"Young Master, shall we play this game?"
Yan Ruxue turned and smiled at Xiao Mo, a hint of anticipation in her eyes.
"Of course," Xiao Mo replied, not minding at all. "So, who will be the one guessing?"
"Hmm..." The young woman pressed a finger to her lips, her elegance tinged with a playful cuteness. "How about you guess, Young Master?"
"Alright. Since you’ve put it that way, Miss, I can only do my best. I’ll try not to disappoint you," Xiao Mo said with a laugh.
"Are you two playing a poetry guessing game?"
Hearing their conversation, a Maid from the teahouse approached and gave them a slight bow.
"Yes," Xiao Mo nodded.
"This way please, Young Master. We have prepared some items for you to use," the Maid said, leading Xiao Mo to a nearby table.
On the table was a variety of items, including lotus flowers, tea leaves, a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone.
"Miss, please come and choose a poem."
The teahouse Maid said to Yan Ruxue.
"During the game, Miss, you cannot say a single word from the poem, nor can you reveal the author or the title."
"Understood."
Yan Ruxue nodded and stepped forward, looking at the red basket the Maid offered her.
Inside the basket were dozens of plaques, each inscribed with a line of poetry.
Yan Ruxue picked up the plaques one by one, looking them over.
Finally, her gaze fell upon a wooden plaque bearing a short, two-line verse.
As she looked at it, a gentle light flickered in her eyes.
"I’ll choose this verse."
Yan Ruxue picked up the wooden plaque and said to the teahouse Maid.
"Very good, Miss..." The Maid took the plaque and smiled. "You may begin the game with the Young Master now."
Yan Ruxue gave a graceful smile, turned, and looked at Xiao Mo, who was standing not far away. "Are you ready, Young Master?"
"Of course." Xiao Mo flicked open his folding fan. "Let’s begin."
Standing off to the side, Xiao Chun watched her lady and His Majesty, unable to stop a knowing smile from spreading across her face.
The more she watched, the more she felt that His Majesty and her lady were a perfect match.
But then, the thought of that Princess Qingyang suddenly popped into her head. Xiao Chun’s lips pursed in a pout, a flicker of anger in her heart.
’If it weren’t for that Princess Qingyang, my lady and His Majesty would have been married long ago. None of this would be happening now.’
’But it’s fine.’
’His Majesty and my lady get along so well right now.’
’When my lady enters the palace, His Majesty will surely be overjoyed.’
’And then, once my lady gives His Majesty a little Prince, we’ll see how that Princess Qingyang can possibly compete!’
’That Princess Qingyang can just resign herself to being a concubine!’
’As for whether Princess Qingyang might give birth to a Prince before my lady?’
’Impossible! My lady is clearly far more suited for childbearing than that Princess Qingyang. My lady will definitely be first!’
Unlike Xiao Chun, Wei Xun, who stood guard nearby with his men, wasn’t thinking about such things.
’He was merely wondering if he should help His Majesty find out which noble family this young lady belonged to, and whether he should arrange for her to enter the palace to serve His Majesty.’
But Wei Xun quickly shook his head, dismissing the thought.
’His Majesty hasn’t said anything, so I shouldn’t meddle in his affairs. Besides, now isn’t the time. After all, the daughter of the Yan Clan and Princess Qingyang are about to enter the palace. Bringing her into the palace to serve His Majesty now would just be setting her up for trouble, wouldn’t it?’
"We’re ready. You can begin," Yan Ruxue said to the teahouse Maid with a smile.
"Of course, Miss." The teahouse Maid nodded and immediately flipped over an hourglass.
"Hmm..." Yan Ruxue thought for a moment, considering her words. "This poem is a quatrain, and the verse I chose is its final couplet."
Yan Ruxue extended a slender, fair finger and pointed to the red beans on the table. "The title of this poem is close in meaning to these."
"Close in meaning to red beans?" Xiao Mo thought for a moment, figuring it must be a poem about red beans. "Could it be *Red Bean Song*? ’A single bean hidden in the heart, in this life never to become dust’?"
"That’s not it, Young Master." Yan Ruxue shook her head. "The meaning is a little off."
"Then it must be *Ask Hongdou* by Cheng Rong—’Head bowed without a word, a thousand thoughts already in the heart’?" Xiao Mo guessed again.
"That’s not it either," Yan Ruxue said, still shaking her head.
"Not that one either?"
This made Xiao Mo frown slightly.
Both of those poems were by famous poets of the Zhou Kingdom. He didn’t expect to be wrong twice.