Chapter 33: Flying Flower Order
The ladies around stopped talking and looked over here with the mentality of watching a good show.
Cui Jingyue showed a trace of embarrassment on her face. She gently patted Li Xinrui's hand and scolded her, "Xinrui, don't be rude. This is Concubine Song, your cousin's wife."
"Cousin's wife?" Li Xinrui laughed exaggeratedly, her voice sharp. "I don't dare accept the title. When did it become the turn of someone like this, who appeared from nowhere, to become the daughter-in-law of our royal family? She's dressed like she's attending a funeral, and I don't know if she even knows the etiquette. Don't let her cause trouble for the emperor and bring trouble upon you, my cousin!"
The curse was extremely harsh, it was like peeling off Song Qingyuan's face and stepping on it.
Ting Zhu was so angry that he was shaking all over and was about to go up and argue.
However, Song Qingyuan secretly squeezed her hand, signaling her to be patient.
She met Li Xinrui's provocative gaze, but instead of getting angry, she smiled, slowly took a step forward, and bowed to her properly. Her voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard by everyone present.
"Your servant Song Qingyuan greets Princess Anyang. May the Princess be safe and sound."
She called herself "the minister" instead of "this lady" or "I", which was a great act of modesty.
Li Xinrui was stunned for a moment, obviously not expecting her to react like this, and punched the cotton.
Song Qingyuan straightened up, raised his head, looked at her with clear eyes, and smiled, "The princess is right. Qingyuan is of humble origin, not like the princess and the princess, who are so wealthy and noble. He has little knowledge and does not understand the rules.
"I entered the palace today with a sense of trepidation, fearing I might make a mistake, offend the nobles, and bring shame upon the Prince and Princess. That's why I dressed so plainly, thinking that by drawing less attention, I'd make fewer mistakes."
She paused, looked around at the ladies watching the fun, and the smile on her face became more humble, even with a hint of just the right amount of timidity.
"Qing Yuan thought, with the Empress, the Imperial Concubines, the Princess, and noble ladies like you at the palace banquet today, how could a new concubine like me have the chance to stand out?
As for me, I will just quietly follow behind the princess, be a shadow, learn some etiquette, broaden my horizons, and I will be content. Princess, do you think my idea is right?
These words are a step forward from retreat, with firmness within softness.
She degraded herself to the dust, admitting that she was of "humble origin" and "shallow knowledge", which perfectly catered to Li Xinrui's attack on her.
But at the same time, she brought out all the big figures such as "Princess", "Queen", and "Royal Concubine", saying, "You are the protagonists, I am just a small and transparent person, and I am not worthy to compete with you at all."
This time, Li Xinrui couldn't get angry again.
If you keep harping on this, wouldn't it make you, a princess of a wealthy family, seem narrow-minded and determined to pick a fight with a "shadow"? If this gets out, you'll be embarrassed.
Li Xinrui's face turned pale and blue, and she felt a breath stuck in her chest, unable to go up or down.
A hint of admiration flashed across Cui Jingyue's eyes, but was soon replaced by deeper fear.
She quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, we're all family. Xinrui is just being outspoken and is afraid you'll get hurt. Sister Yuan, don't take it personally."
As she spoke, she turned to Li Xinrui and said, "How dare you! You're scaring my sister on her first day in the palace. Come on, let's go in. The Empress must be getting anxious."
After saying that, he pulled Li Xinrui, who was still angry, and walked into the hall first.
Song Qingyuan followed behind them, lowering his eyelids to hide the cold light that flashed across his eyes.
In the first round, she seemed to be giving in, but in fact she was not at a disadvantage.
But she knew this was just the beginning. Someone like Princess Anyang would never give up.
The real storm was still waiting for her at the banquet.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony is magnificent, with a high dome, carved beams and painted buildings, and is extremely majestic.
The palace lanterns were as bright as day, illuminating the entire hall as bright as day.
The melodious sound of stringed instruments echoed in the palace, and the palace maids, like butterflies flying through flowers, shuttled silently between them, holding jade plates of delicacies.
Civil and military officials, as well as royal relatives, sat on both sides in order of rank, neatly dressed, chatting and laughing, creating a scene of prosperity and joy.
Song Qingyuan, along with Cui Jingyue and Bai Jiaojiao, sat down at the seats belonging to the Jing'an Palace.
Their seats were very near the front, just behind several older princes. Shen Yanzhi sat in the male guest seats opposite, sitting with several princes.
Their eyes met briefly in the air, Shen Yanzhi's eyes were filled with a hint of inquiry and worry, while Song Qingyuan gave him a reassuring smile, indicating that he didn't need to worry.
She sat below Cui Jingyue, right next to her. Princess Anyang, Li Xinrui, relied on her status as a princess and the queen's niece to squeeze onto Cui Jingyue's other side, her eyes occasionally turning into sharp arrows, shooting towards Song Qingyuan.
"Sister-in-law, look at Song. She looks like she has never seen the world before. I don't know where she is looking."
Li Xinrui lowered her voice, but it was just loud enough for Song Qingyuan to hear. "I really don't know what cousin Prince Yu likes about her. She's like a wooden stake."
Cui Jingyue picked up the wine glass, took a sip, and advised softly, "Xinrui, don't talk nonsense.
"Sister Yuan is attending a palace banquet for the first time, so it's natural for her to be a little nervous." She advised, but she had no intention of stopping it; instead, she was happy to see it happen.
Song Qingyuan ignored him and just sat there quietly, her eyes on her nose and her nose on her heart.
She knew that Li Xinrui's mild verbal provocations were just appetizers; the real feast was yet to come. If she got angry now, she would lose.
Sure enough, after three rounds of wine and five dishes, the atmosphere of the banquet became more and more lively.
The emperor and empress sat high on the dragon throne and phoenix throne, looking at the lively scene below with smiles on their faces.
At this moment, Princess Anyang Li Xinrui suddenly stood up, holding a wine glass, walked to the center of the hall, and bowed to the leader.
"Your Majesty and Your Majesty, there is singing and dancing at the palace banquet today, and I am very happy. Suddenly, I had an idea to add to the fun of the party. May I ask if that is possible?" Her voice was clear and loud, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
The emperor was obviously quite fond of his niece. He smiled and said, "Oh? What brilliant ideas does Xinrui have? Tell me about them."
Li Xinrui smiled coquettishly, her eyes swept over Song Qingyuan inconspicuously, and she said in a loud voice: "I have heard that in the previous dynasty, scholars and scholars often played 'Flying Flower Order' to liven up the atmosphere at banquets. It not only tests one's knowledge of poetry, but also shows one's literary talent and elegance.
"Everyone here today is a talented scholar and beautiful lady from our Great Zhou. Why not follow the example of the ancients and perform this as a joke? Firstly, it can entertain His Majesty and His Majesty, and secondly, it can also allow us, the younger generation, to see the elegance of the masters."
"Flying Flowers?" the emperor became interested. "That's an elegant suggestion. What do you think, my Lords?"
The ministers present naturally agreed.
Li Xinrui was pleased to see this and continued, "It's just that the ordinary flying flower order is rather monotonous. I suggest we increase the difficulty. Let's use 'moon' as the order, but the word 'moon' must not appear in the poem, and every line must have the imagery of the moon. We'll take turns matching, and those who can't match will be fined a glass of wine. What do you think, Your Majesty and Your Majesty?"
Poems about the moon that don't contain the word "moon" are quite difficult. They test not only your recitation but also your understanding of the poetic conception.
The Queen smiled and glanced at her. She knew her niece's thoughts well, so she went along with it and said, "Xinrui, that girl, just loves to come up with these new tricks. Well, since it's just to liven things up, I'll do as you say. You can be the official in charge."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Li Xinrui was overjoyed. This was exactly the power she wanted.
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