After Emperor Qingming explained that the Ministry of Rites and the Qintian Supervisor would jointly handle the matter, he patiently calmed down the turmoil in his heart and listened to the courtiers discuss local political affairs for half an hour.
After leaving the court, he summoned Xia Tingzhen and others to discuss matters in the imperial study.
…
The next day, it was a bright and pleasant weather.
Early in the morning, Xu Mingyi sat at the dressing table.
Akui was combing her hair with great care and choosing the jewelry she wanted to use - the girl was going out with her wife today to attend the flower party at Mrs. Wen's house. However, the girl usually did not go to these occasions, and she was extremely unhappy.
It's easy to go there, so she will naturally treat it with care.
The girl originally said that there was no need to go to such trouble. After all, she was not there to look at others, which young master she liked, or which family she wanted to be his daughter-in-law.
But the girl doesn't care, but she does care - you have to know that when girls from different families go out and stand together, they will inevitably be compared, and is this comparison just about the appearance of the girls from each family?
Of course not.
Among the competitions are the hair-combing skills and the matching of clothes, dresses and jewelry of the maids from each mansion.
Xu Mingyi didn't know the particularity and competition involved. After letting Akui carefully prepare it, he looked in the mirror and saw that it was not exaggerated. All his thoughts were spent on the details, so he was satisfied.
Then he went out with his mother.
Speaking of Mrs. Wen's flower party, Xu Mingyi had not been there for five or six years.
The reason why this time passed was because Mrs. Cui actually said it several times - she knew that her grandfather had left Beijing to go on an expedition, and her mother wanted to take her out for a walk to relax. She did not want to take her out for a walk, but she refused again and again. She had nothing to do today.
Time to accompany my mother.
The mother thought she was accompanying her daughter, and the daughter thought she was accompanying her mother. In short, this time she left the house.
Although Mrs. Wen loves playing horses and is addicted to food, she is indeed a queen of a famous family. The flower party at her residence has been held for seven or eight years, which is quite popular in the capital.
Notorious.
Therefore, most ladies and girls who have received the post will not be absent.
And because today's weather is really good, perfect for viewing flowers and drinking tea, the flower party becomes even more lively.
The flowers in the garden are in full bloom, the rockery and the narrow stream are quiet and elegant. The ladies are chatting and laughing, and from time to time, a girl from some family plays the piano and recites poetry.
"I haven't seen many girls from the Xu family in recent years. It's rare to come here today, why not go to the pavilion and play a song?" A woman suggested with a smile.
Xu Mingyi said with a smile: "I'm not good at playing the piano, but I'm not too ugly anymore."
In fact, this is one of the reasons why she rarely comes to such occasions. Performing talents in front of her elders is really no different from a nightmare for her.
It's not that she has any prejudice against this kind of behavior, she also appreciates the girls who are willing to stand up, but she just can't do it.
Mrs. Wen on the side looked at the girl sitting there upright, and said with a smile: "Do the girls of the Xu family need to perform any talents? The most beautiful woman in the capital, just sitting here is called
We’ve had a feast for our eyes, do you guys think yes or no?”
Several women smiled and nodded in agreement.
Mrs. Wen was very good at speaking and dealing with things, Xu Mingyi knew this, but she also felt that this lady was probably frightened by her...
I still remember that she also came to Mrs. Wen's flower party five or six years ago.
And he also performed the same talent.
But unlike the ordinary music, chess, calligraphy and painting, what she performed was archery.
I was still young at that time, around ten years old, and I wanted to be in the limelight, so I probably had "let you see how powerful I am" written on my face——
Maybe God couldn't stand the way she looked like she wanted to be beaten, so he made her stumble.
I still remember that the arrow just hit the target, and before it had time to aim at the target, it flew out uncontrollably, barely brushing the silk flowers on a woman's temples, and frightened the woman so much that she almost lost her soul and screamed on the spot.
Passed out.
The situation at that time was so chaotic and thrilling, and the atmosphere so embarrassing and subtle, that she still cannot remember it.
Therefore, it is not without reason that I did not attend the flower party again.
And that woman was Mrs. Wen's dowry, and her hands still tremble secretly when she sees her to this day.
"...Are you really not good at playing the piano?"
At this time, a clear voice suddenly asked quietly.
Xu Mingyi looked up and saw that the girl sitting in front of her turned back and looked at her curiously with a pair of deep black eyes with thick eyelashes.
Thinking of the relationship between this girl and Wu Chao, Xu Mingyi smiled softly and nodded: "Yes."
"But haven't you Zhongzhou girls learned these things since childhood?" The girl whispered: "I thought you were all proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting."
"There are exceptions."
"So, you don't like learning these anymore?" The girl seemed to have finally found someone to talk to. She asked questions one after another and turned to Xu Mingyi: "Then what do you like?"
"My family is a martial artist, so I learned some riding and shooting." Xu Mingyi lowered his voice.
Firstly, she didn't want to attract too much attention. Secondly, well, she said in the Ministry of Rites that she learned to ride and shoot. The word "shooting" made her feel very unconfident.
"What a coincidence, I also learned riding and shooting since I was a child!" Princess Sangyun was very surprised and said quickly: "How about we go riding together someday?"
This invitation came very suddenly, and the little girl in front of her seemed to be very eager to make friends with others. Xu Mingyi was a little confused about this. However, even if she put aside this confusion and wanted to nod in agreement, she had to do it for both parties.
I am worried about my identity——
Therefore, I could only smile and reply: "Unfortunately, I just suffered some back injuries a few days ago. I'm afraid I won't be able to enjoy the princess with you. I'll wait for some time to recover from the injury and then send a message to the princess."
?”
Afraid of being misunderstood by the girl, she tried to be as gentle as possible.
Even so, the smile on Princess Sangyun's cheeks still faded, and she subconsciously glanced at Xu Mingyi's waist.
Is it really a back injury?
Or are you just trying to frustrate her?
But... where did the other party get the confidence to decline her invitation?
If I hadn't just heard that this was a girl from the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion, and she had some family background, she might not have even looked at her as the princess of Prince Yan's Mansion. But now that she took the initiative to talk to her, the other party said the opposite.
Picked up the shelf?
Princess Sangyun, who felt that she had been refuted, lost the enthusiasm in her tone and said lukewarmly: "Since you are injured, it is hard to force yourself."
Seeing that she seemed a little unhappy about this, Xu Mingyi was secretly puzzled.
Is this princess a little too naive?
Is it because you have never left the North?
Xu Mingyi saw the girl trying to turn around, but suddenly thought of something and looked at her again——
