Chapter 36: Poetry Gathering Don’t be afraid Today I get to see Master Pei, he is so handsome,…
Everyone present knew all the handsome young men in the capital like the back of their hands, but the sudden appearance of a new face drew most of their attention. After Pei Yue took his seat, some people began to murmur.
"Pei family? Which Pei family?" asked a girl in yellow.
"Of course it's the home of Minister Pei of the Ministry of Works. Look, isn't that Mrs. Huang from Minister Pei's family?" The purple-clothed girl beside her pointed towards the door, indicating that she should look at the Minister's wife who was talking to Mrs. Wu.
The girl in yellow glanced in Pei Yue's direction: "That's not right. I've met the two young masters of the Pei family before."
"My cousin is the Chief Clerk of the Capital's Zhechong Mansion. I heard that Minister Pei has a nephew who also works in the Zhechong Mansion and is rarely in the capital. I'm afraid this is him."
…
Most people were looking at Pei Yue, and Chu Jinhe was no exception. The moment she heard the voice from the messenger, her eyes immediately fell on the man approaching slowly. The moment she saw him clearly, she couldn't help but be surprised.
I didn't expect that the young general would be so handsome... He was not inferior to Prince Zhao at all, and compared to the gentle prince, he had a colder and more stern aura, not the rough and tumble general I had imagined.
She subconsciously turned around and looked at the side room which was slightly open.
Besides Qingxian, there was also a little maidservant named Hongying serving beside Chu Jinhe today. Hongying was younger and more lively. Her eyes sparkled as she whispered, "Is that the second uncle? He's so handsome!"
Qing Xian helped Miss Chu sit down to rest, then glared at her and scolded her, "Don't you see what kind of occasion this is? Don't talk nonsense about things that haven't been decided yet! Besides, what's the point of just being good-looking?"
Chu Jinhe smiled at Qingxian, raised her hand to pick up the teacup, and took a sip. "You are quite sensible. Marrying a man provides clothing and food, while for a woman, marriage is like a second life. You can't just look at the face."
Hongying was embarrassed and retreated behind her with her head down.
A moment later, Prince Zhao and Lu Jia'an arrived together. Chu Yufu came out from the side room and arranged Lu Jia'an to sit next to her.
"Who is Pei Yue? Is he here?" Lu Jiaan held her hand and smiled mischievously.
Chu Yufu raised her chin slightly, motioning her to look at the man sitting sixth from the top seat on the other side of the screen. "That's the one wearing black." Seeing Lu Jiaan's obvious peeking, she reached out to pull her back, "Hey, sister, cover yourself up!"
Pei Yue sat at the table, sipping tea, his shoulders straight like a scabbard, and against his fair skin, he looked like an ice sculpture, exuding a cold and solemn air.
Lu Jiaan retracted her gaze and pulled Chu Yufu to sit down, and sighed softly: "He looks good, but at first glance, he looks like he just got out of an ice cellar!" She still liked the gentle type of Brother Zhao. Her future brother-in-law was so cold that it seemed he would have trouble even saying a personal word.
"Yes." Chu Yufu couldn't help but agree.
At the side, Chu Jinhe followed Prince Zhao all the way to where he sat beside Pei Yue before she withdrew her gaze sadly. She said quietly, "So what if he's a little cold? Is he not worthy of my second sister? Father always said that Master Pei is a rare talent."
Others might not know the whole story, but Lu Jiaan didn't know it either? She got upset the moment she heard it and started to retort, "What's the 'worthy' thing? Second cousin is beautiful and kind, she's worthy of anyone! Why is eldest cousin still so crooked? Don't worry, you'll regret it after seeing Master Pei's impressive appearance today!"
"You!" Chu Jinhe clenched her fists under her sleeves and looked at her hatefully, "Cousin, be careful with your words! How can you say such nonsense about matters in the boudoir? If some of these words get out, it will ruin more than just one person!"
If others heard whether I regretted it or not, I don’t know what they would think!
Chu Yufu smiled and gently advised, "Calm down, sisters. My elder sister is right. Master Pei is a handsome man with an extraordinary bearing. You can tell at first glance that he is a rare talent..."
What she said was from her heart, but when others heard it, it made them feel uncomfortable.
Lu Jiaan thought she was just trying to smooth things over again, and thought to himself that his second sister was always so bad-tempered. Considering that she was still unmarried and still had to make a living in the Chu family, he didn't want to make her feel awkward, so he curled his lips and said nothing.
Chu Jinhe felt that her half-sister was smart this time, and the depression in her heart dissipated a little. She hummed softly, "It's good that my second sister thinks so." After that, she turned her head away and stopped looking at Lu Jiaan, for fear that she would start to quarrel again and say something inappropriate.
Almost all the guests have arrived and the poetry reading officially begins.
Two highly respected scholars came down from the second floor. Together with Master Chu, they first explained the meaning of the theme of this event, "Rhythm of Spring", and then announced that the competition was limited to writing seven-character poems, with a time limit of three incense sticks, and the prize for the winner was a box of Shanlianhu pens.
Chu Yufu already knew the topic for the poetry gathering, and her father specifically told her to think it over carefully and not let down her guard when the time came. The original owner wasn't good at poetry, and Chu Yufu was even worse. Fortunately, she had memorized many poems in school, so she could easily modify them and use them.
There is a milky white embroidered screen placed between the male and female guests. Through the screen, you can vaguely see the figure of the person opposite. What's more, there are gaps between the screens. If you look closely, you can see everything.
Thinking of this, Chu Yufu sat upright, tilted her head slightly to the left, lowered her shoulders, revealing half of her slender neck, and posed like a beautiful woman practicing calligraphy.
Being intentional but not deliberate, and creating a natural and relaxed beauty is a necessary skill for Cha Cha!
Not everyone who attends the poetry gathering has to write a poem. Those who don't want to can choose not to. Lu Jiaan has no interest in these things. He supports his face with one hand and tilts his head to look at Chu Yufu's poem paper.
"North of the Xuanmiao Temple, west of the small pavilion, a sudden rain has just cleared, and the clouds are low. A few early orioles are singing in the warm trees, and new swallows are pecking at the spring mud in front of the hall. The flowers are gradually becoming dazzling, and the tender grass is lush and covered with horse hooves. I love the pavilion facing the sunset, and the spring scenery on the lake dyes my clothes... It is written very well."
Chu Yufu was embarrassed. She had magically remade Du Mu's "Spring Tour of Qiantang Lake"...
After watching for a while, Lu Jiaan looked up and looked around, muttering, "I heard that I'm going to see Chu Jinhe today too? Who are you going to see her with?"
Chu Yufu put down her pen, blew on the ink, and chuckled softly, "You're well-informed! Did you go to Grandmother's first before coming here? No wonder you're here so late."
"The Liu and Li families, on Pei Yue's left, the one in blue is Liu Changgeng from Prime Minister Liu's family, and the one in lake green is Li Younian from Grand Tutor Li's family."
Lu Jiaan glanced up subtly while sipping his tea and said, "Not bad. Who do you think she will choose?"
Chu Yufu didn't care: "I don't know, and I don't want to know." Besides, it's not just her who chooses others, others are also choosing her.
The poetry gatherings are a mutual one. The girls comment on the men, and the gentlemen discuss the girls on the other side of the screen.
Liu Changgeng wrote the title of his poem, 'Spring Scenery', on paper, then paused. He looked up at the beautiful figure reflected on the screen and sighed softly, 'Seeing Miss Chu's beauty is better than hearing about it. She truly has a beautiful figure, radiant with the air of an immortal.'
Chu Jinhe had a slim figure, a narrow waist and thin shoulders. She stood in the building to greet guests. She was wearing a long dress with wide sleeves that trailed on the ground. Combined with her previous talent and fame, she attracted people's attention.
Li Younian beside him laughed and waved his folding fan. "Miss Chu lives up to her name, like a lotus emerging from the water. But at first glance, she looks like a proud moon in the sky, with a chilling air. Honestly, I think the second girl next to her is more beautiful."
"With her delicate hands, she grasps the shadow of a flower, and a wisp of spring smoke swirls around her fingers."
Liu Changgeng followed his gaze and saw Miss Chu Er, who was chatting and laughing with someone with her head tilted to one side. In the spring sunshine, her smile was gentle and her eyes were curved like a clear spring. She lifted the black hair by her ear gently, with a natural and graceful gesture.
After carefully examining the second Miss Chu and then the eldest Miss Chu, the words "beautiful, but a little bland" suddenly popped up in his mind. He glanced between the two sisters and sighed, "The Chu family is home to beautiful women."
The two men were very close when they spoke, but Pei Yue had excellent hearing, and he heard every word of the conversation. When Li Younian mentioned a wisp of spring smoke circling around his fingers, he raised his eyelashes slightly and looked over.
The beauty behind the screen is like a painting, her exquisite profile looks like it was sketched by a painter with the finest brush, delicate and moving, and the gentleness in her gestures seems to have engraved the word "gentle" into her bones. Just one glance can make people's hearts soften for no reason.
After a while, the topic of conversation between the two people sitting next to him turned to Lu Jiaan, discussing the future Crown Prince's wife. He was no longer in the mood to listen, so he lowered his eyes, picked up his pen, dipped it in ink, and wrote a poem.
When the three incense sticks were up, a maid passed by the crowd, collected the written poems, and brought them upstairs, where the elders were invited to judge and select the top eight. Snacks and tea were also served, and the ladies and gentlemen were invited to rest for a while.
Zhao Chunheng turned his head and smiled at Pei Yue, "What a coincidence! My mother and your aunt are cousins. In our generation, our wives are cousins too."
Because of the relationship between Huang and his mother Wang, the two had known each other since childhood. Seeing that the other party was silent, he continued to tease, "This is a poetry gathering, not the capital camp. Can't you just smile? Be careful not to scare the second girl!"
"Scared?"
Thinking of the way Miss Chu Er was arguing with people in the medicine shop during the Lantern Festival, Pei Yue raised his thin lips, and a smile appeared in his dark and cold eyes. He shook his head at his friend: "Then you probably underestimated her."
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