As the palace banquet began, night fell…
In the vast palace, there was a place that was especially bright and noisy. The hall that was specially set up for banquets was brightly lit. All the officials and their relatives were gathered here, chatting and laughing.
Hua Juechen sat on the left side of the Emperor, closest to the platform, while Yingluo Qiqi sat next to Hua Juechen. The two of them didn't say a word since the banquet, and Yingluo Qiqi moved her loose dress to the right, as if she didn't want to have any contact with Hua Juechen, not even her clothes…
Hua Juechen saw Yingluo Qiqi's actions and did not express his opinion. He continued to drink his tea and smiled like a mortal god. There were many young ladies from official families who kept watching him. Their faces were like peach blossoms and they were shy. This made Yingluo Qiqi wonder if this ancient woman was reserved.
The banquet began with a dance. As the music began, the dancers showed their most beautiful side. Their mission was to entertain everyone here. There could not be any deviation.
The musician was concentrating on playing his instrument in a corner, producing soft and beautiful music. The dancer was in the middle, wearing a light yellow dress and dancing around a huge colored ball. When the music reached the climax, the colored ball suddenly opened, and peach blossom petals scattered all over the sky. Immediately after, a beautiful woman in a peach blossom dress flew out. Her beautiful body danced with the music, and her veiled face only revealed a pair of clear big eyes. She smiled slightly and curved into a crescent moon, as if she was talking to everyone. On the right side of her forehead, there was a beautiful flower attached to her hair, adding a natural aura to the mysterious woman.
Once the music stopped, the dancers stopped for a few seconds, then bowed and left in an orderly manner. However, the veiled dancer in the pink dress did not leave. She stood firmly in the center and did not speak.
"Why haven't you left yet?" The empress, who had not spoken all this while, asked softly, her eyes full of doubt and puzzlement.
When the Empress said this, the Emperor only smiled and did not express anything. The woman stretched out her fair hand and lifted her veil. A stunning and beautiful face was reflected in everyone's eyes. That face was not unfamiliar to everyone. Wasn't that the daughter of the Left Minister, Feng Yiran! Didn't the Emperor forbid her from participating in this banquet?
While everyone was puzzled, Feng Yiran knelt on the ground and bowed to the Emperor and Empress respectively. "This little daughter greets the emperor, empress, long live the emperor! Empress, long live!"
The Emperor withdrew the smile on his lips and his face instantly darkened. When the Empress reached out and placed her hand on his, his expression slightly improved and he said,"What are you doing here?"
When Feng Yiran heard the Emperor's question, she lowered her head slightly. Her eyes were slightly red and glistened with tears. Her red lips parted slightly as she said aggrievedly,"Emperor, I know I did something wrong. I came to apologize to Qi Qi.”
Yingluo Qiqi raised her eyebrows and laughed. She thought to herself, Will I admit my mistake? Unless it was the end of the world, it must be that what happened in the afternoon had ruined her image in everyone's hearts. She wanted to know how she could excuse herself. Thus, he lazily leaned against the table and swirled his wine glass with his left hand. He asked,""If you knew it was wrong, why did you do such a thing to frame others?”
After Yingluo Qiqi said this, Feng Yiran suddenly burst into tears. Her tear-stained appearance made everyone's heart soften.
She cried hysterically and twitched. She sobbed and said," This isn't... my... original intention. Mother... she... forced me to do this... I didn't want to... I didn't want to..."
Feng Yiran was crying in the hall, her entire body sprawled on the ground and sobbing. She used her sleeve to wipe her tears, but accidentally slipped her wide sleeve to her elbow, revealing a large bruise and purple scar. Some sharp-eyed people immediately asked,"Miss Feng, what's with the wound on your hand?”
Feng Yiran's body trembled because of this question. She quickly pulled down her sleeve to cover the horrible wound.
The Emperor naturally noticed Feng Yiran's unnatural behavior and asked sternly,""Zhen asks you what is going on?"
Feng Yiran opened her mouth slightly, wanting to say something but hesitating. Everyone was anxious. Of course, this did not include Yingluo Qiqi and Hua Juechen. Yingluo Qiqi naturally knew how cunning Feng Yiran was, but she did not expect her to be so unscrupulous and use her mother to eliminate her sins. It was really too evil!
"If there's anything, zhen will bear it for you!”Feng Yiran was still a little hesitant after receiving the Emperor's assurance. However, when he saw the Emperor's serious expression, his eyes became more determined. He slowly said, At home, as long as Mother encounters a trace of misfortune, she will vent her anger on me…" Halfway through her sentence, her tears could not stop falling. She continued to wipe her tears with her wide sleeve and continued,""That's why I was covered in scars. She never cared about me usually, even if she didn't care at all! When she saw that I had such a face, she had always used me and worked for her. Once, in order to satisfy her vanity, she even wanted to buy me off to the only son of the richest family.”She cried even harder. In the eyes of everyone, she was very pitiful. They had never thought that a perfect woman like Feng Yiran would have such a painful experience. She was really pitiful.
Watching Feng Yiran's lively performance, Qi Qi smiled. Hua Juechen tilted his head slightly and happened to see this scene. His heart started beating violently without warning.
Feng Yiran tried her best to calm down and continued to tell everyone," This time, Mother said that even an idiot like Qiqi can marry such a talented prince, but I can't do anything, so she threatened me to do this…" As she spoke, she suddenly looked up at Yingluo Qiqi and said to her,"" Qiqi, I really didn't do it on purpose. I'm sorry. Fortunately, you saw through my mother's scheme today. Otherwise, you would have…sob…"
Yingluo Qiqi shook her head and said to the emperor,"Emperor, let's forget about this matter, I won't pursue it!”
The Emperor nodded slightly and said,"Miss Feng, you don't have to cry anymore. As for your mother, I will handle it for you."”After a pause, he turned his gaze to the Left Minister and said,""Don't you think so, Minister Feng Ai?"
The Left Minister was very angry, but he could only suppress his anger in such an occasion. He replied,"Yes, sir!"
The Emperor looked at the scene in front of him and felt helpless. He said to Feng Yiran,"Go sit next to your father first!”
Feng Yiran nodded and walked toward the Left Minister.
The Emperor looked at this strange atmosphere and could not help but say loudly,"Alright, dear ministers, enjoy yourself. There's no need to suppress yourself!”As he spoke, he turned to Hua Jue Chen and said,"Third Prince, don't blame me for letting you see a joke!"”
Hua Jue Chen smiled warmly and said,"Where!"”
After this interlude, the banquet went on in full swing again. One by one, exciting programs appeared. In the end, everyone felt bored. At this moment, the Empress whispered to the Emperor,""Everyone is not interested in watching these programs. Why don't we let some voluntary young ladies from official families perform?”
The Emperor nodded and said,"This idea is not bad!"”Therefore, he announced to everyone,""Zhen saw the drowsy appearance of all the beloved ministers and accepted the Empress 'suggestion to let all the willing women present perform what they are best at. Just now, I was offering Miss a dance for everyone. I wonder which Miss is willing to give it a try?”
"Reporting to the emperor, my daughter is willing to give it a try!”Hong Lili, who was sitting in the middle, suddenly stood up and said," How can I miss such an opportunity?!" Looking at the handsome and extraordinary men in the front row, there were high officials and even the emperor's son. With their prominent identities, how could she not be moved?
"Good!"
With the Emperor's approval, Hong Lili slowly walked to the center of the hall and said to the Emperor,""My daughter is best at playing the guzheng. I wonder if I can borrow the musician's guzheng?”
The musician who was playing the guzheng saw the Emperor nod and quickly handed the guzheng in his hand to Hong Lili. Hong Lili took the zither and placed it on the ground. She knelt on the ground and stretched out her slender hands to pluck the strings. After a while, a beautiful music rang out along with the vibration.
Hong Lili's guzheng playing was excellent. Her techniques and techniques were very precise, and the music was very pleasant. It was many times better than the musician's performance. However, as long as one understood music, they would know the shortcomings of this song. No matter how beautiful it was, it could not move one's heartstrings. This was the essence of music.
At the end of the song, Hong Lili bowed and returned to her seat!
"Emperor, my daughter knows how to draw!" This was a woman in a light green dress. Her face was considered delicate, but her indifferent expression made Yingluo Qiqi curious.
With the emperor's approval, she walked to the center of the hall, picked up the brush, and waved it on the paper. Looking at her serious appearance, Yingluo Qiqi suddenly felt that she was a very charming woman.
After a long time, the woman stopped drawing and raised her painting.
When she drew the last stroke, those who saw a part of the painting were very surprised. When the whole picture was displayed in front of them, their feelings could no longer be described as surprised.
The painting was of the scene that they had seen her draw just now. She had even drawn herself in it without a single mistake. Even everyone's expressions were very vivid. More importantly, she had actually drawn such a perfect work in such a short period of time. This made everyone admire her. Only Hong Lili sat in her seat. Her hands under her sleeves were already clenched into fists. Her eyes were also very dark. Yingluo Qiqi could see the strong jealousy in her eyes.
When the Emperor saw the painting, he was also stunned. He laughed loudly and asked,"What's your name?"
The woman raised her head and stood straight. She said,"Ou Linyuan!"
"So you're Minister Ou's daughter. Good! Good! Good! Minister Ou, you have a daughter! Hahaha!" The emperor said three good words in a row, but Ou Linyuan's face was not happy. She had always looked indifferent, which made Yingluo Qiqi admire her very much! After all, it was very difficult to see such an extraordinary woman in ancient times!
Hearing the Emperor's praise, Ou Linyuan's father felt very flattered and quickly replied,"Your Majesty is too kind!"
"Minister Ou, what are you talking about? Very good, very good.”Everyone could see that the Emperor was very happy, but thinking about it, how could he not be happy? This wasn't just a simple painting, it had gained prestige in front of the prince of another country. Such a talented person with extraordinary painting skills was in his own country, how could he not be proud?
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