The guards turned their heads, their gazes sharp, before continuing forward.
From the carriage embroidered with the character “Qing”, a window opened. A delicate white hand lifted the curtain, and Liu Qi’an caught a glimpse of Long Princess’s pointed snow-white chin. Her rosy lips moved slightly: “Follow.”
His heart leaped with joy, and he was about to spur his horse closer when, from the corner of his eye, he noticed the window of the fourth carriage opening. A round, beautiful face peeked out, brimming with charm and allure.
She stared at Liu Qi’an, their gazes meeting. Her lips curled into a smile before she closed the window.
“Was that the Second Princess? Tsk… the Emperor’s daughters are truly beautiful,” Liu Qi’an thought to himself as he withdrew his gaze, silently comparing the two princesses.
When it comes to different types of beauties, you might lose sleep over them, but trying to rank them is meaningless. It all depends on personal preference.
Although many men claim to like black stockings, mature women, lolitas, uniforms… having a wide range of interests, and boundless love, even these perverts have their aesthetic preferences.
Liu Qi’an didn’t judge which princess was more beautiful. From his impression, Long Princess leaned towards the cool type, like a lotus flower on a snowy mountain. Knowing her to be noble, elegant, and ethereally beautiful, one couldn’t help but want to tease her, just to see her flustered and shy.
As for the Second Princess, Liu Qi’an hadn’t interacted much with her, but from that one glance, he had already imagined her in short shorts hugging her round, perky bottom, a white tank top restraining her budding chest, snow-white legs in white sneakers, swaying freely on a dance floor, her wavy hair flying. In his era, she’d be the quintessential club queen.
As mentioned before, girls who love clubbing tend to have good fertility, but since the Second Princess was from ancient times, Liu Qi’an couldn’t be sure about that.
…
Today, the princes and princesses were going out for a meal and activities. The location was a picturesque small lake within the imperial city.
The lakeside was planted with evergreen snow cedars and dragon junipers, as well as patches of currently withered flower beds. Come spring next year, the scenery will surely be even more beautiful.
Today, the sunshine was warm and there was no wind – perfect weather for basking in the sun.
By the lake, there was a square platform where servants set up tables, lit sandalwood incense, and took out layers of exquisite delicacies from food boxes.
Liu Qi’an tied his horse to a tree and silently followed behind Long Princess. Two maids lifted her skirt for her.
Long Princess’s hairstyle was simple and refreshing, adorned with a priceless golden buyao. The golden thread tassels at the end were adorned with round pearls, swaying gracefully as she walked, truly a sight to behold.
Although they didn’t communicate verbally, Liu Qi’an naturally followed behind her, acting as her guard.
The other princes and princesses also alighted from their luxurious carriages. Liu Qi’an glanced at them; all were good-looking. The Crown Prince wore a white dragon robe, his hair bound with a golden crown, exceptionally handsome.
In truth, the appearances of the princes weren’t worth paying attention to, including the Crown Prince. No matter how handsome they were, none could compare to the beauty of Liu Ciju.
Among the four princesses, Long Princess and Second Princess were exceptionally beautiful, standing out as great beauties.
When it came time to be seated, the Second Princess, whether intentionally or not, took the seat that should have belonged to Long Princess.
No one reprimanded her; the princes and princesses seemed accustomed to this and ignored it. Long Princess didn’t go to sit in Second Princess’s place, instead sitting at a table apart from her.
Could it be that Long Princess and Second Princess don’t get along? Liu Qi’an made a mental note of this detail.
The Crown Prince looked around at his brothers and sisters and said, “It’s been a while since we’ve come out to play together.”
The princes chimed in agreement, while the princesses smiled demurely.
Liu Qi’an’s gaze fell on the lake, where he saw black shadows darting about, unsure of what creatures were being kept there.
At the banquet, the Crown Prince took on the role of host, responsible for leading topics and presiding over the gathering.
There are only so many drinking games at a banquet and even fewer elegant ones. Given the status of those present, dice and finger-guessing games were certainly out of the question. They needed to play refined games.
There are many refined games, and setting aside on-the-spot poetry composition for high-end gatherings, the “flying flower” game is one of the more challenging ones.
The Crown Prince started with the theme “water”, using it as the first character.
In the Second Prince’s poem, the second character had to be “water”, and so on.
With many princes and few princesses present, by the end of the first round, the Seventh Prince wracked his brains but couldn’t recall a poem ending with the character “water”. He was penalized with a drink.
The Eighth Prince had passed away years ago.
The Ninth Prince was responsible for continuing the game, starting with “water” like the Crown Prince had.
When it came to the Second Princess’s turn, her bright almond eyes widened, her dark pupils spinning. She clapped her small hands and said in a clear voice, “I’ve got one! ‘Sparse shadows fall askew, the water clear and shallow.'”
The bright sunlight fell upon her, dressed in vibrant red palace attire, adorned with elaborate and luxurious accessories. Ordinary women couldn’t pull off such extravagant, even gaudy, attire.
But on her, it became a bonus. Long Princess’s nobility was in her bones, while Second Princess was more like a beautiful and luxurious golden canary. No matter how extravagant her attire, it only added to her beauty. But in plain clothes, Second Princess would likely pale in comparison to Long Princess.
The Crown Prince smiled and said, “I’ve heard this poem before. It’s circulating from the Imperial Music Bureau, seemingly composed by a student from Langle County. It’s praised by scholars as the ultimate ode to plum blossoms, unparalleled in ancient and modern times.”
The Third Prince, with his scholarly demeanor, commented, “What a pity that such a brilliant piece was gifted to a courtesan. It’s a waste of talent.”
Stories of love between talented scholars and famous courtesans were widely popular in society but were indeed improper, especially in the eyes of the royal family.
The Third Prince was a scholar and felt distressed about this.
How is it a waste of talent? With this poem, Floating Fragrance became the top celebrity in the Great Qi Dynasty, and I seized the opportunity to establish a mutually beneficial relationship with her. It’s a win-win situation! Liu Qi’an thought, feeling unconvinced.
The drinking game continued until it reached Long Princess, who faced the same challenge as the Seventh Prince.
Poems ending with “water” were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Although Long Princess was learned and talented, she wasn’t well-versed in poetry. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly as she fell silent.
Seeing this, Second Princess giggled, “Huaiqing is the top talent in our capital. Surely a little poem won’t stump you.”
Second Princess was indeed a bit of a show-off… I’ll call you Biaobiao from now on! Liu Qi’an thought to himself.
In fact, for many men, a bit of showing off is more attractive. Of course, Liu Qi’an was not that kind of man.
The princes and princesses watched with smiles. Long Princess’s talent outshone her brothers and sisters, and even as a woman, she aroused jealousy. Everyone was happy to see her stumble in her area of expertise.
Long Princess ignored the teasing looks from her royal siblings and turned her head slightly, casting a casual glance at Liu Qi’an by her side.
…What are you looking at?
Liu Qi’an sighed inwardly. Long Princess was clever, knowing he had business with her and collecting payment in advance.
Why was Huaiqing looking at him?
The second Princess had been watching Long Princess closely, waiting for her to admit defeat so she could point and say, “Ha! You finally admit you’re all talk and no substance!”
But to her surprise, Huaiqing didn’t panic at all and even exchanged glances with that little constable.
The other princes and princesses noticed this to some extent, but their inner thoughts weren’t as rich as the Second Princess’s.
“Drunk, I know not that the sky is in the water!” Liu Qi’an pondered for a moment before whispering a line of poetry.
He quickly racked his brain, as this was the only poem he could think of that ended with “water”.
Long Princess nodded slightly and said in a clear voice, “Drunk, I know not that the sky is in the water.”
The second Princess was stunned, then disappointed. Her stinky sister still had some tricks up her sleeve.
The other princes frowned in thought, then looked towards the Third Prince. The Third Prince shook his head, “Huaiqing, I’ve never heard this poem before.”
Long Princess smiled faintly and said, “It’s a newly composed poem.”
Second Princess immediately perked up, saying in a coquettish voice, “Oh, oh, you’re cheating! Making up a line to fool us. Drink three cups as punishment.”
“Impromptu poetry is acceptable,” the Crown Prince smiled. “However, Huaiqing, you’ll need to compose a complete poem for it to count.”
The Third Prince nodded, “Elder Brother speaks wisely.”
Long Princess turned her head again, looking at Liu Qi’an as if to say, “It’s up to you now.”