“Swallows are so pitiful…”
“But milk-braised bird’s nest is delicious too—what should I do?”
After hearing Shen Yunshu’s remark, Ji Xinyi frowned at the bowl of milk bird’s nest in front of her, falling into deep internal conflict.
“Heh—interesting!”
From the other side came a light, slightly roguish chuckle. Prince Yi’an rose to his feet and cupped his hands toward the women’s side. His voice carried clearly through the screen.
“May I ask which young lady composed that poem just now?”
Shen Yunshu stood and offered a half-curtsy. “Shen Yunshu of the Zhenbei Prince’s Mansion.”
“So it’s County Lady Yunshu. I’ve long heard that you are both talented and beautiful. Yet the rumors all say you’re an aloof, icy beauty. Seeing you today, I find you far more interesting than the tales suggest.”
Shen Yunshu swept a glance across the noble ladies watching her, sighed inwardly, and thought: This Prince Yi’an really knows how to stir trouble.
“Your Highness flatters me,” she replied calmly. “I’m hardly skilled in poetry, and certainly unworthy of the phrase ‘talented and beautiful.’ It was nothing more than a casual verse—perhaps only barely amusing.”
Prince Yi’an’s interest only grew. “County Lady is too modest. If there’s a chance, I’d love to seek your guidance in poetry someday.”
“You’re too kind, Your Highness. I dare not.”
After a few polite exchanges, Shen Yunshu shot Princess Le’an a look, urging her to hurry and start the next round to divert everyone’s attention.
“I noticed several noble ladies looking rather unhappy just now,” Ji Xinyi whispered excitedly as she leaned over, eager for gossip.
“If you weren’t so young—and only a county lady—they’d probably be showing it much more openly. Who would’ve thought Prince Yi’an, at such a young age, could attract so many bees and butterflies?”
Shen Yunshu shook her head helplessly. She was still just a child!
Sigh. Ancient people really do mature early.
But no matter how early, they were still teenage girls—easily drawn to flirtatious young men.
It seemed that even the cleverest people couldn’t escape the rule of falling for a scoundrel in youth.
And this Prince Yi’an practically had the words ‘trash man’ written all over his face.
While Shen Yunshu and Ji Xinyi were talking, the glass cup drifted to Wen Peihan.
“The spring breeze is cold, petals fall—
Who knows if winter has fully passed?”
Wen Peihan calmly took the cup, casually recited a poem, drank it all, then nodded politely to the group.
“Wen Peihan of the Wen Ducal House—”
The eunuch suddenly raised his voice, announcing her name loudly as if calling out from a registry.
Though the men couldn’t see the poet through the screen, they had a eunuch on their side as well. If someone showed interest, the eunuch would quietly announce the poet’s identity after the verse was finished.
Which was precisely why Shen Yunshu thought Prince Yi’an’s earlier behavior had been deliberately provocative.
After Prince Yi’an struck up conversation with Shen Yunshu, Princess Le’an had whispered instructions to the nearby eunuchs—ordering them to loudly announce each poet’s name when presenting the cup.
That way, no one could pretend ignorance to flirt with the women.
“Jiang Xuanyan of the Jiang Family, daughter of the Minister of Rites—”
“Fallen petals drift with the wind,
Flowing water delivers fine delicacies.”
Jiang Xuanyan, thinking someone on the men’s side had asked after her, shyly accepted the cup and added a line.
The Crown Prince, however, hadn’t caught Princess Le’an’s intention. He simply thought the idea was clever and gestured for his eunuchs to follow suit.
“Cao Haiping of the Cao Family, Vice Censor-in-Chief—”
“Peach blossoms fall upon one’s hair,
Fair ladies smile ever more brightly.”
After Cao Haiping sat down, Jiang Xuanyan’s expression stiffened for a moment as she realized that from now on, everyone would have their name announced.
“Zheng Hongwen of the Zheng Family, Minister of the Court of Judicial Review—”
“Petals fall into the glass cup,
One drink, and beauties blush.”
“Feng Jiawen of the Feng Family, Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial—”
“Floating cups on winding streams,
Spring breeze and slanted sun.
Fine wine among flowers,
Red sleeves add fragrance.”
“Chen Shiruo of the Chen Family, Grand Commandant’s House—”
“Wine drifts with the current,
Red apricot branches burst with life.”
“Sun Jinhui of the Sun Family, Censorate—”
“Radiant peach blossoms—
Into whose home do they fall?”
As the men’s poems grew increasingly suggestive, many of the noble ladies blushed. Shen Yunshu’s eyes gleamed brighter with amusement.
Tsk—this is basically a massive matchmaking show!
Especially the older ones—each of them practically spreading their feathers like peacocks. The intent couldn’t be clearer.
This wasn’t a banquet at all—it was a blind date.
“Cao Haiyue of the Cao Family—”
“Rustling spring winds,
First meeting with Zi Ning.”
“Huh? That line doesn’t mention flowers or plants,” Ji Xinyi suddenly chimed in, chin propped on her hand as she watched the spectacle.
Shen Yunshu reached under the table and tugged Ji Xinyi’s sleeve.
Things were already heating up—this was peak matchmaking time. What were they, the younger ones, butting in for? Didn’t she see how the older participants were already openly trading love verses?
Who still cared about sticking to the theme? Feeling was everything now.
Cao Haiyue smiled awkwardly. “My oversight—my apologies.”
The cup had stopped right after Sun Jinhui’s turn. In her excitement, she’d forgotten about the set theme entirely.
One noble lady, displeased that Cao Haiyue had deliberately responded to Sun Jinhui’s verse, sneered aloud, “Seems someone was too eager to express her feelings to bother with the topic.”
Exposed so directly, Cao Haiyue flushed even more.
Earlier, when the cup was among the men, flirtatious verses were expected. But her own response—especially after a cup of sweet wine—had been far too obvious.
Still, she didn’t think she’d done anything wrong.
Who didn’t know what these flower-viewing banquets were really for? Surely not just drinking wine and admiring blossoms.
Those invited to the princess’s banquet were all legitimate sons and daughters of noble families. Her own background wasn’t especially prominent—if she encountered someone with good looks and status, she naturally had to act before others did.