Chapter 46 Tea Poetry Competition: A profusion of flowers, yet none truly stands out; the blossoms are vibrant…

Xie Ji, who was about to lash out, immediately straightened his posture and touched his hair bun. "Liu'er, is it crooked?"

After examining it carefully, Liu'er said, "My lady, there's a strand of hair tangled in it."

"Where? Where?" Xie Ji lowered his head slightly. "Liu'er, quickly help me sort this out."

Liu'er let down the small strand of hair and glanced behind Xie Ji. "My lady, Young Master Wang has left."

"He hasn't even seen my new clothes yet!" Xie Ji said resentfully, watching the departing figure.

Liu'er looked at her mistress with concern, "My lady, please forgive my indiscretion, but Young Master Wang has no such feelings for you."

“Who would fall in love with someone at first sight? No rush. I don’t think he has any intention of getting married right now. We can wait for Lady Wang to return to the capital and win her over to help me.”

The anger from before had vanished without a trace, and under the warm glow of the lamplight, he felt a sense of comfort.

"When did you and Lady Wang become acquainted, Madam?"

Liu'er quickly recalled Xie Ji's whereabouts over the past six months. Apart from Wang Yan's coming-of-age ceremony, she really didn't know where her mistress had met with the Wang family's lady.

"We don't know each other yet, but we'll be friends from now on." Xie Ji smiled and walked towards the backyard.

Xie Yun was about to head to the front courtyard when, before she even stepped out of the veranda, a snowy shadow fell brightly on the celadon jar. It was a white dove, which made the lotus flowers in the jar droop, but fortunately, the lotus leaves on the water's surface could still support them, preventing them from sinking into the water.

Xie Yun rescued it from the jar, only to find that the white dove had a broken left wing and half of its feathers were soaked, which was why it had unfortunately fallen there. It was still quite a distance from the study. He quickly untied the bamboo tube and took out the letter paper. The ink had spread out in large patches, and only a few words were still legible.

"Wang Yan... go... kill him."

Xie Yun unknowingly tore the letter in her hand, just as Xie Ji strode over from the other side.

"Sister, sister—what are you doing squatting here? That's—"

Xie Yunli straightened her sleeves and stood up. "I was just about to send someone to take this white pigeon for treatment."

"Just call anyone."

Xie Ji walked to the other side of the corridor, and after a while, he brought over a maid. He gave her a few simple instructions and then took Xie Yun's arm.

"Sister, the guests must be getting impatient."

"You and Rong Mei go ahead and entertain them. I'll be there in a bit." Xie Yun patted her hand and turned to go to the study.

"Why isn't Madam entertaining guests in the front yard at this time? Hmm, Fourth Brother, this tea is really good."

Qian Jing took a sip of his drink, walked to the table, picked up a celadon-glazed carved goose-neck vase, and examined it closely as if it were a treasure. On the table was a row of porcelain pieces, all of them of superior quality, regardless of their size or shape.

"As is customary, we compose poems at the banquet. I've prepared some paper and ink." Xie Yun stopped in front of the table, glancing at him casually. "Why haven't I heard a word from you lately?"

"It was I who sent him to do some things." Qian Jing placed the goose-neck vase in front of Xie Yun, and then picked up the pale blue glazed jade pot vase with carved peony pattern, which he also liked very much.

"Madam, what do you think of that swan-neck vase?"

Xie Yun clasped his hands together, then looked up and said, "Those that can be sent into the manor are naturally of the highest quality."

Qian Jing was unaware of her lapse in composure and simply instructed, "Give this to Ji'er. I imagine the Wang family doesn't have many porcelain pieces like this."

Beneath the wide sleeves, the inner robe was crumpled and grimy from being clutched. Xie Yun didn't follow Qian Jing's steps, but stood still and asked, "Has Your Highness still not given up on the Wang family?"

"What do you mean by giving up? She's just a woman. Also, remember to deliver that porcelain vase." With that, Qian Jing opened the door and left, disappearing without a trace.

The letter paper was gradually consumed by the candlelight, and the blurred ink became indistinguishable. Before the ashes had completely settled, Xie Yun had already closed the door and left.

The maids entered the hall to serve tea to the guests, and Xie Yun sat in the center to begin the tea banquet.

"We recently acquired some new tea at your residence. Considering that you are all tea lovers, we have arranged this tea banquet for you to enjoy together."

The maidservant who had been serving tea withdrew, and a dancer in flowing sleeves gracefully entered the stage. The guests below were engaged in various activities: some watched the dance, others discussed tea, exchanging pleasantries and exchanging knowing glances; no one was idle.

Liu Chengen glanced around the hall and saw his third brother, who usually loved dancing and singing, staring blankly at the porcelain cup, looking as if he had a thousand words to say but didn't need to say them.

"These flowers are blooming all over the house, yet none of them can please my third brother?"

Liu Chengze glanced at Wang Zhen and sighed, "The flowers are in full bloom, but none of them stand out. The colors are uneven, but I only love that one cluster that is beautiful and charming."

Liu Chengen's attention was once again drawn to the dancers. "Which lady has bewitched him this time?"

Liu Chengze sighed again, "The spring scenery of the nine heavens is intoxicating."

Liu Chengen nearly lost his composure, barely managing to keep the bean cake from slipping from his mouth, when a cold laugh drifted in from somewhere.

"Wang Yan, you like her? What was the poem you wrote again...?"

Liu Chengze seemed to savor the moment, saying, "The spring night is too short, and my wish is not fulfilled."

Liu Chengen looked at his third brother in alarm, covering his forehead, "Are you alright?"

"Second Brother," Liu Chengze brushed his hand away, "I'm perfectly fine."

Liu Chengen then pondered seriously, “Wang Yan is indeed a rare beauty, and the power of the Wang family is also tempting. If it weren’t for her aggressive behavior at the gathering, she would be a good match for him.”

Another ghostly, cold laugh rang out, but Liu Chengen assumed he had misheard.

"Second brother, you don't know, it's her eccentric personality that makes me so obsessed. I heard a while ago that she went south to seek medical treatment, but unexpectedly, Shen Minghuai beat me to it."

Mentioning Shen Minghuai, Liu Chengze couldn't help but twist his expression. "The Shen family is nothing but a discarded pawn now. Wang Yan should also weigh his own worth and stop dreaming of becoming a phoenix by climbing the social ladder."

A cold laugh rang out again, undisguised. Liu Chengen turned his head and realized that the Zhao family's wife who should have been sitting next to him had actually become Xie Ji!

"Madam Xie... what are you doing here..."

Xie Ji, with a stern face, said, "Can't I be here?"

Liu Chengen immediately turned halfway around and winked at Liu Chengze. Liu Chengze, however, widened his eyes and exclaimed, "Second Brother! Bugs!"

Liu Chengen lifted his wide sleeves and looked around, "What kind of bug is that? Where is it?!"

Xie Ji craned his neck to peek at it. "Oh, it's a black ant. It can treat boils and carbuncles, and invigorate qi and blood circulation. Why don't you two take it back and use it as medicine? Don't waste it."

Liu Chengen pointed at Liu Chengze's neck and said, "Third brother, you have it on you too!"

Their commotion drew everyone's attention. The dancer withdrew, and Xie Yun summoned two maids to lead the two to a private room to change their clothes. Xie Ji also used the same excuse to leave, but was stopped by Rong Mei as soon as he stepped out of the veranda.

"The Princess Consort instructed me to tell the Lady that she must not overstep her bounds."

Xie Ji pursed his lips. "Alright. Let these two scoundrels off for now. Tell my sister for me that I wasn't just being temperamental; they were the ones who spoke rudely first."

"Don't worry, my lady, I will definitely convey this to the Princess. The Princess asked me to remind you that it's best not to get involved in other people's affairs, even if it's the Prince."

After Rong Mei finished speaking, she stepped aside and said, "The Prince's Mansion has recently sent some fine porcelain. The Princess Consort has gifted you a porcelain vase. Please come with me to fetch it."

Xie Ji, still unwilling to give up, glanced at the commotion in the side room. "Since it's a porcelain vase, we can just get it before we return to the manor. Why bring it here now?"

"The princess believes that it is inappropriate to give it as a gift in private, so this is an opportunity."

The door to the side room opened, and the two men who came out saw Xie Ji as if they had seen a ghost. They slipped away as fast as they could and disappeared in an instant. Xie Ji had no choice but to reconsider and followed Rong Mei to retrieve the porcelain bottle and return to the main hall.

"I have invited you all to tea today on behalf of my younger sister, who wishes to make friends with you all."

Xie Yun looked lovingly at Xie Ji, who was seated nearby on her left, and said, “Recently, when we held a banquet, my sister said that we had only sat at the same table and had not gotten to know each other. So she wished to take this opportunity of tea banquet to get to know each of us. My sister has prepared a small gift to give to someone who is destined to meet her. After thinking it over, since it is a tea banquet, why don’t we each compose a poem on the theme of tea, and the one that pleases my sister will get it.”

Most of the gentlemen and ladies present had attended the Shangsi Festival gatherings. While not all of them were masters of prose and poetry, they were certainly capable of composing poems.

Sitting next to Liu Chengen, Madam Cui asked, "What rhyme scheme is required?"

"Without rhyme restrictions, let's compose a seven-character regulated verse."

Xie Yun had a long table carried in and placed in the center of the hall. He laid out writing brushes and ink, unfolded nine-fold embossed paper, and, as usual, wrote his poems on the paper in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

As soon as the embers were extinguished, someone picked up a pen and wrote a poem, while others scratched their heads in deep thought, pacing back and forth at the table. Only Xie Ji was breaking the tea and fruit on the table into pieces and eating them.

Those whose incense had not yet burned out had already lost their eligibility. Xie Ji, as the one who presented the gift, first looked at it with Xie Yun, and when they saw the work of "Distant Mountain Hermit," they couldn't help but exchange a glance.

Xie Ji followed Xie Yun back to the head table and said in a low voice, "Young Master Wang and I are not in a hurry. This young master is indeed the best at composing tea poems. Why don't we give them to him?"

Xie Ji was not a very good poet, and he couldn't really offer any insight into the merits of the poems. However, this particular poem was a breath of fresh air, completely different from the previous ones that were full of elaborate words and bland, philosophical discussions. Xie Yun, without allowing any further discussion, still awarded the top prize to Wang Zhen.

"The purpose of this tea party was not this. What will you do if he also intends to conceal his true strength next time?"

Xie Ji immediately retorted, "How do you know he did it on purpose? Maybe he was just not thinking clearly today, which is why he lost the battle."

Xie Yun glanced past the crowd gathered around the long table and looked at Wang Zhen, who was sitting steadily in his seat.

“I still think Brother Lu’s poem is the best.” The young master of the Cui family walked from one end of the table to the other, now on the outskirts of the crowd. The area around the poem “Drawing Water from the River to Brew Tea” quickly filled with people.

"Wonderful, wonderful!"

"This poem is truly extraordinary."

Liu Chengen sighed, "Ah! Brother Lu's poem deserves to be the best!"

Many people echoed this sentiment.

"Yes, this poem is novel in every way, from its title to its theme. How could it not be the best?"

“No, no, one is about tea, the other is not about tea. Each has its own merits, and both should be considered the best,” the young master of the Zhao family argued again.

Liu Chengze retorted, "If the topic is tea, but the real intention is not tea, then isn't that going off-topic?"

"Blow on the wine in a small cup to taste the cold brew, and strike the fire in a deep stove to roast the new tea."

Someone recited a line. All eyes immediately turned to Lu Guan, who was standing in front of Wang Zhen's poem.

"Of all the sentences, this one is the best."

"Why are there ants?!"

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The author's note: *"A small cup of wine is blown to taste the cold brew, and a fire is struck in the deep stove to roast the new tea." This is from Bai Juyi's "Inviting Guests to the North Pavilion".