Seeing that many people were bowing their heads, Xiao Yanzi thought it was because she hadn't done a good enough job, so she performed even more energetically.
The Emperor's face was now beyond ashen; it was as black as ink.
The Empress Dowager frowned and remained silent, but judging from her facial expression, she was extremely angry.
Since listening to An Ke's words, the Empress had become less concerned about such matters. From the start of the state banquet, she and Princess Rui had been chatting amiably. Upon seeing that it was Xiao Yanzi, she raised an eyebrow slightly, unsurprised, but merely glanced at her without saying anything.
Even Consort Ling was taken aback. Not only was the Emperor giving Xiao Yanzi a meaningful look, but Consort Ling was also winking at Xiao Yanzi from the side.
If it were a family banquet, it wouldn't be a problem for Xiao Yanzi to dance; it wouldn't get out, and she wouldn't feel ashamed. But this is a state banquet, with many officials present, and even Mongolians among them. What does she think she is? A dancing girl singing and dancing?
Mongolians are known for their bold and uninhibited nature, and Princess Saiya only performed the Mongolian dance with the consent of the Emperor and the Mongolian prince.
And what about Little Swallow? She entered without a word, completely unprepared. Compared to Saiya's Mongolian dance, her Ansai waist drum performance seemed remarkably simple.
Looking at Xiao Yanzi's behavior, An Ke silently sighed in her heart, "Can't she just have a peaceful dinner? Why does she have to cause trouble?"
Moreover, this is different from what's depicted in the drama. In the drama, it was a family banquet, and the Fifth Prince even danced with her. Afterwards, Ziwei intervened on her behalf, which allowed the matter to be resolved peacefully.
Today, she was all alone; even Ziwei wasn't allowed in. No wonder no one stopped her.
After Xiao Yanzi finished dancing, the Emperor didn't say anything, but simply told her to go down and change her clothes.
Encore: The calm before the storm!
Little Swallow looked around and saw that not many people had seriously watched her Ansai waist drum performance. She couldn't help but feel a little discouraged. Was she really no match for that Mongolian princess in everything?
Little Swallow turned her gaze to the Fifth Prince, only to find him discussing something with the man in blue beside him, not even sparing her a glance. She then looked at Benjamin sitting to her right and behind, only to see him engrossed in his drawing board, seemingly oblivious to her presence.
Xiao Yanzi was completely heartbroken. Before the Emperor could urge her again, she hurriedly went to change her clothes.
Watching Xiao Yanzi's departing figure, the Emperor once again questioned whether his past decisions were right or wrong. How could Xiao Yanzi do something so absurd without Ziwei's help? The Emperor began to doubt his previous decisions once more.
"Haha, Your Majesty, your daughter is quite extraordinary." Ziker praised her sincerely, without any ulterior motive.
"These are Ansai waist drums, used to celebrate a bountiful harvest," the Emperor could only explain with an awkward smile. Ziker nodded knowingly.
After speaking to Fu Lun, the Fujin walked over to Consort Ling. Consort Ling was quite surprised to see the Fujin, and the two chatted for a while.
The Princess Consort felt that since Erkang was demoted, Fu Lun's attitude towards her had changed drastically. Furthermore, she still only vaguely understood the matter of Fu Lun severing ties with Ertai. Now, Fu Lun no longer discussed matters of state with her, and she had no idea what Ertai was doing.
Now that her eldest son was out of the question, the Fujin turned her attention to her youngest son. In her view, no problem was insurmountable; even if they had severed ties, they could rebuild them. Once she saw Ertai, everything would be resolved.
To disappoint the Fujin, Consort Ling told her everything she knew.
The Fujin stared at Consort Ling in disbelief. Had she misheard? How could she have heard Consort Ling say that Ertai had gone to the battlefield?
Upon seeing Consort Ling's earnest nod, the Fujin felt as if her entire world had collapsed, and she returned to her seat in a daze.
Fortunately, nothing else happened. The state banquet concluded relatively successfully.
Before the banquet ended, Saiya went to ask the Emperor and Ziker if she could stay overnight at Cining Palace. After receiving an affirmative answer, Saiya was overjoyed.
Just then, Princess Rui sent someone to ask An Ke whether she wanted to stay in the palace or return to her residence tonight.
After receiving An Ke's reply that she wanted to stay in the palace, Princess Rui immediately decided to stay that night. Because of their detailed discussion that evening, the Empress invited Princess Rui to rest in Kunning Palace.
The princess did not refuse, and under the sorrowful gaze of Prince Rui, she walked away hand in hand with the empress.
The Emperor patted his younger brother's shoulder sympathetically, "Don't look anymore. You can stay in the Hall of Mental Cultivation tonight. It's decided." Before Prince Rui could refuse, the Emperor made the decision for him.
*
Hall of Mental Cultivation
The Emperor did not visit any of the concubines' palaces tonight, but instead played chess with Prince Rui. They played until late into the night before finally stopping and going to rest.
Kunning Palace
Yongqi fell asleep early, lulled to sleep by his wet nurse. After the Empress and Princess Rui arrived at Kunning Palace, the two resumed their conversation about what they had been discussing earlier.
In short, Princess Rui was telling stories of her and Prince Rui's interesting experiences traveling and sightseeing, while the Empress listened with great interest, occasionally interrupting to chime in.
The Empress then tells Princess Rui about what happened to An'an in the palace. The Princess doesn't say anything on the surface, but she is secretly inquiring about An'an's feelings for that young master.
Rong Momo watched from behind, overjoyed at the warm and harmonious scene before her. She would occasionally come over to refill her tea.
The two talked until 1:15 AM before leaving, completely satisfied.
*
Cining Palace
The Empress Dowager looked at the three beautiful young women behind her, and was overjoyed. She knew that these three young women must have something to discuss.
The Empress Dowager gave them space and went to bed early.
Saiya was also visiting the Cining Palace for the first time, and looking at such a solemn and majestic palace, she was filled with emotion. "I thought the Qianqing Palace in front of you was already very solemn, but I didn't expect the Cining Palace to be even more so." Anke and Qing'er just smiled faintly and remained silent.
"An'an, can I stay with you tonight?" Saiya reached out and tugged at Anke's sleeve, shaking it slightly, and blinked her big eyes.
“Okay,” An Ke readily agreed, then turned and invited Qing’er to spend the night in her bedchamber. “Qing’er, come along too. The three of us can lie on one bed tonight and have a good chat.”
Qing'er happily agreed, and the three girls let their maids serve them. After washing up, they all lay on the bed, full of excitement.
Looking at Saiya, who was wrapped up like a silkworm cocoon, and Qing'er, who was pressed tightly against her inside, Anke couldn't help but joke, "Luckily, my bed is big enough, otherwise the three of us probably wouldn't be able to fit."
Saiya didn't understand what Anke meant and blankly retorted, "Your bed is so big, the three of us can definitely sleep in it."
Qing'er understood, and, meeting An Ke's teasing gaze, consciously moved a little closer to the center.
Right, with such a big bed, why would you sleep right on the edge?
After seeing Qing'er move, An Ke didn't stand on ceremony and went straight to the bed, lying down in the middle. Qing'er was on her left, and Saiya was on her right.
"This feels so amazing. This is the first time I've ever slept in the same bed with someone else besides sleeping with my mother." Saiya's eyes were wide open, full of curiosity as she looked around Anke's bedroom.
"We are also honored to be sleeping with a Mongolian princess for the first time." Anke glanced at Qing'er and summarized the representative's speech.
"By the way, An'an, who did you learn your martial arts from?" Saiya finally remembered the question she had always wanted to ask.
“My martial arts skills were taught by my father and my uncle, and I practiced on my own the rest of the time. In my early years, I traveled all over the country with my father and got to know many people.” An Ke casually brushed aside the hardships she had endured while practicing martial arts.
Saiya: "So, your Qing Dynasty emperor was quite powerful too."
“Yes, my uncle always says that we conquered the world on horseback, so every year we go hunting in the hunting grounds to test the abilities of the princes and ministers.” Anke thought about the hunting trips they had taken in the past.
“Yes, His Majesty is skilled in both literature and martial arts, and can shoot an arrow through a willow leaf from a hundred paces away. An’an’s archery skills were taught by His Majesty himself,” Qing’er added from the side.
"Wow, An'an, you really have two wonderful mentors," Saiya said sincerely.
“Yes, I have two very good teachers.” Anke did not deny that she had indeed learned a lot from her father and uncle.
“But it seems that there aren’t many warriors left in your Great Qing.” Saiya thought back to the competition that day. Although the Great Qing won in the end, it seemed that there were only a few of them standing on the stage.
Anke also thought of the competition that day. "Back then, all the players were our Eight Banners soldiers, which was a test. Why are we talking about this again?" Anke looked at Saiya with great curiosity.
Although Qing'er didn't say anything, her eyes were also shining as she stared at Saiya.
Saiya didn't mince words and spoke frankly, "My father always tells me that the men of the Central Plains are very skilled in martial arts, so when I heard my father say that he was going to the Great Qing to choose a husband for me, I happily agreed."
An Ke knew the plot of the drama, so she wasn't very surprised. Qing'er, on the other hand, widened her eyes in astonishment. "Ah, so you're here to choose a husband?"
"Yes, I admire strong people," Saiya said frankly, without any shyness. "His martial arts skills should ideally be superior to mine, and it would be even better if he had something I admired about him. By the way, An'an and Qing'er, do you have someone you like?"
Anke, her eyes half-closed, had been listening intently to their conversation, preparing to drift off to sleep. Unexpectedly, the topic suddenly shifted to her.
An Ke suddenly opened her eyes, just in time to meet Qing'er's teasing gaze. Thinking of Ertai, she couldn't help but blush.
Because Saiya had been talking to Qing'er, her head was tilted towards Qing'er. Naturally, she saw Anke's flushed cheeks.
Saiya couldn't help but wonder, what kind of person could catch An'an's eye? She pressed on, "An'an, do you have someone you like? I heard from your Qing Dynasty emperor that you are free to marry, so I thought you hadn't chosen your future husband yet."
"You don't know this, but An'an already had someone she loved before you all arrived," Qing'er interjected. She was happy for An'an's happiness, though a thought of her own situation made her feel uncertain.
"Oh, who is it?" Saiya's curiosity was piqued. She propped herself up, looking at Anke. "Did he attend the banquet tonight? Did I see him?" Saiya instantly became like a curious child, asking questions incessantly.
Anke felt there was no way to avoid it, and since there was nothing to hide, she said frankly, "He is Fu Ertai, and he did not appear at the banquet. He should be on the battlefield right now."
"Does An'an like a general?" Saiya asked another question. "Then what do you like about him? Is it because he's stronger than you?" Saiya scratched her ear, looking very confused.
“Yes, he will be a young general who will attract everyone’s attention.” Anke had full confidence in Ertai and would never criticize the person she liked in front of others. “I like him…” Anke thought to herself, and a sweet smile appeared on her lips.
Saiya eagerly awaited Anke's next words.
After thinking it over carefully, An Ke said, "I like that he always keeps his eyes on me, I like that he pays attention to my needs at all times, I like that he supports all my decisions, I like the eyes in his eyes when he looks at me, and I like that he blushes when he talks to me."
Saiya was stunned after hearing Anke's story. It was completely different from what she had imagined. She cautiously asked, "An'an, do you like his face?"
Anke shook her head with a smile, "No, it's because he's a really good person. He's got so many admirable qualities, so naturally I'd like him because of them!"
Saiya nodded, seemingly understanding, then looked at Qing'er beside her, "Qing'er, what kind of person do you like?"
"Why are we talking about me again?" Qing'er was a little shy and embarrassed to discuss the topic.
"It's nothing, we were just having a private chat. Qing'er, what kind of person do you like?" Saiya pressed for details.
"Hmm, just like An'an said, liking someone who is a good person in themselves." Qing'er thought for a moment and felt that what An'an said was quite in line with her ideal.
"You all like people like that?" Saiya asked blankly. "Qing'er, you're not comprehensive at all."
"Then I hope that in the future I will have someone who treats me very well. Just like Ertai treats An'an, someone who is always attentive to An'an's needs," Qing'er said happily.
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