"So, Ye Li is plain-looking."
"Li'er..." Qin Zheng said, worry creeping into her voice. Murong Ting and Hua Tianxiang turned toward Ye Li with the same unease. Ye Li caught Qin Zheng's eye and gave a small shake of her head, the corner of her mouth lifting. Seeing that the smile was easy and unforced, Qin Zheng let out a breath. She reminded herself: Li'er's mother had once been called the most gifted woman in the capital, and her grandfather the most gifted in the realm. Even if Ye Li had never been known to practice, she would have learned whatever needed to be learned.
While the room watched, Ye Li walked to the table where the brushes and ink were still laid out. She stood for a moment, considering, then took up the brush and set it to the fine rice paper.
Up on the high platform, Feng Zhiyao watched with quiet interest as the girl in celadon robes bent over the paper, her brush moving without hesitation. He gave an almost imperceptible nod. Yao Ji, seated beside him, glanced over and said with a low laugh, "Does Third Prince find Miss Ye quite to his liking?"
Feng Zhiyao touched his nose. "She's interesting, isn't she? At least she isn't dull like the rest of the field." He kept his voice light, but the calm Ye Li had shown from the moment she stepped forward was reason enough for him to think well of her. Besides, Mo Jingli had already come away the worse in an encounter with her not long ago. Perhaps this time his Ayao would actually be getting a good princess.
Prince Mu Yang, seated nearby, seemed to follow the thread of their conversation with some interest. "Does Third Prince know Miss Ye San?"
Feng Zhiyao shook his head. "Weren't you only just back in the capital? She's the one set to be Princess Ding."
"Mo Xiuyao?" A frown crossed Mu Yang's face. He and Mo Xiuyao had been on easy terms as boys, but the accident had put years and distance between them.
Feng Zhiyao nodded. "That's right. What do you think?"
Mu Yang raised an eyebrow. "Mo Jingli is blind."
Yao Ji pressed her lips together to hold back a laugh and covered her mouth. "It seems both Third Prince and Lord Mu are quite fond of Miss Ye San."
Neither man answered. They turned back to the girl in celadon who was still writing. Both came from families that needed no explanation between them. It was not about beauty or talent alone. Set against Ye Ying, Ye Li was simply better suited to be the head of a great house, or of a palace. Whether Mo Jingli had been spoiled past sense by the Empress Dowager and the Princess Consort, or whether Ye Ying held some quality none of them had yet seen, was a question neither could answer.
The audience did not have to wait long. Before the allotted time was out, Ye Li had set down her brush. At the eldest princess's order, the scroll was lifted from the table and carried through the room. Those nearby could make out the shape of it: a peony painting. Qin Zheng and the other two let out a quiet breath of relief. Ranking or no ranking, completing a peony in that span of time and not shaming herself was enough. That much, at least, was done.
The scroll was brought first to the six judges in the review box. The first to see it, the scholar Su Zhe, frowned. He looked up at the girl in celadon still standing by the table, then looked back down at the paper. After a long moment he passed it to Mo Jian, Minister of Civil Affairs, seated beside him. Mo Jian frowned as well, glancing up at Ye Li more than once before passing it along.
The unusual reactions of the judges pulled the attention of every woman in the audience toward Ye Li, and curiosity rippled through the room.
When the scroll reached the end of the panel, Feng Zhiyao handed it to his attendant, who carried it up to Princess Zhaoyang. The judges exchanged a few words. Then Su Zhe rose and announced, "Miss Ye Li, daughter of the Minister of Household Affairs: first in calligraphy, first in poetry, fourth in painting."
"Ali!" Murong Ting's cry of delight cut through the hall. Heads turned. Ye Li gave a brief, composed bow toward the platform, then returned to her seat. Murong Ting reached over and patted her shoulder. "And here you were saying you couldn't manage it. Hiding it all along."
Ye Li smiled a little ruefully. "It was only a trick."
Hua Tianxiang shook her head, still smiling. "Trick or not, you should be glad. Congratulations, Ali." Qin Zheng pressed her lips into a smile and nodded to her, and Ye Li smiled back.
At the judges' table, Princess Qixia's expression shifted. She rose without ceremony and crossed to where Princess Zhaoyang sat, bending over to look at Ye Li's scroll. She stared at it for a long moment, then raised her head and looked at Ye Li with something complicated moving across her face, and said nothing.
The eldest princess's attendant sent the scroll down to circulate among the ladies in attendance. For the established ranking to be overturned by a single work, it had to be something everyone could see for themselves. The girl who had held first place in poetry came from a family of scholars; she studied the painting quietly, then stood and smiled. "To lose to a descendant of Master Qingyun is no shame. I can still hold my head up." Her grace earned more admiration than the ranking itself.
Murong Ting unrolled the scroll and held it for her friends to see. Qin Zheng drew a breath. "The poem is extraordinary." The painting showed peonies in full bloom, petals falling, fragrance rising, and the poem inscribed on it praised the peony above all flowers, alone in the world in its beauty and scent. Those around them competed to add their praise.
Hua Tianxiang laughed. "The poem is fine. The brushwork is fine. Ali, who taught you this hand? I want to be a student."
Ye Li gave a small smile. "When I was a child, I came across a model work from a gentleman named Liu. I've been copying it all these years, and I can finally read something of it into the strokes." In her previous life she had begun studying the Liu style at six. In this one, she had carried on for more than twenty years. If the result was still not worth looking at, it would have said nothing good about her.
Qin Zheng, who loved calligraphy, pressed a hand to her heart in mock envy. "You're fortunate. Li'er, you have to write me a copy later."
"The original is gone. Shall I write it fresh?"
"One word, and I'll hold you to it. I'm waiting."
"I want one too," said Hua Tianxiang, and Murong Ting was not far behind. Ye Li agreed to give each of them a copy.
Across the room, the remaining voices of dissent fell quiet. Princess Qixia gritted her teeth and finally said it: "I concede." The eldest princess, Zhaoyang, watched the girl's unwilling face with a soft sigh. She reached out and drew Qixia gently in front of her, patting her, soothing her. Qixia was new to Dachu, and young, and had not yet learned how to lose. Whether that was a gift or a flaw remained to be seen.
"In that case," Su Zhe said, and the hall quieted, "the champion of this year's Hundred Flowers Festival is Miss Ye San of the Ministry of Household Affairs."
No one objected. Feng Zhiyao smiled, easy as sunlight, and added, "And of course, if anyone remains unsatisfied, Miss Ye San is welcome to accept further challenges. I believe she would be glad to." He looked toward Ye Li as he said it.
Ye Li raised her head and met his gaze. He was winking at her, the look light and a little shameless, but there was nothing unkind in it.
Urged forward by Qin Zheng and the others, Ye Li rose and made her way up to the high platform. From the eldest princess she received the prizes awarded to every year's champion: a string of luminous beauty pearls, a hairpin of purple jade, and a length of snow-white music silk, all things the women in attendance had coveted from a distance. Ye Li felt no guilt about having won by what might generously be called an unconventional method, and no particular pride either. When the choice was between losing face and gaining an advantage, she had always known which side to take.
"Miss Ye San." The eldest princess studied the girl in celadon standing before her, and something sad settled into her expression. "I had not expected the Minister of Household Affairs to have such a remarkable daughter. My palace knew your mother, in the old days. If you have time to spare, you would be welcome to visit the princess's residence."
Ye Li bowed. "Thank you, Your Highness. An invitation from the Princess Royal is a great honor."
"Good child. Go on." The eldest princess's sigh was quiet and brief.
Ye Li saluted her, turned and paid her respects to each of the judges in turn, then walked away from the platform with her prizes.