"Indeed, it is a fairy's grace and jade-like countenance."
Yun girl murmured involuntarily:
"Jade dew in the fairy pool tints frosty glow, green leaves and golden petals defy the twilight's blush. Unrivaled in color among blooms, alone with its fresh fragrance brings blessings to a thousand homes."
She indeed possesses some talent and is quite obsessed with poetry and verses.
After a single word, everyone clapped in approval.
Anping almost sighed and said, "No wonder you like chrysanthemum so much. It's really beautiful."
Mu Rong Huiyan glanced at her and said, "I love chrysanthemums because they bloom in the depth of autumn, fearless of the frost, and possess such noble and steadfast character."
Anping: "……"
"After the lotus has spent its blooms and rain-holding umbrellas, chrysanthemums still bear their defiant boughs against the frost. Chrysanthemums indeed possess a resilient and indomitable spirit, inspiring respect and admiration."
The wife of the Left Prime Minister also made a sound of admiration.
This time, others became energetic, one person speaking a sentence and another person reciting a line, either inspired to write a sentence or quoting the poetry of their predecessors. At the moment, ears were filled with verses related to chrysanthemums. Ou Linpo's eyes were unfocused, and for a moment, it felt as if they had returned to the elementary school of childhood. It seemed that drowsiness would come at any second.
Mu Rong Huiyan, however, was quite pleased.
Sometimes she is like a child with such a petty nature. She likes to hear good words, even if she knows that you are trying to curry favor. As long as you don't take advantage of the situation, she is happy.
Seeing this, everyone became even more enthusiastic.
The lively atmosphere led to midday, with the bells chiming together, marking the formal start of the banquet.
Mu Rong Huiyan changed into a festive dress, the toastmaster read the longevity essay, and then it was time for "The Centennial Banquet".
In fact, there were not one hundred dishes, nine being the extreme number, and "The Centennial Banquet" refers to ninety-nine dishes arranged in the shape of a "longevity" character and served to the diners.
The formal banquet went smoothly without any mishaps. Everyone said some auspicious words, toasted to Mu Rong Huiyan, chatted in low voices with those nearby, and while they enjoyed the feast, they also admired the dancers performing the longevity dance.
After the third round of drinks, the guests, with nothing to do, would play the "Flying Petals" game to pass the time. On most occasions, such birthday banquets featured poems with words such as "longevity" or "happiness". The winner would receive a special gift from the host.
However, Mu Rong Huiyan did not want to conform to others. Of course, she also knew that her closest friend was not adept at poetry and literature. She feared that her friend might feel out of place without participating, so she canceled the "Flying Petals" procedure and set up a small game called "Arrow Shooting for Color".
These days, scholars study poetry, books, rituals, music, and archery. Young ladies also have similar activities, such as the game of "Tossing Arrows".
The game consists of placing a jade bottle at a certain distance, where people hold feathers or gold hairpins and aim to throw them into the mouth of the bottle. If the arrow or hairpin enters the bottle, the thrower wins.
Today's jade bottle is placed seven paces away. Mu Rong Huiyan has someone bring out a tray.
The noble ladies looked closely and saw a coral hairpin on the tray, its entire body shining with a deep, rose-like red luster.
The coral hairpin is placed on a wooden tray, its intense scarlet complemented by gold, jade, and pearl colors. Under sunlight, the red coral hairpin radiates a warm deep red hue, while the cold light of the green feathers creates a contrasting cold-warm effect. It's like a treasure from the sea reflecting palace lights and fireworks.
The ladies can almost visualize the hairpin, when worn in the hair, swaying with its tassels and emitting a soft chime, as if it were weaving the East Sea's tide and heavenly auspicious clouds into one's hair.
In a woman's world, that's the appeal of such elegance. In an instant, it seemed as if the entire space fell silent.
This is a different kind of luxurious beauty from the earlier green chrysanthemum.
The crowd's reaction was indeed positive, and Mu Rong Huiyan looked even happier. She waved her hand and said, "The competition will end in one incense burning. The winner of the arrow shooting will receive the coral hairpin."
After she finished speaking, she sent Zheng Lingbo a reassuring look, indicating that this coral hairpin was actually prepared for her.
Zheng Lingbo: "……"
In that case, with so many noble ladies present, it seems that she is truly the descendant of a military family?
Zheng Lingbo couldn't help but recall and realized that indeed, that was the case.
It's not that there are so few generals in this era. It's just that the families of general-level soldiers are not in the capital, and only Zheng's father, Zheng Weimin, was granted a residence in the capital due to his previous significant achievements. His family then settled here.
Some of the daughters of military officials remained in the capital, but because of their relatively low rank, they were not invited to the scene of Mu Rong Huiyan's birthday banquet.
Upon reflecting on this, Zheng Lingbo couldn't help but smile at Mu Rong Huiyan's glance, finding her to be quaint and playful.
The onlookers didn't notice the silent communication between Zheng Lingbo and Mu Rong Huiyan. They only heard Mu Rong Huiyan say that the winner would receive the coral hairpin, and they all started to get excited, itching to compete.
As for Zheng Lingbo, being the daughter of a military officer, there really weren't many people who paid attention to her.
Everyone knows that it's because the third son of the Yao family prefers the weak and delicate style of the Wei and Jin dynasties, and Zheng Lingbo has never learned any martial arts like the rest of them.
Of course, the guests were unaware that Zheng Lingbo had not practiced martial arts after she turned ten. However, since her rebirth, she had gradually changed her habits and interests from years past. Nowadays, she practices shooting arrows and playing with guns every morning to keep fit. Her height has even increased by a few inches as a result.
Two months ago, she might have been on par with everyone else, but after nearly two months of practice, she is undoubtedly much stronger than these noble ladies.
Only when they actually began the game did the noble ladies realize that this might be the moment for Zheng Lingbo to shine.
The mouth of the pot is very small, not even the size of a palm, and the feathers are long. If the force is not well controlled when throwing, the center of gravity will shift, and the arrow will simply lie horizontally across the mouth of the pot, unable to be thrown in.
Worse still, several of the young girls didn't even have enough strength, let alone accuracy. They couldn't even throw an arrow close to the jade pot.
At the beginning, everyone was at the same level, and no one was laughing at each other. It's just that they were very sorry, as they missed the beautiful coral hairpin.
When it came to Zheng Lingbo's turn, the moment she stood there, her posture was distinctly different from that of the other noble ladies.
The crowd exchanged looks, feeling that something was slightly off.
When Zheng Lingbo started, a few people who were close by couldn't help but take a deep breath.
Are you serious, my sister?
The girls who had tried to throw the arrow before were momentarily stunned and could only say, after a long pause, "No wonder she comes from a military family."
Zheng Lingbo was not the most exceptional, but her hands were more stable, and she had slightly more strength, able to hit at least five out of ten with a relaxed and leisurely throw.
unlike the other noble ladies, who might hit one or two out of ten by luck, some even failed to hit any within the time of a stick of incense.
Zheng Lingbo's performance was so impressive that it earned a round of applause from the crowd.
The crowd cheered loudly, but some of them couldn't help but feel uneasy in their hearts.
Thinking about the entire birthday banquet of Princess Fule, it was Zheng Lingbo who showcased her charm with a pot of green chrysanthemums earlier, and now she had done so again with the arrow shooting.
Looking at it like that, during the entire birthday banquet of Princess Fule, except for when she wore a bright and vibrant longevity suit, it was actually Zheng Lingbo who stood out in every way. Is that reasonable?
