Wealth and glory seek stability

Inside one of the bamboo curtains.

Xuanyuan Qiyuan couldn't help but praise him, "No wonder father said Shen Nanxing is more like us sons than he was when he was young. His sword skills are really good. What's more, he is only sixteen years old. He is really a rare genius in the world."

Gao Yunhuai nodded, "It's really amazing."

The Lan family has been practicing martial arts for generations, and it is rumored that the third son, Lan An, is the most talented child of the Lan family.

Originally, Lan An was also preparing to dance with the sword, but after seeing Shen Nanxing's sword skills, Lan An rejected his previous choice.

Just kidding, the layman watches the excitement, the expert watches the details. He decided not to show off his sword skills, so he picked up a spear.

He stomped his feet and flew onto the stage.

"Wow!"

Jian Xi looked at him with disdain, this thing was really a gimmick.

Lan An's marksmanship can only be described as neither good nor bad.

It was far less shocking than the one Shen Nanxing brought to everyone.

Lan An didn't think so. As long as he didn't embarrass himself, it was fine. After finishing a set of shooting skills, he saluted with a smile.

"Excuse me for showing off my skills. I don't have the same martial arts skills as General Shen, but it's good to let everyone have fun."

His remarks were neither humble nor arrogant, and he gained a lot of goodwill.

After all, the ability to pretend to be ignorant and to openly admit that one is inferior to others requires a level of openness that not everyone can match.

No wonder the Lan family is known as the most clear-minded family in the Xuanyuan Dynasty.

Cao Qinming, the Minister of Rites, wrote a poem in public directly on the theme of plum blossoms.

His calligraphy is very smooth and flowing.

"Good, good, good! Lord Cao has really raised a good son. Nephew Cao, please take a seat quickly."

When the men have finished, it is the women's turn.

Jian Xi’s position is simply the best place to watch the show.

Lin Yun has already changed into her dance costume.

She was wearing a bright red dance dress and her waist was so slender that it could be held in one hand.

There is not a single flaw in the makeup on her face. The lips are red in the middle and get lighter towards the outside.

Isn’t this the lip biting makeup that became popular in later generations?

Jian Xi is at her leisure.

He held his chin with his hand and wanted to see what kind of dance Lin Yun was going to perform.

There were four copper basins placed on all four sides, and four dancers dressed in the same style were holding a huge white scroll.

The sound of stringed instruments rang out, the sleeves fluttered, the beauty's waist was flexible, and her dance steps were light.

The long sleeves look effortless when swung.

Her black hair was tied back only with a red ribbon.

Dance finished.

Lin Yun bowed gracefully, and the scroll under his feet was unfolded.

"Red plum blossoms proudly stand in the snow?"

"It's quite a clever idea to incorporate dance into the painting."

"That's fine. Let me have my maiko rehearse like this when I get home."

"You don't feel cold even though you're wearing so little in the middle of winter."

Jane Xi's heart was filled with alarm.

I'm coming.

famous scene.

The male guest's performance just ended, but there weren't so many people commenting.

Lin Yun seemed not to take these comments to heart.

She smiled from afar at the first male guest seat which was covered by a bamboo curtain.

Jian Xi: I hate myself for knowing everything!

The performances of the remaining two ladies were more conventional.

Wei Yuyan sat in front of the guzheng and sang a piece of poetry.

It is a well-known tune in the capital. The sight of a beautiful woman in luxurious palace attire, sitting on the stage, leaning against the guzheng, is a beautiful sight in itself.

Jian Xi felt that just watching quietly was a kind of enjoyment.

elegant!

Finally it was the last person’s turn, Dongfang Wenying.

Jian Xi was still quite curious about what kind of beauty this person was with such a nice name.

As expected, the families of the powerful and wealthy support people. Dongfang Wenying is as his name suggests. He can really be praised for his lively and brilliant literary talent.

What she demonstrated was a technique: she spread out a piece of paper, dipped it in ink, and started writing, all in one go.

A huge plum blossom appears vividly on the paper.

Jian Xi didn't understand, but seeing the paper being passed around and the people praising it, she thought it must be good.

elegant!

So elegant!

The person is beautiful, and the handwriting is even more beautiful.

The show is over.

The dishes on the seats have almost been served.

The Korean lady raised her glass, indicating that it was time to start eating.

Jian Xi finally had a hot meal.

She had noticed long ago that the girl sitting on her left was Dongfang Wenying who had just performed.

He looks to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, and every move he makes is like a painting, pleasing to the eye.

Jian Xi said, "Sister, your handwriting is really good, and you are beautiful too. You are really a combination of beauty and talent."

Dongfang Wenying blushed and said modestly, "Sister, you are too kind. I just write for fun at home in my spare time. It is not worthy of being published in a formal forum."

Look! Such humble words come out of his mouth casually.

Jian Xi continued, "Sister is really modest. I'm sure she's not bad in other aspects either."

This was the first time Dongfang Wenying had met a young lady from an official family who was so good at complimenting others. She couldn't help but have a better impression of her, so she asked, "Which family are you from? Why haven't I seen you before?"

Jian Xi held her chin with one hand, looked at Dongfang Wenying sideways, and said obediently, "I am General Shen's sister, the General Shen who just danced with the sword. Just call me Xier, sister."

Dongfang Wenying was obviously impressed by Shen Nanxing just now, and her pretty face blushed again, "Xier, I was born on the first day of the first lunar month. I am fourteen this year. How old are you?"

Jian Xi thought for a moment and said, "I am also fourteen this year, and my birthday is October 7th. It seems that it is right to call you sister."

She was an orphan in her previous life and didn’t know her date of birth. The original owner was born on October 7th.

Dongfang Wenying nodded lightly, "Today is the first time we meet, and I don't have anything to give you. This handkerchief is embroidered by me and I'm giving it to you. I hope you don't mind." The handkerchief was embroidered with two cherry blossoms pressing on the branches, which looked vivid.

The beautiful sister gave her a gift, and Jian Xi took it with a smile, and took out her handkerchief from her sleeve, "This handkerchief is new, and I embroidered it. As a return gift, I hope you will accept it."

Dongfang Wenying took it gently and looked at the embroidery on the handkerchief. She couldn't take her eyes off it. "Is this double-sided embroidery?" She turned it over and felt something was wrong. She turned it over again to confirm it carefully. "No, this is double-sided three-dimensional embroidery! I can't accept this. It's too expensive."

This legendary embroidery method cannot be replicated even by the most skilled embroiderer in the capital. Even though it is on this small handkerchief, it is not comparable to the ordinary handkerchief she just gave.

Dongfang Wenying refused again and again.

Jian Xi raised the corners of her lips, "Yes, this embroidery method takes a lot of time, so I embroider some small things to kill time when I have nothing to do. It just so happened that today, as soon as I saw you, I felt that we were compatible, so I specially gave it to you as a gift."