Chapter 628: Chapter 216: Wild Flowers Dazzling Eyes_4
As the years pass, people grow increasingly handsome and mature, yet there’s a part of me that misses the good old days.
Emperor Liang Ming watched Pei Yunmeng for quite some time, then, as if struck by a sudden thought, the corner of his lips twitched into an odd smile.
"Very well, Lord Pei should also join the fray and show those soldiers what ’contending for the mark’ truly means."
There was a pause among the people upstairs at his words.
Pei Yunmeng looked up, only to find that Emperor Liang Ming had already diverted his gaze, looking listlessly towards the water below the tower.
He then cupped his hands in respect: "Yes."
Lu Tong was sitting among the seats in the Water Palace, listening expressionlessly to the deafening cheers nearby when suddenly an exclamation arose from in front, and Chang Jin beside him let out a shrill scream, prompting Lu Tong to frown and look up, only to freeze in astonishment.
Across the surface of Chang Le Pond, a figure swiftly glided, clad in familiar dark green brocade with hidden floral patterns, moving with a grace and beauty reminiscent of a bluebird spreading its wings and skimming the water, leaving behind a trace of ripples in its wake.
The cheers from the crowd grew wild with excitement.
"Marshal Pei, Marshal Pei has entered the competition too!"
Lu Tong fixed his gaze in that direction.
Pei Yunmeng had already removed his official hat and replaced it with a dark embroidered headband. His movements were rapid, and to him, the sea of red boats below might as well have been flat ground, as the young man reached the ’contending for the mark’ vessel amidst a blur to the onlookers’ eyes.
As he advanced further, the two men fiercely dueling under the bamboo pole seemed to sense the impending threat and immediately ceased their quarrel to face the common enemy, both scooping up the lengthy spears from the shore and charging towards him.
"Good! Good!"
Loud applause and cheers erupted from around them once more.
This was far more thrilling than the water puppet show on the dragon boat earlier.
With two long spears thrusting towards him from either side, Pei Yunmeng seemed unfazed. Without a sword in hand, he casually picked up a red-tasseled spear from a nearby rack, which, as nimble as a shooting star with its red silk shining like brocade, dazzled onlookers amidst its swift motions.
The people seated above watched with rapt attention as some dignified scholars shouted until their faces turned red and their necks thickened. Qi Huaying, sitting amidst the cheering crowd, suddenly felt her heart flutter like the red tassel on the spear, ebulliently following the movement of the one wielding it.
Some politely admired while holding their wine cups, gazing at the young man on the distant red boat, complimenting the person next to them, "The Princely Heir possesses unrivaled grace and appears destined to soar to great heights. Lord Pei has indeed raised his son well."
Lord Zhao Ning, Pei Di, sipped his drink with a serene expression, not offering a response.
All of a sudden, the crowd erupted in surprise once more. As they all looked up, they saw the two red-clad soldiers beginning to falter against their opponent. Pei Yunmeng lunged with his spear, and as they failed to dodge, "plunk, plunk" they both fell into the water in quick succession. The young man beneath the flagpole smirked at this turn of events and with a practiced flick of his spear, the Golden Arrow dangling from the highest point of the pole fell gracefully, accompanied by a delicate golden bow that also landed snugly in his embrace.
Surrounded by red boats closing in on him, the drums on the boats thundered intensely while the shores resonated with fervent cheers. From a distance, against a backdrop of lush greenery and competing pomegranate blossoms, the handsome youth with arched brows aimed his arrow at a Golden Ball hanging on the shore and let it fly—
"Boom—"
The Golden Ball burst in a shower of colors, the shot hitting the mark perfectly.
There was a moment of silence among the seated guests, which was then shattered by a massive wave of applause and cheers.
"Excellent! Marvelous! What a spectacular shot!"
Chang Jin’s voice changed pitch with excitement, Lin Danqing also slapped the table in admiration, and from the edge of Chang Le Pond, up and down the shore, rose a cacophony of drums.
The young man smiled, then lifted his hand to remove the dark black and gold embroidered headband from his forehead. The sun’s rays lent a resplendent glow to his striking figure, conjuring in the minds of the onlookers a line from a poem—
A young cavalier from Chang’an, an archer graceful in service to the wise Emperor.
His brilliance shone upon all.
In a short time, the two soldiers disarmed by Pei Yunmeng’s spear swam to the front of the red boat, clumsily climbing aboard, their faces tinged with embarrassment. It was a loss of face indeed that the soldiers expected to clinch the mark were so easily tossed into the water by the Commander with just a few strokes.
Nevertheless...
The Marshal’s martial prowess is indeed impressive; it’s no wonder others can’t compete!
The red boat bearing the flagpole gradually returned to the front of the water shed, and from within the shed emerged a Music Officer clad in red, holding a golden platter. He respectfully advanced to Pei Yunmeng, smiling softly, "Here are the flowers for your pinning, Lord Pei, please choose."
During the Liang Dynasty’s birthday celebrations, feasts, and sacrificial banquets, it was customary to bestow royal flowers for pinning onto gauze hats or chests. Today, these royal flowers were given by the palace to the soldiers participating in the water play as a token of honor.
The winner of the "flag capture" should be the first to choose a flower to pin.
Pei Yunmeng lowered his gaze to look.
The golden platter was filled with flowers of various delicate colors, each of different grades, including silver-red Datura flowers, variegated Lythrum salicaria, large silver-red silk flowers... and atop them all, a peony made of purple-red silk. The petals were lush and full, akin to the flushed face of a beauty, possessing a fragrance unparalleled in the nation.
The soldier laughed, "Why not pick this peony, Lord? It’s rich, dignified, stunning, and unparalleled, the most beautiful among these pinning flowers!"
The distance separated the water shed from the long tables of the Water Palace, so the crowd couldn’t hear clearly what the two were discussing, but they could see their gestures.
Qi Huaying was closer to the water shed, and therefore, she also saw the peony on the golden platter in front of Pei Yunmeng.
She subconsciously glanced down at her own skirt.
Brilliant flowers struggle to bloom amidst heavy smoke, crimson pistils cradle a smudge of sandalwood. The young master returns drunk under the lamp, while a beauty in the morning pins it before the mirror... She had purposefully worn this skirt embroidered with magnificent peonies because only such a rich and vivid color could complement her.
If Pei Yunmeng took away that peony...
In the water shed, the young man lowered his head to ponder over the assortment of flowers in front of him for a moment before stretching his hand toward the golden platter.
His hand, with its distinct joints, was slender like jade. It paused momentarily above the purple-red silk peony and then withdrew.
"Lord?"
Pei Yunmeng stepped back and smiled, "It wasn’t right for me to compete for the flag today; it was just His Majesty acting upon a whim. The flowers should be left for the soldiers of the red boat."
The Music Officer was taken aback, unsure of what to do, before hesitantly saying, "But Lord, you have hit the Golden Ball, and by rights, you should choose a flower pin."
The young man looked as though he was about to say something when his gaze suddenly fixed on something.
The water shed was adjacent to the shore, with its roof running along the top, but beneath was a soft grassy area. Behind the Music Officer, amid a haze of green, were some untrimmed shrubs, scattered with inconspicuous pale white flowers, swaying relentlessly in the wind.
These wildflowers looked very unremarkable; at a passing glance, they were easily overlooked. And due to the wind and rain, or the deliberate prunings by the Ceremonial Officer, some flower stems had been cut, and the fallen petals lay on the ground like a layer of fine, broken snow.
Pei Yunmeng watched for a long time before stepping past the Music Officer and stooping to pick up a fallen white flower from the ground.
The Music Officer was stunned.
Qi Huaying, seated in the Water Palace, also widened her eyes.
Lu Tong, who had been watching with detachment since entering the shed, showed a slight movement in his gaze.
"How about this one?" he asked the Music Officer with a smile.
The Music Officer, taken by surprise by his choice to not pick from the golden platter, absentmindedly reminded him, "Lord, this is a hibiscus flower..."
The hibiscus, humble, blooming in the morning and wilting by dusk, transient in its fall. It was a wildflower not esteemed in the gardens of the wealthy, which is why the wild hibiscus by the edge of Chang Le Pond had been cut down in its entirety.
Nobody expected Pei Yunmeng to have picked one up.
The young man twirled the stem of the hibiscus flower between his fingers, delicately holding it as the snow-white bloom danced softly in his hand.
"A wildflower can be as captivating as any peony," he said.
With a laugh, he lifted his eyes, his gaze fleetingly sweeping over everyone seated in the Water Palace before finally resting back on the hibiscus in his fingertips.
"I prefer the hibiscus," he stated.