Qin Su paused for a moment, then said, "Don't make a fuss yet, proceed according to the original plan."
She waved her hand, and the man stepped back.
No sooner had these words been spoken than the Empress smiled and said, "Today is the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet. Why don't we have these young ladies from the capital perform some talents to liven up the atmosphere?"
This is an old trick; it happens at almost every major banquet. Having the daughters of officials perform their talents is, to put it nicely, to please the Empress Dowager; to put it bluntly, it's just giving these women a chance to shine.
In the royal family, not only is Prince Chen still unmarried, but there are also two other princes below him. Only Emperor Mingyang's child is still young and not yet of marriageable age.
Is the Empress planning to extend her reach to the other princes?
Qin Su only had this guess; she didn't actually care about others.
She rested her chin on her hand, her gaze sweeping over the noble ladies of the capital.
Some of them noticed her gaze and disliked her staring at them; some were even jealous.
Not everyone has the opportunity to sit next to the Empress Dowager.
"Whatever." The Empress Dowager was clearly indifferent to this kind of charade and didn't seem very interested.
Suddenly, she changed the subject and said, "It's time for Prince Chen to start looking for a wife. When the Emperor was his age, the First Prince was already born."
While speaking, he secretly observed Qin Su's expression. Qin Su was only slightly stunned, her lips tightened, but she quickly recovered.
Empress Dowager: Is this meaningful or not?
The Empress, oblivious to the Empress Dowager's thoughts, said, "Yes, Prince Chen is already of age. I wonder if Your Majesty has any suitable young ladies in mind?"
She glanced at Qin Su, and had a suspicion in her mind.
It seems that only Qin Su managed to get the Empress Dowager to treat him differently.
If we were to introduce her to Prince Chen... that wouldn't be a bad idea. It would be better than sending her to the palace.
"I think Miss Qin is quite nice, but I don't know much about Miss Qin..."
Qin Su quickly waved her hand, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but I already have someone I like."
The Empress frowned immediately, then relaxed her grip. "May I ask which family's young master he is? Could you tell me?"
The Empress Dowager didn't believe Qin Su's words, knowing she couldn't give a coherent explanation, so she interjected, "Alright, Qin Su's affairs are for her parents to handle, so you don't need to worry about them."
"Whose daughter is this? She plays the pipa quite well." The Empress Dowager changed the subject, her gaze falling on the slender but graceful young woman on the stage.
The Empress shook her head. "I don't know either."
She harbored many grievances against the Empress Dowager. She hadn't felt anything before, but now she always felt that the Empress Dowager was working against her at every turn.
Why can't we just ignore these things like before?
Who is the true master of the harem?
Privately, the Empress was practically grinding her teeth in anger, and Emperor Mingyang beside her also spoke up: "Alright, Empress, you shouldn't worry about that girl's affairs."
Emperor Mingyang was also very curious about who Qin Su's so-called beloved was, but he felt that no matter who it was, it should not be revealed at this time.
Qin Su whispered to the Empress Dowager, "This is Minister Chen's daughter, named Chen Yirou."
The Empress Dowager nodded. "Can you play the pipa?"
Qin Su shook her head. "I only know how to wield swords and spears. Does the Empress Dowager want to see that?"
The Empress Dowager's eyes lit up, and she immediately became enthusiastic, "Is it alright? Sword dance?"
"Of course!" Qin Su had a good impression of the Empress Dowager and was not opposed to doing these things.
If it were Emperor Mingyang or the Empress, she wouldn't have given them such a pleasant look.
Qin Su said to Qin Mama beside her, "I would like to trouble Qin Mama to find me a sword."
Granny Qin instructed the servants to do so.
Qin Su tested the sword in her hand. The sword was not sharpened and looked a bit dull, but it didn't matter much, since it was just a sword dance.
After Chen Yirou withdrew, Qin Su came down and said, "This humble woman has made a fool of herself."
It's just a regular sword dance, so it won't put much strain on the body.
Compared to the noble ladies in the capital who excel in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, sword dancing is quite rare, and Qin Su's movements attracted a lot of attention.
Many people know that the Qin family practices martial arts, and Qin Su is no exception, but they are not clear about just how skilled she is in martial arts.
Qin Su paid special attention to aesthetics with every step she took, but this aesthetics was not deliberately created; it was a kind of awe-inspiring and powerful feeling.
The men in the audience were particularly moved.
The "swish, swish, swish" sounds seemed to break free of shackles and escape from a cage. What they saw did not appear to be sword dancing, but real martial arts, with swift and deadly moves.
His blood seemed to be surging, and his eyes shone brightly, like fireworks lit up in the night sky.
Who says the daughters of the Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness are no good?
Isn't this pure nonsense?
Qin Su's longsword was pointed directly at Xue Huai'an, his eyes seemingly blazing with intense killing intent. The unsharpened sword seemed poised to pierce through everyone and plunge into Xue Huai'an's heart.
Xue Huai'an met her eyes and saw the bone-deep hatred and murderous intent within them. His chest seemed to ache again, but for some reason, he couldn't look away, seemingly deeply attracted to Qin Su like this.
His throat was dry, his Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and he almost wanted to walk up to Qin Su.
She seemed like a goddess descended from heaven, wielding power over life and death, captivating all who looked away.
Beneath the skin, the heart pounded wildly, and terrifying thoughts surged into the brain once more.
I'll get her!
I must have her!
Otherwise you'll regret it! You'll definitely regret it!
After a short while, Qin Su looked away, sheathed his longsword, and exhaled a breath of stale air.
She held back, refraining from taking the opportunity to stab Xue Huai'an to death. Perhaps she could wait for Kang Lin's men to arrive before making her move.
"Very well!" The Empress Dowager spoke first, breaking the silence.
Emperor Mingyang clapped his hands, "Excellent. Marquis Zhongyi has raised a fine daughter."
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