No one spoke in the Imperial Garden; everyone was quietly admiring Consort Zheng's dance.
After the dance ended, the emperor was overjoyed and in a very good mood, so he casually bestowed a bunch of gifts upon the emperor.
"Thank you for your reward, Your Majesty." Consort Zheng expressed her gratitude softly, her voice as clear as a spring, captivating all who heard it.
Consort Zheng glanced at Su Qingcai, then leaned against the Emperor's chest without any hesitation. Suddenly, she looked around and pointed with a smile at Su Xiaoning and Meng Ruqiao not far away, saying, "Your Majesty, are they the girls who came to select concubines this time?"
Seeing that they had been noticed, Su Xiaoning and Meng Ruqiao, who were still immersed in Consort Zheng's dance, immediately reacted and quickly stepped forward to pay their respects.
Consort Zheng stared at the two women for a while, then suddenly said, "With two people vying for the position of consort, how should we choose? Your Majesty, why don't we let them each display their talents, and then you can make the decision?
Show off your talents? Wouldn't that mean Su Xiaoning has no chance?
Su Qingcai was startled and quickly stood up, saying, "I think this is inappropriate."
"What's wrong with that?" The Emperor, with Consort Zheng in his arms, waved his hand dismissively. "The selection of consorts naturally requires consideration of all aspects. Let them go and make the preparations!"
Since the emperor had spoken, no one could refuse. Su Xiaoning had no choice but to leave with the palace servants.
The palace servants led Su Xiaoning to a room filled with various gorgeous dance costumes.
Su Xiaoning took off her coat. She wanted to pick out a dress to wear, but dancing was really not suitable for her. She tried to put it on for a long time but still felt it wasn't right. In the end, she could only squat in front of the clothes rack with her chin in her hand and stare blankly.
Suddenly, a familiar voice reached my ears.
"It's almost time, aren't you ready yet?"
It's Su Qingcai?!
Su Xiaoning was overjoyed and quickly turned around to look, but suddenly realized that she was only wearing her undergarments. She clutched her chest tightly, her face as red as if it were bleeding.
Su Qingcai chuckled softly, casually grabbed a coat and draped it over Su Xiaoning's shoulders, teasingly saying, "We'll have to meet sooner or later, what are you afraid of?"
"You're talking nonsense again!" Su Xiaoning wrapped herself up tightly, lowering her head, too ashamed to look at Su Qingcai. "Why are you here?"
"To help you," Su Qingcai said succinctly.
"You definitely can't beat Meng Ruqiao in dancing, but if you both fail, things will be much easier. I've already figured it out. I'll use a hidden weapon to distract Meng Ruqiao while she's dancing. When you go on stage, just dance casually. I'll take care of the rest."
"How did you come up with this idea?" Su Xiaoning stared at Su Qingcai strangely. "Isn't this a bad idea? Miss Meng didn't do anything wrong!"
Su Qingcai, however, had a dismissive expression. "Although this is a last resort, there is no other way. This is the best course of action."
"That's not the best!" Su Xiaoning retorted loudly, turning her head away angrily, looking very angry.
Even if she really wanted to win, she wouldn't resort to such despicable means!
"Are you angry?" Su Qingcai was taken aback, a hint of helplessness on his face. "Then tell me, how are you going to beat Meng Ruqiao without me making a move?"
"I..." Su Xiaoning was speechless for a moment, but she got angry when she saw Su Qingcai's indifferent expression. She pushed Su Qingcai away and said, "I have a way. You don't need to worry about me or do anything underhanded!"
"What do you want to do?" Su Qingcai frowned, but before he could get an answer from Su Xiaoning, she pushed him out the door and slammed it shut with a bang, even locking the door.
Su Qingcai looked at the tightly closed door with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, and had no choice but to leave.
...
A quarter of an hour later, Su Xiaoning and Meng Ruqiao stood before the emperor again.
Meng Ruqiao had already changed into a dance costume. The pale yellow color made her skin look like cream, her lips red and her teeth white, and she was as beautiful as a peach blossom. Su Xiaoning, on the other hand, was still wearing her usual clothes and didn't change at all.
Su Qingcai frowned. He didn't know what tricks Su Xiaoning was up to. Although he was anxious, he couldn't show it.
Just as I was sighing, Meng Ruqiao had already taken the stage.
She held a sword in her hand, played with it for a while, and suddenly said, "Your Majesty, I will be performing a sword dance. However, a sword dance performed by one person is not very entertaining. Perhaps you could find someone to practice the moves for me, so that Your Majesty can enjoy it to the fullest."
"Then just pick any guard you like," the emperor said nonchalantly, but Shen Jun, standing beside him, suddenly felt a pang of anxiety.
He was on patrol when the emperor summoned him back to attend to him. Before long, Meng Ruqiao, who had changed into her dance costume, arrived. As soon as she saw him return, her eyes kept falling on him, and it was unclear what she was plotting.
On stage, Meng Ruqiao smiled slightly and immediately confirmed Shen Jun's guess.
"Your Majesty, I request Chief Shen to provide some guidance."
Shen Jun's heart trembled. He immediately knelt down and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I did not control my strength well and may have hurt Miss Meng. Please choose someone else."
The emperor raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised. "There's something you're not good at? Then forget it. Please, Miss Meng, choose someone else."
“…Yes.” A hint of disappointment flashed in Meng Ruqiao’s eyes as she casually pointed to an ordinary guard.
The two were locked in a fierce battle on the stage, while Shen Jun stood quietly beside the emperor, not even glancing at Meng Ruqiao on the stage.
Meng Ruqiao felt bitter. In a moment of distraction, the sword hilt slipped from her hand, and the sharp blade cut her arm.
The bright red blood stained the dance costume, making it particularly glaring.
Meng Ruqiao came to her senses, covered her arm, and hurriedly knelt down to admit her mistake.
"This humble woman has been disrespectful; please forgive her, Your Majesty!"
The emperor's expression was clearly not good, but because Meng Ruqiao was the daughter of the prime minister, he did not punish her. He simply waved his hand and said indifferently, "Alright, go and see the imperial physician first. Let Su Xiaoning come up."
Meng Ruqiao quickly expressed her gratitude and silently walked off the stage. She walked alone towards the exit of the Imperial Garden, her back view looking particularly lonely.
Shen Jun's throat bobbed. He couldn't help but want to check on Meng Ruqiao's injuries, but he knew it wasn't appropriate in the current situation, so he forced himself to look away. Meng Ruqiao's lonely figure kept lingering in his mind, refusing to leave.
After a brief interlude, it was Su Xiaoning's turn to perform her talent.
Su Xiaoning did not go on stage. She took out a dart and an apple from the fruit plate. Under the puzzled gazes of the crowd, she said, "Your Majesty, I really can't dance. If you must perform a talent, I will perform dart throwing for Your Majesty."
She placed the darts and apple in Su Qingcai's hands, giving him a reassuring look.
Upon seeing this, Consort Zheng immediately retorted angrily, "How dare you use the Ninth Prince as a target!"
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