Chapter 209 Talent

After all the officials presented birthday gifts to the empress dowager, Eunuch Liu winked at a young eunuch next to him.

The young eunuch understood and hurried out of the hall. After a while, delicious dishes with good color, aroma and taste, and pots of fragrant and mellow wine were brought to everyone's seats by the palace maids.

Emperor Wen of Qi laughed heartily and said, "Today is the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet. Therefore, there are no emperors or ministers in this hall today, only the birthday person and those wishing him a happy birthday. My dear ministers, please don't be restrained and just enjoy this feast to your heart's content!"

Although Emperor Wen of Qi said so, how could anyone dare to disregard their superiors? They all stood up and bowed to thank the emperor for his grace.

"Your Majesty!" At this time, Concubine Liu said to Emperor Wen of Qi with a smile: "Since the banquet has begun, how can there be no singing and dancing?"

After saying this, he glanced at the people in the hall and said with a smile, "There are many more noble ladies this year than in previous years. I think the event will be even more grand than in previous years."

Emperor Wen of Qi had always favored Concubine Liu. Seeing Concubine Liu say this, how could he not give her face? He immediately smiled and said, "Your Highness, what you said is very true."

After that, he said to the crowd, "Which noble lady would like to take the lead?"

"Your Majesty, I am a humble servant, but I am willing to take the lead and perform a colorful dance for the Empress Dowager!" Meng Luoyi stood up with a smile and bowed respectfully to Emperor Wen of Qi and the Empress Dowager.

"Good!" When Emperor Wen of Qi saw that it was Prime Minister Meng's legitimate daughter, he immediately said to Prime Minister Meng happily, "Prime Minister Meng, your daughter is indeed quite good!"

"Your Majesty, thank you for your compliment!" Prime Minister Meng bowed hurriedly.

"The Nichang dance is good. I'm really looking forward to it!" The Queen Mother also smiled and said in a gentle voice.

"Queen Dowager, I am sorry to present my humble dance to you!" Meng Luoyi smiled and bowed to the Queen Dowager. As she stood up, she secretly glanced at Xuan Shaoqing who was not far away, hoping that her dance moves would catch the eye of this cold man.

It has to be said that Meng Luoyi is known as the most talented woman in the capital, and she does have the qualifications.

As a song started, Meng Luoyi danced to the music, her sleeves fluttering gently and gracefully, and her steps and waist bending were as soft as if she had no bones.

After the dance, the whole hall cheered.

The Queen Mother was even more delighted and said to Suyin, "Reward!"

"Yes!" Suyin bowed with a smile, holding a gold-decorated jade crabapple hairpin and handed it to Meng Luoyi.

Meng Luoyi quickly took the hairpin and bowed to the Queen Mother with a smile: "Your Highness, I thank you for your gift. I wish you good fortune as vast as the East Sea and a long life as long as the Southern Mountains!"

When she was leaving, Meng Luoyi glanced at Xuan Shaoqing, only to see that Xuan Shaoqing didn't look away and didn't even glance at her, so her expression couldn't help but become a little gloomy.

With Meng Luoyi taking the lead, all the noble ladies stood up to perform, some played the piano, some danced, some wrote calligraphy, and some painted, which made the empress dowager so happy that she was grinning from ear to ear.

All the noble ladies vied with each other to show off their talents, and even Yuan Zitong played a song "Yaochi".

Yuan Zitong was hired by the Ning family to teach her the arts of music, chess, calligraphy and painting since she was a child. Therefore, Yuan Zitong's talents were quite outstanding among the noble ladies in the capital. Among the arts of music, chess, calligraphy and painting, Yuan Zitong was best at playing the zither.

"Who is this?" Xuanyuan Xiao didn't notice Yuan Zitong at first, so he didn't know which noble lady she was from.

Xuanyuan Xiao's attendant, Xiao Dizi, quickly responded softly, "Second Prince, this is Miss Yuan, the legitimate daughter of Master Yuan Qilei, the Imperial Academy's Attendant."

"Miss Yuan Da?" Xuanyuan Xiao narrowed his eyes: "Then she and Miss Yuan Er are...?"

"It's cousins!"

"Oh?" Xuanyuan Xiao raised his eyebrows, looked at Yuan Zitong carefully, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise, wondering what he was thinking.

"Empress Dowager, Your Majesty!" Halfway through the banquet, Concubine Zhao put down her wine cup and said with a smile, "The noble ladies of our Dali Dynasty are indeed all talented and beautiful. These songs, dances, and paintings are really eye-opening for me. However, I feel that today is the Empress Dowager's sixtieth birthday, and if there are only these songs, dances, and paintings, it would be a bit dull!"

"Oh?" Emperor Wen of Qi raised an eyebrow when he heard this. "Does Concubine Zhao have any good ideas?"

Concubine Zhao covered her lips with her sleeve and smiled sweetly, "Your Majesty, you are too kind to me. What ideas could I have? I just thought that today is the Empress Dowager's birthday, so I should come up with something new. I wonder if you have any fresh ideas that will both liven up the party and add some color to the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet."

Emperor Wen of Qi nodded upon hearing this: "Concubine Zhao is absolutely right!"

Then Emperor Wen of Qi smiled and said to everyone in the hall, "Does any of the noble ladies have any talents that will amaze us?"

"Your Majesty!" Miao Yin smiled and stood up to salute, saying, "I do think I have a candidate, but I'm not sure if this noble lady is willing."

There was a hidden meaning in these words. If the person Miao Yin mentioned agreed, his talent would not be refreshing, which would definitely make the empress dowager and the emperor unhappy. But if the person she mentioned did not agree, he would be guilty of disrespect.

Just think about it, if you are unwilling to perform at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, isn't that a disrespect to the Empress Dowager?

"Oh?" Emperor Wen of Qi recognized this as Consort Zhao's niece and asked with a smile, "Who is the candidate you are talking about?"

Miao Yin smiled and glanced at Yuan Ziyu. Yuan Ziyu narrowed her eyes, instinctively knowing that Miao Yin was talking about her. Moreover, she had clearly sensed Miao Yin's ill intentions. After all, she had not yet performed her talent on stage.

"General Yuan's legitimate daughter, Miss Yuan Er, is known to everyone for having seized the Moxiang Order during the Lantern Festival and having fought against the villains. She is a man of both civil and military talents. I think she has some extraordinary talents. I am not afraid of being laughed at by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. I have been looking forward to appreciating Miss Yuan Er's grace." Miao Yin said with a smile.

"Your Highness also thinks what Third Miss Miao said makes sense!" Meng Luoyi responded with a smile, "Second Miss Yuan is both intelligent and courageous, and her talent and beauty are unparalleled. I believe that if she displays her talents today, she will surely become famous in the capital again."

Miao Yin had someone find out a lot earlier. Yuan Ziyu had lived in the frontier for a long time, and had been in contact with fierce generals and rough soldiers. She only loved martial arts and cooking, and knew nothing about other things. She didn't even know any poetry or songs. There must have been something fishy about the riddles and couplets she thought up during the Lantern Festival. There must have been someone helping her behind the scenes so that she could quickly integrate into the circle of noble ladies in the capital.

Seeing that Meng Luoyi also offered help, Miao Yin became even more confident and looked forward to Yuan Ziyu making a fool of himself in public.

Huo Jiao was so excited that she wanted to join in the fun, but Yu gently pulled her back, and she couldn't say anything. She only heard Huo Na's voice beside her: "This servant also thinks that what Miss Meng and Miss Miao said is very true!"

As soon as Huo Na finished speaking, some noble ladies who disliked Yuan Ziyu or wanted to join in the fun all followed suit, allowing Yuan Ziyu to show off his unique talents.

Thanks to screwls for the rewardヾ(▽)ノ

Thanks to Happy Mom, Thoughts, Tao Zhiyaoyao, Kara, E, Time is fleeting, Xiaofeng, and What Name Can I Use to Attract Your Attention for the monthly ticketsヾ(▽)ノ

Thanks to Sixu, Yanyujiangpan, Zheng Cuicui, Shuyou20191127203726542, Yawu, Meizi, Yinshi, Kara, Suiyueran, There's Wind in Your Eyes, hlqa, Yatou, Jian Qiqi, Luosils, Jingchun Hengda Finance, Time is fleeting, Feifei, What name can attract your attention for the recommendation votesヾ(▽)ノ

(End of this chapter)