"This servant, this servant just..." Song Tangxue interrupted her impatiently, throwing the clothes into her arms. "No need to hide anymore, I saw everything. You wanted to use scissors to ruin the clothes."
This outfit was made by Song Tangli at great expense over eighty-one days, showing the effort she put into it, all for the sake of making a stunning debut today. She even arranged movements in the dance to echo the outfit; without this outfit, the dance could not be presented perfectly.
"Your Majesty, please do not tell anyone about this. You have been suppressed by a concubine's daughter in the mansion, and you must be full of resentment. I will destroy your clothes to achieve your goal. I will do this by myself, and it will not implicate you afterward."
It has to be said that what she said was quite tempting. If it were the old Song Tangxue, she might have agreed, but having died once, she no longer values fame and fortune as much.
Seeing her uneasy expression, Xiang'er became extremely nervous: "Your Majesty..."
Song Tangxue interrupted, "Alright, I can pretend I didn't see what happened, but you can't touch this garment. Give it back, and I'll pretend nothing happened."
"But Your Majesty, can you really tolerate your half-sister climbing all over you? My mistress is the legitimate daughter of the Jiang family, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. She is only trying to speak up for you!"
"Slap!" The next second, a palm print appeared on Xiang'er's face. Song Tangxue withdrew her hand. "Remember your identity. You are just a maid. You have no right to instigate your master!"
Song Tangxue did this not only because she disliked being instigated, but also because Xiang'er had harmed her for her own selfish interests in her previous life. Although it was a trivial matter, Song Tangxue always held a grudge.
"Your Highness, I have overstepped my bounds." Xiang'er ran away in grievance, her clothes dragging on the ground. Even if they weren't cut to shreds, they were now unwearable.
Song Tangxue sighed. It seemed that what was going to happen couldn't be stopped.
Xiang'er ran back to the banquet in tears. First, she put the clothes back in their original place. This scene was seen by Song Tangli's personal maid, who rushed over to check and found that the pink dress was worn out and could no longer be worn.
Just then, the Empress's voice rang out: "The Crown Princess was the champion of singing and dancing at last year's hunting party. I wonder if the Crown Princess has made any preparations this time?"
Song Tangli stood up confidently. The time had finally come for her to wash away her shame. She believed that this dance would be even more sensational than last year's.
Lost in his own thoughts, he didn't notice the maid's anxious expression.
When the two of them went inside to change their clothes, they discovered that their clothes had been worn through and were covered in dust, which almost made Song Tangli faint with anger.
"What's going on?!" Song Tangli angrily threw her clothes on the ground, and the maid knelt down tremblingly. "Your Majesty, I just saw Jiang Wanxiao's personal maid Xiang'er put your clothes back in their place, and they were already like this."
That damn Jiang Wanxiao!
It was just borrowing a poem at a palace banquet, was it really necessary to go to such lengths?! Now that she's naked, what is she going to do?!
Song Tangli could only vent her anger on the maid. She pulled out her hairpin and stabbed it into the maid's shoulder: "I told you to keep an eye on your clothes, is this how you did it?!"
The maid endured the pain, not daring to resist even as blood dripped to the ground: "Your Highness, it's my fault, but what should we do now?"
Song Tangli slammed her foot on the table, irritably pulling at the clothes on the floor. These clothes were definitely unwearable; she had spent two months' worth of silver to make them, using extremely precious materials. She had thought they would once again attract everyone's attention at the banquet, but now it seemed like nothing but a joke.
After a long time, Song Tangli still hadn't returned, and even the Emperor had to send someone to check on her.
Only Song Tangxue, Jiang Wanxiao, and her maid knew exactly when it had happened.
As Song Tangxue sipped her tea, she thought about how she had won fair and square against Song Tangli, but she had offended too many people, so she couldn't be blamed for it.
After a while, Song Tangli finally arrived in a hurry. Her clothes were no different from before. As the music started, Song Tangli danced. The dance was beautiful, but it always felt out of place with her clothes.
The Empress looked the worst. Song Tangli had repeatedly assured her, and this was exactly what she had done: "This Song Tangli is truly unreliable. Invite Song Tangxue to the palace tomorrow." She needed to consider others.
When the song ended, Song Tangli had never felt so embarrassed. Everyone was whispering about her, and she knew what they were talking about without even listening.
She glared at Song Tangxue. Ever since Song Tangxue changed, nothing good has ever happened around her!
Song Tangxue looked completely bewildered. This had nothing to do with her. Could she have misunderstood that she was the one who did it?
"The Crown Princess's dancing skills are truly superb; I was captivated by them." The Emperor's expression was displeased. "Which young lady will showcase her skills next?"
Since I've already embarrassed myself anyway, I might as well drag Song Tangxue down with me. She's never learned to dance before, and going up there would only make her look foolish. With her around, she'll definitely forget about her own skills.
So she rose and bowed gracefully: "Your Majesty, your daughter-in-law humbly requests that you perform a dance, sister."
"Very well, the Crown Princess has been in the palace for some time now. Even if she wasn't good at dancing before, she must have learned quite a bit." The Empress looked at Song Tangxue with a probing gaze. She wanted to know if Song Tangxue was worth winning over. If she was just a good-for-nothing like Song Tangli, then she wouldn't need to waste her time.
"Since my sister has spoken, then I shall respectfully comply."
Song Tangli had a bad feeling when Song Tangxue agreed so easily. She felt that since Song Tangxue was keeping her under control, nothing should go wrong.
Song Tangxue changed into a dance dress, transforming her from plain white to vibrant red, which was a sight to behold. Li Zhaoxian even stopped drinking tea, completely unaware that tea had seeped into his clothes.
Song Tangxue, following the musician's melody, displayed the cruelty of the battlefield. The red of her dress turned into the color of blood in a daze. To the beat of the drums on the battlefield, she drew a guard's sword and began to dance.
The Empress wanted to stop it, since it was extremely disrespectful for anyone other than the guards to draw their swords in front of the Emperor. The Emperor raised his hand to stop her, watching the dance with fascination.
After the dance ended, Song Tangxue returned the sword to the guard: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I was a little engrossed in the dance and borrowed the sword for a moment."
The Emperor, still wanting more, even wished to see another performance: "No problem, this dance was truly magnificent. How could I not know that Lord Song had such a fine daughter!"
Mr. Song forced a smile, but inwardly he deeply regretted his previous treatment of Song Tangxue.
"If there are any other daughters of officials who wish to dance, then please feel free to do so."
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