Chapter 96: To invite a virtuous person, you must make her feel sorry for you.
Cong Ying only guessed that Prince Jin wanted to take her out for a walk, but she didn't guess that it was a gathering to appreciate chrysanthemums hosted by your lord.
From afar, she was amazed by the bustling scene on the high platforms on both sides of the Tiannv Canal. She saw barrier after barrier and brocade curtain layered, surrounded by chrysanthemums of various colors, golden as bright as gilded silk and purple as rich as night clouds. There were also floating lanterns and flower boats in the canal, swaying with the waves. The girls passing by picked out the colors they liked, cut them off, and pinned them in their hair.
There are various fashionable activities on the high platforms on both sides. Some people paint and recite poems, some play the piano and write lyrics. If there are good works, they will be presented to the high platforms one by one for the noble master sitting behind the brocade curtain to appreciate.
Cong Ying's expression suddenly softened, and she said to King Jin, "Thank you, Your Highness, for bringing me here."
The King of Jin said, "It is thanks to you that I am here. Otherwise, my cousin would not have been so kind as to send me an invitation."
The guards on both sides saluted when they saw Prince Jin, and the girls from Taiyi Academy also modestly gave way. However, there were a few girls from official families who recognized both Prince Jin and Cong Ying, and they couldn't help but whisper as they saw the two of them walking side by side.
"That's Jiang Si Niang, Third Master Xie's fiancée? Why is she walking with His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin?"
"Mr. Xie San treated her very well in the past, but how come she is gone now... Poor lover, so infatuated..."
Although the voice was not loud, I could guess the whole meaning from a few scattered words, which burst into my heart like sparks and made me feel irritated.
Seeing Cong Ying with his eyes downcast and silent, the girls from the Jin Dynasty glanced over. The look was so cold and gloomy, and so majestic, that they immediately shut up and lowered their heads to avoid him.
Cong Ying curled her lips and said, "Actually, I don't care what they say."
In the past, she valued respectability the most and tolerated the Jiang family for many years. Until she could no longer tolerate it and let the Jiang family fall apart, she realized that respectability was a tasteless thing like chicken ribs.
She was just afraid that the rumors would spread too far, and if they reached Sanlang's ears, it would inevitably hurt his feelings.
The two of them ascended the high platform to pay their respects to Princess Chun'an. The princess rose to greet her, helping her to her feet. She said cordially, "Since we parted in Xunling, it's been a long time since I last saw Fourth Lady Jiang."
Cong Ying was humble and polite: "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I have never visited you before, so please forgive me."
Princess Chun'an said, "I know you've been through a lot lately, but let's not talk about that for now. Come, take a seat."
It turned out that there was a table behind Princess Chun'an reserved for her, and she sat opposite the guests under the platform, which meant that she was the princess's own person. Not only was she on an equal footing with Gan Jiu, but even Xue Luwei had to sit behind her.
This made the ladies who were confused just now even more surprised and suspicious.
I used to think that without the protection of Mr. Xie San, Jiang Si Niang would have a hard time in Yunjing. I didn’t expect that today not only Prince Jin would protect her, but even the noble master would be close to her.
Isn’t it rumored that your master hates the Jiang family very much?
I couldn't figure it out, and I couldn't help but feel awe and curiosity towards her.
The guests arrived and the banquet began. The invited guests raised their glasses and toasted to the two princes.
Princess Chun'an gave a speech encouraging learning, followed by a banquet of singing, dancing, and revelry. A procession of handsome young men, slender and tall, dressed in plain blue cloaks, filed in, each holding a pot of rare chrysanthemums, including the "Yu Hu Bing" variety with green stamens and white flowers and the "Drunken Yang Fei" variety with pale red threads, each with its own unique and rare appearance.
The young men held flowers and walked between the small tables for the guests to enjoy. The clear and distant fragrance drifted in the wind between the curtains, making it difficult to tell whether it was the fragrance of flowers, the incense in the stove, or the fragrance in the sleeves of the young men.
Congying stared at a cluster of red and gold "Phoenix Spreading Feathers" for a few more seconds. The noble master waved his hand, and the young man knelt in front of Congying, holding the chrysanthemums to the height of his eyebrows, slightly lowering his head, revealing his beautiful eyebrows and eyes.
When King Jin saw this, he frowned slightly.
When this young man lowered his eyes, he actually had some of Xie Xuanlan's charm. Others might not notice it at the moment, but he himself saw it clearly.
Princess Chun'an asked Cong Ying with a smile, "Is it beautiful?"
Cong Ying thought she was asking about the flowers and nodded sincerely, "Her beauty is radiant, and she is graceful and graceful. She is very beautiful."
Princess Chun'an nodded with satisfaction: "Since you like it, I'll give it to you."
Upon hearing this, the young man put down his chrysanthemums and kowtowed to Cong Ying. In a clear and gentle voice, he called out, "This slave greets his new master."
Cong Ying then realized something was wrong: "Wait, Your Highness——"
Princess Chun'an raised her hand to stop her and said to the crowd, "Over the past year, some of you have devoted yourself to studying, making contributions to the Imperial Ceremony, while others have served the lord faithfully, sharing my cares and hardships. I have nothing else to offer, but these flowers are in full bloom, and I am giving them to you. If you like any, feel free to pick them."
She nodded to the attendant, who clapped her hands and said, "Call for the dance and music!"
Two more teams of young men walked out from behind the curtains on both sides. One team was dressed in red clothes and held soft swords in their hands, and the other team was dressed in black clothes and held wooden flags. They all had loose black hair, slightly exposed chests, revealing a bit of honey-colored skin. They all looked good, rough but handsome, and compared with the handsome young men just now, they had a different flavor.
Immediately afterwards, stringed instruments on both sides played together, playing the "Treading Swallows Song".
The two teams of young men danced with flags and swords on the high platform and in the open space, their movements were powerful and beautiful.
Listening to the music and watching the dance, Lian Cong Ying felt something was wrong: this was clearly imitating the flag dance of Mr. Xie San in Xunling Paddock!
The Prince of Jin's expression grew increasingly gloomy, and he spoke grimly, "I wonder if Prince Consort Xuan has improved recently and is able to control the princess, or if the princess has grown old and is no longer able to do so. It's so rare for the states to collect beauties, yet she's willing to give them away?"
Princess Chun'an ignored him and turned to Congying and said, "Madam Jiang, pick two you like. When you become the Chief of Ceremonies at the Imperial Court, you can teach them to serve you."
This sentence startled Cong Ying twice: "Serve me? Master of ceremonies?"
The princess asked her, "Xie San has been away from the capital for a long time. It's time for you to give him up and find a good place for yourself. I know your feelings. The position of Grand Ceremony Master has been held for you for a long time. Do you still have any concerns?"
Cong Ying's gaze fell on the several gentlemen nearby, and then she glanced at King Jin, but she was hesitant to agree.
She said, "Your Highness, please give me some time to think about it."
The princess' smile faded a little: "Okay, no rush, today we are just going to have a good time."
Congying left the table to take a breath under the pretext of changing clothes. Without her, Prince Jin and Princess Chun'an were too lazy to pretend anymore.
Unable to bear it any longer, Prince Jin put down his teacup and sneered, "You ask these idiots to imitate her, hoping they can replace Xie San in her heart? Ridiculous."
Princess Chun'an: "Is it not feasible? I think we can give it a try."
The King of Jin said, "Xie San is not Prince Consort Xuan, and she is not Princess You. The relationship between them cannot be easily sown."
Princess Chun'an's expression was slightly cold. "Stop being so sarcastic. I think you're pretty useless. It's been over half a month. You can hold her captive, but can you win her heart?"
The atmosphere between the two of them turned cold, and even the dancing and music in the venue became cautious and stagnant for a moment, for fear of upsetting the two members of the Xiao royal family.
After a long while, seeing that Ying was about to turn back, the princess was the first to sigh and said to the King of Jin, "Back at Guikuizhang, I promised my cousin to send troops, and he owes me a favor. Now I want him to fulfill this favor and find a way to get him to agree to become the head of ceremonies at the Taiyi Women's Academy and stop getting involved with Xie."
Upon hearing this, the Prince of Jin raised his lip slightly and said, "Okay, since the princess is so eager to find talented people, I will teach her a method."
"What?"
"Complain more, show less power." The King of Jin's voice was calm, but with a certain certainty: "Make her feel pity for you, not fear for you."
Princess Chun'an fell into deep thought after hearing this.
After returning to the table, Cong Ying returned and sat down, breathing a sigh of relief. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Ah He's head flashing past behind the curtain in the distance.
Just now, she temporarily escaped from the embarrassing situation of being surrounded by bees and butterflies and went to a place with few people to get some fresh air. Ah He saw her from somewhere, ran to her mysteriously and handed her a letter.
"Sister, this is what Aunt Jin asked me to give you."
"Aunt Jin?"
"It's Aunt Jin from Congshan Academy. Madam Xie has asked her to bring me chestnut cakes many times."
It turned out to be a letter from Mrs. Xie. Cong Ying understood and quietly hid the letter in her sleeve, intending to read it when she got home. However, she no longer felt like enjoying the breeze and quietly returned to the banquet.
She couldn't help but wonder: What would Madam Xie think when she knew that she was with Prince Jin and Princess Chun'an?
She hid her fingertips in her sleeves, stroking the edge of the envelope, a little absent-minded for a moment.
Until the King of Jin brought her a bowl of crab stuffed with oranges and told her to try it while it was still hot: "This is a new famous dish. It uses the pulp of an orange as a container and is stuffed with crab meat, rose water, and dried osmanthus. It is fresh and not fishy, and its flavor is comparable to that of golden minced fish and jade fish. Try it."
He picked up the spoon from Ying, scooped up half a spoonful of crab meat and tasted it, and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly.
Seeing that she liked it, Princess Chun'an smiled slightly and said, "This was developed by several cooks in Taiyi. All the girls like it. It's a pity that such a good taste may not be available next year."
Cong Ying was slightly startled when she heard this: "Could it be that the fees are too expensive and difficult to maintain?"
The princess shook her head slightly.
"It's a seasonal delicacy. Does it depend on the weather?"
The princess said, "Not really."
That's a bit hard to guess.
Seeing Cong Ying put down her spoon, the princess's face grew even more worried. She sighed, "I'm afraid the Taiyi Girls' School may not be as prosperous as it was next year. If it doesn't manage well, it might be forced to close. Without the school, these crab-stuffed oranges will naturally be gone."
"How could this be?" Cong Ying frowned and asked with concern, "Your Highness, have you encountered any difficulties?"
Princess Chun'an said, "Many people in the court have criticized women's education for disrupting public order. The Imperial College, the Hanlin Academy, and even some scholars in opposition have united to pressure Father to order the closure of the Taiyi Academy and send these girls home to continue studying the "Nujie Nuxun" (Instructions for Women) and learn how to be good wives and raise children. Father couldn't persuade them, so he devised a compromise. The court will preside over the debate at the end of the year, inviting prominent scholars from the opposition and the people to serve as judges. They will hear what the Taiyi Academy has taught these girls this year and whether they possess the same talents as the men."
"If Taiyi wins, these girls will have a chance to enter the court, but if they lose this time..."
Princess Chun'an smiled wryly and looked at Cong Ying quietly, "I'm afraid that Taiyi Girls' School, along with the girls' schools in Xuzhou and other places, will be forced to close down."
Cong Ying's expression changed slightly: "This is a decisive battle, survival or extinction will depend on it..."
The princess nodded. "Indeed, the Taiyi Women's School is in urgent need of a knowledgeable and courageous headmaster. Jiang Congying, I ask you once again: are you willing to assist me in overcoming this difficult time, preserve the Taiyi Women's School, and find a way out for yourself?"
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