The princess in front kept glancing at them and winking. Tian Yu could tell she was worried about her Xingyun brother. Tian Yu gave her a hand gesture to reassure her that everything was fine.
The people in front were still exchanging pleasantries with these noble individuals, especially the group of young masters and nobles, whose eyes were practically drooling with envy. Tian Yu looked at them with disdain, then at Tang Wanying, and then at herself. Suddenly, she wondered if she had dressed in the wrong clothes. The princess, Li Weiwei, and Tang Wanying were all dressed in magnificent robes, adorned with hairpins, and their long skirts trailed on the ground. But today, to make it easier for Li Xingyun to travel, she had worn a short outfit, not much different from her usual men's clothing, except that this time her clothes had some embroidery, and her hair was simply tied up with a hairpin. Recalling the scene of Qiuju and Lvliu choosing clothes for her that morning, Tian Yu felt a pang of regret. She should have listened to them and dressed up properly; perhaps she could have amazed everyone. What a missed opportunity!
Several more young masters and ladies arrived, but Tian Yu had no time to observe them all; she felt herself almost falling asleep. Finally, Tang Wenli led the last guests, the Crown Prince and the Third and Sixth Princes, into the room. A cacophony of noise erupted, and everyone stood to greet them. Tian Yu, not daring to be negligent, assumed they were important figures and followed suit. After everyone sat down, Tang Wenli exchanged polite greetings, and then everyone took their seats. Just as they sat down, a servant announced the arrival of the Prince of Wu and the Marquis of Zhenbei. Everyone rose to greet them again. When the two entered the room, the scene was truly pleasing to the eye, even more so than Tang Wanying and her husband. Tian Yu even thought how wonderful it would be if they were a couple; she would definitely offer her seat, so Tangyuan would have two fathers, and she would be at ease. Li Xingyun, standing beside Tian Yu, looked at her and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"Ah! No!? It's nothing!" Tian Yu waved her hand, quickly interrupting her wicked thoughts.
Another round of pleasantries ensued, each more elaborate than the last. Tian Yu had thought she, as a time traveler, would be the star of the day, but now it seemed she wasn't even as important as the maid serving tea beside her. The commotion continued, and Tian Yu sat down listlessly. Li Xingyun smiled and said, "What's wrong? Feeling bored?"
"It's pretty boring. I thought it was some kind of literary gathering, but it's just a bunch of rich kids showing off and trying to curry favor."
"The real show hasn't even started yet, what's the rush?"
"What's the show? Watching them fawn over pretty girls and drool over them?"
"here we go!"
"Huh!?" Tian Yu didn't understand Li Xingyun's meaning. She looked in the direction of his eyes and saw Zhao Moyan walking straight towards her, bypassing the crowd. Tian Yu stared at Zhao Moyan, who was getting closer and closer, and tried to signal him to stop, but Zhao Moyan was already standing in front of her.
"You!...What are you doing here?"
"Wherever you are, I will be there!" Zhao Moyan said to Tian Yu with a smile, and sat down next to her.
Prince Wu waved generously to Tian Yu and said, "Mr. Tian!"
Seeing everyone's expressions, Tian Yu smiled awkwardly and nodded, trying her best to move to the side. However, after moving for a while, Zhao Moyan pulled her back. Now she really became the star! Fortunately, the banquet started, and everyone sat down quietly.
Tian Yu ate her pastries absentmindedly. Everyone else was discussing whose work was better and whose poetry was better, but Tian Yu couldn't hear a word they were saying. She really wanted to go back quickly. Zhao Moyan, on the other hand, was very happy and kept bringing her tea and water. He even took out a handkerchief to wipe the pastries off the corners of her mouth. Tian Yu glared at him, telling him to shut up for a while, since everyone was watching.
But Zhao Moyan didn't care about other people's opinions at all, and even took her hand to gently wipe her. Even the Crown Prince on the seat couldn't stand it and said, "It seems that our Marquis and Mr. Tian are very affectionate, unlike the rumors."
"Royal sister, you'd better hurry!" the Third Prince said.
"It seems our Marquis is utterly smitten with Mr. Tian! Ling'er, you might not have a chance," the Fifth Prince joked.
Surprisingly, the princess wasn't angry; instead, she smiled and generously said it was alright. Everyone found it unbelievable, but Tian Yu understood perfectly well what was going on.
Tian Yu maintained her smile throughout, while Zhao Moyan ignored everyone else's words, his eyes fixed on Tian Yu. Just as Tian Yu was about to find a hole to disappear into, a group of dancers came up, their stunning dance instantly attracting everyone's attention. As soon as the dancers came on stage and the music started, Tian Yu knew it was the dance performed by the brothel in her mountain city, only their clothes and movements were a bit conservative. Prince Wu gave Tian Yu a meaningful look, but Tian Yu could only pretend not to see it.
Zhao Moyan leaned close to Tian Yu and whispered in her ear, "Your dancing is better than mine!"
Tian Yu blushed instantly as she looked at Zhao Moyan. He smiled so handsomely, but Tian Yu really wanted to pinch his cheek. He was definitely doing it on purpose, deliberately trying to embarrass her, deliberately getting close to her in this setting, knowing the princess was also there. Was he trying to tell everyone they were a couple? And remembering when she was creating at the Misty Rain Pavilion, this guy would secretly watch her from behind. A few times she even danced rather revealing dances—did he see them all?!
After the dance, everyone was still enjoying themselves. The Sixth Prince said, "This dance is so unique, I've never seen anything like it before!"
"This is something that's been passed down from a small border county. I'm glad the Sixth Prince likes it," Tang Wenli explained.
"You're too kind, Lord Tang," the Crown Prince said.
"Your Highness flatters me. It was not I who found it, but your younger sister who heard the music and was thus able to find it. After some modifications, this dance was created."
"Oh! I've heard that your younger sister is proficient in music; it truly broadens our horizons."
"Your Highness is too kind. I only obtained it by chance, through the hands of others."
"Indeed! Compared to the original, it lacks some passion but has more subtlety," Prince Wu said leisurely, taking a sip of tea.
"Fifth Brother, have you read the original work?!" the Third Prince asked.
"I was fortunate enough to see it!"
"Do you know who made it?" the Sixth Prince asked hastily.
"This?" Prince Wu said, raising an eyebrow at Tian Yu as if afraid others wouldn't know. Tian Yu kept her eyes down and ignored him. Amidst everyone's anticipation, Prince Wu slowly said, "I don't know!"
Tian Yu sat upright, not looking at anyone, and not responding to anyone's words. Seeing that they couldn't get any results, everyone, out of curiosity, began to praise each other for their poetry. Most people said that Tang Wenli and Fang Jue's writing was equally good, and that Tang Wanying was the best woman. Someone even said loudly, "In terms of talent and beauty, no one in the capital can compare to her. Miss Tang is number one and no one dares to be number two."
Then came a chorus of praise as everyone showered Tang Wanying with compliments! Tian Yu was practically giving her a thumbs up; they were all so talented, she had to admit defeat! Indeed, whether it's insults or praise, you can't compare to the ancients!
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