Opening Stroke

Lu Changfeng cared only for food, but everyone else had not come simply to eat.

Princess Anle, Li Guo'er, had come today with one major purpose: to show off!

She casually adjusted her sitting posture, making the myriad-bird skirt she wore-woven from the feathers of countless rare birds and shifting in iridescent hues under the lamplight-even more dazzling. It naturally drew a wave of suppressed gasps from those around her. She raised her chin proudly, her gaze sweeping toward Princess Taiping at the head seat, anticipating a trace of envy on the other woman's face.

Yet Princess Taiping's peripheral vision was currently fixed on the figure in the fourth seat who was entirely absorbed in his food.

Seeing him utterly oblivious to the world and dedicated to tasting his meal, Princess Taiping felt an extremely complicated ripple stir within her heart.

What a Lu Changfeng!

She gave a cold internal huff.

This full hall of dignitaries, elaborately prepared feast, luxurious furnishings, and even herself included seemed entirely incapable of catching his eye. This posture of his was so similar to that phrase of his back then: Ashamed to follow peach and plum to vie for spring breezes!

Was he putting on an air of lofty detachment, using this eccentric method to attract her attention?

Or could it be... that from the bottom of his heart, he truly looked down on all of this?

If it was the former, it was merely the usual trick of playing hard to get, which she had seen plenty of; but if it was the latter... Princess Taiping's slender fingers unconsciously stroked her warm jade cup.

Such a person, if truly brought into the fold as a wing, would certainly be a pillar of support; if not... his danger far exceeded that of ordinary men!

She watched Lu Changfeng as if observing an uncarved yet fiercely hard piece of raw jade, simultaneously appreciating that potential detachment of his and feeling annoyed by the indifference he was putting on!

"..."

The smugness on Princess Anle's face froze instantly. Was her aunt... spacing out a bit? Was she truly so nonchalant about this immensely costly, Chang'an-sensation-causing hundred-bird skirt? An indescribable annoyance rose instantly in her chest; her meticulously prepared display of vanity felt like delivering a full-force punch into empty air!

The smile on her face faded, and her cinnabar-painted nails lightly tapped the tabletop.

So what if you put on an air of detachment? Others cared!

Just at that moment, a Music Harmonization Officer from the Court of Great Music at the banquet stood up at the opportune time, bowing respectfully toward Princess Anle's direction with an exclamation in his voice: "This humble official is so bold! Princess Anle's gown today is truly... truly dazzling to us ministers! This shifting brilliance and changing splendor-may I ask what kind of master weaver crafted it?"

His question immediately drew a chorus of echoing agreement all around.

Another Directorate of Imperial Manufactories assistant official who was quite knowledgeable about palace artifacts immediately chimed in: "Music Harmonization Officer Zhang doesn't know, but this is a special 'Hundred-Bird Skirt' from the Court Wardrobe Bureau! I hear it gathered the finest and softest down from the throats of over a hundred rare birds, woven by eighty-one embroidery maids over the course of two years using the lost 'Warp-and-Weft Feather-Inlay Technique'. It shows one color under sunlight and another under lamplight, and as she walks and sways, it shimmers with iridescent light. It is said there are only two such pieces in the entire world: one is with Her Majesty the Empress, and the other is right..."

When he reached this point, he wisely stopped, but everyone understood the unsaid words.

An even more enthusiastic wave of praise immediately sounded across the banquet: "So that's how it is!"

"Truly a rare treasure of the age!"

"Only Princess Anle's imperial bearing could possibly do justice to such magnificent attire!"

Waves of praise rose one after another, instantly pushing Princess Anle to the center of attention. The reserved and smug expression returned to her face as she enjoyed the adulation of the crowd, her gaze once again turning toward Princess Taiping with the posture of a victor.

Princess Taiping: "..."

Lu Changfeng: "..."

Childish!

Lu Changfeng lowered his head to eat and drink, almost laughing out loud. He had long heard that Princess Anle, Li Guo'er, loved luxury and comparison, having previously competed in wealth with her older sister, Princess Changning, by matching luxurious mansions and various rare treasures. Seeing her today, the rumors were entirely true!

Princess Taiping also found herself speechless.

She had already passed the age of pursuing wealth and had no interest in competing with her niece, but caught in the vortex, it was not just about competition-it also represented face. She had long known that Anle would come today and definitely pull this stunt, so she had prepared in advance.

Thus, amidst this wave of praise, a lean, middle-aged scholar-Xu Jian, Academician of the Wenxiu Academy-slowly stood up. He first bowed calmly to the two princesses, then swept his calm gaze across the crowd: "The Hundred-Bird Skirt is indeed ingenious work of creation, leaving one to sigh in admiration. However, this official just caught a whiff of pure fragrance in the banquet, distant and lingering, like an orchid in an empty valley or cold plum blossoms in the snow. Smelling it makes one's mind clear and instantly dispels worldly worries. This fragrance seems to originate from Her Imperial Highness Princess Taiping; I wonder what kind of celestial product it is?"

His words cleverly shifted the topic, drawing everyone's attention from the hundred-bird skirt to that wisp of fragrance.

As his voice fell, someone immediately chimed in: "Now that Academician Xu mentions it, this official noticed it too! This fragrance is clear yet not cold, lingering and profound, entirely incomparable to ordinary palace incense!"

"Indeed, the ancients said 'the utmost fragrance has no scent'; this fragrance possesses quite a bit of that realm."

Xu Jian naturally continued: "Colors are easy to obtain, but charm is hard to seek. Yet this formless fragrance can strike straight to the heart and engrave itself upon the memory, seeming to better match the inner character and spiritual charm pursued by literary scholars of our generation. I wonder what you all think?"

"..."

When Xu Jian's voice trailed off, an eerie silence fell over the banquet.

Naturally they could not agree; saying the colors were fine would offend Princess Taiping, while saying the fragrance was fine would offend Princess Anle.

When immortals fought, mortals suffered, so apart from the partisans of both sides, everyone else tacitly began drinking their wine.

Those literary scholars who genuinely pursued character and charm nodded in succession to show their agreement:

"Academician Xu's words are exceptionally fine! Outward appearance is ultimately just a fleshly skin, and this subtle spiritual charm is the fundamental root."

"Quite right, fragrance is formless yet can nourish the mind and disposition-it is precisely the virtue of a gentleman."

They had already looked down upon Princess Anle's arrogance and tyranny, so at this moment they naturally leaned toward the "fragrance" that could better reflect inner cultivation. Meanwhile, the officials who leaned more toward Empress Wei's faction loudly praised the "colors" of the hundred-bird skirt:

"That may be, but the magnificence of this hundred-bird skirt is also a manifestation of imperial grandeur-how can it be lightly dismissed?"

"Exactly, without this peerless appearance, how could the wealth and majesty of our Great Tang be displayed?"

Although the opinions of the two factions did not clash fiercely, a faint confrontation had formed across the tables.

The smug expression on Princess Anle Li Guo'er's face gradually faded, replaced by a layer of frost. For all her calculations, she never expected her aunt to use such a method to respond! A dress, no matter how magnificent, was still a dead object, yet this fragrance seemed to possess life, lingering around her aunt's entire person and becoming a part of her bearing.

What was supposed to be a crushing, sweeping victory now saw divisions appear. To her, not winning meant losing!

Where on earth did her aunt get such a rare thing...

Her expression was somewhat stifled, but it did not matter; if the first strike failed, there was a second plan.

She exchanged a glance with Song Zhiwen.

Song Zhiwen understood instantly and stood up at once, pulling the topic back to "color". Only this time, he cleverly shifted the "color of objects" to the "color of people": "What Academician Xu and my fellow colleagues have said makes a great deal of sense. Yet when people of our generation appreciate 'color', how can we only focus on objects? You must know that the utmost 'color' of beauty in this world is none other than a peerless beauty!"

He paused for a moment, his gaze carrying undisguised flattery as he looked toward Princess Anle and Princess Taiping respectively: "For instance, Princess Anle's bright and captivating allure is like a peony overwhelming a nation; Princess Taiping's graceful and luxurious splendor is like a lotus reflecting the water. Such celestial imperial beauty is precisely the most heart-stirring 'peerless color' within this Nine-Shao Music Bureau! The brilliance of objects is ultimately meant to set off the grace of human beings!"

His words both flattered the two princesses and shifted the focus of the debate from "fragrance versus skirt" to the much more sensitive and harder-to-directly-judge topic of "which of the two princesses is more beautiful".

Those who supported the "fragrance" faction were momentarily struck speechless.

They certainly couldn't just blurt out that Princess Taiping's "appearance" fell short of Princess Anle's! The atmosphere instantly turned somewhat awkward.

Right at this delicate moment, Shangguan Wan'er, who had been sitting quietly, rose gracefully. Her voice was gentle, yet she cut into this comparison that was heading toward awkwardness with perfect timing: "Academician Song's words are also full of elegance. However, in Wan'er's humble view, whether it be heavenly treasures of material splendor or celestial jade-like beauty, both are manifestations of our Great Tang's grace-why must we insist on dividing them into superior and inferior?"

Her gaze shifted as she smiled faintly: "With today's elegant gathering bringing together a gathering of sages, since we speak of elegance, why not emulate the ancient interest of winding-water floating cups? How about taking 'beauty' as the theme and inviting all you talented scholars to compose impromptu poetry. Beauties are like jade, and poetry is like jade, which can just well reflect the literary talent and romantic flair of our Great Tang, and also not waste this fine time and lovely scenery. I wonder what the two highnesses think of this idea?"

Her proposal cleverly transformed a comparison that could have triggered a direct clash into a contest of literary talent, preserving face for both sides while handing the stage over to the scholars present, instantly winning the agreement of the overwhelming majority.

"Shangguan Zhaorong's words are exceptionally fine!"

"It should be just like this!"

Everyone's gaze turned toward Princess Taiping and Princess Anle, awaiting their decision.

A poetic contest revolving around "beauties" was about to kick off.

Just at that moment, Princess Taiping looked toward Lu Changfeng in the fourth seat.

Lu Changfeng was currently tasting the famous Great Tang dish Roasted Goose-Stuffed Sheep-this dish was made by stuffing a whole goose into the belly of a whole sheep and roasting it, ultimately eating the goose meat from inside the sheep's belly. The flavor was exceptionally good, and he nodded as he ate, truly delicious!

He was still eating...

A graceful and affable smile suddenly blossomed on Princess Taiping's face as she raised her hand slightly to signal the crowd to quiet down, speaking leisurely: "Shangguan Zhaorong's proposal is wonderful. Since we are chanting of 'beauties', ordinary powders and cosmetics inevitably fall into cliché."

She paused for a moment, speaking as if casually: "Master Lu."

This call was neither loud nor soft, yet it was like dropping a stone onto a calm lake, instantly drawing the focus of the entire audience back to Lu Changfeng once again!

"This morning at the Moon-Gathering Tower, since you were able to exhaust the vastness of heaven and earth with poetry, you must surely have extraordinary insights regarding this delicate subject." Princess Taiping's tone carried a hint of undeniable expectation, one that could even be called a gentle coercion: "Will you open the stroke for this topic, how about it?"