Aunt Hu’s old bones were almost broken after climbing up, but she had to admit that the sunset was really beautiful.
"It's so beautiful. I wish my husband could come and see it."
It’s a pity that the most beautiful sunset only lasts for a short moment and is gone in a flash. If she goes to call Dugu Yu over, it will be dark by the time they come back.
"Princess, we should go back now. We will be attending the banquet at Bihua Palace soon."
Qin Qingyao stretched lazily and said, "I've finally made it through. It's so boring in the palace!"
Aunt Hu: “…”
It’s too early to say that we’ve finally made it!
Qin Qingyao followed Madam Hu to look for Dugu Yu. They were still in the big pavilion under the rockery.
The men looked at Lin Xiafeng with three points more respect and three points more greed, while the women's eyes were seven points more jealous and daggers hidden in their smiles.
It seems that today's heroine is also very domineering and she crushes the whole audience. It's really worth the trip.
Dugu Yu always had a cold face and no expression. Although there were many outstanding people present, few of them dared to look him in the face.
So no one noticed how absent-minded he was.
But today's King Wu Ling inevitably seemed a little... ordinary.
Yes, he is not as brilliant as everyone imagines. The crown prince and several royal princes are no less talented than him!
It seems that he is really a reckless man who only knows how to fight!
They actually had a halftime break this afternoon. During the break, Lin Xiafeng walked up to Dugu Yu with graceful and elegant steps.
"Brother Dugu, long time no see. How have you been lately?"
Although Qin Qingyao disliked Lin Xiafeng very much and repeatedly told him to stay away from her, in Dugu Yu's mind, Lin Xiafeng was truly a pure, kind, self-reliant, and self-disciplined lady from a noble family.
He is one of his few friends in Yulin City, so he can't ignore Lin Xiafeng.
He nodded to Lin Xiafeng, "Well, you look very good today."
Lin Xiafeng lowered his head and smiled, "Last time when we were in danger outside the city, it was Brother Dugu who risked his life to save Feng'er and protect him. Logically, Feng'er should have come to thank him in person a long time ago, but..."
"The princess seemed to have misunderstood Feng'er at that time, and I didn't dare to bother him, so I didn't even have time to say thank you to Brother Dugu. I never expected that I would be cared for by Brother Dugu again so soon. Feng'er is truly grateful!"
Fortunately, Qin Qingyao had the foresight to run away early. If she were there and heard Lin Xiafeng trying to sow discord and make false accusations, she would have jumped up and torn Lin Xiafeng's face apart.
You were so busy flirting with His Royal Highness Prince Duan and giving him advice that you didn't even bother to thank Dugu Yu. And you're blaming her for not letting you visit? Do you have any shame?
"The last incident happened a long time ago, and my injuries have long since healed. Miss Lin, there's no need to worry about it. As for this palace banquet, it was all ordered by the Emperor, and I was just following orders."
"What's more, before today, I didn't know you were Ruowoweifeng, so Miss Lin, I really don't deserve this thank you!"
Lin Xiafeng nodded, gave him a look that said I understand, then took out a small bookmark from his sleeve and handed it over.
"This small gift is not enough to show my respect. I hope Brother Dugu will take it."
"You know, Feng'er doesn't have any treasures worth showing off, and I don't know what to give you to express my gratitude."
"This little bookmark was made by Feng'er himself. Time was tight, so it's a little rough. I hope Brother Dugu won't mind."
When Dugu Yu saw Lin Xiafeng taking out the thank-you gift, alarm bells went off in his heart, and he didn't even hear her obvious cry of poverty and misery.
His mind was full of Qin Qingyao pulling his arm after a nap and earnestly admonishing him not to accept Lin Xiafeng's private thanks, otherwise it would be a private transaction!
He didn't give Lin Xiafeng a backdoor out of personal favor, and saying he felt unworthy was not just a polite remark, he really didn't need Lin Xiafeng to thank him!
He immediately noticed the small painting on the bookmark, which depicted a noble plum blossom and the white snow covering the rockery and eaves.
This scene immediately reminded him of the snowy day more than ten years ago, when the kind little girl took off her white cloak with her own body temperature and tied it for him with her own hands.
Dugu Yu was suddenly deeply moved, but he came to his senses after being moved.
A cloak that Lin Xiafeng gave Qin Qingyao more than ten years ago made him so angry that he even burned his court robes and underwear.
If he dared to accept Lin Xiafeng's bookmark and that psychopath found out, wouldn't he just set fire to his study and put an end to it?
As for hiding it from Qin Qingyao? Haha, that mysterious little lunatic, what does she know?
"No reward without merit. I am merely following the Emperor's orders and acting impartially. Miss Lin is here because of her talent. I truly do not deserve such a generous reward from her."
When Lin Xiafeng was about to say something, Dugu Yu spoke first, "The Crown Prince and all the princes and princesses are still waiting. We should go back!"
After saying that, without waiting for Lin Xiafeng's reaction, he took the lead and walked back to the pavilion. Anyway, it was impossible for him to go back with Lin Xiafeng. Wouldn't that damage the girl's reputation?
Lin Xiafeng stood frozen in place holding the bookmark. This was a gift she gave, a gift she made with her own hands, and Dugu Yu didn't want it?
As an unmarried woman, it would be inappropriate for her to give Dugu Yu a sachet, handkerchief, jade pendant or something like that. So what else could he use frequently that would not attract attention or cause gossip?
A bookmark was the best thank-you gift she could think of, but Dugu Yu actually refused to accept it? His reaction was too abnormal...
Qin Qingyao stood under the street light, looking at the dark crowd in the pavilion. She couldn't even tell who was who, let alone how many people were standing there.
"Husband?"
Despite the constant laughter in the pavilion, Dugu Yu immediately heard Qin Qingyao's voice, then came out of the pavilion and walked quickly towards her.
"Where have you been?"
"Well, I first accompanied the old lady to the garden to look at the many flowers, and then I went with Madam Hu to see a small square where people were competing in throwing pots and archery, as well as martial arts. They were quite impressive."
"Then, we climbed the rockery for a while. Sitting on the top of the mountain, we could see the sunset. Half the sky was red. It was beautiful, right, Aunt Hu?"
Madam Hu withdrew her wandering gaze and nodded, "Yes, it's beautiful, but it's too short."
"The sunset is infinitely beautiful, but it is only near dusk. If it were not fleeting, how could it appear precious? During the day, the sun hangs from east to west in the sky, yet no one praises it."
Dugu Yu felt extremely frustrated as he listened to Qin Qingyao's wonderful and busy afternoon.
She was both entertaining and beautiful, and here he was, watching a group of people showing off their literary talent.
He might as well go and compete with others in throwing pots and archery. If he goes, Qin Qingyao will know that compared to him, those people are nothing but scum!
"By the way, husband, what did you do?"
"Composing couplets, writing poems, and painting."
"Ah? Next time you should go play with those generals. At least you can stretch your muscles."
Dugu Yu: “…”
The three of them walked away unnoticed, and the people in the pavilion noticed, "Hey, where is King Wu Ling?"
Bihua Palace is a very large and spacious palace.
This is the place where the emperor holds grand events. There are chairs on both sides, arranged according to seniority, from the innermost part all the way out of the hall, almost to the gate of the courtyard.
Qin Qingyao and Dugu Yu sat at the same table, their positions blocked by those princes. Their status was higher than Lin Xiafeng's father.
However, because "Eldest Young Master", "I Have Good Food" and "If I Am the Wind" were invited by the Emperor himself, they were not ranked at the back, but at the very end of the hall, in front of the third-rank officials.
In this formal palace banquet, everyone did not eat around a table. Instead, each official had a small square table in front of him, and palace servants would constantly serve dishes and take away the empty plates.
This small table can't even hold four dishes and a soup, not to mention the wine jug and other things on it.
"Husband, you see there are so many people coming to some houses, how can we eat at this small table?"
Dugu Yu, "Only the two people sitting at the table eat. The people at the back usually don't eat."
Qin Qingyao was shocked. "They come here even without food? What's their intention?"
Dugu Yu: “…”
Who wouldn't come for such a great opportunity to show off? Even just seeing the Emperor and Empress would be an honor. Who would be like this girl, coming just to eat?
"Do you think a palace banquet is just about eating?"
"Of course not. I know there will be a performance soon. First, the palace will prepare it, with singers and dancers, and then the young men and women from various families will compete to perform!"
All palace banquets are portrayed like this on TV.
Dugu Yu nodded. He finally understood why he had never seen her at a palace banquet before. It turned out that she would rather have a good meal at home...
Dugu Yu couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth slightly, and wiped her hands with the towel on the corner of the table. Let her eat more later. She must be hungry after playing for a whole afternoon.
The first dance that came up was an opening dance. It was not gentle, but rather cheerful and a little powerful. As an art student majoring in dance, Qin Qingyao could not help but compare their dance with her own choreography.
Although the rhythm is cheerful, it is still too limited and lacks imagination and expression, and there are only a few difficult moves throughout the whole process.
Qin Qingyao felt that if the emperor asked her to choreograph, the girls would definitely be able to dance in a way that would make all the men's eyes pop out!
As the opening dance began, the food and drinks were served on the table. They were not served on plates, but on small dishes, with only a little bit of each.
Qin Qingyao felt that if she gritted her teeth and was reserved, she could eat three bites, if she ordered casually, she could eat it all in one bite, and if she was bold, she could finish the dishes on three plates in one bite.
She smiled and tried to keep her eyes fixed on the dancers. Dugu Yu had just served them all some wine when the emperor began to speak the opening words.
After that, everyone raised their glasses and drank it all.
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