"Never mind, it was just an accident, you can't blame her for it."
Li Chang'an frowned slightly as he looked at the mess on his clothes, but he could only hold back Liu Furong, who was unwilling to give up.
Bai Ruobing eventually slunk back to her seat, not even knowing how she got from the stage to the audience.
Li Chang'an's side was still in chaos. Liu Furong was still very angry. She naturally believed that Bai Ruobing had done it on purpose, but she couldn't confront her right now. She could only wipe the table in front of Li Chang'an with a silk handkerchief and say indignantly, "This Bai Ruobing is too much. She didn't forget to scheme against you at a palace banquet. Now look what's happened. She ruined your dress, and she herself is probably not doing any better!"
Bai Ruobing was indeed having a hard time at this moment. She originally wanted to avoid everyone's gaze and glanced to the side, but she met Bai Yuanshan's gaze. She saw Bai Yuanshan glare at her and quickly looked away.
Bai Ruobing felt extremely distressed and wanted to talk to Bai Ruohan for comfort, but Bai Ruohan completely ignored her, as if all the tenderness he had shown her just moments before had vanished.
Thus, Bai Ruobing guessed what had happened. She stared at Bai Ruohan in disbelief, only to see that Bai Ruohan still had a faint smile on her lips, but her eyes were indifferent. She was staring at Li Chang'an with a hateful gaze, as if the glass of wine she had just drunk was not enough to satisfy her.
Li Chang'an's clothes were in such a state that they could no longer be worn, so Liu Furong took her downstairs to change them into the sky-blue wide-sleeved silk dress that Feng Beichuan had given her.
"Great! This outfit looks much better than what you were wearing before!"
Upon seeing Li Chang'an dressed in new clothes, Liu Furong couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, surprised that this woman also possessed such a feminine side.
Being praised like that made Li Chang'an feel a little embarrassed. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, overwhelmed with mixed feelings.
These clothes were delivered there.
I'm really grateful to him for bringing me these clothes.
After changing her clothes, Liu Furong used her limited experience in dressing up to give Li Chang'an a makeover. She gave him a light makeup, a simple hairstyle, a silver hairpin, and a few elegant but exquisite hairpins. Liu Furong also put the most gorgeous pair of gold hairpins from her own hair on Li Chang'an's head.
"It looks really good. This hair ornament really suits you."
Although Liu Furong gave her best jewelry to Li Chang'an, she didn't feel bad at all. She looked at her beautiful face in the mirror and sincerely admired it.
Li Chang'an rarely dressed like this and was still a little unaccustomed to it. Liu Furong's words gave her a lot of confidence. She looked at Liu Furong and said, "This hair ornament is very beautiful. Thank you."
When the two returned to the banquet hall, Li Chang'an immediately noticed that the way everyone was looking at her had changed.
Indeed, she was even more beautiful than usual at this moment. Her sky-blue dress shone brightly in the candlelight of the hall, and the floating patterns added to her beauty. Coupled with her exquisite makeup, she was captivating at first glance.
Li Chang'an spotted the Bai sisters immediately; both of them looked unwell. Then he noticed the wooden sword in the corner, and an idea came to him.
Because weapons are forbidden in the presence of the emperor, Li Chang'an did not bring her sword. She thought she would be unable to perform her only specialty, the sword dance, but she found a wooden sword instead.
She handed the wooden sword to Liu Furong and said, "Furong, try this sword and see if it's heavy."
Liu Furong considered it for a moment and replied, "It's acceptable."
Li Chang'an nodded, took two steps forward with his wooden sword in hand, and said to Emperor Changyin:
"Your subject is willing to offer a sword dance!"
Emperor Xingchang was genuinely surprised that Li Chang'an would so readily offer to perform, and replied somewhat bewildered:
"Since Chang'an is willing to perform a dance, that would be wonderful."
Li Chang'an walked to the center of the stage, his hand holding the sword moving in perfect harmony with his body. His sword dance was both powerful and graceful, sharp yet elegant. His steps were fast but not chaotic, and with each move, the wooden sword spun around, seemingly like a splendidly blooming wooden lotus.
This dance is not only rare but also truly breathtaking, completely different from those dances that are merely graceful and charming.
Feng Beichuan could hardly look away. In her eyes, Li Chang'an was the most stunning woman in the world at this moment. Her beauty transcended mere appearance; it was a beauty that came from within, sharp yet gentle, making one want to get closer.
Liu Furong was also stunned. She knew that Li Chang'an was beautiful and different from other women, but she did not expect that this dance would be so amazing. She could not help but cheer for Li Chang'an.
"Great! This is the best dance I've seen today, Chang'an!" Liu Furong stood up and exclaimed.
Li Chang'an smiled at her, turned around and returned to his seat, not noticing Feng Beichuan's infatuated gaze.
Li Chang'an really stole the show this time, but the Bai sisters felt very uncomfortable, especially Bai Ruohan.
She thought she could outmaneuver Li Chang'an this time, but unexpectedly, she ended up benefiting herself instead. She couldn't help but glare at Bai Ruobing and cursed her inwardly as a fool who was good for nothing but causing trouble.
Although Bai Ruobing was also feeling unwell, seeing Bai Ruohan's furrowed brows brought her a strange sense of relief.
Bai Ruohan could no longer sit still and stood up, saying, "Princess Yong'an's performance was truly breathtaking. I am not very talented, but I have prepared a light whirl dance for you to perform."
As she spoke, she lifted her skirt and gracefully walked onto the stage.
Bai Ruobing then stood up and said to Li Chang'an, "Princess Yong'an is so talented, I wonder if she could accompany my sister with a piece of music? It would surely be the icing on the cake!"
Li Chang'an knew that she was deliberately making things difficult for him, and he bluntly said, "Miss Bai is too kind, but I am indeed ignorant of music theory. Miss Bai, please ask someone else."
Liu Furong chimed in, "That's right! Who says that dancing well means you have to be able to play the piano? The two Bai sisters are both beautiful and talented. Why don't Miss Bai accompany your sister on a piece? We'd love to see that!"
Bai Ruobing herself was indeed not very skilled at playing the zither, so she stopped talking. But then, Feng Beichuan stood up and said:
"Since Miss Bai needs accompaniment with a zither, how about I play a piece to entertain you all?"
Bai Ruohan was overjoyed upon hearing this and readily agreed. She couldn't help but become a little carried away and looked at Feng Beichuan with eyes full of admiration. However, Feng Beichuan didn't even glance at her, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips.
Feng Beichuan brought the zither to him, and as his fingers glided across the strings, a beautiful melody was formed. Bai Ruohan danced gracefully to the music.
The scene was originally quite pleasing to the eye, but Feng Beichuan's fingers moved and he played a wrong note. Bai Ruohan was stunned for a moment, but quickly came to her senses and continued dancing.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
