Chapter 451 Sending Flowers

Xiao Qingyuan turned his head sharply: "Gu Qianhan, what nonsense are you spouting! I was just admiring the flowers, what people are you trying to seduce? I don't have such filthy thoughts as you!"

Gu Qianhan feigned surprise: "Why are you reacting so strongly? Dirty? What did I say? How did it become dirty? Don't tell me you have some dirty thoughts in your mind?"

"I didn't! I'm completely innocent; it's you who have malicious intentions!"

"You're all smiles and pretending, but you really have ulterior motives. You're always looking for something better, bringing one girl home after another, almost as much as that playboy Yuan Zheng. Tell me, which one are you going to bring home this time? I'll think about whether I should snatch them away."

"You're trying to steal my person again? You're dreaming!"

Yuan Zheng quickly came over to mediate: "Hey, hey, hey, what are you two arguing about? Her Majesty the Empress just asked us to compose poems on the theme of flowers. Stop arguing and start writing! The prize is an extremely rare Wei Zi peony, which is priceless and has no market value. Don't you want it?"

Xiao Qingyuan's face darkened: "No!"

Gu Qianhan's expression was cold: "What do men need flowers for?"

Yuan Zheng was delighted: "Great, it's just as well that you two don't want to. I'll have two less competitors. I was even thinking that if I won, I would give this peony to my wife. She loves flowers and plants! It's settled then, you two don't have to write poems. I'll write them all by myself!"

Xiao Qingyuan looked up and saw that there was indeed a peony in front of the Empress. The peony was blooming in the sunlight, and the flowers were a bright purple-red color. The petals were layered and stacked, showing the ultimate beauty of double petals.

Even someone like him who had absolutely no interest in flowers found this peony incredibly beautiful and breathtaking.

Looking at Liu Nanshi, she was also staring at the peony, her eyes filled with amazement.

Xiao Qingyuan sat down at the stone table, picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and prepared to compose a poem.

If he could win that peony and give it to Liu Nanshi, she would surely be happy.

Gu Qianhan sat down as well. He picked up a pen and began to write fluently. That peony was indeed a rare treasure. Rather than letting someone else take it and ruin it, he would rather take it and give it to Shen Wantang. She seemed to like these things too.

Yuan Zheng stared in disbelief: "Hey, you two! You said you weren't going to write it!"

Seeing that the two of them had started composing poems, Yuan Zheng quickly found a seat and said, "You two are really despicable! You said you didn't want to spend money, just to lull me into a false sense of security, but you're writing faster than anyone else! You're both so cunning!"

Unfortunately, while Yuan Zheng was adept at playing around with women, he was completely clueless when it came to writing poetry. He sat there for a long time without writing a single word.

Gu Qianhan, the most talented writer, had already finished writing, and Yuan Zheng couldn't help but turn his head to steal a glance.

Gu Qianhan's voice was cold: "If you can't write it, go home and get some sleep. Don't embarrass yourself here."

Yuan Zheng felt offended and said angrily, "What's so smug about that? So what if you write faster? Writing fast doesn't necessarily mean writing well! I take my time and do things meticulously!"

Gu Qianhan ignored him, folded up the poem she had written, and handed it to the little eunuch.

Fifteen minutes later, everyone had finished writing.

The young eunuch then sent the poems written by the men to the women for their judgment. If they thought a poem was well-written, they would present the author with a flower.

This is a long-standing tradition, and Yuan Zheng has participated several times before. Although he is now married, he is still very excited: "The poem I wrote this time is unprecedented and will never be surpassed. There will definitely be the most flowers in front of me later!"

Gu Qianhan: "You overestimate yourself! With me around, how could you possibly get the most?"

Xiao Qingyuan: "You're all so arrogant! With me here, you've all lost!"

The other young men, upon hearing their words, either shook their heads or sneered, each believing that their own poem was the best.

Just as they were getting ready and waiting for the girls to bring flowers, the Crown Prince suddenly said, "I've also written a poem to join in the fun."

Everyone looked towards the Crown Prince, who then smiled and handed his poem to the young eunuch, who immediately accepted it respectfully and presented it to the other side.

Yuan Zheng's expression changed, and he whispered, "Didn't His Highness the Crown Prince never get involved in these things before? Now it's over, I'm out of luck! My Peony!"

Xiao Qingyuan was puzzled: "So what if the Crown Prince participates? It won't have any impact at all, why are you so anxious?"

Only Gu Qianhan remained silent, and only Gu Qianhan knew why the Crown Prince would participate this year.

Since the Gu family stopped pressuring him, he could choose his own Crown Princess. He was in a good mood and wanted to experience what it felt like to receive flowers.

Soon, the girls came over to deliver the flowers.

One, two, three, four...

Seven people came over in a row and all of them gave flowers to the prince.

When Gu Qianning came over with the flowers, she didn't go to the Crown Prince like the others before her. Instead, she stopped at Gu Qianhan's table and gave the flowers directly to Gu Qianhan.

Shen Wantang came with Gu Qianning, and she gave her flowers to Xiao Qingyuan.

Although she thought Xiao Qingyuan's poetry was mediocre, even if it was terrible, she still had to give him the flowers. After all, they were husband and wife. In this situation, it wouldn't be appropriate to give them to anyone else; giving them to Xiao Qingyuan was the safest and most secure option.

Next was Liu Nanshi, whose flowers she gave to Gu Qianhan.

The women behind, except for those whose husbands were present, threw flowers to their husbands, while the other unmarried girls all threw flowers to the Crown Prince, including Yu Baoshu.

Looking at the empty table in front of him, Yuan Zheng couldn't help but feel a little annoyed: "If only I had brought my wife today, but she had a headache and couldn't come. Otherwise, I would at least have had a flower!"

Gu Qianhan's gaze, however, fell on the flower in front of Xiao Qingyuan.

After a while, when it was the men's turn to give flowers to the women, he took advantage of the chaos to exchange the flower that Liu Nanshi had given him for Xiao Qingyuan's, and took the one that Shen Wantang had given him for himself.

Xiao Qingyuan had no idea that his flower had been replaced, because he was holding a new one and walking towards Liu Nanshi.

Shen Wantang watched helplessly as he walked past her and headed towards Liu Nanshi, unsure whether to be angry or amused.

In this situation, couldn't Xiao Qingyuan at least put on an act? She had just given him flowers, saving face for him, and yet he wouldn't give them back to her, instead wanting to give them to another woman!

It's one thing for him not to consider her feelings as his wife, since they are only husband and wife in name only, not in reality. It's normal for him not to side with her.

But isn't he afraid of attracting criticism for Liu Nanshi?

The flowers used to present at the spring banquet are red peonies. They are not just flowers, but also have a deeper meaning, representing being moved and implying a commitment to love!