Dominate the ancient academy

Chapter 217 Banquet

There are also the legitimate daughters of the Huaiyang Marquis and the Minister of Revenue. These are the legitimate daughters of high-ranking officials from aristocratic families. They have beautiful faces and graceful postures. Even if they do nothing, they are the focus of the banquet.

There was a circle of daughters of minor officials surrounding him, trying to curry favor with him.

The sisters Wei Ziyuan and Wei Zixi were not really outstanding among them. Even the good-looking Wei Zixi could only be said to be on par with them in terms of appearance, but she was outstanding in other aspects.

In addition, the Duke of Wei's Mansion was gradually declining, and some families with equal or better family background would not set their sights on them. After all, they were not so outstanding that the noble ladies on the scene could ignore their family background and choose them.

Rich families marry their daughters off, while poor families marry their wives. Naturally, the Duke of Wei's Mansion now prefers rich families. As for poor families, they don't even look at them. The families they like also have better choices, which makes them seem a bit mediocre.

These noble ladies from aristocratic families gathered in groups of three or four, chatting and laughing, looking very relaxed. The two sisters from the Duke of Wei's mansion were surrounded by daughters of low-ranking officials. This made them feel not only unsurprised but also a little annoyed. These daughters of low-ranking officials could not bring them any help, so there was really no need to make friends with them.

Before, they went boating on the lake outside, and most of the people there were young people of their age. As long as they were careful and used some tricks, it would be difficult for them to be discovered. But now, the ladies of the various mansions are here, and they are afraid that with just a glance, those ladies will be able to guess what they mean. What's more, there are so many people in the mansion, and it is easy to be discovered with so many people and eyes.

It would be fine if they wanted to keep their tricks undetected. If they were detected, it would annoy these ladies and it would not be worth it for them. They could only wait until later to see if they could meet some young masters. Those young masters would be easier to deal with than these ladies.

It was still bright in the sky at this time. At the beginning, the men and women did not disturb each other. They were all playing poetry, pitching pots, drinking tea, playing music and drinking games to liven up the atmosphere. There was still a while before dinner, and the ladies from each mansion could take a look at these girls first so that they could have an idea of ​​what was going on.

There will be a talent show in a while. There will be a high platform for the show, which the men can also see. Everyone will score together. Before it starts, everyone will be given a small basket full of silk flowers. Vote for the person whose talent you like. The first place will not only get a reward but also have a great advantage in the next date.

The performance programs were already prepared by these ladies, and when performing, they just had to go on stage with the instruments they were going to use.

At this time, the atmosphere has become lively and the two sides are not so strict. Even if men come over to watch, it will be the same as there are special seats reserved for them. Of course, it’s okay if they don’t come. Most unmarried men will come and sit in the prepared places to watch.

As soon as Shu Xiaoxiao and the others saw that the performance was about to start, they immediately found a seat facing the stage and even asked someone for a small stool. It was the absolute C position so they could see more clearly.

You should know that they were also given silk flowers and they were also part of the judges. They could give flowers to anyone whose performance they liked. The ranking of these noble ladies was determined by the number of flowers.

Delicate pink velvet flowers, the size of pebbles, were neatly placed in a small bamboo basket. There were about a dozen of them. They could vote for whoever's performance they liked.

Several people were ready to vote for the prettiest girl.

"Whose family do those little guys belong to? They are sitting in a row like this. It's really rare." An old lady pointed at Shu Xiaoxiao and the others and asked.

When the others saw this, they were right. The fact that they were facing the stage was eye-catching enough, but they were staring at it intently, more serious than the young men who were looking around and chatting from time to time at the back. Their fair little faces were quite attractive.

"That's Lord Ye, and the General's Mansion... I guess these little guys also want to get married." Someone joked.

"What daughter-in-law or not? Looking at the situation, I don't know what they are going to do. It's good enough that they don't cause trouble. I don't know how long they can sit in prison." said the wife of Marquis Changping.

She knows her own child well. There must be a reason why he is sitting there, otherwise he would not be able to sit still. As for finding him a wife, it is nonsense. Even if she finds him a wife, he would probably still worry that his wife would snatch his things away. It is still too early for him to become enlightened.

"I also feel that they must have other purposes. Why don't we call them over and ask them?" said the Prime Minister's wife.

The old lady of the Zhenguo Mansion smiled and said, "You know your own children well. Seeing you like this, I am also a little curious. Let's call them over and ask them."

The old lady of the Duke of Zhenguo was a first-rank lady appointed by the emperor himself. Once she spoke, naturally no one else objected.

Shu Xiaoxiao and the others were waiting to watch the beauties' performance when they saw a maid coming over and saying that the old lady of the Duke of Zhenguo wanted to see them. They looked at each other and then at the noble ladies not far away.

They haven't done anything yet? It shouldn't be for them to be scolded! Follow the maid and go over obediently.

This group of ladies sat high up on the carefully decorated main seats, each with their hair tied up in a high bun, or coiled or twisted, and adorned with exquisite pearl and jade hairpins. They were dressed gorgeously and had graceful postures. Each of them exuded their unique charm, and their every move showed their demeanor as a noble person.

The maids had pretty faces and decent manners. They were always attentive to the needs of the ladies and asked about their well-being. The whole scene was like a carefully painted fine brush painting, much more elegant and luxurious than what Shu Xiaoxiao knew in modern times based on those texts and pictures. It turned out that when it comes to aesthetics, we still have to look to our ancestors.

But now everyone's eyes were curiously looking at the few people who came over, making them all wonder if they really did something bad by accident just now?

"Xiaoxiao, Tingfei, Xuanyu, and Shiche greet all the ladies." The four of them bowed quickly and called out respectfully.

"Okay, you all look so energetic, and it makes people happy to see you. You don't have to be nervous. We are just a little curious. What are you going to do by sitting there so seriously? Isn't it a little early to look for a wife now?"

The old lady of the Zhenguogong joked, and the others also laughed.

Su Shiche quickly said, "No, we want to see which sister is the prettiest, so we throw the flowers in the basket to her."

"You see, we are also judges, and we just want to choose the most beautiful one!" Liu Xuanyu said, holding a flower basket.

"Then why do you choose the most beautiful sister?" asked a lady.

"We...we..." Liu Xuanyu couldn't say anything. He couldn't say that the most beautiful girl would definitely have more gentlemen pursuing her. Then they just had to follow the most beautiful girl and see how those brothers chased after the girl.

If they were to speak out, both the girls and the boys would definitely be on guard against them. Then what fun would they have?

"Well, everyone loves beauty. We just want to find the most beautiful sister to play with. Should that be okay?" Facing everyone's gaze, Shu Xiaoxiao pretended to be shy and said awkwardly.

Liu Xuanyu: "Yes, yes, it is the love of beauty. We just have a love of beauty."

Su Shiche and Shu Tingfei also nodded quickly: Yes, we all love beauty.

"Look at these little guys who are still playing tricks on me and refusing to tell the truth. Forget it. Go and get some fruits and choose carefully. Then we can compare your selections with ours."

The old lady of the Duke of Zhenguo laughed and didn't bother with them. She gave each of them a bag of dried fruits and let them go back.

"These little guys are pretty tight-lipped, but they must be planning something. When it's over, remember to remind me. Let's see who they choose as the prettiest girl based on their love of beauty. What bad ideas do they have?"

"That's great. I'm curious too. Let's keep an eye on them later. I want to know why they choose the most beautiful girl." A lady said. These children have clear eyes and are lively and smart, unlike those naughty kids. Not to mention anything else, it's really curious what they want to do.

"I want to know too. Let's find someone to keep an eye on them. Maybe we can give them a helping hand."

"Yes, Caizhu, send someone to keep an eye on it, and report back to us if anything happens."

"It's the old lady." A pretty maid in light green clothes responded and retreated.

When Shu Xiaoxiao and the others returned to their seats, the performance had already begun.

The first girl performed a piece of guqin. A girl in a gorgeous brocade dress sat in front of the guqin with a dignified posture and elegant temperament.

With bare hands gently stroking the surface of the piano, as the first note sounded, it was like the sound of a clear spring in the mountains, or like the morning breeze blowing through the bamboo forest, fresh and unworldly, refreshing and pleasant.

The outstanding performance drew a round of applause, and Shu Xiaoxiao and others applauded loudly, throwing out the first silk flower.

Later there were dancers, painters, poets, and swordplay performers, each one more exciting than the other. Of course, among all kinds of people and things in the world, there were good performers, as well as average or very bad ones.

Some of them at least managed to finish the performance, but some got so nervous that they couldn't continue playing halfway and ran away with their faces covered. These were all younger girls, and everyone just laughed it off. Few took it to heart. Most people were quite tolerant of children.

Shu Xiaoxiao and a few others sat down below, eating the dried fruits in their pockets, watching with relish and expressing their opinions in a serious manner.

Although this one’s performance is average, it looks good, so it deserves a vote; this one looks good and performs well, so it deserves even more votes. As for those that look average and perform average, they can just contribute one flower at random, which is considered a consolation. For those that gave up halfway through the performance, forget it, as they don’t have many flowers.

But the way they threw the flowers, the basket was empty in no time.

"What should we do if we don't have enough flowers? Can we get more?" Su Shiche looked at the empty basket in his hand, feeling a little disappointed. He had just found some fun.

"Let's ask."

Shu Tingfei called the maid next to him and asked, "We have run out of flowers. Can you get us two more baskets?"

The maid looked at their empty baskets, frowned, and said with difficulty: "Gentlemen, it's not that I don't want to, but these silk flowers are for the guests. If there are too many, it will be bad for the competition and the girls participating in the competition..."

Got it, everyone has the same number of votes. If they increase the votes without reason, it would disrupt the market and be unfair to other participating ladies.

Otherwise, if you like this and invest basket after basket, what should others do?

Waving their hand to let the maid go, they looked at the empty basket in a dilemma. They couldn't just look at it from now on, as that would make them feel like they were not participating.

"I know a way!" Su Shiche raised his hand and said excitedly.

"My eldest brother has some! His silk flowers are often not thrown to anyone, usually left for last, and given to other people's houses. There is also Brother Shu, they don't like to throw, let's go get them and throw them ourselves!"

Shu Xiaoxiao didn't know if there were still people who didn't vote, but when she thought about it, it made sense. Some gentlemen were rather aloof or had no interest in women, so they would rather waste the silk flowers in their hands than vote, just like people who don't chase stars wouldn't waste time voting.

Adhering to the principle of not wasting, the few of them agreed and decided to go to the men's side to look for silk flowers.

A show was in progress and most people were watching, so it was quite quiet around. Shu Xiaoxiao and the others really needed to bend down to look for it this time, otherwise they would easily block others.

You won’t know until you see it, and you’ll be shocked! The flower baskets of several brothers were still full, without a single flower thrown in. When they came to take the flowers, they didn’t even ask, and just gave them all to them.

"Brother, why didn't you vote for any of them? I saw a few girls who are not only good-looking, but also good at performing. Don't you like any of them?"

"I already have your sister-in-law. No matter how good others are, it has nothing to do with me. Otherwise, your sister-in-law will be jealous. Are these flowers enough? If not, I will find you some more." Seeing that his sister liked it, Shu Tingyu said, "It's just silk flowers. He can find more for his sister."

"Can it still be found?" Shu Xiaoxiao asked in surprise.

"Of course, follow me and I will take you to find flowers." Shu Tingyu asked the servant to change the basket for them to a bigger one, and said, isn't it easy to find silk flowers?

The young masters of the top families in Kyoto have seen all kinds of women and their standards are extremely high. Unless they are particularly lustful and philandering, the number of silk flowers in their hands will generally remain the same when they leave.

Shu Xiaoxiao immediately called her third brother to go find Juanhua together. They didn't need to meet each other or have a date, and they had already eaten and drunk their fill. Now they just wanted to enjoy the rewards and beauty pageant and see if the one they chose was the most beautiful.

It can only be said that birds of a feather flock together. The people Shu Tingyu brought them to find were handsome, dignified, gentle and elegant, or graceful. Their gestures revealed extraordinary nobility and demeanor. Anyway, each of them had extraordinary temperament and outstanding demeanor, and at first glance they were outstanding and distinguished figures in Kyoto.

These were probably powerful figures carefully cultivated by aristocratic families. It was unknown whether they were bachelors or not. The only thing in common was that the flower baskets beside them were full of silk flowers. Shu Xiaoxiao understood very well that people like them not only had high standards but also would not be easily moved by emotions, so these silk flowers would definitely not be used.