Zhou Shian was a little nervous at first, but after talking more, he felt more relaxed.
When he was young, he entered the palace with his grandfather. Every time he attended a palace banquet, he could see the unparalleled, proud and bright Princess Anyang.
He was a reserved man, not good at socializing. He had heard rumors from the imperial concubine a few days ago, and he couldn't help but tell his mother. He came to Prince Duan's manor to listen to the opera today, and it was only after his mother got the news that Princess Anyang would also be there that he mustered up the courage to come.
Princess Anyang and Zhou Shi'an had a lot to talk about. Wan Jinlan also loved reading storybooks. The three of them got together and talked with great interest about the stories in Mr. Nanyang's several storybooks.
Seeing the three people talking excitedly, Xiao Minghuan and Wan Qiuyu winked at Chen Congbai, but Chen Congbai remained indifferent, as if he didn't see anything.
Xiao Minghuan's expression darkened. This young master of the Chen family was really difficult to control. He had clearly agreed on something, but now he was doing nothing.
Xiao Minghuan was a little annoyed, and stood up with a smile on his face and walked towards the three people.
"It seems that the opera is not pleasant to listen to, so you three are talking so excitedly here. I wonder what you are talking about, Brother Zhou?"
Wan Jinlan smiled calmly and said, "We're talking about something written in Mr. Nanyang's book. It tells the story of a scholar with nothing, who married the daughter of a prominent family and rose to prominence, eventually becoming a high-ranking official at the imperial court. However, when his wife's family was convicted, he ruthlessly divorced his virtuous wife, who had helped him so much."
"How can there be such a calculating, cold-hearted and ruthless person in the world?" Wan Jinlan concluded, holding his chin and looking at Xiao Minghuan.
Xiao Minghuan felt a strange feeling in his heart, as if Wan Jinlan was scolding him with a hidden agenda. He could not help but think back to the plot under Huayan Temple and the fact that he had been ignored by the Duke's Mansion and the Imperial Concubine for a long time afterwards.
He quickly changed the subject, "Since the opera is boring, I also invited a storyteller."
Zhou Shian stole a glance at Princess Anyang and said shyly but frankly, "Your Highness, please go entertain others. I have read a lot of storybooks and travelogues, and I can tell you about them alone."
Xiao Minghuan: “…”
He said a few more polite words in a gentle and courteous manner, then walked away.
After the people left, Zhou Shian looked at Princess Anyang expectantly, "What kind of story do you want to hear, Princess? I can tell you everything."
Princess Anyang looked at Zhou Shi'an and sized him up for the first time. She discovered that this man's "honesty" was indeed something, at least it could instantly anger her third brother away.
Princess Anyang has not had any man that catches her eye over the years. With such a handsome and peerless man as the Emperor's uncle, the Prince of Qi, in front of her, all the sons of noble families in the capital are made to look like "vulgar women". She doesn't like weak scholars who lack masculinity.
In terms of appearance, among the three people selected by her and her mother, Chen Congbai's heroic appearance suited her more, but her mother disliked him the most, mainly because the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion was only rich but not noble, which would not benefit future generations.
She had met Chen Congbai several times in the palace. He was always on duty seriously, wearing armor and looking quite imposing.
It's a pity that this person seemed to have no interest in her and didn't even glance at her. As a princess, she was too disdainful to do anything to please others.
However, the youngest son of the Marquis of Wuning would occasionally flirt with another young lady in the capital, and it was obvious that he had no interest in her.
If they wanted to get engaged before the Northern Rong envoys arrived in Beijing, this Mr. Zhou was a good choice. At least he would try every way to make her laugh, and she didn't dislike him. As for love between men and women, it could be cultivated after marriage, right? Princess Anyang thought, stroking her chin.
The children of the nobility were good at having fun. They found opera boring, so they organized a game of throwing pots. After that, Anyang organized a game of passing the flower while beating the drum.
When the drum stops, the person holding the flower has to improvise two lines of poetry. Those who can't must drink a glass of fruit wine.
All the men and women present participated in the drinking game.
Why is Wang Minghui known as the talented woman of Kyoto? Her fame came from this kind of drinking game.
Wan Qiuyu's luck was particularly bad today. The flower seemed to have eyes and always fell into her hand when the drum stopped.
Because of her beauty, Meng Haoge's mother had hired a female tutor to help her develop her character. However, the tutors she learned were all about romantic poetry, so asking her to improvise poems about flowers or other things was simply too difficult for her. Even if she had some words in mind, she would be too embarrassed to speak them out loud in this situation, fearing that something inappropriate would be laughed at.
In half an hour, Wan Qiuyu drank seven or eight glasses of fruit wine.
Wan Qiuyu didn't want to embarrass herself any further, and since she also wanted to go to the toilet, she apologized and hurriedly left holding the maid's hand.
Xiao Minghuan smiled and said, "I, your concubine, have suffered a lot in the past, and am not very good at poetry, but I am a very gentle and polite person."
When he said this, people looked at him with a higher regard.
Xiao Xu, the crown prince of Jin, jokingly said, "It's clear that you are very satisfied with your concubine."
Xiao Zheng's Crown Princess Kang Ningjun said with some meaning, "A woman born in the Zhenguogong Mansion must be capable."
"Even the averse Prince Qi has a soft spot for you, Sister Jinlan, and even personally asked the Queen Mother to grant you a marriage. This shows that the daughters of the Duke of Zhenguo are all capable."
The words didn't sound good, and Princess Corning's expression didn't seem like she was saying anything good either.
Wan Jinlan didn't know whether Princess Kangning wanted to avenge her for punching Xiao Zheng in the past. Just as she was about to retort, Anyang said something offensive.
"All the women in Kyoto are no match for Princess Kangning. Look how capable you are. Even our dashing Prince Su doesn't dare take any more women back home. This shows how capable you are in managing your husband."
Princess Kangning's expression froze and she was choked.
She simply couldn't bear to see Prince Duan doting on his concubine. Even though Wang Minghui had a flawed reputation and hadn't yet entered the palace, the way he brought his concubine out to meet guests and acted so doting on her still attracted attention. The principal wife was the principal wife, and the concubines should take their proper place. Otherwise, how could the family be peaceful?
Wan Jinlan was pointed at the nose, how could he not fight back?
After Anyang finished speaking, she smiled and said, "My princess, you're obviously too idle to do anything. Otherwise, how could you hear so much gossip and still gossip here? You're acting like someone who doesn't understand human language but always likes to gossip about others..."
Under the fiery gaze of Princess Kangning, she smiled and slowly uttered two words, "Parrot."
Wan Jinlan never loses in an argument. It can be said that although her other abilities are not evident for the time being, she has never lost in an argument among her peers.
How could Princess Kangning not hear that she was mocking her as a gossip? She was so angry that she wanted to continue arguing, but she felt that if she did, she would be at a disadvantage. She was so uncomfortable that her eyes were red.
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