Chapter 6 Disdain
It was several days later when Huiyi and her third brother learned that their parents were going to hold a peony banquet to find a match for them.
Both of them seemed uninterested.
The third brother, in particular, was completely opposed to the idea and kept saying he didn't want to go for the matchmaking.
"Son doesn't want it! Son hasn't had enough fun yet!"
"Besides, I know all the young ladies and men in Chang'an. If I don't like any of them, I'll wait a few more years!"
In the words of his third brother, a wife would affect his eating, drinking and having fun, and if he couldn't meet someone he particularly liked, he would rather live alone.
Emperor Yongxi and Empress Du jokingly scolded him a few times, but advised him: "Go and see, you might meet someone you like. If you don't want to get married early, set the wedding date later."
The third brother still grumbled that he didn't want to, and Huiyi didn't want to either, but she wanted a companion, so she joined her parents' camp to persuade him: "That's right, who knows, the third brother might meet a girl who can make his heart flutter, and I don't believe that the third brother knows all the wives of officials in Chang'an. For example, do you know Su Er Niangzi?"
With a quick glance, Huiyi set a trap.
As expected, Su Erniangzi's appearance stumped Li Ling. After racking his brains for a while, he gave up and stammered, "I really don't know. Xinu, please tell Third Brother which family this belongs to?"
Huiyi wouldn't tell him, because it was something she made up on the spot; she didn't even know if there was a Su Erniangzi in Chang'an.
But Huiyi wouldn't tell her third brother this. Instead, she pressed on while the iron was hot, saying, "Look, even the third brother doesn't know. Why don't you come with me to the Peony Banquet?"
Since that's the case, Li Ling readily agreed, "Alright, then I'll go. But Grandpa and Grandma, I might not meet someone I like there, so please don't force me to!"
Emperor Yongxi chuckled, kicked Li Ling, and cursed, "You're such a busybody!"
The elder sister was also present at the time, and she was more thoughtful, so she said with concern, "Should we separate Que Nu and Xi Nu for selection? If the young men and women are all mixed together, I'm afraid the other women will steal Xi Nu's charm and make the man Xi Nu choose..."
The words were left unsaid, but the whole family understood what they meant.
Huiyi also knew.
Five years later, she was no longer the dark-skinned, thin country girl she once was. She had become radiant and had learned the basic etiquette required of a princess.
But in the end, she was twelve years younger than others, and she wasn't exactly a talented young lady. There were always a few outstanding ladies among the noble ladies of Chang'an, and her reputation in Chang'an wasn't very good. When compared to others, she would inevitably be inferior in the eyes of those discerning young men, and might even be overshadowed.
But she didn't care; she even thought it was better this way.
because……
"My reputation is not good enough, nor is my literary talent, but if someone can think I am the best among thousands of women, then he is my ideal man."
"On the contrary, if those young men skip over me and take a fancy to other young women, then they were never my good match to begin with, so why should I be sad?"
The cold reception and rejection she experienced during her first year in Chang'an taught Huiyi many lessons, and she would not be saddened by anyone who was not worth it.
Huiyi said these words with a light laugh, but the expressions of the family members were somewhat complicated.
Pity, admiration, emotion...
Li Huaiyu's expression was the most complicated. He stared blankly for a long time, then gave a bitter smile.
...
The Peony Banquet was scheduled for the sixth day of the third lunar month, which the Imperial Astronomical Bureau said would be a bright and sunny spring day.
With some time still to go before the Peony Banquet, Huiyi was enjoying her days to the fullest.
Because she was many years behind others, Huiyi still has to listen to the Master's lectures every day.
Listen for only one hour each day, and rest on special days.
Reading more books is a good thing, so that she won't be ridiculed by other noble ladies for not understanding their poems like she used to.
While in Lingzhou, their parents had personally taught their children to read and write, and saved money to buy them writing brushes and ink. However, for their father, the Prince of Heling, who was not favored by the court, there were not many classic books to read.
In addition, Huiyi was the youngest, and before returning to Chang'an, she had only learned the most basic things, which was completely incomparable to the other ladies.
The five-eyed chicken sings like a phoenix on Qishan Mountain; the two-headed snake lies like a dragon in Nanyang.
Even now, Huiyi still remembers this sarcastic remark, which seems to have been said by Zheng Jia Jiu Niang, mocking her as a pheasant pretending to be a phoenix and a two-headed snake trying to be a dragon.
But she was just copying their clothes and style of dress because she wanted to hang out with them.
But all he got was this one line of poetry, along with a group of girls covering their mouths and giggling, a blatant display of mockery.
It was after that incident that Huiyi decided she no longer wanted to please anyone, even if she had no friends.
She rushed up and slapped Zheng Jiuniang with all her might.
"I am the daughter of a sage, a princess of the imperial family. How dare you, a mere subject's daughter, defy your superior? This is utterly rebellious!"
"Guards, drag this vile woman away and beat her!"
Her grandfather was a saint, and she was his precious daughter. At his command, two strong eunuchs pinned Zheng Jiuniang to the ground, causing the noble lady to lose all face.
Her parents rushed over and, upon learning that she had been so humiliated by the Zheng family's daughter, turned pale with anger.
Not only was their beloved daughter insulted, but the royal dignity was also offended. The combination of these two things was absolutely intolerable to them.
As a warning to others, Zheng Jiuniang was given twenty lashes for disrespecting the royal family and offending the emperor, as a deterrent to others.
Perhaps because that attack was too ruthless and fierce, the other noble ladies were all afraid and avoided it. After that, no one dared to disrespect her, the princess, to her face. In fact, there were even some opportunistic and cunning women who tried to curry favor with her.
He smiled at her, said flattering words, and served her diligently.
Although it was done with ulterior motives and not out of sincerity, it was enough for Huiyi.
Huiyi was quite generous to these vassals, showering them with precious and rare gifts that made them beam with joy.
After clearing her mind of distractions, Huiyi listened attentively to Master Xun's lectures and began to learn music, chess, calligraphy, painting, flower arranging, incense burning, and tea making.
Her handwriting is excellent; even Master Xun praised it, which is the result of her hard work.
His chess skills are also quite remarkable; as long as he doesn't encounter a truly master player, he can hold his own in a single game.
In Huiyi's view, flower arranging, incense burning, and tea making were the simplest things. She felt that these things were too trivial, just things used to decorate the facade.
Only in the art of playing the zither did Huiyi always fall short.
The pipa was highly praised in Chang'an. Whether it was musicians, dancers, actors, nobles, or officials, everyone could play a tune when they picked up a pipa, and there were countless famous pipa players.
People in Chang'an have a strong preference for lively and cheerful pipa music, from the highest to the lowest ranks.
Unfortunately, Huiyi could never play the pipa well, which made her somewhat depressed.
When she grew tired of playing again, Huiyi picked up the jade flute beside her and began to play a melodious and bright tune.
The sound of the flute broke through the window, drifting into the distance, reaching mountains and rivers, and accompanied by birds.
...
Before the peony banquet, Huiyi also visited the cherry blossom garden.
Because of the changes to the insignia, Cherry Blossom Garden became even more lively, attracting not only officials and their wives, but also many ordinary people from Chang'an in simple clothes and plain hairpins.
One of the little girls, being led by her parents, saw Huiyi and timidly gave her a packet of candy.
"Nannan loves cherry blossoms. Thank you, Princess, for letting Nannan and her parents come to see the flowers. This is what Nannan bought this morning and is giving it to you, Princess."
The child's eyes were clear and his words were gentle, and Huiyi felt warm all day long.
Overjoyed, she removed the jade hairpin from her hair and placed it in the little girl's tiny bun.
The family was flattered and dared not accept the favor.
"Consider this a return gift for the candy. Take it."
For the little girl, this bag of candy was the most precious thing she had that day, but for Huiyi, it was just a hairpin, nothing special.
After strolling around the cherry blossom garden for a while, Huiyi, in a good mood, even did a good deed, rescuing a young woman who was being ridiculed and bullied.
The woman in pink deliberately threw her hairpin into the pond and then asked the honest and simple woman in blue to go down and retrieve it. When the latter refused, she pushed him.
She seemed to have a similar personality to her older sister; when bullied, she would just remain silent and back down, and although she smiled faintly, she always looked somewhat pitiful.
Now, Huiyi had no scruples. With just a few words, she berated the bullying woman mercilessly, who stammered and begged for forgiveness, a far cry from her previous viciousness and arrogance.
Huiyi hated people with such mean and vicious natures the most, so she made her jump in herself to see what it felt like in the water.
The pool isn't deep, only up to a person's knees; it's just there to scare people, there's no real danger.
Having done her good deed, Huiyi waved her sleeves and left the Cherry Blossom Garden, feeling refreshed.
Several more days passed, and the peonies in the palace were in full bloom, vibrant and dazzling. A banquet named after peonies also began.
Huiyi is seventeen years old this year, which is the prime age for marriage in the eyes of the world, but she is completely unfamiliar with marriage.
She had no close friends, and had never met any men other than her family. She didn't know what love was like, nor did she understand the meaning of marriage.
But that doesn't stop her from being curious, from yearning, and from dreaming.
If she could find a suitable husband to accompany her in laughter and joy, it wouldn't be bad at all.
Yu Niang and Bi Qing carefully adorned her, dressing her in a purple blouse embroidered with gold and silver threads, and a bright red pomegranate skirt sewn with various gemstones and jade beads. The skirt shone brightly as it swayed.
At this time, the peonies were in full bloom. Huiyi ordered the palace maids to pick a flower that was the most beautiful among all the flowers, and she pinned it to her temple, applied floral decorations, painted her lips with red rouge, and looked at herself in the mirror. She was very satisfied.
This face is what makes her so admirable.
Judging by the time, Huiyi arrived at Baifang Garden in a palanquin, where today's banquet would be held.
As the Imperial Astronomical Bureau said, today is a bright and sunny day with a clear blue sky, perfect for holding a banquet.
Huiyi arrived late, but no one dared to blame her; they were simply amazed by her beauty.
Everyone loves beauty, and although Princess Chang Le was considered unruly and domineering in the minds of these young men of Chang'an, it did not diminish her radiance.
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't have believed that Princess Chang Le had grown into such a beautiful woman.
Power and beauty are tempting, and for a time many young men began to consider their marriage.
Princess Chang Le was favored by the emperor and was very beautiful. Although she was a bit willful and shrewish, that was only towards outsiders.
Can a prince consort be an outsider?
Having figured out the key, many young men were eager to try their luck, all wanting to pluck the thorny peony that was Princess Chang Le.
Huiyi held their gazes in utter contempt.
If it's not sincere, then it's not true love for her.
She didn't choose her husband without requirements. He had to be handsome, and a good-for-nothing who couldn't do anything would not do. Most importantly, he had to be gentle and genuinely admire her.
Not those annoying people whose eyes are filled with ambition and desire!
Huiyi quickly looked away and unexpectedly bumped into Lin Lanting, who was standing in the crowd with his arms crossed.
Unique and different from everyone else, with clear eyes and a leisurely demeanor, it's as if he just walked by to make up the numbers.
Upon seeing Lin Er at the Peony Banquet, Huiyi felt it was bad luck and immediately wiped her eyes away and walked away.
The banquet was mainly attended by young people, and everyone knew the purpose of the event. Emperor Yongxi knew that the young people present were probably too reserved to be themselves, so he only said a few polite words before leaving.
To ensure everyone has a great time today, Baifangyuan has set up many entertainment options, so everyone can find something they enjoy.
Musical arts, chess, pitch-pot, archery, painting, poetry, tea ceremony, flower arrangement, incense burning...
The final winner of each place received a reward bestowed by the grandfather.
It's like the winner of a musical contest would receive a famous Fuxi zither from their grandfather's private collection.
Once the sage left, men and women alike went off to pursue their own interests.
The third brother leaned closer to her and asked with a smile, "Does Xi Nu have any favorites?"
Huiyi shook her head blankly: "No, where is Third Brother?"
"Same."
Li Ling shook his head, showing little interest.
In just one glance, he knew that none of the women present pleased him.
Let's take a stroll.
Although they weren't interested, they still had to put on an act, so the brother and sister looked at each stall one by one, just like browsing through a small market.
There were many familiar faces, such as Xie Fangling, the fifth daughter of the Xie family.
In Huiyi's mind, the noble ladies of Chang'an can be divided into three categories.
Some hated her, some fawned over her, and some were aloof and ignored her.
Xie Wuniang was the last type.
However, Huiyi remembered her because Xie Wuniang wanted to become her elder brother's crown princess, but unfortunately she failed.
Seeing her glancing at her third brother while playing the zither today, Huiyi knew that she wanted to become the Third Prince's consort again.
It's still a pity, because Huiyi was certain that her third brother didn't like the Xie Wuniang pairing.
Upon seeing Xie Wuniang, one cannot miss Xie Sanlang beside her, a pure and handsome young man known as the Jade Gentleman of Chang'an.
He was the most outstanding member of the Xie family after his elder brother Xie Yun.
He was handsome and refined, exceptionally talented, proficient in the six arts, and gentle and considerate in nature. He was probably the most desirable man for young ladies in Chang'an to marry.
Because of this title, Huiyi's gaze lingered a little longer as she pondered.
According to worldly standards, Xie Sanlang is undoubtedly the best person at today's banquet. If she could marry him, wouldn't that mean that Li Huiyi has surpassed everyone else?
He seemed to be having a good time.
Moreover, she could become sisters-in-law with her elder sister, which sounded wonderful.
She was a fearless and decisive person. She pretended to go to the palace to wash up and had an inconspicuous palace maid secretly deliver the jade pendant from her waist to Xie Sanlang.
If she absolutely had to choose a consort, Xie Sanlang would probably be the one she'd be most satisfied with right now.
It's flawless and looks great.
In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the little palace maid returned, looking flustered, and handed back the jade pendant she had given away, stammering, "Your Highness, Xie Sanlang refused it, saying that he was not worthy of Your Highness's jade and asked Your Highness to choose another worthy person."
Huiyi's face turned cold, and she laughed angrily, "What a clumsy excuse! You're probably saying I'm not good enough for him!"
"Ugh, who wants him!"
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