After the meal, Prince Qiao had already rushed back to Yimen Pass with Qi Ce. As the commander-in-chief, he naturally had to lead by example. Although peace was now in place, they always kept in mind the iron laws and military regulations in their bones.
However, he also promised Qiao Si that he would definitely catch the grand event in the city center in the evening.
Just after noon, some people had already gone to the city center. They had to go there in advance to make preparations and rehearse to ensure that there would be no problems with the afternoon performance.
The performance will last from the hour of Shen to the end of the hour of Xu. Before the hour of You, each merchant will have his own performance. Some will confidently go up and sing a song, some will dance with their partners, and some will use the stage to engage in poetry competitions. It will be lively without the need for the opera troupes to come on stage.
No one would have thought that on the New Year's Eve of the first year after peace, Dingzhou would be so joyful, and it was impossible to tell that it had suffered from war.
However, Zhang You and the others didn't know this yet. They had to wait until Qiao Si and the others finished rehearsing the music before they could go to the city center.
Qiao Si did not stop after dinner. Together with Qiao Er and Qiao Nai, he rehearsed the piece several times in Qiao Si's yard.
The three sisters prepared music. Qiao Nai was good at playing the piano, Qiao Er had a good voice and was good at music, and Qiao Si prepared a dance, a sword dance.
The music is lofty, the singing is clear, and the dancing is powerful. Zhang You and the others find it pleasing to watch them rehearse.
As soon as they finished singing, they came forward to offer water, wipe sweat and give massages.
Qiao Er and Qiao Si still seem to be at odds with each other.
They were singing and dancing together one second, but the next second, they started picking on each other.
When the two quarreled, they would call each other names without any regard for each other. Qiao Nai just smiled and watched the two sisters play. She was always such a gentle sister, tolerant of her sisters' quarrels.
Qiao Er's maidservant, Hongmei and the others, were already engaged in a fierce struggle. Zhang You was caught in the middle, remaining silent.
How do you say this?
On the left is the current master, and on the right is the former master. Besides, she knows Juxiang and the others, so she can't quarrel with them too.
so……
When in doubt, run first.
So Zhang You quietly watched them quarreling with each other.
The winter itself was cold, but the afternoon sun was warm, and under the golden light, even their noisy scene became cozy.
Amidst the cries of "Qiao Xiting!" and "Qiao Lanyin!", the sunlight quietly shifted, and their shadows gradually lengthened, until lanterns were lit in the yard and the moon emerged, replacing the sun.
Their performance is getting closer and closer.
They rehearsed for the last time, went to have dinner with the princess, and then took the princess in a carriage to the city center.
The streets outside were bustling with activity.
The closer we got to the city center, the more people there were and the louder the cheers became.
"What's going on in front? Why is it so lively?" The princess was rarely interested when she heard this.
Qiao Si walked out of the carriage and stood on it looking forward. He saw that several people had gathered on the high platform in front of him. They were all writing something with pens. After a while, they held up what they had written, and someone read it out loud, which in turn caused cheers from the crowd below.
"It seems like they are competing in poetry." Qiao Si watched from afar, turned around and whispered to the princess.
The princess also became interested after hearing this. "We should let Zhaoshu come too. He can read more of other people's poems instead of just writing his own poems in isolation."
"Mother is right. I will send someone to deliver the message right away." Qiao Er asked Juxiang to go back home and deliver the message.
However, her trip was in vain.
Because someone had sneaked out of the house at 3:00 PM in order to avoid the concubines and create an opportunity to date someone.
Qiao Si took the princess to a restaurant near the city center. In the private room on the second floor, one could have a panoramic view of everything on the stage below, which was an excellent viewing spot.
Qiao Si specially ordered people to decorate this private room. It was so warm inside that even after taking off his thick coat, he still felt a little hot inside.
The princess is from the south and cannot stand the severe cold in the north. This was specially prepared by Qiao Si for the princess.
only……
The princess did not say a word of praise for these things, but just had a gentle smile on her face, as if it was natural for Qiao Si to do these things.
Somehow, Zhang You could see the loneliness that flashed across Qiao Si's eyes.
If you put yourself in Qiao Si's shoes, you might really feel sad.
She tried her best to do her best. Every time she argued with Qiao Er, it was actually to perform better than Qiao Er and make her mother look at her differently.
She just wanted her gaze to stay on her longer, but she never got it.
But Qiao Nai and Qiao Er always seem to get what they want easily.
The princess had already asked the frail Qiao Nai to sit with her and watch the scene below.
Qiao Si smiled and turned to look at the performance below with a normal expression.
Zhang You could sense her loneliness at the moment, but she was not in a position to go forward and comfort her. She could only stand near the door, waiting for Qiao Si's instructions at any time.
After the following random performances ended, the people arranged by Qiao Si were already standing on the stage, hosting the next performance that officially began.
First, there was a performance by a drama troupe, which depicted the heroic deeds of Prince Qiao in his battle against the Northern Di.
Zhang You and the others could only hear but not see, which was really tormenting.
Soon, however, Prince Qiao, led by the servants of the palace, came to the private room of the inn. After Qiao Si arranged for the prince and princess, he said goodbye to Qiao Er and Qiao Nai and went downstairs to prepare.
Zhang You and the others can finally breathe fresh air.
Although it was quite warm in the room, it was too quiet. The princess liked quietness, so Qiao Er and the others seldom talked to her and just watched the troupe's performance quietly.
As a result, these slaves had to lower their presence as much as possible and dared not move easily. It felt like they were taking a class under the teacher's nose, and they dared not make any small movements at all.
The play was rather long, humming and humming, and it went on for quite a while. Zhang You was far away, and couldn't see what the people were wearing. He could only hear the majestic voices saying, "Fight!" and "Swear to die without surrendering!"
The sound was so winding and addictive that the ups and downs of the voice kept looping in my mind.
Qiao Si and the others had changed their clothes before leaving the house. They put on fox fur coats to cover up the gorgeous clothes, leaving them looking stunning.
While there was still some time before the troupe finished their performance, Zhang You began to put on makeup for Qiao Si.
Before leaving the house, Qiao Si was worried that the makeup was too delicate, so he didn't let Zhang You put it on.
Zhang You thought she was afraid, worried that the makeup she put on in advance would not be enough to surprise the prince and princess.
After all, Qiao Si is just a 14-year-old girl who always wants to get her parents' attention.
This time, Qiao Si was wearing a bright red dress. The dress was soft in texture and had two one-meter-long red tassels hanging on the sleeves. The hem of the dress was wide and had several pleats, ensuring that when she danced, she would be powerful and elegant.
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