Chapter 55: The Charming Girl Whose House Was Confiscated and Her Family Was Exterminated 7

Linde Hall was the place where the emperor held banquets for his court officials. It was magnificent and splendid. There were exquisitely carved dragon pillars on both sides of the hall. Two golden dragons were flying in the clouds, with pearls in their mouths. Their wide-open eyes reflected the flickering firelight, shining brightly.

In the middle of the palace gate is a vermilion carved Ruyi Gate. At this time, a banquet was held, and palace maids and officials walked in through the side door, while the Ruyi Gate was open on both sides. Court officials and their relatives entered through this main gate in order of their official rank.

At this time, outside the open red door, an official dressed in purple auspicious cloud and peacock official uniform was slowly entering with his family.

There was singing and dancing in the hall, but everyone's attention was no longer on the graceful dancer. Their eyes were fixed on the pale blue figure that was slowly entering the hall...

The woman looked quite young, with a hint of childishness between her exquisite eyebrows. Her eyes were extremely bright, and her brown pupils were covered with a hint of orange-red under the light. Her figure was graceful and slender, and her exposed skin was smoother than snow.

It can be said that...

Moon-like eyebrows and star-like eyes shine brightly.

She has a slender figure and skin as transparent as ice.

Just like the lotus in clear water, all the makeup is gone, revealing the innocence.

When did such a beautiful lady appear in Bianjing City...

Everyone had the same doubt.

Then the dull expression on his face slowly turned into obsession.

The singing and dancing in the hall had stopped at some point. The musicians and dancers all stopped what they were doing and stared blankly at the girl who was as beautiful as a clear canal. She walked in the shadows under the lights, like a newborn calf, and sat down with her mother in the elegant seat at the end of the women's section on the left.

The girl who sat down seemed to have noticed the gazes of the people in the hall. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and there was a ripple of light in her eyes. Her pair of jade-like fingers clenched her mother's sleeves a little nervously, and her slender neck drooped slightly, as if avoiding the burning gazes of the crowd.

The action of the hands slightly grasping the mother's sleeve startled everyone slightly, and most of the people who finally came to their senses turned their eyes away in embarrassment.

The hall remained silent. Nan Qiao looked down at her clothes with some uneasiness. They were exquisite and gorgeous, and in accordance with the regulations. There was nothing wrong with them...

There was a hint of sadness in her clear eyes.

Why did everyone suddenly become quiet when they came in?

Could it be that they really reject the Nan family that much...

"Why did the singing and dancing stop?" A laughing voice broke the silence in the room.

The musicians and dancers came back to their senses after hearing this, realizing that they had been distracted while playing. Their faces turned pale, and they immediately resumed their movements. For a moment, the singing and dancing continued.

Nan Qiao looked up with some curiosity. The man who was speaking was sitting in the first male seat on the right. He was wearing the same purple official uniform as his father, with a jade crown on his hair and a face as handsome as jade.

He seemed to notice her gaze and smiled gently, as if the bright moon was in his arms.

Is this the famous young prime minister of the Great Zhou, Xie Yu?

It is indeed as my father said, he has the demeanor of a gentleman. Nan Qiao thought secretly, looked away and stopped looking at the other person.

Some of the people who had come to their senses in a panic seemed to have returned to their original state of greeting and drinking, but they looked a little absent-minded, and their eyes kept unconsciously glancing towards the end of the women's seats.

...It turns out that this is the girl that Nan Mansion has been hiding.

Surprisingly, he was born with such a bewitching appearance.

It seemed that some people also remembered that this girl from the Nan family had an engagement with the young master of the Ye family, but it seemed that it had been broken off a few days ago.

Some people also recalled that His Majesty had specifically mentioned this stunningly beautiful girl from the Nan family in the imperial edict he issued to the Nan Mansion.

Thinking of this, they looked at the young master of the Ye family with a bit of pity in their eyes...

Tsk…, the chance to marry such a beautiful girl is gone just like that…

Not only outsiders thought so, even Mrs. Ye, who was sitting opposite and feeling restless, stared at her son with great concern, with a look of deep regret between her brows.

She had rejected the marriage for her son's own good, but she had never imagined...the face hidden beneath the veil was so...so beautiful...

Such an extraordinary appearance is enough to make up for any shortcomings in family background...

Mrs. Ye didn't want to look at the looks cast at her by the women around her. There were only complex emotions swirling in her eyes, and in the end, they all turned into a silent sigh.

It turned out that this was the girl from the Nan family who had been engaged to him since childhood...

Thinking back to the imperial edict issued by His Majesty a few days ago...

The hand holding the wine glass tightened slightly, and Ye Xun came back to his senses. He stared at the shimmering wine in the cup, and for the first time, his rational and clear mind fell into an unknown emotion.

"The Emperor has arrived..." The high-pitched and shrill shouts of the palace eunuchs could be heard faintly, indicating that the emperor's sedan chair was about to arrive. The noisy hall suddenly fell silent, and then the court officials and relatives walked out of their seats one after another, bowed their heads and stood in the hall in front of the seats.

The shouts of the palace eunuchs became clearer and clearer, until the last sound resounded throughout the Linde Hall. The ministers and their relatives slowly knelt down and performed the ceremony of kneeling and paying homage to the supreme emperor.

"Welcome to His Majesty!"

The greetings in the hall rang out in unison and in an orderly manner, and the loud voices resounded through the sky. The majesty of the royal family was undoubtedly demonstrated in such an occasion.

Wearing a black robe, it was already nighttime and there was a biting cold wind outside the palace. The emperor, who had just stepped out of his sedan chair, had his skirts fluttering in the wind. He strode towards the Linde Palace and soon arrived at the palace gate.

At this time, the emperor was not wearing the crown with pearls. His long hair was tied up with a purple jade crown. His slender figure and handsome and elegant face were completely exposed under the bright lights of the Linde Hall. His phoenix eyes were slightly raised, and the aura around him was unfathomable.

He did not enter the hall immediately, but stopped at the door, looked into the hall, and easily found the captivating figure among the crowd of people bowing their heads.

The pink-blue dress was slightly tied at the waist, and the hem of the skirt hung long and slender. As the girl knelt, it fell to the ground and spread out, like a blooming flower. The embroidery with gold and silver threads gleamed in the light, gorgeous and elegant.

Looking at the little head that drooped down, a trace of heat flashed in Gu Qiao's eyes. His sight moved lightly to the girl's dress, and the smile in his eyes grew deeper.

It really suits her...

"Stand up." A magnetic and smiling voice sounded, and the girl's eyelids trembled slightly, as if she realized that the new emperor was not far away from her position.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"

The folded hands slightly placed in front of her abdomen trembled, the girl pursed her red lips, a wave of nervousness surged in her heart, and she slowly stood up.

Gu Qiao noticed the girl's nervousness, and her slightly curled hands made him feel pity. Even though the emotions in his heart were surging like huge waves, he had to suppress them for fear of scaring the girl in front of him.

He looked away, slightly suppressed the softness in his heart, and strode towards the first seat at the top of the hall.

"Today is a palace banquet. I am hosting the banquet in the Linde Hall to reward all the ministers for their hard work and great contributions. I hope you will enjoy drinking..." A lazy voice but with imperial majesty came down from the top.

The court officials bowed in thanks, and when they saw the emperor take his seat, they also returned to their elegant seats with their families and sat down.

The singing and dancing in the hall, which had been interrupted by the emperor's arrival, began again, and the scene became lively and cheerful again.

However, the singing and dancing in the hall no longer attracted everyone's attention at this time. Both the men and women kept looking at the girl in pink and blue at the end of the women's table while they were toasting each other.

Every time they glanced at it, they felt dazed and their hearts wavered...

Such a beautiful appearance is truly a gift from nature...

Gu Qiao raised his glass and took a sip of wine. He was looking down at others in the hall and naturally noticed their actions. His brows relaxed, a smile appeared at the corner of his lips, and a hint of coldness appeared on his face.

"Take the plum blossom cake to the girl from the Nan family."

Shuangquan, who was standing beside him, was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood and picked up a plate of pink pastries on the table.

All the dishes at the banquet were arranged according to the regulations, but because His Majesty liked to eat plum blossom cakes these days, there was a plate of plum blossom cakes on his table. It was specially added by the Shangshi Room to please His Majesty.

The peerless lady in the palace has captivated countless people, but everyone is also paying close attention to the emperor who is sitting at the top of the table.

Seeing Shuangquan, the eunuch in front of His Majesty, coming down from the upper seat with a plate of cakes in both hands and walking directly towards the women's seat, the voices of the crowd suddenly became low.

As expected, the eunuch came directly to the girl who attracted everyone's attention, bent down and placed the plate of snacks on the table in front of the girl...

Nan Qiao looked at the palace eunuch who had come to her side for nothing. There was a hint of confusion in his brown eyes and a look of helplessness between his brows, which made people feel pity for him.

The stunningly beautiful figure was right before his eyes, yet Shuangquan lowered his eyes, not daring to look closely.

"My lady, how are you? Your Majesty heard that you like plum blossom cakes, so he specially asked me to bring them to you." His voice was a little shrill, and as he spoke, he respectfully placed the cake in his hand on the table in front of the girl.

After putting the cake down, he politely bowed and retreated, leaving the bewildered girl staring at the plate of pink plum cake in front of her, at a loss as to what to do...

"Mother..."

The girl, who was only in her prime, tugged at her mother, who was also stunned beside her, with her white little hand, and her tone was a little flustered.

Madam Nan also looked at the plate of cakes with a complicated expression. After coming to her senses, she patted her daughter's hand soothingly and sighed softly:

"No problem. Since it's a gift from His Majesty, you can use it."

Now, His Majesty's thoughts are completely clear.

Regardless of how confused the Nan family girl's thoughts were at the moment, the people in the hall who were always paying attention to Shuangquan's actions couldn't help but look stern when they saw her actions, and they all withdrew their wanton gazes from the girl.

Your Majesty is warning them!

Warn them not to covet this Nan family girl!!!

Everyone present was no ordinary person, and they naturally understood the profound meaning of His Majesty's action. Some of them couldn't help but glance at the young master of the Ye family who was drinking, wanting to see his reaction at this moment.

I'm afraid it must be hard to miss such a beautiful woman...

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