webnovelfull Chapter 519: It’s not your turn to gossip about my wife
Chapter 519: It’s not your turn to gossip about my wife
Bai Qiaoniang sat upright on a cushion embroidered with lotus flowers, the silver embroidery thread on her moon-white skirt gleaming faintly.
She smiled faintly and said, "Since the sisters are all interested, I will risk my life to accompany you and join in the fun."
Seeing this, Shen Mingyue immediately turned to look at the older ladies present and said with a sweet smile, "Elders, just enjoy yourselves and drink. Leave all this noisy stuff to us youngsters!"
The ladies nodded with smiles, then stepped aside, gently waving their fans.
"Then let's start with the word 'flower'! I'll go first - flowers near tall buildings hurt the heart of visitors." Shen Mingyue spoke first, looking at Bai Qiaoniang provocatively.
"The flowers fall and the water flows." Bai Qiaoniang answered, her voice like a clear spring passing over rocks, neither fast nor slow.
Miss Wang, standing by, twisted her handkerchief anxiously. After a moment's thought, she blurted out, "The flowers have faded, the red is gone, and the green apricots are small!"
The Feihua Order was played like flowing water, with people talking one after another, sometimes frowning in thought, sometimes clapping and cheering.
As the verses became more difficult, some began to hesitate.
In the blink of an eye, it was Bai Qiaoniang's turn to take the order. She sat upright, took a sip of tea, and spoke slowly:
“The flower is not a flower, the fog is not fog.
It comes at midnight and leaves at dawn."
As soon as the words fell, the hall was silent for a moment, and then applause broke out.
Miss Zhang said loudly:
"These words are very interesting, I don't know where she learned them from.
It sounds different from the poems we usually recite.”
When Bai Qiaoniang heard this, she smiled sheepishly and said, "I'm sorry to have made fun of you all. Some of these lyrics were written by my father a while ago. I memorized them because I thought they sounded good."
Shen Mingyue twirled the handkerchief in her hand, her tone a bit sour: "I thought you wrote it all yourself, but it turns out you have a ready-made one."
Bai Qiaoniang said frankly, "Yes! My father is very knowledgeable and talented, and I admire him too."
Shen Mingyue suddenly put the handkerchief around her wrist, stared at Bai Qiaoniang and said:
"Since your father is such a good poet, why don't we stop playing flying flowers and just write poems on the spot!
Let's take these flowers in front of us as the theme and see who can write the most brilliantly."
Miss Zhao shook the agate bracelet on her wrist and deliberately stretched out her tone:
“It’s said that a tiger father will have a dog daughter, and Lord Bai is a literary giant.
We must open our eyes today and see Mrs. Huo's masterpiece!"
Madam Qian waved a round fan painted with broken peony branches and glanced at Bai Qiaoniang from the corner of her eye: "Of course. An ordinary girl wouldn't even understand the rhythm of a poem. How can she compare with Madam Huo?"
Before he finished speaking, a few deliberately suppressed sneers were heard from the table.
Shen Mingyue picked up the teacup and sipped it gently, hiding the smugness on her lips:
"Don't just talk, the writing is ready.
If Mrs. Huo has a masterpiece hidden away, please don't keep us waiting."
Shen Mingyue deliberately raised her voice, her words piercing:
"But let me be frank, you have to write it yourself!
You can't just take everything from your elders to make up for it, right?"
Bai Qiaoniang smiled softly and nodded in agreement: "Okay, let's give it a try."
Soon, the maids brought a table, spread rice paper on it, and arranged the writing brushes and ink.
Shen Mingyue secretly glanced at Bai Qiaoniang and sneered in her heart, wondering what kind of things a woman from the countryside could come up with.
Thinking about it, she smiled and took a sip of tea. This kind of woman is really shameless. She actually dared to marry Huo Jun. She wanted to ruin her reputation and destroy her reputation.
Soon the tables were set up, and on each table was spread snow-white rice paper, with paperweights holding down the corners, and pens, inkstones and inkstones neatly placed.
Shen Mingyue picked up the pen and started writing. The ink spread across the paper, leaving beautiful handwriting. Soon, the entire sheet of paper was filled with writing.
Some ladies were biting their pens in a daze, while others were scribbling on draft paper, occasionally stealing glances at what others were writing.
Bai Qiaoniang lowered her eyes and thought for a moment, then quickly dipped the brush into ink, turned her wrist slightly, and the words fell on the paper one after another.
Before everyone finished writing, footsteps were suddenly heard outside, and General Huo came over accompanied by the eldest prince, the second prince, and the young master of a noble family.
The eldest prince lifted up the corner of his robe and sat on the stone bench, looking at the ladies who were composing poems in the garden with a smile: "Hey! This Hundred Flowers Banquet is new and exciting. Composing poems to the fragrance of flowers is much more interesting than those old-fashioned banquets in the palace!"
The Second Prince followed suit and turned to ask General Huo beside him, "General Huo, which one is your wife? I need to take a closer look!"
The young master of the Li family, who was wearing navy blue silk, curled his lips, tapped his palm with his folding fan and said:
"What good poetry can a country boy come up with?
Don’t write it down and make people laugh at you!”
Several young men nearby also joined in the commotion, saying one after another: "That's right, you can't even read a few characters, and you think you can write poetry? I'm afraid you can't even figure out the rhythm of the rhythm!"
The black iron sword at Huo Jun's waist made a slight sound as he moved. He strode forward, and the murderous aura around him made the discussion stop abruptly: "It's none of your business to gossip about my wife!"
His eyes swept over the crowd like a hawk, finally landing on Master Li: "Master Li is almost twenty and still unmarried. Instead of worrying about others, you should spend more time looking for a good marriage."
He turned to look at the other pale-faced young man and sneered:
"And you, I heard that your wife has returned to her parents' home?
"There's a terrible fire in the backyard, and instead of going to deal with it, you have the time to sit here and make trouble for others?"
The words hit the ground like a heavy hammer, and the whole yard was silent.
The eldest prince coughed and said, "Alright, alright, let's see what the result is."
She lowered her eyes and glanced at Bai Qiaoniang's back as she worked at the desk, a hint of contempt rising from the corner of her lips. The more people, the better.
Wait a minute and see this country woman make a fool of herself in front of everyone and lose her reputation.
Shen Mingyue suddenly straightened her back, and lightly moved in front of the First and Second Princes with lotus steps, bowing gracefully and saying:
"Your Highnesses' presence truly brightens our humble abode!
It just so happens that the sisters are currently competing in poetry. If Your Highness could be our judge, we would definitely be able to determine who is the better one! "
Her voice was gentle, with just the right amount of coquettishness at the end.
The eldest prince smiled heartily, and the second prince nodded as well.
The two of them walked slowly to the long desk filled with manuscripts of poems. The rice paper with wet ink on it trembled slightly in the breeze.
When their eyes fell on Shen Mingyue's poem, the eldest prince raised his eyebrows slightly and read softly:
"Pink petals wet with dew reflect the morning sun, butterflies and bees flutter around the corridors... My cousin's poem is simple in words but vivid in meaning, and it is easy to read.
It really has the lively atmosphere of spring when hundreds of flowers are in full bloom!"
The Second Prince also nodded repeatedly: "Not bad, not bad. It doesn't use flowery language, but instead exudes a certain agility. It's obvious that you put in some real effort."
Shen Mingyue's cheeks flushed, and she smiled sweetly behind her handkerchief:
“Yue’er is truly overwhelmed to receive praise from my two cousins.
I just wrote it casually, and it's far inferior to what you sisters can do!"