Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 482 - 480

Chapter 482: 480

The "Vegetable identification" activity started like a game of pass the parcel.

A woman would beat the drum, and when the drumming stopped, whoever held the silk flower would advance to "identify the vegetable".

The first round of drumming was performed by the winner of the finger-guessing game.

Twenty girls participated, while the rest watched the spectacle.

The first round of drumming was performed by Gu Qiqi, and when the sound ceased, the silk flower fell into the hands of Fu Ranhui.

She stood up, walked before the flower rack, and selected one of the handheld yellow containers, in which a plant resembling grass but not quite was growing.

There are three kinds of vegetables that look most like grass: garlic, scallion, and chives!

Pointing to the mentioned plant, she cheerily announced, "It’s chives!"

"Congratulations, Princess, you’re right," announced a maid.

The Empress rewarded her with a pair of ruby earrings.

The chives were too easy to guess. Moreover, some regretted not holding onto the silk flower longer to claim the opportunity to go first. They would have also guessed the easily identifiable chive and earn a pair of ruby earrings.

Moreover, they could not only earn a reward but also be credited with guessing first!

No one expected the chives to be included!

Following Fu Ranhui’s successful guess, it was her turn to beat the drum.

When the drumming ceased, the silk flower ended up in the hands of Zhao Minhua.

Zhao Minhua paused, how unlucky she was feeling! All the vegetables with two or three leaves seem to look the same!

As someone suffering from prosopagnosia, she forgets unfamiliar faces at a glance! She never thought she’d have a similar problem identifying ’faces’ of different vegetables.

Face-blind Zhao Minhua stepped forward reluctantly. Her intensive month of greenhouse training at home brought no rewards.

She observed each plant. As expected, they all looked alike.

She walked to a corner, where she noticed a pointedly curly leaf that seemed yet to mature was growing in a container.

What was this thing? Seemed like she had seen it before. Suddenly, she remembered the scene of the lotus pond at the mansion during early summer. Eureka! "Lotus root!" she exclaimed.

She then proceeded to lift the silk underneath; on which was embroidered in small regular script: "Holes without insects, nests without peaks, silk without silkworms, umbrellas without people."

She smiled slightly, confirming her guess of lotus root.

"Congratulations, Miss Zhao, you are correct!"

The lotus root was grown in water and the tip that grew out was pointed. The guess was not a difficult one, so she, too, received a pair of sapphire earrings from the Empress.

Having seen her daughter correctly identify the plant and avoid embarrassment, Mrs. Zhao released a sigh of relief.

All the gods must be protecting them!

Recently, she had been anxious about looking for a suitable marriage for her daughter, but she could not remember a single man’s face!

She worried that if she were to get married into a large family with many brothers, she might end up confusing her husband with others!

Unaware of Mrs. Zhao’s thoughts, Minhua advanced to beat the drum. When the drumming stopped, the silk flower landed in Xiao’er’s (Rui’an) hands.

Xiao’er stood up, walked to the flower rack, and pointed at a plant that had only two cotyledons and a budding sprout and said, "This is baby bok choy!"

The early growing stages of baby bok choy, mustard, and rapeseed quite resemble each other, making them the hardest to distinguish! Upon seeing these three pots placed together, like identical triplet sisters, everyone would rather avoid giving them an extra glance.

If Rui’an guessed correctly, then the remaining two, if anyone dared to guess, regardless of whether the guess was right or wrong, the answer would become apparent, providing another opportunity to guess correctly - so thought some spectators.

"Congratulations to the Princess of Rui’an County. You got it correct!" said the maid, surprised that anyone could have guessed any of the triplets correctly on the first try.

"Princess Rui’an is really good. I find that these vegetables look the same, and I could never dare to guess," said Gu Qiqi, maintaining a helpless demeanor.

"Xiao’er, how did you guess it correctly?" asked Ruan Weizhen, who had the privilege to attend the banquet even though her father’s official rank was not high. She enjoyed this privilege because her destiny led her to become a royal daughter-in-law. She was born with good character, and both the Empress Dowager and Empress had chosen her as Shangguan Xuanhao’s bride.

"I am familiar with all of them because I have seen them all," she replied.

"I was determined to avoid them. If I really had to guess, I would have simply guessed randomly!" said Fu Ranhui, sticking out her tongue.

"Perhaps Princess Rui’an also guessed randomly and got it right!" said Mrs. Li.

Xiao’er looked at Mrs. Li, why doesn’t she try her luck then?

Li Mingfang quickly glared at Mrs. Li: "Mother, don’t spew nonsense! Princess Rui’an has been with these vegetables since she was a child. No one would be surprised if she could identify the baby bok choy, even if she could identify all three pots of similar vegetables."

After all, she comes from a farming background and is naturally familiar with these things.

"Oh, I almost forgot that Princess Rui’an is probably the best at this. No, no, this kind of victory is not martial! Princess Rui’an, you must guess all three pots correctly in order to count." Chu Die felt contempt for the Vegetable Identification Banquet. What’s so elegant about guessing these vegetables?

In the past, on this day, the Emperor would take the officials to cultivate the land. But this year, for some reason, it was replaced with "Identifying Vegetables," which she felt was unworthy.

What use was there in knowing these vegetables? They didn’t even have to grow them!

"Yes, Princess Rui’an, if you can identify all the vegetables in those three containers, I will believe that you have correctly identified them, and weren’t just guessing," said Mrs. Li.

"If the silk flower happens to be passed into my hand again, I’ll go and guess! Mrs. Li will know then whether I guessed correctly or not!" purred Rui’an, resuming her seat with a smile, proceeding to chat with Fu Ranhui who sat beside her.

Seeing this, the Empress Dowager couldn’t help but nod her head in approval. Princess Rui’an’s response was quite commendable. She wasn’t provoked into making rash actions, nor did she admit to guessing; instead, stressing that under reasonable circumstances, it would come to light whether she truly excelled at the task. Her composure in facing criticism and unterrmer turmoil was a testament to her maturity. Ironically, it made those who provoked her appear disrespectful and troublesome.

This earnest temperament, truly befitting of a royal daughter-in-law!

As this was the most difficult task and Rui’an was being purposely put on the spot, the Empress decided to show support by rewarding her with a set of ruby, pure gold, pearl, and jade headdress, along with a golden, ruby-studded, double Phoenix Jade hairpin.

Humph, what kind of bullying is this, happening right in front of her!

The Empress Dowager also rewarded her with a pearl and jade hairpin and a double dragon pattern gold bracelet studded with gems.

"Only the Empress Dowager and Empress are discerning and capable of recognizing talent. They knew that Princess Rui’an is genuine and not afraid of testing, hence the generous rewards! Right, mother?" Fu Ranhui asked the eldest princess.

"The Empress Dowager and the Empress are naturally wise," the eldest princess responded with a soft smile.

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