Without saying a word, Hua Wuduo quickly jumped down from the wall. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she heard Gongzi Yi's scolding voice: "Duoduo, come in!"
Hua Wuduo curled his lips, completely ignoring the interested looks from the three people beside him, and walked towards the door. Before he even arrived, he saw Gongzi Yi and the other three come out to greet him.
When Gongzi Yi and his group came out, they saw a man and two women outside the courtyard. The green-robed young man's gaze swept over Gongzi Yi and the others, his expression indifferent, but he didn't say much. He walked away, with the two girls following behind. Watching the three of them leave, the four of them looked at each other, then looked at Hua Wuduo questioningly, only to see that Hua Wuduo also looked bewildered.
Gongzi Qi was the first to speak, saying, "Duoduo, go and prepare. We're going to a banquet later."
Seeing that Gongzi Qi didn't question her where she had gone or why she had been climbing the wall, Hua Wuduo felt relieved and ran back to her room in a few quick steps. Just as she entered, she heard Gongzi Yu outside asking, extremely puzzled, "Yi, why was your sister climbing the wall just now?"
Hua Wuduo felt a surge of nervousness upon hearing this. Then she heard Gongzi Yi chuckle awkwardly, "She's just teasing me. She's always been like this, so mischievous. Haha, haha..." The laughter sounded forced to anyone who heard it.
At this moment, the young master asked jokingly, "Who were those three people just now? They were acting so big!"
One sentence left everyone speechless.
Seeing that no one had an answer, Gongzi Kuang couldn't help but start reasoning again. With a deep gaze and a certain tone, he said, "Judging from their clothes and appearance, and their silent and strange movements, these people must be no ordinary people."
Gongzi Yi nodded and affirmed, "Yes, they all do look quite presentable."
Gongzi Qi chuckled upon hearing this and said, "Those two beauties are alright, but the men are a bit lacking."
Gongzi Yi said dismissively, "You're a little worse than me, but two-tenths worse than me."
Gongzi Kuang completely scoffed at Gongzi Yi's words, saying disdainfully, "Any man who is inferior to you is probably two points less."
Gongzi Yi shook his head solemnly and said, "No, Qi is only slightly inferior to me!"
Gongzi Qi chuckled and said, "It seems I'm not so bad after all."
Gongzi Kuang glanced at Gongzi Yi with disdain.
At this moment, Gongzi Yu, who had been silent for a while, withdrew his searching gaze and asked in surprise, "Where is the toad that the beauty mentioned? I've been looking for it for so long and I still can't find it?"
Upon hearing this, both Gongzi Qi and Gongzi Kuang looked at Gongzi Yu with some surprise, as if they had suddenly seen a fool.
Gongzi Yi smiled, pointed in the direction the three had left, and replied, "They've already run off with those two beauties."
Gongzi Yu looked completely bewildered upon hearing this, and it took her a while to realize that Gongzi Yi was referring to the young man in the dark green robes... She couldn't help but ask in confusion, "But I didn't see him climbing on the wall just now, only..."
Gongzi Qi and Gongzi Kuang were now looking at Gongzi Yu with utter contempt.
Gongzi Yu sensed something was wrong and stopped talking, only yawning and saying, "There were mosquitoes in the room last night, so I didn't sleep well." This excuse sounded even weaker than Gongzi Yi's two earlier laughs...
Gongzi Yi was already impatient and urged Gongzi Yu, "Stop talking nonsense and finish this game. You're going to lose this time."
Gongzi Yu was indignant upon hearing this, and rolled up his sleeves, saying, "The outcome is still uncertain, young man, don't spout such nonsense!"
The sounds of arguing over chess came from outside the room again. Hua Wuduo, who was inside, had started changing her clothes. She had been a little worried that Gongzi Yu might gossip, but then she thought that since Gongzi Yu was talking about Wu Duoduo, not her, she didn't take it to heart.
The most troublesome thing about being a young lady is dressing up. Young ladies spend the most energy and time on dressing up every day, and they can't be careless at all. But Hua Wuduo is different. She has never dressed up carefully because she believes that no matter how she dresses up, what others see is not the real her. So as long as she is passable, that's enough.
In terms of appearance, Wu Duoduo is no less beautiful than the dignified Princess Liu Yu and the charming Song Ziyin. However, in terms of clothing and attire, Wu Duoduo, who is impersonating Hua Wuduo, is obviously inferior. Because Hua Wuduo is always casual, he was outshone by the two from the moment he appeared. In fact, even the two young ladies who were serving the green-robed young master earlier looked prettier than Hua Wuduo.
That night, Hua Wuduo once again casually attended the grand banquet hosted by the Prince of Jin.
********
Singing and dancing, wine cups clinking, it seemed like a golden age, a time of peace and prosperity.
Palace lanterns hung in every corner of the Prince of Jin's mansion, and hundreds of candles burned in the main hall. Drums and music resounded, and the intense flames echoed the graceful figures of the dancers, sometimes making people's blood boil and sometimes making them intoxicated.
Neither Song Zixing nor his sister attended the banquet tonight. Princess Liu Yu was then placed next to Gongzi Qi. Facing the handsome young man Gongzi Qi's witty conversation, Liu Yu's blushing face, more radiant than candlelight, made Hua Wuduo sigh countless times in secret.
Liu Yu was dressed elegantly and gracefully tonight, and her appearance immediately attracted the attention of all the young men present. Liu Yu's demeanor was generous and proper, and she only took a small bite of the fragrant grilled fish that had just been served. Compared to Wu Duoduo, who ate the grilled fish of herself, Gongzi Yi, and Gongzi Xiu with his chopsticks, it was like heaven and earth.
Seeing that Gongzi Xiu unabashedly placed the grilled fish in front of him in front of Hua Wuduo, Li She's smiling gaze lingered on the plate of grilled fish for a moment.
Gongzi Xun and Gongzi Zheng exchanged a glance and sighed in unison. Their eyes conveyed the message: Let go, let go… they couldn't win against Gongzi Xiu. They shook their heads and sighed together, offering each other a toast in a gesture of mutual understanding.
When Gongzi Yu saw that Gongzi Yi's younger sister, Wu Duoduo, was eating three grilled fish with chopsticks, including the one that Gongzi Xiu, who was always proud and had a cleanliness obsession, had offered her, her jaw dropped again.
When Gongzi Kuang and Gongzi Ziyang saw Gongzi Yu's silly appearance with his jaw dislocated, they couldn't help but look away with disgust, pretending not to have seen anything.
The most discussed topic during the banquet was tomorrow's Phoenix Boat Race, and naturally, Hua Wuduo's performance on stage was mentioned many times. Every Jiangling official who came forward to toast Gongzi Yi praised her for this. Gongzi Yi humbly replied to each one with the same sentence: "Your Excellency's praise is too kind; my sister is no match for you."
At this moment, all the officials who were offering the toast wore satisfied smiles, as if to say: Indeed, it's not as good as...
Throughout the gathering, people occasionally whispered, sometimes lifting up a bib or a kite, followed by bursts of laughter, some loud and some soft, but nothing else. Although Song Zixing and his sister were not present, it seemed that everyone was quite wary of the matter and did not discuss it openly.
After the meal and several rounds of drinks, no distinguished guests appeared.
Several local officials in Jiangling were already drunk and behaving in an unseemly manner, while Hua Wuduo, having eaten his fill and with nothing to do, began to grow impatient.
During the banquet, a drunken official accidentally let slip a major secret: the granary in Jiangling had almost been robbed a few days ago! Before he finished speaking, the Prince of Jin's face turned ugly.
Hua Wuduo perked up upon hearing this.
***************
Seeing the puzzled and serious expressions on the faces of those present, Prince Jin hesitated for a long time before nodding in admission. He then explained to the crowd, "A few days ago, someone took advantage of my absence to forge documents and impersonate a military general in an attempt to steal from the granary. Fortunately, my son discovered and intercepted the attempt in time, preventing significant losses. Alas... I am so grateful that my son discovered it in time; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable, and I would have been unable to explain myself to His Majesty!"
The Prince of Jin seemed to have finished explaining the matter in a few words and had no intention of saying anything more. Hua Wuduo remained calm, knowing full well that the matter was not as simple as the Prince of Jin had said. He couldn't help but steal glances at Gongzi Yi and Gongzi Qi.
Gongzi Yi listened to the words of the Prince of Jin with surprise, as if he had never heard of this before. Then, amidst the flattery of the Prince of Jin and his heir Liu Jin, he wanted to offer a toast as well, but found that his wine cup was empty. He raised an eyebrow, tapped the wine cup with his bamboo chopsticks, and said, "Pour the wine!" The maid behind him immediately refilled the wine cup.
Then, looking at Gongzi Qi, amidst the chorus of compliments to Prince Jin and his heir Liu Jin, Gongzi Qi straightened his robes, rose, raised his cup to Liu Jin, his gentle and refined face full of admiration, and said solemnly, "Prince Jin is a man of great talent and strategy, and the heir is insightful and perceptive. Father and son are of one mind in guarding Jiangdong. How can we allow such petty thieves to cause trouble in Jiangling? Brother Jin's actions this time have made a great contribution to the court, and I am extremely grateful. I humbly offer Brother Liu a cup of wine."
Hua Wuduo suddenly felt like laughing.
Liu Jin also rose and raised his wine cup, replying, "Young Master Qi, you flatter me. This is simply my duty. Given what happened, I am largely to blame and dare not claim any merit. Young Master Qi, you are too kind, please!" Liu Jin raised his cup in return, and Young Master Qi smiled and drank with him. Afterwards, others also stepped forward to offer their toasts. This naturally included Young Master Yi. When Young Master Yi toasted Liu Jin, Liu Jin instead thanked him, saying, "Speaking of which, I should thank my sister Duoduo for performing the opening ceremony at the Phoenix Boat Race tomorrow, thus helping my sister out of a difficult situation. I should return the favor with a toast to Young Master Yi."
Upon hearing this, Gongzi Yi smiled and said, "Brother Jin, you are too kind. My little sister is ignorant and incapable. She was able to take on such an important task as opening the Phoenix Boat Race thanks to the trust of the Prince and Brother Jin."
Liu Jin, already tipsy from the toasts offered by so many people, smiled upon hearing this and said, "I have heard General Song say that Sister Duoduo's singing voice is exceptional, moving all who hear it. Tonight, with so many guests gathered, I wonder if Sister Duoduo would be so kind as to sing a song to celebrate the occasion? I would be happy to accompany her with my zither."
This request was somewhat abrupt, but Liu Jin was practically a host, and it wasn't unreasonable for him to offer his zither and lute as accompaniment for Wu Duoduo. The hall fell silent again, and all eyes turned to Hua Wuduo.
Hua Wuduo looked at Gongzi Yi, who also turned to look at her. Hua Wuduo shook her head at him, but then he laughed loudly as he turned his head and said, "What's so difficult about that!"
Upon hearing this, Hua Wuduo suddenly felt an urge to kill him with a single blow.
Liu Jin immediately ordered, "Go and fetch my zither."
The servants immediately went down to fetch it.
Hua Wuduo's breathing was slightly sluggish, but her facial expression remained unchanged. Gongzi Xiu, who was closest to her, seemed to notice something and glanced at her. She saw her eyes flash, and then she picked up the wine cup on the table and secretly poured the wine onto the stool next to Gongzi Yi. She then put the wine cup back without changing her expression.
Sitting next to Gongzi Yi was Li She, who glanced at Gongzi Yi's stool without saying a word.
Young Master Yi, who was leisurely returning to his seat with an empty wine glass in hand, sat down without knowing anything.
A smile flashed across Gongzi Xiu's eyes, and Li She also glanced at Gongzi Yi.
Gongzi Yi seemed oblivious. Seeing that Hua Wuduo ignored him, he whispered, "I can't directly refuse my master's request. I can't find an excuse right now, so I'm sorry to trouble you. Singing a song isn't difficult." After saying that, seeing that Hua Wuduo still ignored him, he whispered again, "Even if you don't sing well, it doesn't matter. Don't worry, I'll take care of everything."
Upon hearing this, Hua Wuduo's gaze softened slightly, and Gongzi Yi felt relieved. But then he heard Hua Wuduo say, "I'd rather die than sing!"
Gongzi Yi paused for a moment, then suddenly said, "One hundred taels."
Hua Wuduo did not respond.
Two hundred taels.
There has been no response yet.
Young Master Yi said confidently, "Five hundred taels!"
Still no response.
I don't believe it! "One thousand taels!!"
Gongzi Yi seemed to have never seen Hua Wuduo so stubborn about something before, and couldn't help but be a little surprised.
At this moment, Gongzi Xiu suddenly said, "If she doesn't want to sing, why force her?"
Gongzi Yi glared at Gongzi Xiu and said, "But I've already agreed, what do we do now?!"
Young Master Xiu said, "I don't know."
Prince Yi died.
Hua Wuduo then said, "Alright, although I don't want to sing, I have a way to resolve this. However..."
Gongzi Yi hurriedly asked, "But what?"
Hua Wuduo held up two fingers, and Gongzi Yi exclaimed in surprise, "Two thousand taels?" Seeing Hua Wuduo nod, Gongzi Yi immediately said, "Deal!" as if afraid that Hua Wuduo would go back on his word.
Now it was Hua Wuduo's turn to lament, "It's too little again!"
Seeing this, Gongzi Yi looked smug.
When Young Master Xiu first witnessed Hua Wuduo and Young Master Yi haggling, his usually indifferent expression cracked slightly...
Li She, standing to the side, wore the same expression.
So that's how it can be done...
Liu Jin's zither was already set up. Hua Wuduo got up and stopped the dancers in the hall. He took the dance ribbon from the dancers, draped it over his shoulders, and stood in the center of the hall.
All eyes were fixed on her, wondering why she had taken the dancer's ribbon. Wu Duoduo's attire was casual, and at first glance, she looked no different from an ordinary girl. Compared to the noble and elegant Princess Liu Yu, she was naturally far inferior. Moreover, the way she ate just now did not resemble a lady from a prominent family. However, now, standing alone in the main hall, facing the princes and nobles present, her expression showed no fear whatsoever. This innate aura clearly indicated that she was a lady from a noble family, which made people look at her with new respect.
Li She gazed at Hua Wuduo in the hall, his expression growing increasingly somber. This young woman was like a mystery, impossible to understand or fathom.
Liu Jin sat behind the zither, waiting for Hua Wuduo to sing. But then he saw Hua Wuduo take a dancer's long silk ribbon and drape it over herself. She turned to him and smiled sweetly, "Brother Jin, I won't sing today. I'll save the song for tomorrow. I'm so glad to hear you play today, Brother Jin. I've been inspired to dance and I have an interesting suggestion. What do you think?"
Hua Wuduo's voice was so sweet that Liu Jin, slightly drunk, couldn't help but lose his composure.
Liu Jin said, "What is the suggestion? Please tell me, Duoduo."
Hua Wuduo said, "Duoduo would like to play a game with all the gentlemen and nobles present, using Brother Jin's music. Duoduo will dance in response to Brother Jin's zither music, and use a long ribbon as a stick to strike the tables of the gentlemen and nobles in the hall. Whoever's table is struck by the long ribbon will have to drink a cup of wine. Is that alright?"
Upon hearing this, everyone found the game novel and couldn't help but become somewhat interested.
Liu Jin said, "Duoduo's idea is quite interesting."
The Prince of Jin, seated above, laughed and said, "And what about me?" Since the Prince of Jin was sitting high up, the long ribbon would probably be difficult to reach him. Hua Wuduo smiled and replied, "In case anyone secretly drinks less or not at all, Your Highness can make a judgment. If you find someone cheating, punish them with three extra cups."
The Prince of Jin laughed loudly, "Good, good!"
**************
At this moment, Gongzi Xiu heard Gongzi Yi say regretfully, "What a pity."
Young Master Xiu asked, "What's a pity?"
Gongzi Yi raised an eyebrow and said, "Aren't you curious why she refused to sing even when she was dying?"
Gongzi Xiu glanced at him and said, "I'm not curious about things she doesn't want to do."