Every time Xie Yanqing appears, he tries his best to interpret what it means to be unrestrained.
In the Yonghua Palace, he actually had a secret passage!
Wei Shuyi only felt that he was being pulled into the depths of the bamboo forest. When he was distracted again, both of them had fallen into the dark abyss!
"Your Highness?" She quickly broke free from the man's embrace and took a step back. "This is in the palace. Your Highness, please respect the palace rules."
"Don't worry, no one will disturb you here. If I wasn't worried that you didn't have martial arts skills and got bumped into something here, I wouldn't have done this."
Wei Shuyi wanted to see the furnishings around him clearly, but gave up because the light was too dim. "Your Highness, is there anything you want to tell me?"
"You did a good job with the concubine. I didn't make a mistake!" Xie Yanqing stood with his hands behind his back, his tone slightly changed. "It's just that you don't seem to be paying attention to what I asked you to do. Why is that?"
"What?"
"The daughter of the Wei family, are you good at playing dumb? From the beginning to the end, all I asked was for you to climb up as quickly as possible, the closer to my brother, the better. How did you do it?"
He was faintly impatient, and she understood.
However, if a palace maid rose to prominence and became a palace concubine, and if she used her utmost seduction to gain promotion, her fate would not be much better than Meng Qingzhi's.
She is the only one who understands the pain involved.
Without waiting for her to reply, Xie Yanqing ordered again, "Today is the Flower Festival Banquet. It's rare for the palace to have such a grand ceremony. I have a small request. Will Min agree to fulfill it?"
"Your Highness, please speak."
"Twelve Flower Gods, you must be selected, understand?"
Why this selection again?
Wei Shuyi secretly groaned. She didn't want to get involved in this mess. She just wanted to spend the holiday peacefully and not attract attention.
Who would have thought that Xie Yanqing had other ideas? If he refused, his brother would definitely not be happy. After much deliberation, he decided that nodding his head in agreement was the best option.
"Follow the path next to it and you'll reach the bamboo forest. The auspicious time is approaching. I look forward to your performance!"
He used his lightness skills to leap out in an instant.
But it was hard for her. She had to walk carefully along the stone steps, fearing that her clothes would get dirty and waste time changing.
After finally returning to the ground, Jing'an and Jingning were searching not far away, with puzzled expressions on their faces. Wei Shuyi straightened his clothes and walked over, beckoning them to come over.
"There are so many forks in the road in the palace. If any of us masters and servants walk too fast, we can easily get the others lost!"
"My dear! Where have you been? We just looked around the area and didn't dare to shout. You scared us!"
She could only make an excuse and take the two of them to Penglai Palace for a banquet.
The imperial kitchen put a lot of thought into it tonight, preparing a variety of flower cakes and spring rice porridge according to folk customs, in order to win the Empress Dowager's repeated rewards.
The concubines took off their pearls and jades and used fresh flowers as their hairpins as much as possible. The hairdressing maids in each palace were also put to use.
Seeing the hairstyles and carefully selected clothes of the people around him, Wei Shuyi couldn't help feeling distressed.
To avoid stealing the spotlight, she dressed plainly and prepared no talents. She would have to think carefully about how to attract the emperor's attention and successfully become one of the Twelve Flower Gods.
After three rounds of drinking, at the Queen Mother's command, the concubines who were preparing to compete for the title of Flower Goddess began to show off enthusiastically.
There were paintings and calligraphy, songs and dances, guqin, and even impromptu poetry. All the performers who came to the temple had put in a lot of effort and were equally matched.
Wei Shuyi was secretly calculating his chances of winning when he heard Eunuch Yang loudly ask, "Are there any other ladies who would like to perform on stage?"
It's over so soon?!
Among the seats for the royal family and nobles, Prince Lian glanced at her seat intentionally or unintentionally and stood up first: "Mother, I have something to say."
"Hmm? What does Yanqing want to say?"
"I still remember that during the Queen Mother's birthday banquet, the maid in my mansion danced and celebrated for you. Unfortunately, she was too timid. Without someone to push her, she always dared not step forward. Today, I didn't see her until the end. Is she not worthy of attending the banquet or..."
Xie Yanci subconsciously looked towards Wei Shuyi's position: "Eighth brother, are you looking for Min Da Ying?"
"Oh, look at my memory!" He was confused at first, then patted his head as if waking from a dream, "She is no longer the maidservant beside the Queen Mother. I made a mistake in my memory. I should be punished!"
As he spoke, he walked to the center and saluted.
"I have been traveling extensively and have found a diagram of the Huxuan dance. In my free time, I have practiced it for some time at home. I wonder... Your Majesty, could you ask Min to agree to play the music for me, so that I can dance for our mother?"
"Both men and women in the Western Regions are good at dancing, but I haven't seen it with my own eyes."
Seeing the Queen Mother so excited, Xie Yanci suppressed his unhappiness and immediately agreed: "Then, Xuanmin, please agree to come forward!"
The women musicians on the left were holding different instruments. Since Prince Lian was planning to perform the Huxuan dance, Wei Shuyi had no choice but to step forward and take the pipa from one of the women.
The moment my fingertips touched the strings, I seemed to see the scene of my parents playing the zither in harmony, and my heart couldn't help but stop.
"Why is Min Yunda stunned? Are you not good at playing music?"
Song Wanyi spoke sarcastically, bringing her thoughts back to reality.
She walked to a corner and sat down, got into position to play, took a deep breath, and began to play formally.
There is nothing comparable to it in the world, the wheels of a running car are slow and the whirlwind is sluggish.
Prince Lian had practiced martial arts for many years. Following the music, he reproduced the style of Hu Teng from the Western Regions. His feet were as fast as the wind and his body was twirling, which was a feast for the eyes!
The beautiful woman's jade fingers plucked the zither, her sleeves fluttering, like the soft hum of a phoenix, pearls and jade falling on a plate. Under her interpretation, the strings conjured a melody with a distinct border flavor, the sound soaring and lingering.
He suddenly changed his dance steps and moved closer to her. Amidst the sounds of the piano, he whispered a reminder: "Stand up and dance."
Wei Shuyi was slightly startled, and the sound of the piano suddenly stopped.
At this moment, Xie Yanqing threw a silk ribbon from somewhere, grabbed the upper edge of the pipa, and forcibly pulled it out of her arms!
She was forced to stand up and understood his intention.
The song "Taege" is an exotic dance that her mother learned from famous teachers after searching for her many years ago.
Following the movements in her memory, she gradually immersed herself in them. Closing her eyes, she was still in the peaceful and blissful Duke's Mansion. Every move, every frown and smile, were specially designed by the masters.
The instrument is returned to its place, placed behind the back, and the pipa is played again, which is the swan song!
“…” By the time she successfully completed the last movement, sweat had soaked her back.
After a brief silence, cheers broke out!
The literati and guests in Beijing rarely see Western dances, so this collaboration is enough to shock everyone!
The Queen Mother praised Prince Lian's filial piety and her outstanding talents. Only the King remained silent, as if he was pondering some difficult problem.
Wei Shuyi bowed and was about to return to his original position, but was stopped by the emperor.
"Min agreed to stay!"
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