In the evening, Mid-Autumn Festival banquet.
Yun Yuan arrived at Xingqing Palace where the night banquet was held first and sat at the table for the Loulan envoys.
"Why did you take so long? What did the emperor say to you?"
"He asked me if I had seen a man of my choice at the morning court and wanted to arrange a marriage for me."
"How did you reply?"
"I think Prince Liang is a good person. He has a pure heart."
Yun Yuan's voice was very low, but there were many people at the table who were sharp-eyed and sharp-eared. Because they were still obsessed with her dance at the court meeting, many people were secretly observing her.
Chu Mu froze while sipping his tea. Was she really attracted to Xia Yanjin? He clearly wanted to watch the fun, two women competing for one man, but why was he feeling so uneasy?
Xia Yanjin also heard Yun Yuan's words. His lips slightly raised and he met An Mengru's gaze. Then he froze and gave her a guilty smile.
An Mengru glared at Yun Yuan with hostility.
Is this Princess Jiayue? She doesn't even dare to show her face. Her appearance is definitely not as good-looking as she is after drinking the spiritual spring water. Her figure is excellent, but she looks charming and charming, and she doesn't look serious at first glance.
Why did he seduce Xia Yanjin when he could seduce anyone else? She would never let him go.
Although she didn't know what Jiayue said, Xia Yanjin did smile at Jiayue. She didn't allow him to have any feelings for any woman other than her, and the same went for Princess Jiayue.
Yun Yuan just glanced at An Mengru and then looked away. An Mengru's appearance was not extremely beautiful, but her skin was fair and flawless, and her temperament was unique. Well, she had a sense of self-confidence and superiority that made her look very cool and proud.
The Prince of Wusun and the Prince of Dayuan were talking eagerly with a woman in palace dress. Yun Yuan thought that it must be Princess Wen Xin, the person sent out for marriage.
Princess Wen Xin is not of orthodox royal blood, but a concubine's daughter of a baron's family. Half a year ago, when she heard that the Xia Kingdom needed a princess for marriage, she volunteered to step forward. Xia Zhiye named her Princess Wen Xin and she enjoyed the treatment of an orthodox princess.
The Xiongnu envoys looked at Wusun and Dayuan trying to please Princess Wen Xin with disdain.
Only the weak need to be flattered. He is the strongest. In three days, he will defeat the other three countries and take Princess Wen Xin back as a trophy.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
Everyone knelt and bowed: "Long live our emperor, long live our emperor, long live our emperor!"
Xia Zhiye stood on a high place and looked down at the ministers. He said a few polite words as per the practice in previous years, and expressed his welcome to the envoys from various countries. Then he sat on the chair and kept looking in the direction of Loulan.
As the banquet began, dozens of gorgeously dressed dancers filed in, their steps light and their figures graceful.
Accompanied by the sound of stringed instruments, the dancers fluttered their sleeves, and the banquet was filled with the hustle and bustle of wine.
After the song ended, An Mengru stood up.
"Your Majesty, today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the moon is full. Envoys from various countries have gathered here. I, your humble servant, would like to offer you a poem, praying for the prosperity of Great Xia for generations to come, and also expressing my welcome to the envoys from the West."
Xia Zhiye has become accustomed to her being the center of attention. As long as she doesn't dance in front of him, he lets her do whatever she wants.
"I agree." His eyes were always on Yun Yuan.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I am humbled to present you!"
Yun Yuan's lips curled up. Here it comes, the heroine's highlight moment.
An Mengru said confidently, "When will the bright moon appear? Let me raise my cup to ask the sky.
I don’t know what year it is in the palace in heaven.
I want to ride the wind and go back, but I am afraid that it is too cold up there in the beautiful building.
Dancing with my shadow, it feels like I'm not in the human world.
Turn around the red pavilion, lower the beautiful window, and shine on the sleepless.
There should be no hatred, why does the moon always appear full when we are parting?
People have joys and sorrows, separations and reunions; the moon has its phases of waxing and waning; it is impossible to have everything in life.
May we live long and share the beauty of the moon together even though we are thousands of miles apart."
Loud cheers rang out during the banquet. The foreign envoys did not understand and could only applaud in confusion to show their friendship.
"What a wonderful saying! May we live long and share the beauty of the moon, even though we are thousands of miles apart."
"Miss An Er, is this your new work?"
An Mengru smiled: "I feel ashamed when I feel this way."
"Second Miss An is too modest. This poem has a unique artistic conception and is truly a masterpiece."
"Second Miss An is indeed the most talented woman in the capital."
Xia Zhiye had a strange look on his face, because it was Mid-Autumn Festival. Yun Yuan had specially shown him this poem. He remembered that the author was Su Shi, so how could it be written by An Mengru?
Because envoys from various countries were present, and An Mengru was a Xia citizen, if she brought shame upon herself, the Xia country would also be shamed. Xia Zhiye did not want the Xia people to be labeled as academic plagiarists, so he chose to keep it secret for the time being and deal with the matter behind closed doors after the envoys from various countries left.
An Mengru enjoyed everyone's attention. She could feel Xia Yanjin's gaze returned to her again, and Chu Mu was also looking at her with admiration.
She was very satisfied, but at the same time she felt sorry that Gu Xiao had not come back yet and could not see her shining moment at this moment.
"I've heard that Princess Jiayue is a great dancer. I wonder if I'd have the honor of inviting her to dance with me."
"Dancing together?" Yun Yuan was surprised.
"I wonder if Princess Jiayue has seen 'Ten Flying Daggers' on her journey eastward?"
"Ten Sides of Ambush" is a sword dance that is widely circulated in Daxia. It was created by the king and concubine of the previous dynasty who lost their country.
It contains their despair about the country's demise and their hope to revive their country. The first part is majestic like iron horses and swords, the middle part is sad and desperate, and the last part is calm and composed. It is called the swan song of the previous dynasty.
Is An Mengru really stupid or just pretending to be stupid? She sang the song of the country's demise during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Does she really think that the emperor will not blame her in front of the envoy?
Chu Mu lowered his head and his expression could not be seen. Xia Zhiye glanced coldly at the Anguo family. After being warned by the emperor, Anguo wiped the sweat from his forehead. An Mengru relied on her beauty and talent to be successful in the capital, so he turned a blind eye to it, but this time he really went too far.
Yun Yuan stood up and said, "I've never seen 'Ten Sides of Ambush' before. How about we change it to another famous dance from Daxia - 'Mountain and River Song'?"
"Mountain and River Song" is a combination of water sleeves and sword dance. One person dresses up as a woman and dances with water sleeves, while another wears men's clothes and dances with a sword, representing softness and hardness, beauty and the country, peace and war, prosperity and chaos.
The music has a brisk rhythm, and any hesitation in the movements will make it difficult to keep up, which is a test of proficiency and skills.
An Mengru's face changed. She had practiced "Ten Sides of Ambush" many times and knew it by heart. She also knew "Mountain and River Song", but she was not familiar with it and it was easy for her to make mistakes.
She opened her mouth, wanting to change the song back to "Ten Sides of Ambush".
Xia Zhiye said, "Let's play 'Mountain and River Song'. Someone, take Princess Jiayue and Miss An Er to the side hall to change clothes."
Side hall.
When An Meng saw the three-meter-long sleeves, she decided to choose sword dance.
The sleeves were too long to dance with. She had practiced sword dance in "Ten Sides of Ambush" and remembered all the key movements. Only when she was confident could she stay calm.
"Princess Jiayue and An Mengru performed a dance."
The music started, and the sonorous piano sounds accompanied by the tight rhythm of the drums created an atmosphere of bravely fighting the enemy with swords and spears.
At the same time, An Mengru swung her sword and Yun Yuan swung her sleeves.
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