The queen had no choice but to say, "Then it's up to you."
"In that case, I'll let you draw the lots and divide the groups."
"That's fine." The Queen didn't know why the Prince suddenly had such an idea, but there was no need to refuse him for such a small matter.
"Please follow me, Your Highness, to draw lots." The green-clad palace maid who had announced the rules earlier bowed her head and said respectfully.
Another purple-robed palace maid walked down the steps of the pavilion and said to the others, "Ladies and gentlemen, please follow me over there and take your seats. The results of the lottery will be announced soon."
When we arrived at the pavilion, there were two large round tables made of red sandalwood, each of which could seat twelve or thirteen people. There were also a dozen red sandalwood drum-shaped stools next to the round tables.
The results of the lottery came out quickly, and His Royal Highness handed the bamboo plaque with his name engraved on it to the green-clad palace maid.
"The ladies and gentlemen from each group have been separated."
"Then tell me quickly, which man and which woman are a pair." The Queen asked with interest.
"The third prince is in a group with the third lady of the Xie family, the fifth prince is in a group with the lady of the He family, the eldest prince is in a group with the lady of the Zhao family, the eldest prince of the Xie family is in a group with the lady of the Yang family, the second prince of the Xie family is in a group with the lady of the Cui family, the eldest prince of the Yang family is in a group with the fifth lady of the Zhao family, the eldest prince of the Gu family is in a group with the lady of the Jiang family, the prince of Guangcheng is in a group with the lady of the Yan family, and prince Qin is in a group with the lady of the Yu family..." The green-clothed palace maid told the story in detail. She described the whole series of people clearly, and even knew which lady ranked first.
The Queen nodded in satisfaction after hearing this. "Then let's start the game. Bring the wine."
Yu Rou didn't expect that she would be in the same group with Qin Shen.
It is estimated that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did it on purpose. Qin Shen should be the one with the worst family background and the worst temper among these men.
However, Qin Shen's talent is no worse than anyone present, but he comes from a poor family and is not good-looking, so he is not well-known. In the eyes of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, she is a vain woman, so he will not let her be in the same group with the children of aristocratic families or princes. Qin Shen's family background is not good, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince should think that she looks down on Qin Shen. In addition, Qin Shen has a bad temper, and if he gets together with her, they will probably quarrel.
But for Yu Rou, this grouping was very much to her liking.
Qin Shen is a bookworm. The fact that a boy from a poor family can enter and leave the palace is enough to show how outstanding his talent is. Even the original owner had heard that he was elegant and good at writing. He had passed the provincial examination at a young age and was famous for a time. He was the youngest Jinshi in the Da'an Dynasty and now he has entered the court as an official. The reason why he was able to enter the palace today was because of an invitation from the Empress. She probably knew that his future was limitless and wanted to show him to the princess, probably intending to recruit him as a son-in-law.
However, He Yulian was grouped with the Fifth Prince, which was a powerful combination. He was an opponent that Yu Rou could not ignore. Everyone in the capital knew that the Fifth Prince was very fond of poetry and had a lot of knowledge. He was also good at painting flowers and birds, and was proficient in calligraphy, painting, chess, and was well-informed and well-read. He was called a child prodigy since he was young, but his brilliance has been restrained a lot in recent years.
But Yan Wanyun was unlucky and was assigned to the same group with the Prince of Guangcheng, which really made her want to laugh.
Everyone knows that the Crown Prince of Guangcheng is a well-known dandy, uneducated, arrogant, extravagant and eccentric. His father, the King of Guangcheng, is the emperor's uncle and nephew, and the Crown Prince of Guangcheng is the only son of the King of Guangcheng. Despite his unruly behavior, no one can control him. It is said that he loves beautiful women the most, but he refuses to get married, which worries the princess.
While Yu Rou was thinking, Qin Shen had already walked over and saluted Yu Rou, and Yu Rou quickly returned the salute.
She quickly raised her eyes and glanced at Qin Shen. Qin Shen should be about seventeen or eighteen years old now. He has a delicate appearance, with no expression on his face. He looks a little indifferent. When he spoke to Yu Rou, his voice was also very low, but it sounded quite pleasant.
He sat down next to Yu Rou without even looking at her, which also showed that he was not affected by Yu Rou's beauty at all.
…
The drinking game started soon. Exquisite wine glasses were placed on the table in front of everyone, all filled with wine, and the aroma of the wine was intoxicating.
Knowing that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would be the commander, the ladies present were very excited.
The green-clad palace maid said, "Everyone should be familiar with the rules of the Spring Poetry Order and the Daughter Order. I'll explain them again. The Spring Poetry Order requires each person to recite a line of poetry. The first person's line must have the word "Spring" first, the second person's line must have "Spring" second, and so on, down to the seventh word, before starting over again. Repeating is not allowed; anyone who repeats loses. As for the Daughter Order, there are several ways to perform it. Anything related to a daughter's temperament, speech, behavior, or duties can be mentioned. Does anyone have any questions?"
Most people were familiar with the rules of these drinking games, but a few were hearing about them for the first time. However, judging by their expressions, they were clearly very interested in this game and were eager to try it out.
No one raised any questions, so the green-clad maid continued, "Now we will play the game of passing the wreath to the beat of the drum. We will pass it from left to right, one by one. Your Highness will sing the marching song, and I will beat the drum. When Your Highness says stop, we will stop. Maintain a steady pace, and no one should speed ahead. Whoever holds the wreath when we stop will start first."
This was very fair, and everyone nodded in agreement, and the drinking game began.
The green-clad palace maid brought a colorful wreath made of forsythia, azalea, hosta, bauhinia and willow branches and handed it to the prince.
"Please, Prince, sing the order song."
Everyone couldn't help but laugh softly.
But the prince was not affected at all, his expression remained cold. He moved his lips and recited the song of the drinking game, "I have a flower, pour me purple wine..."
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