Emperor Rui stared intently at Ahua, while Ahua stood lazily, not even glancing at him. Emperor Rui grew increasingly furious, his face darkening. He raised his hand, about to order Ahua to be taken away and locked up, when suddenly a clear voice rang out. It was Liang Yihan, who stood up and said loudly, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! Your Majesty's health is of paramount importance; please do not let a mere girl cause you harm!"

At this moment, a palace maid brought back a cloak, but as soon as she came up, she saw a little eunuch wink at her. She looked around and saw that the atmosphere on the stage was not right, so she obediently stood aside with the cloak and did not say anything.

"Hmph!" Emperor Rui glanced at Liang Yihan, his anger undiminished, and raised his hand, shouting, "Guards! Come before me..."

"Your Majesty!" Liang Yihan interrupted Emperor Rui abruptly. He lowered his head, refusing to look at the emperor's dark face, and raised his voice, "Everyone knows that the misty, watery land along the Lingjiang River is the best place to nurture people. It is said that beauties come from the banks of the Lingjiang River. This time, His Highness Prince Yu specially selected ten beauties from his fiefdom and invited the most outstanding musicians to train them, composing a piece called 'Dance of the Swallow.' When the ten beauties dance this dance, their movements are as light and graceful as swallows, as if they could take flight at any moment. I wonder if Your Majesty would be interested in watching it?"

"Oh?" Emperor Rui's expression softened instantly. He didn't care why Liang Yihan had spoken about the beauty chosen by the Jade King. Instead, he leaned forward slightly and said with great interest, "Please come up and let me see you!"

"Yes!" Liang Yihan winked at Xuan Yuanhao, who was also looking at him with a slight hint of doubt. This was not the best time for Liang Yihan and Xuan Yuanhao to perform "Dance of the Swallows."

Xuan Yuanhao turned his head and glanced at Ahua again. He saw that the woman was still standing lazily in the same place, her small face expressionless. But if you looked closely, you could see a faint smile of joy in her half-open eyes.

Is it simply because this woman happens to also be named "Ahua" that Yihan has repeatedly spoken up for her?

Xuanyuan Hao pondered for a moment, then stood up with a smile and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I personally visited towns and villages and carefully selected these ten beauties to present to you. I hope you will like them."

"Good!" Emperor Rui was overjoyed, his gaze towards Xuan Yuanhao softened even more, and he smiled, "Fifth Brother has really worked hard."

"Your Majesty is too kind. This is all I should do," Xuan Yuanhao said with a smile. He then turned to his attendant behind him and whispered something to him. The attendant nodded and quietly withdrew.

Before long, a series of "thump thump thump thump" sounds came from the wooden stairs. The footsteps were light and agile, each sound striking Emperor Rui's heart. His eyes widened and his mouth slowly opened, almost drooling.

Liuli withdrew her gaze from Emperor Rui, curling her lip in disgust. She quietly approached Ahua and whispered with a smile, "Ahua, that annoying emperor is such a lecher. Has he taken a fancy to you? Liang Yihan does have some conscience, doesn't he? In my opinion, he's trying to get you out of this predicament!"

A hint of a smile flickered in Ahua's eyes, but remembering the heartless words Liang Yihan had spoken to her days ago, the smile vanished in an instant. She raised her small face and gently rubbed against Liuli's neck, letting out a soft, languid "meow."

A series of footsteps drew closer, accompanied by the sweet scent of rouge. Ten stunningly beautiful women filed up two wooden stairs. The ten women varied in their beauty, some plump and some slender. Despite the cold winter, the girls were dressed in thin clothes, their colorful dresses billowing in the wind and filling all the space on the wooden platform.

At this moment, the most beautiful music came from below the wooden platform. Accompanied by the music, ten women gracefully danced, their sleeves billowing.

The melodious sounds of silk and bamboo instruments stirred the heart. Ten beautiful women, with gentle smiles on their faces, danced gracefully on the wooden platform. Their petite lotus steps intertwined and leaped, creating a vast expanse of colorful light and shadow under the illumination of the palace lanterns, like a group of light and agile swallows about to take flight, mesmerizing the eyes of the onlookers.

Zhang Chao was still kneeling on the ground. He stole a glance at Emperor Rui, who was completely engrossed in watching the ten beautiful women dance, paying no attention to him whatsoever. After a moment's thought, Zhang Chao quietly stood up and sat back down. He turned to look at Ahua, somewhat annoyed, only to see the instigator lazily yawning, looking quite relaxed. Zhang Chao was furious, but considering the occasion, he could only stomp his foot in frustration and turn away, sulking to himself, no longer caring about the exquisite dance on stage.

The music gradually faded, and the dancers on stage slowed their movements. Finally, all the music stopped, leaving only the melodious strains of the pipa. Ten beautiful women, their waists swaying like water snakes, swiftly moved past each other, eventually forming three rows. The last row of six women raised their arms high, their wide, soft sleeves sliding down, revealing six pairs of slender, white arms, some bent, some straight, dancing with graceful grace.

The three women in the second row are half-squatting. The women on both sides stretch their hands to the sides, their fair and delicate fingers forming lotus shapes, while the woman in the middle holds her hands in front of her chest, as gentle and affectionate as Xi Shi holding her heart.

There was only one woman in the first row. She was sitting on the ground, her clothes spread out like a flower. She raised one hand above her head and the other hand beside her face. Her wide sleeves covered half of her face, leaving only a pair of captivating peach blossom eyes staring at Emperor Rui with extreme tenderness and charm, making Emperor Rui stare blankly.