"The Virtuous Princess Consort".
Zuo Miaomiao replied.
Xiao Qingyin's expression was somewhat subtle.
She had heard a little about the wise king.
This is a prince who indulges in pleasure and is unrestrained in his romantic affairs.
He never attended court, nor did he engage in any proper work; he spent his days indulging in eating, drinking, and merrymaking.
Wear the finest clothes, drink the strongest wine, take the most beautiful concubines, enjoy the most melodious music, and be the most carefree king.
When Xiao Qingyin first heard about this person, she was extremely envious.
What's so great about being an emperor? You have to get up earlier than the rooster and sleep later than the dog, and you have to serve three thousand concubines all by yourself.
Being a wise king is the only way to have fun; you'll be as happy as an immortal every day.
It seems even gods have their troubles.
The Prince Xian has no children to this day, and his wife has been having an affair. Could it be because the Prince Xian is impotent?
Having been staring for a while, Princess Xian looked over, and Xiao Qingyin quickly lowered her head to drink her tea.
A commotion arose, as if an important person had made their appearance.
"The Third Princess's dress is so beautiful!"
Zuo Miaomiao sincerely praised it.
Xiao Qingyin looked up and a palace dress with flowing tassels in the color of rosy clouds came into view.
The girl wearing the dress had exquisite makeup and a noble air about her.
When Xiao Qingyin looked over, she also happened to look over.
Their eyes met briefly, then the other person turned away and chatted and laughed with the person next to them.
It was as if he didn't recognize Xiao Qingyin.
Xiao Qingyin chuckled. This person was much more shrewd than Xiao Qingrong. No wonder he grew up in the palace.
After the emperor, crown prince, empress, and all the princes and princesses arrived, the banquet officially began.
There were fewer polite words than Xiao Qingyin had expected.
After Emperor Chengtai gave a brief speech, the lights on the stage in the center of the lake were turned on, dancers moved to the music, and palace servants lined up to serve dishes.
Xiao Qingyin tasted imperial cuisine for the first time and found it quite delicious.
The dish of minced meat and jade slices, in particular, was extremely delicious.
As for the roasted lamb leg and cheese that Zuo Miaomiao praised highly, Xiao Qingyin thought they were just so-so.
"Come to my place another day, and I'll make you a whole roasted lamb. It tastes different from this one."
Zuo Miaomiao's eyes immediately lit up.
"Thank you, Sister Xiao!"
Hot dishes are served one at a time, eaten one at a time, and then cleared away one at a time; the rhythm of the meal is firmly in the hands of the palace servants who serve the dishes.
As the moon rose above the willow branches, the main meal ended, and fruits, snacks, tea, and wine were served.
The atmosphere at the banquet was lively and cheerful, with toasts and laughter filling the air.
Xiao Qingyin thought that was the end of the palace banquet.
Emperor Chengtai suddenly announced: "Fuqing has come up with a competition that I find very interesting. If you want to participate, you can sign up."
The eunuch then announced the rules of the competition.
Xiao Qingyin discovers that this is an ancient version of a glass bridge battle royale survival game.
There are two floating bridges between the banquet hall and the stage in the middle of the lake.
One for men and one for men.
Each pontoon bridge consists of twenty-four pairs of partitions.
Each pair of partitions consists of one solid partition and one loose partition.
A solid board can support the weight of two people, while a loose board will cause you to sink when you step on it.
Participants must avoid all the dotted boards and walk from one end of the banquet to the other end of the stage to pass the challenge.
The top three finishers in both the male and female teams can each choose one prize from the stage, on a first-come, first-served basis.
"Those who step on the loose board need not worry too much; the board will only sink about three inches and will not fall into the water."
The eunuch emphasized this point.
Xiao Qingyin, however, sensed a conspiracy in the prizes offered.
The six prizes are: a jade ruyi, a bolt of fire-resistant gauze, a set of ancient books, a pot of ink chrysanthemums, a Persian cat, and a seven-eyed zither bead.
Dzi beads are the same as celestial beads, but the names have changed over time.
The competition was conceived by Princess Fuqing, also known as the Third Princess, and the prize happened to include the dzi bead she desired.
Although she didn't know if this dzi bead was from her string of dzi beads, Xiao Qingyin wouldn't let it go now that she had seen it.
To obtain the dzi bead, one must participate in the competition, thus walking into a trap.
This is a blatant and overt conspiracy.
"That sounds like a lot of fun."
Zuo Miaomiao was eager to try.
"This competition is a bit dangerous; it's best to stay away."
Xiao Qingyin reminded her.
"Didn't your father-in-law say there was nothing to worry about?"
"It's better to be safe than sorry. What if the plank isn't solid enough?"
Zuo Miaomiao imagined it for a moment and shuddered.
"I'd better not. It's so cold. I don't want to get soaked in the cold, especially in front of so many people."
"good."
After Xiao Qingyin finished speaking, she went to the eunuch to register her name.
Zuo Miaomiao: "..."
"Sister Xiao, why do you say one thing and do another?"
She looked like she'd been tricked.
"I have something I absolutely must have."
Xiao Qingyin looked at the prize and said.
"I have one too."
Zuo Miaomiao stared intently at Huo Huansha.
"Fire-resistant gauze can withstand fire, and only ten bolts are produced each year. They are all tribute items, and you can't even buy them. I really want one."
After much deliberation, she finally signed up.
"I've always been lucky, so I shouldn't be unlucky."
The chubby little bird comforted itself, resting its chin on its hand.
Seeing that she couldn't stop him, Xiao Qingyin could only keep an eye on things and help him if she could later.
Each floating bridge only had sixteen spots for participants, and with so many people interested in the prizes, the spots were quickly filled.
The order in which people cross the bridge is determined by drawing lots.
Xiao Qingyin drew the last number, number sixteen, while Zuo Miaomiao drew number fourteen.
Both of them were quite lucky.
"Sister Xiao, can we just sit back and wait to win?"
Zuo Miaomiao beamed with joy.
"That's not necessarily true. If the people in front of us are lucky, we might not get the prize."
"That's right."
Zuo Miaomiao realized what was happening and felt extremely disappointed.
But she quickly rallied, saying, "It's okay, participation is what matters."
The match started quickly.
While waiting in line, Xiao Qingyin glanced at the men's line and was surprised to find that Yi Shuihan was also in line.
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