The capital's 24 strings, the zither and dance compete, Ye Ying calculates

  24. The zither and sword fight, Ye Ying calculates

  Although Ye Li found it boring, the Hundred Flowers Banquet was a grand event that all the noble ladies of Chu looked forward to every year, so naturally, there must be something special about it. As the banquet ended and Princess Zhao Yang ordered the presentation of awards for the top-scoring ladies, Ye Li was surprised to see the previously elegant girls reveal their eager expressions. The girls present were all from noble families and had seen countless precious treasures since childhood. The treasure that could move them must be extraordinary. Moreover, winning such an award would bring them fame and prestige, whether in the inner chambers or after marriage, enough to make them proud among their peers. As the awards appeared beside Princess Zhao Yang, the hearts of these young ladies skipped a beat with excitement.

  This year, the judges invited by Princess Chang were all heavyweights. Although among the six men and one woman sitting at the table in front of Princess Chang, only one person, Li Wang Mo Jing Li, who had a cold face, was familiar to her. There was also a man in brocade clothes who smiled inexplicably at herself for a moment. Although it was just an instant, Ye Li was certain that she had never seen that man before, and the smile he gave her was not just a polite smile. "Who is the one wearing red?" Ye Li asked Qin Zheng in a low voice.

  Among those seven people, only one was wearing red clothes. Qin Zhen naturally saw at a glance who she was talking about and covered her lips to say in a low voice: "That is the third son of the Feng family in the capital, Feng Zhiyao. It is said that he is born with a romantic nature and is not favored by the master of the Feng family because he is born out of wedlock. Two years ago, there were rumors that the master of the Feng family would expel him from the Feng family. However, his qin skills are indeed unparalleled in the capital."

  Seeing them whispering to each other, Murong Ting also came over and smiled: "The eldest princess has really splurged this year, actually inviting so many famous people."

  Hu Tianxiang gazed forward with a demure expression, her mouth not idle, "This year's prizes are also very generous. The Jade Beauty Pearl, the Purple Phoenix Hairpin, and even the Snow Sound Piano bestowed by the previous emperor. If my piano skills weren't really inferior to Ye Ying's, I'd almost want to go down and try it out."

  Huà Tiān Xiāng was appreciating the Snow Sound Guqin placed in front of her with some regret. As one of the only five famous guqins in the world, ranking third, it was a treasured object that every music lover yearned for. Yè Lì was even more regretful, "I haven't touched a guqin for many years."

  The four of them exchanged a glance, shrugged helplessly and began to admire the prizes and people on stage. Qinzhuan continued to introduce the people present to Ye Lian in a low voice, "Those few people on stage, that old gentleman is the academician of Tai Xue, Su Zhe Old Master, he is also the current emperor's teacher. If it weren't for the face of the Princess, I'm afraid they wouldn't have been invited. The others are the top scorer of the previous imperial examination and the current Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Mo Jian. The son of the Marquis of Muyang, Muyang. The eldest son of the General of the Northern Garrison, Leng Jingyu."

  Ye Li's gaze swept over the people who had spoken to Qin Zhuan, taking note of each one in her mind. "Who is that woman?" Although Ye Li had never thought that Ye Ying was stunningly beautiful, she also acknowledged that Ye Ying was already beautiful enough. However, today she discovered that Ye Ying's reputation as the number one beauty in the capital seemed a bit shaky. Not to mention the princess from Nanzhao, Huatian Xiang's looks were enough to be compared with Ye Ying. Qin Zhuan had a beautiful appearance and a refined elegance, but it was not comparable to Ye Ying's charming demeanor. There were also several women at the banquet who were extremely outstanding, if only by a small margin, how could Ye Ying have held the title of number one beauty for so many years? Looking again at the woman sitting on the stage, her stunning face had an attractive charm, even when sitting between two men, she was still calm and composed. A completely different kind of charm from everyone else's.

  Qin Zhen's expression was somewhat strange, and after a pause, he said: "That... is Yao Ji girl from Qing Cheng Fang. She has the reputation of being excellent in both qin and dance, and compared to her, Ye Ying's dance can't even be looked at. Moreover... she has a good relationship with Marquis Mu Yang's son and also with Feng San Gongzi." Qin Zhen said this somewhat awkwardly, but Ye Li understood the identity of this woman. Seeing her sitting between Marquis Mu Yang's son and Feng San Gongzi, with bright eyes and a gentle smile, chatting and laughing freely, she felt that this girl was indeed an extraordinary woman.

  As the four of them chatted and laughed, Princess Chang had already announced the official start of the Hundred Flowers Grand Assembly competition. Ye Li was still somewhat curious about how all these events - music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, song, and dance - could begin at the same time. But it seemed that everyone else was very clear on the proceedings. The tables with writing instruments were placed along the edges of the hall, where the young ladies who intended to participate in the literary and artistic events went up to take their places. The maids brought out various musical instruments and stood at the front of the hall on either side, leaving the central space for the women who would be performing dances. Ye Li couldn't help but want to praise the organizers of the banquet - they had indeed made very humanized arrangements. There were no rigid rules requiring each person to perform in certain events, after all not everyone was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and poetry, and this also avoided a lot of people embarrassing themselves.

  Zhaoyang Princess stood up, and both Qixia Princess and Ronghua Duchess rose to their feet at the same time. However, Ronghua Duchess walked towards the place where the writing instruments were placed, while Qixia Princess headed towards the center of the hall. Apparently, she intended to perform a dance. Meanwhile, Ye Ying walked over to the side where the guqin was placed, her jade fingers lightly plucking the strings, and a melodious tune flowed from beneath her fingertips.

  "It seems that Princess Qixia has really gone up against Ye Ying." Murong Ting smiled and said. Who in the capital doesn't know that Ye Ying is best at dancing? This Princess Qixia chose dance as soon as she came on stage, obviously wanting to give Ye Ying a warning shot.

  Hu Tianxiang admired the dance of Qiuxia Princess and praised: "The people of Nanzhao are good at singing and dancing, let alone Qiuxia Princess, who is known as the number one beauty. Maybe today Qiuxia Princess will surpass all the beauties." Qiuxia Princess's dance was passionate and elegant, with a strong ethnic flavor, but also with the grandeur of the Great Chu. In comparison, Ye Ying, who had not yet danced, seemed inferior in her attire alone. Murong Ting agreed, nodding and smiling: "I think that only Yao Ji can surpass Qiuxia Princess in dance. This year, Ye Ying will surely lose."

  "Ye Ying is no ordinary person either. Seeing Xi Xia Gong Zhu's strength, she can still remain so calm." Qin Zheng reminded.

  Hu Tianxiang smiled and said: "If you can't even do this, Ye Ying won't have the face to come out either. The dance is bound to lose, and the piano skills must be stabilized no matter what."

  Ye Li frowned and said, "I'm afraid Princess Qixia came prepared." Although she was no longer a sniper in this life, it didn't affect her good eyesight. Ye Li didn't miss the cold smile that flashed across Princess Qixia's face when her gaze swept past Ye Ying.

  Murong Ting's tongue was tied, "Don't tell me that this Qiuxia princess is also better at playing the zither than Ye Ying."

  Hu Tianxiang shook her head and said, "If that's the case, Princess Qixia should have played the zither first before dancing. Dancing is extremely exhausting, and playing the zither after dancing can easily affect one's performance. Listen to Ye Ying's zither music."

  The originally gentle and melodious piano sound suddenly turned urgent and passionate. Princess Qixia's slender figure also moved faster, in the center of the stage, only her flying sleeves were seen, like a strong wind ravaging a hundred flowers.

  Obviously, Ye Ying probably also discovered this, or felt threatened by the strength of Qiuxia Princess.

  The people on the platform also noticed the change in Ye Ying's expression, and Zhao Yang, the eldest princess, furrowed her brow. Her gaze at Ye Ying was somewhat cold. Yao Ji, who was elegantly sitting and appreciating Xi Xia Gong Zhu's dance, suddenly burst out laughing and turned to Mo Jing Lei, saying: "Mo Wang Dian Xia, the future Mo Wang Fei is indeed not ordinary. Yao Ji admires her." Mo Jing Lei had a cold expression and didn't even give Yao Ji a glance, only furrowing his brow. In his eyes, Yao Ji, who came from a song and dance troupe, wasn't worthy of speaking to him. He naturally didn't need to pay attention to Yao Ji's words. Unfazed by Mo Jing Lei's disregard, Yao Ji's beautiful eyes sparkled as she smiled and said: "The number one beauty in the capital is indeed not an empty reputation, but unfortunately lacks a few points of courtesy to guests."

  Yaoji's voice was not loud, but Ye Ying's seat was right next to the viewing platform. Yaoji's words were just transmitted into Ye Ying's ears with a moderate tone, and even Su Zhe, who had been silent all along, hummed softly in response. If Yaoji's words didn't require Ye Ying to pay attention, Su Zhe's attitude made Ye Ying's heart skip a beat. Her fingers, which had been moving like flowing clouds and water, paused for a moment, although she quickly regained her composure. However, Feng Zhiyao, who was sitting next to Yaoji, gradually furrowed his brow and smiled blandly: "I thought that after a year, the princess of Lei's piano skills would have improved even more. Unexpectedly..."

  The people in front couldn't hear what Yelü said, and although she was proficient in lip language, she didn't plan to speak out and share it with others. Therefore, Qinzhuan and the others saw that after Ye Lian finished playing her song, her face looked even more unsightly than when Princess Qixia had been tricked into dancing earlier. And Princess Qixia ended with a perfect pose, also giving Ye Lian a fierce glare before turning back to join Crown Princess Zhaoyang. The beads of sweat on her forehead showed that she wasn't as calm as she seemed. After all, the difference between the song Ye Lian played and the sudden change that came before and after was too great, and without any preparation, it was only because of her own superb dance skills and adaptability that she didn't make a fool of herself on the spot! How dare she try to trick her? She would definitely make her regret it!