Chapter 99     The lantern!

"Young Master Li Zhao, take out the gift you have prepared and let everyone open their eyes."

"Yes, Fairy Mei values ​​you so much and grants you a VIP. I think your gift must be extraordinary, right?"

"Ha ha!"

Some male guests started to make excuses, obviously taking advantage of the situation, and were dissatisfied with Li Zhao sitting in the chief VIP position and wanted to take the opportunity to suppress it.

Li Zhao didn't care about this. He looked at the completely dark sky and looked at the white bun again. The two took out the parts in the box and quickly assembled them... Soon, a strange-shaped lantern appeared, about five feet high, divided into twelve sides.

"Is this the gift you gave to Fairy Mei? No wonder you are reluctant to take it out for a long time. It's really... so special, haha."

"This is also a gift. Isn't it bought it on the street casually?"

...

Most of the people present laughed, some bent over, some laughed and tears. Even the ladies from famous families were no exception, laughing one by one, and they were trembling with their branches and no longer cared about dignity.

After nightfall, lanterns were lit everywhere in Qujiang Pool, including double wedding lamps, eight-knot lamps, book lamps, banana lamps, lotus lamps, and knife lamps...The colors are bright, the patterns are beautiful, and the number is as numerous as the stars in the sky.

In comparison, the lantern that Li Zhao took out is too ordinary in terms of shape and production. It would be strange if you use it as a gift to not make people laugh.

But soon, the ridicule came to an abrupt end because Li Zhao lit the candle inside.

Under the candlelight, people finally saw clearly that on the twelve sides of the lanterns, there were pictures of beautiful women, slender and graceful, and wearing beautiful wide-sleeved fairy skirts, dancing.

Looking at the beauty's figure and outfit, she vaguely looks like Fairy Plum. There is also a poem in the blank space:

Autumn water is the divine jade and the bones,

The lotus is like a face, willow is like eyebrows.

The spring breeze blooms with thousands of flowers,

Every flower is drooping with facelessness!

In just four short lines of poetry, the image of the beauty is vividly described. There are many people present who know the goods. After chanting it several times, they couldn't help but secretly give him a thumbs up. This young master Zhao's literary talent is indeed first-class, no wonder he can become a poem in seven steps.

Looking at Fairy Mei again, her pink face was slightly red and her lips were curled up. Although she tried her best to restrain her, she could not hide her joy... I don’t know if she liked this poem or the person who wrote the poem!

A short poem made the guests look at Li Zhao with admiration, while the next scene made them crazy.

After the candle was lit, the heat gas rose, pushing the impeller to rotate, and the twelve pictures of beauty on the lantern also rotated...

The originally still beauty danced gracefully in the light like a fairy descending to earth. Although it was just a few simple positions, it was enough to shock people!

"Oh my God, the beauty dances like life, and Dunhuang Feixian is just like that, right?"

"This lamp was actually windless and how he did it, it was incredible, incredible."

"Everyone is dodging a little bit and let me take a closer look...Oh, who stepped on me."

...

The guests could no longer control themselves and rushed over to watch carefully. They were almost squeezed into a human porridge. The one who rushed to the front was the wise and gentle young master Yang Yan.

But, he was not looking at the pictures of dancing beauty, but studying this lantern. Why can he rotate quickly without using external forces?

"Thank you, Mr. Zhao, for sending such a magical gift. The little girl likes it very much. Come on, hang this lantern in front of the gate of the observation deck, so that everyone who comes to the banquet tonight can see it clearly."

"Yes, Miss!"

With Fairy Mei's order, the lantern was hung on the gate, and all the guests on the island in the middle of the lake could see it.

Soon, there were screams of exclamation, admiration, and discussion around. Everyone was thinking about a question, why can this lantern rotate without wind?

Some people say it is a mechanism, while others say it is a secret technique. They must have found monks or Taoists to perform the Dharma.

There are many discussions and their own opinions!

But one thing is certain, among all the gifts tonight, this lantern is the most eye-catching, and it is more than the plum blossom picture that surpasses Dugu Junchen.

At this time, what did the Wushuang Young Master, Dugu Junchen, react?

I saw that he looked normal without any displeasure, and he took the initiative to bow and salute: "Young Master Zhao, this lamp is very wonderful, don't you know which master?"

"It's just the production under the guise."

"Oh, I didn't expect that Mr. Zhao is not only full of knowledge, literary talent, but also has a pair of skilled hands. It's really admirable. If you have the chance in the future, please give me more advice!"

"It's easy to say, it's easy to say!"

The lonely and handsome minister has a humble and broad mind, showing good qualities.

However, Li Zhao keenly noticed that deep in Dugu Junchen's eyes, there was a cold light hidden, with sharpness as a knife and poison as a scorpion!

It seems that this Wushuang young master is not the real Wushuang young master!

...

Someone came over again, this time it was the wise young master Yang Yan. Without saying anything, he handed over a Luban lock.

Legend has it that in the Spring and Autumn Period, Lu Ban, a craftsman in Lu State, used six wooden strips to make a toy that can be split and detached. The son asked his son to dismantle and play with it. After a busy night, he finally took it apart. This toy is called Lu Ban Lock.

The Luban Lock seems simple, but in fact it embodies the great wisdom of mortise and tenon structure in ancient Chinese architecture. It was originally six. According to its principles, later generations deduced eight, ten, and twelve...

Yang Yan handed over this, with as many as sixteen, and it has reached its peak in this era. The purpose of his handing over is obviously to test Li Zhao's skills.

As a veteran player, Li Zhao is not unfamiliar with Luban locks. He quickly disassembled them and reassembled them. It was very easy to play. Later generations have deduced the Luban locks with thirty-six based on three-dimensional geometry. This kind of sixteen-sense one is just a pediatric department!

The wise young master's Luban lock was actually unbuttoned, and the guests were in a big uproar.

"You're very good!"

"You are not bad, too!"

Yang Yan spoke, his voice was cold, only three words.

Li Zhao didn't care. The relationship between people was very wonderful. Some people said things in their previous life, but they were still strangers who were heartless, while others could form a friendship between life and death as long as they were just a few words.

Yang Yan belongs to the latter.

...

The banquet continued, and some jugglers came on stage, performing exciting programs such as jumping balls, walking around, shaking diabolos, playing with jars..., which welcomed cheers.

In addition to the wonderful programs, I also prepared a game tonight - throwing a pot!

As early as the Spring and Autumn Period, one of the etiquettes of the princes when they were entertaining guests was to invite guests to shoot arrows. At that time, the society was full of martial spirit. If an adult man could not shoot arrows, he would be ridiculed by others. If the host asked the guests to shoot arrows, the guests could not refuse.

However, after the Han Dynasty, the martial spirit in society declined and the Confucianism style rose. Many people really couldn't shoot arrows, so they used arrows to throw wine pots instead. The rules were very simple:

A three-foot-high bronze pot is erected, with an mouth about the thickness of an adult's arm, and a slightly smaller pot ear on each side.

Those who participated in the game stood twenty steps away and threw a special arrow. Each game consisted of eight arrows, and some people specifically calculated the chips.

He hit Hukou, a good match!

He scored two goals!

If you fail to make a profit, you can get nothing!

The above are just the simplest, and there are some more difficult ways to make a comeback:

Both ears: Holding arrows in both hands, hitting the pot of ears at the same time, six chips!

Relying on the pole: The arrow leans on the mouth of the pot instead of falling into the bottom of the pot, and you will get fifteen chips.

Dragon's head: A kind of leaning on the pole, the arrow is horizontally on the mouth of the pot, and the arrow is aimed at the person who throws the pot, and you will get eighteen pieces.

...

Since you are playing games, you will naturally have a lottery. The rule of Qujiang night banquet is that whoever wins first place in the pot can drink a toast from the host of the banquet.

The toast of Fairy Mei, who didn’t want to drink the male guests who were sitting there, so they left their seats and joined the game. However, there was also one person sitting upright and not moving - Li Zhao!

"Why didn't Mr. Zhao end up? Do you don't want to drink the little girl's toast?"

"Haha, Fairy Mei's toast, that man doesn't want to drink it, but unfortunately he has never played a pot before, so he dared not come forward to show his ugly face!"

"Just a game, why not lose, why not win? Just have fun."

"What Fairy Mei said is that since that's the case, let's try it out. Maybe God can really drink Fairy Mei's toast!"

...

The beauty invited her, but Li Zhao couldn't refuse any more and immediately joined the game.

It doesn't matter if you haven't played throwing a pot before. Li Zhao practiced triangular darts every day. Now, within fifty steps, he can shoot down birds in the air and pierce hardwood boards more than an inch thick.

Darts and pot throwing are actually the same, and they test a person's eyesight, wrist strength, judgment... and psychological quality.

To put it short, the pot-to-pole competition has begun.

Because there are too many people participating in the competition, a grouping system is adopted, with four people in groups, and one winner is selected to advance, and then compete with other winners, and finally a championship is obtained.

The first time I played the pot, I was inevitably a little bit of a hand. Li Zhao threw eight arrows, but only threw six of them into the pot... Fortunately, there were no masters in this group, and Li Zhao was able to advance smoothly.

In the second game, Li Zhao's hands became much more stable, and he made eight shots and advanced smoothly.

In the third game, Li Zhao made eight shots, and an arrow hit the lever, which was leaning against the mouth of the pot, but did not fall into the pot, and got fifteen scores and successfully defeated other opponents.

In the game of throwing pots, there are two other people who are particularly eye-catching, one is the young master of tigers - Xue Song!

Xue Song has excellent archery skills, has the ability to pass through Yang in a hundred steps, and his skill in throwing pots is also quite powerful. He has made every move and never misses. He has almost won a crushing victory. The unparalleled king and minister, and the wise young master Yang Yan have been defeated in his hands one after another.

The second is Wang Changshou. This naughty child is very talented in playing, winning consecutive games and advancing continuously, but there is still a big gap compared to Xue Song!

To put it short, after a few more rounds of competition, the final four players were born, namely: Xue Song, Li Zhao, Wang Changshou, and the other one was the chubby Luo Jinfeng. This guy is also good at throwing pots.

At this point, it is no longer a group stage, but a two-way match. The winner advances. As for whom and whom, it is a lottery decision according to the rules. I don’t want Li Zhao to take the initiative to challenge...

"I'm not talented, can you ask Mr. Xue for advice?"

"Okay, I will play a game with you!"

Since the start of the game, Xue Song has made a lot of shots, and his opponents have lost one after another, and some even surrendered and admitted defeat. Now Li Zhao has taken the initiative to challenge, which has caused a lot of sensation in an instant.

Some people praised him for his ambition, a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger, while others think he is ignorant of the world and touches a stone with an egg. Xue Song is the number one master in Chang'an City. Wouldn't he feel uncomfortable challenging him?
Chapter completed!