Chapter 21: Such a mindset, focused solely on romantic love, is truly astonishing.
The Imperial Concubine learned the news quickly, and by the time Cui Jiulang had scrambled out of Qujiang Pool in a disheveled state, the eunuch she had sent had already rushed over.
The eunuch was around forty years old, wearing a horned headdress and a gold fish-shaped pouch hanging from his waist; he was clearly a trusted attendant of the Imperial Concubine.
He walked quickly to Li Yuanzhao and respectfully kowtowed.
"Your Highness, the Third Princess is unruly and has disturbed the banquet. The Imperial Concubine has instructed me to discipline her on behalf of Your Highness. We now plan to take her back to the palace and punish her by making her copy the 'Admonitions for Women' one hundred times so that she can reflect on her mistakes."
These words not only gave Li Yuanzhao enough face, but also lightly overlooked the heinous act of "throwing the princess into the pool," and cleverly characterized the dispute as "an elder sister disciplining a younger sister," which was watertight.
Upon hearing this, Li Yuanzhao simply waved his hand lazily, "Take them away. Tell the Consort that they are sisters, there's no need for such formalities."
The eunuch quickly replied "Yes," kowtowed again, and then stood up.
Seeing that the Imperial Concubine had already made such a statement, everyone refrained from discussing royal family affairs any further.
At that moment, Cui Jiulang was coughing awkwardly while clinging to the reeds by the pond, his brocade robe covered in mud.
As he was half-supported and half-dragged ashore by the palace servants brought by the eunuch, he didn't forget to turn around and glare at Su Qingci and Du Cong.
Princess Li Yuanshu, the third princess, was already wrapped in a thick fox fur cloak. Her face was ashen, and her lips were purple from the cold. She was escorted by palace maids to the carriage.
Chen Yanqing stared in the direction the carriage had disappeared, feeling somewhat incredulous.
Cui Jiulang is the Imperial Concubine's nephew, and Li Yuanshu is the Second Prince's only sister. They suffered such a great loss, and the matter was just settled like that?
They even have to grovel before the "culprit" and take the initiative to admit their mistakes?
The maids quickly tidied up the floor, removing the muddy brocade cushions and even wiping away the wet blue bricks splashed on the edge of the pool.
In the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Furong Garden returned to its previous elegant appearance, as if nothing had happened.
Everyone sat down again, and the cold wine on the table was replaced with warm pear blossom wine. The freshly steamed hibiscus cake was steaming hot, but the atmosphere at the table could no longer return to the initial ease.
Everyone was afraid that they might accidentally offend the princess again.
Li Yuanzhao naturally noticed the awkwardness among the crowd, and she took the initiative to break the silence: "Who is the champion of this poetry gathering?"
When they arrived, all they saw was Cui Jiulang pointing at Du Cong's nose and scolding him.
Immediately following was Li Yuanshu's threat to throw Su Qingci into Qujiang Pool. The air was filled with arguments and screams, and I really didn't notice the grand occasion of the poetry gathering earlier.
The old eunuch in charge of recording the poems quickly bowed and replied, "Your Highness, after evaluation by Grand Tutor Liu and Madam Wei, Su Qingci, the eldest daughter of Prime Minister Su, should be the champion."
Li Yuanzhao's gaze fell on Su Qingci, "Since you are the champion, you should be rewarded."
She turned to her maid and instructed, "Bring me the imperial purple-tipped brush that His Majesty bestowed upon me as tribute from Huzhou, and give it to Miss Su."
The maidservant responded and left, and everyone looked surprised upon hearing this.
Only a few of these imperial purple-hair brushes are produced each year, and they have always been reserved for the Emperor's use. Moreover, since they were personally bestowed by the Emperor, they naturally hold extraordinary significance.
The eldest princess actually bestowed it upon Su Qingci; such favor was truly rare.
Su Qingci rose and bowed, her voice unusually excited, "Thank you for your generous gift, Your Highness."
Li Yuanzhao stopped looking at her, his gaze sweeping over the people below the stage, and slowly said, "Those whose poems today are praised by Madam Wei will be rewarded with a set of writing implements."
These words immediately elicited a murmur of surprise from the audience.
Everyone knows that Madam Wei is a kind-hearted person. As long as a poem is metrically correct and has acceptable diction, it will always receive a compliment from her such as "acceptable" or "cleverly conceived."
By this calculation, most of the people present would receive a set of the Four Treasures of the Study, which were extremely valuable and could only be used by royalty.
Everyone immediately became excited, and several forthright young men from prominent families raised their glasses to express their gratitude.
"Thank you for your generous gift, Your Highness."
Chen Yanqing watched in astonishment. Just how rich was Li Yuanzhao? He could casually bestow so many gifts.
The atmosphere at the banquet gradually warmed up, the musicians played their music again, and the maids bustled about, adding wine and serving dishes, finally restoring the elegance that a spring banquet should have.
Li Yuanzhao ignored everyone and lazily leaned against the soft couch, casually flipping through the stack of stationery recording everyone's poems.
When she turned to Su Qingci's page, her fingertips paused slightly, somewhat surprised.
Nowadays, most young ladies who practice calligraphy prefer small regular script with delicate strokes, resembling willow branches swaying in the breeze, exuding a deliberate sense of gentleness.
Su Qingci's handwriting, however, was completely different. Her strokes were sharp and bold, and her regular script was full of character and personality, making her seem like a completely different person from her gentle appearance.
Li Yuanzhao gently handed the letter to Chen Yanqing beside him, gesturing for him to give his opinion.
Chen Yanqing was overjoyed and quickly stepped forward to take it.
He examined it carefully for a long time and exclaimed sincerely, "Miss Su's poem is indeed excellent. The words are elegant and the artistic conception is lofty. In particular, the calligraphy is powerful and vigorous. It must have taken ten years of hard work to write it."
Li Yuanzhao raised an eyebrow. "I've heard you also love writing poetry. How do I compare to you?"
Chen Yanqing paused for a moment, then answered honestly, "If I had any confidence before, after reading Miss Su's poem now, I really think it's inferior to hers. Whether it's word choice, sentence structure, or artistic conception and overall structure, it's a notch below her."
Li Yuanzhao withdrew his gaze, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the armrest of the soft couch, and stopped speaking.
But the words of the time traveler that had spoken earlier came to mind: this poetry gathering was supposed to be where Chen Yanqing would shine.
Not only did he win Su Qingci's heart with just one poem, but he also gained the favor of a group of noble ladies and even the appreciation of the Grand Tutor.
But now it seems that Su Qingci's level is clearly superior to Chen Yanqing's, yet she still gave the championship to him.
Could it be that he's deliberately hiding his true strength for Chen Yanqing's sake?
Thinking about this, Li Yuanzhao couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing.
It's quite amazing that someone has such a mindset focused solely on romantic love.
She instructed Ru Mo beside her, "Go and invite Miss Su here."
Ru Mo responded and left. Su Qingci, who was chatting with several young ladies, was surprised when she heard this, but then a surge of excitement appeared in her eyes.
She was worried about not finding an opportunity to talk to the princess, but unexpectedly the princess took the initiative to summon her.
Su Qingci walked to the front of the main seat, curtsied, and said, "This humble woman greets the Princess. May I ask what Your Highness's instructions are?"
She deliberately lowered her eyes, not daring to look directly at Li Yuanzhao, for fear of revealing the joy in her heart.
Li Yuanzhao looked up at her and said, "Sit down."
Su Qingci sat down on the brocade stool to the side as instructed, and took the initiative to pick up the teapot on the table and refill Li Yuanzhao's teacup by half.
"Thank you for the gift, Princess. I really like that purple-tipped brush."
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