step by step

Chapter 192 The Beginning of the Competition
Only then did Yan Jingxia wake up suddenly, she quickly lowered her head and left, her heart still beating non-stop.

Zuo Xinhua realized that there was an unusual atmosphere flowing between the two of them, and was about to go up to Yan Jingxia to ask for clarification, but was grabbed by a pair of soft hands.

"Miss Zuo, I have a piece of jewelry for you to appreciate." Cheng Yuyan said with a smile, and gently led her aside.

Zuo Xinhua was at the bottom of the list, and the time she spent appreciating jewelry was nothing to her, but she was anxious to settle accounts with Yan Jingxia, and was a little reluctant.

The two walked a certain distance, and Cheng Yuyan changed the lottery with her, leaving Zuo Xinhua who was like stepping on the clouds, stunned in place.

Soon, with a loud and clear bell, the talent competition finally began.

Since Cheng Yuyan and Ye Zhaoyan were at the bottom of the lottery line, they simply sat in an inconspicuous corner of the seats and quietly enjoyed the performance on the stage.

The rules of the talent competition are very simple, and each lady will perform on stage in order.After everyone's performance is over, the male guest of this banquet decides whether to put the pearl plum in his hand into the plum vase with the lady's name written on it.Every male guest has three pearl plums, which can be given to the woman he likes to express his affection.

Although the three pearl plum blossoms are not limited to giving to one person, it is also an honor to get a plum blossom from a male guest.

Under the rules of such a competition, it is easy to guess the result. Most of the noble girls who participated in the banquet this time came from various mansions. Whether they are suitable for marriage with talents is the key, which determines how many flowers they get.

Therefore, the noble daughter who can get the plum blossoms presented by the male guests as a symbol of meaning is naturally the one that everyone competes for, which also leads to this competition. good chance.

While Ye Zhaoyan was thinking about it, he saw a noble lady come on stage. The guqin inlaid with jewels in her hand reflected the dazzling luster in the sunlight, attracting many people's attention.

"That person's name is Yang Liu, the eldest granddaughter of the Yang family, who is about the same age as you, and has good piano skills!" Cheng Yuyan explained in a low voice.

"I see." Ye Zhaoyan nodded, a hint of interest flashed in his eyes. In terms of piano skills, Xue Zhiyan, who used to be in the mansion, was quite capable.

Yangliu's piano skills are really good, the sound of the piano is melodious and melodious, the rhythm of the piano is quiet, just like the spring breeze blowing through the valley, it is fascinating to listen to, but after a while, the sound of the piano on the stage gradually calms down, and only a few lingering sounds linger in the ears , making people want to listen to it again.

At the end of the qin music, she gracefully put away the guqin, blessed Fuli around, and then stepped back.

After the song was over, everyone in the audience applauded and applauded, even Cheng Yuyan couldn't help applauding, her eyes were full of admiration, the first person to appear on the stage really had some real talent.

Several sons of the aristocratic family immediately put the pearl plums in their hands into her bottle, showing admiration to her, but most of them only put in one flower.

Although more people in the audience were also moved by Yang Liu, they didn't move. Instead, they secretly looked forward to the noble lady who would appear next.

The second noble lady who appeared was the second daughter of the Nangong family. She performed calligraphy and painting with ancient rhyme. She had a solid foundation, but she lacked some fun.

"Next, Yan Jingxia!" The maid in charge had just uttered the words when Aunt Ying, who was smiling beside her, suddenly changed her face.

Hearing the name Yan Jingxia, many older women and masters looked sideways slightly, their eyes full of surprise.

Yan Jingxia?The daughter of the Bachelor of Attendance?
How can it be ranked in the top three?
Although the order of lottery is a rule, the first few noble ladies who performed can break the rules and judge by their status and closeness.

Such unspoken rules are well known to the older dignitaries, so they naturally know it well.

Yan Jingxia took a deep breath to calm down before stepping onto the stage.

As soon as she stepped on the steps, she felt all kinds of complicated eyes projected from her surroundings, and she couldn't help but panic.

"Miss Yan, you just need to focus on yourself, don't be afraid." Aunt Ying saw that she was frightened and feared that she might spoil the nature of everyone, so she could only let go of her doubts and comforted her.

These words made Yan Jingxia feel better, she nodded lightly, and danced to the music.

At the beginning of the dance, she was fairly handy, but as time went by, she felt more and more nervous, and those complicated gazes involuntarily appeared in her mind, and she accidentally stepped on the tassel on the embroidered shoe.

A piercing pain immediately woke her up. She lowered her head and saw that a layer of skin had been trampled off her jade feet, her heart trembled and she became even more anxious.

She raised her head and happened to see the people who were constantly discussing under the stage, her pretty face flushed and she continued dancing in a panic.

A dance is finally over, and the dance music is coming to an end, but everyone in the audience is still whispering their comments with relish.

Yan Jingxia on the stage was already so nervous that his forehead was sweating, he wanted to leave immediately, but he had to wait until the plums were cast before leaving, and he didn't dare to look up to see the people in the audience.

"Miss Yan is really dancing, she is indeed a beautiful woman cultivated by the School of Attendance, it is really amazing!" There was a voice of praise from the audience.

Hearing this, Yan Jingxia couldn't help raising her head in embarrassment, and saw a man in a crescent white robe walking quickly, and actually dropped three pearl plums into the bottle!
She suddenly opened her eyes wide, and looked at the three plum blossoms that disappeared from his hands in disbelief. Who is this person? He actually threw three plum blossoms into the bottle. Isn't he afraid of being ashamed?

The man looked at her with a faint smile in his eyes.

Zuo Xinhua in the crowd muttered angrily: "It's just a poor scholar who is a cabinet servant, but it's so rare that I don't even want this kind of flower for me!"

"That's right, Miss!" The maid Sui Ran beside her agreed as usual, but her voice was not low.

Hearing the murmurs of the two of them, several noble ladies couldn't help but look at it, with intense inquiry in their eyes, as if they wanted to see something from it.

Zuo Xinhua only felt her cheeks burning hot, and felt extremely uncomfortable being stared at. She hastily withdrew her gaze, and secretly glanced at Sui Ran, the maid beside her.

The two people here complained softly, but Yan Jingxia on the stage showed surprise, and she gave the man a slight blessing, "Thank you!"

The man smiled and returned to the seat at the table at the end of the audience.

The competition continued quickly. When it was Zuo Xinhua's turn to perform, because the lady in front of her was performing the same kind of poetry, and she herself was less talented, she didn't attract people's attention.

The rest of the ladies took turns to play, their performances were wonderful, but there was not much new idea, until a young girl about sixteen years old came on stage, everyone finally became interested, stopped talking and began to watch seriously.

　Tomorrow, the noble girl competition is basically over, and Ye Zhaoyan will be the finale.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)