Daughter of aristocratic family

Chapter 429 Lotus Festival
June 24th is the Lotus Viewing Festival. Zhao Wangshu attended it once and never again. She didn't plan to attend this year, but the Princess of Liao sent an invitation.

The last time Yun Hao was impeached by the Censor, the King of Liao spoke in front of His Majesty and helped Yun Hao. So although Zhao Wangshu was not interested in the Lotus Viewing Festival, it was not easy for him to directly reject the invitation of the Princess of Liao.

On the day of the Lotus Viewing Festival, Zhao Wangshu went to the Fuqiu Garden as promised. In the Fuqiu Garden, the lotus leaves were as green as emerald green, and the lotus flowers were graceful, like dancing fairies, attracting many noble ladies and celebrities to stop and watch.

Zhao Wangshu was wearing a light green dress and was walking slowly, gently waving a round fan. When she was almost at the waterside pavilion, she heard "Song of the Lotus", the melodious tune floating in the wind.

Entering the waterside pavilion, Zhao Wangshu saw many familiar faces, such as Zhu Siyun, Lu Wenqiu, and Wu Liner.
When Zhao Wangshu saw Wu Lin'er, his eyes flickered slightly. Ever since Wu Lin'er made a big fool of herself on her coming of age day, she seemed to have disappeared for more than two months and rarely appeared in the public eye.

But today, she was wearing a goose yellow dress and a pink hibiscus on her head. Her face was still beautiful, but there was a hint of worry between her brows.

Zhao Wangshu's eyes slid across her, and he gave her a polite smile and nodded as a greeting. Then he planned to find a corner to stay in and go home after the banquet was over.

But when Zhu Siyun saw her, he said, "Mrs. Yun, you are finally here. We were just talking about you."

"I don't know what I did to become the topic of conversation among Mrs. Song?" Zhao Wangshu said coldly.

"The Mingli Hall run by Madam Yun is really prosperous. I heard that they are going to open a branch hall, and all the students will be from poor families. This kind of good deed has naturally become a hot topic among us." Zhu Siyun said with a smile.

Lu Wenqiu also smiled and said, "Mrs. Yun is kind and beautiful. Mingli Hall not only provides a place for children to study, but also provides jobs for those poor women. It is really a great deed.

Several people flattered Zhao Wangshu wantonly, but Zhao Wangshu just smiled and said nothing. She knew that behind these compliments, there were often hidden intentions.

Sure enough, Wu Lin'er said, "Madam Yun, your kindness makes all of us feel ashamed. I wonder if I can do my part for Mingli Hall?"

Zhao Wangshu knew that Wu Lin'er did not really want to contribute to Minglitang, but just wanted to take this opportunity to repair her own reputation.

She didn't intend to let Wu Lin'er get her wish. "Miss Wu, I understand your intentions. However, Princess Pingyang has high hopes for Mingli Hall and has carefully selected the candidates for participation. If you really want to, you might as well go to Princess Pingyang and express your feelings first, and then let the princess make the decision."

Wu Lin'er's expression froze when she heard this. "Mrs. Yun is right. I will visit the Princess's residence another day."

Even the Princess of the Junzuo County had been turned down, and Zhu Siyun and the others had no choice but to let Zhao Wangshu go and let her sit in the corner.

At three quarters past the hour of Si, the Princess of Liao, who was to preside over the lotus viewing banquet, arrived. She was accompanied by two girls, one was Yao Shanzhi, and the other was the Fifth Princess.

The fifth princess was also of marriageable age. Her biological mother had passed away, and she had been a nobody in the palace. Concubine Jing's children were childless, so the emperor gave the fifth princess to her to raise to comfort her for the pain of losing her son and daughter.

In this regard, Zhao Wangshu felt that the emperor really knew how to poke people in the lungs.

Princess Liao sat down, and the noble ladies in the waterside pavilion stood up and saluted, saying, "Greetings, Princess. May your majesty be well."

"No need to be so polite, please stand up." Princess Liao smiled gently.

"Thank you, Princess." Everyone sat down.

Yao Shanzhi scanned the crowd and finally found Zhao Wangshu, who was sitting in the corner. He asked silently, "Why are you sitting there?"

Zhao Wangshu answered silently: "Quiet."

"Today is the Lotus Viewing Festival. I wonder which girl would like to compose a poem to add to the fun?" Princess Liao didn't say much and went straight to the point.

The noble lady who had competed for the limelight in her early years is now married and will not show off on this occasion.

The girls seemed unwilling to be the first to do so. For a moment, the waterside pavilion was so quiet that only the sound of wind blowing through lotus leaves could be heard. Yao Shanzhi suddenly said, "Aunt, it's really boring to write poems every year. When the young masters come over, we will write poems again. I think it's better to do something else."

"Oh, then what good ideas does Yixing have?" Princess Liao asked with a smile.

Yao Shanzhi's eyes flickered, "I played this game with my sisters before, using poems to make couplets. Today is the Lotus Viewing Festival, and there must be a line in the poem that mentions lotus. If you can say it, you can win a prize. If you can't, you have to perform a talent show. How about this?"

After hearing this, Princess Liao's eyes flashed with appreciation, and she said, "This is a fresh game that can test one's talent without being too complicated. Okay, I'll do as you say."

"We'll take turns like this." Yao Shanzhi gestured and said.

Princess Liao laughed, "Yixing, you are the one who suggested this way of playing, so you should be the first one to say it."

"No problem." Yao Shanzhi picked up the cup and took a sip of tea. "My first couplet is 'The lotus leaves are endless and green.' Princess Fifth, I mentioned the word lotus. You don't have to mention lotus in your second couplet. How about that? I'm fine with it."

The Fifth Princess smiled, thought for a moment, and took a sip of tea. "My second line is, 'The clear sky reflects the water gate.' Is that okay?"

"After all, it's not as fitting and responsive as the original sentence, but it's not bad either." Princess Liao said with a smile.

Princess Liao raised her hand and the palace maid brought her a reward, a golden lotus hairpin.

"Thank you, Aunt Wang." The Fifth Princess bowed.

Everyone started playing this game of collecting poems and couplets. Some people could follow along, while others couldn't.

Those who were connected received rewards, and those who were not connected also performed their talents and became famous, and everyone was happy.

Married people like Zhao Wangshu can participate or watch.

She didn't want to bother thinking about it, so she just watched quietly.

After a while, the maid said, "Princess, the young master and his companions have come here in a boat."

Princess Liao smiled and glanced at the girls, "Since the gentlemen are here, let us appreciate their talents."

The girls' gaze shifted to the lake, where they saw a lotus leaf boat carrying several young men approaching.

There were five young men sitting on the boat, all of them were elegant and dignified, and they were also sons of officials of the current dynasty. No one from the royal family participated this year.

The lotus leaf boat approached the shore, and the leading young man saluted and said, "Student Sun Xuan greets the princess, and my father is Sun Tu, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice."

The other four young masters also greeted him one by one and told him their names and their fathers' official positions.

Princess Liao smiled and nodded, saying, "I have long heard that you are all young talents. Today I am fortunate to see your style. Come, bring the proposed poem topic."

The maid brought out the brocade box, and Princess Liao continued, "This poem topic was drafted by the Hanlin Academy. You can choose one and write a poem. There is no limit to the rhyme."

Sun Xuan was the first one. He reached out and took out a ball of paper from the brocade box, unfolded it, and saw the words "Ask about the lotus" written on it.

He bowed his head and pondered for a moment, then said: "The lotus shadow floats on the clear water, and the breeze blows the fragrance of the leaves. Where does the lotus come from? The heaven and earth nurture its beauty."

Princess Liao also nodded and praised: "Mr. Sun is indeed talented. This poem is fresh and unconventional. Asking the lotus, the heaven and earth answer, the meaning is profound. Is there any girl who is willing to write a poem?"