The Imperial Capital Rhapsody 23: A Hundred Flowers in Full Bloom (4)

  Hundred Flowers Bloom (4)

  "Princess Chao Yang has arrived!"

  In the Peony Garden, on a lush green lawn, tables were neatly arranged with all kinds of delicacies and fresh fruits. The elegant ladies sat in order, chatting softly. Upon hearing the arrival of Princess Chang, they quickly stood up and paid their respects, "We have seen Princess Chang."

  Zhaoyang Princess wore a simple yet elegant palace attire, although she was nearly forty and her face showed a hint of coldness, it was still well-maintained. Her beautiful eyebrows were slightly raised, clearly indicating that this princess was not a gentle soul. Ronghua Duchess followed closely behind the princess, completely different from the arrogant and domineering demeanor she had shown in the courtyard earlier. Alongside her walked an absolutely stunning brocade-clad maiden, whose smiling eyes sparkled with curiosity as she took in the surrounding ladies-in-waiting. However, no matter how hard Ye Liri racked her brain, she couldn't guess this maiden's identity, so she simply stopped thinking about it.

  "No need for courtesy, please take a seat."

  Everyone stood up again to thank him and then sat down.

  Zhaoyang Princess finally spoke up, "Today's grand gathering is just a casual get-together for the young ladies of the capital city to relax and have some fun. Everyone doesn't need to be too formal, just feel free to do as you please."

  Although the Princess said so, there are still not many who dare to be casual. Instead, Rong Hua, the young lady of the county, sat beside the princess, holding her arm and being coquettish. The princess's cold face also became softer, obviously childless princess was very fond of this little niece.

  "Who is that girl next to the Princess? She's really beautiful." The ladies-in-waiting were secretly curious and sizing up the stunning girl next to the Princess, whispering their opinions to each other. A few of them even glanced at Ye Ying as if unintentionally. Ye Ying's smile also seemed a bit forced, as the girl sat on the right side of Princess Zhao Yang, her status clearly not lower than that of Princess Rong Hua. Moreover, her looks were far superior to those of Princess Rong Hua. Ye Ying had always thought of herself as the number one beauty in the capital, but the girl in brocade clothes was exquisite and radiant, different from Ye Ying's delicate and slender features, yet more captivating to others' eyes. A beautiful woman always notices another woman who is even more beautiful than herself first.

  "Hehe, who's that girl? The title of Ye Ying being the number one beauty in the capital might not be able to be kept." Murong Ting said with a low smile, covering her lips with her sleeve.

  Hu Tianxiang glanced at her and smiled: "She is the niece of Prince Zhao Yang's husband."

  "Zhaoyang Princess's husband... that's not..." Qinzhuan was also surprised, hesitated for a moment before asking: "Which princess of Nanzhao Kingdom is it?" The husband of Zhaoyang Long Princess was the hostage son of Nanzhao Kingdom to Da Chu. It is said that Zhaoyang Long Princess and her husband were deeply in love, and she refused to marry anyone else. The previous emperor reluctantly married his beloved sister to a hostage son. After the grand wedding, the princess and her husband were deeply in love, but unfortunately, he passed away within three years. The long princess made a vow in front of the previous emperor that she would not remarry and would spend the rest of her life guarding her widowhood. Upon hearing this, Ye Lian also looked at Hua Tianxiang with some curiosity. As the daughter of the Hua Kingdom's Duke and the niece of the current empress, it was not surprising that she knew some things that others did not know. Hua Tianxiang glanced at the front princess and the stunning girl, shook her head and said: "That is the youngest daughter of the current king of Nanzhao, known as the first beauty of Nanzhao, Qixia Princess."

  "I've heard that Nanzhao produces beautiful women, and this Princess Qixia is indeed extraordinary."

  Huà Tiān Xiāng blinked her eyes and looked at Yè Lì, who seemed to want to say something but hesitated. Yè Lì raised an eyebrow and smiled: "What can't be said?"

  Hu Tianxiang smiled and said, "Although we've just met for the first time, I think you're a wonderful person. It's no harm to tell you this, but it seems that Princess Qixia... will be staying in our Great Chu for a long time."

  "Long stay?" Murong Ting also lost interest in watching the song and dance, and looked at Hua Tianxiang with a puzzled expression: "This Qiuxia princess looks about our age. If she's going to be staying for a long time, doesn't that mean...". Doesn't that mean Qiuxia princess is planning to marry into Great Chu? The marriage alliance between the two countries is a big deal, how come there isn't even a hint of news outside? Hua Tianxiang lightly coughed and covered her mouth, speaking in a low voice: "Qiuxia princess came to Great Chu on her own. Do you still remember, last year the King of Lei sent an envoy to Nan Zhao..."

  "You're saying——!" Murong Ting was shocked and almost lost control of her voice, Qin Zheng secretly pinched her to calm her down. Seeing the people at the two tables next to them couldn't help but look over, she quickly composed herself and took a sip of the Hundred Flower wine in front of her. When she saw that others' gazes were no longer on her, Murong Ting smiled awkwardly at the other three people. Hua Tianxiang and Qin Zheng obviously understood her personality and also smiled indifferently. Murong Ting furrowed her brow, looking at Ye Li: "Although I shouldn't say this, but I still want to say it. Maybe breaking off the engagement with Prince Lei isn't a bad thing after all."

  Ye Li lightly sipped the faintly sweet fruit wine in her cup and smiled in agreement: "You're absolutely right."

  "What do you think who will be the judges for this year's Hundred Flowers Awards?" asked Hua Tianxiang.

  Ye Li only knew the general outline of the so-called Hundred Flowers Grand Assembly, and simply regarded it as a social gathering for the ladies of the capital. She shook her head indifferently, but was poked by Hua Tian Xiang's finger, "This is your first time participating in the Hundred Flowers Grand Assembly, you must go on stage to show off your skills, otherwise those guys with eyes on top of their heads will look down on you."

  Ye Li blinked her eyes and looked at the dancing girl in the middle of the stage, "You want me to go up there and sing and dance? It's scary, I don't know how to dance." Besides, she wasn't that kind of person who loved to show off, and this era didn't have any superstar competitions anyway.

  Qin Zhen explained in a soft voice, "Ordinary ladies-in-waiting would not choose music and dance. However, the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, lyrics, and rhyming couplets are all subjects for competition. The top three winners selected each year can receive an extremely valuable prize."

  Prize?

  "Are you all participating?"

  Murong Ting said with embarrassment: "Except for me, Zeng'er and Tianxiang are both very powerful. Zeng'er won the first prize in poetry, calligraphy and painting three years ago. Tianxiang was the first in chess last year and third in piano. The first place last year was your fourth sister, the future Princess of Li. She got two first places in piano and dance, and fifth place in poem composition."

  Ye Li glanced at Ye Ying, who was sitting across from her and chatting with someone else, and smiled: "I knew that. But I didn't know that Zeng'er and Hua are both rare talents."

  Hu Tianxiang waved her hand and said: "Mrs. Ye was the number one talented woman in Beijing back then, this year I and Zhen'er won't participate. It's up to you few now."

  Ye Li sighed, "I'm really not good at these things."

  Qin Zheng held her hand and smiled: "This year Ye Ying will definitely participate again, Li'er can't be compared to her."

  Hu Tianxiang was also excited, "That's right, Ye Lixi must avenge me. Last year I worked so hard but ended up being surpassed by Ye Ying, how embarrassing."

  Murong Ting also chimed in, gazing at her with eager eyes, "I can get first place in martial arts every year, but unfortunately, no one wants to compete with me. Lian'er, you have to work hard!"

  Ye Li was at a loss for words with these new acquaintances, she really wasn't good at this sort of thing. Although her mother had taught her since childhood and she knew some basic skills, compared to those who had practiced diligently, she didn't know where she stood. Take Ye Ying's dance for example, although she hadn't seen it herself, it was said that there were five or six specially invited dance instructors just for Ye Ying. Each dance was carefully choreographed, and Ye Ying had indeed put in a lot of effort in this area. As for her, after her mother passed away and she regained memories of her past life, her interest in these things plummeted by more than half. Moreover, the Wang family wouldn't specially invite top-notch instructors to teach her either.

  "This year, I'm afraid you won't be able to avoid it even if you don't want to participate." Murong Ting said while eating the exquisite pastries on the table, "The winner of the Hundred Flowers Gathering competition has the qualification to choose anyone present to spar with. Believe me, if you hadn't been staying at home all these years, I'm afraid you would be the one challenged the most every year." Formerly the fiancée of the King of Lei, now the future Queen Consort. In the eyes of many people, Ye Lian's good fortune is enviable, and they can't wait for her to make a fool of herself.

  "Hurry up and eat something. Once today's activities officially begin, there probably won't be any more opportunities to eat," Huatian Xiang reminded.

  Ye Li silently stared at the exquisite dishes in front of her, her emotions having been stirred for more than an hour. This so-called Hundred Flowers Banquet hadn't even started yet.