Prince Jin and his entourage passed by a flower fence that was as high as a person. Through the gaps between the branches, Prince Jin saw Jiang Changning sitting there.
When going out to visit someone, Jiang Changning didn't dress as simply as he did that day.
She wore a cherry-red brocade long skirt embroidered with orchids, and a light pink satin shirt over it.
She had a hanging bun with three twisted gold flowers in the middle and cherry-shaped velvet flowers on both sides, making her look very cute.
I heard someone ask, "Sister Ning, what do you mean by laughing like that? Do you think that wise man is not smart?"
"I don't have any other meaning when I smile, I'm just smiling." Jiang Changning's soft voice sounded, causing the King of Jin to stop as he was about to leave.
Prince Jin curled the corners of his lips, Zhuang Ling
She really lives up to her name, charming, clever and lovable.
"I think there is something special about Sister Ning's smile. Sister Ning, why don't you tell me what you think about it?" The person who asked the question earlier said again.
After a pause, the man said, "Sister Ning, I always speak directly, you don't mind, right?"
"I don't mind." Jiang Changning smiled, "Since Fifth Sister wants to hear it, then I'll tell you."
Under everyone's gaze, Jiang Changning slowly said, "There are several questions in this wise man's story. First, how come the bead has nine bends?"
"It's a precious pearl that fell from the sky, and it naturally has many bends and turns." Zhuang Qingmei forced an explanation.
"Well, let's assume that the bend in the bead is natural. According to the wise man's method, we can use an ant to carry the thread and crawl from one end of the bead hole to the other to thread the thread. How big is the ant?"
"The ant is very small." Zhuang Qingmei replied.
"Sister Yue, ask someone to catch an ant and bring us a piece of string." Jiang Changning said.
Zhuang Juyue asked her maid to catch an ant in the corner.
"Come on, fifth sister, please tie this silk thread to the ant." Jiang Changning said with a smile.
Zhuang Qingmei said awkwardly: "How...how can this be tied?"
Zhuang Qingmei's behavior made Jiang Changning increasingly annoyed, so he deliberately asked again, "The story of the wise man threading beads is just a joke, I'm just laughing, what's the problem?"
Zhuang Qingmei pursed her lips, with reluctance in her eyes.
"No problem, and what you said makes a lot of sense." Prince Jin suddenly said.
The women were startled by the man's voice.
How could there be a man in this inner garden
Jiang Changning's eyes darkened slightly. Could this be Old Lady Huang San's plan
Zhuang Juyue asked in a deep voice: "Who?"
"Don't panic, Fourth Sister." Zhuang Gongzhao hurriedly said, leading the Prince of Jin and the others around the flower fence and appeared in front of the women, "Come and meet the Prince."
Jiang Changning recognized the man immediately; he was the one she had seen in Wenxin Temple.
His eyebrows slightly frowned. He was a prince, but he didn't know which prince he was and why he came to the Zhuang family? How did he end up in this inner garden
Jiang Changning was not slow to act despite his thoughts. He bowed with the other girls and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty. I pay my respects to Your Majesty."
"No need for formalities." King Jin said with a hollow voice.
All the girls stood up straight with their heads down, except Jiang Changning who was really well-behaved. She lowered her eyelids and looked at her hands folded on her abdomen. The other girls raised their eyes slightly and looked at Prince Jin cautiously.
The reason they were so rude was because the King of Jin was not only powerful but also had a good-looking appearance.
If there was a list of golden bachelors in the capital, Prince Jin would definitely be in the top three.
The reason why he failed to take the first place was because he was a remarried woman.
However, the former princess did not leave any offspring, so the new princess had to perform the rites of a concubine in front of the tablet of the former princess except during festivals, and there was not much difference in other days.
"Miss Zhuang, you are very insightful." Prince Jin walked to three steps away from Jiang Changning and smiled in a gentle voice.
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness. But my surname is not Zhuang." Jiang Changning calmly corrected his mistake in addressing her.
"I am sorry for being rude, young lady," Prince Jin said apologetically.
Zhuang Gongzhao couldn't wait to say, "Your Majesty, this is my sister, her maiden name is Juyue."
Girls have their own modesty and etiquette, and their maiden names should not be easily told to others.
Since Zhuang Gongzhao did not introduce himself and the Prince of Jin did not ask, no one was too embarrassed to give their own name.
Under the envious gazes of the other girls, Zhuang Juyue stepped out of the crowd with an elegant step, "Juyue greets His Majesty. I pay my respects to His Majesty."
"No need to be so polite, please stand up." Prince Jin supported them lightly and asked the names of the girls one by one in a very graceful manner.
In this way, he successfully learned Jiang Changning's name.
"You guys continue, I won't disturb you anymore." King Jin left with satisfaction.
"Farewell, Your Highness." The women saluted.
Prince Jin and his entourage left, but his appearance had far-reaching impact.
The girls were no longer as reserved as before, and they excitedly talked about every detail of Prince Jin.
There is a rumor in the capital that if you want to marry someone, you should marry Prince Jin.
This one said: "The prince is only twelve years old, and he can shoot wolves with a bow. How amazing."
That person said: "When the prince was fifteen years old, he wrote a palindrome poem, which has not been surpassed by anyone till now."
"When the prince was seventeen years old, he led five thousand cavalrymen to raid the enemy's rear camp and burned the enemy's granary, forcing the enemy to retreat."
"The 'Zen Gate Fu' written by the prince last year has gorgeous words and profound writing style. It will surely be passed down through the ages."
Jiang Changning picked up the teacup and drank the tea to hide the slightly raised corners of his lips.
To avoid Zhuang Qingmei asking her why she was laughing
This question is difficult to answer.
Why would a prince who holds military power want to study Buddhist scriptures
He simply had to do so because the people in higher positions were wary of him.
Someone praised: "Your Majesty is a gentleman without peer in the world!"
Some people praised: "The prince is a brave and resourceful hero."
There are also praises: "The prince is an expert in both calligraphy and painting, and his looks are better than Pan An!"
Any good word seems to be suitable for him.
It was said that the King of Jin talked for nearly half an hour before the girls, still unsatisfied, changed the subject.
They talked about the Twelve Flower Gods. Zhuang Jushui insisted that the plum blossom god of the first month of the lunar year was Princess Shouyang. Her reasoning was, "Women's plum blossom makeup originated from Princess Shouyang."
Qian Li believes that the plum blossom god of the first month of the lunar year should be Mei Fei, because "Mei Fei loved plum blossoms and planted plum trees everywhere she lived."
The two of them each had their own reasons and asked others to take sides.
Zhuang Qingmei, who loved staring at Jiang Changning, would not allow her to remain silent. "Sister Ning, what about you?"
Jiang Changning smiled faintly, "A tree blooms with the fragrance of ice and snow, whose family has just wiped off the winter makeup? People at that time did not know Heng Yiqu, and believed that the flower god was Shouyang."
She didn't say it directly, but deliberately recited a poem in response, also to respond to Zhuang Qingmei's words that she was not good at poetry.
She certainly didn't spend much time on poetry, but Zhuang Qingmei couldn't complain about it either.
Of the eighteen people, exactly nine supported Princess Shouyang and nine supported Concubine Mei.
The dispute was unresolved, and the host, Zhuang Juyue, hurried to smooth things over, "Literati and poets throughout the ages have enjoyed the flowers and written many interesting anecdotes, which led to the creation of the Twelve Flower Gods. Sisters, don't take it too seriously."
Everyone finally stopped dwelling on this issue and continued talking about other flower gods.
(End of this chapter)