Imperial Capital 23. Hundred Flowers Festival (4)
"Princess Zhaoyang has arrived!"
On the lush green grass of the Peony Garden, neatly arranged tables were filled with all kinds of delicacies and fresh fruits. The ladies in gorgeous clothes sat one after another, talking softly. When they heard the voice of the eldest princess, they all stood up and saluted, "Meet the eldest princess." Princess Zhaoyang was wearing a simple and elegant palace dress. Although she was nearly 40 years old and had a slightly cold face, she was still very well maintained. A pair of beautiful willow eyebrows were slightly raised, which showed that the temper of this eldest princess was not gentle. Princess Ronghua followed the eldest princess obediently, which was completely different from the arrogant and domineering appearance seen in the yard before. Walking with her was a gorgeous girl in brocade clothes, who looked around at the ladies with a smile on her face. However, Ye Li couldn't guess the identity of this girl even after searching through her memory, so she simply stopped thinking about it.
"No need to be polite, please take a seat."
Everyone stood up again to thank him and then sat down.
Princess Zhaoyang then spoke: "Today's grand event is a leisurely gathering of the daughters of the imperial family in the capital. Don't be too restrained, just be casual."
Although the eldest princess said so, not many people dared to act casually. Princess Ronghua sat beside the eldest princess, holding her arm and acting coquettishly. The eldest princess's cold face also became a little softer. It was obvious that the eldest princess, who had no children, was very fond of this little niece.
"Who is the girl next to the princess? She is so beautiful." The ladies looked at the stunning girl next to the princess with hidden curiosity, and whispered to their friends to exchange their opinions. Some of them even looked at Ye Ying vaguely. The smile on Ye Ying's face was also a little forced. The girl sat on the right side of Princess Zhaoyang, and her status was obviously not lower than that of Princess Ronghua. And her appearance was far better than that of Princess Ronghua. Ye Ying claimed to be the most beautiful woman in the capital, but the girl in brocade clothes had a delicate and bright appearance, which was different from Ye Ying's frailty and slenderness, but she could attract more attention. A beautiful woman always notices a woman who is more beautiful than herself first.
"Haha, who is that girl? I'm afraid Ye Ying's title as the most beautiful woman in Beijing will be lost." Murong Ting smiled softly, covering her lips with her sleeves.
Hua Tianxiang glanced at her and smiled, "She is the niece of Princess Zhaoyang's husband."
"Princess Zhaoyang's husband... that's not..." Qin Zheng was also a little surprised, and hesitated for a moment before saying: "Which princess of Nanzhao Kingdom is it?" Princess Zhaoyang's husband was a hostage from Nanzhao Kingdom to Dachu. It is said that Princess Zhaoyang and her husband were in love with each other and would not marry anyone else. The late emperor had no choice but to marry his most beloved sister to a hostage. After the wedding, the husband and the princess were in love and lived in harmony, but within three years, the husband died of illness. The princess swore in front of the late emperor that she would not remarry and would remain faithful to her husband for the rest of her life. Hearing this, Ye Li also looked at Hua Tianxiang with some curiosity. Hua Tianxiang is the daughter of the Duke of Hua's Mansion. It is not surprising that the niece of the current queen knows some things that others don't know. Hua Tianxiang glanced at the eldest princess and the stunning girl in front of her, shook her head and said, "That is the youngest daughter of the current King of Nanzhao, Princess Qixia, who is known as the most beautiful woman in Nanzhao."
"I heard that Nanzhao is famous for its beauties. This Princess Qixia is indeed extraordinary."
Hua Tianxiang blinked her eyes and looked at Ye Li, wanting to say something but stopping herself. Ye Li raised her eyebrows and smiled at her, "Is there anything you can't say?"
Hua Tianxiang smiled and said, "Although this is the first time we meet, I think you are a wonderful person. It's okay to tell you about this Princess Qixia... It seems that she will live in our Great Chu for a long time in the future."
"Stay for a long time?" Murong Ting was no longer interested in watching the singing and dancing. She looked at Hua Tianxiang in confusion and said, "This Princess Qixia looks about the same age as us. If she stays for a long time, doesn't it mean..." Doesn't it mean that Princess Qixia plans to marry to Da Chu. A marriage between two countries is a big deal, why is there no news outside? Hua Tianxiang coughed lightly, covered her lips and whispered, "Princess Qixia ran to Da Chu on her own. Do you remember that His Royal Highness Prince Li was on a diplomatic mission to Nanzhao last year..."
"You mean--!" Murong Ting was so shocked that she could hardly control her voice. Qin Zheng pinched her secretly to calm her down. Seeing that people at the two tables next to her couldn't help but look over, she quickly acted dignified and calmly took a sip of the hundred-flower fruit wine in front of her. Seeing that no one else was paying attention to her, Murong Ting smiled apologetically at the other three. Hua Tianxiang and Qin Zheng obviously knew her character very well, and they smiled indifferently. Murong Ting frowned, looked at Ye Li and said, "Although I shouldn't say this, I still want to say it. Maybe it's not a bad thing to get a marriage contract with King Li."
Ye Li sipped the light fruit wine in the glass and agreed with a smile: "You are right."
"Guess who will be the judges for the Hundred Flowers Festival this year?" Hua Tianxiang asked.
Ye Li only had a rough idea of the process of the so-called Hundred Flowers Festival, and just thought of it as a social gathering for the noble ladies in the capital. She shook her head nonchalantly, and Hua Tianxiang poked her with anger, "This is your first time participating in the Hundred Flowers Festival this year, you must show your skills on stage, so as not to let those guys with their eyes on their foreheads look down on you."
Ye Li blinked her eyes and looked at the dancers dancing in the field, "You want me to go up and sing and dance? It will scare people. I can't dance." Besides, she is not a person who wants to show off. There are no star auditions these days.
Qin Zheng explained softly, "Ordinary ladies would not choose singing and dancing. However, they would compete in the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, lyrics and music. The top three winners each year would receive a very precious prize."
Prizes?
"You all going?"
Murong Ting said embarrassedly, "Besides me, Zheng'er and Tianxiang are both very good. Zheng'er won first place in poetry, calligraphy and painting two years ago. Tianxiang won first place in chess and third place in zither last year. Last year's first place was your fourth sister, the future Princess Li. She won first place in zither and dance and fifth place in poetry."
Ye Li glanced at Ye Ying, who was sitting at the next table and talking to someone, and said with a smile, "I knew that. But I didn't know that Zheng'er and Miss Hua were both rare talents."
Hua Tianxiang waved her hand and said, "Madam Ye was the most talented woman in the capital. This year, Zheng'er and I will not participate. It's up to you to decide for us."
Ye Li was helpless, "I'm really not good at this."
Qin Zheng held her hand and said with a smile: "Ye Ying will definitely participate this year. Li Er can't be outdone by her."
Hua Tianxiang was also very excited. "That's right, Ye Li must avenge me. I worked so hard last year but ended up being outdone by Ye Ying. It was so embarrassing."
Murong Ting also joined in the fun, looking at her eagerly, "I can win first place in martial arts competitions every year, but it's a pity that no one competes with me. Li'er, you have to work hard."
Ye Li was so amused by these new acquaintances that she really wasn't good at these things. Although she had been taught by her mother since she was young, she did know a little bit. But compared to those who worked hard to practice, she was nowhere near as good. Take Ye Ying's dance for example. Although she didn't see it, it was said that there were five or six dance masters hired just for Ye Ying. Each dance was specially choreographed, and Ye Ying had indeed worked hard in this aspect. However, since she got back the memory of her past life after her mother's death, her interest in these things has dropped by more than ten points. Besides, Wang Shi would not hire a good master to teach her.
"I'm afraid you don't want to participate this year." Murong Ting said while eating the exquisite snacks on the table: "The winner of the Hundred Flowers Festival is eligible to challenge anyone present. Believe me, if you hadn't been away from home in recent years, I'm afraid you would be the one challenged the most every year." She used to be the fiancée of Prince Li, and now she is the future Princess Ding. In the eyes of many people, Ye Li's life is so good that people are jealous, and they are probably hoping that she will make a fool of herself.
"Hurry up and eat something. You probably won't have a chance to eat once the day officially starts." Hua Tianxiang reminded.
Ye Li looked at the snacks in front of her speechlessly. It felt like she had been wasting more than an hour and the so-called Flower Festival hadn't even started yet.
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