Pastoral Splendor

“Sanhua.” Jian Yifei walked beside Yan Ying, looking at her exquisite clothes, and kept smiling sheepishly: “When you were dressed like this, I almost didn’t recognize you at first. I only recognized you when I got closer and saw your face.”

"How do I look? Do I look better in this dress or in my old clothes?" Yan Ying raised her sleeves, the long, flowing sleeves of which draped over her arms, making them appear as if she couldn't straighten them.

"This dress is beautiful." Xu Yixuan eagerly praised, "Miss Xiao, wearing this dress, no other young lady in the entire garden looks more like a noblewoman than you."

Jian Yifei grinned and chuckled: "I still think your old clothes fit you better. Looking at you like this, Sanhua is no longer the same Sanhua."

Yan Ying nodded: "I prefer my original outfit. If I came to this kind of occasion every day, I would be bored to death. I will never come again. I will not listen to the unpleasant things those ladies say."

Jian Yifei nodded: "There's no need. We won't come anymore."

Xu Yixuan frowned slightly. He was used to this atmosphere and didn't find it particularly bad. Now, hearing Yan Ying and Jian Yifei say that the banquet was not fun, he also felt bored. He just didn't want to say too much and followed behind silently.

"Young Master, Miss Xiao, the Princess Consort is looking for you." A maidservant came to greet you: "Quickly, come with me to the North Garden."

Dozens of large square tables were set up in the side hall of Beiyuan, and people sat in circles around the tables. The ladies and young ladies sat in the hall. Standing at the door and looking out, one could see a colorful scene, with colors rising and falling like waves on the sea. The various jewelry worn on their heads and hands shone brightly in the sunlight, almost making it hard to open one's eyes.

In the center of the table was a large white plate with gold stripes, on which sat a duck. It appeared intact at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that the duck meat had been sliced ​​into pieces with gaps in between. Several delicate small dishes sat on the plate, containing vibrant colors of spices—red, yellow, and green.

Yan Ying stood next to Princess Yu, picked up a piece of duck breast with her chopsticks, dipped it in the seafood sauce with minced garlic, and then put it in Princess Yu's bowl: "Princess, if you prefer something lighter, please try this flavor, it should suit you."

Hearing this, Princess Yu felt a warmth in her heart. Having a daughter was truly wonderful, like wearing a warm, comforting cotton-padded jacket. Miss Xiao didn't know she was her daughter yet. If she hadn't sent her away back then, how fortunate she would be now. She picked up her jade chopsticks, took a piece of roast duck meat, and chewed it: "So fragrant, so tender."

Hearing the Princess Consort of Yu praise how delicious it was, the ladies present were all eager to try it, and turned to instruct the maid standing to the side: "Give me a slice too."

Yan Ying smiled and pointed to the dishes, saying, "Everyone, please take a look. There are five kinds of condiments here: spicy sauce, numbing sauce, sesame sauce, peanut sauce, and seafood sauce. Each has a different flavor. If you prefer something milder, you can take sesame sauce, peanut sauce, or seafood sauce. If you prefer something stronger, please take the spicy or numbing sauce."

"There are so many rules to eating roast duck?" one lady exclaimed in amazement. "Miss Xiao is really thoughtful, able to come up with so many ideas."

"You flatter me, Madam." Yan Ying stood behind Princess Yu, her hands at her sides, thinking to herself, "Five flavors? What's that? In my previous life, I could make fifteen kinds of sauces, let alone five. Those pork and beef sauces, with dried meat, were truly delicious." It's just a pity that the Great Zhou Dynasty forbids the slaughter of oxen, so it's difficult to make beef sauce there.

The maids served the seasoned roast duck to their mistress's bowl. After everyone had eaten it, they all looked surprised: "So this duck can taste like this."

"This roast duck is so delicious you don't need any seasoning." Yan Ying personally roasted these ducks over the past two days, and to build up their reputation, she couldn't afford to be careless. She quickly seized the opportunity to promote her other products: "Or dip them in my Bai Xiang Yuan canned chili oil, they're also delicious." She pointed with her chopsticks to two small dishes of appetizers: "Ladies, you can try them."

The young ladies at the next table all turned to look at them, and some scoffed, "Hmph, so he's currying favor with the Princess Consort of Yu. No wonder he's so arrogant."

"She's just a country girl," a young lady whispered. "She spends her days crawling and rolling in the mud, but after currying favor with the Princess Consort of Yu, she's now a phoenix rising from the ashes, wearing such gorgeous clothes and even a jade hairpin."

"It's only for today. Once she leaves the Prince Yu's residence, who will even recognize her?" A young lady glanced haughtily at Yan Ying. "Everyone, please stop talking about that country bumpkin. What's there to say about her?"

"I just feel indignant." A young lady in a light green shirt glanced at Miss Yan over there and said in a low voice, "Miss Yan grew up with us, but she was humiliated by this country girl. We should think of some ways to tease her and make that country girl look foolish."

"Isn't that right? Didn't you see how protective Young Master Xu and that young master are of her? We need to make sure they see her shortcomings and know that this country girl can't possibly sit down and befriend us." A young lady held a piece of roast duck in her chopsticks, which she then paused to eat. "This afternoon, let's coax her into playing the zither and composing poetry. Let's see how she handles that."

"Good, good, good idea." The people around the table nodded in agreement. "A country girl covered in stench dares to sneak into this Peach Blossom Banquet. She'll be embarrassed."

After the meal, the servants cleared a space in the peach blossom grove, moved tables and chairs there, and set out desserts and various fruit wines and drinks. The group followed Princess Yu to the peach blossom grove, where a gentle breeze caused countless red petals to flutter down, creating a scene resembling a fairyland.

One of the ladies laughed and said, "Such beautiful spring scenery should not be wasted. Why don't we let the children come and add to the fun?"

The people around nodded in agreement: "That's right!"

The most important part of this banquet is the talent show of the young men and women. This matchmaking event, disguised as a banquet, is a way for young men and women to showcase their talents. If they don't show off the best aspects of their sons and daughters, then all those years of hard work in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting would be for nothing. Some young ladies are not particularly beautiful, so they can only gain a good reputation through their talents, making it easier to find a husband.

Today, the Prince Yu's mansion is hosting a peach blossom banquet. All the ladies have been eagerly trying to get their daughters into the Prince Yu's wife's sights. They received the invitations ten days ago and have all dressed up their daughters. Some have even spent money to have scholars write peach blossom poems for their daughters to memorize, all in preparation for today's event.

Seeing that everyone was in high spirits, Princess Yu readily agreed, saying, "Then I'll have to trouble the young masters and ladies of each household."

These words were a clear indication that they could now showcase their talents. The young ladies from various households showed expressions of joy, but after glancing at the group of young gentlemen sitting opposite them, they shyly lowered their faces again.

The granddaughter of Lord Liu of the Pingzhang Zhengshi Mansion was the first to play a piece on the guqin. She had studied under Master Cao of the capital for many years and played exceptionally well. The music was clear, melodious, and lingering, seemingly able to bounce the fallen peach blossoms back to their branches. The birds in the garden, listening to such a melodious tune, forgot to sing for a moment; apart from the lingering sound of the guqin, nothing else could be heard in the garden.

"Such wonderful music, truly exquisite!" Princess Yu waited for Miss Liu to finish playing the piece, then smiled and praised, "If we're talking about ladies in the capital who can play the zither, Miss Liu is definitely number one."

Suppressing her excitement, Miss Liu shyly bowed to Princess Yu and said, "Your Highness is too kind."

After Miss Liu played the zither, none of the other young ladies dared to step up and play—she played so well, who else would be willing to embarrass themselves? The young ladies looked at Miss Liu with some resentment, thinking to themselves that she was really too impolite, rushing up there in such a hurry just to stop them from playing.

A young lady glanced at Yan Ying, who was standing next to the Princess Consort of Yu, and smiled slightly: "Miss Xiao, why don't you play a tune?"

The ladies nearby immediately realized what was going on and nodded in agreement: "Miss Xiao is clearly very skillful. Please play a tune so we can learn from her."

Yan Ying was daydreaming about what new products to add to her Bai Xiang Garden when she suddenly heard a cacophony of noise, as if a million crows were cawing in her ears. After calming herself down, she saw the ladies looking at her with mocking eyes and immediately realized that they were trying to embarrass her.

"I am truly grateful that you ladies think so highly of me, Xiao Sanhua." Yan Ying glanced at them calmly and spoke frankly about what she usually did: "Sanhua's greatest skills are farming, growing flowers, and cooking. Her least skill is playing the zither and singing. If you all want to hear Sanhua fluff cotton, then Sanhua will play a song for you. Just don't blame me if your ears feel uncomfortable."

"Miss Xiao, don't be modest. Why don't you play a tune for us?" A young lady insisted that Yan Ying go up: "No matter what, it's good for everyone to be together and have some fun."

Xu Yixuan was displeased to see the young ladies clinging to Yan Ying: "Miss Xiao can't play the zither, why do you insist that she play? I think it would be better to let Young Master Li play a piece, his zither skills are first-rate."

Young Master Li was the son of the Minister of Rites. He had been learning the guqin since childhood and was a master of music, making him famous in the capital. He had been waiting for this opportunity to perform. When Xu Yixuan mentioned him, he did not refuse. He stood up gracefully, walked behind the guqin, closed his eyes, concentrated, and began to pluck the strings with his fingers.

The young ladies were quite displeased to see that the conversation had been diverted, but since Young Master Li had already left the stage, there was nothing they could do but whisper among themselves: "Let's have her compose a poem."

After the guqin, guzheng, flute, and pipa were all played, someone suggested, "The peach blossoms are blooming so beautifully today, why don't we compose poems to describe this wonderful spring scenery?"

The ladies also praised, "Yes, the poems could be published in a collection called 'Peach Blossom Collection.'" They had spent money to buy the poems, so they had to show off their daughters' talent; how could they let it go to waste?

The writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones were brought over, and the young masters and ladies gathered around the table, deep in thought. Yan Ying stood there watching the young masters and ladies present, feeling a little curious. She wondered what kind of poems they would write. Judging from their appearance, they seemed to have some real talent.

White smoke curled from the incense burner, the time allotted for the burning of an incense stick—a rather short period, much like the timed essay writing in her previous life. Yan Ying watched the young ladies wielding their pens and writing rapidly, and couldn't help but admire them inwardly. Indeed, ladies from noble families were different from maids from commoner families; judging by their expressions, they could compose a poem in seven steps.

Princess Yu smiled at Yan Ying and said, "Miss Xiao, why don't you write a poem too?"

Yan Ying quickly waved her hand: "How could I possibly write any poetry? Your Highness, please don't embarrass me."

"You can't write?" Princess Yu seemed a little confused: "How come I heard Prefect Lin say that your poems are excellent? The other day when you held a poetry gathering on the back mountain, you wrote just two lines and you stunned all the scholars present?"

Chapter 231 Guidance

This Prefect Lin really knows how to seize every opportunity to curry favor, trying to get on the good side of Prince Yu's household. He's gone to great lengths to say everything he could possibly connect with. Needless to say, he must have written this to Xu Yixuan or Princess Yu. Yan Ying gave a wry smile and said to Princess Yu, "It's just something he wrote for fun. It's nothing special. Prefect Lin is exaggerating too much."

"Miss Xiao, please don't be modest." Princess Yu looked at Yan Ying with great pleasure. Miss Xiao was indeed worthy of being her daughter. Even though she grew up in a peasant family, her brilliance could not be concealed. She could even compose poetry without a teacher. If she asked her foster mother to teach her properly, who knows how amazing her talent would be.