Ji Yan pestered Shen Jiao for a while, only stopping when she had provoked the self-proclaimed generous hamster to the point of bristling.

But he really couldn't sit still or stay idle. If he were in the modern world, he would definitely be labeled as a mischievous student with ADHD by his homeroom teacher.

So, while Shen Jiao pretended to take a nap and ignored her, Ji Yan got up listlessly and continued to fiddle with the bow!

Shen Jiao: "..."

Well, tying a bow is better than having your head chopped off.

Children are healthier in body and mind if they are raised freely; just leave them alone.

...

The Four Flowers Banquet was held at the Yanjiang Terrace in the royal city.

The history of Yanjiang Terrace dates back to the founding of the Great Yan Dynasty. It is said that it was built by the first emperor for scholars and literati in the early days of the dynasty.

As time went by, the late emperor passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne. With different policies implemented, Yanjiang Terrace underwent countless renovations and alterations, but its overall style remained largely the same as before.

The biggest difference is that it's more valuable.

This magnificent building, with its carved railings and painted beams, is unlike other ostentatious and opulent structures. Instead, it features multi-story pavilions, small bridges, and flowing water, with a unified and elegant color scheme. Without excessive embellishment or glitter, it perfectly embodies the refined and unconventional temperament of scholars and artists.

In such a place, even accidentally dropping a few copper coins would be considered a sin, as it would needlessly defile this sacred place.

The Yanjiang Terrace is hexagonal in shape, and the audience seating is divided into six areas: Great Yan, Wei, Liang, Shao, Southern Frontier, and Barbarians. The seats are arranged from low to high, with each layer increasing in height.

The contestants competed on a large central circular platform with no obstructions on any side, making it impossible for anyone to cheat under such public scrutiny.

By this time, quite a few people were already seated in the audience seats of Yanjiangtai.

They prepared fruits and snacks, and had waiters to serve them tea and water; they were having a very leisurely time.

Suddenly, someone exclaimed with delight, "Who is that young lady? She has such an elegant air about her! Fifteen minutes! I need to know everything about her!"

"That is the ninth princess of Liang, Murong You."

"My God, it's Murong You!"

Judging from the sighs and exclamations in her voice, Murong You must be quite formidable. Of course, there are also those who don't know much about this Ninth Princess.

Someone else humbly asked, "Could you please enlighten me on what makes this Ninth Princess different?"

"It's hard to say they're different, but one thing is undeniable: she's extremely talented. Do you know what Murong You is best at?"

One person answered: "It must be the art of playing the zither!"

"Wrong! Murong You is best at painting. You know Elder Qi, right? He's the number one painting master in the world. I heard that before he retired to the mountains, Murong You was fortunate enough to receive a few lessons from Elder Qi. Since then, her painting skills have not only improved by leaps and bounds, but she has also developed her own style. She is best at painting landscapes. In the past two years, one of her landscape paintings has become a highly sought-after work in the literary world."

After he finished speaking, everyone sighed in admiration, never expecting that Murong You would achieve so much at such a young age. They thought that when they were his age, they were just doing nothing all day, eating, drinking and having fun.

Being mediocre is not the most terrible thing; what is terrible is that people who are born at the finish line still work especially hard.

It cannot compare.

It's truly incomparable.

"Oh, people from Wei have arrived too, but they're too far away for me to see clearly. Does anyone know who they are?"

As everyone cracked sunflower seeds, they looked in the direction of the sound, their earnest expressions as if they were looking at their destined one.

"The person in front is Wei Lan, who is known as the Little Chess Saint."

"The one following closely behind is Princess Hanya of Wei. Princess Hanya is skilled in calligraphy. Don't be fooled by her title Hanya, it's not elegant at all, and her hands are quite strong."

Everyone gasped in shock.

To my utter surprise, so many impressive and renowned figures attended this Four Flowers Banquet.

You have to understand, these people are already quite accomplished in the local area. Coming to the Four Flowers Banquet is just a way for them to completely outshine everyone else.

Then a few more people arrived, but they were either wearing veils, walked very fast, or were completely unknown to the public, so they did not attract much attention.

The Gu family of three—Mrs. Gu, Mr. Gu, and Gu An—had already taken their seats.

Gu An carried a basin the size of his face, filled with caramel-flavored melon seeds.

They're bound to be binge-eating.

However, whether it was good luck or bad luck, the seat of the Marquis of Anbo was right next to the Gu family's.

As luck would have it, the Marquis of Anbo was right next to Master Gu, and he really wanted to drag him to the outhouse to "discuss" life.

Gu An grabbed his father: "My good father, calm down, calm down. Those who cause trouble at the Four Flowers Banquet will be expelled. Don't let one bad apple spoil the whole bunch."

Mr. Gu said sullenly, "I can't help it."

"If you can't hold it in, you should take care of it quickly. Everyone has to go to the bathroom sometimes, brother. You can't hold it in. Holding it in for a while will cause you immense pain, and holding it in for a while will result in a massive bowel movement." A head suddenly leaned closer; it was none other than Marquis Anbo.

Gu An spoke softly, and Marquis An didn't pay attention. Instead, it was Gu's words, which were filled with barely suppressed emotion, that reminded him of the day he had an upset stomach at home.

Master Gu turned his head: "Brother, do you really think it's unbearable?"

Anbo Hou didn't understand why such a grown man was dawdling over going to the toilet. He said, "Brother, do you not know the way to the outhouse? I'll take you there."

Master Gu: "Thank you for your trouble."

Marquis Anbo left first, followed closely by Master Gu, who patted his son's hand twice.

See, see, it's not that I want to beat him up, it's that this idiot took me to the outhouse to discuss life.

Gu An: "..."

Marquis Anbo arrived at Yanjiang Terrace first, and about a quarter of an hour later, the rest of the Shen family arrived one after another.

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