Xiao Jinghui grabbed the hem of the Princess of Lin'an's dress and shouted in panic, "Your Highness! Your Highness, I know I was wrong. Please show mercy."
If she were to be flogged in front of so many people, her reputation would be ruined. Such a thing must never happen!
The Princess of Lin'an was jolted back to her senses by the tug. Stammering, she said, "Since Miss Xiao the Third has admitted her mistake, then..."
"Sister Lin'an," Xie Yumo interjected. "I also don't want to see such a delicate girl being flogged. Miss Xiao the Third is so charming and lovely that at first sight, I can't help but feel compassion for her. Let's forget about the flogging."
Xie Yumo's words made the Princess of Lin'an look at Xiao Jinghui with a sharp gaze.
Charming and lovely?
Feeling compassion?
This won't do! The only one who can stir Brother Yumo's compassion should be herself!
When Xiao Jinghui heard Xie Yumo's words, her heart sank. Seeing the Princess of Lin'an looking at her as if she wanted to devour her, Xiao Jinghui couldn't care less. She struggled desperately to break free from the restraint.
The maids behind her tightened their grip as Xiao Jinghui started to resist. But the fabric of her clothes was so smooth that they couldn't hold on firmly for a moment, and Xiao Jinghui managed to break free a bit. She quickly took the opportunity to run forward, trying to plead with the Princess of Lin'an.
As expected, the unexpected happened.
Xiao Jinghui slipped and fell straight onto the authentic painting by Master Wei. The two sides of the painting were being held by the maids and were just being displayed in front of Xie Yumo. Now, with Xiao Jinghui's sudden fall, the painting "tore" and split into two.
Xiao Bao'er's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't help but stand on tiptoe to see more clearly.
There was a smile in Xie Yumo's eyes as he silently watched Xiao Bao'er. Seeing her cute appearance, he turned his head to hold back his laughter and then took a step back pretending to be surprised.
"Xiao! The! Third! Miss!!"
Now the Princess of Lin'an didn't care that Xie Yumo was standing beside her. She gritted her teeth and spat out these words.
Xiao Jinghui's face turned green. She felt like crying but had no tears. What was going on today? She just wanted to frame Xiao Bao'er, but now it was she who was the one losing face and having bad luck.
Xiao Bao'er spoke up in time. "Your Highness, please calm down. Third Sister is not feeling well today and is a bit unsteady. After we return to the mansion, the Xiao Mansion will prepare generous gifts to come and apologize."
Seeing that Xiao Bao'er had brought up the Xiao Mansion, even though the Princess of Lin'an was trembling with anger, she didn't dare to punish too severely.
Due to the large number of people present, the Princess of Lin'an had to suppress her inner anger and pretended to be magnanimous. "Miss Xiao the Third is not feeling well today. Sit down and rest first. As for the matter of the painting, after the flower - viewing banquet, I will inform my mother. Let my mother discuss with your mother how to solve it."
"Yes..."
Xiao Jinghui returned to her seat dejectedly. But the noble girls around her silently moved their stools a bit farther away, as if getting close to Xiao Jinghui would make them catch her bad luck. On the contrary, after Xiao Bao'er returned to her seat, the noble girls around her eagerly started chatting with her.
Seeing that the matter was resolved, Xie Yumo didn't stay any longer. After bidding farewell, he turned around and left. Before leaving, he also silently glanced at Xiao Bao'er.
The sound of the bells faded as the young man's figure disappeared. The Princess of Lin'an withdrew her gaze dejectedly. She suppressed her surging emotions and forced a smile to host the following process.
The maids successively placed writing brushes, ink, the qin and other items in the pavilion not far away. When they saw that the arrangements were almost done, the maids came to report.
The Princess of Lin'an said to everyone, "Ladies, don't let the little episode just now spoil your mood. Just enjoying the flowers would be a bit boring. How about we draw lots and each show some talents? I've also prepared a lot of prizes. If someone has outstanding talents, they can take the prizes."
The items for the prizes were also displayed one by one. Seeing the items they liked, everyone was a bit eager to try. After all, the things from the prince's mansion were royal items. Ordinary officials couldn't even obtain a single royal reward in a year.
Everyone moved to the pavilion. The pavilion was very large and could easily accommodate these twenty or thirty people. The pavilion was surrounded by light gauze. When the gentle breeze blew and the light gauze fluttered, the view of the lake suddenly became clear.
Diagonally opposite the pavilion was the men's seating area. The young men were reciting poems and playing the arrow - throwing game by the lake. It was very lively. Occasionally, hearty laughter came from there to the pavilion, attracting the girls' glances.
Xiao Bao'er stood at the back of the crowd thoughtfully. In her previous life, she had just caught up with the lottery after changing clothes and had drawn the qin.
She didn't know how to play the qin at all. At that time, she envied her sisters in the family who could learn the qin, chess, calligraphy and painting. She had begged Mrs. Xiao but was refused. Then she pestered Elder Brother Xiao to teach her. When Elder Brother Xiao was in a better mood, he would seriously give her some pointers. When he was in a bad mood, he would just perfunctorily tell her to figure it out by herself.
Therefore, Xiao Bao'er had never played a complete piece of music. So when it was her turn to play, not only did she play out of tune, but she also snapped two strings of the qin.
This time, when the lottery box was passed in front of her, she reached out and took out a note from the box. Unfolding it, she saw the character "qin" clearly written on it.
Xiao Bao'er's eyes darkened. Sure enough, she still drew the qin in this life.
She raised her eyes and looked at Xiao Jinghui. Their eyes met, and Xiao Jinghui gave her a smug smile and waved the note with the character "qin" written on it in her hand.
Xiao Bao'er sneered. Playing the qin was Xiao Jinghui's most outstanding talent. Her qin - playing master was the famous Lady Anxiang in the capital. Although she hadn't fully mastered her master's skills yet, there was probably no one present who could match her in playing the qin.
In both this and the previous life, she and Xiao Jinghui had "coincidentally" drawn the qin. This was probably not a coincidence but the deliberate act of someone with ulterior motives.
But in this life, she, Xiao Bao'er, wouldn't let these scheming people have their way.
According to the order of qin, chess, calligraphy and painting, those who had drawn different lots also began to decide the order of taking the stage.
Seeing that Xiao Bao'er didn't move for a long time in the crowd, a sneer appeared on Xiao Jinghui's lips. She knew best whether her eldest sister could play the qin or not. She decided to be the first to play so that she could make Xiao Bao'er, who would come later, look completely useless.
Having made up her mind, she confidently raised her head, as if the one who had lost face just now wasn't her.
"Your Highness, I caused a misunderstanding just now and made everyone laugh. Now that it's time to show our talents, I'd like to be the first to take the stage and start things off."
There was a hint of displeasure in the Princess of Lin'an's eyes, but when she met Xiao Jinghui's confident eyes, she still nodded in agreement.
The qin was placed in the center of the pavilion. Everyone sat around it. Seeing how skillfully Xiao Jinghui burned incense and washed her hands, they couldn't help but feel a bit of anticipation.
Xiao Jinghui closed her eyes and stroked the strings of the qin. After getting familiar with the feel, her slender fingers took the right position and gently plucked the strings. A melodious and gentle tune flowed out. The noble girls around all showed looks of amazement.
Some of the young men on the men's seating area diagonally opposite were also attracted by the sound of the qin. They gathered by the lake to listen and also wanted to see which beauty was so talented in playing the qin. When the white gauze in the pavilion was blown up and revealed the graceful figures inside, the young men couldn't help but feel their blood boil.
When the tune was half - way through, everyone was indulged in the wonderful music.
Xiao Jinghui opened her eyes and scanned the surroundings with a superior look. Seeing everyone's intoxicated expressions, she couldn't help but feel a bit proud. So she looked for Xiao Bao'er in the crowd, hoping to see envy and unwillingness in her eyes.
But when she looked at Xiao Bao'er, she saw that Xiao Bao'er was chatting and laughing with the two girls beside her. There was a smile in her eyes as she looked at her, without the slightest bit of unwillingness or panic!
How could this be?! Xiao Bao'er didn't seem to be afraid at all? Could it be that she had some hidden cards that she didn't know about?!
Xiao Jinghui panicked. Her fingers plucked the wrong strings, and she played several wrong notes in a row. Those who had been lingering in her music couldn't help but frown.
Hearing the whispers of others, Xiao Jinghui became even more flustered. She exerted more force on her hand, and with a "zheng" sound.
The string of the high - quality guqin was actually snapped by Xiao Jinghui...