Wuqin Hall.
Guan Zhiyue waited and waited, and finally it got completely dark. Everyone had finally arrived. Hua Quan said to Li Qiji excitedly, "Your Majesty, the ministers have all arrived. Shall we go over there?"
Li Qiji glanced at Guan Zhiyue, then at his mother, Empress Dowager Xin, who nodded in agreement.
Hua Quan walked ahead gleefully, loudly announcing into the hall, "The Emperor has arrived! The Empress has arrived! The Empress Dowager has arrived!"
Everyone in the room knelt down on the ground in unison, shouting loudly, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empress Dowager! Long live the Empress! Long live the Empress!"
Amidst the shouts of the crowd, the three of them walked towards the high platform. Guan Zhiyue lagged behind, waiting for the Emperor and Empress Dowager to be seated before slowly sitting down herself.
Li Qiji was dressed in a dragon robe and wore a dragon crown. The dragon pearl on his forehead swayed back and forth, and Guan Zhiyue was getting anxious for him! It was such a nuisance!
"All my beloved subjects, please rise!"
Only then did those kneeling on the ground begin to shout in unison, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Today, I will drink with all my beloved ministers until we are drunk. Everyone, fill your cups! I toast you all!" Li Qiji boldly raised his jade cup, a bright green color, and gestured to the ministers below the stage. He then tilted his head back and drank the full cup of wine in one gulp.
Hua Quan stood on the high platform and shouted loudly, "The banquet begins!"
Soon, the music and dance performances began to unfold. They were all ordinary song and dance performances, which Guan Zhiyue and Li Leyi had discussed. Good things need interesting ways to be played to make them truly good.
"Wait a minute, this is just the same old song and dance. Weren't they supposed to have some new choreographed songs and dances?"
"Yeah, they're not trying to fool us, are they?"
"It shouldn't be, right?"
"But look, isn't this it? This dance was performed by the palace maids dressed in brightly colored clothes at last year's palace banquet, and this time they've changed into these peach-pink dresses."
"Oh dear, it really is true, what a deception!"
The fifth-rank officials sitting in the back, having not brought their families, huddled together and began to chatter amongst themselves. The third-rank officials in front, having brought their families and each family having contributed a performance, were disdainful of this kind of song and dance.
They had also heard that the Queen had the music troupe rehearse some new songs and dances, which were graceful and beautiful, and were dances they had never seen before!
This puts some pressure on families like theirs who have TV shows running.
"Cough~"
Li Qiji coughed lightly, and the audience fell silent. Seeing this, Li Qiji raised his hand to his lips and said, "My dear ministers, you may have heard that today's banquet is hosted by the Empress. The Empress has prepared a new game for you today. Let the Empress tell you the details."
Guan Zhiyue glanced at Li Qiji, nodded slightly, and looked at the people on the ground, saying, "Today, I have seen that all the young masters and ladies from noble families are outstanding, with exceptional demeanor, great talent, and stunning looks. In previous years, the banquets held in the palace were organized according to rank to showcase talents."
"Today, I had a sudden inspiration. Let's draw a lucky winner. I've prepared a big spinning wheel. Whoever's performance lands on the wheel's pointer will have to go on stage to perform. This way, everyone will have a chance to be the first to go on stage."
As soon as Guan Zhiyue finished speaking, a eunuch brought up a large turntable that had been placed to the side. The person sitting in front was wondering what such a large wooden plate was for, but now they finally understood that it was a large turntable!
"Very well, this is fair and just. Your Majesty the Empress is truly a remarkable person! Today, this old minister will have a good time to appreciate the wonderful talents of all the scholars and ladies," said a Grand Secretary, stroking his beard.
Upon hearing this, the children of those high-ranking officials thought, "Oh, so whoever gets to play next will have to go on stage. How can they possibly defeat their opponents?"
Some, however, thought that this method was truly ingenious. Even if they were inferior, they could demonstrate their abilities first, and then the talk of the capital would no longer be about them.
"Alright, let's start with the first person," Li Qiji said softly.
Hua Quan personally stood at the place where the turntable was set off, and gently flicked the turntable with his hand, causing the wooden turntable to spin smoothly.
After spinning around a few times, it stopped on the name of Chang Wenhao, the Minister of Justice, and his daughter, Chang Wenjuan. This time, she was going to perform the guzheng, specifically the famous guqin piece "High Mountains and Flowing Water". Guan Zhiyue looked at the program in her hand, but didn't say anything. She just had a faint smile on her face.
Chang Wenjuan walked out from the right side. Meanwhile, the palace servants had already placed the guzheng in the middle of the hall. The woman, dressed in a light pink dress, stretched out her fair and slender fingers and plucked, stroked, lifted, and picked the guzheng. Her fingers flew, bringing a visual feast to everyone present.
"Excellent, excellent! Not bad! Reward me!" Li Qiji exclaimed, praising and admiring him. Guan Zhiyue also offered a reward.
The women were simply presented with jewelry and ornaments, which had been prepared in advance. After the first performance, the second performance would follow, and then it would be the son of the Minister of War.
Shen Wenshi's son, Shen Ce, is currently studying at the Imperial Academy. He is said to be a man of both talent and good looks, and a very good young master. He has never abused his power to bully others. Although his father is the Minister of War, he is still diligent and conscientious at the academy.
Under everyone's gaze, Shen Ce stepped forward, intending to perform a sword dance. The musicians began playing their instruments, and a sword that had been prepared was thrown from a distance. The young man, dressed in a royal blue brocade robe, caught the sword that flew out of the darkness with a backflip.
Following the rhythm, the dancers began to flutter and tumble, while Guan Zhiyue leaned against a soft pillow, feeling somewhat bored.
Li Qiji didn't watch the performance either. He looked at Guan Zhiyue, who was sitting to the side with a dazed expression, and wondered what she was thinking. Guan Zhiyue found all of this very boring, but since she was the Empress behind her and couldn't leave her seat, she could only prop her head up and watch the ministers and talented men and women perform below.
"Good, good, good, reward! Shen Ce, your kung fu is getting better and better, not bad! You are truly a heroic young man!" Li Qiji acted as Guan Zhiyue's mouth double today. Anyway, as long as you perform, no matter how good or bad, you will be rewarded according to Guan Zhiyue's wishes.
After one performance after another, all the talented men and women received prizes, and everyone was all smiles. Whether it was because of the spinning wheel or because the music troupe's "Rainbow Dance" was truly the grand finale, the "Rainbow Dance" only started after all the other songs and dances had finished.
Unsurprisingly, this dance music became the talk of the town tonight, a truly heavenly piece that is rarely heard on earth!
Everyone was talking about it... tonight's banquet was a complete success, without any trouble or unpleasant incidents, which made Guan Zhiyue truly satisfied!
After the banquet, while everyone was discussing, Guan Zhiyue said goodbye to her family and left Wuqin Palace early to return to her cold palace.
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