"Liu Ruyan, daughter of Minister Liu, and her younger sister Liu Xuening present a dance to the Empress Dowager, wishing her many happy returns of the day."

"allow!"

Liu Ruyan played the zither and Liu Xuening danced. As they looked at Yan An, who was the center of attention, hatred welled up within them.

Unbeknownst to her, Liu Ruyan also hated Yan An, whom she had "never crossed paths with before." She thought that she should have been the one who had just received so much attention, she should have been the mother of the nation, she should have had the phoenix bracelet, and she should have been the one who won the favor of the Empress Dowager... She wanted to get rid of Yan An, get rid of Luo Zhi, and get rid of Liu Xuening.

The clear and melodious sound of the zither flowed from Liu Ruyan's fingers, like a gentle stream flowing through the heart, beautiful, tranquil, soothing, and comforting. With a resounding "zheng," the zither's ancient and vigorous notes, warm yet powerful, poured into the heart like moonlight.

Liu Xuening gracefully swayed her long sleeves and danced to the music of Liu Ruyan's zither. Her slender waist was as supple as a willow, and she was graceful and charming. After the dance, she gently curtsied.

It must be said that Liu Ruyan and Liu Xuening are truly remarkable. Despite their apparent discord and inner conflict, they managed to play the piece exceptionally well and dance with exquisite skill.

"Reward them!" Although the Empress Dowager disliked the two last time, their fathers had no choice but to give them face.

"This humble woman thanks Your Majesty the Empress Dowager; may Your Majesty be blessed with boundless fortune." The two women believed they had caught the Empress Dowager's eye, especially Liu Ruyan, who felt she was one step closer to becoming the mother of the nation. Little did they know that the Empress Dowager already regarded them as thorns in her side.

Amber wine, jade cups, poetry as beautiful as a painting, wine as plentiful as a spring, women playing the zither, men playing the flute, women dancing, men wielding swords, playing the zither and blowing the sheng, a scene of peace and prosperity.

Everyone attends the palace banquet with their own agenda: women hope to find a good husband, men hope to find a beautiful woman, and officials hope to seize the opportunity to rise to prominence.

Yue Xiyuan and Yan An, however, were completely absorbed in their work. He peeled fruit for her methodically, and she ate it slowly and deliberately. The two of them would occasionally comment on the performance.

“This won’t do. That sword dance is too poor. There’s no strength in his wrists at all. How can a dignified man be so weak as to not even be able to kill a chicken?”

"You can't dance as well as me! I'll show you someday."

"The key was played wrong."

"I play better than you, and I'll play for you sometime."

"This one is blown up alright, but the person in it isn't very good-looking."

"Yes, she is indeed not as good-looking as me. I will let An'an take a close look at her every day from now on."

"...So narcissistic, but I like it!" Yan An said proudly.

After the song ended, Consort Chen, who had been sitting silently to the side, spoke up: "Venerable Baiqing is a mysterious and elusive figure, truly a divine being. Princess Yue'an is a disciple of Venerable Baiqing. I wonder if, on the occasion of my sister's birthday, I could also witness his presence?"

Yan An was destined for greatness from a young age, and was also a disciple of Bai Qing. That vile woman's son's power in the court was growing ever stronger. When would her son finally ascend to the throne? When would she finally take that vile woman's place and become the most honored woman in the country? What was Bai Qing, the Venerable One? Just a man skilled in martial arts and mystical arts; how could he compare to the trinkets this young lady possessed? Today, Yan An would be the laughingstock of the day. Hatred surged within Consort Chen like a tidal wave. She gripped the wine cup in her hand, her face plastered with a smile.

Consort Chen's guess was correct; Bai Qing was indeed not very proficient in these things. However, Yan An had more than one master, and Granny Qi's identity was quite impressive.

Seven Granny's original surname was Situ, the head of the four great families of the previous dynasty. Her sister was the empress of the previous dynasty. When Seven Granny was thirteen years old, the Situ family was framed and killed by assassins. A great fire burned everything. Seven Granny was unruly by nature and did not return home that day, so she survived. At that time, rumors spread throughout the four kingdoms, saying that the Situ family had angered the gods and sent down heavenly fire. Seven Granny had nowhere to go. When the passing Taoist Tianxuan discovered that she was intelligent and a good candidate for medicine, he took her as his apprentice. Unexpectedly, Seven Granny's poison skills were even better than her medical skills. Three years later, with the help of Taoist Tianxuan, Granny Qi discovered the truth: the one who framed the Situ family was none other than the Imperial Concubine, who was like a sister to her sister. After her sister's death, the woman took advantage of the Emperor's affection for her sister to become Empress. How could Granny Qi not avenge the massacre of her family? That very day, Granny Qi poisoned and slaughtered the entire villain's family. Under the cover of darkness, she threw the indictment in front of the Emperor. The Emperor was furious, removed the Empress, and ordered the execution of the entire family, making the matter public. From then on, Granny Qi traveled the world with Taoist Tianxuan.

"Bang!" The wine glass in Yue Xiyuan's hand turned into powder in an instant. Why did everyone have to provoke An An? His eyes were as red as ghosts.

Yan An placed her slender hand on Yue Xiyuan's large, veiny hand, as if to comfort him.

"Relax~ My Yan An's piano playing isn't something she can hear whenever she wants."

Yue Xiyuan's actions startled Consort Chen, who had provoked Yan An. If Yan An hadn't stopped her, she would have thought she was going to end up like that cup. Consort Chen held the wine cup, her fingers trembling slightly.

The Empress Dowager glared at Consort Chen beside her: Serves you right! Who told you to provoke An'an? Fourth Prince did a great job, scare her even more.

"Since Consort Chen wishes to see it, then Yan Anding will not disappoint Consort Chen's good intentions."

How could Yan An not go along with other people's scheming and plotting, and let them know that she, Yan An, was cunning and shrewd and not someone to be trifled with?

Yan An glanced at Bai Tao, who then placed the prepared box in the main hall.

Consort Chen thought to herself that something was wrong; this vile woman had clearly planned this all along and was probably not incompetent.

Yan An took the guqin out of the box. "It's been a long time!" Yan An gently stroked the guqin.

"It's Silent! She actually has Silent!" Liu Ruyan, who was standing to the side, almost collapsed to the ground. Her fingers gripping the table were so strong that they turned white. How could such a guqin be in the hands of that vile woman?

Consort Chen, sitting high on the throne, was somewhat stunned, her eyes showing a hint of confusion, but more so anger and frustration.

The Silent Qin was a cherished guqin of the former Empress, belonging to the Seventh Elder Sister. It was a gift from the former Emperor on the day of his coronation as Empress. The Emperor asked the Empress to name it, and she replied, "This guqin is the instrument of our love; our love is more powerful in silence than in words." Thus, it was named Silent Qin. After the former Empress's death, the former Emperor fell ill with grief. After the Seventh Elder Sister exposed the truth of the conspiracy, the Emperor, realizing his days were numbered, gave the guqin to her and ascended the throne. The Seventh Elder Sister, after taking Yan An as her apprentice, then gifted the guqin to him.

Yan An knew that today would not be peaceful and that he would definitely be made difficult at the banquet. After all, that's how it was written in the novels he read in modern times. So, before the banquet started, he took the zither out of his space and handed it to Bai Tao to keep.

"This piece is called Phoenix Soars to the Nine Heavens, dedicated to the most noble woman of the Moon Kingdom, my aunt, the Empress Dowager, Consort Chen. Please listen carefully."