Chapter 420 Dancing
Huo Lin's gaze turned cold as he looked at the people from the Northern Desert delegation speaking below.
“That makes sense. Why don’t you all go on stage yourselves and let me see this so-called cultural exchange?”
Wang Chang was mostly sober, his legs trembling. He stammered as he tried to decline, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty... I am truly ignorant of this matter and fear I might offend Your Majesty's eyes... I am really... unfit for this task!"
His face turned deathly pale, and he wished he could faint on the spot.
Making him dance like that in public is worse than killing him.
The other officials who chimed in also stammered in agreement, shaking their heads like rattles: "Your Majesty, we are foolish and truly do not know how to dance this dance."
"I implore Your Majesty to rescind your decree!"
Tubar and Tana were frozen in place, Tana's inviting gesture leaving them unsure whether to accept it or not, making them extremely awkward.
Huo Lin's face was ashen, and before he could speak, Xu Muyuan had already stepped forward.
His expression was gentle, but the weight of his words sent a jolt through everyone.
"Just now, everyone said this was a wonderful thing. Now, His Majesty has granted you this opportunity in accordance with your good wishes, but you are all making excuses..."
He paused slightly, his voice turning cold: "Could it be that all of you just spoke so eloquently, spouting nonsense and deceiving the emperor?"
The moment the words "deceiving the emperor" were uttered, the officials were instantly terrified, their bodies trembling like leaves.
If this accusation is firmly established, it could be a heinous crime that leads to the confiscation of property and the extermination of the entire clan.
"Your Majesty, I dare not!" Wang Chang cried, tears streaming down his face, kowtowing repeatedly. "I will jump now, I will jump now!"
"Yes, yes, yes, we are utterly loyal and have no other intentions!" The others hurriedly pledged their loyalty as well, no longer daring to hesitate in the slightest.
At Huo Lin's signal, the musicians resumed playing the dance music.
Wang Chang and the others looked ashen-faced, and as if they were heading to the execution ground, they slowly and reluctantly moved to the center of the field.
They usually wore flowing robes and were particular about their demeanor; they had never done such twisting and swaying movements before. Now, listening to the rapid and suggestive drumbeats and feeling the onlookers' gazes, they were filled with shame and indignation.
Wang Chang gritted his teeth and stiffly twisted his waist first, the movement so clumsy it looked like a herniated disc.
Another official tried to imitate Tana's spin, but lost his balance, stumbled, and almost fell to the ground, drawing laughter.
Others tried to wave their hands and kick their legs, but they did so in unison, making them look ridiculous and like puppets.
The group huddled together, their movements haphazard and stiff, their faces contorted in agony. It was less a dance and more a chaotic, gruesome spectacle of demons.
Laughter erupted in the room, and even some of the more reserved senior officials couldn't help but turn their heads away and shrug their shoulders.
Huo Lin looked at the "dance" with increasingly furrowed brows, then looked away with disgust.
This is utterly disgraceful and an eyesore for me.
[If I had known they would be this bad, I would have punished them in a different way.]
He raised his hand and waved it dismissively, and the music stopped abruptly.
"Enough, get out of here, my eyes hurt."
Wang Chang and his companions felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They scrambled to the side, their faces filled with shame and indignation, never wanting to recall their experience of the night.
Huo Lin stopped looking at them, turned his head slightly, and whispered to Ying Yi behind him: "Keep a close eye on Tana and the people in the delegation. If you find them making any unusual moves, take them down without reporting."
"Yes." Yingyi accepted the order and then silently withdrew, disappearing into the shadows.
The banquet continued in an eerie atmosphere. Huo Lin acted as if nothing had happened, ignoring the delegation and focusing solely on taking care of Jiang Huan's meal.
Tana, wearing that thin, brightly colored dance dress, shivered in the evening breeze.
The sweat from dancing had long since been evaporated by the cool breeze, and now all that remained was a bone-chilling cold that shot straight from the soles of my feet to the top of my head, my lips turned purple, and my face turned pale.
Ayina sat not far away, coldly watching her miserable state, and sneered: "Hmph, you brought this humiliation on yourself. Did you really think you could climb the social ladder with your looks? You don't even know your own worth. Now you're frozen like a stray dog, you deserve it!"
Tana's face turned pale and then red from these words, and resentment grew wildly in her heart. She bit her lower lip hard to keep herself from losing her composure.
She lowered her head, concealing the overwhelming malice in her eyes.
Seeing that she dared not retort, Ayina snorted coldly, feeling bored, completely unaware that she had been targeted by a venomous snake.
After a hearty meal and drinks, many people were already a little tipsy, and the scene became somewhat noisy and chaotic.
Seeing that the time was right, Tana quietly gave a few instructions to the people Tubar had sent her.
The attendant understood, nodded, and quickly left.
Tana smoothed her hair, suppressing her excitement, and found an inconspicuous corner to observe secretly.
The plan went surprisingly smoothly. Wang Chang, who had just lost face by being forced to dance, was already drunk and drowning his sorrows in alcohol.
A maid carrying a tray "happened" to pass by him, slipped, and spilled the entire pot of tea onto Wang Chang's lapel.
"Ah! Don't you have eyes?!" Wang Chang was jolted awake by the cold, sobering up a bit, and roared angrily.
The maid was so frightened that she immediately knelt down and kowtowed: "Young Master Wang, please forgive me, I didn't mean it. Shall I take you to a nearby room to tidy up your clothes?"
Wang Chang cursed and swore, but the wet clothes were indeed uncomfortable against his skin, and he was also drunk, so he didn't think much of it and followed the maid away unsteadily.
Tana watched as Wang Chang was led away, and the smile on her lips deepened.
The first step is done. Next, it's Ayina's turn.
However, Ayina was wary of her, and she knew she wouldn't be able to persuade her in person; in fact, it might alert her.
After a moment's thought, Tana found another member of the delegation and whispered, "Go and tell the princess that Lord Tubar has an urgent matter to discuss with her, which concerns the safety of the northern desert. Tell her to come alone and not to make a fuss."
Although the mission members were puzzled, seeing Tana's serious expression, they dared not ask any further questions and left to carry out their orders.
Tana watched the man walk toward Ayina, a cold smile playing on her lips. The real show was just beginning.
On the other side, Ayina frowned upon hearing the message from the mission members.
Why didn't he come to see me directly?
The member of the delegation lowered his eyes and replied, "Sir, this matter is confidential, and there may be eavesdroppers. Please, Princess, move aside."
Ayina hesitated for a moment, but since it concerned the safety of Mobei, she still dared not be careless.
She stood up and said to the maid behind her, "You wait here, I'll go take a look."
With that, she started walking in the agreed-upon direction.
However, not long after Ayina left the banquet venue, a dark figure appeared in front of her and blocked her way.
"Princess, please wait."
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