"In that case, I'll make a fool of myself first."
Liu Furong has always been very bold, so she decided to be the first to go on stage and perform for everyone.
She stood up from her seat in full view of everyone, and then took out a delicate white jade flute from her waist.
With his thin lips slightly parted, the melodious sound of the flute echoed in the hall.
Everyone inside the hall held their breath, completely captivated by the sound of the flute.
In the sound of this flute, one can almost see endless yellow sand, a dusky sunset, and a boundless sea...
Suddenly, everyone felt a sense of desolation in the sound of the flute, as if it were accompanied by gusts of early winter wind, followed by fluttering snowflakes.
When the music ended, the hall fell silent, and everyone was still reeling from the sound of the flute.
"Well done, like father, like daughter! This song is truly captivating, leaving a lingering impression!"
Emperor Xingchang couldn't help but praise her loudly, and then ordered people to give Liu Furong a bunch of rewards.
"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty."
Liu Furong gave a slight bow and sat back down in her seat with a calm expression.
The others couldn't help but echo Emperor Xingchang's praise of Liu Furong, and the atmosphere in the hall immediately became lively.
With such a spectacular opening show, the other young ladies were also eager to try their luck.
Bai Ruobing was even more eager to show off her skills. She was extremely envious of the pile of rewards Liu Furong had received. She thought that Liu Furong had only played a tune, yet she had won the emperor's praise. She was determined to outdo Liu Furong!
She mustered her courage and was about to get up when Bai Ruohan grabbed her sleeve and then leaned closer.
"What are you doing?" Bai Ruobing was startled, frowned and looked at her unhappily.
Bai Ruohan simply smiled, gently patted Bai Ruobing's arm, and said to her in a rare gentle tone, "Bing'er, look how melodious Miss Liu's rendition of 'Snow Beyond the Great Wall' was; she truly stole the show, but..."
Bai Ruohan paused, then continued in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Princess Yong'an will be coming up soon. Judging from her appearance, she must have been prepared. Are you really willing to let her be so smug? Actually, you are no less than her in terms of looks or talent."
These words struck a nerve with Bai Ruobing—they were of similar age, and she was no less capable than Li Chang'an in any way, yet she always paled in comparison. Was Heaven truly so unfair, favoring only Li Chang'an?
But she remained cautious. Her own elder sister had always been very concerned about her status as an illegitimate child. Why would she suddenly change her attitude and speak to her so gently? Could she be plotting something bad?
Facing Bai Ruobing's suspicious gaze, Bai Ruohan seemed to have expected it. She said, "Bing'er, how can you not trust your own sister? We sisters should work together to bring glory to our family."
The sincerity of these words immediately dispelled Bai Ruobing's doubts, and her impression of her older sister improved dramatically. She nodded and said, "Then what does my sister intend for me to do?"
Bai Ruohan smiled and glanced at her, saying nothing. He simply moved a glass of wine in front of Bai Ruobing and said softly, "This is a tribute wine from the Western Regions. It is said that it takes three years from picking to brewing, and very few people know how to make this wine. It is extremely precious. Bing'er, don't waste it."
After saying that, Bai Ruohan plucked a silk ribbon from the tassel of her hairpin, dipped it in some wine, and the ribbon was immediately stained purplish-red.
"Bing'er, didn't you specially learn the Western Regions dance? Pairing it with this wine would be the icing on the cake."
Bai Ruohan smiled slightly.
Bai Ruobing understood immediately, but still hesitated and said, "Sister, this..."
But she had only spoken halfway when she saw Li Chang'an talking to Liu Furong, with Feng Beichuan occasionally chiming in. The atmosphere was very harmonious, but Bai Ruobing felt very uncomfortable watching this.
These people are far too smug!
"I see."
Without further hesitation, Bai Ruobing picked up the wine and prepared to get up.
"Wait," Bai Ruohan called out to her, then took a string of red jade bracelets from his waist and put them on Bai Ruobing, saying, "These are red jade bracelets that I ordered from Jinyulou. I just picked them up a few days ago. I think the color suits you very well, so you can wear them."
The red jade bracelet was of excellent quality and clearly very valuable. Bai Ruobing was truly moved and sincerely said, "Thank you, elder sister."
She was filled with gratitude, but she didn't notice the scheming glint in Bai Ruohan's eyes, nor did she notice that the thin rope connecting the red jade bracelet had been cut at some point and was already teetering on the verge of falling apart with the slightest movement.
"This humble woman is willing to offer a dance!"
Bai Ruobing stood up and said loudly.
Emperor Xingchang glanced at her and said, "This must be the daughter of Minister Bai. She is indeed a woman of exceptional talent and beauty."
Sitting to the side, Bai Yuanshan was somewhat worried. He thought to himself that his good-for-nothing illegitimate daughter must not embarrass the Bai family in front of everyone. He was also anxious about why Bai Ruohan had not yet taken the stage. However, on the surface, he had to appear happy and said repeatedly, "This humble girl will make a fool of herself."
Bai Ruobing walked onto the stage with a glass of wine and began to dance gracefully. Her movements were elegant and pleasing to the eye, which surprised Bai Yuanshan. However, he was secretly glad that Bai Ruobing would not embarrass him this time, and that he might be able to cultivate her properly in the future.
The audience watched intently, but no one knew Bai Ruobing's state of mind at that moment.
She looked at Li Chang'an below the stage, wanting countless times to lean over to him, but she could never take that step. As time passed, fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on her forehead.
Just as the dance was about to end, the red jade bracelet at Bai Ruobing's waist suddenly broke, and the red jade beads scattered all over the ground. Before she could react, she stepped on it and slipped and fell to the ground.
The wine in her hand spilled onto Li Chang'an, and the gold-inlaid agate wine glass fell to the ground. The full glass of purplish-red wine stained Li Chang'an's plain white clothes with mottled purplish-red stains.
Everyone was naturally very surprised by what had happened, but Bai Ruobing was only filled with shame and anger, wishing she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into immediately.
But under everyone's gaze, she could only quickly get up from the ground, then blush and apologize to Li Chang'an.
"What's wrong with you? If you're going to dance, then dance properly. Why do you have to grab a glass of wine? Look at the state of His Highness's clothes! How can they be worn now!"
Liu Furong was immediately enraged. She raised her eyebrows and began to criticize Bai Ruobing without restraint.
Bai Ruobing could only lower her head and listen to the other party's questioning, without any chance to refute. She was about to grind her teeth to powder, and the hatred in her heart roared like a torrent.
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