"Don't say that. It's not easy for Princess Dongxia to come to Xichu. If we talk about her behind her back like this again, I'm afraid others will think that we have bullied her." Su Xiran said, "The emperor still cares about this marriage.

of."

"Xiran, you are too sensible." The speaker was Mo Ningxia, the prime minister's daughter-in-law, who had always been on good terms with Su Xiran.

"Ningxia, your clothes look really good today." Su Xiran changed the topic.

"I was almost ruined by Mo Xuxu." Mo Xuxu is a concubine, and Mo Ningxia doesn't like her. Mo Xuxu didn't come to the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet today.

"Don't mention her anymore. Don't be angry. If you get angry, it won't be worth the loss. She's just a concubine. Why take her so seriously?"

Just as Su Xiran finished saying this, she heard the palace attendants reporting: "The eldest prince has arrived, the second prince has arrived, and the fourth princess has arrived."

Everyone quickly stood up and saluted. As soon as Wen Miqing sat down, he asked, "What were you talking about just now?"

"It's nothing, I just think the chrysanthemums are blooming particularly beautifully this year." Su Xiran replied.

"Miss Su is very generous. Are you still in the mood to enjoy the flowers here?" Wen Miqing said.

Su Xiran smiled and said nothing, and the fifth prince Wen Zhilan and the sixth princess Wen Yunxi also arrived at this time, and everyone stood up to salute again. Wen Zhilan and Wen Yunxi kept a low profile as usual, and sat down quietly.

He sat on the floor and said nothing.

"Fifth brother, is Concubine Shu's illness getting better?" Wen Zhiyan asked.

Wen Zhilan replied: "It's much better now. The Empress originally wanted to invite the mother-in-law to a chrysanthemum viewing banquet, but the mother-in-law has not recovered yet, so she can only stay in the palace."

"Last time because Concubine Shu was ill, you and Sixth Sister didn't go to see Princess Wanyang. It was lucky that we almost didn't get mad to death." Wen Miqing had already expressed his dissatisfaction with Lian Zhi in his words, "Hers

The ostentation is really grand.”

Neither Wen Zhilan nor Wen Yunxi accepted Wen Miqing's words. Wen Miqing turned his back angrily and could not say a word to either of them.

Concubine Shu's father was the Taifu of the current dynasty. Although he had no real power, he still had prestige. In addition, Emperor Chu respected the Taifu very much, so Emperor Chu treated Concubine Shu and her children well. On weekdays, no one would

Dare to find trouble with Wen Zhilan and Wen Yunxi.

However, the ladies from the aristocratic families who were invited today all understood what Wen Miqing meant. It seemed that the fourth princess was very dissatisfied with the Dongxia princess.

"Princess Dongxia has arrived." Following the palace attendant's voice, Lian Zhi walked into the garden.

At that moment, everyone subconsciously looked at Lian Zhi. She was dressed in a moon-white palace dress, dotted with a little bit of bright yellow, elegant yet noble. The makeup on her face was very light, and her stunning beauty was hard to hide. Her hair accessories were simple but just right.

.This outfit will neither overwhelm the guest nor make people look down upon.

As Lian Zhi moves, the corners of her skirt sway, hidden among the pots of chrysanthemums, which is particularly beautiful and really swaying.

Su Xiran couldn't help but clenched the hem of her clothes. She didn't expect that this Dongxia princess was so beautiful.

"Princess Wanyang is here." Wen Zhiyan said with a smile.

Lian Zhi walked to her seat and said, "Yes, the Queen has kindly invited me. How can I not come?"

Lian Zhi's position happened to be next to Wen Yunxi. As soon as she sat down, she heard Wen Miqing's words: "Princess Wanyang is really beautiful today. She must have put a lot of thought into this chrysanthemum appreciation feast, right?"

"Of course it takes a lot of effort, but it's not as good as Princess Miqing. After all, I just prepared it all morning. I heard that Princess Miqing has been preparing for several days." In the past few days, Wen Miqing had people give away a lot of clothes.

I went to her place with my jewelry just for today’s chrysanthemum viewing feast.

"Princess Wanyang, why didn't you wear the Bu Yao that Third Brother gave you today?"

"This princess is not like Princess Miqing, who wants to wear all the good things on her body."

Listening to what Wen Miqing and Lian Zhi said, other women from aristocratic families did not dare to say a word for fear of getting angry.

"The Queen has arrived."

Luo Xuanran walked into the garden, everyone stood up and saluted, and she Shi Shiran sat down on the main seat: "I wonder why you are so quiet today, when you were so noisy in previous years."

"Isn't there an extra person this year?" Wen Miqing replied.

Luo Xuanran glanced at Lian Zhi: "Miqing, what are you talking about? Princess Wanyang is going to marry the prince. She is the future crown princess, so she will naturally be from Xi Chu."

Lian Zhi didn't answer. The two of them sang in harmony, so she didn't bother to care.

The palace maid brought up one plate after another of snacks, some of which were made with chrysanthemums as ingredients, which was considered appropriate for the occasion.

"I specially asked the imperial dining room to study some snacks that are different from previous years. You all should try them," Luo Xuanran said.

Lian Zhi picked a piece of snack and took a small bite. It was indeed not bad.

"Princess Wanyang, how does it taste?" Luo Xuanran asked, "In Dongxia, you may not have eaten such exquisite snacks, right?"

Lian Zhi put most of the remaining dim sum back on the plate: "From what the Queen said, it seems that I have brought the most exquisite dim sum in the whole of Xi Chu. It looks good, but the taste is average, Dong Xia dim sum."

They all focus on taste, but they are really different.”

Wen Yunxi almost laughed out loud. Luo Xuanran glared at her. Wen Yunxi immediately sat up straight: "Mother, I tasted this snack today and it seemed a bit sweet. Princess Wanyang may not like it very much.

Eat snacks that are too sweet.”

In any case, the matter was over. Luo Xuanran asked: "Today's chrysanthemum appreciation banquet, looking at the chrysanthemums in full bloom in the garden, makes me feel much more comfortable. I heard that all the ladies are playing chess, calligraphy and painting.

If you have some attainments, how about taking chrysanthemum as the theme today and ladies showing off your strengths?"

This should be the highlight of the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Banquet every year. If you perform well and can be praised by the Queen, your face will be bright in the next year. In previous years, it was Su Xiran who received the most praise from the Queen.

Because of this, Su Xiran was called a talented woman.

When Lian Zhi first came in, she was still curious as to why there was such a large open space in the middle. It turned out to be a place for these noble ladies to perform.

Playing the piano, painting, composing poetry, dancing... Lian Zhi watched these noble ladies perform on stage one by one. Their eyes almost always fell on the eldest prince and the second prince. It was not difficult to see that their purpose was to attract

The two princes liked him. As for the fifth prince, he had no plans to choose a concubine, so those noble ladies ignored him and followed Wen Zhilan's wishes.

Wen Zhilan was a laid-back prince who loved playing chess, calligraphy and painting the most. In his eyes, the performance of these noble ladies was indeed not very good.

At this moment, Lian Zhi admired the eldest prince and the second prince. They could still smile openly under such eyes.

However, as time went by, the woman who performed on stage at the back was obviously of a higher level. Mo Ningxia danced well. Even the queen nodded with a smile and rewarded her with a pair of bracelets.

Su Xiran was about to go on stage. What she was going to perform today was painting. When she stood up, a petite woman also stood up: "The Queen, I have long heard that Miss Su has excellent painting skills. I want to

Compete with Miss Su."

The queen actually laughed after hearing what the woman said: "It turns out that you are the daughter of Ping Bohou. I don't see you going out on weekdays. You didn't perform on stage last year. I forgot about you. Why do you want to compete with Miss Su?"

Pingbohou is hereditary. The first two Pingbohous have already declined, but this Pingbohou can be said to have turned the tide. Today's Pingbohou Mansion is the emperor's confidant. Ji Wanyi is Pingbohou's daughter. The queen naturally

I need to give him some face.

Ji Wanyi said bluntly: "Last year, I saw that Miss Su's paintings were weak and weak, but I couldn't draw well and couldn't compete with Miss Su. This year is different. I have been preparing for a long time."

Su Xiran smiled at Ji Wanyi and said, "Miss Ji, today is just to show off your strengths, not for competition."

"Miss Su, do you look down on me, or do you think I'm a fool? You're just trying to show off your strengths. Even the Queen has rewards for good performance, so why isn't it a competition? Isn't everyone just trying to win?
Chapter completed!