Capital Rhapsody 20: A Hundred Flowers in Grand Assembly (1)

  Hundred Flowers Bloom (1)

  Dingguo Wangfu

  "I understand, go down."

  In the serene and somewhat desolate water pavilion, a man in green clothes gazed out at the lake water and said calmly.

  Sun Aunt's face, which was stern and somewhat harsh, flashed a hint of helplessness as she gazed at the lonely figure in front of her, wanting to speak but ultimately saying nothing before quietly retreating.

  "It seems that Sun Auntie has a good impression of Miss Ye San, you know it's not easy to get Sun Auntie to speak up for her." On the other side, Feng Zhiyao was still wearing his extravagant clothes, lazily smiling at his close friend. Mo Xiu Yao turned around and looked at him with calm and gentle eyes, "What about it?"

  "What's the big deal?!" Feng Zhiyao sat up straight, staring at him, even her usual lazy tone rose by a lot. "A Yao, Ye San is your future wife, she's going to spend the rest of her life with you. Are you really not going to take a look?"

  "If she's really as good as you say, do you think... it would be easy for me to marry her? Don't forget there's a Xu family behind her." Mo Xiuyao said calmly.

  "What does it mean?" Feng Zhiyao frowned. Can't be that there's still some kind of trickery going on?

  Mo Xiuyao lowered her eyes and quietly looked at the hand on the armrest of the wheelchair. "On the day when Li Wangfu came to propose, Xianzhao Taifei specially summoned Ye Li."

  Feng Zhiyao disdainfully curled her lip, "Won't Mo Jingli regret it again? Even if he really regrets it, what's the big deal? Does he think that Dingguo Wangfu and the Xu family are truly playthings for him to manipulate at will?"

  Mo Xiuyao's deep and gentle eyes flashed with a hint of coldness, "The matter of the broken engagement was originally Mo Jingli's doing without consulting anyone first. In the past... when the late emperor betrothed Ye Li to Mo Jingli, it wasn't without reason." When Ye Li was born, Ye Wenhua was only a low-ranking noble from the third rank. How could the late emperor have chosen such an humble family for his beloved son? It was naturally because of Ye Li's maternal Xu family. Unfortunately, over the years, the Xu family gradually withdrew from court politics, causing many people inside and outside the palace to forget just how much influence the Xu family had.

  "In that case, how would His Majesty have pointed Miss Ye San to you?"

  "If Ye San Niangzi is really a woman with no talent, no looks and no virtue, and has been rejected by someone before, why didn't the Emperor assign her to me?" Mo Xiuyao asked back calmly.

  Feng's careless shrug, after all, the royal family's brains aren't quite right, "So do you want to go to the Hundred Flowers Banquet at Peony Garden? Do you want to meet your fiancée?"

  Mo Xiuyao turned his head to gaze at the lake, silent and unspoken. Feng Zhiyao watched him with a subtle nod in her heart. Since that incident, A Yao had become increasingly eccentric.

  Ye Li looked at the table in front of her with a slight headache. The large table was divided into two sides, each displaying a set of clothes and corresponding accessories. On the left side was a white-based blue floral shirt, with snow-white clothes and light blue butterflies dancing on it. The sunlight outside the window made it seem as if the butterflies were about to fly away. Jing Er and Tian Er carefully held up the clothes, and the youngest Tian Er exclaimed in surprise: "This butterfly isn't embroidered on, it's so beautiful!" Qing Xia smiled: "This is a silk embroidery, very valuable indeed. Generally, silk embroideries are extremely luxurious images, but Miss's dress is actually more rare because of its simplicity. And this thread seems to be extraordinary too." The clothes felt light as a feather in her hands, but looked rich and not thin at all, clearly made from special materials. Qing Shuang curiously looked at the left side and then the right side, tilting her head to look at Ye Li: "The gifts from Aunt and Prince Wang are both very beautiful, which one will Miss wear?" Ye Li glanced at the ice-blue butterfly silk embroidery sent by her aunt, and then shifted her gaze to the brocade box on the right side. Inside the box was a pale blue water cloud satin with subtle silver peony flowers embroidered on it. The cuffs and hem of the clothes were faintly outlined with elegant auspicious clouds patterns, simple yet understated, but at first glance, one could feel its unparalleled elegance and comfort.

  "This one will do. Aunt sent this for me, so I'll keep it well and wear it on Uncle's birthday next month." Yeli made a quick decision, thinking that spending some thought on dressing up was necessary, but wasting too much time wasn't.

  The maids carefully picked up the white-based blue butterfly shirt and brought out this set of clothes sent by Dingguo Wangfu to serve Ye Li for changing.

  A moment later, Ye Li walked out from behind the screen amidst the maids' gasps of admiration. The light blue color suited Ye Li's quiet and elegant temperament perfectly, while the delicate silver thread patterns on top made this simple style of clothing not dull at all. A kind of low-key luxury, Ye Li thought to herself in praise. Even though the Dingguo Royal Manor was no longer as prosperous as before, the gifts they gave out were still extraordinary. "Is this Shuiyun brocade?!" Jingwen exclaimed, who had been standing on the side and couldn't help but feel a little envious.

  Qing Xia's expression was also somewhat shocked. Yuanyang brocade, Shu Yun satin, and Furong gauze are known as the three treasures of Nanzhao, one of the most precious specialties of Nanzhao country. Moreover, they were not used as commodities for trade between the two countries, but only as gifts exchanged between the two countries every year. And even in the palace, no more than ten pieces of Shu Yun satin, which is considered the first of the three treasures, would be produced every year.

  Ye Li smiled and glanced at Jing Wen, "You have a good eye."

  Jingwen's expression changed slightly, and she forced a smile: "I also saw it once at Fourth Miss's place. It was given to Fourth Miss by Consort Ye." She had indeed seen it at Fourth Miss's place, but it wasn't a piece of clothing, just a piece of silk. The Shuixun brocade, although called brocade, was different from the usual luxurious and thick satin, instead being light, soft, and elegant. If you didn't look closely at the hidden beautiful patterns, you wouldn't be able to tell it was Shuixun brocade. Fourth Miss had received a piece of Shuixun brocade as a gift from Consort Ye last year, but it wasn't enough to make clothes, and Ye Ying couldn't bear to part with it, so she just had someone carefully put it away. Since that day when Jingwen took the initiative to bring up past matters in Qingyuan Pavilion without reporting it first, although Ye Li didn't say anything, Jingwen was always careful and fearful of being found by Third Miss and punished. But unexpectedly, this moment's surprise caught Ye Li's attention.

  Ye Li nodded and ignored Jingwen, who was a bit nervous, and sat in front of the copper mirror. Qingxia and Qingsheng held up the accessories sent by Dingguo Wangfu and selected suitable ones to pin up her hair.

  Jingwen stood quietly in a corner, watching the busy maids with some embarrassment and discontent. Her gaze fell on the decorative box carelessly placed on the table, and she quickly lowered her head, not daring to look again. However, she didn't know that Yeli was sitting in front of the copper mirror and had just caught sight of her unhidden expression.

  Qingfeng's slender hands deftly inserted the last jade hairpin into her hair, and she smiled contentedly: "Miss will surely outshine all the beauties in the capital today."

  "What nonsense are you talking about? If others heard this, they'd die laughing." Ye Li glanced at Qingfeng with a confident look and scolded in a low voice.

  Qingfeng's eyes sparkled as she smiled and said: "In Qingfeng's eyes, miss is the most beautiful woman in the world."

  "It doesn't matter if it's beautiful or not, as long as it can be used. Let's go, don't be late."

  Qingfeng and Qingxia hastily followed behind Yelü, with Qingfeng whispering in a low voice, "I wonder if the Ding Wang will come to attend the Hundred Flowers Grand Assembly."

  Qing Xia glanced at Ye Li walking in front of her and said in a low voice, "The Hundred Flowers Gathering is a gathering of the noble ladies of the capital, although every year some famous people are invited to comment, but it seems that Ding Wang has never participated before."