, and then drank three cups in a row at the insistence of King Xin.

Under the orchestra of the piano and sedancing, everyone either raised their glasses or looked at the palace maid dancing on the carpet, while Ye Qing's eyes were looking at the lake and passing by the pleasure boats from time to time.

All this was fresh for him. At first, it was integrated into the life of the people of the Southern Song Dynasty and gradually faded away. He was inexplicably appointed by Zhao Gou, and then gradually improved his status. It has to be said that the unique desires and ambitions of human beings also made Ye Qing become more curious about the lives of the upper nobles.

So at this time, when he looked at the scene in front of him and everything on the colorful lake, he felt like he was in another world, a world completely isolated from ordinary people in the Southern Song Dynasty.

Comfort, luxury, pleasure, and leisure are like the theme words of the upper aristocratic society. In their world, or deep in their hearts, under the background of poetry, songs and prosperity, there is also a negative attitude of avoiding the world similar to the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Forest" in the Wei and Jin Dynasties.

Ye Qing looked at Zhu Xi, and Lu Zuqian talked with Xin Wang, especially when he looked at Xin Qiji, looking at Zhu Xi from time to time. Ye Qing couldn't help but wonder, after the Song Dynasty, the many "laymen" that emerged in the literary world were somewhat similar to the "Seven Sages of Bamboo Forest" with an ostrich mentality in the Wei and Jin Dynasties?

In the late Tang Dynasty, Luo Yin's "Self-Exit": "Enjoy and singing are high and losing are restless, and there are sorrows and hatreds. Today is wine and drunk today, tomorrow is sorrowful and tomorrow is sorrowful."

It is more like a true portrayal of the current situation of the Zhao Song royal family being mediocre and not being enterprising.

Ye Qing, who had been thinking about it all the time, did not notice at all that the chattering words of King Xin and others had been transferred to this year's provincial examination.

With Xin Qiji next to him, he suddenly picked up the wine glass and asked Ye Qing that he was interested in participating in the provincial examination this year. Ye Qing only realized this time.

"Me?" Ye Qing picked up the wine glass and drank it all, looked at Xin Qiji and nodded seriously, and smiled bitterly: "My biggest advantage is that he has self-knowledge, so even if he can pass the state exam and directly participate in the provincial exam, I have no interest."

"But Lord Ye has buried his talent like this? Today, the first half of the official writing of "Qingyu Case·Yuanxi", Lord Ye was able to make the second half of the official thinking when the beautiful man looked back and looked at him..." Xin Qiji said in confusion.

Since Ye Qing took over the second half of his verse, although Xin Qiji did not show anything on the surface, he was still extremely curious. While admiring Ye Qing's talent, he also felt a little unwilling and confusion.

He never thought that someone could come up with the second half of the book exactly the same as in his heart in a very short time. This always made him feel like a cup of wine that he was preparing to drink by himself, and was suddenly taken away from his hands and half of it, both of which were both disgusting and regretful.

Ye Qing smiled mysteriously and said, "Mr. Xin doesn't believe it. Actually, I know how to read the mind, so I can quickly pick up the second half of the verse you thought."

Xin Qiji shook his head and smiled, then picked up the wine glass again, no longer struggling with a poem, but continued to ask Ye Qing again if he didn't plan to participate in the imperial examination?

Ye Qing still shook his head, and at this time he heard the conversation between King Xin and Zhu Xi.

"Sir, what should I do if the provincial trial is this year?" Xin Wang asked with a smile.

"Of course, the emperor trusts the king and makes the king fully preside over this year's provincial examination of the Ministry of Rites. Although Zhu is a scholar, he still doesn't say much about the court affairs." Zhu Xi said with a smile.

To Ye Qing's opinion, Zhu Xi's statement was more like a matter of being accused of being appointing a position.

He has no intention of career but is interested in official positions. This kind of conflict and entanglement reflected in Zhu Xi is like pretentious to Ye Qing.

King Xin didn't seem to care about Zhu Xi's pretentiousness. In his opinion, since Zhu Xi and Lu Zuqian agreed to their invitation very happily, they would naturally agree. Now that he is speaking like this, he is probably still in the position of Grand Secretary whom he is determined to win.

So King Xin smiled and said, "Sir, you might as well be the examiner first. After this year's provincial examination and the palace examination are completed, what will happen? I will report to the emperor again?"

"I believe in Wang Yingming, so that my teacher can become famous. With his prestige and influence, I think I will definitely be able to help me, the Song Dynasty court and enroll talented students into the officialdom." Lu Zuqian hurriedly agreed for Zhu Xi.

Zhu Xi next to him pretended to be helpless, sighed slightly, looked at Lu Zuqian with a seemingly reproachful look, and then nodded and agreed.

Seeing that Zhu Xi had agreed, King Xin naturally turned his attention to Ye Qing and asked, "Master Ye thinks this is so good?"

As soon as King Xin said this, not only Ye Qing was a little confused, but also Zhu Xi, Lu Zuqian, Xin Qiji and others were a little confused.

"I...I have no objection. Mr. Zhu is very knowledgeable and talented. The junior officials feel that being an examiner is a bit insignificant, and Mr. Zhu should have the questions set." Ye Qing didn't think that the imperial examination had anything to do with him.

Moreover, he was somewhat prejudiced to the scholars of the Southern Song Dynasty, so he wanted Zhu Xi to be the examiner to "perse" the scholars who were conducting the provincial examination this year.

Zhu Xi originally thought Ye Qing would not agree, but he did not expect Ye Qing to agree with it. After a moment of stunnedness, the smile on his face became much more natural.

King Xin continued to smile, turned his head and said something to Zhang Dadao next to him.

There was not much serious business on the pleasure boat, and even if there was one, it had nothing to do with Ye Qing. So after a while, when they began to discuss the details of the provincial examination, Ye Qing accused Wang Xin and wandered around the pleasure boat alone.

Bai Chun and Yan Qingcheng were already taken down the second floor of the pleasure boat by Princess Xin when they talked about the provincial examination. They didn't know what they were talking about in the hall on the first floor.

Ye Qing, who passed by the first floor, obviously could not enter inside. The palace maids and eunuchs standing at the door did not know Ye Qing's identity, but in their opinion, since they could become the guest of honor for King Xin, they must be a noble person.

So after saluting Ye Qing who glanced at him, he was about to go in and report, but Ye Qing stopped him, and then walked towards the stern of the boat alone.

Not long after standing at the stern, heavy footsteps came from behind. Turning back to the side of the boat, he saw the serious Xin Qiji walking towards him.

"Why, Lord Xin can't sit still on it?" Ye Qing smiled and spoke first.

"It is not convenient for the officials to listen carefully to the details of the imperial examinations. Besides, Isn't it because of this that Lord Ye came down to see the scenery?" Xin Qiji's big skeleton, coupled with the temperament he had tempered in the army in his early years, made him look more like a general with unique skills than a literati and poet.

"Xiaoguan once heard that Lord Yu Yunwen talked about Lord Ye, including the whole story of Yangzhou, and admired him very much. What is even more commendable is that Lord Ye's attitude towards the Jin people made Xiaguan admire him even more." Xin Qiji said lightly with a stern face as if he couldn't smile.

This made Ye Qing sound like a complimentary word that smiled before he could speak, so he naturally felt that he would benefit much more.

"Where is it? If I remember correctly, Lord Xin joined the army in his early years, hoping to fight against the Jin Dynasty like Yue Wumu, kill the enemy and serve the country?" Ye Qing said with a smile.

A trace of loneliness flashed in Xin Qiji's eyes, and he paused and said, "That's right, the lower officials' desire to resist the Jin Dynasty has not dissipated, but he has no choice... he is unsuccessful after all."

"The censor Yin Yu impeached you not the others, but your residence. After your mansion was built and named Jiaxuan, two memorials to impeach you were separately in the hands of the Supreme Emperor and the Supreme Lord." Ye Qing was still leaning against the ship's side, looking at Xin Qiji who was frowning with his brows and continued to ask: "Is it Mr. Lu Shaoqing who asked you to find me? Or is it true Mr. Xin..."

"Yes, it was Lu Zu Jian Shaoqing who signaled his subordinates to come to see you, but it was not the matter of the subordinates, but just asked the subordinates to tell you that if Lord Ye has free time recently, it would be better to read more books of sages." Xin Qiji said calmly.

Ye Qing was puzzled and looked at Xin Qiji's old-fashioned cheek: "Do you know? Today you are the second person who said I should study. Doesn't I look so different from a scholar?"

"I can't tell whether an adult is a scholar or not, and the same is true for the officials. If I don't say the name of the officials, no one knows that the officials can write lyrics." Xin Qiji's mouth twitched for a moment, and it was considered a smile.

"When you are drunk, you look at the sword with a lamp, and dream of blowing the horns and camping. You are divided into 800 miles away... Yu Yunwen told me that after you parted with your friend Chen Liang, he wrote this poem, but... I don't know whether it is related to Duke Wei." Ye Qing looked at Xin Qiji and said lightly.

Xin Qiji was dismissed from office several times in his life, and the last time he was appointed by Han Tuozhou. However, at that time, Xin Qiji was already sixty-four.

Xin Qiji sighed softly, then looked at the lake and said, "In the early years, Xiaguan wrote "Ten Essays on Meiqin" and "Nine Discussions". The court was the Duke of Wei to serve as prime minister. Perhaps because of these, it rejected Xiaguan's resistance to Jin and his discussion on the military system."
Chapter completed!