It seemed even Lord Sha felt Princess Tiya was being rather unruly.
He cleared his throat and looked at Princess Tiya, shaking his head. "Your Highness, please refrain from childish tantrums! Since His Highness Prince Chang is already betrothed, why doesn't Your Highness take a seat? You will be in Da Yue for a long time, so many things can be discussed at length."
He turned and glanced at Prince Wen, who looked somewhat embarrassed at being "rejected." "This humble subject believes that His Highness Prince Wen is truly an excellent man, far superior to the princes of our Southern Kingdom. He will surely treat Your Highness well in the future!"
However, Princess Tiya, at this very moment, refused to even give Lord Sha face.
She stamped her foot and took two more steps towards Song Chaoyu. "I don't care! Let's have a competition! If it were anyone else, fine, but it's a concubine's daughter. I simply must know what it is about you, a concubine's daughter, that makes you better than a princess like me!"
Song Chaoyu truly did not wish to compete or to prolong this matter.
She could already feel that after today, her life would undergo earth-shattering changes.
The peaceful and tranquil good days were likely at an end.
So, she bowed to Princess Tiya again. "This humble girl dares not compete with Your Highness, and naturally cannot compare. Moreover, this humble girl believes that such matters cannot be easily judged through mere competition. I implore Your Highness to enjoy the Da Yue delicacies and wish Your Highness all the best and peace of mind."
Princess Tiya felt as though her fists were hitting soft cotton. Song Chaoyu, with just a few words, had deflected all her anger and unwillingness!
Others were even more surprised. How could this unremarkable concubine's daughter, brought back from a manor outside the city, possess such composure and confidence?
There was no fear in her expression, nor any wavering in her tone. It was as if... she disdained to compete, rather than being afraid to.
"You—are you defying the imperial decree?!"
Princess Tiya directly knelt before the Emperor, tears streaming down her face in front of so many people. "Your Majesty, I am simply not convinced. I just want to have a competition with her, and I beg Your Majesty to grant my request."
Seeing that the situation was becoming difficult to salvage, after all, Princess Tiya was a princess of the Southern Kingdom!
The Emperor, not wanting to completely disregard Princess Tiya's feelings, could only glance at Song Chaoyu and then ask Princess Tiya, "What does Your Highness wish to compete in?"
Princess Tiya wiped away her tears fiercely, smudging her exquisite makeup.
She seemed to pay it no mind, stubbornly lifting her chin and saying, "I won't bully anyone! Don't you Da Yue women value qin, qi, shu, and hua? Choose one that she is skilled at. If she can defeat me, I will stop causing trouble and willingly marry His Highness Prince Wen!"
She knew she was being unreasonable?
The Emperor's fingers lightly tapped the pearl-adorned dragon head on his throne. He seemed somewhat impatient, but ultimately nodded his assent. "Very well. But you must promise me that it is only a competition, no seriousness. Do not harm the harmony, do you understand?"
Before Princess Tiya could say anything, Lord Sha stepped forward and hurriedly said, "Understood! Her Highness is merely a bit willful and capricious, but she has absolutely no intention of harming the peace and dignity between our two nations! Their competition, as young girls, should be viewed as mere entertainment!"
Song Chaoyu closed her eyes and sighed inwardly.
In the end... she couldn't avoid it?
Tiya then stood up, looking directly at Song Chaoyu with provocative eyes. "Tell me, what shall we compete in? Qin, qi, shu, or hua, you choose one!"
Song Chaoyu simply smiled slightly. "This humble girl has heard that women in the Southern Kingdom love music and dance, and are less fond of calligraphy and painting. Your Highness is a distinguished guest who has traveled far, and naturally, we must treat you with courtesy. Therefore, excluding calligraphy and painting, please choose, Your Highness."
After speaking, she even surveyed the surroundings, showing no signs of stage fright. "Consider it as this humble girl performing for everyone on this auspicious day, to bring a smile to your faces!"
On the surface, Song Chaoyu seemed to be placing herself in a very low position.
But in reality, everyone could tell that she had already given Princess Tiya ample face.
If she lost, no one would think much of it. After all, in the grand main hall at this moment, no one had high hopes for this concubine's daughter from the Song family's external household.
But if Princess Tiya lost, it would be the Southern Kingdom that lost face. Song Chaoyu's statement that Southern Kingdom women and Da Yue women have different preferences was not a gesture of respect towards Princess Tiya?
Princess Tiya snorted coldly. "Then let's agree beforehand, you are not allowed to go easy on me!"
Song Chaoyu nodded. "Your Highness, please rest assured. When facing Your Highness, this humble girl will certainly give her all. Moreover, this competition today does not represent this humble girl, nor the Song family. I wish to spar with Your Highness, and I ask for Your Highness's guidance."
Her grace and poise, her perfect etiquette, made many look at her with newfound admiration.
Song Yanjiao, sitting beside Prince Ning, was inwardly astonished. She felt that if she were in such a situation, she might not even be able to handle it so smoothly. She never expected Song Chaoyu to be so flawless, even earning continuous praise for her reactions and demeanor.
She had truly... underestimated this fourth daughter from the external household before!
—
Song Chaoyu gestured for Princess Tiya to choose first. Princess Tiya was not polite. "Then let's start with qin! Women in our Southern Kingdom love to play the qin, but I've heard that you Da Yue women favor the zheng and pipa. How about we compete on the zheng or pipa?"
This sounded as if she were doing Song Chaoyu a favor.
Song Chaoyu, however, smiled slightly, her eyes resolute. "This humble girl, like Your Highness, is also fond of the qin."
She refused to back down, knowing that even if she lost, it wouldn't be shameful.
Princess Tiya's brow furrowed slightly. "Then don't regret it! Someone, bring my Peacock Tail-Feather Moon-Chime Qin!"
She lit incense, washed her hands, and then sat in the hall, playing a famous Southern Kingdom melody, "Cold of Xizhou."
"Cold of Xizhou" was an ancient Southern Kingdom tune, which told the gentle story of a woman from Xizhou in the Southern Kingdom who eagerly awaited her husband's return from battle, day after day, for thirty years.
Thirty years later, with white hair, she died on a stormy morning.
Later, the Sea God, seeing the woman's devotion, accepted her soul and transformed her into a white porpoise in the sea, guiding the souls of the returning warriors home from the sea.
Princess Tiya performed this piece with exceptional sorrow, vividly portraying the woman's reluctance to part with her husband as she waited.
After the melody ended, the lingering notes seemed to fill the hall, immersing everyone in the woman's sorrow for a long time.
Song Chaoyu had to admit that Princess Tiya's performance could be described as "perfect."
However, on such a joyous occasion... it seemed rather inappropriate.