Chapter 98: That Flattery Was Spot-On
The Wang family’s banquet was more like a garden party—drinking tea, admiring flowers, playing games, and showing off talents. It was almost entirely young people.
Less a banquet, more a matchmaking event.
All the talented young men from across the way came downstairs. Servants hurriedly set up tables, and by the looks of it, they were preparing for some kind of competition.
Xiao Li had been feeling rather bored, but then she unexpectedly spotted the young master of the Feng Family in the crowd.
None of the people in the group were very old, but Feng Yin’s face looked particularly small among them, like a high school freshman mixed in with a group of college students.
A maid came up from below with a message: the men were preparing for a poetry and drinking game. They would be given a single character as a prompt and would have to compose ten poems in total. The task would be passed down the line, and anyone who failed to produce a poem had to drink. After the tenth poem was finished, they would get a new prompt.
When men showed off, it was naturally for the beauties to admire.
Every lady present would be given a flower with her name tag attached. Later, if she felt someone’s poem was the best, she could give him her flower.
The poem that received the most flowers would be declared the winner, and its creator would receive a prize prepared by the Wang family.
The value of the prize wasn’t important; what mattered was the opportunity to prove one’s true talent.
Fearing Xiao Li might feel neglected, Wang Wanqing took the initiative to ask, "Does the Princess have anyone she favors?"
Xiao Li picked up an arrow and twirled it, finding the question amusing. "They haven’t even started composing poems yet. How would I know who’s good or bad?"
Wang Wanqing said, "These young masters from the aristocratic families all study at the Imperial College. They all know what the others are made of. If they didn’t have real skill, they wouldn’t dare make a fool of themselves out here."
Xiao Li glanced at the group below. "You know all these young masters from the aristocratic families?"
Wang Wanqing paused for a moment before nodding. "I know most of them."
"What a coincidence." Xiao Li smiled and raised her hand. The arrow she held went straight into the narrow-necked vase. "I don’t know most of them."
Wang Wanqing: "..." ’It’s really hard to know how to respond to the Princess.’
So, whenever someone below began to recite a poem, Wang Wanqing would introduce him to Xiao Li: who he was, which family he was from, his level of literary talent, what works he had published, and what titles he had earned.
She rattled them off as if listing her own family’s treasures.
Xiao Li, however, stopped paying attention to the men below. Instead, she looked Wang Wanqing up and down, a thoughtful expression on her face.
Her gaze made Wang Wanqing uncomfortable, and she immediately stopped talking. "Did I say something wrong?"
Xiao Li shook her head and asked, "How do you know so much about these people?"
Wang Wanqing replied, "To answer the Princess, I previously studied at the Imperial College for three years. I suppose you could call us classmates of a sort."
Xiao Li asked, "You only know about the men?"
Wang Wanqing’s face went pale with fright. She immediately waved her hands. "Of course not! I know all the teachers at the Imperial College, the various noble ladies of the aristocratic families, the comings and goings of each household, my relatives, and even the servants in their residences."
After she finished, she added emphatically, "Your subject is not so shameless as to only pay attention to men."
Seeing her so frightened, Xiao Li couldn’t help but smile. "You’ve misunderstood me. I wasn’t suggesting you only focus on men. Rather, I admire your ability to observe and organize information. It’s a pity... If you weren’t the daughter of the Wang family, I’d want to poach you to be my household manager."
"No, that’s not right. Being a household manager would be a great waste of your talents." Xiao Li was genuinely impressed with her. "You deserve a much bigger stage. Unfortunately, this era is destined to bury you."
’Wang Wanqing’s personality and abilities are practically the perfect setup for a chief of staff. In this era, if she were a man, she would be like a fish in water in the political arena. With the Wang family’s help and a few years of experience, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say she would definitely have a place in the Six Ministries.’
’Unfortunately, under this patriarchal system, it’s nearly impossible for a woman to become a court official. Even the Wang family probably wouldn’t dare defy the world by letting their daughter serve in the court.’
Cheers erupted from downstairs. Apparently, someone had finally given up and had to drink.
The sound drew Xiao Li’s attention, and she looked down, completely missing the complex emotions flickering across Wang Wanqing’s face.
She no longer cared what poems were being composed below, or who had admitted defeat and was drinking.
At that moment, her heart was pounding because of the Princess’s sincere lament.
’She truly admires me, acknowledges my abilities, and feels I’m no less capable than a man, but that the times are against me.’
The Wang Family all knew Wang Wanqing had a photographic memory and a clear, organized mind. They praised her for being sharp and brilliant, said she would one day be an excellent mistress of a household, and that whoever married her would be blessed by three lifetimes of good fortune.
It seemed all her cleverness and skills could only be realized by marrying a man someday.
She wasn’t particularly skilled in poetry; her memory was just good. In truth, she never thought of herself as particularly amazing. Influenced by what she always heard, she too felt that her only suitable future was to be the lady of a great house.
But Princess Xuanyang didn’t say she would be a good wife or a good lady of the house. Instead, she directly affirmed her ability to observe and organize information. She affirmed *her* as a person, not her potential excellence *after* she married and became someone’s wife, the matriarch of some family.
Sincere praise is often most moving when delivered unexpectedly.
Wang Wanqing’s thoughts were now a mess. Her heartbeat was erratic, and she was in a complete daze. When she finally managed to come to her senses, she thought, ’Wait, where’s the Princess? How did a whole Princess just disappear!?’
Around the corner, Xiao Li was leaning against a pillar, her gaze searching below.
She wasn’t looking at the group of men downstairs, but at a maid who had just flashed past.
Although she didn’t have a photographic memory, her intuition was sharp. ’That maid... she looks familiar.’
’Liu Xueyin? No, it doesn’t seem like her.’
She couldn’t recall who it was at the moment, but as long as it wasn’t Liu Xueyin, it probably wasn’t that important.
"Imperial Sister, what are you doing here?"
Xiao Jingyi walked up and spotted the purple sleeve right away. He knew it was Xiao Li from just a glimpse of her back.
Xiao Li pulled her gaze back and glanced at him. "Why did you come up?"
Xiao Jingyi chuckled. "Imperial Sister, surely you didn’t want to see me show off my literary talents? Though I’d be more than willing to put on a display for you, I’m afraid I’d lose too miserably and drag you down in disgrace with me."
*Tsk.*
"So young, yet so glib-tongued."
Xiao Jingyi sighed. "Imperial Sister, you’re not that much older than me."
Xiao Li retorted, "Older by a day is still older. Be a good boy and listen to your lecture."
Xiao Jingyi bowed helplessly. "Yes, I will obey my Imperial Sister’s teachings."
After their banter, the two stood side-by-side and looked down.
At that moment, both of their gazes were drawn to one person: the Third Young Master Wang, who was currently in the spotlight.
Xiao Jingyi asked, "Imperial Sister, what do you think of this Wang Shiqi?"
Xiao Li replied, "Not much."
Xiao Jingyi smiled. "I knew you wouldn’t think much of him."
He sounded rather pleased with himself.
"My second marriage is already on the agenda. What about you? When are you going to marry a Princess Consort?"
Xiao Jingyi shut his mouth and stopped grinning.
"Princess." Wang Wanqing walked over and stood obediently beside Xiao Li. "They’ve sent the poems up. Would the Princess care to appraise them?"
A maid beside her held a tray. On it was a single golden peony, with a small wooden plaque hanging from it, engraved with the name ’Xuanyang.’
This golden peony was clearly one of a kind, as the other noble ladies had all been holding fresh flowers.
It was obviously a calculated arrangement.
Once this unique golden peony was given, it would surely draw the most attention.
If Xiao Li gave it to any other man, who knows what kind of rumors would start.
If she wanted to avoid suspicion, the best solution would be to give the peony to the Wang family’s young master.
It could be passed off as giving face to the host family.
But if this action were combined with Wang Shiqi’s performance, the story could be twisted to make people think she had taken a fancy to him. This golden peony would likely become a token of love.
At this moment, she didn’t know what the Wang family was ultimately trying to do, but she was certain that if she dared to give it to Wang Shiqi, there was definitely a trap waiting for her.
Xiao Li took the peony and asked Wang Wanqing, "This golden peony is mine to do with as I please, correct?"
Wang Wanqing nodded. "Of course. It is entirely at the Princess’s discretion."
Xiao Li lifted the peony and weighed it in her hand. ’Solid gold. It must be valuable. The Wang family really spared no expense. Did they think that a princess would be too embarrassed to keep their golden peony and would ultimately give it back to the Wang family?’
’If so, they really miscalculated.’
She looked at Xiao Jingyi. "Didn’t you just say you were willing to show me your literary talents? How about you compose a poem praising me right now."
Xiao Jingyi froze for a second. "Imperial Sister, are you serious?"
Xiao Li waved the golden peony. "As true as gold."
Xiao Li held the golden peony, its brilliance a stark contrast to her face. Yet even something as dazzling as gold could not detract one bit from the splendor of her beauty.
Xiao Jingyi pressed his lips together, his eyes glinting. "I’m not good at composing poetry, but I once heard a poem that is a perfect match for my Imperial Sister at this moment."
"The courtyard’s herb-peony is bewitching but lacks grace, the pond’s lotus is pure but lacks passion. Only the Peony possesses true national beauty; when it blooms, it moves the entire Capital City."
Xiao Li burst out laughing. ’Now that’s some top-tier flattery!’
She tossed it with a flick of her wrist. "A reward for you."
Xiao Jingyi hurriedly caught the golden peony, his palm closing tightly around the name plaque.
Wang Wanqing: "..." ’It seems my third brother’s scheme is going to fail.’
She looked up at Xiao Li. It felt as if the Princess knew her third brother’s plan all along. She didn’t play along, but she didn’t expose it either. She didn’t even seem angry. It was as if... she didn’t even consider it worth her notice.