Chapter 225: Competition of Beauty

Back at Fengyi Palace, Xie Zhenrong was extremely anxious every day.

Seeing that Wen Li'er was about to leave her confinement, the emperor had not yet favored any of the new concubines.

If this continues, I'm afraid all my work will be in vain.

She took advantage of her birthday to hold a birthday banquet in Fengyi Palace, and invited all the concubines in the harem except Wen Li'er who was in confinement.

On the Queen's birthday, the Grand Empress Dowager and the Queen Mother both came to pay their respects, so naturally the Emperor couldn't not come.

The concubines sat in pairs at the bottom, each of them dressed in their best.

Looking at it this way, Wen Wanqin looked extremely dull, and even Xie Zhenrong couldn't help but look at her.

Wen Wanqin and Feng Yingying were both women who were given to the Eastern Palace by the late emperor because of Yang Guifei's mischief.

Later, Feng Yingying brought about her own death, but Wen Wanqin was too obedient.

Except for paying respects at Fengyi Palace every day, he basically never left the house.

She was able to show her face in front of the emperor today without even putting on any makeup.

Without fighting or competing, are you planning to quietly die in the harem?

The other concubines were also disdainful in their hearts. Now that they had entered the palace, who were they still pretending to be so aloof for?

Wen Wanqin frowned as everyone looked at her.

Lin Fujia's seat was right next to hers, so she tilted her head and whispered, "Sister Wen, the Emperor is coming today, why aren't you tidying up?"

She also took out her best dress today and wore it, and with her exquisite makeup and headdress, she was not inferior to the new buds in the palace.

Of course, compared with Chen Yian, the difference is not even a little bit.

Wen Wanqin twitched the corner of her mouth and whispered to Lin Fujia, "I'm used to it."

In fact, she felt a little regretful in her heart. Everyone was wearing heavy makeup, which made her look even more unique.

She never needed such sophistication. She just wanted to keep to herself, remain a virgin for that man, and die alone in a corner of the palace.

But it is too late to return to Wencui Palace and dress up now.

Soon, the emperor arrived.

Today, he wasn't wearing a dragon robe. Instead, he wore a stone-blue, round-necked, narrow-sleeved robe, accessorized with a nine-ring belt and six-combination boots. He wore a wide belt with auspicious cloud patterns around his waist, and only a simple dragon pendant. His overall attire was simple and neat, lacking some of the intimidating majesty he might have had in a dragon robe.

Xie Zhenrong led all the concubines to stand up and salute.

Yan Shixu held Xie Zhenrong's arm, looking much more relaxed than usual.

"Today is the Queen's birthday, so there's no need to be formal."

The concubines sat down again.

Yongtai personally sang the birthday gift given by the emperor to the queen, and everyone was amazed.

Didn't they say that the Emperor didn't like the Empress, his first wife? Seeing her today, I don't think it's as the rumors say.

After the rewards from the Grand Empress Dowager and the Queen Mother were delivered, the concubines presented their gifts one by one to wish the Queen a happy birthday.

After the ceremony, Wan Sui Huan stood up and said, "Today is the Queen's birthday, which is truly a grand event in the palace. I, a humble concubine, would like to present a song to add a bit of joy to the Queen's birthday."

As soon as these words were spoken, Xie Zhenrong agreed immediately.

Everyone's eyes were focused on Wan Sui Huan.

She walked slowly to the center of the venue with graceful steps, her eyes full of confidence, and it was obvious that she was very confident in her piano skills.

The palace maids quickly brought the seven-stringed harp that Wan Suihuan had prepared himself.

She sat down lightly, her hands resting on the strings.

In an instant, melodious piano music poured out from her fingertips like gurgling water.

The melody is sometimes soothing, like a spring breeze blowing through willow branches; sometimes passionate, like a summer rainstorm pouring down.

Even Yan Shixu couldn't help but put down the wine glass in his hand and listen attentively.

The concubines were all mesmerized by the music, some nodded slightly, and were intoxicated by the beautiful melody.

Some showed envy on their faces and secretly sighed that Wan Suihuan was indeed a superb musician.

Wen Wanqin's gaze also fell on Wan Suihuan, and her knuckles moved slightly, as if echoing Wan Suihuan's piano music.

She herself is proficient in music, but she hasn't touched a musical instrument for a long time.

Those skills I once had seem to have been buried deep in my heart as time goes by.

Lin Fujia nudged Wen Wanqin gently and asked softly, "Wan Zhaorong's zither skills are indeed quite good. How does she compare to Sister Wen?"

Wen Wanqin smiled faintly, thinking that her skills were inferior to others.

Lin Fujia seemed to be lost in thought and remained silent.

Just when everyone was immersed in the music of the piano, suddenly, the music stopped.

Wan Suihuan's fingers trembled slightly and he let out a soft hiss.

The string broke with a sound, leaving a streak of blood on it.

The atmosphere in the field suddenly became a little weird, and everyone's attention was focused on Wan Suihuan again.

Wan Suihuan's face flushed red and he quickly knelt down to apologize.

She took every precaution, but she still fell into the trap!

At this moment, she wished she could cut the villain who had touched her strings into pieces.

Xie Zhenrong frowned slightly, feeling a little unhappy.

After all, this was her birthday party, and such a situation was really a bit of a letdown.

"Wan Zhaorong, please go back to your seat and sit down."

"yes."

Wan Qinghuan forced himself to keep a smile on his face and sat back in his seat.

Some of the other concubines showed an expression of gloating, while others offered a few hypocritical words of comfort.

A dark light flashed across Yan Shixu's eyes very quickly, and he coughed lightly, breaking the slightly awkward silence.

"Who else wants to present a talent for the Queen?"

Other concubines came out one after another.

As the saying goes, "A quarter of an hour on stage takes ten years of hard work off stage."

Girls who come from prominent families are all talented women who have been carefully nurtured by their families.

Everyone has his or her own strengths in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine and flowers.

In order to get the emperor's attention, everyone worked hard and was rewarded.

Lin Fujia presented a birthday poem. The poem and calligraphy were good, and she was rewarded.

Wen Wanqin was worried that if she didn't show her talent, she would be the only one, so she drew a picture on the spot. Her painting skills were mediocre and it was just passed over.

Xie Zhenrong's eyes were full of smiles, and she seemed very satisfied with the concubines' competition for beauty.

In the end, only Chen Yian was left.