Old Madam Yun and Madam Yun were by her side. The old princess had a calm expression on her face, showing no joy, anger, sorrow or happiness. After sitting on the main seat, she waved her hand. The princess smiled and nodded to Old Madam Yun and Madam Yun, and Madam Yun helped Old Madam Yun sit on the side seat next to the main seat.

The main seat was originally occupied by the old princess, the princess, and the princess, each with a low table. The old princess asked Xiao Wei to sit next to her, and Wu Yiyu sat at the same table with Xiao Jinglin. The princess then asked Madam Yun to add seats for Madam Xiao Er and Xiao Jingyuan and her daughter.

A few low tables were placed off to either side of the main seat, and currently occupied by Old Lady Yun. Ren Yaoqi was just wondering who the remaining seats were for when Madam Xu and Ouyang arrived, along with several other ladies. After greeting the old princess and the princess, the ladies took their seats at the low tables next to Old Lady Yun. There were six people seated there in total, and Ren Yaoqi only recognized Madam Xu, Old Lady Yun, and Old Lady Su. The remaining three ladies were all around Madam Xu's age, and despite their appearance, they all possessed a very gentle and elegant demeanor.

The ladies who were originally standing all knelt down and saluted.

The princess nodded gently and said, "Please sit down." Then everyone sat down.

"Is everyone here? Let's start." The old princess raised her eyes and said calmly to the princess.

The princess responded and nodded at Madam Xu.

Although the Daughters' Banquet in previous years was organized by the Yun family, the task of examining the talents of the daughters was presided over by Madam Xu Ouyang.

Ouyang stood up and said slowly, "I'm sure you all know the rules of today's competition, so I won't elaborate. The six arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting are considered the gentleman's six arts. No matter what your talent is, as long as you think you are good at it, you can show it. In the end, we will select the ten best uncombed Jinshi, who will be the champions of this year's Qianjin Banquet. The sage said, 'What gentlemen contend for is righteousness. They bow and yield, ascend and descend, and drink. Their contest is gentlemanly.' As long as you understand this principle, the result is not important..."

Ouyang's voice wasn't loud, nor was it resonant and powerful. It even had a certain lack of strength, but it had a unique charm that made people listen to her calmly.

Ren Yaoqi sat down and looked at Ouyang. Although her face still looked unwell, she was in good spirits. He wondered if the prescription would help her. He thought about finding a chance to visit her after the banquet.

Ouyang had finished her words and sat down, but Ren Yaoqi noticed that the ladies, who had been sitting so straight, seemed to be stirring a little, though their movements were very restrained. Ren Yaoyu, who sat next to her, would occasionally peek into the peach blossom forest across the way.

Ren Yaoqi also looked up. She noticed a crowd of people in the peach blossom grove. Glancing at the shy yet eager faces of the ladies, Ren Yaoqi understood. Presumably, just like the last tea party at the Su family, the young masters were gathering in the woods.

I heard that after just yesterday's exchanges, more than a dozen families had already expressed interest in marrying each other. These young men and women must have been very curious to know what their future betrotheds looked like. After all, the next time they met, it would likely be their wedding night. Since the two parties might not be from the same prefecture, it was impossible to tell if they could recognize each other clearly through the mist of a large peach forest.