If Line (If Zen is really the daughter of the Marquis) "Your name is..."
In February, spring is in the air in Beijing. Coincidentally, it is the Flower Festival, and the city is filled with blossoms and fragrant flowers.
The invitation on the table shone golden in the sunlight, making it impossible to ignore it. Thinking of the upcoming banquet, Zen Zhen couldn't help but put down the eyebrow pencil in his hand in distress and sighed in front of the mirror.
"What's wrong?" Mrs. Wei walked behind her and asked worriedly.
Chan Zhen turned his head, his eyes filled with a hint of resentment: "Mother, can I not go?"
She really didn't want to deal with outsiders, let alone the queen who was so high and mighty in the palace.
"Nonsense," Madam Wei gave her a helpless look. "The invitation was personally sent by the Consort Shu. You can't just refuse to go if you don't like it."
"But I've never met the Concubine Shu. Aren't you afraid that I'll say something wrong in the palace and displease her?" Chan Zhen grabbed the corner of her clothes and looked her up from bottom to top. "Mother, please speak up for me. Just say I'm not feeling well and can't go..."
Madam Wei raised her hand and gently tapped her forehead. "Alright, it's just a trip to the palace, why do you feel like you're going to a dangerous place?"
Zen Zhen loosened his grip on the clothes, covered his forehead, and muttered, "The palace is a den of dangers..."
"Don't say that." Seeing her outspoken, Madam Wei felt she had spoiled her too much. However, she couldn't bring herself to be cruel to her daughter, the one she had given birth to with so much difficulty. So, she comforted her, "Don't worry. I've asked around. Concubine Shu is hosting this banquet for the daughter of Duke Xue. The others are just there to serve as a foil. Just stay quietly by the side and avoid taking the spotlight."
"Is it... Xue Peiyao?" Chan Zhen had once seen her from afar at a banquet. She was truly worthy of being hailed as the epitome of a noble lady in the capital, her every move dignified and elegant. No wonder she had caught the eye of Consort Shu. With such a precious example before her, the pressure in her heart suddenly eased considerably. "It seems this is the future Princess Jin."
His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin is now at the age to choose a concubine, and His Majesty the Concubine Shu has long been planning to spread the news, intending to select a noble lady in the capital.
Originally, Chan Zhen had no chance of such a grand event. Although the Marquis of Jing'an's family was of noble descent, it had fallen into decline, while His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin was a highly sought-after candidate for the crown prince. Chan Zhen's status was somewhat insufficient for a principal wife, but she was more than qualified for a concubine. Therefore, she had repeatedly declined, unwilling to attend the flower viewing banquet, which was actually a concubine selection ceremony.
She had been spoiled since she was young and was influenced by her parents. How could she be willing to be a concubine and share her husband with others, even if that person was His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin?
Even if she were to marry, she would marry someone like her father, who would take care of her mother wholeheartedly.
After knowing that the protagonist of the banquet had been decided, she took off all the bright hairpins and rings on her body, changed into a low-key yet polite outfit, and then went out with peace of mind.
This was Chan Zhen's first time entering the palace. Sitting in the carriage and looking out the window, he saw only the endless red palace walls, which made him feel deeply depressed.
Who wants to be trapped here for the rest of their life? Chan Zhen lost interest in the banquet and simply lowered the curtain.
When arriving at the palace gate, one must first undergo a strict inspection, and then get off the carriage and walk in.
After getting off the car, Chan Zhen was finally able to breathe a breath of fresh air. Before he could see what the palace gate looked like, he heard someone calling his name from behind.
"Zen Zhen!" The bright girl in red waved to her in surprise and flew towards her.
Zenzhen caught her and hugged her: "Why are you here too?"
Xuan Yang glared at her: "After all, I am the county lady appointed by His Majesty himself. How could I be missed from such a banquet? But you..."
"What's wrong with me?" Zen Zhen looked at his good friend in confusion.
"When you show up, you must steal the limelight." Xuan Yang looked her up and down. No wonder she praised her so highly, but none of the attendants beside her took their eyes off the person in front of them.
"Stop teasing me." Chan Zhen gently pinched her waist and whispered in her ear, "I heard that Concubine Shu has chosen the daughter of Duke Xue."
"Is it her?" Xuan Yang laughed with an ambiguous tone, "The Empress Shufei's taste is not very good."
Just as Zen was about to ask her what she meant, she smiled and took his hand, urging him to hurry up.
The banquet was held in Concubine Shu's Jingxiu Palace. When Chanzhen and Xuanyang arrived, many noble ladies had already arrived. The palace was bustling with beautiful women and beautiful women.
Concubine Shu was talking to the girl from the Xue family who was sitting on her right when she noticed a familiar figure in red walking in arm in arm. She smiled and said, "Xuan Yang is here too."
Xuan Yang released her hand and was about to salute her, but she stopped him with a smile.
"Your humble servant pays homage to Her Majesty Shufei." Xuanyang was a county lady personally appointed by His Majesty, and was also favored by Princess Yuzhen. She could be exempted from the etiquette by Shufei, but Chanzhen could not.
After she had bowed respectfully, Concubine Shu seemed to notice her and asked her to stand up in a nonchalant tone.
Chanzhen glanced at the girl from the Xue family who was sitting on the right hand of Concubine Shu. As expected, she was here only to serve as a foil, so she felt relieved.
When she stood up, Concubine Shu was about to look away, but her eyes suddenly caught sight of the half of her face that was exposed, and she paused.
"Raise your head and let me see."
Hearing this, Xue Peiyao, who had been quietly lowering her head and smiling, also raised her face.
Feeling the scrutinizing gaze of Concubine Shu, Chan Zhen's heart suddenly tensed up, and he gritted his teeth and slowly revealed his true face.
The many eyes focused on her face froze for a moment, and the chattering sounds around her suddenly quieted down.
After a while, I heard Concubine Shu exclaim in admiration: "Whose girl is this? She is so pretty."
Zen Zhen rubbed his sleeves anxiously, worried that he had ruined someone else's good fortune.
Xuan Yang answered for her, "Her name is Chan Zhen, and she's a girl from the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion."
Hearing the words "Marquis Jing'an Mansion," Concubine Shu's attitude cooled down a bit: "So it's the girl from the Song family. Lian Qiao, please take Miss Song to a seat first."
Chan Zhen was brought to a position that was neither too far nor too far. No one around her took the initiative to talk to her, so she had some peace and quiet. She looked at Xuan Yang sitting next to Concubine Shu, and her face almost froze with smile.
Since she was selecting a princess for the Prince of Jin, Concubine Shu wanted to examine these noble ladies. As it happened to be the Flower Festival, she issued a flying flower order with the word "flower" in it.
"Why light green or deep red, it is the best among flowers." Xue Peiyao won the applause of the whole room. The noble ladies who followed her also showed their talents, trying to leave a good impression in front of Concubine Shu.
When the news reached Chan Zhen, everyone's eyes turned to him.
There is no other reason. If we talk about which noble lady at the banquet has the most outstanding appearance, it must be the girl from the Song family.
Chan Zhen thought about it hesitantly, then raised his glass to Concubine Shu: "My daughter is not talented, please forgive me, Concubine Shu."
Shufei's originally expectant look faded, she nodded slightly to her and looked at the next person.
It turns out that she is just a pretty fool.
At this moment, both Xue Peiyao and the other noble ladies breathed a sigh of relief.
A foolish beauty, no matter how beautiful she is, cannot become the Princess of Jin.
Zen Zhen lowered his eyes, ignoring the contemptuous looks around him.
After a few rounds of Feihualing, Chanzhen had drunk a lot of wine and his head became a little dizzy.
"Sister Song has drunk quite a bit of wine." Xue Peiyao walked up to her without her knowing when. Chan Zhen raised her head and found that Concubine Shu had left her seat without her knowing when.
Chan Zhen subconsciously didn't want to have too much communication with this Miss Xue. She forced herself to cheer up a little and replied in a gentle voice, "Chan Zhen is not well versed in poetry and literature. I'm sorry to make you laugh, Sister Xue."
Xue Peiyao's heart skipped a beat as she met those moist, bright eyes. She knew the Song family's daughters were beautiful, but she hadn't expected the woman before her, with her rosy cheeks and tipsy eyes, to be so alluring. Even she could barely look away, let alone His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin.
The Empress Shufei left the table precisely to invite His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin to come and see her. If His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin saw such a charming woman, there would be no place for her in his eyes.
We cannot let the girl from the Song family appear in front of His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin.
Xue Peiyao made up her mind and said to the maid beside her, "I think Sister Song is a little drunk. Why don't you take Sister Song outside to sober her up, so that His Highness won't get angry when he sees Sister Song's inappropriate behavior."
It was no secret that Concubine Shu preferred the girl from the Xue family to be the Princess of Jin, so the maids in Concubine Shu's palace treated her as half a master and went forward to help Chan Zhen up as she said.
"Where are you taking Chanzhen?" Xuan Yang came over and asked when he saw something was wrong here.
Zen Zhen had long since given up wanting to sit here any longer, so he waved to her, "I'm going to go out and sober up. You can have fun here and don't worry about me."
Xuan Yang knew that she had no intention of being chosen as the Princess of Jin, so he did not try to stop her, but instructed the maid to take good care of her.
All those present were noble ladies from the capital. If any of them went wrong, it would be difficult to explain, so the maids naturally had to be very careful.
Chan Zhen walked out with the help of his maid, taking one step forward and one step back. It was the Flower Festival, and all the palaces were decorated with flowers. The fragrance of flowers could be smelled everywhere.
"Are there any crabapple blossoms in the palace?" Chan Zhen thought vaguely. She was supposed to enjoy the flowers and have fun with her mother and brother on this day, but she was summoned to this boring palace.
"Miss, do you want to see the crabapple flowers? I'll take you there." The maid helped her walk into the flowers on the other side.
The alcohol gradually took over, and Chan Zhen felt even more dizzy as she smelled the fragrant flowers all around her. After walking for a while, she asked her maid to help her stop near a clump of lush crabapple trees and sit on a bluestone rock to rest for a while.
"Are you tired, young lady?" The maid glanced around anxiously. Although this place was seldom visited, it would still be bad if someone saw Miss Song drunk. She carefully advised, "I'll help you walk a little further, then go to your room and rest."
Zen Zhen was so drunk that he couldn't open his eyes. He only thought her chattering was very noisy. He said aggrievedly: "I can't walk anymore. I'm going to sit here."
"Miss Song..." The maid was still trying to persuade her when she suddenly heard footsteps.
Looking back, she saw someone she hadn't expected to see. She was terrified and was about to say hello when the man raised his hand to stop her.
Just then a gust of wind blew, and the crabapple blossoms fluttered down, covering Chan Zhen who was sitting under the tree.
Zenzhen half opened her eyes and vaguely felt someone approaching her. A tall figure stopped in front of her.
She blinked, and the falling crabapple petals caught on her eyelashes, making it impossible for her to see the man's face clearly.
"May I have your name?"
Zenzhen heard the man asking her a question. The voice was so gentle that she didn't feel defensive at all. She answered subconsciously:
"My name is Zenzhen."
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