The young girl wore a delicate light pink waist-length ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and had specially applied a unique peach blossom makeup. Her floral hair ornaments were also outlined in the shape of peach blossom petals, making her look like a flower fairy.
However, with such a gem preceding her, it's hard to find a piece of trash to follow. Although the young girl was wishing the Empress Dowager a happy birthday, she immediately inquired about the Emperor's well-being, clearly indicating that her true intentions lay elsewhere.
Xiao Jin didn't even glance at her, and continued to add more food to Song Lingxi's bowl.
Noticing that she was staring intently at the people in the hall, Xiao Jin gently reminded her.
"Don't these dishes suit your taste? I'll have some redone. You haven't had breakfast this morning, and I'm worried you're hungry."
Everyone looked at Song Lingxi standing next to Xiao Jin.
On the high platform, Song Lingxi's stunning beauty still gave them quite a shock, as if their souls were being cleansed and shaken.
Song Lingxi was dressed in red with black hair, her bright red peony hairpin was lifelike, her red lips were incomparably alluring, her skin was as white as snow, and her long black hair was captivating. Every frown and smile was mesmerizing and captivating.
Looking at the stunning beauty on the high platform, and then at the girl standing in the hall, the difference was immediately apparent. The girl's appearance was much more plain in comparison, except for her captivating voice.
However, her voice was clearly specially trained, and she was just imitating the mannerisms of people from brothels and theaters. No respectable person would learn such things. I wonder what kind of background this woman has.
...
The Emperor ignored her and focused on serving Song Lingxi food. He even felt a surge of anger when he noticed her gaze falling on the unfamiliar woman in the hall.
Why are there always these filthy things clinging to my Xi'er? I finally managed to shake one off, and now another one is coming. Xi'er's eyes should be on me.
Thinking this, Xiao Jin began to dislike the woman more. Just as he was about to have her driven away, the Empress Dowager seemed to sense Xiao Jin's anger and quickly spoke first.
"Whose daughter are you, daring to be so bold? I've never seen this piece of music choreographed into a dance before. Why don't you show it to me, so I can learn something new?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I, Chen Wanting, pay my respects. Please allow me to change into a different dress."
Chen Wanting thanked the Empress Dowager for her appreciation. She was a noblewoman raised by her family and did not believe she was inferior to this incompetent empress.
She had already inquired about the woman beforehand and found that she was illiterate and stupid, but she was very beautiful. She was really lucky to have been chosen by the emperor.
Chen Wanting thought that she would first occupy the position of Imperial Concubine, and then slowly plot for the position of Empress, and sooner or later trample Song under her feet.
"Go on, good boy."
The Empress Dowager intends to arrange another concubine for Xiao Jin. With one family dominating the harem, it is inevitable that women will develop ambitions. Even if Song Lingxi is pure and kind, the Song family may not all have good intentions.
Her precious grandsons were all born from Song's womb. If there were no other women or family to check and balance them, the Song family would probably be unchecked and ascend to immortality.
Xiao Jin frowned, but seeing that the Empress Dowager was unusually happy, and that it was her birthday today, he granted her wish and let her dance.
"Xi'er, why are you always looking at her? Aren't I more handsome than her?"
Xiao Jin was unhappy that Song Lingxi's gaze wasn't on him, so he forcibly turned her body around so that she was facing him and wouldn't look at those irrelevant people.
"Your Majesty, I am facing the main hall, and I am just sitting normally. Please don't do this."
Song Lingxi didn't look at anyone. She was only sitting in the main seat and had to look towards the center of the hall, but Xiao Jin twisted the facts and did it in front of so many people. How embarrassing!
Xiao Jin's voice was not low, and the Empress Dowager could not bear to look at him. She complained in her heart that he was full of nonsense and didn't care about losing face in front of the court officials.
Courtier: We can't hear anything, we dare not hear anything.
...
Before long, Chen Wanting, dressed in a pink and white dance costume, began to dance gracefully to the music of the court musicians. Her movements were skillful and her body was supple, clearly showing that she had practiced for a long time.
The Empress Dowager looked on with satisfaction. "Hmm, this is the kind of woman who has received family training. Just like her, this makes the Empress Dowager feel a sense of familiarity, as if she is seeing her younger self."
The Empress Dowager thought that the Emperor should be satisfied this time. He could already touch one woman, and maybe he could touch another woman. Men all like to have one on each side, don't they?
As a result, when he saw Xiao Jin holding Song Lingxi's little hand and laughing shamelessly, he felt a wave of dizziness. This guy really didn't care about his reputation at all.
The Empress Dowager's face immediately darkened. She had no love for the late Emperor, prioritized interests above all else, and relied on her family to ascend to the position of Empress.
Naturally, they couldn't understand Xiao Jin's possessive love for the Song family and thought he had lost his mind.
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