"Is this the candidate list for Princess Zhao?" Lu Ling became somewhat interested.
Mr. Song nodded and said, "Yes, won't King Zhao hold a poetry meeting in Mengxi Garden tomorrow?"
"Could it be that..." Lu Ling thought for a while, "The name of this poetry meeting is actually to use this opportunity to select a suitable princess?"
Mr. Song smiled and said, "That's right. But don't publicize this matter to avoid chaos."
Lu Ling smiled and said, "Father, don't worry, I know what's going on."
Master Song nodded, handed the empty bowl to Lu Ling, and joked: "You are going to attend the poetry meeting tomorrow, and maybe you will meet His Highness King Zhao. You won't be nervous, right?"
Lu Ling couldn't help but smile and said, "Although Ling'er is short-sighted, she won't be scared by a prince."
Mr. Song nodded and said, "That's right. You've always been dignified and sensible, but I've been worrying too much."
Lu Ling nodded slightly, said goodbye to Mr. Song, and went back to Qingfeng Courtyard.
After breakfast the next day, Haitang hurriedly came to put Lu Ling's makeup and hair on, while Xiaorong was doing her homework beside her.
Seeing Haitang's nervous and busy look, Lu Ling couldn't help but laugh and said, "Why are you so serious? It makes your young lady look like she has remarried."
While giving Lu Ling a hairpin, Haitang said: "Miss, you are participating in this poetry meeting on behalf of the prefect's family. Everyone attending the poetry meeting in Weicheng is paying attention to you. You have to dress up more grandly and beautifully." I won’t be looked down upon by others.”
Lu Ling smiled faintly, she didn't care much anyway.
After busy for an hour, Lu Ling finally finished dressing up. Haitang inserted several golden hairpins into her bun and a blue velvet peony and chrysanthemum, and chose a more formal blue floor-length palace dress for her.
Haitang helped her pull the skirt behind her, and the master and servant walked out of Qingfeng Courtyard and came to the front yard.
At that time, Liu Qingyun had already dressed up and was waiting in front of the carriage.
Suddenly looking up and seeing Lu Ling walking towards her, Liu Qingyun froze on the spot.
This was the first time she saw Lu Ling's beauty.
The few gold hairpins in her bun sparkled in the sunlight, as if golden ripples were rippling through the black hair. The blue velvet peony chrysanthemum is the finishing touch, making her bun look picturesque.
The blue robe on her body was like a clear lake, perfectly outlining her figure. Every detail demonstrates unparalleled sophistication and magnificence. The lake blue palace clothes are embroidered with fine patterns, which look like clouds under the blue sky or rippling blue waves.
On weekdays, Lu Ling always looked bare-faced, his pale face like uncarved jade, with a sickly fragile beauty.
Now, with skillful decoration, she seems to have transformed from plain porcelain into a colorful oil painting.
Her cheeks were dyed a peach blossom-like red by rouge, which contrasted well with her obsidian eyes.
The eyebrows are like distant mountains, gently sweeping across the ends of the eyes, outlining a graceful arc. The red lips were like rose petals, slightly upturned, with a sultry smile.
"Let's go." Lu Ling said to Liu Qingyun calmly.
Liu Qingyun suddenly came back to her senses from Lu Ling's beauty, and instantly felt a sense of shame and embarrassment.
She felt that her appearance was not even half as good as Lu Ling's.
Fortunately, my cousin didn't see her at this time, otherwise he would be even more reluctant to deal with her...
Liu Qingyun lowered her head as she thought and got into the carriage with Lu Ling.
The two of them sat face to face, Lu Ling's posture was always dignified and self-possessed, with a faint smile on his face.
Liu Qingyun secretly glanced at Lu Ling's face with her peripheral vision. The more she looked at her, the more jealous she felt in her heart.
Why, she was born in that kind of bullshit family. Even if she was poor, God gave her a beast-like father who made her suffer all kinds of torture. But Lu Ling, who was born with a golden key in her mouth, even though she was only the daughter of a merchant, could Marry into the Song Dynasty and become the mistress...
Liu Qingyun silently hid her hands in her sleeves and clenched them into fists...
Two quarters of an hour later, we arrived at Mengxi Garden.
This place was originally a place for rich and distinguished local aristocratic children to eat, drink and have fun. Not to mention the price, ordinary people couldn't get in.
Lu Ling and Liu Qingyun got off the carriage and walked to the gate of the garden.
Haitang went up and unfolded the palace post to the gatekeeper, who nodded and let the two masters and servants in.
When I first entered the garden, the first thing I saw was a wide square. The square was already filled with women and girls from various families.
There are several paths around the square, leading to different places.
As soon as Lu Ling and the others stepped into the square, a maid came over, read their post, and then smiled and said: "Two guests, please follow me."
Lu Ling and Liu Qingyun looked at each other and followed the maid down a path on the left.
Wherever you pass, there are rockeries, strange rocks, and tall and beautiful pines and cypresses.
Then we passed a winding stream with crystal clear water. In the flower beds on both sides, various flowers are in full bloom, with colorful colors and a faint floral fragrance.
After a while, they were taken to a huge artificial lake.
There are three or four exquisite small pavilions by the lake. There are translucent curtains hanging around the pavilions, and you can vaguely see the crowds of people inside.
The pavilion in the center of the lake is the largest and most exquisite, but it is far away from the lake shore and it is not clear whether there is anyone behind the curtain.
"May I ask if she is the wife of the Song family?"
A maid walked up to Lu Ling and asked.
Lu Ling nodded.
The maid smiled pleasantly and said, "Madam, please come with me."
Then he led Lu Ling to a pavilion on the shore.
Liu Qingyun hurriedly wanted to follow her, but the maid from before said, "Miss, come with me."
As he spoke, he led Liu Qingyun to the pavilion in the opposite direction.
Liu Qingyun felt uneasy, but she didn't want to seem too inexperienced in the world, so she could only pretend to be calm and follow the maid.
Lu Ling came to the designated pavilion and opened the curtain. The eyes of seven or eight women all fell on her.
The maid said: "This is the young lady of the Song family, the prefect of Weizhou."
Several women's eyes lit up, and the look and doubt in their eyes just now disappeared.
Lu Ling nodded to the women, and immediately a woman came to take Lu Ling's hand and said with a smile: "It turns out to be the young lady. I have admired your name for a long time, and today I finally get to see her, and she is so beautiful and fragrant!"
Lu Ling was afraid that his body temperature would scare the woman, so he quickly took a step aside. The woman looked embarrassed, but not annoyed.
The other women quickly introduced themselves: "I am from the prefect's family in Qizhou..." "I am from the prefect's family in Bingzhou..."
After listening to their introduction, Lu Ling realized that the people sitting in this pavilion were all the wives of the prefects from other states under the leadership of Weizhou in Weicheng. Of course, she was the one with the highest status, so these women all paid her great compliments.
However, they were all a group of women in their 30s and 40s. They always talked to Lu Ling about topics that she was not interested in, which made Lu Ling lack interest.
The maid kept bringing plates of food to the pavilion. Lu Ling had no appetite at all and wondered when the poem would start.
Oh, even if it starts, I'm afraid the women in front of me don't know how to write poetry.
She sighed secretly, hoping that this day would pass quickly.
At this moment, a maid suddenly opened the curtain and walked in. She leaned into Lu Ling's ear and whispered: "Madam, please come with me."
