Joy of Life: The Mei Family's Son Grows Up

Chapter 69: End of the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Conference

The top floor of the Hanging Temple.

Mei Cheng'an knelt down and bowed to Emperor Qing who was standing at the fence.

"I see your Majesty."

Emperor Qing's voice floated softly from above his head.

"Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Mei Cheng'an stood up and waited obediently for His Majesty to speak, without looking away.

Emperor Qing looked him up and down and spoke.

"You've caught a cold, haven't you? You don't look sick to me."

Shit! Forgot about that.

"Um...After receiving the order from His Majesty not to allow leave, I took a strong dose of medicine and sweated a lot at night. I feel fine today."

It would be strange if Emperor Qing believed him, he glanced at him unhappily.

"He was so hesitant that I knew it was made up right away."

Mei Cheng'an was startled and said subconsciously.

"I don't, and I dare not."

The Crown Prince and the Second Prince on the side looked at him with amusement and found it very interesting. It was nothing to pretend to be sick and ask for leave to deceive the emperor, but it would be troublesome if you were caught deceiving the emperor.

The third prince felt that the man in front of him was quite powerful. Although he had thought of pretending to be sick and skipping classes, he did not dare to do it.

The corner of Emperor Qing's mouth curled up and he regained his composure.

"Don't dare? I think you are very brave."

Mei Chengan sighed inwardly. He called me here from far away, right? It wasn't just to see whether I was really sick or faking one.

"I am guilty."

Seeing that the teasing had almost ended, Emperor Qing smiled and pointed outside the guardrail.

"I am in a good mood today, so I will not punish you with a stick. I will punish you by asking you to write a poem about the goldenrod that is all over the mountains."

I guess you just wanted to do this. Is it necessary to go around in such a big circle?

Mei Chengan bowed.

"Yes, time is short. Your Majesty, can you allow me to think about it?"

Emperor Qing put his hands behind his back and thought for a while.

"Since this is a punishment, I will only give you two glasses of wine. When you finish drinking, you can write a poem."

After saying that, he turned his head to look at the crown prince and the second prince who were sitting in their seats.

"Li Chengqian, Li Chengze, you two admire him, why don't you have a drink with him?"

The Crown Prince and the Second Prince looked at each other, bowed and said yes, then stood up, picked up their wine glasses and walked towards Mei Cheng'an.

Mei Cheng'an was complaining in his heart at the moment, Jay Chou at least gave him time for one song, you only gave him time for two glasses of wine, why didn't he kill you.

When Emperor Qing finished speaking, a eunuch had already brought wine to Mei Cheng'an.

The prince looked at Mei Cheng'an with sympathy. Mei Cheng'an forced a helpless smile and clinked glasses with the prince. He drank as slowly as a snail, thinking frantically in his mind.

Emperor Qing glanced at him with a smile on his face, but said nothing.

When it was the second prince's turn, he first made a funny expression to Mei Chengan and made a gesture as if to say "don't be in a hurry, drink slowly" with his mouth.

Mei Cheng'an felt a little comforted in his heart. He felt that people in the same boat were caring and considerate.

This time they drank even more slowly, and the Second Prince also cooperated. The two of them drank so slowly that their movements seemed to be frozen.

But no matter how slowly you drink, the wine will eventually be finished. The moment he put down the glass, Emperor Qing spoke.

"read."

Mei Chengan's mouth twitched. "Use, hurry, hurry, why are you urging me?"

In fact, from the moment Emperor Qing asked someone to call him, he had a premonition and had already started to recall in his mind.

He just remembered two poems, which either contained specific place names or described scenery that did not fit the Hanging Temple. If he put them together, the meanings seemed a bit repetitive. He had actually been thinking about which poem to modify and how to modify it. Time was so tight that he could only pick the one that was easier to modify.

Mei Chengan took a deep breath and recited.

"Wait until September 8th in autumn."

The first sentence pointed out the time, and Emperor Qing and his family were listening carefully to the second half of the sentence.

"Every flower will kill me after it blooms."

As soon as this sentence came out, Emperor Qing's eyes flashed with brilliance. What a great way to kill all the flowers! This sentence is written in a domineering and murderous manner, which complements the solemn atmosphere of autumn.

The prince frowned, thinking that although the poem was very well written, it was inappropriate to read such a murderous poem in front of His Majesty.

The second prince repeated it in his mind and also felt that the word "kill" was used brilliantly.

On the surface, Mei Cheng'an was giving everyone some time to savor the poem, while in his mind he was making a final consideration as to whether the changes he had made were inappropriate. Seeing that the time was almost up and he would not be able to keep up the mood any longer, he continued reading.

"The incense array rises to the sky and hangs in the air."

The first sentence is the time, and this sentence is the place, mentioning the Hanging Temple.

"The whole mountain is covered with golden armor."

Emperor Qing subconsciously looked down, and sure enough, the golden rudbeckias all over the mountains looked like they were wearing a suit of golden armor from afar, and together with the killer in front, they gave off a sense of grandeur and the spirit of conquering cities and plundering lands.

Emperor Qing laughed heartily, full of vigor.

Mei Cheng'an was close to him and could actually feel the pressure from Emperor Qing's overwhelming aura. This aura had nothing to do with that of a grandmaster; it was the supreme pressure from an emperor.

After Emperor Qing finished laughing, he recited the poem again according to his own feelings, word for word.

"Wait until autumn comes, September 8th."

"My flower, when it blooms, all other flowers will die."

"The incense array rises to the sky, penetrating the air."

"The whole mountain is covered with golden armor."

This poem read out by Emperor Qing was completely different from Mei Cheng'an's. It added some pauses and emotions, and coupled with the ups and downs of Emperor Qing's voice, the domineering aura soared into the sky.

Mei Chengan's words were not a compliment, but a sincere praise. "Your Majesty's reading is much more powerful than mine. I am ashamed to be inferior to you."

Emperor Qing laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

"You wrote this poem very well. I like it very much."

"As long as I don't disappoint His Majesty."

The rhyme of this poem is okay, but the rhythm of the last two lines is not right, which makes the meaning a little off. Fortunately, Your Majesty does not understand poetry very well.

Emperor Qing nodded and looked at Eunuch Hou who had already copied down the poem.

"How can I enjoy such a good poem alone? Go and show it to those people below so that they can also read it carefully and enjoy it with me."

Eunuch Hou was ordered to make the arrangements. Naturally, such matters had to be handed over to the subordinates. He must be exhausted after running through so many floors by himself, and His Majesty also needed his service.

Eunuch Hou came back soon. He only visited a few top officials, so time passed quickly.

Emperor Qing did not let Mei Cheng'an go back, but kept him here. He asked Eunuch Hou to arrange a set of tables and chairs for him next to the Second Prince, and the wine and food were soon prepared.

After Emperor Qing invited everyone to have a drink together on the pretext of writing a congratulatory poem, the atmosphere became a little more relaxed.

The second prince moved closer to Mei Chengan, gave him a thumbs up, and spoke in a low voice.

“What a great poem!”

Mei Chengan smiled shyly.

"Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness."

Then he raised his glass to toast the second prince.

After they finished drinking, the second prince continued.

"Before you wrote the poem just now, I was really worried for you. I thought it would be difficult for you to finish it in such a short time. Fortunately, you were quick-witted and lived up to everyone's expectations. I was relieved now."

It is true that Your Majesty is making things difficult for me, but it is inappropriate for you to say it out loud.

Mei Cheng'an glanced in the direction of Emperor Qing calmly, and saw that Emperor Qing was eating with his head down, seemingly not paying attention to what was happening here. He felt a little relieved and turned back to speak in a low voice.

"I was a little nervous just now, but I felt relieved after I finished reading it."

The second prince smiled and raised his glass again.

"Just get used to it."

……

Eunuch Hou's subordinates were quite efficient, and it didn't take long for them to convey the poem and the background of the poem to all officials. However, they didn't mention any punishment, only that His Majesty gave Lady Xiaomei time for two glasses of wine.

People had different reactions to this poem. The military reacted most strongly as this poem was very much in line with their temperament. In particular, General Qin, the military's Privy Councilor, particularly liked this poem.

The civil officials felt similar to the prince. They thought the poem was too murderous and a little inappropriate. However, the poem was indeed a good one. It outlined the characteristics of the chrysanthemum very vividly and echoed the Hanging Temple. It was also a poem that was turned into poetry in an instant, which was extremely rare. He was worthy of being the number one talent in Qing Kingdom.

Mei Zhiliyue was so delighted by the praises from his colleagues that he raised his glass to drink.

……

Excluding the time for rushing to enter the venue, the chrysanthemum viewing conference officially began at around Si time, which was a little after ten but less than eleven in the morning. The banquet lasted for more than two hours and ended at the beginning of Wei time.

After the show, Emperor Qing left first and no one knew where he went. Mei Cheng'an followed the princes downstairs. He wanted to reunite with his father and go home together, but he found that he had left without him noticing.

The prince explained thoughtfully.

"Your father left a quarter of an hour earlier than we did."

Emperor Qing is still here, but the ministers are leaving first? This is not appropriate.

"Shouldn't Your Majesty go first?"

The second prince spoke on the other side.

"This is not the palace. His Majesty specifically asked the ministers to leave first. After we leave, the Hanging Temple will be completely closed until the next chrysanthemum viewing event."

Mei Cheng'an suddenly realized that it was nothing since it was specially arranged by Emperor Qing.

When I reached the fourth floor and looked into the pavilion where he had stayed before, I saw that Xin Qiwu had indeed left.

When he reached the foot of the mountain and was about to step out of the mountain gate, a palace lady came up behind him.

"Master Xiaomei, please stay."

The Crown Prince, the Second Prince, Mei Cheng'an and the others all turned around to look.

Mei Cheng'an felt that the woman in front of him looked familiar. He tilted his head and thought for a while before he remembered that this woman was one of the female officials beside the eldest princess, the one who fought with Fan Xian.

Mei Cheng'an looked around. Wasn't the chrysanthemum appreciation conference a place for all officials to enjoy themselves? Why was the eldest princess here?

"calls me?"

The matron bowed.

"Exactly."

Mei Cheng'an looked back at the Crown Prince and the Second Prince. Their expressions were somewhat unexpected. The Second Prince shrugged and spread his hands at him, apparently not knowing what was going on. He looked at the female official again.

"What's the matter with me?"

The housekeeper looked at the Crown Prince and the Second Prince and bowed in response.

"Her Royal Highness the Princess wants to see you alone."

Before Mei Cheng'an could react, the prince spoke up.

"What does aunt want to see him for?"

It seems that he really doesn't know.

The female official bowed to the prince.

"This slave doesn't know."

The prince was choked and became even more curious, because his aunt had not discussed today's events with him in advance.

The second prince rolled his eyes, had a guess, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he walked forward and patted Mei Chengan on the shoulder.

"Since my aunt is looking for you, I'll leave first. I'm sorry I can't go with you."

Mei Chengan's mouth twitched. Why did he feel a little gloating? Could it be that he knew something?

Warning! Warning! The next chapter may contain some scenes that are not suitable for children. Minors should watch it carefully under the supervision of their parents. After watching it, please remember to leave your accumulated monthly recommendation tickets.

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(End of this chapter)