Upon hearing the announcement, Ling Hua instinctively sat up straight, a genuine smile appearing on her usually cold and stern face.
Qin Xiyue, who was not far from him, naturally saw this change. A shadow crossed her face, and her palms were pinched until they were red.
Yun Qing followed behind Xu Qingyun, carefully observing the famous Prince An's Mansion.
The more she observed, the more indignant she became. Pavilions, towers, rare treasures, and blooming flowers—these were things that should have belonged to her mother.
As the richest family, the Yun family naturally had no shortage of good things, but because of their status, they never dared to display them as openly as the Prince An's Mansion.
The power disparity represented by this is like an insurmountable chasm.
When Ling Hua, who was seated in the seat of honor, saw Yun Qing curiously peek out her little head, like a newborn animal, her heart softened instantly.
"Qingyun, Yunqing, please sit here."
When arranging the seating, Ling Hua had reserved the two closest seats for them well in advance.
Looking at the many unfamiliar faces around her, Yun Qing said apologetically, "Your Highness, you don't need to worry about me. I can sit down here."
Little did they know that after Yun Qing entered, the young men and women around her were all captivated by her stunning beauty and wanted to sit next to her.
"This must be Miss Yun. Seeing is believing."
"As expected of the two beauties of the capital, I thought it was an exaggeration before, but it turns out that it is truly well-deserved."
"Miss Yun, please don't be shy, just sit up there, that way we can all see you as soon as we look up."
Yun Qing usually frequented the Pang and Xu families, and had never experienced being praised by so many people at the same time. Her face instantly flushed red.
Hearing what everyone said, Xu Qingyun felt both proud and a little jealous, and smiled as he came to Yun Qing's rescue.
"Alright, everyone, say less. Cousin Yunqing is very shy. If we keep talking, she'll run away in embarrassment."
"Oh my—" A friend sitting down saw this and glanced back and forth between the two of them, teasingly saying loudly, "Qingyun, look at how smug you are, could it be that you and your cousin from the Yun family are getting married soon?"
Yun Qing's face, which had finally calmed down, turned bright red in an instant, and Xu Qingyun's ears also felt hot. He hurriedly pulled her to sit down and stopped talking to the others.
Upon seeing this, Ling Hua clenched his fists instantly, and the smile on his face vanished without a trace.
"Ahem, the time has come, let's begin."
After Ling Hua finished speaking, Qin Xiyue stood up and announced the rules.
"Welcome everyone to my cousin's poetry gathering today. The gathering will be conducted in the form of a game of musical chairs. Whoever's table the flower lands on after the drum stops must compose a poem within one incense stick's time. The topic is open. If you do not wish to compose a poem or are unable to, you may drink a penalty cup instead."
This rule relieved Yun Qing; she really wasn't very good at writing poetry, but thankfully not everyone had to write one.
"Thump thump—, thump thump—"
The drumbeats sounded intermittently, and the first group to receive the flowers were Qin Xiyue, Xu Qingyun, and a young man surnamed Chen.
After an incense stick had burned, the three of them finished their poems and placed them on the table next to them.
At this moment, a man at the lower seat remembered something and quickly said, "Speaking of which, shouldn't there be some kind of prize for the banquet hosted by the young master today?"
Ling Hua was not a stingy person, so she naturally had prepared the necessary items long ago.
But since Yun Qing also came today, his plans were temporarily changed.
"What's the big deal? There's bound to be a prize. A few days ago, I acquired a piece of warm jade in Jiangnan. Today, I'll give the jade to whoever writes the best poem."
“Warm jade, that’s a good thing, most suitable for women to nourish their bodies. But Ziyue, the way you prepared this is a bit unfair.”
Ling Hua glared at the person who spoke: "Take it or leave it, you're being picky? You talk like you're going to win first place."
He had originally prepared a potted jade phoenix, which was highly sought after by literati and scholars in the capital.
Yun Qing simply didn't like it. He had overheard Xu Qingyun mention that Yun Qing only loved lotus flowers and was indifferent to other flowers.
The servants presented the warm jade as ordered, and the second round of the musical chairs began.
Yun Qing sat in her seat and prayed frantically that the flower would not fall on her table.
But as if the drumbeats and flowers were her sworn enemies, they stopped right in front of her.
"This round's winners are my cousin and Miss Yun. Please, both of you."
Yun Qing was at her wits' end; how could she possibly write any good poems?
Just as she was about to choose the penalty drink, she looked up and saw Ling Hua and Xu Qingyun looking at her with encouraging eyes.
Yun Qing could understand the look in Xu Qingyun's eyes, but what was wrong with Ling Hua? Did she expect Ling Hua to win the prize?
Looking at Qin Xiyue beside her, a hint of resentment and schadenfreude was hidden in her eyes.
Yun Qing sighed softly. It seemed that she had no choice but to compose this poem today.
Observing the surrounding scenery, her gaze lingered on the withered lotus leaves by the pond. Suddenly inspired, she picked up her brush and wrote the poem in one go.
After the final round, everyone's poems were circulated anonymously and judged in turn.
After the rankings were announced, Linghua, the owner, read them out.
"After everyone's evaluation, the poem that received the most praise is—Ode to the Lotus."
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