Chapter 203 Poetry Competition
After the story of "The Female Prime Minister" came to an end, the audience in the audience still felt a little reluctant to leave.
Everyone sat down and started discussing.
Audience A: "The story of "The Female Prince Consort" is so tortuous and bizarre, and the plot is so fascinating that it makes my heart ache."
Audience B: "Yes, it's really wonderful. I really like this woman named Feng Suzhen. She is not only loyal and devoted, but also a brave, resourceful and talented woman."
Audience D: "Well, you are right. But I think the princess is also very righteous. She is not only kind and intelligent, but also well-educated and polite. She is a dignified and generous woman."
After the Ninth Princess finished watching, she also said to Zhao Yanran with satisfaction, "Yanran, this Half-Day Qinghuan Garden you invited me to is indeed a good place. The stage play in this teahouse is really great."
Zhao Yanran smiled and said, "Princess, I guessed that you would like this place, so I specially booked a good seat in advance."
The Ninth Princess held Zhao Yanran's hand and said happily, "Yanran, you are so kind to me."
But the next second, the Ninth Princess complained a little aggrieved, "It's a pity that my father and mother usually don't allow me to leave the palace casually. If I hadn't called my brother today, my mother would definitely not agree to let me go out to play."
Zhao Yanran said, "Princess, there are many people outside the palace who gossip. His Majesty and the Queen love you the most, and they are also worried about your safety."
After hearing what Zhao Yanran said, the Ninth Princess agreed. Her father and mother were indeed very worried about her, but she was not free enough.
At this time, a smart-mouthed servant came on stage and said, "Today's story has been performed. Tomorrow our teahouse will continue to perform other interesting stories. Friends who like to watch the show can go to the counter to reserve a good seat. First come first served."
Upon hearing this, the young masters and ladies and the masters and their wives sent their maids and servants to pay the deposit and grab the spots.
When the Ninth Princess heard that there would be other plays to watch tomorrow, she immediately said to the Crown Prince in a coquettish manner, "Brother, the plays in this teahouse are so good. I want to come here tomorrow to drink tea and watch plays. Brother, can you take me out of the palace tomorrow?"
Crown Prince Teng Yaozhang looked at the Ninth Princess lovingly and said, "Okay, I'll do as you say."
The prince then said to his attendants, "Hurry up and reserve a better seat."
The prince's servant immediately said, "Yes, I will go right away."
The Ninth Princess held the Crown Prince's arm and said happily, "Thank you, my brother. You are the best to me."
The host on the stage continued, "Beijing is a city of talented people and has attracted many scholars and talented men and women. The owner of our teahouse appreciates talented people the most, so we have decided that on the fifth day of every month, such as the 5th, 5th, and 15th, after the teahouse's stage performance is over, we will ask everyone present to recite poems and write couplets. The audience will vote, and the winner will receive free tea ordered that day without charging a penny."
"And our master will have the poem written by the winner framed and hung on the wall for guests who come into the store to appreciate."
When the people below heard about this activity, they immediately went wild.
Audience A: "The owner of this Banri Qinghuan Garden is really generous. He actually holds such activities three times a month. As long as the poem writer wins the first prize, all the tea for that table will be free. This is really a good deal."
Audience B: "It's a pity that I can't compose poetry, otherwise I would definitely try to get this chance to get a free meal."
Audience C: "Fortunately, my father hired a teacher to teach me how to write poetry. When the event starts, I will definitely invite all my friends over for tea. If I accidentally win first place, I can treat everyone to tea and the show for free, hahahaha."
There were also many people in the audience who thought they were talented, and they couldn't help but feel secretly happy, such as a talented woman like Zhao Yanran.
Zhao Yanran felt that this kind of activity held in the Half-Day Qinghuan Garden was really to her liking.
Although she had long been known as the most talented woman in the capital, unfortunately, there were only one or two large-scale poetry gatherings held in the capital each year, and she did not have many opportunities to shine.
Besides, not everyone in the capital city can attend this poetry meeting. Only a few who have received the invitation can participate.
Now that this teahouse is holding an event like this, she will have three opportunities every month to show her abilities. She is determined to let everyone in the capital see her as the most talented woman.
Qian Yuying had the same idea. Although she was a concubine's daughter, her mother had always hired various masters to teach her music, chess, calligraphy and painting.
In the past, she was still a concubine's daughter and did not dare to compete with those noble ladies in the capital for the limelight. Now, she has been registered under the name of the lady and has become the legitimate daughter of the General's Mansion. She no longer has to worry about offending those noble ladies in the capital.
Princess Ning Jia had no interest in these things. It wasn't that she didn't want to be in the spotlight, but she was just not very motivated and her various talents were only mediocre.
The Ninth Princess had no intention of being in the spotlight. The reason she looked so excited was simply because she thought the activity sounded very interesting.
The fourth prince, Teng Yaogeng, took a sip from the teacup. He smiled and said to the staff around him,
"The owner of this Half Day Qing Huan Garden is really smart. It's really interesting."
The aide also nodded and responded to the Fourth Prince, "It is indeed clever. The talented men and beautiful women in the capital love to be in the limelight. I believe everyone will try their best to seize this opportunity to let the whole capital know about themselves. The owner of this teahouse is indeed very smart to come up with such a method to attract people to spend money."
Teng Yaogeng then said to his followers, "I remember that this teahouse was previously a jewelry store under the name of General Ares. How did it suddenly become a teahouse? Send someone to find out who the current owner of this shop is."
"Yes, Master. I will send someone to inquire right away."
After the attendant finished speaking, he hurried out to send someone to inquire about the news.
The host continued, "Although today is not a day that falls on the 5th, because it is the first day of the store's opening, our boss made an exception and held an extra event today. Our Half-Day Qinghuan Garden is a relaxing place to drink tea and listen to opera. Today, please write poems on the topic of 'tea'."
"Pen, ink, paper and inkstone have been prepared for everyone on the stage. Those who have a poem in mind can come up and write it. The time limit is two incense sticks. If you exceed the time limit, you will not be able to participate in the event even if you have written it. For the sake of fairness, please sign your name after writing the poem. I will read the poem to the audience, and then the audience will vote for the first place. Next, the poetry writing competition will begin."