Part 1: A Dream Within A Dream / Rebirth of Ill Fated Concubine

Chapter 056 Competition

The fifth prince smiled deeply: "That's good. You must open your eyes and take a good look tonight. The girls of my Great Jin Dynasty are all outstanding." 

After saying that, he smiled ambiguously at Ye Li, and Ye Li smiled and responded gently.

There had been a lot of waves on the Linglong Boat. The arrival of King Jinying and the Eighth Prince this year made the ladies very excited, and they secretly made up their minds to compete for a reputation on the boat.

Wen Feifei shook her head and said, "It's just two men, and it's ridiculous to be so forgetful."

She said it unintentionally, but she saw Xu Ruoxi's face turn pale. Zhao Jin pushed Wen Feifei, and Wen Feifei reacted and said quickly: "Ruoxi, I'm not talking about you, but those women are really too rude..." 

Unfortunately, she was born in a martial arts family, and her explanation was clumsy, and she only heard Xu Ruoxi's face getting paler and paler.

Dong Ying'er was a little at a loss. Jiang Ruan smiled and said softly, "Sister Wen is right, but today's matter is another matter. King Jinying and the Eighth Prince are both outstanding people. It is a great honour to see them today. It is understandable that you are shocked by the royal aura and do things that you would not do everyday. After all, this is shocked by the royal aura, and it has nothing to do with being polite or rude." 

She said that her admiration for the young man was respect for the royal aura, and Xu Ruoxi's face improved a lot. Wen Feifei looked at Jiang Ruan gratefully, but Jiang Ruan herself was thoughtful. 

Now it seems that Xu Ruoxi likes Xiao Shao without a doubt, but in the last life, there was no rumour that King Jinying liked any girl. Xu Ruoxi's heart was probably wrong. 

At the same time, she was also a little confused. She didn't see Xiao Shao during the Lantern Festival in the last life, so why did he suddenly appear in this life? 

Time was advanced a few years. Could it be that some things were also changing quietly? Thinking like this, the people on the Qingsong Boat and Linglong Boat have all arrived. The boatman shouted, and the boat slowly started to move, slowly swimming towards the moat. 

The river reflected the lanterns on the boats, and the bright lights were like heaven and earth. Being here felt like a world away. The two boats were traveling side by side, and Jiang Ruan on the Linglong Boat could see the people on the Qingsong Boat clearly. Ye Li was dressed in white clothes like snow, and time seemed to have gone back a few years. In her last life, she was on this boat. She saw this gentle and modest gentleman, offering her life with both hands. 

Ye Li was sitting and drinking tea, and sensitively felt that a cold gaze fell on him. When he turned his head to look, the young woman on the parallel Linglong Boat was talking and laughing, and many of them cast admiring eyes on her, but he didn't have the feeling just now. He shook his head and thought that he was too suspicious. But he didn't see the red-dressed girl by the window lowering her head as if unintentionally, hiding a faint light in her eyes.

A young noblewoman on the Linglong Boat suggested: "This year, as usual, since we have reached the centre of the river, we will start the competition, and the winner will win the most beautiful lantern on the boat."

Her tone was charming and charming, and her eyes secretly glanced at the people on the Qingsong Boat, and the deep meaning was unknown.

Jiang Ruan smiled slightly, and saw Jiang Susu sitting on the other side straightened up involuntarily, and a faint smile appeared on her face.

Jiang Susu would not miss such an opportunity, especially tonight there were the Eighth Prince and King Jinying. 

Jiang Ruan's eyes flashed with mockery. Why didn't she think that Jiang Susu and she were both the legitimate daughters of the Jiang family, why would Ye Li only like her with a bad reputation, and ignore Jiang Susu who sang a song that night?

Now think about it, it's just a not-so-clever joke.

The person who spoke was Princess Rong Ya of the Gongqin Mansion. She had a beautiful face and a gentle personality. Her eyes drifted towards the black-clothed young man on the Qingsong Boat.

Another woman echoed: "That's right. I wonder who will get the rabbit lantern this year."

Princess Rong Ya smiled and said: "In this case, I'll start by making a painting."

The noble ladies around all said yes. The maid brought Hui ink and rice paper. Princess Rong Ya was actually a talented person. She knew that she would not be able to compete with Jiang Susu today, so she took a different approach. It only took a moment to paint. Soon the maid slowly unfolded the rice paper. Princess Rong Ya put down her pen: "Excuse me."

She was painting a picture of spring plum blossoms. There was a tree trunk in the snow. The trunk was covered with thick snow. Nothing could be seen, but there were two butterflies staying. They think they were attracted by the fragrance of the plum blossoms covered by the snow.

The painting skills are not very good, but the artistic conception is outstanding and the composition is clever. Once the scroll is unfolded, it won the praise of everyone. Princess Rongya flashed a trace of pride on her face, and then secretly glanced at King Jinying on the next boat. She found that the other party only lowered his head to drink tea and did not look at this side. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

On the Qingsong Boat, the fifth prince propped up his chin and said to Ye Li: "Princess Rongya's painting is interesting, and she looks very cute." This sentence seems inexplicable, but in fact it has a hint of testing. 

Princess Rongya is the apple of Prince Gong's eye. If Prince Gong wins the favour of Princess Rongya, he will definitely become a force that cannot be underestimated.

Ye Li smiled faintly and shook his head: "Really? But I think the painting is a bit impetuous."

The fifth prince narrowed his eyes and said meaningfully: "The eighth brother's vision is always high."

As soon as this side was finished, the surroundings fell into silence again. In previous years, all the noble ladies volunteered to show themselves because of Jiang Susu. 

They didn't want to compete for the first place, but if they could seize the opportunity to become famous, it would be a great deal. But this year, because of the eighth prince and King Jinying, one of them is a prince who does not cause dust, and the other is a noble prince, who is extremely noble and outstanding. The noble ladies seemed to be shy, and no one took the initiative to speak.

Jiang Ruan was still watching from the side-lines, and suddenly heard a timid voice beside him: "Since Princess Rongya has started, I'll do it next."

It was Xu Ruoxi who spoke. Hearing her words, several people at the same table except Jiang Ruan showed surprised eyes. Xu Ruoxi is usually aloof and indifferent, and has no interest in these competitions for fame and fortune. Why would she take the initiative to make such a suggestion today?

Only Jiang Ruan's eyes flashed with a hint of understanding. Xu Ruoxi's appearance must be that she has a crush on Jinying King Xiao Shao. 

Women always want to show their best side in front of their loved ones. No matter how aloof Xu Ruoxi is in her daily life, she is always an ordinary girl in front of the person she likes. Thinking of this, Jiang Ruan has some admiration for Xu Ruoxi. Not all women have the courage to put down their airs in front of their loved ones and are willing to bloom for him alone.

Xu Ruoxi's behavior surprised the noble ladies around her. They are all frequent guests on Linglong Fang (Boat). 

Xu Ruoxi has never participated in previous years. This year's sudden arrival made people feel strange for a while.

Princess Rongya paused her smile before saying, "What does Miss Xu want to compete in?"

(End of this chapter)

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