Seeing this, Zeyan was totally stunned and got obsessed with her, murmuring, “What a girl! More delicate than the flowers and even prettier than the Spring! She is the girl I’ll be after for my life.”
Zeyan was so excited that he didn’t see Peiyuan was frowning and mumbling something.
After Lu Mingyue got off, she looked up to Xianxian and gave her a hand, “Xianxian, come on!”
Drawing the curtain, Xianxian smiled at her and said, “Oh, I’m really flattered that you are helping me off the coach, Miss Lu.”
Slowly getting off the coach, An Rushuang was very elegant in her water skirt as if she was a beauty coming out of the ancient painting. Thereafter, she looked at Qing Lu at her side. Knowing her intention, Qing Lu turned back and said something to those guards.
When Princess Anyang drew the curtains, those guards chanted together, “We won the battle, which deserves to be celebrated. Princess Anyang invites flower-lovers to the flower banquet. There’s a ring in the front of the Flower Tower. The winner will be awarded with the best peony in the country.” Hearing this, everyone was excited clapping their hands.
Peony represented wealth in the capital. The best peony would mean infinite wealth, which naturally made everyone rush for the prize.
Princess Anyang got off the coach among people’s ovation. Seeing this, she suddenly felt that it was much more pleasant to see these happy faces than those fawning ladies. At least, she did not need to pretend to smile at them.
Alas, being a Princess seemed more pathetic than being a prost.i.tute in the brothel?
Turning to the Flower Tower, they walked towards it. Although it was called Flower Tower, there were only some unnamed flowers growing there, apart from the peonies sent by Princess Anyang.
Bathing in the sun, the flowers, covered with morning dew, showed their respective beauties as if they were competing with each other in splendor.
Although purple peonies were very rare and precious, Princess Anyang adopted An Rushuang’s advise and put them at the most accessible place of the Tower so that everyone could see them. Bowing to Princess Anyang, the Tower guards were extremely surprised when seeing the purple peonies.
A lot of people were bustling outside of the tower.
“Look! Purple peonies! This kind of flower is very rare.”
“I’ve never seen purple peonies before.”
“Purple peony is the good omen of the country! The last time I saw purple peony was twenty years ago. This might be the last chance for me to see the purple peony.”
…
Among the busting, an odd high-pitch female’s voice was heard all of a sudden.
“Are you Princess Mingxi?”
It sounded indeed strange as if there was something in her mouth when she spoke, which made almost everyone turned to her with confusion.
Now that she knew Princess Mingxi, how come she didn’t know that Princess Mingxi was now holding the flower banquet in the palace? Why did she ask that?
Thinking so, An Rushuang couldn’t help sizing up her.
The girl was in a gold silk embroidered dress, the most popular dress of Nanqi Kindom. The fabric of the dress was extremely rare. Against the sunlight, it was like embedded gold silk, so it was named golden silk brocade, which was extremely luxurious and expensive.
An Rushuang heard that Princess Mingxi had got a golden silk brocade.
However, as the girl asked this question, she must not be Princess Mingxi. And she wore a huge pearl around her neck. Women in Nanqi Kingdom were known for their delicacy and elegance, instead of luxurious accessories. Although the girl in front of them was beautiful, she had deep eyes and high cheekbones. Even though dressed in costumes of Nanqi, she still looked exotic. Therefore, she must be from other countries.
And nowadays most foreigners coming to Nanqi Qi were from Dongyi Kingdom.
Princess Anyang chuckled and said slowly, “I am not Princess Mingxi.”
“You are not?”
The girl, roughly around thirteen years old, smiled, revealing her lovely dimples and two canine teeth.
“Then who are you? Why do you have so many flowers? And I have never seen these kinds of flowers.”
Saying so, she sounded a bit annoyed.
Her straightforwardness and lovely expression made everyone laughing. Looking at the girl, Mingyue was also surprised. She walked to the girl and asked, “Peony is the national flower. Do you really mean you haven’t seen this? Have you heard of peony?”
Saying so, Mingyue thought that although the capital was prosperous, not everyone would have the chance to see peonies.
However, the girl still shook her head,” No, I haven’t heard of it.”
Hearing this, Mingyue was extremely curious. “I saw peony when I was three. How could you have not seen it? Who are you? Where are you from? ”asked Mingyue straightforwardly.
An Rushuang smiled, thinking Mingyue having asked a good question. Although Mingyue asked it unconsciously, only by this way could the girl let her guard down.
“I’m Haya. Who are you?” She asked, with her head tilted.
“I’m Lu Mingyue,” said Mingyue with her lips curved.
But her words were heard by Peiyuan standing beside the tower. He suddenly patted his own head and mumbled, “Oh! She’s my younger sister. Haven’t seen her for a long time. She has changed a lot…”
Zeyan, the man in purple found him strange and said, “Do not waste time here. Let’s go to the ring. I will get the peony and let the beauty in red notice me!”
Hearing this, Peiyuan was a little surprised. Looking at the ring in front of the Tower, he couldn’t help stammering, “Beauty… in red?”