Chapter 38 The Dance of the Startling Swan

"This..." Lü Yingfeng looked up at the Emperor and readily begged for mercy—"Your Majesty, as you know, it's already a miracle that I can even make a sound on that harp, let alone play a full performance. Please forgive me and don't embarrass me."

She spoke frankly, and everyone looked at her with smiles. The Emperor pointed at her and laughed, "You're always so eloquent. If you could spare a third of that time to practice your musical instruments, you wouldn't have been stumped by this little harp today."

Consort Cao joined in the fun, saying, "We're happy today. Even if we can't play, it'll just make the Emperor and all the guests laugh. It's no big deal."

It wasn't that she was deliberately making things difficult for Consort Xin, but if Consort Xin escaped like this, it would set a precedent, making it difficult for Consort Wan to perform the Dance of the Startled Swan.

Seeing this, Consort Xin did not hesitate. She stood up and walked into the hall. The palace servants prepared a konghou and placed it in front of her. "Then I will make a fool of myself."

Hongzhao sat happily to one side, eating grapes and watching with great interest as his mother prepared her stance.

Don't worry, Mom, I'm here so you won't look ugly.

In fact, Lü Yingfeng wasn't completely unable to play the konghou; she knew at least the basic fingering. She thought she could just strum a couple of notes, get some teasing, and that would be the end of it. But who knew that the moment her hands touched the strings, it was as if some kind of spirit had been injected into her mind, and she suddenly felt enlightened.

She tentatively plucked the strings a few times, and the fine harp flowed out several ethereal and melodious notes from her fingertips. With her eyes slightly closed, she no longer hesitated and followed her body's instincts. Her slender fingers lightly glided across the silk strings, leaping lightly, and the sound of the harp was like a clear spring stream washing over the green stone rocks.

Water droplets wove together to form a bridge leading to the sky, as if to draw everyone in. Then, a few deep bass notes rang out, as if we had suddenly arrived at a majestic and solemn sacred place.

Hongzhao stepped aside and saw that everyone's eyes were filled with daze as they gazed at their mother in the center. He thought to himself that the products of the system were indeed different. It had already surpassed the highest skill that mortals could achieve. It was indeed worthy of the name "Divine Truth".

The fingers slid faster and faster, and the melody became more and more urgent. The originally melodious instrument was transformed into a feeling of war and battle. With a heavy "thud," the music ended.

Lu Yingfeng pressed her hands against the strings to suppress the lingering sound, then slowly opened her eyes. The hall was utterly silent for a moment.

She stood up nimbly, smiling brightly—"Your Majesty, I have made a fool of myself. Why is Your Majesty not saying anything?"

Her voice seemed to wake everyone from their dream. The Emperor looked at the person in the hall with surprise. He had never seen her play such a divine sound before, not even when he mentioned it. "How many more surprises do you have that I don't know about?"

Looking around at everyone's expressions of admiration and praise, Lü Yingfeng was unusually a little embarrassed—"It's just a trivial skill, meant to amuse people. I'm glad Your Majesty likes it."

"The Kunshan jade shatters, the phoenix cries, the hibiscus weeps dew, the fragrant orchid smiles. Ying'er's zither skills are superb; I only get to see them today." The Emperor clearly did not want to end it like this—"Su Peisheng, there is a konghou with a paulownia wood panel from Shu in the storeroom. Take it and bestow it upon Consort Xin. There is no one in the harem more suitable than you, Ying'er."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Lü Yingfeng thanked him generously, walked back to her seat, and turned to bow to the Emperor with You'er and Shu'er.

Cao Qinmo calmed herself down and, seeing that Consort Hua's expression was normal, she didn't forget her plan and stood up to continue.

"This is Lady Guan's—please perform the Dance of the Startled Swan."

"Your Majesty, Consort Wan's beauty is as graceful as a dragon in flight and as stunning as a swan. It is fitting that my sister should perform a dance for her."

These words caused another uproar in the hall. This was different from Consort Xin's harp playing earlier. There were no particularly outstanding players in the palace, so whether they played well or poorly was not a big deal. But this "Dance of the Startled Swan" was extraordinary.

With the late Empress Chun Yuan as a precedent, no matter how well Zhen Huan dances, she can never surpass the late Empress; she will only disgust the Emperor.

Zhen Huan was also taken aback and said frankly that she could not dance. Consort Shen, who was watching anxiously from the side, also suggested that they try composing a poem instead, to see if they could find any talent.

But at this moment, the Tenth Prince, who had been sitting opposite with a disdainful expression, spoke up: "I have heard that Your Majesty has acquired another Consort Wan, who is both talented and beautiful, but... she cannot dance at all. I'm afraid she is not even as good as the dancers in my household. How can she serve Your Majesty?"

The moment he said this, the emperor's expression changed instantly, and he cast an unfriendly glance at him. Yixiu's expression also became serious.

Comparing a noblewoman personally appointed by the Emperor with a rank to a courtesan in a royal palace is an insult to whoever is being humiliated. This is the first time Zhen Huan has experienced something like this, and she stands quietly with her brows furrowed, pondering a solution.

"So much for his talent and good looks, it's all just empty praise. This reliance on beauty to please others only makes it seem like the Emperor judges people by their appearance." The Tenth Prince, not content with that, continued his sarcastic remarks, oblivious to the danger.

Yi Xiu looked at Consort Hua's undisguised smug smile below her and realized who had instructed her to do this. Her tone became serious as well—"The Dance of the Startled Swan is easy to learn but difficult to master. Consort Wan is pregnant, so it's best not to perform it. Let's choose something else."

Lu Yingfeng couldn't stand it anymore and chimed in, "Yes, how old is Consort Wan? How can she possibly perform the Dance of the Flying Swan? Don't make things too difficult for her. If she dances while pregnant and something goes wrong, who can take responsibility?"

While others might not know about her pregnancy, Consort Hua and Consort Cao couldn't possibly be unaware.

Consort Hua's eyes flickered, and she spoke slowly, "Consort Wan's pregnancy is very stable. I heard she even went out to play in the water just now. If she were to use the child as a pretext, that would be deceiving the emperor."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Huan stiffened. Had she been discovered wading in the water...? That Prince Guo...

Although she left in a hurry, if someone had seen what had just happened, she would have no way of explaining herself. She didn't know how many people had seen her, and her already anxious heart was now as restless as an ant on a hot pan.

She looked pleadingly at the person sitting at the top, hoping he could put in a good word for her.

Yinzhen frowned, his gaze sweeping over the people who had spoken below. His expression remained unchanged, but the words he uttered completely broke Zhen Huan's heart.

"The Palace has not performed the Dance of the Flying Swan for a long time. Consort Wan is pregnant, so you can perform any dance you like."

Having placed the Emperor in such a position, it was inevitable that she would dance. If she didn't dance, it would be a slap in the Emperor's face; if she didn't dance well, it would give him ammunition against her.

"Please allow me to change my clothes first."

This scheme employed both overt and covert tactics, which was truly ingenious.

In the past, Shen Meizhuang would have certainly stepped forward to share the burden with her. But now, she hesitated for a long time, and still couldn't bring herself to say those words.

Once inside the palace, everyone will act according to their own abilities.

Because there was no one to accompany her singing, and only a courtesan playing the pipa, Zhen Huan was already uneasy. She also dared not make any big movements because of the child in her womb. Her movements were completely out of sync with the music, and she became flustered and disorganized.

Even the emperor couldn't help but frown when he saw it.

The Tenth Prince naturally wouldn't let this opportunity pass, and launched into a barrage of sarcastic remarks. His wife pulled him back a couple of times before he calmed down a bit.

Zhen Huan herself was also very anxious, and she was thinking of a solution as she moved.

Suddenly, a clear flute melody broke the tension in the hall.

The gate opened, and Prince Guo strode in, playing his flute. Zhen Huan paused for a moment, then a sudden inspiration struck her. She quickly changed her steps and matched the flute music, and the dance steps finally got on track.

Lu Yingfeng also breathed a sigh of relief for her.

The Emperor's eyes revealed a deep sense of longing. From the moment the flute music began, the person dancing gracefully in the hall no longer seemed to be Consort Zhen Huan. The pink figure gradually blurred, and it was his Chun Yuan.

If Chun Yuan were still alive...

When the dance ended, although it didn't receive the same applause as Consort Xin's konghou performance, it wasn't exactly a blunder. At least the Tenth Prince had nothing to say.

Just as the Tenth Prince was about to say something discouraging and hurtful, Prince Guo, keenly aware of this, spoke first: "This 'Dance of the Startled Swan' originated from Consort Mei, and today I can say that I have the opportunity to witness its ancient essence."

Although the dance wasn't particularly stunning, it still greatly pleased the Emperor, and even Prince Guo seemed much more pleasing to his eye.

Lu Yingfeng quietly held her child and leaned against the wall watching the play. When she heard Consort Cao deliberately mention Empress Chun Yuan again, she was filled with disdain. However, she was close by and saw the fleeting look of realization and longing in the Emperor's eyes. Then she looked at the Empress's obviously displeased expression and for some reason, she couldn't help but think of Consort Duan's stunned look just now.

She suddenly had a bold idea: "To find another beautiful woman," but she didn't know how much of it was true.

Consort Wan was indeed clever. She easily passed the test by comparing "the brilliance of the bright moon" with "the light of a firefly," and even won the Emperor's personal gift of the Changxiangshouqin (a type of zither).

The banquet that followed was rather uninteresting; all the main events had already been performed, and they simply invited a few more people as a formality before calling off the event, ending it hastily.

——

"Your Highness, I've heard that Consort Shen is pregnant."