The Marquis's wife thought carefully and asked, "What does the Queen think? Has she ever met these two girls?"
The Queen is the Marquis's daughter, and the Crown Prince is her younger brother, so she would definitely choose a good one for her younger brother.
The Marquis nodded and said, "The Queen has seen both daughters, but she can't make up her mind. The daughter of the Grand Secretary of the Hanlin Academy is well-known for her talent, but her appearance is hard to describe. The daughter of the Imperial Censor is the most beautiful woman in the capital, with both talent and beauty."
The Marquis's wife's heart skipped a beat: "Is it the daughter of Lord Hu? I heard that this year when the emperor was selecting concubines, she pretended to be sick and didn't go, saying that she didn't want to share a husband with other women. Although this girl is both talented and beautiful, she seems a little eccentric, which is not good."
The Marquis was also a little troubled.
Cui Boxiao searched the original owner's memory and seemed to have an impression of these two women, but he didn't want either of them. The only woman he wanted to marry was Liu Qiaoer.
But Liu Qiaoer told him to agree to the marriage first and find someone first.
But now the emperor's decree has not come down yet, so he has no room to turn back. Just as he was about to refuse, he heard Cui Hao speak.
"This is easy, father. There is a poetry competition in the capital every month. Since both girls are talented, why not go and see them secretly and let the eldest brother choose. Whoever he chooses will be the one."
Madam Hou's eyes lit up, and she counted on her fingers: "Tomorrow is the fifteenth, Bo Xiao, are you going?"
The original owner was actually a bit of a loser, neither good at literature nor martial arts. He would not attend these poetry conferences on weekdays. His daily routine was to go to the academy to study, and also to eat, drink and play with crickets with a group of friends.
The Marquis's wife didn't care about him. Only when the Marquis was in the capital would he stay at home quietly and go to the academy obediently.
Cui Boxiao saw the mockery in Cui Hao's eyes and smiled slightly: "It's okay to go and take a look. You should always marry a wife you like, just like mother and father, who add fragrance to your life and grow old together."
The Marquis's wife laughed when she heard it: "You little brat, you have even learned to tease your mother. Don't show off your little knowledge at the poetry gathering. Just look at the people quietly and come back to report to me."
Cui Hao smiled and said, "Both girls are talented. If my eldest brother wants to go, he must bring a talented person with him. Mother, I will go with him."
Madam Hou scolded, "How old are you? Your father will check your Kung Fu tomorrow. You should stay at home. Don't run around like crazy all day."
Cui Hao is the second son of the Marquis. Although he was born to his aunt, his aunt was the Marquis's maid, so Cui Hao grew up under the Marquis's lap.
Although the Marquis's wife was not as worried about him as Cui Boxiao, she also knew that Cui Hao must follow the Marquis and make achievements in order to have a future.
So I always urged him to practice martial arts and study.
There is no way, some people are born with good luck. Although Cui Hao always feels unbalanced, Cui Boyiao is really a loser. When he grows up, Cui Hao also understands his parents' painstaking efforts.
Although he looked down on Cui Boxiao, he had no choice but to accept the fact that he was the prince.
Although Cui Boyao grew up abroad and learned classical Chinese, he did not learn it in vain. However, just in case, he planned to take Liu Qiaoer with him.
When Cui Boxiao returned to the room, the news had already reached Liu Qiaoer's ears.
It was early winter when they came here. The weather was cool, but it hadn't snowed yet. Every autumn rain brought a chill. It had rained a few days ago, so the maids took out all the bedding in the house to dry in the sun.
Liu Qiao'er was also drying her quilts. Cui Boxiao came to her and asked her to go with him tomorrow: "Poetry gathering? There's one every month in the capital?"
Cui Boxiao nodded: "Yes, this Beiyuan Dynasty values literature over military affairs. There are many literary figures, but few soldiers who can lead troops. This is also the result of a dynasty that has been stable for a long time."
Liu Qiaoer thought for a moment and said, "When I first traveled through time, Du Zixu said that the great man would end this dynasty and establish a new regime. I looked up history and found that Beiyuan has been established for more than 200 years."
A dynasty lasted for more than two hundred years, and some systems became deeply rooted.
"As the saying goes, heroes emerge in troubled times. Only in troubled times can we find that great man. So we have to go out and see how the outside world has developed. Only then can we know what crisis this dynasty will face."
Cui Boxiao nodded: "People who can save the country from danger and have great ambitions are the great men we are looking for."
Liu Qiaoer sighed heavily: "You said Du Zixu didn't tell us the name, nor did he give us the information about that person. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack for us to find that person. What if that great man hasn't been born yet? How are we going to find him?"
When she said this, Cui Boxiao was also confused: "Then we have to survive in this society and wait for the development of events."
"Well, since you want to survive in this society, I'll first find you a wife who is of equal social status." Liu Qiaoer said playfully.
Cui Boxiao frowned helplessly: "I actually want to go and see who is easier to deal with and marry her. We can treat her as a brother and have more help when we need her."
Liu Qiaoer raised her eyebrows: "That won't do. If you don't like her and you marry her, won't that delay her life?"
Cui Boxiao thought of another idea: "Then let's ruin this marriage and make them all look down on me."
Liu Qiaoer glanced at him up and down and said, "The original owner is quite useless, you just need to do nothing."
Let’s wait and see. We can’t complete the mission in Fuli City anyway, we have to go out.
Early the next morning, Cui Boxiao, dressed in gorgeous prince's attire, went to the poetry meeting with Liu Qiaoer and Linglong.
This poetry gathering in the capital was held in a teahouse. Yesterday, Cui Boyao asked his servant to check the location of the teahouse.
Coincidentally, this teahouse happened to be the dowry from Mrs. Hou’s family.
The teahouse is in a great location, not far from the imperial city, has a large courtyard, and elegant pavilions and towers.
The teahouse is divided into two courtyards, the inner and outer courtyards. There are servants serving tea, as well as singing girls, dancers and tea girls performing. The outer courtyard is a two-story building facing the street, which is used to entertain people who come for tea and chat. The courtyard is suitable for various gatherings.
Cui Boxiao knew that the original owner did not like to attend such gatherings, mainly because he did not have much experience.
I seemed to have participated in it a few times before, but after being humiliated once, I never participated again.
This time, he did not leave rashly, but took Liu Qiaoer and Menglong to the second-floor box in the outer courtyard.
From this position, you can see everything going on in the inner courtyard, and also hear them reciting poems, composing couplets, and playing musical instruments and singing.
As for who pays, it is said that there will be a winner at every gathering. If the winner is a nobleman, he will pay. If the winner is someone's staff member, the host will pay.
This kind of gathering is used by aristocratic families and court officials to select talents, and the main targets are children from poor families, who also long for such an opportunity to be recommended for official positions. Of course, if a talented girl from some family is invited to come along, it would be the icing on the cake.
If any girl wants to show off, she can also attend such a banquet. In short, this kind of banquet is more open and civilized, and young talents in the capital flock to it.