"The only slight difficulty is that it's not in accordance with etiquette for men and women to sit together," Prince Shen said casually, as if chatting about everyday matters.
The eldest prince, Xiao Qi, pondered the chess pieces on the board. “That’s easy. There aren’t too many male guests today. We can just put a screen in the middle.”
Xiao Zhan pulled his foot back after taking a step forward, and sat back down to drink tea.
Prince Shen glanced at Xiao Zhan out of the corner of his eye, as if he had just noticed him, and asked, "Why are you back again?"
“It’s not that I dislike you, my royal uncle, visiting your palace,” Xiao Zhan replied without any emotion.
Prince Shen smiled knowingly but said nothing, and instructed a servant to tell Princess Shen.
"What? We're going to have lunch in the greenhouse?" Princess Shen asked, somewhat incredulous.
The servant answered yes.
Jiang Wei and Gao Youlan accompanied Princess Shen to the greenhouse. The three of them looked around and discussed how to decorate it.
Jiang Wei saw that the flowers in the greenhouse were in full bloom, and the flower stand was neither too tall nor too short, making it perfect for use as a screen.
Moving them to the center would be pleasing to the eye, adding a touch of spring to the winter, and the flowers wouldn't have to be moved outside and frozen.
Princess Shen thought the suggestion was good, so she adopted it and summoned servants to get things started.
Jiang Wei and Gao Youlan offered to help, but Princess Shen refused, saying that there was no reason for guests to work together, and that everything had already been arranged.
When Princess Shen saw that they were not leaving, she told them to pick a few of the best-blooming plum blossoms so they could admire them while they ate.
The two then left. About half an hour later, Jiang Wei and Gao Youlan each held a few plum blossoms in their hands.
When Gao Youlan entered the room, she was almost stunned. In the center of the room, there was a row of flower walls arranged in a staggered manner. The green leaves were matched with flowers of various colors, and the flowers were blooming in competition, which was so beautiful that it was like stepping into spring.
In the short time it took, Princess Consort Shen had already hung up all the gauze curtains used in spring. When the wind blew through the window cracks, the lotus-colored gauze curtains fluttered in the wind, like fairies in spring.
Princess Consort Shen had already taken off her padded jacket, wearing only a fitted long dress that accentuated her graceful figure. She took small steps to check if everything was prepared properly and if there were any oversights or mistakes.
"You're back." Princess Shen smiled and looked at them.
Who says only men love to look at beautiful women? In fact, if a woman is truly beautiful, women would probably like her even more, and their appreciation is purer and more untainted.
Jiang Wei and Gao Youlan smiled in unison and walked over, each holding a plum blossom.
"Sister, flowers suit a beautiful woman, so I'm giving you this plum blossom." Gao Youlan said sweetly.
Jiang Wei remembered that in her previous life, the princess had taken care of her like an older sister. Regardless of the fact that they were not familiar with each other yet, she agreed and handed over the plum blossom in her hand.
Princess Consort Shen was a little embarrassed, and her face turned red.
"What an annoying little mouth." Princess Shen gently tapped Gao Youlan's hand with her index finger.
She glanced at Jiang Wei again, then gave Gao Youlan a reproachful look, "You've only known this girl for half a day, and you've already corrupted her. She's even making fun of your older sister."
Gao Youlan became interested. "How about letting Sister Jiang call you 'elder sister' when we're alone, just like I do?"
Jiang Wei was a year older than Gao Youlan, so Gao Youlan called her Sister Jiang.
Princess Consort Shen pondered for a moment and was about to answer when several men walked in from outside the door. She quickly said, "No."
Wouldn't this mess up the generational hierarchy?
If Xiao Zhan knew, wouldn't he be furious!
Although Xiao Zhan never explicitly told her that he wanted to marry Jiang Wei.
Last time, because of Jiang Wei, he took the initiative to ask her for help. She had never seen him give any woman a glance, let alone care about any woman.
All three of them felt a little awkward after hearing this.
Princess Consort Shen explained, "I like you very much and will treat you like family. However, it is indeed a bit inappropriate for you to call me 'elder sister.' I hope you don't mind."
Princess Shen spoke sincerely, and Jiang Wei knew her from her previous life.
Jiang Wei thought she must have her reasons, and nodded with a smile, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."
Princess Shen took the plum blossoms from Jiang Wei and Gao Youlan and placed them into vases.
Jiang Weicai placed the red and green plum blossoms into a short white porcelain vase and put it on the male guest's side.
Gao Youlan placed the pink and yellow items into a gray porcelain vase and put it on the female guest's side.
Xiao Zhan sat down seemingly casually, but he actually chose a spot very close to the plum blossoms.
He looked at the plum blossoms with a cold gaze, ignoring the words of Prince Shen and Xiao Qi.
Xiao Qi noticed that he was staring at the plum blossoms with a blank expression, and he couldn't tell whether he liked them or not.
He tentatively asked, "Do you like these plum blossoms?"
Xiao Zhan simply said, "Such plum blossoms are rarely seen at the border."
Xiao Qi laughed and said, "Your Majesty, I'll go get it for you so you can enjoy it to your heart's content." He looked every bit the doting older brother who cared for his younger brother.
Xiao Zhan stood up. "I won't trouble you, Your Majesty. I'll do it myself."
Just as Xiao Qi was about to touch the vase, Xiao Zhan snatched it away, placed it on his side table, leaned back in his chair, and stared at the plum blossoms.
Xiao Qi paused in mid-air for a moment, then his usual smile returned to his face.
“My elder brother is my elder brother, so it’s only right that he takes care of you. After all, I am the eldest brother,” Xiao Qi said meaningfully.
When Xiao Zhan and the others walked in, Jiang Wei and Gao Youlan returned to the side of the female guests and stayed far away from them.
The two sat down in their respective seats, separated by a flower wall.
Neither of the two people could see the other.
This made them feel more comfortable.
At this moment, figures began to enter from outside the door.
Hong Xinyue, Song Fangfang, and Jiang Rou exchanged a glance and then walked in with the help of their maids.
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