The Mid-Autumn Festival on August 15 has finally arrived, and the long-awaited final of the Oiran Contest is finally about to begin. From the early afternoon, the moment the ban of the Ning Navy was lifted, the people of the whole city flocked to the shore of the West Lake from the three gates of Yongjin, Qingbo and Qiantang in the west of Hangzhou. For a while, the crowd was surging, rubbing shoulders, dragging children and daughters, wives and concubines, noisy and chaotic.

The security forces in Hangzhou and the garrison of the Ning Navy were like a great enemy, trying their best to maintain order. The soldiers at the gates of the city shouted at the crowd of people, and from time to time people were dragged away from the crowd like dogs by the soldiers, because they disturbed the normal order or took advantage of the troubled waters to steal money and manipulate women.

On the west bank of the West Lake, the lakeshore from the Xileng Bridge in the south to the Wangchaolou in the north is gradually filled with dense crowds. The officers and men had divided the area on the shore in advance, leaving a passage for passing people, and did their best to ensure the smooth flow of traffic on the shore of the lake.

On the surface of the lake offshore, the open water between the shore and the pontoons has long been occupied by all kinds of boats. The big boats of the rich and powerful had actually been arranged in the morning, and they were in the best viewing position near the pontoon. Of course, this had to cost money, silver, and face, and buy off the position that only the admirals of the Ning Navy could get. Ning Haijun dispatched, it was not in vain. Even the yamen of Hangzhou Prefecture acquiesced to them seeking some benefits at such a time, otherwise the officers and men of the Ning Navy would not be willing to take care of it.

In the cracks of the big ship are those canopy boats filled in it. Today, the rent of the boat has risen to five cents an hour, which is five times more than on a normal day. But even so, the more than 300 boats used for operation on the West Lake were still booked out early. From the afternoon to the night, for seven or eight hours, the boatmen of these boats can earn half a month's income in one day, and they are simply happy.

Of course, it is not only these boatmen who have benefited, but also the business-savvy merchants of Hangzhou who have long been prepared for this day. There are a variety of stools for selling snacks, such as shimizu lanterns, bamboo mats, and even real stools for people to stand on high places. In short, this day is not only an Oiran Contest, not only a grand event where celebrities and scholars gather, nor is it just a day for vendors to make a lot of money, but a comprehensive hodgepodge gathering.

。 After lunch, Lin Jue took Fang Huanqiu, the green dance, and the three of Lin Hu from the North Gate to detour out of the city, and detoured to the Liulin Wharf on the north shore of the West Lake to get on the red boat of the Moon Tower.

The flower boats of each Qinglou participating in the competition have a specific location, which is on the water surface mountain twenty steps south of the floating platform. The berthing positions of each house are separated by driftwood, and the distance between them is more than 20 steps to ensure that they do not collide with each other and the smooth entry and exit of ships. The flower boats arrived at their respective locations one after another, and at this time, you can see the strength of each Qinglou and the degree of investment.

Led by the two green buildings of Wanhualou Qunfang Pavilion, the flower boats of these two families are not only huge, but also specially decorated. Not to mention, the bow and stern sides of the ship have been added with decorations. Take the flower boat of Wanhualou as an example, the bow is a colorful crested head, the stern is a colorful tail, and the two sides are a pair of colorful wings sticking out obliquely from the side of the boat. The whole flower boat is dressed up as a phoenix bird, which should mean that it flies on the branches and becomes a phoenix.

The red boat of Qunfang Pavilion is naturally not inferior to Wanhualou. The entire ship is dressed up in the shape of a koi fish with a golden tail and multicolored scales painted on the hull mountain. The implication is naturally obvious, that is to fish Yao Longmen soar into the sky.

In addition, such as Piaoxiang Courtyard, Red Sleeve Move, Baihua Pavilion, Lichun Courtyard and so on, the ships of Hangzhou's famous homes have also been decorated and decorated with flowers. In comparison, the red boat of Mochizuki Tower can be described as shabby. The size of the old and the new is already inferior, and the decoration has not been made a fuss, but symbolically hung a dozen red lanterns, and the rest of the houses are not comparable at all. Such a shabby red boat is mixed with a crowd of flowery boats, which looks extremely abrupt and disproportionate. Even the women on the front and back of the two sides of the flower boat cast disdainful glances from time to time, pointing and sneering and ridiculing.

However, the people in the Mochizuki Tower didn't care about this, there was a lot of noise outside, and they were still memorizing the lines at the end of the ship's hall, rehearsing their bodies and dialogues, and making final preparations. Lin Jue took Fang Huanqiu, Luwu and others to sit on the small table in the corner, drinking tea and chatting leisurely, while looking out through the long window at the dense boats and people on the lake and the lakeshore.

Time passed quickly, and before I knew it, the sun had set, and the deep blue sky became high and solemn. The evening wind blows, bringing with it the fragrance of the laurel blooming in the city, and the air is filled with a strong autumn mood.

After several hours of chaos, the people on the shore and on the lake were now settled. The entire east shore of the West Lake and the water dozens of steps east of the floating platform are densely packed with boats and people, and the black pressure is like a dark cloud spread on the ground. Not only that, but the west city wall of Hangzhou is also full of people, and the willow branches by the lake shore are also full of people. A rough estimate is that there should be as many as 200,000 people participating in the four weeks of the entire region.

"Knock knock!" "Knock knock!"

A stirring drum beat sounded in the twilight, and as the drum beat played, the wind lanterns were successively raised to the high poles, lighting up the night sky of the whole area like stars. The mood of the people began to rise, and every string of wind lanterns was lit, the people cheered and shouted, and hundreds of wind lanterns were lit, and the people had shouted hundreds of times.

The drums continued, the eyes of the people cast on the dark lake in the distance, and suddenly, the whole lake south of the floating platform shone with colorful light, and all the participating red boats were lit up almost at the same time, and the lights of various colors illuminated the beautiful red boats, looking from afar, it was like a fairyland.

"Wow! Wow! The people clapped and shouted loudly, and some tears of excitement were about to fall.

The drums became more violent and rapid, and the place where the drums came out was the center of the night's attention, as the floating platform for the finals. And at this moment, it was dark and devoid of brilliance. But as the drumbeat suddenly stopped, dozens of colorful fireworks soared into the sky from around the pontoon, followed by countless fire-breathing fireworks snorting around the pontoon. The fireworks illuminate the entire pontoon, and the scene is truly magnificent and magnificent.

The people shouted in madness, and their voices soared into the sky. In the shouting, the lights on the floating platform were also lit, and the entire floating platform suddenly became a beautiful pavilion in the air. There is a huge red carpet on the floating platform, the surrounding pillars are wrapped in red silk cloth, the high curtains are stacked on top of each other, and several huge landscape screens stand behind the stage as the background, and the whole floating platform is beautiful and exquisite.

A large black boat slowly sailed into everyone's field of vision from the waterway on the north side of the floating north, and it slowly docked at the temporary pier hill on the north side of the floating north. A group of more than a dozen old men on the bow of the boat slowly stepped onto the gangplank and came to the floating platform, standing in the middle of the stage in a row.

"I see Daddy." Fang Huanqiu, who was sitting by the window of the flower boat hall in the Moon Tower, shouted in a low voice.

Lin Jue also saw Fang Dunru standing in the middle of the stage, and unconsciously smiled.

"Sir, I have trimmed my beard today, and I have changed into a new robe and a new hat." Lin Juedao.

"Yes. It seems that Daddy said that he didn't want to attend such an occasion, but he took it very seriously in his heart. Fang Huanqiu chuckled.

Lin Jue smiled silently, focusing his attention on the outside. The people outside were all silent, and they knew that the show was over.

An old man in a blue robe stepped forward slowly, stood at the entrance of the stage and waved towards the Quartet, and said in a loud voice: "Fellow villagers, all fathers and elders. Contemptible Zhao Zimo, trusted by the Hangzhou Flower World Building, is the master of ceremonies of this year's Oiran Competition. If there is anything inappropriate, please also ask for Haihan. ”

Zhao Zimo is a professor in Fuxue, although he is not famous, but he is eloquent and good at eloquence, he has actually been the emcee of the Hangzhou Oiran Competition for 12 consecutive years. This has also become an iconic figure in the Hangzhou Oiran Competition. For the people of Hangzhou, when they saw Zhao Zimo appear, they knew that this year was the same, and the original Oiran Contest began.

"Before the Oiran Contest begins, I would like to introduce you to the guests who are here tonight. It is my honor to announce to you that my Great Zhou Dynasty Liang King Chitose is also here! ”

Zhao Zimo excitedly pointed to the left, and everyone's eyes followed the direction of his finger, but when he saw the lights on a big boat, a tall dragon head ship was suddenly revealed in everyone's field of vision. The dragon head ship wasn't there before dark, and it should have just sailed here in a low-key way. This ship was taller than all the ships present, and it was not far behind the flagship ship of the Zhining Naval Force. When the lights are on, you can see the towering ship, carved beams and painted columns, and the style is majestic.

On the high bow deck, dozens of guards with swords stood at the bow of the ship, and in the middle there was a square table of eight immortals, and a middle-aged man at the table was standing up from his chair and slowly waving to the crowd of black pressure, with a smile on his face.

He is the thousand-year-old Guo Bing of Liangwang, who lives in Hangzhou, and is the younger brother of the same father and mother of the current saint. A gorgeous dress with gold flowers shimmered in the light, and the hairpin on his head shone brightly.

The people shouted one after another: "I have seen the prince Chitose." The prince Chitose Jin'an. ”

"Hahaha. Fathers and fellow villagers don't have to be polite. Today, August 15, spend a full moon night. The Oiran Contest is about to be exciting, and the King is here to have fun with you. Congratulations to me on my great Zhou Xiong's dominance of the sea for a long time. King Liang shouted loudly.

"Good! The prince said well! The people cheered.

"The presence of the prince Chitose has added to the glory of the Oiran Contest. Please be seated. Zhao Zimo said from afar.

King Liang nodded and slowly sat down. A young man in brocade clothes and a picturesque cardamom girl who stood up with him behind him also sat down after King Liang took his seat. Several maids held pomegranates, grapes, dried meat, wine and other things on the table. The girl picked up a bunch of grapes, picked them one by one and put them in her mouth, her eyes looking at the stage for a moment.