23 Grand Bloom Festival

nd their beloveds here.”"Lotus Beauty Lake" Ye Li glanced at the broad lake; after seeing West Lake, Taihu, Qiandao Lake, etc., this small Lotus Beauty Lake seemed unrelated to beauty.Hua Tianxiang he...The Capital's Imperial Banquet 23. The Grand Flower Festival (4)

23. The Grand Flower Festival (4)

"Imperial Princess Zhaoyang has arrived!"

In the lush grasslands of the peony garden, neatly arranged tables were filled with all sorts of delicacies and fresh fruits. The elegantly dressed ladies sat in order, softly chatting amongst themselves. Hearing the announcement of Imperial Princess Zhaoyang's arrival, they quickly rose to pay their respects, saying, "We greet you, Imperial Princess."

Imperial Princess Zhaoyang wore a simple and elegant imperial robe. Although she was nearing forty years old with a somewhat cold appearance, her beauty was still well-preserved. Her beautiful eyebrows slightly arched suggested that this princess wasn't someone of mild temperament. Lady Jinghua, the princess's niece, obediently followed by her side, quite unlike her earlier haughty demeanor within the courtyard. Accompanying them was also an extraordinarily beautiful young woman in brocade attire, with a smile on her face as she curiously observed the surrounding ladies. However, despite racking her memory, Ye Li could not guess who this young woman was and decided to let it go.

"No need for formalities, please take your seats."

The guests rose again to thank the princess before sitting down.

Imperial Princess Zhaoyang then spoke: "Today's gathering is a casual get-together among the ladies of the capital. There's no need to be too formal; feel free to relax and enjoy."

Although the princess said this, there were still few who dared to fully let go. Instead, it was Lady Jinghua sitting beside the princess, clinging to her arm while being rather spoilt. The cold expression of the childless and son-less Imperial Princess softened as she doted on this little niece.

"Who is that young lady by the Princess's side She looks so pretty." The refined ladies glanced curiously but subtly at the beautiful girl beside the Princess, whispering to their friends and exchanging opinions. A few of them even looked towards Ye Ying with vague interest. Ye Ying’s smile was forced; the girl sat on the right side of Princess Zhaoyang, indicating a status no lower than that of Marquise Ronghua. Moreover, her beauty surpassed that of Marquise Ronghua. Ye Ying considered herself as the most beautiful woman in the capital city, but compared to the refined and gorgeous girl in brocade attire, who exuded strength instead of softness like Ye Ying did, her appearance was not nearly as eye-catching. Beautiful women always notice other more beautiful women first.

"Haha, who is that young lady I think Ye Ying’s title as the most beautiful woman in the capital city might be at risk." Murong Ting covered her mouth and chuckled softly with a sleeve.

Hua Tianxiang glanced at her and smiled, saying, "She is the niece of Princess Zhaoyang's husband."

"Princess Zhaoyang’s husband… Isn’t that…" Qin Zheng was also surprised. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, “Which princess from Nanzhao” Princess Zhaoyang’s husband was a hostage prince sent by the Kingdom of Nanzhao to Chu as part of a diplomatic agreement. It was said that Princess Zhaoyang and her husband fell deeply in love with each other, and no one else would do for either of them. The late emperor had no choice but to marry his favorite younger sister to a hostage prince. After their marriage, the couple lived happily together. However, unexpectedly, after three years, the prince died from illness. Princess Zhaoyang swore in front of the late emperor that she would never remarry and would remain faithful to her husband for life. Hearing this, Ye Li also felt curious about what Hua Tianxiang had to say. As a granddaughter of Marquis Huagong and the niece of Empress Consort, it was not surprising that Hua Tianxiang knew things others did not know. After looking at Princess Zhaoyang and the girl beside her for a moment, Hua Tianxiang shook her head and said, "She is the youngest daughter of King Nanzhao and is known as Princess Qixia, the most beautiful woman in Nanzhao."

"It’s true that beauty abounds in Nanzhao; this Princess Qixia certainly lives up to her reputation," Ye Li said.

Hua Tianxiang blinked and looked at Ye Li as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. Raising an eyebrow, Ye Li asked with a smile, "What can’t you say"

"Although we are meeting for the first time," Hua Tianxiang said with a smile, “I feel that you’re a delightful person and I don’t mind telling you this: Princess Qixia… is apparently planning to reside permanently in our country.”

"Reside permanently" Murong Ting was no longer interested in watching the dance; she looked at Hua Tianxiang with confusion, saying, "This Princess Qixia looks about the same age as us. If she plans to live here permanently, does that mean…" Does it mean that Princess Qixia intends to marry into our country Marriages between royal families of two countries are a significant matter; why haven’t we heard any news about such an event

Hua Tianxiang cleared her throat and whispered with a hand covering her mouth, "Princess Qixia came to Chu on her own. Do you remember last year when Prince Li visited Nanzhao"

"You mean—!" Murong Ting was so shocked that she nearly lost control of her voice; Qin Zheng squeezed her arm discreetly and managed to calm her down. Seeing the people at neighboring tables looking over, Murong Ting pretended to sip a glass of hundred-flower fruit wine gracefully. When others turned away their attention, Murong Ting smiled apologetically to the other three.

Hua Tianxiang and Qin Zheng were clearly aware of her character; they both smiled without any concern.

Murong Ting frowned at Ye Li and said, "Although I shouldn’t say this, I still want to. Perhaps breaking off the engagement with Prince Li isn’t such a bad thing."

Ye Li sipped the light fruit wine in her cup and smiled, agreeing with what was said, "What you said makes a lot of sense."

"Who do you think will be the judges at this year's Hundred Flowers Banquet" Hua Tianxiang asked.

Ye Li only had a vague idea about how the so-called Hundred Flowers Banquet worked; she considered it an occasion for noble ladies in the capital to socialize. She shrugged indifferently, which annoyed Hua Tianxiang enough to poke her with her finger, "This is your first time participating in the Hundred Flowers Banquet this year. You should at least perform a skill and not let those arrogant people underestimate you."

Ye Li blinked her eyes and looked at the dancing courtesans on stage, "You want me to go up there and sing and dance That would scare people. I don't know how to dance." Besides, she wasn’t someone who enjoyed being in the spotlight, and there were no talent shows or celebrity selection contests nowadays anyway.

Qin Zeng softly explained, "Most of the noble ladies wouldn't choose singing and dancing. However, poetry, calligraphy, painting, music, chess, and Go are all competitive events. The top three winners each year receive a very precious prize."

A prize

"Are you both participating"

Meng Yu said somewhat bashfully, "Except for me, Qin and Tianxiang are very skilled. Qin won first place in poetry, painting, and calligraphy two years ago; Tianxiang was the champion of Go last year and came third in music. Last year's top prize went to your fourth younger sister, the future Princess Consort Li. She also won first place in music and dance, and fifth place in poetry."

Ye Li glanced at Ye Ying, who was sitting across from her and chatting with someone else, and smiled, "I know about this. I didn't realize that Qin and Miss Hua were such rare talents.

Miss Hua waved her hand and said, "Madam Ye was the top talent in the capital back then. This year, Qin Zeng and I won’t be participating either, so it’s up to you."

Ye Li helplessly replied, "I’m really not good at these things."

Qin Zeng held her hand and smiled, "This year, Ye Ying will definitely participate again. Li’er can’t lose to her."

Hua Tianxiang was also enthusiastic and said, "That’s right! Ye Li needs to avenge me. Last year, I tried my best but still ended up losing to Ye Ying. It was so embarrassing."

Meng Yu didn't forget to join in the fun either. She looked at her eagerly and said, "I can win first place every single year when it comes to martial arts, but unfortunately, no one wants to compete with me. Li’er, you need to work hard!"

Ye Li was left speechless by these newly acquainted people; she really wasn't good at these kinds of things. Although her mother had taught her a lot when she was young and she could do most of them, it didn’t compare with those who dedicated themselves to practicing diligently. For example, taking Ye Ying’s dancing as an instance, although she hadn’t seen it herself, she knew that there were more than half a dozen dance instructors hired specifically for Ye Ying. Every single dance was meticulously choreographed and Ye Ying had indeed put in a lot of effort on this front. As for her, ever since she regained the memories from her previous life after her mother’s passing, her interest in these things plummeted dramatically. Moreover, Auntie Wang would not hire particularly skilled teachers to instruct specifically for her.

"This year, it looks like you might have no choice but to participate," Meng Yu said while eating some exquisite pastries on the table. "The winner of the competition at the Hundred Flowers Gathering has the right to challenge any person there. Believe me, if you hadn’t stayed out of sight for so many years, you’d likely be the most challenged every year." In the eyes of many people, Ye Li’s life was enviable due to her status as the former fiancée of Prince Li and now the future wife of Duke Ding. They might even hope for her to make a fool of herself.

Hua Tianxiang reminded her, "Eat something quickly. Once it starts formally today, you probably won’t have much chance to eat."

Ye Li looked at the pastries and dishes in front of her speechlessly; she didn't expect that even after stalling for over an hour, the so-called Hundred Flowers Gathering hadn’t started yet.d Ye Li’s arm and said with a low laugh, "You don’t like her" Ye Li smiled faintly. "There's no question whether I like her or not. Neither Brother-in-law nor the Xu Family will ever like her."Moxiu Y...