GBP Chapter 552: She Must Not Be Allowed to Enter the Prince's Mansion
Chapter 552: She Must Not Be Allowed to Enter the Prince's Mansion
Mrs. Cui announced the official start of the poetry and painting competition.
The rules of the banquet are that the theme is peach blossoms, with two people in a group, one painting and one poem.
Finally, everyone will vote together, and the top three will receive gifts prepared by the Cui family.
Mrs. Cui raised her hand, and her two children came out holding prizes.
The first place winner will receive a pair of imperial luminous cups, made of transparent jade and worth a fortune, which are gifts presented to the emperor on his birthday.
The second place was a prize added by the Queen, a pair of mutton-fat white jade dragon and phoenix bracelets. Although not as good as the luminous cups, they were crystal clear and still valuable.
The third place went to Madam He and Grand Tutor He. They had two jade hairpins, both in the bamboo joint style, but the one the woman used had more bamboo leaves, which made it more feminine.
Compared with the value of the first two, the lucky numbers of Madam He and Master He are more meaningful as blessings.
Su Lingyue looked at the pair of silver hairpins, her heart moving slightly. A pair of hairpins used by a couple who had lived together for a long time, they were very suitable for her and Xiao Yu.
In the center of the banquet hall, Madam Cui smiled as she outlined the final rules. "The poetry and painting competition must be completed before 3 p.m. During this time, please find a suitable place to enjoy the flowers and paint. Gather here before 3 p.m. to determine the top three."
After Mrs. Cui finished speaking, she led her two children and left the peach blossom forest with the prize. The young men and women from the noble families began to look for people who had figured out the numbers and discussed how to paint.
*
He Qianqian couldn't wait to follow Madam He to find the prince.
Su Lingyue's identity is there, so there is no need to move it.
Diagonally opposite, Fang Bingwen was sitting there. He looked at Su Lingyue and lowered his head again, looking very hesitant. Su Lingyue was not in a hurry and picked up the fruit wine and took a sip.
"My lady, you are still injured and cannot drink too much!"
Caiyi grumbled, snatched the wine glass from Su Lingyue's hand, placed it on the table, and then picked up a piece of lotus cake and pressed it into her hand. "You can eat as much snack as you want."
Su Lingyue looked at the wine glass on the table, her eyes full of reluctance. "Can't we just have one more drink?"
At the mansion and during banquets on weekdays, Xiao Yu couldn't drink, so she would accompany him without drinking. Today, Xiao Yu was not here, and she was really eager to satisfy her craving.
"No!" Caiyi frowned and refused bluntly.
"Okay!" Su Lingyue said aggrievedly and started to take small bites of the pastry.
Before he had taken a few bites of the cake, Fang Bingwen, who had been hesitating at his seat for a while, came over with his servant.
"Princess!" Fang Bingwen held the fan and bowed politely.
Su Lingyue put down half a piece of cake, took the handkerchief handed to her by Caiyi, wiped the corner of her mouth, and said with a smile: "Mr. Fang, there is no need to be so polite. Please sit down."
Su Lingyue pointed to Mrs. Cui's table next to her. She had left with her two children, and the seat was now empty.
"Yes."
Fang Bingwen sat down on the stool a little stiffly.
Su Lingyue turned her head to look at him and asked, "Mr. Fang, do you have a girl you like? If so, today is a rare opportunity. You can exchange her with someone else."
Fang Bingwen's ears suddenly turned red, and he waved his hands repeatedly, "No...no."
Looking at his appearance, it is hard to compare him with the way he looked at Qingfeng Pavilion last year.
Su Lingyue nodded calmly, "Okay, then you and I will form a team."
Fang Bingwen nodded in agreement, then hesitantly asked, "Um, Princess, what are you good at?"
He went to see it specifically, and it was hard to imagine how a young lady from a secluded place could have managed to get through it. He felt pain in his back just by watching.
With such a serious injury, he probably can't paint.
But being punished by His Majesty is not a decent thing, so it is not easy to bring it up in person. It is better to give her the right to choose.
Unexpectedly, Su Lingyue didn't care at all. "I'm injured and can't paint. How about you paint and I write the poem?"
Fang Bingwen looked at her and was stunned for a moment. "Okay, but my painting skills are very poor. I hope Princess will not despise me."
Su Lingyue said calmly, "I didn't come to the flower viewing banquet today for the prize."
Hearing her say this, Fang Bingwen was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he saw Su Lingyue's eyes sparkling, looking at the direction where Madam Cui left with a hint of envy, "But I really like that pair of hairpins. If I can get them, it will be worth the trip!"
The warm spring sun shone through the peach blossom branches onto Fang Bingwen's face, dazzling him. He stared blankly at the beautiful woman under the peach tree.
"I will do my best!"
"Well, thank you for your help." Su Lingyue said with a smile.
"I dare not. Then, I will go find a suitable spot for painting first."
After Fang Bingwen finished speaking, he walked away with his body stiff and his hands and feet clumsy.
Caidie couldn't help but giggle, "He looks so stupid!"
Caiyi also covered her lips with a handkerchief and chuckled.
Her daughter was a beautiful and bright girl, and she knew it. She had often used her beauty to do similar things in the past, and the results were surprisingly good.
*
After sending Fang Bingwen away, Su Lingyue put away the smile on her face and set her eyes on Xiao Changshi, He Qianqian and Su Nanxing who were not far away.
Xiao Changshi looked at the future Crown Princess, then looked at Madam He who was bowing beside her. He saw that Madam He was smiling and looking at him.
This smile made Xiao Changshi feel uneasy.
The welcoming banquet that he least wanted to think about, the welcoming banquet that made him lose face, came to his mind again.
Xiao Changshi clenched his hands on the table and his face gradually became cold.
At the welcoming banquet, He Qianqian and Xiao Changshi only greeted each other through a screen. Today was the first time He Qianqian saw Xiao Changshi at such a close distance.
His skin was whiter than snow, his face was handsome, and his pair of peach blossom eyes were so affectionate that they seemed to drown people. Although his face was cold, the majesty of a superior matched his handsome appearance, making it almost impossible to take your eyes off him.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince." He Qianqian lowered her head slightly and bowed shyly to Xiao Changshi, her cheeks slightly red, revealing the girl's innocence.
Xiao Changshi forced himself not to look at the smiles on Madam He and He Qianqian's faces, and pulled the corners of his mouth stiffly, "Madam He, Miss He, there's no need to be so polite. Please stand up."
"Yes."
The two of them stood up, and He Qianqian shyly spread out her white and tender palm, with the same number one on her palm as Xiao Changshi.
She boldly met Xiao Changshi's gaze and smiled charmingly, "Your Highness, do you think we are destined to be together?"
Looking at the smile on He Qianqian's face, Xiao Changshi felt as if he was in a cold pond, and his back felt cold.
How many people in the He family knew that he was incontinent that day? Was He Qianqian making fun of him, or was she going to use this incident to control him after they got married?
Xiao Changshi was thinking about all the possibilities in his mind. Unconsciously, the smile he had forced on himself gradually disappeared, replaced by a cold and disgusted look.
"Brother Prince, Miss He is asking you something." Su Nanxing gently reminded Xiao Changshi.
He was distracted just now and had left He Qianqian alone for a while.
"What did you say?" Xiao Changshi came back to his senses, looked at He Qianqian, and asked with a slight frown.
He Qianqian looked at Xiao Changshi with some confusion and disappointment. Her expression was no longer as excited as before. "Your Highness, we are both number one. Isn't it fate?"
"Well, yes." Xiao Changshi replied coldly.
In an instant, looking at Xiao Changshi's cold expression, the smile on He Qianqian's face disappeared little by little.
Looking at Xiao Changshi's stern expression, He Qianqian still mustered up the courage to ask, "Your Highness, what are your thoughts on this competition?"
Xiao Changshi's patience and disgust had reached their peak, and he didn't want to face the mother and daughter of the He family again.
"I don't feel like painting today, so you can paint a picture at will, and then I can write a poem for you later. Now go on."
"Yes."
He Qianqian and Mrs. He bowed and left together.
Even though her reaction was slow, He Qianqian had a feeling in her heart at this moment that the prince disliked her, and even hated her.
"Qianqian..." Mrs. He looked at her daughter's originally pink and cute face, which was now full of loss, and couldn't help feeling distressed.
"Perhaps His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is in a bad mood because of Princess Su. You should finish your painting first and show your talent. Once His Royal Highness truly gets to know you, he will definitely like you, huh?"
He Qianqian thought of Xiao Changshi's handsome face, and her heart gradually warmed up again, "I know, mother."
Looking at He Qianqian's lost back, Su Nanxing curled the corners of his lips.
Just now, judging from the prince's reaction, he didn't like He Qianqian at all.
She was very satisfied with the result.
Without the favor of the Crown Prince, even if she entered the Crown Prince's Mansion, He Qianqian would not be her match.
Su Nanxing shifted her gaze to Shen Bi, and felt uncomfortable seeing her coquettish smile when she was talking to Yang Jingxuan.
Shen Bi was quite skillful in dealing with Zheng Chengrui just now.
I absolutely cannot let her enter the Prince's Mansion!